《Legacies of light》


 Part 1: Fimbulwinter

    Year 1


    All I feel are sharp pains throughout my body. How long has it been since I started walking? It could only have been just over a day, or I would be dead. I haven''t taken time to rest because I feel I would collapse and fall over if I did.


    My feet are numb, my arms are shaking, and I can barely see anything. My ears are about to fall off, and all the liquid in my body is about to freeze.


    I feel as though my consciousness could fade at any moment. All I know for sure is the weight of my bag on my back and that I''m walking upwards.


    Thoughts run through my mind, like how can snow so white clear and beautiful destroy my senses as it is now? I spent years finding the materials to construct clothes resistant to this cold, so that I could climb this mountain at the end of my life, but it barely is doing anything for me.


    I laugh a little at the hopelessness of my situation, but then my throat feels a sharp pain. I can¡¯t even slightly open my mouth in this cold; the moment the cold air comes in through my mouth, I feel as though my organs are about to turn into ice. Still, regardless of any of that, I continue to scale this mountain I must.


    My body wants to stop, but I refuse. It wants to give up, but I persevere. It keeps telling me you''ve done enough, it''s ok; anyone would die at this point, but I Ignore it. My legs started to buckle; I fell, it seemed my body had enough of me, and while laying in the snow, all I could think was, how comfy is this? It''s even softer than my pillow. I feel the strength drain from my body as I embrace the snow. Is this What it means to be a peace when you die?


    But I''m not alone. She is still here with me, so I say the names of my family repeatedly in my mind, Dragoste, Draga, Viata, Intrare. And it gives me strength even if just a little, and I press on even if I can keep going just for one or even two more minutes, it will allow me to give her an even more beautiful sight, and after all she''s done for me I believe she deserves that, so I continue to march forward to get a little further.


    I go on, but then I feel something under my foot, did I hit something? Looking down I see a child as white as snow.


    Shit, what, crap, why is a child here? Even though my body was numb to the bone is still felt shocked by this. I quickly picked the child up to see if it was alive. The child had its eyes closed; so, I tried checking its pulse, but my body was so numb I doubted I could do it, but then my arms started to wobble shit my strength was falling.


    I try to look for visual indicators if the child is alive. The child''s skin still looks bright, so hopefully, the child is alive. I try to hold the child close to give it heat, but I realise this child isn''t cold. It''s hot. What the hell is this child unaffected by the cold. As I try to make sense of my situation, I fall to the snow below.


    Crap, my strength is gone. What the hell am I going to do, no one comes to Fimbulwinter unless they have some death wish, so this child¡¯s rescue options are non-existent, so what I am going to do.


    I feel my mind going blank damn no I can''t die like this is what I keep saying in my mind, but then the snow starts to move away from us. Then the snow clears up a path in front of us. Looking around the blizzard is raging everywhere else.


    Under the snow, I can see green pastures, and light from the sun started to break through the endless blizzard. It''s almost as if the blizzard moved to make way for the sun. the sunlight shines on the path of snow in front of us.


    I don''t even understand what''s happening, but my best chance at surviving is following that before the snow comes back. Even in my old age, I should still be able to do it. I reinforce my body with SE, thinking I must optimise it and not push it past the limit. Then I get up, pick the child up, and walk down the path as fast as possible.


    The child''s body heat is warming my fingers; I still feel pain everywhere, but by reinforcing it, the pain goes down a bit, but this will lead to even worse muscle fatigue later, still I continue through it all, I have so many questions why is this child here? Why is this child immune to the cold? Why is the snow clearing? But I put them all on hold and continued down the path as quickly as possible, pushing my old bones, and then eventually, I saw a lone house that the snow wasn¡¯t touching. I see the light from the sun shining down on the house.


    Seeing this, all I can feel is excitement. This is exhilarating, an old man like me can still have thrilling experiences like this, but this is not the time I think to myself while rushing towards the house with the child. I drop my bag so I can reach home faster. When I arrived at the house, I saw the front door open with a pile of snow outside the front door. I wearily head inside and collapse on the floor, and the only thought going through my mind is that it''s so warm.


    Crap, it seems I overdid it. My body is entirely numb; my consciousness is fading. No, is this where I die? Damn it; this is so unfair. I wanted to die in peace, fulfilled, but not only did I fail at what I intended to do, but then all these fascinating events happened right before I died, ¡°Damnit,¡± I say before falling unconscious.


    -Break-


    Soft, warm, and comfy is this what the afterlife feels like? I think to myself. But really, my ass still itches in the afterlife. I go to scratch it, and I realise I''m on a bed. I quickly jump up and open my eyes. I look around and see I''m in a reasonably big room with a bed in the centre. The room is also quite well decorated, this is definitely the room of a rich person.


    One shocking thing I notice is that I''m naked; who the hell undressed me? Who the hell even brought me here? These thoughts run through my mind while sitting on the bed, then I sigh. ¡°Well, whatever, no use to think about, I should go investigate.¡±


    vigorously, I get off of the bed however, I feel a chilling sensation on my feet. When I touched the ground, one thought immediately ran through my head ITS COLD! Going from the warm bed to this cold forced my body to jump back onto the bed. Looking down at what I felt, I saw a pile of snow on the floor but looking at it immediately, I remembered that outside the open front door was one pile of snow.


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    Regardless, I still need to investigate and look for the kid; I thought when I saw the snow getting off the bed. I looked around for my clothes in the room but couldn''t locate them, but I got a chance to look in the mirror, and I thought I might be 78 years old, but my body was still fit as ever. After admiring myself, I tried looking through the drawers in this elegant room.


    I couldn''t find my clothes, but looking around, I found a set of clothes that fit me; while getting dressed, I muttered, ¡°This place is bizarre,¡± but weird things are so much fun; I thought to myself with a grin, but now it''s time to see what this place is about. So, I open the door to leave the room.


    Exiting the room, I look around and realise I''m on the second floor. Then I walk around and see a door completely covered in snow, so I go directly to this unimportant door. Then, as I try to reach for the doorknob, the snow stretches away from the door and turns into  one big spike of ice which attacks me. I move back and see the ice turn back to snow.


    I try to approach the door again, and when the spike tries to strike me again, I move around just enough so the ice won''t hit me, I then immediately try to go for the door, but something pulls me from behind. The giant icicle turned back into the snow and formed into a hand to grab me; then, it threw me away from the door.


    When I landed after being thrown, I hit my head against the floor, screaming, ¡°Ouch,¡± but after raising my head to look at the door, I saw the hand of ice with its middle finger up.


    "So, it''s like that," I say, irritated, and then I reinforce my arms with SE and run up to the door to try and break it. The hand of ice prepares to intercept me, but I fall on my face and hear a large GROWL, and then I remember, oh yeah, I need food.


    I go around the second floor and start opening doors. I can''t find any food or a kitchen, but I see a bathroom ¡°no time to think about that now I need food,¡± so I try to find a staircase to descend, and in one of the rooms on the first floor, I find a kitchen then without hesitation I head to the fridge, but it is empty. "Well I guess I''m dead."


    But then I remembered my bag had food in it. I run around looking for a door outside. When I find the one I came through, I realise it''s closed. I open it and head out.


    When I head out, I see just like before, that the snow isn''t close to the house. It is like a circle has been drawn in the area, and the snowstorm rages on directly outside it, but the sun no longer shines now on the house. The snowstorm is raging over the top of the area; looking at this, it¡¯s more like a dome area has been made where no snow comes close rather than a circle. The is no physical object blocking the snow. It''s just avoiding this area.


    But more importantly, my bag is a little away from the house. I run to it with the excitement of an 8-year-old seeing their pet capis after it left to drink the blood from unexpecting travellers. I rush towards my bag hungry, but after jumping and tackling it, I feel an all but too familiar sensation ¡°It''s freezing.¡±


    My bag was almost as cold as the snow storm I was hiking in, and it was solid as a rock thinking. ¡°No, no, no, no, NO,¡± I use all the strength in my hands to unzip the frozen bag after checking inside I feel a sensation of instant despair all the food in the bag was frozen. My hands and knees are on the green ground in defeat. ¡°CRAP, I''M ABOUT TO DIE FOR THE 7<sup>TH</sup> TIME TODAY, WHAT THE HELL.¡±


    I got this bag specially made to resist the cold, but while I was hiking, the contents froze. However, then I remember that my most important item is still in there. I rummage through my bag, to find the jar; luckily, it was still ok, at least the most crucial object, the pot isn''t frozen. ¡°At least you''re ok. I should thank Avram for making this jar, however. I guess I won''t be seeing him again."


    I brought my bag back inside in utter defeat to see if the heat would defrost it eventually, but I would probably be dead by then. In total despair, while hungry, I circled the house to think of a way not to die. Thoughts going true my head like maybe if I eat my right arm, I might live a little longer, perhaps just select parts of my body, but while walking with these negative thoughts, I arrive at the back of the house, and I see my Eden; a garden.


    It''s not that big, but the fruits growing from there are extremely large. In hunger, I grab one of these oversized fruits, bite it, and realise how much water is inside it. It''s like having a refreshing drink right after eating this massive fruit. The fruit was big enough to do me for an entire day.


    After eating it, I fell to the floor and had many thoughts. First, I have never seen this type of fruit anywhere worldwide. Second, did I eat some mystery fruit that could have killed me instantly? Third, the pile of snow irregularly in front of the door was gone. Fourth, the door was closed, so someone had to take my clothes off and bring me to my bed. Fifth, where is the child? It just disappeared, and finally, this aftertaste IS GARBAGE!


    It tastes like someone took a pile of dragon shit and sprinkled it with bugs. Oh GOD, who made this? I tried spiting to see if I could get this taste off my tongue. I can''t take this; it is so bad that I feel my mind fading "oh no, not again; crap, I''m about to pass out."


    -Break-


    Walking up I say, ¡°Crap, I guess this is what is meant by the equivalent exchange,¡± while I look at the small garden with these large fruits.


    How long was I out? Wait how am I supposed to tell the time. I just realised that I can¡¯t tell the time without the sun and with my equipment frozen. Was today the same day I arrived here? Maybe it''s been a few days. That''s why I was so hungry. I need to find some way of telling the time, but right now, none of that matters. Now that I''m filled, time for round 2 against that door.


    Walking inside, I get ready to walk towards the staircase but looking upstairs; I see a blue and gold light. Looking closer, it''s a pair of eyes. It¡¯s the child. It¡¯s staring at me through the upstairs rails "Hello, I''m Captivant. What¡¯s your name" I say with a smile, but the child screams hysterically and runs away.


    Huh, that could have gone better also, did the kid''s hair change from white to yellow when it saw me? I should probably go check if the kid is ok. As I get upstairs, I see that the door, which was once covered in the snow, is now open with the snow gone, ¡°so I see you''ve run from my furry,¡± but while looking at the door, I see at the side of my eye the kid looking at me again, its hair is white again strange but no time for that now because is the second time the charm, so I try again ¡°hello I''m Captivant what''s your.¡±


    It runs screaming yet again, and the child''s hair change from white to yellow as it ran I guess I should leave the kid to run, but I have some questions I want to ask.


    I eagerly walk towards where the kid is. It wasn''t hard to find it because of the kids screaming. As I approached, the kid began running faster. Still, being a child, it really can''t get that much farther than me, so I catch up in no time, and each time I get close, I try to start a conversation, but the kid keeps running away.


    I should probably stop because I''m not getting anywhere, but this reminds me of when I used to chase my son and daughter when they were young, so I can''t help but enjoy this.


    After chasing the child for a while, I conclude that a kid this action must be healthy, and it seems the kid is deathly afraid of me. I didn''t think anything I could do today would get me any results, so I stopped chasing the kid and screamed at max volume, saying, ¡°I will not harm you, so you want to be friends? This invitation lasts until I''m dead.¡±


    When I finish saying that I go fetch my jar, and return to the room I woke up in. Today has been a long day for an old man, and I''m tired, so I head to bed then look at the jar and say, ¡°Honey it seems me and you get to have one final journey together.¡±

 Arc 1.01: Lux Arc

    It¡¯s morning, I think to myself as I wake up, or evening, or night, in all honesty, I have no idea which it is, but no time for that. It¡¯s a new day for me, time to explore. So I put on the clothes I have claimed as my own, say good morning to my darling and set out first; I check the kid¡¯s door.


    The snow has yet to return to the child¡¯s door, so I open it and see that it¡¯s very much a kid¡¯s room. On the bed in the room, I go up close and see the kid sleeping. After getting a good look at the kid, I concluded it couldn¡¯t be any older than five or six years. Its hair is also white again.


    I should also check its gender; however, I don¡¯t want to strip a kid. Hence, I decide to leave before the kid wakes up and gets an even worse opinion of me. Closing the door of the kid¡¯s room, I go look around.


    On the second floor, I found a lot of empty rooms with nothing in them though they all look well-kept. I found a study and what I believe is a walk-in closet with many females and a few male garments. Does this mean that a couple lived here? Would the child be theirs? But I should not get ahead of myself, so I press on.


    The enormous room on the second floor was a storage area. It had lots of miscellaneous things, so I can¡¯t draw any conclusions from it.


    I also recognised that the hall and the rooms where the kid and I were had a lot of decorations and accessories from the Da empire, but when I look at their designs, they look dated.


    They are nothing recent I have no idea how old they are, but they are all very high-end; you can tell by the materials, which is the weirdest part, that everything I saw looks new like it was just made. It barely deteriorated at all, so when was it made?


    But the weirdest thing I found was a bathroom. It was spotless. The taps from the bath and sink were all still functional, as was the toilet. I was amazed ¡°Does Fimbulwinter have a sewage system.¡± I wanted to take the bathroom apart to check, but I didn¡¯t feel like shitting outside.


    I also tried to see if the taps ran hot water so I could defrost my stuff, but it was to no avail. All the water lacked any form of temperature. It wasn¡¯t hot or cold; I didn¡¯t even know that was possible. Now onto the first floor


    When I get to the first floor, I go to the kitchen. It¡¯s still a mess after I ransacked it yesterday, so I take time to clean it and take note of a few things while at it.


    First, most of the cooking equipment still functions and is very clean; none of it has deteriorated at all. I also found a spices cabinet which was unnecessarily large and had a ridiculous amount of spices and seasonings ¡°Thank god; now I might be able to make those fruits somewhat palatable. I¡¯ll try that out later¡± the taps here also run water. Somehow, the water here also lacked temperature, not cold or hot, just water.


    Next, attached to the kitchen, there was a dining room which was also very fancy. The decoration was from the Da empire as well. It was also quite large, but the dining table had only two chairs directly facing each other.


    After pondering over the dining room, I went to see what else I could find but then and directly across from the kitchen and dining room, I saw another door, and I decided to go there next. ¡°Thank god!¡±


    It¡¯s a library. It¡¯s almost as big as the kitchen, and dining room put together ¡°This is impossible¡± I haven¡¯t ever seen any of these books before; how exciting.


    ¡°You can tell a lot about a person by their books, so maybe if I look around, I might figure something out about whoever owns this house because it isn¡¯t that little kid for sure,¡± I say with no ulterior motives. It¡¯s not like I want to read these books or anything. This is solely for research ¡°well, I guess I should get started,¡± I say with a grind.


    -Break-


    ¡°Crap, I only meant to read a few books. How. I ended up reading one hundred and eighty-two,¡± I say as I lay on the floor surrounded by the books I read. From reading all these books, I have found out a bit.


    First, most of them are not written in the trinity languages but in the lesser ones, some of which I understood but others I have yet to learn. I know most of the spoken languages, so what the books are written in must be dead languages.


    About 50 books were just records rather than stories, like many books are information on dated ways of medical care, agriculture, construction, etc. While other recorded poems.


    History can ruffly be separated into three cycles of history the first, second, and third cycles, with the third being the most current. Due to this, I have been able to figure out how old this house is, because the trinity languages were popularised around the end of the second cycle of history, and used throughout the third cycle of history.


    Second, there are many languages in the books that haven¡¯t been recorded anywhere else in the world, which means they must be languages lost during the second cycle because, in the first cycle, they only spoke one language, so all these books are from some point in the second cycle.


    Third, the trinity languages are still used in some of these books. Even while being a more traditional version, they are still used.


    When I put all of this together, I believe this house is from the end of the second cycle, so just over 2000 years ago, which matches since Fimbulwinter formed around the end of the second cycle, this fits.


    ¡°Well, I have lost track of time yet again, but a least I gained something from this,¡± I say as I leave the room, but as I start to open the door, I hear a scream and running, and when I open the door, I see the kid running from the entrance to hide being the stand of a vase.


    Was this child, with its big white puffy hair like a cloud of snow, looking at me through the cracks of the door? I would go up and scare the kid, but I don¡¯t intend to make the child¡¯s impression of me any worse, so I¡¯ll go on looking at things but outside of the kitchen and the library, there is only one other door I could find on the first floor directly in between the two circular staircases, so I go up to it and open the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s huge¡± was all I could say when I opened the door. Inside was a large area with rows of showcases like a museum. Behind me, I hear a scream of excitement. It seems the kid followed me.


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    When I turned around to look, the kid had a surprised face like it was the first time it had seen this, and now for some reason, the kid¡¯s hair was green. I thought occurred; was this child¡¯s hair colour changing according to its emotions?


    While I was lost in thought over its hair, the kid noticed I was looking at it and ran behind the door to hide, slightly peeking out. I saw the hair colour from green to yellow, which confirms my suspicion, so let¡¯s say yellow means fear, green means excitement and white is the standard hair colour. I think I will go with that. I want to ask this kid questions so bad, but I will leave that for future Captivant. Right now, I am going to focus on this storage area.


    So, I go around this vast museum-like area looking around with the kid following me from behind. It¡¯s trying to be sneaky, but I can see the kid. But regardless, I continue, and I notice something on one of the showcases has writing on it saying.


    Property of Mabel and Gabi


    Now I have two names. Good, I have gained some vital information. While walking, I noticed this museum has trinkets like bracelets, pictures, and sculptures, all the way to a giant bell and what I think is a significant human made of paper, but in each showcase, either Mabel or Gabi¡¯s names are written on a nameplate. But on a showcase with a teddy, the nameplate said


    Property of the family of Lux


    The way it¡¯s written is annoying since maybe it¡¯s the last name of a family, or it could refer to the children of a person named lux regardless; I don¡¯t know. Moving on, I continued to look and check nameplates, but there was nothing different as far as I could see. At the same time, the kid was still following me, and admiring the museum. At this point, the exhibit so mesmerises it that it¡¯s stopped trying to be stealthy.


    While looking around, I see in my peripheral vision I see something familiar. Walking up close to get a better look, I see an astral feather in a showcase ¡°With this, I should finally be able to tell time.¡±


    GROOOOOWL. I hear like an echo through the room. Turning around, I see the kid behind me rushing out. Ahh, I see it must be hungry. Wait, crap, to be honest, I don¡¯t even know if this kid lives here. Does it even know where to get food? I should check on it.


    It seems the kid ran from here to outside the house ¡°Damn is it going to run into the snow again¡± I now run to give chase of it. Still, I don¡¯t see it running into the snow as I exit the house, so I check the area around the house, and as I approach the back of the house, I hear munching, so I start to slow down.


    I see that the kid did knows where the fruits were, and is cramming one of the disgusting oversized gourd-shaped fruits into his mouth. ¡°Damn, this kid can eat,¡± one of those fruits can do me an entire day, and it¡¯s devouring it whole.


    But then the kid fell on its back ¡°Ahh, the aftertaste probably kicked in,¡± I went up to check on the kid, and it was passed out. ¡°I can¡¯t leave it outside, so I¡¯ll take it inside¡±, so I picked the child up and decided to bring it to its bed.


    After that, I went back to the museum to see if I could find anything else of note. I couldn¡¯t find anything else. I also checked the feathers in two colours to determine the time of day and month. It seems I am still in early (January) Aquarius, so when I passed out the first time, at most, 2 to 4 days passed, but it also could have only been one and right now, it seems to be early in the night. It¡¯s probably 10 pm.


    So now that I¡¯ve been around this whole house I can say there were no traces of a third person; I have no idea who brought us to the beds when we first got here. After today, I¡¯m not sure whether or not the kid lives here. It has never been to the museum. It seems freaked out by me, but is watching me like I¡¯m some new creature. Has this kid ever seen another human before, but adult male and female clothes are here? I need answers from the kid, but I need a way to warm up to me since he¡¯s so scared of ¡°What to do¡±.


    Wait a minute; an idea just hit me ¡°I¡¯m a genius.¡±


    I need to check something, so I head to the garden behind the house. After examining the fruit, the kid ate, I found what I was looking for, seeds. Now I can continue with my plan. Starting tomorrow, I will begin the ¡°Woo the child with good-tasting food plan!¡±


    Captivates log of the house


    Type: Mansion


    Size: Medium


    Floors: Two


    Structure


    First Floor: Upon entering the front door, there is a hallway to the stairs. As you walk forward to your left and right, there are two large sections. The left has the kitchen and dining rooms. The right has the library. The museum area is directly between the two curving staircases to the second floor.


    Second floor: Upon climbing the stairs, you will see two-door, one to the right and one to the left side. The right door leads to the child¡¯s bedroom, and the left leads to the bathroom. On the second floor, there are multiple rooms with nothing inside. Then at the back of the second floor, there is the master bedroom (the one where I awoke). It has a balcony and drawers with mainly male clothes. Other rooms of note are the study, the storage room, and the walk-in closet.


    Outside: The mansion has green pastures, and the snowstorm rages around a dome-like area of the house. Behind the house, a small garden grows giant gourd-shaped fruits.


    One month later


    Comfy, this bed is heavenly, I think to myself as I awake. So I got up and put on my third set of clothes; I was able to find more after going through the closet and told my wife in the jar beside me, ¡°Good morning¡±. Then I say, ¡°Time to start my daily routine¡±, as I exit the bedroom.


    After leaving the room, I go to the toilet like I always thought it¡¯s weird not having to brush my teeth since, for some reason, the giant fruits food particles don¡¯t stay in my mouth, and I doubt any bacteria could survive in this extreme cold so no plague can form. After that, I go downstairs to read thirty books, the daily limit I set to continue my plan.


    The amaze the kid with my fantastic food plan. So now I go to the back garden where the fruits have been planted, grab one, then bring it to the kitchen, and I continue trying to cook the fruits, trying to find some way to make it taste good.


    The fruits are in a gourd shape, and the bottom compartment of the fruit has a giant sack of water in it. It''s enough water to do me for an entire day. They also defrost exceptionally quickly, which has helped me quite a bit.


    The kitchen had no food in it but lots of seasoning and spice so for the last month, I have been trying to find some combination to make this food taste good, but it has been to no avail but today shall be a new day.


    So, after trying a new combination, ¡°It¡¯s now time to taste it,¡± after taking a bite, all I can feel is disgust ¡°crap, it didn¡¯t work this time,¡± is what I say before passing out due to the taste.


    When I awake, I see the kid¡¯s face rather close, but then it screams and runs away in fear. It seems it came up to get a good look at myself when I passed out. It¡¯s been doing that a lot since I have been passing out constantly for the last month, so it¡¯s been watching me always cooking though it hasn¡¯t come close to me when I¡¯m conscious yet.


    ¡°Well, I should just try again,¡± I say as I get up; I still have a few tries left before the day is over since I usually get knocked out for two hours when the aftertaste kicks in, which I was able to find out by checking the feather before and after tasting it. It usually takes me two hours for my daily reading, about 1 hour for the cooking, and 8 hours of sleep and the rest of my time is spent unconscious due to the taste. Due to this, I taste about six to seven dishes a day.


    -Break-


    ¡°That''s the sixth dish today,¡± I say as I get up from the floor ¡°So, another six failures today,¡± well, now to end my day. Since the fruits, after being removed from the ground, spoil relatively quickly, I take the leftovers and refrigerate them later since the fridge works.


    But after I do that, I take the seed from the fruit I ate today and plant it in the garden behind the house. Surprisingly it only takes three weeks for one of these giant fruits to grow, but they spoil very quickly, and they all only come with one seed, so there is a trade-off to everything.


    I have noticed that none of the fruits has gone missing, which has bothered me since there should be a third person here. Does this mean that whoever brought us here has left?


    Then I usually take the kid passed out behind the house after eating one of the fruits to bed and then get ready to go. ¡°I might¡¯ve failed today, but I still have a good bit of time. I¡¯ll try again tomorrow,¡± I say as I kiss my special jar goodnight.


    Ten months later


    ¡°Do we only exist to fail and suffer?¡±

 Arc 1.02

    Ten months later


    ¡°Do we only exist to suffer,¡± this is the only thought that goes through my head as I get up from the floor. I can¡¯t keep doing this. It¡¯s been almost two thousand combinations I am about to go insane!


    But the worst part is that these fruits are super nutritious. It¡¯s making me healthier. My sense of taste is sharper than it ever was, so I can feel that disgusting aftertaste even more. The only way solace I have, is the shower I take at times to relieve stress, but the water has no temperature, so it¡¯s just pressure.


    Though I have been making some progress on one front, the kid has been staring at me from a closer and closer distance. It¡¯s at the point where the kid can stay in the same room as me, as long as I pretend not to see it.


    Still, if I try to start a conversation, it no longer screams but runs away fast, which has stopped any progress beyond this point. It¡¯s almost been a year, and this is all I have to show for it.


    Still, with how much healthier I have been getting, I should be able to climb Fimbulwinter for a lot longer, but before that, I would like to figure out what¡¯s going on here, and thank the person who saved me.


    But all I can do is keep trying. I should finish my daily routine, and then head to bed.


    -Break-


    ¡°Dammit, why is this happening to me,¡± it¡¯s the middle of the night, and my stomach is grumbling. It seems the food did not sit well today. ¡°I just have to get kicked when I¡¯m down,¡± I say as I head toward the bathroom as quickly as I can.


    When I arrive, I open the door as soon as possible, and I see the child sitting in the toilets, and two thoughts run through my head. First, he¡¯s potty trained.


    Honestly, I have been wondering where it¡¯s been reliving itself this entire time, so someone had to teach it. Also, it¡¯s a boy I have been wondering about, but I didn¡¯t feel like striping a kid.


    While these thoughts were true in my mind, the boy was crying though his hair didn¡¯t turn yellow, so I guess he was not afraid of me. This is an improvement; I think these months have worked on our relationship.


    But still, the kid was crying. Then he started saying with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°Wolfie, hewp me!¡±


    Wait, wolfie, ¡°Did you see a wolf? ¡± I say as I close in on the boy with excitement, but then he starts crying louder with his hair turning yellow.


    Crap, I shouldn¡¯t do this. It might make his opinion of me go down, so I say, ¡°Sorry about that I¡¯ll leave,¡± but then the food starts coming up. I can¡¯t hold it in, so it all comes out onto the floor.


    -Break-


    ¡°Well, last night was a disaster¡± I say while preparing today¡¯s fruit.


    But a new issue has arisen the boy is further away from me than he was before, so now I have to wow him with my food. So energised by my discoveries, I set out to cook.


    1<sup>st </sup>Dish taste: piss-covered faeces.


    2<sup>nd</sup> Dish taste: slime infested by maggots.


    ¡°At this rate, I¡¯m about to die from the shock of the taste,¡± but now, almost dying is commonplace for me.


    3<sup>rd</sup> dish taste: like a lump of rotting meat leaking snot.


    4<sup>th</sup> dish taste: it is decent.


    It¡¯s decent, it¡¯s decent, its taste just fine! The aftertaste is gone. It¡¯s not good, but it¡¯s OK! Average, normal ¡°WOOOOOOOOOO¡± I shout at the top of my lungs.


    While I was doing that, the boy also seemed to be jumping with excitement as well ¡°finally normal food!¡± tears fall from my eyes out of joy as I devour the remains of the food.


    ¡°This is what it means to be alive,¡± I say as I run up and try to hug the kid, but he runs to a safe distance away and looks at me with discontent.


    Crap, it seems I overstepped my bounds, but the next step is to woo the kid over with this. But that can wait, time for pleasure. ¡°Time to go to the library!¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    -Break-


    Now it¡¯s time to start to move on to the next phase of operation- ¡°wait, what the hell did I even call it¡±. Let¡¯s go with temptation by food then. I had to get up early to start this before the kid woke up.


    So I go to the kitchen and exactly do what I did yesterday and taste it to make sure ¡°yep, it¡¯s average!¡± there is a part of me that wants to try and improve on the taste, but I will leave that be for now. So now time to lay my trap.


    I will leave a bowl of fruit in front of his door, and when he comes out and eats the fruit, stage two will be complete. So when the kid eventually woke up and left his room, the fruit plate was right in front of him.


    If there is one thing I have learned from raising children, kids usually don¡¯t think about what they put in their mouths. The boy looks at the food and tries to reach for it but stops and goes downstairs.


    ¡°What the hell? Why is he so cautious? He should¡¯ve stuffed the fruit in his mouth¡±. Well, to be honest, leaving it is the logical thing to do, but a six-year-old shouldn¡¯t be thinking like that, or does this mean my kids have just lowered my expectations? Nevertheless, I need to figure out a way to get him interested.


    The easiest way to temp people is by showing him how delicious it is. So I set myself up in the kitchen like I¡¯m doing my regular cooking routine, and just as always, the boy comes to watch, then I start.


    ¡°Oh, how delicious, I just can¡¯t help myself,¡± I say as I devour the fruit with a boisterous delight. In the corner of my eye, I can see him drooling with his hair turning cream. I guess cream means hunger, still seeing that I take a piece of the fruit and bring it to the child, saying, ¡°here, have some.¡±


    Look at me giving away my food, look at this generosity. Aren¡¯t I so completely, trustworthy. But still, the kid runs away. Attempt two has failed. All the failure at cooking has made me impatient; I am ending this with the next attempt, do or die.¡±


    ¡°Even doubt it¡¯s late in the night, it doesn¡¯t seem any colder than usual,¡± I say as I pluck the fruits out. My 3<sup>rd</sup> attempt will be to take and hide all the fruits, because without these, the kid will have no other option but to eat my food.


    It¡¯s a dishonest strategy, but I don¡¯t feel like being stagnant anymore. I will take the seeds out of them and plant new ones, but those will at least take two weeks to grow, though this plan has one significant issue if I can¡¯t get him to eat my food soon, all this fruit will expire in 5 days since it been plucked, and I can¡¯t refrigerate it since the kid will find it he¡¯s been watching me use it for the past eleven months. So, it¡¯s do or die.


    Now it¡¯s morning. He has just woken as he is exiting his room, so let me get on; as usual, I go to do my daily reading, though I guess I don¡¯t have to limit myself anymore since I have nothing else to do, and as always the kid is watching me from a distance like before. This goes on for a while until I hear a large grumble sound. The kid gets up from where he was, and ran to what I assume is the back garden.


    Usually, the boy would pass out from the aftertaste, and I would go to get him and return him to his bed, but he ran back in as expected, and then he went to the kitchen to check the fridge.


    I Suspect, ¡°it¡¯s time to go,¡± I say as I get the plate of fruit, I hid which I had already prepared this morning and head to the kitchen. I see the kid down on his knee¡¯s holding his stomach while crying. Shit now I feel bad.


    But regardless of my feelings, I need to continue forward. So, like a benevolent angel, I bring the plate to the boy and offer it to him. He looks like he is about to pounce on me to get the plate, but then he hesitates.


    After seeing this, I set the plate down, took a little piece of the fruit and offered it to the kid with a compassionate smile. Then, after I heard another large grumble, the boy seemed to have given in to his hunger and then took one bite out of my hand; then, his face lit up with his hair turning bright pink, and he began devouring it.


    When he finished the little piece I gave him, he started staring at the rest of the bowl and then jumped for it quickly. I took the bowl and moved it over my head. He then tries to climb my body. This is the closest he¡¯s ever gotten to me.


    It seems the food has made him forget his uncomfortableness. The food I made was just average; has he been this deprived of good food? But I like this result. With this, I can proceed to the next stage of the plan.


    ¡°Hey kid, listen if you want more,¡± I say to him, but he keeps trying to reach for the food, so I repeat it, but he continues, then I say, ¡°LISTEN, OR I WILL EAT IT¡±, then he stops but his hair turns red, and he stares fiercely at me. As a test I lower the plate, but he hair changes to lime.


    He then tries to jump for the plate, but he¡¯s too slow; I was able to move it away in time, ¡°too slow, brat!¡±


    His hair turns back to white, and he starts crying loudly. ¡°I am feeling extreme nostalgia for when I raised kids,¡± I say wistfully.


    Then I bring the food towards him, hand him a piece of fruit which causes him to stop crying, since he is busy devouring it.


    While this was happening, I told him, ¡°I will give you as much food as you want every day; so come to me when you¡¯re hungry¡±. Then after he finishes, I got up and used the bowl to lure him to the library so I could read.


    Then I give him another piece and repeat this process until he finishes all the fruit. After he finishes eating, he goes back to his usual distance and continues to watch me like always. I have laid the seeds, so I guess now I am back to waiting.


    One week later


    The process is the same as always, but he has gotten a little closer than usual when reading, and his hair no longer turns yellow when I approach him, so I guess no more fear. I think food did wonders for us.


    One week later


    When he finishes eating beside me, he doesn¡¯t leave to gain some distance. He stays there looking at me, reading, but if I stare at him, he tries to hide his face, so conversation is still out of the question, but this is progress.


    One week later


    For the last few days, his hair has been brown. I¡¯ve been wondering what emotion could last for that many days, but I decided to leave it be since he won¡¯t talk. I can¡¯t do anything about it, so I continue our schedule like always.


    I wake up, get dressed, prepare the food before the kid wakes up to read, and feed the child the fruit one by one like always, just another day.


    While reading, I suddenly got the urge to shit and get up to go, but while walking to the door, I felt two hands on my leg. The boy grabbed me saying ¡°Whuhtz yohr naim¡±. He was asking for my name.


    I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I was about to cry; the boy had a panicked look as if I had surprised him. Damn it, I thought to myself I should respond instead of calling, but after all those garbage dishes, all that cooking, all the almost dying, and a year I was so happy to get this far, it seems me and my darling will be having fun until we are both buried by snow, but I should respond to the boy before he gets to spooked. So, I repeat the words he kept rejecting ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Captivant, What¡¯s your name.¡±

 Arc 1.03

    Year 2


    Two weeks later


    While sleeping I feel a soft fist hitting me constantly; I try to ignore it and go back to sleep, but then it starts hitting me more, and I hear, ¡°Capti¡± repeatedly.


    Still, I don¡¯t feel like getting up yet, so I will ignore it, but then I feel a hard impact on my head.


    Did that brat just headbutt me; ¡°LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE,¡± I say as I jump from the bed.


    Then in the corner of my eye, I see the boy trembling with tears in his eyes. Crap, it seems I scared him, but it¡¯s his fault for messing with me in my sleep again.


    I guess he won¡¯t learn anytime soon. Oh no, his hair is starting to turn yellow, so I should still apologise. Now in my most soothing voice, I say, ¡°Sorry¡±, he seems to cheer up after that, so I guess I should start my day.


    Ever since that day when he asked my name, the boy and I have been talking much more. Well, talking might be a stretch since he goes silent whenever I ask a question or looks bewildered, so it¡¯s usually me just answering his questions; which aren¡¯t hard because he has a very minimal vocabulary.


    He usually goes, ¡°Whut is dis¡±; from constantly doing that I have learned that even though it seems he lives here, he doesn¡¯t know anything about the house. We have gone through most of the house with me identifying objects in it for him.


    He didn¡¯t even know what a bed was. I was also surprised he had a concept of a name even though he doesn¡¯t have one. When he responded to me asking, he just pointed to himself.


    All his questions posed a problem for me, because the boy¡¯s literacy level was utter crap. He can¡¯t read or write; so I can¡¯t even question him even if he wanted to respond, because he literally cannot understand most of my words.


    Though I have learned he likes to draw, but refuses to show me what he drew, and he sleeps while tightly hugging his drawings, so I can¡¯t even see them without waking him.


    The impertinence of him even though I supplied the paper and pencils that I found in the storeroom. Also just like the spices and seasonings their was a ridiculous amount of paper.


    Even so, because of the drawing, he could pick up the names of colours at least, but he must have learned all the words he knows via conversations with another person. All these questions without answers hurts my head.


    Though at least I have my solace, which is the almost never-ending supply of books, I have started a new game, so to say. I take all the books with languages I don¡¯t know and try to pair them up with each to try and decipher them.


    All languages in the world derive from one of the trinity languages. Hence, even these different vernaculars share some similarities to one of the trinity, so little by little, I find common words between the books and based on the flow of the story, I try to translate them. However, it has been very hit or miss.


    I am pretty sure I have translated some books entirely, while for others, there aren¡¯t enough books to double-check if the words are used in the same way in different texts.


    So just like always, I continue with my game while the boy is colouring beside me, but while reading, I can feel him staring at my book intently with brown hair, which I have assumed is nervousness if he won¡¯t say anything it is best to ignore him, I think to myself as I try to get back into reading.


    But he is staring so intently that I can¡¯t focus, so I sigh and say, ¡° Do you want to read with me¡± with an enticing smile. So he comes up to me and stares at the book I¡¯m reading with his hair green, which is what I have presumed is excitement.


    He starts to look confused as he stares at the words on the page, so I decided to read it out loud as clear and precise as I can, while doing this I turn to look at the boy.


    His hair is a dull grey with a befuddled expression. Then I remember this is written in a different language than what he speaks. He only seems to know a broken version of the saviour¡¯s song; all this is going over his head.


    I start to auto-translating from the book to the saviour song in my head and say it to him so he can understand, which brings back the green hair of excitement.


    I continued to read, but while reading, he asked me, ¡°Whut duht meuhn¡± I think he meant: what does that mean, but regardless of his horrible pronunciation, I said, ¡°It means rain,¡± but he started staring at me in confusion then he said, ¡°whut duht.¡±


    Which confirmed something for me. He has never seen rain; he must have been raised in a region where you can¡¯t see or learn about the rain, which means he was raised here in Fimbulwinter. So, I reply, ¡°Tiny drops of water like that fall upon the planet.¡±


    ¡°whuhtz wuhter uhnd pluhnet¡±, he says excitedly. I think he asked: what water and the planet is. I almost didn¡¯t get that one. He looks at me excitedly for the answer to his questions, so I say, ¡°Water is the liquid in the fruits we eat. It keeps us alive; the planet is the place all people and animals live, even us¡±


    Then he asks, ¡°Whutz liquid und animal¡±. Huh I now see a pattern forming.


    3 hours later


    ¡°Whuhtz duht meuhn¡± he asked again. In all the time we had been reading, we barely progressed 20 words since we started, and I can¡¯t keep describing the meaning of every word in the book. But as I was lamenting, an idea popped into my head.


    ¡°Hey, do you want to learn how to read?¡± I said to the boy.


    His hair turns green, and his face looked delighted. ¡°eez,¡± replied. He got up and started saying ¡°reuhd¡± repeatedly, running around energetically, but the only thoughts going through my mind were, yes, I don¡¯t have to listen to his horrible pronunciation anymore.


    So I got up and said, ¡°We will have class tomorrow morning, so we should go to bed and rest,¡± his hair turned white as he looked tremendously sad, but he still decided to head to bed, so I decided to get started on preparing the materials for tomorrow; where to start is all I can think to myself.


    Profile of the boy


    Name: None


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Age: 7 (approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger) Lime(lying)


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Captivant?


    Dislikes: Unknown


    ¡°OK, time for class to commence, get excited!¡±


    The lone student in front of me looks as if he is about to jump out of the bed in excitement.


    So, to start with, I chose the saviour song to teach him since it¡¯s by far the oldest language with all other languages having parts of it in them, even the other two of the trinity, it also being the one he is most similar with was also a factor.


    So, I taught him the syllabary to start with. I created a few worksheets yesterday to help with this. So, we went through all the letters and worked hard on the pronunciations of each. It took a few months, but he could get it down rather quickly, given that he seems to have never seen any of them before.


    But not without some issues. First, he is terrible at articulating why he is stuck, so when we run into a problem, he can¡¯t tell me what is wrong, but to counteract this, I try to figure out what is wrong through trial and error.


    I do something and check for his reaction to it by the colour his hair changes. By doing this, I can usually get past the problem. The second issue is motivation.


    It seems this whole learning process is taking longer than he expected, so he has grown impatient and keeps saying he wants to read, but by giving him compliments like: good job, amazing, wonderful, etc, he cheers up with his hair bright pink. So, through all of this, we could completely conquer the syllabary.


    Lately, we have been moving on to whole words, and he seems to be getting worked up more and more with his hair being red more often. It seems he really can¡¯t get these words down.


    The usual methods haven¡¯t been working. I believe he has trouble memorising the terms; since it¡¯s hard for a child with no concept of a forest to understand it from just words alone. I didn¡¯t want to resort to this plan, but I had no choice. It is time to


    ¡°PLAY IN THE SNOW!¡± I say to the boy beside me. I¡¯m in my full cold-resistant gear, and the boy seems resistant to the cold anyway, so we should be able to play in the snow.


    I¡¯m risking my life by doing this, but I think some playing would help relax the boy. I can tell he already agrees with me because his hair is green, so we both start rushing toward the snow.


    But as I cross the threshold of the snow, I¡¯m immediately reminded why it¡¯s called the storm of the apocalypse. ¡°It¡¯s cold, it¡¯s cold, it¡¯s cold¡±, is all I could say, but as I say this, I can feel my throat being frozen by the cold air, so I immediately shut my mouth.


    But the kid Is running around utterly unaffected by it. He seems to be more in his element here.


    I committed to this; I should do this to the best of my ability, so I run over to him and say, ¡°Do you want to see something cool.¡±


    He energetically replies, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ahh, his saviour song is no longer unintelligible. I can¡¯t believe I get to feel the satisfaction of raising kids at this age. So, I go on to start building objects and animals.


    ¡°What¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°A boat is what people use to travel the ocean, the big mass of water.¡±


    ¡°What about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Spercera, one of many animals you can find at the base of Fimbulwinter.¡±


    After this, he starts gathering snow to make a snow sculpture like me, but he is really bad at it. Still, he seems happy while playing with the snow.


    Though lucky, it seems my plan worked as he is sculpting the things I showed; he is repeating their names which he was stuck on. It seems he is a visual learner. I should use this method and more pictures to help him memorise better.


    So, we continue sculpting, but then he starts shaping all the snow into a wolf.


    So, I ask, ¡°What¡¯s that¡± but upon asking about it, he immediately starts covering the snow sculpture, and then his hair instantly turns Orange. He looks uncomfortable, so I change the subject to ¡°Do you want to go eat¡±, then he starts perking up with a smile on his face.


    So, I begin to crush the snow sculptures, but while doing this, the boy screams ¡°NO¡±, as he runs headfirst into my leg. ¡°Stop killing them,¡± he says.


    Bewildered by his statement, I tell him, ¡°You know they are not alive.¡±


    But the boy replies, ¡°Yes, they are, and if they get crushed, they¡¯ll be gone forever like wol¡± he suddenly stops midsentence and gets sad with tears in his eyes.


    So, I say, ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t kill them anymore, so let¡¯s go get something to eat¡±, so we both head inside to eat.


    Now over the next few months, we continued studying. Using pictures and sculpting, I increased his vocabulary quite a bit. It is shocking the number of words he has wholly memorised, but with nothing else to do; it makes sense, since all his energy is going towards this.


    But due to the fact we can¡¯t break down any of the snow sculptures, we have pretty a large museum outside. If that¡¯s what it takes for him to learn, then I have no issues with that.


    It¡¯s almost been a year, and I haven¡¯t just been sitting around. I have been working on a plan to reward him. The plan will be going into effect tomorrow. So, I told him to go to bed early tonight, saying, ¡°I have a surprise for you tomorrow¡±. The boy looked excited and went to bed immediately after that.


    So, I woke up early to get ready and leave a note under his door so he will see it when he opens it. I wonder what his face will look like; I can¡¯t wait.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°I¡¯m awake,¡± I say as I jumps from his bed. ¡°I should go see Capti. I wonder what we are going to do today,¡± I say as I rush to the door; I jump for the doorknob, twists it, kick off the wall and open it ¡°Woohoo,¡± I say as the door unlocks with me flying back still holding the knob.


    I run energetically to Capti¡¯s room to wake him. Jumping on his bed, I saying ¡°Capti¡± repeatedly, but he isn¡¯t there. ¡°He must be in the library.¡±


    So, I rush down the stairs and quickly arrives at the library. Looking around; I can¡¯t find anything. I start to panic and looking in the mirror I see my hair turn black. Running to the kitchen I scream ¡°CAPTI¡±,


    Buti hear no response. Unable to find him I run outside as tears form in my eyes, looking and Screaming ¡°CAPTI¡±, but when I fully circles the house, I fall on the ground and cry. ¡°, Don¡¯t leave me just like wolfie¡± I say as I begin to cry louder.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you read my note¡±. Turning my head to the location of the sound; I run headfirst into Capti¡¯s leg while crying then I bite his leg.


    ¦µ ¡°OUCH!¡± How did this even happen


    As we head back inside, I say ¡°I heard a lot of running, so I came out of the museum area to see what you were doing. Then I found you crying outside. Why didn¡¯t you read the note.¡±


    The boy replies, ¡°What note¡± while holding Capti¡¯s leg.


    Letting out a sigh I say ¡°I left a note in front of your door but you probably ran right past it when you opened the door. The note said to meet me in the museum for a surprise¡±,


    So, after telling him that I asked him to ¡°Close your eyes¡±.


    ¡°Ok¡± Orb says quietly; he must really be upset.


    Then as we walk into the museum, I say, ¡°Now open them.¡±


    ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY!¡± I say as the boy looks at the decorated museum with wonder. His hair turns a dull grey, and then he says to me, ¡°What¡¯s a birthday?¡±


    I reply, ¡°It¡¯s the day you are born, so people decide to celebrate, and since we both don¡¯t know when that is, I decide this day, Capricorn 28<sup>th,</sup> the day you asked me my name to be it, so yet again, happy birthday.¡±


    The boy¡¯s hair then turns bright pink as he runs around the museum in delight. Interrupting him I say, ¡°It¡¯s time for your presents¡± then I hand him clothes and five books.


    ¡°These are clothes you can wear instead of what you¡¯ve been wearing; you¡¯ve grown and it doesn¡¯t make sense to keep wearing those clothes, and here are five books, I recreated from my memory there, they''re all at a skill level where you should be able to read them by yourself. All your hard work has paid off.¡±


    The boy jumps around with excitement after receiving his books and clothes, but I say, ¡°Open the front cover of one of the books,¡± and on the front, it says property of Orb. The boy replies, ¡°Who is an Orb.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the name I choose for you. It¡¯s a see-through spherical piece of glass. I think the name fits. Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°Orb, ORB, oRb, orB, orb,¡± the boy repeatedly says with excitement. ¡°I love it¡±, he replies.


    After orb settles down and starts reading his new books in the library, I take down all the decorations to store them. It was easy enough to put this together. All I had to do was take materials from the storage to make decorations and sew the clothes.


    Even writing the books was easy enough; since I have never forgotten anything I have seen in my entire life, but the back pain from writing at my age was intense.


    Still, regardless of that, he looks pleased, so I hope the next year is as lovely as this year but hopefully with more answers.


    Year 2 End

 Arc 1.04

    Year 3


    Log of the boy


    Name: Orb


    Age: 8(approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion)Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(uncomfort)Black(worry)Pink(Happiness)


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant?


    Dislikes: Being left alone


    Height: 126 cm


    While Orb is merrily reading some new books I made for him, he asks, ¡°Hey, Capti, what does this word mean?"


    ¡°Let me see,¡± I say as I head over to Orb¡¯s book. The word I see is time.


    Where do I even begin, to explain the idea of time to Orb is easy, but he loves to keep asking questions, and I am not sure if he is ready to learn arithmetic. Well, I need to start eventually because he will be moving on to tenses, and understanding time is essential for that. So, I decided to go ahead with the explanation.


    So, as I proceed to give a long lecture to Orb. I explain the idea of time, how we measure it, and the daylight cycle. At first, Orb finds it confusing, but with the help of illustrations, Capti was able to get the point across


    But then Orb asked, ¡°If we can¡¯t see the sun, how do we tell what time it is here?"


    ¡°Come with me,¡± I said as I guided Orb towards the museum. When we get there, we head to the back of the museum. ¡°Orb, in this showcase, is an astral feather.¡±


    ¡°What does astral mean.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I will answer that later¡±, for a boy who likes asking questions, he sure doesn¡¯t like answering. ¡°Orb, this feather is from an animal known as an astral phoenix. As you can see, this feather has a red colour on the outer edges and a blue one on the centre of it.¡±


    ¡°These feathers are very reactive to the sun¡¯s radiation, and the blue colour gets brighter or darker to specify what time of the day it is, which depends on the intensity of the sun¡¯s radiation at the time. The outer red part of the bird¡¯s feathers also changes as the year goes on to one of 12 different colours, which allows us to check what month, and the lighter or darker it tells us how early or late in the month we are.¡±


    ¡°Capti, can you show which colours correspond to what month,¡± he asks eagerly.


    I have yet to teach Orb any of the months outside a basic description due to the lack of understanding time, so I say, ¡°If you want to do that, you must get your arithmetic down first. It is going to be difficult.¡±


    ¡°I will so promise to teach me.¡±


    ¡°I promise, we will start tomorrow, so you better get prepared,¡± he says to Orb as both leave the museum.


    -Break-


    ¡°Capti, when will we get to the difficult part¡±, Orb said as his innocent eyes stared daggers through me.


    All I can do is stand here dumbstruck. He¡¯s a freak are the only thoughts going through my head as I see all the worksheets he made for Orb He understands Arithmetic almost instantly. He gobbles up anything he learns about addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.


    He¡¯s looking at me with his eyes gleaming with curiosity. It¡¯s almost as if Orbs is saying it is all you¡¯ve got. But it¡¯s not ¡°Orb, there¡¯s this little thing called fractions I¡¯d like to teach you.¡±


    So, I go on to teach Orb fractions over the next few days, but to my dismay, he devours them quickly. But I won¡¯t be beaten yet, so I continue to teach him all the principles I have committed to memory.


    ¡°Length, area, and volume.¡±


    ¡°Capti, what is next.¡±


    ¡°Trigonometry, and geometry.¡±


    ¡°Capti, what is next.¡±


    ¡°Algebra.¡±


    ¡°Capti, what is next.¡±


    ¡°Indices, and Logarithms.¡±


    ¡°Capti, what is next.¡±


    SHITTTT, I guess I have no choice, ¡°Calculus¡±, now fall child.


    It was to no avail, he even understood calculus perfectly. After these last few months, it¡¯s been defeat after defeat. My embarrassment was almost at the max, but he just had to say this.


    ¡°Capti, the way you did this makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean.¡±


    ¡°If you do it like this, you get the right answer, and if you enter it back into the formula, you can check it''s correct.¡±


    What the hell is this did Orb teach me? To be honest, I don¡¯t understand maths on a high level; I just committed most of it to memory. I think he may even have a better handle on it than me. He surpassed me. I¡¯ve been defeated by a seven-year-old.


    ¡°Capti, this is fun. What¡¯s next.¡±


    ¡°I submit master,¡± I say as I bow my head.


    A look of confusion appears on Orb¡¯s face while staring at me.


    So, with me teaching orb, all I know about Arithmetic we return to the Saviours song. It seems that Orb got a lot of confidence due to learning arithmetic. Especially since I told Orb he was a genius, making his hair turn pink with happiness. Ever since then, he has been working non-stop on his languages. I have also learned that it is not that Orb is a visual learner. He cannot understand something unless it perfectly makes sense to him in his mind.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I have also decided to work on the great food plan part two, for a few reasons.


    First and foremost, the spices and seasonings I have been using are starting to run out, and I need an alternative.


    Second, I need to find a way to reinforce all of Orb¡¯s good behaviour with rewards, and outside of knowledge, I can only think of food.


    Finally, I have honestly gotten utterly bored with the taste of the fruit, eating the same taste for two years is driving me insane, and I want to try something new.


    So, I start by talking about all the spices and seasonings I haven¡¯t used and put them in one of 3 sections. In terms of the aftertaste, do they increase it, reduce it, or don¡¯t affect the aftertaste. That¡¯s how I split it up two years ago, so now it¡¯s back to testing. ¡°I never wanted to experience this again, but I must press on.¡±


    Walking up from the floor I say ¡°I honestly forgot how bad it is¡±. So, I insert the spices I used into one of the three categories then say ¡°I¡¯ve got to keep trying till I get results.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ If you know how to cook, a man will never leave you.¡± Reading the lines from the rather haughty female in his book, an idea popped into my head. I¡¯m going to learn how to cook. So, after entering the kitchen, I shriek; Captivant was lying on the floor.


    ¡°Capti, are you okay¡±, I say, but I get no response, after looking around, I figure Capti''s problem fell victim to the taste of the fruit, Is this what he¡¯s been doing while I have been reading lately?


    Remembering how long it took Capti to wake up two years ago and using my newfound knowledge of time, I say, ¡°I think if it¡¯s like before, he will be out for about two hours.¡±


    Did he make a mistake while cooking? Maybe he was trying to make something yummier. People in books are always making lots of different food. Then I guess I will make something very yummy because I¡¯m a genius.


    If I remember correctly, these are the terrible spices and seasonings that make Capti pass out, so these must be the unused ones. I should take a few to make it extra yummy. After laying the spices on the table, I take one of the knives to cut up the fruit, then I run excitedly to the back of the house, to grab one of the fruit, and pulling it from the ground I say, ¡°I don¡¯t need wolfie to get these for me anymore¡±


    Feeling dejected I say ¡°If I make delicious food, Wolfie will come back to get a taste,¡± reenergised by that prospect, I excitedly run back inside to get started while thinking. Can snow even eat?


    So, I take the spices and seasonings then taste each with my tongue to see which tastes the best, then, I cover the fruits in all the nice ones. Capti never has a lot of spices and seasonings in the fruits, so maybe that¡¯s why it tastes terrible.


    So, I ladder the spices and seasonings onto the fruit. The more, the better it will get, even yummier. If I cut the fruits up into objects and animals, they will be more fun to eat. So, I take the knife I had prepared and slowly cut the fruits into shapes.


    With this, I can also spice the inside of the fruits. I am a genius. ¡°Ouch,¡± I cut myself with the knife. Why is red water flowing from my finger? Is this blood? I see this in what people talk about in books. While looking at his red blood orbs, his hair turns grey ¡°Have I seen this before.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Damn, my back cannot stand all this sleeping on the floor. Rising from the floor I see, Orb. Well damnit, I wanted to keep this a secret, but it seems he found out anyways.


    ¡°I knew you would wake up now since I¡¯m a genius!¡± He says Arrogantly with gold hair.


    This is going to be annoying, I think to myself. ¡°Hey Orb, what are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°I came to give you a present, so close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, I was doing something here, so could we do this later.¡±


    Orb begins to pout and say, ¡° No, this is much more important, so come with me and close your eyes¡±. Orb grabs one of my hands and begins dragging me to his destination.


    When we arrive at the library, I see a mess with a bunch of animals in what I think is spice or maybe seasonings. ¡°Hey Orb, what is that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the food I made for you out of the fruit, but it seems I made a mess. I¡¯ll clean it up afterwards, but you should eat it now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Orb, that¡¯s the fruit. Why does it look like that.¡±


    ¡°I put a lot of spice and seasonings on it to make it extra yummy, I also cut it into shapes.¡±


    What the hell? The fruit is covered in spices, I can¡¯t eat this. I am frightened by what all that spice would do to the taste.


    ¡°Orb, I think I¡¯m full.¡±


    His eyes start watering with a sad look on his face. ¡°I tried hard, to make, this, so I thought, you would want to eat it.¡±


    Damn it, please don¡¯t cry. He looks like an abandoned animal. Come on, Captivant, you¡¯re a man, you can do this. So vigorously, I take the fruits and shove them down my mouth at full speed, so I don¡¯t have to taste them, then I use the base of water to flush it down.


    ¡°Orb, that was yummy.¡±


    ¡°I knew it would be because I am a genius. But don¡¯t worry Capti, this isn¡¯t the end, I will be making more everyday!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would be nice, but how about we take turns¡±. But then Capti puts his hand suddenly against this mouth.


    ¡°Capti, what¡¯s wrong,¡± Orb says as he rushes toward him.


    Holy shit, how did Orb make the taste worse? It burns. My god, I feel death coming upon me. I must pass out before my mind breaks due to the taste. So I start to strangle myself to make myself unconscious.


    ¡°Stop, Capti. I¡¯m sorry I won¡¯t cook anymore, so PLEASE STOP!¡± Orb says with panic on his face.


    Sorry, Orb. I will apologise later, but I don¡¯t feel like dying right now. So I continue until I fall unconscious.


    ¦µ ¡°Capti, Capti, Capti, please say something¡±. Wait, he usually wakes up in 2 hours anyway, so all I got to do is wait.


    5 hours later


    Why hasn¡¯t Capti woken up yet? It has been over five hours since he should have gotten up. Sometimes in my books, characters go to sleep and never wake up, did this happen because my cooking was terrible, I didn¡¯t mean this to happen.


    ¡°Please, Capti, don¡¯t leave me too, please don¡¯t leave¡±, Orb cried with tears flowing down his eyes.


    ¡°Dad, mom, where did you go,¡± the groggy man said


    ¡°Capti¡±, Orb shouted happily as he went to hug him.


    ¦µ What¡¯s going on? Just a second ago, I was chatting with my parents-oh yeah, Orb almost killed me with his food.


    ¡°Capti, I¡¯m so sorry, please don¡¯t go. I will become a better cook, so please stay here with me,¡± Orb says as he weeps profusely.


    I figured this out earlier, but Orb doesn¡¯t like being left alone. I need to get to the bottom of this, so I use this opportunity to do something dishonest.


    ¡°Orb, no matter what you do, I will always be here with you¡±, is what the man over 80 years of age said.


    ¡°You, promise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I promise, but Orb you must tell me why you decided to cook.¡±


    ¡°One of the books I read said if I know how to cook, people will never leave me.¡±


    Ahh, this is my fault, but I told him not to believe everything he read in books. Still, that¡¯s not the issue here. ¡°Orb, why do you want people never to leave so much.¡±


    ¡°It makes me happy to have you around, but if you leave me alone, I¡¯ll be sad. I want to stay with you like wol-¡±, Orb stops short with a nervous expression.


    I should press and try to get answers, no more beating around the bush ¡°Orb, who is Wolfie?¡±


    Orb stays silent, looking more nervous than before.


    ¡°Orb, no matter what you say, I won¡¯t leave you, so please tell me who is wolfie.¡±


    Then Orb¡¯s hair changes from Brown to white as he says, ¡°Wolfie was my friend. He has been here for me since before I could walk, he gave me my food and clothes and talked and played with me daily.¡±


    ¡°Orb, what did Wolfie look like¡± I feel stupid for asking this, but I need to make sure


    ¡°He didn¡¯t look like you and me. He was made of snow and looked like a wolf.¡±


    That must be the reason Orb thinks snow sculptures are alive. So, Orb, what happened to him?


    ¡°One day after playing, I told him a word I had in my head. I don¡¯t remember who told me, but I said I love you to Wolfie.¡±


    Then he vanished the next day, so I ran into the snow to look for him, but I couldn¡¯t find him and got lost, then I fell down. While trying to get up, I felt a big thump on my head, and the next thing I knew, I was back in the house then I saw you Capti.


    ¡°Orb, thank you for telling me your story.¡±


    ¡°No problem¡±, he says as he clears the tears from his eyes, with his hair turning light purple.


    -Break-


    Orb¡¯s story yesterday all but confirms my suspicions. There is just one last thing I want to check: I take a pair of scissors and head over to Orb.


    ¡°Hey Orb, there is something I would like to do for you.¡±


    ¡°Capti, what do you need.¡±


    ¡°Your hair has become too big, so let me cut it like they do in stories.¡±


    So, Orb excitedly runs towards me and sits down. Orb¡¯s hair is almost twice the size it was when I first saw him, and it was already overgrown back then.


    But that¡¯s the second reason I¡¯m doing it, is to check something. So I cut Orb''s hair until it gets low enough, then tells him, ¡°Orb, go look in the mirror to see your new haircut,¡± Orb runs off.


    It¡¯s what I expected. Orb¡¯s overgrown hair prevented me from seeing this, but there were lots of sliver strands in his head. He has two hair colours and two eyes colours, Orb has a legacy.


    Year 3 End

 Arc 1.05

    Year 4


    ¡°Now, let us begin operation new food,¡± I say fervently, as Orb claps excitedly beside me.


    Due to my priorities changing last year, I couldn¡¯t try out the new combinations for the spices and seasonings, so here I am. But I discovered that Orb has a rather sharp tongue, so I asked him to taste each of the spices and seasonings to find out which of the sections I should put them in.


    This was not by any means a failproof method; We still passed out due to mistakes when splitting the spices up, but it worked out well.


    I showed Orb the proper amount of spice to put on the fruit. I also made it crystal clear that you shouldn¡¯t mix too many spices; I need to try my best to avoid another poisoning situation.


    We found four more combinations that neutralise the aftertaste of the fruit, and we successfully found one that made the fruit taste better.


    ¡°Yummy¡±, Orb said with delight.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just average; It tastes good.¡±


    ¡°Orb, we did it!¡± I say as we both begin jumping with joy. Out of excitement, I give Orb a big hug.


    Why did Orb stop making noise? Looking down at Orb in my arms, I realise that Orb is shaking and looking at me with his eyes staring dagger into me. Orb¡¯s hair is bright orange. Orb then bites my hand, grabs a knife and says, ¡°Capti, what was that!¡±


    Perplexed by Orb¡¯s actions, I answer ¡°A hug.¡±


    ¡°Never do that again,¡± Orb says as his hair turns red.


    Wait, why would Orb not like being hugged? Then it dawns on Captivant that has Orb never been hugged in his life. Oh god, how sad, but I need to try something. So Captivant reaches for Orb¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Noooooo¡±, Orb screams as he throws the knife at me. However, the blade doesn¡¯t fly that far. So I pinch Orb¡¯s cheek with my hands while Orb¡¯s hair alternates between orange and red while Orbs screams ¡°Stop.¡±


    After teasing him, I stop, and Orb stares furiously at me. So, it seems he doesn¡¯t like to be touched, I never took notice; most of the time I¡¯ve taken his body back to his room, but I guess he was unconscious all those times, so he didn¡¯t freak out. He also seems ok with touching others, so it is only one way he doesn¡¯t like contact. But while lost in thought, an angry Orb headbutted me in the ankle. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Log of the boy


    Name: Orb


    Age: 9(approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger) Green (excitement) Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(discomfort)Black(worry)Pink(happiness)


    Purple(?)Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Being touched


    Height: 138 cm


    Orb is weird. A lot of the time, I don¡¯t know what to make of him. He hates people touching him but loves the opposite. I sometimes find him laughing to himself. I have even caught him talking to the snow sculptures, but at least he gets shy when I see him do it. I believe Orb now understands that talking to Snow is weird. I should thank the books for that. Talking about growth, he keeps growing, which gets rather annoying since I have to keep refitting his clothes; I am not very good at it and I can¡¯t pay people to do that here. Still, it makes him happy, so it¡¯s no real problem.


    But regardless of any of his weird behaviour, I would still call him a genius. He has wholly mastered both arithmetic and the Saviours song. He speaks it fluently. We can even have full-blown conversations. His speech is better than most adults.


    Still, through our conversations, I have been passing on some lousy speaking habits. He has also pronounced some words horribly, and I haven¡¯t corrected him because I think it¡¯s funny.


    But still, we run into a few issues due to his ever-expanding brain. Due to his increasing knowledge, he has been reading more challenging books, which has caused him to ask more and more questions.


    ¡°Hey Capti, where are we,¡± Orb asked suddenly.


    ¡°Well, I guess in a library.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, where in the world.¡±


    ¡°Well, currently from the centre of the continent we¡¯re northeast on a mountain of ice called Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°Capti, in the books I read, ice kills people, and mountains are very tall, so no one would come up here if they¡¯re not resistant to the cold like I am. So if someone came up here, they would most certainly die.¡±


    ¡°Orb, those are some neat deduction skills, but what¡¯s your point,¡± I said even though I had a pretty accurate idea of what he was getting at.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that unless there is treasure buried somewhere in all this snow, there would be no reason to come here unless you wanted to die, so Capti, why did you come here.¡±


    He really is a sharp kid ¡°Hey Orb, let me go get something,¡± heading to my room, I grab the jar beside my bed, and then return to Orb.


    ¡°Orb, this is my wife.¡±


    Orb stares, with a confused look. ¡°So, this is what women look like, nothing like what you described. How do they eat like this?¡±


    ¡°No, Orb, her ashes are in this jar my wife is dead. The reason I¡¯m here is to bury her on this mountain. When the moon shines and hits the top of the hill, it is said to be the most beautiful site in the world, and my wife was the most incredible woman in the world, so from the bottom of my heart, I believe she deserves to see this site every year even from death.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair turns pure black, and then he says, ¡°Capti people die when they get old, and you are over 82 years are you going to die,¡± Orb said restlessly.


    ¡°What a weirdo. I tell you something heartfelt; all you can think about is death. You have quite a few screws loose in your head. Honestly, you¡¯re such a weirdo.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°CAPTIVANT, stop being stupid and answer my question.¡±


    I give Orb a thonk on his head. ¡°Ouch¡±


    ¡°Orb 2 things, first when did you become so bold as to scream my full name? That¡¯s disrespectful, and second, I am immortal you heard me; I can¡¯t die, you fool.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair turns Orange and then red.


    ¡°Captivant, do you take me for fool immortality doesn¡¯t exist. That is purely fictional. All things have a finite value. If you were immortal, your value would be infinite, which is impossible. ¡±


    Fricken smart ass, ¡°Of course it exists. Living proof is standing right in front of you. Also, what do you even know about the world? All you¡¯ve done is spend all your time on this mountain.¡±


    ¡°I may not know much about the world, but something as ridiculous as immortality can¡¯t exist, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Says the boy whose hair constantly changes hair, you weirdo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not weird, and my hair changing colours is normal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, your right. It is normal if you compare it to the rest of the things in this world, like beasts the size of this house, a nation where the sun doesn¡¯t shine, places where clouds have wills of their own and castles in the sky compared to all that your normal you brat.¡±


    ¡°That stuff can¡¯t exist, you liar.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense why you would believe you¡¯re a child, so of course, you would do something as childish as disregard what I¡¯m saying because it doesn¡¯t match your worldview.¡±


    Orb pouts and says, ¡°I¡¯m not childish. You are.¡±


    Captivant smiles smugly at him and says, ¡°That¡¯s obviously what a childish person would say.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one arguing with a child who is 73 years younger than you. You¡¯re childish.¡±


    Direct hit, recuperating from the blow I say, ¡°I was correcting a child who can¡¯t seem to understand that it¡¯s illogical to deny everything you don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m illogical. Ok, then explain to me why you looked like you¡¯ve almost died many times before.¡±


    ¡°I can almost die and feel pain, but I will never fully die.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you look like you¡¯ve aged, old man? You don¡¯t look like how young people are described in books.¡±


    ¡°Immortality is like a cycle. You grow old; then you become young again when you turn a certain age.¡±


    ¡°What about food? If you were immortal, you would not need to eat¡±


    ¡°The only way an immortal can die is starvation. Remember, nutrition is essential.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that convenient? Then why would you marry a person who isn¡¯t immortal? That would make you sad.¡±


    ¡°Elementary Orb, my wife was simply so amazing I had to marry her, and if I am Immortal, my wife will also be immortal in my memory.¡±


    Orb begins to pout more as his hair turns redder.


    Well, I guess it¡¯s my fault for not educating you about the world: I run into the library and grabs a book.


    ¡°Orb, this is a story I recreated. It¡¯s a log of people and my time spent with them.¡±


    Orb grabs the book out of my hand and jumps gleefully, but then he looks at me with confusion ¡°Hey Capti, are the people in this book your friends, because I thought you didn¡¯t have any?¡±


    ¡°Wait, why would you think that I had no friends,¡± I say, hurt by this statement.


    ¡°I simply thought that you¡¯ve read so many books that you can recreate them from memory, so I thought means that you spent all your time reading, and since you don¡¯t have an excuse like me, I simply thought you had no friends.¡±


    ¡°Well, so you know, I have friends, a lot of them, and the reason I have read many books is that I am an author, so I read lots of books for work.¡±


    Orb sighs and says, ¡°So you¡¯re going to lie to my face.¡±


    ¡°I am an author, believe me,¡± I say desperate.


    ¡°Whatever you say, Capti¡±, Orb says as he walks away.


    ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t believe me, return my book,¡± I say reaching for the book.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s mine¡±, Orb says as he runs from me.


    -Break-


    Orb has been reading the books I have given him, the stories of real people. Some of them, I would say, are too mature for his age, but he can understand the more mature writing. He even loves asking me questions about things I probably shouldn¡¯t explain to an 8-year-old, but if I explain them scientifically, he gets them rather quickly.


    These books are helping him forget about our past conversations; since his hair has been bright pink since he started reading them. It looks like it¡¯s brought a lot of happiness into his life.


    But then one day he asked me, ¡°Capti, how many people are on the planet.¡±


    "At its peak, I believe it was some absurd number like 20 billion, but I believe about 4 billion now¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. There is so many people outside.¡±


    ¡°Orb, why the sudden interest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because people are always trying despite all the issues that they all face and all the emotions they contend with daily, yet they try to be happy, and that¡¯s just in the books I¡¯ve read so far, and you¡¯re telling me there are four billion people like that, of course, I would be happy¡± he¡¯s says energetically.


    ¡°Orb, not all people are like that. In the world, many people are the opposite of what you just said.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess that would be logical, but that means that everyone who lives despite that is amazing. They¡¯re all like shining stars to me and aren¡¯t all kids blank slates, so as long as people weren¡¯t born one way, they can all change.¡±


    That is a relatively logical answer from Orb, but what did I expect? There is something about what he was saying or how he said it, ¡°Orb, why are you talking as if you are not a person.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess I am a person, but I¡¯m not like all those people,¡± Orb says as his hair returns white for the first time in ages.


    ¡°Please explain what you mean, or I won¡¯t be able to understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, Capti, I don¡¯t try hard or face any hardship, and I am useless on my own. I¡¯m not amazing like all the people in the world. I might be a person like everyone else, but I¡¯m not the same. I guess I¡¯m here because I shouldn¡¯t exist in their world.


    Captivant sighs and says, ¡°What a stupid and childish idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not childish,¡± Orb says as he begins to pout.


    I can¡¯t blame him for having such an idea. It¡¯s something a kid like him would think up, but regardless, I must do something to erase such thoughts.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I just heard something so completely illogical, I can all but guarantee the only reason you¡¯re here is due to some strange circumstances. You already exist in their world. You can exist in their world. I will take you out of here. Just watch me.¡±


    Orb¡¯s face lit up with his hair turning pink ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°I promise you. I¡¯m not a liar, so let¡¯s get out of here together. But only good kids get to go, so you must behave.¡±


    Orbs start jumping with excitement. Until we hear a large GRUMBLE. Orb''s hair turns to cream.


    He looks embarrassed. Orb, I will get some food ready.


    As I leave Orb, and walk to the kitchen, I cough up some blood. ¡°Those fruits really did help me.¡±


    So, after preparing the food, I head back to the room. ¡°Orb, are you ready to eat¡±. But I see Orb collapsed on the floor. ¡°ORB!¡± I scream running over to him.


    ¡°Capti, I feel a little funny.¡±


    Taking Orb''s temperature, I notice that Orb is burning up. What the hell Orbs had no body heat for years now. I got to act fast, so I grabbed him and brought Orb to a bed. Then I take the water sack from the fruit and make Orb drink.


    ¡°Capti, I¡¯m feeling a little sleepy¡±, Orb says right before passing out.


    This is too strange orb; for the first time in four years just randomly catches a cold. No Captivant break this down, his inability to feel temperature is caused by the fact he is a legacy, so that would mean if he lost this ability, it would be due to his legacy being uncooperative, but why is that what was different today? The only thought that comes to mind is what I said.


    While lost in thought, I suddenly hears a large bang. ¡°What the hell was that,¡± I say running to see what happened. It might have been the front door, but no one could be here except for one thing.


    As reaching the front of the house, he sees a large mass of snow through the show. But then, as Captivant approaches it, he sees it start to form into a giant wolf.


    ¡°Your presence here has become bothersome; leave or die.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you must be Wolfie. Nice to meet you. I am Captivant, but I guess you¡¯ve heard all of mine and Orb¡¯s conversations¡±.


    -Break-


    ¡°Orb, get up¡±, I hear as a hand pokes me.


    ¡°No, leave me alone I¡¯m comfy,¡± I say as I push the hand away.


    ¡°Orb, I am going to eat all your food.¡±


    ¡°Noo¡±, Orb says as he jumps from the bed. When he gets up, he sees Capti; blood splattered on the left side of his body with his left arm gone. ¡°Capti, what happened¡±, Orb says hysterically.


    ¡°Oh, this well I feel down some stairs¡±, Captivant replies casually.


    ¡°What are you talking about? Do you think I would believe that you have fallen down the stairs!¡±


    ¡°When an immortal like falls down the stairs a body part comes off, it¡¯s the trade-off for immortality.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then let me push you off the stairs to check if you¡¯re telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°It only happens when I fall naturally and what¡¯s with all these questions.¡±


    ¡°The reason I am asking all these questions is that you are lying to my face like I¡¯m an idiot-GRUMBLE¡± Embarrassment fills Orb¡¯s face.


    ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s hungry,¡± I say with a smirk as I hand Orb the fruit.


    Orb starts devouring the food out of hungry ¡°I¡¯m still going to question you later,¡± he says with satisfaction.


    ¡°Hey Orb, I¡¯m going to be busy soon, so I won¡¯t be able to hang out with you all the time, but I will give you lots to do regardless.¡±


    Orb saddens, and asks me, ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big present from me to you, so you got to be patient. I bet you it will be worth it, so get excited.¡±


    Orb energetically says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Sorry, Orb, you might not like this present, but it¡¯s something I need to give you since I don¡¯t have much time left.


    Year 4 End

 Arc 1.06

    Year 5


    Log of the boy


    Name: Orb


    Age: 10(approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger) Green (excitement) Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(discomfort)Black(worry)Pink(happiness)


    Purple(?)Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact


    Height: 150 cm


    ¡°Orb, it¡¯s time for your special crash course in the Heavens and the Heroes songs. Let me hear your excitement.¡±


    Orb screams very cutely.


    ¡°Orb in this world, there are three main languages in which all others derive from, we call these the trinity languages or the tria carmina. The saviours song, the heavens song and the heroes song.¡±


    ¡°Hey Capti, why are there different languages, and why would there be differences between them?¡±


    ¡°A language is heavily derived from environments, so If you think about it logically, it won¡¯t make sense for people living all across the world in different environments to come up with similar languages.


    And the difference between them is that the Heroes song has lots of synonyms because the Heroes language was forced to be adopted by many civilisations, but many of them simply integrated their own languages into it which led to this.


    The Heavens song issue is that a closed society used it for thousands of years, so because of that, it¡¯s the most different from normal languages. It is also an ideographic language, meaning it uses symbols rather than phonetic letters and many of them.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I got it,¡± he replied.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Capti has been weird lately; he told me he was getting a present ready for me, but he¡¯s spent months locked away in the room called a study, upstairs, only coming out to eat and check on me. I am worried, but since he is immortal, there is nothing to worry about.


    But that¡¯s not the only weird behaviour, usually Capti is with me when I¡¯m learning a language, but he has been handing me multiple workbooks he made himself and a glossary. They have been beneficial due to how detailed they are, but I would rather learn with Capti.


    But at least I have progressed a lot in both the heavens and heroes songs, I can speak the heroes on a low level, but the heavens song is a bit hard to understand; I have to memorise symbols with very slight differences between them. It¡¯s very annoying, but apparently Capti says I am learning abnormally fast, but it doesn¡¯t feel like it.


    Still I would like to see Capti. He¡¯s always locked away, which must be affecting him because whenever I see him, he looks more pale and tired than before. All of this, plus the fact that he keeps dodging my questions about what happened to his arm, has left me constantly feeling worried.


    ¡°I have had enough¡±, I says as he marches towards the study. ¡°Capti, I don¡¯t feel well,¡± I says against the door.


    Then almost instantly, Capti opens the door. ¡°Orb are you okay¡±. But then Capti feels a headbutt against his leg.


    ¡°Gotcha, Capti¡±, I say as I smile upwards.


    ¡°Orb, you shouldn¡¯t lie like that. You don¡¯t want to be the boy who cried deer. Because when a deer is kicking the shit out of you, no one will come to help you,¡± Captivant says sternly.


    ¡°Sorry, but it was the only way to get you to respond. Now come outside and play with me.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I can¡¯t orb. I am swamped right now¡±, is what I say to the orb, but to be honest, I don¡¯t think I can physically handle it right now.


    ¡°Please, Capti,¡± he says while looking like a sad pet.


    I must be clear and straight with him. ¡°Orb, I said no, it is not happening,¡± I say harshly.


    Orb starts sulking and says, ¡°But I just wanted to talk to you, since you have been acting funny this year and we haven¡¯t spent much time together. It¡¯s boring only reading and working every day, so I just wanted to play with you.¡±


    Crap, I hadn¡¯t realised how little we had seen each other this year, I got to fix this ¡°Ok Orb, let¡¯s go out and play.¡±


    ¡°Capti, follow me,¡± Orb says as he runs headfirst into the snow.


    It¡¯s been a long time since I was out here. I probably avoided it because I¡¯m not that fond of snow anymore, my right arm is a constant reminder of that.


    Looking around, I notice something ridiculous Orb snow sculptures now have houses. ¡°Hey Orb, what¡¯s all this.¡±


    ¡°Well, in one of the books I read, it said everyone deserves a roof over their heads, so since I had lots of time, I built everyone houses that they could live in,¡± he says with a proud smile.


    Shit, I have given this kid too much free time. All of this is making me feel terrible. ¡°Orb, let¡¯s have lots of fun,¡± I say energetically.


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    So as we play our games, Orb says, ¡°Watch me do this¡±, and then he proceeds to do a handstand.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, Orb.¡±


    His hair turns pink, and he says, ¡°I can also do this as well¡±, then does a cartwheel but lands very Shakely.


    That landing wasn¡¯t perfect, ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Orb. I¡¯m blown away.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair then turns bright gold ¡°Ok, now for the finale, look at this,¡± then he proceeds to try a backflip and lands on his face.


    I laugh at this, crap, I got to stop, this won¡¯t be good if he sees me. But then I see his face looking at me with tears in his eyes, oh no.


    Orb quickly gets up. ¡°I can do it, I just had a sore leg today,¡± he says with his hair turning lime.


    ¡°Well, really, Orb isn¡¯t that very convenient, especially since it didn¡¯t seem to bother you with the other two moves,¡± time to give this child a taste of his own medicine.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it is, Capti. If you can¡¯t accept the truth, that¡¯s just childish, you child,¡± he says arrogantly.


    It seems he forgot he was crying a second ago, but as a grown-ass man, I will forgive him. ¡°Ok, I believe you just wait till the day you can do it properly, ok Orb.¡±


    Orb¡¯s mood improves, saying, ¡°Of course; I just have to wait for my leg to heal.¡±


    ¡°Orb, since you¡¯ve shown me all of your cool moves, I will show you one of mine,¡± so I proceed to show him a one-hand handstand, then I go from one hand to my fingers.


    ¡°Capti, so cool, that¡¯s super cool,¡± he says with a green head of hair.


    But then suddenly, I fall to the ground.


    ¦µ ¡°Capti, what¡¯s wrong¡± he is lying crouched on the floor, holding his chest.


    ¦µ Crap, my chest, it hurts. I pushed myself too far. The pain is searing; I feel it throughout my entire body. This is some of the worse pain I have felt in my life.


    ¡°Capti, Capti, Capti¡±, Orb says as his hair turns black.


    Damn it; Orb is starting to panic. I must fight through the pain. So I get up and say, ¡°Gotcha, look at that childish crying face.¡±


    ¡°THAT WAS NOT FUNNY,¡± he screams at me.


    I was then forced to sit down on my knees, as Orb complained.


    ¡°Sorry Orb, I promise I won¡¯t do anything like this ever again,¡± I say with his head plunged into the ground.


    ¡°Well, as long as you understand, it is ok, but if you do that again, I will never forgive you. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir Orb.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not in the mood to play anymore, so let us go back inside.¡±


    Due to this lousy mood, playtime ended after that, so we returned to our rooms, when I entered the study, I fell suddenly to his knees.


    I was able to hide the pain until Orb finished his rant, good thing he didn¡¯t want to play anymore after my lie. It¡¯s been years since I felt this searing pain. Due to heart issues the doctor telling me I had one year left. I gave a lot of shit to those fruits, but they kept me healthy.


    But I need to be careful in everything I do, so I don¡¯t break down. I still have a lot of work to get done, but I need to keep in touch with Orb as well, so much work. I slap myself in the face with my hand and say, ¡°There¡¯s no use in complaining now, I just got to try my best.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Capti has been looking worse and worse the more I see him. At first, he was just tried, but now he looks worse and worse every day. It is gotten to the point, where I don¡¯t want to ask him to play with me because he seems like he is struggling, I even make all the food that we both eat.


    I have been wondering what¡¯s wrong. He is immortal, and he has been eating, so it can¡¯t be anything physical, so it must be mental. Something is making him sad it¡¯s up to me to fix that.


    When I¡¯m sad, it¡¯s because I¡¯m lonely or Capti is trying to hug me. So, I shouldn¡¯t do either of those. Wait, I am so stupid, He must be sad because I have never made a snow sculpture for him, Capti can be so childish sometimes, so I should try to give him one.


    ¡°Hey, Capti, take this. I made it for you.¡±


    Is this a snow sculpture of me? It¡¯s well made (For Orb) with one arm and everything. ¡°Thank you, Orb. I appreciate this,¡±


    ¡°Hey Capti, are you okay you look tired.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am fine. I am working hard, and I can tell by this, so are you,¡± Capti gives me a soft smile.


    When he this said his expression was calm, it was just a tiny smile. I am sure it is probably nothing, but it looked as if he couldn¡¯t make his body smile any more than that.


    Capti still looked tired, so that couldn¡¯t be it. Maybe instead of looking at things that make me sad, I should see things that make me happy. well, I like it when Capti says nice things to me, so maybe I should complement him. But will that be enough? Then I felt a jolt of sudden inspiration. I think I have an idea that might work.


    But I will need to grasp the heavens and heroes songs better to do this. I know I can do it, Capti has been doing something for me, even though he has not been looking well, I can do the same let¡¯s go.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Crap, what time is it? I have been working all day for like the 360<sup>th</sup> time this year. I didn¡¯t even work this hard even back when I was a novelist, though I guess my last job didn¡¯t have a child¡¯s life hanging in the balance, but at least I¡¯m almost done.


    Oh, Crap, Orb, I haven¡¯t checked on him today. As of late, he¡¯s been pretty engrossed in something, so we haven¡¯t spent much time together.


    I thought Orb stopped asking me to play with him due to him noticing my deteriorating health. He is an intelligent kid, but maybe he has been just so obsessed with what he was doing that he did not want to play with me.


    So, as I head down to check on him, I feel pain throughout my body: My arm is sore, my legs are buckling, my chest has a shearing pain. This feels nostalgic. It¡¯s almost the same as when I was climbing this godforsaken mountain. The ever-increasing pain I feel makes me wonder if I will be able to finish up before my body gives up.


    When I arrived, I saw him passed out on the floor. It¡¯s been a long time since Orb has fallen asleep out here. So, as I go to pick him up, I see a letter on the floor.


    So, is this what he has been doing? I should put it down, but then I see it is addressed to me. Well, that¡¯s all the permission I need to read it, I say to myself as I look at it.


    To Capti


    You are excellent. You¡¯ve made my life a wonder every day I have been with you. Without you, I would have never experienced so many beautiful things, such as drawing, Arithmetic, food, clothes and books.


    Your books bring me nothing but happiness, from your books I can tell that you¡¯re a person who loves others and respects their troubles; I can see this in the details you put into your books.


    I was so lonely and sad when Wolfie left. I thought I would be alone forever, but you promised you wouldn¡¯t go, and I was able to be happy again.


    I don¡¯t know my parents, they probably left me on this mountain to die, but I don¡¯t care about that. You and wolfie raised me and gave me everything that makes me happy, like my name Orb. I love it.


    So regardless of what¡¯s making you sad and tired, know you are amazing, and I love you.


    From Orb


    I feel like tears welling up in my eyes. This letter is written in three different songs. He was stuck on Heaven¡¯s song, so he must have worked hard to get this done. So, as I use all my strength and struggle to take Orb back to his room, I say, ¡°What a failure of an adult I am, I couldn¡¯t stop this child from being worried,¡± I mutter. Still, thank you, Orb. This has given me the strength to finish the rest of my work. I slap my face to wake myself up.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°So comfy,¡± I say as I gently open my eyes. When I do, I see I am on my bed. I don¡¯t remember coming up here last night, then a sudden realisation hit me: Capti must have brought me up. Oh no he must have saw my note!


    It was supposed to be a surprise. Let me make sure he hasn¡¯t seen it, so as I leave my room, I go into the study, open the door and say, ¡°Capti.¡±


    ¡°Orb, could you please quiet down? I¡¯m celebrating finishing my work a few minutes ago,¡± Capti says as he lays on the floor.


    ¡°Capti, where you are working all night, that isn¡¯t good everyone needs to sleep, so let¡¯s get you to bed.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Orb, I Can¡¯t do that right now.¡±


    ¡°Why¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that it seems I can¡¯t move my legs, and my vision is getting a bit blurry, and my chest hurts a lot, so I think I am going to go to sleep,¡± Capti says softly as he passes out.


    ¡°CAPTI¡± I screams. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with him, but it¡¯s physical. If so, then I need to take care of him until he feels, just Until he wakes up.


    Year 5 End

 Arc 1.07

    Year 6


    ¡°Capti, eat this. I made it just for you.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I am ok. You have been feeding me like I am a fish lately.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need to eat to stay healthy; since starvation is the only thing that can kill an immortal so eat.¡±


    I have cared for Capti since her fainted on the floor three weeks ago. But he has been making it hard, he keeps fighting hard back against me, talking as if I am being more of a bother than helping.


    ¡°Orb, you don¡¯t need to be so annoying about this; I have already eaten.¡±


    ¡°More food cannot hurt anyone, so come on, you old man.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t treat me like I have some kind of disability; I was able to climb this mountain by myself. I am still as healthy as ever.¡±


    ¡°You can barely walk now, and have just been sitting on the bed for the last two weeks, old man. Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate my power watch this,¡± Capti says as he jumps and does a backflip. Crap, my ankles hurt, but I still did it. ¡°See Orb, look how healthy I am.¡±


    ¡°Yes, very healthy now; get back on the bed by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Wait by myself, without any help from you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what I said, Capti. Come on, aren¡¯t you super healthy? You can do it.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, I need help.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t hear that. Could you say it louder¡±


    ¡°I need help!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that was also too quiet for me. Put some effort into this and tell me what you want loudly.¡±


    ¡°ORB I CAN¡¯T GET DOWN ON MY OWN, HELP ME¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear,¡± So I crawled to the back of Capti legs and pushed him down. ¡°Here I go.¡± Then he proceeds to tumble down, like a loser.


    ¡°So, Capti, what was that about being healthy.¡±


    ¡°Welllllll, you know what, I¡¯m sorry. Thank you for the help, Orb. I mean it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I say with a look of victory. ¡°Now, you better eat your food.¡±


    So Capti begins to eat the food I gave him for the third time today, but I hear him mutter, ¡°I miss meat.¡±


    ¡°Capti isn¡¯t meat the flesh of animal¡¯s, people in books always eat that but isn¡¯t it disgusting to do that in real life, it¡¯s a living breathing animal.¡±


    ¡°Orb, you fool, you can only say that cause you haven¡¯t tasted it. When you take that first bite, you realise something so firm can come apart so easily, while also being juicy.


    There are so many different types of meat, pork, lamb, chicken and turkey, and they can be cooked in so many different ways and go along with many different foods.


    Meat isn¡¯t just the flesh of animals. It shows us that even though we are all categorised as the same, we are also very different and can grow in many ways. Meat is the truth of life in speaking to us through food.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, Capti.¡±


    ¡°Damn it Orb, since you refuse to believe me, I will just have to show you all the great foods, not just meat, when I get you out of here.¡±


    All this talk has made me excited ¡°Well let¡¯s get you better first before we start thinking about such things, but you¡¯ll be better in no time since your immortal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Orb, when I get better I will take you,¡± he says while looking at me with a serene expression.


    Capti, don¡¯t look at me with that expression. You¡¯re not a liar. You are immortal, right.


    One month later


    ¡°Hey, Capti, what was your family like,¡± Orb asks suddenly.


    ¡°Why do you ask.¡±


    ¡°Well, you barely talk about them, and I just wanted to hear what a real family is like. Do you not want to talk about them.¡±


    ¡°Well of course I want to talk about them. Where should I begin? Well, I guess my parents. They were farmers and lived in one place all their life. The only time they left was to visit my wife and me.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re sort of like me. Did they have some reason for staying in one place for all their lives.¡±


    ¡°It was a family tradition from what I knew, for the family to spend their whole life just attending to the land we have owned for centuries. My family motto is farming will save the world, and most of my ancestors took that very seriously.¡±


    ¡°But that was not the life for me, so I left to become a writer, which caused many problems for my family since I am an only child. Still, my family were very supportive of my dream.¡±


    ¡°While chasing my dream, I met my wife Draga, and we had two kids, a boy named Dragoste and a girl Intrare. They were both tough to handle as kids, but as both have grown up, they have accomplished a lot in their lives, and Dragoste even has a daughter named Viata. She would be around your age, Orb.¡±


    Looking at me Capti says, ¡°What making you smile, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry Capti, it¡¯s just that you haven¡¯t been this energetic in a while when talking about anything, so it was just a lot of fun to see you so excited, so please continue.¡±


    ¡°Drago was a scaredy cat and a cry baby, while Trare was the opposite; She just used to run headfirst into whatever she saw. Bringing both of them on all my adventures was a headache, but my wife had a very dominant personality and was the powerhouse of the family, so she was perfect a wrangling the children and fighting off whatever trouble we got ourselves in.¡± Capti says as he continues to ramble on fervently about his family.


    With the room full of joy, Orb says, ¡°Capti, they sound like such fun to be around. I would love to meet them¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯ve already met my wife at least in some form, but we can see the rest of my family when I take you out of here,¡± he says with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, Capti¡± this might be my imagination, but that sentence felt like the most unsure thing Capti said today.


    One month later


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    Capti hasn¡¯t been talking much. The energy he had since he spoke about his family is gone. He also hasn¡¯t been back talking to me at all. He just sits on the bed and stares. It bothers me, Capti hasn¡¯t been this quiet since I have known him.


    He constantly looked tired, so I tried to give him space, but he asked me to stay with him. Even if I am just reading, I want to ask him why he¡¯s been sick and why his immortality hasn¡¯t helped him, but whenever I think of asking that question, I freeze up with fear. I¡¯m scared of the response.


    ¡°Hey Orb, are you ok.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Why do you ask.¡±


    ¡°Orb, your hair has been brown. You¡¯re nervous about something.¡±


    ¡°Stupid hair,¡± I mutter under his breath ¡°Well, I just wanted to show you something, but I was unsure whether I should show you or not.¡±


    ¡°Well, Orb, you should show me. I would like to see it,¡± Capti says with a calm smile.¡±


    Oh no, I need to think of something before my hair gives away I am lying, figuring something out I say, ¡°Capti, don¡¯t laugh at me if I fail,¡± so, after getting up from the ground to the bed, I successfully do a back flip from the bed to the environment.


    I can¡¯t believe it worked. ¡°WOOOOO¡± I shouts as he jumps up and down. ¡°Capti, I did it. I did it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. Congratulations, Orb, that was cool.¡±


    ¡°I want to do it again. Now watch Capti.¡±


    ¡°I will, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Hey, bring up some more energy into that. I just did something cool, so stop looking so sad. Now shout, let¡¯s go, Orb.¡±


    Shocked by Orbs scolding, Captivant replies, ¡°Oh, sorry, let¡¯s go, Orb.¡±


    ¡°I said SHOUT be LOUDER.¡±


    ¡°LET¡¯S GO, ORB¡±


    There it is,¡± so I proceeds to do it again and land successfully. ¡°WOO, I did it again.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Orb, that was amazing.¡±


    So, we both proceeded on like this until all of my excitement faded, and when it did, my brain started working correctly again.


    Oh god, what did I do? I was trying not to bother him, but I got him wrapped up in my excitement. Still, he looks more energised than before, so maybe it will work out. Perhaps he will be ok.


    One month later


    ¡°Hey Orb¡±


    ¡°What, Capti¡±


    ¡°Did you know most sea life has clear blood? It only has a colour when exposed to oxygen.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± this is Capti¡¯s new habit. He keeps telling me random facts.


    ¡°Also, did you know apples are a type of rose?¡±


    ¡°Wow, so interesting.¡±


    ¡°That sounded quite a sarcastic Orb. Aren¡¯t these facts interesting?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯re boring, and I don¡¯t care for them.¡±


    ¡°Did you know people who don¡¯t warm their milk. are more likely to be crushed by falling objects.¡±


    ¡°Do you think my brain doesn¡¯t work¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was just trying to make the story more interesting, as a brat once said.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just resort to embellishment because your stories are boring.¡±


    ¡°Well then, did you know that humans melt when exposed to salt water.¡±


    ¡°You have said you and your family have gone swimming before.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is because.¡±


    ¡°Now, before you make up some random nonsense, don¡¯t bother. Just swear on your grandchild¡¯s life, and I will believe you,¡± I say with a smile.


    Captivant falls silent.


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t? It seems like someone¡¯s a big liar.¡±


    ¡°Oh, on that note, did you know alcohol tolerance doesn¡¯t exist it¡¯s simply your ability to be good at lying and putting on a fake face.¡±


    ¡°Why would you tell me that¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a warning for you not to drink because you suck at lying and hiding your feelings.¡±


    As Orb starts pouting, he says, ¡°Then I will have to get better. You will see.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, that isn¡¯t a skill a child should learn. It¡¯s a bad habit that most adults develop. It makes people not like or trust them. I would prefer if you didn¡¯t use it when I get you out of here.¡±


    With my hair turning yellow I say ¡°Capti, there is something I want to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Orb, did you know clouds like loud people.¡±


    ¡°Capti, that¡¯s not what I want to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that people become what they eat.¡±


    ¡°Capti.¡±


    ¡°Did you know there is a secret path that connects the whole world.¡±


    ¡°CAPTI!¡±


    ¡°Did you know that butterflies carry books all around the world.¡±


    ¡°CAPTIVANT,¡± Orb says while crying


    ¡°Orb, remember what I said about screaming my full name.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about respect right now, Capti your skin has lost most of its colour and sunk into your cheeks. You cannot walk anymore. Your hair has fallen off. You look like an expired fruit. You¡¯re a liar; you¡¯re not immortal; you¡¯re dying, yet you keep talking about taking me out of here. You¡¯re just a liar; I hate you.


    ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°Why did you ever come here? Has this all been fun for you are mocking me and getting my hopes up so you can leave!¡±


    ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve ruined life. I didn¡¯t know much at all in life. I didn¡¯t know how big the world was; I was ignorant, but now I know. I know I was probably abandoned on the mountain wolfie left me because he didn¡¯t want to stay with me. Now I have to live by myself knowing all these things. I hate you.¡±


    ¡°ORB!¡± Captivant screams as his withered hands touch my face


    ¡°I am immortal, I swear on the life of my family.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Orb says, crying.


    ¡°Really, but I need some help now that my immortality cycle is ending; I will need you to go through a certain process so that I can restart my cycle easily, ok.¡±


    ¡°What do you need me to? do¡±


    ¡°In the study, there are about five thousand books which I wrote out there is also a list in the order you should read after you read all those books, there is a box in my study that you can only open after you¡¯ve read everything if you skip a book or don¡¯t understand something this won¡¯t work, but if you do everything correctly, my immortality will activate.¡±


    ¡°The books are in all of the tria carmina, so you need to be able to read both savour heavens and heroes songs. I need you to do that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can,¡± Orb says as he stops crying.


    ¡°So, Orb, what do you have to say to me for all those awful things you said.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Well, I don¡¯t feel like forgiving you, but if you listen to my facts, I might forgive you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen,¡±


    So far into the night, we continue our conversations until nightfall where I asked, ¡°Capti, can I sleep with you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but why.¡±


    ¡°I have wanted to do this for a while, but I just feel today is the day,¡± I say as I stumble sloppy into Captivant¡¯s bed.


    So, as we both lie their, I say, ¡°Capti, your supper skinny now. I can¡¯t wait to see you young.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll be amazed because I am a real looker.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you back to not believing me? After all, that¡¯s happened today,¡± Captivant says, a little irritated.


    I laugh, ¡°Sorry, I just wanted to mock you.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    We both go silent, but then Captivant says, ¡°Hey, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Yes Capti¡±


    ¡°Right now, it should be my birthday.¡±


    ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY!¡± I shout.


    ¡°Too loud, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Did you know today, Taurus, the 23<sup>rd</sup> is the day the first ever book was made.¡±


    ¡°That is very weird considering you¡¯re an author. It is almost as if your parents did it on purpose. Well, that¡¯s impossible on second thought.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is what people call fate, the accumulated randomness of life. It¡¯s pretty exciting, isn¡¯t it only through that randomness that we were able to meet.¡±


    ¡°But couldn¡¯t fate mean it was also all predetermined, so it isn¡¯t random? It was going to happen anyway.¡±


    ¡°Until the end of your days, you nor I will ever know, so I choose to look at it through a more romantic lens. It would help if you tried that too. It will make life more fun.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Capti.¡±


    -Break-


    Captivant¡¯s breathing is quieter. It has been getting quieter and quieter as we sleep; I don¡¯t know why but since he is immortal, he will be ok. Now I should ask, ¡°Hey Capti, are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Orb, yeah, I¡¯m fine, but it seems my cycle will end soon, so I will need you to start the work tomorrow, ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will, but what will happen to you until I finish all the work.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will be going into hibernation, so I will be moving to somewhere no one can reach, so I probably won¡¯t be here when you wake up.¡±


    As Capti said, his face looked heavenly and satisfied, contrasting with his withering body. It was a strange expression but also very enamouring. I was so caught up with it that I touched Capti face.


    ¡°Hey Orb, what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because your face looks weird.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I am ending my cycle and look like a raisin.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s your facial expression. Why do you look like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I think it¡¯s just because I feel satisfied. Looking back on my life in this cycle, I feel satisfied.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to be even better when your immortality kicks in, because you and I will have lots of fun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but I still miss all this time in your life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will tell you it all when we meet next.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Capti, do you think I will be able to make an expression like the one you just made.¡±


    ¡°Well, to do that, I guess you need to enjoy your life to its fullest, so when you leave here, make sure you do that.¡±


    ¡°I will but now I need to sleep well so I can get started early tomorrow, so good night, Capti. I will see you soon.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Orb. See you.¡±


    -Break-


    Snow in the shape of a wolf as white as the day it was made strolled right into the room, and while it looked at the boy and corpse on the bed and had only one thought.


    Why would you curse this child?


    Name: Orb


    Age: 11(approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(discomfort)Black(worry)Pink(happiness)


    Purple(?)Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact


    Height: 152 cm

 Arc 1 End

    Name: Orb


    Age: 11(approximately)


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger) Green (excitement) Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(discomfort)Black(worry)Pink(happiness)


    Purple(?)Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact


    Height: 152 cm


    As I get up slowly from the bed, I see no one beside me. Capti has probably started his hibernation. So, as I slap my face with my hands and say, ¡°I have no time to waste if I want to see Capti. So I immediately head to the study to start my challenge. After getting there, I take a second to take in all my surroundings and realise how many books Capti has stacked away. He did a lot of hard work, so I need to as well. I go up to the desk in the study. It has a giant box with a note on top of it. The letter reads as follows.


    Hey Orb, how have you been? I guess fine, I probably am not, but that doesn¡¯t matter, so I will tell you what to do. First, all the books are in a giant cube shape; starting from the door on the left-hand side of the wall opposite the entrance, read all the books column by column. The first few books are all workbooks for the Heroes and Heavens songs that I haven¡¯t given you, finish those and the ones I have given you, and you will be proficient enough to read everything here.


    Also, if you get lonely, you can talk to my wife and keep her company, she likes having conversations, so I leave that all up to you. Work hard but don¡¯t forget to eat and sleep.


    PS: I left some clothes for you to change into in my room if you grow out of your current ones.


    After I finish reading the note, I immediately went to get Draga and said, ¡°Nice to see you again Draga, we will be spending a lot of time together from now on,¡± after that, I ran and grabbed my workbooks and then got started, ¡°Let¡¯s get started Draga,¡± I say with bright green hair.


    But right before I open my book, I hear a large grumble. ¡°Sorry, Draga, I guess I am hungry,¡± I say out of embarrassment, so I run downstairs to prepare food. While eating, I don¡¯t know why but it tastes worse than usual.


    8 Months later


    Books 15%


    ¡°Draga was finally finished,¡± Orb says as he jumps with joy and closes the final book. I memorised four-fifths of the heavens song characters, so I can read and write in it quickly enough, and I have a near-complete mastery of the heroes song. It was hard finishing all these books for both songs, but I succeeded and can¡¯t wait to show off all my new skills to Capti. Now I can get started with the rest of the books, but first I need to cut my hair.


    So, while using the mirror in Capti¡¯s room, I cut my hair my skill at doing it is nowhere close to Capti¡¯s, and my hair went from a giant cloud, as Capti described it, too messy. But it was lots of fun.


    I also decide to put on the clothes Capti made. I am surprised he could guess what size I would be, but he had raised kids before. Maybe that knowledge helped.


    Year 6 End


    Year 7


    One year later


    Books 40%


    I have been reading nonstop every day from one morning to the next, I fall asleep and wake up in the study; doing this allows me to read books from the moment I am awake.I only started doing this when I discovered my progress wasn¡¯t enough. Eight months passed, and I wasn¡¯t even a sixth done.


    All these books were packed with information, and I needed to understand them perfectly. Some days, I go without sleep or eating entirely, but it doesn¡¯t inhibit me. It¡¯s like I don¡¯t feel tired at all, but then I would randomly pass out for about 8 hours, but then I am entirely refreshed. It¡¯s strange. But to be honest, the food has been tasting worse and worse, so I don¡¯t feel like eating it.


    I shouldn¡¯t be able to do this. I know that since some of the books Capti left me are about human biology, my body should have stopped working a while ago, but it hasn¡¯t. I feel sharper than ever. I can taste, smell, and hear better. Due to all this, I have been able to shoot through many more books in the last four months.


    But on the topic of the books, I don¡¯t understand what some of these books have to do with his process of immortality. All the ones I read have been informational, but I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s like this. I wanted to check the books I have yet to read, but I am scared I will mess them up in some way and won¡¯t be able to see Capti, so no matter what, I can¡¯t do that.


    All I can do is keep reading until I find my answer ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Draga.¡± That¡¯s all I can do to see Capti again.


    Year 7 End


    Year 8


    Three months later


    Books 55%


    The book¡¯s stories started to change after I reached the halfway point. Their now less about information, but back to the usual stories; some are books written by Capti, and some are from other authors. Yet this hasn¡¯t helped me figure out how this will help Capti.


    Though because of the books I now know why the food doesn¡¯t taste good anymore; its cause I am eating it alone, food tastes better when it¡¯s been eaten with someone, but no matter how lonely I feel it won¡¯t do any good to complain about it just got to keep reading.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    6 Months later


    Books 85%


    But it seems my body can no longer keep up with my demands. When I want to walk, my legs can¡¯t balance, my eyes, ears, and nose bleeds sometimes, and my hair doesn¡¯t grow anymore. My body hurts a lot. But I am almost done and will be seeing him soon, so I put up with it.


    2 Months later


    Books 100%


    I have finished all the books, and have read them all thoroughly in order. Now that I am finished, a part of me wants to go through them all again, but my utter depleted body wants to fall apart just from the suggestion, and I don¡¯t know whether or not that will affect anything.


    So, as I pick up Draga beside me, I go to the large box at the top of it and open it up. I see a letter. It must be more instructions, so as I read the letter the first thing I see is this.


    Hey Orb, you¡¯ve done well to off gotten this far. I am sure this took you about three years to get through this. I am proud of you. Well done. But to ensure no confusion, I am dead, deceased, and never coming back. I am Mortal.


    Huh, what was it? Capti is not immortal, but he swore on his family life. Doesn¡¯t he love his family? What¡¯s going on? All these thoughts ran through my head chaotically. I couldn¡¯t think or breathe. My chest is tight, and my head hurts. I can keep up with this. It¡¯s too much, is what I think right before I fall unconscious.


    -Break-


    I get up from the floor, breathing heavily. I just had a terrible dream Capti was dead; I guess my mind can go to stupid places without sleep. ¡°Wait, where is Draga,¡± but with a quick look around, I find her on the floor a little ways away from me.


    ¡°Now, Draga, let''s go look at the box Capti left, " so I climb onto the table to see it. ¡°Huh, it¡¯s already open. That¡¯s weird. This all feels like d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Draga,¡± so as I look in the box to read the note, the only words I can make out of it are I am dead deceased, I am never coming back, I am Mortal.


    Huh, so it wasn¡¯t a dream. It happened. At the very thought of what I had read, all I could do was laugh, ¡°THIS IS HILARIOUS¡±.


    ¡°Hey, Draga, I am feeling quite hungry. Let¡¯s go it¡±.


    So, I prepare food for myself with Draga laughing all the while. But after I finish eating, I only have one thought, ¡°This is garbage,¡± this is the worse meal I have eaten in my life, no way I have been eating this same food for the past eight years. So, food that¡¯s been good your whole life can suddenly taste like this. I grab Draga, and start heading to my snow museum outside.


    ¡°If I think about it logically, what else did I expect from the food because that¡¯s just how life is for an existence as disgusting as me!¡± I say as I smash a snow sculpture.


    ¡°This is just what I deserve. I am an abandoned child who no one wants and who everyone leaves. EVEN THOUGH I TOLD CAPTI ALL I WAS SCARED OF, HE STILL MADE SURE TO MESS WITH ME, TO GIVE ME ALL THAT HAPPINESS, SO HE COULD TAKE IT ALL AWAY! WHERE YOU JUST LAUGHING AT ME ALL THIS TIME? I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU. NO ONE IN THIS WORLD LOVES ME. THEY ALL JUST COME AND GO. WHAT¡¯S THE POINT OF ANYTHING!¡± I say until I smash all the snow sculptures around me.


    Out of anger, I run right into the snow. I don¡¯t care about what direction I am running in or what distance l travel; I just know I don¡¯t want to be here anymore. My body which hasn¡¯t had any vigorous movement in a long time, wants to fall, but I don¡¯t care. All I do is run as fast as I can.


    ¡°CAPTI YOU LIAR, YOU LIAR, YOU PROMISED ME ON YOUR FAMILY, WAS ANYTHING YOU SAID EVEN THE TRUTH, WAS THIS ALL SOME FUN JOKE TO YOU, LIAR, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!¡± I run until I am entirely out of breath, but then I realise I am still holding Draga in my left hand.


    Why am I carrying this dead weight anyway? You probably aren¡¯t even a real person, your just another lie he told me. So, I prepare to throw Draga at the ground with all my force. But all the snow around me changes to a different colour, a dark blue, and it looks like the snow is floating around me.


    ¡°When the moon shines and hits the top of the hill, it is said to be the most beautiful site in the world¡±, I remember Capti¡¯s words as I look around this mountain. Pretty it¡¯s beautiful. It¡¯s the most fantastic thing I have ever, I say. He didn''t lie to me as I cleared the tears from my eyes.


    I rush back to the house as fast as I can, and go to read the rest of the note.


    Hey, Orb, you¡¯ve done well to off gotten this far. I am sure this took you about three years to get through this. I am proud of you. Well done. But to ensure there is no confusion, I am dead, deceased; I am never coming back; I am Mortal.


    Now you might think I have told you a rather wicked lie. I would say I technically have not. In my opinion, the best way you can learn about someone is by understanding what type of stories they like, and Orb all those books you have read is every book I have written and read, so right now I would say you¡¯re the person who now knows me the best. Everything I am has been put into my books, and passed down to you and my family, so I will be immortal as long as you remember me.


    All those books were filled with information that will be helpful to you, from now on. I am sorry, I won¡¯t be able to get you out of here physically, but I have enabled you with the ability to leave and survive.


    Also, for all your birthdays, I have missed there are two presents here. First, a unique cloth I made by repurposing the materials of my gear, so you can wear something while, going to the bottom of the mountain. Next, at the bottom of the box under the clothes are letters of introduction, so if you ever get in trouble, seek out these people, and they will help you.


    Orb sorry I had to lie to you. I just needed you to have motivation. It¡¯s been so much fun, and I know you will bring light into the life of others. as you have done to me. Be good and keep your promises. I don¡¯t hope to see you but tell me how much fun you had when we met.


    Tears are flowing down my eyes. I don¡¯t know what to say in response to what I just read, but I know what I must do now. I put on the clothes Capti left for me; a long garment split at the end to allow me to move my legs. It¡¯s a bit big for me, but it¡¯s still okay.


    So, I grab Draga and run to the place I was before, and I burry her right next to a large lump of snow. ¡°Now you get to see it every year, goodbye.¡±


    So, after gathering all the letters in the box and finding a bag to put them in, I go in front of the house and bow, ¡°Thank you for keeping me safe. I enjoy staying with you.¡±


    So, as I try to run into the snow, I see a tremendous amount of snow around me form into a giant wolf the size of the house, it is wolfie.


    ¡°Hello Wolfie, it¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Stop what you¡¯re doing, go back in the house.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. I want to leave¡±


    ¡°There is nothing out there in the world except never-ending suffering. Go back inside, or I will make.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you could stop me, but I must go.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because my life here will never amount to much. Capti had happiness in the place he was born. but he didn¡¯t settle for that he wanted to find the place where he truly belongs, and so do I. If I do that I am sure I can die fulfilled. because if I don¡¯t all I will be left with is regrets.¡±


    ¡°All that sounds like is a curse to me.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s left to me to decide, so thank you for everything.¡± Putting his giant paw in front of me he blocks my path. ¡°I am leaving no matter what so unless you want to kill me move.¡±


    So, as I run past wolfie with all my might, all I hear is, ¡°You¡¯re a fool¡± maybe I am, but I have never felt this free and happy, my body feels lighter, my head is clear. I am so excited I can¡¯t wait.


    Character logs


    Name: Orb


    Age: 14


    Bday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: white (normal?) Red (anger) Green (excitement) Yellow (fear)


    Brown (nervousness) Grey(confusion) Cream(hunger)


    Lime(lying) Orange(discomfort)Black(worry)Pink(happiness)


    Purple(?)Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver


    Eyes: Blue(left) Gold(Right)


    Height: 164 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact


    Name: Captivant Nightfall


    Age: 84


    Birthday: Taurus 23<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black (Normally), Grey(due to age)


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 179 cm


    Likes: Books, family, Orb, potatoes, alcohol,


    Dislikes: milk, berries, people who don¡¯t like his family,


    Part 1 End

 Interlude 1

    Interlude: Lion¡¯s beginnings


    The eternal spider is my country¡¯s icon. It produces silk that is all but impervious to the elements. It can be hard enough to cut through steel while being light and flexible, so its silk is highly valued and brings great prosperity to the country.


    Everyone in the country is taught at a young age that it is the job of every citizen to protect those spiders, and those who rake in a multitude of achievements and are proved to be trustworthy, are given spiders to keep as their own.


    The giant spiders constantly crawl around our country to make webs and lay eggs, the webs they spin around the country are said to be one of the five most beautiful sites in the world. Whenever I see them, joy fills my heart.


    ¡°Lionheart, stop staring at the webs and come over here.¡±


    ¡°Ok, brother¡±


    -Break-


    I love my older brother; he has taken care of me and has always stayed by my side since I was a child. He is the only one who has done that since our parents were taken away.


    I still remember the army coming to take mom and dad away. When I asked my brother with tears in my eyes why is this happening, he said, ¡°Mom and dad did something bad they won¡¯t be coming back, but I will take care of you¡±. After that day, I heard mom and dad were executed the following day.


    My mom and dad owned the country''s most significant artisan weaver business. They were trusted with hundreds of spiders. They were my heroes. It didn¡¯t make sense why they were executed, so I went around to everyone I knew.


    When I knocked at their doors, they all told me the same thing ¡°Sorry, lionheart, we were not allowed to talk with you anymore,¡± hearing this broke my heart, but it was worse when their parents answered.


    They said horrible things to me  like, ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want my kids to be infected by your family.¡±


    ¡°Scum of the nation, your exitance is a blight to every citizen.¡±


    Broken-hearted by what they said, walking home I can hear people around the town talking about my family and looking at me.


    ¡°To think that¡¯s what the Animus family was doing, and yet they always went around acting all holier than thou. When all they were was traitors.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I concur. In my opinion, executing them was too easy a punishment, considering their irreparable damage to our country.¡±


    ¡°DONT SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT MY PARENTS!¡±


    The woman infuriated by my screaming, told me, ¡°A child of villains like them has no right to speak about this. Do you even know the gravity of your parent¡¯s actions? You should be on your hands and knees begging for forgiveness for your parent¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you brat, even if you spent your entire worthless life working, you could never repay all the damage your parents did to the nation. Now apologise for all your parent¡¯s sins.¡±


    I try to speak up, but my voice is entirely suppressed by the never-ending words the women scream at me.


    ¡°APOLOGIZE¡±


    ¡°APOLOGIZE¡±


    ¡°APOLOGIZE¡±


    They keep screaming at me. When I was about to say something, I noticed all the looks around me. Every adult was staring at me, waiting for me to apologise. All these looks caused me to freeze up. I couldn¡¯t get my mouth to work.


    But the screams of apologies didn¡¯t end. In this situation I feel all I can do is apologise. So, as I prepare to get on my hands and knees to apologise, I suddenly hear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all the sins my parents have committed.¡±


    It¡¯s my brother. He¡¯s on his hands and knees apologising.


    ¡°Do you think that will fix the damage your family has caused¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t. Apologizing never had the power to do that, yet you insisted. No matter what I do for any of you, it won¡¯t undo the damage my family has caused, so maybe instead of bullying the 7-year-old behind me, you fine adults all around me should put your heads together and try to figure out a way to help yourself get through the countries current issue. But right now, I need to get my brother home, so good day to you all.¡±


    The woman looked angry but didn¡¯t say a word as my brother took me home. ¡°Lionheart, I will tell you one day what our parents did, but remember, no matter what our parents did, it is not your fault. You hold no blame for the current state of the country. ¡°


    -Break-


    So, as we return home, we see the head butler of our house. He¡¯s been with me since I was a kid. He has also been with my brother since he was a kid this kind man has been taking care of us since we were kids.


    ¡°Lord Cole, I would like to hand in my resignation.¡±


    ¡°Ed, are you leaving us too; you¡¯re the last of the servants with us.¡±


    ¡°My lord, you must have known this was coming after our conversation. I had warned you, but you didn¡¯t listen. This is simply the result of your actions. It has been a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Ed, please don¡¯t leave Cole and me all we have left.¡±


    ¡°Young master, it has truly been a pleasure serving your family, but I have a family I need to keep fed, and working for your family can no longer accomplish that, so goodbye.¡±


    Ed said as he left. All the servants have left, and all my friends are gone. Everyone hates us, and my parents are dead, so now it¡¯s only my brother in this big house, and the thought of that alone left me crying.


    But Cole said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of both of us no matter what happens. Trust in me, Lionheart.¡±


    ¡°I trust you, Cole.¡±


    Name: Lionheart animus


    Age: 7


    Birthday: Scorpio 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brownish gold


    Eyes: white


    Height: 110 cm


    Likes: spiders, brother,


    Dislikes: citizens of his country, lies

 Part 2: Reunion of monsters

    Part 2: Reunion of monsters


    ¡°When am I going to see something other than snow?¡± This is getting irritating. ¡°HOW MUCH LONGER!¡±. I have been walking for to long; I had a lot of energy at the start while running down the mountain, but as time passed, most of my energy and excitement went with it. The way Capti framed it, I thought I would only have to walk a little, but nooo, it¡¯s just walking.


    I could get to the top of the mountain to leave Draga quickly enough, so it seems my little house was closer to the top of the hill. I guess Capti made it further to his destination than he thought. I don¡¯t feel like losing to him, so I start running.


    ¡°Just watch Capti. I am going to have lots of fun,¡± but as I am running, I bump into something, which causes me to trip and fall face first into the snow. ¡°Ouch, what was that,¡± as I turn around to look, I see an adult man with scars all over his body.


    After I get up, I take a second to ready myself. This is the first person I have met, and I have already made a wrong impression. I got to fix it, so I bow and say, ¡°HELLO, I AM ORB. IT¡¯S NICE TO ME YOU!¡±


    No response; did I already mess up? But then, I take a second to look up and see that the man is unconscious. I then proceed to go up to him and have a look. From what I can see, he looks very rugged, he has scars all over his body, he is thin but muscly, his hair is brown short, but messy.


    Wait, he has been laying in this snow, that can¡¯t be good for him, so I turn him around to look at his body, he is frostbitten across. Shit, this isn¡¯t good. There isn¡¯t any warm water nearby, and I doubt I could get him back to the house. So, my only opinion is to get him down the mountain.


    So, I pick him up and start going down the mountain with the man on my back. As I continue going down, I trip and fall; he is heavy, It¡¯s hard for me to carry him, and the weight of the box but not impossible, so I go on, but as I walk, I can see the snow around me becoming thinner, until I feel a small amount of warmth touch my skin, then as I walk its gets slightly warmer and warmer, looking up I see a yellow light in all this snow, it¡¯s the sun. How beautiful.


    ¡°Woohoo,¡± I say as I jump with joy, but due to the man on my back, I fall and land on him. Crap almost forgot about the man. This is still an emergency, so as I continue to walk, I take in the scenery as the sun shines on me.


    There is still snow covering the ground, but it¡¯s much lighter than before. There are also patches of frozen grass seeping through the snow. As I continue to walk down, I eventually see a golden tree. My eyes are dazzled with excitement; I can all but guarantee, I am the most excited human currently alive to see a tree.


    Still, are trees meant to be gold, and this tree¡¯s leaves are rather large? Maybe this one is just special. While I had that thought, I saw more trees down the way and began to walk toward them. It seems I might be getting closer and closer to civilisation, ¡°It looks like we will be able to patch you up soon. Just hold on.¡±


    Then after walking, I eventually reach a forest full of golden trees, though the snow is still everywhere. But I hear a sound, maybe another human, so I walk towards where I heard the sound, but I don¡¯t see any humans. I see something rather cute and small; I think it¡¯s a scardo.


    In Capti¡¯s books, they¡¯re said to be very friendly and loving to humans, and if I correctly remember, they hang around human settlements. It could guide me to humans. Yeah, lucky as it sees me, the scardo starts running towards me, it looks happy. Maybe I will pet it due to all the good fortune it brings me.


    So, it runs towards me, but my eyes feel a little itchy so a scratch them, as I open my eyes the scardo is gone, where did it go? Looking around I see to my far right a creature over the body of the scardo biting into it. The animal in question has two legs, and four wings at its side, covered in light blue feathers. It¡¯s a Waptor.


    They¡¯re over 200 cm, carnivorous, and extremely fast. Sorry scardo, but I¡¯ve got to run, so at full speed, using all of my strength, I run with the man still on my back, but then I hear a screech and footsteps one after another in rapid succession, it¡¯s chasing me, so I try to use the tree as cover as but then I hear loud sounds behind me the trees are falling. The waptor¡¯s wings aren¡¯t for flying. They¡¯re for chopping their prey into small bits, so they are incredibly sharp.


    I run as fast as I can, but I know it¡¯s going to catch up to me, so I guess I have no choice. I throw the man on the snow in front of me and then take the box of things I had wrapped around my waist and hold it in one hand.


    I stick out one of my hands, letting the waptor bite into it. Ouch, I scream as tears fall from my eyes, but it took the bait waptor have extreme soft skulls, so one hit to the head it enough to kill them, so as I am about to smash my box into his head an arrow suddenly hits it in the side of the head.


    After removing its mouth from my arm, I looked at the dead waptor, and for the first time in my life, I understood why Capti ate meat. ¡°YOU SUCK!¡± But no time to think about that now; I took the cloth my bag was in and wrapped it around my arm to stop the bleeding.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Now I must find some way to get him out of here with my arm like this fast since all the loud noises we made will attract more predasaurs, so I have to act fast, so as I try to lift the mans body a searing pain appears in my left arm as I fall. Crap, I can¡¯t get him out of here like this. I need to think of something.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡±


    Hearing a voice in the heroes song, I suddenly turn my head around and see a little girl smaller than me with long white and gold hair in fur clothes with feathers in her hair pointing a bow and arrow at me.


    She fires an arrow which scratches my face. ¡°I said don¡¯t move!¡±


    This must be the person who shot the waptor, I think. Isn¡¯t this sort of a bad situation? It¡¯s very tense; I shouldn¡¯t provoke her, but the man behind wasn¡¯t getting healthier as time passed, so I got to act, and if she wanted to kill me, she would have shot me from a safe distance.


    So, I immediate go from a crouched position, to on my knees with my head on the snow and say, ¡°THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME WITH THE WAPTOR,¡± I glance up at her after I say this and she looks shook. Good, I have broken the tension a bit.


    ¡°What are you doing here, and where did you come from,¡± she asks with her bow still pointed at me.


    ¡°I came from high up the mountain, and found this man while walking down, now I am trying to get him somewhere to get him better.¡±


    ¡°You lie. If you were that far up the mountain, you would be over frozen to death.¡±


    ¡°I am immune to the cold, so I can¡¯t freeze to death. See, I don¡¯t have shoes, and I have been walking on the snow,¡± I say while showing the girl my feet.


    ¡°You could have ridden on the back off something, and come from somewhere other than the top. Everyone animals, people freeze to death on top of the mountain without exception.¡±


    ¡°I happen to be the exception, and to be honest, a little girl like you who is younger than me shouldn¡¯t be talking about absolutes. How do you even know they have all died? How many have you seen been killed by the cold.¡±


    Visibly Irritated by what I said, the girl responded, ¡°Fifty.¡±


    ¡°There are ruffly four billion people, so you have seen about 1.25x10^-8 of the population die a one in eighty million that¡¯s not enough to be conclusive.¡±


    ¡°Fractions are evil,¡± she says as she draws the arrow back.


    ¡°Sorry¡±, I shriek, looks like someone doesn¡¯t like arithmetic, but I shouldn¡¯t be arguing with a kid anyway, something more critical.


    So, I return to my bowing position and say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that doesn¡¯t matter. The man behind is going to die if you don¡¯t help me, so please help me. You can check him if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    She looks like she is contemplating, but eventually says, ¡°Keep your hands where I can see them. I am going to check his body.¡±


    So, as I follow her instruction, she goes up to check the man¡¯s body and a look of worry overtakes her face. She suddenly says, ¡°The frostbite has worsened.¡±


    ¡°Then you will help us.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t, but the leaves of the tree have hot water in them so that you can use those.¡±


    ¡°But that won¡¯t help if the snow is still around here, and I can¡¯t carry him much further.¡±


    The little girl looks conflicted ¡°It¡¯s against the rules.¡±


    ¡°I will take full responsibility for everything, so please help him.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this? From what you said, you just met him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I know the only reason most people climb the mountain is that they want to die, and I think that¡¯s just too sad. I am not ok with people killing themselves. It¡¯s a waste in every way you look at it, so please help him. You can even forget about me.¡±


    So as the girl stares, rubbing her head furiously, she screams and says, ¡°Rules exist to help, not to kill!¡± She takes a thin cloth from around her waist and tells me to put the fabric over my eyes like a blindfold. ¡°Sir, I am going to need you to follow me. I will hold your hand to guide you to my village.¡±


    So, as I start trying to put on the blindfold, I tell her, ¡°My name is Orb. But how are we going to carry the man.¡±


    ¡°I got that covered,¡± she says as she quickly picks the man.


    Dumbfounded by her strength, I hear her shout at me, ¡°HURRY UP,¡± so as I finally get the blindfold on, I allow the little girl to take my hand and guide me. ¡°Orb repeat this song after me.¡±


    ¡°Why¡±


    ¡°We just have to, no complaining sing loudly as well¡±, so she starts singing horribly.


    My god, my ears now understand how my tongue felt eating all those rotten fruits, and now I have to listen closely and repeat; I would have rathered she shot me. So, while walking, I repeated the song lyrics, while wanting to rip off my ears, but I persisted because the thought that I had just had a proper conversation with someone had given me a lot of strength.


    -Break-


    ¡°Ok, you can take your blindfold off.¡±


    It barely took any time, though; that may be because her singing was making me slip in and out of consciousness; we also took a ridiculous number of turns, one shortly after another, that, combined with her singing, made me lose all sense of direction. At least we can get this man some help.


    So, as I take off my blindfold, I see where on a cliff edge, ¡°So you were trying to kill us.¡±


    ¡°No, look down.¡±


    When I do, I see a small village with Large buildings. ¡°This is my home. We will get your friend patched up here.¡±


    I was seeing all the active people fill me with nothing but excitement.


    Year 8 End


    Distorted Village Arc begin


    Log of animals


    Name: Scardo


    Height: 122cm


    Type: Predasaur


    Description: It is small with a beak and a fluffy tail. It¡¯s covered with red and purple feathers scardos are said to be very friendly and loving to humans.


    Fact: They hang around human settlements since humans don¡¯t like eating them due to them being cute


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Predasaurs


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Predasaurs: Animals that evolved to live in and around the area of Fimbulwinter.


    12 Months in Order


    Aquarius


    Pisces


    Aries


    Taurus


    Gemini


    Cancer


    Leo


    Virgo


    Libra


    Scorpio


    Sagittarius


    Capricorn

 Arc 2.01: Distorted Village Arc

    ¡°When we get to the village, I will need you to follow me very closely, you hear me.¡±


    ¡°Yes mam, but may I ask why.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t fully trust you, so don¡¯t ask questions. Just know that if anyone sees you, you¡¯re dead, that¡¯s all.¡±


    You can¡¯t end a sentence like that, all it¡¯s going to do is make me panic. Still, she has got me this far, so let me put some trust in her.


    So, when we arrive at the village, we sneak around as stealthy as possible, but whenever a crowd of people walk by, she asks us to hide, but I notice she is also hiding.


    ¡°Why are you hiding with us as well? Aren¡¯t you a member of this village?¡±


    ¡°I am, but you see, I went outside against the rules, so if anyone spots me, it will be annoying and waste a of time as they scold me.¡±


    So she was already a rule breaker, to begin with. I guess we got lucky with who came upon us.


    I noticed that everyone¡¯s clothes look quite primitive in that they are made from natural materials, not anything processed.


    So as the little girl continued to guide us, I realised she was bringing us near the biggest building in the village, which became a problem as the population density increased the closer we got to it, but we were still able to get there successfully.


    ¡°Ok, we¡¯re going to sneak in through a secret entrance at the side,¡± so as we start following her, we suddenly hear.


    ¡°MAPLE!¡±


    Hearing that, the little girl immediately pushed me and the man to the side where we couldn¡¯t be seen. Then I see her walk forward a bit, and put a big smile on her face.


    ¦µ  ¡°Hey Willow, what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been? Everyone in the village has been looking for you. I bet you went out again.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be fun to play hide and seek with the whole village, since I knew you guys would come to look for me.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU THINK I WOULD BELIEVE THAT? You know what? I don¡¯t care, what are you hiding there.¡±


    ¦µ Oh no, I think to myself.


    ¡°Willow, what are you talking about? There is nothing over there.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I am blind? I saw you throw something over there when you saw me.¡±


    ¡°You sure your eyes aren¡¯t playing tricks on you.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let me go check.¡±


    ¡°Willow, wait. I am sorry I did lie. In truth, I found a big sonbit. It looked rather sick, so I decided to bring it back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really well, since sonbit reacts to loud noise, let me ensure you¡¯re not lying.¡± So, the boy screams at the top of his lungs.


    ¦µ SHITTTT, I need to respond, but the sonbit wasn¡¯t in any of Capti¡¯s books. I need to make up something. God help me. so, I say in response ¡°HUMINA, HUMINA, HUMINA.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so it is a sonbit.¡±


    ¡°I got that right!¡± I say, shocked.


    ¦µ  ¡°Maple, the sonbit voice sounded too weak. I need to go check on it,¡± Willow says as he runs towards the noise.


    I forgot willow is an animal freak ¡°Willow, don¡¯t go over there.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing the kid named willow in front of me I take note of his appearance: Willow is a boy just as tall as Maple. He has light green hair and is wearing clothes like maple, but they are a bit less well made. I don¡¯t know what to say when he sees me except ¡°humina¡± while waving.


    ¡°Intruders¡±, he says as he quickly grabs an ornament around his neck and blows into it. Then a loud sound rings. What he blew was a whistle. This isn¡¯t good. It was probably an alert. I should pick up the man and try to run.


    But suddenly, I see a herd of people all around me. They all have spears and are pointing them at me, and then out of this large group of people, one giant man emerges.


    ¡°Two foul creatures, have snuck their way into the village. Who is the traitor that brought them into here.¡±


    ¡°It was me there, my guests Buloke,¡± Maple says as she stands in front of us with her arms stuck out.


    ¡°Do you know what you have done? The foremost rule in our village is that no one outsider shall be let in. You know the punishment for breaking this rule is death.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t, they would have died out there, so I had to help them.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t an excuse, you fool. If you were not the chief¡¯s daughter, I would have cut your head of where you stand. You have really been pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable Maple, but this is too far.


    ¡°We can discuss that later, but right now, someone¡¯s life is in danger so let me help them.¡±


    Buloke then has a look of shock on his face and says, ¡°These outsiders must have used some hypnotising power on you. Guys, restrain her. She isn¡¯t in her right mind.¡±


    ¡°You idiots, of course, I am in my right mind. Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°We have not such power. You should leave her alone,¡± I say, but as the words leave my mouth, I feel a strong fist hit me in my stomach, forcing me to my knees.


    ¡°Silence, intruder who gave you permission to speak¡±


    Vomiting from the hit, the pain I feel from his first is worse than the bite I received, but more than that, I feel immense anger and what¡¯s making me think that is him. So full of rage with my face barely lifting itself from the ground, I stare at him intensely.


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather fierce look you have it just like a beast, but luckily for me, I accel at hunting those,¡± he says as he swings another punch at me.


    As his first close in on my face, it is suddenly stopped by a hand behind me. The unconscious man has woken up.


    ¡°A man such as yourself shouldn¡¯t be hitting kids,¡± he says as he sends Buloke flying with a punch.


    He then gets up with his left side still severely frostbitten ¡°Do any of you other fine adults want to pick a fight with me? If not, put your spears down.¡±


    My first thought was that this guy is strong. How is he able to move when his body is like that? Still ignoring his pleas, the people around hold their spears, and one shouts, ¡°CHARGE.¡±


    ¡°STOP YOU FOOLS,¡± a thundering voice says.


    When I look over, I see a monstrous man. While I am gazing at this man, I hear the frostbitten man say, ¡°This is bad.¡±


    The giant man walks over to Buloke and says, ¡°Everyone take this as an example of why violence is the lowest form of communication, because the moment you face someone stronger, you no longer have the ability to get your point across.¡±


    ¡°YES, SIR¡±, the crowd of people shout.


    So, as he walks over to us, the man in front of me takes a defensive stance, but then I hear Maple Shout, ¡°Dad, don¡¯t do anything bad.¡±


    Dad, that must mean this man is the village chief.


    The man sighs and says, ¡°Cleaning up mistakes is a father¡¯s job. Everyone throws the little one in prison and keeps a close eye on him and take the other one to be treated.¡±


    One person in the crowd says, ¡°But that is dangerous to the medics treating him. This man is strong. It¡¯s too dangerous. We should just throw them out.¡±


    After this, the crow shouts in unison, ¡°OUT WITH THEM OUT WITH THEM¡±


    ¡°Then I will be present as he is being treated. That should be enough to curb your worries.¡± After the chief¡¯s declaration, the voices of everyone went silent.


    ¡°So we¡¯re ok now,¡± the man in front of me said as he passed out. Soon after he fell, the people around us acted fast and did what the chief said, picking the man and me up and taking us away.


    ¡°Maple, we¡¯re going to talk later,¡± the chief says with fury in his eyes. Maple looks frightened at the prospect of it. But I didn¡¯t get a good look because I was taken away rather quickly and thrown in a jail cell with iron stocks binding my hands and feet.


    So, my hands and feet are now bound in a jail cell with no one around and no books to read. They even took my box of letters, and from the looks the people were giving me, I am sure everyone in the village wanted to kill me. I think this is the best situation to use that word Capti taught me


    ¡°FUCK¡±


    -Break-


    Three days later


    I am bored, so, so, bored. Did they have to keep me in this cell all by myself? I have had nothing to do except shit and piss in a bucket, and if I even want to talk; the guards refuse to answer any of my questions.


    So, I get back at them by playing mind games with the guards. I discovered they think I am some demonic creature, so I started mumbling nonsense in the other songs while staring intently at them. They were visibly shaking and freaking out. It¡¯s the only joy I have had while being locked in here.


    That¡¯s how the last few days had gone until today, when they came into my cell and said, ¡°We have been tasked with covering you with this,¡± they were holding baskets filled with snow.


    They must be checking if I was resistant to snow. I guess Maple and her dad talked after all. So, I now sit there surrounded by a massive amount of snow. All this snow is making me feel nostalgic, so I start smiling. The guards have constantly been glancing at me. I guess they are worried I am going to freeze to death.


    So, to get them to stop, I mumble even faster in the saviours and heavens song while staring at them for even longer. That brings their eyes to turn away from me.


    Will this be my whole day? ¡°Your cell is here,¡± The guards  say as they open my door and bring the man with the scars into my cell.


    As he gets close to the cell, he notices me covered in snow and then screams at the guards, ¡°Are you trying to kill this boy? You men should be ashamed,¡± the guards frighted immediately go into fighting positions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; the snow doesn¡¯t affect me. I¡¯m all good.¡±


    Taking a second to understand what I said, the man backs down and says, ¡°My humblest apologies, I overreacted,¡± as he bows to the guards. This causes them to relax.


    After that, they threw him into the cell with me and locked the door. When he entered, he said, ¡°I heard from the girl called Maple that you saved my life and brought me here, thank you.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem, but could I ask you a question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. It¡¯s the least I could do for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks, so why do you want to die.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°Well, most people who go up Fimbulwinter have a death wish, so I was just asking why you want to die,¡± I say with my eyes staring intently at him.


    ¡°I know I said ask me anything, but don¡¯t you think you should be somewhat close with the person you''re asking that question to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, your right, so how about this because I saved your life. Be my friend.¡±


    ¡°Two things first, friendships are built, not you can¡¯t just magically become friends with someone, and second it¡¯s immoral to use a favour to take advantage of people in such ways.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°But you said you would answer my question.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry but making sure a young boy like you has better morals, is much more important than a promise,¡± he says confidently.


    I hear the guard snicker at our conversation. ¡°Ok, then, can I at least have your name.¡±


    ¡°You should always state your name first before asking others.¡±


    He is irritating me, but whatever, ¡°My name is Orb.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Orb. My name is Cole Animus.¡±


    Log of animals


    Name: Sonbit


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Predasaur


    Description: It is a giant white fluffy mamma with long ears and long circular tails


    Fact: They have no teeth, so they swallow everything they eat whole, breaking it down with their acidic stomachs.

 Arc 2.02

    Hey Cole, do you know any songs other than the heroes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, but why do you ask Orb,¡± Cole says in the saviour¡¯s song.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want the guards listening in on our conversation, because I don¡¯t know what information we say, will set the people here off,¡± I reply in the saviour¡¯s song.


    ¡°I see, but it could also raise their suspicion if they can¡¯t understand us. There is nothing scarier than the unknown.¡±


    ¡°I get your point, but with how they treat us, I doubt they could get any more suspicious of us.¡±


    ¡°That is true.¡±


    ¡°So now, since we can talk without worry Cole tell me about yourself.¡±


    ¡°It is rude to ask for information before presenting your own first.¡±


    He is starting to annoy me with this whole moral¡¯s thing, but if this is what it takes to make friends, so be it ¡°Ok, then ask me anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, first, why did your hair just turn red a second ago.¡±


    ¡°My hair changes colours according to my emotions.¡±


    ¡°So, what does red mean.¡±


    ¡°It means I am Relaxed.¡±


    ¡°Why did your hair just change to lime as you said that¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because lime means I am telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°You know dishonesty is the first step to a life of crime. If you keep that up, the hammer of justice will fall upon you.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s rude to assume someone is lying.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worse to lie.¡±


    ¡°Just move on from this and ask me another question!¡±


    ¡°Are you of noble birth.¡±


    ¡°No, why would you ask that.¡±


    ¡°It just because for your age, you speak both the saviours and heroes song very well, so I simply thought only a noble would have such knowledge at such an age.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know my ability to speak them was so weird. ¡°I speak the heavens song as well, but the reason I speak them so well for my age is sort of a long story.¡±


    ¡°Well, all we got is time, so you can tell it¡± So after Cole tells me this, I go ahead and tell him the story of my life so far, wolfie, Capti, all the books, Even the events of my life after I met him.


    ¡°Sorry, Cole, I got a bit carried away there.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you, Orb. It was nice to hear your story. Thank you for sharing that with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I have told you enough about myself to ask you some questions.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is only fair ask away,¡± he says passionately


    So, as I am about to ask the first question, I hear the guards say, ¡°GOOD DAY, CHIEF,¡± after hearing this, the village chief quickly comes into my sight. The guards then promptly open the door and let him in.


    ¡°You don¡¯t freeze. I thought my daughter was making excuses. It makes sense why she didn¡¯t back down now.¡±


    He then picked me up with one hand from all the snow, but as he did that, the iron stocks which bound my hands and feet crumbled. I guess the snow froze completely.


    ¡°Aea, Alis, didn¡¯t I specifically tell you both to take off the stocks before putting all the snow on him,¡± the chief says with a smile.


    The two guards start shaking with looks of fright on their faces, but then both of them in complete unison bow and say, ¡°SORRY CHIEF.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no issue. Remember next time, and it¡¯s not like we use these all that much, so it¡¯s fine you two.¡±


    Even though everything he just said sounded lovely, Aea and Alis kept shaking, and I don¡¯t blame them. This giant man with a ruff face and heaps of facial hair looks so scary that I am sure the clouds run away when he stares at the sky.


    ¡°Now that we have that sorted, Orb, I will be talking with you now.¡±


    How does he know my name? I just told the first person today. While he is taking me away, Cole says, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt him,¡± aww, thanks Cole, I think to myself.


    ¡°The only child I punish severely is my daughter,¡± hearing him say this somewhat calms my heart. So, as we leave the cell, I tell Cole in the Heroes song, ¡°goodbye, see you soon,¡±


    ¡°See you soon, Orb.¡±


    As the chief takes me away, we walk through the village with people staring at me with eyes full of fear talking about me. I want to do something to scare them, but I am afraid that the chief would snap my neck if I made the people of his village feel threatened,


    We eventually approached the building Maple tried to sneak me into, but I suddenly heard, ¡°I won¡¯t apologise no matter what. You will not break me, dad you suck,¡± that voice its Maple. I look up to where I hear the voice originate, and see maple tied up on the top of the building.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°See hasn¡¯t apologised yet,¡± the chief says, exasperated.


    Isn¡¯t this a bit too intense of punishment, I think to myself? After we get inside, he eventually brings me to a room that looks much like my house¡¯s study, but it isn¡¯t as nice.


    As he places me down gently, he says, ¡°These last few days must have been very stressful for you; sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was a bit boring but mostly fine, at the very least; I got to experience shitting in a bucket. That was new,¡± I say with a smile.


    Relaxed by my comment. The chief sighs and says, ¡°Well, since I am not one to waste time, let me be upfront, this is an isolationist village. The people here are born and die here, they only have a vague concept of the outside world. That¡¯s how our village has existed for over a thousand years.¡±


    Suddenly I get a terrible feeling.


    ¡°Throughout our long history, no outsider has ever stepped into our village. You see, there is a certain way to get in and out of our village, which is something one could never come across randomly. That¡¯s how we have stayed safe.¡±


    My bad feeling is getting worse now.


    ¡°So, you see, the fact that my daughter has brought you here means an outsider now could know the method to getting in and out of our village, which would endanger all our lives, so that essentially means you have to die.¡±


    Oh no, my feelings were point on, so I get up and move back as my hair turns bright yellow.


    ¡°So yellow means fear if I am right,¡± he says, unbothered by my actions.


    ¡°How do you know that,¡± I say in a defensive position


    The chief let out a thunderous laugh which caused me to fall to my feet. ¡°Sorry about that. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I just thought I would get back at you for playing tricks on the Aea and Alis. Don¡¯t worry; you won¡¯t be killed.¡±


    With his words bringing me relief, I go back to sitting in front of him.


    ¡°My daughter told me you came from the top of the mountains, which at first I didn¡¯t believe, but I read some of the letters which you had, they gave  validity to your story, and knowing that the ice doesn¡¯t affect you, all but convinced me, still I don¡¯t have a full story so would you fill in some of the blanks.¡±


    It looks like I am popular Capti, people really want to know about my life, so for the second time today, I tell him my life up to this point.


    ¡°Orb, I am sorry about reading your letters.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Capti made all those to help me, and if they accomplished their goal, I don¡¯t see the problem.¡±


    ¡°With everything I know now, I will trust you, Orb.¡±


    ¡°You sure about that? Everything I just told you, could have been some elaborate plot,¡± I say with a playful expression.


    ¡°That would be bad for us, but to be honest, you don¡¯t look sharp enough to pull off a stunt like that,¡± he says confidently.


    ¡°I am genius; I would have, you know.¡±


    ¡°There are very different types of intelligence, and I can tell you don¡¯t have the type that would allow you to construct such an elaborate lie.¡±


    I want to contest what he said, but I shouldn¡¯t go out of my way to make myself untrustworthy. ¡°Hey, what do you plan to do with Cole.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but his fate is still undecided. Unlike you, we have no idea where he is from or his intentions. If we let him leave, he could tell people how to get into the village.¡±


    ¡°Cole was unconscious the whole time, he couldn¡¯t have seen or even memorised the path we took.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t be sure he was unconscious the whole time. He could have been pretending or woken up after some time, when Maple brought you guys here. If he saw how to get in and we let him leave, he could use that information against us.¡±


    ¡°Cole didn¡¯t seem like a person who would do that.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t base the fate of my village completely on a gut feeling.¡±


    He makes a sound argument. All I can do is pray that Cole can convince them he is a trustworthy person.


    ¡°So, Orb, what do you intend to do from this point on¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I intend to continue down the mountain until I find civilisation.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the man Capti give you any directions to get started.¡±


    ¡°Nope, and I don¡¯t need them since adventures are more fun when you have no direction,¡± I say with fervour.


    The Chief then looks as if he is thinking and says to me, ¡°Hey Orb would you like to live here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys not like outsiders?¡± I say shocked.


    ¡°I am sure you can achieve your goals in this village, and up to this point in your life, you have lived a life similar enough to our own, so I am sure you can fit in with everyone so how about it.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but that is a¡±, but as I was about to finish my sentence, a large grumble was left from my stomach. Why does this keep happening.


    ¡°Well, I guess it is about time to eat. Before I called you, I told the women to start prepping for dinner. Let¡¯s go¡± so, while I was sitting there in utter embarrassment, the chief picked me up by my head and started walking ¡°Oh, I guess I never told you this, but my name is Sequoia.¡±


    -Break-


    Everyone stares at me, their eyes full of wonder and fear like I am some strange animal. This is the most bizarre meal I have ever had. According to Sequoia, the last meal of the day is something everyone in the village eats together in a big dining hall. We all sit on long dining tables in columns. Everyone sits side by side on the left and right of the table. The only seat that is different is the chief since he sits at the top of the centre table like a host, but just like a host, he makes his guest of honour sit beside him, that person being me.


    It was ok when it was just the two guards, but by my count, there are 1320 people here, and all of them are staring at me. It¡¯s too much, but the worst thing is that I hear Sequoia talk about meat. Meat is the dismembered bodies of animals. It¡¯s their flesh. There is no way I can eat that; I need to find some way to tell him I can¡¯t eat this.


    While lamenting over how to tell Sequoia, I hear him say, ¡°To all my people, big and small man and women, we thank nature for providing for us, for another day, so let us give thanks by honouring all the food that will be given to us and eating every last bit of it there shall be no waste today¡± after that people start serving the food.


    NOOOO, now I can¡¯t tell him, I don¡¯t want to be rude; I¡¯ve got to think of something. A large sound then suddenly rings through the room.


    ¡°Oh, it must be the lighting. It did start raining a little while ago.¡± Sequoia says nonchalantly.


    ¡°Wait, Sequoia isn¡¯t Maple still hung outside, won¡¯t she get hurt.¡±


    ¡°A little rain and lighting have never hurt anyone, and besides, that girl needs to have some sense of danger.¡±


    Before I can say anything back, I see a hand quickly place my food down and pull back.


    ¡°Orb, go ahead; it¡¯s delicious I am sure You will enjoy it.¡±


    So, I take a fork, pick up my meat, and I hesitantly bring it towards my mouth, but as I am about to bite into it I pull back. I can¡¯t do this. It was alive. It¡¯s like eating a human.


    ¡°Orb, what¡¯s wrong,¡± Sequoia says, worried.


    As I tell him I can¡¯t eat this, I see everyone staring at me. I can¡¯t say anything with everyone looking at me again; dammit, you know what? I am just going to do this as fast as I can, and if I throw up, I can say I have some sickness to it. Yeah, let us go with that.


    So, I pick the meat with the fork and bite into it; then I take another bite and another. I can¡¯t eat this fast enough with a fork, so I use my two hands and devour the meat.


    When I finish, I have tears running down my face, and all I can say is, ¡°Delicious,¡± Capti was right meat is heavenly; I lacked perspective; I need more now. ¡°Sequoia, where did you get this,¡± I say suddenly with desperate eyes.


    Sequoia responds, looking frightened saying, ¡°All you ate today is what we hunted for.¡±


    So, after getting from my seat, I walk over to Sequoia and get on my knees, saying, ¡°I WILL TAKE YOU UP ON YOUR OFFER FOR NOW. PLEASE TEACH ME HOW TO HUNT. I NEED MORE!¡±


    The entire dining hall went quiet, and then Sequoia, with a smile, told me, ¡°It will be my pleasure Orb.¡±

 Arc 2.03

    ¦µ Arising from my bed, I feel an intense presence right next two me, so out of complete instinct, I go to attack it, but as he is about to make contact, I see the presence is Orb.


    ¡°Orb, what are you doing here,¡± I say, shocked


    ¡°You told me, we start my training today, so I wanted it to begin the moment you awoke.¡±


    There is raw determination in those eyes. He must be excited to become one of us. So full of drive. I say, ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Orb. Let¡¯s us go and begin your Training.¡±


    ¦µ Since yesterday I haven¡¯t been able to get the taste out of my mind. How did I go my entire life without this? The fact that people eat this every day has filled me with nothing but jealousy, but now I will be able to learn how to hunt animals whenever I need to.


    -Break-


    As Sequoia and I walk to the hunting grounds, I look around the town and take note of a few things first; everyone gets up early in this village. Even sitting beside the chief¡¯s bed, I heard people working away outside. I also heard Maple scream, ¡°I won¡¯t give in,¡± since she is still tied up, won¡¯t she eventually have to eat or go to the toilet?


    Throughout my walk with the chief, something bothered me, so I asked him, ¡°Why is everyone not wearing fur clothes like you? They¡¯re all in cotton clothes; won¡¯t they freeze since snow is scattered all around the village.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because we have some level of resistance to the cold, so when we are in the village, we wear cotton clothes. Our bodies have adapted to Fimbulwinter over generations. I was taught at first, when our town was founded, people really couldn¡¯t handle the cold, and someone would end up frostbitten every day, but through their perseverance, they were able to grow accustomed to it.


    This also applies to plants and animals. At first, on this mountain, there were countless different plants and animals, but most of them died when it froze over, and the ones that adapted to the sudden change are what were able to survive.


    Maple told me you had seen the golden trees. They store lots of hot water in their leaves, allowing them to survive extreme colds. Things like this also make us less worried about the cold, because of all the different types of plants we have found ways to deal with, even extreme frostbite.


    The only issue we have is that all the plants take a lot of time to grow back, and all the animals need to eat them to survive, so our only choice to get food is to hunt consistently,¡± before I knew it, we were at the hunting grounds.


    To my knowledge, at the beginning of every week, the village¡¯s warriors gather together to procure the food that will be eaten for the next week.


    While begin lost in thought, I heard the village chief scream, ¡°Let the spirits of our ancestors be with us as we go out. May today¡¯s hunt be bountiful.¡± after the chief said that, he walked over to me and says, ¡°Orb, sorry about this,¡± then I feel a substantial impact on the back of our head.


    -Break-


    ¡°He should be waking up about now,¡± is the first thing I hear when I open my eyes. Then after looking around, I realised the voice I heard was Sequoia.


    ¡°Hey, what was that for.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Orb, I needed to get you out of the village without seeing the exit.¡±


    ¡°You could of at least told me. Also, how did you know when I would wake up.¡±


    ¡°I knock my daughter out when she gets rowdy, so I have gained a sense for when people wake up from that.¡±


    You know, the more he talks about his daughter, the more he sounds like an abusive parent, but I won¡¯t ever say that to him.


    ¡°Orb, the hunt is about to begin, so watch and see what you have to achieve.¡±


    So, as I get up from the floor, I see the village warriors walk past me. I see Aea and Alis. I stare and wave at them with a creepy smile whispering their names, but they freak out and walk faster away from me.


    One of the warriors walks into me and pushes me to the ground. When I look up to see who it is and it¡¯s the stomach puncher himself Buloke. He gives me a murderous look, and walks away. Now I have two goals learn how to hunt and push Buloke off a cliff. Oh, I am just teeming with motivation.


    As I get up, I see something hiding in one of the bushes, but as I try to get a better look, it moves away. I have only seen him twice, so I am not a hundred per cent sure, but I still tell the chief, ¡°I think I see Willow hiding in that bush.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. He is always sneaking out to watch everyone hunt. We¡¯re all aware of him hiding over there.¡±


    But as Sequoia was telling me, I heard someone shout, ¡°They are coming,¡± and out of the forest, a group of waptors running at full speed headed toward us, screaming.


    ¡°Sequoia isn¡¯t this bad. We didn¡¯t have time to set up a trap, at this rate we will get overrun.¡±


    ¡°Traps, you say. Well, I guess that is the safest way to go about hunting, but we prefer a more head-on method.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? That¡¯s absurdly dangerous¡±, but as the words leave my mouth, I see a waptor head fly over and land between Sequoia and me.


    I look over and see that the warriors have beheaded the waptors despite their speed. As more waptors run towards them, I see Aea and Alis instantly cut off their heads. I was making fun of these two. If they wanted, they could have killed me before I even noticed.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Then I see Buloke fight in a mere second. He cuts the heads off of four waptors. He is moving so fast that I can barely follow him; these are inhuman movements. How are they doing this? It¡¯s so amazing. All I can do is sit there, shocked.


    ¡°Using traps would be much safer, but it isn¡¯t our way. Instead, we like to hunt the animals headfirst. It¡¯s our way of respecting them. It makes hunting exceptionally dangerous, but all we have to do is get strong enough to compensate.¡± After Sequoia spoke these words, I saw the last of the waptor fall to the ground, dead.


    ¡°You guys are amazing.¡±


    ¡°No need to flatter us, Orb. You will be doing this soon enough.¡±


    So as everyone is about to start collecting the bodies, a scream echoes throughout the forest. Then suddenly, trees begin to fall, and out of the woods comes a spercera.


    I start panicking as it runs toward us, but I hear Sequoia say, ¡°This is quite fortunate you needed a spear, didn¡¯t you Orb,¡± Sequoia then grabs Buloke¡¯s spear out of his hand in an instant, and starts running towards the spercera as it charges at him.


    When the spercera is about to hit him, he dodges to its side while slicing the horns that protect its face. The spercera then runs into a tree. Then almost instantly, Sequoia turns around and jumps onto a tree, then jumps again into the air and falls directly on top of the spercera, plunging his spear into its head, killing it instantly.


    I have been very casual with the chief, because he seems like the most normal person here, but he is a monster. Is he even human because if he is, he shouldn¡¯t be able to do this?


    ¡°Orb, remember everything you have seen today. Well, I expect you to be able to do all this eventually.¡±


    Dumbfounded by what I just saw, it took me a second to understand his words, but after my mind returned, I said, ¡°Sir, yes sir.¡±


    ¡°You sure are funny, but that¡¯s Good to Hear,¡± Sequoia says as he approaches me.


    I didn¡¯t think what I said was all that funny, but then I realised we had just finished. ¡°Oh no¡±, is what I say before his hand strikes me unconscious.


    -Break-


    ¡°Five, four, three, two, one.¡±


    ¡°Where am I,¡± I say as I jump from the floor.


    ¡°Right on time, Orb.¡±


    Quickly looking around, I grasp the situation and say, ¡°You know you can just tell me if you want to knock me out.¡±


    ¡°If I did that, you¡¯d know to brace yourself for the impact, and then I would have to hit harder, it¡¯s the policy of the village to do things in one shot to minimise suffering.¡±


    ¡°Whatever then, so when do I start my training.¡±


    ¡°We will start in a little bit, but here you go.¡± Sequoia then hands me fur clothing just like everyone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Orb yesterday, I asked someone to make this for you, I thought that if you stay here, you should look the part.¡±


    So, I put the clothes on a wool top, trousers, a half-open skirt, woolly boots and a bandana it¡¯s primarily silver with a dark blue and gold pattern spread across it all.


    ¡°Thank you, sequoia.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but now we are going to begin your training. Are you ready¡±


    ¡°Ready as I will ever be.¡±


    -Break-


    It has been one month since I started my training, and I have been primarily doing three things during that time.¡±


    First is strength training, every day is five hundred squats, lunges, crunches, and pushes ups, and then we run around the entire village eighty times. My body aches intensely afterwards, to the point that the meat I eat at the end of the day, which should be my solace, ends up tasteless, this is too unfair.


    The second is battle strategies, which I am taught in a class with some young children.


    ¡°After years of research, we have found that the animals follow specific patterns when fighting them. An example would be the waptor. After its initial bite, it will try to cut you with either its left or right wings. You can tell which it will use to attack by how it moves its head, and if you can dodge under his wings, when it turns around to face you, its head will be exposed, allowing you to cut it off.


    So, remember to understand all the patterns of the animals and look out for signs of their subsequent movements, especially you, Orb.¡±


    ¡°I will, Pine.¡±


    The woman Pine is a former warrior who teaches us. She is one of the only people in the village who isn¡¯t bothered by my existence, unlike everyone else who shows either extreme disdain like Buloke, fear like the Aea and Alis, or is intrigued like all the kids in the class, well all except the kid named willow, he sort of sits there with all his attention focused on the class.


    I also realised from the patterns on her clothes that she was the one who made me dresses, and due to me liking them, I like her as well though she does yell at me due to falling asleep in class due to exhaustion. I also learned that she is considered old even though she is only forty-five.


    Now the final type of training I have been doing is combat training. I only started recently, and it has not been a fun experience because the warrior training me is the ultimate stomach puncher, Buloke.


    ¡°You can just quit if it is too hard for you.¡±


    This asshole was supposed to be training me, but he has just been using that as an excuse to hit me as hard as he wants.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too hard on him?¡± Aea says.


    Aea, you just got some favour in my book. I will stop playing harsh jokes on her and her brother for some time, I think as I start getting up.


    ¡°Aea, he hasn¡¯t been training since he was a kid like the rest of us, so I need to be tough on him, or he will never grow stronger,¡± He says staring down at her.


    ¡°He is right. The animals I have seen are much more dangerous, so I need to get stronger quickly if I want to hunt them, and he should keep going with this level of intensity, because I plan to pay it all back on his stupid face.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, well, we will see about that¡±, Buloke says as he charges forward with his fist.


    Good, he is angry. I should be able to do it now. So, as he came forward, I moved my face out of him, then he went for a swipe with his arm, which I ducked. I must observe him. He is about to go for a knee, so I move back.


    He almost got me, but when he is agitated his moves aren¡¯t as precise, so I dodge all his attacks. My body starts aching, but dodging feels so good I can¡¯t stop. This continues until he says, ¡°Enough of this,¡± he then lunges forward at incredible speed as I see his fist about to hit me. One thought goes through my head, I am about to die.


    Suddenly I hear, ¡°BULOKE STOP YOU, IDIOT,¡± then the boy named Willow comes between us and blocks the punch with his arms, but the force of the impact sends him flying into me, and then the both of us into the snow.


    ¡°Willow, what is wrong with you? If I didn¡¯t hold back, you would have almost died.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Ever since this man has shown up, you¡¯ve been acting like an idiot, so I came to make sure you weren¡¯t doing something stupid.¡±


    As they argued, I heard some say, ¡°Hello, Chief.¡±


    As the chief approached where the incident just when down, he said, ¡°Everyone go home for the day, and Buloke come with me, we need to talk. Willow, you come as well, so we can treat those bruises on your arm.¡±


    So as everyone follows the chief instruction, I say to Willow, ¡°Thank you for saving my life.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that for you, I did it to stop that idiot from making a mistake,¡± after he says that, he goes off with the chief with a big bruise on both of his arms.


    Log of animals


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Predasaur


    Description: It¡¯s a giant silver quadrupedal omnivore with one large horn at the front with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.

 Arc 2.04

    Today has been unnecessarily difficult: Physical exercise, all the learning, and even almost dying. It was just too much for me today, but at least when I went to dinner, I saw Buloke with both his cheeks swollen, but still he got off too easy for almost killing me. I still can¡¯t punish him for hurting me, but at least I can reward Willow. I should see what I can do for him, but that is tomorrow¡¯s Orbs problem. Right now, I am going to sleep.


    So, as I am about to get into bed, something drops down from the roof and lands on my back. As I am about to say something, a hand appears over my mouth, and I hear, ¡°Quite down, or I will snap your neck.¡±


    Following my instructions, I quieted down, but the voice I heard was oh so familiar to me. I heard it every time I approached Sequoia house, It was Maples.


    Soon after this, Maple gets off me, and I quietly ask her, ¡°How did you get down from up there.¡±


    ¡°They needed to take me down so I could do some things.¡±


    ¡°I see you needed to relieve yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ladies, don¡¯t do that.¡±


    Damn it, Capti, you lied to me again. They never talk about girls shitting in the books I read, so I knew something was off . ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know that, so where does your waste go,¡± I say with an eagerness to find out.


    Caught off guard by Orb¡¯s eagerness, Maple says the first thing that comes to her mind ¡°It just vanishes.¡±


    It vanishes; does that mean they just absorb food completely? But how would that work biologically? Orb, stop trying to figure it out. You simply lack too much knowledge.


    Wait, if I want to know, I can just ask Maple. ¡°Hey Maple, what¡¯s the point of a butt hole then,¡± Orb says with nothing but a pure want for knowledge in his eyes.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s rude to ask a lady about things such as that¡±, Maple says sternly.


    ¡°But it is just about information, so what¡¯s the issue adults shouldn¡¯t be bothered by that.¡±


    ¡°I said it¡¯s rude, so just don¡¯t talk about it now. Enough of that,¡± she says furiously.


    ¡°Ok then, so why are you here? Did you apologise to the chief.¡±


    ¡°Why would I apologise to that old idiot? I didn¡¯t do anything wrong I saved two lives, so why would I have to apologise? And on that note, don¡¯t you have something to say to me.¡±


    I forgot about that. ¡°Thank you, Maple, for saving me¡±, I say while bowing a bit.


    ¡°Hmmm, you¡¯re welcome!¡± she says with a proud smile.


    ¡°Maple, if you haven¡¯t apologised to the Sequoia how exactly are you here?¡±


    ¡°Well, after I took care of business I snuck off, and no one wants to come near your room because they are scared of you so it was a great hiding spot.¡±


    Thanks for the reminder.


    ¡°I went through all the trouble off sneaking over here, and I did save your life, so I am going to have you answer some of my questions.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Shocked by my response, she says, ¡°But I saved your life.¡±


    ¡°Maple, I have recently learned that using the good deeds you committed to ask for favours is bad manners.¡±


    She turns furious from what I said to her, but then calms down and says, ¡°I will answer any of your questions if you answer any of mine.¡±


    I just wanted her to ask nicely, but this is an opportunity to learn what Willow likes, they did seem close from the altercation they had, ¡°Ok then, so will you tell me what you know about willow.¡±


    Looking confused at my question, she asked me, ¡°Why do you want to know about that idiot!¡±


    ¡°He saved my life today, and regardless of his intent, I want to reward him somehow.¡±


    ¡°But I saved your life and didn¡¯t get special treatment.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, you almost killed me by trying to save me. If your dad didn¡¯t come in time, I probably would¡¯ve been stabbed to death by all the villagers.¡±


    ¡°But Willow was the one who alerted everyone about you.¡±


    ¡°He was just following the rules. I can¡¯t fault him for that, but I can fault you for lack of ability when it comes to sneaking, and when I think about the fact that I had to endure you singing, so In my opinion what happened was more of an equivalent exchange, not a favour.¡±


    ¡°My singing voice is beautiful. What are you talking about? It calms everyone so much that they go to sleep regardless of their actions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who has been lying to you your whole life, but that¡¯s simply untrue. Do you want to continue wasting time until someone finds you here or do you want to answers my questions?¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Extremely Irritated by my words, she tells me, ¡°Well, he is condescending to me, always on my back nagging me, acting like he is better than me even though we¡¯re the same age. Everyone is always babying him, while I am always getting scolded.


    He is also obsessed with animals. He loves learning everything about them. The last thing to note is that he has failed repeatedly at becoming a warrior for the previous year.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he your age? Why would you be trying to become a warrior so young.¡±


    Looking confused at my words, she tells me, ¡°You can become a warrior at any age, as long as you can hunt. Even I am a warrior look; I got a red bracelet as proof,¡± Maple then goes on to wiggle her bracelet in front of my face.


    I have seen everyone wearing these. I didn¡¯t know the colours had some meaning; I see most adults with purple ones and children with blue ones.


    ¡°If someone like you could get one, why wouldn¡¯t Willow be able to get one.¡±


    Her face becomes visible, angry due to my words, but she comes down again and says, ¡°Willow has a certain problem which prevents him from being effective on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my place to tell you such information.¡±


    That¡¯s fair. ¡°Maple, your info has benefited me. Thank you¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s my turn now.¡±


    ¡°Ask away, nothing is off bounds.¡±


    ¡°So, could you tell me about the world outside of here? Anything is of value.¡±


    But when I am about to answer her question, someone Barges into my room and Screams, ¡°MAPLE!¡± After taking a second to get my senses back, I see it is Sequoia.


    ¡°You shitty old man, always getting in the way of the best part,¡± she says to her father, enraged.


    ¡°I was going easy on you, but to think that you would attack the people I left to watch you and then go off bothering our guest. I will teach you there are some lines you don¡¯t cross,¡± Sequoia says as he picks Maple up by her head.


    ¡°Sorry Orb, I have to go teach this one never to bother anyone again,¡± after the chief says this, he takes Maple and goes.


    Letting out a little prayer for Maples¡¯s safety, I go to bed.


    -Break-


    Due to Sequoia screaming at Maple all night, I could not get much sleep, so I decided to get an early start to my day. I am up so early that no one in the village is awake. It feels strange to see the village empty, since it is usually filled with people.


    So, as I walk to the training grounds to get my physical exercise started, I see someone on the training grounds. Just when I thought I could enjoy some me time, someone had to be here and ruin it; I walk on trying to see who it could be until I get close enough to see its willow.


    Is he doing push-ups? Aren¡¯t his arms still injured? I run up to Willow and scream, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU FOOL.¡±


    Hearing my scream, he falls onto his face.


    As I get close to his body, I tell him, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing any sort of physical exercise till your better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± After Willow said this, he continued trying to do push-ups, but failed.


    Well, I guess I got to put a stop to this. So, I kick him in his crotch, causing him to fall to the ground.


    While writhing in pain, he asks me, ¡°Why would you do that.¡±


    ¡°You feel that pain. It¡¯s instant and will go away in no time. If you continue to strain your arms, you will be feeling a lot worse pain for a much longer, so stop.¡± After I say this to him, I proceed to sit on his back.


    ¡°GET OFF OF ME!¡±


    ¡°Quiet down. If you wake anyone else up, I can all but guarantee they would be harsher on you than me.¡±


    He then grumbles at me.


    What is he a wild animal, but he has calmed down, and as long as I can keep him from doing any irreparable damage to his arms, I will consider my debt to him paid. ¡°So instead of doing something stupid, why don¡¯t you and I have a leisurely chat.¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that right you say that, but if I were to mention the astral phoenix, would that interest you.¡±


    ¡°What is it, an animal? What colour is It? How tall is it.¡± Noticing that he started talking to me, he then goes silent and regains his composer


    He fell into my trap due to my conversations with Maple. I learned about his love of animals, and with his focus in Pines classes, he must have a longing for knowledge.


    ¡°I know lots of animals you¡¯ve never heard about, and I can tell you if you want to hear about it.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that for me.¡±


    ¡°You happen to be one of the only people who hasn¡¯t treated me like a monster or object since I got here, so I would like to be friends with you.¡±


    ¡°Is that really all.¡±


    He still seems suspicious of my intent. I have read that unconditional kindness from a stranger is hard to accept, so maybe I should change things around a bit, ¡°If you still can¡¯t believe me, then let¡¯s do this. I will tell you anything you want to know about animals, and you can reteach me things from Pines class; I struggle to stay awake there.¡±


    He takes a breath and says, ¡°Ok, but could you get off of me.¡±


    So, as we get into the position, I ask him, ¡°So, what would you like to know first.¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to finish telling me about the astral phoenix, please,¡± he says energetically?


    So as the days continue, me and willow both continue to share information. Willow teaches me in a ridiculous amount of depth the attack patterns of the animals, as well as facts and uses of the remains that I didn¡¯t know about.


    While I shared information about animals all over the world, using the snow sculptures to visualise them. We both woke up early every morning to meet and discuss with each other, and after one month had passed, I managed to make his first official friend.


    They both continued like this until one day, Willow said to him.


    ¡°Orb, just watch. Today is the day will become a warrior on the hunt today.¡±


    ¡°Well then, it looks like I need to catch up.¡±


    ¡°At the rate you have been improving, I am sure you will get there in no time, but I will be going on ahead.¡±


    He is right. All the training has made my body feel much more accessible, and I have bulked up quite a bit, so I am almost their ¡°Good luck, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I am not going to need it.¡±


    So as the day went on and the hunting party had gone and returned, Orb immediately went to see them expecting to hear good news but in the hands of Alis was Willow injured.


    ¡°Is he ok? What happened¡± Orb says as he runs over the Alis.


    ¡°He got into an accident while hunting, so let¡¯s get him to the doctor quick,¡± Aea responded.


    So as I and the twins are about to take Willow away, Orb hears Buloke say to Sequoia, who was also on the training grounds, that ¡°Willow should no longer be allowed on hunts with his issues. He is a liability.¡±


    After hearing these words, they went to get Willow Treatment.


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 13


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 154cm


    Likes: Animals Orb Training


    Dislikes: Dishonesty, fire, poison


    Name: Maple Rian


    Age: 13


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary)


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right)


    Height: 153 cm


    Likes: food, singing


    Dislikes: responsibility, Sequoia?

 Arc 2.05

    ¦µ  As I feel the warm comfort of a bed, I realise what happened. I don¡¯t want to get up because if I do, I have to face the fact that I failed again, even after everything I said to Orb. How many failures does this even make? Mother and father, I am sorry for letting all you¡¯ve done for me go to waste. I genuinely am pathetic.


    As my despairing thoughts continue, tears fall from my eyes, and soon after that, I hear, ¡°Doctor, he¡¯s crying.¡±


    That Voice was Orbs, so I quickly opened my eyes to look around the room, and saw the doctor coming toward me with Orb not far behind.


    After the doctor gives me one last look, he says I should rest for a few days. Then it¡¯s just me and Orb left in the room as the doctor went to handle other business. Orb has a worried look and says, ¡°Willow, I.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Orb, this is sort of embarrassing after everything I said to you earlier,¡± I say quickly, stopping Orb¡¯s Sentence. ¡°I guess this was a bad day. I still have next time; I won¡¯t give up.¡±


    ¡°Willow.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me Orb. I am full of energy, so that I will get straight back up from this in no time.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Willow.¡±


    ¡°And if I fail, I will keep repeatedly trying until I get it done, so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°WILLOW!¡± Orb screams.


    ¡°Sorry, what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been crying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t notice. This Is very embarrassing,¡± I say as I try to wipe tears from my eyes, but they keep coming. I can¡¯t find any way to bring them to a stop. They are overflowing.


    ¡°Willow, would you please tell me your issue when hunting.¡±


    Aggressively I say, ¡°We are simply people who share information, so why would I tell you that.¡± After I say this, I look at Orbs face and realise the severity of what I said, so I try to leave.


    But as I try to run away Orb grabs and throws me back on the bed saying, ¡°Well, the reason you should tell me is simply, I consider us to be friends so if something is bothering you so much that is brings you to tears, I want to help..¡±


    My tears start to fall faster as I say, ¡°If you want to know, then I guess I have no choice, but there are some other things I must tell you first. Orb, do you know which adults in this village my parents are.¡±


    After thinking, Orb says, ¡°I am sorry if this is rude, but I think your parents aren¡¯t currently in this village. Are they dead?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, but I am wondering who told you that.¡±


    ¡°No one, I figured it out.¡±


    Confused, I asks, ¡°How.¡±


    ¡°For two reasons: first for dining, there is a seating arrangement: husband, wife, then children by age, that¡¯s how all families sit even beside Sequoia there is always an empty seat which I guess is for maple, but whenever I try to find you, you¡¯re always sitting in a different location beside different people.


    Second is the patterns on everyone¡¯s clothes. Every family has a different one. An example would be the doctor. From his clothes and age, he is probably Pines husband. So due to these facts I guessed your parents where dead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some real deduction skill, but the important part is how they died. Both my mom and dad were two of the strongest warriors beside the chief. They were loved by everyone in the village and especially me.


    One day I wanted to follow both my mom and dad to go hunting, so even though they warned me not to follow them because of the dangers, I ignored them and went anyway, so as I snuck out to watch both of them hunt for our village, I thought they were amazing.


    After they had finished the hunt, I had to make sure I was home before either of them, so I ran back, but on my way, I got lost. I ran around until I found a field full of pretty flowers, I had never seen anything like this before, so I stopped to look.


    As I was admiring the flowers I suddenly heard my parents screaming at me it seemed they found out I was missing and came to look for me, but I wasn¡¯t able to hear them properly.


    So, they ran over to me at full speed and threw me out of the flower field as the flowers where about to release their pollen, do to the force of the throw I fell unconscious.


    Later that day, when I awoke in the village, I was giving a talk. You see, the flower releases a specific type of pollen as a protection mechanism, it forces the windpipe to tighten so you can¡¯t breathe and die of suffocation. Both my parents had scummed to this.


    I was heartbroken, my actions ended their lives, but despite that, no one in my village bore any hatred for me. They forgave me, and all had a hand in raising me.


    I wanted to do something for the village that helped me, so I studied every single animal and plant our village has recorded so I could never make a mistake like that again. I worked hard to become a warrior so I could take up their position in the village.


    But, whenever I am about to fight, I freeze up, I can¡¯t move, I get overwhelmed with everything I need to keep account of, and then I become a liability that needs to be saved, and because of that, I haven¡¯t been able to become a warrior.


    ¡°Willow, if that is your only problem, I have a fix for that.¡±


    ¡°Huh, really, what is it,¡± Willow says with a look of desperation.


    ¡°Patience is a virtue, so wait until tomorrow since you don¡¯t have to be fully healed for this.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    -Break-


    ¡°Orb, what is this,¡± is what I say as I see all the kids from the class holding spears with the bulbous ending.


    ¡°Well, your issue is that you get overwhelmed, so all we simply need to do is put you in a stressful situation with many factors.¡±


    ¡°Orb, do you think this will be hard.¡±


    Looking confused for a second, Orb tells me, ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t know well; I guess this will be more fun.¡±


    Orb then faces the kids and says, ¡°I will answer any questions you want me to for every hit you land on him, so go.¡±


    After that, the kids rush at me as I dodge their hits effortlessly. One extremely fast comes at me, followed by more speedy ones. ¡°Orb, what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, all these little kids inspired by you have been working as hard as possible, so you won¡¯t be dodging them effortlessly, especially while you are still injured.¡±


    It gets harder and harder to dodge their hits, but even when they hit me, it doesn¡¯t hurt that much, and then I hear Orb say, ¡°Kids, don¡¯t forget about critical hits.¡±


    What a critical hit, I think. As one of the kids hits me in my crotch, ¡°WHYYYYYY!¡±


    ¡°Willow, I need to give you a sense of danger, so certain spaces on your body that would give you maximum pain are known as critical spots. Also, don¡¯t forget there is no rest on the battlefield.¡±


    Then all the kids beat me while I lay on the floor. Orb is annoying, but I have no choice, so I get up and continue to dodge. As I started getting the hang of it, a fist hit me in my side, knocking me down. It was Orb.


    ¡°You got to look out for unexpected elements, so I will attack you whenever I feel like it, so get ready.¡±


    He is going above and beyond for me, so all I can do is rise to the challenge.


    So, we continued with this unique training on top of our regular exercise for two months without rest, and then one day, when the warriors were going on their hunt, they saw both of us.


    Buloke then walks up to them and says, ¡°Willow, what are you doing here with that thing.¡±


    Did the stomach puncher call me a thing?


    ¡°Orb and I will be following you guys on the hunt today. We will be warriors by the end of today.¡±


    ¡°Willow, don¡¯t you remember what I told you, there are many things you can do instead of being a warrior.¡±


    ¡°I do, but I want to follow in my parent¡¯s footsteps, so I plan on becoming a warrior with Orb, my friend.¡±


    With a stressed expression, he says, ¡°Ok then, but when you fail, I will come to save you like always, so don¡¯t stress yourself out.¡±


    Buloke then walks up to me and says, ¡°Nice hair colour today.¡±


    ¡°Well, green is a nice colour.¡± Wait, this is a trap; then he suddenly knocks me out.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Orb, get up,¡± I keep repeatedly hearing until my eyes open.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t be getting up for a while,¡± Willow tells me with a relieved look.


    ¡°So, when are we starting.¡±


    ¡°When they spot something, we should be able to take on alone.¡±


    The information I was given as to how these exam works, is that the warriors in training Willow and me will take on whatever they can find for us, and if there is a problem, the rest of the warriors will jump in and help.


    ¡°Four waptors spotted¡±, one of the lookouts shouted.


    ¡°Are you ready, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Ready as I will ever be.¡± And so we head over.


    While the rest of the warriors climb on top of the trees, Willow and I stand in the line of sight of the waptors, and then we hear Buloke shout, ¡°Each one of you should kill two each,¡± his voice was so loud that it alerted the waptors of our position and they close in on us.


    As they run close to us, I start to get nervous. Still, I don¡¯t want to hold Willow back, so I run forward, but as I close in on the waptors, they seem much slower than the last times I saw them, much means I have gotten better.


    I follow the instruction of Pine and dodge its bite, then dodge under its left wing, which puts me side by side with the other waptor on its right. I then cut the second raptor¡¯s leg, making it fall. Then, as the first turns its head back, I cut it off. I then go to the waptor on the floor and stab it in the head.


    I did it, as I was about to jump with excitement I look over to Willow, and he isn¡¯t moving. He is shaking as the waptors come up to him, so without any hesitation, I run over at him and throw my spear and hit the raptor running in front, which causes the second one to trip and fall, then I run over at full speed, pull my spear from the first waptor and finish it off after that I face the second one.


    When a waptor doesn¡¯t have a running start, it jumps up and attempts to slice you with its wings, so I roll under it, and as it turns around, I cut off its head.


    ¡°Willow, what was that? There is no way those guys were harder than what I put you through.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, Orb. I knew this would happen.¡±


    This is bad. He is going to fail again. Was all the training we did unnecessarily, or maybe I got his issue wrong¡± but then suddenly I hear a roar


    After looking over, I see a Predasaur with a large upper body, six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet. It was an Atlas eater.


    An idea suddenly hits me, so I shout to the rest of the warriors, ¡°If Willow can defeat that predator, I think that¡¯s enough to let him pass.¡±


    I hear Aea shout, ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous¡±, but then Buloke says, ¡°Fine, do what you want.¡±


    So as the eater notices us, I run over to distract it and say, ¡°Willow come on, you can do this.¡±


    ¦µ  ¡°Buloke, why would you let this happen.¡±


    ¡°Aea, Willow needs to learn the hard way that he can¡¯t be a warrior, and if his friend gets hurt due to his inaction, I believe that would be enough to stop his foolish desire but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let them die.¡±


    ¦µ As I get close to it, the eater uses its hands to try and crush me. In pines classes, we learn that it attacks in a pattern with its six arms, and I must dodge each perfectly because a single strike by the eater will break my bones. The difficulty is increased, because I need to think of a way to get Willow to fight.


    I got to break this down. Willow isn¡¯t being overloaded by information, and he can¡¯t be scared of dying since he saved me from Buloke, so what is it? Then I suddenly realise what the issue is, but as I figure it out, the eater switches up its attack pattern.


    Damnit, I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention. I knew this would happen if I dodged too much, so I jumped back to get out of its range, but the eater lunged forward, trying to bite me. I use my spear to defend myself, but its head hits me and the impact knocks me back to willow.


    ¡°Orb, are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Willow, you idiot¡±, I say as I get close to him. ¡°I know you can do this regardless of whatever anyone has said or what you believe you can do, I will put my full faith and trust in you, if you¡¯re going to make a mistake and die. At least do it while you¡¯re doing something you want I believe then even if you fail you can be proud.¡±


    Willow slaps himself in his face and tells me, ¡°I can do this.¡±


    Then at full speed, Willow leaves me and runs toward the eater.


    ¦µ First, I have got to dodge its arms. When it changes patterns, just react and dodge its arms. After enough time, its bottom two arms will get tired and will use them for stability. In the moment it does that, I run a full speed under and due to my height, I can get under its belly, which is its weak spot. I then stab the eater¡¯s stomach with all my might piercing through.


    The eater then turns around and lunges at me, but due to my height, I can again duck under it, and I stab in for a second time with my spear and with that, its falls.


    I look at the eater¡¯s body, shocked but then I scream, ¡°Orb everyone, I did it¡±


    ¡°You did, Willow.¡±


    Afterwards, I ran to Orb¡¯s body as all the warriors jumped down from the trees to congratulate us. Mom and dad, I did it; I was able to become a warrior.


    Buloke, who decided to stay in the trees, looked down, baffled.


    Log of animals


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.

 Arc 2.06

    -Break-


    ¦µ I have been in this cell for almost six months. The only contact with people I have had is the guards who bring me my food, and the doctor who comes to treat and check on the progress of my frostbite. Still, I do not know why I am still here. If I were an issue, I would be executed if I weren¡¯t, I would be let go, but I was much more likely to be completed.


    My reasons being, that these people were highly hostile towards outsiders when we first came, they immediately tried to dispose of Orb and me, and if you add in that most of them look at me as if I am some monster, as well as their primitive clothing I can only guess they are an isolationist village that doesn¡¯t let people come in.


    But how long have they been like this, people have been adventuring the bottom half of Fimbulwinter for centuries, and there have never been any reports of civilisation here, and from the brief look I had around the village, they seem well adapted? They must have been living here for quite some time. This also explains how they have learned to deal with frostbite this severe. I would have undoubtedly died if I were anywhere else in the world, but that doctor was able to get the frostbite to subside.


    So, the only way they could have kept anyone from finding out about this place for so long, is to get rid of anyone who finds out about it. When I realised this, I started to worry for Orb, but there was no ill intent in the words the chief said, so all I could do was have patience. Though I would say, patience is the hardest part, I would rather not be locked in a cell with my own thoughts, because all I can do is think and reflect about myself.


    ¡°HELLO CHIEF,¡± is what I hear the two guys shout, and soon after, I see the chief walk-in front of the cell.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to shout so loudly.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, chief. But what brings you here today.¡±


    ¡°I have come here to talk to the prisoner; would you open the door for me¡±


    So, following his instructions, the guards open the door for the chief. He walks in with a stern look and says to me, ¡°Hello Cole, would you like to go for a walk with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°You look a bit stiff; is everything all right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everything is fine,¡± my only issue is that I am fairly sure this will be the last time I walk outside.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t move your legs much in that cell, must have been horrible.


    ¡°Well, it will take me some time to get used to walking again.¡± His overly friendly attitude is throwing me off; I should try and see his intentions.


    ¡°Especially because of all the muscle relaxer in the food,¡± how will you respond to this provocation.


    ¡°I see, so you knew it was in there.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t getting any stronger day by day, and as far as I could tell no one was doing anything to me as I was asleep, so the only place it could have been in was my food.¡±


    ¡°You noticed that but kept eating.¡±


    ¡°If we ignore the fact that I would starve without it, I had to keep eating because it was too delicious to stop.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, the chief says, ¡°Pine would be happy to hear that, but I don¡¯t plan on apologising for messing with your food, your quite strong so it was my way of keeping the guards safe.¡±


    He is worried about keeping the guards safe, not about how I could escape ¡°Well, I guess that is the job of the village leader.¡±


    ¡°I see that your frostbite has gotten much better.¡±


    ¡°The doctor that you guys sent to me knows his way around this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only to be expected since Oren¡¯s family has been doing this since this village was founded, so they have gotten quite good at it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine how many centuries of work it took to get this level of skill at dealing with frostbite.¡±


    ¡°Centuries, you say. What would make you think our village has been around for that long.¡±


    ¡°From how well adapted you are, I would have to have at least to say you¡¯ve been here for at least over a century. I have had lots of time to think while I was locked away.¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t have to worry about that anymore,¡± the chief says with a grin.


    That could mean I am dying today, or he is letting me go. While I wonder whether my life will end today or not, I hear someone scream.


    ¡°I will never apologise, you shitty old man.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Then when I look to find the source of the voice, I see a little girl hanging upside down from a pole with fire beneath her.


    I turn my face to the chief and say, ¡°What are you doing to that little girl.¡± I then try to run up even though my body no longer can move fast, but the chief stops me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I am just punishing my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit extreme.¡±


    ¡°What you allow will increase, if I don¡¯t stamp out her bad behaviour now it will only become a problem later, so I must resort to such measures, and if you think she is in danger, we can go up to check on her.¡±


    So, we go up to her, and the chief says, ¡°Are you feeling sorry yet.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit, you walking pile of garbage.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t talk to your parents like that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I saved your life, and now I am being punished because of that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much for that, and in my opinion, you did the right thing by prioritising life, but regardless of that, there is a certain respect your parents are due even if they are stupid and misguided.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± So, Maple, while upside down, says to the chief behind me, ¡°Dear father, I will not apologise since everything that leaves your mouth is nonsense.¡±


    The chief lowered the rope closer to the fire and walked off with me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ever apologise, you idiot dad.¡±


    She has just forgotten what I taught her, and the chief has a terrifying expression on his face. This must be what he looks like when he is legitimately mad.


    But as we continue walking through town, the chief talks about the village.


    ¡°That is Oak. He is the best chef in the village. Over there is Hazel. She just gave birth to her fifth child, and even Ewen, whose family has overseen all construction in the village for years.¡±


    As we walk, the villagers are waving at the chief and me. This is strange, aren¡¯t they being too friendly to me? I thought my presence was an issue for them, but they happily waved to me. Is this some send-off I really must be getting executed today?


    ¡°There he is.¡±


    I look to see whom the chief is talking about, Orb. Then after I catch him with my eyes, he seems and runs over to us.


    ¡°Hey Cole, I see they have finally let you out.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am going on a walk with the chief.¡±


    Orb then turns to the chief and says, ¡°Sequoia, so you guys are not going to kill him? Is this because of what we talked about.¡±


    The chief then lets out a big laugh and says,¡°Well, that played a part.¡±


    ¡°What did you two talk about.¡±


    ¡°Orb, we aren¡¯t finished over here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, sir. Sorry Cole, we will talk later, especially since I have lots to tell you. See you later.¡±


    ¡°See you later; Orb¡± Orb then runs off back to the villagers.


    ¡°You surprised.¡±


    ¡°I thought you guys either let Orb go or execute him, so I didn¡¯t expect Orb to be so well adjusted to the village.¡±


    ¡°He been working awfully hard while he has been here, and since then, he has been helping around the village, playing with the kids, and hunting with the warriors. Everyone at the start was afraid of him, but fear is something that can fade rather quickly and be replaced with intrigue, and most people have crossed that line.


    Though some people still would rather have Orb disappear along with you, because of said people you have been in the cell and were probably going to be executed, but someone went out of his way to stop that from happening.


    So, I am not dying today. At least I am ok on that front, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you giving me thanks.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re the chief, you must be the only one capable of putting off my execution.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, but the person you should be thanking is Orb.¡±


    Confused, I ask him, ¡°Why Orb.¡±


    ¡°Orb has been singing your praises to all the people around the village, telling them you¡¯re a great person and that you would never hurt a fly. All his efforts made it so that people weren¡¯t as against your release.¡±


    Why would he do that? ¡°We don¡¯t even know each other, he just found me on Fimbulwinter. We have only really talked once.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am well aware of that, and so is Orb. He just would rather you not be killed, and thus has made an effort to ensure that wouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°As the village chief, where do you stand on the issue of my execution.¡±


    ¡°Unlike Orb, you have a life and connections outside of this village, so the chances you could cause us trouble is much higher, especially with me not knowing what you do and do not know about the village, so I was rather on the fence about this matter, but Orb happens to tell me something that has inspired my actions today.¡±


    Then I hear someone shout, ¡°THEY HAVE RETURNED.¡±


    ¡°Cole, it seems the main event of the day has started. Let¡¯s head over.¡±


    So, I and the chief walk over to where the so-called event is taking place, and I see the villagers carrying men, women and children whose bodies are frozen over. They are dead. Taking a second to look at their clothes, I can tell they are not from the village¡ªtheir outsiders.


    ¡°Chief, what is going on here, and why do you have those bodies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the burial ceremony people, and animals which climb the mountain have their bodies sent down to were our hunting grounds are.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean sent down, who is bringing them to you.¡±


    ¡°We have no idea. Best guess, it is the snow bringing the bodies down, but after we find bodies, we usually bury them immediately and hold a ceremony for them, so would you join us for that today.¡±


    So, the ceremony commences and ends as quickly as it started. It was put together well and flowed fast, and when it was over, the chief asked me to come with him to the graves.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that your village does this¡±


    ¡°Is that strange? I thought it was normal to bury the dead.¡±


    ¡°Well, for some, but there are many who don¡¯t get that treatment, so it¡¯s nice that you guys put in so much work and did this.¡±


    ¡°I would say the person who put in the most work was Orb.¡±


    ¡°How so.¡±


    ¡°He went up to each body and tried to figure out where they were from, so he figured out which burial customs we should use for each body. It took him lots of time, but he was persistent about saying they can¡¯t even be buried in their own countries, so let us try to recreate what that would be like.¡±


    ¡°He went that far for them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. He not only went that far for them but also you. What he said to me yesterday is the reason I am here.¡±


    ¡°Would you elaborate on that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I should no more beating around the bush. Yesterday Orb told me the only reason people walk up Fimbulwinter is they want to die. After hearing that, all I could think of were all the bodies we had buried. Does that mean all the kids and adults, parents, and children we have buried have all given up on life?


    The thought of it was too sad for me, so I decided to talk to you today. I will not ask what brought you here or anything related to that. All I wanted to do was tell you something. It is that this village was founded so all its inhabitants could find happiness in a world that was seen as doomed, and in my time staying here, I have had countless moments of joy, so I would like to extend that to you.¡±


    ¡°Are you offering me to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Under my personal supervision.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have many other options, but I would love to take you up on that offer.¡±


    And as both men shook hands, the day ended with one more village member.

 Arc 2.07

    It has been eight months since I joined the village; to put it simply, it has been fun. At first, all I did was wake up, train, eat, and then sleep, but over time I was able to make a friend: Willow. Through our mutual love of animals and knowledge we were able to bond, and since we both became warriors, we have grown closer; it seems through all the time I spend with Willow and the other kids, all of the older villagers have been more friendly with me. It also seems Pine and Sequoia were putting in a good word for me.


    Being part of this big family has made me enjoy being here, even though some people would like me to die. Regardless, I have many people who care and want me to be around now. It makes me want to stay here forever, but I still need to leave. I can¡¯t stay here forever, so I have two objectives to accomplish to do.


    The first, is to make it so I know the entrance and exit to the village. I still have to be knocked out whenever we go hunting. From being here for so long, I have realised that is their most guarded secret, people who aren¡¯t warriors are not even allowed to know, and the reason I am not allowed to know, is that people who aren¡¯t a fan of me have been pushing back against me being told, so I need to win these guys over first, which is much easier said than done, especially since the closer I have grown with people in the village the angrier they become.


    Second is Coles¡¯s status. Due to me and the Sequoia conversation, his execution has been put on hold, but the dissenters for him are much worse than for me. I have been trying to change their opinion of him, but everyone has realised, I am just doing this to avoid his death; thus, they can''t trust my words concerning Cole.


    Though Sequoia has been taking him out on walks around the village, he even gets Cole to help him do odd jobs. Which has altered some people¡¯s perceptions of him, but most people in the town are still weary.


    So, until I find a solution to my current problems, I can''t go anywhere.


    -Break-


    ¡°Population control.¡±


    ¡°Yes Orb, all the warriors will be carrying out some population control.¡±


    Hearing this, I get up and try to leave the training grounds, but Willow stops me.


    ¡°Orb, what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I am going to file a complaint to Sequoia. I thought you guys were more civilised than that, to think you¡¯re going to have a culling.¡±


    ¡°Population control of animals, not humans,¡± Alis tells me


    ¡°Oh, why?¡±


    Then willow says, ¡°Around this time of year, sonbits start propagating non-stop. This is an issue, because they eat all of the vegetation, and it takes quite some time to grow back, eventually killing off lots of animals and themselves due to lack of food. So we slaughter most of the sonbits, so they don¡¯t bring about the destruction of all the animals.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it sort of bad to commit genocide?¡±


    ¡°Orb three things: First, sonbits are pest, sort and simply. Second, their stupid, they eat everything and then starve to death while bringing most of the animals with them, it is our job to stop them from committing suicide. Third, sonbit meat tastes amazing at this time of year, and there is a lot of it.¡±


    ¡°You were making a good argument until you said the third reason, you guys just want to eat them,¡± I see seeing the mouths of all the warriors around him watering.


    ¡°Your one to talk to. Your hungry every second you¡¯re alive,¡± Aea says


    ¡°No, I am not. I happen to be full now,¡± then after I say this, my stomach releases a large grumble.


    Laughter is heard across the training grounds as Orb stands there embarrassed ¡°Ok, I might be a little hungry.¡±


    As all the warriors train and laugh together, one chooses to stand alone by himself, that man being Buloke. ¡°They have all been blinded and can¡¯t see the danger in front of their eyes. This issue has grown to where something needs to be done.¡±


    -Break-


    So as the day comes for the culling, all the village''s warriors gather together and are told to form into groups.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t we all go together out together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because there are multiple different locations that the sonbits gather to propagate and we like getting this all done in one day, so we just split up. Now stop complaining, and let¡¯s go find someone to pair up with.¡±


    Spurred on by Willows¡¯s comment, I shout, ¡°Does anyone want to pair up with us.¡±


    Then a crowd of people gather around both me and Willow. The voices around us saying things like


    ¡°I want to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll protect you two.¡±


    ¡°You guys should join me. It will be fun.¡±


    It¡¯s weird seeing how much everyone wants to be around me now.


    ¡°It seems I am incredibly popular, Willow. You should be worried that your place as my best friend might be taken.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It doesn¡¯t mean much to me since I don¡¯t consider you my best friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh, who is your best friend then,¡± I say with a trembly voice


    ¡°He was a person very close to me, but he died when his head became too inflated, and now all that¡¯s lets of him is a cocky imbecilic.¡±


    So, as I am going to ask someone to group up with us, an annoying person locked eyes with me. It was Buloke. He then walks up to me, gets onto one knee, and says, ¡°Would you let me partner up with you guys.¡±


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    So Buloke, the man who has had extreme animosity against me since I got here, now wants to partner up with me for a mission that would bring us out in the middle of the forest with no one around. There is only one answer to that question.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Would you please reconsider.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Buloke then gets on both his knees and says, ¡°PLEASE.¡±


    As I am about to response with: no again, I notice everyone around me has a shocked expression, I know this is out of character for him, but it seems they are overreacting.


    Noticing my confusion Willow says to me, ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t know this, but a warrior bowing to another is seen as articulating the person is better than you in every regard. It is the most significant sign of respect one can show.¡±


    Then I hear someone ask Buloke, ¡°Why are you going this far for this.¡±


    ¡°Up onto now, I have been very petty and disrespectful to the guests whom we have welcomed into our village, so I want to do something to make it up to them, and as a warrior what better place to do that than the battleground so please let me accompany you.¡±


    So, as I am about to reject this wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing, I hear someone say.


    ¡°So, you have finally come to your around.¡±


    ¡°We were waiting for you to return to your old self.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess Orb and Willow are the youngest warriors, so having the strongest here go with them is the smartest thing to do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving those two to you, Buloke.¡±


    Then all the other warriors walk off from the rest of the groups. I see no one in this village understands what the words no mean, but that¡¯s not the issue. Now my problem is that I am about to be murdered.


    As I start panicking, Willow noticing the change in my hair colour, tells me, ¡°Buloke is the most prideful person. I know he would never bow to anyone, so he must be sorry, and some groups are pretty close together, but if you are still worried, I will be right there with you so that everything will be all right.¡±


    With Willow words and the time it took for everyone to group up, calming me down, I walk over to Buloke and say, ¡°Nice to be working with you,¡± while stretching out my hand.


    ¡°Nice to be working with you as well,¡± Buloke says as he shakes my hand.


    Then the chief comes up before everyone is about to leave and is about to give a speech, but as he gets up in front of everyone and sees all the groups, he stops and takes a second to look at our group and smiles.


    Not you, too, Sequoia I thought after seeing our group you would forcibly break us up, but my hopes were shattered.


    Then after Sequoia gives us a send-off, all the warriors head off in their groups.


    ¡°Hey Orb, the scars on your arms have increased.¡±


    ¡°Well, it just a sign that¡¯s all the training has been paying off,¡± after I say this, I suddenly feel an impact on the back of my head.


    -Break-


    As I get up from the ground, I quickly get a hold of my situation. I need to stop falling for their distractions. It¡¯s been months, and it works every time.


    ¡°Orb, your awake we just parted from the groups close to us and are rather close to our destination.¡±


    So after getting up, I run with Willow and Buloke to the next destination. But then Buloke says, ¡°I am quite a bit faster than you both, so why don¡¯t I carry you both.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think that would be a good idea,¡± Willow says ecstatically.


    So, as Willow takes buloke spear, we climb on his back. Then he runs incredible fast towards our destination. His speed is inhuman. He can¡¯t be doing this with just physical strength. Even with all my training, I haven¡¯t been able to reach that point. I tried asking around to all the other warriors, but they couldn¡¯t give me anything conclusive either. They keep saying things like: when we focus, we are stronger.


    At first, I thought it was something genetic, but Cole who was frostbitten almost to death, was able to stop Buloke¡¯s punch, so without a doubt, there is something that I am missing.


    ¡°Where here.¡±


    We arrived, after getting off Buloke¡¯s back, I saw the colony of sonbits who were living by a cliff side, and one thing immediately caught my eye.


    ¡°Willow sonbits are herbivores, right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is correct.¡±


    ¡°So why is that one swallowing an animal corpse,¡± I say, fascinated.


    ¡°Well, you see, sonbits happen to be how should I put this, stupid. They can only derive nutrients from plants but will put anything in their mouth, so they usually swallow animals, get sick, and then die, but at least they have evolved to handle that since it only takes them two weeks to birth a child from pregnancy, and the child takes two weeks until it can start giving birth, so the amount that is born surpass the amount that dies.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s true, since I heard that we were giving a small colony to handle, and there are at least 200 sonbits here.


    ¡°Willow, Orb, let¡¯s get going, we should be done quickly.¡±


    So, we get up, start running towards them and take them out. Sonbits usually attack in two ways. First, they jump up high and try to squash us with their weight, but because they always scream humina, it is straightforward to hear what position they¡¯re coming from. The second way they attack is by spitting acid from their stomachs, but the indicator of it is clear to see, so dodging is no problem, and it even helps us because the sonbits are so large that the acid tends to hit the other sonbit.


    Though it is still tricky dodging simply because there are many of them, I perceiver, and when I can get behind them, I slash their napes. Their fat is thinnest around their necks, so it is the easy part to get a kill.


    As we fight it, I take note of both Willow and Buloke. Willow is doing about the same as me, while Buloke is fantastic; unlike Willow or me, Buloke is lobing off each of their heads in a single strike.


    While we fight, I see some getaway, and I scream to Willow and Buloke, ¡°I will handle those.¡±


    So, I give chase. These guys can jump far but bash their heads into the trees after a while, making killing them easier.


    So, after I finish and start walking back, I think: how will we get all these bodies back? This is going to be a pain.


    As I arrive back, I see both willow and Buloke bodies unnaturally laid on the ground with a bunch of sonbit bodies around them, so I run up to both of them to see what¡¯s wrong.


    I check on Willow and see he is unconscious, but that doesn¡¯t make sense. There are no other injuries on his body, so a sonbit couldn¡¯t have done this. Then I realised what had happened. I move from where I was standing, barely dodging the attack that was heading towards me.


    The only person who could knock Willow out here is you, Buloke. He just swung his spear with real killing intent. ¡°Do you hate me so much that you would embarrass yourself as you did earlier¡±


    ¡°Hate plays no part in my actions. You and the other outsider must die, so don¡¯t resist and make this harder.¡±


    As he says these words, I realise how bad my situation is. Due to Him running at full speed, we were probably the first ones to reach our destination, so the other groups weren¡¯t even close to us, and since I was unconscious, I didn¡¯t even know what direction to head in or even how to get back to the village, so nowhere to run and this whole forest is like his own house, so nowhere to hide.


    As he lunges toward me, he goes for my head, but I barely dodge. His attacks are still solid and precise despite killing over a hundred sonbits, but it still seems that me dodging all his attacks is bothering him.


    He probably isn¡¯t used to someone avoiding him like this. He also is attacking at his average speed, so he is perhaps exhausted to some extent; so, I need to find some advantage right now.


    So, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t you think people will find it strange that I happened to die when I left with one of the village¡¯s strongest warriors? Even if I die, you won¡¯t get away with this.¡±


    ¡°There are many strong animals in the forest. As long as I cut off one of my arms and find a way to get rid of your body, I am sure I can make a story to convince everyone.¡±


    I need to find an opening for an attack. While dodging all his heavy attacks, I see one, so I try to grasp it and slice him on his legs. Still, as I go in for the attack, he moves at his super speed and is behind me with his spear coming near my neck, but we suddenly hear HUMINA. It¡¯s a sonbit and it does a ground slam, which causes the cliff with all of us on to collapse.


    The sonbits were doing lots of ground slams against us, so the cliff must have deteriorated. As me, Willow and Buloke were about to fall, Buloke, at his incredible speed, kicked Willows¡¯s body a safe distance away and threw a spear right through the sonbits head, Buloke and I then fell down the cliff.

 Arc 2.08

    -Break-


    ¦µ I still remember those days, when an epidemic ran through our village. It would make the infected suffer in extreme agony, while their brain started to swell. It was a slow, painful death as they lost control over their bodily functions. Every single day people were dropping like flies, the population of the village halved. Brothers lost their sisters, wife¡¯s lost their husbands, and I lost my parents.


    Eventually, it was decided to put all the sick to death to stop the infection and end their suffering, but I opposed it with all my might. Even as a kid, I stood in opposition to everyone, saying there still might be a way to save everyone. I keep saying that we can¡¯t just dispose of all these lives like this; it was just a pipe dream. I knew there was no way to save all those people, yet I kept opposing the decision to buy time, because I didn¡¯t want the last words my parents would say to me to be: it hurts Buloke.


    It was a selfish desire that gave false hope to people who were grieving, but I thought if I had enough time, my parents would be able to tell me they loved me once again, but it was pointless, because their disease had progressed to the point where they couldn¡¯t even recognise me let alone talk.


    But relentlessly, I kept sneaking into their room and talking to them every day until I would be able to cause them to say something. The stress of reality crashing down on me, the fact that I had to keep this secret, made me extremely stressed, until I collapsed during one-day dinner.


    When I awoke later that day, Oren was by my bedside.


    ¡°Buloke, how are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I am fine. I was just a little tired.¡±


    ¡°Buloke, while I was checking on the sick, I noticed some things out of place by your parent¡¯s side, plus testimonies that people have been seeing someone walking around at night.¡±


    I started panicking. Did he find out?


    ¡°Did you sneak into the sick bay to see your parents, yes or no.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°For how long have you been doing this?¡±


    ¡°For the last four months.¡±


    ¡°Do you understand what you have done. You could have been contagious through all your interactions with the other villagers, and cost us more lives.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Buloke, until further notice, you will stay locked in your house until I can say that you aren¡¯t infected. I will send someone to bring you food. Use this time to reflect on your actions and pray that you¡¯re fine.¡±


    So as Oren said, I spent the next day locked in my house, and eventually, someone came to bring me my food. It was the village chief Sequoia.


    ¡°Chief, what are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, when I heard about the situation from Oren, I decided to bring the food to you myself, and I brought some flowers so if you get bored, we can make crowns out of them.¡±


    Then after I finished eating, Sequoia and I spend our time making flower crowns.


    ¡°Chief, should you be here right now? Your daughter Maple is only six months, don¡¯t you think you should be with her.¡±


    ¡°Right now Maple is asleep, and since we can¡¯t risk people finding out about what you did, only me and Oren know why you are in here, so we decide to keep this between us.¡±


    After telling me this, he nonchalantly returns to making flower crowns. He keeps talking to me throughout this.


    ¡°How have you been doing.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I have been able to get lots of sleep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I haven¡¯t been able to get any lately, work has been intense; trying to void everyone¡¯s worries, and Maple has been energetic. I don¡¯t know where she gets it from me, and Deae are quieter people.¡±


    Hearing this, I can¡¯t handle it anymore and say, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you angry at me? What I did put the lives of everyone in the village at stake, especially your daughter. I could have gotten her infected.¡±


    Putting the flower down, he says, ¡°I am not mad, because I understand. I can¡¯t tell you how badly I want to see my wife. I want her to hold our daughter, and calm my nerves about being the chief again. I want her to smile and be her normal happy self again, but she can¡¯t. All she does now is stare into nothingness, having lost all control of her bodily functions, slowly dying.


    I understand how hard it is to look into the face of someone you love and realise that they¡¯re no longer in there, and I can guarantee you that everyone in this village can understand that as well. So, I don¡¯t fault you for doing what I wish I could do. The only real difference between you and me is that I have forced myself to accept it for the good of everyone else, since that is what it means to be the chief, which is why I want to kill all the infected and bring their suffering to an end.¡±


    ¡°But how can you accept it so easily, the way my parents smile, the way they hug me every night, the food that they cook, and all the fun we had. I can¡¯t just throw it away, if there is even a small chance they may come through, so what am I supposed to do, chief? How am I supposed to accept that.¡±


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t know this, but every time I get sad discouraged or have to make a complicated decision, my wife used to make my flower crowns. They were pretty like her and raised my spirit. So, whenever I make them, all I can think about are all my memories of my wife, which made me realise she is still her amazing self to me and so many others. I don¡¯t think I will ever fully get over what has happened to my wife, but I can share how amazing she is with everyone and my daughter till I die, which helps if only a little bit. It helps me accept everything and move forward, since if my wife is no longer her amazing self, I won¡¯t let what she meant to me fade.¡±


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    ¡°Do you think the same will apply to my parents?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it will. I believe we can apply that to everyone who is sick. All we have to do is make sure no one is forgotten, so Buloke tells me about your parents.¡±


    We talked every single day about the people we loved until I was set free, and when I was, I stopped opposing the execution decision, and in almost no time it was carried out, the sick were put to death and buried, on that day I saw everyone cry from the tiniest children to the most prominent warriors.


    But after the burial, I went out of my way to gather everyone up, and we all decided to share stories of those we lost.


    Some amazing.


    ¡°My father became a warrior at the age of seven.¡±


    Some funny.


    ¡°Even at thirty-eight, my wife was scared of the dark.¡±


    Some strange.


    ¡°My daughter used to name every one of her teeth, and she would talk to each of them.¡±


    And some sad.


    ¡°The first time my wife held Maple, she cried her eyes out, though that was the last time she held her as well.¡±


    Through sharing all these stories, I learned how many different people were living in the same place as me. We were able to get past our troubles and grow closer together. We looked out for each other, and soon this village turned into my family. I was able to love everyone in this village as much as I loved my mother and father. I wanted to protect them, so I became a warrior, one who could fight any physical danger and keep everyone safe, and it continued like that until the day the outsiders arrived.


    Little by little, they have been worming their way into the hearts of everyone. At this point, I am convinced that no one but me can see the danger these two pose. Regardless of if they¡¯re currently good people, they could completely change, and if we let them go without knowing for a hundred percent if they know how to leave or enter, we could just be giving a key for anyone in the world to find out about us.


    I can¡¯t make that happen. I must protect everyone here, so I must remove the issues. I don¡¯t care if I disgrace or dishonour myself; my family is the most crucial thing to me. So, both Orb and Cole have to die.


    -Break-


    As I start to awake, I can feel my body moving and hear the words.


    ¡°One, two, one, two.¡±


    Realising the voice I heard was Orb, I opened my eyes and took hold of the situation. Orb, whose hair is bright red, is carrying me. I then try to move my arms and legs, but the right side doesn¡¯t move, giving me a searing pain; they are broken.


    ¡°Stop moving around. You¡¯re making it harder to carry you.¡±


    With all my strength, I push Orb away, falling onto the ground.


    ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I tried to kill you, so I refuse to be helped by you, SO LEAVE ME HERE!¡±


    A roar rings through the forest.


    He then rushes towards me, gets to my back, covers my mouth, and says, ¡°I am going to need you to shut up, atlas eaters are roaming around here, so don¡¯t make any noise.¡±


    I then hear an eater walk around the forest very close to where we both are. After some time, it leaves, and Orb takes his hand off my mouth. Orb then tries to pick me up again, but after pushing him, I say, ¡°Did you not hear me.¡±


    His hair turns red, and then he hits me in my broken leg and arm. ¡°Let¡¯s get this straight as you are right now, you have no way to refuse me, if you feel like dying bite off your tongue, but you¡¯re the leader of all the dissenters to Cole and me being here, so if you die here, I am sure that we would become full-fledged members of the village, so unless you want that to happen shut your fucking mouth and let me carry you.¡±


    Ruminating over his words for a minute, I decide that he if doesn¡¯t want to kill me, I can at least use this to get close enough to the village. So begrudgingly, I let Orb pick me up, and then we go on.


    As we continue to walk, Orb¡¯s hair keeps shifting from a dark red to a light red, so I tell him, ¡°Can¡¯t you stop that? Your hair is an obvious signal to where our position is.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. My hair changes colour due to my emotions, so it doesn¡¯t just turn off.¡±


    ¡°So, what emotion causes this hair colour.¡±


    ¡°Anger¡±


    ¡°So, what are you waiting for? I am completely helpless, and at your mercy, so you can get your revenge all you as you could even critically injure me.¡±


    As his head becomes even redder, Orb tells me, ¡°Two things, first, I don¡¯t want to become the kind of person who can only deal with his anger by taking it out on others, and let me tell you, this has been an intense training session on self-control.


    Second punishment and reform come hand in hand. Trying to reform someone without punishment is unfair, and trying to punish someone whom you know won¡¯t reform is a pointless effort, so due to the fact you see nothing wrong with your actions, there is no point, and from a certain perspective, I can see how your actions were justified.¡±


    ¡°There is no reason for what I did, I just wanted to kill you.¡±


    Orb then gives me a belittling look. ¡°Do you think I was born yesterday? You must not know your reputation.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about.¡±


    Taking a breath, Orb says, ¡°Throughout the last eight months I have spent in your village, I haven¡¯t heard a single bad thing about you, which was strange to me since you have been a very open piece of shit to me, but no matter whom I asked Willow, Sequoia, Pine, they could only say good things about you, and that your behaviour since I got here was weird.


    Due to all this, I suspect you did all this because you''re worried for the safety of the village and all the people within it. All it could take is me telling one person on the outside how to get into your village, and your peaceful lives will all crumble. Of course, there is a chance I wouldn¡¯t, but no sane person would bet the lives of all his loved ones on an opportunity, so I understand why you did this.¡±


    ¡°You say all this, but your hair has only been getting redder while you talk.¡±


    ¡°Because you not only tried to kill me, but pushed me down a cliff, so of course I am mad, and not only that but the more I think about it, the madder I get. Your plan was full of holes. You didn¡¯t put much thought into killing me. If you¡¯re going to go through with it, at least plan my death out a bit better, but the worse part of it all, is that when I see you had a legitimate reason to kill me, I get even angrier because I have no one to blame, SO THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS MAKING ME MAD!¡±


    What is wrong with him? Then a thought occurred to me ¡°How did you survive falling down the cliff with no injuries? I am sturdier than you and still broke bones.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea. When I awoke, the right side of my body was on the ground, and there was frozen blood all around me, but I had no injuries, so I picked up your body and started walking, but maybe wolfie protected me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a wolfie, is that what you call the other prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I have told everyone my story in the village. How do you not know by word of mouth.¡±


    ¡°I avoided all information about you.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were suspicious of me because you didn¡¯t trust me, but you didn¡¯t even bother to learn anything about me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of learning about a person you plan to kill.¡±


    ¡°You see, that mentality is why you have spent the last eight months in fear while everyone else has been enjoying my presence, so let me spin you the tale of my life.¡±


    ¡°I would rather you not.¡±


    ¡°Too bad it isn¡¯t like you can go anywhere, and this will help me calm down, so bear with it.¡±


    So, Orb begins to tell me everything about his life from the beginning to now.

 Arc 2.09

    ¡°So, anything to say.¡±


    ¡°You talk too much.¡±


    ¡°Talking is the greatest form of communication, so thank you.¡±


    After a moment of silence, I ask Orb, ¡°Why are you trying to help Cole.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re finally using his name.¡±


    ¡°Just answer me.¡±


    ¡°I simply think leaving him to die is just too sad, so I won¡¯t let it happen, simple as that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a strange one.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment. You are just layering on the praise.¡±


    ¡°I am not praising you, moron. It seems you need to learn what a compliment is.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re trying to insult me to keep up that bad attitude. I am like a virus; even if you don¡¯t want me in your system, I find a way to get in.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Orb says, ¡°Sorry, I probably shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Well, simply because of what happened to your parents.¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you know about that!¡±


    ¡°I have been spending lots of time with all the villagers, so of course the epidemic would come up.¡±


    ¡°You have spent your time in our village well, you have done quite a substantial study of the village. Is that how you have sneaked into my people¡¯s hearts, using the information you have gained to manipulate them.¡±


    Orb then looks at me as if he can¡¯t believe my words, ¡°You can¡¯t stop with the compliments today. Should I take this as an apology¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I am joking!¡±


    ¡°No, you look like an idiot with a bunch of broken bones. Do you really think I have planned out all my actions since I met Maple? You find the idea that I am an evil genius whose sole reason for being here is to do something, for some reason is somehow easier for you to believe than what I told you, and if I were that smart, no way an idiot like you would ever come close to finding out what my plan was.¡±


    Begin taken aback by his words, all I could think to say was, ¡°You¡¯re the stupid one.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Dunce.¡±


    ¡°Dullard.¡±


    ¡°Nincompoop.¡±


    We continue to insult each other back and forth, until we hear a thundering roar. Looking in the direction it came from, we see three atlas eaters. This isn¡¯t good.


    Instantaneously, Orb with me on his back and runs at full speed away from the eaters, using the trees as cover. Orb has a panicked look on his face as he runs.


    My thoughts run wild, trying to figure out a way from this situation: I can¡¯t fight in my current condition, and any vigorous movements I make might cause lasting damage to my body, and Orb can¡¯t fight them without a spear. It would have been hard in a two-on-one, but their three of them, so all we can do was run.


    If I remember, there is a marker somewhere here. We could use that to return to the village, but I can¡¯t do that in my current state, and I can¡¯t show Orb the secret to entering. So, with the eaters gaining on us, the only choice is to die here with Orb. That is much better than letting him find out.


    If I can aim my body correctly, I should be able to jump from Orb¡¯s back into the mouth of an eater, with that I can go out in one fell swoop, rather than be mauled to death. As one approach, I try to line my body up with its open mouth so I could jump in.


    But as I try to jump off Orb¡¯s back, I remember everything I have ever experienced, and then I stop. My body won¡¯t move, it won¡¯t jump. This isn¡¯t happening due to my current physical state; I am just hesitant about dying.


    What¡¯s wrong with me? I was ready to kill for my village but not die. I need to stop being a fool and move. I need to strengthen my resolve. So, I think back to what everyone meant to me repeatedly in my head, jump, jump, jump. Until I feel my grip lose, but as I am about to leap off his back, Orb¡¯s grip strengthens.


    Then Orb says, ¡°I know the situation is scary, but hold on tight. I will get you through this alive.¡±


    ¡°There is no way you will outrun them.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but if I can¡¯t outrun them, I just have to get them to slow down.¡±


    Orb then turns around and runs at the tree Atlas eaters, ¡°This might hurt a bit,¡± he tells me as he approaches. As he runs toward the eater in front of the other two, it lunges at us, but Orb slides under it. The sudden movement causes my broken bones to hurt even more.


    Now in the centre of all three eaters, they stand up on their feet and start swinging their arms at us. Has Orb gone mad? Are we going to get crushed? But flawlessly, he dodges all eighteen arms with me on his back.


    How is this possible? He struggled to dodge one. Now he is avoiding three with me on his back, and his movement are still normal. He hasn¡¯t reached the same point as the rest of the adult warriors and me, damnit.


    Eventually, the two eaters in front of us get tired and return to being sextupled.


    Orb then says, ¡°Get ready and brace yourself,¡± as he runs forward, the eater behind us tries to smash us with its paw, while the two in front of us lunge ahead, trying to bite us. Orb dodges all three attacks, causing the two which lunged at us to crash into the one behind us.


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    ¡°It worked, Orb said to me.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going to catch up in no time,¡± I say, but as I look back, I see the three eaters fighting. ¡°What is happening.¡±


    ¡°Atlas eaters tend to work together, but any little thing can set them off to fight each other to the death. This is why you should research everything about your targets, because you can¡¯t overwhelm them with your strength every time.¡±


    So, Orb runs at full speed, as far away as possible, his face clearly shows his exhaustion, still he runs without stopping, but eventually, Orb stops and throws me off.


    ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Their fight is over. It should be approaching us now.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that.¡±


    ¡°Ever since I woke up, I have been feeling sharper, and I can hear big footsteps coming our way.¡±


    ¡°We could continue to run, it will probably give up on us eventually.¡±


    ¡°Atlas eaters never let their prey go when it spots them, and with it just killing the other two, I bet it¡¯s hungry, so there is no point in running away.¡±


    ¡°So, you plan to use me as bait as you run away.¡±


    With a disappointed look on his face, ¡°I would¡¯ve done that earlier if that was my plan. I am going to distract it. You should go find some way back to the village.¡±


    As Orb beings to walk off, I say, ¡°Why would you do this for me.¡±


    ¡°You have no intention of leading me anywhere close to the village even at the expense of your own life, so at least this way one of us survive, and there is still a good chance I can get this eater to fall off a cliff or something.¡±


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t make sense. Using me as bait, you could try and find a rescue party. I tried to kill you. Wouldn¡¯t that only be fair.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t listened to a word I have said. My goal in life is to die feeling completely fulfilled, so no regrets. If I don¡¯t like doing something, I won¡¯t do it.


    And unlike me you have people who will mourn your death, so goodbye AND NAME YOUR FIRST-BORN ORB!¡±


    So, Orb runs off away from my site.


    ¦µ My muscles throb, my bones ache, I am out of breath, and I feel like I am about to topple over any second, but if I am going to be a decoy, I am going to be the best ever. So, as I hear the stomps get louder and louder, I head towards that direction, and I see the eater lunges towards me; as always, I dodge under, but after that, the eater starts attacking randomly. There is no pattern to it.


    The injuries it sustained from its battle have made it incredibly angry, so I can no longer read its movement. I barely dodge as the attacks come, but my body¡¯s constant pain is slowing me down. I have no time to formulate a plan because if I don¡¯t use my fully concentration, I will be squished.


    So, I continued to dodge, but one of my legs froze in a single instance, and I was sent flying by one of its paws. I let out an ear-piercing scream as I grab my arm in pain. The bones in it were shattered as I tried to get up; I saw the eater lunging toward me. I feel certain death coming towards me, but I am not afraid. This feeling isn¡¯t foreign to me. It¡¯s almost familiar like I¡¯ve died before, so my body completely relaxes as if preparing to be eaten.


    ¡°BRACE YOURSELF,¡± is what I hear as I am tackled out of the eater¡¯s way. As I look to see who attacked me, I see Buloke.


    ¡°What are you doing here? I left you so at least one of us would live.¡±


    ¡°I will need you to shut up while I focus.¡±


    Buloke holding onto me with one arm, lunges forward with his good leg.


    ¡°You idiot, you¡¯re going to damage your body with vigorous movement like that, and you don¡¯t even want me alive, so at least let me die with purpose.¡±


    As he lunges forward with his leg, he tells me, ¡°You¡¯re a threat no matter how I look at you; that¡¯s all I see. You can bring destruction to everything I love, and that¡¯s a fact, but you are also a kind person that has only helped everyone in the village that¡¯s also a fact.


    You could be an evil genius who masterminded everything here, but you could also be a good-natured person. I can¡¯t just see the parts I want to about your presence; I need to see you as a whole; I have eyes, but I haven¡¯t been looking.¡±


    He lunges forward more and more while having a pained expression. ¡°So right here, right now, I have decided to trust you,¡± he says this as he stops.


    ¡°Orb, I will show you how to get into the village, so I need you to pick me up and follow my instructions.¡±


    So as the atlas eater approaches, I pick him up with one arm onto my back.


    ¡°Orb, go up to that tree, that is a marker.¡±


    The tree Buloke pointed out had no snow surrounding it and was the only green tree I had seen. Having no energy to get excited, I went up to it and followed his instructions.


    ¡°Using the tree as your starting point, hop eight times on your left foot, then four times on your right, then take ten stomps in a semi-circle and lastly, run and take eight steps and jump up on the last one.¡±


    So as the atlas eater runs towards us, I follow his instructions, but as I get to the last part, the atlas eater gets extraordinarily close, but I jump and land.


    After completing the last step and turning around, I see the village from the same cliff Maple showed me the first time. ¡°What happened? Where is the eater? How are we here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the full reason behind it, but the space around our village is a bit messed up, so if you try to walk straight towards it you will end on the other side, so from certain markers which show us where space starts to be messed up if you follow a certain path you will be transported to the village.¡±


    After Buloke told me that, we headed down to the village, and everyone was happy to see we were ok. They had recovered Willow and were out looking for us. Hearing that willow was OK was the final thing I was worried about, so I passed out unconscious.


    -Break-


    As I opened my eyes, the first thing I heard was.


    ¡°Orb, your awake¡±, willow says.


    ¡°Oh, how are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have had three days to recover, so I have been doing fine.¡±


    ¡°Wait, THREE DAYS!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been out for a while.¡±


    While panicking, I ask him, ¡°What happen to Buloke.¡±


    Willow then tells me that he came forward about what happened, how he tried to kill me, and showed me the entrance to the village. For all this, he was thrown in prison, with his punishment to be decided later.


    ¡°So how does falling off a cliff feel like.¡±


    ¡°Not fun, like how I found out I just lost three days of my life.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fun, you got to sleep for three days straight. That sounds like a dream.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not. My arms and legs are killing me.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of that, what happens to all your scars.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°When the Oren was patching you up. All the training scars on the right side of your body were gone, and I am pretty sure scars don¡¯t heal.¡±


    I take a second to examine the right side of my body and see that all my scars are gone. They¡¯re all still on the left side though, maybe it has something to do with me waking up on the right side after falling down the cliff.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, why do you look sad.¡±


    ¡°Those scars made me look like a warrior, and now they are all gone. This is unfair.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard someone who survives falling down a cliff say life is unfair. But I have an idea of something that could cheer you up.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ So, this is how it feels to be in a prison cell without knowing if you will be alive tomorrow. I guess this I what I deserve for what I did. At the very least, Oren bothered to care for a criminal like me.


    I should accept my fate. I hear footsteps. This must be my food being delivered. As I look to see who it would be, I see both Orb and Willow.


    ¡°Oh, I feel better already.¡±


    ¡°What do you want.¡±


    ¡°I have humbly come to deliver you food.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, give it here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you ask for things. Show me some manners, and put some real spirit behind it.¡±


    I begrudgingly say, ¡°May I, a criminal, get my food served to me, please.¡±


    ¡°Perfect,¡± then Orb open my cell, and he and willow come in.


    ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Willow here is going to feed you. I doubt you can eat by yourself with all your injuries.¡±


    ¡°I will manage, so get out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the hostility? Haven¡¯t you accepted I am not suspicious.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t. You are still suspicious, so I can¡¯t fully trust that you won¡¯t cause trouble for us if you leave here, so all I have to do is make you stay here forever.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but there is a zero per cent chance that will happen.¡±


    ¡°We will see about that.¡±


    Name: Buloke Ring


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Taurus 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: brownish orange


    Eyes: red


    Height: 192cm


    Likes: village hunting flowers


    Dislikes: outsiders

 Arc 2.10

    -Break-


    ¦µ As I am preparing to finish up my day, I receive a visitor, it was Orb. ¡°Hey Sequoia, I know you are probably tired after everything that has happened recently, but would I be able to talk with you for a bit.¡±


    Orb is not one to bother people if it is not essential so I say, ¡°No problem, let¡¯s head inside my room first,¡± after we both head inside; he giddily sits down wherever he can.


    ¡°Would you like anything to drink, Orb?¡±


    ¡°No, I am fine and sorry about this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s no problem. Now, what is the issue? Is it that you might want to extend the punishment period a bit more, since it ended today.¡±


    ¡°No, having Buloke be my servant for the last two months was fine enough, and I made sure to embarrass him lots over that period, so I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    He made Buloke do everything for him, even at a point I started to feel bad, but it was a light punishment considering he tried to kill Orb. He would¡¯ve had to go through something worse, if Orb hadn¡¯t proposed this himself. ¡°So, what would be bothering you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, I will probably be leaving soon.¡±


    ¡°Huh, this is very sudden. Has anything happened to spur you on?¡±


    ¡°I have had this in mind for a while, but there were issues I needed to fix, which were mainly to calm the concerns of the dissenters.¡±


    ¡°I see, so you needed to get most of the dissenters to accept you, which has been successful due to Buloke being their leader.¡±


    ¡°Since the attempted murder incident, Buloke has become more accepting of my existence. I would even say he is my friend, and he has also had talks with the other dissenters about not judging us before they have tried to see what type of people we are, so now people who have been very hard pressed to get rid of me, have become a lot more talkative with me. Though if there is still an unresolved issue, people are still suspicious of Cole.¡±


    Over the last two months, I have had fewer people complaining about Orb. However, most of them are still suspicious of Cole, especially since he isn¡¯t as much of an open book as Orb, so people can only judge from what they see.


    ¡°Still, I have seen everyone trying hard to understand him. They have all tried to start conversations with him, and with the fact people have been leaning less towards murder, I believe even if I go, Cole would be safe.¡±


    ¡°Still, this is a bit too sudden even with that reasoning. Is there something about this village making you want to leave?¡±


    ¡°No, there is nothing like that. I love being here, but I feel that if I don¡¯t leave as soon as possible, it will keep getting harder to leave, so I have just decided to push myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the reason, can I ask you to put off your decision until the end of the year, so at the very least you could have spent one full year with us and when that time comes, could you make your decision.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would be fun to have one of my birthdays with you all, so I will take you up on that offer.


    Orb is about to leave soon I have got to act fast, is what the girl who is listening thinks.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°I am so bored.¡±


    ¡°Get used to it, Orb. This is how it will be for a while since all hunts are put on hold.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but knowing it is happening for a reason, doesn¡¯t make me any less bored.¡± Apparently, around this time of year, the forest king comes out. It is hazardous, so we simply survive on all the stored sonbits until that monsters hunting period is over.


    ¡°Well, I have some news to entertain you.¡±


    ¡°What is it.¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, Maple apologised for all her mistakes to Sequoia.¡±


    ¡°She apologised!¡± This must be why he was so chipper earlier today, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear for her, but now I am going to have a hard time sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be.¡±


    ¡°Because since I have been here, she has been screaming every night; her voice has become kind of soothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I can all but guarantee you Maple will be back up on that pole in no time,¡± Willow tells me with a confident look.


    Willow doesn¡¯t usually talk about people like that, but I guess one of the only times I have seen him mad is when it directly concerns Maple. As this thought goes through my head, I hear someone scream, ¡°ORB!¡± The voice in question is one that I¡¯m very familiar with. Its Maple.


    She runs up to me while screaming my name, but as she does that, I can definitely say one thing, her face isn¡¯t one of a reformed child.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°ORB!¡±


    ¡°Hi there, I heard you apologised to your father.¡±


    Hearing my words, her face twisted in anger. ¡°Yes, I did, but that¡¯s not important. I need to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Maple, do you know how rude you¡¯re being right now,¡± Willow says to her.


    ¡°Why are you here, you pest? Why don¡¯t you go to your corner and sit there alone like usual.¡±


    ¡°Willow, you used to spend your time alone. I wondered why you didn¡¯t seem to talk to anyone, but I didn¡¯t know it was because you had no friends.¡±


    ¡°No, Orb, that¡¯s not true.¡± He says, embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie, Willow; the truth hurts, doesn¡¯t it.¡±


    Willow¡¯s faces becomes overrun with anger, ¡°Well, what does that matter now since I don¡¯t have to do that anymore because, unlike you, I have a friend.¡±


    ¡°HUH!¡±


    As the two of them continued to get angrier and angrier, I decided to break this up. As I get in between the two of them, I say, ¡°That¡¯s enough now. What did you come here for, Maple?¡±


    ¡°Well, as the person who saved your life,¡± She says while smirking at Willow, ¡°I have come to ask you to finish our deal humbly.¡±


    ¡°What deal?¡±


    ¡°The one where you promised to tell me about the outside world¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Sorry, it was a while ago.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Just fulfil the promise now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°After you snuck in my room Sequoia specifically asked me not to tell you anything about the outside world.¡±


    Maple looks like she is about to scream, but calms down and mumbles, ¡°You shitty dad.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, at what time did Maple sneak into your room,¡± Willow asks me eerily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time, but it was late at night.¡±


    ¡°MAPLE!¡± Willow shouts.


    ¡°What do you want, bug.¡±


    ¡°Did you do something as indecent as sneaking into Orb¡¯s room at night¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s any of your business.¡±


    Willow blindly starts prattling on about something that doesn¡¯t make much sense, while Maple responds dismissively to all his complaints.


    Willow is acting strange, he is usually only this angry when it is something that personally matters to him, but a sudden understanding hits me. Oh, I see that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. I go up to Willow while patting his head.


    ¡°What are you doing, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Good luck Willow.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Orb,¡± Willow says while flustered.


    While looking at us confused, Maple says, ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, then I will simply have to force you,¡± Maple then jumps at me with an attack.


    She is coming at me fast. I guess that is to be expected with her becoming a warrior at her young age, but while she has spent most of the year tied up, I have spent it training, so after dodging effortlessly, I hit her across the back of her head.¡±


    ¡°That hurts¡±, She says with tears in her eyes. ¡°When did you become this strong.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I have been doing for the past ten months.¡±


    Utterly shocked by my words, she takes a second to compose herself and says, ¡°If I can¡¯t physically force you, I will use other methods.¡± Maple then walks up to me very slowly, and with her cutest face on, she says, ¡°Please.¡±


    I see Willow beside me, blushing. I see this is what was meant when Capti said women have a particular hold over men. Thanks for the example, but all I can say is ¡°No.¡±


    Stunned, she falls to the floor and says, ¡°That always works, what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all, I will be on my way¡± as I try to walk away, taking Willow with me, I feel someone grab onto my leg. As I look down, I see Maple.


    With tears in her eyes, with a very helpless expression, she says to me, ¡°Plwese tell me.¡±


    ¡°No, and your thirteen; it is very unbecoming of you to talk like a baby. You should act your age.¡± I kick Maple off my leg.


    After getting up from the floor, Maple says, ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to be, so be it, but I guarantee you I will not take this without retaliation. Just watch until you agree to help me. I will make your life hell.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on, crybaby,¡± And with those simple words, the most annoying days of my life so far had begun.


    -Break-


    Since that day, without fail, Maple has come to bother me whenever she can; regardless of what I am doing or what time it is, she comes up to me and keep saying, ¡°Tell me, tell me, tell me,¡± I go to sleep, and all I hear is tell me, I wake up, and the first thing I hear is tell me, this paired with my extreme boredom has made my sanity slip little by little.


    So, to try and get my mind off it, I got to train, but she follows me as well, and when the other warriors try to tell her to stop, she puts on the defenceless face, and they all become wrapped around her finger.


    Willow is the only person trying to help me, who starts arguing with Maple whenever she approaches. I would thank him for his actions, but I think he isn¡¯t trying to stop her advances for my sake alone. I have dealt with this for two weeks and am almost at my breaking point.


    -Break-


    ¦µI love walking through the village. It has a pleasant smell, and the people are always happy and active. Being here is so comfy it makes me forget all my problems, but there is a least one problem in this village, that would be Orb; he has had a desolate look in his eyes as of late; I should check on him.


    ¡°Hey Orb, how have you been.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Cole, I am fine. I see you have been allowed to walk around on your own now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but only in select areas without others supervision.¡±


    ¡°So, is there anything you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was just wondering what you are doing with that tread and needle.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this, I was just going to use it to close the mouth of an annoying little fly permanently, yeah, and after I do that, she will never bother me again, so now I will be off,¡± Orb says with a twisted smile on his face.


    Stopping Orb from leaving, I say, ¡°Orb, how about before you do something that will get you executed, why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s wrong, and could you please stop smiling like that.¡±


    So, after my plea, Orb tells me about Maple¡¯s constant annoyance.


    ¡°Orb, if it has gotten this bad, why don¡¯t you tell the chief.¡±


    ¡°If I told Sequoia, it would ruin his mood. Have you seen Sequoia lately? He is constantly smiling, thinking that Maple has been behaving herself.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. I wouldn¡¯t want to be around him if he found out it was all an act, that¡¯s for sure.¡± As the words leave my mouth, Orb and I look up to see Sequoia looking like the devil himself, walking towards the training grounds. We both quickly get up and follow him, and when he arrives, he screams.


    ¡°MAPLE!¡±


    ¡°Yes, father¡±, Maple says in her cutest voice.


    ¡°Stop that. I have heard what you have been doing to Orb. I have told you never to ask him such a question.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I, everyone else is allowed to, but I am not.¡±


    ¡°It is simply because, I, the village chief, have said so, so if you oppose my decision, you simply have to wait until you¡¯re the chief.¡±


    ¡°I have no desire to become the Village chief. I want to leave this village.¡±


    Even angrier than he was before, he tells her, ¡°That will never happen. I won¡¯t allow it. There is nothing out there for you. Why can¡¯t you see that.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you see that if we had access to what exists outside this mountain, things like what happened to mom wouldn¡¯t be an issue? It¡¯s your close-mindedness and that of all our ancestors that killed mom, you murder.¡±


    And in what can only be called a flash, Sequoia hit Maple right in her face.

 Arc 2.11

    The blow that Maple received sent her flying, but she quickly got up and said, ¡°The truth hurts, doesn¡¯t it, Sequoia.¡±


    Sequoia yet again becomes visibly enraged by her words and is about to go for another punch, but a group of warriors, including Orb and Buloke, hold him down.


    As he is being held, Buloke says, ¡°I know what Maple said was out of line, but doing this won¡¯t get your point across at all, so please calm down, chief.¡±


    As the chief relaxes, he turns around and walks away, but as he tries to do this, Maple starts walking up to him and says, ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got, you piece of trash.¡±


    The chief ignoring all her words walks away, but Maple continues to spew insults at him without stopping. ¡°Garbage, filth, pig, idiot, MURDER!¡± But she eventually falls to the ground holding her bruised cheek, as some people try to go up and help her, she screams ¡°, LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± And then she runs off with tears in her eyes, with Willow following her close being.


    ¡°Cole, can you come with me for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    As I followed Orb, I initially thought we would be going after Willow and Maple, but he instead he leads me to Sequoia. When we get up to Sequoia, Orb says, ¡°Chief, I need to talk to you right now.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Orb, but now isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, too, but if you don¡¯t talk with me right now, I will be unable to keep the promise I made to you about Maple.¡±


    Sequoia then turns cocks his head around to look at Orb, and says, ¡°Orb is that a threat,¡± Sequoia¡¯s eyes are full of anger as these words leave his mouth.


    ¡°Yes, it is, so can we please talk now.¡±


    As they both stare at each other, I am unsure if Sequoia will snap at us. With all the medicine they had been giving me, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him, but it didn¡¯t come to that since Sequoia said, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    As Orb let¡¯s out a breath of relief, I say to him, ¡°Orb, you do realise how awful that statement was.¡±


    ¡°I know, but regardless of that, I still need to talk to Sequoia about something right now, because I don¡¯t want him and Maples relationship to deteriorate any further¡±, Orb says as he starts working towards Sequoia house.


    While following Orb, I don¡¯t know why but I feel today will be a stressful day.


    -Break-


    So as we all sit on the floor, in front of each other, there is a moment of silence until Orb says, ¡°Now, would you be able to tell me why you and Maple are fighting.¡±


    ¡°Orb parents and children fight. This isn¡¯t our first one, and it definitely won¡¯t be our last, so you shouldn¡¯t get involved.¡±


    ¡°The issue you are fighting about is only happening, thanks to me. So sorry, I am already involved, and I simply want to know why you and your daughter seem to have much hostility between you, especially regarding the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I know you like collecting information, but to what end would this benefit other than satisfying your mind.¡±


    ¡°Ever since I got here, you have been helping me nonstop, and thanks to that help, I have become closer with everyone in the village. So, I want to repay the favour by helping you with your daughter, especially since I am sure my presence here has escalated the issues between you two.¡±


    Sequoia, who looks shocked by Orb¡¯s words, tells him, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, but the issues between us runs deep.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have time, and it¡¯s not like Cole gets to do anything else anyways, so lay it on me in as much detail as you want.¡±


    So, after taking a deep breath, Sequoia says, ¡°The difference in speeds between the progress of science and human morals is the most terrifying thing in the world. Do these words at all sound familiar to you two.¡±


    They ring a bell in my head, though I can¡¯t remember exactly why, but then Orb says, ¡°Those were spoken by one of the most famous scientists in history, Magnolia. Those were the last words he spoke before he mysteriously disappeared. His name was on some books I read.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of that statement,¡± Sequoia says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough knowledge to tell,¡± Orb replies.


    ¡°I agree with that statement. Science and innovations are humankind¡¯s greatest blessings though, if handled poorly can also be its greatest curse


    ¡°Yes, Cole, by that very statement, Magnolia founded this village.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so where Magnolia vanished was here. Where is he buried? I heard he left with a lot of his exclusive research papers. Do you guys still have them? I heard Magnolia was a woman. Is that true!¡± Orb says while drooling.


    Seeing this, I smack him in the back of the head.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Get a hold of yourself.¡±


    But Sequoia lets out a big laugh ¡°To answer your questions; his body has degenerated. He burned all his research, and I don¡¯t know if he was a woman.¡±


    Hearing Sequoia¡¯s answer, Orb¡¯s excitement goes down to the point where he looks depressed.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You know you didn¡¯t have to answer him.¡±


    ¡°I wanted him to focus, so I had to get the distractions out of the way.¡±


    So, Sequoia continues, ¡°At a certain point throughout his life, Magnolia acquired a certain point of view, that humans cannot properly handle all its advances and that we haven¡¯t evolved at all on a basic level.


    He decided that if humans are nothing more than beasts who can only act on impulse, that use all of the fruits of science to fulfil their selfish desires, ignoring all forms of morality, that if we haven¡¯t changed a bit since the days of beginning, we should return to the place where it all began nature.


    That way when our impulses take over the destruction we commit will be smaller and with three thousand people who believe in him he came to Fimbulwinter, and founded this village on those beliefs, though I don¡¯t agree with all his beliefs.¡±


    ¡°Should the village chief be saying that,¡± Orb responds.


    ¡°I may be the village chief, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to agree to everything some man said almost two thousand years ago. I don¡¯t know what Magnolia went through to have such a horrible impression of humanity. I don¡¯t believe people are unevolved animals who act only on impulse. Not one thing I have seen in my life has shown me that.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, so why are you against the idea of Maple leaving then.¡±


    ¡°Everyone in the village has a vague idea of the outside world since they all know the story of its foundation, though the village chief¡¯s Family is given a bit more information about the outside world that has been passed down. This is done so that if any trouble with the outside world occurs, we won¡¯t be completely caught off guard Maple, my brother and I received this information.¡±


    ¡°You have a brother Sequoia? I haven¡¯t heard anything about him at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t a topic I like to discuss, especially around Maple.¡± As he says this, he gets up to grab something and quickly comes and sits down.


    ¡°During education, my brother was given something that all the village chiefs are meant to have. I believe its name is a photo,¡± Sequoia then shows Orb and me a photo grab of a woman with long blue hair, a man with pink hair, and a child with brown hair. It is a family photo.


    ¡°How the hell does that child have brown hair? That isn¡¯t how genetics works,¡±, Orb says.


    ¡°I guess you are correct, Orb, but that¡¯s not why I am showing you this. Magnolia passed this down when he started the village, and told every single village chief to protect this more than their lives, since you and all your decedents owe this person your lives. But honestly, if I could, I would destroy this picture, mainly because of what it has done to my daughter and brother.


    ¦µ My brother was the opposite of me and a lot like Maple; he was always hyperactive, loud, and confident he became a warrior at the age of six, so he would be allowed to learn how to leave the village, allowing him to adventure out in the mountains.


    He was incredibly tough to handle, and he used to be hung up on top of this building almost every other day. He was uncontrollable, but I looked up to him. He was my hero, and always made time to spend with me, but when my brother was first given the photo, the look in his eyes changed. He would spend hours just looking at it, so I asked him why he was doing that, and he would respond by telling me.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, look at their clothes.¡±


    ¡°Drasil, there are just clothes the same as ours. What is the big deal.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, you idiot, they¡¯re nothing like ours. They are completely different.¡±


    ¡°But clothes all have the same purpose, as long as it accomplishes the same thing what¡¯s the big deal.¡±


    ¡°They are the same but also different, the materials, the designs, even the use of colour, nothing like our clothes and it¡¯s not only that even the way these guys do their hair is different from us, I could have never imagined something like this being in here,¡± he says with his eyes full of wonder.


    Whenever I saw his face like this, it scared me because it made him feel far away. So, I joined in, ¡°Then let¡¯s try and come up with some cool designs as well.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± so my brother and I spent many days talking and theorising about what the outside world, what was it like, what would be the first things we do.


    I grew increasingly excited and interested in the outside world every day by constantly talking about it until my brother asked me one day, ¡°Do you want to go with me.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t we get in trouble?¡±


    ¡°We will only be gone for a little bit, and then we will return. It will just be an adventure between the both of us. Can you imagine all the fun we will have.¡±


    After not really thinking about it I said, ¡°Ok, if it¡¯s only for a little while¡±, so we decide on a date for our adventure.


    We had to find some way of informing our parents. I wanted to leave a note, but my brother said he had a better idea, so during dinner that night, Drasil got up and said to everyone, ¡°Sequoia and I plan to go on and to the outside world tonight. We will be gone for around a year, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Dumbstruck by his words, all I could say was, ¡°Idiot!¡± He then got in a very loud fight with both my parents as they very obviously rejected the idea. This eventually led to most of the village''s warriors guarding our rooms and making sure we couldn¡¯t leave. Thinking we couldn¡¯t go, I tried to sleep that night, but my brother eventually sneaked into my room.


    ¡°How did you get in here? Wasn¡¯t dad and others guarding you.¡±


    ¡°I have been stronger than dad for a while now, so I knocked him unconscious and left. Now let¡¯s go,¡± as he says this screams echo throughout the house. It seems they have realised what my brother did.


    With haste, my brother picks me up, stealthily taking me out of the house. He has been sneaking in and out of this house for years, so he easily avoids the guards, and after he gets me out at full speed, we run towards the nearest marker, and he uses it to take me out.


    ¡°Sequoia, how was that? It¡¯s your first time leaving through the distorted space of our village,¡± he says as he sets me down.


    ¡°It was strange,¡± as I uttered those words, I heard a scream and saw a strange creature run towards me. I freeze up out of fear. I have never seen anything like this before, but my brother, almost instantaneously after seeing it kills it.


    ¡°Damn, Waptors, you shouldn¡¯t even be awake yet. Are you ok, Sequoia.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am fine.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then, let¡¯s go¡±, he says as he walks forward.


    As I try to follow him, my legs freeze up, and my mind goes into overdrive. I think about the fact that I can¡¯t defend myself, that animals are cool but scary, that I just left mom and dad behind, and the words of the village¡¯s founder. What if they haven¡¯t changed over the last two thousand years and have only gotten worse? The fact that I knew nothing about the current world left me with only fear.


    ¡°Willow, what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Drasil, it is just that my legs won¡¯t move.¡±


    My brother then looks at me, walks up to me, and says, ¡°You should turn back.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? We agree to do this together. Just give me a moment.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, you¡¯re shaking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, it is all right. I was surprised you even wanted to do this with me, given how much of a wimp you are.¡±


    ¡°No, I can do this. Just wait a moment; I am just a little scared I will get better soon,¡± I say with tears in my eyes.


    ¡°You have always been scared of things. You don¡¯t know why I have always been excited by them. It is just your nature.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but I want to be strong and cool like you.¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOT, I am the only me in the word, and you are the only you, don¡¯t you ever think of committing the crime of erasing the gem of a human that is Sequoia you got that, and if you¡¯re scared of the unknown, I will simply come back with so many stories that the outside world will feel familiar to you.¡±


    ¡°But how will I know if you are safe or not.¡±


    ¡°Ummm, well, you see that star up there, the one shining the brightest just use that as your symbol of me. The brighter it shines, the better I am doing all right.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    My brother then walks off and says, ¡°See you later, Sequoia.¡±


    ¡°See you soon, Drasil¡±, and with that, he ran into the snow so fast he was out of sight in mere seconds.

 Arc 2.12

    After watching my brother run, I returned to the village, where I was severely punished, though I didn¡¯t care since me and my brother made a promise.


    To become the person my brother saw me as I started training day and night. I also memorised all the knowledge we had about the outside world, so when my Drasil came back, I would be able to go with him. In no time, a year had passed, but my brother hadn¡¯t returned. This sent panic throughout the village. Everyone was worried about what had happened to him, still I wasn¡¯t concerned, because the star he pointed out has only shone brighter and brighter since the day he left.


    So, to alleviate people¡¯s worries, I went up to large crows and said, ¡°My brother was never one to keep track of time when he is enjoying himself, and without a doubt, I can say he is enjoying himself.¡±


    The words I said to everyone with complete faith in my brother, little by little, won them over and calmed their worries, even my parents, and so as time continued and the star shone brighter and brighter, he never returned; whenever people worries grew, I would ease them.


    Even after seven years, he never returned; my fate never wavered until one day, the star I would always look up to vanished from the sky. It¡¯s not that the light grew dim. It simply disappeared from the night sky.


    The symbol I had been using to hope he was alive just vanished. I started to panic, trying to process this in my head. I had thought, what if my brother was dead, and if he was, that meant I killed him.


    I knew of the dangers of the outside world, yet I continued to spur on his imagination. I knew I should have never agreed to leave the village with him, on the very day he left; I should have stopped him.


    As these thoughts flew through my mind, I almost threw up. What have I done? How could I have let this happen? This can¡¯t be happening. This isn¡¯t happening. No, he must still be alive. My brother isn¡¯t one to die just like that. He probably got tired of that star and decided to move to a different one.


    So, I went on with what I was doing before: training and passionately talking about my brother¡¯s safety. It helped me ignore the truth, by trying to convince everyone else, it allowed me to convince myself. I continued to do this, and it worked. I persuaded people that my brother was alive, but over time, my words turned hollow. All the confidence I had when I spoke these words initially was gone, deep inside I had lost all hope that Drasil was alive, and one day, I was told.


    ¡°Please stop.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°We all know you don¡¯t mean your words anymore. At this point, you¡¯re just saying them to try and stop us from realising the truth.¡±


    ¡°No, what I am saying is true. Just listen to me.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but we won¡¯t. Before trying to convince us, you should convince yourself.¡±


    As I was about to respond, I looked around and saw the faces of everyone. I could tell that no one believed my words anymore. They had all realised that I was the only one fooling himself, no longer able to run. The only thing left for me was that my brother was gone, and I had killed him, so I ran as fast as I could.


    I am a monster. How could I have done this to my brother, as I sit in my corner unable to handle the truth with tears flowing down my eyes, I want this all to be a dream, I want to wake up and realise my brother is still alive, but reality isn¡¯t so kind to me. How will I be able to explain this to my parents at this moment? It feels like I have lost everything in the world that¡¯s important to me.


    ¡°Sequoia¡±


    I cock my head to the side to see who is calling me, and it¡¯s my father with his face so close to mine that it spooks me into jumping back.


    ¡°Sorry about that Sequoia, didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I was looking for you, and remembered Drasil told me you would come here whenever you wanted to cry.¡±


    As I look up at my father, I freak out. The last person I wanted to see just appeared before my eyes. Has he already realised the truth, like everyone else? I don¡¯t know what I am supposed to say to him. I stutter as I try to speak.


    ¡°Sequoia, are you ok? I heard you ran off with a worrisome look on your face, so I came to look for you.¡±


    That means he has probably realised the truth.


    ¡°I wanted to talk to you about something.¡±


    I dread nothing more than the following words that come out of his mouth.


    ¡°Sequoia, I am sorry,¡± my father says with his head bowing to the ground.


    ¡°Father, stop that. You shouldn¡¯t be doing that to someone like me.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°No, this is overdue. I have been nothing but a coward for years now. The night you guys tried to escape as I was fighting Drasil, he told me something.¡±


    ¡°I love everyone in this village, but it is simply too cramped for me. I want to live my life to its fullest as soon as possible, so after I kick your ass and get out of here, I will start the story of my life.¡±


    ¡°Hearing these words struck a chord with me. I had wanted to leave at one point in my life, but my obligation to the village stopped me from ever trying, so when we were fighting, I let him knock me out on purpose, letting you two escape and now I have let my son die and have left you suffering it was my fault.¡± As my father said this, for the first time in my life, I saw him cry.


    ¡°No father, I was the one who was spurring his spirit to leave, if only I had tried to make him stay instead; it was my fault I am a horrible person who, for his own sake, told the villagers something he didn¡¯t believe.¡±


    ¡°No sequoia, it isn¡¯t. I knew what type of person Drasil was, yet I still gave him that photo, thinking nothing would happen. I was a fool; I knew the look in his eyes because I had a similar one before, but I didn¡¯t do anything, and when he didn¡¯t return, I allowed you to keep giving the villagers false hope. I knew how hard you would be on yourself if he never returned, but I continued to let you do this because it comforted me and allowed me to lie to myself. I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Please, it isn¡¯t your fault. I am sorry.¡± My father and I continued to apologise to each other until nightfall, when we returned to the village with swollen eyes. When we returned, my mother hugged us both and said.


    ¡°This loss falls on all of us. It will be something that we will have to face for the rest of our lives, but as long as we do it as a family, I am sure we will get through it, so it¡¯s okay,¡± she says with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Mother, father, do you two not hate me for this?¡±


    In unison, they both say ¡°No.¡±


    With that simple word, I felt like I could face the days to come, and when those days came, it was hard not only for us but everyone throughout the village who had lost Drasil. He was like the sun shining down on us, a beacon of happiness, and we all had to let go of that, but just like all trials this village faces, we got through all of it by supporting each other.


    ¡°Earlier, I told you two that I disagree with Magnolia¡¯s teaching, and while that is correct, I believe the existence of this village is correct.


    This experience helped me open my eyes to the value of this village. Everyone has a role in this village that is essential to its survival. Everyone, regardless of their job, has a sense of fulfilment. We all rely on each other and thus grow closer.


    We must be in tune with nature to survive, so we have to make sure that all the species around us don¡¯t go extinct. It gives us a greater understanding and appreciation of all the life around us. Our lives here are simple but wonderful.


    Magnolia said that the snow on this mountain never decreases or increases, gets dirty or melts, and stays the same no matter how many years pass. It is an eternal beauty, and I think our village is very much like that. It is beautiful and everlasting.


    I don¡¯t know enough about the outside world, but the things I do know, such as the words of Magnolia, my experience with my brother and the truth behind all the dead bodies we have found, haven¡¯t improved my opinion of it.


    I don¡¯t know if happiness can be found there, or if there is any meaning in living out there, but I can guarantee there is here. For that reason, I wanted you both to live here.


    But most importantly, I wanted to pass down the meaning of this village to my daughter, primarily since her mother could not raise her. I wanted her to find her lost happiness in this village.


    So, I educated her about all this village had to offer, but ever since she was a child, she has had the same look in her eyes as my brother, and it terrified me, especially when she found the photo. I started to panic. I needed to find some way to stop her, so I had to devise methods to crush her spirit. I began to punish her more and more, in ever-increasing ways, but it was no avail. The look never vanished.


    That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want you to tell her anything about the outside world, because all it does is increase her ever-growing want to leave this village¡±


    ¦µSequoia bows his head and says, ¡°Please, I beg you.


    As Sequoia bows his head to us, I understand his pain. The unknown can be either good or bad, so one takes a chance when they venture into it, and what parent would ever want to take such a risk with their child?


    I hear Orb say, ¡°I understand Sequoia. Trust me; I do the feeling of when you look at everything around you and realise this is perfect. This is the most excellent place on earth. No place on earth can be better. I want this to remain the same forever. It makes me happy, and I know it makes others happy. I genuinely understand this from the bottom of my heart.


    But even though my friend Capti was happy in that place with me, which I thought was perfect, the truth of the matter is that there was a place out in the world that made him happier it wasn¡¯t with his parents or with me, but someplace he found all by himself and due to that he was able to die happy and fulfilled.


    So, I tried to do the same I left my place of safety to venture out, and I found you guys and this village and being here has made me beyond happy. The unknown can be scary, but when I think about finding other places like this for me, it makes my heartbeat incredibly fast to the point, I think it¡¯s going to explode.¡±


    Orb says, ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t keep that promise. If Maple wants to know, I will tell her, so I will go find Maple and Willow.¡±


    Sequoia looks frustrated and says, ¡°So you to Orb.¡±


    As he walks to the door, he says, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about parents, but I think even if it is their job to protect their kids, it is also a parent¡¯s job to ensure they reach their full potential.¡± And with those words, Orb leaves.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Now, where did those two is what I think as I head to the training grounds. But when I arrive, I see two people with bloody bodies? I run over to them, and other warriors around do as well.


    Buloke asks them, ¡°What happened¡±


    ¡°We were sent by Sequoia earlier today to scout out the forest because the king should be going back to sleep, and we wanted to see if we could get back to hunting, but to our surprise, not only was he active, he was angry and attacked us we barely escaped with our lives.¡±


    Aea says, ¡°Guys, I saw Willow and Maple leave for the forest earlier.¡±


    Wait, then they¡¯re in trouble. I run to grab a spear and start heading towards a marker.


    But I hear Buloke scream, ¡°Aea, Alis, get these two to Oren, then tell Sequoia what has happened. Everyone else heads into the forest to look for Willow and Maple. GET GOING NOW.¡±

 Arc 2.13

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Why can¡¯t they both understand? Is it because they are young? Is it because they were born without fear? I want them to be safe, but they strongly reject my wish. Am I supposed to let them jump into an abyss I know ends with them falling to their deaths?¡±


    Sequoia has been rambling on ever since Orb left, as if trying to convince himself of something.


    ¡°Cole, may I ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°As someone who has lived in the outside world for most of your life, am I wrong? Is what I believe incorrect.¡±


    ¡°The world is too big for anyone to have a comprehensive opinion on it, that includes myself, so I can¡¯t tell you whether you or Orb are correct. Still, we all act according to some form of justice, so if you believe with all your heart that the outside world will only bring harm to your daughter, then don¡¯t let her go no matter what, and keep her safe, but that¡¯s simply my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that, Cole,¡± he says while looking relieved.


    ¡°CHIEF,¡±, Aea says as she runs into the room.


    ¡°Aea, why are you in such a panic?¡±


    ¡°The warriors you sent earlier found the king walking close to the village. It was angry and hurt the scouts badly, but we also realised that Willow and Maple had left the village.¡±


    Sequoia, upon hearing this runs full speed out of the room. I saw his face as he left, and the chief was terrified.


    -Break-


    ¦µ The first thing I remember was my father taking to me around the village. He was telling me about all the different people and what they do.


    ¡°That is Throne he oversees all the cooking in the village, and that¡¯s Oren, the village doctor he was the one who delivered you, which was the happiest day of my life.¡± We would always end our walks by visiting moms grave.


    As soon as I could read, he started teaching me all the different names of the people and the history of all their lives. It made my father extremely happy to talk about and share the village with me, so I tried to love it as much as he did, but it bored me.


    Whenever I saw the village, all I could think was, is this all there is? Is there no more than this? By the time I turned five, I didn¡¯t want to go for walks with dad anymore, but I still did because, from the bottom of his heart, it made my dad happy.


    One day when I turned seven, my father started to teach me the most important facts about the village: its formation. I learned about the world outside, and Magnolia the founder, it made my heart beat so fast that I thought it would explode. There is so much beyond this village. I loved learning about this more than anything, though it was the thing dad disliked teaching me the most.


    And one day, while looking in my father¡¯s room, I found what I later was told was a photo. Seeing it sent my mind for a loop. The people in the picture had a different way of dressing than me, another way of doing hair. What else was different? Did they have other houses and different animals? What if they have figured out stuff we haven¡¯t, like how to cure specific diseases? If we had all that, we could also enhance life in this village. There must be infinite things in this world; I can¡¯t stay here for most of my life.


    But my father eventually returned to his room and saw me. After looking at me, he ripped the photo from my hand and said, ¡°From now on, you are ban from learning anything outside the village¡±, he said with a horrified face.


    ¡°What, why dad,¡± I pleaded incisively, but my dad ignored me. ¡°Dad, this doesn¡¯t make any sense; please listen to me.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S ALL YOU HEAR ME¡±, my father shouted at me. He had never done that before. You could say that is the day our relationship started to deteriorate.


    From that day, I asked him repeatedly to tell me about the outside world, but he refused and told me, ¡°There is no reason for you to know that since you¡¯re going to be spending the rest of your life here, I will simply fulfil the duty by telling your husband.¡±


    ¡°Dad, but if we had things from the outside world, it would only help us.¡±


    ¡°MAPLE, my word is final. Now leave me be. I don¡¯t want to hear this anymore. Now be a good girl and listen.¡±


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I couldn¡¯t understand why my father was like this, so to retaliate, I pulled away from everyone in the village. I wouldn¡¯t talk with them or go near any of them. Due to this, I was never able to make friends. I was able to infuriate dad, who loved the village above all else with my actions, and I became a warrior as soon as possible, so I could leave the village whenever I wanted.


    So, I used to sneak out of the village to see how close I could get to the outside, but without fail, I was always caught by a pest and brought back where my dad punished me.


    I hate being in the village. I have no one who understands me, my dad doesn¡¯t care for my feelings, all the adults always tell me to behave better, and I have no friends, the only thing that gives me happiness is the brief time I can go outside the village.


    But when I came across two people outside, this was my moment to learn about the outside. Finally, maybe they would even take me with them, so when I heard one was about to leave, I had to do whatever I could do to get Orb to tell me what I wanted, but just like always, my dad tried to get in the way, but this time I didn¡¯t take his nonsense lying down.


    So I told him all I have been thinking all this time, and he hit me, he rejected all my feelings, so all I could do is run as far away from the village I couldn¡¯t be there anymore.


    ¡°You¡¯re always so unfair to me for no reason. I hate you, dad. I won¡¯t ever forgive you for this. I will never forgive you,¡± I say, as I sit curled up like a ball in the forest.


    ¡°FOUND YOU!¡±


    Hearing this voice, I look up to see it belongs to Willow. ¡°I thought I lost you way back. How did you find me, pest.¡±


    ¡°Every time without fail, whenever you left the village, I always found you. I am a master of this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is the very reason I call you pest. Now leave or are you embracing your true nature as a pest.¡±


    ¡°Why would I come here to leave? Let¡¯s go back to the village.¡±


    ¡°NO, I am never returning. Now leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see that how it is,¡± Willow says as he takes a seat beside me.


    ¡°What are you doing, pest,¡± I say moving slightly to the side.


    ¡°I just decided that if you refuse to come back, I need to keep my eyes on you to ensure you are safe.¡±


    ¡°I have enough sense to look after myself, so you don¡¯t need to be here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean the sense you used to talk to your father.¡±


    I click my tongue at Willow. ¡°I would like to be alone.¡±


    ¡°And I would like to follow you.¡±


    ¡°I can just use force.¡±


    ¡°The last time you saw me in action was almost a year ago, so if you want, I can show you how that would end up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, then I don¡¯t care. Do what you want. You should celebrate; you seemed to have evolved into a super pest while I was being punished.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡±


    So, after a moment of silence, Willow asks Me, ¡°So do you want to talk about what happened at the village.¡±


    I look viciously at Willow and then puts my head back between my knees.


    ¡°Ok, I will say things out loud if you don¡¯t want to talk. What a certain someone said to the chief was extraordinarily cruel and unfair, and when such a person received a fitting punishment for her actions, she ran away to the forest to wine.¡±


    ¡°It was his fault, what I said was true.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you can respond.¡±


    Irritated by Willow, I return to her former position.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the gravity of what you said. You told Sequoia that the death of his wife, Buloke¡¯s parents, Pine¡¯s children, and everyone who died in the village were his fault, especially when all these things weighed heavily on the chief¡¯s mind, back when he had all the sick executed.


    I always see him visiting their graves every day. He must have wished that there was a way out not to that. I can tell you the guilt of feeling you killed people close to you is almost unbearable, and hearing that from the person he loves the most must make it so much worse.¡±


    ¡°But he wouldn¡¯t listen to me.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. It isn¡¯t ok to do horrible things just because you have an issue with the chief doesn¡¯t mean that you can start blaming him for this. He was simply the chief at an unfortunate time in the village. You could blame any of the chiefs before him or even Magnolia for making this village, but you choose to blame your dad and hurt him.


    The chief has constantly put up with your rule-breaking and insults, but this was too much. What if you have done so much damage to his heart that he doesn¡¯t want to talk to you anymore? Have you thought about that¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I don¡¯t want that¡±, Maple says while crying.


    ¡°What going on,¡± I say, completely taken aback with a blush. I didn¡¯t even know Maple cries. She is cute.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to hate me. I just wanted him to listen to me, but he refused, so I had no other choice, but I don¡¯t want him to hate me,¡± Maple says while weeping profusely.


    ¡°Please come down a bit, Maple.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to give up on me. I don¡¯t know what to do anymore,¡± she says, tears flowing even faster.


    ¡°Maple listens to me. You and the chief are both horrible when you talk to each other, I never see the chief as irrational as when he is talking to you. He looks and acts like everything he tells us not to do, but you are also not the best at communicating, so I think you both need a fresh start to talk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that, dad, and I haven¡¯t had a conversation in years.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then why don¡¯t we both get on our hands and knees and apologise with all our might if you want a fresh start? It¡¯s good to apologise for all past mistakes; I can even get Orb to help us.¡±


    As Maple starts clearing the tears from her eyes, she asks me, ¡°Why are you doing this for me? I have only been mean to you.¡±


    Getting up from the ground, I say, ¡°When I was in a horrible place my friend saved me, and now I want to pass that on the someone I have known and spent time with for as long as I remember, so Maple let us go apologize.¡± I say as I stretch my hand out.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Maple says as she grabs my hand.


    So, as they walk back to the Village, Willow says, ¡°So that you know, I don¡¯t want you leaving the village either.¡±


    ¡°Why not.¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, it might help me understand dads reasoning.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Maple says cutely.


    ¡°Ok, I will tell you if you can fix your relationship with your dad.¡±


    ¡°Promise.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± as the world leaves my mouth, a beast almost as tall as the tree breaks from the forest and swings its large tail at us. I grab maple and shield her as it smashes into me.¡±

 Arc 2.14

    Name: Orb


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: White (normal), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear),


    Brown (nervousness), Grey(confusion), Cream(hunger),


    Lime(lying), Orange(discomfort), Black(worry), Pink(happiness),


    Purple(?), Gold(arrogance)


    All with strands of sliver.


    Eyes: Blue(left), Gold(Right)


    Height: 167 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Cole, Meat, Villagers.


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs.


    ¦µ In a flash, Willow grabbed my body and jumped forward. I felt a powerful force spend my us into the snow. Feeling pain, I grab a hold of the situation, and see Willow on top of me with blood coursing down his forehead.


    ¡°Good to see you¡¯re ok, but right now, I need you to run,¡± Willow says to me.


    After looking past Willow, I see a giant beast coming for us, I quickly get up as fast as I can, but as I am going to begin to run, I see that Willow hasn¡¯t gotten up. ¡°What are you doing? Come on.¡±


    ¡°I am having trouble moving, so go on without me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°MAPLE RUN NOW!¡±


    As I ignore Willow¡¯s words, I pick him up and head off at full speed.


    ¡°I am just dead weight. It would help if you used me as bait to get away; at least you will be able to make it out of here.¡±


    Ignoring his words, I keep running.


    ¡°Maple, listen to me.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP. Without you, I won¡¯t be able to get my father to forgive me, so I am saving us both.¡± I won¡¯t let you die because you came after me.


    I run as fast as possible while the king is chasing after me. Each of its stomps makes my whole-body shake. I have never felt anything like this before, but as I run, the king let¡¯s out a roar that sends vibrations through the air and my body, causing me to freeze up.


    As the king¡¯s largemouth goes to bite Willow and me, it suddenly pulls back as something is thrown it¡¯s way. After seeing a spear plunged into the snow, I hear, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING START MOVING.¡±


    As I follow the voice¡¯s instructions, I hear Willow say, ¡°This makes two times that he has saved my life.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I say in response.


    ¡°My only other friend, Orb.¡±


    ¦µ As I pick up my spear lodged into the snow, I face a quadrupedal beast, with five horns, covered in feathers, and almost as big as the giant golden trees. This is the king of Fimbulwinter. Its physical abilities alone are enough to herald that title, but worse is that it has high intelligence for a predator: it saw my spear going for its eye and dodged back. I guess that¡¯s how it has managed to stay alive since the formation of this village.


    Just from its presence alone, I know there is no way I can beat this thing, but the other warriors should have heard it wherever they are. All I have to do is hold it off until then.


    Should I attack first, or should I react to its attacks? Taking a deep breath, I decide to wait. I have still been feeling sharp ever since I fell off the cliff, and every second I can buy is essential, so don¡¯t be in a hurry Orb, you can do this.


    But as I take that breath and relax for a second, the king lunges at me and tries to squash me with its right arm.


    I barely get out of the way by dodging right, but its tail follows up immediately with a tail swipe; I grab onto its tail, then I manoeuvre my body on top of it, and then jump off. I am currently out of its range while in the air, but it grabs the ground with its right hand and throws the rocks at me. Using the spear to shield myself some rocks hits me and sends me flying.


    But I land on my feet and look to see the king¡¯s the following action, but it ran off in the same direction Willow and Maple went in. It¡¯s ignoring me and going after them. He must have realised they¡¯re easier prey.


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    I immediately started running after them but felt pain throughout my body. The force of the impact went through my entire body. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I had broken a few bones. My injuries should be causing more pain, but they aren¡¯t, and all the pain I am feeling is subsiding rather quickly. I should be able to catch up to them if I continue running like this.


    ¦µ As Maple runs as fast as she can, I hear its giant footsteps coming closer and getting louder. I start to panic, what happened to Orb? How am I going to protect Maple? The marker is still a fair distance away, and Maple has been running slower and slower, I am sure she sustained injuries from the earlier impact. What should I do? This feeling of helplessness is overwhelming.


    Maple suddenly says to me, ¡°Hey Willow, if possible, could you stop with all the shaking that plus the king¡¯s footsteps make me feel nervous.¡±


    I am an idiot. Being nervous won¡¯t help the situation. The best I can do is give her some encouragement. ¡°Maple, you are amazing.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what was that about,¡± she says while blushing.


    ¡°I just think you¡¯re the best you can do this.¡±


    ¡°Stop that!¡±


    ¡°Why I am just stating facts, your beauty.¡±


    ¡°Stop this, you idiot!¡±, she says while blushing.


    Maple is beginning to run faster. It seems the compliments are working. ¡°So, you know I think you are the cutest in the world.¡±


    ¡°I said stop!¡± as she says this, she looks back at my face, and says, ¡°Wait, why are you blushing.¡±


    ¡°Because this is embarrassing for me to, you utter goddess.¡±


    ¡°One more, and I am dropping you,¡± Maple says as her speed increases, and we can, if only slightly, outpace the king.


    While Maple runs, I hear the king¡¯s footsteps come to a halt. I look back and see that it has crunched a considerable amount of the ground in its palm, and is about to throw it.


    ¡°Maple, you need to move out of the way,¡± I say to her quickly, so she moves as the barrage of stones comes flying at us, but she isn¡¯t able to fully move in time, and the rocks cause her to drop me.


    ¦µ After I rise from the ground, I feel pain in my legs and look to see my right leg is missing a chunk. The pain is unbearable and causes me to scream. I dropped willow, and I don¡¯t know where he is, and the king is approaching.


    It opens it¡¯s mouth and is about to eat me, but instead, it swipes its tail backwards, and I hear, ¡°It sensed me¡±, the voice belonged to Orb.


    ¦µ This is just getting unfair. It has ridiculous power and brains to match, and a reaction speed almost as good as mine. There is no advantage here for me to use against this thing. The best thing I can hope for is to hit one of its eyes in time.


    I must be proactive this time to draw its attention, because Maple isn¡¯t going anywhere, and I don¡¯t know where Willow is. I can only pray that he is ok since the injuries he had before were already bad.


    I run toward the king. It tries to squash me with its left hand, but I dodge, and stab my spear into its arm and use that spear to vault up, pulling the spear out the kings right hand comes to swat me, I stab into him and use my spear to get on top of his right hand, which do to him trying to hit his right shoulder is close to his face.


    I jump with all my might from its right arm, and I then have a clear shot at his eye, which I try to stab into, but he can turn his head, making me stab into its right cheek.


    I am just a little off, but I am close enough to its eye, so if I pull my spear out, I should be able to throw it into its look, but as I try to remove it, it doesn¡¯t budge.


    It seems his muscle has locked my spear in place, so I try harder to get it out, but it won¡¯t even wiggle, while doing this his right arm tries to smash me: so I move on top of the pole and jump, grabbing one of the king¡¯s horns.


    The king then lets out a scream. It seems he ended up plunging the spear deeper into his cheek. His cry almost makes my eardrums burst. It¡¯s intense, but while I am distracted by that, it quickly plunges its head into the ground. I jump off before impact, but I see its tail coming for me as I land. It hits me in my left arm breaking it, and knocking me into a tree.


    ¦µ The king sent Orb flying and is facing me again. Its feather starts to rise and point at me, and they shoot off it as projectiles aimed at me. As they approach, I close my eyes and say, ¡°Sorry Orb, Sorry mom, sorry Willow, sorry dad¡±, but I feel no impact.


    I open my eyes and see Willow in front of me.


    ¡°I got my legs working at just the right time,¡± he says as he falls.


    ¡°Why did you do that? You¡¯re already injured.¡±


    ¡°When I say what was about to happen, my body moved reflexively.¡±


    As Willow lays there, I try to remove the feather on his back, but they seem to have fused into him, and then Willow starts screaming hysterically in pain. This must be the way it keeps its prey from moving anymore. That means me and Willow are stuck here. What the hell am I supposed to do? Is this situation hopeless?


    ¦µ I see the king ready another volley of  feathers at Willow and Maple. I start moving toward them, but I know I won¡¯t make it in time, especially with how fatigued they are. I can¡¯t let them die; I can¡¯t. I need to reach them. What good are legs if I can¡¯t run with them, I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else, Capti was enough, so even if my legs feel like they¡¯re about to break, please move; I have to. I suddenly feel something on my right leg.


    ¦µ I can see the second volley of feathers about to be fired at us. I whole Willow close, using my body to shield, but I feel a sudden force and look to see it was Orb. I look to my right and see many feathers plunged into the snow, I realise that¡¯s where Willow and I were before. Looking at Orb I see his right leg has changed shape and is dark blue.


    ¡°Orb, how did you do that, and what¡¯s wrong with your leg.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea it just turned out like this, but I don¡¯t know why but I feel a sudden surge of strength. I think I can do this now,¡± Orb says as he walks off.


    I don¡¯t know if this was just the blood loss, but his gold eye was shining, and the silver in his hair was glowing.


    ¦µ My leg looks biomechanical and also sort of beastlike. It¡¯s relatively cool, but I don¡¯t have time to freak out about it now; I have to act as the next set of feathers are shot at me. At full strength I lunge forward and cover an incredible distance. I would say, I am faster than Buloke like this.


    The king tries to use its tail to hit me, but it looks like it is moving in slow motion, so I jump onto it and run across it, climbing onto the king¡¯s back. I then lunge forward again until I reach its face.


    I then grab onto its horn, and using my leg; I slice its right eye, then I kick off its face and land in front of Willow and Maple. As I prepare to go for the second eye, my leg reverts to normal.


    ¦µ Orb¡¯s legs have gone back to normal this isn¡¯t good. The king is even angrier than before. What are we going to do mainly with Willow in his current state?


    ¡°Maple, don¡¯t worry, I can hear them.¡±


    ¡°Hear what?¡±


    ¡°These guys¡±, as Orb says these words, warriors from the village, including my dad, all arrive.

 Arc 2.15

    The tiritrex, was a species, which would survive no matter their habitat. Their ability to become accustomed to their environment was unparalleled. If they needed strength, their bodies would adapt and increase their muscle mass. If they needed height, their bones would stretch. If they were required to fish, they would learn to swim, and if they needed to deal with humans, they would become smarter.


    There was even a time when humans feared they would overtake them on the food chain. One of them would cause enough problems, but due to their intelligence, they all worked in large packs with almost no infighting. The tiritrex¡¯s were once the scariest animals to walk the earth, but that would all end when the land they were living on froze.


    The lushes land of what Fimbulwinter was before was turned into a frozen wasteland where almost everything died. Even the tiritrex¡¯s were not unaffected by the bone-chilling cold; just like all life living in Fimbulwinter, they dropped one by one.


    But like always, evolution takes place, and those who were able to adapt survived. Some learned to deal with the cold while others learned to store heat, and some increased their population.


    Though the tiritrex¡¯s didn¡¯t have it so easy, they were able to adapt quickly due to the enormous amount of food they ate, but due to everything around them dying, they ran short on food and thus couldn¡¯t become accustomed to their new environment. The only food source they had left was to fill each other.


    tiritrex¡¯s were one of the most intelligent species, but in their desperation to feed themselves became some of the most savage beasts out there, day after day they all fought to the death to see who would survive, and at the end of the battle, almost all the tiritrex¡¯s had killed each other except one, a tiritrex who¡¯s watched his parents fight to the death to feed him.


    This tiritrex consumed the flesh of all the bodies day after day, year after year, until evolution took place and he could survive. As the years went by, his instinct and will to survive were more powerful than any other tiritrex, and he could even evolve past the issue of ageing. He carries the history of his entire race on his back and will survive no matter the cost, and even when faced with a horde of warriors, his willingness to survive hasn¡¯t faded in his mind. He must survive no matter what.


    And so, in a desperate attempt to break through the humans encircling him, he charges forward.


    The king has started charging forward towards us. He shoots out his feather from every direction, and as they come towards me, Maple and Willow. Warriors come in quickly and pick Maple and Willow up with me, managing to get us out of the way. I heard Sequoia shout, ¡°GET MAPLE AND WILLOW BACK TO THE VILLAGE!¡±


    Then in a flash, they¡¯re gone. At the very least, I won¡¯t have to worry about them anymore, but there is a more pressing issue here, the king has been going wild and is attacking randomly. Still, all the warriors can collectively dodge his attacks. The warriors on the right side of the king can get close enough to land a few slashes. However, the king, even missing an eye, can still figure out their positions and hit them accurately. Even though we should have the advantage in this battle, I would say it¡¯s almost even.


    But as the Sequoia enters the battle, the tide turns. His speed was unmatched. He dodged all the feathers like it was nothing, and when he got close to the king, he started slashing deep wounds into him. Sequoia had a face of pure anger the entire time he was fighting.


    After being cut, he started to focus on Sequoia to halt his advance, the king let out a giant earth-crushing slam, which forced Sequoia to back up, but while his attention was stuck on Sequoia, all the other warriors jumped in to slash him.


    At this point in the battle, it seemed the result was decided, but in a sudden move, the king let out the loudest roar he had done today while shooting feathers simultaneously. Quite a lot of the feathers hit the warriors, which stunned them in pain, and as the warriors were dispelled, the king made his escape smashing through the trees and moving with all his might.


    I hear Sequoia say to the dissolved warriors, ¡°PULL ALL THE FEATHERS OUT NOW,¡± then he looks at me and says, ¡°Orb, come help get the feathers out of all the warriors.¡±


    I follow Sequoia¡¯s instructions, but as I am helping the warriors pull the feather, I ask, ¡°Is there something wrong with the feathers outside of the pain they cause.¡±


    Sequoia then tells me, ¡°If they fuse into one body, it guarantees death.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, I think they fused into Willows¡¯s back,¡± I say to him in a panic.


    His looks at me shocked.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As Willow¡¯s never-ending screaming echoes throughout the infirmary, I ask Oren, ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we can do to help Willow.¡±


    ¡°Maple, the issue is that the king¡¯s feather fuses into people¡¯s bodies causing intense pain, but the greater issue is that after they take root, they spread roots that try to wrap around blood vessels and burst them, and I can¡¯t just yank them out without possible ripping his blood vessels.¡±


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    ¡°What if we cut them out? They shouldn¡¯t have spread far enough to the point we wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°To cut the roots, I would have to do that extremely fast and with precision which I can¡¯t do, especially while Willow is writhing in unbelievable pain. I would end up just killing him¡±


    ¡°What about the muscle relaxer we gave to Cole.¡±


    ¡°That takes time to kick in. The feather would have already burst some blood vessels. I am afraid there is nothing we can do for him now except put him out of his misery,¡± Oren says while deeply saddened.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t do that. Willow, come on, we must apologise to my father. If you die, I will truly be alone, so come on, Willow,¡± I say while tears constantly fall down my eyes.


    ¡°I have to say your crying face is beautiful¡±, Willow says.


    ¡°I am so sorry I did this to you.¡±


    ¡°I had the choice to leave you and run away at any point, but I chose to stay. This is on me, and the consequences are my fault alone, so don¡¯t apologise.¡±


    ¡°Willow, but I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°I just told you to say sorry,¡± Willow burst out in another agonising scream after saying these words.


    What am I going to do?


    I see Cole run through the crowds of people outside, who were gathered because they were worried about Willows¡¯s safety. Then, after rushing into the room, he says, ¡°I think I should be able to help.¡±


    ¡°How so,¡± Oren asks.


    Cole then turns to the crowd outside and says, ¡°Would I be able to borrow some of you guys¡¯ plant, it will be necessary to save Willows¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°OF COURSE,¡± They all shouted in unison.


    I was a little worried they wouldn¡¯t trust Cole. I thought he was still treated as a suspicious figure around here, but it seems my guess where wrong. So, we all head off to collect plants. After a little bit, he finds the specific plants he is looking for.


    We then rush back to the hospital, where Cole then puts the leaves together in a bowl and grinds them up until all that is left is mulch. He then adds some hot water. When he is done, he makes Willow drink this.


    ¡°Cole, what are you giving him exactly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an anaesthetic made by mixing different ratios of certain leaves. When Sequoia brought me around the village, I noticed you had some of these plants though they were a lot bigger than normal with this, Willows¡¯s pain sensitivity should be low enough to operate on his¡±


    Moments after Cole tells us this, Willow completely stops wringing in pain and says, ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t feel it anymore, I don¡¯t fell anything,¡± then he composes himself.


    ¡°Willows, all right, Cole anaesthetic thing worked,¡± I say running over to Willow.


    ¦µ What the hell, this shouldn¡¯t be this strong? The version of these plants I usually come across only offers slight relief. Is it because of the Fimbulwinter environment they evolved to become more potent? All the plants I see have been bigger than their variants on the outside.


    ¡°Cole is everything ok,¡± Maple asks.


    ¡°Yeah, I am fine, just lost in thought.¡±


    ¡°Now, Willow, it¡¯s time to cut you open,¡± Oren says.


    ¡°But I am fine now,¡± Willow says, frightened.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You don¡¯t feel any pain now, but who knows when that will wear off, so I will remove that feather now, Maple, hold him down.¡±


    ¡°Aye, sir,¡± she says as she follows his instructions.


    As Oren starts preparing himself, he says to me, ¡°Thank you for doing this. I have seen many people die to my lack of knowledge, and I am happy that I don¡¯t have to add Willow to that list.¡±


    ¡°No need for that. You guys are the ones who patched me up. I am only returning the favour.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As Sequoia, with me on his back, rush back to the village to see what has become of Willow, we eventually get to the marker and make it back. As soon as we do we run to the hospital to check on Willow and Maple, we see Willow lying on the bed, looking as if he had seen hell.


    ¡°Willow, are you ok,¡± I say as I run over to him.


    ¡°Orb it was.¡±


    ¡°It was what answered me, Willow.¡±


    ¡°IT WAS SO UNCOMFORTABLE!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t feel any pain, so when they cut me up and were screwing around inside me my mind was going to different places. It was horrible.¡±


    ¡°Willow, you DUMBASS, I was worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was trying to tell you, my friend, about a bad experience I had. I thought you would want to know.¡±


    ¡°Willow, how are you ok? The feathers weren¡¯t pulled out straight away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have him two thank,¡± after these words are spoken, we see both Cole, Oren, and a bandaged-up Maple walk through the door.


    Sequoia immediately runs up to her and hugs her, saying, ¡°Thank god, you¡¯re ok, I was so worried for you¡±, he says with tears in his eyes.


    Maple starts crying and says, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, dad.¡±


    ¡°Cole here gave me some medicine, allowing them to operate on me and remove the feather. It was a disgusting process.¡±


    ¡°Stop whining, you big baby.¡±


    ¡°You''re only saying that because you don¡¯t understand how it feels to be ripped open.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, you big baby.¡±


    ¡°Baby, I happen to have been fearless in front of the forest king.¡±


    ¡°So what? I was able to take his left eye out while keeping you and Maple safe, so if anyone was fearless today, it was me, especially with my broken arm¡±, but then, while waving my broken left arm around, I noticed, ¡°My arm isn¡¯t broken anymore.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, arms don¡¯t just fix themselves.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t feel any pain, nor do the arms look weird anymore.¡±


    ¡°Orb, it is quite a feat that you were able to take the king¡¯s eye. I didn¡¯t think your skill had advanced to such a level,¡± Oren says.


    ¡°Well, something weird happened.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°Well, during my fight, I suddenly felt like this weird tingle in my leg, like the tingle you feel when you need to shit, and after tightening that feeling, my leg suddenly went bam,¡± I say with significant action, ¡°And next thing I knew it changed shape I also felt a bit stronger.¡±


    After I finish my explanation, I see everyone with shocked faces except Cole and Maple. I ask, ¡°Why do you guys look like that? What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°Orb, look at your right hand,¡± Willow says.


    I turn my head to see that it has transformed much like my leg before it. I let out a scream out of amazement but then started to fiddle with it. ¡°Where did this mass come.¡±


    ¡°Orb, you probably shouldn¡¯t touch it,¡± Willow says.


    ¡°Hey Maple, do you remember the description for a legacy in Magnolia books,¡± Sequoia says while looking amazed at my hand.


    ¡°Sometimes the wills of strong people who have died can¡¯t stay in the afterlife, and they descend on random people and live in their bodies with them, giving them not only their knowledge but also their powers¡±, Maple responds.

 Arc 2.16

    -Break-


    ¡°A legacy?¡±


    ¡°Yes Orb, a legacy. That¡¯s what is going on with you. The soul of another being is living in your body and granting you their powers.¡±


    ¡°Wait, does that mean someone has been staring at me while I shit and piss,¡± that also means they have heard me talk to myself all the time since Capti¡¯s death. That¡¯s so embarrassing.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know about that, but what I can tell you is that the soul of the other person can be manifested in armaments around your body, and that your body will start passively adopting physical traits the other person had, so I think that must be why you are immune to the cold.¡±


    I guess that makes sense. I thought I was immune to the cold due to some evolutionary difference, but it seems I just lucked out and got a legacy.


    ¡°Orb, that means a whole other person is inside you, isn¡¯t that kind of scary¡± Willow says to me.


    ¡°Well, I guess it would be to have a stranger inside my body, but I am pretty sure I have a fair idea of who my legacy is.¡±


    Willow, looking confused, asks Orb, ¡°Who.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for me to know. So, you just have to figure it out.¡±


    But as I say this, a group of warriors walk in, the ones whom we were ahead off they tell Sequoia, ¡°Chief, some warriors weren¡¯t able to get all their feathers out in time and are in agonising pain. We were able to get them back here. We don¡¯t know what to do,¡± the warrior says with a panicked expression as tears fall down his eyes.


    Sequoia then looks over at Cole and asks him, ¡°Would you be able to help the others as well? No wait.¡± Sequoia then bows and says, ¡°Would you please help the other warriors.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t bow, chief. I will help without a doubt, but I will need people to help me get the materials ready.¡±


    ¡°That will be no issue¡±, Sequoia turns to the crowd of People. ¡°Everyone here follow this man¡¯s instructions; you hear me!¡±


    ¡°YES, SIR!¡±


    Cole then gives an address to everyone, telling them what he needs to make the anaesthetic. We all go off to gather the materials. Then he and Oren, cut out the feathers in everyone¡¯s bodies. It was lots of work, but everyone was left alive by the end of the day.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Cole.¡±


    ¡°Would you please tell me where you¡¯re taking me?¡±


    ¡°Nowhere important.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it is nowhere important, why do I have to wear this blindfold?¡±


    ¡°You should stop asking pointless questions and just wait. We are almost there, so keep your blindfold on.¡±


    I know where everything is in this village, so I don¡¯t see why I would have to wear this unless this has all been some elaborate plot to mess with me and kill me.


    Orb got close to the villagers extremely quick. Maybe everything that has happened over the last year has been an elaborate plot to get me to trust them, so they can kill me. I have heard murderers get off by killing people they have grown attached to; doesn¡¯t that mean I am in trouble?


    ¡°Hey Cole, why is your heart beating so fast,¡± Orb whispers into my ear.


    ¡°How would you know that.¡±


    ¡°My body has changed due to my legacy. My sense of smell and hearing has gotten a lot better. I can smell the most feint smells; like the individual smells of every plant you have walked past today, and hear every beat of your heart; It¡¯s rather impressive.


    So, Willow, your heartbeat has been getting faster and faster for a while. Could you tell me why is that,¡± Orb says with a smile?


    I know I can¡¯t see him, but I can feel a sinister smile behind me. Without a doubt, they¡¯re going to kill me should I run. No, they saved my lost life. If they want to claim it, they can. I had already given up on it.¡±


    ¡°Cole, we are here. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°At least end my life with some class.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about anyway? Take off your blindfold Cole.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    As I remove my blindfold, I see that we are in front of the large dining hall, then everyone shouts, ¡°WELCOME TO OUR VILLAGE, COLE!¡±


    ¡°What is all this.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of the villagers wanted to thank you for saving Willow¡¯s life a few days ago, and we never had a welcome banquet for you like they did for me, so we have decided to do both in one here today.¡±


    A large group of villagers come up to me and bow, then say, ¡°SORRY.¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys apologising to me.¡±


    ¡°We have all been people who haven¡¯t been fond of you are staying here, but thanks to you were able to save not only some of our lives, but the lives of our families as well. You have only been good to us while we haven¡¯t been to you, and should we ask for your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right. You were right to be suspicious, so it is no big problem.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that is all done with, let us PARTY¡±, Orb shouts to everyone around, and with his announcement, the party starts and rages on the whole night.


    -Break-


    This village is beautiful, is what I think to myself while I stare from a cliff down onto it.


    ¡°Cole, it seems you¡¯re up early. What are you doing¡±, Sequoia says as he approaches me.


    ¡°Just taking a look at the village.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind if I join you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, be my guest,¡± and with those few words, Sequoia sits beside Cole.


    ¡°It is strange to see the village so quiet,¡± Sequoia says.


    ¡°Everyone is still pasted out in the dining hall from the party last night, which makes this as good a time as ever to enjoy the quiet sight of the village.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can understand why you want to do that, especially since everyone was hounding you last night, mister popular.¡±


    ¡°That was the first time many of the villagers have had a chance to talk to me, so I guess they didn¡¯t know how to restrain themselves. People were so tightly packed against me, that I thought I would be smothered to death at one point, but at least everyone was happy.¡±


    ¡°Of course, they would be. If not for you, we would have lost quite a few people, so their gratitude plus all the intrigue they have had towards you made them lose control, but still, I will tell them to hold back. We shouldn¡¯t smother you with our compassion.¡±


    ¡°No, I find it has been a long time since people have thanked me for anything. It made me happy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear then.¡±


    ¡°You know, everyone here is such a good person who cares for all the others around them. They all try hard to reach their goals and are always smiling; simply being here calms my spirit and makes me want to fade into it. I love this place. It¡¯s like a perfect world from a kid¡¯s story.¡±


    With a smile, Sequoia says, ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. I had hoped you would come to feel that way.¡±


    ¡°I understand why you want Maple to stay here forever, and I think you are right. You should keep on the pressure and make her stay here forever.¡±


    ¡°Speaking about that, I talked with Maple today. Not our usual violent discussions, like a real conversation where we both told each other what was bothering us. I never thought such a day would come when Maple and I would talk like that.


    She came up to me and apologised for all the horrible things she had said to me, and she told me she didn¡¯t want me to stop loving her. It seems the run-in with the king altered her perspective about some things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear. That means she would be more open to staying in the village with you.¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t say that because even after everything that had to happen, she had still reaffirmed her desire to leave the village despite almost dying. There was no doubt in her eyes when she said that.¡±


    With a worried look, Cole says, "You can¡¯t let that happen, we need to act fast.¡±


    ¡°Cole, Maple has told me time and time again that she wants to leave the village, and I always thought it was because she was dissatisfied with something in this village, so I kept trying to show her how great this village is, but it didn¡¯t work.


    I couldn¡¯t understand it, was as if my daughter was telling me all the things I love, that the people of this village, that I her father couldn¡¯t bring her happiness, it made me feel like a failure.


    I couldn¡¯t accept that, so I tried to blame it all on youthful curiosity and then used whatever method I could find to crush that, but it never worked because it was never the issue. My daughter didn¡¯t have any such intention. She told me she loved living here. It just isn¡¯t her place.


    Like you told me, no one man could have an entirely correct opinion about the way the world is. Even if an idea may prove true to ninety-nine per cent of people, it may not prove suitable for one per cent, and I guess Maple and my Drasil are the one per cent to my conviction.¡±


    ¡°But Sequoia, you can¡¯t compromise on your convictions. Convictions exist to guide us through our most complex decisions, just like this one, so you shouldn¡¯t stop believing in them.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t stopped believing in it from the bottom of my heart. I believe everything I said to you and Orb with all my heart and soul is the truth, but I have recently realised that I am fully prepared to forsake many things regarding myself for my daughter''s happiness. She is the most important thing to me, beyond even my convictions, and if she was born in a way that makes it impossible to live her life here, I simply can¡¯t do anything about that. I have been unsure about lots of things in my life, but this is no longer one of them.¡±


    After I say these words, I look down at Cole, who looks desolate. He then starts rubbing his head, slaps his cheeks, and mumbles, ¡°Family over convictions.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Cole, are you ok,¡± I ask him.


    As Cole rises from the ground, he says to Sequoia, ¡°Yeah, I just sorted out a few of my feelings. You are right; family is the most important. You¡¯re doing a good job by helping your daughter. I wish you the best of luck,¡± Cole says as he stretches his hand for a handshake.


    Giving Cole a handshake, I say, ¡°Thank you for that, Cole. ¡°


    So after we finish are handshake, Cole says ¡°We should probably head back now, I am sure some people have awoken by now and are probably looking for us.¡±


    After Cole says that to me, we both start heading back, but while we walk around, I asks, ¡°Do you have any family, Cole.¡±


    After thinking for a little bit Cole responds, ¡°Well, I have parents?¡±


    ¡°What where they like.¡±


    ¡°Very much like you.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°They loved family above everything else in this world.¡±


    ¡°They sound like good people.¡±


    ¡°They were.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be, I lost both of them a while ago, so I have moved past it. The only thing that¡¯s sad is that I don¡¯t get to cook for them anymore. They both loved my cooking.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if this would make up for it, but we have a big end-of-year banquet coming up, and if you would like to cook some meals for it, I am sure everyone in this village would be pleased about that.¡±


    ¡°I will take you up on that offer.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear¡±, and so with that, we both returned to the village.

 Arc 2.17

    -Break-


    ¦µ Ever since Maple went to talk with her father, she has started to fit in more in the village. She now speaks to all the other villagers and gets along with her dad. Sequoia has also continued to teach Maple about the outside world.


    Due to all this Maple is almost always smiling now, which warms my heart. But the best part is that she is a lot nicer to me. Though if there is one thing that has been bothering me, it is her and Orb.


    Due to the chief removing the ban on outside knowledge, she has also talked with Orb a lot. He has shared all his knowledge with her, and they have grown closer. This was great for me at first, my two friends were also becoming friends, I couldn¡¯t ask for anything better. That was what I thought, but recently, I have been bothered since they seem to be hanging out more often.


    They have also recently been showing off some bizarre behaviour, and when I have gone up to them to ask them what¡¯s going on, they start to freak out and try to end the conversation as quickly as possible, then run off.


    It''s been bothering me so much, I have been sitting just trying to figure out what¡¯s happening with them.


    ¡°Willow, you ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Aea, I am fine.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re looking rather gloomy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a lot on my mind.¡±


    Sitting beside me, she says, ¡°Well, I have some time.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping for the end-of-the-year banquet? And I am pretty sure we¡¯re behind.¡±


    Sweat starts trickling down Aea¡¯s face, but she soon turns stone-faced and says, ¡°Sometimes adults need to take a break. You will understand when your older, Willow.¡±


    ¡°So, you ran away due to being too lazy.¡±


    ¡°It was too hard, that psychopath Pine is working us all to the bone, especially me. I tell you; she has had it out for me ever since I was her student. And while I am taking this abuse, we have to help Cole look for special ingredients he needs from around the village; it¡¯s too much. I am a delicate maiden. I need to take a break every once in a while!¡±


    ¡°The last time we went hunting, didn¡¯t you snap spercera neck with your bare hands,¡± I mumble under my breath.


    ¡°What was that.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, so tell me about what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, I think Maple and Orb have been getting close.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I have found them sneaking around throughout the day and late at night, then when they come back; their clothes are all ruffled.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°And when I asked them about all their strange behaviour, they start to panic and make up excuses, so I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Willow, I think I have figured out what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°You have what it is?¡±


    Then, full of confidence and energy, Aea says to me, ¡°It¡¯s a love affair. Those two have been seeing each other behind your back.¡±


    ¡°HUH!¡±


    ¡°Willow, it¡¯s obvious, they have been seeing each other secretly and getting into unquestionable things.¡±


    ¡°All three of us are only fourteen.¡±


    ¡°My parents are only fourteen years older than me, Willow. Think about it. They have been sneaking around behind your back because Orb knows that you like Maple.¡±


    ¡°How would he know that.¡±


    ¡°Willow everybody knows that, it isn¡¯t hard to figure out. It must have happened when Orb saved you guys from the king. Her womanly urges must have activated, and the fact they live together must have accelerated her feelings of a forbidden romance between the girl who is forced to stay in the village and the man who will soon leave the village. How salacious.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh, but they have only known each other for a short period, and Orb is my friend.¡±


    ¡°That makes it all the better for them. The feeling of immorality will make their passions burn all the hotter when they fuc-¡°


    ¡°AEA, SO THIS IS WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN!¡±


    ¡°Crap, it¡¯s Pine,¡± Aea says as she starts running, but in mere seconds, Pine is in front of her. Well, that is expected from the woman once called the lighting warrior.


    Pine grabs Aea and starts Dragging her; ¡°Let me go, you witch.¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth! To think you would have the guts to take a break, I am making you work for another hour every second you were here.¡±


    ¡°Nooo, why is it always me you pick on.¡±


    ¡°I am trying to discipline you, since you lack all forms of it. Willow don¡¯t listen to a word this insect has said; she loves to be dramatic.¡±


    As Aea is being dragged away, she starts crying and says, ¡°You called me an insect!¡±


    ¡°I simply stated a fact, if you want to be something more than that, just work hard,¡± With those words from Pine, they were out of range for me to hear them.


    I shouldn¡¯t have thought much about what Aea said, but I can¡¯t stop thinking about it. There is no way they could be doing horrible things behind my back, right? Panicking, I let out a scream and say, ¡°I need to find out what they are doing tonight.¡±


    -Break-


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    A good way away from Maples¡¯s house, I see her and Orb leave in the middle of the night as always, with both of them carrying bags. Then I see them go out into the forest. So that¡¯s where they have been going. This is a good sign they can¡¯t do anything unquestionable in the snow but wait, Orb is immune to the cold, so the snow is no different from a bed to him.


    So, I slowly start following them. I can¡¯t let Orb hear me or smell me. If he does, he will be able to lose me. So I go in the same direction, following the footprints they left in the snow. I follow all of them, but part ways through, I see another set of prints a good bit off from here. Does this mean someone other than those two is going out, or maybe they were planted there to distract followers?


    I ignore the other footprints and continue until I reach a marker; I use it to transport. I follow their footprints slower than I did before, since I don¡¯t know how far ahead they are. I eventually hear their voices.


    I hide behind a tree a listen to them talk to each other.


    ¡°Orb, take it out.¡±


    ¡°No need to be in a rush. Let¡¯s take it in slow.¡±


    ¡°If my dad wakes up and sees where not back, he won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Due to you behaving yourself, he has lost the source of most of his stress. He can sleep peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right, but before we start, let me have a taste.¡±


    Hearing these words, I can''t sit still anymore. I run forward and say, ¡°I can''t believe you guys would be doing such things here,¡± as I arrive in front of them, I see Maple eating a giant slab of meat, and the king of the forest is lying behind both of them.


    Seeing the king, I let out an enormous scream. I then see the king¡¯s feather pointing at me.


    ¡°Willow, the 2<sup>nd</sup> stop that,¡± Orb says as he hits the king on the head, and following Orb¡¯s instructions, the king lowers its feathers back to a stationary position.


    I walk up to Orb and say, ¡°What is all this.¡±


    Orb Looks at Maple as if they¡¯re trying to formulate a strategy with their eyes. He then tells me, ¡°Willow, you¡¯re dreaming. Go to bed.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I would fall for that!¡± As I say this, feeling a presence behind me, I duck and see Maple fall in front of me. ¡°Did you both just try to attack me?¡±


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t. You attacked yourself. This is your dream.¡±


    Fed up with this lame excuse, I walk up to Orb and kick him in the balls, which causes him to fall to the ground. ¡°Now, do you want to explain what is going on, or do you want to get hit again.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, I will explain. You see, one day, while I was testing out my legacy, I heard a bunch of animals fighting, so I rushed over to see a bunch of atlas eaters trying to kill the king, and due to my undying hatred for atlas eaters, I had to kill them.


    I found out that the king never fully healed from his encounter with us and was vulnerable, so being the good person I am, I took it upon myself to nurse him back to health. Maple eventually found out I was sneaking out of the house and came to help me.¡±


    ¡°I see, but that doesn¡¯t explain why you didn¡¯t tell me what you guys were doing.¡±


    ¡°Well, this king almost killed you, so we thought it would be sort of weird to ask you to care for it.¡± Maple tells me.


    ¡°But the king is extremely hostile. It is hazardous for you guys to just hang around him he tried to kill us for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Well, at first, the king was hostile, but over time he came to like us, and he was trying to kill you guys because he is lonely. He happens to be the last of his race, and you and Maple were shamelessly flirting in front of him; of course, he would be mad, look at this face It wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you even know about that,¡± I say


    ¡°Oh, the King told me.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Orb? Are you saying the king spoke to you?¡±


    ¡°No, he wrote of the floor with his nail in the Saviours song. The king is quite intelligent. He told me he was jealous, but now that we¡¯re his friends everything is all right, he won¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Willow, the 2<sup>nd</sup> won¡¯t hurt anyone. Look at its cute face,¡± Maple says.


    As I look at the beast¡¯s face, I think to myself, how can this thing ever be considered cute by anyone? ¡°Why have you guys been calling the king Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    Maple has an embarrassed look on her face. Orb says, ¡°Maple and I thought we should name the king something that makes us happy, so we chose Willow since you fit the bill. It was either that or meat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice, but I don¡¯t want a beast such as this to have the same name as me,¡± as I say this, the king behind me spits on me, covering my whole body in its saliva. ¡°WHAT THE HELL!¡±


    ¡°Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> bad boy, now we have to go and take Willow the 1<sup>st</sup> back to the village to have a bath.¡± Let¡¯s go, guys.


    As we walk back, Maple and Orb wave goodbye to the king, who waves back at them. Then I say, ¡°Let me in next time so we can all spend time together.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was just trying to be thoughtful.¡±


    ¡°Well, you suck at that. In less than a month, you plan to leave, so I want to spend as much time with you as possible, avoiding me isn¡¯t being thoughtful.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Willow, I didn¡¯t know it bothered you so much.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it does, you are my best friend.¡±


    ¡°So are you. Let¡¯s spend my last few days in the village having fun,¡± as those words leave Orb¡¯s mouth; Maple starts staring daggers into Orb.


    ¡°Hey Maple, I can feel your stare, so could you stop doing it so intensely,¡± Orb says.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°So that you know, Maple, I don¡¯t plan to take Willow with me or anything.¡±


    ¡°Why would you tell me it¡¯s none of my business.¡±


    ¡°Can the both of you stop arguing? If this is about Orb and me hanging out, you can join, Maple.¡±


    Orb excitedly says, ¡°Ok, then let us three spend my last few days here having as much fun as possible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that¡±, Maple says while picking up snow.


    ¡°Maple, what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Well, we need to cover up our footsteps.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t forget to cover up the other footsteps as well.¡±


    ¡°What other footsteps.¡±


    ¡°The ones just that led in another direction.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Very funny well, we will see them when we return.¡± So, as we return to where I saw the second set of footsteps, we see they are all covered up, ¡°They were right here.¡±


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re not losing it, Willow.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not Maple. Orb, do you smell anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, I smell traces of the meal we ate today, but that would be on everyone¡¯s body, so someone must just be coming out here for fun. We are out this late it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if someone else were as well.¡±


    And just like with those words, we headed back to the village. Every day from then on, we played with Willow the 2<sup>nd,</sup> and I can say he is a good boy though almost every single time we left to go into the forest, Orb kept picking up strange scents every time, even right until the night of the banquet.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Throughout this year, we have gained skills, character, and even strengthened our hearts. This year has been bountiful, so let us give thanks by enjoying ourselves with all our hearts. Now let us eat and drink our hearts outlet the end of the year banquet! Hooray!¡±


    As the banquet begins, Sequoia notices the two children at his side looking rather sad. ¡°Orb, Maple, what¡¯s wrong with the both of you.¡±


    ¡°It is just that we miss Willow.¡±


    ¡°Well, then call him over here,¡± as I say this, I look over at Willow, who also looks sad.


    ¡°Wrong Willow dad. Why can¡¯t we be with our good boy today.¡±


    ¡°Is there another Willow in this village?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Sequoia. It¡¯s of no matter.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about this whole Willow situation, but I can say one thing doesn¡¯t the food tastes delicious? Give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Ok, dad, I will give it a bit.¡±


    ¡°I will too,¡± so both Maple and Orb take a bite of Coles¡¯s cooking. They start feasting while saying, ¡°Delicious¡± with their mouths stuffed.


    ¡°It is amazing, dad,¡± Maple says as she devours the food. She and Orb''s energy infects everyone around them, and the banquet starts going. Everyone is enjoying themselves a lot. As I stare at this site, I remember why I love this place so much.


    ¦µ That was so delicious that I don¡¯t even remember what I was sad about. I say, fully satisfied with the meal; I need to thank Cole.¡±


    I see Cole behind me talking to himself. As I use my hearing, I listen in and hear him say, ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    Cole then goes up and walks in front of everyone and says, ¡°Chief would it be ok for me to give an address to everyone.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Cole. You made such a delicious meal. Say what you want.¡±


    As the chief says this, I suddenly start feeling weak and drowsy; that¡¯s weird.


    ¡°Everyone, thank you for everything you have done for me. You have all helped me strengthen my spirit, and for that, thank you.¡±


    As Cole says this, I realise he has all the strange smells I have smelled, are on him. I didn¡¯t notice before due to the fact, he has reeked of food because of his cooking every time I have seen them as of late.


    ¡°Now, goodnight and goodbye forever, everyone.¡± And with those words, I see everyone one by one collapse, with me going down last.

 Arc 2.18

    -Break-


    As I start to wake up, I try to move my body. I notice my hands and feet are restricted. I feel pain from trying to move my them, so I open my eyes to see my situation. I note that everything around me is dark, with just a little light coming through what I believe are planks. My hands and feet are chained in the stocks, it was the same kind that were put on me when I first arrived. My mouth also had cloth on it, stopping me from making noise. I also felt weak. It was like my muscles had been weakened.


    Unable to get out of the stocks, I use my legacy on both arms, which shatter these stocks. I then use the claws to remove the ones on my legs. After that, I broke open the top of where I was put, and it turned out I was in a storage area within the village. No one is usually here due to how cold it is.


    After getting up, I leave the storehouse and walk around the village. Still, to my surprise, it is barren. There are no people, no matter where I look when I call out, I don¡¯t get any response. Still, the most bizarre part is that the village has been ransacked, items are missing from the houses, and lots of the plants are missing, though the part of all this that makes me extremely scared is all the new scents I smell around the village.


    Seeing this sight, I panic and start running around the village. Where is everyone? What the hell happened? Why did I fall asleep? These questions run through my mind chaotically until I slap both my check. Ok, Orb think about this you were tied underground with no way to communicate, so the same could be happening to someone else, so instead of blindly calling out, I should listen.


    So using all my concentration, I listen in to the most minute sounds while walking around the village, and then eventually I hear something in Sequoia¡¯s house, so I run over there and look around, at the bottom floor of Sequoias house I find a hollow part of the floor I then open it up to see that both Sequoia and Maple are locked away in a similar situation as me.


    After using my Legacy to free them from the stocks, I take the tape off Sequoia¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Sequoia,¡± I say after hugging him out of relief.


    ¡°Orb, do you know what is going on?¡±


    ¡°I woke up in a similar situation as you and Maple, but I was able to get out. Then I went around but could not find anyone, and all the buildings were ransacked.¡±


    ¡°I see now. Could you tell me the last thing you remember before waking?¡±


    ¡°I remember Cole giving us a speech, but I got drowsy and fell asleep.¡±


    ¡°Same as me then; I think there was something in Cole¡¯s food that caused this. Maple ate more food than me and you, and she is still unconscious.¡±


    ¡°But why would there be something like that in the food he gave us.¡±


    After thinking for a second, Sequoia asks me, ¡°Orb did you smell anything unfamiliar while walking around the village.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there were many scents I wasn¡¯t familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Orb, there is something I want to check, so let¡¯s go outside the village.¡± And so, following Sequoia¡¯s instructions, we start walking, but as Sequoia gets up, he falls to his knees.


    ¡°Sequoia, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I thought my body felt weak while I was locked away, but now I know the reason why, the way my body feels is what happens to me when I have taken a muscle relaxer, but that takes at least two to three days to take effect, and it reeks so there is no way I could have taken it without knowing.¡±


    My body felt a bit weak when I awoke. Does this mean I had also had some, but if it reeks without a doubt, I would of smelled it. ¡°Sequoia, I think I will go ahead.¡±


    ¡°No, give me a moment. I believe my body can still move, just not as fast.¡±


    So, after Sequoia gets up, we both move outside the village with me holding Maples¡¯s body. When we reach the outskirts of the village, we see lots of footprints and something else.


    ¡°What are these lines in the snow that move straight forward.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, I think these may be carriage tracks.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Orb¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, it is something used to transport goods and people in the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Then how is it here.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    So, after a moment, Sequoia says to me, ¡°Orb, I would like to check something, and for that, I need you.¡± Sequoia takes me to a marker with footprints surrounding it, which we go through. When we arrive on the other side, he asks me, ¡°Orb do you smell anything now.¡±


    ¡°In that direction and the one over there, I smell a few scents I knew from the village.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Orb, let¡¯s, go investigate them.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you will be able to handle that?¡±


    ¡°I will be ok, but I will need you to hold onto Maple for me, as we are now you¡¯re faster than me, so she should be safe with you.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Sequoia,¡± so we head off in our giving directions.


    But before I leave, Sequoia says, ¡°Orb, if you see Cole proceed with extreme caution.¡± And with those words, he heads off. A part of me wants to ask him what he meant by that, but after thinking about all the evidence, there is only one natural conclusion I can come to on all this. Still, regardless of that, I want to have faith.


    So, after Sequoia and I split up, I went from tree to tree in the direction I smelled the scents from as fast as possible with maple slung over my shoulder. Even with my Legacy, this is hard. How does everyone in the village do this so casually, it can¡¯t just be physical strength?


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    As I continue to go from tree to tree, I eventually hear voices and follow them until I reach their point of origin. I look down from the tree I am on to see five men with swords guarding another eight men with carts. When I look in those carts, I see objects from the village. Immediately I realised these were the people the ransacked our town. Looking for information, I listen in to the men talking.


    ¡°HURRY UP, YOU IDIOTS.¡±


    ¡°But boss, it¡¯s cold. I can barely feel my feet.¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you think I feel? Not only do I have to protect you from any predasaurs out here, but I also can¡¯t even wear any armour, or it will freeze off, so stop your whining.¡±


    Another swordsman says, ¡°How the hell could anyone even live in such a place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of our business, but at least thanks to them, were going to be filthy rich, use the thought of that to warm you up boys.¡±


    After hearing their conversation, I figure I should talk to one of them, but I can almost guarantee they won¡¯t answer any of my questions willingly, so I guess my only option is violence.


    The five swordsmen surround the eight carts, two in front, one on the left and right, and one on the back, with the men pulling the carts in a row of two-three-two in the middle of the five swordsmen. So, after formulating a plan, I sling Maple across one of the branches on the tree, and then I get on a tree in front of them. Then using my feet, and I slide down one of the trees until I am safe enough not to break a leg.


    I lunge at the two swordsmen in front, smashing their heads into the snow.


    The swordsman on the far right says, ¡°What the hell was that.¡± but in that instance, the words leave his mouth, I am already at him, swinging my right leg into the left side of his head, but he was able to use his hand to guard my kick a bit, which caused him to fly into the golden tree to his right. That blow was not hard enough to knock him out. While preparing for my next move, I hear the swordsman on the far left and behind are already closing in on me.


    Their speed is unnatural, like the warriors, which is shocking since these guys are more visually unfit; unlike the warriors in the village, there must be something else going on other than physical strength.


    As the swordsman in the back comes, he slashes at my feet. He is probably trying to stop my mobility, but I jump over his slash while kicking his head into the snow. That blow was also too soft, but I decided to improvise and dash into the people with carts, and when the swordsman on the left approached, I got on my hands and used the full force of my legs to kick one of the men who were moving the carts into him, and at the speed, he was going the collision causes a significant impact.


    I hear the swordsman I stepped on the head, get up and dashed towards me. I turn around, picking up snow from the floor, and we both move towards each other at high speed. I have figured out that these guys are slower than the other warriors. So, I dodge under his swing while throwing the snow I picked up in his face, as he lands and cleans the snow off his face; he turns around to see my fist already in his gut, spending him flying into the swordsman on the far left, causing both of them to go unconscious.


    I hear the last issue getting up. The only swordsman who could react to me was earlier, the one who was called boss. Still, I trust everything I learn. I lunge at full speed, but he is already prepared, and my claw and his sword clash.


    ¦µ What the hell is going on? How is this boy who doesn¡¯t even look sixteen years old knocking us all out? He is wearing the same clothes as all the other people we have taken from that village, and is a legacy. How did the rookie miss this guy? He should have been the first one taken; I will crack that rookie¡¯s skull open.


    He uses his claw to deflect each blow as I try to slash him. Not only is he keeping up with me, but I am also being pressed. Though I still have the paralytic dust in my pocket, I will throw it at him when I find an open. The boy in front of me starts easing up on his assault. He must be tired, so I try to reach for the dust, but at that moment, the boy suddenly moves faster and cuts my left hand off.


    That was a trap. He baited me into this. So, with all my strength, I swing my sword into him, but he shatters it and punches me in the face.


    ¦µ After I take care of the last swordsman, I immediately turn around and smash the remaining people in the back of the head except one. As this person starts cowering in fear I say, ¡°So do you want to do what I say or try and fight me.¡±


    ¡°I Surrender,¡± he says, while dropping my head deep into the snow


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The only reasoning, I am helping these guys is because they threaten my life.¡±


    After he says this, I sit in front of him and ask, ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. Just answer my questions.¡±


    ¦µ I look up at the boy with tears in my eyes and think, what a sucker. I can¡¯t believe he trusted me so quickly. All I have to do is keep up this act, and I can walk free.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡±


    ¡°We came to transport anything of value in the village.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me what that means exactly?¡±


    ¡°People and items.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    He is getting noticeably angry. ¡°Since these villagers have a distinct culture of their own, are quite physically fit, and are all descendants of Magnolia; they will sell at quite a high price,¡± as the kid thinks about what I say, his hair turns from bright red to white.


    ¡°What direction did they go in.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you which direction, but they headed back to the boss¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°By the boss, do you mean that guy knocked out over there?¡±


    ¡°No, he is just the boss of this specific group. The actual boss is still in the base.¡±


    ¡°Where is this base?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. Only members of their group know.¡±


    ¡°Is there any more of you guys around?¡±


    ¡°There is a second group away from here carrying more objects back.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible you guys have taken too much, only to have that small amount of cargo?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are the last group of people doing transport. The first group started eighteen hours ago.¡±


    ¦µ Eighteen hours how long was I out? Would I even be able to catch up to them? ¡°Now, the last question, how did you find out about this place?¡±


    ¡°The rookie told us.¡±


    My chest feels tight as I say, ¡°What rookie?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Well, one of the newbies disappeared for an entire year, and when he returned, he was about to be punished for leaving, but he told these guys about this place, and we spent the last month formulating this plan. I am so sorry. Instead of trying to stop this plan, I went along with it to save my skin. I am pathetic,¡± I say while I bawl my eyes out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; it is ok. It¡¯s not your fault,¡± he says as he stretches his hand out for me to grab.


    So easy, I think to myself as I grab his hand, but then he punches me directly in the stomach. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Throughout our conversation, I listened to your heartbeat. When I take the result I got from that, and the fact that I heard you talking all buddy-buddy with everyone, has convinced me you were lying your ass off.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I was, but I am sorry, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are, I will forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he says as he breaks my arm


    ¡°WHYYYY¡±


    ¡°Punishment and reform go hand in hand. Punishment without reform is a waste of time, and don¡¯t you think reform without proper punishment is unfair? So I am just giving you some punishment for your reform.¡±


    And with those words, he also breaks my leg. ¡°What was that one for.¡±


    ¡°To make sure you don¡¯t run away, but don¡¯t worry, I am going to do that to everybody,¡± so, one by one, he breaks the right leg of some people and the right arm of others.


    ¡°I left all of the couriers with their arms, so you guys will be able to walk back. Just be safe. Your lives are in gods hand now,¡±  and with that, the boy takes off.


    ¦µ I pick up Maple and start heading towards where I smelt the other scents. Sequioa, I need to tell you what I have found out. I also sniff around, and I pick up a few more scents. It seems that the people here earlier still left me a trail I can follow, so I should be able to get to their base after we meet up.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Knocking out ten different armed men with your body how it is, you really are a monster Sequoia.¡±


    ¡°Cole, tell me why you have done this immediately.¡±

 Arc 2.19

    After taking a breath, Cole says, ¡°You know you¡¯re really messing up my plan here, after all that effort I made to make sure you, Orb, and Maple were left alone, you come and do this, YOU FUCKING IDIOT.¡±


    ¡°COLE, ANSWER MY QUESTION!¡±


    ¡°Ok then, for money, simply as that, everything from the village will all fetch a high price, there is your answer.¡±


    Enraged, Sequoia says, ¡°So you destroyed our village for money.¡±


    ¡°Basically.¡±


    ¡°Even after everything we did for you, this is how you repay us, by destroying our village and selling us off. I swear, even if God forgives this transgression, I will not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your fault for not sticking to your principles.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°You believe the outside world is dangerous, yet you decided to curve your principles to look after Orb and me. You invited danger into this village. No one else, all my actions here are your fault and yours alone.


    You wouldn¡¯t know this since you don¡¯t cook, but it was rather easy to put lots of different types of drugs into the food: muscle relaxants and anaesthetics did the job on everyone. The food smell even covered up most of the drug smell. All this I could do because you didn¡¯t stick to your principles. This is no one¡¯s fault but your Sequoia.¡±


    Sequoia enraged charges at me.


    Well, you killing me right now would quite literally be the definition of justice, so I shouldn¡¯t complain about that, but I still have things to do. So as Sequoia¡¯s fist comes towards me, I catch it, but he then spins his body and kicks me right in the neck, saying.


    ¡°That should settle it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know about that?¡± I say in response as I throw his body away.


    As Sequoia lands, he is dumbfounded about how I was unaffected by his kick. As he tries to assess what happened, he hears me say.


    ¡°If you¡¯re wondering how I am still alive, it is spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°Spirit arts?¡±


    ¡°It is the use of Spirit energy produced by the soul to strengthen one¡¯s body. So, to put it simply, right now, you can¡¯t beat me Sequoia.¡±


    ¦µ His body is so hard my attacks won''t phase him. What am I supposed to do? No Sequoia, there is too much riding on this, it doesn¡¯t matter how much stronger he has become you can still win, every opponent has a weak point. So, I come in close to attack him.


    ¦µ It seems my bluff didn¡¯t detract him; I was hoping to break his spirit since he is still using spirit energy although an unconscious variation. The people of this village have trained to such an extent that they can use it without any formal training, so I got to crush Sequoia fast, before he figures something out, him giving up would have been preferred though.


    So, using spirit energy to move as quickly as possible, I dash towards him and punch at full force, but he moves back in time as my fist crashes into the ground, so I run forward and come at him with all my power and speed, but using my body weight against me he deflects all my blows.


    Is he mad? If his precision is off even a little, I will crush him. Still, all those parries should be taking a lot of focus and stamina. I should throw in something he doesn¡¯t expect, so I use all my strength to smash the ground beneath me, throwing Sequoia off his balance and giving me an opening. Hence, I punch him trying to make an impact, but when my arm reaches him, he grabs it and then uses it to jump behind me.


    Like me, people who intend to use spirit energy can sense others¡¯ spirit energy regardless of whether the person using it can consciously control it or not.


    So as Sequoia is behind me, I don¡¯t even need to turn around to know he is going to kick me on the back of the head, so I send all my spiritual energy to the point he is going to strike me, negating all damage it would cause.


    Sequoia then moves back, but giving him no time to get a foothold, I dash forward and keep up the attacks. This is good Sequoia is struggling to stop my attacks, while I can quickly stop his by reading his spirit energy. If this goes on, I will eventually be able to put a stop to him.


    So, as we continue to go back and forth, I see that Sequoia spirit energy has ceased. He must of reach his limit, so I strike. Still, he barely dodges while countering with a kick to my temple, right before the blow lands he starts using spirit energy, so I immediately send spirit energy to my head. Still, I feel his fist in my stomach, which he infused with spiritual energy at the moment of impact. The blow sends me flying back.


    I can''t read his movements if he only uses spirit energy at the moment of impact. Even when drugged, I still am having so much trouble, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, is there even a need to be strong while living in this village.¡±


    Sequoia continued his assault, not answering my question, hitting me in weak spots across my entire body. If this goes on, I am going to lose. I didn¡¯t want to do this, but I had no choice.


    ¡°Your wife was curable¡±, Sequoia ignoring my words, he continues his attack. ¡°The purple grip was the name of the disease that ran rampant in this village. It ran rampant in the outside world, but a cure was found, so Maple¡¯s blame was correct. Your wife could be saved.¡± His movement got slightly more aggressive.


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    My words are affecting him ¡°Sequoia, the cure for it can be made with plants around the village and forest. Isn¡¯t it that hilarious that the way to save your wife was in your backyard, but you were too stupid and killed her instead.¡± My words cause Sequoia to stop in motion if only slightly; this is my opening, so I strike him with all I got.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I should almost be at Sequoia now that his scent is getting stronger. I hope he is all right since his body isn¡¯t at full strength. As I think this, I feel a rustling on my back; it seems Maple is waking up.


    As she awakes, she looks down at me and says, ¡°Good morning, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Maple.¡±


    ¡°Hey, where are we?¡±


    ¡°Currently in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, because everyone in the village has been kidnapped, and everything else has been stolen.¡± I say with a bright smile.


    ¡°I see. WAIT REALLY? Did they take Willow!¡±


    ¡°Yes, to my knowledge, except me, you and Sequoia, everyone else was taken.¡±


    ¡°This is bad. We must get them back,¡± she says while pulling my hair.


    ¡°I know that¡¯s why we¡¯re going to meet up with your dad and formulate a plan to get them. We must act fast since I don¡¯t know how much ground they have covered.¡±


    I feel Maple shaking on my back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will get everyone back flat, including your husband.¡±


    ¡°I am not worried, and what do you mean by that Orb,¡± she says as she pulls my cheeks.


    I pick up on something ¡°Maple; I think where almost there, Sequoia should be just down here,¡± after saying this, I start jumping lower and lower on each tree till I eventually see the bottom with Sequoia standing up.


    ¡°DAD, WE HAVE ARRIVED!¡±


    But Sequoia didn¡¯t respond to Maples¡¯s words. He just fell from his standing position to the ground, and in front of him, we saw Cole.


    When Cole sees us, he covers his face with his hand and then violently scratches his head. He then looks up and screams, ¡°IS IT FUN TO PLAY WITH ME LIKE THIS?¡± He then kicks Sequoia¡¯s body over to us I catch it.


    ¡°Sequoia are you ok?¡± is what I say, but looking down at his body, I see a significant dent in his chest where blood is leaking from.


    ¡°Dad comes on, wake up,¡± Maple says as she shakes his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath. I crushed his heart with the last blow.¡±


    ¡°You what,¡± I say, shaken by his words.


    ¡°DAD, WAKE UP,¡± Maple says as she violently shakes his body while crying ¡°no, no, no, no, dad, comes on, please don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; you will meet him soon, after all that effort I went to save the people who saved my life, this is how it turns out comical, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Enraged by his words, I lunge toward him using my legacy on my legs and hands. I cut his check as he dodges to the left. After landing, I change my direction and come at him again, but he moves backwards. Using my hand after missing my last attack, I redirect my body into the air above him, then I move my body in a circular motion and land another cut on him with my foot.


    ¦µ Orb doesn¡¯t use any spirit energy. That speed and strength are purely physical, so I can¡¯t read his movement. This shouldn¡¯t be possible. He ate lots of food yesterday. He should still feel the effect, wait his body has taken on properties similar to his legacy. He probably has some sort of poison resistance . I have no choice but to resort to the same tactics.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably wondering how a person like me beat Sequoia. Well, it was simple. All it had to do was tell him that he could have cured his wife with plants, for around the village, it stopped him right in his tracks. You should have seen the face he made.¡±


    Orb becomes even angrier as he is about to attack me. Yes, but I need him to become irrational to land a killing blow. So, as he is about to come at me, Orb stops himself and turns off his legacy.


    ¡°Why are you doing this, Cole?¡±


    Huh, is he really ¡°Right now I am trying to kill you, and you think this is a good time to ask me questions? You are strange, but I guess I will humour you, for money short and simple.¡±


    ¡°Over this last year, I have kept an extremely close eye on you to ensure you were not a bad person. I was spying on you multiple times without you knowing. Nothing I had seen then suggested you were this horrible, so tell me, why are you doing this.¡±


    ¡°The reason you can¡¯t accept my action is your hubris, yo-¡±


    ¡°COLE!¡± Orb shouts, cutting me off. ¡°If there is one thing I can take pride in, it is that I am rather good at reading people, so I can say with all my heart you didn¡¯t do this for any evil reason, so please tell me what¡¯s wrong and if I can help.¡±


    ¡°You want to help even though I killed Sequoia?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I plan to punish you severely for that.¡±


    Relaxing my body and looking Orb straight in the eye, I say, ¡°How are you going to do that? Please tell me what can you do for me.¡±


    Orb has a shocked expression, but I continue, ¡°You have no power, no money. Nothing, you can do nothing since you lack those things, the only thing you have is borrowed power. Despite my living in the village for a year, you never truly saw the person I was.


    You would be shocked at the horrific things I have done to people. You were unable to stop my plan, unable to save Sequoia, and will be unable to stop me from killing you and Maple. You are worthless, and due to that fact, anything you try will fail. So, if you wanted to have any semblance of happiness in your life, you should¡¯ve stayed on that mountain.¡±


    I reinforce my body with spirit energy and rush at Orb. He is still shocked by my words, so he is sloppy and rigid even though he puts his legacy back on, I can still land a blow against him, which knocks him back.


    When Orb gets up, he comes at me at full speed, but I dodge. He has moved from sad to angry ¡°Your hair colour gives away your mental state.¡± I can avoid his attack, and as he comes at me relentlessly, I see an opening as he gets tired and I break his left arm with my leg.


    He falls to the ground screaming in pain. As I am about to crush his head, I feel an impact on my back. Turning around, I saw it was Maple. I forgot she could unconsciously use spirit energy. She did that when she carried me.


    I see her with tears and say, ¡°So you want to die first.¡±


    ¡°For killing my father, I will  never forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, the blame lies on both of us since you brought me back here while I was wide awake. I could memorise how to get into the village thanks to you.¡±


    Stunned by my words, I used this opening to dash toward her and smack her right on her head, but she uses her hand to guard against my blows in time.


    So, I relentless continue my assault, landing minor blow after blow on this girl¡¯s body. I have almost got her done in.


    ¦µ My arm hurts but not as much as the last time I broke it. Maybe it was because my legacy was activated. As I look at Maple getting pummelled, I start running towards them. But eventually, Cole smashes Maple against a tree, and it seems the impact knocks her out, and I see him about to go for the killing blow.


    My legs feel too slow to reach max speed; I won¡¯t get there in time. As I see Cole about to strike Maple, a thought runs through my head, I should give up; I will fail again. No Orb, regardless of whether you are worthless or not, it doesn¡¯t matter. Act right now with all you have and think about it later.


    Don¡¯t be selfish. This isn¡¯t about you. This is about saving a life. So, as I run, I feel a strange tingle in my right arm, and as I swing that arm towards Cole, ice appears from my legacy and travels in Cole¡¯s direction, freezing most of his body and the trees in his direction.

 Arc 2.20

    -Break-


    ¦µ I still remember the day a hero saved me. My mom and dad brought me on a trip in the carriage. It was a rainy day, and extremely cold outside, but I was happy being with my parents. However, it didn¡¯t last as bandits attacked our carriage. They came out of nowhere and killed all the guards dad had hired. They took us out of the carriage, separated me from my parents, and were about to kill them in front of me as I cried nonstop.


    But someone appeared out of nowhere and cut down all the bandits in seconds, saving my parents and me from a horrible fate. He patched our wounds up, and then started walking away. Before he could get far, my dad called out to him and said, ¡°Please wait. Let us repay you for your kindness.¡±


    But the man with white hair said in response, ¡°Heroic big brothers like me don¡¯t do things expecting to be paid back, I did it because I believed it was the right thing to do, so that I will be on my way,¡± and with that, the man left without a trace.


    The words he said that heroes do good things for the sake of doing them shook my core. I never told anyone, but on that day, I promised myself that I would be a righteous person like that man who saved me.


    So, after we returned home from that trip, I studied extremely hard, so I could one day inherit our family business. I wanted to become a respectable person like my parents, and I wanted enough power to help people like that hero. Studying all the time shocked everyone around me since I have never been one to research anything for any reason. But with my newfound determination, I couldn¡¯t stop, especially when my younger brother Lionheart was born.


    As I looked into his face after he was born, I realised how a hero inspired me, so I had to be a hero for him, this pushed me to work and study even more. As time passed, I grew up to become a strong, brilliant man. The event that happened on that faithful day when I was so young has shaped so much of my life, but the event on that day also shaped my parent¡¯s life but not in the same fashion.


    As I grew older, I became more involved in my parent¡¯s business. At first, my family has been artisan weavers for generations and has countless eternal spiders. Still, my grandfather¡¯s generation expanded our business by using all the money we had generated, to become merchants that dealt with lots of goods. Still, it was tough for my grandfather to diversify our business.


    But my father didn¡¯t struggle as hard as my grandfather. He turned our company into the biggest in the country, and made us go worldwide in multiple industries. Our business¡¯s growth rate was ridiculous, and my father made that happen. I looked up to him so much, and as our business grew ever larger and larger, I started to help out without him knowing.


    As I was helping around, I noticed some odd things. Somethings were recorded wrong, and some stock was missing. We had lots of people on our payroll whom I couldn¡¯t trace precisely what their job was. Not knowing what was happening, I investigated it without rest, and I eventually came to the answer of what was happening. I then went to confront the culprit of everything.


    ¡°Father, may I please have a moment of your time?¡±


    ¡°I am attending to some documents, but talk to me as I work. Come and sit down.¡±


    As I go and sit down in front of my father, I say, ¡°Hey, dad have you here what happened to Godeney.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what happened to him was unfortunate. He was a close friend of mine. I would never have thought he had a crippling addiction to utopias venom. He even bankrupted his business just to feed his addiction.


    I was thinking of spending some support to his family, and we are understaffed due to our recent expansion, so we could probably take in all his staff members who lost their jobs.¡±


    ¡°Utopias venom is a horrible drug circulating through this city and others. I know some of my friends whom it has even reached.¡±


    ¡°It truly is a pity when people start drugs. It is tough to quit. This might be unfair, but It makes me very happy knowing you''re not foolish enough to try such things.¡±


    ¡°Utopias venom, orange destiny, astral key, all drugs that have been circulating all the city we have business in.¡±


    Looking up from his work, my father says, ¡°Cole, what is it you trying to say to me.¡±


    Getting up from my seat, I say to my dad, ¡°I have been investigating this company, and I found out what you have been partaking in off the books: drug trafficking, human trafficking, weapon dealing, paying off nobles and politicians, and the worst thing I found was what you were doing to the eternal spiders.


    Few spiders can produce the highest quality silk, which goes for millions, so to get more of that, you have been using drugs to force a spider to make it. But that shortens their life spans and damages their reproductive organs making so that less and less can be born.¡±


    ¡°What of it, Cole? I don¡¯t see how this is any of my business.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is your business, dad. Your actions are destroying this nation and lives across this world, we own sixty per cent of the spider in this nation, and most of its income comes from the spiders. If we damage them, it will affect this country for generations beyond our life span. It will affect even your decedents.¡±


    ¡°No, it won''t, Cole. We have diversified our business so much that even if all the spiders were to go extinct tomorrow, we would still be able to enjoy our comfortable lifestyle. Our family has broken free from the chains that bind us to this country, and if we are smart, it would be like this for generations to come.¡±


    ¡°What about the people outside of our family and their lives? The things you have done, drugs and human trafficking, using your influence to get your way in this country, they can be called nothing more than evil?¡±


    ¡°These things will exist whether or not I have a hand in them, so it¡¯s better for me to be the one in control, and thanks to what you call evil, I was able to fulfil my duty as a father, which is to protect my family above all else, I don¡¯t care about anyone else who exists now or their decedents, they are of no concern to me.¡±


    As my father said this, I punched him in his face as I got on top and started beating him. While I do this, I hear a voice shout, ¡°STOP THIS COLE.¡±


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    ¡°Mother.¡±


    As she runs over and pulls me off my father, she says to my father, ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Mother, get away from him. That monster isn¡¯t the man you married.¡±


    ¡°Cole found out about all the other business Elizabeth.¡±


    ¡°So, he knows Richard.¡±


    ¡°Mom, you know about all this too, and you¡¯re ok with it?¡±


    ¡°We planned to tell you when you were a bit older. I am sorry you had to find out this way.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so passive about this? Do you know how much evil your actions have caused?¡±


    My mother walks closer to me and says, ¡°Cole, your need for justice and your kindness are things I love about you from the bottom of my heart, but when it comes down to it all, people can only care about their families and their happiness, anyone who tries to care for everyone in life equally won¡¯t be able to protect what they love the most when the time comes, so we will step on anyone necessary to protect you and lionheart, nothing will change our minds.¡±


    Hearing such cold words from my loving mother was too much to bear, so I ran out of that room as fast as possible. I wouldn¡¯t talk to anyone for days, until my personal butler Ed came to speak to me. He has been with me since I was born and was the person I trusted the most, so as he came to check on me, I told him all that was bothering me, and in response, I asked him.


    ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Young master, I think you should keep this all a secret and live on with it.¡±


    ¡°So, Ed, you also agree with my parents.¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t, but your parents run a business that keeps millions of families afloat. It would all come crashing down if you were to expose the truth about your family.¡±


    ¡°Cole, do you not think me capable of taking over the company if my parents were to be imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°Young master, you don¡¯t truly understand how horrible the grown-up world is. Hundreds of vultures will use the opportunity to destroy this company if they sense any form of weakness, so I believe in this situation, the right thing to do would be to keep quiet.¡±


    ¡°Your right Ed.¡±


    After my conversation with Ed, I left my room and continued with my life like usual, but it wasn¡¯t the same, the food I ate felt stale, I had lost all my motivation, It was like my time had stopped, and it continued until my brother came home with bruises.


    ¡°What happened, lionheart.¡±


    ¡°I got into a fight.¡±


    Hitting him on the head, I say, ¡°Why would you do that, moron.¡±


    As he starts crying while holding his head, he says, ¡°I saw some kids picking on a girl, and I had to stop them because, as you always say, it was the right thing to do.¡±


    Seeing my brother¡¯s crying face, I hug him and tell him, ¡°You¡¯re a real hero Lionheart.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, brother.¡±


    The next day I went to report everything my parents had been doing, and the longest 24 hours of my life began. I thought I would have the skill to keep the business going, but I was unprepared for the consequences. Employees quit, company stock went missing, and families we wronged kept coming to our doorstep with all our guards leaving. Our only option was to pay people to appease them.


    I tried to ask family and friends for help, but they all added fuel to the fire against my family. They made countless news articles that painted not only my parents but my family as evil. They made us all out to be demons, which caused more and more people to despise us.


    Then at the end of the day, I heard my parents were executed. Countless people who witnessed it couldn¡¯t help but come to me and tell me their last words. My mother wept profusely for her children, while the last thing my father said was, ¡°Please stop. My boys are in danger. I beg of you.¡± They all laughed as they told me my high and mighty parents¡¯ last words.


    As Ed left us as well, I had nothing left except Lionheart and the remnants of our company, and as we returned to our house as I tried to figure out something to do, but then my brother told me there was a knock on the door. As I went to see who it was, I found three men. The man in front said, ¡°My god I have never seen a big mansion without a single servant in sight.¡±


    ¡°What do you people want with us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing like that. We have just come to claim what you owe us, but let¡¯s talk in another room.¡± After he says this, the man walks into another room, thoroughly familiar with the layout of our house. Who is this guy? I have never seen him before, but I need to deal with this quickly.


    ¡°Lionheart, I will just be one second, so go to your room, ok.¡± As Lionheart goes away, I follow the men into the room.


    -Break-


    ¡°Can you please say that number again?¡± I ask the man in front.


    ¡°About three hundred million lupas is how much your family owes us. I have the contract here. As you can see, it was signed using your parent¡¯s spirit energy, so this is no fabrication.¡±


    ¡°Why would my parents owe you so much?¡±


    ¡°Do you think they could have accomplished all this expansion with their money alone? They took a large loan from us, which was no problem in reality since they would have paid it back within three years at the rate they were going, but you see, they just so happened to be executed, and their business Is haemorrhaging money, so we need to collect what you owe us now.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, I don¡¯t have that much right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, I knew that, but you have a way to pay off about seventy-five per cent of it.¡±


    ¡°How would I be able to do that?¡±


    ¡°Sell me all your assets right now, your house, your properties, all your stock.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, you can, every day your business value drops, people have lost all trust in you, and everyone who wants to protect their reputation won¡¯t come anywhere near you. There is currently no hope for your business to recoup from this loss, and by tomorrow as the news spreads to more nations, your assets won¡¯t even be enough to pay off forty per cent of the loan, that¡¯s how much shit you are in, so you can either sell me them now or have a useless company and be three hundred million lupuas in debt.¡±


    ¡°You guys are from no official bank that I know of. If you were, I would have seen the debt while I checked the books, but I didn¡¯t. Contracts don¡¯t hold for illegal activities. I don¡¯t have to pay you guys back a cent.¡±


    ¡°But you see, that would make my boss quite angry. He hates to lose money for any reason, so he will recoup that loss somehow, with how hectic things have been in this country I doubt many will miss the boys of the devils who almost brought ruin to the land. I have also heard that all the employees in your company have been getting attacked. I am sure people would be delighted if they also went missing.


    We can make all of your bodies work until we get back every cent. I am sure there are a bunch of people who would love to buy you as revenge; I know some wealthy people who like to purchase the children of fallen houses.


    So, to put this simple, you will be giving us back this money either with the lives of you and your former employees or with everyone you own, pick one, but knowing you¡¯re a hero of justice, I am pretty sure of the option you will pick.¡±


    Walking up to me and squeezing my arm, the man says, ¡°So that you know if you try to do anything like fleeing to the holy nation of Gevurah, all are compassion will fade, and your lives will be forfeit, you understand.¡±


    ¡°Crystal clear.¡±


    As we continue with our business, I sign every single asset of our company over to this man, and he tells me. ¡°Good, now you have to make up some way to get the remaining seventy-five million to us in the next ten years.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that too much for the period you set?¡±


    He then gets close to my face and says, ¡°Our boss is being quite generous to you for all the easy money your parents have brought him. He would usually take your lives and use that as his method of retrieving the cash, so don¡¯t push your luck.¡±


    As he started walking away from me, all I could do was sit there in anger at all the people who betrayed and stabbed us in the back, especially those in front of me who had robbed us of hope.


    ¡°Instead of clenching your fist in anger against me, you should be angry at the person who snitched on your parents and got your family into this situation. Oh yeah, that was you wasn¡¯t it. Bye.¡±


    I exposed evil, what I did was nothing but justice, so tell me, why is this happening to me? I don¡¯t understand. What I did what was right.


    The next day, men came to claim all we owned early in the morning, kicking us out of the house. As I brought my brother outside, he asked me.


    ¡°Cole, why is this happening? What is going on.¡±


    As I hug him, I say to him, ¡°Lionheart, the next few years will be ruff, but I know we¡¯re going to get through them. Please trust me.¡±


    As he tries to hold back his tears, Lionheart says, ¡°I trust you, brother.¡±


    This is the price to pay for being just. This is a trial I must face because I know there is happiness at the end of it all. After all, being a righteous person can never be wrong.

 Arc 2 End

    My brother and I had lost all but the clothes on our backs. We had no place to rest our heads except for the solid concrete beneath us. We couldn¡¯t sleep near any people because they would assault us if we did. I tried to look for work, but no place would hire me. My face had been spread worldwide as the son of the two demons.


    As I held my brother¡¯s shaking body every night, it felt like my mind was breaking. I didn¡¯t get why this was happening. It does not make sense in my mind. It was like, if two pluses made a minus.


    The real problem was that we had only so much time to pay back the money. If we couldn¡¯t, our lives would be forfeit. So, with no other option left, all I could do was turn to crime, but if I got caught, my brother and my life would be over on the spot, so I needed to find a way to commit large scale crimes without being caught. It seemed impossible, but I did have one option, the invisible bandits.


    During my high life, I heard of the constant annoyance that the invisible bandits were. They used to steal from our trade routes and were utterly untraceable. I made an effort to track them down once before, but I got involved with the issues in the business, so I couldn¡¯t  follow my leads, but now is the time.


    So, using my knowledge of their attack patterns, I staked out transportation from one of our former trading partners, and just as I predicted, they came out of nowhere and attacked them. Rushing in with all the strength I had, I went out and was able to capture one of them.


    ¡°Let me talk to your boss, or I can snap your neck.¡± The man whom I captured agreed to take me to his boss. He led me into a secret tunnel system that was incredibly well hidden. My family has patrolled these lands for centuries, and we have never come across something like this.


    After we got deep into this tunnel system, I heard a voice. ¡°Assface, I had wondered where you went,¡± the prisoner ran forward as he listened to this voice. As I tried to restrain him, I realized my situation; I was surrounded.


    But this situation is still good for me. I get on my hands and knees, then scream, ¡°I HAVE AN OFFER FOR YOU.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, guards restrain him¡± as he says this, multiple people come to hold me down.


    The boss then comes down and kicks me in my face. He then gets down on his knees and holds my face, saying, ¡°Me and my group have survived in this world by being secretive. Not a single person or group has been able to find us, but you managed to do it, so right now killing you would only be beneficial to me.¡± The man then stops and looks at my face.


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you? Oh god, this is hilarious. I never thought I would meet the demon¡¯s child; I take that back; killing you would be a waste; I am pretty sure I could live comfortably for a few years by selling you. It would at least allow you to pay me back for all the money I am losing, since your business went.¡±


    ¡°That would be a waste, since I could offer you more money than that.¡±


    ¡°Now, how would you do that.¡±


    ¡°I can give you trade routes for almost all the major and even minor companies. I have them all memorised. I even know the location and layouts of most of their storehouse. You guys usually robbed my family¡¯s transport, but you no longer have that option, so I think this is a pretty good deal.¡±


    ¡°If this is a deal, what do you want in return.¡±


    ¡°I would like a least twenty per cent of all our finds over the next ten years.¡±


    After hitting me again, he tells me, ¡°I don¡¯t know what drugs you¡¯re on, but I am not making that deal. Do you think you¡¯re worth that much?¡±


    ¡°I do, with my help not only will you be making more than ever, but you will also get this,¡± after I said this, I knocked all the men onto me off. ¡°I came from a family with formal training in spirit arts. Not only can I offer myself as a bodyguard, but I can also teach your guys this. I feel like this is quite the deal for you, especially since I could beat you all up and tell the world about your hideout, so how about it,¡± I say while stretching out your hand.


    ¡°Huh, you think your smart brat, but you don¡¯t have any leverage, regardless of spirit arts, your all skin and bones you haven¡¯t eaten. I am pretty sure we could beat you with sheer numbers, and if you were to report us, where would you go? No one wants to hire you, and would anyone work for a na?ve brat like you who betrayed his own family, so get rid of that attitude.¡±


    ¡°But my deal is still good for you.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, it is, but I haven¡¯t liked your attitude, so if you want me to accept right here, lick the dirt off my shoe, and I will accept all your conditions.¡±


    Disgusted by what he said, I get on my knee and start licking his shoe. It tastes horrible, but the laughs of all the scum around me are worse. After I finish licking his shoe clean, he says, ¡°Assface come to hear.¡±


    The man who led me here comes forward, and in a moment, the boss takes his sword from his sheathe and cuts his head off. ¡°Now, boy, that was just a friendly reminder of what happens to lose-lipped people in our business, and that goes for all of you too.¡±


    And just like that, I had become something I hated from the bottom of my heart, a bandit. The more I thought about why I was here, the less sense it made. It was like all my actions contradicted each other; I was lost.


    I still remember the first mission¡ªwe were robbing a storehouse for a business my family used to work with. I knew the times they would be least on guard, so I formulated a strategy to get in and out, taking as much as possible, I thought that by putting all my effort into the plan, we could get this heist off without anyone getting hurt, but the reality wasn¡¯t so kind to me.


    ¡°What are you guys doing? We were only supposed to take their inventory, not their people.¡±


    ¡°Well, since your parents were outed, there has been a giant opening in the slave market, so I thought I would dip my hand into it. With how great your plan of breaking in was, we have loads of time to get away with the cargo and the people.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of the deal.¡±


    The boss walks over to me and puts his arm around my neck. ¡°I don¡¯t remember our deal having things like that, but look, I am a reasonable man. Remove the 20 per cent part, and I will happily stop this, so what is your choice?¡±


    I stand there, unable to speak any words.


    ¡°So, it seems you don¡¯t have as much of a problem with it as I thought.¡±


    ¡°PLEASE LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE¡±, I hear someone shout. I see a young girl holding on tight to her sister as I look over.


    ¡°Hey Cole, go break them up.¡±


    ¡°Why should I do it?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of our other deal, I still pay everyone here depending on the level of work they do, so if you want more money, you better work your ass off. Now go break them up, bosses orders.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t be doing this, is what I think as I pull the little girl away from her sister and throw her in a cage with shackles on; I feel like I am going to throw up.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Good job Cole. Now go do it to the rest of them over there as well.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t someone else.¡±


    ¡°Your loss then, but I am sure you and your brother will survive the winter with that attitude.¡±


    As he finishes the sentence, I get up and walk over to the people clinging onto each other and rip them apart. After we return to the base, the boss hands me a stack of Lupas. ¡°I am not supposed to be paid today.¡±


    ¡°Think of it as a starting bonus.¡±


    ¡°Why I thought you didn¡¯t like me.¡±


    ¡°I like all those who speak the language of cash. I hated that holier-than-thou attitude you started with, but you have proved to me, you¡¯re just like all of us, a man who will do anything for money.¡±


    I walked back to Lionheart that night with the bosses words reverberating in my head. When I eventually found lionheart sleeping on a corner in the street. I laid beside him, but when I did, Lionheart woke up and said to me in a drowsy voice, ¡°Welcome back, Cole.¡±


    Unable to do anything else, I just held him and cried.


    ¡°What wrong, brother¡± Lionheart asked, but I didn¡¯t respond. All I did was cry.


    -Break-


    I continued to work with the bandits, whom I found out were called Gaia¡¯s sky. I pillaged, plundered, killed, and robbed with them, and I was paid handsomely each time, and in no time was I even able to get my brother and me a bed to sleep on. But most importantly, I had started to pay off my debt. In the two years that had passed, I had barely paid off a tenth of it. I was behind schedule, which made me hunger for money more and more. I started to propose more risky plans with enormous pay-outs and was always in the front leading the charge. I needed to rack up more and more achievements, so I could get more money.


    I stopped feeling bad about my actions during this time since it wasn¡¯t my fault. It was the fault of all those who betrayed me, cast me aside, and kept taking for me because I did the right thing. I started to believe it was justice, I was simply getting what I was owed.


    This feeling grew more intense the stronger I became. Because I was always on the front lines, I fought many people, which made me grow stronger and stronger. I was taught when I was younger that spirit arts improve faster in people who are in dire situations, and for the last two years have been in nothing but horrible conditions, and my strength has increased proportionally.


    I felt like I was the best in the world and that I was some god, I could do things others couldn¡¯t; I was smarter than most, I had justice on my side. These feelings ultimately led me to do something stupid when I returned home one day.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here,¡± I say as I see lionheart and the leader of the debt collector Tiburcio playing with each other.


    ¡°Oh, Tiburcio and I were just playing the word chain game.¡±


    ¡°We happen to hang out when you aren¡¯t at home Cole.¡± Tiburcio says.


    ¡°Lionheart, why haven¡¯t you told me about this.¡±


    ¡°It is just that,¡± Lionheart mutters.


    ¡°SPEAK UP.¡±


    ¡°I have been helping him with his language skills, since he hasn¡¯t gotten any education from you for a while.¡±


    ¡°Lionheart, you could have just asked me. Doing this is just making more trouble for me,¡± I say, angry.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he says while whimpering


    ¡°Stop whimpering as if I have hit you.¡±


    Tiburcio gets close, he puts his hands on my shoulder, and says, ¡°You should watch how you speak to kids.¡±


    As the man who is responsible for my inability to put Lionheart in school says this to me, my rage builds, and an idea pops into my head. I grab the man by the hand and say, ¡°Lionheart, your friend and I will be going out for a bit¡±


    As I drag the man with me, I move at full speed until we are a long way out of the town, and I say to him ¡°Right here, right now I am going to crush your face in and after that I will crush your bosses in as well.¡±


    He sighs. ¡°I thought you had more sense than this, but whatever, let¡¯s do this,¡± he says as he sits on the floor.


    ¡°Continue acting like that all you want because, in a moment, you will be regretting all your actions.¡± I run towards him at full speed, then infuse my fist with spirit energy.


    -Break-


    As I lay bruised and battered in a large crater, I look at the man sitting beside me and ask, ¡°Are you even human.¡±


    ¡°Take this as a lesson. I won¡¯t kill or report you to my boss.¡±


    As I lay on the ground looking up at the sky, tears fall down my face, and I say to the man beside me, ¡°Your evil. I hope you know that, do you have any idea what it has been like living with the never-ending anxiety of whether I will be able to or not pay back the debt, the fear that you might forget about the deal and kill us, the fear that someone who wants revenge against my family will find us, I live with that every day, and then you try to be like some teacher to my brother, you get off on all of this don¡¯t you.¡±


    With a sigh, Tiburcio says, ¡°This is my job. I do this, and I get paid for it. I have no ulterior motives. Suppose I kill you and your brother tomorrow; that is just how it is. Life is a game, and we are all players. If you had to kill me tomorrow to survive, I wouldn¡¯t hold it against you.


    ¡°This is too unfair. A person like me shouldn¡¯t be in this situation while someone like you has an easier life.¡±


    ¡°Your very existence makes me sigh. What a disappointment you are, I had rather high expectations with how brilliant your parents always used to say you are. I thought you would have figured it out.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not one to honour promises to people, so I will tell you. Do you remember back when your family had their carriage attacked?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, back then, your family hadn¡¯t gotten into any illegal business by that point. Your view of your parents was spot on during that period. They were nothing but heroes of justice. They helped everyone no matter what they needed. They brought jobs and prosperity to this country. Your parents made this place more than the country with eternal spiders.


    But you see a lot of their business rivals, and this country¡¯s royals weren¡¯t so happy with how much more popular they were than them, so they tried to eliminate them.


    How could a random group of bandits kill all your family¡¯s elite guards, have you ever thought about it. It¡¯s illogical. The bandits that attacked you that day were this country¡¯s royal guard. Your parents, who figured out what happened, realised this country and their so-called friends had betrayed them, so they tried to strike back.


    They got involved in illegal business, but if you ever bother to look, the people who took the brunt of the damage your parents did were people who had animosity against your family. They chose to be horrible and protect their family rather than be righteous.¡±


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be true,¡± I say, shocked.


    ¡°Of course, it is. You¡¯ve seen all the so-called friends you have trying to destroy your family first-hand now that they were given an opening.


    As Tiburcio get up, he says, ¡°It is quite comical. You killed your parents since they were evil, but their actions could have been called justice from a certain perspective. I wonder, looking at everything that has happened since your decision would you tell you where the righteous in that situation? Because I wouldn¡¯t to me your evil, but that¡¯s great. Because evil people die old, rich, and surrounded by everything, they took from others.¡±


    As I lay lying there with my body broken and my mind shattered, the only thing I could think to myself was that I was evil. Because of my ignorance, I not only ruined the lives of my family, but of all the employees who worked for us, I allowed true evil to triumph, as a human being I am a failure.


    From then on, It felt as if my whole world was broken. I could no longer run from the truth or justify my action. All I had left was a realisation of how stupid I had been all my life, and during one mission, we were at the border of the mountain known as Fimbulwinter. As I looked into the white snow, I became assured of something for the first time in a while, that I didn¡¯t want to live anymore. It was too much for me. I couldn¡¯t live with my shame or the stress; I just wanted it to all go away, so I ran from Gaia¡¯s sky into the mountain so fast that no one could catch me if they wanted.


    As I ran, I felt free from everything for the first time since I was a lazy child. Nothing mattered, and at the end of my run, my body was frostbitten so bad I couldn¡¯t feel anything, so I fell and landed in the comfy white snow.


    But as if God was beckoning me to live, Orb saved me and brought me to the village. What I found there was nothing more than a utopia for me, I could of stayed and lived their my entire life, but the words Sequoia told me made me remember something, my brother.


    I had not only ruined his life, but abandoned him I had already destroyed myself morally, but my brother was pure; I couldn¡¯t let him go through horrible experiences due to my mistakes. So, on that day, I vowed to myself to embrace all the evil in the world to at least salvage his life. So, I snuck out, contacted my old team, and set up this plan.


    Though there was one thing my crumbling set of morals didn¡¯t allow me to do: take the lives of the people who saved me, so I left Orb, Maple, and Sequoia alone. But just as if God is laughing at me, they were the ones who ultimately left me with my body half frozen.


    As I gaze over to Orb, I want to ask the boy who saved me, and who still wants to forgive me for all my transgression. To help me protect my brother, I want to scream that at the top of my lungs, but when I try to do that, my mouth doesn¡¯t produce any words.


    Then I realized something none of my problems are Orbs issue, I won¡¯t allow my selfishness to ruin another life. Even after I vowed to myself, I guess my stupid sense of justice is what will hurt me again. So, with all my strength, I take my free arm and infuse it with all my spirit energy I then use that fist to crush my heart.


    I won¡¯t burden you Orb you already have enough to worry about. ¡°Sorry Lionheart, I am the worst ever.¡±


    Arc 2 End

 Logs

    Spirit Arts: The process of using soul energy to enhance one¡¯s body and pull off superhuman movements. It can be used consciously or by training one¡¯s body; enough can be used unconsciously.


    Legacy: When influential people die, their willpower allows them to surpass death and return to the earth in another body as a legacy sharing the body with the soul of the person born into it two souls in one body. The gift can be manifested as a Biomechanical armament. Legacy will also physically change the host¡¯s body to take on the physical traits of the spirit inside.


    ¦µ This symbol indicates a change in perspective


    12 Months in Order


    Aquarius


    Pisces


    Aries


    Taurus


    Gemini


    Cancer


    Leo


    Virgo


    Libra


    Scorpio


    Sagittarius


    Capricorn


    Log of Characters


    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Cole, Meat, Villagers


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs, weakness


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 154cm


    Likes: Animals Orb Training


    Dislikes: Dishonesty, fire, poison


    Name: Maple Rian


    Age: 14


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary)


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right)


    Height: 153 cm


    Likes: food, singing, Sequoia, Willow, Orb


    Dislikes: responsibility, Cole


    Name: Sequoia Rian


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Gemini 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 187 cm


    Likes: All Villages, Peace, Hunting, Fantasy


    Dislikes: Violence, Lack of self-awareness, Unknown


    Name: Cole Animus


    Age: 19


    Birthday: Leo 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: blue


    Height: 176 cm


    Likes: Justice, brother, parents


    Dislikes: Evil, Self, money,


    Name: Captivant Nightfall


    Age: 84


    Birthday: Taurus 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: black (Normally), Grey (due to age)


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 179 cm


    Likes: Books, family, Orb, potatoes, alcohol,


    Dislikes: milk, berries, people who don¡¯t like his family,


    <div>


    <div>


    <table width="990">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Name


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    Age


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Birthday


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Hair


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Eyes


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    Height


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Buloke


    Ring


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    21


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Taurus 1st


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Brownish


    orange


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    192 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Aea Fatom


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    20


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Pisces 5th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Purple


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    184cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Alis Fatom


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    20


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Pisces 5th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Purple


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    184 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Pine


    Heart


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    50


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Capricorn 8th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Grey


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Green


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    169 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Oren


    Heart


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    52


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Cancer


    30th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Gold


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Pink


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    172 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Elizabeth


    Animus


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    40


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Aries


    5th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Gold


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Blue


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    165 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Richard


    Animus


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    39


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Aquarius


    7th


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Brown


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    White


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    177 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="118">


    Throne


    Uth


    </td>


    <td width="74">


    29


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Virgo


    22nd


    </td>


    <td width="114">


    Brown


    </td>


    <td width="87">


    Lime


    </td>


    <td width="92">


    156 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Log of animals


    Predasaurs: Animals that evolved to live in and around the area of Fimbulwinter.


    Name: Scardo


    Height: 122cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is small with a beak and a fluffy tail. It¡¯s covered with red and purple feathers, scardos are said to be very friendly and loving to humans.


    Fact: they hang around human settlements since humans don¡¯t like eating them due to them being cute.


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Name: Sonbit


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: It is a giant, white, fluffy, mammal with long ears and long circular tails.


    Fact: They have no teeth, so they swallow everything they eat whole, breaking it down with their acidic stomachs.


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It¡¯s a giant, silver, quadrupedal omnivore, with one large horn at the front, with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron. They have elongated tongues that can take their prey off their horn.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.


    Name: Tiritrex


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal beast with five horns covered in feathers. Their feathers can be shot off as a method of attack and defence.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situations if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.

 Arc 3.01: Gaias Sky

    As the ice that appeared from my hand froze Cole, I let out a scream in victory. I was able to restrain him while keeping Maple safe, thank God. I was able not to lose anyone else. I run over to Maple to see if she is ok. I will eventually check on Cole, the frostbite he should get from that will be the start of my punishment for all his actions.


    I check Maple¡¯s body to see if she had sustained any injuries that needed immediate attention, but she seemed to be fine, It was just the impact that knocked her out. Still, I will have to handle the mental damage this situation brought. Her father died, and if she feels anything like I did when Capti did, it will shatter her heart.


    As I get up, I turn over to Cole, I see his fist moving to his chest. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING!,¡± I shout as I dash over to him, trying to stop his actions. I see his hand smash his heart and hear the words, ¡°Sorry, Lionheart, I am the worst ever¡±. He spits up blood as I arrive at his body.


    ¡°Why would you do this, you idiot! Not only did you betray us, but then abandoned us like this, you idiot.¡± Seeing his condition, I cannot do anything but watch him die. As I see his lifeless body, I relax for the first time today.


    On my knees in exhaustion, the full gravity of all the events happening around me finally landed on me. All the Villagers have been kidnapped. Maple is both unconscious and in emotional distress. But worst of all, I let both Sequoia and Cole die due to my carelessness. Thinking about all this made me throw up all the food I ate yesterday.


    I messed up bad. Everything Cole said about me is correct, but as I wipe the leftover vomit out of my mouth, I get up. I don¡¯t have time to blame myself. Every second I spend doing that, is one second further everyone gets from me, so I must act, but first I have something.


    I dig graves for both Cole and Sequoia. I dug Sequoias in the village and Coles outside, and I bury them, giving a little prayer at both.


    ¡°Cole, I don¡¯t think I can truly blame you for your actions. I have been your so-called friend for a year, but I never saw this side of you. I had eyes, but I wasn¡¯t looking. I can¡¯t control your actions, but I can control mine. I should have reached out to you, but I didn¡¯t, and we¡¯re in this situation; this is as much your fault as it is mine, and for this, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sequoia, I am truly sorry for being unable to save you, but Maple and I are about to venture out for the first time. When I thought about this day, I had always hoped everyone would send me off with a smile, but the reality isn¡¯t so kind to us; nevertheless, please wish us luck.¡±


    After burying both of them, I started to worry for Maple. In all this time, she hasn¡¯t woken up. Cole couldn¡¯t have hit her enough to keep her unconscious all this time, so Maple please wake up soon.


    With Maples¡¯s body, I head over to the last person who can help us. I hear a giant roar as I am greeted by Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. As I go over to him with Maple¡¯s unconscious body, he starts acting erratic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy, she is ok, just asleep.¡±


    I go up beside him and say to Willow, the 2<sup>nd</sup> in the legend song, ¡°I need your help. Everyone in the village has been taken far away, and I won¡¯t be able to reach them in time by myself, so will you allow us to ride you so we can catch them? Please, I beg off you.¡±


    Willow looks very angry at my suggestion, almost as mad as when we first meet.


    Seeing his reaction, I say to him, ¡°I know you haven¡¯t left this forest in almost two thousand years. You told me you want to honour the memory of your race by surviving out here, but please, I beg you, I need to rescue everyone and their family. I can¡¯t lose them, so please, I will do anything for you in return, so please help me.¡± I say with tears in my eyes.


    Hearing my words Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> comes down and, with his nail, writes in the saviour¡¯s song on the ground. When I read it, it says, ¡°I will help you.¡±


    Seeing this, I jump and hug Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, saying, ¡°I love you¡±. After this, I plant both me and Maple on Willow¡¯s back. Willow has healed all his injuries since our first encounter, but as a trade-off, he has also shrunk quite a bit. If he eats enough, he will return to full size, but he is still plenty big now.


    ¡°WILLOW, I will need you to move exactly thirty-seven degrees northwest from our current position.¡± Hearing my instructions Willow, the second, takes off at full speed.


    This is the best way to catch up to them, and by following their scent, I should be able to get back to their base. I find this to be a more reliable way of reaching them rather than following the instructions of the bandits that could lead me to who knows where. I am coming to find you, everyone.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I don¡¯t want to wake up because if I do, I have to accept that all that has happened is my fault. I ignored the rules of my village and brought both Orb and Cole into it. If I had taken extra precautions, I could have made sure if Cole was awake or not, but I didn¡¯t, and due to this, everyone is gone. Our home, built for thousands of years, has been destroyed, all of Orbs mementos from Capti where taken, and worst of all, my father died.


    So, I wish I could stay in this dream world forever, all I can do is face it. So, I open my eyes and see Orb holding me tight. ¡°Thank god you¡¯re ok, I didn¡¯t know what was going on with you.¡±


    As I look at Orb, I realise how fast we¡¯re going. After looking down, I see where riding on Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. ¡°I missed you, Willow, however. I guess you can¡¯t understand me,¡± I say as I rub his feathers. ¡°Orb. Willow is fast isn¡¯t he,¡± I say with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, he is surprisingly fast. It seems getting smaller helped with that. Willow, turn left about 25 degrees.¡± Following my instructions, Willow turns.


    ¡°Why did you do that, Orb.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the direction I smelt the scent from.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¦µ I am surprised, Maple looks a lot better than I thought she would. I guess I am just a worrywart.


    While Willow runs, we start seeing predasaur corpses.


    ¡°What happened here,¡± Maple says.


    ¡°The people who went through the forest must have killed all the predasaurs we see before us.¡±


    ¡°All their bodies are going to go to waste and freeze here. What a pity.¡±


    ¡°I truly is, but I do have an idea. Willow, if you¡¯re hungry, grab a snack, but you have to eat while running.¡±


    Excitedly like a child Willow uses his large mouth to rip apart and devour the corpses of the predasaurs around him. It must be fun to hunt again for him, since recently we have been doing all the hunting for him, I guess he enjoys being active rather than sitting on his ass.


    After Willow ate some of the corpses, his speed increased even more and in no time, we ran right out of Fimbulwinter, and we were greeted with a sight we had never seen before.


    An endless landscape covered with green grass filled with flowers with more varied colours than my hair, the land is filled with not only predasaurs but with actual animals; I saw an actual cow, but it started to run away upon seeing Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. I look over to Maple to see her crying profusely.¡±


    ¡°Maple, what¡¯s wrong,¡± I say, worried.


    ¡°I have always dreamed of the day I would get to see these sights. I thought about it repeatedly, I wanted to tell my dad about all these things, but I can¡¯t now. It¡¯s just too much for me.¡±


    While tears well up in my eyes, I say, ¡°I know how you feel. I never thought that I would see this under such dire circumstances. It is a sick twist of fate, but it is still so beautiful, so let¡¯s show it to everyone, ok Maple.¡± Tears are entirely falling down my eyes.


    ¡°Ok, Orb, let us go get them all back.¡± Maple says as she hugs me. ¡°From today, I won¡¯t cry anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why is that.¡±


    ¡°Because you cry when you¡¯re sad, and from now on, I won¡¯t ever let myself be sad. When I meet my dad again, I will tell him how happy my life was.¡±


    ¡°That is good to hear, Maple also if you tell anyone I cried, I will cut you.¡±


    ¦µ Orb¡¯s hair turned Blue ¡°Huh, why. Does it embarrass you¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Orb says as his hair turns lime.


    ¡°That looks like your lying.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I am just hungry.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then, I believe you, princess,¡± I say while giggling.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like you do!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ We continue to run around the landscapes for days resting for the bare minimum of time before setting off again. We survived off of nature like usual, but it was pretty hard to find Willow any form of food. He was too big, and all the animals around were too small. Though sometimes we did run into animals that had wandered from Fimbulwinter, which gave Willow something to eat.


    As we explored the outside, I felt a great sense of wonder with Maple there with me, but it was all undercut by the increasing levels of worry we had for everyone. Where have they gone? What has happened to them? When will I be able to stop smelling the scent? As far as I know, I could have gotten them mixed up with something else, though things started to get worse when we reached a swamp.


    The intense smell made it extremely hard to find the scent, and my noise did not respond kindly to it. As I was looking for the scent, I started to panic, so to try and circumvent the issue, we ran out of the swamp to see if I could pick up on the smell from outside it, but it was to no avail,


    Though I also wasn¡¯t able to smell any of the stench from the swamp outside it, which meant that the smell had either faded or their base was in the swamp.


    So, as I head back to the swamp, we start to look around to find any hint of where they could have gone, but we couldn¡¯t see any.


    I hear Willow let out an enormous roar. Looking over to see what¡¯s wrong, I see him looking at a gapotamus in the swamp. They are extremely slow and are known for being very meaty.


    I looked over at Willow¡¯s face; I see drool coming from his mouth. He must be hungry. We haven¡¯t fed him in a while. So, I see Willow charge at the gapotamus, but the gapotamus stores large amounts of gas in its bellies, so using all it¡¯s gas, it propels itself into the air causing Willow to hit his head into a giant rock nearby.


    Seeing this, I was terrified, the rock was so big he would break his skull on impact, but when he hit it, Willow went right through, running over to him. It seemed the rock was hiding a secret entrance to a giant cave.


    Wonderbeast: These are a higher evolution of animals and are considered almost magical by some. Predasaurs all where wonder beasts before there mutations.


    Name: Gapotamus


    Height: 190cm


    Type: Herbivore, Wonderbeast.


    Description: They are semi-aquatic mammals, with a large lumpy body, short legs and an enormous head.


    Fact: The gas they produce to propel themselves, is know to be one of the three stinkiest substances in the world.

 Arc 3.02

    As I looked inside the cave Willow crashed into, I smelt familiar scents from around our village. The cave is extremely well-lit. So this must be their base.


    I see Maple run up to Willow the 2<sup>nd,</sup> whose body is slumped inside the cave and kick his body. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you? That could¡¯ve ended up bad.¡±


    Willow starts to whimper out of sadness. He can¡¯t understand the heroes song, but I guess her tone was enough.


    ¡°Maple go easy on him. Without him, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to find this place,¡± As I say this, I see the light decrease in the cave. I look at the entrance Willow rammed into, and I know that it has started to reform itself, closing up.


    Seeing this, I walk near the wall and touch it, when I touch it , the wall feels stiff, ruff and rigid, but the more power I put into my hands, the softer it becomes, it¡¯s even softer than the snow on Fimbulwinter, but as I apply more force the wall sucks me in.


    ¡°ORB!¡± Maple screams.


    As I open my eyes, I see I am back outside. While standing there, I touch the wall again and end up on the other side. When I got back, I heard, ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡±


    ¡°When I touched the wall, I was spat out on the other side.¡± I have never heard of anything like this in Capti¡¯s books. I know of substances that are both soft and hard, but not anything like this. When Willow blew the wall apart, it reformed.


    Maple walks up to me and hits me in my back.


    ¡°Ouch, what was that for.¡±


    ¡°Be careful. You should take precautions with the unknown idiot.¡±


    I thought this was no big deal, but as I looked at Maple, I see the genuine worry on her face. She has lost lots of people I guess she didn¡¯t take kindly to this. ¡°Sorry, Maple, I will be more careful next time.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Orb.¡±


    So, getting on Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> back, we charge forward at full speed through the tunnel.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°This is so unfair. Why do we have to be on pest control while everyone else is partying it up.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP, this is all your fault; we wouldn''t be here if you didn¡¯t lose all the cargo back in Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°How would I have possibly known that my singing would have attracted those monsters with six arms.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, your singing is so bad that god needs to make you shut up somehow. Every single time you sing, something bad happens, and this time, it made those giant monsters not only kill all our mates but destroy most of our cargo. We should just cut off your tongue. It will be a great favour to not only us, but the world at large.¡±


    ¡°Take that back, you dickhead.¡±


    ¡°Why is the truth that hard to handle.¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°Facts my ass right here, right now. I am going to prove it is all bullshit.¡± I start singing my lungs out.


    ¦µ ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP,¡± I say as I punch the idiot. ¡°My god, I thought my ears were going to rot.¡±


    ¡°Stop exaggerating. Now see, nothing bad has happened, it was all in your head you retard, now watch me sing again.¡±


    As the idiot in front of me continues his atrocious singing, I hear increasing loud stomps. ¡°Stop you, idiot, I think I hear something.¡±


    But he ignores me and continues with his singing. I tried to forceable stop him but coming out of the tunnels in front of us was a giant five-horned beast, and from that beast, something jumped from it and landed right on the idiot¡¯s face when I got a look at the person; he had red hair.¡±


    ¡°MY GOD, STOP SINGING,¡± he said as his feet landed on the idiot¡¯s face. Now stomping his foot against the idiot¡¯s face, he says, ¡°Never open your mouth again. Your voice is a crime against humanity. How can a person¡¯s voice be worse than Maples?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I thought he sounded fine,¡± I hear a girl¡¯s voice say.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you have no sense of anything music-related.¡±


    After he finishes stomping the idiot¡¯s face, he looks at me. I draw my sword quick, infusing it with spirit energy and try to slash him, but he dodges all my slashes effortlessly.


    So, I decided to take a giant leap back and use my left hand to reach for the communicator in my back pocket. I need to contact the boss. We somehow have an intruder. This has only happened once, so no one would be expecting this. I bring the communicator close to my face, but as I try to turn it on, I can¡¯t feel my left hand.


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    Looking down at my left hand, I see it has been cut off, and the wound has been frozen. Barely registering what had happened, I immediately looked up to see that the boy was not in front of me. Then I hear, ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem to be some kind of weapon or poison, so if he tried to use it in such a situation, it must be a communication device of some sort.¡±


    I immediately turn around to see the boy looking at my communicator. I didn¡¯t even sense him. Is he even using spirit arts? If he wasn¡¯t, how could he make such a movement without it? After taking one look, I immediately recognise that he is a legacy.


    That must be where the ice came from. I can¡¯t waste any more time, so I put all my spiritual energy into my sword and go for his neck, but he stops my blade with his hand, and in a moment, it freezes and shatters. Seeing this, I fall back on my butt.


    ¡°Seems like I am getting a hand of this whole ice ability.¡± The boy walks up to me and says, ¡°I am a bit lost, so give me some directions.¡±


    I tell him, ¡°There is a map in my right pocket. Take it.¡±


    The boy holds the map in his hands, sits next to me and asks, ¡°So, where are we.¡±


    Using my good hand, I point to the spot we currently are at.


    ¡°Where would your base be.¡±


    ¡°In this big centre area here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± I say with a forced smile.


    As the boy stares at the map, he says, ¡°Can I ask a few more questions.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead¡±. I don¡¯t want to answer his questions; I want this conversation to end.


    ¡°You and your friend are quite visibly unfit, so how can you pull out those movements.¡±


    ¡°I was using spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°What is that exactly?¡±


    ¡°It is the ability to use spirit energy to become a superhuman. It makes you stronger and faster regardless of how in shape you are.¡±


    ¡°How did you obtain this.¡±


    ¡°Most of us was thought by the newbie Cole. I think his name was.¡±


    The boy hair changes colour as he makes a very contemplating expression, then he says, ¡°Why are you here? You look like you¡¯re patrolling the area, but I am pretty sure this place is so well hidden that most people properly wouldn¡¯t find this place.¡±


    ¡°We are looking for ignamoles trying to plug up the tunnels.¡±


    ¡°Well, they have a habit of constantly plugging up and digging holes so that checks out. Is there anyone else on the lookout close by.¡±


    ¡°No, it should only be my friend and me until you reach the base.¡±


    The boy then squats in front of me and says, ¡°Now have you seen anyone dressed like me recently.¡±


    ¡°No, I have never seen someone like you in my life.¡± I say, frightened.


    ¡°Your heartbeat increased for the first time when you said all that. It¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it.¡± The boy says as his eyes stare at me with lethal intent.


    Bowing down in front of him, I say, ¡°I lied. I am sorry, recently we have had lots of merchandise that has your aesthetic.¡±


    ¡°What was done with it.¡±


    ¡°We sold some of it while the rest is still in the base.¡±


    ¡°People or objects?¡±


    The boy¡¯s head turned red as he asked, this. I am in trouble. ¡°People, but I didn¡¯t do any of it because I wanted to. I just needed to make money by following the boss¡¯s orders. I AM SO SORRY IT WAS JUST A JOB.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise. We all need to make money somehow.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± I say as I look up.


    His fist smashes me in the face as he says, ¡°GET A DIFFERENT JOB.¡± As I fall unconscious, I think that mom and dad are right; I should¡¯ve become a farmer.


    ¦µ ¡°Maple comes down here. I got an update on the situation.¡±


    When Maple comes over to me, I inform her of the situation. ¡°So, they have been sold off. We were too late, but if only some of them were sold. There should still be many of them here, so we have no time to waste.¡±


    Maple then climbs back on Willow as I strip one of the bandits.


    ¡°Orb, what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°This one is close to my size, so I am going to switch clothes with him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If they recognise, I am from the village, they might use one of their prisoners as a hostage.¡± So, as I finish swapping clothes with that man, I climb on Willow, and we head off.


    As we travel, a series of thoughts travel through my head. This map is one of the continent of Terrafide, which is the one we are currently on, though the map shows tunnel systems throughout the continent. Does this whole tunnel system spread that far?


    Also, they¡¯re already able to sell some of the people. I didn¡¯t think we were far enough behind them for something like that to happen. I guess that the bandits who took the people already knew whom they were going to sell them to and went directly there, while the bandits I was smelling were carrying objects and now went back to base.


    Spirit arts must be what Sequoia and everyone else was using. It makes the most sense¡ªconsidering Cole is the one who taught them, I should have to fear that anyone here is better at it by than him. I hope this will work out. Please, God.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Everyone get used to all this high-quality wine and food we have because we¡¯ll be drinking this stuff for a while.¡±


    As the screams of all my employees ring through the tunnel, I drink my wine. That job that Cole brought us is the best he has given us, yet it is good to be me. ¡°This is the life.¡±


    ¡°Boss, you seem to be enjoying yourself.¡±


    ¡°I am just patting myself on the back for accepting that na?ve kid into our ranks.¡±


    ¡°Speaking about Cole, he hasn¡¯t returned with the last team we sent out. Do you think he might¡¯ve run away again?¡±


    ¡°No, he will be back. He is a slave of money, and since we provide it to him without a doubt, he will be back. He lived with all those people for a year yet betrayed them and sold them to us.¡±


    One of my men said, ¡°Boss, speaking of those people, would we be able to have some fun with them.¡±


    I draw my sword and swing it near his neck, but intentionally missing him, I say to him, ¡°If any of you idiots touch a single one of those women and children, I will stuff a hundred swords up your ass. They are rare prime merchandise. Their worth is something you guys couldn¡¯t make in all your life. You got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss,¡± he says with a whimper.


    ¡°Good, now take these lupas and go to a whore house.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, boss, for your too kind.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, now fuck off.¡±


    As I sit back in my chair, I think to myself that I have made it. I have no fancy education or incredible skills, yet I have enough money and people loyal to me. I can get anything I want. This is truly the life.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!¡± I hear someone shout.


    I look over to the screaming and see a five-horned beast running through the entrance of our base.

 Arc 3.03

    ¦µ As we enter the main chamber of the tunnels, I see a giant building bigger than the mansion I grew up in in the centre. It has many different bridges coming out of it, leading to tunnels. As I look down, I see men and women drinking and eating, but they all let out a scream in terror due to Willow. Using the confusion to my advantage, I jump off Willow and say to Maple, ¡°If I get overwhelmed, tell Willow to attack.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Maple says, but Orb has already headed straight down. ¡°Did that idiot forget that I can¡¯t speak the saviour¡¯s song, how am I going to tell Willow anything.¡±


    Upon landing on the ground, I immediately used my legacy to freeze a large crowd of people in front of me. After that, I used my speed to get close to and knock unconscious most of the people who weren¡¯t frozen from my attack. I then saw one person with a communicator¡¯s hand, and he screamed into it.


    ¡°EVERYONE THERE IS AN INTRUDER, RETURN TO BA¡±, I knocked him out before he could finish his sentence.


    I hear the sound of swords being drawn and strong footsteps. It seems some of them have regained their composure. They come at me, trying to kill me. They¡¯re weak as all the others I have fought, but the issue is that there are ten of them coming at me, making it hard to dodge, and the sensory overload because of all the different noises that are being made in the cave is slowing me down.


    I decided to focus on defending my vital spots while looking out for any form of poison; if I get hit with that, I am finished. So, the bandits come swinging their swords at high speed. I dodge but still take cuts here and there. Whenever I get an opening, I knock one of them out, and when lots of them get close, I freeze the area.


    Creating ice taxes my body, and with the large amount I made to take out most of them in the beginning, I am already feeling tired. This and the fact that all the bandits in the giant building are coming out in droves has just increase my exhaustion; whenever I take one out, five more pop out to replace the person.


    But the worst issue is these guys¡¯ coordination. Individually they¡¯re all weak, but they work together too well. When I am fighting five, I try to take one out, but in that moment, another six of them come in to attack, me making my attack stop. I try to freeze them all after they do this, but then the initial five will back out as quickly as possible, and two of the six who jumped in would move back as well making it that I would only be able to freeze four of the eleven I could of.


    I still persevered and continued my assault, but after their repeated attacks, I started to lose focus, and it the moment I was distracted, one of the bandits swinging a giant hammer came at me. As the hammer hit me, I was able to freeze it solid, but the impact had already sent me flying into a wall. At the speed I was going, best case, I get a concussion. Worse case, I die. This isn¡¯t good. I was too overconfident, dammit. If I make contact with my hands first, it might soften the blow on the rest of my body. It is a stretch, but I must do something other than leaving it to chance.


    As I make an impact on the wall, I feel softness. As I look to see what happen, I see snow. Did I create that? As I get off the wall, I see the snow come down with me. While moving my body, I notice the snow follows the movement of my hands, and when I turn my hands 180 degrees, the snow turns to ice. I start to grind as I say to myself, ¡°I can work we this.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Boss, you shouldn¡¯t come down here. It is still dangerous. That beast over there could still attack us.¡±


    ¡°No, we are fine to look around. He hasn¡¯t killed a single one of us. If he wanted to, all he would have to do is tell that monster to stampede over us, but he has done no such thing. This brat doesn¡¯t want to kill us. Isn¡¯t that cute?¡±


    ¡°I see, sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you do stop SITTING ON YOUR ASS, I NEED TEN OF YOU TO GO UP TO HIM AND KEEP UP THE ASSAULT! DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU RETARDS?¡±


    ¡°YES, SIR!¡±


    ¡°GOOD, NOW THE ONE WHO CAPTURES HIM GETS TWENTY PERCENT OF HIS SALE. YOU KNOW HOW MUCH LEGACIES GO FOR!¡±


    An enormous scream erupts throughout the area. God really does love me, to think a legacy would run straight into the heart of our base. I know of people who have earned titles of high nobility by selling Legacies. This is my chance to make it into the big leads. Life is just going my way.


    As my soldiers runs towards the boy, he approaches us at high speed. That freaking idiot, seems like he wants to get cut down faster. As he gets closer to meeting my soldiers, he twists his hand and pulls it back. The brat has gone insane. What the hell is he doing?


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I suddenly hear a big rushing sound behind me. I look behind to see that all the frozen men are back to normal, and a large amount of snow is rushing towards us. ¡°The fuck¡±, I say before the snow hits us in full force. I


    push through the snow and stand up; seeing it now covers everyone. I try to get my legs out of it, but the moment I try, all the snow turns into ice, and I see the boy moving at extreme speeds, knocking every one of my soldiers out, and as he gets to me, he says, ¡°I heard someone call you boss, we¡¯re going to talk later.¡± And with that, the boy knocks me out.


    ¦µ ¡°VICTORY¡±, I shout after knocking the boss out. I look around to ensure everyone is down, and as I expected, the only ones who are still semi-conscious are the ones whom I unfroze, but their bodies are frostbitten, so they¡¯re no threats to me as they are now.


    ¡°MAPLE, COME DOWN, WHERE SAFE¡±.


    As Maple quickly rushes to my side, she says, ¡°Good job, but I wish you would be more careful.¡±


    ¡°I was careful even if I could have defeated them all. Worst-case scenario, Willow steps in and knocks them out, probably killing a few of them in the process.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but you almost cracked your head against the wall and were cut sixteen times, like right here and here.¡± Maple then starts pointing out where I was cut.


    ¡°How the hell did you even see all that accurately up there.¡±


    ¡°I happen to have amazing eyesight.¡±


    Well, I guess she did snipe that waptor the first time we met. ¡°Well then if you do, keep a watch on any of their movement as we move,¡± I say as I pick Maple up and start running towards their base.


    As we get inside, I start running around frantically, looking for anything I could recognise. While inside, I see how well-organised this whole place is. Not only that, but it is also very well built. I wouldn¡¯t have excepted a bunch of low-life bandits to be this methodical though they have shown they can coordinate.


    After running around for a while, I hear something. ¡°Maple; I hear something over in that direction. Keep being a lookout and scream to me if you see anything strange. I head toward the noises, eventually leading me to prison. I see men, women, and children as I look through the cells, but when walking past all of them, I eventually see people with clothes from the village. ¡°EVERYONE,¡± I scream as I get close to the bars.


    ¡°Orb,¡± they say in response. I freeze the prison bars open and start breaking everyone¡¯s cuffs. ¡°Are you guys all ok, especially you, Pine? You¡¯re an old lady. I hope they weren¡¯t too ruff with you.¡±


    The moment Pine gets out of her handcuffs, she smacks me across the head, ¡°Do you think I am some fragile baby.¡±


    ¡°I was just worried¡±, but as I say this, I see Pine stumble. ¡°Please be careful, Pine, your age is affecting you.¡±


    ¡°It is not that, you idiot, they barely feed us, and when they did, something was put in the food that made us weaker.¡±


    It must be the same thing that Cole did to us. ¡°Well, let me help you out of here then.¡±


    Hitting me in my crotch Pine says, ¡°Go free the people in the other cells first.¡±


    ¡°But I need to help you guys first.¡±


    ¡°Stop being an idiot. You know how resilient we are, and we have only been here for a little while, unlike all the other prisoners who are in much worse shape than us, so go free then first; YOU HEAR ME, ORB.¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear,¡± following Pines instruction, I go to free the prisoners in the other cells, and just like Pine said, these people have desolate expressions and are also malnourished.


    As I break their cuffs, I tell the kids, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the bad people can¡¯t hurt you anymore. You¡¯re free¡±, and after a while, I get everyone out.


    As we all slowly walk from the cells to meet Maple, she runs over and gives hugs to some of the villagers. But then she asked me, ¡°Was Willow there?¡±


    Nodding my head from left to right in response, I say, ¡°Most of the men were nowhere to be found.¡±


    ¡°Willow, where are you,¡± she says despairingly. Maple slaps both her checks and says, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about this, so right now, let¡¯s look after these people.¡± Facing them, Maple says, ¡°You all look hungry good thing there is a lot of food around¡±, so me Maple and everyone else able-bodied start grabbing the food that was left around and some that had been stored away and presented it to everyone. ¡°I know this has been hard for you, but now you can eat all you want.¡±


    Everyone started having their fill of the ridiculous amount of food the bandits had. Many of them had tears flowing down their faces while eating. While that was happening, I explained to the adults from the village all that had happened involving both Cole and Sequoia.


    They all had varying reactions. Some broke down, and some rejected my words, but one thing everyone shared was the sadness of knowing not only their leader, but their home was gone.


    I get on my hands and knees in front of everyone and say, ¡°I am so sorry. None of this would have happened if I hadn¡¯t come to the village.¡±


    Maple getting down beside me, also says, ¡°I should also apologise, if I had taken extra precautions when bringing both Orb and Cole back, we would have all been safe, and my father would be alive. I am so sorry.¡±


    Pine brings us both in close and says, ¡°You both did well. Don¡¯t blame yourself for this, even carrying all this shame and worry. You two kids have accomplished a lot. If it is anyone¡¯s fault it is ours, for being such useless adults. We should have protected you, and for that, I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologise.¡±


    ¡°He is right, Pine. It is my fault.¡±


    ¡°Well, since we all want to claim responsibility, how about we all decide to let this go and blame no one? Isn¡¯t that a fine compromise?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    So as our conversation ends, one of the other prisoners comes up to us and says the men out there are starting to wake up.


    ¡°I guess it is time to go question those scumbags.¡±

 Arc 3 End

    ¦µ As I wake up, I try to move my body and realise my hands and feet are restrained in the cuffs we use on prisoners. I turn my head to see that the rest of my employees are also bound behind me. We are in one of the small caves next to the main area, and I see parts of my body are frostbitten.


    ¡°Hi there, I heard you woke up,¡± is what the white-haired boy who knocked me out says, as he walked into the room. Behind him is a large group of the rare prisoners we bought.


    Seeing them, I realised this legacy must have been from their village. It¡¯s the only reason I could think he would be here. That bastard Cole couldn¡¯t have missed a legacy. This must have been some plan to overthrow me, I swear next time I see him, I am going to gut him alive.


    But I can¡¯t worry about that right now. My first and foremost concern is getting away from this little brat. ¡°Just a second ago. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I am Sparrow. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Squatting in front of me, the boy says, ¡°A person like you does not need to know, now let¡¯s not beat around the bush. You probably have a good idea of what I want to know. Where are the rest of my people located.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, people? I don¡¯t know whom you might be talking about.¡±


    The boy strikes me on my head, and says, ¡°You are very well put together for a bandit. Let¡¯s not do pretend that you haven¡¯t put two and two together now, using all the working brain cells in your rotten head tell where are my people, I don¡¯t have time to waste.¡±


    ¡°Now tell me, why would I have to do that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t scared for your life.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit with me. I have already realised that you don¡¯t kill people, so that is an empty threat. You need my help to find your friends, so as long as we keep quiet, you have nothing over us, and your friends are gone forever, so why don¡¯t you get off that high horse.¡±


    With this, I have evened the playing field. All the people behind me know the number one rule of our group is only to do what I say. I have domesticated them nicely, so with all this, I should be able to make a deal with him so I can get out of this situation.


    As I am about to propose a deal, I look at the boy¡¯s face, and he is palming his hand against his face. ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to play it; fine then,¡± the boy says as he walks over to one of my men.


    ¡°Back during the fight, you were commanding a lot of the soldiers,¡± is what the boy says to my right-hand man Kac.


    But like I have instructed them to do, he keeps quiet.


    ¡°So, you are not going to say anything? Fine then, I didn¡¯t want to talk either,¡± the boy pulls down Kacs pants and puts his hand near his crotch while looking at him with a big smile.


    I hear a freezing and shattering sound followed by Kacs ear-shattering scream. What the hell did that little boy just do?


    ¡°Stop whining. You¡¯ll live.¡± He then walks near one of the women and says, ¡°I guess I can''t do the same to you, but I have other ways. Maple, hand it over to me.¡±


    A little girl comes over to give the boy a feather. He plunges into my employee¡¯s leg, which causes her to scream hysterically.


    ¡°This feather will put you in extraordinary pain until it bursts your blood vessel, and you die, scary isn¡¯t it, but I won¡¯t let that happen to you.¡± As he says that, he then freezes and shatters her leg.


    ¡°See, now everything is all right.¡± The boy then walks back up to me and says, ¡°All I did when I was younger was read, and those books taught me a lot about human anatomy. You would be surprised how many painful things one could do to your body without killing you. You were right. Under no circumstance will I let you die, but remember, you can only suffer while you¡¯re alive. So, I ask you again, where are my people?¡±


    I am left unable to think due to my fear and the screams of my employees. So, I say, ¡°They were all sold to Basileia, the city of crystals.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that,¡± the young girl said.


    ¡°I believe it is a mining city. From what I know, it produces scarce crystals and gemstones. Why would you sell all of them there.¡±


    ¡°They always look for the physically strong worker, and the men from your village fit the bill.¡± As I say this, I see the people behind the boy getting angrier, and the boy¡¯s hair turns red.


    ¡°Among the other slaves, where did you sell their families.¡±


    ¡°I sold them to a general merchant who sells slaves to high-end customers and gives me a percentage of the sale. I have no idea where any of them would be now.¡±


    ¡°Dammit. You answered all the questions, so your life is secured.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I say as I bow my head.¡±


    Standing up, the boy puts his foot on my head and says to everyone, ¡°Now, everyone, look down at the pathetic sight of the one who was once your leader. I ask you this; what good he is to you? Now he has lost everything and can no longer protect or feed you. You are now all lost sheep with nowhere to go, but don¡¯t worry; I will take care of all of you.¡±


    As the faces of my former employees lighten up, the boy says, ¡°Under one condition, you must want to better yourselves, because if you don¡¯t see anything wrong with your ways and think this life you led is good. Then just like the animals you are, I will feed you to Willow, but if you want to be a human, raise your voice and say sorry with all your heart.¡±


    Expectedly all of my scummy employees shout, ¡°SORRY!¡±


    ¡°You mean it.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°Good then, now it¡¯s time for some punishment.¡± As these words leave his mouth, my employees¡¯ faces immediately sour.


    ¡°Come in, everyone,¡± the boy says as the remaining slaves we have been keeping come in.


    ¡°You guys have all agreed to better yourselves, but before reform comes punishment, each of you will lose an eye, a limb, or a sexual organ. Depending on your crime, you might lose multiple or all three, and the fine men, women, and children behind me will be helping with this process. Don¡¯t worry, guys I won¡¯t let any of you die since your mine from now on, so let¡¯s get through this¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The boy then walks up to his first victim, who says to the boy, ¡°Why are you doing this? We apologised¡±


    ¡°I know you did, but I must give you a constant reminder of your crimes. Just like how some of you have left a scar of these people that will never fade, I will do the same to you all, so let us begin.¡±


    And with those words, the boy started to reforming(punishing) every single one of my former employees. I have heard the screams of hundreds of people, but they have never been as bad as the ones I heard on that day. It serves you right, you backstabbing dickheads.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Ahh, and with that were done,¡± I say as I walk out of the punishment room and meet everyone.


    ¡°Orb, you took your sweet time.¡±


    ¡°I had to be thorough, but I am sorry we won¡¯t be wasting any more time. I plan to set out for Basileia tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Orb, isn¡¯t this too soon? You should rest,¡± Pine says to me.


    ¡°I can rest on Willows¡¯s back, but right now, I need to get there as quickly as possible, we don¡¯t know what conditions everyone is working with, and I don¡¯t even know how long it will take me to get there, so I can¡¯t waste any time.¡±


    ¡°Then let us come with you.¡±


    ¡°This is a stealth mission, the fewer people we have, the better, so Willow and I will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Orb, but that¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Pine. I will keep an eye on him,¡± Maple says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. It will be too dangerous.¡±


    She hugs me and says, ¡°Orb, I have two friends left; please don¡¯t make me worry about you both.¡±¡¯


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Well, you do have good eyesight.¡±


    ¡°Really, yay, but Orb, how will you get there without knowing the way?¡±


    ¡°I have a vague idea of where it¡¯s located, and I will have that scummy piece of trash help me,¡± I say pointing to the former boss.


    ¡°Huh¡±, I hear him say, shocked.


    I go up to him grasping my hand around his chin, saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was going to leave you here so you could start an insurrection. You and I are going to be having lots of fun together from now on¡±.


    ¡°Umm, sir Orb.¡±


    I turn to see who called me to be greeted by the remaining slaves we saved.


    They bow and say to me, ¡°Thank you so much for helping us.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t thank me for doing something so obvious.¡±


    ¡°No, but still, we were all in a completely hopeless situation, and you came to save us from that, so we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome then, but I am also sorry for not being able to locate any of your friends and family who have been sold off.¡±


    They stop bowing and face me with warm expressions, saying, ¡°That¡¯s our issue. We will locate them ourselves. You have done more than enough for us, so please don¡¯t blame yourself for something out of your control.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I understand, but just so I can help you, you can take as many lupas as you need. We don¡¯t have much use for them.¡±


    I hear Sparrow make a noise behind me. I turn my head in his direction and say, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Shaking his head from right to left. I then turn around to face the crowd again.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am, and you shouldn¡¯t second guess good blessing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much. I swear to you, if you ever need help, call on me.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Me as well.¡±


    ¡°Call on any of us.¡±


    ¡°I will if I ever need to.¡± With that, we ate, rested, and rejoiced the rest of our day away.


    -Break-


    So, the next day, we prepared to pack everything we would need for our travel and check off a few things.


    First, we ensured that all the warriors were physically strong enough to take on all the bandits. During the exercise to test if they could beat them, the female warriors looked like savage beasts brutally ravaging children. Bandits, rest in peace.


    Second, we sent the first group of freed slaves on their way with a map of the tunnels.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to wait till you get a bit better like the rest of the people here?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your concern, but many of us want to get home as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can understand that. Be safe, and please don¡¯t tell anyone about this place.¡±


    ¡°We promise that we won¡¯t, and yet again, thank you for everything, Orb.¡±


    ¡°No problem; Bye now.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    Third, we had to find Willow some food since he looked depressed. Lucky, we found some ignamoles digging holes and feed them to him. He looks extra adorable with the blood of the cowardly ignamoles splattered across his face.


    Finally, we had to say our goodbyes to everyone.


    Some slaves didn¡¯t have anywhere to return to, so we let them stay with us, ¡°Pine, they have been through a lot, so none of your austere treatment.¡±


    She grabs my cheeks and pulls on them hard, saying, ¡°You think because of all you have accomplished, you can take that tone with me, boy.¡± Pine soon puts me in a headlock.


    ¡°I am sorry for my disrespect, queen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡±


    This old lady almost killed me. ¡°Everyone, I hope you will fit in with my family. They are all nice, and I will return with many more. I hope I can see more of you guys smiling when I do.¡±


    They shake their heads in affirmation of what I said. They all have such desolate expressions. What kind of person would do this to them? Well, I know who that person is.


    I walk over to sparrow, who is still in chains. After removing them, I tell him, ¡°It¡¯s time to go but first, some insurance.¡±


    ¡°Insurance?¡± He says as I pull down his pants.


    As he shouts ¡°NONONO¡±, I stuff snow down his butthole, then say to him, ¡°It is a bother to keep you in the chain all the time, so this is my way around that.


    If you so much a step out of line once, I will turn all that snow into ice. If you make me do that, you will have snow blood and shit leaking from your ass for the rest of your life, so I expect complete servitude. You got me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Orb.¡±


    ¡°When did I give you permission to say my name.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master.¡±


    ¡°LOUDER.¡±


    ¡°YES, MASTER!¡±


    ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    ¡°I am ready, Orb,¡± Maple says as she comes to me with her bags packed.


    I laugh as I see Maple carrying a multitude of overpacked bags.


    ¡°Why are you laughing at me.¡±


    ¡°No reason. I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well then, stop wasting time and let us go,¡± and with those words, we all jump on Willow and head off.


    ¡°BYE, EVERYONE,¡± Me and Maple say as we wave goodbye.


    ¡°HAVE A SAFE TRIP!¡±


    ¡°BRING BACK MY BROTHER AND EVERYONE ELSE!¡±


    And just like the wind, we were gone. As we raced off through the tunnels, Sparrows said, ¡°Umm, master.¡±


    ¡°What is it¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it make more sense to ask Cole to show you the way?¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t if he wanted to because he is dead.¡±


    Sparrow mumbles, surprised, ¡°So he isn¡¯t a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think he was a traitor.¡±


    ¡°Because I thought there would be no way he could have missed two legacies like you guys, and this was all a trap for us.¡±


    ¡°Wait, two legacies.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you and the girl, since you both have two eye and two hair colours, that is the sign of a legacy. You¡¯re inheriting the eye and hair colour of the other soul inside your bodies.¡±


    ¡°So, I can do things like Orb.¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge, yes.¡±


    As Maple starts jumping with joy, I ask Sparrow, ¡°What else do you know about Cole.¡±


    ¡°Well, I know his parents committed a grave crime which left him with an absurd amount of debt. I know he also had a little brother.¡±


    He had a family. ¡°Do you know what has become of his brother.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you, the country he used to live in was conquered by the Holy nation of Gevurah, a little under a year ago. Since then, I have avoided that place like the plague.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Though if I had to say something about him, it is that he would stop at nothing to pay his debt off, which is why the fact he didn¡¯t sell you two legacies is strange to me.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be.¡±


    ¡°Because if he did, without a doubt, he would have paid off his debt and probably had some change to spare.¡±


    Sparrow¡¯s words run through my head. Cole, what where you are trying to accomplish with these contradictory actions? Why didn''t you come to me if it was something I could help with?


    But I can¡¯t worry about this now, Willow, Buloke, Oren, everyone, I am coming.


    Name: Sparrow Uila


    Age: 38


    Birthday: Cancer


    Hair: Short curly, and Brown


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 173 cm


    Likes: Money, Women who like money, gambling, kids who want money, cigars


    Dislikes: Righteous people or ideas, people who don¡¯t want money,


    Name: Ignamoles


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Omnivore, wonderbeast


    Description: large mammals adapted to subterranean lifestyles. They have pear-shaped bodies, brown fur, inconspicuous eyes and ears, large hindlimbs, and a mouth on each arm which they use to consume the ground.


    Fact: they are extraordinary cowardly and are scared not only of all other creatures but themselves, so they avoid large pools of water where they can see themselves and instead stay in deep dark tunnels underground

 Arc 4.01 : Basileia Crystal Cave

    Arc 4: Basileia Crystal Cave


    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger), Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness), Purple (?), Gold (arrogance), Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Cole, Meat, Villagers


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs, weakness


    ¦µ As I wake up, I am greeted by the familiar voice of people from my village. I open my eyes to see multiple people in chains from our village.


    ¡°Willow, are you ok,¡± Buloke says.


    ¡°Except for the chains, I am as good as ever.¡±


    He sighs in relief, saying, ¡°That is good to hear.¡±


    I then feel a sudden urge and say, ¡°I need to shit and piss right now.¡±


    There are buckets over there. With haste, I go over to it and relieve myself.


    When I finish my business, I look around and see that all of us are in a giant cell, ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°I wish I could tell you that, but I can say, it seems only men are here, all of us excluding Sequoia and Orb. I screamed out, and they responded from the other cells.¡±


    How the hell did we even get here? The last thing I remember is Cole giving us a speech then I was unconscious. ¡°Hey everyone, what is the last thing you guys remember.¡±


    ¡°We have already discussed this, but it¡¯s the banquet though some of us have some memories after that.¡±


    ¡°What would they be.¡±


    ¡°They said some of them felt like they were being carried off somewhere. Some say they felt a very rocky motion and caught glimpses of grasslands.¡±


    ¡°What the hell could that mean¡±. As I say this, the last person who was unconscious wakes up: it¡¯s Oren.


    ¡°You all right, you geezer,¡± Buloke says to him.


    ¡°Who are you calling geezer, you fool.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least I can say your all right.¡±


    But like me, Oren suddenly asks, ¡°Where can I relieve myself.¡±


    ¡°There are buckets over there¡±, and with Buloke¡¯s words, Oren races over there and relieves himself just like I did.


    After he finishes, he asks, ¡°What is going on, Buloke.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, ¡°Well, for the twentieth time today, let me explain.¡±


    After telling Oren all the info we had, he says, ¡°I might have an idea as to what happened.¡±


    ¡°What is it,¡± I ask eagerly.


    ¡°Think about it. There is no way we all passed out simultaneously. So, we must of all been drugged at around the same time, and there are very few ways to do that, but one would be at dinner time. It is the moment when all of us could have been drugged.¡±


    As I think about what Oren says, it clicks in my brain, ¡°The food had something in it, and the one in charge of all the cooking was Cole.¡±


    ¡°How would Cole be able to do that? We have no such drug in our village. It isn¡¯t possible.¡± Buloke says.


    Then Oren says, ¡°It is like how he made that anaesthetic. He has lots of knowledge from the outside world. It isn¡¯t hard to believe he found some combination of things inside the village that could have such an effect, and it is not like anyone in the village would notice him cooking it into the food. They would simply think it is a form of spice. The speech he also gave was a sign of this.¡±


    We all sit in there, meditating on Cole¡¯s actions. Someone says, ¡°So wouldn¡¯t that mean Orb could also have betrayed us.¡±


    Snapping at the man who said this, I say, ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. He has already told us they only met by chance. There is no way Orb was a part of this.¡±


    ¡°But look at the situation; he isn¡¯t anywhere here while all of us are. I doubt that¡¯s a coincidence. Isn¡¯t this why we feared his presence in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You must admit it is suspicious, Willow¡±, someone else says.


    ¡°You guys can¡¯t be thinking this,¡± I say as I look around at the faces of the people around me, but they have their heads down and are not looking at me. Everyone is your fate so hollow.


    ¡°Cole could cook because of saving Maple and Orb¡¯s constant praise of him.¡±


    Then someone says, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Orb the reason Maple even ran into the forest to get hurt.¡±


    ¡°The more I think about it, the more suspicious it gets.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Stop being fools,¡± Buloke says. ¡°Orb ate more food than anyone else at the banquet. He also stole lots of food from our plates, and when we started to fall unconscious, I looked in Sequoia¡¯s direction and saw him flat on his face.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain how he isn¡¯t here.¡±


    The Oren chimes in, ¡°Orb¡¯s body isn¡¯t normal anymore due to his legacy. He might have better drug resistance and could have woken up earlier. Another point in this favour is the fact Sequoia isn¡¯t here. He used to stuff a bunch of plants in his mouth when he was younger, giving him higher resistance than us. They both probably woke up earlier.¡±


    ¡°That still isn¡¯t conclusive.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS. Have a little faith. I know what happened with Cole must have shaken your trust, but that doesn¡¯t mean you should doubt everyone and everything. Don¡¯t let this one bad experience sour your mind. YOU GOT THAT.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡±, they all scream in unison.


    ¡°Now, the bigger issue is how far away from our village.¡±


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have gotten that far.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that. Everyone keeps getting a glimpse of things and feeling different motions. I believe that what everyone was feeling and seeing where during the moment between the last drug wearing off and them administering a different one. The fact that we all needed desperately to void our bowels proves this. We have no idea how long we have been out.¡±


    ¡°I will go inform everyone else of this,¡± I say. As I am about to scream out so everyone else can hear, men I have never seen before walk into the room and say.


    ¡°You guys are finally all awake. Rejoice; it is time for you guys to start your wonderful new lives.¡± After the man says that a group of people wearing the same uniform as him.


    ¡°Everyone act cautiously, don¡¯t do anything stupid, and tell everyone else what we discussed today,¡± Oren says with a severe expression on his face.


    ¡°Yes¡±, we all respond as the men who entered the room open our cells and drag us all out. While still in chains, they take us out of the chamber we were in, but as we left, I saw that rock walls surrounded us. Seeing this, I conclude that in a cave.


    They take all of us until we¡¯re in a large area with lots of space and say to us all, ¡°From today until you die, you are our property. It was quite expensive to buy all of you so we will put you all to good work. That is all.¡±


    Property? Bought us? While I think over his words, I can only conclude that we were sold as slaves. I am stunned at this revelation, but not all the warriors are as passive as me.


    Buloke and some others still in chains grab and restrain some of the men and women guarding us and say, ¡°Do you think we are just going to let ourselves be enslaved like this¡±. I see Buloke tighten the chokehold he has on the guard.


    ¡°Well, first, I said property, not slavery, so don¡¯t confuse terms you idiotic slave. Second, what your doing is pointless, look at your hostages.¡±


    Looking at the people being held; they aren¡¯t even struggling, it is as if they''re perfectly okay with the situation they¡¯re in. Though one of them is crying and says, ¡°I wish I could have been more use to mother Morgan.¡±


    Buloke knocks out the one he is holding and says, ¡°Then I will have to take all of you down.¡± He rushes at the man giving the speech, but as Buloke gets close, the man drops something.


    Looking down, Buloke says, ¡°Fingers¡±, and starts to take out the man who dropped them. ¡°Was that supposed to stop me.¡±


    ¡°No, it is a warning. Do those fingers look like they belong to an adult? One look, and you can tell they aren¡¯t. Haven¡¯t you wondered where all the kids with you had gone?¡±


    Realising the meaning behind those words, I say, ¡°Buloke, stop.¡±


    But instead, he starts to choke him, ¡°What the hell did you do.¡±


    ¡°For every one of us you kill, one of the kids with you will be punished, and if we don¡¯t return in a certain amount of time, they will be punished, so please, continue to choke me.¡±


    Hearing his words, Buloke loosens his grip and let¡¯s go.


    As the man gets up, he kicks Buloke right in the face and says since you guys didn¡¯t feel like behaving yourself, I had to resort to these methods. If you behave, all those kids will be happy and healthy. If you rebel, they will experience punishment worse than the denizens of hell. Now that would be all.¡±


    As the man walks away, I ask him, ¡°If you only hurt the kids to punish us, why did you already have fingers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simply, because I don¡¯t like you guys, you reek of trouble, so I prepunished some of the kids,¡± he says as he walks away with a smile.


    One by one, they started to load all of us into a mechanical contraption that could go down with the pull of a lever. They took everyone. Though I did notice they took the more robust people and those who picked a fight down first, it also seemed that subsequent groups came up faster than the previous ones. My group was one of the last to go down.


    After we descended a bit, they pushed me into a tunnel, and as I walked in, I saw countless shining bluish-red crystals being mined by people. They bring me inside, then hand me something called a pickaxe and say, ¡°Your quota of crystals is twenty full carts. You only get to eat and sleep once you have completed this, so you better get to work.¡± With that, they leave, and as I start mining, I hear one of the guards scream, ¡°GET YOUR LAZY ASSES MOVING.¡±


    This whole situation makes me feel sick, but all I can do right now is fill my quota as fast as possible, then I can sit down and think.


    -Break-


    The air here is hot. I feel like my lungs and skin are about to fire. The only thing that distracts me from this is the colour of the crystals. I swing the pickaxe against the stone again and again. Constantly bashing against these incredible hard crystals has very quickly destroyed my stamina.


    This endless repetitive action has me wondering how much longer is left. Looking back at the carts, I have only filled twelve. In all this time, I still have eight left. My body feels like it is about to fall apart, but the worst part is that when I look around, I see the enervated faces of the rest of the slaves beside me. My parent¡¯s corpses had more life than some of them. They are just mindlessly swinging their arms at the crystals. Though some of them are smiling and happily turning away while mumbling, ¡°All for mom, all for mom.¡±


    While refocusing on the task, I see an old man near me fall as he coughs relentlessly. As I walk over to him, my legs don¡¯t move, so I think to myself. Should I get involved? I still have lots of work to do. Who knows when I will be finished? I can¡¯t get in trouble by helping a dying old man, but as I see him cough up blood, I run to his side.¡±


    ¡°Food.¡± The man says.


    As I inspect his body, I see that this man, who is older than Oren, has skin that has been burned and rotted a colour blue. Whatever is going on with his body is clearly the cause.


    I then see a guard walk up to us, and she says, ¡°Hurry up and get back to work. You aren¡¯t even halfway through your quota today, not to mention that you still haven¡¯t fully gone through your quota for the last two days, if you don¡¯t finish no food or sleep, only water.¡±


    ¡°This man is clearly in no shape to work.¡±


    ¡°Now,¡± she says as she crouches. She then tells the old man, ¡°This year, your daughter turns ten. You should see how happy she is now. She has many friends and always eats well. All of that is due to your work for us in these caves over the last five years. If you die, I guess we no longer have much of a reason to keep her. It is a pity.¡±


    Hearing her words, the man on the border between life and death gets back to mining with blood spuing from his mouth.


    At this rate, the man in front of me will die. Suddenly a frightening came to me. I started immediately doubting this idea. Can I do this? Yes, I can, with a little extra effort; I can save someone¡¯s life. I say to the woman, ¡°Let me do his work on top of my own. Let him get some rest and food.¡±


    Looking at me, the woman cries and says, ¡°WHAT A GOOD BOY YOU ARE. I WILL ALLOW THIS!¡± After this, she takes the old man away.


    So, with more motivation than before, I start mining away at all the crystals.


    -Break-


    As I mine the last crystal, I throw it into the previous cart, exasperated. I don¡¯t have any strength left. Everyone else left hours ago I believe my sense of time has faded almost complete. While lying on the ground, my skin and eyes feel like they were on fire, and it was so difficult to breathe that I would swear someone was choking me.


    While on the floor, I think, is this where I die? I did something foolish, and my life is about to end here. Orb, Maple, Sequoia, everyone, if I die here I will only have regrets. Why do I have to go out like this? I feel like crying, but any tears that start to form evaporate.


    As I close my eyes, I feel someone pick me up and put me on their back, walking away from the centre.


    In my semi-conscious state, I look at this person with overgrown, ruff black hair, two horns and a big tail. I must be having some near-death dream. But to my surprise, the person carrying me said, ¡°D-D-Don¡¯t worry, you will be okay. I will take care of the r-r-rest; just sleep, Boy¡±, and with those words from a hushed voice, I fell asleep.

 Arc 4.02

    While lying in my cell, I am forcibly woken up by the guards who are screaming, ¡°GET UP!¡± Hearing his words, I jump from my sleeping position and run out the door of my cell. I am then guided to a large area filled with people, where I am then given a plate so I can collect my food for the day.


    Finally, I get to eat. Last night all I did was wish for some food, and now my wishes have been made through. While thinking back on last night, I wonder how I made it back to my cell. I thought I saw something inhuman carry me, but no one should have done something like that here.


    ¡°Hurry up, get your food, or I will eat the rest.¡±


    Hearing the shouting of the guard serving the food, I run over so I can get some. When I get there, the guard puts a yellowish goop into my bowl. It smells rancid, but I doubt anything will come from complaining about it. I might as well sit down to eat.


    Sitting on the floor with my back against a wall, I devour my food nonstop. Not caring about either the taste or smell, I eat relentlessly until someone says, ¡°Hello, sir may I sit beside you.¡±


    I look up and say, ¡°Old man, you are looking better today.¡±


    ¡°Well, only thanks to you. I got some sleep and food for the first time in a while. With all my heart, I thank you.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem for a person like me. You should make it just easy. You don¡¯t want to die before seeing your daughter.¡±


    The old man looks sorrowful, saying, ¡°I¡¯d like to see her again. Though I am pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t remember me.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that, kids have a special instinct regarding our parents. As long as you loved her until you separated, I am sure she remembers you. I haven¡¯t forgotten my parent¡¯s faces at all.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that. Also, why do you keep calling me old man I am just thirty-five.¡±


    Looking at him, shocked says, ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, thirty-Five, this man who looks older than Oren is telling me he is younger than Sequoia. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie to kids, old man.¡±


    ¡°I am not lying.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, old man,¡± as the old man was about to retort what I said, I see something familiar walk into the hall. With a long scaley tail, two horns and completely overgrown hair, it is undoubtedly the person I saw yesterday.


    I didn¡¯t get a good look at him last time, but now I can see scales on his face. Getting a good look has confirmed it for me. Without a doubt, this man is a dragon.


    Orb told me about the super rare species, not due to their volume but accessibility. They all never leave the continent and kill all humans who come to their land on sight, so most people never get a chance to see them, but here I am with one directly in my presence, and I even rode on his back though in human form. I will brag about this to Orb and Maple the next time I see them.


    I stare directly at the dragon in the room. I am completely dumbfounded that I stop eating.


    As he opens his mouth to eat, grumble rockets throughout the area. The dragon boy, without any hesitation, goes over to give his food to the person who lost control of their hunger.


    ¡°Old man, can you believe what he just did.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s normal for Cyrus. He always does things like that.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t he need to eat? Well, I guess I wouldn¡¯t want to eat this shit.¡±


    ¡°I have only seen him eat once in the last five years. All the time, he is just handing his food away or mining. Unlike us, he can mine day in and day out without getting tired. I am pretty sure he only sleeps twice last year.¡±


    Orb did tell me that when dragons are in human form, everything about them is super compressed. I guess despite hold skinny he looks, he probably has more muscle mass than all of us put together.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t insult the food here. It has kept healthy and going for the last five years.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, old man, I don¡¯t have time to waste talking to an old hoot like you I am going to go over there and befriend that dragon,¡± After a while, we make eye contact. I then start walking up to him, which causes him to shake nonstop.


    As I am something, I hear, ¡°All right, lunchtime is over. Get ready to start your day.¡±


    Hearing their voice, the man immediately starts walking away. You assholes, you ruined my dream of making friends with a dragon. I promise I will never forgive any of you.


    With that, we are sent to go mine until we reach our quota, which was more than yesterday by an extra cart. As I finish, I start walking back to my cell. And when I get there, I see a large number of people, including the old man walking to my cell I ask him, ¡°What are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°It seems they bought another large amount of slaves, so they are trying to make the best use of space, and thus we all have to stay together.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So, after hearing this, we all head into my cell, and without a doubt, one thing I can say is that it is cramped.


    While sitting in my over-packed cell, I say to the old man, ¡°Do you know where they take the other slaves? Because all of the people I was sold with are nowhere to be found.¡±


    ¡°There are multiple levels to this mine. Strong or troublesome people tend to be put at the bottom, so if they start acting up, they won¡¯t be able to escape instantly.¡±


    So, the reason I was put here is because I am seen as a non-threat, I feel annoyed at this realisation.


    After this, there is a long silence. Oh god, this reminds me of the silence that followed whenever people talk to me about my dead parents it is made worse by how gloomy this cell is, so to spice things up, I say to the old man, ¡°Hey tell me where you are from.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Stop questioning me and just say it?¡±


    ¡°Since I am not opposed, I might as well tell you, I happen to be from a very prosperous city called Arendaia though it is probably better known for its icon, the eternal spider. It was a country only known for the silk the spider produced, but due to the Animus family, it had grown to be one of the biggest trade countries in the world I have immense pride in it. Where are you from.¡±


    I probably should tell them where I am from, but it is not like our existence is a secret anymore, and they will never find out way into the village, so ¡°I guess I am from Fimbulwinter.¡± When I say this, people start giving me strange looks.


    ¡°Then the old man says, ¡°Oh, you mean the area around Fimbulwinter, isn¡¯t that a rather dangerous place to live, I heard that mountains wonderbeasts often wander out of the mountain and attack people.¡±


    ¡°No, your misunderstanding me, I come from inside Fimbulwinter, my village is in Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, that endless blizzard freezing everything, there is no way you could have lived there it is, without a doubt, the harshest place on the planet.¡±


    ¡°It is not like we lived there without issues. I believe the founders of our village had an incredibly tough time, and many of them died off, leaving only a rather small percentage of them, but they survived. I believe our founder Magnolia also helped find us an ideal space to live in.¡±


    I hear someone chime in and say, ¡°Do you mean Magnolia, the scientist who disappeared Centuries ago!¡± As I try to respond, the woman goes on excitedly saying, ¡°He completely revolutionised agriculture and medical technology at the time, they say he was a student of the founder of the Celestial vision,¡± interrupting me again she says.


    ¡°There have been countless theories as to what has happened to him, but if he somehow found a way to live in Fimbulwinter, it would make sense how he was able to disappear out of the worlds reach.¡±


    As the girl in front of me finishes her rant, she has an embarrassed expression as everyone stares at her she says, ¡°I am sorry, I really like history, so I might have lost myself, my name is Bella.¡±


    Letting out a laugh at her enthusiasm, I say, ¡°It is ok. I am pretty sure you just surprised everyone with all your energy.¡±


    ¡°But to think you¡¯re from Fimbluwinter, I wouldn¡¯t have guessed it.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t get what¡¯s so great about it. It simply is just a bunch of snow. You¡¯re not missing much. But if you want me to tell you about it, I will as long as you tell me about your homes as well,¡± and just like that, everyone starts talking nonstop.


    We all share where we all came from.


    ¡°Sky Dust.¡±


    ¡°Braoneia.¡±


    ¡°Cordum.¡±


    ¡°Elenito.¡±


    Just like the members of my village did during times of distress, we shared stories to alleviate all our stress and worries. I told them about Orb, his legacy, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> and all the other wild animals.


    Apparently, some of them found Maple being strung up abuse, I don¡¯t know why. Over this one long talk, I got to know everyone, and they did to me as well.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t said this yet, but my name is Willow.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t either, but my name is Quant.¡± The old man says.


    ¡°Quant is a weird name.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of it, you brat. Still, it is nice to be called by that name. It has been almost five years since I have been called that.


    With The mood dampening by those words from Quant, we all remember the situation where none of us is saving anytime soon.


    Someone says, ¡°I heard the dragon boy has been here for twelve years. Does this mean we¡¯re going to be here for that long too?¡±


    ¡°Most people don¡¯t live that long here.¡±


    As the mood continues to drop, I say, ¡°Maybe we could escape.¡±


    ¡°Willow, quiet down. We don¡¯t know who is listening,¡± Quant says to me.


    ¡°I will, but this may be an option. The first day, when I was overworking myself, the guards left me alone, I might be able to sneak out during that time.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t, that is a trap they set to check if anyone has any rebellious motive. The guards are positioned at certain points, and if they catch you, they will punish you severely. All the people who come back from that punishment are either broken or submissive, but they are the ones who come back. Not everyone is so lucky, so don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, see, but there must be something¡± while I sit there thinking, I rack my brain for an answer. How do I do to get out? I doubt we could brute force it, so the only solution would be to get in good with the guards, but their all crazy, so that won¡¯t work. There must be something to think about what you have seen and heard.


    ¡°Quant, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¡°It is normal for many slaves to be bought all of a sudden like what just happened?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. The only time a huge amount of slaves have ever been bought was when an explosion deeper in the mines. It killed over half the slaves, so they bought many new ones. They never really bring in new slaves because the ones without a reason to keep working tend to die fast.¡±


    ¡°Have there been any explosions as of late?¡±


    ¡°Not one. The crystal is so strong that if one of them exploded, you would hear it from anywhere in the mine.¡±


    ¡°Another question is there any way to meet up with people here?¡±


    ¡°The only way that is possible is during lunch times. But since most people finish their work and go to eat at different times, it is tough to meet certain people.¡±


    Well, that explains why I didn¡¯t see anyone from my village at lunchtime. ¡°What do you think are the limits of the actions the guards will take against us.¡±


    ¡°The guards will rarely interact with us unless we are causing a problem that would impact are or others¡¯ work.¡±


    Still, this has given me what I needed. ¡°Hey, everyone, I have a vague idea of a plan, but I need some help putting it together.¡±


    I look at the faces of everyone, and they don¡¯t look eager, but Quant says. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like doing anything that will get my daughter hurt, but it won¡¯t hurt to listen.¡±


    So, upon telling them my initial idea, they perk up a bit, but I am told it has some holes. Though we talk over my opinion with all of us offering something


    Away a while, I say to them, ¡°This could work. Everyone thanks you for the thought.¡±


    ¡°Though this plan¡¯s success solely relies on you, and if you rat us out, we will all be punished.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I would sooner bite my tongue, so let¡¯s have a little hope and try and get through this.¡± And with that, we put our plan in motion.

 Arc 4.03

    ¡°Hey, Tom.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Jerry.¡±


    ¡°Should we stop this?¡± Jerry says as he looks at a strange sight. One of the prisoners is screaming commands at other prisoners, while using them as a chair and a footstool.


    ¡°We are specifically only instructed to discipline them if they are trying to escape, or anything that could impact their work.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that prisoner Willow is causing problems?¡±


    ¡°Despite his dictator attitude, he is still doing his work, and the other slaves he commands have been working harder under his instructions. Not only that, but he has also made all the other slaves around more obedient; you know what you¡¯re supposed to be doing. From my point of view, he has only helped. Maybe we should give him your job.¡±


    ¡°Still, the number of slaves following his instructions increases every day. What if they rebel.¡±


    ¡°Even if all these slaves could use spirit arts, I doubt they could escape in their condition, and the boy Willow was moved to an individual cell after this behaviour started, and the only other times he is around people, he is closely being watched. So that can¡¯t be happening, and this mine is a labyrinth. Only guards who have been here for multiple years have a grasp on its layout. These guys are not going anywhere. Now inform them lunchtime is over, Jerry.¡±


    ¡°GET YOUR ASSES TO WORK. YOU HAVE EATEN ENOUGH!¡±


    Even though I shot down Jerry¡¯s worries, the head guard still said that he felt these guys were going to be trouble, so I should keep an eye on that kid.


    ¦µ I have to apologise to everyone for my rude behaviour when we escape. But it seems our plan has been going off without a hitch. The guards haven¡¯t responded to my behaviour. Though it seems they stare at me more and more every day.


    Upon arriving in the cave and preparing to start my work for the day, I am greeted by a wondrous sight, Cyrus is in the mine. Seeing him, I walk up and start mining crystals beside him.


    I stare intently at him as he mines, until he recognises my look. Upon seeing me, he starts to shake uncontrollably. Worried by his reaction to my presence, I try to say something to him, but as I look dead into his face to speak, he turns his head away.


    Then I hear Cyrus say, ¡°Yo-yo-you sho-u-u-uld no-t-t-t bully people-e-e-e.¡±


    I am taken aback by his speech, not only is he stuttering, his Heroes song is horrible. I say to him, ¡°I am not bullying anyone,¡± while staring more intensely.


    As he shakes more, he says, ¡°But-u-t, I saw you-u-u-u using peo-o-o-ple as chairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they all agreed to that. I guarantee it was consensual, so no bullying, only friendship.¡±


    He then turns slightly towards me, and says, ¡°Rea-a-a-ally?¡±


    With a big smile, I say, ¡°Without a doubt,¡± and with these words, he stops shaking.


    Was he shaking because he was scared of me? You should be scared of Willow the 2<sup>nd,</sup> not me, how rude. At least this means my reputation has spread far enough, but that reminds me, ¡°Thank you for saving me on my first day.¡±


    ¡°It was-a-a-as no problem. Bu-t-t-t-t, why did yo-o-o-ou take on that man¡¯s work?¡±


    ¡°Why did you decide to help me.¡±


    He sombrely says, ¡°Because it was how I was raised¡±


    ¡°Well, I can tell you the same thing. I was simply raised like this.¡±


    I hear a guard scream, ¡°HEY, YOU TWO OVER THERE, SPEAK AGAIN, AND I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!¡±


    ¡°Tch, seems like our conversation is being cut short. Bye Cyrus. Next, we meet; I have a bunch of questions to ask you.¡±


    He slowly waves at me and says, ¡°Bye.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°We meet again, Cyrus,¡± I say as I sit next to him with my bowl of food in hand.


    Letting out a shriek when I get close, he says, ¡°H-H-H-H-Hi Will-o-o-ow.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t remember telling you, my name. How do you know it.¡±


    ¡°During different lunch times, I have heard people say your name, and I could connect what they said to you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a ridiculous amount of people in these mines. How did you manage to put what they said to me? HEY, STOOLS, COME OVER HERE. LET ME SIT ON YOU.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard.¡±


    Huh, how so. My faithful friends come over and let me sit on them. ¡°You want a stool too Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°N-o-o-o-o,¡± Cyrus says as he shakes.


    Maybe all these people are making him nervous. ¡°Away with you stool; I will let you off today¡±, and with that, all my loyal friends leave.


    Are they your friends? Cyrus pondered as they all walked away.


    So, sitting down beside Cyrus, I asked him, ¡°Would you be able to become my friend?¡±


    Looking at me with a face of surprise, he shockingly responds, ¡°why.¡±


    ¡°The reason is simple: if I become friends with a dragon, I will hold it over Maple and Orb forever.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I bet, I would be one of the first humans ever to make friends with a dragon, at the very least, in the first one thousand. Not only that, if we become friends, you will tell me all about your homeland, which would give me knowledge Orb doesn¡¯t know for the first time in a while. I will lord this over him for the rest of his life.¡±


    ¡°So, tha-a-a-at is your reason,¡± he says with a sad expression.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, but there is more any person who saves my life as you did, gets an automatic friendship with me. All you have to do is accept, so would you like to be my friend, Cyrus?¡±


    He nods his head up and down in response.


    ¡°Great, now as I first act of business as friends, tell me about your homeland. Don¡¯t worry; I am a fair person. I will tell you whatever you want to know about mine as a well equivalent exchange so go on,¡± I say with stars in my eyes.


    He says, ¡°It has been sixteen years since I have been there, so I don¡¯t remember much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine; just tell me what you remember. I would love to hear anything.¡±


    ¡°Well, all the dragons speak what you humans call the saviour¡¯s song.¡±


    ¡°That explains your horrible heroes song.¡±


    ¡°So-o-o-orry, I learned it fr-o-o-om the other-r-r-r inmates.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Th-n-n-n-nk you¡±


    ¡°GET TO WORK, YOU SLAVES. LUNCHTIME IS OVER!¡±


    And with those few words, we were cut short. But we continued every time we saw each other. And during all the time that had passed, I had seen my plan become more effective. It was almost time to take it to the next step, so using the signal we devised, I informed Quant we are moving to stage two. Everyone has done a great job so far. All that is left is for me to do my part. But before that, I need to ask my friend something.


    ¡°Hey, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Ye-e-e-es, Willow.¡±


    ¡°I am just double-checking that you are working in one of the lower mines today.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, you¡¯re powerful, so much so that they make you work in every mine here.¡±


    ¡°Comp-p-p-pared to humans I a-a-a-a-am.¡±


    ¡°So, couldn¡¯t you break out of here if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess this place is welled guarded.¡±


    Putting his head on his knees, he said, ¡°The guards aren¡¯t the issue. I just guarantee you that I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°You know, sometimes you stop stuttering.¡±


    ¡°Rea-a-a-ally, I didn¡¯t not-t-t-tice.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever, but I just want to tell you I have three people I would call friends. You are one of them, so take some pride in that. Remember this because it might be some time till we meet again.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± He asks, confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret, but next time we meet, I will help you with your horrible heroes song,¡± and with that, I walk away.


    -Break-


    Just like on my first day, I decided to take on the work of another slave, so I could be the last one mining. And when everyone had left, I tried to make my great escape. I ran out of the mine and went to find the machine that brought us down in the first place. Upon reaching it, I step onto it and return to the floor where we were first given the speech. Those memories seem so distant now.


    After running around randomly and taking mental notes of the layout of the area, some guards find and catch me. As they hold me down, one of them says, ¡°I knew you were going to be trouble when we first met, but at the very least, I get to punish you now, oh great boss Willow.¡±


    Turning my head on the ground to look into the guard¡¯s eyes, I say, ¡°Can¡¯t wait.¡±


    And with this, they began my punishment. They threw me in a completely dark cell and left me with no clothes, but before that, I was injected with a needle. I thought they were going to beat me, but this is much better. Though if this is all they do, the plan may fail outright.


    Still, I can¡¯t do anything in this place, so I might as well go over the plan.


    Over one month ago


    ¡°The only way for us all to escape is to win the trust of the guards, find a map and the location of the hostages, and plan our escape on a day everyone is lax. I think the way to accomplish the first problem is to offer value to the boss of this place.¡±


    ¡°How would you go about that? What could we offer her.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s where all the workers she has been buying come in. For whatever reason, she needs lots of slaves, meaning she needs to mine lots more crystals. So, my idea is for all of you guys to pledge loyalty to me and do whatever I say. While you¡¯re doing this, I need you all to work extra hard, and you must say you were doing this under Willow¡¯s orders.


    Of course, this plan won¡¯t work with just us, so using the fact that we meet at different lunch times, spread the word and get anyone else who wants to leave to follow this plan. Anyone dressed like me should automatically sign up for this plan, and if they doubt any of you, just tell them the name Sequoia, and they should trust you. Doing this will give me value and worth, so now I will be helpful to them.¡±


    ¡°This will all just put a target on your back. The guards might punish you,¡± Quant says.


    ¡°The guards rarely intervene, just like you said, and if everyone is working harder cause of me, I doubt they will see it as bad. Though the next part is the hardest.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°After thinking about it, the people who get punished come back broken or submissive, but that still doesn¡¯t account for the people who are extremely loyal to mother. In my opinion, when someone gets punished, the ones who don¡¯t return are made into guards. My reasoning is that it doesn¡¯t make sense for a place like this, that doesn¡¯t go out of its way to harm its slaves, would kill workers. So, I believe they must be turned into guards or used for some other purpose, and after a set amount of time or if they misbehave, they are returned to the mines, thus explaining the extremely loyalty.¡±


    ¡°That is still shaky logic. For all we know, they could all be dead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is very far off,¡± Bella says. ¡°Basileia crystals are one of the most wanted resources in the world, so the city is known to be secretive. So many people have tried using the workers here to find out about the inner working of the city, but it never worked because they all have an undying loyalty to the current ruler. If they were all slaves who have been tamed, it would make sense.¡±


    ¡°But how would she tame people to the point they¡¯re obsessed with her.¡±


    ¡°Mind control,¡± I say.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Someone in our cell says.


    Quant says, ¡°It does in some form. When people are emotionally beaten down, if you can wiggle your way into their hearts, you can almost gain full control of a person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking, and I plan for her to do this with me. If she thinks she has broken me down, without a doubt, she will make me a guard because I control a large amount of slaves¡¯ loyalty.


    If I become a guard due to all the moving around, I will be doing between floors, I will get the layout down, and I should be able to locate the hostages. My village had festivals where we all let our guard down, and I am sure this place has something like that too, so all I have to do is find it out and bust you all out on that date.


    I know this is a dangerous plan, and some of you might die in the process, but it is the best I have, so how about it?¡±


    And with that, we stamped out the last remaining issues with my plan and started it, leading me right up to the present in this cell. Now, all I can do is wait.


    -Break-


    I don¡¯t know how many hours, days, weeks, or months have passed, but my body is failing. I feel pain in my stomach, and I am beyond thirsty I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.


    But the worst part is how I see and feel it all in this darkness. My parents dying, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> feather almost killing me, the discomfort from being ripped upon and the pain I felt from nearly dying in the mine. It¡¯s too much I can¡¯t be in here any longer, ¡°LET ME OUT, PLEASE LET ME OUT. I CAN¡¯T TAKE THIS ANYMORE. LET ME OUT, PLEASE LET ME OUT,¡± I say as I bang against my dark prison without any light.


    ¦µ ¡°Took him longer than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Tana, you¡¯re the head guard. Do you have time to waste listening to this boy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. Breaking this one is an important job¡±. He held out for four days before the drug started to take effect. The lotus remembrance is as wonderful as ever I see.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly this is a drug that causes one to relieve past traumatic and painful memories constantly, while messing with the person¡¯s sense of time that.¡±


    ¡°You are correct, and with that plus the tiny amount of food and water we have given him, he will mentally break him down bit by bit until its time. After another two weeks of this, I wonder how docile this child will become.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I lay on the floor close to death both physically and mentally, I cried out for my parents with my drained voice. But of course, they wouldn¡¯t respond to me since I am trash, I am garbage. This darkness is all I deserve, all a murder of his parents like me deserves.


    I suddenly feel softness as I am picked up from the ground, I am carried out from my cell l look at the face of the who is carrying me, and I see the face of a beautiful old lady. Gently she whispers into my ear as she holds me tight, ¡°It¡¯s ok now, those demons in their won¡¯t hurt you, I will always be here to make sure of that ok,¡± she says with tears falling down her eyes.


    As I look at this face, it is like a part of my soul wants to call this woman ¡°Mother,¡± and with those words, tears fall from my eyes as I cry profusely


    ¦µ ¡°This kid was one of the longer ones, being the head guard really is ruff.¡± I say as I rub the back of my head. But while I look at mother, I see something that catches my eye for a second the boy named Willow looked as though he had a determined facial expression for an brief moment.

 Arc 4.04

    One month and a half earlier


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Astral Plateau


    It has been a few days since we left everyone in the tunnels. Since then, Me Maple and Sparrow have been travelling to Basileia, located in an area called the Astral Plateau.


    Upon reaching there, I was amazed that there were so many kinds of stones that I had only seen in books. It took every ounce of my willpower not to stop and get lost looking at them. Though I jump off Willow every now and again to pick up shiny rocks that I like, then I use my speed to get back in no time.


    We brought lots of carts with us, so we could carry food for everyone, but I have started filling them up with random rocks I found. I wanted to take some animals as well, but we had to feed whatever we could find to Willow.


    Though this place has one major downside, it is scorching so much that I can barely handle it. This must be how people feel going through Fimbulwinter, but the opposite. Maple was pleased to see me being affected by the weather for once.


    Though lucky, I was able to reclaim the clothes Capti made for me, which are unaffected by not only the cold but heat as well, and when you add in my legacies power to create ice, I feel as good as new, though my repeated use of my legacy started causing a problem.


    ¡°Hey, Maple, what are you doing back there.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°I have been hearing grunting sounds for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Your ears must betray you then.¡±


    ¡°The only reason me and you are alive right now is thanks to these ears, so I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I am sorry then.¡±


    A short silence follows this, and I say, ¡°Are you trying to use your legacy.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am, but nothing I am doing is working! Orb tell me how you pulled it off,¡± she says while whining.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just sort of happened.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t helpful.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do? Reverse engineer something I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You could at least try.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I was lying to you. This is how I did it, say the following: I love and want to marry Willow.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I don¡¯t speak the saviour¡¯s song.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just keep repeating those words, and your legacy will activate. I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°I love and want to marry Willow. I love and want to marry Willow. I love and want to marry Willow.¡± As she keeps saying this I start to snicker a bit, ¡°Hey Orb, why did you snicker?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, it¡¯s nothing keep going on.¡± I know I shouldn¡¯t do this, but it is simply too funny.


    While I laugh, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> suddenly comes to a halt.


    ¡°WHOA BOY,¡± I say as I am tossed off of Willow, which causes me to crash into the ground. ¡°Willow, why did you stop?¡±


    Using his nail he points at something beside me.


    Looking over, I see a decrepit woman with fiery scarlet hair on the floor, with a large gold bow beside her. She is wearing a whitish grey one-piece skirt with red designs, and a black sash around her body. She most noticeably had an orange sun tattoo on her left arm.


    Immediately going over to check if this woman is alive, I hear that she is breathing, and her heart is beating. As I sigh with relief, I hear her murmur something. Getting closer to her, the weak woman speaks. She says, ¡°Food, sleep and sex I need.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I think I miss heard you. Could you say that again.¡±


    She grabs me with her raisin-like arms, pulls me close, and says, ¡°I NEED FOOD; SLEEP AND SEX NOW!¡±


    With my mind blanking for a few seconds, I pick her up, then I jump up and throw her on top of Willow, and say, ¡°Maple, feed her something,¡± as I fall back down.


    I go up to her sizeable golden bow and try to pick it up, but it is cumbersome; using all my strength I can barely budge it. No way that whither woman carried this. I use my legacy to see if it helps, but it hardly does. All it allows me to do is drag it. So, I pull the bow next to Willow and use my ice to make a pillar underneath it, then, using all my strength, throw it on Willows¡¯s back.


    When it lands, I see Willow recoil at its weight. ¡°Sorry, boy¡±. But I also see that woman devouring a large amount of food, which makes her body full of life again. She soaked up all that food like a sponge.


    After I land on Willow¡¯s back, I see the woman start to choke on the food. I quickly move to hit her in the back, which helps her stop. As she stops blocking, she looks at me, hugs me, and says, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    But as she touches me, I feel incredible softness followed by immense uncomfort. I break her hold on me and move back.


    ¡°Is something wrong, boy no need to be shy. Come and get a hug. I will let you even cop a feel.¡±


    ¡°That will be unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, into men, I see.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions. I don¡¯t like being touched by strangers.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    What the hell is wrong with this girl? Hasn¡¯t she ever heard of boundaries? But whatever, I have more important things to figure out. So, as I sit down in front of her, I say with a smile, ¡°First, what is your name, mine is Orb.¡±


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    She rubs her chin while expressing that she is thinking hard. After a while, she tells me, ¡°Just call me Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t usually have to think about their names.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am used to being called beauty, darling, or goddess, so I tend to forget my name.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°So, what were you doing in the middle of nowhere here.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, you see, I was in a bar drinking, then some merchants told me of a place filled with gorgeous crystals, so I decided to visit it by taking the back route.¡±


    While I compute what she is saying, I see Sparrow make a shocked face. ¡°Hey, Sparrow spit out whatever is bothering you right this instant.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest, I asked a question. NOW ANSWER ME.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± he says while flustered. ¡°It is just that, the back route which we are on is dangerous, hot and almost twice as long without any water in miles. This is quite common knowledge regarding the way to Basileia.¡±


    While staring at him viciously, I say, ¡°So why did you bring Maple and me on this route then.¡± I start converting his snow into ice.


    ¡°Oh god, st-st-stop; let me explain myself. I did it because by using the tunnels to shorten the distance then with your ice and Willows¡¯s speed, I was sure it would have been no problem, so please stop turning your hand.¡±


    The girl looks at me and says, ¡°What did you just do?¡±


    ¡°I shoved ice up his ice to domestic him.¡±


    Turning around, Atalanta says to Sparrow, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. After a while, things in your ass will feel nice.¡±


    As Maple turns red, she says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be talking about all these things openly.¡± Turning her head to me, she says, ¡°Right, Orb.¡±


    ¡°No, to my knowledge, she hasn¡¯t said anything weird.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°Capti told me about all his escapades when he was young, it was along the same lines. Isn¡¯t this just normal?


    He told me these words exactly. People outside might judge your way of living, but I am having fun, and they not, so they can all suck my Co-¡±


    ¦µ ¡°STOP!¡± I scream. Am I the weird one? If this is what outsiders are like, I need to get used to it.


    ¦µ ¡°Sorry, carry on,¡± Maple says, trying to contain her embarrassment.


    ¡°I like how your friend Capti thinks,¡± Atalanta says while trying to hug me.


    I catch her head and sit her down, saying, ¡°You¡¯re still suspicious, so none of that. Please explain to me what you are doing on the back route. I doubt you just somehow didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Standing up, she proudly says, ¡°Because it was much more fun that way.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s fun about dying of dehydration.¡±


    ¡°If you were to walk across this entire planet, you would find less than a hundred (Probably) people who walked through this route, but I can say I have done it. I am twenty-one years old. I am in the prime of my life. I should spend all my time wisely, and have as many experiences as possible.¡±


    ¡°So, enlighten me on what it was like to walk on the back route to Basileia.¡±


    As she looks dumbfounded, she stops to think and then says, ¡°It was an experience.¡±


    ¡°Wow, how amazing that seems to be incredibly fruitful,¡± I say with a sarcastic tone.


    Getting up close to my face, she says, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t done this, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to meet you two legacies. That is something else most people can¡¯t say they have done.¡±


    Is the visual indicator of a legacy common knowledge. Capti should have known about it then. I don¡¯t see the reasoning for him not telling me.


    ¡°I also got to meet this amazing creature,¡± she says while she rubs Willows¡¯s back.


    Maple says, ¡°Willow doesn¡¯t like strangers touching him. It is a special privilege that only me and my friends have.¡±


    Hearing Maple¡¯s words, Atalanta starts rubbing his Willows back harder.


    Maple, Alarmed, says to Atalanta, ¡°Stop. Willow might freak out¡±, but Willow¡¯s scream of happiness entirely overtakes Maple¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Huh, what¡¯s going on? I had to nurse and feed Willow to get the right to pat him. Even then, he never made a sound this loud,¡± but Maple looks closely at what Atalanta is doing and sees that she is pushing her breasts against Willow. ¡°Willow, you traitor, after everything I did for you, this is all it takes for you to wag your tail,¡± Maple says while hitting Willow.


    Looking at this woman rubbing Willow with a big smile on my face, I think to myself: she probably just did this for some fun like an idiot, I don¡¯t have to be wary of her, but there is still the fact that she carries that big bow around, so I should keep one eye open. ¡°So, Atalanta, what are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I still plan to head to Basileia.¡±


    ¡°I see. Would you like a lift then¡±?


    ¡°Really,¡± she says giddily like a child.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s no problem, but you must promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I am not into little boys.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that. I want you not to tell anyone what you have seen here today.¡±


    ¡°Promise,¡±


    -Break-


    In this dark and barren land, a shining light appears as we continue forward, and when we look upon it, I realise that this must be the place Basileia.


    ¡°Orb, it seems we¡¯re finally here,¡± Maple tells me.


    ¡°Yes, we are¡±, I say as we all look up at the city with Giant walls like a barricade on top of a hill.


    ¡°We should probably stop here, If we get closer, they will spot this giant monster,¡± Sparrow says.


    ¡°Willow isn¡¯t a monster. He has a name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I mean Willow.¡±


    ¡°Who said you could say his name.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±  Sparrow mumbles, ¡°What am I supposed to call him then.¡±


    ¡°What was that!¡± I say, While turning the snow into ice.


    ¡°NOTHING.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. But Sparrow is right. There is a group of dead trees over there, so let¡¯s use that to hide.¡± Turning my head to Atlanta to tell her goodbye, I see she is fast asleep. If I was to leave her here, I am sure she would be fine, but I would rather not risk injury, so I take her with us.


    So, after hiding in the trees, I grab Maple and say to Willow, ¡°We will be back soon. Just wait for a bit. We will be in and out within seconds.¡±


    Orb and Maple say their goodbyes to Willow, the man who has ice up his but smiles to himself.


    ¦µ Finally, I will be able to get rid of Orb. He doesn¡¯t know how high the security is in there, when they spot him; it¡¯s over. He will be detained in no time. All I have to do is run down the main route, and I will make it back to civilisation in no time. It¡¯s my victory, you brat. This is the power of information. Now all I have to do is control my heartbeat. I have been practising this entire trip here.


    ¦µ So as Maple and I are about to leave, we are grabbed and stopped by Atalanta. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°If you try to sneak in blind, you will be spotted. Without a doubt, Basileia is known for its incredible security.¡±


    As Atalanta says this, I hear someone¡¯s heartbeat accelerate. Walking over to sparrow, I say, ¡°How did a man who covets information like you, not know that Basileia has high security.¡±


    Sweat tickles down his face as he says, ¡°I forgot¡±, with a smile.


    I break one of his fingers and say, ¡°You push your luck again, and your biomass will decrease, substantially.¡±


    While Sparrow cries in pain, I say to Atalanta, ¡°You were fast asleep mere minutes ago. Yet you look wide awake right now, with absolutely no sluggishness. Please explain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple. I pretended to be asleep.¡±


    ¡°Now, why would you do that.¡±


    ¡°Because you guys looked like you were doing something fun, and I don¡¯t want to be left out.¡±


    ¡°Well, too bad this doesn¡¯t involve you.¡± I don¡¯t plan on letting anyone get hurt due to my problems.


    Grabbing me and spinning me around, she says, ¡°Oh come on, please, I am useful so let me help, please.¡±


    Annoyed by her constant pleading, I say, ¡°Hell no.¡±


    She stops and puts me down, saying, ¡°Then how are you going to sneak in? Anyone could tell that both you and Maple are legacies. Basileia is a popular vacation spot for Nobles and rich merchants. If they saw a legacy, without a doubt, they would try to capture you. Your existence is too rare. So, your only option is to either spend Sparrow or Me.¡±


    Further annoyed by the sense she is making, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get you involved in our problem.¡±


    Grabbing my shoulder, she tells me, ¡°I happen to be a good luck charm, so as long as you¡¯re working with me, it will turn out fine.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Fine, but how are you going to get in?¡±


    ¡°Leave that to me. All you need to do is watch.¡±


    So, getting on top of Willow, we all move to the main route to Basileia, and when we get close, Atalanta hops off. ¡°Just watch,¡± she tells me as she walks and waits on the path to Basileia.


    After some time, we see a very well-made carriage and guards come down the path. Atalanta gets out in front and goes up to talk to one of the guards. Soon after, she is escorted to the carriage door, where she stands for a minute before being let in. Just like that, she rides the carriage till she enters Basileia.


    ¡°Orb, she made it in.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess she did. Now I guess me, and you are just going to wait.¡±

 Arc 4.05

    Three days later


    ¡°Where the hell is that girl,¡± I say as I melancholy stare up at the sky.


    ¡°Orb, come get something to eat¡±, Maple says.


    While Atalanta has been gone, we had set up camp right were we hid when we first arrived. I didn¡¯t know then, but it seems all the people from the Village packed a bunch of things without my knowledge. It seems they wanted us to be as prepared as possible. I have to thank them for the next time I see them.


    As I walk past an asleep Willow, I give him a rub on his head. Because we lack the food to keep him fed, he has begun hibernating and has been asleep for the past three days. It makes me sad that we have nothing to give him, but if we start feeding him out of our food, the supplies will be finished in no time. Still I didn¡¯t want him to suffer alone, so I only fed sparrow the minimum he needed to survive.


    While I sit down and eat, my anxiety over the situation of everyone in Basileia continues to grow. What I eat is barely enough for me, and I am sure they¡¯re not getting anything close to this amount of food. This is so frustrating. ¡°ATALANTA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!¡±


    ¡°You called,¡± she says with her face on my shoulder.


    I scream and back away from her. ¡°How did you sneak up on me.¡±


    With a proud expression, she says, ¡°That¡¯s one of my special skills. I refer to it as stealth mode.¡±


    Getting up and composing myself, I ask Atalanta a few questions. ¡°So, first of all, what are you doing with all those new clothes and that cart.¡±


    ¡°These are just some things Simon got for me. We could use them to stock up on supplies.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, about that can you please illustrate for me, HOW THE HELL YOU GOT IN!¡±


    ¡°Oh, simple; I know that mostly nobles come here, so with my womanly charms, I knew I could seduce one of them to take me with them. Lucky for me, the man I questioned was quite easy to charm.¡±


    What kind of idiot lets a woman randomly in his carriage? For all he knew, she could be an assassin or a bandit, that goes beyond stupidity. ¡°I see, so can you tell me what you learned while you were there.¡±


    ¡°Well, I could see many different places because Simon was a big showboat, which made things much more manageable. I got a good look at all the guard posts and have a pretty good layout of the upper floors of Basileia. I also talked to the guards; they were very talkative, many were well educated, and most spoke both the heroes and saviours songs. They were also quite pretty.


    However, I did notice that despite all the talking they did, they never mentioned anything about the city other than the stunning crystals. Other things of note that I saw were that they also showed no emotions at any provocations they received and were very well-tempered. The only time they lost their cool was when someone slandered the current ruler who is called Morgan.


    Though the most important information I could get was the location to the entrance of the mine, underneath the city.¡±


    I have a face of complete shock as she continues talking. ¡°Huh, is something wrong, Orb,¡± she says, looking at my dumbfounded expression.


    Bowing down, I say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Looking confused, she asks, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is just that I thought you were going to fail without a doubt, but you did a fantastic job gathering all this information, so I am sorry for my lack of fate.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. People happen to think that about me a lot, but at least you apologised about it, so all is forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much. With this, I should be able to sneak into the mine.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I would like you to wait on that for now.¡±


    ¡°Why should I do that.¡±


    ¡°The last thing I learned was that they will be holding a festival in a little over three months from now. To my knowledge, many high-profile people will be at that and thanks to that, I am sure they will have their hands filled dealing with them, so their security will be lax. I also think I will be able to get a map of the mine sometime over these next three months.


    ¡°How?¡± I asked, confused by her last point.


    ¡°Well, I planted some seeds while I was there. I gave lots of service to the noble and told him that if he wanted to see me, he should return in a month. I also managed to flirt with some guards who seemed to be high-ranked, so I believe if all goes well next time, I will be able to get a map.¡±


    Looking down in shame, I say to her, ¡°Sorry you had to do such things for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be sad. I have no issue with this. He was extremely good, and all the guards there were super hot. That woman Morgan sure knows how to pick them.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief, but,¡± getting close to her ear I say, ¡°Please stop with the dirty talk, Maple looks like she is about to pass out over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,¡± she says, putting her hands over her mouth.


    So, sitting back down, I say, ¡°It¡¯s frustrating to wait, but I want to go with the plan with a high chance of success, so I guess where stuck here for three months. During this time, we must prepare as much as possible.¡±


    I hear Maple mumble something beside me. ¡°Everyone, please be safe.¡±


    One month later


    ¦µ As I walk into one of the guest rooms, I see a boy named Willow.


    ¡°Hello, mother,¡± he says as he runs towards me and hugs me.


    ¡°How have you been, Willow.¡±


    ¡°I have been great, and it is all thanks to your mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, how adorable you are,¡± I say while spinning him around. Over the last few days, I have made sure to get in close and rebuild this broken child. The punishment we give to prisoners can have various impacts on them. Some bite off their tongues and some become so fearful of us that they never disobey orders again, but the best outcome is when they break just enough for me to wiggle right into their hearts.


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    I take Willow¡¯s hand and guide him across the hallway out of his room.


    ¡°Those giant crystals are beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re. Those crystals pillars are some of the oldest crystals and are monuments of the city, so we leave them up.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you know a lot, mother.¡±


    ¡°I only know what I learned.¡±


    ¡°But still, you know much more than I ever could.¡±


    Rubbing his head, I say, ¡°That¡¯s because I am older, but I am sure you will be this knowledgeable someday.¡±


    ¡°You think so.¡±


    ¡°If you obey mother, you will.¡±


    ¡°Then I will do that no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Good boy. It seems we have arrived at our destination.¡± We walk through the door and enter my office, where four people have been waiting for us. The head guard, my personal guard and two other guards are waiting.


    Seeing the head guard, Willow hides behind me and holds me while shaking. I turn around and bend till I see him at eye level and say, ¡°Tana won¡¯t hurt you, since you are one of mothers family members, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± he says with a whimper.


    ¡°I promise. Just look,¡± I say as Tana waves at Willow with a big smile.


    As Willow waves back, I tell him, ¡°Willow¡¯s mother needs you to do something important for her.¡±


    Gleaming with excitement, he says, ¡°Whatever you ask of me, I will do.¡±


    ¡°What a good boy you are. The thing I need from you is to get your friends to work much harder.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It is just that if we don¡¯t hit a certain quota soon, your mother could be in big trouble and have to go away forever. You don¡¯t want that do you.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t. I want you to stay with me forever, I will do whatever I need to.¡±


    Hugging him, I say, ¡°Thank you, Willow. Due to this, I will be able to protect both you and all our family.¡± Letting go of him, I say, ¡°Mia here will take you where you need to go, and show you how you do your job.¡±


    Mia walks over to Willow and says, ¡°Are you ready to work for the glory of the mother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am¡±, he says excitedly.


    ¡°Well, I hope you both do your best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will, mother,¡± they say in unison as they leave.


    I go to sit down on my chair behind my desk. I say to the three people still in the room. ¡°With this, we should be able to reach our quota. To think God would give us such a strong tool right when we needed it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is quite fortunate to think that someone like him would be able to get us out of our dire situation,¡± my personal guard Porto says.


    A few months ago, we got a request from the holy nation that they would be going to war with an insignificant group and requested a sizable supply of crystals which was no issue.


    But two disasters hit us. First was that one of our transport routes was raided, and second, the war dragged on, so they have constantly been requesting more and more. Because Gevurah is an important customer to keep happy, we must always prioritise them, which has made our clients increasingly dissatisfied.


    I have made many enemies in my life, and if any of them see I am in a fragile state, they will try to take me down by sabotaging my relationship with my clients. The protection I get from giving specific clients crystals has kept Basileia safe from invasions. If I lose that, it¡¯s all over.


    ¡°Sora, how are the preparations for the party going.¡±


    Flustered by my words, he says, ¡°Oh yes, it is coming along nicely.¡±


    ¡°It better be. Remember, Sora; we are using this to make a statement against our enemies that everything is well. If we make a single mistake, we might end up like the Animus family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mam, I will double-check everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that remains me. How is Cyrus doing, Tana.¡±


    ¡°He is fine as usual. Following my instructions, he has been working extra hard. About half the crystals mined last month came from him¡±


    ¡°He is always working hard like usual. Just like you three, he has always shown extreme loyalty to me without the need for any training, so make sure to give him some reward, alright¡±.


    ¡°Yes, mam.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, that will be all return to your work,¡± and with those words, Tana and Sora leave.


    ¡°So, Mother, what are you going to do now.¡±


    ¡°I will ensure all our hostages are getting on all right.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Hey Tana, wait, I want to say something.¡±


    ¡°Kept up or shut up, I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering, don¡¯t you think Boss will be angry if she finds out that you haven¡¯t been giving Cyrus any rewards, you haven¡¯t even let him sleep in who knows how long.¡±


    Tana stops in her tracks, turns around, and says to me, ¡°Boss said to reward his loyalty, and since he has shown no such thing, I will be giving him no such rewards.¡±


    But as those words leave his mouth, I hear a noble on a balcony shout, ¡°I need one of you servants up here right now. To think you haven¡¯t given a man like me his personal attendant, how shameful.¡±


    Turning and giving his best smile Tana says, ¡°Sorry sir, we will be there immediately,¡± while clenching his fist so tight it starts to bleed.


    ¡°Sora, stop being a useless pest and go help that man.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that man is the one with the beautiful scarlet-haired woman.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to say this to you, but if you try anything with her, I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°You got it wrong last month; when they were here, I swear that woman was hitting on me.¡±


    ¡°Keep your fantasies to yourself; you brain-dead idiot. Now go help him and get back to your work,¡± I say as I walk away.


    Irritated, I say, ¡°I will, but explain that Cyrus issue to me later,¡± while running off.


    ¦µ To think I have to explain something so obvious to him, unlike with Porto and me or the people who were broken down like Willow and Mia. Cyrus has no loyalty to the boss. All the loyalty everyone thinks he shows, is nothing more than a front. That man will do whatever he is told with no resistance. He is no more than a slave in mind and body¡ªdragon, my ass.


    ¦µ  ¡°Honey, I have called for them. To think I would have to do this. They don¡¯t know who I am.¡±


    ¡°It is truly a shame that a man as great as you would have to do such things.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. You truly understand, darling. This place has gone downhill since that woman took over.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean? Would you please enlighten me¡±?


    ¡°Well, since you asked so nicely, I will. Before, Basileia was run by queen Morgan¡¯s husband Nodar. When he was in charge, this country was a much more open place that took much better care of its visitors, and when it came to mining the crystals, he refused to use slaves. Unlike the current queen, he was a sincere and charitable man.¡±


    ¡°I see, she really is a horrible witch.¡±


    A sudden knock on the door interrupts my and my darling¡¯s conversation. ¡°They must finally be here. Come in.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir; I am sorry for the delay. What do you need.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for the delay. There should be no delay for me. Don¡¯t you guys have any level of respect.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, sir. Now, what do you need.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that tone. Whom do you think you¡¯re talking to, you insignificant worm.¡±


    ¡°Honey, a person like you shouldn¡¯t lower yourself by talking to this man.¡±


    ¡°Your right. I shouldn¡¯t. Now getting to business, my partner here wants to be taken to relieve herself.¡±


    ¡°Honey, no need to be so graphic.¡±


    ¡°When you reach my age, you tend to stop caring about such things.¡±


    ¡°I lack your wisdom; I should follow your example.¡±


    ¡°It is no issue as long as you know it. Now be off.¡± And with that, my partner and the guard left.


    ¦µ I was five seconds away from losing my cool in front of that old man, but at least I could now walk with this scarlet-haired beauty. However, her personality seems less than adequate to be with such a man like him.


    ¡°HE SUCKS!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°That old ass fart sucks so bad, I had to come up with an excuse to get away from him.¡±


    ¡°Should you be saying that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the issue, and come on; I am sure everyone close to him must be thinking the same.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I have no idea how anyone could be around him.¡±


    ¡°I know, right.¡±


    ¡°That man is old ugly, and stinky. I am surprised you could spend a moment in that room with him.¡±


    So, as I continue to insult the old man, the beautiful woman beside me continues to agree and laugh beside me until she says, ¡°He is the exact opposite of you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said bashfully.


    ¡°You know, I asked him to bring me back because I couldn¡¯t forget your face the last time we met.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, really?¡±


    Pushing her soft body again, she says, ¡°You know, being with such an awful human, has made me wish I could spend some time with someone wonderful for a change.¡±


    My god Sora this is happening. You can¡¯t clam up right now. You need to sweep her off her feet. So, I hold her close, lift her chin, and say, ¡°My room is close by.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she says as we head off.


    When I open the door of my room and walk in, I feel entirely revitalised, spring has come for me at last, though it is a pity I can¡¯t brag to Tana about this. So, I turn around slowly and say, ¡°Are you ready, baby.¡± But as I turn to see her face, I immediately see darkness.


    ¦µ  Now I can look around his room in peace. As I searched around, I finally came upon what I was looking for maps of the mines. Yes, with this, everything should go much smoother. I am like a ninja; no, I would be a kunoichi. I am amazing. Now to make it look like something happened, I decide to lay the unconscious man on the bed, take off all his clothes and leave my panties for him. With this, he should think he feel asleep. Next time we meet, I will hint that something happened, and with that, I have pulled off a perfect infiltration.

 Arc 4.06

    -Break-


    ¦µ Letting out a sigh of boredom, I wonder what I am doing here. I haven¡¯t been able to help one bit. The only reason I was brought here was for my vision, but with the change of plans, my role has been voided. Even now, I don¡¯t know what to do. I can¡¯t spend time with Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> because he is asleep, and Orb is doing something important right now.


    He has been trying out his legacy for the last month, figuring out what he can do to improve it. All I could do was watch from afar, which has helped me improve my sight bit by bit.


    While looking at Orb in total concentration, I feel even more useless than before. So, I let out another sigh in disappointment with myself, but as I looked up, I saw Atalanta grabbing Orb. ¡°She is back,¡± I say as I start moving towards their position. How did she get so close to him without me seeing her? I guess my vision hasn¡¯t gotten that much better.


    When I approach them, I am about to say something but see them already lost in conversation, discussing the infiltrate¡¯s the best route.


    I doubt I have any way to add to this conversation, I should just go over there, so I decided to walk away instead.


    -Break-


    After finding a good place to wallow in my misery, I stare at the night sky and ask myself, ¡°Why am I so useless.¡±


    ¡°Well, I doubt many people are looking for fourteen-year-old girls overflowing with use.¡±


    Bewildered, I jump up and say, ¡°Atalanta, how do you keep doing this¡±.


    ¡°Because I am a Kunoichi¡±.


    ¡°What¡¯s a kunoichi.¡±


    ¡°I believe it is a female ninja.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a ninja.¡±


    ¡°Some assassin. I only learned about their existence recently. But that isn¡¯t my concern, right sit on my lap. If you are star grazing, there is no better position in the world.¡±


    So, lying down on her relatively soft legs and looking at the stars, I ask her, ¡°Hold did you become such a capable person?¡±


    ¡°Because I have had seven more years of life experience than you.¡±


    ¡°But Orb is only a year older than me, and he is much more capable than me. He can even use his legacy.¡±


    ¡°To do so much at a young age isn¡¯t good for him. He might seem capable to you, but I can tell he already has some major faults that need fixing.¡±


    ¡°How can you tell that.¡±


    ¡°Keeping your partners in mind always leads to the best times.¡± As Maple starts blushing at my words I say, ¡°So is this what was bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Sort of, my issue is that during the fight with Cole, the path to the tunnels, and even the fight inside the tunnels, I hadn¡¯t contributed anything at all. If I hadn¡¯t been there, it would have been the same.


    My utter uselessness has caused me to feel all this fear and anxiety. The fact is that if something went bad and Orb failed, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help him, just like I wasn¡¯t able to help my father. So due to all of this, I feel like crying, but I don¡¯t want to break my promise.¡±


    ¡°You are surprisingly open about your problems. When I was your age, I didn¡¯t tell no one anything.¡±


    ¡°I have waited too long to tell certain people how I feel, and they¡¯re all either dead or captured. I don¡¯t have time to hide my feelings anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well, I like your honesty, so let me be honest with you. I have found three ways to deal with anxiety and fear¡ªknowledge, power, and experience. I can¡¯t give you the third one, but the first two count on me. I found out that Basileia likes to get the most out of their slaves, so they at least keep them alive. So don¡¯t worry your pretty little head about that.¡±


    Then Atalanta gets up and says, ¡°As for power, follow me,¡± she then leads me back to where her giant golden bow is.


    What a strange design, I think to myself.


    ¡°Try and lift this.¡±


    As I try, I realise it is too heavy, and I cannot lift it. ¡°This is impossible for me.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. You¡¯re just lacking the proper method,¡± after she says that, she lifts it and says, ¡°This is a special type of bow that gets lighter if you¡¯re using spirit energy. It doesn¡¯t come with any arrow, but it allows you to weave your spirit energy into arrows and fire them off.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t use spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°Not fully, but your body has shown signs of unconscious use, so I believe it would be easier to teach you rather than Orb how to use this.¡±


    ¡°I have such an ability.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do because those fourteen years of your life have borne some fruit, so let¡¯s get to training.¡±


    -Break-


    One month later


    ¦µ ¡°Willow,¡± I say as I see the young boy walking down a hallway.


    ¡°Mother,¡± he says as he turns towards me and hugs me.


    ¡°I have heard of your work over this last month. To think you would get all those workers to fall in line. I am so proud of you, my little boy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much, mother. I will continue to work as hard as possible as a guard.¡±


    ¡°What a good boy you are,¡± I say as I hug him tighter, spinning him around. The happiness this boy feels around me is genuine. I am dumbfounded by how well this is all going.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Willow,¡± I say as I walk away. He has a big smile on his face and is waving at me.


    ¦µ I can¡¯t stop this utterly happy feeling. To think my plan has been going off with a hitch so far. It is just too unbelievable.


    It was tough going through the punishment with my mind tact, but when I finally saw that woman¡¯s face, I cried out of joy, knowing I had accomplished the mission. I was sure she was the one they called mother, so all I had to do was accept her comfort and behave like a good boy, and with that, I was in.


    They put me to work as a guard, and I got to see not only the floor I was on but the rest of them thanks to this, I got to see all the rest of the people from my village again, but the state most of them were in was abhorrent; the mining had taken an impact on them.


    Using one of the two signals Quant devised, the one which means me whether you have been notified of the plan or not. I was able to see they had all been told.


    Next, I tried memorising the mine layout, but it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought. This place is like a maze, and I have to be accompanied everywhere I go because only a few people have a map for the mine, but I have a relatively good understanding of the upper floors.


    Still, except for the layout, everything else is going fine, especially since I could find out there will be a party, I have decided that will be the best time to escape. So as long as I can figure out an escape route and the location of the hostages over the next month, everything will be ok.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Though one thing I wish I could change, is the treatment Cyrus gets. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because everyone has been on edge with all the work recently or whatever else, but they are always picking on him, and he does nothing in return, but I can¡¯t be disobedient; I don¡¯t want to attract attention myself.


    As I arrive at the first floor of the mine, still lost in thought, I hear a large booming sound. As it shakes the mines, I realise this must be an explosion. Hearing this, a bunch of other guards and I headed down to the lowest floor, where the sound seemed to originate.


    As we arrived, we did see that an explosion had occurred. We immediately went around helping all the slaves and the guards, but lots of them were blown up with bits of their bodies everywhere. Some guards vomit at the site of this. As we moved deeper into the mine, I saw a hole in the ground.


    ¡°Huh, isn¡¯t this supposed to be the bottom floor of the mine,¡± I look down into the hole and see so many crystals that it almost blinds me.


    Another guard pulls me back and says, ¡°Stay away from there.¡±


    ¡°What is that? I thought we were on the bottom floor.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are on the current bottom floor , since down there is unusable. There are about seven times more crystals down there than up here, but the toxins they produce are so concentrated down there that your skin rots and your lungs are set ablaze.¡±


    As he finishes saying this, we see someone jump through the hole. It was Cyrus, and he had many bodies on his back. After this, Cyrus dropped to the floor and started coughing profusely.


    I ran over to him and said, ¡°Are you okay.¡±


    ¡°I am fine, Willow. It is just that these people fell there, so I jumped down and brought them back up.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean you could have died, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°All these people are died,¡± The guard beside me says. ¡°Cyrus, you¡¯ve been here long enough to know the toxic would have killed all these people in seconds, so please tell me why you did this.¡±


    ¡°Because people¡¯s bodies deserve to be buried.¡±


    Getting up close and grabbing Cyrus by the head, he says, ¡°Compared to slaves around the world, we treat you guys rather nicely. The only rules we have are not to do stupid shit that would get in the way of your work, and that is exactly what you¡¯re doing, you retard!¡± He throws Cyrus¡¯s head down and says, ¡° Get back to work on the floor above here then.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Cyrus is still injured. He should take some time to rest¡±.


    ¡°Head guards rules; if Cyrus can work, make him. Nothing I can do about it. But if Cyrus doesn¡¯t want to, all he has to do is say it. So, any problems, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°N-N-No.¡±


    ¡°Excellent, now get moving.¡±


    As Cyrus started moving, I put my hand on his shoulder and got in front of him, bowing down and said, ¡°Please let Cyrus go to get some rest. I will take full responsibility,¡± this gave me unnecessary attention, but Cyrus helped me, so I had to repay that.


    ¡°All the responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ok then.¡±


    And with that, I grab Cyrus and head off with him coughing all the way.


    After arriving in his cell, I realise this place looks utterly abandoned. When was the last time he was here? I sit him down and get some supplies to patch up his injuries. It seems he took a good bit of damage from the explosion.


    While he is sitting quietly beside me, I ask him, ¡°Why do you do what you do?¡±


    ¡°What do you-u-u me-a-a-an.¡±


    ¡°It is just that at first glance, I would call you weak-willed since you don¡¯t stand up for yourself, but then you go out of your way and put yourself in certain situations in which you do things out of principle, so my question is, why.¡±


    Going quiet for a moment, he says, ¡°I have an older sister. She is a powerful and beautiful person. She would always come and help me when I was in trouble. Since I am not the best at making decisions, she was my guiding light.¡±


    ¡°You must be proud of her since you are not stuttering.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me about her.¡±


    Cyrus then talks for a while without a single stutter about his sister until I ask him.


    ¡°Would you like to see her again? I am sure if you tired, you would be able to.¡±


    ¡°Nothing good would come from that.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°B-B-B-Because I hav-v-v-ven¡¯t been good at making d-d-d-decisions since I was you-u-u-unger. I freez-z-z-ze up whenever I need to make one, so my sister gave me a set of rules that I should never break to help me, b-b-b-but those rules don¡¯t cover everyth-h-h-hing, so if any situation comes up w-h-h-hhen I need to make a decision, I follow what I am to-o-o-old.¡±


    ¡°But I am sure you would be happy if you choose for yourself.¡±


    ¡°NO, I WON¡¯T. If I try to do something of my own will, it will be catastrophic. I will lose the things I care for the most because I am a failure.¡±


    I slap Cyrus¡¯s checks with both hands and look straight at him. ¡°I know how you feel. That feeling of failing again haunts me, but as my friend once told me, you can do it. Just remember that if you want to do something right down in your soul, you can do it.


    Right now, I am about to do something I thought was impossible, all because there are people I want to save and a girl I want to meet.¡±


    so, getting up, I say, ¡°I have been here long enough. It is about time I get back to work. Now get some sleep, Cyrus. It will be good for you.¡±


    -Break-


    Two weeks Later


    ¡°Willow, come with me,¡± Sora tells me.


    ¡°Of course, brother, anything you need.¡±


    ¡°Willow, I need you to do something for me.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you are so good at commanding people, I need you to go look after the kid hostages.¡±


    I haven¡¯t been able to get anywhere close to the hostages since my work has nothing to do with them but wait. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be looking after them today?¡±


    Putting his hand on my shoulder, he says, ¡°Willow, my dear boy, once you have been with a woman like me, you realise you don¡¯t have time to spend looking after snot-noosed brats. Maybe one day you will understand, but with your looks, probably not.¡±


    Don¡¯t punch him, don¡¯t punch him, don¡¯t punch him, I think while clenching my fist.


    ¡°Now go over there. I have already sent a few guards to help you.¡±


    Freaking a showboat, I think as I walk to the rooms. As I arrive, I am greeted by the site of the kids from my village, all mostly male, but some of the girl¡¯s kids were sent as well. Seeing me the kids run up and hug me, I guess they missed me since I was the one who took care of a lot of them.


    ¡°We missed you.¡±


    ¡°Where is everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Your clothes look stupid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Willow, these kids are from your village?¡± A guard asks.


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡±


    ¡°Would you please tell them to behave themselves? They have been very disobedient.¡±


    ¡°Because you won¡¯t tell us anything.¡±


    ¡°Where are our families.¡±


    ¡°You suck.¡±


    The kids begin to boo at the guards in the room. They¡¯re all still the same brats as before, but staying in character, I say, ¡°I hope all of you kids have been good to mother.¡±


    Their faces sour at my response, but I have no choice; I can¡¯t be found out. So now that they have calmed down, I take some time to look around the room since this might be my only chance here, and I find out a few things that surprise me.


    The hostages are all begun well taken care of. They are given food, clothes, and sleep and are all being educated here. From what they have been learning, I would say some of these kids might be more intelligent than me now. However, some of the kids here are missing fingers.


    Still, I got the layout of the rooms without wasting time. Now I can get all of them out of here without any problems. So, with all my objectives clear, I waited a few days until the party neared and used the second signal, which tells people how many days before the escape. Now, all we have to do is wait. I will be seeing both Orb and Maple soon at this rate.


    -Break-


    ¦µ This is good. I can make much more ice now, and my control has improved. I guess training day and day out for three months has helped me though it has taken most of my time to improve this much. If Maple doesn¡¯t come and remind me to eat, I will forget. I have also noticed that Maple has been looking differently lately. She has bruises over her body. I should spend so much time with her, but I will do that after I get everyone back.


    I don¡¯t want her blaming herself anymore, so I got to do this. Up until now, I have only barely been getting by. I can¡¯t let that keep happening. If I fail, it isn¡¯t only my life at stake, but all the people I care about, so I got to be ahead of the game. No one will end up like Sequoia again.


    ¡°What are you thinking about.¡±


    Jumping away, I say, ¡°Stop doing that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you guys¡¯ reactions are just too funny. Now tell me what you were thinking about with that serious expression.¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I say as I compose myself.


    ¡°Well, if you are doing nothing, come with me.¡±


    ¡°I am busy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t take no for an answer,¡± she says as she picks me up. I try to get away from her, but I realise how exhausted I am. I must have pushed myself too far.


    ¡°Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°No way, just shut up and wait.¡±


    She takes me for a long walk on what I assume is a cliff, and when she puts me down, she covers my eyes with her hands and says, ¡°Now take a peek at this sight.¡±


    If this is her naked body or something, I am stabbing her; I think to myself as I open my eyes. The sight I see is the shining city that is Basileia from the top of a cliff. I stare at this sight with eyes full of wonder. The reddish-blue crystal pillars look so amazing from up here.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s the expression you should have.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean.¡±


    ¡°A kid like you should have had such a serious expression. Instead, a kid¡¯s eyes should be filled with wonder. Whenever a kid¡¯s eyes aren¡¯t, that¡¯s the fault of all the adults around the child in question.¡±


    ¡°I am not that much of a child. In many countries, people my age are considered adults and most kids can¡¯t do everything I can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the issue. You are too capable for your age, and thus you¡¯re growing up too fast. If you don¡¯t stop and enjoy life a bit, you are crushed by life¡¯s unending issues in no time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think being an adult faster is better.¡±


    Putting her feet in my face from the position she is in on the floor, she tells me, ¡°Well, as long as you think like that, your definitely a child.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop that.¡±


    ¡°Is that a smile I see on your face? Do you like my feet that much.¡±


    ¡°No, I am smiling because it is nice that you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I already told you I am not into little boys.¡±


    Shyly I say, ¡°It is not that I have just been wondering where all that happiness Capti promised is, because most people in the outside world haven¡¯t been the greatest. So, thank you for giving me some hope.¡±


    ¡°Your adorable,¡± she says while hugging me.


    ¡°Please stop that,¡± I say, trying to push her off.


    A few weeks later


    "Today is the day now it let us begin this infiltration."

 Arc 4.07

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Hey, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Hiya Jerry.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here on the 7<sup>th</sup> floor? I thought you were working on food today.¡±


    ¡°Wow, I am surprised you know my schedule.¡±


    ¡°Well, I plan to climb the ladder here, so I have to push myself to get there, so I can help mother.¡±


    ¡°What a great goal. Answering your question, the reason I came down here was because I was worried about all you guys here. This floor is unstable, and I don¡¯t want any of you hurt.¡±


    Rubbing my hand on his head, I say, ¡°What a good boy you are.¡±


    ¡°Stop it,¡± he tells me playfully.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry about me, since look at what I got.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the strange voice machine you guys use?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a kaidenwa. Well, this device must be strange to someone who grew up in a forest.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, you speak into it, and others hear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but only if they have one with a similar signal, and you need to use spirit energy to power it,¡± it feels sort of weird explaining how to use technology to one of the Magnolia decedents, but on the other hand, it is fulfilling.


    ¡°When can I get one of these.¡±


    ¡°It takes a good bit of spirit energy to use, so only people with sufficient amounts can, and I was able to raise mine to reach it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Proudly I say, ¡°I know it is, with my spirit energy this high that I could take on entire villages. I bet I could even beat the warriors from your village.¡±


    ¡°I bet you could. But can I ask you something.¡±


    As I am about to respond, I get a call from my communicator, ¡°Give me a second, Willow.¡±


    The voice says, ¡°Hourly check-in, is everything going fine.¡±


    ¡°There have been no problems.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear that will be all.¡±


    Cutting off the line, I look over to Willow, who screams, ¡°SEQUOIA!¡± And mere seconds after that, the heel of his foot is at my chin, and everything turns black.


    ¦µ After knocking Jerry out, I look around and see that the guards stationed on this floor have been knocked out or are currently struggling with the slaves, but as we all start to ganging up on them we are eventually able to knock them all out.


    Next was taking down the prisoners loyal to Morgan, which wasn¡¯t hard because they always worked themselves to the bone.


    With a sigh of relief, I head over to the people from my village, including Buloke, who are currently on this floor and give them hugs. ¡°I wanted to do this forever ago.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job, Willow. This plan would have never worked without you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all going to leave, thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so much, Willow.¡±


    All their thanks make tears well up in my eyes, but this isn¡¯t the time for that. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. We only have an hour to make it out.¡±


    As everyone starts moving, I say to the rest of the prisoners, ¡°Those of you who weren¡¯t part of the plan, if you want to leave, come with us, and If you are scared for the hostages, I plan to get them as well. I cannot guarantee it will work, but your life only has two options: come now or rot in this jail forever. We won¡¯t wait up.


    Some of them rise and start to follow us, the ones who don¡¯t are knocked unconscious before we leave. As we all run away, I look at the slaves loyal to Morgan and stop for a moment. These people were all probably like me and had their minds broken by her. It isn¡¯t their fault that they lost hope in this situation, so I want to help them. But right now, with how fragile this plan is, I can¡¯t, so I continue to run off with a painful feeling in my chest.


    There are seven levels to the mine; each has a sleeping area for prisoners connected to the lunch area. So, by heading to the lunch area, it is possible to reach each floor. Though the top floor, the one leading to the exit, can only be called by going through the lift on the second floor, it is a security measure. It makes it so that there is only one way to the top floor, so as long as many people guard that place, no one can leave.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    That is how it is usually, but due to the party tonight, there are only five people up there, with just one to my knowledge able to use spirit arts, and as long as I can get a sneak attack on him, I should be able to knock him out. The rest are pushovers who we should also be able to handle.


    So now all I have to do is follow the plan, take the people from the 7th floor to the lunch area, go to the 6th floor, sneak up on the guard who uses spirit arts to launch a sneak attack, and then tell all the prisoners on my side to fight.


    We will then escape the mines with some of the crystals, which we will use for two goals. One is to make an explosion near the ballroom. Due to this, all the guards will go protect the high-ranking guests, which will then give me a chance to get the kids out.


    Then we will blow a hole in the walls around the city with the rest and then take the back route out of Basileia. I heard it is hazardous, but if we take the primary way, we will be caught in no time. This is our only option; I have been hiding food away over the last few days, so at least we won¡¯t starve immediately.


    The only issue with my plan is time. Everyone is malnourished and bound in chains. I don¡¯t know if we will be fast enough to get out in time. That¡¯s why we have no time to waste.


    So, as we arrive in the lunch area, which I have already captured, I run to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor and say, ¡°If any guards come, pretend like you are eating then knock them out like the rest.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Mother, your looking stunning today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that, Porto. With all the backhanded comments I am about to receive, I needed that,¡± I say as I ready my hair.


    ¡°Mother, do you really want me to accompany you to this party? I am sure people will use the mask I wear to spite you somehow. I don¡¯t want to add to your trouble.¡±


    ¡°Remove such thoughts from your head. You are important not only to me but to every worker. You¡¯re like their big bother here, so don¡¯t worry about such things. Your valuable, take that compliment with pride. It comes from a woman who deals with more money than most countries have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will, mother.¡±


    ¡°Now straighten up and accompany me proudly,¡± I say as Porto takes my arm and starts to walk me out of the room. But as we go on, a thought pops into my mind, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Tana here as well? I would¡¯ve liked him to accompany me too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Tana says he had something to take care of.¡±


    ¡°What a shame. I planned to introduce him to some people here since he will take over after I die.¡±


    ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t talk like that.¡±


    ¡°Can an eighty-five-year-old woman not talk about her impending doom¡±


    ¡°I know it is inevitable, but I don¡¯t like hearing about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need to grow up and get over that. Those same traits are why Tana is taking my position and not you. He is efficient and wouldn¡¯t care about something silly like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am sorry for not being a machine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. There are some things I can¡¯t ask Tana but can ask you.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Well, do you think god would judge a person based on the lives they have taken or the lives they have saved.¡±


    Mother looks deject as she says this, ¡°I believe he would judge people based on the lives they have saved.¡±


    Pinching my cheeks, Mother says, ¡°That¡¯s why I would ask you this type of question, Tana would say something like, God judges you by intent or that the afterlife doesn¡¯t exist. That¡¯s why even when Tanas the leader, make sure to be around him, you need to give some heart and soul to his cold-hearted logic. If you guys do that, I am sure that everything will be fine.¡±


    Gripping her hand tightly, I say, ¡°Well, you still seem to have lots of life let in you, so don¡¯t think about death just yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± Perking up, mother says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go talk with those inbred nobles and overweight merchants.¡±


    -Break-


    While doing some stretches before I get ready to sneak in, I suddenly feel a presence behind me and jump out of the way. Looking back at what I thought, I see Atalanta.


    ¡°Oh, Orb, you have improved.¡±


    Feeling elated, I say, ¡°I guess I have.¡±


    ¡°Not by much though,¡± I hear another voice say behind me. I jump away from it and see Maple.


    ¡°How did you do that.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know.¡±


    Irritated, I compose myself and say, ¡°Maple, why are you here? You¡¯re supposed to be waking up, Willow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I am coming with you.¡±


    ¡°Maple, you know you are no longer needed for the plan, so just get Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> ready to escape at a moment¡¯s notice,¡± I say turning my back to her.


    ¡°Orb catch,¡± Atalanta says. She throws her giant golden bow at me. The utter weight of it forces me down on my back.


    While struggling to get this off me, I say, ¡°Get this off me right now.¡±


    ¡°You heard him, Maple.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? She can¡¯t lift this,¡±  but in mere moments, I would be surprised as she effortlessly picked up the bow and started juggling it.


    ¡°Ahh, looking at her brings tears to my eyes,¡± Atalanta says dramatically.


    ¡°What? How,¡± I say in shock.


    ¡°She has been working her butt off over these last few months. She even learned how to use spirit arts fully. So now she can lift my bow.¡±


    So, spirit arts are necessary to lift that thing. Wait a second, ¡°If you know how to use spirit arts, why didn¡¯t you teach me.¡±


    ¡°You have next to no aptitude, so I decided to help her instead. It is that simple.¡± She says smugly.


    While feeling insulted, Maple says, ¡°So, Orb, let me come with you using this bow. I can cover for you. The arrows disappear quickly so I can help¡±.


    Trying to find a way out, I say, ¡°Then I will just take Atalanta with me.¡±


    ¡°No, can do. I can¡¯t see as far as Maple. I won¡¯t be of any help.¡±


    ¡°Then how will you guys know when I arrive with all the villagers? If Maple isn¡¯t looking out, we won¡¯t be prepared in time, and who will wake Willow up? He takes a lot of time to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Simply me and Maple will use these¡±, Atalanta says as she takes out the kaidenwa we confiscated from Sparrow.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t use these because they run on spirit energy, but I should be able to use it now with Atalanta, so that fixes our problem.¡±


    As I start racking my brain for the reason for her to stay, she tells me. ¡°Orb, I want to do this. I know you are worried for my safety, but I am worried about yours, so please understand how I feel.¡±


    Atalanta whispers, ¡°Look at the determination in her eyes. Only a monster would say no to her now,¡± into my ear.


    Feeling defeated by these two girls, I say, ¡°Fine; you can come. But you must promise me that you will be patient and stealthy.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    So as Maple and I get everything we need ready and are about to head off, Atalanta says to us, ¡°Remember this, it is the job of adults to think about complex things, so just rescue your friends because no matter what happens in there it is all none of your concern.¡±


    I am about to make a snarky response, but she has a dead serious facial expression, so I say, ¡°Right,¡± and with Maple on my back, we head off.

 Arc 4.08

    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger), Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness), Purple (?), Gold (arrogance), Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Meat, Villagers


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs, weakness, Cole


    ¡°Orb, this is a good spot.¡±


    ¡°All right then, hold on,¡± I say as I move quickly so we can make it there undetected.


    I drop Maple in said spot and say, ¡°Repeat the plan for me.¡±


    ¡°As you sneak, I will watch you from afar and assist with long-range shots whenever you need help. And when you come out of the mine, I will tell Atalanta to get Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> ready, and then we go.¡±


    ¡°Now, tell me the route I am going to follow.¡±


    Maple tells me exactly how I am planning to reach the mine. Because of this, I start rubbing my hand on her head. I say, ¡°Good Job.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me as if I am a baby.¡±


    ¡°I am not just rewarding you for all your hard work. You were never good at studying, but you learned all that for everyone¡¯s sake, so good job, Maple.¡±


    Bashfully she tells me to, ¡°Get going, Orb.¡±


    ¡°I will, and the next time you see me, I will be back with your husband.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t my husband,¡± Maple says as I run off.


    Now it is finally time. I can¡¯t screw this up. So, I started to follow the path laid out for me. I move from point to point quickly, and with my ability to create ice on my hand and feet, I can stay in places where I won''t be seen.


    While moving I did notice something strange; there was a severe lack of guards everywhere. I cannot hear a thing. I thought they were supposed to have more security today, not less. But regardless of that, I move on with the plan.


    One of the reasons, we chose this specific route is because Atalanta saw some guards my size around this area, so I needed to knock one of them out and take his clothes since, in the mine I won¡¯t have as much space to hide so blending in is my best option.


    So, after a bit of searching, I find the guards in question there are two of them, so after a few preparations, I jump in and knock out one of them. But as I try to hit the second, he moves back quickly and is about to shout. But a white arrow hits him, causing him to stop, so I also knock him out.


    As the arrow disappears, I realise it was Maple who shot it. I should thank her for coming after all. So, I freeze the bodies at the bottom of one of the bridges and change my clothes. They wear silver uniforms with red and black designs. They also come with hats which I can use to hide my face. The man whose clothes I stole has black hair, so I need to try and start panicking.


    ¡°Orb comes on; think about things that make you worry,¡± I say. So, I started thinking that the worst might have happened to the people back at the tunnels, that everyone in the mines are dead, and that this plan will fail miserably, and in no time, my hair turned pitch black.


    Okay, I have to keep this mindset until I have reached everyone. I follow the laid-out path until I get to the mine, and as nonchalantly as I can muster, I walk inside.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Everyone gets ready,¡± I say as I return from the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor. ¡°We are getting out, now.¡±


    In mere moments after I say this, everyone stands up and prepares to follow me.


    So far, everything has been going well. I knocked out the person with the kaidenwa on each floor, then freed all the prisoners who wanted to escape. Then I bring them to the lunch area while I move onto the next floor.


    But now, as we move onto the last floor before the lift, I tell everyone to come with me to save time.


    We pass through the 2<sup>nd</sup> floors prisons and free all those who want to come with us. And then, we make it to the second-floor mining area. I tell everyone with me to wait as I walk in.


    I get close to the guard with the kaidenwa. As he sees me, he says, ¡°Willow, you look out of breath. What¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I was told you were in trouble, so I came from the lunch area as fast as possible.¡±


    ¡°Who told you such a thing?¡±


    ¡°It was Jerry.¡±


    ¡°That idiot to think he would do something like this on such a day. Let me talk to him,¡± Mion says as he takes out his kaidenwa.


    While his back is turned, I hit him in the balls, and as he falls, I smack him at full force on the back of his head, then scream, ¡°SEQUOIA!¡± And at that moment, not only the prisoners of this floor but the ones I told to wait in the hallway rush in and start knocking out the guards.


    After we clean up the guards and free the prisoners on this level, I and some other people start picking up the crystals we need for my plan, while the others lower the elevator to this floor.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I have been wondering where Cyrus has been. He wasn¡¯t on any of the other floors, so I thought for sure he would be working here. There is no way Tana would ever willingly let Cyrus off work.


    But as I mulled over these thoughts, I heard enormous screams as bodies flew through the room. Surprised by these events, I run over to see what is happening, and I see Tana sitting with his knees crossed on the elevator and Cyrus standing in front of him.


    Frightened by the sight in front of me, I freeze up. But not the other prisoners. They rush directly at Tana.


    Tana says, ¡°Cyrus,¡± and in mere moments, Cyrus knocks all the prisoners away effortlessly.


    ¡°EVERYONE DON¡¯T DO ANYTHING!¡±


    Seeing me, Tana said, ¡°Oh, there you are, Willow; I was wondering where you ran off to,¡± he then sent the elevator back up and walked up close to me. He kicks me in the face, and said, ¡°You must take me for an idiot.¡±


    Recoiling from the blow, I say, ¡°How did you find out?¡±


    Crouching down in front of me, he says, ¡°Do you know why all these people are following your dangerous plan? That is because you offered them something worth the risk, so all I had to do was offer them something more. isn¡¯t that right Quant.¡±


    From the crowd of people behind me, Quant walks out. Shocked by this, I scream, ¡°WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS.¡±


    ¡°He offered that I could spend the rest of my time on this earth with my daughter. That is all I want. Your plan was just a way to reach that goal. I don¡¯t care about freedom.¡±


    ¡°But Quant, you would have been able to live with your daughter without screwing us all over.¡±


    Tana kicks me in my face again and says, ¡°Due to all the infliction Quant sustained while he was here, he won¡¯t live for another year. So, freedom isn¡¯t worth much to him. And that goes for you all as well. Anyone who has been here for three years is already past the point of no return, and do all of you think you could make it through the back route? I can guarantee eighty per cent of you would die on such a journey. You guys never had any hope of escaping. All you have done is put yourself on my radar.¡±


    He gets up and walks away, saying, ¡°Now I guess it is time for punishment,¡± as he smiles at everyone. ¡°What should I do? Rip off the hostage¡¯s skin, slowly, takes out their eyeballs, break each finger one by one. I can¡¯t wait But don¡¯t worry they won¡¯t suffer alone, since you will all be getting your punishments as well.¡±


    I look around, and I see faces full of despair. The words Tana said have crushed their already weak spirits.


    ¡°Though I would rather not do any of that, so let¡¯s compromise. If you all bow down right now and apologise, I will pretend that none of this has happen.¡±


    Hearing this, I say to everyone, ¡°DO AS HE SAYS!¡± I can¡¯t let anyone get in any more trouble. So, following my words, everyone gets down on their hands and knees and says, ¡°UNISON, I AM SORRY.¡±


    ¡°Good, now all of your sins are forgiven, except you Willow. You¡¯re going to die right now.¡± Before I had a chance to register his words, Buloke jumped at him. But was sent flying back by Cyrus.


    Tana then grabs my head, smashes it into the ground, and says, ¡°I can forgive everyone else here. They were drunk on false hope, but I can¡¯t forgive you. Unlike everyone here, you spent a lot of time with us. You know that if you were to do something like this and those scummy money-grubbing bastards up there found out about this, they would eradicate this place. So, for your wrongdoings, I won¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    Forcing my head against the weight of his hand, I tell Tana, ¡°What¡¯s wrong about wanting to save lives.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if that is your angle, let me tell you your prison break will take more lives than it will save by a large margin. But I guess your ignorance is the only thing blameless about you.¡± As he walks away, Tana says, ¡°Cyrus crush his skull.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what-a-a-at?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, I didn¡¯t stutter. I said crush his skull.¡±


    ¡°Bu-t-t-t-t murder is wron-n-n-ng¡±


    Tana then walks up to him and says, ¡°Cyrus, you happen to be stupid, so like always, leave the decision-making to me ok. Now go and crush his skull.¡±


    Cyrus walks up to me, raises me in the air with his two hands on my head and begins to squeeze. Some of the members of my village try to help me, but I scream, ¡°STAY WHERE YOU ARE.¡±


    I then look into Cyrus¡¯ eyes and say, ¡°Cyrus, if you want to kill me, I will let you, but if you don¡¯t want to, then stop. You shouldn¡¯t do something like this due to someone else¡¯s will. All it will do is scar you.¡±


    Tana says, ¡°Cyrus, you just told me murder is wrong. If you don¡¯t do this, more people will die in the long run. You have never been good at making decisions, and that boy is taking advantage of that.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE WRONG!¡± I scream. ¡°Cyrus, I know how you feel, your scared of failure because your actions have led to catastrophe. I know the horrible pressure that falls on you when you have to make a decision, I have felt it all. It is suffocating. But just like my friend told me, I believe in you Cyrus, No matter how many you make or how many times you fail, I will believe in you. And when you can get over that fear, it is the most fulfilling feeling in the world. So, Cyrus, right now, do what you want.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to such a fool Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Believe in yourself.¡±


    ¡°That little boy is manipulating you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t live a life full of regrets, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°FOLLOW MY ORDER CYRUS!¡±


    ¡°CYRUS¡± I scream at the top of my lungs. Looking at him with eyes filled with nothing but determination, I say, ¡°Right here, right now, take back control of your life. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?¡±


    As Tana continues to scream, Cyrus lets go of me. Looking at him, I see tears running down his face, and he says to me, ¡°I wan-n-n-nt to help my friend.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Cyrus.¡±


    I look at Tana to see him scratching his head, and then he says, ¡°You¡¯re a fool, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Tana, it is over for you. Let us pass.¡±


    ¡°You think with Cyrus¡¯s strength, you can escape. That¡¯s funny, but since I am not like you, I had a backup plan, earlier when I sent the elevator up without anyone. It signalled the guards to report everything to the mother and call all the reminding guards to that position. So up on the first floor, a small army awaits you.¡±


    ¡°We will just rip through them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you all won¡¯t be making it up there,¡± Tana says as he takes off his top to reveal he has crystals all attached to his body. ¡°These are some of the highest quality crystals. If they explode, most of you will die. Just like you all have the resolve to leave, I have the resolve to keep you here.¡± so he runs forward at the crowd of us.


    This crazy bastard, doesn¡¯t he know some of the guards are unconscious on this floor, or is he telling us their lives aren¡¯t worth us escaping? What the hell am I going to do?


    But while my brain is frantically scrambling for an answer, Cyrus says, ¡°What I want to do the most right now, is protect my friend.¡± And moments after he says that Cyrus tackles Tana, they fall down the elevator shaft.


    ¦µ Falling is scary, I think; this must be why dragons grew wings.


    ¡°CYRUS, YOU IDIOT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE COMPLICIT IN. YOU WERE ONCE BLAMELESS, BUT NOW YOU HAVE DIRTIED YOUR HANDS FOR SOMEONE ELSE¡¯S SAKE.¡±


    Willow was right; I feel much more at peace since I did something for myself. I hope the escape works for Willow with very minimal deaths.


    As we continue to fall, I start to realise that something, that what I want right now is not to die. When this thought flows into my head, Tana explodes.


    ¦µ I run over to the front of the elevator shaft, and moments later, I hear a large explosion. No, Cyrus, you can¡¯t be. In a rage due to these events, I punched Quant in the face using all my strength, which sends him flying, amazed by the strength I just used, I compose myself and say to everyone with tears in my eyes, ¡°We have no time to waste. Let us use Cyrus¡¯ sacrifice to the fullest.¡±


    So, calling the elevator down, I tell everyone, ¡°The strongest will go first. We to fight off the guards, I will need you guys to keep coming up in groups of the strongest to weakest, and when everyone is up, we will use the crystals explosions to make our way out.¡±


    ¡°Willow, what should we do about him,¡± someone says as they point at Quant.


    ¡°Take him with us. I am not done with him yet.¡±


    So, I and the first batch of people go up prepared to fight all the guards currently up there. While we go up, my actions replay in my head. If only I had decided to let Cyrus kill me, he would still be alive, but maybe he felt at peace dying by choice, or maybe that is wishful thinking. Still, regardless of that, I want this plan to work. If the strength I used was spirit arts, I should be able to fight better now. So, all I can do is my very best.


    As we arrive on the first floor, we are greeted by the bodies of all the guards, frozen and beaten up. ¡°What the hell happened here,¡± I say in shock, but after looking, I see one guard perfectly fine in the middle.


    As this guard walks towards us, I say to everyone, ¡°GET READY TO FIGHT.¡±


    But then I hear the guard say, ¡°What a cold reunion,¡± while taking off his hat. And the face I see under it is Orb.

 Arc 4.09

    A little bit earlier


    How boring this is constantly taking to all these grown children. The only things they ever talk about are their extraordinarily dull lives, or they keep asking the same question; when will you get married again? What idiots would ask a widowed old woman like me that? But what is worse is that they try to woo me with all they got, since if they can get me to marry one of them, Basileia would pass down to them.


    At least not all of them are idiots, the sharper ones among them have brought their daughter to seduce some of my family. They have probably guessed that the guards I have brought with me are probably the ones I am passing Basileia down to, and they would have been correct if Tana had been here. Still, that is no worry since Tana isn¡¯t one to be swayed by women.


    ¡°Good day, lady Morgon,¡± I hear a voice say behind me.


    Turning around to see who is calling me, I come across an unpleasant face ¡°Oh, good day to you, sir Viktor¡±.


    Viktor Anwunta comes from a rather famous line of merchants, but his generation happened to exist during the same time as the Animus family, and thus he was one of the least successful merchants in his family history.


    But when the Animus family collapsed, he acted quickly to fill their place, leading to great things for him. My issue with this man is his willingness to do whatever it takes to get his desires. His company was one of the significant contributors to the hate against Animus, and he has indirectly tried on multiple occasions to hurt our business. An utter pest.


    ¡°My, you¡¯re looking as beautiful as ever, you¡¯re just like a dichid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you so much,¡± to my knowledge, a dichid is a flower with incredible beauty but starts to smell as it ages. ¡°I am surprised a busy man like yourself could make it today.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I was hearing something about how your business is going and wanted to see if you¡¯re ok. We are friends, after all,¡± he says with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I happen to be doing excellent and am livelier than I ever was before.¡±


    ¡°My friend Richard said the same thing to me right before the incident.¡± He says, looking disheartened.


    Hearing murmuring behind me, I applaud Viktor in my head for his acting. The people around me must believe the words that are coming out of his mouth. Well, I guess people are more inclined to think what comes out of a beautiful person¡¯s mouth. ¡°Well, if such a thing happens, I am sure business would start going amazing for you, wouldn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t joke about such things. I would rather all my rivals stay in business, my family motto competition breeds growth.¡±


    If only you meant those words, you wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. As I am about to respond, music starts playing in the ballroom. Viktor then asks me, ¡°Would you like to dance.¡±


    I want to reject him, but this party is about helping our image, so I have no choice. ¡°Yes, I would love to.¡±


    As everyone, including us, starts to dance on the ballroom floor, I say to Viktor, ¡°Now that no one can hear us tell me what you want you pest.¡±


    Sheading his mask, he replies, ¡°You were never one to beat around the bush, hag. What I have come to do in this party outside of mocking you is to present an offer.¡±


    ¡°If this is about Basileia, I refuse you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have given up on that a while ago. What I come with you today is to buy your dragon. To my knowledge, his name should be called Cyrus.¡±


    How in god¡¯s name would he know what Cyrus¡¯ name is. ¡°Do you think you have anything to offer worth a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t, but my client does.¡± Whispering into my ear, he says, ¡°This is how much he offers.¡± The number Viktor tells me makes me freeze for a minute, but Viktor pulls my body along to continue dancing with him.


    After I regain my composure, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. No way someone would be willing to give me that much Lupas.¡±


    ¡°My client will and says they will pay fifty per cent upfront. So how about it.¡±


    Hearing this deal, my heart dropped. If I was to get this money it would allow us to prepare for any issues to come in the future. It would also let me invest in some improvements to the mine. But I know that my answer is, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone senile? You know how much we¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°If I was to sell Cyrus to you, I have no idea what would happen to him. For all I know, you guys plan to kill and then stuff him up to hand on your walls as a decoration.¡±


    ¡°You truly are a fool, to care about a slave that much. But if that plan has fallen through, I can do this,¡± he says as he holds me tighter.


    ¡°What are you doing, fool.¡±


    ¡°You are accepting my request to dance, and this ball as a whole has given me all the evidence I needed that your company is in a weak position. This is all for the sake of rebuilding your reputation. So, if I were to kiss you right now, since you wouldn¡¯t want to make your reputation any worse for the people who will inherit this when you die, I¡¯m pretty sure you would take it and not cause a scene, especially since all the eyes in this ballroom are on us. Oh, how I have dreamed of putting you in your place.¡±


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    As he pulls me closer, he says, ¡°This will be your first kiss in decades. Enjoy.¡± As his lips almost touch mine, I hear a smacking sound. Looking at the cause right in front of me, it seems Porto slapped him to the ground.


    ¡°Sir Viktor, there was a poisonous mosquito on your face.¡±


    As Viktor looks up at Porto with rage in his eyes, Porto quickly crouches and says, ¡°I am so sorry for striking you, I just couldn¡¯t let any harm come to a man as great as you. Would you please be able to forgive me for this oversight,¡± as loud as he can.


    Viktor looks around to see all eyes are on him, then says, ¡°No problem, thank you for saving my life.¡± Then Porto quickly stretches his hand out for Viktor to lift himself.


    Looking at Viktor¡¯s face during this debacle, I can¡¯t help but smile though I try hard to hide it. After Viktor gets up, Porto says, ¡°Now if you would excuse me, and my lady Morgann have somewhere to be,¡± Porto then quickly takes my arm and escorts me out.


    As we leave, I tell Porto, ¡°It seems I underestimated how calculated you can be. Making sure Viktor couldn¡¯t cause a scene while keeping me free of blame, how excellent, though I am scared what this might do to your reputation.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Everyone is already scared of the hulking man with an iron mask on his face. But I didn¡¯t get you out of there to avoid Viktor.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you.¡±


    ¡°A situation has developed.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Porto.¡±


    ¡°It seems Willow planned a little rebellion in the mine. He got most of the workers to try and escape with him.¡±


    Shocked by this news, I say, ¡°So he has been calculating this since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°He must have. A little while ago, just after the last hourly check-in, Tana told me he got one of the inmates to break earlier today and tell him the plan.¡±


    ¡°Then he should¡¯ve dealt with it earlier today.¡±


    ¡°He told me he wanted to make an example of them to all the other prisoners. He would ensure that nothing like this would happen again by letting them almost escape then breaking their spirits.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like taking chances like this.¡±


    ¡°As long as Cyrus is with him, they won¡¯t be escaping.¡±


    ¡°Your right, but I am still worried.¡± And as if God was mocking me, I heard an explosion. ¡°Porto that came from the mine.¡±


    With a shocked look, he says, ¡°What the hell happened.¡±


    With a heavy heart, I say to Porto, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask you ever to do this again, but would you use your power for me.¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°So go get ready, while I head back to calm the worries of everyone in the ballroom,¡± following my instructions, Porto heads off, and it is in these moments that Porto¡¯s green and purple eyes shine the brightest.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Running over at incredible speed, Orb hugs me by saying, ¡°Thank god you guys are ok.¡±


    While he hugs me, I start crying again and say, ¡°You to Orb.¡±


    ¡°We probably have a lot to discuss, but that can wait now. We need to get you out of here,¡± he says as he starts leading the way.


    Pulling him back, I say, ¡°We will. In a moment, I have a few more people that need to come up the elevator, so we need to wait a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean the contraptions that use a pulley? I always wanted to see one,¡± says Orb, excited by the machine.


    Kicking him in his butt, I say, ¡°You never change, do you.¡±  Orb makes a rather sad expression in response to my words. Sitting beside him, I say, ¡°We got some time to kill right now, so tell me what you have been doing.¡±


    So, Orb then tells all of us everything that happened. The people who robbed our village, the fact it was ransacked, what happened with Cole and Sequoia, the tunnels where all the women are located, his ice ability and their rescue mission to get here.


    Hearing all this, the people from my village, coming up bunch by bunch started to have many different reactions. Some were crying, and some were frustrated, but I didn¡¯t know what to feel, especially to look at Orb¡¯s face while he told the story. His hair kept turning white, and his face was more despairing. He had been through some much to save us.


    As I am about to say something to him, a group of people from my village come up to him, get on their hands and knees, and then say, ¡°ORB, WE ARE SORRY.¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys apologising to me.¡±


    ¡°When we all regained consciousness, we started to doubt you, but you have done all this to come and save us, so all we can say is SORRY.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; you guys didn¡¯t have enough evidence not to doubt me. Whatever happened was either mine or Cole¡¯s fault, so it doesn¡¯t bother me that you came to such a conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Well, Orb, since you shared such a story with us, I will give you mine as well,¡± so I ramble on about everything I did and everyone I had met here, especially Cyrus.


    ¡°To think you would be able to befriend a dragon, you happen to be one of the luckiest humans on the planet,¡± Orb says with a frustrated expression.


    ¡°Yes, I am. That friend is the only reason I am still alive right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for your loss if I was just a little faster.¡±


    Smacking Orb across the head, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot. You couldn¡¯t have done anything, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Guys,¡± Oren says.


    ¡°Yes, Oren,¡± me and Orb say in unison.


    ¡°Everyone is up so that we can head off now.¡±


    ¡°So our next stop is to get the hostages, then get out.¡±


    ¡°Willow, I think we should change that. Some of the prisoners, like Oren, are in terrible shape. It would be best to have them go to Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> while you and I go to get the kids.¡±


    ¡°I see that would be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me,¡± Oren says.


    Alis slaps him on his back and says, ¡°Old men shouldn¡¯t lie about their health, especially if they are doctors.¡±


    ¡°He is right, Oren. Just please put up with this. You do want to see Pine again,¡± Orb says.


    Letting out a sigh, he says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s escape¡±, I say with great fervour.


    While running, Orb says, ¡°Someone is excited. I wonder what for maybe to see a certain someone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    ¡°Oh no poise, I like that, Maple should learn from you.¡±


    ¡°I hope she, will,¡± as I say this, a sizeable chomping and shattering sound rang through my ears. Looking at the origin, I see a massive metal ball that looks alive with a giant open mouth.


    Orb pushes me out of the way and freezes all the rock fragments from the shattered wall, breaking them. But he can¡¯t dodge the ball in time, and it bites into his right arm and pulls Orb through the hole it broke in through. Orb says, ¡°CONTINUE WITH THE PLAN,¡± as he is taken away.


    As everyone is shocked by this, I scream, ¡°WE HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE BELIEVE IN ORB,¡± and then I start running with everyone following close behind. Today has been unlucky so god, please let Orb be all right.


    ¦µ Shit, my arm hurts, is all I can think as this thing pulls me. As it pulls me out of the hole, it throws me in the air, where I can finally release my arm. As I land from the sky, I land on a platform in the middle of Basilea, where I see a massive man with a metal mask.


    I see the ball with a mouth on it return to this man. I also see chains wrapped around the man¡¯s right arm connected to the ball. Taking a good look at the ball, it looks biomechanical, just like my legacy and then it hits me that he is using a legacy.


    ¡°I remember all the faces of the employees and prisoners here, and you¡¯re not one of them. But that doesn¡¯t matter since you will be killed right now. Hunt him legacy Orthrus.¡±

 Arc 4.10

    His legacy comes at me with its enormous chomping mouth. Using my speed, I meet it halfway and dodge, and then head for the man using it. As I am about to create ice on the ground to freeze him, I hear that the ball has turned and is coming back. Instead, I create ice on the floor, making a small pillar which I jump off of to dodge the attack.


    What the hell? I watched that man the whole time, and at no point did he make a motion to indicate it was going to attack. The first time it went for me, that man made a motion was all that just some kind of trick? Maybe his ball seeks its target. That must be it; otherwise, it would never have found me in the mine.


    As the ball attempts to attack me, I create a large wave of ice to try and freeze the ball, but it just chomps through it. As it comes for me with its large mouth, I use my legacy on my hands and feet to keep its mouth open. As it charges forward, my right arm is in excruciating pain, but I continue. I then create a large amount of ice in its mouth.


    I jump on the ball head, then, using all the strength in my legs, lunge off it. I freeze the long chain as I move, but after I finish, I hear chomping sounds coming from my right. Taking a moment to look over, I see that small mouths with fanged teeth have appeared on the chain and are eating my ice away.


    After taking in the sight to my right, I look forward to seeing the large man in front of me. There is no way a man this big got here so fast. In my shock, the man gives me an uppercut knocking my body into the air. That strength and speed, he must be using spirit arts.


    Hearing a noise, I manoeuvre my body in the air into a particular position so I can face what I am hearing. In mere moments the large ball crashes into me. I use my hands and feet like before to stop it from chomping down as it pushes me into one of the buildings.


    While I try not to pass out from the pain, I feel the mouth starts to close. His legacy just got stronger out of nowhere. He must have sent spirit energy into it. As the jaws of his legacy begin to close in on me, I push away from it, allowing the mouth to close, but then the sear force of the ball hits me.


    As the ball pushes me through the building, we return to the platform I was fighting on. His legacy then tried to crash me into the platform, but I was able to create snow in front and behind me to soften the blow.


    Shit, that hurt. Without a doubt, I have broken some bones. I see his legacy move back, open his mouth, and then smash down again, but I move back in time. Then, as it came for me almost instantaneously, I decided to freeze the snow where I landed, and which bought me a few extra seconds to dodge.


    I might have an idea, but I need to play some mental games first. ¡°HEY, YOU BIG PIECE OF SHIT, I WONDER HOW YOUR GUESTS WOULD FEEL TO BE FROZEN SOILD,¡± I say as I run into the bridges. With these words, he shouldn¡¯t go off and attack Willow and the rest of the escapees.


    Basileia is a city surrounded by walls, with large buildings all connected by a series of bridges, with a sizeable platform in the middle. Using my legacy, I am just going from building to building, from bridge to bridge. I create Ice on my hand and feet to walk and hang in places I wouldn¡¯t usually be able to.


    I do all this while his legacy chases me. As I move from position to position, I leave little snow traps from place to place. My movements are done in ways that would intentionally tangle the chain. And after I see his legacy has reached max length, I move towards it and freeze all the snow I have planted. This won¡¯t keep it locked up for a long while, but it will give me enough time to freeze his main body.


    So, after I return to the platform, I head back to fight his main body. Just like his size would tell you he is strong. I cannot seem to get any deadly hits on him. I am not using spirit arts, yet it seems he can sense where I am going. Maybe his legacy has enhanced some of his senses, like mine.


    While going back and forth, I look for an opening to freeze his arms or legs since I am too tired to release another big wave of ice. I can¡¯t even refuse the ice I already made because his legacy eats it. So, I guess all I have left is mental warfare.


    ¡°Why are you so loyal to such a horrible woman? She makes slaves do horrible labour till they die, and she kidnaps people¡¯s families and uses that as a threat for them to do whatever she wants.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP. YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HER!¡±


    Good, he is getting angry. The info Atalanta got is really beneficial, ¡°The only reason you think such thing is because she has messed with your mind. Your thoughts are not your own.¡± As I land a few blows on him in his enraged state, I say, ¡°Think about all the lives that she has ruined and all the people she has irreversibly broken, she did all that for money.


    Not only to people but her family; her husband died one month after they were married under mysterious circumstances. Is that the type of woman you trust?¡±


    ¡°What of it,¡± I hear a voice say. Looking at the source, I see an old woman in a rather fancy dress.


    Surprised, the man in front of me says, ¡°Morgan, get out of here.¡±


    So, she is the woman I was talking about, the old queen of Basileia, mother Morgan. While the man is shocked, I run up and try to freeze a vital spot, but to my dismay, the chomping of the ball gets louder. I dodge his legacy as he repositions himself into a more defensive stance trying to protect that woman. If I attacked her, I could get an opening.


    So, as I ready myself, I say, ¡°Why serve such a woman with no heart at all.¡±


    ¡°YOU KNOW NOTHING, YOU BRAT,¡± He says as he is about to swing his legacy.


    Morgan suddenly chimes in and says, ¡°What an idiotic kid you are.¡±


    Bothered by her words, I say, ¡°So what I have said isn¡¯t true. Is that what you¡¯re getting at?¡±


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    Morgan sighs, saying, ¡°Basileia crystals are one of the most valuable resources. They are the words more significant energy sources. Just a small about of it grinding into dust can be used to bring life to the most barren of soil, and it can be used to enhance countless medicines. Though there is a problem with it; the two places where it is found have issues.


    The first place hoards their supply for themselves, and the second place, Basileia mines, have potent toxins, killing all miners over time. So, since you will never get someone to work at Basileia, you have to force them.¡±


    ¡°But your husband didn¡¯t use slaves to get the work done. He mined just what was possible and moved on.¡±


    ¡°That same lie. My former husband used the same methods as me but on a smaller scale, to create false scarcity and raise the price for the rich to whom he sold it. The people he sold it to did not need them, unlike peasants, to whom a little bit of it could have revolutionised their agriculture.


    The worst of it was when a pandemic broke out decades ago. The crystals here were the only way to make medicine, and it only took a small amount, but my bastard husband sold all his crystals to the wealthy to increase prices to make a fortune. People were losing their lives back and forth. The only way they could survive was by giving their money and bodies away to afford enough money to buy them or find a way to persuade someone more prosperous than them to give them just a little bit.


    During that time, people lost parents, siblings, friends and lovers. Even I couldn¡¯t escape this, I had to give away my body to make enough money to help my siblings, but it was to no avail. They still died in the end.


    So, I chose to do all in my power to seduce that man, to become his wife until the day I could end his life and take over. When I changed this place, I bought more slaves for mine. I sell mainly to the poor for minuscule prices; I only ever sell to the rich to appease them. What I might do is unsightly, but I make sure every worker¡¯s death translates to ten thousand lives helped and saved.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡±


    ¡°Since I don¡¯t sell as much to the wealthy, they have gone out of their way to slander me or keep all my achievements off of any paper, so unless you have seen what I have done with your own eyes, you wouldn¡¯t know about it.


    Little boy, let me tell you something right now, good people will and always have been supported by bad things. That¡¯s how the world works, and I choose to save the many by killing the few.


    I decide to dirty my hands since no one else wants to. For that reason, most guards are loyal to me even after I break them because they see why I am doing this and choose to harden their hearts to help me. So, if you continue with your foolish actions, you will only hurt more people in the long run.¡±


    Looking at the woman in front of me with eyes full of determination, I falter and shake uncontrollably. Is what I am doing right? If I mess up here and lives are lost, that wouldn¡¯t be a mistake. That would be a sin. Capti told me to be a good person. Is it reasonable to allow people to die for my reasons? Aren¡¯t all lives equal? If so, I shouldn¡¯t let my friends die here. But if I saw a million corpses versus one corpse, I wouldn¡¯t say they¡¯re equal. What the hell am I supposed to do.


    As I continue to freak out, I remember Atalanta¡¯s words which calm me down. Right now in my heart the most important thing is to, ¡°All of that is none of my business. I will rescue the people I care about. It is that simple.¡±


    ¦µ The brat¡¯s hair turned a purple so light that it blended into the sliver in his hair, but more strangely, all the bluish-red crystal around Basileia pillars turned the same colour.


    ¡°So right now, you have chosen to be a murderer. I guess ignoring reality is part of being a kid, but I can¡¯t see you as one right now. Porto, kill him.¡± And with those few words, they start fighting again as I walk away.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As we all run towards the wall of Basileia as fast as we can, a couple of guards find us and stop us. While we prepare to fight, I see four white arrows pierce the guards in our way, making them vulnerable for us to knock out.


    ¡°What was that,¡± Buloke says.


    Perplexed by what had happened, I tried to find the arrows, but they disappeared. I have never heard of anything like that. Though I have no time to waste, ¡°All those who can fight, come with me. We are going to get the hostages. The rest of you should take these crystals and blow a hole in the wall. We have no time to waste, so everyone gets their asses moving.¡±


    But as we start to move, all the crystals around Basileia glow a light purple. It is just one strange thing after another today, but all this confusion will help us if we are proactive. ¡°Let¡¯s GO, EVERYONE, WHERE ALMOST THEIR!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± They all shout in unison.


    ¦µ Willow looks so good in his new clothes. Maple, stop, you need to focus everyone is in a very make it or break it situation. I have helped Willow so I look to Orb¡¯s fight against that giant man.


    I fire multiple around the man while his ball chases Orb, but he dodges them. Since I am using spirit arts, he could sense them as they come close. This is bad, but I have to keep trying, so I constantly keep shooting arrows, but it is to no avail. Eventually, I started to feel exhausted, followed by extreme pain. I noticed they my nose was bleeding rapidly. Atalanta told me there is a side effect of overuse of spirit energy. As the bow starts to get heavier, I look at Orb, who has been hit again by the giant ball.


    No, this isn¡¯t good. At this rate, Orb will be killed. Looking from here, I can see how batter and bruise he looked. But I take a second to stare at his face, and I can see he hasn¡¯t given, so neither can I. If he is staking his life, I will do the same so will all my strength.


    I pick up the bow and ready myself to fire ten arrows simultaneously. Atalanta said this bow could be used to fire multiple at once, but the max I ever did was four, but I must push myself; As I am about to fire the arrows, I see the bow change, and I feel a burning under my right eye.


    ¦µ The boy is finished after that last blow. His body is undoubtedly done, for even if he gets up, he won''t have enough strength to fight against me. It would have been nice to talk to a legacy like me, but my loyalty lies with Morgan. Back when I was an ornament her husband collected, I suffered abuse every day, but she saved me and gave me this home and family for her. I would do anything.


    As I am about to ask the man in front of me to reconsider, the look he gives me shows me his determination won¡¯t change. So, I say ¡°Don¡¯t hold this against me¡±, as I send my ball towards him.


    Suddenly I sense ten of those spirit arrows, but as I am about to dodge them, I notice they swerve around me and then suddenly stop in motion. Looking at the arrows, I notice they¡¯re golden and see they didn¡¯t stop but as just moving so slowly that it seems like they stopped.


    Using my enhanced sense of smell, I smell the boy approaching me. But even if he dodged my ball¡¯s first strike, it would always come back around, so as my ball was about to bite him front the back, he jumped toward one of the arrows and landed on it. Then immediately kicks off to another one.


    He moves between all of them at insane speeds, using the arrows as platforms. He is moving so fast that my Orthrus automatic tracking is confused. So, I manually sent it where I predicted he would be next, but I was too slow and missed him.


    I lose track of the boy until I smell him behind me on the right side. Before I can attack, he freezes and shatters my right arm. This is bad, now that my physical connection to the vessel I was using is broken my legacy turned off. I try to use my gift on my left arm, but before I can get that off, the boy punches me in my mask, freezing and shattering it which knocks me to the ground.


    While on my back on the ground, I see the boy let out a victory cry right before I fall unconscious.

 Arc 4 End

    ¦µ It hurts. It hurts so bad. The explosion made by Tana made every part of my body feel like it was dying. I thought I would die quickly from the explosion and the fall, but I didn¡¯t. I survived. Tana¡¯s body was blown away. All that remains are the pieces of his body that burst onto me.


    When Tana exploded, he did so close to the seventh-floor barricade. So, I fell to the last floor. The toxins created by the crystals here burn even my skin and make the air hot like a raging inferno as I lay there, unable to move my body while in excruciating pain.


    I picked what I wanted to do, yet I still failed. Until my body dies, I will be tortured slowly by the toxins. I guess this is what I deserve.


    But at least Willow and all the prisoners made it out, so my life wasn¡¯t a waste after all, and now I get to die seeing something beautiful. At the very least, I can say that is my achievement. I can die at peace.


    ¡°Can you really¡±


    ¡°Who said that,¡± I say weakly. I start to cough intensely after speaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother taking. You will only speed up your demise.¡±


    No one is here. Where is this voice coming from? I must be undergoing some hallucination.


    ¡°I am no hallucination.¡±


    Whatever this voice is, it is reading my thoughts. Where are you?


    ¡°What a rude question to ask me. Who has always been with you.¡±


    After I blink, I open my eyes to see a three-headed dragon surrounded by darkness. What are you?


    ¡°That is a simple question. I am the second soul in your body, the part of you that has always been here, the part of you that you have always rejected.¡±


    Rejected, I never even knew you existed.


    ¡°Your pathetic sense of self and your lack of will was all the rejection I needed, but after sacrificing yourself, you said to wanted to live at the very end. You finally showed me some will, so I ask you, as the legacy, you have always hidden inside, do you want to live?¡±


    In response to his question, an image pops into my head.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed for confirmation, so now, if you can maintain your sense of self under this power, you will have a chance to live your life the way you want, but if you don¡¯t, then you will only fall further into the abyss of your weakness.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ After letting out a scream of victory, I hear an explosion. That must have been Willow blowing up the ballroom. He must almost be done; I should head over, but first, there are some things I need to do.


    I look over at the giant man with green and red eyes and white and purple hair; then I freeze the open wound on his arm. He won¡¯t die of blood loss this way.


    I then move through all the buildings until I reach Maple at the rooftop. When I see her, she is lying on the floor. I run over to her. Her right eye is glowing and has a strange mark under it also, the yellow in her hair is shining, but most worryingly her nose is bleeding a lot. ¡°Maple, wake up.¡±


    Headbutting me, she says, ¡°I was just trying to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t just pass out with your nose looking like that. I thought the worst had happened, you idiot.¡±


    Headbutting me again, she says, ¡°I worked hard to help you, and this is how you repay me.¡± Tears start to form in her eyes.


    ¡°Sorry, Maple, you did an excellent job.¡±


    Proudly she says, ¡°Orb, look at this; I finally used my legacy,¡± she shows me her bow, which has completely changed shape and looks biomechanical, just like my arm in legacy form. ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Hugging her, I say, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, awesome, wonderful, marvellous, the best in the world.¡±


    After complimenting her profusely, she turns bashful and headbutts me again, saying, ¡°Too much Orb.¡±


    ¡°Well, now let¡¯s meet up with everyone else.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Another one down,¡± I say as I knock out another guard. Ever since I set off an explosion near the ballroom, the highest priority of the guards should have been to protect them, but because they knew my plan in advance, they have all decided to guard the hostages, so we are fighting our way through a swarm of them. The more I fight, the better the spirit energy seems to flow. I feel incredible like I could fight a hundred men.


    As we reach the hallway right in front of the rooms with hostages, I see a rather annoying person. It is Sora with a bunch of guards, but more worryingly, he is holding some of the kids from our village. Shit, we could have avoided this happening if we got here fast enough.


    Mia then says, ¡°Willow, why are you doing this? Didn¡¯t you love mother like the rest of us?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. All she did was brainwash me like the rest of you. Look at her happily gallivanting about while threatening all the prisoners with hostages.¡±


    ¡°She only does that because she must, but no hostage has ever been killed or wounded. Instead, the most she ever does is a few fingers off to the prisoner but then reattaches them later.¡±


    ¡°She constantly threatens to kill the hostages if people stop working.¡±


    ¡°That is just an empty threat, after the hostage associated with the prisoner dies, they are all educated till they are fifteen years old. They are then given the option to leave or work here. That is how I was brought here. Mother isn¡¯t a bad person.¡±


    ¡°Mia, don¡¯t waste your breath that man doesn¡¯t plan to change his plans at all look in his eyes. So, Willow, it looks like you guys were too slow, but I guess this happens when a child like you tries to go against adults like me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only five years older than me. Get off of your high horse.¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about age; I am talking about the experience. But I don¡¯t argue with children, so Willow, slit your throat and disperse before I lose all this kindness and start chopping off limbs. I swear, how did Tana let you guys get past him.¡±


    As I put my sword to my throat, I say, ¡°Simple; we killed him¡±


    ¡°You guys did what to Tana. BASTARDS, I WILL KILL YOU,¡± he says as he charges forward.


    I prepared to move forward and get cut him down, but Sora stopped and said, ¡°Is that what you expected me to do.¡± After saying this stabs one of the kids in the foot. ¡°Tana specifically told me to think before I act, so now that he is gone, I need to put that into action. Let me make this simple, Willow slit your throat, and the rest of you disperse before I kill the kids.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Helpless, I put my sword to my throat, but I say, ¡°Kids duck¡±. At that moment, Orb comes through and knocks all the guards holding the kids out. Except for Sora, who grabs a kid with his sword against its throat.¡±


    ¦µ What the hell? Tana is dead. The kid who was fighting Porto is here, and I am surrounded, but as long as I have this kid, I am safe. ¡°EVERYONE BACK THE FUCK OFF, IF YOU WANT THIS BRAT TO STAY ALIVE!¡±


    The boy who arrives says, ¡°I know you. You¡¯re the idiot whom Atalanta robbed.¡±


    ¡°She robbed me?¡±


    ¡°She told me she knocked a person with a stupid look unconscious, stole his map, then left her panties on him.¡±


    I came to a sudden realisation that we didn¡¯t sleep together. At the same time, I was shocked by this revelation, the boy who just came dashes towards me and punches me in the face knocking me out.


    ¦µ Thank God I heard Orbs scream earlier. If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t have known he was coming. Walking Up to Orb, I see someone get off his back. It was Maple. Upon seeing me, she runs directly at me and hugs me, saying, ¡°I missed you,¡± with tears in her eyes.


    With tears in my eyes, I say, ¡°I missed you so much¡±. Pulling her back, I look at her face, and lots of blood is running down her nose. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°That is just the scars from all her hard work,¡± Orb says. ¡°But we can discuss all that later. We have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Your right.¡± Turning around, I say, ¡°Everyone gets your asses moving,¡± so following my instructions, we all head into the area with all the hostages and, one by one, get them all out of here. I decided to take them all because, just like Tana told me, I have endangered Basileia¡¯s future with all my actions, so it is best if they are all taken out now.


    ¡°Do we have everyone,¡± Orb says.


    ¡°Yes, that was the last of the rooms, so let¡¯s go right now,¡± and with that, we all ran as fast as we could to the wall. Please, God, let nothing else happen to us.


    But as if God was messing with me, Orb says, ¡°I hear something big coming.¡± And moments after that, a giant clump of darkness broke through the ground with an ear-splitting scream.


    It is bigger than almost all the buildings in Basileia. It starts to break and crush all the things around it. Seeing this, Orb tells us, ¡°Everyone that thing seems to be moving in another direction, so don¡¯t be afraid and run.¡±


    As we start to run, I take a second to look at it, and I realise this clump of darkness is in the shape of a dragon. Seeing this, I stop in my tracks.


    ¡°Willow, what are you doing>¡±


    ¡°Orb, that¡¯s Cyrus. It has to be.¡±


    ¡°He took all those explosions right in his face. He couldn¡¯t have survived.¡±


    ¡°No, Orb, I am assured it is Cyrus. I feel it in my soul. I am sorry, but I can¡¯t leave him like this. He risked his life to save ours, so I will get him if he is alive and within reach.¡±


    ¡°Well, I understand you want to protect your friend Willow.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°Thank yo-¡± but as I do, I feel an impact on the back of my head.


    ¦µ I say to Buloke, ¡°Take both Willow and Maple back to the wall. I will be over in no time, but if you feel pressed, take off without me. Maple knows the way back.¡±


    ¡°Orb, leave him and come with us as well. We¡¯re so close to escaping.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but if that happens to be Cyrus, just like Willow says, we can¡¯t leave him.¡±


    ¡°But you look exhausted and don¡¯t even know him, so don¡¯t put your life on the line.¡±


    ¡°Back when I saved your life, the same things could be said. I don¡¯t think a person who would end his own life to save his friends should die in a place like this so that I will help him,¡± I say as I jump off.


    I move from building to building, trying to get close to him, but he constantly crushes most of my footing. I try to freeze him when I get close to him, but the ice gets absorbed. Seeing this, I move back.


    The darkness around him was so dense that it sucked my ice into him. Looking around him, I also see this phenomenon happening to objects around Basileia.


    This gives me the idea that if I can make him absorb enough mass, he shouldn¡¯t be able to absorb my ice anymore. So, I move in front of his face and get his attention, then I lead him around Basileia, absorbing as many objects as possible he even absorbs the giant crystal pillars, and after a while, I see his movement speed slow. I head in and try to get close, but when I do, he starts to eject the things he absorbs at high speeds towards me, including the crystals that explode on impact.


    ¦µ As I look up at the monster entirely composed of darkness, I think this must be my reckoning.


    ¡°Mother, what should we do? That monster is rampaging everywhere, and it seems the prisoners are about to escape with the hostages.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Basileia is finished. So pay it no heed. Instead, gather up all the guards and use one of the three emergency escape routes.¡±


    ¡°Then let us evacuate you first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me; I will buy you some time. If Basileia is going down, I might as well go down. All of you escape, after what happened here today all my rivals and the people who see me as an eyesore will bare their fangs, and without the protection of the holy nation, were done.¡±


    ¡°But mother, we can always try again please don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°You guys know where the treasury is. Take as much as you need and go. With the skills all of you have any workforce would be delighted to have you¡±. Hugging them, I say, ¡°I love all of you guys, and I need you to pass on that message to everyone, so please go do that.¡±


    With tears in their eyes, they tell me, ¡°Yes, mother.¡± And go.


    Now with all the strength in my old legs, I run to where that monster can see me. While running, I think back to the last time I ran when I was younger. I used to race my younger siblings all the time. My brother was always faster than me, but my little sister was slower. Well, since she was four, she couldn¡¯t help it.


    Though they stopped asking me to play with them since my legs always hurt from working all day, they were the best. They always told me they would work hard to get jobs and care for me, so I should focus on getting married. My siblings never had any education, but they still dreamed so big. Back in those days, their smile was my guiding light.


    So, when they got sick, I gave up everything about myself to whoever would accept so that I could afford to get some crystals for their medicine, but fate didn¡¯t want them to live.


    As I face to face with the monster that looks consumed by sadness, I come to a realisation and say, ¡°CYRUS, COME AND GET ME. I AM OVER HERE,¡± it looked like that boy was looking for an opening. This should be one.


    Looking at this monster, I think to myself, if god judges you on how many people you have saved, I am going to heaven. If he feels you of lives taken, I am going to hell; if it doesn¡¯t even exist, I disappear. I don¡¯t regret a single action I took, but I do regret I had to take them. And in mere moments, Cyrus¡¯ hand comes down and crushes me.


    ¦µ That woman was smiling at me right before she said that, it must have been a signal. Fuck, I didn¡¯t want anyone else to die, but I can¡¯t waste this. Using the opportunity she created, I moved for Cyrus, not noticing me until I was close enough that the objects he sent towards me didn¡¯t hit me and only served as footing for my approach.


    I eventually land on the back of Cyrus. When I do, I stick my hand into his back and grab whatever I can. Earlier, Porto and Maple used their legacies on objects, so I should be able to use them on all the things you absorb. So, taking a deep breath, I use my legacy on all the objects in Cyrus and cause them to create ice freezing his body and shattering it.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Everything I do, I fail without question it is as if my life is nothing but the accumulation of failures. I passed out a bit earlier, but I remember all the countless screams and a corpse that looked awfully like Morgan. What have I done? This dark cocoon I am in is the best place I could ever be.


    ¡°Cyrus, tell me what do you desire.¡±


    I hear a voice talking to me from outside my darkness ¡°Leave me al-o-o-one¡±, I say.


    ¡°Sorry, your friend wants to see you, but before that I need to help you so tell me Cyrus what do you want so bad that all this darkness leaked from you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is always asking me the same question. I know what I want. I want to Di-e-e-e, so leave me al-o-o-one.¡±


    ¡°BULLSHIT. Dying is the easiest thing to do in the world. Even if you are alive for a second, you have a reason. So, tell me, Cyrus, FROM THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SOUL, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if it was his strong voice or the comfort of the darkness I was in, but I let what I should never say slip, ¡°I want to see my sister.¡±


    My cocoon suddenly freezes and shatters, and when I look out, I see a white-haired boy with and star in his right eye. ¡°That¡¯s a wonderful desire, so I promise I will take you around this whole damn world till we find her.¡±


    The boy then says, ¡°Your right eye is not only shining. It has a star in it.¡±


    ¡°So is yours,¡± I say in response.


    ¡°Huh, really, I knew my right eye shined when I was using my legacy, but now there is a star there.¡± The boy falls to the ground after saying this.


    ¡°Are yo-u-u-u ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it seems I like super overexerted myself today, so I need you to carry me to the wall.¡±


    So, I pick him up, and we head off to the wall at full speed. While I run, the boy says, ¡°Willow said you have pitch-black hair, but he never mentioned you have Violet hair as well.¡±


    ¡°Wha-t-t do you mean my hai-r-r-r is black¡±, but I see that it has changed colours.


    ¡°Your eye also has two colours, one grey and one crimson.¡±


    ¡°Real-l-ly. It wasn¡¯t like that-t-t before.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t tell you why.¡±


    Eventually, I reach the outside of the wall, where I see a bunch of people riding on a small beast. As they see us, they start to smile and wave. Orb says, ¡°From now on, all those people will be with you.¡±


    As I see all this, I turn around to Basileia and bow down. Then I run forward with Orb to everyone else.

 Logs 2

    Spirit Arts: The process of using soul energy to enhance one¡¯s body and pull off superhuman movements. It can be used consciously or by training one¡¯s body; enough can be used unconsciously.


    Legacy: When influential people die, their willpower allows them to surpass death and return to the earth in another body as a legacy sharing the body with the soul of the person born into it two souls in one body. The gift can be manifested as a Biomechanical armament. Legacy will also physically change the host¡¯s body to take on the physical traits of the spirit inside.


    ¦µ This symbol indicates a change in perspective


    12 Months in Order


    Aquarius


    Pisces


    Aries


    Taurus


    Gemini


    Cancer


    Leo


    Virgo


    Libra


    Scorpio


    Sagittarius


    Capricorn


    Log of Characters


    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Cole, Meat, Villagers


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs, weakness


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 154cm


    Likes: Animals Orb Training


    Dislikes: Dishonesty, fire, poison


    Name: Maple Rian


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary)


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right)


    Height: 153 cm


    Likes: food, singing, Sequoia, Willow, Orb


    Dislikes: responsibility, Cole


    Name: Cyrus Damavand


    Age: 22


    Birthday: 25<sup>th</sup> Taurus


    Hair: Black (Primary), Violet (Secondary)


    Eyes: Grey(Left) crimson(Right)


    Height: 190 cm


    Likes: Sister, friends


    Dislikes: Choices


    Name: Atalanta Supernova


    Age: 21


    Birthday: 7<sup>th</sup> Scorpio


    Hair: Scarlet


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Eyes: Blue


    Height: 169 cm


    Likes: Attractive people, nice people, fun


    Dislikes: ?


    Name: Sparrow Uila


    Age: 38


    Birthday: Cancer


    Hair: Short curly, and Brown


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 173 cm


    Likes: Money, Women who like money, gambling, kids who want money, cigars


    Dislikes: Righteous people or ideas, people who don¡¯t want money,


    Name: Sequoia Rian


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Gemini 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 187 cm


    Likes: All Villages, Peace, Hunting, Fantasy


    Dislikes: Violence, Lack of self-awareness, Unknown


    Name: Cole Animus


    Age: 19


    Birthday: Leo 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: blue


    Height: 176 cm


    Likes: Justice, brother, parents


    Dislikes: Evil, Self, money,


    Name: Morgan Elia


    Age: 85


    Birthday: Capricorn 13<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Red


    Eyes: Grey


    Height: 157 cm


    Likes: Her family, Dogs, running


    Dislikes: Nobles, Fruits it reminds her of her siblings


    Name: Porto Elia


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Leo 12th


    Hair: White(Primary) Purple(Secondary)


    Eyes: Green(Left) Red(Right)


    Height: 201 cm


    Likes: Family, Food


    Dislikes: Chains, Fire


    Legacy: Orthrus


    Name: Captivant Nightfall


    Age: 84


    Birthday: Taurus 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: black (Normally), Grey (due to age)


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 179 cm


    Likes: Books, family, Orb, potatoes, alcohol,


    Dislikes: milk, berries, people who don¡¯t like his family,


    <div>


    <table width="703">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Name


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    Age


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Birthday


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Hair


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Eyes


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    Height


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Buloke


    Ring


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    21


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Taurus 1st


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Brownish


    orange


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    192 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Aea Fatom


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    20


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Pisces 5th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Purple


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    184cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Alis Fatom


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    20


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Pisces 5th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Purple


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Red


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    184 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Pine


    Heart


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    50


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Capricorn 8th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Grey


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Green


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    169 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Oren


    Heart


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    52


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Cancer


    30th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Gold


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Pink


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    172 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Elizabeth


    Animus


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    40


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Aries


    5th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Gold


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Blue


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    165 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Richard


    Animus


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    39


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Aquarius


    7th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Brown


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    White


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    177 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Throne


    Uth


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    29


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Virgo


    22nd


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Brown


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Lime


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    156 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Viktor Anwunta


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    42


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Scorpio 4th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Orange


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    White


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    180 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Tana Elia


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    22


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Gemini 8th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    Yellow


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Violet


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    173 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td width="110">


    Sora Elia


    </td>


    <td width="55">


    19


    </td>


    <td width="116">


    Leo 23th


    </td>


    <td width="209">


    White


    </td>


    <td width="125">


    Orange


    </td>


    <td width="88">


    170 cm


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Log of animals


    Predasaurs: Animals that evolved to live in and around the area of Fimbulwinter.


    Name: Scardo


    Height: 122cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is small with a beak and a fluffy tail. It¡¯s covered with red and purple feathers, scardos are said to be very friendly and loving to humans.


    Fact: they hang around human settlements since humans don¡¯t like eating them due to them being cute.


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Name: Sonbit


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: It is a giant, white, fluffy, mammal with long ears and long circular tails.


    Fact: They have no teeth, so they swallow everything they eat whole, breaking it down with their acidic stomachs.


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It¡¯s a giant, silver, quadrupedal omnivore, with one large horn at the front, with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron. They have elongated tongues that can take their prey off their horn.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.


    Name: Tiritrex


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal beast with five horns covered in feathers. Their feathers can be shot off as a method of attack and defence.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situations if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Wonderbeast: These are a higher evolution of animals and are considered almost magical by some. Predasaurs all where wonder beasts before there mutations.


    Name: Gapotamus


    Height: 190cm


    Type: Herbivore, Wonderbeast.


    Description: They are semi-aquatic mammals, with a large lumpy body, short legs and an enormous head.


    Fact: The gas they produce to propel themselves, is know to be one of the three stinkiest substances in the world.


    Name: Ignamoles


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: large mammals adapted to subterranean lifestyles. They have pear-shaped bodies, brown fur, inconspicuous eyes and ears, large hindlimbs, and a mouth on each arm which they use to consume the ground.


    Fact: they are extraordinary cowardly and are scared not only of all other creatures but themselves, so they avoid large pools of water where they can see themselves and instead stay in deep dark tunnels underground.

 Arc 5.01 Cursed Child Arc

    ¦µ We have been travelling from Basileia with everyone in carts attached to Willow by rope. Each Cart is connected in a straight line to another one, so there are two long lines of carts with people in them behind Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.


    When we got far enough from Basileia, we stopped to reunite everyone with their families. Even Quant got to see his daughter again. I have left him to talk to her without bothering them, but his punishment is still up to me.


    Still, we had to decide soon what to do with some of the hostages. They were highly loyal to Morgan, and unlike all those prisoners in the mine, most of them were still kids, so we could one day undo it.


    During that time, I was able to introduce Maple to Cyrus properly. Though they also had people to introduce me to a beautiful but very physical woman named Atalanta, and a decrypt man named Sparrow, who was the leader of the people who captured us.


    When some of the men from our village saw him, they punched him right in the face, but Orb stopped them, it seems they had already not been feeding him. Now all that man does is cry while unable to speak any words. I almost feel sorry, but I guess that is only justice.


    So far, our travels have been peaceful enough, and even if we didn¡¯t have much food, we were only a day away till we were back home. Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> had been trying his best. When we met for the first time in a while he jumped on top of me.


    But if there is one thing that pains me to no end, this sun is so unnecessarily hot for no reason. Back when I lived in Fimbluwinter, I used to think that I would love to be set on fire to deal with this cold, but now I realise being hot is so much worse than being cold since there is no comfort in this sun, it is just dry and hot, I hate it so much.


    Looking around on this hot day, I stare at the weirdo beside me on Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> back.


    ¡°Cyrus, come on, you don¡¯t need all these limbs. Would you please give me one?¡± Orb says.


    ¡°Bu-t-t-t I need my lim-m-m-mbs.¡±


    ¡°Please, I did save your life, so only one would be needed ok.¡±


    ¡°Well-l-l if you want it.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, don¡¯t agree to Orb¡¯s stupid requests.¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this, Willow.¡±


    Orb has been codling Cyrus ever since we left Basileia. He has been keeping Cyrus in between his arms the entire time and doing strange things like sniffing his hair.


    At first, I thought he had lost his mind, but I soon realised he had been doing this because he saw Cyrus as some scientific discovery. Every day he pressures him more and more to let him rip apart his body, and every day, Cyrus has been getting increasingly ill.


    ¡°Orb, Cyrus isn¡¯t some animal. You can¡¯t ask him to do that for you,¡± Maple says.


    ¡°But come on, when I was in my house, I always wanted to have a dragon as a pe- I mean friend. And now I have one right in my arms. All I want to do is figure out how his body works.¡±


    Maple using her legacy, shoots Orb with an arrow.


    Orb screams, ¡°MAPLE, PLEASE STOP.¡±


    When the arrow makes contact with Orb, it slows him down, and then Maple says, ¡°No means no, Orb; if you act up again, I will leave you like this until we get back.¡±


    When Maple uses her legacy, she can speed up or slow down her arrows to increase and decrease the damage or make whatever her arrows hit slower or faster for a fixed period. Using this, Willow the 2<sup>nd,</sup> even with little food, has been moving faster than usual.


    Maple then says, ¡°And you Cyrus, Orb is a fool so you don¡¯t have to listen to anything he says.¡± As Maple says this to Cyrus, he blushes and turns his head away. It turns out he is shy around women. After this happens, Maple reshoots Orb to speed him back up.


    ¡°Just so you know Maple, that¡¯s an abuse of power.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Maple says as she prepares to fire another arrow.


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Atalanta crawls up behind Orb and says, ¡°Hey Orb, I thought you didn¡¯t like people, but you¡¯re all over Cyrus right now.¡±


    ¡°I am fine when I am doing the touching as long as it is with friends.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re friends are we not.¡±


    ¡°Hell no!¡±


    Energetically she says, ¡°But I have been friends with you longer than Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that just means you don¡¯t qualify my parameters for a friend,¡± Orb says while looking away.


    ¡°Or maybe your just so shy around a girl as pretty as me.¡±


    Giving her a look of disgust, Orb says, ¡°Not in your wildest dreams. I know a girl called Draga, and she¡¯s a hundred times better than you.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Well, you can lie all you want, but your hair will tell me the truth.¡± So Atalanta jumps on top of Orb, holding Cyrus, and starts to hug him. I see Maple looking at them with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°Maple, what¡¯s making you smile like that>¡±


    ¡°It is just that seeing those three strange people who are unlike everyone in our village is why I wanted to leave our village so bad, they get my heart pounding really fast. That¡¯s probably a selfish thing to say, but it is how I feel.¡±


    I hug Maple and tell her, ¡°You are the cutest person on this planet.¡±


    ¡°Willow stop this,¡± she says with a red face.


    ¡°I will when you stop being so adorable.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep tonight,¡± I say as I get up from Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> back. When I arise, I see Orb is also awake and sitting on Willow''s 2<sup>nd</sup> head. This would be an excellent chance to spook him, so I walk towards his body slowly.


    But Orb says, ¡°Willow, so you¡¯re awake.¡±


    Damn his hearing, ¡°Your no fun; you know that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, but with the number of times Atalanta spooked me, I have become hyper-sensitive to that exact action.¡±


    Sitting beside him, I say, ¡°So what are you doing awake in the middle of the night, Orb?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing awake in the night, Willow?¡±


    ¡°I can''t sleep, but with all the energy you and Atalanta expended today, I know you can''t use the same excuse. So even if your hair is white, something about this still feels wrong to me.¡±


    ¡°You have become sharper, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Had to so I could survive. Now tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    ¡°It is just something Morgan told me. I don¡¯t know the validity of it, but I will still tell you,¡± Orb tells me all the things mother Morgan told him about Basileia, her husband¡¯s murder, about the crystal¡¯s worldwide importance.


    ¡°So, Willow, how truthful do you think this all is?¡±


    ¡°If I am being honest, I would say it probably it all is. While working there, I noticed that she takes good care of her employees and has never harmed any hostages, she even spends time with them. And she at least keeps the slaves alive as long as possible. They were never harmed outside of the crystal toxins and the labour. Even the food she feeds them, despite tasting horrible, is probably the most nutritious food I have ever eaten.¡±


    ¡°Huh, all she said was true. Just from the look in her eyes and the determination she had, I would have guessed that,¡± Orbs says with a sad look.


    ¡°Orb, instead of sitting there sad, tell me your best friend all that is bothering you. I am here with my arms wide open,¡± I say while hugging him.


    ¡°You know you have given lots of hugs lately.¡±


    ¡°It was an essential part of my job back in Basileia, so I got used to it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I just feel like my head is about to split open.¡±


    ¡°Split open?¡±


    ¡°It is just that the more I think about everything, the more my head hurts. How many people would have my actions here hurt? If I had been more proactive, would nothing like this happen? Even that woman Morgan died, and I was unable to do anything. I am unsure if any of the guards survived or what about the prisoners in the mine as Cyrus left. If any of those people died, it would have been on me.


    Are my actions truly just or good in any sense? The ripple of destroying Basileia might ruin countless people¡¯s lives, but does it matter since I don¡¯t know them? You guys, whom I love so much were strangers to me also, so is the only thing stopping me from caring about them fate?


    The more I think about it, the more my head hurts. At this point, I won¡¯t be able to keep my promise to Capti because I don¡¯t feel fulfilled, just regret. Maybe it would have been better if I never left my house since none of this would have happened.¡± As Orb has been ranting about this, he has had tears falling down his eyes.


    While Orb is crying, I am dumbfounded. Orb has always been a pillar of strength to me, but right now, I see a panicking kid.


    While in shock, I hear, ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Looking at the voice, I see it is Maple, hugging Orb from behind.


    ¡°When you lived in my house with my father and me, I felt like my family had just increased. You¡¯re an irreplaceable older brother, so never say anything like that because no matter what happens, I will never regret saving you, so don¡¯t regret coming to us. And if the older sibling goes around crying, so will the younger one,¡± she says with tears about to form in her eyes.


    This time, Orb has been wondering if his actions have been hurting people unintentionally, and even in his victory, he can¡¯t forget about them. I know how hard it is to feel like your actions bring destruction to people. So, I hug him and say, ¡°You are irreplaceable to me too, so don¡¯t worry about such things, you big idiot. You¡¯re dumber than you think, so don¡¯t dwell on it too much.¡±


    Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> lets out a mini roar as well.


    Wiping the tears off his face Orb says, ¡°Ok then, I won¡¯t say such things, but Willow, can you do me a favour.¡±


    ¡°What would that be, Orb.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to inform me of all the things you learned about how Basileia operates and what you think might happen to the rest of the guards there due to my actions.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know.¡±


    ¡°Because one day I might have to face the consequences of my actions, and when that day comes, I want to be informed of everything.¡±


    ¡°But with how you¡¯re currently feeling, I don¡¯t know how you will take it.¡±


    ¡°Please, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± so I tell him everything I know, from the fact that the aristocracy won¡¯t let this go without punishment to the things Mia told me.¡±


    During that night, Maple and eventually I went to sleep, but one thing I am almost sure of is that Orb didn¡¯t.


    -Break-


    ¡°The entrance is there,¡± Orb says, pointing to the entrance of the tunnels. Orbs then tell Willow the direction he must head in the Saviour¡¯s song.


    As Willow starts to move into the tunnels, Maple says, ¡°I would love to speak the saviour¡¯s song. It would make life easier.¡±


    Orb says in response, ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly true on the continent of Terrafide the most spoken language is the heroes. Mainly isolationist nations speak the saviours, and the heavens. So, you can already speak to most people on our big bright planet of Theophilia.¡±


    ¡°Orb, there is a monster ahead,¡± I say, pointing into the tunnels.


    ¡°Oh, a Wonder beast, but it¡¯s just an Ignamole. Let¡¯s feed it to Willow on the 2<sup>nd</sup>. Boy, you can eat that all you want.¡± Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> speeds up and brutally devour it.


    While we travel back, Orb says, ¡°You nervous, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Well, a bit. All the other reunions we had just made me miss everyone more.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am sure they miss you guys just as much.¡±


    So, Willow, the 2<sup>nd,</sup> continues until we reach the main cave within these tunnels and see a whole lot of people hard at work.


    Upon seeing Willow, the 2<sup>nd</sup>, they immediately stop and run over to us, shouting, ¡°ORB IS BACK.¡±


    They run over to us they say, ¡°We have been waiting.¡±


    ¡°What took you guys so long? We have missed you.¡±


    ¡°It has been four and a half months.¡±


    Seeing this, Orb gets up on Willows¡¯s head and shouts, ¡°EVERYONE IS SAFE.¡±


    Soon after he says that, all the people come off of the carts, and the ones from our village finally have their reunion. As I look at Orb, his hair turns bright pink for the first time in a while, which causes me to do nothing but smile. Thank you, mom and dad, for birthing me into this world. Thanks to you, I can feel all this happiness.

 Arc 5.02

    ¦µ Jumping off Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> I look at everyone reuniting and say, ¡°How have you all been.¡± When the villagers hear what I say, they knock me across the head. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°You guys said you would be back in a little while; You were gone for over four months! Do you have any idea how worried we were? We thought something had gone wrong. We were days away from sending a rescue party after you?¡±


    ¡°Due to unforeseen circumstances, we had to extend the rescue mission.¡±


    While holding me by my collar, one of them says, ¡°You couldn¡¯t send anyone back to tell us at all.¡±


    ¡°There were some issues with doing that, and I knew that Pine wouldn¡¯t let you guys leave because you would have had no way of reaching us. So please, can we stop this.¡±


    ¡°Orb, it sounds like you¡¯re just passing by our anxiety over the last four months. But don¡¯t worry, we will repay you every last bit.¡±


    Shit, I am so sleep-derived that I don¡¯t have the energy to think of how I upset them; someone please get me out of this situation.


    ¡°Now, hold on a minute. I think you girls are jumping to conclusions.¡± I hear a human voice. With a face full of glee, I turn to see my saviour¡¯s face, but all I see are the scummy broken people who were part of Gaia¡¯s sky.


    ¡°What do you mean by that>¡±


    Kac, Sparrows right-hand man steps forward, and says, ¡°Look at the carts. They are not only carrying people from our village but lots of others. Orb and co have been through a lot and have suffered quite a bit more than we did, so let¡¯s not conclude that he doesn¡¯t care. He probably is just tired.¡± As he finishes saying this, he shines with a holy aura.


    Letting me down, they say, ¡°You guys are right, Orb please inform us later.¡±


    ¡°I will, and I am sorry for any stress I caused you guys. Also, can you explain what the hell is going on with those bandits?¡±


    ¡°Oh well, you see they tried to escape quite a few times while you were gone, and every time we used force to sit those idiots right back down, and we may have gone a bit too far sometimes. But each time without fail, Pine would patch them up, and eventually they stopped. They also started to go around and call Pine boss, then they started to behave themselves.¡±


    So, they broke down mentally, and Pine built them back up. Looking over at Sparrow, I wonder if the same treatment would also fix him. As Sparrow sees my gaze, he hides.


    ¦µ That look the boy gave me, without a doubt he plans to torture me. What in the hell did I do to deserve this? There are so many bad people in the world, so why me? I am probably on the better half of that scale since I mostly steal things killing the minimum amount. I must find some way out of this before I am burned alive.


    ¦µ While I talk to the rest of the women, Pine says, ¡°Come on, boys and girls, you know what to do,¡± in a flash, all the Bandits of Gaia¡¯s sky come up to all of the rescued prisoners and get on their hands and knees they then scream, ¡°WE ARE SORRY! WHAT WE DID WAS WRONG, AND WE HOPE YOU FORGIVE US!¡±


    I move back out of shock. These guys were human trash and look at them now. This has to be some form of brainwashing, the woman from the village are scary.


    Willow punches Kac and says, ¡°That¡¯s all I need since you guys have been punished enough.¡± Seeing Willow¡¯s example, all the other captives go up and take turns punching members of Gaia¡¯s sky in the face, and none of them holds back at all; even the kids go and kick Sparrow in the balls.


    After everyone finishes getting their revenge, I say, ¡°Since now that you are all satisfied, let¡¯s get everyone what they need some sleep, a bath and some warm food.¡±


    -Break-


    I whisper into Maples¡¯s ear, ¡°Village chief tell everybody to start eating.¡±


    ¡°Huh, this is too soon for me. You do it.¡±


    ¡°Village chief, everybody is watching. Tell everyone to start, or I will tell them all your deepest secrets right here, right now.¡±


    ¡°Orb, you¡¯re a bully.¡±


    ¡°According to all books I read, bullying your sister is what it means to be a brother.¡±


    So, Maple says, ¡°Everybody let us eat. CHEERS¡±


    ¡°CHEERS!¡± Everyone shouts back as this feast begins.


    After I finish all my food, I cannot sit down, so I go around and see what everybody else is doing. I see Cyrus being messed with by all the kids as they climb on him and naw on his tail. ¡°Stop bothering my pet- I mean friend, you brats.¡±


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    ¡°No way, you cockalorum.¡±


    ¡°You are not our parents, you pillock.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a kid too. You can¡¯t boss us around, you troglodyte.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you ignoramus.¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you brats learn such fancy words.¡±


    ¡°We had class back at Basileia, so now we¡¯re smarter than all of you stupid adults.¡± In unison, they all go ¡°BLEH.¡±


    Walking up behind them, Pine says, ¡°Yeah, then say that to my face, you little shits.¡±


    As one of them tries to speak up, Pine hits him directly on the head and staring dagger at them, says, ¡°Keep going since you have so much to say¡±


    As he starts crying, one of them says, ¡°You can¡¯t do that. We learned that adults should never abuse children.¡±


    ¡°Oh, little kids with big brains, let¡¯s see how that works out for you,¡± so Pine hits every one of them on the head.


    ¡°So, do you brats have anything else to say.¡±


    ¡°No, we are sorry.¡±


    ¡°I thought so.¡± Pine getting close to Cyrus, says, ¡°When these brats are bothering you speak up and tell them to go away.¡±


    Looking away shyly, Cyrus says ¡°It is no pro-o-o-oblem it does-s-s-s not bother me and besi-i-i-ides they rea-a-a-ally want to-.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit if it bothers you or not. If you give them anything they want, they will grow up to be scum. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a wimp, but when your patheticness starts affecting other people, I have a problem. You got that, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mam.¡±


    ¡°LOUDER YOU ARE AN ADULT, AREN¡¯T YOU!¡±


    ¡°YES, MAM.¡±


    Cyrus happens to be getting Harassed by Pine. I would step in, especially since Cyrus has been feeling sick, but I don¡¯t feel like getting punched in the face, bye Cyrus.


    Walking around, I see the most prominent noise maker Atalanta. I see her flirting with people from the village. ¡°Atalanta, you¡¯re making more of a ruckus than the kids control yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, I finally get to have a proper conversation with everyone, I am just too excited.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Well, enjoy yourself because you will be leaving soon to go on your next adventure.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, about that, I have decided to stay.¡±


    ¡°What, WHY?¡±


    ¡°Simply because, the longer I am around you, the more my excitement sensor goes off. I am sure I will have fun if I stay around you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s malfunctioning, first thing tomorrow I will tie you up and dump you somewhere far away.¡±


    ¡°Well, too bad for you. I happen to of gotten permission from the village chief,¡± she says as she picks up Maple and holds her in front of me.


    ¡°As the village chief, I decree that master Atalanta may stay as long as she wants.¡± After Maple says this, a large cheer erupts in our surrounding area.


    What the hell? How can she have this must support to stay? ¡°Maple, you have to let me in on such decisions.¡±


    ¡°Well, according to a certain white-haired individual, I have to act as the village chief, which means I can do whatever I want. If you have a problem, take it up with the village chief.¡±


    ¡°You know, instead of abusing your power, you could do something useful with your authority, like making a name for your village. Because I am getting sick and tired of just referring to it as village.¡±


    ¡°You know Orb has a point,¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s think of names together, everyone,¡± she says as Atalanta turns her around to the other villagers behind her.


    Looking at all of them, I realise Willow is missing so i look for him. After a little while, I find him in a corner talking to someone whose name I believe is Quant.


    On his hands and knees, Quant says, ¡°I am sorry for what I did. I sacrificed all your lives for my reasons, and you all chose to save me. Indeed, I am sorry, and I will take any punishment. I only ask that you don¡¯t harm my daughter or kill me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather selfish to ask for your own life.¡±


    ¡°You can chop off all my fingers, skin my limbs, or even take them, but in whatever state you leave, please keep me alive. I wish to spend the time I have remaining with my daughter.¡±


    Sitting in front of him cross-legged, Willow says, ¡°Then, as a punishment from this point on, stay in our village.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Quant says as he raises his head.


    ¡°The kids have been happy about all the things they learned, and you used to be a school teacher, so I am sure you would be able to teach them lots.¡±


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t a punishment for what I did. I should be punished more.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a masochist, Quant.¡±


    ¡°I am not. It is just that this doesn¡¯t make sense to me.¡±


    ¡°You wanted to spend the time you had left with your daughter, and you chose the most sure-fire way to do that. I can¡¯t say I would do much differently if I were in your position. In these four months, I missed all my loved ones a lot. I can¡¯t imagine that for five years, so no hard feelings, it¡¯s ok.¡±


    As they both get up, Quant cries and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± but Willow pats Quant on the head.


    All this talk about punishment reminds me of something. Walking over to the members of Gaia¡¯s sky, I say, ¡°Remember me.¡±


    Looking frightened, Kac says, ¡°Yes, we do. It has been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I wasn¡¯t talking to you; I was talking to the idiots hiding among you.¡± I get no response from this, but I say, ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t notice, didn¡¯t you? I remember your faces from Fimbulwinter. It seems you finally made your way back.¡±


    Upon hearing my words, some of the people from Gaia¡¯s sky get up and start to run away. I use my legacy and apprehend them all ¡°You guys thought that you could blend into the crowd to stay safe, didn¡¯t you? But I happen to be good with faces.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill us.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t killed anyone yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. I have noticed that forty per cent of our members are missing.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, you see, some of them committed unspeakable crimes against the prisoners, so after I gave them the severest punishment, I sent them on their way to either die or better themselves because, with the way I left their bodies, they don¡¯t have any other choice. Now let¡¯s see if you guys qualify for such a punishment.¡± So, as I dish out the punishment to the returned members, the party rages on for a while, with everyone eats their fill.


    When it ended, I went over to the other people rescued from the mine and asked them, ¡°How was this for you guys.¡±


    ¡°It was more fun than I thought, I would have for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°We got to eat and drink all we wanted.¡±


    ¡°I thought I would rot in that prison for the rest of my life, but now I enjoy this with my family. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Even though I can feel my body rotting by the day, I still feel so happy. Thank you, Orb.¡±


    Hearing their words, I say to them, ¡°Since you guys don¡¯t have much time left, I would like you guys to say with us. Most of you are in no shape to look after yourselves, and if your lives are short we can at least make it comfy for you and your families.¡±


    ¡°Would you really do that.¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt, and if I will bend my back to look for a cure for the damage done to all your bodies. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds like an amazing offer. We will take you up on it.¡±

 Arc 5.03

    -Break-


    When we all woke up the morning after the party, I decided to call people together to discuss a few things. The people in question are the leaders of the village and a few others.


    ¡°Ok everyone, first things first, I would like to apologise for everything. Even though we are all back together, I would still like to apologise for all the chaos my presence has caused.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I told you to stop apologising,¡± Oren says


    ¡°I know that, but the more I think about it, the more I feel this needs to be said. Still, this is the last time I will apologize for this matter. From this point on, I want to move forward and press through all our challenges.¡±


    Maple says, ¡°I also want to talk with you all. I know since this year began, all our lives have been completely hectic with almost no time to sit and digest all we have lost, but with all the things that are changing I want you to know at least one thing, until we can get fully back on our feet, I will be taking my houses role as village chief.¡±


    ¡°Maple, I know we were having fun with that idea, but I want to ask you, is this what you truly want,¡± Willow says.


    ¡°I have given this much thought, but I want to stay the village chief. It is simply taking responsibility for my actions, and this doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t plan to leave one day, I am just postponing it. I want to share the outside world with all of you, so I can¡¯t trade one for the other; leaving and protecting the village are two things that I hold close to my heart.¡±


    Rubbing her on the head, I say, ¡°Wonderfully said Maple, and now that we have got this out of the way, let¡¯s get to the main discussions. First, our living situation, I take it that you all want to return and rebuild the village.¡±


    Pine says, ¡°Yes, we all discussed it in great length while you were gone and when all the men came back. It is our home where many of our families are buried. We want to get back there and rebuild it all, no matter how ravaged it may be.¡±


    Buloke then says, ¡°I am all for living back in the woods, but are we even sure it¡¯s safe? During his time in the mine Willow had to tell  guards where our village was located.¡±


    Pouting, Willow says, ¡°Sorry for that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to put any blame on you since you had no choice you needed to make your story believable. I am just stating facts just a fact.¡±


    One of the younger women, Jute, says, ¡°The members of Gaia¡¯s sky told me they went around bragging about how to get into our village when they sold the first batch of us, so even if you didn¡¯t tell anyone Willow our situation would still be the same so cheer up.¡±


    ¡°Thought, as you can all see, we have to deal with the fact that the two things that keeps the village safe is now gone.¡±


    One of the elderly Villagers, Cedar, says, ¡°We can¡¯t just leave our home like that due to possible circumstances.¡±


    Buloke says, ¡°Old man, the reason we¡¯re in this situation is due to a unforeseen circumstance coming to fruition. We can¡¯t just ignore things like this anymore, especially when it is something much more possible. If we want to be as safe as can be, staying in this tunnel system is the best possible choice.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just let all that our ancestors built just fade.¡±


    ¡°We have many more people to care for now, and we can¡¯t risk their or our safety due to the history of a bygone era.¡±


    I clap my hands as loud as possible and say, ¡°Good point on both sides. Buloke, I believe it is incredibly kind of you to put the safety of people you have only just met above your want to return, but too many people here have seen their friends, families and children, be buried in that village; it is not so easy to let go of such feelings, I am sure you can relate.¡±


    As he is about to snap back at me, Buloke calms down and says, ¡°Sorry, Cedar, that was insensitive of me.¡±


    ¡°Still, even though I defend Cedar, I don¡¯t agree with him. For now, I think you should all stay in the tunnels.¡± Shock appears on the faces of everyone around me, ¡°I know how difficult it must all be for you, but I believe I have an idea as to how to protect the interests of both parties but I need some time. So, can you guys all put your trust in me?¡±


    Oren says, ¡°Well, we have been trusting you for a while, so what¡¯s a little more time.¡±


    Looking around, I see that everybody has accepting looks on their face, so I say, ¡°Thank you all very much. I will try my best. So, since we have that settled, my next order of business is what to do about the conditions of all the people we brought back. Over the time everyone was over there, they were exposed to the toxins of the crystals. People like Buloke just got off with scaring and some minor issues, but those who were there for extended periods have their lives at risk. So, all in all, I need to go find some medicine for them.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t be of more help,¡± Oren says.


    Pine slaps her husband on the head and says, ¡°Next time someone says sorry, I am killing that person. You can¡¯t blame yourself for things out of your control. It is not your fault you don¡¯t have that level of medical expertise.¡±


    ¡°Your wife is right, and you shouldn¡¯t be worried about other health right now when your body is on the worse side.¡± Due to Oren¡¯s old age, even though he was only there for a little while, it still heavily impacted his body and just from looking at him, I wouldn¡¯t say he is doing alright.


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    ¡°So, towards the end of getting medicine, I will be going to the nation of Seirei. That would be the closest place I can get something effective, so I plan to head out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Then we will have to send a group with you. You¡¯re not going alone this time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Pine. I would appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t think that will be possible,¡± Sparrow says.


    ¡°Now tell me why that is.¡± I say giving him a cold stare.


    ¡°Simply because we have almost used up all our funds, the lupas are out. And I don¡¯t have any gold lying around anywhere.¡±


    ¡°How? Last time I checked, we still had a ridiculous amount.¡±


    ¡°It seemed when you told the people who left to help themselves, they did without any restraint, that plus the shopping that was done over this past four months has almost dried us up. So, we won¡¯t be able to afford medicine for a large crowd or even the transport to and from Seirei.¡±


    Rubbing my hands against my head, I say, ¡°This is bad. I need to figure out some way to get money fast.¡±


    Sparrow, ¡°Well, you could always-.¡±


    ¡°DENIED.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish talking.¡±


    ¡°Any idea you have will be something I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Scratching my head, I murmur to myself, ¡°Come on, god, please help,¡± but just like a moment right out of a classic fairy tale, I hear someone scream, ¡° Cyrus, are you ok.¡±


    Hearing this, everyone in the room and I move out to see Atalanta, Aea and Alis all around Cyrus, who is coughing on the floor. I ran over to him on the floor and asked, ¡°What happened.¡±


    Alis responds, ¡°He suddenly just fell over.¡±


    Is it the toxins doing this to him? I hear he was at Basileia for twice what most people were there for. The toxins have probably done their work on his system.


    Cyrus eventually raises his head, and when I look at his face, he says, ¡°I am going to throw up,¡± then his legacy starts to act on his mouth. Moments after that, he begins to spew darkness.


    I tell everybody to ¡°Move back,¡± as he spews darkness. What¡¯s going on? Cyrus hasn¡¯t been able to get his legacy working since we left Basileia. While I was caught up in my thoughts, I noticed that his darkness started to retract, and objects started to emerge from it, tiny Pieces of buildings, small stones, but most eye-catching of all, a ridiculous amount of Basileia crystals.


    Upon seeing these, Willow tells me, ¡°ORB FREEZE THEM,¡± hearing his voice snaps me back into reality, and I freeze all the highly explosive crystals. Walking up to Cyrus when he finishes, I say, ¡°What was all that?¡±


    But with a sick expression, he says, ¡°There is still more.¡±


    Looking around, I see the main area that can¡¯t hold any more Crystals. So, I picked Cyrus up and threw him into one tunnel shaft, where he let loose more crystals. And after a short period, he filled the entire area with them.


    Back when he was covered in the darkness, he was passively absorbing all the things around him, and Cyrus was on the bottom floor of the mine, so as he when up, he probably sucked in all the crystals.


    After he stops, we pull him back to the main area, where I say, ¡°How the hell did Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> carry you with all those crystals inside.¡±


    ¡°Basileia Crystals weigh almost nothing, despite having a sizable mass. It is one of their infinite uses,¡± Willow says.


    ¡°So, I guess this is why you were feeling sick, Cyrus. But at least this fixes our problem.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get too hasty¡±, Sparrow says. ¡°If you think about this logically, if we start selling Crystals right after Basileia was raided, it will only attract unwanted attention, so we should go with my original plan, which is to get a grant at the port city of Deno. We have to go through a there to get to Seirei anyway and the church there gives grants to people in desperate need, and we sure are in desperate need.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Well, that is a good plan, so let us go with that. So, to save funds, I will bring the minimum number of people necessary to come with me. So, I will bring Cyrus, so we have someone to carry the luggage and to show the symptoms of the toxins to them. Sparrow will also come with me as the person best associated with Deno. He will be helpful. We leave first thing tomorrow.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Sir Orb, are you ready to go,¡± I say.


    ¡°Yeah, I am just waiting for Cyrus¡±, the boy responds with a sour tone.


    To think I would be so lucky all the Basileia crystals are here. Due to the destruction that happened to Basileia, we now have a monopoly on them all. We can sell them for whatever price I-we want. If I were to get even two per cent of those sales, I would live a comfortable life until I die.


    The only issue is that I have to get in good with this annoying brat who is already highly suspicious of me. But I have a plan, that other brat Willow or something, was able to infiltrate Basileia by showing he has worth, and if I kiss ass and do the same, I am as good as in.


    ¦µ Sparrow has gotten better at controlling his heartbeat, so I don¡¯t know for sure, but he is probably trying to kiss my ass due to the future profits I could bring him. How annoying.


    ¡°Orb, I am ready,¡± Willow says.


    ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    ¡°I thought Willow wasn¡¯t to go with us?¡±


    ¡°Due to your advice yesterday, I realized that Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> might be noticed from Basileia, so we are only taking him the part way towards Deno, then we are going to use other means of transport to reach Deno port.¡±


    Willow whispers into my ear, ¡°Hey, Orb, are you sure I can¡¯t come as well? It is just that I have a bad feeling, mainly trusting Sparrow for the way there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have already stuffed snow up his butt, and when we reach Seirei, I can finally use one of these,¡± I say as I hold a letter out.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°How could you not remember? This happens to be one of the letters of introduction Capti wrote me. It is to a friend in Seirei. When I get there, this friend will be my guide instead of Sparrow, so everything should work out.


    While talking, we hear Atalanta let out a giant scream. Running over to what I heard, I see her on the ground pointing her finger at a beautiful young man with short spiky black and violet hair with horns and a tail.


    Upon realising who it was, I let out a shriek and said, ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    Pine walking up behind him, says, ¡°His hair was completely overgrown and covered his face, so I cut. Do you like it.¡±


    What the hell is this? A person¡¯s looks and aura can¡¯t change this much from just a simple haircut.


    Atalanta says, ¡°He sort of looks like a prince, but the dragon aspects make him look sort of tribal too. The dichotomy of this is getting to me.¡± looking at Atalanta¡¯s face, she looks as though she is about to jump Cyrus, so I hold her down.


    Willow walking up to Cyrus, says, ¡°You are looking good.¡±


    He Shyly responds, ¡°Than-n-n-nk you.¡±


    After Cyrus stutters, Atlanta calms down. It seems his personality can¡¯t be changed with a simple haircut.


    As we prepare to leave, lots of people come up to say goodbye and wish us well, but when Maple comes up, she says, ¡°Orb, I have figured out a name for our village.¡±


    ¡°Oh, tell me then.¡±


    ¡°I have decided to call our village Aplos. You like it¡± she says proudly.


    Rubbing her head, I say, ¡°I love it.¡±


    ¡°So, you hear that everyone from this day on where all the people of Aplos remember that.¡±


    Walking up to Maple, Willow starts Complimenting her naming skill, ¡°What a wonderful name, of course, an amazing beautiful princess like you would come up with it.¡± As he says this, Maple gets embarrassed.


    Seeing this, everyone joins in, ¡°How wonderous you, our Maple.¡±


    ¡°Utterly fantastic.¡±


    ¡°Beyond comprehension.¡±


    Hearing all this, Maple says, ¡°GET OUT OF HERE, YOU IDIOTS,¡± as she runs away. With her words sending us off, we head out of the tunnels.

 Arc 5.04

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Hey Orb¡±


    ¡°What is it, Willow.¡±


    ¡°Where the hell are you leading us? We have been moving east for some time, and I swear you told me Deno is to the south, so where are we going? Cause I am pretty sure we¡¯re Lost.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you trust me, Willow?¡±


    ¡°How can I trust you, you have never been there before, so your just as blind as me when it comes to directions in the outside world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, unlike you. I at least have a vague idea of where we¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°And unlike you, I have to find my way back after dropping you guys off.¡±


    ¡°Well then, maybe instead of complaining, you should focus on remembering how we came.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you. Since we started, you have been giving Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> half-assed instructions while you have been preoccupied messing with Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Well, what am I supposed to do? Leave him alone. He is not only a dragon but looks like a hero from all the adventure stories I read. I want to hang him up on my wall and frame him.¡±


    ¡°We have been over this Cyrus is not a toy for your amusement.¡± Crawling over to them, I say, ¡°Cyrus tell Orb to stop coddling you.¡±


    ¡°But lo-o-o-ok at the smile o-o-on his face¡±


    Looking at Orb¡¯s face, I see the face of someone who has found a new toy to play with. ¡°Cyrus, when you see your sister again, don¡¯t you think she will be disappointed that you still have that weak temperament.¡±


    Looking sad, Cyrus says, ¡°You¡¯re right¡±. Then while looking full of energy, he says, ¡°Orb, let go of-¡± but he makes the mistake of looking into Orb¡¯s eyes which are full of tears and stops in his tracks.


    After that, Orb starts coddling him more than before, rendering all my talk pointless. Letting out a sigh, I say to Sparrow, ¡°Please tell me where on the right track.¡±


    ¡°Well, Sir Willow, I would say we are completely off course for Deno. Though I believe that was never sir Orb¡¯s destination anyway.¡±


    After feeling disgusted at how this man is talking to me, I ponder what he could be talking about for a minute. As my mind wanders, we move through the grass at high speeds. Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> finally got some food, so he is moving faster than before.


    After a while, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> stops and starts to whimper. Since Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> has been around us he has picked up some minor heroes song words. So I can say to him, ¡°Is everything ok?¡± but he ignores me even though he can understand.


    Seeing this, Orb says, ¡°Willow leaving us here will be enough.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If you look over there, you will see a road which means we¡¯re close to my destination. Someone might spot Willow the 2nd, so let us leave ourselves here.¡±


    So, Orb Cyrus and Sparrow hop off Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. Then he says, ¡°Willow, after a week, I would like you to return to this same spot every day with as many carts as you can bring. I know it might be tedious, but since I can¡¯t give you an exact time, this is the best we got.¡±


    ¡°Will do, but be safe and have lots of fun they say with a smile,¡± so seeing the three of them off, I race away with Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. While running in the opposite direction, I notice that Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> is acting more odd than usual. What happened that could of spoked the king of the forest so much?


    ¦µ As we leave both Willows behind, I say to Cyrus, ¡°Sorry, I know I promised to help you look for your sister but here you are being my pack mule instead.¡±


    ¡°I-t-t-t is no problem. I like to help, and these clothes given to me are n-n-nice.¡±


    It seems that Cyrus was given brown clothes with just a ridiculous amount of pockets. Dressed that way, he doesn¡¯t look like an adventure but more like an explorer, which doesn¡¯t fit his image, especially with the giant backpack carrying all our supplies, but he is all smiles, so I guess it is okay.


    ¡°O-o-o-o-orb, why are we not going straight to D-D-D-Deno like Willow asked?¡±


    ¡°In one of Capti¡¯s books, it said if you want to quickly move across the east side of Terrafide, head towards the corner of the continent.¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-So, you don¡¯t know where we have headed after all.¡±


    ¡°Adventure is more fun when you have less information,¡± I say with a fulfilled expression.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After I say all this to Cyrus, I notice Sparrow¡¯s heart rate increases quite a bit. ¡°Sparrow is everything all right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, everything is fine.¡±


    ¦µ God dammit, this little boy is going to get me killed. I know where we are headed. What kind of utter asshole tells a child to head there. I want to run away, but I can¡¯t upset the brat anymore. I need to win his affection. So, pushing all my fear down, I continue.


    ¦µ After walking, we see a large black structure in the distance. Seeing it, I start to run forward out of excitement. Cyrus soon follows behind me, with Sparrow lagging behind us even with his spirit arts.


    Soon we get closer and get a better look at the structure in question. It is an enormous giant metal carriage. It is much bigger than Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> at full size. We also see men loading boxes of whatever onto it.


    As I walk up to them, one of them says, ¡°It is not every day I see two legacies. I don¡¯t want trouble magnets like you two around here, so could you state your business with us,¡± in the heaven¡¯s songs


    I haven¡¯t had to use this yet. ¡°I hear we could get a lift across the continent here.¡±


    Looking at me, the man in front of the giant iron monstrosity says, ¡°Are you sure about this? I can guarantee it will be a most uncomfortable ride.¡±


    ¡°Will it be shorter than travelling directly across the continent?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely, but as long as you don¡¯t mind your own vomit.¡±


    Confused by his words, I say ¡°Can I get three seats in here then.¡±


    ¡°Are you heading to the bottom of Terrafide or Enotita.¡±


    Enotita is the continent to the east of Terrafide and is just as big, but it is across an ocean from Terrafide. How would this cart get me there at all? I want to check it out, but I must remember my mission. ¡°To the bottom of Terrafide,¡± while I say this, I bring out the Lupas from the bag Cyrus is carrying and pay the man in front. It is surprisingly cheaper than I expected.


    As he lets us in, he tells me, ¡°Make sure you tie yourself down with something. It will increase your chances of survival.¡±


    So, we head into the Monstrosity. As we do, I constantly hear Sparrow¡¯s heart beating louder and louder. When we get in, Sparrow immediately ties himself to the ground with some rather soft-looking belts they had around while I look inside.


    They have no distinction between where we sit and the location of the cargo, which is tied down and sealed in containers I have never seen before. There is plenty of belts like Sparrow used to tie himself down. To be honest, I doubt these things would keep anyone secure. I was planning to follow Sparrow¡¯s lead and tie myself down, but that is the boring thing to do, so I move around and explore this monstrosity of an object.


    After running around for a while with Cyrus close behind me, I see something that looks like a big window staring straight through it. I see what. I believe there is a giant derpy-looking purple bull with four horns and is just as massive as the object we are in. I think this must be the thing that pulls us, but it sort of looks overweight there isn¡¯t any way this can pull us.


    While I admire the stupid but adorable bull outside, I hear someone shout, ¡°POWER¡±.


    Hearing this, the Bull stands us, and suddenly its whole body becomes ripped with muscle as a solemn expression appears on its face. Soon afterwards, it starts to run at full speed, so fast that this giant cart is pulled along with it at blinding speed.


    As we move, I can feel my feet sinking into the ground, so I freeze my legs to the bottom to let me stand up straight, but it is to no avail that I am sent flying back by the sheer force of our motion. While I am sent back, Cyrus catches me and holds me still, looking at him. He seems completely unbothered by this. ¡°Isn¡¯t this tough for you.¡±


    ¡°No-t-t-tt at all.¡±


    That is a dragon for you. But to ensure that Cyrus won¡¯t start slipping back, I freeze his legs to the ground to give him more stability. While moving at this speed, I think, isn¡¯t this extremely dangerous? What if we crash into something, or wouldn¡¯t the bull and this giant object cause huge problems with how fast were moving?


    But suddenly, I see the bull jump into the air with the carriage and, using its pure strength, kick the air so hard we start flying. The physics. This can¡¯t be possible, but despite what I believe to be possible, the bull carriages us into the sky with itself higher and higher. As it those this, I start feeling more and more anxious, but as we reach above the clouds, suddenly, all of that is replaced with excitement.


    The bull then runs downwards at an angle, moving faster due to the forward motion. And as we start seeing the ground, the bull begins to curve its trajectory coming in perfect alignment with the ground then it starts to slow down bit by bit. As we stop, I turn to Cyrus and scream, ¡°THAT WAS SO FUN! Let¡¯s DO IT AGAIN, BUT LET¡¯S GO EVEN HIGHER NOW.¡± I feel joy in every little crevice of my body.


    ¡°B-B-B-but Orb our mission.¡±


    Oh crap, I forgot about that. ¡°Well, let¡¯s simply get this bull on our way back then.¡± As we headed out, we passed by the section Sparrow was at. I see him unconscious, covered in his vomit. I freeze his vomit and pick him up to exit. When we hop out, I ask the man who let us in, ¡°Hey, how can this bull travel like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, the bull is a cursed beast.¡±


    ¡°Cursed beast?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what that is. I thought it was common knowledge but whatever. This bull has a curse on it that makes light things hard and heavier. It also does the opposite for hard things. It makes them lighter and softer. So, this heavy iron cart becomes as light as a feather.¡±


    So that¡¯s why the ground around me started to sink, ¡°Would we be able to get a lift back later?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but we only follow one route, and we move from Enotita to the position we were at last time. So sorry, I can¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ok, but how far from Deno are we currently.¡±


    ¡°About two hours by cart. Also, when in Deno, I would suggest keeping a low profile. Some people would love to take you two.¡±


    We should be able to make it there in no time. ¡°Thank you for the transport and the advice,¡± I say as Cyrus, and I run off to Deno as fast as we can.


    While running, I say, ¡°Cyrus you¡¯re fast. Even using my legacy; you can keep up with me.¡±


    ¡°Y-y-y-you think so.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, and you can maintain that speed while carrying Sparrow,  you are pretty amazing.¡±


    Cyrus smiles in response to my words, but while we talk, I suddenly hear Sparrow wake up and say, ¡°Please slow down, or I am going to get sick again.¡±


    ¡°No, can do. I am just too worked up for that, so put up with it,¡±  and with that, we keep going as Sparrow gets sick again.


    Cursed beast: Any sort of animal from a dog to a wonderbeast which has been cursed.


    Name: Slab Bull


    Height: 15m


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: it is a Coven hooved herbivore with four horns and purple skin.


    Fact: despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet

 Arc 5.05

    Two hours later


    ¡°Where finally here, so Sparrow you can stop puking.¡±


    In response to what I say, he continues puking. He has thrown up so much over these last two hours that a hole must have burnt through his oesophagus. Though the vomit has gradually decreased over time, his stomach is running out of ammunition. But regardless, ¡°Let¡¯s get going to Deno,¡± I say to Cyrus as we begin to walk forward.


    When we enter, we see an incredibly bustling city which has the highest amount of people I have ever seen. No matter where I look; there is someone doing something different than all the rest. Unable to control myself at the site of this all, I run up and start speaking to random people.


    ¡°How are you today.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was possible to have a stomach this big.¡±


    ¡°What a cute child.¡±


    ¡°What is this vegetable? I haven¡¯t ever seen anything like this.¡±


    ¡°Is that a ship I see over there.¡±


    ¡°That Building in the distance is like nine Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>  tall.¡±


    This is Deno, the port city. I am completely enraptured by what I see until Cyrus taps me on the shoulder and says, ¡°S-S-S-Sparrow is vomiting again.¡±


    Instantly I say, ¡°Who cares¡± while still overtaken by the sights.


    ¡°B-B-But Orb, everyone is staring at us.¡±


    Looking around, I see the eyes of the countless people around us staring directly at us while whispering to each. Realising the situation, I calmed down even though we have coverings over our heads and Cyrus¡¯s tail. If anyone finds out Cyrus is a dragon or that we are legacies, it will only cause problems for us, so I should keep a low profile.


    ¡°Sorry, you''re right. Let us get out of here and find something for Sparrow to drink, if he burns a hole through his oesophagus we are screwed.¡± After I say this, we start moving through the alleys of Deno. Walking around without trying to draw attention to ourselves, we eventually make our way into a bar.


    Stepping in, I am about to freak out due to excitement. But I restrain myself and then sit down with Cyrus and Sparrow. First, I order some water for Sparrow then some meat for Cyrus and me.


    While sitting down, I ask Cyrus ¡°Do dragons have any concerns when it comes to eating certain foods.¡±


    ¡°No such things. The weak should be killed and eaten,¡± Cyrus says with a smile.


    Sometimes Cyrus says some scary things. ¡°Sorry about all the questions I ask you. I am just curious. If you have anything, you want to ask me go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have one.¡±


    ¡°Tell me then.¡±


    ¡°I w-w-w-was just wonder-e-e-ering why you seem not to know everything.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it is just that you told m-m-m-me that you read lo-o-o-lots of books about the world, yet you seem to be sur-r-r-prized a lot.¡±


    ¡°I see where you are coming from. Well, Capti only wrote down things he had read or written, so I won¡¯t know about what he experienced.


    But thinking back on it, the knowledge I had read has lots of gaps in it, like I was only ever given knowledge of important locations like the port cities of Deno and Cordum and the fact that they are both neutral zones.


    Even the animals and plants I learned about, other than the basic ones, were poisonous or dangerous. Some of the books had gaps like pages number skipped it was almost as if certain information was taken from them.¡±


    ¡°W-W-Why would that be?¡±


    ¡°I believe Capti only gave me knowledge important to my survival. The rest was up to me to find out. I guess he didn¡¯t want to ruin my adventure. Though this ruins his whole idea about me knowing him the best, I guess I have to fill that gap with my own experiences.¡±


    In the middle of our conversations, our food comes, which puts a giant smile on my face. As I am about to start eating, Cyrus says ¡°You are strong Orb¡±, with a sombre look.


    ¡°Are you making fun of me, Cyrus? If you were to punch me in the face, my head would come off.¡±


    ¡°No, not in that w-w-way,¡± but as Cyrus is about to speak, a hand suddenly comes down on the table. Looking over who did this, I see a rather ruff-looking man and his friends behind him.


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    ¡°Can you please tell me why your hand is on my table?¡±


    ¡°SPARROW, YOU BASTARD, I FINALLY FOUND YOU. Did you think you could rob me and get away with your life?¡±


    Looking over at sparrow, I hear his heart rate increase¡ªthat bastard. ¡°Sorry about whatever he did to you, but I promise he will receive a punishment equal to his crime at my hands.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember talking to you brat,¡± the man says as he swings his hand at my face. I move my head out of the way quickly, but his hand knocks the cloak off my head.


    As the man stared at my face, he said, ¡°Well, it is my lucky day to think that you would have a legacy with you. It seems I am going to get reimbursed.¡±


    ¡°Hey, did you know adult males have two hundred and six bones.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I care.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I just wanted to tell you that if you don¡¯t calm down and let me finish my food, a hundred and three of those bones in your body might shatter.¡±


    The man smirks and then knocks my food away, saying, ¡°Do think I would give a shit about the words that come out of a little girl''s mouth. Maybe I should teach you some manners.¡± Moments after he says this, his fist comes towards my face.


    -Break-


    Throwing sparrow out of the bar, I break one of his fingers, which causes him to scream like all the battered men inside the bar. ¡°I expected to have a nice meal Sparrow, but it seems like you just had to ruin that for me, but still we better get a move on.¡±


    As we are about to walk away, I take out some lupas and throw them at the unconscious bodies of the men inside.


    In response to my actions, Sparrow asks, ¡°Why are you giving them money.¡±


    ¡°Because if you robbed them, it is my job to return that money to them. I would have given them more if they sat down and talked, but I guess stupidity had overtaken them today, and anyway they probably need that money to get someone to patch them up after the beatdown they were just given. So, Sparrow, since you our able to talk, tell me which building is the church.¡±


    ¡°It is the giant one in the distance.¡±


    ¡°Then let us head over there,¡± As we start our walk towards the large church, I ask Sparrow, ¡°Isn¡¯t Deno a neutral zone? I thought violence didn¡¯t happen here.¡±


    ¡°Well, publicly Deno is a neutral zone because all the big countries have agreed that the value of Deno and its sister city, Cordum value is too great to be lost, so violence of any sort against Deno is tantamount to declaring war against said nations. But in actual practice, it essentially means that as long as you don¡¯t specifically harm a citizen of the country, they won¡¯t step in.


    Due to this being a significant port city, there are people from all over the world, which is like a treasure trove to bandits. And as long as they only target non-citizens, they can get away free with their actions.¡±


    Hearing a scream, I run over to see a young boy getting a beating by a massive woman. But more shockingly, everyone around is not doing anything. Some are just watching. ¡°Why is everyone just watching.¡±


    ¡°Remember, only citizens of this city are protected, but the people with actual citizenship are the vast minority. Most people travel completely unprotected by the laws, so attracting attention is bad. And since this city has no peacekeeping force all the outsiders have to mine their own business to stay safe, that¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    When the boy starts to scream, I move my body about to jump in but holding me back Sparrow says, ¡°Lots of people are watching if you expose the fact you¡¯re a legacy here, it will get a bunch of people after us.¡±


    ¡°I have to do something because that boy will get killed if I don¡¯t.¡±


    But as I pull away from him, an adult man comes up behind the woman in question and tapping her on her shoulder he says, ¡°Could you stop?¡±


    As she swings her arm at him, he dodges and then puts his shoe on her face. ¡°Early, I stepped in poop, and I guess this is why god allowed such a thing to happen.¡±


    The woman screams in disgust while rubbing the shit off of her face. The man then lifts the boy off the ground while saying to the woman behind him, ¡°Why would you do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°That brat stole my new sword. It is one of a kind. That brat couldn¡¯t even afford that sword if he spent the next ten years working.¡±


    Picking up the sword, the man says, ¡°Well this craftsmanship is top-notch.¡±


    ¡°So, as you can see, I was just disciplining the child.¡±


    ¡°Discipline is done from the point of love to give someone pain equal to the pain they caused. What you did was simply out of anger. Utterly shameful¡±


    The woman goes in for a punch on the man, but he dodges effortlessly. When the woman starts huffing and puffing, she brings out the sword she has attached to her waist. ¡°I am going to cut you and the other brat.¡±


    Sighing, the man says, ¡°Those that live by the sword will die by it. So, I have no intention of fighting here¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how you get out of this without fighting me,¡± she says as she swings her sword at the man and the boy.


    In an instant, the man picks up the boy and dodges all her sword strikes. As he continues to escape, he moves to her side and sticks his foot out, making her trip and fall. ¡°Watch your step, madam.¡±


    She gets up and goes at him with a thrust, but he jumps up and lands his butt on her head. ¡°Your breathing is heavy. You tired? because I can go all day.¡±


    Looking around, I notice people laughing at the fight they see right in front of them. The woman realising what is happening gets progressively angrier as they continue this exchange; the woman reaches for her pocket and throws a dagger which causes him to dodge left, though when he moves there, he notices she has already swung her sword in the direction he escaped. But he turns his body and dodges under her swing with his ass facing her. A moment later, he uses the heel of his foot to knock the sword out of her hand.


    ¡°So, as you can see, violence has given you a net zero in value, both spiritual and physical.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you dodge all my attacks like that?¡±


    Flamboyantly the man says, ¡°It is because I am beyond comprehension¡± immediately after he says this, a bird flies into his temple and knocks him to the ground. Right before he landed, I hear him say, ¡°Sorry god, I was too arrogant.¡±


    As the man fell to the ground, the kid on his back said, ¡°Wake up, please.¡±


    The woman seeing this, gets up and picks up her sword. The boy who was helped by the man also unsheathes his sword which is too big for him and gets in a defensive position, but his hands shake the entire time.


    As the woman swings her sword down at the boy, I rush over beside them and freeze the woman solid, saying, ¡°You really could have just walked away.¡±


    After I do, I hear Sparrow scream, ¡°You idiot!¡± Looking up at my head, I see my covering is gone. I moved so fast that it fell off.


    ¡°Praise god,¡± the man on the floor says as he jumps up.


    Spooked by this, I scream. ¡°It bad for a legacy like you to be out in the open like this,¡±  so grabbing my hand and the boys, the man runs off with us. Cyrus and Sparrow follow close behind.

 Arc 5.06

    -Break-


    After running around for a while, we eventually found a secluded area to sit down. While there, the man started to patch up the boy¡¯s injuries and said to the boy, ¡°So can you tell me why you would do something as foolish as stealing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business old man,¡± the kid says. But moments later, he is slapped in the face by the man.


    ¡°You fool, something has driven a young boy like you to fall into the theft. Of course that¡¯s my business, so whatever it may be, I will certainly come and help you, so please tell me why.¡±


    The boy who freezes up for a second, says with his head hanging low, ¡°There is someone I want to use this sword to kill.¡±


    ¡°My god, why would you want to do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°You see, my father and I came to Deno to expand our family business. But when we arrived a few years ago, a man who claimed to be an expert in helping small business rise came up to my father. As this man promised, he helped my father little by little. Gained our trust, and one day when we trusted him with a large amount of money, he made off with it and ever since that day we have been struggling to get by. But I saw him in Deno today, so I thought this would be the perfect chance to get revenge.¡±


    ¡°I see now, and I understand But, YOU FOOL,¡± he says as he hits him on the head. ¡°Killing for such a reason is pointless, especially if it can be avoided. Don¡¯t taint yourself with the blood of such a detestable man.¡±


    ¡°So, I should just like him go for what he did.¡±


    ¡°Oh, heavens no, I will get your money back without murder.¡±


    ¡°Telling us what he looks like will be a good start.¡±


    Turning his face to me, the boy says, ¡°But you have no reason to help me.¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t, but why not? I am pretty fast and have good senses. I am sure if I help, this process will speed up tremendously, so could you give me some physical description of the man.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has a ruff bearded face, short curly brown hair and red eyes. He is also pretty old, in his thirties. One thing about him is he has a pretty stupid smirk.¡±


    This is ringing a bell in my head, it all sounds unusually familiar. While thinking why this description rings a bell, Sparrow and Cyrus come up behind us. Cyrus says, ¡°O-O-O-Orb, we finally found you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I was dragged away, and then I started to help these two.¡± Looking at the face of the kid who told me the story, I see he has a shocked expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    He says in return, ¡°It was him,¡± while looking at Sparrow. So that¡¯s why it sounded familiar. After I hear this, I stand up and restrain Sparrow by turning his arm around his back.


    ¡°OW, OW, OW, Orb, why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°I have just been informed that you robbed that boy.¡±


    ¡°I have been sick this whole time. How could I have robbed anyone?¡±


    Twisting his arm even more, I say, ¡°Not today, but a few years ago, you pretended to be a financial advisor and made off with their money. Look at the kid¡¯s face and see if it seems familiar.¡±


    ¡°I have seen so many people in my life. Do you think I remember some plain-faced kid.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then let me ask you a different question. Did you pretend to be a financial advisor to steal people¡¯s money in Deno at any point in your life?¡±


    Sparrow goes silent, so I twist his arm to the almost limit and say, ¡°It was a straightforward question, did you ever do such a thing? My patience runs thin.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like something I would do.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say right before I knock him unconscious. Of course, he did such a thing, but that doesn¡¯t matter. So, I go to the bag Cyrus has, then I take out all our remaining lupas and give it to him. ¡°This money is rightfully yours, so you should take it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, and I would give you more, but I don¡¯t have any money on me.¡±


    The man beside him says, ¡°See, everything worked out, and not a single head had to roll, so you should be a good boy and thank God for your fortune. Now run home to your father.¡±


    As the kid is about to run off, he hands me the sword and says, ¡°That woman earlier stole this. I heard her bragging about it, that¡¯s why I took it, but I have no use for it, so here,¡± and with that he runs off waving us.


    I have no use for this, so I throw it to Cyrus and say, ¡°Keep a handle on that for me, ok Cyrus¡±. Fumbling with it, he eventually catches it as I pick up Sparrow and say, ¡°Now, on to our destination.¡±


    When I said this, the man behind us says, ¡°If you guys are going somewhere, I can lead you the way.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you guys aren¡¯t from around here, I thought it would be best to give you some help. Think of it as gods repayment for helping that child.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are offering, I won¡¯t say no.¡±


    ¡°Wonderfully, so where are you heading?¡±


    ¡°To the giant building in the distance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, to the church. I will be able to help then.¡±


    So as we walk, I ask the man, ¡°Hey this is a port city, right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are correct.¡±


    ¡°So why is the church the biggest building here? No other building is close in size.¡±


    ¡°It is because Deno and its sister city Cordum were set up by the church.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird for a church to run the two biggest trade cities in the world?¡±


    ¡°Trade is the life of a country and people¡¯s ability to survive if you want to make people happy, of course, the church would need to make sure it operates well, and besides, there is usually lots of foul play, so the church as a mediator to make things as fair as possible.¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Still, I find it strange that the holy nation hasn¡¯t raised any of its flags here then since they would own this city.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think you must be confused. The church here isn¡¯t under the holy nation.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± I say out of confusion.


    ¡°You see, the church that works here is the church of the messiah while the church at work in the holy nation is the church of Lux. Apparently, both were one and the same at one point, so people who lived in rural or secluded areas tend to get confused.¡±


    Hearing the words that come from his mouth, my right eye starts to sting a lot. I can feel a horrible throbbing pain in it. The pain caused me to stop walking, which the man leading us noticed and turned around to me to say, ¡°Are you both ok? You¡¯re clutching your right eye.¡±


    Wait, he said both. I turn my head beside me to also see that Cyrus is clutching his right eye. What the hell is going on? The man in front of us lets out a quick prayer, and suddenly, it stops.


    That was strange. That has never happened before. But the worrying part about it is that this is my legacy eye. ¡°Where fine now? Thank you for worrying.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go,¡± he says as we continue to walk. After a few moments of silence, the man says, ¡°Sorry for this, but I have a question earlier. Why did you take the risk of exposing your legacy? This city has many people who would risk their lives to capture you, and you exposed yourself in front of everybody.¡±


    ¡°Simple maths.¡±


    ¡°Maths?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t help, two lives would have been taken, which could accomplish numerous things for humanity and add happiness where they go. The only price I have to pay to receive such a great reward is having some annoying people after me.¡±


    ¡°I like that answer, but I wouldn¡¯t take the lengths people are willing to go for someone such as yourself lightly, or has all the power your legacy has given you made you think you¡¯re invincible.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am well aware I am not invincible.¡± That man Porto would of without question, killed me if Maple hadn¡¯t stepped in to help.


    ¡°You¡¯re rather grown up for a child.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment,¡± I say proudly.


    ¡°Where almost at the church. So, what are you going there for anyways.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want to know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, don¡¯t be like that. It is just that I have some connections over there, so I could put in a good word for you with them regarding what you want to do.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that nepotism?¡±


    ¡°No one has to know.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are going there for a grant. You see, from where we come from lots of people are fatally ill, and we need the money to buy medicine for them. I want them all to live as long as possible, so I have no choice but to get that money, even if I have to get on my hands and knees to get that it.¡±


    ¡°What a good boy you are,¡± the man says as he suddenly starts crying.


    Surprised by this, I ask, ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am. Don¡¯t worry but let me guarantee you won¡¯t be licking anyone¡¯s feet.¡± He says as we arrive at the church.


    Moments after we arrive, a group of people head out of the building in robes and say to the man standing in front of us, ¡°Head priest, where have you been?¡±


    ¡°Head priest,¡± I say, shocked.


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t tell you, but I happen to be head of the church of the messiah in Deno. My name is Timothy. So how about we get that grant for you.¡±


    We were escorted inside, and all sat in a room to talk. ¡°Sorry about not telling you sooner. I think people are more natural around me when they don¡¯t know my position.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe a grubby-looking man like you is the head of the church here.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s rude.¡±


    One of the priests standing behind him says, ¡°Your outfit is rather unfit for this place. Do you wish to spit in gods face with such conduct,¡± after he says this, the priest snaps his fingers, and a group of people walk in and grab Timothy.


    As he screams for them to stop, the priest who snapped his finger says, ¡°Sorry about his conduct.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s no bother. I was just wondering how no one was able to recognise him.¡±


    Suddenly the screaming outside stops, and Timothy walks in his full priest garbs. He looks so different that I am completely taken aback.


    ¡°As you can see, when he is fully dressed up, he looks quite different. You would never be able to tell he is sixty years old.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡± Timothy looks as young as Cyrus, no way he is sixty.


    ¡°It is the truth,¡± Timothy says.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I had to spend thirty years of my life looking after my siblings, so God told me in a dream one day that I would give those thirty years back. That is why I look so younger.¡±


    ¡°You sure you are not a witch.¡±


    ¡°I would have you know it is the height of disrespect to equate the miracles of god to the devil.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± but this is weird. But I wonder if I opened him up, if I would figure something out about his cells. The very thought of it has me laughing maniacally.


    ¡°So Orb, now I want you to tell me the full reason you want this grant and don¡¯t you dare lie to me,¡± he says with a deadly serious expression.


    So, in response, I tell him all about the reason I want this, but I leave out the part about Basileia. I don¡¯t think spreading the word about our involvement will help us.


    ¡°So, do you have any proof of this sickness?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, could you please so them.¡±


    As Cyrus takes off his covering to show the effects of the crystals toxins, the people start making noise, with one of them saying, ¡°A dragon¡±. I guess none of them would know that.


    As the noise in the room continues to increase, Timothy says, ¡°Compose yourselves,¡± and then the noise vanishes. So, Cyrus shows Timothy his body. Then Timothy says, ¡°So Cyrus, how has Orb been treating you?¡±


    ¡°H-H-HE has been constant-t-t-tly helping me and everyone. Orb is nice.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± he says right before he puts a big smile on his face. ¡°Sorry about all the formalities. I just had no other choice. I needed to make sure you weren¡¯t trying to hustle us, but I don¡¯t have any reason to believe you are lying.¡± Timothy then writes something down on a piece of paper and hands it to me ¡°This is the amount I was thinking of giving you. Is it enough?¡±


    Looking at the piece of paper, I see a ridiculous number. This is five times the number that Sparrow previously had. ¡°This is too much money. Why would you give this to us.¡±


    ¡°I doubt you would only need medicine to care for those people. This should cover your clothing and food expenses for the foreseeable future since you look like a person who would give away most of his money.¡±


    ¡°But this is too much. I don¡¯t want to leave you out of pocket.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We also double as a bank. All the Lupas in the world come from us.¡±


    ¡°Come again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why many countries use lupas instead of commodity currency like gold. It is the insignia between the church and the partner countries of their promise to keep this country neutral,¡± a nun behind Timothy says.


    ¡°I see. So, if this doesn¡¯t put you in the red, I would be happy to accept.¡±


    ¡°Well then, since you said your destination is Seirei, you can still get boats to their today.¡±


    ¡°Well then, we will be off after collecting our money.¡±


    ¡°It will take some time to get one but until then, I would like to do some service for you two.¡±


    ¡°Service?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we here know some ways to hide your legacies from people, and we will find some clothes for you Orb that is less indecent.¡±


    Did he call my clothes indecent. I guess the clothes Capti made me show my legs are very thin and incredibly light. But I happen to be wearing underwear, so it¡¯s okay. Before I can say something in return, a group of priests and nuns grab Cyrus and me and lead us away.


    -Break-


    ¡°You guys happen to be looking great¡±, Timothy says.


    When they took Cyrus and me, they dyed our hair to be only one colour and gave us a colour contact, so now both my eyes are blue, and my head is pure white. The dye covers the changing colour of my hair, so only little streaks of the colour show.


    Aside from that, they gave me new clothes. I was given a long puffy priest robe with a gold cross and lining throughout it. They also gave me a pair of pants which is incredibly weird to wear. The only time I wore pants was when I broke into Basileia.


    But for Cyrus, they gave him clothes like a noble would wear. With the black sword, he looks like a warrior sworn to protect his princess. The nuns were praising him for how he looks.


    Walking up to them, Timothy says, ¡°I told you only to dress Orb.¡± But taking a look at Cyrus, he says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. We custom-made those clothes.¡±


    I wanted to know why my robes differed from everyone else, but they just made them over the hours we were here.


    I go up to Timothy and ask, ¡°Can we have our old clothes?¡±


    ¡°Do you not like these?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that. It is just that those are important to Cyrus and me. Cyrus was a gift from Pine, and mine was from Capti.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Capti as in Captivant?¡±


    ¡°Do you know him.¡±


    ¡°Well, I grew up on his books.¡±


    ¡°So did I,¡± many nuns and priests say as they talk about him.


    ¡°His books were filled with such a passion for all of this world, so many people including me, have been inspired by him. His books made me want to help people, so I became devoted to God and became a priest. I can almost guarantee you that lots of people have similar stories.¡±


    So, with a giant smile, I say, ¡°Capti was a great person. Now I guess I have to be as well.¡±


    After collecting our money and clothes, we say ¡°GOODBYE THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING.¡±


    ¡°BYE, HAVE A NICE TRIP¡±


    With that, we head to the port with our money and an unconscious Sparrow and board the ship headed for Seirei.

 Arc 5.07

    -Break-


    I was looking at the vast blue sea in front of me, entirely memorised. I read that the ocean was enormous, but I never expected this. It is so large that it makes Fimbulwinter look small in comparison. I am in love with this sight, but the part that makes it all better is the suffering of Sparrow beside me.


    As Sparrow vomits from seasickness, ¡°You feel that Sparrow, that¡¯s justice I hope you enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°I already apologised, so please get me some water.¡±


    ¡°No, I will still punish you for all the other people you have robbed without my knowledge.¡±


    So as Sparrow continues to vomit, Cyrus comes from inside the ship. When I see him, I say, ¡°You changed back to the clothes Pine gave you. I liked the outfit the church gave you.¡±


    ¡°I did, too, but-u-u-ut it stood out too much. I felt embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. You looked amazing.¡± Suddenly as I said this, a swarm of giant butterflies came flying in our direction. What a pretty sight, I think to myself. But mere seconds after I do that, the other people on the ship start picking the butterflies out of the sky.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING.¡±


    Looking at me strangely, one of them says, ¡°Checking the news.¡±


    While I stand there, confused by what he said, I see the man tap the butterfly on its head, which causes its enormous wings to expand revealing letters and pictures on the wings. ¡°Now, what¡¯s going on in the world today.¡±


    Sparrow says, ¡°Those are omega butterflies a type of wonderbeast. They carry news all across the world for people to read. A rather useful wonder beast but a tough one to find.¡± Then he vomits.


    ¡°Then I want to try one,¡± so I jump up and pick one out of the sky, and copying what the others around me are doing, I tap its head to see the news. It was in the saviour¡¯s song. But after I tap its head, again it changes to the heavens song, then the heroes song. By tapping the corners of each wing, I can change the text it is presenting, and by moving my finger down its tail, I can move the current text up, revealing more text below it.


    ¡°This is fun,¡± I say as I continue to mess around with it, but while moving from page to page, I eventually come across a story about Basileia.


    ¦µ ¡°Father Timothy, what are you doing? I need you to get to work.¡±


    ¡°I will. I am just reading the news first. Staying up to date with current events gives us more to pray about.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. So, what¡¯s written here today.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is some good news and bad news.¡±


    ¡°Good news first.¡±


    ¡°The war Gevurah has been fighting has finally come to an end. So, no more innocent lives will go to waste. We should probably send some priests over to Varage to help any war refugees.¡±


    ¡°I will be right on it, sir but first, what¡¯s the bad news.¡±


    ¡°It is about Basileia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I heard there was a disaster over there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, apparently, people say a dragon went on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°I find it incredibly hard to believe a dragon would do such a thing. If there is one thing, those creatures are known for, it is minding their business.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I agree, but l have no way of knowing. It could all be a set-up that people have used to justify their actions.¡±


    ¡°What actions.¡±


    ¡°It says here that there is a hunt for all the Basileia workers. Most of them have been captured and sold into slavery, though some have been executed. Morgan must not have been able to meet the protection fee, and all the parasites used this opportunity to strike down everything she is.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that going too far? I know they hate Morgan, but if they wanted to use this opportunity, they would have gone after the crystals since their value would be worth much more than the people.¡±


    ¡°It says here they have vanished, every single last one.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? But wasn¡¯t the amount was almost endless.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell, but without the Crystals to appease their anger, those monsters went for everything she had. Even written here, there is column after column of people insulting her and calling her a husband-killing witch. I never agreed with her methods, but her positive impact was undeniable. Tell everyone that we have to prepare for a turbulent time with Basileia crystals missing. Many lives have been upended, and some are even going to end, but all we can do is work hard and pray to god.¡±


    ¦µ Reading this article, my throat hurts, my skin feels pale, and I feel like all blood in my veins has disappeared. I don¡¯t know how or what to do with this overwhelming feeling. I thought I could ignore this if I didn¡¯t know his, but all these people are going through hell because of me.


    ¡°Orb, are you o-o-o-ok.¡±


    With a big smile, I say, ¡°I am fine. I just read something weird.¡±


    ¡°Wha-a-a-at was it.¡±


    ¡°Throwing the butterfly back into the air, I say, ¡°Nothing you will have to worry yourself with.¡±


    Looking across the sea in the dead of night, I see we are almost at Higashinagisa-shi, the port city of Seirei. So, I tell Cyrus, let¡¯s see the city from the front of the ship. Looking at the city from a far it seems like it is glowing in the night.


    When we arrive at the port and head off, I say to Cyrus, ¡°Let us go find someplace to rest our heads for the night. We will continue with our business tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It should be over here.¡±


    ¡°What is Orb?¡± Cyrus asks while carrying a sick Sparrow.


    ¡°I asked someone on the ship for directions to the nearest inn, and they told me to go in this direction from the port.¡± After walking a little further, we come across this inn.


    Walking inside, I see a decorated hall an old woman behind a desk. Waking up to her giddily, I ask, ¡°Can I get a room.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Sorry, we are quite packed, so I can only offer you one for you three together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    The woman claps her hands and says, ¡°Everyone gets a move on,¡± moments after she says this, a punch of tiny creatures with fox heads wearing the same robes as the woman comes in.


    They all glow yellow and have white markings throughout their body. They run all over us and take our stuff from us.


    ¡°What is going on.¡±


    The woman behind the desks says, ¡°Those are spirits.¡±


    ¡°Spirits?¡± I say, amazed at these little things.


    ¡°The land in our country has a little curse on it where spirit energy and emotions of all sorts take the physical form, we call those creatures spirits. Those little foxes are made from the happy emotions of  passionate workers. So, they like to help out.¡±


    As they take our luggage, one of them hugs my leg. ¡°How cute.¡±


    ¡°These spirits are excellent judges of character and get attracted to good people.¡±


    I hear Sparrow scream owe behind me. Looking over, I see one of the little spirits biting him.


    ¡°But these little guys ate violent towards people they don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop that,¡± a little girl with white markings like the other spirits appears and says to the fox.


    ¡°Zashiki-warashi, please escort the people to their rooms.¡±


    ¡°I will, but don¡¯t go scaring foreigners.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it is so cute how they act at the sight of spirits.¡±


    After this, with the little spirits carrying our luggage, we head into the corridor led by the little girl.


    ¡°Umm, Zashiki, are you human.¡±


    ¡°How observant of you most foreigners take a minute to realise. I thought my human disguises were pretty good. How could you tell.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have any scent, and you have white lines like the foxes.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are correct. I happen to be a spirit like all these foxes running around.¡±


    ¡°So, what emotions are you made from.¡±


    ¡°Asking a spirit whose emotions conjured them is a form of harassment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Letting out a little laugh, Zashiki says, ¡°I am just joking. I happen to be made from the emotions of all the kids who have enjoyed their stay here since this inn¡¯s founding. That¡¯s why I look like a child. I happen to be an exception among Spirits. Most of them have inhumane forms.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you also so intelligent?¡±


    ¡°No, that has nothing to do with it. The factor that affects our sentience is the complexity of the emotions put into us and our age.¡±


    ¡°So, how old would that make you?¡±


    ¡°Now that is rude.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I am just interested in you. I am completely fascinated by your existence.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you fatter me that much, I guess I might give you a hint you. Won¡¯t tell any numbers, but I am probably older than great-grandparents.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. You must have experienced lots of things over that time.¡±


    Sombrely, she says, ¡°Well, I have, but not all of it has been, good things change dramatically over time, like how human lives pass by rather quickly,¡± but as she stops and turns around, she says ¡°At the very least the smiles of people walking out this inn have not. Your room is here. Enjoy your stay.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± as they walk away we wave at them, walking down the corridor, they wave back. After we settle down in our room, Cyrus lets out a yawn while taking the covering off his tail and stretching it out. I guess it must be annoying not getting to use it. I would feel like that if I kept my arm or my leg restrained all day.


    Seeing Sparrow, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go have a bath to get all that vomit smell off of him, then let¡¯s get some rest. I am sure we will need it since tomorrow will be a big day.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cyrus says hastily, and Sparrow nods in agreement.


    -Break-


    As Sparrow snores beside me and Cyrus sleeps quietly, all I can do is lie there. I have been unable to sleep. I thought a bath would have relaxed me enough, but I am still wide awake.


    So, I get up and put on my church clothes and go through the window in my room. If I can¡¯t sleep, I might as well go sightseeing.


    As I arrive on the roof I hear, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    Letting out a shriek, I say, ¡°Zashiki, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, this little guy informed me you left your room,¡± she says while pointing at one of the fox spirits. ¡°So, I was wondering what you are doing. This is your first time here, so why would you be leaving in the dead of night if you didn¡¯t have some ulterior motives? If they are bad, I will.¡± She says as she constantly moves closer to me.


    Putting my hands up in defence of her, I say, ¡°Too close. I promise I am not going to do anything bad. I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I decided to go get some air.¡±


    ¡°I see, well then we will come along with you. It would be good to have a guide if you are going into the city,¡± so, with both of them on back, I jump from building to building.


    ¡°This city is well illuminated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Spirits are everywhere, here a perfect example jump over there.¡±


    ¡°But there is nothing there over there.¡±


    ¡°Trust me¡±, so following her instructions, I jump where there is no footing but miraculously, a hand stretches out from a building and catches me, placing me on top of the building.


    Looking at the building, I see white markings that weren¡¯t there previously have appeared, and I see it has eyes. ¡°Is this a spirit?¡±


    ¡°Spirit can form in objects and bring them to life as well. Thanks for the help,¡± she says as we jump away.


    Moving through the city, I say, ¡°This place is beautiful. I wouldn¡¯t call this a curse but a blessing.¡±


    ¡°I guess we have just made the best of this curse, but I would call it a curse.¡±


    After moving around for a while, I say, ¡°I think I can go to sleep now.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re no longer stressed.¡±


    Looking at her with eyes full of surprise, I say, ¡°How did you know that.¡±


    ¡°I have worked at the inn for a long time, and the only people who don¡¯t sleep are the ones who are stressed. So, I thought being your guide would help you, this little fox thought the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this. It helped.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure. But if you want to show your gratitude leaving a little tip won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°I got you, I definitely will,¡± after saying this, I suddenly hear something moving quite close to us. So, using my legacy on my feet, I grab both Zashiki and the fox, then jump away as something pounces on the spot we previously were.


    ¡°Orb, you¡¯re a legacy,¡± she says as I move away.


    Looking down at what came at us, it had the same glow as the spirits, but it had black markings. It is also much more inhumane than them. As it looks at me, it says, ¡°Are you my preeeeey,¡± after saying this, it pounces at me again.


    Dodging its attack, I say ¡°Zashiki, what is that?¡±


    ¡°All emotions give form to different kinds of spirits that one over there is made from bad ones known as minuses.¡± She said as I continued to barely dodge its attacks.


    ¡°It is capable of some speech, but I haven¡¯t heard of a strong one like this being around. Did it just form? If one capable of speech just formed, it must have a ridiculous amount of spirit energy. We have to run.¡±


    ¡°If I was just to leave it, there is a chance it would cause further trouble.¡± So, putting them down, I lunge towards it and dodge its initial strike. Then I freeze it and shatter it. Turning around to Zashiki, I say, ¡°That is that.¡±


    ¡°Orb, if you don¡¯t use spirit energy, it will just reform,¡± as she says this, I feel a blow that knocks me all the way over to Zashiki.


    ¡°Dammit, what am I supposed to do then?¡±


    ¡°We need to call one of the twinstar corps here.¡±


    ¡°Can those guys beat this.¡±


    ¡°Most definitely.¡±


    ¡°Then go call them. Without a doubt, I can at least keep this busy.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me a go. I don¡¯t plan on dying anytime soon; I still have to tip you, don¡¯t I.¡± Nodding her head in agreement with me, she leaves. ¡°So now it is just you and me,¡± I say as I continue to lead it further and further away.


    While luring it further and further away, I start to hear multiple noises approaching me, and then I see more minus spirits, each one bigger than the last, come over to me, and in no time, I am surrounded. I try to freeze them, but they are smart and only come for me in small groups. I try to hold my own, but each one is powerful in its own right, and, unable to do any damage, they box me in until one of them, with its big open mouth, comes in for a bite. But as it tries to chomp on me, it disappears.


    Looking around me, I see the minuses all have holes in them, and then the big one in front of me is obliterated. In front of the last minus, I see a small person in front of it, just a little small than me. This person is wearing what I believe is a Gi covered with stickers, pink bottoms, and a fox mask. But the most apparent feature was three erect white tails behind the person¡¯s back with pink markings.


    Walking over to the person, I hear them whisper, ¡°So weak¡±. When the person turns around and notices my presence, they freeze and look like they¡¯re panicking.


    Seeing this say, ¡°Thank you for saving me,¡± after I say this, the person stops freaking out and then walks up to me, bringing their face close to mine. ¡°You want to say something to me.¡±


    But the person stayed quiet, and I was knocked out in what felt like an instant.


    Spirits: Beings made from condense spirit energy. They are only know to natural form on the spirit nation Seirei.


    Name: Gyaku Kitsune


    Type: Plus


    Description: A miniature humanoid spirit with the face of a fox and a tail. It glows yellow and, like all pluses, has white marks throughout its body. It was made from the emotions of passionate workers, so as long as passionate people exist, so will this.


    Fact: they are susceptible to people¡¯s true nature and will be kind to good people but horrible to bad

 Arc 5.08

    -Break-


    ¦µ While eating the delicious breakfast they prepared for us in the inn. I look over at Orb, who has bandages on his body. Ever since this morning, he has been mumbling the same thing under his breath ¡°I am going to crush you fox. I am going to crush you fox.¡± Without stopping.


    This is because, at some point, Orb snuck out of the inn last night and was attacked by a group of minus spirits. So Zashiki went to get help, but when she returned to the scene, all the minuses were dead, and Orb was left unconscious in a rather unfaltering position. When he woke up, Orb claimed he fell unconscious, but he later informed me that a person in a fox mask killed all the minuses and knocked him out.


    ¡°O-O-O-ORB, why won¡¯t you tell anyone what ac-c-c-tually happened? This fo-o-o-ox masked person might be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°No way in hell, Cyrus; I don¡¯t need anyone getting in the way of my revenge. I can barely look Zashiki in the eye with the state I was left in yesterday. So, I will find that person with the fox mask and STRING THEM UP NAKED OUTSIDE.¡±


    Opening the door to our room Zashiki walks in and says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be saying such obscene things this early in the morning,¡± as Zashiki looks at Orb, she starts laughing to herself. ¡°Sorry, I just remembered last night.¡±


    With his hair blue from embarrassment, Orb says, ¡°FORGET ABOUT THAT IMMEDIATELY! Did you just come here to poke fun at me.¡±


    Letting out a little giggle, Zashiki says, ¡°No, that¡¯s not why I am here, but I still wanted to laugh about it. The reason I am here is to tell you sorry. I take full responsibility for the issue last night. I knew a minus could have been around if we went too far, but I ignored it.¡±


    ¡°No issue, but if you want my forgiveness, never mention the state you saw me in last night.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I promise. But are you guys ok eating in your room?¡±


    ¡°It is better for Cyrus if we eat in here, since he can stretch out his tail as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I must be hard travelling as a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Usually, b-u-u-ut Orb has help-p-p-ped me a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± as Zashiki says this, we hear screams erupt outside. ¡°Looks like it has started.¡±


    ¡°Wha-a-at,¡± I ask Zashiki.


    ¡°One of the special highlights of visiting here. You guys should come and see it. This isn¡¯t something you want to miss. Guests at the inn can get a good view from the top.¡±


    ¦µ Me, Cyrus and Sparrow follow Zashiki outside to the top of the inn and see lots of residents watching something. Getting closer, I see some of the people who found me yesterday fighting a spirit with black markings, a minus.


    ¡°Those people must be from the twinstar corps,¡± I say.


    ¡°Yes, you are correct. They are this country¡¯s military force that protects our citizens from any form of threat, but usually minuses. When ships dock, new minuses tend to manifest, so letting our guests watch the exorcism from the top of our inn is one of the advantages of staying with us.¡±


    The twinstars uniforms are mainly bright red, but are partially pink. They also have white curved comma-shaped bead designs throughout the uniform. They fight the minus, and when they cut one down, it doesn¡¯t regenerate.


    ¡°Their us-s-se of spirit energy is ama-a-a-azing,¡± Cyrus says.


    ¡°They¡¯re incredible I don¡¯t think I could ever have such good control of spirit energy myself,¡± Sparrow says.


    ¡°How can you guys tell that?¡±


    Zashiki says, ¡° Spirit energy of others is very visible to those who can use it. It is light of energy flowing throughout a person¡¯s body.¡±


    Squinting to look closer, I still can¡¯t see a thing. I have much better eyesight than everyone except Cyrus, and I still can¡¯t make out any flowing energy.


    While they continue to fight, the last minus seems to be gaining ground on them. ¡°I am going to go help them. If I freeze it, they can finish the job.¡±


    So, as I am about to jump over there, a group of the Gyaku Kitsune hold me down, and Zashiki says to me, ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. Those guys you saw are the lowest rank of the twin star corps, the samurai. But it looks like someone higher ranking has appeared. A shaman.¡±


    A woman with a uniform similar to the other appears, but she has more toured comma-shaped beads on her uniform. She also has a yellow bird-looking spirit beside her. As she draws her sword like the other samurai, she says, ¡°Dwell in my sword Jun Washi.¡± The eagle then turns into her sword, becoming similar to a legacy.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Is she a legacy?¡± I say while still being held down.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort. Shamans integrate spirits into their weapons using the same principles as legacies. The idea of sending a strong soul into something to increase its power. We call them spirit weapons. Though since spirits can¡¯t stand up to the power of the legendary beings that comprise legacies, they are much weaker. Nevertheless effective.¡±


    Using the weapon, the woman cuts down the minus is seconds. After she does this, claps emerge through the area and on the rooftop of the inn. After cutting down the minus, the woman looks at me and says, ¡°Hey, you where the man we found-.¡±


    I let out a scream to cut her off. ¡°How do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°Every member of the twin stars in town knows about that,¡± she says as she and the other member giggle at me.


    Falling on my knees in embarrassment, I say to myself, ¡°If this is the last thing I do, I will crush you fox. I swear that on my life.¡±


    -Break-


    While getting dressed after we finish eating, I say to Sparrow, ¡°What are you doing? Start getting dressed so we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that. You see, it might be an issue if I walk in the open.¡±


    With a look of irritation, I say, ¡°Now, why would that be.¡±


    ¡°Well you see, I used to run a few scams in this country and made off with a ridiculous amount of money. So certain people hate me and would kill me on sight.¡±


    With a look of utter disgust, I say, ¡°Of course you did. I don¡¯t want to be associated with you so staying here is the best option.¡±


    So, after getting dressed and preparing to leave, I say, ¡°Sparrow will be staying here. You can kill him if he tries anything out of the normal.¡±


    ¡°Ok, will do.¡±


    So, with that, Cyrus and I leave the inn. ¡°First things first, I need to go find out where Capti¡¯s friend is.¡±


    ¡°The one in the let-t-t-letter of introduction.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I believe the family name is Gozen.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to kn-n-n-now then you could o-o-o-of asked Zashiki.¡±


    Condescendingly waving my finger, I say, ¡°If I did that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to go around asking new people things.¡± Saying this, I start to run into the main street, where I am hit by something. Knocking me into the floor. Looking up at what hit me, I see a large cart with a giant face and white marks.


    Sticking its tongue out at me, it says, ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    As I am about to say something back, someone says, ¡°Oboro cart, I don¡¯t have time for this move forward.¡± And just like that, the cart with a face moved away from me at incredible speed.


    ¡°Orb are you o-o-o-ok?¡±


    ¡°I am fine,¡± I say. As I get up, I get a good look at the city, and everywhere I look, there are spirits helping people, talking to people or playing with people. There in the buildings and shops, they have all sorts of shapes and colours.


    Looking at this, I slap my cheeks and say, ¡°I am getting excited¡±. After saying this, I walk up to someone selling dumplings and ask, ¡°Would I be able to have some of those?¡±


    With a warm smile, the person says back to me, ¡°I like how pretty your hair is.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. It also happens to be extremely soft.¡±


    ¡°That sort of makes me curious.¡±


    ¡°If you want to feel it, go right ahead,¡± I say while turning my head in her direction.


    Rubbing my head, she says, ¡°It is soft. I imagine this is what a cloud would feel like.¡±


    So, as she gives me the dumplings, I pay for them and say, ¡°Would I be able to ask you a question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for a person as nice as you ask whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where I could find the Gozen family? To my knowledge, they should be located in this town.¡±


    After she hears what I say, the face of the woman who had only been kindly smiling sours immediately, and she says, ¡°Where did you hear of that name? No, whatever, I am sorry, but no one with such a name lives here. Now please go.¡±


    Seeing her sudden want to escape me, I walk back over to Cyrus and say, ¡°The moment I mentioned the name Gozen, not only did her whole aura change, but her heartbeat accelerated like she was about to have a panic attack.¡±


    ¡°From wh-h-h-hat, she said, she know-s-s-s something, s-s-s-should we ask again?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know why she would have such a reaction, but maybe it is an uncomfortable topic for her. We should just leave her be and ask someone else.¡±


    ¡°But-,¡± Cyrus says as I put a dumpling in his mouth.


    ¡°How does it taste.¡±


    Eating it, whole Cyrus says, ¡°Delicious.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go out of our way to bother someone who has given us such delicious food,¡± so next we walk up to a man selling fish, and I talk to him.


    But the moment I bring up the name Gozen just like the woman, his face sours, and he starts to panic and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about anyone with the name Gozen. If that fish is all you want, please go.¡±


    The fact that this happened a second time bothered me, so I said to Cyrus, ¡°Let¡¯s go ask a few other people.¡± So we went up to as many people as we could find and asked them about the Gozen family, but the moment that name is brought up they all start to shut down our conversation saying things such as.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone with such a name. Please leave.¡±


    ¡°Where did you even hear such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t involve me in such things.¡±


    ¡°Why would you possibly ask that.¡±


    But what the last person said is what alarmed me the most, ¡°It would be best if you don¡¯t ask anyone here that ever again and just enjoy your stay.¡±


    Sitting down on a bench in defeat, I say to Cyrus, ¡°This is making my head hurt. I don¡¯t know why everyone is acting so strangely concerning this one name. It shouldn¡¯t be this complex. At this point, I think we ought to leave this and start searching for the medicine.¡±


    ¡°Orb, I ha-a-ave an idea.¡±


    ¡°What would it be.¡±


    ¡°While you continue to search for the Gozens, I would like to go and get the medicine by m-m-m-myself.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, isn¡¯t that a lot? You would have to find a seller and work out a deal by yourself. That won¡¯t be easy. It is better if I just come with you and give up on the Gozens for now.¡±


    ¡°Yo-o-ou has been excited to me-e-et the Gozens, so I don-n-n-not want you to give up o-o-o-on meeting Capti¡¯s Fri-i-i-ends. But more importantly, I was-a-a-ant to challe-e-e-enge myself. When I see my sister again I want to chan-n-n-age as Willow said.¡±


    Looking at Cyrus¡¯s face, I can see he does look quite resolute about this. I guess it would be possible for him since the saviour¡¯s song is the primary language here, so Cyrus shouldn¡¯t have any communication issues, and I would like to find the Gozens. ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s do that, but if you run into any problems, please consult me instead of doing anything on your own, ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I wo-o-not let you down.¡± And just like that, both me and Cyrus head our separate ways.

 Arc 5.09

    ¦µ After leaving Orb, I walk around looking for the Medicine shop. While walking around, I repeat the same thing in my head: do your best. After a while, I stop and realise I don¡¯t remember how I got here.


    Freaking out, I try to retrace my steps till I am somewhere familiar, but it is to no avail. So decided to go up and ask someone for directions.


    ¡°Umm, Hel-l-l-llo.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°D-D-Do you know where the inn with the little fox-x-x-x¡¯s is.¡±


    The man then looks as if he is thinking and then gives me a set of directions. That went well. I was able to do something to get out of my situation, this is good. So I followed the man¡¯s directions and arrived at the wrong inn.


    Remembering what Zashiki said, I realised the fox spirits should be normal everywhere. I used the wrong spirit when asking for directions.


    As I walk away from the false inn, more lost than before, I start to feel sick. There are so many people all around me. Some are younger than me, and they don¡¯t look nearly as inept as me. With my sick feeling constantly increasing, I walk to an alley and kneel down. While in this alley, I feel like I am about to start crying. I failed my mission, got sick, and now I am crying, ¡°I can¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°You sure are beautiful,¡± I hear a voice from behind me.


    Turning around, I see someone with a veil on their head with long hair. I try to make out what the person¡¯s face looks like, but the more I stare, the more it seems obscure. However, I can tell that she is female by her voice and build.


    ¡°Sorry, I saw you are walking into this alley about to cry, so I decided to follow. Are you ok?¡±


    Trying to think of something to say, I stumble over my words constantly and eventually tears fall from my eyes due to anxiety. While I cry, I try to stop the tears saying, ¡°S-S-S-S-Sorry f-f-f-for th-h-h-his.¡±


    Putting her hand on her face, she says ¡°Somehow, you¡¯re even more beautiful when you cry. To think I got to see something this nice so early in the day. I can already tell today is going to be a lucky day¡±. Standing up, she says to me, ¡°Looking at you, I am going to guess what¡¯s wrong with you is that you¡¯re lost.¡±


    Staring up at her in shock, I say, ¡°Yesh,¡± with tears still falling.


    ¡°I got it right that was just a guess. Today is a lucky day.¡± Pulling me up from the floor, she says, ¡°Well, if that is your problem, I can one hundred per cent help you,¡± grabbing my hand, we running into the street until we reach an area with a giant blank sheet of paper.


    ¡°Where have you taken m-m-m-m-me?¡±


    ¡°You understand in a second.¡± Looking at the blank sheet of paper, the woman says, ¡°Gaki chizu tell us where he came from.¡± The white piece of paper suddenly starts glowing blue and has white markings. Looking closer at the form, it has turned into a map.¡±


    ¡°The crybaby over there came from here, and you are currently here,¡± the map says as it makes a marker on the inn locations.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the path you should take.¡±


    ¡°I pass-s-sed by this map countless times, but I never noticed this. I a-a-a-am pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you did.¡± Looking over at the map, she says, ¡°Gaki, it is your job to tell lost people where to go. What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°It is just so funny to see people like him have a breakdown after being lost.¡±


    With eyes full of rage, she says, ¡°That¡¯s the behaviour I expect from a minus. Maybe you need to be exorcised.¡±


    ¡°Sorry mam, I won¡¯t ever do such a thing again.¡±


    ¡°I am just twenty-two years old. Do I look like someone you should be calling mam?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± The Gaki says, frightened.


    ¡°Even the plus spirits in this city have been becoming more aggressive. What the hell is going on?¡± Looking over at me, she says,  ¡°Now, you should be able to get home.¡±


    Panicking, I try to tell her something, but I keep stumbling over my words. But as I continue to freak out, she rubs my head and says, ¡°You can slow down. I am in no rush.¡±


    Calming my nerves, I say, ¡°D-D-D-DO, you know, anywhere I can buy medicine.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I happen to know where the best shop in the whole city is,¡± so grabbing me by the hand, she leads me to the shop.


    As we walk, I say, ¡°Sorry for being so pathetic. I am a failure of an adult.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a little hard on yourself? Nobody¡¯s perfect¡±


    ¡°I know that, but I am below average. I know people who are seven years my younger who are above me in every way. Even though you and I are the same age, I feel completely inferior to you as an adult. I am just pathetic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it may look to you, but I am a relatively immature person to people close to me. I might be called a brat for my age. All people are pathetic in some way that others can see clearly or not. Whether you¡¯re an adult or a child, we are all just trying to be our ideal selves.


    So, it doesn¡¯t matter when you reach your ideal but the fact that you get it eventually. And let me tell you, the fact that you can verbally speak how you feel about yourself makes you a lot more mature than me.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You can turn the whole stuttering thing on and off.¡±


    Realising that I had stopped stuttering, I said, ¡°I do-o-don¡¯t know why it just doesn¡¯t happe-n-n-n sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯re here. This is the shop you¡¯re looking for. Just go up and talk to them. The owner is quite friendly but a little bit greedy.¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-How can I repay you?¡±


    ¡°I already told you seeing such a nice face was repayment enough, and helping people enjoy being in my country is a nice bonus.¡± She then has an expression as if she thought of something. ¡°But if you want to repay me, telling me your name would be nice.¡±


    ¡°M-M-M-My name is Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Mine is Muneko. But shhh, kept that a secret between both of us.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will.¡±


    Muneko walks away from me waving, while saying, ¡°If you need more help, find me. Bye!¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    A little bit earlier


    ¦µ Ever since leaving Cyrus, I have been running around looking for any signs of the Gozens, but it is all to no avail. I have no idea where they could be. I have run around most of this city. I even climbed the buildings to see if I could spot anything. I even tried asking spirits, but they all seemed to just run away with the mention of that name.


    I hope Cyrus is having better luck than me. While walking through the city defeated, I see two members of the twin stars walk out of the forest. You know, a walk through the forest sounds good right now. So, following the passage they came through, I started walking into the woods.


    How wonderful it is. I feel at home surrounded by nature. All that is missing is a ridiculous amount of snow, but I can fix that; using my legacy, I create snow all around me. This feels like Fimbulwinter minus the golden tree and predasaurs trying to kill me.


    Walking through the forest, I say, ¡°Nothing can bring me down now,¡± but after looking over in the distance, I see the person with the fox mask carrying a basket.


    The fox-masked person sees me and stops in place. ¡°Oh, how I have been waiting for this moment,¡± I say as I lunge forward with my legacy on. As I approach the fox mask, he throws the basket high into the air and dodges my initial attack. Landing on my left arm, I use my right one to create ice to freeze the person, but using their three tails they break my ice apart. Then I get hit with one of their tails which sends me back. He then catches the basket.


    Regaining my footing from the blow, I lunge at him again, and like before, they throw their basket into the air, but this time he comes at me as well. While arriving at him with a knee, he dodges underneath it and manoeuvres himself from my back to the top of my head in seconds. While holding on to my hair, he gives me a knee to the face.


    I try to use my right hand to freeze him, but he then moves his body over my head while still holding my hair. I can feel him turn up there as if he is preparing to knee me in the temple. Using my legacy on my hair, I try to freeze his hand, but he jumps off to my right side.


    Moving in close, I enter an exchange with him. As I try to hit him, with minimal movements, he dodges even when I throw my ice into the equation. We continue like this until I get a little irritated, but at the moment I do, he gives me an elbow to the stomach, which sends me back slightly, then using his right leg he goes for an axe kick. I can barely react fast enough and stop it. But then the strength in his leg increases so much that it breaks through my guard, hits me, and leaves me in a small crater on the ground. He then moves away to catch the basket as it is about to reach the ground.


    After catching it, he stretches his tails to grab a tree branch and pulls his body up to it. While sitting on the tree branch, the he says in an unnatural voice, ¡°Unless you want me to keep kicking your ass, you should leave, weakling. I hope you remember my words, trash.¡± Then he jumps away on the branches


    Angrier than ever, I get up then jump on top of the trees to give chase. While trying to close the distance, he uses his tail to ward me off. Unable to get close, I stop on one branch.


    Back when I was fighting Porto, I was unable to out speed him, which almost led to my loss, so I spent some time thinking how I could get faster without spirit arts, and I came to a conclusion.


    So, using my legacy on my feet right before I jump off the branch, I create a large amount of condensed snow and propel me forward at high speeds. I move so fast that I can tackle the fox boy out of the sky and land on the ground.


    Looking up, I see we¡¯re in front of a run-down old house, something much smaller and bland than anything I have seen around Higashinagisa-shi, but ignoring that, I pin the boy down to the ground and say, ¡°If you want to have such a big mouth you should at least say those mean things to my face.¡± After saying this I pull the mask off of his face.


    ¦µ After leaving Muneko, I walked into the shop and talked to the shop owner; an old man. I explained to him the situation with the toxins.


    ¡°From how you explained the symptoms, I am not sure what you''re dealing with.¡±


    Taking off some of my clothes, I show him the skin and say, ¡°You can check me to have a be-e-e-etter idea.¡±


    Unsurprised by the fact I am a dragon he examines me and says, ¡°Ok, I have an idea of what will work. But I must order it, which will take a few days.¡±


    ¡°R-R-R-Really, thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Keep your thanks. What I am giving you will only help those with little exposure. Any human who has had whatever is on you run throughout their body will die without a doubt. This stuff will only prolong their lives.¡±


    With a sad expression, I say, ¡°I see. But still, th-h-h-ank you for this¡±.


    ¡°Whatever, now for payment.¡±


    ¡°O-O-O-Oh yeah,¡± I say while reaching hastily into the bag. Money is still so weird to me. Why do humans pay for things? Why aren¡¯t items free like back home? Taking what I believe is a small sum of cash, I lay it on the table in front of the old man, who has a surprised look on his face. ¡°Is i-i-i-it not enough?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± the man says as he quickly grabs the lupas. It looks like I didn¡¯t embarrass myself, good work.


    While preparing to leave, I see people walk out of the back of the shop with designs in their eyes. They say ¡°Thank you,¡± when stepping out of the shop.


    ¡°Hopefully, you won¡¯t come again,¡± the old man says as they leave.


    Before I go, I ask the man, ¡°W-W-W-What was that design in their eyes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a soul marker. It is very popular with kids despite them not knowing anything about its history.¡±


    ¡°What is that, c-c-c-can you tell me?¡±


    Scratching his head, he says, ¡°I guess I¡¯m not doing anything else. Ok, back thousands of years ago, when the world was a whole lot worse than it is today, people used to travel to find fertile land due to constant droughts and fear of raiders. This meant lots of families had to split up, so soul markers were invented.


    Soul markers are like tattoos on your soul. When two people with the same soul marker meet, a unique mark will appear on their right eye. By doing this, if a family was forced to split up due to circumstances, as long as they had a soul marker and passed it down, if their descendants ever meet again, they would immediately know they are family.¡±


    That must be what shines in my and Orb¡¯s eyes, but it doesn¡¯t show up all the time when we see each other, ¡°I believe m-m-m-me and my friend have one, but it doesn¡¯t show up all the time. Why would that be?¡±


    As the old man sits there and thinks about my question, a woman walks out of the back and says, ¡°Father, please don¡¯t burst a blood vessel thinking about this,¡± turning to me, she asks ¡°, Are you and the friends in question legacies.¡±


    ¡°Um, yes, we both a-a-a-are.¡±


    ¡°First, you shouldn¡¯t be admitting that so easily.¡±


    I put my hands over my mouth when she says this.


    ¡°Second, since your both have legacies, the reason the marker appears is that both your legacies are family members.¡±


    ¡°F-F-F-Family.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what are the chances that you both already have legacies, but your they are from the same family? I believe that is what we call fate.¡±


    ¦µ When I take the fox mask off, I see the face of the person in question is that of a girl with gold and pink hair with indigo and white eyes, and she has a star symbol in her right eye, just like Cyrus and me.

 Arc 5.10

    While I stare into her face while she is pinned to the ground, she suddenly turns her head to the side where our eyes can¡¯t meet. While avoiding eye contact, she says, ¡°Get off of me and give me back my mask, you utter pile of garbage.¡±


    ¡°If you want to be so rude, you should say such things to my face or are you too shy for that.¡±


    ¡°JUST GET OFF!¡± She screams as her tails try to attack me.


    I move away in time, grabbing her basket in one hand while having her mask in another. ¡°That wasn¡¯t nice.¡±


    She stands up with her back facing me and says, ¡°You attacked me first.¡±


    ¡°Only because you humiliated me for no reason. Do you know the looks I get while walking around the city?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that since your existence is embarrassing enough.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°As punishment for your big mouth, I will eat all the food in this basket right here, right now.¡±


    She jumps forward and tries to hit me due to my declaration. While she tries to hit me, she turns around, and I look directly into her face, which causes her to suddenly stop what she is doing and move her face out of my line of sight.


    ¡°Oh, looks like someone is shy,¡± I say while moving my face back in line with her face.


    Moving her head away, she says, ¡°I am not shy; I just don¡¯t want to look at your ugly face anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why do you blush when I stare at your face.¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± she says as she hits me with one of her tails, sending me onto the wooden veranda around the old house, right outside one of the doors. She lunges towards me, but while she does that, our eyes meet again, and she freaks out in the air leading to the bottom of her foot hitting the wooden veranda, and she falls right on top of the porch.


    Holding the bottom of her leg in pain, she says, ¡°It hurts so much.¡±


    While my enemy lies there writhing in pain, I think to myself; this is a good time as any to get revenge, so I sit down relatively close to her, open the basket, then say, ¡°Look at me, potty mouth.¡± As she stares up at me, she sees me with her food in hand then I start eating it.


    ¡°Stop,¡± she says, but as she looks up at my face, she turns away. Ahh, what a wonderful feeling this is. Now I know why revenge is so coveted.


    After finishing all the food in the basket, I stand up and say, ¡°Now, where even.¡±


    As I turn around, I see a nameplate on the house. It says Gozen. Wait, this little girl is part of the Gozen family. As I come to this realisation, I hear something coming from my back and quickly move into the house to avoid it.


    After turning in the house, I see it¡¯s the girl, but she is covering her face with her tails so she doesn¡¯t see me. ¡°You look stupid.¡±


    ¡°You bastard, I will never forgive you for that,¡± she says attacking me.


    She is more aggressive than the last time we fought, but she is also a lot less sharp, dodging her is way more manageable. So I get a good look at the house we are in. It only has one room with necessities in it and nothing more, but it has one notable feature, which is the ridiculous amount of drawings in the house. And they are all so incredibly detailed that I swear they could all be mistaken for real things. There are some drawings of people but more of spirits, most are rather scary looking.


    ¡°Your drawings are beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t LOOK AT THOSE?¡± She says while knocking me out of the house. ¡°Now give me my mask, or I will take it from your corpse you bastard.¡±


    Oh, so she wants this. I thought she was after my life, so holding the mask up to her, I used my legacy on my arm and say, ¡°Behave yourself, or I will break this into a million pieces you.¡±


    Stopping in her tracks, she says, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    ¡°I think we both know what I am capable of, so if you want this mask to stay whole, you will listen carefully.¡±


    She growls at me like an animal, but also like an animal; she obediently does what I say. Now just to make sure I ask, ¡°So, do you know where the Gozens are?¡±


    ¡°That would be me.¡±


    ¡°What about your parents?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then would the drawings of those two adults in there happen to be your parents.¡± She goes silent at my suggestion. ¡°If you don¡¯t talk I will break this mask, so I suggest answering my questions.¡±


    ¡°What is even the point in answering these questions? I don¡¯t see how this information helps you in any way.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, I just thought becoming your friend would be easier if I knew more about you. Since you know, you don¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. I have much more than you.¡±


    ¡°What an obvious lie. Do you think I would fall for that? The drawings in your room were that of someone who yearns for someone. I would know because back when I was a kid, I made lots of similar drawings.¡±


    Letting out a giggle, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh, no way a dopey-faced little boy like you could ever draw something half as good as me. There are doctors in the city, you should go get a check-up.¡±


    I am aggravated by her words, I say, ¡°I will show you my artistic prowess right now. I create a bunch of snow all around us, then shape it into a snow sculpture of my former house. ¡°How do you like that. Can you see the raw artist¡¯s beauty emanating from my sculpture.¡±


    ¡°If that is the best you can do, you don¡¯t deserve to be called an artist.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, like you''re much better. I bet you didn¡¯t even draw all those pictures in them but instead passed them off as your own. So, unless you want to show me your expertise right now, shut up.¡±


    ¡°You want to bet scum. Well, if that¡¯s how you want to be, I will show you how great of an artist I am, and you will kiss my feet, apologising for forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Huh, bring it on. I will make you eat those words with my amazing gallery of my one hundred best sculptures. When you see them, you will feel so pathetic that you will hang up your hands as an artist.¡±


    ¡°Just wait,¡± we both say in unison as we start on are sculptures. In complete concentration, I put my all into this. Back when I was a kid Capti said my sculptures and art were amazing, so without a doubt, I will be able to do this.


    When I finish, I look at my work and think this is my best work yet, but when I turn around, I see something that fills me with despair. Her sculptures are giant in size and incredibly detailed, nothing like my slushy sculptures.


    I fall to my knees in defeat. I thought I was good at art, but I am not sure after this. Capti used to say my art was fantastic. Was all that just a lie? Thinking back on it, he had this pitiful look on his face when I would sculpt anything. Was he lying to me to protect my feelings? That caring bastard, all that has done is embarrass me.


    While on the ground feeling defeated, I feel a foot on the top of my head. ¡°Now, what was that about my skills as an artist, because from looking at your sculptures it seems we are not even anywhere close in skill. How pitiful,¡± she says while laughing, ¡°To think it took us the same amount of time to finish, this is too funny.¡±


    Pushing my head against her feet, I stand and say to her, ¡°What are you talking about? Don¡¯t tell me those mushy lumps of snow are your sculptures because if they were, that would be too pitiful for me even to laugh.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about she says as she turns her head?¡± When she turns around, she sees that I have turned all her detailed sculptures into mushy lumps of snow using my legacy. I apologise to art everywhere for what I have done, but I couldn¡¯t let this smug girl insult me like this.


    Turning around, she says, ¡°Bastard, what did you do.¡± But when her head fully faces my direction, she is hit with a snowball.


    ¡°Making excuses and accusations now that you lost. How embarrassing you should learn to have some honour in defeat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, drop dead asshole,¡± she says while throwing a snowball in my direction. Dodging the ball, I move to the right and throw more snowballs at her, which starts a full-on snow battle.


    The snow flies from side to side as we try to hit each other. After a while, I forget why we were even doing this, and I just enjoy the game I am playing with her, and judging by the smile on her face so did she.


    I lay on the ground, out of exhaustion, and the girl says to me while in the same position, ¡°Do you surrender?¡±


    ¡°No, but let¡¯s make the next hit the last.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, you bastard, you¡¯re on.¡±


    As we prepare to get up, I say to her, ¡°You can look at me without your mask now,¡± as she realises she has been staring into my face without her mask, she starts to freak out, and at that moment, I hit her with a snowball to the front.


    ¡°Looks like it is my victory.¡±


    I see the rage build up on her face as she jumps at me and takes the mask from my body. After she puts it on, she says, ¡°Get out of here right now, Bastard.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have been here long enough guess I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°Huh, wait!¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to stay here with you?¡±


    ¡°No, get out of here and never come back.¡±


    ¡°Ok, well my name is Orb I will be back tomorrow,¡± I say as I start walking away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about your name, and don¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°I will probably bring a friend tomorrow bye.¡±


    ¡°I said don¡¯t come back.¡±


    As I walk far enough away, I hear in a shallow voice, ¡°Bye,¡± she probably thinks I didn¡¯t see her here.


    As I walk out of the forest, I run into a familiar face. ¡°Hey Cyrus, how did everything go.¡±


    ¡°Wonderfully, I placed an order for the medicine, and it should be ready in a week.¡±


    He did it. Honestly, I was worried about how it would go, but everything went all right. ¡°Hey, how much did it cost, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°About this much¡±, with his hands making a curved motion.


    ¡°No, Cyrus, give me a numerical amount.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t count. I gave him this money, and he was happy.¡±


    Face palming, I say, ¡°Cyrus, when we get back to the inn, I will teach you some arithmetic.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I always wanted to learn,¡± Cyrus says eagerly.


    As we walk back to the inn, we see a large crowd of people talking to members of the twinstar corps. ¡°I wonder what this is about,¡± I say as me and Cyrus head over to find out.


    As we approached the crowd, we heard them complain.


    ¡°When are you guys going to do something about the ever-increasing minuses?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hurting my business.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re also attacking people and ships, so fewer end up coming here.¡±


    ¡°This is your job.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they dispatch a commander here from the capital? Why hasn¡¯t he done anything.¡±


    One of the twinstar members says, ¡°Please give us the time we still haven¡¯t figured it out.¡±


    ¡°We have given you years, but the situation has only worsened.¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys even here?¡±


    ¡°It must be that child¡¯s fault.¡±


    The crowd¡¯s complaints increase until one man wearing the same uniform as the twinstars but with a long coat, appears.


    ¡°Commander,¡± one of the twin stars says.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the commander.¡±


    Yes, I am now. Why are you all making a ruckus during my sleeping hours.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop being so lax and get to work? We have been waiting for you to fix this issue for years.¡±


    ¡°It has been affecting our work and our livelihoods.¡±


    ¡°We are all working our hardest, so why don¡¯t you guys try as well.¡±


    Letting out a giant laugh, the young man said, ¡°Every member of the twinstar risks their lives to fight countless minuses every year while also putting up with the shit they receive from you people. But since we are so lazy and our job is easy, why don¡¯t you all try it and risk your life against minuses day and night.¡±


    The whole crowd goes silent. ¡°I thought so, but if you guys want to help, shut up, go home and have some faith because all those negative emotions are only causing us more issues now bye,¡± and begrudgingly, the crowd disperses.

 Arc 5.11

    Walking back to the inn after a rather long day, Zashiki greets us. ¡°How did today go for the both of you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Fine, I got solutions to some of the problems we were facing. Though I had to run all over the city to find them.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wonderful. You probably got some great sightseeing while you were running around.¡±


    ¡°You know, I am pretty sure I was so obsessed with getting what I wanted that I didn¡¯t even bother to look at any of the sights in the city.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a pity, but for however long you stay here, I hope you manage to get some in.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will,¡± I say as we open the door to our room, but I am greeted with a strange sight. The Gyaku kitsunes have Sparrow tied up and are kicking him while he is on the ground.


    ¡°What are you guys doing to our guests,¡± Zashiki says.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. Even if they drown him, we wouldn¡¯t care much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, I have never seen them do something this aggressive before. This isn¡¯t a good sign. All of you are coming with me. It is time for some re-education.¡±


    So as all the kitsunes leave, I wave the off while Cyrus unties Sparrow, and then we sit down to discuss what we did today.


    Cyrus says, ¡°It will take about a we-e-e-ek for all the medicine to be ready. But I lear-r-r-rned this isn¡¯t going to cure p-p-p-people who had the toxins run through their systems. All it will do is prolong their life that they will eventually die,¡± with a dispirited expression.


    Walking up to him, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t feel down about this, Cyrus. The fact that you were able to get us anything at all is already a god sent. Be proud, Cyrus, and I am sure there is a cure out there somewhere. All we need to do is look a little harder.¡±


    Cheering up, Cyrus says ¡°Yeah, we w-w-w-will.¡±


    I hope the words I said to Cyrus are true because if they aren¡¯t, that would be too sad. ¡°We will leave in a week since we have cleared our main objective.¡±


    ¡°O-O-O-Orb, what about your search for the Gozens?¡±


    ¡°I found a lead, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. If there is something we should be thinking about, it is how we will find your sister now. I haven¡¯t devoted that much mental energy to it, so to be honest, I have no idea where to start.¡±


    ¡°My sister once told me if I get lost, I should retrace my steps.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, it has been over a decade since you and your sister got captured. I doubt there is any evidence of her left where you arrived.¡±


    ¡°Oh, s-s-s-sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise. It is not like I have any ideas either?¡± I say while scratching my head. Looking over at Sparrow, I ask, ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I was reading the news on this omega butterfly before those little shits attacked me, so I was just getting back to that.¡±


    Staring at Sparrow, a sudden idea hits me. I crawl up to him with great fervour, I say, ¡°This butterfly reports information all around the world, right.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So wouldn¡¯t that mean that the journalist who use these butterflies would have heaps of information about what¡¯s happening everywhere?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re getting at, so please back away.¡±


    Backing away, I say, ¡°Dragons are rare to be found anywhere except their home continent, so I bet when Cyrus and his sister landed on this continent, it must have made some noise, and if anyone had followed up the trail on them it would have been the journalists of. What was their name?¡±


    ¡°The Chronicle Nimbus, or CN for short.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they would have such information, so all we have to do is find them.¡± Grabbing the butterfly out of Sparrow¡¯s hand, I say, ¡°There must be some kind of signature here or name.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t find one. The journalists of CN tend to report on everything, so they aren¡¯t well-liked, and in certain countries, they even have bounties for anyone even mildly associated with them.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, how am I supposed to find them?¡± I say, deflated.


    ¦µ This is my chance, ¡°I have a lead on this-.¡±


    ¡°We w-w-will figure it out somehow,¡± Cyrus says while rubbing Orb¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hey, I was talking.¡±


    ¡°Your right Cyrus. I have to give it some time. Sorry about delaying our promise.¡±


    ¡°I have something to say.¡±


    ¡°D-D-Don¡¯t worry, we will get there eventually,¡± Cyrus says as he gives Orb a high five.


    These goddamn brats are ignoring me while having a bro moment. I can¡¯t let this go on any longer.


    ¦µ Hearing Sparrow¡¯s heart rate increase behind me, I turn to see the fourth unexpected thing today. He is crying. ¡°Oh shit we broke him.¡±


    Whining, Sparrow says, ¡°I have had enough of you. All the physical assault, bullying, and vomit I have put up with, even when you should¡¯ve iced up my butt. But even after that, when I try to help, you ignore me. I hate you.¡±


    What the hell is this? Why is this grown-ass man saying, ¡°You¡¯ve done a hundred times worse than what I have done to you, so what right to complain do you have? Unlike everyone else, you never even said so-.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I apologise for what I have done, but you don¡¯t know how hard it is to be me. I wasn¡¯t born with great power or a fancy education; the only way someone like me could get stuff was through taking from others. Every young boy wants money and power with little effort. I doubt a privileged brat like you could understand that.¡±


    ¡°Listen here, you are a walking pile of crap; out of the countless options in life, you choose the one that hurts others, and now you complain when you get hurt, that sounds a bit hypocritical to me, so why don¡¯t you wipe your tears, shut up, and behave, you parasite!¡±


    After I said this, he curled his body into a ball on the ground. ¡°I am done helping you. No more information, no more nothing. Kill me if you like.¡±


    Seeing a grown man on the floor behaving less mature than the kids in Aplos(The village), is so sad that I actually started to pity him. Now that I think about all I have done to punish him without any reward, I want to reform him, so I should be kinder.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Moving over to Sparrow, I say, ¡°Even though it was your fault, sorry I was so mean; I will be nicer and listen to you more often.¡± This tends to work on the kids.


    Turning his head slightly towards me, he asks ¡°You promise?¡±


    This is disgusting. You¡¯re not a child, stop before I puke. Calm down, Orb and follow through, ¡°I promise. So please share whatever information you have.¡±


    ¦µ That worked wonderfully. I needed to change Orb¡¯s attitude towards me, and I knew this would be the most surefire way. I may have embarrassed myself, but who cares? No more awful punishments.


    Recomposing myself, I say to him, ¡°There might be one surefire way to meet a member of CN, and that would be to go to Elp¨ªda. I have heard constant rumours of CN staying there.¡±


    ¡°Are you lying to me?¡±


    ¡°Why would you ask that?¡±


    ¡°Because aren¡¯t these people great at staying anonymous? Why would they let info like one of their location get out.¡±


    ¡°Elp¨ªda is a rather expensive country to travel to for even a week. Most of the scum who would want to mess with them there couldn¡¯t even pay the entry fee to get into the city. But that won¡¯t be an issue since we are loaded.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, I guess we have our next destination. Where getting closer, Cyrus.¡±


    Cyrus subtility smiles in response.


    ¡°Now that we have everything out of the way, Cyrus. It is time to teach you the value of money. You ready to learn?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Yeah¡±


    -Break-


    Walking through the forest early in the day with a basket full of food in my hand, I hear entirely serene sounds while Cyrus says, ¡°O-O-O-Orb, what do you want to show me out here?¡±


    ¡°I have a friend here I want you to meet. She is in desperate need of more friends so I thought you would do.¡±


    ¡°What is she l-l-l-like?¡±


    ¡°Are very mean young girl with a potty mouth. She is also quite aggressive. She kept attacking me both physically and verbally yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Is she really y-y-your friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is. Oh, and I forgot to mention this she has three tails and a star marker on her eye let us.¡±


    Cyrus, who starts to shutter, falls to the ground and says, ¡°No more numbers,¡± while holding his hands against his eyes, frightened.


    I may have gone overboard with teaching him yesterday. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the numbers can¡¯t hurt you anymore; ok, let¡¯s go?¡± I say as I pick him up by the hand and start leading him to the tiny house.


    When we arrive, I see miss Gozen sitting on her knees right in front of the house with her mask on. I say to Cyrus, ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised if she is mean to you¡±.


    ¡°How have you been, little miss Gozen.¡±


    ¡°It is nice to see you again. I am happy about your return. I hope you got a good night¡¯s sleep yesterday.¡±


    After she says this, I run over to her and say, ¡°Are you ok? Did you hit your head anywhere? Take off your mask. Let me check your temperature.¡±


    She says, ¡°I am fine.¡± Getting up, she walks up to Cyrus, bows and says, ¡°It is nice to meet you. I hope we can get along.¡±


    With a big smile, Cyrus says, ¡°I hope we can as well.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on? You attacked me the first time we met, and you¡¯re being nice to Cyrus. Is this some game, are you¡¯re trying to make me a liar?¡±


    ¡°I have no such intentions. You look parched. I should get you some tea.¡± Running inside the house while Cyrus and I sit outside it, she grabs both of us tea and says, ¡°I also got some food so you can enjoy it.¡± Then she brings out baskets of food so beautiful looking it is shining.


    This stuff looks like the food kings and queens eat, and she has all of this in a basket. Seeing this, I handed her the basket of food I had brought.


    ¡°Orb, what is this?¡±


    ¡°I felt bad for yesterday¡¯s food, so I bought you something to replace it. Though it pales in comparison to all this food.¡±


    Holding the basket with food close, she says, ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± She gets up and puts it back in the house as we sit there and eat the food surrounding us.


    While eating all the delicious food with Cyrus, I notice that miss Gozen is staring directly at us, so I say to her, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not. I was wondering if you are enjoying the food.¡±


    ¡°Yes I am, but aren¡¯t you going to eat anything here? It is a lot.¡±


    ¡°I am fine; enjoy.¡± Looking over at Cyrus, she says, ¡°Are you dissatisfied? You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re eating your fill.¡±


    ¡°I can eat a whole lot more than n-n-n-normal people. If I ate my fill, I would probably eat all the food in this c-c-c-city.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, I didn¡¯t know you were holding yourself back.¡±


    ¡°I have gotten used to eating small a-a-a-amounts since Basileia. So, I am fine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when we get back home, I will let you eat as much as you want,¡± after saying this, I hear the heartbeat of miss Gozen beside me increase. What the hell is going on with her? All the kindness and food she is sharing are completely unlike her. She should be attacking me and kicking my ass. I still felt pain in my back from her violence yesterday.


    Suddenly she starts to massage my back. ¡°Ahh, what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Your shoulders looked stiff, so I thought of giving you a back rub.¡±


    ¡°Please stop-,¡± I try to say, but the sudden pleasure from her massage forces me to stop. So, I let her continue until we finish eating. When the meal ended, due to Gozen becoming passive and Cyrus being quiet, I sat down there bored with nothing to do.


    ¡°Orb, come with me. I have something to show you,¡± grabbing me by the hand, she leads me to the back of the house with Cyrus following close behind.


    When we arrived, she said, ¡°Look at this.¡±


    Staring at the landscape in front of me I see a massive amount of drawings, so many that the amount of snow I made yesterday seems small in comparison, and all of them are incredibly detailed.


    ¡°You liked my art yesterday, so I decided to show you more of it.¡±


    Looking at this gallery, I am completely mesmerised by this sight. It is so pretty. But looking at all this, I have a question: How didn¡¯t I notice this if it was just behind the house? This question causes me to come to a realisation suddenly.


    Walking over to her, I take off her mask and see large bags under her eyes. She crouches down and hides her face from my line of sight.


    ¡°I knew you it. You drew all of these last night and didn¡¯t get any sleep. What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you do that.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to make sure you would have a good time,¡± she says, trying to run away.


    So that¡¯s the reason she has been so attentive. I go up and grab her from the back, saying, ¡°I came here to hang out with you regardless of any type of poise, so stop being you, ok you idiot,¡± while spinning her around in my arms.


    When I stop spinning her, she says, ¡°OK I will. Could you also please give me back my mask?¡±


    Suplexing her into the ground, I say, ¡°Come take it. Think of this as punishment for your despicable behaviour.¡±


    ¡°You bastard,¡± she says as her tail breaks my hold on her. While trying to get back on my feet, I see her three tails form into a hand which she uses to squash me repeatedly. She picks up her mask from my body and says, ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve scum.¡±


    Getting up, I see Cyrus walk over to her, which causes her to freak out. Since Cyrus has a reasonable opinion of her so far, she is scared she has ruined it.


    When Cyrus gets close, he says, ¡°How amazing, you are so strong for how little you are.¡±


    Even behind her mask, his words made her feel elated. ¡°Of course, I am. I happen to be me.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°Now that you¡¯re back to normal, let us go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, into the city. I was told to sightsee, and I would like a guide.¡±


    She starts freaking out and says, ¡°I can¡¯t go. There is no way, not a chance, fucking impossible.¡±


    ¡°Why not? The first time we met was in the city. And if you are worried about your hair, we can put on a covering.¡±


    ¡°But I am not so sure.¡±


    Walking up close, I say, ¡°If we all go together, I guarantee it will be fun,¡± with a smile.


    ¡°Ok,¡± she says.


    ¡°We can cover your head easily, but your tails will be hard, given how big they are.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that?¡± she says as her three tails suddenly disappear.


    ¡°What did you just do?¡±


    ¡°My legacy allows me to store spirit energy in the form of tails, so I usually have it always on, but I can disperse all the energy whenever.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t that mean her legacy is always acting on her butt? I am intrigued, I would like to see how that works, but I value my life too much to ask her such a question. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    When we arrive in the city, we go everywhere and take it all in; the people, the sights, the spirits, the food, everything. It has been so long since I could walk around with no strings attached, aimless, just enjoying what I saw. It was a great time. And with the big smiles on both Cyrus¡¯s and miss Gozens faces, they were also enjoying themselves. This is what I had dreamed of doing. I hope I will be able to do this with everything back in the tunnels as well.


    When we get to the base of the ocean, I say to miss Gozen, ¡°Cyrus and I need to go to the toilet. We will be back in a minute.¡±


    ¦µ I can¡¯t believe I saw the sea during the day. What a miracle this is; I was able to make two friends today as well. I need to try my best to keep them happy. I would love to tell them my name, but that would increase their chances of finding out about me. I can¡¯t let that happen, no matter what. I want them to continue being my friends for at least the duration of their stay. I like this feeling in my chest to stay a little longer.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± I say, holding my head. All the thoughts and feelings of people today are especially bad. It feels like my head is going to split open. I need to focus on my thoughts like always.


    As I was focusing solely on myself, one of my tails accidentally regrew and knocked the covering off my face.


    Then someone screams, ¡°WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE!¡± Turning around I see qn old woman pointing at me. This isn¡¯t good. I messed up.


    ¡°SOMEONE CALL THE TWINSTARS!¡±

 Arc 5.12

    As the people around me start to increase, they yell at me, saying;


    ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Have you come to curse us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one making the minuses stronger, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how your existence has brought ruin to our businesses?¡±


    ¡°Stop destroying our lives!¡±


    ¡°Why did you have to be born into our village.¡±


    ¡°Was it not enough destroying your parent¡¯s lives.¡±


    ¡°GET OUT!¡± Someone screams at me as they throw a stone my way. But as the stone comes towards me, Orb knocks it away as he and Cyrus arrive.


    ¡°What are you people doing?¡±


    ¡°Stay out of this foreigner.¡±


    ¡°How can I stay out of this when my friend.¡±


    ¡°Friend, do you even know what that child is?¡±


    ¡°She must have tricked him.¡±


    ¡°To think she has been trying to bewitch all the travellers all this time.¡±


    ¡°Even after we put up with her existence in our village, she still pulls stunts like this. I have had enough of this, let us remove her.¡±


    Cyrus smashes his foot into the ground, which releases a mighty shockwave pushing people back and onto their knees. Then he says in a primal voice, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt children.¡±


    The crowd around him grows fearful, I can feel it. But soon, the fear is replaced with even more rage as they say, ¡°Look, she is controlling those boys. We have to appeal to the queen to remove her from this city. She is too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!¡± They shout at me constantly.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you people?¡±


    My headache gets worse as the number of people increases. Their thoughts are so intense that two more of my tails fully grow back. Looking up, I see their faces of disgust at my presence here. I can¡¯t take this. Why do I have to feel all this hate I think as tears fall from my eyes. I can¡¯t stay here anymore so I convert my tails into spiritual energy and then use all my strength to take off faster than anyone could keep up.


    ¦µ ¡°Dammit, wait up,¡± Orb says. ¡°Cyrus, I am going to go after her. Please figure out why these people are acting like this.¡± Then Orb takes off after her.


    This is my chance, I got to do my job. ¡°Why are you guys saying such horrible things to her? S-S-She hasn¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°It is because her very existence is a blight on this nation and all our lives.¡±


    ¡°As long as she is here, we can never truly be safe.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing, so stay away from her foreigner.¡±


    As they continue to shout, I hear a voice louder than the others. Coming through the crowd, I see Muneko, and she says, ¡°I have already told the twin stars that the Norowareta-ko has left her space. Now disperse and calm yourselves. Nothing you do from this point on will do anything except make a minus appear.¡±


    Following her words, they all disperse, and I say to Muneko, ¡°T-T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem. I said I would help you if we met again, but Cyrus, more importantly, where you really with the Norowareta-ko?¡±


    ¡°I was with m-m-miss Gozen, but I don¡¯t know w-w-w-why people are scared of her. Muneko, please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is complicated, so let¡¯s find someplace to sit down.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ She is fast. I can¡¯t even keep up. I would be lost entirely if I didn¡¯t know where she was headed. As I keep running through trees in the forest towards miss Gozens house, I hear something, but before I can react, I am knocked from the tops of the trees to the ground below.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± When I look up, I see someone standing in front of me. Making out who it was, I saw the commander of the twin stars in front of me.


    As he opens his mouth to say something, he starts to laugh. ¡°Sorry about this, but I just remembered how you were found, and I couldn¡¯t stop laughing.¡±


    Out of sheer embarrassment, I say, ¡°Forget about that right this instant.¡±


    ¡°Ok, princess. Now would you please do me a favour and leave that girl alone.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    ¡°What, you in love?¡±


    ¡°Gross, don¡¯t make me puke.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you are a little boy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for games so unless you can tell me why everyone hates her, I need get out of my way.¡±


    ¡°OK, ok, then I will tell you.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Cyrus, this nation, as you know, has a curse on it that makes emotions take a form we call spirits. Spirits are beneficial and are one reason our country is so self-sufficient.


    ¦µ ¡°But for all those benefits, little boy. There is a trade-off, and that is the Norowareta-ko.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Every twenty years, a child is born with a curse. The child is granted the ability to interact, alter and shape spirit energy. They can manipulate the souls of all life and control them, but more worryingly, they can create spirits whenever and wherever they want, even outside the boundaries of this country.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°That sounds like a blessing that power could be used to help people everywhere,¡± I say.


    ¡°You are correct about the little boy, but that isn¡¯t the only power they are granted.


    ¦µ ¡°Spiritual energy is drawn to Norowareta-kos. This means they are constantly bombarded with emotions, and eventually, people¡¯s thoughts.


    ¦µ ¡°At first, it is just the people around them, but as they grow older, the range of this ability also grows. It goes from the people around them, then to all the people in the city, then all the people in the country, then everyone in the world.¡±


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    ¦µ ¡°Can you imagine constantly taking on the emotions and thoughts of everyone worldwide? It is simply too much for anyone to bear, so every Norowareta-ko eventually goes insane.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°When they eventually lose it, they use their powers to destroy everything. They make a nearly infinite legion of spirits, and by manipulating people¡¯s souls, they can turn them against each other.


    ¦µ ¡°People are rightfully scared of them for such a reason, and where fear comes, so does discrimination. By law, they aren¡¯t allowed to harm Norowareta-kos physically, but as you can see, there are other ways they can.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°The hatred runs so deep it is even considered standard practice to abandon your child if they are born one. Norowareta-kos are kept isolated from everyone else in whatever city they¡¯re held in to ensure there aren''t any incidents.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t ask to have any of this and is treated like a monster for something she can¡¯t control.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t control people¡¯s hearts, but she is dangerous and must be separated from everyone.¡±


    ¡°So what? She should spend her life hiding away alone in the forest. What kind of life is it that, you people have no right! If she has to live like this, she would be better off dead.¡±


    ¡°Your spot on. Kids can¡¯t be executed for any reason in this country, so when the little miss in that forest reaches age fifteen, her head will be lobbed right off. For this reason, I want you to fuck off and go away.¡±


    ¡°Bastard, how the hell can you be so heartless.¡±


    Walking up to me and grabbing me by the collar, he says, ¡°YOU¡¯RE THE HEARTLESS ONE, BRAT. She has no family, friends, or anything to attach herself to this world, so at the very least, I am sure she would also like to leave this world.


    But then you come in and make it harder for her. Do you realise the worst thing you could do is to give her any form of affection because when she has to die in less than a year, it will only make it harder for her?¡±


    Letting me down, he says, ¡°So if you care about her on any level, you will leave her alone and not get her involved in your self-righteousness. Now, bye,¡± with that, the commander leaves.


    ¦µ ¡°So please, Cyrus, leave this girl alone. Don¡¯t make her exit from this world harder than when she lived in it.¡±


    ¡°Muneko, can you answer one question?¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°W-W-Why do they hate her so much?¡±


    ¡°I already told you it is because she is a norowareta-ko.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that l-l-level hatred can¡¯t be just because of that. That wasn¡¯t f-f-fear; it was disgust at her existence.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Muneko says, ¡°Among norowareta-kos, she has it especially bad, and that is because the legacy she was born with is-.¡±


    -Break-


    Seven years ago


    ¦µ ¡°You, our precious star,¡± are the words my mom and dad told me daily when I was young. Over and over, they called me precious, beautiful and unique. ¡°No matter what anyone says, you¡¯re our greatest blessing,¡± I loved receiving all these compliments, but I loved being with my mom and dad even more.


    My dad owned a dojo where he taught me how to fight, every day was intense, but it was much fun going up against him every day.


    Whenever we trained too hard, mom punished dad and made me draw with her. All of mom¡¯s drawings were so wonderful that I wanted to try to recreate them, so I always did my best to focus, but my dad got lonely and tried to bother us. It was a fun time, but my favourite part was that right before we went to bed, my mom told me how this country¡¯s founder defeated the evil demon fox that cursed this nation. Waiting to hear this story always got me excited to go to bed.


    We lived in our house in the forest, away from all the people in the city. We lived right beside my father''s dojo, which was really big, making it hard to clean. My dad said our family had been running this dojo since the start of our nation¡¯s founding, and our family took great pride in it.


    So, we always had to make sure it was in perfect condition. We had to clean it, but whenever we did, I found pictures of fathers other students, so I asked him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t your students help us clean this house?¡±


    ¡°Well, I want us to do this as a family. I can never spend enough time with you,¡± he says as he picks up my petite body and tosses me into the air.


    I always liked that answer because it made me feel like the most important person in the world.


    One of my favourite activities was when we would go into the city to do some shopping. It was always fun since I was never able to come here usually. Mom and dad both hold my hand and swing me around whenever we shop. I have lots of fun with them, but the people around me always give us strange looks, and I feel they don¡¯t like me. I don¡¯t understand why but I have always been able to understand people¡¯s emotions.


    While shopping, I saw some kids playing close to us during one of our outings. So unbeknownst to my parents, I slipped out to play with them.


    Seeing them kick a ball around in utter excitement, I walk up to them and ask, ¡°Can I play as well?¡±


    But they looked scared at my presence, and one of the kids says, ¡°It¡¯s the monster.¡±


    ¡°I am no monster. I wouldn¡¯t harm anyone,¡± I say as I walk closer.


    One of them throws the ball at me, hitting me in the face. Then they say, ¡°My mother told me about you. You¡¯re the monster.¡±


    ¡°Leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    Then the kids start throwing stones at me. My head starts to hurt a lot. All of this angers me. I hit one of the kids in the face, which send them back. While the first kid starts crying on the floor, the other kids run over to him as his crying grows louder.


    Suddenly an adult walks up and asks, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The kids say, ¡°That monster attacked us,¡± while the one I punch is still crying. Soon lots of adults come here, including my parents.


    When they arrived, my parents grabbed me and started apologising to everyone around them while bowing, their faces were filled with frustration. But all the people keep screaming and saying mean things to them. Suddenly my head starts to hurt so bad that I pass out.


    -Break-


    Walking up, I look around to see I am in my house. I walk around looking for mom and dad, and when I get to the house entrance, I see them both talking to an old woman. Getting close, I hear her say.


    ¡°Inari, I need you to listen to me and abandon the girl.¡±


    ¡°That girl is your granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand you fool. You can have more kids. But the fact that you haven¡¯t disowned her led to your dojo¡¯s end. It used to be the largest dojo in all of Seirei, but now all your students have left, and our family¡¯s over two thousand years of history have ended.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, mother.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Kuzanoha? Your art used to sell in the capital to the rulers of our country, but now you sell them for scraps to get by. Don¡¯t you see you both were incredibly blessed, and now you¡¯re letting your life be destroyed due to this one child. You can have more, don¡¯t let that girl¡¯s cursed existence take you down with it.¡±


    Hearing this, my chest feels tight as if it is about to explode, so I say, ¡°Mommy, daddy, I am sorry for being born,¡± which causes them to turn around I but run off.


    -Break-


    After running for some time, I find a place to stay. As long as I stay here, I will be fine. Now both mommy and daddy will be happy. Even if I am alone, I will be ok as long as they¡¯re ok. I won¡¯t curse anyone anymore.


    I suddenly feel myself being tackled then I hear, ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    That voice was, ¡°Mommy, daddy.¡±


    ¡°My god, you are fast; It seems your father has been training you too hard.¡±


    ¡°How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°Your too simple, my daughter. As your father, I could read your mind five times over.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me. If we stay together, I will only hurt you.¡± Pushing them away, I say, ¡°Everyone hates me, and if I stay with you, everyone will hate you too. Even grandma doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    My mom slaps me across the face while my dad thonks me on the head, and they start to cry. ¡°Why would you say such a thing? Don¡¯t you know how sad our life would be without you?¡±


    ¡°Without my little princess, I would lose the strength to go on. Do you want your father to die?¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to be happy, please don¡¯t cry,¡± but they start to cry louder ¡°What do you want to stop? Please tell me what to do, and I will do it.¡±


    ¡°Then promise us that you will never leave us,¡± they say in unison,


    ¡°But I am a curse.¡±


    ¡°You are no such thing.¡±


    ¡°You are our princess, so stay with us forever.¡±


    ¡°Is that ok, mom and dad?¡± I say while crying.


    They both hugged me and said, ¡°Obviously,¡± and just like that, we cried the rest of the day away.


    Later the following day, while walking through town, I saw a bunch of people snaring at my family, so I ran up to them and said, ¡°Laugh all you want and make fun of us all you want, but we love each other more than anything so no matter what you say we DON¡¯T CARE!¡±


    When I say that, I feel a sudden sensation around my behind, and then, looking back, I see I have grown two tails. My mom says, ¡°Inari her hair is partially pink.¡±


    Suddenly everyone around me starts to scream. Looking up at my parents, I see mother crying. ¡°Mom, what is wrong,¡± I say as dad holds her.


    I hear my dad say, ¡°Gods, what do you have against my daughter? What has she done.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand why everyone was scared, but a few days later, I would realise as envoys from the capital arrived. They ripped me from my parents.


    ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER, YOU BASTARDS!¡±


    ¡°LET HER GO. SHE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG.¡±


    I cry, ¡°DON¡¯T HURT MOM AND DAD. THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG!¡± Turning to the envoy from the capital, I say, ¡°Why are you doing this to us?¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t told you?¡±


    ¡°Told me what?¡±


    ¡°That on top of being a norowareta-ko, your legacy is that of the demon fox that places this curse on this nation. You have not only inherited its curse but its powers as a whole. You will be brought to the capital, where we shall figure out how to deal with you. Depending on the situation, it might be grounds for immediate execution.¡±


    And just like that, I was taken.

 Arc 5.13

    I was brought to the Himeji castle when I arrived in the capital. I was always told as a child that it was a giant beautiful building where the shogun lived. It was a place I wanted to visit one day. To think I could come here, though my circumstances weren¡¯t the ones I wanted to see it under.


    The first thing they did when I got there was isolate me from everyone. I was given a new change of clothes and was brought excellent food daily. However, I hated when they came to provide me with anything because whenever they approached, I could feel their hatred, fear and disgust at my presence. Every day I would feel more and more of their emotions until one day, I started to hear their thoughts.


    Full of animosity, they would discuss:


    ¡°She is too dangerous to be kept alive.¡±


    ¡°The fox rampage this time might destroy more than our country.¡±


    ¡°It is our duty as humans to end this threat. We should execute her immediately.¡±


    ¡°Kids cannot be put to death for any reason.¡±


    ¡°Will you let such a foolish rule bring about the destruction of our country?¡±


    ¡°If she has the same powers as the fox, she could undo the curse on this nation. We should try that.¡±


    ¡°There is no guarantee that would work; to accomplish that, she would need to be trained. What if she goes berserk during that time? It will make her almost unstoppable.¡±


    ¡°More than that, the country is built on the backbone of spirits. If they were to all disappear, how would we function?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s utter selfishness. Don¡¯t we owe it to all the people we have executed to try?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to gamble the lives of your family for such a reason, because when she controls you and makes you kill them, will you be able to say that?¡±


    I would do no such thing I am no monster. Why do these people hate me so much? Mommy and daddy only got angry when I did something terrible, but I never did anything wrong to these people except live. Is my being alive a bad thing?


    Every day they debated what to do with me; they went back and forth without end. And every day, I felt the hatred for me in the castle grow more and more to the point that it was almost unbearable, but unable to do anything about it. My life continued like this for four years.


    The only solace I was given was when I was allowed to walk each day, but even that was ruined by one of the high-ranking official sons, every day without fail, he would come up to me and bully me. He would step on my head and say, ¡°A child of cursed birth like yourself has no right to breathe the same air as me.¡±


    All the adults who watched me let this happen because they didn¡¯t like me. They would only stop him when he left any visible bruise. I put up with all that, and I cried every day until one day, I was told that I was going home.


    I don¡¯t know for what reason, but I was allowed to go back and live with my mom and dad. On the day I set out to return, a group of people sent me off, including the boy who bullied me. He was beaten up pretty badly.


    On that day, it was the first time I ever saw the shogun of Seirei. She had beautiful long hair, but her face was obscured entirely; I couldn¡¯t even make it out.


    She said to me, ¡°You are a cursed existence that will bring harm to this world. That is a truth you will never escape from, so don¡¯t make any bonds with people and if you ignore these words, trust me when I say you will only bring ruin to those near you, so don¡¯t be foolish. In four years, this man standing behind me will cut your head off, so until then, behave yourself. That is the only kindness you will be given.¡± And like that, I was sent off back home.


    When I arrived, I was met by a commander of the twinstars who told me, ¡°For the next four years, I have been dispatched to watch you until you are killed. Yippee, let¡¯s not get to know each other, ok. So, from now on, you will live in the area around your house your necessities will be brought daily by twinstar members. Don¡¯t expect them to be in good condition or the food to be good. Got that, now go.¡±


    With those words, I ran into the forest. I felt the hatred everyone in the city had towards me as I returned, but I didn¡¯t care. I only cared about seeing mommy and daddy after such a long period. I can¡¯t wait to see you guys to tell you how hard it has been, for them to praise me for being a good girl. I wanted to be close to them again, so I ran towards the house as fast as possible.


    But when I got there, I didn¡¯t see my parents. I expected them to be waiting for me, but they weren¡¯t, so I ran all over the mountainside within the boundary to look for them until I collapsed on the floor out of exhaustion.


    Laying on the floor with no energy, my grandma¡¯s words flash through my head. They couldn¡¯t have, they promised, but that was before they learned about my legacy. Please don¡¯t tell me, they wouldn¡¯t.


    But then where would they be? They had never left the house for this long before. ¡°Mom, Dad, please don¡¯t tell me you left, because if you¡¯re gone, I have nothing else,¡± I say while crying.


    While lying down with tears falling from my eyes, I hear the feelings and thoughts of everyone in the city constantly berating me again and again.


    ¡°Why did they let that monster back here.¡±


    ¡°Let us pray we aren¡¯t killed.¡±


    ¡°Those capital scum, don¡¯t they know how we feel.¡±


    ¡°They should have ended her life.¡±


    ¡°I hope that pest dies.¡±


    ¡°An ugly witch made to bring us to ruin.¡±


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    ¡°Why did she ever have to be born.¡±


    Their hatred and disgust at me is overwhelming, and when faced with that, I say to myself. ¡°I AM AMAZING. I AM A PRINCESS, I AM PRECIOUS, I HATE ALL OF YOU, YOU¡¯RE TRASH, YOU¡¯RE GARBAGE. I AM HIGHER THAN ANY OF YOU. I HOPE YOU ALL DIE,¡± I scream all night until my voice can¡¯t make another sound.


    As the days go on, I live utterly devoid of hope or purpose. I lay down on the floor of my house day in and day out. Whenever someone comes and brings me something, they don¡¯t even come close to my house. They leave it a certain distance away in a basket. I am fed three times a day though the food is excellent, and I am given what I need to survive though everything they give me is permanently damaged.


    One day, I found a set of drawing materials near where I picked up my supplies, so I took and drew all over the house. At the very least, it gave me something to do instead of rotting away, though not by much.


    When I finished drawing thoughts bombarded me just like always. I said what I always did to ward them off, ¡°I am amazing, I am a princess, I am precious, you¡¯re all trash, rubbish scum, not even worth being kept alive. I hate you,¡± I kept repeating this until I started hearing something specific.


    ¡°The minuses have been getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°The travellers and our ships have attacked them.¡±


    ¡°It has been so bad that some businesses have had to close down.¡±


    ¡°The twinstars are barely doing anything to help us.¡±


    ¡°Son, are you ok? Where does it hurt.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, the daddy, are those scary monsters going to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Someone, please help us all.¡±


    For the first time in a year, I smile. ¡°Serves all of you right; I hope you¡¯re all killed,¡± I say, laughing with all my heart. But day after day, their emotions and thoughts get worse, and it isn¡¯t as easy to block these out as the rest, so one day, I decide to shut them all up.


    Walking into my house, I grab one of the decorative masks my mom made, one of a fox, and I took a Gi from the dojo; my dad made lots of them for me when I was younger. Putting them on, I convert all of my tails into spirit energy, then moved at blinding speed to where the minus is this late night. I see it attacking a family, so I exorcise it, leave as fast as possible and go to bed.


    When I awoke the following day, I preprepared to be hated again, but I felt happiness and gratitude.


    ¡°Someone saved my family and me yesterday.¡±


    ¡°They wore a fox mask.¡±


    ¡°They were so strong.¡±


    ¡°They are the only reason me and my family are alive. I give my utmost thanks to this person.¡±


    Hearing this, my chest felt so unbelievably tight that it spurred a feeling I had long forgotten. But when someone said, ¡°Let us hope that this person can save the rest of us.¡±


    An idea popped into my mind. Every night after that, I went out to fight minuses. They were easy to deal with, but soon they got so strong that I could barely deal with them. Though the martial arts my dad taught me enabled me to even the playing field. I fought a countless variety of them and came back home beaten, bruised and bloody more and more.


    But every day, I also heard:


    ¡°Thank you, masked stranger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my hero.¡±


    ¡°The guardian deity of this city.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being here.¡±


    My chest became tighter and tighter hearing all this, so I continued. I use my feeble medical knowledge to patch myself up from significant injuries and let the rest heal naturally. This made fighting minuses the next day harder, but it also made it a lot more fun.


    Though one minus irritated me. ¡°You are a fool,¡± it said to me.


    It is sentient despite just forming this one is going to be fun. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about what a minus could say. Shut up and fight me.¡±


    ¡°Almost killing yourself for a little praise; they have destroyed you more than you know.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet. I fight to become stronger. Do you think I care for praise?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, little girl. I am also made up from your emotions, I know much more than you do. Most of the emotions that form me are their hatred towards you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand that even though they never see you, never talk to you, and know nothing about you, but still their hatred for you has only increased year to year, forming stronger and stronger minuses. I am simply the next evolution of that hatred, Otake. You fight for people who despise your very existence. You are nothing but a fool.¡±


    ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTH,¡± and like that, I fought it all night until sunrise, and when I went home, I drew a picture of this spirit to add to my collection of trophies.


    Every day I did this, I felt I was at the world¡¯s top. I felt happier and more content than ever, so much so that I had the foolish idea that I could make friends and walk through the city. I was an idiot.


    And now, as I lie in my little house surrounded by all my trophies, I cry. ¡°I thought something might have changed, but they hate me as much as ever. All I did was focus on the positive, but their hatred grew. I am alone again.¡±


    I walk out of my house and say, ¡°It is just like Otake said. I am a fool; I should just go and disappear,¡± but I am suddenly hit from the back.


    Then I hear, ¡°Gotcha, you stupid fox.¡±


    Pulling away, I look at the person¡¯s face and see Orb. ¡°What kind of person runs away in the middle of an outing,¡± he says as he approaches me.


    Using my tail to ward him off, I say to him, ¡°Get away from me. I am sick of you. In every way, you utterly disgust me.¡±


    He looks shocked at my words, but I continuing I say, ¡°You vile creature do you think I wanted to be friends with you? I was putting up with you until the curse I placed on you took effect. Now you better run off, or the curse won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean that?¡± he says, saddened.


    I can¡¯t let him get in trouble cause of me. ¡°Of course I do, now fuck off you parasite.¡± After I say this, Orb thonks me twice on my head and then slaps me three times in my face. Which makes me fall down.


    ¡°Do you think I would believe anything you say with your heart rate going crazy like that? You must take me for a fool?¡±


    While on the floor, I say, ¡°I am not lying,¡± but then he thonks me five times and slaps me seven. ¡°Those hurt bastard.¡±


    ¡°Lies hurt more,¡± he says with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you crying.¡±


    ¡°Thinking about your situation, I can¡¯t stop crying. Even when utterly alone, your still trying to help me,¡± he says, hugging me.


    ¡°Unhand me right now, pervert.¡±


    ¡°Listen hear, right now, I vow onto my soul that no matter what, I will always be your friend, norowareta-ko or not; that doesn¡¯t matter to me in the slightest.¡±


    Hearing this, I freeze for a moment and say, ¡°You¡¯re a complete liar.¡± Breaking his hug, I say, ¡°Mom and dad said the same thing, but they left me and abandoned me to live in this hell. Your just a liar, just like them.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± he says with steadfast eyes.


    I quickly read his mind and realised something. ¡°So, you don¡¯t know. My legacy is that of the evil demon fox that cursed this nation. I have not only received its curse but its power. I am the vilest creature to walk this earth; none can rival me in that, and none can stand beside me, SO GO AWAY!¡±


    ¡°T-T-T-That isn¡¯t true¡±, I hear someone say as he makes his way through the forest. Walking up close to us both, he says, ¡°Orb activate your legacy¡±, which he does then a star mark appears in his eye.


    ¡°T-T-That mark in both of your eyes signifies a soul marker. It means all your legacies are family members. I-I-I have one too. That means if your legacy is a demon, so are ours. Wh-h-h-here all cursed.¡±


    Hearing this, Orb has a look of surprise on his face, then smiles. ¡°Miss Gozen, you could be possessed by the devil himself, and I would not break this vow, so no matter what happens from this point on, I will always be your friend. Let our cursed souls bind us.¡±


    ¡°Your lying¡±


    ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll hate me one day.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± they say in unison.


    ¡°I am cursed.¡±


    ¡°So, then our we¡±


    ¡°Can I be your friend?¡± I say with tears going down my face.


    ¡°You already are,¡± and like that, they hug me.


    ¡°Is it all right for me to be feeling this happy.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, as your friend, I will try my best to make you happy.


    ¡°Then, can I ask you for a favour?¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°Can you call me by my name,¡±


    ¡°Obviously, but I need to know it first¡±, so I whisper it into Orb¡¯s ear, and he says, ¡°Suzuka Gozen, from now on, will you let me call you by that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my friend.¡±

 Arc 5.14

    -Break-


    Every day since Suzuka told us her name, we have come to visit her. The twinstars have tightened their defences around the area of her house, but as long as we sneak past them, it is no issue.


    Whenever we arrive, Suzuka is filled with joy to be with us, so much so that I felt that she was overbearing but still, that smile is too genuine for me to complain, so I bear with it.


    We spend all our time from morning till night playing. We draw, we build snow sculptures, we even fight though Suzuka tends to beat our asses at all of these things, which has stroked my competitive spirit quite a bit. So instead of making sure she has been having a fun time, I have been trying to crush her with all my heart though it turns out life isn¡¯t going my way.


    One day I lost so completely at everything I fell to the ground on my hands and knees in defeat with tears falling down my eyes. Seeing this, Suzuka said to me.


    ¡°Sorry about this Orb I¡¯ll let you win the next one.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t make me happy,¡± I say, even more, depressed than before.


    Cyrus walks up to Suzuka and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, he lost, so as the victory, step on his corpse and take what is rightfully yours now.¡±


    Cyrus really does say some scary stuff at times. Spurred on by Cyrus¡¯s words, she steps on my head and says, ¡°You¡¯re where you belong, on the ground, like a loser.¡±


    After she does this, I curl into a ball and say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to play with you two anymore.¡±


    ¡°Shaking my body, they say, ¡°Orb, please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°I am s-s-s-sorry.¡±


    Turning my head back, I ask them, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± they both say in unison.


    ¡°Then let me touch your tails right now.¡±


    So, both of them present their tails to me, and I take my fill of rubbing them. Cyrus¡¯s tail is dynamic and hard, almost like a sword and whenever I touch it, he twitches, while Suzuka¡¯s is like a fluffy cloud which can completely envelop me. After feeling both of them I say, ¡°I like Suzuka¡¯s better, and lay my head on it.¡±


    Suzuka has a smug face of victory, while Cyrus looks shocked. ¡°A-A-Are you sure you don¡¯t want to try again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Now what was that you said about losers being stepped on.¡± Cyrus sits beside us dejectedly at this moment.


    While feeling up Suzuka¡¯s tail, I remember something then. I asked her, ¡°Why do your tails grow back randomly without your knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you see, when I take in people¡¯s thoughts and emotions, I also take in some of their spiritual energy, and when I accidentally take in too much, my body tries to automatically store it in my legacy without my consent which causes my tails to grow back.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean you can constantly refill on spirit energy whenever you run out?¡±


    ¡°As long as I can hear people¡¯s thoughts and emotions, I can.¡±


    Isn¡¯t she just a perpetual motion engine of spirit energy? That¡¯s rather dangerous information to know. ¡°Well, you can always have these tails whenever you want. Their so nice to be in.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy. My friends can touch them all they want.¡±


    ¡°You hear that, Cyrus. Stop pouting and come over here and get your fill of this softness.¡±


    Walking over, Cyrus drops his head on her tail as well. When he does, his body relaxes as her tail envelops him.


    As we all lay there staring into the night, I say, ¡°Did you two ever want to be anything when you grew up,¡± after I say this, they both go silent, then Suzuka says.


    ¡°I have never told anyone this, not even my parents, but I always wanted to be a shrine maiden.¡±


    I let out a little laugh hearing this.


    ¡°What funny about that Orb.¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just found it funny, but why do you want to be one?¡±


    ¡°It is just whenever I see one while walking through the city, I thought they were so pretty, their clothes, their hair, how they presented themselves.¡±


    ¡°Well, at the very least, you don¡¯t have to worry about being pretty.¡±


    Smugly she says, ¡°Thank you. Now tell me what you wanted to do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Come on, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    With tears in her eyes, she says, ¡°But isn¡¯t this what friends do, and you promised to be my friend.¡±


    As her sadness increases, I say, ¡°OK, I will tell you but don¡¯t laugh. I wanted to be a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because aren¡¯t doctors so cool? There are so many things that can kill a person, and doctors have the power to stop those things. Doctors will always be needed no matter what era, isn¡¯t that cool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess it is.¡±


    I say to Cyrus, ¡°What did you want to be.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Well, like all dragons, I wanted to be a warrior and plead complete loyal to the dragon god.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°When all dragons are young, we are taught there is no greater joy or pleasure in life than placing your everything to the dragon god. You shouldn¡¯t eat, sleep or think if it isn¡¯t directly about how to please the dragon god and his family.¡±


    Hearing this, I sigh and say, ¡°Cyrus, you have been brainwashed.¡±


    Putting his hand on his ears, he suddenly starts saying, ¡°LALALALALA.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they thought us to do if anyone speaks ill about the dragon god. We either do that or kill them.¡±


    ¡°My god.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Orb, have you started to serve the dragon god.¡±


    ¡°NO. Listen to me, Cyrus, you know that thing I said about thinking for yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°It applies here, so if you trust me, you will forget everything they taught you.¡±


    ¡°But Orb.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, I don¡¯t want to hear any buts. Please trust me.¡±


    Pouting he says, ¡°Ok, I will.¡±


    I swear he will do anything someone tells him. Though I am not doing any better, I need him to stop following others¡¯ orders, including mine, so that her can think for himself.


    Suzuka starts laughing at us as we talk. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so funny. This is serious.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I am sorry; it just makes me laugh. It reminds me of how my parents used to scold me.¡±


    ¡°You were probably scolded all the time due to your bad behaviour.¡±


    ¡°I was a perfect child I would have you know. I always did what I was told and went to bed immediately. I also cleaned up after myself whenever I made a mess like an adult.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, very adult.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that tone.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± I say, cuddling up to her tail more and more.


    After sitting there for a while, I say to Suzuka, ¡°It has gotten quite late. I think it is about time me and Cyrus go.¡±


    ¡°But you guys usually stay longer.¡±


    ¡°I know, but we¡¯re leaving Seirei tomorrow. So, we need to get somethings done before we go and have a good night''s sleep.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Suzuka says, ¡°I guess you would need that.¡±


    Getting up close to her face, I say, ¡°Make sure you get a good night¡¯s sleep tomorrow as well. You¡¯re going to need it. Pulling Cyrus away, I say, ¡°Before we leave tomorrow, we will come and visit you, so be ready. Bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing both of them walk away, I sit down and think to myself. I have had some much fun over this last week. I made two friends, and I got to hang out and eat with them daily. So many things I wanted to do I have done, and this tight feeling in my chest was more wondrous than ever before.


    I got to hear stories about things I will never see or touch, and of all the friends Orb and Cyrus have, though I didn¡¯t really like those stories. But still, I have truly been living a dream for this last week, one that I have to wake from soon, but that¡¯s ok since I am content that I finally am happy to be here.


    But I suddenly feel horrible, worse than I ever did before. It is much worse than when I feel everyone¡¯s emotions and hears their thoughts. I feel like I am about to die. What the hell is going on? Why am I feeling this? I think to myself. Though I know the reason, I can never allow myself to say it out loud, because after all the good fortune a cursed person like me just received, I shouldn¡¯t say something so selfish.


    Still, this feeling persisted more and more until I couldn¡¯t get it in, so getting up on my own two feet, I ran as fast as I could away from my house, and I screamed something that made me feel sick. ¡°I DO NOT WANT YOU GUYS TO LEAVE ME. PLEASE STAY HERE FOREVER. I DON¡¯T WANT TO BE ALONE; FORGET ABOUT ALL YOUR OTHER FRIENDS AND STAY HERE WITH ME. I CAN¡¯T DEAL WITH BEING ALONE AGAIN!¡±


    I cry as I run as far as I can. I am utterly disgusted with myself. Their friends are dying, yet this is all I can think about. I run so long and far that I cover most of the forest. I even run past the encirclement to the back of the forest for the first time in my life. After I stop due to exhaustion. I sit down and say to myself. ¡°Go get some sleep, you have to give Orb and Cyrus a good send-off tomorrow. So, get your smiling face as good as possible ok, Suzuka.¡±


    But after I finished saying that, the land mass I was standing collapsed and brought me down. I could cushion my fall with my tail, but looking down, I saw something I never thought I would.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°This is the shop,¡± Cyrus says to me


    Walking inside the shop where Cyrus placed the order for our medicine, I see a somewhat beaten-up old man and a woman standing beside him. I hand them a receipt for the order we placed, and the woman says ¡°You¡¯re the people whom my old man scammed out of all that money. Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It was my mistake not teaching Cyrus the proper value of money, so it isn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°Well, your medicine is ready, so how do you want it delivered?¡±


    ¡°We will just carry it.¡±


    ¡°But it is quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry; Cyrus here will be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡±


    As she back all the medicine into a big bag for Cyrus to carry, the woman hands us a book and says, ¡°Here you can have this for all the money we took from you. I think it is more than enough to pay you back.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a soul book a lost item. If you charge it up with spirit energy and then use your legacy on it, you can find out lots of things about your legacy. The way you make this book has been lost for ages, so that is a super rare collector¡¯s item. Though it takes a lot of spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to give us this.¡±


    ¡°People without legacies have no use for such things, and the more you know about your legacy the better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    As we walk out of the store, I will have to ask Suzuka to charge this for us. But then I heard someone scream. Then looking around, I see loads of people looking up into the sky, where I see a moving black cloud.


    Cyrus says to me, ¡°That¡¯s s-s-spirit energy.¡±


    I am unable to see pure spiritual energy. The only way I could see this is if it¡¯s as dense as a spirit.


    ¦µ While walking through the city, people are giving me death stares and screaming at me to get away, but I don¡¯t care. After what I saw, I needed answers, or my head will split open.


    After I walked around for a while, I saw a woman who had been in this village since I was young. So, I walk up to her, but a few twinstars come up behind me and say, ¡°What are you doing here? Go back to the forest now, or we will remove you.¡±


    I knock them out with my tails, then continue my walk to the woman as she moves away. I grab her and hold her down, and one of her kids with her says, ¡°Get away from my mom,¡± but I send him flying into one of the buildings with my tail.


    ¡°Hey woman, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Get away from me, you monster. Do you know what you just did to my son?¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN! Earlier I happen to come upon something that I need answers about, and you will help me.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone; you filth-covered cursed piece of trash.¡±


    Looking up at the sky, I say, ¡°I came across my parent¡¯s grave a bit earlier. I had always wondered what had happened to them. I thought for sure they had run away, but they were dead. I was in disbelief at first, so I dug up the bodies to check, and they had their wedding rings in the same place.


    But you see, that was also very strange to me. My parents were both healthy individuals, and my father wouldn¡¯t have lost to any minus that I could beat, so I only had one thought process: someone murdered them. So right now, lady, tell me the truth.¡±


    ¡°I know nothing. Please spare me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you tell me, I will find out for myself.¡± So, I read her mind and found out what I wanted. Moving back from her, I am in utter shock. Looking around, I say, ¡°You people, all you people together, ganged up on my parents, even the twinstars. They were the best people on this earth, and you killed them. What have my family or I ever done to you people? YOUR ALL TRASH FILTH SCUM. I HATE YOU ALL.¡± As I say this, I fall to the ground in tears.


    ¦µ As the little demon girl cries in front of me, I try to grab my children and get away, but I see some ungodly black spirit energy flows around her and five of her tails disappear, and from the mist a spirit appears.


    ¡°You foolish humans, all the hate you have propagated for the last fourteen years for this child, and all the hate this child has for you has finally taken form. Now on the name that I inherited from this child¡¯s strongest foe, I, Otakemaru, will kill you all.¡±


    This heavenly but demonic spirit strikes my family and I when it finishes speaking.

 Arc 5.15

    -Break-


    ¦µ The dark cloud in the sky me and Cyrus see suddenly collapses in on itself and disappears. Following this, screams are heard, and debris flies everywhere even in our direction.


    As it comes at Cyrus and me, I freeze it, but looking around me, not everyone is so lucky. Debris blasted off some of their body parts, crushed some of their bodies, and landed on lots of the buildings. Seeing this, the feeling to vomit almost overtakes me, but I hold it back.


    Then I say to Cyrus, ¡°I need you to go back to the inn to drop the medicine there. When you get back, make sure Sparrow is ready. If this is what I think it is, we might need to proceed with our plan tonight instead of tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°R-R-R-Right,¡± Cyrus says as he leaves, I go around and start helping the people who were crushed by the debris around me. The spirits in the area and the buildings, also come out to help.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what is doing this?¡± I ask one of the spirits.


    ¡°It¡¯s a minus. I can feel it, all of the spirits can. But this one is, without a doubt, the strongest I have ever felt. I am scared to be here.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you run?¡±


    ¡°All the humans here are like our parents; no matter how scared we are, we can¡¯t abandon them.¡±


    Looking around, I see all the spirits in the area shaking out of fear but still moving relentlessly to help the citizens. After a while, we put all the people in a cart Spirit and send them off. Using all my strength, I head off towards the origin of this source.


    ¦µ You can ruffly divide spirits between ranks between five ranks from D to S.


    D-rank spirits are those that form right away.


    C-rank spirits can form immediately or evolve from a D-rank in about 15 years.


    B-rank spirits rarely form on their own, but it is still possible that it also takes another fifty years to evolve from a C-rank.


    There are no records of an A-rank spirit forming naturally. They all evolve from a B-rank in about two hundred years.


    Then it takes another thousand years to evolve from an A-rank to an S-rank. When a spirit reaches ranks A and S, its power can even be greater than legacies.


    So the fact that an A-rank spirit lies in front of me fills me with nothing but terror. As my men get blown back by that monster, I feel the need to run and save my life, but I integrate my Spirit (Jun washi) into my sword and go ahead fighting it.


    As I and the other twinstars in the area continue to fight it, I realise how dire our situation is. With each attack, he splits the ground around us, and this spirit energy comprising him is so dense that none of the samurai can leave a dent in him. Only the shamans with their spirits can even harm him.


    What¡¯s worse is that most of the twinstars here are rookies, so we can¡¯t even use any complex formations.


    ¡°Captain, we won¡¯t be able to hold out much longer. It is too strong.¡±


    ¡°We have no choice until commander Shink¨­ gets here.¡±


    I scream, ¡°SAMURAI FOCUS ON RESCUE EFFORTS. SHAMAN COME WITH ME AS WE HOLD THIS MONSTER BACK¡±, so we all proceed to try and fight the monster off.


    As we fight, I start to notice its patterns. Even though it has the power of an A-rank, it is still missing the almost three hundred years of experience one of them would have, so its attacks are predictable. All it is doing is throwing around its unbelievable amount of power.


    Spirit weapons may be weaker than legacies, but if I fed it my spirit energy, I could make it temporarily stronger. So, as we continue to fight it, I find an opening, and after pouring in most of my spirit energy into my spirit weapon, I attack and cut off the minuses hand.


    ¡°EVERYONE SEE, THIS MONSTER ISN¡¯T UNBEATABLE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS NOT LOSE THE WILL TO FIGHT¡±


    I hear the screams of all the shamans around me, invigorated by my words and actions. This is good. If we can keep this up, we can hold it off until commander Shink¨­ arrives to finish it. My Jun washi has a paralysing effect on people, so they shouldn¡¯t be able to move.


    ¡°Did you think restricting my movement would help you? What utter foolishness? I thought playing with you humans would be fun, but it is completely pointless,¡± The minus says as it regrows its hand.


    There is no way he could regrow a limb cut off by spirit energy, unless, someone is feeding it spirit energy, but who outside of the commander even has that amount of spirit energy?


    As I am lost in thought, the minus says, ¡°Sh¨­t¨­ren¡±, and then a katana appears in his hand. After swinging the sword, gusts of wind come out of the blade.


    ¡°MOVE!¡± I scream to everyone. This enables some of us to dodge, but this move hits loads of us. Even all the buildings around us are sliced.


    As I recoil from the blow, I look at the monster, and it says, ¡°Dait¨­ren¡±, then a new katana appears in his hand. It trusts the katana, and a large amount of water rushes towards me. I try to move but realise one of my legs has been cut. Closing my eyes, awaiting the impact, I get sent flying back, but it doesn¡¯t feel like water hitting me.


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    As I open my eyes, I see that some samurai shielded me. ¡°What the hell are you rookies doing?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight that thing.¡±


    ¡°Where useless on this battlefield, all we can do is lay down our lives.¡±


    ¡°Go get it, captain.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we couldn¡¯t do more.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you idiots. No way in hell am I going to let such gutsy rookies die here.¡±


    I rip off some of my pants, tie them around my leg to close the wound, and then reinforce it with spirit energy. ¡°COME ON; EVERYONE, DO YOU ALL PLAN TO DIE HERE!¡±


    ¡°Your stupidity is astounding,¡± the minus says as it says another thrust of water directly at me.


    The rookies are behind me, so no matter what, I cannot move from this spot. So, as I prepare to take the blow head-on, I see all the water freeze and hear, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Looking up, I see a young boy.


    ¦µ Staring at the minus, I see it has a sizeable humanoid body but is entirely monstrous. That is what caused all this chaos. Did it form right away? Then I hear a sudden burst of sounds flow into my ears that of people¡¯s screams, making me look around and see a few people scattered everywhere.


    Seeing this anger fills my body, but then I hear a familiar voice, that of Suzuka. I knew she must be here. I focus on her voice to find her location. But then I realise she is at the base of that monster.


    Then, as the dots start to connect, the monster sends a thrust of water in my direction, just like the last time I freeze it solid. Shit, if this is what I think this is, I got to get Suzuka out of here before anyone realises.


    ¡°Hey, you over there,¡± I say to the woman I just saved.


    ¡°Umm, yes.¡±


    ¡°Coordinate with me to fight that monster. I can¡¯t damage it, so I will try to stop it. While you guys attack.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work. That monster keeps getting feed spirit energy, so it will keep regenerating.¡±


    Of course, Suzuka¡¯s spirit energy never runs out as long as she can absorb others. ¡°Ok then, if we can get me in close, I am sure I can get rid of that monster.¡±


    ¡°No, if you help us restrain it, we can wait for commander Shink¨­ to come and help us.¡±


    ¡°If we wait that long all the people here will probably be killed by that monster. I doubt you want that, so let us try to beat it.¡±


    After taking a moment to look behind her, she nods for me and screams, ¡°EVERYONE FOLLOW ME LEAD.¡±


    And just like that, we all head towards the minus at full speed while manoeuvring away from its blows, we all charge forward, and I use a significant amount of ice to freeze its movements. Then, as I approach under it, the twinstars ward off its blows.


    But then it says, ¡°Kenmy¨­ren,¡± then another sword appears in his unfrozen hand. Then crashing the blade down, it makes a giant pillar of fire around him which burns a lot of us, but I create as much ice as I possibly can to stop it partway, but it still burns us.


    ¡°DON¡¯T GIVE UP, WE¡¯RE ALMOST THERE.¡±


    The twinstars around her scream with all their might, then we try for a second time, but he breaks out of the ice and says, ¡°Dait¨­ren¡± then, slashing forward, he creates dark black clouds that obscure our sight.


    While in the dark cloud, I fell a strong blow come at me right in my stomach, the force of it sends me flying back out of the clouds. Then the minus flies into the sky and says, ¡°Sh¨­t¨­ren.¡± After saying this, he swings his sword down into the shadows, where lightning comes out. The minus then returns to his last location.


    After the cloud disappears, I see most of the twinstars either died or were heavily injured. Only four are still standing. But looking at them, they still shout, ¡°LETS EXORICSE THIS MONSTER.¡±


    I now have more than one reason not to lose now. So, as they go towards it for another attack, so do I.


    ¦µ After running back into the inn to see Sparrow, I start panicking as I try to get my words out, but then I say, ¡°G-G-Get ready, operation fox starts now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? I thought we were doing that tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Orb has a b-b-bad feeling, so we got to get r-r-ready to move at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I guess I got to get changed.¡±


    As we start preparing, Zashiki walks into the room. ¡°Thank the gods you guys are safe. There has been an order by the twinstars to evacuate everyone to one of the hidden shelters.¡± After looking around the room, she says, ¡°Where is Orb?¡±


    ¡°He w-w-went in the direction of the spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no. This isn¡¯t good. I can feel it from here. Whatever is over there is bad news. The Gyaku kitsunes can barely move, their feeling so tense.¡±


    After saying this, we hear a loud boom which causes us to look outside, where we see a giant pillar of fire in the direction Orb said he was going.


    Seeing this, I start to panic in my head. Is Orb, ok? Maybe I should go over there to help. But he said to me to begin preparing operation fox. But he could be in danger, though he is strong. Still, he can¡¯t use spirit energy, and that was a large amount of fire. He may be in trouble. No, Cyrus, you don¡¯t want to make things worse. That¡¯s right, follow instructions. You don¡¯t need to mess up this life-or-death situation. Then I see lighting coming down from the sky.


    Before I realise what, I am doing, I grab the sword we got in Deno and head toward the lighting.


    ¡°Cyrus, what are you doing!¡± Zashiki says.


    I keep running at full speed, using spirit energy to make my legs stronger. What the hell am I doing. I know I can¡¯t help, I know I can¡¯t, so why am I running. I continue to question myself as I run, but every time I hear a big explosion, I speed up until I reach there.


    I see Orb and the twinstars fighting their hearts out against a monster. As I try to draw my sword, I stop and start to shake uncontrollably. Looking at the monster, I feel something I thought I could only feel with some of the older dragons, the need to bow my head. This monster scares me.


    Orb and the others are fighting with such conviction that they might die if I get in their way and become a burden. I should have never come here; I knew this, but I still ran because I foolishly thought I could do something.


    As I continue loathing myself, I see Orb pushing into a building and about to be stabbed by a sword which causes my body to stop altogether. Seeing this helpless, I feel tears about to come out of my eyes, but then, in that instant, I remember Willow¡¯s words ¡°WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO¡±.


    Right now, even if I might ruin this all together, I want to help Orb despite my weakness. As I am about to lunge forward, drawing my sword, I hear a familiar voice say.


    ¡°That is some nice conviction. You seem to be getting better at this. So, all you need to do is focus me on this sword, then crush your enemies like the dragon you are.¡±


    ¦µ As the minus flaming sword is about to stab me, suddenly, all the flames vanish, the hand of the minus is missing, and all that is left is darkness. The minus says, ¡°Looks like a fun one has appeared.¡±


    I stand up to see who did this, and I see Cyrus with a sword that looks like a legacy.


    The minus says ¡°Dait¨­ren¡± and then swings its newly manifested katana at Cyrus. But then Darkness spews out of Cyrus¡¯s blade and absorbs it all.


    Looking up at me, Cyrus says, ¡°I have come to help.¡±


    Name: Jun Washi (B-rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A spirit Shaped light an eagle with a light green glow. It can paralyse people with negative emotions.


    Fact: It was initially a D-rank spirit formed by a bird lover, but after generations of being passed down in said person¡¯s family, it evolved into a B-rank, where it is used by the family¡¯s eldest daughter Sato Sora.


    Name Otakemaru (A-rank)


    Type: Minus


    Description: A humanoid-looking Spirit but is also wholly monstrous. It has three katanas, which it uses to control nature.


    Fact: Half of the spirit energy that makes it up comes from Suzuka and the other half from the village¡¯s residents.

 Arc 5.16

    After Cyrus says this, the minus with its flaming katana swings directly at him.


    ¡°DODGE!¡± I scream.


    But Cyrus blocks the blow, from the katana taking the full shockwave of the impact, and absorbing the flames.


    ¡°You¡¯re interesting. To think a human is this strong¡± the minus says as Cyrus knocks it back.


    I move up to Cyrus and ask, ¡°How did you do that.¡±


    Sporadically he says, ¡°I j-j-just got my s-s-sword then I thought I couldn¡¯t let you d-d-die, then black mist appeared. L-L-Legacy active sword changed darkness came out minus defeated.¡± When he finishes saying all this, I feel like steam is coming out of his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay slow down. We will figure this out later, but we need to get past that monster because behind it is Suzuka.¡±


    He starts panicking and says, ¡°Is she ok? What is going on? Did t-t-t-that monster hurt her?¡± while getting close.


    ¡°Cyrus, you¡¯re ruining the cool Aura you had. Clam down,¡± I say, pushing his face away.


    ¡°S-S-Sorry¡±


    ¡°I need someone to distract him as I get close. Will you be able to handle that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. All dragons receive harsh military training from the age of three. Compared to that, this guy is easy.¡±


    What the hell is going on in your homeland? As I think this, the monster sends a water current at us, and I freeze. Then I say, ¡°well, if you say you can, follow me.¡±


    So, the minus continues to throw attack after attack at us as we get closer. Every time it sends one of its significant attacks, I move behind Cyrus as he absorbs it. The closer we get, the more it seems to stay close to Suzuka as if it is protecting her.


    When we get incredibly close, we charge forward with all our strength as the minus sends a giant wave of fire at us, but Cyrus absorbs it as we press on.


    But the minus says, ¡°It¡¯s over for you both¡± Then I turn around to see the minuses two other swords. ¡°Know taste this human, Sanmy¨­ no ken sh¨­totsu¡± the other two swords, one of water and one of wind, came and tried to attack us, but at that moment, the remaining twinstars came and blocked the swords.


    Then they scream ¡°KEEP GOING¡± to us. Cyrus moves forward as fast as he can, Absorbs all the fire and cuts straight through the minus. In that gap, I use my legacy to create a large amount of snow under my feet to propel me forward, which enables me to get straight to Suzuka.


    As I reach her, she is covered in the dense black spirit energy I saw before. Walking up to her, I yell, ¡°SUZUKA!¡± but as I get close, her tails ward me off.


    ¡°DON¡¯T COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME!¡±


    Dodging her tails, I say, ¡°Sorry, but you aren¡¯t going to get your wish. I have no intention of leaving you in such a state, especially since you¡¯re my amazing friend Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°NO, I AM NOT. I HATE MYSELF! I am the type of horrible human being who would ask more of the only people who had been nice to me. I wanted you and Cyrus to stay with me even more than that. I wanted you both to take me away from here, even now when I know what type of monster I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no monster¡±


    ¡°Look around Orb; you can see it and hear it all the lives I have snuffed out by existing. I know why they were so scared of me. They just wanted to live without constantly fearing death. I understand that, yet seeing them all die fills me with nothing but happiness I hate them, I hate them so much. But the part that fills me with even more hatred is not the fact that they killed my parents, but it is the fact that no matter what I do or try to do to be liked and loved, no one will love me. They all hate me for existing, yet I so desperately want their love that I would almost kill myself. When I think about that, I hate myself even more.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°So, I am tired, Orb. I am done with their never-ending cycle of hatred. I want my life to end. So, in my utter selfishness, I will wait here until someone strong enough to kill me comes along, and I will curse that person with my last breath, and I am too much of a coward to go off on my own so everyone here can come with me.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka¡±


    ¡°You see Orb, that is the type of person. I am a selfish demon who is petty to her last breath.¡±


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S WRONG WITH THAT!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with expecting people to be nice and to respect your life and to be understanding. Why the hell should you feel like you¡¯re a horrible person for expecting humans to use their brains for one second.¡±


    ¡°But I know the chaos I can cause if I was to live.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember learning the law of nature that states you have to die¡± getting up close to her, I say, ¡°If all of the others go crazy, I will simply have to make sure that happiness surrounds you so completely that it will go overpower all of humanities feelings.¡± As I grab her hands.


    ¡°But who would care for someone like me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re staring directly at one, and another is fighting his ass off against that monster back there. You made two in six days. I am sure in the rest of your life you can make many more.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t Orb. If I go, I will be putting my only friends in danger.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you don¡¯t go with me, I will stop being your friend.¡±


    ¡°But you promised.¡±


    ¡°If we aren¡¯t friends, you can come along with me without worrying about my fate.¡±


    With a little smile, she says, ¡°Orb, that logic is very flawed.¡±


    ¡°Friends put up with each other idiocy, so put up with it. So if I am ready to take on all your problems, you need to accept some of the stupid things I say.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°No more buts from this moment on. I promise I will never let you question whether you want to live ever again. So, Suzuka Gozen, stop rejecting me and come with us. The only answer I will accept is yes Orb, so how about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes Orb¡± she says as the spirit energy all around her fades then she falls asleep. ¡°I guess this must of taken a lot out of her. Picking her up, I walk over to Cyrus, where I see the minus slowly fade.


    Before it ultimately fades away, it says, ¡°Remember this boy¡¯s, hatred doesn¡¯t ever fade in the hearts that cause it and in the hearts that receive as long as that rule remains among you humans, my death is only ephemeral.¡± With that the minus fade from our sight.


    Looking around, I see every last one of the twinstars are unconscious or dead, then I say ¡°Cyrus we got to get out of here as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°B-B-But is it all right to leave them here in this state.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the spirits should be able to sense the fighting is done and will come to help these guys. I wish we could do something more for them as well, but if they figure out it was Suzuka who caused this, it will be almost impossible to sneak her out of the country, so our only opportunity is now.¡± And with a heavy heart, me and Cyrus escaped from there.


    When we arrive at the inn, Sparrow says ¡°What happens.¡±


    I told him, ¡°I will explain later. Is everything ready to go¡±


    ¡°Umm, yes just a few more things.¡±


    ¡°Dammit,¡± I say as I start frantically getting everything ready.


    But then I heard, ¡°find her. It is the Norowareta who caused this. Find her and execute her.¡±


    ¡°If this country won¡¯t defend us, then we will defend ourselves.¡±


    ¡°She couldn¡¯t have gotten too far.¡±


    ¡°I saw that she has been interacting with some boys.¡±


    ¡°I think I saw those Boys staying at that inn.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the owner of that inn.¡±


    Crap, this is bad. ¡°Cyrus, Sparrow, I am going to try leading them away. You run with Suzuka.¡± I say as I run out of the room.


    These bastards, instead of rescue efforts for the people who put their lives on the line fighting for you they, choose to come after Suzuka instead. As I arrive at the entrance I see the inn owner with Zashiki by her side, talking to the crowds outside. Listening in, I hear.


    ¡°The norowareta-ko isn¡¯t here,¡± she says


    ¡°Why should we believe you, she is your granddaughter, isn¡¯t she.¡±


    Her granddaughter.


    ¡°For all, we know, you have been aiding her all these years.¡±


    Zashiki, about to flip out on them, is stopped by the owner and she says, ¡°The norowareta-ko ruined my son and daughter¡¯s life. It destroyed all of our family legacy and now I will die a woman who has had all her descendants die before her. Do you really think I would protect the CURSED EXISTENCE THAT BROUGHT THIS UPON ME! So if that is all you want to accuse me of leave right this second and go help the people who are injured or dying instead of foolishly letting your anger run rampant?¡±


    With that, all the people disperse then she turns around and says, ¡°Orb, where is she.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°I see, so she must be in your room.¡± Turning her head to Zashiki, she says ¡°Take them through the secret passage.¡±


    With that, Zashiki heads for my room, as the woman walks away. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to see Suzuka before we go?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re her family, it would mean a lot to her.¡±


    Turning around to face me, she says ¡°Boy, I meant every word I said back there. I don¡¯t even recognise that girl as my granddaughter, nor will I ever.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you help us.¡±


    Stopping for a moment, she says ¡°Till this day, I still love my son against all logic. No matter how stupid or how opposed I might be to some of his decisions I love him, and I can¡¯t tell you why. I knew my son had that same nonsensical love for his child, and I knew it would be his end, so I tried to make him give all that up, but it was to no end. I will never love that child. It is impossible for me. So, at the very least, as one parent to another, I will respect my child¡¯s decision to keep her alive.¡± She says as she walks away. As she does this I run back to my room.


    ¦µ I still remember that wonderful day.


    ¡°Mom, Come hold our daughter.¡±


    As I hold her in my arms, I am entranced by her eyes. They¡¯re so small cute.


    ¡°We decided to name her Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°That is a splendid name, Kuzanoha must have chosen it.¡±


    ¡°Mom, are you saying I couldn¡¯t pick a competent name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up, Inari I already know you plan to train her like she is a boy.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her learning to fight a little.¡±


    ¡°You idiot, this is why you are so stupid. I am going to raise this girl to be the most exemplary lady, just watch. I hope we spend lots of time together little Suzuka.¡±


    Even when I saw Suzuka seven years later, she was still adorable. But still, I simply cannot bring myself to be her family, so goodbye forever, my granddaughter.


    ¦µ As Zashiki leads us through a secret entrance, I ask her, ¡°Where are you taken us.¡±


    ¡°To just a little something, we prepared if this situation ever arose. Ahh this is so exciting, I never get to do things like this.¡±


    As we continue running further, someone eventually comes down from the sky and blocks our path. As the dust clears, I see it is the commander of the twinstars.


    We don¡¯t have time for this. I should attack him as quickly as possible. But as I try to do this, Cyrus stops me.


    ¡°What are you doing,¡± I say, looking at him. But I see Cyrus shaking.


    But then Zashiki says, ¡°Since you can¡¯t sense spirit energy, you wouldn¡¯t know, but this man right in front of us is much worse than that spirit just appeared, and all of us except you can feel it.¡±


    Tch, what are we going to do?

 Arc 5.17

    -Break-


    19 years earlier


    ¦µ ¡°Inari-sensei, there is a monster outside!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember training any of you guys to lose to a minus, now do I.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a minus, it¡¯s a human.¡±


    After my student finished saying this, I suddenly see more of my students fly through the dojo door. ¡°What the hell is going on¡±, I say, dumbfounded by this situation.


    Then walking on top of the defeated bodies of my students, I see a young boy come in, and he says, ¡°Your Inari Gozen the one in charge here aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am now, would you please stop walking over my students.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about that; soon I will be walking all over you¡±, the young boy says as he jumps to attack me. Dodging his blows, I see how incredibly sharp his spirit energy control is, not only that his footwork is great and he is aiming for all my weak spots; I see how he was able to so easily overpower my students, but I won¡¯t go down so easily.


    So, after giving the brat a fake opening to strike, I catch him and restrain him. Then while he is restrained I say, ¡°You¡¯re rather strong but your two thousand years too early to fight me.¡±


    ¡°Whatever let go of me you giant gorilla.¡±


    ¡°Such disrespect towards your senior, I should teach you a lesson.¡± So, pulling down the boy''s pants; I smack his ass full force repeatedly then I drop him on the floor.


    While on the floor, the boy holds his ass and says ¡°What the hell old man¡±, with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°That technique is what my mother used to make sure I was respectful, so now I pass it on to you.¡±


    ¡°I DIDN¡¯T WANT IT!¡± As the boy walks to the entrance, he says ¡°Just you wait bastard, I will be back to crush your skull in." He leaves while holding his ass.


    In response to this my, students who have got back up say the following to the kid while making stupid faces.


    ¡°You better run brat.¡±


    ¡°Come back whenever sensei will give you the same beating.¡±


    ¡°I hope you enjoy it you little shit.¡±


    Looking at them I say, ¡°Are any of you in a position to say such things, you all lost to a kid who doesn¡¯t even look like his age is in the double digits.¡±


    ¡°But sensei.¡±


    ¡°No buts, it seems your training so far hasn¡¯t been hard enough. so let us bring up the intensity¡±. That night, I worked all those kids till they couldn¡¯t stand anymore.¡±


    But as the next day came the brat made good on his promise, and showed up again. ¡°I am going to return you to the jungle you gorilla¡±


    ¡°You brat, here for another ass beating¡±


    ¡°Sensei is going to put you in your place again.¡±


    ¡°I bet your ass still hurts.¡±


    The kid proceeds to knock all my big-mouthed students out. ¡°Shut up you fodder. So are you ready obese tanuki?¡±


    Walking up to him, I say, ¡°WORDS HURT¡± while crying. Then I kick his ass just like I did yesterday.


    ¡°You prehistoric shit, I will be back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What the hell.¡±


    ¡°What is it sensei?¡±


    ¡°It is just that it has only been one day, and he was a lot better than he was yesterday.¡±


    The next day the brat appeared again. Then he did the same the day after that, and the day after that. He came so much that my students and I could start feeling his presence: his challenges became a part of this dojo, but I still wasn¡¯t able to start any form of conversation with him. Which started bothering me. Because after asking around the city, I realized, he isn¡¯t from here.


    It started to border me so much I couldn¡¯t focus on anything; when my wife gave me a lap pillow all I could do was sigh. ¡°Inari are you ok your sighs have been getting louder and louder every day.¡±


    ¡°The kid has been bothering me so much that I can¡¯t take my mind off of it: sorry honey.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it is bothering you during our special time, I will do something about it. So now during our alone time, you can only focus on me.¡±


    ¡°Kuzanoha, I love you so much.¡±


    ¦µ While kicking a tree over and over again only one thought gets me through it; that old man I will kick his head in. After taking a break, I stop to catch my breath, but as I get prepared to go back to kicking the tree, I see a demon hiding behind it.


    Moving back on my hands feet I scream, while the monster approaches me, but after coming closer I see it is a beautiful woman. ¡°Hello, I was looking for an opportunity to start a conversation. But you were so entranced in your training that I couldn¡¯t get close. You ok your face looks rather red.¡±


    Realizing I am blushing, I turn my face and say ¡°What do you want.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°I have just heard, that a little boy has living in the forest, and I have been wondering what he has been eating, so I brought food for said boy.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would I want to eat food you made!¡±


    The woman starts crying profusely and says, ¡°I am such a failure my existence is a mistake, why was I even born, someone just kill me right this moment, an ugly stupid woman such as myself should just go and die.¡± While on the floor, curled up in a ball.


    Freaking out that I caused such a reaction I say, ¡°Please stop crying.¡±


    Bringing her head up she says, ¡°Then will you eat my food.¡±


    Looking at her face I say, ¡°Yes I will; please stop crying.¡±


    ¡°Yippee,¡± she says, as she hands me the basket full of food. Upon opening it, I see how extravagant this food really is, who makes this for a stranger?


    Sitting down beside me the woman stares intently as I am about to eat it. Pressured by her stare I put the food in my mouth, and feel immeasurable pleasure ¡°Delicious! I didn¡¯t even know food this tasty exists, are you sure you''re not a god in disguise¡±, I say while cramming the food in my mouth.


    After I finish eating, I fall back on the floor with my belly full and tears in my eyes. ¡°Thank you that was amazing!¡±


    With a big smile she says, ¡°I am so glad you enjoyed it. But now that you have finished. Can you tell me why you have been bullying my husband?¡±


    When she says this, I am completely in awe and say ¡°That gorilla is your husband! Did he kidnap you? That forty-year-old bastard I will teach him you shouldn¡¯t force fifteen-year-old girls into marriage.¡±


    Putting her hands on her face while blushing she says, ¡°Oh you and those compliments, but I am twenty-two years old with my husband being two years younger than I am.¡±


    ¡°He is twenty! That old fart is only ten years my elder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I would apricate it if you didn¡¯t talk about my husband like that. He happens to be the most amazing man I know: his joyous heart his muscles his facial hair their all so amazing!¡± The woman says as blood drips from her noise.


    Handing her a napkin I say ¡°You ok.¡±


    ¡°I am fine but back to business I would like you to tell me why a sweet boy such as yourself, would be causing chaos back at the dojo, and it looks like you have been camping out here, where are your parents they should be worried to death for you.¡±


    Moving away I say, ¡°It is none of your business hag.¡±


    While balling her eyes out I hear her say, ¡°I was just trying to look out for you, I was worried for you and wondered why you were out here. But I am just a stupid dumb ugly idiot!¡±


    Seeing her cry, I panic and say, ¡°Please stop crying.¡±


    ¡°So will you tell me¡±, She says with her tears immediately stopping.


    You manipulating woman, ¡°Ok then.¡±


    ¡°Yippee!¡±


    So, turning my back to her I say ¡°I can¡¯t go home because my parents are dead, they were killed by minuses two years ago. Because of this I made a promise to get really strong, and join the twinstar corps, so I trained my ass off in the forest for two years, but when I went to apply for the twinstars, they told me to go away.


    I knew I was stronger than your average person so I didn¡¯t take no for an answer and decided to pester them daily, until they said yes but without fail, they said no, until one day someone told me, we will let you inn if you beat everyone at Gozen dojo.


    So, I headed off to Higashinagisa-shi to beat everyone. But that stupid man stands in the way of me and my dream, so I am going to crush him into the dirt.¡±


    Turning around I say, ¡°So sorry I am going to crush your husband¡±, but when I do I see her crying her eyes out.


    Grabbing me tightly she says ¡°That¡¯s so sad how horrible, don¡¯t worry we''re going to get you into the twinstar corps no matter what.¡±


    ¡°But that would mean I have to beat your husband.¡±


    ¡°Who cares, let¡¯s go stomp my husband¡¯s stupid face in, me and you together.¡±


    ¡°But how am I going to beat him, he has no weakness, and is simply stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you''re wrong, he has one big weakness and I will teach it to you, but first we need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Because you are such a nice boy. Wanting to join the twinstars and put your life on the line at such a young age is so brave an action: your just overflowing with kindness.¡±


    Hearing her words, I say ¡°I am sorry for being rude, so as an apology let me give you my name; Shink¨­ Date.¡±


    ¡°Well nice to meet you Shink¨­, my name is Kuzanoha¡±, after this, we start preparing for our plan.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Everyone takes a break now the kid should be showing up right about now¡±, as everyone in the dojo sits down the kid comes through the door almost comically on time, but this time he has company, my wife.


    ¡°Are you ready, today old man we are going to crush you.¡±


    ¡°You hear that Inari, this is the day you''re going down,¡± Kuzanoha says.


    ¡°Honey, why are you standing against me?¡±


    ¡°This goes beyond husband and wife this is about pride, truth, and honour.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that old man, just remember that this is the day you fall¡±, the boy says as he runs at me. Guess I just have to finish this like usual, and ask afterwards.


    ¦µ As me and the old man begin our exchange, I continue to press him, but he wards me off, but it doesn¡¯t bother me; I am waiting for an opportunity to strike his weak spot. And just like he did the first time we fought, he leaves a false opening for me to go for, but that is exactly what I was waiting for so I fall into his trap.


    ¦µ I thought the boy had grown but he fell for the same trap again, I guess I ought to finish this. So, as I am preparing to restrain him again, he suddenly does something unexpected, he grabs my nipple and I fall to the floor.


    ¦µ It is just like Kuzanoha said, he loses all his strength and falls over when someone grabs his nipple. So, after making him fall to the ground I put all my spirit energy into my hand and smack him in his temple knocking him out.


    After I did this, Kuzanoha tackles me from behind and says, ¡°Great job, you did wonderfully, now you can finally join the twinstars.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can thank you so much Kuzanoha.¡±


    One of the students comes up to us and says, ¡°You guys know you have to be fifteen years old to join the twinstars.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but they said if I beat all of you guys, I would get to join.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible the twinstars will never ever make an exception, not even the noble families, you were lied to.¡±


    Hearing this me and Kuzanoha fall to the ground in despair. ¡°I am so sorry Shink¨­, I had no idea.¡±


    ¦µ Getting up from the ground, I see both my wife and the boy crying on the floor. So after comforting my wife with a lap pillow, I get explained the situation and let out a big laugh ¡°There, there, Kuzanoha it will be ok. Now brat by the name Shink¨­, you now can¡¯t join the twinstars and have nowhere to go, so why don¡¯t you stay with me and my wife.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Because my wife seems to have taken a liking to you, and I would also like to teach you what the true meaning of strength; if you get used to using such underhanded tricks you will die in no time when fighting minuses.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really it sounds like you¡¯re a sore loser, and don¡¯t want to let me walk away the winner of our last bout.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky brat, you have still lost the far majority of our matches.¡±


    ¡°The most recent one is the only one that counts¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true child, but don¡¯t worry if you stay here over the next five years I will beat it out of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re on gorilla.¡±


    Name: Inari Gozen


    Age: 20


    Birthday: Taurus 5th


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Indigo


    Height: 192 cm


    Likes: Cheese, fighting, family, idiots, dojo


    Dislikes: Laziness, arrogance, cold


    Name: Kuzanoha Gozen


    Age: 22


    Birthday: Scorpio 9th


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 164


    Likes: Meat, art, muscles, kindness, criminals, husband


    Dislikes: Cold, secretiveness, cleanness, organisation

 Arc 5.18

    -Break-


    ¦µ After accepting Inari''s offer, I went to live with him and Kuzanoha. During the time I stayed with them, Kuzanoha thought me lots of stuff like how to cook if I am in an emergency situation, and how to upkeep all my equipment.


    Though one thing I didn¡¯t like learning was manners, apparently I had a foul mouth, and had to learn how to behave like a proper human being. The part that made it worst was that Inari''s mother Osaki was the one teaching me, and she wasn¡¯t gentle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this anymore you ape,¡± I said right at Osaki''s face.


    Osaki picks me up and hits me repeatedly on the ass. This lady is an ape in disguise she shouldn¡¯t be this strong. After she lets me down she says. ¡°Watch your tongue you ignorant child, or there will be more where that came from.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking, you old bitch.¡±


    ¡°Youth today, your morals are degrading at a ridiculous rate, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you be one of them. Zashiki bring the stone tablets I am giving this child two hours of ishidaki.¡±


    My days with Osaki were hell, it was harder than any training I have been through.


    I also trained at the dojo where I had to recite the dojo''s main principles every day before practice, ¡°NEVER USE OUR STRENGTH FOR VIOLENCE, ONLY USE IT TO PROTECT.¡±


    Aside from that I fought Inari every day, but lost repeatedly, though one thing that surprized me was that all the other students I beat came back to challenge me, it seems me and Inari fighting every day stoked their spirit. I met all their challenges head-on, and stayed undefeated except against Inari which started to irate me.


    But I still loved every second of it, training, learning, eating, and spending time with everyone was the most joyous time of my life, and in no time flat five years had passed.


    ¡°Now we will begin Inari and Shink¨­ 1,300 match.¡±


    ¡°Today is the day you go down.¡±


    ¡°Let''s see about that young man.¡±


    ¡°FIGHT!¡±


    As we begin our match, I come at him with my full force. I know all his moves and all his techniques, but more than that I have improved, right now as I am I can beat him. Little by little, I back him in a corner until I see my opening and get ready to deliver the final blow.


    ¦µ Shink¨­ has really gotten so much stronger, when we first fought, he was attack me like a wild beast, strong but unrefined. Look at him now he is completely mastered most of this dojo fighting style. I guess not only trying to beat me. but wanting to still be stronger than everyone else must have pushed him to these unknown heights. I would even say in this country for his age he is the strongest one around. If he beat me here that would truly be wonderful, but too bad, I am a sore loser.


    ¦µ While I am about to beat Inari he suddenly makes his right hand like a blade and swings it in my direction. Sensing the bloodlust from this, I put all my spirit energy into my arms and try to block it, which sends me flying backwards all the way to the end of the dojo.


    Getting up from the floor I see the entire roof of the massive dojo has been taken off. Then I hear ¡°Winner for the 1299 time Inari¡±


    Running up to Inari I say, ¡°What the hell was that, you have never done anything like that before.¡±


    ¡°That was the Gozens family¡¯s ultimate art, something that my ancestors spent years perfecting.¡±


    ¡°Why did you never teach that to me.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is simple tomorrow you happen to be fifteen and you''re going to end up going away to the twinstars, and I am sure you¡¯re going to get in since you¡¯re so strong, but that also gave me a big worry.¡±


    ¡°A Worry.¡±


    ¡°I wanted you to see that there is still a lot you can learn mister genius. I thought that if you ever beat me, you would have a sense of fulfilment and would have gotten yourself killed in the field due to overconfidence.¡±


    ¡°No one asked you to do that,¡± I say bashfully


    ¡°But at the same time, I wanted to show you the reason I am still your sensei, you got that you LOSER.¡± Sensei starts jumping around and making stupid faces at me; so I punch him in the face.


    ¡°You want to get your ass kicked that bad.¡±


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    ¡°If we fight again, I won¡¯t let you get that cheap move off.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the complaints of a loser.¡±


    -Break-


    The next morning everyone gather to send me off. The idiots from the dojo were all there, even Osaki and Zashiki came.


    ¡°When you get to the capital surprise those rich upstarts with how well-behaved you are¡±, Osaki says.


    ¡°I promise you ape.¡±


    ¡°Also, if you get a spirit partner make sure you treat it well¡±, Zashiki says to me.¡±


    ¡°Also don¡¯t lose to anyone while you''re away, ''cause when you see us next time, we will be strong enough to kick your ass.¡± The other students say.


    ¡°I doubt that, but I will accept you idiots'' challenge anytime.¡±


    Zashiki says to both Inari and Kuzanoha ¡°Stop pointing your backs at Shink¨­ and tell him goodbye you idiots.¡±


    ¡°But if we turn around we''re going to cry¡±, Inari says.


    ¡°Hey Shink¨­, how about you come and stay with us forever¡±, Kuzanoha says.


    Those idiots, walking up to them I say, ¡°I am sorry but that is impossible, I need to join the twinstars.¡±


    ¡°But you could just stay with us¡±, Kuzanoha says.


    ¡°When I first came here, I just wanted to get stronger so I could get revenge on all the minuses, but now I need to work hard to make sure all of you are protected. I can only pray for the family I have lost, but I can protect the one right in front of me, to me you guys are like my parents so I can¡¯t lose you guys again.¡±


    Turning around, they both give me a big hug while crying and say ¡°Please be safe son. You better feed yourself every day¡±


    ¡°And you better make sure to come back and visit every once in a while.¡±


    Letting out tears I say, ¡°I promise I will, especially when I have a younger sibling coming.¡±


    We kept hugging each other for so long that Osaki had to strip us off one another, ¡°He isn¡¯t going to his death stop treating this like a final send-off¡±


    After that, I left and went to the capital, upon arriving I ran straight to the twinstars office and said, ¡°I WANT TO JOIN!¡±


    But then I heard someone say, ¡°You¡¯re the little brat who kept pestering us to join.¡±


    Looking at the man and his friends I say ¡°Sorry do I know you?¡±


    ¡°You little brat you made our lives hell for months.¡±


    ¡°I have no recollection of that.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe, I need to remind you¡±, the man says going for a punch, dodging the blow I knock him and his friends out, then throw them outside of the building.


    ¡°Those were three shamans.¡± The woman behind the desk says.


    Slamming my hands on the desk I say, ¡°So can I join.¡± Like clockwork after that I was admitted and started to be dispatched to missions all over the country, I was proud to be fighting with the techniques I was taught.


    I made sure to send letters to Inari and Kuzanoha to check how they were doing, apparently recently they had been fighting over what the name of their child could be, so I gave them a name that could work for a boy or a girl Suzuka. And about a month later I was told my little sister Suzuka Gozen was born.


    So, I continued to work for the twinstars for over two years, I was called the rising star which made me happy. I felt that I was on top of the world, especially having a little sister at home, but one day something strange happened I stopped hearing from them. ¡°It''s weird how I haven¡¯t received any replies lately I should probably go back to check if everyone is ok.¡±


    Suddenly one of my friends at the twinstars runs in and says ¡°Shink¨­ bad news.¡±


    Running up to him I say, ¡°What is it.¡±


    ¡°The new norowareta-ko has been located, and apparently it is the Gozen''s new child.¡±


    Hearing this news I was shocked, my little sister has become the new monster. But what was worse is that the Gozens made it very public that they didn¡¯t want to abandon her. As soon as I could I went back home to check on them: I found that the dojo was completely desecrated, who would do such a thing?


    ¡°Shink¨­¡± I hear someone say. Turning around I see it is Kuzanoha, I run up to her and give her a hug. Where I am escorted to the little house they live in now.


    Sitting down with both of them I say, ¡°Why are you guys living here.¡±


    ¡°You saw the state the Dojo was left in, it is a lot easier to protect this small house and Suzuka.¡±


    Looking at both of them I ask, ¡°What happened to all the other students didn¡¯t they come and help.¡±


    ¡°Well, lots of them ended up leaving, being attached to our name is pretty much a death sentence now.¡±


    ¡°Those bastards, next time I see them I am going to cave their skulls in¡±


    Inari thonks me on the head and says, ¡°Remember only use what you were thought to protect you, idiot.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear no buts.¡±


    Calming down and recomposing myself I ask, ¡°Do you both still see me as your child.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± they both say in unison.


    Getting down on my hands and knees I say to them ¡°Then please listen to my Selfish request: abandoned Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°Shink¨­.¡±


    ¡°In the capital, you use to be some of the most respected people Kuzanoha your art sold to everyone in this country and Inari people kept talking about the amazing prodigy you are. But now all that is left is slander, they say the most horrible things about you, and now they gather every piece of artwork Kuzanoha has made and burn it.¡±


    ¡°Shink¨­ stop.¡±


    Looks at them with tears in my eyes ¡° I won¡¯t, look at the state of you two; you both look like you''re barely hanging on, have you even eaten anything recently? If you guys need a child I can come back to live with you or you could simply have another child but please don¡¯t let this be the end of you!


    Then Kuzanoha gives me a big hug and says ¡°You have a kind heart. I know how hard this must be to say to us, but you did it anyway to help us.¡±


    ¡°Shink¨­ all our children are equally as important to us, so we won''t let any of you go for any reason, even if it leads to our death. Who cares about what we had before, because to us you guys are the most important thing.¡±


    As I keep crying, I pull back and say, ¡°I am sorry.¡± Getting up I say, ¡°Then if you guys are in dire straits, I will take care of you.¡±


    ¡°Shink¨­, you don¡¯t have to do that, you know even being associated with us will get you in shunned.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, family takes care of each other, you guys take care of Suzuka and I will take care of you guys, I have been climbing through the ranks and my pay has gotten a lot better.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Shink¨­, sorry for being such useless parents¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry no need to apologiz-,¡± suddenly I feel a biting sensation on my leg. Looking down I see it is a little girl.


    Picking her up she starts to naw on my fingers. ¡°Is this-¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is that''s Suzuka your little sister.¡±


    Looking at her face I feel tears fall from my eyes and I say, ¡°Hello Suzuka, I am your older brother!¡±


    As she smiles back at me, I can feel the reason they couldn¡¯t abandon her. But what I am feeling could just be the vomit she let out all over my face.

 Arc 5 End

    I spent the rest of the day with them getting to know my little sister Suzuka, but when everyone went to sleep, I snuck out to go find someone. Walking into her inn, the first person I see is granny Osaki, and when I see her I run up furiously and say, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you helping your family at all.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone boy, I tried to help those two repeatedly, but they have rejected it.¡±


    ¡°They told me you asked them to give up Suzuka; we know they could never do that.¡±


    ¡°Are you just as stupid as the rest of them, that girl has no future in this country, can you not see that.¡±


    ¡°We could try and look for other options instead of just giving up on her.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would have grown in these last two years, but it seems I was mistaken. This conversation is a waste of time I am done here,¡± she says walking away.


    ¡°Granny Osaki, I always thought you were kind of mean but you did it out of love. I never knew you were such a coward, as to abandon your family out of fear of the people around you.¡±


    Turning around, she walks up to me and picks me up by the collar, then says ¡°Then since you¡¯re so smart, tell me all the other options we have right now, come on.¡±


    I don¡¯t respond.


    ¡°See, nothing, because those are all your possible options nothing. Let me tell you something none of you seems to realize, when that girl turns fifteen they are cutting off her head it is a national priority.


    So, unlike the rest of you, I fully understand there is nothing we can do for her; the only thing staying with her and giving her love will cause is to make her send-off from this life even worse, as her grandmother that¡¯s the best I can do for her.¡±


    ¡°You rationalised that really well, do you even have a heart.¡±


    With tears in her eyes, she says ¡°Shut up you dumb brat,¡± while throwing me on the floor. ¡°First, I lost my husband now I have to face the reality that I have to lose the rest of my family as well.


    Regardless of whatever we do she will die or become a murderous monster, so as her grandmother and Inari¡¯s mother, I am trying to do my best to make sure our family will make it through this.


    But none of you idiots seems to understand that, Inari and Kuzanoha''s lives are over; you don¡¯t know how deep-rooted the hatred in this nation for norowareta-kos is, that¡¯s why you can say all this nonsense with a straight face.


    They choose to stay with her even if she was to die, and society will never forgive them. To the people of this nation loving a norowareta-ko is the same as saying you don¡¯t care what might happen to everyone in the country, no in the world.


    So continue to be stupid like your parents, but when it all comes crashing down and those two have nothing left, all I can do is take care of them.¡±


    Seeing my invincible grandmother cry, all I could do was take her words and walk away.


    ¦µ I crouch down and cry unable to stop.


    ¡°You have always been pushing yourself too hard since you were a kid.¡± I hear Zashiki say as she sits beside me.


    ¡°Be quiet, you prehistoric fossil.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your slipping Osaki, after all those hours me and your mother spent drilling those manners into you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for you right now so please just leave me alone.¡±


    Giving me a hug, she says ¡°Ever since you were a child you have always tried your hardest to make everyone happy at the sacrifice of yourself. It is one of your best traits, though I wish you would be a lot more selfish. Because I am sure if you told your husband how much you hated him being in the twinstars he would have quit.¡±


    ¡°I could never do that, he was the happiest fighting for everyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my issue you brat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you hag.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ The next morning I left back for the capital with a heart full of confusion, though one thing that cleared it was Suzuka, seeing her smile me goodbye gave me strength.


    When I returned to the capital I worked even harder than I ever did before. I took on ever-increasing missions and when I did, I sent all my wages back to the Gozens. I was getting stronger, and slowly but surely I was rising through the ranks.


    But it wasn¡¯t all good, people found out about my connection to the Gozens and that I was sending them money, which made them focus all their hatred for the norowareta-ko on me. I lost my friends, and all my respect and lots of people started to pray for my downfall.


    Though this didn¡¯t bother me at all, the news I heard of how Suzuka was doing gave me the strength to push past all of this and eventually, I even started to receive do recognition, and in five year¡¯s time, I was brought to the position of an A1 rank shaman.


    I was so proud of myself for all I had accomplished, but still, that year was the worst of my life; the first mission I was given as an A1 was the mission to confiscate Suzuka Gozen from her parents. Apparently, the legacy she had been granted was that of the fox that cursed the nation, so she and to be taken to the capital immediately.


    I was there as we ripped her away from her crying parents, I had to hold both Inari and Kuzanoha back while they were screaming for her, my heart was slowly breaking.


    When they took her, they left me and some other shamans, to investigate the area in case Suzuka had some kind of effect on this city. So, I spent my entire time there calming both Inari and Kuzanoha down, and when I returned to the twinstars building in the city, the other shamans to me complained about my actions.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, come again¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader of this unit, yet you''re fraternising with the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry isn¡¯t it the job of the twinstars to look after citizens¡±


    ¡°Not those two, they choose to keep something that could put all our lives at danger.¡±


    ¡°That thing is my sister you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many lives she could take, does your head not work.¡±


    I hit him in the face, then I say, ¡°Watch your tone don¡¯t forget I outrank you and was left in charge of this mission. THE SAME GOES FOR ALL OF YOU. So, if you guys don¡¯t feel like following your orders leave. Nothing to say GOOD!¡±


    Walking away I hear someone whisper, ¡°How the hell is some young brat like him in charge of us.¡±


    I stop and say, ¡°It is simple, because regardless of my age, I have achieved more than any of you guys have, so if you don¡¯t want to keep following my orders simply go achieve something instead of sitting on your asses complaining.¡± With that, I left.


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    Over the next few days, I made sure to constantly pay visits to mom and dad, I talked to them and informed them of some recent things anything I thought could make them happy. Though the other twinstars were very visibly mad at my actions, still they were all bark no bite.


    One day during my visits with mom and dad, Inari asked me ¡°Shink¨­ do you still love Suzuka knowing everything about her.¡±


    ¡°Of course, from the bottom of my heart, and don¡¯t worry about her I will use my authority however I can to get her back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that Shink¨­ in that case we have something we would like to show you; can you come back later tonight?¡±


    ¡°I will¡±. Later that night I got up ready to go see them, but when I did I heard a large amount of noise outside, so I head out to see what is going on, and when I do I see a large crowd of civilians heading back from somewhere.


    Stopping in front of them, I ask, ¡°What are you all doing,¡± but they go silent in return, and have a panicked expression like I just walked in and saw them with their pants down.


    Then the group of the shamans that came with me walked through the crowd and said, ¡°Everyone go home, and remember none of you did anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on.¡±


    ¡°Is that an Order?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°Ok then follow me.¡± As we walk into the woods at night, we move close to the shore where he asks me ¡°Captain can you tell me what are the worst crimes you can commit in this country.¡±


    ¡°Any form of insult or offence against the shoguns family and,¡± but then what he was getting at hit me which causes me to stop.


    ¡°And getting a norowareta-ko out of the country both of these crimes are an immediate execution, and the Gozens seem to have been plotting to get their monster out of this country.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°They had been cultivating a ship spirit to get them out of the country. The people of Higashinagisa-shi had been watching them closely and thought their actions were strange, but they were too scared to approach so we went and checked and by the port is a ship spirit. This was all the evidence that we needed, so all of us confronted the Gozens then we executed them their bodies are over there.¡±


    Enraged, I almost attack them, but then I remember Inari¡¯s words and stop myself.


    ¡°Captain don¡¯t go around doing scary stuff like that, almost attacking us when what we did was allowed by the law. Those two would have destroyed countless lives, and now we saved them, we protected not only this country but everyone around the world we are heroes,¡± He says as they walk past me. ¡°I think this will earn me enough merits.¡±


    After they walk past, I realize something and say, ¡°There is no way you weaklings could ever kill sensei, so how did you beat him.¡±


    ¡°Simple, we took his wife hostage.¡±


    Hearing this, I cut off his head.


    ¡°What are you doing you, bastard.¡±


    ¡°You just killed him.¡±


    Before the rest of them have a chance to draw their swords, I attack and kill one after another. When I finish, I walk up to where they said Inari¡¯s and Kuzanoha¡¯s bodies were left. Seeing them I throw up, but I make sure to bury both of their bodies. Sitting beside their graves all I could do was cry.


    Everything moved rather quickly after that, I buried the bodies, then made up a fake story that a minus killed them. It was a farfetched one, but people believed it because they thought Suzuka had some influence on the minuses. Since I had no reason to stay, I went back to the capital.


    I had lost my principles, my family, and my drive I didn¡¯t have anything left, especially when I learnt there was nothing I could do for Suzuka. All I had left was anger, so I used that to exorcise minus after minus for the next four years and was even eventually made one of the nation''s eight S-rank shamans, one of the tails.


    But yet again life hated me, and I was tasked with the mission of looking after Suzuka Gozen, who will be returned to Higashinagisa-shi. I was dispatched there early, where I went to meet Osaki.


    ¡°My son would sadden, to know you turn into smoker.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the first thing you say to me, you never change.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that,¡± Osaki says as she starts smoking.


    ¡°Never took you for the type.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything to live for anymore, so I decided to pick up smoking again can¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you given up on life.¡±


    ¡°I would never be able to look my family in the face if I did.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same.¡±


    ¡°So instead of this leisurely chat, can you tell me why you really came here.¡±


    ¡°You really can¡¯t be gentle.¡± Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°I think, I am not going to talk to Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°I thought you would be ecstatic to be with her again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I am not that young man you once knew, I don¡¯t dream like that anymore.¡±


    ¡°You have finally coped on and given up I see.¡±


    ¡°You know, when I was younger, I actually thought if I was to climb the ranks of the twinstars and become strong enough to be able to deal with Suzuka, I would be able to convince everyone to let her live. I wanted to become some sort of hero.¡±


    ¡°Why did you give up on that then.¡±


    ¡°Simple, I don¡¯t think that power exists. The other S-rank shamans have more strength than I thought was humanly possible, I could never reach that level. Yet all of them are completely frightened by her. It wasn¡¯t until then that I could fully comprehend how much danger she poses.¡±


    ¡°So now you don¡¯t want to interact with her out of fear.¡±


    ¡°It is not that, I understand that she has to leave this earth, and if I was to come into her life, it could make her experience leaving much worse. What an asshole I am.¡±


    ¡°Welcome to adulting.¡±


    When Suzuka arrived, I was shaken by the completely desolate look she had on her face, it was as if she had given up on everything in life. I wanted to say something to her, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to so I just decided to watch her from afar.


    I brought her meals which I put my heart and soul into. I try to make it just like Kuzanoha, but it was still inferior. I spent my days watching from the treetops as she cried, then drew, then sleep, then cried, again and again, and when she kept screaming her hatred for everyone all I could bring myself to do was watch.


    Even when she started to fight minuses every night, almost pushing herself to her deathbed all I did was watch. Seeing this my heart almost broke, I wished for everyone and everything to be destroyed. And when that happened and that minus formed all I could do was watch from afar as it destroyed the city. If this is how she wanted to go out I would let her.


    I watched all her actions from afar so right now what I am doing is very self-serving but it must be done. Seeing the three boys and Zashiki escaping with Suzuka I say, ¡°Did you guys know that the reason her parents died, the reason she was cursed, the reason all the norowareta-kos had to die, the reason people loath them, and the reason minuses kill people, in this nation are all due to things we had zero control over.


    That fox did something all those years ago which dictates the lives of people today, and we all have to live with it. And maybe someone did something to it, which caused it to curse our nation.


    My point is that all humans are connected, and are actions have consequences which fall on each other like curses, something I do today could lead to the death of someone¡¯s family elsewhere in the world.


    I know full well what curses can do to people so I won''t let you go with that girl, give her here now, it is time for her execution.¡±


    Walking over to them, the boy with white hair says to me, ¡°That¡¯s true but so is the opposite; every life can be the accumulation of all the different blessings people have received, my very life could exist thanks to someone being nice thousands of years ago. You say we pass down curses, but I believe the fact that we still are all alive on this planet means that the blessings outweigh the curses.¡±


    ¡°That is a rather optimistic way to look at it.¡±


    ¡°Someone once told me you should look at life through a romantic lens, because you will have more fun that way.¡±


    That is so extremely stupid and optimistic, but I am sure that is what Suzuka needs in her life.


    ¦µ The man in front of me Cyrus and Sparrow vanish. Then I hear him behind me. How the hell did he manage that. ¡°If she ever is unhappy for any reason from this point on, I will kill you. Remember that brats.¡± And like the wind he vanishes.


    ¡°You dumb kid,¡± I hear Zashiki mutter. ¡°Let¡¯s go guys.¡±


    We run at full speed until we reach a large ship. ¡°Zashiki, what is this.¡±


    ¡°A spirit ship; it is a memento from two idiots which was taken care of by a stupid kid.¡±


    As we load ourselves up on this ship, Zashiki says, ¡°This runs on spirit energy with Suzuka you can use it to take you anywhere you want.¡±


    Looking down at her, I say, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, and just so you know, countless hopes and dreams are riding on you, so you better not let us down.¡±


    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t. Goodbye.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye¡±, with our final goodbyes said the ship takes off.


    Twinstars Break Down


    The twinstars are the police force of the country but also the army, they do tasks such as helping schools out to fighting wars. They are the pride and joy of the Seirei. Their uniforms are mainly bright red but are partially pink with white curved comma-shaped bead designs throughout the uniform.


    The twinstars can be broken down into four ranks: A, B, C, D. These can be further divided into three sections from one to three. So, the lowest ranking members are D3 samurais and the highest would be A1.


    There is one more rank, S. This is a ranking that can only be given by the shogun of the country and only eight people can ever hold the rank at one time.


    In the twinstars samurai are considered to be anyone from D3 to D1, while shamans are anyone higher. Upon reaching C3 if you don¡¯t have a spirit partner (A family heirloom) you will be given a D or C rank one.


    Twinstars are all required to wield katanas but the higher-ranking member can do what they want as long as it works.


    Name: Shink¨­ Date


    Age: 29


    Birthday: Cancer 2<sup>nd</sup>


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 172 cm


    Likes: Family, cigarettes, alcohol, fighting, cooking


    Dislikes: People, liars


    Arc 5 End

 Arc 6.01 Elp铆da Destiny

    ¡°Mommy, daddy, come see how pretty the ocean is.¡±


    ¡°We will Suzuka, just wait.¡±


    Today mommy and daddy, brought me to the ocean to play for the first time in a while. Whenever we come here it is always empty, even if they¡¯re people here they move away from us.


    In the sand, I have a sculpture contest against mommy, but she was always too good at it and I kept losing to her.


    We also, buried father in the ground covering him with a bunch of sand, but he would use all his strength to break out of it, my dad is really cool. Then we would splash our feet into the water and I would have a water battle with them, but my parents didn¡¯t hold back and would always beat me.


    I had lots of fun, but one thing always ruined that for me the people constantly staring at us with contempt as if our playing was a crime. Stupid idiots.


    While playing in the water that day, I saw a little way back by the coast a kappa spirit who looked injured, so I went to go help it. I gave it some spirit energy, which was able to heal its wounds, but at that time a huge crowd of people walked up to me angry, though my father stopped them while my mom picked me up.


    I hear the crowd say, ¡°Did she just use her powers to form that spirit.¡±


    ¡°You know the consequences if she did such a thing.¡±


    ¡°My daughter didn¡¯t do anything other than help an injured spirit, why don¡¯t you all get something better to do than watching us like hawks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trivialise this, some of us here are trying to protect our families from yours.¡±


    ¡°So am I, now why don¡¯t you people leave us alone. So unless you guys want to remove us by force we have every right to be here.¡±


    As everyone walks away, I start to feel a slight pain in my head and say to mom and dad, ¡°I don¡¯t feel good can we go home.¡±


    They both look at each other with faces full of worry, and mom says, ¡°Ok Suzuka let''s go home.¡±


    As they take me home, I say to them both ¡°Hey mommy and daddy.¡±


    ¡°Yes honey,¡± they reply in unison.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we leave here. Everyone here is mean to us for no reason, so why don¡¯t we just go somewhere.¡±


    My mother says, ¡°We have lots of things here that can make you happy if you stay.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need those things as long as I have you two.¡±


    ¡°Then where would we all go princess.¡±


    ¡°Across the ocean. The ocean is so beautiful, clean, and large I am sure we could find somewhere just for us.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great idea Suzuka, one day we will all sail away from here, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± As mom carried me back home in her arms, I felt so comfy that I fell asleep.


    9 Year later


    Opening my eyes, I realize I am on a bed covered in a blanket. Getting out of bed, I look around to see I am inside a wooden cabinet but it is covered in the spirit energy of a C-Rank spirit. I open the single door in the room, then I run through a corridor as fast as possible until I reach the outside. When I arrive, I see that I am on the deck of a ship, surrounded by water. I am out at sea.


    ¡°Hey, sleeping beauty finally awake.¡±


    Turning to the source of the voice, I see both Orb and Cyrus. ¡°What am I doing here.¡±


    ¡°I told you didn¡¯t I, that I will take you off that country and now you are successfully off. Congratulations Suzuka your adventure starts now.¡±


    Looking in front of me at the vastness of the ocean all I can do is cry. ¡°Mom, dad, it seems I will be finding a place all for myself.¡±


    Patting my head Orb says, ¡°Cry your heart out.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, I won¡¯t cry over this,¡± I say while stopping the tears. ¡°I finally reached the place I always wanted to go, so all I should be doing right now is smiling.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You say that but tears as still going down that smiling face.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just choose when to stop crying you fool,¡± as her crying increases me and Cyrus try to help her stop her tears.


    After we wiped most of them off, Sparrow walks in and says, ¡°Orb, so where are we going to land?¡±


    After looking at his face Suzuka runs behind me to hide from him. Well, I guess she is probably scared to meet new people. Turning around to calm Suzuka down, I see Suzuka¡¯s face red with an embarrassed expression. When I get close to her, I ask, ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-H-He.¡±


    ¡°Please calm down and finish your sentences.¡±


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    ¡°HE''S SO HOT.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    ¡°That facial hair, that ruff look, those scars, how manly, he looks so hot.¡±


    ¡°I just threw up in my mouth.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, introduce me to him.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka that guy is like the wimpiest scum of scum I have ever known, and you do realize he is twice your age.¡±


    ¡°Well men are over the age of thirty-five at least: Anyone younger than that is simply just a boy.¡±


    ¡°But why him when you have Cyrus over there, he is stunning.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus looks too beautiful, not mainly at all and he is way too young.¡±


    ¡°Then what about me.¡±


    ¡°Your way, way too young, and you also look like a girl.¡±


    ¡°Did someone drop you on the head as a baby!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude just because you completely lack any form of appeal.


    ¡°I see.¡± Walking over to Suzuka, I pick her up and then give her a Supplex right into the ground. ¡°Words hurt idiot!¡±


    Enraged by my actions Suzuka says, ¡°You bastard I am going to kick your ass!¡±


    As she tries to chase me around, I hide behind Cyrus and say, ¡°This monster is trying to hurt me, help Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-You two, should stop t-t-this, fighting is bad.¡±


    ¡°He started it.¡±


    Looking from behind Cyrus I go, ¡°BLEH,¡± while sticking my tongue out to Suzuka.


    Even angrier she runs and kicks Cyrus away from me, then starts chasing after me. ¡°Is that all you got slow poke?¡±


    ¡°Just wait, I am going to shatter all your bones.¡±


    As we keep running around for a while Suzuka eventually corners me and says, ¡°It is over now, Orb get ready to say your prayers.¡±


    Crap, with how mad she is if she catches me she really will break my bones, I need to think of a way out of this situation, come on think, dammit, god I could really use a miracle right now. And answering my prayer god sent me something wonderful.


    As I face off with Suzuka, a giant aquatic Wonderbeast comes and attacks the ship. Then I hear Sparrow say, ¡°Playtime is over, I need you to do something about that Orb.¡±


    Looking over I see that the Wonder beast is the Steel Kraken, and it has wrapped itself around our ship. Sparrow screams ¡°ORB FREEZE IT!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°WHY THE HELL NOT!¡±


    ¡°The iron Kraken is an endangered species, they were poached to make weapons for years, and now there are very few of them left, so I am sorry I can¡¯t kill it.¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡±


    Standing there as it squeezes the ship, I wonder what are we going to do, I would have asked Cyrus to restrain it, but right now he is lying on the floor with emotional damage.


    Looking over at him I hear Cyrus say ¡°I-I-I got too cocky, I t-t-thought I could bre-e-eak up their f-f-fight, just because I helped a little y-y-y-yesterday, I a-a-am worthless.¡±


    Well, it seems we''re screwed, unless I hurt it, but I don¡¯t want to look at that cute face it is not its fault for us getting in its way. But then I hear Suzuka say, ¡°I will take care of this.¡±


    Putting her hands on the ship, three of her five tails disappear, and suddenly the ship accelerates really fast and breaks free of the hold of the Kraken.


    I freeze everyone¡¯s legs to the ship; so none of us are blown off by this. Then after a little bit of time, the ship slows down to the point where we can walk normally again. Sparrow immediately runs up to Suzuka and says, ¡°You are amazing.¡±


    Hearing this her face turns red, and she hides behind me. Looking at her I say, ¡°You really are sick in the head,¡± which she doesn¡¯t respond to due to happiness.


    Seeing this I leave her, then head over to Cyrus and I say, ¡°Cheer up buddy,¡± While picking his body off the floor. Looking at both Cyrus and Suzuka it seems both of them need to calm down, so I sit them down on the boat, and then I go and grab the soul book.


    Sitting down beside Suzuka, I ask her to infuse her spirit energy into the book which she does. ¡°Hey Suzuka, how does one use spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Orb can¡¯t you use it.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Stop joking.¡±


    ¡°I am not, I am serious.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Not even a tiny bit.¡±


    ¡°But you''re physically strong, so it should have naturally come to you.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    Looking at me with a face of surprise she says, ¡°Are you even human.¡±


    ¡°Stop insulting me, I just asked a question.¡±


    ¡°But you were on the Seirei, where you interacted with walking, talking, spirit energy and you''re telling me you can¡¯t use it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even sense it.¡±


    ¡°Well, most people gain the ability to use spirit energy after being forcefully hit with it, so if I pound in your stupid face repeatedly, it might suddenly work.¡±


    ¡°Are you still mad at me for earlier?¡±


    Calming down she says, ¡°In all seriousness, I couldn¡¯t tell you why, maybe you just have zero aptitude. Sorry, I am not really the best teacher for this, due to my curse I have always been able to use it, so I can¡¯t really advise you for learning, maybe Cyrus could.¡±


    Looking up at me, Cyrus says, ¡°D-D-D-Dragons can use it naturally after about five years.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re a bust too, I thought I would be able to learn something.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should ask him over there,¡± Suzuka says while pointing to the vomiting Sparrow.


    His seasickness hasn¡¯t left him I see. ¡°No can do, I would rather die than ask him for help, my principles won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°Well, let those principles teach you,¡± as she says this the book in her hand suddenly starts glowing, which causes her to freak out and throw it.


    Catching the soul book, I say, ¡°Safe. It seems the book is fully charged, so which one of us three wants to find out stuff about our legacy.¡±


    We all go silent. Then Suzuka says ¡°Why don¡¯t you start Orb.¡±


    ¡°It is just that I am nervous, I never thought I would be in a position to learn stuff about Wolfie, so why don¡¯t you start.¡±


    ¡°I am not mentally prepared to learn anything about my legacy.¡±


    Then I hand the book over to Cyrus and say, ¡°You go first.¡±


    Me and Suzuka anxiously watch Cyrus as he uses his legacy on the book then he opens it. On the first page, it says: name, then under that it says Azi Dahaka.


    ¡°Cyrus, it seems that¡¯s your legacy''s name.¡±


    ¡°Try turning the page,¡± Suzuka says.


    Turning the pages, we see that they¡¯re all blank. ¡°I thought that lady said this will tell us stuff about our legacies, but it only gave a name.¡±


    ¡°You can find out lots of information if you have a name,¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°So, Cyrus does that name sound familiar to you at all.¡±


    ¡°N-N-N-No.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, if you''re done let me try next,¡± Suzuka says.


    Grabbing the book, she uses her legacy on it and slowly opens the book. The name written down is Tamamo-no-Mae. Seeing this she seems bothered, so I ask her ¡°What is it? ¡±


    ¡°No, it is just that this is a rather pretty name. I am sure whoever was given such a name was quite loved.¡±


    Seeing her upset, I try to change the atmosphere, so I grab the book, then say ¡°It is finally my turn.¡± Using my legacy on the book, I open it to see the name written down is ¡°S¨¦tanta Lux.¡±


    Name: Suzuka Gozen


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Libra 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold(Primary) Pink(Secondary)


    Eyes: Indigo(Left) White(Right)


    Height: 159


    Likes: Drawing, Parents, Fighting, Ruff men, Food, People who like her


    Dislikes: Mochi, liars, People who don¡¯t like her


    Legacy: Tamamo-no-Mae


    Name: Steel kraken


    Height: 3500 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast


    Description: Large squid shaped head, large eyes, and eight arms, while being covered in a metallic substance, as hard as steel. It is a greenish orange colour with red marks throughout its body


    Fact: They would rather sink a ship first when killing people. If the humans where to fall into the sea it would still sink the ship.

 Arc 6.02

    -Break-


    It has been about two days since we left Seirei, and are almost to our destination. We decided, we shouldn¡¯t head straight across to Terrafide for a few reasons: first, they have probably realized Suzuka is missing, so the first place they would expect her to be taken is the area around Deno, especially since I have been where church garments all this time.


    I am going to have to apologise to Timothy next time I see him for the trouble headed his way.


    The second reason would be, that we can actually take this ship very close to the point where we took the Cursed bull from.


    None of us know how to steer a ship normally, but with this being a spirit all we have to do is feed it ship energy, and tell it where it to go. So, we guided the ship to the sea in between both Terrafide and Enotita.


    And now we have finally arrived, when we all offload ourselves, Suzuka tells the spirit, ¡°Wait right here for us.¡±


    Then I ask, ¡°Is it all right for a spirit to be left out here like this, couldn¡¯t it run away.¡±


    ¡°It should be fine, I have fed it enough spirit energy for it to become loyal to me.¡±


    ¡°So, it works like a pet,¡± thinking of pets, I miss Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, this is the longest I have gone all year without him. I am definitely going to give him a big hug next time we meet. ¡°Now we have to walk all the way to the meet-up point.¡±


    ¡°U-U-Um Orb.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Will Sparrow be c-c-capable of that?¡± Cyrus says pointing at Sparrow''s folded body on the ground.


    ¡°I guess not.¡± But then I am suddenly hit with an idea. Creating a bunch of snow in front of me, I ask Suzuka, ¡°Could you shape all of this snow into a sledge, but with a special seat in front of the sledge as well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let me get right on it.¡± In a flash, Suzuka had shaped all of the snow into a sledge.


    Then I create a large amount of ice underneath us, lifting all of us into the air, next I create a slide path down. ¡°Everyone hop aboard, then Suzuka I am going to need you to reinforce this with Spirit energy.¡±


    After we are all loaded on, I tell Suzuka to, ¡°Use your tells and give us a large push forward.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she says following my instructions. Then we are sent down the large slide, which gives us a push forward, and as we descend I convert the ice we have gone down into snow, then bring it to the ground to create ice all over the floor we are going to travel.


    When we reach the ground, we slip on the ice that is already there but we outpace it in no time, so I constantly create ice in front of us to make sure we down slip.


    Though when we slow down, I tell Suzuka, ¡°Give us another push.¡± Which she does, allowing us to continue at a similar speed, we do this until we reach a familiar area.


    After we get there all of us hop out, with me collapsing on the floor soon after. Running over to my body, Cyrus asks, ¡°O-O-Orb, are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just overexerted myself, my body can barely stand anymore.¡±


    Picking me up Cyrus tells me ¡°Willow isn¡¯t here y-y-yet, so rest for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I will Cyrus,¡± I say falling asleep.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting down here is so embarrassing, Orb come and save me. Since Cyrus is sitting beside Orb, I am right next to the man they call Sparrow, utterly unable to move out of embarrassment. My hands are covering my face, because if he looks at me, I will die right here right now.


    I hear him say, ¡°Hey you¡¯ve been taking peaks at me through your hands, do you need something.¡±


    Oh no, he spotted me what am I going to do, but then I hear Cyrus say, ¡°O-O-Orb, said he doesn¡¯t want you talking to h-h-her.¡±


    ¡°But she is the one bothering me, and don¡¯t you think I have a right to know why you guys just brought some random girl back, and completely refuse to let me know more than her name.¡±


    ¡°Orb s-s-said, you hav-v-ving that information, would be dang-g-gerous.¡±


    ¡°Of course, he did but he can''t control if she decides to tell me. So, honey would you please tell me why the hell you¡¯re here.¡±


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    ¡°U-u-u-um Suzuka.¡± Oh no, I am messing up my words, he didn¡¯t even ask for my name I must look like a complete idiot, someone, anyone, please save me.


    I suddenly hear a large roar, the gods must have heard my prayers. Hearing the roar Sparrow freezes up then Cyrus says, ¡°That must be Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    Looking over I see a giant beast. If I remember correctly, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> is their pet, but wait, if he is here that means some of Orb''s friends are here, so that means my potentially new friends are here as well. Oh no, oh no, oh no, I am not ready yet, what do I say, how do I interact with them, I need help.


    Running over to Orb, I slap him repeatedly on the face, and say, ¡°WAKE UP YOU DUMB BITCH!¡±


    ¡°Wha-what IM UP!¡± He says jumping up.


    Looking at him with tears in my eyes, I say to Orb, ¡°How do I make people like me?¡±


    ¡°First don¡¯t do that, and then give me more context.¡±


    Cyrus tells him, ¡°W-W-Willow, and Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> are here.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, let me go talk with them.¡± Getting up Orb runs away.


    ¡°What about my question.¡±


    ¡°I will answer it eventually just give me a minute¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¦µ Seeing Willow jump off of Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, I dash forward fainting a hug, but then using my legacy I lunge forward, and try to hit him in the face but he dodges and hits me with a blow that sends me back. Repositioning myself, I run up to him and give him a high five.


    ¡°So you were able to learn spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t just been sitting up on ass while you were gone.¡±


    ¡°Orb I want to go next,¡± I hear a voice say to me.


    Looking up on top of Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, I see Atalanta. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°How mean, I thought you would be happy to see me.¡±


    ¡°See kept, complaining how bored she was ever since you guys left. Eventually, everyone got really annoyed, so I brought her with me to give her something to do.¡±


    Giving her a look of disgust, I say, ¡°Are you really an adult?¡±


    Jumping off of Willow the 2nd, she says, ¡°Of course I am, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Despite how annoying she has been, she has also been a great help at keeping everyone¡¯s spirit up.¡±


    ¡°You hear that you Or,¡± she stops halfway through her sentence and grabs my face saying, ¡°Are you ok, did something happen.¡±


    Breaking her hold I say, ¡°Stop touching me.¡± Giving her a look of disgust, I say, ¡°I am fine not really happened.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a lie. I don¡¯t remember you having those clothes before you left and aside from that, there is also the girl with three tails behind her,¡± Willow says.


    ¡°Oh yeah about her just wait here I moment.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°So Atalanta what was that about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, his face looked more mature, so I just thought something happened,¡± she says playfully while rubbing the back of her head.


    ¡°Well, I hope whatever he had experienced isn¡¯t bothering him he tends to worry.¡±


    ¦µ As Orb runs back over to me, he puts his hands on my shoulder and says, ¡°Suzuka it is time for you to make some new friends. Willow is a good person so you should get along nicely.¡± My body is stiff unable to move, but Orb starts pushing my body over in their direction.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, no, I am not ready for this yet, please give me time.¡±


    ¡°When will you be ready then.¡±


    ¡°Let''s say, in about three years.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, we are not doing that, where getting you friends right here, right now.¡±


    ¡°But how am I supposed to get people to like me.¡±


    ¡°Just be yourself,¡± he says, leaving me in front of the two of them then says, ¡°This is my friend Suzuka Gozen.¡±


    As I stand in front of the two of them, my mind goes wild. Just be myself, what does that even mean? I was always being myself around the people from Seirei, but they all still hated me. Oh no, I am panicking, screw this I am just going to return to the old reliable, changing my personality. Ok, Suzuka read his mind, find out what he likes.


    Taking a moment to read his mind, I hear the boy named Willow think: what a weird girl. Weird girl, he called me a weird girl, it is over I have already messed up before I ever had a chance. All I can do is reject him before he has a chance to further reject me. so, I put on my fox mask, and say, ¡°Forget my name immediately you bastard.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°What are you saying Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want this tiny, idiotic, grass-haired, asshole to know my name, so for all, I care he can jump off a ledge.¡± Starring at Willow directly in the face she says, ¡°If you ever come near me, I will kick your ass, got that.¡±


    Thonking Suzuka on the head, she falls to the floor as I grab the mask right off of her face, then I say, ¡°Sorry about her, she really wants to make friends but has a bit too much trauma.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, Maple used to say worse stuff too me.¡±


    ¡°So, she has a communication issue. How adorable, would you like to be friends with me.¡± Atalanta says.


    Suzuka''s face lights up as she stares at her but as she approaches Atalanta, she suddenly runs behind me.


    Atalanta looking dejected says ¡°Why, why did she just run from me.¡±


    As I ask Suzuka why, she whispers why into my ear, so I tell Atlanta ¡°Suzuka read your mind, and said she doesn¡¯t want to get an std from touching you,¡± with a little laugh.


    Suzuka hits me in the face for spilling her secret, and as I defend against her Atlanta walks up to us and hugs Suzuka tight.


    ¡°Let go of me you crazy bitch.¡±


    ¡°You really have a foul mouth, but don¡¯t worry I will be your friend regardless,¡± Atalanta says as she continues to hug Suzuka.


    Hearing a large sound over at Willow the 2<sup>nd </sup>I turn around, unbeknownst to me Cyrus walked up and rubbed Willows the second''s head, seeing this I go up to him and do the same. ¡°Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> I missed you so much, I wish I could stay with you for longer but we will be leaving soon.¡±


    Willow hearing this hits me on the back and says, ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about this yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry about that.¡± So, sitting down with Willow I catch him up on everything we have been through. ¡°So, Willow we are going to head straight for Elp¨ªda to go find the informant.¡±


    ¡°I guess that covers everything except the girl over there.¡±


    ¡°Well, the stuff involving her will take a while to explain, so I would rather do it once in front of everyone.¡±


    ¡°I see, well you will need a lift to the ship.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that we could just walk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you guys tired, if you were to encounter something unexpected, I would like you guys to be at full strength. So, after I drop you off I will take the medicine back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Willow.¡±


    ¡°But make sure to return as quickly as possible or everyone will get worried alright.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± So getting up I see both Suzuka and Atalanta hugging, ¡°So You finally gave in Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is just that hugs feel nice.¡±


    ¡°Then let me join in.¡±


    So as I and Atalanta hug her she says ¡°Let me go you bastards!¡±

 Arc 6.03

    -Break-


    Heading off to the shore, thanks to Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> we are going to make it there in no time at all. It seems Maple used her legacy on Willow the 2<sup>nd,</sup> so he is moving at an accelerated speed. Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> also seems to have regained some of his size, I guess all that rest and sleeping helped him heal a lot.


    On the topic of Maple. Willow asks, ¡°You know the mark under her right eye.¡±


    I believe Willow is talking about the shape I saw appear under her right eye, ¡°Yeah what about it.¡±


    ¡°Well it has taken shape more and more while you guys were gone, and now it looks like this: ??.¡± Willow says as he shapes the symbol in some snow I create. ¡°Do you have any idea what it could be.¡±


    It is possible it could be a soul marker, but it is under her eye not on it. ¡°Sorry I don¡¯t. But if I had any idea, it is some form of physical trait like how my body is resistant to cold.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is all it is.¡±


    ¡°O-O-Orb it looks like we are at the sea,¡± Cyrus says to me.


    Staring at Willow, I see he has a big smile on his face then he says, ¡°Wow this is the sea.¡±


    Oh, I guess this is his first time seeing any large body of water, ¡°Wait is this the reason you really wanted to come here.¡±


    ¡°Mostly yes.¡±


    I would say something back, but he looks so happy now that it would just be mean to say anything to him at this point. So, after Willow takes time to admire the sea we all jump off of Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.


    ¡°Hey Atalanta, it is time for you to go now.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just leave my little angel, we have bonded.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but you have to.¡±


    Willow chimed in and asks, ¡°Can you please take her.¡±


    ¡°You too Willow.¡±


    ¡°She really just wants to be doing something, so I think bringing her along won¡¯t be that much of a bother. She even has her bow with her, so fighting is something she can also help with.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    Coming closer to me she says ¡° I can even speak all three songs so I will be helpful.¡±


    Well, Cyrus and Suzuka only speak the Saviour''s song so that will be helpful. No Orb be steadfast. ¡°I am sorry, but my answer is.¡±


    ¡°You want me to come don¡¯t you Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°I would enjoy that sissy.¡±


    Sissy you guys haven¡¯t even known each other for a day.


    Grabbing Cyrus, she says ¡°You want me to come along don¡¯t you Cyrus.¡±


    He starts panicking due to being in close proximity to her ¡°I-I-I-I, d-d-don¡¯t mi-i-i-ind.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus you traitor.¡±


    ¡°You hear that Orb, it is four to one, now you have to take her off our hands.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I say defeated.


    Atalanta jumps with joy with Cyrus and Suzuka. As they do this I walk over to Sparrow and knock him out; ¡°Willow I don¡¯t want this idiot causing trouble while we are in elp¨ªda, so please take him back with you.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t it be harder without him around?¡±


    ¡°He has never been to elp¨ªda either, so it really doesn¡¯t matter if he is with us or not, and I already got the directions from him.¡±


    ¡°Ok gotcha. See you later Orb.¡±


    ¡°See you Willow,¡± and with the wind, Willow leaves as we get on the boat.


    Setting sail I tell everyone our mission plan. ¡°According to Sparrow, the entrance to Elp¨ªda is right in between the Terrafide and Enotita. He told me if we keep heading straight, we will definitely reach there.¡±


    ¡°How will we know when we get there if Sparrow isn¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°He told me that it is basically unmissable as long as we get close. So, we will just keep heading straight forward from the shore, and since this ship is sentient it will just adjust itself for us if the waves move us too far away.¡±


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    ¡°Why are we even going there Orb,¡± Suzuka asks.


    ¡°To find clues about Cyrus¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°His sister?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we never really brought this up with you.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus is looking for his older sister,¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°She has been missing for over a decade, and we might be able to find a hint of her location on Elp¨ªda.¡±


    Suzuka says to Cyrus, ¡°Do you miss her.¡±


    ¡°Lots,¡± he says with a dispirited expression.


    Suzuka gets up and walks over to Cyrus, then sticks out her hand waiting for a fist bump and says ¡°Then I will try my hardest to find her. I can read minds so whatever information you need is yours.¡±


    ¡°B-B-But doesn¡¯t doing that hurt your head.¡±


    ¡°It is just a little pain to give you a lot of happiness, it sounds worth it to me, so respond to my gesture cause my arm is cramping,¡± Cyrus replies to her fist bump.


    ¡°Hey Cyrus, now that we are on the topic of your sister, could you be able to tell me the reasons you¡¯re here since dragons have historically never really left their continent.¡±


    Cyrus goes silent with a sad expression on his face.


    ¡°Sorry for prying, but it is just that everything we know can help in the investigation, but if you''re not ready it is ok.¡±


    ¡°No y-y-your right. You see dragons n-n-never, get sick or catch any disease, it is almost impossible. In the history of dragonkind, o-o-o-only four dragons have ever gotten sick, and I am the fourth.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that impossible,¡± Suzuka asks?


    ¡°Not really it just means that their immune systems are so strong they simply destroy whatever enters their bodies.¡±


    Cyrus continues and says, ¡°D-D-Due to this, we dragons have no form of medical science, so when one catches a-a-a-a illness, of any kin-n-n-nd, they are simply left to die. But my s-s-sister, didn¡¯t want to let me die so she took me here to f-f-find a cure.¡±


    Cyrus freezes up for a bit when trying to talk about what happened next, as if the words are hard to get out, so I say, ¡°Let me guess, you guys were tricked upon entering Terrafide and that¡¯s how you ended up in your current predicament.¡±


    Cyrus nods his head in agreement. Atalanta says, ¡°But you seem fine now.¡±


    ¡°Mother, I mean Morgan was able to find a cure for me, after she b-b-bought me. She was the nicest human, I had m-m-met up, until that point.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about her any more you have us now,¡± Atalanta says. ¡°But to how foolish dragons are, that they would have no form of medical science even in emergencies, you¡¯d think they would have stolen it from humans.¡±


    ¡°Well if no one ever got sick why would they bother, sounds like a waste of time, and with them being a first cycle civilisation, they would be a lot more traditional than we would be.¡±


    ¡°First cycle?¡± They all say in unison.


    ¡°Wait do you three really not know about the Cycles.¡±


    ¡°Not a clue.¡±


    ¡°N-N-No¡±


    ¡°Not even a vague idea.¡±


    ¡°Well then let me explain. History can be ruffly broken up into three cycles: The first, the second, and the third our current one. The third one has just been going on for over two thousand years now. Details about the first and second cycle are mostly lost.¡±


    ¡°Lost?¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°Yes, most of the things from that time have been destroyed, or are hidden due to a countless number of reasons. Though we do have much more information from the second than the first. Since around the end of the second cycle, bookkeeping was done a lot better and lots of countries founded around that time have stood the test of time, Seirei is an example of that.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea that where I was from was that old,¡± Suzaku says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry there are a lot more than you¡¯d think most of the current major operating countries were founded at the end of the second cycle, with a few exceptions and that would be the dragon nation of Nirvana. It is the oldest civilisation to my knowledge and dates back to the first cycle.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that amazing Cyrus,¡± Atalanta says


    ¡°I d-d-didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Well of course you wouldn¡¯t, dragons rarely interact with humans, and the cycles are broken up due to major happenings on all the other continents they would have no meaning to dragons since you guys rarely interact with humans. I am even sure it must be some kind of rule¡±


    ¡°T-T-There are very strict rules about h-h-humans or anything they ha-a-a-ave made being brought to our land. I will probably be put under intense scrutiny if I return.¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself Cyrus, first let''s get you back to your sister then we can start thinking about that.¡±


    ¡°Orb,¡± he says surprised.


    ¡°And if they don¡¯t let you guys back peacefully you can just come to live with me, in fact, that sounds like the more appealing option to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Orb., Cyrus says.


    Atalanta then walks over to Cyrus, gives him a big hug and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus I will be your big sister until we find your real one, so don¡¯t be bothered.¡±


    Cyrus starts freaking out and I say, ¡°Atalanta stop bothering him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous Orb, I will also be your big sister as well.¡±


    ¡°If that happened, I would genuinely stab myself.¡±


    ¡°You know, you being mean really hurts.¡±


    ¡°Sissy is right Orb, you have no right to be that mean.¡±


    ¡°You too Suzuka, traitor.¡±


    Giving her a hug she says, ¡°That is just the bond us sisters have.¡±


    ¡°Sister,¡± Suzuka says with a creepy expression while laughing a little bit. It seems that all this affection has finally destroyed her brain.


    I really can¡¯t handle that woman, when she is around everything gets chaotic.


    Letting go of Suzuka, she says, ¡°Since we are talking about each other, would you guys tell me what this Suzuka is doing here. Also she is a legacy I swear do you have some kind of gravitational pull that attracts legacies.¡±


    ¡°If I had such a power I would be freaked out.¡± Looking over at Suzuka I ask her ¡°Are you ok with me telling her?¡±


    She nods then hides behind Cyrus embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s all the permission we need so let me start.¡±


    -Break-


    As Atalanta continues to cry I say, ¡°Please can you quiet down.¡±


    ¡°But how can I, Suzuka''s story is so sad, don¡¯t worry from now on I will give you all the love you need,¡± She says hugging Suzuka. ¡°I love you so much Suzuka.¡± An extremely creepy smile appears on Suzuka¡¯s face in response to this.


    Though as they both hug each other Atalanta jumps with joy while I begin to look away, suddenly I hear them both scream, so I turn around I see they have started floating in the air.


    I jump and grab onto them both of them, then create lots of ice to freeze us to the floor as I pull them both down. ¡°What the hell was that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know we just started floating.¡±


    Then I hear Cyrus say, ¡°L-L-Look over there.¡±


    Starring in the distance, we see an island, but around the island, countless objects are floating in the air. Sparrow said we wouldn¡¯t miss it when we got there, so I guess that must be our destination. ¡°LET''S GO FULL SPEED AHEAD.¡±


    Responding to my words the ship moves at full speed.


    Name Mayoibune (C-Rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A ship spirit. It shape can change to be able to combat whatever seas it may have to encounter though that burns quite a bit of spirit energy so it must be constantly infused with it to survive


    Fact: Originally a fishing ship that was used for decades but was eventually thrown away, where it was repaired by two kind adults. Due to all the feelings that have constantly been poured into it the ship eventually developed a spirit

 Arc 6.04

    -Break-


    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness),


    Purple (?), Gold (arrogance), Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168.5 cm


    Likes: Drawing, Food, Snow Sculptures, Books, Captivant, Wolfie, Draga, Cole, Meat, Villagers, Friends


    Dislikes: Being left alone, Physical contact, Cliffs, Weakness, Atalanta


    Legacy: Setanta


    When we get close to the island, we see a port, which we dock at. As we get off the boat, I freeze it to the ocean; so it doesn¡¯t get carried off to the sky, and then I look around the port, we all see it is rather run down as if it hasn¡¯t been used in a while.


    But we do come across a sign that says: Elp¨ªda straight head at the centre of the island, so I tell everyone ¡°Sorry guys I would use my sledge to get us there but using up most of my strength wouldn¡¯t be a good idea, so sorry we have to run there.¡±


    ¡°No problem I could use a bit of exercise,¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°fFrst one there gets the to punch Orb,¡± Atlanta says as she grabs Suzuka and starts running.


    It seems I have really upset her. As we start running there I say to Cyrus ¡°If running with the bag is too much just tell me so we can slow down.¡± He nods in response. Even if it was too much, he probably wouldn¡¯t tell me.


    While running through the island, when we look up we see countless objects just floating through the sky books, food, ships, clothes, furniture but most disturbing of all even bones. What the hell is going on if this is a natural phenomenon I really want to know how it works I am so excited.


    ¡°Orb, looking at bones and smiling is demented,¡± Atalanta says. ¡°Isn¡¯t he creepy Suzuka?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop making fun of me!¡±


    After a little while of running Suzuka says to me ¡°Orb, I can hear people''s voices of people.¡±


    That must mean we are close to civilisation of some kind, but in all honesty, we haven¡¯t been running for all that long, so it is strange to think that we are almost at the center of the island. Though when we were looking at the island from afar it didn¡¯t really look that big.


    I was sure that this whole country would be a lot bigger considering how Sparrow talked about it. But since he has never been here, he probably just heard some ridiculous rumours. I do hope that all of this isn¡¯t just a huge waste of our time, cause if it is, I will punch that bastard in his stupid face.


    We eventually reach a group of people all dressed in extremely fancy clothes, but more eye-catching than the people were the huge platforms they were all standing next to.


    I walk up to one of them and ask, ¡°What are you guys doing here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to me, you dusty child. Can you not see the difference between us,¡± The man says letting out a little laugh.


    Then his wife beside him says, ¡°The boy is wearing church clothes, so he probably hasn¡¯t seen anyone of class in his small little life,¡± while laughing at me.


    Angered I reign myself in and move on back to everyone where Suzuka informs me, ¡°Apparently they are waiting here for someone to show up, to let them in Elp¨ªda; I hear them think about when you were talking to them.¡±


    At least our whole talk wasn¡¯t pointless. ¡°Thank you for that Suzuka, but don¡¯t overwork yourself,¡± I say while rubbing her head.


    Then after a little while we see a messy gloomy woman walks up to all of us and says, ¡°Are you all here to go to Elp¨ªda,¡± in a dreary tone.


    ¡°Yes, it took you long enough we have been waiting,¡± Someone says.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°So today is going to be one of these days,¡± the woman mumbles under her breath. The woman in question then throws a circular object into the air and suddenly curtains come straight down from it and surround her. Then after a little bit of rustling she comes out in a performer''s outfit, no I think that is a bunny outfit.


    Her energy completely changes as she comes out, and she says ¡°Hello ladies and gentlemen, I will be your guide to Elp¨ªda today. My name is Dia, but I prefer to be called great ultimate magnificent ultra mega awesome princess queen lover darling the 1<sup>st</sup>, she says with a cute smile.


    As she informs us of all of this, she is really putting on a show which amuses me and the three people behind me. Though it seems some of the parents are covering their kid''s eyes. Maybe it is because it is quite lewd but still entertaining.


    ¡°Can you hurry up,¡± The rude man said.


    Walking up to him the guide says, ¡°Pwease don¡¯t be mad at me.¡±


    But the man¡¯s wife d tries to hit her, but the guide backflips away in time and says, ¡°Now that we have all gotten acquainted let us all go, but first I have to make sure all of you have enough money to come aboard.¡± She then quickly moves around to everyone and checks our bags. Then returns to where she was standing.


    ¡°Everyone who I point at gets to stay, everyone else your too poor. How unfortunate ?.¡± So, she quickly points her finger at most of the people with the expectation of a few and says, ¡°The west of you can weave.¡±


    The rude man then walks up to the guide, and says, ¡°What do you mean I can leave, I am one hundred per cent sure that I have enough money to enter.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see you darling ? it is a national rule that you can only be admitted entry if have enough money to stay for one week on you; you barely have enough money to last you three days and if you plan to do shopping it will last you one day so sorry. Rawr.¡±


    ¡°How the hell do I have less money than that grubby brat over there.¡±


    Orb control yourself remember murder is wrong, I take a deep breath.


    ¡°I demand to be let in this instant, do you know who I am, you dumb.¡±


    Grabbing the man by the face she pulls him close, and says in an aggressive voice, ¡°Listen right now you dumb fucker, I told you that you are too poor, complaining won''t magically give you more money, so shut up and go away, unless you want to end up broke up there, and then end up accumulating lots of debt to just get by, which eventually leads you to throw away your dignity and dress like a bunny girl to be a tour guide for entitled pieces of crap, now IS THAT THE LIFE YOU WANT!


    Letting go of him our guide walks away and says, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you want ???????¤Ã?.¡±


    The man picking himself up runs away with his wife, and says, ¡°You will pay for this.¡±


    The guide then does a motion as if she feels victorious after what she just did. ¡°Now the rest of you let¡¯s get going. I will need all of you to step into whatever bubble you like the best ok.¡±


    As we all follow her instructions, I see Suzuka walk up to our guide and says, ¡°It will be ok, and just so you know you look cute.¡±


    Bending over to match Suzuka¡¯s height, she gives her a big hug and says, ¡°People like you make this horrible job much easier.¡±


    Upon entering the bubbles the lady says, ¡°I will be using this device in my hands to project my voice to each of the bubbles; this device sends my voice at a certain frequency that can be picked up by the bubbles, which will reverberate my voice throughout each one. So the first thing I will tell you is to not panic.¡±


    Wondering what she could mean I soon get my answer, suddenly I see a giant whale-like creature come from the sky and put our bubble in his mouth. Everyone in the bubble screams as this happens but our guide laughs and says, ¡°People''s first reactions get me every time.¡±


    The creature doesn¡¯t close its mouth, instead, it just carries us in it. Looking through the bubble I see other whale-like creatures are doing the same to the other bubbles.


    Then our guide says ¡°To does who have eyes, you could see that there is a strange phenomenon on this island where things float in the sky; that is due to the fact that the gravity in this part of the world is odd, and do to that oddity a special living condition formed. where the gravity condenses the space into an ultra-dense form where it acts like an ocean in the sky. We call this the Astral Sea.


    Normally it would be impossible for any creature to get in here without almost dying, but thanks to this big boy we can do it without any issue. This is the wonder beast the bohemian whale, it happens to be the only way for us to get into Elp¨ªda. It has evolved to live in the astral sea so it can get through it without issue, by using the bubbles we can get the whales to give us a ride up. Mister whale is doing a really good job for us so make sure to say thank you mister whale ?(??? ?).¡±


    ¡°Thank you, mister whale,¡± Suzuka and I say.


    ¡°Now enjoy the view as we are brought up by mister whale the astral sea is filled with one-of-a-kind wonderbeasts.¡±


    As we move through the astral sea our guide names wonder beasts I have never seen or heard of before.


    ¡°The ratupuic.¡±


    ¡°The turboray.¡±


    ¡°The fortesso.¡±


    Seeing all of these I am completely lost in my excitement, I jump up and down like an over-excited child, but I don¡¯t care, staring at them I drool and say, ¡°I want to dissect them and figure out all about their inside.¡±


    ¡°Orb you''re being creepy,¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    ¡°Clean up the drool on your face before you say that.¡±


    Suddenly I see something that catches my eye, a bird with strange feathers swimming through the astral sea after looking at it, I say cutting our guide off who was about to say it herself, ¡°That is an astral phoenix.¡±


    ¡°It is a wonderbeast whose feather changes through the year to represent the date of the year it is, it is also said they tend to get happier as the year comes to a close.¡±


    ¡°That is correct,¡± our guide says to us. I realize that she put her device right next to my face, so everyone heard my little spiel. Facing her I say, ¡°Sorry for stepping on your toes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry if you want to take this job from me, I wouldn¡¯t care (????). So, boy if you ever want to do me a favour, please take this job from me.¡±


    ¡°Lady, are you ok?¡± Her tone changed up around the end there.


    ¡°Of course, I am silly (*^ ? <*)?.¡±


    ¡°So Orb it is just like you then,¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suzuka asks.


    ¡°Oh yeah I guess you wouldn¡¯t know, let me show you.¡± I freeze my hair and get the white dye off of it, revealing that my hair changes colours to Suzuka.


    Surprise she jumps back then walks up to me and asks, ¡°Can I touch your hair?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Name: Bohemian Whale


    Height: 3000cm


    Type: Wonderbeast


    Description: It is a toothless mammal, with a curved faced cone like body, and four fins which look like wings, it¡¯s tail is shaped like an axe, and its skin is light blue with gold bits across it.


    Fact: it skin is highly sensitive to changes in space and gravity allowing it to manoeuvre through the astral sea without issue.

 Arc 6.05

    After Suzuka finishes rubbing my head, we all continue to look up and see enormous objects up above us.¡±


    The guide says to everyone, ¡°Now that we are parting from the astral sea and are getting close to Elp¨ªda, I would like to tell you a few things. First of all the layout of my beloved country. OWO.


    Elp¨ªda is six enormous oval-shaped platforms, which are at the highest point in the sky than any other object in the how world. They are split up from platforms one to six, and all have different specialisations which are all equally useful ?(?*¨@?¨A)?*.


    Though I would suggest staying off of the sixth platform, it isn¡¯t the most heavily monitored platform, so there are a plethora of illegal activities going on over there, but if you want to engage in said morally corrupt activities, you will definitely enjoy your time there ???).


    Taking about laws, as visitors, you have three strikes before you are able to be punished by law, you get busted by the law three times then they have the right to punish you for all your worth, some of them have some pent-up stress so I will not confirm whether brutality might happen or not. But slipping some lupas into their pockets could make them gain sudden amnesia ?.?????.?.


    Regardless of whatever activities you get into I would suggest not stealing anything, most things in this country can only be used in this country. So all you will be doing is getting yourself put on a blacklist (?_?).


    And not the last few things: our national language is the heaven¡¯s song, but the Heroes song is also used a lot, if you can¡¯t speak those two you''re probably fucked.


    We accept money of any and all kinds, exchange rates are for each individual shop so keep that in mind, and finally, I hope you enjoy your stay at Elp¨ªda the city in the future that was formed in the past.¡± After she says all this I see her victoriously say, ¡°Yes, just made it in time.¡±


    And just like that the whale spits out our bubbles at incredible speed sending us into one of the six platforms. When we arrive, the guide tells us, ¡°Please everyone jump out of your bubbles and continues down the hall.¡±


    Following her instructions, we go down the hall until we reached a point where we could see outside, and when we did, we all saw people moving through the sky on objects, and buildings that reach the sky.


    Me, Atalanta, and Suzuka stopped to look at the sight with wonder, but Cyrus grabs and takes us down the hall where we see another guide, who says, ¡°Welcome to Elp¨ªda the most advanced civilisation in the world, I hope you enjoy your stay, but before that, I need to receive payment for all of your stay. So, I need you guys to pay me -Censor- Lupas.¡±


    One of the other travellers says, ¡°That¡¯s utterly ridiculous, do you know how much that is.¡±


    ¡°As I told you we are the most technologically advanced city in the world, so the sights and things you could see here are not something you could see anywhere else, I think for an experience such as this, paying up that amount isn¡¯t an issue, and this also goes towards our protection laws, we didn¡¯t have to give visitors immunity, but we did since we are all so nice, you should be grateful and stop complaining. So, the rest of you please pay us without any issue teehee.¡±


    So, all of us pay her the fee, I feel sort of bad that all the money we were giving is being used for such frivolous things, instead of buying food for everyone back at the tunnels, but I did give Willow about half of the ridiculous money we were given, so they should be able to get some supplies to throw the use of the members of Gaia¡¯s sky.


    And are told by her, ¡°I hope you enjoy your stay, walking through this door behind me you will have another door to walk through before you leave, and since you guys have been so well behaved I will give you a bit of advice, look and walk forward empty everything else from my mind if you do you won¡¯t be having to leave immediately.¡±


    Around the end of her sentence, she changed her tone, are the workers here stable? As we enter the next room, I see that it isn¡¯t a corridor but a giant area with tons of shops lining the sides. When we start walking down this area, people run up to us and say, ¡°You fine people must have come from the lower world, would you like to do some shopping.¡±


    ¡°You should ignore that man, he is a liar, he will scam you, so you should come to my store, I will do my best to make you walk off with the best Elp¨ªda has to offer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that man, everything at his store is trash, come over to mine for some real high-quality goods.¡±


    I am starting to see what the guide was talking about, to reach the exit we have to get through this horde of money-sucking parasites, this isn¡¯t going to be easy. Looking over at Suzuka I see she is looking sort of ill, so I ask her ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°To, many, annoying, thoughts.¡±


    I forgot she can be overwhelmed easily, so I raise my voice and say, ¡°We are good now leave us alone,¡± while grabbing everyone and moving forward.


    This whole shopping area is incredibly predatory, by placing all these pushy people before we even get a chance to look around, they can make us buy on impulse it is horrible.


    Thinking back, they specifically placed a corridor where we could see the outside of Elp¨ªda before we had to pay. That was set up in a way that our wonder and intrigue by entering the city, would cloud our judgment and make us pay their stupidly high price, without truly thinking.


    I wonder if I could use a variation of this when I get to eventually sell the crystals from Basileia. While I was lost in thought, I noticed that both Atalanta and Cyrus are missing, looking over at Cyrus I run over and here a salesperson say, ¡°If you take this medicine it will give you courage and make all your stuttering go away.¡±


    ¡°R-R-Really!¡±


    ¡°I guarantee, you can trust me. Also, no refunds.¡±


    I run up to Cyrus and grab him, then drag him away, which causes the shop owner to say, ¡°That¡¯s obstruction of business.¡±


    ¡°Question, do you want to die.¡±


    Letting out a scream the man says, ¡°That¡¯s a crime. Buy something right now, or I will tell law enforcement that you have just threatened me.¡±


    Walking up to him I say, ¡°Let me tell you if I get arrested on any charges before I am I taken away I will make sure to kill you. That¡¯s a promise.¡±


    Frighten by my words the man falls on his ass. I then go over to Atalanta, where I hear someone tell her, ¡°This is the elavice, a type of wine that can only be made on Elp¨ªda. It is made from berries that can only grow in our special gravity field, with it also being aged fifty years; I know you will love it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds amazing I want to try some.¡± I hit Atlanta on the head and grab the bottle saying, ¡°Look before you buy. The bottle has a price tag from another store still on it, and the name of it is cheap wine in the heaven¡¯s song, this bitch is trying to use your lack of knowledge to scam you.¡±


    As we all move away, people still keep coming up to us with their never-ending pitches for us to come to their shops.


    ¡°We have fibres you have never seen before.¡±


    ¡°We have technology that will let you dry your clothes in seconds.¡±


    ¡°We have medicine that stimulates growth in all areas of the body, with absolutely no side effects.¡±


    ¡°By drinking are astral water you can look over twenty years younger.¡±


    ¡°My shop is having a special fifty percent off deal, but for you guys, I will make it seventy-five percent off, doesn¡¯t that sound utterly amazing.¡±


    My god, ¡°SHUT UP AND GO AWAY YOU PARASITES!¡±


    Then someone says, ¡°Come all buyers, right here right now, we have a new selection of wonderbeasts from the astral sea, don¡¯t miss your chance to get one as either a pet or food if it strikes you so.¡±


    Hearing this, my body moves on its own and walks over to the shop. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get to have a special wonderbeast as a pet, I can¡¯t let this chance go buy, I will be able to dissect it and figure out how the wonderbeasts up here work. ¡°Sir how much will that be.¡±


    ¡°Oh a buyer, it will be -Censor- lupas. Do you have that much kid?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have that much, fork over the wonderbeast.¡± Starring at its cage I say, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to rip you apart.¡± The wonder beast looks scared in its cage due to me.


    Suddenly Atalanta, Cyrus, and Suzuka grab me, carrying me out of the shop they say, ¡°Orb we can¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    While they are taking me out another one of the visitors who came with us, buys the wonderbeast for their child; ¡°NOOOO!¡± I scream as I watch my hopes and dreams be shattered.


    As I see the boy and his family walk away with the wonderbeast, I move right on over to the boy and kneel in front of him saying, ¡°Since that wonderbeasts natural habitat is specifically for Elp¨ªda, once you take it home with you it will probably die in no time, leaving you with nothing but its corpse. Animals are alive too, so by buying that wonderbeast all you have done is murder an animal, to think such a young boy would already be committing murders.¡±


    As the boy starts crying, Suzuka hits me in the face but I say, ¡°I just wanted it why can¡¯t I have it,¡± with tears in my eyes.


    Suzuka picks me up by the hand and guides me back to everyone saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry it will be ok.¡±


    Huddled up, all of us move as one unit, not letting anything distract us, we continue like this until we are about to reach the exit, but suddenly our momentum is brought to a halt, and Suzuka stopped moving. Looking at her, I see that she is looking into a clothes shop. ¡°Suzuka were almost outside, so let¡¯s go, we have almost escaped this hellscape of parasites.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, it is just that I have never bought any clothes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but your fourteen.¡±


    ¡°All the clothes I have are uniforms from my dad''s dojo, and the clothes I was given when I was at Himeji castle, that¡¯s all the clothes I have ever worn. Sorry about making you worry, I am being selfish let''s go.¡±


    Seeing her expression, I know what I need to do, ¡°Everyone let us all go clothes shopping.¡±


    Suzuka gets a big smile on her face as we all walk into the shop, where her and Atlanta pick out new clothes for all of us. Walking out of the store, the happiness of our group has increased, but our almost of money has significantly gone down.


    Finally, as we walk out the door we are brought outside, where we see more of the sights we saw before, people in the air and buildings in the sky. As we gaze at these sights I man walks up to us in an outfit similar to our first guide but a male version and says, ¡°Travellers I will be your last guide today. ?(??? ?).¡±


    The man in question is very flirty to all of us, and is just as lively as our first guide. ¡°You are probably taken aback by the sights you are seeing in front of you, but all the people in the sky are those who are taken advantage of the special gravity field in our country. (??¡¯???)?.


    As long as you are near the ground, the gravity field will act like normal but if you are a certain height away from the ground, you will act in zero gravity which is what everyone else is doing, so remember this to be safe. Now if you have any more questions, there are maps all over the city which will point you towards one of our law enforcement stations the Gravitas police force or Gpd for short. (????).


    Now finally if you want to maximise your time getting around, I would also suggest renting a transport vehicle, to take through one of our cities gravity roads. I hope you enjoy your stay in our country.

 Arc 6.06

    After the man finishes his speech, I sit everyone down and say, ¡°Ok, everyone, let''s get a few things straight. First, we are looking for members of the Chronicle Nimbus or CN. They are supposed to be hiding somewhere on Elp¨ªda. To do this we will split up, and search for them. I will go with Suzuka, Atalanta with Cyrus.¡±


    Putting her hand up Atalanta says, ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°If we have no way of locating them, how will we find said, person.¡±


    ¡°That is why we''re splitting up. We will have Cyrus take off his tail covering, and walk around freely doing this will attract attention due to him being a dragon, during that time I am sure that if a member of CN will come to see if a dragon really has appeared.


    Me and Suzuka, will also go around, and use her mind-reading powers to see if we can find out anything about CN from other people.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it make more sense for Cyrus to go with Suzuka? If the member of CN comes near him, Suzuka could hear who it is.¡±


    ¡°I would, but could you imagine if Suzuka passed out due to an overload of thoughts, there is no way Cyrus would be able to keep his cool, and would freak out. So, it is better if we just split them up.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°S-S-Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologize Cyrus, and I need you to have more confidence, you saved both me and Suzuka¡¯s lives back in Seirei, be proud.¡±


    Cyrus nods his head in response to my words. Looking over at Suzuka she looks pumped, so I ask her, ¡°What got you all hot and bothered?¡±


    ¡°I just got to try as hard as possible to pay Cyrus back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, that goes for all of you. Now, the final thing we have left to talk about would is; communication.¡±


    ¡°Should we meet up at an agreed time?¡± Atalanta asks.


    ¡°No, I thought about that but it would be problematic since if someone doesn¡¯t show up, we really don¡¯t have the mechanisms to chase after them at all. So instead, we will use these,¡± I say handing them objects.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these kaidenwa¡¯s,¡± Atlanta says.


    ¡°You would be correct. The ones we stole from Basileia.¡±


    ¡°But they can¡¯t be used long distance.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true, they take spirit energy proportional to the distance, so after a certain range it would be impossible to reach each other, but with Suzuka here that won¡¯t be an issue. We will be able to get a connection regardless of the distance with her.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Walking over to the map close by I say, ¡°Now let us take off. We are currently on the fourth platform, so, me and Suzuka, will explore the fourth, fifth, and sixth platforms, while you and Cyrus, explore the first, second, and third. Platforms four and one are for mainly commerce, five and two are for research and development, three is for leisure of all shorts and the sixth is run down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can''t wait to visit number three,¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°Well, we''re not done here,¡± walking up to Cyrus, I take a good chunk of lupas from him, and say, ¡°You can say no to anything Atalanta asks you to do, remember that.¡±


    As Cyrus nods his head in compliance, I hear Atalanta say, ¡°I am not going to do anything weird.¡±


    ¡°I hope so, don¡¯t spend money on useless things as well, but don¡¯t be hesitant about spending to get out of tricky situations, and more important than anything else, I want you two to stay safe.¡±


    ¡°Could it be your worried about me Orb.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not it is just if anything happens to you Cyrus is probably going down with you.¡±


    ¡°Your lime hair is a sign that your lying, your true feelings are clear to me,¡± Atalanta says hugging me.


    ¡°Let me go, you crazy woman!¡± After getting her off of me, all of us part ways, with Suzuka and I saying,  ¡°Goodbye, be safe.¡±


    ¡°Bye, you two keep in touch.¡±


    Walking away with Suzuka, I see she is rather fidgety so I ask, ¡°Is everything ok.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, it is just that I have never been able to walk around without a worry in the world like this, usually someone is snaring at me or making fun of me, so it is fucking amazing to be free like this.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You know you have a rather crude mouth.¡±


    Getting shy Suzuka says, ¡°Sorry about that, would you like me to change that.¡±


    I thonk her on the head at full force, ¡°No need for that I was just making an observation, and to be honest I don¡¯t really understand the issue with crude words, Capti used to tell me I shouldn¡¯t use such language, but he would use it all the time as well.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean the others would as well.¡±


    ¡°Others?¡±


    ¡°To help expand my vocabulary, I used to say the things travellers say in my city out loud.¡±


    Ahh, I see that¡¯s why she has such a potty mouth most of her vocabulary came from strangers, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t your parents of corrected you.¡±


    Sadden she says, ¡°I started doing this after I was taken.¡±


    Dammit, Orb, I didn¡¯t think that thought to a conclusion, and now I have made her sad for no reason, think before you speak idiot. I need to do something to make her feel better but what; I see something that gives me an idea.


    Grabbing her hand, I drag her to where my sight is locked on to and say, ¡°Let¡¯s have a little fun.¡± We run over to a shop that rents the vehicles everyone is using on the gravity roads. After renting one I say, ¡°This should allow us to have a fun time exploring the city.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t this be a waste of money?¡±


    ¡°The longer we have to stay in this city the more money it will cost us so getting everything done as fast as possible is without a doubt the best option in this situation. And more importantly every now and again we should have some fun.¡±


    Grabbing Suzuka I use my legacy and create ice underneath us, which brings us high enough for the antigravity to kick in, and then we get on the board I say, ¡°Suzuka hold on tight.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± she says wrapping her tails around me. As I collapse the snow we start to float on out. We are on a large isosceles triangle-like board, that is very sticky. By leaning the board starts to move in the direction we want, and in no time, we are off flying through the sky like everyone else.


    Due to how far up Elp¨ªda it is constantly night, which really shows us how well-lit this country is, even in the dark night everything is very visible and also very beautiful. As we move through the fourth platform, we go wherever we want they¡¯re no limits on where we can go.


    As we get completely lost in travel, I want to tell Suzuka that we should start looking around, but the smile on her face stops me from saying anything.


    ¡°Orb everything here is so pretty, mom and dad used to say the Capital has lots of pretty lights like this,¡± She says as she starts crying.


    ¡°Are you ok Suzuka!¡± I say as I begin to panic.


    ¡°Of course I am, these are tears of joy. Ever since we left Seirei I didn¡¯t know if all of this was just some dream, but seeing this city which I couldn¡¯t of ever dreamt up made me realize, I really am here. So, I am just so happy.¡±


    ¡°Take this all in Suzuka, I promised you I will show you lots more of these sights, so remember it only goes up from here.¡±


    Both of us continue to fly around the city.


    -Break-


    Names of all the cities


    1<sup>st</sup> platform city: Helios


    2<sup>nd</sup> platform city: Selene


    3<sup>rd</sup> platform city: Eos


    4<sup>th</sup> platform: Pergamon


    5<sup>th</sup> platform: Aeia


    6<sup>th</sup> platform: Ichnaea


    -Break-


    ¦µ Hitting me on my head my boss tells me, ¡°You dumb ass idiot, you have missed your quota every month for the last year, you have been working here for years and the newbies are already making double the sales, when we hired you made the most sales out of anyone, but now with not only your lower sales but all your mess ups lately, we have no reason to keep you here, so right now your fired. Get out of my sight this instant.¡±


    As I walk out of my office all the snares from before around me cause my broken heart to shatter into even smaller pieces. Even when I tried to be good.


    I was a sales representative that went around tricking travellers and other idiots into buying the crap my company makes, and I was really good at tricking idiots, I made the most out of anyone at our company. I was a horrible person, but it allowed me to get by in Elp¨ªda.


    But one day I found out the garbage caused an explosion in which many families were caught up in. Logically speaking, I can¡¯t take the full blame for the accident, there were countless other people involved in this, so saying it was just my fault would be stupid, but still, I wanted to stop being a piece of shit and try to return to being a decent human.


    But that didn¡¯t really work out, I lost my job, I lost my friends, I lost my girlfriend and now I am going to have to live poor in this expensive ass city. Completely hopeless and broken I say to myself, ¡°The next person I see, I am going to swindle them for all they are worth.¡±


    After saying this someone tapes me on my back and says, ¡°Hey, would I be able to ask you for some directions.¡±


    I see a beautiful red-haired girl, and a tall beautiful boy with a large backpack, he also strangely has horns. Taking a second to look at them, I see they are wearing visitor armbands, so this must mean that some foreigners are in front of me, the perfect cash cows.


    ¡°To where,¡± I say with my most trustworthy smile.


    ¡°Oh well, we''re looking for the entrance to the next platform.¡±


    ¡°I know you guys are foreigners, so let me tell you this you have to pay a toll to enter the next platform and it is expensive especially for you guys since they increase the prices for foreigners.¡±


    ¡°Really that bad for us.¡±


    Using all my years of honing my body language, I put on my best performance yet. ¡°I know it must be, they¡¯re really trying to rip off everyone who steps foot in this country, OUR GOVERNMENT FUCKING SUCK! But at the very least, us citizens are here to look out for each other, I have another way you can move between the platforms.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wonderful. What is it?¡± The woman says as she starts using her body to flirt with me.


    I see what she is playing at, looks like I don¡¯t have to feel bad about what I am going to do. ¡°Well, if you pay me some money I can make it, so that you won¡¯t have to pay for any toll while you¡¯re in Elp¨ªda. Just give me a -Censor- amount.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s quite a lot, are you sure you can''t give me any discount.¡±


    ¡°I am giving you as big a discount as possible, and you should remember that what I am asking for is a lot less than you would actually have to pay, and there are other benefits.¡± As I start rambling on about the reason why they should take my offer, I come to a certain realisation and crouch down.


    Am I really such a scummy piece of shit this whole self-righteous, me against the world mentality, led to the deaths of over a thousand people, most murders haven¡¯t even killed that many. I can¡¯t keep doing this.

 Arc 6.07

    While crouching on my knees I ask the beautiful girl, ¡°Hey, let¡¯s play a game.¡±


    ¡°A game?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I want you to hear your answer to this question, if I like it I will not charge you anything.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fun hit me with the question.¡±


    ¡°Ok, imagine if you were a dirt poor boy with no friends, who only had his overworked mother, and lived in a horrible little apartment. You have nothing going for you, not super smart, not creative, not beautiful, just ok at everything, with the only achievement you could say was that you were sure no one else your age was as depressed as you. If you lived like that, do you think there is any limit on what you would do to better your life at the expense of others, and even yourself?¡±


    Crouching down with me the woman says, ¡°That''s quite a detailed hypothetical, but let me humour you on this. If I was in said situation, I would say fuck you to everyone, and get as much money as possible, because I would believe that if I had money all the issues I faced would simply just disappear. Because money can give you value without being smart, beautiful, or creative.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I think too,¡± I say scratching my head.


    ¡°But as someone with twenty-one years of life experience I will say this, the only thing you have that is truly of any value is yourself. It is the one treasure untouched and truly unknown by everyone, it is essential to the only real things that make you have any worth.


    I don¡¯t really care that much about others, but I believe doing something that will harm or kill yourself is much worse than anything else you could go true, cause when you destroy the only thing that actually makes you matter, in that moment you will be in a state much worse than physical death, you would be someone who doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Looking at the woman I say to her, ¡°I would never believe you were fifteen years my younger if you weren¡¯t so youthful.¡±


    Standing up I say, ¡°I like the answer you gave me, so let me tell you there is no toll, I made that up, and remember as long as you¡¯re in Elp¨ªda people will constantly try to trick you; so don¡¯t trust people so readily.


    If you want to travel from platform to platform move there is a bridge connecting one to the next at the left and right-most points, if you also head over to the southmost point there is a bridge connecting all six platforms, so you can travel where you need.


    And last but not least, if you commit too many crimes, there is a woman who is usually at platform six and one that can sneak you out of this country, but if you want to get her attention bring some cute little boys or girls.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for all that information, though it is sad I didn¡¯t get to sleep with you for that information.¡±


    ¡°We still have time if you want to try?¡±


    ¡°No need sex is simply a method of getting to know someone, and I feel like I know you well enough.¡± As she walks past me, she puts her hand on my shoulder and says ¡°The reason why change is worth it, is because it is hard.¡± After saying that she walks off.


    After my talk with those two my mother¡¯s last words reverberated in my mind. ¡°Atom, I am sorry that I have to leave you so early like this, but just remember this, you are the apple of my eye and your shine has kept me through so much, so I pray that you share the blessing you have been given with others.¡±


    It took me a few years mom, but it seems I will finally be doing what you asked, but first let me go get something to eat. After I by some food and sit down. While eating I see a stray nord cat come up to me looking like it is at death''s door.


    ¡°I can¡¯t get a break can I.¡± I feed the cat what I have and say, ¡°Pass this good fortune on to someone else mister cat.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Hey A-A-Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Cyrus?¡±


    ¡°What w-w-was, going on back there.¡±


    ¡°That man was trying to rob us.¡±


    ¡°Re-e-e-eally.¡±


    ¡°Yes, could you really not tell.¡±


    ¡°N-N-No,¡± Cyrus says with his head down.


    ¡°I thought it was very obvious, all I had to do was give it a bit of thought, and even more than that, looking at the way he was I could feel he wasn¡¯t going to be some kind of helpful saint. You can tell a lot from people just by little hints.¡±


    ¡°I c-c-can¡¯t do that,¡± he says even more depressed


    ¡°You know at first, I wanted to get close to you since you are so hot, but now that I have spent some time with you I have figured out you''re really boring, kinda plain, and just one huge bummer over all. Like why can¡¯t you fly me up to that giant castle in the sky, aren¡¯t you a dragon.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°I can¡¯t dragonify y-y-y-yet.¡±


    ¡°You see what I mean, you can¡¯t even do the only thing that makes you cool, how lame.¡±


    Looking at Cyrus I see that more words have uppercut him right into self-loathing so I say, ¡°Well as a very knowledgeable twenty-one-year old I will tell you the secret trick I use to loosen up, it is called alcohol; let¡¯s go to a bar.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t r-r-really want to go.¡±


    Faking tears I say to him, ¡°But I really want to drink, and it sucks to do it alone so why not.¡± I start crying louder and louder.


    ¦µ This is just like Orb said, I need to say no to things I don¡¯t want to do, ¡°I-I-I-I-I-I.¡± as I am about to firmly reject her she starts balling her eyes out with an incredibly sad face. ¡°I will go.¡±


    ¡°YESSSS,¡± Atalanta says as she drags me away with her. With tears running down my face I think: I wasn¡¯t brave enough to assert myself, and now I am going to have to drink with her.


    -Break-


    After moving everywhere around both the cities of Pergamon, and Aeia, Suzuka and I sits down on a bench to catch a break and eat, but while she happily gnaws away at her food all I can do is sigh.


    ¡°Orb are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, it is just our lack of progress that is annoying me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, it is because I wasted time with all that sightseeing,¡± she says pouting.


    ¡°I told you to stop that, your sightseeing enabled us to look at places we probably would of skipped over, so thank you very much you idiot fox,¡± I say while rubbing her head.


    ¡°I see then have some of this,¡± Suzuka says handing me a piece of her food.


    After eating what she gave me, I can indeed say that this food is amazing. Feeling rejuvenated after eating I stand up and say to Suzuka, ¡°We can¡¯t do anything more than keep looking around, so let us both go to the sixth platform Ichnaea.¡±


    ¡°Are you really sure that we should go there, isn¡¯t that the dangerous one, something might happen to us, so it might be better to just skip that one.¡±


    In response to her words, I punch Suzuka sending her flying back. Getting up from my blow, enraged she says, ¡°How dare you,¡± while coming at me with a kick that sends me so far on impact, at such a high speed, I was ninety percent sure I was about to die.


    Walking over to my bloody body Suzuka says while strangling me, ¡°What the hell was that for.¡±


    People seeing her actions try to step in and stop her, but when they come over, she turns to them and says, ¡°All of you better fuck off before I do the same thing to you.¡± Hearing this they all scamper away.


    ¡°You see this is the reason that I have nothing to fear, as long as I have the mighty Suzuka Gozen protecting me I will be super safe, I already feel super secure right now, so please stop choking me.¡±


    Embarrassed her voice goes quieter and she says, ¡°You could of just said that. And don¡¯t go hitting me in the face; I thought you didn¡¯t like me anymore.¡±


    Giving her a hug from the back I say, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten our promise at all Suzuka, so don¡¯t forget either ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Now that we have that sorted out, let¡¯s call Atalanta and Cyrus to inform them of where we are going just in case.¡± Taking out the kaidenwa I ask Suzuka to charge it up with spirit energy, and then we call Atalanta.


    When she picks up to says, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Her speech id slightly slurred so I ask her ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am a-ok.¡±


    ¡°I see, I was just calling to inform you we are going to the sixth platform.¡±


    ¡°Have a good time.¡±


    When she says this, I hear someone say in the background ¡°Here youdrinks.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hey Atalanta, where are you guys?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we''re just walking around the third platform.¡±


    ¡°You''re still on that platform!¡±


    ¡°Well, we have decided to take it slow and investigate thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me some information that you obtained.¡±


    Taking a minute, she says, ¡°If you ever get in any trouble, there is a woman in the sixth and first platforms who can get you out of it.¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you even learn such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I learned it because I was an exemplary human being.¡±


    Letting out a sigh I say, ¡°Then can I talk with Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°He is preoccupied right now.¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it is my place to tell you such things.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making yourself more and more suspicious as time goes by, so can you tell me what the hell you two are doing.¡±


    ¡°Orb I can¡¯t hear you I think you¡¯re breaking up.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, I can hear you just fine.¡±


    ¡°The connection is about to fail so bye Orb.¡± Did she just hang up on me?


    ¡°THAT DUMB B*TCH.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk about Sissy like that,¡± Suzuka says while smouldering me with her tail.¡±


    As the softness of her tails relaxes me, I say, ¡°They¡¯re probably fine, so let us just leave them to whatever they¡¯re at, we informed them of our next destination and know they are in the third platform so everything is alright.¡±


    I get on the floor and start stretching. ¡°Orb what are you doing?¡±


    Getting in a starting position I say, ¡°Last one to the platform is a stupid fox.¡± Then I take off at full speed with Suzuka close behind me.


    ¡°Come back here you sneaky tanuki,¡± she says chasing after me with all her might.


    ¦µ Taking my drink in the bar I say, ¡°Sorry little boy, but we adults need to have sometime to blow o some steam as well.¡±


    Looking over a Cyrus, I see him crying to some strangers saying, ¡°I am so p-p-pathetic I can¡¯t even do an-n-n-nything by myself bu-t-t-t-t-t who cares,¡± while drinking a lot.


    ¡°Is he going to be ok?¡±


    The bartender then tells me, ¡°He will be fine especially since he isn¡¯t drunk.¡±


    ¡°Really, but he has been drinking like a fish.¡±


    ¡°The metabolism of dragons is so strong that I doubt he could get drunk off anything here. it happens to be one of the few known facts about them.¡±


    ¡°Looking over a Cyrus, I see him talking to strangers who say, ¡°Our boss has been super uptight recently it makes working so painful. Why are all us non-human races worked so hard. Life really sucks.¡±


    ¡°I k-k-know, it really sucks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, we all need some fun it our lives lets go to a hostess club.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± They all say in unison and in no time the three non-humans drag Cyrus out of the club with me not far behind.


    ¡°What the hell are those three?¡±


    Name: Nord Cat


    Height: 24.56 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast Of Elp¨ªda


    Description: A pinkish black cat with four tails. Due to the way the gravity of Elp¨ªda has effected its body it can stretch and bend its body like rubber.


    Fact: For some reason Nord cats are known to be more affectionate than regular cats. Many people have speculated why that is, but to this day it remains a mystery.

 Arc 6.08

    -Break-


    The bridges between each platform has a section for walking, and a section for gravity vehicles. Going from platform four to five, the bridge was completely packed and a very uncomfortable experience, but going from platform five to six was the exact opposite, there was almost no one here.


    It was strange how baren it was, even when me and Suzuka were running all the way to the bridge the population density dropped immensely as we approached it, which started bothering me.


    Still, regardless of the thoughts that occupied my mind, I still made it to the sixth platform first. ¡°Looks like you are a stupid fox Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you cheated.¡±


    ¡°You injured me pretty badly, so I needed to give myself a head start.¡±


    ¡°But you also punched me in the face, so I could say the same, and I was carrying the gravity board.¡±


    ¡°Whatever the challenge is over now so no haggling.¡±


    As Suzuka growls at me I get a good look at the 6<sup>th</sup> platform: it is decrypt, with pieces of the deteriorated buildings in the sky, most of the lights look fully or partially destroyed, there is almost no one in sight, and the air here feels noticeably worse than the air in the last two platforms, it is almost difficult to breathe. ¡°Suzuka, I don¡¯t want to spend a lot of time here, so let''s get going as fast as possible,¡± I say while preparing the board.


    ¡°Ok,¡± she says with a sigh while hopping on the board with me. As we take off like normal we immediately run into an annoying issue, the pieces of buildings in the sky still have their little gravity fields, so we get pulled each and every way.


    This eventually causes us to crash into a building, and due to its gravity, we are now standing sideways on it. Thinking fast, I move both me and Suzuka to the bottom of the building and use my legacy to create enough ice that we are pushed out of the range of its field and are back in zero gravity.


    After this incident, Suzuka and I land on one of the non-destroyed buildings. ¡°I think we should go by foot from now on, and fly only when it is necessary.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t that slow us down a lot, especially in this horrible area?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much choice, we are in a dangerous situation no matter which one we choose, so I would rather deal with people than deal with nature itself.¡±


    So, after this we continue on our path, running from place to place and building to building until we eventually come across an area with people in it.


    Looking around this place it feels more like a slum rather than a city, all the people here are horribly dressed in tattered clothes, and most of them look homeless, and as we walk through they all stare daggers at me and Suzuka.


    ¡°Orb, can we get through here faster.¡±


    Looking at Suzuka I see that she is shaking and ask her, ¡°Are the thoughts of these strangers getting to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are thinking lots of horrible stuff concerning us, and it is crushing my head. It feels too much like home, it hurts.¡±


    Grabbing Suzuka I hold her tight and say, ¡°Sorry about this, I have almost finished looking around so can you hold on a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will do my best.¡± Putting on her mask she says, ¡°Please give me strength.¡±


    So as soon as I finish scanning the area and talking to people for information, I leave with Suzuka immediately. While sitting down on a rooftop for her to recharge, I notice that her tails have gone from three to five.


    Something I have taken note of recently, is the way she absorbs spirit energy. When she hears people''s thoughts, she absorbs some of their spirit energy, but it isn¡¯t a uniform rate, the amount of spirit energy she absorbs is proportional to the intensity of emotions of those around her.


    So, that means that even though we were in that area for a very short period of time, Suzuka was able to grow two full tails back, while in the first two platforms, Suzuka was only able to regrow one tail. So, whatever those people are feeling must be intense if they could reform two, and the part that truly bothers me is that Suzuka had to feel all that.


    ¡°Orb, I think I am ok now.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Very, that place was just especially intense.¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to share what you heard to ease your worries?¡± Suzuka looks as though my words caught her off guard. ¡°Was what I said so surprising?¡±


    Acting like the little weirdo she is she tells me, ¡°Well it is just that no one has ever asked such a thing, so it feels kinda weird, as you sure you want to hear such horrid things.¡±


    ¡°You are forced to have to hear all these horrible thoughts, and I think at the very least you shouldn¡¯t be forced to keep them all to yourself, so lay it on me.¡±


    As we walk to our next destination, Suzuka tells me about all the information that was forced into her head by her curse. She tells me some rather horrid stuff about what the people were thinking of doing to us, and how much our existence irritated them, which was made weirder by the fact Suzuka had a big smile on her face, it really seems she has been keeping a lot in.


    But aside from relieving Suzuka, it has become clearer how a girl like her could have such a horrible vocabulary, the stuff she was saying she heard was quite disgusting.


    As we are enjoying our conversation, loud screams catch our attention and we run towards them. What we see when we arrive are a group of rather ruff-looking people surrounding a dark-skinned boy, with two of them on the floor.


    As we get closer, I hear one of the ruff people say, ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re going to get away with picking a fight with us.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t start this fight, all I was doing was trying to relocate my current coordinates to a different space, and in the process of doing that, 480 divided by 32 carbon-based organisms got in my way, which caused this whole silly altercation.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry you and all your illiterate dick-brained idiots, probably couldn¡¯t comprehend what I said, so let me break this down, you got in my way so I kicked your ass.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH ME KID, MY GANG OWNS THIS AREA.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I could have known that how?¡±


    Recomposing himself he says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what type of place you think Ichnaea is, but you don¡¯t simply walk around without paying your respect.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have that right here,¡± Reaching into his bag the boy takes out his hand with his hand with the middle finger up.


    ¡°That¡¯s it you little shit, no mercy.¡± After saying this the people around the boy rush him.


    Before they reach him, the boy looks up at the sky and says ¡°God you¡¯re my witness.¡± Then he dodges the blows of all of them, and knocks one in the chin.


    Continuing on from that, the boy picks up the body of one of them by the leg, and uses it as a weapon to attack the others. Despite him looking our age, he is rather strong. ¡°I guess his spirit arts must be good.¡±


    ¡°No Orb, he isn¡¯t using spirit energy, that¡¯s just raw physical strength.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    After whacking them around with the body of their comrade, he sees one trying to run away, so he grabs him and holds him by the ledge of the building saying, ¡°The gravity around here is pretty wonky, so let¡¯s see if zero-gravity will save you.¡±


    As the boy drops the ruffian, I dash forward and save him, repositioning him back onto the building. ¡°Hey who the hell are you.¡±


    ¡°I am just a friendly rainbow passing through.¡±


    ¡°Well then you should have let that guy fall before they try and shake you down for some money, it is the least that guy deserves.¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot, if you just kill him, he will never learn his lesson.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a hassle, and I think death is the only way for idiots to learn.¡±


    ¡°Little boy you still have so much to learn. Watch this,¡± I say walking over to the man. Holding the man¡¯s hands I say, ¡°That must off been scary, but don¡¯t you worry I won¡¯t let you die.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± I then rip off one of the man¡¯s fingernails. As his screams echo throughout the area I say, ¡°Look now I have shown him the warmth of being a good person and have given him a constant physical reminder of what happens when you¡¯re a piece of shit.¡±


    Rubbing his chin the boy says back to me, ¡°I see, you brilliant bastard.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, but don¡¯t just stand there, this man still has nine fingernails left and to me, that is nine too many.¡±


    ¡°I see, please watch my technique and rate me out of ten,¡± the boy says ripping off another fingernail.


    I tell him, ¡°You went too fast, that scream wasn¡¯t as loud as the last one, you got to take it slow.¡±


    ¡°I see so how is this,¡± He says ripping off another fingernail.


    ¡°Ahh that is good, but stop for a second while I teach you a few techniques.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, master.¡±


    ¡°You see if you wait for a few seconds eventually the open fingernails will become sensitive again, where you can then play with the flesh.¡±


    ¡°You utter genius.¡±


    ¡°And after you have ripped a fingernail, you can do this,¡± I say as I break one of the man¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°In genius a two-phase flow of punishment, you truly are revolutionary.¡±


    ¡°Why, why are you too doing this to me? I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°You hear that, this man is openly repenting of his mistakes, and from this point on, whenever he looks at his hands he will remember what we did to him, isn¡¯t that just amazing? If you just killed him, he wouldn¡¯t have ever been able to change.¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean, I will take this to heart.¡±


    ¡°YOU MOTHER FUCKIN BRATS,¡± one of the ruffians says as a large group of them charges at us, but Suzuka quickly comes and turns all her tails into fists and punches five of them all at once.


    ¦µ As I see Orb and the boy torturing that man, all I can think is; I don¡¯t want to be left out. This is bad I am getting excluded, if it goes on like this I will eventually be forgotten. Come on Suzuka, you can do this, not everyone hates you here, so if I go join in, they would probably allow it, and I got to make sure to be mean.


    Should I put on my mask? No, I shouldn¡¯t, Orb told me that being face-to-face with people can help with friendship, so I just got to do this on my own.


    So, I start approaching Orb and his friend as the man they torture screams for help, but as I do, I feel this weight when closing in as if I am about to get sick, I feel as though I am about to die, I am so nervous.


    ¡°DIE YOU FOX BITCH,¡± Turning all my tails into a hand, I grab the man and smash him into the ground back and forth, doing this helps me relieve enough stress, so I take the last few steps towards Orb and boy.


    ¡°Would I be able to join in too?¡±


    Orb looking at me says, ¡°Of course.¡± He then turns his head to the boy and says, ¡°This is my friend Suzuka, she is kind be nice to her.¡±


    ¡°Hello Suzuka,¡± the boy says.


    Hearing this I feel tears well up in my eyes, I never thought I would be able to do this so easily. So, I join Orb and the boy in torturing the man.

 Arc 6.09

    ¦µ Soon after Suzuka joins me and the boy, the leader of all the gang members gets up and says, ¡°I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS, YOU THINK YOU BRATS CAN JUST MESS WITH US AND GET AWAY WITH IT, I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE POWER FEELS LIKE.¡±


    I suddenly feel a strong force push me down to the floor, with all the strength I can muster, I turn my head to see Suzuka and the boy in a very similar position.¡±


    ¡°You like that kid, this glove I am wearing can manipulate the gravity around these parts, right now you are fighting the absolute power of nature itself, kids like you couldn¡¯t possibly hope to compare.¡±


    How fascinating I would love to take that thing apart and see how it works, but first I need to get out of here, freezing the rooftop and then shattering it, should shake him long enough for me to get a solid hit in, and if I don¡¯t Suzuka definitely will.


    ¡°Have nothing to say in return kids, are you feeling the fear of my awesome power, all you can do is sit there helpless. You should enjoy this brief moment of reprieve you have, because soon I will inflict such horrendous abuse onto your bodies that you won¡¯t forget this any time soon, oh how I can¡¯t wait to crush you all, and let me tell you I won¡¯t go easy on any of you, so don¡¯t be upset little boy, I will be breaking those two girls with you, and I will take special care of the ugly fox one.¡±


    Little girl? Did he just call me a little girl, even after wearing all these male clothes and putting on all this muscle he still called me a little girl, ok now this is personal.


    As I am about to put my plan into motion the gravity acting upon us eases up, and the boy beside me standing up says, ¡°My god do you ever shut up?¡±


    ¡°How are you standing up?¡± The man says completely shocked by the events taking place before him.


    ¡°Oh, thanks to this,¡± the boy says lifting up his foot. Looking at the shoe he is wearing I see that a legacy is acting on it.


    Confused by this I take a look at his face and see that his hand is almost entirely silver but some of it has some discolouration. Both of his eyes are red, but there seems to be a faint light under one of them. He must be hiding his legacy like me and Cyrus did when in Higashinagisa-shi. But the weirdest thing I noticed, is that under his right eye, he has a symbol like Maple does. (??)


    ¡°Die,¡± the man says as he tosses a ball of what looks to be condensed gravity at us.


    As it approaches us, the boy kicks it with his shoe and it disperses.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening,¡± the man says dumbstruck.


    ¡°Oh this is reality, now let us bring this to an end.¡±


    As the boy stomps his foot into the ground the gravity around us finally fully disappears. So, I get up and at full speed, I move towards the man with Suzuka right beside me. As I am about to punch him I say, ¡°Who did you call a girl.¡±


    Suzuka doing the same says, ¡°Who did you call ugly.¡± And together we send the man flying into the air.


    Looking up I see the boy high in the air with him and he says, ¡°You made a mistake when you decided to use gravity against me.¡± As he drops on him, they both crash into the ground at high speed.


    Seeing the man unconscious on the floor, I grab both Suzuka''s and the boy''s hands and say ¡°Victory,¡± with both of them soon repeating after me.


    ¦µ Breaking the hold of the white-haired girl has on my hands, I whisper to myself, ¡°What the hell was I doing, I was completely just caught up in that girl''s bullshit.¡±


    Wait didn¡¯t that girl just freak out when she was called such, is it actually a boy, you know what that¡¯s none of my business I have already gotten too involved with these two.


    Walking over to the gang leader I take the gauntlet off his hands, then I hear the white-haired boy(probably) say, ¡°What are you going to do with that.¡±


    Given him a death stare I say, ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s any of your business.¡±


    But then he starts circling around me super-fast saying, ¡°Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me.¡±


    ¡°OK, if you must know I am going to take it apart or sell it, it isn¡¯t every day you come across a rare item such as this.¡±


    ¡°I see, so it is rather rare.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and extremely illegal, stuff that influences the gravity field here are very dangerous for everyone on Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¦µ As the boy in front of me starts taking the gauntlet apart, I see something that sets me off, right in the middle of the machine I see a Basileia crystal, so I get close to the boy and ask, ¡°Why is that thing powered by a Basileia crystal.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Too close, back away,¡± the boy says using his hand to ward me away.


    While trying to get a closer look, I suddenly hear a large noise, which is quickly followed by someone shouting, ¡°PUT YOUR HANDS UP WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM RIGHT NOW.¡±


    The boy with us says, ¡°Tch, the Gravitas police.¡±


    Looking around a group of people in matching uniforms are flying on gravity vehicles all around us and one of them lands on the roof and says, ¡°Our sensors went off that someone was altering the gravity field, so we came to check it out and to my unsurprise I found you here Iancu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, these guys jumped me and they tried to use this on me.¡±


    ¡°So, you expect me to believe you and those frail little girls over there beat up all these guys, especially when they hand a gravity tool. I don¡¯t believe it for even a second.


    You probably used that tool to impress those girls over there, but look at the state of these people especially the one with all his fingernails missing, you took this way too far. Your mother would be ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, why am I even having this conversation with you? EVERYONE RESTRAIN ALL THE PEOPLE HERE AND TAKE THEM WITH US.¡±


    As members of the Gravitas police come and restrain all of us, I tell Suzuka, ¡°Let¡¯s just go with them for now.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Orb.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Around me, Atalanta and the three strangers I met from the bar are yelling, ¡°Hostess club, hostess club, hostess club,¡± while dragging me with them.


    As I am being pulled along, I start to freak out. I have calmed down from the flurry of emotions I was having back at the bar, and now all I am left with is the reality that I have completely thrown me and Atalanta off our mission.


    Who are even these people I am with, I think they¡¯re humans, but their appearance is a lot different than the normal humans I usually come across.


    There are three of them one woman and two men. The woman has light blue skin, and her hair is ridiculously long, but is tangled around her entire body, she also has two curved horns on her head.


    One of the men who are on the smaller side, has skin that is pitch black and his right arm doesn¡¯t exist, there is just pure darkness emanating from it. And the last man is a giant even bigger than Porto, but he doesn¡¯t really look human, he is completely covered in orange scales and has a very monstrous face.


    I heard Orb say that different races live on the human continent, but to be honest, aren¡¯t these people too weird? I stop walking which causes them to turn around, and then the woman asks, ¡°Hey dragon boy, what¡¯s going on, do you have to barf?¡±


    ¡°It-t-t-t-t is, ju-u-u-ust that we are bu-u-u-usy, aren¡¯t we A-A-A-Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°No, we have a bunch of free time to kill,¡± Atalanta says in a drunk.


    ¡°No b-b-but, we have a mission that we need to accomplish, w-w-w-we, can¡¯t waste anymore t-t-t-time.¡±


    Grabbing me by the side, the woman says, ¡°Dragon boy, sometimes you need to forget about your work sometimes and have fun.¡±


    ¡°Bu-u-u-ut, I need to finish it.¡±


    ¡°Listen here dragon boy, right now you''re on Elp¨ªda, so you need to enjoy ever moment of your stay here, because you might die any moment.¡±


    ¡°Wh-h-h-hat do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Let me enlighten you, look up there into the sky, you see that giant castle up there with the giant bubble-like barrier around it.¡±


    Looking up I see exactly what she described, I have noticed it ever since we got here but I didn¡¯t exactly know what it is.


    ¡°You see that castle is responsible for all the gravity around here, but we have absolutely no idea what it is, or how it is making that gravity, all these cities were just built to take advantage of it. So at any moment if the gravity it created ceased, Elp¨ªda would crash down into the earth, and we would all die a horrendous death.¡±


    ¡°W-W-W-WHAT!¡± I say as I suddenly feel a huge weight fall on my shoulders. Am I going to die before I got to do anything with my life?


    ¡°Yeah, you feel that, it¡¯s the weight of death hanging over you. In Elp¨ªda we have a saying: party like this is your last day on the planet because it very well might be. So let us party before our demon lord of a boss comes and finds us,¡± the woman says dragging me even harder, and due to my shock I am unable to resist as they all dash towards the hostess club.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As me, Suzuka, and the Iancu are brought inside the Gpd headquarters, I look around and see how much amazing technology is surrounding me, I would really love to get a proper look around but due to these cuffs, I don¡¯t think I will be doing that anytime soon.


    All three of us are brought to a cell where we all have to sit down together waiting to be questioned. When we get there, I say, ¡°Iancu so why was there a Basileia crystal in the gravity tool?¡±


    ¡°I forgot when we became familiar enough for you to use my name stranger.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that we bonded.¡±


    ¡°Bonded my ass, you do realize it is your fault that I am in this cage. If I did things my way, I would¡¯ve finished everything there before the Gpd ever had a chance to catch me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t force you to listen to me, you did it of your own free will.¡±


    ¡°THAT ''CAUSE I GOT CAUGHT UP IN YOUR BULLSHIT!¡±


    ¡°Iancu you need to be nicer, or you won¡¯t be making any friends your age,¡± a square-shaped man says as he walks into our view.


    ¡°Shut the hell up Tetra.¡±


    ¡°You know talking like that to the chief of police is a great way to get more time in here.¡± Turning over to me he says, ¡°Sorry about this one''s attitude, let me answer your question in his place. To put it simply, Basileia crystals are what power every single thing here.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that require a ridiculous amount to make everything here work, I am pretty sure it would be enough to bankrupt most nations¡±


    ¡°Your right, it would be if we bought them, but our nation is the only other place that has the ability to produce them.¡±


    I heard that they are only found I in two places in the world, and I guess Elp¨ªda must be the second place, but wait, ¡°What do you mean by produce?¡±


    ¡°What you call Basileia crystals are actually an artificially made resource, it is made by a specialized kind of machine that creates them using spirit energy, and we happen to have one on Elp¨ªda that makes it for us.¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense aren¡¯t Basileia crystals a rare resource, if you can produce them just like that there is no way they would be as rare as they are.¡±


    ¡°The machines have a maximum output, so even if you feed it infinite spirit energy they can only produce so much, and we produce just enough to keep this country afloat,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°Oh, so you want to talk to us now,¡± I say with a smug smile.


    He turns his head in response to my words.

 Arc 6.10

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he likes to help, but refuses to let go of his whole rebellious cool guy attitude.¡± Iancu gives Tetra a scowl when he says this. ¡°But getting back to answering you, Basileia was originally the place that was used to produce the machines for creating crystals, but an accident occurred there where a bunch of machines went haywire and exploded creating the crystal mine, though lucky for us Elp¨ªda had the last working one.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I now have a follow-up question, why can¡¯t you just build more of them.¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t have designs for it anymore, it was one of the many things the genius Inventor Magnolia took with him when he disappeared.¡±


    Wait, Magnolia, as in the founder of Maples village. Dammit, that means the blueprints are gone, why did that idiot have to burn something so useful. ¡°But wait, why would Magnolia have something so instrumental to this country, your nation is built on the use of such machines so wouldn¡¯t the blueprints be in you guy¡¯s possession.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, everything on Elp¨ªda was designed and made by Magnolia and his mentor, our first queen Basileia, over two thousand years ago.¡±


    Shocked by this I say, ¡°Everything here is over two thousand years old, haven¡¯t you made anything new since then.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°No we haven¡¯t, despite how futuristic all it might seem, none of the idiots of this generation has even managed to decipher two percent of how it was made, that is why Elp¨ªda is called the city of the future from the past.


    This city was built to show the future potential of humanity, but even two thousand years later, the entire world is still centuries from coming close to figuring it out, we''re all just a bunch of failures who parade our great city but fail to live up to its meaning.¡±


    Letting out a huge laugh, Tetra says, ¡°Iancu is spot on, but I still take pride in protecting this wonderous piece of history.¡±


    I smile at his words, as Tetra turns his head to Suzuka, and asks, ¡°Are you ok? You seem like you want to say something.¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir, my friend here can only speak the saviour''s song, she isn¡¯t well versed in the others, so she hasn¡¯t been speaking to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Then in the saviour''s song he says, ¡°Would you please tell me what¡¯s bothering you miss?¡±


    Perking up Suzuka says, ¡°I have trouble fully reading your thoughts, but your head is nice old man.¡±


    Giving Suzuka a smack on the head, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t just admit you can read minds.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on telling anyone, but young lady, you should follow his advice, human trafficking is a big problem we have been dealing with in Elp¨ªda in recent years, so I would suggest you try and make yourself look as normal as possible, well I guess that¡¯s hard, but as long as you don¡¯t go picking fights like Iancu you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to be here old man, so don¡¯t go handing me any backhanded slaps. Hurry up and let me out.¡±


    ¡°Do you realize the trouble you have caused me recently? It is going to be a big headache to throw all of this under the rug. People are really wondering why you aren¡¯t getting charged with anything for messing with the gravity field.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mess with the gravity field, that was the gang members.¡±


    ¡°Listen here, no one is going to believe you kids were able to deal with those people, especially if they were using a gravity tool, so I had to twist the story, and say you were the ones using the tool.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit what people believe, just tell them the truth.¡±


    ¡°So what, you want it to become public knowledge that you¡¯re a legacy and be subject to the constant fear of kidnapping.¡±


    Oh, this is getting spicy.


    ¡°Let them come, I will send their asses right into the sea.¡±


    ¡°If you think you can just brute force your way through everything you¡¯re an utter fool.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say to me you mentally regressed fossil.¡±


    ¡°Look here, I don¡¯t have to look out for you, but I do as a favour to your mother, so could you please meet me halfway, and stop doing things that will send you over to her side.¡±


    ¡°Listen here you handicapped prehistoric cunt, I have two things to tell you: first never bring my mother into any argument ever again, or I will crush your face in, and second I have never, nor ever will, ask you to do me any favours, so go fuck off for eternity.¡±


    Suzuka cuts into their conversation and says, ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T JUST SAY THAT TO PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT YOU.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for your opinion so fuck off.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Suzuka looks like she is about to cry at his words then she puts on her mask and says, ¡°Are you so idiotic that you can only accept opinions that you ask for but what else would I expect from a milksop like you.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say to me.¡±


    ¡°Did I fucking stutter or wait no maybe the words I used were too big for you so let me dumb this down for you YOU¡¯RE A FUCKING LOUD-MOUTHED MIDGET WHO ONLY HAS THE REMARKABLE TRAIT OF BEING MEAN TO EVERYONE.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it why don¡¯t you back up all those words.¡±


    ¡°I would be glad too.¡±


    As they both try to fight each other over my body I holed them back and say, ¡°Come down both of you this is nothing to fight over.¡±


    ¡°No Orb after I decimate this little shit we will see if he will retain that attitude.¡±


    ¡°Let''s see you try hooker.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL MIDGET.¡±


    ¡°NO ASKED HIM TO LOOK OUT FOR ME, I AM FINE BY MYSELF.¡±


    As they both spin insults back at each other, while trying to fight, I get a good close look at Iancu''s mouth, and I notice something strange; he has fanged teeth.


    ¡°Both of you just stop it!¡±


    Walking in someone says to Tetra, ¡°Sir, his father has come to get him.¡±


    ¡°Good, it seems I can finally get back to work.¡±


    Iancu stopping his fight with Suzuka looks over at Tetra, and says, ¡°You bastard did you really call my dad.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am not supposed to be looking out for you anymore, so I had to follow protocol and get your dad in.¡±


    Iancu''s face fills with dread, as we are all let out of the cell and are brought to the lobby of the station. As we are brought out, I see a slender dark-skinned man with silver her looking at us. Walking up to us slowly he glares at Iancu, then when he gets close enough, he bashes his fist into Iancu''s head and says in the Saviours song, ¡°I told you to stop hanging around Ichnaea, but you don¡¯t seem to want to listen.¡± I guess he spoke the saviours song, since most people around here wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what he is saying.


    ¡°I have a reason.¡±


    Hitting him on the head again, he says, ¡°I don¡¯t give two shits about your reason, I don¡¯t want to see you running around such a dangerous area ever again.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± His father screams which causes Iancu to cower a bit. ¡°I am going to need you to use your brain smartass, and listen to what I tell you, for God shake do you just like attracting trouble?¡±


    As Iancu looks dispirited Tetra says, ¡°Despite his actions, he was just trying to-.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know what he was trying to do, so you don¡¯t need to fill me in. But that doesn¡¯t matter, what I need right now is for this little idiot to fall to command.¡±


    As they walk away, Tetra says, ¡°Go easy on him, Gloria''s blood runs through his veins, so I doubt he could help himself.¡±


    ¡°Then it is my job to that side of him, one death was enough in our family.¡±


    ¡°Have a good day Avram.¡±


    ¡°You too Tetra,¡± Avram says waving goodbye.


    Wait did he say his name was Avram, then wouldn¡¯t he be, I got to make sure. Looking over at Tetra I say, ¡°Thank you for looking after us, square-shaped man.¡± After saying this I grab Suzuka''s hand and run at full speed.


    ¦µ ¡°Did that boy just say I was square-shaped?¡±


    As the Chief Tetra says this, everyone else at the station has one thought; he didn¡¯t notice!


    ¦µ After catching up to Iancu and Avram I say, ¡°STOP!¡±


    Turning around Avram says, ¡°It¡¯s the kids from the station.¡±


    ¡°Tetra said your name was Avram, but would your last name happen to be Bogdan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, but how would you know that? My son has no friends so it couldn¡¯t be him.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Iancu says.


    But Avram knocks him on the head and says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you speak for the rest of the day.¡±


    After Iancu quiets down I say, ¡°I know you since you¡¯re the one who made Draga¡¯s vase and Capti''s clothes for Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°How would you know about that, the only person who should know would be Captivant.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is sort of a long story.¡±


    After looking at his watch he says, ¡°I can spare a bit of time, so just tell me a short concise version.¡±


    I tell Avram of my experience with Capti on Fimbulwinter, though a short version, I also throw in the fact I am a legacy to help explain my resistance.


    ¡°I see, so he got to bury his wife after all,¡± Avram says with a smile.


    ¡°You look relieved.¡±


    ¡°Well of course I do, I was worried sick for the last few years that I didn¡¯t make his gear good enough, but it seems to of accomplished it''s goal with no issue. I guess that ink-brained idiot managed to pull off something amazing right before he died. Thank you Orb for helping.¡±


    ¡°It is no big issue, but I have something for you hear,¡± I say rummaging around my belongings.


    Giving him a letter, he asks, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It is a letter of introduction, Capti wrote them for me, and this one is addressed to you.¡±


    ¡°Have you just been carrying these around?¡±


    ¡°Well, I planned to give Suzuka the one for her parents while we were walking around, but I sort of didn¡¯t want to go through each letter, so I just grabbed a bunch and stuffed them into my pockets.¡±


    ¡°Really your friend Capti knew my parents.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am not sure about that it just said for Mr and Ms Gozen it didn¡¯t have a name on it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you the child of the Gozens,¡± Avram asks.


    ¡°Yes, she happens to be.¡±


    ¡°How would you know about my family,¡± Suzuka says hiding behind me.


    ¡°You see Capti wrote a book about Yoko and Osaki Gozen, decades years ago it was one of his more popular stories. He did change their names though, so the only reason I know who it is actually about is because he told me the actual story personally.¡±


    Considering it was decades ago it couldn¡¯t be about Suzuka¡¯s parents, then it must have been about her grandparents. Looking over at her I hear her say ¡°Grandma''s name is Osaki,¡± with a smile.


    ¡°Wait, which story would that be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t exactly remember the title but it was a romance story.¡±


    I good romance story then it could only be; against destiny, but there is no way the female protagonist could be based off of that old lady, they have exactly opposite personalities.


    ¦µ While Orb is lost in thought, I Open the letter Captivant left me, it reads: Hey gearhead, I hope you and your family are doing well, is Iancu still fiddling with machinery, I hope that he is; the boy has a real eye for it. I also hope Gloria is still as hot-headed as ever, even motherhood could slow her down, you better be treating these two right.¡±


    As I start glaring at the next part of his letter, I say out loud, ¡°But enough about that, what I wanted to talk to you about was my bratty little friend Orb. This lonely, strange, little child happens to be very immature. I have caught him making entire roleplays with snow sculptures, and then acting it all out with all his heart, he really puts effort into the voices. But whenever I see him do it, he starts to cry out of embarrassment.¡± As I read this Orbs face starts to get embarrassed as his hair turns dark blue.


    ¡°So please Avaram, do me a favour and look out for this little child for me, I won¡¯t be worried in the afterlife if you''re there for him.¡± Annoying old fart still bothering me from beyond the grave.

 Arc 6.11

    ¦µ Damn you Capti, I am so embarrassed, you bastard I trusted you, now I can¡¯t let anyone else read their letters, what if he wrote more of my secrets in them, if he wrote that, or no he might have written that other thing.


    But my what¡¯s making this all worst is that Suzuka and Iancu are snickering at me under their breath. ¡°What¡¯s so funny Suzuka,¡± I say while chasing her.


    ¡°Nothing she,¡± says giggling more.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the face of someone who finds nothing funny.¡±


    ¡°Is it, why don¡¯t you sculpt it for me so I can check, you can even talk to the sculpture when you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Shut uppp!¡±


    After finishing off the rest of the note Avram says to me, ¡°Orb don¡¯t expect much, but if you are struggling with anything just tell me.¡±


    I stop chasing Suzuka and then I say, ¡°We happen to be looking for anyone from the Chronicle Nimbus.¡±


    ¡°For what reason?¡±


    ¡°Where searching for one of my friend''s family members, and if we speak to a member of CN we might be able to find them.¡±


    ¡°Well then you¡¯re in luck, a member there usually hangs out around a bar on Eos, the third platform.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news, what should I look out for?¡±


    ¡°It is kind of hard to locate, but I will take you there.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°No bother, I planned to go there anyway, some of my employees are slacking off in Eos so it seems luck in on our side.¡±


    As we all start walking Suzuka starts laughing at Iancu and he says, ¡°COME LAUGH AT MY FACE YOU WHORE.¡±


    But then Avram knocks him on his head and says, ¡°Who thought you to speak to girls like that, if I ever hear you say such things to a woman again, I will shove bleach done your throat.¡±


    Suzuka then sticks out her tongue at him with a face of victory, so I knock her against her head, ¡°How many times have I had to hit you today, don¡¯t go causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°But he started it.¡±


    ¡°And he is going to get punished by his dad for it, so I see no reason for you to join in Suzuka.¡± After I say this, they both go back to glaring at each other.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As all of us are enjoying our time, I say to the non-human woman who brought us here, ¡°Ivana, this place is heavenly a host and hostess club all in one I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is I choose it, though I wish that beautiful man would be having some fun.¡±


    Looking over at Cyrus I see he is as stiff as a tree, completely still and unmoving as if he had been frozen over, he is trying to not attract attention, but he is failing splendidly.


    Most of the hostesses and some of the hosts are surrounding him.


    ¡°To think such a handsome dragon has come into our humble shop.¡±


    ¡°Your skin is so soft and beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you come play with me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t s-s-s-speak the other songs.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I do, so you can still come with me, and we don¡¯t really need to communicate to have fun.¡±


    ¡°My s-s-s-sister said I shouldn¡¯t go anywhere with strangers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a siscon, I¡¯ll be your sister.¡±


    As Cyrus gets more and more uncomfortable, I decide to step in, but I fall on my face as I try to approach; it seems I have drank too much. After getting back on my feet, I see Cyrus gobbling candy on the table as he starts to panic.


    This causes some of the hostesses to scream, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be doing that, you will die.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean,¡± I ask.


    ¡°Those candies are supper condensed alcohol, taking two is enough to kill you from alcohol poisoning.¡±


    ¡°Oh No, we have got to get him to throw up.¡± I run over to Cyrus and say, ¡°I am going need you to open your mouth,¡± but I trip and fall.


    But getting up from his seat he picks me up gently before I land on the floor and places me on the seat saying, ¡°Watch your step princess.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Watching him one of the hostesses beside me says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he said but it sure was hot.¡±


    Looking at his face he has completely changed he is now full of confidence and erotism. Looking at me Cyrus says, ¡°You have a cut on your knee let me fix that,¡± Cyrus starts sensually licking the wound on my leg.


    As everyone is super focused on what he is doing to me a waiter coming around trips and the plate of drinks he is carrying falls, but Cyrus using his fingernail catches all of them and builds a reverse pyramid with them all, while still catching the waiter.


    ¡°Are you ok, darling?¡± He says to the waiter causing him to swoon. Putting the drinks down on the table he says, ¡°This is all for you my honeys, now let us enjoy the rest of our time here.¡± Sitting in between all the hostesses they all hang on him, which he allows with no issue.


    Seeing what has transpired Ivana and her friends come over to us saying, ¡°I knew this would be fun, it was a great idea to take an early break today.¡±


    But then suddenly we hear, ¡°Ivana, Wadim, Gheorghe.¡±


    All three of them freeze up hearing this voice, so I get up and look at who said this, and I see a slender dark skinned with sliver hair, holding a boy who looks similar to him, but has a huge bump on his head.


    I ask Ivana, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°He is our boss.¡±


    ¡°So, you think you three can just skip out on work when the mood strikes you, is that it your overgrown insects.¡±


    ¡°No boss, we have a reason.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear It, ''cause, from this moment on, I am not your employer anymore, you''re all fired!¡±


    All three of them quickly get down on their hands and knees and grovel saying, ¡°We made a mistake, please forgive us.¡±


    Walking away I think to myself, that these guys have messed up, I wish them the best of luck. As I prepare to sit back beside Cyrus I feel a hand grip my shoulder, so I say, ¡°Hey I am not merchandise no touching,¡± while turning around.


    But to my horror, I see Orb with a bright smile and deep red hair, ¡°Atalanta, please tell me why you are here.?


    ¡°We were just going around bars looking for CN.¡±


    ¡°It turns out that a member of CN is on Eos, and even in all the time we have been here, you have been unable to locate said person, but now I see you here enjoying yourself.¡±


    Crap this is bad, but I can still talk my way out of this. ¡°Hey darling get over here,¡± I hear Cyrus say. Looking over at him I see he is still surrounded by hostesses, but he is currently groping them while sitting down.


    As Orb sees this his face contorts and his hair cycles true many different colours until it lands on an even darker shade of red with a smile full of hatred.


    ¡°Hey, Orb your hair is so red right now we would pass as Siblings.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°Ha, Ha, Ha.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha.¡±


    Orb doesn¡¯t respond with a laugh anymore, so I go ¡°Hahaha,¡± but then I feel an impact on my head.


    -Break-


    ¦µ After exiting the club I plant Cyrus''s face on Suzuka¡¯s tails, ¡°Orb what is going on,¡± Cyrus asks me.


    ¡°Nothing just sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ok goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± After finishing with Cyrus, I turn around to Atalanta and say, ¡°Stop crying, you brought this on yourself.¡±


    ¡°But you hit me on the head. Suzuka heal me.¡± She says as she runs over to Suzuka for a hug, which causes Suzuka to glare at me.


    ¡°Oh, come on, what did I even do.¡±


    But they both make a bleh sound at me while sticking out their tongues. Facepalming to regain my composure I say to Avram, ¡°Would you be able to keep these two until me and Suzuka finish with our business.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I will, but how will you come get them?¡±


    ¡°They have a communication device on them, so we should be able to reach you at any point.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you two going somewhere, I want to come along.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can definitely come, as long as you can walk towards me in a straight line.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me Orb.¡± As I start walking, I move towards Orb step by step with the finesse of a performer, but then everything starts to shake, this is bad if I don¡¯t do this Orb is going keep looking at me like I am some pitiful creature, I need to show that boy who the adult is around here, so I have no choice but to sense spirit energy.


    I know that Suzuka is directly behind me, so if I use her as my starting point and walk forward I can do this, left right, left right, after I am an adequate distance away from Suzuka I open my eyes and say, ¡°See that Orb.¡±


    But the view I see isn¡¯t Orb, he isn¡¯t anywhere in front of me, I look to my left side where I see him standing, ¡°Why did you move.¡±


    ¡°Sissy, Orb didn¡¯t, you walked around in a circle.¡±


    ¡°How could this happen,¡± I say as I begin to throw up.


    ¦µ Clapping my hands I say, ¡°That settles it, both Atalanta and Cyrus, will be going back. Thank you for this Avram.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Just to remain you, the person who you¡¯re looking for is in that building over there.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any description of said person?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry that granny will definitely seek you out if she sees you.


    So, it¡¯s an old lady.


    ¡°But be warned it is quite densely packed so you should proceed with caution.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry even if worst comes to worst, Suzuka will go berserk and kick all their asses.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me sound like a monster.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get angry at me I don¡¯t want to get punched,¡± I say walking away.


    ¡°I am not a monster,¡± Suzuka says while chasing me.


    As I run away, I scream, ¡°Please take care of them!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    -Break-


    After reaching the door to the bar Suzuka starts to look at little sick, ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is just that it really is packed in there.¡±


    ¡°Then I think you should wait here.¡±


    She starts pouting and says, ¡°Sorry for being too useless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we already know the woman is going to seek me out, so there is no reason for you to get disheartened, right now you should just be focusing on regaining yourself so that if anything goes wrong you can bust in and save me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can count on me.¡±


    Walking into to the bar, I see that it has more people in it than all the people I saw in Ichnaea combined, trying just to walk is an issue, but I get through it. After walking around for a while someone grabs my shoulder and says, ¡°You¡¯re a rather pretty one missy why don¡¯t yo-.¡±


    Not allowing him to finish his sentence I punch him in the face and say, ¡°My god, is stupidity an infection in this country?¡±


    Someone at the man''s table sits up and says, ¡°Do you know who you are dea-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care, bye.¡±


    Suddenly everyone around me stands up and forms a little circle around me, then the man gets up and says, ¡°I happen to be one of the top executives of the Nu gang, do you really think you can hit me and just get away with it.¡±


    I guess I am going end up with my second crime on my armband now, it is even unfair me and Suzuka got a criminal mark for the first one, they attacked us, but whatever guess I just have to freeze everything here.


    But as I am about to activate my legacy, a woman who looks barely older than Atalanta puts there arm around my shoulder and says, ¡°Don¡¯t do that, it is the least efficient way to ensure your safety.¡±

 Arc 6.12

    Walking out in front of me, she says, ¡°Come on boys, let¡¯s just forget about this whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your opinion you dumb bitch, now get out of my way.¡±


    ¡°No need to be hostile, I was trying to calm down the situation, but since I am just a dumb bitch, I guess I will have to ask my friend to help me,¡± she says while showing a coin to the man.


    ¡°Wait isn¡¯t that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is one of the five coins that the boss of the Nu gang treasure above all else.¡±


    ¡°But how could you have that?¡±


    ¡°Use your imagination.¡±


    Getting on his hand and knees he says, ¡°I am sorry for this transgression.¡±


    Turning her head to me she says, ¡°You see boy this is how you deal with problems in an efficient manner, unlike what you were about to do I have absolutely no fear of any retaliation.¡± She then turns around and kicks the man in the face saying, ¡°You see, I can do this all day and not be scared of anything.¡±


    After kicking him back and forth repeatedly, she screams, ¡°YOU LIMB DICKED BASTARDS, LISTEN UP.¡± All the other people in the bar freeze up, and then she says, ¡°I WANT ALL OF YOU TO HAVE A GO AT KICKING HIM IN THE NUTS, IF HE IS STILL CAPABLE OF HAVING KIDS AFTER THAT, I WANT YOU TO REPEAT THAT PROCESS.¡±


    ¡°But he is in charge around here.¡±


    ¡°SO, WHO ARE YOU SCARED OF, HIM, OR THE PERSON HE BOWS TO, I GIVE YOU FIVE SECONDS TO START.¡±


    In those five seconds, they start following her instructions. ¡°Hey boy, come sit with me,¡± she says taking my hand, as she guides me away to the table all I can think is that this woman is terrifying.


    When we sit down on one of the tables, a waiter walks up to us, and says, ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like miss.¡± The waiter sounds incredibly nervous, and I can see why.


    ¡°Oh, I have always wanted to try the p¨¦fko ble, give me three bottles of that, and make it on the house.¡±


    ¡°But mam, that is our most expensive bottle, if we just give them to you we would be making a loss.¡±


    Flipping the coin up and down she says, ¡°Even though I have been coming here for years I have been treated quite poorly, and now you''re refusing me my drink of choice, It really puts me in a very destructive mood.¡±


    ¡°But we couldn¡¯t have known who you were.¡±


    With a serious expression she says, ¡°Your lack of knowledge is your own fault, no one else¡¯s, and am I supposed to believe the treatment I have been given is the standard here, it makes me also want to burn this shit stain of a shop into the ground.¡±


    As the man stands there about to cry, she says with a smile, ¡°Though there is one way you can change my attitude, and that is by giving me what I want in five minutes, tick tock.¡±


    As he runs away to fulfil their order she says, ¡°Also make some ice cream for the boy.¡±


    After the waiter brings what she got us, she takes a sip of the wine and says, ¡°This is incredible.¡± Then looking at me she says, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to try some of your food.¡±


    ¡°I am full.¡± That whole situation has removed any appetite I had.


    ¡°oh, don¡¯t be like that,¡± she says while forcing a spoon of it into my mouth.


    After tasting it, I say, ¡°Delicious,¡± and start eating the ice cream.


    ¡°What a cute boy you are, I thought the days when cute men would come looking for me are over.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°Well, you and your three friends have been looking for members of CN, and congratulations you have found one.¡±


    Surprised I move back. ¡°How did yo-.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about to ask me how I knew about that, but I can¡¯t tell you it is a trade secret.¡±


    ¡°So, you knew and still approached me, for all you know I could¡¯ve been after your life.¡±


    She laughs as I say this. ¡°What so funny?¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Now let me respond to your question with a question: How did I just completely turn that situation in my favour?¡±


    ¡°Because you have the favour of his boss.¡±


    ¡°No, because I have information, this coin you see me holding is a fake.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°You see, I found out a long time ago that the boss of the Nu gang collects a certain rare set of coins, which he gives out to people who he is very intimate with. So, all I had to do was make a copy of it and then any of his gang members who see this will immediately bend the knee.¡±


    ¡°You talk as if your plan is smart, but there are a bunch of flaws there.¡±


    ¡°Do tell me, boy.¡±


    ¡°First, what if one of the gang members asks the boss about who has said coins.¡±


    ¡°These coins are mainly given to women who have sexual relations with the boss, and said boss of this gang has a very deep separation between his work life and his personal life, so his employees won¡¯t be allowed to know anything about the coin holders, they are only told to protect people with these coins no matter what. Is that all you got boy?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. You have now put way too much attention on yourself, what if rival gangs come and try to kidnap you as revenge against his gang, in said situation, not only will they find out you''re lying, but that would ruin your whole mission here as an undercover reporter of CN.¡±


    ¡°All the gangs on Elp¨ªda have a strict code of chivalry when it comes to their warfare, no family. They will never attack anyone¡¯s family in their disputes, this has been proven time and time again, the only people who would do that would be rival organisations from other countries, but they are usually wiped out upon arrival.


    And I am not actually the member I CN stationed here, I am just visiting so if I have to flee the country, it doesn¡¯t impact us at all. So is that all?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± I say begrudgingly.


    ¡°All your arguments make sense, but they were all based on what ifs, and you can now see how all those issues can vanish as long as you¡¯re well informed, and due to how well informed I am I can confidently say that meeting with you poses no threat to me. Information is without a doubt the strongest power.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but you just gave me a bunch for free, I could use that against you. I am quite sure I could restrain you and tell all those guys kicking that man nuts. So, I guess you aren¡¯t as smart as you think.¡±


    ¡°You have a legacy that allows you to create and manipulate ice and snow, so I guess that is what you mean by restrain me, but I can give you a one hundred percent guarantee that I can escape you and flee this nation before the gang could get anywhere close to me. I gave you all that information for free because it poses no threat to my safety.¡±


    ¡°I heard CN is great at evading everyone and staying hidden, but you exceed my expectations. Congrats on passing my test.¡±


    ¡°According to my sources your hair changes colour in response to your emotions, so just guessing from your facial expression and tone lime hair must mean you are lying your ass off.¡±


    ¡°I am not lying.¡±


    ¡°Now you are pouting, how cute, you really are adorable trying to save face like that.¡± As she says this, I see drool flow down her mouth.


    ¡°You, ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry I¡¯m fine, but let me tell you this, there is no one easier to manipulate than a smart person who lacks information, so be careful cause you seem to fit that description.¡±


    Dammit, I came here to have a conversation with her as equals. but she really has been running circles around me. I need to change the flow of this conversation. With a serious tone I say, ¡°Thanks for that, but I would like to get onto the business I actually came here to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a commanding voice, but that is cute in itself, so boy what do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°I happen to be looking for someone and I would like to have your help,¡± I say bowing slightly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would bow to me, you seemed a tad too prideful for that boy.¡±


    ¡°I believe asking politely for something is a must, but I would prefer if someone barely older than me would stop calling me boy¡±


    ¡°Well of course a twenty-eight-year-old woman like me should stop that,¡± she says proudly.


    ¡°So is that a yes or no,¡± I say nervously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, of course, a cutie like you can count on my help for anything you need, I guarantee it.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Thank you so much, you know I was scared that you were going to be an awful person, I am glad I was wrong. I guess Capti wouldn¡¯t have any bad friends.¡±


    ¡°By Capti, do you mean Captivant Adrian Nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I say looking up at her face. When I see her expression, it has completely changed from before, it is no longer sweet and pleasant but it is filled with anger. ¡°I thought you both were friends.¡±


    ¡°Friends with him, yeah I am friends with that bastard.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t really sound like it. Do you and Capti have some bad blood?¡±


    ¡°If only it was that simple. THAT IDIOTIC FUCKBOY BIBLIOPHILE! HE THINKS HE CAN JUST DATE ME ON AND OFF, FUCK ME, AND THEN JUST GO MARRY SOME STRANGER BECAUSE OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. THEN THAT BASTARD STILL ASKED ME FOR HELP ALL THE TIME, DO YOU KNOW HOW OFTEN I HAD TO HELP RAISE HIS KIDS AND HE EVEN ASKED ME TO HELP NAME THEM, THAT BASTARD I WON¡¯T EVER FORGIVE HIM NOT IN THIS LIFE OR THE NEXT, HE IS LUCKY HE RAN OF TO FIMBULWINTER OR I WOULD HAVE KILLED HIM NINE TIMES OVER. ¡±


    Shit, shit, shit, I thought she was his friend, but she is his ex-lover, Capti you promiscuous bastard, I knew you liked women but couldn¡¯t you of left such an important person In a better mental state.


    Wait a minute, she said she dated Capti, but isn¡¯t she twenty-eight and if you take away the twelve years Capti spent with me she would of dated him when she was sixteen at the latest. That still doesn¡¯t make sense, Capti''s son and daughter should currently be in their forties, with Dragoste''s ( Capti son) daughter; Viata being sixteen. How old is this woman?


    She looks way too young to be anywhere close to Capti¡¯s age. As I say this, I look at her face and see that it looks as if a piece of her face is cracked; is she just layering on the makeup, is that even possible with makeup?


    But ignoring all of that, this woman is giving me the creeps, she goes around telling people proudly she is twenty-eight when she is (Probably) older than Pine. Not only that, but my senses have been going off for a little while, my body is telling me to run. She is really freaking me out, but that¡¯s not my biggest issue, right now it is her mood.


    After she stops ranting, she looks me dead in the eye and says, ¡°Hey boy, what¡¯s your relation to Adrian.¡± Staring at me with a set of crazy eyes, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lie to me.¡±


    Crap how the hell am I going to get out of this, I am not even worried about getting the information I am worried for my life.

 Arc 6.13

    ¡°Oh well, Capti is a distant acquaintance of mine, that¡¯s about it, we have no other connections.¡±


    ¡°Your hair colour is lime Orb, didn¡¯t I tell you not to lie to me,¡± she says with her unbridled furry leaking out of her.


    ¡°That was just a joke, I wanted to lighten the mood.¡±


    She growls at me in response to this. What the hell is she a wild animal, I shouldn¡¯t have to deal with this, fuck you Capti. I really have been using the word fuck often, it is just like Capti said it slips into your vocabulary really easily.


    She slams her fist on the table, and says, ¡°Stop beating around the bush and tell me.¡±


    ¡°It is just that Capti gave me this letter to give to you.¡±


    ¡°Read it to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mam.¡± Opening the letter as fast as possible I start reading, ¡°Hey Ai have you been taking care of yourself I worry.¡± Her face starts to lighten up as I read this, so I rush to the next part to see if it continues to calm her down.


    ¡°Remember, you¡¯re not the young woman you were anymore, we are both fossils, especially you since your older than me.¡± When I read this I look up dumbstruck that this woman in front of me is older than Capti, but as her anger continues to grow I get back to reading.


    ¡°Speaking of our younger days, we were really wild back then, and to think that me and you used to fuck, I can¡¯t even imagine doing anything like that with you now, especially since you''re like my sister.¡± Her Anger is worse than ever, I may not be a master at the way of a woman¡¯s heart, but I am pretty sure he has crossed a line men must never do.


    ¡°But I found someone who I love with all my heart who makes all the women I have slept with look like fish, to be honest, I barely remember anything before being married to her.


    I hope that in these years I have been gone you have found someone that you feel the same about, but knowing you there is no way your old bitter and alone right?¡± Oh god, you idiot, just stop, Ai looks like she is on the verge of tears as her anger rises.


    ¡°And make sure to watch what you''re eating you had an unhealthy obsession with eating cake especially while crying, at your current age that won¡¯t do so you should break that habit.¡± Noticing the truth behind said words I give Ai a look of pity. But I see a volcano about to erupt in front of me.


    ¡°But more than any of that, I hope you''re ok, throughout my entire life you have always been the nicest person to me, you have been there for me and my family countless times, especially those times when Draga was really mad at me.


    Even when I set off for Fimbulwinter, you tried your best to convince me not to go and spend the rest of my time enjoying myself with my family, you even offered to live with me, thank you for all of that, to me you¡¯re an irreplaceable member of my family and I think of you a lot as well.


    So, I would like to beckon this kindest once again to ask you to please help this boy Orb, he happens to be another close irreplaceable friend in my life, take good care of him for me. And here are some of his embarrassing secrets that you can use to taunt him.¡± I immediately stop reading the letter and rip off the last part of it. No way in hell is that getting out.


    I slowly raise my head to see how she has reacted to the letter, and to my utter surprise, she looks really bashful, her anger has completely disappeared, and somehow this really poorly formed letter has completely calmed her down.


    ¡°Captivant really said all those nice things about me,¡± she mutters quietly under her breath with a red face of elation.


    He managed to make her docile. I make a fist under the table to celebrate my victory, you actually manage to flirt with her from the grave, you brilliant bastard.


    ¡°Orb, would you be able to tell me the rest of your connection to Capti, don¡¯t lie now.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I say as I begin to tell her what happened in Fimbulwinter specifically. ¡°So after running from my house up there, a lot of other things happened which brought me here asking for your help.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for what you did for him, from the moment he set out I was worried that he was going to die a pointless death in the snow, but you allowed him to accomplish his final dream.¡±


    ¡°No need, I should be thanking him, Capti has given me way too much to ever feel like anything I could do would pay him back. He really is an amazing person.¡±


    ¡°Yes he is, but that stupid idiot just sent you into the world with very little protection, doesn¡¯t he even know all the bad things that could have happened to a legacy like you, and he clearly left out information for the sake of giving you a surprise when you went into the world, I swear that man doesn¡¯t think at times.¡±


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    ¡°I have no real issue with that, I have been enjoying most of the things that Capti didn¡¯t fully explain in his books, and I lucked out and managed to get coloured contacts, so as long as I don¡¯t use my legacy in public I am good.¡±


    ¡°What a sweet boy you are, nothing like Captivant, that¡¯s it I am going to help you all you want. But before we start all that could I ask you a question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Would you allow me to take responsibility for you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I mean let me handle whatever issues plague you, I am assured I could come up with solutions for any problem you are facing, and you and your friends can even come live with me, it is a win-win situation.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I will have to refuse.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, all my actions are my own responsibility, I didn¡¯t leave Fimbulwinter to come and burden Capti¡¯s friends, I came out to find my own path, all of my issues will be resolved by me, and all the promises I have made people will be fulfilled by me.¡±


    As Orb says this he has an expression I don¡¯t really like so I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about all that crap, you¡¯re a kid, so be more selfishness and lean on adults.¡±


    ¡°No need, and I am not really that young I am only sixteen, historically and even in most countries today you come of age at fifteen, so me and you would both be considered adults.¡±


    There is weight behind those words that shouldn¡¯t be there, Capti you¡¯re always about the light you can see in the future, but forget the path that must be walked to reach it, just like always I am going have to clean up your messes.


    ¡°So you think yourself to be grown up, ok then, from this moment on any benefit I was giving you due to being a child is gone.¡± I am going to have to teach him a lesson right here.


    ¦µ After Ai says this her energy completely changes as she reforms her posture, looking at her I feel this strange pressure like I am almost about to be crushed; it seems she is taking me seriously now.


    ¡°So, Orb what would you like to take about.¡±


    ¡°Sixteen years ago, two dragons landed on Terrafide and I want to locate one of them, to my knowledge she is a girl.¡±


    ¡°To your knowledge, that is a rather weird thing to say, since I am sure Cyrus Damavand would a hundred percent know the gender of such a person.¡±


    Shocked I say, ¡°How do you know his name?¡±


    ¡°I have my ways, but it was smart of you to try and give me as little information as possible, it seems your learning little one.¡±


    ¡°Stop that, where having a conversation.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, but now, I am just going to guess you would like to know where said girl is located.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would.¡±


    ¡°You know dragons are extremely hard to come across, and most people won¡¯t even see one in their lives. A normal person is more likely to run into a legacy than a dragon, so as you can imagine the location of one of the only dragons on Terrafide, would be extremely coveted information.


    Ok, now let¡¯s say I somehow know the place where this sister could be. What would you be able to give me to obtain such information?


    ¡°Information. As you said information is your lifeline, so if I can offer you something worth what you''re going to give me, think that would allow us to make a deal.¡±


    ¡°That would be fine, but it will have to be something I don¡¯t know before.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am sure I have enough information of that type.¡± This is good I have control over this conversation, the only question now is what I will give her, I could give her info on when the basileia crystals go for sale, or information that the Gaia sky bandits are permanently out of business.


    No, I have a better idea, I can use the info going around about Maples village Aplos, to create a false narrative. If I just change some things up, I could even have Ai spread false information about Aplos, which could get any idiot who would dare to come looking away.


    As I am about to speak, Ai interrupts me with, ¡°Before we get started, I would like to just share a few things that have been on my mind.¡±


    What could she be at?


    ¡°Did you know there have been rumours flying around that Magnolia''s descents have been found, this news has rather rocked the world, anyone well versed in history knows that Magnolia disappeared with all his research papers. So, lots of people have been setting out for Fimbulwinter to look around for them.


    At first, I thought all that information was fake, the fact that humans can¡¯t survive on Fimbulwinter is undisputable, or was undisputable until just a few minutes ago. So maybe all of that wasn¡¯t a lie. Ohh your hair just changed colour am I on to something.¡±


    I quickly take the scarf from my new clothes and use it to cover my head.


    ¡°Smart choice, but you should have never let me see your hair if you were here to negotiate, your actions have all but confirmed my suspicions. Though regardless of whether I personally believed it, I still followed up on said rumours, and those rumours eventually led me to hear that said decedents were sold as slaves to Morgan Elia, the elderly queen of Basileia.


    Due to Basileia''s tight security, it is very hard to get in and out unless they let their guard down, and we didn¡¯t feel like whoring ourselves out to any noblemen, so us members of CN had to wait to sneak in during a big ball.


    And when we were there, one of us saw that someone else had staged a revolt and was trying to escape with all the slaves, member of CN even said that a giant black dragon appeared which froze and shattered, isn¡¯t that all super strange?


    But eventually, I had to stop paying attention to the whole Magnolia''s decedents thing, because something else that shook the world has taken place, and all the basileia crystals went missing.


    It utterly perplexes me many how such a thing could happen, did the dragons steal them, but how could a race that never interacts with us even know their value?


    But you see regarding that issue, I have some ideas of what could¡¯ve happened. Maybe someone used a legacy that allows them to store things in a different space, or shrink objects, and they used that to take all the Basileia crystals with them, and just off intuition, I am going to guess the people who planned the revolt are behind this.


    During the attack on Basileia many high-profile people were in attendance and they are pissed, not only because they almost died, but because that one of their most important resources went missing. If they were to find the person responsible they would hunt him down with all their strength, which would make said person an enemy to most of the countries on Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°Are you blackmailing me?¡±


    ¡°No, I am just saying that if said person was to maybe want something from me, they would have no bargaining power, because said person''s life, rests on the palm of my hand. I could quite literally request anything from this person, and they couldn¡¯t say anything, wouldn¡¯t that be funny,¡± she says with a smile.

 Arc 6.14

    ¡°I guess such a person would be in the palm of your hand, but as long as no solid proof can exists of such a person¡¯s identity and whereabouts, no matter whom you tell they wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, especially if it comes for people as despised as CN.


    ¡°That was actually a bit smart coming from you. While it is true that lots of people have spent years trying to discredit us, so if I was to publish said story, they might not fully believe me, but I want you to stop for a second and imagine how all those people are currently feeling.


    They are all incredibly angry and are looking for something to point their anger at, so I am sure, even if they wouldn¡¯t want to believe me if I gave them a convincing story they would look into it, especially if they have a direction to go in.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Holding out her hand an Omega butterfly lands on it. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°It is an omega butterfly; you use it to send news across the world.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, this wonderbeast is an incredibly useful one which CN has monopolised, but it has quite a few other functions, you see this beautiful beast can record images, then send those imagines to other butterflies, and this entire time I have been recording an image of your face. So now all your enemies have something to look out for.¡±


    Crap, she got me, my guard was too low this entire time. ¡°And you see while we were in Basileia this thing caught an image of a large horned wonderbeast, the one all the prisoners escaped with.¡±


    She must mean Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.


    ¡°So you see, we have spent quite a lot of time trying to track down said wonderbeast. Every day for the last week or so, we found said wonder beast running back and forth from around the easternmost part of Terrafide. And after following it back, we eventually found this pretty amazing cave system underground, can you believe it!¡±


    My facial expression grows grim, as I finally realize how badly I have messed up.


    ¡°So now, I have your identity, proof that links you to the Basileia incident, and the location of your base, all of which I could give to who knows how many people. All of which would be coming after the Basileia crystals in your possession.¡±


    Think Orb, there must be something you can use against her. As I am about to say something in response she interrupts me with, ¡°You think I was done there is still one more layer of control that I have over you.


    Seirei, the spirit nation, has been pretty crazy the last few days because a rather dangerous person has been taken out of the country. So Seirei has now put out a notice, that if you spot two boys whose descriptions match yours and Cyrus¡¯s perfectly, they should be put under arrest as criminals in that nation.


    They have even been sending representatives to harass the church of the messiah in Deno because apparently one of the boys where wearing church robes, so I am sure they think this is one giant ploy against them.¡±


    ¡°But they have nothing to do with this.¡±


    ¡°So did the workers at Basileia who were turned into slaves because of the events that took place.¡±


    I am unable to respond to her words.


    ¡°Now that I have finished talking about what was just on my head, we can get back to our main discussion, Orb what can you offer me for my help in finding this missing sister?¡±


    I have nothing left, no information of any worth that I could give to her, she has complete control over this whole conversation.


    ¡°Oh, nothing, I thought that was about right, but since you have no information, I would like it if you were to offer me something with a bit more real value.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t mean.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, Basileia crystals. Specifically, I want you to sell them for me and then I want ninety percent of the profits.¡±


    ¡°Ninety percent. That¡¯s too much.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the situation you¡¯re currently in Orb, you have no leverage in this conversation, the fact that I am giving you any is something you should be thankful for, I could ask you for a hundred percent of the profits and you couldn¡¯t say a thing about it, that is how much power I have over you in this instant. And the fact that you can¡¯t understand that has upset me, so I will be taking ninety-five percent of the profits now.¡±


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    ¡°But-.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah, no complaining or do you want me to take ninety-eight percent. But to be honest, if you just abandon all your friends and run away to Fimbulwinter I will have no leverage again.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I know that, so what do you have to say to our deal,¡± she says stretching her hand out.


    Dammit, I have been utterly defeated, I am so sorry everyone, even after I said I will take responsibility for all of you, I couldn¡¯t work it out at all. I have no other option than to agree so I stretch my hand out to accept said deal.


    As our hand are about to touch, she takes her hand and places it on my head saying, ¡°So how was your first defeat Orb, I am sure all that misplaced confidence came from the fact that no one has ever beaten you before. But I, a non-combatant have completely left you at my mercy.¡±


    As she says this my frustration grows even more, and I say, ¡°You only won because you were being unfair.¡±


    ¡°You see this is why adults are scary, they will use all their knowledge and influence to extort kids like you without a second thought. Adults have no concept of what you refer to as fair, and now you have ended up in a situation where all the lives under you could be ruined.¡±


    ¡°So is this your form of taking pity on me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but also no, I don¡¯t feel like just helping you for free anymore, so I will offer you an alternative solution, do you accept?¡±


    ¡°Can I hear it first?¡±


    ¡°But it is either this or the ninety-five percent option.¡±


    ¡°I would still like to hear it.¡±


    She clicks her tongue at my suggestion, then says, ¡°Ok then, mister buzz kill I would like you to become my son.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°You see Orb, I happen to love little kids,¡± she says with a completely serious expression.


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t taking this seriously, is it really that fun to mess with me?¡±


    ¡°I AM SERIOUS, kids are cute, adorable, wholesome, don¡¯t hold malice, try their best, and give love unconditionally, all kids what deep down inside is to be loved and I will provide that, no matter how or who they are: dumb, smart, fat, skinny, boy, girl, I will always be there for them, because they exist. Children are god¡¯s gift to this world.¡± Ai drools as she gives me this speech.


    I think I am starting to see why Capti didn¡¯t marry this woman. She is frightening me again but in a completely different way than before. All my senses are telling me to run at full speed.


    ¡°So, you know Orb, that also extends to you. Your extremely cute Orb and I nee-want you to be my son, and if you have any other pretty little friends, I can adopt them too. Any child who has come under my protection is always in an unending state of happiness.¡±


    She trapped me from the beginning, this was all a way for her to force me to accept this, she really has gone this far to make sure I become hers, what a psychopath, I really, really don¡¯t want to be anywhere close to this woman, but I don¡¯t have the opportunity to decline, she has me completely backed into a corner.


    ¡°So, Orb how about it.¡±


    Begrudgingly I say, ¡°I accep-.¡±


    ¡°Orb, are you ok?¡± I hear a familiar voice say.


    Looking over to my side I see Suzuka. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Your thoughts have been going crazy for a while, so when I started feeling better I decided to come check on you.¡±


    Seeing Suzuka, I immediately give her a hug and rub up on her tails. ¡°Orb what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Suzuka, I just needed some Comfort from this evil woman behind me.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to beat her up for you?¡±


    ¡°No need, she already has both of us utterly defeated.¡±


    Turning around I say, ¡°Sorry about that.¡± But to my surprise, I see Ai completely dumbstruck with water dripping from her mouth and tears falling down her face. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°That girl is a goddess. She is the most adorable child I have seen in decades. Orb who is she?¡±


    ¡°This is one of my many friends Suzuka Gozen, the said important person from Seirei.¡±


    Standing up and slamming her hands against the table she says, ¡°No way if a child this cute was in Seirei the other member of CN would have reported it to me, I swear they have not been telling me about all the cute children recently.¡±


    Looking at her face, I understand what is going on, the other members of CN probably didn¡¯t tell her what Suzuka looked like, because they are aware of her behaviour. God bless those people.


    ¡°Hi there Suzuka, my name is Ai Kumo, would you like to be friends,¡± she says while trying to touch Suzuka.


    Knocking her hand, Suzuka glares at her, and says, ¡°You almost reduced Orb to tears, you think you can do that and touch me, vile woman.¡±


    ¡°But I.¡±


    ¡°Get away from me this instant you bitch.¡±


    Despairing at Suzuka¡¯s words, Ai flops back down on the table. Seeing all this has given me an idea, so I whisper into Suzuka¡¯s ear, ¡°Follow my lead.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Orb.¡±


    So Sitting down I say to Ai, ¡°So let¡¯s continue our conversation from before.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± she says barely springing herself back to life. But as she gets up, she sees a sight that gets her to ask me, ¡°Orb, what the hell are you doing.¡±


    ¡°It is just that you have really tired me out, so I need to recharge by rubbing up on Suzuka¡¯s tails, aww, the softness truly is unparalleled, it is like a cloud given form.¡±


    Ai for the first time, today has a look of defeat which reenergises me. Gritting her teeth she says, ¡°So, Orb, do you agree to my deal?¡±


    ¡°Wait a second, let me enjoy Suzuka¡¯s tails a bit more.¡±


    Taking glances at her, I see she is biting down on her teeth and gripping her fist so hard that blood is coming out, that¡¯s the level of jealousy I want to see. ¡°Suzuka is such a nice girl allowing me to do this. Getting to touch her tail like this makes me feel so happy, especially since the only people allowed to do this are her friends, and the friends of her friends. Isn¡¯t that right Suzuka.¡±


    Taking a second to read my mind, Suzuka says, ¡°Of course it is Orb.¡±


    Hearing this Ai perks up and says, ¡°Orb me and you are friends right, so I can touch her tail.¡±


    ¡°Since when have you and I become friends.¡±


    ¡°Then will you become my friend?¡±


    ¡°You think my friendship is that cheap, if you really want to become friends with me you will have to pay an adequate price.¡±


    ¡°Then I will give you -Censor- lupas.¡±


    ¡°Not, good, enough.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know what I want, and just to make me happy, you better throw in a bit extra.¡± As she sits there contemplating what I said, all I can think is: this is going to be fun.

 Arc 6.15

    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that, Orb pick something else.¡±


    Rubbing against Suzuka''s tails I say, ¡°Ahh. how heavenly this is, it is such a pity that a certain mean woman will never get to feel this in her lifetime,¡± I say with a smirk.


    She continues struggling until she slams her head on the table, and says, ¡°Ok, my head is clear now. I accept your offer, but I would like to know how much quality time I get with her.¡±


    ¡°How much do you want?¡±


    ¡°I would like to take her home with me for three months and give her lots of head pats and hugs.¡±


    Giving her a look of disgust I say, ¡°You can touch her tail for three seconds.¡±


    ¡°Let me spend two days with her, with unlimited head pats.¡±


    ¡°You get to spend two minutes with her, with three head pats.¡±


    ¡°Let me spend seven hours with her, with unlimited hugs and head pats.¡±


    ¡°You get to spend one hour with her, you get one hug and three tail rubs, take it or leave it.¡±


    Grinding her teeth she says, ¡°Five hours, unlimited hugs, and on top of all the info I am giving you, I will spread a single false rumour you want.¡±


    ¡°Three hours, you can rub her tail all you want, and any other form of contact will only be allowed if Suzuka lets you.¡±


    ¡°DEAL!¡± she screams grabbing my hand.


    As she jumps for Suzuka I hit her in the face, saying, ¡°The information first.¡± I can¡¯t believe this weirdo is the same woman who was just destroying me seconds ago.


    While Ai is recoiling from the blow, Suzuka says, ¡°Orb this woman is giving me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°I am really sorry Suzuka, but I am relying on you, you are our only hope.¡±


    ¡°Our only hope,¡± Suzuka says with a face of shock. ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped, I will do my best!¡± Suzuka says extremely giddy.


    As Ai has finally recomposed herself, she says, ¡°Ok, to begin with, I don¡¯t for a hundred percent know where your friend Cyrus¡¯s sister is, I remember a rumour that there were two dragons in the slave market, but I was never able to track them both down, the only thing I knew was that Morgan Elia had one of them, which turned out to be Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°So you lied to us,¡± Suzuka says while enraged.


    ¡°How cute, even when you are angry you''re adorable, I can''t wait to be your friend.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mistaken, I will never be friends with you old lady.¡±


    Under my breath I mutter, ¡°I doubt that, considering how easy you are once someone gives you a few compliments.¡±


    ¡°What was that Orb,¡± Suzuka says directing her anger at me.


    ¡°Nothing. Now Ai, I am assuming there is more to that.¡±


    ¡°Yes there is, recently, I have heard word, that a certain merchant by the name of Viktor Anwunta has been looking for a dragon named Cyrus Damavand, that¡¯s how I first heard your friend''s name.¡±


    ¡°But how would he know such a thing,¡± after giving it thought for a second, I say, ¡°The only answer could be if Cyrus¡¯s sister told him.¡±


    ¡°But that also brings up a problem; Viktor is one of the richest and most well-connected men currently on the continent, so he wouldn¡¯t be doing this unless someone has paid him quite a large sum, and there is no way that Cyrus¡¯s sister could have that amount, especially without people knowing, and outside of you guys little debacle at Seirei there hasn¡¯t been any news on dragons on Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°So that brings us to a dead-end.¡±


    ¡°Not quite, if you think about it, maybe someone has somehow gotten Cyrus¡¯s sister to tell them such information. There are quite a lot of ways that could happen, but we can all leave that to our imagination. So that means any number of people could be the ones looking for Cyrus. But if you want my guess it would have to be Ahmed Abrahams.


    ¡°For what reason.¡±


    ¡°Simply because, he happens to be the biggest slave buyer I know of, he loves collecting rare races and bringing them into his kingdom. Sounds like the exact sick fuck who would buy Cyrus¡¯s sister doesn¡¯t it.¡±


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    ¡°So how do we reach him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the issue, he currently lives in the kingdom of Jedidiah, and that happens the be ranked number two on the list of places you never want to be no matter what, right behind Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°The issue isn¡¯t as impossible as Fimbulwinter, but still quite bad, you see the entire country is surrounded by an extremely harsh sand storm round, that only ever eases up about once every year. But if you''re not able to escape within twelve hours the sandstorm will start again. So you see you¡¯re not going to be able to do an investigation for one specific slave.¡±


    ¡°You said he was one of the biggest slave buyers on the continent, how could that be if he is only able to leave for twelve hours a year.¡±


    ¡°There are a few wonderbeasts that can pass through it, but they have all been tamed and are kept by Ahmed himself.¡±


    ¡°Then how are we going to get through.¡±


    ¡°The easiest option I can think of is that you could send dragon boy through the storm by himself, he could probably live it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s way too dangerous for him, Cyrus has been through enough.¡±


    ¡°Then the only way to get to him would be to sell yourselves to him, but that could also go very wrong. Especially considering that Viktor might find out you¡¯re the ones who caused the issue at Basileia. He happens to be the leader of the people who are pissed.¡±


    As I sit there ruminating over this decision, I feel my head start to throb, there is just too much I don¡¯t know that could seriously affect this, what the hell am I supposed to do.¡±


    Giving me a head pat Ai says, ¡°You don¡¯t have to decide right now, just go plan it out, while I start my time with the little princess over there.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    So, as I get ready to hand Suzuka over to Ai I say, ¡°So where is my something extra?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I said, you have to give me what I want, plus a little bit extra, now where is my extra?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to be so greedy.¡±


    ¡°How did you put it, oh yeah you said adults will use all their knowledge and influence to extort kids but don¡¯t worry we kids can learn to do the same, so hand my gift over.¡±


    With some blood trickling down her nose she says, ¡°Even when extorting me kids are still adorable, here you can have this.¡± She then hands me what I believe is a costume.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It is the outfit members of CN wear when they are looking for information, it has a bunch of tools and surprises stuffed away in it.¡±


    Looking at the clothes, I think to myself; isn¡¯t this a ninja outfit, I guess this makes some moniker of sense with them being reporters. It is also dark blue, which I guess is to blend into the scenery of Elp¨ªda.


    Going over to Suzuka, I say, ¡°If she gets too annoying, knock her out then go to the gravity police.¡±


    ¡°Alright Orb,¡± Suzuka says as she prepares to head over to the woman.


    As they stand side by side, Ai says, ¡°Think long and hard about this before we come back, I know it will be difficult but you will have to make a decision.¡±


    ¡°I know, and regardless of how off-putting you are thanks for all the help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, but just as a reminder becoming my son is still on the table.¡±


    ¡°Never in a million years, now get out of here.¡±


    ¡°That was my plan.¡± Holding Suzuka tight she throws something on the floor which creates smoke and when the smoke clears their gone.


    ¡°I guess she really was a ninja.¡±


    After she leaves the bar, cheers erupt with people screaming, ¡°WHERE SAFE!¡± I guess she really did abuse all the people here quite a bit.


    Walking out of the bar, I put the clothes on over my current clothes. but I have to still wear my scarf. These are really comfy, but I can¡¯t be distracted about such things right now, I should head back to Avaram and discuss what I learned with everyone.


    I then suddenly realise, I can¡¯t contact them without Suzuka, I am an idiot. I guess I have no choice, I have to sniff them out. Going to the bar we got Cyrus from, I sniff around for Avram¡¯s scent, and after getting it I head off in the said direction.


    -Break-


    After moving for a while, I realize that they must of went on a bit of a detour. They walked from the third all the way to the fifth platform, instead of taking the short way, I guess they had some shopping to do.


    As I continue towards the end of the fifth platform, I see Iancu walking around near the entrance of the sixth platform. He is carrying a large bag of stuff with him, so maybe he is taking some shopping home.


    Instead of asking him for directions, I come up with a better idea, ¡°If I am dressed as a ninja I should at least act the part.¡± So, using my stealth skills, I follow him around until we reach the sixth platform. Would Avaram really be living in the sixth platform? Especially since Avaram didn¡¯t want him going anywhere near Ichnaea.


    As my curiosity gets the better of me, I continue to follow him around. As I get closer to him I start to get an itch on my hand, so I scratch it, but when I do tiny spherical objects fall out of my clothes. When they land on it causes tiny explosions, which made me freak out a little.


    After recomposing myself I look for Iancu, but I can¡¯t find him. ¡°What are you doing following me,¡± I hear someone say behind me.


    ¡°Oh, well I was lost, and I thought I would follow you back.¡±


    ¡°We live on platform two Selene so just go over there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that, so then what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°Guess I will just have to ask your dad.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a promise. So, just tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, as long as it is not illegal, I will help, so come on tell me,¡± I say running around in circles.


    He gets very visibly angry, but Iancu calms down, and says, ¡°Ok then, but you can¡¯t tell my dad, if you do I won¡¯t let you leave this country unscathed.¡±


    ¡°I promise that as long as Fimbulwinter is cold, I won¡¯t break this promise.¡±


    ¡°You told my dad earlier that you can¡¯t feel the cold, so what meaning would that kind of promise carry.¡±


    ¡°Just stop complaining and tell me.¡±


    ¡°Ok then follow me. To be honest I am lucky you¡¯re here; I needed an extra hand.¡±


    As we walk through the sixth platform Iancu says, ¡°Since you will need some context, I would like to know if you understand the reason why Ichnaea is currently like this.¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Iancu says, ¡°Ok then where should I begin, remember how I told you we only have enough crystals to keep this place functioning.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, the people in charge of this country, saw all the profit that was being made by Basileia over the years and devised a plan to try and do the same. So they started to slowly but surely make policies which all basically amounted to destroying the sixth platform Ichnaea and using the crystals that would power it to deepen their pockets.¡±

 Arc 6.16

    ¡°And since all the things on Elp¨ªda are lost technology when the buildings eventually deteriorated, we aren¡¯t able to rebuild them. No one of the current scientists on Elp¨ªda can even come close to fully fixing all these buildings, even if they tried they would fail. According to the lead scientist in Elp¨ªda, they are still hundreds of years away from actually figuring most of these things out. Though at the very least we are making progress.¡±


    ¡°You know with how behind this city is on breaking down the technology, I think it would have been better if they took down the research platform.¡±


    ¡°Well, Ichnaea was originally a research platform, so that is the main reason it was the one chosen to be disassembled.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it weird how they were able to completely tear down one of the platforms, you would think there would be a lot more complaints from the citizens.¡±


    ¡°They sneakily implemented these policies, so most people didn¡¯t realize until it was too late. And by that point the damage done to Ichnaea was irreversible, so all of the people living here had to leave.


    Still, lots of them were angry afterwords, but suddenly all those people received generous donations from the ruling class in the 2<sup>nd</sup> platform Selene, which shut them all up. Due to this Ichnaea continued to deteriorate, and then eventually became a lawless zone; due to how easy it was to get away with crimes here.¡±


    ¡°But wait a second, I have seen people living on this platform.¡±


    ¡°Did any of those people look like they had anywhere else to go.¡± After taking a second to realize what he said, I hear him say, ¡°Looks like we''re here, if you still don¡¯t understand I am sure this will do it for you.¡±


    Iancu enters a strange building with me following close behind him. As we walk through this building, I start to hear lots of sounds, and they increase as we keep going. Eventually, we reach a broken door, which Iancu opens.


    As I enter, I see that a bunch of people wearing hoods all jump out of the shadows and attack me. Effortlessly I knock all of them away, but they continue coming at me with weapons in their hands, until I hear Iancu scream, ¡°KNOCK IT OFF, HE IS WITH ME.¡±


    This causes all of them to stop, and one walking up to Iancu says, ¡°Sorry boss we didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Rubbing the person on the head, Iancu says, ¡°Good job defending yourselves, you all attacked from the shadows like I taught you, and even ganged up on him, good job.¡±


    As the people take off their hoods, I see that they are all kids mostly younger than me, but I see some slightly older, they all have scars and bandages around their faces, but the most noticeable thing about these kids is that they all look malnourished.


    Iancu says, ¡°Sorry I am late, I got caught up in some nonsense, but I was still able to come in time.¡±


    ¡°No problem, we are just glad you came back,¡± the little girl who was in front of Iancu says.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°A few kids ran into some trouble with virtuoso, so we decided to hide everyone in a different building, while we lay in wait for them.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t start anything, I promise, it is just that a few of the kids wanted to play outside and they caught their attention, so we fought back.¡±


    Thonking the dark skinned girl in front of him on the head, Iancu says, ¡°Fionna, don¡¯t engage gangs no matter what, if you have an issue, hid and wait for me to get here, I will deal with it.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡±


    ¡°You guys just need to follow my instructions to stay safe, I need you guys to always choose the decision that will keep you the safest, got it .¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Now, I need you to take me to where everyone is.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but who is he.¡±


    ¡°An annoyance.¡±


    ¡°So, he is an enemy, do you want me to get rid of him boss? I will slit his throat.¡±


    ¡°Come at me little girl I will rumble anytime you want.¡±


    As she tries to attack me Iancu stops her, and says, ¡°He might be annoying, but I believe he will also be rather helpful. So don¡¯t go picking fights with him.¡±


    While Iancu says this, I make faces at the girls, behind his back which causes him to turn around and hit me in the stomach saying, ¡°That also goes for you idiot.¡±


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    As we are led out of the building, we move rather stealthy through the area, one thing I take note of is how quiet these kids'' footsteps are; if I didn¡¯t have my super hearing, no way in hell would I ever be able to pick up on them.


    Eventually, we all arrive where all the other people were being kept, and to my unsurprise they are all kids of varying ages, and look just as malnourished the ones with me.


    When they see Iancu, they all run towards him happy and say, ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°We missed you.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to hear about what Chrome did?¡±


    ¡°That can all wait you guys, first let''s get you all some food,¡± Iancu says, leaving the bag of food on the floor, seeing this I fully understand what has been going on.


    Ichnaea is where all the people who have no were else to go end up. All these kids have no way off of the Elp¨ªda without money, and without a ship, they can¡¯t leave the island below, there are all destitute. So, he has been sneaky into Ichnaea to give them food.


    Seeing all their happy faces around him as they eat, I feel a fuzzy feeling well up inside me, this is why I love people. Walking up to all of them I see they are all fearful of my presence, so I say, ¡°Listen well kids, I am the shadow that hunts at night, I am the fierce mighty warrior of who has never lost a fight, you will never ever see me in the light since I am the ultimate shinobi ninja man.¡± While putting on my most flamboyant performance.


    With faces of amazement, someone asks, ¡°What¡¯s a ninja.¡±


    Using my legacy to move around at incredible speeds, I say, ¡°Ninjas are masters of the night, who work in the shadows to protect people. Nothing is hidden from them, nothing can escape their reach, and all who oppose them and their master are killed, without mercy.¡±


    As the kid''s excitement builds, they ask, ¡°What else, what else!¡±


    ¡°To think you would be smart enough to know I am hiding something, maybe you¡¯re a ninja in disguise,¡± I say pointing at the boy who said that.


    As the other kids look at him, they ask, ¡°Are you a ninja too?¡±


    While the other kids surround him, he starts getting even more hyped and says, ¡°Maybe I am.¡±


    ¡°Inconceivable to think an enemy ninja almost caught me off, guard.¡± Laughing a little I say, ¡°Too bad for you, I am no rookie, but enough of that it is time for battle.¡± I then run at full speed straight towards him, but as I come in close for my pretend attack, lots of other kids come in to attack me, so I dodge all of them and move back.


    ¡°To gang up on me, have none of you ever heard of honour.¡±


    ¡°Honour doesn¡¯t exist here.¡±


    ¡°You win or you die.¡±


    ¡°Go shove your rules up your ass.¡±


    ¡°To think you guys, understand the shinobi way so clearly. It seems I underestimated you all once again, you truly have strength.¡±


    ¡°So do you surrender,¡± the first boy says as all his friends surround me.


    ¡°YOU FOOL! Did you really think I had shown all my true power, l haven¡¯t even come close, let me show you the true essence of a shinobi. My ninjutsu.¡± While weaving random hand signs I say, ¡°Ice style: Eternal blizzard.¡± Using my legacy, I create a huge amount of snow in the surrounding area to envelope all the kids. ¡°This is the true power of a shinobi.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, can we do that too?¡±


    ¡°Only if you train and become true shinobi.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°First, you must never cause trouble for your master, in this case Iancu. Second, you must always work in the shadow; avoid direct confrontation at all costs. And finally, eat well; you must have energy to undertake missions, which will go on for who knows how long, so be well energized. So you brats, your first step is to eat the food Iancu brought you with joy.¡±


    So inspired by my words they all sit down and eat their fill.


    ¦µ Looking over at Fionna I say, ¡°Do you want to go join Orb and everyone else in their game?¡±


    ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t, I have a reputation as the responsible one to uphold here.¡±


    Knocking her on her head, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about something so stupid, I brought him here so you guys could have some fun and relax. He is quite easily able to sweep people up in his nonsense. So go get swept along.¡±


    After hesitating for a minute Fionna goes over to Orb.


    ¦µ ¡°Hey do ninjas, have any cool weapons?¡± Fionna asks me. I start to sweat, I don¡¯t have any weapons on me, I need to make something up right this instant, ¡°We certainly do, but I can¡¯t pull them out unless a serious opponent shows up.¡±


    ¡°Really, but I would love to see it, please.¡±


    ¡°I cannot, because if I unleash my secret weapon, I might lose control of myself and return to being the bloody assassin I was before.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret it is just unfortunate that no one can keep me in check with that weaponed unleashed.¡± As I say this, one of the babies among the kids comes up to me and presses a button on my leg, which causes something to burst out of my ninja suit.


    Looking at what came out, I see a weapon. It is a long crescent moon-shaped blade, with a chain attached to it. One side is also bigger than the other.


    Looking at this weapon, I immediately panic, but come myself down and fully commit to this. Picking up the weapon I say, ¡°To think I would be forced to reveal my true self to you all.¡± The kids all look at me frightened.


    I am so sorry, but I need to stay in character. ¡°Now you children be prepared to face my full unrestricted wrath,¡± I say as I swing my weapon. I plan to let Iancu knock me out when he sees me attacking them, but to my surprize he is just standing there snickering to himself.


    You asshole, I need your help, help me. But suddenly I feel myself being wrapped up; it seems the chain I have been swinging around has gotten tangled all around my body. Due to this restricting me, I am brought to a standstill and I fall onto the floor.


    Letting out an evil laugh, I say, ¡°It seems fortune is on your si-.¡± But before I could finish all the kids attack me.


    ¡°We need to knock him out and get the evil weapon away from him.¡±


    ¦µ Leaving the room I go to look for a particular child, after walking around for a while I eventually come across said child, sitting by one of the broken windows in the building. ¡°Morrigan, I heard what you did, you went around picking fights again.¡±


    ¡°I had to, they have really been getting on my nerves recently.¡±


    ¡°MORRIGAN, you know if you pick fights, they will just hound you more.¡±


    ¡°But you do all the time.¡±


    ¡°That is cause I can defend myself, but you can¡¯t, and if you go attracting attention, they will come for everyone here.¡±


    ¡°So, what I am just supposed to live like this, constantly scared whether or not someone is going to attack or kidnap us.¡±


    ¡°No, you just have to wait for me so I can help you.¡±


    ¡°But you won¡¯t always be there for us.¡±


    ¡°I promise you guys I will.¡±


    ¡°Our parents all said the same things, but they dumped us all here and left, we need to learn to take care of ourselves, because no one is here to protect us forever.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± I hear. Looking over to the point of origin, I see Orb standing at the top of the building directly across from us. How the hell did he not only escape but also get up there?

 Arc 6.17

    Morrigan puts his hood up and says, ¡°Iancu who the hell is this wanker.¡±


    ¡°To think this little boy would be so ignorant.¡± Manoeuvring his way towards us, Orb says, ¡°The spirit the ravages at night, the concept who has never lost a fight, the one who gazes upon the truth of the universe with his insight, I am ninja man the chrysanthemum ninja of virtue.¡±


    His speech got longer.


    Bedazzled by Orb''s performance Morrigan has stars in his eyes, but recollecting himself he says, ¡°What are you doing here? Are you an enemy?¡±


    Dashing behind Morrigan, Orb says, ¡°If I was an enemy, you would be unable to do anything about it.¡± As he continues to move around, Orb says, ¡°But be assured, I didn¡¯t come here for violence, the reason I was called is because I heard a kid locking away his heart.¡±


    Even more ridiculous than before, Orb overacts and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry young one, because from this moment, no matter what may come for you I ninja man will always protect you.¡±


    Going from excited to annoyed, Morrigan says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that lie from anyone, those words are all a bunch of nonsen-.¡±


    Before he can finish Orb picks him up and throws him out of the building. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK, THE GRAVITY OVER HERE ISN¡¯T SPECIAL!¡± I scream at Orb. ¡°WE NEED TO GO GET HIM NOW.¡±


    ¡°No, we shall wait.¡±


    Ignoring his words, I immediately jump out of the window and try to get Morrigan. Using my legacy to speed myself up in mid-air I try to catch him, but I am not going to make it in time, then I see Orb somehow catch Morrigan.


    As they land he says, ¡°See it doesn¡¯t matter how impossible it is to reach you or how hard it may be, I ninja man will always come to protect you all now and forever.¡±


    In his arms, Morrigan says, ¡°But what if you come across someone stronger than you?¡±


    ¡°YOU FOOL,¡± Orb says while creating lots of snow. Using his legacy he shapes the snow into sculptures and says, ¡°I have battled wondrous monsters, villains who hide underground, people with special powers, spirits of immense powers, and even a dragon. Through all those battles I have never once been defeated.


    Remember this, ninja man is a concept, ideal, a legend that also lives in the present day, and as long as you believe in him, none shall ever defeat him, so remember now and forever more that I will protect you.¡±


    Letting out a small tear, Morrigan says, ¡°Ok I will believe you.¡±


    ¡°Now let us return to everyone.¡±


    ¦µ My god, what the hell have I been doing, if anyone I knew saw me like this I would just die from embarrassment.


    -Break-


    ¡°Are you all ready to be defeated?¡± I say while surrounded by all the kids.


    ¡°Here we come ninja man.¡±


    ¡°Now we will defeat you.¡±


    ¡°Get ready.¡±


    Laughing a bit I say, ¡°You have come a long way in these last two hours, NOW COME YOU FOOLS.¡± As they all rush me, I dodge and use the ninja weapons chain to ward off their attacks. At first, I really sucked at using this, but after all, the practice I have got; I believe I am at least adequate with it.


    As we keep up this fight I notice something strange behind me, the kids have set up all the one to four years olds in the positions I planned to land on.


    So, I have to move to spots which they occupy. But to their surprise I jump onto the roof and use ice to freeze my legs it. ¡°How despicable using babies as a shield, such trickery, truly the way of a ninja. But that will not be enough to best me.¡± Using the walls as footing, I dash around thonking them all on the head.


    But then I suddenly feel a weight pull me down to the ground. I have felt this before, looking over at him I say, ¡°IANCU!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am just levelling the playing field. Now go get him, everyone.¡±


    As I am stuck on the floor everyone attacks me. I immediately think of just freezing everybody, but I see one of them holding a baby in their arms, so I can¡¯t do that anymore. Laying there on the verge of defeat, a miracle comes my way, one of the kids hits my ninja suit which causes it to expand and push them all away from me.


    As it retracts, I immediately make for Iancu. Who tries to use his legacy, but the instant he does I change my direction. I have realized that he can only make me heavy in a certain zone, so if I move out of it I won¡¯t be hurt.


    ¦µ As Orb move he throws something out of his right arm. Looking at it, I see they are the little bombs from before. realizing this I use my ability to send them down, but then Orb says, ¡°YOU FOOL!¡±


    The bombs go off, but instead of a normal explosion, they create ice and freeze my body.


    Orb throws a second set of them at me and taking a closer look, I see Orb activated his legacy on them converting all of them into ice bombs.


    As I am frozen to the ground Orb lets out a laugh, and says, ¡°This is why you shouldn¡¯t mess with the great ninja man.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, if it wasn¡¯t for that suit you wouldn¡¯t be able to do all of this.¡±


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    ¡°Ninja man is the suit, as much as the suit is ninja man, one can''t exist without the other.¡±


    ¦µ I turn all the ice around Iancu into snow then the kids run up to me and say, ¡°Ninja man is really the strongest.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am.¡±


    Turning to each other they say, ¡°He could probably beat up the aliens.¡±


    ¡°Aliens?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they''re bad guys who come and steal people away. But you could beat them up.¡±


    Putting on my best show I say, ¡°Of course, I could since I am the strongest none can compare, even you brats.¡±


    Using my hearing, I figure out someone is coming to attack me, so I dodge. Looking at the culprit Morrigan, I say, ¡° Did you really just try to attack me, the strongest?¡±


    ¡°When I beat you, I¡¯ll be the strongest.¡±


    ¡°As if a ten-year-old brat like you could ever best me.¡±


    ¡°I am not alone,¡± he says as everyone returns to their fighting positions.


    ¡°I will just have to show you yet again why I am undefeated,¡± I say jumping into battle.


    After playing with everyone for a little while longer, we all have to say our goodbyes. ¡°Be well behaved or you might be my next target.¡±


    ¡°We will, bye ninja man.¡±


    ¡°Let us meet again.¡± And with those words me and Iancu leave.


    After moving a fair distance away from the building, I ask Iancu, ¡°What did the kids mean by aliens?¡±


    ¡°You remember how Tetra told you about the human trafficking issue.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is related to that. You see that giant castle up there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the one responsible for the gravity around here.¡±


    ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°The kids were quite talkative, so I was able to learn it from them.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good, but the thing about that castle is that sometimes people come down from it and kidnap people on Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¡°So said aliens would be those people.¡±


    ¡°Spot on.¡±


    ¡°But how would that related to human trafficking?¡±


    ¡°Those people up there are very eye-catching in the clothes they wear, so it is easy to spot them. So they decided to hire gangs to kidnap people and deliver them to the aliens. And they are paid in pure gold.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the Gpd do something about this? the castle should be reachable thanks to the gravity around here.¡±


    ¡°You see that giant bubble around the giant castle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is some sort of barrier. It immediately rejects all matter, you can¡¯t even touch it, it is utterly unbreakable.¡±


    ¡°Nothing can be unbreakable.¡±


    ¡°Well, that barrier is. Over the history of Elp¨ªda, many people have come to our country for the sole purpose of breaking it, and every single one of the has failed. Even legacy holders tried, but it was all to no avail.¡±


    ¡°To think something unbreakable could truly exist.¡±


    ¡°Well maybe from the outside, but not on the inside.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°About one decade ago an explosion went off in the castle and following that the barrier vanished. But it reappeared within seconds.¡±


    ¡°What the hell could have caused an explosion so big that it would have been possible to see it from Elp¨ªda?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but isn¡¯t it frightening. If anything happens to that castle, Elp¨ªda would crash into the ground. So many people were scared by this that they left.¡±


    ¡°I see you very clearly aren¡¯t lying to me, but if it wasn¡¯t possible to go directly to the castle then wouldn¡¯t the Gpd increase their efforts to stop the abductions.¡±


    ¡°They have in platforms one through five, but in the lawless platform six it is incredibly easy to kidnap people.¡±


    ¡°Then the kids aren¡¯t safe at all there. Wouldn¡¯t they be able to move to another platform?¡±


    ¡°People who don¡¯t pay taxes aren¡¯t considered citizens of Elp¨ªda, so unless someone adopts them, they will be stuck in the sixth platform, where they have to fend for themselves.¡±


    Thinking about the reality those kids live in I start feeling a little sick, ¡°How are they supposed to sleep at night?¡±


    ¡°Those kids are all strong that¡¯s how they manage it, but they can¡¯t do everything on their own, so I must help out whenever it is possible.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you take them food.¡± After I say this, I give Iancu a hug.


    Pushing me off he says, ¡°No hugs.¡±


    ¡°Awe don¡¯t be a killjoy.¡±


    As Iancu pushes me away, he says, ¡°Thanks Orb.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Because you helped me out a lot, it has been a while since I have seen those kids smile with faces full of pure joy like that.¡±


    ¡°No issue and if anything, they helped me figure out how to use this suit.¡± As I say this, I dispense shurikens from my suit. ¡°But if you want to really thank me, would you answer a question of mine?¡±


    ¡°Lay it on me.¡±


    ¡°So is this why you''re fighting with your dad?¡±


    ¡°I guess it is along those lines. He is always like stay safe put yourself first, and he always reprimands me whenever I do anything slightly dangerous, like he tells me to be careful when cutting my nails. Like what does that bastard want me to do go play with flowers. In all honesty, he is utterly annoying. I hope he falls off a cliff.¡±


    ¡°I agree, when I met him, he was a complete asshole, an utter cunt, a true retard.¡±


    Turning to face me, Iancu attacks and says, ¡°HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS ABOUT HIM, HE IS TWICE THE MAN YOU WILL EVER BE!¡±


    After I get him to stop I say, ¡°I am joking, I just wanted to know how you really felt, and now I know you¡¯re an utter daddy boy.¡±


    As he gets embarrassed Iancu says, ¡°Never say that again.¡±


    But running around him at superspeed, I keep repeating, ¡°Daddies boy, daddies boy, daddies boy.¡±


    Until he says, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that.¡±


    Stopping I say, ¡°Nothing I just wanted you to admit it.¡± Iancu punches me in the face in response to this.


    ¡°So, you love your dad, but still disobey him, would you care to tell me the reason why.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see helping those kids to be wrong no matter how I look at it, so I will keep doing it despite the danger. Even if it brings my dad to hate me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°Because you shine really bright when you were helping all those people. I am sure your dad will come around eventually.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Thanks for that Orb. But maybe if Ninja man talks to my dad he will come around sooner.¡±


    Grabbing me Orb says, ¡°Ninja man lives and dies with those kids, it must never be brought up again. Got that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was crystal clear, I promise to definitely not tell anyone,¡± I say with a big smile.


    ¡°Your facial expression tells me otherwise.¡± Orb then suddenly jumps with fright and says, ¡°I need to go get Suzuka, I will contact you using the kaidenwa when I get her.¡± Orb then runs away a full speed.


    As Orb takes off I continue to walk at my own pace, until I see a group of Gpd moving around. Looking at the one leading them, I see Arthur. ¡°Now what the hell would they be doing in Ichnaea, but more than that why so secretive.¡±


    It is probably nothing but if they are in an undercover mission, I doubt that someone as incompetent as Arthur could pull it off, so I should go help.


    As I follow close behind them, I see them stop and talk to a person in a strange suit with a mask. Taking a closer look, I realize this person is one of the aliens from the castle.


    Arthur is in league with them, that bastard, and he was acting all high and mighty when he caught me earlier, I am going to wring his throat, but first things first I should report this to Tetra.


    As I am about to move away, I feel a needle pierce my neck so I immediately turn around and hit the person away with my legacy, but whatever I have just taken causes me to fall unconscious. ¡°Shit, I messed up.¡±


    -Break-


    On my way to the third platform, I run into Avaram. But when he sees me in a panic, he runs up to me and says, ¡°Orb have you seen Iancu>¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was with him about an hour ago in Ichnaea, but he was going home.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t returned, and I asked the border control if he has moved between any platforms, but they say they haven¡¯t seen him leave Ichnaea.¡±


    ¡°He probably just got held up in something, you should calm down.¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T, I NEED TO FIND HIM NOW.¡±


    Seeing the worry in his eyes I say, ¡°Then I will come to help you, I have a rather good noise, I could sniff him out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Orb.¡±


    As we use a gravity board to move as fast as possible, I heard Avaram say, ¡°Gloria please be with our boy.¡±

 Arc 6.18

    Ten years ago


    ¦µ ¡°I NEED YOU BASTARDS TO HURRY THE FUCK UP!¡±


    ¡°But boss, we¡¯re going as fast as possible. This is our best.¡±


    Punching him in the face I say, ¡°When you¡¯ve passed the fuck out that¡¯s when you are trying your best, so I don¡¯t want to hear shit, WORK HARDER!¡±


    As the cries from the merchandise get louder, I kick one of them in the face and then say, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡±


    As one of the kids continues to cry an adult says, ¡°Please let us go, we will give you anything you want.¡±


    ¡°Unless you guys can offer us -Censor- pieces of gold like the aliens, then we will let you go.¡±


    ¡°I promise even if I have to work my entire life, I will give you the money.¡±


    Slapping the man across the face, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me, does it look like I am talking about future money, I want to know what you can offer me right now. So, what can you give me?¡±


    The man says nothing in response. ¡°Nothing, just like I thought, so if you don¡¯t have anything to give me be a good little slave and behave, THAT GOES FOR ALL OF YOU!¡±


    One of the kids bites me on my leg. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU LITTLE SHIT,¡± I say kicking him far away. ¡°Oh, you''re going to pay for that one.¡±


    As I am about to beat the child, one of the members of our gang grabs my arm and says, ¡°The aliens like the young ones, so we shouldn¡¯t damage the kid.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH ME,¡± I say flinging him away. ¡°What gives a little grunt like you the right to tell me what to do.¡±


    Getting up the grunt says, ¡°My name is Rise, and unlike you, I know how to use my head. So don¡¯t go doing things that could damage this deal.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you''re going to get off light with that comment,¡± I say, preparing to crush these twigs face in.


    Suddenly running through the door, I see one of my men say, ¡°THE GPD ARE ON THERE WAY. THEY HAVE A FULL RAID SQUAD!¡±


    ¡°How did they find us,¡± I say completely shocked.


    Wasting no time, Rise says, ¡°Everyone get your gravity weapons ready, and get into position. Someone go mark the merchandise, we could use them as hostages, and be careful with the weapons, we don¡¯t want a mini black hole forming.¡±


    Punching rise in the face I say, ¡°Who gave you permission to give orders.¡±


    ¡°Then what will you have said.¡±


    Kicking him in the face I say, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky brat. Everyone get your gravity weapons ready and get into your positions, and you with the stupid hair go mark the hostages.¡±


    Gravity swords, hammers, gauntlets, shoes, and guns. The boss lent me all these weapons to make sure our deal goes through with the aliens; I can¡¯t let the Gravitas mess it up. When those Gpd members storm in, I will crush them all. I am Sawyer, one of the oldest members of virtuoso, I can¡¯t be taken out here.


    As I stare at all the possible entry points into the building, I hear someone say, ¡°Nice weather today.¡± Looking over at who said this I see the person who I sent to cover the children. ¡°THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING YOU WHOR-.¡± Before I could finish my sentence, I feel an impact on my chin which knocks me unconscious.


    ¦µ Infiltration successful. This man really had no idea what his workers looked like, what a dumbass.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO THE BOSS YOU BITCH.¡±


    ¡°My son understands not to use such language, but it seems you guys can¡¯t even understand that in your old age, how shameful.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH US BITCH,¡± one of them says as he swings his gravity sword in my direction. I could use my stun weapon, but instead, I have a more fun idea; using the gravity shoes I put on a little while ago I move around and knock the gang members out.


    ¡°Is that all you guys got, I thought you would be better.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking bitch, you will regret it.¡±


    But all of them are unable to hit me they just flail around as I take each and everyone of them out one by one. Then I heard, ¡°Cheap shot bitch, try and do it again.¡±


    Looking over to the voice, I see the boss of this group has just gotten up. Letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of my neck I say, ¡°If I was allowed to kill criminal¡¯s I would have snapped your neck, but now I have to deal with this shit, what a bother.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking bitch, it won''t be long till I crush you,¡± he says with his gravity hammer in hand. Using the hammer he can increase the gravity acting on any object he touches.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    So, he constantly swings his hammer at me randomly, trying to crush me, but I dodge each time, and when I finally see an opening I kick him with the full force of my gravity shoes in the joints of both his arms which causes them to dislocate, then I quickly do the same to his knee joints.


    Sitting on his body I say, ¡°My name isn¡¯t bitch it is Gloria Bogdan, remember it while you¡¯re in prison.¡±


    As the man lies there unable to do anything, he screams to his subordinates, ¡°Come help me you dickheads.¡± But none of them move. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING.¡±


    ¡°It seems your time is over,¡± is what his subordinate named Rise says to him. ¡°And since I don¡¯t plan on getting caught with you all, I am going to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Smart choice, but you don¡¯t think I am really going to let you get away,¡± I say running straight at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I do my research on exceptional people, so I know all about you miss saint.¡± He says while throwing his gravity weapon at me. ¡°I partially broke that and I am sure we both know what happens when a gravity weapon goes out of control,¡± he says while jumping out the window.


    Stopping in my footsteps I see the gravity weapon go out of control as a mini black hole forms. So I instinctively run over to the hostages and use my gravity weapon to counteract it.


    ¡°Miss, are we going to die.¡±


    Rubbing the child¡¯s head I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I promise we''re all going to make it out alive.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°SQUAD LEADER TETRA!¡±


    ¡°What is it? We are about to being the raid on the virtuoso hideout.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly it. We started to pick up major gravity field manipulation inside their hideout, and following that an explosion when off.¡±


    It must have been a black hole. ¡°Send all teams to check if there are any survivors,¡± I say while running over there myself.


    When we arrive, I am greeted with the remains of the giant that was supposed to be here blown to pieces. ¡°What the hell happened?¡±


    ¡°Sir it seems there was some kind of brawl inside which ended with a gravity weapon going out of control.¡±


    ¡°Where there any survivors?¡±


    ¡°Not that we know of.¡±


    ¡°FUCK, how could this happen. DAMMMMMMMMIT!¡±


    As I scream, I see a bunch of rubble get launched into the air then I hear, ¡°SAFE.¡± Looking at where I hear the voice from, I see a familiar face walking out of the rubble with a bunch of civilians. Then I hear, ¡°Oh, commissioner Cubix, the mission has been completed.¡±


    Face palming, I say, ¡°I should of know. Deputy commissioner Bogdan, unless dementia has finally kicked for me, I am one hundred percent sure that you shouldn¡¯t be on this mission, So, THE FUCK.¡±


    As the kidnappees are being check on, I have Gloria give me the rundown of what is going on. ¡°You see I read through the mission plan, and I realized that they could just use all those guys as hostages, so I decided to change the plan a bit.¡±


    ¡°So, your plan was to throw yourself in the middle of a bunch of people, with very dangerous gravity weapons with absolutely no backup in an enclosed room.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was my thought process.¡±


    Hitting her on the head, I say, ¡°HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SELF-PRESERVATION? When you do things like this I honestly wonder if I should still make you my successor.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I made sure all the kidnappees were rescued.¡±


    ¡°But you let all the members of virtuoso die.¡±


    ¡°Fuck them.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but we still could have gotten useful information.¡±


    With a carefree attitude, she says, ¡°What¡¯s all the nagging for I didn¡¯t set off the weapon, one of them did, and I even saved all the hostages with absolutely zero casualties on our side, so I see this as an absolute win. The risk was worth it.¡±


    ¡°She is right commissioner all those evil bastards died, I don¡¯t know why you have to be such a stick in the mud,¡± Arthur says.


    ¡°You both are very well aware that the future of the Gpd lies in your hands if you die everything will go up in flames, our entire plan will collapse.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, you don¡¯t have to keep nagging me.¡±


    As I get angry bit by bit I eventually say, ¡°Just don¡¯t go doing all these dangerous things.¡±


    Walking away she says ¡°No can do I will act how I see fit, and anyway just like always I am fine, so no need to worry.¡±


    Letting out a sigh I hear a slam. Looking behind me, I see that Gloria has fallen to the ground. Running over I say, ¡°So how are you doing.¡±


    ¡°It seems I took a bit more damage than I first thought.¡±


    ¡°Talking a black hole straight on tends to do that.¡± Turning around I scream, ¡°Get her to a hospital immediately!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I lay down on what I assume is a hospital bed I start to feel a soft hand press against my face as someone says, ¡°Get up,¡± repeatedly.


    So, I push whoever it is away from me, but they just repeat the same thing again and again. ¡°Just give me three more days.¡± I suddenly feel a strong impact against my face.


    ¡°WHO THE FUCK IS MESSING WITH ME.¡± Looking around the hospital room, I see my son holding a shoe in his hand with my husband carrying him.


    Then I heard my son Iancu say, ¡°Fuck,¡± with a smile.


    ¡°What did I tell you about using that word,¡± I say giving him a death glare.


    As Iancu starts to cry a bit he hides in his father''s arms. Avaram sits down beside my bed and says, ¡°Get used to crying Iancu, because you¡¯re about to be a child of divorce.¡±


    Slightly freaked out I say, ¡°Dear husband, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just thought we should get a divorce since you very clearly want to make me a widow.¡±


    Panicking I say, ¡°Pwease don¡¯t divorce me, I love you very much.¡±


    ¡°Of if you love me you wouldn¡¯t run into a black hole.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± Tetra you bastard, civilians shouldn¡¯t know about the details of our missions.


    Letting out a sigh, he says, ¡°I was just joking, but when you are faced with a black hole you run no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡±


    ¡°Mommy is super strong she won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand Iancu, we shouldn¡¯t be spending every second day in the infirmary.¡±


    ¡°But all the doctors are so nice here, I wish we could come back all the time.¡±


    ¡°You adorable but stupid child.¡±


    While my husband and son are talking, I see a bunch of people behind them. Walking in they say, ¡°Sorry if this is a bad time.¡±


    Looking at their faces I notice they are the people I just saved. ¡°We just wanted to say thank you for saving us.¡±


    Getting out of bed I run over and say, ¡°No thanks needed I was just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyway we could thank you?¡±


    Looking over at one of the young girls I say, ¡°Well if you really want to one of you could marry my son.¡±


    I suddenly feel something hit me in the back of my head and quickly following that I hear, ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass me, mom.¡±


    -Break-


    On our way home my husband says, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to spend more time in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°No, I am ok. Look I can already walk properly again.¡±


    ¡°Are you really human?¡±


    ¡°Mommy is a superhero isn¡¯t that right Iancu.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she is daddy.¡±


    Opening the door Avaram says, ¡°Well let¡¯s hope she always wins like a superhero.¡±


    As we walk through the house and reach the living room, I see my husband''s facepalm then say, ¡°How many times have I told you to stop breaking into our house you fuckboy.¡±


    ¡°That''s no way to talk to an old friend, Avaram.¡±


    Looking over to see who my husband is talking to, I come across a familiar face, it is Captivant.

 Arc 6.19

    ¦µ As I am still in shock over Captivant¡¯s presence in my house, I hear Iancu say, ¡°Mommy what¡¯s a fuck boy?¡±


    ¡°Well little Iancu, it is-,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t explain it to him.¡±


    ¡°Relax, I was just pulling your leg hubby.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so aggressive Avaram.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that, especially coming from you. Now get your ass out of my house and walk in properly.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do such a thin-.¡± Before he can finish, I pick Captivant up and throw him outside, then I quickly close the door.


    Hearing a knock on the door my wife goes to open it, then Captivant says, ¡°You really don¡¯t have a sense of humour.¡±


    ¡°Not when it comes to you.¡±


    ¡°Well screw you too then.¡±


    ¡°WHY ARE YOU HERE?¡±


    Stretching out his arm, Captivant says, ¡°I have missed you Babyboy.¡±


    Running into his arms, Iancu says, ¡°I missed you too uncle.¡±


    ¡°Gloria, you seem to be doing well.¡±


    ¡°I am as good as usual,¡± my wife says as blood spurts from her mouth.


    ¡°Ahh yes, it is just like usual. Avaram you should really tell her to stop.¡±


    ¡°I have, but she doesn¡¯t seem to care.¡±


    ¡°I only jumped into a black hole no need to complain. Isn¡¯t that right Capti.¡±


    ¡°Yeah everyone needs to do that once in their lives, you should support that.¡±


    ¡°AM I SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS.¡±


    Holding up his hand Iancu says, ¡°I agree with daddy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, son.¡±


    Looking at him with contempt my wife says, ¡°Traitor.¡±


    As Iancu looks sad, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t say that to your son.¡±


    ¡°You guys really are full of life, but you should reserve some of that strength for the award ceremony tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What award ceremony?¡± My wife says.


    ¡°Did your husband not tell yo-.¡±


    I whisper ¡°Be quiet,¡± while making a very threatening gesture.


    Walking up to me, my wife asks, ¡°What is he talking about and why didn¡¯t I know about it?¡±


    ¡°It is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Captivant tell me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see-.¡±


    ¡°No, wait, don¡¯t Capti.¡±


    ¡°Iancu restrains your father,¡± my wife says as she throws him at me.


    As Iancu lands on me, he uses his legacy to increase the gravity around us making me heavy.


    ¡°Avaram here is getting an award for his scientific achievements. They have said that his recent discoveries have brought Elp¨ªda two hundred years closer to understanding all the technology made by Basileia and the rest of the scientists of Celestial vision all those years ago. So, he is getting a reward from the government tomorrow.¡±


    Turning around my wife says, ¡°Hubby why didn¡¯t I know about this.¡±


    Tickling Iancu to get him to turn off his ability I say, ¡°That¡¯s because you won¡¯t be coming.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    Looking her dead in the eye I say, ¡°You will definitely are not. You¡¯re going to sit in your bed and recover, I have full control over who I can bring, and I have already notified them that if you come they have the right to restrain you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to be such a bully.¡±


    ¡°All my compassion faded when I heard what you did, now go get some rest while I talk to Captivant.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°I can call for divorce papers right now.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok.¡±


    ¡°Now Iancu, take your mom to bed.¡±


    Getting out of my hands, Iancu grabs his mom by the leg and tries to lift her. ¡°Baby what are you doing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick, so I will princess carry you.¡± Iancu then uses his legacy to remove gravity which allows him to lift her. As he carries his mom he says, ¡°Come with me, princess.¡±


    ¡°What a brave knight you are.¡± This causes Iancu to have an Ecstatic smile on his face.


    ¡°Let''s go to the living room Captivant.¡±


    As we arrive and sit down Captivant says, ¡°Ai was the one who told me about this whole ceremony, which must mean it has been widely publicised, how did you hide that from Gloria?¡±


    ¡°When she gets to work, she can only think about one thing.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°My wife was the same when it came to her experiments.¡±


    I whisper, ¡°Please don¡¯t compare your wife''s insanity, to mine''s sense of justice.¡±


    ¡°What was that.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hey Look at what I bought here,¡± he says as he shows me a camera. ¡°It can capture images in a second.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, they¡¯re commonplace around here.¡±


    ¡°This country really is lots of fun, there are so many things that look like complete fantasy to all of us below.¡±


    ¡°You have been here before so I don¡¯t see why this is the first time you bought a camera.¡±


    ¡°Two reasons, first: these things are ridiculously expensive I know some nobles who don¡¯t have enough money to buy one. And the second is that my Draga liked to draw all the places we go to, so if we had this it would have pissed her off.¡± Captivant has a sombre smile as he says this.


    ¡°So, I guess the real reason you came here was to check if your gear is finished.¡±


    ¡°Was I that obvious?¡±


    ¡°Captivant, to be honest, I would prefer if you just didn¡¯t do this. Climbing Fimbulwinter is a fool''s earn, and unlike me and Draga you''re only human. So what I am saying is, don¡¯t go just enjoy the rest of your time in Blestemate.¡±


    After smacking me on the head Captivant says, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if I am not a vampire or even if it is impossible, I will do it. For all my wife has given me, this is what I will give her. And this old man has full confidence in whatever you create.¡±


    When he said this to me his eyes are full of conviction, the amount of energy in his words in unbefitting for a man his age. ¡°Well, I guess all I can do is my best, you bibliophile.¡±


    Captivant tries to hold back his laughter while saying, ¡°Despite all your harsh words you actually care a lot about me, pfft and now you''re trying to return to your fake persona.¡±


    I get up and walk away saying, ¡°You know what let me poke a few holes in the gear for you.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry don¡¯t be mean,¡± he says while holding me.


    Looking over in the direction where the door is, I see it is open, ¡°I swear I closed it.¡±


    ¡°Gloria opened it when she and Iancu snuck out of the house.¡±


    ¡°They did what? Wait you saw this why didn¡¯t you tell me.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be funnier if you found out like this,¡± Captivant says with a smile.


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Mommy over here,¡± Iancu tells me.


    ¡°I am coming wait up,¡± I say as I hand out food to the people in front of me.


    ¡°Thank you so much, god bless you.¡±


    ¡°No need for that, I am just doing my job as an officer.¡± Ichnaea is still as horrible as ever. The buildings deteriorate more and more every single day, this truly is no place to live especially for kids.


    ¡°Mommy, hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I am coming darling.¡± As me and my baby continue to give out food to everyone, I see a few kids sitting by themselves and not eating, so I walk over to them.


    ¡°Hey, are you ok? Is the food not to your liking?¡±


    But the kid turns away from me while giving me a nasty look, and then suddenly, someone puts their hand on my shoulder and says, ¡°Please leave her alone, he doesn¡¯t want to talk to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°It is because the people that girl used to live with were all kidnapped by the aliens.¡±


    ¡°There was another kidnapping?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they have increased in frequency lately, which has caused a lot of animosities to build up between us and the Gpd, so I am sorry but these kids won¡¯t be very trusting of you.¡±


    Despite how rude his words may sound I know that the Gpd doesn¡¯t police Ichnaea like the other platforms, so kidnappings are much more common here. I guess seeing an officer like me is causing some tension here. ¡°I understand.¡±


    But as I finish talking to the man, I hear my son say, ¡°Apple.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°But apple, look the apple is tasty.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your food.¡±


    ¡°But then do you want a banana?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°I see do you want tomatoes? They are really juicy and make my fangs feel all nice.¡±


    After looking at Iancu''s fangs she says, ¡°Get away from me freak.¡±


    Letting out tears, my son says, ¡°I was just trying to be nice. I didn¡¯t know I was a freak.¡±


    The little girl starts to freak out and says, ¡°I am sorry I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS BE FRIENDS,¡± Iancu says while tears run down his face endlessly.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s be friends, I am Fionna.¡±


    With the tears stopping completely he says, ¡°Ok now where friends. I¡¯m Iancu.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you tricked me.¡±


    ¡°I just copied what mom does to make dad forgive her.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I only do that when he tells me to go rest.¡±


    ¡°Mommy this isn¡¯t about you. Fionna let¡¯s go play.¡± Iancu says while taking the girl by the hand.


    ¡°Ok,¡± the girl says while being dragged away towards all the other kids.


    Looking at the kids playing I run over and say, ¡°Let me join in as well.¡±


    ¡°NO! Go away mommy.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Hey Avaram, how do you know there in Ichnaea?¡±


    ¡°Because she always comes here to help around whenever she has free time,¡± I say while running through Ichnaea at full speed.


    ¡°How adorable.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t adorable, it is stressful. I swear she becomes more and more reckless each and every day, it is like she is trying to set a world record for giving her husband the most amount of heart attacks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that a vampire could die from a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the point, and how the hell are you keeping up with me!¡±


    ¡°I have always kept my body in shape no matter how old or how busy I am. I made a commitment to always be sexy enough to seduce my wife.¡±


    ¡°You see this is why we named you fuckboy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I consider that name a compliment it means that woman want me, but to their dismay my wife already has me.¡±


    ¡°I GET IT, NOW SHUT UP.¡± After running for a while, I eventually see my wife and son in the distance. I am about to scream, but looking at them in the distance I see an almost heavanly light emanating from them which causes me to stop.


    ¡°Irrationality.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°That glow you see stems from irrationality. When someone does something just based on principles alone that logic can¡¯t comprehend, they have a sort of heavenly glow that strikes people in the soul. My wife shone like that which is what attracted me to her, and I am sure it was the same for you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe your right, but I still wish she would take better care of herself.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, but if the people we love change too much of themselves they won¡¯t be the same anymore, so maybe you should stop complaining.¡±


    ¡°Shut up old man,¡± I say kicking him away. Walking over to Gloria, I see her panic but before she can say anything I hug her, and I say, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°I would say the person who married an idiot is nine times stupider than said idiot.¡± After my wife says this suddenly, I hear a snap.


    Turning around I see Captivant has taken a picture of us. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to capture the moment.¡±


    ¡°Uncle take a picture of all of us. Everyone gets in,¡± Iancu says as he starts dragging all of the people around us.


    ¡°Are you sure you want us in your family photo?¡±


    With a smile, Iancu says, ¡°Definitely!¡±


    As we all gather together, Captivant snaps a photo of us all and it is rather amazing one for an amateur like him.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As me, my husband and my son, prepare to say send Captivant off he comes up to me and says, ¡°Just so you know your husband is super-duper in love with you.¡±


    With a smile, I respond, ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Also, Avaram don¡¯t threaten divorce, it will cause problems if you keep doing that.¡±


    ¡°OK, ok get off my back.¡±


    Giving my son a big hug Captivant says, ¡°I am going to miss you Iancu.¡±


    ¡°I am going to miss you as well, come back to visit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I will be able to do that, but if you ever miss me go visit your home country of Blestemate. My son will be there to play with you, and there are lots of people like you there as well, so I am sure you won¡¯t be lonely.¡±


    ¡°But I want to play with you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am sure one day we will see each other again, but that will only happen if you¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I will be a good boy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± After talking to Iancu Captivant begins to walk away but he is stopped by my husband.


    While trying to figure out what to say my husband eventually goes quiet and hugs Captivant saying, ¡°I hope it all goes well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I hope it does as well.¡±


    As they part I see my husband have a face he rarely ever shows, one of pure sadness. Waving us goodbye Captivant says, ¡°Have a lovely life.¡±


    ¡°SEE YOU SOON UNCLE,¡± Iancu shouts.


    ¡°I HOPE I DON¡¯T SEE ANY OF YOU SOON.¡±


    As he disappears from our sight Iancu says, ¡°Way did uncle say something so mean?¡±


    Picking him up I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am sure you will realize one day.¡±

 Arc 6.20

    -Break-


    I still remember, how my friend smiled, how she talked, how she laughed, the memories haven¡¯t faded in the slightest but in the same vain I still remember how it felt when the aliens took her away, how she cried, ¡°PLEASE SAY ME, BIG SISTER.¡±


    While all I could do was scream, ¡°LET GO OF US,¡± to the beasts who were trying to kidnap us. I was unable to do anything for her even though she was right in front of me, It is as clear as day to me.


    But the thing that is always at the forefront of my mind, is the haunting image of her being carried away towards the castle that always hung above us, ¡°PLEASE SAVE ME, I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE, SISTER, SISTER!¡± As I looked up at my sister being taken away, her tears and her screams were etched into my very soul.


    Springing up from my bed I start to scream uncontrollably, which wakes my husband up. As Avaram gives me a hug, he says, ¡°It is alright, it is alright honey,¡± while tears fall from my eyes.


    After I stop screaming and shaking, he takes me to the kitchen where I go get water and he says, ¡°That nightmare again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the same one as always. Pathetic isn¡¯t it, even after all these years I still can''t shake the fear from that day.¡±


    Holding me tight he says, ¡°There is nothing pathetic about it, anyone would be scarred if they almost got kidnapped, if anything the way you have been dealing with it makes you superhuman.¡±


    ¡°So you agree I am superhuman?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be letting you come tomorrow so don¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± Getting up and walking over to the window I ask Avaram, ¡°Do you ever think about the people who have been kidnapped, I think about it every day. Are they being tortured? Are any of them even still alive.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t think about such things it will only make you sick.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t stop, I just can¡¯t forget about them. Whenever we have a rescue mission, I am reminded that there are those who we don¡¯t save, that there are those who are stuck up there, and so many of them are children just like our boy. Even though I worked so hard to become an officer, I still can¡¯t do anything for them.


    Holding me by my hand Avaram says, ¡°That was insensitive of me, I know because how your past with your sister you can¡¯t stop worrying about them, but I do need you to know that there is nothing you can do about that for now.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it is just hard to give up.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about giving up.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I say shocked.


    ¡°Magnolia and the rest of Celestial vision left a bunch of unfinished papers about possible ways to take the barrier down, though to understand it we will have to understand the rest of their technology first.¡±


    ¡°Wait, is that why you have been working so hard to understand their work.¡±


    ¡°That is 40% the reason.¡±


    ¡°What is the remaining Sixty.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, it is to fulfil my dream of building a giant robot.¡±


    ¡°You never change.¡±


    ¡°I definitely don¡¯t want to hear that from someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry that is why I fell in love with you idiot, and I am sure that is why your Iancu role model.¡±


    ¡°Iancu is definitely a momma''s boy, so I am sure you¡¯re his role model.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but all he does is talk about how he wants to build things with his father.¡±


    Suddenly he gives me a kiss. ¡°Hey what was that for.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just thought my wife was looking very cute.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t go doing that, it is unfair.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t help myself,¡± he says as he holds me close. ¡°You know thinking about it again, I might need to change both of those percentages around.¡±


    ¡°You want to help me more than you want a giant robot, how romantic.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you need to give me some kind of reward, though it is late a night so we have very few options.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I thought I was too sick for any strenuous kind of activities.¡±


    ¡°Who said such a thing, that person needs to be kicked in the mouth.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± I say giving my husband a deep kiss.


    ¡°It has been a long-time, work has been keeping you busy.¡±


    ¡°Well, I will make all that up to you tonight.¡±


    Suddenly we hear, ¡°Mommy are you ok?¡± Looking behind us we see that Iancu has come to find us.


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    ¡°It is way past your bedtime, what are you doing awake,¡± Avaram says with anger in his voice. I am sure he isn¡¯t really this mad at Iancu being awake but because of something else.


    ¡°I heard mommy screaming and I wanted to make sure she was ok,¡± Iancu says while frowning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me honey I just had a little incident, but it is all right now.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then what are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°We were just going to put a cake in the oven.¡±


    ¡°We have cake.¡±


    Avaram says, ¡°Iancu go to bed now!¡±


    As Iancu starts to cry, he holds me and says, ¡°Daddy is being mean.¡±


    ¡°Behave, daddy,¡± I say while giving him a glare.


    Letting out a sigh Avaram says, ¡°Sorry Iancu, what do I have to do to make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°I want to sleep with you two today.¡±


    Instantly Avaram says, ¡°Anything else, literally anything else.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°I will give you -Censor- lupas.¡±


    With his cheeks puffed out Iancu says, ¡°No I want to sleep with you both.¡±


    ¡°Looks like our son has a strong will, it seems we have to postpone the baking of the cake till tomorrow.¡±


    Clenching his fist so hard that blood comes out Avaram says, ¡°Ok.¡± And with that, we all went to bed, and for some reason, I had the best sleep of my life that night.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Getting up from my bed, I notice that only me and Iancu are in it. Looking for my wife I see she is missing. After panicking for a second, I look around and find a note, it says, ¡°Sorry hubby, I will be going out for a while to get some work done, but don¡¯t worry I will meet you at your award ceremony.¡±


    Why I ought to. After calming down, I let out a sigh and say, ¡°What else did I really expect.¡±


    Shaking Iancu I tell him, ¡°Get up we are going to need to get ready.¡±


    ¡°One minute papa.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Ok that should do it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, officer.¡±


    ¡°All in a day¡¯s work.¡± Today me and a few other officers have decided to plant a few giamore trees since some were recently destroyed. Giamore trees are the special flora that allows us to create oxygen even all the way up here.


    As we all walk away and move to our next location, ¡°Are you sure you can be at work, won¡¯t your husband be pissed?¡±


    ¡°He will understand, and it is not like I am doing anything dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But you know we really could have handled this ourselves, you didn¡¯t have to come.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, me being here makes us move twice as fast as usual and I refuse to stay in a bed when I could be helping people.¡±


    ¡°You really are just a ball of sunshine aren¡¯t you. I am glad you¡¯re going to be the next commissioner.¡±


    ¡°For that comment, I will make you my deputy commissioner.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Picking up after you sounds like literal hell.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I guess the Gpd will all be under my control, I wonder what sort of messes I will get myself into without someone to watch my back, I might even destroy a platform.¡±


    ¡°You might be kidding right now, but I actually believe you would do that.¡±


    ¡°So is that a yes.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is.¡±


    Moments after Arthur says this, we hear a giant explosion in the distance. ¡°What the hell was that.?


    But as screams fill the area I say, ¡°Lets us go see what happened.¡±  Running over to where we hear all the noise from, I see that a bunch of buildings have caught on fire while explosions are going off inside.


    Taking action almost immediately, I tell Arthur too, ¡°Call for help, immediately.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am going go in and start rescues.¡±


    ¦µ As Gloria runs off I freeze for a second, I then gather my will and say, ¡°Go notify all offices and call for help I am going in after her.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Avaram good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hi Tetra, still as energetic as ever.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be in high spirits.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really feel like I accomplished a lot. We are still centuries away from fully breaking down all the technology here on Elp¨ªda, so I feel like all of this is just a bit over the top.¡±


    ¡°You are being too humble what you have done has brought us closer to a future for humanity, and if that doesn¡¯t make you happy I am sure all the prize money will.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t give me any.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°Instead, they gave me the right to one of the oldest pieces of technology on Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Here have a look,¡± I say giving him a photo.


    After he takes a while to stare at it Tetra says to me, ¡°What use could you possibly have for this? Do you want me to talk to them for you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath, do you think those money grubbers have anything to give me.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, I feel like I already have my reward,¡± I say pointing over at Iancu.


    Running over to me he says, ¡°Papa the food here is so yummy.¡±


    ¡°Eat your fill, because I can¡¯t afford that stuff.¡±


    ¡°I gotcha,¡± he says giving me a salute.


    Suddenly someone bursts in and runs over to Tetra. Then he says, ¡°Sir a series of buildings have all caught on fire over at Aeia.¡±


    ¡°What happened.¡±


    ¡°It seems a series of explosions took place there which caused all the buildings to catch fire.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to act quickly.¡±


    ¡°The officer on sight has already started evacuating the buildings.¡±


    ¡°Who are those officers?¡±


    ¡°Deputy commissioner Gloria, and superintendent Arthur.¡±


    ¡°Wait, did you say Gloria ran into a fiery building,¡± I say holding the man by the shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Letting go of him I say to Tetra, ¡°Take care of Iancu, I am heading over there.¡± Please be ok.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I run through all the buildings and look for any survivors, but all I see are bodies that have either been crushed or blown to pieces. No, no, no this isn¡¯t right. I became an officer of the law and yet I am still powerless to help any of these people.


    But I suddenly hear a large sound, listening in, I hear someone say, ¡°Please help us.¡±


    As fast as I can I head over to the origin of the sound, where I see two kids with burns all over them, and to the left of them I see what is the body of an adult burnt to a crisp.


    Seeing me they scream, ¡°Help us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry little ones, I will get you out in no time.¡±


    Grabbing both of them I retrace my steps into the house. The heat is unbearable and the smoke is destroying my lungs, but no matter how bad it is for me it is worse for everyone the kids on my back.


    As I continue to walk, I eventually come across Arthur who has an adult on his back. ¡°Hey idiot, what are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°I never want to hear that from you, but right now we need to go.¡±


    So I go with Arthur, but as we leave I see the building start to fall apart around us, so we pick up the pace and eventually escape.


    As we lay the people on the ground a medical team near us start to work on them, but the man Arthur brought with him mumbles something.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°My daughter is still inside,¡± he says with tears falling down his face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will go get her, what is your building number?¡±


    ¡°82.¡±


    As I try to move away, I am stopped by Arthur who says, ¡°Are you insane? We saw how those buildings are, they could collapse any second now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I have to go.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°GLORIA! You have a husband and a child; you need to think before you act sometimes and right now the most logical thing you could do is stay here.¡±


    Stopping for a second she says to me, ¡°Arthur I am sorry,¡± Then knocks me out.


    ¦µ I take off into the buildings at my top speed. I run around and try to find the way Arthur came from. Moving through the building, I eventually come across numbered doors. So, I keep going but I see the building collapse in front of me.

 Arc 6.21

    30 Years ago


    Sitting down in a corner with tears flowing down my eyes, I tuck my head in between my legs as I hide away from everything. How could I have just let her be taken right in front of my eyes?


    ¡°Hey little one, what¡¯s your name,¡± I hear someone ask me.


    ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°I am just worried, you have been through something traumatic, so I wanted to see if you are ok.¡±


    ¡°So now you guys care about us, not when we are starving half to death out here in Ichnaea. You people don¡¯t give a shit about us so fuck off.¡±


    ¡°I am the officer who saved you, so you should at least answer my questions. Any information we have will help us with other incidents of this nature, but more than that I just really want to talk and make sure you¡¯re ok.¡±


    ¡°You want to talk, ok then answer me this. Why was I born? Why have my parents abandoned me? Why were all the kids here also abandoned? Why do I have to struggle to find something to eat everyday? Why can¡¯t I learn to read? Why do I have to wear raggedy clothes, Why the fuck was I saved and not my friend?


    She was incredibly smart, she had lots of friends, she would share her toys with us, and despite living in Ichnaea she was always happy and smiling, despite all of her challenges she always wanted to keep living despite how horrible it was. I keep racking my idiot brain but I can¡¯t seem to find the answer, and until I do I am never moving from this spot.¡±


    Letting out a sigh the officer says, ¡°You know my parents were killed right in front of me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°By Some rich kids daughter. She and her friends were messing with a gravity gun and shot it right at my house; my parents were squished by gravity and turned to mush.


    But the funny part is that the kids took no responsibility for it, their parents were close with the current commissioner of the Gpd, so they got off scot-free.¡±


    ¡°So why are you wearing that uniform?¡±


    ¡°Well I racked my brain for years thinking how I was going to avenge my parents, maybe I would join a gang and kill those bastards, but then I thought that won¡¯t stop the next kids'' house from being crushed or the one after that, so I decided to join the only form of law enforcement and become some sort of hero of justice. At least that way my parents would be proud, and maybe I could become some sort of revolution.


    But it wasn¡¯t that simple. Since joining the Gpd I realized how loose with the law they are. Taking bribes, and colluding with criminals are just a few of their crimes. There were countless days I woke up and asked myself the same question as you; why I am doing this, why am I letting them get away with this, why should I even have to do this, why the hell did my life turn into this? Though eventually, I came to answer.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°Suicide.¡±


    Shocked I look up and say, ¡°WHAT!¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re finally looking at me.¡±


    I hide my head and say, ¡°You fucking liar.¡±


    ¡°I am not lying, I was really going to do it, but while walking to the edge of the platform, I saw a bunch of hoodlums assaulting a gaudily dressed foreigner. They were really kicking the crap out of him, so I went to go stop them by force and when I did the man got up and said to me.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Thanks for that, those guys were really going into me.¡±


    ¡°That is because the way you¡¯re dressed is attracting attention. You should buy something that doesn¡¯t make you look so foreign.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. Living every moment is exactly what I have to do to get the best out of life.¡±


    ¡°Who cares then, this is none of my business,¡± I say trying to walk away.


    Grabbing me the man says, ¡°Where are you going with such a desolate look.¡±


    Ripping my hand out of his grip I say, ¡°You know nothing about me so leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°I happen to be an author so reading people is what I do best,¡± the man says as he grips my hand again.


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    ¡°LET GO OF ME!¡± I shout trying to break his grip.


    But I am unable to do that; this man is strong. What the hell, if he was this strong he shouldn¡¯t of had a hard time beating those guys. He grabs my face and stares me dead in the eye with and intense look. ¡°Since you look like you have lost your spark in life, let me at least tell you this, if you had it once it can definitely be acquired again. And when you find it again it is like you have just been reborn.¡±


    ¡°Capti where are you?¡± I hear a woman yell.


    ¡°Coming, sorry about that I need to go but it was great meeting you,¡± he says as he runs away with a giant smile on his face.


    ¦µ ¡°After that, I bought a cat and went home. Don¡¯t know if it was his words or just his pure happiness, but that man gave me hope. So what I am getting at is that I have no idea why anything is the way it is, but at the very least I can try my best to change the things I don¡¯t like. So, I plan to become the Gpd commissioner and change things for the better.¡±


    ¡°That man really changed your life.¡±


    ¡°Too early to say, especially since it was last week.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°THEN DON¡¯T PHASE YOUR STORY LIKE THAT.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fun one little girl.¡±


    Noticing I am smiling, I say, ¡°Leave me alone.¡± After calming down I say, ¡°Do you really think it is possible to achieve your dream?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know till I try, but if you want to see how I turn out you can come with me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that was vague. I was asking if you want to be my daughter. I don¡¯t really have much parenting experience but I can promise three straight meals and a warm bed.¡±


    ¡°Why choose me, there are a bunch of kids in Ichnaea.?


    ¡°I have no idea, but maybe if we live together we could figure it out, so would you like to stay with me?¡±


    My hearts starts to beat incredible fast and I say, ¡°Can I?¡±


    ¡°Definitely! Oh, and by the way my name is Tetra.¡±


    ¡°My Name is Gloria.¡±


    ¦µ On that day I was saved by Tetra. My heart that I was about to close off was permanently opened. Tetra decided to fight for what he wanted against all the chaos life through at him and with many people who share the same dream as him he was able to rake up so many achievements that he became the commissioner of the Gpd. Though he became a lot more square-shaped.


    Seeing him I decided to fight as well against all the whys and try to find a reason to live, and against all odds I found it. My job is to carry on Tetra''s legacy, my family who I never thought I could ever have, and for the day that the barrier around that castle finally falls and I can save my sister Laura. So even in this burning building that feels like it could snuff at my life at any second, I perceiver.


    Pushing the pieces of the building on me away, I get up and try to move. As I move forward I notice my right arm is broken and that my skin hurts all over; I probably sustained some burns. My body is at its limit, but seeing the building numbers getting closer and closer to eighty-two I persist.


    I can¡¯t stop here, I will not let anyone die anymore, I am giving everyone who cries in front of me a happy ending. I move through the building as fast as possible with the smoke ever increasing as I go. I really am going to need to rest after all of this, Avaram is probably going to be pissed but I am sure he will still take care of me regardless, with Iancu staying with me the entire time.


    Thinking about my family gives me a little surge of energy to move forward just a bit faster and eventually I come towards it, door number Eighty-two. Kicking the door open I go in as fast as possible and see a little girl on the ground.


    Running over to her I scream, ¡°Are you ok,¡± but I get no response. So I try to pick her up, but behind me I see the building fall apart which causes me to look directly at it. When I do I see that there is a machine in all that rubble falling and when it hits this floor, I see it about to explode so I grab the girl and use my body as a shield, right as the explosion goes off.


    Taking the brunt of the explosion I am sent flying across the room. After getting my senses back I look at the little girl and say, ¡°I am sorry for the rocky ride.¡± But to my horror I see the front of the girl''s body is completely burnt to a crisp, she has long been dead.


    Hearing more explosions close to me I feel the building shake and then looking up I see large pieces of the building fall on top of me.


    ¦µ ¡°Gloria what the hell are you doing taking so long.¡±


    Suddenly I hear someone tap me on the back and say, ¡°ARTHUR!¡± Looking at the person I see it is Avaram, before I can speak he screams, ¡°WHERE IS GLORIA.¡±


    ¡°She went inside the building a while ago.¡± Suddenly a series of explosions go off inside the building.


    Avaram has a look of horror on his face as he runs directly at the building. ¡°STOP YOU WILL DIE IF YOU GO IN THERE.¡±


    ¡°I AM GOING TO GO GET MY WIFE.¡±


    Dammit, I can¡¯t stop him, ¡°FUUUUUCK! SHE IS IN ROOM EIGHTY-TWO,¡± He accelerates incredibly fast and heads into the building.


    ¦µ I run into the flaming building and push all the debris out of my way. The flames burn my flesh, but it regenerates as I go. I told her to take a break, I told her to stop but she didn¡¯t listen. Still, I have faith, she promised no matter what she will always come back.


    I force my way through the building until I start to see numbered doors. She has fought countless gangs, dealt with countless dangers and for god sake, she survived a black hole, do you even know how few people could even do that. My wife is a hero a person who always wins, so I am sure she just needs some help today.


    Eventually reaching room Eighty-two I see the entire floor of this building has been destroyed, so I jump into it and head down to the other floors. She probably has moved on from here, but it won¡¯t hurt to check.


    As I land on a floor with a lot of flaming debris, I clear it out rapidly and eventually I come across a burnt arm. It is probably someone who died on the bottom floor or has fallen from floors upstairs, so I shouldn¡¯t mind this.


    But I wasn¡¯t able to move myself on, I wasn¡¯t able to let go of the hand. So I decided to drink the blood in it and its taste is all too familiar. Dropping the hand I move all the debris out of the way and as I do I find burnt limbs and organs every wear, eventually I find two completely burnt and destroyed bodies.


    I quickly take a moment to taste the bodies blood and out of disbelief, I fall to my knees as tears evaporate from my eyes.

 Arc 6.22

    Getting up from my knees, I walk around and pick up all the burned body parts from limbs to organs. I take them all intact then I bring them all and the main bodies through the building. As I walk stark naked, I am unable to think because if I do I will die right here, so all I do is quietly walk outside with the bodies.


    When I escape, I see Arthur and Tetra run up to me, but as they get close, they stop in disbelief and Tetra asks me, ¡°Avaram who is that?¡±


    I struggle to say anything but gathering strength I say, ¡°It''s Gloria.¡±


    Hearing this Tetra collapsed onto the floor and I hear him say, ¡°My baby girl.¡± In all the time I have been around him I have never seen him make such a despairing expression.


    Arthur standing behind him starts to panic and says, ¡°I should have never let her go, this is all my fault,¡± with tears falling from his eyes.


    Suddenly I start to feel dizzy, it seems I lost too much blood from the fire. Unable to stay awake I collapse.


    -Break-


    As I open my eyes, I feel something slightly heavy on top of me, looking at what it could be I see Iancu laying on me. Sitting up I take a second to look around the room and see I am in a hospital. Iancu wakes up and he says to me, ¡°DADDY YOU¡¯RE AWAKE!¡±


    Looking at him, I see his eyes are swollen as if he had just been crying. After I notice this, it all suddenly comes crashing down on me; my wife is dead and she is never coming back, Iancu has lost his mother.


    Tears start to fall from my eyes as I start screaming. Iancu scared by this says, ¡°Daddy what¡¯s wrong? Whatever is bothering you will be ok.¡±


    But I can¡¯t stop this pathetic sight. My emotions are completely in control of my body, so all I can do is cry and scream, ¡°WHY, WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN, FOR WHAT REASON, OH GOD WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME!¡±


    As I screamed in the hospital I was looking for someone to blame, Tetra for raising her like this, Arthur for letting her go in the building, me for not restricting her, the man who asked her to find his child, the aliens for changing her fate, or even god for allowing such misfortune to fall upon her.


    But despite my screams of anger at all of them, I knew exactly why this happen. My wife always put others first as some form of repentance for being the one saved by Tetra. Her selflessness is what made her shine so brightly light a star, but it is also what ended her life. This is no one else¡¯s fault but her own.


    Despite having family at home, her need to help people made her run into a burning building regardless of the danger. Her actions were the equivalent of spitting in the face of all those who loved her. Even though it is, I still love her with all my heart.


    Still, I can¡¯t let something like this ever happen again, so on the day we buried her body I pulled Iancu aside and said to him, ¡°No matter what always put yourself first, others can fend for themselves, always make sure you are safe.¡±


    ¡°But Mama wouldn¡¯t have wanted that.¡±


    ¡°Iancu your mama is dead because of those foolish principles.¡±


    With tears, he tells me, ¡°But they mean so much to her.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care in the slightest. From now on you won¡¯t be allowed to go to Ichnaea for any reason and I don¡¯t want you doing anything dangerous as well.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°NO BUTS, NOW LISTEN IANCU MY WORD IS FINAL.¡± I won¡¯t allow you to die a death like your mother.


    Despite my words, Iancu keeps doing the things he and Gloria used to do in Ichnaea all by himself. No matter how much I talked to him or even hit him he keep doing them. This deteriorated my and Iancu''s relationship.


    It is like the whole world is against me, why do I have to watch my loved one go down the same path again? And today Iancu has seemingly vanished. I feel the exact same horrible feeling I felt when Gloria died, so all I can do is pray Iancu will be ok.


    Orb says to me, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything, as long as I am breathing I won¡¯t let harm come to Iancu.¡±


    Looking into his eyes I see they are filled with determination, it seems Captivant left me a rather great gift. ¡°Thanks for that,¡± I say as we speed up.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I wake up, I am in a room and in front of me are the alien and Arthur. Looking at him I scream, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ARTHUR!¡± But he doesn¡¯t say anything.


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    ¡°Am I to believe this child is an acquaintance of yours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is something like that.¡±


    ¡°HEY, PIECE OF SHIT, DON¡¯T IGNORE ME. You are one of my mom''s closes friends and now you¡¯re working with the aliens. You and my mom used to stand for justice and now you¡¯re doing shit like this, I will never forgive YOU, BASTARD!¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING!¡± Arthur screams back at me. ¡°Justice, all that is gone, it has completely vanished, the Gpd is finished.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you on about?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how Tetra became the chief despite being very against the government of Elp¨ªda? It is because he racked up achievement after achievement and gather a ridiculous amount of supporters that they had no choice but to elect him commissioner, despite the fact he would have used his power to get in their way whenever he can.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still not making sense to me.¡±


    ¡°The issue with this all is that the rulers have taken precautions to make sure someone with Tetra ideals never becomes commissioner again, but at the same time Tetra had also taken precautions and raised a successor, your mother Gloria.


    Your mother was even more successful and popular than Tetra ever was. She had quite a ridiculous amount of support to become the next chief. It was almost set in stone, but then tragedy struck and she was ripped off this planet, and that¡¯s when the problem occurred.


    There isn¡¯t a single person on Tetra''s side who could possibly be his successor now, and because of that the Gpd has started to fall apart. Most of the officers fearing retaliation once the new commissioner is elected have turned tail and have started siding with the government, and who could blame them? Tetras health is declining rapidly, and within one year the government''s little dog will be in charge of the Gpd.¡±


    ¡°Tetra hasn¡¯t said anything about this to me.¡±


    ¡°It is because you¡¯re a child who lost his mother, Tetra didn¡¯t want to make you worry unnecessarily. But without a doubt, he will be dead in the next year.¡±


    Gritting my teeth I say, ¡°This doesn¡¯t explain your actions. With both my mom and Tetra gone, it should be your turn to rise up and lead his side, but instead, you have chosen to kidnap people for the aliens for your own benefit, you disgust me.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW? Last month, I found out while investigating traitors the truth behind this country.¡±


    ¡°What truth?¡±


    ¡°The government has been helping the aliens kidnap citizens.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°In exchange for gold, they have been aiding them in their efforts to take citizens away. So when that new commissioner takes over in a year their operations will increase and there is nothing we can do about it.


    Your mother and Tetra were pillars of Elp¨ªda, they gave hope to people that not only were we fighting for the right thing but that it was truly possible to achieve it.


    But now that those pillars have vanished everyone is left with crushing despair. We can¡¯t do anything without them. So I have given up, I am going to make this sale and leave Elp¨ªda for good.¡±


    I don¡¯t know what to say to Arthur he truly looks like he lost all hope but gathering strength I say, ¡°SO WHAT IF IT SEEMS HOPELESS, DON¡¯T LET THAT STOP YOU. Grandpa also thought it was hopeless, but he worked to overcome that. If you give up, if we all give up, then it is the same as saying my mother died for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Iancu,¡± Arthur says.


    Suddenly, I hear a noise, and looking over at the alien I see he is making sounds and gestures as if he is crying behind that mask. Then he says, ¡°That is truly heart-breaking, I really wish you all the best of luck.¡±


    Angered I say, ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH ME.¡±


    Walking up close he says, ¡°I would never dream of doing such a thing to an esteemed person such as yourself, but I just want to say if you truly wish to be a man of justice, come with me, I am sure we will be able to truly achieve your Gloria ideals.¡±


    I spit on his mask and say, ¡°It is only by the grace of god that I haven¡¯t killed you yet, but if you bring up my mother''s name I will end your life without hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you bastard Iancu is not for sale so back off.¡±


    ¡°What a shame I never always wanted to operate on a vampire, what a missed opportunity.¡±


    Suddenly, I see the door fly through the room, and a well-dressed man comes in leading a group of people. Looking at them, I see that most of them are kids, and after enough of them come in I see that the majority of them are the kids I bring food to.


    Seeing me they scream, ¡°IANCU HELP US!¡±


    One of the people leading the kids in says, ¡°SHUT UP,¡± as he raises his fist.


    But then the well-dressed man in front says, ¡°Touch a single one of them and you¡¯re going be shitting through five different holes.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    The alien repositioning himself says, ¡°You must be Rise the leader of the gang virtuoso. Wow, you¡¯re really tiny like an adorable child.¡±


    ¡°Show some respect to our boss.¡±


    ¡°Now why would I show respect to a criminal.¡±


    ¡°SAY THAT AGIN YOU BASTARD!¡±


    Rise stopping his subordinate says, ¡°Calm down, he has enough money for me to let this little transgression go, well at least this time.¡±


    ¡°Ohh scary, I think I might piss myself.¡±


    While the gang members place the kids down, Arthur says, ¡°Now let''s go over our plan. We will transport all these kids across the platform on a special route to the drop-off point, from where the aliens will leave our money and take the kids. Tetra still has guards out looking for any kidnappings, but if we stick to my route we will dodge them all.¡±


    Rise says, ¡°That sounds fine but can you explain to me why Gloria''s brat is here listening to our whole conversation.¡±


    ¡°It is a mistake, I made but don¡¯t worry I have some of the drug Astral key with me.¡±


    ¡°The hallucinogenic.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I am sure from the way you sell this stuff you should also know that it causes short-term memory loss, so he won¡¯t remember a thing.¡±


    ¡°To think the high and mighty Arthur would not only resort to drugging kids but selling them at the same time. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Gloria is turning over in her grave.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?¡±


    ¡°OH, WHAT DON¡¯T LIKE THE TRUTH.¡±


    The alien slamming his fist into his hand says, ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about,¡± Arthur says.


    ¡°It is just that the name Gloria was ringing bells in my head and I just remembered where I heard it from. A little girl used to always scream that name ever since the day I took her till her unfortunate demise, what a tragedy.¡±


    Hearing this Arthur freezes for a moment and says, ¡°IT WAS YOU,¡± then he suddenly tries to attack the alien with his stun weapon.


    Stun weapons: These are the standard issued equipment of the Gpd. They all have the ability to release an electric shock of various levels. They are powered by dust from Basileia crystals so they are an Elp¨ªda exclusive weapon. They all come in various forms such as gloves, boots, swords, and a special type of weapon that only exists on Elp¨ªda; guns.

 Arc 6.23

    As Arthur tries to hit him, he is suddenly pushed into the ground. ¡°Sorry if you want to kill him, do it when he doesn¡¯t owe me money.¡±


    ¡°Rise, you bastard, don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    Kicking him in the face, Rise says, ¡°You¡¯re pissing me off. I don¡¯t want you pretending as if you have morals, because if you did you wouldn¡¯t be here, so shut up and behave.¡±


    Turning around, he says to his subordinates, ¡°Start loading the kids.¡±


    As all the kids are taken out of the room they scream for me, but due to whatever Arthur injected into me I feel weak, so weak I can¡¯t even use my legacy on my body. I try to crawl my body towards them, but it is no use I can barely move. All I can do is scream, ¡°EVERYONE FIGHT BACK.¡±


    Hearing my words, I see Fionna start fighting back against the guard''s grips, after she breaks free, I see the other kids start fighting but they are all quickly overpowered as I try to get out.


    The kids are beaten until they can¡¯t move while I am unable to do anything. ¡°As you can see the only way to restrain them was by putting them in this state, so I hope you don¡¯t deduct our pay,¡± Rise says to the alien.


    ¡°Well, since they are still alive there is no issue.¡± On the floor beaten and bloodied, Fionna says to Rise, ¡°Why are you doing this to us, we did nothing to you?¡±


    ¡°Why? Because I can, simple as that.¡±


    ¡°But you''re just stepping over our lives.¡±


    ¡°Steeping over your lives! Don¡¯t make me laugh. You guys are ALL ORPHANS, YOUR LIVES ARE MEANINGLESS. From the moment every single one of you where born none of you were ever loved. All your lives have all equated to nothing more than the dust on my shoes, so don¡¯t talk as if I am ridding the world of some value, you dusty child.¡±


    As he says this, I see tears fall from the kid''s eyes. Enraged I scream, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ANYTHING, you overweening midget.¡±


    Walking to the door with the alien, Rise says, ¡°Hey Socko go teach that brat his place.¡±


    As they leave, Socko says, ¡°My pleasure boss.¡±


    The giant man named Socko walks up to me and prepares to hit me directly in the face. But suddenly, something comes crashing from the sky and lands directly on him.


    Looking at what fell on him, I see both Orb and my dad. While shocked I hear the kids scream, ¡°NINJA MAN.¡±


    Making a gesture at the kid''s Orb moves straight ahead and knocks out the gang members in the room, with my dad running over to me and saying, ¡°Iancu, thank god, you¡¯re ok.¡±


    Seeing him so worried tears fall from my eyes as I say, ¡°Dad I love you.¡±


    After Orb finishes taking them all out, he walks up to me and says, ¡°Iancu are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he just gave me something that makes me feel weak.¡±


    ¡°I see that is good then.¡± Walking over to the kid''s Orb asks, ¡°Are you all ok?¡±


    ¡°NINJA MAN!¡± They scream. ¡°WE WERE SO SCARED.¡±


    ¡°Well for now on you, all have nothing to fear since the dark moon has come to destroy all your enemies.¡±


    Suddenly we all hear the noise of a gravity vehicle. ¡°This isn¡¯t good, they are taking the kids with them, we need to go after them.¡±


    ¡°No, Iancu we are going home this isn¡¯t our business.¡±


    ¡°Dad, what the hell are you talking about, we can¡¯t just leave them.¡±


    ¡°NO IANCU, I will not lose you too.¡±


    Orb says, ¡°I am going after them,¡± but as he runs after them I hear they have taken off. So Orb runs back inside and asks, ¡°Do you know where they are going?¡±


    ¡°ORB LEAVE US OUT OF THIS, Iancu we are leaving,¡± my dad says.


    Seeing my dad¡¯s irrational behaviour, I push him out of the way then I use my legacy to hold him in one place, and run over to Arthur taking his stun weapon. ¡°Dad I am going to help people even if you hate it, will all your heart now and until the day I die.¡±


    After I say this, I run over to Orb and say, ¡°Please take me with you.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°One hundred percent.¡±


    ¡°I see then let''s go.¡± Grabbing me I use my legacy to remove gravity around us and then we jump out of the building and use Orb''s chain to swing from building to building.


    ¡°IANCU COME BACK!¡± My dad screams, but we continue on following the vehicle.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    As we move towards the platform, I realize that we are on platform one, Helios. But as I think this Orb says, ¡°We won¡¯t catch up to them like this, they are moving too fast.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Orb we can catch up, but to do that I can going need you to land on the side of that building over there.¡±


    Following my instructions Orb lands on it freezing his legs to it. So I say, ¡°Brace for impact.¡±


    ¡°What why.¡±


    ¡°My legacy increases or decreases all and any type of force. So even the reaction force acting beneath us can be increased.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that send me- wait Iancu I am not ready.¡±


    ¡°I already warned you,¡± suddenly I am sent flying in the direction of the vehicle is in at high speed.


    ¦µ Picking Arthur up by his neck I say, ¡°Do you even know what the hell you have done?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you think sorry will cut it. Right now, you¡¯re spitting in the face of everything my wife worked towards.¡±


    ¡°I know, but since your wife died it all became hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Gloria and Tetra didn¡¯t think it was hopeless, but they still worked hard.¡±


    ¡°None of you get it at all, you haven¡¯t seen the deeps it has fallen to.¡± Picking in up a Kaidenwa Arthur says, ¡°Order fifty-five L-516G.¡±


    Knocking it out of his hands I say, ¡°What the hell did you just do?¡±


    ¡°That was a code that the Gpd used to assist criminals, everyone who heard that will be going to help the vehicle with that identification number. The pollution in the Gpd really does go that deep. But don¡¯t worry they won¡¯t kill Iancu.¡±


    Throwing him down I say, ¡°Dammit, I need to go.¡±


    But as I start to run away, the kids behind me call after me saying, ¡°Please take us with you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have time for you guys.¡±


    ¡°Please sir don¡¯t leave us,¡± they cry. But ignoring them I leave.


    Though before I go, I scream, ¡°ARTHUR IF YOU HAVE ANY SEMBLANCE OF PRIDE LEFT TAKE CARE OF THESE KIDS.¡±


    ¦µ As I am launched threw the air, I land on a vehicle going down the gravity road, ¡°See it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°I would like some warnings next time.¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining and hurry up ninja man, didn¡¯t you promise to protect all those kids or are you too weak to accomplish such a feat?¡±


    ¡°You dare underestimate me!¡± Using my legacy on my legs, I jump from one vehicle to the next trying to get closer. But as I approach, I notice something; the arm ban I was giving now has three strokes on it. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Then I look around, and I see lots of Gpd vehicles coming towards us. ¡°Due to you having three strikes you are now under the application of Elp¨ªdan law and can be tried, so we ask they you come with us silently.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t used up my three strikes?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Orb they are full of shit. They¡¯re probably working with the alien and are trying to help him get away.¡± Arthur wasn¡¯t lying they really have turned to shit.


    ¡°We will use force unless you comply.¡±


    Taking the gun I stole from Arthur; I use my legacy on it then I shoot a stun bb at the vehicle. Usually, this realises a small shock at whatever it lands on, but with my legacy, anything the little bb hits will instead have the gravity acting on it increased.


    As my bb hits the vehicle the gravity increases which forces it to fall down. ¡°That¡¯s our answer. Orb keep going forward.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Looks like this is another country I am going have to flee.¡± Speeding up I jump from vehicle to vehicle until I get close to our target, but the Gpd vehicles keep getting in our way even with Iancu knocking them all out of the air. Our target keeps getting further and further away, and then it starts to move on a strange path.


    Seeing this I say, ¡°Iancu let''s get rid of these guys before we continue on.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    I jump on top of the Gpd vehicles and start freezing them as Iancu keeps up shooting them out of the sky. ¡°Orb I have an idea, but I need you to follow my instructions.¡±


    After Iancu says his instructions into my ear, I follow them. Using reaction force I am sent flying over to a building, which I attach the chain on my weapon to, as I swing Iancu boosts the centrifugal force so I swing myself high into the sky and away from all the Gpd vehicles.


    Though they continue to follow me and Iancu in the sky. Due to the zero gravity, we can¡¯t move.


    ¡°Orb you did this perfectly now it is my turn.¡± Using his legacy, Iancu shoots a bb at the vehicles approaching us and suddenly they all come to a stop.


    ¡°The air resistance has been increased in all directions, now none of them can move at all.¡±


    Using my legacy, I create a lot of ice and jump off of it and due to Iancu increasing the reaction force I am sent flying all the way back down.


    ¡°Orb, how are we going to locate them now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that I have an idea. I smelt her earlier, she should be just around this corner.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°It seems those little miracles really did a number on the Gpd officers. Does this mean we''re in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry your stupid little alien head, I have already taken precautions for this, I found out the route that Arthur was using and have set up my own men to intercept anyone who follows us.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think your men would be able to stop those two legacies by themselves?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t insult me, remember this alien; I am Rise the man who rose from a mere grunt to the leader of virtuoso in five years. So if I say they can do it they can do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very impressive.¡± But I still feel like the chance of that are low, so I might as well put my own plan in motion.


    ¡°This is K8 requesting access.¡±


    ACCESS GRANTED.


    ¡°K8, this O9, why have you accessed our mental link? Has there been an issue with your current retrieval?¡±


    ¡°To a certain extent, but that isn¡¯t the main reason I have contacted you. I have two legacies that we can use to test out both AA01 and AA02.¡±


    ¡°They are still in prototype; you know they would lose against anyone of substantial strength.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, from what I have seen in terms of legacy use both of them are rookies. This should be an easy battle.¡±


    ¡°I see, if I am able to get permission they will be sent to your location. May the sky be with you.¡±


    ¡°And you as well.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I try on the clothes that Ai bought for me, she says, ¡°Suzuka you''re so pretty.¡±


    Happy I say, ¡°I really am, aren¡¯t I.¡±


    ¡°Your just gorgeous, an angel, a heavenly being,¡± Ai says while drool falls from her mouth. She almost tries to hug me, but holding herself back she says, ¡°DAMMIT I HAVE ALREADY USED UP ALL MY PHYSICAL CONTACT.¡±


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it is just that my son used to give me hugs all the time, but now he just tells me to fuck off, so I guess I have been starved for physical contact with a cute child.¡±


    Walking up to her I say, ¡°Since you¡¯re so nice, I guess I can give you a hug this time.¡±


    With tears rolling down her eyes she says, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are friends.¡±


    Her eyes explode with water and she says, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¦µ God must really be on my side today. I stretch my hands out and try to grab Suzuka and give her a hug, but as I do, I see a chain break through the window and wrap itself around her waist and moments later she is gone.

 Arc 6.24

    ¦µ Confused, Suzuka starts looking around, and after she sees my face she says, ¡°Orb what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Suzuka, but I really need you right now.¡±


    ¡°What use could she possibly have?¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°Shut up you stupid bitch,¡± Suzuka says to him.


    ¡°What was that you cotton-brained, vulgar-mouthed, donkey.¡±


    ¡°Say that again you little shit,¡± Suzuka says as she tries to hit Iancu.


    ¡°STOP FIGHTING YOU, IDIOTS. Suzuka, I really need your help, you are the only one I can count on.¡±


    ¡°I am the only one. I will help however I can!¡± she says lighting up with glee.


    ¡°Suzuka, I know there are lots of people around, but I really need you to try and pinpoint certain voices can you do that.¡±


    ¡°I will try, but what do they sound like?¡±


    ¡°The voices should sound like panicking children, and there should be many of them in one place.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± she says closing her eyes and holding her head.


    ¦µ When I absorb emotions and hear people''s thoughts, I can feel the direction their spirit energy flows into me from.


    So first, let all the voices flow in. It hurts, it hurts really bad. but Orb is counting on me. So as the voices fly through my head, I scan through them as quickly as possible. Look for the ones that Orb needs, if they are all together it should be a lot easier.


    After a little while I pick up on the direction of the voices, ¡°Orb they are that way.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Thanks Suzuka!¡± I say as I swing in that direction. Using Iancu legacy, we are able to accelerate over there in mere seconds. As we get close, I see they are taking an unusual path, so we follow them threw it.


    The closer we get to the vehicle the more Iancu tries to shoot them, but we are still too far. So, I create ice and using that for a platform I jump forward with Iancu boost and almost close the distance, but I feel a heavy pressure fall on us.


    ¡°IANCU!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he says as he uses his legacy to remove the gravity affecting us.


    ¡°Orb there are a bunch of people on top of those buildings,¡± Suzuka says.


    Jumping on top of the buildings, I see that a ridiculous amount of people are on top of the buildings. ¡°There are at least five hundred of them.¡±


    ¡° That isn¡¯t the worst part, Orb they all have gravity weapons.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you remove the gravity?¡±


    ¡°I only increase and decrease forces, if they all use their weapons on us, I won¡¯t be able to do a single thing. So, we have to take them all out.¡±


    ¡°I am going to dash straight at them Suzuka, Iancu support me.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± they both say in unison.


    ¡°Don¡¯t repeat after me,¡± they both say in unison again. Then they begin to growl at each other like beasts.


    ¡°Shut up you two before I smash you both into the ground.¡± After saying this I take off towards them with Iancu¡¯s boost.


    As I engage them, they use their gravity weapons but right before they hit me I dodge out of the way, and when they actually do hit me Iancu removes it from me.


    Getting close I slash their limbs which hold the gravity weapon with my blade. This ninja tool is ridiculously sharp, even more so than my legacies claws.


    The ones I can¡¯t react to are hit by Suzuka¡¯s tails or shot by Iancu''s gun, but I hear Iancu say, ¡°I am out of bbs.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we have gotten close enough in.¡± While my legacy is active on my legs, I create a large amount of ice and freeze the floor we are on. Then I scream ¡°SUZUKA.¡±


    Understanding my intent, she forms her seven tails into a giant first and smashes it breaking it all. Which causes all of them to fall down.


    But right before she does that, I jump off the platform and with Iancu¡¯s help I am sent into the air. Then using his legacy again he puts us in zero gravity where I create even more ice then launch off again over towards the vehicle which has the kids.


    Upon landing on it, Suzuka extends her tails to wrap it up, while Iancu increases the air resistance around it to stop its movements, then I move to the side of the ship where I give it a kick, and thanks to Iancu the force of it sends it flying over to a rooftop in the distance. Due to Suzuka wrapping it up in her tails, it took no damage as it was sent to the roof.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As we all land on the roof Iancu collapses, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I just used my legacy too much, but don¡¯t bother with me go over there and make sure the kids are alright.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Walking over to the vehicle I freeze its back and break it open to reveal the kids in there, when they see me some of them shout, ¡°NINJA MAN,¡± with tears running down there eyes.


    Walking over to them, they come at me with tears in their eyes, and looking directly at the kids I see Morrigan, ¡°Told you I would always protect you guys.¡±


    He nods his head as tears continue to fall profusely. ¡°Thank you, ninja man.¡±


    After I remove them all from the vehicle, I walk over to the front and rip the man they call Rise out of the vehicle and throw him to the ground. Seeing me he starts to panic, and says, ¡°Boy, why don¡¯t the two of us make a deal, I will cut you in on the profits of our deal let''s say, seventy to you thirty to me.¡±


    Seeing me get angry he says, ¡°No forget about that, how about instead I give you Lupas, just name your price and I will pay it in exchange for my freedom.¡±


    With my legacy active I kick him in the face. After coughing up blood Rise says, ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, there is so much I can offer you, intelligence, manpower, money, even women. You know what, I could even arrange for home and citizenships for the kids.¡±


    I punch him in the gut which causes him to cough up even more blood. ¡°DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF THIS?¡±


    After recoiling from my blow, he says, ¡°STOP BEING AN IDIOT. ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO KILL ME OVER A FEW WORTHLESS CHILDREN? I HAVE MONEY, I HAVE CONNECTIONS TO PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD, I HAVE VALUE TO YOU.


    BUT WHAT DO THESE KIDS HAVE? THEY ARE NOTHING BUT PARASITES THAT HAVE PUT YOU IN THIS MESS. IF YOU WERE TO SELL THEM THEY WOULD GIVE YOU MORE MONEY THAN THEY COULD EVER MAKE IN THEIR WORTHLESS LIVES.


    NO MATTER HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, IT IS STUPID TO DO THIS, THEY''RE ALL JUST A BUNCH OF ABANDONED LOVELESS ORPHANS WHO NO ONE COULD GIVE A SHIT ABOUT. BUT I, I AM A PERSON WHOSE WORDS CAN INFLUENCE A COUNTRY, I AM LOVED.


    Smashing my fist into his face I scream, ¡°YOU REALLY DON¡¯T GET IT.¡±


    Turning around to look at the kids I see they have faces full of anguish. ¡°HEY YOU BRATS, NINJA MAN IS ABOUT TO SPEAK SO LISTEN UP. Abandoned kids like us have no concept of unconditional love because from the moment we were born, we have never received it. BUT WHO CARES, that just means all the people who love you do it because they want to, so instead of getting sad about the fact you are not loved for being born, take care of all the people who care about you. GOT THAT!¡±


    ¡°YES NINJA MAN!¡± they shout back to me.


    ¡°Good, now get you''re assess over here.¡±


    As the kids run over to Iancu, I suddenly hear clapping, looking over I see the alien has escaped from the van. ¡°That was really precious it almost brings me to tears.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will soon be in tears,¡± I say running over to him.


    ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    Suddenly Suzuka tackles me and then wraps her tails around me to shield me as something hits us. ¡°What the hell,¡± I say as Suzuka unwraps her tail.


    Looking up in the sky I see something that confuses me for a second, but taking a closer look, I think what I see is a robot around Cyrus¡¯s size with two mechanical wings and large cannons where its arms are supposed to be. How the hell can this even exist?


    ¡°Orb it is a spirit, but also not quite.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°Like I can sense a spirit inside it. And if there is one, from the output of that last attack it would be a rank A spirit.¡±


    After Suzuka says this, she suddenly pushes me out of the way as something tackles her far away. I wasn¡¯t able to get a good look, but it seemed to look like the other robot, though it had large swords instead of cannons.


    Before I could even react to that, I see the other robot prepare to fire its large cannon. So using my legacy, I create a lot of ice to block its attack.


    ¡°Orb you need to go after that thing.¡±


    ¡°But the alien is still here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can handle that guy all by myself, but if that robot keeps shooting at us we won''t be able to survive, so go kick its ass and bring me back its parts.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± After the blast stops, I jump on my ice and then scream, ¡°IANCU!¡± Understanding me he uses his legacy to boost my reaction force and I take off into the air hitting the robot and landing it on a building.


    Bowing to me the robot says, ¡°Esteemed human thank you for being my battle partner.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re rather nice and well-spoken for a robot. So would you by any chance want to let me go?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that since fighting you right now brings me closer to completing my mission.¡±


    ¡°Your mission?¡±


    ¦µ  After breaking out of the robot''s hold against me we land on a building, and taking a closer look at it I see it doesn¡¯t have as much spirit energy as the last one. So I ask it, ¡°Why are you doing this? I don¡¯t want to fight you.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, you stupid, cotton-headed, tiny embarrassment of humanity.¡±


    Shocked I freeze up.


    ¡°Got nothing to say, you creepy, duck-nosed, rectum.¡±


    Tears almost fall from my eyes, I didn¡¯t do anything to him and he already, hates me, ¡°WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO YOU?¡±


    ¡°Nothing this is simply my mission.¡±


    ¡°What mission?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You see esteemed human my mission is to unite all of humanity.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°How could a mean robot like you ever do that.¡±


    ¡°It is simple I will insult and belittle all races.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I will slaughter every single pet and cull most animals.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to what?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I know you heard me you mistake of creation. Humans are all the same, yet they discriminate and hate each other, all in an effort to prove their superiority and belittle people who aren¡¯t them, despite you all being formed from sand. So, I shall insult and belittle all the other races to show you are all the same, I will be a great evil who will untie you all!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Humans give too much love to animals instead of each other, don¡¯t you fools know love will save the world. So I have been programmed with the express purpose of eradicating all animals, so we can redirect the love we all have for them to each other.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Some may mock me for thinking this way.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°But the same way you humans have convictions, so do we.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°So laugh all you want, but this is my.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°This is my,¡±


    ¦µ ¡°ROBOT WAY.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°ROBOT WAY.¡±


    Looking at the robot with guns in front of me I say, ¡°Do you plan to kill wolfs too?¡±


    ¡°I will kill those beasts slowly.¡±


    ¡°I see, so I can''t let you live,¡± I say rushing at him.


    ¦µ ¡°I hope you understand the meaning of my words you monster fox.¡±


    ¡°Every day someone used to insult me and call me names. Though my dad taught me that I shouldn¡¯t use violence against humans, but your not human. I am going to make you eat those words you SHITTY ROBOT,¡± I say rushing at him.

 Arc 6.25

    ¦µ Charging at the robot with my legacy on my legs and arms, I try to use my legacies claws to cut it, but it can¡¯t get through.


    ¡°That will be ineffective,¡± the robot says flying away. When he is high enough in the air with his right arm, he shoots a blast of what seems to be condensed spirit energy. As I dodge it, I notice the power is nowhere are strong as it was the first time I saw it.


    So, I decided to get closer to him, I create lots of snow the moment I jump to propel myself into the air where I use my ninja weapon and cut him. This weapon was actually able to make a cut in his exterior, I can work with this.


    As I fall I wrap my chain around the robots body, and due to the zero gravity this far up, I am able to create an ice platform in the sky, which I jump off of for another strike at the robot.


    As I approach the robot readies to fire another blast, but using the chain I wrapped around him earlier I move my body out of the way.


    But instead of the blast going straight, it breaks into a scattershot and still hits me which leaves me stranded in zero gravity. Then using both cannons together, he fires a large blast at me. I create ice as a shield, but the force of the blast sends me into a building.


    Recoiling in the building my thoughts go wild: when I am using the ninja weapon I can¡¯t create ice as freely to defend, but if I could use my legacy on this weapon like Maple and Iancu I should be able to get past that.


    But the only time I manage to do that was when I was messing with the kids, and I haven¡¯t done it since. No, I have to, I must, I can¡¯t let anyone die this time.


    So, in the building, I begin to focus. A legacy is another soul inside my body, I activate it  by sending that souls power into one of my limbs, so I must do the same with this weapon, treat it like a limb


    As I sit there another blast is sent right at me.


    ¦µ ¡°Get behind me, everyone!¡± I shout to all the kids. As they run behind me, I stand up to face the alien, but I struggle to do so.


    ¡°Iancu, are you ok?¡± Morrigan asks me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I am fine,¡± I say rubbing his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know little one, lying is a sin. When one uses the power from a greater soul like a legacy, it taxes their body quite a bit, and with all the times you have used it today, I doubt you should even be able to stand.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± I scream as I walk towards him. Even if he is right, I won¡¯t let him touch the kids, but more than that, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hurt the man who scarred my mom. Using my legacy on my shoe I dash forward at him.


    But before my attack could land, he dodged out of the way and moments later his knee was in my stomach, which causes my legacy to turn off.


    ¡°How much sense does it make for me to have zero combat experience?¡±


    Falling to the ground, I start to spit up blood, that last hit definitely had the use of spirit arts. ¡°Though I shouldn¡¯t mock a child for his lack of knowledge.¡±


    Still, in pain I try to go for a kick, but he parries and hits me in the gut again.


    ¡°Iancu!¡± the kids shout as they run towards me.


    ¡°STAY BACK!¡± Standing up I say, ¡°This is my fight.¡± Then I move toward him and proceed to engage him. No matter what I throw at him he continues to dodge or parry it, then he hits me in the stomach yet again.


    It hurts so much that I feel like I am going to pass out, but ignoring the pain I continue to throw punches.


    ¡°Would you please just stop this pointlessness, I don¡¯t want to injure you more than I have to, you¡¯re a once-in-a-lifetime specimen,¡± he says kicking me in the stomach again.


    ¡°But now that I think about it, as long as your genitals are intact, we can make more, so I guess I don¡¯t have to stop this. Come on, show me what you got, show me some of that vampiric strength,¡± He says giddily.


    Dammit, dad, this is why I always asked for you to show me how to fight as a vampire, I knew it would come in handy at some point. Thinking about dad I regain my strength, then I continue to attack.


    Ever since mom left, dads heart fell into an abyss, it is like he rejects everything mom used to stand for. I know as well as he does that mom wasn¡¯t perfect, but the things she did, the things she stands for have meaning, and I hope by constantly working towards that meaning I might be able to pull dad out of the abyss.


    ¦µ Even with his stomach battered and with blood spewing down his mouth, he still keeps going, what will power. I am more certain than ever this kid will work wonders with us, I need him now. It is time to end this.


    Looking at him, I see Iancu using his legacy on his arm; probably a last desperate attempt at killing me. So, all I got to do is evade, then hit him with one more counter. But as I try to dodge I am on able to move my feet. Noticing his feet, I see he used his legacy on them. He must have increased the friction on the floor, so now we can¡¯t move.


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    As his fist comes towards me, a big smile appears behind my mask; he exceeded my expectations. I had thought there was no way he had enough strength to use his legacy, but I guess I was wrong. He fist smashes into my face cracking my mask, and due to the friction my legs don¡¯t move, my body just bends backwards.


    ¦µ Using my legacy on my other arm I go into a blind rage as I constantly hit him in the face boosting the force of each blow. Unable to move our feet, me and him are stuck in the same place as I constantly beat down on him.


    As I get tired, I hear all the kids behind me scream, ¡°YOU CAN DO IT!¡±


    ¡°BEAT HIM IANCU!¡±


    ¡°DESTROY HIM!¡±


    ¡°PLEASE WIN IANCU!¡±


    This energizes me to keep going, so I smash my fists against the alien''s mask making more and more cracks as I go. ¡°For dad, for mom, for everyone,¡± I say as my blows get harder.


    But suddenly I feel my legs move; my legacy on my foot has come off. Then I feel the back of his heel move all the way to my chin, then I am sent flying over.


    The blow almost knocks me out, but I somehow manage to keep myself conscious. As I try to get up, I see that my body has reached its physical limit.


    ¡°If your body didn¡¯t give out first my neck might have snapped.¡±


    Tears forming in my eyes I say, ¡°How did this happen, I put my all into this why couldn¡¯t I do this?¡±


    Walking up to me and kneeling, he says, ¡°My suit was made to withstand impacts, so don¡¯t feel bad, you probably would have killed a normal person on the first blow.¡±


    His words play like background music in my head as the gravity of my failure falls on me, I have let those kids down, I have let Orb down, and now I am going to leave my father all alone. I am so sorry.


    ¡°Now Iancu, let us go while you''re to friends are battling my little artificial angels.¡±


    As he picks up my body, I gather all my strength and try to resist.


    ¡°Still got some fight left in you,¡± he says as he smacks me across the head.


    Recoiling from the blow, I use my fangs and sink my fangs into his suit. I suck as much blood as I can before he rips me away and knees me in the stomach, after that I am flung towards the other kids.


    ¡°I like that tenacity, but it is still quite annoying, so I am going to have to make you docile.¡±


    As the man approaches me, the kids get in his way, ¡°Guys don¡¯t be stupid I need you all to run.¡±


    With tears running down Morrigan¡¯s face he says, ¡°We can¡¯t leave you like this to be taken, even if it means we have to fight.¡±


    ¡°You have no chance you idiots, run!¡±


    ¡°Even if we have no chance, we can¡¯t just leave you alone.¡±


    Suddenly he rushes at us, but before he reaches us, I see something come down from above then his hand is sent flying. Looking over at who it is, I see my dad.


    ¡°IANCU!¡± he screams running over to me. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, why would you push your body this hard? You should¡¯ve listened to me you fool!¡±


    Unable to gather my thoughts, all I could say as I lightly grab my dad''s clothes is, ¡°Dad it was him, he was the one who kidnapped moms friend all those years ago. I tried to avenge mom, but I was too weak, I am sorry.¡±


    Tapping my head, my dad says, ¡°Iancu it is ok, don¡¯t worry about that anymore, I will handle it,¡± right before walking away. Just before he left me, I saw dads face contort in anger.


    ¦µ Walking over to the alien I say, ¡°Hey do you enjoy takings things from me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but have we met before, but I am guessing you''re that little vampire''s father.¡±


    ¡°First you hurt my wife, then you try to take my son as well, but thank god because it seems justice exists after all.¡±


    ¦µ I can feel the hatred leaking out of him, and since I don¡¯t know how he just cut off my arm, I need to strike first before he kills me. Reinforcing my body with spirit energy, I charge towards him and go for a hit on his temple with my heel.


    But before it could land I see my leg get torn off, and then I see that a blade has appeared at his left arm. He must have hardened his blood into a blade, that¡¯s how he got throw my suit.


    I have lost this battle; I need to get out of here and regroup with the angels and my comrades at the meeting point. I infuse spirit energy into my remaining leg, and then I lunge away, but I see the blood blade extend and cut off my other leg which causes me to fall to the ground.


    ¦µ Walking over to the alien I rip off his mask, and then taking a good look at his face I say, ¡°Here I thought you didn¡¯t feel pain, but your face tells me you''re just tolerant, but hey let us see how much you can take.¡±


    Using his one arm to push me away, the alien starts to drag his body away with one arm, so I step on his back and rip it off, which causes him to let out a scream. ¡°Oh, that is what I wanted to hear.¡±


    Holding his limbless body in my hand I say, ¡°You seem to love research so how about we have a group project, let us see what hurts more, getting all your organs shredded or having your limbs ripped off.¡±


    Sending my blood into his body I rip each and every one of his organs and his nerves until they are nothing but a pile of blood and meat, his screams echo throughout the rooftops the entire time.


    Seeing his pathetic body I don¡¯t really feel anything, not satisfaction or happiness, just the same worry for everything I love, that I have felt since Gloria died.


    I came to this country to fulfil a childhood dream I had, but in the end, this country really has taken more from me than anything, and after all that happened today Iancu is no longer safe here, so we will be going back home.


    Turning around I walk over to Iancu, I take a second to look at him, and what I see are the kids surrounding him crying over the state he has left himself in, but more than that even utterly beaten and bruised he is somehow radiating the light that Gloria always used to.


    Staring at him it is like she is right here, like she isn¡¯t dead. Utterly annoyed Captivant¡¯s words ring through my head, as I run over to check on Iancu.


    When I go over to him before I could say anything Iancu says, ¡°Everyone this is my dad, despite how mean he looks he is very kind and will look after you all while I go to sleep.¡± Suddenly Iancu eyes close.


    Quickly checking him I let out a sigh seeing he is just unconscious. But after I do that the kids pull on my jacket and say, ¡°You were really cool.¡±


    ¡°Like a superhero.¡±


    ¡°Like Ninja man.¡±


    ¡°What would be your name.¡±


    ¡°Blood man.¡±


    ¡°Who do you think is stronger blood or ninja man.¡±


    ¡°Ninja man obviously,¡± the boy with the hood up says.


    ¡°But Morrigan Ninja wasn¡¯t that strong.¡±


    ¡°Shut up stupid head.¡±


    ¡°Your stupid.¡±


    As the kids start fighting I scream, ¡°CALM DOWN.¡± They all fall to command. ¡°Good now behave yourselves ok or I will leave you.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡± After gathering myself I ask the kids, ¡°Hey what do you think of Iancu?¡±


    ¡°He is the best!¡±


    ¡°He is always looking out for us.¡±


    ¡°He feeds me and shows me how to read books.¡±


    ¡°I love him so much.¡±


    ¡°He makes Ichnaea liveable for us.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him I would hate my life.¡±


    Looking at Iancu I say, ¡°Maybe what you were doing was actually amazing.¡±

 Arc 6.26

    ¦µ Dashing at the robot with great swords for hands, I turn one of my tails into spirit energy(6 left) and use it to strengthen my body, but as I am doing that, the robot makes a mark on the floor, then dashes forward at incredible speed and strikes at my neck.


    Barely dodging the attack, I move back and try to get my composure back, but as I try to do that, the robot keeps up his attacks. It is freaking fast, even among the spirits I faced in Seirei barely any of them were this fast. Still, he does have a weakness; his spirit energy output is pitiful.


    Turning another one of my tails into spirit energy (5 left), I reinforce my arms and legs with all my spirit energy and catch the blades, which allows me to hold him in one place. Then, I shape my remaining tails into a hammer(Fox art; Mould hammer) and try to crush him, but he accelerates and then his blades start to cut into my hand.


    I let go of his blades and move my body out of the way, as his body continues to dash forward. Taking a second to look at his body, I see that all his spirit energy is focused into his blade and his wings. Even if I have more spirit energy, he has super condensed his into those blades, he duped me.


    Sensing his spirit energy, I dodge his blow. ¡°Am I too much, you stupid hooker,¡± he says as he keeps up his attack.


    Those blades are bad news, I got to dodge them at all costs or I am dead. He is utterly relentless, I can barely catch my breath. Since there is no moment of reprieve, I have to make one.


    As I dodge, I turn my tails into a giant hand(Fox art; Mould boundless hand) and smash the floor we are on, which causes debris to scatter. Using the debris as a shield, I move while also turning my tails into sharp blades( Fox art; Mould blades) to cut the robot with.


    But suddenly, he disappears and appears behind me. ¡°Did you really think I was using my full speed, you failed abortion.¡±


    I send all my spirit energy into my back and jump forward, but I am still cut by the robot''s blade. Immediately it moves in front of me, and then I am kicked in the gut, which sends me up. Then before I can even get my senses back, he appears in front of me and kicks me upwards yet again, the robot repeats this process until I am high in the sky.


    Floating in the air, the robot uses both its swords and tries to cut me in two, but I am able to use all my tails to slightly block the blow, though I am sent flying downwards and land in a building.


    Shit, if my tails didn¡¯t soften my landing I would be dead. Sensing something, I look up and see the robot approaching me at high speed. I move out of the way as it crashed into where I was. Immediately getting up it uses its blades to hit me which I block with my tails, but I am yet again sent flying in a different direction.


    After getting up from the spot I landed on, I say, ¡°Unlike the other robot whose spirit energy goes up and down to two extremes, yours is just constant and never-ending.¡±


    ¡°Correct you thoughtless ejaculation. But if you think that is all I am, I will need you to look down.¡±


    Looking down at where I am laying, I see it is the spot where he marked earlier. No, wait, I destroyed the floor which he marked that spot, but right now I am laying on that specific piece of debris. ¡°How did you?¡±


    ¡°My processing power is far above whatever you humans could ever hope to achieve, from the moment this fight began all your moves have been within my calculation, you malevolent fuckbucket, though I shouldn¡¯t blame you for not understanding that since one look at your fashion sense already proves you don¡¯t have common sense.¡±


    ¡°You talk a lot of shit, but that is to be expected of a glorified toilet.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL MEm=, YOU FAILURE OF EXISTENCE!¡±


    ¡°Did I touch a nerve?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you did, since you¡¯re about to die. Thank you for this disappointment of a fight.¡±


    Moving at me at full speed, he starts to hit me with his legs and tries to cut me with his blade which I block. His flurry of attacks continues endlessly as he brutally beats my body up. His onslaught continues as something in me starts to awaken.


    ¦µ ¡°Is that all you got, you powerless chicken fucker,¡± I say as I continue to beat the girl. Guess it is time to end this, I swing my right blade towards her neck but it is stopped, and before I could react, I am hit in the torso with a blow that sends me flying back.


    Processing, processing, analysing target, heart rate has increased, blood vessels are dilating, three of targets tails have grown back and targets spirit energy has shot 500%. How is this possible?


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    ¦µ This beating really reminds me of my days in Seirei. It was just like that time Ippon Datara crushed me with its hammer, or when Nure-onna sent poison into my body and I was in agonizing pain for weeks, or when Yamanba cut off my fingers and I had to reattach them, or even when Gozuki smashed my head into a mountain repeatedly.


    All those times when I broke bones or was leaking blood, all those times when I was almost on the brink of death, ¡°I FORGOT HOW GOOD THIS FEELS.¡± Battling to the death with a strong foe, this rush, I can¡¯t believe I forgot this. I finally get to fight someone just as strong as all those minuses. Faced with this excitement all I can do is smile.


    The artificial angels Metatron Ikaros (Swords), and Metatron Buster(Cannons), have spirits at their cores, so to a certain extent they can feel emotions, and face to face with the demented smile of the girl in front of him, Ikaros for the first time in his existence felt fear, and in the face of fear that overpowered his logic, he charged at her at full speed.


    Preparing myself I say, ¡°Now this is where the fun begins.¡± Charging right back at the robot, I turn one of my tails into spirit energy (7 Left), then take two of my tails and I weave them around my arms to mimic muscle fibres. (Fox art; bone breakers.)¡±


    Then as the robot slashes at me, I concentrate all my spirit energy into my arms. If I can¡¯t block his attacks I should parry them, so parrying all his bowls I see him get slightly faster.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky you obese bitchzilla, we are not equals.¡±


    Due to his behaviour, I am able to find an opening which I use to hit him directly in the torso. ¡°Seems like someone is getting lazy.¡±


    Recuperating from my blow, he immediately starts attacking again. So that wasn¡¯t effective, I guess I ought to change it up. Turning my remaining four tails into hands,(Fox art; mould hands) I use those hands to parry his blows as I get closer, and when I do I send all my spirit energy into my right arm then I immediately aim for his left arm joint.


    Due to the incredible speed of my blow along with its concentrated amount of spirit energy, the robot finally reacts to my hit and is knocked back. Then in that moment, I aim for all it other joints with my right hand, which staggers him with each blow allowing me to consistently get more blows in.


    ¦µ Processing, processing, processing, no answer found. What is going on? This little girl''s strength has increased too much from the analysis I first took.


    Unbeknownst to Ikaros, what he was facing, was the result of a little girl who could only find enjoyment in life by fighting minuses every day for almost four years, a true monster. And in the face of such a monster, the robot Metatron Ikaros for the second time in his life felt the human instinct of fear, and unlike last time, the conclusion it came is; I need to run.


    ¦µ As I beat on the robot, I see it focus all it spirit energy into its right arm and then it suddenly lets out a slash at a blinding speed, so I move away which creates some space between us.


    Suddenly I see the robot fly high into the sky away from me. Seeing this I freeze, he is running away, why is he just leaving in the middle of such a fun fight, ¡°YOU FUCKING BITCH!¡±


    I quickly wrap my tails around my feet to mimic muscle fibres, (Fox art: leg breakers), then I concentrate as much spirit energy into my legs as possible, and then I jump up as high as I can. When I reach max height, I use my tails as a platform and jump again before gravity can pull me down, I continue this until I am above the robot.


    I combine all six of my tails in one giant fist, (Fox art; Mould Boundless fist), then spinning it as fast as possible I try to crash it down into the robot, but in response to this he tries to cut my fist.


    As the robots blade tries to cut my fist, I separate it back into tails and I use four of the tails to bind him, (Fox art; spiritual tether), then I pull myself closer to it at high speed while I wrap the remaining two tails around my arm. ¡°Fox art; Bone breakers, two-fold,¡± I say as my fist crashes into him.


    The impact of the blow sends both of us down to the building tops, where I continue to beat down on him saying, ¡°YOU DUMB BITCH, HOW DARE YOU RUINING THIS FIGHT.¡± But he doesn¡¯t say anything in return.


    Enraged I pick the robot up its collar section and say, ¡°WEREN¡¯T YOU FIGHTING ME TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAM, DIDN¡¯T YOU WANT TO UNITE HUMANITY, ISN¡¯T, RIGHT NOW ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS IS ALL YOUR DREAM IS WORTH.¡±


    Letting it go I say, ¡±I guess you really  are just a glorified toilet, who can¡¯t even follow through on his own words.¡±


    Suddenly I feel a swell of spirit energy and following that I hear, ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME YOU ROTTEN SKANK.¡±


    Moving away from the robot I see that its spirit energy has risen quite a bit, then I hear it say, ¡°DON¡¯T EVER TALK SHIT ABOUT MY CONVICTIONS, I WILL BELITTLE AND HATE ON PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF THERE HEIGHT, GENDER, ETHNICITY OR RACE. I will show every last one of you humans that you are trash, so that you can all understand that you¡¯re all the same. And until I accomplish that I can¡¯t lose to someone like you.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR!¡± Immediately, after these words leave my mouth, we both charge at each other. I use, Fox art; Bone breakers on my arms with one tail each, while I use, Fox art; Moulded fists, on the remaining two tails, then the both of us clash.


    Using my arms, I parry his attacks. As we go at it I notice that he has stopped concentrating any spirit energy in his wings for a quick escape, so every last bit of his spirit energy is in his blades making them the sharpest they have ever been. Each of them has gotten so fast, that the accuracy and precision needed to parry has increased by leaps and bounds; HOW FREAKING EXCITING.


    As we clash I can feel the heat of his soul coming down on me, it is such a wonderfully intense feeling, so I have to respond in kind. All his spirit energy is currently stored in his blades and arms, so there is no better time to do this than now.


    Parrying all his blows I use Fox art; leg breaker on one of my feet then crush the ground. Then in the moment of unbalance, I turn two of my tails into spirit energy and then bring my right hand forward towards his chest. By injecting spirit energy into a target, I can destroy them from the inside out, Gozen art; Spirit destruction.

 Arc 6.27

    As I am about to strike the robot with spirit destruction, I feel spirit energy coming towards me fast, so I use my tails as a shield to block the attack. Whatever hits me sends me flying to the side, and after I regain my composure, I look at where it came from, and I see the other robot looking at me.


    Where the hell is Orb? Suddenly to the far left of me, I see Orb falling down from the sky. I run at full speed while the robot fires at me, but since all its blasts are spirit energy they are rather easy to dodge.


    As I get closer to the edge of the building, I use leg breaker to give me enough strength to jump off my tail and grab Orb. After I grab Orb''s battered body, I use my tails to swing me to another rooftop.


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I see Suzuka rather beaten up in front of me. Shit, she must have saved me after I fell from the building. Before I even have the chance to say something, Suzuka uses her tails to shield me from the robot shooting at us.


    The blast of its cannons is ridiculously intense, still Suzuka is blocking it, but I do see her foothold move back. While Suzuka blocks the attack, I suddenly hear something approaching us at high speed, and moments later the robot with two swords appears.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, you dumb dogs.¡±


    Suzuka can¡¯t move while she is protecting me, so I jump in to intercept twinswords while saying, ¡°Suzuka move.¡±


    Following my instructions, Suzuka moves out of the way letting the blast hit the rooftop of the building. While our footing is removed, I use my legacy to freeze my legs to a piece of the exploded roof, and then I jump towards the robot.


    The robot with twinswords has loads of cracks on its body, Suzuka must have been pulling her weight, so I have to as well. As I jump towards the robot, I use my weapon to cut it in one of its cracks which causes damage towards it.


    But the robot stops moving and says, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt my fight you trap.¡± Suddenly the robot moves towards me and starts swinging his blades at incredible speed. The other robot has nothing on this speed, but it still isn¡¯t enough for me to be totally out sped, so I am able to dodge and when I see an opening I counterattack.


    While my weapon blade moves towards the robot, his speed increases and he is able to move his blade to counter mine. When our blades clash my weapon is cut in two, and as his blade follow through towards me, I dodge backwards just in time.


    My crescent moon-shaped weapon has been cut straight down the middle, but the side I am holding still has the part with the chain. Even though his blade is sharp, without the ability to create ice directly from it I can defend as easily as I want to.


    The robot quickly follows up on its last attack. In the moments before it reaches me, I try to use my legacy on my weapon, but just like all the other times I tried that it failed. Dodging the robots swings my mind is completely preoccupied; what the hell, why can¡¯t I just do this, I can¡¯t let any harm come to anybody, I can¡¯t let anyone die from my choices, I have to win.


    Due to my mind being somewhere else, I am a few seconds late to hear the twincannon robot shooting at me. Its attack lands, and in that moment of weakness the twinsworded robot comes for my neck.


    Before my neck is taken, Suzuka comes and kicks the robot in its side sending it away from me, then she picks me up and dodges all the shoots from twincannon while moving away with me.


    Fuck, why does this keep happening, every single time I am stuck someone always saves me, Maple saved me from Porto, and Cyrus saved me from that minus, I am supposed to be helping them, not the other way around.


    As Suzuka dodges suddenly all of the robots shots stop, then at that moment Suzuka throws me on the floor. ¡°Sorry about my uselessne-.¡±


    Cutting me off Suzuka kicks me in the stomach, and says, ¡°WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU RUINING THIS FIGHT FOR ME!¡± Looking at her, I see that she has a completely crazy look on her face as if she was a crazy beast.


    Picking me up by the collar she says, ¡°LISTEN HERE YOU BRAIN DEAD IDIOT, I DON¡¯T CARE EVEN A LITTLE BIT WHAT THE HELL YOU¡¯RE GOING THROUGH, BUT IF YOU¡¯RE ON THE BATTLEFIELD YOU FIGHT AND ENJOY YOURSELF, THINK ABOUT COMPLICATED SHIT LATER.¡±


    ¦µ I stop my blasts at my foes below because I sense it. 36 degrees southeast, 1.3 kilometres away. Target analysis; family of three, mother 42 years old, father 28 years old, child 6 years old. Exactly 1 meter in front of the child is TARGET A PET CAT.


    Putting both my cannons together I charge up my energy and release a long-distance shot at the cat. As an explosion goes off, I activate analysis mode again; target terminated, family unharmed.


    ¡°THIS IS THE REASON I WAS BORN, TO ANNIHILATE THE EVIL OF PETS. NOW INSTEAD OF LOVING THAT ANIMAL, GO LOVE ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.¡±


    Now to finish off both of my opponents,¡± I say charging my cannons.


    ¦µ Back when I used to hunt with Willow, I used to have all the fun in the world, I was strong confident and carefree back then. Getting up I slap both my cheeks and say, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Suddenly twincannons start shooting at us again, so Suzuka says, ¡°I need to go teach that piece of trash manners,¡± as she moves towards it.


    While Suzuka moves towards twincannons, I see twinswords going after her. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, just enjoy the fight, the hunt.¡± Taking a deep breath, I focus on my weapon, and for the first time, I am able to use my legacy on it. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I am talking about.¡±


    Using my legacy on my legs, I create a large pillar of ice which puts me in front of twinswords. When he sees me he tries to slash me, so I meet his blade with my weapon, and when we clash this time, my blade doesn¡¯t spilt.


    ¡°So, you have come back for more, you unwanted disgrace of a man.¡±


    ¡°When I destroy you, I am going to repurpose your body into a toilet.¡±


    Enraged by my comment the robot attacks me with a flurry of swings. I meet all his attacks with my weapon. Whenever our blades meet, I create a bit of ice on his blade, and slowly but surely it makes it more and more brittle until when our blades clash his starts to chip.


    Surprised by this the robot slows down for a second, and I use that opportunity to kick it downwards. After doing that, I turn the pillar I was standing on into snow and fall downwards with the snow falling in front of me.


    Twinswords recovering from my blow, flies upwards through the snow towards me, but as its leg is about to leave the snow, I convert it all into ice and all his momentum stops, as he is pulled downwards. Then while falling down after him, I slash his body leaving a giant gash on it.


    My heart is beating so fast, I forgot how fun this is. While I am overtaken by excitement, the robot uses its great swords to break all the ice I made, and then flies up towards Suzuka and twincannons.


    ¦µ Moving towards twincannons I use Fox art; Moukd hand on all four of my tails, so as I continue to run towards twincannons I deflect all its attacks. Then when I get close enough, I use Fox art; leg breakers and lunge towards twincannons giving him a knee to the face.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    After the blow I jump away, but I use my tails to grab onto twincannons, so I don¡¯t move too far, then I pull myself closer and continuously step on his face.


    But feeling the spirit energy of twinswords closing in, I dodge away as it tries to cut me. Landing on a rooftop I turn my leg breakers into bone breakers and clash with twin swords.


    As we exchange blows, I feel twincannons spirit energy shots. Is he crazy? there is no way twinswords will not get hit, but to my surprize, twinswords dodges all the attacks perfectly.


    This wasn¡¯t a once-off occurrence, no matter how many shots twincannon lets off, they never hit twinswords. Their coordination is perfect, they fight as if they share one mind, HOW FREAKING AMAZING, I CAN¡¯T WAIT TO KILL THEM BOTH.


    Hearing Orb''s thoughts, I dodge twinswords blows and continue towards twincannons. As twinswords follows me, I feel Orb finally arrive at the rooftop.


    ¦µ Seeing the twinsworded robot following Suzuka, I use my legacy on my legs, then the moment I take off, I create lots of snow to send myself forward (Snow boost) at high speed over the head of twinswords. I hit twinswords with a bicycle kick, and the moment I do, I create lots of snow to send him backwards.


    Then when I land, I take note of Suzuka''s situation, which causes me to manoeuvre my chain in front of her.


    ¦µ Twincannons shoots me with a scattershot, but instead of blocking, I ready my attack. The chain of Orb''s weapon appears in front of me, and when it does it intercepts all of the shots, and when they hit it, the shots freeze and shatter.


    Jumping forward at that moment I say, ¡°Fox art; bone breaker fourfold,¡± as I hit the robot directly in the torso with it. When I land, I turn around and switch targets with Orb; I head for twinswords, and he heads for twincannons.


    When I see twinswords, I tackle him off the rooftop. As we fall down, he says to me, ¡°I thank you, esteemed human.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Fighting you has helped the spirit within me evolve and has allowed me to get closer to my dream. So now, let us continue our fight to the death, you deformed cunt.¡±


    ¦µ Rushing towards twincannons, I manoeuvre my way across buildings and rooftops to try and get closer, as it shoots relentlessly at me. When I get close enough, I try to slash it but it moves away, so I throw my chain around its leg and create lots of ice to weigh it down.


    Then using snow boost, I propel myself towards it landing a slash. I use my chain to redirect my body for another one, but twincannons shoots its leg off then it uses it cannons to propel itself out of my way. Twincannons then starts moving towards Suzuka''s position.


    ¦µ Landing on a lower rooftop we continue our exchange. We go at it head to head, with both of us not slowing down a bit despite our injuries, but I notice that a huge amount of snow has crept toward the robot''s left side and it suddenly spikes up and freezes.


    This must be Orbs doing. Not wasting any time, I move towards its body and relentlessly beat down on it. But then I sense twincannons shots, so I back up.


    After backing up, I see Orb land beside me, as twincannons lands beside twinswords. ¡°This has been fun but don¡¯t you think it is time to wrap this up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you depraved hounds, this will be your end.¡± Twinswords rushes at us, as twincannons fires.


    Orb moving forward creates a wall of ice blocking the shots, but in that moment, twinswords hits Orb with the fuller of his sword right on the head. Seeing this, I use Fox art; mould boundless hammer and crush the rooftop, but this time I let myself fall into the hallways of the building.


    Moving through the hallway, twinswords keeps up his relentless attacks as I parry each of them. Seeing that we are about to reach the end of the hallway, I kick away from twinswords and prepare my attack.


    But with the speed twinswords is moving at, his attack will cleave my head before I am ready. So, all I can do now is rely on, Orb. Coming down from the roof, he slashes both of twinswords wrists, removing the swords from them.


    In that moment I use my right arm to hit him with Fox art; bone breaker fourfold, and when my blow lands, I also use Fox art; spirit destruction to send my spirit energy into him. The combined force from these two techniques sends him flying out of the building through the hole I created.


    ¦µ Seeing Ikaros fly out of the building, I catch my brother''s body. ¡°Sister, I am sorry for this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won''t let them get away with this.¡± Flying up into the sky I put both my cannons together and charge up my final attack to destroy the building they¡¯re in. ¡°PET EXTICINTION.¡±


    ¦µ Creating a pillar of ice at our feet, I take me and Suzuka out of the building, where we see twincannons charging up a big attack. Then suddenly four of Suzuka''s tails disappear and she says, ¡°Don¡¯t miss.¡±


    Understanding Suzuka¡¯s intent I say, ¡°You can count on it.¡± She gets on the floor with her legs tucked, then jumping on her legs, I use snow boost as she uses all her strength to send me flying at high speed in the direction of the robots.


    ¦µ As I am about to fire, I suddenly see something zoom past me, and then my arms are pulled upwards, as my shot hits the barrier around our home.


    Looking at what happened, I see that a chain has been wrapped around my arms, and then I notice the boy. He must have wrapped the chain as he moved past redirecting my arms. Before I could even move my body the boy cleaves both mine and Ikaros heads off.


    As both mine and Ikaros heads are falling, all we can do is lament at the failure of our missions.


    I was so close to becoming the ultimate pet annihilator. I can¡¯t let it end like this.


    ¦µ Dammit, I almost had that girl. I want a rematch right now; I can¡¯t just let it end like this.


    But suddenly a creature stretches and catches both me and Buster. Moving its body back to base, I see that what caught us is a wonderbeast; the nord cat.


    The cat is malnourished, but I see it bringing food to towards us. I guess other races.


    ¦µ I guess pets.


    Unison(Aren¡¯t all that bad.) And with that, all the light vanishes from the eyes of the robots.


    ¦µ Looking at the detached head of both Ikaros and Buster, I say, ¡°You two really exceeded our expectations for you, I can''t wait to see how you grow from this point on.¡±


    As I try to pick their heads up, I see the cat protecting them, so I grab it as well. ¡°You¡¯re a cute one aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¦µ While falling down from the sky, I expand my suit to soften my landing. When I land I run over to Suzuka, but I see her laying on the ground with her head to the floor with her heartbeat going crazy.


    Walking over to her I ask, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    But she shouts, ¡°I AM SO SORRY!¡±


    ¦µ Now that my post-fight clarity has kicked in, I realize how embarrassing and mean I was being. I even looked at Orb with that disgusting face. Oh no, what if he actually sees me as a monster now, I did say I don¡¯t care about his feelings, oh no, oh, no, oh no.


    Picking me up and turning me to face him, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for anything, your words saved me. Thank you Suzuka, without you I couldn¡¯t have won this,¡± with a bright smile.


    His smile is so bright that I start to cry.


    ¡°Suzuka, are you ok?¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ While I patch up Iancu, I suddenly feel a strong weight fall down on me. turning my head all I can I see three aliens on gravity vehicles. ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience, but we will be taking these kids now.¡±


    As I am pinned to the floor, they pick up some of the kids including Iancu and start to fly away. ¡°STOP YOU BATARDS!¡±


    Completely unable to move I start to panic, this can¡¯t be happening, not again.


    But then I hear, ¡°AVARAM.¡± It was Orb''s voice.


    He throws Suzuka at me, and says, ¡°I am going after them.¡±


    ¦µ Pushing my exhausted body to its very limit, I chase the three aliens. I am able to catch up to the first one and I use my blade to cut his legs off, then I create an ice platform in the zero gravity for the kids to land on.


    Moving to the next one, I use snow boost to close the distance and swing my chain around its neck, pulling it off of its gravity vehicle, and then I create another platform for the dropped kids.


    Now going after the last one who is holding both Iancu and Morrigan. I try to close the distance, but my legs are giving out, so I use my legacy on my suits shuriken¡¯s and throw them at him, but I am unable to hit him with any of them.


    When I am down to two left, I formulate a plan. This is all or nothing. Throwing one shuriken, I throw another one and when it hits the first one it propels it far enough to hit the alien, and due to my legacy, it freezes him.


    As he drops Iancu and Morrigan, I dash forward and am able to catch Iancu but before I grab Morrigan a fourth alien appears and takes him. This alien is holding the two robot heads and a cat. ¡°How unfortunate for you,¡± the alien says flying away towards the castle in the sky.


    As he goes away Morrigan screams, ¡°NINJAMAN SAVE ME!¡± While stretching out his arm.


    Summoning all my strength I create a pillar of ice to bring me towards them, I try to reach for Morrigan¡¯s hand, and due to all of his movement, Morrigan¡¯s hood comes off. Getting a clear look at his face, I see he has ears like an animal.


    Then the alien says, ¡°A beastkin, what a rare find.¡±


    Looking at Morrigan¡¯s ears and hearing the words beastkin a feel a sudden surge in my body, which causes me to stop moving a fall on my ice. Then suddenly I am completely overtaken with numerous sensations, but the one that stands out the most is unbearable pain, it feels as if my flesh is being ripped off constantly.


    Then I see images start to flash in my head. All of this eventually causes me to pass out, but right before I do I hear Morrigan¡¯s constant screams as he is taken through the castle''s barrier.


    Fox arts: The martial arts Suzuka Gozen has developed over all her battles with minuses. It uses Gozen martial arts as its base.

 Arc 6.28

    -Break-


    It hurts, it hurts so bad. My flesh is being ripped to shreds, over and over, it¡¯s never-ending, please someone save me, ¡°SAVE ME!¡± I shout opening my eyes. When I do I see a young girl in front of me, My head is looking up at her so I notice I am on her lap.


    The girl has long and curly dark pink hair, and on her pink hair, she has an accessory; a black and yellow bow.


    There is also a light blue and pink heart-shaped tattoo under her left eye. Both her eyes are barely open, so I can¡¯t even make out her eye colour.


    But more than anything, her face is beautiful. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake, could you get off of me then.¡±


    I am so enamoured that I can barely hear the words she says. Looking up at her I stretch out my hands to touch her face, but using her hand she makes a knuckle and lightly taps me on my face, and then a sudden shockwave spreads through my body.


    It is so sudden and painful that I fall off of her lap. When I land on the floor. I start to spit up blood, but she simply gets up and walks away. ¡°What the hell was that for?¡±


    ¡°I simply don¡¯t like being touched by those I see as disgusting.¡±


    ¡°A simple NO would have sufficed.¡±


    ¡°Oh stop complaining I didn¡¯t hit you that hard, and you¡¯re a man so it is not like a delicate flower such as myself could hurt you, or maybe you looking like a little girl is related to how strong you are.¡±


    Staring at her with eyes full of anger I say, ¡°Are you trying to pick a fight.¡±


    Putting her hands in a fighting position she being to bounce step in one place. ¡°Let''s see you put your money where your mouth is,¡± she says.


    She is wearing a rather long skirt and tights, so she doesn¡¯t seem like she is in proper fighting attire.


    But as I was looking at her, she come directly for my temple with a kick from her right leg, as I go to block suddenly at lighting-fast speed she turns around and the heel of her right leg hits me in my chin from the other side, sending me flying away.


    As I land, I cough more blood, she did that strange thing to me again.


    ¡°So, I guess the only thing big about you is your mouth, little doggie.¡±


    Looking at her I get up and ready myself. The moment I prepare to strike her, I hear, ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE!¡±


    After this voice rings throughout the room, I hear a group of footsteps rush towards us. The girl, in my moment of hesitation, walks over to me, but this time I am on guard, ¡°Come any closer and I will strike you.¡±


    As she walks closer, she grabs my arm and pulls me towards her, so close to her that I start to panic. ¡°You say that, but your actions and expression is a dead giveaway, you''re rather enthralled by me,¡± as she says this she slowly interlocks her fingers with mine.


    ¡°N-N-N-No, I am not.¡±


    ¡°I heard your hair colour changes with emotions, so I wonder what the constant switch between pink and blue means.¡±


    ¡°N-N-Nothing.¡±


    As the footsteps get closer, I continue to freak out. I would rather not be seen in this position, but I am unable to lose my grip from her, so as the footsteps get closer all I do is stand there.


    But right before the people rushing towards us enter the door, she using her hand pulls my arm that she was holding directly to her face and hits herself sending her flying back.


    Then right as someone comes into the room, they see the girl on the floor with me in a punching position.


    On the floor, the girl looks up at me with tears in her eyes and says, ¡°Sorry please don¡¯t hit me anymore.¡±


    Over at the door, I see the three freaky people who were drinking with Atalanta. Upon seeing her they rush to her side and say, ¡°Elia what happened?¡±


    ¡°Did this bastard do this to you?¡±


    With her fake tears running down her face she says, ¡°I-I-I was just trying to patch up his wound, when he just turned around a smacked me right in the face. Then when I asked him to stop, he said while sticking out his tongue WE ARE GOING HAVE SOME FUN, then when I tried to get away he hit me again.¡±


    Suddenly I remember words Capti told me.


    Seven years ago


    As Me and Capti sit down to enjoy a meal he suddenly says, ¡°Orb since you have become eight years old you have finally reached the age where I need to teach you about the ways of the world.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I reply with a bright smile.


    ¡°For men like you who aren¡¯t beautiful or rich, pussy doesn¡¯t simply fall into one''s lap so if a woman ever does randomly start hitting on you it is probably-.¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Present day.


    A set-up. I have been set up. looking at Elia she sticks her tongue out at me.


    ¡°Hey you bastard, I don¡¯t care if you saved Iancu or not, you won¡¯t live to see tomorrow,¡± the giant monstrous-faced man covered in orange scales says.


    ¡°But, don¡¯t think that it will a fast death, you¡¯re getting twelve hours of torture before we finish you off,¡± the woman whose skin is light blue with her long hair wrapped around her body says.


    ¡°Oh, let me go first, I will make sure it hurts as much as possible,¡± the pitch-black man whose right arm socket just radiates darkness says.


    ¡°Everyone don¡¯t you think that is a bit much,¡± Elia says on the floor.


    Is she actually not a horrible person?


    ¡°Only ten hours of torture will be necessary.¡±


    ¡°YOU BITCH!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± they all say in unison jumping at me. As they all come at me Elia is making a face of victory. I am going kill her.


    The big one covered in scales charges at me, but using my legacy, I dodge and then I jump up and hit him in the face. As I land on the floor, I am bound by what looks to be shadows.


    Looking over at the pitch-black man, I see that his shadows have extended from his missing arm and have bound me. Then I see the blue women''s hair extend, and try to grab me.


    So I freeze and break the shadows off of me, then I grab the woman¡¯s hair and swing her right into the pitch black man, but then I hear the giant man come from behind me and try to attack, so I dodge again and hit him in the nape of his neck.


    As I move away, I yell to them, ¡°YOU IDIOTS JUST BELIEVED HER, DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT BITCH ISN¡¯ T LYING.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Elia isn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is a bitch, but she is a special breed.¡±


    In unison, they all say to me, ¡°SHE IS ONLY A BITCH TO YOUR FACE!¡±


    Suddenly memories arouse in each of them.


    The blue woman¡¯s memories


    As I sit on my ass and do nothing, while consoling myself with alcohol and food, I see Elia wake in. when she sees me she says, ¡°Ivana, you see this behaviour is exactly why you haven¡¯t accomplished a single goal in your life.¡±


    The pitch-black mans memories


    Walking out of a brothel feeling amazing, I wave goodbye to the women and say, ¡°I will be back next time don¡¯t miss me too much honeys.¡±


    When I turn around I am met with a familiar face; Elia was doing grocery shopping and is looking directly at me. ¡°And you wonder why you''re broke and single, but if you enjoy being a lonely piece of shit whose only way of getting people to interact with him is through money, go ahead Wadim.¡±


    The giant scaled man memories


    As tears fall from my eyes profusely, all I can do is constantly hit the floor in sadness. ¡°WHY, WHY DID SHE CHEAT ON ME, WAS I NOT GOOD ENOUGH, I TOLD HER I LOVED HER EVERY DAY BUT WHY DID SHE GO FOR THE GUY WHO TREATS HER LIKE SHIT.¡±


    Walking into the room and grabbing a chair, Elia uses it to hit me in the face, ¡°SHUT UP, I AM WORKING.¡± On the ground she proceeds to constantly hit me saying, ¡°DID I NOT TELL YOU NOT TO GO AFTER GIRLS WHO DON¡¯T LIKE YOU BACK, but noooo, someone knew better. You¡¯re in this situation by choice, SO SHUT THE HELL UP GHEORGHE.¡±


    Back to the present


    ¡°That was all good advice, but she didn¡¯t have to be such a bitch about it. All you guys are crying just recalling the memories.¡±


    Wiping her tears, Ivana says, ¡°You see, she is a bitch but an upfront one, so if she said you did something to her, we will believe her.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°Because even if she is a toxic venomous blunt bitch, she isn¡¯t a lying one.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°So where going kick your ass for hurting our friend.¡±


    Holding her hands against her cheeks, Elia says while blushing, ¡°Aww shucks guys, you flatter me so much.¡±


    ¡°SHE DOESN¡¯T EVEN LOOK SAD!¡±


    Suddenly she returns to acting sad with tears falling from her eyes. Oh, I am going to kill her.


    ¡°NOW ORB DIE,¡± they all say in unison charging at me.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING!¡±


    Hearing this voice all of them stop in an instant. Turning around they all have faces full of fear when they see Avram looking like a demon.


    Looking straight up at Avram from the ground. Elia says, ¡°Boss you''re looking quite hungry do you need some butterscotch.¡±


    Avaram kicks Elia in the stomach which sends her ricocheting around the room. ¡°Three idiots explain now.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT,¡± They all say assuming an kneeling poise.


    Ivana then says, ¡°He physically assault Elia twice, then tried to force himself on her.¡±


    ¡°OBJECTION!¡± I SCREAM.


    ¡°Ok since I know you three aren¡¯t sharp, I want you to listen to me carefully. So, you''re saying this injured man hit Elia twice and she continued to let him live until you arrived.¡±


    Suddenly shock appears on their faces and they say in unison, ¡°YOUR RIGHT!¡±


    Avaram hits all three of them on the head then says, ¡°THINK YOU MORONS!¡±


    Walking over to Elia, he pulls her body by the head up from the ground and says, ¡°Hey Elia are you mad?¡±


    ¡°No, why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°The only reason you would do this is to blow off some steam, so are you mad?¡±


    ¡°No, why would I be mad? It is not like, I started off my day, realizing that Iancu stole all of the food in this house so I haven¡¯t eaten at all today.


    And it is not like that, I was the only one working while all the other workers went out to go get drinks at a bar. Then when said co-workers returned, it is not like they were so inebriated that I had to care for them.


    Then it is not like, I had to spend time getting a crying weaning dragon, and a drunk redhead sober. And it is not like that drunk redhead tried to assault me, which lead to me fighting for my purity.


    Then after all that it is not like I wanted to go out to get something to eat but was stopped before I could get there and was dragged back here to care for the injured son of my boss and two other injured kids.


    One of which, let''s say a white-headed boy, couldn¡¯t stop screaming, so I had to constantly stay by his side even when he was erratically moving around and hitting my body countless times, and said boy definitely didn¡¯t throw up all over me, yeah he definitely didn¡¯t throw up directly on my face and clothes, and I definitely didn¡¯t just ignore all of that and continue to help the boy even giving him a lap pillow, while still having had zero food.


    So since none of that has happened over the last twenty-four hours, why would I have a reason to be angry boss,¡± As she finishes saying this an evil aura enmanates from her.


    ¡°Ok, I see I am very sorry.¡± Letting go of her he walks to the side of the room and gets a box. ¡°I planned to give you this as a reward for all your good behaviour later down the line, but I guess now is the best time this is-.¡±


    Grabbing the box, she says, ¡°This is one of Basileia artefacts. Only people who have proven themselves to be extraordinarily skilled are allowed to take on the challenge of deciphering the technology in this,¡± she says while drooling over the box.


    ¡°And it is all yours.¡±


    Suddenly she starts to jump from one foot to the other in a completely unflattering style, it completely breaks any composed lady-like presence she had, instead, it is a complete childlike joy at what she had received. But she still looks rather pretty doing this.


    ¡°Ok bye boss I will be going,¡± she says as she quickly tries to walk out of the room.


    Grabbing her Avram says, ¡°I still need your help.¡±


    Under her breath, she says, ¡°Employment is just another form of slavery.¡±


    Looking at me he says, ¡°Orb, we need to inform you of some of the stuff that happened while you were out.¡±


    I clench my fist as my heart starts beating erratically with my hair turning pitch black.

 Arc 6.29

    ¡°Orb, let me tell you how things have broken down over the last twenty-four hours. First, all members of virtuoso and the Gpd who participated in the deal have been apprehended, which included the boss of virtuoso.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news!¡±


    ¡°I was quick to call Tetra, so it took no time at all, but about five hours after he was caught, he was found dead in his cell.¡±


    ¡°Huh, How?¡±


    ¡°He was informed of the fact that the higher-ups in Elp¨ªda were working with the aliens, since he knew that and a bunch of other sensitive information, he was killed in his cell. So, Tetra couldn¡¯t get any information from him.


    A few other people, such as Gpd officers and other higher-ranking members of Virtuoso were also killed. They probably knew if Tetra got his hands on any of that information, he probably would have wreaked havoc with the remainder of his life span, so all people who know are being silenced.¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°Wait, boss, doesn¡¯t that mean we are also targets now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be very accurate.¡± The idiot trio start to panic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys, I was planning to leave Elp¨ªda anyways, Iancu caused too much trouble here for me to stay any longer, and let¡¯s say I don¡¯t really have a reason to stay here any longer.¡±


    Elia getting really close to him says, ¡°Boss this messes things up for me.¡±


    Getting up Avram walks to the side of the room and picks up another box.


    Giving it to Elia she starts to jump for joy, and says, ¡°This is the gravity wave engine prototype that can turn fluctuations of gravity into a energy source.¡±


    ¡°That should keep her tamed for some while. Erratically I say, ¡°Avram all that information is important, but please tell me how are the kids, how is Morrigan.¡±


    Looking at me he says, ¡°Orb all kids who were involved in the kidnapping are safe, with the only exception being Morrigan, he was taken by the aliens.¡±


    Hearing this I try to rush out of the room, but Avram stops me saying, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious, to go save him.¡±


    Throwing me back to my starting point, Avram says, ¡°Orb that barrier is impenetrable.¡±


    ¡°I am a legacy, I am not like the rest of you, I can make a miracle.¡±


    ¡°Orb we already had your friend Cyrus try, even the big blast the robot let out couldn¡¯t even make a dent, Orb it is impossible.¡±


    Hearing this I fall to my knee in defeat, slamming my fists against the floor, ¡°Why did this happen, I was so close to grabbing him.¡±


    Getting close to me Avram goes down on one knee, and asks, ¡°Orb do you have any idea why you passed out?¡±


    ¡°When I was getting close to Morrigan his hood when up and I saw he was a beastkin. After that my body felt lots of pain with images going through my head and I fell down unconscious.¡±


    Avram looks over at Elia and says, ¡°Encyclopaedia, what do you think about this situation.¡±


    Letting out a sigh she says, ¡°Orb you inherit everything from your legacy, their powers, their physical traits, and even their memories and experiences. So to put it simply, you seeing a beastkin caused memories and sensations from your legacy to awaken. You simply saw and felt something your legacy when through, and whatever you saw and felt was so painful that it rendered you left in that state.¡±


    ¡°So, the reason I passed out was because I couldn¡¯t bare through the pain.¡± Hearing this I continue to slam my hands against the floor. ¡°I promised him I would keep him safe and the reason I couldn¡¯t do that was because I was too weak, FUCK!¡±


    Kicking me in my stomach Avram says, ¡°Don¡¯t curse in my house you brat.¡± As I lay on the floor he picks me by the head and says, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Let me go.¡±


    ¡°Shut up idiot.¡±


    As I am taken out of the room Elia says, ¡°Sucks to be you,¡± with a smile on her face.


    When we reach the next room, I am thrown inside and what I see are the kids climbing and playing with Suzuka Atalanta and Cyrus.


    ¡°You¡¯re a dragon!¡±


    ¡°Can you fly?¡±


    The kids are treating Cyrus as a toy, but he doesn¡¯t seem bothered by it.


    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Would you like to be my girlfriend?¡±


    Atalanta is getting praise while looking very happy.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re the one who beat the aliens, how cool.¡±


    ¡°Your tails are so fluffy.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    Suzuka is on the floor with her hands covering her face, it seems the praise is too much for her.


    When the kids see me, they run over to me and jump on top of me.


    ¡°Ninjaman you¡¯re alright.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving us.¡±


    ¡°We knew you would never lose.¡±


    At the door, I see a beaten-up Iancu, with bandages covering him, walk into the room. ¡°What happen to you?¡±


    ¡°Just got into a little fight, but it is nowhere compared to what you and Suzuka went through. Sorry about these guys, they were just really worried about you.¡±


    As I stare at the kids smiling faces Avram says, ¡°Stop focusing on your failure, it is thanks to your efforts that everyone is doing alright here.¡±


    Stretching out my arms I grab the kids and give them a big hug, ¡°Thank god you¡¯re ok.¡± Turning around I look to Avram and say, ¡°Do you know anyway to get all these kids out with me.¡±


    ¡°Orb you can¡¯t be serious, they¡¯re hundreds of them.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let them stay in this country any longer, so I am going to take them with me, I promised Morrigan I would protect them.¡±


    ¡°Whenever anyone leaves this city, they have to pay a toll and if you wanted to take all these kids out you would be broke.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta, didn¡¯t you say you found the location of someone who could take us out of Elp¨ªda in secret.¡±


    ¡°I said, I had an idea of where that person is.¡±


    ¡°Useless bitch.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop being mean to me!¡±


    Facepalming Avram says, ¡°I know who you¡¯re talking about.¡± Moving to a lone door in the room Avram opens it and out from it falls Ai. She is tied to a chair with tape over her mouth.


    ¡°What is she doing in there?¡±


    ¡°She came here looking for Suzuka, but instead tried to attack the kids here. So I beat her ass and locked her in the closet.¡±


    Avram rips the tape off of her mouth and when he does she says to him, ¡°This is abuse, all I wanted to do was hug the kids.¡±


    ¡°Say that without making that perverted face and I will believe you,¡± Avram says facing her in the kid''s direction.


    Looking over at the kids she starts to repeat herself, but in the middle her facial expression changes to that of a pervert. Seeing this Avram hits her in the face.


    Looking up at him from the ground she says, ¡°You used to be so nice when you were a child, now you¡¯re just a rotten man.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡±


    Looking away she says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, when you die I will take care of Iancu. Isn¡¯t that right Iancu?¡±


    Iancu hearing this cowers behind Elia, then mutters, ¡°Never again,¡± while shaking.


    Looking at Ai, I ask, ¡°What the hell did you do to him?¡±


    ¡°Back when he was a baby, I used to watch over him at night.¡±


    ¡°YOU USED TO SNEAK INTO MY ROOM AND STARE DIRECTLY AT ME WHILE. I still have nightmares.¡±


    Letting out a giggle, Elia says, ¡°Hilarious, I should try that sometime.¡±


    ¡°There is a special place in hell for you,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°A completely pure and pious angel such as myself could never go to hell.¡±


    ¡°That dementia really set in early.¡±


    Twirling around, Elia hits Iancu with a kick right in his temple knocking him out. ¡°What was that Iancu speak up I can¡¯t hear you.¡±


    Taking a second to look around me, I have a thought; WHY ARE ALL THE GIRLS AROUND ME SO WEIRD, I miss Maple.


    ¡°So why did you let me out?¡±


    Walking over to her I say, ¡°I heard you¡¯re the one who can sneak people out of Elp¨ªda.¡± Bowing I say, ¡°I need you to help me get all these kids out.¡±


    Making a serious face she says, ¡°Orb isn¡¯t that really stupid of you.¡±


    I am slightly shocked by her words. ¡°Just under twenty-four hours ago, I almost ruined you and all your people, and now you want to take on even more people. You should know your limits.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave them here.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can¡¯t, so I have an alternative.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Let me have them!¡± Ai says with her perverseness leaking through her face.


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance, look behind me you¡¯re scaring the kids.¡±


    ¡°Orb, she may have a point,¡± Avram says.


    ¡°Look at that face and tell me that again.¡±


    ¡°While she may be a crazy perverted insane stalker, she is rather good at taking care of kids. I am sure if you give the kids to her she will take care of them.¡±


    ¡°Avram, I thought you were a cold-hearted vampire but you still have some humanity in that dead heart.¡±


    Letting out a sigh I say, ¡°Ok I will entrust them to her.¡±


    Grabbing me from the back the child named Fionna says, ¡°That woman is scary we don¡¯t want to go with her.¡±


    Looking over at Ai she says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can deal with this.¡±


    Snapping her fingers suddenly someone in a ninja costume just like the one I was given comes out of the shadows and says, ¡°Master, you need me.¡±


    What the hell I didn¡¯t even notice she was here. Taking a second to get a closer look, I realize she is the person who brought us up on the bubbles to Elp¨ªda.


    ¡°Sugiru help me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, trash!¡± She says with a peppy voice.


    ¡°Did you just call me trash?¡±


    Immediately responding she says, ¡°I don¡¯t recall saying trash.¡±


    While Sugiru unties her Avram says, ¡°How long has she been here.¡±


    ¡°Thirty minutes before I got here.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get here twelve hours ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did and she has been patiently waiting here for me.¡±


    Looking over at Sugiru, Avram says, ¡°Hey do you want a job from a respectable employer.¡±


    Tears start to fall from her eyes as she says, ¡°Yes please.¡±


    ¡°No Sugiru is mine,¡± Ai says giving her a hug. After that, she walks over to the kids and says, ¡°Lookie here, anyone who comes with me gets to learn how to be a ninja.¡±


    The kid''s eyes light up as they run towards Ai and say, ¡°Really can we.¡±


    ¡°Oh course you can all you have to do is just give me a hug.¡±


    Bending down to their height Ai hugs all the kids while making a face that she should be sent to prison for. Under her breath, she mutters, ¡°Works every time.¡±


    Going over to Avram I say, ¡°I am having second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Just ignore it, this is the best option for them.¡±


    Letting go of the kid''s Ai says, ¡°Sugiru, go make preparation for getting all these kids out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, garbage,¡± just like the ninja she is she vanishes.


    Ai walks over to me and says, ¡°So Orb, about what we discussed early, have you decided what option you¡¯re choosing.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for this but I still haven¡¯t talked to everyone about this.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    ¡°We found out there is a good chance Cyrus''s sister is in the kingdom of Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Cyrus asks.


    ¡°It is only a chance, so it isn¡¯t confirmed.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cyrus says but a smile is still visible on his face.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the country with a sandstorm around it?¡± Avram asks.


    ¡°Yes, so getting in is our problem.¡±


    A smirk appears on Avram¡¯s face and he says, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be dammed, I never thought I would have to opportunity to ever use it.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you will see, EVERYONE FOLLOW ME WE ARE HEADING OUT.¡±

 Arc 6 End

    -Break-


    ¦µ I am in the last place I ever thought I would be; a Gpd prison cell. How many criminals have I thrown in here over the years. If they found out I was here they would be laughing their assess off. As I start right at the bars, all I can do is reflect on myself, but soon that is interrupted when someone walks in front of my cell.


    ¡°Arthur it is time for your interrogation.¡± Walking into my cell he takes me out with my hands restrained and walks me away.


    ¡°Arthur, I never wanted to ever see you in this state.¡±


    ¡°Never thought I would be here.¡±


    ¡°Does your heart not ache for what you did?¡±


    ¡°It does, but I don¡¯t have the right to shed tears like a victim do I.¡±


    When we reach the door, I am brought inside and seated in the same integration room I have used for countless years. The room is small and personal even a little claustrophobic, and there is a sound of water dripping constantly to give the prisoner a sense of unease.


    I always wondered how it felt like to be on the other side of the chair, and now I can definitely say; it truly is horrible. The door of the room opens, and I see the last person I wanted to see in this situation, Tetra.


    As he tries to walk through the door, his square-shaped body slots perfectly through it. When he sits down, I start to feel sick, I want to avert my eyes, simply looking at him makes my soul feel crushed.


    ¡°Arthur, to preface this conversation I want to tell you something. All the kids you were trying to sell have been rescued, with the exception of one a young boy named Morrigan, he was taken.¡±


    Hearing this my heart feels intense pain and tightens with tears falling from my eyes. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to cry, right now I shouldn¡¯t be crying.¡±


    Handing me a handkerchief, Tetra says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is what I was looking for. If you jumped with joy that only one had been taken I would have gotten up and left, but it seems that you still understand the value of a life Arthur.¡±


    Tetra''s voice and his eyes are so kind to me despite what I did, that the tears keep flowing. ¡°Arthur please tell me why you did this.¡±


    Taking a second to gather myself I say, ¡°I just couldn¡¯t pretend not to see it anymore, this country is rotting from the inside out. The only thing that was keeping it from completely wasting away was you Tetra, but within a year you will be gone, and all our comrades decrease in number watch day. Faced with the hopelessness of everything, we have gone through I simply decided to give into it, I decided to part take in it.¡± My words just came pouring out I was unable to stop them.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I know all my actions are wrong regardless of my reasons.¡±


    ¡°No, Arthur I understand where you''re coming from, to be honest, I almost backslide in the past as well, there were countless times I almost received money under the table, or when taken from someone else would have increased my pockets, and let me tell you the thing that stopped me wasn¡¯t will power.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°It was the little girl who I took as my own, with her eyes constantly staring at my back, I couldn¡¯t let myself give in to all the shit around me, because if I did I would be telling her it is ok as well. So every day despite all the bone-crushing pressure, I let out a little prayer and went to work. And let me tell you it pays off just like today.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Earlier today, a man named Charles Donzi came to us and told me he was the one responsible for the fire ten years ago.¡±


    Getting up from my seat I say, ¡°The one that killed Gloria!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, up till now we couldn¡¯t really investigate it due to most of it being destroyed in the fire and the rest being coverup up by the government, but he came and told me today that the fire was caused by his company''s faulty machines. He also told me that he has a lot of information on shady businesses that work for the gangs and government in secret. Amazing isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, he had some change of heart today. Sometimes this city makes me feel like giving up on people, but it is moments like these that I remember people come through. So in this last year of mine, I will be creating as much chaos for all those bastards as I can.¡±


    ¡°But even when you¡¯re gone we¡¯re still outnumbered.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. Get up Arthur, follow me.¡±


    After walking out of the room with Tetra, I come face to face with a group of officers I don¡¯t recognize and I hear Tetra say, ¡°Introduce yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Hello, I am Brandon, you saved me from a kidnapping years ago.¡±


    ¡°I am Dillon, it was you who got my mother to stop taking drugs.¡±


    ¡°I am Stacia, you may not remember me but I remember you, I was one of the children that you pulled out from the burning building ten years ago. I have joined the Gpd to fight with you.¡±


    As all the people in front of me repeat who they are and why they¡¯re here I fall to my knees out of disbelief.


    ¡°Every single good action is a blessing from god from one person to the next, and that little ripple will always cause some good and all these new recruits are an example of that. They are the reason why we don¡¯t give up no matter what, this is what Gloria, my daughter, fought for.¡±


    As I lay on the ground, more tears fall from my eyes. ¡°Arthur with how big this whole incident was your reputation may never recover, but I can at least get rid of your jail time and keep your status.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°But I stole that child¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°And I am sure you nor I will ever forgive you for that, but I believe the good you can do on the field is much greater than you could in a cell.¡±


    Unable to do anything I just cry.


    ¦µ While Arthur cries on the ground, I hear someone shout, ¡°HEY TETRA!¡± Looking over to the source of the sound, I see Avram.


    Walking over to them I ask, ¡°What are you guys doing here? You should all be resting, especially you Iancu.¡±


    ¡°You know, I wouldn¡¯t bring them out if I didn¡¯t have a reason.¡±


    ¡°So, what would that reason be?¡±


    ¡°I am finally going to cash in on my prize.¡±


    As I think for a second it suddenly comes to me, ¡°Ehhhh!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ With Tetra leading the way, we are all brought through a corridor underneath the 5<sup>th</sup> platform; Aeia. ¡°Hey Square man.¡±


    ¡°Yes Orb.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened to all the aliens I caught?¡±


    ¡°Every single one of them killed themselves.¡±


    ¡°They what!¡±


    ¡°It is standard practice for them, if they are ever in a precarious situation they then use some sort of Explosive to end their lives, due to this we have gotten no information from them outside that they are humans.¡±


    Was whatever information they held really worth killing themselves over? When we reach the end of the corridor, we are brought into a large room, where I see a large vehicle.


    As I stare at it in wonder, Avram says, ¡°It is one of Basileia''s artefacts, an airship. I was given this when I received my award ten years ago.¡±


    Suddenly Ivana, Gheorghe, Wadim and Elia, run around the airship and start freaking out. They all behave like children who have just been given a new toy.


    ¡°Dad why have you never told me about this,¡± Iancu asks while drooling.


    ¡°Because it is useless,¡± Tetra says.


    ¡°Useless?¡±


    ¡°The ship is so heavy that without the zero gravity in Elp¨ªda, it would never fly, and even if it does, it requires an utterly ridiculous amount of Basileia crystals to fly. It could barely go from here to across Terrafide, and back.¡±


    ¡°It also hasn¡¯t been taken the best care of, but I can deal with at least two of those Issues¡±


    Walking over to his employees, Avram says, ¡°Guys get to what you do best.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡± They say back to him in unison. Suddenly Gheorghe, Wadim, and Ivana run around and completely fix all the damage done to the ship in mere minutes. Their efficiency is beyond me.


    Wadim says, ¡°Boss I have used my shadows to bind up some parts, but this really is only a quick fix. We also don¡¯t how to work this thing, though we found a manual.¡± The box is the size of Cyrus, and it is thicker than my body.


    ¡°Elia it is your turn.¡±


    Walking up and grabbing the book, she places it on the ground and after five seconds of speed reading she closes it and says, ¡°All done. I can pilot this thing with a blindfold on.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but that still won¡¯t allow it to fly,¡± I say.


    Walking in front of me Iancu asks, ¡°What is weight Orb?¡±


    ¡°Mass X gravity.¡±


    Placing his hand on the airship, Iancu uses his legacy on the ship which alters its shape and colour. ¡°So, if gravity is zero, is doesn¡¯t matter how big the mass is. With this, it can fly.¡±


    ¡°But can you sustain that for long periods of time?¡±


    Elia says, ¡°When it comes to using your legacy on an object, your legacies compatibility with the object happens to affect how well you can sustain it, and Iancu¡¯s likes inorganic things. For you, your legacy likes to be used on your flesh.¡±


    ¡°So that clears all of our issues.¡±


    Clapping his hands Avram says, ¡°Good work everyone. On our way to Blestemate, we will help Orb and his friends reach Jedidiah. Now let¡¯s get all of our stuff packed up.¡±


    So over the next day, we went back and frow between here and Avram¡¯s shop to collect their stuff and load it on the ship. And in no time we were all ready to leave Elp¨ªda. All that was left was saying our goodbyes.


    As me and Iancu stand in front of all the kids, they hug us saying:


    ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°Please come with us.¡±


    ¡°We need you.¡±


    But Iancu says, ¡°HEY YOU BRATS, STOP BEING SPOILT, isn¡¯t this what you all dreamed of, so instead of crying over not seeing us again you need to all be happy for what you''re about to gain. GOT THAT!¡±


    ¡°YES,¡± they say back in unison.


    ¡°Iancu is right, but in case you still miss me take this.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your suit Ninjaman,¡± Fionna asks.


    ¡°Yes, and from this moment on it is yours Fionna, you¡¯re the leader of all these kids so use this to take care of all of them.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Suddenly I am tackled by Ai who says, ¡°Come on, Orb come with me I will take care of you, and bring any cute friends you have.¡±


    ¡°I said, I am good,¡± I say while pushing her away.


    Avram walking up to us asks, ¡°Do you really want to take him in/¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Take a second to look at Orb, doesn¡¯t he look like Draga.¡±


    Ai stares directly at my face, and then she lets go of me giving a look of disgust. Touching my face I think; do I really look like Capti''s wife.


    ¦µ ¡°Iancu,¡± I hear Tetra say.


    ¡°What do you want grandpa.¡±


    He lets out a few tears, and says, ¡°You finally called me grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Stop crying, don¡¯t make a big deal out of this.¡±


    ¡°You seem a lot happier.¡±


    ¡°I guess I am just excited, this is the first time I get to leave Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring that up, I am going start crying again.¡±


    ¡°Stop being a big baby. It is not like I won''t come back and visit.¡±


    ¡°Well if you do, I would enjoy it if you came back within a year, because I can¡¯t do that long without you,¡± I say trying to give him a kiss.


    ¡°Get away from me you freak,¡± Iancu says as he walks away. ¡°But if you care that much, I promise I will.¡±


    ¦µ While Iancu and Orb run onto the ship I walk over to Tetra and say, ¡°Not going to tell him.¡±


    ¡°He is happy for the first time in a while, I don¡¯t want to ruin that with depressing news. But enough about that I heard you guys are finally getting along, did you finally concede?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t concede, I just realized that I can¡¯t be caught up in fear anymore, because that won¡¯t let my son shine.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you conceded to me.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°I guess I did.¡± Walking away I say, ¡°Take care Tetra, and make sure Arthur does as well.¡±


    ¦µ On the ship preparing to take off we all wave goodbye to all the people currently here and we say, ¡°Goodbye everyone, I hope to meet you again.¡±


    Log of Elp¨ªda


    Elp¨ªda is a country set up by Basileia around two thousand years ago by taking advantage of the wonderbeasts and special gravity in the area. The country is spilt into six platforms which all specialize in something or the other, except the sixth which is currently run down but used to specialize in leisure.


    1<sup>st</sup> platform city: Helios commerce


    2<sup>nd</sup> platform city: Selene research and development


    3<sup>rd</sup> platform city: Eos Leisure


    4<sup>th</sup> platform: Pergamon commerce


    5<sup>th</sup> platform: Aeia research and development


    6<sup>th</sup> platform: Ichnaea


    During that time, she made countless pieces of technology with her pupil Magnolia and the rest of her team''s Celestial vision. These pieces of technology are known as Basileia Artefacts in the modern day and due to these artefacts, Elp¨ªda is a country unlike any other.


    Though some of these artefacts may put the city in danger. All the gravity weapons which can interact with the strange gravity in Elp¨ªda have been known to create mini black holes which cause mass destruction on Elp¨ªda. such artefacts are illegal and are collected by the special law enforcement on Elp¨ªda the Gpd.


    The Gpd or the Gravitas police department are responsible for law keeping the country. Each and every member must be able to use spirit arts, and all of them are armed with stun weapons; one of the artefacts that they have managed to reproduce in the modern-day Elp¨ªda. They protect the peace and stability of all the citizens, from day-to-day criminals to the aliens up above.


    The Aliens lie in a floating castle above Elp¨ªda, very little is known about them other than they like to kidnap people. but one thing that is known about them is that the strange gravity around Elp¨ªda is caused by there castle.


    Elp¨ªda is ruled by a democratic government which makes it different to most of the feudal systems of the Morden age. But despite what people may call a progressive system the corruption within the system has caused many to call it worst than most countries.


    Though to anyone who steps foot in the country, it will most definitely be an experience that will never be replicated.

 Logs 3

    Spirit Arts: The process of using soul energy to enhance one¡¯s body and pull off superhuman movements. It can be used consciously or by training one¡¯s body; enough can be used unconsciously.


    Legacy: When influential people die, their willpower allows them to surpass death and return to the earth in another body as a legacy sharing the body with the soul of the person born into it two souls in one body. The gift can be manifested as a Biomechanical armament. Legacy will also physically change the host¡¯s body to take on the physical traits of the estate. Legacies have vessels they like to work best in some work better in inorganic things some in organic things.


    ¦µ This symbol indicates a change in perspective


    12 Months in Order


    Aquarius


    Pisces


    Aries


    Taurus


    Gemini


    Cancer


    Leo


    Virgo


    Libra


    Scorpio


    Sagittarius


    Capricorn


    Log of Characters


    Characters currently with Orb


    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who loves everything he sees. He is clever and hopeful, whenever he sees someone in need, he will help them. He also tends to be quite feminine looking which bothers him.


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.


    Name: Cyrus Damavand


    Age: 23


    Birthday: 25<sup>th</sup> Taurus


    Hair: Short and, Black (Primary), Violet (Secondary)


    Eyes: Grey(Left) crimson(Right)


    Height: 190 cm


    Description: An incredibly nervous dragon who constantly stutters. He is incredible bad at making choices so usually just does whatever anyone else tells him, but he is trying to become his own person. He has a blueish black tail, blueish black horns, and blueish black scales around his body.


    Legacy: Azi Dahaka


    Name:  Atalanta Supernova


    Age: 21


    Birthday: 7<sup>th</sup> Scorpio


    Hair: Scarlet


    Eyes: Blue


    Height: 177 cm


    Description: A very peppy and happy woman who chases after excitement. She happens to be very physical with people causally which tends to throw Orb off. She is quite attractive which allows her to constantly get people to say yes to her more salacious advances. A bright orange sun tattoo is on her arm.


    Name: Suzuka Gozen


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Libra 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold(Primary) Pink(Secondary). her hair has a medium length.


    Eyes: Indigo(Left) White(Right)


    Height: 159


    Descritpion: A very shy young girl who struggles to make friends. She is a curse child none as a norowareta-ko, due to this she is constantly feeling the feelings and hearing the thoughts of those around her. She also has a very deep love for combat and fighting.


    Legacy: Tamamo-no-Mae


    Name: Avram Bogdan


    Age: 48


    Birthday: Libra 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Dark blue. Has medium hair in a ponytail.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 191 cm


    Description: A the father of Iancu, he is also a vampire. He is considered the foremost scientist on Elp¨ªda. He moved to Elp¨ªda from his home country to fulfil his dream of building a robot. Despite his bravdo he cares about all those around him, so he makes sure to keep all his workers disciplined.


    Name: Ivana Balint


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Sagittarius 20<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green, straight, flowy and extremely long.


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: She has light blue skin with her long hair wrapped around her body, she isn¡¯t human. The hair around her body can extend and be used for various application. She used to get things lost in her hair until Elia complained about it. Together with Gheorghe and Wadim they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name:  Gheorghe Dumitrescu


    Age: 29


    Birthday:  Taurus 11<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: None


    Eyes: Purple


    Height: 200 cm


    Description: A giant monstrous-faced man covered in orange scales. His scales are harder than steel. Together with Wadim and Ivana they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name: Wadim Ceau?escu


    Age: 31


    Birthday: Libra 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: White and short


    Eyes: White


    Height: 174 cm


    Description: He is a pitch-black man whose right arm socket just radiates darkness, he isn¡¯t human. The darkness from his right arm can extend into shadows. Together with Gheorghe and Ivana they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name: Iancu Bogdan


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: Dark blue( Primary) Black(Secondary), and short.


    Eyes: Red(Left) Black(Right). Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ??


    Height: 160 cm


    Description: A young Vampire. He is rather tough and doesn¡¯t show his soft side but he is a protector by nature and wants to follow in his moms footsteps.


    Legacy: Unknown.


    Name: Elia Moonwalker


    Age: 16


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: It is Long, flowy, and Dark pink. She also has a yellow and black hair accessory.


    Eyes: Unknown. She has a light blue and pink heart-shaped tattoo under her left eye.


    Height: 174 cm


    Description: She is a rather meanly blunt girl to the point where it is common for her co-workers to call her a bitch. Though they all admit that her advice is helpful. She is known for her vast amounts of knowledge and her childish love for all things technical.


    Members of Aplos


    Aplos: The village found in Fimbulwinter the people of this village numbering 1320,-- but now also includes a group of freed slave. The people of the village wear one of three bracelets, a red one for warriors(Hunters), a purple one for adults, and blue for children.


    Name: Maple Rian


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary), usually in a ponytail.


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right). She has a mark that looks like ?? under her right eye.


    Height: 153 cm


    Description: The current head of the village of Aplos. She is a very head strong but bashful girl who loves all her people. But more than that she loves adventure.


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 14


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green, short hair.


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 154cm


    Description: Orbs best friend. He is well loved around his home due to him being someone who takes care of others, some call him a natural born leader. He has an intense love for animals.


    Name: Buloke Ring


    Age: 22


    Birthday: Taurus 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: Brownish Orange, medium hair.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 192 cm


    Description: An incredibly strong warrior of Aplos. Is incredible protective of all the villagers even if this mean he has a bad attitude at times.


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    Name: Aea Fatom


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Pisces 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Purple and long


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 184cm


    Description: She is a warrior of the village of Aplos and is the twin of Alis. She loves fantasies and romance but also hates working on any level which has lead to her having many difficulties with pine.


    Name: Alis Fatom


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Pisces 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Purple and short.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 184 cm


    Description: He is a warrior of the village of Aplos and is the twin of Aea. He happens to be a lot more soft spoken than his loud sister. Among his sister him and Buloke, he rates himself as the weakest.


    Name: Pine Heart


    Age: 46


    Birthday: Capricorn 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 169 cm


    Description: An old woman of Aplos. She was once an incredible warrior but now she teaches combat theory to the kids of the village. She is very tough eve at her old age and makes sure to always keep the peace.


    Name: Oren Heart


    Age: 52


    Birthday: Cancer 30<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 172 cm


    Description: A doctor of Aplos. He is the husband of Pine and just like his wife he has a very head strong personality.


    Name: Sparrow Uila


    Age: 38


    Birthday: Cancer 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Short curly, and Brown


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 173 cm


    Description: He is a former bandit leader who is quite famous for all the people he has scammed and robbed. Now a days he spends his time trying to manoeuvre around Orb and steal his treasure but Orb is well aware of this. He happens to be rather ruff looking with a beard the same colour as his hair.


    Name: Sequoia Rian


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Gemini 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 187 cm


    Description: He was the former leader of Aplos. A kind hearted logical man who loved the village more than anything. He once had an aversion to the outside world but that no longer exists.


    Deceased.


    Minor characters of Aplos


    Cedar Wodok: An elder of the village.


    Jute Iza: A young girl from the same age group as Buloke.


    Throne Beak: The head chief of the village.


    Ewen Shaker: Head of all construction in the village.


    Hazel Shaker: Wife of Ewen, mother of five.


    Quant Aise: A former slave of Basileia. He was once an educator.


    Bella Nalla: A former slave of Basileia she is an utter bookworm.


    Kac Koka: Sparrows former right-hand man, now a reformed soldier under Pine. Currently a eunuch like many of Sparrows men.


    Animus family


    Name: Lionheart Animus


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Scorpio 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Goldish Brown


    Eyes: White


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: The 2<sup>nd</sup> son of the Animus family. looks up to his family more than anything else. His condition is currently unknown.


    Name: Cole Animus


    Age: 19


    Birthday: Leo 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: blue


    Height: 176 cm


    Descritpion: The first son of the Animus family. Has had a love for justice ever since he was saved as a child. Betrayed the village of Aplos.


    Deceased.


    Name: Richard Animus


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Aquarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: White


    Height: 177cm


    Description: The father of both Cole and Lionheart Animus. Inherited the animus family business and grew it into the commerical empire is was once know for. His love for his family surpasses any form of morality.


    Deceased.


    Name: Elizabeth Animus


    Age: 40


    Birthday: Aries 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Blue


    Height: 165 cm


    Description: The wife of Richard Animus. A loving mother and wife. Unknown to most she had a very big hand in the Animus business especially the illegal side.


    Chronicle Nimbus: CN is a group of ninja who report on the current events around the world. Due to this they have earned the distant of many.


    Name: Ai Kumo


    Age: Unknown


    Birthday: Taurus 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brownish Black and short hair


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 178 cm


    Description: The head of CN. She is an ex-girlfriend of Captivant who is a lover of children. She is incredibly smart and wise but seeing the way she acts some times makes people not take her seriously. She doesn¡¯t look her age which might be due to her ninjutsu or extreme amounts of makeup.


    Name: Sugiru tsukamatsu. Fake name Dia


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Gemini 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: Carmel


    Eyes: Stressed yellow


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: An undercover spy from the CN. When not doing her day jump as a travel assistant she is constantly spying on someone or another as a ninja. She is looking to change jobs.


    Name: Fionna


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Sagittarius 23rd


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 107 cm


    Description: A dark skinned young orphan from Elp¨ªda. she is the leader of all the orphans, and inherited Orbs suit.


    Characters from Seirei the spirit country.


    Name: Shink¨­ Date


    Age: 29


    Birthday: Cancer 2<sup>nd</sup>


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 172 cm


    Name: Inari Gozen


    Age: 32


    Birthday: Taurus 5th


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Indigo


    Height: 192 cm


    Description: An extremely straightforward if not slightly idiotic man. He is the current head of the Gozen family dojo but since he no longer had any pupils it was just him an his daughter Suzuka training.


    Deceased.


    Name: Kuzanoha Gozen


    Age: 34


    Birthday: Scorpio 9th


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 164 cm


    Description: Mother of Suzuka. She was a renowned artist in Seirei but when Suzuka was born she lost all her fame. She isn¡¯t the sharpest tool in the box but is know for all the happiness she brings.


    Deceased.


    Minor Characters.


    Sora Sato: A B3 shaman of the twinstars.


    Characters from Elp¨ªda.


    Name: Tetra Nometry


    Age: 65


    Birthday: Aquarius 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: The current commissioner of the Gpd. He is known as a hero in Elpida who achievements and kindest is only rivalled by his daughter. he used to be a rather scary looking man but as he has aged he has become quite square shaped, which has made him more approachable.


    Name: Arthur Icktor


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Pisces 13<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Turquoise


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: An Officer of the Gpd, he was once Gloria right hand man and fell into despair after her death. But recently he has gotten back on his feet.


    Name: Morrigan


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Taurus 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Red


    Eyes: Black


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: A young beastkin from Elp¨ªda. He was taken away by the aliens.


    Name: Gloria Bogdan


    Age: 35


    Birthday: Sagittarius 25<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Short, black, and curly.


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 180 cm


    Description: A black skinned hyperactive member of the Gpd. She is known to be the kindest and most charitable person by all those who have the pleasure of meeting her. Though one of her more unattractive futures is her lack of a sense of danger, which is of constant annoyance to her husband.


    Deceased.


    Minor characters


    Charles Donzi: Former conman, has decided to change his life around.


    Rise Risen: Boss of Virtuoso. Deceased.


    Character from Basileia


    Name: Sora Elia


    Age: 19<sup>th</sup>


    Birthday: Leo 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 170cm


    Description: A guard of Basileia. He is very gullible which causes Tana to disrespect him often. But he sees everyone at Basileia as family.


    Name: Porto Elia


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Leo 12th


    Hair: White(Primary) Purple(Secondary)


    Eyes: Green(Left) Red(Right)


    Height: 201 cm


    Description: He was the head guard at Basileia. He had worn a mask do to what Morgan previous husband did to him when he was keep as his pet. He has a fierce loyalty to Morgan and all of her workers at Basileia.


    Legacy: Orthrus


    Name: Morgan Elia


    Age: 85


    Birthday: Capricorn 13<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Red


    Eyes: Grey


    Height: 157 cm


    Description: The former queen of Basileia. She got her position after her husband died. She was a cruel woman who bought slaves to work in a toxic mine. But to all the people who knew her she was an irreplaceable part of their lives. She gives all the worker at Basileia her last name.


    Deceased.


    Name: Tana Elia


    Age: 22


    Birthday: Gemini 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Yellow


    Eyes: Violet


    Height: 173cm


    Description: A guard of Basileia. He is very prudent and thinks before he acts. Due to his cold hearted logic Morgan worried for the future of Basileia but him and Porto together should be able to handle it.


    Deceased.


    Minor character.


    Maria Elia: Guard who showed Willow the way around Basileia.


    Without affiliation


    Name: Viktor Anwunta


    Age: 42


    Birthday: Scorpio 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: White


    Height: 180cm


    Description: A merchant who is very well connected in the world. He is a man who will do whatever it takes to get on top regardless of who he crushes to get there.


    Name: Captivant Nightfall


    Age: 84


    Birthday: Taurus 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: black (Normally), Grey (due to age)


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 179 cm


    Description: Orb mentor and father figure. He is an author who has written books around the world. Back in his younger days he used to be quite unhinged but that changed after he met his wife.


    Draga: Wife of Captivant.


    Dragoste: Son of Captivant.


    Intrare: Daughter of Captivant.


    Viata: Daughter of Dragoste.


    Log of animals


    Predasaurs: Animals that evolved to live in and around the area of Fimbulwinter.


    Name: Scardo


    Height: 122cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is small with a beak and a fluffy tail. It¡¯s covered with red and purple feathers scardos are said to be very friendly and loving to humans.


    Fact: they hang around human settlements since humans don¡¯t like eating them due to them being cute.


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Name: Sonbit


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: It is a giant white fluffy mamma with long ears and long circular tails


    Fact: They have no teeth, so they swallow everything they eat whole, breaking it down with their acidic stomachs.


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It¡¯s a giant silver quadrupedal omnivore with one large horn at the front with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron. They have elongated tones that can take their prey off there horn.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.


    Name: Tiritrex


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal beast with five horns covered in feathers.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situation if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Wonderbeast: These are a higher evolution of animals and are considered almost magical by some. Predasaurs all where wonder beasts before there mutations.


    Name: Gapotamus


    Height: 190cm


    Type: Herbivore.


    Description: They are semi-aquatic mammals, with a large lumpy body, short legs and an enormous head.


    Fact: The gas they produce to propel themselves, is know to be one of the three stinkiest substances in the world.


    Name: Ignamoles


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: large mammals adapted to subterranean lifestyles. They have pear-shaped bodies, brown fur, inconspicuous eyes and ears, large hindlimbs, and a mouth on each arm which they use to consume the ground.


    Fact: they are extraordinary cowardly and are scared not only of all other creatures but themselves, so they avoid large pools of water where they can see themselves and instead stay in deep dark tunnels underground.


    Name: Steel kraken


    Height: 3500 cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: Large squid shaped head, large eyes, and eight arms, while being covered in a metallic substance, as hard as steel. It is a greenish orange colour with red marks throughout its body


    Fact: They would rather sink a ship first when killing people. If the humans where to fall into the sea it would still sink the ship.


    Name: Bohemian Whale


    Height: 3000cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It is a toothless mammal, with a curved faced cone like body, and four fins which look like wings, it¡¯s tail is shaped like an axe, and its skin is light blue with gold bits across it.


    Fact: it skin is highly sensitive to changes in space and gravity allowing it to manoeuvre through the astral sea without issue.


    Name: Nord Cat


    Height: 24.56 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast Of Elp¨ªda


    Description: A pinkish black cat with four tails. Due to the way the gravity of Elp¨ªda has effected its body it can stretch and bend its body like rubber.


    Fact: For some reason Nord cats are known to be more affectionate than regular cats. Many people have speculated why that is, but to this day it remains a mystery.


    Cursed beast: Any sort of animal from a dog to a wonderbeast which has been cursed.


    Name: Slab Bull


    Height: 15m


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: it is a Coven hooved herbivore with four horns and purple skin. Hard things become softer and soft things become harder around it.


    Fact: despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet.


    Spirits: Beings made from condense spirit energy. They are only know to natural form on the spirit nation Seirei. You can ruffly divide spirits between ranks between five ranks from D to S.


    D-rank spirits are those that form right away.


    C-rank spirits can form immediately or evolve from a D-rank in about 15 years.


    B-rank spirits rarely form on their own, but it is still possible that it also takes another fifty years to evolve from a C-rank.


    There are no records of an A-rank spirit forming naturally. They all evolve from a B-rank in about two hundred years.


    Then it takes another thousand years to evolve from an A-rank to an S-rank. When a spirit reaches ranks A and S, its power can even be greater than legacies.


    Name: Gyaku Kitsune (D-rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A miniature humanoid spirit with the face of a fox and a tail. It glows yellow and, like all pluses, has white marks throughout its body. It was made from the emotions of passionate workers, so as long as passionate people exist, so will this.


    Fact: they are susceptible to people¡¯s true nature and will be kind to good people but horrible to bad


    Name: Jun Washi (B-rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A spirit Shaped light an eagle with a light green glow. It can paralyse people with negative emotions.


    Fact: It was initially a D-rank spirit formed by a bird lover, but after generations of being passed down in said person¡¯s family, it evolved into a B-rank, where it is used by the family¡¯s eldest daughter Sato Sora.


    Name Otakemaru (A-rank)


    Type: Minus


    Description: A giant humanoid-looking Spirit but is also wholly monstrous. It has three katanas, which it uses to control nature.


    Fact: Half of the spirit energy that makes it up comes from Suzuka and the other half from the village¡¯s residents.


    Name Mayoibune (C-Rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A ship spirit. It shape can change to be able to combat whatever seas it may have to encounter though that burns quite a bit of spirit energy so it must be constantly infused with it to survive


    Fact: Originally a fishing ship that was used for decades but was eventually thrown away, where it was repaired by two kind adults. Due to all the feelings that have constantly been poured into it the ship eventually developed a spirit

 Arc 7.01 Skydust

    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Mount Lock


    Running into the tent, I say, ¡°GENERAL MARIA.¡±


    Throwing a shield at me, she says, ¡°WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SHOUTING.¡±


    Getting up from the floor, I see the general is leaning back on a chair while putting her feet on the table. ¡°General there has been an issue.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you handle it, isn¡¯t that your job as third seat.¡±


    ¡°It has gotten out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Not my business, go handle it. I need some sleep.¡±


    Suddenly, shouts ring throughout the area. ¡°General, by gotten out of hand, I mean they are right in front of this tent.¡±


    Annoyed, Maria gets up and walks outside her tent, while saying, ¡°I can¡¯t ever get some rest.¡±


    ¦µ As I leave my tent, I come face to face with a group of people who look very annoyed. When I meet them, Koa behind me says, ¡°ANNOUNCE YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY.¡±


    Hearing this they all greet me one by one saying:


    ¡°Four-seat Antoine Lambert, Commander of 2000 men.¡±


    ¡°Four-seat Mathieu Caudal, Commander of 2000 men.¡±


    ¡°Fifth seat Sylvie Dupont, Commander of 1000 men.¡±


    ¡°Sixth seat Nicolas de L¨¦on, Commander of 500 men.¡±


    ¡°Third seat Gardienne Valentine, Commander of 5000 men.¡±


    Koa then places a seat in front of me which I sit down in, then I say, ¡°Second seat Maria Scheffer, commander of this WHOLE FUCKING ARMY. Now, can you idiots, tell me why you have interrupted my rest, and it better fucking be good.¡±


    Standing up Gardienne says, ¡°Why haven¡¯t we attacked sky dust yet? We have countless solder here, and we even have some wonderbeasts for traversing rocky terrain.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell all of you to hold your positions around the mountain, I am sure you all know this is insubordination and I don¡¯t tolerate that on any level. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    ¦µ All the commanders in front of Maria look scared and who can blame them? Her reputation as one of the sternest Generals is incredibly widespread, if these idiots know what¡¯s good for them they will back down.


    ¡°I am sorry, but we can¡¯t comply with that without an explanation.¡±


    With the eyes of a beast, Maria says, ¡°What was that?¡±


    Even though the commanders are visibly scared, Gardienne continues and says, ¡°We know for a fact that man is currently in the Lock mountains, and every second we waste here is another second he gets to breathe. The very idea that man is enjoying life after everything he did to us, makes all of us and our men seethe with rage.¡±


    Looking at them, Maria says, ¡°I just remember where I recognize you from; you¡¯re all soldiers of the deceased second seat, General Louis.¡±


    ¡°Yes we are, and until we take the head of the man who ended our beloved general''s life we won¡¯t rest, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO CLIMB THIS PERILOUS MOUNTAIN AND LAY DOWN OUR LIVES WE SHALL TAKE HIS HEAD THAT IS THE EXTENT OF OUR RESOLVE.¡±


    Walking up to them the commander says, ¡°Do you mean that?¡±


    In unison they all shout, ¡°YES!¡±


    Maria walks away then in less than a second turns around and hits all five of them before they can react. With all of them on the floor, she says, ¡°Extent of your resolve my ass it just sounds like you¡¯re are all suicidal bastards who want to die.¡±


    I don¡¯t know how things worked back in the Louis army, but in the Maria army we always choose the path with the least casualties, so I refuse to let you go. But today I vow to god, that no matter what, that bastard who has killed General Louis of the holy nation of Gevurah will meet his end, have no doubts in your hearts about that.¡±


    Standing up they all say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It seems just like me they have become captives of our General Maria. ¡°Now it is time to stuff some horse shit up your noses. You guys didn¡¯t think I was going to let that insubordination go.¡±


    As they start freaking out all I can do is facepalm. Maria, you were so close.


    Right before Maria gets started with their punishments, I hear a large screech. Looking over at the origin of the sound I see a large number of gryphons headed our way.


    ¦µ Commanders look like you all lucked out, reinforcements are here. ¡°EVERYONE CLEAR A PATH!¡±


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    Walking up to the landed Griffons, the person riding the head gryphon jumps down and says, ¡°Seventh seat Carolina Sowind, Commander of 100 men, and with me, I bring fifty of the wonderbeast Peak Gryphon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, about that, didn¡¯t I request seventy-five Griffons.¡±


    Panicking she says, ¡°You see we had some bad luck and ran into an Alpha Gryphon. Due to that twenty-five of the griffons, we brought with us were kited away by it.¡±


    Koa says to me, ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad, those griffons could cause damage.¡±


    Carolina says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, griffons tend to only hunt in high places, so unless there is someone flying through the sky above, those groyphons should be harmless.¡±


    ¡°Well, you here the expert. Commanders call your most loyal men and come grab a gryphon each, we will be flying to sky dust at the top of the mountain.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡±


    -Break-


    While on the ship I stare straight out into the open sky and start to freak out, ¡°It really is so pretty out here, we are so high up, I love it.¡±


    ¡°Stop freaking out you big baby, we were higher up in Elp¨ªda this is no big deal.¡±


    ¡°You say that but you can¡¯t even look at the sky without a smile on your face, you phoney.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t ever seen the sky before so, of course, I would be excited. You have seen it all the time.¡±


    ¡°So, what that doesn¡¯t make it any less fun. So stop being a baby and just give in to the fun of it.¡± I say jumping into the air.


    Following my lead, Iancu jumps up, but when his feet stop touching the ship, his legacy on it deactivates and the ship starts to fall. I immediately throw him back down to the ship.


    When I land, I say, ¡°That was close.¡±


    But then as Iancu gets up, a hand grabs him by the face, it is Elia. With a smile on her face, she says, ¡°Oh please Enlighten me, why you would do something so stupid, especially, WHEN I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU TO KEEP CONTACT WITH THE SHIP.¡±


    Sweating Iancu says, ¡°It was Orb''s fault.¡±


    ¡°You snake.¡±


    Coming close to me Elia puts her hands on my face which causes me to freeze up. Then slowly, she pushes my body until I am by the guard rail keeping me on the ship, and then she tells me. ¡°Hey Orb, do you want to know what it is like to hit the ground at terminal velocity.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°THEN KEEP IANCU ON THE SHIP YOU MORON. While walking away she says, ¡°Yellow hair, fear, I like it.¡±


    As she walks away, I hear Iancu mutter, ¡°Harlot,¡± under his breath. But immediately she turns around and beats Iancu up.


    ¡°Next time you insult your big sister, I will show you true pain.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember my mom birthing you.¡±


    ¡°We are soul siblings, so stop being rude, or I will show you true pain,¡± She says with a pretty smile.


    As she walks away the lumped-up Iancu asks me, ¡°Orb do you have a younger sibling?¡±


    ¡°I do have one called Maple.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to treat her nice, unlike how that CUNT TREATS ME.¡± Iancu with the speed of a waptor runs behind me instantly.


    Elia comes back and tries to hit Iancu, but this time she is stopped by the three idiots. Enraged, Elia says, ¡°SAY THAT AGAIN I DARE YOU!¡±


    ¡°Elia if you beat on him anymore, he might fall unconscious then where all dead.¡±


    While cowering behind me Iancu says, ¡°Giving up so soon. Is that all you had in you?¡±


    Hearing this Elia calms down, then says, ¡°You know what I am telling Avram,¡± then she starts running over to where he is.


    Iancu starts to freak out, then runs over at top speed as well. I follow close behind.


    As they both erratically run through the corridor, I just watch with amazement at the stupidity going on behind me. They bust through the door where Avram is, and then they both start saying screaming at Avram.


    ¡°Iancu called me a bad word.¡±


    ¡°Elia was picking on me again.¡±


    ¡°He almost crashed the ship.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t she is overreacting.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I am overreacting to you, Nincompoop.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet poopoo head.¡±


    ¡°Your mom¡¯s a poopoo head.¡±


    ¡°My mom¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°With a son like you, I wonder why.¡±


    Tears fall down Iancu''s face as he says, ¡°Shut up,¡± while starting a fight with her.


    Avram seeing this has a tired look on his face. He punches Iancu in the face and says, ¡°Don¡¯t hit girls.¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± Elia says.


    Avram puts his hands on her cheeks, then throws her by her face into the wall. ¡°You took it too far Elia.¡±


    ¡°But dad she started it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who started it, the fight ends now. Both of you hug and makeup immediately.¡±


    Getting on their feet, they both get close to each other and give the most passive-aggressive hug I have ever seen. So, to try and ease the mood I start to clap and say, ¡°What a beautiful relationship.¡±


    They both look at each other and then smile. ¡°It was all Orb¡¯s fault!¡± They say in unison.


    ¡°He threw me into the air.¡±


    ¡°Then he started insulting me.¡±


    ¡°So, in summation, he is the cause of everything.¡± They say in unison.


    ¡°You backstabbing duo. Let me tell you the real story.¡±


    Before I can continue my story, I am hit with a double lariat from the duo, which sends me into a curtain. ¡°Iancu did you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°Not a single thing sis. Must have been crickets.¡±


    As I recompose myself, only murder runs through my mind, but I am quickly distracted by something. I see directly above from where I landed, the bodies of the two robots I fought, ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Name: Peak Griffons


    Height: 350 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast. Omnivore


    Description: It is a white or blue wonderbeast, which has a lion''s body, two hind legs and a tail, and with the head, and talons on the two front legs of an Eagle. Its scream is capable of sending shockwaves that stun animals that come in contact with them.


    Fact: They tend to love to high places and refuse to go near the ground unless they are tamed.


    Seat Rankings: It is a form of military hierarchy. it was popularized by a famous stagiest as a way of forming a military and has been widely used ever since. It divides all officers into 10 seats who are all allowed to command a certain number of men. The seats are as follows:


    1<sup>st</sup> seats: A special fighting force of a country who are free to wage warfare as they please(Traditionally). They can take full control of any army of a seat under them. They usually all have personal armies led by a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat.


    2<sup>nd</sup> seats: The Generals of a country. Any war campaign is led by a general. They can have up to 20,000 men in their own personal armies, but also maintain the right to command any lower ranking seats armies to assist them.


    3<sup>rd</sup> seats: Can command anywhere between 3,000-5,000 men. All 3<sup>rd</sup> seats and below can have their own private units or command men under a general.


    4<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 2,000 men.


    5<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 1,000 men.


    6<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 500 men.


    7<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 100 men.


    8<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 50 men.


    9<sup>th</sup> seats: Can command anywhere up to 10 men.


    10<sup>th</sup> seats: Foot soldiers.


    Seats are traditionally given under a meritocracy but may differ depending on the country.

 Thank you

    So we have all finally reached chapter 100 WOW. Due to this milestone, I just wanted to say a few things.


    about a year ago I started making a story in my head and I really enjoyed developing it but I knew that due to the fact that I have horrible grammar and the fact I can''t draw means it will never see the light of day. but I simply enjoyed making it in my head so much that I wanted to see if anyone else would enjoy it so I google how to use grammar and then start writing on this site that I found. and the fact that 24 people are actually following my story is insane. I don''t even have 24 friends and people have even made my story their favourite this has beyond exceeded my expectations. To be honest, I thought at the start I would have to be almost two years into writing to see any form of growth, but you guys really changed that.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    There have been some hard days but your nice comments get me through them so I just wanted to say thank you all for this I will keep trying my best to deliver my best so I hope you continue to read.

 Arc 7.02

    ¡°Tetra recovered the bodies and gave them to me.¡±


    While staring at the bodies I suddenly feel two impacts on my back, it was Elia and Iancu running over me to see the robots.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can see a real robot. They exist, they can actually be made.¡±


    ¡°I want to rip it apart and see what is inside, god bless you for giving me this gift.¡±


    ¡°Hold your horses you two, that won¡¯t be happening at all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean boss?¡±


    ¡°The insides of those robots are completely scorched, I don¡¯t what kind of system they build into them, but it seems the moment Orb cut their heads off they melted their insides.¡±


    ¡°So all this technology is lost.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    As Iancu and Elia start to whimper, I get up and say, ¡°So what is the point of having them?¡±


    ¡°While their insides might be useless, the armour around them isn¡¯t. You see it is made from a rare substance spirit metal, spirit metal is a great conductor of spirit energy and gets lighter when using spirit energy on it.¡±


    ¡°Wait isn¡¯t these the same things Atalanta¡¯s bow is made from?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. This stuff is super rare, so I just thought about selling it. But if you want it, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re the one who defeated them, so they are rightfully yours. You can sell or get someone to forge it into a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t really use spirit energy, so these would be too heavy for me.¡±


    ¡°Then just give it to someone who you know could use it.¡±


    After thinking for a second I say, ¡°I think I can forge a bow for Maple with this stuff. Her legacy works best with Atalanta¡¯s bow, but she can¡¯t just take it.¡±


    ¡°This Maples a legacy?¡± Iancu asks.


    ¡°Yeah she is, and she even has a funny mark under her right eye like you.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe our Legacies have a relationship just like you guys. Wouldn¡¯t that be funny?¡±


    ¡°Not like we could ever know, WAIT!¡±


    Grabbing Iancu, I run out of the room all around the ship until I find Suzuka. Bragging into her room, I see her, Atalanta, and Cyrus then I shout, ¡°SUZUKA.¡±


    Suzuka jumps from the floor in shock. She is surrounded by clothes on the floor, so I ask her, ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I am looking through all the stuff Ai got for me. Cyrus and Atalanta are here to help.¡±


    She is completely surrounded in clothes, how much money did Ai spend on her in those expensive shops?


    ¡°Orb do you need something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah I need you to charge the soul book, I want to find out what Iancu¡¯s legacy is.¡±


    Turning around slowly to show me her back, she says, ¡°No I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Piering her head backwards she says, ¡°Because I hate him.¡±


    ¡°I would never want to be liked by an idiot like you.¡±


    ¡°You see he isn¡¯t nice at all.¡±


    Walking up to Iancu Atalanta gives him a hug, and says, ¡°Suzuka isn¡¯t everything better if we''re all friends.¡± Iancu looks like he is about to explode from being this close to Atalanta.


    So, I pull him away and say, ¡°Don¡¯t over-excite him, if he passes out we¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Orb are you jealous, do you finally want a hug?¡±


    ¡°I would rather jump from the top of this ship into the ground than touch you.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have to be so mean to me!¡±


    ¡°Orb you should calm down, that woman isn¡¯t like that evil fox demon.¡±


    ¡°What did you just call me.¡±


    ¦µ As all of them start fighting in front of me, I don¡¯t know what to do. No Cyrus you must try your best, you¡¯re about to met my sister again, I need to show growth.


    Standing up I say, ¡°E-E-Ever-r-r-r-rybody let¡¯s get along.¡±


    They all stare at me like beasts and say, ¡°What was that Cyrus.¡±


    Scarred, I feel my ego shrink and pathetically say, ¡°N-N-N-N-Nothing.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at Cyrus''s scarred face I say, ¡°You know what let¡¯s stop this.¡± Giving her a hug I say, ¡°Suzuka please do this for me, I need you.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Blushing she says, ¡°If you really do, I will help.¡±


    ¡°I really do, please save me.¡±


    ¡°Ok then.¡± She really is so easy. I need to watch the people who will abuse that kindest.


    As we all sit down with Suzuka charging the book, I give Cyrus a lap pillow to help his ego recover from the beating we gave him.


    ¡°Orb what did he say?¡± Iancu asks.


    ¡°Did you really not understand something so basic.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka no picking fights.¡±


    ¡°But he started it.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka.¡±


    Stopping she turns her head to not face him. ¡°So, you were actually asking what he meant.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t speak the saviour''s song so I had no idea what he said.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing major, but it will be an issue communicating with Cyrus if you can speak the saviour''s song.¡±


    ¡°Does he not speak the other two songs?¡±


    ¡°He can speak a very broken version of the heroes, but with his stuttering, it is hard to make it out. What songs do you guys use?¡±


    ¡°Well, my dad and Elia speak all three, while me, Gheorghe, Ivana, and Wadim speak the heroes and the heaven¡¯s songs. What about you guys?¡±


    ¡°I speak all three so does Atalanta. While Suzuka speaks the saviours and the heroes. Wait, Suzuka how do you even speak the heroes, who taught you.¡±


    ¡°I learned it by reading the thoughts of foreigners, I was born in a port city so we get lots of them. I also speak the heavens to some extent. Looks like I am ahead of you Iancu.¡± She says smugly.


    ¦µ The annoying vampire in front of me starts to get mad, and then he turns and says something to Orb that I don¡¯t understand, but I swear he said my name in the heroes song. Whatever he says causes Orb to laugh.


    ¡°What did he just say Orb?¡±


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what I said, you don¡¯t speak the heavens well enough to know,¡± the annoying vampire says.


    ¦µ Excited that the annoying monster starts to fume, I have a big smile on my face. She angrily turns to Orb, then says something while definitely mentioning my name.


    Orb has a big smile on his face and says, ¡°Suzuka you shouldn¡¯t say things like that.¡±


    ¡°What did she say!¡±


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t tell you,¡± Orb says while giggling.


    ¡°Too bad you don¡¯t speak the saviour¡¯s song, isn¡¯t it you dumb vampire.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to play, then we will play you little piece of garbage.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡±


    ¦µ Sitting in the middle of Suzuka and Iancu, they start to say extraordinarily vile insults at each other rapidly to the point where I can¡¯t stop laughing.


    Eventually, Suzuka stops and hits Iancu in the face with the book, saying, ¡°It''s done.¡±


    Recoiling from the blow, Iancu says, ¡°You dumb bit-.¡±


    Getting in between the two of them I say, ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done here. Now let¡¯s go see what is in the book.¡±


    Iancu holding the book tries to use his legacy on it. ¡°Why is it taking so long!¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°The fact that you asked such a question shows how dumb you are. Legacies are difficult to activate on more than one object at a time.¡±


    Looking at Iancu I say, ¡°But I can do it all over my body.¡±


    ¡°Elia already told you that your legacy likes your flesh that is why it can be used on it, mine likes machinery, so something like a paper book is incredibly hard to use my legacy on.


    After struggling for a little while, with his legacy on the ship going on and off, he is finally able to use his legacy on both the book and the ship. ¡°I can only maintain this for a little while so let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    Opening the book Iancu reads the name of his legacy out loud; ¡°Force Messiah: Capricorn.¡±


    ¡°Capricorn as in the twelfth month. But aside from that it has a title instead of a name like ours.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea who this could even possibly be.¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°Well doesn¡¯t this book just paste information that is already inside the legacies soul, so if the legacy went by a title more than his name it would make sense to have title pasted for the name.¡±


    ¡°Then why would its name be Capricorn?¡± Iancu asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    Chiming in I say, ¡°Specific months have certain meanings in different cultures, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange to name your child after a month.¡±


    ¡°I see, let¡¯s look if it shows anything else,¡± Iancu says flipping the page.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect anything especially since ours didn¡¯t have anything else written.¡±


    ¡°There is something here.¡±


    ¡°WHAT! Let me see.¡±


    The page says.


    [Traits adopted]


    Force sight.


    ¡°What is force sight?¡±


    ¡°I think it may mean my vision.¡±


    ¡°Your vision?¡±


    ¡°When I awakened my legacy, my eyes changed. I can accurately measure the force or resistance of anything I see. Like I can see gravity acting on all of us, and the air resistance on any object, even the force behind a punch. It helps me accurately gauge targets to use my legacy on.¡±


    ¡°So it is like how my sense of hearing and smell have been increased. Adopted traits from the legacies inside us.¡± Turning to Suzuka and Cyrus I ask, ¡°Have you guy''s bodies changed at all since you awakened legacies?¡±


    ¡°I believe I could hear thoughts in my head clearer.¡±


    ¡°So probably nothing,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°That probably isn¡¯t it. If you think about it, she was already born cursed with its power before she got her legacy. So there were probably no traits to adapt. If she wasn¡¯t a norowareta-ko she probably would of just gained those abilities.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean cursed?¡±


    ¡°I will explain it to you later.¡±


    ¡°Orb don¡¯t tell him my information!¡±


    ¡°Moving on, what about you Cyrus.¡±


    In the heroes song, Cyrus says, ¡°I think I can eat more.¡±


    ¡°So utterly useless you idiot,¡± Iancu says.


    As Cyrus starts to pout, Suzuka says, ¡°Take that back you rat-sized donkey.¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling rat-sized!¡±


    ¡°Look around do you see anyone else rat sized.¡±


    Suzuka''s comments cause them to start violently fighting again, how much more of this do I have to deal with? I need to stop this right now, how do you get two kids to stop fighting? Atalanta peering her head over my shoulder says, ¡°You two must really like each other.¡±


    They both suddenly stop.


    Following her lead, I say, ¡°I heard the more kids fight the more they secretly like each other, to think this is just a lovers spat. How cute!¡±


    With a fake smile on her face, Suzuka says, ¡°Iancu what to be friends.¡±


    With a shallow smile back, he says, ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know it is customary for friends to hug,¡± Atalanta says.


    They both begrudgingly get up and Suzuka stretches out her hands. So, Iancu gives her a hug.


    ¡°You know whenever I give someone a hug, I tell them how much I care for them.¡±


    ¡°That does sound like the correct thing to do Orb,¡± Atalanta says.


    Iancu with veins popping out of his head says, ¡°Suzuka thank you for being my friend, it means a lot.¡±


    Bashfully Suzuka says, ¡°Do you really mean that?¡± She really is easy; a few nice words and she forgets herself completely.¡±


    ¡°Eww no.¡±


    ¡°I am going to kill you!¡± Suzuka says starting another brawl.


    What am I going to do with these two? Getting up I try to break up the fight, but suddenly he ship starts to shake; ¡°What the hell is going on.¡±


    All of us run outside where we see a group of gryphons outside attacking the ship. But the alarming part is that there is a rather big one in the back of all of them.


    Suddenly we hear Elia shout, ¡°They''re trying to take down the ship, you need to do something about it.¡±


    The big gryphon lets out a roar which kills my eardrums, and then all the other gryphons attack. Iancu puts his hands on the ship and says, ¡°For a 40m diameter around the ship there is zero gravity, use this to fight them but I need you to hurry up, I won¡¯t be able to keep it up for long.


    ¡°No problem they are no match for us!¡±


    Alpha: Alphas are wonderbeasts who command wonderbeasts of the same species. Any member of their species who sees them will immediately follow them unless they are properly tamed.

 Arc 7.03

    The gryphons charge at us at full speed ready to attack. I activate my legacy on my arms and legs, then I use snow boost to propel myself into the air. Meeting the gryphon mid-air, I slash it with my claws and then freeze the area to kill it.


    ¦µ I turn one of my tails into spirit energy(7 left), then I use Fox art; leg breaker to jump up into the air and hit the gryphon right in its neck breaking it.


    But as I do, five other come for me, so I kick off of my tail to slightly move myself out of the way. It is hard to sense these animals since they don¡¯t give off spirit energy.


    ¦µ In the middle of the air I create a platform of ice and kick-off off it, while dodging all the gryphons attacks. Something is strange here, they''re all coordinated, wonderbeasts shouldn¡¯t act together this well especially prideful ones like gryphons.


    Realizing what¡¯s going on, I look over at the big gryphon. That one must be an alpha; they are all working as a unit since they have bowed their heads to him. Still, they all work too well together, these gryphons can¡¯t be wild ones. What a headache.


    As me and Suzuka continue to dodge all their attacks, we strike back when possible but then the alpha lets out a big roar. The sheer volume of this is about to bust my eardrums, so I stop in mid-air unable to do anything.


    ¦µ After the gryphon lets out a big roar, I see Orb holding his ears mid-air. This is bad, he can¡¯t dodge like that. Kicking off my tails I move as fast as possible in Orb''s direction.


    Most of the gryphons start flying in my way and blocking my path. As I try to fight through them all, I see the gryphons approach closer to Orb. Unable to do anything else I scream, ¡°NO!¡±


    Suddenly I feel spirit energy approaching Orb at high speed. Then I see arrows embedded in the gryphons. Looking in the direction they came from, I see Atalanta holding her bow.


    From her bow, she fires more and more shots taking down many of the gryphons until the gryphons start targeting her instead of Orb.


    ¦µ That should take care of that, now onto the next issue; the broken-spirited man over there. Walking over to Cyrus I say, ¡°Could you please help us? Because if you don¡¯t, I might get eaten.¡±


    ¡°If I try, I will just fail a-a-a-again. I might be better to get e-e-e-aten.¡±


    Huh, this really isn¡¯t fun. Annoyed, I pick Cyrus up by the collar and say, ¡°YOU LITTLE CRY BABY, YOU MIGHT BE OK WITH DYING BUT I AM NOT. IF YOU WANT TO DIE DO IT ON YOUR OWN TIME, but right now you¡¯re about to let everyone else die while they are fighting to go see your sister.¡±


    Making him stand I say, ¡°So stand up, clench your butt cheeks, and scream from the bottom of your soul, YOU HEAR ME.¡±


    Following my instructions, Cyrus lets out the largest roar we have heard today. All the Gryphons have completely stopped in their tracks, and Orb starts to wright in even more pain. Then Cyrus jumps off of the ship into the air, and the force of his jump causes the ship to shake.


    ¡°That¡¯s just scary how strong he is.¡±


    ¦µ Moving in the air I activate my legacy on my sword, then I use it to create a stream of darkness following it, then manoeuvring my sword around I cut all the remaining gryphons in half. I expand the darkness upwards and do a giant downwards slash cutting the large gryphon down the middle.


    ¦µ Cyrus really is strong, I want to fight him. No, Suzuka, control yourself. Suddenly I hear another roar and I see that one of the Gryphons is charging right at the ship. Cyrus missed one.


    ¦µ Using my bow, I shot five arrows directly at a gryphon approaching our ship, all of the shots land directly in the head but the gryphon keeps going until it smashes right into the ship.


    Panicking, I hear Iancu say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, right as it hit I used my legacy to soften the blow. Though we still took some damage.¡±


    ¡°I see that¡¯s good.¡±


    Landing on the ship with Orb, Suzuka walks over to give me a hug saying, ¡°Sissy you were so cool.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what a cute little munchkin you are. But let¡¯s see what the useless person over there has to say, you hear that Orb.¡±


    Taking his hands off his head Orb says, ¡°Suzuka you fought wonderfully even when overwhelmed, Cyrus your power and bravery never cease to amaze me, and Iancu even in your damaged state you still managed to hold your legacy while fighting with us, I am truly thankful that all of you were here for me.¡±


    Happy from Orbs comments they say:


    ¡°Of course, I did, because I am amazing.¡±


    ¡°Th-h-h-hank you Orb.¡±


    ¡°Stop with the compliments, I just did what I had to do.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Tapping Orb on his shoulder I ask, ¡°What about me?¡±


    Turning his head to see me, with a smile he says, ¡°Umm who are you again?¡±


    As I try to attack him Cyrus holds me back. ¡°I took down half of the gryphons, and saved your life, yet you''re still being mean to me.¡±


    ¦µ Walking over to me Suzuka says, ¡°Orb she did save your life, you should at least say thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I cannot. It must be my consanguineous stopping me, because I quite literally can¡¯t do that, the very idea of me saying anything nice to her opposes the very laws of nature, it is an utter impossibility, a true contradiction, it is simply a law of nature, a law of existence itself and if I tried to go against such a universal law that simply would be madness, wouldn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°You really just couldn¡¯t say thank you,¡± Iancu says.


    Walking onto the deck of the ship, Avram says, ¡°You guys can leave that for later, right now we need to get this little one to bed. Iancu looks like he is about to pass out, so we need to find someplace to rest.¡±


    ¡°So where going to fly down?¡± Atalanta says.


    ¡°Use your head, if we did that and people saw a giant airship landing it would without a doubt attract unwanted attention.¡±


    ¡°Well Orb, I don¡¯t see any mountains nearby to land do I you midget!¡±


    ¡°You''re really arguing with a child, act your age.¡±


    Atalanta is about to charge at me, but Cyrus holds her back, ¡°You little brat!¡±


    Clapping his hands together, Avram says, ¡°Atalanta isn¡¯t far off, just a little ways from her is mount lock. We should be able to rest at the top for a bit.¡±


    ¡°No need for that,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°Do you not see yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can go just fine. If we have to stop on mount lock it will take longer for Cyrus to see his sister, I can hold out for another few hours. Let¡¯s head straight to Jedidiah.¡±


    Walking over to Iancu, Cyrus says, ¡°T-T-Thank you, but I can wait just a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that settles it to mount lock we go.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°See, it is right in the distance Anto.¡±


    ¡°It really is massive, Mime.¡±


    ¡°There are so many high-quality objects in sky dust.¡±


    ¡°It almost makes me want to drool, Mime.¡±


    ¡°So now it is finally time for the both of us.¡±


    ¡°To get filthy rich!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Looking straight ahead of us I see countless glowing objects in the sky, together with everyone else on the ship I stare excitedly into it all.


    Walking up to us, Avram says, ¡°Mount lock is a giant mountain which is packed full of dangerous wonderbeasts, but more than that it is packed full of millions of rare materials.¡±


    ¡°All the wonderbeast you see down there like the Drillkylosaurus, the Bashbex, and the Slastis, break down the materials which are carried in the strong winds up towards the top of mount lock.¡±


    As the ship ascends Avram says, ¡°Iancu if you would please.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dad, I have already lowered the air resistance.


    Moving to the top of the mountain, we see that the sky is completely covered in all these different coloured materials. Noticing they are all being drawn somewhere I look over. I see a large city with giant wing-shaped pillars in the formation of a circle outside it constantly spinning, and in the center of this city is a tower with spirals all around it.


    ¡°The giant winged-shaped spirals attract in all the materials, which are sucked into the sky forge in the middle where they are all compressed in countless different materials. Due to all the materials that the forge can produce a city naturally formed around it, and that is the crafting city Sky dust.¡±


    Moving our ship we go over and prepare to land in an open area down there on the mountain. The moment we do we are attacked by a group of wonderbeasts, so with everyone we deal with all the wonderbeasts around us until we are safe.


    Going back onto the ship, we convene for a meeting. ¡°I put Iancu, and Elia to bed, so they should be rested up in about a day.¡±


    ¡°So where stuck here for about a day, I guess that is enough time to go look around the city. Who wants to come?¡±


    Cyrus, Suzuka and Atalanta put up their hands. ¡°Ok Cyrus, Suzuka, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T IGNORE ME!¡±


    Turning to Avram I say, ¡°Don¡¯t any of you guys want to go.¡±


    ¡°Unlike Elp¨ªda it is a lot harder for people like us to walk around in the open down here, so it is better for all of us if we just stay on the ship.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, if anyone has a problem, I will just smash their faces in.¡±


    ¡°The thought is nice, but I wouldn¡¯t want to start any trouble over something so minor. But if you want to help me, Orb would you be able to go get some material to help fix up this ship a little.¡±


    ¡°I will, it¡¯s a promise.¡±


    Name: Drillkylosaurus


    Height: 200 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, herbivore


    Description: It is a quadrupedal wonderbeast. Their entire body with the exception of their underbellies. The most noticeable thing about them is their tails function like drills which will pierce any material they come in contact with.


    Fact: It is believed eating their tails will expand dick size, so they were quite severely hunted.


    Name: Bashbex


    Height: 150 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, herbivore.


    Description: A goat-like wonderbeast that is covered in hard Armor which allows it to bash and break the hardest of stone for the water trapped inside. It has horns on its four feet, the horn allows the it to grab a hold of rocky terrain


    Fact: They will never go to sleep during the month of Capricorn.


    Name: Slastis


    Height: 230 cm


    Type:  Wonderbeast Omnivore


    Description: A bug wonderbeast with six legs and four arms, its light body allows it to be pulled with the wind allowing it to cross great distances and it legs allow great manoeuvre when on land. With its four arms it has sickles at the end of each which is used to cut stones and enemies into pieces.


    Fact: Like to torture other animals and uses their corpses to sexually pleasure themselves.


    Side story


    ¦µ Staring at all the little kiddies playing, I start drool. Feeling a blow to the back of my head I turn around and say, ¡°Sugiru why did you hit me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Ai, my body naturally hits creeps.¡±


    ¡°Are you still angry at me, I said you could come back home for a break.¡±


    ¡°TCH!¡±


    ¡°I heard that.¡±


    Suddenly I hear a large cry, ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    Running over to the source I see a ship. ¡°No, I think that is a spirit. What the hell is one doing here? The only answer is that Orb and his friends who brought this thing here.¡±


    Walking over to the spirit I see it continue to cry. ¡°The way it is irrationally crying from the bottom of its heart, it is almost like it is a child.¡±


    Touching the ship I say, ¡°If they have left you, how about you come with me.¡±


    Looking at me the ship''s tears stop, and it starts laughing with joy.


    Spirit Mayoibune Acquired.


    End of story

 Arc 7.04

    ¦µ After a little bit, we all arrive in front of the giant rotating wings. Moving closer, I throw ice through the wings which gets diced up, so I say, ¡°Yeah, definitely no way we''re going through this. I guess our only option is to go over it.¡±


    Moving close to everyone I say, ¡°Suzuka wrap us up.¡±


    Using her tails Suzuka tethers all of us together, then I create an ice pillar under us. ¡°Cyrus it¡¯s your turn now.¡±


    With his monstrous strength, Cyrus jumps directly over the barrier, so we start falling down on the other side.


    As we fall Atalanta says, ¡°Orb what¡¯s your plan now?¡±


    ¡°I am working on it; I didn¡¯t expect Cyrus to jump so high. Suzuka, I need you to use your tails to cushion our fall.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I can handle the rest.¡±


    Following my instructions, Suzuka uses her tails to form a giant ball around us. Then sticking my hand out of that ball, I create snow to take care of the rest of the force, right before we crash into the ground.


    Getting up I ask, ¡°Suzuka, Cyrus are you guys ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± they respond.


    ¡°Ok, it seems all the important people are ok.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I intended.¡±


    ¡°Orb stop bullying sissy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean,¡± I say while running away.


    Following after me, they say, ¡°Don¡¯t run away coward.¡±


    -Break-


    Stopping in my tracks I gaze upon the city of Skydust, and the most noticeable thing I see is that everyone has some piece of oversized clothing.


    Hearing Suzuka and Atalanta come up behind me, I lung forward to dodge their attacks, but I only see Suzuka. Looking to my side, I see Atalanta, in mid-air, I am kicked at full force.


    The force of her kick sends me flying into some workers. ¡°I forgot about her stealth mode.¡±


    Turning around, I help the man I flew into stand up. The moment he gets up he yells, ¡°YOU BASTARD YOU DELAYED ME, NOW I AM POINT 9 SECONDS BEHIND TIME!¡±


    He yells so loud that I clam up and say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Taking a second to look at us he says, ¡°All you people look strange, is this some new fashion trend, if so I like your clothes. Where did you buy them, I need to see who crafted these clothes.¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°Aren¡¯t you behind schedule?¡±


    ¡°Oh crap, I am, I don¡¯t have time for this conversation. Shit, you bastards have delayed me again, since you are not doing anything get your asses over here, help me.¡±


    Putting a bunch of the stuff he was carrying into our hands he says, ¡°GET YOUR ASSESS MOVING WE DON¡¯T HAVE TIME TO WASTE!¡± Then he runs off.


    Overwhelmed by his tempo Cyrus starts following him, so I follow close behind.


    ¦µ Turning around to look at the workers, I notice the red-headed one has disappeared. Looking around I see her hitting on someone.


    ¡°My god your muscles are truly beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I got to work.¡±


    Running over to her I say, ¡°What the hell are you doing? we are late!¡±


    Grabbing her I continue to run, but then I notice the two little girls are missing so I go look for them. I see they are both playing with a dog.


    So, I run over and grab them. Placing the three on the floor I say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you three want to help me!¡±


    The three in front of the man were only having one thought; We didn¡¯t agree to this, you just dragged us away.


    ¡°Failures, every one of you, the only person who is competent is the man covered in cloth over there.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, the tall man cover in cloth says, ¡°Following instructions is the only thing I do right in life.¡±


    The white-haired girl says, ¡°Not a single stutter when he said that, he must really be confident in it,¡± while looking shocked.


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of sad.¡±


    The girl with yellow and pink hair says, ¡°Aren¡¯t you still going to be late?¡±


    Starting to freak out I say, ¡°YOU BASTARDS DELAYED ME YET AGAIN!¡±


    ¡°You really get worked up easily.¡±


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    ¡°All that stress will shorten your life span.¡±


    ¡°I can teach you meditation if you need help calming down.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T MAKE FUN OF ME YOU BASTARDS. Now I need all of you to get your asses in gear and help me finish my work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t really want to.¡±


    ¡°You have no manners; you could at least say please.¡±


    ¡°And to be honest, when we ran into each other you also weren¡¯t looking where you were going.¡±


    ¡°So shouldn¡¯t you be repaying us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, repay us.¡±


    ¡°But with what?¡±


    ¡°I am hungry.¡±


    ¡°So am I Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°You hear that man go get us some food now.¡±


    With my rage leaking from my body I say, ¡°CUT THE SHIT DICKHEADS, YOU YOUNG ONES THING YOUR LIVES OUR SO HARD, BUT LET ME TELL YOU THE STRUGGLES OF A THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD MAN WITH A NEWLY BORN BABY IS WAY BEYOND THAT.¡±


    Crouching down in a corner with tears forming in my eyes I say, ¡°When I finish my 18-hour shift I have to go home to a wife who screams at me for working too much, and then I have to play with my newly born baby who refuses to sleep and cries throughout the night. You know why the hell am I even alive.¡±


    Getting up I toss all the materials away and say, ¡°FUCK WORK.¡±


    ¦µ Starring at the man shocked, I turn my head to Suzuka and say, ¡°I think we broke him.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad? Where are about to take a father from a kid.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry parents are overrated you will grow up fine without them.¡±


    ¡°Orb!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok.¡± Me, Suzuka, and Atalanta walk up to him and rub his back saying encouraging words.


    ¡°Want some butterscotch?¡±


    ¡°Life is full of fun things.¡±


    ¡°Hang in there.¡±


    Getting up the man says, ¡°No need for that, it¡¯s just my 3<sup>rd</sup> breakdown today.¡±


    ¡°Today!¡±


    ¡°We have no time for this.¡± Putting the materials into our hands the man says, ¡°No time to waste!¡± And runs off with us following close behind.


    We follow him until we arrive at an area with multiple wonderbeasts, though they were all the same type. Every single one had their giant mouths open in the shape of a rectangle.


    When he gets there, he throws the materials into one of their giant mouths, where it is crunched down on and squished.


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S TAKING YOU GUYS SO LONG? CHUCK THIS STUFF IN.¡±


    Following his instructions, I throw the stuff I have into one of the wonderbeasts'' mouths.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING.¡±


    Freakout I say, ¡°I did what you asked me to.¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOT, you threw it into the wrong wonderbeast. The green ones turn materials into the air, while the blue ones turn it into fertilizer. You threw it into the blue one, DUMBASS, DID YOU EVER PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL.¡±


    Walking over to Atalanta, he says, ¡°The red ones turn it into water, and you''re feeding it the wrong materials, red ones hate dense materials.¡±


    Walking over to Suzuka he says, ¡°I SAID PUT THEM IN THE GREEN ONES, WHY ARE YOU PUTTING IT INTO A PINK ONE.¡±


    Frightened Suzuka says, ¡°Because it¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°YOU FREAKING DUMBASS, THE PINK ONES CREATE HALLUCINOGENIC POOP. DOES YOUR BRAIN EVEN WORK?¡±


    Turning her tails into a fist, she hits the man away and says, ¡°Don¡¯t scream at me dumbass, I don¡¯t know any of this stuff.¡±


    Moving close to Suzuka I cover her mouth.


    ¡°Wait, how could you live in Skydust and not know any of this stuff, are you guys outsiders?¡± He says giving us a fierce look.


    That look makes it seem like they don¡¯t welcome outsiders here. What should I do?


    ¡°I am done,¡± Cyrus says looking at the man.


    Turning his head fiercely he asks Cyrus, ¡°Did you put them in the right ones.¡±


    In his broken heroes song Cyrus says, ¡°The br-r-ronze ones in the y-y-y-yellow beast, the dense ones in the b-b-b-blue beast, and the rest in the green bea-a-a-ast. I am very good at copying others.¡±


    Hearing this me, Atalanta, and Suzuka put our hands to our faces and look away. Cyrus is too pitiful, it is hard to watch.


    Finding my moment, I walk over to Cyrus and slap my hand over his mouth, and say, ¡°What my big brother meant, was that he always does all the material disposal for the family all by himself.¡±


    ¡°So that''s why you don¡¯t know how to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we were able to learn today all thanks to your amazing tutelage.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head he says to us, ¡°Ahh I see well if I could be of help it was all worth it, but please do tell, what shop do you guys run?¡±


    ¡°Oh well, we currently don¡¯t run one.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re all without jobs.¡±


    ¡°Your damn right.¡±


    Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a whistle and blows it. ¡°EVERYONE FREE WORKERS OVER HERE!¡±


    Everyone in the materials disposal area stops and looks at us. I hear them all mutter, ¡°Free workers,¡± like some kind of chant.


    Then running in our direction, they surround us and start to grab us.


    ¡°Hey if you¡¯re not doing anything, come help me.¡±


    ¡°I am completely swarmed, give me some extra hands.¡±


    ¡°I will pay you any amount, just help me.¡±


    ¡°You''re not doing anything else, help me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we are not here to work.¡±


    Ignoring me they say, ¡°I want the small one.¡±


    ¡°I want the cute boy.¡±


    ¡°I want the beauty.¡±


    ¡°I want the tall one.¡±


    Without our consent, they take us all over the place.


    As I sew a dress a woman says, ¡°When you finish all that sewing I need you to get started on the 200 dress orders over there, then I need some help with my personal project.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°My god, you are such a beauty and you even have an eye for Floral design.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do I happen to be amazing.¡±


    Orb has beaten my self-esteem, but this is getting it right back up.


    ¡°Now when you finish with that, I have another 378 flowers I would like you to arrange as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many. I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Getting on the floor and holding my clothes while kneeling she cries, ¡°Please, I have no one else you¡¯re the only one I can call upon, if I don¡¯t get this work done why am I even alive.¡±


    ¡°What a drag.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°My god your skills at carving are unmatched.¡±


    ¡°My mom was the best at things like this.¡±


    ¡°And those 4 other hands you have how efficient, how much would it take to buy those off you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really sell them to you, they don¡¯t come off.¡±


    Wall slamming me the man says, ¡°DON¡¯T LIE TO ME EVERYTHING HAS A PRICE, I NEED THOSE ARMS, JUST IMAGINE THE EFFICIENCY I COULD GET THINGS DONE WITH THEM.¡±


    Scared I scream, ¡°EKKKKK!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You bastards hurry up, I am building this house out of benelium if we don¡¯t finish the construction within a week of building the foundation, it will collapse. Are you trying to destroy my building?¡±


    ¡°All this shit is super heavy, no way we will be able to build this house within a week!¡±


    ¡°Stop being babies, look at that man over there,¡± I say pointing at the man who is singlehanded building most of the house.


    ¡°Who is this man?¡±


    ¡°Some randow we picked off the street.¡±


    ¡°His work efficiency is most superb, I must have him.¡± Walking over to the man I stop him and say, ¡°Your muscles will truly let my architecture ascend to a biblical level, maybe even beyond that.¡±


    ¡°T-T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Now quickly sign this contract,¡± I say shoving it into his face.


    ¡°Ca-a-a-an I read it first?¡±


    ¡°Reading a contract before you sign it is the ultimate lack of passion.¡±


    ¡°But it says, life contract, re?-retraction of human rights.¡±


    ¡°That is a basic deal. Just sign it.¡±


    ¦µ I need to stand my ground. ¡°N-N-N-No!¡±


    Grabbing me by the shoulder he shakes me rapidly and says, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to ascend to a higher state with me, or do you want to stay a mere mortal? If we finish this building we will be beyond human, WE WILL BE GODS, and gods fear nothing but their own genius.¡±


    ¡°I won-t-t-t be scared anymore?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t, you will be the height of existence, no fear, no cowardice, able to do anything.¡±


    That¡¯s exactly what I want. As I go to sign the paper it is grabbed out of my hand by some workers, and then I see the man who was about to make me sign it tackled to the ground.


    Ripping the paper the man says, ¡°Life contracts are no longer allowed on Skydust, it is called workers rights.¡±

 Arc 7.05

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Anto, look at this city it is massive!¡±


    ¡°Mime, I can¡¯t even count the amount of money we would get for the things here.¡±


    ¡°Where should we get started?¡±


    ¡°Mime don¡¯t you remember teachers'' words.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do; steal from the elderly first, it is not like they have much for all that money.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°Now let''s go rob those dying old money bags.¡±


    ¡°I will lead the way.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ We all sit down on benches in the center of the city, completely exhausted.


    Exasperating, Atalanta says, ¡°I hate this city. These people are overbearing they even changed all our clothes for us.¡±


    Shaking Suzuka says, ¡°All the people¡¯s heads here are completely overcrowded, I feel like I hear 100 people''s thoughts when I read just one.¡±


    Cyrus says, ¡°They are v-v-v-very scary.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that it is all that bad, look around no matter where you look someone is doing something they love. Even though they are all overworked you can feel the passion in their work.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you Orb, we don¡¯t have infinite stamina or your saccharine attitude. So can we just get the stuff Avram needs and go?¡±


    Getting up I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, if you always just take the easy way out you will never have fun just like me. You will just grow into an old hag with nothing to live for.¡±


    Out of nowhere, I am tackled to the ground. Looking at who tackled me I see an old woman, ¡°Madam are you ok?¡±


    ¡°No, I am not. You see I am broke, sick, and old. No one in this country wants me around. So, I might as well just jump off a cliff,¡± she says as she starts to cry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that I want you arou-.¡±


    Suddenly someone comes up to us and says, ¡°Lady Anna, I just wanted to thank you. If you didn¡¯t give me 500,000 lupas, I would have never paid off my debts.¡±


    Looking at the man I say, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a poor old beggar?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? That is lady Anna the most affluent woman on Skydu-.¡±


    Quickly she uses a wrestling move to incapacitate the man. ¡°Oh, if only a fine young man could promise to do this woman on her last legs a favour. Oh, only if,¡± She says fluttering her eyes in my face.


    Walking over to me, Atalanta says, ¡°She smells like trouble Orb.¡±


    ¡°Get away from me floozy.¡±


    ¡°It seems everyone from young boys to old women needs to learn what respect is,¡± Atalanta says as she tries to hit the woman.


    Punching Atalanta in the gut I say, ¡°Would I be able to know what that promise is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am about to die and yet you refuse to come with me and give me help.¡±


    ¡°No, I will help you.¡±


    Grabbing my hands she says, ¡°You will! Then let us go.¡± Then she starts to run off at full speed. She is rather spry for her age, but yet again all the old people I know are rather full of life.


    ¦µ While Orb is getting taken away, I tell Suzuka, ¡°Go get the stuff Avram wants, I will go after Orb.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ After a little while the old woman stops running and says, ¡°This is my house.¡± The old woman was pointing at a completely run-down shack that doesn¡¯t look fit for a human to live in.


    ¡°You see! I really am poor.¡±


    Getting up I say, ¡°I would actually believe you if it wasn¡¯t for that giant mansion behind your house!¡±


    ¡°Oh that, some rich dinosaur lives there.¡±


    ¡°We passed through a gate to enter here! Am I supposed to believe that some rich person just let you live in a shack behind their house?¡±


    Dramatically getting on the floor she says, ¡°Even though I am a dying old woman who has no reason to lie, you still won¡¯t trust me. Well, what can I expect, a woman such as myself who has nothing in this life deserves this. Someone should just kill me!¡±


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    Walking into view, a man who looks like a butler says, ¡°My lady, you have finally returned you usually disappear for so long.¡±


    Running over to him she uses another wrestling move and incapacitates him. ¡°You bastards stop being so nice.¡±


    Turning around and batting her eyelashes as if she is some kind of young seductress she says, ¡°If you have a heart and a soul please follow me into my hut, if you do I am sure it will be a magical time. Or you could just leave this dying, lonely, depressed, despondent old woman alone and go about your day,¡± while slowly walking into the wonky house.


    ¦µ Finally catching up to Orb I say, ¡°Good, you¡¯re alright, let''s go.¡±


    ¡°No, I think I am going in.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I say walking in front of him. When I get in front of Orb I am shocked to see Orb''s facial expression; I see him huffing and panting like a pervert.


    Grabbing him I say, ¡°Wait what the hell, you never made such a face at me.¡±


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t into little boys.¡±


    ¡°I am not, but doesn¡¯t change the fact you shouldn¡¯t be so opposed to me. Don¡¯t tell me old ladies do it for you.¡±


    ¡°Stop being gross!¡± He says breaking my grip.


    ¡°Then explain!¡±


    Turning his head in my direction, Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think maths is very arousing.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Like the way it breaks down the infinite world around us into some mere numbers. In this entire world there is nothing better. And that woman, the way she uses angles to position her body to get max effect out of it, and all her completely calculated movements the pitch of her voice, the movement of her eyes, the position of her hands and butt, the way she cries, the order of her sentences. It is all done in an effort to get me to be enticed by her. Just like all the femme fatals I use to read about, the only thing she is lacking is stockings.¡±


    It was once said, that fetishes are born when kids mix the singles for arousal with other things they feel strongly for. So, the young boy Orb who had an intense infection for maths ended up crossing with his intense admiration of femme fatals. And thus, a fetish was born.


    ¡°There is nothing more attractive than a woman who could ruin your life!¡±


    ¡°You have a dark future Orb.¡±


    Turning his head Orb says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you. I am going to go check this out you can go jump off a cliff or something, not like I care.¡±


    ¡°You dumb brat,¡± I say running after him.


    ¦µ As Cyrus and Suzuka sit down on the bench they were left on, pure silence fills the area around them. And one thought beams through the little girl''s head; THIS IS SO AWKWARD!


    SOCIAL INTERACTION. Until now either the jolly Orb, or talkative Atalanta have been with these two whenever they interact, but now for the first time, they both are alone together and must start a conversation with just the two of them. For people like these two fighting a dragon may be easier.


    Even though Atalanta asked us to get things done we haven¡¯t been able to move one single inch from here. I have known Cyrus for about the same length of time I have known Orb, but this is the first time where we are talking alone.


    It¡¯s not like he is a bad person but I don¡¯t even know what the hell goes on in his head, maybe I should try reading it, if I do that I might be able to start a conversation.


    Focusing in on Cyrus I try to hear his thoughts, come on what is going on in that head of yours? To the young girl''s shock and surprise in his head she heard. ¡°NOTHING!¡±


    The young dragon Cyrus who never thinks for himself quite literally had no thoughts on his mind. ¡°What was that S-S-S-Suzuka?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, don¡¯t mind me.¡± His head is literally empty, I have nothing to start a conversation with, what am I going to do?


    ¡°Keep your head up.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that voice, it is you isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes Suzuka, it is I Gozy, your imaginary friend.¡±


    ¡°Gozy I have missed you, please help me get out of this situation. How do I talk to Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Look at me Suzuka, it probably is too late for that. You¡¯re a monster and let¡¯s be honest why would Cyrus want to talk to you. From his perspective, you¡¯re a violent vain little girl who likes to pick fights with everyone around you.¡±


    Gozy is a very bad friend. Because even in her imagination she could never have a friend.


    ¡°But haven¡¯t I gotten better?¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit, earlier you were about to beat up the injured Iancu, and he knows all about that wild beast you let out in Elp¨ªda, you¡¯re the same loser no one wanted to be friends with. And dragons like pretty things like gold, and you¡¯re nowhere that pretty. So, you should just stay forever alone.¡±


    I knew it, I suck, I should just go do everything by myself, though I need to make an excuse. Turning around to Cyrus, I prepare to say something, but I notice he is missing. ¡°WAAAAH!¡±


    I immediately jump up to a vantage point to look for him. I can¡¯t see him anywhere, I have to read these people''s minds. These people''s heads are so busy that I can¡¯t go through all the information, it is overwhelming.


    Jumping down I use fox art; leg breakers. I guess I have no other choice I just have to run around looking for him, he might be wearing similar clothes to them, but none of Cyrus''s clothes are oversized at all.


    Dashing around the city, I eventually hear a bunch of noise around the center, so I head over there and when I get there I see Cyrus is in the sky forge.


    Walking over in his direction, I am blasted by a wave of heat that doesn¡¯t allow me to get close. Someone grabs me and pulls me back saying, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, you¡¯re going to get burnt to a crisp.¡±


    ¡°What is Cyrus doing?¡±


    ¡°It seems he is working the sky forge.¡±


    ¡°The thing that condenses materials?¡±


    ¡°Were you not taught this by your parents.¡±


    ¡°My mom and dad died young so I never learned such things,¡± I say releasing tears.


    ¡°I see then let me tell you, the sky forge can combine, refine, and condense, materials at varying levels of efficiency. We have only ever been able to use it at 15 percent power because the heat it would give off at any higher would burn us to a crisp. But that boy is using it at 100 hundred percent power. The sheer heat is making most of the water on Skydust evaporate.¡±


    As the heat starts to dissipate someone shouts, ¡°HE IS DONE!¡±


    Cyrus walks out of the sky forge naked, while coughing but he is carrying a giant rock with him. ¡°GET HIM HELP IMMEDIATELY.¡±


    They all rush over to him and start to help him. Examining the rock they say, ¡°This is a refined piece of mithril we have never been able to get the forge hot enough to do this. I couldn¡¯t even begin to tell you how much this it worth, it is quite literally priceless. I never thought any human could make this.¡±


    While checking on Cyrus, I hear someone scream.


    Backing away from Cyrus he says, ¡°I thought that tail was fake but it is alive, that boy is a dragon, he is an outsider.¡±


    Everyone backs away. ¡°The holy nation has recently had an encirclement around lock, they could have sent these guys as spies to enter Skydust.¡±


    ¡°No, we are no-.¡±


    ¡°My grandpa once told me that people with two eyes and hair colours are extremely dangerous. They have the power to win wars by themselves.¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of advance attack?¡±


    ¡°Go call the army!¡±


    ¡°No we are just visito-.¡± I try to speak to the crowd but I freeze up, when I stare at their faces filled with anger and disdain I completely freeze up, it feels too familiar. Unable to do anything I just fall to my knees then I start to cry.


    Currency exchange rate.


    100 Lupas = 1 euro.

 Arc 7.06

    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking into the woman¡¯s house, I see it is run down and completely messy, but more than that it is filled with fabric. The colourful fabric looks completely out of place in the dreary house.


    ¡°I present to you my house; I built it all by myself. It might not be the biggest place, but it has plenty of soul.¡±


    ¡°You should really clean up all this fabric, it takes up about 90 percent of the space in this house.¡± Seeing something that catches my eye I run over and grab it. Feeling it I say, ¡°This is the fur of an atlas eater.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I got it from one of those wonderbeasts called predasaurs in Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°But how did you even manage that, Fimbulwinter isn¡¯t the type of place you can go hunting?¡±


    ¡°I bought it off a young man years ago.¡±


    Walking in Atalanta says, ¡°Something rare like this would be without a doubt be ridiculously expensive, so how am I to believe you bought this?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see when I was younger I randomly came across a stack of gold and used it to buy the pelt.¡±


    Turning to me Atalanta says, ¡°How much longer are we going put up with this farce?¡±


    Ignoring her I go around and look at the fabrics she has, ¡°This is a ridiculously large collection, and they''re all so varied.¡±


    Walking over to me she says, ¡°I have collected them from all over the world, aren¡¯t they beautiful.¡±


    ¡°They really are, how wonderful, this truly is an amazing collection filled with love.¡±


    Hitting me on my back repeatedly she says, ¡°Aww shucks, flirting with a woman my age, what a daredevil you are. But since you seem to understand me may I ask you for a favour?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what it is.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is sort of embarrassing for me to say,¡± She says as she tots around like a shy girl on her feet.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am exposed to an embarrassment of mankind right behind me.¡±


    As Atalanta beings to choke me, the old woman asks, ¡°Can I please have your hair?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, why not.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give blood, hair, or nails to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Why!¡±


    ¡°When I was younger, I read a book where someone used those things to perform a satanic ritual, so I am going to keep all those things to myself.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like some kind of witch to you?¡±


    ¡°Better to be safe than sorry.¡±


    Stamping around like a child she throws a tantrum then falls on the floor, and screams, ¡°THIS IS ELDER ABUSE, THIS CHILD IS TREATING AN OLD GRANNY LIKE ME HORRIBLY EVEN THOUGH I HAVE LIVED A HARD LIFE FOR 80 YEARS, BUT THIS BRAT IS JUST DOESN¡¯T CARE!!!¡±


    Going next to her I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t cry!¡±


    Stopping her tears she asks me, ¡°So you will give me what I want?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    She immediately goes back to crying on the floor like a little child. Trying to figure out a way to stop her crying I start to freak out, but Atalanta goes up to her and hits her with a wrestling move. ¡°STOP BEING A BABY!¡±


    ¡°Orb, let¡¯s not waste our time with this annoying child.¡±


    ¡°Hey Atalanta, you look pretty.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what, really, have you finally come to your senses?¡± Running at her from behind, the old woman gives Atalanta a drop kick.


    ¡°Orb you bastard, you distracted me.¡±


    ¡°You should have known that I was lying.¡±


    ¡°Come on you floozy, you think a cheap shot like that was enough to keep me down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have much more!¡±


    ¡°SO DO I!¡±


    As they are about to charge at each other, I get between them both and hold them back, ¡°Granny can you at least tell me what you want my hair for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I should have started with that.¡± Moving away from me, she runs then dives into the giant mountain of fabric she has, and after rustling around for a while she pulls something out.


    Looking closely at what she is pulling out I see it is a scarf, and a ridiculously long one at that. She keeps pulling it out and swivels it around to create a spiral on the floor.


    ¡°HOW MUCH SPACE DO YOU HAVE BACK THERE!!¡±


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    Looking at Atalanta she clicks her tongue, and then says, ¡°This is a scarf a has been made from all the different types of fabrics I have been able to get my hands on. You see, it is my dream to not only made the longest scarf in the world but the one with the most varied fabrics.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you want my hair?¡±


    ¡°Yes, when I saw your hair, I knew I must have it on my scarf.¡±


    ¡°I see, you should have led with that. I can lend you some of my hair, it has been getting long again anyways.¡±


    Giving me a hug, she says, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°But there might be a problem,¡± I say freezing the dye off my hair.


    ¡°Did your hair just change colours?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it happens according to my emotions, so I don¡¯t know if you would still want it.¡±


    Freaking out she says, ¡°My senses were right, I knew your hair would be amazing.¡±


    ¡°I am glad you like it, and just so you know I have lots of other fabric on my ship, you could use those as well.¡±


    ¡°Do you really mean that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. Just let me go fetch them, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Walking out of her house, Atalanta says, ¡°Now let¡¯s never return.¡±


    ¡°You really are horrible. Don¡¯t you like adventuring.¡±


    ¡°I like having fun, and let me tell you my fun sensor has been telling me to get the hell out of here, this country is way too intense and especially that old woman, just looking at her I can tell she is going to be a drag.¡±


    Putting my hands together I pray, ¡°Oh god, please don¡¯t let me be as irrational as Atalanta ever in my life.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!!¡±


    ¡°I hope you did!!!¡± I say running away, with her closely following behind.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting on a bench with Cyrus on my lap, a woman screams at the people who were surrounding me and Cyrus, she says, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, making a little girl cry.¡±


    Kneeling down one of them responds, ¡°But we thought she was suspicious. So, we panicked and jumped to conclusions.¡±


    ¡°So what, isn¡¯t it your job as grown-ass men to work well under pressure.¡±


    Standing up, the men say, ¡°Hey that¡¯s discrimination, being a man has nothing to do with that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right now you''re oppressing us based on our gender.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to let this unfair double standard go.¡±


    Staring at them, she says, ¡°Shut up before I throw you off of mount lock.¡±


    When the men quiet down, she walks over to me and says, ¡°Sorry about their embarrassing behaviour.¡±


    Putting on my mask I hide my face and turn my head away. ¡°It is not like I care what those idiots do to me.¡±


    Grabbing my face, the woman forces my head in her direction and says, ¡°My god who made this mask the craftsmanship is amazing?¡±


    Another woman grabs me from behind and asks, ¡°What are these tails made of, I have never felt anything this soft.¡±


    Women gathering around me start to touch me all over while asking a never-ending stream of questions, I start to feel sick; too many thoughts. Using my tails, I knock them all away and say, ¡°STAY AWAY YOU BASTARDS.¡±


    One of them walking back over to me says, ¡°Sorry for our rudeness, you¡¯re just rather fascinating to us, but we were being rude so let me start with this, my name is Jeter Mercury; what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Causally I say, ¡°Suzuka Gozen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather pretty name, for a rather pretty girl.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compliment me trash.¡±


    Another person walking up says, ¡°Your tails as very pretty.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re my legacy.¡±


    ¡°I heard of those in story books, but I have never come across one.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I.¡±


    ¡°Me as well.¡±


    Jeter says, ¡°Looks like we are all lucky to meet you.¡±


    All the compliments Suzuka received has filled her arrogance meter, so Suzuka says, ¡°Well of course you are lucky to meet me, I happen, to be me.¡±


    All the people around her had one thought; This girl is so easy!


    ¡°So would you be able to tell me who made this mask?¡±


    ¡°It was my mother, she loved every form of art from sculpting to painting.¡±


    ¡°Is this really a dragon? Will he steal our gold and kidnap our virgin daughters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, his name is Cyrus and he is a rather gentle dragon so don¡¯t worry about him.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me how you got here?¡±


    ¡°I took an airship from Elp¨ªda here.¡±


    Shocked the crowd lets out a yell. ¡°Like a ship that flies through the air.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    They all fall on the ground and say, ¡°Those lazy bastards in Elp¨ªda beat us to it.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys have an issue with them?¡±


    ¡°Oh course we do, those lazy idiots in Elp¨ªda have spent centuries mooching off of Basileia¡¯s work and displaying it as if it is their own. While we, the people of Skydust have been trying to surpass her perfection.¡±


    ¡°To choose not to expand Basileia¡¯s craft but instead to show it off what a waste, we will never forgive them.¡±


    ¡°Well I know how you guys feel, the people of Elp¨ªda are mean especially that one.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°THAT DUMB STUPID FUCKER IANCU.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, what did he do?¡±


    ¡°Even though we were nice to him when we first met, he decided to be mean to us for no reason, but you know what he started to be nice to Orb while continuing to bully me. I didn¡¯t even do anything to him, and he just keep going. Every time I see him, I want to crush his stupid vampire face.¡±


    ¡°He sounds like the worst. Who wouldn¡¯t want to be friends with you.¡±


    ¡°I know right.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Do you guys really want to know about all that stuff.¡±


    The large crowd says to me, ¡°Of course!!¡±


    ¡°Ok then, where should I begin.¡±


    While Suzuka continued to ramble on, she has yet to notice that the crowd around here has nearly tripled in size.


    Skydust is a city where all the citizens work nearly all day, and due to this social interactions is not common. So, whenever something new happens all the story-starved parasites take some time off work to see it.


    And unbeknownst to her, the young girl who has stories from countries these people have never been to is the most exciting thing currently going on in their lives.


    So, people, families, and even the animals around the city came to the bench she was sitting at to hear the girl ramble.


    ¡°Maria did you bring the food.¡±


    ¡°Right here. I wonder for how much longer she is going to go on for?¡±


    ¡°So that''s how I saved me and all my friends from the giant Kraken.¡±


    Suddenly I hear large claps, then looking around I see such a large amount of people that I freeze up like prey which has just been spotted by a predator.


    ¡°Suzuka you really are amazing,¡± Jeter says.


    Receiving the compliment, I fill up with energy and say, ¡°Oh course I am, but don¡¯t you think it is a bit on fair for only me to talk about myself, Jeter you tell me something about your city. Right now!¡±


    Jeter getting up says, ¡°In this country, we all try to perfect whatever form of craft we choose for ourselves, that is why we work to what outsiders may say is a bit too much, but we don¡¯t care cause to all of us reaching the highest peak of our craft is the most important thing. So we wear oversized clothes to remind us of the size of each of our individual dreams.¡±


    ¡°Nicely said your majesty,¡± someone says, as the crowd cheers.


    ¡°Eh, what did he mean your majesty?¡±


    ¡°Well it is sort of embarrassing since we are a city and not a country but I happen to be the ruler of Skydust.¡±


    Upon hearing this Suzuka¡¯s arrogance meter went all the way down and her giant head burst. Getting on my hands and knees in front of Jeter, I say, ¡°I am so sorry that a lowly vermin like me would dare to insult a royal such as yourself, I was cocky and got ahead of myself. As repentance, I shall perform seppuku right now.¡±


    Trying to push my tail through my stomach I am stooped by Jeter who says, ¡°No need for that, even though I am king I really am not any different than anyone else here, so don¡¯t worry about it. In fact, I am sort of embarrassed to even call myself king.¡±


    After he says this, we all hear a loud screech. Looking over in the direction where it came from I see a flock of gryphons, but more importantly, it seems as if they are waving some sort of flag.


    Jeter with sweat running down his face says, ¡°Those are from Gevurah.¡±

 Arc 7.07

    ¦µ While in a headlock, I say to Atalanta, ¡°How the hell are you so fast?¡±


    ¡°Maybe your just slow.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, and can you let go of me, I am going to choke.¡±


    ¡°This is what you deserve.¡±


    Elbowing her in the stomach I say, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste, I need to go get the fabrics and then make sure Suzuka and Cyrus are still alive.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean still alive?¡±


    ¡°It is just that I don¡¯t think leaving those two together could end well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem, both of them are quite similar.¡±


    ¡°You would think that at first glance, but I don¡¯t think those two are similar at all. It is like a land creature that can swim, and a sea creature that can go on land.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a stupid analogy.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Hearing something, I say, ¡°Atalanta, Gryphons are approaching this place.¡±


    ¡°Could it be more of the ones from earlier?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it, they wouldn¡¯t bother to ride through the material-filled airspace of Skydust unless someone was riding them.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go look for Cyrus and Suzuka, if anything happens it is better if we are all together.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± As me and Atalanta start to run, I see a man in a black hood pass us, his heartbeat is incredibly erratic.¡±


    ¦µ The gryphons continue to fly towards us incredibly fast and a flock of them land in the plaza. Turning to me Jeter says, ¡°Suzuka go hide yourself and Cyrus, it wouldn¡¯t be good if they saw you.


    ¡°But what about you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be fine, just go hide.¡±


    Following his instructions, I pick up Cyrus and hide among the crowd.


    ¦µ The dark-skinned woman sitting on the lead gryphon jumps down and loudly says, ¡°I am General Maria Scheffer of the Holy nation Gevurah, I demand an audience with your ruler!¡±


    ¡°How dare you be so rude.¡±


    ¡°You bastards have encircled the mountain.¡±


    ¡°You think you can just land in the middle of our country and demand things?¡±¡¯


    Letting out a little laugh, she says, ¡°Country, this is a mere city there are fewer people living here than there is in our army, don¡¯t falter yourselves.¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡±


    ¡°GO AWAY, INVADERS.¡±


    One of the gryphons lets out a screech. ¡°Koa what was that for?¡±


    ¡°Sorry general, but I refuse to let these people be so disrespectful as to raise their voices at you.¡± Turning to my people he says, ¡°Remember the only reason we are even being this civil is a courtesy, nothing more, remember your place.¡±


    As my people get even further enraged I calm them down and say, ¡°Everyone control yourselves.¡±


    Pointing at me she says, ¡°So you are the leader here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am King Jeter mercury of Skydust.¡±


    "Me and you need to have a talk.¡±


    ¡°I believe we do as well, follow me.¡±


    Grabbing my leg, a child in the crowd tells me, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡±


    Breaking the grip, I give the kid a pat on his head and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry everything will be ok, I promise you.¡± Turning to the crowd I say, ¡°We have all had our fun today, so let¡¯s all get back to work.¡±


    As the crowd disperses, Maria says, ¡°Koa, Gardienne you''re both with me.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    She called the man who was rather fierce to my people, and a woman who looked like she had nothing but hatred for us. When they get off I lead them into my house.


    After we all sit down in my living room Maria says to me, ¡°This place is quite cosy, nothing I would expect from a royal.¡±


    ¡°Well extravagance is a waste of time, I would rather have a small yet comfy home.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I like that.¡±


    Opening the door, I hear my wife come in carrying tea, after serving it to our guests she sits beside me. ¡°This is my wife, Kate.¡±


    ¡°I hope you enjoy, I put my heart and soul into making that gift.¡±


    Maria picks up the cup and is about to drink the tea my wife served, but is stopped by the man named Koa. ¡°General they could have easily poisoned that, please don¡¯t drink it.¡±


    ¡°Koa, you do know that is incredibly rude, especially when that woman said she put her heart and soul into it.¡± Taking a slip out of the cup, Maria puts her hand to her cheek and says, ¡°How delicious.¡±


    The man called Koa lots like he wants some too, so Kate gets up and offers tea to him which he takes. Then she goes to offer some to the other woman Gardienne.


    ¡°You want some too.¡±


    But as my wife goes to give it to her, she swings her hand about to hit her, but her hand is caught by Maria. ¡°Gardienne control yourself.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    Staring daggers at her Gardienne calms down. ¡°Sorry about that, she is a bit on edge.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Kate says.


    ¡°But I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ask away.¡±


    ¡°How does this tea cup work, when I stopped that attack I held my cup upside down but none of my tea fell down.¡±


    My wife¡¯s eyes light up. Grabbing Maria''s hands she says, ¡°Well you see the cup is made from a special compound, of about 60 percent benelium, 22 percent rotium, 9 percent opemium, 5 percent kaloium, and 4 percent wocium in the sky forge.


    This new compound has a special property that makes any liquid sick to it. So the tea will never fall from the cup, but this effect decreases as the liquid does so when you get to the bottom remnants you can still drink this it.¡±


    ¡°That must have been hard to make!¡± She says with a half-smile. It seems my wife shook her a bit.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know the half of it. The real issue isn¡¯t even the making it is all my intricate designs, you see I have to hand draw all the designs on the material right before it sets, but the benelium it is made from has a property where it will just randomly set.


    So time and time again while making cups, midway through the design it would just collapse it would just randomly set, which meant I had to spend another 4 hours at the sky forge to make my compound again. Simply doing that, made me lose 300 pounds due to heat.


    I am a big eater, and I put on weight quite easily. So all of this kept me thin, but then I would just go back to eating 9000 calories every day, and then I burn it off all again in the sky forge, due to all this rapid loss and gain of weight my body go confused and started to self-destruct; it was a horrible case of sky sickness.


    Now you might be asking yourself why I would go this far for such a thing. But it is simply because I want to be the best interior designer in the world. You see eventually mess happens which causes very expensive stains, so I have to create houseware which doesn¡¯t break, crack, dent, stain or degrade in any way.¡±


    Getting up, I put my hands over my wife¡¯s mouth and say, ¡°Sorry, she just loves to talk about the things she loves, been a long time since she talked about me like that.¡±


    Turning around in my arms, Kate says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry hubby, my feelings for you are too large for even words to express.¡±


    ¡°Really! Then do you love me more than your work?¡±


    ¡°Would you give up your craft if I asked you to?¡±


    ¡°Hell no!¡±


    ¡°You have your answer darling.¡±


    While me and my wife stare into each other¡¯s eyes we start to feel the house shake. Looking over at the woman Gardienne, I see she is shaking with anger, it seems she wasn¡¯t too happy with my wife''s story. Sitting down on the couch we say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you guys are a lot more fun than the royals in Gevurah. But I guess it is true what they say about all of  you guys being workaholics.¡±


    ¡°Well of course we are, this is the country where we get to follow our dreams,¡± Kate says.


    Sipping her tea Maria says, ¡°Ahh Skydust, the country of dreams and craft. All the citizens work for each other and all the money they make is mostly reinvested into the city so more people can achieve their dreams. To live here is incredibly cheap, the people are all friendly, and the royals are nice people, what an amazing place this is.¡±


    ¡°You make me blush but I feel the same way, I love sky dust as well.¡±


    ¡°Truly is a shame then.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°That this little city will soon cease to exist,¡± the general says staring right at me and my wife.


    Hearing this I am shaken, but my wife grasps my hand which clams me down. I can''t panic with her around. ¡°Now for what reason may that happen? I believe we have a rather friendly relationship with Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Yes you do, we happen to love all the exports from your country despite the price tag. But at least on the bright side, we will be able to get access to all those things without the price tag.¡±


    Hearing this I freeze up. ¡°Well, you see that is what will happen in the worst-case scenario, but let''s not let it get to that.¡±


    Kate in a commanding voice says, ¡°What do you people want?¡±


    ¡°Show some respect,¡± Koa says. But Maria just sips her tea quietly.


    ¡°You see, up until very recently we were in a war against the country of Varage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was CN widely spread that news. They said Varage is a country with lots of farmland and that Gevurah wanted it to become an agricultural colony of Gevurah, to supply future invasions. So, you began a 9-month-long war with Varage. The battle ended incredibly quick.¡±


    ¡°Those ninjas at CN never miss their mark. But you see there is a bit more to the story.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Earlier you said that a 9-month war was incredibly quick, but in actually we planned to take Gevurah in 1 week.¡±


    ¡°1 week!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we planned to crush Varage quickly and minimise bloodshed, but an issue occurred Varage fought back with unheard-of strength. Varage isn¡¯t known for its military might in the slightest, yet they pushed us back and after a while, we figured out the two reasons why they were able to combat us.


    First, they had been given a large number of weapons and equipment which they used to engage in gorilla warfare. And funny thing about said equipment, it was from Skydust.¡±


    ¡°We did no such thing!!¡± Kate screams.


    Gardienne yells, ¡°BE QUITE BEFORE I LOBE OF YOUR HEAD.¡±


    ¡°Gardienne control yourself, I am not finished.¡± Turning to face me again  Maria says, ¡°Sorry about that one it is her time of the month.¡±


    Embarrassed Gardienne says, ¡°Genera-.¡±


    ¡°Moving on the second reason is that they stole a large shipment of Basileia crystals, which they used to make very potent medicine which allowed them to fight for longer.


    And guess which trade route they intercepted then on; yes it was one of the private ones we use with Skydust. Then when we stopped using any of those trade routes, suddenly we had no more interception problem.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee you that we don¡¯t deal in war.¡±


    ¡°To be honest I couldn¡¯t believe it at first, why would a country like Skydust start stabbing us in the back, especially since they know we could turn them into literal dust. So, I decided to do some investigation, and 5000 dead interrogated bodies later I got my answer.


    Apparently, the ruler of Skydust was contacted by a group of young adults who offered to supply them with weapons and information, and the name of the leader of these adults was Percy Mercury the first prince of Skydust, your son.¡±

 Arc 7.08

    Holding my wife¡¯s hand tighter, I see Maria say, ¡°You guys don¡¯t look shaken by this news at all, it is as if you knew what he was doing.¡±


    Begrudgingly I say, ¡°My boy had some animosity against your ways which he was quite vocal about. So when he disappeared on the day war was officially declared against Varage we had our suspicions.¡±


    Koa says, ¡°He left with quite a lot of weapons, am I supposed to believe a small city like Skydust didn¡¯t find something strange about all those weapons being made and then suddenly disappearing.¡±


    Kate says, ¡°My son''s personal craft was decorative weapons, so it wouldn¡¯t have been strange to anyone if he made a large amount of them.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and dodge my question, you people are smart enough to know what I am getting at. Why didn¡¯t you inform Gevurah of this, if you had such suspicions your first action should have been to contact us. The fact that you didn¡¯t puts your loyalty in question.¡±


    Standing up, I see Gardienne ready herself to strike me, but to her surprise I get on my hands and knees to say, ¡°We did not have any involvement in this war, and we, no I, didn¡¯t inform you of such information because if there was even a 1 percent chance our son was involved we didn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to him.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU EVEN REALIZE HOW SELFISH THAT IS?¡±


    Hitting Koa in the gut Maria says, ¡°Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Gardienne has been rampaging and you never hit her.¡±


    ¡°You''re my personal soldier, I expect more from you.¡± Looking at me dead in the eye Maria says, ¡°I can understand wanting to protect your child since in fact I just became a mother, this happens to be my first mission back since giving birth 2 weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry me I have been stabbed through the chest before so I am used to pain.¡± Taking another sip of tea Maria says, ¡°I understand you guys, but understanding goes both ways so I need you to listen.


    Due to all the interference of your son, the war raged on and many people on both sides died, the casualty list exceeds 300,000 people many of which were close personal friends to my soldier, Gardienne here even lost her general which has her burning with anger.


    But the worst part is that lots of farmland was burned down during the course of the war, so we lost the main reason why we were even there.


    So to put it simply, the nobles are angry due to wasted funds, the people are angry due to the massive loss of soldiers during the war, the merchants are angry due to all the destruction of their new farmland, the royals are angry due to how this has affected our reputation, and worst of all the people of Varage will be faced with immense discrimination due to all the bad blood because of the war.


    So, you see we need a someone to blame this all on, and Skydust is at the top of our list.¡±


    ¡°So, you plan to destroy our country?¡±


    ¡°That depends on you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°After the war, your son Percy mercury escaped and after chasing him down, he eventually ran up mount lock.¡±


    ¡°Wait you mean.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Percy is probably in Skydust. So instead of punishing this whole city, we will take the brat responsible for this and pin it all on him. But you see it will be incredibly hard for us to catch him since we are not familiar with the hazards of Skydust or mount lock.¡±


    Kate says, ¡°So you want us to catch our son, then hand him over to you to be executed, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am dead serious. Your son''s foolish actions have caused the deaths of over 300,000 people. That number is worth over 10 Skydust. He might be one of the biggest fools in the third cycle. So now I give you the option of handing him over to us or wiping your entire city out.¡±


    Suddenly we hear a knock on the door, then I see my daughter walk in covered in jam. ¡°Peppa, what did you do.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, I made some art.¡±


    ¡°Walking up to her I say, ¡°What is wrong with you. Wait, that artwork is rather creative.¡±


    ¡°Yippee, daddy.¡±


    Letting out a loud laugh Maria gets up and says, ¡°Well that is all I wanted to say today.¡± Walking next to me, she puts her hand on my shoulder and says, ¡°If you want young ones like this to enjoy this beautiful city you know what to do.¡±


    After she tells me this, they all walk out of the house with Gardienne angrily closing the door behind us.


    I should have stopped Percy that day.


    ¡°Father, if Gevurah is allowed to run unchecked, soon the whole continent will be under then.¡±


    ¡°Percy, we are a country of makers, not destroyers no matter what we will not deal in war.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see that is the problem, all countries worry too much about themselves and forget that when one falls the next one becomes easier. All the countries need to work as one, and with our equipment we could bring Gevurah to its knees. I have already started devolpin-.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Grabbing him by the collar I say, ¡°STOP IMMIEDIALTY. Tell me son how do you really think that will be enough to topple Gevurah, do you really think it will be as simple as everyone joining hands? In every single country you will come across bad people, so the moment you stop Gevurah another will come. All you would achieve in the long run is getting people killed.¡±


    ¡°So should we just sit down, and let them trample over people''s lives, if so war would be better.¡±


    Out of anger, I slap my son right in the face. ¡°You know nothing about war you brat. War is a pointless fruitless activity; that is why in this country we choose to create instead of destroy, to show people what peace truly looks like.¡±


    Turning to me with eyes full of life like a beast, Percy says, ¡°Such a passive way of thinking will never change anything.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No nothing.¡± Turning my head to my wife I say, ¡°We need to go have a meeting with the council.¡±


    ¡°I will go gather everyone.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Running around through a crowd of people, I go up to one of them and ask, ¡°Have you seen a young girl with tails, and a handsome grown man.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be talking about Suzuka and Cyrus, they should be somewhere in that direction.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I say running off. Moving as fast as we can, we run towards the direction we were told they were in, and when we get closer, we start to see a small crowd of people gathered together.


    Running through the crowd, I see Suzuka on the floor with her hands against her head, ¡°What is happening?¡±


    Looking up at me from the floor Suzuka says, ¡°I just got overwhelmed by everyone¡¯s emotions.¡±


    Picking her up I say, ¡°Cyrus, Atalanta, let¡¯s return to the ship for now.¡±


    Turning to face one of the people around Suzuka, I ask, ¡°Could you pass on a message for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but to whom?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know her name, but there is an old woman who lives in that giant mansion over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, lady Dush.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell her I will be back tomorrow with what I promised her, something came up and I don¡¯t think I will be able to make it today.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± With Suzuka in my arms, we run off towards the ship.


    -Break-


    As we enter the ship, I take Suzuka to her room and lay her down. ¡°If it was too much for you, I would have liked to hear sooner.¡±


    ¡°It was manageable until the gryphons arrived, then everyone¡¯s emotions became heavy.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus says, ¡°They w-w-w-where fr-r-r-rom Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the holy nation.¡±


    Walking into the room Avram says, ¡°I think you guys should be careful then.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Gevurah is none for being aggressive to get what they want, and I am sure if they take notice of you guys you will all be on that list.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I still need to go back tomorrow, I have a promise to fulfil.¡±


    On the bed, Suzuka says, ¡°I also want to go make sure everyone is ok tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°You know we plan to leave tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Stop being a buzz kill Avram, let us have our fun.¡±


    ¡°Flicking me in the forehead Avram says, ¡°Fun has no consequences other than time, so don¡¯t give me that.¡± letting out a sigh he says, ¡°Just be safe.¡±


    ¡°Promise, but changing the subject, do you have any fabrics from your home country?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask.¡±


    ¡°It is just that I know a person who is in desperate need of it.¡±


    ¡°I should have some spare let me look around.¡±


    ¡°Ok, and if you have any other rare fabrics could you hand them over as well.¡±


    ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t really have anything that fits the bill, but I know someone who does.¡±


    ¡°And who might that be.¡±


    -Break-


    Staring at her, as she arrogantly looks back at me from a chair with her legs crossed. Elia says with a devilish smirk, ¡°So Orb, I heard you want something from me.¡±


    Turning my head to Avram at my side I say, ¡°Please, literally anyone else, I will do this for anyone else just not her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but if you¡¯re looking for someone with high-end fabrics you won¡¯t find anyone better than Elia.¡±


    Walking closer to her, Elia says, ¡°Please maintain a distance, when you get too close I am remained of vomit.¡±


    ¡°You got closer to me earlier today!¡±


    ¡°Orb when you¡¯re asking someone for a favour, you don¡¯t point out their idiocy, you kiss ass and agree with everything they say or ask of you.¡±


    ¡°Avram, please just use your power over her to get me what I want.¡±


    ¡°No can do, you¡¯re not that young, go talk things out.¡±


    ¡°So, Elia.¡±


    ¡°Right now, your head is above me, don¡¯t you think that is rather rude when asking for a favour.¡±


    Getting on my knees I say, ¡°Elia.¡±


    ¡°Just saying my name without any title, it kinda puts me in an uncharitable mood.¡±


    ¡°Lady Elia.¡±


    ¡°Lady makes me sound old.¡±


    ¡°Princess Elia.¡±


    ¡°I would prefer to be the crown princess.¡±


    ¡°Angelic crown princess Elia.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I liked that one.¡±


    ¡°Would you please grace me with some of your fabric?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why!¡±


    ¡°You might use it for some witchcraft, I don¡¯t plan on being cursed.¡±


    Sitting down bubbling with rage, Atalanta says, ¡°Why do you look like your angry, isn¡¯t she like that femme fetish you were on about.¡±


    ¡°SHE IS NOTHING LIKE THAT. Femme fatal and moreover, villainesses must scheme your ruin behind your back. Nice to your face but hates you behind her back.  But despite her looks, she is just a bitch to your face.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Orb you¡¯re going to make me blush.¡±


    I am going to kill her; no Orb; you have a promise to keep. Bowing my head I say, ¡°Please Elia I need your help, I promise I will never let anything bad happen to it.¡±


    ¡°Ok I see, I believe you, but what fabrics do you want.¡±


    Eh it was that easy, I thought she would haggle me more. ¡°Is something wrong Orb?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, I would like something rare that can¡¯t be found anywhere else,¡± I say with a smile.


    Getting up she grabs goes and grabs some fabrics and hands them to me.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°You said you needed them, so here, is there anything else you need.¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°Orb told me he likes stockings, so I am sure he will like your tights or pantyhose.¡±


    Grabbing Atalanta by the throat I say, ¡°SHUT UP!!¡±


    ¡°Well, you did want something priceless.¡±


    ¡°Wait what.¡± Turning my head, I see Elia slowly take her tights off. I felt like I was in a life-and-death battle because I couldn¡¯t take my eyes off of her. When she finished she handed them to me, ¡°If you do something other than what I gave them to you for, god will erase your name from the book of heaven.¡± With that, she leaves the room.


    Atalanta says, ¡°Orb your nose is leaking blood. Turns out you are a normal fifteen-year-old boy.¡±


    Turning to her I say, ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!!!¡±


    Logs of characters


    Name:  Maria Scheffer


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Pieces 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Yellow


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: A dark-skinned woman, she is a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat general of Gevurah. She is a no-nonsense general who is known for being incredibly stern. Though all her soldiers have incredible respect for her due to her leadership.


    Koa Lala: He is the right-hand man of Maria Scheffer and a 3<sup>rd</sup> seat of Gevurah. He respects his general more than anyone else.


    Gardienne Blue: A 3<sup>rd</sup> seat of Gevurah, who was formerly under General Louis, but due to the war at Varage she has been left leaderless and burns with fury against Percy Mercury.

 Arc 7.09

    -Break-


    Walking past the circular barrier towards Skydust, Atalanta says, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hit me so hard.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t have to be so annoying. How the hell am I ever going to live this down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if aren¡¯t ecstatic to have those rights now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, wait no, I hate you!!¡±


    ¡°Orb do you really like those?¡± Suzuka asks.


    ¡°No Suzuka, it really isn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with you Orb,¡± Cyrus says.


    ¡°Yeah, Orb if you like woman¡¯s legwear we won¡¯t judge you for it.¡±


    The innocence of those two is almost blinding. ¡°You¡¯re both too precious for this world, I need you guys to be safe today.¡±


    ¡°Promise we will,¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°Atalanta go with them to make sure they function.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you didn¡¯t want to be involved with Dush?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday she had the upper hand against me, but today I plan to pay that hag back.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I mumble, ¡°Grow up.¡±


    Atalanta swings at me, but I move my body out of the way and run off saying, ¡°Have a nice time guys.¡±


    ¦µ After Orb and Atalanta runoff, the silence around me and Cyrus weighs more than gravity. I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this.


    ¡°S-S-Suzaka let us g-g-go.¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-YEAH!!¡± I shouted by accident. While we walk into the city I let out a little prayer, please god help me!


    ¡°Hahaha Suzuka you¡¯re a funny one, god helps humans not monsters like you.¡±


    ¡°Your right Gozy.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Lady Dush is really going to love all these fabrics, we have some from Avram''s home country, all of Elia''s stuff, and even some clothes from Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you had to go so far for this old lady.¡±


    ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, how childish of you.¡±


    ¡°Insulting someone¡¯s intelligence because they don¡¯t agree with you is idiotic behaviour. But I guess telling an idiot not to be idiotic would be unfair.¡±


    ¡°What did you just say to me!¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter!¡±


    As me and Atalanta begin to fight in front of the gate to Dush¡¯s mansion, a man walks out and breaks up our fight.


    While on our knees the man dressed like a butler says, ¡°Picking fights in front of someone else¡¯s home, how uncouth.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± we say with our heads hanging low in shame.


    ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you two the foreigners who our lady brought back?¡±


    ¡°We are, and I came to deliver the fabric for her scarf,¡± I say still ashamed because of my action


    ¡°I see, I am sorry to ask this, but would I be able to ask you both for help? An incident took place last night.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Leading us into the house, we take a look at the giant mansion and see how big it is, but one thing I immediately notice is that it looks a bit messy with stuff missing, ¡°Where you robbed?¡±


    ¡°Yes, last night a small amount of stuff was taken. We have no idea how they got in and out, but we were robbed. But among all the things they took it involved our lady''s most prized possession, her scarf.¡±


    ¡°Is she ok?¡±


    ¡°Ever since hearing the news she locked herself in her room, the staff are keeping a close eye on her to make sure nothing happens to her. But you see we could use every extra pair of hands we can get, so if it would be possible could you help us find the Thieves.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we can.¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°Wait a second Orb, this doesn¡¯t make sense. Why are you asking us? We are not that familiar with Skydust, if you want to find someone you would be better off asking actually citizens for help.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that, after the announcement yesterday everyone is looking for an escapee.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Then couldn¡¯t this escapee have been the one to do this?¡±


    ¡°Items from around the house were stolen at random, like the person didn¡¯t have much concept of the value of things and just grabbed them.


    The criminal who the city is looking for would have stolen the more expensive items. But it was mostly worthless items that were stolen.¡±


    ¡°So, on top of a criminal loose in the city, you have some random thieves. This still sounds like not only a bother but a pointless activity.¡±


    Bowing his head in front of us he says, ¡°Our lady lost her husband when she was young, and it has been 30 years since she has even seen her son. Due to this every day she had been sad as if she had fallen into complete despair.


    To the dismay of all us servants, all we could do is watch as she slowly deteriorated like a corpse.


    But one day she decided to build a house at the back of the mansion and start making a scarf. Ever since that day a smile reappeared on her face. That scarf is equivalent to her life, so I ask you; please reclaim it.¡±


    ¡°I already said I will, so I will reclaim it.¡±


    ¡°Orb, you know we''re only here for one more day?¡±


    ¡°Then I guess we better hurry. Do you guys know any places where their scent might be?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I just have a good noise, so knowing that will help out.¡±


    ¡°Ok, well these vases were broken so they must have touched them.¡±


    When I get a good sniff of the vase I say, ¡°I think I got it. Atalanta let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we walk out the butler says, ¡°God bless you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Under her breath, I hear Atalanta mumble, ¡°What I drag this is going to be.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Upon entering the town, a kid points at me and shouts, ¡°Mommy, fox girl is back.¡±


    When he says this, all the people in the surrounding area run over to me and start talking to me.


    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re ok.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any more fun stories to tell us about?¡±


    ¡°Did you get a good nights rest, sleep is the only need you can''t go long without off.¡±


    Upon hearing all this praise, I can feel my arrogance meter filling. ¡°You better get a grip of yourself you dumb bitch.¡±


    ¡°Right Gozy, I should.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka are you alright you, just started talking to yourself?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, but more importantly why do you all seem so panicked.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was hiding it, but it seems you saw through me.¡±


    ¡°No, you really did hide it well.¡± I can¡¯t tell her that all of their emotions are going crazy.


    Sitting down someone says, to me, ¡°Well we will give you the rundown.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°So if you don¡¯t find the man named Percy and hand him over, you¡¯re going to go to war with Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Not war, slaughter.¡±


    ¡°If our small country got into a fight with Gevurah, I would be surprised if we could last for a day.¡±


    ¡°This is too much for my heart.¡±


    ¡°To think Percy would put us in all this trouble. I knew he could be irrational, but I never knew it was that bad.¡±


    ¡°Well to think his weaponry was actually able to put up a fight against Gevurah, I am honestly sort of impressed.¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean, who would have thought mister peed his pants till he was 11 could get the holy nation to be this pissed off.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk as if he just peed his pants, he used to sleep with his mother until he was 10. Eventually, his mother told him he needed to grow up, and he cried for 3 weeks straight.¡±


    ¡°I remember that his crying kept Lisa''s baby up all night as well. Baby Rebecca used to cry like a lion.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop remembering things before I even was cognitive.¡±


    ¡°Why should we, I for one had to plug my ears every night to even get a wink of sleep.¡±


    ¡°Well if we¡¯re bringing up people''s pasts, Radum once fed all the munchnunchers the wrong materials and they all got poisoned; we lost the ability to make fresh air up here, and everyone also suffocated.¡±


    ¡°I apologized for that multiple times, and earlier that day I had to taste test for Meeca. Her food was so bad that it made my mental health deteriorate. I wasn¡¯t in the right mind.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to improve my cooking cause my husband said he would rather eat Buffanoa shit than of my cooking.¡±


    ¡°What a heartless husband.¡±


    ¡°How could you say that to her.¡±


    ¡°Looks like divorce is in your future.¡±


    ¡°She cooked me chicken and it was blue, it was blue, Meeca how did you make it blue.¡±


    With tears forming in her, Meeca says, ¡°I put all my love into it.¡±


    ¡°But why was it BLUE!¡±


    People form around Meeca and say, ¡°Happy wife, happy life.¡±


    ¡°If you have to eat poison every day to keep your wife happy you do it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so hard about this to understand?¡±


    ¡°Mecca you can marry me instead.¡±


    ¡°HEY WHO SAID THAT LAST ONE!¡±


    ¡°I stand with Robert, only those who have eaten blue meat will understand his sorrow.¡±


    Someone claps their hands together and says, ¡°Let¡¯s stop commenting on other people''s marriages and get back to the topic on hand.¡±


    ¡°Finally, someone with some sense,¡± Robert says.


    ¡°Why cats are better than dogs, especially black cats.¡±


    The lady who says this gets hit on the back of the head by Rebecca who says, ¡°Don¡¯t derail the conversation any longer, especially when the answer is obviously cats.¡±


    ¡°Wait a second, I object to that.¡±


    ¡°Me too, dogs are better.¡±


    ¡°Dogs are obviously the master race.¡±


    ¡°You''re all delusional, dogs are dumb pieces of meat.¡±


    ¡°And cats are bullies.¡±


    ¡°I love dogs, dogs love me. I love cats, cats hate me. Cats suck!¡±


    As everyone continues to smile and have fun as they talk with each other, all I can feel is amazement. Despite all the fear I can feel from them they all still choose to try and smile.


    ¡°I WON¡¯T EVER FORGIVE PERCY!¡± I scream.


    Hearing my declaration everyone stops what they''re doing and looks at me. ¡°Suzuka you shouldn¡¯t say that.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is so nice and caring to even someone like me, yet that man decided to spit in all your faces with his actions, and now his sole life is what has put you all in danger. So I will never forgive him, and I promise you all I will catch him.¡± After I say this I run away.


    Realizing I forgot Cyrus I run back and grab him, then as I run off again, I scream, ¡°Cats are better than dogs.¡±


    While I move away my anger boils even more. If I had people like these guys around me all the time, there is no way I would never do anything to make them sad. I will never forgive you, Percy.¡±


    Name: Munchnunchers


    Height: 212 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, omnivore


    Description: A bipedal rectangular-shaped wonderbeast covered in fur, that feeds on every single type of material. It is capable of opening it mouth the entire length of its body so it can eat food. It has the ability to convert certain materials into different substances; this is usually denoted by the colour of the wonderbeast. Do to its mouth always being full it breaths through its skin.


    Fact: Due to being domestic by the people of Skydust the Munchnunchers have adapted to only eat, and convert they have lost all other survival abilities.


    Name: Buffanoa


    Height: 170-350 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, omnivore


    Description: A large armoured wonderbeast that is closely related to buffalos. It is incredibly muscly which grants immense physical strength. Its most notable characteristic is its giant shovel-shaped horns. Its horns can be used for transport, cleaning debris and for digging holes.


    Fact: It is a wonderbeast that was specifically bread for use in Skydust, it is unknown whether it could possibly survive in the wild.

 Arc 7.10

    -Break-


    ¦µ It kind of weird to just be sitting here doing work. In less than a week Gevurah might attack and destroy everything on Skydust, I just guess it really hasn¡¯t hit me yet.


    I heard some people have started panicking, while others have started to devote themselves to their craft even more. I guess if our country is going to be destroyed, they at least want to reach the pinnacle of their craft.


    Pumping myself up I say, ¡°Then I will do the same, I will become the best pawn shop in all of Skydust. But aren¡¯t I the only one in Skydust, doesn¡¯t that make me the best by default.¡± Realizing my greatness, I let out a laugh of victory.


    Suddenly I hear a smacking sound, then, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Looking down, I see a small boy no older than 10 years old dressing in a clown costume with a crescent moon mask. But, behind the little boy is a giant bag of stuff. ¡°Hello dear customer, what can I do for you today.¡±


    Staring directly into my face the boy says, ¡°Why do you look like that?¡±


    ¡°Look like what?¡±


    ¡°A disfigured troll, why, I would like to know?¡±


    ¡°HEY, YOU LITTLE BRAT DID YOUR PARENTS NEVER TEACH YOU MANNERS.¡±


    Frightened the kid says, ¡°Sorry, but should I really be nice to pawn scum like you?¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY YOU BRAT.¡±


    ¡°I just called you what you were, a low-class man who pawns things off people instead of actually making anything. Now let¡¯s get to business.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you brat, you must be misinformed if you think I am just your average pawn shop owner. Listen here, everyone on this island is a sociopath so if any little thing they make is imperfect they either trash it or sell it to me.


    But what they call trash would go for about 5 gold coins anywhere else or 750,000 lupas. So, I buy their trash for pocket change, then resell them at high prices. Despite being a lowly pawn shop owner, I happen to be the third most affluent person on Skydust.


    I am the ultimate pawn shop owner, unmatched in heaven and on earth, the one who causes wars to stop at his presence, L?ichen.¡±


    Looking down, I see the little boy clapping his hands, and says, ¡°Cool, how cool, then that means I can trust you. Thieves and pawn shop owners have always been friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a thieve?¡±


    Sweat starts to tickle down the boy''s face, then he turns it to the side and says, ¡°Did I say thieve I meant relieved, I am relieved that I have the best most handsome pawnshop owner in the world.¡±


    Happy I say, ¡°Well since you seem to know your stuff, I will let that one go. Now, what do you need.¡±


    Reaching into his bag the kid pulls out a bunch of ridiculously high-end things and says, ¡°Give me money.¡±


    ¡°What the hell, where did you get this stuff.¡±


    ¡°I found it laying on the street.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect me to believe that?¡±


    Throwing a tantrum the child says, ¡°Stop overthinking things, don¡¯t you want my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that.¡± Now how should I rip this child off. While examining the things he handed to me I say, ¡°All these things belong to lady Dush.¡±


    Using my arm, I grab all the things he places in front of me and bring them behind me.


    ¡°What are you doing, aren¡¯t you a pawn shop, just give me money no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Everything on Skydust is made by someone pouring their hearts and souls into their craft and to steal that is to spit in the face of all of that, not a single person here would buy that stuff off of you. So, hand over all that other stuff.¡± I say reaching out my hand to grab him.


    Jumping back, he says, ¡°You suck, BLEH.¡± But as he jumps back, he lands in the arms of a young boy with snow-white hair.


    ¦µ ¡°Hey little boy, just know if you¡¯re going to rob someone, A don¡¯t walk around in a costume that obviously makes you look suspicious, then B don¡¯t carry all the stuff in a bag with the crest of the person you robbed on it.¡±


    From my right I hear, ¡°Anto, we got to run!¡±


    Looking over in that direction, I see someone in the same kind of clown costume as the boy but more feminine, the clown is also holding a box over her head.


    Stolen story; please report.


    While looking away, I hear the boy move his hand towards me so I move my head away. But he manages to cut me in the side of the head, looking at his hand I see he has a dagger which looks like a legacy.


    Despite his attack, I keep my grip on him and say, ¡°Your too slow.¡±


    The boy throws his dagger in the direction of the other clown and sticks out his tongue at me. Then suddenly he disappears, and the box the other clown was holding appears in my arms.


    Looking over to where he was, I see the other clown holding the boy clown in her hands. I go to give chase, but then I feel something come over me and I fall to the floor.


    ¦µ Finally catching up to Orb, I say, ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to walk so far ahead.¡± Looking up I see 2 clowns with one holding a bag of stuff. Their clothes just scream we robbed that old hag.


    Walking up to Orbs crunched over body, I say, ¡°You ok!¡±


    Suddenly Orb gets up and puts his hands on my shoulder and says, ¡°Atalanta we need to go have sex right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta did I stutter, we need to go sleep with each other right now.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but why the sudden change?¡±


    ¡°Because I really just want to -Censor- you in the -Censor- all night long.¡±


    Did he finally come to his senses, wait Atalanta think about this logically. ¡°Hey you brats, what did you do to Orb?¡±


    ¡°Idiot, why would we tell an ugly girl like you, isn¡¯t that right Anto.¡±


    ¡°She is so pretty.¡±


    I can use this. ¡°Please Anto help me, my brain is too small to figure out what you did.¡±


    ¡°My legacy has the power to invert things. So, I used it to invert the order of importance in that boy''s mind. The least important thing in his mind became the most important thing.¡±


    ¡°Anto, you stupid idiot, don¡¯t just tell her that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a stupid idiot, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°The order of importance.¡± Realizing what the boy just told me I get angry.


    ¡°Atalanta, right now the most important thing to me is to bed you, I have no time to waste.¡±


    ¡°Even when you don¡¯t try, you still manage to insult me Orb, and I have had enough.¡± Pumping spirit energy into my right hand, I crash my fist down against the back of his head.


    Getting up from the floor, Orb looks at me and then throws up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hit you that hard are you okay.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all, I just realized what I just said to you, and the very thought of it is far too disgusting for me. Oh god, am I going to throw up again.¡±


    Running out of his shop, a man says, ¡°Give back those things you stole, if you do it now there will be no punishment.¡±


    ¡°We refuse. It goes against what teacher taught us.¡±


    ¡°Thieves rule number 3; those who get robbed are at fault, it sucks to suck.¡±


    ¡°WHO THE HELL TAUGHT YOU BOTH THAT!¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    ¡°Bleh,¡± Anto says as they both run off.


    ¡°Orb they¡¯re getting away; you better hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Orb says heading in their direction.


    ¦µ Using snowboost I get up onto the rooftop they were both on in seconds, ¡°It is time for revenge you rugrats.¡±


    ¡°Mime it seems he is like us.¡±


    ¡°He is so handsome.¡±


    ¡°Mime, focus!¡±


    Using their moments of conversation I try to get close, but the Anto grabs Mime and throws his dagger, then just like before an object appears in place of them. Looking over in the direction of his throw I see them both running across the rooftops, so I give chase.


    They are both rather nimble and fast. As they run they make very effective use of the environment to hide, if it wasn¡¯t for my hearing and sense of smell, I would have easily lost track of them. From the way they acted, I thought they were stupid, but these two are quite skilled.


    Sending some of my ice forward, I see them both jump through a window, so I follow them both through the window. As I enter I see we are all in a long corridor with a window on the other and a set of stairs towards the right.


    If they go below me, I can freeze them with ease, so I am guessing they will head for that window, all I got to do I catch up to them. In a straight shot, these kids have no way of staying away from me.


    Using snow boost, I dash forward towards them but Mime takes a dagger out as well, and then she seems to activate a legacy on it. She strikes the ground and the walls, which causes them all to burst open and invert sending debris flying my way.


    I manoeuvre and dodge it all using the walls as footing. When I finally gain some nice footing, I use snow boost to dash towards them but then they disappear again and I am hit with a metal block in my face. ¡°Now it is personal.¡±


    Dashing out of the window, I jump on the rooftop they are on, and using most of my strength I create a massive wave of snow that I turn to ice trapping the two clowns'' legs.


    While they are bound, I say, ¡°Another two legacies, I might really be cursed, though it is strange you both have similar powers.¡±


    ¡°There is only one legacy here.¡±


    ¡°Me and my twin sister share one.¡±


    ¡°Because we are one body.¡±


    ¡°One soul.¡±


    ¡°I see, so that explains it, your sister inverts tangible things like buildings, while you invert intangible things like thoughts.¡±


    Sweating Anto says, ¡°Your way off, not even close.¡±


    But to my reassurance Mime says, ¡°So not only beauty but brains as well.¡±


    ¡°Mime, don¡¯t give away all our secrets.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Anto, you did the exact same thing.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you dumb clown.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, you tiny cat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me I cat, they''re all demons.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess that suits you rather well.¡±


    ¡°I hate you!¡±


    ¡°I hate you too!!¡±


    ¡°Both of you need to learn to be nicer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will,¡± Mime says.


    ¡°YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!!¡±


    Letting out a sigh I say, ¡°You both don¡¯t seem to realize what trouble you''re both in, you stole from the richest person in this city, do you really think there will be no punishment?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t care about that as long as it helps us reach our dream.¡±


    ¡°Your dream?¡±


    ¡°Me and my brother both wish to one day have a house completely composed of candy and chocolate.¡±


    ¡°So, no matter where we are inside, we can eat sweet things.¡±


    ¡°You both could have just worked hard for that.¡±


    ¡°Thieves rule number 4; nothing tastes better than food you didn¡¯t pay for.¡±


    ¡°Your teacher needs to be sent to prison.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t let that go, even for someone as beautiful as you.¡±


    Raising her hand Mime tries to strike my ice with her dagger, but I convert some ice into snow then extend it and freeze over her hand.


    ¡°Sorry, I will undo that soon.¡±


    In my peripheral vision, I see Anto throw his dagger towards Mime and when it is directly in the middle of them both they swap potions, Anto catching his thrown dagger. Mime then uses her dagger to invert and break my ice.


    They both make a run for the edge of the building and jump off of it. Following close behind I use snow boost to close the distance, but Anto throws his dagger at me. I manage to move myself out of the dagger way, but suddenly the sights around me change.


    After taking a second to realize what happen I see I have changed position.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± I hear someone scream. But it was too late, I am hit by a Buffanoa and sent flying. Soon after, I land in something mushy, getting up I see that I am covered in shit.

 Arc 7.11

    I finally get it, when he throws the dagger, it acts as a midpoint between two targets, he then uses it to invert the positions of two objects in space. How annoying.


    ¡°Hey, Orb.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering when are going to get out of that pile of shit?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Jumping out of the shit, I freeze all of it off my body. Then I start to walk away.


    ¡°Got to figure out a plan to catch those two.¡±


    ¡°At the rate you¡¯re going, it will be weeks before you catch them.¡±


    ¡°Well if you want to speed this up you could use your bow and support me.¡±


    ¡°Oh so now you want my bow, don¡¯t you remember what you said on the ship!¡±


    ¡°I have never once brought up your bow in conversation, are you going insane.¡±


    Grabbing me by the face, she says, ¡°Orb if you try to make me look insane one more time, it will be the last time you draw breath. Am I Clear?¡±


    ¡°Crystal.¡±


    ¡°Good, yellow for fear.¡±


    ¡°All women really are evil, I miss Maple.¡±


    ¡°Well just give up on this and let¡¯s head back, you know what let¡¯s give up on this whole Cyrus sister thing and head back.¡±


    ¡°You know you have had a bad attitude all the while we are in Skydust, didn¡¯t you want to come with us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did, to have fun, helping strangers isn¡¯t fun.¡±


    ¡°But you looked like you were having a great time helping me and Maple in Basileia.¡±


    ¡°Orb there seems to be some confusion here so let me clear it up. I will never ever do something for the sake of someone else, I do things because they are fun. Back then helping you and Maple smelled like it would lead me to more heart-pounding situations, not boring slogs like this.


    Judge me if you want, but I simply can¡¯t be a sociopath who helps every single person he meets and can forgive all those who wronged him.


    I guess you''re disappointed that your perfect queen Atalanta, isn¡¯t a benevolent saint.¡±


    Crouching down and scratching my head I say to Atalanta, ¡°Not at all, in fact, that is totally understandable.¡±


    ¡°Eh really?¡±


    ¡°I am many things, but an idiot isn¡¯t one. I am fully aware that my sense of morality is a bit too much.¡±


    ¡°Then for what reason do you do such things.¡±


    ¡°Well, how should I put this? You see when I was younger, it was like everything outside Fimbulwinter was trapped in a glorious box that I couldn¡¯t enter.


    Within the box were the countless people from all the stories I have read, all those people were living in such a harsh but wonderous world,  pushing through suffering and sadness still trying to find happiness, they were all living like humans, and I wanted to live like a human as well.


    You know what that was explained really poorly let me use this as an example; I never told you guys this, but did you know Capti was quite a religious person.¡±


    ¡°Captivant, but wait wasn¡¯t he-.¡±


    ¡°A manwhore, Capti was a complete manwhore. Capti constantly told me stories about all the trouble and situations he used to get up in when he was younger, and they were all wild.


    He was a heavy drinker, he did a lot of weird drugs, and had sex with over 300 women, it was ridiculous. But he actually turned to religion midway through his life. He was so pious that a bunch of his books ended with the sentence; god loves you.


    It was such a jarring shift that I constantly asked him why this happened, we even spent quite a bit of time looking back to see what event caused the shift, but we weren¡¯t able to find any big events in his life that could caused such a change.


    Crazy isn¡¯t it, that a person like Capti could go through such a shift. But it happened, and the reason that happened was because he went out into the world and lived a good life.


    Every single human can go through the same kind of great shift and die just as fulfilled as Capti, so that¡¯s why I help everyone good or bad, so they can go through great shifts and reach their pinnacles, the fact they have been able to keep living this far in life is a miracle, so I want to help them all I can. And maybe I will get to be human one day as well.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Letting out a sigh Atalanta says, ¡°Your actually a lot dumber than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no need to be rude.¡±


    ¡°But still, I can confidently say that if I ever have a child I hope they will be a good boy like you.¡±


    ¡°Well with how easily you spread your legs I am sure that will be sooner rather than later.¡±


    Choking me Atalanta says, ¡°We almost had a moment there.¡±


    Letting go she tells me, ¡°Well thanks to your little speech I feel excited, so let¡¯s go catch those two clowns while I am in the mood.¡±


    With a smile appearing on my face I say, ¡°Right!¡±


    ¦µ I think my hand smells weird.


    Did I wash my hands before preparing the food?


    Crap, I got peppers in my eyes.


    That boy with white hair was so handsome, if only we meet off the battlefield.


    I just hit a boy with my buffanoa, is he alive?


    I need to finish this dress; I can''t die before my masterpiece is completed.


    That girl with large breasts was so pretty, if only Mime let me talk to her.


    Should I eat the crust on this bread or leave it?


    I know it, my husband is using the incoming war threat to have an affair.


    I need to go get that special gift for my wife¡¯s birthday ready. It might be her last.


    I am reaching that age, I need to figure out what craft I will be doing for the rest of my life.


    No not this one.


    I want to grow up and be like mommy and daddy.


    Without my scarf life is not worth living.


    My big brother has returned, and it seems he is playing a big game of tag with everyone, I should join in as well.


    Not these either


    Search party U and I, please go search sections 3 and 4 again of the city we need to find Percy.


    Please God have mercy on us all.


    I can die like this, I have never even felt a woman¡¯s embrace.


    Grabbing my head, I let out a scream, ¡°All these people aren¡¯t Percy.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka, are you ok?¡± Cyrus asks.


    ¡°Yeah I am doing fine,¡± I say with my best smile.


    No matter how much I focus I just can¡¯t find him, I have found quite a few strange thoughts while scanning everyone¡¯s brain, but none of them seems to be Percy¡¯s.


    Feeling a stroke of pain, I grab my head. When I focus on thoughts and emotions like this it makes my head hurt even worse than usual.


    ¡°Suzuka, you d-d-d-d-don¡¯t look well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus I am doing fine.¡±


    I can¡¯t stop until I find him, no way in hell am I going to let the people of Skydust be killed like dogs. People shouldn¡¯t be punished for others'' actions.


    Grabbing my head I say, ¡°Let¡¯s get back to this.¡± Expanding my focus, the thoughts and emotions evolve and now instead of just background noise in my head to legible words.


    It''s intense and heavy, especially since everyone on Skydust constantly has something on their minds. Still, this isn¡¯t enough I need to go deeper and forcefully expand my scope, I need to find Percy immediately.


    It hurts, feels like someone is constantly smashing my head with a hammer. But this pain is only temporary. I can do this.


    Cyrus says, ¡°You shou-u-u-u-uld rest.¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡±


    ¡°Bu-u-u-ut you seem ill.¡±


    ¡°I said, I am fine!¡±


    ¡°Yo-o-o-o-ou can¡¯t help people if you¡¯re not f-f-f-feeling well.¡± Grabbing my shoulder Cyrus says, ¡°Let¡¯s stop.¡±


    ¡°WOULD YOU FUCK OFF ALREADY!!¡± I say turning around.


    Hearing me scream Cyrus falls over onto the group. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave me alone, I thought the only thing you are good for is following orders but now it seems you can¡¯t even do that.¡±


    ¡°I d-d-d-didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! And what did you mean let¡¯s stop, you haven¡¯t done a single thing to help all you have done is sit around on your ass.¡±


    ¡°But y-y-y-ou didn¡¯t tell me what t-t-to do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an ADULT, do I need to tell you what to do, think for yourself. Oh wait, you can¡¯t do that because your head is fucking empty, there are literally no thoughts in there.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I-I, just wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°To help? Not a single thing you have done around me has helped. You get lost easily, and when we are alone you make it so awkward, why can¡¯t you say something you¡¯re a man aren¡¯t you. take charge. But you¡¯re unable to, so I have to you bastard.


    On top of that, you''re just a scrawny, feminine-faced man baby, who can¡¯t do anything. Is an insult to my father that a person such as yourself is considered a man.¡±


    Hunches up in a ball on the ground and says, ¡°You¡¯re a failure of a girl as well.¡±


    ¡°What was that, Cyrus!¡±


    ¡°Girls are supposed to be weak, pleasant, cute and c-c-c-caring. But you¡¯re a girl who always picks fights with everybod-d-d-dy, uses profanities in excess, and is rude to her fr-r-r-riends even when they try to be n-n-n-nice to you.¡±


    Moulding my tails into a giant hand I hit Cyrus directly in the face and said, ¡°I hate you.¡±


    Jumping on him I hit him repeatedly and say, ¡°Who the hell are you to insult me for anything, unlike you, I know this and am trying my best to change, but here you are insulting me like all those pieces of trash did, I will never forgive you.¡±


    As I continue to hit Cyrus, I notice he isn¡¯t fighting back so I stop. Then I loudly hear thoughts from inside his head.


    Letting her relieve stress on me is all I can do for Suzuka, though I should still apologize later. She doesn¡¯t deserve to hear those things.


    ¡°What the hell Cyrus, why  are you thinking of me when I said all those horrible things to you.¡±


    With tears falling down his eyes Cyrus says, ¡°I-I-I-I-I know I am an f-f-f-f-failure of an adult and a man. I can¡¯t give you advice like Atalanta or help you like Orb, s-s-s-so this is all I can do for you.¡±


    Looking at his teary-eyed face, I realize what I have done, ¡°I am sorry Cyrus, I shouldn¡¯t use anything that I am feeling or what happened in the past as an excuse to use hurt you. Across your body are scars that will never heal, you have as good a reason as there could be for hating me right now but you still care. That alone proves you¡¯re a lot better person than me.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka, no.¡±


    Picking Cyrus up I bow and say, ¡°I am so sorry for my behaviour, as punishment I want you to hit me as hard as you want.¡± Lifting my face up I say, ¡°And I don¡¯t want to hear any tal-.¡± Before I can finish my sentence, I am hit by Cyrus''s hand and am sent flying through multiple buildings.


    As I lay in the debris of the last building I went through Cyrus walks up to me and says, ¡°S-S-S-Suzuka I am sorry. It seems I was a little bit angry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I deserved it, and I am happy to know even you can get angry.¡±


    ¡°I am really sorry. Hurting someone isn¡¯t what a man should do.¡±


    ¡°Well Cyrus you are absolutely nothing like what I learnt a man should be, but I can say amongst all the men I have met, you¡¯re in my top 2 favourites.¡±


    With a bright smile on his face, Cyrus says, ¡°I feel the same about you.¡±


    ¡°Eh, are you saying I am not like a girl to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, n-n-n-no, I was-s-sn¡¯t saying that,¡± Cyrus says panicking.


    As Cyrus picks me up I say, ¡°Then as two irregulars let''s try and accomplish something that all the normal men and women of Skydust can¡¯t do. I have a plan on how to find Percy, and I need you for that.¡±

 Arc 7.12

    ¡°Wh-h-h-hat is your plan?¡±


    Sitting on Cyrus''s Shoulders, I say, ¡°I am going to need you to run around, and shout what I tell you all over the city. To make sure this goes well I need no stuttering.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I am not s-s-s-sure I ca-a-a-a-a-an do that.¡±


    Using my tails, I cover Cyrus''s face and say, ¡°I know talking to people can be scary, but I can guarantee you that the sensation from touching my tails is stronger, so if you feel worried just focus in on that, and remember I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good dragon, now let''s go.¡±


    Running at full speed Cyrus moves in the direction I point him in. He is so ridiculously fast that I feel like I have just been dropped from a hundred meters in the sky. He really is a physical monster, oh I really wish I could fight him.


    After reaching a highly populated area I signal Cyrus to stop, and then I whisper in his ears, ¡°Shout this.¡±


    ¡°EVERYONE PERCY HAS BEEN FOUND, REPORT T-T-TO JETER¡¯S RESIDENCE IMMEDIATELY!!!¡±


    Upon hearing Cyrus''s overwhelming voice everyone stops in surprise. This is exactly what I wanted. Putting my hands on my head I say, ¡°I need to get prepared.¡±


    I suddenly feel a surge of thoughts and emotions forced into my head. When everyone hears Cyrus scream, they all immediately forget what they are doing and their heads clear so it is easier to sort through them, and single out certain thoughts.


    My issue was that going through all the information in these people''s heads to find who I was looking for, was almost impossible so instead, I should just make the person I was looking for have certain thoughts and feelings.


    Upon hearing Cyrus''s announcement, he should feel confused knowing that he hasn¡¯t been caught, unlike everyone one else who will feel relieved or surprised.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t here, let''s move on to the next zone Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± he says taking off at full speed.


    Running all over the city Cyrus screams and screams, while I continue to go through everyone¡¯s heads.


    Did they really find Percy?


    I heard a bunch of people saying they did.


    Wasn¡¯t that Suzuka and Cyrus, it must be true then, I see no reason for those two to lie.


    Mommy, why is Percy coming back at a big event?


    I am going to duff that bastard right in the gut.


    You¡¯re letting him off easy, I am going crush his balls.


    This is great, I need to recall all the search teams.


    Oh, big bro Percy is back, I hope he has stories from kicking Gevurah''s butt.


    What the hell is going on, I haven¡¯t been caught, is this some sort of Ruse?


    This must be him! ¡°Cyrus, he is over in that direction, run full speed ahead.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Mime, what should we do, at this rate we¡¯re going to be unable to sell anything for money?¡±


    ¡°Anto, don¡¯t worry, we will just get one of those flying wonderbeasts out of Skydust.¡±


    ¡°But Mime, don¡¯t they know our face.¡±


    ¡°Fool have you forgotten thieves rule number 5; always have a disguise, so that if you accidentally commit war crimes while drunk, you can get away scot-free.¡±


    ¡°Right Mime, let¡¯s get to packing.¡±


    ¡°We will take our stuff here back to where we keep that giant scarf, then we will fly straight off of Skydust. A flawless plan,¡± I say as me and Anto start to laugh.


    Suddenly Anto says, ¡°Mime get ready, something is coming!!¡± The moment he says this ice bursts throw the side of the building directly at us.


    Grabbing me, Anto throws a dagger and inverts us to a new location, but the ice still flows directly at us, so I use my dagger and I strike it inverting and breaking it to pieces.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    But out of that wave of ice springs Orb. ¡°I am back.¡±


    Staring at his princely face I freeze for a moment which almost allows him to catch me, but Anto grabs me away just in time.


    ¡°Anto, we need to get out of here


    ¡°But what about our stuff?¡±


    ¡°We will come back for it later, right now we need to move.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Right,¡± I say throwing my dagger. If it covers a bit more distance we can teleport all the way over to the next building. Suddenly, I see something hit my dagger mid-air and knock it far away.


    What was that?


    ¡°Anto what is taking so long, he is coming!¡±


    ¦µ As Orb runs towards me and Anto I use my dagger to invert the floor and burst it open.


    ¡°Not good enough, I already know your tricks.¡± Without a single wasted second Orb freezes the roof with ice.


    ¡°I can break that as well,¡± I say as I try to strike the ice, but suddenly it turns into snow and I miss.


    Pulling my hand back to try and regain my lost footing, I see the snow has turned back into ice again, so I try to invert it yet again, but whenever I strike it all the ice turns to snow.


    ¡°I told you, I know you¡¯re tricks.¡±


    Thieves rule 6; Don¡¯t use spirit energy unless you have to, it will completely give away your position. I guess this qualifies as having too, ¡°I will fight you head-on then.¡±


    Using spirit energy on my legs I charge forward, but when I try to take a big step forward the ice turns into snow and I lose my footing.


    Orb uses this moment to dash straight as me. I guess I have no choice; I focus my spirit energy into my right arm then I throw my dagger directly at Orb''s legs; this will invert his limb and render it useless, I really didn¡¯t want to use this but I have no choice. Sorry prince.


    Suddenly, in mid-air, my dagger is knocked away. Then all the snow I was sinking into turned back into ice.


    Orb says, ¡°Thanks for the assist, Atalanta.¡±


    I am stuck he is going to catch me.


    ¦µ Running to the stuck Mime, I hold her then I use my legacy on 3 daggers, then in 3 different directions, I throw each dagger as hard as I can. Someone is hitting all of my daggers out of the air, so all I got to do is make it more difficult.


    ¦µ Three at once smart thinking, but if you think I can¡¯t hit these your insane Anto. Weaving a spirit arrow, I fire a curved arrow and hit all three daggers into the sky.


    ¦µ Staring at Orb, I stick out my tongue and say, ¡°Bleh,¡± as I invert our position.


    Looking around at my new position, I see that we are not across the building like I hoped, but instead, I am in the sky. I see all my daggers up in the sky as well. They were able to hit even three at once.


    ¡°Anto, he is coming!¡±


    Looking down I see Orb approaching us from the bottom. Throwing Mime two daggers I say, ¡°Those plus the two I have on me are all that is left.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to win.¡±


    When Orb approaches, we land on the pillar of ice Orb used to get up to us. It is small and in the shape of a circle.


    ¡°If you 2 give up now, I promise I won¡¯t punish you too hard.¡±


    ¡°We refuse prince, this is for our dream.¡±


    ¡°Until we have a house composed of chocolate and candy, we won¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¦µ Both Anto and Mime charge at me, and attack with a furry of swings. If even one of those swings hits me either my thought process will be inverted or my flesh will.


    So, since deflecting their attacks isn¡¯t an option, I dodge them, but it is incredibly hard; not only are they fast but their coordination is ridiculous, I feel like the moment one gives me an opening the other makes sure I can¡¯t capitalise on it. I can¡¯t even find an opportunity to create ice or turn my pillar into the snow.


    The footing we¡¯re on is small, so I am not able to make the best use of the space, unlike the twins. This situation is too disadvantageous, all I can do is wait for their stamina to run out before mine.


    Out of nowhere light files between me and both the twins, it is Atalanta¡¯s arrows. I really am going to need to thank her later.


    Using the opportunity she made for me I lightly tap both kids to the end of the pillar, and then I convert it all into snow which makes us all fall down towards the ground.


    Moving toward Mime as we fall she throws her dagger at me while I hear Anto throw his dagger at me in the other direction, they are trying to pincer me when I have less movement, these kids really are thinking of winning even in this situation.


    Turning the snow falling down from my pillar into ice, I stop Anto¡¯s dagger then I move my body to dodge Mime¡¯s dagger. Using the newly make pillar as footing I jump towards Mime using snow boost.


    When I am about to catch the falling Mime in my hands, she uses her hands and tumbles from my head to my legs, then when she reaches my feet, she places her feet against them and kicks off away from me.


    ¡°I am not that easy of a princess to catch.¡±


    Missing her, I fall down into the snow.


    ¦µ Grabbing Anto mid-air I say, ¡°Let¡¯s use the buildings as cover, to switch.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mime.¡±


    When we land I see a giant wave of Snow coming after us, ¡°Anto hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    ¦µ Throwing the dagger under the buildings I grab Mime and jump off the building. ¡°Mime just another three seconds.¡±


    ¦µ The wave of snow will hit us before we switch. Putting spirit energy into my legs I kick Anto forward, the force of the kick sends me to the ground out of the reach of the snow.


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    ¡°Be safe Anto.¡± Anto switches out of my sight being replaced with a beam.


    A large roar rings through my ears, looking to my left I see a bull Wonderbeast charging straight at me. trying to move I feel intense pain in my left leg, I can¡¯t move like this, I am going to get crushed!


    ¦µ ¡°You bastards better hurry up before the Benelium sets or I will kill you all.¡±


    Thanks to all the help the super strong boy gave me yesterday, the construction on my magnum opus has sped up quite a bit, I might even have it finished by the end of this week.


    Letting out a series of laughs I say, ¡°I WILL FINALLY TRANSCEND INTO A HIGHER BEING.¡±


    Staring at my building I suddenly see 1 of the beams disappear and it is replaced with a small child.


    ¦µ Looking up I see that a series of objects are about to fall over my head, ¡°Mime, master I am sorry.¡±


    But before they hit me, I am suddenly pulled out of the way. What follows this is a sensation of unbelievable softness.


    Looking up I see that I am in the arms of that beautiful woman. ¡°A boy like you who appreciates me can¡¯t die here you got that.¡±


    Unable to hold back tears, I cry, ¡°I was so scared!!¡±


    ¡°There, there little one it will be alright.¡±


    ¦µ Right before the wonderbeast runs over me I am pulled away. Looking up at who saved me I see my prince, Orb.


    ¡°Saving your brother like that takes real guts you¡¯re really amazing.¡±


    Seeing his face, I collapse in his arms and say, ¡°To perfect.¡±


    ¡°Now to make sure where even get in there.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Orb pulls me back and then throws me forward, suddenly I am stopped by a bunch of mushy stuff, looking around where I landed I see I am covered in shit.

 Arc 7.13

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Cyrus stop, he should be around here.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka, I don¡¯t see anyone, in the area.¡±


    ¡°No, I can tell he is definitely here somewhere. Cyrus let out another scream.¡±


    Following my instructions, Cyrus lets out another large roar which rips through my eardrums again. I need to focus; his thoughts should also be going wild right now.


    What the hell is going on up there?


    Up there? Is he below us? ¡°Cyrus, I need you to dig down to the bottom.¡±


    Taking out his sword, Cyrus uses his legacy on it then strikes the ground cracking it open, he continues to drive straight through the ground until we completely break through.


    Falling into an area below I say, ¡°Where the hell are we?¡±


    I just here something, has someone found me?


    Grabbing Cyrus''s horns I say, ¡°Over there full speed ahead.¡±


    Without waste Cyrus goes towards where I point him, using his sword he breaks through wall after wall, taking the shortest possible path towards our target.


    Eventually, after Cyrus breaks through enough walls we come across a man in a black hood. ¡°We have found you, Percy.¡±


    Turning around Percy leaves the room as fast as he can.


    Quickly following him we come across a labyrinth. No such people should be on Skydust those two must definitely be from Gevurah.


    ¡°Cyrus, we don¡¯t have time to lose head that way, blow past every single obstacle.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Cyrus says as he moves past all the ways in his way. When we see Percy again he is climbing stairs trying to leave the underground area. ¡°Stop right there you bastard!!¡±


    Hearing me, Percy throws something in my direction, and as it comes at us it looks like it is about to ignite. Before I can react, Cyrus uses his tail to grab me, then I am thrown right at Percy as an explosion goes off behind me.  ¡°Cyrus no!!!¡±


    Using my anger to gather myself, I tackle Percy all the way outside I say, ¡°No more running away you bastard you¡¯re coming with us.¡±


    Picking Percy up, I walk over to the exit I was thrown through. Casually walking out of the exit Cyrus says, ¡°Did you ca-a-a-atch him?¡±


    Seeing Cyrus, I kick him in the shin and say, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, I thought you blew up.¡±


    ¡°So-o-o-orry, I knew it wouldn¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry isn¡¯t going to cut it, I almost had a heart attack,¡± I say as I repeatedly kick Cyrus.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Where I come from it gets rather cold, and because of that it is commonplace for families to hold each other tight during the night. So my oldest memory is the feeling of sleeping beside my mom and dad in our small little house.


    We were poor, so poor that we could only afford a single small scarf to cover us every night. Despite how sad such a view may look to people, it was one of the happiest times of my life.


    I love that I could feel my parents'' warmth so close, I loved that I could hear the heartbeats of my parents, and I even love how close our faces were mushed together under the scarf.


    My parents were always one arm''s reach away, and they used that fact to shower me with kisses and praise. Even though the nights were freezing cold, my body and soul were a blaze with happiness, and that was thanks to the scarf that binded us all together.


    Even as I grew older, the warmth of the scarf never faded but some things did. Day after day, when we all slept together I could hear their heartbeats getting weaker and weaker each day.  No matter how much the scarf kept me warm it didn¡¯t mean my parents were the same.


    I tried to find ways to help them get better, but no matter what I did I couldn¡¯t improve our situation. In my country warmth was for the rich or the moralless.


    All I could do was sleep each night with my parents as their heartbeats slowly faded. Every night I hated to go to sleep, when I slept next to them all I could feel was despair. The same scarf I loved so much just became a reminder of the inevitability of death. The scarf that joined us felt more like the grim reaper ever-hanging scythe.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    But it seems the scarf didn¡¯t feel like being that to me.


    ¡°My lady, I am in love with you. Please marry me!!!¡±


    ¡°I think you got the wrong lady.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, I saw you at the market wearing that same scarf. From the moment I laid eyes upon you, I just knew I had to have you as my wife, so please marry me!!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I have two people to take care of, and I can¡¯t just marry someone on the street whose name I don¡¯t even know.¡±


    ¡°My name is Krik, Kritz. Let¡¯s get married.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T JUST IGNORE ME. I need you to leave me alone, money is time so get out of the way.¡±


    A well-dressed man standing beside Krik says, ¡°Hello, my name is Eliot.¡±


    I bow out of reflex to the presence of this man.


    ¡°I am sorry for my young master''s brash approach, but I would have you know master Krik, is the owner of the Skydust shipment agency. To put simply my young master is a rather affluent merchant, so the young master has no financial issues. We can even reimburse you for your time.¡±


    ¡°You see, I am rich so marry me please!!¡±


    ¡°Do you really want to be with a woman who would marry for money?¡±


    Grabbing my hand, Krik says, ¡°That matters not, I am sure that if you marry me one day even if 50 years from now, I can get you to love me back, so please marry me!!¡±


    Taken aback by his forward momentum I start to blush. ¡°Wait a minute, I need to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, darling.¡±


    ¡°Just to make this clear, if we get married there is a 100 percent chance that I will never love you, are you ok with that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am, I happen to be a man who can make even the hardest of rocks soft.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re an idiot, I will take you up on your offer, but to add one more clause my parents for the rest of the time they have left will get to live with us.¡±


    Suddenly tears pour down his eyes like a waterfall. Shocked I say, ¡°Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°I knew your soul is as beautiful as you¡¯re facing, you put family first even when offered a life of luxury, you truly have to be my wife,¡± Krik says jumping directly at me.


    Holding him back with my arm I say, ¡°No touching.¡±


    ¡°Then I will wait till we are married.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t understand, there will be no hanky panky at all, you got that.¡±


    He falls down on the floor and says, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you not want to marry me.¡±


    ¡°No, I understand, but in return I will like to add a clause to this marriage. I must have a daily intake of 500 hugs!!¡±


    ¡°You get 5.¡±


    ¡°That was my plan in the first place,¡± Krik says giving me a hug.


    Looking at his overly ecstatic face giving me I hug I feel happy. But then calm myself down when I notice his hand on my ass.


    Using all the strength in my weak arms, I punch him straight up in the air.


    ¡°Elliot, I need you to catch me,¡± Krik says as he falls towards him.


    But Elliot uses the heel of his foot and crashes Kirk¡¯s head into the ground, ¡°Young master that was very boorish of you.¡±


    Krik shoots up from the ground straight away. His energy is so ridiculous despite being injured that I get shocked. ¡°My darling fianc¨¦ my I please get your name?¡±


    ¡°My name is Dush, Dush Zalik.¡±


    Getting on one knee he says to me, ¡°Dush Zalik will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Talk to me after the dowry is paid, let¡¯s go meet my parents.¡±


    Following me he says, ¡°Right.¡±


    Without hesitation, Krik went to my house and got my parents¡¯ permission with a giant showing of his affection, and the next thing I knew we were all taken to his home country of Skydust where he married me on arrival. And true to his promise he let both my parents enjoy the last year of their lives to the fullest.


    After both my parents passed I felt lost, my only reason for living for years up to that point was to take care of them and now that had disappeared. But it seems my new husband couldn¡¯t stand by and let that happen, so every day without fail he would come up to me and shower me with love.


    And eventually, he asked me, ¡°Would you like to go to school?¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to call me dumb?¡±


    ¡°I would sooner cut off my tongue than slander my darling in such a way. It is just that I heard you never got the chance to get educated.¡±


    ¡°Well, what can you expect, you got to keep the peasants dumb to keep them in line, and in all honesty, it is not like I have much use for it any more, the only reason I would want that is to take care of my parents, but that isn¡¯t an issue anymore.¡±


    Getting up from his seat, Krik gets on his knee near mine and says, ¡°I know you may not see the reason for it now, but I can guarantee that if you go through with this it will without a doubt bring lots of light into your life.¡±


    Looking at his face a blush a bit, he really does know how to look handsome from time to time. ¡°Ok, I will give it a try.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful,¡± Krik says jumping at me and trying to give me a kiss.


    ¡°No kisses, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡±


    The very next day I started to learn all I could: Mathematics, languages, geography, history, and literature, and to my surprize little by little my mood increased.


    But another thing that increased was my appreciation of Krik. Uneducated before, I wasn¡¯t able to grasp what he truly did around Skydust.


    His family business owns the wonderbeast, Zterytavis, a giant four-winged bird, which is responsible for the shipment of all the goods of Skydust to there locations around the world. His family was the sole point of contact that Skydust had with the rest of the world.


    And towards that end, he has countless jobs: making sure all the merchandise on Skydust is sold for the proper price, and to people who appreciate it, public relations nobles and merchants all around the world, and the import of goods and outside food supplies to Skydust.


    It isn¡¯t an exaggeration to say he is the sole reason Skydust runs as smoothly as it does. He is loved by the people of his country, to them, he is one of a kind, and the more I saw this behaviour the more I wanted to help such a man, the same man who choose to love and help me unconditionally.


    ¡°My darling Dush, I have heard you have been taking etiquette classes, is everything ok honey?¡± He says jumping at me.


    Stopping him with one hand I say, ¡°Control yourself! And just so you know there is no issue.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you going out of your way to go through such training?¡±


    Smacking him on the head I say, ¡°Because obviously when I see my darling husband trying so hard, I decided that I need to do the same thing as well. Idiot.¡±


    Jumping at me again he says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you cared.¡±


    ¡°Get off of me you monkey!!!¡±


    That energetic fool love really was relentless and eventually, it got to me.


    Holding my body underneath the sheets Krik says to me, ¡°Are you sure this is fine Dush?¡±


    ¡°It will be as long as you stop crying.¡±


    ¡°I just never thought this day would come.¡±


    ¡°Well, it has, so stop wasting time and get on with it.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I love you, Dush,¡± Krik says as he prepares to begin.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I scream.


    ¡°Ehh, did I make a mistake already.¡±


    ¡°No idiot, it is just that I wanted to tell you, I love you!¡±


    Unable to hold himself back he kisses me and begins.


    For the first time since my parents died, I had truly felt the warmth I had lost, but all good things eventually vanish.

 Arc 7.14

    The warmth I felt when we intertwined our bodies reignited my cold heart, I felt passion, strength, and the ability to move forward. I held my husband''s hand with love overflowing each day.


    The sadness I had felt from my parents'' death had all but vanished, it was like I was living a dream, but in the end, all dreams are crushed by reality.


    The more time I spent with Krik the more I realised we shouldn¡¯t be together. Krik was a passionate lover, a hard worker, and an incredibly brilliant man. While I was just street trash.


    Whenever we attend any event as husband and wife, his mere presence made the room spin, every single person always wanted to get close to him, he was always without a doubt the most desired person in the room.


    Standing next to him made me realise how much I really am worth, next to his overwhelming presence I was just a speck of dust who wasn¡¯t worthy to stand beside him. If we never met that day I would have lived my whole life without ever even breathing the same air as such a man.


    But I wasn¡¯t the only person who noticed this.


    ¡°How did Krik marry such a girl.¡±


    ¡°He had thousands of marriage offers yet he chose that trash.¡±


    ¡°That lady is manipulating the young master.¡±


    ¡°What right does a peasant like her have to be with him.¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t worked a day since she has been here.¡±


    ¡°Just a money-sucking parasite.¡±


    The servants, the people, even Krik''s work partners, everywhere I went I could hear their comments clearly. But I never responded to a single one of them, because no matter how much it hurts me, I couldn¡¯t refute the truth.


    Then one day, I told Krik, ¡°I would like a divorce, that is all carry on with your day.¡±


    Walking away I am suddenly jumped by Krik who wraps his arms and legs all around my body and says with tears gushing down his eyes, ¡°Please don¡¯t go, I am sorry if I did anything wrong, but please don¡¯t leave me, I love you too much!!!¡±


    ¡°Stop crying you big baby, you¡¯re an adult man.¡±


    ¡°But I just really don¡¯t want you to leave me, if I did something wrong, I will change I promise. Just tell me what it is.¡±


    ¡°You did nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then did something happen, is someone blackmailing you; if they are I will kill them a hundred times over.¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, I just simply think you have better options, so marry them instead of me.¡±


    Recomposing himself, he says, ¡°I am sorry, I thought I was showering you with enough love but it seems I have failed as a husband. So let me reaffirm this, I love you more than anyone or anything in the world, even if you were to die right this second I would never be with another woman, because there are none others like you.¡±


    ¡°You dumb dog, you shouldn¡¯t say stuff like that because it hurts my will.¡±


    ¡°Let your will break and fade away, because what I said is the truth.¡±


    ¡°I have a bad temper, and a foul mouth, no family name, nor anything to give you to help expand your business, don¡¯t you workaholics on Skydust want to perfect your craft, if you stay married to me that will only be a dream.


    ¡°I say yet again; I love you more than anything. So, no matter what I will stay with you, you won¡¯t walk alone on this earth ever again.¡±


    ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Skydust is a country filled with impassioned people who work like their lives depended on it, and living as an outsider in such a country makes me feel like I am suffocating. Though little by little I have gained the ability to breathe again with my husband walking by my side.


    The love we had for each other was endless and eventually, it bore fruit. ¡°Don¡¯t freak out, but I think I am pregnant.¡±


    Dropping his work on the floor Krik runs over to me and tries to tackle me, but I give him a kick to the head instead. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me, I might be pregnant, don¡¯t go tackling me.¡±


    ¡°But I am so happy!!! To think I get to be a dad and have a baby, I am about to have a little princess or prince I just can¡¯t wait I am going to die at this rate.¡±


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    ¡°Well just calm down you donkey, or I won¡¯t let you see the baby.¡±


    ¡°No wait, I have something more important than that to do!¡± Grabbing me he sits me down in a chair and ties me up with a curtain. Then he runs in and out surrounding my body with pillows.


    ¡°There, complete safety!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is this, Krik?¡±


    ¡°For these next nine months, I must make sure absolutely no harm comes to you. This isn¡¯t enough I also need to make sure your health is perfect. I am going to fly to Basileia to go get some medicine for the foreseeable future, I will be back soon!!¡±


    As he runs out of the room I scream, ¡°Untie me, you bastard!!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°He really is just too much for someone like me, but still, I guess it is nice to have such an idiot in love with me.¡±


    For the next few months, Krik was extraordinarily overprotective, he didn¡¯t even want me to go for a walk outside the house. He had over 40 doctors stationed all around are estate, so no matter what time it was or when it was, I could be attended to.


    The worst thing he did was completely wrap everything throughout the estate in foil so that if I fell I wouldn¡¯t be hurt. Due to all of his antics, I had to discipline him quite a bit, but he took it all in stride, because the fact he was about to be a dad was something that kept a permanent smile on his face, and it did the same for me.


    I used to spend all my time on this planet working myself to death or while being truly alone inside, but from this point on I won¡¯t ever feel like that anymore. Because I now have two special people in my life.


    Quickly time passed by and in no time the baby was about to arrive. But it seems my fortune so far in life had been too good.


    Rubbing my oversized belly I say, ¡°You should be arriving soon little one.¡±


    Walking through the door Elliot has a rather perturbed look on his face. Such an expression on our kind butler puts me in a state of shock, never once have I seen Elliot ever be shocked or overly emotional in any way, you could say in that regard he is the opposite of Krik.


    ¡°Elliot, what happened?¡±


    Recomposing himself and returning to being the perfect butler, Elliot tells me, ¡°My lady there has been an incident.¡±


    Stopping for a second, Elliot looks like he is faint of breath and beings to shake then he says, ¡°During Krik¡¯s business trip to Weinstead, Gevurah declared war on the country.¡±


    Hearing this, I get up from my seat and say, ¡°Where is Krik Elliot?¡±


    ¡°Because of this declaration, as a sign of revolt, citizens of Weinstead decided to hold prisoner anyone who had any sort of affiliation with Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°WHERE IS MY HUSBAND ELLIOT!¡±


    ¡°They decided to execute them all, Krik is dead my lady.¡±


    With all the strength in my legs, I run towards the door of the room but I am grabbed and stopped by Elliot, ¡°LET GO OFF ME RIGHT THIS INSTANT!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, my lady.¡±


    ¡°THIS IS AN ORDER ELLIOT, LET GO OF ME.¡±


    ¡°To do what my lady.¡±


    ¡°TO GO SEE KRIK, HE IS STILL ALIVE I KNOW IT, HE WOULD NEVER ABANDON ME, HE MADE A PROMISE. HE PROMISED ME HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE.¡±


    ¡°My lady please the young master, my lord is dead and I know it is hard but you must accept this.¡±


    Hearing this I fall on my knees to the floor and start to cry profusely. ¡°KRIK YOU LIAR, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, LIAR!!!¡±


    ¡°My lady please don¡¯t speak of him like that. I promise that it will be ok,¡± Elliot says reaching his hand towards me.


    Slapping it away I scream, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. I didn¡¯t get married just to be left a lone mother.¡±


    Suddenly I feel a giant surge of pain running throughout my body, which causes me to let out a giant scream.


    Looking at me Elliot gets up and screams down the hallway, ¡°THE BABY IS COMING!!¡±


    Looking at my stomach I mumble, ¡°Why did you decide to come now, if you only came a little sooner we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess.¡±


    Trying to help me up, Elliot puts his hand around me, but I knock it away, ¡°I will walk by myself.¡±


    Walking towards the delivery room with severe pain tears continue to fall from my eyes. Not only from the death of my husband but also from the sheer pain of moving.


    When I arrive in the delivery room I take a second to look at everyone¡¯s faces and I notice, that all their eyes are freshly swollen as if they have been crying only mere moments ago.


    Walking up to me they say, ¡°My lady, whatever you need for us please ask we are here for you now until the day we die. Let us bring your child into this world.¡±


    Seeing the raw desire in their eyes, I wipe my tears and say, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Following that many of my memories are a blur, all I remember is the unbearable pain I felt followed by the tears of my newborn baby.


    ¡°My lady it is a boy.¡±


    Holding my crying son in my arms, all I can say is, ¡°Krik will never get to meet this child. He will never get to hold him kiss him, cry over him, spoil him, play with him, or even say he loves him. This child will never experience all of Kirk¡¯s love.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why, but tears started to fall from the eyes of everyone, but with the state, I was left in I couldn¡¯t even react to any of that. I was left in a daze completely recounting how my life managed to reach this point.


    Looking at all the faces around me I start laughing hysterically. I am now completely in charge of the most profitable business on Skydust, have no marital bindings, and have a son. Every single one of these lives in front of me now lies on my frail shoulders.


    So, from this moment I am back to living how I previously did, for the sake of others. Oh, how horrible my life is, but the worst part is that I can¡¯t bring myself to complain about it, because there would be nothing more selfish to do than that.


    I guess even a knight in shining armour can¡¯t protect you from fate, he just lets you ignore reality for a while.


    Name: Krik Kritz


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Sagittarius 11<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black, with orange stripes


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: The young head of the Kritz family, he is in charge of all exports and imports in Skydust and acts as the key between Skydust and all other countries. He is a passionate loveable man who wishes to see people, especially his wife happy all the time.


    Name: Zterytavis


    Height: 275 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A giant four-winged Bird. Amongst flying Wonderbeasts, they are known to be one of the slowest, but in exchange one of the strongest, they can carry large amounts very long distances and are said to be able to fly through extreme weather conditions unharmed.


    Fact: They will use their children as bait to escape from predators.

 Arc 7.15

    After giving birth to my son, I had to immediately attend to the Kritz family business, in the absence of Krik many issues arouse. Such as countless business partners using this opportunity to cannibalism our company.


    They broke down relations between us and many of our partners, and made offers to our employees which caused a mass loss of workers, they even dug up info from my past and use it to paint me as a money-grubbing harlot. This brought up lots of issues when negotiating with nobles and other merchants, they wouldn¡¯t even give me the time of day.


    Dealing with them wasn¡¯t the only issue simply the day-to-day running of our business became an issue. Understanding the value of Skydust goods and finding the right prices caused issues for us, especially since we didn¡¯t have Krik''s naturally born charisma.


    We also started to get many complaints from the people of Skydust, the supplies they ordered weren¡¯t delivered on time or the payback cycle of their goods was too long.


    Then the upkeep of all the Zterytavis was another issue, they are quite clingy wonderbeasts so when they noticed they haven¡¯t gotten a visit from Krik recently they all started to act up and wouldn¡¯t fly anywhere.


    Up to this point, I had always thought I understood the true weight of Krik¡¯s job, but I hadn¡¯t in the least, he always kept up social interaction with the people of Skydust to make sure he understands the value of their craft and when they needed supplies. The constant battle he waged against business rivals day in and day out and the upkeep he did with the Zterytavis, and despite having all of that on his plate he still had a smile on his face.


    The pressure of all the work was completely crushing, to the point I thought I was going to die from stress, but the pests flying around me also noticed this.


    Sitting down in my office, I say to the merchant in front of me, ¡°Tyler Anwunta, head of the Anwunta family a notorious group of backstabbing money grabbing twats, what do I owe the pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my lady the pleasure is all mine.¡±


    As he sits down, I ask him, ¡°Is there a certain reason for your visit?¡±


    ¡°It is just that I came to check on you I have heard things have been ruff.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all those articles your company have been spreading around definitely haven¡¯t helped that. Also bribing my worker to go to you is quite an asshole move.¡±


    ¡°What vile language, but what else could I expect from someone born in the dirt.¡±


    ¡°Watch how you speak to me, paid nobility like yourself has no right to even breathe the same air as me. Now my patience runs tin state your purpose.¡±


    Letting out a sigh he says, ¡°Women shouldn¡¯t be so blunt, but what could I expect from you. The reason I am here is to give you an offer, marry me and pass on all of your husband''s assets.¡±


    Slamming my hand against a table I say, ¡°DON¡¯T FUCK WITH ME YOU MISERABLE CUNT!¡±


    ¡°Merchants rule number 1 always keep a smile on your face, but I guess you can¡¯t even do that.¡±


    ¡°DO I LOOK LIKE SOME SORT OF CLOWN TO YOU?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do, look at all that makeup you¡¯re wearing to cover how exhausted you are, not only that but your clothes and hair are messy, and you have barely had the time to take care of them. No woman should have to go through that so I am offering you to marry me and let me take care of all the annoying things.¡±


    ¡°You must be demented if you ever think I am going to agree to that.¡±


    ¡°Am I really? Take a look at the situation the Kritz family is in, no supporters, no control, and all its money is evaporating at a ridiculous rate, if you let this go on your dear Kirk¡¯s family will be dragged through the mud.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare use my husband¡¯s name, I don¡¯t want it ruined by you.¡±


    ¡°But my lady you¡¯re the one who is ruining it, if Krik married a woman from a family that actually had power this whole situation wouldn¡¯t be happening, but since he married you a woman who is so easy to discredit the fall of the Kritz family has been proceeding faster than expected. So, if you actually care about the legacy of the Kritz family you will accept my offer.¡±


    Hearing this I calm down and stop for a moment, and truly begin to think over what he says.


    ¡°Oh, looks like you have calmed down, that¡¯s a good trait someone who will soon be my wife will need.¡±


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    ¡°Wife, huh.¡± Picking up my chair I smash it against, Tyler''s skull and say, ¡°Go fuck yourself, I only have one husband from now till the day I die.¡±


    Getting up, Tyler says, ¡°You dumb bitch, how dare you attack me, I swear to god that I will pay you back a hundredfold for this transgression.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on you bitch!¡±


    Like a child Tyler storms out the door, and from the open door, Elliot and the head maid Sandra walk in.


    ¡°So, you two were listening in.¡±


    ¡°Please forgive us, but we were worried about what that man wanted.¡±


    ¡°Well then, you both are rather well informed on the situation, we are about to be destroyed and the parasites are trying to salvage what they can from us.¡±


    Getting on their knees they both say to me, ¡°My lady we promise we will let no such thing happen.¡±


    ¡°It is probably too late now.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°My lady you have fought hard for Krik more than anyone since his passing.¡±


    ¡°So let us tell you this now.¡±


    ¡°No matter what we will help you.¡±


    ¡°No matter what others offer us, we will not leave.¡±


    ¡°We owe our lives to Krik and to you Dush.¡±


    ¡°And these words are the wills of all the servants and workers still with us.¡±


    ¡°So please my lady stand and lead us.¡±


    The words they both said are nice, but I am not na?ve enough to believe them or so I would think, but just like the foolish human I am, I always give in to my emotions, ¡°Thank you both, I will also put my faith in you as well, no get up we have work to do.¡±


    On that day all of us were pushed into a corner, but due to that, our resolve grew a thousandfold. With a wave of passion and a few years, we were able to pull our company out of the red and re-establish it as a giant.


    Through my shared work with everyone, I started to regain power over my situation and was finally able to rest, but the time I had to rest was brief since an issue I had been ignoring had started to rear its head at me.


    ¡°Mommy, may we play today?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Tusk, I have other business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you were free today?¡±


    ¡°And who told you that?¡± Looking around. I stare directly at my son''s butler Surgoth. When he notices my gaze, he adverts his eyes from mine. ¡°I don¡¯t know what anyone told you Tusk, but I have no time for you today.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, tusk runs off and says, ¡°I hate you, mommy.¡±


    In response to this, all I could do was walk away.


    ¡°My lady, please why won¡¯t you talk to your son? Don¡¯t you realize how harsh your words are on him?¡±


    ¡°I am no fool, I realize how harsh my actions to Tusk are, but I simply can¡¯t bring myself to be around him, the more he ages and grows the more he looks like Krik and that terrifies me.¡±


    Moving to the corridor, I hear Surgoth say, ¡°He has no father, please don¡¯t deny him a mother as well.¡±


    So I avoid Tusk whenever I can, using whatever excuse I can muster, the only times we ever talk are during meals, outside of that he never sees me. Due to my own foolishness, I made the act of living in my house a challenge, the only place where I can have any piece of mind anymore is with my work.


    Though the more I worked the more I realized a horrible truth, that I am truthfully no match for Krik. I managed to save the company, but it is merely a shell of what it should be now, when Krik was in charge it grew year after year nonstop, but now we aren¡¯t even as amazing as we were in our hay day not to even mention future growth.


    The constant feeling of inferiority made work a horrible experience. Every time I did anything, in the back of my head all I could hear was Krik would do this better, Krik would do this better.


    And in the middle of all that the suffocating feeling of being on Skydust returned, living in a country with all those creative impassioned people made my heart sink even more.


    Whenever I had to talk to them at parties or meetings, I was remained how pathetic I am, how below them I am. The joy they expressed with every single breath they took was something that crushed me completely.


    Whether I was working or not I couldn¡¯t have any freedom or happiness so all I could do was wallow in my despair.


    ¡°Mother look at this!¡±


    ¡°Why are you here Tusk, didn¡¯t I tell you I am busy.¡±


    ¡°But I just wanted to show you.¡±


    ¡°GET OUT!¡±


    With a desolate expression, he drops what he was holding and runs out. Grabbing the sheet that fell off the ground, Surgoth places it on my table and says, ¡°Read it, madam.¡±


    Picking it up I stare at this and say, ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Your son used a few of the family assets to use for his small business.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell authorized such a thing!¡±


    ¡°Just read the page, Madam.¡±


    Looking through I say, ¡°He tripled the value. How?¡±


    ¡°He has seen how obsessed with your work you are, and to get some time with you he has been studying commerce non-stop like his life depended on it just to get your attention.¡±


    ¡°But this is ridiculous, in only 1 month.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised the length a child will go for attention.¡±


    Getting up from my seat I rushed out and gave Tusk a hug.


    ¡°Mommy, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    With tears running down my eyes I say repeatedly, ¡°I am so thankful you''re alive, I truly am.¡±


    Hugging me back Tusk says, ¡°Mother I love you.¡±


    Holding my son in my arms all I could do was cry and smile, I finally had what I wanted, something to perfect like all the rest on Skydust, my very own creation my very own treasure.


    ¡°Tusk from today onwards we will see each other every day.¡±


    ¡°Really mommy!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I promise, because I will be completely in charge of your education from this point on.¡±


    From that day forward, I personally hired the best teachers that money could buy and trained Tusk harshly on, all things a young man will need, languages, commerce, philosophy, the arts, arithmetic, etiquette, and even combat. All things necessary to raise the perfect boy.


    ¡°TUSK, your posture is 5cm off get it right.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry mommy, but it is hard, especially in these clothes.¡±


    ¡°A nobleman such as yourself will have to wear these clothes when attending parties, so you have to get it right.¡±


    ¡°But mommy when will I get to play outside.¡±


    ¡°YOU HAVE NO TIME FOR THAT TUSK.¡± Walking up to him I grab him by the shoulders and say, ¡°Do you not want mommy to be happy, do you hate me that much?¡±


    ¡°No, I want you to be happy, I love you, mommy.¡±


    ¡°I see then let''s go from the top. This is your 147 time get it right.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mommy.¡± Just like the perfect angel my treasure is he got it right when given the right motivation, I am coming soon Krik I will finally reach the place you and everyone on Skydust has reached.

 Arc 7.16

    As he aged, my treasures progress sped up immeasurably. His skills in all forms of his education were so advanced that I would say he could even take over the business as he was.


    I even gave him small parts of the business to run, and in no time the growth they experienced was incredible. Whenever we would go to parties, all I would get was compliments on how well-behaved and mature my treasure was. Even at his young age, my treasure started to receive marriage offers from high nobility, it seems they smelled the greatness I have refined in him.


    ¡°Tusk, straighten up your posture, your slouching.¡±


    ¡°But Mommy I feel sick. All the people here are too much.¡±


    ¡°So what sickness isn¡¯t an excuse to back out of business meetings or social events, straighten up immediately. We can¡¯t make a scene at this ball.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can handle it.¡±


    Grabbing my treasure''s hands tightly, I say, ¡°There is no I can¡¯t handle it, you¡¯re a man, grow up and deal with whatever discomfort you¡¯re feeling immediately.¡±


    ¡°Oh lady Dush, how have you been.¡±


    ¡°Duke Hundot, I have been doing just fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must be, with that little prince you have escorting you.¡±


    Looking behind me I see Hundots face fill with shock, which causes me to turn my head around. On the floor behind me, I see my treasure lying on the ground with vomit coming out of his mouth.


    -Break-


    Staring at me from the other side of the dinner table, I see my disappointment trying to evade my enraged gaze. ¡°You know what you did, yet you''re just sitting here like you didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mommy, I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you think sorry will cut it? The embarrassment I just faced it unparalleled, and all you had to do to help me avoid was keep it together but you couldn¡¯t even do that.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t hold it in.¡±


    ¡°I always make sure you eat the same food all the time to ensure proper nutrition, so how did you get so sick?¡±


    Hearing my words, the disappointment freezes up. ¡°Oh, so you are still trying to hide it but I know, you have been sneaking into the kitchen and have been eating the confectionaries there. Even though I specifically told you time and time again to stick to the meal plan I devised, but you obviously knew better in your infinite wisdom.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry mommy; I just never see things like that anymore and I wanted to eat some. I promise I won¡¯t again.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that especially because I intentionally hide those confectionaries in that room for you to see, I wanted to check if you loved me enough to follow my instructions but I was wrong.¡± Getting up I begin to walk out of the room.


    Running over to me the disappointment grabs my hand and says, ¡°Mommy do you love me?¡±


    Swatting him away I say, ¡°What do you think, YOU FAILURE!!!!¡±


    With that, I walk out of the room and say, ¡°I got to rearrange my training plan.¡±


    From that day on, the already harsh training I put my treasure through increased in intensity. No failure was allowed all throughout the day, and if he ever messed up even once I wouldn¡¯t talk or look at him for three days.


    My methods were showing results since he started to desperately work harder. Children will really do anything for their parents'' attention, especially when they feel like they lost it through their own actions.


    Still, as he aged, he started to slow down and showed interest in other things. So I had to double down on my methods, anytime I would find him doing anything outside of work I would strike him.


    Whenever he disobeyed, I struck him. Whenever he didn¡¯t take in his lessons perfectly, I struck him, and whenever I sensed any form of dissent, I struck him.


    Even if he would cry all I would say is, ¡°I am doing this because I love you, this is harder on me than you, so please stop making this happen.¡±


    Though there was one issue that no matter how much I struck him he wouldn¡¯t budge on.


    Throwing all my glassware off the table, I run up to the disappointment and with all the force I can muster I strike him it to the ground. Getting up from my blow he says, ¡°Mother I am sorry.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see the tears in my eyes, don¡¯t you see how you have hurt me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you, mother.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you keep talking to that girl, don¡¯t you know how important marriage is for nobles.¡±


    ¡°But mother I believe we can be happy together.¡±


    Smacking him again I say, ¡°Low-born trash like her is only after your money, she just intends to trick you and be done with you.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t like that.¡±


    Smacking him again, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t you trust your mother? I have always been with you, I have always loved you no matter what, I have always had your best intentions at heart, so why won¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    Falling to the ground with tears in my eyes I scream, ¡°WITHOUT YOU I AM NOTHING!!¡±


    Running over to me, my son holds me in his arms, so I say, ¡°Please promise you won¡¯t leave me, because if you¡¯re not in my life anymore it isn¡¯t worth living,¡± while holding a piece of glass to my neck.


    Grabbing my hand the disappointment says, ¡°Mother don¡¯t!!¡±


    ¡°Please Tusk I love you, I need you!!¡±


    Looking at me for a second Tusk continues to hug me, and says, ¡°I promise mom.¡±


    What a truly wonderful son you are, I knew you would never leave me because from now until death you¡¯re my little treasure.


    ¦µ After lady Dush leaves the room, I walk in to see the young master. ¡°Is everything alright Tusk.¡±


    ¡°Oh Surgoth, everything here is fine I am just cleaning up after my mom.¡±


    Looking at the young master I see he has a bruise on his face so I run up to him and say, ¡°Did she strike you again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it was over nothing major I deserved it.¡±


    ¡°Young master this isn¡¯t ok, what right does she have to hit you.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, stop being such a worry worth, they say worrying shortens your lifespan and I need you to live a long life. Oh yeah, by the way, have you heard that the conqueror of the earth got beaten up by a young girl, isn¡¯t that crazy?¡±


    ¡°Young master, please we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Surgoth that remains me, I need you to get in contact with Mary and tell her I can¡¯t see her again.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you on about, aren¡¯t you and Mary in love with each other?¡±


    ¡°I like her, but I don¡¯t really think the feeling is mutual, and anyways I am sure she will find someone else she really is amazing.¡±


    Gripping my hands so tight that blood starts to come out, so I say, ¡°Did Dush ask you to do this?¡±


    Continuing to pick up the mess Dush had created Tusk says, ¡°Why would you think tha-.¡±


    ¡°ANSWER ME!¡±


    Hearing my voice Tusk gets shocked, but after a moment he regains his compose and says, ¡°Yeah she did but it is no big deal, it is just like when I gave up seeing my friends Adam and Grey, or when I gave up eating sweets, or when I gave up receiving compliments, or even when I gave up wearing the clothes I like, as long as mom is happy nothing else matters. So even if I cry or feel pain or wish my life will one day end, I will ignore all that and keep working for the sake of moms happiness.¡±


    Hearing Tusk''s words I can¡¯t bring myself to say anything. So, I just wrap my arms around him and give him a big hug


    ¡°Hey Surgoth, can I ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Anything young master.¡±


    Turning around and facing me the young master says, ¡°Is love supposed to hurt so much because it doesn¡¯t feel like this with Mary.¡±


    Seeing his face I hug the young master tighter and say, ¡°No it isn¡¯t.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ It is finally here the day of my son''s coming-of-age ceremony, I have worked for this day for countless years, and it is happening today. ¡°Elliot, I need you to double-check all the preparations.¡±


    ¡°Yes madam.¡±


    ¡°Tons of esteemed guests are coming tonight, so make sure to inform everyone that any problems today will result in them being relieved of duty.¡±


    ¡°My lady, isn¡¯t that a bit too harsh?¡±


    ¡°I have been very clear that today needs to be sheer perfection, so there is no such thing as too harsh. If anyone makes a mistake today being fired is the least of their worries I can promise you that. So go and make sure everyone understands this Elliot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Head maid, Sandra.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡±


    ¡°Where is my son?¡±


    ¡°He should be getting ready right about now in his room.¡±


    ¡°I see, I am going to go over and check on him then.¡±


    Walking over to my son''s room in my tight dress, I open the door and see a baren room; not only is Tusk missing but all of his stuff is gone too.


    Immediately panic overtakes my body as I see the empty room, so I walk around throughout the room screaming, ¡°TUSK WHERE ARE YOU!¡±


    While I scream, I eventually see a note left on his desk. Picking it up I read the note.


    I know this note is a bit malformed, but I couldn¡¯t really think of what to say to you, so I decided to speak from the heart. You¡¯re my favourite person in the world and from the bottom of my heart I love you, but I know you don¡¯t feel the same about me.


    I have heard lots of stories about you mom so I realize you weren¡¯t always like this. Your strange behaviour started when I was born, so I think the only way for you to return to your former self is without me, so with lots of love goodbye forever mom.


    After I read the note I scream to Sandra, ¡°GO SEND A SEARCH PARTY OUT FOR TUSK RIGHT NOW.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡±


    While Sandra runs out of the room, I just sit down and look over the note. Why would Tusk do this, he knows how much I needed this ceremony, how much it mattered to me. Oh god, if we can¡¯t find him what are people going to think, I will look like the biggest fool of the decade.


    No not only that, if they find out he ran away they will question what kind of woman I am that my son would run away. My name would be ruined. ¡°TUSK YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!¡±


    After a little while, I hear Sandra come back and she tells me, ¡°It seems Tusk left on a Zterytavis with Surgoth, they have been missing since earlier this morning.¡±


    ¡°Then find them.¡±


    ¡°There is no way we can do that my lady, they made sure to drug all the other Zterytavis so none of them can take off.¡±


    Hearing this I hold my hands against my head. ¡°What am I going to do.¡± Looking at Sandra I say, ¡°I am going to need you to cancel this ball.¡±


    ¡°But what about all the people who are being brought here by Zterytavis.¡±


    ¡°When they arrive send them back, if they need some food give it to them. Go now.¡±


    Before Sandra leaves the room, she asks me, ¡°Are you ok my lady?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, just go.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Sitting down with the note in my, I rip it to pieces in anger. When I calm down tears fall from my eyes and all I can say is, ¡°Please come back, Tusk.¡±

 Arc 7.17

    We never found Tusk, no matter what connections I use to find him I couldn¡¯t even catch a whiff of him, it was like he had completely vanished off the face of the earth.


    And just like I expected the fallout of all of this smeared my name even more, my enemies used this opportunity to beat me down, but it seems they did too well of a job last time, so this scandal wasn¡¯t hard to fight back against them.


    Especially since I was fuelled by rage every day. But when I lost targets to send that rage towards I had to find new ones.


    I target all my staff. ¡°You useless failures do your jobs.¡±


    My business partners. ¡°It is the due date for the loan I gave you, I expect it paid in full with all 40% interest.¡±


    Even in the mansion itself, I would run around like a child smashing everything I saw until I felt better.


    But despite that, there was always one person my hatred kept going towards, Surgoth. From the bottom of my lungs, I screamed, ¡°SURGOTH I WILL KILL YOU,¡± As I continue to break things around the room.


    Running into the room Elliot says, ¡°My lady please stop!¡±


    ¡°It is all your fault Surgoth,¡± I say continuing to break things in the room.


    Restraining me by force Elliot says, ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing this.¡±


    Being held down by Elliot I say, ¡°Hey Elliot, tell me, why did my son leave?¡±


    Unable to say anything Elliot just holds me down in silence. ¡°If you have nothing to say then why the hell are you here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to help me, isn¡¯t that what I pay you for. So do your fucking job and bring that bastard who tore me from my son away, BRING ME SURGOTH!¡±


    ¡°MY LADY STOP! Please just stop. I am sorry I have committed a cardinal sin against you.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about Elliot?¡±


    ¡°Up until now I have always let your behaviour go, I have let your treatment of Tusk go, but more than that I knew how many problems you have had living on Skydust and running the Kritz family business since Krik died, so I always just let you do whatever would make you happy, and for all that I apologize,¡± Elliot says with tears falling from his eyes.


    In complete shock and awe, I say, ¡°You can cry.¡±


    ¡°But from now on I won¡¯t do what will make you happy, I will work to do what is best for you my lady, and the first thing I need to do is tell you this. It is your fault that Tusk left, no one else¡¯s, it is only yours.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you on about, I raised Tusk with care and lov-.¡±


    ¡°Surgoth raised Tusk with care and love, while you simply forced an unbelievable amount of pressure on the boy, even the sky forge couldn¡¯t create such pressure.¡±


    ¡°Surgoth was the parasite who tried to squander my son''s potential.¡±


    ¡°No, my lady, Surgoth was the one who kept Tusk together after everything he has been through, if it wasn¡¯t for him I doubt Tusk would have even made it to this day.¡±


    Unable to hear Elliot''s words anymore I say, ¡°That isn¡¯t true, that isn¡¯t true, THAT ISN¡¯T TRUE!¡±


    ¡°YES, IT IS!¡±


    ¡°I am the only one who understands Tusk, none of you could see it, he had the same shine that Krik did and I can¡¯t let that shine go to waste. I had to refine it just like everyone else did with their craft, I had to make my treasure perfect so I could stand amongst them all.¡±


    Looking up at Elliot, I see he has a face full of sadness, ¡°My lady you are correct that Tusk shines just like Krik, though is it not in ability but in love. He works hard to continue to see the smile of his loved ones and that passion pulled him to new heights.


    Did you know that Tusk wanted to be a hunter, I thought you wouldn¡¯t know this because of how much work you had, but it was his dream for years. The only reason he gave up on it was that he realized that he could get people to smile more by running the Kritz business.¡±


    ¡°No that isn¡¯t true, Tusk would have told me.¡±


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t tell you anything that could possibly make you upset my lady, he simply just wanted to always see his mother happy. But that doesn¡¯t want you wanted from him, you wanted him to be your trophy, your passion, and that led Tusk to want to leave and never come back. He is gone because of you Dush.¡±


    Hearing this tears fall from my eyes. ¡°But I loved him so much.¡±


    ¡°My lady, no you didn¡¯t, and that is the only truth of the situation.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no, no.¡± Unable to control myself anymore I just cry and cry and cry as loudly as I can.


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    Holding me Elliot says, ¡°I am so sorry my lady, I take the blame in this as well, I am so, so, sorry Dush.¡±


    -Break-


    From the day Elliot talked to me I have calmed down quite a bit. I no longer abuse anyone whether on a personal level or a financial level. All I do now is work, and sleep.


    So I just worked away for 5 years, and each year I asked myself one simple question; why am I here, and for what purpose? In my old age, I had nothing that I really cared about anymore, I just sat down wasting away thinking about my life.


    All the family I have is either gone or missing, my work was just a menial process to me no different than breathing, and any lust I had for passion is completely dried up, I had become hollow.


    Unable to sit down anymore I walk around the mansion, I have never really gotten a feel for how big this is, I swear my house when I was younger wasn¡¯t even a hundredth of this mansion''s size.


    I walk through the kitchen, the halls, and the bedrooms, and for the first time since he died, I went into Krik¡¯s study. I haven¡¯t been able to enter this room at all, so I ordered all the documents to be brought out and for the room to be preserved.


    Walking around, I get a feel for everything in the room, all of Kriks books, his paintings, he even had a photograph; something he got while in Elp¨ªda. After getting tired I sit down behind Krik¡¯s desk. His chair feels soft but one of the legs is slightly wobbly.


    I can imagine Krik sitting down, rocking back and forth on this chair as the sunlight strikes him on the back of his head. Wait for a second, wouldn¡¯t all this sunlight make working an issue?


    Getting up I say, ¡°Who the hell would even put a window here.¡± Taking a moment to look out the window I notice something, this window has a direct view into my dressing room. That pervert was always watching me.


    Suddenly an elated feeling overtakes me, and I start to laugh, ¡°Did you really like me that much Krik, because nowadays I don¡¯t think there is anything left of that person.¡±


    Moving from the window, I trip against the chair and slam my head into his desk. Pulling my head back up I say, ¡°To think I can still make such mistakes.¡±


    Regaining my senses, I look down and see that I left a hole in his desk. ¡°After everyone has done such a great job keeping this place clean for 20 years, the moment I enter I already break something, how embarrassing,¡± I say covering my face with my hands.


    Removing my hands from my face, I see there is something strange in the hole I left, so I reach out my hand and take it from inside the hole.


    What I was holding in my hands was something I would notice even on my deathbed; it was the scarf I had with my parents.


    ¡°Hey honey, what do you want to do with this scarf?¡±


    ¡°Throw it away, I have no use for that thing.¡±


    ¡°But I think it would be good to frame it, as the treasure that allowed me to meet Dush Zalik the best woman in the world.¡±


    ¡°Stop being gross and just toss it in the bin!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty when you¡¯re angry.¡±


    With a sombre tone I say, ¡°Krik you idiot, I thought I told you to throw this out.¡±


    Holding this scarf in my hands, all I can do is cry. After a moment I say, ¡°I wonder if I could ever truly be the Dush Zalik you always saw in your eyes Krik.¡±


    Getting up as fast as I can I run out of the room full of life.


    -Break-


    With all the strength I can muster, I use an axe to cut down the tree around me. ¡°This axe is light and sharp, the people of Skydust really know how to craft things beyond what is reasonable. I know why you loved them so much Krik.¡±


    With panicked expressions, Elliot and Sandra run over to me, and Sandra says, ¡° Our lady is everything ok.¡±


    ¡°Yes everything is fine, I have just decided to make a house for myself out of wood.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the shoddy-looking hut I saw,¡± Sandra asks.


    ¡°Hey, no need to be mean, I know I am no architect.¡±


    ¡°But for what reason are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°It is just that I have decided to be the very best Dush Zalik from today onwards, so please don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°My lady I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Picking Sandra up Elliot says, ¡°God bless, my lady,¡± and walks away.


    ¦µ ¡°Elliot what are you doing, Dush could get hurt if we leave her like that.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine Sandra.¡±


    ¡°HOW!¡±


    Smacking Sandra on the head I say, ¡°I thought you lost that screaming habit years ago, bad Sandra.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t baby me, and just spit it out already.¡±


    ¡°That smile my lady has on is something she has only ever had when with Krik, so right now I am sure what she is doing is reiving her.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°It took a while, but my house is complete.¡± Walking inside my house I start to knit the scarf.


    I love scarves, they allow me to join myself close to the ones I love and share our warmth, it is what kept Dush Zalik going in all my hard days. So I hope if I create one long enough it will be able to unite me and my family wherever they are in the world, or even beyond. Wrapped in that scarf I may truly be able to understand Tusk.


    But isn¡¯t that a bit too lonely, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was freezing in my home country and I am sure there are many others like that in the world. So maybe if I make a scarf not only for me but for everyone it might let us understand each other better.


    Everyone under a scarf, feeling each other¡¯s warmth, understanding each other states, I am sure that will be wonderful.


    Jumping up I say, ¡°If this is for everyone it needs a bit of everyone in it.¡±


    -Break-


    As I get on the Zterytavis Elliot screams, ¡°My lady where are you going!!¡±


    ¡°To go grab some materials.¡±


    ¡°Let us take care of it.¡±


    ¡°Never, from this point on will I make someone do something I can do. I will be back soon.¡±


    Taking off all over the world, I collected all sorts of materials to weave into my scarf, and I even went to Cordum to find out the longest scarf in the world.


    Free from all the doubt and hatred I had, I worked with a gleeful smile for 30 years to achieve my dream, I am almost there, I am almost done.¡±


    But when I was just about to cross the finish line it was all ripped away from me. The scarf was stolen, and I am left with nothing. So now as my dream has come to an end, all I can do is lay in my bed with tears in my eyes.


    I hear a knock on my door which is followed by Elliot''s voice, ¡°My lady I need you to come out quick.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing left for me out in that world. And that is only fair this is the judgement of my actions.¡±


    Walking in, Elliot picks me up and drags me outside. In my entire time with Elliot, this is the second time he has ever been so forceful. Just like always he is trying to cheer me up, but it is pointless I have no reason to go on.


    Bashing open the front door Elliot takes me outside where I see Orb and Atalanta holding two kids in their arms and behind them is my scarf.


    ¡°Sorry it took us so long, but taking this massive thing anywhere is hard.¡±


    Running up to them I tackle them both onto the scarf and say, ¡°THANK YOU!¡± while tears fall from my eyes.

 Arc 7.18

    ¦µ ¡°Look Atalanta, isn¡¯t this smile worth it.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, get this gross lady off of me right now.¡±


    Dush getting away from us says, ¡°Where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°Oh well, these two cute little munchkins stole it, so we had them give it back.¡±


    Shaking Mime in my hands, I tell her and Anto, ¡°Now what do we say to people we wronged.¡±


    In unison, they both say, ¡°Sorry for stealing your stuff.¡±


    ¡°See how cute these two are, so how about you forgive them, Dush?¡±


    Picking both the kids up she says, ¡°Well they are cute so let me mull this over.¡±


    Walking both the kids over to the street curb, she makes them bite it and say, ¡°Die you brats.¡±


    Oh no, she is about to kick their heads in. Running over at full speed, I scream, ¡°STOP!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Daddy isn¡¯t my art so pretty.¡±


    ¡°Peppa it truly is, you have the hands of an angel.¡±


    ¡°Really!!¡± Peppa says ecstatically.


    Barring into the room with an Alarmed expression, Kate says, ¡°Darling a lot of people are outside our house.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°They are saying we caught Percy.¡±


    ¡°But we haven¡¯t done any such thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who is spreading those lies, but we should still come outside.¡±


    ¡°Peppa, stay here mommy and daddy will be back.¡±


    ¡°Ok! When mommy comes back let¡¯s show her my art as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will.¡±


    Following Kate, I rush outside to see a ridiculously large amount of people, the majority of the citizens in Skydust must be here right now.


    ¡°Jeter, we heard you caught Percy.¡±


    ¡°Darling did you bring it.¡±


    ¡°I never leave without it,¡± Kate says as she hands me a shatter shell; it expands the sound of my voice a hundred-fold.


    Standing up in front of them all, I say into the shatter shell, ¡°We have not caught Percy, I have no idea why you were all called here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Suzuka and Cyrus were running everywhere announcing it to everyone.¡±


    What, why would they do that? ¡°Sorry I have no idea why they did such a thing, but it isn¡¯t true, we have no idea where Percy could be. So, it would be best if you all decided to scatter.¡±


    Suddenly a thundering voice rings throughout the area; ¡°WAIT A MINUTE!!¡± The sheer sound and volume causes me to stop in my tracks unable to move, the voice was even louder than mine in the shatter shell.


    Looking down into the crowd, I see it part in the middle, and then down that rift I see Suzuka, and Cyrus walks down. But it seems Cyrus is holding something in his arms.


    When she gets close enough, Suzuka grabs the man from Cyrus¡¯s arms and throws him towards me, then she screams, ¡°We didn¡¯t lie to you since that man there is Percy, we found him.¡±


    Then the crowd of people around us suddenly explode with noise. Feeling the anxiety in the air I say, ¡°EVERYONE CALM DOWN.¡±


    After I say this, I get off the platform in front of my house and walk over to Percy. I have so many questions to ask you, what did you do? How many people have you killed? Why couldn¡¯t you listen to me? How was your last birthday? Have you been taking care of yourself? Have you grown up? Did you lose weight? Have you been taking care of yourself? Do you still love your family? Did you miss us? Do you even understand the gravity of what you have done?


    To be honest, when you left I had never expected to ever see you again, now you''re right in front of me and your life now has the fate of all of Skydust.


    Placing my hand on his hood I prepare to pull it off, but I stop to think; I am scared, I don¡¯t want to be looked at with those same irrational eyes of hatred you looked at me with before you disappeared, but as the king, this is simply something I have to take responsibility for.


    Pulling the hood off the man¡¯s head, I see it is Percy, but his face is so malnourished that he barely looks the same. My son had a strong and mighty body honed for craft, but the boy in front of me has twig-like arms that could barely hold anything.


    His skin was just one level up from pushing against his bones, numerous scars have overtaken his body, and worst of all his face was completely despondent as if he had given up on life. The powerful eyes my son had are gone, the beast that was there had been domesticated.


    The very sight of my boy looking like this breaks my heart into pieces, but with all the willpower I can muster I hold back the tears and say, ¡°Percy do you know what you have done?¡±


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    When Percy sees my face, it looks like the remaining life drained from his face and he bows his head saying, ¡°Father I am sorry, I am so sorry. I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought I could just give weapons to people, and we could just fight against them but that isn¡¯t how it went.


    For every 1 they lost we lost 10, for every victory destruction followed soon after, bodies piled up higher than our tallest buildings. I saw so many good people lose their minds and go insane, or they turned into beasts that had to be put down.


    And I dragged my friends into this, Thomas, Charles, Wendy, Amy, they all died. But not only them; Ellie, Sam, Bill, Liam, Abigail, Zoey, Cian, Darcy, Katie, Ciara, Callum, Louise, Max, Jenny, Lucy, Mattew, Brandon, Dillion, Hilda, Kelly, Sasha, Holly, and so many other whose name I didn¡¯t even get to know, they all died horrendous deaths because of me, they are being tortured while I get to live, while I bow my head in front of you.


    I am so sorry dad; I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, and I didn¡¯t know who I was hurting I am so sorry dad.¡±


    Looking at my son''s face I know in my heart what I should do. ¡°Percy due to your actions, Gevurah is knocking on our front door and is threatening war.¡±


    With a shocked expression, he looks up at me and says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Now the only way to avoid such a thing would be to hand over the man who caused chaos in their war. Right now, your life is what is threatening the existence of Skydust.¡±


    His face goes even more hollow, and then he says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know my actions had brought such a thing to you all, I promise I won¡¯t let them do anything to Skydust.¡±


    As Percy starts to stand up, I grab his shoulder and hold him in place, then I say, ¡°This issue concerns Skydust so it will be handled by the people of Skydust. DID YOU HEAR ME, EVERYONE, WHAT DO YOU ALL WANT TO DO WITH PERCY?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious our king, I refuse to hand over even one of our own to another country?¡±


    ¡°ALL THOSE WHO AGREE RAISE YOUR VOICES!¡±


    Noise erupts yet again from around the area. ¡°It seems you aren¡¯t going anywhere, my son.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at my dad in front of me, I say, ¡°Dad this is a bad idea, do you even know what you''re doing? If we oppose them, they will wipe us all out without discrimination. Skydust will fall!¡±


    Suddenly I am tackled from the side, and then I see Rebecca, ¡°I heard you actually gave Gevurah a run for their money.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that.¡±


    To my left, I see Amioss, ¡°Do you still pee your pants brat?¡±


    ¡°Do women still avoid you?¡±


    ¡°Say that again you bastard,¡± he says grabbing my collar.


    Mecca walking towards me says, ¡°Hey Percy look what Robert got me for my birthday, I thought he was cheating this entire time.¡±


    ¡°You know having a little more trust in your husband will make life go easier.¡±


    ¡°EXACTLY,¡± Robert says.


    Radum appearing out of nowhere says, ¡°Woah your all skin and bones now and you used to be so strong, I could probably take Percy in a fight now.¡±


    ¡°Says the boy who got bullied by a five-year-old since he was ten.¡±


    ¡°Hey, little girls can be terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Out of nowhere, I feel something forced into my mouth, looking at who did it, I see my mother with Peppa in her arms. ¡°That was some of my birthday cake Percy, I saved it for when you came back.¡±


    ¡°Peppa, you¡¯re a lot bigger now.¡±


    ¡°I know, I am a grown lady now.¡±


    Patting her head, I say, ¡°You really are.¡±


    ¡°You see this Percy; everyone wants you back and is ready to fight for that.¡±


    ¡°But if we do it won¡¯t go well, we will fail.¡±


    Giving me a hug, my dad says, ¡°I know how you feel, but you should also understand how we feel about this. There is no way we are losing one of our own.¡±


    Hearing my father''s words I fall to the ground with tears in my eyes and just say, ¡°Thank you,¡± over and over again.


    ¦µ ¡°I-I-I-I-It seems a-a-a-all went well, Su-u-u-uzuka.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is this.¡±


    Turning my head towards her, I say, ¡°What do you mean Suzu-u-u-u-ka,¡± but she has already started to run far away.


    ¡°Suzuka w-w-w-where are you go-o-o-o-oing,¡± I say following her at full speed.


    After running, for a while, we eventually stop in an alley where I say, ¡°What is wr-r-r-rong.¡±


    ¡°It-it- it just isn¡¯t fair, that man put all of their lives in danger and his selfishness has killed so many people, so why he has been allowed to come back here?¡±


    ¡°Bu-u-u-ut they forgave him.¡±


    Turning around to face me, Suzuka says, ¡°Then why couldn¡¯t the same happen to me? All I ever wanted was to be accepted by them and to be friends with them, and they all even my grandma rejected me, just because of a curse I couldn¡¯t control, they all wanted me dead and even killed my parents for it.


    But that man didn¡¯t give a shit about anyone here and selfishly did actions that could have put them all in danger, and now they are all about to go to war for him. It just isn¡¯t fair why did I have to be put through all of this.¡±


    As she talked strength left her legs until she was on the floor. ¡°I know this is such a selfish thing to say even after all the good fortune I have received, but I just can¡¯t stop feeling like this.¡±


    Picking Suzuka up I say, ¡°I would definitely go to war for you!¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°So will Orb, and Atalanta, and I am such even Iancu would. F-F-F-F-From this point on, I know you¡¯re going to meet a bunch of people who will go to war for yo-u-u-u-u. So don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Letting out a little laugh she says, ¡°Thank you for that Cyrus, you can actually be a grown-up at times.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± I say with happiness following through my veins.


    ¡°Yes, now lets us go back.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka, Cyrus.¡±


    Hearing someone call our names from behind me, I turn around and when I do I see Jeter.


    ¡°Sorry for the method we used,¡± Suzuka says.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize for that, it is only thanks to you that we were able to find him, but thanking you is not why I am here.¡± Getting on his hand and knees Jeter says, ¡°I need your help, I beg you.¡±


    Name: Jeter Mercury


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Scorpio 20<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey, with red strands


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 180cm


    Description: The king of Skydust. He is a kind and humble kind who uses his power to better the lives of his citizens. His personal Craft Candle making, he choose this due to the smell of his parent''s candles when he was younger, candles hold great meaning to him.


    Name: Kate Mercury


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Sagittarius 10<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream, with red strands.


    Eyes: White


    Height: 161 cm


    Description: The energetic queen of Skydust. Her personal craft is interior design, and all things that go towards it. Due to her craft needing her to use the Sky forge repeatedly, she constantly loses weight which she needs to overeat to get back, this whole condition has led her to develop sky sickness.


    Name: Percy Mercury


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Leo 27<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream, with red strands.


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 189 cm


    Description: The first Prince of Skydust. He is an over-aggressive passionate young man who hates to see those that are oppressed. He went to assist Varage in its war against Gevurah but due to the chaotic results, he returned home a changed boy. His personal craft is decorative weapons, which may not always be decorative.


    Name: Peppa Mercury


    Age: 5<sup>th</sup>


    Birthday: Scorpio 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: Grey, with red strands


    Eyes: White


    Height: 40 cm


    Description: The first Princess of Skydust. She is a fun-loving little girl, who is still discovering her personal craft.


    Sky sickness: An particular illness the body develops due to constant weight loss and weight gain from the Sky forge.

 Arc 7.19

    -Break-


    ¦µ While sitting on my lap Mime says, ¡°Old lady we¡¯re sorry!¡±


    Anto sitting on Atalanta¡¯s lap says, ¡°We just wanted candy!¡±


    Knitting away on the scarf Dush says, ¡°Orb do you hear anything?¡±


    ¡°Are we really doing this?¡±


    ¡°Come on take my side.¡±


    ¡°How about we solve this issue like this, the twins will work off their mistake. Because we won¡¯t be getting this scarf done with just the three of us, isn¡¯t that right Atalanta?¡±


    Ignoring me Atalanta continues to knit away with extreme focus. I don¡¯t think I have ever seen her so concentrated on anything like this, my words must have touched her heart, ¡°How cute!¡±


    ¡°Orb stop existing to me you are breaking my concentration,¡± she says while giving me a glance with stern eyes.


    ¡°Um, sorry!¡±


    Getting up from our laps the twins go up to Dush and say, ¡°Where should we start?¡±


    ¡°Listen up, just go like this through this. Hey, are you two paying attention.¡±


    ¡°Sorry granny, we are just so enticed by your technique.¡±


    ¡°The way you move your hands is so beautiful.¡±


    Bashfully Dush says, ¡°Oh you two stop it. ELLIOT COME HERE!¡±


    Suddenly a hole appears on the ground and out of it springs Elliot.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I have a series of tunnels set through all of Skydust to help me reach lady Dush quickly where ever she may be.¡±


    ¡°Elliot, I need some sweats for these kids.¡±


    ¡°I have it here,¡± Elliot says throwing the sweets into Anto and Mime''s mouths.


    ¡°Do you just carry that stuff around with you?¡±


    ¡°A true butler knows what his master wants before they even ask.¡±


    I guess even the non-artisans still hone their field to perfection, every second I spend in this country I feel even more inferior, and my self-esteem is plummeting.


    ¦µ Thieves rule number 5; people are weak to cute things and compliments, use both together and you can beat any opponent.


    Our plan worked without a hitch, master teachings always come in handy.


    Now, this old lady is giving me and my brother all the candy we want, this is our victory.


    ¦µ Judging by the evil smile on Anto and Mime''s faces I guess they set this up on Dush, those two need some discipline. But aren¡¯t they both just so cute, I want to gobble them up.


    ¡°Orb the weirdness leaking off of you is distracting, control yourself or you might start acting like Ai.¡±


    Atalanta comparison immediately calms me down and returns me to my senses.


    ¡°Orb!¡± I hear a voice say.


    Leaving Dush¡¯s little hut I go outside to see Suzuka, Cyrus, and someone else.


    ¡°Did you two finish your business?¡±


    ¡°Sort of, but that is in fact what we came to talk to you about Orb. This man behind us wants to talk to you.¡±


    Walking up to me the man stretches out his hand and says, ¡°Hello I am Jeter Mercury the king of Skydust.¡±


    ¡°EHHHHH! Suzuka how do you and Cyrus know royalty?¡±


    ¡°It is a long story.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Turning to face Jeter, I invoke all my manners and say, ¡°Hello good sir, my name is Orb, it is truly a heavenly blessing to be in your presence today.¡±


    ¡°Woah, you¡¯re rather fancy,¡± Jeter says.


    Oh, shit is he more causal than that, this is my first-time meeting royalty and I have already messed up. As I start to freak out Jeter says, ¡°You don¡¯t have to get so worried since in fact, I came here to ask you for a favour.¡±


    ¡°A favour?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I would like to discuss it somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Follow us, Jetty boy,¡± Dush says.


    ¡°I told you not to call me that.¡±


    ¡°I am 40 years your elder, I will call you whatever the hell I want, Jetty boy.¡±


    ¡°We have a room ready since we were expecting your arrival, my king,¡± Elliot says.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go Orb.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    -Break-


    Dropping my cup of tea, I stop in my tracks and say, ¡°Are you insane, You¡¯re going to go to war with Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Orb mind your manners, putting your hands on the table is rude,¡± Dush says. Looking at Dush the aura around her has completely changed, she isn¡¯t acting like the sporadic woman I have known but that of a woman who befits her title, her presence is just as heavy as Ai''s when she is serious.


    ¡°When I caught wind of Percy¡¯s return I knew it would devolve into this. So I am guessing the reason you¡¯re here is to use the Zterytavis¡¯s to evacuate the children?¡±


    ¡°You read my mind Dush, can it be done.¡±


    ¡°Well of course it can, I am not going to let all our young get killed in a war. But where are we going to evacuate them to? Many countries will abuse the skill sets of our young, they might be forced into extreme labour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have come to talk to Orb.¡± Getting on his hands and knees Jeter says, ¡°I beg you please take the kids with you. I know this is a lot to ask but I heard about your adventure from Suzuka and know you have a secure place to keep them.¡±


    He must be talking about Maples village Aplos, ¡°Wait a second, how do you even know you can trust me.¡±


    ¡°Granny Dush would never be around an untrustworthy person, and Suzuka and Cyrus¡¯s words about you are always full of love, so I believe you''re trustworthy. So I beg you please take them in.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at Orb I see him put his hand to his face and have a stressed expression, with his hair also turning red. ¡°I am sorry I can¡¯t indulge something so selfish.¡±


    ¡°Was my request too much?¡±


    ¡°Hell yes it was, do you even realize how utterly devoid of kindness you have to be to make your country go to war over your son''s actions.¡±


    ¡°Orb,¡± I say as he continues to fill with anger. I have known Orb only for a little time but the anger he has in his face isn¡¯t something I thought he was capable of.


    Seeing this I try to read Orb''s thoughts, but his head is overflowing with thoughts, and his emotions are fiery hot, I can barely read them.


    ¡°You¡¯re literally about to ruin your country and its entire history over your son''s foolish actions. Your son made a choice and should take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but we have decided to not hand him over to Gevurah, my son is just a kid and has made a mistake.¡±


    Filled with erratic anger, Orb says, ¡°The world doesn¡¯t care if you¡¯re a child or not, if you do something that gets people killed all of that falls on your head. To deny such a thing would be the most disgusting thing a human could do. But instead of making your son take responsibility for his choices you would rather risk everyone¡¯s lives on this!!¡±


    ¡°I am aware of all this, but he is my son.¡±


    ¡°So what, when he makes this mistake again you¡¯re just going to bail him out again.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let this ever happen again.¡±


    ¡°How the hell am I supposed to trust a man who would betray not only his people but the very history of his country? Your stupid son is about to bring destruction to Skydust.¡±


    ¡°Skydust will not fall, we aren¡¯t going into this battle without a plan, and even in the worst case we intend him on fighting to our last breath.¡±


    Increasingly getting more anger Orb breaks the table and then activates his legacy, swinging his arm forward he partially freezes a part of Jeter''s body.


    ¡°Orb what are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Suzuka, but I need to make a point. Jeter, I have been around Skydust and I know for a fact you guys aren¡¯t even slightly a militaristic country,  you¡¯re all soft creatives who aren¡¯t fit for battle much less war with a superpower like Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Still, we will fight.¡±


    ¡°Then you leave me no choice, I will go and hand over Percy myself.¡±


    ¡°Orb you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°I am dead serious, you see that is the reality of this situation, someone like me could easily get past everyone in this country and take Percy. And I am all but certain that Gevurah has people stronger than me. YOU SEE THIS JETER, THIS IS THE REALITY YOU FACE!!¡±


    ¡°You really are a kind boy; I was right to choose you.¡±


    Gritting his teeth, Orb says, ¡°Has fear made you delirious?¡±


    ¡°Ever since I brought up my plan you have been trying your best to convince me against it.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you on about.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have two kids, seeing through nonsense is something I have had to learn. If you wanted to make Percy take full responsibility you wouldn¡¯t have told anyone and would¡¯ve snuck Percy to Gevurah in the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°But instead, you stayed here and tried to get me to understand, even as I am frozen now, I fully know you won¡¯t take Percy by force you simply respect my free will too much.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry but regardless of all the reasons you have stated, I choose to help my son, and the people of Skydust choose the same.¡±


    The ice Orb created quickly turns to snow, which allows Jeter to walk free. Seeing Orb his hair turns pitch black, with all the anger he had been showing vanishing. Walking up to Orb, Jeter pats him on the head.


    ¡°War is a horrible thing, in so many books I have read the end of their civilizations is always at the hand of war. A country such as Skydust shouldn¡¯t be added to the list of those civilizations.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure that won¡¯t happen, but it will only be possible if you answer my question.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair?¡±


    ¡°I know it is, so will you take the kids with you?¡±


    ¡°Just for now, but I am definitely going to return them all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I hope as well.¡±


    ¦µ Clapping her hands Dush says, ¡°That was a good show, but what are you going to do about this table.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was trying to prove a point, I will fix it later,¡± I say embarrassed


    ¡°It''s fine I am just messing with ya. But now that we are sorted, we need to get to the other business.¡±


    ¡°Other business?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the leading of the Zterytavis. To control a guidance of Zterytavis¡¯s you need to have an Alpha leading the group, otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to control such a big group.¡±


    ¡°But how do you control them usually?¡±


    Elliot says, ¡°Normally we never dispatch them in such a big group and have well-trained riders so this isn¡¯t an issue, but with a group, this large and mainly children ridden them it will probably be a big problem.¡±


    Jeter rubbing the back of his head says, ¡°I was hoping you would have a solution to that?¡±


    ¡°You dumbass! Do you just think I have answers for everything, you really are the same tump-sucking, floor-shitting brat Jetty.¡±


    Looking over at Jetty he looks depressed by Dushes words, poor Jetty but we have issues to deal with and maintaining his pride isn¡¯t one. ¡°Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°What is it Orb?¡±


    ¡°Alpha wonderbeasts gain control over other wonderbeasts because A; they release stronger pheromones and B; because of their size. So, if we cover a big object in Zterytavis pheromones we should be able to guide them.¡±


    ¡°But where would we find a giant flying object?¡±


    Letting out a snicker I say, ¡°I know just this place.¡±


    Name: Mime Baudelaire


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green (Primary) Indigo (Secondary) Her hair is long.


    Eyes: Purple (Left) Indigo (Right) Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ??


    Height: 138 cm


    Description: A thief who dresses up like a clown. Together with her twin brother Anto, she hopes to make enough money to build a house out of candy and chocolate. She is a very loving person.


    Name: Anto Baudelaire


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green (Primary) Indigo (Secondary) Despite the Indigo being his legacy hair colour it is much more prominent than his natural green hair


    Eyes: Purple (Left) Indigo (Right)


    Height: 138 cm


    Description: A thief who dresses up like a clown. Together with his twin sister Mime, he hopes to make enough money to build a house out of candy and chocolate. He is a very excitable person.

 Arc 7.20

    Name: Orb


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed)2


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who loves everything he sees. He is clever and hopeful, whenever he sees someone in need, he will help them. He also tends to be quite feminine looking which bothers him.


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Thank you lord for this food you have given us, as we part take of this please rejuvenate and heal any sickness in our bodies. Let any curse in this food vanish and be sent to our enemies, in the messiahs name.¡±


    ¡°AMEN!¡±


    ¡°Now you guys can stop pretending and eat your food.¡± Grabbing the cutlery Iancu, Elia, Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim all start to devour my food. ¡°You guys could learn to have some manners.¡±


    Stuffing her mouth, Ivana says, ¡°Oh how I have missed you boss''s cooking!¡±


    Gheorghe says with his eyes watering, ¡°I thought we would never experience this ever again!¡±


    Wadim cramping the food down his gullet says, ¡°This is the real reason why I won¡¯t ever quit this job.¡±


    Elia in a manner completely unbefitting of her appearance eats like a rabid animal, ¡°You have the hands-on an angel Avram.¡±


    ¡°Not getting to eat your food while we were fighting is the biggest trial, I have ever had to face Dad.¡±


    ¡°Still, you guys don¡¯t have to act like this.¡±


    ¡°If I ever get married Avram, I am going to need you to cook for me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Elia, something like that is impossible for you.¡±


    ¡°What was that, Iancu?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t stutter, did I?¡±


    With a messy face and a bright smile, Elia says, ¡°Good I was just making sure I heard you.¡± Picking up a knife Elia tries to stab Iancu right in the throat, but Iancu uses all his strength to stop her.¡±


    ¡°DAD SHE IS TRYING TO KILL ME.¡±


    ¡°This is why you mind your own business Iancu, it is the best way not to get stabbed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Iancu I read in a book long ago that it is normal for siblings to stab each other.¡±


    ¡°Ivana, I don¡¯t know what kind of blood ritual book you read but that isn¡¯t true?¡±


    Pushing the knife closer to Iancu¡¯s throat Elia says, ¡°Then why don¡¯t we start a trend Iancu.¡±


    ¡°NOT WITH MY LIFE!¡±


    Barging through the door of the ship Orb walks in. ¡°Hey, guys I am going to need you to follow me outside.¡±


    All the eyes in the room turn to Orb and start giving him a death glare. ¡°Orb you better not intend to ruin our meal you bastard.¡±


    ¡°If you do I will skin you alive and turn you into a new pair of tights.¡±


    Why can¡¯t Iancu and Elia just be on the same terms normally? Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Gloria, I wish you were here.¡±


    Looking at Orb I ask him, ¡°Why specifically?¡±


    ¡°Long story, but the ship is going to undergo some renovations, and will be staying on Skydust for a little longer than planned.¡±


    ¡°Everyone let¡¯s follow Orb out.¡±


    Hearing my words the killing intent towards Orb in the room becomes so dense that I can actually taste it.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°So that¡¯s about it Avram, we need to do a few renovations to the ship and get it ready to fly off of Skydust.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Grabbing my face, Avram says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t make promises like this with other people¡¯s possessions.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re a big softy so I knew you couldn¡¯t turn down all the pure souls of Skydust.¡±


    ¡°You mean those guys, they all look like perverts.¡±


    Turning to see all the people from Skydust I brought with me, I see them all examining the ship and drooling like weirdos. ¡°I can promise you they only have good intentions.¡±


    Running over to me the crowd of craftsmen say, ¡°Orb this is one of Basileia artefacts right?¡±


    ¡°Like a real one, not one of those fake copies on the black market.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can guarantee it is one directly from Elp¨ªda.¡±


    ¡°Oh god, I never thought I would ever see one.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t stop these tears.¡±


    ¡°This really is a miracle.¡±


    Looking at their faces, I say, ¡°You guys it really isn¡¯t that big of a deal, and anyways don¡¯t you think we should go and get all of the renovations started?¡±


    Suddenly they all stop, and then one of them speaks up, ¡°Yeah we need to get those renovations started.¡±


    ¡°But if we happen to have some fun with it, then I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Hey, guys only simple renovations, ones that will help us with our mission at hand nothing else.¡±


    ¡°We hear you Orb loud and clear, isn¡¯t that right everyone?¡±


    ¡°YEAH!!!¡± they all scream in unison.


    With his mouth water overflowing the man leading them says, ¡°Then let¡¯s get started!!¡±


    As they all run towards the ship I scream, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything extra you idiots!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Orb.¡±


    ¡°But Avram your ship.¡±


    ¡°As a craftsman myself, I can understand their joy at looking at one of Basileia¡¯s artefacts.¡±


    Walking over to us Jeter says, ¡°Thank you for your understand, my name is Jeter and I am the king of Skydust.¡±


    Giving Jeter a handshake Avram says, ¡°I am Avram Bogdan, and you can stop staring at me like that.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry this is my first time seeing a nightmare, so I was just entranced by your appearances.¡±


    Nightmare? Is that what you call the people who look like Avram? So then wouldn¡¯t Capti¡¯s wife also be a nightmare, how the hell did he leave such information out?


    ¡°Were as monstrous as everyone says, is probably what your thinking.¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, you all look cool looking, I wish I had such an amazing body like you guys.¡±


    Whispering in the back I hear Ivana say to Gheorghe and Wadim, ¡°Hey did you hear, he said were cool looking.¡±


    ¡°Usual humans run away scared.¡±


    ¡°I like this guy.¡±


    With a smile, Avram says, ¡°I didn¡¯t think there were many humans outside of Elp¨ªda who would be so kind to us, this has been a rather pleasant experience.¡±


    Avram really has a bright smile on his face, I haven¡¯t seen him with one like this ever before, I guess such nice things aren¡¯t said that often to Avram¡¯s people.


    Turning to Elia Jeter says, ¡°Is she a nightmare too.¡±


    Walking up Elia says, ¡°Hello my name is Elia Moonwalker, but the fact that I told a scum-sucking, self-centred, mentally molested, spiritually sicking, mass murdering, ignoramus like you my name makes me want to change it.¡±


    Hearing Elia''s insults Jeter stops in his tracks with a face of surprise. ¡°What, your brain is so degraded that my words can¡¯t get a response. But to be honest, what should I expect from a man who is devoid of logic such as yourself, you are the reason torture exists.¡±


    When Elia finishes her sentence Avram smacks her directly in the face. Holding her hands against her face she says to Avram, ¡°WHY!¡±


    ¡°Learn some manners.¡± Facing Jeter he says, ¡°Elia isn¡¯t a nightmare, but don¡¯t worry she is a monster at heart.¡±


    ¡°When does saying the truth make you a monster.¡±


    ¡°There are countless words in the heroes song you could use which aren¡¯t anywhere as harsh you idiot!! Sorry about her Jeter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Orb already said some similar things along those lines. But I would like to thank you for your help so would you guys like to come to Skydust with me?¡±


    ¡°It would be a pleasure, Jeter.¡±


    Walking over to me Iancu says, ¡°Orb wouldn¡¯t this be a good time to go get the tool for your sister forged.¡±


    Slamming my fist against my hand I say, ¡°Your right.¡± Running over to Avram I say, ¡°Hey guys I am going to need some help.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Look at this craftsman¡¯s ship, it is perfect. Who made this, it is completely heavenly, I feel like my whole life is a lie simply staring at this.¡±


    Grabbing the man on the shoulder Avram says, ¡°I know how you feel.¡±


    While the two grown men hug each other I say, ¡°Philp is it possible to craft a bow out of these twos spirit metals.¡±


    ¡°There is definitely more than enough for that, and another weapon if you want.¡±


    ¡°Well since my defeat of both of the robots was possible only due to Suzuka fighting with me let''s craft her a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Orb such a thing isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    Getting close and rubbing my cheeks against Suzuka I say, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want it, imagine a special weapon only for you, imagine how much stronger it will make you.¡±


    Putting her mask on Suzuka says half-heartedly, ¡°I definitely don¡¯t want it.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes, I am sure, and even if I did want one it would be impossible to make a weapon for a martial artist for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you do want one, right Philp, did you hear the young girl!¡±


    ¡°Little one if you don¡¯t think I can make a weapon for a hand-to-hand combatant like you, I will have you know you¡¯re dead wrong.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±


    Philp flexing his muscles rips right through his shirt and says, ¡°I am not offended at all I am completely fired up, just you wait I will make you the best weapon I have forged yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, we will leave you to it,¡± I say walking everyone out of the building.


    Looking around I see people running around chaotically, ¡°Is it me or is everyone working even harder than they did yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Well, lots of people need to put things in order.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°In order?¡±


    ¡°Some have to pack for their kids, while others are desperately finishing their work for you guys to take with you.¡±


    Elia says in an annoyed tone, ¡°I don¡¯t remember agreeing to take on your country''s objects as well, we only agreed to take your CHILDREN, did you understand me or do I have to spell it out to your empty head.¡±


    Smacking Elia on the back of the head Avram says, ¡°Please don¡¯t mind her it will be our pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Still I am sorry for this, but I guess everyone wants to make sure nothing important is lost in the war so they feel like passing it on. But in all honesty, I doubt many of them will get it finished in time we are understaffed.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what happens when a smooth-brained king decides to throw all his people and his culture under the chariot and start a war over his foolish son.¡±


    Smacking Elia again Avram says, ¡°This is the fourth time I have hit you today, can¡¯t you cup on and stop talking Elia, I thought you were smarter than this.¡±


    ¡°No matter how the world may try to suppress my voice, I will always call out peoples idiocies and hypocrisies to their faces, because even in the face of oppression the children of god will fight back.¡±


    ¡°I would actually be impressed if those words came from someone else.¡±


    Clapping my hands I say, ¡°You guys want to get a look around Skydust, and I can all but guarantee the best time to do that will be when everyone is working now. Let¡¯s go help everyone with their work and have some fun.¡±


    ¡°Orb, that sounds like a hassle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    ¡°I want some of Avrams cooking.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s go back to the ship.¡±


    ¡°You LAZY bums let¡¯s go explore.¡±


    Avram turning to Elia says, ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say?¡±


    ¡°To be honest whenever Orb opens his mouth I feel like making fun of him so my integrity as someone who only says the truth is in the balance. But I will say this, only pathetic dumbass who never amount to anything choose to stay inside instead of enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience, especially when that experience is to help such generous people.¡±


    Despite not naming anyone it is very clear who she is talking to.


    Turning around to face the three nice idiots, Iancu says, ¡°Hey guys let¡¯s go help.¡±


    With very low energy they say, ¡°Yeah,¡± back to Iancu.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±

 Arc 7.21

    -Break-


    ¦µ While knitting her scarf, Dush starts to hum an annoying rhythm, so I say, ¡°COULD YOU SHUT UP, YOUR DESTROYING MY CONCENTRATION.¡±


    Letting out a little shriek Dush says, ¡°I am sorry, it happens naturally when I work.¡±


    ¡°Well quiet down because I need to focus.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Dush says, ¡°Did you know that-.¡±


    ¡°I thought I asked you to shut up!¡±


    ¡°You looked on edge so I thought a nice story will help calm you relax, think of it of me rewarding you for your work.¡±


    ¡°My issue is that I should be relaxing and having fun, but due to a certain man¡¯s words I am here doing a bunch of work in the middle of the night while looking after two rowdy kids he left me, what the hell have I become a single mother?¡±


    ¡°But Anto and Mime have fallen asleep, look at their adorable faces.¡±


    ¡°No, they haven¡¯t, they both blacked out due to a sugar crash, you can see sugar leaking from their mouths.¡±


    ¡°Should we check on them?¡±


    ¡°Not my children not my problems.¡±


    ¡°ELLIOT!¡±


    Popping through the hole in the floor he grabs Anto and Mime, then he takes them out of the room. ¡°Eh, I hope they both are ok.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is Orb''s problem, since he has egged on this whole situation. So, if you still want to reward someone hand it over to him.¡±


    ¡°I plan to give Orb some kind of reward, but still I feel like you deserve one as well, not many people could stay and knit a scarf for a stranger all day,¡±


    Letting out a sigh I say, ¡°Ok then, talk away.¡±


    Dush says, ¡°Did you know I was actually a peasant.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out.¡±


    ¡°How!¡±


    ¡°Noble ladies don¡¯t tend to be able to wrestle grown men to the ground.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe my cattle rustling skills exposed me, how embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Well rich people like to find strange things to keep as trophies and I guess you were such a trophy.¡±


    Dush hearing my words stops knitting. Oh, shit that was probably a rude thing to say, but it just slipped out due to my annoyed mindset.


    ¡°To be honest I thought the same for a long time, that I was just some fancy toy that Krik had gotten for himself. That Krik was just collecting some rare object and showering it with love.


    But without a doubt his words guided me to become my favourite version of myself, the best Dush Zalik there ever has been. I do believe from the bottom of my heart that he did love me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that!¡±


    ¡°No, I like to talk about these things I don¡¯t get to usually, and regardless of all that I am proud of myself, I think I have become a Dush Zalik that should elicit the love I was given by Krik from everybody.¡±


    Looking up at the sky with a melancholy look Dush says, ¡°Though I guess it is too late for such things. I have shunned many people for all these years and burnt many bridges out of jealousy. The people of the Skydust constantly tried to reach out to me, and so did my son, but I was too stupid to realize any of that and now it is too late to show them the best Dush Zalik.


    For years I was trapped in a cage due to my own inadequacies, and now that I finally want to leave this cage and be with everyone I can¡¯t because I wasted too much time. I will never get to show those people the best Dush Zalik, and worse than that I will never get to see them either.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, you have a son he sounds hot, I would like to sleep with him.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE TOUCH MY LITTLE BOY YOU BITCH!!!¡± Dush says trying to jump me.


    ¡°I was kidding, I didn¡¯t like the mood you were in, and besides men with mommy issues are either angels or devils, not worth the risk, and since he is your son I am guessing he has major mommy issues.¡±


    ¡°That joke wasn¡¯t funny,¡± Dush says as she goes back to knitting.


    ¡°You said no one will get to know the best Dush Zalik but I think I know her pretty well now, so if you¡¯re ok with me how would you like me to be your very first friend.¡±


    Turning to me she eagerly approaches my body almost as if she is about to climb on top of me, and says, ¡°Are you serious, like real female friends, like the ones that have sleepovers and go shopping with each other.¡±


    Pushing her away I say, ¡°Yes but now I am rethinking that.¡±


    Instantly she composes herself back into her seating position and says, ¡°You sure you want to be friends with an old woman like me, my body is not young anymore there are certain things I can¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you phrasing it like that, are you trying to fuck me?¡±


    ¡°NO, I AM BEING SERIOUS HERE!¡±


    ¡°Well, my serious response is that I would love to get to know Dush Zalik some more, so from this moment on we are friends.¡±


    A sudden smile lights up on her face, but it quickly vanishes as she becomes bashful and says, ¡°My friend, would I be able to ask you for your full name.¡±


    ¡°Oui, old lady, you aren¡¯t some 15-year-old pure maiden, stop acting like that.¡±


    ¡°But how am I supposed to act you¡¯re my first friend!¡±


    ¡°Normal, act normal, because of the way you''re behaving I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a paedophile got attracted by the innocence your emanating.¡±


    ¡°JUST ANSWER MY QUESTION!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, my name is Atalanta Supernova, the one and only.¡±


    ¡°That is a nice name, can I call you Lanta.¡±


    ¡°Knock yourself out.¡±


    With a cute little grumble, I hear her say, ¡°What about my nickname?¡±


    ¡°What was that speak up.¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Pinching her cheeks I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up to be your wife I asked to be your friend, speak up!!¡±


    Grabbing her cheeks, she starts to blush, then she says, ¡°Our first fight as friends. Due to this monumental event, I will tell you, I would like a nickname as well.¡±


    ¡°Your name is too short to give you a good one.¡±


    Depressed she says, ¡°I see.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Does it really mean that much to her, ok I guess I have to make one, ¡°What about Us, because it represents you and I. No, I take that back on second thought that is really stupid-.¡±


    Hearing a loud noise out of nowhere, I turn to my side and she Dush crying, ¡°Us, what a fine nickname I never thought I would have one. Thank you so much, Lanta.¡±


    ¡°It seems I have a rather crazy friend from now on, great.¡±


    ¡°Since we''re friends now you can talk and ask me about anything.¡±


    ¡°I see, then I guess could you tell me how you go this material here, I have never felt anything like it.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I got that from the Rinastcean Union.¡±


    ¡°That must¡¯ve been expensive.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea, especially since I couldn¡¯t use any of the family money.¡±


    ¡°Wait why?¡±


    ¡°I made a promise to only use money I would get from fair wages to make this scarf, so I have found myself in need of money more than once and have gotten stranded every now and then.¡±


    ¡°That sounds really fun, tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Well, where do I begin Lanta.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking into the man¡¯s shop with Suzuka and Cyrus behind me I say in a polite voice, ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    ¡°I finished up just a few minutes ago, do you want to take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    As the man walks to the backside of his shop, I see Suzuka beside me start to fidget. Grabbing her by the waist I start to tickle her and say, ¡°What¡¯s with all the fidgeting.¡±


    Laughing Suzuka says, ¡°Stop Orb!¡±


    ¡°When you cough up the secrets.¡±


    ¡°I SAID STOP,¡± she says swiping her tails back at me. Dodging away I see she has a red face filled with anger.


    As she approaches me with hostile intentions, I hid behind Cyrus saying, ¡°Oh no, I am about to get broken in two.¡±


    ¡° I am going to tickle you to death.¡±


    As she tries to catch I move around using Cyrus as a wedge between us so she can''t grab me. ¡°What I did wasn¡¯t that bad, so why don¡¯t you just stop this and answer my question.¡±


    ¡°When I get my revenge. Cyrus grab him!¡±


    ¡°Yes madam!¡± Cyrus says as he grabs me.


    ¡°When did you start taking orders from Suzuka?¡±


    ¡°We had lots of time to bond while you were out doing whatever you wanted. Now it¡¯s time for revenge.¡±


    Taking off my shoes Suzuka starts to relentlessly tickle my feet over and over again, ¡°PLEASE STOP I AM GOING TO DIE!!!¡±


    After a little while of tickling Suzuka eventually lets me go and says, ¡°That felt good.¡±


    Laying on the floor a shell of my former self, I say, ¡°Please answer my question.¡±


    Fidgeting even more Suzuka says, ¡°Well it is just that I am nervous about my present, I don¡¯t get many, so I didn¡¯t know how to feel.¡±


    Getting up I give her a hug from behind and say, ¡°Stop being a baby.¡± Then I supplex her into the ground.


    Holding her head on the floor, Suzuka gives me a death stare and says, ¡°Your right arm is all you¡¯re going to have left.¡±


    ¡°Friends give each other gifts, so don¡¯t be a baby about this from now on this is your new normal, so get used to it, and remember my birthday is in Capricorn don¡¯t forget.¡±


    With a kind smile, Suzuka says, ¡°Thank you Orb.¡±


    Walking back into the room, the man says, ¡°Here you go!¡±


    The man places two weapons on the table. First is a bow like I asked for, and the second one is Suzuka¡¯s weapon; it is like a gauntlet with three pieces sharp pieces of finger armour.


    ¡°I heard the little girl was a martial artist, so I believe this is the best way for her to wield a weapon. Sorry, I was only able to make it for one hand since the bow took up most of the metal you guys had, but I can guarantee it is the best work I have ever made.¡±


    Putting it on her hand, Suzuka says with an ecstatic smile, ¡°Thank you so much, mister!! But what is really special about this stuff?¡±


    ¡°You see, spirit energy doesn¡¯t flow through all materials equally. It conducts through organic things very well like the human body and wood, but when it comes to inorganic things like metal it doesn¡¯t conduct well. So, you see when it comes to weapons there is a trade-off, but this doesn¡¯t exist with spirit metal. Spirit metal conducts spirit energy better than most organic materials and is harder than most metals, and due to all this you can do crazy things like weave arrows of spirit energy using it.¡±


    ¡°So, this stuff is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, you should be taking god that you get to wield such a thing.¡±


    Looking at her weapon with a demonic smile, I hear her say, ¡°I wonder how much more fun fighting will be!¡±


    Pretending I didn¡¯t see her, I say, ¡°Well, I will take this one then.¡± When I try to pick up the bow, I can¡¯t even budge it.


    ¡°Young man if you want to move that you need to use spirit energy.¡±


    Snickers at me Suzuka says, ¡°Orb can¡¯t use that.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t nice to laugh at other people. Cyrus, could you help me with this?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    With great vigour, Cyrus picks up the bow and mumbles, ¡°I¡¯m helping.¡±


    Looking at the bow I see it has a strange symbol(¦¸) on it, so I ask, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°That symbol was etched into both of the robots. I tried to remove it but it wouldn¡¯t come off even after I melted the metal down.¡±


    ¡°I guess we can¡¯t do anything about it then.¡± Bowing to the man I say, ¡°That will be all from us, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I never thought I would get the chance to thinker with spirit metal, so the fact I got to do this in such dire times is a god-sent.¡±


    With a smile, I ask, ¡°May I have your name?¡±


    ¡°Chiron Gazer.¡±


    ¡°Then from this moment on this bow will carry the name Chiron.¡±


    With a smile, the man says, ¡°What a great name!¡±


    Walking out of the store we all say our goodbyes, and when we leave, we are met by Avram, ¡°Orb it looks like they are done with the ship.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go check it out.¡±


    -Break-


    Standing in front of the workers of the ship, one of them walks up to us and says, ¡°We¡¯re done, all the renovations are complete.¡±


    I am unable to respond due to being completely and utterly dumbstruck. What the hell am I looking at, this isn¡¯t a renovation but a complete upgrade. The ship is way bigger and looks a lot more refined.


    Jeter walking up to them says, ¡°You were only supposed to make a few minor renovations!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we couldn¡¯t help ourselves, boss, this might be the last thing we ever work on and it is a Basileia artefact, we couldn¡¯t just let this chance go.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t alter things you don¡¯t own, look at the faces of Avram and the others.¡±


    Staring at Avram and everyone else I see their faces aren¡¯t the happiest, in fact, I would say they even look mad.


    Through the heads of the five people beside Orb, one thought ran throughout their minds; I WANTED TO DO THIS. It wasn¡¯t anger but jealousy over losing their opportunity to upgrade one of Basileia''s artefacts.


    Seeing their faces, the craftsmen from Skydust walk up to them and say, ¡°Where sorry, we got carried away!¡±


    Letting out a fiendish snicker Avram says, ¡°Don¡¯t be, you guys said this was your best work so all I have to do is upgrade the ship even further, you got that you scrubs.¡±


    ¡°Challenge accepted, but the moment you do we will outdo you.¡±


    Walking past all of them I move over to Cyrus and say, ¡°Has work here been good?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Y-Y-YES!¡±


    I thought his stutter had vanished but now it is back again.


    Walking up behind me, one of the craftsmen says, ¡°Cyrus here has been really helpful to us.¡±


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for his strength this would have taken us a month a least.¡±


    ¡°But in barely a week we are done. Thank you, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°It is no pr-r-r-r-roblem.¡±


    Letting out a sigh one of them says, ¡°If this is our last memory of Skydust I think it is a rather good one.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t get any better than accomplishing a dream.¡±


    ¡°God gave us a lot of fortune.¡±


    Walking up to them Jeter says, ¡°Gevurah should be coming to check on our progress tomorrow, so if there is anything else you want to do you guys should get it done as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°To be honest my king, I don¡¯t really know what else we could do.¡±


    ¡°Well, it would be fun if we could have a party with everyone, but I guess people are dealing with their children so that is impossible.¡±


    Seeing them all laugh an idea hits me. Creating a pillar of ice underneath me as a platform, I shout, ¡°LISTEN UP EVERYONE!¡±


    When they all turn and face me, I say, ¡°I have a rather exciting idea, but I need all your help for it.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°We¡¯re tired let us rest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to work anymore.¡±


    ¡°Put the work in you brats, if we don¡¯t get some help, we will never finish this scarf.¡±


    ¡°Hey Lanta, why don¡¯t we give those two a break.¡±


    ¡°No way in hell Us, those kids have spent the last few days sleeping and eating candy, we need them to work immediately.¡±


    ¡°But our hands are tired!¡±


    ¡°I just want to sleep!¡±


    ¡°No time for that, get the peddle on the medal, we need to make sure Dush finishes her scarf.¡±


    Stopping her knitting Dush says, ¡°I think we should stop.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, where over halfway there.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow Jeter will be rejecting Gevurah, and war will break out soon after. I think you three should spend these last days enjoying all that Skydust has to offer, not with a 70-year-old lady.¡±


    ¡°But what about your dream of uniting and reaching people through this scarf.¡±


    ¡°It was a fun one but futile, at the end of the day my own choices have to lead me to this position so regardless of whether I accomplish it or not should be no one¡¯s decision but mine. Though it would have been nice to see Tusk one more time.¡±


    Suddenly a large noise approaches our position, then past the gate Orb walks in. Running up to him I tackle him down and say, ¡°So you finally feel like showing your face around here,¡± While putting him in a submission hold.


    ¡°I was helping out around Skydust.¡±


    ¡°We are your first commitment, help us first! Don¡¯t just forget about us!!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t, that¡¯s why I am here. EVERYONE COME IN!¡±


    Through the gate, a crowd of people walk in.


    ¡°Orb, who are all these people?¡±


    ¡°Well since everyone on Skydust has finished their preparations, I thought having a nice social event in the giant Kritz compound would be fun. They have all come to work on that scarf.¡±


    Walking up to Orb Dush says, ¡°But why would they come here?¡±


    ¡°Simple, no one could resist the invitation to be at the elusive Dush Kritz¡¯s compound. You happen to be very popular, so when people heard about the scarf you were knitting they decided to spend the last day helping.¡±


    As tears start to form in Dush¡¯s eyes, I say, ¡°It seems people have always wanted to talk to the pretty bird in her cage.¡±


    Letting go of Orb, I scream, ¡°ELLIOT!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lanta!¡±


    ¡°We have to organize everyone and get some food and refreshments, if we''re going to have an event we have to do it right.¡±


    Blowing a whistle in his pocket, all of the staff inside the mansion run out. ¡°Everyone if you care for our lady, this is the time to show it, DO YOU HEAR ME!!!¡±


    ¡°YES SIR!!!¡±


    With a smile, I hold Dush and say, ¡°Now let¡¯s go show everyone my best friend, shouldn¡¯t we Us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we will Lanta.¡±

 Arc 7.22

    As all the crowds came in, we each handed them a piece of the scarf and some equipment, then organised them all into sections. We brought food and drinks for everyone, and soon after that, the festival was on its way.


    People laughed, danced and drank to their heart''s content. People of all ages were gathered here to enjoy this event. The screams of excitement and joy got so intense that some people who had chosen to spend this last day of peace at home soon started to join us.


    It was extremely hard keeping everyone in order as arguments broke out again and again, with kids getting lost time and time again. But thanks to Orb, Elliot, and the rest of the housing staff working their butts off, we were able to keep things under control, if only just barely.


    ¡°Atalanta, I think we might actually die at this rate, Suzuka has collapsed over there from mental and physical exhaustion, and Cyrus can¡¯t handle all these people touching him out of fascination.¡±


    ¡°What, are you chickening out?¡±


    Fired up Orb says, ¡°Not on your life.¡±


    How easy to manipulate. ¡°Hey Atalanta, I am sorry for making you do all this work, I know you wanted to have fun but now you¡¯re the busiest one here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, and I should apologize as well, I kept complaining that Dush would be a drag, but she has been everything but, I mean look at that smile,¡± I say pointing over to Dush having conversations with people.


    ¡°Not only her Atalanta but look at all the people who have smiles on their faces, all of that is only done to you.¡±


    Taking a second to see all of the faces of the people around me, I truly take into account how many people are here. All these people are smiling because of me. Holding my chest, I feel an intense fuzzy feeling.


    ¡°I get it Orb, you are some pervert who gets off on this fuzzy instead of sex; you horndog.¡±


    ¡°How did you even reach such a conclusion; you sex-crazed bimbo.¡±


    ¡°What did you just call me,¡± I say squeezing Orb''s cheeks.


    ¡°Oh come on, I doubt it is the first time someone called you such.¡±


    Feeling someone¡¯s arms wrap around my waist, I turn my body around to see Dush.


    ¡°Lanta, come with me.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you having a lot of fun with your new friends?¡±


    ¡°They want to know all about me, and we can''t have Dush without Lanta can we.¡±


    ¡°But I still have work to do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Atalanta I got this covered.¡±


    ¡°But Orb-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I need to get used to dealing with crowds of people by myself, the future I have envisioned for all of us demands it, so just go and party it up a little bit Lanta!¡±


    ¡°Hey boy who gave you permission to use Lanta¡¯s nickname, I gave it to her it is only for us idiot, bleh!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I smack Dush on the head and say, ¡°I ain¡¯t your husband Us, calm down!¡± Facing Orb I say, ¡°I will leave it to you then, that goes for you two brats as well.¡±


    ¡°Mime she saw us.¡±


    ¡°Anto what are we going to do?¡±


    Grabbing the twins I hand them over to Orb and say, ¡°I trust you.¡± Walking away with Dush, I see Orb run into the crowd of people with the two brats on his shoulders.


    ¡°Hello everyone, this utter beauty is my friend Atalanta Supernova, the one and only.¡±


    With everyone in high spirits, our rate of work sped up, and we were able to finally bring the bug task to a close.


    ¡°DUSH KRITZ, from this moment to the end of time your scarf has been completed, HOORAAAAY!!!¡±


    ¡°HOORAAAAY!!!¡± the crowd of people shout.


    As Dush walks up to the tower that is her completed scarf tears start to fall from her eyes. ¡°I never thought I would ever see this finished, I truly have had a miracle happen to me today, I can finally reach both Krik and Tusk, everyone I thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Around the area, as Dush starts to cry, I hear someone say, ¡°So it¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is the last thing we ever do on Skydust.¡±


    ¡°Well, what did we expect, but it was a good one.¡±


    Suddenly I hear someone start to cry, ¡°I don¡¯t want it to be over.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Then I hear another person start to cry with more and more people following after. All the high spirits that existed in the area before have evaporated, all that is left are crying faces.


    They have all been so civil, but right now I can see it in all their faces that tomorrow they will wake up and Skydust will be mere hours away from a losing war, no matter how strong they try to act it is still hard to face, I don¡¯t even know if it is possible to be at peace with such a thing.


    Tapping Orb I say, ¡°Make a platform of ice underneath me.¡±


    Having a moment of confusion, Orb''s head quickly turns green, then follows my instructions while saying, ¡°You can do this.¡±


    I can¡¯t let such happy people, no I can¡¯t let Dush¡¯s special day be ruined by all this sadness. When the pillar reaches its peak, I scream, ¡°EVERYBODY!!¡±


    But I soon realize my voice can¡¯t reach all these people nor can it overcome all this crying. Shit is this really going to end here. In my peripheral vision I see something flying at me, so I catch it. Looking at what I caught I see it is a shattered shell, seeing the direction it came from I see Orb giving me a tumbs up.


    He really is a nice child. ¡°EVERYBODY LISTEN UP, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO GET TO APPRECIATE EVERYONE IN SKYDUST, SO INSTEAD OF CRYING LIKE CHILDREN GROW SOME MASSIVE BALLS AND HAVE FUN WITH ALL THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE AROUND YOU!!!!¡±


    Catching my breath, I hear people slowly stop to cry until eventually all the crying in the area stops. ¡°NOW THAT¡¯S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT.¡± Looking down at Orb I scream, ¡°GET THESE PEOPLE SOME DRINKS AND THE KIDS SOME CANDY!!!¡±


    As Orb starts to run around, I yell, ¡°LET ME HEAR YOU ROAR.¡±


    A pathic roar goes throughout the area. ¡°I SAID ROAR LIKE YOU¡¯RE GOING TO DIE TOMORROW!!!!¡±


    ¡°ROAR!!¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU, but I guess second-rate crafters who live in a second-rate country can do anything right, oh wait my mistake I mean city because you¡¯re so pathetic you don¡¯t deserve the title of a country.¡±


    ¡°ROAR!!!!!!¡± the crowds utter. But following that are streams of insults towards me.


    Looks like my plan worked out a bit too well. But look at all that energy, I think today is going to be fantastic.


    For the rest of the day until the sun had completely disappeared, we partied our hearts out till we could barely even stand, and eventually, it all came to an end.


    ¡°Elliot spread the scarf over there.¡±


    ¡°Right lady Lanta.¡±


    Since a bunch of people fell asleep in Dushes compound due to the party we are using the scarf as a blanket to cover them all.


    ¡°Now where the hell is Orb and everyone?¡±


    ¡°Lady Lanta, they should all be over there.¡±


    Walking to where I am directed, I see Orb, Cyrus, Suzuka, Elia, Iancu, Avram, and the three idiots all huddling around each other, completely exhausted. From Orb''s unconscious body, I see tears fall down his eyes, and then I hear him mutter, ¡°Capti, please don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°I forget sometimes; he really is just a child.¡± Getting close to Orb I say, ¡°You did well for a little boy.¡± Orb''s hand quickly moves in and swats my face.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Seiryu, don¡¯t hurt Uathach,¡± Orb mumbles with his eyes closed.


    Orb is still unconscious I guess he was just having a dream.


    ¡°Lanta there you are, what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°I was just looking for a place to sleep here.¡±


    ¡°Then come with me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you really trying to fuck me?¡±


    ¡°No!!! I just wanted to know if you want to have a sleepover?¡±


    -Break-


    Laying in bed with Dush beside me I say, ¡°This scarf really is long, even after covering everyone it can still lead inside the house and cover us.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t compliment me too much.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what friends do, complement each other.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the popular one so you should know.¡±


    ¡°I am popular, but to be honest Atalanta Supernova has no friends, to be honest, the only real friend I would have is you.¡±


    Making a sniffling sound Dush says, ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Thanks so sad, isn¡¯t it Mime.¡±


    ¡°Very much Anto.¡±


    Jumping up from bed, I say, ¡°Wait, Mime? Anto? Are you two here?¡±


    ¡°Mime is right beside Dush.¡±


    ¡°Anto is here beside Lanta.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you get in here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re thieves.¡±


    ¡°LEAVE!¡±


    ¡°No, it is cold outside, I would rather snuggle up to Lady Dush.¡±


    ¡°Mime do you really like me that much?¡±


    ¡°Thieves rule number 1; if someone feeds you, they are family from that point on,¡± Anto says.


    ¡°So Dush from this point on Mime and Anto Baudelaire, are your family members.¡±


    ¡°Thank you both, that is very cute.¡±


    ¡°But you still need to go brat.¡± Hearing no response, I turn my face towards hers, but to my surprise, I see her sleeping, ¡°WHAT THE HELL!¡±


    Anto beside me says, "Thieves rule number 2; You must know how to fall asleep at will.¡±


    ¡°Teach me that skill.¡± Looking down I see Anto has fallen asleep, ¡°That¡¯s about right.¡±


    Laying back in bed I say, ¡°I should have known this was going to happen!¡±


    ¡°Lanta you really are worked up!¡±


    ¡°How else am I supposed to feel about those two brats!¡±


    Letting out a laugh, I say, ¡°I know what you mean kids can be complex yet simple, a real struggle and one of the many failures of my life is understanding them.¡±


    A moment of silence follows Dushes words, then after a little bit of time I say, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°You know Lanta, I had been wishfully dreaming up until now, that my scarf will be completed, that I could unite people with it, that I will be able to befriend everybody, that I might be able to so everyone the greatest Dush Zalik.


    I have always known despite my dreams or hard work that the reality of that was probably low, but thanks to you guys I was able to fulfil that dream and I have nothing else but thank you to say for all of this.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can keep your thanks since this isn¡¯t over yet, we still have to show Tusk your scarf, and you still haven¡¯t been able to show all of the people of Skydust how freakin amazing you are, those stories you told me gave me chills.¡±


    ¡°You really are so sweet Lanta, but you know what is happening tomorrow.¡±


    Another moment of silence sweeps the room which is ended when I say, ¡°Us, leave Skydust and come with us.¡±


    ¡°Lanta, I can¡¯t-.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, I just want to say you aren¡¯t originally from here and there is still a lot left for you to do. I am not saying abandon this place forever, but I am just saying come with me and return when things get better, I am sure Orb and everyone will love your presence. So how about it?


    ¡°Ok, let''s go and have a great adventure.¡±


    ¡°From the depths of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°To the top of the heavens.¡±


    ¡°We will gain lots of things.¡±


    ¡°And reclaim that which we have lost.¡±


    ¡°We will take the Kritz business to even greater heights.¡±


    ¡°Then drown ourselves and the poor in Lupas.¡±


    ¡°We will eat and drink till we die.¡±


    ¡°Then we will go back for more.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    ¡°Just two best friends enjoying life.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun, doesn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Super fun.¡±


    ¡°Well, then we should rest up.¡±


    As I rustle into place Dush hugs me from the back and says, ¡°I always wanted to have a sleepover with a friend, thank you Lanta.¡±


    ¡°Me as well, goodnight Us.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Lanta.¡±


    During that night all the people who rested under that scarf felt a strange phenomenon happen, despite being outside and in the cold only covered by thin pieces of cloth, they still all felt warm. It was as if all their warmth was shared with each other.

 Arc 7.23

    -Break-


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I turn my head to Dush and say, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Lanty,¡± Mime says as she gives me a peck on the forehead.


    Smacking Mime in the head I say, ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away.¡±


    Jumping up from the bed Mime screams, ¡°OUCCCH!¡±


    Whilst holding me from my other side I see Anto wake up and say, ¡°Mime what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her Anto, she is just being a crybaby.¡±


    ¡°I am not, she is just being a witch.¡±


    Laying up on the bed, I say, ¡°Call me that again and you really will see a witch.¡±


    As me and Mime fight, Anto says, ¡°Where is Dush?¡±


    Looking around I notice she isn¡¯t in the room, ¡°Maybe she got an early morning, let¡¯s go look for her.¡±


    Getting up from the bed both of the twins jump on my back.


    ¡°Your body is so strange.¡±


    ¡°It is muscular but also very soft, it feels cool.¡±


    ¡°Get off you pests, use your legs and walk.¡±


    ¡°NO, WE DON¡¯T WANT TO.¡±


    ¡°I WANT TO BE CARRIED.¡±


    With all my strength I try to shake them off while saying, ¡°DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE, WALK!!¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Ooh Lanty, move over there.¡±


    ¡°Lanty, I want you to go faster.¡±


    Moving through the hallway of the mansion with the two mistakes on my back I say, ¡°Who the hell would ever want this!¡±


    Getting these two to come off my back was almost impossible, so it was a more efficient use of time to just carry them. But I do guess their smiling faces are kind of cute.


    ¡°Hurry the hell up Lanty, I can walk faster than that!¡±


    When Mime finishes complaining, Anto suddenly sneezes on my face. ¡°Sorry Lanty, I couldn¡¯t hold it in.¡±


    Taking a piece of my hair, Mime says, ¡°Anto use this to blow your nose.¡±


    Using my hair Anto blows his nose and says, ¡°Thanks Mime.¡±


    Stopping, I put spirit energy into my legs then I jump up into the nearest wall smashing two of them into it. ¡°DIE YOU MISTAKES.¡±


    When we all land on the ground Anto holds his head while Mime says, ¡°Have you gone insane, you don¡¯t hurt cute little kids like us. Have you no honour?¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO ROBS THE ELDERLY!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, that¡¯s all in the past now me and Dush are friends, but it is not like a friendless nobody like you would understand such a thing, I bet even your parents didn¡¯t like you!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it your fault in god¡¯s plan; I am going to finish your late abortions!!!¡±


    ¦µ Lanty looks mad, I might have gone too far with that last one. ¡°Anto get up we can¡¯t die here.¡±


    Looking at Lanty, Anto says, ¡°Mime what did you do!¡±


    ¡°It is too late to point fingers, all we can do is defend ourselves.¡±


    As we get in battle position, Lanty says, ¡°Here I come!!¡± as she zooms towards us. She is moving way too fast for me to react; ¡°We''re dead!¡±


    ¡°Lady Lanta!¡± A voice says behind her. As Lanty stops in her tracks, she turns around which allows me and Anto to see behind her.


    ¡°Elliot,¡± she says.


    Elliot seems kind of bothered as if he is shaking. Running up to him Lanty asks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    But then he says something to her which causes Lanty to take off and say, ¡°Watch the two kids.¡± Lanty seemed even more freaked out than Elliot.


    ¦µ No, no, this can¡¯t be, this is some sick joke, she was all fine yesterday. More than that she promised me, she promised! ¡°FUUUUUUUCK!!¡±


    Running nonstop I eventually reach Kriks room where I see a bunch of servants outside. As I approach, I see one of the maids crying while saying, ¡°I just found her inside when I went to clean the study, and she was just lying there!¡±


    Running past all of them I open the door of the study to see, Dush behind his desk toppled over with Servants around her. Moving to her side, I start to shake her body again and again while saying, ¡°Wake up you dumb bitch, you said we would go have fun, that we would go find tusk. Didn¡¯t you say I was your best friend, you can¡¯t just leave me all alone after that you hag.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    With tears falling down my eyes I continue as all the servants pry me off of Dush.


    -Break-


    Sitting outside Dush¡¯s room huddled into a ball I say, ¡°Us, why did you go.¡±


    I see Anto and Mime walk up to me, so I say ¡°I am not in the mood you too.¡±


    Handing me a letter Anto says, ¡°I found two letters on the floor, it seems they fell off the desk. This one is addressed to you.¡±


    Grabbing the letter out of Anto''s hand I open it and start to read.


    To Lanta my best friend.


    By the time your read this I have probably gone to hell, sorry about that!


    You see the village I grew up in wasn¡¯t the best as you know, and all the conditions I suffered through all those years had a rather large effect on my body.


    To be honest, for years my body has wanted to quit, but only through the sheer force of will to complete the scarf have I been able to continue moving. I knew the moment I finished the scarf, my body would topple over, so I am sorry.


    But in exchange, Lanta I leave you all of my assets, do with them what you will, I hope this will be enough to get your forgiveness. Though I guess I was a drag after all.


    I had wonderful parents, a husband, a best friend, an amazing son, and I accomplished my dream; a rather good life if I had to say so. Thank you for everything Lanta, and I better not see you in hell!!!


    Ps: Please find Tusk and give him a piece of my inheritance, also make sure he is ok I won¡¯t be able to sleep if my boy is in danger.


    ¡°You really are annoying,¡± I say with tears in my eyes.


    ¡°Lanty are you ok?¡±


    Jumping up with fervour I say, ¡°Of course I am fine, I have lots of things to do my friend left me with her legacy and a mission I don¡¯t have time to be fine, especially since she is watching me from heaven.¡±


    Hugging my leg, Mime says, ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard ok.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I happen to have common sense ok.¡±


    Suddenly a familiar echo rings around us. Hearing this I take off towards the nearest window. Looking out of it I say, ¡°They¡¯re here, it is Gevurah on their gryphons!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Standing in front of my house with my wife beside me, I watch as three gryphons land on our land.


    Gripping my hand tight, Kate says, ¡°No turning back, right Jeter?¡±


    ¡°No turning back.¡±


    As the three members of Gevurah get off their gryphons we walk them inside to our living room.


    When we get inside Maria says to me, ¡°You look panicked almost as if you are about to die.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, I have had a lot on my plate recently.¡±


    ¡°Well of course you have, a city-wide search is a lot of effort.¡±


    As Maria talks, Gardienne behind her starts to cough. ¡°Well, I would have liked some pleasantries but my subordinate is too impatient for that, so let¡¯s get right to business. Have you found Percy?¡±


    Holding my hand even tighter, Kate says, ¡°Yes we have.¡±


    Freaking out, Gardienne says, ¡°WHERE IS THIS BASTARD!¡±


    Her murderous aura is so intense a stutter. To think my boy could illicit such rage from someone; I have never gone to war so I don¡¯t really have a bar for what it is like, but to think someone could get this enraged due to my son''s actions puts everything in perspective.


    ¡°So, Jeter where is Percy, I would assume if you found him, he would be here with you right now.¡±


    ¡°Maria, I thank you for your kind attitude towards us despite the indirect harm my actions have caused to your people, but we, no Skydust will not be handing Percy over.¡±


    The face of Koa sours, while Gardienne barely holds back her rage.


    Getting up I prepare to say something, but Maria interrupts me and says, ¡°Before you continue this stupidity, I want you to stop and really think about what you¡¯re about to say because depending on those words all the people in this country might have their lives ruined.¡±


    Getting up as well Kate holds my hand, so I say, ¡°From this moment on Skydust is at war with Gevurah, and we will fight to the last soul for Percy Mercury.¡±


    Maria starts to hold her hand against her face in what I believe is this disbelief. But behind her Gardienne''s murderous aura explodes as she says, ¡°Sorry boss, I can¡¯t control myself anymore.¡±


    Brandishing her sword, she lunges at me and my wife, but before I could even react to that I see her sword broken and her body unconscious.


    ¡°I told you to behave yourself Gardienne.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Keep your thanks.¡± Turning her back to us, Maria says, ¡°I thought you guys were different, but I guess royalty is selfish regardless of the kingdom, we will be taking our leave.¡±


    As Maria walks out with Gardienne in her arms, I say to her, about southwest from our current position please lift any barricade that you might set up in the sky.¡±


    Koa says, ¡°Are you fucking insane, we are at war you shouldn¡¯t be asking us for any favours.¡±


    ¡°There will be young innocence flying through that airspace, you told me your child was just born. So, if you have any compassion as a mother for these kids please let them through the airspace, I beg you!!!¡± I say bowing my head.


    Kate bowing her head as well says, ¡°I beg you also!!!¡±


    ¡°Bowing your heads, you really are both crazy, Koa let¡¯s go.¡±


    Walking out of the room, they slam the door as they leave the house. As they board their gryphons, we go to the room next door and say, ¡°It is ok Percy you can stop hiding now.¡±


    Coming over to us Percy says, ¡°I am so, so sorry!!¡± while kneeling on the floor with tears in his eyes.


    Giving him a hug, I say, ¡°It will be ok!¡±


    Joining in on the hug, Kate says, ¡°Percy we will always be here for you.¡±


    Percy''s crying gets louder until eventually we hear the door behind us open and see Peppa.


    ¡°I want to join the family hug,¡± Peppa says running towards us at full speed.


    Wrapping her hands around us, Peppa says, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad brother we are all here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Percy all of us are here with you.¡±


    Name: Dush Kritz (Zalik)


    Age: 70


    Birthday: Sagittarius 24<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Crimson (Grey due to age)


    Eyes: Navy


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: A former peasant who became the wife of the Krik Kritz. In her younger years she was standoffish and cold due to the conditions she grew up in, but thanks to Krik and her son, she became a much more pleasant and happy person. Due to taking over the Kritz family business she gained many skills and became a respected leader. Her personal craft is scarf making.


    Elliot Borenheight: He is the head butler of the Kritz family and is a very pleasant and altogether charming man to be around. Growing up aside Krik he was akin to a brother towards him and has always had his best intentions in mind. His personal craft is being a butler, he wishes to become the best one under the heavens.


    Sandra Borenheight: The head maid of the Kritz family and sister of Elliot. She was inspired but her older brother and aimed to become the head maid of the Kritz family. She is as capable as her brother, but more irrational and makes decisions based more on her perspective than the perspective of her master.


    Tyler Anwunta: Father of Victor Anwunta. Just like most of the Anwunta family, he spent his life trying to amass a fortune and destroy his competitors using any means necessary.

 Arc 7 End

    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Sir, where should I put my sculpture?¡±


    ¡°On the left, you will find a Zterytavis in section D to place your sculpture on.¡±


    Walking away, the woman says, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hello young man, what is the drop-off place for my kids.¡±


    ¡°We are loading the kids to sections based on the family names, so start from over there and continue down the rows of Zterytavises till you find the corresponding one, and if your kids have any allergies there are special Zterytavis that they have to ride on.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As I let out a sigh, I hear Iancu beside me say, ¡°Are you ok Orb, isn¡¯t all this organisation hard.¡±


    ¡°No, it is alright, in fact, the more complex the rules and system are, the more I understand, and I definitely can¡¯t lose to Elia,¡± I say looking at her. ¡°Not only did she draw up this entire organisation system, but she is also making it run incredibly smooth, is she some sort of monster?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to keep up with Elia, she is like a human calculator.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a calculator?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes the primitive technology of the world really shocks me, Elp¨ªda was so much better, Though I guess at least the people actually smile on the outside.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±


    ¡°A calculator is a machine that instantly does complex maths sums for you.¡±


    Looking over to Orb I see his hair turn Coral with a face of utter disgust; pretty sure I have never seen this colour before.


    ¡°Who in god¡¯s name would sully arithmetic by creating a machine that up-ends the process, have they no respect for the art form of arithmetic!¡± Orb says as he stomps towards me, causing me to walk backwards.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, take it up with the person in question.¡±


    ¡°I swear to god when I find the person who made such a thing, I will skin them alive, rip out their heart, then slaughter all their children.¡±


    Under my breath a mumble, ¡°The person is long since dead.¡±


    Grabbing me, Orb shakes me back and forth Orb while he says, ¡°Hey stop pretending like this doesn¡¯t have anything to do with you, I am your friend and I need moral support.¡±


    ¦µ Feeling a tapping on my back, I turn around to see Elia. When I face her, I instantly get slapped on the face, ¡°Stop making noise you idiot, you are stressing all of the people out.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Elia says with a smile as she hits me with a backhanded slap.


    ¡°What was that for!¡± Noticing her hand has not returned to her side after the slap, I look at it to see she is pointing towards Atalanta.


    ¡°She arrived just a moment ago.¡±


    Walking towards Atalanta, I say, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¦µ Getting up from the floor I say to Elia, ¡°Here I thought you came here to protect me.¡±


    ¡°Protect you, the one who should be protected is me I am just a frail girl.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say you demonic ogre.¡±


    Turning around she kicks me in my face and says, ¡°Watch you, damn vampire, I ain¡¯t so fragile where I can¡¯t skin you alive!¡±


    ¡°Try you troll!¡±


    ¦µ Standing in front of Elia I say, ¡°I heard what happened to Dush this morning, are you ok?¡±


    Turning to see me Atalanta says, ¡°Lanta is super ok, I have no time to be sad since burying my friend is my first priority.¡±


    ¡°But still?¡±


    ¡°Stop being a lame worry wort Orb, Us died with quite a nice smile on her face so this isn¡¯t the time to be sad about her life but to celebrate it in joy.¡±


    Despite having a bright smile on her face, I see tears forming in her eyes so I say, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear then.¡±


    ¡°And besides I got stinking rich off of Dush, I probably don¡¯t have to work another day in my life, I can just eat sleep and have sex all day long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re deplorable, and here I thought we could be friends.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Orb me and you can never be friends, since from now till I die my only friend will be Dush.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever, it is not like I wanted to be your friend or anything.¡±


    Putting her arm around my neck, she says while pushing her finger into my cheek, ¡°What, did you want to be my friend Orb, were you actually playing hard to get this entire time? That¡¯s some maroon hair you have could that indicate jealousy.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t I am just constipated.¡±


    ¡°Oh, blue hair now looks like the little boy is embarrassed, how cute.¡±


    Throwing my hands up to break her grip I say, ¡°Not in your wildest dreams, IDIOT!¡±


    Giving me another hug from my waist Atalanta says, ¡°She might be my only friend, but you are my little brother Orb.¡±


    ¡°I might catch an std by being related to you.¡±


    Squeezing me tight, she says, ¡°Oh looks like my little brother needs some discipline.¡±


    ¡°Lady Lanta.¡±


    Turning me the face the direction of the voice we see it is Elliot, ¡°Elliot are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, lady Lanta I just came to inform you of something since we have finished packing.¡±


    ¡°Packing?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I and all of the Krik family staff will all be coming with you.¡±


    ¡°Wait what. Are you sure about that, it is not like I wouldn¡¯t want you guys, it is just that I thought you would all rather stay on Skydust?¡±


    ¡°Well, that is what we planned but I read this.¡±


    ¡°That looks like.¡±


    ¡°It is the second letter that Dush wrote, and it is addressed. She apologized to us for how horrible a boss she was, and that she was thankful for us putting up with her.¡±


    Seeing Elliot shaken up, Orb says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Reading this note made my heart sink, Dush talks as if she was a plague brought upon us but in actuality, we all respected her so much, with very little education and no one to lean on she was able to keep the Kritz business operating for years, despite how she feels about herself not everyone could come close to doing this. I just wish I had more time to tell her how amazing she was.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Wiping the tears forming in his eyes Elliot says, ¡°But that¡¯s in the past now we have to look forward. All of us working for Dush have lots of experience running the Kritz family business, so we should be able to set up a business to provide the kids with money if necessary.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°It is good to have you.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!¡± we hear someone scream.


    This erupting voice pulls the attention of all of those close by to see it, ¡°Suddenly all us kids have to leave Skydust with all our possessions, and you adults won¡¯t even tell us the reason why.¡±


    ¡°Chris it isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, the young boy Chris says, ¡°Then explain it to me, explain it to us!¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t something you have to worry about.¡±


    ¡°But I am worried, everyone keeps acting and talking as if I will never see any of them again, all of this has been making my mind go crazy as if it is about to burst. WHAT IS GOING ON, WHY DO WE ALL HAVE TO LEAVE, MOM, DAD, I AM WORRIED ABOUT YOU GUYS, AND UNTIL YOU TELL ME I AM GOING TO SIT RIGHT HERE!¡±


    As the boy sits down, all the kids in the area around us start to sit down as well, refusing to move.


    ¡°Elliot, did you do what I asked you to this morning?¡±


    ¡°I prepared it all before I came here!¡±


    ¡°Good. Orb, I am going to need your help.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Chris, please get u,p we need you to get on the Zterytavis as soon as possible.¡±


    Crossing my arms I say, ¡°I refuse! I won¡¯t leave you two, not now, not ever.¡±


    With a demanding voice, my father says, ¡°CHRIS GET UP FROM YOUR ASS AND DO WHAT YOUR MOTHER SAID THIS INSTANT!¡±


    Hearing my dad¡¯s voice I shake and start to cry, but I say, ¡°I refuse, if I get up and go now I feel like I will never see you two again, so NO!¡±


    Suddenly I feel something wrapped around me. Turning my back I see a beautiful woman with red hair, as she stares directly into my face I blush.


    ¡°Little one, this scarf I just put around you will make sure you''re connected to everyone else who wears it.¡±


    Walking over to my parents she puts a scarf on both of them and says, ¡°So no matter how far you go from your parents, you will always be attached to them, and the same goes for all of you who have been giving a piece of this scarf. From this point on every one of you are connected no matter if you like it or not.¡±


    Looking around, I see all the people around us being handed a piece of the scarf as the lady says, ¡°The lot of you all better keep those scarfs safe because the person who made this carried your creations all over the world, so I don¡¯t want to see any crying just joyful smiles over the presents you have all been given.¡±


    Getting down on their knees to give me a hug, my parents say, ¡°You see Chris.¡±


    ¡°No matter how far we all are.¡±


    ¡°The three of us will always be connected,¡± I say unable to restrain my tears.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Mime, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°We need to figure out a way out of Skydust.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to stay with everyone?¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot, don¡¯t you remember our abiding principle? Thieves rule number 0; the only person you can trust is-.¡±


    ¡°Yourself.¡±


    ¡°And since me and you are one body one soul, we can only trust-.¡±


    ¡°Each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right Anto, now we have to go!¡±


    ¡°Mime.¡±


    ¡°What is it Anto?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to stay with them, why are you crying.¡±


    ¡°Shut up idiot, your crying as well.¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to leave them.¡±


    ¡°Well too bad, last time we trusted people they stole all our inheritance and left us broke on the streets, so we only can trust each other.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why such young thieves are kids.¡±


    ¡°You idiotic brats.¡±


    Before me and Mime can react to these voices we are both grabbed, then scarves are wrapped around us.


    Shaking her body Mime says, ¡°Orb, Atalanta let go of us!¡±


    ¡°I refuse, you both lost to us.¡±


    ¡°So, from this moment you are ours.¡±


    ¡°And anything I choose to have, I will protect it with my life!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, Lanta over there hates us.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Lanta says, ¡°You are both annoying as hell, but I think I would like to have you both around.¡±


    ¡°Hehe Mime, your crying face is so ugly.¡±


    ¡°So is your Anto!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As everyone has been loaded onto the ship we all prepare to take off. ¡°Iancu.¡±


    ¡°Already on it,¡± he says using his legacy on it.


    ¡°NOW TAKE OFF!¡± I scream as the ship goes into the air.


    When we take off I see Suzuka and Cyrus run to the deck where they scream, ¡°You guys better win!¡±


    ¡°D-D-Don¡¯t lose!¡±


    Though their voices are overtaken by the kids screaming back at their parents. But with my hearing, I hear Jeter scream back, ¡°Thank you both so much!¡±


    As Atalanta comes up beside me, I say, ¡°Are you sure you wanted to break up Dush¡¯s scarf like that?¡±


    ¡°Dush wanted to be a part of the community of Skydust so badly, and now I think she has become an irreplaceable part of it. So, I feel like this is the best option for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± I say as we walk back to the control room. While walking into the control room I see Elia and say, ¡°Hello there.¡±


    But she gives me the most disgusted face I have ever seen, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, I might puke! And to think I trusted you.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is her problem?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it might be that the scarf I gave you was the section we used Elia tights to make.¡±


    ¡°So, the scarf I have wrapped around my neck is-.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Yes, it is Elia tights, and actually some of your hair as well. I guess she got pissed because this technically counts as something perverted, though it was unintentional on your part.¡±


    Turning over to Orb I see his nose leaking blood like a waterfall. ¡°How dirty-minded you are.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I am nothing of the sort.¡±


    ¡°ORB!¡± I hear Iancu scream.


    Running over to him I say, ¡°What is the issue.¡±


    ¡°Look in front of us.¡±


    Looking in front of the ship, I see a group of gryphons forming something of a blockade in our path. ¡°It is Gevurah, tell everyone to get into battle positions.¡±


    ¡°Wait Orb,¡± Atalanta says. ¡°Look at them they are parting in our direction.¡±


    ¡°Are they letting us through?¡±


    As we fly through their enclosure, they immediately return to their positions completely ignoring us. Letting out a sigh I say, ¡°That was a close call.¡±


    Running into the room Cyrus and Suzuka, say ¡°Orb come quickly.¡±


    ¡°If you are talking about the gryphons, it seems that won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°N-N-No not that, co-o-o-ome Orb.¡±


    Following both of them, I go to the deck of the ship and to the far, far, right of us, I see a giant winged wonderbeast, it is so large that I think it is over twice the size of the bohemian whale on Elp¨ªda.


    ¡°What the hell is that!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°When the gryphons let the kids through, tell them to scout over Skydust, we need to make sure they have no more flying wonderbeasts left. Koa make sure the encirclement around Mount Lock is airtight, we cannot let Percy escape no matter the cost.


    We are going to siege them out of food we will make this a bloodless war, I refuse to let any lives be taken because of this, DO YOU HEAR ME!¡±


    ¡°YES SIR!¡±


    Hearing a clapping sound, I look over to see a man say, ¡°That was a nice speech General Maria, you really are wonderful.¡±


    Looking at the man dressed in the robe I realize he is a cardinal; a high-ranking official in Gevurah who only answers to the king who holds the title of pope.


    Koa says, ¡°Cardinal Samson, we are in a wartime situation so would you please save anything you have for us later.¡±


    ¡°The reason I am here is regarding that. As of this moment, every single member of the Maria army is to return to Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°We are in a wartime situation like this I outrank you, so unless you have a papal decree, I don¡¯t have to take orders from you.¡±


    ¡°You people really have no manners, but what can I expect from a refugee. Gevurah happily took you people in after your country was destroyed, yet you show such disrespect towards officials.¡±


    Koa enraged says, ¡°Unlike you Maria got her position through merit, not blood ties, so what right does scum like you have to insult her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it was stupid of me to expect people like you to understand the meaning of family lineage. Since the piece of crap kingdom that most of the Maria army was born in was completely crushed¡±


    Koa shouts, ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!¡±


    Holding him back I say, ¡°You can say whatever you want, but that doesn¡¯t matter since I don¡¯t see a decree on you anywhere. So come back when you have the authority of a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat.¡±


    Letting out a little laugh the cardinal says, ¡°I might not have a papal decree, but on the battlefield, there is one other way to outclass a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat.¡±


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°By Order of one of our country''s seven 1<sup>st</sup> seats; Solaris the Dawn, as of this moment the war with Gevurah has ended and all parties are to return home.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ On the back of a giant flying wonderbeast a man with a gold mask on says, ¡°Vedrfolnir, thank you for bringing me here.¡±


    Standing up on the back of Vedrfolnir I say, ¡°So this is the foolish country Skydust. To think you would risk war over something like, this how pointless. But fret not, I will make your pointless existence worth something as I use you as a warning towards Gevurah''s future enemies.¡±


    Holding my spear in my hands up I say, ¡°Heed the call of Solaris the Dawn, now my legacy, Advent.¡±


    ¦µ Suddenly while me Suzuka, Cyrus, Atalanta, and Iancu, look out at the giant wonderbeast we see a giant light fall towards Skydust, which causes Suzuka to scream wildly.


    ¡°THEY ARE ALL IN PAIN, THEY ARE ALL DYING, I CAN¡¯T HANDLE THIS!¡±


    As she starts to spasm, I try to hold her but she eventually collapses and falls unconscious and when she does the light from the heavens stops. Looking at the top of Mount Lock, I see the area where Skydust was, has been completely obliterated with only a crater remaining.


    ¡°What the hell, did somebody do this?¡±


    ¦µ Seeing the light from the heavens stop, I hear the cardinal behind me say, ¡°Looks like the vermin have been wiped out!¡±


    Walking towards the mountain I start to run, but am held back by Koa who says, ¡°Calm down.¡±


    But in response, I just scream, ¡°SOLARIS YOU BASTARD!!!¡±


    3<sup>rd</sup> cycle, year 2026: On the 10<sup>th</sup> day of the fifth month Gemini, the country of Skydust declared war on Gevurah, and was then obliterated by Gevurah in less than 24 hours.


    And in the library of Cordum, this tragedy was recorded as the Skyfall incident.


    Arc 7 End

 Arc 8.01: Rainbow and Dragon

    Continent: ?


    Location: The village hidden by steam. Home of the Chronicle Nimbus.


    ¦µ As I watch all my newly found kids frolic around and play ninja, I say, ¡°Little ones behave!¡±


    In a beautifully harmonious union, the kids scream back at me, ¡°YES, AI!¡±


    Hearing their beautiful voices say my name, I almost have a heart attack. ¡°There are all angels, I am so happy I made them mine. Now all I have to do is wait for the day they all call me mom. Then I will go kidnap Suzuka, Iancu, and all the rest of the cute kids in the world.¡±


    ¡°Ai, wipe your bloody nose.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Sugiru. But what are you doing here, I thought you were going to laze about for the next 8 months!¡±


    ¡°I was, but we recently received word from Tsukki¡¯s omega butterfly in Skydust, and it has quite important news.¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± I say as I grab the omega butterfly out of Sugiru''s hand. After reading what it has inscribed on it, I say, ¡°What the hell is this!¡±


    ¡°I knew Gevurah were warmongers, but I never knew they would go this far, we can¡¯t let such an atrocity stand, Ai we have to strike back!¡±


    Putting my hand on Sugiru¡¯s head, I say, ¡°I know how you feel, but we aren¡¯t a military group, we are reporters and we will fight the best way we know how. Now let us get to work.¡±


    In the wake of the war between Gevurah and Skydust, the Chronicle Nimbus quickly spread the news of the tragedy that had taken place all over the world.


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: The warrior nation of Avalon


    As the members of the king''s court gathered, they mulled over the news some with fear, some with surprise, and others with anger.


    ¦µ ¡°This is an outrage, to think those fiends would slaughter Skydust.¡±


    ¡°I never suspected something like this would happen, how will our economy survive!¡±


    ¡°Is that really what you are worried about?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, don¡¯t you understand how much we import from Skydust, I know an idiot 2<sup>nd</sup> seat like you wouldn¡¯t understand, but there is nothing easier to destroy than a kingdom with a destabilized economy.¡±


    ¡°You say that but you''re just upset your favourite cash cows are gone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak of things you don¡¯t understand boy.¡±


    Getting up from his seat the idiot tries to fight me, but then all the other get up from their seats in the court and try to hold him back. ¡°Say that again you penny pusher.¡±


    ¡°As many times as you need idiot.¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±


    Ignoring the raging idiot, I look over to our king whose presence silences all the voices in the room. ¡°How do you expect to lead this kingdom if you can¡¯t control yourselves.¡±


    Bowing our heads, we say, ¡°Sorry your majesty.¡±


    As we all sit down and compose ourselves, a minister named Loria says, ¡°My king may I speak?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense to me why Gevurah would destroy Skydust. They import many of Skydust''s high-end goods for themselves, so wouldn¡¯t they rather enslave Skydust and make it into a colony.¡±


    ¡°Loria makes a fair point; I don¡¯t really think killing that kid Percy would outweigh the benefits of capturing Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°This action wasn¡¯t made by Gevurah, but of their 1<sup>st</sup> seat Solaris. 1<sup>st</sup> seats of any country''s military have the right to act autonomously and start or end wars whenever they want to, so he could have completely made such a decision on his own.¡±


    ¡°So, are you saying killing Percy was a personal vendetta?¡±


    ¡°Maybe one of his friends where killed in the war with Varage.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it, from the information we have on Solaris, he doesn¡¯t have any close personal bonds.¡±


    ¡°So, what the hell did he accomplish outside of hurting Gevurah?¡±


    ¡°We are probably overthinking this.¡±


    The idiot Kay says, ¡°We aren¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Now why would you say that, Kay?¡±


    ¡°To soldiers, our seat rankings are not just a matter of social prestige but is a measure of the responsibility given to you. As a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat, I have thousands of soldiers whose lives hang in the balance over my very decisions and I take immense pride in that.


    But that responsibility is much greater on 1<sup>st</sup> seats, they are literally a country''s physical representation of power, and every action they take carries the weight of their entire country. So, I wouldn¡¯t say any decision made by them could be simple or stupid.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°That was actually quite enlightening coming from a simple and stupid man such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°WHAT WAS THAT!¡±


    With a strong voice our king says, ¡°The sudden destruction of Skydust, has accomplished two separate but impactful things.


    Due to destroying Skydust mere hours after declaring war, they completely stopped all forms of aid that Skydust could have gotten from other countries.


    And now due to Skydust disappearing our country which relied on imports from the Kritz family sky airdrops will face issues, and if you factor in the destruction of the Animus family, now all the biggest delivery companies on the continent are all part of Gevurah, in this one decisive move they have gained a giant grip over the economy of Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°I see my king, but what is the second issue?¡±


    ¡°The second issue is fear.¡±


    ¡°Fear?¡±


    ¡°Skydust is a peaceful country that was full of kind people, this is a well-known fact, but despite all of that they completely obliterated it off the map. To all the people in the world, this sent a very clear message; if you don¡¯t surrender we will kill you all, from the elder all the way to newborns.


    To citizens all around the world, this will cause them to lean more towards submission and may even cause rebellions in times of war. It was a brilliant move for Gevurah to have done, it will make their goal of expansion easier by magnitudes.


    Now our biggest concern is to send financial aid to the countries in between us and Gevurah while strengthening our trade routes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I thought our economy was in a bad position, why would we be sending aid out?¡±


    ¡°Does your brain even work?¡±


    ¡°Roroan did I make you part of my court to pick fights, if you have something to say explain it instead of belittling others.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Bowing my head, I say, ¡°Sorry my lord.¡± Turning my head to the idiot who spoke up I say, ¡°Since you don¡¯t understand what are king is saying let me enlighten you. Due to the loss of the Kritz family transport and the fear Gevurah has embedded in people''s hearts, many small countries like the ones between us and Gevurah will likely surrender to Gevurah.


    So, to counteract this we will take away their dependence on Gevurah through economic aid, and making a few public alliances will help us quell the fears of the people in all countries involved.¡±


    Standing up our king says, ¡°We will also tighten are trade routes with, Cordum, Deno, and Uilepheist. Remember everyone, we are the second largest country on Terrafide, if we fall Gevurah will have the continent to itself, we cannot allow such monsters to have their way.


    So, like always put your faith in me and follow my instructions, for if you can do that we will win. EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR AVALON!¡±


    Standing up all of us slam our fists into our hands, then scream, ¡°FOR AVALON!¡±


    This news has been quite troubling, but just like always we shall put our fate in our kingdom''s 1st seat and king, his majesty King Avalon Ddraig Eternity.


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Nightmare Nation, Blestemate


    ¦µ ¡°Prime minister, what are we going to do? Gevurah has been becoming more and more aggressive and with our queen in her current shape-.¡±


    Putting his finger over my mouth, the prime minister says, ¡°Watch your tongue, we don¡¯t know who may be listening.¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir!¡±


    ¡°I understand your worries, but it is of no concern, I promise regardless of our monarch''s current situation we will get through this. But to do that I need ministers like you to keep calm and collected. Can you do that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, now make sure our borders with the rest of the human civilizations on Terrafide are secure, we don¡¯t need any more incidents that might spark a premature war with Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°I will get on it, sir.¡±


    Walking away I say to myself, ¡°Despite our prime minister being half human he really does care for us. Though to my knowledge, his father Captivant was also quite a lover.¡±


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: The Grand Library of Cordum


    In the grand library of Cordum, two men sit down to have a calm discussion over a cup of tea.


    ¦µ ¡°THOSE SHIT FOR BRAIN, DUMBASS FUCKERS, DO THEIR HEADS EVEN COMPREHEND WHAT YOU JUST DID. The sky forge is lost technology, there isn¡¯t a single person in the world who could build a replica of it. THOSE mentally molested dogs should just go rot in hell for the loss to existence they have just caused. It is this exact hypocrisy and idiocy that made us scholars leave the church of Lux and start the church of the messiah!¡±


    ¡°To think someone as prone to fits as you could be considered the most knowledgeable thing alive. The title of Grand scholar has really depreciated.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you on about, I have been the only grand scholar for over 2000 years, has your stupid human brain started to rot you brat!¡±


    Sipping my tea, I say, ¡°You have lived over ten of my lifetimes and yet you still lack basic courtesy, though it is not like I can expect a living tree like you to understand such things, and don¡¯t call me a brat Cordum, by human standards I am a senior citizen.¡±


    Standing up from his seat, Cordum says, ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t understand the gravity of the situation. Those RETARDS at Gevurah will burn everything down if we oppose them, all the knowledge Cordum has gathered will be turned to ash, could you even imagine the loss to creation that could be!!¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t fall.¡±


    ¡°HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE!!!¡±


    ¡°Because I am here. As 1<sup>st</sup> seat and leader of all the hunters, I promise you that.¡±


    Composing himself, Cordum says with a smile on his face composed of bark, ¡°Well it seems you understand the stakes grand hunter but answer me this; what¡¯s with the smile on your face!¡±


    ¡°Simple, hunting wonderbeasts and dragons gets boring after a while, so the thought that I get to hunt some humans gets all my old bones riled up!¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Cordum says, ¡°I swear all you hunters are as crazy as you are strong but be careful, you know as well as I do that the number of people with legacy has nearly tripled in the last ten years. In fact, this generation might have the most recorded in history.¡±


    ¡°All that does is excite me even more Cordum.¡±


    ¡°You never change you rugrat.¡±


    Continent: Molstoria


    Location: The Rinastcean Unions, Navy base; Tempesta


    ¦µ ¡°Those countries in Terrafide sure have it ruff.¡±


    ¡°At the rate, Gevurah is going they might conquer the whole continent. Then they might set their sights on Molstoria next. What if they wipe us all out!¡±


    ¡°If they ever came to our continent, they would be destroyed in a heartbeat. Unlike on Terrafide, all the countries in Molstoria are part of the Rinastcean Union and have one giant military. We could crush Gevurah with sear numbers, not to talk about our complete naval supremacy!¡±


    ¡°Your right, we have nothing to fear at all!¡±


    ¡°Those bastards at Gevurah should just come try us, and we will make them vanish just like Skydust!¡±


    ¡°NEW RECRUITS, SHUT THE FUCK UP!¡±


    Standing to attention, we salute our senior officer and say, ¡°2<sup>nd</sup> seat Surgoth, we are sorry for our noise.¡±


    ¡°We promise it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°During times like this, it is good to boost morale but be careful talking about the Skydust incident,¡± With that Surgoth walks away.


    ¡°Why should, we be careful?¡±


    ¡°Idiot, don¡¯t you know, one of our 1<sup>st</sup> seats is from Skydust.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°To think Elliot, Dush and the entire Kritz family are gone. How will the young master deal with this news? Should I even tell him, no Surgoth he isn¡¯t the same kid he once was, he can definitely handle such news. He has grown strong.¡±


    Continent: Enotita.


    Location: The kingdom of Bai, City of Li¨¢o y¨¢.


    ¦µ As I am tied up and placed beside my fellow soldiers, I am told, ¡°Behave and you might one day get to see your family again.¡±


    As the enemy soldier walks away, I hear one of my fellow soldiers say, ¡°Those bastards from D¨¡ are rampaging through our country.¡±


    I hear someone else say, ¡°In the last two days, they have conqueror twelve of our castles.¡±


    ¡°TWELVE!¡±


    ¡°I had heard the D¨¡ military had gotten stronger with the first prince completely taking it over, but this strength is godlike.¡±


    ¡°The first prince and 1<sup>st</sup> seat of the D¨¡ military; D¨¡ Ji¨¡. I wonder what kind of man he is.¡±


    ¦µ As I let out a tremendous laugh, my attendant Ten asks, ¡°My lord, would you please enlighten me on what you find so funny?¡±


    ¡°It seems in the western continent, things seem to be heating up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    ¡°It simply means our unification of Enotita will have to speed up if we are going to keep pace with them. How exhilarating! When the men finished taking care of things here met up with me at the city of T¨¦ngw¨¤n, I am going ahead.¡±


    ¡°Your wish is my command, my lord.¡±


    Walking away I say, ¡°I can feel a great storm brewing, but right now it is only partially formed, it is still missing the one thing that will truly allow it to take shape.¡±


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Spirit nation of Seirei.


    ¦µ Lighting a cigarette, I say, ¡°Granny Osaki, you seem to be doing fine.¡±


    ¡°And you seem to be lazing around as usual, instead of helping all of the citizens with rebuilding.¡±


    ¡°They brought in on themselves for putting Suzuka in a witch hunt, they can rebuild themselves.¡±


    ¡°Well, I see your point.¡± Sitting down beside me Osaki says, ¡°Hey Shinko.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Granny Osaki?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe you could take the pain and suffer of over 10,000 people all at once?¡±


    ¡°I doubt any human can.¡±


    ¡°Yet if Suzuka was anywhere close to that horrible incident she would have felt all of it, and would have to live with all that suffering for the rest of her life. Do you think while living like that she could find happiness?


    ¡°A smug little girly boy promised me she would, so I think that is enough for me. And don¡¯t go worrying about that whole Skydust incident. The twinstars don¡¯t use the same seat ranking system as all the other countries, but we have two S-rank hunters who easily surpass most 1<sup>st</sup> seats. So, all will be okay you hag.¡±


    Feeling a sudden impact on the back of my head, I hear Zashiki say, ¡°Did we raise you into a man who talks that way about women?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember being raised by a prehistoric fossil like you.¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡±


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: The Holy Nation of Gevurah.


    ¦µ ¡°General Maria, this is a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°Piss off Koa!¡±


    Seeing him with his golden mask down the corridor, I walk up to Solaris and scream, ¡°DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID YOU BASTARD!¡±


    ¡°General Maria, go back to your quarters, that is an order.¡±


    Grabbing him by the collar, I say, ¡°You had no reason to wipe Skydust out, you fucker!¡±


    Breaking my grip, Solaris says, ¡°Watch your tongue, don¡¯t you know using profanities in a church is a sin.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get smug with me, do you really think-.¡±


    Suddenly the air around us gets heavy as Solaris starts exuding an intense pressure. ¡°General Maria, I don¡¯t think you understand the fact that I outrank you, so every single one of your insubordinate actions in front of me is unforgivable.¡± Raising his spear Solaris activates his legacy on it and says, ¡°I condemn you to death!¡±


    As he raises his spear slowly to align with my neck, I can feel the pressure overtake me and hold me still, ¡°I am dead!¡± I say closing my eyes.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡±


    Hearing a familiar voice, I open my eyes to see someone with there are wrapped around Solaris¡¯s neck. ¡°Now what the hell do you think you''re about to do to my baby sister, mister genocide!¡±


    Solaris says, ¡°1<sup>st</sup> seat Nightingale, get your arm off of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will, but right when you tell me what you were about to do to my sister, you should know she just gave birth due to how much I talk about it, so I don¡¯t understand why you seem to be hostile towards her?¡±


    ¡°I said, GET OFF ME!¡±


    ¡°WHEN YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION!¡±


    I see my older sister activate her legacy on her leg armour, and moments later she and Solaris completely disappear from my sight, then around me I hear loud clashes that send shockwaves everywhere.


    Behind me Koa shouts, ¡°A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY IS CURRENTLY IN THE BUILDING, NOT EVEN THE TWO OF YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH CAUSING TROUBLE FOR A ROYAL!


    In front of me, the two suddenly appear as if they stopped mid-attack.


    Turning his legacy off, Solaris walks away. But my sister says, ¡°Mister genocide, just so you know if you ever point your spear at my sister again I am going to take off your head.¡±


    Stopping Solaris turns his head around and says, ¡°I would like to see you try!¡±


    As I let out a sigh, I am suddenly kicked in the face by Nightingale, ¡°Hey Maria use your brain and don¡¯t pick fights with those stronger than you, are you going to let your little princess Sheera be motherless.¡±


    ¡°Sorry sister, but I couldn¡¯t let that go!¡±


    ¡°I know, but you need absolute power to seek absolute justice, remember that Maria.¡±

 Arc 8.02

    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting across the bed from Suzuka¡¯s unconscious body, I ask Elia, ¡°Is she ok?¡±


    ¡°She should be fine, there was no physical harm caused to her, but mentally I don¡¯t know. Worst case she could be a vegetable.¡±


    Standing up I say, ¡°WHAT!¡±


    ¡°Calm down Atalanta, I said worst case, and knowing how strong this girl is I doubt something like this will break her mind.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Iancu beside us says, ¡°I had no idea she had such an affliction, to think she felt all those people dying. I can¡¯t even imagine how painful that would be. And all those assholes who just abandoned her, I am getting pissed off just thinking about it.¡±


    Avram standing at her bedside says, ¡°I guess people with even minor curses have it ruff, though at the very least we needn¡¯t worry about her having to experience any more abuse.¡±


    Running into the room, Orb asks, ¡°Is Suzuka ok!¡±


    ¡°She remains unchanged, so we really can¡¯t say. But Orb you look tired maybe you should take a rest?¡±


    Grabbing some water and drinking it Orb says, ¡°I can¡¯t do that, after the light crashed down on Skydust all the kids have started to freak out and some even lost control of their Zterytavises. If I don¡¯t go, make sure they¡¯re ok they might crash or even fall off of them.¡±


    ¡°Are you s-s-s-sure you still want t-t-t-to go to Je-e-edidiah?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, didn¡¯t I already tell you it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Orb, Cyrus might have a point,¡± Iancu says.


    Following Iancu¡¯s words I say, ¡°The situation has changed it might be dangerous to try and fly over the sandstorm with all the kids with us, wouldn¡¯t it be better to go back to Maple and everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I disagree with that, if we head back we would have to fly around Gevurah which is just as dangerous since they could be looking out for us, I would rather land in Jedidiah than take off after some time had passed and Gevurah would have stopped looking for us.¡±


    Dropping the empty cup of Water Orb says, ¡°I am going to head back out.¡±


    Running towards the door Elia hits him in the balls, causing Orb to collapse on the floor. ¡°WHYYYY!!!¡±


    ¡°How the hell do you expect to calm anyone¡¯s nerves when you are so obviously worried. Your hair is pitch black, so when your hair starts turning green then we will let you go.¡±


    As Orb tries to get up from the floor, Elia says, ¡°Cyrus restrain him.¡±


    ¡°O-O-O-Orb doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, Re, Strain, Him!¡±


    Intimidated by her, Cyrus grabs Orb and gives him a bear hug. ¡°Cyrus let go of me right now!¡±


    Getting up I say, ¡°Elia is right Orb you need to take a rest.¡±


    ¡°I will rest when I am dead!¡±


    Putting my hands on his face cheeks, I twist his neck which knocks him out. ¡°That should do it!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ While doing stretches on the deck of the ship, I look upon the sandstorm in front of me and say, ¡°So this is the entrance in Jedidiah.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Orb are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I will go over the plan, you will use your ice to create a beacon for all the riders to see as we fly up so if anyone gets lost they can fly towards it.¡±


    ¡°Got it, but you guys on the inside need to be slow with your piloting if you get too far from the Zterytavises, gravity will act on them and they will fall due to being overweight.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡±


    Giving Iancu a fist bump I say, ¡°See you later.¡± As he replies with a fist bump back, I say, ¡°You really have warmed up to me, how adorable!¡±


    Getting shy, Iancu says, ¡°Piss off!¡±


    ¡°It is too late for that, you have already attached yourself to me for life,¡± I say giving him a hug.


    Breaking my grip Iancu says, ¡°Leave me alone weirdo, I am going to get started.¡±


    After a little bit of waiting, I create a giant pillar of ice on the back of the ship, then soon after the ship flies straight up with the Zterytavises following close behind.


    As we fly up, I have to go to the behind of the pillar and tightly freeze myself to it to make sure I am not swept away in the sand storm, due to this I can get a good look at all the Zterytavises behind us.


    This storm is so strong that without a doubt I would be carried away under normal conditions. It is a good thing I froze a lot of the kids down to the Zterytavises, so they should be able to get through this.


    ¡°Everything will be ok Orb, isn¡¯t that right Mime.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°100 Percent Mime.¡±


    Looking at my sides I say, ¡°Anto, Mime, what are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°We thought you might get lonely.¡±


    ¡°So, we came to spend time with you.¡±


    ¡°Everything is more fun with more people.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Freezing the two of them to me, I give them a hug and say, ¡°How cute you both are! Giving you both hugs will stop me from feeling all worry.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it will!¡±


    ¡°We happen to be very soft!¡±


    After a little while I suddenly no longer feel sand raging around us. Then looking around I see the sun shining brighter than ever.


    ¡°How pretty,¡± Anto says.


    ¡°Like a jewel,¡± Mime says.


    Looking at the star in the sky I say, ¡°How did I go years without seeing this?¡±


    But our moment in the sky is interrupted by the ship suddenly going down at full speed. This shock causes me to scream at the top of my lungs out of excitement, with Anto and Mime following my lead.


    After a very bumpy ride, we eventually landed behind the sandstorm.  Looking around I see sand as far as the eye can see, it remains me of Fimbulwinter, but it is composed of sand, and is not as intense


    Composing myself I create a pillar of ice and see if the Zterytavis are all right. But looking up I see one falling at high speed towards the ground.


    ¡°Shit it is going to crash, Anto can you switch it with me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that, to switch big things I need to switch things of roughly the same size.¡±


    Creating ice behind me, I say, ¡°What about now?¡±


    ¡°That should do,¡± Anto says throwing the dagger.


    Seconds after the dagger is thrown, I suddenly find myself in a completely new position. While falling from the sky I can barely get a hold of my surroundings until Anto slaps me in the face and says, ¡°Orb!¡±


    With haste, I create snow beneath me and Anto to break our fall. ¡°Let¡¯s go again,¡± Anto says with a big smile on his face.


    Rubbing his head I say, ¡°Maybe a little bit later.¡±


    Putting Anto on my shoulders, I run back to the ship to see if everything is all right. Getting there, I see that everyone on the ship has started to offload people from the Zterytavises, so I go over and start to help too.


    -Break-


    ¡°That should be everyone,¡± I say taking a big stretch.


    Interrupting my stretch one of the kids walks up to me and says, ¡°Mister?¡±


    Kneeling I say, ¡°Yes, oh sorry what is your name?¡±


    ¡°It is Peppa Mercury.¡±


    She is the daughter of Jeter, now that I think about it doesn¡¯t that make her a princess. ¡°Yes, Peppa what is the issue?¡±


    With tears and a smile on her face, she asks me, ¡°Everyone on Skydust is alright, aren¡¯t they.¡±


    Looking at her face a freeze up for a moment, then lifting my head a little bit I see the faces of all the other kids from Skydust. They all have hollow expressions as if they have just lived through a plague.


    Earlier when I was jumping from Zettie to Zettie I noticed the younger kids don¡¯t fully understand what happened to Skydust, but the older ones (Around 15-17) have realized what has become of Skydust.


    In this environment I don¡¯t need a bunch of small easily lost kids freaking out, so I say, ¡°Yes they are all fine, they promised all of us they would put up a good fight didn¡¯t they!¡±


    With her tears fading Peppa says, ¡°They did, and my family aren¡¯t liars.¡±


    ¡°Your family is trying their best, so as the princess of Skydust, I need you to make sure none of the others are freaking out, can you do that for me Peppa?¡±


    Cheerfully she says, ¡°Absolutely!¡± and then walks off towards the kids.


    Taking a deep breath, I feel a sharp pain in my chest which causes me to hold my hand against it. ¡°That might be one of the worst things I have ever done.¡±


    Walking up behind me Avram says, ¡°It was necessary, if you didn¡¯t do such a thing the kids might have endangered themselves, so be proud.¡±


    ¡°Avram, I didn¡¯t know how easy it is to lie once you have started. Makes me feel like shit knowing that I bereted Capti for such things.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to say but it is something you have to get used to.¡±


    ¡°I would rather not.¡±


    Putting his hand on my head, Avram says, ¡°Even if you become a person who lies out of convenience like the rest of us, just make sure to always keep your promises to counteract that.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Now don¡¯t you have a promise to go keep?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is time to go find Cyrus¡¯s sister!¡±


    -Break-


    As all of my friends and associates sit around a table I say, ¡°Everyone please introduce yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta here!¡±


    ¡°My name is Cyrus.¡±


    Casually Iancu says, ¡°Iancu is the name.¡±


    Knocking Iancu on the head Avram says, ¡°Watch your posture boy, and my name is Avram.¡±


    ¡°Hello, scum my name is Elia.¡±


    As Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim try to introduce themselves Avram knocks Elia on the head and says, ¡°Don¡¯t pick fights, you dunderhead!¡±


    ¡°I was kidding, I thought a joke would lighten up the mood.¡±


    ¡°Jokes are supposed to be funny.¡±


    ¡°But your sense of style doesn¡¯t make me laugh? Weird.¡±


    Elia gets another knock on the head which completely destroys the moment for the three nice idiots to introduce themselves.


    Looking at their sad faces, I want to say something, but then the last member at the table says, ¡°Hello my name is Elliot, and I am representing all of the members of Skydust here today. As I will be a permanent member of your little family, I hope you will welcome my servitude, especially you lady Lanta and sir Orb.¡±


    He really is just like from my books, a real-life butler, and he just radiates experience. But what can I expect, he is older than Dush. ¡°Thank you for that Elliot.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°First order of business; what are our next steps.¡±


    ¡°Me, Cyrus, and Atalanta will head through the desert, until we reach civilization, where we will look for Cyrus¡¯s sister as quickly as possible. though I can¡¯t tell you how long it will take, I planned to use Suzuka¡¯s mind reading to speed up this process but we can¡¯t do that now.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°That sounds fine to me, but Orb I need you to keep one thing in mind.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The sandstorm blew off a good bit of the Zetties¡¯ scent, and now it will take some time before we can apply enough to make the Zetties follow us. So please don¡¯t cause trouble over there, because we still don¡¯t know when we will take off.¡±


    ¡°I see, I promise I won¡¯t.¡±


    Elliot says, ¡°But don¡¯t you guys think it is dangerous for us to split up our strongest people with our current situation, especially without any communication? Don¡¯t you guys have Kaidenwa¡¯s?¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°We do but Orb and Cyrus don¡¯t have enough spirit energy to use a Kaidenwa over a large range, and mine is being saved for combat. This was originally another task for Suzuka.¡±


    I say, ¡°Well this is a dilemma isn¡¯t it, we could go without communication but that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.¡±


    ¡°Then we will go.¡±


    ¡°We are up to the task.¡±


    Feeling them on my shoulders I say, ¡°Anto, Mime what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two brats this isn¡¯t the time for jokes go eat some sand or whatever you kids do.¡±


    Sticking out her tongue Mime says, ¡°Shut up stupid Lanta, just watch our amazingness. Anto!¡±


    Anto quickly leaves the room, and then Mime says, ¡°Orb do some strange things.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just do it!¡±


    Following her instruction, I make a strange face, then I juggle Mime and a few other small objects around us in my arms, then to finish it off I flip on Cyrus¡¯s head and I hold my body up on his head with one finger.


    Spinning off of Cyrus¡¯s head, I land perfectly and say, ¡°Done.¡±


    Anto comes back in the room, and Mime says, ¡°Anto what happened while you were away.¡±


    Anto then perfectly says back to us what just happened. ¡°Anto, where you watching through the door?¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t, I am able to hear and see everything Mime does, and Mime is able to do the same to me.¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°It is probably due to their legacy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right I guess this is the special adaption they have like my heighten senses, but this is good we can use them to communicate, now which one of you two are going to stay and who is going to come with us.¡±


    They both scream, ¡°ME!¡± Hearing each other they both freeze and look at each other then get into combat positions.


    Then they shout in unison, ¡°ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!¡±

 Arc 8.03

    -Break-


    ¦µ As we get ready to leave, Mimes tears run down her face as she cries, ¡°I want to go!¡±


    ¡°Stop crying already, you lost so you stay.¡±


    ¡°NOOO, I WANT TO GO!¡±


    Walking up to Mime, Anto says, ¡°Isn¡¯t it much more fun to watch everything through me rather than have to get dirty doing it yourself.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡°Then wait for me Mime.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Anto.¡±


    Walking up to us, Avram says, ¡°Orb, Anto, Cyrus I need you all to sit down for a moment.¡±


    Following Avrams Instructions we all take a seat. Then from behind us Gheorghe, Ivana and Wadim, come and start applying hair dye on us. ¡°I thought we didn¡¯t have much left?¡±


    ¡°While we were going around Skydust I made sure to pick up a lot of hair dye and some coloured contact lenses as well, this should grant you some safety while you are exploring.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    ¡°It was no issue at all, but with this, you have just a tiny bit more safety than you would otherwise. So, make sure to use it to keep safe and out of sight.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    After the hair dye is applied the four of us take off into the desert.


    -Break-


    ¡°Orb, I am tired, I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining Lanta, we have barely been walking for 3 hours.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, I happen to be a normal human, 3 hours of walking through the desert taxes my stamina.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am a normal human as well.¡±


    ¡°Normal humans don¡¯t have your absurd stamina. How the hell are you even standing?¡±


    ¡°We used to have longer walks when I was in Aplos, so this is nothing.¡±


    ¡°It is so dry and warm, my legs are too tired.¡±


    Creating some snow, I throw it at Atalanta''s face and say, ¡°Eat this to cool down.¡±


    ¡°NO, I am so tired of eating your crunchy snow, I want some smooth refreshing water.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an adult, suck it up. Have you seen Anto complain once?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he has been getting to ride on Cyrus¡¯s head this entire time. Tell him to get off I want to have a turn.¡±


    Did she really just say that; I think to myself with a face of disgust.


    ¡°Pleas-s-s-s-e don¡¯t fight, I can ca-a-a-a-arry you two as well.¡±


    ¡°No Cyrus, she needs to walk on her own two feet.¡±


    ¡°Orb, you know what you¡¯re just a bully, a big meanie head. People like you are going to go to hell.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Orb, there is some water over there,¡± Anto says.


    Hopping up, Atalanta starts to run over to where Anto pointed. Looking over to where she is running, I see some sort of camel, but it has cubes of water where its humps are supposed to be.


    That¡¯s not a wonderbeast to my knowledge, and I don¡¯t know any wonderbeasts that can produce water like this, though it wouldn¡¯t have been the strangest thing I have seen.


    Following behind Atalanta, I say, ¡°Wait up, we don¡¯t even know if that camel''s water is drinkable.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is only one way to find out isn¡¯t there.¡±


    This idiot. As Atalanta gets close to the camel, it makes a face of shock and then starts to run away. Pretty sure it got scared away by seeing the hungry face Atalanta was making.


    As we run, I hear a strange sound approaching, so I shout ¡°ANTO SWITCH ME AND ATALANTA NOW!¡±


    Following my instructions Anto switches us, and then I create a large amount of ice to my left which quickly gets shatter as something hits it, no it didn¡¯t just shatter it was mostly vaporized.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    On the floor, Atalanta says, ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I am going to need you to shut the hell up right now.¡± Whatever the hell I was just hit with was freaking loud, my ears are killing me.


    When the vapour from my ice clears, I look in front of me and see a quadrupedal wonderbeast that looks like a jackal, though it has golden blades on its claws and a golden horn.


    As I stare at it another similar wonderbeast appears to its side, and then I see small sparks appear at its horn, so I quickly create another shield of ice, then which is struck again by the same attack as last time.


    This time my ice shield didn¡¯t fully break, so looking at it I realize they hit us with lighting, which explains the ear pain. ¡°Atalanta, I need some ranged support.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± she says getting up and positioning her bow.


    But during the time she is getting ready both of the wonderbeast make their way towards the camel. ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH MY WATER!¡± Atalanta says as she releases five shots towards the wonderbeasts


    Both of the beats are able to react to the arrow and dodge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky you dumb dogs!¡± Suddenly Atalanta¡¯s arrows curve and turn around to hit the wonderbeasts, but they dodge them again.


    ¡°Too little, too late,¡± Atalanta says, as another volley of arrows hit the beats in the direction they dodged the curved ones from.


    One of the wonderbeast gets hit in the head while the other gets hit in the legs. As the one that got hit in the legs falls down it lets out a thunderous howl, while firing lighting into the sky from its horn. The sound wave from this pains my ears even more.


    Shotting another arrow Atalanta hits the surviving wonderbeast through the head. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for messing with me,¡± Atlanta says, as she lets out a victorious laugh.


    Holding my hands against my head, I scream, ¡°Everyone gets ready, something is coming.¡±


    Suddenly from my left, I hear something coming, so I create a wall of ice to my left, but it is quickly cut to pieces then looking behind the sliced ice I see a panther wonderbeast with a blade for its tail.


    Using my legacy on my feet I snow boost towards it preparing to strike the wonderbeast. As I lunge towards it, I see the bladed tail of it extend and it tries to cut me.


    Quickly I use my reflexes to dodge the attacks. After regaining my footing I create snow all around me while moving towards the beast, when its tail moves in between the snow I turn the snow into ice and freeze the tail into one place.


    Then while the tail is stuck, I dash forward and punch the wonderbeast in the face sending it flying.


    When the beast regains its composure it looks me dead in the eye, so I scream, ¡°DO YOU WANT TO BECOME MY MEAL!¡±


    Hearing my roar, the wonderbeast runs away. Taking a breath I say, ¡°Looks like I am quite intimidating.¡±


    Huh, I feel something on my leg, looking down I see a lot of little gold bugs. They all have single giant eyes, these must be wonderbeasts. ¡°You know you guys are quite cute from certain angles.¡±


    While I admire the bugs, I see little sparks form in their eyes, so I quickly create a shield of ice. Moments after I create the wall, I see it vaporize as it has been hit with lighting. ¡°More of these lighting wonderbeasts, how annoying.¡±


    With my hearing I notice more of the bug-type wonderbeasts have appeared behind me, so I create a giant wall of ice all around me, which defends me as the bugs shoot at me.


    Crap, I let my guard down because they were cute, I need to be more cautious. Remember the days back when you hunted for Aplos, you need that level of caution.


    Atalanta or Cyrus should have already helped me by now, but the bugs around me haven¡¯t decreased. Using my hearing I try to hear what is currently going on outside my ice barrier and I hear loads of different sounds, they must be engaged in combat with something.


    Hearing something at my feet, I see some of the little bugs coming up from the ground. Seeing this I jump from the sides of my ice barrier towards the top as the bugs prepare to shoot at me.


    ¦µ Taking out my sword, I hear Anto say, ¡°That wonderbeast looks cool.¡±


    In front of both of us are five large wonderbeasts that all look the same. They are quadrupedal and have golden armoured shells and a thorny tail. but the strangest part was that it has bug-like wings on its back that appear from its armour.


    The five wonderbeasts fly up into the sky, then move towards us, and as they do they fall to the ground rolling themselves up into circular balls(Like wheels) then charge at us.


    Pouring spirit energy into my sword I run forward and slash the two first wonderbeasts.


    Holding my horns Anto says, ¡°WOOOOOO!¡±


    ¡°H-H-H-Hold on tight.¡±


    Using my left arm, I stop the next wonderbeast motion then I throw it into the next one rolling at us. Then using my tail, I launch the last wonderbeast into the sky, then when it falls down, I place my sword under it so it plunges into it.


    Turning around, I see the first two that got cut by me turn around and keep rolling towards me, but when they do sand starts to get stuck to them over and over until the sand has made them much larger.


    Using my sword, I try to cut them again but the sand act as an armour and I am unable to reach their flesh this time. As they pass me, I see them preparing to do this again. When they come around again, I should dodge them and try to knock them over instead.


    ¡°Hey, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Y-Yes Anto.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use your legacy?¡±


    ¡°A-A-A-A-Atalanta said I have low spirit e-e-e-e-energy, so I was trying to train.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that, seeing you fight like that is super boring, use your legacy and show me something cool right now!¡± Anto says throwing a fit on my head.


    ¦µ Lowering his head, Cyrus says with a depressing aura, ¡°Your right, I should never have been so presumptuous like that, I really do suck.¡±


    He really is always so sad and boring he should really change his personality. As an idea pops into my head I say, ¡°My brain is so fat!¡±


    ¡°H-H-Huh a-a-a-a-re you ok-k-k-k-k!¡±


    Using my legacy on my dagger, I say, ¡°Time to invert that personality.¡± Then I quickly strike Cyrus on the back of the head. ¡°It is time for you to become fun.¡±


    Suddenly I am thrown off of Cyrus¡¯s head and land on my butt. Looking up to him I say, ¡°Hey what was that for!¡±


    Staring at me with a face full of annoyance, Cyrus screams, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DISGUSTING EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING!¡± Sitting down on the sand Cyrus says, ¡°I am going to take a nap, wake me and you die.¡±


    ¡°But the wonderbeasts are heading right towards us.¡±


    ¡°Not my problem, you accident.¡±


    EHHHHHHHH! What is going on I thought he was going to become fun, but now he is just a mean bully of an adult.


    Cyrus despite his attitude is a kind, sweet, hardworking boy, and the inverse of that is a mean, lazy, disgusting, bum. Due to being 10 years old, there is no way Anto could have known this, but nevertheless, it is the result of his actions.


    I need to cancel my legacy and revert all my inversions. As I try to turn off my inversion by striking Cyrus, I suddenly feel my leg being pulled away.


    As I am dragged through the sand I get a face full of dirt. When I get to a certain point I am instead lifted up into the air by my leg. Opening my eyes, I see a giant cobra-like wonderbeast in front of me with swirling patterns.


    As I look at the swirling patterns I start to feel dizzy, and then my eyes start to get so heavy that they close. Letting out a yawn I say, ¡°I feel so sleepy.¡±

 Arc 8.04

    ¦µ Using my bow, I shoot the Cobra wonderbeast that was trying to eat Anto. That stupid kid, he really went and messed up and now I have to rescue him even though I have my own problems.


    Turning my head back to face the problems in front of me, I stare at the whole pack of lightning jackal wonderbeasts in front of me. It seems that one I shot in the legs sent out a beacon which called a whole army of wonderbeasts to come to find us.


    Seeing sparks coming from the horns of the jackals, I use spirit energy and dodge to my left while shooting arrows at them. Animals can¡¯t use spirit energy so reading their moves is a pain in the butt. Still, not in my lifetime has an animal managed to best me.


    While moving around I shoot arrows to kite them in one direction, if I let even one of them get behind me I won¡¯t be able to deal with lightning from different directions.


    That¡¯s good they are moving exactly how I want, now all I have to do is wait for a good moment. Seeing the moment I say, ¡°Now is the time to strike.¡± Releasing an arrow, I manage to pierce through the heads of five of them all at once.


    Five down fifteen left.


    ¡°ATALANTA!¡± I hear Orb shout,


    Turning around I see Orb has escaped from the barrier of ice he has made. From the top of the barrier, he shouts, ¡°SOMETHING IS BENEATH YOU!¡±


    Putting spirit energy in my legs I lunge backwards narrowly avoiding a large mouth coming out from the sand. As the body attached to that mouth comes out of the sand I see a crocodile-like wonderbeasts.


    ¡°THERE IS MORE!¡±


    Hearing Orb''s words I continue to lunge away as more and more of the croc''s appear out of the sand while trying to bite me. Dodging this is a pain especially since I have no idea where they are coming out from.


    While caught up in dodging I see in my peripheral vision sparks forming on one of the jackal''s horns, so as fast as I can I tilt my head out of the way barely dodging the lightning. ¡°That was close!¡±


    Shocked by this I fall to the ground and try to regain my breath. After a moment, I look around me to see all the croc''s have disappeared and that all the jackals have me surrounded. My worst-case scenario is happening.


    No, I can still turn this around, depending on who attacks me first I can survive this. Will the croc¡¯s strike first or the jackal''s?


    Waiting for the attack of my hunters I stand completely still in hyper-focus ready to counter at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Suddenly all of the croc¡¯s appear from around me ready to pounce. They have completely surrounded me from all sides, and are too close and spread out for me to get shots of my bow off. Maybe I could jump up and dodge, no the jackals are already forming sparks, the moment I jump they will kill me. ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m dead.¡±


    Just kidding. I got the best-case scenario! Using my bow I switch it from bow mode to sword mode. The upper and lower limbs of the bow join in the center forming a blade, then pouring spirit energy into my bow I cut off the head of all of the croc¡¯s with one powerful swing.


    As their bodies fall, I grab all of them and pulls them close to me forming a shield. Then when the lightning of the jackals is shot at me, I can hide behind all of the croc¡¯s.


    After lightning is shot at me, I use the cracks in between the croc¡¯s to shoot arrows at the jackal¡¯s taking them out one by one. They can¡¯t see the direction of my shot from behind the gators, so every single shot is a hit.


    ¦µ Atalanta seems to be doing fine, but the bigger issue is Cyrus and Anto. Anto is unconscious while Cyrus is just sitting there and letting the armoured wonderbeasts run over him, though the wonderbeasts don¡¯t seem to be doing any damage to him. Dragon strength seriously is no laughing matter.


    Still, I can¡¯t let Anto get hurt so I need to finish things up here first. Manoeuvring my way at the top of my ice barrier I continue to dodge all the lightning blasts from the bugs, and then when I see an opportunity I jump high into the air.


    In the sky I turn all the ice into snow, it falls down and covers all the bugs then I shape and turn all that snow into spikes of ice capturing or killing all the little bugs.


    Falling to the ground I see something in my peripheral. ¡°Oh, come on what now!¡±


    Not wasting any time, I create a bunch of snow as I fall preparing to freeze the feet of the next wonderbeast. When I land, I see a giant wonderbeast running towards me.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    When I smell the wonderbeast I say, ¡°Willow!¡± The beast smells like willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. Taking a good look at it I see it has five great horns like willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, but there are a few noticeable differences.


    First, it is covered it is black and covered in golden reptilian scales. Second it is bipedal, unlike the quadrupedal willow. Third, it is as large as willow but slimmer. Though most noticeable is the two large blue horns appearing out of its back.


    Willow was incredibly good at adapting to his habitat, so I guess this wonderbeast did the same which is why it looks different. Composing myself I try to rein in my excitement as I say, ¡°Willow looks like I found you a friend!¡±


    Quickly I turn my snow into ice which freezes the beasts'' feet. Using my legacy on my feet I blitz towards it to attack. ¡°Sorry, this might hurt a bit.¡±


    Before I reach it I see sparks form at its horns so I prepare to dodge away. But they don¡¯t form a single lightning bolt instead it forms miniature ones that fly all around it.


    With my senses, I am able to predict and dodge accordingly, but as a lightning bolt flies across my face I say in terror, ¡°I need to change my approach.¡±


    Stepping back, I use my legacy to create a great wave of snow towards the wonderbeast. Then using snow boost, I quickly scurry around the side of the beast.


    Using its lightning it quickly vaporizes all of the snow coming at it but in that time, I unfreeze all of the ice around his legs and turn it into snow, then after moving it all together I clump it up into one giant pile then freeze it all again causing a giant ice spear to stab the wonderbeast in its underbelly.


    After I do this the wonderbeast lets out a roar of pure pain as it falls to the ground. I sort of feel kind of bad, but if you are actually like Willow some food should be enough to help you regenerate. ¡°Now the final step of making you docile is to break off those lightning horns.¡±


    Running towards the front of the wonderbeast I use my legacy on my arms then with my claws break one of its five horns. ¡°Four more to go.¡±


    Suddenly I hear something coming at me from my side, so I lunge backwards and see it was water flying in my direction. As the water follows me, I freeze it solid, but from my left side water comes at me so I do the same.


    Freezing both of the streams of water creates so much ice around me which obscures my vision. But I can still hear the lightning bolts forming so I move to the right dodging the lightning as it hits my ice.


    Getting a good look at the wonderbeast I see that the two giant horns on its back are producing water. The water from one of the horns is being used to break the ice spear I pierced it with. While the other horns water comes directly at me to attack.


    The instant the water approaches me again, I create large ice spikes all over the ground, but when our attacks meet the water breaks the ice. Dodging I say, ¡°Let¡¯s see how you handle this.¡±


    When the water comes back at me, I stick my hand inside the water and try to freeze if from the inside out. While my hand is in the water I start to scream out of pain, this pressure is ridiculous, but I can still do this.


    The moment I start to freeze the water, I feel a little shock go through my hand quickly followed by an intense one that¡¯s completely shocks me. While my body is being run through with lightning, I completely freeze the water stopping the shock.


    As I recoil, I look over at the wonderbeast and see that it has made a giant orb of water then it strikes the orb with lightning. The orb breaks into many different small blasts, which are fired towards me at incredible speeds.


    I can¡¯t create barriers of ice because the pressure will blow right through it, and I can¡¯t freeze the water from within without getting shocked. This is really bad.


    From directly behind me I see arrows fly and hit the wonderbeast in the eye. Turning around I see Atalanta surrounded by a group of dead jackal-like wonderbeasts.


    ¡°Orb do your thing, I will support you, but you owe me one!¡±


    ¡°Definitely!¡±


    Lunging forward I dodge all of the wonderbeast''s attacks while Atalanta shoots the wonderbeast from afar. Due to the both of us attacking at once the wonderbeast can¡¯t fully focus on me, so I continue to dodge and dodge until I get closer, then eventually I reach my target the wonderbeasts knee.


    When I get close enough, I snow boost towards it then I stab my claw into its knee then create a giant amount of ice to snap it off.


    While the wonderbeast fall down I manoeuvre my way onto its back and freeze the two giant water-producing horns, then snow boost my way to its front where I cut off all of its remaining horns.


    Putting my hand on its head I say, ¡°What should I name you?¡±


    Getting kicked in the side I fall over and hear Atalanta say, ¡°Don¡¯t we have more pressing issues?¡±


    Looking at her I see she is pointing at all those wonderbeasts running over Cyrus repeatedly and doing no damage. ¡°I guess we do.¡±


    Getting up from the sand I hear something underground, so I shout, ¡°YOUR REALLY JUSTPLAYING WITH ME RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Right under where Cyrus is an enormous wonderbeast erupts from the ground. As it comes up from the ground it dives right back and then pops out again. Looking at it the wonderbeast looks like a centipede, but it is ridiculously long, it might even have more body mass than that giant bird from Skydust.


    As it fully appears from the ground it starts directly down at us with an overwhelming glare. ¡°Now this is extraordinarily bad.¡±


    Name: Tiritrex (Version Jedidiah)


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Carnivore, Wonderbeast


    Description: A black bipedal beast with five horns covered in golden reptilian scales. It is noticeably slimmer than the Fimbluwinter version, and it has two large blue horns appearing out of its back. It can produce water out of the two giant horns on its back for hunting or just to quench its thirst. But the most dangerous thing about this wonderbeast is its ability to create lightning from its horns.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situations if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Name: Salidile


    Height: 180 cm


    Type: Carnivore, Wonderbeast


    Description: A large reptilian wonderbeast. To many it is indisputable from a crocodile, with the only difference being its golden scales which seem to form some kind of armoured shell on its back.


    Fact:  It has the ability to burrow and swim in the sand which also it to get the jump on many different types of animals and wonderbeasts

 Arc 8.05

    ¦µ Sitting down with the kids from Skydust, I read one of my picture books to them.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°A cow.¡±


    ¡°And this?¡±


    ¡°I believe that is the wonderbeast Gapotamus.¡±


    ¡°And this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the wonderbeast Peak Gryphon.¡±


    ¡°What is this big one?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t really know about that. ELIA HELP!¡±


    ¡°I am busy.¡±


    Walking up to her I say, ¡°I know you can be mean to me, but this is for the kids.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember two years ago when I tried to read you that very same book, but you said; piss off you know it all. Remember when you said that ''cause I sure do.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, look at all those sad faces I know you won¡¯t just leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I want some payment.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will do anything.¡±


    ¡°Anything, I see.¡±


    ¡°Listen here kids that wonderbeast you see in that book is a special one, called a behemoth. Any wonderbeast over 60 meters qualities for this classification, they are basically walking calamities that no one bothers, so be careful that if you ever see one you will run away.¡±


    Turning back to me Elia says, ¡°I always had this cute dress that I wanted to put on you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what.¡±


    Tying me to a chair, Elia says, ¡°You said anything, so until Orb and the rest return you¡¯re going to be my doll.¡±


    Turning around to the kids, she asks, ¡°Who wants to help me with his makeup?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°No, me!¡±


    ¡°I want to join!¡±


    ¡°Looks like we are going to have some fun Iancu.¡±


    -Break-


    The wonderbeast comes towards us to attack, using snow boost I lunge towards Atalanta and grab her out of the way. As the beast''s head passes us, I see the side of its body whip in our direction so I quickly create a large ice pillar at my feet, sending us high into the air, and it instead hits the pillar.


    When the beast''s body hits the pillar, it breaks it into little pieces so I jump off while I can and land on the beast''s back and run along it.


    Hearing the sound of something underneath me I dodge away and see spikes popping out of the wonderbeasts back. When I land, I hear more spikes coming so I dodge again, this keeps happening, so I dodge over and over again.


    ¡°Orb we won¡¯t win by dodging.¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± I say as I dodge another spike. Stopping in one place I jump up into the sky then when I fall, I use the claw on my leg to cut the spike on the beast''s back giving me some footing.


    Raising my foot up I strike the back of the wonderbeast. When my foot strikes the back of the beast, I let out a scream of pain. ¡°Orb are you ok?¡±


    Turning my legacy off I look at my foot and see that all my nails have been shattered and are bleeding. When I use my legacy on a part of my body it becomes stronger and harder, so my nails become like sharp claws but even that wasn¡¯t enough to break through its shell.


    ¡°It is too hard!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change our approach,¡± Atalanta says turning her bow into a sword.


    ¦µ With a sparkle in his eye, Orb says, ¡°That¡¯s super cool!¡±


    Sighing I say, ¡°Your toenails are cracked open but you¡¯re still smiling over this. You really are special Orb.¡±


    Seeing a different part of the beast''s long body whip over to us, I say, ¡°We need to move now!¡±


    Creating ice underneath himself Orb jumps from the section of the wonderbeast we are on, to the part that tried to just whip us. When Orb lands, I say, ¡°Run as fast as you can.¡±


    As Orb runs the length of the beast''s back, I pour spirit energy into my sword, then stab it into the beats back from Orb''s arms. As Orb runs my sword cuts the beast in the same direction.


    ¡°Atalanta is that deep enough, the beast doesn¡¯t seem phased?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if you speed up we might see some results.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but I am already moving at max speed, I can¡¯t go any further with how heavy you are.¡±


    Feeling my face turn red, I say, ¡°Am I really getting heavy, like do I actually have body weight? Please tell me I am heavy again Orb!¡±


    ¡°Why are you getting happy over this? I don¡¯t have time for your weirdness right now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no need to act bashful Orb, I know you''re embarrassed from whispering such sweet words to me.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing more parts of the beast''s body whip over to us I jump from one part of the beast''s body to the next,  dodging the last whip from the beast I jump high into the air and see the beast''s head moving towards us. Seeing this the moment I land I run across its back as fast as I can to get away from it.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°We need Cyrus if we want to actually deal some actual damage. But for that, I need to keep this thing away from me long enough to wake up Anto.¡±


    ¡°Leave the distraction to me then.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta you¡¯re nowhere fast enough to survive by yourself.¡±


    Atalanta grabs me from the back of my head and slowly brings my head closer to her. ¡°Hey, what are you doing, don¡¯t you see this situation!¡±


    As our faces come closer to one another she headbutts me right on my forehead, because of this I almost fall and drop her.


    ¡°Listen idiot, when it comes to running, I am unmatched, remember that.¡±


    The serious look on her face is completely unbefitting the person I know as Atalanta. If her resolve is this strong all I can say is, ¡°I am counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Same here, don¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Letting her down, I create a giant pillar of ice and snow boost towards Cyrus and Anto. While in the air I look behind me to see Atalanta moving at astonishing speed, ¡°She is probably even faster than me.¡±


    ¦µ By focusing all your spirit energy to specific muscle''s you can increase the efficiency of those muscles, when you combine that with my initiate running ability; you get speed that will make your eyes pop.


    While the giant beast''s mouth comes towards me I dash away at full speed, the spikes in its back pop up and try to obstruct my path but with speed and precision, I move through all of them.


    I have to keep its attention, so angering it is the first step. Lunging to the side I shoot 7 arrows into its open mouth. While I am falling off the side, I turn my bow into a sword and stab it which helps me slow down my descent.


    Hearing the wonderbeast let out A giant scream I say, ¡°I guess the first step is complete.¡± Jumping down and landing on the sand I say, ¡°Now the next step is to not die.¡±


    Running on the sand I hear the beast''s mouth coming towards me so I shoot another volley of arrows into its mouth, but it continues to come at me ignoring my shots.


    ¡°Looks like I really made it angry. But with anger comes irrationality.¡±


    With my bow, I weave a spirit arrow, but make a strand of spirit energy on its tail. I shoot the arrow I just made into a section of its body, and then I hold the strand and use it to be carried into the air.


    When the arrow hits my target, I use the strand to swing around the wonderbeasts body, and just as I planned the wonderbeast follows me around its body.


    I continue to swing around its body as the wonderbeast continues to coil around itself, and when I have wrapped it around itself enough times I let go of my strand and fall to the sand.


    Staring up at the wonderbeast coiled around its own body I say, ¡°A splendid knot if I say so myself!¡±


    The wonderbeast is so tightly wrapped around itself that it can¡¯t move, ¡°This is why use your head idiot!¡±


    The wonderbeast lets out a huge scream, and then I see it forcefully try to come towards me, but it barely budges since its body is wrapped around itself.


    The beast continues to try to move towards my, eventually tightening the knot so much that it breaks the section of its body that it was wrapped around and moves straight towards me.


    Running away at full speed I look around at all of the pieces of the wonderbeast''s body protruding from the sand and I notice some of them have completely stopped moving. ¡°This beast really did just cut off his body to reach me, to think it would go this far just to reach me how romantic!¡±


    Still, this just makes it easier to kill in the long run, now I should just focus on avoiding it and let Cyrus do the rest of the damage.


    Hearing a loud buzzing sound, I turn my head while running to see a hoard of giant flying bugs. ¡°What the hell!¡± Looking down for a moment I see that the bugs are spawning from the cut-off parts of the wonderbeast''s body.


    The bugs fly towards me as I am being chased, weaving arrows in my bow I fire multiple shots knocking as many of them out of the sky as I can.


    When they get close, I turn my bow into sword form and slash them, but there are too many so one of them manages to hit me in the stomach sending me flying back.


    Recoiling from the blow on the ground I grab my belly and spit up. If I didn¡¯t use spirit energy to defend myself my organs would have been crushed.


    Getting up I see the beast towering over me, surrounded by its flying bugs. ¡°Orb I need you to hurry the hell up!¡±


    ¦µ Running over to Anto and Cyrus, I pick Anto up by the collar and shake him saying, ¡°Wake up you idiot!¡±


    Cyrus beside me says, ¡°Quiet down you stupid incarnation of trigonometry!¡±


    Did Cyrus really hate learning arithmetic from me so much that he thinks that¡¯s an insult? Facing the problem in front of me I slap Anto repeatedly while saying, ¡°WAKE UP NOW!¡±


    With big swollen cheeks Anto eventually opens his eyes saying, ¡°Death is coming for you Orb!¡±


    Slamming him into the ground I say, ¡°Death is coming for all of you unless you revert Cyrus to normal!¡±


    In my ears I suddenly hear something, is the wonderbeast moving? Turning around I see the wonderbeast has started moving toward the other wonderbeast I just defeated.


    Letting go of Anto I use snow boost to dash towards it at full speed while screaming ¡°NOOOOO!!¡±


    -Break-


    The lone injured tiritrex can only lay in the sand as the behemoth approaches it. For almost two thousand years it has spent its time adapting to be able to survive against all the predators of Jedidiah, but it was to no end.


    Laying there the tiritrex remembers how the rest of the tiritrex¡¯s in Jedidiah were eaten by the behemoth in front of it. It survived that day and through the pure desire to carry on its family''s will it has continued to survive, but realizing how pointless it was the tiritrex cries as the behemoth closes in on it.


    ¦µ Jumping in front of my pet, I create the largest amount of ice I have done today to act as a shield. Turning my head around I say, ¡°You¡¯re my pet, so from this moment on I won¡¯t allow anyone to hurt you, remember that!¡±


    Seeing someone protecting it the lone tiritrex let out even more tears.


    Hearing the sound of my ice break I continue to create more and more, but the wonderbeast breaks through each time and eventually I see its giant open mouth in front of me. With sweat trickly down my face, I say, ¡°I am dead.¡±


    From my right side, a giant sand tornado hits the wonderbeast which knocks it down.


    What the hell, tornados don¡¯t just appear out of nowhere. The tornado quickly dissipates and from it appears a small rabbit. The rabbit is gold and has purple stripes all over its body, it is also standing on two legs and is barely smaller than an average rabbit. It must be a wonderbeast.


    The giant wonderbeast gets back up and lets out a scream, and then a horde of bugs appears beside it. ¡°What the hell are all those!¡±


    The beast and its bugs come directly at us and the rabbit wonderbeast. But then all the sand around us starts to spin and a sand tornado appears from it, but instead of towering over us it moves around us then I see the rabbit jump up and as it does the tornado follows it.


    Then in mid-air, the rabbit wonderbeast lets out a punch which causes the tornado to hit the giant wonderbeast and all of its bugs. Every single one is blown away by the tornado.


    After the dust clears, I see all the bugs on the say busted open and I see the giant wonderbeast cough up blood. Walking up to one of the bugs bodies I notice that, ¡°Its outer shell is still in pretty good shape, but all of its innards are completely shredded.¡±


    Getting tackled from the side I see Cyrus on top of me with tears in his eyes, ¡°I-I-I-I-I am s-s-s-sorry Orb.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Anto is the one at fault.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would end up like that, it was a mistake!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t change the fact that it is still your fault Anto!¡±


    Behind us, I hear the giant wonderbeast let out a roar. ¡°Looks like it still has some life in it.¡±


    Getting up Cyrus walks towards the giant wonderbeast, as he does, I notice the bunny is covering its ears. Covering my ears I say, ¡°Oh no, is he going to!¡±


    Cyrus stops and then lets out an ear-shattering scream completely eclipsing the roar the giant wonderbeast just let out. When Cyrus finishes, I see the giant wonderbeast dive back into the sand moving away from us.


    ¡°Hey stupid wonderbeast, I need some water right now.¡±


    Turning around I see Atalanta kicking my new pet, ¡°Hey don¡¯t bully him.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I smell like shit due to those insects I need to be cleaned right now.¡±


    ¡°You have to give me some time to unfreeze the horns first.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up!!¡±


    As I activate my legacy to turn the ice into snow, I hear something coming towards me and dodge out of the way. Looking at what came flying I see Cyrus.


    ¡°What the hell,¡± I say turning around. On the sand behind me I see the rabbit wonderbeast inscribing with a stick the following: Give me payment or die!

 Arc 8.06

    Anto walking up to the rabbit says, ¡°Hey little bunny, threatening people isn¡¯t good, idiot!¡±


    Jumping up the rabbit kicks Anto in the face, which causes him to fall to the ground, then while he is on the ground the rabbit jumps up to him and with his stubby little arms, he punches Anto in the face repeatedly.


    Walking back to me with swollen cheeks, Anto cries, ¡°I hate rabbits!!¡±


    ¦µ While doing work on my desk I see the child Mime laughing hysterically while saying, ¡°Go rabbit, beat up my stupid brother!¡±


    Is Orb and everyone else, ok?


    Bursting into the door. Iancu says, ¡°DAD SAVE ME!¡±


    ¡°ITS TOO LATE IANCU, YOU PROMISED!¡±


    Looking at him I see him dressed in girl''s clothes with Elia right behind him. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to begin with this.¡±


    ¦µ The rabbit picking up the stick it used to write on the sand with, inscribes; YOU FIRST DRAGON!


    ¡°Cyrus, it seems he wants you. You should hurry up before it kills us all.¡±


    ¡°P-P-Please don¡¯t say that s-s-s-s-so casually.¡±


    Walking up to the rabbit, Cyrus bends down and asks, ¡°What did you wan-n-n-n-nt from me mis-s-s-s-ster rabbit?¡±


    Winding its stumpy fist, the rabbit decks Cyrus directly in the fact then it jumps on him and kicks him again and again. Then after it stops stomping on him, the rabbit makes a giant sand tornado under itself sending, Cyrus ridiculously high into the air.


    Then after a few seconds, the tornado dissipates which causes Cyrus to plummet to the ground. As the dust clears around them, I see that the rabbit has a rather relieved expression on its face, I guess that counts as payment.


    Walking over to Atalanta the rabbit points at her. ¡°Orb is it going to that to me next? I am not a dragon something like that will kill me!¡±


    Saluting her I say, ¡°Goodbye solder!¡±


    ¡°You bastard!!¡±


    Running over to Atalanta the rabbit jumps up, which causes Atalanta to enter a defensive stance.


    ¦µ ¡°Come you sick rabbit, I will take you down with me!¡±


    As it falls towards me in the air, I launch a pre-emptive strike but it dodges my blow, so I quickly try to put my arms up to shield my face. Waiting for a strike a feel something trying to get down below.


    Looking down, I see the rabbit trying to squeeze down my clothes, ¡°Don¡¯t go there little one!!¡± Falling to the ground I say, ¡°Why the hell are you so heavy?¡±


    As the rabbit is getting deeper in my clothes, I turn my face to Orb and scream, ¡°I NEED HELP!¡±


    Orb looks away from me while blocking Anto eyes. ¡°Take your time, we will just look over this way.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Orb don¡¯t cover his eyes I can¡¯t see anything this way!¡±


    ¡°Iancu keeping your promises is one of the most basic things a human can do.¡±


    ¡°But she tricked me!¡±


    ¡°I believe I told you to not sign contracts without reading them first, this is your own fault.¡±


    ¡°You heard dad Iancu, now it is time for some skincare, I need t clean up those pours!¡±


    Turning around, I shout, ¡°SHUT UP, YOUR GETTING IN THE WAY OF MY SHOW!¡±


    The air in the room turns stale as the girl Elia and the nightmare Avram give me cold looks. ¡°I don¡¯t know what house you grew up in.¡±


    ¡°But here we don¡¯t take such tones with our elders.¡±


    The both of them stand towering over me, so I say, ¡°I am sorry!¡±


    ¡°You will be.¡±


    ¡°Just wait.¡±


    ¦µ After Atalanta stops screaming, we turn around to see her laying on the sand with a disgusted look holding her chest while the rabbit walks towards us with a glossy face.


    Jumping up to me, he kicks Anto right out of my arms.


    Crawling away from him on the sand, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already beat me up.¡±


    Walking over to Anto he takes the crescent moon mask her wears from him and puts it on. ¡°Give that back, it is mine!¡±


    When Anto tries to take it back the rabbit kicks him in the face knocking him back into the sand. As Anto cries I walk over to him and say, ¡°I will make you a new one later, ok!¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I say, picking him up and rubbing his back.


    While I console Anto, the rabbit starts shaping something in the sand, then it points at it making an adorable noise. Looking at it, I see what I believe to be a poorly shaped six-winged dragon.


    ¡°Wow, that looks bad!¡±


    The rabbit nods its head in response to my words, then continues to point at it. Confused for a moment I ask, ¡°Do you want me to make one of those.¡±


    Ecstatically the rabbit nods its head up and down repeatedly. ¡°So be it.¡±


    Dropping Anto down on the sand, I use my legacy to create a mini sculpture of a dragon then convert my snow into ice solidifying it. Handing it to the bunny I say, ¡°Here you good.¡±


    Taking it from my hand the rabbit jumps ecstatically. Then it writes onto the sand with a stick the following; thank you brocon!


    Confused I say, ¡°I have no brothers. If I have any kind of complex it is a wolf complex. Because aren¡¯t they the most wonderous beats in the world!¡±


    While I rave about wolves the rabbit jumps up and kicks me in the stomach. On the floor, I hold my stomach saying, ¡°How strong are you?¡±


    Walking up to me, the rabbit gives me a head path and then jumps far away into the sky. Getting up I see my companions laying out on the sand both emotionally and physically damaged.


    Depressed, Cyrus says, ¡°I-I-I-I-I-It probably sensed I am pat-t-t-theic so it choose to bully me.¡±


    Holding her boobs with a face of shock, Atalanta says, ¡°A beast actually managed to best me, this can¡¯t be happening, who am I?¡±


    Shaking on the floor, Anto says, ¡°Humans are truly evil.¡±


    ¡°It was a rabbit that kicked your ass?¡±


    ¡°I am not talking about that, I am talking about what those two monsters are doing to Mime. That is completely inhumane.¡±


    Behind me I hear a weak roar, so I run over to my new pet and say, ¡°Hey boy are you doing alright?¡±


    My pet gives me a weak roar, but with a happy face, ¡°Good it seems your doing ok, but now let''s get you some food.¡±


    Running around I pick up the corpses of the dead wonderbeasts around. Seeing everyone still sulking on the ground I scream, ¡°STOP BEING BABIES AND HELP ME!¡±


    After gathering enough corpses I place them around my pet, and then create a large ice barrier all around it. ¡°Eat up and heal, I will be back for you.¡±


    Facing everyone I say, ¡°Now let us continue our journey.¡±


    As Orb and everyone else start walking away, a lone wonderbeast that¡¯s almost identical to an eagle stalks them from afar.


    -Break-


    Location: The City of Jedidiah


    ¦µ ¡°Nothing beats alcohol for breakfast,¡± I say just before I take a sip out of my mug.


    The heat is ridiculous just like always, My throat dries up immediately just like always and the sand in front of me is the same as always. ¡°When did life get so fucking stale?¡±


    ¡°Well maybe if you actually did your work, you would enjoy yourself, old man!¡±


    ¡°I am 32, not an old man you stupid soldiers. If you can¡¯t even understand that I doubt you could understand my boredom¡±


    ¡°If you want to explore the desert and have fun you can, but I hope you enjoy dealing with all the vicious beasts out there, those things will make you shit your pants just like it did with Omar over there.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you were shaking in your boots too Abdul!¡±


    ¡°Because I thought I would have to carry your shit-covered body back home.¡±


    ¡°Say that again!¡±


    ¡°For a bunch of soldiers you sound pathetic, you do release that it is your job to fight those beasts? With people like you here I wonder if it is actually safe in Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°You talk as if you could do half the work, we do old man.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you are breaking the rules by being out this far we could forcefully drag you in.¡±


    The two young men beside me are almost on the verge of attacking me, so I laugh and say, ¡°I doubt you guys could do that, but if you weaklings want to try go ahead.¡±


    As the two are about to strike me, the third one behind them stops them and says, ¡°Hold up you two, if you actually harmed a civilian our merciful king would strip you both of your ranks and punish you as if you spat in the face of his wife.¡±


    ¡°But Hamza, he started it.¡±


    ¡°Looks like one of you can actually rationalize things. Being logical will keep you alive boys.¡±


    Hamza says, ¡°Ahh rationalization, a rather funny word.¡±


    ¡°Come again,¡± I say annoyed.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to flair your anger, but your attitude reminds me of something our kind said. That people who constantly talk about rationality and logic are the most emotional of us all.


    Logic and rational become a tool used by those people to try and mask some kind of emotional agenda. For example, if you were being logical, you would have played around with us and try to get us to leave as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for your nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Abdul phased his words badly but his words were out of genuine concern due to the dangers out in the sand, instead of using all that logic and rationale to infer that you instead picked a fight and used Abdul as tools to vent your anger.


    Are you upset about something else in your life? Maybe your personal failures? Your lost goals? Your daughte-.¡±


    Irritated, I punch Hamza in the face before he finished his sentence.


    Wiping the blood off his cheek, Hamza says, ¡°Looks like I was spot on.¡±


    ¡°Picking fights with those stronger than you was a bad idea, Hamza.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry unlike you I was being logical, now I can freely break your legs.¡±


    ¡°Just try!¡± I say preparing to punch Hamza. But as I approach to my right, I see Omar disappear and see a boy with white hair, then suddenly I feel my head turn and my consciousness fades.


    ¦µ After knocking out the older man, in the same movement I knock out the two younger men. I drag all of them, men, to a spot which isn¡¯t easily seen.


    A little while after that, everyone else approaches me. ¡°Mission complete. Now let¡¯s change.¡±


    Creating an ice blockade for Atalanta all of us change into the clothes the men were wearing. ¡°These clothes cover our bodies quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Orb, what should we do with these guys?¡±


    ¡°Anto invert their thought process, so the last thing they will care about is getting out.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°Now for our search, I believe we should split up, me and Anto have great mobility so we should be able to get around quicker on our own.¡±


    ¡°Then that leaves Cyrus with me.¡±


    ¡°P-P-Pleasure to be w-w-w-working with you.¡±


    ¡°I am finished.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we are all ready, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Name: Anathematized Panther


    Height: 110 cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A wonderbeast which looks almost Identical to a panther with only a few differences. It has golden patterns which lay upon its black skin, and it¡¯s tail is that of a golden blade which it can stretch to cut up anything in sight.


    Fact: Due to its patterns blending into the sand around it the panther is able to burry itself in an act as an ambushed hunter. It is often confused for a wonderbeast but it isn¡¯t.


    Name: Anathematized Jackal


    Height: 99cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A wonderbeast which looks almost identical to a Jackal with only a few differences. It has golden claws and a golden horn which enables it to shoot lighting.


    Fact: They are pack hunters who will almost never be seen alone. They are ranked number 2 in animals who can hold a grudge. It is often confused for a wonderbeast but isn¡¯t.

 Arc 8.07

    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking around Jedidah slightly ahead of Cyrus, I say, ¡°A horrible country composed entirely of slaves, this place doesn¡¯t really fit that description. Everyone here seems to be rather jolly and hard at work, smiles all around, and if I was to compare this place to Skydust everyone is barely working, isn¡¯t that right Cyrus!¡±


    Hearing no response, I turn to Cyrus and say, ¡°Have anything to add to the conversation!¡±


    Looking at him, I see Cyrus is freaking out. ¡°I c-c-c-c-c-c-c-can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this.¡±


    This is bad, he is causing a scene. Grabbing him by the ear I lead Cyrus into a back alley, ¡°Cyrus what is going on with you, don¡¯t you know this is an undercover mission!¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-S-Sorry, let us go home!¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with you, we are finally here, don¡¯t you want to meet your sister.¡±


    Cyrus keeps stuttering and falling over his words as he tries to speak. Reaching my mental limit, I step back and then I punch him in the stomach and shout, ¡°CALM DOWN!¡±


    Stepping out of the alleyway I bow my head to the passer-by¡¯s and say, ¡°Nothing is going on over here, just continue your business.¡±


    Walking back in I grab Cyrus by the collar and say with a half-smile, ¡°Sorry about that I just got annoyed, but trust no matter what the reason is I won¡¯t judge you, so please just spit it out.¡±


    Staring at me, Cyrus says, ¡°You still look angry.¡±


    ¡°HURRY THE HELL UP!¡±


    Cowering Cyrus says, ¡°I-I-I-I-I am s-s-s-sorry. It is just that I am scared to see my sister.¡±


    Confused I calm down and ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I wa-a-a-anted to show my sister ho-o-o-ow I have grown, but to be hon-n-n-nest I haven¡¯t. I-I-I-I-If I was to meet my sister like this I would be ashamed. I have a-a-a-always relied on my sister for everything, so I at least wanted to grow a bit before I see her again.¡±


    Sighing, I kick Cyrus in the balls and then I let out a scream of pain. ¡°What the fuck, why are they so strong, my foot hurts like hell.¡±


    Looking at his crotch I say, ¡°You know now I am a bit curious, but that can wait for later. Cyrus take it from me that if I had someone to rely on me like you rely on your sister I wouldn¡¯t have ever had a bad day.¡±


    ¡°But-t-t I still want to be able to help her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we are here, your sister might be in a dire situation and the only person who would possibly care is you. So, I bet if you come in as a knight in shining armour your sister would be thrilled.¡±


    Hitting him on the back I say, ¡°So straighten up, tighten your butt cheeks and march Cyrus.¡± Pushing him from the back, I say, ¡°Let''s GO!¡±


    ¦µ Stretching my hand out of the opening in the walls, I let my Omega eagle land on my arm.


    The omega eagle is a wonderbeast that can record and play anything it seems.


    ¡°Now what did you observe in the desert today?"


    Looking through the eagle''s memories, I notice something, so I shout, ¡°GUARDS COME IMMEDIATELY!¡±


    ¡°Vizier Adi, what do you need of us.¡±


    ¡°I need you to inform our king that intruders have arrived in Jedidiah, waste no time.¡±


    The two guards in front of me look at each other weirdly. ¡°Was there some issue with my instructions?¡±


    ¡°You see, his majesty is missing.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°He woke up earlier today and went for a walk, he has been missing for about 9 hours now.¡±


    Enraged I say, ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to inform me!!¡±


    ¡°We knew if you found out you would burst a blood vessel.¡±


    Grabbing both of them by their heads, I say, ¡°GET HIM BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!¡±


    ¡°We on it!¡±


    ¦µ Jumping from building to building I take note of a few things. First is the gorgeous architecture all around, the city is completely stunning. Second is the happiness of all the people walking around, from what Ai told me I thought it would be much more of a dictatorship but nothing of the sort is happening. And the oddest part is how orderly everyone is, despite being incredibly packed in the streets not a single person is getting in the way of anyone else, I don¡¯t even think ants are this well coordinated.


    As I continue to jump from around the rooftops Anto on my shoulders says, ¡°Orb I am hungry!¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°I will find you something later.¡±


    Throwing a tantrum, Anto says, ¡°NO, I WANT SOMETHING NOW!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby, Anto.¡± While trying to calm down Anto I mess up my footings and fall into an alleyway in Jedidiah.


    Recovering from the fall, I say to Anto, ¡°This is what happens when you don¡¯t behave!¡±


    ¡°This is what happens when you don¡¯t feed me!¡±


    ¡°Right now, feeding you is at the bottom of my list of things to do.¡±


    ¡°The bottom of your list. Then all I got to do is change how you think!¡±


    Using his legacy Anto tries to strike my head, but I grab his hand and say, ¡°What the hell are you trying to do!¡±


    ¡°I want to eat now!!!¡±


    This little brat. With my ears, I start to hear a grunting sound, so I look around me and under me, I see a man, crap we fell on him! Slamming Anto into a wall I say, ¡°Behave!¡±


    Then I immediately make to check on the man I just saw, ¡°Are you ok!¡± The man is just skin and bones he looks completely raggedy. ¡°We need to get him food now!¡±


    Name: Omega Eagle


    Height: 78cm


    Type: Carnivore, Wonderbeast


    Description: An eagle wonderbeast with green and gold feathers. The eagle has extraordinarily hard feathers on its head which form a golden crown, and transfixed to it is a third eye which it uses to project it memories for all to see.


    Fact: They project their stored memories as a way to confuse their prey, and then in that moment they strike on their necks killing them. They live for entertainment and thrills.


    Name: Anathematized Paranant


    Height: 0.1M


    Type: Obligatory hematophagous(Bloodsuckers)


    Description: They are small bugs with golden spherical-shaped bodies, with six short legs attached to the bodies which they can drink blood from. On the front of their body lies one eye which they can conjure lightning from.


    Fact: They are pack hunters who will always act as a collective. They get their name from the researcher who found them Paran, so they are called the Paran-ants.


    Name: Tahajalmud


    Height: 290m


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A Large quadrupedal wonderbeast, it has a golden armoured shell and a long thorny tail. Beneath its armour, it has two wings that are very similar to those of bugs. It is capable of rolling into a wheel shape to run over all its targets, then it uses its thorny tails to pick chunks of them off its armour


    Fact: They have races with the rest of their pack when they are alone, and in those races, the older ones tend to let the younger ones win.


    Side story


    ¦µ Walking into the man¡¯s shop with Suzuka and Cyrus behind me I say in a polite voice, ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    ¡°I finished up just a few minutes ago, do you want to take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    As the man walks to the backside of his shop, I see Suzuka beside me start to fidget. Grabbing her by the waist I start to tickle her and say, ¡°What¡¯s with all the fidgeting.¡±


    Laughing Suzuka says, ¡°Stop Orb!¡±


    ¡°When you cough up the secrets.¡±


    ¡°I SAID STOP,¡± she says swiping her tails back at me. Dodging away I see she has a red face filled with anger.


    As she approaches me with hostile intentions, I hid behind Cyrus saying, ¡°Oh no, I am about to get broken in two.¡±


    ¡° I am going to tickle you to death.¡±


    As she tries to catch I move around using Cyrus as a wedge between us so she can''t grab me. ¡°What I did wasn¡¯t that bad, so why don¡¯t you just stop this and answer my question.¡±


    ¡°When I get my revenge. Cyrus grab him!¡±


    ¡°Yes madam!¡± Cyrus says as he grabs me.


    ¡°When did you start taking orders from Suzuka?¡±


    ¡°We had lots of time to bond while you were out doing whatever you wanted. Now it¡¯s time for revenge.¡±


    Taking off my shoes Suzuka starts to relentlessly tickle my feet over and over again, ¡°PLEASE STOP I AM GOING TO DIE!!!¡±


    After a little while of tickling Suzuka eventually lets me go and says, ¡°That felt good.¡±


    Laying on the floor a shell of my former self, I say, ¡°Please answer my question.¡±


    Fidgeting even more Suzuka says, ¡°Well it is just that I am nervous about my present, I don¡¯t get many, so I didn¡¯t know how to feel.¡±


    Getting up I give her a hug from behind and say, ¡°Stop being a baby.¡± Then I supplex her into the ground.


    Holding her head on the floor, Suzuka gives me a death stare and says, ¡°Your right arm is all you¡¯re going to have left.¡±


    ¡°Friends give each other gifts, so don¡¯t be a baby about this from now on this is your new normal, so get used to it, and remember my birthday is in Capricorn don¡¯t forget.¡±


    With a kind smile, Suzuka says, ¡°Thank you Orb.¡±


    Walking back into the room, the man says, ¡°Here you go!¡±


    The man places two weapons on the table. First is a bow like I asked for, and the second one is Suzuka¡¯s weapon; it is like a gauntlet with three pieces sharp pieces of finger armour.


    ¡°I heard the little girl was a martial artist, so I believe this is the best way for her to wield a weapon. Sorry, I was only able to make it for one hand since the bow took up most of the metal you guys had, but I can guarantee it is the best work I have ever made.¡±


    Putting it on her hand, Suzuka says with an ecstatic smile, ¡°Thank you so much, mister!! But what is really special about this stuff?¡±


    ¡°You see, spirit energy doesn¡¯t flow through all materials equally. It conducts through organic things very well like the human body and wood, but when it comes to inorganic things like metal it doesn¡¯t conduct well. So, you see when it comes to weapons there is a trade-off, but this doesn¡¯t exist with spirit metal. Spirit metal conducts spirit energy better than most organic materials and is harder than most metals, and due to all this you can do crazy things like weave arrows of spirit energy using it.¡±


    ¡°So, this stuff is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, you should be taking god that you get to wield such a thing.¡±


    Looking at her weapon with a demonic smile, I hear her say, ¡°I wonder how much more fun fighting will be!¡±


    Pretending I didn¡¯t see her, I say, ¡°Well, I will take this one then.¡± When I try to pick up the bow, I can¡¯t even budge it.


    ¡°Young man if you want to move that you need to use spirit energy.¡±


    Snickers at me Suzuka says, ¡°Orb can¡¯t use that.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t nice to laugh at other people. Cyrus, could you help me with this?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    With great vigour, Cyrus picks up the bow and mumbles, ¡°I¡¯m helping.¡±


    Looking at the bow I see it has a strange symbol(¦¸) on it, so I ask, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°That symbol was etched into both of the robots. I tried to remove it but it wouldn¡¯t come off even after I melted the metal down.¡±


    ¡°I guess we can¡¯t do anything about it then.¡± Bowing to the man I say, ¡°That will be all from us, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, I never thought I would get the chance to thinker with spirit metal, so the fact I got to do this in such dire times is a god-sent.¡±


    With a smile, I ask, ¡°May I have your name?¡±


    ¡°Chiron Gazer.¡±


    ¡°Then from this moment on this bow will carry the name Chiron.¡±


    With a smile, the man says, ¡°What a great name!¡±


    Walking out of the store we all say our goodbyes, and when we leave, we are met by Avram, ¡°Orb it looks like they are done with the ship.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go check it out.¡±

 Arc 8.08

    Picking the man up, I start to freak out, ¡°Crap I need money if I am going to feed him. Maybe he has some on him?¡±


    Checking his body, I see the man has a bag of coins on him, ¡°This should be good enough.¡± Picking up Anto as well, I run into the streets looking for food vendors, seeing one I run over to it at full speed. Dropping the bag of coins in front of the vendor I say, ¡°Give me as much as this can buy, throw in some water as well.¡±


    Frightened, the woman says, ¡°Ok!¡± After that, she hands me heaps of food.


    Sitting down with the man I feed him, as much as he can handle.


    Munching away beside me, Anto says, ¡°This is delicious!¡±


    That brat has forgotten all the trouble he just caused me; I will have to make up some punishment for him later.


    After a little while the man who looked shrivelled up has now returned to looking like a normal human being. He looks to be around the same age as Cyrus, his skin is like Iancu¡¯s just a lot lighter, his hair is gold with some black in it, and he has piercings throughout his left ear.


    Poking at his face I say, ¡°You''re just as beautiful as Cyrus.¡±


    Wait a second, two hair colours! Immediately I open his closed eyes and see that his eye colour is crimson, he also has heavy bags under both of them. Sighing I say, ¡°Looks like I am not cursed.¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    Looking down at the head of the man on my lap, I see he is awake. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Surprised the man says, ¡°You¡¯re no fun, I thought you would get shocked and freak out.¡±


    ¡°I was waiting for you to get up, idiot.¡±


    Sitting up beside me the man says, ¡°You must have saved me, thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem, but sorry I had to spend your money to get food.¡±


    ¡°No problem, there is no better use of money than keeping yourself alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good but I have a question; from the amount of food we were able to get with your money I would say you are quite affluent, so how did you end up in this shape?¡±


    ¡°Well you see, this morning I woke up to go for a walk, and then I quickly collapsed from exhaustion. You see the last time I slept was, during the Rasartine war I believe.¡±


    ¡°Your jokes aren¡¯t funny, that happened five years ago.¡± Getting up I say, ¡°Well since you are doing well I will head off, take care and make sure this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Picking up Anto I walk away, but behind me, the man says, ¡°Let''s just hope I don¡¯t end up like the orphans of ciel z¨¦ro.¡±


    Stopping in my tracks, I say, ¡°Did you say ciel z¨¦ro?¡± Turning around I grab the man¡¯s hand I say, ¡°You mean the orphans who were graciously blessed with Lady Fl¨¦au glorious presence, from the masterpiece book Eternity of Hope?¡±


    With his face lighting up he says, ¡°Who else would I be talking about except our gorgeous queen.¡±


    ¦µ Holding hands Orb and the man beside him start to freak out, so I ask, ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°We are only talking about the main character of the greatest book put into fiction, Lady Fl¨¦au from Eternity of Hope!¡±


    ¡°She is the greatest woman to ever exist!¡±


    Turning to me, Orb says, ¡°Eternity of hope stars the daughter of the most affluent Duke in the kingdom of Marxxs. It is the story of how she uses her brains and beauty to get all the things she wants.¡±


    ¡°Which she rightfully deserves!¡±


    Confused, I ask, ¡°What is so great about this lady?¡±


    ¡°There are too many things to name, but a good start would be when her father wanted to spend money on orphans instead of her. She used her smarts to start a mini-war in the area and all of those stupid orphans died, and when her father confronted her about it, she just put on her most innocent smile and was able to cleverly dodge all blame.¡±


    The man beside Orb says, ¡°There was also the time when the man she most recently wanted to have got engaged. So, she drugged his fianc¨¦ during a ball and completely ruined her social standing, so their families could no longer get married.¡±


    ¡°You really know your stuff.¡±


    ¡°So, do you, I never thought I would meet someone with such clarity.¡±


    ¡°Me too, I use to read the book all the time when Capti was busy.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I used to spend all my time reading about the story of our perfect protagonist. Our villainess really is the greatest, her fake smile, her ruthless actions, her stockings, and her hungry eyes.¡±


    ¡°Such a creature deserves everything in the world, and she would have got it if only that bitch didn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Suddenly the air around the both of them changes as, Orb says, ¡°She was so close to manipulating the crown prince to become her husband, but then that mistake of existence, the false protagonist Angelica had to appear.¡±


    ¡°Using her stupid genuine smile and her demonic pure innocence, she convinced all the men in the story including the crown prince to turn against our goddess, and it ended up with Lady Fl¨¦au execution.¡±


    ¡°Then that devil had the gall to not only cry at Fl¨¦au execution but to put off her marriage to the prince right after. Fl¨¦au worked hard to get to where she is, and that idiot who couldn¡¯t even count to a million just lucked out and got what Lady Fl¨¦au always wanted. I swear, I will never forgive her.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Fl¨¦au sound like the villain?¡±


    ¡°You lack clarity Anto. The author might say she is the antagonist, but all true readers know she is the protagonist.¡±


    Grabbing Orb''s shoulder the man beside him cries and says, ¡°I never thought I would ever meet another human being with such insight, to think you would understand the truth of the story.¡±


    Turning and giving him a hug Orb says, ¡°You must be my long-lost brother.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same way!¡±


    Am I the weird one?


    ¦µ As I continue to chat to my new brother about my goddess I see a little girl, younger than Anto run into his leg.


    Looking down, he says, ¡°Raqiue, what''s wrong with you?¡±


    With tears in her eyes, she says, ¡°Papa went out for his hourly drink, but he hasn¡¯t come back yet I am worried.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Yamal usually drink at the edge of the city?¡±


    Hearing this I freeze up, wasn¡¯t the man I stole clothes from at the city''s edge?


    Looking at me, the little girl says, ¡°Your clothes look familiar, have we met before?¡±


    With a deadpan face, I say, ¡°There is no chance we have ever met.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°It is probably just a consequence Raqiue. But anyway, I have a good idea where he may be, so I will go look for him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    As I let out a sigh of relief, I start to think about my next few steps. Now that their looking for the people we robbed we have to hurry up before we are found out.


    Suddenly I am picked up and placed on the shoulder of my brother, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°No way am I going to part with my blood brother already.¡±


    This is bad, I need to get back to work and far away from all of this. Jumping on my shoulders, Anto says, ¡°Giddy up my precious steed!¡±


    Anto, have you forgotten what we are here for! Looking down I say, ¡°Are you sure about this, I think me and Anto here will just be dead weight.¡±


    Tilting his head up at me the man says, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this remind you of when Lady Fl¨¦au was executed? Not, a single person rushed to her side when she needed it most. When I read that all I could do was cry and promise to always head to the side of the innocent, don¡¯t you feel the same?¡±


    With tears trickling down my face I say, ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°Now then let''s head off.¡± With me on his shoulder and with Anto on mine we run off at full speed.


    Moving through the crowd of people I notice how quick this man is and more astonishingly how precise his movements are, even with me and Anto on top of him his balance hasn¡¯t slipped even a little bit and he is easily making his way through the crowd.


    As we keep running the man says, ¡°Over there is our oldest library alongside Cordum it is probably the oldest library in history.¡±


    ¡°And to our left are the grand churches which have stood for thousands of years.¡±


    Suddenly stopping I look down and ask, ¡°Is something the problem?¡±


    ¡°It seems the rabbits have come to town.¡±


    In front of me, I see a huge wave of rabbits jumping through the town and they all short of look similar to the one which saved us, except they lack the purple tattoos it had and have two horns on their heads.


    As they hop around, I see them take objects from people, but the people in question look rather happy and some of them are even wishing thanks. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Those are the wonderbeast Almiraj, from the draconic continent. A long time ago one of them took refuge hear and started to procreate, so its children all come through every now and then.¡±


    As the rabbits take stuff from us, he says, ¡°The rabbits protect us from the other animals and wonderbeasts attacking us and in return, they take some of our objects, an equivalent exchange.¡±


    ¡°What do they even do with them?¡±


    ¡°Apparently they built this shrine in the desert and they pray to it all the time.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want my stuff used in whatever satanic ritual they are cooking up!¡±


    Jumping towards us one of the rabbits knocks Anto off of me and then starts to take his food.


    ¡°That¡¯s mine!¡± Anto says as he tries to take it back.


    But then the rabbit kicks him in the stomach launching him far away, then it hops off with his food.


    Running over to Anto, my brother says, ¡°Are you ok!¡±


    With tears and snot running down his face Anto says, ¡°They stole my stuff again!¡±


    Getting off the man¡¯s shoulders I pick Anto up, comforting him I say, ¡°It will be all right, there is no way you will be robbed by a rabbit a third time.¡±


    ¡°If you''re still hungry Anto I know a place with some delicious food close by.¡±


    With all his sadness fading Anto says, ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°All you have to do is follow me.¡±


    After a little bit of walking, we eventually end up at where my brother told us about. ¡°Here you go Anto.¡±


    Looking at what he gave Anto with wonder I say, ¡°What is this!¡±


    ¡°It is a special fried dish made from the wonderbeast Tahajalmud. The golden shell grinded up is used to add a special flavour to the rice, while the Tahajalmud meat is cooked in a particular way to bring out all its flavour.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t wonderbeasts really toxic!¡±


    ¡°Usually, but if you have a chef skilled enough to cook them properly it isn¡¯t an issue at all. Nasir family over here has been cooking wonderbeasts so long that if they were a country they would be older than all the others on Terrafide.¡±


    Nasir says, ¡°My family has perfected countless dishes using Wonderbeasts and other animals. Here is some Jackal jerky.¡±


    Taking the jerky, I bite into it then I feel flavour fill my mouth, ¡°What the hell is this it is so tasty. But it is also short of spicy, that can¡¯t be I am not feeling any pain.¡±


    ¡°That is a special meat made from the Anathematized Jackal horn.¡±


    ¡°The lighting wonderbeast?¡±


    ¡°The lighting produced from the horn activates your taste receptors making you able to taste all the flavours of the food more, and it can even invoke the feeling of spiciness on your tongue without causing pain.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°On that note, the Jackal isn¡¯t actually a wonderbeast.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, but it shoots lighting?¡±


    ¡°The animals around here are slightly cursed, so they can do weird stuff such as that.¡±


    ¡°Wait, should I be eating something with a curse on it?¡±


    ¡°It will be alright, just eat up.¡±


    Taking another bite out of the jerky, I scream, ¡°DELICIOUS!¡±

 Arc 8.09

    Recoiling from the flavour overload, I say ¡°This is the best.¡± Looking over at the man who gave this to me, I see he is talking to someone, so I say, ¡°Is anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just checking up with him.¡±


    Anto rubbing his full belly says, ¡°Orb I am full, now let¡¯s go play.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste, we need to find the missing man.¡± The faster we get this little hunt over with the better.


    ¡°You say that but you have been messing around too.¡±


    ¡°Only because you kept complaining.¡±


    ¡°I never did such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did!¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    As me and Anto continue to argue my brother grabs me and puts me on his shoulders saying, ¡°Yamal likes to mess around during the day, I am sure he will be in all the fun locations around the city. So, the best way to find him is to hit up all those spots.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an excuse to mess around.¡±


    Snickering the man says, ¡°Why can¡¯t it be both!¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Let me down and lead the way.¡±


    Dropping me off his shoulder he takes us, into a large building.


    ¡°The beast exhibit. A collection of all the beasts recorded to live in Jedidiah. Over there is an Anathematized Camel, and to your right is the Karkadann. Both of these produce water from their bodies making them keystone species in Jedidiah.¡±


    Walking around, I see recreations of wonderbeasts from around Jedidiah, but beside them, I also see small sculptures beside them. ¡°What are these small versions for?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the citizens of Jedidah are allowed to create their own mini sculptures of the beasts as a way of showing their appreciation of the originals. It allows the museum to become more of a personal event to everyone, especially since most of the citizens currently in Jedidiah are not from here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see most of the people here were originally slaves who were bought. You see the king here has a habit of buying abused slaves and liberty them here in Jedidiah, due to that fact there are quite a bit of different cultures here.¡±


    I see that explains why Ahmed Abrahams is the biggest slave buyer on Terrafide, he is actually buying them for liberation. Since Jedidiah is closed off for the most part from outsiders most people wouldn¡¯t know about this, which explains Ai''s description of this place.


    Looking around, I see the big centipede towering through the sky. Seeing it causes me to have a look of amazement, ¡°It really is giant.¡±


    ¡°Has that one caught your eye.¡±


    ¡°Sort of I was just amazed that a wonderbeast this big exists.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is rare seeing a behemoth.¡±


    ¡°A behemoth?¡±


    ¡°Any wonderbeast over 60m gets that qualification. They are extraordinarily rare and are as powerful as they are rare. That one is the behemoth of Jedidiah; Sirabalma.¡±


    Hearing a noise, I see Anto kicking the rabbit sculptures saying, ¡°Die evil rabbits!¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that brat doing!¡± Running over to him, I grab Anto then I headbutt him, which calms him down.


    Walking back, I say, ¡°Sorry about this stupid idiot. He actually damaged your wonderful exhibit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, but I can definitely say if you liked this you will definitely like what I have to show you!¡±


    Leading us for a little bit we are eventually brought to an area that looks incredibly different than the rest of Jedidiah. ¡°What is this place?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still trying to come up with a creative name but for now I guess I would call it the cultural zone. Here we let people set up different areas pertaining to their cultures, so they can celebrate and share it with all the others.¡±


    As I walk around in amazement, my brother says, ¡°Of course everything here is funded by our gracious king. Fear is often caused by differences and the best way around that is to make sure everyone can freely understand people''s differences.¡±


    Walking around this area, I am completely raptured by the sites I see around me, there are a ridiculous amount of areas with each one being completely different from the rest.


    ¡°Amazing isn¡¯t enough to describe this place.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go look around!¡±


    Running around we talk to all the people and go through each area one by one. Anto has so much fun that he didn¡¯t complain even a single time. We got so lost in our enjoyment that we didn¡¯t notice the day pass us.


    Sitting down covered with trinkets and food, with pleasure, I devour the food left in front of me, but as I eat, I suddenly come to a realization and say, ¡°What am I doing!¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I was supposed to be looking for Cyrus¡¯s sister, but I have been completely derailed it is already night and I have barely done anything. Standing up I say, ¡°I need to get back to work immediately.¡±


    Walking over to a sleeping Anto, I see that his stomach has expanded to the point where he looks like a ball. Looking at his satisfied face I start to get annoyed, picking him up I shake him and say, ¡°Get up you little brat, it is your fault we are so behind anyways.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, are you ready for the grand event.¡±


    Turning around, I say to my brother, ¡°Sorry, but I have some business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about Orb, it is time for the daily performance. All of the citizens will be going as usual!¡±


    Dammit, I forgot I need to act as though I am from here. Letting out a little laugh I say, ¡°Haha I was joking.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go.¡±


    Following him with Anto in my arms we walk out to the edge of the city, luckily it was the opposite edge than the one we arrived on, so we don¡¯t have to worry about anyone finding our captives.


    Looking around I see that a huge amount of people have gathered, but in the distance I see the rabbits are also sitting away from us. What is going on?


    ¡°It should be getting started right about now.¡±


    Suddenly all the sand in the distance starts to move around and shape itself, and then in mere moments, the sand shapes itself into rather fancy-looking people. They all have rather fancy clothes.


    From a platform to the right, a gorgeous woman says with a soothing voice, ¡°Our story today is Alibaba and the 50 thieves.¡±


    My brother beside me says, ¡°During the night time the sand comes alive and plays out stories for us all to watch, so now let¡¯s enjoy.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting down on a bench, Atalanta says, ¡°I am sick of all this walking, my legs are literally about to fall off.¡±


    ¡°Then I will ca-a-a-a-arry you,¡± I say turning around and kneeling down.


    Hitting me on the head, Atalanta says, ¡°First, you must always princess-carry girls. Second, it was just an expression. And third, my hand hurts like hell.¡±


    As she blows on her hand, she says, ¡°But in all seriousness, we have been moving around all day and we still haven¡¯t caught a whiff of your sister.¡±


    Clenching my fist I say, ¡°Maybe she isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¦µ ¡°To be honest I would much rather she be here, considering how happy all the citizens are. Really Ai was completely off the mark about this place, it is so relaxing and fun that it is taking all my willpower to stay on mission.¡±


    Hearing a loud trumpet go off I jump off the bench and look in front of me, where I see a group of men all in armour, except for the man leading in front of them who happens to be a good bit shorter than them.


    The man in front says, ¡°The sandstorm stops at my command, the rains clouds vanish at my presence and women kneel at my existence, I am the Easifatan the great!!!¡±


    Plugging my ears, I say, ¡°Hey you shorty, the one who reeks of insecurities, could you quiet the hell down.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me short!¡±


    ¡°Looks like I was right on target.¡±


    As tears start to fill his eyes, one of the guards behind him says, ¡°We can ruff them up a bit when we capture them.¡±


    ¡°Your right, you hear that you two.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, say it louder I can¡¯t hear you from all the way down there.¡±


    ¡°A-A-A-Atalanta stop being mean.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Pulling two daggers from his waist he says, ¡°As the head guard of Jedidiah I declare you two intruders are under arrest.¡±


    Seeing sparks forming on the daggers, I kick Cyrus out of the way and then dodge myself. Then out of his daggers, lightning emerges and strike the bench I was on.


    Those daggers look like the jackal''s horns, did they forge weapons out of them?


    ¡°Surround them!!¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, we need to run!¡±


    Running towards me Cyrus picks me up and princess carries me away.


    Behind us, I hear, ¡°Chase after them!!¡±


    While in Cyrus''s arms I say, ¡°They found us out sooner than expected. We need to go find Orb and formulate a new plan with them, but for now Cyrus I need you to lose these guys.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it is hard for me to move around with all these people around.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t go through just go over..¡±


    Understanding my intent Cyrus jumps up high into the sky, for a second I am completely flabbergasted by how high he jumped but I quickly recomposed myself then I shot arrows at our pursuers.


    All my shots except the ones aimed at the head guard hit.


    With an annoying laugh, the head guard says, ¡°You will have to try harder than that to best me.¡±


    He has good reflexes, and his use of spirit arts isn¡¯t half bad, I guess he isn¡¯t all talk. As he points his dagger at us, I tell Cyrus, ¡°Watch out!¡±


    But looking at his face I see he has a completely bewildered expression. ¡°CYRUS!¡± I shout snapping him back into reality.


    As the lightning comes towards us Cyrus uses his body as a shield and protects me from it. As we fall to the ground Cyrus uses his body to cover mine, and when we land, I manage to break my fall on him.


    ¡°HAHAHA, is that all you got?¡±


    Annoyed I stand up and say, ¡°I am going to kill him slowly. Cyrus, are you ok?¡±


    On the floor, Cyrus says, ¡°I saw a woman with a tail.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean.¡±


    With a smile on his face, Cyrus says, ¡°It must be my sister.¡±


    Jumping over to the rooftop we landed on, the head guard says, ¡°I have you two right where I want you!¡±


    Standing up Cyrus lets out a thunderous scream which knocks the head guard right out of the sky. Taking my hand Cyrus starts to run at full speed, he moves so fast that I doubt words could even reach him.


    ¦µ As I head towards my sister''s location, memories start to play endlessly in my mind.


    ¡°Cyrus remember you always need to be strong.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus remember to always treat women right.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus never take out your anger on someone weaker than you.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus of course I will always be there for you.¡±


    ¡°Remember you are no less a man just because you don¡¯t act like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am happy to be your sister, I have always been thankful that you were born.¡±


    Jumping on top of the building I saw, there I see her staring over a balcony, so I shout, ¡°PARIBANOU!¡±


    Turning around I see her face as she says, ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    Dropping Atalanta I run over towards my sister, and give her a hug. ¡°I finally found you!¡±


    ¡°It is good to see you, Cyrus.¡±


    Name: Almiraj


    Height: 50cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore.


    Description: A golden rabbit with two horns on its head. They have purple stripes throughout their bodies and normally stand on two legs. Due to living in the same environment as dragons, they have evolved to have an incredibly dense amount of muscle within their bodies to satiate the dragon''s appetite, but also due to this, they are incredibly strong.


    Fact: To be from the dragon continent they have also evolved to be able to survive for years without food.


    Name: Anathematized Camel


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: An animal almost exactly the same as a camel, except it has golden skin and instead of humps on its back it has three large cubes of water.


    Fact: Due to being one of the very few sources of water in Jedidiah it is a keystone species.


    Name: The behemoth of Jedidiah; Sirabalma


    Height: 65m


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A behemoth wonderbeast. It¡¯s appearance is very similar to that of a centipede. It has golden armour covering it, and out of that armour spikes can pop out to impale anything that gets too close. Its skin is capable of absorbing water and air even from deep within the sand and because of this is can stay burrowed under the ground for long period of time.


    Fact: Whenever a part of its body breaks off, from that dead flesh it can sprout flying insects that completely obey it.

 Arc 8.10

    ¡°Cyrus, you have grown up so much.¡±


    Hugging her tight, I say, ¡°Sister, sister, sister.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus,¡± says back to me.


    ¡°I missed you so, so much.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to always see you; I was so scared by myself.¡±


    ¡°I need you to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°I am so happy you¡¯re ok.¡±


    Suddenly feeling a thud on my back, I pull back and turn my head to see Atalanta, ¡°Cyrus you''re choking her!¡±


    Looking at my sister, I see she has almost been crushed to death, with her face looking blue. Shaking her I say, ¡°Sister, sister.¡±


    Using her bow, Atalanta whacks me across the head and says, ¡°Calm yourself you idiot, do you really think you¡¯re going to get anywhere being all ruff like that.¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-Sorry!¡±


    With her face returning to normal, my sister says, ¡°You really have gotten strong.¡±


    Hearing this I proceed to hug her again. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe.¡±


    From behind us, I hear, ¡°Let go of Lady Pari right now.¡±


    Turning around, I see the funny man has caught up to us.


    Standing up my sister says, ¡°Easifatan this is my brother Cyrus.¡± Then she reveals my tail.


    Suddenly his face lights up as he says, ¡°Of course, he was, because there is no way I would lose to a normal human man.¡±


    Snickering, Atalanta says, ¡°Is that the way you have chosen to preserve your fragile ego, how small of you.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about my height you pest.¡± Enraged he says, ¡°Sorry Pari, but I still need to arrest these two they are intruders.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee they are here for no bad reasons.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about the law anymore this is about my pride. I CAN¡¯T STOP UNTIL THESE TWO ARE FIFTY FEET UNDER!¡±


    As he finishes screaming my sister gives him a chop on the back of the head sending him right into the ground. ¡°Bad boy. Sorry about that you two, he can get a bit carried away with his power, so before that happens again let¡¯s go inform the king of your presence.¡±


    As my sister starts to walk away, she turns around and runs up to me, ¡°Sorry Cyrus, I forgot you need to hold my hand to walk.¡±


    ¡°I d-d-don¡¯t need to.¡±


    Grabbing my hand my sister says, ¡°Ehhhhh! But you used to have a panic attack every time I forgot. Then I had to say I love you Cyreepoo three times until you forgave me.¡±


    Holding her hands over her mouth, Atalanta tries to hide her laughter as she says, ¡°Aww, how adorable Cyreepoo.¡±


    Embarrassed my face turns bright red. Seeing this my sister says, ¡°Cyreepoo what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Orb save me!


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°And thus Alibaba married his son to Morgiana as a way to thank her for saving his life. The end.¡±


    As the woman finishes recounting the story the sand people who finished acting it out, collapse back into lumps of sand.


    The moment this happens people start to fill the area with applause which I can¡¯t help but to join in on. ¡°That was amazing, wasn¡¯t it brother.¡±


    Looking over at my brother, I see he is lumped over beside Anto completely asleep. Seeing this I poke at his face and say, ¡°Wake up.¡±


    Jumping up out of fright, he says, ¡°AHH! Is it over?¡±


    ¡°How did you even manage to sleep through the story.¡±


    ¡°Her voice is so soothing that I tend to fall asleep whenever I hear it. But Orb how did you enjoy it?¡±


    ¡°It was amazing, I never experienced anything like that before it was like I was living the story.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear. I am happy that an intruder like you was able to enjoy Jedidiah so much.¡±


    ¡°This place is amazing, how could I not.¡± Stopping for a moment I say, ¡°What did you just call me?¡±


    ¡°What you didn¡¯t like being called an intruder, you intruder.¡±


    Realizing his words, I try to take a step back and prepare to activate my legacy, but before I can do that my arm is grabbed and pulled close to him as he stands up.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Trying to break free I realize how strong his grip is. This strength is too irregular, ¡°You¡¯re using spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°Correct Orb, but just like everything else you realized too late. I happen to know the faces of every citizen of Jedidiah, and from the moment I saw you I knew you were an intruder. Earlier when you saw me talking to the guard, I was telling him that he should go and check the corners of the city for Yamal while I deal with you.¡±


    This is really bad, I need to break free and leave, but he has Anto right behind him, and if I was to try and create any ice I would injure the crowd leaving. ¡°You set me up by bringing me here.¡±


    Freeing my hand, he whacks me on the head and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything of the short.¡±


    As I hold my head, he says, ¡°The reason I brought you here is simple, I wanted you to get a true feel of this country I love so much, That''s about it.  So, I hope if you understand the greatness of this land, you won¡¯t do anything bad here.¡±


    Looking at him with a dumbfounded face, I say, ¡°That¡¯s incredibly irresponsible, your first response should have been to report me to the nearest guard, you don¡¯t know how dangerous I could be.¡±


    Laughing a little, he says, ¡°You are really berating me over not harming you, you must have a few screws loose. But nevertheless, I don¡¯t have to worry about such things.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Standing up, my brother says, ¡°Because I am the king, Ahmed Abrahams.¡±


    Hearing this I stare at him in shock. ¡°I know, I am pretty amazing right Orb.¡±


    With a face full of pity, I say, ¡°How lame!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean lame, my reveal was awesome!¡±


    ¡°Not that, the fact that you were complimenting yourself while we were hanging out. Like you really talked the king up but knowing the fact that you were just blatantly complimenting yourself sort of just makes you come off as lame.


    You were really just putting yourself up on a pedestal right with a giant smile on your face, my god have some shame.¡±


    Looking at Ahmed, I see he is fuming with anger but then he calms down and says, ¡°Well what about you, the entire time we were together I was treating you like a foreigner, I was introducing you to things you should already know as a citizen of Jedidiah, even with all those hints I threw you, you still didn¡¯t catch on. If I am lame, you¡¯re an idiot!¡±


    As his words dawn on me, I start to feel extremely embarrassed but to counter this I say, ¡°I was so drawn in by the sights of Jedidiah that I lost myself, but what about you? You were just blatantly stroking your ego.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I wasted my time, you pose absolutely no threat to my country considering how stupid you are.¡±


    ¡°I can break this country down if I wanted to!¡±


    In a dismissive tone, he says, ¡°Whatever you say Orb.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t test me.¡±


    Cleaning his ears, he says, ¡°Try it if you can.¡±


    ¡°Well, you just watch I am going to freeze this whole country!¡±


    ¡°TRY IT, IDIOT!¡±


    As a fist hits Ahmed on the back of the head, I hear someone say, ¡°STOP INVITING PROBLEMS!¡±


    Looking at who hit him, I see the woman who was reading the story to us.


    ¡°First you disappear for an entire day then when I find you, you¡¯re picking a fight with someone, I swear does your idiot brain even work!¡±


    ¡°Scheherazade, he started it.¡±


    Shoving an apple in his mouth, Scheherazade says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Looking at me she says, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he is an intruder I befriended.¡±


    Giving him a death stare, she says, ¡°So you¡¯re telling me, you have just been walking around with a dangerous stranger who you know nothing about, instead of doing any of your actual duties!¡±


    Seeing Ahmed sweating profusely he says, ¡°Isn¡¯t it my job as king to keep track of potentially dangerous things towards my citizens.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, so please tell me how you kept track of him today.¡±


    Raising my hand, I say, ¡°We goofed off and had fun throughout the whole day.¡±


    As the murderous aura around Scheherazade increases Ahemed turns his head to me and says, ¡°Orb this isn¡¯t a game, I could die!¡±


    Hearing his pleas, I start to laugh a little.


    With a smile, she says, ¡°So you were off playing today!¡±


    ¡°I might have had a little fun, but I swear to you that wasn¡¯t the point of what I was doing, please forgive me!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Now go to sleep.¡± She says crushing his head into the ground.


    Seeing this I ask, ¡°Is he ok?¡±


    ¡°He will be fine, despite how he looks he is very durable.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t he your king, should you really be treating him like a piece of cloth.¡±


    ¡°I happen to be the caretaker of this idiot, so it is my job to make sure he takes care of himself, but as you have seen he is always running himself ragged and the only way to get him to rest is through excessive force.¡±


    Picking him up she looks at me and says, ¡°Well let¡¯s go, I believe there are other intruders here, we should reunite you with them.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you sure you should be trusting us?¡±


    ¡°If you were a threat to Jedidiah Ahmed would have killed you on the spot, but since he didn¡¯t, I have decided to trust you. So, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Picking up Anto I begin to follow her as she moves.


    ¦µ Dragging me through the streets my sister says, ¡°You really grew up to be handsome Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°T-T-Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see you still stutter.¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, I was completely expecting you to be like this, in fact, I am completely amazed you talked properly even a little. I thought that was above your compacity as a creature!"


    Walking up beside my sister, Atalanta says, ¡°Are all dragons this naturally beautiful?¡±


    ¡°You humans sure are strange, me and Cyrus would be considered hideous by dragon standards.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true I think a beautiful dragon would probably scorch my eyes. But forgetting that, do you have any fun stories about Cyrus!¡±


    Quietly I say, ¡°P-P-P-Please don¡¯t.¡±


    Being cut off, my sister says ¡°Well where should I start? Oh, I have a rather funny one, for about the first seven years of Cyrus¡¯s life he taught I was his mom instead of his sister, so he called me mommy every day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, how adorable.¡±


    Hearing this my face turns bright red.  ¡°When he found out I wasn¡¯t he cried for five days straight.¡±


    As Atalanta laughs a little, my sister says, ¡°And whenever he did anything, I had to constantly stand right beside him and tell him what to do step by step.¡±


    Turning her head, my sister says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus all of that stuff between the both of us is in the past, you look like you can take care of yourself now, or at least I hope you can.¡±


    ¡°I will t-t-t-try my best!¡±.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. But Cyrus,¡± Pulling me close to her my sister says, ¡°So whose is this woman with you, is she your wife do I have nieces and nephews!¡±


    ¡°N-N-N-NO!¡±


    ¡°Aww, what a shame. If you need some help seducing her, you can count on your sister.¡± Turning her head, she says, ¡°Atalanta want to become a Damavand!¡±


    Freaking out, I say, ¡°SISTER!¡± But I notice Atalanta isn¡¯t where she previously was, looking for her I see her in front of a giant statue.


    As me and my sister walk over to her I see her has a face of utter shock.


    My sister says, ¡°This is the statue of this country¡¯s most prominent king and founder, the first king Solomon, are you interested in the statue?¡±


    With her eyes transfixed on it, Atalanta says, ¡°Oh not really, it is just I never thought I would see it here.¡±


    As I stare at her in confusion, I hear, ¡°Cyrus!¡± Turning around I see Orb and a woman approaching us. But the woman has a tall man passed out on her back, while Orb holds a fat Anto in his arms.

 Arc 8.11

    ¦µ As I approach Cyrus and Atalanta, I see a beautiful-looking woman beside him, but the thing that I notice first is the fact that this woman has one horn on the right side of her head.


    Seeing this I run up to Cyrus and I ask, ¡°Is this her!¡±


    ¡°O-O-Orb this is my sister.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Paribanou, and I thank you for being one of my brother''s friends, also sorry for all the stress he has caused you.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t caused any stress at all in fact he has saved me multiple times.¡±


    With a giggle, she says, ¡°Oh really, I wouldn¡¯t have expected such things from Cyrus.¡±


    As she talks, I notice her heartbeat is skyrocketing, so I ask, ¡°Is everything ok.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is, I have just been reunited with my adorable brother,¡± She says giving Cyrus a hug.


    As Scheherazade approaches, Paribanou bows and says, ¡°Oh, lady Scheherazade what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°We happen to be looking for these two intruders.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wanted to talk to you about that, you see this boy here is my brother.¡±


    With a face of utter surprise, Scheherazade says, ¡°But you never said anything?¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°It just never came up.¡±


    Putting me in a headlock, Atalanta says, ¡°Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a stealth mission, you don¡¯t look like someone who was being stealthy!¡±


    ¡°What about you, I swear I heard lightning go off around here earlier. What trouble did you get in yourself.¡±


    Hearing her heartbeat increase again, I turn back over to Cyrus¡¯s sister who is saying, ¡°The reason these people are here is probably for me, so they mean no harm.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that I know already. The reason I am even here is to ask them to come stay with us at the palace.¡±


    Letting go of me Atalanta runs up to her and says, ¡°Really.¡±


    Hitting her on the head, I say, ¡°Control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Orb hit me again and see what happens!¡±


    ¡°TRY ME!¡±


    ¦µ My sister turning her face towards me says, ¡°Cyrus it seems like you got some interesting friends.¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    Clapping her hands, Scheherazade says, ¡°Well we have all had some fun today but now let¡¯s head off to bed alright everyone!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ With a jolt coursing throughout my body, I jump up from my bed. Sitting up in my bed a cold sweat runs throughout my body. Suddenly I feel something rushing up from my stomach, so I run to the window in the room and throw up.


    ¡°There goes all the food Ahmed got for me today. It seems Skydust bothered me more than I thought.¡± The flashes of the destruction of Skydust flow throughout my mind, which causes that sickening sensation that causes me to throw up.


    Falling to the floor with no energy, I look around the room we are in to check if I have woken anyone up. Looking at Cyrus, Anto, and Atalanta I notice they are all asleep, ¡°Good I should probably go outside.¡±


    Using my legacy, I manoeuvre myself out of the window and start to walk at the rooftops of the palace, letting all my thoughts flow through my mind.


    I haven¡¯t been able to keep my promise to Capti at all, he told me to be a good person and live a good life. But in the back of my head, all I have is worries.


    Every single second all I can think is: Are the workers at Basileia ok? How long until the toxins take hold of the slaves we freed? Will we be able to find a cure? Will I be able to keep Suzuka happy? Is Morrigan okay, what are the aliens doing to him? How will I even handle the kids from Skydust? Does Gevurah know who we are? If so how will we defend ourselves? If anyone was to find out our involvement with Basileia a target would be placed on all our backs? Can I even protect everyone?


    The more these thoughts flow through my head the sicker and sicker I feel, and for the third time tonight I can feel the vomit about to come out, am I so weak that I can¡¯t even stomach my own actions.


    After vomiting a third time, I lay on the ground and stare up at the skies, and say, ¡°Look at you Orb, out here enjoying life while people are suffering due to you. You can¡¯t ever visit a single place without leaving people in pain, what the hell is wrong with you, why do you even exist?¡±


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    Out of rage, I grab one of my fingers then slowly start crushing it, ¡°This pain is awful, but Orb you caused this to countless people you piece of shit!¡± As I scream, I completely shatter my finger.


    Covering my face with my hands, I say, ¡°What the hell is wrong with me, what did that even accomplish other than making myself feel better. I need to grow up and deal with this by myself because soon I won¡¯t even have Avram and his family''s help.¡±


    ¡°Orb, are you ok?¡±


    Taking my hands away from my face, I see Anto staring at me. ¡°You were just in a deep sleep.¡±


    Sitting down beside me Anto says, ¡°I have trained myself to wake up on a moment¡¯s notice.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that let¡¯s go back to bed.¡± Suddenly Anto gives me a hug from my right side, ¡°Anto, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°When me and Mime were young our parents died and all they owned was taken by their siblings, so we were left with nothing and had to go live on the streets.


    During the nights when we slept on the streets, someone would always try to kidnap us or Mime would start crying, so I had to train myself to wake up to protect and take care of her. And to calm her down we would hug like this.


    I don¡¯t know what is bothering you but if you can''t say anything about it just hug it out with me until it gets better.¡±


    The way Anto is taking is as if his whole demeanour has changed, ¡°Are you really Anto?¡±


    Rubbing his hand against the back of his head. Anto says, ¡°Usually I am just putting on an act, my sister loves to feel like she is in charge and the protector, so I act like a fool to allow her to be the alpha twin, it makes her rather happy.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t she hear and see through your body?¡±


    ¡°She is currently asleep now, so I can actually talk about this.¡±


    Patting his head, I say, ¡°You¡¯re a good brother.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Orb.¡±


    ¡°But if it is all an act then why did you act like a brat, all throughout yesterday?¡±


    Turning his head away from me, Anto says, ¡°Even I want to be spoiled every now and then.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say tickling his body.


    ¡°Orb, please, stop!!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok.¡± Picking Anto up I say, ¡°We should probably try and get some sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Oki doki!¡±


    As I walk away from the rooftops with Anto in my arms, I take a good look at Jedidiah and say, ¡°This place really is beautiful.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I remember the day as clearly as my reflection in glass. It was hot and dry, as I went out to play with the other kids. We always went to play in the same area day after day, it was a straight path west from our village then we took a left turn after five minutes of walking.


    But one day, all the kids decided it would be more fun to take a right turn instead, and I followed them like always. The area to the right was almost no different than the area to the left, but for some reason, all the kids were extremely excited.


    So, we all played throughout that day, and I eventually fell asleep due to tiredness. When I awoke later that day, I was still in the area that we played in, but I noticed that all the other kids were gone.


    Seeing how dark it was I realised they had all probably gone home, so I decided to just sit around and wait. I knew that if I did, eventually she would come for me.


    After two days, I saw that my sister had arrived. ¡°Pari!¡±


    Without saying a word, she picked me up and we walked home. In my sister''s arms, I always felt comfy and had no worries in the world. She will always be here to rescue me to guide me, no matter what.


    Feeling a strange sensation, I jump out of bed and laugh. ¡°Get up Cyrus or I won¡¯t stop the tickling.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing Cyrus wakes up I stop and say, ¡°You really are hard to wake up, I was punching you in the face and you didn¡¯t even move a little bit.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys d-d-d-d-doing?¡±


    ¡°Getting dressed, we were told to go meet Ahmed after we woke up. Look they even brought us some fun clothes.¡±


    As we all continue to get dressed, I notice Atalanta staring at me so I say, ¡°Is there some kind of issue, or are you just staring like a perv?¡±


    ¡°Your toenails are perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they be?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, they were broken off when we were fighting the giant wonderbeast, how are they healed it hasn¡¯t even been 24 hours .¡±


    ¡°I always heal really quickly like this. I broke my arm when I fought Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> for the first time, and it healed in just a few hours.¡± It seems my finger has healed as well.


    ¡°That¡¯s not normal.¡±


    ¡°I guess I am just built differently then.¡±


    Hearing a knock on the door I walk over and open it while saying, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Seeing Cyrus¡¯s sister I say, ¡°Exquisite.¡± For the love of god, she is beautiful, this can¡¯t be normal for dragons because if it is I need to go to that continent.


    ¡°You guys really aren¡¯t good at spotting beauty,¡± Pari says.


    Over in her side of the room, Atalanta mutters, ¡°More like your idea of what is ugly and what is not is completely broken.¡±


    Walking past me into the room, Pari says, ¡°Cyrus are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Yes sister.¡±


    ¡°What going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just decided to take Cyrus around the city, to look around.¡±


    ¡°Well, that should be fine, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Come on Cyrus let''s go.¡±


    Walking up to Cyrus, I rub my head in his hair. ¡°O-O-Orb wha-a-a-at are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am just recharging my beautiful meter, so just hold still for a few moments.¡± Pulling my face away, I say, ¡°Ok fully charged.¡±


    As Cyrus and his sister start to walk out of the room, I say, ¡°You¡¯re doing a lot better today Pari.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Your heartbeat is a lot calmer than it was yesterday, you see I can hear it.¡±


    Pausing for a moment Pari says, ¡°Well I do feel more relaxed than before, maybe it is because I get to go around with my handsome little brother.¡± Grabbing Cyrus by the hand, she leads him out saying, ¡°We will be on our way!¡±


    As they leave, I place Anto on my shoulders and say, ¡°Let''s go!¡± As we also leave the room with Atalanta right beside us.


    Name: Anathematized Cobra


    Height: 235cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: An animal almost identical to a Cobra. It has swirly patterns throughout its body, which it uses to put its prey to sleep.


    Fact: It commonly shows up after other animals and wonderbeasts have exhausted their stamina, then it puts them to sleep while and takes their prey.


    Name: Karkadann


    Height: 215cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A white wonderbeast with a massive body and four stumpy legs. Its skin at the front has two pieces of hardened golden skin in front that serve the beast as armour. On its back, it has numerous holes that pull in moister and rain to create water for it in the desert. But most noticeable is the giant blue horn that it uses to create water for attacks.


    Fact: The tiritrex of Jedidiah adapted it blue horns from this wonderbeast

 Arc 8.12

    Walking through the hall on the way to Ahmed''s room, I notice how utterly stunning the palace is. The room we were in was also just as beautiful, not to mention all the clothes we are wearing are incredibly high quality.


    I guess to buy slaves from across the world you would have to be pretty wealthy, but to throw all these high-quality things at us has got me rather suspicious.


    Hearing a rather large sound I focus, and I realised Atalanta¡¯s heartbeat keeps getting louder and louder. Turning my head, I see she is looking out into the city.


    ¡°Is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Aww Orb, are you worried about me, how adorable.¡±


    Turning my head away, I say, ¡°I take back my concern.¡±


    Poking my left cheek, Atalanta says, ¡°Looks like someone loves his big sis, Lanta.¡±


    Poking me on my right cheek, Anto says, ¡°Orb being so obsessed with your sister is bad for your health.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you Anto! And when exactly did I agree you can be my sister.¡±


    Snickering, Atalanta says, ¡°Look how he is trying to feign anger instead of telling us his true emotions, what was that word Suzuka said, ah yes you¡¯re a tsundere.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I scream as they both start to laugh.


    Seeing the door ahead at the end of the corridor I run up and say, ¡°Hurry up slow poke.¡± Then when I reach the door, I open it and say, ¡°Brother I have arrived.¡±


    But to my surprise what I see is my brother being tied up mid-air. Rope has been placed on the walls and with that rope my brother has been completely tied up in the air, and underneath him Scheherazade looks with an evil smile.


    ¡°Nice to see you Orb, but could I ask you for a little help here.¡±


    Bowing I say, ¡°Sorry for interrupting your bondage play, I will be leaving now.¡±


    As I walk away, my brother screams, ¡°Orb this isn''t what it looks like!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ahmed, your standing has only degraded a little bit in my mind, but I think we should put the whole brother thing to rest, also I would like a 300m distance between us at all times.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Grabbing my head, Scheherazade says, ¡°This isn¡¯t some kind of kink, this bastard keeps trying to work even though I explicitly told him to rest, so until he learns how to behave, I will keep him strung up here.¡±


    With my face brightening up, I say, ¡°That¡¯s good, I thought my brother was actually some deranged pervert.¡±


    Grabbing my face and bringing it closer to her, Scheherazade says, ¡°What do you mean perverted, this is art! Do you think it is easier to tie someone up with this much string whilst finding a balance between pain and pleasure.¡±


    As she touches one of the robes, Ahemed lets out a weird sound. ¡°Did you hear that, something like this can only be achieved by someone who has mastered the art of bondage, this can be nothing else than gods will, not a single thing is perverted about it.¡±


    Looking at the deranged face this beautiful woman is making, is rather off-putting so I mutter, ¡°Looks like I got the pervert wrong.¡±


    Turning her head towards me, Scheherazade says, ¡°Looks like you need to understand the perfection I have created.¡±


    From my right, I hear someone scream, ¡°Control yourself you pervert!


    To my right, I see another man tied to a chair. ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°That is the royal vizier; Adi ibn Zayd. And this bastard is complicit in not allowing our dear king to rest.¡±


    ¡°It is my job to make sure our king is on schedule!¡±


    Walking up to him Scheherazade tightens the ropes, and says, ¡°He can¡¯t work if he is dead can he!¡±


    Laughing a little, Adi says, ¡°I outrank you, so I command you to do as I say.¡±


    Tightening the ropes yet again Scheherazade says, ¡°Not in this life or your next will you ever command your older sister got that!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do sister please spare me!¡±


    As Adi and Scheherazade argue, I walk over to Ahmed and free him from the ropes. ¡°Thank you, Brother.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure, but what did you call me here for.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see-.¡±


    Suddenly someone bursts through the door interrupting our conversation. ¡°I heard the dragon, and the witch are here!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, shorty is back to get his ass kicked again.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Entering an offensive position, the man prepares to strike Atalanta, ¡°Time to die!!!¡±


    As he draws his weapon, he is kicked in the side by Scheherazade. ¡°I taught I told you not to pick fights with our guests, idiot!¡±


    Recovering from her kick in mere seconds, the man gets on one knee and says, ¡°Oh lady Scheherazade, you are looking as beautiful as ever.¡± Taking her hand, he says, ¡°Would you grace my life with the gift of marriage?¡±


    With a completely emotionless expression, she says, ¡°Not in a million years.¡±


    The weight of her words sends the man flying back into the wall. ¡°But why my queen?¡±


    ¡°Because of all your childish behaviour. You already look like a permanent 14 year old so at least act like an adult. I literally had to put your room in the inner palace so you would be isolated enough not to cause any trouble.¡±


    Her words send him flying back into the wall, again. ¡°But at least I look cool?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, your sense of style makes it even harder for me to see you as an adult.¡±


    Laying on the floor with tears in his eyes, the man says, ¡°Why, why does no one love me!¡±


    Walking up to him I grab him by the shoulders and say, ¡°You look so awesome, I completely love the braids you have, and your tattoo design is amazing. You look so cool.¡±


    With tears he says, ¡°Do you really think that?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    Getting up with a triumphant smile, he says, ¡°Scheherazade, I love you please marry me.¡±


    Deadpan, she says, ¡°No.¡±


    Shocked, he gets sent flying another time, but I manage to catch him before he flies into the wall. In my arms, he says, ¡°I can¡¯t go on.¡±


    ¡°Would you like some candy?¡± Anto asks him.


    ¡°Ok,¡± the man says as he eats it completely disheartened and defeated.


    ¡°Now that will be 70000 Lupas.¡±


    Surprised the man says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing is free in this life, cough up the dough.¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡± The man says as he is slashed by Anto''s dagger.


    Getting struck makes his personality change from sad to happy, so with a vigorous energy the man says, ¡°Here take as much gold as you want!¡± While handing us a sack of golden coins.


    ¡°Thank you for doing business, can I also have your daggers as well?¡±


    ¡°Sure!!!!!¡±


    Looking up at Anto on my shoulder, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t go around manipulating vulnerable people, and give that back.¡±


    Hugging his money tight, Anto says, ¡°This was an equivalent exchange, I turned his sadness into happiness, and I got money in return.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t monetise people¡¯s emotions like that.¡±


    ¡°Your such a stick in the mud Orb, maybe your personality needs a little bit of a change.¡±


    With his dagger in his hand, Anto tries to stab me. This annoying little brat, I thought he was actually a grown-up after yesterday, but he really is just a brat!


    Behind us, my brother starts to laugh nonstop and says, ¡°You guys are a riot!¡± But the moment after he says this he falls down to his knees and says, ¡°What¡¯s this, I lost all strength in my legs.¡± With a tired expression.


    Instantly all three of Ahmed''s Companions run over to him. All of them have faces full of worry.


    Adi says, ¡°Sis go get it ready.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    Walking up to them, I say, ¡°Is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we just don¡¯t need him falling asleep that¡¯s all.¡±


    Almost closing his eyes, Ahmed says, ¡°I am feeling sort of sleepy.¡±


    Grabbing and keeping his eyes open, the cool-looking man starts sticking out his tongue while making stupid faces. ¡°Look at me my king, aren¡¯t these faces so cool.¡±


    ¡°They look just as stupid as usual,¡± Ahmed says as he starts to fall asleep again.


    Panicked, the cool-looking man says, ¡°If you fall asleep, I will give you a big kiss on the lips.¡±


    Suddenly energy fills his whole body as he says, ¡°Easifatan if you come anywhere near my lips, death will be the least of your worries.¡±


    Adi says, ¡°Looks like that worked wonders. But SIS, I NEED YOU TO HURRY UP!¡±


    Running back over, Scheherazade says, ¡°I got it right here.¡± In her hand, she holds an apple. When she arrives over to us without hesitation, she shoves the apple right into Ahmed''s mouth.


    After biting down on it Ahmed jumps up with energy and says, ¡°That¡¯s the stuff!¡± Walking over to me Ahmed says, ¡°Sorry about all the drama, but I am alright now.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Well if you say so.¡±


    ¡°Getting back on topic, it is just that I apologised to all the guards you guys assaulted and robbed yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No real issue, except one of the people you assaulted was not having it. His name is Yamal and he said he wouldn¡¯t accept an apology unless it came directly from the person who hit him, and he also demanded a fair bit of compensation. So, I would like you to give it to him.¡±


    ¡°I am really, really sorry!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry isn¡¯t it the older siblings'' responsibility to take care of the younger.¡±


    With joy, I say, ¡°Big brother!¡±


    Scheherazade beside us says, ¡°Can you two just act normal for a moment.¡±


    ¡°I will be off then, Atalanta, Anto let''s go.¡± Turning around I see that both of them and Easifatan are gone.


    ¦µ Slammed against a wall I see the red-haired woman falling in my arms. What is happening!! As she pushes her whole-body weight on me, I look away from her body and say, ¡°I-I-If your sick you should talk to Scheherazade.¡±


    ¡°No, right now all I want is you,¡± she says pushing her body even closer. Panicking I send my head straight up, so I don¡¯t look at her boobs.


    What the hell is going on not even 24 hours ago was she ripping into me as if I killed her pet, did she succumb to my overflowing charm; you are looking quite sexy today, and you even redid your braid, you handsome devil. No wait, nothing in this life is free, this must be some sort of trap, yeah, she is playing you this must be for some sort of blackmail.


    Looking down at her I say, ¡°Your ploy won¡¯t work on me.¡±


    As I see her face, I am suddenly given a kiss. This feels amazing!!


    As she pulls back, she says, ¡°Do you want to go to the bedroom!¡±


    Suddenly all the blood leaves my head and rushes to another place. Picking the beauty up, I run towards my room, ¡°Don¡¯t worry baby we are almost there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait darling.¡±


    As I reach my room at lightning speed, I go to open the door but I stop in my tracks. Wait, what about Scheherazade, if I do this, I will mess up my chances with her, but you saw how mean she was to you today, you probably don¡¯t even have a chance with her, and if you reject this beauty now who knows when this opportunity might come around a second time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait darling!¡±


    Suddenly all the blood leaves my head and logic goes out the window. Opening the door, I turn around and say, ¡°Let¡¯s get star-.¡±


    ¦µ Twisting his neck he gets knocked unconscious. ¡°It is really disheartening how often this tactic works. Well, whatever, it is time for me to start my investigation.¡±


    Feeling something land on my head, I hear, ¡°Let me join too!¡±


    ¡°Anto, go away.¡±


    ¡°No this seems way more fun than what Orb is doing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, go count sand or whatever kids do.¡±


    Bending his body forward he places his face in front of mine but upside down, then Anto says in a calm voice, ¡°Lanta, I am worried about you. Your actions have been strange, and I just thought it would be beneficial to have someone at your side.¡±


    ¡°Are you really Anto?¡±


    Becoming hyperactive again Anto says, ¡°Of course I am silly!¡±


    Sighing I say, ¡°Well I guess your teleporting would be useful, ok you can come!¡±


    ¡°Yippee! Also, can I take his daggers?¡±


    ¡°I would say yes, but Orb would complain. We can just snatch them before we leave Jedidiah. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    1 Gold coin = 10,000 Lupas

 Arc 8.13

    -Break-


    ¦µ Standing outside of Yamal¡¯s house, I take a second to look at it. The house is rather nicely built, but to be honest I haven¡¯t seen a bad house at all in Jedidiah.  They are all fairly big, and all of the bigger ones I have seen always have more people living in them, it seems house size is equally distributed with family size.


    This country is really well run, but I could say the same about Maples Village of Aplos and even Skydust, I guess small communities are just a lot easier to run.


    Walking towards Yamal''s door with the bag of goodies, I knock and stand there awkwardly for a moment as I hear Yamal¡¯s footsteps bring him closer to the door. The moment he opens the door, I say, ¡°Sorry about yesterday,¡± while holding up the bags of goodies.


    Giving me a death stare, Yamal says with a lazy voice, ¡°Come on in bastard.¡±


    I expected him to be angrier, it seems this is going well!


    Following him into his house, I see his daughter Raqiue walk up to him and ask with a bright smile, ¡°Baba who is this, is he your friend!?¡±


    Without emotion, he says, ¡°No he isn¡¯t. Now go get his shoes for him.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    Running up to me, she says, ¡°Let me help you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can handle this myself.¡±


    As I take off my shoes, I say, ¡°Your hair is sort of messy, would you like me to do it for you?¡±


    Raqiue with her fuzzy hair says, ¡°I left it like this on purpose, I thought I might be able to get Baba to do it for me today.¡± As she talks she fiddles with her finger as if she is some protagonist trying to confess her love.


    Yamal says, with a cold tone, ¡°Don¡¯t be a child, I know you can do it yourself so just go get on with it.¡±


    With all her shyness being exchanged with raw energy, she turns around and says, ¡°Of course Baba!¡±


    After I take off my shoes, I follow both of them into what looks like a kitchen. While inside, I take another look around and I note that the house is spacious, I guess these houses don¡¯t only look good from the outside, but also great from the inside.


    ¡°There are excess dishes go wash them.¡±


    Joyfully, Raqiue says, ¡°Yes Baba!¡±


    Looking over at the dishes it is only one or two plates, but looking at this also leads me to notice that this house is incredibly clean. Though it reeks of alcohol.


    Walking over to a table, Yamal says, ¡°Sit your ass down, boy.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡±


    Sitting down in front of Yamal with the sound of Raqiue washing dishes and humming, he says with a furious glare, ¡°You do know what you did to me yesterday?¡±


    Slamming my head into the table, I say, ¡°I am so sorry!¡±


    ¡°Do you even know the embarrassment I faced by being tied up naked out in the open!¡±


    ¡°In the bag, I returned your clothes washed and dried.¡±


    ¡°But you know what bothers me even more than that, the fact that the man who beat me up is now the guest of our king and is wearing rather fancy clothes!¡±


    As his voice starts to get louder he snaps his fingers and moments later Raqiue runs to his side and gives him a bottle of liquor. Chugging it down he starts to cry and says, ¡°This isn¡¯t fair at all, I deserve compensation for my abuse.¡±


    While he continues to cry Raqiue places tissues right beside him as she goes back to what she was doing.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t all the others I beat up accept the king''s apology and move on.¡±


    ¡°I AM AN OLD MAN, the damage I take from such things can¡¯t be compared to such children.¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems the king thought so too, so here is your compensation,¡± I say holding up the bag of goodies.


    As he opens it a blinding golden light emanates from the bag, which causes Yamal to smile.


    How much did Ahmed give him!?


    Closing the bag, the light leaves as Yamal says with a merry face, ¡°Is there anything else for me?¡±


    Is he really asking for something else, after receiving all that? ¡°Well, brother asked me to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Then go ahead and spit it out already.¡±


    ¡°He said, ¡°Behave Yamal I felt the chains reacting yesterday.¡±¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Looking at Yamal¡¯s face it starts to look lifeless, but moments later he says, ¡°I see.¡±


    Trying to change the awkward mood in the room, I say, ¡°Sorry if what I said upset you, to be honest, I don¡¯t know what he meant by that but if you understand it, I guess there is no problem.¡±


    Opening the bag he takes a small bit of gold and places it at his side then says, ¡°Alright time to gamble, get your ass moving you¡¯re coming with me.¡±


    Shaking my head from side to side I say, ¡°I don¡¯t know the first thing about gambling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you''re only coming so that people will let down their guard, Now get on your feet and follow me.¡±


    As we walk to the door, Raqiue says, ¡°Baba.¡±


    Devoid of any emotion, Yamal says, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to take me to see tonight¡¯s story?¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that, aren¡¯t you capable of going yourself?¡±


    Fidgeting, she says, ¡°I just thought it would be fun to watch it together.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I will as long as you can guess the story that will be told today.¡±


    ¡°But there is an 0.0099009901% chance of me getting it correct.¡±


    Turning to her I say, ¡°You can break down factions to percentages at such a young age, how wonderful.¡±


    As she smiles back at me, Yamal says, ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s becoming a smart ass.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Baba.¡±


    Annoyed, Yamal says, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize it''s annoying.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Baba.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, Yamal says in an irritated voice, ¡°Well whatever, but my conditions won¡¯t change so you better pray to god that you get it right.¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    ¡°Now repeat the rules to me.¡±


    With glee, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t play with fire, don¡¯t let anyone in, and don¡¯t touch the bottles. And if in trouble run first ask questions later!¡±


    ¡°Good now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we walk out the door Raqiue says, ¡°Bye Baba!¡±


    Putting his hand up as he walks away, he waves to her not even looking at her.


    ¡°Are you sure it is ok to just leave her alone here?¡±


    ¡°She is 5 years old, basically an adult, she can take care of herself. But now let¡¯s talk about something interesting, why are you here.¡±


    ¡°It is actually nothing important, I think it would be more interesting for you to tell me about yourself.¡±


    Suddenly an aura of arrogance fills the air as Yamal starts joyfully talking zealously about himself. ¡°You see when I was born into a crappy small village without a name, so instead of rotting there like an idiot I went out to Cordum and because a hunter!¡±


    As he continues to go on for what seems like a never-ending story, I say, ¡°CRAP!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡±


    ¡°It seems I left something back at your house.¡±


    ¡°Well then go grab it quickly.¡±


    Turning around, I run back to his house at full speed, ¡°To think I forgot those nice shoes I was given.¡± The closer I get to the house the more I smell something strange, ¡°Fire?¡±


    Using my legacy on my legs, I dash towards the house and open the door then I run into their kitchen to see Raqiue messing with something on the floor.


    As she turns and faces me a fire ignites, so I lunge forward and create ice to protect us both as an explosion goes off.


    Recovering from the blow with Raqiue in my arms, I hear her say, ¡°That was fun let¡¯s do it again!¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I got bored so I thought I would try a science experiment. My teacher gave me some equipment from school!¡±


    ¡°He should be fired!¡±


    ¡°I know what I am doing!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t your dad tell you not to play with fire?¡±


    With a face of innocent confusion, she says, ¡°Why would I listen to that!?¡±


    Is this just how kids are, ¡°Capti I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it again!¡±


    ¡°No, we won''t be doing any such thing your going to sit here and behave.¡±


    ¡°Pouting she says, ¡°But I get so bored and lonely! If only I could come with you and Baba.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    Pouting even more she says, ¡°Please!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that face.¡±


    Getting as cute as can possibly be she says, ¡°Please, I promise to be good.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°YAY!¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t fight the cuteness.¡±


    ¡°I need a disguise.¡±


    Scratching  my chin, I say, ¡°Well let¡¯s go get you sorted out.¡±


    Running back over to Yamal standing outside the casino, Raqiue says, ¡°Won¡¯t dad see through this bad disguise?¡±


    ¡°Trust me he won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Walking over to Yamal he says, ¡°What you got there!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s my teddy.¡±


    Letting out a laugh, Yamal says, ¡°What kind of adult has a teddy!¡±


    As he laughs at me Raqiue says, ¡°He really didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°With the way he has been drinking, I would be surprised if he could even tell up from down right now.¡±


    Walking in Yamal says, ¡°What¡¯s taking you so long hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Cyrus over there is Khalid''s shop. It is over 1200 years old.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s n-n-n-not that long.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but by human standards, it is one of the oldest shops in their history.¡±


    ¡°The human n-n-n-ations are strange.¡±


    ¡°They sure are, but for someone like you who has been travelling around a lot it probably feels familiar.¡±


    This is my chance to impressive Pari, ¡°E-E-Exactly, I can deal with all the human customs.¡±


    Walking up to Khalid¡¯s shop full of confidence, I say, ¡°Can I please have three of those meat skewers.¡± No stutters, I am doing good!


    Suddenly Khalid has a rather angry look on his face, and says, ¡°Get out of my face!¡±


    In that instant, all of my confidence fades and I start to shake out of fright.


    Walking up behind me my sister grabs my head and repositions it, ¡°Cyrus raising your chin when asking for something here is seen as a sign of disrespect.¡±


    Facing him, Pari says, ¡°Sorry Khalid, can I please have three of those.¡±


    ¡°No issue Pari.¡±


    After my sister finishes her transaction, I sit down on a bench with her and wallow in my failure.


    ¡°It is ok Cyrus; you shouldn¡¯t push yourself above your limits just for me.¡±


    ¡°I-I-I just wanted to help.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t need it in the slightest from you.¡±


    ¡°But how are you so well versed in this, what have you even been doing all these years?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have gone to and from many different places, until are amazing king brought me here. He really saved my life,¡± my sister says with a smile.


    Frowning even more, I hear something coming towards my sister, so I stretch my hand out to catch the object. ¡°It¡¯s a ball.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it was kicked over from the game they were having.¡±


    ¡°T-T-They should be more careful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus it is not like it will hurt me.¡±


    ¡°But s-s-s-s-ister you''re really weak, when I was a child you lost to me in arm wrestling all the time.¡±


    ¡°I guess, I did.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Pari,¡± A kid says as he runs up to us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I was in no danger.¡±


    ¡°Who is this man?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he is my younger brother.¡±


    ¡°So, he is another dragon?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Then would you two like to join over arm wrestling tournament?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like fun, let¡¯s go, Cyrus.¡±


    Following my sister, I see her sit down on a chair facing a rather muscular man, who says, ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you lady Pari.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± My sister says as she takes off some jewellery on her fingers.


    ¡°Sister be careful, he looks strong.¡±


    As the both of them get into their starting positions I being to panic, will she be ok?


    ¡°3, 2, 1, BEGIN!¡±


    In an instant, my sister smashes his hand straight down through the table.


    ¡°WINNER, Paribanou!¡±


    As cheers fill the area with people running over to my sister, I notice how happy she looks. I don¡¯t remember her ever being this happy around me.

 Arc 8.14

    ¦µ Staring down the dark corridor with only a few candles to bestow light upon us, I let out a yawn and say, ¡°This is so boring!¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining Omar, or do you want me to kick your ass like yesterday?¡±


    ¡°If my memory is correct, you got your ass kicked by the little boy as well.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, I was teleported and jumped by a group of people, I guess your memory was incorrect, but I heard stupid people like you tend to make stuff up all the time.¡±


    ¡°Say that again!¡±


    ¡°I will say it as many times as I want.¡±


    As an intense aura builds up behind us, I turn my head to the side to see Hamza leaking evil. ¡°Listen up you two lower lifeforms, our gracious king apologized to us, and then he even bestowed upon us this job of protecting the lower gate. Do you even understand this great honour given to us worms!¡±


    ¡°I forgot how much of a fanboy over our king you are.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am our king is a one-of-a-kind blessing on this earth.¡±


    ¡°When the king offered us compensation, you rejected it and offered us up for this job instead.¡±


    ¡°Doing anything for our king is all I need.¡±


    ¡°You do realize our king is engaged, he isn¡¯t going to fuck you.¡±


    ¡°I would never wish for any sort of intimate relationship with our king, a true man wishes his love happiness from afar, he is my king, and I am his servant, I would never wish to stand on his level but to worship him from afar.¡±


    ¡°So why are you trying to build up a good reputation with him?¡±


    With his evil aura getting thicker and denser, fuelled by hatred Hamza says, ¡°IT IS BECAUSE I MUST REMOVE THAT EMBARRASSMENT FROM HIS SIDE.¡±


    ¡°Come again?¡±


    ¡°That scumbag lazy, self-centred, head guard abuses his power and drags our king''s name through the mud. He is a waste of oxygen that constantly causes problems for our king and never gives anything back, and he gets away with it just because he is a little strong.¡±


    Seeing Hamza getting swallowed by his evil Aura, me and Abdul say, ¡°Come back, Hamza.¡±


    Snapping out of his darkness, Hamza says, ¡°So I need to climb to the top and take the head guard''s position, and you two will help me achieve that.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a bother.¡±


    Beside me, Omar says, ¡°I don¡¯t think that it is a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°I mean people like us would normally never be allowed this face into the inner palace, but thanks to this job we have seen how gorgeous the palace really is, and there are other perks.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    Walking over to the large door behind us, Abdul says, ¡°We can access things others can¡¯t, I mean don¡¯t you want to know what it looks like behind this door as much as I do, I am pretty sure only the king and his attendants have seen it.¡±


    Hamza with a murderous aura says, ¡°Are you trying to betray the king''s trust!!!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a stick in the mud Hamza, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and doesn¡¯t it just destroy you that Easifatan gets to know what¡¯s behind this door and you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Well, sort of,¡± Hamza says with his resolve growing weak.


    Noticing the weakness in Hamza, Abdul says, ¡°If you know what¡¯s behind this you will become one of the only people to understand our king on such a level, don¡¯t you want that.¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s check it out!¡±


    As Abdul starts to open the door suddenly all of the light vanishes from the room. Jumping up out of fright, I say, ¡°What the hell is happening?¡±


    ¡°Did all the candles go out?¡±


    ¡°How in god¡¯s name did they all go out at the same time?¡±


    ¡°YOU FOOLS WHO HAVE DARED TO TOUCH THE SEAL, YOU HAVE INCURRED THE WRATH OF THE SEALED SPIRITS!¡±


    Hearing this we all huddle together, and I say, ¡°Hamza, Adbul, if this is one of you two I don¡¯t find this funny!¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do with this.¡±


    ¡°I knew we shouldn¡¯t have messed with the door.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie Hamza you were about to open it with me.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°This is not the time for arguing ready your spears!¡±


    I need to stay vigilant and pay attention. ¡°You don¡¯t scare me!¡±


    Suddenly, I hear someone whisper, ¡°Are you sure?¡± Into my ear.


    Freaked out I turn around and swing my spear, but I don¡¯t hit anything, not even Adbul or Hamza.


    ¡°Omar where did you go,¡± I heard Hamza shout.


    Did I just move?


    ¡°Little by little we will take you to the underworld, first is the fool called Omar!¡±


    This is bad, what the hell am I going to do, am I going to die?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Omar!¡±


    ¡°The three of us will get through this, just like always.¡±


    How could I forget these two have always been with me, I don¡¯t have anything to fear.


    ¡°Are you ready to die!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t touch the door; it was these two take them first and leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    ¡°OMAR YOU BASTARD!¡±


    ¡°Every man for himself!¡±


    Suddenly lights fly across the corridor and start to curve around us.


    ¡°Omar help us!¡±


    ¡°This is none of my business, bye guys it has been fun!¡± I say walking to where I think the exit is.


    Call me a coward but a true friend makes his friends pay for the consequences of their own actions. Even if we have been friends since childhood, and hung out every day, and even if they helped me when I buried my mom. None of that matters survival comes first.


    Suddenly I stop in my tracks, then I turn around and run back, ¡°I can¡¯t leave you guys!¡±


    As I hear no response, I start to cry but then I feel something strike me at the back of my head.


    ¦µ ¡°Good thing he came back because if he didn¡¯t, I would have broken all the bones in his body. Anto how are those two?¡±


    ¡°They are both unconscious and broke, they barely had anything on them.¡±


    ¡°Well, we still got lucky, when they wake up they will think it is some sort of curse that did this to them so we can dodge all blame.¡±


    ¡°But what if they bring it up with someone?¡±


    ¡°They apparently weren¡¯t supposed to open that door anyways so I doubt they will bring this up to anyone, a perfect crime. Now let¡¯s put them against the wall.¡±


    After I place all three of them against the wall, I say, ¡°Anto let''s go.¡±


    Jumping on my back, Anto says, ¡°Yippee!¡±


    Then walking towards the door, I open it and see nothing but a broken-off platform. Sapped I say, ¡°Is this room another bust as well?¡±


    Jumping off my back Anto walks forward as I say, ¡°How many of these empty doors are down here, I swear this is like the ninth one we have opened.¡±


    ¡°Lanta come look over here!¡±


    Walking over I say, ¡°What is it.¡± When I arrive beside Anto, I look beyond the broken-off platform and underneath I see a giant city with sand everywhere. In utter shock, I say, ¡°This place is bigger than Elp¨ªda.¡±


    With a bright smile, Anto says, ¡°Look Lanta, this place is bound to have lots of treasure to steal!!!¡±


    ¡°You can take what you want after I find what I am looking for. Now Anto switches us over to one of those builds.¡±


    ¡°Here we go!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ While in the casino, I look around and am enamoured by how it looks, as people gamble all around me the casino buzzes with life. Though my joy is soon interrupted by Yamal¡¯s screaming, ¡°No it can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you lost again Yamal, cough it up.¡± Opening his bag of money Yamal gives his opponents what they¡¯re owed.


    On my lap, Raqiue asks, ¡°Is Baba doing ok?¡±


    ¡°Considering that he has lost half of his bag of money, I would say not really.¡±


    The men sitting across from us at the table start to laugh as one of them says, ¡°Yamal you make this too easy, I haven¡¯t ever made so much money so quickly in my life.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, soon I will win three times what I lost back.¡±


    ¡°Fat chance of that, you suck dick at poker, I could probably beat you with my eyes closed.¡±


    Putting my hands over Raqiue''s ears to block the cursing, I say, ¡°Yamal, you might play better if you stopped drinking.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me how to live my life!¡±


    Laughing even more, the man says, ¡°You know for a man who always goes on about how you were an adventurer and sailed the seas, you suck at using your head.¡±


    Another man says, ¡°He probably lied about those things.¡±


    ¡°Right, it would be unbelievable for any of his wild stories to be true,¡± The main man says, as they all start to laugh.


    Drinking even more, Yamal says as tears start to form in his eyelids, ¡°Shut up you bastards I don¡¯t care what any of you say about me.¡± Soon after this, he starts to full-on ugly cry.


    ¡°So, he is a crying drunk,¡± I say with a sigh of relief.


    With a face of worry, Raqiue says, ¡°Is daddy ok!?¡±


    I can speak from experience when I say it isn¡¯t good for you to see your guardian in a pathetic state. I guess I have no choice; moving my chair to the front of the table I put on my best smile and say, ¡°Let me take my master''s place.¡±


    ¡°Your master? This sack of shit.¡±


    ¡°I would watch my words if I was you because soon enough you will see the full force of my master teachings.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking little girl, because soon one of us will be on the verge of tears.¡±


    Feeling anger well up in my body, I use my legacy to freeze the dye off my hair and say, ¡°Can I please have your name?¡±


    While shuffling the deck he says, ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°Because it is only common courtesy to know the name of the man who you¡¯re going to send into poverty!¡±


    Dealing out the cards he says, ¡°My name is Amer, and soon you will be choking on those words missy!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Naked and cold all I can do is clench onto the cards in my hand. As I sit in front of the smiling girl, the only thought going through my mind is, WHAT THE FUCK.


    What the hell is going on, how does she win every single round? It is as if she knows whether I am bluffing or not instinctively, and she always goes all in every single round, it is making my heartbeat go crazy.


    What¡¯s more, is that her hair keeps changing colours and it is throwing me off, it makes it hard to tell if she is bluffing or not. Crap, what am I going to do. I feel sick.


    ¡°Hey, are you ok?¡±


    Focusing on the girl, I notice what she said and respond with, ¡°Everything is fine!¡±


    ¡°Oh, causes it looks like you are about to vomit.¡±


    ¡°Just worry about your gosh damn self!¡± I still have a chance she must be shaky about her current hand because she hasn¡¯t gone all in yet.


    So far, The flop is 5 of hearts, 9 of spades, and a jack of spades. I have an 8 of spades and a 10 of spades. I am in a good position.


    The dealer beside me says, ¡°Turn,¡± as he flips over the fourth card; it is a queen of spades.


    When I see this, I feel happiness fill my soul, I have a straight flush, I can win. With victory filling my broken existence, I turn to check the expression of the girl and I see she is smiling with green hair.


    What the hell is going on does she have a good hand, no it still can¡¯t be better than mine, she would need to either have a straight flush, or a royal straight to beat me, and even with that she would still need a king of spades and a 10 of spades to win. I got this.


    But one thing I have learned from all of our matches is that her hair colour is tied to her emotions, and I am sure by this point that green means happiness, it is what she always changes to when she wins.


    No Amer, keep a cool head, you got this!


    Pushing all her chips forward she says, ¡°All in!¡±


    Hearing this I start to freak out, that utterly insane bet she definitely has the winning hand. ¡°I-I-I-.¡±


    Slamming her hand on the table, she says, ¡°Hurry up and call Amer, let''s bring this party to a climax!¡±


    I¡¯m fucked.

 Arc 8.15

    ¡°What¡¯s with you hanging your head so low, come on and call already, you don¡¯t plan to fold, do you?¡±


    Behind me, one of my friends says, ¡°Amer would never fold, even if his life depends on it!¡±


    With a face of dread, I look at my friend as another one of them says, ¡°Yeah even if he has to go home broke forever, he would never fold.¡±


    You fucking bastards have just made it so much harder to walk out of here.


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, because you were just running your lips a second ago, if you folded you would be a giant clown,¡± she says with a smile.


    Behind me, one of my friends says, ¡°The one laughing, in the end, will be Amer, isn¡¯t that right guys?¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± My friends scream. Soon after that, they start cheering my name over and over, ¡°AMER, AMER, AMER, AMER!¡±


    Hearing this I start to feel invigorated, what the hell am I getting worked up about, there is no way I can lose with this hand, I have just been letting this little girl get into my head. I am the greatest gambler ever to be born. Now let¡¯s go.


    Raising my head and looking at the girl in front of me, I see she has a completely evil smile on her face, and when I see this I instinctively throw my cards down and say, ¡°Fold.¡±


    All the cheers around me fall dead silent, then moments later one of my friends says, ¡°Amer you had a straight flush, what the hell are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°You idiots, if you were paying attention to that she-devil across from me you should know that I never had a chance.¡±


    ¡°Why is that!?¡±


    ¡°Because she definitely has a royal flush, I just know it.¡±


    ¡°How would you know that!?¡±


    ¡°IT¡¯S HER EYES, they¡¯re crazy. Just look at her hand, I can guarantee she has a royal flu-.¡±


    When I look at the girl''s cards, I see she has a 4 of hearts and a 3 of diamonds. ¡°You¡¯re hand was-.¡±


    ¡°Utter trash.¡±


    As my head falls to the table, she says, ¡°A straight flush and a high one at that, I would have been destroyed.¡±


    While at the table, I say, ¡°How, how did you keep winning?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you were bluffing your heartbeat went crazy, and since you started playing with Yamal I have been counting all the cards. You couldn¡¯t tell I was bluffing, while I could tell your bluffing, and I knew what cards will be dealt each game. Now pay up the last of your cash.¡±


    ¦µ Looking up at me from my lap Raqiue says, ¡°Can daddy do all of that?¡±


    ¡°He is my master, so of course he can,¡± I say with Raqiue smiling in response. I know lying is bad but look at that bright smile, it is purifying my soul.


    ¦µ As I lie on the table with defeat hanging over my head, I grip my hand and say, ¡°Well this doesn¡¯t even prove anything.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Your issue with me was that I insulted Yamal¡¯s intelligence, and how does a game of poker prove he is smart.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Say whatever you want mister poverty, but I am still owed my cash.¡±


    Putting up his hands, he says, ¡°Wait a second, Let¡¯s play a game of chess, if you win I will apologize to Yamal and do whatever he wants for forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°And if I win?¡±


    ¡°I will ask for what I lost in the last game, plus my clothes back.¡±


    ¡°I refuse that deal isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Ok then you can have your money, and your master can continue to be a crying buffoon.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Raqiue says. ¡° We will beat you again, and again until you learn your lessons.¡±


    Turning to me she says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I forgot that kids are as annoying as they are cute. ¡°Ok then let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Feeling a pull on my clothes, I open my half-closed eyes and Look, at the chaotic chess board, then I say, ¡°This game really is annoying.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, can you speak up, since I am not capable of hearing losers,¡± Amer says as his friends start to laugh.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Crap I forgot how annoying it is to play chess. Letting out a scream I say, ¡°Why the hell is this game so boring, why can¡¯t they add spice to it like super pieces or a way to blow up all the other pieces.¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE THAT WOULD RUIN THE GAME!¡±


    ¡°Shut up it is not even like this game is hard, especially since you plan to do this for the next 8 turns,¡± As I speak, I point out his exact moves to him.


    ¡°How the hell did you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because chess is just simple calculations without any of the spice, so I keep falling aslee-,¡± I say with my consciousness fading. Feeling another pull on my clothes, I wake up and say, ¡°Chess is just me using my calculations to beat idiots.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but your moves have been incredibly stupid so far.¡±


    ¡°Because winning too easily is boring for my brain! So it has hijacked my body and has decided to do something that¡¯s more interesting.¡± Furiously rubbing my hands against my head, I say, ¡°I hate this stupid game!!¡±


    Moving his pieces, Amer says, ¡°Well that isn¡¯t any of my business, a win is a win.¡±


    I need to get this situation under control, I can still turn this around. Grabbing a queen, I look for the best position to move it to then I say, ¡°Time for a comeback,¡± as I move the piece.


    When I look at where I placed the piece, I see it was put in the worst position possible. Grabbing my head, I say, ¡°SHITTTT!¡±


    ¡°Your mind really has hijacked your body, that¡¯s the only way you could have made such a brain-dead move.¡±


    I can¡¯t win at this rate. Looking up at me Raqiue says, ¡°Can I take over?¡±


    ¡°Can you even play this game?¡±


    ¡°I think I have got the rules from watching you play.¡±


    With a smug smile, Amer says, ¡°What are you going to let that little munchkin play for you? I guess you really are like Yamal letting someone else step in for you.¡±


    Feeling an aggressive aura emanates from my lap, I look down and hear Raqiue say, ¡°Let me crush this man into a paste.¡±


    I feel like I would be in danger if I say no. ¡°Go ahead, this is all on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    As she grabs a piece Amer says, ¡°Don¡¯t cry when I beat you.¡±


    ¡°Oki!¡±


    -Break-


    With utter disbelief, I stare at the board as Raqiue move her piece, and says, ¡°Checkmate, I win!¡±


    Looking across the table I see Amer making a goofy face of despair as if he has just been turned into a drawing. ¡°What was all that you were saying, Amer.¡±


    Slamming his head into the table chess pieces fly everywhere, as he starts to cry and says, ¡°How will I ever recover from this.¡±


    One of his friends behind him says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Amer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you can stay with one of us until you get your finances in order.¡±


    Sobbing he says, ¡°No it isn¡¯t that it is the fact that these two little girls have just crushed me into the ground. I can never show my face anyways after this.¡±


    Getting up from my lap Raqiue walks over to him then gives him a head pat, and says, ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone, so don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Like a little child, he looks up from the table while sobbing, and says, ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    Giving Raqiue a hug while balling, he says, ¡°Thank you so much!!¡±


    Rubbing his head in her arms, she says, ¡°There, there, it will be ok.¡±


    I think it is more embarrassing for him to be comforted by the little girl who just beat him.


    After a few seconds, she grabs his head and makes him face her as she says with a pure innocent smile, ¡°Now give me my money.¡±


    ¡°But we were having a moment.¡±


    ¡°That and this are completely separate, now my money and don¡¯t forget to lick my Baba¡¯s feet and apologize.¡±


    Looking to my left, I knock the sleeping Yamal awake. When he wakes up, he screams, then asks, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You got drunk, lost, started sobbing, then fell asleep. But don¡¯t worry me and my partner won the battle in your place.¡±


    With a face filled with shock, Yamal says, ¡°Really?¡±


    Before I can answer Amer walks in front of Yamal, bows then says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Then his men quickly follow and do the same.


    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you take on this embarrassment alone.¡±


    ¡°If one of us takes it on all of us do.¡±


    Holding back more tears, Amer says, ¡°Thank you, guys.¡±


    From the sidelines, I say, ¡°Well you guys would have to be naked to have the same embarrassment.¡±


    Hearing my words, they all strip, and say, ¡°Where sorry.¡±


    Amer in front says, ¡°I was full of crap and didn¡¯t know what I was talking about, your stories are most definitely true, and you are a genius who has amazing students.¡±


    With a proud face, Yamal says, ¡°Looks like you idiots finally understand the superiority of a man, who has sailed countless seas and has fought countless monsters.¡±


    ¡°EH, HEM!¡± Raqiue says garnering the attention of Amer and his men. When they focus in on her she points to the floor while sticking out her tongue.


    Understanding her gesture Amer and his men bow, and then Amer goes to lick Yamal¡¯s feet. As he tries this Raqiue just stares with a very proud look on her face. Kids can be scary.


    Pulling his foot away, Yamal says, ¡°Don¡¯t be gross. As long as you fools understand your place everything is fine.¡±


    Walking over to me, Raqiue says, ¡°Everything went well.¡± As she finishes speaking, she trips over a stray chess piece, which causes her to fall off the edge of the table.


    The moment I notice this I catch her stopping her from falling into the ground. But as she falls to the ground her face covering falls off.


    Behind me, Yamal says, ¡°Is that Raqiue?¡±


    Suddenly I start to hear a few chuckles from beside us, as Amer says, ¡°You really had your 5-year-old daughter play for you, and not only that she was actually able to beat us while you couldn¡¯t, I am sorry but that is just too funny.¡±


    Turning to them, I say, ¡°Broke naked morons shouldn¡¯t speak.¡±


    Hearing this they all close their mouths. Seeing how bad this mood is I look over to Yamal ready to say something but seeing his facial expression I stop.


    He is looking at us with furious eyes as if he is hanging on the border of insanity, his heartbeat is also going crazy. Crap this is bad.


    ¡°Hey you, did Raqiue beat them?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes she did.¡± The moment I say this I notice Yamal''s heartbeat has steadied completely.


    ¡°Raqiue come here!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Baba,¡± she says, getting out of my hands and running over to Yamal with a big smile on her face. ¡°Baba, I won this game for you.¡±


    ¡°You really are smart Raqiue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I really am smart and I can help you when you go gambling so you should bring me along, we can even figure out a way to make more money together, I don¡¯t really care what we play as long as we can play together. I have also found ways to make alcohol at home so we can brew it together instead of going out to buy some.¡±


    As Raqiue continue to talk Yamal¡¯s heartbeat continue to grow calmer and calmer. Hearing this I let out a sigh of relief; I thought this was going to turn ugly, but it seems everything is fine.


    ¡°So, Baba, I just want to tell you I will help you whenever you need it. Baba, I love you.¡±


    As I look at Raqiue¡¯s smiling face a smile fills me own, but this happiness causes me to let that my guard for a moment and in that moment Yamal slaps Raqiue in the face and says, ¡°Never talk to me again, you stranger!¡±

 Arc 8.16

    Seeing this I run over to Raqiue''s body on the ground and check to see if she is ok. There I see she is trembling as she holds her red cheek. Turning over to Yamal, I say, ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!¡±


    But what I see is that chains have suddenly appeared from him, the chains are attached by one end and the other end goes on leading out of the ceiling.


    Yamal says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste my last few hours here, so the whole lot of you can go fuck off.¡± Grabbing his bag of money Yamal leaves.


    As he leaves, Amer says, with a strained expression, ¡°That fucking fool, how could he do something like that when he was reaching his limit!¡±


    Behind him, one of his friends says, ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up about this Amer, our king must have already given Yamal a warning, he chooses to do this himself.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    They all look surprised for a second but then Amer says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know if I had seen you before, but if you don¡¯t know you¡¯re probably new to Jedidiah. To put it simply Yamal going to die.¡±


    Freaking out in my arms Raqiue breaks free and runs out.


    ¡°Raqiue wait!¡±


    Ignoring me she keeps on running, so I stand up prepared to go after her but Amer says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I was you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you can¡¯t do anything about it now, he ignored the king''s wisdom and that same king is going to kill him, so if you want to stop this I would suggest taking it up with him.¡±


    Throwing Amer''s clothes back at him, I say, ¡°Thank you,¡± As I leave.


    -Break-


    Seeing Ahmed¡¯s room in front of me, I burst open the door. The moment Ahmed sees me he says, ¡°Or-.¡±


    But I run to his desk before he can finish and slam my hands on it saying, ¡°Why is Yamal going to die?¡±


    Beside him, Adi says, ¡°Learn some respect, do you think you get special privliag-.¡±


    Holding up his hand to silence Adi, Ahmed says, ¡°I knew he was coming anyways, that¡¯s why I was speeding up my work.¡±


    ¡°Ahmed the hell is going on?¡±


    Getting up, Ahmed says, ¡°Don¡¯t blink,¡± As a legacy activates on his arm. Just it is gold in colour unlike my dark blue one, and despite him also using it on his arms its shape and design are different.


    As I am stunned for a second, I see chains with spiked ends emanating from his legacies like snow and ice do from mine. ¡°The chains you see from my legacy can be attached to people, and when they are I can always know someone¡¯s location, emotional state and even the thoughts in their head and restrict all of them. These are attached to every citizen of Jedidiah.¡±


    Suddenly chains emerge from Raqiue and Adi, ¡°Having all this information makes it easier to rule.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you knew where Yamal was yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sharp Orb, but it is also how I knew there were intruders. So, I placed a contact in my eye to hide my powers, since it is easier than dying my hair.¡±


    ¡°This still doesn¡¯t explain why Yamal is going to die Ahmed.¡±


    ¡°Hey Orb, did you know you can inherit memories from your legacy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    ¡°In the memories of my legacy, I saw sometime interesting. These chains can check a person''s emotional state by seeing the state of their soul, so the original owner of this power performed an experiment.¡±


    ¡°An experiment?¡±


    With an eerie excitement, Ahmed says, ¡°These chains check the emotional state of a person by seeing fluctuations in the soul. Because of that, he was able to figure out the difference between human souls, then for the next stage, he found the soul of an angel and a demon and compared a human soul to each of them.


    Pure-hearted and kind people were closer to an angel''s soul while horrible people were closer to a demon''s soul. And from this, he concocted a theory, that after a certain threshold, a human''s soul becomes similar to a demon''s and thus he was able to predict who would go to heaven and who to hell.


    So, using this information I enforce a law, that anybody whose soul borderline on that threshold will die, so they can make it to heaven instead of hell. And with my legacy, I can accurately measure that line.


    ¡°What the hell are you on about, so you just kill people when they cross such a threshold. By that same logic, their souls can get better even if they cross such a threshold.¡±


    ¡°But it could get worst, and they could just go on living while sinking themselves deeper and deeper in hell.¡±


    ¡°Still does that give you the right to kill him.¡±


    Leaning against a window, Ahmed says, ¡°Brother, the people who are from this country have suffered, the people who I have brought in from around the world have suffered as well. They have had to face lives of hardships and uncertainty so as long as they live here that will never happen again, that is my duty as a king.


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    They will have clothes, warm foods, beds, friends, fun, work, safety, and love, but more than anything they will have certainty in this life and in their death. The reason I didn¡¯t immediately kill Yamal is so he can spend these last few hours of his life fixing anything he has broken and push himself even higher up the threshold. I hope he can find solace and even happiness in the inevitability of death.¡±


    Clenching my fists, I say, ¡°But no one here will be able to die fulfilled, life is supposed to be a mixture of constant failure and success until humans can rise and shine the brightest and live good lives, that soul reason is what makes people splendid. That is what will allow them to smile on their deathbeds.¡±


    ¡°Orb that sentiment is nice and all but don¡¯t you think that is a bit childish.¡±


    ¡°NO! I have seen first hand it is possible.¡±


    ¡°Then Orb, I want you to answer me this; do all the people who live as you say and lead what you believe is a good life, do all those people end up dying happy and fulfilling death, if you say yes I will remove the chains on Yamal right now.¡±


    With passion, I say, ¡°YE-,¡± but I stop halfway. The moment those words try to leave my mouth, I am reminded of Sequoia, Cole, Suzuka''s parents, Iancu''s mom, and all the people at Skydust. The deaths they died weren¡¯t happy ones.


    ¡°See I knew you wouldn¡¯t be able to say it, and there is nothing wrong with that it is just the reality, good well-meaning people are not guaranteed to die fulfilled or even happy lives. They might try to live their lives like that but in the end, they have no power over their fate, and here I give such power. So, Orb unless you think that your way can guarantee more happiness for Yamal, I suggest you leave this alone.¡±


    As I stood there standing in silence, Ahmed says, ¡°I have already put funeral services in motion the moment I sensed his soul slipping, so I would like you to collect his body for me Orb. Since we both know it would be better for Raqiue to not see it.¡±


    Turning around and heading to the door I say, ¡°I don¡¯t agree with you, but I can¡¯t let Raqiue see such a sight.¡±


    Using my legacy, I storm out of the room.


    -Break-


    30 years ago


    Contient: Terrafide


    Location: Village of B¨ºq?met


    ¦µ Ever since I was a little boy I have always said the same thing to those around me; ¡°I am going to become a great adventurer and sail the seas all around the world,¡± I said while waving my little wooden sword in my hand.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever Yamal.¡±


    ¡°You always say the same thing, but you''re just full of shit.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not!¡±


    ¡°When you were 5 you said you would leave the village at 10 and become an adventurer, you¡¯re ten now so what¡¯s stopping you.¡±


    ¡°Go out and become the great adventurer you always said you would.¡±


    ¡°Well, I planned to, but taking care of my grandpa is top priority. Isn¡¯t that right pops?¡±


    We all look over to the plot of land my grandpa is ploughing at, where he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me Yamal, I will be fine just go live your dream.¡± As my grandpa finishes saying this, he holds his back and screams, ¡°OWWW, my lower back!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to watch your health idiot!¡±


    Hearing chuckles behind me, I see the other kids laughing at my grandpa, so I strike the one in front with my wooden sword and say, ¡°Who the hell are you idiots laughing at!¡±


    As I walk home with my grandpa covered in bruises, my grandpa says, ¡°You know you really don¡¯t have to hold yourself back just for me. My life is already at its end so go out and start your adventure.¡±


    ¡°Shut up idiot, no way am I ever going to abandon the only family I have left, so live a good life and I will start mine once your ends, you got that.¡±


    ¡°You''re going to be a great man someday.¡±


    Puffing up my small chest, I say, ¡°Of course I am!¡±


    And thus, as time passed so did my grandpa and on my 25<sup>th</sup> birthday, I declared, ¡°It is time to become an adventure!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you say Yamal.¡±


    ¡°Do you bastards ever learn.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Ok, since you''re actually going this time, I wish we wish you good luck.¡±


    ¡°Have fun.¡±


    ¡°Bring back many stories.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry soon everyone, will know the name Yamal Grandslam!¡± I say with a hefty laugh.


    But the moment I finish laughing I open my eyes and in front of me just like from a fairy-tale is the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen under a heavenly light.


    Frozen in my tracks, I ask, ¡°Who is she.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is Tarina, her family recently moved to our village.¡±


    ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t she the one who all the boys have been asking out?¡±


    ¡°Apparently even this idiot over here tried to hit on her.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t bring up such things.¡±


    As the three nobodies behind me continue to talk I walk over to Tarina drawing water from the well, and say with my hand pressed against the closest wall, ¡°Hey baby.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello, how are you?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, but I should really be checking up on you.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because you clearly just survived a fall from heaven.¡±


    ¦µ As me, Nob, and Zee, look at Yamal flirting from afar we all cringe. ¡°That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard.¡±


    ¡°I know Yamal isn¡¯t sharp, but there is no way he said that to a girl.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am going to die from second-hand embarrassment.¡±


    Though as we all look at Tarina''s face, we see she is smiling. In that moment all three of our thoughts align as we say, ¡°That worked!!!¡±


    ¡°That was the nicest thing I have ever heard, but why would you say that to me?¡±


    Posing flamboyantly Yamal says, ¡°Because I just needed you to know if you were a chicken you would be impeccable.¡±


    The three of us grab our chests as we say, ¡°Oh god!¡± in unison.


    ¡°Can he even get lamer,¡± I say holding my head


    ¡°Od, look she is smiling.¡±


    ¡°The hell!¡±


    ¡°Yamal¡¯s flirting actually works.¡±


    Picking up her bucket filled with water, Tarina says, ¡°Well I will see you around.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°Because my mind can¡¯t comprehend perfection.¡±


    Smiling even more she says, ¡°Oh, you!¡± as she walks away.


    As she leaves, we approach Yamal and he says, ¡°I think I am going to stay for a while!¡±


    ¡°HUH!¡±


    ¦µ Every single day from then on, I talked with Tarina, whenever she was free. I told her about my dream to go out to sea, and she wouldn¡¯t laugh or sneer at me only smile.


    I loved her so much that I knew I had to be with her every day, so I got down on one knee and said, ¡°Will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!!¡±


    Then fuelled with passion I went to go ask her parents for permission. But to my dismay, I was met by the most crushing words I could have received, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Father why.¡±


    ¡°My daughter is quite beautiful, so I have received many different marriage proposals with a lot more to offer than you have.¡±


    Getting on my hands and knees I say, ¡°Father what will I have to do to convince you I am worthy of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°It is not about your worth it is about the value that you could possibly give me, and you have none.¡±


    ¡°Dad.¡±


    ¡°TARINA BE QUIET! So Yamal what do you have to offer me.¡±


    ¡°Nothing so far but I swear I will one day.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Then how can I show you this.¡±


    ¡°Then I would need you to give me 1,000,000 Lupas.¡±


    ¡°Father that is too much, you have overestimated my worth.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, since I have gotten such an offer for you, then the rich really are ready to throw away large amounts of money for things they want. So boy, what do you say?¡±


    Standing up I shake his hand and say, ¡°Ok!¡±


    On that day I made the most crucial decision in my life, whether it was correct or not, I still can¡¯t decide.

 Arc 8.17

    Every day from that day on I worked.  An uneducated man such as myself would have struggled to find work, so Tarina¡¯s father allowed me to work for him. He was a merchant, and under the I began to work up the 1 million Lupas I needed to pay him for his daughter.


    I would go all across Terrafide to sell his goods as a travelling merchant, I would also go to both of the great port cities of Deno and Cordum to sell goods. Standing in Cordum the city where adventures began filled me with hope.


    But the disappointment I faced with my job was immeasurable.


    ¡°Hey, you how about you buy our fine goods.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me.¡±


    ¡°What about you, I believe this amulet would go quite well with your dress.¡±


    Putting up her hand, she says, ¡°Please don¡¯t breath the same air as me peasant.¡±


    Every day I would get talked down to or ignored, as I tried to sell goods. The only solace I had was when I returned back to B¨ºq?met and got to see Tarina again.


    ¡°Did you just come out of the oven? Because you''re hot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you!¡±


    Her laughing at my dumb jokes gave me strength to keep going, if the entire world was against me, she was the sole person with me and that gave me energy.


    Over the next 10 years, I worked no stop and I was finally about to fulfil my contract. Though in that time I noticed something, that my body grew weaker.


    My back hurt more, my legs were less stable and my belly wasn¡¯t as flat as before, I even slept more than I used to.


    But I managed to ignore all these things until I went to see the Nob''s baby.


    Holding up the adorable child, I say, ¡°To think the three nobodies now have kids, how time flies.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call us nobodies.¡±


    ¡°Ok sorry, it is surprising that Nob, Od and Zee all have children isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yamal you did it again,¡± Nob says getting worked up.


    From behind him his wife comes and smacks him on the head saying, ¡°Darling, quiet down our little Gala, is going to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Nob says, in a tired voice.


    Walking up to me Nob''s wife takes the baby and as she leaves with it, I say, ¡°Life must really be going well for you three.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    ¡°We have wonderful families.¡±


    ¡°But we should say the same about you Yamal, you''re almost finished paying off the debt?¡±


    ¡°Your right about that, in about a month¡¯s time I will be finished, and then I can start my adventure.¡±


    Suddenly all three of them have surprised looks on their faces as Zee says, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious about that?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Going on an adventure.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I, I don¡¯t lie I said I am going out to the world so I am.¡±


    ¡°But you want to marry Tarina and knowing you I am pretty sure you want kids, raising kids and having a family while being an adventurer is too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I am sure I can manage.¡±


    ¡°Yamal isn¡¯t that irresponsible; you can¡¯t go around doing selfish things like that!¡±


    ¡°Who the hell are you nobodies to say that to me!¡±


    From the other room Nob''s wife screams, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP YOU MORONS, THE BABIES ARE SLEEPING!!!¡±


    With all our fervour disappearing, we all say in unison, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Calming down Nob, says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to offend you, but what I am getting at is that we are no longer children, we have responsibilities and people to take care of when it comes to your wife and any possible children it is your job to make sure they will always be safe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Yamal, and none of us are as young as we used to be we¡¯re all over 35.¡±


    ¡°The other day I swear my knees started to buckle when I got up, and my back was killing me all throughout the night.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know what you mean, my shoulders have started to get really stiff and I can barely eat as actively as I did when I was younger.¡±


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    ¡°Guess it is just us becoming men. Though it can be sad at times.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we have alcohol, when you''re drunk you don¡¯t have to think about such things.¡±


    As I hear them ramble on in front of me, I start to feel sick, so I walk to the door and say, ¡°You are great husbands and are all going to be even greater fathers.¡± Then I slam the door and walk away.


    As I leave Nob''s house, I hear Nobs scream from behind me, ¡°Wait up!¡±


    Turning around I see something flying at me, so a try to grab it while fumbling, ¡°What the hell was that for Nob.¡± Looking at what he has thrown me I see it is some hard liquor.


    ¡°Yamal that¡¯s for the hard nights when the darkness creeps up on you.¡±


    I take a second to look at the bottle and I say, ¡°Thanks Nob, you might be a nobody in the eyes of the world, but at least for me you¡¯re an important friend.¡± And like that, I walk away.


    Over the next month, even though I try to ignore the Nob''s words I just couldn¡¯t, every single day as the debt grew closer to zero, I could feel the darkness crawl up on me, it was unrelenting in its search for me.


    With that ever-present darkness following me a month finally passed and my debt was fully paid back, and on that same day, I was invited to Tarina''s house to have a small dinner with her family.


    As we ate, I sat beside my soon-to-be wife with excitement. But suddenly her father asked, ¡°So Yamal, how would you like to permanently work under me?¡±


    Tarina beside me slams her utensils into the table and says, ¡°Haven¡¯t you taken enough from Yamal''s dad?¡±


    ¡°Please be quiet, the men are talking!¡±


    ¡°Father, I believe you know the dream I one day wish to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°To become an adventure at your age, what a truly pointless endeavour. But since I know how much you covert this dream, I will give you a better offer, I plan to open a permanent shop in Cordum and I offer you the position of owner of this branch.¡±


    ¡°Cordum is a great port city, if your shop survives there it will surely generate great profits, I don¡¯t think that is such a position for an uneducated man like myself to have.¡±


    ¡°Just like my daughter you underestimate your value, over this last decade your skills as a merchant have improved tremendously and all my business partners love you, I am sure an energetic man like yourself will be well received at Cordum.¡±


    ¡°But fathe-.¡±


    ¡°40% of whatever the shop generates goes to you, when you consider that and the fact that Cordum is the safest city in the world it is a no-brainer to live there. It is a husband''s job to provide for his family and keep them safe, so my offer allows you to do both. To reject such an offer would be crazy.¡±


    Letting out a defeated laugh I say, ¡°Yeah it would be absolutely crazy.¡±


    After he finishes his rant, we all eat, and after laughing at a few more of his tasteless jokes dinner comes to an end and we all go to sleep. Unable to rest during the night, I get up and head outside with a bottle in my hand.


    As I drink, I mumble, ¡°Cordum the city where the hunter guild is based, the home base of all the world''s adventurers, and the place I dreamt most of going. But now I have to live in the city of my dreams and watch as others accomplish there¡¯s. What a joke.¡±


    As I feel the darkness crawl up on me, I guzzle more wine and I start to cry a bit, then I hear, ¡°You really are handsome when you cry.¡±


    Looking to my left I see Tarina beside me. Wiping the tears of my eyes, I say slurred, ¡°Darling what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to check on you on your bed, but I didn¡¯t see you there, and then I found you out here. Now when did you start drinking alcohol?¡±


    ¡°It is only a habit I picked up over the last month, it helps a bit.¡±


    Looking at Tarina''s face after, I said this I see she is making a rather adorable face of disapproval. Then after a moment, she says, ¡°Yamal, I was thinking about the deal my father made you, and I-.¡±


    Cutting her off, I say, ¡°I will take it, such an offer is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it will allow us to live a comfy life, and provide for our children, there is also no better country to grow up in other than Cordum, education is free there and there will be thousands of business opportunities, not to mention the country is completely free from war. If it comes to keeping your family happy and safe there is no better place to live.¡±


    ¡°Yam-.¡±


    ¡°And even though I can¡¯t live my dream, I will get to help and support other adventures would want to achieve things, if anything it is a win-win situation.¡±


    ¡°Yama-.¡±


    ¡°And I am not fit to be an adventurer, the other day my knees made a weird sound as I walked, I ain¡¯t the young man I used to be, so I need to grow up face reality and get a real job.¡±


    Suddenly I am flicked on my forehead as Tarina says, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Yamal, now listen closely you idiot, don¡¯t take the job, let¡¯s go on an adventure together.¡±


    As she says this, I feel the darkness command me to correct her, ¡°Have you lost your mind Tarina, I literally just listed all the reasons why it is a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°I know them all, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    Standing up I say, ¡°I am your husband it is my job to protect, I can¡¯t let stupid things like my dreams stand in the way of providing for you and any future kids we have.¡±


    ¡°Yamal when I was younger, I was forced like all the other little kids to attend church and read the bible, but one of the only things I remember is a verse about marriage. That both the husband and wife become one body.


    This new body must provide for itself, clothe itself, cook for itself, clean itself, must be healthy, must be strong, must be wise and must take responsibility for all its actions. But most of those things can change by gods will, fade through time, or are simply things one must do to be an appropriate human, so what¡¯s the point of marriage?¡±


    Getting up Tarina grabs my hands and says, ¡°Simple, because everything you are I want to add to myself. So even when I only have my own flesh and blood, I will still have your funny jokes, your undying happiness, your never-ending will, and the joy you bring to my existence. I want to become one with you Yamal, so never stop being Yamal.¡±


    Feeling the darkness clear from me, I say with tears, ¡°But what about if we have kids, how will they fair?¡±


    ¡°A parent''s job is to teach their kids how to get through life and be happy. I don¡¯t think teaching your kid to sacrifice their lives just to make others happy is a good lesson, don¡¯t you think.¡±


    ¡°But it is my job to provide for you and our family, I can¡¯t be a fool, I can¡¯t drag you along with my whims.¡±


    Swinging both of us around with her arms, Tarina says, ¡°Marriage isn¡¯t some chain to hold you down, it is the fusion of two, so when I said yes, I accepted to take on all your problems and dreams with you, I have always been prepared to leave.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t allow you to shoulder that by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you will have to take on my issues as well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any that intense.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do, you don¡¯t know this but my farts stink like hell, I think I actually killed a cow once because of them. So now you must live with that for the rest of your life.¡±


    Letting out a little laugh, I say, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Takes one to know one. So, Yamal I ask you, will you become one with me?¡±


    Fully crying as we swing and dance around, I say, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Now as the first decree of our joint married life, no more of this,¡± Tarina says, grabbing and throwing the bottle in my hand. ¡°As long as our body continues to breath, no more alcohol, ok DAR-ling!¡±


    Staring at my beautiful fianc¨¦e, I feel all the darkness fade as I say, ¡°I vow to god!¡±

 Arc 8.18

    -Break-


    The very next day I married Tarina in a speedy wedding, then moments after we went up to her father and I said, ¡°Sorry I won¡¯t be taking your offer, since we are going to go on an adventure!¡±


    With a face of disbelief, he says, ¡°Has your mind rotted away.¡±


    ¡°As one body, that is what me and my darling wife have decided.¡± As I say this tears burst forward.


    ¡°Darling why are you crying.¡±


    ¡°It is just that I can finally say you¡¯re my wife!¡±


    Sighing, Tarina¡¯s father says, ¡°I see now, you let my child whisper into your ear, listen up right now Yamal do you know how many great men have fallen due to letting the inferior ones whisper sweet words into their ears.¡±


    ¡°Father, no Samuel, what me and my husband decide to do with our lives has nothing to do with you.¡±


    Laughing a little, Samuel says, ¡°You''re simply the daughter of a whore whom I graciously accepted as my own because of your face, don¡¯t think because some idiots are willing to pay for you that you can take such a tone with me you dumb bitch.¡±


    Without hesitation, I punch Samuael in the face and say, ¡°You may talk to your whores however you like, but you won¡¯t take that tone with my wife you got that Samuael!¡±


    Turning to my wife, I say, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Have been for ten years!¡±


    And in no time, we were already on a carriage preparing to leave. As we are about to take off our friends from the village wave us goodbye.


    Zee says, ¡°Spread the name of our village!¡±


    Od says, ¡°Bring back lots of stories and money!¡±


    Nob says with tears in his eyes, ¡°I know you can do it!¡±


    Waving goodbye, I say, ¡°You guys better live good lives!¡±


    On the carriage, we talked about where we would be headed next, ¡°Should we go to Braoneia or Elenito we could even go to Avalon.¡±


    As my beautiful wife is joyfully mulling over our next location. My mind goes crazy, and I say, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to Rasartine?¡±


    ¡°Rasartine?¡±


    ¡°A beautiful country which specialises in the creation of confectionaries, chocolate, marshmallow, even lamb Carmel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember you talking about such a country from your stories.¡±


    ¡°How do you remember such a story; I told you that over 9 years ago?¡±


    ¡°I always remember what you tell me.¡±


    ¡°You really are the greatest,¡± I say jumping my wife.


    As I try to kiss her, I am punched in the face as she says, ¡°Bad boy Yamal.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I know we can¡¯t have our first night as husband and wife like this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry when we get to Rasartine, I will give something very special.¡±


    Moving to the front of the carriage, I say, ¡°Give me those reigns!!¡±


    ¡°Sir what are you doing!!?¡±


    ¡°I have no time for this, I must get there!¡±


    Upon arriving in Rasartine, we looked on towards a country covered with confectionaries, from giant cakes to large lollipops everywhere. There are also large towers raining little coloured flakes.


    Walking up behind me my wife gives me a stick and says, ¡°Run with this.¡±


    As we run we hold up the sticks in our hands and candy floss appears in them.


    ¡°These special sticks makes all the micro candy fibres in the air clump together and it changes depending on where you are. See if I run over here the colour and the taste changes.¡±


    My wife with the joy of a child runs around as the multiple different colours of candy join to her stick making a large spiral of candy. Seeing her like this I start to cry again.


    Running up to me and stuffing all the candy in my mouth, she says with an adorable face, ¡°Stop crying and celebrate the happiness.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± I say with tears running down my eyes.


    Grabbing my hand, we run through the city as my wife says, ¡°Let''s go have some fun.¡±


    Looking back on those days I really wish I celebrated instead of crying.


    As the day drew to a close, up in the sky I see a swarm of omega butterflies flying overhead.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Jumping Tarina grabs one of them out of the sky, and says, ¡°It has been a while since I have seen one of these.¡±


    ¡°They could never find our village, so how do you even know what they are?¡±


    ¡°Remember, I wasn¡¯t raised in the village like all of you.¡± With a pouting face, she says, ¡°Look at you unable to remember things about me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it is just I have erased all information from before we were together.¡±


    With a blush, Tarina says, ¡°Idiot! But still, it is nice to see these, maybe I will get to read one of Captivant¡¯s stories again I always loved them.¡±


    With a sour face, I say, ¡°You like that famous author!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be jealousy darling,¡± Opening the omega butterfly Tarina starts to read it, but suddenly she has a frightened look on her face.


    All around us, I hear screams and tears, as I see people clutching the butterflies. Seeing this I run over to Tarina and read the newspaper.


    It says the following: On the 4<sup>th</sup> of Virgo, at 1 am the holy nation Gevurah declared war on Rasartine.


    After reading this I immediately grab Tarina and head to the inn to pack our bags. As we stuff our bags, I notice Tarina is shaking behind me, so I hug her and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry everything is going to be fine, but right now to make sure that has an even better chance I need you to help me pack.¡±


    Calming down she says, ¡°I trust you!¡±


    After packing our bags, we head out of the inn towards the border of the town, then get our carriage to head north on a direct road away from Gevurah to the south.


    Through the night we hold each other as we travel to the border city of Zweetkie, but when we arrive to our dismay, we see the army is stopping anyone from leaving north.


    As we head to the crowds outside the army barrier, we see them scream, ¡°LET US OUT, LET US OUT, LET US OUT!¡±


    Then the army shouts, through a shattered shell, ¡°Be quiet the lot of you! We are trying to protect you.¡±


    From the crowd, I hear someone shout, ¡°That¡¯s a bunch of bullshit, the reason you''re keeping us here is because if enough civilians die then there is a chance other countries might help you, WE ARE NOT YOUR CATTLE!¡±


    The moment the man finishes screaming, the crowd erupts as they try to force their way through. Pulling Tarina close, I say, ¡°We need to sneak through.


    As we start manoeuvring our way through the rough crowd, I start to breathe heavily as the heat starts to affect me. ¡°Just a little more honey.¡±


    But as I say this, I see blood spurt on my face. Looking forward I see some of the soldiers have started to attack the crowd.


    ¡°You traitorous scum, I told you to back up!¡±


    The soldiers in front of us continue to cut up people, which causes the entire crowd to turn around and run away. The people who suddenly start running in the opposite direction cause me to let go of my wife. ¡°TARINA!¡±


    ¦µ Being dragged away by the crowd, I scream out, ¡°YAMAL!¡±


    Using all the strength in my small body I try to push my way through the crowd, but I am instead pushed to the ground. As I try to get up, I am knocked down then suddenly I am kicked by one of the panicking runners.


    Recoiling from the blow I open my eyes to see a bunch of people running over me, so I enter a fetal position and try to protect my head. As the people keep stepping on me, I feel my body about to give out, but it suddenly stops.


    Opening my eyes, I see Yamal on top of me protecting me from being stepped on.


    ¦µ Seeing that Tarina is still alive, I let out a sigh of relief. But then my focus immediately changes as I try to cope with the pain of having my back constantly stepped on.


    Feeling a sharp piercing pain in my back a let out a scream, did someone just walk over me with heels. This isn¡¯t good I can feel my body about to collapse, but I can¡¯t, if I go down Tarina will have to take this and her body won¡¯t hold out, I must protect my wife!


    After a minute or two, I no longer hear the voices of people, so I say, to Tarina, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Lying on the floor of the street, my wife Tarina starts to patch me up. with a panicked look on her face she says, ¡°This is bad Yamal, you''re bruised everywhere and there is blood leaking from your back.¡±


    Looking at her body, I realize she is more injured than I thought so I say, ¡°Sorry for failing to protect you.¡±


    Suddenly she stops what she is doing and looks at me with a face of furious anger, ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you!!!? Did you really just say that you mentally roasted potato.¡±


    ¡°Sorr-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, you cotton-toed imbecile, you fish-necked bastard, you dairy dickhead.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do those insults even mean?¡±


    With tears, she says, ¡°Shut up, I don¡¯t even know.¡± As she starts to cry, I try to clear her tears, but as I do that she says, ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize because if you do my heart will break.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± I say holding my wife.


    After a little while she calms down and sits beside me all bandaged up.


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Looks like our first day as a married couple is already hectic.¡±


    With a cold expression, I say, ¡°Seems like it was.¡±


    Noticing my expression my lovely wife pokes, my cheeks and asks me, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Poking my cheeks even more, she says, ¡°Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!¡±


    ¡°OK!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever told you this, but my family were adventures of the hunters guild.¡±


    ¡°EH, really!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they use to race all over the world and have great adventures, and when they finished, they would come back to the village to tell me about them, hearing their stories even as a child made me so excited especially since they always looked so happy.


    Though it was sad that it was only me and Grandpa most of the time, so I asked them once to stay with me and Grandpa.


    But in response, they told me, ¡°Sorry son, but we have always wished to experience the wonders written in Captivant¡¯s books ever since we wore little kids, and until we see them all we won¡¯t stop.¡±¡±


    ¡°How selfish!¡±


    ¡°Your right, it was a very selfish thing to say to a child, but still I thought they were incredibly cool for it. Not rotting away where they were born and breaking free from all the rules that bound them. They felt like legendary heroes, but alas they were still just humans. One day, a priest from Cordum came to tell my family they had gone missing, apparently their ship ran into a tsunami.¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry Yamal.¡±


    ¡°No need to say that I have gotten over it. Well at least partially, you know somewhere deep in the back of my mind I thought that if I became an adventure I could find them, and when we meet, they would be proud of me for following their path.¡±


    ¡°Yamal.¡±


    With tears in my eyes I say, ¡°And because of I dragged us both here, I am so sorry!¡±


    Kneeling in front of me, my wife holds my head with both her hands and gives me a kiss. Feeling her lips against mine I stop crying, then moments later she says, ¡°That was our second kiss ever, I am still kind of embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°You know using that to manipulate my mood is evil.¡±


    Giving me another kiss, she says, ¡°But it worked didn¡¯t it.¡±


    Shy I say, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As I have said a hundred times at this point and will probably have to say for the next 60 years, don¡¯t blame yourself I agreed to this.¡±


    ¡°Honey.¡±


    ¡°Now if my memory serves me right this is technically still the nighttime of the day after our wedding, and I believe our carriage is still over there.¡±


    With a blush on my face, I get up and walk with my wife over to our carriage.


    Throughout that night I felt happiness I had never felt before, as I spent time with my darling wife.


    But it was something soon replaced with terror, as in just 70 hours Rasartine surrendered.

 Arc 8.19

    As we woke up and got the news of Rasartine''s unconditional surrender, we rushed outside where we saw people leaving. Stopping someone who was running away, I ask, ¡°What happen to the soldiers?¡±


    ¡°They fled the moment they got the news, so all of us can leave. You better hurry who knows when the Gevurah soldiers will be here.¡±


    Turning to my wife, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Running back to our carriage, we immediately make to leave. While holding the reins of our carriage I feel incredibly tense, but beside me, my wife says, ¡°It will be ok.¡±


    Riding down the road, I see a young woman lying on the floor and scream, ¡°Help me!¡±


    ¡°Yamal, we need to stop over there!¡±


    Gritting my teeth, I say, ¡°No we have to keep riding, every second is precious we can¡¯t afford to waste time.¡±


    Forcefully taking the reigns from me, my wife stops the carriage. Jumping out she goes to help the woman as I scream, ¡°Tarina, what the hell are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Shut up you big cry-baby. If we were to leave her you would just end up sad later and I don¡¯t feel like dealing with that, BLEH!¡±


    ¡°Every second is precio-.¡±


    ¡°Then stop complaining and help me Yamal.¡±


    Begrudgingly, I run over to them, and I see that the woman is crying and has a broken leg. As we take her to the back of the carriage she tearfully says, ¡°Thank you, thank you. I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No worries, just hurry up.¡±


    As I load her onto the back of the carriage my wife says, ¡°I will go sit and bandage her leg.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but just so you know I won¡¯t be able to ride gently.¡±


    ¡°I know, go as fast as you can.¡±


    Returning to my seat, I make the horse move at full strength while saying, ¡°I know I am being demanding of you but please I need your help.¡±


    We continue down the road for about 10 minutes, but I hear something far away as we are about to exit the forest, so I draw to a halt.


    From the back, I hear, ¡°Yamal what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I just want to check something.¡±


    Jumping off the carriage, I run over to the exit of the forest and in the distance I see a group of solder tying up people. ¡°That flag isn¡¯t from Rasartine, those soldiers are from Gevurah.¡±


    Running back to the carriage, I scream, ¡°Tarina!¡±


    Walking out she says, ¡°Yamal?¡±


    Grabbing her hands I say, ¡°You told me to rely on you in this marriage.¡±


    Confused, she says, ¡°Yes I did.¡±


    ¡°So I need you to do something for me, up ahead of us are solder so I need you to-.¡±


    ¡°I REFUSE!¡±


    ¡°Tarina be reasonable.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t marry you just so I would abandon you at such important moments. One body takes on everything together, so I refuse I need you to follow me.¡±


    With the most calm yet serious voice I have ever had in my life, I say, ¡°Tarina please listen. I am going to serve as a distraction while you ride the other way.¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s both go there is a chance we can both escape.¡±


    ¡°Some soldiers were heading this way, so I need to route them all away. It will increase your chances of escape.¡±


    ¡°Yamal, I can¡¯t let you die.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Tarina there is a zero percent chance I will die.¡±


    With tears, she says, ¡°But, but.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry darling, please just trust me, I know I can handle myself and don¡¯t you have a dependent in the carriage back there? You need to make sure she escapes as well.¡±


    Getting herself under control, she says, ¡°I trust you Yamal, so you better come back to me otherwise I will never forgive you.¡± Then I get a big kiss on my lips.


    ¡°I swear on my life.¡±


    From the carriages, I take one of the horses, and I jump on its back saying, ¡°Good luck darling.¡±


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    ¡°And my god be with you, darling.¡±


    Hearing this I ride off down the road as Tarina goes in another direction. While I ride off at full speed behind me, I see behind me soldiers riding on what looks to be a lionlike wonderbeast, and then above me I see arrows.


    Manoeuvring with my house I dodge the arrows, and as I do excitement fills my soul. Running away from bad guys on my trusty steed as arrows rain down on me so I can protect my treasure. This is what being an adventurer is like!


    Riding the horse as fast as I can I continue my fantasy in my head, but soon I am knocked off my horse and caught. While restrained I am dragged back to the remaining soldiers who say, ¡°Looks like we caught another good one, the boss will be happy.¡±


    ¡°We better hurry before any of the other armies find us.¡±


    ¡°Knock the men out it makes it easier to take them.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s start with this annoying pest here.¡±


    Feeling a force on the back of my head I fall unconscious.


    -Break-


    As a cold sensation washes over me I open my eyes to see that I am naked and surrounded by a bunch of other naked people, males and females of all ages.


    We are all in what looks to be a dark grey blocky area, and in front of us as men dousing us in water. As one of the children beside me screams, ¡°It¡¯s too cold!¡±


    One of the men says, ¡°SHUT THE FUCK UP.¡±


    As the kid starts crying the man says, ¡°Looks like I need to teach you a lesson little.¡±


    Walking up to the kid he grabs her as she screams, ¡°Stop.¡±


    Seeing this I stand up and say, ¡°What the he-.¡±


    But I am hit away. ¡°Piss off, you can get a turn later.¡±


    As the girl continues to scream, I try to get up, but I spit up blood. That punch was strong it must have been spirit arts. This is bad I can¡¯t let this happen.


    ¡°Now what the hell are you doing?¡±


    Turning around the man who picked up the girl looks frightened as he stares at a smaller man behind him. Bowing he says, ¡°2<sup>nd</sup> seat Tiburcio.¡± As he bows the man shakes uncontrollably.


    With a friendly smile, the man named Tiburcio says, ¡°No need to be scared all I want is an answer to my question, so what were you doing?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I Was just going to punish this brat for being excessively noisy.¡±


    Walking over to me, Tiburcio asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    His friendly aura catches me off guard, so I respond with, ¡°Not really, my face hurts.¡±


    Looking at my face, Tiburcio says energetically, ¡°My god what the hell your face is hella bruised.¡± Turning to the man, he says, ¡°Hey don¡¯t hit this man so hard next time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    ¡°You hear that, looks like you won''t be getting hit so bad next time.¡±


    What he says indicates he isn¡¯t angry at the fact I was hit but the intensity. Despite realizing this, his infectious aura causes me to say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, black brothers like us need to stand as one.¡± Getting up he walks over to the man while saying, ¡°Now back to business.¡±


    Standing in front of him, he says, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Draken,¡± he says while shivering.


    ¡°Calm down Draken, all that shivering is making me feel very uncomfortable, I just want to have a talk as friends.¡±


    With his nerves calming, Draken says, ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°Draken, do you know how much an 8-year-old virgin goes for?¡±


    ¡°Not reall-.¡±


    Before he can finish Tiburcio backhands him in the face so hard he flies into the wall to my right. Looking at his body in the wall I see a large blood splatter, it is almost like his body exploded on impact, he¡¯s dead.


    ¡°Oops sorry about that, looks like I was still angry at you for harming my brother over there.¡± Turning around, Tiburcio faces all the other guards and says, ¡°The sale of that single girl could buy me 10 times the men currently here and also allow me to pay each one of them a higher salary than all of you. DON¡¯T TOUCH THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!¡±


    With fright, they all say, ¡°YES SIR!¡±


    Pointing to one of the men he says, ¡°Now chair.¡±


    ¡°I will go get one sir.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand, you become my chair.¡±


    With a nervous seriousness, the man runs towards Tiburcio and goes on his knees to become a chair. Sitting on the man. Tiburcio faces us and says with energy, ¡°Hi, guys!!¡±


    Not a single one of us responds, so Tiburcio says, ¡°I am going to try that again, and I want all of you to know anyone who doesn¡¯t respond might end up looking like jam. So, for a second time, HI GUYS!¡±


    Frightened we all say, ¡°Hi Tiburcio.¡±


    ¡°See even when you¡¯re in hell you should make sure to keep your manners. Now as of the last few hours, Rasartine has been conqueror by Gevurah and because of that all citizens and residents of Rasartine are allowed to join our lovely kingdom of Religious indoctrination Gevurah or leave and be on your way!¡±


    Around the room, I feel all the people light up with hope, but as I feel it reach its maximum Tiburcio says, ¡°Well at least that is what would have happened if you were caught by any of the normal armies. But you all lucked out and were found by my boss''s army, and you see my boss loves to profit so he commands us to kidnap refugees to turn into slaves outside of anyone¡¯s watch.¡±


    Someone in the room screams, ¡°There are way too many of us here, someone will notice that the amount of people who left the kingdom was too little.¡±


    ¡°Righto, but we have already accounted for that. All your possession were burned along with fake bodies so as far as the world is concerned, we just butchered you all. Of course, our boss will get in trouble with the higher-ups for this massacre, but he is too important to face any serious punishments.¡±


    Getting up from his chair, he says, ¡°SO, let''s all work our hardest to make as much money as possible. Now boys take them away.¡±


    From that day on I was kept in a cage and maltreated every day. We were beaten, insulted and our food was messed with, they basically did everything except what would kill us.


    Some of us were exempt from this treatment, it was high-end individuals who would sell for much more than old ugly men like me. Whenever I saw these people I had envy for them, but that was soon replaced by pity.


    On the days when we were all lined up to be bought it was always those people who were taken, but what was worse than that was that it was always women or young children. You could see the horror in their eyes when they were taken. My mind could barely handle the sound of their crying and screaming not to be taken.


    Every day I fought against physical and mental battles in this place, but one thing kept me going throughout it all; my promise to Tarina. I swore to God I would see her again and even if it kills me I will do it, and besides I need to have sex again.


    Getting punched in the fact, one of the guards says, ¡°What the hell are you smiling about?¡±


    ¡°Thinking about my beautiful wife and how soft her skin felt.¡±


    Hitting me again he says, ¡°I guess that is the best a slave like you can do, especially since you will never see her again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, I was being rude. You have obviously never experienced the wonder of a woman wanting to have sex with you, so I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up.¡± Bowing I say, ¡°Sorry my man.¡±


    As the men behind him start giggling, he says, ¡°Your dead you bastard!¡±


    Suddenly chains come and rip the man''s hand off. ¡°I am sorry, but don¡¯t you touch another hair on that man''s head.¡±


    Looking out my broken cage door, I see a beautiful young man with gold hair which has some black in it. As he walks over to me, I say, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Stuffing an apple in my mouth he says, ¡°A man who won¡¯t ever let you be abused again.¡±

 Arc 8.20

    Chewing on the apple in my mouth I start to feel my body fill up with energy.


    ¡°That should heal you up.¡±


    From behind the man, I hear someone say, ¡°You know if you sold those to us you would live in comfort for the rest of your life.¡±  Looking past the man I see it was Tiburcio.


    ¡°Being comfortable and being fulfilled aren¡¯t linked in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Being fulfilled and being happy aren¡¯t linked in the slightest my dear king,¡± Tiburcio says finishing his sentence with a bow.


    ¡°King?¡± I say shocked.


    Turning back to me, he stands me on my two feet and says, ¡°My name is Ahmed Abrahams, and from today on you''re free.¡±


    With disbelief, I say, ¡°Your kidding, right?¡±


    Tiburcio says, ¡°He isn¡¯t in the slightest, that fool has just bought all the slaves we had available for twice their market value.¡±


    ¡°What that pest said is correct, from this moment I have given you all freedom.¡±


    Hearing this tears start to form in my eyes, ¡°Looks like I can see you after all Tarina.¡±


    Suddenly Tiburcio starts to laugh, and then he says, ¡°No way, what are the chances!¡±


    Turning to him, Ahmed says, ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°I just realized something, and you might get to hear about it for the right price.¡±


    ¡°Another scam.¡±


    ¡°You can think that all you want but you will definitely regret it later.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I will pay you whatever, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°I was just going to tell you that it would be messed up to only buy the husband and leave the wife.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    Hearing this my mind goes blank for a moment. Seeing my despair Tiburcio smiles and says, ¡°Just down the hall to my left.¡±


    I run out of my cell and head down the long hallway. As I do I see the faces of people in their cells but my mind immediately deletes them as I run, the only thing my brain does is constantly repeat the words, ¡°No way, no way, no way, no way.¡±


    Using all of the energy I was given I run as fast as I can until I reach the end of the hallway. Seeing a cell in front of me, memories of my wife pass by in my head.


    ¡°Yamal your looking completely stunning today.¡±


    ¡°Yamal do you know all wonderbeast''s poop smells like flowers.¡±


    ¡°Yamal, I can''t wait to leave with you I am so excited.¡±


    ¡°Yamal I love you.¡±


    Arriving in front of the cell, I see a decrypted woman, she has cuts and bruises all over her body, and her skin is as dry as a raisin but without a doubt, I can tell this is Tarina.


    Falling to my knees I break down in tears. Running up to me Ahmed hugs me and says, ¡°It will be ok, it will be ok.¡± But I can barely hear him.


    Turning to Tiburcio, Ahmed says, ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°That would be Tarina, Yamal''s wife apparently. About a week after we brought in the rest of you guys 3 and half years ago, we found her snooping around our compound and quickly detained her.¡±


    Hearing this I freeze in terror and say, ¡°She came here cause of me.¡±


    ¡°Most definitely. Funny how all this time you guys were only one 30-second run away from each other, that must be fate.¡±


    As I cry even more intensely, Ahmed says, ¡°Why the hell is she in such a state?¡±


    ¡°Well, a 30-something-year-old woman like her is basically valueless so no matter what happened to her it didn¡¯t really affect our profits, but at the very least she did give us some amazing future profits.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    As Tiburcio and Ahmed talk all I do is cry, but from behind the cell I hear someone say, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Mommy said you should only cry in front of your family or friends.¡±


    Looking up I see a little girl with a piece of cloth wrapped around her eyes.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± I ask with fright.


    ¡°That¡¯s our amazing future profits, isn¡¯t she adorable? This is Tarina¡¯s daughter.¡±


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    With a calm yet shocked voice, I say, ¡°Her daughter?¡±


    ¡°I guess that also makes her your daughter considering she was pregnant when she arrived, but in all honesty knowing females she probably isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¦µ Using my legacy, I surround Tiburcio with chains and say, ¡°Watch your tongue!¡±


    ¡°What are you going to kill me if I don¡¯t? My 2<sup>nd</sup> seat title isn¡¯t just for show and in your nearly sleep-deprived state do you think you even have a single chance of beating me.¡±


    With fury building up in me, I utter, ¡°LEGACY ADVEN-.¡±


    ¡°Stop for a second, and think about what you¡¯re going to do. If you do that you could probably kill all of us here, but then my boss one of Gevurah''s 1<sup>st</sup> seats will come to your little country and burn it to the ground, and then he will take his time enslaving all your precious citizens.¡±


    Calming down I turn off my legacy, then Tiburcio says, ¡°Good boy.¡±


    Then from behind us someone runs up and says, ¡°Tiburcio there is an issue.¡±


    ¦µ With an energetic smile, she says ¡°Are you my Baba, mama always told me about you.¡±


    Seeing the girl that is my daughter in front of me I freeze up, I don¡¯t know what to say, so my mind starts asking questions to make sense of this. ¡°Why are you where that cloth?¡±


    ¡°Baba, Mama told me to wear this whenever the guards came because if I do baba would come to find us, So during certain times I wore this and put this stuffing in my ears,¡± She says talking off her covering.


    Looking at her face I see a gorgeous little girl, who looks exactly like my darling wife. Bowing she says, ¡°Mama told me to mind my manners.¡± Then with a big smile on her face, she says, ¡°Nice to meet you, Baba!¡±


    Slowly I stretch my hand out and through the bars a give her a hug while crying.


    ¦µ As the man finishes informing Tiburcio, he says, ¡°Never thought Cole would abandon his brother like that, but I guess the destroyer of the Animus family isn¡¯t going to care much about bonds. Go fetch Lionheart for me.¡±


    Turning to me, Tiburcio says, ¡°Change of plans Ahmed, we have just made a huge loss and because of this the price of all prisoners will double, oh and if you want that little girl there it will be ten times the going rate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I think black girls are utterly gorgeous, so I think that is a good value for that child¡¯s future potential. You know if you buy her, you could even take her as your wife in a couple of years.¡±


    Enrage I grit my teeth and say, ¡°Whatever price you want.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for doing business.¡±


    ¦µ The man named Ahmed breaks the cage open and says, ¡°Let''s get them out of here.¡±


    Talking off the cloth he is wearing he wraps the body of my wife as I pick my daughter, and we walk through the corridor. As we do around me, I see the crying and smiling faces of all the people who have been freed along the way but I just completely zone them out, and I say, ¡°What¡¯s your name.¡±


    ¡°Raqiue!¡±


    ¡°Raqiue is a beautiful name,¡± I say with even more tears.


    When we all leave the compound, Ahmed gets in front of us all and says, ¡°All of you are free from this moment on. But that isn¡¯t enough in my opinion, you have no clothes, no money, and are all inflicted with wounds both in your bodies and your minds. Simply letting you go would be irresponsible, so all of you can come to my kingdom.


    It might not be as familiar as home to some of you, but I can guarantee you will never go hungry, you will always have someone, and you will always be safe. A place without discrimination and hate where you will never ever be a slave again!


    Though if you choose to leave, I will give you money to help you survive wherever you choose to go.¡±


    Around me I see people wavering at the words of Ahmed, and I know why; it is too good to be true. A saviour appearing out of nowhere and liberating us all, most people have had to hold on to such hope to survive but now that it is right in front of them, they simply just cannot accept it.


    But I already know my answer. I finally have freedom there is nothing stopping me from heading to Cordum and becoming an adventure, my body was broken but that apple has fixed me I feel like I could run all the way there by myself. What I want most is right in front of me and there are no barriers between me and reaching it.


    Walking forward I shout, ¡°Please let me come with you!¡± After I say this many others come forward and also request to be taken.


    I can¡¯t let my selfish dream eat up any more of the lights in my life. This innocent child born from my mistakes will not be swallowed up by them, in this moment Yamal and all he is dies. Goodbye, forever your delightful dream.


    -Break-


    With haste, we were all brought to his wonderful kingdom, and just like he said all our needs were taken care of. I was put in the most beautiful house I had ever seen with the clothes we were given being just as nice every day we ate hefty meals that filled our stomachs, and at the end of the day, we rested our heads on a nice bed.


    The locals were wonderful and accepting, they all treated us like we care and they made a beautiful grave sight to bury our dead. So only a few days after we arrived, we held a ceremony for the passed.


    Tears filled many eyes, even my precious daughter Raqiue who only just learned of her mother''s passing. ¡°Mama, Mama!¡±


    As I stared at the grave all I could do was stand there holding Raqiue. I had cried enough tears over the last few days, and it seems they had all dried up. Not a tear remained.


    And unforgivingly, time moved on. Raqiue went to school to learn while I just walked around Jedidiah wherever I wanted, I tried to look for work, but I was unable to motivate myself to do any it is like my mind rejected the very idea.


    For many months my life went on like this. I would wake Raqiue up and talk to her about Tarina, then I would wake to school. Until she finished school I would walk around and talk to the locals about the jobs they were doing or I would visit the attractions across the town.


    When school finished, I would pick her up and then together we would sit down and eat as she told me what happen. Then we would finish up our day by going to see one of the stories at night. Seeing the smile on her face when I tucked her into bed filled me with energy each day, I thought if the point of my life was to just do this I could go on. But then, the darkness crept up on me yet again.


    Day after day I could feel something was wrong something was off, something was wrong. This feeling crept up on me like an assassin, but I ignored it and kept going, but it never ended so I used my only tool to wage war against alcohol.


    Every day I drank to suppress it, but it grew more and more so I drank more and more. Though eventually I reached my breaking point and had to face the truth; I hated being here.


    I hated being in this country, I wanted to go on an adventure and see the world I wanted to be able to see everything with the people who mattered most to me, but here I am living the life that my wife promised me I wouldn¡¯t.


    Even after all my failures that ended up consuming my wife, I still yearn for it; the life of adventure I always wanted. I am disgusting, from the bottom of my heart I have never felt more hatred than I do for myself.


    As the days went, I felt the two opposing forces of my lust for adventure and my hatred for my existence clash again and again without victory, and eventually mentally fatigued by this battle all I could do was drink the pain away.


    Laying on my desk surrounded by bottles, I say with a slurred speech, ¡°Oh how I want to die.¡±

 Arc 8.21

    -Break-


    ¦µ I run through the rooftops looking for Yamal. Smelling something familiar, I say, ¡°I picked up his scent he should be over there!¡± Then with Snowboost, I move over towards that direction. If I can get Yamal to tell Ahmed he doesn¡¯t want to die I am sure Ahmed will let him live.


    ¦µ Guzzling the alcohol in my hand, I shout to the sky with a drunk slur, ¡°MY darling Tarina it seems I will finally be able to see you again, I am sorry it took me so long to get to you, but I wasn¡¯t able to build up the courage to do it myself, but my glorious king has decided to do it for me.¡±


    Dancing on the roof, I say, ¡°You got to hear this our little Raqiue is a super genius, she has only been going to school for a year and a half and already she is doing things other adults can¡¯t even do. She could easily provide for herself even if I am not around, all she would need to do is go to the casino and walk home with a full bag. Apparently, she is also a social butterfly, the reason most people even know my name in this country is thanks to her, isn¡¯t that great.¡±


    As I dance, I trip and fall to the rooftop, and as I lay on it I stare up at the night sky. ¡°Though Tarina I have done something you might not like. For the last year, I have spent time pushing the child away from me. No, that is a lie my wife, to be honest, I think I might hate her. She constantly looks at me with these eyes of trust and unending love even though I single-handedly have taken so much away from her, that look makes me hate myself more than ever, so I guessed I just pushed her away to protect myself.


    But still thanks to that she learned how to cook for herself, brush her own teeth, do her own hair, handle her own laundry, and clean her own messes. She has many friends who will look after and care for her, she can even provide for herself with her big brain, and I am sure with that big brain she will get an amazing safe job, maybe in the king''s palace.


    You know I can see it now, a beautiful woman helping slaves from around the world. She doesn¡¯t need a man who hates life to be at her side polluting her destiny, and after my stellar performance today I have assured all connections she has with me is destroyed completely.¡±


    Drinking some more, I say, ¡°I have nothing left to do in the land of the living, so I am going to go and become one with you yet again.¡±


    Looking at the bottle in my hand, I say, ¡°I should probably get rid of this if I am going to become one with you again.¡± Weakly I throw the bottle away.


    Turning my head to the bottle, I say, ¡°Maybe just one little sip.¡±


    Getting up I sloppy walk over to the bottle and try to pick it up, but I keep failing as it rolls away with each of my failed attempts. Eventually, the bottle ends up at the edge of the roof, so I try to grab it, but I trip and fall and end up with a bit of my upper body hanging off the edge.


    Pulling my body back, I stare off the edge of the building where I see my little Raqiue looking up at me. ¡°BABA, I AM SORRY, BABA PLEASE FORGIVE ME.¡±


    Even though I hear the words coming out of her mouth they don¡¯t register in my brain, all I can think is how pretty she is, Raqiue really got the best of both words. To think I was blessed with such an amazing daughter.


    ¦µ While jumping from rooftop to rooftop I see Yamal. But around his body, I see chains appear. ¡°I got to hurry,¡± I say moving as fast as I can.


    ¦µ Looking at my little princess I feel happiness fill my soul, wait didn¡¯t I promise her I would take her to see the story tonight, looks like I won¡¯t be able to do that, I should find some way to make it up to her. I probably shouldn¡¯t say this but I just can''t stop myself, ¡°I love you, princess.¡±


    ¦µ As I am about to reach Yamal, I see one of the spiked ends of the chain hit the back of his head, causing him to fall off the building. With haste, I catch his body and we land on the ground below.


    When I recoil, I examine the back of his head to see his brain has been pierced, Yamal is dead.


    I just sit there in shock, until I hear little footsteps from my right, then I hear, ¡°BABA.¡±


    Running over to us Raqiue grabs Yamal, and says, ¡°Baba I love you too, I love you so much, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Shaking Yamal, Raqiue says, ¡°Baba let''s go, it is already late, it isn¡¯t good to be out for so long.¡± Blood from the back of Yamal''s head starts to leak out all over my clothes and Raqiue''s hands.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Seeing her hands soaked red she screams, ¡°BABA, PLEASE DON¡¯T LEAVE.¡±


    I freeze the hole in the back of Yamal¡¯s head and say, ¡°Raqiue, he is gone.¡±


    ¡°NO, HE ISN''T.¡±


    ¡°Raqiue, Yamal isn¡¯t here anymore.¡±


    ¡°NO, NO, NO!!!¡± she screams, then soon after tears flow. ¡°Mama said when Baba comes for us, he won¡¯t ever leave us. Baba, can¡¯t be gone he can¡¯t.¡±


    Seeing the child crying I am unable to think of anything to say so I freeze the fresh blood of my clothes and just give her a hug, as she cries.


    -Break-


    In mere minutes soldiers came to get Yamal¡¯s body, but as they do Raqiue screams, ¡°GO AWAY!¡± While covering herself over Yamal¡¯s body.


    ¡°Raqiue, we need to take his body away and prepare for the funeral.¡±


    ¡°GO, AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY!!!¡±


    ¡°Please Raqiue hand it over.¡±


    ¡°NO! None of you helped Baba at all you just left him alone all this time, and now you want to take him from me, LEAVE HIM ALONE!!¡±


    ¡°Raqiue he was given a warning by our king, yet he still choose to hurt you, he choose to leave you Raqiue, he didn¡¯t care about leaving you in such a state so don¡¯t waste time over someone who didn¡¯t care for you.¡±


    ¡°NO, BABA LOVED ME.¡±


    ¡°We all know how he treated you; he ignored you every day leaving you to basically fend for yourself, and when he had any free time he would just drink and gamble. If this was any other country his habits would have ended, you up on the street.¡±


    Weakly she says, ¡°Baba loves me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but not one of us can believe that for a moment with his selfish behaviour, if it was up to us we would have punished him a long time ago, but in the end, our gracious king decided to save Yamal¡¯s soul before he assigned himself to hell. The afterlife is supposed to be wonderful, and I am sure if Yamal is as good as you say he will enjoy his time there.¡±


    With more tears following from her eyes, I say, ¡°Raqiue for now you should let them take the body, if they don¡¯t preserve it Yamal will rot, and I know you don¡¯t want that to happen.¡±


    She nods her head yes to the soldiers and then in front of us they take away the body. Before they leave one of them says, ¡°Raqiue our king has graciously invited you to stay with him in the castle for the night if you are lonely. You can bring any friends you want along.¡±


    Clutching my shirt with what I believe is a tiny anger, she says, ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be home alone tonight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will keep her safe.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, be safe Raqiue.¡±


    In silence I walk her towards her house as she cries in my arms, holding her body like this I realize something that has escaped me before now, that Raqiue really is just a small child.


    Entering her house, I bring her upstairs to her room then I freeze all the bloodstains off her leaving only flakes of ice behind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to sleep here.¡±


    ¡°Then where do you want to go?¡±


    With her finger, she points to a much bigger room which must be Yamal¡¯s, so I say, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Walking inside I lay Raqiue on her father''s bed, then I say, ¡°Do you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Could you just stay here?¡±


    I nod my head yes as I make a small stool out of ice.


    As time passes Raqiue says, ¡°Baba followed me to school.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He would always follow me on my way to school trying to be stealthy, though I would always notice. And when I reached my class, he would start at me through the window from the top of a building. Eventually, people started to notice and would talk to me about it, so because of that I made friends.¡±


    Laughing a bit, I say, ¡°That''s pretty goofy, if he was like that, I would think he would have more friends.¡±


    ¡°Baba is very handsome, so many women would always approach him, and when they did, he would just spit on their clothes and say; I¡¯m married. It made people not like him, but I always thought he was cool for that.


    Even though Baba was mean to me, when he got drunk he would start crying and hug me, and then he would repeatedly say; you¡¯re cute, you¡¯re adorable.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and the next morning he would always go back to acting distant to me, it always made me laugh a bit and it gave me happiness knowing that no matter how he acted Baba loved me.


    Even when I got sick, and my mind was fading Baba would sit beside me with a worried look praying exuberantly with tears in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather big word.¡±


    ¡°Baba got invigorated when I use big words, even though he still looked angry or said mean things, he always got more energetic after I say them. I love Baba, and I know Baba loves me, so why did Baba have to die?¡±


    In her eyes tears start to form as she says, ¡°I don¡¯t think Baba was bad at all, he was just sad. But whenever I did good work at school or took care of myself, he got a little happier, so I thought if I became a strong adult he would become permanently happy. If I grew up faster, could I have saved Baba, is it my fault he is dead?¡±


    ¡°Not at all Raqiue.¡±


    ¡°Then whose fault is it, because it has to be someone¡¯s. Mama always told me how Baba was smiling, so someone had to take that away from him. I tried so hard to restore it to him but I just didn¡¯t have enough time.¡±


    ¡°It was impossible to do such a thing by yourself.¡±


    Infuriated Raqiue screams, ¡°THEN WHY DIDN¡¯T ANYONE HELP ME, aren¡¯t adults supposed to be smart why would they leave my Baba in such a state? Why would they judge him when they never did anything to help him? If something bad happens to me they help me, but why not my dad? He was a much greater human than me, so please tell me why Baba is dead?¡±


    As she cries, I just hold her close, and after some time passes she eventually calms down and goes to sleep.


    Name: Yamal Grandslam


    Age: 40


    Birthday: 15th of Taurus


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: A man from an insignificant village that dreamed of becoming an adventurer. He has an endless passion for his dream, which often clashed with many other parts of his life. The only thing that could rival that passion was his love for his wife and daughter.

 Arc 8.22

    Standing up I start walking around the house and I notice a few things. Yamal¡¯s room is rather clean for a sloppy fellow, and I can say the same thing about all the other rooms, they are all completely spotless and look just as if they had all been brought in.


    In the house are books about proper child education, and healthcare for children, and on a rather tall shelve are a bunch of medical supplies, and a list titled Raqiue¡¯s favourite foods. Then on a shelf above, that is another journal entitled my darling daughter.


    Opening it I read countless notes from date to date about what Raqiue said or accomplished. This level of obsessive care is rather scary.


    Walking through the kitchen I look around and see how messy the organisation of the foods are, doesn¡¯t Yamal know that keeping your food clean is just as important as keeping your body clean?


    I also find a loaf of sliced bread, but all the crusts are cut off, ¡°What are you some kind of baby!?¡±


    Next, I find a sheet of what I believe to be musical lyrics and I read them. ¡°What the hell these are so childish, I guess even Raqiue¡¯s genius brain can be dumb sometimes.¡± Taking another look at the lyrics I realize they are written by Yamal which causes me to laugh.


    From there I walk over to the bookshelf, where I see just a single genre of books; adventure stories. ¡°I guess Yamal must really love adventure.¡± Noticing one of the books, I say, ¡°This isn¡¯t an adventure story.¡±


    The book I now hold in my hand is My Cotton Fangs. Turning the book around I say, ¡°I knew this was familiar it was written by Capti.¡±


    It is the story of how a sheep and a lion become best friends and then eventually lovers but as they continue to indulge in pleasure the lion lost itself in such pleasure and devoured the sheep alive. ¡°This was one of my favourites.¡±


    ¡°You know thinking about it, Capti¡¯s books really did change with time.¡± His early life ones were wild and unhinged, then when compared to his late-life ones they were calm and serene almost as if you were reading a biblical text.


    I guess Capti really did change a lot throughout his life, and I guess Yamal could as well. Should he have died like that? Could he have been saved? Would he have been able to meet an end like Capti? I like to believe so but the evidence I have experienced so far can¡¯t allow me to say that.


    I want to believe what Ahmed is doing is wrong from the bottom of my heart, that Yamal could have changed his life around, but I don¡¯t know, I just, don¡¯t know.


    And to let my selfishness devour someone¡¯s happiness, no, their salvation, is something I can never bring myself to do.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking through the street I lower my head and say, ¡°I am pathetic.¡±


    Jollily walking in front of me, my sister says, ¡°Don¡¯t be down Cyrus, you only lost to that kid because he tricked you. If he played fair in the arm wrestling competition you would have walked away the victor.


    ¡°I-I-I can¡¯t believe I was tricked.¡±


    Rubbing my head, Pari says, ¡°It is fine, everyone gets tricked, I am living proof of that.¡±


    When my sister says this, my eyes transfix to the scars across her arms and I say, ¡°S-S-S-Sorry sister.¡±


    ¡°Apology accepted, now it seems we have reached our destination.¡±


    Looking around I say, ¡°This is w-w-where I found you!¡±


    ¡°It seems your mental capacity has exceeded itself, Cyrus. You see I like to come up here from time to time to look over the kingdom, it is beautiful isn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±


    ¡°This country is so nice and fun, every day I spend here is utterly amazing.¡±


    ¡°Our home is much more a-a-amazing sister.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Our small village is bigger than this entire country and has much more fancy decorations everywhere, and there are a bunch of pe-e-e-eople we know there, I am sure they are waiting f-f-f-f-or our return.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Cyrus?¡±


    ¡°Sister come home with me.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus you know dragons who have lost their horns aren¡¯t allowed back, it is the highest sign of disrespect to the dragon god.¡±


    ¡°S-S-Sister, I am sure if we explain no one will be angry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool Cyrus, I know your head is full of air, but you should know that there are no exceptions.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Then come with me sister, if we go with Orb, we will be ok I am sure he will take care of us.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus who even is this Orb person, and why do you trust him so much? For all we know he is just some slave buyer who is looking to find two dragons for himself, you have been living on Terrafide for a long time you should know this.¡±


    ¡°O-O-Orb isn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus stop being a fool, how often does your judgement turn out to be correct? For gods shake you usually fail at most things so just listen to me.¡±


    Running up to my sister, I grab both her arms and say, ¡°Sister what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus let go of me.¡±


    ¡°NO! Sister why have you been acting strange, e-e-e-ever since I saw you, I have seen you acting like a different person the way you walk is loose unlike how refined it was, the way you talk is so mean and heavy it is nothing like your soft and gentle words. I don¡¯t know what this country is doing to you, but I don¡¯t like it. I want my sister back, and this time I will be able to protect you!¡±


    In my hands I feel my sister''s body shake as she says, ¡°Cyrus you¡¯re really getting on my nerves.¡± Breaking my grip my sister throws me away and says, ¡°I am sick and tired of hearing all your whining, I never want to see your face ever again.¡±


    As she walks off I say, ¡°Sister.¡±


    Stopping she says, ¡°I am not your sister anymore Cyrus, just leave me alone.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ I have completely lost track of how long we have been down here; the underground city that me and Anto have found is massive, for all the time we have been under here we have barely seen anything.


    No matter which direction you look, or how high you look from, you will see it expand endlessly into the distance. It is overwhelming, ¡°Saying this place was bigger than Elpida was an understatement.¡±


    Turning a corner as me and Anto go deeper into this area, I see Anto who was running in front of me jump back in horror. Then turning the corner, I see a giant head, half of the head is dried up like it has been worn away but the sand, looking at it I notice a giant body attached to the head.


    ¡°Is this a wonderbeast?¡±


    Jumping on my back, Anto says, ¡°I think it is a sphinx, it is an extinct wonderbeast.¡±


    Feeling Anto shaking, I say, ¡°Does it scare you?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Anto says with a shy vigour.


    Taking him from my back I hold him close to my front and I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t start acting coy with me, I don¡¯t need another Orb.¡±


    Freaking out in my arms, Anto says, ¡°I am not acting like anything!¡±


    Pushing Anto closer to my chest, I say, ¡°If you behave you might get a reward.¡±


    Hearing this he calms down immediately, which causes me to laugh a little, but moments later that laugh is quickly erased by shock.


    In front of us, as we walk, we see skeletons. Some skeletons are small, some are large, some are so brittle that as we walk past they turn to dust, while some are bunched up together, the only thing they all share is the jewellery they have.


    Seeing Antos''s sombre face, I say, ¡°Look at all the expensive jewellery, isn¡¯t this where you take your fill?¡±


    Looking away from the dead bodies, Anto pushes his face deep into my chest and says, ¡°No one should feast on the flesh of the dead.¡±


    Patting his head, I say, ¡°I know Anto.¡±


    Walking forward we see the skeletons of people and animals scattered everywhere, the number of corpses are countless. ¡°There are more bones down here than there are people up there. This place must have once been a great empire, what the hell happened?¡±


    In my arms Anto says, ¡°A giant sandstorm hit the country, and most of it was buried underneath, well at least that is what I remember from story books.¡±


    ¡°Where did this sandstorm come from?¡±


    ¡°No idea, but one thing I do remember is that not even a day later the continent of Vicotria froze over and became Fimbulwinter. Many historians have tried to figure out this correlation, but most of the documents of that time were frozen over in Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°The things on this continent are rather strange.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta, I have a question for you?¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Why are we even going down here?¡± As I say this Atalanta has a rather panicked look on her face, ¡°I doubt many people even know this place exists, yet you were looking for this place, why is that?¡±


    ¡°Well how should I put it, I guess I got lucky.¡±


    Using my legacy, I immediately try to stab Atalanta to invert her mind. ¡°Anto what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Speeding up the process.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Ok, I will tell you.¡±


    Turning off my legacy, I say, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°You know sometimes you act like a different person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because my sister is asleep right now.¡±


    ¡°In my home country there is a book about this place, and in said book, it told the story of how one of its kings did research on legacies, but apparently he was very secretive about it and hid it all. So, I thought the most obvious place for it was down in the inner palace.¡±


    ¡°So, you decided to go look for it, and just so happened across this area.¡±


    ¡°Yes, absolutely, positively.¡±


    I can tell she isn¡¯t lying but I have messed with enough scum to know she isn¡¯t telling me the whole truth. ¡°Stabbing you is going to be faster.¡±


    As I try to put my legacy toward Atalanta¡¯s head, she dodges and says, ¡°Over there!¡±


    Immediately she runs over to the area she said. Then when she stops, I finally get a good look at where she has dropped us, and I see a giant door, with a strange symbol on it, it sort of looks like a clock gear.


    Atalanta''s face is incredibly stern, her light-hearted aura has vanished entirely. ¡°Finally, I am here.¡±


    Walking over to her, I say, ¡°Well let¡¯s hurry up and get in.¡±


    ¡°No Anto you should probably wait here; I doubt you would be unaffected.¡±


    ¡°What do you me-.¡± As Atalanta opens the door a little bit, I start to feel incredibly nauseous as if the entire world around me is spinning.


    Running over to me, Atalanta says, ¡°Anto!¡±


    After I regain my mind I say, ¡°What was that.¡± But looking at her face I see she is staring at something behind me.


    Turning my head, I see a small old man with a cane. Walking over to us slowly, he says with a goofy expression, ¡°I went to see my grandson early but to my surprise, I saw him knocked out in front of his room. Do either of you happen to know what happened to him?¡±


    In unison, me and Atalanta say, ¡°We have no idea what could have possibly happened to him,¡± With stone cold faces


    Bowing he says, ¡°Oh thank you for your time.¡± Turning around the old man walks away, but then with frightening speed, he lunges towards us without his cane.


    Reacting to his movements Atalanta grabs me and barely dodges to the side. As she dodges, she takes out her bow and turns it into a sword and tries to hit him the moment she regains her balance.


    But the old man parries the sword away with his left hand, and then with his right hand, he hits Atalanta right in the stomach, which sends us flying into a wall.


    As our bodies fall from the wall into the ground, I start to cough off blood. I didn¡¯t get hit but I felt a shockwave pass through me, my limbs are shaking I can barely move; this old man is strong.

 Arc 8.23

    Walking towards us slowly, the man says, ¡°You might be the king''s guests but know this, you won¡¯t get off easy for this behaviour.¡±


    In the most convincing voice I have, I say, ¡°We just happened to find out about this place.¡±


    ¡°I have been following you for an hour and what I have seen tells me that you both were intentionally looking for this door, and the very fact you know about its existence is a national crisis.¡±


    Atalanta fires a volley of arrows at the man and picks me up. As we run away, she says, ¡°Anto teleport us!¡±


    Seeing the man approaching us I throw my dagger and teleport us away as he attacks.


    When we reach our new position Atalanta runs at full speed. Looking at her I ask, ¡°Are you ok? Your body is way more injured than mine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can still run, and don¡¯t think for a second I am going to let you get busted for my mistake.¡±


    From my right side, I hear, ¡°How sweet,¡± Before Atalanta is hit sending her flying again.


    As we land on a building, I feel even worse than before and continue to cough. It is like someone just shook all my organs all at once. Looking over to Atalanta I see she is struggling to get up.


    Turning my head, I see the man approaching us at a high speed, so I throw another dagger and teleport us away.


    As we hang in the air, I say, ¡°I will get us away even if I have to use all my daggers.¡±


    I throw dagger after dagger teleporting us higher and higher. Due to me throwing the daggers upwards, I am unable to catch them in the position I teleport to.


    After I teleport us a fair distance away, I look behind me to see the old man still coming, he lunges from structure to structure and even across the sand a frightening speeds.


    In my arms, Atalanta says, ¡°I will handle this.¡± Then using her bow she lets out repeated volleys of arrows directly at the old man.


    The old man seeing this stops in the middle of the sand then after making a strange movement the sand starts to spin and then turns into a hurricane which blocks all the arrows.


    As we move Atalanta says, ¡°He is like the rabbit.¡±


    ¡°What rabbit?¡±


    ¡°The one that fought the giant wonderbeast when we got here, he is controlling sand and is attacking us from the inside out just like the rabbit did.¡±


    ¡°But if he can fight the same as that little devil-.¡±


    ¡°Then we are in big trouble!¡±


    I teleport us and run from building to building as Atalanta tries to ward the man off with countless arrows, but he manages to dodge or block them all.


    Seeing the door through which we came, I say, ¡°Where almost there.¡±


    I throw one more dagger which will allow us to reach the door, but as I do the old man lets out a giant whistle and moments later a giant wonderbeast with a big open mouth comes out of the sand and eats my dagger mid-air.


    Then behind us, I hear, ¡°Gotcha.¡± Atalanta is then hit right in the stomach, but the moment she is she throws me away and I am sent flying towards the door.


    ¦µ Crap, I am going to pass out any second now.


    The old man in front of me says, ¡°You used the force of my technique to send the boy flying away, quite a quick thinker.¡±


    ¡°Getting hit by an attack is the best way to figure out what it is.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a warrior, now go to sleep.¡±


    As he prepares to hit me again, I scream, ¡°ANTO RUN!!!¡±


    ¦µ Hearing Atalanta''s words I run away at full speed. I need to find Orb.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I sit in front of Ahmed and all his companions I say, ¡°If you¡¯re going to tie me up you could have at least made it pleasurable, this rope work is completely amateurish, I have felt better from getting my bitten by bugs.¡±


    Angered Scheherazade says, ¡°How dare you, my rope work is top class.¡±


    ¡°Then you must have been sleeping with the teacher then.¡±


    Easifatan says, ¡°How dare you slander my beloved Scheherazade.¡±


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    ¡°She is your beloved? That didn¡¯t seem to come up when you wanted to sleep with me.¡±


    Beside him, Scheherazade gives him a death glare and says, ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°It was a lapse in judgement, I was tricked.¡±


    Feeling a fiery presence, I see the old man say, ¡°You¡¯re the head guard, head of this country''s security and you allowed yourself to be tricked!!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Grandpa!¡±


    Hitting him directly in the stomach, the old man says, ¡°You will be sorry after your re-education training.¡±


    Running onto Ahmed, Easifatan says, ¡°Please help me!!¡±


    Ahmed punches Easifatan on the head and says, ¡°Act your age.¡±


    Walking up to me, Ahmed asks, ¡°How did you know what was in the labyrinth?¡±


    ¡°I read a book on your country, and using my keen deduction skills I figured what I would be looking for would be buried in that tome. You see I was interested in one of your king''s research on legacies.¡±


    ¡°That research on legacies was not in that room, I have all those papers in my study.¡±


    ¡°Well, I made an honest mistake then.¡±


    ¡°Old man Naji told me when you saw the symbol on the door you excitedly ran over to it, which must mean you knew what was behind that door.¡±


    Feeling sweat trickle down my face, I say, ¡°The book I read had a similar symbol so I simply thought it was the door I was looking for.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You see that is what bothers me, because there are no written documents about that, my family passed down that information from word of mouth, so you''re telling me some random village has a book about a secret passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation in my country.¡±


    With a bright smile, she says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°To the east is the continent of Enotita, to the northwest is Molstoria, and far up in the north is Victoria now known as Fimbulwinter. And since I doubt you¡¯re from the dragon continent to the west Avesta, I would really like to know where you¡¯re from.¡±


    The woman freezes for a moment and says, ¡°I am from a shitty insignificant little village on Terrafide, no place fit for humans.¡±


    ¡°And this book you read, is anyone allowed to read it?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone, but I would say the number of people who have read it surpasses 200.¡±


    ¡°Did you know on Terrafide there is a country called Cordum, and the funny thing about Cordum is they offer exchanges of pure gold for information. So, it is almost improbable that not one of those 200 people who live in your small shitty little village wouldn¡¯t have exchanged said information, especially since your living conditions were as you put it, not fit for humans?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Cordum sends out people to scour the world looking for small villages to exchange information with.¡±


    ¡°We never saw such a person.¡±


    ¡°I know how thorough Cordum is, unless you''re living in the underworld I can guarantee they would find your village.¡±


    ¡°I am telling the truth you got to believe me.¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH! I was trying to be thoughtful, but you have pushed my buttons too much I will just check your soul right now.¡±


    Using my legacy, I extend chains to try to attach to her, but upon making contact with her they bounce right off.


    Adi to my side says, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It is possible to use spirit energy to ward off things that directly attack the soul.¡± Looking down at her I say, ¡°You do realize how suspicious this is.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have some things I would rather no one knows about.¡±


    After she says this I kick her in the stomach and say, ¡°If your concentration breaks then I will be able to enter your soul.¡±


    ¡°Unless you feel like burning me at a stake, I can guarantee my concentration won''t falter.¡±


    Turning my head towards Easifatan, I say, ¡°Go arrest Orb and his companions.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    With a panicked voice, she says, ¡°They have nothing to do with this, it was all me!¡±


    ¡°I want to believe that, but I can¡¯t until I check each of their souls.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°I gave you a choice don¡¯t forget that.¡±


    ¦µ After he says this to me his facial expression changes, and then he says, ¡°Easifatan stay here, it seems Orb will probably be coming towards us, and he won¡¯t be happy get all guards to stand on standby we have no idea how strong he is. I am going to need all your help.¡±


    Scheherazade, Adi, Easifatan and Naji, bow and say, ¡°Yes my king.¡±


    Confused I say, ¡°What do you mean Orb is coming?¡±


    As Ahmed is about to say something in response, he suddenly starts to hold his head and falls to his knees.  All of his people run to his side and Adi says, ¡°This is a bad time for this, we need to get him an apple immediately.¡±


    From behind me, I hear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will do it.¡±


    Turning around, I see that Cyrus''s sister has just entered. Walking over to him and picking him up, Adi says, ¡°Lady Pari don¡¯t bother yourself with this.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a bother at all and what kind of fianc¨¦ would I be if I leave my partner to rot.¡±


    Did she just say, fianc¨¦!?


    ¡°I will be on my way now.¡±


    Adi says, ¡°Naji please bring this intruder to a prison cell.¡±


    ¦µ As my Pari takes me by the shoulder out of the room all I can think is; why Raqiue, did you really feel that much hatred?


    ¦µ Walking back into Raqiue¡¯s room all around her body, I see chains. ¡°It is just like Yamal,¡± I say running towards her.


    Looking over her sleeping body I see her toss and turn while saying, ¡°Baba, Mama,¡± with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good, this isn¡¯t good.¡± Composing myself I say, ¡°If I wake her she might panic, right now what I need to do is go straight to Ahmed.¡±


    Walking down the stair of the house I head to the door where I see Cyrus walk in with Anto on his back. With a worried look, Anto says, ¡°Orb we have some trouble.¡±


    -Break-


    With a slight annoyance, I ask Anto, ¡°Why were you sneaking around in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta was acting weird, and I thought someone should keep watch of her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for losing my cool, you were right to watch her. But anyways we need to head to the palace to get her back and ask Ahmed to release Raqiue.¡±


    ¡°Orb isn¡¯t it strange that he can even keep his legacy on all the time? I can only keep it active when I am awake.¡±


    ¡°When we met earlier Ahmed said he hasn¡¯t slept since the Rasartine war began, at first I thought he was lying but judging by his behaviour I don¡¯t think that might be true.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°If I had to guess I would say that apple he was given, I have no idea what it was but when Yamal bit into it he woke up. So, his legacy must turn off when he falls unconscious like the rest of us, this will help us.¡± Because I am not sure if I can settle this whole matter peacefully.


    Standing up I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go straight to the palace.¡±


    As I stand up, Cyrus says, ¡°O-O-O-Orb can Ahmed use these chains to control people?¡±


    ¡°I believe he can to a certain extent.¡±


    ¡°Then he might have messed with my sister.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that, Cyrus?¡±


    ¡°Sister, Pari was acting strange. It is almost as if she is a completely different person, if he used his legacy, he might have done something to her.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty Cyrus, I don¡¯t know if he would do such a thing or not, but we will know if we knock him unconscious, but I would rather it not come to that, ok.¡±


    ¡°O-O-Ok Orb.¡±


    Heading outside, I use my legacy on my legs, and then me and Cyrus run directly towards Ahmed''s palace.

 Arc 8.24

    -Break-


    Arriving in front of the palace entrance, I kick the large doors into the palace open and shout, ¡°AHMED GET OUT HERE.¡±


    In front of me, I see a horde of soldiers preparing to leave. Seeing this my hair starts to turn blue in embarrassment, with a whimper I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know so many people would be here.¡±


    On my shoulders, Anto giggles at me, so I say, ¡°Shut up!¡± Turning to face the soldiers, I walk up to them and say, ¡°Would you be able to tell me where Ahmed is?¡±


    All the soldiers in the room suddenly turn their spears to me, and then one of them says, ¡°Don¡¯t use our king''s name so lightly you lying scum.¡±


    I know Anto and Atalanta made a mistake but aren¡¯t they a little too hostile? ¡°I think there must be some mistake, I have come to apologize for the actions of my friends.¡±


    ¡°BE QUIET!! We were told to arrest you on sight, so come peacefully or else.¡±


    Remembering Raqiue I grit my teeth, and say, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this just let me through.¡±


    The man in front attacks me with his spear and scratches my cheek, then says, ¡°The time for talk is over either come peacefully or come broken.¡±


    After he says, this I say, ¡°This is only going to hurt for a few days.¡±


    The moment I speak he attacks me with his spear again, but I break it and create giant ice spikes all around us.


    One of the soldiers in the back screams, ¡°ATTACK!!¡± So all the soldiers run at me.


    To my left, I hear Cyrus move to attack the soldiers in that direction, so I face the soldiers coming from the right. I turn my ice spikes into snow then I create more ice spikes in that direction to ward off the soldiers.


    After I finish up the soldiers, I turn my head to the left to see all the other soldiers beaten up. Looking at Cyrus I see he has this strange aura about him today, his concentration today is sharper than his sword.


    Jumping on my back, Anto says, ¡°Sorry for not being useful.¡±


    ¡°Your plenty useful in many situations, but for big hordes like this just leave them to me, and the rest of the muscle.¡±


    Walking over to Cyrus, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s split up to find Ahmed and Atalanta. I will go with Anto, while you go alone.¡±


    With confidence leaking out of Cyrus, he says, ¡°Alright.¡±


    As we prepare to go in our separate directions, I say to Cyrus, ¡°Remember, our first goal is to get Ahmed to remove Raqiue''s chains, I would prefer to do that through conversation, but if he refuses don¡¯t be afraid to do what you have to.¡±


    Cyrus nods his head in response then we make our way down two separate hallways.


    -Break-


    As I move through my hallway, I knock out all soldiers I see on the way, and behind me, I make sure to drag all the snow I have created with me. It is rather annoying, but I need to conserve strength, if I hit my limit I am finished.


    Anto on my shoulder says, ¡°We haven¡¯t run into any soldiers for a while, aren¡¯t they supposed to be coming from this way?¡±


    ¡°All we can do is keep our guard up.¡± Seeing something in the distance, I accelerate, but the moment I do I hear a familiar sound, ¡°Lighting!¡±


    Suddenly I see a group of arrows approach me at high speed, so I dodge out of the way.  As I dodge I turn my head, and see that the arrows which I dodged had sparks coming off of them.


    As I regain my composure, I look in front of me and I see a group of men with large golden rectangle shield set up in a barricade, and behind them is a large staircase leading to a singular door. But on that staircase is a group of soldiers with bows, men and women.


    ¡°Orb there is a lot of them.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Still, in the same position, I take all my snow and I clump it all together, then just like a snake I manoeuvre all that snow to crash right into the men with shields, and the moment it hits I will freeze it.


    But as I do one of them shouts, ¡°BRACE.¡± Then all the men hunker down and take the snow directly.


    The same voice shouts, ¡°PUSH!¡± Then all the ice on their shields breaks off.


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    ¡°This is going to be annoying.¡±


    On my back, Anto says, ¡°Orb their shields have the same scales as the wonderbeast Cyrus fought.¡±


    ¡°The Tahajalmud.¡±


    Seeing another volley of arrows come at me, I dodge and as I do I get a good whiff of them and say, ¡°Those arrows smell just like the Jackal''s horns, they have weaponized the wonderbeasts of Jedidiah.¡±


    As I continue to dodge the arrows, I see women with curved swords jump over the men with shields and they come at me. From the way they move I can tell each one of them is incredibly nimble.


    I use snow boost to dash towards them, then using the claws on my legacy I clash with their blades. As I fight then I am cut up all over my body, those weird blades are hard to follow I can¡¯t fully understand their reach, and with Anto on my back dodging in close quarters is a pain.


    One of them slices me right at the side of my neck, then says, ¡°This is your punishment for betraying the king''s trust. Now die!¡±


    Jumping overhead, her head, I create ice which makes all of them move back, then I say, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to mess with you guys,¡± As I snow boost towards the men with shields.


    I jump onto the walls of the hallway, then I use ice to freeze my legs as I move allowing me to walk on the walls. Moving towards them I see the archer have fired another volley of arrows at me, so I jump from wall to wall as I get close.


    Suddenly I hear the sound of projectiles from behind me, so I dodge to the floor and as I do I peek behind to see that daggers were being thrown at me by the women. ¡°Tch.¡±


    Still, even though I am back on the floor I am still close to the shields so I can just run straight towards them. Snowboosting in their direction I hear the man in the centre scream, ¡°BREAK!!!¡±


    Then in the centre of all of their shields, holes open up, and moments later I see spherical objects shoot out of their shields directly at me. Immediately I make a barrier of ice, but then explosions go off in front of me, sending me flying behind the nimble swordswomen.


    My ears are killing me. As I grasp for breath my mind tries to make sense of what just happened; that explosive force it had to be gunpower, I always wanted to see it just not in this circumst-.


    Before I can even finish my thought the sword of the nimble woman is already at my neck. Quickly, I dodge away but I am cut indirectly on my stomach. Then I realize all the swordswomen have surrounded me at all sides and are coming towards me.


    There unrelenting I can¡¯t even find a second to catch my breath. Shit my body is still rocked from those explosives, I need to finish this quickly.


    Over at the staircase, I hear one man shout as he slams his shield into the ground, ¡°WHO ARE WE!?¡±


    Slamming their shields into the ground, all the other men shout, ¡°THE BLADES OF JEDIDIAH!¡±


    ¡°AND WHAT IS OUR PURPOSE!?¡±


    ¡°TO DEFEND JEDIDIAH!!¡±


    ¡°FROM WHO!?


    ¡°THOSE WHO WISH IT HARM!?¡±


    ¡°SO ALL THOSE WHO WISH IT HARM WILL BE!?¡±


    ¡°DESTROYED!!!¡±


    Shut the hell up; my ears are already about to burst. One of the women in my moment of distraction swings her blade next to my eye, so I jump back but when I do I realize that all the other women are swinging their blades right next to my neck.


    They caught me off guard I need to make ice now, no I won¡¯t make it in time!


    Suddenly I see that my environment has changed, and then I hear Anto say, ¡°Orb I only have two daggers left, I don¡¯t know how much help I will be.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you have already done enough.¡± Facing the soldiers I say, ¡°Nimble swords women who hunt me relentlessly, incredibly hard shields that can fire explosives at me and archers who can keep up the pressure no matter where I am.¡±


    Dodging another volley of arrows, I say, ¡°The best way to deal with a long list of things to do is to take them on one by one.¡±


    Snowboosting past the women, I create a thick wall of ice blocking the soldiers from assisting. The moment I do this one of the men yells, ¡°BREAK!!¡±


    I only have a little time to deal with these women, so let¡¯s get started. Beneath my feet, I create snow which covers the floor for me and the women. Then I move towards them and as they do the same towards me, I convert the snow into ice and seal their movements.


    As fast as I can I kick the women in their chins to knock them unconscious, but some of them are strong enough to break out of my ice and move towards me.


    ¡°Prepare to die, invader!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have too many promises to keep.¡± When they approach me, I make a small field of snow beneath my feet, and as they approach me I turn that snow into ice spikes to break up their formation.


    In this moment of confusion, I knock more of them unconscious. When the remaining ones regain themselves and come back to attack me, I turn all the ice on the floor into snow which knocks them off balance, then again I snowboost around and knock them unconscious.


    Dodging away I realize there is only one left, the talkative leader. ¡°No more support from your friends.¡±


    ¡°I alone am enough to kill you!¡±


    Entering an exchange with her, I am cut up as I try to dodge her sword. The movements of that curved blade are too weird.


    ¡°Continue to struggle in vain intruder!!¡±


    The explosions are getting closer I need to finish this up right now. I can¡¯t keep up with her movements, so I got to think of another way to beat her, she is too fast in close quarters to create any ice and she isn¡¯t going to let me out of her range. So, all I can do is analyse her moves.


    Focus, focus, there must be an opening somewhere. I found it. She keeps repeating the same vertical slash towards my stomach, it seems she is trying to expand my stomach wound and make me bleed out. All I have to do is wait for her to do that slash from the left again, I can beat her.


    After 5 seconds she goes for the same attack yet again, so I use my left knee and elbow to trap her blade and then I freeze it breaking the blade into pieces. The moment I do this she is shocked, but almost as if out of instinct she starts to back away.


    The moment my left foot touches the ground I use snow boost to propel it right next to the temple of her head, then I slam my foot into it and knock her into the ground.


    Immediately, I turn all my snow around me into snow then I rush towards the other soldiers.


    Name: Tarina Grandslam


    Age: 38


    Birthday: 19<sup>th</sup> Pisces


    Hair: Purple


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: The wife of Yamal Grandslam, and daughter of a prostitute. She was taken in by her father to be sold for her beauty, due to this she was often mistreated and never had much love in her life. But one day that changed, and from then on she continued to spread love and happiness with every action she takes to the point where many consider her to be headstrong.

 Arc 8.25

    ¦µ As the boy runs towards us again he repeats the same move he tried on us before, so I scream, ¡°BRACE,¡± And all my soldiers hunker down with spirit energy flowing through their shields.


    When the boy''s attack hits it turns to ice like last time, so I scream ¡°PUSH!¡± But as I do I feel something cold at my feet. Looking down I see some of the boy''s snow had gotten under our shields then suddenly it all turns into ice spikes, which break our formation slightly.


    ¡°HOLD YOUR GROUND!¡± I scream trying to get my soldiers back in formation, but in front of us the boy has made giant spikes of ice that are heading towards us, they are so big that they are breaking right out of the building.


    Seeing them come at me I try to fire a cannonball through my shield, but it is too late as the spikes hit us and completely break our disrupted formation.


    Many of my men are sent flying back, I hunker down and scream, ¡°STAND YOUR GROUND, MY SOLDIERS, VICTORY IS WITHIN REACH!¡±


    As I scream, I see all of the ice in front of me turn to snow then out of that snow the boy appears with a spear in hand. So, I infuse as much spirit energy into my shield as possible. ¡°JUST TRY TO GET PAST ME!¡±


    ¦µ While running towards the man I believe to be their leader, Sequoia''s words play in my head.


    ¡°Orb you and Willow got injured again today!?¡±


    ¡°It is because these spears are crap, they always snap against the beast''s hide, if I had a stronger weapon like a sword or a Warhammer I wouldn¡¯t have this issue.¡±


    Slamming his hand against my head, Sequoia says, ¡°YOU FOOL!¡± As I hold my head in Pain Sequoia says, ¡°Listen Orb the spear is the strongest weapon of all.¡±


    ¡°You have clearly never seen a canon then.¡±


    ¡°A spear can pierce through anything, all you have to do is find one weak spot, everything has one,  then the moment you do put all the force of your body into one thrust deep into that weak spot and watch as a foe who should never have been downed by you falls.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a bunch of nonsense.¡±


    Condescendingly Sequoia says, ¡°Even with all that knowledge in your big head, you¡¯re still so immature.¡±


    ¡°Say that again you troglodyte!¡±


    With the man in my sights, I instantly look all over his shield for a weak spot, an imperfection in his defence I can strike through. Right there where the hole for the canon opens up, it has the smallest armour.


    Griping my spear, I activate my legacy on it then with the full force of my body I thrust into the shield and the moment my spear hits the shield I create ice to increase its power.


    All this allows me to pierce through the shield which causes it to break into pieces, then using the spear I pierce a hold in each of his legs while freezing the wound at the same time.


    I snowboost past the man, then in the middle of the staircase, right in between the archers and the rest of the soldiers I create a wave of ice and knock them all away.


    On the top of the staircase, I look down at all my defeated foes, and then Anto says, ¡°I knew you were strong, but this is ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°To be honest I took twice as long as I should have, if I used a spear since the start, I wouldn¡¯t have had this problem.¡±


    While twirling my spear in my hand, I say, ¡°I haven¡¯t used one of these in some time but I feel even more familiar with this than I ever did before.¡±


    In this moment of relaxation, I hear lighting coming towards me from the door on top of the staircase, so I tighten up my body and dodge to the left. ¡°It is just one thing after another.¡±


    Bursting out of the door is Easifatan, who screams, ¡°Don¡¯t worry fodder, I am here to save the day.¡± Looking down at all the defeated soldiers, Easifatan screams, ¡°What the hell happened!!!!?¡±


    At this moment, I take my right leg and snowboost it so it can hit him directly in the face, but he bends backwards causing my foot to miss him.


    ¡°To surprise attack Easifatan the Great, YOU FOOL, DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD HURT ME.¡±


    As my foot hangs over his head, I create an ice pillar downwards to hit him in the face. As he lies on the floor with his face bashed in, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry your still handsome,¡± as I start to walk away.


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    Behind me I hear something moving incredibly quickly and dodging right through the door I see Easifatan has got up, and in both his hands he holds daggers that emit lighting. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this to a friend such as you, but whatever my king commands I must obey.¡±


    Easifatan runs at me and clashes with my spear breaking it in two, then one of his daggers comes for my arm, so I jump back and activate my legacy on my legs and arms. Looking at my arm I see a slight cut and I say, ¡°My arm feels numb.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a slight shock, you will soon be intimately familiar with it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t have any more time to waste here.¡±


    ¡°Be grateful that the Great Easifatan is even giving you any of his time!¡±


    The door took us to a long dark hallway, which is only lit up by my changing hair colour and Easifatan daggers. Through the hallway, I enter an exchange with Easifatan, and I realize how strong he is. He is just as fast as all those nimble woman and whenever I am hit by him by body goes numb slightly, even when I clash head-on with my legacy.


    ¡°What is that all you have!!! Now take my ultimate technique; Easifatan arts: suqut al''iida''a!¡± Then with incredible speed, he cuts up my body.


    ¦µ Throughout Orb¡¯s body I cut him up, his back, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, chest, glutes, shoulder, calf, deltoids and numbing each muscle with every attack. With how sluggish he has gotten I am able to kick him in the stomach, which sends him sliding down the hallway close to the door we entered from.


    ¡°I doubt you will be able to continue after that flurry of attacks, so if you give up and declare me the victor, I will make sure your cell is nice.¡±


    Orb effortlessly gets back on his feet and then starts to jump in one place, while saying, ¡°The difficulty with fighting lots of people at once is trying not to kill a single one of them, but you see with one opponent like you it isn¡¯t that hard.¡±


    As Orb finishes saying this I blink and a moment later he is in front of me with his legacies claws coming towards my face. I immediately jump back barely dodging the attack, but Orb continues attacking relentlessly, forcing me down the hallway.


    Orb jumps from wall to wall as he sends me down the hallway with precise strikes throughout my body, he strikes my back, triceps, biceps, hamstrings, chest, glutes, shoulder, calf and deltoids. Hitting me in my face, Orb says, ¡°Look like we even, all that¡¯s left is a kick.¡±


    The moments after I am hit in the face Orb kicks me directly in the stomach sending me through the door at the end of the hallway and into the next room, one of the military''s break rooms.


    ¦µ As Easifatan files through the door I snowboost following him in, and before he can land on his feet, I try to strike him midair, but to my left, I hear something coming at me, so I put up my left arm to block and am set flying away by the force.


    Getting knocked into some chair I quickly get up and say, ¡°Anto are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡±


    Looking for what attacked me; I see standing on a platform Scheherazade wearing something similar to Easifatan with a thorny whip in her hand, it sort of reminds me of the Tahajalmud¡¯s tail.


    Looking at Easifatan, Scheherazade says, ¡°I guess you¡¯re just talking!¡±


    Standing up energetically, Easifatan says, ¡°DON¡¯T UNDERESTIMATE THE GREAT EASIFATAN!¡±


    ¡°Good to see,¡± she says with a smile.


    In that moment of relaxation, I snowboost towards her, I need to return this to a one-on-one as quickly as possible.


    Noticing me Scheherazade swing her whip right at me, causing me to dodge while as I approach but it is a lot harder than it seems. Her whip is as hard to read as the nimble women¡¯s swords, and with the elevation of the platform she can see me wherever.


    The closer I get to her the harder it is to dodge especially with Anto on my back. I simply need to focus more and use my hearing to fish out where the end of the whip will hit.


    Focusing I look for where the end of the whip will strike me and listen in for it, hearing it coming right for my chin I dodge, but the moment I do I notice something piercing me.


    Looking to my left arm I see that the body of the whip is touching it, and as Scheherazade says, ¡°Gotcha!¡± She pulls the whip back and the thorny body of it rips away at my arm causing blood to flow out of it.


    Immediately I freeze the wound then I notice that her guard has dropped for a moment, so I snowboost towards her. I have gotten close enough that I should be able to at least knock the whip out of her hand.


    ¡°HERE I COME!¡±


    From my right Easifatan shoots lightning at me, so I create a wall of ice to block him, but the force sends me falling to the ground. The moment I land Easifatan rushes me.


    He is a lot faster and more precise than before. ¡°Sorry Orb, but now that my woman is watching I can¡¯t lose!¡± He uses one dagger to aim for a vital spot which I have to block, then immediately he tries to strike another with the other dagger, so the moment I block the first one I move to block the second and he just repeats this over and over giving me no time to counterattack.


    Creating a spike of ice on the ground I am able to get him to back off for a moment, but then he shoots lighting from his dagger at me, so I create ice to block it but am sent sliding back a little bit.


    But as I slide back on the floor, I hear the end of Scheherazade whip coming towards Anto. She is really aiming at him!? While I slide backwards, I turn my body around and take the blow instead of Anto and am sent flying way behind Easifatan.


    ¡°Orb are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I am for now, but I got to finish this up soon, and for that, I need your help.¡±


    ¦µ In front of me Easifatan says, ¡°We should be careful, I saw earlier he made a bunch of giant ice spikes against the soldiers so he might be waiting for the best chance to use that against us.¡±


    ¡°Not that isn¡¯t it. Ahmed once told me that legacies aren¡¯t infinite power, they simply draw from the spiritual powers of the other soul inside them. While it does take physical stamina to keep using the power, eventually that power will run dry and have to recharge. If we take into account all the ice he has created and how soaked in blood his clothes are, I would say both his legacy and his body are almost at their limit.¡±


    ¡°So just a little more till he it out, now watch how the great Easifatan leads the charge!¡± he says as he runs away.


    ¡°I guess I got to support that idiot.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°That¡¯s the plan Anto.¡±


    ¡°Orb will your body hold out?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I barely felt those hits.¡± Seeing Easifatan running towards me I run to meet him.

 Arc 8.26

    ¦µ As Easifatan approaches Orb, he runs up to meet him halfway and begins to clash. He is keeping up with Easifatan even with his body in such a state, what kind of monster is he?


    ¡°All the more reason to end him here.¡± Using my whip, I support Easifatan from afar. Whenever Easifatan has an opening, I strike Orb to make sure he can¡¯t take advantage of it, and if he ever tries to move away from Easifatan I can block his exit.


    Seeing an opening I try to strike Orb in his lower back but he backflips over my whip while kicking Easifatan in the chin, and then immediately he creates a large amount of snow everywhere.


    Orb made an opening on purpose so I would jump at it and throw off our balance, he got me. The snow Orb creates covers all of the floor around me.


    Easifatan says, ¡°I knew he still had power left.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, whatever this is must be the last of his legacies power, he will be finished in a few moments.¡±


    Around us the snow starts to shape into walls, they are all so tall that even when standing on the elevated platform I still am getting my view blocked. It is like a maze of snow walls.


    Creating a bolt of lightning, Easifatan screams, ¡°Scheherazade.¡±


    Good thinking, with that I can know his location. Around me, I hear the sound of something, and then looking around me I notice Orb is jumping from one ice wall to another at high speed.


    Swinging my whip around I try to hit him, but he is just too fast for me. Irritated, my swings become faster but more chaotic, and when this happens Orb ducks into his ice maze and runs around.


    ¡°Is that all you got miss storyteller!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me,¡± I say striking the area where I heard the voice from, but I don¡¯t hit him.


    ¡°Missed, you should try again!¡±


    Crap where is he; he gives off no spirit energy.  Calm down, if you can¡¯t locate him draw him out.


    Chaotically I start to swing my whip everywhere, trying to break as many of the walls of ice as I can. Orb is jumping around so fast that I can¡¯t tell where he is but with how precise he is I know that if I leave an opening, he will pounce on it.


    ¦µ I can see it as clear as day, Scheherazade back is open to an attack. Moving around across all my ice walls I position myself directly behind Scheherazade and snowboost towards her. This is it!


    Out of nowhere I am hit in the side by her whip and am sent right into one of my ice walls. ¡°She baited me.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing Orb laying on the floor I waste no time and send my whip towards him, ¡°This is the end.¡±


    But then behind me, I hear a giant whump sound, and moments later I see a massive avalanche of snow burst through the door that Orb and Easifatan came through.


    Did he bring all the snow from the other room over here!? I thought I was baiting him this entire time, but I was the one being trapped.


    I won¡¯t be able to react in time. Suddenly I see a cannonball fly past me then as it hits the snow, I see lighting hit it immediately which causes it to explode dispersing the avalanche.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry darling, whenever you need help, I will surely be there,¡± Easifatan says approaching Orb.


    Dodging Easifatan''s attack Orb runs toward me at full speed. This is it for him now that his surprise attack has failed he has nothing left, all we need to do is keep the pressure on and we win.


    I proceed to pour all my spirit energy into my arm and whip I attack Orb as quickly as I can. He barely dodges my whip and is torn up by the sides of it which scrap past his skin.


    Eventually, I see Orb miss a step, then as if he is about to fall over I send my whip for his head saying, ¡°This is over!¡± As my whip approaches Orb, he points his finger up, which causes me to look up for a moment where I see that a dagger is going upwards directly in the middle of the room. Then suddenly all the sights around me change.


    Since I was looking up the first thing, I see is what looks to be the ground we were standing on, but everything there is missing with the exception of the staircase Orb and Easifatan came through.


    Suddenly I start to fall, then looking down I realize what happened, all of the objects in the room had their positions inverted, and everything that was on the floor in now on the ceiling and is now falling towards the ground.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Looking for Orb I see that he has frozen his feet to the roof, so he isn¡¯t falling, then above me I see a huge wave of snow falling towards me. Again, I fell for this child¡¯s plan!!!


    As the wave of snow passes through me, it all turns to ice freezing me in midair.


    ¦µ Snowboosting from my position I kick Scheherazade, with my full force, which breaks her out of the ice and sends he to the floor.


    As I fall, I use my snow to cushion my landing, then immediately I hear a big thud, them following that I see Easifatan running towards me saying, ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY FUTURE WIFE.¡±


    Seeing him I run towards him to meet him. As I run, he shoots lightning at me that I dodge, and then when I get close enough I stamp my right leg into the ground and make a small ice spike; barely the height of Cyrus.


    Easifatan immediately tries to use his left dagger to pierce through it, but the moment he tries I convert the spot he was going to hit into ice, making the dagger pass through, then I use the heel of my foot to immediately kick the dagger of his hand.


    While my leg is still in the kicking motion I hear sparks forming on the right dagger, he anticipated I would block his first strike and was already preparing to kill me with the second.


    Anto grasping the situation throws a dagger toward my ice spike, and in response to this, I turn a section of the ice spike into snow allowing his dagger to fly through.


    ¡°This is it, you bastard!¡± Easifatan says as his dagger is about to shoot lighting at us. But the moment his lighting is about to strike us Anto teleports us and I am directly above his head, and continue my kicking motion I strike Easifatan as hard as I can in the back of his head.


    Landing on the floor me and Anto let out a victory cry.


    ¦µ Struggling, I try to get up from the attack Orb gave me. To think that little boy could still move and fight me and Easifatan while that injured, there is no way I can let him fight our king, who knows what damage he would do to him!


    In the distance I see Orb make a turning motion with his legacy, and then from above me, I hear a sound. Looking up I see Orb has made all the ice spikes on the roof fall down, I am going to be crushed.


    Crap I got to move. As I try to drag myself away I feel a sharp pain, throughout my body. I can¡¯t get away, I am going to be killed.


    Suddenly I see Easifatan get on top of me and say, ¡°No way am I going to let my future wife die.¡± Then I see all his spirit energy clump up around his back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid idiot, get away.¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°Wow, you really are beautiful.¡±


    Seeing the ice spike about to hit us I close my eyes and moments later I feel something soft fall over my body. Opening my eyes I see no ice anywhere only snow surrounding both of us, then I hear Orb scream, ¡°ALMOST DYING ISN¡¯T NICE, IS IT!!¡± Followed by Orb''s footsteps towards the door to the next room.


    With a face of fright, Easifatan says, ¡°Am I dead? Am I dead?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not idiot, now get off me.¡±


    Trembling, Easifatan says with a pathic face, ¡°I would but it seems my legs and arm can¡¯t move anymore.¡±


    ¡°Your jokes aren¡¯t funny you ran all the way here to protect me I know you can move, we need to go after Orb!!!¡±


    ¡°I am not joking; I really don¡¯t know how I even got here I just knew I couldn¡¯t let you die.¡±


    Sighing I say, ¡°Ok then idiot.¡± Grabbing his body, I pull him close to me and say, ¡°Well just rest up then, you did good.¡±


    Blushing he says, ¡°Are you sure, Orb still is running rampant.¡±


    ¡°We are in no shape to fight him, and regardless we have nothing to worry about since our king isn¡¯t the only legacy holder among us. So just enjoy your reward.¡±


    ¦µ Hanging off Orb''s back as he runs down the hallway, I take long deep breaths so Orb says, ¡°Anto are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just trying to give my legacy some time to recover.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know your has a limit since it doesn¡¯t produce anything.¡±


    ¡°My legacy can only invert a certain amount of intangible mass every 24 hours before it needs to recharge. And after inverting that room not to mention all the teleports I have been doing I probably can only invert another 2 things at max today.¡±


    ¡°Well after inverting a whole room, it is normal for you to be tired, so just rest up I will handle everything else.¡±


    ¡°You need to rest more than I do your entire body is gushing blood, look at all does wou-.¡± Staring at Orb''s body I see all his wounds have closed, ¡°What the hell did you heal all the damage you have taken already!¡±


    ¡°I told you I heal fast.¡±


    ¡°Regeneration like this isn¡¯t even humanly possible.¡± This really isn¡¯t natural, is this a physical adaption of his legacy like how I can see and hear through Mime? But the real question is what kind of being had a body that can naturally regenerate like this?


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t think it was physically possible to rob someone during a fight, but somehow you managed to swipe Easifatan dagger.¡±


    Embarrassed I say, ¡°It was too much of a waste to just leave it.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ With tears in her eyes, my friend Haniya says, ¡°And I found out he cheated on me with my sister, why does this always keep happening to me!!!?¡± While crying on the floor.


    Sitting in my cell, I say, ¡°Haniya do you really want to know the truth?¡±


    ¡°Atalanta, please tell me!!!¡±


    ¡°You see the truth is that humans aren¡¯t meant to be MONOGAMOUS!!¡±


    Shocked she says, ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is all an illusion we have created to restrict ourselves, here me Haniya the only purpose of our existence is to do one thing and that is to seek pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Seek pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, to only do things that feel good, morals be dammed. Society exists to restrict and contain our true desires, it is utter nonsense, our one purpose is to seek pleasure. Live your life only for that goal seek pleasure in all things and anything that doesn¡¯t give you a constant cycle of pleasure should be removed from your life until it does. Eat what you want, take what you want, and sleep with whoever you want. There is no good and evil to anything that brings you happiness, life only exists for the sake of your happiness.¡±


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s the truth, so if I want to find a partner, I need to experience lots of pleasurable things.¡±


    Through my cage, I grab her cheeks and say, ¡°My kisses happen to be amazing.¡±


    Blushing she says, ¡°You¡¯re very pretty but I don¡¯t know I am ready.¡±


    Pulling her closer, I say, ¡°Shhh, it is ok, just let it happen.¡±


    As I pull her head closer, Haniya continues to blush until our faces get so close she closes her eyes, and the moment she does I twist her neck knocking her out.


    Taking her keys, I open my cell and say, ¡°That worked better than I expected.¡±

 Arc 8.27

    As quietly as I can I sneak around the building. It hasn¡¯t been that long since I was locked up, so there might be a chance they haven¡¯t reached Orb, I need to go find him quickly.


    Seeing guards walk by I hide myself and wait for them to pass then I quickly sneak away; my stealth is still as amazing as ever. As I continue down the building, I see a door labelled; Armory.


    So I open it and walk in, after looking around for a moment I see my bow is just placed down on the floor to the side. Picking it up, I say, ¡°How dare they do this to my baby!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will discipline the idiots who just left it there later.¡± That was Naji¡¯s voice!


    Turning around I immediately shoot arrows, but the old man behind me easily deflects them, then says while striking me in the stomach, ¡°Attacking an old man, is quite heartless.¡±


    His attack is so powerful that I fly through the wall of the room and end up in a hallway. Recoiling from the blow, I get up and start shooting arrows while saying, ¡°Hitting the image of perfection is rather heartless as well.¡±


    Naji dodges all my arrows while manoeuvring his way towards me, and while he is in front of me, he attacks me with the back of his right heel and says, ¡°Perfection, don¡¯t make me laugh, you¡¯re too skinny.¡±


    Barely moving back in time, I shoot a scattershot of arrows in front of myself and say, ¡°I have the perfect mixture of fat and muscle!¡±


    Dodging backwards, he says, ¡°A girl has the perfect level of fat when it inhibits her ability to run, idiot.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you are miss guided idiot,¡± I say shooting a volley of curving arrows.


    Naji dodges my arrows, but then as they curve around to hit him a fire another set to attack him from both sides. Naji immediately lifts his left foot then with his whole body he starts to jump around and manoeuvre as if he is rotating his body. Then as my arrows come close, they rotate around his body following his foot, until he sends all the arrows right back at me, except as they approach me they spin.


    Sending spirit energy into the front of my body, I take all the arrows right into my front which causes me to bleed a bit. Turning my bow into a sword I say, ¡°Sounds like that is actually just your fetish, but since I am the perfect girl, I accept all your oddities.¡±


    ¡°How nice of you,¡± Naji says lunging at me.


    Meeting him halfway, I swing my sword towards him, but with his one arm he easily deflects the blow, then with his other arm, he punches towards my face.


    Suddenly, through the floor a giant spike of ice breaks through and appears between us, then moments later I see Orb and Anto appear from that hole, and the moment he does he creates a wave of snow directly at the man.


    Seeing me, Anto says, ¡°Atalanta!!¡±


    But instead of responding, I run over to Orb. Panicked I grab him and ask, ¡°What happened, you¡¯re clothes are drenched in blood?¡±


    ¡°It is nothing major, and all the wounds I have taken have already healed.¡±


    ¡°But, But, but.¡±


    Orb head butts me in the chin, then says, ¡°You¡¯re not my mom, so stop treating me like a kid.¡±


    Grabbing my chin in pain, I say, ¡°This here, is why I will never be a mother.¡±


    Under his breath, Orb mumbles, ¡°With your behaviour I doubt that.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think you should be asking questions here!!? I have about 200 questions to ask you about your strange behaviour here.¡±


    Turning away, I say, ¡°A woman needs to have some secrets.¡±


    ¡°NOT WHEN THEY GET A COUNTRY''S MILITARY AFTER US, YOU IDIOT!¡±


    Saddened by his words, I say, ¡°DON¡¯T YELL AT ME!¡±


    Suddenly the ice breaks behind us and from it, the old man runs towards us. Throwing Anto at me, Orb says, ¡°Go find Cyrus, I will meet up with you guys soon.¡±


    ¡°Orb you can¡¯t take this guy on your own.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, and if things get bleak I will run.¡±


    Before I can say anything else the old man axe kicks Orb, but with both his arms up, he takes the blow. ¡°Atalanta, just go!!¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    With Anto on my back, I start to run away. ¡°Anto where is Cyrus?¡±


    ¡°Atalanta, could we actually head somewhere else first, there is something we need to do.¡±


    ¦µ Snowboosting towards the old man, I attack him with my claw but he is able to grab my body and throw me into a wall on the right. He is around the size of Anto, he shouldn¡¯t be able to throw me like that.


    ¡°You¡¯re rather fast boy, it makes it hard to keep up with you.¡±


    ¡°I am more than just my speed.¡± With my legacy I create ice spikes that break the floor we''re standing on, making us fall towards the hallway below us.¡±


    As he falls I snowboost to attack him me air, but he redirects me midair, and I crash into the floor. ¡°You have to try a bit harder than that.¡±


    On the floor I create a bunch of snow across it; I will restrict his movements and then crush him.


    As the old man lands on the snow, he immediately starts to spin and flip from wall to wall towards me, then he jumps down to the snow, but before I can freeze it all the snow starts to rotate all around his left leg.


    I try to turn my ice into snow, but it is rotating so fast that the ice break and returns to snow almost immediately. Seeing him about to hit me I jump back and create a shield of ice, but he kicks into it, and I am hit by all the rotating snow and the full force of his kick, which sends me flying down the hallway.


    Recoiling from the blow, I say as he walks towards me, ¡°Rotational energy, it is the only way you could do such things.¡±


    Stopping, the man says, ¡°You¡¯re spot on. I spent quite a few years studying the Almiraj fighting style, and eventually, I figured out how to build up a certain amount of rotational energy and apply that to my body.¡± Jumping up and down, the old man says, ¡°Mastering this fighting style has allowed me to exert power that my physical condition wouldn¡¯t allow.¡±


    Without hesitation, I release another wave of ice at the old man, but he lunges at me and dodges all of the ice, but as he moves my shattered ice starts to rotate around him.


    ¡°The more I rotate the more the energy builds up, and anything in my path is caught by this energy.¡±


    As he is about to reach me, I create and giant ice wall blocking his path. ¡°The rotational energy passes through anything, and hits you all the way down to your soul,¡± Immediately after he says this, he hits my ice walls which break it into pieces and moments later a feel a force pass through my entire body sending me down the hallway.


    On my hands and knees, I start coughing up blood as the man walks towards me. ¡°Give up, because if I hit you enough, I might shred your organs.¡±


    Looking up, I say, ¡°Not a chance in hell!¡±


    Suddenly the old man stops in his tracks and says, ¡°That mark!¡±


    On the floor I look at my reflection in a piece of ice; my soul mark is appearing in my right eye, did his blow stir my soul?


    The old man suddenly starts laughing and says, ¡°Well god really is here for us, get up young man you will not fall today.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°What are you going to let me go?¡±


    Getting into a fighting stance, the old man says, ¡°Not a chance, since you won¡¯t be leaving my sight until you¡¯re stronger than me.¡±


    Doing the same, I say, ¡°That was my plan.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Using my bow, I shoot a horde of soldiers throughout their bodies, while Anto says, ¡°That¡¯s about everything.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought Orb came to rescue me, but in actuality, he came to start a war over some little girl he barely knows, still Anto I don¡¯t understand why we are heading for the location of the apple other than Cyrus?¡±


    As I fight through more soldiers with my sword, Anto says, ¡°Orb said that at worst we would have to forcefully knock Ahmed out, but if we find and destroy the apples Ahmed will go to sleep without having to fight. Orb is already exhausted, I want to end this as bloodless as possible.¡±


    ¡°How adorable.¡±


    With my fist, I strike the last soldier''s face sending him down on his ass. Then while he is on the floor I hold him down, and Anto says, ¡°Where is the location of Ahmed¡¯s apples?¡±


    ¡°No way I will ever tell you!!¡±


    The moment the man says this Anto strikes him with a dagger and says, ¡°Now where are the apples?¡±


    ¡°Down the hall to the left.¡±


    Punching the man in the face again, I say, ¡°Thank you for your service.¡±


    Following his instructions, I enter a large room with countless pieces of glass allowing moonlight to shine, and throughout the room are countless little plots of golden apples.


    ¡°Looks like we are here, but destroying every single one of these is going to be a giant pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°No complaining let¡¯s just get on with it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± Shooting an arrow at the plots of apples right in front of me, I see a man appear and catch my arrow before it hits.


    ¡°I knew we shouldn¡¯t have trusted a single one of you intruders, my king''s heart truly is too big. But know this invaders, I don¡¯t have such kindness.¡±


    In front of me, I see Ahmed''s attendant, Adi. Giggling, I say, ¡°Were you just waiting in the corner to make a cool entrance?¡±


    Taking something out of his eye, Adi says, ¡°Laugh while you can because soon you won¡¯t.¡± Looking at him I notice Adi has two eye colours.


    While I stand there in shock, he stretches out his hand and then activates his legacy on his right arm. Immediately I shoot at him, but then he puts up his right arm, and then a blue energy appears from his arm and completely blocks the arrows.


    Looking at his arm, I see it is covered in light blue energy, the light blue energy has taken the shape of a large hand, it is so big that it drags on the floor beside him. ¡°This is bad.¡±


    Sinking the giant arm into the floor the man uses his arm to lunge himself over my head, so I shoot arrows at him in the air. But using his giant arm he waves them away, then crashes into the ground.


    Moving back I was able to dodge the attack, but immediately after the man swing his arm at me trying to crush me. How the hell is he so fast with that giant arm, does it not have weight?


    From my back, I start to hear sparks, and then moments later I see lightning shoot from my back directly at Adi. With his giant arm, he blocks the attack, and at that moment, I look behind me to see Anto has Easifatan daggers in his hand.


    In front of us with a deep rage, Adi says, ¡°How the hell did you get those!!¡± Then he charges at us.


    Turning my bow into a sword, I clash with him head-on. As my sword is held up against his arm, I notice that my sword has made an incision, so I say, ¡°Anger is a very unattractive trait for a grown man,¡± Then I slice through his hand and kick him in the stomach.


    Sliding backwards, Adi immediately manifests more blue energy and reconstructs the giant arm.


    ¡°Looks like I didn¡¯t hit any flesh, better try harder next time.¡±


    With a boiling furry Adi says, ¡°There won¡¯t be a next time.¡±


    ¡°We will see about that.¡±

 Arc 8.28

    ¡°Anto let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Jumping off my back Anto goes left while I go right, then immediately I start to shoot arrows and Anto starts to shoot lighting at Adi. Taking his arm Adi wraps it around himself to block our attacks, but his arm leaves a gap around his back which it doesn¡¯t cover.


    Running faster I continuously shoot at Adi, which causes him to face my direction leaving his back exposed to  Anto. Noticing this Adi constantly has to change directions and move backwards to defend himself.


    Shooting more arrows, I start to curve some of my shoots making my arrows fly all around him and strike Adi from various directions. Unable to keep up with all my arrows, I start to land a few shoots all across Adi¡¯s body.


    ¦µ If the woman can hit me from any direction, I am better off focusing all my defence on the little boy. Turning to face the little boy, I see him running all over and shooting lightning out of Easifatan daggers, he is fast but his accuracy with the daggers is off.


    As he keeps shooting at me, I notice him slow down, was he injured before he got here? At that moment I dig my arm into the ground and throw giant boulders at the boy which hit him directly.


    Noticing that all the arrows have stopped I quickly turn around to see that the woman is behind me and has turned her bow into a sword.


    ¦µ With all the force I can muster I swing my sword directly at Adi''s arm, this time I am going to finish this. But to my surprise when my sword hit his arm, my sword doesn¡¯t go through. What is going on did his arm just get harder?


    With his giant arm, he slams me right into the ground, and then right in front of my eyes I see his arm grow more. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°My legacy allows me to absorb moonlight and turn it into power, the more moonlight I absorb the harder and stronger my hand because. This is the power of my legacy, the god of the moon Thoth. A blessing I was given, so that I could protect the king of our country.¡±


    Using my sword, I try to push the giant arm off of me but then suddenly, I feel a force other than his arm press me against the floor. ¡°The moonlight my hand absorbs has the same properties as the moon itself, so when I absorb enough, I can access the moon''s gravity field. Now feels how it has to have all the water in your body displaced!¡±


    I scream in agony as I feel my organs being crushed and the water in my body moves arrows viciously. No, No, No, No, No, NO! I am going to die, I can¡¯t die like this, it is too soon, and no one will remember me!


    ¡°You could always just borrow my power, Aster.¡±


    Seeing the face of that scum in front of my face shakes me to my core.


    ¡°Oh, I know you can hear me since me and you are two souls in one body, take my power and I will save you from this situation. Your life won¡¯t end anytime soon.¡±


    Calming down, I say, to the pest in my mind, ¡°Thanks for showing me your hideous face it calmed me down, and just so you know I would rather die a hundred deaths than use your fucking powers again.¡±


    Feeling some of my bones crack all I can do is lie there as Adi continues. I was freaking out earlier, but I am sure Orb will remember me if I die like this, at the very least I can take solace in that fact.


    ¡°Do you have any last words lying scum!¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Go harder.¡±


    Then I close my eyes as Adi screams, ¡°DIE!¡±


    Suddenly I feel all the pressure over my body disappears, which causes me to open my eyes. Above me I don¡¯t see Adi, I see no one. Looking to my left I see that Anto has switched places with me.


    ¡°I am sick of your interference!!¡± Adi screams as he pushes his hand down.


    Running over there, I scream, ¡°NO!¡± But then I hear a large cracking sound, ¡°ANTO!¡±


    Immediately Adi throws Anto at me, then says, ¡°Say your goodbyes.¡±


    Catching Anto, I fall to my knees, his body is bloody, and limb and he only has one eye open. ¡°S-S-S-S-Sorry, the inverting angle was bad, so I had to switch us.¡±


    ¡°You idiot why would you take that for me.¡±


    Spitting up blood, Anto says, ¡°I-I am the on-n-ne who asked you to come he-e-ere I couldn¡¯t let you die, and Mime likes you so I know you are someone wh-h-h-ho shouldn¡¯t die.¡±


    This is bad, he needs emergency medical attention, but where the hell am I going to find that I need to find some way to heal him right this second? Noticing the shine behind Adi I remember the golden apples.


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    Immediately I start running towards them, but then I am smacked with Adi''s arm and am sent flying. ¡°Do you really think I would let you steal from us again?¡±


    Getting up I scream, ¡°Out of my way!!!¡± Coughing in my arms, Anto spits a lot of blood. ¡°No, no, no, no.¡±


    ¡°Do-o-o-on¡¯t worry ab-b-b-bout me, just run and meet up with C-C-Cyrus. There is no way y-y-you can beat him now.¡±


    Looking at Anto, I take a deep breath then I say with a smile, ¡°Kids should be protected, so shut up you idiot.¡±


    Taking Dush¡¯s scarf I tie Anto to my back and say, ¡°Hold on for a little bit longer I promise I will deal with him.¡±


    Holding out my bow, I prepare to fire, then I activate my legacy on it and say, ¡°Lend me your strength, Apollo.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at the woman I see her bow has altered as if it was a legacy, immediately I send my giant arm toward her.


    But the moment it gets close she fires a single arrow, that ignites in bright orange flames and the moment it hits my arm it sends my whole body backwards.


    Recoiling from the blow, I take a second to understand the situation. With just one arrow I was sent flying back, but how if she had a legacy why wouldn¡¯t she use it? None of this matters I just need to crush her with swear force.


    In front of me, I see her prepare to shoot another arrow, so I cover the front of my body with my arm. The moment the arrow hits I am sent flying back into a wall.


    I reinforced my arm with spirit energy, yet I was still sent flying back. As I try to move, I feel a pain in my right arm. Looking at my arm I see there is a hole in my giant arm that leads all the way back to my real arm.


    As I stare at her with fright she says, ¡°Get out of my way,¡± while aiming another arrow.


    Vexed by her words, I dig my hand into the ground and send boulders flying towards her.


    ¦µ Turning my bow into a sword, I ignite it with flames then I cut through all the boulders. Looking past all the scorched rocks, I see that Adi has extended his huge arm and is using it to climb up through the room.


    Noticing this I shoot an arrow at him, but since he is right next to a wall he uses his giant arm to send himself towards the dome at the top of the room that lets moonlight through.


    This is my chance to grab an apple!


    ¦µ Breaking the glass of the dome at the top of the room, I stand on the iron bars that make it up. While looking at the moon I remember the words my king told me.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with trying to feed those near to you. So don¡¯t apologize to me. You¡¯re truly a good person!¡±


    ¡°Those words saved my life, and for my king, I will fight with all my heart!!!¡± Absorbing as much moonlight as I can I grow my arm then I shape it into a canon. Using the gravity that my arm creates, I shoot concentrated moonlight directly at the apples the woman is aiming for.


    ¦µ As I am about to reach the apples, I see a bright light shine down towards me, so I dodge away and see the spot I was standing on is destroyed. Looking up I see the shape of his arm has changed, into a cannon.


    ¡°No more mercy, ¡°Adi says with passionate eyes.


    Laughing a little, I say, ¡°Challenging me to a ranged battle was your last mistake.


    ¦µ Ignoring the apples the women start to run towards me while shooting arrows. Shooting moonlight, I am able to clash and block the arrows she is shooting at me.


    But then she starts to shoot multiple arrows at me at once, so I jump around the dome and shoot even bigger blasts of moonlight. Because of my higher vantage point, I can see everything below me and aim at it, so while shooting at her I shoot at all the staircases blocking her ascent.


    But I notice that she starts running towards a wall, and moments later I see her shoot seven arrows at the same time towards the wall and then she starts to run against these arrows.


    I aim my canon towards the walls, but then she shoots multiple arrows at me, while also shooting more arrows that curve and make more steps. ¡°What kind of skill even is that!!!¡±


    Shooting even more arrows, she says, ¡°My teacher is of unsound mind.¡±


    Then the woman shoots an arrow with a rope of spirit energy attached to the end. The arrows curves and wraps itself against one of the bars of the dome, then tying the rope to her waist she runs across the walls at incredible speed while shooting.


    Shooting as many shoots as I can, in anger, I shoot, ¡°DIE!!¡± Then charging up a big shot I shoot her directly on the wall.


    ¡°I got her.¡±


    But moments later I see her jump towards the roof with fire under her feet. She used her legacy on the bottom of her foot to allow her to jump with a boost of flames.


    ¦µ Landing on the bar making up the dome, I face Adi. I see his arm has grown even larger, and he says, ¡°No way in hell will I allow any one of you to harm my kind. This is everything I have, Fallen Moon!¡±


    As a large blast of moonlight comes at me, I say, ¡°I will be borrowing this Anto.¡± Then I set Easifatan dagger into my bow and shoot it out with five flaming arrows.¡±


    ¦µ All the moonlight energy I have shot out is pierced through, but I quickly dodge to the left allowing me not to get shoot by the arrows, but behind the arrows I see Atalanta.


    She manifested her legacy on her feet and used the flames behind her feet to help her close the distance. As I try to manifest another giant arm, my hand is cut off by her flaming sword and instantly cauterized.


    As I fall back, I let out a few tears and say, ¡°Ahmed, sister!¡±


    But before I fall through, I am caught by the women. ¡°Let me go or you will regret it!¡±


    ¡°Shut up you dumb puppy, I told you guys that I mean no harm and I plan to keep it that way, so no way am I going to let you die. Now shut up and let me save you.¡± Putting me on her shoulder the women jump down.


    Landing on the floor below, the woman goes to go look for the apples as I lay on the floor, so I ask, ¡°How did you know I can only use my legacy on my right hand?¡±


    ¡°Because I know from experience that certain legacies especially arrogant ones that use the title god have weird restrictions on what they can be used on. For example, my Apollo will only act on things he deems beautiful so my legs and bow are my only mediums.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t smart of you to give me this information.¡±


    ¡°Trust if formed through baring your ass to each other.¡±


    ¡°Please stop with the vulgarities!!¡±


    ¡°See where turning into friends already.¡±


    ¡°Why would you even want to be friends with us.¡±


    Giving an Apple to the injured young boy, she says, ¡°Because I know a little child who loves to get fairy tale endings, so I want to help him reach such endings. And just so you know I can all but guarantee that my friends haven¡¯t and won¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good for them, but my allies won¡¯t be so nice.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing Anto¡¯s wounds slowly close, I say, ¡°That¡¯s fine since all three of these boys are strong.¡±

 Arc 8.29

    -Break-


    ¦µ Using snowboost I lunge at the old man and try to slash him, but when I get close, I am grabbed and thrown into a wall. Getting up I move as fast as I can from wall to wall and try again, but almost as if he has rhythmically synched with my body he parries my arm then swings into my body and hits me in the stomach with his elbow, which blows me back.


    He keeps using my own momentum against me, and then he translates that force into rotational energy and blows it back at me.


    Trying to get up I fall back down to my knees and spit up some blood.


    ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance baldly,¡± I say getting up. All I can do is keep at him.


    As I constantly press my attack the old man says, ¡°You¡¯re eyes are always watching my every move, and your focus as you strike your target is unmatched, not to mention the unnatural senses that allow you to react to my every move, I am guessing those are from your legacy.¡±


    Striking me in the hip I slide backwards, then I immediately increase my speed and zip around the room.


    ¡°You make effective use of blind spots and with your speed which instantaneously increases you can catch most opponents off guard, and even with all that innate physical ability you still constantly set traps. You fight like a predator meticulously hunting its prey. I am sure no beast could deal with you.


    Lunging towards him, I turn a pile of snow behind him into an ice spike and try to pincer him. But with a delicate touch, he manages to guide my entire body to the left while ever so slightly rotating his body to dodge my ice spike.


    Stepping on my chest the old man says, ¡°Though humans have a lot more up their shelves than mere beasts.¡±


    ¦µ Creating ice underneath my foot, Orb says, ¡°Humans are beasts as well.¡±


    It seems this child still has lots of fights left in him, how wonderful. Lunging towards Orb, I say. ¡°Then Orb, Let¡¯s see how you hunt me.¡±


    As Orb stands still, I prepare to punch him in the stomach, and the moment my fist lands in his stomach I am hit with a sweeping kick to my head. Falling to the ground, I feel a tingle move through my body, so I say, ¡°That was rotational energy, you sent my own rotational back to me!2


    ¡°Did you really think after hitting me with the same attack so many times I wouldn¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°You truly are a predator!¡± I say lunging at him again.


    ¦µ Using snowboost to close the distance I immediately attack the old man, but he parries my blow and hits me in the stomach, then I instantly take that energy and send it back towards him with a knee. But the moment the knee connects the old man backflips away and hits me with his foot in my chin as he does so.


    Recoiling I say, ¡°You redirected, my redirection.¡±


    Landing he says, ¡°Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t be able to send the energy back towards you again Orb?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I knew that was a factor, but still I feel like I got an even better idea of how this works old man.¡±


    ¡°Well, then I would suggest you stop holding back and come at me with your full force, use your spirit energy.¡±


    Snowboosting at him, I say, ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Dodging my attack he says, ¡°Why would that be?¡±


    ¡°Simple, I can¡¯t use spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°What!!!¡± The old man says, jumping backwards.


    Letting out a sigh in front of me the old man says, ¡°I see, how disappointing.¡± The smile he has had since we began has disappeared and then immediately, he lunges at me and attacks with even greater speed than before.


    Barely dodging out of the way, I say, ¡°You were holding back this much.¡±


    Hitting me in my leg, he says, ¡°Listen boy, spirit energy is simply an unknown energy derived from the soul. Every sentient being can use it.¡±


    Attack him I say, ¡°I already know this.¡±


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    ¡°The only difference between a user and a non-user is perspective. Is your mind open enough to allow it to exist in your world, and this condition can be easily achieved by simply being struck by spirit energy constantly or simply being around users of it.¡±


    Dodging my attacks, he strikes me again and says, ¡°Of course, formal training is necessary to control effectively but to put it simply anyone can use it. All people innately have the same amount but the individual strength of a person''s spirit energy is derived by faith.¡±


    Attacking him I say, ¡°Faith?¡±


    ¡°The strength of the intangible energy known as spirit energy is power by your faith in the intangible. Faith in your bonds, faith in your country, faith in your gods, and faith in yourself, one could even describe it as ego or pride, but your belief and faith in that which you cannot physically grasp is the source of spirit energies strength.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you getting at old man,¡± is what I say, s I prepare to send back his rotational energy.  The moment he hits me I am immediately struck in two other places and am sent straight into a wall.


    Walking up to me the old man squats and says, ¡°To put it simply the only way a person who has been so obviously struck by spirit energy, wouldn¡¯t be able to use it, is due to a disgusting lack of faith, or in other words a soul-crushing amount of self-doubt.¡±


    Annoyed, I create a huge amount of ice in front of me. ¡°You know nothing about me!¡±


    Blowing past my ice the old man attacks me and says, ¡°You can lie all you want but you can¡¯t hide your weakness from me, you coward.¡±


    As we continue our exchange, he says, ¡°Do you know the reason why I am so strong, it is because my faith in my calling of protecting my king is unbreakable and a man like you who lacks such faith will never be able to fight me.¡±


    Dodging backwards, I say, ¡°You call that faith, to me that is nothing but blind arrogance.¡±


    With a look of superiority, the old man says, ¡°The words of a pitiful man who is so scared of his own actions that he would be unable to even feel his soul are hollow!!¡±


    Furious I attack him, and say, ¡°So what if I am scared, that¡¯s only because I understand the weight of actions. I don¡¯t want to do anything that will be horrible for people in the long run, so blind faith like you will never help anything!¡±


    Blocking all my sloppy attacks he hits me again in the stomach and says, ¡°Explain to me how someone who doesn¡¯t even trust in his own beliefs can actually affect anything. You¡¯re nothing but trash impersonating a human being.¡±


    Full of wrath, I stare at the man with eyes full of hate. ¡°Shut the hell up old man, I am fully aware of the type of person I am and I don¡¯t need you to tell me anything.¡±


    Continuing my clash, I push all my senses to the limit and attack him relentlessly. ¡°When you were talking with my king, I was listening to you the entire time and the words you said to him were powerful but I wasn¡¯t moved in the slightest. Do you want to know why?¡±


    ¡°Just stop talking and fight!¡±


    Taking my momentum, he strikes me in the side and says, ¡°It is because you didn¡¯t believe in those words, no soul was inscribed in those words. They were very clearly passed down to you.¡±


    Getting up I say, ¡°Did all that lack of height make your brain grow to compensate.¡±


    Sighing, the old man says, ¡°Petty comebacks is all you have to defend yourself, hallow words from a soulless man. To think someone would pass on such an idea to a pointless human, it must have been some sort of comical joke. I guess those ideals must be just as pointless.¡±


    Instantly, I dash towards him and scream, ¡°TAKE THAT BACK, Captivant lived that ideal every day and died with nothing but a smile on his face. SO DON¡¯T YOU DARE MOCK THEM!¡±


    Dodging he says, ¡°You have such rage over their disparagement, yet have no faith in them.¡±


    Continuing my attack, I say, ¡°Of course, I have faith in them, but I am not an idiot. I know they might not apply to everyone, I know that just because something worked for Capti doesn¡¯t mean it will work for everyone else. I want to make all the stars who exist in the world happy, so I need to keep thinking and fighting.


    But still, I can¡¯t find an answer, so what am I supposed to do just hold on to beliefs that only have value to me!!!¡±


    Blocking my attack, he hits me in the stomach and screams, ¡°EXACTLY!¡±


    ¡°No matter what you do you will never know what¡¯s right and wrong, so all you can do is hold onto the things that you have faith in and push them forward. Clash head-to-head against others'' beliefs to truly understand and refine yours.¡±


    On my knees holding my stomach I say in a weak voice, ¡°But what if I am wrong, what if I pass on something imperfect?¡±


    ¡°Understanding is perfection. I have faith in the fact that I must protect the king, but what does that mean protect the king from those he deems his enemies, or from anything that will hinder his own glory, or even himself, and the moment I truly grasp what that means the belief will become perfect.


    All beliefs have value, yet some are right, and some are wrong, and it is only through clashing those with others that can we refine each of them to perfection, and bring out their true value. That want to blindly perfect an intangible belief is what empowers the soul!¡±


    Getting up Capti¡¯s dying face flashes through my mind, so I say, ¡°I truly believe that face is worth it.¡± After I say this, I start to hop on one foot in the same spot.


    ¦µ ¡°You finally look like you have some soul, now don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    Focusing on Orb, I prepare to move but then I see the hoping Orb in front of me disappear and I feel something pass by me. Feeling a liquid on my cheek, I touch it and say, ¡°Blood?¡±


    Turning around I see that Orb is standing behind me with blood on his hand. Did Orb just cut me? But how did his speed increase so suddenly? With a smile is ay, ¡°It can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°I thought this spirit energy thing would feel a bit more supernatural, but it sort of feels like being dowsed with water.¡±


    Immediately I lunge at Orb as he stands there. With blister speed, I am kicked in the face, but then upon landing, I start to rotate my body and go for a second attack.


    In response to this Orb makes a wave of ice in front of me; I will just break it like I did with the rest. Though the moment my fist hits, it doesn¡¯t go through, and I jump backwards.


    ¡°So, I can even infuse my ice with spirit energy, what utility.¡± Swinging his arms in a circle Orb says, ¡°Now old man all that is left is for me to steal that technique you¡¯re so proud of, and trust me when I say it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    Letting out a hefty laugh, I say, ¡°I was planning on going easy on you, but now I think I might want to crush you!¡±


    ¡°Try me, old man!¡±


    With haste, we both lunge at each other and clash.

 Arc 8.30

    -Break-


    ¦µ Looking up at the man in front of me, I tremble on the ground. As the dragon tears through the rest of the soldiers in front of me, I say, ¡°How can you be so strong?¡± Before passing out.


    ¦µ With as much force as I can muster I swing my sword against the soldiers in front of me breaking their shield. Then seeing a volley of arrows fly towards me, I let out a roar which blows them all away.


    Then I jump up and crash down over the archers shattering the floor on impact. Turning around I see tiny women run at me with curved swords, but I simply stand still and let the swords hit me and as they do they break into pieces.


    With a shaky voice, one of the women says, ¡°You monster!?¡± Then immediately after I let an ear rendering scream which forces the women to their knees.


    Seeing everyone unconscious I continue down the hallway they came through. After a few seconds I enter a large room with a giant door in the distance, and in front of that door is the largest amount of soldiers I have seen today.


    ¡°DEFEND HIS MAJESTY WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, EVEN IF YOU DIE IN THE PROCEED DON¡¯T LET THIS BEAST!¡±


    With open eyes, I say, ¡°He is behind that door!¡± I charge forward and then I see the shields of the men in front of me open up and moments later black balls fly out of them.


    I don¡¯t let this sight bother me and continue on, but the moment the balls hit me they explode.


    ¦µ One of my soldiers beside me says, ¡°He¡¯s finished,¡± With a relaxed look.


    In response to this, I scream, ¡°BRACE!¡± And moments later I see the beast run out of the smoke cloud towards us. ¡°WE WILL NOT FALL TODAY WE ARE THE SOLDIERS OF JEDIDIAH.¡±


    ¦µ Reaching the soldiers, I use my fist the shatter the shield of the one who keeps screaming, then with my sword in my right hand, I attack all the soldiers in front of me to make a path.


    The man who changed my sister is right there, I must reach him!


    All around me, the soldiers try to pile up on me to stop my advance, but I simply swat all of them off of me as I continue my advance. But they still keep coming, so I break the floor of the room with my foot which gets all of them off of me, and then I am able to reach the giant door.


    Standing in front of the door I prepare to open it, but then it opens for me. Walking out of the room I see my sister, with a sword attached to her hip.


    Stretching out my hand, I say, ¡°Pari, I have come to save you.¡±


    Knocking my hand away, she says, ¡°I warned you, Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Sister why are you being so cold to me, I-I-I-I came all this way to save you. H-H-Has that man done something to yo-.¡±


    With the sword on her hip, she slashes my cheek and says, ¡°I warned you Cyrus and now you will have to finally deal with the consequences.¡±


    As she swings her sword towards me again, I reflexively jump backwards. ¡°Here I thought you would freeze up and take the cuts, but I guess even a failure like you paid attention during mandatory military training.¡±


    Breathing in and out sister says, ¡°But still your spirit energy control is utter garbage,¡± Then immediately she lunges at me and swings her sword directly at me. I dodge her fast swings, but then my leg is grabbed by her tail and pulled towards her, and in my moment of confusion she swings her sword at me, but I catch it with my hands.


    ¡°S-S-S-Sister, please stop.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and die, Cyrus!¡± Increasing the force of her swing my sister breaks through my hands and slashes me directly across my chest.


    I fall to my knee, and from the side of the room I hear a soldier shout, ¡°Lady Pari, it is too dangerous let us fight him.¡±


    With a tender smile, my sister says to the soldier, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me I am also a dragon.¡±


    Seeing this I freeze for a moment as my mind tries to make sense of what I had seen, then getting up I say, ¡°Sister I know you''re still inside there, you must be under some ability but don¡¯t worry I will save you.¡±


    Scoffing, my sister says, ¡°You save me? Don¡¯t you think your little fantasy has gone on too long? Listen to me Cyrus you can¡¯t do anything!!!¡±


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    With her sword in hand, my sister lunges directly at me, so I take out my sword and clash against hers. As our swords clash I admire her; she is so beautiful, so gallant, everything about her is amazing, ¡°So sister I will save you.¡±


    I activate my legacy on my sword and create a giant amount of darkness.


    ¦µ Walking up to my library, I say, ¡°Elia what are you doing out here so late.¡±


    ¡°Oh, da- I mean Avram, I was just moongazing, all the kids have been hard to deal with, so I was just spending some time with myself.¡±


    ¡°Well the kids seem to like you, but maybe some of that is fear after what you did to Mime.¡±


    ¡°That little girl needed to learn some discipline.¡±


    After an awkward pause, I ask, ¡°Did you almost call me dad?¡±


    Immediately she responds, ¡°Your crazy, you must be on drugs, that dementia is kicking in earlier I see.¡±


    ¡°You can call me dad if you want.¡±


    Blushing she says, ¡°I think the sandstorm just changed.¡±


    ¡°Changing the topic, I see.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, and just listen, the sandstorm I swear its density change, just look.¡±


    Looking at the sandstorm I notice it has just become more see-through as if it has become weaker. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that a moment ago.¡±


    ¡°The entire time we have been here I have never seen it change in the slightest, but I swear it just got weaker.¡±


    After a moment, I say, ¡°It looks even more see-through than it did a moment ago, is it fading?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I know for a fact that the sandstorm here has been going for millennia.¡±


    ¡°But regardless that is what is happening, the real question we should be asking is why.¡±


    ¦µ Clashing my sword against Cyrus¡¯s, I feel myself struggling. The darkness coming off his blade increases its range and the force of each of his slashes, even with Cyrus¡¯s poor use of spirit energy he still is able to overpower me.


    As we continue to clash the room starts to shake and break apart, but I start to lose as his blows become stronger and stronger. Gripping my sword tighter I bring out as much strength as I can and continue to fight, this causes the room to break even more as we clash.


    Yet the strength of Cyrus¡¯s legacy is still overpowering me. Cyrus bringing his sword to his left strikes me with a sweeping slash, so I put my sword to block it and am sent flying into a wall at a ridiculous speed.


    As I lie in the wall my mind goes crazy. HOW, HOW IS HE DOING THIS?


    19 years ago


    Continent: Dragon continent of Avesta


    Location: Dragon country of Nirvana; city of Damavand


    My earliest memory, no, my most important memory is when I saw my brother fall.


    Running over to him, I say, ¡°Cyrus I am coming.¡±


    ¡°PARIBANOU!¡± I hear my mother shout. ¡°He is the son of the monarch of this city, he should be able to walk on his own two feet, so let him get up by himself!¡±


    In front of me, Cyrus tries to stand up and walk but trips and falls down again.


    ¡°Again!¡± My mother shouts.


    Running over to my mother, I say, ¡°Mother he cannot do it by himself, so please let me go help him walk like usual.¡±


    ¡°Hush child, you know not what you speak.¡±


    Like a brat, I complained and said, ¡°Mother please stop this!!¡±


    Angered, my mother raises her left hand and slaps me, saying, ¡°Disobedience will not be tolerated, Pari.¡±


    As tears form in my eyes, I am picked up by my father who says, ¡°Don¡¯t cry now my daughter, you¡¯re mother meant no harm.¡±


    ¡°But Cyrus can¡¯t do this by himself, and every time he falls, he hurts himself since his scales haven¡¯t come in. I don¡¯t want him to be in pain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mother is aware of that but right now she is trying to destroy a monster in the making.¡±


    ¡°A monster?¡±


    ¡°You might not understand this now, but Pari remembers this, Cyrus should be able to stand on his own two feet.¡±


    The day continued on as my mother watch over Cyrus as he repeatedly failed to stand up, and as my mother repeatedly told him to keep trying, and eventually the sun set, and my mother and father went back inside with me.


    As we enter the house, my mom screams, ¡°If you want to return to the house, you better do it on your own two feet.¡±


    After dinner is served for me and my parents they go to their rooms as I go to mine, but unable to sleep I look out my window to see that Cyrus has gotten bloodier.


    So, I grab some cloth and head outside. Walking up to a bloody Cyrus on the ground, I say, ¡°Cyrus are you ok!?¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-Sister!¡± He mumbles on the ground.


    Taking the cloth in my hands I wrap up Cyrus¡¯s wounds and say, ¡°I knew this was too dangerous for you to do.¡±


    As I wrap him, Cyrus says, ¡°S-S-S-Sorr-r-r-ry,¡± With tears falling from his eyes.


    Looking at his cute little face, I hug him and say, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, Mother and father are crazy to be mean to this adorable little creature.¡±


    ¡°I l-l-love you, sister!¡±


    With utter elation, I hug Cyrus tighter and rub my cheek against him saying, ¡°I love you too!!!¡± As we hug the ground breaks around us.


    Getting up I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus I am going to go give mother and father a talking too.¡± At full speed I run inside the house, then head towards my mother and father''s room.


    When I reach the door, I burst straight through and say, ¡°Please reconsider!!!¡±


    But to my horror I see both of my parents laying on the floor surrounded by feathers, and out of their bodies, I see blood. Running over to them I say, ¡°Mother, father!¡±


    But as I touch their bodies, I instantly realise they are dead. So, I cry my heart out over their bodies.


    -Break-


    Later that night the elders of our city came to check on the scene that had just taken place.


    In my arms, I hold Cyrus as I tremble and wait for the elders to come out. When I finally see them leave my house, I run up to them and say, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The eldest dragon there, Asha says, ¡°The rest of you go home as I talk to her.¡±


    With the rest of the elders leaving he says, ¡°It seems your parents were murdered.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there were, but by whom, where is the traitor scum that has snuck into Damavand and has slain its monarch.¡±


    ¡°It was no dragon that has done this, the smell was human.¡±


    ¡°A human?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it has been centuries since I have smelled one, but I can guarantee what I smelt had the whiff of a human.¡±


    ¡°Where can I find this lower lifeform!!¡±


    ¡°They were able to sneak in her without being noticed so I am sure they are long gone, and right now you have much more important things to deal with than revenge.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about, the killer of my parents is still out there!!¡±


    ¡°While it is a tragedy that Cambyses and Mandana were slain, the true enemy you face are the people of Damavand, since when word spread that you¡¯re parents were killed by a human the damage to the Damavand name will be irreparable.¡±

 Arc 8.31

    ¡°WHY DOES THAT MATTER!¡±


    With a voice much louder than mine, Asha says, ¡°PARIBANOU!¡± Which causes me to quiet down. ¡°You¡¯re a mere lizard of 7 years, so listen well to these words; The reason this city carries your family name is because long ago the dragon god gave your great grandpa this city as his own, a sign of respect of the highest order. But that was given as a sign of the Damavand family''s strength at the time, strength is what allows you to hold such a title and rule over the dragons of Damavand, not blood.


    If that strength vanishes or is seen as fractured, any dragon is allowed to come and take all you are including your pathetic lives, and being killed by a human is enough of a shame to warrant such an act. The greatest sign of disrespect for your heritage as dragons.¡±


    As I understand his words my heart starts to race, then I ask, ¡°So what am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Even after all that you still ask for help?¡± Sighing he says, ¡°I will think of this as the last favour I do towards the Damavand. The answer is as clear and beautiful as the eyes of our god, simply take over.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t do it by myself.¡±


    ¡°That matter not, aren¡¯t you a dragon Paribanou, the greatest form of life on this planet, that single fact transcends any reasoning as to why you couldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°But what if the murder comes back?¡±


    ¡°Then I would suggest fighting them off because unless you claim their head, a constant threat will hang over your family''s head.¡±


    As I shake with fright, I say, ¡°But he was able to kill mother and father?¡±


    Annoyed again, Asha says, ¡°If you''re so scared for your life, you could always simply find a marriage pack while your family still has some worth in its name.¡±


    ¡°Marriage pack?¡±


    ¡°The family in question will take care of you and in return, once you are finally able to reach adulthood by turning into a full dragon, you will be married. But only you will be accepted into the family and you must remove both the Damavand name and leave any family behind.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t leaver Cyrus behind, can¡¯t they accept him too.¡±


    ¡°Your brother I useless trash, they already have the blood of the Damavand¡¯s with you so I doubt any family would take on a burden to their family.¡±


    ¡°But, but.¡±


    ¡°Paribanou, out of the 1286 years I have lived I have learnt one thing and that is that the weak have no right to choose how they live. You have your options so choose one.¡±


    As Asha walks away, I feel my mind about to collapse in on itself. What, am I going to do, how am going to defend myself? I have too many enemies and no apparent allies, Mother, Father what am I supposed to do?


    Hearing a sound to my right, I turn to face it. Where I see Cyrus laying on the floor. I run over to him and say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I wa-a-a-ante-e-ed to giv-v-ve you a-a-a-a h-h-h-hug.¡±


    Looking at the sight of Cyrus beneath me I hold him tight, and say, ¡°You¡¯re a good boy Cyrus and everything will be ok, I promise.¡± This little creature in my arms doesn¡¯t deserve to die or be alone so I will protect him with all my might.


    -Break-


    The next morning, I announced to all the dragons in the city what had happened, but omitted the cause of death.  Then moments later I told each and every one of them, ¡°But don¡¯t fret my followers of the dragon god, since I as next in line to the Damavand name will take over and lead you towards Nirvana!!¡±


    As the crowd erupts with joy, I can feel every single one of their gazes towards me, and they poke at my skin like sharp blades. They are hungry for me to falter.


    Later that day as we celebrated my rise, I sat in front of everyone and looked down at them. As the party became more and more energetic a dragon walked up to me.


    It was Ashatam, the son of Asha. With an overbearing voice, he says, ¡°Did you know on every single Damavand¡¯s accent to the position of shah, they have shared a drink with the person who would one day be their best friend? So, I offer this drink to you Paribanou Damavand.¡±


    Asha walking up says, ¡°She can¡¯t drink until she is an adult.¡±


    ¡°I know that Father, so I prepared for her the blood of the manticore just as tasty.¡±


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    Hearing this my eye opens up, I utterly despise the blood of a manticore, It is the one food I have refused to eat ever since I have been born. But the only person who knew was my mother and the servants. The servants!!!


    Are they reporting information to others? If so that means this man and others could know how my parents really died. In that moment I noticed that everyone who has caught on to Ashatams voice are looking at me. Their eyes stare at me full of hunger, as if they are looking for a moment of weakness.


    Grabbing the drink out of his hand I drink it all, as Ashatam drinks his own, and say, ¡°I hope I can count on you Ashatam.¡±


    ¡°Same to you, my shah.¡±


    For the rest of the party, till I got home two days later, I was overcome with fright. Who did they tell? How much did they know? What are they plotting? These questions ran rampant through my mind.


    When I entered my home, I couldn¡¯t even relax for a moment because even my own house had turned into a battlefield for me. I need to be strong because if I don¡¯t, I am dead.


    Walking into my room, I lay on my bed and sink into my thoughts. Did I look strong enough during the party? Did I make any bad moves? Who wants to take power from me? Is it the younger dragons, or the ancient dragons? How am I going to do this? Who are my allies? Do I even have allies? I still don¡¯t know who killed my parents, what if they come back? Can I protect myself from anyone?


    ¡°S-S-S-ister!¡±


    Looking underneath my blanket I see that Cyrus is in my bed. ¡°Why are you here Cyrus?¡±


    ¡°Al-l-l-l-l-l the ser-r-r-rvants where sca-a-a-arying me, so I hid-d-d-d-de  here. Are you o-o-o-o-kay?¡±


    Hugging Cyrus I say, ¡°Everything is fine, I just was a little tired. But never worry about anything Cyrus, because I am here.¡±


    Moving closer to me Cyrus falls asleep in my arms, but that night I didn¡¯t sleep, I couldn¡¯t, I had to watch for anyone coming close to us where the servants or the murderer.


    -Break-


    The very next day I took on all the jobs of my father, and it was then that I truly realised the weight of all the work my father does. He had to maintain all of the city''s systems, and double-check each one was working efficiently. He had to monitor all the officials and make sure every single citizen was performing the correct religious ceremonies. He was in charge of all the trade that goes on in and out of this city.


    Justice, finance, appointments, infrastructure, I had to handle all of this and keep extremely detailed notes of everything. But the real issue was with the fact that my father did everything so much better than I did, so my work was very clearly inferior to his.


    As I sit behind his desk, I panic. I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this!


    Walking into the study, a servant says, ¡°My lady, Cyrus is awake.¡±


    Getting up from my seat, I tell the servant with a bright smile, ¡°Good job,¡± Then make my way towards, my second issue.


    Over the last few days, I have come to also realise the intensity of my mother''s work. She had to keep all of the activities around the home in order, and for a house as big as this with all these servants it wasn¡¯t easy in the slightest.


    But the true task my mother dealt with every day was Cyrus. I have to dress him, feed him, bathe him, groom him, walk with him by hand everywhere, and even sleep beside him.


    I always taught it was weird why my mother never let any of the servants that care of him like they did with me, but I know why this happened. It is not that Cyrus should be able to do it for himself, it is that he can¡¯t do it for himself, he is literally unable to do this no matter how many times you teach him, if any of the servants found out and reported it to outside families it would have been seen as a sign of weakness.


    As I brush Cyrus¡¯s hair, I ask, ¡°Hey Cyrus, is there anything you want to do?¡±


    ¡°N-N-N-N-No.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any dreams?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, I don¡¯t need to think about such things.¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°Cyrus you just talked normally, how did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I do-o-o-o-on¡¯t k-k-k-k-k-k-know h-h-h-how.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine we will figure it out someday.¡± As I continued to brush Cyrus¡¯s hair, I truly grasp the fact that Cyrus cannot function by himself.


    -Break-


    After entering my door, a woman bows in front of me and says, ¡°Hello Shah, I am called Ariana.¡±


    Looking at Ariana, I notice from her clothes she is a Sun maiden; they are a group of women who are in charge of religious ceremonies, and education.


    Considering the tattoos on her body I would say she is rather high-ranked, but still walking into the room of this city''s Shah without knocking first is rude, I must not be taken as weak. ¡°Do they no longer teach manners at the Gathas temples? Walking in before announcing yourself to this city''s Shah is rather disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean any disrespect, it is just that the customs of minor cities like this change so much over millennia that I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    Hearing this my eyes open wide, ¡°Did you just say millennia.¡±


    ¡°Of yes, I happen to be 6894 years old, I am the leader of the Sun maidens who report to one of our two dragon gods. Ariana Mehri.¡±


    Immediately my body tightens up, I made a mistake! ¡°Sorry for my insolence.¡±


    Ignoring my words, she says with a smile, ¡°You see the dragon god of destruction, heard that a newborn lizard like you was forced to take over such a city and worried about your well-being, so I was sent to check up on you and give you help.


    But considering your lack of basic knowledge about my rank, and your discourtesy towards me, I feel as though you have just spit in the face of the dragon god¡¯s kindness.¡±


    ¡°I am very sorry for my behaviour.¡±


    ¡°But still my decision or feelings don¡¯t trump that of the dragon gods so heed the words I tell you, continue your basic studies. The reason we educate young dragons on certain things is that it is necessary for you to understand the greatest that is our nation.


    And your lack of knowledge on such things will be the easiest way your foes might use to take you down. So, I will send my personal maidens to instruct you on such things, so no one will notice your lack of knowledge.¡±


    Bowing I say, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    As she walks away, Ariana says, ¡°Age and gender matter not to us dragons, the very fact you are a dragon demands supremacy and anything less is a disgrace to all you are.¡±


    Over the next few days, I spent time with one of Ariana''s personal maidens where I was educated on all the information I was missing out on. When combined with taking care of Cyrus, and all of my work as the Shah, I was working nonstop to the point where I couldn¡¯t sleep, but it didn¡¯t matter to me since sleep was already beyond me at this point.


    And just like that 3 years passed.

 Arc 8.32

    Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, Work, Cyrus, Study, WORK, CYRUS, STUDY!


    For 3 years this is all my life had devolved into, except that the time I spent with Cyrus only grew as he got older, and being around him felt as if someone was choking me.


    Staring out the window of the corridor, I see the kids my age playing outside, ¡°How I wish I could join. When was the last time we even played outside.¡±


    Running up to me from down the corridor Cyrus hugs my leg and says, ¡°Mo-o-o-other.¡±


    Picking him up, I say, ¡°Cyrus don¡¯t you remember what I told you about calling me mother? Bad boy.¡±


    Freaking out in my arms Cyrus says, ¡°S-S-S-Sorry,¡± then starts to cry.


    Panicked, I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t cry Cyrus, I didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it.¡±


    ¡°PARIBANOU!!!¡± I hear someone shout.


    Turning around I look outside the window and see that the kids have been playing, and are shouting at me, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen you in a couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Come play with us!¡±


    ¡°Or are you too busy now to do so?¡±


    ¡°What are you idiots talking about, it has been three years!?¡± I say confused.


    Turning their heads to each other they mutter, ¡°Really I thought it had only been a few days.¡±


    ¡°Time really does move quickly.¡±


    Facing me again, they say, ¡°So what! Let¡¯s still play, let¡¯s see who can reach the ocean floor the fastest.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose to you this time Pari¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun.¡±


    Seeing everyone smiling and asking me to come with them, makes me happy, but then Cyrus says in my arms, ¡°P-P-Please don¡¯t go!¡±


    ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be away from you, stay with me.¡±


    Seeing how sad Cyrus is, I say, ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere, I will always be there for you.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    But looking at the other kids an idea pops into my mind. Heading outside, I ask all of them, ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t come out to play but could you guys play with Cyrus instead.¡±


    Grabbing me closer, Cyrus says, ¡° I a-a-a-am sca-a-a-ared Pari.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cyrus, you¡¯re my strong little man, and you should have some friends to spend time with. Even if it is just for a little bit, and look they want to play with you.¡±


    The kids, grouping around Cyrus say, ¡°So this is Pari little brother.¡±


    ¡°The first son of the Damavand family.¡±


    ¡°I can tell he is going to be a strong warrior.¡±


    ¡°He is adorable.¡±


    ¡°Let''s go play together Cyrus.¡±


    Holding him up to my face, I say, ¡°See Cyrus, these people want to spend time with you so why don¡¯t you repay that by spending time with them.¡±


    ¡°O-O-O-Okay.¡±


    Dropping Cyrus on his own two feet, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dangerous with him or I will execute all of you.¡±


    Picking him up they say, ¡°We won¡¯t!¡± As they run off.


    Walking back to the study, I remember something my mother told me. Dragons have a very skewed sense of time due to their life spans, days, months, years, and even centuries can go by in a couple of minutes by their perception.


    But over these last three years, I have felt all of it, not a single day have I slept and not a single day have I forgotten.


    Entering the study, I sit down behind my desk and get to work. Even though I will never say it, I am already aware of the answer and it is because I count each day waiting for this life to end.


    -Break-


    The sky is a bright clear blue, no wind, no rain, just a few sleepy clouds, the sun shines with a beautiful light as if it is trying to catch my attention, and through this wonderful scene, I fly as a dragon.


    I have finally reached it my dragon form, I can fly anywhere I want, anytime I want. I am free of all weights, all burdens as I fly, no one can stop me, no one can catch me. I am free!


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    ¡°Sister save me!¡± I hear a voice scream.


    Turning around, I see Cyrus being ripped to shreds by monsters, demons. Seeing this I try to fly back but I stop myself; if I go now those demons will never catch me, but if I help him they will be able to imprison me, I will lose my freedom.


    Unable to decided I just float there in mid-air, but then as they continue to rip Cyrus apart, I fly-.


    Jumping up I realize that I am in my study. After looking around for a moment I say, ¡°That was just a dream. But now I guess sleeping for the first time in 4 years is rather nice.¡±


    Looking through the window I see it is quite dark, walking out of the room I ask one of the servants, ¡°Has Cyrus returned?¡±


    ¡°No Shah, he hasn¡¯t for about two days.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, return to your post,¡± I say jumping out of a window.


    When I land, I immediately run around the city and look for Cyrus. Seeing one of the kids who plays with him I run over and ask, ¡°Where is Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t he come back with us!¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t returned home today.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I swear he was with us when we returned, or am I thinking of the last time we played? Thinking about it again, I am not sure he walked back with us. He might still be in the area we played at.¡±


    Frightened I say, ¡°Where do you guys usually play?¡±


    ¡°We head down that path over there, then take a right to an open area, but today we decided to take a left to an almost identical area. Cyrus should be able to get home by himse-.¡±


    Before he can finish, I run off to find Cyrus, following the instructions I was given I end up in the large open area, where I see Cyrus sitting down.


    Seeing me, he says, ¡°Pari!¡±


    Cyrus is just joyfully sitting down, so without saying anything I pick him up and start walking home.


    As we reach closer to home I ask, ¡°Cyrus why did you just sit there, the road back to the city was almost identical.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would come for me. So instead of choosing I just wa-a-a-aited.¡±


    With a quiet smile, I say, ¡°Sorry for not coming sooner I fell asleep for two days.¡±


    ¡°It is fine.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Cyrus, what do you do when you see someone weaker than you?¡±


    ¡°I help them!¡±


    ¡°Good, now it is time for the next rule.¡±


    ¡°Pari, why d-d-d-d-d-do I hav-v-v-v-v-ve to do this?¡±


    ¡°Because I need to teach you how to survive when I am not around, we can¡¯t have anything like yesterday happening.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, Cyrus says, ¡°But won¡¯t y-y-y-you alway-y-y-y-ys come fo-o-o-or me?¡±


    Calming him down I say, ¡°Of course I will, but when I am not physically present, I want you to at least carry my words ok, and if you can¡¯t find an answer I will come get you.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    And thus, life went on. I made sure to embed my principles into Cyrus and continued my work and study. I was able to get Cyrus to make some decisions by himself by following the words I left him.


    I also began to finally get a grasp on my father''s duties even though I was still below him in terms of efficiency, I was finally able to do them all and still get sleep, and because of these two things, I felt that the dragons around us stopped looking for weakness. Life was finally looking up for me.


    But it would all end on Cyrus¡¯s tenth birthday.


    -Break-


    Hearing a scream I rush to the source, where I see one of the servants sitting over Cyrus¡¯s unconscious body.


    ¡°What happened!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he was walking then fell down a second ago.¡±


    Touching Cyrus, I see his face feels hot and he is breathing heavily. ¡°No, no, no. What is this?¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    Turning around I see Arianna. ¡°Teacher.¡±


    Walking up to Cyrus she says, ¡°I was here for his birthday, so I came early but I didn¡¯t expect to see this.¡±


    ¡°Please help him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will do the best I can.¡±


    -Break-


    As I sit outside Cyrus¡¯s room with Arianna inside, I wait impatiently. What is going on I don¡¯t know what to do, mother, father please help me!


    Opening the door, I see Arianna walk out.


    ¡°Is Cyrus, ok?¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, has an infection.¡±


    ¡°You mean those things that humans get?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But you taught me it was impossible for dragons to get such things?¡±


    ¡°Yes, even the lowliest dragon cannot get them normally. But there are such expectations and Cyrus is one of them. I trust you know how much of an insult such an existence is to both of our gods.¡±


    Falling to my knees, I say, ¡°How much more will I have to go through, I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°PARIBANOU!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Grabbing me by the shoulders, she says, ¡°Now is not the time to complain you have very few options in front of you and barely enough time to act on them. There are no cures on the continent, so you must head to the human nations to find one.¡±


    ¡°But will I be able to do that?¡±


    ¡°It is either that or you must wipe the stain of the Damavand name by valiantly killing Cyrus.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, isn¡¯t Cyrus''s patheticness a constant source of worry that you have to deal with? His weakness invites people to challenge your rule, and without such baggage, I am sure a strong dragon like you would be able to live a long life.¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T DO SUCH A THING!¡±


    ¡°Then you have your answer, get up and let''s go.¡±


    Standing up I walk into Cyrus¡¯s room and pick him up. Weakly he says, ¡°Sister w-w-w-where a-a-a-are we going.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it, just conserve your strength, my little boy.¡±


    Walking out of the room, I follow Arianna to the back of the house. And when we get out there, she asks, ¡°Is that everything you need?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Then picking me up she says, ¡°Hold on tight.¡± Then runs full speed towards the coast.


    As we run, I feel the air pressure move so fast against me that I start to get cut. ¡°Just hold on a little longer Paribanou we are almost far enough away.


    ¡°I will, but I don¡¯t think Cyrus can hold on.¡±


    After a little bit of time, Arianna says, ¡°Far enough.¡± Then throws me into the air. Moments later I see her scales have covered her body, and she has turned into a serpent-like dragon with rainbow wings.


    Flying towards us in the sky she catches me, then soars as high into the sky as she can. Breaking past the clouds I get to see the sky, riding on top of Arianna.


    ¡°This should be more comfortable for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, thank you so much.¡±


    As we fly, I ask, ¡°Will I be able to turn into a dragon of your size?¡±


    ¡°Our size is directly proportional to our power, so I doubt someone as weak as you will become this size, well at least anytime in the next few centuries.¡±


    Disheartened I say, ¡°Oh I see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel down, I am only considered a mid-ranking dragon, high-ranking dragons are a lot bigger than me, not to mention the dragon''s gods and their kin. But I can guarantee that you will one day soar above the cloud like this as well.¡±


    Reaching land, Arianna says, ¡°Where on the human nations.¡± Then moments later her scales start to disintegrate as her dragon body dissipates and she returns to being human mid-air.


    Grabbing me, we fall until we hit the ground. As the dust clears from our landing, Arianna says, ¡°My lower back!¡±


    Getting out of her hands I say, ¡°Are you ok.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I need to stretch out my back more.¡±


    Getting up, she says, ¡°When coming back swim through the ocean, if Cyrus is healthy, you should be able to manage such a thing. I will cover for you until you come back, no one will contest one of the dragon gods'' servants.¡±


    As she walks away, I ask, ¡°Why are you helping me I thought you didn¡¯t like me?¡±


    ¡°I simply don¡¯t like seeing young dragons getting their lives wiped away, call it repentance if you want, but I wish you and your brother can live long lives.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, I will never forget this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need you thanks I just need you to hurry up, and return for your lessons.¡± With that, both of us go our separate ways.

 Arc 8.33

    With Cyrus in my arms, I walk forward with a heavy heart. Will I be able to do this, will I be able to keep this a secret from all the other dragons, where should I go, will I be able to find the medicine I need?


    Stopping in one place my eyes open as I realize. The murderer of my parents could be right here, he could be watching us, hunting us at this very moment. The image of my parents corpses flashes through my head and I start to shake.


    ¡°S-S-S-S-Sister!¡± Cyrus says while coughing.


    Composing myself I say, ¡°Don¡¯t speak, just rest.¡± I don¡¯t have time to be worried, I have lived my life to make him happy, so his life is my number 1 priority.


    I move forward throughout the lands. The human soil is poor, I doubt the vegetation of Avesta could grow here. The air purity is also a lot worse; I am finding it a lot harder to breathe, I also don¡¯t understand the purpose of all the vast open areas here, in Avesta they exist so people can use their dragon forms, but since humans don¡¯t take up much space this seems wasteful.


    After a little bit of walking, I eventually come across a small area with a lot of humans. This place is extremely tiny; is this supposed to be a village?


    Walking into the village, I see people staring at me, so I announce myself, ¡°My name is Paribanou Damavand, child of Cambyses and Mandana Damavand, and current Shah of the city of Damavand. Now feeble humans bring me out your greatest doctor!¡±


    The humans look shocked at the words that I speak, and then I start to hear them talk amongst themselves, but all of their words are incomprehensible to me.


    ¡°Why do you humans speak nonsense in front of a dragon such as myself, this disrespect will be met by death!¡±


    One of the humans walking out, says, ¡°Sorry, about that no one else here except me speaks the Saviour''s song.¡±


    Even though I can understand him every few words he says confuses me. ¡°I can only understand half the words you say, is the speech ability of all you humans so appalling.¡±


    ¡°I think that is because you''re speaking the more traditional version of the Saviour''s song, while I speak a more modern version.¡±


    ¡°Excuses will not be tolerated, human. Just give me what I ask.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t have any medicine then.¡±


    ¡°You have outlived your usefulness, die then!¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait, I know someone who can help.¡±


    ¡°Where is this person?¡±


    ¡°They live a little away from our village, and we help each other every now and then. I will write them a letter, and then you can just follow the path on a map.¡±


    As he hands me the letter and map, I say, ¡°You have done good human. I will reward you.¡± Pathing him on the head, I say, ¡°Good job human, the touch of a dragon is something you will never experience again.¡±


    With a smile, I walk away, and say, ¡°Good day to you.¡±


    When I make it out of sight of the village I start to run, ¡°Cyrus we are almost there.¡±


    After a little while of running, I see another small area with a group of people with swords walking around. Running up to them I announce myself, ¡°My name is Paribanou Damavand, child of Cambyses and Mandana Damavand, and current Shah of the city of Damavand. Now feeble humans bring me out your greatest doctor!!!¡±


    One of them walks up to me and like the humans before he says something incomprehensible as he reaches for my horn. Grabbing his arm I break it, and say, ¡°A dragon''s horns are their sign of loyalty to nirvana and the dragon gods, to allow anything to happen to them is a sign of treachery of the highest order and you will be forever banished from Avesta.¡±


    Breaking his other arm, I say, ¡°To touch a dragon''s horns is to assault a dragon''s life, so if you dirty monkeys think you can take my life, I will slaughter each and every one of you!¡± With one hand I throw the man all the way to the back.


    Seeing this they all fall to the floor, and then one of them screams something that is incomprehensible to me. Which causes a man to rush out from a tiny house behind them.


    ¡°Did you not hear me, humans!!!¡±


    The man who just came out bows, and says, ¡°I am sorry for any disrespect my comrades¡¯ have caused, please spare our lives. we will listen to whatever you say.¡±


    Walking up to him I hand him a letter and say, ¡°Your patron gave me this.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Reading the letter, the man bows and says, ¡°Oh great dragon, thank you for blessing my insignificant existence by allowing me to help you in your search for medicine.¡±


    ¡°Finally, one of you seems to know respect!¡±


    ¡°But before we go and look for the medicine, I will need some physical payment.¡±


    ¡°You dare demand something from me human!?¡±


    Panicked he says, ¡°Sorry, but we are too poor to purchase the medicine needed for that little one, so would you please bless us with some funds.¡±


    Opening the bag I brought with me, I drop a piece of aster in their hands, ¡°That single piece of aster should be enough.¡±


    All around me, people open their eyes as if they are in disbelief. ¡°This shiny red and gold rock is something I have never seen before, I can tell the purity of this is ridiculous¡±


    ¡°Enjoy human, you will never see such a thing again.¡±


    ¡°I will send my men ahead of us to start getting things ready.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we immediately go?¡±


    ¡°On the human nations things are a bit more complicated, so it isn¡¯t that simple. So, in the meantime let¡¯s all enough a nice relaxing meal to celebrate your arrival here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for such things, my brother conditio-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we have some stuff that will help alleviate symptoms.¡±


    ¡°Watch yourself human, and never cut me off again.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¡°Ok then let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Sitting on the chair in their tiny dining hall, I eat the food they have set out for me, but it is all so hollow. ¡°Why is all this food so lacking in density, I could eat a100000 plates of this and I wouldn¡¯t feel full.¡±


    ¡°That stuff is from the wonderbeast byakko, it is some of the largest meat we have on the continent!?¡±


    ¡°If that is so you humans are actually more pathetic than I thought. I see why you humans are so weak, if your food was this small and tasted this weird, I wouldn¡¯t eat at all either.¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± I hear a voice call me.


    Looking over I see that Cyrus is walking around full of life, so I walk over to him and say, ¡°Cyrus you¡¯re all better.¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡±


    Looking at the people around him, I say, ¡°How did you do this?¡±


    ¡°We simply gave him a suppressant, it tricks your brain into thinking nothing is wrong so it allows people to go on living as normal, and my god did he need a lot of it, must be your different physiology.¡±


    ¡°I see so he is healed.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, we have just curbed the symptoms he still needs medicine to rid his body of it completely.¡±


    With a fierce glare, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you say human, he looks better, so how isn¡¯t he better? Do you wish to die, human!¡±


    Cowering he says, ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules, that is just how it is, I want your brother better as much as you do.¡±


    ¡°I will believe you, now Cyrus come eat some of this garbage food.¡± After Cyrus returns to my side, we sit down to eat until the sun goes down then we head to bed.


    Lying beside a tree with Cyrus snuggled up beside me I look at the sight in front of me. All the humans have passed out on the floor, it seems this pathetic meal we had today was a rather extravagant feast for them, so they drank and partied till they dropped.


    It seems they pulled out all the stops to welcome our presence in their little area, these humans here seem to understand the value of a dragon''s existence.


    Looking to my side I see that Cyrus is asleep, so I say, ¡°It is nice to not have to worry about someone stabbing you in the back as you sleep, and the humans treat me with respect not to mention they aren¡¯t looking to hurt you. This truly feels like a utopia, I wish this could be my life minus the horrible food.


    Oh, and I guess I haven¡¯t said this yet today, but happy birthday Cyrus, I hope we will get to celebrate you¡¯re next one, the 100<sup>th</sup> together. Good night, Cyrus.¡± Closing my eyes, I fall asleep without a worry in the world.


    -Break-


    The next morning, as we sit on a mind-numbingly slow carriage, I say, ¡°Are we there yet?¡±


    ¡°Sorry mighty dragon, but we have to take a longer road than usual.¡±


    Turning back to face Cyrus, I see him say, ¡°Sister are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I am just feeling a little strange, might be because of this slow movement.¡±


    ¡°I am not feeling anything, so I will protect you, sister!¡±


    Patting his head, I say, ¡°It seems whatever medicine they gave you got rid of your stutter. I will get those humans to give me some, they should happily accept such a request.


    Suddenly the carriage stops, and I notice the person driving us jumps out and starts to run, ¡°What the hell,¡± I say picking up Cyrus and heading outside.


    When I leave the carriage in front of me, I see a massive horde of humans with weapons in their hands, and in the back of all of them is the leader of the men we spent the night with yesterday.


    ¡°Can you please explain this discourtesy you have shown me!!¡±


    Blowing on a small white smoking object, the man blows out smoke and says, ¡°Shut the fuck up you dumb bitch.¡±


    ¡°Due to the kindness you have shown us yesterday, I will give you 5 seconds to take back your words.¡±


    ¡°How frightening, I think I might piss my pants.¡±


    ¡°Now listen huma-.¡±


    ¡°No, you listen idiot. You see this army, it was bought with the stone you gave me, and thanks to your ignorance I know you have a whole lot more than this, so you''re going to hand it over to me.¡±


    ¡°It seems you have become cocky, human!!!¡± I say slamming my foot into the ground. But when I do I realize that none of the ground beneath me is breaking apart, and then I suddenly collapse on one knee. What is going on?


    ¡°Wondering where all your strength has gone? Maybe next time you shouldn¡¯t accept food from a stranger.¡±


    ¡°You did something to my meal.¡±


    ¡°When wonderbeasts can be found all around having tranquillizing agents and muscle relaxers on hand can come in handy.¡±


    ¡°Such cowardly tactics you human?¡±


    Throwing his smoking little stick on the ground, he says, ¡°You dragons are born with so much strength that you guys haven¡¯t even the slightest of medical knowledge, but you see us humans are weak and have to use our heads to survive, and strategy will always trump pure strength. Now go claim our prize.¡±


    ¡°Sister,¡± Cyrus says running over to me.


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°Cyrus I am going to need you to run away, all the way to the coast and continue to move until you reach home.¡±


    ¡°B-B-B-But what about you si-i-i-ister.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I will be right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Pa-a-a-ari.¡±


    ¡°CYRUS, we don¡¯t know when the medicine keeping you healthy will wear off, so I need you to run as fast as you can. Please do this one thing for me.¡±


    As the horde of people come towards me, I shout, ¡°NOW RUN!¡± And behind me, I hear Cyrus¡¯s running away.

 Arc 8.34

    As the humans all rush towards me, I throw the cart towards them. Which causes the ones it landed on to stop, but the rest of them simply move towards me.


    Then I as they approach, I see their speed suddenly increase, spirit arts? Keeping my eyes on their sword I dodge away, but then I am hit in my stomach by his fist.


    Seeing the rest of the scum running towards me, I let out a roar with all the might I had. When it reaches the humans, they all fall to their knees; now is my chance to run.


    As I try to move my feet a collapse to my knees yet again. I can¡¯t move, my strength is completely gone.


    ¡°YOU ANNOYING BITCH,¡± is what I hear as I am kicked in the face.


    Looking up I see the leader of these humans towering over me. ¡°Hold her down.¡±


    Lots of different humans pile on top of me and keep me still. ¡°Let go of me, you dirty humans.¡±


    ¡°Say that again bitch,¡± Is what one of the men on top of me says raising his fist.


    But then as he strikes my face his hand starts to bleed. As he screams in pain, the leader of the men says, ¡°You really ought to keep your mouth shut because my patience is waving. Boys go get the little dragon.¡±


    Fiercely fighting against the people holding me down I scream, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch him, you bastards.¡±


    Grabbing my face, he says, ¡°Listen here you fucking reptile, it took a ridiculous amount of the tranquillizers and muscle relaxers to get you into your weakened state; that stuff isn¡¯t cheap. So, I intend to make the full value of that back.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me, you disgusting monkey.¡±


    Sighing he says, ¡°And now I am annoyed.¡± Throwing my face on the ground, he takes out his sword and says, ¡°Didn¡¯t you break one of my men¡¯s arms over you stupid horn? Hold her down boys.¡±


    As the men hold me down with his sword, he slashes my horn causing blood to spurt out making me scream in pain. ¡°Wait, despite being made up of scales, your horn is an actual organ? This really will make me a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Stop!! Don¡¯t you dare!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I like you so much I really want you to stay on Terrafide forever.¡±


    As he continues to hack away at my horn, I scream, ¡°Stop, stop, stop!!!¡±


    ¡°Keep her steady boys!¡±


    I can feel it my horn breaking away with each swing, if it breaks, I will never be able to return home, I will be banned from nirvana till I die. No, No, No, NO!!!¡±


    With tears falling from my eyes, I say, ¡°Please, stop.¡±


    For a moment he stops, and looks down at me, then moments later he laughs and says, ¡°Fuck you.¡± Then with his next slash, he breaks off my horn.¡±


    I let out the largest scream I have today in that moment which makes the humans around me back off, but in my weakness, I am unable to move. Kicking me in my face he says, ¡°You really are pissing me off. Boys strip her, then descale the rest of her body, we will make a killing on this.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t that hurt her value?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be selling her since I am pretty sure that the scales on her body grow back. These purple and pink scales will make a killing, now start.¡±


    As the man walks away, the rest of the humans start to take off my clothes then I see a women walk over to me and say, ¡°Move away you dumbass, this requires a delicate touch.¡±


    Over me, she says, ¡°Now miss dragon let¡¯s get acquainted with each other.¡± Then with a strange blade, she starts to cut off my scales, one by one.


    The pain I feel throughout my body is immense, so much so that my mind goes hazy. The only thing I remember is the pain, and the laughing faces of all the humans.


    -Break-


    As I lay on the floor with blood coming from where my scales used to be, I shiver there on the floor. I can never go back home; I can never see them ever again. But, but at least Cyrus escaped.


    Picking my weakened body up they carry me towards the woods. After a little bit of walking, I hear the leader of the men say, ¡°Look who we found.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Dropping me on the floor, in front of me I see Cyrus. In disbelief, I say, ¡°How did they catch you, with your speed you should have reached the coast long before now.¡±


    Laughing the man says, ¡°You won¡¯t believe it, we found him sitting still in the forest. Then we just scooped him up.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean he was sitting still? Cyrus, why didn¡¯t you run!?¡±


    ¡°I c-c-c-came to a split path, and I didn¡¯t know which way to go so I waited for you to come help me.¡±


    Suddenly all the people around me start to laugh, and then the man in front says, ¡°This child must be an idiot, we are facing the sea if you ran directly down either path you would have reached the sea. My god I never thought I would ever see a thing like this, it is too funny.¡±


    As all the people around Cyrus start laughing, I just look at him in disbelief. Everything, after everything I sacrificed to keep this child happy and alive, he couldn¡¯t do the bare minimum of choosing which path to go down.


    It is so fun I could laugh, and so I do; as all the humans around Cyrus start to laugh I do as well, because it is just too damn funny. Cyrus screams, ¡°SISTER!¡± As we are taken away from each other.


    But I just say, ¡°Bye Cyrus,¡± With a smile.


    -Break-


    As I sit in my cage, I just lay there unable to move. They have infused my body with so much of that medicine I can barely feel anything. Day, after day, I lay in this cage as they come to rip my newly grown scales off to sell them.


    In this cage I completely lost all sense of time, because this was my life from now on, and after I accepted this fact time just passed by in mere seconds. I don¡¯t know how many days, months, or even years have passed but at the end of it all I do know that no one is coming for me.


    As I see the man towering over my body, a single tear falls from my eyes as I say, ¡°Mother, father.¡±


    The man hearing my words starts to smile, but moments later after a loud noise appears, he jumps up and says, ¡°What the fuck.¡±


    Moments later I see a curved sword slice the top half of his head off. Then over me, I see a woman wearing black coverings bend down and say, ¡°You¡¯re severely injured everywhere.¡±


    Another woman dressed similarly says, ¡°Is that a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is and she is in horrible shape, tell our king to come immediately this one will need extra help.¡±


    As the second woman runs away, the first one says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry from now on everything will be ok.¡± After she says this, my eyelids start to feel heavy, it feels like a giant weight has just left my soldiers, so I just fall asleep.


    -Break-


    I don¡¯t really remember what happened next in the cage I was in, but the next time I opened my eyes I was in a bed. Then moments later, I see a woman dressed like a servant walk into my room.


    Upon seeing me she says, ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Then screams down the hall, ¡°SHE¡¯S AWAKE.¡±


    Soon I''m explained the situation. ¡°You see the people of our country have rescued you from the horrible people that captured you, and if it so pleases we would enjoy it if you were to stay in this country with us.¡±


    As the woman continues to explain the situation to me, all I can do is sit there lifeless. What am I supposed to do now? I simply thought I was going to stay there till I died. I have nowhere to return to, or anyone I want to find.


    As I continued to live in the Jedidiah the sole question on my mind is, why am I still alive? My pride as a dragon is shattered and gone, all I am is a pathetic corpse just hanging on to life. What value is there in living like this?


    Sitting on the top of the palace I look down on all the people below. ¡°I cannot smile like a single one of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to be this high up.¡±


    Turning my head, I see the human that is the king of Jedidiah, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me human, I have no time for you.¡±


    ¡°Hey this is my palace, I hold the right to bother anyone here whenever I want!¡±


    ¡°You annoying pes-,¡± My words are interrupted by the sudden sound of a rumble from my belly.


    ¡°I see so your hangry. I see even dragons really lose control when they are hungry.¡±


    Grabbing the human with my tail, I throw him off the top of the palace. ¡°How irritating.¡±


    Two hour later


    ¡°We meet again, dragon.¡±


    Turning my head to him I say, ¡°It seems once wasn¡¯t enoug-.¡± Before I finish, he stuffed some food in my mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s a triple deluxe supreme heavenly cream cadavre, like a cream puff but a hundred times sweeter.¡±


    As I try to take the food out of my mouth, I suddenly realize how delicious it is and bite into it. I take bite after bite against the large confectionary until it is all gone.


    ¡°I heard you dragons eat food a lot denser than what us human eats, so I prepared that for you. I don¡¯t know how it compares to dragon cuisine, but I can guarantee I put a lot of heart into it.¡±


    ¡°More.¡±


    ¡°Come again.¡±


    ¡°I said give me more!¡±


    Handing me another cadavre, he sits beside me and says in a thinking position, ¡°I need some advice.¡±


    ¡°Now why would I listen to that.¡± Throwing another cadavre over to me I say, ¡°You have until I finish human.¡±


    ¡°You see I and thinking about executing twelve young girls.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE AT BOOK CLUB THEY SAID LADY FL¨¦AU WAS A HORRIBLE CHARACTER!¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°My favourite character ever.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re willing to execute some children over insulting her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You sad little man.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, not only did they call her scum, but they also said she didn¡¯t deserve the crown prince when that horny bastard didn¡¯t deserve her. That level of insult can¡¯t be tolerated.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care so much!?¡±


    ¡°Because she is my wife!¡±


    ¡°A character from a book?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re acting like this is hard to understand, just imagine if someone stabbed your baby.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s is a false equivalence, and she is a character in a story, she doesn¡¯t care about you.¡±


    ¡°Yes she does, I read all the words she says and I understand her character better than anyone. We have an unbreakable connection, we are married.¡±


    ¡°By that logic, anyone else who understands her as much as you do would also be her husband. Guess that makes her a slut then.¡±


    Standing up he screams while pointing, ¡°UNACCEPTABLE!¡±


    With the back of my hand, I slap him back down and say, ¡°Grow up you man-child.¡±


    ¡°But what am I supposed to do I can¡¯t change my feelings.¡±


    ¡°Then execute the girls then, aren¡¯t you the king?¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t do it because I love my citizens too much.¡±


    ¡°How annoying.¡±


    ¡°I guess my only option is to convince them to accidentally fall off a building, what do you think?¡±


    As he turns his face to me, I push him off the building while looking at him with disgust. ¡°What an idiot.¡±

 Arc 8.35

    10 minutes later.


    ¡°Hey, I was pouring my heart out and you just pushed me down again. You could have at least helped me out.¡±


    Eating my cadavre, I say, ¡°The only cure for stupidity is death.¡±


    ¡°Murder shouldn¡¯t be that quick an option for you to consider, at least think it over a little bit.¡±


    Stopping my meal, I say, ¡°I am surprised a human like you could survive such a fall twice.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate me, I happen to be pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, most dragons could easily survive such a fall without a scratch.¡±


    Sitting beside me again he says, ¡°Well that¡¯s funny because I just so happen to have dragon blood flowing through my veins.¡±


    ¡°At least when you lie try and make it convincing human.¡±


    Annoyingly, he says, ¡°I am not lying!¡±


    ¡°Human men¡¯s seed would immediately break down in a dragon''s womb, and if a dragon male got a human pregnant the baby would suck all of the women¡¯s nutrients till she dies, so it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°But my family''s coat of arms has a dragon on it.¡±


    ¡°My family''s crest has gold on it, doesn¡¯t mean that god runs through my blood does it.¡±


    Saddened, the king says, ¡°And here I thought I was special.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry being a dragon isn¡¯t special.¡±


    ¡°Ehh.¡±


    ¡°I can guarantee you that, being a dragon isn¡¯t anything special since I know two pathetic creatures who happen to have strong dragon blood flowing through their veins.¡±


    Arrogantly he says, ¡°You¡¯re a real bummer you know that.¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°Do I look like an entertainer!!!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be mean I just asked for help with my issue. So do you think I should execute the girls or not?¡±


    Sighing, I stand up and say, ¡°Go ask one of your attendants, I am an outsider I know not of how the people in your country act, and whether or not they should be executed due to your whims.¡±


    ¡°I see, so to better help me with my issue you need to understand how my country works?¡±


    ¡°But since I don¡¯t I can¡¯t help, so I will be on my w-.¡±


    Before I can finish my sentence, the human grabs me and jumps off the palace. ¡°Are you insane, human?¡±


    ¡°This is the fastest way to reach the bottom, and falling off a rooftop is actually pretty fun, and hopefully it might put some life into that sleepy expression.¡±


    Invigorated, I say, ¡°Human, you¡¯re an imbecilic.¡±


    ¡°My name is Ahmed Abrahams not human, it is a wonderful name and I would like you to use it.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, Ahmed, you¡¯re imbecilic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    Right before we hit the ground, something strange happens to the man''s right hand and moments later it changes, then chains emerge out of it and attach themselves to the nearest building, making us swing through the city.


    As we soar through the city, he says, ¡°Let''s get a better look,¡± and then lands us on the floor.


    Grabbing me by the hand, he leads me all over and says, ¡°Let¡¯s have a little adventure.¡±


    For the rest of the day, we run around the city looking at everything there is. I never knew that there were so many different things that humans could make and do, I never knew that humans could build such things, and have such a rich history.


    But what surprised me most of all were the smiles on the faces of everyone.


    Bumping into a kid I look down at him and say, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Looking at his leg I realize that it is bleeding, so I wrap it up and say, ¡°I am so sorry.¡±


    With a bright smile, the boy gets up and says, ¡°My leg feels as good as new.¡± Then he runs away, and as he does, I just stare in awe.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Wow you really are strong, simply running into you was enough to make him bleed.¡±


    ¡°You humans really are so weak; it would take a mere flick of my right to end one of your lives and I am sure there are many things that could do that, yet even with all that feat you still live.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, Ahmed says, ¡°That¡¯s the thing about us humans, we cling to life no matter what.¡±


    ¡°My name is Paribanou Damavand, the former sh-, no that doesn¡¯t matter, I am simply Paribanou the dragon.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is nice to formally meet you Paribanou.¡±


    Grabbing Ahmed''s hand, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± For the rest of the day, I continue my adventure through the city, and as I do I feel the darkness a weight hanging over my eyes lift.


    ¡°So do you think you have a good idea of the lives of my people?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but as you said I am allowed to stay here for as long as I want, so I will figure it out in time.¡±


    With a smile, Ahmed says, ¡°I¡¯m sure you will, and until you do, I will be right beside you.¡±


    Stopping for a second, my mind reaches a realization, so I say, ¡°Wait, have you been trying to court me this entire time!?¡±


    ¡°No wait, I haven¡¯t, well you¡¯re pretty so I wouldn¡¯t be against it, but it wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know how this stuff is usually done. I need some time!¡±I say running away.


    For the next five years, I stayed in the Jedidiah and continuously experience joy after joy nonstop. I made friends, found love, and found happiness. I finally had a place in the world where I belonged.


    But at the height of my happiness, appeared Cyrus my brother. Upon seeing him all the bad came flooding back into my mind, I felt like I was suffocating again.


    Why, why did this happen to me, why did I have to see him again? He is going to cause my life to be full of chaos once more.


    As I recover from Cyrus¡¯s last attack, he says, ¡°Sister please come back home with me, to Nirvana. We can go back to being happy.¡±


    Pulling my body out of the wall I grip my sword tight and, walk forward. ¡°Nirvana is the greatest society to ever exist, on the most beautiful continent utopia. But it is also a foul country that which the very thought of living there makes me want to vomit.¡± Instantly, I lunge toward Cyrus and clash my sword against his.


    As we continue to clash our swords against each other, I say, ¡°In Jedidiah the people live to be happy and to overcome the hatred that has been wielded against them. They are feeble, weak and stupid, yet they keep trying to fight against all of that to live.


    But in Nirvana, we are so obsessed with our own superiority that we remove those who don¡¯t meet it, despite being better than humans in every way we lacked the basic emotion of kindness and empathy. Living there was a hell where I had to put up with just for the sake of keeping the both of us alive; go back to our happy lives? The only one who was happy in such a place was you!!¡±


    The next blow I strike Cyrus with sends him backwards, and when it does I say, ¡°But after 8 years of having my body ripped apart, I was finally able to find a place where I belong I place where I have found, love, friendship, and a new family, and then at the height of my happiness you show your face again, a parasite here to eat away at me until I die.¡±


    Lunging towards me he clashes his sword against mine and says, ¡°No sist-t-t-ter I came to save you.¡±


    Parrying his sword away, I slash him in the back then say, ¡°And tell how did you find me? Cause I am willing to bet it was your compatriots who did all the labour, all the investigation to find a dragon such as myself, Ahmed is rather good at hiding his tracks so it would have been a struggle to find me.


    And I am sure while all your allies were looking for me you were just sitting down twiddling your thumb because that¡¯s all a parasite like you can do, feast on the strength of someone else.¡±


    Attacking me again his legacy produces more darkness than before making his attack hit that much harder. ¡°The only thing that has changed about you is your strength, but even that power is borrowed from someone else. Because even fate knows that without other people to give you everything you would fall and collapse.¡±


    Parrying his next attack, I slash him on the cheek then we enter a struggle with our swords. ¡°I have met many people who don¡¯t even have a single blessing that you have, yet every single one of them without fail is greater than you Cyrus. You¡¯re just selfish trash who doesn¡¯t even understand the value of anything he has been given, if I had someone who was always there for me or even had the power of a legacy my life would have been so much easier, but you had all such things and are still so pathetic.¡±


    Seeing the darkness on his sword increase yet again, I prepare myself. Then with a powerful swing, I clash my sword against his, but I can¡¯t handle the sheer force of his attack and am pushed to the ground.


    While I¡¯m on the ground, Cyrus says leaning over me, ¡°I w-w-w-will go break his control over you.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is my fault for expecting you to understand, so I will make this incredibly simple, Cyrus everything I said today is of my own free will, no control has been placed over me. Cyrus, I hate you!¡±


    Over me, I see tears form in Cyrus¡¯s eyes as he starts to understand my words. ¡°Now get the hell out of my life FOREVER!¡±


    Suddenly Cyrus¡¯s body is blown away from me, and over mine I am picked up by Ahmed who says, ¡°Thank God you¡¯re ok. I will handle the rest.¡±


    Looking at his face I see he barely looks like he should be able to stand, and his hair is incredibly messy, so I say, ¡°Wait, Ahmed, I will take care of this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry darling, even as I am now, I am more than enough to beat this guy.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at him, I see that it is the king, Ahmed. ¡°You¡¯re the one who did this to Pari.¡±


    ¡°I can see why Pari didn¡¯t tell us about you. But greetings are important, so hello my future brother-in-law, now goodbye brother,¡± A legacy appears from the demon''s right arm, and moments later chains surge out and attack me.


    With my sword, I cut some of the chains, but the rest with their spike ends pierce into me. ¡°Infusing my legacy with spirit energy seems to be strong enough to hurt you.¡±


    Dashing towards him I power through all the chains and slash him with all my might. But he grabs a hold of my body, and almost as if he is rhythmically in sync with my body he throws me to the side. Getting up I immediately try to cut off his head, but he dodges and hits me with his fist in my stomach. Which causes me to spit up blood.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as good as old man Naji, but I how to use the rotational energy as well, getting through your scales is going to be easy as hell.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Dodging the old man¡¯s attack I strike him in the stomach and say, ¡°Is that all you got shorty?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget I dominated the beginning of this match.¡±


    ¡°It is just like an old man to keep talking about ancient history.¡±


    ¡°The past always foretells the future, so maybe you should listen to it you ignorant brat. But don¡¯t worry I am going to beat it into you!¡±


    ¡°Try it!¡±

 Arc 8.36

    Lunging towards me the old man strikes, my body which sends the rotational energy inside of me. But I counter with a kick sending him right into the wall, then I follow up my attack by creating giant ice spikes infused with spirit energy.


    Following him through the wall, I say, ¡°Has your lower back given out yet?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock what will one day happen to you.¡± With his legs he does a sweeping kick around himself which causes chunks of the wall and my ice to fly up towards his head, then with another spin kick the chunks get sent flying my way.


    Dodging out of the way, I see the chunks break the ice behind me; it seems he passed on the rotational energy to all those chunks he kicked. I continue to dodge while flipping back and forth to build up rotational energy.


    Then when I see an opening, I instantly infuse my legs with spirit energy and snow boost towards the old man, when I reach him, I slam my fist right in his stomach and send all my rotational energy into him. This causes him to fly far back into the wall.


    Regaining my footing, I say, ¡°I think if I alter my stance a bit I can better flow the rotational energy through my body.¡±


    Suddenly I hear a laugh, which is followed by the old man saying, ¡°You really are a fast learner Orb, but if you think this is all rotational energy can do, you¡¯re sorely mistaken.¡±


    In front of me behind the smoke from his impact into the wall, I see an incredibly buff tall man. As he walks forward out of the smoke, I see that the old man is taller than Cyrus, and has muscle mass that puts even wonderbeasts to shame.


    As I stare at him in awe, he says, ¡°Rotational energy can revitalize the body allowing even an old man like me to function, and when you push that to its limit it brings the body to a state even greater than what was possible in its peak.¡±


    All my instincts start to act up, so I enter a defensive position, but as I blink I see the old man in front of me with his fist about to crash into my stomach. So, I move both my arms in front of my stomach to shield it, but then I am hit with a kick right in the temple which sends me flying to my left and through multiple walls.


    Wobbly, I stand up as blood drips from my head and back, ¡°Crap, I almost died.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Was that attack too much for you, I can slow it down if you¡¯re young body can keep up.¡± But in response to my taunts, Orb just stares at me with a creepy smile, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Hopping from side to side with both of his arms up, Orb says, ¡°I just can¡¯t wait to learn how to do something cool like that, so stop wasting my time old man and come attack me so I can take that technique.¡±


    Feeling my blood pumping, I say, ¡°You really are worth using this form for!¡± Instantly I lunge towards him, but the moment I do he lunges towards me using snow to propel himself.


    When we meet in the middle I punch with my right fist, but he dodges it and hits me in the bottom left of my stomach while we are still in motion. So, I knee him with my left leg while still in motion, but he grabs it and manoeuvres his body behind me, and in that moment he strikes the back of my right leg brings me to my knees. Then right after that, he spins his body towards my right side and then knees me in my right temple.


    ¡°That¡¯s that,¡± Orb says, thinking he knocked me out. So, I grab his leg and start to slam him against the floor.


    ¡°In this state, there is a constant rotation moving throughout my body, so any weak rotation like yours that¡¯s come into contact with it just makes me stronger.¡±


    I continue to slam him against the floor, but then with his left foot he hits me in my chin which shakes me for a moment, and in that moment he uses his right knee to hit the soft spot of my arm breaking my grip. Then as he lands, he uses his right heel to hit me vertically in my chin once again, then turning around he punches me directly in the face using his legacy.


    Instinctively, I hit him with the back of my right fist at full force which sends Orb through a window and outside directly to another section of the palace.


    Regaining my senses, I look outside the window to see that Orb is landing directly on the outside of another section of the palace and has frozen his feet to it so he can stand vertically on the outside of the building.


    I lunge towards him and he lunges towards me mid-air, and when we meet he tries to punch me but I grab his arm, and as we fall I punch him, knee him, and headbutt him to pile on the damage, and after a rather fierce headbutt I can see his consciousness fading. So mid-air I spin him vigorously, then send the rotational energy into him I throw Orb right towards the edge of the roof.


    As I land on the floor Orb hits the edge of the roof and ends up stuck there. With all the energy I can muster I lunge towards him on the crater he has made for himself at the edge of the roof and knock him directly onto the roof.


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    But even though he was almost unconscious Orb still lands on his feet, and as he lands, he looks directly at me. Orb isn¡¯t smiling anymore but that vicious gaze he fully focused on me, his gaze is just like a predator completely locked on its prey, but also not. It is much more fierce, more obsessive, and a lot kinder, it is like he is not only watching my every move but understanding the intent behind them, his eyes are trying to understand my soul, and it is overwhelming like the feeling of being hugged by you¡¯re parents as a child, but nevertheless it feels creepy.


    I lunge towards him, and he just stands there waiting. When my fist is about to crash down on where he is standing, he hops out of the way backwards, so I continue my assault punching him as fast as I can.


    But time and time again he dodges right before I can strike him almost as if he is reading my mind. To change the situation, the next time my fist hits the ground I send rotational energy into the debris and throw it at Orb.


    Orb skilfully maneuverers his way through it while approaching me. He is finally moving forward instead of backing away, so I use this opportunity to strike him yet again.


    As my fist comes close to his face he elegantly dodges and strikes me with his right heel against my left kneecap, then as I try to hit him again, he moves perfectly in sync with my body and dodges while striking me again. I continue to try to hit him while moving my body around, but he continues to strike me while dodging.


    The way his body is moving it is almost as if he is rotating around my body, he is so in sync with all my movements that I can barely differentiate him from the wind blowing against my body. He continues to strike me effortlessly as I try to fight back, and after hitting me directly in the face he puts both of his arms in front of my stomach and then creates a huge amount of ice, sending me flying backwards.


    Backing the ice on my stomach I lunge forward while saying, ¡°You really are the best!!!!¡±


    In response to this Orb also lunges forward, and when we meet while still in motion Orb hits me downwards while I uppercut him towards the sky. Orb blows send me through the roof down to one of the lower floors, while my blow sends Orb directly into the sky.


    Seeing Orb in the sky I see he has made snow around his left foot that is constantly spinning. I don¡¯t know what he is up to but I need to finish this now.


    With all the force I can muster I jump upwards to strike Orb as he falls down, and when we meet, I let out a full-force punch against him. Right before my attack hits Orb minutely dodges my attack and slams his left foot right into my neck which sends me all the way back through the hole to an even lower floor than the one, I was on before.


    ¦µ Falling out of the sky I create snow to shield myself as I fall, then when I land on the roof, I jump down the hole the old man fell through, and when I reach the ground I see his body withered. So I run over to him and say, ¡°No, No, No, NO!¡±


    With a weak voice he says, ¡°This wasn¡¯t you, using that technique has an immense blowback when I push myself too much.¡±


    ¡°But because of me, you¡¯re dyi-.¡±


    ¡°I knew this would be the outcome of fighting at full force so don¡¯t blame anyone but me, and I even got to see something cool. That last blow you used your snow to build up rotational energy even while stationary, which allowed you to overcome my own.¡±


    As he starts to cough, I say, ¡°We need to find a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Listen here young one. The words you said to my king were full of sugar and kindness, it truly sounds like a wonderful ideal. Yet, I don¡¯t know whether that ideal will be good for my king or not, so I fought you here with all my might and in all honesty out of a selfish desire to not be outdone.


    And when we fought you intentionally missed all my vital spots even though striking anyone of them would have secured your victory, you¡¯re simply too kind. But you are also strong, so please I ask of to stare at the ideal that has brought such a kind but strong person like you here with my king.¡±


    Holding his hand, I hold back the tears and sadness in my eyes and say, ¡°I promise I will.¡± Letting go of his hand I run away at full speed, as I hear his heartbeat stop.


    ¦µ As my heart stops with my last breath I say, ¡°Hey Kamish, did I do a good job protecting you¡¯re little brother?¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sloppily I swing my sword leaking darkness directly at the demon, saying, ¡°UNDO WHAT YOU DID TO MY SISTER!!!!¡±


    Dodging my swings, he hits me with his right heel against my chin and says, ¡°You need to listen brother.¡± His attacks send a weird shockwave throughout my body which causes me to feel lots of pain.


    ¡°I WON¡¯T LISTEN TO A MANIPULATOR LIKE YOU!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool,¡± he says as he continues to dodge my swings. While dodging he continues to strike me with the weird attacks and says, ¡°Listen here brother in law, when Pari first arrived here her soul was pitch black and closed off due to a certain parasite in her life, and now she is finally happy so if you cared about here you would leave her alone forever.¡±


    Striking me in my stomach I fall to the ground and vomit. As I try to regain myself, I say, ¡°She is my family, she has always been there for me and has stayed with me even when others left. WE WILL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER, WE BELONG TOGETHER, SHE IS MINE!!!¡±


    Rushing towards him I swing my sword directly at him, but he hits my wrist which loosens my grip, then as my sword falls from my hand then placing his legacy right in front of me he releases the chains to strike me at close range ripping through my scales and sending me backwards.


    Wrapping his chains around my body, enraged he says, ¡°Family doesn¡¯t have to love you, there is no law that dictates such a thing. So, every act of kindness Pari has done for you was out of her own free will.¡±


    His chain starts to rapidly retract right into his arm which pulls me towards him incredibly fast. ¡°SO IF YOU KEEP ABUSING THAT KINDNESS LIKE IT IS A RIGHT, EVENTUALLY YOU WILL BREAK THE PEOPLE THAT YOU LOVE THE MOST!!!¡±


    When my body reaches him, he slams me with an intense punch right in my face sending me flying backwards. ¡°And when you reach that point there will be no going back on the sins you have committed.¡±


    Laying on the floor I am unable to get myself back up, so all I can do is cry as I truly accept all the words that have been said to me, ¡°Pari, sister, mother hates me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Cyrus get up.¡±


    Looking over me I see Orb¡¯s facing down against me.

 Arc 8.37

    As Orb stares down at me, I hear the king''s chains rush towards us but in that moment, Orb creates a ridiculous amount of ice creating a wall of ice to form in the room.


    Looking down at me, Orb asks, ¡°Cyrus why are you lying down on the floor, you¡¯re sister is right there?¡±


    With the tears overflowing, I say, ¡°Because my sister hates me. I thought all this time she loved being together with me as much as I loved being with her, but it was all a lie, the entire time she was miserable.


    And it is because I am so pathetic that I had to use her for everything, that I relied on her to always do all the hard things for me like a parasite. My weakness caused her so much sadness that she wanted to stay far away from me.


    I tried to change but even with all the time and strength I was blessed with I couldn¡¯t, and even when I was freed I just ended up relying on you instead. Everything about me is disgusting.¡±


    Staring at Orb, I see him making a pondering face then moments later he says, ¡°Yeah that¡¯s basically it, and to be honest, I sort of think you¡¯re an annoying person.


    Even with all you¡¯re strength you always act like your useless, and you¡¯re head is empty most of the time, so I always panic when you¡¯re alone especially since you¡¯re beauty attracts people. You also suck at communicating with others, so I was sure you and Suzuka were going to have a battle to the death.


    You get depressed so easily, and I swear you will just listen to whatever anyone tells you, and the fact that you struggle to do basic maths is rather annoying, and why when I give you questions with no numbers do you act like you¡¯re staring at some alien creature and let¡¯s be honest imaginary number aren¡¯t that hard to grasp.


    You¡¯re a dragon, a beauty and even have the strength of a legacy, so you would think that you¡¯d be much more impressive, but you really do suck at times.¡±


    ¡°I am s-s-s-sor-.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t I pathetic?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re also strong. You made sure to help people back at Basileia all the time even when exposed to dangerous toxins, it is due to that I was able to save my best friend''s life.


    And if you didn¡¯t help me back at Seirei, I would undoubtedly have been killed and Suzuka too. You also helped Suzuka find Percy in Skydust, it is thanks to you that we were able to escape with all the kids. Every single one of those actions took strength.¡±


    With my eyes opening wide I stare at Orb as he says, ¡°Cyrus you¡¯re a rather weak and pathetic person, but the dragon who couldn¡¯t even decide whether he wanted to live or not is not the same dragon before me today and that¡¯s because you have changed.


    The person you are right now may be someone your sister can¡¯t be with, but just like how you overcame yourself and choose to sacrifice your life to help Willow escape, I am sure you will overcome this challenge as well because moving forward despite having no confidence in yourself is what makes you amazing Cyrus.¡±


    ¦µ Hearing my ice wall break, I stand up and see Ahmed on the other side.


    ¡°Finished yet brother?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am, you have my full attention.¡± As he walks towards me, I say, ¡°Ahmed, please let Raqiue go.¡±


    ¡°Orb I thought I had explained this to you already, you know I won¡¯t do such a thing if her soul reaches the threshold of a demon she will die.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I shout, ¡°PEOPLE ARE AMAZING!!!!¡± Which stops him dead in his tracks. ¡°To live is to confront this world, each and every day and that breaks people down, it hurts them, and it may even lead to a horrendous death. But by moving through that darkness, we can all find true happiness, we may falter, our souls may turn black, but I believe that you can all surpass that and one day die with our souls pointing towards the heavens.¡±


    ¡°Those are rather bloated words for a child of fifteen, you have not lived a long enough life to tell me honestly whether that is true or not so why should I believe such hollow words.¡±


    ¡°They''re not hollow because I have faith, faith in a man who lived such a life from beginning to end. So, I will believe in those words, in his life, for as long as I live. Ahmed please remove your chains from Raqiue and allow her to experience such a life.¡±


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    ¡°As a king, it is my job to protect my citizens above all else, I will always choose the most optimal path in giving my citizens all they need in this life and in the next. So, I won¡¯t let my own selfish feelings on whether they could overcome their own corrupted souls or not decide their fates. I won¡¯t remove the chains Orb.¡±


    Activating my legacy on my arm, I say, ¡°Then I guess I have no choice.¡±


    ¡°Me too then.¡±


    While Ahmed assumes an offensive stance, I turn my ice wall into snow and scatter it all throughout the floor.


    As I assume an offensive stance, Ahmed says, ¡°You look rather beaten up with all of that blood on you¡¯re clothes, you sure you don¡¯t want to quit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a man who looks like he needs to sleep for the next 6 months.¡±


    ¡°Brother, I really wished we could have talked more.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we will have plenty of time to talk after I beat some sense into you!¡±


    From his right arm chains with spiked ends fly towards me, but I slightly move my body out of the way to dodge, then I turn the snow around him into ice spikes, but he dodges every single one of them while approaching me.


    When he reaches me, I freeze the ground beneath him causing him to become stuck in place, but he throws a punch with his right arm again, so I move my head slightly left but then sensing something is off, I immediately move my head far-right dodging his punch. As he was about to punch me with his right arm, he sent his chains towards the left so if I dodged there my face would have been skewered.


    The moment my face is out of the way of danger, I kick him with my left leg in the right side of his body freezing the area on impact, then spinning my body I hit him with my right heel against his chin.


    But before my feet hit the ground, he breaks his left foot out of the ground and manages to spin and hit me in my face with his foot, though I convert the ice into snow on his foot to soften the blow.


    Then as he sends his chains towards me, I turn some of the snow on the floor into an ice wall but he completely breaks through it, so I convert some of the snow around him into ice spikes and then run towards him.


    When I reach him, he tries to kick me, but in perfect sync with his body, I dodge and elbow him in the stomach. Regaining himself, he punches me with his left fist and as the blow hits I feel the rotational energy flow through my body, so I kick him directly in his stomach sending the rotation back.


    Immediately after that I enter into hand-to-hand combat against him and pummel him. He uses his chains to try and strike me, but I am perfectly in sync with his body so I amable to slightly dodge away each time.


    Even though I am beating him down he counter and blocks every second or so attack, but I can see his stamina weaning. Hitting him on his heart causes him to slide back a bit, then as I lunge forward to strike him again, I see chains appear from hit right foot; his legacy is acting on it.


    Creating a shield of ice in front of me I barely block his attack, as I get sent back. Seeing his chains coming towards me I run to meet then and as I do I dodge and rotate my body, which just like the old man did to my snow, makes Ahmed''s chains spin around my body following me.


    When I reach Ahmed, I transfer all the rotational energy into my leg which causes the chain to spin directly around my left leg, then with all the force I can muster I slam my leg into Ahmed saying, ¡°Spiral storm!¡± Sending him all the way to the back of the room.


    Picking himself up he says, ¡°You really named you¡¯re attack?¡±


    ¡°I will lose track of them otherwise.¡±


    Pari Says, ¡°Ahmed, please stop your body is too tired for this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am at no disadvantage here I was just testing if I could beat him in hand-to-hand combat, but it seems I am too weak right now. So now I will fight seriously.¡±


    From his right arm a ridiculous amount of chains appear, ¡°Because, unlike Orb, my legacy isn¡¯t drained in the slightest.¡±


    All of the chains head towards me, causing me to dodge away as fast as I can. The chains are attack me from countless different directions; dodging is getting harder and harder. But still, I know how to handle this.


    Dodging, I spin around building up rotational energy which causes the chains to move around me as well, but I soon realize all the chains spinning around me has completely trapped me in a storm of them with the only way to escape being a hole over me.


    When I build up enough rotational energy, I use that and snowboost to jump up towards the hole. But when I am about to leave the hole, I see a black sphere fall down it.


    Wait, isn¡¯t that one of the explosives!? I create a small ice wall in front of myself as the explosion goes off in front of me.


    Landing back on the ground, I use my legacies claw to rip through the chains in my way to make it out, I create ice at the moment of impact against the chains to break my way out.


    The moment I free myself from that prison I run to the side of the room to see if I can move around all the chains, but as chains follow me from behind, I see chains wrapped around the large rectangular shields of the soldiers from around the room, and form up to blockade my path.


    Seeing this I run to the wall and use ice to walk against it, but then I hear the sound of his chains throwing the spherical explosives towards me on the wall. So, I speed up as much as I can as the explosion goes off behind me, but due to the explosion I miss a step, and not wasting this opportunity Ahmed forms his chains into a hand and swats me off the wall.


    When I land on the floor, I realize that all the soldiers in the room have been removed, and have been placed in a pile in the room Ahmed was formerly in. He did all of that while fighting me!?


    ¡°Now Orb didn¡¯t you name that devasting attack, so how bought this, Ghajalad Abualhal!!!¡±


    All his chains form into a giant sphinx and charge towards me. As I try to move, I feel pain and my knees buckle, shit has my body reached its limit. As the sphinx is about to crash into me, I suddenly see it cut in two as flames appear.


    Then in front of me, I see Atalanta who says, ¡°Missed me Orb.¡±

 Arc 8.38

    Looking at her bow, I see she has a legacy acting on it. Annoyed I say, ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bow, I polished it a bit before I came here so it looked extra shiny.¡±


    ¡°WHY THE HELL WOULD I BE TALKING ABOUT THAT? I am talking about the legacy on your bow.¡± Squatting down I start to scratch my head and say, ¡°THIS FREAKING IDIOT!!! Right now, tell me if you have any more secrets, I need to know them right this instant.¡±


    Acting coy she says, ¡°Orb a woman needs to have som sec-.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯VE ALREADY USED THAT EXCUSE!¡±


    Surprised she says, ¡°Calm down Orb, anger isn¡¯t a good look. Oh, crap I am sorry, it must be that time of the month.¡±


    Grabbing her by the collar, I say, ¡°I AM A BOY. You know you¡¯re an annoying liability, so why don¡¯t I do some pest control right now!¡±


    ¡°Ok, in truth, my worst secret is this,¡± She says gesturing me to come close. When I pull my ear close to her mouth, she whispers, ¡°My underboob sweat smells pretty nice.¡±


    Jumping up, I head butt her in the head, which causes her to scream in pain and turn around, ¡°You really can¡¯t take a joke!!¡±


    As she turns around, I notice that Anto is wrapped up against her back, so I grab him and say, ¡°Anto what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I just got into a little fight,¡± he says coughing.


    Turning to Atalanta, I say, ¡°How could you let this happen to my son, you really can¡¯t do anything right can you.¡±


    Crying like a baby, she jumps me and says, ¡°You¡¯re really mean to me for no reason, I was trying my best to help you and all you¡¯ve done is be mean. Don¡¯t you see all the wounds on my body, why don¡¯t you care about my injuries as well you bully.¡±


    As she continues to complain like a baby, I click my tongue at her and say, ¡°Grow up.¡±


    This causes her to continue, and say, ¡°You bully, you idiot, you dictator, you moron, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing Orb and Atalanta fighting in front of me I send the chains of my legacy towards them, but the moment I do Orb stares at me then immediately after Atalanta shoots a volley of flaming arrows towards Orb.


    Then as my chains approach the arrows curve arrow and break right throw my chains then continue towards me. Each of the arrows misses my body except for one which scratches my cheek.


    Shocked I see that the both of them just go back to fighting like children in front of me. She didn¡¯t even look at me, but managed to accurately know my exact location, did she guess it by that look Orb gave to me? She¡¯s a monster.


    ¦µ ¡°Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot.¡±


    ¡°I get it, you think I am an idiot.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t an I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should be asking me for an apology right now.¡±


    In my arms, Anto says, ¡°Both of you need to stop fighting each other and go after Ahmed. We don¡¯t know how much time we have until his chains automatically kill Raqiue, and if any other soldiers show up we will be in trouble.¡±


    Stopping our fight, the both of us face forward, as I say, ¡°I guess Anto is right, but I am going to need an explanation later.¡±


    With puffy checks, she says, ¡°As long as I get a big hug and an I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You really are pushing it.¡±


    Seeing the chains coming directly towards us again, I run forward as Atalanta shoots them with flaming arrows.


    ¦µ While Orb runs towards me, I send chains all around him but each of the chains is shot out of the sky by Atalanta, so I clump my chains up into one giant spear and send them directly at Orb.


    In response to this I see her shoot flaming arrows directly at Orb; is she insane? At that distance, she will most definitely hit him.


    But to my surprise, as the arrows approach Orb, he just barely moves his body out of the way to allow the arrows to hit my chains breaking them apart.


    Are they serious!? Not only did that take incredible reflexes to pull off without any form of coordination, but more importantly is that with the power of her arrows if a single one of them struck Orb in the back it would have blown a hole straight through him. What kind of trust must you have in each other¡¯s skills to do such a thing?


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    Orb immediately makes a dash toward my left; he is trying to get around all my chains. So just like before I send the shields which I wrapped my chains around to block him, but all of those shields are blown to pieces by the flaming arrows of Atalanta.


    ¡°IF YOU WANT TO BE SO ANNOYING, I WILL TAKE YOU DOWN FIRST!¡± I send 40% of my chains towards her while keeping the remaining chains on Orb.


    ¦µ Seeing Ahmed''s chains approach me, I start to rapidly shoot them down out of the sky, ¡°If you wanted to take me down, you should have sent the majority over here.¡±


    As I effortlessly shoot the last one down, I hear Orb Scream, ¡°BELOW!¡±


    Jumping backwards, I see chains burst out of the floor below and stab me. Turning my bow into a sword I cut the chains off, as Anto says, ¡°Atalanta are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Down worry about me little man, you have taken quite a beating today so I should at least be able to take this, all I need is for you to hold on tight.¡±


    Seeing more chains erupt from the ground I say, ¡°You can have my legs you disgusting god.¡± Then immediately my legacy activates on my legs, and then I use the heat to fly up midair to dodge all the chains.


    Propelling myself through the air I rain down countless arrows on Ahmed, while his chains continue to chase me. Eventually, one of my arrows breaks through his chains and hits him directly.


    ¦µ The force of her arrow was explosive, if my chains hadn¡¯t lightened the blow half of my body may be missing. I can¡¯t take her down without using all my chains, nor can I slow down Orb¡¯s approach with any fewer chains.


    No, I have been thinking about this all wrong. Orb is the leader here, if I capture him, it would be the biggest advantage I can gain!


    I take all the chains attacking Atalanta and redirect them towards Orb, as I do, she shoots some down but still, they reach Orb.


    Orb continuing his advance towards me dodges my attacks, so to compensate I start making chains appear from other chains to increase my attack range. But skilfully he dodges each and every one of them.


    His movements are just like old man Naji¡¯s, how did he learn to move like this in such a short time!? Feeling another arrow break through my chains, I see that Atalanta has moved forward and continues to shoot volleys of arrows directly at me to grab my attention.


    Activating my legacy on my right leg, I create chains from my leg and arm and attach them to the wall allowing myself to manoeuvre mid-air. With this, I am able to dodge Atalanta arrows while striking Orb.


    Orb runs from wall to wall, then across my chains trying to reach me but by moving midair and constantly creating chains, I manage to push him back. Surrounded by my chains Orb jumps to the roof and starts to spin snow around his foot, but my chains completely surround and are closing in on him.


    In my peripheral vision, I see that a large amount of ice has been made around Atalanta. Did Orb move all the snow in the room over there?


    Then suddenly I see Atalanta¡¯s bow rapidly create heat, melting the ice in seconds. If they rapidly cool and heat the air in an area, wouldn¡¯t it cause a giant explosion!?


    From Atalanta¡¯s bow, a massive shot is fired off, and a ridiculous force blasts through every single one of my chains which were attacking Orb. Then with all the chains around him missing, Orb jumps directly towards me and says, ¡°Spiral Storm! Then crashes his foot into me flowing rotational energy right through my body.


    ¦µ After kicking Ahmed he gets sent straight down and through the floor of the room. Landing on my feet I fall to my knee and start breathing heavily, ¡°I really pushed my legacy to the limit today, I didn¡¯t even think I had enough power left for the last attack.¡±


    Hearing a large stomp, I notice Cyrus¡¯s sister is lunging towards me. But as she tries to strike me, she is shot by Atalanta¡¯s arrows and is sent backwards.


    Running up to me, Atalanta says, ¡°Looks like I deserve a thank you!¡±


    ¡°We can save that for later.¡±


    ¡°WHY¡¯S THAT!?¡±


    ¡°Because I need to make sure Ahmed is unconscious, if he is awake this is all for nought.¡±


    18 years ago


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: The Kingdom of Jedidah, City of Jedidah


    ¦µ As my father holds me in his arms, I hear people in front of the palace screaming.


    ¡°WE NEED FOOD!¡±


    ¡°THIS DROUGHT IS KILLING US!!¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU NOT OUR RULERS?¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T FEED MY CHILDREN, DOES YOUR HEART NOT FEEL?¡±


    ¡°DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HAVE TAKEN THEIR FAMILIES TO BE BURIED IN THE SAND?¡±


    ¡°PLEASE HELP US!!¡±


    My father says, ¡°Remember this truth, my son. Ahmed we are exalted beings on this planet, not a single person is as important as us, and the very fact that we allow the people of this country to breathe the same air as us is a blessing that they have no right to have.¡±


    ¡°THE KING IS UP THERE!!¡±


    The people below start staring and shouting at us. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid my son, such lesser beings will never reach us.¡±


    ¡°GIVE US FOOD!¡±


    ¡°GIVE US CLOTHES!¡±


    ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY FAMILY!!¡±


    Sighing, my father says, ¡°Even though we so humbly came to fill their stomach with our presence they still ask for more, ungrateful scum.¡±


    As the people below me continue to yell at me and my father I repeat his words and expression, then say, ¡°Ungrateful scum!¡±


    ¡°What a wondrous boy you are, unlike the first one you seem to understand your position.¡±


    Walking away, my father says, ¡°Viser Thueban, suppresses these ungrateful swine.¡±


    ¡°It would be the pleasure of your humble servant my king.¡±


    As we leave, I swear I saw Thueban make a disagreeable face.


    5 years later


    Sitting at the dinner table eating with my parents, I engorge myself on the delicacy in front of me as my mother says, ¡°Oh darling look at this ring I got custom made from Skydust. With this the amount of custom jewellery I have from that country is about 5000, thank you, my husband.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to do such a thing for my lovely wife. If only those scum outside could be as appreciative as you my darling.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it because of my giant understanding heart that you picked me to be your wife?¡±


    As my parents continue to talk, I take a bite off a piece of meat on the table and then spit it out. Slamming my hands on the table, I scream, ¡°THIS MEAT IS OVERCOOKED. Soldiers bring the chef to me.¡±


    Walking into the room, the chef, says, ¡°My young master I have cooked it the same as I do every single day to your exact specification.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Are you claiming that a member of my family is wrong swine?¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing such a thing.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°I have wasted too many words on your insignificant life, soldiers bring me his head. The sight of it on my plate with make the meat taste good again.¡±


    The soldiers freeze, so I say, ¡°Do you also want your heads on a plate too?¡±


    Walking up to him they hold the Chief down and bring out their swords, but then one of the soldiers is drop-kicked directly into the table, and moments later I hear, ¡°Don¡¯t go killing people you shitty scumbags.¡±


    Looking at who said these words I see it is my older brother, Hussain.

 Arc 8.39

    ¡°What are you doing brother, that was on my order?¡±


    Standing on the table, he shouts, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP BRAT!!!! I don¡¯t care for the words of a boy who would execute someone over such a thing.¡± Stretching his face, he sticks out his tongue and goes, ¡°BLEH!!!¡±


    Irritated, my father says, ¡°Hussain will you ever stop being an annoyance.¡±


    ¡°Will you ever get off your high horse? And what the hell do you think gives you the right to kill a person?¡±


    ¡°How many times must I tell you the same simple thing? The wishes of exalted beings such as us should always come first, that is simply the way it shou-.¡±


    Before my father can finish my brother throws shit in his face, seeing this my mother screams.


    ¡°Use that as fertilizer, maybe it will help you outgrow your stupidity, Father.¡±


    Standing up, I toss the food off my table and say, ¡°How dare you do th-.¡±


    My brother slaps me directly in the face interrupting my words, then says, ¡°Never waste food, you idiot!!!¡±


    Wiping the shit off his face, my father stands up and pulls the entire blanket off our dinner table causing all the food and my brother to fall to the ground.


    On the ground, my brother says, ¡°What is wrong with you? All this food was still good.¡±


    My father walking up to him kicks my brother in the face, ¡°I seem to have been too lenient on you as of late, but no more.¡± My father continues stomping on my brother until he runs out of breath.


    Pointing at one of the two soldiers, Father says, ¡°You there bring him to my room, and fetch me my cane.¡±


    ¡°Sir what should we do about the food.¡±


    ¡°The ambience of this meal is completely ruined, so I want you to recook all of it. Also, throw out all of the decorations in this room, they now hold bad memories,  I don¡¯t want to see them again. After that redecorate the room, you have two hours.¡±


    ¡°But my king I don¡¯t know if we would be able to get that done in time.¡±


    ¡°Then you should start immediately!¡±


    As the chief and the soldier run around trying to pick up everything, we all hear the sound of the soldier''s stomach growl.


    My father asks, ¡°Are you hungry?¡±


    Bowing he says, ¡°Sorry for such an unsightly sound my king, I will do better next time.¡±


    ¡°That sound is an offence against my ears and I don¡¯t want to ever hear it again, so you see that piece of meat on the floor, eat it.¡±


    Looking at the piece my father points towards, I see that some of the shit has landed on it. The soldier looks down on the meat with fright in his eyes.


    ¡°It there a problem?¡±


    The chief says, ¡°The food is compromi-.¡±


    ¡°Any food that touches my lips is already too good for you, don¡¯t forget that at this moment you have been granted a privilege that your kind would die for.¡±


    ¡°That brown stuff was on my husband''s face, even if you ate that alone it would be too good for your kind. Now eat it!¡±


    Picking the piece of meat up he slowly takes a bite of it, which causes my father to ask, ¡°How does it taste?¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°Delicious.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Katk, descend.¡± Hearing my call, the omega eagle wonderbeast flies and lands on my shoulder. ¡°What a good girl you are!¡±


    Walking down the corridor with my belly full, I hear a scream. So, I advance towards it with Katk. Walking through an open door, I say, ¡°Who dares make such noise in my presen-.¡±


    Right in the middle of my face a book lands between my eyes, and then I hear, ¡°Go away, little idiot.¡±


    Rising up with furry I say, ¡°SAY THAT AGA-.¡± Looking at my brother, I see he is reading a book while his incredibly muscular and tall personal guard attends to his wounds. The wounds across his body are rather vicious, they rip and tear his skin. Did Dad do this?


    ¡°You can come closer since it seems you want to get a good look, you idiotic brat.¡±


    Clicking my tongue, I say, ¡°And here I was feeling bad for you, but with that stupid mouth of yours, of course, you would get what is coming to you. I am sure you got those ridiculous ideas from all those stupid swine you talk to.¡±


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    ¡°Congratulations, you have evolved into Father how stupendous.¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°At least unlike you I understand the greatness etched into my existence, you¡¯re just a disgrace who constantly defies your own blood.¡±


    ¡°You can say whatever you want Ahmed, but I am still going to be the next ruler, so please go wine to your bird.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet you pitiful disgrace, we should just put scum like you down, in fact, why don¡¯t I take you out right now.¡±


    Suddenly Ahmed''s bodyguard stands up and then lunges toward me shouting with his fist out. As his fist comes towards me, I can feel death surround me. No, No, No, No, NO!!


    His fist stops right in front of me, which causes me to shake and fall on my ass. ¡°Your brother on a bad day can take 8 of those punches, yet an exalted being such as yourself is flat on his ass.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Naji what the hell are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to give this little one a fright.¡±


    ¡°Your funeral.¡±


    Laughing loudly Naji says, ¡°What is he going to do, fight back!?¡±


    Suddenly, my brother starts crying, then all over the floor, he begins to throw a tantrum. ¡°NAJI HIT ME, HE HURT ME, I JUST WANTED TO TALK AND HE STARTED BULLYING ME.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I didn¡¯t do anything of the sort!¡± As Naji panics my brother''s bird starts to attack Naji relentlessly.


    Sighing, I walk over to my brother and pick him up. ¡°There, there it will be ok.¡±


    Still crying, he says, ¡°HE HIT ME.¡±


    ¡°I have some sweets if I give you those will you calm down?¡±


    Ahmed nods his head up and down, so I walk us back over to the bed and give him some sweets to eat.


    As the bird continues to attack Naji he says, ¡°Young master some help would be appreciated!¡±


    Clicking my fingers, I say, ¡°Katk, come here,¡± Which makes the omega eagle land on my arm.


    ¡°Why the hell would you give a ferocious beast such a stupid name?¡± Naji says while walking back over to us.


    Eating the sweets Ahmed says, ¡°He isn¡¯t a ferocious beast, he is my best friend.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure it is a reference to that book he is always reading; you know the romance one.¡±


    ¦µ With an annoying face Naji laughs and says, ¡°To think you had the gall to walk in here and say all of your nonsense earlier when you read a girly book.¡±


    Embarrassed, I stand up and say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that!!!¡±


    Snickering, he uses his large arm to hold back a laugh while and says, ¡°Nothing!¡±


    ¡°KATK ATTACK.¡± Without hesitation, Katk starts to peck Naji.


    Quickly moving to the other side of the room, Naji flexes his muscles and says, ¡°Staying inside and reading books won¡¯t do any good for you, Young men like you need to go outside and build some muscles, just like my wonderful grandson.¡±


    Behind me, my brother says, ¡°Are you really using Easifatan as an example of good parenting? He is so annoying I am pretty sure I¡¯m his only acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°HEY, HE IS JUST CHILDISH, he will grow out of it.¡± (He won¡¯t)


    Looking at Naji¡¯s panicking face, I smugly stare directly at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re pushing your luck bookworm.¡±


    ¡°What about Hussain then, his entire room is filled with books. He is even reading one now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare the young master reading to your own, those books are all from the underground kingdoms.¡±


    Turning to my brother, I scream, ¡°WHAT!!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being loud Ahmed, calm down. Naji you¡¯ve had your fun come and tend to my wounds.¡±


    ¡°Yes, young master.¡±


    ¡°You know we aren¡¯t allowed to go down there, brother.¡±


    ¡°But mother is allowed to go down there to steal jewellery from the skeletal remains of the people down there.¡±


    ¡°She is the queen, and they are her subjects so whatever they own is hers, it is her right as an exalted being.¡±


    ¡°That nonsense again, if you keep spouting shit like that you will one day be beating your kids as well.¡±


    ¡°My kids won¡¯t go around being stupid like you, they will actually listen to me and understand their greatness.¡±


    Not even bothering to look at me brother asks, ¡°Now please tell me what exactly makes us so great?¡±


    ¡°Because our noble bloodline has survived through countless tribulations and has persisted till this day.¡±


    ¡°So has the bloodlines of everyone still alive right now, you smooth-brained idiot.¡±


    ¡°Why are you always like this? Don¡¯t you understand how important our bloodline is!¡±


    ¡°More so than you know.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, what do you mean.¡±


    Standing up my brother takes a book from under his bed, ¡°These books I¡¯m reading are historical records, there are countless libraries in the underground, and I have spent quite a long time going through all the records, and I came across something amazing.¡±


    In front of me, my brother opens the book, and in it I see a 5-pointed star. ¡°Long ago there was a family of people whose power, and reach spread all across the globe even to the dragon continents, and this was their crest.


    They spent their time helping people and bringing order, and the name of such a family was Lux, the family of Lux. And according to this record, you and I are direct descendants of this family.¡±


    Hearing this my eyes open wide, and I say, ¡°REALLY!¡±


    Naji beside us says, ¡°I can see how Hussain would be a decedent of such great people, but not Ahmed.¡±


    ¡°KATK ATTACK.¡±


    As Katk assaults the stupid old man, I say, ¡°Tell me more about the family of Lux.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really know that much, what I have been able to put together so far has been from across many different documents and texts. There are many libraries in the underground, but I have barely gone through them all.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go find it all, if we show all those swine outside how amazing our family is they will surely calm down.¡±


    My brother''s smiling face quickly sours, and then he says, ¡°Ahmed is that really how you see it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, you have just told me how amazing our family is, we truly are exalted beings.¡±


    ¡°You idiot, the family of Lux spent all their time on this earth helping others. We are exalted beings; we are born with much more than any other and it is for that we were rulers. Kings exist for people.¡±


    From the door, I hear, ¡°People exist for their kings.¡±


    Staring at the source I say, ¡°Vizier Thueban.¡±


    ¡°People are foolish creatures who can¡¯t do a single thing without the guidance of their rulers, so among all of them, they choose one exalted being to control them and that is what a king is, a superior human who controls the lesser. People exist for their kings.¡±


    ¡°An if it isn¡¯t the man who enforces policies he writes up in the name of the king, our great Vizier Thueban.¡±


    ¡°Prince Hussain, I have no idea what you are talking about, you and your crazy ideas can be funny. But please make sure not to pollute our king in the making with your misguided ideals.¡±


    ¡°Since when did my little brother become the crown prince?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is just a little joke, but let¡¯s hope all your reckless behaviour won¡¯t make it into a reality. Now, Ahmed, the king has told me to make sure you aren¡¯t talking to the prince here, come along.¡±


    Walking over Thueban I hear my brother say, ¡°When I become ruler, I am going to remove you first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you would.¡±


    With that, I leave the room with Thueban. Walking back to my room, I say, ¡°The family of Lux.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, my prince.¡±


    ¡°Listen to this Thueban!¡±

 Arc 8.40

    -Break-


    3 Years later


    Feeling a peck on my face I open my eyes to see Katk is attacking me. Sitting up, I say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong girl?¡±


    Katk using her wing points towards the balcony, so I say, ¡°You want me to go look?¡±


    Katk nods her head up and down, so I get up and walk over there, and as I walk, I start to hear sounds which increasingly grow louder. When I reach the balcony, I see lots of fires all around the palace.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    Then Katk comes in front of me and from her third eye, it projects one of her memories.


    In the memory I see a group of swine heading for the palace gates, but shockingly there are soldiers with them.


    Then behind all of them on a platform, I see Vizier Thueban, shouting, ¡°For far too long have we let those demons we call our rulers destroy us!


    We are the people of this country, the very lifeblood that keeps it afloat, yet they have allowed us to starve to death, and live in disease-riddled homes, while constantly forcing oppressive law after oppressive law upon us!


    So as the very soul of this nation let us cleanse all of the filth that is polluting it, Stand up my people and TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS!¡±


    As the memory stops playing, I start to freak out. ¡°Why is Thueban doing this? We have always allowed that swine to stand next to our exalted family, he has even be given the right to eat our scraps.


    We are the rulers of this nation; all you swine exist solely for us yet you would do such a horrid thing as invade our home. Trash, trash, trash, trash, trash, YOU¡¯RE ALL TRASH!


    Regaining my bearings, I say, ¡°I got to find father and mother.¡±


    Grabbing Katk I run out of my room at full speed, I need to escape. Using Katk as a scout I am able to manoeuvre my way through the palace and hid.


    Turning a wall a bump into someone, and then we both say, ¡°Who dares run into a higher being such as myself!¡±


    Opening my eyes I see that it is my father who I bumped into, with my mother and three soldiers close behind. Seeing them I run and hug my mother''s leg while saying, ¡°I was scared.¡±


    Kicking me off, my mother says, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for such things we need to escape.¡±


    ¡°Swine, pick him up and hurry.¡±


    ¡°But Katk hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡±


    ¡°BE QUIET. Do you really think we have time for a stupid bird!¡±


    After the soldiers pick me up we run deeper into the palace, until we reach the area leading to the underground.


    As we run through the long corridor, my father says, ¡°People like us shouldn¡¯t be in such a situation! Why does someone such as myself have to perspire over the actions of some insignificant beings!?¡±


    ¡°I swear when this is over I will carve their children into shoes for myself.¡±


    Suddenly my father says, ¡°Where here,¡± as he takes a turn right. But the moment the soldier carrying me in his arms also turns right, I see my father and mother standing still, and in front of the large door at the end of the corridor is Thueban.


    ¡°How are you doing, my former king.¡±


    ¡°YOU TREACHEROUS TROGLODYTE. Do you even know what I have had to go through thanks to your antics? A hundred deaths would even begin to pay for your sins. Soldiers attack him!¡±


    The two soldiers whose hands are free run up to attack Thueban. Then out of nowhere, a person in a black cloak appears out of nowhere and suddenly both of the soldiers disappear.


    In that moment my eyes open wide, and I take in everything before me. The person is wearing a black cloak with gold linings, with a grey mask to cover their face. The cloak is so big that I can¡¯t make out the body shape, but one thing I do notice is that the person has a child; about my height, on their shoulders in the same clothes.


    After I finish staring at the cloaked person, I look for the two missing soldiers and on the far right and left walls I see two blood splatters. The soldier where sent flying into the wall and died.


    Afraid my father falls to the ground, which causes Thueban to laugh then say, ¡°Now why would I have to pay for my sins, since from this moment on I am the new ruler of Jedidiah.¡±


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    Angered, my father says, ¡°I am the king of Jedidiah, you must be insane if you think you can take my place.¡±


    ¡°But am I really? Because haven¡¯t I been ruling this whole time.¡± Walking closer to us he says, ¡°Who is the one that has been in charge of all the systems in Jedidiah? Who is the one that has handled all the imports and exports in Jedidiah? Who is the one that commands the army in Jedidah to forcibly enforce all the policies that he writes up by himself? And who is the one who has the hearts of all the people on his side?


    Up until now, I have been running this country, in all responsibility I have been its ruler. But I have had to answer to ignorant, lesser beings such as yourself this entire time and I have finally had enough of that. So, with the strength of the people by my side I will remove you from your throne.¡±


    Frightened, my father says, ¡°So you believe yourself to be a hero of all these swine. You look down on those insects as much as I do, soon enough they will come nibbling at your feet like they did at mine.¡±


    ¡°If you think I respect the idiots who live out there even a little you would be wrong, each and every one of them is an inferior beast who shouldn¡¯t even breathe the same air as me.


    But unlike you, I at least understand that wild animals are dangerous. They need to be kept satiated, so they don¡¯t lash out, and you have failed at the simple task. Unlike you, I will feed my beasts and turn them into weapons which I can use for myself.


    A perfect example of this is our current situation. Every single one of the laws I had passed for my own benefit, have been rather annoying to all the people, so one would think they would possess some anger towards me, but alas they don¡¯t and why is that? It¡¯s because they think all those laws are by order of the king!¡±


    ¡°I have never once suggested any laws to be passed!¡±


    Sighing, Thueban says, ¡°You truly are slow, so let me simplify this for you. As far as all the people out there are concerned, I am a poor orphan whose parents were slaughtered by your tyrannical rule and vowed to infiltrate your inner circle to one day restore the country to the people.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S A BUNCH OF NONSENSE.¡±


    ¡°Spot on, but the people believe that. Information control is what keeps rulers on their thrones. So, as you go to the afterlife, regret the fact you couldn¡¯t do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were such a fool Thueban. You should know what will happen if you hurt a bloodline of Lux, destruction will reign on the people and kingdom of whoever dares to hurt one of the family members.¡±


    In front of me, I see my father''s hand fly vanish, which causes him to scream his lungs out, then moments later I see the hooded person in front of me.


    In a casual voice they say, ¡°The judgment of Lux, the curse said to fall upon those who hurt the family of Lux. But you see that is a misconception, the curse will only fall on those who erase a family of Lux, so as long as a single family member of your bloodline survives there is nothing to worry about.¡±


    Instantly, I appear to be in the hooded person''s arms. Turning my head, I see the soldier who was holding me in now a blood splatter on the wall. Then the hooded person then reappears right beside Thueban with me in their arms.


    ¡°And my former king I have decided Ahmed will be the surviving member. Now how should we kill you; I will be taking ideas.¡±


    In front of me, I can see the panic appear on my mother¡¯s face as my father screams in pain. Then moments later my mother says, ¡°Please spare my life I will do anything, even become your wife. I have pride in my unmatched beauty.¡±


    On the ground, my father says, ¡°You bitch! After everything I have done for you!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP, A MAN WHO CAN¡¯T PROTECT HIS WIFE IS A POINTLESS EXISTANCE1¡±


    Standing up my father punches Mother with his good hand, and says, ¡°You cheap whore!¡±


    Thueban smiling says, ¡°I will have to pass you old hag, you see a hero like me should have an untouched, younger maiden for myself and when I am king I will have a rather large amount of candidates. But the idea of sleeping with the former queen is rather tantalizing, so let¡¯s play a game, if you can kill your husband right here and now I will take you on as a backup wife.¡±


    Thueban throws his sword directly at my mother which she picks up. My father frightened says, ¡°Do you really think you can betray me and get away with it, do you really think you could kill someone who you loved so much?¡±


    Snickering, my mother says, ¡°I never loved you.¡±


    As I try to make sense of the events unfolding before me the hooded person pulls me close, and I feel softness; is this a woman? ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡± As my face is in this woman¡¯s chest, I suddenly hear all the noise from where my mother and father are disappearing.


    Thueban says enraged, ¡°How dare you do that!? They were mine to kill.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet human. I was in no mood to witness such a disgusting sight and don¡¯t forget if it wasn¡¯t for the insight, I gave you the judgement of Lux would have killed you all and the people in this country. Now take us to where we want to go.¡±


    Begrudgingly Thueban says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we walk towards the door to the underground, I try to move my head from her chest and look at my parents, but she pulls me closer and says, ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking at such a sight.¡±


    -Break-


    After walking through the underground for a while we eventually reach a large door which has a strange symbol that looks like a clock gear.


    Thueban says, ¡°So this is what you are looking for?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is and I would suggest you back up, otherwise you might die.¡±


    When we take a single step closer, I can feel my mind start to spin as an incredibly warped and sickly feeling overtakes my body. It feels like I am about to go insane.


    The woman jumps back immediately grabbing me and Thueban. ¡°I knew it was bad but not to this extent. Good thing I came prepared.¡±


    As I regain my bearings, the woman says to the child on her back, ¡°Your legacy please.¡±


    The child on her back says, ¡°Cover us.¡± Then her cloak turns into a legacy and then a giant purple snake manifests from it and covers both of their bodies.


    ¡°This should negate the effects, now give us a moment.¡±


    The both of them charge headfirst into the door completely unaffected by the side effects. Nearly 3 seconds after they enter the door, I am kicked in the face by Thueban, who says, ¡°Sorry, looking at your little face started to annoy me.¡±


    As I reel from the blow, he says, ¡°Crawling on the floor like a slug doesn¡¯t suit an exalted being such as yourself, oh how I would have loved to see those two idiots you call your parents like this but nevertheless I will entertain myself with their progeny.¡±


    Continuing to kick me on the floor he says, ¡°Now cry you little brat.¡±


    Covering my head, I continue to cry, until I hear a call from afar. Then moments later, I hear, ¡°LOOK OUT, LITTLE PRINCE.¡± Naji hits Thueban with a devastating punch sending him directly into the door.


    Then looking up, I see my brother with Katk beside him. ¡°Ahmed let¡¯s go!¡±

 Arc 8.41

    Seeing my brother I jump towards him and grab Katk out of his arms.


    ¡°You should be thanking this wonderbeast because if it wasn¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t have found you.¡±


    ¡°Hussain, mother and father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ahmed, I already know. Naji let¡¯s go!¡±


    As Naji runs back towards us a familiar voice says, ¡°I wasn¡¯t even gone for 2 minutes.¡±


    The hooded woman has come out of the door, and she is covered in blood, It is so excessive that one would think she was swimming in a sea of blood.


    Holding Thueban in her hand she says, ¡°You really couldn¡¯t even hold out for 2 minutes?¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP AND KILL THEM!¡±


    Dropping Thueban on the floor she holds up a purple Orb in her hand and says, ¡°I already got what I came for so our deal is now over. But lucky for you I am in such a great mood that I will throw in some goodwill.¡±


    The hooded woman faces us, so I say, ¡°NAJI ATTACK HER.¡±


    But instead, he picks us up and moves away from the both of them at incredible speed. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING SHE KILLED MOTHER AND FATHER!¡±


    ¡°BE QUIET FOOL.¡±


    Hussain beside me says, ¡°Naji is she that bad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that woman is a monster among monsters, we need to move away immediately.¡±


    ¡°Calling a woman such as myself a monster is going to hurt my feelings.¡±


    Instantly, we all turn our heads to see she is right beside us. At a speed I can barely comprehend Naji punches her, but she dodges his punch and lands on his arm.


    ¡°Too slow.¡±


    With his left Arm Naji throws me and my brother ahead. ¡°NAJI WHAT ARE YOU DOING.¡±


    ¡°Live my king, and take care of your idiot brother as well.¡±


    Soon we are completely out of sight of the two of them. When we land my brother grabs my hand and we start to run forward. Running behind him I say, ¡°Brother what is going to happen to us? Are we going to die like mom and dad, like Naji!?¡±


    Stopping in front of a large open sand-filled area, my brother says, ¡°No we won¡¯t because Naji gave us this opportunity.¡± My brother using his two fingers starts to whistle in a pattern, and then from the sand, a giant wonderbeast appears.


    It has four extremely muscly arms attached to its scaleless body, it has lots of droopy fins that almost for a sheet covering it. This wonderbeast would look terrifying if it wasn¡¯t for its rather derpy large oval face. ¡°What is this brother.¡±


    ¡°It is a wonderbeast that can swim in the sand, it is what mother and father use to import and export things between Jedidiah and the rest of the world. And what I assume they planned to use to escape.¡±


    Grabbing my arm Hussain jumps right into its mouth. While inside its mouth I see it is rather nicely decorated. ¡°Mother did this to it because she refused to ride inside without her necessities.¡±


    Rubbing the side of the Wonderbeast my brother says, ¡°Medjed, I know my family hasn¡¯t treated you the best, but please save me and my brother, I promise I will fix what my mother and father have done.¡±


    Closing its mouth Medjed dives underground through the sand and starts to swim us away.


    ¦µ Laying on the floor in a pool of my own blood, I say, ¡°My king please escape.¡±


    ¡°It really has been a long time since I have seen Helix battle arts in practice?¡±


    Struggling I say, ¡°What the hell are you talking about, all my moves were my very own Naji battle arts.¡±


    ¡°You might think that, but the manipulation of rotational energy was something someone made a long time ago, but I guess history doesn¡¯t call it that. But the creator called it Helix battle arts.¡±


    With a little smile, I say, ¡°Good to know.¡±


    Standing up she says, ¡°Since I have seen something rather pleasant today, I will let them go. But because of this, I am sure Thueban will take out his anger on the closest person. So, I can kill you now if you would wish?¡±


    ¡°If it is a choice between life and death, I will always choose to squeeze out as much value out of this life as possible.¡±


    Laughing she says, ¡°I like people like you!¡± Then vanishes.


    -Break-


    Suddenly I feel Medjed start to swim up, and then moments later I see its mouth open up. Grabbing me my brother steps out of its mouth and says, ¡°Come on Ahmed look at this.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    Looking in front of me I see scenery completely foreign to me, and then my brother says, ¡°This is Terrafide, we are currently far in the west, but we are finally outside of Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°How pretty.¡±


    As I gaze at the sight in front of me my brother takes a backpack of things, he took from inside of Medjed and then says, ¡°Medjed I need you to wait around this area underground until we return, can you do that for us?¡±


    The giant wonderbeast makes a frightening sound that doesn¡¯t suit its face at all. ¡°Good boy, we will be back eventually.¡±


    Taking my hand my brother runs off into the distance.


    -Break-


    ¡°Hussian my legs hurt.¡±


    Katk landing on my brother starts to point, ¡°While rejoicing since it seems Katk found us a village.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± I say looking into the distance. Staring at the tiny area my brother calls a village I say, ¡°Brother we had rooms that were bigger than that, are you sure that is a village.¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt, now hurry up.¡±


    After a little bit of running, we arrive at the village, and as we do I walk up and say, ¡°WE ARE HUNGRY SWINE, BESTOW UPON US YOUR FINEST DELICACY!¡±


    Throughout the village I see that the people are skin and bones, and are wearing ragged clothes, then one man laying against a wall says something which I can¡¯t understand.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand such gibberish, were you not taught language?¡±


    Smacking me on the head, Hussain says, ¡°He is speaking the hero''s song, idiot.¡±


    My brother immediately runs towards, the man and starts speaking in the same gibberish that he was talking in. Soon after he shouts something and a few other people start coming close, then he starts to walk away towards me.


    Setting the bag of valuables, we took from Medjed down, my brother starts to loosen up his clothes and take others off, so I ask, ¡°Brother what is going on?¡±


    ¡°It seems due to how close this village is to Jedidiah it has been affected by the sandstorm, and has been going through a drought.¡±


    ¡°Then these people are useless to us. I saw they have Anathematized Camel we can ride, let¡¯s take their valuables and go.¡±


    Looking at me dead in the eye, my brother sighs and says, ¡°No you idiot, I am going to make them some food!¡±


    ¡°With what? I don¡¯t see any food around here.¡±


    ¡°Just you watch.¡±


    As I sit in the corner, I see my brother start to command the thin people around him to bring him stuff, and little by little I start to smell something amazing and eventually my brother comes out and starts handing plates to everyone including me.


    Staring at the food in front of me, I feel myself become raptured by the delicious aroma emanating from the food and my mouth starts to water.


    Sitting beside me, he says, ¡°Close your mouth or you¡¯ll catch files with it.¡±


    Wiping away the water, I say, ¡°Shut up.¡± Then I start to devour the food. ¡°Delicious!¡± I scream as I savour the food.


    As I continue to devour the food, I say, ¡°Brother this is amazing.¡±


    ¡°I am happy that you and everyone else enjoy it.¡±


    Looking up, I see the faces of the people in the village are bright and full of life.


    ¡°Wish I could have made something even better, but they only had crappy ingredients around.¡±


    ¡°To think you could make something like this from the peasant''s trash, you truly are an exalted being.¡±


    ¡°All of this I learned from the people of Jedidah.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How to make good food with scraps, how to turn things thought to be inedible edible, and how to smile even when you had nothing. I learned all that from the people. Those are the weapons the people you and our parents called swine use to survive.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°You talk about the swine as if they are not the reason we are on the run in the first place!¡±


    ¡°The reason we are on the run isn¡¯t due to Thueban or the people, it is due to our own ignorance nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    Getting up I walk away and continue to eat. ¡°Stupid brother.¡±


    After a little while as we prepare to leave the village, my brother says, ¡°We won¡¯t be walking, our friends here have given us one of the camels in exchange for some more recipes.¡±


    Hoping on the camel I see my brother wave away the people, whose faces have completely changed since we got here, they are smiling wholeheartedly.


    Jumping on the back with me my brother says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Me and my brother continued our journey from village to village, where my brother talked with all of them whilst I just stayed out of sight unable to speak.


    My brother performed favours and taught them things in exchange for food and other necessities and our life continued on like this until one day.


    In the cave where me and my brother are camping for the night I say, ¡°How much longer do we have to live like this? People of our blood shouldn¡¯t be acting like beggars when we have all these valuables.¡±


    ¡°I already told you, we need to save those funds in order to buy an army. For now, we just need to continue gathering information on how things work outside of Jedidiah. All it will take is for us is one rash decision to lose all hope of retaking our home.¡±


    ¡°Do you even want to go return home? You have been enjoying yourself all our time here as if you like being out here!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I plan to return. Thueban is just as horrible as father only he does his disgusting actions in private, so if we don¡¯t take back Jedidiah the people will suffer.¡±


    ¡°People this, people that. Who cares about such people!? We need to retake our place so we can go back to living like we are supposed to!¡±


    ¡°You truly are a moron.¡±


    ¡°HOW SO BROTHER! Didn¡¯t you say Lux was a family that protected all these pieces of trash for generations, so when a member of our family is in trouble, they should be throwing all of there resources towards us and help.


    But these pigs can¡¯t even do that, instead, we have to run around and hide in the shadow like animals. I SHOULDN¡¯T LIVE LIKE THIS.¡±


    My brother slaps me in my face and says, ¡°I thought that information I gave you 3 years ago, and the experiences we have been through here might have changed you, but it seems you still lack perspective.¡±


    Walking away he says, ¡°But still I am your older brother so I must keep trying to help you gain some degree of sense.¡±


    As my brother exits the cave, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t understand I don¡¯t get it at all.¡±


    Name: Naji Zuni


    Age: 88


    Birthday: Leo 15<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 155cm


    Description: The former head guard of Jedidiah, and personal attendant of the first prince Hussain. He spent years watching the Almiraj in the deserts of Jedidiah and eventually learned its fighting style the Helix battle arts. He loves his grandson and disciplines him to whip him back into shape. His family is known for being rather short.


    Name: Medjed


    Height: 2700 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, omnivore


    Description: A sand-dwelling wonderbeast, with a fishlike scaleless body. It has four extremely muscular arms, which it uses to combat dangers beneath the sand. Its fins are also drooped down and look like a blanket covering its body. Its face is oval shaped and is said to look derpy.


    Fact: Can only be found in Jedidiah, since no other country has the climate for it¡¯s adaptions.

 Arc 8.42

    -Break-


    Annoyed at the words my brother said I pick up Katk, and I take a walk through a nearby forest. ¡°Stupid, who does he think he is talking to me like I am so idiot? I know lots of things as well I am no child!¡±


    Katk jumping off my arm beings to fly around me as I say, ¡°Just because he rubs shoulders with those dirty scum he now thinks he is better than me, unlike him I at least know how the value of my life. He just goes around lower himself to the level of those ingrates, what a fool he is, isn¡¯t that right Katk.¡±


    Katk lets out a chirp in agreement with me. ¡°Good girl Katk, at least you can understand what I am saying.¡±


    As Katk continues to chirp I follow her, as she flies around. She is moving rather far away, ¡°Katk, come back girl.¡±


    She continues to fly away so I chase after her and say, ¡°Katk don¡¯t leave me. I promise if I did anything to upset you, I will apologize.¡±


    As Katk continues to fly away I stretch out my arm and say, ¡°Katk please don¡¯t abandon me, without you I will be all alone!¡±


    Losing my footing a noticed that a ran off the edge of the path I was following. I tumble which causes me to get cuts and marks all across my body, ¡°Owwwwwww!¡±


    When I stop tumbling, I hold my head and say, ¡°Who placed a ledge over there how awful!¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Looking up I see a young girl and boy, that looks about my age maybe a little bit younger. They just saw me in such an embarrassed state, I need to fix this immediately.


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Hello feeble existences, my name is Ahmed Abrahams the second prince of Jedidiah. Now bow your heads!¡±


    Excited, the girl says, ¡°Oh wow, you must be rather important then, my beautiful prince.¡±


    Cheerfully, I say, ¡°Finally someone who speaks my language, all the people around here speech some nonsense which I cannot make out.¡±


    ¡°I speak with lots of different people, so I can speak all the songs to a certain extent.¡±


    Staring at the young boy, I see he is wearing a covering over his head, which also covers one of his eyes, it is red with blood. ¡°Hey you, where is your introduction? This girl over here was capable of greeting someone such as me so you go ahead as well?¡±


    The boy starts to behave shyly so I bring my face closer and shout, ¡°DID I STUTTER, WHERE IS MY INTRODUCTION!?¡±


    The boy shrieks, and then the girl says, ¡°My little brother isn¡¯t used to people, so please forgive him for not talking.¡±


    ¡°The foolishness of you lesser beings never fails to amaze me. I will let this pass since I shouldn¡¯t have expected a swine to be able to communicate with someone such a myself.¡±


    Bowing repeatedly, she says, ¡°Thank you for your kindness!¡±


    ¡°Now I would like something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, our house is just over there.¡±


    Looking in the distance I see a rather small hut in the distance, and after a little bit of walking, I enter inside. The hut is just as disappointing as I expected, ¡°You people really never cease to amaze me with how low you are.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, our home isn¡¯t comfortable for you.¡±


    ¡°I have come to learn that disgusting places like this can have some delicious food. So, give me something to salvage this disgusting sight in front of me.¡±


    Saluting, she says, ¡°Right.¡±


    Putting my feet up on the table, I say, ¡°Now little brother give me a back rub.¡±


    Confused for a moment the girl whispers something into his ear then moments later he starts to give me a back rub.


    Aww, I have missed this, putting up with all the garbage from my brother has made me forget who I really am.


    As the girl scrambles to get me the food she asks, ¡°What is a prince like you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I am looking for an army.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because some swine dared to take my kingdom from me, so I am going to use all the money I brought with me to buy an army and devastate them all.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t do that on an empty stomach, so here you go,¡± The girl says as she places some weird food in front of me.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, those are just some rations we managed to scrape together, that was going to be our dinner for the next two days, but if a prince wants somehow can I refuse.¡±


    I take a bite out of the weird porridge they put in front of me, then immediately I spit it on the floor and knock the plate away. ¡°What the hell is this? Did you just feed me shit on a plate?¡±


    The girl looks shocked, then her expression saddens as she says, ¡°I am sorry for that, I really thought you would like it.¡±


    On my shoulders, I feel a tightness, and then I hear the girl say something I cannot understand to her brother behind me, but one thing I do here her say is his name, Adi.


    Standing up I say, ¡°My mood has soured I will take my leave now.¡±


    As I leave the girl starts to freak out and says, ¡°I am sorry for that please don¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Now why should I listen to you?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I will bring you some better food!¡±


    ¡°With your discernment, I doubt it will be better, it won¡¯t work the walk back here.¡±


    ¡°Then let me bring it directly to you, my great and handsome prince.¡±


    ¡°Great, and handsome? You really do understand the man who stands before you. Ok then, I will allow you to bring me some food, the place I am staying is the cave beside the waterfall. My brother leaves around midday so come something after that time, ok?¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    -Break-


    Sitting down in the cave where me and my brother stay, I sigh as I say, ¡°Where are you Katk, please come back home?¡±


    Hearing footsteps, I say, ¡°Looks like the two of those peasants are here.¡± Getting up I walk to the entrance of the cave and say, ¡°Took you two long enough!¡±


    In front of me, I don¡¯t see the two kids but a group of ruff looking adults. Surprised I freeze for a moment, but then I am kicked as one of them says, ¡°Grab all you can.¡±


    On the floor, I start to spit up as the people rummage through my things. Looking up I see the two kids in front of me, so I say, ¡°What is the meaning of this!?¡±


    I am punched in the face by the girl who says, ¡°Shut up, you stuck-up prince.¡±


    With pain searing through my cheek and my stomach, I stare at all the people taking all of my valuables. ¡°Why is this happening to me?¡±


    One of the people; a man squats in front of me and then says, ¡°Considering your age and where your from I doubt you would understand what is going on, so let this peasant enlighten you, my wonderful prince.


    You see the west coast of Terrafide is where people who run from the continent Molstoria tend to end up, because it is either that, Fimbulwinter, or sailing across the world to Enotita. And these people tend to be either rich or people who are hiding from something. All people who you can get money from extorting, robbing, and selling.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I stare at the two children and say, ¡°You two tricked me.¡±


    The man gets up and walks over to the two kids, then he places his arms hanging off both of their shoulders and says, ¡°They sure did and you never suspected it. You see I have asked almost all the villagers and people in the west coast to rat out anyone who comes around here, and then I reward them generously for their information. Using this tactic, I was able to even bag two dragons a few years ago.¡±


    The girl staring directly at me says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t trust people so easily prince.¡±


    ¦µ Moving away from me, the boss says, ¡°How does it look?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous boss, we will be eating good for some time to come.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not blow through this like we did with the dragon money.¡±


    Walking up to the man, I say, ¡°If the haul is big this time I expect a higher payout.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you will get your money, especially since your help is always appreciated.¡±


    ¡°So where is it?¡±


    ¡°But let¡¯s talk first.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You are just so helpful, no one ever distrusts such a little and bright girl, especially when it looks like she is caring for her sick brother. This causes you to be one of our best when it comes to tricking people. Your value to us is immense, something that I would never throw away. Unless I somehow found a way to get more value out of the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t I have my money yet?¡±


    Walking over to my younger brother, he says, ¡°The reason you were that covering like that is because, you sustained an injury to your head and eye, and you don¡¯t want to scare people away with its ugliness.¡±


    Adi shakes his head up and down. ¡°What is the point of these questions?¡±


    ¡°I am getting to it. One of my men while down at the lake swore, he saw the two of you bathing, and while staring at your bodies he says he saw something.¡±


    I try to run and grab my brother, but I am held down by some of the boss''s people, as he rips the covering of my brother''s head. ¡°Two eyes colours, two hair colours, a legacy. You placed dead animal flesh and blood within the covering to keep up the illusion.¡±


    With the back of his hand, he knocks my brother out, so I scream, ¡°ADI!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout like that, a young girl''s cries aren¡¯t something I like hearing.¡±


    ¡°I know my brother is a legacy but the value we will bring you over time is worth a hundred times what you will get for selling him!¡±


    He chuckles a bit, then says, ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t true. Boys get everything we need to move.¡±


    ¦µ Staring at me the boss says, ¡°Take the little prince as well.¡±


    ¡°Selling a prince isn¡¯t something we get to do every day!¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot, we were told he is from Jedidiah the country that is constantly in a sandstorm, he has to have and someway to enter and leave, and that information will fill our bellies, so take him back.¡±


    As one of them tries to pick me up I fight back and say, ¡°Let go of me you filthy swine.¡±


    The man in front of me angers, then strikes me on my face repeatedly knocking me out.


    -Break-


    Waking up in a cell I see the man they called boss in front of me and he says, ¡°Hey little prince.¡±


    ¡°How dare you imprison me like livest-.¡±


    ¡°Ok, shut up, I don¡¯t care for your nonsense, so I am going to make this real simple. Until you tell me what I want to know, you will stay in this damp, dirty cell. Little food, no clothes, nothing at all. If you want to drink, take the trickles of water that sweep into your cell.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that to me!¡±


    Standing up, he says, ¡°Turns out I can. The quicker you tell the faster we can cell you to some rich fucker, but the market isn¡¯t really hot right now. So, you might miss your chance if you don¡¯t hurry up and talk. Bye now.¡±


    As he walks away, I say, ¡°Wait, come back!!!¡±


    All alone in my cell, I look around the dirty thing, where I see bugs and rats running around. With my arms wrapped around my legs, I say, ¡°They can¡¯t be serious, this must be some kind of joke, yeah my brother is behind this I know he will come and tell me he planned this any moment now since a person like me doesn¡¯t belong here.¡±

 Arc 8.43

    -Break-


    In the dark and damp cell, I sat against the wall as all the bugs and pests crawled around me. Whenever they got close, I would move away with fright. Repeatedly I told myself, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be here, I shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± My dry throat makes it hard for me to speak, but I must; the remainder of my own status is what is keeping me sane.


    But my words were soon stopped by a pain I felt emanating from my stomach. As my stomach growls, I say, ¡°I should have eaten my fifth meal by now, even when hiding with my brother I still got to eat three meals a day.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s taking them so long?¡±


    Hearing footsteps walking by my cell, I soon see one of the swine in front of my cell. ¡°Time to eat little prince.¡±


    ¡°Do you not know how hungry I was? Next time hurry up you pig. I will also need a change of clothes and a bed.¡±


    The man has an irritated look on his face, and then from a bag he is holding, he takes out a piece of bread. Through the bars of my cell, he throws pieces of bread while saying, ¡°Come and get it little doggy.¡±


    Trying to catch the bread, I say, ¡°What are you doing fool?¡±


    As a piece of bread falls to the ground he says, ¡°Aww looks like you didn¡¯t catch that one.¡±


    ¡°You cretin, I can¡¯t eat that; now go get me some more. Also, where is my water.¡±


    Laughing the man says, ¡°Children really are hilarious.¡± Walking away the man says, ¡°You better eat that since I won¡¯t be getting any more, and if you''re thirsty I see a bunch of water all around the cell.¡±


    ¡°Come back here you imbecilic, how dare you ignore my request. I am talking to you fool, don¡¯t you walk away from me!¡±


    Seeing the man walk out of sight I sit down and devour the bread I was given. But after that, I still feel my stomach growl; my hunger hasn¡¯t subsided.


    In that moment I stare at the piece of bread touching the dirty water that runs throughout the cell. I feel my body start moving towards it, but I grab myself and sit back down against the wall. ¡°I am an exalted being, I can¡¯t eat such a thing.¡±


    -Break-


    Over the next day, I sit in my cell with my hunger pains getting worst and worst. So, I tell myself, ¡°Just wait a little longer, just wait a little longer. He came yesterday around this time, so he should be here again.¡±


    But he never came that day, it wasn¡¯t until a day and a half later that he arrived.


    Seeing him I run up to the cell door and say, ¡°What took you should long you insignificant incompetent waste of life!¡±


    ¡°Could you shut up already!¡±


    ¡°What the hell would you have done if I died, your boss wouldn¡¯t have been happy with you. No, he would have skewered you like the fat pig you are, so make sure to bring me my food on time!!!¡±


    Hitting the bars of my cage, he says, ¡°Get off your high horse you brat. Don¡¯t overestimate your value, we have already made a lot of money off of you, the rest is just a bonus. If you die we would simply drink ourselves to sleep and forget about the money we lost.


    I will bring you food at my leisure, if I forget again and you die no one gives two fucks. There will be no fucking change of clothes, I won¡¯t be removing the shit from your room, and you won¡¯t be getting a bed. You¡¯re getting shit from me! If you want water to drink the water around the cell.


    Wait, despite me not giving you water for three days you don¡¯t look that dehydrated, you¡¯ve already been licking the cell water haven¡¯t you,¡± he says with a chuckle.


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME!¡±


    ¡°I will laugh all I want, and you''re just going to sit there and take it!!! Now eat you stupid bread.¡± Taking a small piece of bread out of his bag he throws it directly into a puddle of water and says, ¡°Eat up, you should hurry up or the smell of the shit in your room will destroy the taste.¡±


    Looking at it I say, ¡°You bastard.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it give us the information we want, then we will sell you to some old women. I am sure life there will be better and more pleasurable for you than life in here. Well, maybe all the pleasure will be for the women alone.¡±


    As he walks away, I walk over slowly to the bread and pick it up. ¡°I am exalted, I am exalted, I am exalted.¡± As I say this I pull my arm back prepared to throw the bread into my waste.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    But in that moment I realize something, ¡°When is the next time I am going to eat?¡± He said he will be given me food at his leisure, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. Will I eat tomorrow the day after or the day after that? Will any of that be enough to sustain me?


    Could I die tomorrow?


    As these thoughts flow through my brain I bring the piece of bread down and take a bite out of it. It is soggy, dirty, stiff, hard, and tasteless while still being sickening. But as I eat it bit by bite tears fall from my eyes, because I am sure it is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted.


    -Break-


    Within my cell, slowly but surely, I degraded. My nails grew to an ugly height, my skin lost its life and grew dirty, my teeth turned a sicking yellow and my hair was wild and unkept, my legs and back grew weak from my sitting position, my pile of waste to the side gave off a nose rotting stink, which was almost as bad as the stench my clothes and body was giving off, but worst of all was the rash that broke out throughout my entire body. It made me itch and scratch my skin until it cracked and bled.


    Though all of this pain and discomfort was completely dominated by my endless hunger. My stomach growled and growled until it grew too weak to do so. I could barely speak as an unending feeling of nausea overtook me.


    All I could do was pray as I waited for the am to bring my next meal. But time passed and it didn¡¯t come, and soon the coldness of my room started to make me sick.


    Within my cell, I here a squeak, and then looking to the source I see a rat. Instinctively, I grab it as my mouth starts to water with the little fluid left in my body.


    Gripping the rat tight I start to bring it to my mouth, but at that moment, I see my reflection in the pool of dirty water in my room, which causes me to throw the rat outside my cell.


    Kneeling over the water, I say, ¡°I am an exalted being, I am a prince, I am a KING!¡±


    Grabbing the bars of my cell, I scream, ¡°LET ME OUT OF HERE, RIGHT NOW!!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO I AM, I AM NOTHING LIKE THE REST OF YOU SCUM, I AM A BEING CHOSEN BY HEAVEN. I EXIST TO EAT THE FINEST FOOD, WEAR THE FINEST CLOTHES, AND SLEEP IN THE FINEST BED. ANYTHING LESS THAN THAT FOR MYSELF GOES AGAINST THE RULES OF NATURE.


    DO YOU HEAR ME SWINE? LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!! I AM EXALTED I AM BEYOND EVERYTHING YOU REPRESENT. THE SIN YOU COMMIT BY LOCKING ME UP WON¡¯T BE PAID BACK EVEN IF YOU SPEND ETERNITY IN HELL SUFFERING. SO LET ME OUT!!!!¡±


    I continue to shout and scream until all my strength leaves me. But there were no responses no one cared to listen, so after I finished all I could do was sit back down.


    -Break-


    Soon after that my hatred died down, I lay on the floor with no strength to stand, I lose myself in my mind. I have no food, no clothes, no servants, no bed, no family, no nothing. I don¡¯t even know if I will wake up tomorrow, my life is nothing more than a speck whose fate gets decided by the wimps of a man. Why is this happening to me?


    Unable to come to a conclusion, I say, ¡°No one deserves to go through this, from God to insect, not a single person deserves this. The pain I feel isn¡¯t something one should ever have to feel, so why would someone allow anyone to feel such a pain you would have to be nothing more than a dem-.¡±


    It was like a moment of revelation, almost as if the world finally made sense, ¡°All the swine, is this how I made them feel?¡±


    With the weight of my words falling onto my mind I cry. ¡°How could I do this to not just one, but millions? I am a demon.¡± My heart aches and my soul breaks when I think about what I have done.


    And still, they all lived throughout that hell for years, finding ways to live, yet I mocked all of that and even wasted those people''s food. ¡°I am no exalted being.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been years since I have seen you cry.¡±


    Turning my head, I see behind my cage, my brother. Weakly I say, ¡°Hussain?¡±


    With a sword, he slashes the bar of my cage and picks me up. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ahmed.¡±


    As we run out of the prison into the forest, I ask Hussain, ¡°Why did you come to find me?¡±


    Pointing upwards he says, ¡°Katk wouldn¡¯t stop pestering me till I found you, and anyways you¡¯re my little brother so of course I will look for you.¡±


    Suddenly we hear a bell ring. ¡°Crap, it seems they figured out we escaped.¡±


    In my brother''s arms, I say, ¡°You know that isn¡¯t what I mean, Hussain why would you save a demon like me?¡±


    ¡°Ahmed?¡±


    As loud footsteps approach, I say, ¡°My actions put countless people through hell. On my foolish throne, I sat there and looked down on the people and called them swine. I mocked every aspect of their life, even though they lived that life because of me.


    And when faced with the actions they took to survive through all of that I rejected them yet again because of my own hubris. I don¡¯t deserve to be saved.¡±


    From behind us I hear someone shout, ¡°They are over there.¡±


    In front of me, I see my brother laugh then I hear him say, ¡°It seems you finally, grew a brain, but don¡¯t worry since I was just like you.¡±


    As some of the men rush towards us with their swords, my brother takes out his and swiftly cuts them down. ¡°Back when I was younger before a dunderhead like you was born, I behaved the exact same. I followed all the nonsense that mother and father said and behaved like an exalted being, I acted like a little demon.¡±


    More men continue to attack my brother as arrows rain from above. ¡°But one day, I accidentally left the palace during a sandstorm. While I was lost in the middle of the storm, I was shown how pitiful and weak I truly am, but lucky I was saved by some random peasant.


    It turns out that a few of them had learned how to read the volatile sandstorm, can you imagine that!? It was after that I started to understand just how great they all were.¡±


    Moving through the forest my brother cuts down more soldiers, but he gets cut on the leg, and in that moment a few arrows hit him in the back.


    ¡°Hussain!!¡±


    ¡°So, when you were born I made a promise to myself, that I wouldn¡¯t let you turn out like me and I guess I failed. But it seems you have reached that point by yourself.¡±


    As more men surround him my brother instantly cuts them all down and says, ¡°So from now on let¡¯s both do our best to change for the better and protect our people. Because I want to live in a kingdom where both us and the people live long lives.¡±


    Holding me close my brother cuts down the remaining people, then says, ¡°How about that Ahmed?¡±


    With tears, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go Hussain.¡±


    With me, in his arms, we walk out of the forest where we are greeted to an entire army of the enemies soldiers. The boss in front says, ¡°You didn¡¯t think you could just escape, did you?¡±

 Arc 8.44

    ¦µ Faced with the horde of people in front of us, I start to cry and say, ¡°It¡¯s hopeless.¡±


    Grabbing me tighter. my brother says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry it will be ok.¡±


    The boss says, ¡°Go get me my next 100 meals,¡± Which causes all of the people in front of him to charge at us.


    Running forward 45 degrees from where he was standing my brother started to clash with the people in front of him. He cuts one down, then another, then another, then another.


    He keeps slashing at each one of them, but then he¡¯s struck in the back. Hussain hasn¡¯t recovered from all the blows he took earlier, so that attack causes him to scream in pain.


    With blood trickling down his face, he looks me in the eyes and says, ¡°It will be ok.¡±


    But quickly he turns around and slashes his attacker, still, the group of people around keep going and then strike him directly on the head, taking him down to the floor.


    While the both of us lay on the floor, we are kicked again and again until they run out of breath. Then through the crowd of people, the boss walks out and says, ¡°You really cut down a good number of my people, all for your little shit stain of a brother; really not worth the trouble if you ask me.¡±


    Kicking my brother in the face, he says, ¡°But I don¡¯t give a shit about your reasons or motivation, what I care about is how you are going to pay for that!!¡±


    After kicking my brother, a bit more he picks up his head on the ground and says, ¡°I take suggestions.¡±


    My brother spits in his face, and says, ¡°Hopefully that water will help you grow a brain, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°So, the hard way it is.¡± Slamming my brother''s head into the ground, he says, ¡°Take this waste of oxygen back to base.¡±


    ¡°Leave him alone.¡±


    Turning to face me, he looks surprised for a moment then says, ¡°Is that you, little prince?¡± After laughing for a bit, he says, ¡°I almost didn¡¯t recognize you from the dirt on the ground. What a shame, with your current appearance I probably won¡¯t get shit for selling you.¡±


    Turning to one of his people the boss says, ¡°Kill this brat.¡±


    ¡°BOSS MOVE!¡± One of the boss¡¯s people says.


    Behind the boss, I see my brother swinging his sword directly at the man. The boss turning around takes out his own sword to block the attack, but my brother cuts throw and slashes the boss''s arm off.


    As the boss screams in pain my brother tries to cut off his head, but is stopped by his men who pile up on him and restrain him to the ground.


    The people on top of him start to beat him while saying, ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for that, you bastard.¡±


    The boss who has wrapped up his hand says, ¡°MOVE YOU BASTARDS!!!¡±


    Over my brother''s body, he starts to stomp over him while saying, ¡°I was going to sell you but fuck that, you won''t be living another day. MARY GET OVER HERE!!¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    ¡°Where ripping him apart slowly.¡± Turning to me, he says, ¡°And your going to watch you little shit.¡±


    Holding me in front of my brother, the woman over him says, ¡°Now first we start with your skin.¡±


    From over all our heads I here, Katk let out a screech and then swoop down to attack Mary, but with a single slash she takes him out of the sky, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me birdy you will get your turn later.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    In front of my brother, I see them take off his skin, his finger and toenails, his hand, and his eye then his nose. They repeatedly cut into him which causes my brother to scream, and cry, though his cries are completely dominated by the laughter of the people around us.


    It is all too much for me, and my mind starts to get woozy as the room spins, so I try to close my eyes, but they are forcibly held open as the boss says, ¡°You¡¯re going to watch every second of this, look at what has happened to the brother who came here to save you!!!¡±


    After a horrendous amount of time the woman gets off my brother, and in front of me what I see is my mutilated brother with tears running down his face.


    My brother had always been strong and proud, he is someone who was even more untouchable than father to me, he was always a never breaking pillar in my eyes. But the man in front of me was almost a different person, weak broken, and even more pathetic than I. Seeing my brother in such a state brings me to tears, ¡°Hussain!!¡±


    Over his body, Mary says, ¡°Don¡¯t cry out yet, since he is still alive, I left the finishing blow for you boss.¡±


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    ¡°Wonderful work Mary, you will be well rewarded.¡±


    Taking me by the neck he holds me right in front of my brother and says, ¡°He probably can¡¯t even see anything right now, how pathetic.¡±


    Dropping me in front of Hussain the boss says, ¡°Now elder brother do you have any last words?¡±


    As I lay in front of my brother I hear him say, ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t wa-a-a-ant to die.¡±


    Chuckling a bit the boss says, ¡°Too bad,¡± then cuts off my brother''s head. Immediately after he does this, he throws my brother''s head right into my arms, then says, ¡°Say your goodbyes,¡± While bringing his sword close to my neck.


    In the moment before my head flies off, I stare into my brother''s face, his expression is full of pain and despair, something he has never shown in my entire time knowing him.


    My brother who had lived his life trying to help me and others shouldn¡¯t have such an expression, he shouldn¡¯t have experienced such suffering, and he shouldn¡¯t have died in this way.


    The reason Hussain is no longer here is because of me, it is all my fault. My heart breaks even more as I realize this, this feeling is too heavy, too horrible for me to live with, a person like me should just die.


    Feeling the sword come close to my neck I mutter, ¡°But I won¡¯t.¡±


    Then from my right arm chains burst forward and shatter the sword.


    The boss behind me says, ¡°He¡¯s a legacy!!¡±


    Suddenly I see all the people around me arm themselves and try to attack me, but the chains burst out of my right arm and pierce each and every one of them.


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Death is the easy way out, a person like me needs to spend every last of his filthy breaths replacing what he has robbed, from the world.¡±


    Holding up my right arm, I say, ¡°As the new king of Jedidiah, my first decree is that all of you scum, abusers, filthy, people who are no different than me; should all die.¡±


    My chains move through all of them around me striking them directly in their hearts or throats, and when most of them have fallen I walk up to the boss.


    Looking at me from the floor he says, ¡°Please I will give you anything you want just don¡¯t kill me!!!¡±


    ¡°Too late.¡± With my chains, I pierce him through the heart.


    Putting up my hand, I say, ¡°KATK TO ME.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking through their base I break all of the cages open and say, ¡°YOU¡¯RE ALL FREE STARTING FROM NOW, YOU CAN COME WITH ME IF YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO GO!¡±


    Stopping, I see the two kids in a cage. In the brother¡¯s arms is the sister¡¯s beaten body. As the boy sees me his face of hope turns to one of horror, upon his realization that I was the one freeing everyone.


    Looking straight into his eyes, I see him look away from me, but then he says, ¡°I am sorry for all that we did, but please save my sister!!¡±


    ¡°My brother just came to save me, but in the process of doing that he died.¡±


    Bowing his head, he says, ¡°Please take out any punishment on me just save my sister.¡±


    ¡°My brother¡¯s death wasn¡¯t a quick one they made sure to torture him right before he died, and made me watch all the while as he cried and screamed, do you know how that feels?¡±


    With fright in his eyes, the little brother looks up at me. So, I say, ¡°And now you want me to save your sister, funny isn¡¯t it.¡±


    With my chains I break the cage open and walk in, picking her up I say, ¡°Let¡¯s get you both some medical attention.¡±


    ¡°But I though-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, because you simply did what you had to, to eat. I understand that feeling all too well.¡±


    -Break-


    In the palace of Jedidiah, I break open a special door in Thueban''s room to reveal, Naji and his grandson Easifatan. In the room, Naji is hung and has a rather damaged body, while Easifatan lays in the room beside him.


    Walking up to Naji I break all of his restraints off his body, then I give him my shoulder allowing him to walk.


    ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°He had his fun with torturing me and brought Easifatan to watch.¡±


    ¡°Where are his parents?¡± Sadness overtakes Naji¡¯s face, so I say, ¡°I see, Scheherazade get Easifatan for me.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°Just one of the many friends I have made.¡±


    Picking up Easifatan, Scheherazade says, ¡°It will be ok, come with me Ahmed will take care of everything.¡±


    Looking at Scheherazade Easifatan says, ¡°How pretty,¡± as he starts to hug her.


    ¡°Ahmed, what is wrong with this boy!?¡±


    Laughing a bit, I say, ¡°It seems Easifatan is still the same.¡±


    Walking with Naji out the door, he looks over to a dead Thueban on his bed and says, ¡°I see how you got in.¡±


    Looking around the room Naji asks, ¡°Where is Hussain?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t with us anymore. But don¡¯t fret since from now on I will protect you and everyone in Jedidiah in his place.¡±


    ¡°Are you really Ahmed?¡±


    -Break-


    Walking through the crowds of people, Naji tells me, ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other option Naji.¡±


    Kneeling on the floor in front of the masses, I say, ¡°Present them.¡±


    One by one each of them takes off their shoes and I lick each of their feet. As I bring my tongue close to one of their feet, one man asks to ask, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Because am I no different than any of you here, yet I have abused you all in such an awful way. So right here, right now, I will show you just the learned I am willing to go to earn your trust back.¡±


    Holding his foot out in front of me, he says, ¡°I see. Then show it to me, my king.¡± Before the day ends, every single citizen regardless of age had their feet licked by me.


    And when I finished, I said, ¡°From this moment on I won¡¯t ever allow any of you to suffer again, I swear this to you not in my family''s name but in my brother''s name; the rightful king of Jedidiah.¡±


    Throughout the crowd, cheers erupt. And in that moment, I made a promise, to never let anything bad fall upon this kingdom again.


    So, I dived into the underground kingdom each day looking for more and more treasures to use as currency. I used the money to buy information and supplies.


    I spent countless hours improving and reworking our economy, education, infrastructure, and military. The countless days I spent working almost killed me, but I was able to bring happiness to the people of Jedidiah.


    ¡°They where are all safe,¡± I say as I try to sleep.


    But as I dream, in front of me appears my brother, who says, ¡°It isn¡¯t enough, if I was here, I would have done better. You robbed the world of my brilliance, yet this is all you can do. What a failure.¡±


    Jumping up from my bed, I start to breathe heavily, and seconds later I get up and walk over to my desk and say, ¡°I need to do more, I need to save more, I need to destroy all their worries, all of their uncertainties because as king I am sure he would have been able to.¡±


    Deceased


    Name: Hussain Abrahams


    Age: 20


    Birthday: Aries 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Crimson


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: The first prince of Jedidiah and older brother of Ahmed Abrahams. He was a brilliant open-minded thinker who worked tirelessly to protect the abused people of his country. He resented his entire family with the exception of his younger brother, who he loved dearly.

 Arc 8.45

    Walking up the next morning I racked my brain and eventually came to the conclusion of what I would do next. And I concluded that there were people outside my kingdom who were suffering.


    I saw it with my brother, countless people without food, without homes, living in bondage. I can help them, I can free them, I can save them. So, I set out to the world, and invite as many of them as I can find to my kingdom.


    I venture to their tiny villages, their broken homes, and to even the darkest of alleys. I even opened up my pockets to buy slaves and free them. Each and every one of them came to Jedidiah and became a part of us and shared in our happiness and prosperity.


    But still, my sleepless nights didn¡¯t come to an end. Whenever I slept, I saw him yelling at me, screaming at me to do more. I worked even harder, I made sure each citizen had friends and entertainment, and even minor uncertainties like this were removed from their lives.


    What they would use to wash their body with, what they would eat for their meals, what their jobs would be, what coloured clothes they would wear, what paintings they would hand, what length their hair would be when their toenails will get cut, what colour they would paint their houses, the position of the furniture in their houses, how they brush their teeth.


    I got better with my legacy, and I learned that I could attach my chains of mine to people to constantly know their physical state, I could even send information to each and every one of them allowing all of them to know the positions of all of the citizens around them, to constantly keep this up I had to completely forgo sleep. Luckily I was able to find a way around called the Tepekh fruits to keep myself awake.


    But during those nights little by little I started to unlock my legacies memories, and I finally gained the power to vanish the greatest uncertainty that people face, death.


    The people of Jedidiah never had to wonder whether they were going to have food tomorrow, whether they were going to have water tomorrow, whether they will have a home tomorrow, whether they would be alive tomorrow, where they would go after death.


    The fear and uncertainty they had been living in has vanished, and that feeling we all shared, that almost threw all of us into insanity was vanquished. I finally was able to reach a point of happiness for all.


    Laying within the hole that Orb knocked me into, I stare up. The kingdom that I have created cannot fail to save even a single life, I can¡¯t let Raqiue be condemned to a horrible afterlife, so I must fight to protect even that single life!


    With a weak breath, I mutter, ¡°Advent; Osiris.¡±


    ¦µ As I walk towards the hole I kicked Ahmed down; I see a light appear out of the hole. My senses go wild and I immediately back up, as chains burst through the ground.


    ¡°ATALANTA, CYRUS GET READY!¡±


    From the hole Ahmed emerges and his body is completely different. His left side has his legacy acting throughout it, not just on certain parts but from the top of his neck right down to his feet.


    While his right side is completely different, his legacy isn¡¯t acting on it but instead a dark orange energy covers his right side as well and radiates upwards from his body. The right side now also has strange marking almost like tattoos throughout it.


    On his face, the left side of his legacy is acting on it creating this menacing mask, and the energy on the right side of his body moves to cover the right side of his face and changes to complete the mask design.


    In the centre of his chest where both the right and left sides meet, he has a strange gold symbol, and through his body, the clothes he wears have been altered by either his legacy on his left side or the energy on his right to a different design.


    He has completely transformed.


    Seeing this all my senses start to scream at me to run, so I immediately brace to move.


    Almost as if two voices overlap, I hear Ahmed say, ¡°Sorry Orb, right now I have completely overlapped Osiris existence over my own. While I am in Advent, I find it hard to hold back.¡±


    Raising his left arm, chains appear and head toward us.


    So, to counter I create ice infused with spirit energy. But effortlessly his chains break through and move towards me.


    I move away and as I do I realize that his chains are a lot faster, he managed to mark me with that last attack.


    ¡°Orb we have to go now!¡± Atalanta shouts. Her face is full of panic as if she is scared half to death.


    ¡°If only those chains pierced you Orb.¡± Holding his left arm up, he says, ¡°Sailsaila tomb,¡± Then a massive amount of chains emerges from his entire left side. There is a lot more of chains, to the point that they are breaking the room into pieces.


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    As all the chains come towards me, Atalanta, and Cyrus, I scream, ¡°MOVE!!¡±


    The chains break the floor, the roof, the walls, I can¡¯t even counter them with ice because it would take all of my legacies strength just to stop them a little bit.


    We dodge the best we can, so I shout, ¡°Let¡¯s get to higher ground.¡±


    But as we try to move up, I see the chains completely covering the roof over our heads and descending on all of us from above. They break the ground beneath us causing all of us to fall down, and while we do I see Atalanta constantly shooting the chains.


    Her attacks damage them, but there is such a stupid amount that it is utterly pointless.


    As we fall Atalanta says, ¡°Orb freeze them.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work, his chains broke through them.¡±


    ¡°The left side of Advent creates more chains, while the right sides chains become stronger. You can freeze these ones.¡±


    Following Atalanta''s instructions, I freeze all of the chains in front of me. Which holds them all back as we fall.


    Looking down, I see we are falling directly into a large underground area. Before we hit the sand, I create snow all around us to cushion our fall.


    Landing down, I get up and say, ¡°Where are we?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the place where me and Anto got caught.¡±


    Looking into the unending distance, I say, ¡°Isn¡¯t this place a bit ridiculous    !¡±


    Hearing something, I say, ¡°Brace yourselves,¡± Which causes Atalanta and Cyrus to get into combat positions.


    From the sand beneath us, chains burst forward and attack us, so we all counteract while holding them all off.


    ¡°Are you two ok?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I-I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I am good too, but the number of chains is almost endless.¡±


    From the hole above our heads, I hear my ice burst, and moments later I see Ahmed dropdown.


    I immediately turn to face him, but as I do, he is already in my face, then one moment later he punches me directly in my right arm sending me flying over towards Cyrus and Atalanta.


    Recoiling from the blow, I hear Atalanta scream, ¡°ORB.¡±


    ¡°I am fine, but it looks like my arm is broken. Not only his legacy, but all his physical abilities have gotten stronger.¡±


    Right up his right arm, he says, ¡°This is over. Sailsaila Storm!¡± Chains appear from the radiating energy in his right side and strike us with incredible speed.


    Atalanta turns her bow into a sword, while me and Cyrus ready our legacies to counter. I strike the chains with the full force of my legacy, but it doesn¡¯t harm them at all, and they piece right to throw my body, completely enveloping us.


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes, I try to move but I can¡¯t in the slightest then looking around I see I am completely restrained by chains, and in front of me is Ahmed.


    ¡°All the wounds I gave you have healed; this healing factor is barely human. It is a shame your friends weren¡¯t so lucky.¡±


    Grasping his words, I start to look around me to check for Atalanta, Cyrus, and Anto. To my right, I see Atalanta hovering over Anto¡¯s body with her back empaled by countless chains and her right arm is gone.


    ¡°ATALANTA!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Orb, she is still alive.¡±


    To my left I see Cyrus being held by countless chains. ¡°I had to be extra careful restraining him.¡±


    Cyrus from his restraints looks at me and says, ¡°O-O-O-Orb.¡± Then his facial expression turns to one of despair as he starts at us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry now, because as soon as I figure out what is in your souls, I will decide whether you guys are a danger to the citizens or not, well at least for your friends here since Orb you are without a doubt a danger to our way of life.¡±


    Gritting my teeth I say, ¡°Is this really what you want?¡±


    Grabbing my face, Ahmed says, ¡°Hush. The time for talk has long since passed all that remains is act-.¡± Stopping mid-sentence Ahmed looks over towards Cyrus and says, ¡°My chains are reacting.¡±


    Around Cyrus, the chains holding him start to turn the same colour as the ones around Yamal and Raqiue.


    Standing up, Ahmed says, ¡°It seems I can not only remove the blight from Paribanou''s life but also save another soul from hell.¡±


    As he walks away, I shout, ¡°Don¡¯t do this, Cyrus isn¡¯t one of your people let him go.¡±


    ¡°Orb, he happens to be my brother so of course it would be my job to care for him, butt out of this.¡±


    ¡°STOP!!!!¡± He ignores my pleas and walks towards Cyrus.


    ¦µ Falling down the hole that Ahmed has created, I use my tail against the wall to slow my descent.


    Without a doubt, Ahmed''s last attack must have defeated them. When I land down, I see a chain wrapping around me and pulling me closer to all of them.


    Then in front of me, I see Ahmed in Advent holding up his right arm against Cyrus, whose chains are reacting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Paribanou, I will end him quickly.¡±


    Ahmed says a few more words to me, but I don¡¯t hear them as I stare at Cyrus.


    Finally, Finally, Finally, Cyrus is going to be gone forever. The parasite who feeds on my flesh, the boy who can¡¯t think for himself, the diseases that constantly come back, the one who breaks my soul is going to die.


    My little brother is going to die.


    Ahmed''s chains fly towards Cyrus, but at that moment my body moves on its own and shields Cyrus from getting pierced in the back.


    ¡°SISTER,¡± Cyrus screams.


    Holding Cyrus, Ahmed says, ¡°Paribanou what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know myself; it feels like all my sense has vanished.¡±


    Turning around, I look at the chains attached to my back and see they are reacting, ¡°Pari being around him is corrupting your soul just like before, I need to end him this instant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, whenever I am around him or see his face, I feel an immeasurable amount of hate well up inside me, the very fact that he can smile happily annoys me to no end, Cyrus is indeed a parasite. But still, regardless of all of that, I want him to live!¡±


    The chains behind me turn the same colour as Cyrus¡¯s. ¡°Paribanou, you soul is-.¡±


    ¡°I know Ahmed. You''re such an overbearingly kind person that regardless of how you feel, you won¡¯t let it get in the way of giving people happiness.¡± I hear Ahmed''s handshake as his chains wrap around my heart.


    From behind him, I hear Orb shout, ¡°AHMED DON¡¯T DO THIS.¡±


    In front of me, Cyrus says, ¡°SISTER PLEASE LET GO OF ME, DON¡¯T DO THIS FOR ME, RUN AWAY!¡±


    Looking at Cyrus''s face I remember when I first held him and said, I will always be there for you.


    With the last of my strength, I break all of Cyrus''s chains then say, ¡°You¡¯re the worst kind of disease Cyrus, one I can¡¯t bring myself to get rid of. Have a good life, Cyrus.¡±


    ¦µ In front of my eyes I see all the life in my sister''s eyes vanish as she spits up blood and falls against me.

 Arc 8.46

    Holding my sister¡¯s body, I shake her and say, ¡°Pari, Pari, wake up Pari, you can¡¯t sleep here, it isn¡¯t safe here and I have a lot to apologize about so we need to go. I am too weak right now to carry you so please get up Pari.¡± Shaking her more, I scream, ¡°PARI WAKE UP!¡±


    ¡°No, no, this can¡¯t be happening, Sister, SISTER! Why would you do this, you said you hated me, you said I was a parasite, why would you die for me!? Why, why, WHY! I wanted to be able to protect you, so why would you give up your life for me!?


    This doesn¡¯t make sense, why should you have to die for me, the only thing I needed in life was you, but you could live without me, so why, why Pari is dead while I am alive! Pari, Pari, PARI!!!!¡±


    ¦µ Staring at Cyrus holding his sister, I feel my heart race. ¡°No without a doubt happiness waits for her, now.¡± Raising my right arm, I say, ¡°It is time to unite the siblings, bye Cyrus. Sailsaila Storm!¡±


    As my chains come close to them, Cyrus lets out a roar that redirects my chains and shatters the area and him. Then picking up his sword he says, ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE COME ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HER!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste any more time Cyrus, you know how this is going to go.¡±


    Cyrus immediately lunges towards me, so I say again, ¡°Sailsaila Storm!¡±


    But he doesn¡¯t even bother to dodge he just activates his legacy and charges straight through. ¡°Fool,¡± I say as my chains break into him.


    Still, he doesn¡¯t stop no matter how much I stab him with my chains. Does he not feel pain? No, it isn¡¯t that he has simply just blacked out with rage. He crashes his fist into my gut sending me flying backwards.


    Easily recovering, I land on my feet. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been in advent that might have actually been fatal, but even with this strength I can easily handle you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!!!¡±


    ¡°Try. Sailsaila Cerberus.¡± My chains shoot out from my left side and right sides forming three giant dog heads. The bodies are made from the left and the teeth from the right. ¡°Now let¡¯s bring this to an end.¡±


    ¦µ With blood leaking from my eardrum, I am still held still by Ahmed''s chains.


    I failed, the promise I made was broken, I wasn¡¯t able to do anything for Cyrus. How could I let this happen? I fought so hard yet with all that I was capable of I still failed. Both Anto and Atalanta are in critical condition, and Cyrus definitely can¡¯t win, especially with his injuries.


    I could try to use my legacy to break out and fight since he is distracted, but I doubt my legacy has enough power left to break these chains off, and even if I somehow did would I be able to fight against Ahmed especially with my ear drums burst?


    Not only that but Raqiue¡¯s timer should be coming up soon. What the hell am I going to do? I need to do something; I can¡¯t let them die, I can¡¯t fail again.


    ¡°Fail again!? That is all you have done with your time.¡±


    In front of me, all I see vanish, and appearing in its place is a white wolf. ¡°Wolfie,¡± I say. ¡°How can I hear you?¡±


    ¡°Did that last attack rock your brain, you should know that I exist right beside your soul. Even if your eardrums are burst, we can always still communicate, and I can take any form I wish.¡±


    ¡°I had always wondered if it really was you inside my soul. But please now I need your help, there must be some way I can beat Ahmed, and I need to rescue Atalanta Anto, Cyrus, and Raqiue so pl-.¡±


    ¡°BE QUIET!¡± Rage appears on the face of Wolfie in front of me, who says, ¡°And why would you do such a thing? because for you Orb it is impossible to save anyone.¡±


    ¡°No that isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°YES, IT IS! The reason the village of Aplos got forcibly pulled out into the world was due to your presence. The people of Basileia will die brutal deaths while you reap the profits of selling their crystals, even though they did that for the purpose of providing a resource to those who couldn¡¯t attain it.


    You kept alive people who kidnapped people and made them into slaves because you believe that people can change. Now the freed slaves must live every day of their lives knowing the bastards who kept them are alive.¡±


    ¡°I made sure to punish them for such a th-.¡±


    ¡°That guarantees nothing only death does. Oh, that reminds me, have you ever told Suzuka that during her rampage that spirit killed people? I wonder how she would feel if she found out that people died because of her accursed powers.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t her fault,¡± I say passionately.


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    ¡°Yes, but it was your fault, if you never appeared in the first place on Seirei it wouldn¡¯t have happened. If you never appeared on Skydust they would have been forced to surrender to protect the children, and Paribanou wouldn¡¯t have died if you hadn¡¯t brought Cyrus here, did you not hear his words, he would have been fine if she was alive.


    Even the few successes like with the bandits and the aliens on Elp¨ªda, were followed by failures. Do you not understand Orb, everywhere you go you leave failure after failure. You want to help people, you want to do good, but the world doesn¡¯t reward such behaviour any more than evil.


    All you have done since you have left the house has failed time and time again, and what you have added to this world is just pain and suffering, and those sins, that legacy will curse people until time comes to an end.¡±


    ¦µ As I spoke Orb¡¯s face became paler and paler, so I say, ¡°So please tell me Orb, is this life the fulfilling one you wanted to lead!¡±


    ¡°Wolfie when I was with you, I was happy, if it had just been the two of us all alone together I would have been content for life, but one day you just vanished and because of that I met Capti.


    With Capti I learned so much about the world and all of the stars that exist outside. I was able to recover the happiness I lost when you left, but even Capti vanished one day.


    Though Capti had given me a key to the world, and with that key in hand an idea popped into my head. Maybe I could go into the world where all the wonderful stars live, the stars who fight in a world that doesn¡¯t agree with them.


    Maybe I could talk to them, maybe we could spend time together, maybe I could help them be happy, maybe we could be friends, and one day I might be able to become one of those stars. I selfishly thought all of that, but I know it isn¡¯t true.


    The words you said are what I think about every day and night. Have I helped anyone? Has my presence caused more harm than good? Will I be able to protect anyone, and if I don¡¯t do that will they die or even worst leave me.


    I try, try, and try even more, but it is pointless because in truth I have known all along that a person like me could never do that, but I still tried to attain it and now Cyrus¡¯s sister is dead!¡±


    Crying Orb says, ¡°I should have never left the mountain, this world isn¡¯t for a person like me.¡±


    Pressing my imaginary body against his, I say, ¡°Then let us return there, I promise this time I will never let anyone come close to us ever again. Forget about all this and run away, there is nothing here for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Wolfie, but sorry I can¡¯t do that yet.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°I have simply wrapped up too many people in my selfish desire and I can¡¯t just abandon them.¡±


    ¡°Have you listened to nothing I have said!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have Wolfie, but even if I was to return to the mountain and lock myself away, I won¡¯t be able to be happy knowing the people I have brought with me are suffering. So, I make a vow to you today, Let my own happiness be dammed until all the people I have come to care about are happy I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    Staring into Orb''s impassioned yet hollow eyes, I say, ¡°Such a path is even worse than hell.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear since hell was made for people not someone like me. Bye Wolfie, and just so you know I love you.¡±


    Advent is achieved when a legacy and its vessel unify whether consciously or subconsciously; Let my own happiness be dammed, until all the people I have come to care about are happy I won¡¯t leave. Those simple words cause countless memories to flow into my mind.


    ¦µ With another blow of my chains I sent Cyrus tumbling down deeper into the underground kingdom. As he gets up and tries to move, I wrap my chains throughout his body and say, ¡°Your physical strength has a limit.¡±


    Trying to break free of the grasp of my chains, Cyrus pushes forward. So, I say, ¡°Sailsaila lockdown,¡± Which causes my chains to completely restrain him. ¡°I told you before, but this is the end, Bye Cyrus.¡±


    Preparing myself, I say, ¡°Sailsaila Tom-.¡±


    Feeling my chains break, I stop mid-way and turn around where I see a dark blue light radiate upwards.


    ¡°No,¡± I say as I attach my chains to the wall and move myself into the sky to see what happens. Looking down at him, I say, ¡°I need to strike! Sailsaila Furry.¡± Chains from my left form into 8 massive spiralling clumps that fly directly towards Orb.


    But in the moment where they almost reach him, I see him lunge towards me, and hopping from one clump to another he moves towards me at incredible speed, but more than that he freezes everything he touches.


    Before I can react, Orb has manoeuvred himself over my head, and with a bicycle kick, I am knocked straight down into the sand.


    Getting up, I take a second to look directly at Orb. His right side is covered in his legacy, and his left in a radiating dark blue energy and where they meet in the center has the Advent symbol.


    His clothes have changed to a pure white, and on his face no mask appears, instead on the right side of his face his legacy has created a crescent moon around his eye, and on the left side the energy just flows straight upwards through his eye.


    But strangely, Orb seems to have grown a fluffy white tail, and his hair has completely overgrown itself to the point where it looks like a fluffy white cloud, though it has lots of silver within it. From his hair what looks like two wolf ears poke through.


    Slowly Orb starts to hop in one place and says, ¡°Come on Ahmed, I promise this won¡¯t go like last time.¡±


    His demeanour has changed, it is a lot more mature and stoic, which must be due to the fact that his legacies'' influence on his personality and behaviour has increased.


    Still, none of what I see before me poses a threat. ¡°The blue energy is how much strength you have left in your legacy, and with how small it is I have nothing to fear, I will make this quick Orb. Sailsaila Tomb!¡±


    My chains start to erupt out of my body and move towards Orb, with speed completely detached from what he once could do Orb dodges my chains. ¡°Truly impressive Orb, if you were at a 100 percent I might be scared.¡± Suddenly all my chains surround Orb, so I say, ¡°This is the end, Sailsaila nightmare!¡±


    Every one of my chains stabs directly into this body. The only chains that didn¡¯t hit were the one going for his head, they were frozen. Staring up at Orb''s mutilated body, I say, ¡°My you rest forever now.¡±


    But I feel my chains break, and then moments later I am hit directly in my face.


    Sliding backwards, I stare at Orb''s body regenerate all the holes I put into him. What the hell is this?


    No, when you advent all of the abilities of your legacy are brought to full force even the physical traits you inherited. Orb''s fast healing was an ability he got from his legacy, and now in Advent, it is brought to its full power, hyper-regeneration.


    ¡°Now Ahmed, it is time for me to crush your face.¡±

 Arc 8.47

    ¦µ So what if you can heal, all I have to do is rip you apart piece by piece and lock each one away until you can¡¯t regenerate!!¡± Raising my right arm, I shoot out chains directly towards Orb, but he dodges backwards as my chains chase him down.


    ¦µ Ever since the first time I went hunting, no, every time I have ever gotten into a fight I have always been scared. I was scared of how it feels to get hurt, scared of failing to protect others, and scared of dying.


    But whenever I actually fought all of that disappeared, instead of fear I felt calm as if I had been through this same situation a hundred, no thousands of times. In the face of death and fear, I felt nostalgic.


    I instantly snowboost away from all of Ahmed''s chains, and jump from wall to wall, building to building at incredible speed until I reach a 45-degree angle directly from where Ahmed is currently standing.


    Seeing an opening, I snowboost and knee him right in the head, sending him flying back. Before he can launch another attack, I snowboost towards him and hit him with another devastating blow sending him back, and I repeat this time and time again.


    With each blow I jump, flip, and spin, building up rotational energy with each attack.  Then snowboosting towards him again, I prepare to strike him another time, but he manifests chains from his right arm again.


    At the rate his chains are going and with me still in motion, I will be hit first. Grabbing his arm, I swing across his body and knee him in the right temple sending all the rotational energy right into his body.


    Flying back Ahmed spits up blood, then says, ¡°Sailsaila Tomb.¡±


    So, I jump up into the sky and create countless spears of ice and send them directly into the holes of the chains which pins them all down into the sand and buildings. Dropping down, I land on one of the taller ice spears.


    Now that feeling I have always felt is being boosted hundreds of times over. As I fight thousands of ideas of how to move my body, what to do next, and how to control my legacy pop into my mind.


    I turn all the ice spears into one giant ice block, then I instantly shape it into one giant ice spear. Kicking the end with snowboost I send it directly towards Ahmed.


    Manifesting more chains he breaks it into pieces, but when the sword breaks, he finds me in front of him, and we immediately enter an exchange. Unlike before it seems he has gotten more accustomed to my speed, so even in direct hand-to-hand combat he can block and counter.


    He is fighting much better than he has the entire day, but still, it is pointless because in this moment it is like I can tell what his next move will be, like my mind is pulling from countless encounters such as this to formulate what his next actions will be.


    When I see an opening I punch him right in the stomach, then I hit him with an upwards kick directly in his chin sending him flying into the sky. Then I snowboost up and uppercut him in the sky.


    While still in the air, I create a platform of ice underneath my feet then instantly snowboost off of it to hit Ahmed. Before I land on the ground, I do this again, and repeatedly shower Ahmed in blows. The strain this puts on my legacy causes my bones to break and my muscles to snap, but they heal seconds later.


    Then over his head, I hit him with an axe kick sending him into the ground.


    But still, he rises again and sends more chains towards me. ¡°JUST DIE ALREADY!¡±


    Landing on one of the buildings, I skilfully manoeuvre my way through all the chains. Before my senses were strong and by focusing on them I could do amazing things, but now it is as if all my senses are not only pushed to raised to the max but are working in perfect harmony, making it feel like I have a sixth sense.


    No matter where his chains come from, I dodge and if by some off chance they hit me my body heals, and the pain feels non-existent as if I have felt pain much worse than this. All of these ideas, and senses feel amazing overwhelming, and comforting, but despite all of that I can¡¯t shake this feeling of sadness that dwells in all of it.


    Every single one of my feelings are being consumed by this sadness, so my hair colour refuses to chain from white to any other. As I move, I simply dwell in all that I feel, then a smile appears on my stoic face.


    So, this is how you feel Wolfie. Even if a little bit I feel like I uncovered parts of Wolfie that I never did before!


    As Ahmed sends more chains towards me, I dodge while jumping flipping and spinning as much as I can. This all causes me to build up rotational energy, and with the speed I am doing this at, a massive amount builds up in a short time.


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    The rotational energy makes all of Ahmed''s chains spin around my body so fast and vigorously. Create snow around my right foot I spin it around to create more rotational energy, then I send all of the energy I have built up into my right leg which causes all of the chains to spin around my foot.


    Moving over Ahmed, I say, ¡°Radiant spiral storm!¡± And slam my foot into his body, sending all of the rotational energy and the impact of the chains directly into him.


    Landing on my feet, I say, ¡°So this is advent.¡±


    Getting up yet again, Ahmed says, ¡°You truly do intend to piss me off today. But no matter what you do here today Orb, it is all for naught, because I am going to kill you, search the girl''s soul, then send both Cyrus and Raqiue to the afterlife!¡±


    Stretching out his right hand, Ahmed says, ¡°Your legacy was obviously one of a warrior who fought countless battles. But Osiris was different, he was a strategist and a king, but more than that he was a researcher who left extensive notes on how to use his powers. SAILSAILA JUDGEMENT!¡±


    Chains burst forward from his right hand, but unlike all the other chains he has created these chains have dark red flames coming out of them. ¡°I will show you the difference between instinct and understanding.¡±


    The chains come towards me and since he created them from his right, they are stronger and faster than normal, so I move. The flames created by the chains is spreading so all of the chains are covering a much larger surface area than before.


    Still with the speed they are going at I should be able to escape his reach. But then Ahmed says, ¡°If you are going to keep running from me, I will have enough time to execute Raqiue immediately.¡±


    Hearing this, I instantly Snowboost towards him, I don¡¯t care if I have to move through the flaming chains my body will still regenerate, I just need to keep up the assault.


    Moving towards the chains, I don¡¯t even bother to create ice and move through all of them. As I do, I am pierced from multiple sides and am enveloped by flames, but strangely enough, I am not burned. So, I burst through towards Ahmed.


    Coming close to Ahmed I prepare to strike him, but suddenly I feel a pain surge throughout my body causing me to fall to my knees. ¡°What is this!?¡±


    ¡°My chains of judgement inflict all pain that these chains have ever dealt to anyone in the history of their existence, onto you. Healing doesn¡¯t stop the pain, your legacy was probably used to getting its body ripped apart and it seems you got that same tolerance to it due to being advent, but pain tolerance has a limit.¡±


    Kicking me in my face, I am sent into the air, where he says, ¡°Sailsaila dragon,¡± Which causes a dragon to form out of his chains and crash down directly into me.


    As my body heals, the pain starts to get worst, and then I hear, ¡°Every time you¡¯re hit the pain will intensify, it is over for you!¡±


    More of his chains start to come towards me, so I stand up and freeze them all. Simply moving has my body in excruciating pain, but I can¡¯t stop now, despite how he is acting, from the minor sounds of his body I can already tell he is at his limit.


    Just one more blow, just one more hit.


    ¡°This is the end Orb, Sailsaila kingdom!¡± Chains appear from all around his body and create a massive dome that attaches chains to the roof to keep itself mid-air, and then a dragon is made out of his flaming chains.


    Feeling the pain become more and more intense, I say, ¡°Right now I will carry out the vow I made, Wolfie just watch!¡±


    I snowboost from building to building as the flaming dragon comes from me, then when I reach mid-air, I start to create platform after platform of ice and snowboost off of it to move in the air.


    My bones and muscles snap each time I do this, which makes the pain intensify even more. I am going to pass out, I am going to pass out, it hurts, it hurts, but still, I must move forward.


    As I jump, I spin and twist to build up rotational energy then when I get close enough I create ice around my right foot, then snowboost towards the closed dome, and say, ¡°Radiant Spiral storm!¡± Then I break through the dome. But when I do I hear not only the dragon coming from behind me, but all of the chains in the dome are heading towards me, while Ahmed is in the far back of the dome.


    ¦µ ¡°This is the end Orb,¡± I say as all my chains rush towards him. But still, Orb just continues forward, but as he does, I see him condensing all of the radiating energy from his left into his palm.


    That seems dangerous, but it is all for nought since with the speed he is going at, my chains will pierce him before he ever reaches me!


    From my right where I collapsed the chains to attack Orb, I see Cyrus enter and slash at my chains with his legacy full of darkness while screaming like a beast.


    He isn¡¯t even using any spirit energy to defend himself just smashing it into his blade, so I send chains from my right to attack him. They pierce his body, but he keeps going so my chains pierce out his left eye and rip off his left horn.


    But still, he keeps going and screams, ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!!!!!¡± Then I see the chains on the right of my dome start to be sucked up.


    Cyrus''s legacy is creating so much darkness that my chains are getting sucked up into it, he keeps at it until he destroys half of my dome. But he is stuck sucking up chains so he can¡¯t do anymore.


    Paying attention, I see that Orb has gotten closer, but even with the right side open the chains from my left will hit him, but suddenly he speeds up. ¡°A desperate last attempt!¡±


    Lunging towards me Orb is almost right in front about to strike me, but I will make it just in time with my chains, and I will stab so many holes in his body that he won¡¯t even be recognizable.


    From the collapsed right side of my down, I see a light and in the instant, I look over to it I see the woman with her bow preparing to fire.


    ¦µ Using my feet to hold the bow steady, I use my teeth to pull the bow string back and my only arm left to place Anto¡¯s lighting dagger in it. Then with my legacy activated, I shoot a flaming lighting dagger directly towards Ahmed''s chains.


    ¦µ Coming from the hole that Cyrus made the shot hits all of the chains I was about to use to pierce Orb, and in that moment of shock Orb, says, ¡°Radiant star!¡± Then slams the condensed dark blue energy into my chest in the shape of a star, then from that star, a ridiculous amount of ice and snow is made sending me flying up through the roof. And as I do I hear Orb let out a victory cry.

 Arc 8.48

    -Break-


    Feeling extremely fuzzy, I hear, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ahmed, we will get out of here soon.¡±


    ¡°Just rest up my king, we won¡¯t allow anyone to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Easifatan is here to keep you safe!¡±


    Opening my eyes, I see that my shoulder is slung over Adi''s shoulder as he carries me down a hallway.


    Still weak and dizzy, I ask, ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±


    Scheherazade says, ¡°Getting you as far away as we can.¡±


    ¡°No way will we let you die here.¡±


    Holding up my right hand, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t feel anyone¡¯s location it seems that my chains have all been deactivated. I have lost.¡±


    ¡°You lost nothing.¡±


    ¡°As long as you live, we will have won.¡±


    ¡°Where is Naji?¡±


    Easifatan says, ¡°He isn¡¯t with us anymore.¡±


    ¡°Did they kill him?¡±


    ¡°He died from over exhaustion, it seems like he pushed himself too far, but don¡¯t worry my king he had a rather happy look on his face.¡±


    Lowering my head, I say, ¡°I see, so you got to go peacefully Naji.¡±


    Suddenly I hear a roar reverberate from behind us, then I hear Adi say, ¡°He¡¯s here!¡±


    Noticing that roar I turn around and see Cyrus with blood dripping from not only his eye but his entire body, there is no way he should be standing. But one look at his face and you instantly realize how he managed this: pure rage.


    ¡°ADI RUN,¡± Easifatan says as he pulls out a lighting dagger. Scheherazade follows close behind him with a curved sword.


    ¡°WAIT!¡± I shout as Adi speeds up. ¡°Adi let me go right now, he is after me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do such a thing, my king.¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys doing this, my life isn¡¯t worth it.¡±


    Laughing a bit, Adi says, ¡°Back on the day you saved me and my sister you had just lost your brother due to our actions, yet you never held it against us. Instead, you saved us, cared for us, and loved us. You became family to us.


    If my sister died, I would have broken into to pieces, but you were strong and forgiving, you surpassed what any normal person would do and made sure to bring happiness to all the people. You truly are great my king, someone I would happily die for.¡±


    On my left side, I see Cyrus appear out of nowhere and smack me and Adi into a wall with his tail.


    Recovering from the blow I look down the hall where I see both Easifatan and Scheherazade on the floor injured.


    ¡°Run my king!¡± Adi shouts as he runs toward Cyrus.


    With a fierce grip, Cyrus grabs his face and slams him right down into the ground.


    ¡°ADI!¡±


    Walking up to me laid up against the wall, Cyrus grabs me with his tail and holds me up against the wall. ¡°Kill me if you must, but please leave them alone.¡±


    Holding his sword up he screams, ¡°DIE!¡± Then swings his sword towards me.


    Closing my eyes, I wait to be killed but the sword never hit me. Opening my eyes, I see Orb holding the sword.


    ¦µ Grabbing Cyrus close I give him a hug and say, ¡°Please just rest now, any more movement and your body will give out.¡±


    Cyrus starts to scream, but I start gently caressing his back and say, ¡°If you die it will make your sister''s sacrifice pointless, so please leave the rest to me.¡±


    After a few seconds, Cyrus releases Ahmed, and then his body goes limp in my arms. Laying him down on the floor I fall to my knees in pain, the sailsaila judgement attack is still making my body hurt, it hasn¡¯t left.


    Looking over towards Ahmed, I say, ¡°Are the chains off Raqiue?¡±


    ¡°Your last attack knocked me out, so all my chains are gone.¡±


    Under my breath, I say, ¡°Thank god.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Hey Orb, I once had an older brother.¡± Hearing this Orb turns his face towards me, so I say, ¡°My brother was an amazing person, who stood for the people. He was a hero who lived a righteous life, but he died in such a horrible way.


    He was tortured and his body was mutilated, he lived such a righteous life but died in such a pitiful way, and the last words he said were; I don¡¯t want to die.


    Ever since then, I have always wondered, did he break? Did he stop being himself? Did he die full of hollow despair? And if he had died before such a catastrophe befell him, would he have been happier?


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    And I have always known that people could change, I am well aware that I am not the foolish child I once was, but in the process of changing horrible people like me rob the world of such good people. I am different now but because it took me so long to change my brother¡¯s life was ripped off this planet, and the thought of what my brother could accomplish breaks me down each day.


    I have changed as you say but all I am left with is regrets, and Orb for years now my soul has been nearly identical to a demon. So, with this dammed life of mine, I tried to bring people the happiness my brother would have brought them, and if I couldn¡¯t give it to them in this world, I gave them certainty in the next. But I would never allow them to become a monster of regret like me.¡±


    Activating my legacy, with the strength I have left, I say, ¡°So tell me Orb can the path you choose truly bring happiness to more people, because if you can¡¯t I will make sure to end you both here.¡±


    Looking down towards the floor, Orb says, ¡°The man who made me believe in such an ideal, was named Captivant. He was the first person I ever meet and raised me. He was a wonderful person who lived an exciting and fruitful life, and when he died he was shown like a star in the sky.


    But the reason he shined so bright wasn¡¯t because he died peacefully in the bed, or the fact that he died with someone who cared for him, but it was the life he lived that allowed him to shine so bright.


    I didn¡¯t become inspired by the person he was when he died, but everything that formed that person, and that is the reason he was able to shine so brightly. I am sure even if he died a horrific death that same shine would be there because death doesn¡¯t change what Capti was.¡±


    Seeing Orb grit in pain due to my sailsaila judgement, I hear him say, ¡°I know how you feel regret in all your actions, and so do I. No matter what action I do I always seem to hurt somebody, I simply can never just save everybody, and make them all happy. So, I don¡¯t know what actions can make everyone happy, whether your method is truly wrong, or even if change really does bring such never-ending regret.


    But I do know that everyone can shine just like Capti, and I will always pick the path that makes everyone like him because I am sure that is where the greatest happiness that anyone can ever grasp is there.¡±


    Falling to the ground in pain, Orb says with a kind smile, ¡°I can also say this, if I died to reach my goal, I would be happy, especially if I got to save someone I love.¡±


    The smile Orb is making feels nostalgic, I have seen it somewhere before but where?


    Suddenly an image appears in my mind, one of long ago it was the day my brother died. It was the moment after he said he didn¡¯t want to die.


    I was held in front of him and stared into his horrible, mutilated face, it was such a disgusting scene that my mind got all fuzzy. But as the sword went close to his neck, he stared right at me. And even in such a state, he smiled right before his head flew off.


    Realizing this tears fall from my eyes, and I hold my ring in my hand and then say, ¡°You know you have left me with even more regrets.¡±


    Smiling he says, ¡°I am sure you can get past it all, that¡¯s just how amazing your stars are.¡± Orb in front of me starts to close his eyes, and moments later I do as well.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Opening my eye, I look around the room. It is very similar to the room I woke up in this morning. I try to move around but am struck with incredible pain.


    Looking down I see my body is heavily bandaged up, making it hard to move, but I still manage to sit up on the bed, and when I do I see one of Avram¡¯s people; Gheorghe.


    He then screams, ¡°CYRUS IS AWAKE!¡± Down the hallway.


    Instantly this scream wakes me up, then I try to get up and move off the bed. But unable to do so I fall to the floor.


    Running up to me Gheorghe says, ¡°What are you doing Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°I NEED TO FIND THAT BASTARD.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but you won¡¯t be able to do that Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°WHY¡¯S THAT!¡±


    ¡°Because both you and Orb have been in comas for the last six months.¡±


    Shocked I say, ¡°What!?¡±


    Name: Ahmed Abrahams


    Age: 23


    Birthday: Capricorn 27<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold (Primary), Black, (Secondary)


    Eyes: Crimson (Left), Purple (Right)


    Height: 190cm


    Description: The current king of Jedidah. He was a pleasant man who brought exciting and happy lives to his citizens, which he has done since the death of his brother. He loves books, especially romance books, and he also loves to bake, especially his triple deluxe supreme heavenly cream cadavre; A cream puff that would kill a normal human.


    Legacy: God of the abyss Osiris. Grants the user the ability to create and manipulate chains with spiked ends. These changes can attach themselves to people allowing the user to know someone¡¯s location, emotional state and even the thoughts in their head, with the freedom to restrict all of them at will.


    Name: Adi ibn Zayd


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Aquarius 18<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey (Primary), Dark blue (Secondary)


    Eyes: Pink (Left), White (Right)


    Height: 177 cm


    Description: The Vizier of Ahmed, and his right-hand man. Takes care of countless issues to support Ahmed¡¯s running of his kingdom and is fiercely loyal to all Ahmed stands for. He happens to be the leader of the king Ahmed fan club, and goes to great lengths that the king never finds out about its existence.


    Legacy: God of the moon, Thoth. Grants the user the ability to absorb moonlight into a giant blocky blue arm, the arm being composed of moonlight tends to copy the properties of the moon thus allowing it to create a mini gravitational field. The arm can also shape itself into different objects like a canon that¡¯s shoots moonlight.


    Name: Scheherazade ibn Zayd


    Age: 23


    Birthday: Scorpio 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: The elder sister of Adi and caretaker of the king Ahmed. She is responsible for all of Ahmed¡¯s upkeep, and reading the stories every night. He father never gave her a name, so Ahmed gave her the name Scheherazade after the narrator of the stories she reads. Due to constantly tying Ahmed up so he can take a break, she has fallen in love with the art form of bondage.


    Name: Easifatan Zuni


    Age: 23


    Birthday:  Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: White


    Height: 163 cm


    Description: The grandson of Naji Zuni and the head guard of Jedidiah. He takes the job of protecting the country very seriously, but with his annoying and loudmouthed people tend to assume he is a joker and don¡¯t take him very seriously. Ever since he was freed by Scheherazade, he has had a crush on her.


    Name: Paribanou Damavand


    Age: 26


    Birthday: Taurus 2<sup>nd</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: Grey


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: The elder sister of Cyrus, and finance of Ahmed. From a young age, she was forced to take care of her brother, which lead her to sacrifice many things including her life. But before she died she was able to gain what she believed was true happiness in Jedidiah.

 Arc 8.49

    -Break-


    ¡°Due to your injuries, you fell into a deep sleep which we couldn¡¯t wake you from, this caused a lot of worries to spread among us, but eventually your body started to heal. I guess dragons are capable of healing if they sleep for long enough, so we just left you to rest up and you¡¯ve slept for 6 months. Though Orb¡¯s case is a bit different.¡±


    As we walk, I start to hear a familiar voice scream, so I say, ¡°Orb!¡± Then moments later I dash down.


    ¡°Cyrus, wait!¡±


    Running down the hallway with Gheorghe following close behind, I look fanatically for the source of the screaming I heard. Where are you, please be ok.


    Finding the source of the screaming, I see a door in the distance and run towards it. With my hand, I open the door and say, ¡°Orb.¡±


    In front of me, I see Avram, Iancu and Suzuka beside Orb on the bed, as he screams profusely.


    Seeing me, Suzuka says, ¡°Cyrus you¡¯re awake.¡± Then she runs up to me and gives me a hug. ¡°I was so worried about you guys!¡±


    Taking a second to give her a hug, I run over to Orb and say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, what happened!?¡±


    Suddenly, I am hit on the head. Turning around, I see Elia is the one who hit me, ¡°Calm down you eye-patched gecko, your loud voice is bad for the patient.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just cal-,¡± In the middle of my sentence I spit blood out of my mouth.


    As I fall to my knees, Elia says, ¡°You might be awake but you sure aren¡¯t at full health, so calm down because the way you are now isn¡¯t helping either your, or Orb¡¯s situation.¡±


    Taking me by the shoulder, Avram says, ¡°Let¡¯s give them some space, I will explain the situation to you in your room.¡± Looking to the door Avram says, ¡°I will also need your help for that.¡±


    Standing in front of the door the woman called Scheherazade says, ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°What is she doing h-h-h-here!¡±


    ¡°Be kind Cyrus, the only reason that the two of you haven¡¯t been killed is thanks to her, so I would suggest you listen.¡±


    ¡°But-.¡±


    ¡°As you are right now, you¡¯re unable to seek revenge against your foes or help your friends. Now if you want to even have the ability to do either I would suggest calming down and listening. Is that, ok?¡±


    Nodding my head in compliance we walk out of the room, and as we do I turn around and see Orb¡¯s face in pure agony as I leave. But one thing that catches my eye as I do is that the silver in Orb¡¯s orange hair is much more noticeable than before.


    -Break-


    Laying in my bed, Avram says, ¡°Well where should I begin? I guess sometime after your big fight Mime woke up and we were able to see what had happened to all of you through her and Anto¡¯s shared senses. Seeing what had transpired we headed over to Jedidiah, and when we arrived, we started to nurse all of you back to health.


    Despite how long you were asleep you still seemed to be healing up rather well, with the exception of your eye and horn you have made a near-full recovery. You can thank the Tepekh fruits, they had one in Ahmed¡¯s room lying around. But Orb¡¯s recovery wasn¡¯t so liner.¡±


    Avram looks at Scheherazade who says, ¡°Sailsaila judgement inflicts all the pain those chains have ever inflicted in the history of their use onto one target, but the pain those chains inflict doesn¡¯t ever fade.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean it doesn¡¯t ever fade!!!¡±


    With a pained voice, she says, ¡°The pain doesn¡¯t go away, it can¡¯t be deactivated or removed like the normal chains Ahmed creates. Once they get stuck on, they are on forever.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°The pain Orb feels is so intense that he has been screaming a weighting in pain every single day from dawn to dusk, unable to do anything but yell in pain. We haven¡¯t been able to even feed him.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t he die!!!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing, Orb muscle and organs degenerate due to lack of nutrients then they regenerate a full strength just a little bit later. It seems Orb¡¯s healing is keeping him alive, but his regeneration has been getting worse and worse over time. It seems even his healing has a physical limit.


    Bathing his body in spirit energy seems to help a bit, so Suzuka has been by his side, though he lashes out at times, so Iancu has to increase gravity around him to keep him still. At this point, we really don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Scheherazade says with a conflicted expression, ¡°Normally Ahmed would never use the judgement chains unless he plans to kill his opponent soon after, but an exception was made and thus this situation now exists.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU THINK THAT¡¯S GOOD ENOUGH? Not only did he kill my sister but then he left Orb to live in torturous pain for 6 MONTHS! WHERE THE HELL IS HE, BECAUSE WHEN I SEE HIM, I WILL KILL HIM IMMEDIATELY!!!!¡±


    Avram in front of me says, ¡°Well that won¡¯t be happening anything soon because he is not in Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Scheherazade says, ¡°We feared you would kill him once you awoke, so we forced him against his will to leave Jedidiah to protect his life.¡±


    ¡°SO, HE JUST RUNS LIKE A COWARD.¡±


    ¡°CYRUS!¡± Avram shouts. ¡°After you guys fought, you all felt unconscious and were surrounded by the soldiers of Jedidiah, you guys lost, and your life was in the hands of your enemies.


    Yet you all still breathe and that is only because of Ahmed, who even choose to flee his country so you guys could recover. I know you''re angry, but taking that anger out on Scheherazade won¡¯t fix anything, your sister was her friend too.¡±


    Looking at Scheherazade, I see she is on the verge of tears, so I calm down. Curly up into a ball I say, ¡°I-I-I-I-I-If I can¡¯t be a-a-a-a-angry at Ahmed, I don¡¯t know h-o-o-o-o-o-ow I can handle all of my fail-l-l-l-l-lures.¡±


    ¡°Well, the only thing you can do now is rest up, since for the foreseeable future all of us are powerless and just have to watch the event before us play out.¡± Getting up Avram says, ¡°Get some rest Cyrus, the day is almost over.¡±


    -Break-


    Lying in my bed, I see my sister''s face flash in my mind time and time again. So I get up and walk out of my room.


    As I continue to walk her face continues to flash back and forth in my head. Her smile, her laugh, her sad face, her angry face, the face she made when she tucked me in at night, the face she made when she said she hates me, the face she made when she died.


    My sister was an amazing person who had always been there for me granting me happiness, even when I was alone her words gave me strength. All she wanted was to be happy, yet because of my selfishness, I took that away from her.


    Walking over to a large open balcony in the palace, I just stand there and look out into the city. This truly is a beautiful place that my sister could have enjoyed the rest of her life in, yet I took that away from her.


    Suddenly the words Orb asked me at Basileia come back to me. Dejected I look down at the city and say, ¡°Ahhh, why am I even alive anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, isn¡¯t that why people suck!¡±


    Hearing a familiar voice, I turn around to see a woman with one arm, who says while dancing around, ¡°You complain about death yet are too scared to truly die, utter foolishness don¡¯t you agree? Simply just get over your fickle emotions, all they do is bind you, but despite being blessed with intelligence we still fail at such a thing.


    Truly we are no different than animals. NO! Animals are far better than us, they are fierce, loyal, and act on instinct which contrary to popular belief is much better than the misguided intelligence of us humans. Then when all is done and over you can devour them to restore your life, truly they are the master race. Wolves, horses, deer¡¯s wonderful every single one of them!!!!¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes are black holes filled with nothingness, though one of her eyes seems to have a bit of blue in it. Her hair is jet black like the night sky, yet there is a scarlet colour streaking up her hair.


    Her body is full of life, yet her face is devoid of it almost as if two people dwell in that one body. She looks different, but it has to be who I think it is. Standing up I walk towards her, and pull out my arm saying, ¡°Atalanta?¡±


    But she falls down, and a sick expression appears on her face. Shocked I say, ¡°Atalanta are yo-o-o-o-o-o-ou ok!?¡±


    ¡°I am fine, it is just that such close proximity to another human is making me feel ill, so could you stand over there.¡±


    After moving back, a bit, she gets up and says, ¡°Thought I was going to vomit, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw my insides though.¡±


    Looking at the somewhat disturbing woman in front of me, I ask, ¡°A-A-A-A-A-Are you reall-l-l-l-l-ly Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°Who else would I be.¡±


    Running up to her, I grab her by the shoulders and say, ¡°Bu-t-t-t-t-t-t-t you look different, what h-h-h-h-happened, ar-r-r-r-r-r-r-re you sick?¡±


    As she starts to look nauseous, I hear her say, ¡°Too much contact.¡±


    I back away and say, ¡°Sorry. But what ha-a-a-a-appened?¡±


    Dancing she says, ¡°Question for you Cyrus. How long did Orb spend in Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°I believe 14 ye-e-e-e-ears.¡±


    ¡°Now have you ever wondered despite Orb¡¯s minimal communication with people for so long, that he is so well adjusted to the outside world?¡±


    ¡°He sa-a-a-a-aid he read lots of books on it.¡±


    ¡°Reading and experiencing things are completely different, the fact that Orb can so effortlessly integrate himself with society is strange is it not.?The same goes for you a slave for over a decade and Suzuka a shut-in for years, are all capable of communication and understand that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    And it is not only that, but even in high-stress situations that would cripple normal people you all function rather well. Let¡¯s take combat as an example; you had military training back in your home country, and Suzuka had been fighting spirits for years, but what about Orb he merely trained for a year in Aplos and essentially had to learn how to fight as he goes. But look at the results he can do, he even made up a combo attack with me on the fly against Ahmed.


    Now Cyrus do you really think all of that is natural?¡±


    ¡°Wha-a-a-at are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°Many think legacies are a god-given power, but that couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. All of our legacies are simply just a means of reincarnation.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°First it is your little ticks, then it is the personality, and then your body. Little by little the attitudes of your legacy rein over your body, until not a single aspect of you remains.¡±


    Looking at my hand, I say, ¡°Even me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t affect everyone equally, things like the progression of your spirit arts, your mental acceptance of your legacy, and their will to reign over you all play a part. But the worst thing you can do is activate advent which speeds up the process by a lot.


    But now let me pose another question to you. Imagine if there was a young boy unable to use spirit arts who saw their legacy as a friend, I doubt that such a person would be able to retain their base personality for long.¡±


    One person''s face instantly flashes into my mind, ¡°Orb!¡±

 Arc 8 End

    ¡°Exactly Cyrus. Orb is at risk of getting his personality erased, just like me.¡±


    ¡°That''s why you''re strange?¡±


    Spinning around, Atalanta says, ¡°Oh there is nothing strange about me, this is how I usually am Cyrus. But my body is always under the intense influence of that FUCKING MAGGOT!¡±


    Stopping her dance, Atalanta''s empty face fills with furry as she says, ¡°Because of his influence I am always having sex left and right, it is essentially all my mind can ever think about, he makes me touch all of those gross human bodies, and everything that comes out of my mouth is so crude, yet for some reason that piece of shit sun god thinks it¡¯s elegant.


    And it is never any good men, I want a man with a giant ass, but that bastard only ever goes for the men with the most muscles, I swear if I ever get the chance, I will rip his stupid little head off.¡±


    ¡°Are you o-o-o-o-ok?¡±


    Calming down she says, ¡°But whatever I can¡¯t do anything about it. I will just get over it. So, in summation, this is the reason why I look different, and also this is the reason why I was looking for research in the underground, I thought I might be able to find some way to undo this, but it was to no avail.¡±


    ¡°But how are you n-n-n-n-normal now?¡±


    ¡°I reached an agreement with Ahmed and allowed him to see some of my memories in exchange for him trying to bind my legacy with his chains. And it worked a bit as you can see, but it is slowly coming back and soon Atalanta supernova will disappear yet again.¡± Laying with her back against the balcony rails she says, ¡°And there is nothing I can do about it.¡±


    Sitting down and looking over the city, I say, ¡°Maybe it will be good for me to be taken o-o-o-o-over.¡±


    ¡°Cyrus.¡±


    ¡°I a-a-a-a-am no good, so if I became mo-o-o-o-ore like my legacy I might be a-a-a-a-able to actually do-o-o-o-o something with my wor-r-r-r-r-rthless life. Beca-a-a-a-ause as I am I don¡¯t even know why I am alive.¡±


    ¡°Hey Cyrus, the person you see in front of you will soon be dead, then her body will be puppeteered by someone she hates until the death of her flesh, and that very fact caused me untold despair.


    But I decided that the girl is still alive, so why don¡¯t I engrave her image in the lives of people who she cares about. So, I set out to look for such people, those who would remember the girl who would die, and I think I found them.¡±


    A group of kind, shy, stupid, and fun people who I can laugh and fight with, people who will surely remember me.¡±


    Walking up to me she paths my head, and says, ¡°Both of us have made mistakes that have cost us greatly, but the past can¡¯t be rewritten so all we can do is move towards the future, so Cyrus think carefully about what you want and walk towards it.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta,¡± I say staring at her face, but I see a sick expression appear on her face, so I say, ¡°Are you ok!!?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re part lizard so I thought touching you would work, but I feel like I am going to pass out.¡±


    Walking away, Atalanta throws something back at me, catching it I see it is my horn. ¡°I found that after the battle, oh and another little titbit. If you died, I would be super sad.¡±


    As Atalanta walks away, I grab my horn and hold it up to my face.


    -Break-


    Opening Orb''s door, I walk in to see Orb struggling on the bed with Suzuka''s tails over him. So, I kneel beside both of them and hold my body over them both then whisper, ¡°I promise f-f-f-from th-h-h-hhis point on I will never allow any suffering to come to any of you guys, I will get strong and make sure no one I love will ever die again. So please Orb wake up.¡±


    -Break-


    Feeling something weird against my tail, I twitch it, and then I hear, ¡°Oh how wonderful this is.¡±


    Recognizing the voice I open my eyes, to see Orb holding both mine and Suzuka¡¯s tail against his face. ¡°Good morning Cyrus, how are you doing!¡±


    With tears filling my eyes, I say, ¡°Oaaaaarob.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t butcher my name like that Cyrus!¡±


    Across the bed from me, Suzuka wakes up and says, ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡±


    Continuing to rub our tails against his face, Orb says, ¡°Well of course I am Suzuka when people sleep, they wake up.¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot, you were asleep for 6 months!¡±


    ¡°NOOOOOOO! That means I have missed 543 meals, oh why God have you done this to me.¡±


    ¡°IS THAT WHAT YOU¡¯RE WORRIED ABOUT.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am, you don¡¯t know the struggles of a man who was forced to eat the same tasteless burning fruits for 14 years, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the idiot!¡±


    As Orb and Suzuka continue to call each other idiots, I say, with my eyes watering, ¡°O-O-O-O-O-Orb you-u-u-u-u-u¡¯re aw-w-w-w-w-wake.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t cry Cyrus, you¡¯re worrying me more than anything else.¡±


    ¡°But Orb, how are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks like you and Cyrus slept beside me last night. So, my theory is that sleeping in such close proximity to two beautiful people gave my body all the energy it needed to wake up.¡±


    Blushing Suzuka hide her face with her mask and says, ¡°DON¡¯T CALL ME BEAUTIFUL BASTARD.¡±


    Rubbing her tails more, Orb says, ¡°I refuse!!!!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE I WILL TELL NO LIES HERE!¡±


    Shyly taking off her mask Suzuka says, ¡°Well if you have to continue.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you really are easy Suzuka. Fling you a few compliments and you immediately become putty in my hands.¡±


    Putting on her mask, Suzuka says, ¡°I will kill you!!!¡±


    As they continue to fight Orb says, ¡°It was a joke, please stop, IT WAS A JOKE!!¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Grabbing Suzuka, Orb says, ¡°I can tell from the softness I have been feeling that you have been by my side nursing me back to health, thank you so much Suzuka you really are the best.¡±


    ¡°You mean it?¡±


    Hugging her, he says, ¡°Of course.¡± Under his breath, he mutters, ¡°So easy.¡±


    ¡°I HEARD THAT!!¡±


    As the two of them fight I just laugh with a smile on my face.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Feeding Anto and Mime snacks by my bedside, I sit up as Avram continues his long explanation, and when he finishes, I say, ¡°I understand the situation, sorry I put you guys out for so long.¡±


    Beside me, Iancu says, ¡°Instead of an apology give me some money for all my effort. Not to mention the sun in this country made a vampire like me feel like I was dying, so I need more money for my pain and suffering.¡±


    ¡°Ehhhh, but didn¡¯t you do this out of your utter love for me.¡±


    With fierce eyes, he says, ¡°I have no such thing for you.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°He is lying! When we were taking care of you, he was super attentive like you were his own child.¡±


    ¡°NO, I WASN¡¯T!¡±


    Mocking him I say, ¡°You would do that for me, aww you big softy.¡±


    Embarrassed, Iancu says, ¡°THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED YOU DUMB FOX!¡±


    ¡°SAY THAT AGAIN!¡±


    Breaking up their fight, I say, ¡°Well thank you all anyways, those who cared for me, and for those like Anto who fought with me.¡±


    ¡°I did a lot of work too Orb!¡± Mime says.


    ¡°I know you did Mime,¡± I say as I give her another sweat.


    Walking into the room, Elia says, ¡°Mime what did I say about eating more than a set amount of sweats per day.¡±


    Hiding behind my back, Mime says, ¡°Save me Orb, that girl is the devil!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what she did to me.¡± Shaking Mime says, ¡°Never again, never again.¡±


    Staring at Elia with confused eyes, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that overdramatic brat, I just thought her some manners. Now come here your bothering the patient.¡±


    Almost as if she is a trained dog, Mime gets up and walks towards Elia. ¡°Good girl.¡±


    Anto getting up as well, says, ¡°What do you want to do next Orb?¡±


    ¡°Well, I think the first thing to do is to head back to Maple and Willow. 6 months without any contact is really bad, they must be freaking the hell out. So, everyone go get prepared to leave immediately. Also please get out because I need to get changed.¡±


    In my lap, Anto looks at with me weird eyes and says, ¡°Your not actually a girl?¡±


    ¡°No, I just don¡¯t want everyone staring at my naked body, so scram!!!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok.¡±


    After I say this everyone who was in the room leaves. Then moments later I try to get up and begin to walk shakily.


    With tears falling from my eyes, I say, ¡°It still hurts, so much. I feel like I could pass out any second.¡±


    As I try to walk towards where my clothes are the pain makes me feel more and more nauseous to the point where I feel like I am about to pass out just existing.


    Unable to hold my balance any longer I trip and fall, but before I hit the ground, I am caught by Avram.


    Holding me, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come back?¡±


    ¡°Are you forgetting I am a vampire; I could hear your heartbeat going crazy from pain. You really did a good job pretending you weren¡¯t in trouble.¡±


    ¡°I have already made everyone worry for me for 6 months I can¡¯t allow them to do so any longer. But could you leave now because I have a lot to do?¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t move you should rest.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I need to get moving. I have no idea of the situation of the people back in the tunnels so I need to get back, and the kids from Skydust have been living in this city for 6 months I need to help them as well. I still have lots of other things to get done as well so waiting is not an option.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am. I also have to apologize for keeping you hear for 6 months, you planned to return to your home country, and I delayed you.¡±


    Sighing Avram whispers, ¡°Damn you Captivant. Listen here you stupid child I am not going anywhere!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Captivant asked me to look out for you so I will, I am not going anywhere. I can go to Blestemate whenever, so I have decided to stay with you guys.¡±


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°No buts, I have decided this out of my own free will so accept it and say thank you.¡±


    ¦µ Looking down at Orb, I see him make a smile and say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¦µ As Avram helps me back on my own two feet, he asks, ¡°How did you even wake up?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do remember feeling the pain subside.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it subsided at all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that was a bad way to put it, it is like my pain tolerance raised like I was once exposed to pain this bad before and learnt how to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Must be another strange thing you legacies have. Truly a god-given power.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe it was this bracelet I had on when I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was made by Raqiue, she stopped by a few times.¡±


    ¡°I got to th-.¡± Before I can finish, I am tackled from my right side by Atalanta.


    Hugging me, she says, ¡°Oh how I missed you my darling little Orb.¡±


    Her hair is as scarlet as ever, and I think she might be even livelier than before. Sighing I say, ¡°I see you never change.¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t, because this body is going to be enjoying the bodies of men until it is old and wrinkly.¡±


    ¡°Stop being so gross, I just woke up!¡±


    ¡°I need to get the past 6 months of conversation in as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Back off, don¡¯t you see I am in pain?¡±


    ¡°Well, all of that pain is your fault. Like in all honesty, you can be preachy at times, so if I was Ahmed, I would have cursed the shit out of you so you can shut the hell up.¡±


    Shocked for a moment, a smile soon overcomes my face and Avram says, ¡°Now you have done it.¡±


    Confused Atalanta says, ¡°Did what?¡±


    With the back of my heel, I hit Atalanta directly into her temple. Letting out a scream Atalanta says, ¡°OWWWW YOU HIT ME!¡±


    ¡°IT IS WHAT YOU DESERVE.¡±


    -Break-


    Bowing I say to Scheherazade, Adi, and Easifatan. ¡°Thank you all so much, if it wasn¡¯t for your help, I would have never gotten better and all my friends would have starved.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, our king ordered us to do so.¡±


    ¡°I am also sorry for how hard I hit you!¡±


    ¡°It is alright, I punch you a few times in your sleep as revenge.¡±


    Raising my head, I say, ¡°But are you guys going to be, ok?¡±


    ¡°I see they informed you of our current crisis.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the fact that the protective sandstorm around the country has disappeared. Apparently, during our battle, it started to fade and eventually disappeared.¡±


    ¡°And now the thing keeping most foreign powers away from us is gone.¡±


    ¡°Do all of you guys want to come with me, I am sure I can ke-.¡±


    Adi says, ¡°Stop there. Sorry abandoning this country is something none of its citizens will ever do.¡±


    ¡°Our king has done far too much for us to ever leave.¡±


    ¡°So, we will protect it until he comes back, and besides you have done enough.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Our king had a sadness inside him for a long time that nothing couldn¡¯t be erased, but thanks to you I think he can finally start smiling truly now. For that, you have our thanks.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Walking up to my face, Easifatan says, ¡°Helix battle arts.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the name of my grandpa''s fighting style, you best remember it or my grandpa will haunt you until the day you die.


    ¡°I promise I will!¡±


    Seeing something staring at me from behind a house in my peripheral, I dash over to the corner of the house and say, ¡°Raqiue.¡±


    Looking at me she bows and says, ¡°Thank you Orb.¡±


    The face she makes is lifeless and her eyes are swollen almost as if she had been crying recently.


    Getting on one knee, I ask Raqiue, ¡°Would you like to come with me?¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°You might be lonely by yourself, so would you like to come with me.¡±


    Stuttering Raqiue says, ¡°N-N-N-N-N-No, if I leave him all alone, I think Baba may be lonely.¡±


    ¡°I see Raqiue, but you gave me a gift so let me give one back to you.¡± Taking my scarf from Skydust off I wrap it around her and say, ¡°This is made by an old woman with a lot of warmth, so if you ever get cold at night use it to keep you warm.¡±


    ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Raqiue.¡±


    With tears, she asks me, ¡°Am I a good girl? Because if I am one such why would Baba leave.¡±


    Hugging her tight, I say, ¡°Of course, you are, more so than you ever could know. I don¡¯t have all the answers but one day in the future you will meet your parents again and when you do show them how amazing you are ok.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°If you ever need anything, just come look for me.¡±


    As she nods her head up and down, I run off and wave towards all of them, ¡°GOODBYE, next time we meet why don¡¯t we all have a meal!¡±


    They all wave goodbye towards me, and with all of the people currently with me, we head towards the ship.


    -Break-


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: ?


    ¦µ I don¡¯t know what to do or how to live from now on, the principles I lived by are gone. But I do know that if I can walk this path correctly, I might be able to break free from the hole that devours my soul, and because of that it might take a while for me to return. ¡°Scheherazade, Adi, Easifatan be safe, and Paribanou I hope you¡¯re ok.¡±


    As Katk lands on my head, I continue to walk and say, ¡°It is just you and me again.¡±


    Name: Raqiue Grandslam


    Age: 5


    Birthday: Aries 6<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Sliver


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: The daughter of Yamal and Tarina Grandslam, she is a kind attentive young girl who cares for both her parents with all her heart. She is incredibly brilliant for her age much like Orb and is as adorable as her mother.

 Arc 2 Side story; The great detectives

    Continent: Fimbulwinter


    Location: Village of Aplos


    I still remember over a decade ago when my father laid disease-ridden in his bed, with both me and my brother staring at her from a distance.


    ¡°Father please don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°I am so sorry I can¡¯t be there for the both of you. But never forget even if you don¡¯t have me, you have each other; if you ever get sad and doubt yourself please be there for each other, you¡¯re a set for life. Aea, Alis both of you be happy.¡±


    A little bit after Orb and Willow became Warriors.


    ¦µ Staring from a distance the young warriors of the village look at Orb with repulsed expressions. But regardless of their opinions all they can do is just stand and watch them.


    -Break-


    Location: Buloke house


    Shoving wine down her mouth, my sister Aea breaks the mug on the ground shattering it to pieces.


    ¡°That was a solid wood mug!¡±


    ¡°The monstrous strength of Aea the beast still remains!¡±


    Grabbing the head of Banya, Aea says, ¡°Hey did you just call me a beast!¡±


    As Aea is about to beat him, Coco says, ¡°Have this,¡± While offering her another drink.


    Taking it from his hands she shoves it down her mouth, then lets out another scream of happiness, with the others partying around her shout with her.


    As my sister shoves more wine down the back of her throat, I see Buloke scowling in the back, so I ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    With the same angered expression, he says, ¡°This isn¡¯t right, that intruder shouldn¡¯t be allowed to wear the same clothes, or have the same bracelets as us.¡±


    Everyone who hears Buloke¡¯s words immediately stops partying. Seeing the mood drop I say, ¡°What a buzzkill, you know the reason we are partying is to drink away our discomfort about Orb, yet you still choose to bring down the mood.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ask if I am alright if you don¡¯t want the truth!¡±


    ¡°I asked out of courtesy because you were being a wet blanket. You know it is that same attitude that makes Jute not like you.¡±


    Angered Buloke slams his head into mine and says, ¡°Someone forever alone like you has no right to judge me for shit.¡±


    Slamming my head against him, I say, ¡°Come at me bitch!¡±


    As we are about to start a fight my twin sister Aea comes and puts her hands around both of our necks, and completely wasted she says, ¡°Orb is a warrior who passed the test so it is not like we could stop him if we wanted to, and besides nobody even likes him except Willow so he will probably leave soon.¡±


    ¡°But then he will tell people about our existence.¡±


    Looking at Buloke, I say, ¡°Unless you want to either rip off his tongue or kill him, I suggest you get over it.¡±


    ¡°You know that might be the answer.¡±


    Seeing the gears turn in his head, I say, ¡°It was a joke you understand?¡±


    ¡°Alis you¡¯re sense of humour sucks just like usual.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a drunk oaf like you Aea.¡±


    ¡°Well whatever, in all honesty, we are looking at this backwards, if we want Sequoia to kick him out of the village all we need to do is show he is untrustworthy, so basically stalk him until we find some dirt on him.¡±


    Buloke thinking says, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Behind her, Banya says, ¡°Did getting so drunk made Aea grow a brain?¡±


    Turning around, Aea throws her jug right in his face.


    ¡°I guess the only thing left to do is figure out which of all of us will be stalking Orb,¡± I ask.


    ¡°Well, we will need multiple people, preferably two with great coordination.¡±


    ¡°They should also be well acquainted with Orb to understand his weirdness.¡±


    ¡°It will also have to be people who Orb would let his guard down against, preferably two idiots.¡±


    ¡°Now where are we going to find a duo like that?¡±


    Suddenly I notice all the eyes in the room staring at me and my sister.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Piering my head over the corner of a house, I look at Orb and say to my brother, ¡°Target in sight.¡±


    Whining behind me, Alis says, ¡°Why do I have to join this stupid mission anyways?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re being too loud.¡± Noticing Orb about to turn his head, I grab Alis and move away from his sight.


    After a moment I look again to see that Orb has vanished. ¡°Target lost.¡±


    Grabbing Alis I start to run around looking for him, but I can¡¯t find him anywhere. ¡°AHHHH, where did that brat go.¡±


    Sighing, Alis says, ¡°Maybe we should ask around and see if anyone has seen him.¡±


    ¡°Good idea, let¡¯s go look around for clues to solve this mystery.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this far too much.¡±


    ¡°Whenever else do we get to do something as fun as this!¡±


    Interviews with the villagers.


    (Cedar Wodok, assistant chief of the village)


    ¡°What I think about Orb?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it oldy, any strange behaviour you have noticed from him, You¡¯re usually at the Rians household for meetings so anything at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, the boy is incredibly clean. The household has been incredibly spotless since he came, it is actually rather pleasant to see something so clean, especially since my lady wife has died my house has been rather messy, and lonely-.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, no one cares. Tell me something more salacious!¡±


    With his full force, my brother smacks me on my head and says, ¡°Use your brain your idiot.¡±


    Grabbing me and walking away, Alis says, ¡°Sorry for her rudeness.¡±


    (Ewen Shaker, head of all construction in the village)


    ¡°What do the two of you want, I am busy preparing for the Aronian festival.¡±


    Alis says, ¡°Hey, we are just asking a question?¡±


    ¡°It is already mid-day, you should be actually doing something instead of playing. Have some shame!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a mean old bully, I can¡¯t wait till all your children will grow up and hate an old fart like you.¡±


    ¡°My 5 precious little angels will never be anything like you lazy bums, they will be more like that brat Orb.¡±


    My sister immediately regains her composure; gets up close to Ewen and asks, ¡°Can you elaborate on that?¡±


    ¡°Well Orb is always up super early, and active so I have lots of respect for that boy. Though recently I have seen him walking with cloth from the chiefs in the morning.¡±


    Staring at Alis, I say, ¡°What could he be doing with that cloth?¡± With delight.


    Pridefully Ewen says, ¡°Probably getting into craftwork, every young man reaches that point eventually in their lives.¡±


    In unison, me and my brother scoff at Ewen, who then yells, ¡°GET OUT OF HERE YOU BRATS!¡±


    (Throne Beak, the head chief of the village)


    ¡°About Orb?¡±


    ¡°Anything at all will be helpful.¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know anything, because, in all honesty, I have been avoiding him.¡±


    As Throne starts to shake, I ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he is strange, he looks and speaks the same as us, but I know he is different. I can¡¯t tell what he is thinking, so I can only imagine the worst of him. I can never be at peace as long as he is around and have to watch him with the eyes of a hawk to feel safe.¡±


    Alis says, ¡°I know what you mean. Whenever him and Cole were speaking their strange language, it makes me feel rather uncomfortable as if he is planning something behind our backs.¡± Smacking his chest, Alis says, ¡°But don¡¯t worry since all of us warriors are so strong that if something happened, we would take care of it!¡±


    Cheering up, Throne says, ¡°Thanks, guys. You can take some bread with you.¡±


    (Maple Rian, the next chief)


    Munching on our bread, and walking through the village we hear Maple scream, ¡°I WILL NEVER SUBMIT!¡±


    Looking over to her we see she is still hanging right in the center of the village. Turning to her Alis says, ¡°Hey Maple, how do you relieve yourself all the way up there?¡±


    With all the force I can muster I kick my brother directly in his side knocking him to the floor, ¡°Don¡¯t ask such a young lady that, have some tack!¡±


    Staring directly at us, he says, ¡°You two beasts don¡¯t qualify as young ladies.¡±


    As Maple starts to give him a fierce stare, I say, ¡°Now you have done it.¡±


    Taking a moment to clear her throat Maple starts to sing the following, ¡°Oh how no one understands this sad soul of mine, it hurts so bad, hurts so bad. Will this darkness ever fade, will I ever find love¡­¡­.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that awful song.¡± Turning my head, I see Alis making an embarrassed face.


    ¦µ No, no, no, no, no, no. That is one of my songs from my dark era when I used to sing them at night. How the hell does Maple even know that!!!?


    Staring into each other¡¯s eyes, me and Maple communicate without words.


    ¡°How do you know such a thing!?¡±


    ¡°You forget I was hung up during all those nights Alis, I know not only this one but the remaining 108 songs of the Sun god collection.¡±


    ¦µ Beside me Alis buries his head into the ground, and says, ¡°Sorry Maple, I regret all that I have said!!!¡±


    ¡°Where did this come from!?¡± I say confused.


    ¡°If you want my favour, come feed me some of that bread.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my queen,¡± Alis says as he runs to her side.


    As Alis feeds Maple his bread, I ask, ¡°So have you noticed anything strange about Orb?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have. Sometimes I have seen him making hand-crafted sculptures and talking to them reciting stories and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°See Alis the boy is talking to dolls; he must be crazy.¡±


    ¡°Or he could be reciting an ancient curse to kill us all sister.¡±


    ¡°I am finished the bread now get away from me you twin fools!¡±


    (Jute Iza and friends)


    Seeing my friends, I run up and say, ¡°Jute, Juniper, Holly, Acadia, I missed you guys.


    Grabbing me and giving me a hug, they all say, ¡°We missed you too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like I never get to see you guys.¡±


    ¡°Well, you were the one who decided to become a warrior, and leave all of us behind,¡± Jute says.


    ¡°But if I didn¡¯t my stupid brother would have gotten himself killed!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of your brother.¡±


    Turning my head, I see my brother in full flirty mode talking to Holly and Acadia. ¡°Hello, fine flowers I am here to pluck you and make you all mine.¡±


    Laughing, Acadia says, ¡°Oh how funny you are, only my little brother can make me laugh like that.¡±


    Holly, says, ¡°Well since he is Aea¡¯s brother he might as well be our brother as well.¡±


    Seeing despair overcome my brother''s face as the two girls laugh, I turn my head away; I know you will succeed one day Alis!


    ¡°So, what brings you here?¡± Juniper asks.


    ¡°We just wanted to ask have you seen Orb do anything strange, or more like what is your opinion of him?¡±


    Jute thinking says, ¡°I don¡¯t really watch him that mu-.¡±


    Holly jumps in and says, ¡°I think Orb is super cute!¡±


    Alis says, ¡°What?¡±


    Then Acadia says, ¡°I agree, unlike most of the other men in her he has such a pretty face. It is a nice difference.¡±


    Holly says, ¡°Not to even mention his little brother aura.¡±


    Juniper says, ¡°I know what you mean, it sort of makes you want to protect those clear innocent eyes and hold him close. Unlike Alis who you just sort of see as a snotty little brother.¡±


    Acadia says, ¡°And he is good with kids, my little sister in Pines classes always tells me how he plays with all of them after class.¡±


    ¡°Beautiful, strong, good with kids, intelligent. Truly a good man.¡±


    Looking at Jute, I ask, ¡°Do you think the same?¡±


    ¡°While all those qualities are good, the type of man I like has giant muscles and is simple but also kind. Strong in body, but is also strong in mind, and wants to be with me more than he wants to be alone. Will never let their pride stand in the way of our love and loves others as much as they love themselves, and is faithful to the end.¡±


    Juniper says, ¡°Doesn¡¯t Buloke sort of fit that description?¡±


    Getting flustered, Jute says, ¡°No he doesn¡¯t. That idiot who is afraid of commitment isn¡¯t the type of man I want.¡±


    ¡°Then what was that expression?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing Aea, I am done with this conversation,¡± Jute says walking away.


    ¡°Oh, how wonderful it is to be a maiden in love,¡± We all say as she walks away.


    As I wave goodbye to Holly, Acadia and Juniper, I say, ¡°Well Alis let¡¯s go forward.¡±


    Looking at Alis I see he is seething with rage, and as blood comes out of his hand from his tight grip, I hear him whisper repeatedly, ¡°I will never forgive you Orb, I will never forgive you Orb, I will never forgive you Orb.¡±


    (Hazel Shaker, Ewen wife)


    Grabbing Hazel¡¯s new baby, I say, ¡°How cute this little boy is!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I think this is the last one I am going to have, 5 is enough.¡±


    Holding child 4, Alis says, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that when the second one was born.¡±


    ¡°Hey I mean it this time, I don¡¯t think my body can keep up anymore.¡±


    Suddenly through the door, child 1 to 3 appears and scream, ¡°Where back!¡±


    Looking at them we see they are quite dirty, and then we see Hazel jump up and say, ¡°What happened!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we where just playing and doing something with the others.¡±


    ¡°Now what would that be?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± The youngest of the 3 says.


    Giving them a death start, Hazel says, ¡°You have till the count of 5 to tell me. 1,2,3,4.¡±


    ¡°We were helping Orb!¡±


    Running up to the kids, me and Alis ask, ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret!¡±


    ¡°We are no rats!¡±


    ¡°I will bring you a treat next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°He is that way!¡±


    Throwing the babies towards Hazel we say, ¡°BYE!¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Aea that¡¯s him.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet Alis or he will hear us.¡±


    Seeing Orb kneeling down on the floor, I say, ¡°We strike in three.¡±


    ¡°Two¡±


    ¡°One!¡±


    Jumping from our hiding space, we tackle Orb. ¡°What are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, we caught you red-handed!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to die you lady magnet!


    ¡°What are you two on about!?¡±


    Stopping for a moment, I look around us and see that Orb is knitting clothes, so I ask, ¡°What even are you doing?¡±


    -Break-


    In unison, both me and my brother say, ¡°You¡¯re planning a play!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I have been taking cloth to use as costumes, and I have been training the kids to be actors as well.¡±


    ¡°You call those costumes your craftwork is garbage.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t! It is just that my arms are injured due to all of that psychopath Pines, training. She is extremely tuff on me for no reason, especially after I became a warrior it is like it intensified.¡±


    Feeling something stir in my soul, I say, ¡°I know what you mean!!! She is always picking on me for no good reason, like don¡¯t treat me like I am a slave.¡±


    ¡°Exactly she needs to calm down, and stop being so mean.¡±


    ¡°If you two have such a problem with her, why don¡¯t you take it to the chief.¡±


    In unison, we say, ¡°WE CAN¡¯T¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she is just so cool!!¡±


    ¡°Like it hurts really bad.¡±


    ¡°But she really is just so awesome.¡±


    Grabbing me and taking me to his side, Alis says, ¡°You are forgetting our mission.¡±


    ¡°Oh right.¡± Turning around I say, ¡°Why are you even doing this?¡±


    ¡°Well Willow and the kids liked my stories so I thought if I showed them to everyone at the festival, they would also make them happy.¡±


    Confused I ask, ¡°Why would you care about our happiness?¡±


    ¡°I am an outsider who threatens your very existence. Yet all of you have allowed me to live in this village with you and I can¡¯t thank you enough for that, so I just wanted to give you all a special gift. Especially since this festival is the anniversary of the plague spreading through the village I thought you could use a fun event.¡±


    Picking up the cloth and turning around, Orb says, ¡°But it seems I am behind schedule, so I won¡¯t be able to finish in time for the Aronian festival. An idiot like me should never have tried such a thing.¡±


    As Orb continues to knit, I see how lonely he looks. All my life I have had Alis, but does he even have anyone like that?


    Grabbing the cloth out of his hand, I say, ¡°You¡¯re knitting it inefficiently.¡± Then I start to complete Orb¡¯s design at high speed.


    Staring at me with eyes of delight, Orb says, ¡°Whoa you truly are wonderful, such skill.¡±


    Alis says, ¡°That¡¯s a nice gesture Orb but that is one of the only girly things this monster can do, as you can see, she is a muscle monster.¡±


    ¡°Say that again and I will bash in your face with my fist!¡±


    Orb says, ¡°I don¡¯t really see anything wrong with that.¡± Grabbing and caressing her arms Orb says, ¡°Her muscles are nothing but pure dedication and effort, something I am truly envious of. Staring at the work and effort that went into building such a physique is nothing but utterly attractive to me, you truly are a beauty.¡±


    Feeling my heart flutter, I grab Orb and give him a tight hug. ¡°AWW THANK YOU SO MUCH!¡±


    Struggling to speak Orb says, ¡°Please let go, I only give hugs, I don¡¯t take them.¡±


    ¦µ Giving Orb a death stare, I say, ¡°It must be good to be so popular with the ladies.¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously a great man like you would know.¡±


    ¡°Haha Orb so funny!¡±


    ¡°I am not joking. You always look out for everyone in a group, and not to mention you¡¯re funny and attractive I am sure any woman would love to be with you, and if they aren¡¯t they must all be blind.¡±


    Moving close to him I touch him on the head and pat him repeatedly. Happy I say, ¡°You really know your stuff Orb.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing the two happy faces of the people around me I think back to my conversation with Capti.


    ¡°Orb when it comes to women, you have to find what they are extremely insecure about and make them feel great about it. If you use your beautiful innocent smile, then they will surely believe you.


    ¡°What about men?¡±


    ¡°They require a much gentler touch, you must make them feel great, without damaging their pride, but you can¡¯t look too low to them otherwise your opinion won¡¯t matter to them. And if you can master this form of manipulation, I am sure you will make a bunch of friends.


    Staring at both Aea and Alis''s happy faces, I start to smile. Looks like I was able to make more friends! But feeling a wave of sickness come over me I say, ¡°Could you both stop touching me, please!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Jute sitting beside me asks, ¡°Hey Hazel, isn¡¯t the festival over why are we sitting down here?¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I have no idea, not really. But more than that I am wondering where my three angels ran off to?¡±


    Stepping onto a stage in front of us, we see Pine who says, ¡°All of the kids from my class will be putting on a play for you all, made by Orb.¡±


    Throughout the crowd, a bunch of people start to talk in disapproval of Orb, but then Aea and Alis say, ¡°OHHHH I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    ¡°I am sure this will be fun!¡±


    The energy they give off calms the crowd down a bit, but Buloke stands up and says, ¡°Why would I watch anything he had a part in I am leaving!¡±


    Pine on the stage staring at all of us, says ¡°Now if anyone of you tries to leave, I will make sure to punish you thoroughly!¡±


    Hearing this Buloke immediately sits down, and Jute says, ¡°That moron.¡± Then moments later we see the man in question walk onto the stage.


    Sitting on a chair in front of the stage, Orb says, ¡°This is the story of the king of the rebellion, Charles.¡±


    Then as Orb reads the stories, the kids of the village appear on stage in weird, but intriguing costumes and act it out. If I had to describe the play in one word, I would say it is simply fun.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I finish the play I stand up and nervously say, ¡°THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.¡± Then I bolt off the stage and go hide behind Willow¡¯s house.


    When behind Willow''s house, I throw up all the food in my stomach. ¡°Oh god, that was nerve-racking. Did they like it? Did I stutter? did I get the story across well? Oh god, oh shit.¡±


    ¡°He is over here,¡± I hear Alis shout.


    Turning around, I am grabbed by Aea who says, ¡°Let¡¯s go meet your fans.¡±


    ¡°My fans?¡±


    Dropping me in front of a crowd of villagers, they overwhelmed me with their voices.


    ¡°That was amazing!¡±


    ¡°I want to see that again.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any other stories?¡±


    ¡°I would love to hear them.¡±


    Looking at me Aea, and Alis say, ¡°Looks like there are a lot of people who want to talk to you.¡±


    Hearing this all I can do is just smile.

 Arc 4 Side Story: Under one roof

    Continent: Molstoria


    Location: Island of Bloesem


    ¦µ Taking her light but plump body I lay it on my lap. I continue to caress her beautiful body I stare into her seductive eyes, then proceed to kiss her.


    In front of me lies a woman so beautiful, so gorgeous, that countless men a willing to spend their life saving to come to spend a night with her. Even men of a higher status just like me would come to this disease-ridden country for the opportunity to be with this goddess.


    On top of me as our bodies connect, a feel a wave of untold ecstasy overtakes me. In this moment, there is nothing more I want than to continue this feeling.


    As we lay exhausted on the bed, I say, ¡°Nehalennia, you truly were fantastic.¡±


    Her two eyes like jewels stare at me as she says, ¡°As where you my partner, though it is a shame I only got to let you experience act 1 of my dance.¡±


    Grabbing her and holding her close, ¡°Act 1 you say? Am I supposed to believe you can do more than this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, a dance is just another form of storytelling, and all good stories have countless aspects to them.¡±


    Kissing her neck, I say, ¡°Then might I experience Act 2. Despite my physical appearance, I can guarantee my vitality.¡± Pulling her close I try to kiss her, but my lips are stopped by a delicate touch from her fingers.


    ¡°I cannot do such a disservice to a man such as yourself. I must make sure you fully grasp to the greatness of Act 1 before we move on in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°And how may I do that my darling?¡±


    Grabbing my privates she says, ¡°Only time can allow you to grasp it, so until then wait patiently my lovely watcher.¡±


    As she continues, I stare into her eyes. They are full of mystery and history, despite her age there is so much about her. Ahhh, how I wish from the bottom of my heart to unravel the secrets that make her be and take her all for myself. Now that I have tasted such a sweet fruit I must come back, one day I will turn this beauty into mine.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Hairpin check! Clothes Check! Good luck charms check! Fat stack of Lupas Check! Beauty Check! It is time to be on my way!!!!¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t let any of your customers see you acting that way Nehalennia, it will remove all of the mystery from you, and your value as an entertainer will drop.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know I will be careful, but I got a fat payout today from that gross noble so of course I would be happy, and what did I say about calling me Nehalennia, my name is Morgan!¡±


    Walking up to me, she says, ¡°No way in hell, your just an employee. Now hand over my cut.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°You can act coy all you want but we both know the smile you had when I bought you that birthday cake Granny.¡±


    Grabbing the cash from my hand, she takes her cut and hands the rest back to me. ¡°Stop talking crazy and get the hell out of here!!¡±


    Looking at her embarrassed face, I snicker and run out of the building saying, ¡°Bye granny, and I WILL SEE THE REST OF YOU WHORES LATER.¡±


    From the rest of the building, I hear the other entertainers yell, ¡°See you too shank.¡±


    ¡°Bye, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t trip on a rock a die, or do!¡±


    From there I run all the way to the market, and when I reach the outside of it, I wrap a covering around my face, and say, ¡°DISGUISE COMPLETE!!¡±


    ¡°Look a weirdo!¡± I hear as I see a child pointing at me.


    ¡°I am not a weirdo, I just like to have fun!¡± Hurt by the kid''s comment I run inside the market.


    Moving through the market at full speed I eventually reach where I am looking for and seeing the same gross man outside the store, I run up to him and slam my money against the desk of his store, ¡°As many portions of Basileia crystals as this can buy!!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you ever be quiet you masked bitch.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Watch your tongue limp dick, you do realize that I pay for the meals you eat. So take this customer''s money!¡±


    As he picks up my money and begins to walk away, I grab his hand and say, ¡°If you cheat me, I will cut off the bald head of yours and stuff it in your ass.¡±


    Breaking free of my grip, he says, ¡°I got it your psycho.¡±


    Finding a place to sit down I wait for the man to come back with my crystals, but suddenly from the same building he went into I see another man emerge.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Then this man throws another adult male right into someone else store then screams, ¡°LISTEN UP YOU FUCKERS. It cost me an arm and a leg to get all of these Basileia crystals, and I expect to make a profit on it.


    I am not giving this shit away for free, so let me make this simply, you either pay for my product or let the disease consume the infected.¡±


    Pulling out his sword, he says, ¡°And if any of you want to pick the third option known as stealing, this is what lies in your future.¡± With a single swing of his sword, he takes of the man¡¯s head.


    Grabbing it, he then pierces it with a spear and says, ¡°Let this be a message to all of you.¡±


    Moments later the man who took my order hands me my crystals then I take off at full speed, holding them close at hand. ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    -Break-


    About 1 year ago, a psychopath with a legacy went on a rampage around the island countries of the continent Molstoria. His legacy allowed him to make countless different plagues which he spread across islands in Molstoria.


    His ability created new diseases and plagues never seen before we had no active cure, with the sole exception of medicines infused with Basileia crystals. But Basileia crystals are expensive, so instead of procuring them the governmental body of all of the continent of Molstoria, the Rinastcean Union; decided it would simply be easier to let the infected die.


    And thus the horrific sight before me plays out. Cries from people over the dead bodies of their loved ones, the smell from all the dead bodies of the people that are being burnt, and the faces of horror on those who know they will soon be next, all encapsulated in a lifeless environment because even the flora could barely survive the plagues. But for me, I have no time to think about such things.


    Standing outside the door to the small house, I slap my cheeks and put on the happiest face I can, then I burst open the door and say, ¡°GUESS WHO¡¯S BACK!¡±


    Then suddenly the two little kids in the house jump into my arms and give me a big hug and lots of little kisses. NOT!


    The little girl in the room, just says, ¡°Sister took you longer than usual.¡±


    Running up, I tackle her and say, ¡°Maria why are you being so mean to me? Don¡¯t you miss me? You¡¯re supposed to jump into my arms and love me.¡±


    ¡°Oh course, I miss you, but I am not a kid anymore why would I jump into your arms.¡±


    ¡°Your only 7, of course, you¡¯re a child.¡±


    On the bed, the little boy says, ¡°Sister, I missed you!¡±


    Filled with elation, I hug him and say, ¡°Tana, I love you sooo much!!¡±


    Pulling back, I say, ¡°Now that I have spread love to you both, Maria would you tell me what those bandages on your arm are about?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, well I just fell and scraped my arm, so I covered it up.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you also smell like the flowers up beside the forest?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Looking towards the lone window in the room, I say, ¡°Then I suspect you might know something about this Warwick?¡±


    Peering his head from the window, the little boy says, ¡°How do you even know I am here?¡±


    ¡°No man will ever get the jump on me Warwick. Now.¡± Grabbing him from the window I put him in a headlock and say, ¡°What were you doing with my little sister?¡±


    Tana says, ¡°They were getting this for me!¡±


    At Tana''s bedside, I see a beautiful emerald and sapphire flower. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to see it, but wasn¡¯t able to so Warwick and sister got it for me.¡±


    ¡°I see so they were just doing a good deed for you.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, so we did this to help Tana.¡±


    ¡°Not so fast Maria, around that area, has a bunch of poisonous wonderbeasts and flora, not to mention the marines stationed here have all left, so if anything happened you could have died.¡±


    ¡°uit Tana wanted to see it!


    ¡°You could have waited for me!¡±


    Suddenly Tana behind us starts, to cough profusely. Running up to him I say, ¡°Tana are you ok?¡± But in response, he just coughs up blood, so I say ¡°Maria watch him while I  get the medicine!¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about me I will be ok,¡± Tana says right before he starts to cough again.


    Warwick running up to me, says, ¡°I will help.¡±


    Any medicine no matter the ingredients will have its effect boosted heavily if you simply powder up Basileia crystals and apply it to it. This process is what allows me to help my infected brother.


    Bringing the medicine to him I tell him to open his mouth, and moments later I pour it in. Soon after his coughing spits stop and I say, ¡°Thank god.¡±


    Saddened on his bed, Tana says, ¡°Sorry for that, I know how difficult I can be.¡±


    Seeing his expression, I summon all the energy I can, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it at all, the stress really makes me feel alive. Now why don¡¯t we all just spend some time together! Doesn¡¯t anyone have anything they want to do!!!¡±


    Maria speaking up says, ¡°Well I have a few new hairstyling techniques I want to try out.¡±


    Picking up Tana, I place him on my lap then, I say, ¡°I see then go ahead!¡±


    Sitting down for a little while, I let Maria do my hair and pat Tana on the head but in front of me Warwick is doing push-ups, so I ask, ¡°What are you doing Warwick?¡±


    ¡°I am staying in shape because one day I am going to join the Marines and become a 1<sup>st</sup> seat, an admiral.¡±


    Behind me, Maria says, ¡°This again, you know how impossible it is to become an admiral.¡±


    ¡°So what! I want to do it anyway. You don¡¯t see me making fun of your dream to be a hairstylist.¡±


    ¡°Those are not the same level of difficulty!¡±


    ¡°Looking at your skill level, I''m pretty sure it is.¡±


    ¡°SAY THAT AGAIN!¡±


    Seeing Tana react to Maria''s shout, I smack her on the head, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t shout. But in all honesty, Maria has a point.¡±


    ¡°Not you too Morgan.¡±


    Looking at me, Tana asks, ¡°Why is that, Sister?¡±


    ¡°Among the three human continents of Terrafide, Enotita, and Molstoria the latter; our own is the most different in military structure. All the countries in Molstoria have given up their personal rights to have militaries, to create one super powerful force that is supposed to act as the military of all the nations, the Rinastcean Union''s marines. The largest military force in the world.


    And Admirals are the 1<sup>st</sup> seats of the Marines. So, to become one he would have to compete and best countless people, many with legacies and powerful families to back them up.¡±


    ¡°SO WHAT!!!¡± Walking up to all of us, he says, ¡°So what if I have many a bunch of enemies, and who gives a shit if they are awesome or rich, it doesn¡¯t matter I will become an Admiral and when I do I am going to catch all the bad guys who dare hurt any of the people I care about.¡±


    Looking down I see my brother''s eyes light up and then he asks, ¡°Do you think I could become an Admiral?¡±


    With an unwavering voice, Warwick says, ¡°OF COURSE YOU CAN, both of us will become the best 1<sup>st</sup> seats ever, all you have to do is rest up and get better.¡±


    Full of fervour, he says, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    Still doing my hair, Maria says, ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited Tana.¡±


    Casually, Warwick says, ¡°Your such a buss kill Maria, but still your one of my precious people so I will protect you as well.¡±


    Blushing Maria says, ¡°Shut up you idiot!¡± Then starts to chaotically twist my hair.


    ¡°OWW, OWW, OWW, You''re hurting me!!!¡±


    ¡°Maria calm down.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Warwick.¡±


    Tana suddenly starts laughing, and then I say, ¡°Warwick you sly dog, what a lady''s man.¡±


    Twisting my hair more, Maria says, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    As all of us continue to talk and enjoy ourselves, I take stock of the moments around me and wish they will last forever.

 Arc 4 side story: A promise

    -Break-


    While my two siblings sleep inside the house, I sit on the roof and stare up towards the moon tonight. ¡°How pretty! Now Warwick stop hiding.¡±


    ¡°How!?¡±


    ¡°Shhh, be quiet.¡±


    Sitting beside me, he says, ¡°You must be some sort of superhuman.¡±


    ¡°I am the magnificent Nehalennia!¡±


    ¡°The mystical nymph, the decedent of a forgotten god, the angel who fell onto the world, a gem given human form, the very concept of beau-.¡±


    Putting my hands over my face, in embarrassment, I say, ¡°PLEASE STOP!¡±


    ¡°Those are all the things I hear people say about you, I swear some of the men have even started to worship you like some god.¡±


    Falling to my side, I roll around on the roof, whilst saying, ¡°This is too embarrassing, I can¡¯t show my face anywhere ever again.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say such things because I am sure anyone who sees your face will truly praise god.¡±


    Giving Warwick a hug, I say, ¡°You really are a sweet young boy.¡±


    Embarrassed, he says, ¡°Let go of me?¡±


    Breaking from my grip, I say smugly, ¡°Still getting embarrassed though, how adorable.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡±


    Getting back into my shitting position, I say, ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, Warwick, despite your familial loss in this plague, you still come over to play with my siblings. Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°No, I should be thanking you. I have been given a second family here.¡±


    Mockingly, I say, ¡°Well with how you and Maria have been getting along, I am sure you will be part of this family soon enough.¡±


    Flustered, he says, ¡°Me and Maria no way.¡±


    Pushing my face against his, I say, ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that I know she likes you, and you both get on great.¡±


    ¡°We are not like that!¡±


    ¡°Then why are you blushing, looks like someone¡¯s embarrassed, looks like someone¡¯s hiding his feelings!¡±


    Grabbing my shoulder, he says, ¡°I DON¡¯T LIKE MARIA, I LIKE YOU!¡±


    Hearing him say this I try to keep my face normal and say, ¡°Oh I see. No chance!¡±


    ¡°Wait what¡¯s with that disgusted expression, and why so quickly? You could at least think about it!!¡±


    ¡°I just thought about it, and no chance!¡±


    ¡°So heartless.¡±


    ¡°I am used to rejecting men, so I sort of lost all forms of poise when it comes to it, and come on Warwick you''re like my little brother.¡±


    Standing up he says, ¡°But my feelings are the real deal, Morgan, I love you.¡±


    Taking the confession right to the heart, I dramatically fall over, and say, ¡°If only you were an amazing cook, and I didn¡¯t wipe your ass when you were a baby.¡±


    Embarrassed he says, ¡°Don¡¯t bring that up!!¡±


    ¡°And it stank as well, I had to block my nose when I did it.¡±


    Falling to the ground in embarrassment, Warwick says, ¡°I knew my confession would be rejected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be down Warwick, and anyways I am not that great of a woman anyways.


    I am a prostitute who tricks men into giving me their money, even knowing that some of them are quite literally head over heels in love with me. I lie for a living.¡±


    And even today, I saw a man about to get killed for stealing Basileia crystals, I could have bought what he stole or offered him some of mine as an apology, but I just abandoned a human in the same situation as me, aren¡¯t I awful?


    I continue to ramble on about how horrible I am, and as I speak, I take stock of my own words. What kind of person even am I? Why does a dirty human such as myself have the right to be around such innocent kids, will my nonsense hurt them in the future? My beauty is truly the only positive thing about me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see what¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Shocked, I stop then say, ¡°Aww, how nice Warwick, but lying is bad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying how I see it. Despite your hatred for your own actions, you move past it to make sure those two, and me are safe. The willingness to destroy yourself for others isn¡¯t something many people have. And no one on this island would judge you for keeping Basileia crystals to yourself, you would gladly help people if it wasn¡¯t for this situation, we were all forced into.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°But still, that doesn¡¯t change the results, Warwick.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, so when I become the head of the Marines, I will make sure that no one will be put in such a situation where they must make the choices you have to. That¡¯s a promise!¡±


    Stunned I say, ¡°You really are a cute one, Warwick.¡±


    ¡°I see, so when I become head of the Marines marry me.¡±


    ¡°You do realize I am not a maiden.¡±


    ¡°Who cares, women with experience are super sexy.¡±


    Smacking him on the head, I say, ¡°Watch your words you 8-year-old child.¡±


    Rubbing his head, he says, ¡°And besides it isn¡¯t like you always wanted to be a prostitute. Didn¡¯t you want to become a merchant for adventurers?¡±


    ¡°How did you know about that!?¡± I say flustered.


    ¡°You always look at adventurers with envy, and don¡¯t you always read that new author Captivant¡¯s books all the time.¡±


    ¡°Aww, how embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Morgan when your my wife we will go on countless adventures together.¡±


    ¡°You do realize the prostitutes are historically the end of many great heroes.¡±


    ¡°Then I will become an ultimate hero, so even a prostitute wouldn¡¯t be the end of me.¡±


    Sighing I say, ¡°You''re really serious about this.¡±


    ¡°Deadset. So please when I become an admiral marry me!!!¡±


    ¡°Ok then, when you overcome countless trials and challenges, then finally become an admiral, I will shoot you down with a smile on my face.¡±


    Slumped over, Warwick says, ¡°I poured out my heart and I still failed.¡±


    ¡°Better luck next time.¡±


    Sitting up, he says, ¡°Oh well, your sister looks like you anyway.¡±


    Tackling him, I say, ¡°You playboy!!¡±


    -Break-


    Getting up out of bed I yawn and stretch, ¡°Guess I stayed up to late last night.¡±


    Scratching my underboob, I look around and see that under the big blanket which we all sleep that Maria is missing. ¡°Where could she have ran off to?¡±


    Getting up, I open the door of our house and walk around looking for her, and then behind the house. Running up to her, I say, ¡°Whatcha doing back here!¡±


    But then I stop and I see the arm that Maria had wrapped up is infected. As she tries to hide it, I run up and grab her arm saying, ¡°Since when did you know about this?¡±


    Breaking free of my grip she says, ¡°That¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Grabbing her and pinning her down, I shout, ¡°DON¡¯T GIVE ME THAT CRAP! Is that really the plague?¡±


    Shaken she says, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Hearing this my grip loosens and my heart drops, then moments later Maria says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me sister, it is only a little bit I will be fine, so just focus on getting Tana better.¡±


    Giving her a hug, I say, ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend Maria, you¡¯re still just a child as well, no need to be strong.¡±


    Feeling her body shake, she cries and says, ¡°Please just leave me alone, you already work hard enough for all of us, and we still barely get by to afford Tana¡¯s medicine. Until he is better, I am sure, I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Maria we only need one adult in this household so please just act like a child and tell me how you really feel.¡±


    Crying even more, she says, ¡°Sister I am scared!!¡±


    In my arms, I tell her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry it will be ok.¡± As I gently caress her back, my mind starts to focus even more. I need to find more work!


    -Break-


    Bowing my head towards granny, I say, ¡°Please if there is any work you can get please send it my way, even if it is the other girl''s customers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a thing to ask Nehalennia, even for you.¡±


    ¡°I know it is, but I have brought you good business so please do this kindness for me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but it doesn¡¯t seem like we will be getting business for a while. The marines have tightened their blockade around the diseased islands, no one will be allowed to come as well as leave the islands anymore, I got the CN butterflies this morning.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell would they do that, the plagues have stopped spreading.¡±


    ¡°Apparently some are, some aren¡¯t. They aren¡¯t taking the chances, and just plan to starve us out. So, all the high-paying customers, the ones you take won¡¯t be coming. The resources on this island are all we have until everyone gets better or dies.¡±


    Freaking out I start to panic, then I say, ¡°I got to buy up as much as I can. Granny, I need to find some more work.¡±


    ¡°Wait right there Nehalennia, is this truly wisdom?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°People won''t have the money to spare for the other activities they can do with you, so basically only sex is on the table for a quick lupa. Now if the famous Nehalennia starts becoming a common whore her value will drop quickly, so after this crisis is over what will become of your life?¡±


    Angered I say, ¡°Did I not explain both my siblings are infected?¡±


    ¡°I am well aware of that.¡±


    ¡°Then what point are you making!?¡±


    ¡°Nehalennia let your brother die, and use the remaining crystals to heal your sister. You can cure your sister whose symptoms aren¡¯t as bad and still keep your value, your livelihood will still be intact.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, THAT ISN¡¯T EVEN AN OPTION!!¡±


    ¡°It is, and one that you need to think about! Nehalennia even if your brother gets better, he will definitely face some level of physical impairment in the future due to the backlash, you know some of the survivors are currently facing that, so unless you want to spend even more on medical care in the future I suggest you give up on him.


    You¡¯re sister is also pretty like you, she could be married off to a powerful family.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were better than this, but you¡¯re just heartless.¡±


    ¡°If I was heartless I wouldn¡¯t be giving you this advice, would I? But whatever, do what you want, but I definitely won''t be helping your self-destruction.¡±


    Feeling my emotions run while, I dash out of the room and run down the street. I run and run and run until I run out of breath and fall to the floor. Getting up and slapping my cheeks, I say, ¡°No time to whine got to move forward, I should just wait around the shop and solicit any men coming close.¡±


    As I arrive close to the store I hear, someone say, ¡°Nehalennia!!¡±


    Turning around I see another entertainer, and say, ¡°Carol what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just overheard your conversation with the madam earlier and thought I could help you.¡±


    ¡°Now why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°If your value drops, as the number 2 entertainer I would become the most valued woman in this house, so please tell me why wouldn¡¯t I try and help you lose value?¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°You tricky bitch. What job do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°You see a bunch of adventures are currently stuck here because of the tightened security, and you see these lively gentlemen need some entertainment for their long stay and will pay 100,000 lupas per night.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be able to leave until they have their fill, so you might be there for nights or even weeks at a time. So how about it Nehalennia?¡±


    Taking a deep breath in and out, I say, ¡°Alright I¡¯m in.¡±


    -Break-


    Giving Tana a hug, I say, ¡°Be well.¡±


    ¡°You too sister.¡±


    Patting Maria¡¯s head, I say, ¡°I will be back as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Kissing Warwick check, I say, ¡°Please care for the both of them.¡±


    Blushing, he says, ¡°I PROMISE!!!!¡±


    Maria hits him in the side and says, ¡°What is that reaction!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, idiot!¡±


    Giving all three of them another big hug, I say, ¡°I love you all.¡±


    ¡°I love you, sister.¡±


    ¡°Stop being weird sister.¡±


    ¡°I love you eternally Morgan.¡±


    Letting go I say, ¡°I will see you soon.¡± Then I head out the door.

 Arc 4 side story: My resolve

    -Break-


    Standing outside a door completely dolled up with other girls, I take a deep breath in and out. My handshakes slightly; I guess I am nervous to finally meet adventures, my idols. Though, I guess this isn¡¯t the context I hoped to meet such people in.


    As the door opens, we all walk in and see a bunch of ruff and rowdy people, men and women with weapons and other trinkets drink their hearts out, just like I imagined.


    Upon seeing all of us especially myself they start to cheer and say the usual dirty talk people do. One walks up to all of us and says, ¡°You¡¯re all just a gaggle of beauties, especially this one in front.¡±


    Moments later he grabs my boob, and says, ¡°And there quite soft.¡±


    Clearing a table, he picks me up and slams me down into it, then starts to unbutton his pants.


    ¡°Looks like Peter can¡¯t wait to get stuck in.¡±


    ¡°His fast nature must be one that carries into the bed as well.¡±


    ¡°Say that again fucker!!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad, it is simply a fact.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take bets.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I bet he last 1 minute.¡±


    ¡°30 seconds.¡±


    ¡°I doubt he even makes it inside her before bursting.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you all! I bet I¡¯ll make her finish three times before I finish once, whores are easy after all.¡±


    Hearing them say a whole lot of other vulgarities, I completely block their words out in favour of my own thoughts.


    I know that no matter one''s station or job, being a decent person or not is irrespective of all that. I have met men who are the lynchpins of their societies who are utter crap, and men who are no more than common workers who are angels in human form, and the inverse is true as well.


    But deep in my heart I had hoped the adventures that I read stories about were different, but there no different than normal. I have nothing to be nervous about, I have done this thousands of times. Putting my hands around his neck, I kiss him and say, ¡°Darling I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    As a look of elation overtakes his face he starts.


    -Break-


    All of the people here are rough and coarse. The sex I have here is different than the one in which I was in control, I was merely a tool for pleasure here instead of a partner.


    I would have to keep going until they were satisfied and the only time I got to eat, and rest was the small periods between them stopping and starting. I felt like I was being tortured, it was hell. But at least I could handle it, unlike the others.


    As one man is on top of me, I ask, ¡°What happened to the girl with the short hair?¡±


    ¡°She died, her body gave out; it seems she had a weak constitution.¡±


    With the absence of the Marines, they can¡¯t even be punished for such a thing, not like they would care. But I can turn this situation into a benefit for me.


    Repositioning him with me on top, I continue and say, ¡°Then if I can fulfil you for two people, will you double the pay?¡±


    Smiling, he says, ¡°If only you can keep up.¡±


    My days like this continued for so long that I eventually lost count, the only thing that kept me safe in this hellscape was the images of my family. And so, this went on until one day.


    ¡°Where finished with you, we have found a way through the blockade so we will be leaving.¡±


    ¡°So, what about my payment?¡±


    Throwing me a bag of Lupas, he says, ¡°There is your reward for being a good girl.¡±


    Looking into the bag, I say, ¡°This is no where enough!!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky, the only getting that much since all the other girls died. be grateful whore, or should I say Nehalennia!¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Another one of you whores informed me of your identity, I am sure going to brag about this!!!! If you feel like getting off the island as well we will bring you along but your body will be the only acceptable payment.¡±


    As he leaves, I simply pick up myself and walk out, then keep walking with my thorn clothes all the way to the market, people stare but I simply don¡¯t have the energy to waste. I buy crystals and then start to walk home.


    Remembering the familiar path, I start to get happy and speed up on my way home. ¡°I am so close, I am so clo-.¡±


    Suddenly I am struck on the side of my head and fall to the ground. Then over my body, I hear people say, ¡°Take the crystals already.¡±


    From my arms, they rip the crystals out and run away. Their clothes were filthy and their arms were thin.


    After a few moments, I gathered all my strength and just started to limp home. While I do I break down and just cry, unable to do anything. ¡°Warwick, Maria, Tana, I need to see you.¡±


    I continue towards me house and open the door but what I see is Warwick screaming, ¡°Don¡¯t go, please Morgan isn¡¯t back yet.¡±


    Warwick is kneeling beside the bed, under the sheets, both Maria and Tana lay with the infection throughout their bodies.


    Immediately, I run toward their bedside, and say, ¡°No, no, no, no, no, NO!!!¡± Looking at Warwick I say, ¡°What is going on!!!?¡±


    ¡°2 months ago, it started to spread, and we had to use more and more crystals, but we ran out 3 weeks ago, and haven¡¯t been able to get more.¡±


    Reaching out her hands, Maria says, ¡°Sister!¡±


    Grabbing it, I say, ¡°I am right here Maria, right here.¡±


    ¡°It hurts so bad, I can¡¯t see anything and can barely hear. So could you check for me if Tana¡¯s breathing.¡±


    Looking over at Tana¡¯s body beside her, I see no movement as if he is already dea-. ¡°Maria, Tana is sleeping right now, he will wake up soon and when he does I am sure he will want to talk to you!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, I am happy he is still alive. Because he is going to become a fantastic marine. While I will be an amazing hairdresser, and you will be the best grandmother ever.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we all will, so just keep holding on and get better.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Feeling her arm become more and more lifeless, I hear her say, ¡°Of course I will because I have unfinished business, I still need to tell Warwick I love him, no more messing around when I get better. Just watch m-.


    Maria''s hand becomes lifeless in my hand, So I shout, ¡°MARIA, TANA, PLEASE DON¡¯T LEAVE ME, PLEASE DON¡¯T GO. I AM NOTHING WITHOUT YOU, PLEASE STAY WITH ME! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON¡¯ T GO.¡± Crying my eyes out all the while, until I fall unconscious.


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes, I see a blanket covering my body and my head tied up with Warwick lying beside me with swollen eyes. But even seeing this depressing sight I can¡¯t even react.


    Suddenly I hear a familiar voice outside. This voice is something I will never forget.


    Running outside, I pick up the sharpest rock I can and run around until I find the source of the voice. Seeing the door to a tattered tiny house, I burst it open with the full weight of my body.


    When I do I see a man and women; the two who stole from me. Taking the rock I try to smash the man¡¯s head, in and say, ¡°YOU THIEF!!!¡±


    The wife hits me pushing me off, but with the rock, I smack her across the head, then hit the man right in his kneecap with it. As they are both at my mercy, I prepare to strike the man¡¯s head in but then I hear, ¡°Momma, Papa?¡±


    Out of the corner of the room, a little boy, with the plague through the left side of his body walks up. Immediately the man says, ¡°Alex go back to the corner of the room.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°JUST GO!¡±


    His scream, makes me look around the room, and see how tiny, dirty, and smelly this house is. They have no money at all. Not a single thing in this room is worth a single Basileia crystal.


    I drop the stone, walk out of the house, and say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Go tuck your son into bed.¡±


    Walking back to the house, I stare at the bodies of my siblings and Warwick, and cry yet again. I cry for so long that I swear all the water in my body has left.


    And when I finish, I pull my hand close to my heart and steel my resolve.


    -Break-


    Walking into her residence in the dead of night, I say, ¡°Granny Fatima.¡±


    ¡°Nehalennia where have you been!?¡±


    ¡°GRANNY!!!¡± As she stops, I say, ¡°The lord of Basileia is unmarried right?¡±


    Shocked, she says, ¡°He is.¡±


    ¡°I see, then I need your help.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I wipe my tears and see that not only Morgan but Tana, and Maria are gone. Shocked I get up and look around and come across a letter.


    Picking it up I read it, then dash out the house. As I run the words from the letter play on repeat in the back of my mind.


    To Warwick


    I thank you so much for what you have done not only for my siblings but for me, it the last few years the only person words who have truly touched my heart are you and I thank you for reminding me of who I am. You truly are family to me.


    But sorry but I have to leave because I have found a goal to dedicate my life to, a dream like you¡¯re. No, the dream I have found is dirty and nothing like your wonderful one, but it is something I have to do, and because of that we will never meet again.


    I am sure you will become the greatest admiral ever, catch a bunch of bad guys, save lots of people, marry a princess, and go down in legend. Because of all the men I have met, you¡¯re the best.  Bye Warwick, love you.


    I run, run, run, and keep running until I reach the brothel where she walks. Bursting inside, I scream, ¡°WHERE IS MORGAN!!¡± But the people there simply stare and then ignore me.


    So I keep running up to them one after another and ask, ¡°Have you seen Morgan?¡± But they just ignore me.


    ¡°Hey kid, are you Warwick?¡±


    Turning around I see an old lady, so I say, ¡°Do you know Morgan?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°She left the island.¡±


    ¡°How, isn¡¯t there a blockade?¡±


    ¡°Some adventurers found a way off and she hitched a ride with them. She also asked me to take care of your brat.¡±


    ¡°You mean those people who hurt her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I immediately try to run for the door, but the old lady grabs me and says, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To look for her!¡±


    ¡°She is long gone, she left whilst you slept.¡±


    ¡°I am still going.¡±


    ¡°HOW ARE YOU EVEN GOING TO REACH HER, SHE ISN¡¯T ON LAND ANYMORE!?¡±


    ¡°I WILL SWIM THEN. AND IF I DON¡¯T CATCH UP, I WILL STILL LOOK, THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN, AND THROUGH THE DESERTS, THROUGH THE FOREST, AND THROUGH THE STORMS UNTIL I FIND HER.¡±


    ¡°WHY DO SOMETHING SO STUPID?¡±


    ¦µ Looking back at me, Warwick says, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be alone!!! Father, Mother, Tana, Maria, Morgan, they are all gone, they all keep leaving me. So, I won¡¯t let anyone leave me again.¡±


    Falling to the ground, he cries, Warwick says, ¡°I need to go.¡±


    Giving the crying boy a hug, I say, ¡°You¡¯ve definitely left me with some work Morgan.¡± I continue to caress the young boy as he cries his heart out.


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Arendaia


    ¦µ As the party dragged on, I stand in the corner with a drink in my hand, and look upon this sham. The people in front of me are all boring and lifeless money grubbers, who I must surround myself with.


    Ever since I was a child, I have had to surround myself with this trash, who have always tried to suck on my milk like starving kittens. Oh, look an annoying one has showed up.


    ¡°Nodar what are you doing at this party today? Oh wait let me guess now that the plague has vanished and the demand for your crystals has gone down, you¡¯re looking to strengthen your bonds with the rest of us again, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Tyler Anwunta, you¡¯re looking good for a man whose marriage proposal to the Kritz family widow got shot down. And following that embarrassment she proceeded to save the Kritz family from utter destruction. Now when you add that and the fact that the Animus family have been coming up in your own country, it seems that you aren¡¯t doing too well.¡±


    Standing beside me, he says, ¡°Your tongue is as horrible as ever, and eventually the Zterytavis will be mine giving me a foothold in Skydust, and then I will crush the Animus family.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Even though I insulted him to his face, he just took it because like everyone here he is obsessed with Basileia crystals. Boring scum, when will I finally find someone intere-.


    Seeing a beautiful woman walk into the ballroom, I drop my drink.


    Beside me, Tyler says, ¡°That¡¯s one elegant lady, who is she with?¡±


    Seeing people gather around her, I walk towards her, and hold out my hand, then ask, ¡°Will you please take my hand and dance with me?¡±


    Grabbing my arm, she elegantly brings me to the dance floor and begins to spin with me. As we dance our bodies move in such perfect motion, to the point where I feel like we were always one.


    Staring into her gorgeous eyes, I ask, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    Bringing her face so close to mine almost as if she is about to kiss me, she says with a captivating expression, ¡°Nehalennia.¡± But pulling her face back, she gives me a childlike expression, then says with a gleeful smile, ¡°But people I like can call me Morgan!!¡±


    Looking at her my eyes open wide. This is it; this is what I have been looking for. Someone who can finally take away my boredom, one who will utterly change my life. This is my destiny!


    -Break-


    Many years later


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Basileia


    Holding my slit throat, I look up at my beloved wife, who looks down at me with an expression I have never seen. It is full of disgust and hate.


    All that I see and all that I feel are all so overwhelming so with the strength I have left, I ask, ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°That was for my brother and sister, you money-grubbing bastard.¡±


    With those words reverberating throughout my mind, my soul leaves.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I am not a kind person, I am weak and full of nothing but self-serving selfish thoughts, and it is for that reason I had to leave Warwick, because if I didn¡¯t, I would have sucked on his glory for the rest of my life. I couldn¡¯t do that to him.


    I took this hollow life of mine and decided I will put it to good use. I seduced the lord of Basileia, killed him, and took what was his as my own. Now I control it, the greatest source of Basileia crystals in the world.


    I spent years winning the favour of Gevurah, and in exchange for a deal, I was able to get the protection. Using that safety, I expanded our operation and bought as many slaves as needed, then I started mining.


    Day by day, I forced people to work themselves in hellish conditions to death. But in exchange, I got Basileia crystals to all who needed them for an affordable price even for the poorest of people.


    I also made a point to protect all the child slaves I bought. Sometimes I had to break them down first, but one by one I was able to get them to be on my side. What I have done is horrible and detestable, but even if I have made a single person¡¯s life easier, I will be okay.


    Opening my eyes, I see Tana in front of me. ¡°Lady Morgan you¡¯ve been sleeping for far too long. Get up and become a functioning member of society.¡±


    ¡°Let old people sleep!!¡±


    Punching me in my gut, he says, ¡°Get up and start your day.¡±


    Porto at my side says, ¡°Don¡¯t be so mean.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so soft.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t fight you two.¡±


    After getting dressed I walk to the door where Maria bursts in, ¡°Lady Morgan, the new slaves are here.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever heard of knocking,¡± Tana says.


    ¡°Sorry, I won¡¯t do it again. But apparently, these slaves are from Fimbulwinter.¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°Fimbulwinter?¡±


    Going outside with everyone I stare at the unconscious faces of my next victims and say, ¡°Get them underground and keep the kids in the usual place.¡±


    This life that I have chosen is a horrible one, but I will walk down it will all my heart.


    -Break-


    2 weeks after the Orb¡¯s invasion of Basileia


    CN news report: After the attack on Basileia by an alleged dragon, the city was destroyed, and all of the slaves and crystals vanished. In response to this attack, a collation of noble houses between countries from the three continents proceeded to hunt down all of the workers from Basileia. Many have been captured, and many have been executed.

 Arc 6 Side Story: A miracle onto me

    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Elp¨ªda


    A few days after the death of Gloria Bogdan


    ¦µ The only thing I did differently that day was sleep beside my father, everything else was the same. I woke up the same as always, I brushed my teeth the same as always, I ate my breakfast the same as always, and got dressed the same as always.


    But everything I did felt off as if I wasn¡¯t living merely controlling a corpse from afar, every single thing I did felt disconnected. So, with this feeling unfading I left with my father to the funeral.


    -Break-


    ¡°She was a great officer.¡±


    ¡°She saved my life countless times.¡±


    ¡°She spent so much time helping all of us.¡±


    ¡°We were able to replant all the Giamore trees that got burnt down last year with her help.¡±


    ¡°She will surely go down in Elp¨ªda history as a hero.¡±


    Throughout the funeral, countless friends, colleagues, and people she had saved came up to me and gave me their condolences, but their words were no different than the air surrounding me. Even hearing all the speeches, they share about her doesn¡¯t make me feel a single thing, it is all just pointless faff to me.


    But then as it wraps up my grandfather Tetra grabs my hand and asks, ¡°Do you want to see your mother?¡±


    Immediately, I say, ¡°Yes.¡±


    As we move over to the casket, we pass my dad who has a look of sadness, and under his breath, I hear him say, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just exercise caution, just this once.¡±


    Reaching the casket, I am asked again, ¡°Are you sure Iancu?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Moments later I am raised up and in the casket, I see a burnt body. If it wasn¡¯t for the clothes that were put on it, I wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize it as a human.


    This thing is my mother? No that can¡¯t be. My mother was vibrant, radiant, gorgeous, active, and always smiling. The woman I see before me can¡¯t be her it can¡¯t.


    Suddenly all the feelings, I haven¡¯t felt today rush into me and I just start to cry, ¡°Mommy.¡±


    Moments later my dad runs up to me and grabs me out of grandpas arms, then says, ¡°What the hell are you doing!!?¡±


    ¡°He said he wanted to see her, I just wanted to give him the choice of whether or not he wanted to see his mother.¡±


    ¡°Who cares what he said!! Do you really think he knows any better, it¡¯s that same thoughtless attitude that you passed onto your daughter. Working herself to death, running into a burning building, leaving her husband and son behind. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU.¡±


    Falling to the ground my father holds me and says, ¡°Please come back, Gloria.¡±


    Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim come to our side and help my father outside the room, with Tetra coming as well.


    -Break-


    Unable to sit down beside all of the adults comforting me, I get up and look for my father. Running through the halls I eventually come across him, and hear him say to Tetra, ¡°I know it wasn¡¯t your fault Tetra, I know how you raised her to be more cautious. It is just I don¡¯t know how to feel, the chances of her succeeding were so low yet she charged in headfirst. Did she not care for her son? Did she not care for me?¡±


    Seeing tears in my father''s eyes I walk away and go outside. Getting outside I just crawl up into a ball and cry to myself and say, ¡°Mommy why did you leave, was that slim chance of saving people more important than being with me.¡±


    Suddenly I hear a massive explosion, looking up I see that an explosion has gone off at the castle in the sky. Then moments later the barrier disappears and a few minutes later it reappears.


    Seeing this I am stunned and standstill, While I do all the people in the funeral home rush out to look, including my father and grandfather.


    Beside me, Tetra says, ¡°For this to happen on the day of her funeral, are the heavens mocking us!?¡±


    No, you don¡¯t understand Grandpa, this is a sign. For the first time in recorded history, the barrier went down, Mom used to always be prepared in case something like this happened. She bet on a miracle, and it came that¡¯s why she ran into the house because miracles happen. Mom wasn¡¯t wrong!!!


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    Clearing my tears, I make a promise to myself as everyone looks up towards the castle. I will continue my mother¡¯s will!


    -Break-


    From that day on I did whatever I could to help around, Elp¨ªda. I helped the Gpd being their earn boy for whatever they needed, but as the corruption grew in the Gpd I had to find other places to help.


    I volunteered for whatever I could, whether that be planting Giamore trees, or giving food to the door. I worked my butt off every day and night until I was exhausted, but in the depths of my soul, I could feel my mom cheering me on. But my father wasn¡¯t as happy about my new life decisions as I was.


    ¡°What the hell have you been doing Iancu, working yourself to death have you learned nothing from your foolish mother.¡±


    ¡°Father, you don¡¯t understand what mother was trying to do she wasn¡¯t a fool, she was just waiting for a miracle and I have inherited that.¡±


    ¡°That same nonsense again. Let me make this simple for you, your mother was a selfish idiot who didn¡¯t give a single damn fuck about either of us. Inheriting her will? The only thing you have inherited from her is her lack of care for those around her!!!¡±


    Hearing my father''s harsh words against my mother I cry and say, ¡°You¡¯re the fool, you couldn¡¯t even understand your wife. I doubt you even loved her!!¡±


    Grabbing me by the collar, Father says, ¡°Say that again, and see what happens.¡±


    ¡°What is the truth so hard to grasp?¡±


    My father enraged by my words tries to strike me, but Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim stop him.


    ¡°Boss, I know he is being a brat but if you hit him, it will probably kill him!¡±


    ¡°Please calm down.¡±


    ¡°There are other forms of discipline.¡±


    Calming down he throws me to the ground and says, ¡°Do whatever the hell you want, I just don¡¯t care about idiots like you anymore.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°Boss don¡¯t say that to your son.¡±


    Seeing the cold look my father gives me breaks my heart, so I run away and say, ¡°I will then.¡±


    ¡°Iancu, wait up,¡± Ivana says.


    Just like that my actions have caused a rift between me and my father that would continue on for years.


    -Break-


    Years later


    Tying my shoe laces, I hear Ivana ask, ¡°Iancu where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Piss off Ivana, I don¡¯t have to answer to you.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think a 12-year-old like you can just leave with all of that food and just come back whenever you want!¡±


    ¡°My father doesn¡¯t care, so it doesn¡¯t seem there is any problem with it.¡±


    ¡°He does care you ju-.¡±


    ¡°A man like him who just sits in his small room tinkering with the same dead-end objects, never talking to anyone, never smiling, as the rest of the world continues to move forward with their lives. The only thing I can say about a man like him is that he doesn¡¯t care about anything.¡±


    ¡°Iancu you¡¯re being too harsh, you need to respect your parents.¡±


    ¡°You think I care about the words of a woman who has barely accomplished any of her life goals.¡±


    Defensively she says, ¡°I am still trying!!¡±


    ¡°Then what about your love life, you know what people have started to call you; forever alone Ivana.¡±


    ¡°WHO!!!!?¡±


    ¡°At this point, you¡¯re just expired bread; lazy men will pick you up, smell for any stink, see if you look ok enough, take a bite, then toss you aside for a good meal.¡±


    Running away, Ivana says, ¡°You suck!!!¡±


    Walking out the door,  I whisper, ¡°This is what you get for acting like my mother.¡±


    After opening the door, I see a girl around my age with dark pink hair in front of me. She is dressed strangely for a citizen of Elp¨ªda; she is in a dress one would expect from a lady. Is she from the ground? Probably a tourist.


    Gracefully bowing, she says, ¡°Hello my name is Elia Moonwalker, and may I ask if this is the residence of the great Avram Bogdan?¡±


    Hearing her graceful words makes me feel sick, so with a look of disgust, I say, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say great, but Avram Bogdan lives here. I am guessing a little girl like you came here on a holiday, but you won¡¯t be getting any autographs from my father he doesn¡¯t speak to people anymore.¡±


    Walking away, I say, ¡°He¡¯s a fucking failure, who doesn¡¯t amount to anything anymore, so I would suggest you be on your way.¡±


    With a kind smile, she says, ¡°Thank you, kind sir, for your advice, I will add it as a factor to my decision-making. Also, you should watch your language.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off princess.¡±


    -Break-


    Surrounded by all the kids playing around me, Morrigan asks, ¡°Hey Iancu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Morrigan.¡±


    ¡°It has been a few days since you have been staying here, why haven¡¯t you gone home?¡±


    ¡°It is because all those guys are idiots, they don¡¯t understand a single thing. Then they go and complain to me, always worrying about me and never listening, then nagging me when I don¡¯t listen just annoying pieces of shit.¡±


    Laughing beside me, Fionna says, ¡°That sounds like fun.¡±


    Snapping at her, I say, ¡°How does that sound fun!?¡±


    My anger makes Fionna cower, so Morrigan smacks me on the back of my head with his cute little hands and says, ¡°Don¡¯t scream at Fionna idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, but please explain.¡±


    Shyly she says, ¡°I just think it would be fun to have someone constantly worrying and checking on me, it would make me very happy to have someone like that in my life.¡±


    Seeing Fionna''s face, I slapped myself in my face and say, ¡°Did I actually just complain about my family in front of people who don¡¯t have one. The hell is wrong with me?¡±


    Morrigan speaking up says, ¡°No that isn¡¯t true.¡± Hugging Fionna, he says, ¡°We are all each other¡¯s family.¡± All the other kids start to run up to them both and hug each other.


    Seeing this I stand up and say, ¡°I guess I should head home and return to my family. See you brats later.¡±


    Morrigan with his puffy checks, says, ¡°You¡¯re a child as well.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I will see you guys later and bring in some food.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking towards the door, I stop in my tracks and sigh. ¡°They¡¯re probably going to bitch at me for being away for so long again. How annoying.¡±


    Opening the door, I hear the sound of something being smashed, while hearing Gheorghe shout, ¡°Please stop!¡±


    I immediately start to run towards the source of the sound while panicked. Entering the workshop, I see that Gheorghe is being hit repeatedly by a chair and over him is Elia wearing work clothes with both her hair and face messy, shouting, ¡°I did it, I did it, I did it, I freaking did it, I am amazing, I am a freaking angel!!!¡±


    To the side of the room, I see Wadim and Ivana cowering behind my father, who is clapping his hands in approval saying, ¡°Looks like my job is complete.¡±


    What the hell happened in the few days I have been gone!?


    Throwing the chair down, Elia points at my father and says, ¡°I did it, so now you must keep your fucking promise.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will, from this moment on you¡¯re a member of our workshop and an employee.¡±


    Elia jumps my father and gives him a big bear hug whilst wrapping her legs around him, and while she does that my father smiles a smile so bright that I haven¡¯t seen it in years, not since my mother lived.


    Noticing me in the doorway, my father says, ¡°Iancu?¡±


    Looking at them, I just run away, and as I run, I feel sick to my stomach.

 Arc 6 Side Story: The lady and the vampire

    -Break-


    Throughout the next few days, the girl named Elia joined our workshop and started to be employed by my father. In the short period I had been gone it seems Ivana, Gheorghe, Wadim and even my father had grown attached to her. My father even started to make dinner for the first time in years.


    As I prepare to leave, Gheorghe asks, ¡°Iancu why don¡¯t you join all of us for dinner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Bu-.¡±


    ¡°I SAID I¡¯M FUCKING GOOD!!!¡± Turning my head to face Gheorghe who stands in between me and the dining room door I see that everyone is staring at me except my father. So I run out the door.


    Seeing all of them smiling and having fun made the sick feeling inside me much worse, so I had to run, I had to escape once again. So, I stole more of our food and went back to the 6<sup>th</sup> platform.


    -Break-


    As I leave the building, I wave goodbye to Morrigan, and the rest of the kids inside, shouting ¡°SEE YOU LATER!¡±


    ¡°Bye, bye Iancu!!¡± They shout back at me.


    Walking away, I mutter, ¡°How cute they are.¡±


    ¡°I concur.¡±


    Turning my head to the side, I see Elia standing beside me in an incredibly fancy outfit, which causes me to scream, ¡°AHHH!¡± And fall to the ground.


    ¡°For someone who acts so tough, you scare quite easily.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you find me?¡±


    ¡°Your special awareness is lower than the devil¡¯s place in this world. For someone with enhanced senses, I find it quite pathetic how easy you are to tail.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s see how easy I am to tail now.¡±


    Standing up, I activate my legacy on my foot, then I how away whilst increasing the reaction force of my kick which makes me move faster.


    I proceeded to manoeuvre through the buildings and the strange gravity fields of the sixth platform Ichnaea, until I reached a far enough distance. Stopping I say to myself, ¡°This place is my playground, no way you¡¯re going to find me.¡±


    ¡°What took you so long.¡±


    In front of me, I see Elia sitting down, which causes me to jump back and shout, ¡°AHHH!¡±


    ¡°Looks like I got you twice.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°How the hell did you get here before me, no human could have gotten here before me, especially in that giant puffy skirt and those restrictive clothes.¡±


    ¡°You really are overdramatic; I simply used the odd gravitational fields of Ichnaea to get here. And as you know, unlike all the other platforms Ichnaea is a mess so the gravity around here is also messed up as well, some parts are stronger, some are weaker, by using all those differing fields I was able to accelerate getting to you. Simple calculation.¡±


    ¡°BULLSHIT. The gravity around Ichnaea is incredibly volatile, most people can¡¯t understand them, and I even struggle with my legacy, so there is no way someone who is new to Elp¨ªda could understand. And more than that how would you know where I would end up?¡±


    ¡°I have been here since you first arrived hours ago, and I guessed upon seeing based on your emotional instability that you would run away. Knowing how violate Ichnaea is I had guessed you probably would have specific paths you use to get through it. So, I looked around for those paths, and calculated where you would stop if you ran away. Then I  simply did trial and error on each of the gravity fields around those paths to see if there was a way to reach the end point before you did.¡±


    ¡°Still there is no way all those paths had gravity fields that would allow you to be faster than me.¡±


    ¡°You''re exactly right, of you¡¯re 6 paths only 2 had ways for me to outspeed you. So, to try and increase the chances of you going on one of those two paths I position myself directly opposite one of those 2 paths because knowing you¡¯re aversion to me I guessed that you would more than likely run away from me.¡±


    Standing up she opens her parasol and says, ¡°Now a gentleman would escort a lady like me back to our house.¡±


    Hearing her speak is pissing me off, so I walk past her and say, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, I am not some puppet who you can control.¡±


    ¡°I see this must be what my peers call, trying to be cool or I believe people say trying to be badass. But in all honesty, you fail quite heavily at it.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Her words cause me to stop in my tracks. ¡°I believe the logical reason people do such things pretending to be stronger and cooler than they are since if they are able to fool people they can earn respect, admiration, and fear they wouldn¡¯t be able to attain otherwise. You lack the confidence to attain those things naturally so you use deceit to pretend you have them.¡±


    As she speaks, I start to feel slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°But in your case, it is quite unsuccessful. You¡¯re clothes and attitude try to evoke such a feeling but in all honesty, it makes you come off as rude, disobedient, and foolish. You really haven¡¯t lived a life that explains why you act that way, so you just come off as a brat with too much time on his hands.¡±


    The embarrassment is getting so bad my face is turning red.


    ¡°Not to mention upon seeing someone you dislike like me, instead of doing the courageous thing of facing me head on you ran away like a coward.¡±


    I feel like I am about to die!!!!


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been more badass to simply ignore me, which would have shown how little I mattered to you, increasing your cool factor whilst also dealing a sufficient amount of mental damage to me due to the known fact that being ignored is worse than being hated.¡±


    Her words click in my head, and I whisper, ¡°I am going to do that.¡±


    ¦µ Just like that fall into my trap. Smiling I say, ¡°And wouldn¡¯t the most badass thing possible be actually doing my request but doing it on your own terms thereby giving you control of this situation entirely.¡±


    Turning to face me, Iancu says in his cool guy voice, ¡°Follow me home if you want, but don¡¯t expect me to talk.¡±


    How easy.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking in front of her I keep quiet and try to keep my cool but her never-ending questions are really starting to annoy me.


    ¡°So, do you lust for the blood of young maidens? If so, I better be careful. Also, does the blood of humans taste different? Is there some hierarchy within each of our blood types? It is quite rude to not answer a lady''s question.¡±


    Gritting my teeth, I continue to walk forward.


    ¡°Your dad is really talkative, is it because you¡¯re a half-vampire that you are so quiet,  I guess a dham like you? Well, that is an incorrect classification of you, since all you guys are nightmares. Now what did they call the children of a nightmare and a normal person again? Anata, no Ananata, matamata.¡±


    ¡°Anathematized!!!¡± I shout.


    Giggling she says, ¡°Looks like I got you to talk.¡±


    Realize what happened I cover my mouth, then swing my arm saying, ¡°Go away.¡±


    As I swing my arm, I hit her and send her to the edge of the roof. Surprised I run towards her.


    Standing over her body collapsed on the ground, I bring my arms near her and say, ¡°I thought you would dodge.¡±


    Suddenly she grabs me and throws me off the edge of the building. Looking towards the edge of the building as I fall, I see her waving and saying, ¡°Bye-bye.¡±


    That bitch!!!


    Using my legacy, I remove gravity around me and then climb up to the top of the building. When I reach it, I see her sitting on the roof, where she says, ¡°That was 0.2 seconds slower than I thought you would arrive.¡±


    Staring at her I say, ¡°Was that some sort of revenge for hitting you?¡±


    ¡°No, it is just that I thought falling off a building of this height would have awoken some sense within you, regarding  the way you treat your father.¡±


    Angered, I glare at her and say, ¡°You know nothing about my family, so mind your own fucking busi-.¡±


    Walking towards me, she says, ¡°7 years ago your mother ran into a burning building because there was a chance the daughter of a man named Samual; Cana was still in the building. She failed and was burnt to a grotesque crisp.


    Since her funeral, probably because of the explosion in the castle you decided to inherit your mother''s will and started acting like her. To which your grieving father disapproved because it was almost as if you were trying to abandon him as well.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to abando-.¡±


    Getting right in front of my face she continue and says, ¡°Due to this rift in ideologies and immense lack of communication between the both of you, your relationship collapsed and your father selfishly stopped caring for you to protect his own heart then locked himself away.


    But since I have arrived, you¡¯re father has started returning to normal which has caused you to lash out even more because the idea of any female getting close to your father causes a certain idea to pop into your head; that your mother will be replaced.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°You stalker.¡±


    Pulling back, she says, ¡°I can¡¯t help but be observant, call it a blessing.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°Still that doesn¡¯t mean you can involve yourself in my business.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m feeling pretty involved. So, to rectify this situation which my presence has made worse, I would like to ask you to come to family dinner tonight.¡±


    Walking away, I say, ¡°Why the fuck would I possibly go to that?"


    ¡°Simple. Because your dad is cooking.¡±


    Immediately my mouth starts to water as all the memories of my father''s heavenly cooking flash through my mind.


    Walking up to me, she says, ¡°I have had a taste of his food in the recent days and I can say that the god has truly bestowed a miracle onto his hands, and considering that you haven¡¯t had his cooking in years I am sure you must long for it. So come on home Iancu.¡±


    Wiping my lips, I say, ¡°Not a chance,¡± while turning my head away.


    As I walk away, she says behind me, ¡°Well if you want to be like that, I guess I will seduce your dad.¡±


    Stopping, I say, ¡°WHAT!!¡±


    ¡°I did awaken your father back to his former self, I am sure given time and dedication, I can turn the master-student bond we have into one of true love.¡±


    Composing myself, I say, ¡°You¡¯re not my father-type little princess, so you''re just full of shit.¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°You say that, but deep in the corner of your mind it is this possibility that you have been scared of isn¡¯t it? So, I promise you when I become your father''s wife I will destroy all memorabilia attached to your mother and completely wipe her existence from your father''s mind.¡±


    ¡°You act like a princess, but you really are just a bitch. Slyly trying to blackmail me like this you whore.¡±


    ¡°I hate all forms of poise and deception. I believe all people should be upfront with what they want, so if this has come across as me being sly I apologize.¡±


    Walking up directly in front of me, she says, ¡°So let me be as clear as possible, do what I ask or else. This isn¡¯t blackmail, it is a promise.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Ok then.¡±


    ¡°What a sublime response,¡± she says elegantly.


    Looking at her, I say, ¡°What the hell did my father do to you over the days I was gone.¡±


    Blushing she says, ¡°He made me into a real woman.¡±


    ¡°STOP IT YOU BITCH!!!!!!!¡±


    With her parasol, she smacks me on the back of my head and says, ¡°Watch your language. Now let¡¯s be off.¡±

 Arc 6 Side Story: Family Dinner

    -Break-


    ¡°A father and a son, a son and a father. They sit together at the dinner table for the first time in seven years, but still, the two of them don¡¯t talk.


    On my right side lies the son an Anathematized human. He is a rude boy who says vulgarities neverendingly to the point where I will soon wash out his mouth with soap. The great little annoyance Iancu.


    And on my left and at the head of the table lies a nightmare, the great inventor and man who many consider a modern-day genius, Avram Bogdan.


    The son who seemingly hates his father turns his head away trying to act as if my words don¡¯t bother him. While the father looks straight ahead removing his annoying son''s existence from his mind.


    Seeking attention Iancu puts his feet on the table to elicit a response from his father, but not getting one he puts them down as he realizes how embarrassing and disgusting it is.


    The tension in the room is so flavourful and well-aged, that one could even get drunk off of it. There is little as intense as the tension between a child and their parent. This truly shall be a legendary battle of two bats.¡±


    ¡°CAN YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!¡±


    ¡°Breaking the silence Iancu tries to force some of that tension on me, by screaming at me like an oaf. Truly fiendish.¡±


    ¡°I might actually hit you.¡±


    ¡°Well what else am I supposed to do, if I don¡¯t alleviate the tension, I might become intoxicated by it.¡±


    ¡°THERE IS NO TENSION. Especially any deriving from anger.¡±


    ¡°Wait if all this tension doesn¡¯t derive from anger, might all this tension actually be sexual? My god have I truly walked into a den of demons.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    At the head of the table, my father says, ¡°Elia not only are we about to eat but this is also a house of god, so I won¡¯t allow any vulgarities here.¡±


    ¡°Is a vampire really trying to teach me about god?¡±


    In the corner of the room, Elia and my father start to talk, whilst smiling. Feeling sick I stand up and say, ¡°I am going away.¡±


    Suddenly Elia falls out of her chair, but is caught by my father who asks, ¡°Elia are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is just that I lost my balance.¡±


    As she is in my father''s arms, she mouths to me; Sit down Iancu, or you know what I will do.


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°I am going to stay after all.¡±


    As Elia sits back on her chair, she kicks me in the leg and then gives me an evil stare.


    This bitch!


    Bursting through the door Ivana, Wadim, and Gheorghe finally arrive.


    ¡°Sorry it took us so long.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the food is still warm so you can sit down and get ready.¡±


    With haste the three of them sit down, jittering with excitement.


    After my father gives a little prayer, he says, ¡°You can take it off now.¡±


    Overall the plates on the dinner table are the Anathematized jellyfish, which not only conceals what the food looks like but makes it so that the state it was in doesn¡¯t change from the moment it was put on.


    Taking the jellyfish off, my nose is instantly struck with a heavenly sensation. Immediately moments of all the good things that have ever happened to me in my life appear in my mind bringing me close to tears.


    Stop Iancu. I need to regain my composure; I can¡¯t lose myself to this.


    Directly facing me Wadim, starts to bite into the food and moments later he starts to cry, and says, ¡°I forgive you, Mom.¡±


    Ivana beside him says, ¡°I might be alone forever, but I am enough I don¡¯t need to change.¡±


    Gheorghe to the right of me says, ¡°Just because I look like a monster doesn¡¯t mean I am!!¡±


    Elia beside says, ¡°I promise I will be a better friend; I will eat the cake this time.¡±


    Crap the food is making all of them have an emotional breakdown, if I eat it, I am fucked. I refuse to fold first!


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Pushing my plate away, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like eating I am full.¡±


    The four of them try to grab at my plate whilst saying, ¡°MINE.¡±


    I pull my plate back and say, ¡°This is still mine.¡±


    ¡°But you said you were full.¡±


    ¡°So what, it is still my food I get to decide what happens to it, and don¡¯t you still have food on your plate?¡±


    ¡°I see, so whoever finishes their food first gets yours.¡±


    Immediately Elia, Ivana, Wadim, and Gheorghe start to engorge the food in front of them, but the first one to finish is Elia. ¡°I WOOOOOOOON! Now fork it over Iancu.¡±


    ¡°I never agreed to that.¡±


    ¡°You would really betray the promise you made to a maiden, you demon! If I had known you were such a fiendish liar I would have enjoyed my food more.¡±


    ¡°Not my problem.¡±


    Ivana sitting down in defeat says, ¡°The only person who ate Avram¡¯s food so fast was Gloria.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°Well when your husband can cook so well eating becomes a personal hobby for you.¡±


    Wadim just says, ¡°Thinking about it, don¡¯t you guys think Elia is a lot like Gloria?¡±


    Feeling anger well up inside me, I shout, ¡°SHE IS NOTHING LIKE MOM!!!¡±


    Looking around the table I notice I ruined the mood. Why, why, why, why do I feel like an outsider in my own house, every time I interact with these people it always ends up like this. I should just leave.


    ¡°Iancu is right Elia is nothing like my wife.¡±


    Staring at my father, I hear Elia say, ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°My wife was an idiotic, hardheaded, selfish, brat. Never thinking before she acts, and never caring about the stress she puts us in. She always pushed herself so hard that she would collapse causing me to always do all the chores myself, and when she would eat, she would nearly empty out our fridge, she really didn¡¯t think about those around her.¡±


    Please, just please stop Dad I don¡¯t want to hear any more.


    ¡°She would always help anyone whenever giving smiles at the destruction of her own, she would always cry like a cute puppy whenever she saw me cleaning up her mess instead of just working less. She would always brag about my achievements because in her words I didn¡¯t realize how amazing I am. She was always active which inspired me to work through bad days, and the faces she made when she ate my cooking filled my soul. She was stronger than anyone else, kinder than anyone else, and the best mother there ever was, in all the time she was here there was not a single day Iancu didn¡¯t smile, and her ass was enormous. So, in summation, she was nothing like Elia.¡±


    Hearing this I feel something well up inside me, but it is interrupted as Elia smashes the table saying, ¡°I felt like I was just rather brutally insulted. We all know ii wanted I could easily be your wife.¡±


    Confused, my father says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a drug addict Elia, because your mind is far away from you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I am cute and adorable!¡±


    ¡°You must mean gross and annoying like a child which you are, my wife was many things but not as argumentative as you are.¡±


    ¡°But you have been so nice to me.¡±


    ¡°Because you appeared at my doorstep like a lost puppy, and if a child like you kept walking around Elp¨ªda alone, a crazy child-loving old ninja lady may have kidnapped you. So, in summation, your gross and you never had or will ever have a chance with me, and besides my wife was enough for me in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°You a rude cruel man, I can see how your son ended up such an undisciplined brat,¡±


    Beside Elia, I give her a smirk and say, ¡°Ehh, looks like someone is acting childish.¡±


    Grabbing me by the neck, Elia says, ¡°Shut uppppp!¡±


    Ivana across from us says, ¡°You know if we compare Iancu to how Avram was at that age, I wouldn¡¯t call him undisciplined at all.¡±


    Seeing my father clam up, I ask, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Back when your father was younger, he was a real rebellious child, burning down buildings, picking fights with gangs, he even painted the queen''s face back in Blestemate. He was arrested about 10,000 times.¡±


    ¡°Ivana, I need you to be quiet!¡±


    Ivana then shapes her head into a tiny model of my father and says, ¡°This is what he looked like in his childhood.¡±


    Giggling Elia says, ¡°Who dresses like that!¡±


    ¡°I would even go that far!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two stop laughing at me.¡±


    Laughing, Ivana says, ¡°And he would always say the same thing; I am going to build a robot. Really a robot, we all know instead of building a useless war machine, adding mechanical parts to the human body is the best way to go about things.¡±


    Gheorghe and Wadim nod their heads in approval, but as they do me, Elia and my father say, ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    Elia says, ¡°Instead of destroying the pure human body, we should aim to create mechanical companions.¡±


    ¡°The human body even with additions is still too limited we must make greater beings instead.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Be honest you have all dreams about riding in robots throughout the heavens.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°Grow up boss. The art of crafting golems was lost millennia ago, and you want to make something even greater than that a robot, stop dreaming.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°Unlike robots, adding mechanical parts to the human body can be used for countless medical procedures, it will benefit all of us, unlike your nonsensical dream.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Are the employees rebelling against the boss?¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°The employees are trying to enlighten the boss to change his foolish ways before it is too late.¡±


    Elia says, ¡°Then it seems we must all discuss this until you see the error of your ways.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°You might be a scary little girl, but we won¡¯t budge on this.¡±


    ¡°I was right to verbally abuse you idiots.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°Say whatever you want Iancu I won¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Until one side surrenders!!!¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°Non shall leave this room!!!¡±


    For the rest of the night with everyone in the room we just talked, for the first time in years, and the happiness I felt that day was something I thought I had lost.


    -Break-


    Waking up, I stand up and see that everyone is collapsed around me. So, I quietly make my way to the door, but I hear, ¡°Iancu where are you going?¡±


    Turning around I see my dad is up and facing me, so I say, ¡°What do you care?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what do I care, you ¡®re my son aren¡¯t you do you really think you can just leave without telling me where you¡¯re going?¡±


    Feeling my heartbeat fast, I say, ¡°PISS OFF FUCKER!¡± Then run away.


    Chasing after me my father says, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¦µ Staring at the father and son, whilst I pretend to sleep a single thought runs through my mind; how cute!


    Name: Anathematized Jellyfish


    Height: 20cm to 300cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: An animal that looks almost identical to a jellyfish. It is capable of growing when given sufficient water, and any non-living thing within it will not change in state.


    Fact: It finds fat disgusting, so it will usually ignore women when hunting.

 Arc 9.01: Niflheim

    As we trek through the desert, I say, ¡°I am so sorry I made you guys do this for me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Orb, it wasn¡¯t as bad as you think,¡± Avram says.


    ¡°And we are almost there.¡±


    Looking into the distance I see what looks to be the ship, ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t notice because the sandstorm had vanished. If we are this close, then let¡¯s run to the finish line.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Why would I do something so childish?¡±


    Quickly, I say, ¡°The last person to the ship is the dumbest!!¡± Then sprinted with Suzuka following close behind me.


    Chasing after us Iancu says, ¡°Wait up.¡±


    Using my ears, I hear that everyone has quickly started to follow all of us.


    -Break-


    When I reach the ship, I jump in victory saying, ¡°I WIN!¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± I hear from my side.


    Looking to my left I see Elia, and on her shoulder, I see Anto and Mime. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°Please show me the rule book then. Because I think it would be considered cheating to run ahead right after announcing the game.¡±


    Lowering my head, I say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, sir.¡±


    Turning to my right I see Elliot; Lady Dush¡¯s butler who is pointing down. Looking down, I see Peppa the princess of Skydust, who says, ¡°Thank y-y-y-you sir Orb, for taking all of-f-f-f-f-f us with you. If you hadn¡¯t, we would hav-v-v-v-ve all died in Skydust.¡±


    As she speaks, she shakes nervously and looks sad like she is about to cry.


    Soon she bows and then runs away, then moments later I ask, ¡°They found out about Skydust?¡±


    Avram behind me says, ¡°You were asleep for 6 months, during that time they started to talk and eventually realized that Skydust was destroyed. I can¡¯t tell you the hassle it was trying to calm them down and keep the kids from running away. But Peppa really did help.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Elliot then says, ¡°She had rehearsed that time and time again to show you her sincerity over all of you guys actions. She may be young, but the gift of leadership does lie within her.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, but I do wish I could do more for all of them.¡±


    Atalanta beside me says, ¡°Not really since you have already done enough to help them during their stay.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Taking my hand Atalanta pulls me over behind the ship, ¡°HEY, no touching!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and just follow me.¡±


    When we reach behind the ship, I see my Tiritrex being playing with the kids. Atalanta says, ¡°While you were asleep, I went back out to the desert and brought her here. Just like Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> she is rather smart so explaining the situation to her was rather easy. She has been here playing with everyone.¡±


    Seeing me she runs up to me, and in return, I do the same and give her a big hug. ¡°Oh, how I have missed you Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already named her?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I have idiot.¡±


    Iancu walking over to me says, ¡°Now that we have had our reunions it is time for all of us to leave.¡±


    ¡°But how are we going to transport Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup>?¡±


    ¡°I have already thought about that.¡±


    -Break-


    Standing on the deck of the ship I look up and ask, ¡°Is this really going to work.¡± On top of the back of the ship, I have frozen Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> legs down.


    ¡°It will work fine, when my legacy removes gravity her weight will vanish as well allowing us to fly with no issues, and anyway doesn¡¯t she look cool up on Wave Sweeper.¡±


    ¡°Wave sweeper?¡±


    ¡°You think you were the only one thinking up names for their pets.¡± Rubbing the ship Iancu says, ¡°Ahh my dear wave sweeper how I wish to one day rip you apart and recreate you.¡±


    From behind us, I hear, ¡°What a freak.¡±


    Turning around Iancu shouts, ¡°Say something again you dumb fox or I will throw you out of the ship.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Walking towards us enraged, Suzuka prepares to hit him, but I stand in between the two of them and say, ¡°If you hit him, we can¡¯t leave.¡±


    Annoyed Iancu says, ¡°It is not like her punch can do anything.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s see you take it.¡±


    Avram appearing out of nowhere hits Iancu on the head saying, ¡°Can you just behave!¡±


    Laughing Suzuka says, ¡°That¡¯s what you get fool!¡±


    Avram smacks Suzuka on the head and says, ¡°You need to stop picking fights with him, how are you going to make friends that way!¡±


    Picking up Iancu, Avram walks away, and as they do I look over a Suzuka who is holding her head with a weird grin. ¡°Are you ok Suzuka, did he mess up your head.¡±


    ¡°No, it is just that it has been a long time since someone tried to discipline me like that.¡±


    ¡°But I make fun of you all the time.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE JUST A BULLY!!¡±


    ¡°WHAAAAAT!!¡±


    Suddenly the ship alters with Iancu¡¯s legacy and moments later Avram shouts, ¡°LIFT OFF!¡±


    Then the ship takes off into the air and soon all the Zterytavises follow us, then moments later Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> lets out a roar.


    Clapping his hands Avram says, ¡°Now the rest of you go get some rest, because when night falls you will be needed to go help the people flying Zterytavis. Now sleep.¡±


    So, all of us here break off and go to rest, but as I walk down the hall I fall to my knee and tears appear in my eyes. I start to hold the parts of my body that where hit with the judgment chains.


    It still hurts, every breath I take, and every movement I make hurts my body even more. I feel like I am going to pass out by simply breathing, how the hell can I even fight like this? I would even struggle to beat the bandits from Gaia¡¯s sky like this.


    Walking towards my room, I say, ¡°Got to power through it.¡±


    Suddenly I am picked up, and then I hear, ¡°Looks like my stealth mode won again.¡±


    Hearing Atalanta''s voice, I say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t notice your pain, I am very in sync with people''s bodies.¡±


    ¡°Remember what I said about not liking being touched!!¡±


    Putting me on her back, she said, ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job hiding this stuff from everybody so let me take you back to your room.¡±


    ¡°I am fine, so let me down.¡±


    Turning her head back slightly she looks at me with sombre eyes and says, ¡°Orb please if just for today allow me to help you. I told you you¡¯re like my little brother who I care about quite a bit so even if it is till the sun rises allow me to spoil you.¡±


    Seeing her face, I lean against her back, and say, ¡°Ok then, but hurry up, there is too much physical contact between us.¡±


    ¡°I am moving as fast as I can, especially with one arm.¡±


    ¡°I doubt the second arm was going to be put to much use anyway.¡±


    ¡°The fact that you only verbally degrade me must mean you truly love me the most.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up idiot.¡±


    ¡°Adorable.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Since you said you want to help me, I am going to need you to go check on Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> don¡¯t let her be lonely.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    ¡°Then after that go give Wadim a pep talk he was looking down. I will also need you to make sure Suzuka and Iancu don¡¯t fight, if they do the ship might crash.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Then go check on Mime, it seems she has been traumatised. When you''re done with all of that I need you to go clean the deck, since it is filthy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too many things!¡±


    ¡°It is all the things I was planning to do.¡±


    ¡°You psychopath.¡±


    ¡°I guess you were all talk after all.¡±


    Kicking open the door to my room in Wave Sweeper, she says, ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to play it then fine when you wake up make sure to see how amazing I did.¡±


    Throwing me to my bed, she says, ¡°And when I do, I will tell everyone you cried.¡±


    Landing on my bed, I say, ¡°DO THAT AND I WILL END YOU!!!¡±


    -Break-


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Wortanoa Valley


    Stepping off Wave Sweeper, I shout, ¡°WHERE HERE!¡±


    Tapping me on my shoulder Iancu asks, ¡°Where is here exactly, because I see lots of freaking nothing!!¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°The place where Orb and his friends are can only be reached through a few entrances, and one of them is here.¡±


    ¡°Now if I remember correctly the entrance should be here.¡± Pushing my hand against a rock I slip thought it and enter the cave system.


    Popping back out, I say, ¡°It is here.¡±


    As everyone comes towards me, Iancu asks, ¡°What are we going to do about the wonderbeasts and wave sweeper?¡±


    ¡°The Zetties will stay out here, whilst I bring Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> in with us.¡± Walking forward I say, ¡°And to make sure nothing bothers them. Advent.¡±


    Activating advent both my body and clothes change then moments later, I create a large ice dome around the area.


    Suzuka, Mime, and Iancu, run up to me and start asking questions.


    Iancu says, ¡°Orb you look freaking cool.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°So this is the power you used to win in Jedidiah, you look like you would be an amazing fight!¡±


    Mime, says, ¡°I have a legacy I want to do that as well.¡±


    Grabbing me from the back Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim start to check my body.


    ¡°His bone and muscle structure has completely altered, even his clothes have.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this dark blue energy, it feels sort of cold. I can¡¯t be spirit energy because I am unable to see that, but it might just be the condensed energy his legacy has left.¡±


    ¡°The sliver in his head is quite a bit more noticeable, and why the hell did his hair grow so much? Is this due to advent or the fact that his regeneration factor is greater in this form?¡±


    Knocking everyone away, I turn Advent off and say, ¡°Can you guys stop being weird.¡±


    Bubbing together in a group, they all say, ¡°BOOOOOOO!¡±


    ¡°Stop being brats, I will answer all your questions la-.¡± Feeling woozy I tip over but am caught by Atalanta.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice this back in Jedidiah because of how fatigued you were anyways, but advent really does drain you, so now it is time for touchy-touchy again!¡±


    ¡°CYRUS HELP ME!!¡±


    Running towards me Cyrus takes me out of Atalanta¡¯s arm and puts me on his back. ¡°Thank you, Cyrus, from saving me from that monster.¡±


    ¡°W-W-W-Whatever you n-n-n-n-need call for m-m-m-m-me.¡±


    Cyrus feels a pick more erratic than usual.


    ¡°HEY ORB, why is it okay for Cyrus to touch you but not me?¡±


    ¡°Because Cyrus is a like a pe-, I mean a very close friend to me. NOW EVERYONE LET¡¯S GO.¡±


    As we all walk through the cave, I notice Cyrus staring at me, so I ask, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Turning his head away he says, ¡°N-N-Nothing.¡±


    ¦µ I am not crazy, the silver in Orb¡¯s hair has definitely gotten more apparent. I need to try my best to make sure nothing befalls anyone here.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel I say, ¡°We here!¡±


    Then moments later we walk through the entrance to the main area, which has been completely changed. It is now heavily decorated and sort of resembles the village back in Fimbulwinter.


    Stepping off of Cyrus¡¯s back, I scream, ¡°I HAVE RETURNED.¡±


    All the people walking around, stop and then I see Aea who stares at me in disbelief, then he says, ¡°ORB HAS RETURNED!¡±


    Standing still I feel a nostalgic feeling wash over me, as I stare at the faces of everyone in front of me. Aea, Alis, Buloke, Jute, Holly, Hazel, Ewen, Throne. Then in the distance running towards me, I see Maple.


    Running up to her, I say, ¡°MAPLE YOUR BROTHER IS HOME.¡±


    Getting close to me, she jumps then hits me with a drop kick, ¡°DIED BASTARD!!!¡±

 Arc 9.02

    Taking the blow, I get sent tumbling backwards until I land on my back, then moments later Maple appears on top of me and says whilst punching me, ¡°Where, the, hell, were, you, for, the, last, 6, months?¡±


    Continuing the beatdown, she says, ¡°Do you even know how worried I was, I had thought you had died.¡± Crying she says, ¡°I thought I lost another member of my family.¡±


    Seeing her face, I sit up and hug her then say, ¡°I am so sorry, it is just that some unforeseeable circumstance came up and I was forced into this position. But just so you know I have missed every single one of you all this time.¡±


    Feeling an unmistakable surge of disgust in my arms, I hear Maple say, ¡°Yeah, right.¡±


    ¡°Maple the tone in which you said that makes me believe you don¡¯t trust what I said.¡±


    Breaking out of my grip she kicks me in the face and says, ¡°It is because I don¡¯t. I am willing to bet you overexerted yourself helping someone and have been in a coma or something.¡±


    ¡°No that isn¡¯t tru-.¡±


    ¡°EXACTLY,¡± The crowd of people behind me shout.


    Turning my head, I say, ¡°You traitors.¡±


    Giving me a stare with eyes that even make me feel chills, she says, ¡°So it was your own fault that we hadn¡¯t seen you in 6 months, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Wait please don¡¯t go, forgive me.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t you say, punishment and reform go hand in hand?¡±


    ¡°Maple just so you know my body isn¡¯t in the best of shape, I can¡¯t really take any attacks from you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t be handing out the punishment.¡±


    Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I look to see Aea and a whole bunch of people behind her. ¡°Hey Aea what¡¯s with that smile?¡±


    Suddenly Aea punches me in the gut, then says, ¡°That feels amazing.¡±


    Maple then decrees, ¡°As Village chief I declare, every member of the village of Aplos gets to hit Orb as hard as they want once.¡± Looking down at me she says, ¡°Don¡¯t die Orb.¡±


    Sweating, I say, ¡°NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!¡±


    Putting me on my feet, Alis says, ¡°Sorry about this Orb, but someone needs to teach you a lesson.¡±


    With his full force, Alis punches me in the gut, but moments later he screams and says, ¡°Why the hell is your stomach so hard!!?¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°You think I didn¡¯t learn anything in the time I was away. If I send my spirit energy to where you hit me, I will not be taking any damage.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the way Alis,¡± Buloke says as he walks up.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the next person in line to get his first cracked.¡±


    ¡°Talk all you want but all I have to do is hit you in a spot where you don¡¯t have spirit energy on.¡±


    ¡°Then I will simply move it to the spot you¡¯re going to hit.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s see whose faster.¡±


    As Buloke sends his fist towards me, I push my senses to the max; with this, I will be able to predict where he will redirect his punch. Though doing this makes the judgement attack ache even more which impairs my senses.


    Any form of physical movement causes it to hurt not to mention pushing my body. With my body in the shape it is in, I would say the use of my enhanced senses is even worse than when I first started to gain them, but it will still be more than enough to react to Buloke''s punch.


    His punches keep coming closer and closer to my face. I got to focus; with his reaction speed it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he could move his arm at the very last moment, so I will keep my spirit energy right in the centre of my body and move it when needed.


    His fist comes, closer and closer, and closer. When it is centimetres away from hitting me, my mind goes crazy; no way even for him could he redirect his attack anymore so I will put some of my spirit energy to my face, I joked but it is better if I don¡¯t break his fist.


    As his fist is about to hit me directly in the face, I notice something surge into his arm. It¡¯s spirit energy!!!


    Being hit directly in the face with a spirit energy infused punch I get sent flying backwards.


    Getting up, I say, ¡°Hey what the hell was that?¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Did you really think we have all been sitting on our puts all this time? We took spirit arts lessons from the people in Gaia¡¯s sky.¡±


    Turning my face towards them, I give them a death stare.


    Buloke then says, ¡°Who hear wants me to punch Orb in their place!?¡±


    Lots of people put up their hands up, so I started to freak out. Looking towards Maple I say, ¡°Please save me.¡±


    Waving me with a cute smile, Maple says, ¡°Bye, bye Orb!¡±


    Buloke then starts to punch me.


    ¦µ Iancu beside me says, ¡°We should stop them, Orb is tired from using Advent.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Orb heals anyway so we should let them vent on Orb.¡± And besides Orb¡¯s biggest issue isn¡¯t the fatigue of Advent but the judgment still on his body, but since he wants to pretend it doesn¡¯t affect him, I won¡¯t let him use this as an excuse right now. Sucks to be you Orb.


    Feeling something fluffy behind me, I turn around and say, ¡°Suzuka why are you hiding behind me?¡±


    ¡°Orb said his friends would be nice, but they all seem like bullies, especially Orb¡¯s sister. Too scary.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Sisters are scary creatures.¡±


    Leaning against Iancu, Elia says, ¡°Pray tell who you could be talking about?¡±


    ¡°The little girl who has made most females look unattractive to me.¡±


    ¡°Because my beauty is so great in comparison?¡±


    ¡°No, because you have smeared your genders image for me!!!¡±


    Pushing up against him, Elia says, ¡°Looks like someone is lacking respect!¡±


    As the two of them fight I pat Suzuka on the head and say, ¡°If someone bullies you, I will make sure to set them ablaze, ok?¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s enjoy watching Orb get his butt kicked.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You seem to be enjoying this Buloke, I thought you had forgiven me?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday me and Jute had a fight, so I need to vent.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T TAKE OUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS ON ME!¡±


    As Buloke''s next attack is about to hit me I hear a roar which causes Buloke to stop, and looking towards it, I see from another entrance into the area Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.


    Seeing me Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> runs towards me, so I say, ¡°Come here, good boy.¡±


    When he reaches me, I am smacked with his tail and sent flying into a wall.


    I then hear screams around the area, then Buloke says, ¡°We didn¡¯t actually want you to kill him!¡±


    A voice says, ¡°Well Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> was angry that he didn¡¯t get to take a turn so who could blame him.¡±


    Still shaken I scream, ¡°I am fine.¡± If it wasn¡¯t for my regeneration and spirit energy that might have cracked open my skull.


    As I try to recompose myself, the voice says again, ¡°So Orb how does it feel to come back from the dead?¡±


    Looking at whose voice it is, I see a strange man who I don¡¯t fully recognize but taking a look at his hair colour, I say, ¡°Willow!?¡±


    Picking me up, he says, ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Wha-what the hell happened to you, you¡¯re a lot taller now?¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, he says, ¡°Well I sort of went through a bit of a growth spurt while you were gone.¡± Giving me a triumphant look Willow says, ¡°But you still look as short as ever!¡±


    ¡°No look I have grown taller,¡± I say reaching as high as I can.


    ¡°You say that but then what¡¯s with the ice beneath your feet.¡±


    ¡°That was always there, maybe you should just be more observant.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like someone is full of shit, but as an adult, I will keep allowing your childish nonsense to pass by Orb.¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°You think because you''re tall your better than me!¡±


    Condescendingly he says, ¡°Hush child. Are you cranky? Is it your bedtime?¡±


    ¡°WHAT!!!¡±


    ¡°WILLOW!¡± Maple screams.


    ¡°Yes, hon-, I mean yes chief.¡±


    As I hide behind Willow, Maple asks him, ¡°Why have you interrupted our punishment game?¡±


    ¡°Because I believe it is wrong to harm frail little children.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Just follow along, Maple doesn¡¯t seem to be in a charitable mood.¡±


    ¡°So are you defying my rule, Willow!¡±


    ¡°Now I am just saying that we maybe should allow Orb to explain himself better.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°Ok then Orb come out and explain yourself.¡±


    Using snowboost I lunge over towards everyone and grab the bow I got made from Skydust, then I run back over towards Maple and freeze the packaging open.


    ¡°Orb what is this?¡±


    ¡°It is a present I got for you. I missed you so much that I had to get something to show you how much I wanted to see you again, this is a bow the same as Atalanta has.¡±


    Holding it close, she asks, ¡°You really did miss me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, Maple you¡¯re just as important to me as my own blood is to my life.¡±


    Giving me a hug, she says, ¡°I will forgive you then.¡±


    Hugging her back, I say, ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    Pulling my face close, she says, ¡°But if you ever do something like this again, I will kill you and then curse your soul to suffer in eternal damnation!!¡± The voice in which she says this makes me feel like she is possessed by a demon.


    ¡°Ok!!!¡±


    ¡°So Orb, what about me,¡± Willow asks.


    ¡°Did you really think I would forget about you? In my head is the knowledge of quite a few new flora and fauna for you.¡±


    Giving me a hug, Willow says, ¡°I love you Orb!!¡±


    Hearing a minor roar, I turn around and say, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten you either Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    Whistling I say, ¡°COME ON IN GIRL!¡±


    Through the area where everyone is standing, Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> comes in and I say, ¡°I got you a mate, a Tiritrex from Jedidiah.¡±


    Seeing each other they run next to one another. Willow says, ¡°I thought Tiritrex¡¯s were extinct?¡±


    ¡°All of them that lived in Fimbulwinter where, but I found her in another closed-off area where she could have been, and now they won¡¯t be alone.¡±


    As the two of them jump around in happiness the cave around us shakes, but we ignore it as the sight of both of them makes us filled up with happiness.


    Tapping me on my back, Buloke says, ¡°Did you get the rest of us anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope, bye!¡±


    Suddenly feeling my face grabbed, I see Pine who says, ¡°Looks like someone decided to be disrespectful today.¡±


    Whilst she puts me in a headlock, I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will simply squeeze it out of you. But that can wait to later, who are  all those people?¡±


    ¡°Just a few friends I made along the way.¡±


    ¡°Were you guys able to accomplish your goal?¡±


    Looking at her dead in the eyes, I say, ¡°No I failed, badly.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°Then for now let¡¯s all relax. I think your friends need to rest, and we would like to meet them. So, let¡¯s have a celebration for your return.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just randomly throw a party, where will we get the resources.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°We have actually been storing items for when we have your funeral.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Maple says, ¡°We planned to have it on your birthday in a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°Did you really just kill me off?¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get this party started.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just skip over this!¡±


    ¡°As village chief, I decree that everyone including all you strangers are to eat and drink your hearts out!!!¡±


    ¡°LISTEN TO ME!¡±

 Arc 9.03

    -Break-


    As the party rages on behind me I sit in a secluded area and eat food slowly. Every single bite I take makes me hurt even more, ¡°This is really bad.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± I hear from my side.


    Turning to face Suzuka, I put on my best facade and say, ¡°It isn¡¯t nice to sneak up on people like that.¡±


    Shyly, she says, ¡°Sorry Orb.¡±


    Noticing her strange body language, I say, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It is just that there are too many people Orb, I can¡¯t deal with this I am going to have a heart attack. Please help me!!¡±


    Hearing her heart beating louder and louder, I say, ¡°Ok then let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°Wait Orb, I need to emotionally prepare myself.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Hesitation is defeat!!!¡±


    Straightening up, she says, ¡°Your right!!¡±


    Grabbing her hand, I say, ¡°Now let¡¯s go look around.¡±


    As I jolt out of the area I am in, I look and then say, ¡°If we go around, we might find a place where we can insert you into a conversation. Over there is Maple, maybe she could help.¡±


    ¡°No, No, No, No, NO, she is scary!¡±


    ¡°She is just hardheaded, come on.¡±


    ¦µ In the distance I see Orb and Suzuka talking almost as if he is trying to drag her overhere. Maybe I should go help, but right now the most important thing is to keep my sister in check.


    Holding her tight, Orb¡¯s sister says to Mime, ¡°You¡¯re just so adorable, like a little fairy.¡±


    ¡°Mime is not a fairy she is a walker of the night, a shadow who none can catch and takes from all.¡±


    The children of Aplos start to gather around Mime and ask her questions.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re from the outside like Orb?¡±


    ¡°Do you know any tasty foods?¡±


    ¡°Your clothes are so pretty where can I get some?¡±


    ¡°Do you also have a legacy like Orb and Maple?¡±


    ¡°If so what can yours do?¡±


    Mime popping out of Maples arms says, ¡°Hahahaha, if you want me to answer your questions, I will require praise, so now you miscreants give me what I deserve.¡±


    Suddenly, all the kids start to sing Mime¡¯s praise.


    ¡°You¡¯re so pretty.¡±


    ¡°So strong.¡±


    ¡°Fantastical.¡±


    ¡°I would give you all my food.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a genius.¡±


    ¡°Please marry me.¡±


    ¡°Good that is a sufficient amount of praise, now I will enlighten you one by one schleppers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big word.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that one.¡±


    ¡°You must be incredibly smart.¡±


    Laughing yet again, Mime says, ¡°Of course, I am you fools!!!¡±


    Mime seems like she is enjoying herself, so I should just let her be. But there is another issue that bothers me; the people from Skydust.


    They have just been sitting by themselves in that corner over there without talking to anyone, it seems they are having a hard time talking to people, and with Orb stuck helping Suzuka it is my job to step up.


    Moving over to Peppa, I say, ¡°Hey aren¡¯t all of you guys craftsmen.¡±


    Clamming up, she says, ¡°Y-Y-Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then would you be able to tell me how this lighting dagger was forged,¡± I say as I pull out Easifatan¡¯s dagger.


    Taking out of my hands, she says, ¡°This was made by taking the part of the body which contains the cells of the wonderbeast that has the needed ability and embedding them within a metal that will further strengthen it. In this case, the wonderbeast which has the lighting attribute was fused with what I believe is steel to allow for sharpness and better conductivity for the lighting. The hilt of the dagger is also made from the skin cells to shield the user from any rouge lighting, truly master class craftsmanship!¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Looking at me she notices that all the eyes surrounding us a focused on her, so she says, ¡°O-O-O-O-Or so I think, I am not su-u-u-u-ure.¡±


    The kids from Aplos start to gather around and start to praise her.


    ¡°You¡¯re around the same age as us yet so smart.¡±


    ¡°So cool.¡±


    ¡°Tell me more.¡±


    ¡°What else can you do.¡±


    Looking at her straight in her eyes, I say, ¡°It seems like everyone wants to hear you talk.¡±


    Another child from Skydust walks up and says, ¡°Peppa you got something wrong; the hilt being made of the skin of the wonderbeast is a flaw. It is constantly weakening the lighting from reaching its full potential.¡±


    Another child from Skydust walks up and says, ¡°That¡¯s incorrect, if it wasn¡¯t for that hilt the lighting would just lose control and hit its user. It is without a doubt an important safety feature.¡± Peppa nods her head in agreement.


    Another child walks up and says, ¡°No you''re wrong. If he wanted to control the direction of the lighting, he would have found a way to focus the lighting cells of the wonderbeast into the metal part of the dagger not only concentrating the force but stopping it from running rogue by making it more of a beam. The craftsmen who made this failed.¡±


    Another child says, ¡°That¡¯s a completely incorrect assessment. If the creator focuses all the lighting into one area it would simply be too destructive and lose the versatility it has. Not to mention the dagger would probably melt from all that concentrated energy. In a combat scenario, it is not about the biggest attack you let out but how efficiently you can fight on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°As if you would know anything about battle.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be rude about it, we are just stating how much we appreciate the work that went into it.¡±


    ¡°Unlike the rest of you, some of us come from families which are used to working with wonderbeast, so of course we would take pride in our knowledge about certain things, unlike the rest of you.¡±


    ¡°Our families might not be as well versed in that specific area but don¡¯t treat us like we don¡¯t know what we are talking about.¡±


    Peppa says, ¡°Mommy, daddy.¡± After Peppa says this the kids around start to clam up, and the atmosphere around all of us becomes heavy.


    Grabbing the dagger out of Peppa''s hand Avram says, ¡°Everyone here has a point, but there is one key thing you''re missing this is from an Anathemized animal, not a wonderbeast so its cells don¡¯t degrade at the same rate as a wonderbeasts.  Also, if you look at the hilt you will see a special little trinket.¡±


    Peppa says, ¡°Is that a magnet?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, the magnet is what actually stops the lighting from striking the user. Then if the user is skilled enough as you can see the magnet can move to change the way in which lighting shoots.¡±


    One of the kids from Skydust says, ¡°But then why have the skin on the handle, it will only weaken the lighting.¡±


    Peppa says, ¡°The biggest issue with turning wonderbeasts into anything is the fact that their cells will fully degrade in a year or two, but Avr-ram just told us that this dagger is made from something which cells degrade slower. So, the reason it is covered is for longevity.¡±


    Laughing at his name pronounced incorrectly, Avram says, ¡°Exactly, if we look here the skin is detachable, so by doing that you could temporarily increase its power.¡±


    Peppa says, ¡°But as Melisa has already said that would overheat the weapon and melt the metal that keeps it together, so by having the ability to control its output removes that issue.¡±


    ¡°So, I was right, more power is the goal of the weapon.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°Hold up there young man, not exactly. The fact is this is a weapon specialised for a skilled warrior who can make use of the full potential of something like this. But if we are talking about mass production, Aaron over there who brought up the fact that restrictions make it more efficient is correct.


    When examining tools like this you must take into account what the end goal of it is before judging it, if you don¡¯t you will make a wrong assessment of an otherwise good product.


    But more than that each and everyone of you has a different expertise that allows you to see this from different angles so all of you need to show each of your sides so we can reach a satisfactory answer regarding this.


    You¡¯re all the inheritors of Skydust, take pride in all you know but don¡¯t shut down other ideas, the field of scientific development is too fast-moving to be caught up in yourselves.¡±


    One of the children from Skydust says, ¡°Aaron I am sorry about insulting you, your family history is something that I find amazing.¡±


    Aaron says, ¡°Rada, I am sorry as well I should have tried to understand where you were coming from.¡±


    Seeing my opportunity I pounce, and say, ¡°Peppa you know so much cool stuff would you please tell me more about this.¡±


    ¡°A-A-A-A-Are you sure you wa-a-a-a-ant to he-e-e-e-ear such things from me.¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt!¡±


    Avram then says, ¡°I would like the hear of the secrets and techniques that people from Skydust have.¡±


    Maple walking over to us says, ¡°I am not that smart, but I would like to hear as well.¡±


    The kids from Aplos says, ¡°Tell us to.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be left out.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like fun!¡±


    ¡°I want to know!¡±


    ¦µ Seeing all the faces staring at me I feel my tongue start to get caught up in knots. They are all expecting me to say things but when I try to recall the memories, I feel like I am about to cry. I start to blink rapidly with tears start to form, so I shut my eyes trying to hold them in.


    Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. As I feel tears well up in my eyes, I open them and in front of me, I see the boy named Anto making a stupid face which causes me to burst out laughing.


    Noticing how wild I am acting I rein myself in and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok I just thought you would have a very pretty smile and I wanted to see it. And if possible, I would like you to tell me about the people who gave you that nice smile, because even with the people we love being gone, that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t still talk about how happy it made us.¡±


    Feeling something well up in my heart, I say, ¡°You sure you want to hear mine?¡±


    Touching my shoulder, Aaron says, ¡°If Peppa doesn¡¯t want to share I have a bunch of stories as well.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t me-ean that.¡±


    Rada says, ¡°Me too.¡±


    Kat, says, ¡°I have a load as well.¡±


    The boy named Anto says with a smile, ¡°We have loads of time so tell us all of them.¡±


    Feeling the tears well up again, I say, ¡°I will.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at everyone smiling over there, I say, ¡°Everyone has forgotten about Mime.¡±


    Stomping up and down in a fury, I say, ¡°How dare you all forget about Mime, if that¡¯s how you want to be I will create a bunch of chaos as well.¡±


    Activating my legacy, I say, ¡°I wonder how you all will feel after I invert and split open the ground.¡±


    ¡°MIME!¡±


    Hearing a sinister voice, I freeze. No, no, no, no, no, no. ¡°The devil has returned.¡±


    Getting close, Elia says, ¡°Who do you mean by that? Looks like I need to discipline you again.¡±


    Sweating profusely, I say, ¡°I-I-I-Im swrry!¡±


    ¡°Too late.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°So Suzuka that¡¯s why you can trust Maple.¡±


    ¡°Ok then Orb, I will put my faith in your words.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°I got to look for a place to effortlessly enter you into the conversation.¡±


    Staring at all the people in that area not happily talking to each other, I say, ¡°Is it me or do all those people look closer than ever?¡±


    Suzuka then says with a depressed tone, ¡°If I enter now, I will just be an outsider!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Suzuka there are a bunch more conversations going on, I am sure I can enter you into one of them!¡± Grabbing her hand, I desperately run around the area.

 Arc 9.04

    Running around I turn and look for a conversation I can insert Suzuka in. No not that one, those guys are way too deep in conversation, what about them? no; they are talking about things I would rather not have Suzuka hear.


    But soon I see a target and say, ¡°There!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°What is it Buloke?¡±


    ¡°Jute I just wanted to apologize.¡±


    Being coy, I say, ¡°Whatever could you mean?¡±


    ¡°I should have noticed the fact you cut your hair shorter, that¡¯s my fault.¡±


    Behind me Holly, Juniper, and Acadia whisper, ¡°Now they are going to passionately kiss and make up.¡±


    ¡°Just like always.¡±


    ¡°It is standard practice at this point.¡±


    Turning around, I shout, ¡°SHUT UP. Now Buloke, continue.¡±


    ¡°All in all, Jute, I just wanted to say, I am so sor-.¡± Suddenly Buloke is drop-kicked in the face by Orb, sending him into the ground.


    Looking directly at me, Orb says, ¡°Hey Jute how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Orb, what the hell was that?¡±


    ¡°I just needed to talk to you as soon as possible, it definitely wasn¡¯t revenge for him beating the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°I AM PRETTY SURE IT WAS!!¡±


    ¡°Whatever, Jute I want to introduce you to someone.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Turning around Orb tries to move a girl around his height away from his back, but she fights against him and refuses to move.


    Turning to face me, Orb says, ¡°Give me a minute Jute.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Suzuka come on!¡±


    ¡°I refuse Orb, all those girls look cute and popular I am going to get bullied.¡±


    ¡°You never even talk to them how do you even know they could bully you?¡±


    ¡°Because I observed this stuff; during the nights I hunted spirits I used to stalk girls and observe their behaviour, and the pretty one used to always bully other girls and make fun of them.¡±


    ¡°So, I guess that makes you a bully then.¡±


    Taking a second to realize, Suzuka blushes and says, ¡°Did you just call me pretty!¡±


    Getting behind her, I push her forward and say, ¡°See that face is adorable and I am sure all these girls will like it too. Now sack up and get this done!¡±


    Being pushed forward Suzuka says, ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no!¡±


    ¦µ This is bad I am not ready, but Orb did say I am adorable so I should try.


    When Orb stops pushing me, my nerves take over again, and I start to shake. What should I say, I need to hurry up and think of something otherwise they will think I am weird. Wait, I will just read their minds.


    Closing my eyes, I try to read their minds, but then I am bombarded from all directions by voices and emotions. Holding my head, I suppress the other people¡¯s thoughts and emotions all I can.


    Too many people are in high tension, if I don¡¯t completely shut out the thoughts and emotions I will be completely bombarded. I guess I have to do this naturally, mother, father give me strength.


    Sticking out my hand, I say, ¡°HELLO MY NAME IS S-SUZUKA GOZEN AND I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO, I MEAN NICE TO MEET YOU!¡±


    Opening my eyes, I check to see how everyone responds, but the four girls in front of me are around Orb.


    ¦µ Hugging me, Acadia says, ¡°Oh how I have missed your refreshing face Orb.¡±


    ¡°Please let go of me; only I touch people not the other way around.¡±


    Letting go of me, she says, ¡°Oh sorry Orb, but it seems you have gotten more built over the time you were gone.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is so I can do things like this.¡± Picking her up and putting her in a princess hold.


    ¡°O-O-O-Orb what are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re always taking care of your younger siblings, so I thought it only fair that someone treats you like a princess.¡±


    Using my legacy, I create a crown of ice and place it on her head then I say, ¡°Here you go my lady.¡±


    Fainting she says, ¡°I can die happy now.¡± So, I placed her in a bed made of snow.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Turning my head to Holly, I say, ¡°Have you put on some weight?¡±


    Embarrassed, she holds her stomach and says, ¡°Please don¡¯t notice such things Orb.¡±


    Giving her a hug, I say, ¡°Who cares about such a thing, all it does is make your beautiful self nicer to hug. Nothing more beautiful than a girl with a nice appetite.¡±


    Huggin'' me back, she says, ¡°I love you!¡±


    ¡°I will think about it, but please stop the physical contact.¡±


    Pulling me out of her arms, Juniper says, ¡°Please listen Holly when someone speaks, if you don¡¯t you will end up causing my frustration for those around you.¡±


    Looking up at Juniper, I say, ¡°Thanks for always looking out for me,¡± With a smile.


    Her facial expression melts as she says, ¡°Orb if you ever in need of a wife call for me.¡±


    Turning to Jute, she says, ¡°Whatever voodoo magic you use on me it won¡¯t work.¡±


    With an understanding smile, I say, ¡°So Buloke is being an idiot yet again, I bet he didn¡¯t even notice that you cut your hair and added braids.¡±


    Impassioned, she says, ¡°That¡¯s exactly it!!! That idiot never understands anything.¡±


    Looks like all those techniques Capti taught me have come in handy.


    ¦µ Looking at Orb anger fills my veins; did he really abandon me to go flirt with some girls!!!!? I knew it was too good to be true, Orb is just some manwhore in disguise.


    Behind me I feel a surge of negative emotions and thoughts; turning around I see men wearing clothes with the same design as Maple who are making nasty glares at Orb.


    ¡°That bastard.¡±


    ¡°Woman-loving pervert.¡±


    ¡°Devil in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Pretty looking insect.¡±


    ¡°Watch your back.¡±


    ¡°Your days are numbered!¡±


    With tears appearing in my eyes, I look over at them and when we lock eyes mutual feelings come over all of us; Die Orb!


    Orb noticing us runs towards all of the men and starts to talk to them.


    ¡°Coco looking sharp as usual; Banya your jokes are as funny as always; Alis I missed you so much; Mango have you put on some muscle because you look amazing; Ash I bet you and Ewen worked your asses off to make this place look so comfy you''re amazing.¡±


    Suddenly the emotions of all the men start to turn positive and fluffy.


    ¡°Do I really look good?¡±


    ¡°I have a whole lot more jokes!¡±


    ¡°Sorry for punching you, I missed you too.¡±


    ¡°I have been training quite a bit, I even got spirit art training done.¡±


    ¡°Does the infrastructure look good, I didn¡¯t know if I did my job as well as possible.¡±


    Looking at them in shock, I say, ¡°They have been seduced!¡± Feeling betrayed, I say, ¡°Damn you Orb.¡±


    Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I hear, ¡°I am going to pound that brat''s face in.¡±


    Looking towards who is touching me, I see the man Orb just drop-kicked and I immediately freeze; this man is beautiful!!!


    His muscles are giant and well-defined, and he has a light amount of facial hair but it is quite striking as well, his hair is gorgeous and his red eyes pull me in. But more than any of that I can feel the raw experience flowing directly off his body, his body isn¡¯t heavily scared not because he is lazy but because he is simply that strong; he is a man among me!


    Looking down at me, he says, ¡°Oh sorry I shouldn¡¯t have touched you,¡± As he removes his hand.


    Immediately, I try to say something back but I completely stutter and trip over all my words until I say, ¡°Marry me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!!!!¡±


    Taking a step forward he falls down on one knee, so I immediately help him.


    ¡°What the hell was with that attack he hit me with, it is like a bunch of force just got sent straight into my body.¡±


    ¡°Umm that¡¯s Orb¡¯s helix battle arts, it¡¯s a technique he stole from an old man.¡±


    With a sombre look, he says, ¡°Not only does Orb have his legacy, but now even spirit arts and foreign techniques as well. Looks like I am going to get outclassed.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T WORRY ABOUT THAT! Orb may have all those abilities but against someone of equal strength I am sure they could crush that dumb dog, even I put him on his ass before.¡±


    Giving me a smile, he says, ¡°Thank you for that.¡±


    Blushing I turn my head away and say, ¡°If you ever need a training partner just ask me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I will, but could I ask for your name?¡±


    Turning my head towards him, I say, ¡°Suzuka Goz-.¡± I stop short as I see the woman named Jute staring directly at me.


    Pushing Buloke away, she grabs me and brings me close to her face, then says, ¡°Little girl I better never see you around him again, or I will make you regret your existence, am I clear.¡±


    Looking back at her, I say, ¡°Who says I have to listen to yo-.¡±


    Closing her eyes, she opens them again and gives me a completely crazed stare. ¡°I must not have made myself clear, If I ever see you in front of Buloke again I will push you to a state beyond death and after I do so, I will so defile your corpse that the very laws of nature will commit suicide out of the sight of your body. Now do I make myself clear little girl!¡±


    Her eyes are nothing, but black holes filled with madness, which shakes me so much that I  say, ¡°Y-Y-Y-YES MAM!¡±


    As she lets go of me, I run as far as I can as quickly as I can.


    ¦µ Taking a breath, I hear Buloke say on the floor, ¡°What was that?¡±


    Returning to my normal self I say, ¡°Oh that was nothing, please pay it no mind.¡±


    Buloke taking a deep breath, says, ¡°You really are crazy, and that¡¯s just how I like it. Jute please forgive me I miss you.¡±


    Hugging him, I say, ¡°I miss you too.¡±


    ¡°All forgiven.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¦µ Hearing gross sounds I turn my head to see Jute and Buloke kissing intensely. ¡°Eww. Wait, where is Suzuka?¡± Instantly I run off to look for her.


    ¦µ Sitting down with my legs crossed, I hear Suzuka shout, ¡°CYRUS!!!¡± Then a few moments later she dashes at me looking for a big hug.


    ¡°W-W-W-W-What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°I try to communicate, scary girls, Orb manwhore, beautiful man, demon is disguise, please help me!!!!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Orb running over to us says, ¡°Suzuka why did you run off?¡±


    Seeing Orb, she hisses at him. ¡°Or-r-r-rb it see-e-e-e-ems like she is angry.¡±


    ¡°Why!!?¡±


    ¡°Because yo-o-o-ou¡¯re a man whore.¡± Suzuka shakes her head in agreement.¡±


    ¡°HOW!?¡±


    Climbing over my body Orb tries to get to Suzuka, whilst saying, ¡°Sorry if I did anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Stay away you traitor.¡±


    As Orb and Suzuka continue to climb and play around my body, I laugh which causes the both of them to stop.


    Whisper to Suzuka, Orb says, ¡°Has Cyrus gone mad?¡±


    Whispering to Orb, Suzuka says, ¡°Maybe since he is part lizard he contracted some lizard disease.¡±


    Patting both of them on the head, I say, ¡°I-I-I-I-If you bot-t-t-th ever need anything ask me.¡±


    Looking at me strangely they whisper to each other again.


    ¡°I thought the eyepatch made him only look cooler, but that was pretty cool as well.¡±


    ¡°Maybe losing a horn awakened something within him.¡±


    Laying against me, Suzuka says, ¡°I am tired Orb, so I am going to lie here.¡±


    ¡°Hey we got some work to do.¡±


    ¡°So are you telling me you don¡¯t want to lie against Cyrus?¡±


    Lying against me, Orb says, ¡°I never said that, I am just reminding us of our mission.¡±


    ¡°A little rest never hurt anybody.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    As they just lie against me, Orb says, ¡°Cyrus whatever you decide you want to do with your sister¡¯s body I will help you do it.¡±


    ¡°Tha-a-a-a-ank you Orb.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Don¡¯t dead bodies start to smell and rot.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Yes, but I froze it to stop that from happening so Cyrus you can take all the time you need.¡±


    Cyrus simply nods his head in agreement. Looking up at his face with a missing horn and eye I grip my hands; I need to work harder so that no one loses like Cyrus.

 Arc 9.05

    -Break-


    Talking in the ambience of everything around me, I say, ¡°How peaceful this is.¡±


    Suddenly I feel something soft crash into me, then moments later I hear, ¡°You three are cuddling up without me!¡±


    ¡°There she is to ruin the day!¡±


    ¡°Sorry Atalanta me and Orb were just taking a moment to rest.¡±


    Hugging Suzuka, Atalanta says, ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t leave me out due to mal intent, but I am sure Orb would.¡±


    ¡°Your right, that sounds exactly like something I would do.¡±


    Draping her body over Cyrus, she says, ¡°See how much of a bully Orb is, save me, Cyrus!¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°And he is a manwhore!¡±


    They both start to chant, ¡°Bully, manwhore, bully, manwhore, bully, manwhore, bully, manwhore!¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop slandering my name you two!!¡±


    Puffing her cheeks and turning her face away, Atalanta says, ¡°Cyrus tell the doggy I won¡¯t be talking to him for the foreseeable future.¡±


    ¡°That sounds perfectly fine to me.¡±


    Crying she says, ¡°I hate you!!!!¡±


    Staring at her, I say, ¡°You are acting a little looser than usual, and your face is bright red.¡±


    Burping, she says, ¡°No I¡¯m not!¡±


    Smelling the burp, I say, ¡°Wait!¡± Then I grab and smell her body.


    Giggling, she says, ¡°That tickles.¡±


    ¡°Just put up with it.¡± Not only my hearing but my sense of smell is also impeded, but after getting a good sniff I can say without the shadow of a doubt that she is intoxicated. ¡°You''re drunk.¡±


    Woozy, she says, ¡°Congrats that¡¯s the right answer!!!¡±


    ¡°Where the hell did you even get alcohol from?¡±


    Flicker in and out of consciousness she says, ¡°Orb your hair is fluffy.¡±


    Throwing her towards Cyrus, I say, ¡°She will be of no help in that state.¡±


    Suzuka tapping me on my shoulder says, ¡°Orb look!¡±


    Taking a second to look at the people in front of me, I notice they all look just as drunk as Atalanta. ¡°I thought they were just being their usual rowdy selves but their all dead drunk, who did this?¡±


    Pointing again, Suzuka directs me to a man from Gaia¡¯s sky handing out wine to everyone partying.


    Running over to him with Suzuka close behind, I say, ¡°I will be back soon Cyrus keep her close till then.¡±


    He nods his head in approval as I rush off.


    Seeing the man handing out more wine, I build up rotational energy then drop kick him in the stomach. When he lands on the ground, I pick him up then say, ¡°Was freezing off your arm not enough to smack some sense into you dumb bandits.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I am talking about the alcohol; these guys can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°But they said they have had alcohol before.¡±


    ¡°The alcohol they made was just from berries they found around. In terms of overall alcohol content, it is nothing compared to processed wine.¡±


    Suzuka asks, ¡°How do you even know such things?¡±


    Turning my head back, I say, ¡°Capti was a rampant alcoholic in his younger days, so he spread his knowledge of wines in his books to me. Now, man, why did you guys do this?¡±


    ¡°We simply thought it would be fine since Sparrow told us it would be ok?¡±


    Dropping him, I grab my head, and say, ¡°I forgot about him! Do you know where he is?¡±


    ¡°He is over there talking to the people where her majesty Pine is.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say as I pick him up.


    Running towards where he points, Suzuka asks me, ¡°Is Pine a queen?¡±


    ¡°No, it is what they call old lady Pine.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because after my punishment, their souls were broken into pieces and Pine put them back together.¡±


    ¡°She sounds nice!!!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of many terms I could use to describe her.¡±


    After seeing Sparrow, I run over to him and say, ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± Whilst preparing to bunch him.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    But I am stopped by a member of Aplos, who says, ¡°Orb don¡¯t hit him.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°He is our friend.¡±


    Confused by everyone''s words, I say, ¡°What do you guys mean?¡±


    With a bright smile, Sparrow says, ¡°Oh Orb I haven¡¯t seen you yet, it is nice to see you are doing well.¡±


    Seeing his face, a feeling of disgust and discomfort wash over my body, ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    Getting up and walking over to me, he says, ¡°My change in demeanour is because I have truly awakened and joined the side of righteousness like my other friends in Gaia¡¯s sky.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡±


    His right-hand man Kac says, ¡°I can guarantee that the former boss is a much better person now. Isn¡¯t that right guys!¡±


    The members of Gaia¡¯s sky around us start to speak.


    ¡°I can promise you he is good now.¡±


    ¡°He has tried his best to help.¡±


    ¡°His is almost unrecognizable.¡±


    People from Aplos also start to speak up.


    ¡°He taught us how to use spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been going out to buy supplies for us.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think someone with such nice hair could be a bad person?¡±


    Speaking up, I say, ¡°Bullshit!!!"


    ¡°No, we are being honest.¡±


    ¡°Why would I believe that!?¡±


    ¡°Why did you believe the others have gotten better?¡±


    ¡°Because I ripped their dicks off! So, until I do the same to him I won¡¯t believe shit.¡±


    Walking up close, Sparrow says, ¡°Don¡¯t try and convince him guys, if the time we spent together wasn¡¯t enough to convince him I don¡¯t know what can, but thank you all.¡± When he finished speaking, he flashed a smile to the members of Aplos.


    This causes me to take note of the fact that the people who are defending him, are mostly old people.


    Feeling a pat behind me, I turn around and see Pine who says, ¡°Orb he has changed. He isn¡¯t as bad as you think and is rather charming!¡±


    My face turned to one of shock; that bastard has seduced all of the old people including Pine. Giving him a look of furry, I make a promise in my heart; I will never forgive you.


    Pine says, ¡°And if you hear how he became the way he did you will feel sorry for him, it truly is a tragic tale.¡±


    Suddenly all the people around me, start to tear up. ¡°What tragic story? I am pretty sure that anything coming out of his mouth would be utter nonsense.¡±


    Someone says, ¡°Orb why would you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because I have negative 100 reasons to trust him!¡±


    Walking forward, Sparrow says, ¡°It is alright guys, it is perfectly normal for Orb not to forgive me, but I don¡¯t care as long as my actions help you guys.¡±


    As everyone swoons, I rub my head and then say in anger, ¡°SUZUKA, I need you to read this guy''s mind!!¡± Looking around I don¡¯t see her anywhere, so I say, ¡°SHE VANISHED AGAIN!!!¡±


    Running away I say, ¡°I will be back soon!¡±


    ¦µ As Orb runs off a smirk that I try to hide appears right on my face; finally, finally, I got the upper hand against that little shit.


    Ever since he traded me for Atalanta, I have been putting my plan in motion, the first thing I did was put on my best act the entire time he was gone, I used my smarts and devilish smile to help everyone around here.


    It seems that Kac and all the rest of my people turning into their little obedient slaves made them a lot more open to my sudden change.


    The next step was to revive my men, they had been neutered and domesticated. I needed to awaken their souls, their manhood.


    4 months ago


    ¡°Kac what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am just picking flowers for little Sapy¡¯s birthday.¡±


    Hitting the flowers out of his hand, I say, ¡°You aren¡¯t a dad, you¡¯re a scum of the earth bandit who steals from little girls then sells them into slavery, and goes out to a brothel with the profits only to create another little girl who you will abandon in a heartbeat.¡±


    With a deluded smile, Kac says, ¡°Oh I have given up on such a life, her majesty Pine has saved and redeemed my soul in her ever-present bosom.¡±


    Smacking him, I say, ¡°Can you really move on that quickly!? Can you really get over what that boy Orb did to you!? HE RIPPED OFF YOUR DICK FOR GODS SAKE!!!¡±


    Seeing him get shaken, he says, ¡°I don¡¯t ne-e-e-ed it.¡±


    Smacking him, I say, ¡°Remember my brother, remember ass, remember boobs, remember sex, remember the prostitutes, remember the faces of all the crying whores you left single mothers, remember all the things that your penis allowed you to do.¡±


    Holding his head, he says, ¡°No, no, no, no!!!¡±


    Shaking him, I say, ¡°Come back my brother, I need you!!!¡±


    Screaming he falls to the ground then gets up saying, ¡°Sparrow I am back, and we are going to make that brat Orb pay for his sins.¡±


    ¡°You god damn right!!¡±


    4 months later


    Since then, I have turned all my fellow bandits back into their normal selves, which allowed me to increase the scope of my plan. I got them all addicted to alcohol during the wedding, I knew first-hand that people like them would be crushed by the content of refined alcohol.


    I trained my body to be able to control even the tiniest of movements so I could counter Orb¡¯s hearing. Then I used the time we were out gathering supplies to spread more rumours about the fact that people lived in Fimbulwinter to rouse the market for more slaves from Aplos.


    Next, I went to look for more men and support, and after finding a fair few patrons thanks to the rumours, I was able to get some men ready to raid this place. I was planning to do it during the funeral when everyone had their guards down and was drunk but it didn¡¯t turn out that way.


    I hadn¡¯t anticipated that Orb would return but God damn am I happy; that face of frustration he put on was the greatest thing I had ever since.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough it was nowhere enough; next I am going to turn all his friends against him. Then I will slowly work my way into his heart, and then at the height of all our friendship I will betray him!


    I will sell each and every one of these assholes into slavery, then I will torture Orb each and every day. I will take a giant sword and sodomise him and when he cries, I will tell him it is for reform.


    Then when he is hungry, I will starve that bastard. Also, whenever he tries to escape I will cleverly intercept and impede his plans, and after that give him a look like he is a pathetic creature for not accepting my reform.


    I will make him constantly get sick then when I should be gently nursing him back to health, I will abandon him instead. Then finally when he voices his opinions to be helpful, instead of validating those opinions I will make fun of him instead and tell him to shut up until he cries!!!!!


    Sparrow has gone ever so slightly insane.


    One of the woman of Aplos say, ¡°Sparrow would you be able to tell us the story again?¡±


    With a face full of shame and despair, I say, ¡°Are you sure you want to hear it, I don¡¯t want to destroy the mood?¡±


    ¡°Of course we do and it would be a great way of informing the people around how you became the way you did.¡±


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°Then gather around all who want to hear.¡±


    Thanks to all those childhood books I read of modern heroes like Warwick and ancient heroes such as Charles I was able to create a heart-wrenching story that these isolated people of Aplos wouldn¡¯t know about.


    ¡°Now the day it happened the sky was both heavy and light, the air was hot and cool, and my skin was damn yet dry.¡±


    Suddenly one of the people around me interrupts, with an ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Looking towards who spoke up, I see a young girl dressed in lady-like clothes and on her lap is a girl who looks like she is terrified; are they some of the people Orb brought back with her?


    With a kind smile, I ask, ¡°Is there a problem miss?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you see this little one in my arms isn¡¯t the sharpest tool in the shed so could you be very exact and on the point?¡±


    ¡°I will. Now where did I leave off, it wa-.¡±


    ¡°Also, could you please raise your voice, it is a struggle to hear you like that.¡±


    Slightly annoyed, I ask, ¡°Do you have any other request, miss no name?¡±


    ¡°I am vacant of any other requests at the moment, and I do have a name it is Elia and I hope we have a pleasant time together,¡± She says with a smile similar to Orb.

 Arc 9.06

    As she finishes speaking a bad feeling washes over my body. This girl is trouble I can feel it in my bones, but more than that the little girl shaking in arms reminds me of myself when I was with Orb.


    Should I run? No, I am no longer scared of anyone! My plan will go off perfectly and I will be safe, so I should just continue.


    ¡°The place where I lived was struck by a disease that killed countless people, and to my misfortune, my mother was struck by the same disease.


    So me and my father worked day after day to afford medicine for her, the work was intense, it took up so much of my time that the only solace I had was entertaining, a boy and a girl.


    When we came home from work, she would crack the both of us a smile, then we would stay by her side until she fell asleep.


    Then when she did, I would run into the forest and pick out Kastabag flowers; it was crimson and navy flower that is said to sprout when lighting strikes soil with high amounts of metal in it. My country was known for it.


    It was hard to find because many would look for it and take it before I could get it, but in the end, it was all worth it because the smile on my mother''s face was priceless. Those days were so incredible and I wished they would never en-.¡±


    ¡°EXCUSE ME!¡± Elia says whilst putting her hand up.


    That bitch, I was just getting to an emotional part, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Your home country had a crimson and navy flower in it, correct?¡±


    ¡°I just said that.¡±


    ¡°Ok, then just double checking.¡±


    Pay attention bitch!!!! ¡°But those days soon did, my father was killed by one of his best friends in a hunting accident, and he stole all of our possessions and money.


    Because of this me and my mother were left to fend for ourselves, but I wasn¡¯t able to make enough money on my own and eventually my mother died. With the last words she said; be happy my beautiful son.


    When I heard these words, I cried and continued to cry again and again until all my tears faded, and on that day my heart closed again. I proceeded to do whatever the hell I wanted because of the endless hole in my heart, the only time my heart opened was when I visited mothers grave each year.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me again.¡±


    What do you want!!!! With a smile, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hair, you have it dyed don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Huh, how could you know that?¡±


    ¡°Just a guess, go on.¡±


    This creepy little girl, whatever. ¡°But the darkness kept growing so I sent this darkness into others to destroy their lives, I was scum, I was trash, I should have never done such a thing. But thanks to all you guys help I was able to open up my heart.¡±


    With tears flowing down my face, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t thank you guys so much. I may never be forgiven for my sins, but I hope with whatever I have left I can help you guys.¡±


    Suddenly all the people around me start to get all teary-eyed and start to cheer me up.


    ¡°The past is the past.¡±


    ¡°We can become better now.¡±


    ¡°We will help you all the way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re family.¡±


    Fall into my trap you fools, ahh this is too easy. Even now with Orb back my place in this group is as solid as the ground itself. My plan won¡¯t be stopped now or ever!


    ¡°Hey, I have a question?¡± Elia asks.


    Someone says, ¡°Could you stop being rude young girl.¡±


    But I say in response, ¡°No it is alright, I have no issue with questions.¡±


    ¡°You said you visited your mother''s grave each year?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because I am pretty sure I am from your country!¡±


    ¡°EHHH!¡±


    ¡°The Kastabag flower are only found in a single place within my country of Bloesem with the cemetery rather close, I have lived there for years and have never seen you even once.¡±


    Shit, shit, shit, shit, this is bad, really bad. I am going to be found out right in front of everyone. Talking directly with a local is a one-way ticket to being exposed, everything is about to crumble.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Suddenly, Kac says, ¡°How dare you doubt Sparrow? Do you think it was easy for him to tell this story, it is a deep and shameful thing for him, yet he still shared this with us all, so you should be ashamed of doubting him.¡±


    Soon all the people around us started, to yell in appreciation of me. Looking at Kac I see him send me a grin; you glorious bastard. Now with this, I should be able to spin it towards my favour.


    ¡°Guys let¡¯s not be mean to her, she might have just missed me.¡±


    Elia asks, ¡°Earlier you said you dyed your hair?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡± What is she getting at?


    ¡°You see I was lying earlier; I actually know you, you see I was one of the two kids you used to play with when you were younger. The reason I lied about seeing you was because I was angry that didn¡¯t remember me.¡±


    One of the members of Aplos, says, ¡°Then you''re also from that disease-ridden country?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    As they continue to talk my mind starts to freak out. What the hell is she on about?


    Elia says with a cute pout, ¡°The name Sparrow is actually rather common in Molstoria and since you dyed your hair, I doubted it was you but after hearing your story I knew it had to be you. Every year without fail you come back to visit your parent''s grave ignoring all of us villagers, even me you bully.¡±


    This is amazing!!! She has gotten me confused with someone else, so as long as I play along, I can spin this in my favour! ¡°Oh, sorry about that, but now that I think about it, I remember you, Elia.¡±


    With bright childish eyes, she says, ¡°Really, I knew you would! You also remember my little brother Richard.¡±


    ¡°Oh, course I do, that little scamp.¡±


    ¡°But why didn¡¯t you bring up my little sister Mable.¡±


    Shit, ¡°Wellllllll-.¡±


    ¡°You two didn¡¯t get along that well so I guess you must have deleted her from your memory.¡±


    God really is on my side today. ¡°Oh, of course, I remember Mable I was just playing into a little joke that ran between us. We tend to forget each other''s name.¡±


    ¡°You two had jokes like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh course we did, don¡¯t act like you knew everything about us.¡±


    Turning her face away, she says, ¡°Stop being so mean!¡±


    Laughing, one of the members of Aplos asks, ¡°You guys must have been close.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I thought you¡¯d introduce me to your wife.¡±


    Suddenly one of the women around me says, ¡°You have a wife. You never said anything about that.¡±


    That¡¯s the one I have been flirting with; I need to think of a response right now. ¡°No, you got it all wrong Elia, the one you must have seen with was Kac, he always accompanied me to my mother¡¯s grave. Isn¡¯t that, right?¡± I say giving Kac a look.


    ¡°Y-Yeah it is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry for my assumption.¡±


    ¡°No problem, you were always a bit forgetful.¡±


    Like an adorable little child, she says, ¡°No I wasn¡¯t, idiot.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is nice to have a familiar face around, and maybe you¡¯re testimony from you would make Orb be nicer to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am sure it will.¡±


    ¡°Then could you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will but first could you do something for me?¡±


    ¡°Anything, me and you are friends after all.¡±


    ¡°Could you clean your filthy lying mouth out with soap?¡±


    Continuing to laugh, I stop then say, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You heard me loud and clear. But I guess I can¡¯t even trust the ears of a liar like you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Everything I just said was nonsense, all of it was just a lie I made up.¡±


    Suddenly my face fills with fright as all the other faces around me fill with shock.


    Elia then says, ¡°Now what was that about inside jokes with my sister?¡±


    I knew it, I knew she was giving me a bad feeling; I should have trusted my gut. But I can still turn this around, ¡°In all honesty I was just playing along not to hurt your feelings, but I thought you got me mixed up with someone, else but I can assure all of you my story is tru-.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. It is too late to lie now, throughout your story I noticed countless fabricated statements. The first and most damming was the disease that swept through your island is impossible to have happened anytime in the last 60 years.


    Molstoria has a rather extreme health care policy due to one of the navy¡¯s admirals, so the idea that a plague could sweep through your land without any governmental assistance is quite unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°The western islands of Molstoria are known for rejecting help from the navy and so on.¡±


    Smiling, she says, ¡°You do seem to have some degree of knowledge, but it is incomplete. The western islands of Molstoria are incredibly close to Fimbulwinter, so they are known for one thing; being in a constant state of winter. There has never been any rain or thunder for about two thousand years so a flower that needs thunder to bloom would never be found there.¡±


    ¡°There is a reason for th-.¡±


    ¡°BUT FINALLY, the story you just told me has an eerie similarity to the story of Warwick the admiral, a story that not a single person from Aplos could have known. A story which surprisingly has so many different versions that people often forget the little-known ones like the one you just told; oh and if any of you think I am lying I could simply go find my book about that particular story of Warwick, it even involves a rare crimson and silver flower.¡±


    Suddenly all the eyes, start to point at me.


    ¡°Sparrow, did you lie to us?¡±


    ¡°Do you try and manipulate us?¡±


    ¡°For shame boss, I believe in you,¡± Kac says.


    Your traitorous bastard.


    Walking over to Kac, Elia says, ¡°You agreed with his fabricated story as well, that must mean you were in on it too.¡±


    Pine walking up to Kac says, ¡°Is that true young man?¡±


    Stuttering over his words, he finally says, ¡°Yes it is Pine, he lead me astray. Please forgive me.¡±


    Sighing, Pine says, ¡°I forgive yo-.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Elia says. ¡°You see I despise alcohol so of course I did research on my enemy, and I know quite a lot about at and this brand they have been handing out is a little-known brand that keeps people drunk over long periods of time, and not only that but it is also has an addicting agent known as caffeine in it.


    They probably planned to get you all hooked on this stuff since none of you would know what it is then they planned to do unspeakable stuff to you all.¡±


    Pine asks, ¡°Kac is that true?¡±


    ¡°No Pine wa-.¡±


    ¡°I happened to ask someone earlier and he told me they have been handing this stuff out since 4 months ago, so their plan was already in way. They were probably waiting for a moment when all your guards were down to act out their plan, something like Orb¡¯s funeral. Despite how he acts everything was calculated and premeditated.¡±


    Turning her back and walking away, Pine says, ¡°Kac, I¡¯m disappointed in you.¡±


    Falling to the grown Kac, shouts, ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!¡±


    ¡°Serves you right traitor.¡±


    Feeling a hand on my shoulder I turn around to see the people who I was just telling my story to infuriated. ¡°Even after what your people put us through you would dare try that again!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know no better please spare me.¡±


    ¡°It seems the beating we gave you last time wasn¡¯t enough.¡±


    As they start to stretch and break their knuckles Elia says, ¡°Sparrow still has his family jewels, so don¡¯t forget to remove them this time.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± The crowd says.


    Hearing this sends a shiver down my spine, so with all the strength I can muster I run away with them all chasing after me moments later.


    While out of breath I shout the one thing I never wanted to, but I am out of options; ¡°ORB SAVE ME!!!¡±

 Arc 9.07

    -Break-


    ¦µ Hiding in her corner detach from everyone, Suzuka says whilst freaking out, ¡°SPARROW WAS SO HANDSOME! Looking at his rugged face almost made me faint, if he saw me, I would have died from embarrassment.¡±


    Calming down, I say, ¡°Well, in all honesty, I was embarrassing myself anyways, I have barely been able to talk to any of these people, I mostly have just been following Orb around like a lost puppy.¡±


    Digging my head into my knees, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t do anything right except fight.¡±


    ¡°You are being too kind to yourself.¡±


    Turning my head, I say, ¡°Gozy!¡±


    ¡°The only thing you can do is fight, but when was the last time you fought, You dumb fox!¡±


    ¡°But I fell unconscious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your own fault, it is because you couldn¡¯t deal with the mental strain, and due to that all your friends had to fight alone, and due to that Cyrus''s sister died.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°Atalanta lost her arm.¡±


    ¡°I wa-.¡±


    ¡°And Orb fell unconscious. You weren¡¯t even there to help them when they needed you most you idiot, and now you''re hiding and being difficult. Why do you even exist!¡±


    As Gozy starts to hit me, I say, ¡°I am so, so, sorry don¡¯t be angry at me,¡± While a few tears fall from my eyes.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    Looking up, I see Iancu staring down at me. ¡°I am just having a chat with Gozy.¡±


    Confused, he asks, ¡°Who?¡±


    Turning my head away, I say, ¡°Gozy is my friend of mind.¡±


    Hitting me on the head, Gozy says, ¡°You see that attitude is why you''re all alone imbecilic.¡±


    Covering my head, I say, ¡°Gozy please stop.¡±


    Sighing, Iancu says, ¡°I already knew you were stupid, but I didn¡¯t think you were crazy as well.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°I AM NOT CRAZY!¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Looking back at me with a grin, Iancu says, ¡°Now I am going to go back to talking with everyone, lonely girl.¡±


    Angered I say, ¡°Who cares it is not like I want to talk with those people anyway.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who was just crying in a corner by herself.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t crying!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re lying, truly a child. I see why you have no friends.¡±


    ¡°If you''re so mature, why are you here talking to me when you could be talking to everyone else?¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Iancu then says, ¡°That¡¯s none of y-your business.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Reading Iancu¡¯s mind, I get my answer, ¡°You couldn¡¯t start a conversation and decided to look for a place to hide too!!¡±


    ¡°Wha-at no!¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°It¡¯s true!!! You act like you''re so cool that no one wanted to even approach you loser.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be called a loser by a girl whose only friend is in her mind.¡±


    ¡°Gozy is a real friend.¡±


    ¡°Then show it to me right now, you dumb fox.¡±


    ¡°WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME DUMB FOX.¡±


    ¡°Because you are one, it is your name from now on.¡±


    Blushing, I whisper, ¡°I never had a nickname before. Does this make us friends, should I call you dumb bat as well?¡±


    With a face of disgust, Iancu says, ¡°Eww, stop being gross you failure of an existence.¡±


    Beside me Gozy starts to laugh and then says, ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s what you get. Did you actually think you could make a friend outside of me, you dumb fo-.¡±


    Smashing Gozy into the ground, I wrap my tail around my arm, then say, ¡°Fox art; Bone breakers!!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Suzuka where did you run off to?¡±


    Hearing a loud bang, I look to my left and notice that Iancu has just flown past me into a wall. Sighing I say, ¡°So it finally happened.¡±


    Turning my head around, I see Suzuka walking towards Iancu with furry in her eyes. Standing in front of her, I say, ¡°Hey Suzuka calm down.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°NO! That bat is going to pay, I am finished with pretending like I can¡¯t rip him in two.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka remember violence isn¡¯t the anger.¡±


    ¡°You pick violence all the time.¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of nuance there, like the fact I don¡¯t kill my opponents.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will only half kill him.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure that would still kill him.¡±


    Behind me, I hear, ¡°Orb let her go because I am going to need a clear shot.¡±


    Turning around, I see Iancu putting on a glove, and before I can say anything he activates his legacy.


    ¡°IANCU YOU¡¯RE GOING TO DIE!¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t, I am going to put that little fox girl in her place.¡±


    ¡°You see he wants to fight as well; NOW MOVE!¡± Suzuka says as she throws me away.


    Seeing both of them slowly walk up to each other, I look at Avram and scream, ¡°YOUR SON IS ABOUT TO DIE.¡±


    Avram looks at me and nonchalantly says, ¡°Talk shit, get hit. Maybe it will knock some sense into him.¡±


    Slamming my fists against the ground, I say, ¡°Are you serious!!¡±


    This is bad, I can¡¯t stop Suzuka in my current state. Please someone save Iancu from death.


    ¦µ As me and the dumb vampire are about to clash are fists against each other, I am tackled from the side.


    Looking down, I see Orb¡¯s Sister Maple hugging me. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so soft, you''re so fluffy.¡±


    Freaking out, I say, ¡°W-Wh-What are you doi-ing?¡±


    Looking directly at me, she says, ¡°You¡¯re so adorable. I didn¡¯t get a good look at your face before but you''re so cute. Do you want to be my friend?¡±


    ¡°Eh, why would you want to be my friend?¡±


    Crying Maple says, ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOO! Why won¡¯t you be friends with me!!!!!?¡±


    ¡°S-S-S-Sorry, please don¡¯t cry.¡±


    ¡°So, you will be my friend?¡±


    ¡°O-O-Ok.¡±


    ¡°YIPPEE,¡± Maple says as she continues to hug me.


    ¦µ Through the arms of Orb¡¯s sister, Suzuka gives me an incredibly smug expression, then says, ¡°Looks like mister lonely is standing there jealous.¡±


    ¡°YOU DUMB FOX.¡±


    Suddenly, I am hugged from the side as Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t fall to her provocations it leads to certain death.¡±


    ¡°I can take her!¡±


    ¡°No you can¡¯t, and anyway she is lying, because we¡¯re friends.¡±


    Feeling weird I force Orb to let go of me, then say, ¡°Where not friends!¡±


    Trying to hug me again, Orb says, ¡°No need to be shy, I know you love me very deeply.¡±


    ¡°Get the hell away from me. You¡¯re acting like Atalanta.¡±


    Stopping in one place, Orb falls to his knees and then screams, ¡°LIFE ISN''T WORTH LIVING ANYMORE!!¡±


    Dumbfounded, I say, ¡°You really don¡¯t like her that much?¡±


    ¦µ Smelling something coming from Maple, I run over to her and say, ¡°I am not like Atalanta!!!¡±


    I take Maple''s face and look directly into it then say, ¡°Maple are you drunk?¡±


    Burping in my face, she says, ¡°Yep.¡±


    Smashing my fist into the ground, I say, ¡°SPARROW YOU¡¯RE A DEAD MAN. Suzuka I need you to come with me now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Orb, all the happiness has made my legs give up.¡±


    Iancu tapping me on my shoulder says, ¡°I don¡¯t think you guys even need to move,¡± Whilst pointing towards a large crowd.


    In front of the crowd is Sparrow running towards me screaming, ¡°Orb save me!!¡±


    As he runs towards me, I activate my legacy, and when he gets close enough I punch him directly in the face, ¡°DIEEEEE!¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I say, ¡°That felt good, now can you guys explain to me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    -Break-


    As Sparrow cowers behind me, I say, ¡°OK I got the gist of it, but I don¡¯t see Elia anywhere around?¡±


    ¡°She went with others to gather up the rest of these scum.¡±


    ¡°Now Orb get out of the way, so we can punish this lying bastard.¡±


    Sparrow says, ¡°Please save me, I am going to die.¡±


    Grabbing his face, I say, ¡°You really lack any form of shame don¡¯t you, now please tell me one reason why I should do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a nice person who would never allow me to be killed.¡±


    ¡°Well your right, I won¡¯t allow them to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but you can live without your family jewels.¡±


    Sweating he turns to Maple, then says, ¡°Village chief save me!!!!¡±


    Maple in a drunken stupor says, ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me, I am cuddling SUZUKA IDIOT!!!¡±


    Putting my hand on his shoulder, I whisper into his ear, ¡°Let¡¯s get started, don¡¯t worry I will be gentle.¡±


    Breaking down in tears, he smashes his face into the ground, then says, ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me, because if you do what you say my mind will break and I will be of no more help to you.¡±


    ¡°We have had enough of your lies, only death remains.¡±


    Stopping everyone, I say, ¡°Wait a minute; Sparrow finish what you were saying.¡±


    ¡°Part of my plan was to sell you all off using the support of some powerful people. But now I can use those connections for other things. Whenever we decide to start trading, we are going to have to get things like trade permits for different countries which depending on a region can be quite a long process and very expensive, and were running out of supplies quickly.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°My father has a trade permit.¡±


    Sparrow''s face turns to one of fright, whilst I ask, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and it is one from Cordum, so it can be used essentially in all the major countries and markets.¡±


    Looking at Sparrow, I say, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re out of use.¡±


    Crawling backwards, he says, ¡°Wait I am sure my connections can be of use in other ways.¡±


    ¡°Any people who were willing to get in on the slave trade aren¡¯t business partners I want to have.¡±


    Sparrow getting up tries to run, but his body is suddenly sent into the ground.


    Iancu says, ¡°10 times gravity, you¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    The enraged crowd behind me, says, ¡°Now let us beat him down.¡±


    ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why not.¡±


    ¡°Because they still formulated this plan after all the physical torture I put them through, so we are not doing something that won¡¯t work. So, give me some time to think of a way to better shatter them on a spiritual level.¡±


    As I am lost in thought, I hear behind me, ¡°You guys are getting up to some fun I see.¡±


    Turning around I see Oren, but when I see him, I am shocked; the scaring has spread throughout the left side of his body. I thought the medicine we got to help the people from the Basileia mine would work better than this.


    Pine says, ¡°Oren get back to bed immediately.¡±


    ¡°Why? I heard Orb had finally returned, I just wanted to say hello.¡±


    Walking up to me Oren pats me on my head, then says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this I am feeling much more amazing than I have in years thanks to that medicine you got.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    With a smile he says, ¡°I spent years as the village doctor, but I never made medicine this potent. The outside world really is amazing isn¡¯t it!?¡±


    Putting on my best smile, I say, ¡°It is and I will definitely show you a lot more of it.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s enough my dear husband, time to go to bed, and I¡¯ll make sure to spend time next to your bedside, so you won¡¯t be lonely.¡±


    ¡°No, you should stay out here and enjoy the party with everyone else.¡±


    Making a sad face, Pine says, ¡°It is my job to take care of you in such a state, no buts.¡±


    In that moments seeing Oren¡¯s scaring, Pine''s sad face and Sparrow''s pathetic crawling, an idea hits me.


    Grabbing Sparrow, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Pine this scum and his people will take care of Oren instead.¡±


    Looking at me she says, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Just listen to me. This scum needs to learn the importance of others and I bilevel by taking on helping Oren and the rest of the people with his same problem will help these guys better themselves.¡±


    Pine says, ¡°I can¡¯t trust him with such a task.¡±


    Oren then says, ¡°I think we should allow it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I invoke the special power I have as a husband and ask that you simply please trust me on this, my gorgeous wonderful wife.¡±


    Sighing, Pine says, ¡°You''re lucky I love you.¡± Turning to face Sparrow she says, ¡°If anything happens to a single person, you will wish we just took your family jewels.¡±


    Like a domesticated animal, Sparrows says, ¡°yes.¡±


    As Pine is giving careful instructions to Sparrow, Oren whispers to me, ¡°It has been rather hard for Pine to see me in this state, so I thank you for allowing her not to.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±

 Arc 9.08

    While the crowd disperses, I sit down and say, ¡°Now I need to get into contact with that creepy old grandma Ai.¡±


    Iancu asks, ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Sparrow said he has been spreading a bunch of information about the village of Aplos around, and because of all of that now people are going start wandering into and around Fimbulwinter which is an issue for my plans going forward. I am going to use my favour from that old lady to spread a false rumour that there is no one from Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t some of your people get sold to Basileia, people would know they exist.¡±


    ¡°Basileia is in shambles and very few people can confirm that people from Aplos were even there. So the only question now is how to contact her?¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°I know how to contact her.¡±


    Turning our heads towards, Suzuka we say, ¡°How?¡±


    From her clothes, she pulls out a kaidenwa, then says, ¡°I have this here, a special Kaidenwa that only connects to Ai.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Why do you have that?¡±


    ¡°Ai gave it to me and told me to call her if I ever feel sad or lonely.¡±


    That creepy old lady?¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°It¡¯s pointless to use a kaidenwa to contact her, those things range is based on spirit energy and that old lady could literally be anywhere in the world right now.¡±


    Suddenly all of Suzuka¡¯s tails, vanish and she says, ¡°It¡¯s ringing.¡±


    Iancu with a face of surprise says, ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°I can store huge amounts of spirit energy away Iancu, so the range isn¡¯t an issue for me, did you forget something so simple idiot!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that, it is just whenever I learn anything about you my head immediately deletes it because of how insignificant you are.¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Maple hugging Suzuka says with tears, ¡°Where did the comfy tails go?¡±


    ¡°So-Sorry!!¡±


    Rubbing her face against Suzuka¡¯s, Maple says, ¡°Then I will cosy up to you instead.¡±


    Turning to me with an uncontrolled smile, Suzuka says, ¡°Orb what should I do, she is so nice?¡±


    Holding the Kaidenwa to my ear, I say, ¡°Enjoy it while it lasts.¡±


    From the Kaidenwa, I hear, ¡°Oh my darling little Suzuka what do you want to discuss today!!!!!?¡±


    With a cold voice, I say, ¡°Hello you freaking pervert.¡±


    ¡°AHHHH, is it you my adorable little Orb? Have you finally awoken from your slumber? I thought I would have to come a lay a kiss on your lips to rouse you awake.¡±


    ¡°I AM FIFTEEN YEARS OLD!!!!¡±


    Suddenly with a serious tone, Ai says, ¡°In the past, due to that lack of health care upon reaching the age of sexual maturity you were classified as an adult so you could start breeding immediately making sure the population grows.


    But due to the advances in medical knowledge, greater healthcare polices around the world, and the books of one of Seirei¡¯s great shoguns Koky¨± which stated that in our advanced society, we should see adulthood from physical age and both mental maturity that we now have a higher age of adulthood in many countries such as 20 or such.


    STILL, in more recent years due to the constant surge of wars, many countries have lowered it back down to 14 and even lower so the kids can start many more soldiers for them, and if you factor in the dramatic decline in health care so that the militaries can bolster their strength it is almost as if the world is returning to that harsh and fierce battlefield; so by that logic shouldn¡¯t we all accept the fact that we should view 14-year-olds as adults; AND THAT MEANS BOTH YOU AND SUZUKA SHOULD BE TREATED THE SAME AS 50 YEARS OLDS!!!¡±


    As I stare at the kaidenwa in utter disgust, Ai says, ¡°I can feel your disgust through the Kaidenwa!!!¡±


    ¡°I HOPE YOU CAN.¡±


    With a perverse aura emanating from the Kaidenwa, Ai says, ¡°But it sort of feels good coming from you.¡±


    Feeling a shiver down my spine, I say, ¡°Can we just get to business already?¡±


    ¡°O-.¡±


    From the Kaidenwa, I hear some kids running around in the background saying, ¡°Bath time, bath time, bath time!!¡±


    Then I hear, Ai says, ¡°Bath time already, let me join in with you guys.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no,¡± I say scared for the kids'' safety.


    But then I hear the sound of something snapping, and after a few seconds of quiet someone says through the Kaidenwa, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°My name is Orb, sad to say I am an acquittance of this old lady. Who is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me Sugiru, your guide from Skydust.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the bunny girl!¡±


    ¡°I would like if you would forget that piece of information.¡±


    ¡°What happened to Ai?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she took a nap for a bit.¡±


    That sound was like the one of someone¡¯s neck snapping.


    ¡°Now Orb what do you need?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to take the favour Ai promised me, I would like it if you guys would spread a rumour that all the talk about people living in Fimbulwinter is false.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°I see we can do that rather easily but are you sure you want that done?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°It is because of something that happened recently enough in Cordum. Do you know of the adventurers guild?¡±


    ¡°Well, I do have some knowledge due to Capti being one. It is a place located in Cordum where anyone who joins can accept quests to do all across the world for financial reward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and said adventures guild has posted a rather hefty reward if anyone can bring them some form of verification regarding whether the Fimbulwinter rumours are true. So, I was I thought that instead of spreading that rumour you might want to claim the prize money yourself.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that require me to put quite a bit of information about us into the public?¡±


    ¡°It was the scholars of Cordum that put up that request. They are all rather knowledge-hungry psychopaths so even the smallest piece of information would claim the reward, and if you really wanted you could spread more rumours about Aplos then when another request comes up you could simply claim that money.¡±


    ¡°All those ideas are rather amazing, so I would like to formally retract my request or if I were to put it in your tongue; I would super dupe like for you to totally forget what I said ?(??? ?).¡±


    ¡°I thought I told you to forget!!!!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, but would I be able to ask you to spread another rumour instead.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°That the country of Jedidiah has fallen under the rule of the dragons!¡±


    With a serious tone, she says, ¡°Well I take it to believe this means you guys really did have something to do with the disappearing sandstorm?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, I am not really too sure why it happened but I¡¯m pretty sure it involves me somehow, so I would like to secure the safety of the citizens.¡±


    ¡°How altruistic of you, but no matter what you do it won¡¯t be a long-term solution for Jedidah.¡±


    ¡°I am aware they would eventually be put in danger, but my goal is to buy them time, not protect the kingdom by myself.¡±


    ¡°Still even if we were to spread a rumour it would be quickly found out, the gravity of saying the dragons have made a home of one of the human countries would be rather dire.¡±


    ¡°My thought process goes something like this; The sandstorm around Jedidiah has been going on for millennia at this point, so to many the sudden disappearance will be a big event that needs immediate reconnaissance.


    But if people now think that dragons are involved, they will become quite a bit more cautious in their attempts to do reconnaissance, due to the fact that dragons rarely interact with humans and angering them will bring a ridiculous calamity to the human continents.


    In such a situation most of the major countries would panic. They would be worried whether or not the dragons are going to use Jedidiah as a hub for a full-scale invasion.


    It would put all the major countries in a situation where they need information but can¡¯t access it. Then the incredibly trusted news source comes in and tells everyone a bunch of fabricated truths that will make them stay away from Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°Wait right there Orb, spreading rumours is one thing but it seems like you''re asking us to write news articles directly giving inaccurate information, and if that is what you¡¯re asking I suggest you change your plan.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am not asking you to spread inaccurate information, I am simply a source from Jedidiah who witnessed two dragons there. And to my knowledge, the king of Jedidiah was going to marry a dragon who may or may not have some royal blood. All you guys have to do is take these facts and creatively fill in the gaps. It isn¡¯t your fault if your source lies a bit.¡±


    ¡°Orb the shinobi of Chronicle Nimbus constantly go all around the world, to find out the truth and spread it to the masses, doing something like fabricating something is the equivalent of spitting in the face of all the people who live and the legacy we have inherited from our forebearers!!!!¡±


    ¡°Hey Ai, me and Suzuka will give you a big kiss on your cheek if you do this for us.¡±


    Grabbing the Kaidenwa, she says, ¡°Anything you need, but would I be able to ask which cheeks specifically?¡±


    I hear Sugiru say, ¡°Do you not care for your history!¡±


    ¡°What is the point of morals that stand in the way of happiness?¡±


    ¡°You pervert!¡±


    Over the kaidenwa, I hear quite a bit of fighting, then after a little while Sugiru says, ¡°You''re lucky she is crazy.¡±


    ¡°I sure am! But on that note are the kids I gave her doing well?¡±


    ¡°They are all still getting used to the environment, but I would say they are getting on well. Some of them have even expressed wanting to join us in our job, especially Fionna. Constantly saying they want to be like Ninjaman.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all well and good but it wasn¡¯t what I was asking about, has Ai done anything towards them?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about such things, whenever that stupid ancient pervert tries anything, the older shinobi beat her into submission.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised you even let that pervert walk around.¡±


    ¡°Well for all her nonsense she is the one who found all of us in dire situations and raised us like her own children. So, we hope that this crazy might find some form of salvation in this life.¡±


    Remember Capti, I say, ¡°I sort of get what you mean.¡±


    From the Kaidenwa, I hear Ai say, ¡°I knew you loved me Sugiru, I still love you even if you are far past your prime.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Orb I have to go now; I need to go kill this fool.¡±


    As the single cuts, I say, ¡°Now I can go back to resting with Cyrus.¡±


    Suddenly I am grabbed and dragged away, then after being placed in the middle of a large crowd of people, I hear all of them shout, ¡°THE GRAND ARM-WRESTLING TOURNMENT BEGINS!!!!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to this!!!!¡±


    Banya announces, ¡°And now in the semi-final round Alis and Orb!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just skip all the brackets!!!¡±


    Banya says, ¡°Oh no we already had all the other rounds, we just decided to allow you to already claim one of the 4 semifinal spots due to your legacy. Now the winner of this match will face Willow in the finals.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how is Buloke not in the finals?¡±


    ¡°He is over there betraying the brotherhood by showing affection to his woman.¡±


    Looking over at Buloke and Jute, I see them passionately kissing. ¡°Ewww.¡±


    ¡°Now to your positions.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    Alis says ¡°Orb are you scared?¡±


    ¡°Not even a litt-.¡± Suddenly I see in my peripheral that Maple, Suzuka, Mime and Elia are watching.


    Waving at me, Mime says, ¡°Orb don¡¯t lose!¡± And holding her Elia just smiles.


    Walking up to the table, I say, ¡°I will take you up on that challenge!¡±


    ¡°LOOKS LIKE ORB HAS STEEPED UP! Now let us count down.¡±


    ¡°3!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to use your legacy?¡±


    ¡°2!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°1!!¡±


    ¡°Outside of Buloke and Willow, I have the best spirit energy control here!¡±


    ¡°GO!¡±


    Immediately I use helix battle arts to take all his momentum and reverse it while shouting, ¡°HELIX BATTLE ARTS; SPIRAL REVERSAL!¡± Then I slam Aea into the table.


    ¡°LOOKS LIKE ORB IS THE WINNER, AND NOW ONTO THE FINAL ROUND; ORB VERSUS WILLOW!¡±


    As Willow steps up to the table, he says, ¡°I have gotten quite competitive while you were away so come at me with full force.¡±


    Putting my arm out, I say, ¡°When I embarrass you, I won¡¯t even let you live it down.¡±


    As we smile and hold hands, Banya says, ¡°NOW IT IS TIME TO GET THIS ROUND STARTED. 3! 2! 1! GO!¡±


    Preparing to counter Willow, I wait for him to move but he doesn¡¯t move, and just stares at me.


    ¡°You going to do something?¡±


    ¡°And get countered like Alis, not a chance.¡±


    Banya says, ¡°They are just holding each other¡¯s hands staring into each other¡¯s eyes, what the hell is going on!?¡±


    Suddenly Willow says with a serious tone, ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    With a dead serious expression, he says, ¡°Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> says he wants to be a princess.¡±


    Picturing Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> as a princess causes me to burst out in laughter, and in that moment Willow immediately starts to press me. ¡°Hey, that was unfair!¡±


    ¡°Mind games are all part of warfare.¡±


    As I am losing, I try my hardest to push back but Willow is strong. ¡°Not only your physical strength but your use of spirit energy is great as well, even better than some of the enemies I fought.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear I am getting better. Now lose Orb.¡±


    As we continue to struggle, I say, ¡°You¡¯re amazing, but I don¡¯t plan on losing!!¡±


    ¡°Whoever plans on losing!!¡± Willow says pushing back.


    Suddenly as the crowd shouts we start to get more and more intense, but then between all the shouts I hear one loud voice say, ¡°Willow don¡¯t lose in front of your newlywed wife.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I say as all strength leaves my hands.


    As my hand crashes into the table, I say, ¡°Willow what is he talking about?¡±


    Suddenly Willow starts to sweat, then sighs. Walking over to Maple, and giving her a hug, Willow says, ¡°We thought you were dead which made all of us really sad, so to cheer everyone up.¡±


    A drunken Maple says, ¡°WE GOT MARRIED!!!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!!!!!!¡±

 Arc 9.09

    -Break-


    ¦µ Staring at the block of ice in front of me, I say, ¡°Orb please come out.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP YOU TRAITOR.¡±


    The twins called Anto says, ¡°Orb this isn¡¯t that big a deal, so your best friend got married to your sister. What does that matter.¡±


    ¡°IT MATTERS A LOT.¡±


    The strange boy called Iancu says, ¡°If anything Orb, isn¡¯t it nice to have your sister move on? Some of us would wish to have our sisters shipped off to marry someone.¡±


    Grabbing his cheeks, the nice girl Elia says, ¡°Iancu who might you ever be talking about?¡±


    Looking at them I freeze for a second; They¡¯re siblings!!!


    Atalanta says, ¡°But we all knew Maple and Willow were already in love with each other so what difference does this make?¡±


    ¡°IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.  I wanted to go to their wedding and have fun talking to everyone, I wanted to plan a whole lot of events to make it fun and memorable and now I will never get to do that!!!!¡±


    Atalanta says, ¡°Orb are you crying?¡±


    With a shaky voice, Orb says, ¡°No I¡¯m.¡±


    Walking up to the ice block, my wife says, ¡°Orb please come out, I¡¯m sorry!!¡±


    ¡°GO AWAY!!!¡±


    Breaking down in tears, my drunken wife cries, ¡°Why Orb? I miss you so much, why are you abandoning me!!!!¡±


    Suddenly the girl named Suzuka breaks Orb¡¯s ice block into pieces and picks up Orb by the collar. ¡°HEY, YOU DUMB LITTLE DOG HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY FRIEND CRY!!!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Suzuka, I didn¡¯t mean t-.¡±


    She smashes Orb into the ground repeatedly then places him in front of all of us. ¡°NOW SPEAK.¡±


    Maple drunkenly grabs Orb¡¯s head and shakes it saying, ¡°WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!¡±


    As she stops Orb looks away and says, ¡°Now that you two are married I am going to be left all alone forever!!!¡±


    I say, ¡°But you have other friends?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but look how mean they can be to me, did you not just see Suzuka manhandle me, and look at Iancu he is always playing coy with my affection.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t drag me into this.¡±


    Atalanta moving in for a hug, says, ¡°I will show you affection.¡±


    Shielding himself, Orb says ¡°NO!!! Not from you.¡±


    Hearing this I walk over to Orb, and kneel down then say, ¡°I see where you¡¯re coming from.¡±


    ¡°So then!¡±


    ¡°BUT SUCK IT UP. I am finally married to my dream girl so of course I wouldn¡¯t have as much time to spend together.¡±


    In front of me, I see Orb¡¯s spirit break as he curls up into a ball.


    Suddenly Maple hugs me and says, ¡°Orb we are spending every day together from now on, so I can¡¯t do anything about that I am now Maple Berk. But still, I don¡¯t want my father''s name to die out so will you please be Orb Rian, big brother?¡±


    Shyly Orb says, ¡°Are you sure you want me to do that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do, outside of Willow you''re my only family Orb.¡±


    Still in a ball, he says, ¡°Then I will do it.¡±


    Picking both the sad Orb and a drunk Maple up, I say, ¡°You hear that, from this moment Orb is officially part of the Rian family!!¡±


    A crowd of people cheer then moments later reinvigorated Orb says, ¡°LET THIS PARTY RAGE ON TILL WE ARE ALL PASSED OUT!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!!!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Rubbing the feathers of the Zterytavis, I say, ¡°Are you guys doing alright, it must be strange being in such unfamiliar environments for so long. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t do better to save your home.¡±


    As I stare into the Tavis¡¯s face it opens its mouth then I hear, ¡°Is that really bothering you?¡±


    Hearing this I fall back and land on my but. ¡°Did you just speak?¡±


    ¡°No one will ever believe you, CAAAW.¡±


    Recognizing the voice, I say, ¡°Wait. WILLOW!¡±


    Hopping out, Willow says, ¡°Aww, I wanted to see how long I could keep up the ruse.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny.¡±


    Giggling he says, ¡°Yes it was!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was.¡±


    Rubbing the Tavis¡¯s, Willow says, ¡°Now would you mind introducing me to this majestic creature.¡±


    ¡°It is a flying wonderbeast that was used to send goods all across the world.¡±


    ¡°That would mean this girl has seen countless different people and villages.¡±


    ¡°I would assume so, and how did you even know this beast was a girl?¡±


    ¡°Once you reach my level of animal understanding you can tell such minor things instantly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great master teach me your ways.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It will cost you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I have quite a few new wonderbeasts under my belt. I am sure I can pay for whatever lesson.¡±


    ¡°While that does sound tantalizing the payment, what I want is something a bit different.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not your wife I can¡¯t do such favours for you.¡±


    ¡°Orb what I want is for you to tell me what happened during your journey.¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°You choose that over getting to learn about new animals, you really must be obsessed with me!¡±


    ¡°Orb,¡± Willow says with a concerned expression.


    Staring at his face, I say, ¡°It really isn¡¯t that interesting.¡±


    ¡°But I still want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, well where should I begin? Oh yeah, Sparrow puked all over himself.¡±


    -Break-


    Staring down from the top of the valley with Willow sitting beside, I say, ¡°And that¡¯s about it, we left Jedidiah came here and you know the rest. So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°All the wonderbeasts you named sound adorable.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you took from my story!!!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to lighten the mood since you were being a downer. But it must suck to have your senses messed up by that pain.¡±


    ¡°It really does. I spent all this time sharpening the use of my senses and now they are all being dulled by the pain. It is like someone is deriving pleasure from my suffering.¡±


    ¡°But still, you can use that advent thing, so it must be a far trade-off.¡±


    Smugly, I say, ¡°Well it seems I have changed just like you.¡±


    ¡°Keep lying to yourself shorty.¡±


    ¡°HEY, I AM GOING TO GO THROUGH A GROWTH SPURT ONE DAY. You will see!¡±


    ¡°If you say so. Also, regarding change, is there a reason your hair is more silver now?¡±


    Creating a thin square of ice, I look at my reflection and say, ¡°That¡¯s weird, I didn¡¯t even notice that, must be something out of my control.¡±


    ¡°Is it just your hair up there that is multicoloured or is it in other places?¡±


    ¡°I know the question you''re asking, and the answer is yes. Also, if we are answering each other questions, I have some questions on the female form I have always wanted answe-.¡±


    ¡°I am going to stop you right there; I will not speak about my wife¡¯s nakedness.¡±


    ¡°Boo.¡±


    ¡°And do you really want to know about your new sister¡¯s naked body?¡±


    Thinking about it, I say, ¡°That¡¯s gross.¡±


    ¡°No, Maple¡¯s body is actually qui-.¡±


    Putting my fingers in my ears, I say, ¡°LALALALALALA!¡±


    ¡°Looks like someone is still a child.¡±


    ¡°I am fine with being a child forever if being an adult means I have to hear that. But now since we have nothing to talk about, I have a question I would like you to answer.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, whatever you want answered I will give you.¡±


    ¡°Willow, what is the point of life?¡± Looking at Willow I see he is making an annoyed face. ¡°What¡¯s with that face, didn¡¯t you say you will answer whatever I wanted!?


    ¡°I thought it was going to be about how to get an amazing wife, not what is the meaning of life! Is something wrong with your head? How would I even know that I¡¯m 15 years old!¡±


    Faining being upset, I turn my head to the side and say, ¡°And here I thought Willow was a man of his word, but it seems this newly married man has already started lying, Oh how I worry for Maple¡¯s fate.¡±


    Rubbing his head, Willow says, ¡°I am a man of my word!¡±


    Holding back a giggle, I say, ¡°Really that worked?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it did, now expand on that point you just made so I can answer it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Tucking my knees in between my arms, I say, ¡°While I was outside I learned that people really are living their lives much differently than I am, but I¡¯m not so sure I agree with the ways they live their lives.


    But one thing I can say for sure is that the people of Jedidiah focused more on the afterlife rather than the present, and all of you guys in Aplos were happy. Yet I intervened and tried to make things better, but I don¡¯t know if what I did was worth destroying their current happiness for the unsure future, I gave them is truly the best option.


    Even now I have ripped Suzuka away from her execution to try and give her a better life but will the life I give her be better than the solace she could have had in her execution. I am the man who allowed Cyrus¡¯s sister to die, and then almost allowed the same to happen to Anto, Atalanta and Cyrus. I just don¡¯t know, so tell me Willow what the meaning of life is?¡±


    ¦µ I say, ¡°Orb if you had never come to the village, I would have gone down one of two paths in life. First, I become a warrior, hunt with everyone else, marry Maple, become a father and die happy never seeing the outside world.


    Or I give up on becoming a warrior, continue my love for animals, use my knowledge to teach the next generation strategies against wonderbeasts, marry Maple, become a father and die happy never seeing the outside world.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair changes to green, so I say, ¡°Two completely separate paths that would have given me happiness, so in a way Orb your right I would have lived a happy life if you had never come to Aplos.¡±


    As Orb¡¯s hair changes from green to brown, then to black. ¡°But the person standing in front of you is someone who is also a warrior and who also loves animals whilst teaching the younger generation. The two versions of me who would have gone down separate unconnected paths have now fused into one and that is thanks to you always wishing the very best for people.¡±


    Orb hair turns Pink, so I say, ¡°I have also become much more talkative and a lot more competitive and thanks to this which wouldn¡¯t have happened had I gone down one path. I have discovered so much happiness I wouldn¡¯t have, and I am sure there are countless different paths which could give me happiness and I intend to fuse with as many of them as possible so that my own happiness and the happiness I can spread will grow, I owe it to myself to try that.¡±


    With red hair, Orbs says, ¡°But you won¡¯t ever be able to see all those paths.¡±


    ¡°That simply means I can still keep growing till I die doesn¡¯t that sound fun!¡±


    ¡°But what if you die on your search for this happiness, it is a dangerous gamble.¡±


    ¡°You can die living as safely as possible, so if I am going to die, NO, if I am going to live, I will do it the best I possibly can.¡±


    ¡°That might be how you see it, but you do have a much higher chance of facing disaster, the more happiness you try to covet the more danger you face. I have too many lives to take care of to base my decisions on such things.¡±


    ¡°Then let me be your living example!¡±


    With grey hair, Orbs says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We can never truly know whether this path is good or not until someone walked it. So, keep being you and I will be the living example of whether the words you say carry weight or not, since unlike you I am rather normal.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair, changes from grey to red to orange to blue, to green then he laughs and says, ¡°You really want to waste your life on such stupidity?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. You¡¯ve saved this life so I will allow you to mess with it somewhat.¡±


    Standing up, Orb says, ¡°Ok then fool, let¡¯s walk down this path to find the answer, you fool.¡±


    ¡°You call me a fool, but you came and asked for my counsel.¡±


    ¡°Because all you have on your brain is animals and Maple, so I decided to use all of that unused mental energy towards a purpose.¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you forgetting I organized a prison break!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it only succeeded thanks to my awesome strength.¡±


    Pulling out my sword, I say, ¡°You want to test that?¡±


    ¦µ Activating my legacy, I say, ¡°I still have some leftover resentment so I would like to take that out on you. Don¡¯t worry I will hold back.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I will be aiming for all your weak stops, and using my secret weapon.¡± Willow whistles and moments later Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> comes running up the sloped hill. ¡°This is the double Willow combo!¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°When I defeat you know it will be more embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°TRY ME!¡±


    ¡°YOU''RE ON!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Hoping off of Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup>, I say, ¡°Now where could my family be?¡±


    Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I see Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> tapping me with her tail, So I say, ¡°What is it, girl?¡±


    She points with her tail to the top of the cliff, so I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go check over there then.¡±


    Hopping on her back, she runs directly to the top. ¡°You''re way faster than Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, is it because you only have 2 legs.¡± As she roars, I rub her head and say, ¡°You''re such a good girl!¡±


    When we reach the top, I see Orb, Willow, and Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> lying on the ground beaten and bruised, so I hop off and say, ¡°What are you three doing?¡±


    Willow says, ¡°Man stuff.¡±


    Orb says, ¡°Nothing you will understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would like it if my husband and brother didn¡¯t fight, since you guys are brothers now two. That goes for you two Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>!¡±


    Suddenly Orb says, ¡°I guess we are brothers now Willow.¡±


    Laughing Willow says, ¡°Then this was our first brotherly spat.¡±


    Hugging my husband, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry honey.¡±


    Sitting up, Orb says, ¡°Oh look at the happy couple.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get executed Orb!?¡±


    ¡°Ok, Ok, I won¡¯t make jokes, but now we do have some work to get to.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I told you guys earlier this year, I have found a place for all of us, and we are going there.¡±

 Arc 9.10

    -Break-


    Continent: Northern edge of Terrafide.


    Location: Fimbulwinter


    ¦µ Feeling a tap on my head, I hear, ¡°Gu¨¡ng wake up.¡±


    Immediately opening my eyes, I see our leader Casandra staring at me with an annoyed expression.


    Embarrassed, I ask, ¡°Did I fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°Like a storybook princess.¡±


    Beside the leader, the large man known as Thorgrim laughs and then says, ¡°I thought one of us would have to kiss you awake.¡±


    Even more embarrassed, I say, ¡°Sorry!¡± While bowing.


    Beside me, the girl, named Anouk says, ¡°In all honesty, you being asleep made all of us have a better ride since your shaking was bothering the hell out of me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Could you stop fucking apologizing?¡±


    Scared, I say, ¡°SORRY!¡±


    ¡°DIDN¡¯T I SAY STOP.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Well who could blame him Anouk, you are much worse than any beast we¡¯ve fought. Don¡¯t worry Gu¨¡ng you will eventually warm up to her.¡±


    Under her breath, she mutters, ¡°I swear why do we have to bring this rookie along?¡±


    I say, ¡°Being quiet doesn¡¯t work if you are right beside me.¡±


    Even more enraged, she shouts, ¡°MAYBE I WANT YOU TO HEAR IT.¡±


    ¡°AHHH, SORRY!!¡±


    Laughing, Thorgrim says, ¡°Taking back to Anouk you really do have some balls.¡±


    Grabbing me by the collar, Anouk says, ¡°Well if he has any, I am going to cut them off.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°ANOUK CALM DOWN.¡±


    ¡°But boss.¡±


    ¡°No, buts, and didn¡¯t I tell you not to judge people so fast? He isn¡¯t a rookie in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I will explain later because we are almost at Fimbulwinter so now we need to go over the details of our mission.¡±


    Both Thorgrim and Anouk immediately compose themselves, so I sit up straight as well. Then moments later Casandra says, ¡°When we arrive at Fimbulwinter we are to escort a scholar from Cordum through the forest until we find proof of the existence of people living there.¡±


    Irritated Anouk says, ¡°SO]o we¡¯re taking this mission because of the rumours?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Confused, I ask, ¡°I thought no one could survive on Fimbulwinter?¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°So did everyone until recently. There have been rumours flying about that Fimbulwinter has secretly been hiding a group of people within it.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Aren¡¯t their place on Fimbulwinter that hit absolute Zero!¡±


    ¡°It is said that these people live on the lower level of Fimbulwinter, so they possibly could survive down there, and now a scholar has asked us to look for them with him.¡±


    ¡°Still, I don¡¯t see why these people are so important for us to do this mission, I know the scholars from Cordum want every single sprinkle of information they can get their hands on but isn¡¯t this a bit too dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Apparently the people who live in Aplos are direct descendants of Magnolia of Celestial vision.¡±


    Jumping up, I say, ¡°The pupil of Basileia, the one who built the Elp¨ªda platforms and revolutionised technological advancements worldwide.¡±


    Knocking me back down, Anouk says, ¡°Sit the hell down!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, Sorry!¡±


    With a smile, Thorgrim says, ¡°You¡¯re right Gu¨¡ng, and some people now believe that these descendants have all of Celestial visions lost plans.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Now a bunch of people have been going directly to Fimbulwinter to look for them, and where next.¡±


    As the carriage comes to a stop, Casandra says, ¡°Looks like we are here?¡±


    We all step out of the carriage, and Casandra pays the coachman, saying, ¡°Thanks for the lift.¡±


    ¡°It was no problem, but one bit of advice is that you turn back. I have given quite a few people rides up here in recent months, but none have returned.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about us, because all of us are pro adventurers!¡±


    ¡°Well then, I hope to be given you a lift back. See you.¡±


    ¡°See you.¡±


    Turning around, Casandra says, ¡°We are meeting the scholar here so we should just sit down and wait for a bit.¡±


    ¡°YOU DON¡¯T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT,¡± We hear behind us.


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    Turning around, we see a very young man in what looks to be white and gold church garments, but they are modified as if they are made for winter.


    Walking up to him, Casandra says, ¡°You must be Christopher.¡±


    Energetically, shaking her hand, Christopher says, ¡°You¡¯re Casandra Neverlunar. Height; 177cm, weight; 58kg, favourite food; bananas, favourite colour; orange. Has two daughters, named Mary and Annabel. Had a husband who was kidnapped a few years ago but miraculously he escaped and returned. When you wake up you preheat the milk for every member of your family, then yo-.¡±


    Breaking free of his hand, Casandra says, ¡°You scholars are as creepy as ever.¡±


    ¡°We are simply children of god, what is weird about appreciating all his other children.¡±


    ¡°And being religious psychos doesn¡¯t help your case.¡±


    ¡°Hey we aren¡¯t religious psychos, that¡¯s Gevurah; we''re the nice ones!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s what all you religious types say. So did you bring what I requested?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± he says handing me a bag.


    Turning around with the bag, Casandra throws it at us and then says, ¡°Here you guys go.¡±


    Looking inside the bag, we see clothes so I ask, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Those are special clothes I procured for this trip for you all.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Oh this looks cute.¡±


    ¡°Is this why we all came with light equipment?¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°But will these even be useful against the extreme cold of Fimbulwinter?¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°These clothes are all made from wonderbeasts of islands close to Fimbulwinter. So, they should have quite a bit of cold resistance, though only up to a certain point. Actually, the specific wonderbeasts they are made of ar-.¡±


    Cutting him off, Casandra says, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, let¡¯s get dressed.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡±


    -Break-


    Holding the clothes close, I say, ¡°This is really comfy!¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Stop acting so childish.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Stop being a spoilsport these really are comfy, but I do feel like I might overheat within these.¡±


    Begrudgingly, she says, ¡°I guess your right Thorgrim.¡±


    ¡°But I just sai-.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    ¡°YES, MA¡¯AM.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Now let¡¯s head inside!¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°No before that I will give you a breakdown of our team.¡±


    ¡°No need for that since I am familiar with all of you. Casandra is a front-line fighter who specializes in fighting animals and wonderbeasts. Thorgrim is a man who is known for his expert balance between solid iron defence and manoeuvrability, the walking wall they call you.


    Anouk the free, known for her ability to take accurate shots in unstable territory, all three of you have very high approval ratings in the adventures guild.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Well, you seem to know your stu-.¡±


    ¡°And Gu¨¡ng the winner of the Cordum heroes tournament this year. In all the rounds you weren¡¯t even touched once, a sword prodigy they say. One who may even be greater than Bradamante.¡±


    Feeling elated I rub the back of my head and say, ¡°People are really saying that, how embarrassing!!¡±


    Kicking me, Anouk says, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky newbie. If Bradamante competed, you would have lost!¡±


    Bowing out of fear, I say, ¡°YES I WOULD¡¯VE.¡±


    Hitting Anouk on the head, Casandra says, ¡°Calm down fool. Now everyone let¡¯s get going.¡±


    As we all walk towards the forest, I start to feel fear overtake my heart. Right now, we are about to travel into the storm of the apocalypse, a place many have never returned from.


    Will I be able to fight well? Will I be able to perform as a member of this team effectively?


    Casandra beside me says, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared Gu¨¡ng.¡±


    ¡°But what if I mess up as part of the team?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such things, we brought you on to this team because we need another front-line fighter and I believe in the skill I have seen. So don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    Looking down, I say, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¦µ Beside me Anouk says, ¡°Why is the boss warming up to that kid?¡±


    ¡°I suggest you stop your childish hatred of that boy.¡±


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T!! Ever since he won the tournament people have been calling him a greater swordsman than Bradamante, and as a Brady, I can¡¯t allow such slander to persist.¡±


    ¡°You fans are just as crazy as the scholars.¡±


    ¡°Did you say something Thorgrim!!?¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°Your ears must have mistaken you.¡±


    Upset, Anouk says, ¡°Bradamante when will you return to Cordum and kick the butt of that foolish child!¡±


    Anouk doesn¡¯t like Gu¨¡ng at all, but his skills are the real deal; the entire carriage ride here despite being asleep his muscles never relaxed and were always active, not only that but his spirit energy kept flowing fiercely throughout his body as well. What kind of training allows that to even happen?


    -Break-


    ¦µ As Anouk shiver behind me she says, ¡°This whole fucking place is bullshit. I am head to toe in cold-resistant clothes and I still feel like my tits are about to freeze off.¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining Anouk.¡±


    ¡°Unlike the rest of you two, I don¡¯t train my body to stupid levels.¡±


    Pointing at Christopher, Anouk says, ¡°How the hell is he doing alright!¡±


    Turning around, he says, ¡°My excitement has raised my body heat beyond what you normal humans could possibly achieve. GOD TRULY IS GREAT!¡±


    ¡°Well then what about the twig over there,¡± Anouk says pointing at me.


    Confused by her statement, I say, ¡°The cold is simply a construct of the mind.¡±


    ¡°THE HELL IT IS!¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Anouk complain again, and I will tell the church where the cult of Bradamante is located.¡±


    ¡°We''re not a cult, we¡¯re just fans!¡±


    Casandra turning to Christopher says, ¡°You can find the location of the cult nor-.¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, I¡¯m sorry!¡± She says getting up.


    As we continue to walk through Fimbulwinter, Anouk says, ¡°Why the hell does this place even exist.¡±


    Christopher with a light in his eyes asks, ¡°DO YOU WANT AN EXAPLNATION?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t because it is a rhetorical question. Everyone knows how Fimbulwinter formed.¡±


    ¡°Then would you please enlighten me?¡±


    ¡°Around 2000 years ago, during the 4<sup>th</sup> human-beastkin war the beastkin lost, and using a power unknown to us they froze the continent of Victoria as revenge. Due to the fact that Vicotria was the main hub of mankind at the time, the entire world was devasted with a continent essentially disappearing, so they decided to end the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle of history and transition into the 3<sup>rd</sup> to show the giant change of the state of the world.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°I am surprised you know so much.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Why would you? It is quite a common story to be told around the world.¡±


    I say, ¡°I think he was saying it is surprising that YOU know it.¡±


    ¡°MOTHERFUCKER.¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Well at least that¡¯s the popular theory as to why Fimbulwinter was formed. But in actuality, none know how it popped into existence.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, but I where thought it was because of the beastkin?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply a theory people have constructed due to the fact of how close the 4<sup>th</sup> human-beastkin war was in relation to the incident, and personally I do believe that does play a factor but in terms of proof it is non-existent.¡±


    I ask, ¡°But haven¡¯t some dragons lived through such an event?¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Dragons don¡¯t involve themselves with humans, so I doubt they even know what happened till after it froze.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°The only person who might have an idea is the nightmare queen who is said to have lived through such an event. But she isn¡¯t receptive to humans either.¡±


    I say, ¡°And since Victoria had most of the documents of the time.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°When it froze most of those records vanished forever, and since Cordum was only recently established during that time we are completely out of luck. So that¡¯s why this discovery is much more important than one would believe, these people might have records of what actually happened during that time are much more important than simply the remnants of Magnolia¡¯s work.¡±


    Jumping up and down like a child, Christopher says, ¡°They might finally answer all the questions we have. Why did Fimbulwinter and the sandstorm around Jedidiah form at the same time? Why was the 4<sup>th</sup> human-beastkin war so secretive? And most importantly, why was another name for the 4<sup>th</sup> human-beastkin war the destruction of light? Oh how exciting this all is!¡±


    Suddenly Casandra shouts, ¡°GET READY!¡±


    Behind Christopher, a wonderbeast appears and rushes towards him, taking a moment to look around I see we are surrounded by wonderbeasts. Have they been hunting us!?

 Arc 9.11

    Staring at Christopher, I shout, ¡°MOVE.¡±


    Christoper says, ¡°These guys are just waptors, I don¡¯t need to worry about this, especially since.¡±


    Casandra dashes past him and cuts down the wonderbeast, ¡°The leader here is a pro at cutting down wonderbeasts.¡±


    As the leader moves towards two more of the wonderbeasts, Christopher says, ¡°A fighting style specialized around hunting wonderbeasts, it is said that the users develop instincts sharper than any animal; and the name of this fighting style is.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Four beasts battle arts; Predatory fang,¡± I say as I perform 2 downward slashes that shatter both of their spines.


    There are 7 Waptors surrounding us, each of them with razor-sharp blades on their wings, 3 behind us and 2 on each of our flanks. They are all moving headfirst without any coordination, no wait, it looks like they are competing to see who gets the first kill, they should be easy to take down then.


    No, I was off; there are at least 20 more hiding in the forest lying in wait to see how this confrontation goes down; how annoying. I don¡¯t want these guys running away and stalking us because in this environment we are sure to eventually let our guard down, so I guess we must eliminate them now.


    ¡°THORGRIM, ANOUK, GU¨¡NG, I need you all to fain struggling.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Right.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Whatever you command leader.¡±


    Gu¨¡ng shakes his head furiously up and down.


    I dash over to our left flank, and whilst I do I hear Christopher say, ¡°You''re all doing a series of near dodges to pretend your struggling almost as if you are trying to deceive the wonderbeasts. The skill and courage it must take to do such things god is surely with you all.¡±


    That fucking brat, if he keeps acting all confident in our skills the beasts will simply run away after sensing a losing situation. ¡°GU¨¡NG, I NEED YOU TO KICK CHRISTOPHER IN THE BALLS RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Wait, what!¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s a bit too harsh.¡±


    ¡°I am giving you an order!¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°There are just some things a man can¡¯t do to another man.¡±


    ¡°I have seen you crack another man''s head open like a walnut and somehow this is too much for you?¡±


    Both Gu¨¡ng and Thorgrim say, ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°The fuck!¡±


    Anouk dodging a waptor, says, ¡°You giant babies, MOVE!¡± Then she runs over to Christopher and hits him in the balls.


    On the floor reeling from the blow Christopher says, ¡°This too must be a trail from god.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Whatever keeps you up at night.¡±


    Around me I feel 20 presences close in around us, so I say, ¡°Gu¨¡ng protect Christopher, Anouk I need you to shoot the ones that are close by, Thorgrim keep Anouk safe as she shoots them down, and I will circle around to hit the ones all around us making sure none escape.¡±


    Anouk and Thorgrim say, ¡°Right.¡± But Gu¨¡ng just shakes his head nervous.


    ¡°Four beast battle arts; Stalking fang.¡±


    ¦µ Christopher on the floor says, ¡°The user minimizes all bodily functions which erases their presence then uses spirit energy to propel their body through extreme concentration, that is the stalking fang. How amazing you adventurers are.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised you can still talk.¡±


    Holding his balls on the floor, Christopher says, ¡°God has given me this chance to watch adventures in action, I refuse to squander this opportunity. Look how beautiful those two are fighting.¡±


    Staring at Thorgrim, and Anouk I see they are moving vigorously across the battlefield. Anouk is moving around and jumping off of Thorgrim but as she does, she constantly fires arrow after arrow hitting most of her targets only missing 1 or 2.


    But Thorgrim is just as impressive even with that heavy great shield he is holding, he is capable of moving just as well as Anouk, then when he sees an opening, he uses the edge of his shield to cut the waptors. Though I notice something strange; whenever one of the waptors runs into his shield they freeze for a moment almost as if they are in incredibly deep pain.


    Christopher says, ¡°Thorgrim¡¯s shield is made from the aquatic wonderbeast, Synanverot, a poisonous scaly fish. Whenever one of the waptors charges into it they are stuck by a ridiculous amount of the paralysing poison.¡±


    I knew these guys were considered strong, but I might have underestimated them a bit. Suddenly I hear another scream, then I turn right to see a Waptor is running toward me and Christopher.


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    Holding my straight sword, I prepare to draw it but as I do I stare at the wonderbeast for a second. It¡¯s large, fanged mouth, it¡¯s inhuman speed, it¡¯s sharp wings, it¡¯s strange colours; this is no human this is a beast. I¡¯m scared.


    Suddenly Casandra appears covered in blood from the forest and cuts it¡¯s head off, and after she does that I fall to my knees.


    ¡°Everyone all the waptors are dead.¡±


    Around me everyone meets where Casandra is standing, then Christopher jumping on his own two feet says, ¡°You really defeated all those Waptor by yourself?¡±


    ¡°It was nothing special anyone can one of us could have done that.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Don¡¯t downplay yourself in that time period barely anyone would have accomplished such a thing.¡±


    Giving Thorgrim a high five, Casandra says, ¡°Maybe I am just amazing then.¡±


    Walking away Anouk says, ¡°You truly are boss.¡±


    Christopher walking over to Anouk, says, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Retrieving my arrows, from these wonderbeasts.¡±


    ¡°Actually all the wonderbeasts in Fimbulwinter are known as predasaurs because of how they all have a furious hunger for the flesh of others. But if I was to elaborate furt-.¡±


    Getting up, in a furry Anouk says, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP. IT¡¯S YOUR FAULT WE ARE IN THIS MESS!¡±


    Shocked Christopher says, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t understand how much of a blessing my presence is!¡±


    Taking out a piece of cloth Anouk wraps Christopher''s mouth up and says, ¡°For the next 3 hours no speaking.¡±


    Christopher starts to muffle words while being overactive as usual, but Anouk says, ¡°Or I will crush your nuts.¡± Instantly Christopher quiets down.


    Looking at me, she says, ¡°Now are we going to address the piece of trash with the decorative sword over there.¡±


    Pointing my head away from her gaze, I say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you think an apology will be enough if one of us dies!¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Stop Anouk.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, up until this point he has been fighting humans, and both of us know rather well that fighting humans is much different than hunting wonderbeasts.¡±


    Patting me on my head, Casandra says, ¡°Don¡¯t be down not everyone is capable of acting right in an ambush, so when we get to initiate the battle, I expect it to go well.¡±


    Holding my sword tight, I say, ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s go, everyone.¡±


    -Break-


    We continued our adventure through Fimbulwinter, avoiding any confrontation we deemed unnecessary. But while we are moving through Fimbulwinter, Christopher takes the covering of his mouth and says, ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Has it been 3 hours already?¡±


    ¡°Well 3 hours; 9 seconds exactly. Now I can finally bless you all with my voice again.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°If you tell me any more of your stupid facts, I am going to cave your skull in.¡±


    ¡°No facts, just a question like why do you use metal arrows when wonderbeast arrows would be much more effective?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell cares about that.¡±


    Putting my hand up, I say, ¡°I was actually wondering the same thing.¡±


    She gives me a glare, so I bring my hand down and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Next time I have to correct you Anouk there won¡¯t be any words just violence.¡±


    Gritting her teeth, she says, ¡°Fine. Wonderbeast arrows are expensive and tend to blow apart on contact, so they aren¡¯t cost-effective most of the time unless I know they are necessary for victory. So instead, I use these metal arrows.¡±


    ¡°But arrows aren¡¯t naturally hard enough to pierce most wonderbeast and they lose spirit energy since you don¡¯t have direct contact, so even if you fire them off really fast you would still be losing spirit energy, so wonderbeast arrows would still be better.¡±


    Showing me her finger, I see string attached to it then she says, ¡°This string is from the eternal spider of Arendaia, it is a great conductor of spirit energy so I wrap it lightly around each arrow and it allows me to maintain a steady flow of spirit energy into my arrows as they leave; it also makes it easier to retrieve them afterwards.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°I never thought of such a solution, to the arrow problem.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Well most people never have to think of that, since they either use wonderbeast arrows or save up for spirit metal bows from Avalon.¡±


    Suddenly Anouk gets angry and says, ¡°Don¡¯t mention that piece of shit country again!¡±


    Scared, I ask, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Thorgrim laughing says, ¡°She had spent years saving up for a spirit metal bow, but then when Skydust got destroyed Avalon completely stopped sending out any forms of spirit metal.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°SO THEY NOT ONLY REFUSED TO HAND OVER MY BOW BUT KEPT THE MONEY I PUT DOWN ARE A PREPAYMENT, THOSE GREEDY MOTHERFUCKERS, CHIVALRY MY ASS!¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°I doubt you could blame them, the destruction of Skydust has led to giant shifts. Now all air delivery has ceased across the planet and all the countries are now shifting into war mode, hoarding resources, political marriages, and increasing taxes all across the board. If a continental war breaks out Cordum could be dragged into war for the first time in history, maybe us adventuress would even be soldiers.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about that, Cordum has no conscription policy, and it isn¡¯t the godly war to drag people into war.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°An ever-increasing amount of legacies are being born, heightened war tensions, the dragon sighting in Basileia and now a race of people who live in Fimbulwinter are appearing. I can¡¯t help but feel this is all a bad omen.¡±


    Gripping my sword, I say, ¡°I know it may seem bad, but I can vouch that there are some amazing people out in the world, so I am sure everything will be alright.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°If a supposed Prodigy like you says that it must be true.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Don¡¯t stroke his ego, he is still just a ro-.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Everyone quiet!¡± Then crouches, and all of us follow her lead.


    Using hand signals she tells us to follow her and as we crouch we see through some bushes a large wonderbeast with 3 trunks.


    ¡°A Vanir Mammoth. We won¡¯t be able to sneak past something that big,¡± Casandra says.


    ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t remember anything about a wonderbeast like that in Fimbulwinter?¡±


    Popping in Christopher says, ¡°It is actually a wonderbeast from the northern part of Molstoria, around the end of the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle they were imported to Victoria.¡±


    Knocking him down, Anouk says, ¡°I mean why the hell is it here! No records of these things surviving on Fimbulwinter have ever been recorded?¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Weren¡¯t there records of a huge Tiritrex in Fimbulwinter? Maybe it died and due to it¡¯s absence wonderbeasts that survived at a higher level of Fimbulwinter have migrated down.¡±


    Sitting up Christopher says, ¡°It¡¯s hide looks much thicker than normal, it is some form of adaption to Fimbulwinter.¡±


    Scared, I say, ¡°It¡¯s giant will we be able to take it down?¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°These things can do damage to Wonderbeasts from the dragon continent, so their offensive power is no joke. But if we want to take it down, all we have to do is not get hit.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°We will launch a coordinated attack, Thorgrim will grab its attention, Anouk will shoot out its eyes, I will go for its legs and you Gu¨¡ng, will land the finishing blow.¡±


    Gripping my sword, tight I take a deep breath, but all my muscles feel wobbly.

 Arc 9.12

    ¦µ ¡°Now break,¡± I say as everyone runs into positions.


    Immediately, I say, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Stalking fang.¡± Then I start to sneak around towards the leg.


    ¦µ The boss gave me the most dangerous job and that¡¯s how I like it!


    Slamming my hand against my shield, I say, ¡°You hungry you large bastard come and get some!¡± I then start to run in the opposite direction I know Casandra is going to distract it.


    From its three trunks, it starts to suck in huge amounts of air, so I say, ¡°Now here comes the tricky part.¡±


    From it¡¯s trunks it shoots pressurized air towards me, so I use my shield to block one of the shots and I am knocked back. I could have stood my ground but It¡¯s better to let myself get sent back because I don¡¯t feel like allowing this shield to take any damage from it¡¯s shots.


    As I lay on a pile of snow far away from it, I see it walking close to me; that¡¯s it, give me all your attention. When Vanir Mammoths feel like their prey is weak they stab them with their giant antler-like tusks to carry them around like a trophy, and when it starts charging like now, it will grant an opening.


    ¡°NOW ANOUK.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Firing an arrow Anouk, hits the mammoth in one of it¡¯s two eyes, which causes it to scream in pain. While still clearing in pain the mammoth starts to turn its charge towards Anouk, but that as well is part of our plan.


    ¦µ Still in the stalking fang, I take a moment to look at the mammoth. This thing really is a good bit bigger than the mammoths usually are and its fat content is significantly higher, but still, I feel the place where the fat and muscle are thinnest.


    ¡°Four beast battle arts; Predatory fang,¡± then I cut right down to the bone. But I am unable to fully cut it, so I pull out my sword and say, ¡°Gu¨¡ng time to shine.¡±


    ¦µ Unsheathing his sword, Gu¨¡ng dashes past me and heads right towards the mammoth. But the mammoth shoots air directly at him but he elegantly dodges each shot.


    From the coliseum, I wasn¡¯t able to get a real feel for him, but he really is fast, and the way he moves is almost as if he is dancing across this battlefield.


    Soon he reaches the mammoth and in close quarters he dodges the trunks that try to hit him, then hops onto his head, and holds his sword over it¡¯s large neck.


    But suddenly Gu¨¡ng stops, and looking at his face I see he is sweating. ¡°He¡¯s choking!!!¡±


    Instantly, I see Casandra and Thorgrim head towards him, so I take my bow and try to shoot out its other eye. But it does something I could never expect.


    ¦µ Holding my sword in the air I shake profusely. Move stupid body, move! This is your moment you can¡¯t mess up right now, not a second time!


    As I move and look up from its neck I see that its face is right in front of me. Its head can stretched like it¡¯s a serpent. Looking right at me I see it is about to realise a shot of air directly at me.


    From my left Thorgrim appears and hits it¡¯s head making the shots fly into the air, then he says, ¡°RUN NOW!¡±


    Before Thorgrim can land the beast hits him to the ground.


    ¦µ Looking at it¡¯s stretch-out neck, I grin. It seems the thicker hide isn¡¯t the only adaption it gained on Fimbulwinter.


    It immediately sends its head to attack me, so I block it with my shield. Using spirit energy, I plant my feet on the ground and I¡¯m able to hold out against it, but then at close range, it shoots me with all three of it¡¯s trunks.


    ¦µ Whilst I am repositioning myself, I see Thorgrim fly full speed into the forest, and then I see the mammoth look at me. I start shooting at it¡¯s other eye, but then it shoots the snow on the ground sending it towards me.


    After getting hit by the snow, I stand up to regain my grasp of the situation. But in front of me, I see the head of the wonderbeasts coming towards me at full speed; I can¡¯t dodge in time; I¡¯m going to die.


    From my side, I am tackled away. Looking at who it is I see it is Christopher, and as he lies over me, I see blood dripping from his back.


    ¡°What is wrong with you, we are supposed to protect you!¡±


    With a pale face, he says, ¡°Now is it the godly thing to do, to allow someone to die due to your inaction.¡± After saying this he collapses on me.


    The mammoth is already preparing to shoot us again, but then Casandra comes in and cuts it¡¯s face.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Anouk patch the gash on Christophers back.¡±


    ¡°But what about you boss?¡±


    Holding her sword out, she says, ¡°It was more efficient to fight as a team not because it was necessary, just watch I will take care of this beast myself. Now go!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Right,¡± Anouk says, as she runs away.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s just us you big bitch.¡±


    As it tries to shoot me, I dodge away, and as it chases me, I jump onto a tree and say, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Sky fang.¡±


    Using the slight imperfections within any surface, just like goats we can stand against them almost as if we are stuck to them.


    I jump from tree to tree, with its head following me through the forest. With each movement, I tie up the mammoth''s head in the forest more and more, until it¡¯s head is stuck between the trees. ¡°That giant neck of yours is just one huge weak spot.¡±


    It tries to blow the forest apart, but it won¡¯t succeed in time, so I jump down towards its neck and say, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Predator fang.¡±


    But then it¡¯s body rushes into the forest and knocks down all the trees surrounding us allowing it to break into the forest and knock me away.


    Getting sent through the air flying I recover and immediately, but I am bleeding from my right side and my head. Running, I say, ¡°Four beasts battle arts; Stalking fang,¡± then try and sneak myself away.


    But then the mammoth starts to shoot air randomly around itself. Seeing a few shots moving towards me I use my sword to block them, and I¡¯m sent right out of the forest.


    Walking out of the forest the mammoth looks at me and prepares to shoot me; I need to dodge!


    Behind me I instinctively sense something and turning my head around I see that Gu¨¡ng is on his knees shaking; he hasn¡¯t moved!


    That means I can¡¯t dodge at all I have no choice but to take the attacks head-on. I didn¡¯t want to do this, especially now since we don¡¯t know what unexpected dangers lurk ahead, but I have no choice. ¡°Four beasts battle arts ultimate art; Four beasts vitality!¡± The wound on my body closes up immediately and I dash forward


    Instantly the beast shoots three more shots, but I simply cut through all three of them. So, it continues to shoot but I cut through each and every shot, then when I start to get close it shoots the snow sending it towards me in a wave, and moments after that it extends it¡¯s neck and sends it through the snow to hit me.


    But I dash to it¡¯s right before that dodging the blow, then across its four legs, I cut it up repeatedly. Then I say, ¡°Four beasts battle arts; Crushing predator fang!¡± And do two slices on its underbelly cutting it open and spilling out its contents; moments later it falls over and dies.


    ¦µ Walking out of the forest with Thorgrim, and Christopher on my back, I say, ¡°God damn boss, you''re amazing.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Saying god damn, is disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up!¡±


    Standing still, Casandra says, ¡°Well I told you I was great.¡±


    ¡°Hey Casandra, you look sort of wobbly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess I am feeling a little tir-,¡± Casandra¡¯s words are cut off by her spitting up blood, and moments later she falls down.


    ¡°CASANDRA!¡±


    -Break-


    As me and Christopher sit beside Casandra¡¯s patched up and unconscious body, he says, ¡°Four beasts vitality, is a technique that grants the user full control over their muscles allowing them not only to control the inner workings of their bodies such as closing up wounds and dilating blood vessels but also turning off any restraints on her physical output. Her body pushed itself more than it was able to, and she ended up like this. I am sure if she was younger, it wouldn¡¯t have impacted her so much but at her age, it is like a death sentence.¡±


    Holding my knees, I say, ¡°Casandra.¡± Then feeling a rage build up inside me, I stand up.


    Christopher says, ¡°If you are going to go shout at him, I would suggest stopping.¡±


    ¡°But it is his fault!¡±


    ¡°I am sure that boy knows that much more than you do, what we should do now is just rest and prepare to continue tomorrow, don¡¯t waste energy being angry miss pro adventure.¡±


    Sitting back down, I say, ¡°Fine but when this mission is over, he is going to have it.¡±


    ¦µ Sitting by the tree, I hold my sword and say, ¡°Why did I even come here? All I have done is fail again and again. Now my cowardice has led to one of my party members getting hurt, what is even the point of this sword I wield?¡±


    ¡°I am sure Anouk is wondering the same thing.¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°Thorgrim!?¡±


    Sitting on the snow beside me, he says, ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing great because unlike the rest of you, I decided to be a coward.¡±


    Laughing, Thorgrim says, ¡°You sure did, in fact, I am actually surprised you managed to look that pathetic, even a bookworm out did you!¡±


    Lowering my head, I say, ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, and I¡¯m not the person you need to apologize to.¡±


    ¡°I will apologize to Casandra when she wakes up but knowing her I am sure she will forgive me which all in all makes me feel worse. I really am pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t a pathetic failure like myself be?¡±


    ¡°How should I put this? Ok, I am going to tell you a story.¡±


    ¡°I really am not in the mo-.¡±


    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a handsome muscular man who came from a family of shieldmen. He trained day and night until he became someone who could block even the furious tides of the sea.


    But one day he had to try and fight an actual target, a lion. Not a wonderbeast, or a cursed animal, just a regular old lion. The man could block even a giant boulder with his shield, but when the weak lion charged at him, he spoiled his pants right then and there.


    Letting out a giggle, I say, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really, and with his pants soaked, he learned the lesson that the unknown is terrifying. But when the lion actually crashed into his shield its skull broke from how sturdy the shield was, and at that moment the boy learned another lesson, that as long as you have put constant effort into something and have faith in those skills you spent years cultivating that even the unknowns of the world can be conquered, and then you can enjoy them with a heart without doubt.¡±


    Looking at Thorgrim I say, ¡°That boy really does have a good head on his shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Well, he was just a brat, I am sure he has grown into someone pretty fucking amazing. So now are you ready to try again?¡±


    Standing up, I clutch my sword and say, ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Now first step, go apologize to Anouk.¡±


    ¡°But she is going to kill me?¡±


    ¡°You damn right she is, and it will be hilarious!¡±


    Name: Vanir Mammoth (Fimbulwinter)


    Height: 6M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A large woolly quadrupedal wonderbeast with two curved antler-like tusks. It has 3 trunks which are used to suck up air and shoot, and it can extend its neck allowing it to further it¡¯s reach.


    Fact: They will impel any foe they deem weak enough with their tusks and parade their bodies there for 2 weeks until they finally devour them; this leads to much of their food being stolen by small animals when sleeping.

 Arc 9.13

    -Break-


    ¦µ Walking next to a merry smiling Anouk, I say, ¡°It looks like you had a rather fun time while I was unconscious.¡±


    Cheerfully, she says, ¡°I really did boss, the nap I took really woke me up. I am sure I will be able to handle the cold today thanks to that.¡±


    Turning my head around I look at a beaten and battered Gu¨¡ng and say, ¡°Is that all that happened last night?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is! Isn¡¯t that right Gu¨¡ng?¡± She says whilst giving Gu¨¡ng an evil stare.


    Shaking his head up and down Gu¨¡ng says, ¡°Yesh!¡±


    He can barely talk!


    ¡°See boss he is fine so let¡¯s continue on.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Truly a demonic path you have chosen Anouk.¡±


    ¡°What am I ever going to do with you guys.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting down against a fallen tree trunk, Anouk says, ¡°I am so tired!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so inconsistent you might as well be mercury.¡±


    Glaring at me, Anouk says, ¡°Gu¨¡ng you dare speak back to me, did I not beat you enough last night?¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Hitting me against my back, Thorgrim says, ¡°You really have a big mouth, I like it!¡±


    Sitting down as well, Casandra says, ¡°Sorry guys but can we rest for a bit, I am feeling a bit weak.¡±


    Looking down, I say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am the one who wanted to come to Fimbulwinter in the first place.¡±


    As I sit down, Anouk says, ¡°Why did you even accept this mission in the first place? I know the reward was good but none of us are exactly strapped for money.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s just say I have a reason to believe the rumours about Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°Eh, really. What is it?¡±


    Putting her fingers against her lips, she says, ¡°I will tell you if we find anything.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°That isn¡¯t fair boss.¡±


    ¡°Too bad then, that sounds like a you problem.¡±


    Under my breath, I mutter, ¡°You really are a child.¡±


    Grabbing me by my collar, Anouk says, ¡°I forgot when dead weight gained the ability to speak.¡±


    Getting in between us, Christopher says, ¡°Anouk, you know violence isn¡¯t the answer.¡±


    ¡°Christopher she is going to hurt you too!¡±


    Relaxing Anouk says, ¡°Ok then, whatever.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°That worked?¡±


    Turning to me, Christopher says, ¡°It seems Anouk now has a certain amount of infatuation with me since I saved her.¡±


    Embarrassed, Anouk says, ¡°NO I DON¡¯T!¡±


    Looking at her in disbelief, I say, ¡°This guy really does it for you?¡±


    As Anouk is about to scream at me Christopher puts his finger against her lips and says, ¡°No need to be abashed Anouk, I mean how could you even resist. But I am sorry this body of mine is for God first, so until it is the same for you I can¡¯t give it to you.¡±


    Punching him in the face with a fist infused with spirit energy, she says, ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡±


    The punch sends Christopher through the forest.


    Standing up, Casandra says, ¡°Did you just punch the man we are supposed to be escorting!¡±


    ¡°Umm, it was a mistake?¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOT! Everyone let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we all run over to him, Anouk says, ¡°But I wanted to rest my legs.¡±


    ¡°Then you should have used your head.¡±


    ¡°Boss I believe you are setting unrealistic expectations for someone of Anouk¡¯s mental capacity.¡±


    Dodging Anouk¡¯s kick, she says, ¡°I will kill you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Why, I was defending you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like that was some sort of compliment.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Well, maybe I would have phrased it nicer if you didn¡¯t beat me so hard.¡±


    ¡°I ALMOST DIED!¡±


    ¡°I APOLOGISED!¡±


    Turning her face, to us Casandra says, ¡°BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!¡±


    After running for a little bit, we come across Christopher lying on the ground. Going over to him Anouk shakes him awake, and says, ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I know your love for me was just too strong of course you wouldn¡¯t take the rejection well!¡±


    Slamming him back into the snow, Anouk says, ¡°In your dreams!¡±


    ¡°ANOUK,¡± Casandra shouts.


    ¡°Sorry boss but he started it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who started i-; ANOUK DODGE!¡±


    Grabbing Christopher, Anouk jumps out of the way. Then seconds later a large ice projectile lands where she was.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    Thorgrim shouts, ¡°OVER THERE.¡±


    Looking where he points, I see a reptile-like quadrupedal wonderbeast, about 5 meters, and is quite chunky with a sharp blade-like head. But most notably it has tall plates through its entire backside that are made of ice, about a quarter of its face is ice as well.


    Christopher says, ¡°It¡¯s a Razordon!¡±


    From its back, it shoots four more of the ice plate projectiles towards us, so Thorgrim immediately gets in front of us and blocks all the shots, then he says, ¡°I don¡¯t remember hearing about any Razordon¡¯s being here.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°It¡¯s probably another Wonderbeast from further up Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°Still don¡¯t they normally just shoot scaled projectiles, not ice ones? In fact, it looks way too different with all that ice around its body, this can¡¯t be an adaption.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Thorgrim is right, an adaption will usually help a wonderbeast for survival this is something else, it must have been cursed. Guys we are probably dealing with a cursed beast.¡±


    Scared, I say, ¡°It¡¯s that really bad then.¡±


    Suddenly I see a smile appear on all three of my companions'' faces.


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Lucky aren¡¯t we.¡±


    ¡°I always wanted some ice projectiles.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we have to maintain the body as well as possible.¡±


    ¡°What are they smiling about?¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Cursed and Anamtaised beasts, are the best ones when it comes to crafting armour and weapons out of them. So, I guess these three are just happy.¡±


    ¡°No, they''re insane.¡±


    ¡°Well, you must be a little crazy to be an adventurer anyway.¡±


    Suddenly the beast shoots more projectiles which Thorgrim blocks, and from that Casandra starts to move forward trying to reach the beast.


    The Razordon continues to shoot more and more projectiles towards Casandra, but then Anouk starts to shoot them out of the air as they approach.


    ¦µ Good it has used up all its ice plates, so I should be able to cut it down now. Holding my sword tight, I say, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Predator fang,¡± Then I strike the nape of its neck.


    Feeling my sword stop halfway, I try to pull it out, but it won¡¯t move. Looking down towards it, I say, ¡°It¡¯s frozen within the beast.¡± Then seeing the ice spread up my sword towards my arm I let go and jump backwards.


    Anouk screams, ¡°What are we going to do?¡±


    Pulling out my other sword, I say, ¡°I will just have to try a second time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kid me, you¡¯re already out of breath after that last attack, you''re still injured.¡±


    Taking a moment to glance at Gu¨¡ng, I say, ¡°We have no other choice we need someone with enough instantaneous power to strike its neck, so now let¡¯s g-.¡±


    In disbelief, I freeze for a moment, because all of the ice plates on its back have grown back and the moment, they do we are assaulted with a barrage of shots.


    ¡°DODGE!¡± I scream as they come towards us.


    As we barely dodge the shots, Thorgrim says, ¡°I thought Razordon¡¯s had to naturally regrowth their plates over time.¡±


    ¡°It looks like since the plates are now made out of ice, that isn¡¯t a factor anymore.¡±


    Jumping to the right to dodge a shot, I see that after the shot hit where I was standing it sprouted up into a mass of ice and froze my leg that was trying to escape.


    ¡°BOSS!¡± Thorgrim shouts as he moves towards me, but he is too late; 4 different shots are heading towards me.


    But they all vanish moments later, and then in front of me, I see Gu¨¡ng.


    Seeing him shake, I say, ¡°Go back, this is too dangerous.¡±


    Still shaking, he says, ¡°I know it is. But I will believe in the skills I cultivated and the effort I put in.¡± Taking a deep breath Gu¨¡ng stops shaking entirely and faces the Razordon.


    ¦µ ¡°Boss just watch me.¡± Finishing my sentence, I instantly dash forward, and in response, the Razordon fires off more shots, so I cut them all down while keeping my form.


    ¦µ In disbelief of Gu¨¡ng movements, I hear Christopher say behind me, ¡°In the kingdom of D¨¢, there lies a crimson lotus that protects the kingdom and the continent, and those that pray to the lotus do so with a sword in hand. Over time that prayer, no that dance evolved into a battle art and was named.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Bloody lotus battle arts; Diverging blood.¡± Just like the roots of a tree 1 slash leads to 2 slashes which leads to 4 slashes which lead to 8 slashes which leads to 16.


    In front of me, the Razordon continues to shoot more and more shots directly at me, but they are all cut down again and again. As my dance intensifies so do my slashes, again and again until I reach the beast.


    While still in my dance I lock eyes with the beast, and in that moment, I say, ¡°Look at all the weak points, you really are just like a human.¡± Moments later I carve slashes all through its body.


    Standing behind it, I say, ¡°But it does seem you are sturdier than we are.¡±


    With its tail it tries to swipe me, but I say, ¡°Too bad for you that I wasn¡¯t going for the kill shot.¡±


    ¦µ With my shield, I smash it directly into the gash that Casandra made and scream, ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHH!¡±


    As it lays on the floor dead, I walk over to Gu¨¡ng and hit him on the back, saying, ¡°Good job boy.¡±


    After receiving my hit he falls over into the snow.


    ¡°Are you alright!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am fine, it is just that the Bloody lotus uses up most of my stamina instantly so I just have to rest for a moment.¡±


    Looking around, I say, ¡°Casandra and Gu¨¡ng are both exhausted, Anouk is lazy, not to mention we have to carry this big beast.¡± Walking past the Razordon, I say, ¡°And the path in front of us is a rather slippery slope, it seems we aren¡¯t going anywhere for a while.¡±


    Christopher hoping beside me says, ¡°I believe I have an answer for all these issues.¡±


    ¡°Now what would that be?¡±


    ¡°First the only part of the Razordon we need are the parts that create ice, so if you would rip it open for me.¡±


    Following his instructions, I do. ¡°Now we can see the part that creates the ice plates, and if we were to trigger them to activate like so.¡±


    From its back, all the ice plates appear again. ¡°We can take these specific parts to lower our burdens, and the bonus is that the plates we just made can now be used for transport all we got to do is stick them together.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting on cobbled-together ice plates directly on the edge of a slope, I say, ¡°Christopher are you sure this is safe?¡±


    ¡°It has about a 35% chance of death for us all if it breaks apart.¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T FEEL SAFE WITH THOSE ODDS.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°That feeling shows you''re now a true adventurer, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    She pushes all of us down the slope with her, and I start to freak out. But as I scream, I look around and see that everyone else is screaming, but they have smiles on their faces.


    Seeing that the slope ends with an upward curve I say, ¡°Christopher where the hell does that lead.¡±


    ¡°WHO KNOWS!¡±


    ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡±


    As we fly high into the air, I see Fimbulwinter from high up with all of the golden trees lying around on the ground and a smile falls upon my face and with everyone else I start to smile.


    But suddenly instead of going forward our cobbled-together sled starts to fall towards the ground.


    ¡°LOOKS LIKE WE ARE FALLING!!¡±


    ¡°I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL CHRISTOPHER!¡±

 Arc 9 End + Part 2 End

    -Break-


    Picking myself up out of the snow, I try to hold the contents of my stomach whilst saying, ¡°Christopher we are going to need to have a talk.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°You don¡¯t get to judge anyone on this adventure!¡±


    ¡°I apologized!¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡±


    Standing up with vigour, Casandra says, ¡°Well now that we are all fine let¡¯s continue on!¡±


    -Break-


    We continue through Fimbulwinter, and on our 3<sup>rd</sup> day of adventuring Christopher says, ¡°I think it is time we called it quits on this.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it is too early?¡±


    Pointing at her clothes, he says, ¡°Our clothes are almost at the point of crumbling and the food we have has started to freeze, our time here is up.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°We are reaching our physical limit so it would be better to use this time to escape rather than continue on.¡±


    ¡°But then you won¡¯t reach your goal.¡±


    ¡°My goal was to confirm the validity of people living on Fimbulwinter, and since I have been unable to find anything, I can conclude there is nothing here. Now with this people won¡¯t be appearing around Fimbulwinter anymore.¡±


    Sighing, Casandra says, ¡°So that was your goal all along.¡±


    ¡°Seems you have seen through me, boss.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°What¡¯s going on.?


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Countless people have been coming here and throwing away their lives due to those rumours, so it seems Christopher came here to prove all those rumours false so that others wouldn¡¯t throw away their lives.¡±


    ¡°Spot on Thorgrim.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°So you essentially used us as your bodyguards knowing damn well that we were actually doing nothing but wasting time.¡±


    Grabbing his collar, Anouk says, ¡°So I almost died over nothing?¡±


    Being shaken, Christopher says, ¡°It wasn¡¯t over nothing, your sacrifice will now help the lives of others and isn¡¯t the fulfilment god gives you through that enough?¡±


    Staring at him directly in the eye, Anouk says, ¡°No it isn¡¯t. I expect a higher payment for my work.¡±


    ¡°It seems the bug of greed has possessed you yet again Anouk, only a tender kiss can set you free.¡±


    As Christopher brings his lips close Anouk hits him in the face, sending him flying far away.


    Casandra screams, ¡°AGAIN ANOUK!¡±


    ¡°He started it.¡±


    ¡°The next time you hit him don¡¯t send him flying far away. LET¡¯S GO EVERYONE!¡±


    As we all run towards Christopher I go over to his body and pick him up asking, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°It seems the power of god¡¯s love was rejected by the demon within her.¡±


    ¡°No, I think this is just what happens when you try and kiss a gorilla.¡±


    Grabbing me Anouk says, ¡°What was that?¡±


    Hitting her on the head, Casandra says, ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°OW, why am I getting shit, should I have just allowed him to kiss me!?¡±


    ¡°No next time just hit him in the balls, it is more painful and requires less effort from us.¡±


    Calming down, Anouk says, ¡°That is actually a good idea.¡±


    Under my breath, I mutter, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    I am quickly hit with a heel to the face, and as I writhed in pain on the ground, she says, ¡°What was that mister useless?¡±


    As I prepare to say, something Casandra grabs Anouk and brings her head to the ground. ¡°I need everyone to crouch down and be quiet.¡±


    All of us instantly follow Casandra¡¯s lead, and then with hand signals, she tells us to follow her. Following her to behind some trees, we are signalled to look past them, and past them we she a large ground of people walking in the snow.


    Some of them are wearing rather Tribal clothes, so I say, ¡°Is this them?¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Some of them are wearing modern clothes, I swear those kids'' clothes over there look like they are from Skydust.¡±


    Thorgrim says, ¡°Guys look!¡±


    In the distance, we see 2 giant wonderbeasts. Casandra says, ¡°Those are tiritrexes!¡±


    Looking at Casandra, Anouk says, ¡°Boss what should we do?¡±


    But Casandra freezes for a moment as well all hear a loud voice say, ¡°Orb¡¯s it¡¯s too cold!¡±


    ¡°Can you be quiet; all you ever do is complain.¡±


    In that moment we all look over at Anouk. ¡°Hey why are you idiots looking at me, you¡¯re the crazies that are always infuriating me!¡±


    Sighing, Casandra says, ¡°For now let¡¯s follow them.¡±


    ¡°Is that safe boss?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense any form of hostile intent, so for now we will follow them and see what is going on.¡±


    ¦µ ¡°I see why you''re cold all the time Orb, since this is the environment, you grew up in.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I am just cold to you.¡±


    ¡°So, I am special to you!¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Activating her legacy, she says, ¡°You''re such a bully.¡± As her legacy produces heat, she says, ¡°This is the stuff.¡±


    Moments later Anto and Mime jump on her shoulders, and Mime says, ¡°Share that heat with the great Mime this instant.¡±


    ¡°No way, and speak to me again like that and I will tell Elia.¡±


    Freaking out, Mime says, ¡°No don¡¯t do that, the great Mime wishes to live a long life!¡±


    Under my breath, I mutter, ¡°I will never be nice to a mean redhead woman who doesn¡¯t treat kids nicely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s blackmail!¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, it is just the truth.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, Anto, Mime get close.¡±


    Holding her close, Anto says, ¡°Thank you Atalanta.¡±


    ¡°Some sense has fallen into you red one, it seems you understand the greatness that is Mime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to fling you off!¡±


    Stopping I turn and around, and scream, ¡°STOP EVERYONE!¡±


    Walking up to me, Willow asks, ¡°Orb are you finally going to tell us what we are doing here?¡±


    ¡°Oh it is pretty simple, we are all going to climb up to the top of Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I know you heard me.¡±


    With a calm smile, Willow says, ¡°Orb did I hit you too hard in the head last night.¡±


    ¡°Nope, I am doing fine.¡±


    ¡°THEN HOW THE HELL ARE WE NOT ALL GOING TO FREEZE TO DEATH. It took us 3 days to get all of the people and equipment from the caves all the way to the outskirts of Fimbulwinter and now you want us to trek all the way up there.¡±


    Avram walking up says, ¡°Orb we didn¡¯t take wave sweeper up there because we knew it couldn¡¯t handle the snowstorm, do you expect the kids to handle it themselves?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I am just messing with you.¡± Turning around, I say, ¡°Advent.¡± Then after transforming, I cause all of the snow in front of all of us to disperse.


    In amazement, Willow says, ¡°The snow is following your command.¡±


    ¡°I have always wondered if I could do something like this, and after I attained advent, I was definitely sure I could, I am amazing aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Clapping their hands, Avram and Willow, sarcastically say, ¡°You¡¯re so amazing Orb. I never could have done such a thing.¡±


    Turning off advent, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, but whatever. Cyrus, please come and carry me.¡± After saying this I fall to my face.


    -Break-


    As I see it in the distance, I hear Maple say, ¡°Orb is that it?¡±


    ¡°Yep, without a shadow of a doubt that is the house I grew up in.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°That house is giant, you really lived a good life before you met us.¡±


    ¡°EHHHH, You jealous!!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not because any house with my beautiful wife is the best ever.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Maple says while being embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s no fun making fun of you two anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous of our love.¡±


    Ignoring them, I say, ¡°Cyrus, run me over to the top of my house.¡±


    ¡°R-Right!¡±


    Following my instructions, Cyrus places me on the top of my house where I sit down and look at everyone, then say, ¡°Everyone I need you to listen up.¡±


    Taking a deep breath in and out, I say, ¡°This house here is where I grew up, despite how cold it seems to be up here, my childhood was fun, warm and filled with happiness.


    Some of you here have lost your homes, have no homes, have left their homes to be with me, and have been rejected from their homes, so I had hoped to share this home of mine with you, but that isn¡¯t right.


    If you walk into someone else¡¯s home, you will always feel like a stranger and even me myself, have felt like that with others. So I am going to suggest something new to all of us today, let¡¯s take this land that has been completely frozen and turn it into our home. But I guess the better term for such a thing would be a country?¡±


    Everyone looks shocked in front of me but Willow sticks up his hand and says, ¡°I would like to be a part of that. Since I have come to love a lot of people outside of Aplos¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Maple says.


    One after another they all start to agree and put their hands up. Willow, Maple, Cyrus, Atalanta, Suzuka, Iancu, Avram, Gheorghe, Wadim, Ivana, Buloke, Aea, Alis, Pine, Oren, Peppa, Melisa, Aaron, Rada, Cedar, Ewen, Throne, Jute, Juniper, Holly, Acadia, Hazel, Coco, Banya, Mango, Ash, Quant, Bella, Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>, Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup>, Anto and Mime.


    Then as I smile on the rooftop, I hear someone say, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CALL THIS COUNTRY!?¡±


    Looking down, I see a young man in what looks to be some sort of Priestly attire. ¡°Umm, who are you?¡±


    With bright shiny eyes, he says, ¡°WHO CARES ABOUT THAT! Right now, a country is being born on the lost continent in front of my eyes, a historic event is taking place. So now young man tell me what is the name of this country you want to create!?¡±


    ¡°Umm, well, I don¡¯t really know. But if I had to think of a name, I would call it Niflheim, yeah I think that is a good name.¡± Jumping off the roof I have a rather shaky landing then, I say, ¡°Now it¡¯s time for me to interrogate you.¡±


    A few people start to make a run out of the crowd, so I scream, ¡°CATCH THEM!¡±


    -Break-


    Looking at the tied-up adventurers inside my house, I say, ¡°So your names are Casandra, Thorgrim, Anouk, Gu¨¡ng, and Christopher and you came here on a mission to see if there was other life on Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right piece of shit,¡± Anouk says.


    Gu¨¡ng says, ¡°This really is not the time.¡±


    ¡°We could take him.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t take him and all the other people around us can we. I don¡¯t know if you have ever fought a legacy, but they are bad news.¡±


    As the two start to argue, I say, ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Which quiets them down. Rubbing my head, I say, ¡°What are we going to do? If I let them go they will run around and tattle everywhere, so I either have to essentially kidnap them or kill them.¡±


    The boy called Gu¨¡ng says, ¡°I would prefer to be kidnapped.¡± Thorgrim and Anouk shake their heads in agreement.


    The woman named Casandra says, ¡°There will be no need for that, because we won¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I can¡¯t be assured of that, I have quite a few lives currently under my watch.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can because I owe you quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You see earlier this year my husband was returned to me after being kidnapped for years, and he told me it was a boy named Orb that rescued him from a bunch of bandits.¡±


    Digging through my memory I remember all of the slaves that we first let go, when we first arrived at Gaia¡¯s sky. ¡°That was your husband!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I thank you very much for reuniting me with him. So, I can promise you that neither me or my companions will ever speak a word about this, isn¡¯t that right guys.¡±


    Three out of four of her companions shake their heads up and down furiously but one doesn¡¯t, Christopher.


    ¡°So, what about that one?¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°I am not so sure about him.¡±


    Christopher says, ¡°Ahh if given the chance I would record the historic moment in all the books of Cordum.¡±


    ¡°I guess I have to kidnap this one.¡±


    Casandra says, ¡°Don¡¯t waste the effort just take him out.¡±


    ¡°Casandra, it seems you might think poorly of me. Despite how much I want to tell the world of this historic event I refuse to, because granny Ai will frown on me otherwise.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°You¡¯re a part of C-.¡±


    ¡°Please stop right there before you reveal my identity.¡±


    Anouk says, ¡°Are you supposed to be someone special?¡±


    ¡°I can only reveal that secret to my wife, you can find out if you apply for the position.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ahh another rejection, if you keep telling lies like that I might eventually believe them Anouk.¡±


    ¡°You really are like Ai. So why are you here at Fimbulwinter if you already knew of our existence?¡±


    ¡°Oh simply because was tasked with throwing people off you guys'' scent but I got a bit distracted.¡±


    Grabbing Christopher, Anouk says, ¡°So you lied again, you knew something was here and basically made us run around Fimbulwinter knowing damn well that we were just wasting time.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Throwing him to the ground Anouk, Gu¨¡ng, and Casandra start to stomp on him.


    After they finish Casandra walks up to me and holds out her hand saying, ¡°Thank you again.¡±


    ¡°No problem, and before you leave you can personally beat the shit out of all the Gaia¡¯s sky bandits around.¡±


    ¡°I will have to take you up on that offer,¡± she says with a laugh.


    Bursting through the door, Mime and Anto say, ¡°Orb come it is so pretty.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what is.¡±


    ¡°That snow!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    Grabbing me and leading me outside Anto throws his dagger teleporting us to a different area higher up the mountain, and then he repeats this process until we are high up.


    There I see the moonlight hitting the snow with everyone playing around it. Laughing, I say, ¡°I was in this exact same position 2 years ago.¡±


    Anto with excitement says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Mime says, ¡°I will give you the honour of playing with the great Mime herself.¡±


    Looking at the beautiful sight before me, I say, ¡°It is a whole lot nicer than when I first saw it. Let¡¯s go you two.¡±


    3<sup>rd</sup> cycle, year 2026; On the 10<sup>th</sup> day of the 12<sup>th</sup> month Capricorn, the country of Niflheim was founded, and in the future, many would say that this day is the beginning of the 4<sup>th</sup> cycle of history.


    Arc 9 End


    Part 2 End

 Notice: Two Week break between parts

    So to put it simply there will be a two-week break between parts 2 and 3.


    This is for the following reasons.


    First; I want to double-check what I have written and make sure there is no plot holes.


    Second; My next two weeks in College are pretty intense


    Third; I want to standardise some things in regard to my writing. Like whether to use numbers or just spell them and other such things.


    I love all of you who read my book. Written this has been one of the only things giving me happiness over the last year, and I thank you all for partaking in that.


    I have already planned out the story since the first chapter was released, so while little things have been changed and added to the main story, but the point of each arc has been the same throughout.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    I will say that over time I believe I have gotten better at writing the characters and have gotten a better feel for who they truly are, and I hope to continue to bring more life to each and every one of our current and soon-to-come characters. In fact, I am really hyped because some of the first characters I have ever made and characters who will run through the entire story will be introduced in Part 3.


    Also, the next part will have a lot more answers to mysteries set up in the first two parts like what happened to Captivant''s arm and some other major ones.


    The next chapter I post will be the updated logs for all of the story so far, which will come out sometime during those two weeks, and finally, before part 3 starts the second interlude will happen. If you forgot these will be between each part, I will also have one or two side stories but those will be at the end of the arcs they correspond to.


    I will try to update the cover to something more badass since the current one won''t suit the story going forward anymore. It will probably happen before the end of November because i should be able to afford it by then.


    I thank you for all the time you have put into my series, and I hope you will join Orb and friends as the country of Niflheim makes its way into this chaotic world.

 Log of characters

    ¦µ This symbol indicates a change in perspective


    12 Months in Order


    Aquarius


    Pisces


    Aries


    Taurus


    Gemini


    Cancer


    Leo


    Virgo


    Libra


    Scorpio


    Sagittarius


    Capricorn


    Log of Characters


    Members of the country of Niflheim


    Name: Orb Rian


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed)


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who loves everything he sees. He is clever and hopeful, whenever he sees someone in need, he will help them. He also tends to be quite feminine looking which bothers him.


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.


    Name: Cyrus Damavand


    Age: 23


    Birthday: 25<sup>th</sup> Taurus


    Hair: Short and, Black (Primary), Violet (Secondary)


    Eyes: Grey(Left) crimson(Right)


    Height: 190 cm


    Description: An incredibly nervous dragon who constantly stutters. He is incredible bad at making choices so usually just does whatever anyone else tells him, but he is trying to become his own person. He has a blueish black tail, blueish black horns, and blueish black scales around his body.


    Legacy: Azi Dahaka


    Name: Atalanta Supernova


    Age: 22


    Birthday: 7<sup>th</sup> Scorpio


    Hair: Scarlet


    Eyes: Blue


    Height: 177 cm


    Description: A very peppy and happy woman who chases after excitement. She happens to be very physical with people causally which tends to throw Orb off. She is quite attractive which allows her to constantly get people to say yes to her more salacious advances. A bright orange sun tattoo is on her arm.


    Legacy: Apollo


    Name: Suzuka Gozen


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Libra 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold(Primary) Pink(Secondary). her hair has a medium-length.


    Eyes: Indigo(Left) White(Right)


    Height: 159


    Description: A very shy young girl who struggles to make friends. She is a curse child none as a norowareta-ko, due to this she is constantly feeling the feelings and hearing the thoughts of those around her. She also has a very deep love for combat and fighting.


    Legacy: Tamamo-no-Mae


    Name: Avram Bogdan


    Age: 49


    Birthday: Libra 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Dark blue. Has medium hair in a ponytail.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 191 cm


    Description: A the father of Iancu, he is also a vampire. He is considered the foremost scientist on Elp¨ªda. He moved to Elp¨ªda from his home country to fulfil his dream of building a robot. Despite his bravdo he cares about all those around him, so he makes sure to keep all his workers disciplined.


    Name: Ivana Balint


    Age: 31


    Birthday: Sagittarius 20<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green, straight, flowy and extremely long.


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: She has light blue skin with her long hair wrapped around her body, she isn¡¯t human. The hair around her body can extend and be used for various application. She used to get things lost in her hair until Elia complained about it. Together with Gheorghe and Wadim they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name:  Gheorghe Dumitrescu


    Age: 29


    Birthday:  Taurus 11<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: None


    Eyes: Purple


    Height: 200 cm


    Description: A giant monstrous-faced man covered in orange scales. His scales are harder than steel. Together with Wadim and Ivana they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name: Wadim Ceau?escu


    Age: 32


    Birthday: Libra 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: White and short


    Eyes: White


    Height: 174 cm


    Description: He is a pitch-black man whose right arm socket just radiates darkness, he isn¡¯t human. The darkness from his right arm can extend into shadows. Together with Gheorghe and Ivana they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Name: Iancu Bogdan


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: Darkblue(Primary) Black(Secondary), and short.


    Eyes: Red(Left) Black(Right). Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ??


    Height: 160 cm


    Description: A young Vampire. He is rather tough and doesn¡¯t show his soft side but he is a protector by nature and wants to follow in his moms footsteps.


    Legacy: Capricorn


    Name: Elia Moonwalker


    Age: 17


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: It is Long, flowy, and Dark pink. She also has a yellow and black hair accessory.


    Eyes: Unknown. She has a light blue and pink heart-shaped tattoo under her left eye.


    Height: 174 cm


    Description: She is a rather meanly blunt girl to the point where it is common for her co-workers to call her a bitch. Though they all admit that her advice is helpful. She is known for her vast amounts of knowledge and her childish love for all things technical.


    Name: Mime Baudelaire


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green (Primary) Indigo (Secondary) Her hair is long.


    Eyes: Purple (Left) Indigo (Right) Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ??


    Height: 138 cm


    Description: A thief who dresses up like a clown. Together with her twin brother Anto, she hopes to make enough money to build a house out of candy and chocolate. She is a very loving person.


    Name: Anto Baudelaire


    Age: 10


    Birthday: Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Green (Primary) Indigo (Secondary) Despite the Indigo being his legacy hair colour it is much more prominent than his natural green hair


    Eyes: Purple (Left) Indigo (Right)


    Height: 138 cm


    Description: A thief who dresses up like a clown. Together with his twin sister Mime, he hopes to make enough money to build a house out of candy and chocolate. He is a very excitable person.


    Name: Maple Berk


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary), usually in a ponytail.


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right). She has a mark that looks like ?? under her right eye.


    Height: 153 cm


    Description: The current head of the village of Aplos. She is a very head strong but bashful girl who loves all her people. But more than that she loves adventure.


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green, short hair.


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 154cm


    Description: Orbs best friend, and husband of Maple Rian He is well loved around his home due to him being someone who takes care of others, some call him a natural born leader. He has an intense love for animals.


    Name: Buloke Ring


    Age: 22


    Birthday: Taurus 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: Brownish Orange, medium hair.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 192 cm


    Description: An incredibly strong warrior of Aplos. Is incredible protective of all the villagers even if this mean he has a bad attitude at times.


    Name: Aea Fatom


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Pisces 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Purple and long


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 184cm


    Description: She is a warrior of the village of Aplos and is the twin of Alis. She loves fantasies and romance but also hates working on any level which has lead to her having many difficulties with pine.


    Name: Alis Fatom


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Pisces 5<sup>th</sup>


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Hair: Purple and short.


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 184 cm


    Description: He is a warrior of the village of Aplos and is the twin of Aea. He happens to be a lot more soft spoken than his loud sister. Among his sister him and Buloke, he rates himself as the weakest.


    Name: Pine Heart


    Age: 47


    Birthday: Capricorn 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 169 cm


    Description: An old woman of Aplos. She was once an incredible warrior but now she teaches combat theory to the kids of the village. She is very tough eve at her old age and makes sure to always keep the peace.


    Name: Oren Heart


    Age: 53


    Birthday: Cancer 30<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 172 cm


    Description: A doctor of Aplos. He is the husband of Pine and just like his wife he has a very head strong personality.


    Name: Sparrow Uila


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Cancer 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Short curly, and Brown


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 173 cm


    Description: He is a former bandit leader who is quite famous for all the people he has scammed and robbed. Now a days he spends his time trying to manoeuvre around Orb and steal his treasure but Orb is well aware of this. He happens to be rather ruff looking with a beard the same colour as his hair.


    Name: Sequoia Rian


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Gemini 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Red


    Height: 187 cm


    Description: He was the former leader of Aplos. A kind hearted logical man who loved the village more than anything. He once had an aversion to the outside world but that no longer exists.


    Deceased.


    Minor characters of Aplos


    Cedar Wodok: An elder of the village.


    Jute Iza: A young girl from the same age group as Buloke.


    Throne Beak: The head chief of the village.


    Ewen Shaker: Head of all construction in the village.


    Hazel Shaker: Wife of Ewen, mother of five.


    Quant Aise: A former slave of Basileia. He was once an educator.


    Bella Nalla: A former slave of Basileia she is an utter bookworm.


    Kac Koka: Sparrows former right-hand man, now a reformed soldier under Pine. Currently a eunuch like many of Sparrows men.


    Animus family


    Name: Lionheart Animus


    Age: 6


    Birthday: Scorpio 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Goldish Brown


    Eyes: White


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: The 2<sup>nd</sup> son of the Animus family. looks up to his family more than anything else. His condition is currently unknown.


    Name: Cole Animus


    Age: 19


    Birthday: Leo 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: blue


    Height: 176 cm


    Descritpion: The first son of the Animus family. Has had a love for justice ever since he was saved as a child. Betrayed the village of Aplos.


    Deceased.


    Name: Richard Animus


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Aquarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: White


    Height: 177cm


    Description: The father of both Cole and Lionheart Animus. Inherited the animus family business and grew it into the commerical empire is was once know for. His love for his family surpasses any form of morality.


    Deceased.


    Name: Elizabeth Animus


    Age: 40


    Birthday: Aries 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Blue


    Height: 165 cm


    Description: The wife of Richard Animus. A loving mother and wife. Unknown to most she had a very big hand in the Animus business especially the illegal side.


    Deceased


    Chronicle Nimbus: CN is a group of ninja who report on the current events around the world. Due to this they have earned the distant of many.


    Name: Ai Kumo


    Age: Unknown


    Birthday: Taurus 14<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Brownish Black and short hair


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 178 cm


    Description: The head of CN. She is an ex-girlfriend of Captivant who is a lover of children. She is incredibly smart and wise but seeing the way she acts some times makes people not take her seriously. She doesn¡¯t look her age which might be due to her ninjutsu or extreme amounts of makeup.


    Name: Sugiru tsukamatsu. Fake name Dia


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Gemini 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: Carmel


    Eyes: Stressed yellow


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: An undercover spy from the CN. When not doing her day jump as a travel assistant she is constantly spying on someone or another as a ninja. She is looking to change jobs.


    Name: Fionna


    Age: 13


    Birthday: Sagittarius 23rd


    Hair: Brown


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 107 cm


    Description: A dark skinned young orphan from Elp¨ªda. she is the leader of all the orphans, and inherited Orbs suit.


    Characters from Seirei the spirit country.


    Name: Shink¨­ Date


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Cancer 2<sup>nd</sup>


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 172 cm


    Name: Inari Gozen


    Age: 32


    Birthday: Taurus 5th


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Indigo


    Height: 192 cm


    Description: An extremely straightforward if not slightly idiotic man. He is the current head of the Gozen family dojo but since he no longer had any pupils it was just him an his daughter Suzuka training.


    Deceased.


    Name: Kuzanoha Gozen


    Age: 34


    Birthday: Scorpio 9th


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 164 cm


    Description: Mother of Suzuka. She was a renowned artist in Seirei but when Suzuka was born she lost all her fame. She isn¡¯t the sharpest tool in the box but is know for all the happiness she brings.


    Deceased.


    Minor Characters.


    Sora Sato: A shaman of the twinstars.


    Characters from Elp¨ªda.


    Name: Tetra Nometry


    Age: 65


    Birthday: Aquarius 5<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: The current commissioner of the Gpd. He is known as a hero in Elpida who achievements and kindest is only rivalled by his daughter. he used to be a rather scary looking man but as he has aged he has become quite square shaped, which has made him more approachable.


    Name: Arthur Icktor


    Age: 39


    Birthday: Pisces 13<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Turquoise


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: An Officer of the Gpd, he was once Gloria right hand man and fell into despair after her death. But recently he has gotten back on his feet.


    Name: Morrigan


    Age: 8


    Birthday: Taurus 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Red


    Eyes: Black


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: A young beastkin from Elp¨ªda. He was taken away by the aliens.


    Name: Gloria Bogdan


    Age: 35


    Birthday: Sagittarius 25<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Short, black, and curly.


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 180 cm


    Description: A black skinned hyperactive member of the Gpd. She is known to be the kindest and most charitable person by all those who have the pleasure of meeting her. Though one of her more unattractive futures is her lack of a sense of danger, which is of constant annoyance to her husband.


    Deceased.


    Minor characters


    Charles Donzi: Former conman, has decided to change his life around.


    Rise Risen: Boss of Virtuoso. Deceased.


    Character from Basileia


    Name: Sora Elia


    Age: 20


    Birthday: Leo 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 170cm


    Description: A guard of Basileia. He is very gullible which causes Tana to disrespect him often. But he sees everyone at Basileia as family.


    Name: Porto Elia


    Age: 29


    Birthday: Leo 12th


    Hair: White(Primary) Purple(Secondary)


    Eyes: Green(Left) Red(Right)


    Height: 201 cm


    Description: He was the head guard at Basileia. He had worn a mask do to what Morgan previous husband did to him when he was keep as his pet. He has a fierce loyalty to Morgan and all of her workers at Basileia.


    Legacy: Orthrus


    Name: Morgan Elia


    Age: 85


    Birthday: Capricorn 13<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Red


    Eyes: Grey


    Height: 157 cm


    Description: The former queen of Basileia. She got her position after her husband died. She was a cruel woman who bought slaves to work in a toxic mine. But to all the people who knew her she was an irreplaceable part of their lives. She gives all the worker at Basileia her last name.


    Deceased.


    Name: Tana Elia


    Age: 22


    Birthday: Gemini 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Yellow


    Eyes: Violet


    Height: 173cm


    Description: A guard of Basileia. He is very prudent and thinks before he acts. Due to his cold hearted logic Morgan worried for the future of Basileia but him and Porto together should be able to handle it.


    Deceased.


    Minor character.


    Maria Elia: Guard who showed Willow the way around Basileia.


    Characters from Skydust


    Name: Peppa Mercury


    Age: 6


    Birthday: Scorpio 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: Grey, with red strands


    Eyes: White


    Height: 40 cm


    Description: The first Princess of Skydust. She is a fun-loving little girl, who is still discovering her personal craft.


    Name: Jeter Mercury


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Scorpio 20<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey, with red strands


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 180cm


    Description: The king of Skydust. He is a kind and humble kind who uses his power to better the lives of his citizens. His personal Craft Candle making, he choose this due to the smell of his parent''s candles when he was younger, candles hold great meaning to him.


    Deceased


    Name: Kate Mercury


    Age: 30


    Birthday: Sagittarius 10<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream, with red strands.


    Eyes: White


    Height: 161 cm


    Description: The energetic queen of Skydust. Her personal craft is interior design, and all things that go towards it. Due to her craft needing her to use the Sky forge repeatedly, she constantly loses weight which she needs to overeat to get back, this whole condition has led her to develop sky sickness.


    Deceased


    Name: Percy Mercury


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Leo 27<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Cream, with red strands.


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 189 cm


    Description: The first Prince of Skydust. He is an over-aggressive passionate young man who hates to see those that are oppressed. He went to assist Varage in its war against Gevurah but due to the chaotic results, he returned home a changed boy. His personal craft is decorative weapons, which may not always be decorative.


    Deceased


    Name: Krik Kritz


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Sagittarius 11<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black, with orange stripes


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: The young head of the Kritz family, he is in charge of all exports and imports in Skydust and acts as the key between Skydust and all other countries. He is a passionate loveable man who wishes to see people, especially his wife happy all the time.


    Deceased


    Name: Dush Kritz (Zalik)


    Age: 70


    Birthday: Sagittarius 24<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Crimson (Grey due to age)


    Eyes: Navy


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: A former peasant who became the wife of the Krik Kritz. In her younger years she was standoffish and cold due to the conditions she grew up in, but thanks to Krik and her son, she became a much more pleasant and happy person. Due to taking over the Kritz family business she gained many skills and became a respected leader. Her personal craft is scarf making.


    Deceased


    Elliot Borenheight: He is the head butler of the Kritz family and is a very pleasant and altogether charming man to be around. Growing up aside Krik he was akin to a brother towards him and has always had his best intentions in mind. His personal craft is being a butler, he wishes to become the best one under the heavens. Currently taking care of all of Skydust¡¯s refugees.


    Sandra Borenheight: The head maid of the Kritz family and sister of Elliot. She was inspired but her older brother and aimed to become the head maid of the Kritz family. She is as capable as her brother, but more irrational and makes decisions based more on her perspective than the perspective of her master. Currently taking care of all of Skydust¡¯s refugees, along with Elliot.


    Characters from Gevurah


    Name: Maria Scheffer


    Age: 28


    Birthday: Pieces 8<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Yellow


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: A dark-skinned woman, she is a 2<sup>nd</sup> seat general of Gevurah. She is a no-nonsense general who is known for being incredibly stern. Though all her soldiers have incredible respect for her due to her leadership.


    Koa Lala: He is the right-hand man of Maria Scheffer and a 3<sup>rd</sup> seat of Gevurah. He respects his general more than anyone else.


    Gardienne Blue: A 3<sup>rd</sup> seat of Gevurah, who was formerly under General Louis, but due to the war at Varage she has been left leaderless and burns with fury against Percy Mercury.


    Characters from Jedidiah


    Name: Ahmed Abrahams


    Age: 23


    Birthday: Capricorn 27<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold (Primary), Black, (Secondary)


    Eyes: Crimson (Left), Purple (Right)


    Height: 190cm


    Description: The current king of Jedidah. He was a pleasant man who brought exciting and happy lives to his citizens, which he has done since the death of his brother. He loves books, especially romance books, and he also loves to bake, especially his triple deluxe supreme heavenly cream cadavre; A cream puff that would kill a normal human.


    Legacy: God of the abyss Osiris. Grants the user the ability to create and manipulate chains with spiked ends. These changes can attach themselves to people allowing the user to know someone¡¯s location, emotional state and even the thoughts in their head, with the freedom to restrict all of them at will.


    Name: Raqiue Grandslam


    Age: 5


    Birthday: Aries 6<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Sliver


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 110 cm


    Description: The daughter of Yamal and Tarina Grandslam, she is a kind attentive young girl who cares for both her parents with all her heart. She is incredibly brilliant for her age much like Orb and is as adorable as her mother.


    Name: Adi ibn Zayd


    Age: 21


    Birthday: Aquarius 18<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey (Primary), Dark blue (Secondary)


    Eyes: Pink (Left), White (Right)


    Height: 177 cm


    Description: The Vizier of Ahmed, and his right-hand man. Takes care of countless issues to support Ahmed¡¯s running of his kingdom and is fiercely loyal to all Ahmed stands for. He happens to be the leader of the king Ahmed fan club, and goes to great lengths that the king never finds out about its existence.


    Legacy: God of the moon, Thoth. Grants the user the ability to absorb moonlight into a giant blocky blue arm, the arm being composed of moonlight tends to copy the properties of the moon thus allowing it to create a mini gravitational field. The arm can also shape itself into different objects like a canon that¡¯s shoots moonlight.


    Name: Scheherazade ibn Zayd


    Age: 24


    Birthday: Scorpio 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Grey


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 175 cm


    Description: The elder sister of Adi and caretaker of the king Ahmed. She is responsible for all of Ahmed¡¯s upkeep, and reading the stories every night. He father never gave her a name, so Ahmed gave her the name Scheherazade after the narrator of the stories she reads. Due to constantly tying Ahmed up so he can take a break, she has fallen in love with the art form of bondage.


    Name: Easifatan Zuni


    Age: 23


    Birthday: Gemini 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: White


    Height: 163 cm


    Description: The grandson of Naji Zuni and the head guard of Jedidiah. He takes the job of protecting the country very seriously, but with his annoying and loudmouthed people tend to assume he is a joker and don¡¯t take him very seriously. Ever since he was freed by Scheherazade, he has had a crush on her.


    Name: Paribanou Damavand


    Age: 26


    Birthday: Taurus 2<sup>nd</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: Grey


    Height: 185 cm


    Description: The elder sister of Cyrus, and finance of Ahmed. From a young age, she was forced to take care of her brother, which lead her to sacrifice many things including her life. But before she died she was able to gain what she believed was true happiness in Jedidiah.


    Deceased


    Name: Yamal Grandslam


    Age: 40


    Birthday: Taurus 15<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: White


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: A man from an insignificant village that dreamed of becoming an adventurer. He has an endless passion for his dream, which often clashed with many other parts of his life. The only thing that could rival that passion was his love for his wife and daughter.


    Deceased


    Name: Tarina Grandslam


    Age: 38


    Birthday: 19<sup>th</sup> Pisces


    Hair: Purple


    Eyes: Pink


    Height: 167 cm


    Description: The wife of Yamal Grandslam, and daughter of a prostitute. She was taken in by her father to be sold for her beauty, due to this she was often mistreated and never had much love in her life. But one day that changed, and from then on she continued to spread love and happiness with every action she takes to the point where many consider her to be headstrong.


    Deceased


    Name: Naji Zuni


    Age: 88


    Birthday: Leo 15<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Black


    Eyes: Green


    Height: 155cm


    Description: The former head guard of Jedidiah, and personal attendant of the first prince Hussain. He spent years watching the Almiraj in the deserts of Jedidiah and eventually learned its fighting style the Helix battle arts. He loves his grandson and disciplines him to whip him back into shape. His family is known for being rather short.


    Deceased


    Name: Hussain Kamish Abrahams


    Age: 20


    Birthday: Aries 9<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Crimson


    Height: 181 cm


    Description: The first prince of Jedidiah and older brother of Ahmed Abrahams. He was a brilliant open-minded thinker who worked tirelessly to protect the abused people of his country. He resented his entire family with the exception of his younger brother, who he loved dearly.


    Deceased


    Without affiliation


    Name: Viktor Anwunta


    Age: 43


    Birthday: Scorpio 4<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Orange


    Eyes: White


    Height: 180cm


    Description: A merchant who is very well connected in the world. He is a man who will do whatever it takes to get on top regardless of who he crushes to get there.


    Name: Captivant Nightfall


    Age: 84


    Birthday: Taurus 23<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: black (Normally), Grey (due to age)


    Eyes: Yellow


    Height: 179 cm


    Description: Orb mentor and father figure. He is an author who has written books around the world. Back in his younger days he used to be quite unhinged but that changed after he met his wife.


    Draga: Wife of Captivant.


    Dragoste: Son of Captivant.


    Intrare: Daughter of Captivant.


    Viata: Daughter of Dragoste.


    Tyler Anwunta: Father of Victor Anwunta. Just like most of the Anwunta family, he spent his life trying to amass a fortune and destroy his competitors using any means necessary.

 Log of Beasts and Spirits

    Wonderbeast: These are a higher evolution of animals and are considered almost magical by some.


    Alpha: Alphas are wonderbeasts who command wonderbeasts of the same species. Any member of their species who sees them will immediately follow them unless they are properly tamed.


    Predasaurs: Animals that evolved to live in and around the area of Fimbulwinter, each one is considered a wonderbeast.


    Behemoths: Wonderbeasts that are over 60 meters tall, known as walking calamities.


    Name: Scardo


    Height: 122cm


    Type: Predasaur, Herbivore


    Description: It is small with a beak and a fluffy tail. It¡¯s covered with red and purple feathers scardos are said to be very friendly and loving to humans.


    Fact: they hang around human settlements since humans don¡¯t like eating them due to them being cute.


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Name: Sonbit


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Predasaur, Omnivore


    Description: It is a giant white fluffy mamma with long ears and long circular tails


    Fact: They have no teeth, so they swallow everything they eat whole, breaking it down with their acidic stomachs.


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It¡¯s a giant silver quadrupedal omnivore with one large horn at the front with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron. They have elongated tones that can take their prey off there horn.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.


    Name: Tiritrex (Version Fimbulwinter)


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Predasaur, Omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal beast with five horns covered in feathers. It is rather affable, and uses it¡¯s weight to blow anything in front of it away. It can shoot off it¡¯s feather which upon making contact with a foe will spread root into targets body that will eventually cut all of the blood vessel¡¯s within it, causing extreme pain all the while.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situation if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Name: Tiritrex (Version Jedidiah)


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A black bipedal beast with five horns covered in golden reptilian scales. It is noticeably slimmer than the Fimbluwinter version, and it has two large blue horns appearing out of its back. It can produce water out of the two giant horns on its back for hunting or just to quench its thirst. But the most dangerous thing about this wonderbeast is its ability to create lightning from its horns.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situations if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Name: Vanir Mammoth (Fimbulwinter)


    Height: 6M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A large woolly quadrupedal wonderbeast with two curved antler-like tusks. It has 3 trunks which are used to suck up air and shoot, and it can extend its neck allowing it to further it¡¯s reach.


    Fact: They will impel any foe they deem weak enough with their tusks and parade their bodies there for 2 weeks until they finally devour them; this leads to much of their food being stolen by small animals when sleeping.


    Name: Gapotamus


    Height: 190cm


    Type: Herbivore.


    Description: They are semi-aquatic mammals, with a large lumpy body, short legs and an enormous head.


    Fact: The gas they produce to propel themselves, which is known to be one of the three stinkiest substances in the world.


    Name: Ignamoles


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: Large mammals adapted to subterranean lifestyles. They have pear-shaped bodies, brown fur, inconspicuous eyes and ears, large hindlimbs, and a mouth on each arm which they use to consume the ground.


    Fact: They are extraordinary cowardly and are scared not only of all other creatures but themselves, so they avoid large pools of water where they can see themselves and instead stay in deep dark tunnels underground.


    Name: Steel kraken


    Height: 3500cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: Large squid shaped head, large eyes, and eight arms, while being covered in a metallic substance, as hard as steel. It is a greenish orange colour with red marks throughout its body


    Fact: They would rather sink a ship first when killing people. If the humans where to fall into the sea it would still sink the ship.


    Name: Bohemian Whale


    Height: 3000cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: It is a toothless mammal, with a curved faced cone like body, and four fins which look like wings, it¡¯s tail is shaped like an axe, and its skin is light blue with gold bits across it.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Fact: it skin is highly sensitive to changes in space and gravity allowing it to manoeuvre through the astral sea without issue.


    Name: Nord Cat


    Height: 24.56cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A pinkish black cat with four tails. Due to the way the gravity of Elp¨ªda has effected its body it can stretch and bend its body like rubber.


    Fact: For some reason Nord cats are known to be more affectionate than regular cats. Many people have speculated why that is, but to this day it remains a mystery.


    Name: Peak Griffons


    Height: 350cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: It is a white or blue wonderbeast, which has a lion''s body, two hind legs and a tail, and with the head, and talons on the two front legs of an Eagle. Its scream is capable of sending shockwaves that stun animals that come in contact with them.


    Fact: They tend to love to high places and refuse to go near the ground unless they are tamed.


    Name: Drillkylosaurus


    Height: 200cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is a quadrupedal wonderbeast. Their entire body with the exception of their underbellies. The most noticeable thing about them is their tails function like drills which will pierce any material they come in contact with.


    Fact: It is believed eating their tails will expand dick size, so they were quite severely hunted.


    Name: Bashbex


    Height: 150cm


    Type: Herbivore.


    Description: A goat-like wonderbeast that is covered in hard Armor which allows it to bash and break the hardest of stone for the water trapped inside. It has horns on its four feet, the horn allows the it to grab a hold of rocky terrain


    Fact: They will never go to sleep during the month of Capricorn.


    Name: Slastis


    Height: 230cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A bug wonderbeast with six legs and four arms, its light body allows it to be pulled with the wind allowing it to cross great distances and it legs allow great manoeuvre when on land. With its four arms it has sickles at the end of each which is used to cut stones and enemies into pieces.


    Fact: Like to torture other animals and uses their corpses to sexually pleasure themselves


    Name: Munchnunchers


    Height: 212cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A bipedal rectangular-shaped wonderbeast covered in fur, that feeds on every single type of material. It is capable of opening it mouth the entire length of its body so it can eat food. It has the ability to convert certain materials into different substances; this is usually denoted by the colour of the wonderbeast. Do to its mouth always being full it breaths through its skin.


    Fact: Due to being domestic by the people of Skydust the Munchnunchers have adapted to only eat and convert they have lost all other survival abilities.


    Name: Buffanoa


    Height: 170-350cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A large armoured wonderbeast that is closely related to buffalos. It is incredibly muscly which grants immense physical strength. Its most notable characteristic is its giant shovel-shaped horns. Its horns can be used for transport, cleaning debris and for digging holes.


    Fact: It is a wonderbeast that was specifically bread for use in Skydust, it is unknown whether it could possibly survive in the wild.


    Name: Zterytavis


    Height: 275cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A giant four-winged Bird. Amongst flying Wonderbeasts, they are known to be one of the slowest, but in exchange one of the strongest, they can carry large amounts very long distances and are said to be able to fly through extreme weather conditions unharmed.


    Fact: They will use their children as bait to escape from predators.


    Name: Salidile


    Height: 180cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A large reptilian wonderbeast. To many it is indisputable from a crocodile, with the only difference being its golden scales which seem to form some kind of armoured shell on its back.


    Fact: It has the ability to burrow and swim in the sand which also it to get the jump on many different types of animals and wonderbeasts


    Name: Tahajalmud


    Height: 290m


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A Large quadrupedal wonderbeast, it has a golden armoured shell and a long thorny tail. Beneath its armour, it has two wings that are very similar to those of bugs. It is capable of rolling into a wheel shape to run over all its targets, then it uses its thorny tails to pick chunks of them off its armour.


    Fact: They have races with the rest of their pack when they are alone, and in those races, the older ones tend to let the younger ones win.


    Name: Omega Eagle


    Height: 78cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: An eagle wonderbeast with green and gold feathers. The eagle has extraordinarily hard feathers on its head which form a golden crown, and transfixed to it is a third eye which it uses to project it memories for all to see.


    Fact: They project their stored memories as a way to confuse their prey, and then in that moment they strike on their necks killing them. They live for entertainment and thrills.


    Name: Karkadann


    Height: 215cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: A white wonderbeast with a massive body and four stumpy legs. Its skin at the front has two pieces of hardened golden skin in front that serve the beast as armour. On its back, it has numerous holes that pull in moister and rain to create water for it in the desert. But most noticeable is the giant blue horn that it uses to create water for attacks.


    Fact: The tiritrex of Jedidiah adapted it blue horns from this wonderbeast


    Name: Medjed


    Height: 2700 cm


    Type: Omnivore


    Description: A sand-dwelling wonderbeast, with a fishlike scaleless body. It has four extremely muscular arms, which it uses to combat dangers beneath the sand. Its fins are also drooped down and look like a blanket covering its body. Its face is oval shaped and is said to look derpy.


    Fact: Can only be found in Jedidiah, since no other country has the climate for it¡¯s adaptions.


    Name: The Behemoth of Jedidiah; Sirabalma


    Height: 65M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A behemoth wonderbeast. It¡¯s appearance is very similar to that of a centipede. It has golden armour covering it, and out of that armour spikes can pop out to impale anything that gets too close. Its skin is capable of absorbing water and air even from deep within the sand and because of this is can stay burrowed under the ground for long period of time.


    Fact: Whenever a part of its body breaks off, from that dead flesh it can sprout flying insects that completely obey it.


    Cursed beast: Any sort of animal from a dog to a wonderbeast which has been cursed.


    Name: Slab Bull


    Height: 15m


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: it is a Coven hooved herbivore with four horns and purple skin. Hard things become softer and soft things become harder around it.


    Fact: Despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet.


    Name: Razordon


    Height: 5M


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A reptile-like quadrupedal wonderbeast, which is quite chunky with a sharp blade-like head. But most notably it has tall plates through its entire backside that are made of ice, and a quarter of it¡¯s face is made of ice.


    Fact: They are all in a never-ending state of anger due to the fact that there back constantly itches them, but the plates on there back stop them from scratching it. Though if they find a friendly Scardo anywhere around it will scratch there back for them.


    Anathematized Animals: ?


    Name: Anathematized Panther


    Height: 110cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A wonderbeast which looks almost Identical to a panther with only a few differences. It has golden patterns which lay upon its black skin, and it¡¯s tail is that of a golden blade which it can stretch to cut up anything in sight.


    Fact: Due to its patterns blending into the sand around it the panther is able to burry itself in an act as an ambushed hunter. It is often confused for a wonderbeast, but it isn¡¯t.


    Name: Anathematized Jackal


    Height: 99cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A wonderbeast which looks almost identical to a Jackal with only a few differences. It has golden claws and a golden horn which enables it to shoot lighting.


    Fact: They are pack hunters who will almost never be seen alone. They are ranked number 2 in animals who can hold a grudge. It is often confused for a wonderbeast but isn¡¯t.


    Name: Anathematized Paranant


    Height: 0.1M


    Type: Obligatory hematophagous(Bloodsuckers)


    Description: They are small bugs with golden spherical-shaped bodies, with six short legs attached to the bodies which they can drink blood from. On the front of their body lies one eye which they can conjure lightning from.


    Fact: They are pack hunters who will always act as a collective. They get their name from the researcher who found them Paran, so they are called the Paran-ants.


    Name: Anathematized Camel


    Height: 210cm


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: An animal almost exactly the same as a camel, except it has golden skin and instead of humps on its back it has three large cubes of water.


    Fact: Due to being one of the very few sources of water in Jedidiah it is a keystone species.


    Name: Anathematized Cobra


    Height: 235cm


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: An animal almost identical to a Cobra. It has swirly patterns throughout its body, which it uses to put its prey to sleep.


    Fact: It commonly shows up after other animals and wonderbeasts have exhausted their stamina, then it puts them to sleep while and takes their prey.


    Spirits: Beings made from condense spirit energy. They are only know to natural form on the spirit nation Seirei. You can ruffly divide spirits between ranks between five ranks from D to S.


    D-rank spirits are those that form right away.


    C-rank spirits can form immediately or evolve from a D-rank in about 15 years.


    B-rank spirits rarely form on their own, but it is still possible that it also takes another fifty years to evolve from a C-rank.


    There are no records of an A-rank spirit forming naturally. They all evolve from a B-rank in about two hundred years.


    Then it takes another thousand years to evolve from an A-rank to an S-rank. When a spirit reaches ranks A and S, its power can even be greater than legacies.


    Name: Gyaku Kitsune (D-rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A miniature humanoid spirit with the face of a fox and a tail. It glows yellow and, like all pluses, has white marks throughout its body. It was made from the emotions of passionate workers, so as long as passionate people exist, so will this.


    Fact: they are susceptible to people¡¯s true nature and will be kind to good people but horrible to bad


    Name: Jun Washi (B-rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A spirit Shaped light an eagle with a light green glow. It can paralyse people with negative emotions.


    Fact: It was initially a D-rank spirit formed by a bird lover, but after generations of being passed down in said person¡¯s family, it evolved into a B-rank, where it is used by the family¡¯s eldest daughter Sato Sora.


    Name Otakemaru (A-rank)


    Type: Minus


    Description: A giant humanoid-looking Spirit but is also wholly monstrous. It has three katanas, which it uses to control nature.


    Fact: Half of the spirit energy that makes it up comes from Suzuka and the other half from the village¡¯s residents.


    Name Mayoibune (C-Rank)


    Type: Plus


    Description: A ship spirit. It shape can change to be able to combat whatever seas it may have to encounter though that burns quite a bit of spirit energy so it must be constantly infused with it to survive


    Fact: Originally a fishing ship that was used for decades but was eventually thrown away, where it was repaired by two kind adults. Due to all the feelings that have constantly been poured into it the ship eventually developed a spirit

 Log of Abilities and Techniques

    Spirit Arts: The process of using soul energy to enhance one¡¯s body and pull off superhuman movements. It can be used consciously or by training one¡¯s body; enough can be used unconsciously.


    Legacy: When influential people die, their willpower allows them to surpass death and return to the earth in another body as a legacy sharing the body with the soul of the person born into it two souls in one body.


    The gift can be manifested as a Biomechanical armament. Legacy will also physically change the host¡¯s body to take on the physical traits of the estate. Legacies have vessels they like to work best in some work better in inorganic things some in organic things.


    But the drawback to all of this is that the user will constantly be influenced by the memories of there legacy, which can aide them in battle, but it can also consume there personalities. Some have said that legacies may simply be a method for these legends to reincarnate.


    Helix Battle arts: A form of combat in which the user pulls up rotational energy by spinning and use the energy to improve their physical capabilities, or simply release the rotational energy into another object.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Fox Battle arts: A form of combat made by Suzuka Gozen that combines her families martial art¡¯s with the use of her legacy. Form include the following.


    Fox art; Mould: is a technique in which Suzuka moulds her tails into objects like hammers, or even giant fists.


    Fox art; Breaker: Is a technique in which Suzuka densely wraps her tails around her arms or legs making them many times stronger.


    Fox art; Spiritual tether: Is a technique where Suzuka sends a great amount of spirit energy into another being and using it to destroy them from the inside out. It does not work on being¡¯s covered in their own spirit energy.


    Four beasts battle arts: A form of combat specialised in hunting wonderbeasts. The users train to get a sharped sixth sense that is even greater than wonderbeast instinct.


    Four beasts battle arts; Predatory fang: A technique in which the users look for a weak point which the skin and muscle to cut straight bone to the bone of a wonderbeast.


    Four beast battle arts; Stalking fang: The user minimizes all bodily functions which erases their presence, then uses spirit energy to move there relaxed body through extreme concentration.


    Four beast battle arts; Sky fang: Using the slight imperfections within any surface, just like goats, they can stand against them almost as if we are stuck to them.


    Four beasts battle arts ultimate art; Four beasts vitality: Is a technique that grants the user full control over their muscles allowing them not only to control the inner workings of their bodies such as closing up wounds and dilating blood vessels but also turning off any restraints on her physical output.

 Notice for Part 3. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ!!!

    The first thing I need to say is I will be taking another two weeks off but not entirely. I will probably post a chapter before even three weeks are up but I simply want to give myself that buffer, in case my school work continues to kick my butt.


    Next, I have noticed there are some properly explained concepts or ideas and there is a reason for that because part 3 will have a more proper definition of those things, and in world, there is no way some of these characters will discuss these things yet. Such things include an explanation of what cursed and Ananthamized beasts are, what seat rankings are, What battle arts are, and a more organised breakdown of the world.


    Also, I will be updating the ability and techniques with information on legacies, I will be doing that little by little, but that will be four arcs into part 3 before I do so because there is important info that needs to be known before i do such a thing, and character logs that aren''t up for certain characters like Casandra and her squad, will be up at later dates, I have a will exclude logs of characters who i think are unimportant or simply because we will learn critical information about them later.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    I will also be typing words from now on, to be more professional.


    Finally from this point on I will not use the term Norowareta-ko to refer to Suzuka, but instead, Hiruko because I learned it is a more appropriate term, and much easier to remember.


    i used to get like 4 or 5 people reading each chapter, now on average it is over 25. You guys keep me so motivated so I will continue to try and bring this story to you as best as I can.


    Love you guys and I will try my best to minimize all spelling mistakes!

 Interlude 2: Lion Rising

    This story the story you are about to read took place a long time ago, so far ago that many have completely forgotten it but for the two it will never be forgotten for it was etched into their existence by their forebears. For some this story is one of hope, to others it is a sign of tragedy but for the two it was simply just-


    2<sup>nd</sup> Cycle of history, the  112<sup>th</sup>  year of athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar.


    ¦µ Pulled forward by horses, countless roofless carriages thread down a singular path. The carriages are rickety, old and have sharp pieces of wood sticking out of them. They are all something that even a man with nothing would still not use.


    In those carriages are countless people shoved together to fit between the four sort and brittle walls of the carriage, and every single one of them has their hands and feet bound with rope except one.


    Sitting in the 5<sup>th</sup> carriage is a boy whose hands and feet are bound with chains, whose displeasure increases with every second.


    The men beside me struggling for space try to crush me to find space, but I hold my ground and put up with their pestering. The constant pushing and shoving by the men to my side urk¡¯s me to no end, but still, at least those men have spirit, unlike the one directly in front of me.


    He shakes non-stop while mustering prayers. ¡°God please, your faithful servant has never sinned against you, he has been as pure as the day he has come into this world so even if only me, please come and save me, messiah. Please forgive me lord even if I had sinned.¡±


    Annoyed by his words, I lean forward and say, ¡°Hey, hey you.¡±


    The man with his hand still interlocked looks up towards me, so I say, ¡°No imaginary god is going to save you. If he existed, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation, would you? So man up and stop fucking shaking.¡±


    He says, ¡°You speak of my imaginary faith, yet your faith in your own self seems just as imaginary to me.¡±


    Raising my voice, a little, I say, ¡°Wha-.¡±


    ¡°BE QUIET!¡± A voice shouts from the head of our carriage.


    Calming down, I lean back, and simply go back to struggling for space. Instead of staring forward, I look around at my surroundings. To my right is the annoying pest who keeps shoving at me for space, despite the constant annoyance, I at least applauded this guy¡¯s effort.


    To my front and back are trees so tall that the sunlight struggles to hit any of us, due to this and how long we have been travelling through this forest my sense of time has faded completely.


    To my left is something that I can only take a few glances at, or my life will be forfeit. There is a near-endless line of carriages, but riding on the front of the carriage is a man with two ears reminiscent of a tiger, and a tail as well; a beastkin.


    Being at the edge of the carriage I can feel his gaze lock on to me from time to time, and without a doubt, the gaze of such a hideous creature drives me to insanity.


    But then in the back of my mind, the words of my father play. ¡°My son, play along and do what they say, do not fret we will come and save you!¡±


    Sighing and out I look up at the thing to distract me from my discomfort, the trees.


    What were those words that mother once said, ¡°If heaven existed it would be the northern continent of Victoria, a place where nature is the happiest.¡±


    But despite how amazing Victoria is, it doesn¡¯t really live up to how heavenly it is supposed to be. But my mom did exaggerate from time to time, so I guess there is no point dwelling on it.


    Yawning, I say, ¡°I must be tired, guess I might as well sleep.¡±


    And thus, he laid in the same spot for hours on end, and during same time, the carriages had arrived at their destination.


    -Break-


    Continent: Victoria


    Hearing a loud bell ring I open my eyes and see that people around me are being kicked off the cart, so I jump up and hop off the cart.


    It is dark, so dark that I can barely see anything, but through that darkness I see flames start to appear, and looking at them I see people holding torches in the air and waving them to attract attention.


    Then I hear someone shout, ¡°All of you hurry up over here one by one, and if any of you do something like try to run away, you will be swiftly executed.¡±


    Following the man¡¯s instructions all of us start to slowly form ourselves into a lines; each one in front of their own torch. We go up one by one, and each time I hear the person up there let out a gut-wrenching scream. As the terror from the sounds I hear fills me to the brim, I reach the front of the line.


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    In front of me lies two beastkin, and one wonderbeast. One of them has goat horns, and a similar tail other than that he looks like a human. The one to the right is completely different, he looks like a bat in humanoid form, and to the right is a wolf wonderbeast with a third eye. Taking a quick look at the lines beside me I see they have the same split of personnel.


    The one goat beastkin says, ¡°From today on your property of the Tuatha De Danann, wish yourself lucky that you have been given such a chance.¡±


    The bat says, ¡°Chain shackles? You must be a special one.¡±


    The goat says, ¡°He is one of the citizens from our expansion into the underworld. What did they call that southern continent again?¡±


    ¡°Terrafide is what you''re thinking of, and he must be from the most recent war. I heard the clan we were fighting this time put up some challenge.¡±


    ¡°Of course, we did, my people specialise in hunting idiotic, savage beasts.¡±


    Looking at me straight in the eye, the goat says, ¡°Funny you said because I am the same, hunting you humans is what I am best at, and I heard my brothers did a rather good job hunting you beasts.¡±


    As I feel anger well up in me, I am about to move but the bat beastkin grabs me and holds me steady, then says, ¡°Omega wolf record his face.¡±


    The wolf wonderbeasts third eye glows and moments later it stops. While still confused over this, the goat takes what seems to be a steaming circler object and presses it against my arm.


    The initial shock makes me scream a little, but I quickly quiet down, holding in my voice with all my might.


    But doing this seems to have annoyed the goat, so he presses it even harder against my skin. Still, I hold back my voice and stare him straight in the eyes.


    When he finishes the bat wonderbeast tosses me behind him and says, ¡°Follow him.¡±


    Looking at where he points, I see a beastkin with a group of people who have just been recently branded. When I reach the group, he says, ¡°That¡¯s enough people, let¡¯s go to the camp.¡±


    The man wakes with a torch walks with us through to front gates, and says, ¡°Umm, in order I would like the person to go where I point to.¡±


    We walk through what seems to be a campsite, and we do as he said, but due to being in the back of the line I happen to get a good look around.


    All the people around live in thatch huts, with some of them nearly falling apart. The people are all packed into each hut with barely any space around. Including the people, the only thing that looks like it has any value is the large wooden walls that surround the campsite.


    In front of me, I hear the man say, ¡°Cormac isn¡¯t a bad guy, I know it might look like that but he is actually rather nice even to me.¡±


    Is he trying to talk to me? ¡°I doubt such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I know it must be hard to believe, but I just wanted to say please don¡¯t hold it against him. Since he is someone who bothers to say hello to me.¡±


    I thought so, but this one in front of me, the rat beastkin, is rather pathetic. It seems I have found a weak spot within this place.


    Pointing to one of the most broken huts, he says, ¡°Go there.¡±


    Walking over to the hut, I notice something strange; no one seems to be in there.


    Entering, I say, ¡°Hello anyone there.¡±


    Getting no response I sigh, and walk forward and when I do, I notice that I stepped on something. Pulling my foot back, I say, ¡°A person!¡±


    I didn¡¯t notice because it was so dark but on the floor in front of me was a little blue-haired boy, from the looks of it only a few years younger than me.


    The boy sits up and says, ¡°You''re new.¡±


    His eyes are pitchback and lack life. His skin is bruised and cut, and his body is extraordinarily skinny. Looking at him I wonder if what I am looking at is actually a human or simply a walking corpse.


    Composing myself, I say, ¡°I am new, just brought in.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± The boy says with a tone that I can only call flavourless as if he said them for information, not communication.


    Getting up the boy walks to the side and gets what seems to be a thatch bed.


    But holding up my hand, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, my people are nomadic, so I find more comfort sleeping this way.¡±


    Laying down on the floor, I mutter, ¡°I don¡¯t plan to stay here for a long time anyway, I am going to live a long and free life.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I heard the sound of the boy going to bed behind me, and soon I fell into a deep slumber.


    -Break-


    A bell goes out throughout the campsite which causes one boy to jolt up, and immediately he goes to walk the boy sleeping on the floor with no covering.


    He pushes him again and again whilst saying, ¡°Wake up,¡± In the same flavourless tone he used the day before. But it was to no avail, so he decided to use another method.


    Jumping up he slams his entire body weight into the asleep boy''s stomach which causes the boy to wake up and scream, ¡°MOTHERFUCKER!¡±


    Looking at the boy beside me, I scream, ¡°What the fuck are you doing!?¡±


    But he doesn¡¯t respond and just grabs my arm and runs me out of the hut. When we exit, I see that everyone in the campsite is now in front of a large statue in the northwest.


    Stopping us in front of the statue, the boy lets go of me, so I ask, ¡°What the hell have you been doing.¡±


    ¡°It is morning prayer time, if we were late we would have been punished. Now bow down and follow along.¡±


    As everyone blows down, a man comes out and says, ¡°Now repent.¡±


    Most of the people in the area, holding their hands together say, ¡°Forgive us oh great goddess Danu, we are sinners whose bloodlines have stood against your children. Are sins will never be forgiven, but I ask you to accept our apology and the apology of our foolish forebears. By the power we have, we disregard all of our predcesso-.¡±


    Beside the boy with blue hair, he sees his new roommate has stopped praying and has a face filled with fury.


    What kind of nonsense prayer is this? Do they really think I will just insult my bloodline? Feeling fury well up inside me I am about to stand up and say something, but then the young boy beside me grabs my head with one hand and pushes me down into the ground.


    Quietly, I mutter, ¡°The fuck are you doing,¡± While trying to push against. But in the midst of that, I notice that no matter how hard I try I can¡¯t push back against his hand.


    Suddenly, I hair someone else stand up and say, ¡°I refuse to pray to any other god than my own.¡±


    It was the man who was sitting across from me.


    ¡°This is an utter far-.¡±


    Instantly, I hear a sound I am all too familiar with; the one of heads being crushed. Feeling blood pour over my body, I realize the man had just died.


    Calming down I get into position and continue to mumble the prayer but with furry filling my soul.


    When the prayer finishes, one of the beastkin screams, ¡°Now go to work!¡±


    Walking with everyone out, I get a good look at where we are.


    Serene green grass, towering flowers, trees which reflect the sunlight, and a lake which is a clear blue than the sky, everything before me is in harmony. Before I couldn¡¯t notice it due to the darkness but now, I do, this is what Mom meant when she said Victoria is heaven.

 Interlude 2.01: Without joy they work

    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    An almost endless pasture of grass and flowers stretches out far beyond what any one man can see, and right in the middle of that land one boy screams out in pain.


    Landing on my ass, I scream out in pain and look upon my attacker, in front of me is a moving giant orange sunflower. ¡°What the hell is going on with this bastard.¡±


    ¡°Do you need some help?¡± My roommate says as he stands behind me.


    Despite how sassy his words come across; it is very clear that there was no intent behind them at all. He really makes my mouth feel dry.


    ¡°Yes, I would like that.¡±


    ¡°In each of those flowers as you can see, they have clovers growing out of them, and inside those clovers are different coloured seeds, we want those. But these flowers move around a lot while still stuck in the ground, so picking them out isn¡¯t simple.¡±


    Walking forward, the boy stretches out his hand which causes the flower to move, and in that moment with his other hand, he pulls off a clover. ¡°The flowers follow a specific pattern, so if you pay enough attention, you can figure it out and quickly pluck the seeds.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Giving him an annoyed look, I stand up and say, ¡°Just watch my razor-sharp moves.¡±


    Running forward I grab the flower and push it to the ground, then I say, ¡°I can pull off as many seeds as I want while it like this.¡±


    Suddenly in my hands, the flower starts to wither, so I say, ¡°What¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°If you''re physically violent with the flower they will die of shock, and wither immediately, the surrounding flowers will also seek vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Vengea?¡± Before I can finish my sentence, I am whipped by the other sunflowers knocking me all the back over to my roommate.


    Getting up, I scream, ¡°YOU MOTHER FUCKING FLOWERS.¡±


    The two flowers that just hit me instantly withered, and then my roommate says, ¡°Emotional violence will also cause them to wither.¡±


    ¡°WHAT ARE THESE FLOWERS, CHILDREN!?¡±


    My roommate says, ¡°If you raise your voice above a certain volume.¡±


    Turning my head to face him, I say, ¡°Let me guess they wither and die.¡±


    ¡°No, they just shot pollen directly into your face.¡±


    Turning my head, I see a giant sunflower in front of me, then moments later pollen is shot from the top of the flower directly into my face.


    Instantly, I fall to the floor and roll all over on my back as I itch my face. ¡°Itchy, itchy, itchy, itchy, ITCHY!¡±


    The flower shoots another volley of pollen directly to my face.


    -Break-


    After I stop itching, I sit up and say, ¡°This really is going to be annoying.¡±


    ¡°If you get the patterns down you will eventually get it. Now I will be going to get my work done over there, but before I leave there are three rules, you should remember.¡±


    ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°First, You are forbidden from communicating with people outside your house, if you are caught doing so it will be grounds for execution. Second, the flower with purple, silver, and dark green, seeds are much more violent than sensitive and will attack rather than wither when bothered, so be careful. And lastly don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡± With those words, he walks away.


    He said all of that with the same tasteless tone he says everything so I am pretty sure there was no intent behind that sentence just information, I should probably accept it all as fact.


    Standing up, I say, ¡°There is a lot to think about but right now the most important thing for me is revenge against these flowers. So come at me!¡±


    -Break-


    With its stem, it swings at me to attack, but I jump over it. Then the flower shoots pollen at me again but I lunge to my right and then lunge forward, still with no waste in movement the flower uses one of its leaves to whip me directly in my side leaving a small cut in it, but in that moment I grab one of the seeds directly out of the clover, then scream, ¡°DIE YOU LOSER.¡±


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    Moments later the flower withers, and I fall to my ass.


    ¡°Now that makes twenty seeds, I even got one of the rare silver ones.¡±


    Walking up to me my roommate says, ¡°You¡¯re finished?¡±


    ¡°Yeah and I got twenty whole seeds, took me from sunrise to sundown but I got it done.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°No reaction, you really are a dry human being.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Say something other than I SEE!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°I would think your fucking with me, but I don¡¯t see you to be capable of such a thing. So now what?¡±


    ¡°I will take your seeds to hand in, you can go back to camp. But when you do I suggest you pick up some of the leaves you see lying around.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it will help us with work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ok then.¡±


    Handing him my seeds, walk away while picking up the giant leaves from the clovers as I go.


    Soon I entered a line of people walking from the grassland back to the campsite, and eventually, I entered the campsite.


    Walking with a smile on my face, I say, ¡°I was only able to get twenty seeds today but I am sure I will be able to get quite a bit more than last time tomorrow. But it definitely would be easier if I had more to eat, all they gave me was a crappy potato and a little bit of water.


    Suddenly while I walk through the campsite I hear a cry, then looking over to one of the numerous tents I see a grown man cowering with his hands behind his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    I hear someone mutter to the person beside them, ¡°Apparently all of his roommates pissed off all the flowers in the area and they withered so no seeds were collected.¡±


    ¡°So it seems they were punished with only him being left behind as an example.¡±


    Immediately, I walk away to my room and lie down on the floor. ¡°I was being an idiot, I should not get comfy here because I am leaving the first moment I can.¡±


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes and sit up, saying ¡°Looks like I got up before the bell this time.¡±


    Turning my head to the left, I see my roommate sitting on his knees messing with the leaves I picked up yesterday. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Preparing something for our survival today.¡±


    ¡°I take your word for it.¡±


    ¡°Also I would suggest taking your top off because it will also increase your survival today.¡±


    ¡°You know I would like to know what is going on toda-.¡±


    The bell chimes throughout the area telling us it is time for morning prayers. ¡°I guess I just have to wait till it starts.¡±


    Following my roommate''s instructions, I take off my top, but I would barely call it a top at this point. Due to all the blows and lashes I took from the plants, it has tears all over it.


    But on the topic of clothes, I have noticed that all the people who have been here before us have the same clothing; a thin shirt, and thin bottoms that only go up to their knees.


    I doubt our masters are kind enough to give us such things, so I wonder why they have such similar clothing.


    Walking out of the room with the boy who has also taken off his top, I see a horde of people walk out as well.


    As the elder of the two boys stares at the younger''s face, certain thoughts race through his mind; I didn¡¯t get a good look at his face last night but it seems he took quite a beating from the flowers as well. I guess I did pretty well compared to him. Looks like whatever he is talking about today will be easy enough for me.


    Location: Scortha fields


    With seeds in my hands, I dig up the dry and hard land beneath me and start planting seeds.


    Our task today is to plant as many seeds as we can in these endless fields. But the big issue is that the fields are beside the giant tree I saw when I first looked into the area.


    What I didn¡¯t know was that the beautiful leaves of that giant tree increase the power of the sunlight so they shine down on me, so it is fucking hot, and because it is the leaves are reflecting sunlight everywhere the shade of the trees isn¡¯t even working.


    The only thing keeping me from falling unconscious right now is the giant combination of leaves on my back providing shade.


    Looking over to my roommate who gave me the covering, I see that even on his lifeless face the sunlight is making him struggle. Even a zombie like him is reminded he is alive under this heat.


    A few meters in front of us I see a man fall over and collapse. ¡°This isn¡¯t good if he is left out here, he will die.¡±


    Feeling my foot move, I hear my roommate say, ¡°Don¡¯t move, they¡¯re watching.¡±


    Moments later a beastkin walks up to the man, then kicks him, saying, ¡°GET UP!¡±


    He keeps stepping on him while saying, ¡°I know you shit for brain humans struggle to even understand the simplest of instructions but napping on the job is to much for even me.¡±


    Out of anger, I move my foot forward but at that moment I see the beastkin immediately turn his head towards me.


    Walking over he says, ¡°Is there something wrong with your eyes, get back to work you eejit.¡±


    Feeling enraged, I just stare at him struggling to hold myself back.


    ¡°Oh does this little gobshite want to end up like the manky piece of dirt over there? When the beastkin reaches me, he hits me directly in the face, causing me to go backwards.


    From my mouth, I spit up some blood and two teeth.


    Walking up to me stretching his arm he says, ¡°When you get to the underworld, tell the rest of your piece of shit clan how you life when arseways.¡±


    As he is about to hit me again, another beastkin steps in and says something to him. The language they both begin to speak is completely unrecognizable to me. Huh to my knowledge don¡¯t all races speak the same language the Song of the Saviours?


    Suddenly they stop and give me a look of disgust, then the one who hit says, ¡°What the hell does that marquis want with these two?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, just get back to work.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. But before that.¡± Picking up my leaf covering he rips it into little pieces then says, ¡°Oops my hand slipped, now get back to work slave.¡±


    In that moment my father''s words play in my head again and again, which allows me to calm my seething rage. Standing up I get back to work.


    The sun¡¯s intensity is a lot worse now, but still, I can¡¯t stop now I need to get all my work done I have to.


    As I work my vision continues to become more and more hazy until I completely blank out.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    In the dark of the night, slipping in and out of consciousness, one boy hangs on the back of another with a leave giving shade to both of them.


    The young boy walks towards his hut in the campsite, but as he does grown men stop him and say, ¡°You''re late you spawn of a traitor.¡±


    Bowing his head, he says, ¡°Can I please drop this person back in his room?"


    The young boy is immediately punched in the face, and then the older man says, ¡°Don¡¯t ever think we would ever listen to a request of yours.¡±


    Dropping the boy on his back, the young boy takes the leaf and covers him.


    Then walking up to the men in front of him the young boy gets hit another time directly in the face. This continues with the group of men around the boy cheering with each hit.


    The young man tethering on the surface of unconsciousness fully falls asleep, as the other boy gets beaten.

 Interlude 2.02: A tasteless warning

    -Break-


    Hearing a bell ring, I jump from my bed and rub the back of my head saying, ¡°Guess I couldn¡¯t get up early today.¡±


    Looking around the room I see my roommate still sleeping. ¡°Looks like he does get tired.¡±


    Moving over to him, I grab him and shake him while saying, ¡°Get up.¡±


    But in the moment I get a good look at his face and see it looks sort of bruised. We didn¡¯t do any work where he could have gotten these injuries yesterday.


    Dropping him, I put my hands on my head and then I say, ¡°Wait what happened yesterday? If I remember correctly we were planting seeds, then those fucking animals messed with me then I-.¡±


    ¡°You finished all your work then we walked back,¡± My roommate says as he jumps up.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I say shocked.


    ¡°We should go, otherwise we will be punished.¡±


    As I get ready to leave, I see my roommate grab the leaf coverings, so I say, ¡°I swear mine was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°I fixed them.¡±


    Grabbing mine, I say, ¡°If I need this again that means today is about to be as bad as the last.¡± My face turns to one of worry as this realization lands on me.


    -Break-


    With the leaves acting as shades, the two boys walk down one of many paths alongside the other who hold the same position as they do. But one of the boys takes this time to observe his surroundings.


    Looking to my left and to my right I see others in the distance walking down paths similar to the one I am. Then after turning my head behind me, I say, ¡°Yeah that settles it.¡±


    There are way too many people for all of them to be just from our campsite, so that must mean there are a few campsites scattered over the land.


    This makes sense because if you simply look at all the land having only us work it would be incredibly stupid, so there had to be more of us around.


    But now I am kinda worried. Up until now, I had only run into people from my own campsite, so what kind of work requires all of us over in one place? I hope it¡¯s easy.


    -Break-


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    I take my incredibly dull spade and plunge it into the ground. Then with all my strength I pull it out of the ground and say, ¡°MY HOPES ARE SHATTERED!¡±


    A beastkin immediately shouts something at me in their irreconcilable language so I quiet down and get back to work.


    Today we were all given spades and are tasked with digging up the earth around here. The land was already a bit dug down, but we apparently have to keep doing this until the ground here reaches a ridiculous depth.


    At the very least the sun around here isn¡¯t as bad as yesterday, but it is still hot. The ground is also incredibly dry making it hard to dig it up, but regardless I still need to get this job done so there is no use complaining.


    Continuing to dig up the ground beside my roommate, I eventually hit something that causes my shovel to vibrate back to me. Dropping my shovel I pick up what I just hit and see it is a green and blue shell.


    ¡°This is cool looking.¡±


    Suddenly a little bug head pops out of it and bites my hand. Moments later my roommate grabs my head and throws the shell out of my hand.


    ¡°What did you do that for!¡±


    Tasteless like always he asks, ¡°Did it bite you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just a little prick.¡±


    My roommate takes hold of my top and rips it somewhat, then takes the ripped part and ties it around my hand. ¡°HEY!¡±


    ¡°You see that man walking over there, follow him. Then when you reach the same place that he is going wash out the poison, if you don¡¯t you will die.¡±


    ¡°EHHHH!¡±


    The beastkin watching us screams at us again in their same nonsense language. So I quiet down and follow my roommate''s instructions.


    -Break-


    Location: River L¨²ide


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    In front of me, I see a giant river and a bunch of people washing their bodies in the river. I was wondering how everyone didn¡¯t stink all day and now I see why.


    Getting naked I walk over to the water and start to follow my roommate''s instructions as I clean my body and my hand.


    Taking a moment to look down the river, I say, ¡°Are we diverting this river? We have to be because if you look at the way we are digging, it would drain all the water into that area.


    But for what reason would we do such a thing? This is an area filled with trash, I doubt those monsters would do something like this for us. I guess they have future plans for this land.


    Still, my number one priority should be to get my ass clean immediately.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking over with my clothes, I try to move back to work but a beastkin stops me. He says something in his language and then points me towards a bunch of other people.


    ¡°I need to get back.¡±


    He says something unrecognizable to me and then continues to point me towards everyone else.


    Unable to get past him I just continue down the lake like everyone else I notice that there is a distinct lack of guards, and while lost in this thought I hear someone say, ¡°Catulus leonis.¡±


    Turning to the origin of the voice, I say, ¡°Is that you Vul?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    Seeing a familiar face, I feel a tear fall from my eyes.


    ¡°Now, now young one it isn¡¯t good for the son of such a warrior to shed tears.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but I am just so happy to see someone I recognize. Ever since we got captured, I haven¡¯t been able to see anyone I have known, but still is it okay for us to be talking like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is, I asked my roommates and they said that the guards are all around watching people dig, so it is very lax on the walk back.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we could use this time to escape?¡±


    ¡°I thought the same thing, but alas it isn¡¯t that easy. We are currently around the northern edge of the campsite, if we head north to escape that is around where all the guards are, and if we try to escape in any other direction the distance would be too long, and we would without a doubt be caught.¡±


    ¡°So I guess the only thing we can do is wait for Mother and Father to come and get us.¡±


    ¡°No, we can still take action.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have run into a few others in my campsite and  I have asked them to scout around their areas and report the layout back to me, and I would like you to do the same.¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t move around.¡±


    ¡°According to my roommates, our schedules rotate so eventually, you will be in the grasslands again, and thanks to the flower height you should be able to hide yourself and should be able to get a good look at this.¡±


    Remembering the face of the man holding his head in terror I freeze up somewhat.


    Stopping in his tracks, Vul says, ¡°I know this is such an arduous task to ask you to do, as an adult I should be ashamed to ask a young one such as yourself to do such a thing-.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Vul, you guys have always been protecting me since I was young lots of you even stayed behind to get captured with me so I wouldn¡¯t be alone, but I am no longer a cub. I can do this much.¡±


    With a proud face, the man named Vul says to the young man beside him, ¡°I see, I wish you success in your endeavour.¡±


    -Break-


    That night, as the young man slept like a log. His roommate walked into the hut with both of their leaf coverings but was slightly more injured than he was in the morning.


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    As I face the sunflower in front of me, I say, ¡°I will make you bastards pay for my clothes.¡±


    But then one of the giant flowers withers in front of me. ¡°Oh come on!¡±


    Behind me, my roommate says, ¡°You didn¡¯t learn from last time?¡±


    The words he says don¡¯t come off as a snarky insult, but a genuine question, which annoys me more than it should. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± My roommate says as he walks away. Stopping in his tracks, he says, ¡°The new people tend to do stupid things when they figure out that rotations are happening. So I would suggest that you don¡¯t take part in that.¡±


    With sweat trickling down my face, I say, ¡°Whatever could you mean.¡±


    With a tasteless expression, he says, ¡°I see, you really can¡¯t take in information at once. I will repeat myself a few times to get the information across then.¡±


    The pure honesty of the words he says to me strikes me in my soul, ¡°I got it so go away.¡±


    Turning around he walks away, a bit then stops, and within a few moments, he says, ¡°People in our campsite don¡¯t tend to be killed, even the people who failed on the first day were just beaten. But in our campsites I have heard from whisperers that people get killed for even the slightest provocation.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Be careful of the lives around you,¡± With that, he runs away.


    When the boy gets far enough out of sight, I say ¡°Smartass.¡± Then run head-first through the flowers.


    ¡°During my walk from and back to the campsite which is on the southwest in relation to the grassland, I have a pretty good grasp of that area, so I should aim to get a look around the east of the campsite.¡±


    Running around, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Running through the flowers a little bit I see a group of others working, each one and equal distance away from the other. If I want to sneak past them I need to push them all up together.


    Moving close to the one furthest away from the rest, I let go up to the flowers and say, ¡°You ugly hideous creation.¡±


    Then I dash away as the flowers in his area start to wither.


    ¡°The people around start to scream at him, in utter anger but as they do I dash to the other end of all of them then from one field to another.¡±


    Running through the next field of flowers I say, ¡°People from Victoria really are soft, how did you people even let your guards down like that? Unlike in Terrafide where everyone is on edge by the ridiculous number of wonderbeasts all the time.¡±


    Remembering my roommate I say, ¡°Though I guess they aren¡¯t all fragile, considering that a dainty boy like him can still move with all those injuries. But who cares what matters now in to continue my scouting.¡±


    -Break-


    On his way back to the campsite the younger of the two boys sees the older run up behind him, and then he asks, ¡°Why are you out of breath?¡±


    ¡°Nothing let¡¯s just go.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    As the two boys just walk back to the campsite, a beastkin stares directly at the older.


    -Break-


    Location: Scortha fields


    With great fervour, I pull up the dirt under me and plant, the side which I have been given.


    ¡°I got a good bit of information to report to Vul tomorrow, I can finally help everyone. No one is going to call me Catulus Leonis anymore, maybe they will say Rex Leonum. I can¡¯t wait I am going to make everyone proud of me.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: River L¨²ide


    I left digging even earlier than last time, but I couldn¡¯t wait I had to tell Vul the good news straight away.


    After cleaning up my body, I waited as long as possible while waiting for Vul to show up, but he never did.


    I waited for so long that the Beastkin had to scream at me to move on. So I did all the way back to the campsite without ever seeing Vul.¡±

 Interlude 2.03: Bricrius Arrival

    -Break-


    So I waited patiently day after day, to try and find an opportunity to speak to Vul, but I never found it. I couldn¡¯t even catch a whiff of his presence.


    And as I lie in my tent I whisper to myself, ¡°I guess they just must have tightened security around the area, so maybe he is just being watchful of my safety. That would be like him; Vul and everyone else always going out of their way to assure my safety, I am not a child anymore I can take care of myself.¡±


    Like a scary monster, my roommate sits up, so I say, ¡°What¡¯s got you awake?¡±


    Ignoring me he stands up and says, ¡°I need to shit.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even know a golem like you could release waste.¡±


    ¡°Golem?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like an idi-.¡± Confused I say, ¡°Wait, You really don¡¯t know do you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see a golem is a-.¡±


    Getting up my roommate starts to walk away, so I grab him by the shoulder and say, ¡°Hey I am speaking!?¡±


    ¡°You take a while to talk, so I will listen after I take a shit.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T PISS ME OFF BRAT, you can take a shit after I am done.¡±


    ¡°But my shi-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°But-.¡±


    ¡°KEEP IT IN.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and just listen! You see a golem i-.¡±


    Stopping in the middle of my sentence I see the boy pulling down his pants, so I yell, ¡°THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t let me go so I thought I should multitask.¡±


    Pushing him out, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t stink up the tent, just go.¡±


    Outside the tent, he says, ¡°I will be awhile so you can just go to sleep and tell me later.¡±


    ¡°SCRAM, I ain''t telling you shit.¡±


    As he walks away, I lie back on the floor and say, ¡°That boy¡¯s existence just pisses me off.¡±


    -Break-


    That night I had very pleasant dreams. I dreamt of the friends in my clan, the place we all used the visit, the dances we all did, the beasts we hunted, the games we played, and my family which held me.


    The people I loved kept flashing in my mind, granting both a happy, yet sorrowful dream.


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes, I sit up from the floor and clear my vision, then I look out the entrance of our tent where I see something incredibly strange; it is sunny.


    This causes me to jump to my feet, saying ¡°Did we sleep in!?¡±


    Touching my roommate, I say, ¡°We need to get up now or we will be punished!¡±


    Opening his eyes, he looks out the entrance and says, ¡°I see so it is one of those days.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    He looks at me and says, ¡°It is probably better you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.¡±


    Getting up he says, ¡°What I said. Don¡¯t do anything rash today, or you might die.¡±


    The words he said, like everything else he said felt tasteless but felt as truthful as all the others, so I say, ¡°Ok then.¡±


    ¡°Now we go.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°To pray, and you should leave the leaves we won¡¯t be needing them today.¡±


    Following the words of my roommate, we simply go along with our morning daily schedule.


    We leave our room and then head over to the goddess statue to pray. ¡°Forgive us oh great goddess Danu, we are sinners whose bloodlines have stood against your children. Are sins will never be forgiven, but I ask you to accept our apology and the apology of our foolish forebears. By the power we have, we disregard all of our predecessor''s legacies and choose to dedicate the rest of our left in repaying you for the foolishness and suffering they have caused your children. Our souls are yours, our lives are yours, and anything that derives from either is yours, so please forgive our intent stupidity and foolishness and let us live as your pets.¡±


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    Still a disgusting prayer no matter how many times, I say it, but it is not like I will have to get used to it.


    The moment we finish we are then directed by a beastkin watching over the statue to follow the signs.


    ¡°Follow the signs?¡±


    The beastkin says something with a disgusted expression in his language, then says in a language recognizable to me, ¡°Yes follow the signs human.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking down the path, I say, ¡°This is taking forever!¡±


    ¡°Where almost there.¡±


    Looking at him I say, ¡°You seem to be taking this walk well.¡±


    ¡°No worse than our normal walk.¡±


    ¡°Like hell it is, we have been walking for three hours, is your sense of time even working.¡±


    ¡°We''re here.¡± My roommate says as he points towards, a large wooden building with its doors open.


    Surprised, I say, ¡°What is this?¡±


    But my roommate says, ¡°It is a place with food.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± I say as the thought of all the tasteless food they have served comes to mind. Walking forward I say, ¡°The food they serve barely gives me enough energy to make this walk, why did I even have to do this today.¡±


    Continuing my walk, I enter through the doorway to the building, and I am greeted with a delicious aroma as I see countless tables of people with food on them.


    This sight stops me in my tracks, and moments later I say, ¡°Am I dreaming.¡±


    Suddenly feeling a jolt of pain in my side, I scream then my roommate says, ¡°No you are not.¡±


    ¡°You bastard it was a turn of phase I didn¡¯t want you to actually pinch me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± After saying this my roommate walks forward and sits down on one table, with me following close behind.


    As we sit at a table I see my roommate grab one of the many plates of food, and take the food on it and put it in the wooden bowl in front of him, then start eating.


    Looking at the food he has taken I am in utter awe of what I am seeing, I didn¡¯t know food could look like this. This isn¡¯t let the vegetables we pulled from the ground or the meat we hunted from the animals, this is something else entirely. It is like they mixed different foods and vegetables to create something extra delicious.


    Seeing this my mouth waters uncontrollably, then I say, ¡°We are allowed to eat this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± My roommate says in response.


    Feeling a thrill run through my body I stretch out my arm and prepare to grab some food from the plates lining our long tables to be put in the wooden bowl in front of me, but then I notice that some people aren¡¯t eating.


    Looking around more I notice that people with similar clothes to my roommate; the ones who have been here for some time are not eating actually some of them look like they are about to puke.


    Sometimes the berries my clan used to pick were poisonous so we usually watched what the animals would eat and followed them by example. If people here aren¡¯t eating this delicious food something must be wrong with it.


    Returning my arm towards myself, my roommate says, ¡°You should eat.¡±


    Controlling my hunger I say, ¡°I don¡¯t need to, this all feels too suspicious.¡±


    After taking a second to look around my roommate faces me and says, ¡°There is no benefit to yourself for not eating the food, and I believe you will struggle to get through the day without the energy.¡±


    When he finishes he takes a big bite out of the food in front of him, and in that moment seeing that juicy food causes me to lose it. I grab some and place it on my plate and moments later I feel the juices flow in my mouth.


    Unable to express himself with words the boy who has just taken a bite out of food he has never tasted before, simply cries tears of joy, and continues to devour inch after inch of food.


    But that sight isn''t strange in the area at the moment, because all around him are people beaten and bruised eating as if this is the first time their tongues have known flavour. The happiness emanating from each and every one of them is akin to the first time a parent lays eyes on their child.


    However, within this group, there are people who are devoid of smiles, those who ignore the food in front of them and try not to vomit at the sight of it. Sweet trickles down these men''s faces as they wait for the moment of reckoning to arrive.


    But as a man walks through the door, the men who weren¡¯t eating break out in a cold sweat, and the men who were faced him.


    Looking directly at the door I see a man who is rather dressed up. He has clothes that I have never seen before, they look kinda stuffy nothing a warrior would wear.


    But regardless of that as he holes his cane in front of himself, I wouldn¡¯t say he is a weakling.


    One of the beastkin walks forward, then says, ¡°Foolish humans, stop immediately and listen to the words my great lord has to say to you.¡±


    But despite the words said lots of people continued to eat the wonderful food in front of themselves completely lost in the fervour, and in that moment all the beastkin around got close to us and started emitting a murderous presence.


    This is bad I knew all of this was a trap!


    The beastkin started to attack, not only the men who ignored their words but even us who were listening attentively. They smack the food out of our hands and push us to the ground as they strike us.


    What the hell is even going on? We are listening yet they continue to hit us.


    As the beastkin physically assaults each of the men and boys in the area, the beastkin who just entered mutters, ¡°Three, two, one,¡± Then slams his cane on the ground three times.


    All the beastkin around me stop in their tracks and the man says, ¡°Now, now, everyone calm down, no need to get violent.¡±


    Walking up to me, he picks me up from the ground and says, ¡°Young man are you ok?¡±


    Getting a good look at him, I would say he is some sort of snake beastkin but one of the more human-looking ones.


    Wiping some of the spilt food off my shoulder, I say, ¡°Do I look ok?¡±


    A beastkin beside me starts to growl with anger, but then the snake waves him down.


    ¡°I am sorry for what happened I know the men here can be a bit ruff, but I hope you will accept my apology.¡±


    Whilst he says this, he bows in front of me, and in my vision, I see the other beastkin, become very visibly aggravated.


    ¡°Ok, all is forgiven.¡± Best to say this because I don¡¯t seem to have very many options right now.


    Turning from me, he says, ¡°My name is Marqis Bricriu, and I am the one who is in charge of the transportation to and from our plantations, and I have just come here to say, thank you to each and every one of you.¡±


    The words said by Bricriu elicit a surprised reaction from people around, but only those who are new to the plantation, the rest just quiet down and smile.


    ¡°The work that has been collectively done here has been utterly amazing and I thank you for such work. You have all provided us with what we need to survive and now I share that with you.¡±


    Picking up food that was thrown and smeared onto the ground, he puts it in my roommate''s hand and says, ¡°So please eat to your heart¡¯s content, and make sure you eat it all because this in itself is a give from Danu herself, and our goddess is quite vengeful to those who spit in her face.¡±


    As he walks away all the men and boys in the room go back to their tables and pick up the food that has been scattered.


    He might have phased it like a blessing, but he just told us all that if we don¡¯t eat we will be receiving a punishment.


    Taking a smug piece of porridge from the table I put it in my mouth and eat. Aww, even in this state it is still something that I can¡¯t help myself but devour.

 Interlude 2.04: What they are

    -Break-


    The men picked up all of their scattered and smushed food and ate it even in that state, even the ones who weren¡¯t previously eating started to eat as well.


    Little by little as they ate the food, their worries, and tension vanished as they were raptured by food they would have never eaten in their lives. It was a sight that many would call pathetic, the beastkin around them even snickered at the view.


    But to these men, it was the best thing they had eaten in a long time, so they couldn¡¯t help but smile as they ate with all of their hearts.


    And once all the food had been finished Bricriu stood up and says, ¡°Now what a wonderful meal that was but we should start getting to the main topic of the day.¡±


    A beastkin screams, ¡°EVERYONE STAND UP RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Remembering the beating they have all just taken not a single one of them wastes a second and immediately complies with the order.


    Bricriu then says, ¡°We will be going on a rather long walk, to my favourite place here. But I have a few surprises to prepare so I will be taking a carriage ahead, so don¡¯t walk too fast.¡±


    With that Bricriu leaves and moments later we are all escorted out of the building.


    When we leave and go outside I am greeted with the sight of black and blue wonderbeasts. They have bodies sort of similar to animals I have found in the ocean, yet they have fur and four legs. The two in the front are covered in fur and might like the legs of a lion but have two fin-like blades protruding from them, while the back two are also strong and look similar to a goat¡¯s.


    You can tell by the way they look at us and the way they are restrained that these wonderbeasts are excellent hunters. They have probably set these wonderbeasts as a deterrent for anyone trying to start anything.


    This really is a weird situation, but the path we are following will lead me towards the eastern part of the plantation so I will finally get a good look around


    -Break-


    3 hours later


    As all the men with sweet trickly down their faces are brought towards a hill, a beastkin shouts to them, ¡°Line up on top of the hill now!¡±


    Whilst I walk with sweat trickling down my face, I say, ¡°This is fucking stupid, I swear when I get out of here I am going to ki-.¡±


    The young boy stopped talking as he reached the top of the hill, but that wasn¡¯t strange because all of the men who had witnessed the scene in front of them would have had similar reactions.


    A very short distance away from the top of the hill were red pillars, with some discolouration throughout them. Each pillar had a unique shape, and if one was to look at them from a distance they would even admire them.


    But due to all the men being on the top of the hill they were able to see what the pillars were made from; humans.


    Their skin, their flesh, and their bones, were all amalgamated into these pillars and throughout the pillars you could still make out some faces; old ones, and young ones.


    When faced with this sight, some cried, some stood there in shock, some voided their stomachs, some fell to the ground, some felt rage, and some just laughed unable to process the sight in front of them.


    But the two boys simply stood there. The older of the two shook slightly as the idea of what he was seeing started to bare weight, and in a desperate attempt to confirm whether this was reality he looked to his left where he saw his roommate.


    ¡°Hey is what I am seeing real?¡±


    With the same tasteless tone he always uses he says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± he says turning his face back towards the sight in front of him.


    If this is reality then why wasn¡¯t my roommate reacting at all!?


    Unknown to everybody at the time the only one who didn¡¯t have any reaction to the sight in front of them was the younger of the two boys. He didn¡¯t go through any physical or mental changes from looking at the sight in front of him, it was no different than anything else he had seen today.


    Still, despite not behaving just like everyone else, he and everyone understood the same thing whether through logic or instinct that if they move that might become us. That¡¯s why through all of their reactions not one of them ran away.


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    Bricriu seeing the two boys on the hill says, ¡°Life really is amazing.¡± Then walking forward toward the first of the pillars he says, ¡°The people you see here were one of countless tribes of people who used to live on this land, this tribe in particular wiped out many other tribes and soaked the ground in blood.¡±


    Bricriu is a far distance away from all of the men, but his voice is so powerful, that each and every one of the humans can hear it perfectly as if he is whispering directly into their ears.


    Walking over from pillar to pillar, Bricriu says, ¡°This pillar is made from a few nomadic bandits who decided they wanted to take a piece of our land, and this one is made from a small village of people who used to live at the base of River L¨²ide.¡±


    Stopping in front of a pillar, he says, ¡°Now this one is one of my favourites, this is made by a group of men who once tried to start a rebellion on this very land. We took our time to make this to commemorate their bravery.¡±


    Turning to face the men, Bricriu says, ¡°Do you know what every single one of these people has in common? It is very simple, they tried to oppose us, so we crushed them.


    But still many refuse to understand this simple fact such as these fools.¡±


    Pointing his left hand to his side, we see the beastkin lead a bunch of humans with bags over their heads in front of Bricriu. Each of them are placed on their knees and all have their hand and feet bound.


    Then after Bricriu makes another gesture, the beastkin takes the covers off the face of the humans, with Bricriu taking off one covering by himself.


    Throughout the hill where all the men stand, almost all of the newly brought-in men have faces of shock and horror, as each and every single one of them recognizes one of the faces.


    Including the older of the two boys, who mutters, ¡°Father.¡±


    Immediately that boy tries to move his body, but at the same moment when he tries to move forward, the other boy puts his foot into the foot of the older boy and uses his hand to grab his arm.


    He struggles to break out of his roommate¡¯s grip, so he says, ¡°LET GO OFF ME.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Feeling his grip tighten, I say, ¡°Let go, let go, let go!¡±


    ¡°No, because if I do, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    Seeing the sight of the two boys struggling on the hill, Bricriu smiles and then says, ¡°These brave yet foolish men before you, were all taken from my recent conquests into the underworld Terrafide. Some were from villages ruled by women, some were from warrior clans, whilst some lived in mounts. But none of that matters to any of you because to all of you who recognize these people as brothers, sons, uncles, and even fathers.


    Many of them were captured by me as I hunted down the runaways, but some of them were captured while trying to sneak into our land,¡± after saying that last sentence Bricriu hit my father across the head.


    ¡°And even though these boys you see in front of me tried to escape our reach, they were still caught in the end, because that is the fate of you humans. Because each and every one of you are no different than cattle, and the very fact that you can even understand our words is the crowning achievement of your race.¡±


    ¡°Still knowing this these people fervently tried to defy us and will pay for their sins.¡±


    All the beastkin beside the captives place their hands on the head of the captive they unmasked, and as that happens the captives begin to shake with fright as bloodlust so tangible you could drink it fills the air around them.


    Seeing this most men looking on from above feel terror in their souls as they have already anticipated what is about to happen. But others unable to watch any longer start to run down the hill towards their loved ones.


    Some scream, ¡°FATHER!¡±


    Some, ¡°BROTHER!¡±


    Some even shout names, ¡°THOMAS.¡±


    But in the end, they all might have the same fate, because moments after they run down the hill their heads are ripped from their bodies by beastkin, leaving only mutilated bodies rolling down the hill.


    Many who see this sight feel their feet freeze to the ground, but the older of the two boys still tries to move screaming, ¡°FATHER!¡±


    But the hold of the younger of the two holds him down with an inhuman grip, not allowing him to move an inch.


    Bricriu making another gesture, says, ¡°May Danu forgive you.¡±


    The rest of the beastkin say the same, ¡°May Danu forgive you.¡±


    At that moment all the beastkin break the necks of all of the humans they are holding, with the only other sound in that moment being the crying of the older of the two boys.


    Letting out another smile, Bricriu says, ¡°Open your souls and engrave these next words into them, you are slaves. Every single one of you is a slave, so from this moment till the death of your world, you will all be slaves. That is the only fate where you can live. Now I want each and every one of you to turn around and look into the distance.¡±


    Following his instructions each and every one does this, with the younger of the two helping the collapsed older move.


    Holding his hands up, he says, ¡°But if you continue to be good slaves you will get to see that scenery over there whenever you wish, but if you disobey the hell you see in front of you will be a fate that you will succumb to. Now just like the obedient objects you are follow these instructions; go home.¡±


    Each and every one of the men walks home with their heads swinging down low as if they had just been beaten in a war, there is only one exception to this the younger of the two boys.


    They walk a long path home, with their souls so broken that not one thinks about running away. Some people''s feet stop walking and just lie and the road back, but those same men are killed moments later.


    As this goes on Bricriu stands on the top of the hill saying, ¡°You humans are truly a delicacy of the highest order. Now it is time to make my new sculpture.¡±


    -Break-


    After an arduous walk back to the campsite, the two young boys are greeted by another sight. Bodies are hanging off the edge of the walls around the campsite, but the older of the two boys recognizes one body in particular and runs towards it.


    Looking up he says, ¡°Vul, no it can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t!¡±


    Behind me I hear, a voice say, ¡°But it is.¡±


    Turning around, I see a bat Beastkin; the one from my first day here.


    Getting close to my ear, he whispers, ¡°You should be careful about what you say since we beastkin have rather amazing hearing. Because if you don¡¯t more cattle might die because of your actions.¡±


    Hearing this I fall to the ground, and simply just cry, I cry my heart out.

 Interlude 2.05: Charles and Nero

    -Break-


    With no energy left from the tears that have fallen from my eyes today, I just walk into my hut and fall to my knees. My mind feels fuzzy, feels heavy, and it feels like it isn¡¯t even attracted to my body any more, just a boulder that is hanging on by the string that is my neck.


    But in a state I am sure is only a few steps away from death, I hear my roommate say, ¡°You should get to sleep, we only have a few hours before we wake up tomorrow.¡±


    With an utterly despondent expression, the older of the two boys turns his head towards the younger, and says, ¡°Huh.¡±


    Setting himself, ready to get to bed, he says, ¡°We still have work as usual, but it will be lighter since they tend to about triple our workload the first few weeks new people come.¡±


    Turning his head towards the ground the older of the two boys says, ¡°But my father¡¯s dead, so why would I even both-.¡±


    My roommate quickly chimes in and says, ¡°Why would your father''s death matter right now?¡±


    This time with a quiet furry he the older of the two looks at the younger and asks, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    With the same tasteless tone and expression, he always has, my roommate says, ¡°Why would you father death matter ri-.¡±


    Before he can finish, I punch him in the face, and then hold him to the ground. ¡°I AM SO SICK OF YOU! What the hell thinks someone like you, someone without any form of soul thinks they can talk about my father.


    You¡¯re no different than a golem, than a tool. But your not, you¡¯re a human and I am going to teach you respect.


    With my first, I hit him, hit him, and hit him some, whilst saying, ¡°You¡¯re a slave right down to your soul, you¡¯re just a puppet who does whatever they say to do without even a word or look of dissatisfaction, and I refuse, I REFUSE TO BECOME LIKE!¡±


    I keep hitting him more and more, until after a while I hear someone say, ¡°What the hell are you humans shouting for.¡±


    Looking through the open door of the hut, a beastkin runs up towards the older of the two, and hits him off saying, ¡°You scum really can¡¯t behave at all.¡±


    Despite taking a beating the younger of the two just lays there with the same expression he always has, the only difference being the teeth that are now missing from his mouth.


    -Break-


    Moments before the sun arises that day the older of the two boys is kicked in the stomach as he lays against the wall of the campsite.


    Walking up from the pain, I look up at who just hit me and see two beastkin, one unknown to me and one I recognize the rat.


    The unknown one says, ¡°What¡¯s with that look do you have a problem.¡± Then picks me up by the throat.


    The other one says, ¡°He is not in the best shape, he could die.¡±


    Annoyed he says, ¡°Shut your fucking mouth Baine c¨ªche, don¡¯t you think I understand that. I am just punishing this little maggot, for causing trouble even though Bricriu was so kind to him.¡±


    Dropping me, he says, ¡°Watch yourself piece of shit. Now time to go get the bell.¡±


    As I cough up, Baine c¨ªche says, ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad of a person, please forgive him.¡± Then runs towards the man who just left.


    It seems getting into fights with your roommates is a giant offense and those who do that are forbidden from returning to their hut¡¯s for four days.


    Looking to my left and right I see a lot of people in the same situation, I guess fights broke out throughout last night. Some of them look like they want to return, but for me, it is the exact opposite because I don¡¯t want to ever see him again.


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Ripping the last seed from the flower, I say, ¡°Finally I am done.¡±


    Looking over at all the seeds, I have taken I say, ¡°It is a bit less than my usual amount but that thing did say we have less work to do now so it should be fine. I guess I have to go and hand these up since he doesn¡¯t do it for me anymore.¡±


    With my seeds in hand, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer, I need to find a way out of here as soon as possible. If I get good enough at my work I should be able to have energy left over to escape after a day of work. I can¡¯t stay here, I can¡¯t be a slave.¡±


    Walking up to the area where I see people handing in their seeds, I get in line and wait for my turn and when I do, I drop all the seeds down, and say, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    The beastkin with a look of confusion says, ¡°What¡¯s this.¡±


    ¡°My seeds.¡±


    Scoffing he says, ¡°Looks like we got a jester here.¡± With a shockingly fast blow, I am punched in the face, right down to the floor.


    One of the beastkin


    While on the floor, I say, ¡°What the hell was that for I did my work?¡±


    ¡°This amount of seeds is nowhere near the total necessary for today''s work. You''re on punishment so you¡¯re supposed to meet the quota on your own.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea what my quota was supposed to be.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, have you not been here for 2 weeks? Have you not had roommates? Don¡¯t take the piss me with you fucker! You¡¯re work load has been drastically reduced and yet you try to pull shit like this! This is one of the long list of reasons you humans are trash!¡±


    As he prepares to hit me a beastkin, beside him says, ¡°Only use the strength a human would have.¡±


    ¡°I know¡±, and after he says this he me again and again and again, while I cower on the floor with my hands protecting my head.


    -Break-


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    Location: Campsite


    With my head hanging low I carry my beaten body to right against the wall where I sleep tonight. Now far away from me is the foul smell of someone¡¯s shit but that doesn¡¯t matter to me at all, because is this moment I am seething with rage.


    Thinking of my roommate I say, ¡°That piece of shit set me up, he didn¡¯t tell me anything about this!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Scortha fields


    With the sun blazing against my back, I dig up the ground prepared to plunge in seeds. The heat is so intense that the only thing keeping me going is my rage for that thing.


    Out of fear of retribution, I work and work, and keep working until the sun falls down and after because I have no idea what kind of quota I am going to reach today. And if it is to get the huge pile of seeds they have given me planted that is simply impossible.


    But eventually, for the older of the two boys, the time to stop came and in the moment of expectations of his day of work, he is hit by a beastkin who says, ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with us human, you think work like this is ok!¡±


    They hit him, again, and again, and again until his head couldn¡¯t hang high. Then just like the day before he returns to where he started.¡±


    -Break-


    Lying against the wall, I am nothing but a lump of flesh seething with rage but infused with an equal amount of pain. ¡°I will never forgive you scum.¡±


    ¡°I AM SORRY!¡± I  hear someone say.


    Turning my head to the source, I see the same rat beastkin from before, Baine c¨ªche. Composing myself, at the sight of a beastkin, I say, ¡°The fuck do you want?¡±


    Shaking he says, ¡°You know I could punish you for your words.¡±


    I just glare at him in response, which causes him to say, ¡°I am sorry, I just wanted to bandage some of your wounds up, because you might die if not, and Bricriu isn¡¯t a fan of waste.¡±


    I don¡¯t want this scum touching me, but I will probably die if things continue at this rate, so I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    As he starts to jollily bandage me up, he asks, ¡°Why did you get in a fight with cha- I mean your roommate, he isn¡¯t really disruptive.¡±


    Feeling my rage, I say, ¡°Because that golem tried to open his mouth on things that don¡¯t matter, and the reason I am getting beat up is because he didn¡¯t tell me critical information. And now I am getting beat up for not meeting quotas even though I am doing the same level of work.¡±


    Stopping for a minute, Baine c¨ªche looks confused, then says, ¡°You humans really are stupid?¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    ¡°EKKK, SORRY! It is just that Cha- I mean your roommate has always been meeting your quotas.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible the work I was doing was nowhere close to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because he just let you do what you were able to then did the rest himself. I know this for a fact because when you guys are at the field planting seeds you tend to pass out.


    Even on the days beside the river, the only reason you can go take a bath so early is because of the fact that he keeps doing all the rest of the work by himself.¡±


    Through my body feelings of dread and confusion spread, so I say, ¡°Why, why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know Cha- I mean your roommate knows the answer to that.¡±


    -Break-


    With my bandages freshly put on, I walk towards my previous hut, I will probably get punished if they see I have left the wall but I need to do this, I need to know why.


    But when I reach my hut I see something that shocks me; all around my hut are grown men hitting my roommate repeatedly.


    Seeing this I shout, ¡°What are you bastard¡¯s doing!¡± And try to run up to them.


    But then I am hit away as they say, ¡°FUCK OFF.¡±


    Another man says, ¡°Quite down or the guards will come.¡±


    Hearing this I scream at the top of my lungs.


    A man says, ¡°Everyone run!¡± And each of the men scatter.


    Walking up to my roommate on the floor, I grab him by the collar and say ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°Why, what?¡± He says with the same tasteless expression as always.


    ¡°Why did you let them beat you up? Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed but you have some kind of freak levels of strength, so tell me why you would allow those guys to give you shit?¡±


    ¡°They tell me my mother did something horrible when I was about to be born, so they hit me because of it.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that piss you off!¡±


    Confused like always, he says, ¡°No, because that is always how it has been. Ever since I have had memory, things have always been like this. Working, people dying, food tastes, so sometimes you confuse me since it isn¡¯t for you. They always tell me to apologize when they hit me, so I think that means I should also apologize for whatever I have done to you. I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°But, but why did you help me then? Why have you been doing work for me and picking up my messes?¡±


    ¡°Everyone is always talking about how I should die, so dying must be bad, and on the first day, you said you were going to live outside of here. So I simply thought I should help.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT NOISE YOU HUMAN.¡±


    Soon after hearing this I am kicked in my side and sent to the floor, with the beastkin who hit me attacking my roommate next. He proceeded to stomp on him till my eyes shut.


    -Break-


    The next night


    That night just like every other night the men assemble to find the young boy who leaves his hut to meet them.


    The man in front of the rest says, ¡°You got off easy yesterday so we are going to pay you back double today.¡±


    With a tasteless expression like always the young boy says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    The man in front gets close and prepares to punch him, but then he hears, ¡°STOP FUCKER.¡±


    Walking up to them with a limb is the older of the two boys. As he walks he says, ¡°It took me a while to get back after my beating.¡±


    The grown man says, ¡°You didn¡¯t meet your quota.¡±


    ¡°Not even a bit, but this is only the third time I got hit because of that, and it is all thanks to the boy in front of you.¡±


    Walking in between the man and my roommate, I say, ¡°This shit hurts like hell and the one who made sure I didn¡¯t taste that every single day is this bastard, so right now I am not going to let a single one of you touch him.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what that kid caused? Most of us in this campsite used to live in a castle by the ocean, but we were besieged by the beastkin. Luckily our walls were sturdy and we could hold them off, but then in exchange for the safety of that whore¡¯s newly born child his dumb bitch of a mother opened the front gate letting the beastkin in.


    All of our families were taken away and we were turned into slaves. If only this bastard wasn¡¯t born none of that would have happened to us, so the fact he even gets to breathe is a sin.¡±


    Letting out a little snicker, the man says, ¡°What¡¯s funny about our story?¡±


    ¡°I have seen the beastkin fight, do any of you really believe you would have somehow won that battle? You were already fucked the moment the battle started, and you can¡¯t blame this child for simply speeding up the process, so go suck each other¡¯s dick¡¯s till you feel better because this has nothing to do with him!¡±


    Immediately I am punched in the face, but then I punch back, knocking him down.


    ¡°You¡¯re all skin and bones old man!¡±


    The rest of the men there start to strike me as I desperately fight back.


    All my life I have had people protecting me, my clan, my family, and my roommate. I was only able to live thanks to others, but this boy has had no one, no parents, no friends, no allies all his life.


    Yet he decided to help me, even though I am much weaker than him he let me hit him and get away with it. This bastard is kind, much too so, and I have decided to not allow him to get hit like this ever again.


    With my full force, I release a punch on the man in front of me, knocking him back to the floor. With a swollen face, I say, ¡°How that you fuckers!¡±


    I am then instantly pounded down by the rest, and moments later they hit my roommate beside me. Then after a little while they all start to head back.


    On the ground, I scream, ¡°FUCK!¡± Then getting up I walk over to my roommate and say, ¡°Sorry for not doing a better job.¡±


    Standing up as well, he says, ¡°It hurt less.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It hurt less today, the beating it didn¡¯t hurt as much.¡±


    With a half smile, I say, ¡°I see, it looks like I weakened them a bit.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still as tasteless as ever, but I don¡¯t have time for that since I can finally sleep back in that hut.¡±


    With my strength fading I fall to the ground, and say, ¡°Shit I can¡¯t move.¡±


    Picking me up, he takes me to the room and places me on his thatch bed, then lays down on the floor beside me.


    ¡°This bed really is comfy, but still you shouldn¡¯t sleep on the floor hop on beside me.¡±


    Following my instructions, he does.


    Then after a moment of silence, I say, ¡°Hey I never asked this but what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Charles.¡±


    ¡°A boring name, mine is the amazing Nero.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Next time you say I see I will beat you the hell up.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Can you please just say something that shows some form of want, like anything at all?¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me what golems are?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I did promise to say that. Well behold this knowledge was given to my clan a long time ago by the wandering sage; Cordum.¡±


    Hearing snoring, I turn my head to the left and see my roommate is asleep.¡±


    Did this bastard just fall asleep!!! ¡°But I guess I don¡¯t really mind, because I would like to be asleep as well.¡±


    So Charles and Nero closed their eyes and both went to sleep.

 Interlude 2.06: Nero before

    -Break-


    One year ago


    Placing a group of large leaves over the hole, I say, ¡°This is perfect. With this trap, I will be able to catch and kill a boar.¡±


    Standing a little distance back from the boy Nero, one of the three kids named Claudia says, ¡°I think you should reconsider this stupid plan.¡±


    ¡°No way, if this works and I am able to hunt a boar they will have to let us start going on the hunts with them. They might even let us go after wonderbeasts.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR IT.¡±


    As Claudia screaks, another child Aurelius, walks up to Nero and punches him on the head, saying, ¡°DON¡¯T RAISE YOUR VOICE AGAINST WOMEN!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T HIT ME YOU BASTARD.¡± The two boys start to fight falling to the ground as they continue to hit each other over, and over again.


    Claudia says, ¡°Please don¡¯t fight.¡±


    Standing beside Claudia, the last of the four children Lillian says, ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to stop them, being stupid is built into their heads.¡±


    Aurelius stopping the fight says, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that my beloved Lillian.¡±


    With absolutely no change in expression, Lillian says, ¡°You should watch your back.¡±


    Turning around Aurelius is hit in the face by Nero, who screams, ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT YOU GET.¡±


    As Nero dances in victory, Lillian says. ¡°Wipe those tears out of your eyes before you start acting like a big man, crybaby.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Nero screams.


    ¡°Oh sorry I should refer to you by your nickname, Nero of the wet pants.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it Lillian woman or not you¡¯re getting hit.¡±


    Screaking Lillian says, ¡°Aurelius save me!¡±


    In an instant Aurelius raises and smacks Nero right into the ground. Then with a demonic voice, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t touch Lillian.¡±


    On the floor holding my cheek, I say, ¡°I forgot how stupidly strong you get in regards to that dumb bitch!¡±


    ¡°Bleh,¡± Lillian says sticking out her tongue towards me.


    But before I can react to that I am hit by Aurelius who says, ¡°Watch what you say about my future wife.¡±


    Holding my head in pain, I say, ¡°Did all that empty space in your head make your muscles stronger?¡±


    ¡°The only reason I am this strong is because of one simple thing; LOVE!¡±


    ¡°Love?¡±


    ¡°YES IF YOU WANT TO REACH THIS LEVEL YOU MUST SHARE A DEEP MUTUAL LOVE, isn¡¯t that right Lillian!¡±


    With a completely opposite attitude to Aurelius, Lillian says, ¡°Yeah definitely.¡±


    ¡°YOU SEE!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like Lillian is lying.¡±


    ¡°Stop being idiotic, you won¡¯t understand until you give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Give it a try, huh,¡± I say as I look around.


    While looking around Nero''s eyes land on Claudia who blushes profusely, then moments later he starts to drool.


    Lillian says, ¡°Oh you animal Nero, drooling as you look at Claudia, does this mean?¡±


    With incredible energy, Nero says, ¡°Her brown hair reminds me of the eat we ate yesterday, the feeling that gives me must be love.¡±


    As Lillian and Claudia start to get angry, Aurelius sticks out his hand in front of Nero and says, ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to get it.¡±


    Taking his hand, I say, ¡°So this is the power of love, I think I can use this. Now let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    Claudia says, ¡°I still don¡¯t think this is safe.¡±


    Lillian says, ¡°Just let them go at it, regardless of whatever we say they will still do it, so it is better to help them and make sure it all goes well.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡°And if this goes well it will send Aurelius down a path to become the village chief.¡±


    Looking at Lillian, Claudia says, ¡°Lilly you really care for him.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do, he is my ladder up to becoming chiefess, if so I will be set for life.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Sighing, Claudia says, ¡°I thought you had a heart for a moment.¡±


    I say, ¡°Expecting Lillian to have a heart is like asking a goat to fly, impossible. Now let¡¯s get on with the plan.


    Claudia will use her tree climbing skills to spot the boar, Lillian being the fastest runner will lead it to the trap, and when it falls in me and the Aurelius will deal the final blow with the spears.¡±


    Claudia asks, ¡°Where did you guys get spears?¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°We stole them.¡±


    Shaking, Claudia says, ¡°You really have nothing going on in your head.¡±


    I say, ¡°Right now let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Hanging from the top of a tree, I see a boar in the distance, and then say, ¡°Lillian he is northwest from you.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I will be back in a moment.¡±


    ¦µ Following Claudia¡¯s instructions I move close to the boar, and when I see it I throw a rock near it then instantly turn around and run through the forest back to the spot where we set the trap up.


    I am certain that I can outpace it in this short distance. But behind me I see it catching up to me, so I scream, ¡°IF I DIE I AM GOING TO BECOME A DEMON AND COME FOR YOU NERO.¡±


    Seeing the trap, I run with all my might and when I get in front of it I jump forward over the group of leaves. With this, the boar will run directly into the pitfall.


    But to my surprise, the boar jumps over it as well. Shocked I say, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Frozen in terror, I stand still as it charges at me, but then I am pushed out of the way as Aurelius says, ¡°MOVE!¡±.


    In place of me Aurelius takes the hit and is stabbed by one of its tusks.


    ¦µ Seeing the sight that is unfolding in front of me, I stand there in silence. But then while holding the boar still Aurelius screams, ¡°NERO NOW.¡±


    Instantly I run forward and prepare to stab it with my, but when I pierce its skin, it goes berserk. ¡°It was too light.¡±


    The boar freaks out and pulls its tusks out of Aurelius then it knocks me backwards. Then laying on the floor I see the boar charging at me.


    I am going to die!


    From the side of the boar, I see a spear run right into it, and then moments later, I see my father.


    As tears fill my eyes, I say, ¡°Father!¡±


    But then he says, ¡°NERO WHY THE HELL DID YOU GUYS GO SO FAR.¡±


    Feeling timid, I say, ¡°I just wanted to catch a boar.¡±


    ¡°You should have known you were not capable of such a thing.¡±


    ¦µ Looking down at Aurelius on the ground, I say, ¡°DON¡¯T DO SUCH STUPID THINGS YOU IDIOT.¡±


    ¡°Are those tears I see Lillian, I guess your love must really be unstoppabl-.¡±


    Irritated I hit him in the stomach, and said, ¡°I hate you!¡±


    Walking up behind me, chief Victor says, ¡°Let¡¯s get him patched up, and head back.¡±


    ¡°But chief the sun is setting will we be able to get back in time?¡±


    ¡°I already accounted for that and cleared out a little cave over there, so we will camp there for the night and meet up with everyone the next day.¡±


    ¦µ Turning around and picking up the boar, my father says, ¡°Nero, Claudia, come here let¡¯s move.¡±


    Jumping down from the treetops, Claudia says, ¡°Alright.¡±


    And behind them all I follow with my spirit crushed.


    -Break-


    A few hours later


    In a cave, three of the four kids sleep with their bells full of boar meat, while the last of those four kids sit outside with his head buried in his knees.


    In the dead of night, I mutter, ¡°Again I needed someone to come save me, yet again I failed. I will never prove my father''s name proud like this.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what this is about.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°Father!? How did you find me?¡±


    ¡°Just like how I found you earlier. But never mind that come for a walk with me.¡±


    ¡°A walk?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡±


    Behind my father, I walk behind him upwards, and as we do he says, ¡°The reason you failed today is because you hesitated, and struck the wrong side of the boar.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trap was also poorly thought out, you didn¡¯t take into consideration the abilities of your opponent. Against wonderbeasts with countless other forms of attack your plan would have meant emanate death.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you have to say, after almost killing your friends!¡±


    ¡°I AM SORRY.¡±


    ¡°WILL THAT BE ENOUGH WHEN YOU HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE YOU KILLED THEIR FAMILIES!¡±


    ¡°I KNOW MY PLAN WASN¡¯T SMART BUT I HAD TO TRY. I HAVE SEEN HOW THEY LOOK DOWN AT YOU BECAUSE OF ME, SO I HAD TO PROVE I COULD FIGHT AS WELL. BECAUSE YOU''RE MY HERO AND COULDN¡¯T LET THAT HAPPEN.¡±


    With tears, falling from my eyes, I say, ¡°I am sorry, so sorry.¡±


    Picking me up, my father places me on his shoulders, and then says, ¡°A real man admits to his mistakes.¡±


    With speed, even beyond the boar, my father takes me to the top of the mountain in mere minutes, then when we reach the top I look out at the distance in awe and reverence.


    My father says, ¡°They say our people used to live in the northwest of the world but had to leave after a calamity struck and were forced into Terrafide. I am sure our people struggled a lot to get used to these harsh lands but they did and travelled overcoming it all.


    Their blood runs in our veins, and mines does in yours so don¡¯t fret and believe in the greatness that created you.


    With a smile, I say, ¡°RIGHT! But still, I don¡¯t think I can ever become as strong as you.¡±


    Turning around and going down the hill, my father says, ¡°One day you will understand how to use the flowy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Flowy stuff? What is that?¡±


    ¡°It is hard to explain so just wait till you¡¯re older, you¡¯re still merely a child of 12 years.¡±


    ¡°NO TELL ME!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me throw you down this hill!¡±


    -Break-


    8 months later


    Smelling something burning I open my eyes, and head out to see what it is, and to my shock and horror, I see the forest on fire and my people being killed.


    Taking a closer look I see the people who are assaulting my loved ones look similar to animals, they are monsters. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Being grabbed from my side, I see Claudia scream, ¡°WE HAVE TO RUN!¡±


    As she pulls my body, I see my father with spear in hand pierce the bodies of some of the monsters.


    I break free of Claudia¡¯s grip and scream, ¡°FATHER!¡±


    But then in the moment with speed that surpasses my father one of the monsters lunges directly at me. It is too fast, I am going to die.


    Seconds after closing my eyes preparing for the impact, I feel a liquid splash over my face.


    Opening my eyes, I see Claudia¡¯s body impaled by the monster''s hand, and then seconds later, he rips her body in half, then is pierced by my father¡¯s spear.


    Unable to understand what is even going on I just stand there. That didn¡¯t happen, that didn¡¯t happen, no way Claudia is de-.¡±


    Grabbing me my father shakes my body and says, ¡°NERO!¡± Which snaps me back into reality.


    As tears fall from my eyes, my father doesn¡¯t even give me a moment to speak and says, ¡°I need you to run away right now, and if they catch you my son, play along and do what they say, do not fret we will come and save you. NOW GO!¡±


    With those words taking control of my body, I run all the way into the forest. And say, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it, don¡¯t think about it.¡±


    After a little bit of running, I find another group of people, including Aurelius and Lillian, being assaulted by another group of the monsters.


    As they attack and take us, Lillian Screams, ¡°SAVE ME AURELIUS¡±


    With Aurelius screaming, ¡°LILLIAN.¡±


    Seeing them both, I run out to help but am grabbed and pinned to the ground by a monster, and as I try to move I am struck on the back of the head.


    Feeling my mind fading, the last thing I am able to see is everyone screaming and crying as they are being taken.

 Interlude 2.07: The pyres of samhain part 1

    -Break-


    One week after they found out each other¡¯s names


    Jumping up from bed, I open my eyes and start breathing heavily. Holding my head, I say, ¡°Another nightmare.¡±


    Beside me, Charles asks, ¡°What¡¯s a nightmare?¡±


    ¡°AHHH!¡± I scream as I am surprised by him. Annoyed I say, ¡°You got to stop sneaking up on me like that, my heart can¡¯t handle it.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    I don¡¯t really want to tell him I am having bad dreams, so I guess it is time to make something up. With an indecisive tone, ¡°Now a nightmare is-, well umm, it is a dream where you see a black horse, a mare of the night.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Hearing the bell ring throughout the area, I jump up and say, ¡°WELL WHATEVER IT IS TIME TO GET TO WORK.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    After receiving a slap from one of the flowers I am knocked down on my ass. On the floor, I say, ¡°OWWWWW.¡±


    Then walking up beside me, Charles kneels down and says, ¡°Nero, you¡¯re bad at this.¡±


    Charles''s words strike me like an arrow right in the head.


    ¡°You lack coordination.¡±


    Another shot.


    ¡°You make the same mistakes over and over again.¡±


    I am bleeding.


    ¡°Every time you get it right once, you proceed to smile then instantly fail the second time.¡±


    He¡¯s shattered my bones.


    ¡°At first I thought this was normal since I have never had roommates before, but in all honesty, I just think you suck.¡±


    Pierced my very soul.


    Feeling furry, I say, ¡°YOU¡¯RE SUPPOSE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DOWN NOT RIP THEM DOWN EVEN MORE.¡±


    ¡°Encourage?¡±


    ¡°It means you stick up your thumb like this, smile and say good job!¡±


    Looking confused for a moment, Charles sticks up his thumb, smiles, and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡° I SAID SMILE!¡±


    ¡°I did?¡±


    ¡°LIKE HELL YOU DID YOU¡¯RE FACE BARELY CHANGED, and why is your thumb pointing downwards, and you¡¯re entire body feels so stiff, are you even human? Are you sure you¡¯re not a golem?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°NO MORE I SEE, get your butt over there and practice how to smile, and learn how to be encouraging.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t be able to finish our quota then.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine on my own, NOW SCRAM.¡±


    Walking away, Charles says, ¡°Good job, Good job, Good job, Good job,¡± While sticking out his thumb in different directions.


    Turning to face the flower, I say, ¡°Time for round tw-.¡± But in front of me, I see the flowers have withered and died, ¡°OH COME ON I WASN¡¯T EVEN TALKING TO YOU.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    As Charles and Nero, walk back to their hut covered in bruises with leaves on their backs, Charles says, ¡°Nero.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°But you failed to get the seeds we need, so both of us got punished.¡±


    ¡°I said SHUT UP.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Charles says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°YOU WERE PRACTISING ALL DAY AND IT HASN¡¯T CHANGED AT ALL, ALSO I TOLD YOU TO SMILE.¡±


    ¡°I A-.¡±


    ¡°No, no you are not.¡±


    From the distance, I hear a beastkin shout something at us, without a doubt some profanity.


    With my head hanging low, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s just walk home in silence Charles.¡±


    ¡°Charles.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°What did I just say.¡±


    Pointing in front of us, Charles says, ¡°Look.¡±


    Turning to face, in front of us, I see a group of older men, in front of us.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Dropping the leaves on my back, I say, ¡°You fuckers are back for round two, well bring it on.¡±


    Running forward I prepare to punch them.


    -Break-


    As me and Charles lay beaten up on the floor, he said, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°NOT THE RIGHT TIME.¡±


    Getting up, we walk all the way to our hut with our leaves and lay down, and within moments Charles is already fast asleep.


    ¡°He really can just go to sleep and wake up in mere moments. What a weirdo.¡±


    ¡°But I guess now it is the worst time of my day to begin, let¡¯s hope the one today isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    -Break-


    I see it incredibly vividly, the facial expression she made, the blood that splattered everywhere, the words that she tried to mutter with her last breath, and worst of all the feeling of her life ending in my arms.


    Claudia why? Why would you do this, you should have just run away, far, far away, because if you did a nice person like you would have lived a long life.


    Suddenly Claudia¡¯s body in my arms grabs me and says, ¡°This is your fault, why did you not listen, why did you let this happen to me? I will never, ever forgive you, you devil!¡±


    Opening my eyes, I jump up and feel like I am about to throw up, but then I hear, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Looking to my left, I see that Charles is sitting there with his thumb in a random position. Getting slightly angry, I say, ¡°IT IS NOT THAT HARD.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°-let us live as your pets.¡± Finishing the prayer, I mutter under my breath, ¡°Still as disgusting as ever.¡±


    Following everyone else who just finished the prayer, we walk with them towards the eastern edge of the campsite where we get food.


    After standing in line, I walk up to receive my potato and some water. But as I do I look up and see it is Baine c¨ªche serving the food.


    As I try to grab my water I see his hands shake profusely making some water spill out, so in a fury I grab both my water and potato out of his hands and make my way from the area, but as I do I hear behind me.


    ¡°GOOD JOB.¡±


    Turning around, I see Charles talking to Baine c¨ªche. Instantly I run back grab Charles food out of his hands, and then say, ¡°Sorry,¡± While taking him far away.


    ¡°Charles I didn¡¯t think I needed to say this but don¡¯t talk with the beastkin, do you understand me!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t tell if you understand the gravity of this situation or not but I guess I can¡¯t fault you for being you. Now let¡¯s eat.¡±


    -Break-


    Just like every other day, all the slaves within the campsite stand at its gate after they finish their respective meals preparing to be guided towards the fields. But a few notice something that they are taking much longer to let them out than usual.


    Turning my head to Charles I say, ¡°What¡¯s going on.¡±


    Charles mutters, ¡°They''re doing this a little earlier than normal, where only in the 8<sup>th</sup> month of the year.¡±


    ¡°What is going on? I need you to tell me, unlike last time when I was blind-sighted.¡±


    ¡°But if I told you what they were going to do last time you¡¯d have done something stupid and would have gotten executed.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t, no you¡¯re right I definitely would have. I guess I will just wait and see whatever nonsense it is this time.¡±


    A beastkin walks up in front of us all and says, ¡°Samhain is upon us, and this year due to other factors the preparations will need to be done as soon as possible. Every fourth day starting from today each and every one of you will be made to create a bonfire to be lit, if you fail in making one of a sufficient size by the end of the tenth month you will be executed. Now you will be taken to start.¡±


    With that, we are led through the exit towards our destination.


    -Break-


    Location: Centre plain


    A beastkin in front of all the slaves says, ¡°You will have to cut down the trees surrounding us to get wood for your bonfire. Over there you can see that bonfire made in the likeness of the cursed one Balor, every single one of your bonfires has to be half its height, and each bonfire will be made in groups of your huts. Now slaves get to work.¡±


    Breaking off into each of their individual groups all the slaves get to work, with Nero saying, ¡°They expect us to cut down these trees with these axes are they crazy? I guess we will have to go for the smaller trees, and they split up axes according to people, so how are we going to do this?¡±


    Looking around, I notice something; All the other slaves have started to run towards the thinner trees.¡±


    Grabbing Nero¡¯s hand I say, ¡°We messed up. They have all gone after the thinner and weaker trees before us, we shouldn¡¯t have been standing around.¡±


    Reaching them, I try to walk through the crowd of people looking for a free tree, but I am pushed and shoved away as I head into the area with Charles. In this instant us being children is against us.


    Shoulder to shoulder with everyone else, I struggle to even move. This fucking hurts but if me and Charles don¡¯t go after these smaller trees we will not be able to cut down the larger ones, not to even mention we have to carry them towards our bonfire.


    Suddenly I hear a scream, then moments later blood flies. Everyone in the area stops to look at the bloodcurdling scream, and in the direction where it originated from, we see a man holding his arm which is bleeding another man holding a ask with blood.


    The man holding his arm, screams, towards the guards, ¡°HE TRIED TO KILL ME!¡±


    But the guard merely shrugs his shoulders in response. Under my breath, I mutter, ¡°The hell?¡±


    The man with the axe says, ¡°SEE THEY DON¡¯T CARE. This isn¡¯t my first year here so I know if we don¡¯t get these bonfires built by the end of the tenth month, they will kill us anyways. This is already life and death so if you want to try and take for me you got to put, you¡¯re life on the line.¡±


    Suddenly the air in the area gets tense. Then I see everyone in the area getting their bodies ready to attack, griping their axes tightly.


    I have no time to waste because I know for a fact that if we don¡¯t get those smaller trees we''re dead. I made a decision to protect Charles so I won¡¯t let us die.¡±


    Grabbing my arm, Charles says, ¡°Don¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°Charles, we don¡¯t have time for tha-.¡±


    With his absurd strength, he takes me out of the group of people and runs into the plains.


    Breaking free of his grip, I say, ¡°What the hell are you doing if we don¡¯t go and fight we will be killed.¡±


    ¡°Killing people is bad. It is because of death that everyone hates me.¡±


    ¡°Those are two completely different things, this is for survival not for fun. Charles, we don¡¯t have any other options, so I need to go and fight.¡±


    ¡°It will be fine.¡±


    ¡°WELL HOW!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t I gotten this done each year by myself?¡±


    Stopping for a moment, I say, ¡°Oh yeah you have.¡±


    Looking at me with a truly understanding expression, he says, ¡°Nero, are you capable of thought?¡±


    Feeling embarrassed at the innocent question, I say, ¡°Yes I am, and yes I should have thought our options through more carefully. So please show me your plan.¡±


    ¡°I will show you soon but first I think you should dodge.¡±


    Turning my head, around I say, ¡°Dodge?¡± Then am hit in the face by a fist.


    Looking at who it is I see it is the same people who make a point of beating us up all the time.


    Getting up off the ground, I say, ¡°Nero you could have told me who they were walking up behind me!¡±


    ¡°I thought about that, but then I felt the idea of you getting punched was good, in hindsight, I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    Did Charles just do something in anger? Feeling tears fall from my eyes, I say, ¡°You can feel human emotions.¡±


    Standing up with excitement, I say, ¡°LOOKS LIKE IT¡¯S TIME TO BEAT YOU GUYS DOWN.¡±


    One of the men says, ¡°The other one usually runs far away each Samhain, but it looks like you actually want to die.¡±


    Charles behind me says, ¡°Nero we need to run or you will die.¡±


    Flicking him on the forehead, I say, ¡°These guys can beat me in terms of physical strength but in actually fighting ability with a weapon they won¡¯t come close.¡±


    ¡°What was that little boy?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡±


    Charles behind me says, ¡°Nero I don¡¯t want anyone to die.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry disarming these weaklings will be as easy as breathing. Just watch.¡±

 Interlude 2.08: The pyres of samhain part 2

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky little boy.¡±


    ¡°Then come and prove me wrong then.¡±


    The grown man shaking swings his axe downwards towards Nero, but he just stands there waiting for the swing to hit him, and moments before it does he steps out of the way.


    Then with his axe, Nero breaks the axe of the other man, then strikes the man on the knee with the blunt edge of the axe causing his leg to buckle and fall down.


    Going around him Nero puts his axe near the neck of the older man and says, ¡°What was that again?¡±


    The man I hold starts to sweat and freak out, so I say, ¡°You see this you old fucks, try me again and I will cut you down.¡±


    As the other men start to freak out, one walks forward and says, ¡°Everyone calm down, remember there is far more of us than him.¡±


    Holding my axe closer to the neck of the man I have, I say, ¡°Well you can try me all at once.¡±


    With a light confidence, he says, ¡°Do you really think you could take all of us at once?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, but I am sure I could break your axes, and if you can¡¯t cut down trees for your bonfires isn¡¯t that the same as death?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to do that!¡±


    ¡°YOU WANT TO PUT YOU¡¯RE LIVES ON THE LINE TO TEST THAT.¡±


    Seeing them realize the gravity of my words, I say, ¡°DON¡¯T MESS WITH US AND WE WON¡¯T MESS WITH YOU. That goes for hear and back on the campsite, a truce until we are done with preparations.¡±


    The rest of the men look at each other confused but then the man who has an axe to his neck says, ¡°I agree, guys let¡¯s all just go on our way.¡±


    Hearing the man''s words, they all start to agree, so I pull the axe away and say, ¡°Get the hell out of my sight.¡±


    The men start to scuttle away back towards the forest with everyone else. So I turn around and say, ¡°See I told you I could do this without hurting anyone Charles.¡±


    Sticking his thumb to the right he says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Grabbing his face, I say, ¡°Are you incapable of smiling.¡± I try to shift his face into a smile, but I am unable to actually change his expression.


    ¡°Nero my face hurts.¡±


    ¡°So what, if you want to learn how to smile you need to keep your face like that. Now lead me to your special spot.¡±


    -Break-


    With my tongue sticking out from the heat, I say, ¡°How far is this spot.¡±


    Still forcing his face into a smile, Charles says, ¡°Just a bit that way.¡±


    ¡°Hey Charles should we really have gone this far, they might accuse us of trying to escape?¡±


    ¡°We are currently in the centre of the encampment so no matter where we run we will be intercepted, and killed.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. That¡¯s probably the reason why there have been so few guards around.¡±


    ¡°Nero?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Can I relax my facial muscles?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    -Break-


    In front of the two boys lay a large group of slim trees.


    In disbelief, I say, ¡°Charles where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, I planted them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I use the seeds from trees that others cut down and to plant a lot of the thinner tree¡¯s over here. No one ever follows me up here because of how far it is.¡±


    Holding my axe, I say, ¡°Well now it is time to get some work done.¡± Running up towards one of the trees I swing my axe towards it and make a little cut in it.


    Looking at the cut, I say with a smile, ¡°Looks like this is going to take forever.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re just doing it wrong.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just come here and show me how it is done then!¡±


    ¡°Can I take my hands off my face?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can, but when you finish you better go back to practicing your smile.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Walking towards the tree, Charles takes his axe from me and says, ¡°First you plant your feet directly on the ground, then bring the axe to your side whilst rotating your body, then in one unified motion swing with your body weight right into the tree.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    When Charles''s axe hits the tree it is completely sliced through in one swing.


    Looking at me with his same bland expression, he says, ¡°Now you do the same.¡±


    ¡°LIKE HELL I COULD DO THAT!¡±


    Confused he asks, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, YOU JUST CUT DOWN A TREE IN ONE BLOW ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°NO THE FUCK YOU¡¯RE NOT.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what is so strange just follow my instructions.¡±


    ¡°I AM GOING TO SLAM YOUR HEAD INTO THE GROUND.¡±


    ¡°Just use the flowy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Flowy stuff?¡±


    ¡°Flowy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Explain don¡¯t repeat.¡±


    ¡°Around my body, I feel flowy stuff every time I need to use my strength or take blow. Wherever I send it to gets stronger.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you can walk off all those blows the men give you.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Didn¡¯t dad say something along those lines before. If this flowy stuff is the same thing that gave Dad his strength, then I should aim to gain this as well.


    Putting my hands on Charles''s shoulders I ask, ¡°How did you unlock such an ability!?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    Shaking him more, I say, ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I mean I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°EXPLAIN THEN.¡±


    ¡°I just had it my whole life.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t an explanation.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you swing at the tree using my method it would work.¡±


    Charles has unlocked a special ability; deception.


    Stopping his repetitive shaking of Charles, Nero asks with a bright smile, ¡°Really!¡±


    Charles has unlocked a special ability; Guilt.


    With a tone a little less bland than usual, Charles says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Picking up his axe Nero starts to swing away at the tree, while Charles watches him with his hands pressed up against his face.


    -Break-


    Laying on the floor I say, ¡°This really is gruelling work, I have been hacking away at the tree all day and there has barely been any damage done to it.¡±


    Turning to Charles, I say, ¡°How much longer till I understand the flowy stuff?¡±


    Charles has a slightly different facial expression than usual, while he says, ¡°I lied.¡±


    ¡°You lied?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I lied.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°I see.¡± Then I smack him on the head, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time then.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Sticking my two fingers up his nose, I say, ¡°You better, I hear, and I smell what I said as well then.¡±


    Trying to remove my finger, while keeping his hand to his face, Charles says, ¡°What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA!¡± Letting him go I say, ¡°Well whatever it doesn¡¯t matter does it we should get to moving the tree you did cut down towards where we are going to set up our bonfire.¡±


    Walking over towards the tree, I try to pick it up, but I am completely unable to. ¡°I thought these thinner ones would be possible for me to carry, but there is no chance.¡±


    Charles behind me asks, ¡°Can I use my hands?¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°I guess we have no choice.¡±


    Walking towards the tree Charles picks it up and puts it on his shoulder and walks forward with it.


    As I stare in disbelief, Charles asks, ¡°You ready?¡±


    Sighing, I slump down, and say, ¡°I want to be that strong as well.¡±


    -Break-


    Seeing the statue of the one they call Balor, Charles beside me says, ¡°We can drop it hear, since the bonfires only have to be visible from that giant statue.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t people just steal the tree if we leave it here?¡±


    ¡°The beastkin make a point of defending all the bonfires because any form of assault against them is seen as an assault against their god.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is even the importance of this festival, I swear they had a festival at the start of the eighth month as well but we weren¡¯t involved in that one.¡±


    ¡°Samhain is the day when the world of the living and the world of the dead are closest to each other. So to make sure the spirits don¡¯t go on a rampage they make these bonfires to calm and protect themselves for them.


    Even the spirits of us humans can come and attack so they make a point of letting us do such a thing as well, so that the lands won¡¯t be cursed by the spirits.¡±


    Looking at Charles in confusion, I ask, ¡°How do you even know that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it is just something that I have always known, like I was told a long time before.¡±


    Suddenly the bell rings, which signifies the fact that we must return to our campsite, and we start running to get to the meeting point.


    Charles has never interacted with anyone on the campsite before, so how the hell would he even know the reasoning behind this?


    -Break-


    Later that night


    From the sky¡¯s a beastkin who looks similar to a bat files down to meet the man named Bricriu, this beastkin is the same one that first greeted Nero at the plantation.


    Upon landing, the bat takes a knee and says in the unknown language that Nero heard, ¡°My lord Bricriu, I have heard you request me?¡±


    With bloody hands, Bricriu stares directly at his malformed sculpture in front of him, composed of the bodies of the people he recently executed including Nero¡¯s father.


    Still, with his eyes locked onto the sculpture, Bricriu says, ¡°I have Liam, but you should relax you muscles are much too stiff, and you can simply refer to me as Bricriu.


    ¦µ Lowering my head, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Not only do you far outrank me, you also happened to be the head of one of the twelve houses of the red branch. I couldn¡¯t dare raise my head towards you.¡±


    With his bloody hands, he pats my head and says, ¡°Don¡¯t be that way Liam, you are someone whose keen ears have allowed me to rout out the rebellious elements in my plantation, and anyway isn¡¯t another member of the twelve houses working here on this farm? I have heard you even gave him a rather insulting name?¡±


    Bowing my head even lower, I say, ¡°I have never once referred to him by such a name.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that especially since your heartbeat just increased. I hope you all know that you could be executed for this if it were to fall into the wrong ears. But since you¡¯re such an upholder of our laws you would welcome such an execution.¡±


    With my head so low it is basically touching the ground, I say, ¡°Sor-.¡±


    ¡°But if you were a much more relaxed person, let¡¯s say someone who would casually use my name. That would show me you lack understanding of our ways and need to be re-educated instead of punished.¡±


    Due to my life being in the balance my brain grasps what he says, so I say, ¡°Bricriu.¡±


    ¡°See was that so hard.¡±


    ¡°What do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know how people are doing this Samhain?¡±


    ¡°It is going fine, the slaves are building their shrines, and all of us workers have been rotating work to build our shrines. Though there has been a bit of bloodshed by the slaves as they fight over trees.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please bring any corpses found over to me, I would like to add them to my sculptures.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Liam!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Young ones like you really take a long time to learn, but it is the job of us adults to guide you. Now I have another special request for you, please gather able men and tell them to follow these instructions.¡±


    As Bricriu tells me what to do, I say, ¡°Where did you even find the supplies for such an endeavour.¡±


    ¡°I got them from a bet with another of the twelve houses.¡±


    ¡°Would they really give up such a high amount of resources over a bet?¡±


    ¡°You have a rather warped perception of who the twelve houses really are. Every single one of us is just a fool with too much power and time, I would suggest you remember those words, because if you make me happy enough you might one day get to join.¡±


    Holding my head up, I say with wonder, ¡°Is this a jest?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort. Now get back to work.¡±


    As Liam flies away all Bricriu can do is smile at his wonderful idea.

 Interlude 2.09: The pyres of samhain part 3

    -Break-


    ¦µ Swinging my father''s spear up and around repeatedly I hear my mother say, ¡°Nero what are you doing with your father¡¯s spear.¡±


    ¡°Practicing so I can one day surpass him.¡±


    ¡°Why would you even want to do that?¡±


    ¡°So I can protect you Mom, and everyone else here. I won¡¯t let anyone in our clan suffer now or ever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful my son, but.¡±


    Grabbing me by my arm my mother pulls me towards her and says, ¡°But you failed!¡±


    Suddenly around me and my mother, the ground is dyed red as it is covered in the corpses of everyone from the village. ¡°Nero, how could you let this happen, how did you let us all fall.¡±


    With tears appearing in my eyes, I say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°THAT ISN''T ENOUGH. DO YOU THINK I¡¯M SORRY WILL HELP ANYONE? ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TAKEN, ALL OF US ARE LIVING IN HELL, OUR BODIES ARE THEIR TOYS, ARE LIVES ARE NO MORE THAN TRASH TO THEM, AND EACH ONE OF US WITHERS AWAY. SO WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN? THIS IS ALL YOU¡¯RE WEAKNESS FAULT, I HATE YOU!¡±


    Jumping up I snap out of my dream and look around to see Charles sleeping beside me. ¡°Another nightmare,¡± I say while trying to keep my vomit in.


    -Break-


    As me and Charles finish our morning prayers, we hear one of the beastkins say, ¡°Open your ears, you slaves. Our great Marqis Bricriu has decided to spare some of his resources to be used as food for you all, but this food won¡¯t just simply be given out, it will be a reward for the work you have done.


    Due to this change, you will all lose your quotas as a group and will be given individual quotas to meet. Stellar work will give you more food, but piss-poor work will result in the food you have been given being taken away. Make sure to work with all your hearts, and if you try to help your fellow slaves we will be watching you so don¡¯t try such a thing.¡±


    Suddenly Charles turns to me and says in his tasteless voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad for you Nero?¡±


    Dumbfounded I say, ¡°Yes, yes it is.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Scortha fields


    As I hand back the remaining seeds I didn¡¯t plant today, I see one of the beastkins say, ¡°You¡¯re not getting any more food tomorrow, in actuality I think this caused it to reduce.¡±


    In my mind, I say, ¡°FUCK!¡±


    -Break-


    In front of me, I am bound down by a beastkin as I hear both Aurelius and Lillian scream with all their hearts and souls after one another as they are pulled away.


    Powerless I just lay there as they are pulled far away from each other. They look at me and scream, ¡°NERO HELP ME, NERO SAVE US!¡±


    But I am incapable of doing anything other than crying, and screaming, ¡°LEAVE THEM.¡±


    As Aurelius and Lillian are pulled closer towards the beastkin, I see the monster grab their bodies and rip them into pieces.


    The shock from the sight in front of me causes me to jump up and wake up from bed.  With my hands, I try to hold in my vomit.


    -Break-


    Holding out my hand, I am given half a potato and some water. Surprised by the food I was given, I look up towards the beastkin with a shocked expression.


    Then moments later I am told, ¡°That¡¯s all you''re getting, so get your ugly human face away.¡±


    Taking my food, I walk away with my head hanging low in shame. ¡°I guess I need to find some way to make it work.¡±


    From behind me, I hear Charles say, ¡°Here.¡±


    Turning around, I see Charles with multiple potatoes in his arms, and not only that but meat as well.


    With a face trying to hold back my jealousy, I say, ¡°You worked hard, enjoy that food.¡± As I finish my stomach lets out a ridiculously loud rumble.


    Charles holding out a potato, says, ¡°I made sure to work extra hard yesterday because I knew you would fail, so here.¡±


    Poking my finger into his cheek, I say, ¡°What do you mean you knew I would fail?¡±


    Confused he says, ¡°The sky is blue, the night is dark, the sun rises every day, and you always fail to meet your quota.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    His words are like a sword that slices through my gut, the pain of it brings me to my knees.


    Kneeling down beside me, Charles asks, ¡°Do you need to go shit?¡±


    ¡°No just need to rest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Here have this potato.¡±


    A beastkin screams towards us, ¡°No sharing of food, or it will all be confiscated.¡±


    Hearing this, I grab Charles''s potato and stuff it in his mouth then say, ¡°No sharing of food going on over here.¡±


    As the beastkin looks away, I say to Charles, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me just eat your food.¡±


    With food stuffed in his mouth, Charles says, ¡°What about you.¡±


    Taking the food chunks that get sent all over my face by Charles eating with his mouth open, I put them in my mouth and then say, ¡°I will be fine, I am resourceful.¡±


    Grabbing my half potato I start to chow down on it, whilst saying, ¡°See I am fine.¡±


    But as I eat away, the voices of men filled the area where we were eating. Two men are fighting in the distance, with one on top of the other punching him.


    The one on top says, ¡°Fuck off I worked to get this food for myself.¡±


    ¡°I helped carry you back after you fainted back on the mountaintop, I was just asking for a favour.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me. You heard what they said, I am not betting any of my food on you so fuck off.¡±


    Getting off the other man, he says, ¡°And that goes for the rest of you, my things are mine, so if you want to live fend for yourself.¡±


    As the air in the area becomes tense I continue to chow down on my potato, but then beside me, Charles says, ¡°This is strange.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what is strange about this. If someone tried to steal my potato I would do worse.¡±


    ¡°Usually after Bricriu does his executions in the seventh month, people tend to get along.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that makes sense since everyone seemed to be helping their new roommates during that time. Also now that I think about it this whole Samhain thing probably brings everyone together, well except us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how things have always been, but now it seems that people aren¡¯t getting along so well.¡±


    ¡°Ehh I just think it could be because the slaves who they brought in with me were not the friendliest bunch. I tried to make conversation often and they just replied with the most boring shit time and time again.¡±


    ¡°I see, knowing you that makes sense.¡±


    Charles''s words shock me to the point I stop eating my potato and say, ¡°Wait a minute it just sounds like you insulted me.¡±


    ¡°I di-.¡±


    ¡°YES YOU DID. And the fact you don¡¯t think that was an insult makes it all the more insulting.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make it the truth the-.¡±


    ¡°NO IT DOESN¡¯T!¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    In front of me, I see the bodies of my parents and friends being held down by beastkin, so I scream, ¡°STOP!¡±


    But my cries are ignored, and then moments later the beastkin makes a gesture and all of their heads fly off towards me.


    All I can do I scream with this sight laid out before me.


    As my screams reverberate throughout the area, the heads start to say, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save us.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you come to look for us.¡±


    ¡°This is all your fault.¡±


    ¡°I hate you, Nero.¡±


    With fright, I jump up from my bed and feeling the all too familiar sensation, I prepare to hold in my vomit.


    -Break-


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    As I dig up the ground with my spade, I say to Charles beside me, ¡°You should head back now, you have already hit your quota and don¡¯t need to wait up for me.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says as he begins to walk away.


    While he is out of sight, I say, ¡°I wish he would have protested more, but the fact that he planned to do it anyway tells me how much he cared. I need to try my best as well.¡±


    Continuing to dig up the ground, I say, ¡°Well it is not like I am going to be lonely with all these people around me.¡±


    Usually, by this time most people have hit their quota but it seems they are sticking around to get the most food they can possibly get. It is a smart idea, but in practice, it doesn¡¯t go well because this keeps happening.


    To my right, I hear a man scream, ¡°This is my area piss off to yours.¡±


    ¡°You just had so much land high up as necessary so I decided to help you out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need fucking help just stay in your area.¡±


    The land here isn¡¯t all soft, some parts are quite a bit harder than others so digging up all the softer land can allow one to reach their quota faster than possible.


    I kind of ignored Charles word¡¯s but it seems he was on to something. Everyone is a lot more aggressive than usual, it really does feel like someone has planted a tree of discord among us.


    -Break-


    One week later


    Little by little the beastkin in front of me breaks the limbs of Aurelius as he screams. The boy who I had always looked up to as an older brother looks pathetic, like an ant being played with by children.


    ¡°NERO PLEASE SAVE ME, SAVE LILLIAN.¡±


    My feet are frozen in place I can¡¯t move all I can do is stare in horror.


    ¡°NERO YOU COWARD!¡±


    I just from my bed and moments later the contents of my stomach surge forth uncontrollably.


    Taking deep breaths in and out, I say, ¡°I need to clean this up before Charles gets up.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Centre plain


    Pulling our axes back me and Charles swing them directly into the two thin trees in front of us. My axe leaves a very small dent, as Charles rips right through the tree.


    Charles looking at me sticks his thumb at a 45-degree angle and says, ¡°Good job,¡± With a failure of a smile on his face.


    Throwing my axe to the ground, I say, ¡°WHY DO I EVEN TRY?¡±


    ¡°I think I should just do all the work, Nero.¡±


    ¡°NO! I refuse to give up or give in.¡± Picking up my axe I say, ¡°Just you watch I will rip through this tree.¡±


    Running towards the tree swinging my axe, I say, ¡°TIME TO BE CHOPPED DOWN.¡±


    -Break-


    Two weeks later


    Lillian in a voice so pathetic I didn¡¯t think it could ever be hers says, ¡°NERO, PLEASE DON¡¯T LET THEM KILL ME, I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE.¡±


    ¡°I am coming just hang on.¡±


    The beastkin holding her starts to tighten its grip around her neck as I run. Her face loses more and more life until eventually, the beastkin snaps her neck killing her.


    I scream from the bottom of my lungs, then I hear her say with her head hanging from her broken neck, ¡°You were too slow Nero, that¡¯s why I died, that is why we got taken. IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!¡±


    I jump from my bed and run out of the room at full speed, then vomit.


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Getting knocked back on my ass, I say, ¡°These flowers seem to be even more violent against me today.¡±


    ¡°They get more violent and cocky against those they see as below them.¡±


    ¡°That annoys me even more.¡±


    Looking at me with a slightly more considerate than normal expression, Charles says, ¡°I can just give you my seeds because if I don¡¯t, you¡¯ll starve. Your body is already much thinner than before.¡±


    Smacking him on the head, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool, you could get in serious trouble for that.¡±


    ¡°but you¡¯ll-.¡±


    ¡°Shut up already and practice your smile like I told you, I will be fine.¡±


    Getting ready to run towards the flowers, I whisper, ¡°I refuse to be a failure any longer,¡± And then charge directly at the flowers.

 Interlude 2.10: The pyres of samhain part 4

    -Break-


    Four weeks later


    In front of me stands my father as the entire camp around us burns. He cuts down one beastkin after another, with the strength of a hundred men, but then they all come at him at once and even he is unable to stop them.


    Being held down by the beastkin, my father screams, ¡°NERO HELP ME, FIGHT WITH ME.¡±


    But in my fright, I run and run far, far away to a place where I couldn¡¯t see the violence that was unfolding anymore.


    Through the forest where I ran, I feel something drip right down onto my head, and looking up towards the top of the trees I see it is blood; from the trees, countless dead bodies hand dripping their blood directly onto me and the surrounding area.


    Then with their mouths, they all say, ¡°NERO, YOU RAN. YOU ABANDONED US, YOU COWARD. YOU GET TO LIVE WHILE WE DIED, YOU¡¯RE NOTHING BUT SCUM.¡±


    From my bed, I jump up with a fright, and feel like I am about to puke, but the contents of my stomach are too empty to even do that. #


    Unable to hold back my emotions I cover my face with my hands and just cry as quietly as I can.


    -Break-


    With my potato in hand, I take small bites of it, then chew and digest it slowly; it is the only way I can eat with my body in its current condition.


    Charles beside me asks, ¡°Nero are you ok?¡±


    With the best smile I can muster, I say, ¡°OK COURSE I AM YOU FOOL!¡± Rubbing my hand against his head, I say, ¡°So no reason to worry about me at all you got that.¡±


    Charles looks away and gets back to eating his bountiful feast, then says, ¡°Charles your eyes are sunken, your skin shows a lot of your bone, and you struggle to eat and walk well. Are you sure you¡¯re okay, because every single one of those traits are things shared by the dead.¡±


    Flicking him on the forehead, I say, ¡°Instead of using that big head of yours to break down my body, use it to smile idiot.¡±


    ¡°Nero you¡¯re scaring me.¡±


    Stunned for a minute, I pause and look at Charles; did he just say he was scared? I guess I really have messed up, rubbing his head I say, ¡°Samhain is tomorrow, and we don¡¯t have to do any work after we burn the bonfire so I will make sure to get a good night¡¯s sleep. Don¡¯t worry, and just focus on yourself


    Lowering his head back to his food, Charles says ¡°Ok.¡±


    -Break-


    Plunging my spade into the ground, I try to pull up the dirt, but as I do I start to feel woozy as if my head isn¡¯t fully attached to my neck. All my muscles throughout my body feel weak, and my eyes are losing focus by the second.


    I don¡¯t understand why I feel like this. My energy level felt great this morning but the more I move the worse I feel, like my body has given up on me.


    Digging my spade into the ground again, I continue to feel weaker and weaker, right until I start to feel my body sway from side to side.


    Getting in front of me Charles says something, but I am completely unable to understand it, my brain can¡¯t make sense of them.


    Feeling my focus drop even more I start to get angry. I can¡¯t give up, I can¡¯t fail, I need to keep going, if not how am I ever going to face everyone if I can¡¯t survive? Don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop, don¡¯t drop; YOU CANNOT FALL!


    Despite my anger, despite the words I say to myself, I am unable to stay on my feet and after swaying, I fall to the floor and collapse.


    -Break-


    I remember that day as clear as the sun in the sky, the day of my tenth birthday.


    My clan celebrates all birthdays once a year, the day that my people first took root in Terrafide. On that day everyone in the village ages one year, so we have a grand celebration for everyone.


    I remember how my father danced with my mother. They were both such free people that they had no sense of shame, yet despite this, no one ever looked at them with disrespect because they were both strong. My dad in body, my mother in mind.


    Claudia was the opposite she used to constantly get frighted by all of the festivities, and then climb up on the trees. So, her parents had to always convince her to come down.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    But she never listened, but strangely enough, when I asked, she would jump down instantly and hold on to me. Then for the rest of the party, she walked around attached to me with a smile on her face, like she was a baby which was weird considering we are the same age.


    But being weird was normal for Claudia. I always wanted to ask her why she acted like this, but she had a really bright smile so I decided to leave it be.


    Though she was normal compared to Aurelius. Every single year, no every month, he would ask Lillian without fail to marry him, and she would always say something mean in return to him.


    Like you''re too annoying, or give him a near-impossible take like becoming the village chief. Though despite how she acted I could tell she cared for him just as much because she would frown whenever he wasn¡¯t around.


    Both of them were three years older than me, they were strong smart and would always be there for me. And when Claudia was attached to me, Aurelius would always improve the mood around us, while Claudia would take the time to make fun of us saying we looked like a husband and wife.


    Those days were annoying but so much fun. Seeing everyone dance and play with all their hearts.


    Suddenly all of them stop and stare at me, then Lillian says, ¡°Yet you were unable to protect this.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Walking up beside me, my mother says, ¡°Don¡¯t deny it, son.¡±


    My father then says, ¡°You ran and left me behind.¡±


    Claudia gripping me from the side says, ¡°And you let me die for your mistakes.¡±


    Aurelius gripping me by my collar says, ¡°After all the times I have saved you the one instance I asked for that favour back I was denied. You let us get dragged away.¡±


    ¡°No, I wanted to fight.¡±


    ¡°BUT YOU DIDN¡¯T. Your wants and words are pointless in the face of your actions.¡±


    My mother says, ¡°You¡¯re a failure true and true. I am sure you will even fail the child as well.¡±


    Lillian stepping into my other ear, says, ¡°You must have tried to use him as a way to earn forgiveness for us. You don¡¯t even care about him you fool.¡±


    ¡°I care about Charles and would never let anything happen to him.¡±


    Claudia says, ¡°Your past speaks otherwise. You can feel it, Nero, even now the boy is carrying on his back right to the campsite.¡±


    ¡°No, he can¡¯t be doing that.¡±


    Lillian in my ear, says, ¡°Your weakness so far has only affected you, but now even Charles will be affected. Because you''re nothing more than a burden to him.¡±


    ¡°You''re wrong!¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°You act like an older brother towards him, copying how I acted towards you. But it is a fruitless effort because you are too weak to protect him or yourself. When those men come back to harass you after Samhain how will you defend Charles, will you do it with your weak body?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Grabbing me and lifting me up by the neck, my father says, ¡°You run from us and now you run from the truth, you''re truly a cowardly existence that isn¡¯t even worth the dirt beneath our feet.¡±


    Throwing me to the ground, I see a line appear in front of all of them, and then my father says, ¡°You''re nothing more the a useless existence taking up space on that side, so just cross over to a place and leave the people there before you curse them with your existence.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°Die shitty brother.¡±


    Lillian says, ¡°Die bedwetter.¡±


    Claudia says, ¡°Die fool.¡±


    Mother says, ¡°Die failure.¡±


    Father says, ¡°Die you, coward. The very fact someone like you continues to breathe is an affront to my family, SO JUST DIE!¡±


    As they scream at me, I continue to cower my ears, as they shout, and shout insults at me for a time that feels like it would never end.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Jumping up from my bed with fright, I scream and scream and scream. But then holding me Charles says, ¡°Nero what¡¯s wrong.¡±


    But I continue to scream until I lose breath, then shaking I look towards Charles at my left, and see he has bruises on his face.


    Grabbing it, I say, ¡°What happened.¡±


    ¡°They got angry when I tried to take you back early, so they hit me again and again until they finally let me go.¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID!¡±


    Charles moved back slightly as the words Nero said caused a fearful reaction within him.


    With his head, hanging low Charles says, ¡°No I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that¡¯s why I stayed up all night.¡±


    Nero with his hands on his head, rubs his hair chaotically, then says, ¡°Can¡¯t you just think for yourself even once? You won¡¯t be able to eat a full meal tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°No one asked you to be ok, I needed you to be full. After everything I have done and said to you why couldn¡¯t you follow these simple instructions, it isn¡¯t that hard.¡±


    Continuing to scream like a manic, Nero says, ¡°Why won¡¯t you ever just listen to me, it is like I am surrounded by a fucking moron.¡±


    Taking a moment to stare at Charles''s face, Nero screams, ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T SMILE BUT NOW YOU CAN FROWN LIKE THAT.¡±


    Slamming his head into the ground, Nero says, ¡°Why do all these bad things keep fucking happening to me, first being put in a room with only you, then my father dies, then I start getting beat every night because of you, and now I don¡¯t even have food to eat. THIS IS TOO FUCKING MUCH!¡±


    Charles in that moment freezes unable to pick any decision to come to, so he grabs Nero, sticks up his thumb while trying his best to smile and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    But hearing this makes Nero¡¯s fury surpass its limit and he hits Charles in the face making him fall to his butt.


    Raising his head from the ground, Nero says, ¡°DON¡¯T MESS WITH M-.¡± But he stops mid-sentence as he sees something that shocks him to his very core.


    This can¡¯t be happening, it can¡¯t be happening right.


    Charles with a tear falling from his right eye, says, ¡°Nero, I am sorry.¡±


    Seeing this countless expressions run through my face, and my body aches, so with all the strength I could muster, I ran straight out of the room to a corner far away from our hut.


    Losing energy, I fall to the floor, and as I do I slam my fist against the ground. ¡°DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!¡±


    -Break-


    Everything went by like a flash. I somehow did prayer that morning but I don¡¯t remember how, I somehow ate something that morning but I don¡¯t remember what, I walked all the way to the to the centre plain for Samhain, but I don¡¯t remember why.


    And in front of me, as all the pyres were lit as the sun fell down, I felt absolutely nothing.


    But in the back of my ear, I hear someone say, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Looking in the direction where it came from, I see my clan members standing in the distance, making gestures as if they are beckoning me over. Isn¡¯t Samhain the day when the dead and living worlds are connected, if so that is good for me since it means I can finally die. I was too much of a coward to do it myself, but now it should be possible.

 Interlude 2.11: The pyres of samhain part 5

    -Break-


    ¦µ Sitting by a table right next to his almost finished sculpture the man called Bricriu looks with joy at his pyre right across from himself, and smiles.


    Then from the sky the beastkin who looks like a bat; Liam drops down, and in that moment Bricriu says, ¡°Liam how is it looking over there?¡±


    ¡°It is going just like normal; all of the pyres have been set and the rest of our people are performing their prayers to ward off the dead.¡±


    ¡°What about the humans.¡±


    ¡°They have each individually started to walk back, and just as you have requested they are not being guarded.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡±


    Sensing that Liam is a bit stiff, Bricriu says, ¡°Liam is something wrong.¡±


    With sweat running down, his face Liam asks Bricriu, ¡°Isn¡¯t this dangerous, we are simply letting the slaves run free without direction what if they try to escape?¡±


    Confused Bricriu responds, ¡°It¡¯s Samhain isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°This is my first full year here, so I don¡¯t know if I missed something but isn¡¯t Samhain just a myth.¡±


    Giggling a bit, Bricriu says, ¡°Liam if my memory serves me right, you¡¯re from a family of peasants that live on the border of Victoria and Terrafide, if I am correct.¡±


    Bowing his head low, Liam says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then it would make sense you wouldn¡¯t know since Samhain is really only observed in the upper parts of Victoria.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you a story. Little boy Brandon son of Darragh the plenty, during one Samhain snuck out to play and disobeyed his parents.


    He was a horse beastkin, one of the swiftest among us so he had no fear of ever getting into any trouble because he could just simply outrun it. But the very next morning, his parents awoke to find his body a mere 5 meters away from the land.


    So Darragh used his fortune to find out what happened to his son, but after further inspection, we found out Brandon¡¯s body was completely untouched. No wounds had been inflicted or poison-giving, not even a sign of a curse was anywhere near his body, and there was no form of struggle, It was as if his soul had been removed and his body just remained.


    You see Darragh the plenty was a man whose house had made a great fortune with the blood of countless slaves, but also his own people. So countless people would want revenge on his family even beyond the grave. Do you get what I am saying?¡±


    With more sweat falling down his face, Liam says, ¡°But how is that possible?¡±


    Laughing Bricriu says, ¡°Who knows, it is really only a phenomenon observed in Victoria. But isn¡¯t it amazing, the idea that death physical death can fall on someone without any physical interference is just a wonder isn¡¯t it? I am sure some bodies which have experienced that to help me finish my sculptures.¡±


    With his heartbeat increasing, Liam asks, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean for us-.¡±


    ¡°Be assured we are targets as well, there are countless spirits who I am sure hate us both and would come for us in a heartbeat. So defend yourself by clutching the fire from the pyres tight, and remain the spirits that your flesh and blood are stronger than anything else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    Standing up, Bricriu says, ¡°Make sure to bring me some bodies who have experienced a one-of-a-kind death for my sculptures.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    Getting up in Liam''s face, Bricriu says, ¡°That¡¯s two times now, what did I say about referring to me as lord!?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Laughing, Bricriu slaps Liam on the back and says, ¡°Greater beastkin like yourself should be less self-conscious, you are the future we all aim for.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    With his bat wings, Liam flies off to the sky.


    Bricriu grabs a stick of flames from his pyre and waves it as he sits down in his chair. Then looking forward he says, ¡°It¡¯s strange how you ghastly fellows are completely rebelled by the burning off a bit of wood. You can deliver death to the living but can¡¯t beat a bit of flames, truly comical.¡±


    Taking a sip of his drink, Bricriu looks towards the spirits in front of him and says, ¡°Could you guys please dance around a bit, if you''re going to be my company for the evening it would be nice if you could at least be a little entertaining.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I walk through the plains, I see it the bodies of all my loved ones scatted about. Claudia''s eyes, sitting atop my mother¡¯s torso, Vul''s large arms trying to protect Lillan''s small legs, Aurelius fingers stuffed in my father''s mouth.


    The blood from all of them smeared into the grass, the trees, and the sky, and even poured down on me like rain.


    But in front of me, I see something more disgusting than anything else, the images of me hitting Charles. Not just the last time, but also the first time I did it.


    Suddenly I see the image of Charles telling me his beating hurt less in front of me.


    Seeing this causes me to laugh a little. ¡°Did I actually think just because I did that little thing I could help him, did I actually think I could save him? All I have done was hurt him, I have barely made him do less work than he did before, and in certain cases, I have made him do more.¡±


    ¡°Trash, that is all I am. Whether in the past or present, I fail time and time again. I have lived for thirteen years, yet I haven¡¯t grown at all, why was I even born.¡±


    Looking up, I see them, all of them in front of me. Every single one I have betrayed, all of those I have failed. I don¡¯t deserve to be on this side while the rest of you lie on the other side, I will come over to join you.


    Seeing them wave at me I walk forward, one foot after another, but then I hear a somewhat familiar voice. ¡°Is that truly how you want your life to end?¡±


    ¡°A spear that can¡¯t pierce its target is worthless.¡±


    ¡°What a pathetic thought.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply who I am pathetic in every single way one could imagine. I fail my family, I fail my friends, I even fail myself, and if I continue to live my failures will bring ruin to those around me.¡±


    ¡°Is that truly what you believe?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool then.¡±


    ¡°OF COURSE, I AM DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING!¡±


    ¡°WHAT KIND OF FOOL TRUST¡¯S THE JUDGEMENT OF A FOOL THEN!¡±


    ¡°JUST FUCK OFF. I simply can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°You are right, you¡¯re a fool. Not because you have failed once, or twice or even a hundred times, but for the fact that you ran. You have decided that your life is now over because of a few failures, that is what makes you a fool.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT FAILURE!¡±


    ¡°The first time I fought a beast, I was 17 years old. It was a wolf, I failed to hit it with my again and again, then eventually it bit me so much until I passed out.¡±


    Hearing his words, I whisper, ¡°Have I heard this voice before?¡±


    ¡°The embarrassment I felt was unending, especially given my position in my clan. I felt hopeless, I felt as if life had ended, I wanted to give up, but I knew one thing; that I was just an insignificant fool, and that to put the fate of my life in the feelings of a fool such as myself. So, I tried again.


    I challenged that wolf 968 times, over three years, and on the 968 time I killed it. It I had 967 losses and one win, but that¡¯s all I needed, I took that singular win and used it to become the best version of myself, one who can no longer be called a fool.


    The reason you¡¯re a fool is because you trust the words of one, the reason you¡¯re a coward is because you choose the comforting lie of death, rather than the reality of yourself, and the reason that you¡¯re pathetic is the fact that you protect that lie even moments right before your life is about to end.¡±


    Feeling rage well up inside me, I shout, ¡°WHAT THE HELL DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT ME? So what if it worked for you, I am not the same this feeling within me is something you could never know, nor experience, don¡¯t think you could ever feel this despair that currently clouds my soul.¡±


    ¡°Of course it makes sense, the son of a fool is destined to be one as well. The son of a man who lost his head is as brainless as him. But maybe this is simply justice, that the people who knew such an idiot will all vanish from the earth.¡±


    In a blind rage, I shout, ¡°WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY FATHER? HE WAS THE MOST COURAGEOUS WONDERFUL HAPPY PERSON TO EVER EXIST, IT IS ONLY THANKS TO HIM THAT I CONTINUE TO LIVE. HE WOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING I WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING WITHOUT EFFORT, SO DON¡¯T YOU EVER SPEAK OF HIM AGAIN.¡±


    I turn around and shout, ¡°DO YOU UNDERSTA-.¡± But I stop in shock as I see my father behind me.


    Walking up to me, my father says, ¡°Then trust in my words son, because the blood of this great man runs in your veins as well.¡±


    With tears falling from my weak body, I say, ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one and only. Now look what you were about to do your mother would have cried for the rest of her days if she found out.¡±


    ¡°I am so, so sorry.¡±


    ¡°What do you have to apologize for, I was the one who failed you.¡±


    ¡°But all the dreams.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about, this is the first time I have seen you since my head when flying. Were you trusting a fool''s judgement again?¡±


    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t know what to do, I keep making mistakes and letting everyone down.¡±


    ¡°YOU FOOL! Didn¡¯t you listen to a single word I said, you really struggle to listen, I guess you inherited everything from me and not your mother. You said a spear that can¡¯t pierce its target is worthless, but if you were to sharpen that spear I am sure it can, and my son you are one of the most blunt spears in the world, so you are the one who can sharpen the most.¡±


    ¡°But what if I fail, what if I can¡¯t do what you asked of me?¡±


    ¡°Then try again, and even through despair remember there is a reason that all those you care about love you too. My son you were born to win in all your battles.¡±


    Feeling a warm feeling welling up in my chest, I say, ¡°Dad, I missed you.¡±


    Walking past me my father says, ¡°I missed you too, now go my son.¡±


    Suddenly in front of me, all of the images I was seeing were clear, and all that remained was the green plain. Turning around to see where I was going to walk, I see a river.


    If I fell into it in my current state, I would have no doubt drowned. In the distance past the lake, I see people a horde of people whom I remember beckoning me closer, but there are a few exceptions which include my father and Vul.


    So, I look at them and say, ¡°There is no place I feel like I should be right now than over there, but sorry I am an idiot so I probably shouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    Turning around I walk forward with my weak body, and in the distance, I see Charles approaching me, and as he comes close he freezes with a sad expression, and says, ¡°I am sor-.¡±


    Stopping him with a hug, I say, ¡°Charles I am sorry. I promise from this moment on I will never allow you to know sadness. So please if you want to trust in me again let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Without hesitation, he says, ¡°OK.¡±


    I would have missed that tasteless expression. With a smile, I say, ¡°I really am an idiot!¡±

 Interlude 2.12: The pyres of samhain part 6

    -Break-


    Two days later


    In the river, I see, right next to Aurelius. We race to see who can reach Lillian and Claudia the faster.


    We swim with all our hearts as we race down the river, but in the end, I lose to Aurelius.


    He jumps out of the river next to Lillian and screams, ¡°THIS IS THE POWER OF LOVE.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, you big dumb idiot.¡±


    Reaching out my hand, I say, ¡°So what if you won I will simply win next time.¡±


    Suddenly all three of them stare at me, and then Claudia says, ¡°That won¡¯t be happening.¡±


    Knocking my arm away, Aurelius says, ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten.¡±


    Lillian says, ¡°The way you abandoned all of us.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You coward.¡±


    ¡°You traitor.¡±


    ¡°You fool.¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    ¡°Die.¡±


    From the ground I jump up and almost throw up.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    Stepping to the front of the line with Charles not far behind me, I stretched out my hands, and the beastkin in front of me gave me winter clothes, and moments later Charles was given these clothes by the same beastkin.


    Rubbing my face against the clothes, I say, ¡°Oh how I have missed comfy clothing.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Hey Charles if you have something to say don¡¯t just sum it up and I see.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t miss the point of what I just said. Explain your I see.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I just thought it makes sense for you to want new clothes because your current clothes have been ripped to shreds by your never-ending failure in regards to the giant flowers, so I understood, I see.¡±


    His words unknowingly struck me like a bolt of lightning. ¡°Well you¡¯re wrong the reason I want new clothes is because I missed soft things, like women.¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°What¡¯s a woman?¡±


    Frozen for s second, I realize what he just asked, then laughing I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will show you one day.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    -Break-


    Four days later


    Location: Centre plain


    Digging up the land around one of the tree stumps, I say, ¡°This really is hell.¡±


    We have ceased our planting of seeds, for the season but now in replacement of that, we have to remove all of the stumps and leftover wood in the land.


    And for two boys such as us, ¡°That¡¯s fucking hard! I have to dig up this frozen land and then start hacking away at the stumps until I can pull them out. The only benefit is because we still have to use axes, I can continue to threaten those men to leave us the hell alone.¡±


    Charles ask, ¡°Who are you taking to?¡±


    ¡°MYSELF!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°EXPLAIN!¡±


    ¡°You talking to yourself is in line with the rest of your strange behaviour.¡±


    ¡°WELL THEN MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.¡± Feeling a cold breeze I say, ¡°THESE WINTER CLOTHES DO NOTHING!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± After saying this Charles pulls out one of the tree stumps all by himself.


    Looking at him in shock, I through my spade on the ground and say, ¡°CHARLES I AM DONE, COME DO THE REST OF THIS WORK FOR ME.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says as he walks over to me. Stopping in front of me Charles punches me in the gut sending me flying back.


    ¡°What was that for!¡±


    ¡°You told me if you ever ask me to do your work for you, I should hit you at full power three times until your sense returns.¡±


    Holding my gut as Charles walks forward, I say, ¡°My sense has returned so you can stop.¡± If Charles hits me another two times with the current state my body is in, I will die. Without a doubt!


    ¡°I can''t do that you made me promise to only stop after three hits no matter what present you say.¡±


    FUCK YOU PAST ME! ¡°Please Charles I will die, you want me to live right, so don¡¯t hi-.¡±


    He hits me so hard; that I feel my soul pop out of my body.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    -Break-


    Six days later


    In a small area surrounded by the other members of my clan, me and Vul stand there with sticks in hand, preparing to begin our sparing match.


    The moment Claudia makes a gesture for the battle to begin, I charge at Vul with a stick in hand, but he steps out of the way and then knocks me on the head with his stick.


    ¡°One death.¡±


    ¡°Again.¡±


    A very similar process repeats itself, and he says, ¡°Two deaths.¡±


    ¡°AGAIN!¡±


    Over and over again, we repeat this process with the only difference being Vul changing his count of deaths.


    Taking my stick I through it into the ground and yell, ¡°I AM DONE!¡±


    Aurelius from a distance says, ¡°You need to change up your approach, and not do the same thing every time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever, Aurelius it¡¯s your turn.¡±


    As I leave the area, and Aurelius walks in, he grabs me by my arm and says, ¡°You were always like this, giving up at the slightest issue.¡±


    ¡°Aurelius let go.¡±


    ¡°If you had just trained more we wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡±


    Suddenly I see blood fill the area around all of us.


    ¡°THIS WAS CAUSED BY YOU.¡±


    I jump up and spit up just like most nights.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    With passion in his eyes, and with a fervour that even the healthy struggle to have in this cold winter, Nero digs his spade into the dirt and starts to dig while saying, ¡°NEVER GIVE UP.¡±


    In a stark contrast beside him, Charles mutters a completely passionless, ¡°Never give up,¡± copying Nero.


    But even though the passion in Nero is heights below Charles, the amount of work they are getting done is not correlated to this at all. Nero has dug up a small amount if compared to the heap of dirt that Charles has.


    Seeing Charles work, Nero screams, ¡°THIS IS SO UNFAIR!¡± But as he screams one of the beastkin starts to yell at him in their language.


    This causes Nero, to pick up his spade, and scream, ¡°NEVER GIVE UP,¡± While working with all his strength and might.


    Seeing this Charles starts to become slightly more energised, and in a tone that carries a little bit of passion he says, ¡°Never give up.¡±


    -Break-


    Eight days later


    Location: Campsite


    As I devour my pathetic potato while freezing, Charles points his finger up towards me and says, ¡°Good job!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T MOCK M-, Ehh that one was slightly better, I think you actually managed to shift your face muscles upwards. But you could still do better.¡±


    Grabbing my face, I say, ¡°You need to push them up like this.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says, as he pushes them all downwards.


    ¡°NOT WHAT I MEAN. I don¡¯t know if this is some sort of prank or if this really is just against your nature.¡±


    -Break-


    2 weeks later


    As blood gushes from my leg in the middle of the forest I cry, but no one is anywhere near me, so I scream, ¡°Mommy, daddy, HELP ME!¡±


    The darkness of the forest scares me to my core, so I shiver there as I await the wolf that bit me to come and find me.


    Hearing rustling, I start to scream, ¡°NOOOOO!¡±


    But from the forest, Aurelius and Lillian appear, with Aurelius holding the head of the wolf in his arms.


    Upon seeing me Aurelius runs over and says, ¡°We finally found you Nero. Wait, Nero is bleeding Lillian hurry up!¡±


    Lillian walking over to me says, ¡°I know, I am coming.¡±


    As Lillian bandages me up, she says, ¡°You really made us break our backs.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know these two that well at all back then when I was seven, so I said, ¡°Why are you guys hear.¡±


    Rubbing my head, Aurelius responds, ¡°Because whenever you¡¯re in trouble your big siblings will take care of you.¡±


    Putting me on his back, Aurelius said, ¡°NOW LET¡¯S GO!¡±


    As I am carried away, I hear a voice say, ¡°But you weren¡¯t able to save them.¡±


    In front of me, I start to see blood leak from both Aurelius and Lillian, and then I hear, ¡°They have always been here for us but we couldn¡¯t do the same for them, they scram and cried yet we just LEFT THEM!¡±


    I jump up from my bed and vomit all over the floor.


    -Break-


    Four days later


    Location: Centre plain


    With all the strength I can muster from my body, I pull out the tree stump from the ground.


    ¡°FINALLY. After digging up the land to its roots, hacking away at said roots with an axe, blocking the roots from grounding back, and then slowly pulling the stump from the tree out of the hole in the ground, I have now taken out my second tree stump.¡±


    Laying on the ground in victory, I turn around and see Charles with 42 tree stumps pulled out. Moments later we lock eyes, then I turn my head around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± I whisper.


    But then I hear Charles say, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Turning around, I shout, ¡°IT WASN¡¯T A GOOD JOB DON¡¯T MOCK ME.¡±


    -Break-


    Six days later


    Location: Campsite


    As Charles collects his food, I see him stick his thumb up towards Baine c¨ªche, and say, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Grabbing him I say, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to specifically stop doing that.¡±


    -Break-


    Seven days later


    Location: River L¨²ide


    Standing in the water of River L¨²ide, Nero has both of his fists against his hips and is staring at the sun, with a smile on his face.


    Confused by this action, Charles goes up beside Nero and does the same.


    To all the onlookers of this sight, they felt raptured. A boy much younger and smaller than them. A boy who lacks fat throughout all of his body is standing there basking in the sun with a smile on his face, he looks as if he has discovered the through of the world.


    Seeing this sight one of the other slaves says, ¡°The messiah?¡± While looking with awe.


    Soon a group of men copy Charles and Nero''s actions, hoping to reach his same height.


    But in truth the only thought going through Nero''s head was; MY BACK FUCKING HURT¡¯S.


    A beastkin walking towards them all starts to scream in a language Nero can¡¯t understand.


    -Break-


    Three days later


    Location: Campsite


    Shaping my face, into a smile, I say, ¡°Charles like this.¡±


    Shaping his face into a frown, he says, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°No, no, like this?¡±


    -Break-


    Two days later


    Location: Centre plain


    Cutting the roots out of the three I say, ¡°NEVER GIVE UP. NOT NOW NOT EVER.¡±


    One day later


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Seeing the flower swing towards me I dodge and pluck out its last seed causing it to wither instantly.


    Falling to the ground I say, ¡°I am done, though I missed a few so I should do better next time.¡±


    Charles walking up to me says, ¡°You¡¯ve done it.¡±


    ¡°Done what.¡±


    ¡°Your quota, you¡¯ve finally hit it.¡±


    In disbelief, I say, ¡°You''re kidding.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not.¡± Sticking his thumb up and giving me a light smile, Charles says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Hearing this and seeing Charles''s successful encouragement shocks me so much I pass out.


    -Break-


    I can see all my friends, my family, being attacked. The beastkin are scary, so much so that I feel I have to run, but I can¡¯t not now, so I take a step forward.


    Suddenly I hear, ¡°Do you think doing anything now will change anything? You have already failed, it is too let for us to change their fates now.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but still even if it is too late I would rather go forward than run back. So if you want to stay there complaining do that till you die.¡±


    Running forward towards the beastkin, I am killed within seconds.


    Jumping up from my bed, my chest feels tight my breathing is uncontrollable, and terror causes my bones to shake. But I don¡¯t feel sick, I don¡¯t feel like throwing up.


    -Break-


    Location: The western edge of the plantation


    ¦µ Standing by his carriage, Bricriu says, ¡°Liam are you ready.¡±


    ¡°Of course, but I must ask why have you decided to take me.¡±


    ¡°Because you''re simply so useful towards me Liam, I am sure you will help us in our conquest of the islands in Molstoria.¡±¡¯


    ¡°I will try my best.¡±


    Looking on towards the plantation, Bricriu says, ¡°Goodbye for now, but next we meet I am sure lots of fun will be had.¡±


    And so as Bricriu left the plantation the year came to an end, but the next would be just as important for the two boys.

 Interlude 2.13: Lions mother part 1

    -Break-


    Two weeks later


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ Giddy in line, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait, I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    Charles behind me says, ¡°Is this because you finally went over your quota.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is, now I can get some extra food and stop being just skin and bones.¡±


    Walking up to the beastkin serving food, I say, ¡°I completed over my quota this time, you can check with other beastkin if you doubt me.¡±


    The beastkin says, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, we no longer do extra food for hard work. All the means have been standardised again.¡±


    Hearing this shocks me to my soul so intensely that I freeze and collapse over to the floor. But in that state, the beastkin throws my water and potato at me knocking me out.


    As Nero lays on the ground in defeat, Charles takes his food, picks up Nero and walks away.


    Then sits him against the wall of the campsite where he slowly feeds him. To all the onlookers around, the sight is almost identical to how a mother feeds her child.


    -Break-


    Depressed I walk towards the gate, but then Charles gives me a weak smile and says, ¡°Cheer up.¡±


    Looking at him with my head hanging down, I say, ¡°You seem to have the new encouragement phases I gave you down.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But somehow you still struggle to point your finger upwards,¡± I say as I stare at his sidewards pointing finger.


    Looking at his finger, he says, ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t you have already done it.¡±


    ¡°But I did it while saying good job, not cheer up.¡±


    ¡°HOW DOES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I swear you really must be a golem.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a golem?¡±


    ¡°I keep forgetting to explain this, you see a golem is a-.¡±


    Suddenly I run into someone¡¯s back, and then looking forward, I notice a bunch of people are clumped up in front of the main exit, unable to leave at all.


    Then I hear a beastkin shout, ¡°It is time for rotations, each and every one of you will be having your work changed.¡±


    ¡°Rotations?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we usually rotate work sometime within every new year.¡±


    Hearing this causes excitement to flow through my veins, and feeling my excitement, Charles asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yep I am just happy I won¡¯t have to do any of that horrible work, anymore.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Here''s hoping our new work will be easier.¡±


    The beastkin in front of all of us says, ¡°Your work today will be.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide


    Holding a brick in hand, I walk while a beastkin shouts, ¡°HURRY UP YOU LAZY HUMANS!¡±


    Moving with a group of humans, I prepare to place my brick where I am instructed and move on.


    The first bit of work we were instructed to do was help build this castle, and they''re working us to the very bone, and they don¡¯t seem to understand that these rocks we''re carrying.


    Looking towards Charles, I see him effortlessly carrying the rocks, while I struggle to move. ¡°NEVER GIVE UP,¡± I shout as I move with the rocks.


    -Break-


    As we walk back, I move my arms to stretch them out, and as I do I say, ¡°That was painful, but definitely not as bad as the other work, well I would say those beastkin yelling at us was definitely bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But this whole experience did confirm one thing, that the work we do is being switched with others.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean huh, didn¡¯t you notice the frame for our castle was already dug out, which means other people must have dug it out, I guess when they rotate they switch our work with that of other slaves.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that obvious,¡± Charles says while confused.


    ¡°You think that is obvious but not sticking your thump up!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯d think like that. But at least this answers what we were digging up the River for, they want to divert it to make a moat.¡±


    ¡°A moat?¡±


    ¡°It is a way you surround certain structures with water, to make them hard to break into. Diverting a river is a way to make one, and if my idea is correct another group of slaves are currently working to make a gate to control the flow of the river their diverting.¡±


    Looking at me Charles, asks, ¡°Nero are you okay?¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Of course, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making lots of sense, so I just wanted to check.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°You need to shut up and just practice your face exercises.¡±


    As Charles tries to force his face into a smile, I just go over my thoughts. For what reason would they get us to constantly change jobs? It is refreshing but I doubt they actually care about us, so why then?


    Looking over I Charles an idea pops into my head; could the reason be they don¡¯t want us to learn how to do things? If I think about it like that it makes perfect sense, they don¡¯t want us to learn information that we could use to better ourselves if we were to escape.


    Escape is a funny idea to me now, because in all honesty, I don¡¯t see a way out of here, for now, I have just been going along working my hardest even though what I am is just a slave. I doubt many of us have any hope in an escape attempt, funny how the beastkin think we have more of a chance to escape than we do.


    But in all honesty, should I just be content being here? For all, I know Mother, Aurelius, Lillian, and everyone else are still alive somewhere and are probably feeling hopeless. I can¡¯t just leave them like that but could I ever even escape from here not to mention reach and save them.


    Even Father couldn¡¯t defeat the beastkin so what choice do I have? What am I even doing in this life, it essentially just feels like I am working to not get killed, but even if I do not get killed, I am essentially working until my body gives out and I die.


    Is this the kind of life I want to live?


    Slapping myself on my face, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother thinking ahead since you¡¯re an idiot anyway.¡±


    Looking at me with his hands on his face, Charles asks, ¡°Are you also doing face exercises.¡±


    Taking both of my hands which are on my face and using them to force a smile I say, ¡°Of course I am, someone needs to show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    Opening the door to the large structure in front of us I look inside to see, and to my surprise I see a bunch of children like me and Charles.


    ¡°I thought it was weird that they only made me and Charles come here, but I guess it is for a reason.¡±


    From behind us, I hear, ¡°MOVE HUMANS.¡±


    Turning around, I see a spider beastkin which causes me to instantly grab Nero and sit down in one of the rows full of children. He looks like the bat, his body is much more spider-like than human-like.


    The beastkin gives me a nasty look as he walks towards the front of the room.  When there he says, ¡°I will make needing you to weave clothes. The supplies are in front of you, and I will be making you weave different-sized clothes by row. If you look to your left you will see completed versions of the clothes I want you to make.¡±


    Grabbing a fabric from the table, he pulls out four different arms from his back, and then with unmatched precision, he starts to weave the clothes. ¡°Now humans follow along.¡±


    Suddenly all of us start to scramble to follow his instructions. ¡°All rows after row two you must do this part bigger to make sure you meet your size requirements.¡±


    What the hell is wrong with this guy, does he not understand that it is hard for us to constantly watch him, knit, and keep track of the clothes on the walls to make sure we are doing this right.¡±


    Suddenly, the beastkin stops and says, ¡°You four seats into row eight, stop right now.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The boy says in return.


    With a single lunge, he jumps across the room over to him, then says, ¡°You ripped some of the fibre.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am sor-.¡±


    Before he finishes his words, the boy screams, then a moment later I see something fly across the room which Charles grabs out of the air. Looking at it in his hand, I see it is an eyeball.


    When others around see this they also scream, and then the beastkin, says, ¡°SILENCE.¡±


    As the kid cries, he says, ¡°Remember this all of you, the fabric is worth more than your lives, so no mess will be allowed.¡±


    Lunging back to the beginning, he starts to continue telling us what to do, but hearing the kid in the back hold back his cries I say, ¡°Master.¡±


    Charles grabs me from my side and gestures for me to stop.


    I really am sorry but right now I can¡¯t let this happen.


    Looking up at me, the beastkin asks, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Are we just going to leave him to die?¡±


    ¡°If he can finish his quota by the end, he will just die there.¡±


    ¡°Would I be able to patch him up, I will use my own clothes.¡±


    ¡°HUMAN STOP PESTERING ME.¡±


    Hearing him raise his voice, fright fills me. ¡°But if he does this we will be distracted and if he dies it will just be a waste.¡±


    I know this is a dangerous game I am playing, but Charles did tell me that people from our campsite specifically are never really killed, so I am going to bet on that.


    As the beastkin seethes with rage towards, me I start to prepare for my impending doom, but he says, ¡°Fine, go fix him up but if you don¡¯t meet your quota you will  also lose an eye.¡±


    Getting up I go up to him and rip a section of my winter clothes and use it to bandage up his eye. As I do I say, ¡°Everything is going to be ok.¡±


    But then he mutters, ¡°Is it? There is no future in sight for us.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°The only people who have no future are the dead and are you dead?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then that is good, umm, what¡¯s your name.¡±


    ¡°Ogier.¡±


    ¡°Well remember this Ogier, I might ask for this favour back one day.


    -Break-


    ¡°Charles, are you angry?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s anger?¡±


    ¡°A feeling of anger towards someone.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Rubbing my hands against my head, I say, ¡°Urgh, I don¡¯t know just what are you thinking.¡±


    ¡°That I was right, in that you want to die.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to die, I was using my brain and guessed he would have let me do that.¡±


    He gives me a look, and says, ¡°Isn''t that too much thought for you.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you think I am an idiot.¡±


    ¡°I am very good at recognizing patterns.¡±


    ¡°HEY THAT WAS AN INSULT.¡±


    Confused, he says, ¡°Was it?¡±


    ¡°Now you just made it worse.¡±


    Sticking his thumb up towards me, he says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°What is this for?¡±


    ¡°You finished before anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is because knitting is easy for me. I used to constantly get my clothes destroyed back in my clan, so my mother got tired and started making me do all the knitting myself, and I just got rather good at it. Now that I think about it my mother got tired of a bunch of my behaviour.¡±


    ¡°Are mothers nice?¡±


    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°People are constantly calling my mother bad things and tell me she was evil, so I don¡¯t know how mothers are, and what makes one good.¡±


    ¡°Well my mother, loved me, cleaned up my messes, made me laugh, and was always teaching me new things, different from my father but just as important.¡±


    ¡°Then are you my mother then?¡±


    Stopping for a moment, I say, ¡°I guess I am. Now that this has been established you must always follow what I say.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°WHY!¡±

 Interlude 2.14: Lions mother part 2

    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Scortha fields


    With my feet freezing from the cold, I say, ¡°How is this worse!¡±


    ¡°During the summer months, these fields were ridiculously hot, and now during winter it is stupidly cold.¡±


    But still, despite my complaining, I continue to do the work given to me. Today we are being forced to poor these sacks of white materials through the fields in which we planted seeds in.¡±


    Beside me, Charles continues to do the world as well at the same speed at me. I would be happy that I am keeping up with him, but it is not like this work requires any form of ability, it is just pouring this stuff into the fields.


    As the white powder-like substance continues to pour out of my bag, I look to my left and see that Charles has stopped while holding something in his hands.


    Instantly panic takes over my body, and I look around, but luckily none of the guards are around us, so I quickly say, ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°This fell out of my sack.¡±


    Within the hand of the boy named Charles, is a clam, and upon seeing this Nero says, ¡°You can look at it later, right now we need to get to work or they will start attacking us.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    Standing in front of the gate getting ready to be let out to go start, I slump my head down as I try to stop myself from getting sick.


    Looking towards me, Charles asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Stick up, my thumb, I say, ¡°Yeah I am good.¡± I can¡¯t tell him the reason I feel like this is because I had a rather horrible dream last night. But I should be proud at least I didn¡¯t spill my guts, well at at least not yet.


    Beside me I hear Charles sneeze, then I say, ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°What does that mean.¡±


    ¡°It means you''re starting to feel strange and lose to ability to work.¡±


    ¡°Then I am not sick. Sometimes during the year, I start to sneeze and cough, but then it goes away fast enough.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure that is what being sick is.¡± Well whatever he is some sort of superhuman, so I am sure he will be fine no matter what.


    Upon opening the gate for all of us to be let out, I see that the other side of the gate has a bunch of materials, ones that look very similar to the one each of our huts are made out of, and what the wall around our campsite is made out of.


    Walking a beastkin says, ¡°We will be beginning expansion earlier this year. Each one of you are to expand your hut¡¯s sizes while also doing your part in helping the walls expand as well. You will be given instructions follow them precisely and remember that these materials are more important than your life.¡±


    Throughout the area, as they all listen to his instructions, most of them stare in confusion, while others are scared with fright at their lack of understanding, but one of them Nero, is just trying to hold back his laughter.


    What the hell kind of accent is that!!!!!? Not only that his pronunciation was all over the place, I swear some babies back in the clan spoke better than him. Don¡¯t laugh, don¡¯t laugh, don¡¯t laugh.


    With the same horrible voice, he says, ¡°What is the matter humans, have I not given you your instructions!¡±


    One of the other people in the crowd says with a polite smile, ¡°Sorry could you please repeat that most of us couldn¡¯t decipher what you said.¡±


    Looking down towards the crowd, the beastkin notices some faces are smiling while others at genuinely confused, and turning to look at his fellow beastkin he sees that some of them are mocking him behind his back.


    Unable to hold back his embarrassment, the beastkin jumps down right up to the man who said this and asks, ¡°You must think you''re funny, asking me such a question as if it is my fault that your pathetic human ears couldn¡¯t understand me.¡±


    As the beastkin walks towards the human, he backs up and says, ¡°No master, I meant no such thing.¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± Stopping and looking all around us, he says, ¡°You humans still keep forgetting your place, you don¡¯t get to think unless we want you to, you don¡¯t get to speak unless we want you to, you don¡¯t get to eat unless we want you to, and you don¡¯t get to live unless we want you to. But it seems like you don¡¯t know this, YOU¡¯RE ALL SLAVES.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Walking over to me, he says, ¡°And to those of you who think it¡¯s ok to smile and laugh, at my words.¡± He hits me in my left check sending me to the ground.


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t need mouths.¡±


    On the ground, I spit up blood, from my mouth while trying to regain my senses.


    Walking over to another man, he says, ¡°And to those of you who can¡¯t understand what leaves my beautiful mouth.¡±


    With his finger, he pokes a hole in that man''s right ear, and says, ¡°You don¡¯t need your ears.¡±


    Walking to the middle of the crowd he says, ¡°You all have gotten too cocky simply because the Marquis won¡¯t let us end your lives, but I promise from the bottom of my soul that I can make you all wish you were dead. Now get to work, and all those who fail at their tasks will be punished.¡±


    As everyone walks away Charles runs up to me, while I am on my hands and knees, then asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    I wonder if Mom, Aurelius, Lillian, and everybody else are experiencing pain this bad right now? If so I would want with all my heart to take it away, but I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t reach them I am simply too weak, and I don¡¯t think I ever will.


    But the thing someone like me can do at least, is make sure Charles doesn¡¯t have to experience this, and for whatever lies for him in the future that he can at least have happy memories.


    So I put on my best smile, and say, ¡°Yep, I am good.¡±


    -Break-


    As the cold of the night enters my body, I walk back to my hut. While I was helping others with the gate today, Charles was at the hut making it bigger, it seems they just split up the work between huts.


    So just like always it sucks that it is just the two of us, but I wonder if I wasn¡¯t here would they have made Charles do both sets of work. The thought of that makes all of my aching bones hurt even more.


    Walking up to my hut, I see the men who used to bother us kicking Charles as he lays down curled up in a ball. What the hell is he doing, he isn¡¯t even protecting his head.


    Running with all the might I can muster, I jump and dropkick one of the men out of the way. Getting up from the attack, I say, ¡°You guys need to go do something with your pathetic lives.¡±


    Getting up the man says, ¡°Shut up you dumb brat.¡±


    ¡°looks like someone has an attitude, maybe I need to break your ax-, oh no.¡±


    ¡°We no longer have to do any work involving axes, so from this point on we can return things to how they used to be.¡±


    Putting my fists up preparing to fight, I say, ¡°Then I guess I need to teach you a lesson with my fist.¡± Immediately I run forward.¡±


    One beating later


    Laying on the floor with my feet over my head, I say, ¡°You better run.¡± Then instantly I feel pain throughout my mouth from their punches.


    Well, at least my body was in actual good shape because if it was like before, I think that beating might have killed me.


    Getting up from the floor, I see Charles holding something and in that moment his actions make sense to me. So I move over to Charles and ask, ¡°What are you protecting?¡±


    In his hands, he shows me a clam.


    ¡°Is that the one from yesterday?¡±


    Looking at it he says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Sitting down beside him with my legs crossed, I ask, ¡°Now why would you do that? You do realize that you could have died protecting that thing?¡±


    ¡°I know, but it is pretty.¡±


    ¡°It is just a clam you can find those all the time near the ocean.¡±


    ¡°The ocean?¡±


    Something hits me and I say, ¡°You don¡¯t know what the ocean is do you?¡±


    He shakes his head from left to right.


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Well it is a river but really, really big. Lots of other sparkly things, like rocks and pearls can be found near it, there are also animals and wonderbeasts that flow throughout the ocean.


    One time when I was playing with Aurelius near the ocean we saw a giant dolphin, and we even got to pet its head.¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°Who is Aurelius?¡±


    Rubbing the back of my head, I say, ¡°He was just a friend, who was like a brother to me, back in my clan.¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°You don¡¯t really talk about members of your clan.¡±


    ¡°Well, the stories are kind of stupid and boring, not something anyone would care to listen to.¡±


    ¡°I want to hear them,¡± Charles says the moment I finish speaking.


    Charles''s face is expressionless, but I can feel it, the excitement and drive that he feels is tangible. Then with that same expressionless face and tasteless tone, he asks, ¡°I really want to hear about it.


    ¡°Ok then but we can¡¯t do it out here, so let¡¯s head inside the tent.¡±


    That night I talked and talked about the ocean, the other places my clan has been to, the animals the members of my clan, and all the fun we got up to.


    By the time we had finished the bell was wrung for us to start work today, and when I heard it I shouted, ¡°I FORGOT TO SLEEP.¡±


    -Break-


    A week and a half later


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide


    Holding a brick in my hand, I say to Charles beside me, ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone being way too lax? They aren¡¯t working and just sitting around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal for this time of the year.¡±


    ¡°Huh, way?¡±


    ¡°The beastkin have four celebrations year-round Samhain was one of them, and another one is at the start of the second month of the year. During this time many of the beastkin vanish I believe to celebrate, so there aren¡¯t many people around. Some even sneak off during this time.¡±


    ¡°I see well then I guess we can be a little more lax on our quotas.¡±


    ¡°Yeah your right,¡± Charles says while walking very wobbly.


    Looking at Charles I say, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Turning to look at me with the same expression he always has, he says, ¡°No.¡± Then he walks forward and falls to his side.


    Running over to him, I touch his forehead and notice that even in this cold weather he is hot. ¡°Charles you''re burning up, that definitely isn¡¯t normal.¡±


    ¡°But it is since I have been feeling like that since I sneezed.¡±


    ¡°You mean since almost two weeks ago! THAT MEAN YOU¡¯RE ARE SICK.¡±


    With an expressionless face, he says, ¡°I see.¡±


    Over his body, I start to panic. This isn¡¯t good, this isn¡¯t good, if he gets sick I doubt they would stop him from working, which could lead to death. But they aren¡¯t allowed to kill us so maybe asking for some medicine could work. But not killing us and actively giving us some form of care are probably not the same thing.


    Wait, I have another option. No is being watched, so I could simply take care somewhere else, so he doesn¡¯t have to do work. Hiding him and myself in the forest until we all walk home could work.


    But if we are found, I am sure that even this would be grounds for death. I could die.


    Suddenly flashes of Lillian and my father appear in my head causing me to shake. Then from the ground, Charles grabs my hand and says, ¡°Good job,¡± With the best smile he can muster.


    No Nero, you pick the best option for his survival, you promised yourself so now get on with it.


    Picking Charles up and putting him on my back, I make my way towards where the other men were using to slack off.

 Interlude 2.15: Lions mother part 3

    -Break-


    ¡°Hey Charles, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Some place where you can rest.¡±


    ¡°But won¡¯t we get in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about that now just leave the rest to me.¡±


    Following my words Charles slumps his head on my shoulder and when he does, I can still feel that he is hot. I need to move quickly.


    After a little bit of walking, I stop and say, ¡°The air here is pretty good and it is not too warm or cold. I think it will do nicely.¡±


    Dropping Charles I say, ¡°You can sleep for a bit.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it still daytime?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that just trust me.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Charles says as he closes his eyes.


    Sitting down next to a tree watching Charles I let my thoughts run wild.


    He isn¡¯t as alert as usual because if he was he would have definitely stopped me from doing this. In all honesty, staring at Charles right now is terrifying, the fact that this boy could be rendered so weak is shocking.


    I guess in a way I thought him indestructible like my father, a boy with no limits whose strength and endurance knows no bounds. But now this has me feeling worried.


    Will he get better? Will he wake up from this nap? Is anything I am even doing for him helping? What if a wild beast comes here? What if someone rats us out? What if the beastkin find us? Will I be able to protect us, protect him?¡±


    As these thoughts flow through my head like a spiral, I say, ¡°I wonder if this is how Mom and Dad felt.¡±


    Whenever I went out and did something without telling them or got sick. Is this terror and fear something my actions caused them daily, if so I don¡¯t know how they even ate or slept with this feeling.


    The beastkin are right, we humans really are easily destroyed, broken, and killed, unlike how I once thought I know for a fact that none of us are indestructible. Not Charles, not everyone from the village, nor Dad.


    But still, they were able to smile throughout it all, dad and everyone knew of this fear yet still went and smiled, so I guess I got to do the same. Looking at Charles I say, ¡°I need to rest too because when he awakes I plan to greet him with my best smile.


    -Break-


    Hearing a sound, I open my eyes. Instantly a bunch of thoughts flood my mind; What¡¯s going on? Did someone find us? Are we going to die? Am I going to die?


    I shake, and shake, and shake as the fear and uncertainty of the situation start to take hold.


    With my fist I punch myself in the gut, then bring my thoughts to order; I have no time to panic, I need to calmly assess the situation for not only my life but for Charles.


    The first thing I do I stare at Charles and see that is fine, and seems to be breathing; that means he isn¡¯t a point of worry now.


    Using the tree, I am against as cover, I look out and see if there is anyone in our surrounding area; no one is in sight.


    The noise I heard was like a scream, so someone must be close. If it was a scream it would have to be some sort of violence. The options are either one; two idiots got in a fight, or two; they got attacked by a wonderbeast, or three; they were found by a beastkin.


    Regardless I must go and look out, and the best way to get that done is to climb a tree. Putting my hands against the three, I say, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have done this.¡±


    With all the strength I can muster, I climb the tree in front of me. It is a lot harder than I remember but I am not as strong as I was back when I did it before but still, this can work.


    On top of the tree, I jump from one tree to the next and as I do I scan the area and then move on to the next.


    I keep doing this until I hear something, and then instantly I hide towards the source of the sound as quietly as possible.


    And moments later I see what I have been looking for; below me, I see a group of dead men, and in the same area are beastkin with the same wonderbeasts that were there on the day of my father''s executions.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    One of the wonderbeast approaches a man on the floor who is crawling away from it, but the wonderbeast can¡¯t reach him as it is tied with some form of rope, Preventing it from coming closer to him, that a beastkin is holding in his hands a few feet from the wonderbeast.


    The man with tears in his eyes says, ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡±


    The beastkin says, ¡°You humans really are pathetic creatures. Today is the day celebrating the great priestess Brigit who cared for even the lowliest lifeforms, that is why we give you some form of leeway on this celebration, but to think you humans would use that as an excuse to slack off.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, it was that man over there who told us it was ok.¡±


    ¡°That was your first mistake don¡¯t take the words of a human over the words of a beastkin in this life or the next.¡±


    ¡°No, I am so-.¡± He is killed by the wonderbeast biting off his head.


    As the beast eats his flesh, I see it make a motion as if it is about to turn its head to me so I instantly run away.


    ¦µ As Charles runs away, the beastkin holding the wonderbeast, looks to where he was just standing, and says, ¡°Everyone there may be some humans over there split up and go.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we let the Merarks hunt by themselves?¡±


    ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP AND JUST DO WHAT I SAID.¡±


    ¦µ Running from tree to tree I feel my beat more and more. Did they see me? Are they coming near here? It will be best to assume they might have spotted me, so right now I need to grab Charles and run.


    Getting off the tree, I look towards Charles and pick up his unconscious body then begin to move away as fast as I possibly can. In the distance seeing a good bush, I run towards it and begin to hide.


    When I walk towards the bush I am instantly assaulted by smells which almost cause me to scream, but I hold my nose and bear with it.


    Looking towards the source of the smell, I see another smaller bush, so I run towards that and hide inside


    This is good these smells would completely throw off the wonderbeasts. All I can do is hide.


    As I sit and wait I hear foots around the area but the sound of them doesn¡¯t increase, which means none of them are around me. It looks like my strategy has worked.


    If Nero had been faced with most animals his strategy would have been effective, but unfortunately, he was faced with the wonderbeast Merark.


    The Merark has no eyes, so to see it sends out a wave through air, earth, and sea, and then this wave bounces back to it granting it information of its surroundings.


    So still on a leash, the Merark points the beastkin holding it directly towards Nero.


    Still hiding in the bush, I begin to hear footsteps fast approaching me, I have been found out. The footsteps were just scattered a moment ago but now I can hear them moving towards me.


    Crap, shit, fuck, no. Right now, I need to accomplish my goal, which is to make sure Charles is ok, so I will act as a distraction. If I climb the trees, I should be able to get a good distance away from them.


    Looking at Charles, I give him a smile, and say, ¡°Have a good life.¡±


    Then I lunge out of the bush, but in that same moment, I am grabbed on the arm and thrown back into the bush.


    Looking at who grabbed me, I see it is a beastkin, but one I recognize; Baine c¨ªche. He looks at me, then looks at Charles.


    Seeing him I am frozen in fear as the realization of my situation hits me, but as tears are about to fall from my eyes, he puts his hand over my mouth then with his other hand he puts a finger to his lip and says, ¡°Shush.¡±


    Then I hear a beastkin scream something in their unrecognizable language, to which Baine c¨ªche turns around and responds in their same language. Then getting up he walks away.


    Moments later I hear the other beastkin scream, then hear a sound as if someone has just been smacked. Then both of them and their wonderbeasts start to move away.


    After I no longer hear their footsteps, I grab Charles and start to get the hell out of there.


    What the hell was that? Why did he help us? How am I even still alive?


    As my heart continues to beat louder and louder, I start to smile and cry, and then I say, ¡°We¡¯re alive Charles, We¡¯re alive.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    With Charles lying on the bed, I kneel down beside him and put my hand on his head.


    ¡°He is burning up, it seems it is worse than it was earlier. He hasn¡¯t woken up despite all the movement we have done since he fell asleep and he has been coughing a lot more. Then to top it all off it is raining tonight.¡±


    I rub my head frantically. ¡°We survived dying yet, he still seems like he might die. What am I going to do, what am I going to do.¡±


    ¡°Human,¡± I hear a voice behind me say.


    Turning around, I see Baine c¨ªche, which causes me to jump back in terror.


    Slowly I stand up and say, ¡°Are you here to punish us for what we did today, if so I don¡¯t plan on going down without a fight.¡±


    Slowly he walks over to me, and as he does I enter an attack position ready to strike him at the drop of a hat.


    But as he steps away from being in my range, he pulls out his hand and opens it while saying, ¡°Here.¡±


    In his hand is a small jar-like thing with small spherical objects in it. ¡°Give this to Charles, and it should clear up his symptoms.¡±


    He quickly walks up to me and places it in my hand. Then walks away, right out of the tent.


    ¡°Hey wait.¡± But he is gone before my words reach him.


    What the hell was that?


    Looking at the medicine in my hands, I say, ¡°Should I trust this stuff? For all I know this could be poison designed to kill in a single bite.¡±


    ¡°No this should be fine, if he wanted either of us dead, he had the opportunity to do it today, I just got to trust him.¡±


    Walking over to Charles, I open his mouth and put one in. As I do he starts to cough, so I say, ¡°I know it is uncomfortable, but please if just for a few moments just bear with it.¡±


    That night I didn¡¯t sleep as I watched the unconscious Charles, and hoped and hoped and hoped, and as the morning came, and I opened my eyes, I saw him looking at me with his eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he says.


    With a smile appearing on my face, I hug him and say, ¡°YOU WORRIED THE SHIT OUT OF ME.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nasty.¡±


    ¡°IT WAS AN EXPRESSION!¡±


    Name: Merark


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A black and blue wonder beast which has a shark-like body covered in fur with no eyes. They are quadrupedal with two mighty front legs, similar to that of a lion, and two mighty back legs similar to that of a goat which grants them the ability to jump and stick onto different surfaces.


    Fact: They have no natural habit and can be seen living in the ocean, mountains or forest.

 Interlude 2.16: Lions mother part 4

    -Break-


    Location: F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    As I knit away at the clothes in front of me, I make sure to keep a constant eye on Charles beside me who is sleeping.


    Due to the lax attitude, they have taken with us because of their celebration no one is currently monitoring us as we are preparing the clothes but when the day finishes someone comes to check we have met our quota.


    So I have decided to let Charles sleep while I do his share of the work. If this was any other form of work, this would essentially be impossible for me, but since I am rather skilled at this it is no problem at all!


    And this rhythmic process helps me think about what the hell happened last night! I am still as confused as I was when it happened, why would he help us, the beastkin go out of their way to bully us whenever possible so this is incredibly strange.


    But another thing I noticed is that the guys who usually attack us had some bruises on them, almost as if someone else struck them. That can¡¯t be a coincidence.


    Wait but maybe this is all just his duty. To my knowledge, we aren¡¯t allowed to be killed in this specific campsite, so maybe he thought Bricriu or someone else would be angry and take it out on them.


    You know what, that makes the most sense! This means that after Charles gets better we might even get punished for our actions. Our crimes were enough that people even got killed for them, so what kind of torture are we going to get?


    Suddenly someone taps me on my back, which snaps me out of my thought process and moments later, I look around me and notice that all the boys in the room are gathered around me.


    ¡°Umm is everything ok?¡±


    The boy named Ogier asks, ¡°How did you finish so fast?¡±


    Looking down, I realize I have completely finished the cloth in front of me, oh crap I was lost in thought and didn¡¯t even notice I finished. Rubbing the back of my head, I say, ¡°I am just good at this kind of thing, so that¡¯s how I did it so fast.¡±


    ¡°Can you show me?¡±


    ¡°And me.¡±


    ¡°I want to know as well.¡±


    Soon all the boys in the room are asking for my help. Taking a moment to look around I realize that all the boys around look younger than me, does that mean I am the oldest?


    That means everyone here is looking up to me and needs my help. Charles is so superb that he never needs my help, but these boys, all of them need my help. THIS IS AMAZING.


    Or well it would be if this was about fighting or guidance, but it is about knitting, this isn¡¯t what I wanted to teach anybody.


    Ogier says, ¡°You¡¯re crying, are we being a bother.¡±


    ¡°No absolutely not, don¡¯t mind me, just watch I will teach you guys how to do everything.¡±


    And so Charles spent the rest of the day teaching the boys how not to lose any more eyes.


    -Break-


    Two days later


    Location: Campsite


    In front of me as healthy as he ever was Charles stands in front of me, saying, ¡°I am good now.¡±


    With my hands against my face, I say, ¡°You were dying  three days ago and now you''re back to full health, are you really human?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, well then I need you to help me with something if you¡¯re so good.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    -Break-


    As all the humans line up to get food as they always do the same beastkin is serving it just as usual; Baine c¨ªche. But one thing is different today.


    When the boy named Charles walks up to get his food, he says to Baine c¨ªche, ¡°Same place as before, or else I will tell.¡±


    Hearing this Baine c¨ªche has a shocked expression on his face, but what is more confusing to him, is that Charles walked away without getting his food.


    Later in the campsite, Charles is smacked on the head by Nero, who says, ¡°How did you forget to take your food!?¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    -Break-


    Location: Far east from the River L¨²ide


    Standing in the same forest that I was in before, I have Charles hiding a good bit away so that if anything goes wrong he can run away at full speed.


    I know all of this might be risky, but I need to confirm which of my theories are correct because if all of them are wrong and we might die, I would rather take all of the blame for that on myself. If I have to die I would rather hurt Charles.


    But depending on the situation, we might even be able to blackmail him and threaten him for behind a human lover, I can only find out which one it is by doing this.


    Hearing footsteps, I say, ¡°He is here.¡±


    Through the forest, the rat beastkin Baine c¨ªche arrives towards me. He is avoiding eye contact with me, and his body is jittery, he feels like a strong wind right now could knock him over.


    Stepping over to me, he asks, ¡°Charles was looking good now.¡±


    ¡°Charles is back to full health thanks to you.¡±


    A smile appears on his face, and he says, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± But then it quickly disappears.


    ¡°Hey, what is your connection to Charles?¡±


    Shaking he turns his head, completely away from me and says, ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    Perfectly composed, I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t act dumb, I know for a fact that you have been watching over him.¡±


    Suddenly his body starts to tense up and he looks at me ferociously, ¡°You do realize I am a beastkin human!¡±


    I instantly take a single step forward, then clap my hands together in front of his face as fast as I can.


    When I do this he screams and falls on his ass, ¡°If you¡¯re going to be threatening at least put some effort into it ok.¡±


    Shaking he says, ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect me?¡±


    Bending down, I say, ¡°You know I still have some of that medicine left over, and I have ordered Charles that if anything goes wrong today he should report what you did for us to the other beastkin, and well a bunch of other fabricated stories which I am sure they would believe.¡±


    With fear in his eyes, he says, ¡°Really.¡±


    Looking at the beastkin cowardly face, I say, ¡°Of course, now tell me what I want to hear; why do you keep looking out for Charles.¡±


    Sitting down he says, ¡°It is not a very interesting story but if you want to hear it then I would suggest you sit down as well.¡±


    As I sit down he says while seemingly lost in thought.


    ¡°You see my actual name is D¨®nal Fuinseog, and I am the oldest son of one of the twelve houses of the red branch. Which are the strongest houses and leaders of the Beastkin, most of all the important roles held by a beastkin are usually held by a member of one of the houses.


    My name means ruler of the world, which was what was expected as the eldest son of the house. But I was a disappointment in every aspect, I couldn¡¯t fight because I was afraid of being hurt, I couldn¡¯t kill because I hated blood, and I was too dumb to become a part of any of us governmental bodies.


    So I was bullied by my younger siblings quite a bit who had none of these issues. I was such an embarrassment that when I reached the age of fifteen, I was sent here to be a simple worker.


    Places like this are run by lowly beastkin, who were unable to find jobs back in our home or have huge debts and are forced to work to pay it back. So a member of a noble family like me being here is utterly shameful, and they pick on me because of it.¡±


    Putting up his hands, and waving them from side to side, he says, ¡°But don¡¯t get the wrong idea, I actually like it here the bullying is nowhere as intense as home, and I get to sleep without being forced to do things I hate so it is all good.¡±


    The way he laughs after he says this doesn¡¯t make me think it was all good.


    ¡°But about two years into my work, I was asked to do a certain job by Bricriu who was visiting, and that was to raise a child who came in with the newest batch of slaves.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean.¡±


    ¡°Yeah the baby was Charles, so I guess one could call me his wet nurse. I was tasked with taking care of him, and other things so we lived together for a long time, and I guess I might have gotten a bit attached. But that had to come to an end when he became old enough I was forced to put him to work like everybody else, but I guess I couldn¡¯t stop myself from helping him from time to time. Just an idiot''s whims I guess.¡±


    I had always wondered how Charles got by considering how young he was and how the people around him hated his existence, but if a beastkin was looking out for him it would make sense how he got by.


    ¡°I was always looking at him so the other beastkin started making fun of me, and I felt that it even put a target on his back to other beast beastkin so I had to start avoiding him for his own sake, but then when he came up to me last year, I just couldn¡¯t help myself from help him again, foolish I know.¡±


    Hearing something coming from the woods, I look over to see Charles walking towards us, and upon seeing him D¨®nal begins to freak out with a terrified expression appearing on his face.


    But walking over to him, Charles puts his hand on him and pats him on the head while saying, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Instantly D¨®nal starts to cry, then says while wiping his tears, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be feeling this way, you''re just a human but no one has ever thanked me for anything in my life for anything.¡±


    Seeing the D¨®nal in front of me, makes a furry well up in my soul that bothers me to no end. The beastkin are not monsters they can cry.


    So why would they do all this horrible stuff to us why would they torture us for fun like they do?


    I feel so pissed off right now I could kill him, but I can¡¯t I shouldn¡¯t, his existence is beneficial to Charles and can come in handy in the future. But overall this situation is way better than I ever could have expected, right now me and Charles have a trump card that we can use. We might even be able to escape one day.


    The very thought of that puts a smile on my face, so I slap my cheeks. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself just think about what you can do right now.


    In front of me, I notice that D¨®nal is hugging Charles very tightly, and saying, ¡°Has everything been ok with you? Have you been eating enough? I can sneak you more food. Would you like a comfier bed? I can also try to keep those brutes who attack you back.¡±


    Looking at him a thought goes through my head; maybe breaking out will be easier than I thought?


    Charles says, ¡°You¡¯re hurting me?¡±


    Letting go, he says, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Strolling over to him, I say, ¡°Mister D¨®nal.¡±


    Giving me a look of complete disinterest he says, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    What kind of look is that, the one who should be bothered here is me with your presence.


    Charles says, ¡°You¡¯re being rude.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry, I won¡¯t do it again. Please tell me what you want.¡±


    Suddenly, a thought pops into my head, so I ask, ¡°Why do you go by Baine c¨ªche when your name is D¨®nal?¡±


    With an embarrassed look he says, ¡°When I was raising Charles other beastkin started to call me that to embarrass me, because it means breastmilk.¡±


    Hearing this, I fall to the floor in laughter, ¡°Then say that is a good one, I need to save that for later.¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t laugh at me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to Nero.¡±


    ¡°Oh ok.¡±


    I start to laugh louder as a more and more embarrassed look appears on his face.

 Interlude 2.17: Animus

    -Break-


    One month later


    Location: Campsite


    It has been one month since the day we confronted D¨®nal, and since then something new has been added to our lives to do every week.


    Looking towards Charles, I whisper, ¡°Go give him the signal?¡±


    Walking up to get his food, Charles says, ¡°Popopo, tatatato.¡±


    Some beastkin in the area laugh at Charles''s words, but on the face of D¨®nal, I can see him smiling with all his might.


    What the hell is with that smile, stop making it obvious! I knew Charles lacked a sense of awareness but I think I just figured out where he got it from.


    -Break-


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    As I stand in the forest beside Charles, from the forest I see D¨®nal appear, and when he sees us he runs towards Charles, and asks him, ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    Tasteless as ever he says, ¡°Fine.¡±


    With a bright but disgusting smile D¨®nal, says, ¡°GREAT!¡±


    This interaction now has become our new arrangement. Since D¨®nal can¡¯t talk to Charles anywhere else we have started to meet up in the forest, at least once a week.


    During the morning we give a signal, and then D¨®nal makes arrangements to allow us to skip our duty, by either making a blind spot in their incagement of us.


    While it can seem risky the beastkin would never suspect their own, especially a coward like D¨®nal to do something so dangerous, so at least for now, it is working.


    Looking at D¨®nal hands, Charles asks, ¡°What¡¯s that you¡¯re holding?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is just a basket with some treats?¡±


    ¡°Treats?¡± Charles asks.


    ¡°Oh I requested some gifts from my family back home, and begrudgingly they sent me this. So now I can give you some muffins for your special day,¡± He says as he opens the basket.


    Looking inside the basket, I see some yellowish gold things, that have what looks to be fruit inside them, but ignoring that what did he mean by special day?


    Grabbing one, D¨®nal hands them to Charles and says, ¡°Now try it.¡±


    Taking a strong bite out of it, Charles says, ¡°It tastes nice.¡±


    Full of happiness, D¨®nal says, ¡°Really that¡¯s wonderful to hear.¡±


    Moving closer to them, I say, ¡°Let me try one.¡±


    Taking his basket and moving it away, he says with eyes full of silent hatred, ¡°These aren¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¦µ It is so unfair, that this boy gets to spend all day with my Charles whenever he wants. It should be me, it should be me, die human!


    ¦µ Though despite this wonderful turn of circumstances, D¨®nal affection only seems to flow towards Charles, leaving me constantly on the receiving end of his jealous affection.


    But you see I have a trump card against him. Looking towards Charles, I say, ¡°Charles.¡±


    ¡°D¨®nal, let Nero have some.¡±


    Saddened he says, ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°Are you a bad person, because I don¡¯t like bad people.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°Then you should be nice to Nero.¡±


    Holding back his bloodlust and rage, D¨®nal says, ¡°Here you go human!¡±


    Grabbing it, I say, ¡°Oh thank you so much.¡±


    Then I start eating it with all my heart and soul. With my mouth watering from the sheer tastiness, I scream, ¡°AMAZING!¡±


    ¡°Then instantly I grab and take another one, which causes D¨®nal to hiss out of anger, but it doesn¡¯t stop me as I start to eat the next one, and unable to stop myself I take another one after that and another.


    -Break-


    Holding the empty basket, D¨®nal is curled up into a ball, then says, ¡°Those were for Charles, and you finished them all.¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t overreact, of the ten Charles had three, almost half so I don¡¯t see the big deal.¡±


    Walking over to D¨®nal, Charles gives him a thumbs up and says, ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± with a smile.


    Seeing this causes D¨®nal to let go of the basket, and gives Charles a hug. It has only been three months since he learned how to say good job, and now he is giving encouragement just like that, I am so proud it almost brings me to tears.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Stopping his hug from Charles, D¨®nal turns around and says, ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter since your teeth are going to be rooting from taking in that much sugar anyways!¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¦µ Wait, this is my moment! I can use this moment to enlighten Charles on how intelligent I am. All that study I did back home is finally coming in handy for something.


    ¡°Well you see Charles-,¡±


    Nero interrupting me, says, ¡°Your teeth are a hub for countless diseases to thrive and grow, and some foods can make that process worse. So you must make sure to clean your teeth.¡±


    How did he know that? I thought this human was an idiot!


    ¡°How do you do that?¡±


    THIS IS MY MOMENT! ¡°Well you see it can be done in countless ways-.¡±


    Interrupting me again, Nero says, ¡°Well there are a few options for that. First, you can chew on the end of some twigs, but that only works with certain trees.


    Another one requires the use of something to clean your teeth with, like cotton from sheep can work, or the frayed end of some twigs, then you brush throughout your teeth to remove the leftover food in your mouth.


    This process can be helped with the use of some sort of substance to help remove the food and kill any diseases that are still there. My family like to use substance from the plant caelestis remouens, it produces a substance that burns really bad but is great at whitening the teeth.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I have never done any of that and my teeth are white.¡±


    Seeing Charles interact with Nero, I fall to the ground in the defeat.


    ¦µ ¡°Charles that¡¯s impossible,¡± I say as I walk over to him.


    But staring at his teeth, I say, ¡°They are in fact white. HOW!?¡±


    ¡°I think it might be because I have flowy stuff constantly going through my teeth.¡±


    D¨®nal behind us says, ¡°What flowy stuff.¡±


    ¡°None of your business.¡±


    Looking at me, Charles, asks, ¡°How do you know this stuff.¡±


    ¡°I actually know a lot of stuff, like how this entire plantation was the home of countless wonderbeasts before.¡±


    D¨®nal shocked says, ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°It is the ecosystem. When areas have had wonderbeasts within them they cause the local plant life to forcefully adapt so it doesn¡¯t completely die out. This process is also made faster by the fact that the ecosystem gets life from the decomposing bodies of wonderbeasts.


    It is something my clan saw a lot as travellers, places with wonderbeasts were extra dangerous even if the beast themselves were easy to hunt, and places without them were extremely easy to get through.¡±


    With a face of utter surprise, D¨®nal says, ¡°You really aren¡¯t dumb, I thought your head was filled with water.¡±


    ¡°WELL FUCK YOU THEN!¡±


    As me and D¨®nal give each other looks of anger, Charles says, ¡°How do you know all of these big words? It doesn¡¯t seem like you.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you just called me dumb.¡±


    ¡°Cause you are,¡± D¨®nal says.


    This annoying little brat, aren¡¯t you twenty-seven years old?


    Turning my head towards Charles, I say, ¡°Well this is information passed down in my clan.¡±


    D¨®nal says, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to him, no way you humans would have such knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is true on some level because the reason my clan has this information isn¡¯t because we figured it out but because we were given the information by the great sage Cordum.¡±


    ¡°Cordum,¡± Charles says.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure most humans know of her. The immortal sage who travels all around the world sharing important information with all of humanity. You see my clan used to have a lot of deaths before she taught us information about hygiene and other important pieces of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°No way a human has that knowledge, and there is no way a human could ever live that long.¡±


    ¡°Yet it happened. So shut up and listen.¡±


    ¡°I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO THIS NONSENSE.¡±


    Charles sticking up his hand, says, ¡°I want to listen.¡±


    Instantly, I make a smug face towards D¨®nal. He responds by looking over toward Charles, and says, ¡°I have lots of interesting information to share as well.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    D¨®nal has a panicked expression as if his mind is about to explode while trying to think of something. Then with a crazed expression, he says, ¡°I can tell you about things back home.¡±


    Wait, isn¡¯t this situation too good? If I find out more info about the beastkin it could help me find out more about how mom and my friends are doing. Ok Charles I need you to accept.


    Looking away from D¨®nal, he says, ¡°No that sounds boring.¡±


    As D¨®nal and I both look at Charles with equal amounts of heartbreak. Moving over towards Charles, I grab his head and say, ¡°Of course, he wants to hear about your stories.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Giving Charles a creepy smile, I say, ¡°Yes you do.¡±


    Staring at D¨®nal, Charles says, ¡°Yes I do.¡±


    With a smile, Donal says, ¡°Far towards the east of Victoria, is the first home of the beastkin, T¨ªr na n-iontas. It is split into four provinces which are watched over by the twelve families of the red branch, including mine the Fuinseog.


    Each of the four provinces is ruled by one of the families of the red branch within it, and I happen to be from eastern one; Gorias. However, my family aren¡¯t the ruler of that area.


    All four families serve the high king, who lives in the centre of the four provinces, and is called-.¡± Suddenly D¨®nal puts his hands over his mouth, and says, ¡°I have said too much like an idiot.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°No, it most certainly isn¡¯t. I have to go now, you two need to return back to your posts.¡± With those words D¨®nal runs off.


    As he leaves eye view, I say, ¡°I would have liked to get some more information.¡±


    Staring at me, Charles says, ¡°Good job?¡±


    ¡°Yep, really good job.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    Laying my back against the floor, I look up at the ceiling of my hut and try to relax, but the pains from my work today are attacking me.


    Even though I did less work than usual I am still feeling it, maybe even worse. I guess the moments of relaxation, just made the work more painful.


    Though it is funny to think that I used to be allowed to be like that whenever I wanted. Now those moments of freedom are a luxury. I truly wonder if a day will come when it is normal again.


    Beside me, Charles says, ¡°Nero.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Charles?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s you¡¯re family name?¡±


    ¡°Well, each family in my clan had the same last name, Anima. But why do you want to ask.¡±


    ¡°I just thought it was interesting, family names.¡±


    ¡°Well of course it is, that¡¯s what unites us to each other, and to our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°Then am I not with anyone since I don¡¯t have one.¡±


    Understanding my mistake, I say, ¡°No not at all. But why are you asking all this.¡±


    ¡°D¨®nal told me that today is my birthday, and he said you''re supposed to celebrate it with your family. But there is no family where I belong.¡±


    ¡°Well you always have me, and even that weirdo D¨®nal.¡±


    ¡°But still you each have your own families, to care for, and that care for you. I don¡¯t, but I feel nothing towards it. So I was just wondering what I should be doing and who I should be doing it with for today?¡±


    That idiot D¨®nal couldn¡¯t just tell him, he wanted to celebrate it with Charles, and now he has this stupid idea. ¡°Ok then Charles, well then if you have no family let¡¯s make one. My family name is Anima, so ours will now be Animus.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you already have one?¡±


    ¡°I discard it from this moment on. My bond with everyone else is stronger than a simple name, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but from now on me and you are both part of a new family; Animus.¡±


    ¡°Animus,¡± Charles says as he smiles.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±


    Tastelessly he says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Some more passion would have been appreciated. ¡°My birthday is in the fifth month, so two months from now, and I would appreciate if you got me some muffins from D¨®nal then.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will.¡±

 Interlude 2.18: A new presence

    -Break-


    One month later


    Location: Campsite


    Looking at the newly extended wall of the campsite as the moon shines down on us, I say, ¡°We''re basically done now.¡±


    We have completely taken down the old one and have built in a brand new wall, which was a complete pain in the ass. Especially since a lot of the beastkin suck at speaking, and then they used their poor instructions as a way to punish us.


    Fucking assholes! But at the very least I don¡¯t have to deal with this tedious work anymore, but now that I think about it isn¡¯t it getting close to the second season of the year again?


    Will I have to go and deal with those awful flowers again!? Let¡¯s hope that some miracle happens and I get to do some work involving axes again!


    As I walk back to my hut, I look around and say, ¡°The campsite is at the very least twice as big as it was before.¡±


    Not only that but it seems the bigger groups have been split up into smaller ones.


    It is quite obvious that all of this is for new slaves who will be coming, and along with that thought, I also thought this just must have been a commonplace procedure for new slaves coming to the camp, but according to Charles they have never done this before.


    This is rather crazy to me, because there was a ridiculous amount of people brought in with me and yet that didn¡¯t cause any change, and not only that but the fact that many of them have died should have also freed up more space.


    So it is utterly crazy that we will be getting people to fill all this space with, and back during the 2<sup>nd</sup> month when I could talk to Ogier and some of the other kids, I have found out this is happening on all of their campsites as well.


    Gritting my teeth I try to hold back in my rage. The beastkin our out there during more clans like mine. Killing their parents, siblings, and friends, then forcing the survivors to work on these plantations till they die.


    As these thoughts of rage flow through my mind, I see two beastkin walk past me, and I feel like all the limits I have placed on myself for survival are about to reach a bursting point, but I say, ¡°Whatever,¡± and calm down.


    There is nothing we can do about it so at this point why complain. They are stronger than us and there is simply nothing we can do about it, the same way my family hunted animals they hunted us. ¡°it is just the natural order.¡±


    Yeah, Nero, you need to keep telling yourself this, or else you might snap one of these days. No point in fighting against it, just accept it.


    Looking up at the moon, I say, ¡°But boy, wouldn¡¯t life be more fun if I could delude myself from this life, and hope that one day a hero would come and save us all from here.¡±


    Suddenly the image of the man who was praying on the cart bringing us here pops into my mind. Walking forward, I say, ¡°I guess both of us are just as crazy, I will apologize to him the next time we meet.¡±


    After a little bit of walking, I eventually come to see my hut, and to my unsurprize I see the assholes beating on Charles, but it definitely seems more viscous than usual.


    Almost as if my body is possessed, I rush over there and attack the man hitting Charles bringing him to his knees instantly, then I shout, ¡°If you pieces of shit have a problem bring it up with me.¡±


    The man looks at me and says, ¡°As annoying as ever, but what¡¯s more annoying is that big mouth is being inherited by that scum over there.¡±


    Charles then says, ¡°My name isn¡¯t scum, it is Charles Animus.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU REALLY THINK WE GIVE A FUCK!?¡±


    Hearing this I turn around in utter shock; Did Charles just talk back to them!!!?


    From deep within my soul a feeling wells up, and an uncontrollable smile appears on my face.


    So I get into a fighting position, and hop up and down, which causes one of the men to say, ¡°What are you so happy about.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing, disappointment like you to your deceased families could ever understand.¡±


    Me saying this intensifies their already seething rage, so like a pack of wild dogs, they attack me, and Charles.


    -Break-


    The next day


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    Grabbing Charles by the shoulder, D¨®nal says, ¡°There are marks on your face.¡± Then looking at me with a glare that might be frightening if it wasn¡¯t coming from a coward, he says, ¡°WHAT HAPPENED!¡±


    ¡°Those same assholes, attack us but were more viscous so they actually managed to leave a scar on Charles this time, right under his left eye.¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO TO PISS THEM OFF.¡±


    ¡°They kept calling me scum, instead of my real name Charles Animus.¡±


    Hearing that name, D¨®nal recoils, and says, ¡°Well Charles is a goo-.¡±


    ¡°Charles Animus, not Charles.¡±


    ¡°Charles is a really wonderful name-.¡±


    ¡°Charles Animus is my name.¡±


    ¡°I really love the name Charles.¡±


    ¡°So, you''re just like them. I see.¡± Charles says as he turns around.


    With a desperate expression, D¨®nal says, ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    Turning around to wait for his response, Charles looks at D¨®nal dead in the eyes, and begrudgingly he says, ¡°Charles An-i-mu-s.¡±


    With a thumbs up Charles smiles, and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Seeing this I start to laugh, which causes D¨®nal to say, ¡°Shut up human!¡±


    Turning to Charles he asks, ¡°Hey why don¡¯t you go by Charles Fuinseog, it is a much better name in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°No, I like Animus.¡±


    Staring at him, I say, ¡°If he did that we would just get caught straight away if I used.¡±


    Dramatically, D¨®nal says ¡°Why does fate have to be like this? If it wasn¡¯t for that same cursed reason, I would have already killed those humans who dare hurt you.¡±


    D¨®nal then starts to ramble on in his unrecognizable language, so I say, ¡°If you''re going to say something use the song of the saviour, and not whatever demonic tongue that is.¡±


    Annoyed he says, ¡°It is no demonic tongue, it is the language of the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. The grand sage Cordum passed down that all languages originated from the song of the saviour, so the fact that I haven¡¯t been able to recognize a single word you people have said in the language proves, it isn¡¯t of this world, so it must be the language of demons.¡±


    Now let¡¯s see if D¨®nal falls for my trap.


    Erratically D¨®nal says, ¡°That isn¡¯t true, we made this language decades ago so that you flitty humans wouldn¡¯t understand us, it was intentionally made different in all aspects.¡±


    Just as planned, and now as I have instructed Charles to do whenever D¨®nal brings things up, he is to inquire more about it.


    Charles says, ¡°So you speak two different languages.¡±


    Excited, D¨®nal says, ¡°Yes, I do. Most beastkin our only know our native one, but beastkin from more noble and educated backgrounds are thought the song of the saviour. So I am one of the more educated ones.¡±


    ¡°How interesting,¡± Charles says, causing D¨®nal to start rambling uncontrollably.


    This is major, by that logic, the vast majority of beastkin would be completely unable to understand us. This might make finding information from certain beastkin hard, still, it explains one thing; why some beastkin can¡¯t speak for shit.


    Suddenly D¨®nal screams and says, ¡°WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT THOSE BASTARDS.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, me and Charles are just going to have to put up with it like always.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°I would like something to be done.¡±


    Surprised I say, ¡°Really Charles, I thought you were all but used to it.¡±


    ¡°I am. But I am worried about you. Your body is a lot weaker than when it started so if they continue as viscously as it was today you might be hurt really bad, or die.¡±


    Looking at his almost sad face, I pat him on the head and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I am fine here.¡±


    D¨®nal says, ¡°Yeah you shouldn¡¯t worry about him, he is trash anyways.¡±


    Charles looks D¨®nal in the eyes, and says, ¡°He is my family, stop it.¡±


    Sadden, D¨®nal says, ¡°But what about me?¡±


    Patting D¨®nal on the head, he says, ¡°You''re also family.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    D¨®nal full of energy says, ¡°You¡¯re the most precious thing to ever exist, that¡¯s it you human.¡±


    ¡°What is it.¡±


    ¡°I am going to teach you how to defend myself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your energy, without a weapon there is no way I can deal with a bunch of adults.¡±


    He snickers at me while making a smug face, ¡°It seems no matter how much you try and hide it the stupid human keeps coming out.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing stupid about it, it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Then I will show you it is not soon you will never be touched by those guys again.¡±


    ¡°Ok then go ahead.¡±


    Location: A few meters away from all three of them.


    ¦µ Behind a cluster of trees, listening in to the conversation of the three is the same man that was there when Nero was branded; the goat beastkin Cormac.


    And hearing their conversation, I whisper, ¡°I knew something was going on with that coward. He was simply smiling too much, now I wonder what I should do with this information.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    2 months later


    ¦µ As we all stand in front of the gate preparing to be let go, a beastkin stands on top of the gate, and says, ¡°Each and every one of you, are to return back to your huts for the rest of the day, no movement for any reason will be permitted. Break this rule, and your punishment will be given fifty lashes.¡±


    With that, he walks away, and following his example the rest of us go back to our huts, and whilst we do I say to Charles, ¡°It seems that the new slaves have finally arrived, guess that is the reason they are cancelling work for today.¡±


    ¡°They have never cancelled work before though.¡±


    ¡°Well it is probably because of how large scale this new group is, just looking at all the construction we did, shows us that we have a large amount of incoming people.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    -Break-


    Sitting in my hut beside Charles, I say, ¡°It has gotten dark, we heard them start hours ago but it seems they are still not done sorting everything out. Well considering all the noise I wouldn¡¯t have expected anything else.¡±


    Charles sitting beside, me asks, ¡°Why are you starting at the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Because I am waiting for our new roommate.¡±


    ¡°But I never get anyone to join me.¡±


    ¡°But I joined last year, and we had to expand our hut like everyone else so we are definitely getting someone new.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says oddly.


    ¡°Do you not want a new roommate, did you not like me?¡±


    ¡°I do like you.¡±


    Ruffing up his hair, I say, ¡°Then now you have a chance to get another me.¡±


    As I say this, I see what appears to be a mini smile appear on Charles face, and an aura of happiness appears around him. ¡°I would like that.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get ready for our new friend.¡±


    Eventually, someone walks over to our tent, and as they walk through the door, a shocked expression enters my face.


    Charles beside, me says, ¡°That boy has long hair and brown skin, I also think he might have a small bump around his chest. Is he sick?¡±


    I might not be sure about this, but I think that must be. ¡°No Charles, that person in front of us is a girl!¡±

 Interlude 2.19: A full proof plan

    Looking at the girl in front of him, Charles''s cheeks are red and he has a face of utter shock because in his mind there is only one thought; SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.


    While beside him, Charles has a slightly more surprized look than usual, that quickly returns to normal as he says, ¡°I see, so this is a girl.¡±


    Regaining my senses, I look at the girl in front of me who is staring all around the room. She has long grey hair and striking purple eyes. I can¡¯t look away, but I do as our eyes make contact.


    As Charles gets up ready to say something to her, I grab him and pull him back down, saying, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Going to say hello. You told me it was good manners?¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t do that absolutely not!¡±


    They are whispering.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Because the early bird gets the worm, so I can¡¯t have you making moves before me.


    ¡°Because that doesn¡¯t apply to girls, no need to say hello just ignore them.¡±


    With pure and wholehearted trust in Nero¡¯s words, Charles says, ¡°OK.¡±


    Now I need to make my move. Composing myself, I walk over to her and sticking out my hand, I say, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    She smiles, then seconds later sticks her hand down her throat, then seconds later, she vomits in my hand, and then I scream just as loudly and as passionately as a baby does on the day it is born.


    Then moments later a beastkin roars something in their language causing me to shut up. After this happens, I say, ¡°THE HELL IS THAT FOR?¡±


    Ignoring me, she searches through her vomit, and picks up a small object from within, saying, ¡°Worked like a charm.¡±


    Taking the object she opens it up, like how one would do when unwrapping something, and from that she takes out a sharp and pointy object, Some kind of small blade.


    ¡°HELLO!?¡±


    She gives me a nasty look like the one a wonderbeast gives to its foolish prey that got lost in the woods, after taking a bet with Aurelius on who could survive the longest in the forest during the nighttime. The person who took on that bet was very clearly a stupid idiot, good thing I am nothing like that person.


    Getting up she moves over to the left side of the tent, and draws a line through the ground with her bladed weapon, then says, ¡°This is ? side of the ?. None of you ? to cross this ? Because if you ? I will kill you.¡±


    The language she is speaking is definitely the song of the saviour, but some of the words didn¡¯t make sense to me.


    Then while juggling the blade between both her hands, she says, ¡°I am the ? of petty human, ? would gladly die if my ? went down with me. So ? this blade to anyone, and I will kill you.¡±


    In shock over such a pretty girl doing such horrible things. I simply just walk over to Charles and sit down, then Charles says while I am in a daze, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we shouldn¡¯t say hello to girls?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you do that.¡±


    ¡°Shhhh, Charles let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location:  Southern meeting rooms.


    ¦µ Walking slowly towards the room, I mutter in my native language, ¡°How I miss Charles.¡±


    But then I hear one of the two beastkin in front of me called Finn say, ¡°Hey did you hear that some wonderbeasts were brought over.¡±


    The other one of the two Eoin, says, ¡°Yeah I heard, apparently they want to start getting the wonderbeasts used to this area for when the young mistress comes and takes her position as lord over this place.¡±


    ¡°But what¡¯s crazy about that is that I heard some of the wonderbeasts have been lost.¡±


    ¡°Really! Whoever did that is in for a world of hurt.¡±


    Upon entering, I am confronted with a large number of my peers gathering around one person in the centre, and walking closer I see it is my former coworker Liam.


    The beastkin near him starts asking questions to him.


    Ryan asks, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you actually got to go to war.¡±


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    Paul asks, ¡°The son of a farmer like you, that is ridiculous.¡±


    Cian says, ¡°Well what else can we expect from a greater beastkin like him.¡±


    Looking toward Cian, Liam says, ¡°We are the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann, not the beastkin. Using that term really shows how much of a hick you are.¡±


    Suddenly the beastkin around Liam start to get annoyed and say;


    Daniel says, ¡°So you went and got a stick shoved up your ass.¡±


    Finn says, ¡°You think you''re better than us!?¡±


    Eoin says, ¡°Don¡¯t forget your one of us!¡±


    Seeing everyone wholeheartedly enjoying themselves makes me feel left out, so I try to join in saying, ¡°Yeah Liam don¡¯t act better than all of us.¡±


    But then a few of the beastkin turn around, and push me saying, ¡°Calm the hell down breast milk.¡±


    Rory says, ¡°Never speak again, breast milk.¡±


    Ryan says, ¡°We are thirsty so go get us some drinks breast milk.¡±


    Cormac says, ¡°Fuck off breast milk.¡±


    Cillian says, ¡°Go jump off a cliff breast milk.¡±


    Rubbing the back, of my head, I say, ¡°Sorry for that, I will make sure to mind my own business. Thanks for informing me,¡± Whilst ignoring eye contact.


    Disheartened I take a step back, and as I do one of the beastkin says, ¡°You can put on whatever fancy clothes you want, but you''re still a hick like the rest of us.¡±


    Liam says, ¡°I am nothing like the rest of you because in my battles, I took the head of three human generals, and I was even congratulated by members of the red branch, I was even invited Emain Macha.¡±


    The beastkin in the room start to go crazy, and then a few of them say;


    Declan says, ¡°Three Generals!!!?¡±


    Ryan asks, ¡°Emain Macha is where all the red branch families gather to train right?¡±


    Cormac asks, ¡°Does that mean you''re friends with the families?¡±


    Aidan says, ¡°Remember I lent you some bread before, so don¡¯t forget me when you reach there.¡±


    ¡°I have no memory of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Liam you bastard.¡±


    Eoin says, ¡°Hey if you''re looking for a wife my daughter is quite a looker.¡±


    ¡°Now that is an offer, does anyone else have any other offers?"


    Cian says, ¡°My sister.¡±


    Rory says, ¡°My daughter.¡±


    Brian says, ¡°My niece.¡±


    Daniel says, ¡°Crap my sister just got married off to pay back a debt, SHIT!¡±


    Finn says, ¡°Hey my dad died four years ago, so my mom is up for grabs.¡±


    ¡°Ahh so many to choose, maybe I will just marry some and keep the rest as maids! But all your deals and offers can wait, I should start getting to business.¡±


    Cormac asks, ¡°Are you guys finally going to explain why so many human women have been brought here, I thought they had other uses. Is this simply one of the Marquis whims?¡±


    Liam responds, ¡°This isn¡¯t happening just on our plantation, all of them throughout Victoria and Terrafide are having the same treatment.


    You see we recently did a census, and according to that and other information, we the beastkin-, I mean we the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann have finally started to recoup our numbers to what they were before the tragedy the humans brought.


    So now we no longer have a need for their women, so the ones we have been using and the ones just taken have been sent to the plantations, allowing us to increase the number of workers in more ways than one.¡±


    Finn, says, ¡°Good we no longer have to dilute our bloodlines with filthy human blood.¡±


    Rory says, ¡°I heard that some families have had their blood diluted so much they have returned to being humans.¡±


    Liam says, ¡°If such a fate fell upon me I would end my life.¡±


    As everyone continues to talk I get lost in thought. I wonder if any of my siblings have been married off. I doubt I will ever know because I am sure they will never invite me anyway.


    But doesn¡¯t that also mean that there is a chance I am an uncle to one of their little hell spawns? The very idea of any of my siblings being parents is terrifying, there is no way those demons could raise or nurture children. They will without a doubt be demons like their parents and one day bring even more demons into this world.


    Wait since there are women on the plantation isn¡¯t there now a chance that Charles might have kids one day?


    Suddenly an image of little Charles pops into my head; THAT¡¯S AMAZING. Just thinking about how adorable those little ones will be makes me want to scream.


    Though if he has children won¡¯t he start spending time with a woman more than me? NO! I don¡¯t want that, I already have one annoyance I don¡¯t need another one.


    Suddenly I hear, ¡°Breastmilk are you listening.¡±


    Looking towards everyone, I see Liam staring at me, so I say, ¡°Umm sorry I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°YOU FUCKIN FOOL.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± I say with my head pointing downwards to avoid their stares.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t believe you really are from one of the twelve houses, especially after meeting your little brother.¡±


    With my heart rate increasing by the second, I say, ¡°You meet Ronald?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did, and you won¡¯t believe what an excellent warrior he was, always on the front lines destroying all who stood in his way. Some say he has even inherited the powers of one of our gods, thus he has two different eyes.¡±


    As he talks pain surges throughout my body. The time I was forced to drink poison, the time when he beat me with a cane, the time when he used me as his practice dummy, and the looks of disdain I got for complaining.


    But still having to respond, I let out a nervous chuckle.


    ¡°You really are pathetic breast milk, just go get started on waking up the slaves.¡±


    ¡°I will get on it.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As I prepare to fly off, I hear, ¡°LIAM WAIT.¡±


    Turning around I see it is Cormac, so I say, ¡°If you want me to put in a good word for you with the red branch just because we used to work together, you should already know it isn¡¯t going to happen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one cold bastard, but no that is not what I am here for, I have some info that you would love to have.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Before I give you anything, I need to set some terms for our deal. First I want my family''s debt fully paid off so I can go back home, then I want you to tell people to buy my family''s produce, it is good stuff I can guarantee that.¡±


    ¡°Those are two very heavy demands.¡±


    ¡°But I can guarantee it is worth the price.¡±


    Using my hearing I listen for Cormac¡¯s heartbeat, and I notice no irregulates, so he must honestly believe what he is saying, ¡°Ok then I agree to your terms.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¦µ Kicking a tree full of anger, I say, ¡°THAT GODAMN BITCH.¡±


    Turning my head to Charles who I am hugging, I ask, ¡°What¡¯s the human''s problem?¡±


    ¡°A girl was brought to our hut, and she threw up in his hand.¡±


    ¡°Well, why would he care about that he is already a dirty person?"


    ¡°I HEARD THAT.¡±


    ¡°I HOPE YOU DID!¡±


    As Nero continues to kick the tree, Charles says, ¡°I don¡¯t know why he is so angry. People do worst things to us and he never gets this angry.¡±


    Holding my adorable confused Charles, an epiphany falls upon me, ¡°Nero probably likes that girl. Wait if Nero and that girl get married, he will abandon Charles and then I can swoop in and take his place in Charles''s life. I frighten myself with my own intellect.¡±


    Getting up, I run over to Nero and put my hands on his shoulder, which causes him to say, ¡°You like her right?¡±


    Blushing he says, ¡°Not at all!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry foolish, insignificant, failure of existence human. Right here and now I will teach you the ultimate way to make any and all women fall in love with you!¡±

 Interlude 2.20: A nice guy part 1

    -Break-


    A few months ago


    Continent: Molstoria


    Location: The island of  Floraci¨®n


    ¦µ Smokes fills the air, as the fires blaze. In front of me lies my home town, my country set ablaze by the fires of those monsters, and as the fires ravage through the country, all I can do is fall to my knees is despair and hopelessness.


    In the back of my ear, I hear voices scream, ¡°MARIANA RUN.¡±


    But my body just stays there staring as my nation burns and as all of the countless flowers and petals that usually shine bright turn to nothing but ash.


    This utter shock continue until I see them come through the fires the monsters that burnt it to the ground. In one motion I get up, turn around and try to run.


    But as I do I feel something wrap around my leg and moments later a sharp pain pierces through my body, causing me to release a gut-wrenching scream.


    I look at my leg and see a green vine with thorns around it, and it traces back to a monster in the distance.


    Then from the distance I hear, ¡°The layers of stupidity that is within you humans judgement never ceases to surprize me. You sit daze in a situation that means instant death, but then when actually faced with the prospect of death you suddenly find the will to live?¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Why, why would you do this?¡±


    ¡°What a funny question to ask. Let me reply with this then; why do you breathe air? Simply because it is the natural order of things, your body was made to do such a thing intrinsically, so it does. And the same for us, we were born to attain all that lies within this world and were given bodies that can do that.


    All living things are all forever circumscribed by the will of nature and must live like that. So it is simply the order of things for us the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann to brave this world, and obtain all of the glory within it, as it is the role of you humans to constantly be thrown around by the world and those who tame it.¡±


    From the ground, I say with tears and a seething rage, ¡°YOU¡¯RE AN EVIL MONSTER!¡±


    Suddenly the vine retracts and I am pulled toward him, and when my body reaches him he holds me by the neck. ¡°If obeying the natural order is evil, then let me see your righteousness true to its logical conclusion.¡±


    He starts to choke me then says, ¡°Stop breathing, reject the natural order.¡±


    His grip is so unbelievably tight that no matter how much I struggle, I am not even able to make his handshake.


    From behind, I hear, ¡°LET MARIANA GO.¡±


    Turning my head, the best I can I see Sofia. Then with a weak breath, I mutter, ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°MARIANA!¡± Sofia screams.


    After her scream, the monster throws me directly at Sofia, which causes us both to fall to the ground. On the ground I desperately try to breathe to get some air, and as I do I hear the monster say, ¡°Your land, your people, your futures no longer exist, your lives from this moment will be as servants, you no longer have a reason to live, to breath, yet you do because it is simply an uncontrollable nature within you. Justice isn¡¯t the opposition of nature, but the acceptance of it.¡±


    As I regain my breath, I look up at him with a fierce glare, but in that moment I am stared back down by his eyes, eyes that bare two different colours.


    Looking down on me and my mother, he says, ¡°A child and their mother both with idiotically defiant eyes, disgusting.¡± Suddenly the whip in his hand grows multiple thorny vines, then he says, ¡°It looks like you dumb beasts need some discipline.¡±


    From my bead I jump up with terror, and look at my surroundings, then say, ¡°I am still in that hut.¡±


    Moving my clothes, I look throughout my body and stare at the countless marks that were left as aftermath from the beastkin actions, and as I do the markings left on my body almost drive me to tears.


    But then I quickly wipe them, and I say, ¡°Don¡¯t cry, remember Mom''s words, be patient, be strong, be smart, and never accept this life as your role.¡±


    -Break-


    Charles and Nero, current work schedule;


    Castle building


    Castle building


    Seed harvesting


    Knitting


    Repeat*


    The next day


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide


    With my arms, I try to carry the block I was given towards the castle, but as I do I keep dropping it due to its weight. Looking around I say, ¡°If I don¡¯t start getting this done, I will be punished like those people were yesterday.¡±


    From my side, I hear, ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that silly.¡±


    Jumping away out of fear, I look at the voice and see it is the two boys who live in my hut with me. The younger one has a bland expression, almost as if someone moulded a permanent mask onto his face, while the older one has a strong smile on his face.


    When I first arrived in the room, I made sure to establish dominance with the boys, because if I didn¡¯t, they would see me as weak and prey on me. I admittedly might have taken it too far, since all throughout yesterday, the older one was giving me nasty looks.


    But now he is all smiles, which means either he actually liked getting vomited on, or is up to something, and the fact that the little boy is staring at him as if he is confused is also a sign of danger.


    Holding my blade with my hands covering it, I say, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±


    Putting up his hands he says, ¡°I mean no harm, I just wanted to say, that for quota they are measured as a group, so don¡¯t worry about being punished since me and Charles here work rather hard. Also, by the way, my name is Nero.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your name!¡±


    From the distance, I hear a beastkin scream, something in their unique language whilst striking the whip in their hand on the floor.


    Upon hearing this I instantly hide the blade I have and try to pick up the rock given to me, but my body hasn¡¯t built up enough strength to let me carry it. This is bad, if I don¡¯t start moving those beastkin are going to start punishing me.


    From my side, the boy called Nero comes and takes the rock, and says, ¡°Let me help with that,¡± And then starts walking ahead.


    Walking beside him, I say, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    With his big smile plastered over his face, he says, ¡°Insistent it human nature to help someone in need.¡±


    The smile on his face is so unnecessarily bright that it makes me shiver with a feeling I can only call disgust. Still, I have to use whatever I can to survive.


    So with a smile, back I say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    As I get whipped by the moving flowers, I get sent back to my ass, and then I say, ¡°These flowers are rather annoying, not even a little bit cute.¡±


    Suddenly in front of me, the flower withers and dies, which causes me to scream, ¡°YOU¡¯RE THAT SENSITITIVE.¡± Then moments later I am hit again.


    Getting up, I say, ¡°I got to get this down.¡±


    From my side, I hear, ¡°You need help.¡±


    Turning my head, I see the two boys yet again, and Nero''s creepy smile is still pasted on his face. I guess I only have one choice, with my best smile I say, ¡°Please help me.¡±


    Walking forward, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will show you how it is done.¡±


    As the flower goes to strike him, he dodges and removes one of the seeds, then says, ¡°These flowers are rather reactive to their surroundings so be patient and wait for them to move first, and when they do there is only so many patterns they have which you can learn.¡±


    Walking over to me, hands the seed over and says, ¡°If you ever need anything just call for me, I will answer in a heartbeat.¡±


    With a half smile, I say, ¡°Ok, thank you.¡±


    Hearing this his smile increases, but throughout this whole exchange, Charles just stares at him with an evermore confused expression.


    As they walk away, I look at the flowers and say, ¡°If you need to just follow a pattern to pick out the seeds then this no longer becomes a challenge for me.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    Walking into the building behind my roommate, I see I am now in a large room with a bunch of other kids both girls and boys, but also in the room are groups of adult women as well, and seeing the beastkin at the front of the room looking at us, I quickly follow my roommates and sit down.


    After the room is packed to the brim, the beastkin gives on instructions on clothes we are to make, then he says, ¡°Also to those of you who stay in the homeland has ended, you are to ignore my instructions, and instead you will all be giving different garments to make due to this skills you learned while underservice. Now all of you begin.¡±


    As we all start Nero turns his head, towards me and says, ¡°If you need any help I can show you, I am rather skilled at this.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°No need I am skilled as well.¡± Immediately I start following the instructions and get a good portion of it done.


    Looking back, at him I say, ¡°See I am goo-.¡± But I stop in the middle of my sentence as I notice he has a panicked expression on his face.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Returning to the smiling face, he says, ¡°Of course I am everything is good.¡± Then nervously he started to knit clothes as well.


    This guy really is a freak.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ Standing next to a wall with a bunch of other men and Charles, freezing cold water is thrown at us to clean our bodies, and while it is, I say, ¡°It seems the plan is working somewhat. Me being nice is making her nicer to me, and if this continues maybe something special will happen.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you have been acting like this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, you were there when the plan was being explained.¡±


    ¡°I was looking up at a bird in the sky.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re head really is full of ai-,¡± Another volley of cold water is thrown at us.


    ¡°Hey, Nero.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Charles.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by something special.¡±


    ¡°I see you don¡¯t know, let me enlighten you, Charles, when a boy and girl like each other and hug, babies are born.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lillian told me.¡± Wait but now that I think about it, wasn¡¯t Lillian giggling as she said this?


    ¡°I would like to see that.¡±


    ¡°Me too, but we have to wait and make her like us a lot by doing nice things, though it is too bad we can¡¯t see her today because it seems like the women have other work to do on the first castle days.¡±


    ¡°But we will see her in the room?¡±


    ¡°She is extra cautious in the room, so we should just leave her be.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I see.¡±


    -Break-


    ¡°Have you ever made babies before?¡±


    Turning my head, from the floor, I look over towards Charles, who is kneeling beside the line and has just asked a question to the girl. THAT IDIOT!


    Taking the blade out she slices Charles across the check, and says, ¡°Get away from me before I stab you.¡±


    ¡°It seems like I made you angry, sorry about that I was just curious.¡±


    Angered she says, ¡°Didn¡¯t your mother teach you any degree of sense.¡±


    ¡°I have never met her, I have been here my entire life.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you mean since birth.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the only person I have to talk to is Nero. So he is like my mom.¡±


    Looking at me, the girl gives me a nasty look as if she is looking at trash. She is probably thinking how the hell could you not teach this boy common sense?


    Her expression instantly softens as she looks at Charles, and says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask women such questions ok, it isn¡¯t good.¡±


    ¡°Ok. But can you answer my other questions?¡±


    Pulling Charles over the line, she says, ¡°You can ask me whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Ok, why is your skin darker than others.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see-.¡±


    As Charles and her continue to talk I look on with jealousy; YOU TRAITOR!

 Interlude 2.21: A nice guy part 2

    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¦µ Holding me by the shoulders, D¨®nal says, ¡°Charles has been what!?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, Charles has been taken. The girl has stolen him from us.¡±


    ¦µ With my knees feeling weak, I fall to the ground whilst slamming my hands against the floor and scream, ¡°NOOOOOOOO!¡±


    Looking up at Nero, I say, ¡°What happened!¡±


    ¡°He just started talking to her yesterday, and since then she won¡¯t let him leave her side. Even now as we are in the forest, he is with her helping build the castle.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him!¡±


    ¡°What was I supposed to do; tie him up and keep him still!?¡±


    This is bad, really bad, I had planned for this waste of space to be the one to court the human woman, but now that she is beside Charles she is bound to fall for his adorableness. I need to fix this now, and this waste of mass humans is my only help.


    Standing up, I put my hands on the boy''s shoulder, and say, ¡°Do you remember what I told you the first time, how to get woman?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if I am nice to them constantly it will eventually make them fall in love with me and do whatever I want.¡±


    This is bad advice*


    ¡°Now I will teach you the second technique that the other beastkin taught me. Wear her down!¡±


    ¡°Wear her down?¡±


    ¡°Yes, women are like rocks, if you keep at it, and keep bothering them day and night you will eventually wear them down, and they will say yes to your every request to get peace back in their lives. So keep at it be a nice guy, be pushy, and if all else fails be FORCEFUL!¡±


    This is really bad advice*


    ¡°I see, I will do that.¡±


    ¡°Remember, even though you are a piece of trash human, you¡¯re also a man, TAKE WHAT YOU WANT!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ As Charles and the girl chat away, I get ready to fall asleep on my section of the room. Should I make my move now, No wait, if I do it now and it doesn¡¯t work out wouldn¡¯t that mean she will go to bed angry?


    About once a month my mother used to go to bed angry and then for the rest of the week she would be in a bad mood. Dad used to say when she is in such a mood I should not do anything out of the ordinary. So I guess I have no other option but to sleep.


    Suddenly I feel something touch my back, and I look back and say, ¡°Charles?¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing over here.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you too busy talking to your new best friend over there,¡± I mutter under my breath.


    ¡°But I want to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°Because of your family.¡±


    Feeling happy, I say, ¡°Well do whatever you want then.¡±


    From the corner of the room, Mariana looks at both of the boys with a face of confusion but then decides to go to bed herself.


    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin Dorms


    ¦µ Laying in his bed with a head full of worry, D¨®nal struggles to sleep. Dammit, I can¡¯t stop thinking about that woman and Charles, if she did anything to him, I will never forgive her.


    I could lose my most precious source of life. Because the feeling he gives is something no one could ever hope to understand. But suddenly my thoughts are interrupted by a loud noise I hear outside my bed


    Outside my room, I start to hear a ruckus, so I get up and leave to investigate. Opening my door, I walk out to see a group of the other beastkin in my dorms, around the brutally beaten body of an adult human woman.


    Rory looking down at the body, says, ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Finn replies, ¡°It seems one of the human males couldn¡¯t help himself, and brutally took and beat this woman.¡±


    Daniel putting his hand on his face, says, ¡°What a pain in the ass, now we are going to be in trouble for this.¡±


    Brain with a confused look on his face, asks, ¡°Why do any of us even care? This is what the human women were brought here for, so let¡¯s just bury her body and be done with it.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Cian smacks Brain on the back of the head, and says, ¡°If you keep saying dumb shit like that, we are going to start calling you breast milk instead, you eejit.¡±


    Daniel says, ¡°They were brought here to make babies, how can they do that when they are fucking dead, you bogger.¡±


    Ryan says, ¡°Not to mention that these women excel in much more skilful work, and we can¡¯t have them fucking dying now, can we!¡±


    Rory says, ¡°Now we need to figure out who did this.¡±


    Finn says, ¡°It was probably one of the new men brought in, Bricriu hasn¡¯t yet put fear in their hearts so they probably think they can get away with wasting resources like this.¡±


    Seeing that they are handling the situation, I begin to walk back to my room, but then I hear Cian say, ¡°That narrows it down, so Breast milk, come and deal with this.¡±


    Stopping in my tracks, I say a shaky, ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Are your ears full of dirt you heard, what I fucking said, now come clean up this mess and go look for who caused this.¡±


    Nervously, I say, ¡°But I am not sure I can do thi-.¡±


    Walking over, he puts his right arm around the back of my neck and leans over to see my face, then Cian says, ¡°Did you just fucking speak back to me, you human ass-licking rat.¡±


    Shaking out of fear, I say, ¡°N-No, I just thought an idiot like me wo-o-ould fail if given such a c-c-complex task.¡±


    Cian stared at me with his same scary expression, and in my mind, I say again and again; Charles help me, Charles help me!


    And after a few minutes, it turned to a smile, and he hit me on the back saying, ¡°It was just a joke man, no need to get so tense. I already knew you were too dumb for this, so Daniel help him.¡±


    ¡°Why me!¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the next stupidest here, and if you have a problem with that then put your fists up.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t fair?¡±


    ¡°Ok, then I am a man of reason. Hands up if you want Daniel to handle this with Breast milk.¡±


    I don¡¯t turn around to see it, but I hear them all put their hands up. ¡°See now it is unanimous, now get to work, I want to nap.¡±


    As they all walk past me to get to their rooms, Finn stops me and says, ¡°I am pretty tired now and since you''re not busy go finish my shift at campsite seventeen.¡±


    ¡°But I already did my shift plus three others today.¡±


    ¡°Well four is a lucky number so it looks like I am helping you,¡± Finn says as he walks past me.


    As everyone leaves, Daniel screams, ¡°FUCK.¡± Then says, ¡°Breast milk, while I start looking around, deal with this human body. Burn it, bury it, or fuck it, who knows what a human lover like you would do when alone with one of them.¡±


    ¡°I w-won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t fucking care if you will or not, just get started you eejit.¡±


    As Daniel gets out of sight, I start to take rapid breaths as the fear of the situation just leaves me at that moment. ¡°Charles give me strength.¡±


    Walking over towards, the woman, I get a really good look at her body, and the wounds are directly against her arms, crotch and face, this only makes the blue flower on her head look incredibly off-putting.


    ¡°I guess for all the hatred you humans have for us, you must have more for each other. But not that it matter, I need to depose of this thing.¡±


    Reaching my hand towards the body, it is suddenly lightly grabbed by the woman. Instantly, I get freaked out and break my hand away from her grip while crawling backwards.


    Looking at her body with my ass on the ground, I say, ¡°She is still alive. How the hell can that be with those wounds.¡±


    Then faintly I hear something. ¡°Did she just speak?¡±


    Moving in closer to hear, the words that I hear from her mouth are, ¡°Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Please someone, save my daughter. Mariana, Mariana.¡±


    From a room, I hear Finn shout, ¡°SHUT THAT THEY HELL UP, I AM TRYING TO SLEEP!¡±


    He is a wolf beastkin, so even her faint cries are things he can hear. ¡°I need to move her now.¡±


    Picking her up, I say, ¡°Just shut up already, because if you keep doing this I will get in trouble.¡± I can¡¯t go causing Charles any more trouble.


    While on my back, she says, ¡°Please save Mariana, she is my most precious source of life.¡±


    Hearing this, I turn my head around with a shocked expression, and mutter, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say-.¡±


    ¡°GET RID OF THE FUCKING BODY BREAST MILK.¡±


    Hearing Finns scream, I start to move away, and as I do she repeatedly says, ¡°Mariana, Mariana, Marian-.¡±


    As she speaks her voice gets quieter and quieter until eventually it stops altogether.


    -Break-


    Taking my potato in hand, and biting down into it, I say, ¡°Now is the time to fully put my plan into action, I will show the girl that I am not one to be messed with. I will show her NICE!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    ¡°GUY!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¡°POWER!¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    It seems it didn¡¯t work, so let me try that again today. ¡°NICE!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    ¡°GUY!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¡°POWER!¡±


    IT DIDN¡¯ T WORK. Staring at the corner of the room and seeing Charles and the girl happily talking, I can feel my jealousy rise, so I say, ¡°Charles come let¡¯s go to sleep.¡±


    The girl, says, ¡°Hey Charles wouldn¡¯t you like to sleep in my bed tonight.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Suddenly she gives Charles, a hug and says, ¡°Come on, I am feeling really sad and I would like a hug.¡±


    Charles''s eyes open wide, and he says, ¡°You''re very soft.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Turning his head around to me, he says, ¡°Nero I am going to sleep on this softness.¡±


    ¡°YOU TRAITOR!¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    In the midst of the night, I stand in front of our hut waiting for the girl to come back. Today is the day when she has different work than me and Charles and tends to arrive back later.


    But right now, I am going to finally confront her on her treatment of me. Suddenly it starts raining, getting me completely soaked, but I say, ¡°NOT EVEN THE HEAVENS WILL MAKE ME TURN AROUND.¡±


    In the distance, I see her walking over to our hut with her head hanging low. She looks upset, but she always looks like that with me so who the hell even cares?


    Running up to her, I say, ¡°Hey you I have something to say.¡±


    Trying to walk past me, she says, Leave me alone I am not in the mood.¡±


    Grabbing her hand and holding it, I say, ¡°Well I have never been in the mood for your attitude, yet I have been constantly taking it, and even after all the nice things I have done for you, you still can¡¯t even bother talking to me.¡±


    From her left side, I see her take out the blade, and swing at me with, it but I grab her arm and then pin her down to the ground. ¡°LET GO OF ME,¡± she says as she struggles with her arms.


    But while she struggles I am able to get the blade out of her hand by pressing down on her wrist. ¡°You need to listen to me, you bitch. Even after all of the kindness I give you, I get stabbed as a result, what the hell is even wrong with you? When someone goes out of their way to be so nice to you, at least don¡¯t stab them.¡±


    Suddenly I feel a weak blow on the back of my head, which causes me to weaken, then in that moment using both of her legs she kicks me in the stomach, causing me to fly off.


    As I recover, she grabs her blade and runs into the hut and whilst she does that I look and see that the person who hit me was Charles.


    ¡°Hey Charles, what the hell was that for.¡±


    ¡°Nero, you were being bad.¡±


    ¡°How! She is constantly giving me a bad attitude when I am doing all these things for her, Aurelius used to hug Lillian every day and she never stabbed him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Nero, but what I do know is that you looked a lot like the men he hit me in that moment.¡±


    ¡°Charles that isn¡¯t fair, you know how she has been to me.¡±


    ¡°Nero, I don¡¯t really understand people well, but I do know that you and her are really similar, so please forgive her for this.¡±


    After saying this Charles, walks away back into the hut, and as he does this I say, ¡°So you¡¯re picking her traitor.¡±


    Looking back, at me, he says, ¡°I picked you.¡± Then walks away.

 Interlude 2.22: A nice guy part 3

    -Break-


    Unable to sleep in the hut, I open my eyes, and say, ¡°It not going to happen tonight.¡± Looking over at Charles and the girl sleeping together, I feel anger well up inside me.


    So I throw a fit in the quiet; look how they get to sleep so soundly while I have to be up here frustrated by the words that were said to me, I swear I wish I could take back all the things I did for them.


    Suddenly images of Charles flash through my mind, causing me to calm down. Then I say, ¡°Well at least not for Charles.¡±


    But that girl was being a bitch, not in the Lillian sense, but in the actual sense of the word. I hate her, I hate her so much. In that moment an idea flashes through my mind.


    ¡°If she is mean when awake, then I will just mess with her in her sleep.¡±


    Getting up, I walk outside slightly where it is still raining, and take some mud from out and put it on my finger. Walking over to the girl, I mumble, ¡°Time for some revenge.¡±


    Getting ready to smear the mud on her face, I take a good look at her face, and say, ¡°She really is pretty, what a waste.¡± Seeing something on her cheek, I say, ¡°Is that a wound? It looks pretty fresh, she probably got into another fight with someone.¡±


    Stopping for a moment, I say now that I think about it is there anything stopping me right now.


    I finally get to examine a woman¡¯s body! Touching her arm, I notice something; first, her body is extremely light, despite being the same age as me, I would say in a physical sense she is below Charles even without all of his flowy stuff.


    Ehh, this doesn¡¯t make sense, but now that I think about it wasn¡¯t Lillian, always saying things like, ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away, I train harder than you, the only reason you have been able to keep up with me is because you¡¯re a boy.¡±


    Also while all of the men in my clan were forced to become warriors, for the woman it was more of a choice, I never really questioned it because Lillian and my mom were so scary, but could it be women were born weaker than men?


    Realizing this causes quite a bit of confusion in my head; if women are weaker than men, why has she been picking fights against me all the time, if anything being against me might put her life in danger. But if I was in her situation I would be scared for my life, so wouldn¡¯t I make sure to make a big entrance, since you don¡¯t know who is a friend, or who is a fo-.


    I instantly slap both of my cheeks; Don¡¯t try and understand anything that comes out of this bitches head, she crazy after all. But now all this thinking has started to piss me off again, so taking mud I prepare to smear it on her face.


    But as I move closer to her face I hear her say something, which causes me to jump back. ¡°Is she awake!?¡±


    Taking another look at her, I see her body shaking, but she isn¡¯t awake; is she having a bad dream?


    Moving closer to her to get a better understanding of what is happening, I see that in fact her eyes are closed, and with tears coming out of her closed eye sockets, I hear her say, ¡°Mom, please come save me, I am so scared.¡±


    Hearing this I fall to my butt, and it is like the whole world comes in alignment, it dawns upon me so perfectly, that it causes my head to hurt more than my confusion at her and Charles''s actions.


    Putting both my clean and mudding hand on my face, I say, ¡°I am an idiot.¡±


    Getting up out of frustration, I run out of the room and keep running until I am far away from the hut, and when I do, I scream, ¡°YOU FUCKINH IDIOT.¡±


    Seconds later as if someone was waiting for me to do this, a beastkin jumps on me and retrains me right to the ground.


    -Break-


    Taking my body he throws me against the wall and gives me a nasty look, then he holds up four fingers in the air while saying something in his incomprehensible language.


    It seems I have to spend four days at the wall this time. But it is what I deserve because I have been nothing but an idiot.


    She is scared, and terrified with no one to trust anywhere around her. But unlike me, she didn¡¯t have a fake belief that her strength was enough to keep her safe, how the hell did she even sleep in the same hut as us without fearing for her life? And just like me, she is waiting for her mother, to come for her.


    The images of what happened to me are seared into my mind, and when she was brought here she just came from the beastkin doing similar things to her family.


    She might have brothers, sisters, and friends, who are all gone and making her worry for her safety. Right now she is all alone and can¡¯t do anything while the world is completely different and unsafe. And due to my stupidity, I say such mean things to Charles


    Looking to my left and right, I say, ¡°No one else is at the wall.¡±


    It¡¯s almost one year since I arrived and yet again I am in the same place as last year. Now that I think about it how many times have I hurt Charles, and he forgave me. Maybe the only reason Charles has put up with me is because I was his only option.


    But now he has both that girl, and D¨®nal, so maybe it would be better for him without me. In front of me I look down, and see a rock, picking it up I bring it close to my neck, saying, ¡°This is for the best.¡±


    Suddenly from the sky, something comes down and slashes at my hand. Looking at what it was I see it is an owl, but it looks stranger than normal and has three eyes.


    Letting out a little snicker, I say, ¡°I was about to listen to the words of an idiot again, all I can do for them not is-.¡±


    -Break-


    Earlier that day


    ¦µ Unlike Charles and Nero, who have to do work on the castle for two days in a row, I have to do knitting classes for two days in a row, and all those classes are filled by women.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    That time is the only moment I get to see my mother, and that break has been the only thing keeping me sane.


    But today Mother wasn¡¯t there, so I asked one of the women from her campsite, ¡°Where is Sofia?¡±


    ¡°She was attacked.¡±


    Holding back in my voice, so as to not alert the beastkin at the top of the room, I say, ¡°Attacked? What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°One of the men in our campsite has been forcefully taking women, apparently it has been happening in other ones. Your mother was a victim of this, but hers was especially bad and the beastkin took her away, in the worst case she is dead.¡±


    Unable to fully process what I am hearing a flood of emotions flows through me, almost bringing me to tears, but then the woman beside me says, ¡°Control yourself, if they catch you crying it is over for you too. I know this is tough but your mother wouldn¡¯t want you to die over something like this.¡±


    ¡°B-but I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can. Your people are just like mine, a clan that has been almost destroyed by the beastkin, the only existing remnants are people like you and me, so no matter what you must survive.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Remember trust no one and be saf-.¡±


    Suddenly the words of the woman get cut off as blood appears from her right eye. Looking toward her, I see the beastkin at the front of the room, right in front of the woman crouching on the table in front of us.


    How did he get here so fast? Did he take out her eye? Am I next?


    With his finger, he scratches me across my cheek, and says, ¡°You humans really talk too much. Get back to work!¡±


    So much has just happened in front of me in such a short period that I barely know how to react, but one thing I do know, is that my resolve wasn¡¯t wrong; I must survive no matter what.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    Bowing his head to me, Charles says, ¡°Sorry for yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Why are you apologizing? It was that beast''s fault.¡±


    ¡°But I think you might have the wrong idea about him.¡±


    ¡°Charles, I don¡¯t have the wrong idea about him, if anything, he has brainwashed you. Just because he is nice to you doesn¡¯t actually mean he is a good perso-.¡±


    Looking at me with eyes that are fiercer than anything Charles has ever shown me before, but at the same time calmer than anything he has shown me before, he says, ¡°No, Nero, is a good person.¡±


    Freaked out for a moment, I quickly regained my composure, and walked away, saying, ¡°Whatever.¡±


    -Break-


    Three days later


    Location: Campsite


    Walking back to my hut in the dead of night I feel a chill move down my spine, the same one I always feel. Ever since I have been here I haven¡¯t felt safe once, no one around me is an ally, no one to rely on, and this feels especially bad on the days of my woman-only knitting because those go so far into the night where I have to walk back with almost no life in the campsite.


    I miss them, my friends Lucia, Esabella, and Ramona, I miss my father Mateo, and my mother Sofia. I really wish I could go back home, and look at all of the flowers blooming.


    Seeing my hut in sight, I start to relax my body, and say, ¡°At least I can feel some comfort around Charle-.¡± But in that moment I am grabbed and moved to the side.


    Moments after this a hand is put over my mouth, and a man towers over me as I am pushed to the floor. What is going on?


    Over me, the man whose eyes look dead says, ¡°I am not an animal, I am not a slave, you people think you can treat me as lesser, I am powerful!¡±


    With his finger, he presses into the wound of my cheek, and says, ¡°See I can do all the same things you people do to us, I am not inferior.¡±


    This man isn¡¯t in his right mind, he must be one of those people I was told about. This is bad, I need to move. But as I try and struggle he overpowers me and holds me to the ground, then he twists my right wrist which causes my hand to open revealing my blade.


    Looking at it the man makes an enraged face, then says, ¡°You were planning to hurt me, JUST LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO!¡±


    With one arm he chokes me, and with the other, he uses it to damage my dress, then he says, ¡°I will teach you, never to bother me again.¡±


    I can¡¯t breathe! As I struggle against him, I start to get flashes of a similar memory, back when the beastkin was choking me back home. Am I going to die like this?


    Suddenly from the side, I see something hit the man, and moments later I hear, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Looking in front of me, I see Nero and Charles. Moving over to me, Charles says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Giving him, a smile, I say, ¡°Yeah I am fine, but what is he doing here?¡±


    ¡°My punishment was finally over so I was waiting in the hut for you, and Charles stayed awake, waiting as well.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really important right now, don¡¯t you see!¡± In front of Nero, I see the man has picked up my blade and is now pointing it at us.


    ¡°How dare you attack me, your just like the rest of them treating me like trash!¡± Then he runs towards Charles with the blade.


    ¡°Move!¡± I yell.


    ¡°He will be fine Charles says.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Stepping out of the way and dodging the thrust forward, Nero wraps his arms around the man''s arm, then pulls it towards his left. Then Nero jumps up and wraps both his legs around the man''s neck and as he does he flips the man backwards onto the floor, in a singular movement.


    Charles says, ¡°A while ago men used to beat us up, but they were stopped months ago by Nero. We learned from a friend that by using certain moves even a child could be an adult.¡±


    In front of me, Nero has the man in a certain hold, and after a few moments, he twists the man, arm causing a snapping sound to occur, which causes the man to scream his heart out.


    Getting up Nero, says, ¡°That arm is useless now.¡±


    But seconds after Nero says, this we hear a beastkin who screams, ¡°What are you humans doing?¡±


    Then looking to our side we see a beastkin walk towards us, who says, ¡°You better explain what has happened immediately before I shatter your bones into pieces.¡±


    -Break-


    As we all walk into our hut, Nero holding his cheek says, ¡°Why did he only hit me?¡±


    Charles says, ¡°I think they don¡¯t like the look of victory you had on your face. It was sort of annoying.¡±


    ¡°HEY IF I DO SOMETHING COOL I SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOOK LIKE THAT. But at the very least, the beastkin did take away the man for what he called disciplinary action.¡±


    Walking towards my corner of the room, I turn around and say, ¡°If you helped me because you think I-.¡±


    ¡°Hey bitch stop right there, first of all, you don¡¯t have your blade and I am stronger than you so I don¡¯t think you should take that tone with me.¡±


    Hearing this I start to back up out of fear, and as I do he walks closer and says, ¡°I have been waiting days to do this.¡±


    As he reaches the line he goes on his knees then slams his head against the ground saying, ¡°SORRY!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for how I treated you. I still think you¡¯re a bitch, but in your situation, I was a bitch to Charles, and if I had your body I would have even been a bigger bitch than you are so I understand.


    But I will say this, not only to you but also to Charles. I suck and can be very self-centred at times and might cause you pain, but please believe that I don¡¯t want to hurt or make either of you sad.


    For you Charles I want you to be happy, and for you, I would like to be your friend because I find you to be gorgeous, and if I ever make a mistake that stops me from doing that I want you guys to hit me full power.


    And as proof for that, for all the time I have hurt either of you two, I want you guys to hit me.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°As I will ever be.¡±


    Charles gives Nero an intense punch sending him to the ground.


    ¡°Charles your strong.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Then could you punch him for me?¡±


    ¡°Wait if he does that I might die.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess you aren¡¯t a man of your word.¡±


    ¡°No, I am, DAMMIT FINE. Charles come on hit me.¡±


    ¡°Ok, Nero.¡±


    -Break-


    As he lies on the floor with a beaten body, I say, ¡°You really took all of those.¡±


    Nero looks up at me, and says, ¡°Of course I did I am a man of my word, but if what I have done has impressed you can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the question.¡±


    Shyly he says, ¡°Can I have your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh is that all, then my name is Mariana.¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°Mariana, a pretty name for a pretty girl.¡±


    Looking at his smile, I say, ¡°I guess Charles was right.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°None of your business, now Charles let us sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Turning to Nero, I say, ¡°Good night.¡±


    With a smile back, he says, ¡°Good night¡±

 Interlude 2.23: The future

    -Break-


    The next day


    I haven¡¯t had a single day of true rest since the day my country was burned to the ground. Everything, everywhere around me has been terrifying, it was all so scary that I felt like I was going to die by simply being here.


    So to survive I had to become something even more terrifying, I didn¡¯t want to be hurt so I decided to be the one who hurt, the one who created fear, because if I did I would be able to be peaceful.


    But it still didn¡¯t come, the terror never subsided so my sleep never truly came back. But today I have learned at least one thing, that maybe I at the very least don¡¯t have to be scared of the two in the room beside me.


    Getting up, I look at the boy beside me and the second one over in his section of the room, and say, ¡°This nap was quite nice today.¡±


    Suddenly Nero jumps up with a look of terror, then starts to vomit over to his left.


    When I see this I shriek and say, ¡°What¡¯s going?¡±


    Charles getting up beside me, says, ¡°Sometimes when Nero wakes up from a bad dream, he vomits.¡±


    ¡°Does this happen often!?¡±


    ¡°It used to happen a lot but now it only happens every now and then. Sometimes he can wake up in the middle of the night screaming.¡±


    Giving me a thumbs up, Nero says, ¡°Sorry in advance if I wake you up in the middle of the night.¡±


    With an annoyed expression, I say, ¡°Looks like my peace has still left.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    Dropping the brick to the floor, I say, ¡°How the hell do they expect a delicate flower like me to do this.¡±


    Nero in front of me snickers and says, ¡°Delicate flower?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°It means, all the times you either threatened to or actually did cut me, you beast. If you¡¯re a flower your one of the ones from ¨ªogair.¡±


    Giving him a stare full of murderous intent, I say, ¡°Apologise or die.¡±


    ¡°YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN.¡±


    From the distance, we hear a beastkin scream at us, which causes Nero to say, ¡°Hurry up, unless you want to get beat.¡±


    ¡°Then help me lift them.¡±


    ¡°Hell no.¡±


    ¡°Why not, you did it all the time before?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t really care if you like me or not anymore, so come on do your beast I will be cheering for you.¡±


    ¡°Bastard, after I didn¡¯t kill you, this is how you treat me. I swear you''re just like Lucca who always, was ignoring people who asked for his help. That reminds me of the time Paloma and Lucca got swept up in the ocean, it is actually quite a good story.¡±


    ¦µ Picking up the brick, Mariana starts walking while talking away, and as she does I turn to Charles and say, ¡°She talks a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and you can almost never get a word in when she gets like that.¡±


    ¡°So then were most of your conversations-."


    ¡°Yes, it was just her talking with me saying a word every now and then. When she does that it makes a feeling well up inside my shakes my head.¡±


    Rubbing Charles''s head I say, ¡°It is called being annoyed. Congratulations on the awakening of your new emotion.¡±


    Throwing his brick in the air, Charles does a backflip and catches it. ¡°Good job for me.¡±


    ¡°Good job for you.¡±


    Behind us, I hear, ¡°I warned you, dirty humans.¡±


    Then moments later both me and Charles are hit into the ground. But as the beastkin walks away I look at Charles and just laugh as he smiles back at me.


    Walking over to us without a brick in hand, Mariana says, ¡°Hey why are you guys over here you''re supposed to be listening to my story?¡±


    ¡°Because it goes on for too long, you talk too much?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only natural for girl because we have a lot to say. My brain is bigger than yours.¡±


    ¡°I know girls, and Claudia wasn¡¯t anything like this!¡±


    ¡°Then what was she like!?¡±


    ¡°She was quiet and always nice to me. She would ignore others but listen to anything I say, and whenever she saw me a giant smile would appear on her face. Claudia always used to ask for big hugs whenever she saw me and when I wasn¡¯t paying attention to her she would get sad.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    She was like a little sister to me but would get angry anytime I said that. Truly a wonderful girl.¡±


    Looking in front of me I see Mariana making a face of disgust, then walking up to me she looks at me with eyes of anger and says, ¡°You¡¯re the enemy of all women across the world.¡±


    As she walks past me, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t understand women.¡±


    Sticking his finger up towards me, Charles says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Chatting away as we all skilfully pick seeds, Mariana says, ¡°So that¡¯s how Pedro proposed to Ana. It was a mess of emotions and sensations I swear I even cried a little, but it all worked out.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    ¡°Still this story reminds me of that time, when my father Mateo taught me how to dance, oh how chaotic of a story that is, but before we even get to that there are three other tales of backstory we need to get to so let¡¯s start with the story of Pedro¡¯s birth.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    Whispering, Mariana says ¡°So after thirty-two hours of labour, Pedro was finally born and what a cutie he was. Always nibbling on my fingers and such.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    ¡°As he got older Pedro kept that habit and one day he even picked my finger enough to make blood come out, but that reminds me of the time I got bitten by a bat that had poison in it, my god wasn¡¯t that a whole debacle. So where do I begin, oh yeah when Joaquin''s horse got loose.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    ¡°So riding on the back of his horse Joaquin had to run away from a storm of the wonderbeast, Caballos de flores. He moved as fast as he could until he reached a Clift, and when he did he jumped off of it with his horse.¡±


    ¡°Umm.¡±


    ¡°I know what you want to ask how did they survive, well his horse was a lot more skilled than your normal steed, so he was able to use the imperfections in the hill like a goat and climb down.


    Like a goat? Oh yeah, that reminds me of-.¡±


    Looking Mariana in the eyes, I say, ¡°Yeah, you need to leave.¡±


    ¡°What!¡±


    ¡°Get out, now. I can¡¯t live like this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, we were just having a conversation.¡±


    ¡°How the hell was that even a conversation, I didn¡¯t say anything I just barely was able to squeeze in a umm every now and again over the last three days. The level of peace I have felt today as you have been doing different work, has been unparalleled so now I need you to leave.¡±


    ¡°This is all part of a girl''s charm.¡±


    ¡°My mother barely used to talk, but when she did her words would change my life, so I would always wait for her to speak. Her words were valuable they had weight!¡±


    ¡°The reason I simply talk so much is because I have a lot to say, god wanted me to share that with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Using god as a reason is just an excuse.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you just lack god.¡±


    ¡°You need, to leave, right now.¡±


    ¡°You can just say you weren¡¯t listening to my stories instead of complaining they are too long.¡±


    ¡°My issue is that I was listening. I know your height; 151 cm, your birthday; Aries twenty-first, I know your full name; Mariana ¨¢ngela Girasol Ramos. The name of your dog; Viola. The day it died; Taurus the fourth.


    The amount of times you have thrown up it your life; seven, the amount of times you have been given gifts; seventy- three. The amount of times your mom has tricked you into eating beans; forty-one. The amount of times your cousin Carlos has tricked you into eating flowers; four. The number of times you have dropped a baby; two.


    The full names of all your family members, Your dad Mateo, your mom Sofia. Your first aunt and aunty, Tom¨¢s and Carman, and their children Pedro, Blanca, and Manuel. Not to mention your four sets of grandparents, your other seven sets of aunties and uncles, and all of their kids, not to mention your cousin''s kids. I know their fucking names, birthdays, hair colours, heights, it''s too much fucking information how the hell am I supposed to keep up with that.¡±


    Giving me a weird look she says, ¡°You listened to all of that.¡±


    ¡°Yes and I wish to remove this information more than I wish to be free.¡±


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    ¡°I will eventually, but you need to leave now!¡±


    With a false frightened look, she says, ¡°Even after you promised to not hurt me, here you are going back on your word. Coward.¡±


    ¡°I promised never to hurt you not take copious amounts of poison for you.¡±


    ¡°HOW RUDE. You do realize I am older than you, in my culture all the mini ones like you must obey the older ones no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s incorrect, you''re younger than me. From your story you''re exact, ten months, four hours, twenty-three minutes, and seven no nine seconds older than me.¡±


    Shocked she walks back and says, ¡°What?¡±


    Walking forward with a smile, I say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say in your culture young ones like you have to obey older people like me.¡±


    Quickly she grabs Charles and runs behind the line, then says, ¡°Look at this cruel adult trying to hurt kids.¡±


    As she rubs her cheeks against Charles, he says, ¡°Bad Nero.¡±


    ¡°Hey stop manipulating him with your girl magic.¡±


    ¡°It''s not manipulation it¡¯s understanding, something that you lack.¡±


    ¡°I doubt there is anything I don¡¯t know about you after your ramblings.¡±


    Walking up to me she rubs her cheek against mine, which causes a plurality of things in my body to happen, but the most noticeable one is the uncontrollable blush I have on my face. But soon that is overtaken by the soft sensation of her cheek against mine.


    Filled with this sensation I fall to the ground, and as I do I look at Charles and say, ¡°Sorry, I would betray me too if it meant I got to feel that.¡±


    ¡°It looks like I won.¡±


    ¡°How, how are you that soft, I hugged Claudia before because she was never that soft.¡±


    ¡°The flowers from Floraci¨®n can be used to make countless medicines that enhance the body, and my mom used to make an ointment for my skin, so now it is as soft as heaven itself.¡±


    ¡°More, I must have more,¡± I say while stretching my hand out.


    Slapping it away, she says, ¡°Too bad, for you then.¡±


    I need to experience that one more time. Slamming my hands into the ground, I say, ¡°I withdraw all my complaints.¡±


    ¡°Accepted. But one day I will make sure to give you some flowers from Floraci¨®n to let you experience this.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°But how would that happen, we will never leave here.¡±


    As Charles says this is an uneasy reality falls upon, the room and yet again I a reminded that we are all slaves.


    Mariana moving closer to Charles says, ¡°Of course we will when all three of us break out.¡±


    Hearing this I say, ¡°Quite down. Are you crazy, you do realize what you just said?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, I said all three of us are going to leave.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°You know what¡¯s insane a lion trying to be a duck, lions were born to be lions, ducks were born to be ducks, and the same applies to all of us, we were born to be humans, not slaves. So the fact that you so quietly accept that is what is truly insane.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand how impossible it is to do that, and sorry but I have no intention of allowing you to put our lives on the line for such a stupid thing.¡±


    ¡°I intend to do nothing of the sort, I am not a dense idiot like somebody. But as long as we are here we will work till we die, and I don¡¯t believe the happiness that can be found in that is valuable at all, so simply we have to get out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to es-.¡±


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t,¡± Mariana says with eyes similar to my father''s.


    ¡°Well do whatever you want just don¡¯t drag Charles into it.¡±


    ¡°So that means I can drag you into it?¡±


    Turning around to lie down I say, ¡°As long as it is nothing too hard idiot.¡±


    ¡°Good to have you aboard.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°Does this mean I will get to see Floraci¨®n one day?¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°On the pride of my nation, I promise it.¡±


    As they chat away behind me a thought pops into my head, maybe a little life around here isn¡¯t so bad.

 Interlude 2.24: A new duty

    -Break-


    A few days later


    Hearing a noise, I open my eyes and turn my head to the right where I see Mariana throwing up, and I say, ¡°Oh so do it as well. Are you ok?¡±


    Mariana finishing her release, looks at me and gives me a thumbs-up with a sickly expression.


    So I respond with another thumbs up back towards her.


    Seeing the sun shining outside the room, I say, ¡°It¡¯s late, why didn¡¯t they start ringing the bell to get us up.¡±


    Then moments later memories of last year start flashing throughout my brain, and I say, ¡°Bricriu is coming.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: On a path towards the centre plain


    Mariana beside us says, ¡°So that¡¯s how I found how I got this scar on the back of my knee.¡±


    ¡°Urgh.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what with that urgh?¡±


    ¡°I was worried about you this morning but it seems you''re doing just fine, you haven¡¯t been able to stop talking since we started walking.¡±


    ¡°Well, what else are we supposed to do!? Everyone is being forced to walk to who knows where, so how else I am supposed to keep you entertained.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t entertaining it is annoying!¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you do some talking.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I will then.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s up with today, why is everything so strange?¡±


    While this is a good opportunity to inform of what¡¯s probably going to happen today, I feel like I shouldn¡¯t. The terror of knowing some of your loved ones might be killed today is too intense, it is better if she just experiences it all at once instead of worrying about it beforehand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really say, but you should make your heart as strong as Charles punches.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T DODGE THE QUESTION.¡±


    A beastkin screams over in our direction, which causes everyone who is even talking around us to quiet down.


    ¡°Control yourself.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t make me angry.¡±


    ¡°So when you''re angry, you lose control.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°You suck.¡±


    Charles beside me says, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hit me cause you were angry?¡±


    Full of shame, I say, ¡°But I apologized for that.¡±


    ¡°It is easy to preach isn¡¯t it you hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°Urgh fine, ask me another question I will directly answer it.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Ok then tell me where you and Charles disappear to on the castle days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°YOU LYIN-.¡± Putting my hand over her mouth I cover it so she doesn¡¯t let out a loud screaming.


    I know I lied, but I have already discussed whether or not we should let her know about or relationship with D¨®nal or not, because I don¡¯t know how she would take us being so friendly with a beastk-, ¡°OUCH!¡± I scream as she bites me.


    ¡°What are you an animal.¡±


    ¡°Rawr,¡± She says while putting both her hands up like claws.


    ¡°Just for that, I am never telling you anything.¡±


    ¡°Well then, the same goes for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh with how much you love talking just try it.¡±


    Turning my head, to Charles I say, ¡°Do you have anything you want to say?¡±


    ¡°I would like to go over all the different types of birds again.¡±


    ¡°Ok, now where do I begin.¡±


    -Break-


    3 hours later


    Looking at Mariana''s face which has started to turn red, I say cheekily, ¡°You ready to talk now?¡±


    With a face of frustration, Mariana swings her head from right to left, indicating her stance. But as she does, I can see the muscles on her face tightening to keep her mouth shut so she doesn¡¯t talk.


    Charles looking at Mariana sticks up his thumb and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Looking at him, her face relaxes then she says, ¡°My god is that things face annoying.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you just talked to me?¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Giving me a glance, she says, ¡°Charles did you hear that? Of course you didn¡¯t because nothing just spoke, but I am sure if something did just speak it would be coming from an ugly, idiotic, annoying, person.¡±


    ¡°Using Charles as a way to avoid talking to me is childish.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Charles it also seems that if something did exist, it would need to know the fact that, I AM A CHILD.¡±


    ¡°Why yo-.¡± Stopping I walk into the back of a man in front of me, and then I notice that everyone has stopped walking. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    As everyone scattered, the three kids looked in front of them to see, that they were all right next to the sculptures made of human flesh, and in front of all of those sculptures, were countless long tables spread out on the grass with one in the centre of them all sitting Bricriu.


    Bringing a shatter shell close to his mouth he says, ¡°Today I have decided to have a nice dinner with all of you so would you please come here, and take a seat. I have prepared rather scrumptious food for everyone.¡±


    Suddenly the beastkins start to scream and direct us to go walk to the tables, but as I prepare to move a beastkin says, ¡°You three come with me.¡±


    It is the same bat beastkin that branded me, I haven¡¯t seen him in a while, so I thought he had moved away, but it seems he is still here.


    After a very little bit of walking, he guides us to our table, and our table is long like the rest of them but unlike the rest of them, it is specifically in front of one of the sculptures.


    But when I look at the sculpture I notice something, of the countless distorted and ruined human faces on the sculpture one of the faces is visible and preserved. Looking at it with a face of shock and horror, I say, ¡°Dad.¡±


    Suddenly countless emotions rush up begging to be let out of my body, but I can¡¯t let a single one out, as the very sight of what I am seeing freezes me in my tracks.


    Then from my side, I am hit across the face by the beastkin who says, ¡°I told you to sit there three times already, what¡¯s taking so long?¡±


    He was speaking? ¡°R-Right.¡± Without even looking where I am going I just follow his finger and sit down.


    But looking straight, I see my father''s face is directly in my line of sight just a bit upwards from where I am sitting.


    As I stare at it almost everything else in the world including all the sensations in my body fade away as I look at my father''s face. Memories flash through my mind and each time they do I stop at my father''s face; no way my father''s strong and kind face looks like this.


    A loud ringing sound breaks throw the air, which snaps me back to the present, and then I hear, ¡°Now everyone please enjoy the food I have brought out for all of you today.¡±


    As everyone around me starts eating, I look down to the right where I see how long the table is with everyone just eating. So I try to reach out my hand and grab some food to put in my plate, but as I do my hand starts to shake uncontrollably.


    Looking to my left, I see Charles staring at me with a worried expression, and directly across from me, I see Mariana talking away as usual but taking breaks to put food in her mouth.


    How can all of you act as if nothing is wrong? How can we all live here with monsters that do this? Why are we just living like this letting them treat us this way? Why is a man who cares for me even after death left in such a state? What have I done wrong to deserve this?


    It isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, it isn¡¯t right, FATHER.


    Looking over Mariana''s head, I stare at my father''s face, and then all the emotions I have are about to break out. My eyes water, my face contorts, and the start of what is a scream starts to form in my throat.


    But as it is about to break loose, Mariana puts her hand over my mouth, and says, ¡°Nero, I need you to stop.¡±


    A beastkin walks up towards us with a smirk on his face and asks, ¡°Is everything ok.¡±


    The look he has when he asks is as if he is mocking all of us. This lone look causes my emotions to surge but at the same moment Mariana tightens her grip and then turns her head around saying, ¡°Everything is alright just trying to make sure he gets a taste of this heavenly food.¡±


    Holding back his laughter the beastkin turns and says, ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Looking directly at me Mariana, says, ¡°I hear what you said I know who that is, and right now I have no idea what you feeling, but right now your reaction is only going to bring harm to yourself but more importantly to Charles.¡±


    Looking to my left, I see Charles making a usual face, one of a frightened child. ¡°Nero I know what I am about to ask is unfair, but please just ignore it, and focus on me, focus on my face, focus on my words, and just don¡¯t look up.¡±


    Sitting back down, Mariana begins to speak with a smile so bright it has to be forced. She talks and talks and talks, while making as many gestures as she can with her body to keep my focus, and holding the hand of Charles who is right beside me.


    ¦µ Nero, Ogier, Sarah, Ganelon, Alfred, Alex, Petra, Morelia, Charles. Seeing the faces of my favourites so contorted in pain, or completely devoid of life really is a sight to behold.


    ¡°Marquis Bricriu, are you alright.¡±


    ¡°I am in; what do the human call it again? Right heaven!¡±


    -Break-


    A few hours later


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    ¦µ D¨®nal lying on his bed looks at the flower that was on Sofia''s head, and as he does he thinks about her.


    Staring at the rather pretty flower in my hands, I say, ¡°I think she might have been a bit like me.¡±


    Sitting up, I say, ¡°D¨®nal don¡¯t say such things. This is the reason the other beastkin hate you, at the end of the day you are one of the mighty red branch families children, you are a Fuinseog!¡±


    Suddenly my door blasts open, and from the other side, I see Ryan, who says, ¡°You''re wanted Breast mil-, I mean D¨®nal.¡±


    As he walks away in utter confusion, I say, ¡°Did he just use my name.¡±


    Getting up I run out my door, and follow him to a large crowd of beastkin, and as I come through they make way for me, and after a little bit of walking, I am faced to face, with the Marquis himself; Bricriu.


    Seeing him I instantly bend, the knee and say, ¡°Hello my lor-.¡±


    ¡°Stop right there, D¨®nal Fuinseog.¡±


    ¡°You know my name,¡± I say while raising my head.


    ¡°Of course I do, you''re just like me, a member of a red branch family.¡±


    ¡°I am nothing like you. You are the head of your family, while I am nothing more than exiled trash.¡±


    ¡°Still regardless of that great blood runs through your veins, so the fact that you a mere worker here is an insult to the entire red branch.¡±


    Bricriu makes a look at all the workers around me, and as he does they all look away. ¡°So I have decided to change that, from this moment on D¨®nal Fuinseog, you are the head of this plantation and boss of all the workers here, effective immediately.¡±


    In the instant he says, this I look at him, and scream, ¡°WHAT!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    That night Nero cried, and cried all through the night and as he lays on the ground, both Mariana and Charles simply laid beside him giving him hugs all throughout the night.


    -Break-


    Location: Bricriu carriage


    ¦µ Across from me, Liam asks, ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Liam?¡±


    ¡°Why did you promote D¨®nal, what he has done is an utter betrayal of the red branch?¡±


    ¡°Many years ago, when I was but a child, I was part of a siege over in the eastern continent of Enotita, and in the eastern continent they have a large wall said to be impenetrable blocking entry between Victoria and Enotita, a bastion one might said. So as you can imagine it was quite a pain.


    But while the siege was going on, I noticed something, that for a certain section of the wall, the blocks on the base were incredibly fragile and weak.


    So we devised a strategy to send in heavy-duty wonderbeasts to damage the bricks, and then that entry section of the wall fell. A great magnificent wall fell simply because of a few shitty blocks that were used as its base, hilarious isn¡¯t it?


    Ever since then, I have always wanted to see such a sight again, but in a different form, so I have just done so. Now that¡¯s my answer to your question.¡±


    ¦µ Even with the time we have spent together, I still have no idea what he means, but at the very least I know this I would never want to be the object of this man''s interest.

 Interlude 2.25: Omega hope

    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I get up and look around the room, where I see that Nero has completely moved his body to the corner of the room.


    Getting up I walk over to him, and ask, ¡°Are you ok Nero?¡±


    ¡°Forget.¡±


    ¡°Forget what?¡±


    ¡°FORGET WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!¡±


    ¡°The crying or the panicking?¡±


    ¡°ALL OF IT.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could make such expressions.¡±


    ¡°Erased them from your mind!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I have engrained them within me from now until the day I die.¡±


    ¡°I hate you.¡±


    ¡°Good for you then.¡±


    Gritting his teeth out of anger in front of me, Nero lets out a sigh turns around and says, ¡°Still thank you.¡±


    Looking at his back, I smile and say, ¡°Accepted.¡±


    ¡°Hey Mariana, there is something both me and Charles have been keeping from you, but it might be a bit hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have seen a clown with giant white wings before so not many things can faze me.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¦µ With sweat trickling down her face, Mariana says, ¡°This whole thing is still a bit unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Is it really, there is no other way Charles could have survived without the support of a beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Not that, I mean the fact that you wanted to not escape especially when you have a trump card such as this.¡±


    ¡°It is not that I don¡¯t want to escape it is just that there are so many hurdles that it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Like what!?¡±


    ¡°First is the fact that we really have no idea what the layout is around the plantation. I have talked to many throughout my last year here, and still, I have barely been able to figure out the size of the plantation, while there are some campsites I do know a bit about, I also found out that there are large sections of the plantation, I literally know nothing about.


    Second, there is no way I would be able to outrun any of the beastkin, let alone those shark-like wonderbeasts, and even if I did outrun them this is Victoria a continent which I have no clue about. For all I know I could be running from this plantation directly to another beastkin settlement.


    Third, I lack serious information. D¨®nal has become more and more, tight-lipped so it has been a struggle to gain anything from him, which causes a giant issue because all the other beastkin speak in their stupid language and I can¡¯t understand anything they say.


    Fourth I don¡¯t even know where the fuck I would go if I escaped, from what you said the islands of Molstoria are being invaded, and Terrafide has also been invaded, neither of our homes is still here.¡±


    Looking at her I see she has a really upset expression on her face, so I say, ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean to remind you.¡±


    ¡°No, sorry. In all honesty, I thought you were really dumb, so the fact that your brain actually works makes me feel like a bad person.¡±


    ¡°IS THAT REALLY THE REASON YOUR UPSET.¡±


    ¡°YES IT IS.¡±


    Walking over to us, Charles puts his finger on his lips and goes, ¡°Shh.¡± Then he goes back to where he was and kneels down.


    Whispering to me, Mariana says, ¡°Is everything alright with him?¡±


    Whispering back, I say, ¡°He is excited to see D¨®nal again.¡±


    Mariana has an uncomfortable, but familiar look on her face, and then she says, ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to feel about that, the beastkin are monsters.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand you. But having a beastkin that is found of him only benefits Charles so even if something happens to m-.¡±


    ¡°Destroy that thought. I can guarantee you that there is no chance of your death.¡±


    ¡°well thank you for tha-.¡± Suddenly a scream appears in the force, causing me to say, ¡°Again!¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me?¡±


    ¡°Then who was it?¡± I say while turning around.


    ¡°I am going to go see.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°Still, I would better know what I am dealing with.¡±


    Mariana runs into the forest, and moments later me and Charles follow behind her. After a little bit of running, I see Mariana over the injured body, of a three-eyed owl, the same one that stopped me.


    Running over to her, I say, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It seems something hit it out of the sky, and it fell down here.¡±


    Looking at all the blood it¡¯s lost, I say, ¡°It had to have been here for a few hours or so, there is no way it could have lost so much blood otherwise. If it wasn¡¯t a wonderbeast it would have been dead.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°It should have healed already then since wonderbeasts can repair injuries way faster than normal animals.¡±


    Staring directly at its wing, Charles notices something then moments later he pulls an object out of it and, then he says, ¡°It was stuck in its wing.¡±


    Looking at it, I say, ¡°It is a sharp nail, but the tip of it is sort of rusted.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°It might have had some poison on it.¡±


    ¡°Poison?¡±


    ¡°Yes, certain ones can rust metals, that must have been what caused it to heal slower than normal.¡±


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that mean someone intended to shot it down?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were trying to catch it.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean someone could be searching for it as we speak?¡±


    ¡°We should probably go then.¡±


    ¡°Help me,¡± an unfamiliar voice says.


    In that moment both me and Mariana stop, and look towards the owl, and then from its mouth comes, ¡°Help me.


    Instantly both me and Maria jumped backwards and screamed. ¡°Did that wonderbeast just talk?¡±


    ¡°Owls aren¡¯t supposed to take, that is human territory.¡±


    ¡°We need to run now.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Immediately both me and Mariana turns around and run away. while running, I say, ¡°Charles are you following us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Charles says, running up beside me.


    Turning my head to see him, I notice he is holding the wonderbeast in his arms. Seeing this instantly, me and Mariana stop then moments later, we start screaming, ¡°Charles why did you take that with you.¡±


    ¡°We were running away from it specifically.¡±


    Looking at us with innocent eyes, he says, ¡°It said help me.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°If a demon asked you to help it would you!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a demon?¡±


    Putting her hands, against her face, she says, ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Charles just throw it on the ground, and let¡¯s go.¡±


    Looking at me, he says, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°I like it, its colour is the same as my hair.¡±


    ¡°Argh, Whatever fine.¡±


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s find out what this is about.¡±


    Placing the wonderbeast in the centre Charles, sits to my right, while Mariana with a worried look sits to my left.


    As we look at it, Mariana says, ¡°Now what the hell is this thing? Is it an animal or maybe it¡¯s a baby beastkin.¡±


    ¡°That would make sense, what if we have just kidnapped a baby.¡±


    ¡°Yet again, Nero, Charles, I think we should run.¡±


    With his face puffing up, Charles says, ¡°No.¡±


    Mariana had a thought pop into her head at this moment; how adorable,


    ¡°But still that doesn¡¯t change the fa-.¡± My words are suddenly interrupted as the wonderbeast says, ¡°Hatarnas.¡±


    This causes Mariana to freak out and hide behind Charles while saying, ¡°It is muttering the language of demons.¡±


    But in that moment my eyes are wide open, as I say, ¡°Did you just say Hatarnas?¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°You¡¯re also a demon, Nero? A blood demon!¡±


    ¡°It is not some demonic language, Hatarnas is an old saying in my clan. It means forgive through everything, not everyone knows evil from good.¡±


    ¡°Wait, but how would this wonderbeast know this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it has been around one of my clan members.¡±


    Suddenly from the wonderbeast''s third eye, a ray of light comes out and flashes on the ground.


    ¡°Ekk, It is summoning more of its demonic allies,¡± Mariana says while the light goes on the ground.


    As the light hits the ground, from it an image appears, one of people. ¡°Wait why are the people in this image moving.¡±


    ¡°Wooo,¡± Charles says.


    Mariana still scared, says, ¡°I told you it¡¯s some sort of demon magic!¡±


    Looking at the moving image closer, I say, ¡°These people are wearing clothes from my clan!¡±


    ¡°Wait then are all these people you know?¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t recognize a single one of them, but these clothes are definitely from our clan.¡± Looking at the image closer, I notice that a man is wearing a bracelet that looks familiar, so I say, ¡°That¡¯s old man Leo¡¯s bracelet.¡±


    ¡°It probably just looks the same,¡± Mariana says.


    ¡°No it is his for sure, his late wife made a bracelet in a specific pattern for him, he always keeps it on his at all times.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°You just said old man, but he looks young.¡±


    ¡°I know what I said. But without a doubt that is Leo¡¯s bracelet.¡±


    Mariana makes an expression as if she is thinking over something, and then moments later she asks me, ¡°Nero when you were brought here did they make you stand in front of a three-eyed wolf?"


    Thinking back to the day I got here I remember what she is talking about, so I say, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe and this is just speculation, but could these three-eyed wonderbeasts record information.¡±


    ¡°Yes, now that I think about it, the beastkin said something along the lines of Omega wolf record his face, so maybe they can store things they see a project them later, that¡¯s how it probably said those words.¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°So it isn¡¯t speaking.¡±


    Mariana replies, ¡°Probably not, it was just repeating words it has saved probably. Maybe because it usually hears people say help me in bad situations, it said help me when it was in a bad situation.¡±


    ¡°But still how would they have images of my clan from so long ago.¡±


    As we all fall quiet mulling this over, Mariana says, ¡°Now I may over thinking this, but maybe the beastkin spend wonderbeasts like this around the world to record the different types of people and report back to them. Molstoria where I am from is surrounded by islands and incredibly dangerous to sail through. So unless you know where you''re going it is a real arduous task.¡±


    ¡°But if they used these wonderbeasts to pinpoint your island''s location, this wouldn¡¯t have been an issue.¡±


    ¡°That could mean wonderbeasts like this thing are responsible for all of us being here.¡±


    As me and Mariana stare at the wonderbeast with contempt, Charles picks it up and hugs it saying, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything mean to it.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But in all honesty Charles, we can¡¯t exactly let it go now, that it has seen our faces.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s keep it.¡±


    ¡°We obviously can¡¯t do that. The beastkin could find it.¡±


    ¡°But I would like to have it.¡±


    As me and Mariana look at each other, I look at Charles and say, ¡°Sorry but it just isn¡¯t worth the risk.¡±


    Suddenly from its third eye it starts to project a different image. The image is of a rather beautiful room, with a small seven kids inside it, and a woman at the front of the room holding a cane, with a large black rectangular object on the wall beside her.


    Then she says, speaks, and as she does the owl repeats what she says. ¡°As nobility, you will be starting your lessons today, this will include, the learning of basic information about our history, the learning of the saviour''s song, and of basic military information, everything young men like yourselves will need. Each and every one of you has been supplied precious Omega wonderbeasts to keep a record of the lesso-.¡±


    Suddenly the light vanishes, and the injured wonderbeast looks at us with docile eyes.


    ¡°Hey, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Charles.¡±


    ¡°Is this what I think it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes your right, this is hope.¡±

 Interlude 2.26: Five to seven years

    Looking at me Mariana, says, ¡°If we use the owl''s memories as a guidepost, we might be able to learn their language. Now to mention all the other information about the beastkin we can get from this.¡±


    ¡°If we are able to speak and understand their language, not to mention how they work as a group, lots of the different issues we face in escaping would vanish or become significantly easier.¡±


    With eyes of hope, Mariana says, ¡°This means we really could break out one day.¡±


    A moment of silence occurs as the idea of freedom rushes into our minds. Suddenly I remember the images of my father''s face, causing me to calm down and say, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you think you''re getting too hasty? There are a few things we need to work out with this owl.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like why did it specifically show us memories we would want to see? It is like it knew showing us those memories would decrease our chances of killing it.¡±


    As me and Mariana stare at the wonderbeast, it starts to sweat and turn its head away. Then with her hand on her face, Mariana says, ¡°You''re probably right, if this thing is actually as smart as you say we may be in a few issues.¡±


    ¡°Like the fact that all this might be a play until it heals and runs away to inform the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Nero.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°We may need to ground this bird.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s wings would have to go.¡±


    ¡°So would it¡¯s legs.¡±


    As the two demonic children stare at the wonderbeast, tears fall from all three of it¡¯s eyes as it shakes in fear of the retribution it is about to experience.


    Though it is saved as Charles hugs it pulling it closer in his arms, then staring at the two demonic children in front of himself, Charles says, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Charles this is a matter of safety.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Come on Charles, I promise I will let you hug me instead.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Looking down at the wonderbeast, which looks towards him, he says, ¡°I won¡¯t let them touch you.¡±


    These words cause the wonderbeast to nestle more, and more into his chest.


    Nero in that moment says, ¡°Charles what if it runs away and betrays us?¡±


    Looking down at the wonderbeast, Charles asks, ¡°Would you betray or leave us.¡±


    The owl shakes its head no. Looking at us with a rather merry expression(For Charles), he says, ¡°See!¡±


    Both me and Mariana put our hands against our faces in annoyance. We can¡¯t argue with this!


    WHY GOD, why did you have to make Charles start acting like a child right now!?


    Looking at the both of them, I see that Charles has a slight smile while staring at the wonderbeast, so I let out a sigh and say, ¡°Ok then whatever.¡±


    ¡°Nero!¡± Mariana says while staring at me.


    ¡°It is fine if Charles says it ok, I will just trust in him, one thing I have learned over my time here is that Charles is rarely ever wrong.¡±


    Sighing, Mariana says, ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Good job,¡± Charles says while looking at the owl.


    From behind us, I hear a familiar voice shout, ¡°Charles where are you.¡±


    Getting up, Charles says, ¡°It¡¯s D¨®nal!¡±


    ¡°Oh, he is finally here.¡±


    ¡°I am going to show him, Blu here.¡±


    ¡°You named it already!¡±


    Standing up, Mariana blocks Charles and says, ¡°You can¡¯t show him the wonderbeast, because without a shadow of a doubt, he would confiscate it.¡±


    ¡°So what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Leave it here we will hide it somewhere then go and meet, D¨®nal.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Finding a nearby bush, we plant the omega owl within it, and then Charles says, ¡°I will be right back.¡±


    And as Charles runs off, I quickly move over to the wonderbeast, and whisper, ¡°If you inform the beastkin of anything that has happened here, know that whether it is in this life or the next I will track you down and kill you.¡±


    Then I run off to catch Mariana and Charles. After a little bit, I see Charles and Mariana standing looking at D¨®nal, who is on the floor crying.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Mariana hiding behind me, says, ¡°After Charles introduced me, he fell to the floor and cried like this?¡±


    As she touches me, I say, ¡°You really are soft.¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for this.¡±


    ¡°R-Right.¡± Walking forward towards D¨®nal, I kneel down, and say, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong buddy, you need some food? A nap?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    He grabs my head and puts me in a headlock, bringing me closer to him, then says, ¡°I thought we had the whole woman thing under control?¡±


    ¡°Of yeah, we''re friends now so it isn¡¯t an issue anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I didn¡¯t want to happen. What if she does something to Charles.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they already sleep together every night, and Charles is fine. Though with how much she likes him, I am surprised no babies have been made from them hugging.¡±


    D¨®nal stares at me with an incredibly disgusted face, and then moments later he falls to the ground crying.


    Looking at him with disdain, I hold myself back from insulting him.


    Moving over towards him, Charles kneels down and says, ¡°D¨®nal has your day been good?¡±


    Instantly all of D¨®nal''s sadness disappears as he hugs Charles, and says, ¡°I missed you, Charles!¡±


    Rubbing his head, Charles says, ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°Well a lot of things happened but, the biggest thing would be that now io am the head, of the plantation.¡±


    ¡°Wait, D¨®nal does that mean-,¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am in charge of everything around here from now on.¡±


    Suddenly a realization hits me and Mariana, which causes us to say, ¡°Yeah please keep your fantasies for the bedroom.¡±


    ¡°My dad told me that only scum lie to people they have just met to impress them.¡±


    ¡°I AM NOT LYING!¡±


    In unison, both me and Mariana say, ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°YOU DIRTY HUMANS!¡±


    Charles holding him, says, ¡°I believe you D¨®nal.¡±


    Facing Mariana, I whisper, ¡°Sorry for this, but I did tell you he was annoying.¡±


    ¡°I expected nothing less from a beastkin.¡±


    D¨®nal with an even more dejected face, says, ¡°I heard you!¡± Moments later he curls his body into a ball and then lies on the ground.¡¯


    As D¨®nal lies on the ground both, me and Mariana look at him with utter contempt.


    Charles whispers something to him, which causes Charles to whisper something back. Turning his head to us, Charles says, ¡°D¨®nal heart is hurt so we have to go back for now.¡±


    ¡°What a baby,¡± Mariana says.


    Charles says, ¡°You guys are being mean.¡±


    ¡°Charles, that crying thing just said he is in charge of all the beastkin here, you really can¡¯t believe that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    Turning his head to D¨®nal, he says, ¡°D¨®nal please make sure less beastkin are bothering everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Charles you really shouldn¡¯t buy into his lies.¡±


    Turning his head with puffed-up cheeks, Charles says, ¡°Then just watch.¡±


    He really has been getting more resistant lately.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ That night as Mariana lay next to Charles, she couldn¡¯t sleep as her head was going wild with thoughts; That dumb demon bird better be there when we return, if it isn¡¯t and has reported us our last hope will disappear. We should have tied it down, why didn¡¯t I think of it sooner? Wait if someone comes upon it we could be found out instantly, and if so when we awake tomorrow we might be executed!


    ¦µ While across the room, Charles was having a similar meltdown. I know I scared that bird, but maybe I did it too much? What if it runs away? We would truly be in a horrible situation then. We should have ripped off its legs and wings. I acted cool and trusted Charles in the moments but now I am freaking out. Wait if someone comes upon it we would be found out instantly, and if so when we wake up tomorrow we might be executed!


    In the campsite both of them were so scared that a single thought wouldn¡¯t leave their heads; I CAN¡¯T SLEEP!


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Looking around, I say to Mariana, ¡°Hey is it me or is the number of beastkin around, like drastically smaller?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°Probably a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: On the path towards, F¨ªod¨®ir¨ª house


    Mariana looks at me and says, ¡°There are usually a bunch of beastkin on this path, because of fieldwork that is done over there. But today there is none.¡±


    ¡°Your right.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°Probably a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    Eating my daily meal with Charles and Mariana sitting beside me, I look into the distance and say, ¡°Hey Charles do the beastkin have some sort of festival they do around this time of year?¡±


    ¡°No, and you were here last year so you would know?¡±


    ¡°I was just making sure last year wasn¡¯t some sort of exception.¡±


    Turning her head towards, me Mariana says, ¡°Charles I think.¡±


    ¡°I know Mariana I know.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    Looking at D¨®nal, I say, ¡°It looks like you weren¡¯t lying.¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± D¨®nal says as he hugs Charles.


    Mariana walking up to me can barely hold back her smile, and then with that same cheerful expression she nudges me. Right now, I know exactly what she is thinking.


    The fact that we now have the head of the entire plantation here with us is a second trump card that has been placed in our hands. But right now we need to find some way to use him to our advantage?


    Charles suddenly asks, ¡°Since you¡¯re the new leader D¨®nal can you let us come here whenever we want.¡±


    YOU BRILLIANT BASTARD!


    D¨®nal says, ¡°Charles I don¡¯t know about that if I do it too often people will find out, and I won¡¯t even be able to see you all the time.¡±


    No, he is pushing back!


    Charles with the softest voice he has ever used says, ¡°This would make me very happy please!¡±


    With a face of utter elation, D¨®nal says, ¡°Yes absolutely whatever you need.¡±


    Getting up, D¨®nal says, ¡°I have many duties to attend to so I will be going a bit early, use this time to rest, and you two over there trip and fall off a cliff or something I don¡¯t care.¡±


    As D¨®nal leaves our sight, me and Mariana start to run towards the bush where we kept the omega owl.


    When we reach there we see that the wonderbeast is exactly where we left it. Holding it, I give it an evil glare and say, ¡°Good job for listening.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°Because if you had run away, your life would have quickly come to an end.¡±


    Struggling it wiggles its way out of my arms, and then moments later it flies directly over to Charles''s head. ¡°Nice to see you Blu.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get started, with this whole learning thing.¡±


    Holding Blu in his arms, Charles asks, ¡°Blu can you please show us the classes.¡±


    From its eye, the light appears on the ground and as it does, all three of us sit down and look at it.


    -Break-


    On the ground, as we look at the image, I say, ¡°I am bored, this really is such a repetitive task.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, did you think this was something exciting? It takes lots of dedication and effort to learn a language.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are the kind of girl who it took, 9 years to learn how to swim.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I told you that in confidence that it wouldn¡¯t be used against me!¡±


    ¡°No, you told me that because you couldn¡¯t shut up.¡± Letting out a sigh, I say, ¡°How long is this whole language thing going to take.¡±


    ¡°From previous experience, I would say, about five to seven years of constant study, maybe longer.¡±


    ¡°WHAT, that¡¯s ridiculous. How did you even get that number.¡±


    ¡°Centuries ago, my people used to speak a rather altered version of the saviour''s song, and during that time the sage Cordum came and taught them the proper version, and it took us about three years to learn it, and that is only due to the fact that they where similar. For we know this new language might be completely different.


    Not to mention that this class is about translating whatever they are speaking into the saviour''s song, and the only reason we can understand anything they are saying is due to the owl translating their language for us. We are not in optimal learning conditions, so five to seven years is the best estimate I can make.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, we will all be adults by the time we can even speak it. Who knows if they wouldn¡¯t have completely taken over all the surrounding land by then? This is hopeless.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°But it¡¯s fun.¡±


    ¡°Charles?¡±


    ¡°I find learning this with the two of you to be very fun, so five to seven years of this sounds nice.¡±


    Me and Mariana look at Charles then smile, ¡°Ok then Charles, let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know I happen to be a great academic, so you can trust me to understand this.¡±


    ¡°The story of how you had to repeat that test seventy times, disagrees with that.¡±


    ¡°NERO!¡±

 Interlude 2.27: Light and ash

    Three months later


    -Break-


    ¦µ In the entirety of my life, I had never felt warmth, love, kindness only hardship.


    I was born a rat beastkin. I had inherited the powers of a weak and feeble animal, and because of that the first look I ever received as a baby was one of disappointment.


    From the age of three, I was expected to be able to say full sentences by myself. Yet I always slurred my speech which was unacceptable for someone of my status.


    At age five they trained me to be a warrior, but yet when I tried to use my sword on a practise dummy, I would always miss my target and fall, then like clockwork, I would hear, ¡°You incompetent fool!¡± From my teacher.


    As I bent my head in disappointment, I would say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Yet it didn¡¯t matter, since my progress reflected back on my teacher, so he would strike me right across the face when I apologized.


    ¡°Do you think I need apologies boy? I need results, so do it right. Now again.¡±


    I tried but then fell again, so I was struck. ¡°NOW AGAIN.¡±


    The weapon slipped out of my hand this time, so I was struck. ¡°Now again!¡±


    Looking at my target, I start to shake and lose concentration. Even though the strikes he gave me hurt, right now I can barely feel them all I can feel is a giant weight crushing my body and mind.


    I know I just have to hit the dummy, yet deep in my soul I know I just can¡¯t. I will mess up somehow, I will fail somehow, I will be an embarrassment somehow.


    Suddenly everything around me starts to spin, and then from my mouth, the contents of my stomach come true it. Instantly I look at my teacher, but he isn¡¯t looking at me he is looking through the arrow slits of the castle.


    Following his gaze, I see that both my mother and my father, are staring at me through the arrow slits with looks of utter disdain as if there is nothing but a pile of rubbish in front of them. A look a parent should never give a child.


    It was true from the moment I was born but it was at moments like this that I truly remember that the existence of D¨®nal Fuinseog was an unwanted one, and the fact that they immediately started trying for more children mere days after I was born was another sign of my unnecessary existence.


    My younger siblings were amazing, all three of them were wonderbeast beastkin and had great power since they were born. My sister was beautiful, my younger brother was swift, and the best of all was the second child Ronald.


    Ronald was skilled in all forms of warfare, from hand-to-hand combat to strategy. He was proud and strong, but more than any of that he had also inherited the powers of a god. His eyes and hair colour had two different colours almost as if a sign of his divinity.


    My younger siblings were amazing, a perfect example of why the red-branch families are hailed. But because of their greatness, they had no use for an older sibling like myself.


    Just like everyone else they all looked down on me and bullied me but no matter what I would just have to play it all off because what other use did I have?


    Falling to the floor, I lay down as my Ronald holds my books with my brother Cillian, and sister Aisling behind him.


    With my book in hand, he says, ¡°You were already unable to become a warrior, now you want to become a scholar?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to find some way to help, if I couldn¡¯t become a warrior maybe I will be able to support you guys from behin-.¡±


    ¡°NONSENE,¡± Ronald screams. ¡°Trash like you who hasn¡¯t accomplished anything will never be able to do it, we know, you know it, and especially Mom and Dad knows it. The fact that any form of money is being wasted on you in itself is a sin.¡±


    Nervously, I laugh, and say, ¡°You¡¯re probably right, I should just return the book then.¡±


    As Cillian and Aisling laugh behind Ronald''s back, Ronald himself just gives me a look of disgust, and says, ¡°You really are trash.¡±


    Then moments later he rips the book to pieces and says, ¡°Oh look my hand slipped.¡±


    Mere moments later my brother''s combat instructor walked in; my old teacher saying, ¡°I hear you shouting Ronald, did something happen?¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The teacher pauses, then looks at the floor, and then moments later he grabs the book cover. Looking at Ronald he says, ¡°What did you do!?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so angry it is just an ol-.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just some old book, it is a heirloom of the Cumhaill family, one of the red branch. Did you know the repercussions that the Fuinseogs will have to face, because of a blunder such as this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t rip the book it was D¨®nal.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think anyone would believe that weakling could rip this book and so thoroughly? He is afraid to hold a spear, do you think he could even dare to do this.¡±


    As his teacher starts to get angrier and angrier, my siblings start to shake with fright.


    So I stand up and say, ¡°It was me who ripped it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, boy.¡±


    ¡°I am not lying. I heard the oldest child of the Cumhaill is a rather strong warrior, so I had gotten jealous and ripped it out of frustration.¡±


    He strikes me across my face and says, ¡°If you''re so serious about this then pick up all the pieces on the floor, and report your crime back to the duke, and duchess.¡±


    As everyone leaves the room I bend down and start to pick up all the pieces of the ripped book, and as I do I look towards the door where I see Ronald giving me a cold look while saying, ¡°You really are pathetic.¡±


    But even as he says such words all I can do is give a half smile and laugh.


    When my parents looked at me like trash, I smiled. When the servants would maltreat me, I smiled. And when I ever others would talk about me at any social gathering I used to same half smile.


    That smile is how I survived every day because if I didn¡¯t do it I would have broken down into countless pieces.


    And on the day of my brother''s tenth birthday, it truly reached its worst.


    Trapping me in the corner of a room, Ronald says, ¡°Where the hell do you think you''re going?¡±


    Averting my eyes from his gaze, I say, ¡°I was just getting ready to attend your birthday party.¡±


    ¡°YOU WON¡¯T BE COMING!¡± Ronald shouts.


    Letting out a noise due to my fright I step back, then say, ¡°But you¡¯re my broth-.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that, I don¡¯t want to be reminded of the worst tragedy that has ever happened in my life. Remember this you dumb rat, you¡¯re a stain on our family, you have been and always will be a point of embarrassment for our family.2


    Looking away, I give a half smile and say, ¡°Yeah your right, I will try to change tha-.¡±


    ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T, it is simply how you were born and no matter what you do you will fail.¡±


    Through the door, Aisling and Cillian come in with a box.


    ¡°Looks like you two have finally fetched it.¡±


    Looking at Ronald, I ask, ¡°What is that for?¡±


    ¡°You see I recently read that rats can fit into tiny spaces. So I know following instructions is hard for you, I have decided that this would be the best way to keep you from the party.¡±


    Ronald grabs and together with Aisling and Cillian, they stuff me in the box. I scream with tears falling down my eyes, but their laughs are much louder completely covering them.


    They stuff my body right into the box and then lock it, and as they all walk out of the room Ronald says, ¡°Be a good boy and stay there. We will let you out eventually.¡±


    As I stayed trapped in a box unable to escape, I cried and cried, and cried whilst the party continued.


    However, after hours on end, the box I was in finally opened, and as I peered my head up towards the open box, a man said, ¡°Get out of there this instant.¡±


    Jumping out of the box, I notice who the man in front of me is and instantly bow my head, and say, ¡°Hello my king!¡±


    The man says, ¡°I am simply the ruler of one of the beastkin four provinces, you¡¯re supposed to use the title of the lord when addressing. While you save the title majesty for the high king in Tara.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry my lord.¡±


    ¡°I swear the red branch families get stupider every year, truly a failure of our institutions.¡±


    This is bad I am embarrassing my family, right in front of one of the leaders of the red branch family, Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in, ¡°S-s-sorry, for my failure I will try better.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need apologies from someone such as yourself.¡±


    Feeling terror overcome my body, as I bow in his presence I say, ¡°I know my words aren¡¯t worth much, but please don¡¯t hold this transgression against my family. Please don¡¯t let the actions of a pathetic outlier like myself affect your opinion of my family.¡±


    ¡°You see that right there is why I look down on you boy. You might think it is because of your lack of results but those words you just said are the real reason.¡±


    Looking up at him with a face of fright, and confusion, I say, ¡°What do you mean my lord?¡±


    ¡°I am well aware of how your family treats you, and regardless of whatever reason they may have I know it is overly cruel. Yet what disgusts me more than anything is your utter acceptance of such a treatment.¡±


    Looking down, I say, ¡°It is what I deserv-.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! The reason we the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann were given the power of nature itself, is because our goddess Danu wanted us to save this world from the destruction humans almost brought upon it.


    From the moment we are all born we are perfect. Yet you don¡¯t seem to understand that, so you lower your head, you take their insults, you accept it and make it your story, you make it your reason to squander the potential you were given.


    And for no reason greater than that do I believe your trash. You talk about your family as if they are gods, yet refuse to acknowledge the fact that you are part of them.¡±


    Within me his words caused a feeling to stir inside and I could feel my body react to it, it was like all the frustration, and anger that had lied in my body was about to burst forth in an inferno. Yet at the same time, another feeling of happiness had overcome me, someone in this life still had hope for me, and that hope in me was enough to satisfy me.


    So the only words that can come out of my mouth are, ¡°You¡¯re right I am really pathetic,¡± With a huge smile on my face.


    Standing up Lugh gives me a look different to the disdain others give me, a look of disappointment. ¡°Remember this, as long as you stay like this you will one day destroy that which you hold close, and only by acknowledging the greatness within your blood will you reach a point of perfection.¡±


    Walking away, he says, ¡°The mightiest. Your name doesn¡¯t fit you, but at the same time the name of a god isn¡¯t really the best for me either.¡±


    That day Lugh walked away, was the first and the last time, I felt that someone truly understood me in any way.


    Well until I heard that woman cries, about her daughter, for a second time in my life, I felt that just a little bit I could connect with another person.


    Getting up from my bed, I say, ¡°I want to see Charles today.¡±

 Interlude 2.28: Insects

    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    Walking through the dorms towards the exit, I am suddenly grabbed and put in a headlock by Ryan, who says, ¡°Breast milk I was looking for you.¡±


    Standing still out of fright I say, ¡°What do you need Ryan?¡±


    ¡°You see I have been working really hard, and it has been causing me to get blisters all over my feet, so I was just wondering if I could get paid leave.¡±


    With a shaky voice I say, ¡°But if you go as well the amount of workers will be too little to help us handle the amount of slaves.¡±


    ¡°Stop being just a fucker, we already have a whole bunch of Merarks, so just ask them to keep watch.¡±


    ¡°What if they start rampaging and killing the slaves? I won¡¯t be able to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss it is your job to deal with them, and I will only be going back home for Samhain. When the celebration at home are over I will come back to relax here at work because if I stayed home father would force me to help around.¡±


    With a shy head tilt, I say, ¡°I am the boss, so don¡¯t you have to follow my or-,¡±


    Ryan tightens his grip around my head, and says, ¡°Hey I don¡¯t want you getting big-headed you hear me breast milk? You might outrank me now, but that doesn¡¯t mean shit!¡±


    As he tightens his grip around my neck, I fight back desperately trying to break out.


    ¡°You complain but wasn¡¯t it you who let a bunch of the guys take some days off three months ago? That wasn¡¯t fair, just a huge show of favouritism. Then you even let Daniel and Finn go home as well.¡±


    As he says Daniel and Finn¡¯s names, the wounds those two gave me while they convinced me if I should let them leave or not start to ache. Still desperately trying to get air, I mutter with as much strength as I can muster, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Ryan breaks his grip and says, ¡°Apology accepted. But boy you like to do some stupid things every now and then.¡±


    Looking away I give a nervous smile and laugh. But then Ryan takes my face and forces it in his direction, and as he does he smiles, then says, ¡°But as your friend whenever I see you acting stupid I will be there to make sure you get over that stupidity.¡±


    Feeling Cheerful, I look down and say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ryan slaps my back, and says, ¡°No problem, just listen straight away next time.¡±


    As I walk towards the door, I hear Ryan shout, ¡°He said we could all go home.¡±


    Turning around, I see that Ryan is standing in front of a crowd of beastkin; all the ones remaining on the plantation.


    ¡°Breast milk gave permission?¡±


    ¡°Of course he did, now it is all on his head.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Ryan.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but when you return bring some wine for me.¡±


    ¡°You can bet on it.¡±


    As they all walk away I think of saying something, of raising my voice but as I do I feel a grip even tighter than Ryan¡¯s wrap around my neck stopping me from uttering a single word.


    I had thought that maybe getting this position might have changed something in my life, but it never has. Every day is just the same, and now even though I command all this power my voice is still unimportant.


    But still, those words Ryan said to me are nice. Something that before I would have never heard, and at the very least just like Lugh¡¯s words they will be enough for me.


    -Break-


    Location: Wonderbeast pens


    The plantation is split into twenty-five campsites, with around two hundred slaves each. There are also one hundred and fifty beastkin to watch over all of them and about five hundred Merarks around as well.


    The Merarks are fast and strong enough to rip through about fifty average humans on the battlefield, but in the state that these slaves are in I would say one of them equals the average human male.


    Not to mention they can fight well in the highest of mountains, to the lowest of rivers. A true beast which is great in almost every environment, the only thing more adaptable than Merarks¡¯ are the Tiritrexs¡¯.


    So the Merarks would be able to keep them in check. But the issue I face is that the Merarks need to be reigned in our they could go on a rampage and overkill the humans, and if by some misfortune they killed some of Bricriu''s favourites, it would be a catastrophe.


    It would become a favour owed from one red branch family to another, I would become much more of a failure than I ever was before, I might even be recalled home.


    Charles would be left alone with those two dirty insects, I can¡¯t let that happen. Wait, maybe this is the reason Bricriu even put me in charge of this so I can owe his family something?


    This is bad!


    Suddenly one of the Merarks starts to make a rather cheerful noise.


    ¡°I forgot that these guys can even hear the crazy of my heartbeat.¡± Rubbing the Merarks head, I say, ¡°You did this to calm me down, thank you.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Standing up, I say, ¡°It might be a few days to Samhain, but I am sure I can control all of the slaves by myself just watch me.¡±


    The Merarks let out a noise of happiness all around me.


    -Break-


    The day of Samhain


    Location: Centre plain


    ¦µ Beside me I ask, Mariana, ¡°Are we dreaming.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°So what the hell is this!¡± In the area around us, is a large number of humans a ridiculous amount. More so than I have ever seen in one place, even more than on the day Bricriu comes to dine with us, and every single one of us are sitting around a giant pyre for Samhain.


    ¡°Hey Nero, you never told me it was going to be like this, and what¡¯s that giant stack of wood for, I thought we each had to burn our pyres.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s like this but all we can do is just wait and see what going on.¡±


    ¡°Maith th¨².¡±


    Hearing a sound, I turn my head to Charles, and say, ¡°Are you practising?¡±


    ¡°T¨¢.¡±


    Mariana beside me says, ¡°Looks like Charles might start surpassing you, Nero.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the person who struggles to speak it, the most.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am still learning!¡±


    Location: On top of a cliff, near the Centre plain


    ¦µ ¡°It seems everything is going well!¡±


    The answer I was able to find to keep everyone in check, is to simply move all of the pyres into one giant one, then gather all of the humans into one giant area then surround that area with an encirclement of Merarks.


    This breaks one of Bricriu''s big rules; to not ever let all of the other campsites know about each other. He holds this rule so high that on his visits he makes sure, to hold different banquets so that they are all never gathered together.


    But right now, I don¡¯t have time for that, this is the only way I can keep them all safe, and that¡¯s by doing this.


    Pulling down my mask, I say, ¡°I got to protect myself from the spirits.¡± Then taking a lit touch, I give it to the Merark beside me and direct it to throw it into the pyre over there.


    Location: Centre plain


    ¦µ Suddenly as me and Mariana continue to fight, the pyre gets set ablaze lighting up the dark area with a bright, warm, blaze. It¡¯s beautiful, yet frightens some, including me who is completely caught off guard by its sudden eruption.  This causes almost everyone who is near it to get up and move away.


    But there is an exception to this Mariana, who sits in the same spot staring at it, and from her mouth, I hear her mutter, ¡°It¡¯s beautiful, just like all the flowers back home.¡±


    Moving over to her, I say ¡°Mariana what are you doing, we should probably back off from it.¡±


    Jumping up, she stands on her two feet and says, ¡°I need to dance!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°This feeling welling up inside of me, is the same as when I used to stare upon all the flowers and uncontrollable excitement.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just start dancing!¡±


    ¡°Look around, have we seen any guards? It¡¯s been weeks since we truly have seen anyone other than D¨®nal, so I don¡¯t see the issue.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct but.¡±


    Ignoring me, she runs forward, and begins to spin and spin, then stopping she claps her hands and continues to dance.


    Mariana is still wearing the clothes she had on when she came, although they have grown more and more tattered with her stay, they are still rather intact. This combined with the falling embers, her smile, and her dancing memorizes me, causing me to clap as well.


    Unbeknownst to Nero, his clapping caused Charles to start clapping beside him, and the scene the three of them were making started to attract more and more attention from the people.


    Seeing Nero, clapping Mariana runs toward him, and grabs him saying, ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there join in.¡±


    ¡°No way I can¡¯t dance, it is impossible.¡±


    Pulling him, towards her, she says, ¡°Nothing is impossible.¡±


    Then with Nero¡¯s hand interlocking with her own, she starts to dance with him. But then he steps on her foot which causes him to freak, out and say, ¡°Sorry!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, everyone does it when they start. All you need to do is relax and enjoy the moment with me, and I am sure you will be able to dance.¡±


    Together with Nero, Mariana leads and together they dance while the fire falls down. The continuous dance causes a smile, to appear on Nero¡¯s face as it does with Mariana as well.


    Seeing this Charles starts to clap harder and harder, and in the crowd behind him more and more claps start to appear.


    Then in the distance from the Merarks encircling everyone an exciting sound starts to emanate from all of them, and beside a Merark, D¨®nal says, ¡°It seems the sound the humans are making are exciting them.¡±


    As everyone continues to clap them on Mariana lets go of Nero, and runs towards the crowd grabbing the hands of people and pulling them over towards her, she says, ¡°Come on and dance with us. It''s way more fun if we do it together.¡±


    Mariana pulls and throws person after person near the fire and leads them all teaching each one to dance beside her and Nero. And soon just like how the pyre was quickly set ablaze Mariana¡¯s fervour quickly spread to a lot of others.


    But some sat out, with mean looks on their faces. One such of these people was a man named Edward a man who was not only involved in Charles''s beatings but led the group.


    And in front of him to his dismay, Charles appeared and asked, ¡°Do you want to dance.¡±


    Seeing Charles''s face, images of his young daughter flashed in his mind, and he says, ¡°Get the fuck away from me devil child.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Even more angered he says, ¡°You know I truly despise you. Here you are playing with your friends knowing full well if it wasn¡¯t for you traitorous parents our home wouldn¡¯t have fallen to the beastkin. All the members of our home of Wolleland. So get out of my face before I beat you up!¡±


    ¡°If you attacked me, Nero would beat you up again.¡±


    ¡°You brat.¡±


    ¡°I never understood you before because I never had a family. But now I do have three family members and I understand why you hate me, I understand what you had and how much it hurt to lose it. Yet I can¡¯t do anything to fix that but I can do this.¡±


    Grabbing his hand Charles pulls Edward towards the rest of the people. As Edward resists, he says, ¡°How are you this strong!?¡±


    ¡°I have always been.¡±


    ¡°Let me go!¡±


    ¡°No! I can never make you as happy as you were when you had a family, but I can still allow you to have some happiness. So come and dance with everyone.¡±


    Raising my fist, I prepare to hit him, but in that moment, I see his face and I see that the boy looks like he is about to cry. No matter how many times I have hit him over the years he never so much as shed a tear yet right now he looks like a child who is about to cry when his parents won¡¯t show him attention.


    Pulling my fist back, I say, ¡°What have I been doing?¡±


    ¡°Good job Dad,¡± I hear from my left side.


    Turning my head to the left, I see something that¡¯s almost see-through in the shape of my daughter, and as I lock eyes with it the spirit disappears.


    A smile appears on Edward''s face and whilst he smiles he allows Charles to pull him towards everyone.


    Soon a large amount of people are dancing, and one woman grabs Mariana who says, ¡°I guessed it could only be you who started it.¡±


    Seeing the woman who grabbed her, Mariana jumps and give her a hug while saying, ¡°LOLA!¡±


    ¡°I missed you, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been, I didn¡¯t even know you were in this plantation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were here either, I have barely seen anyone from our island here, so I was concerned.¡±


    Seeing them hug, Nero says, ¡°Is that the Lola whose Husband cheated on her with her mom.¡±


    Lola stops for a moment and says, ¡°How do you know about that!?¡±


    Nero looks at Mariana, which causes Lola to look at Mariana, and this causes Mariana to go, ¡°Teehee!¡±


    ¡°MARIANA!¡±


    Grabbing Nero Mariana runs away from Lola and start to dance in the crowd of people, and says, ¡°Time to dance!¡±


    Samhain; a day when the worlds of the dead and the living are said to be the closest, and on that day the slaves dance, they chatted, they laughed and they cried, while the spirits of those they knew watch over them from afar.


    Upon his cliff, watching the sight of all of the humans dancing D¨®nal could only say, ¡°I guess insects isn¡¯t a word one could use to describe them.¡±

 Interlude 2.29: United part 1

    5 months later


    Location: D¨®nal office


    ¦µ Sitting over his desk, D¨®nal holds his hands against his head in full despair. ¡°What am I going to do, what am I going to do.¡±


    Looking down at the paper in front of him, he says, ¡°The delivery of those special goods will be any day now, and I don¡¯t have the manpower to deal with them. Everyone has gone back home for Imbolc, and they haven¡¯t come back yet.¡±


    Due to his cowardice when all the workers asked for an extra two months off during the Imbolc celebration, he said yes even though just like Samhain it left him to be the only worker left in the plantation.


    ¡°I SHOULD HAVE PUT MY FOOT DOWN!¡±


    Suddenly an idea pops into D¨®nal head which causes him to say, ¡°Wait that might work.¡±


    Grabbing his hands, he puts them against his head and says, ¡°No, this work is specifically supposed to be handled by the Tuatha de Dann on the plantation, if I let them help it would be a vile abuse of my position.


    And when all the other workers do come back, what excuse am I going to use to explain what I have been doing? I could just keep them on leave, but that only costs more problems for me overall.¡±


    Rubbing his hands against his head even faster, D¨®nal screams, ¡°CHARLES SAVE ME!¡±


    Looking around, I realize it is only me around, so I say, ¡°It is not like I have any other option, and I have already broken our laws once what¡¯s a second time(Criminal logic). I just got to go with it!¡±


    -Break-


    A few days later


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¦µ In the middle of the forest Charles, Nero, and Mariana look at the projections of the omega owl and take down notes.


    Charles looks curious and interested, and Nero looks relaxed as if the words being said make perfect sense to him. At the same time, Mariana is shaking with frustration as most of it goes over her head.


    As her frustration reaches its max, Mariana slams her hands against the ground and screams, ¡°I DON¡¯T GET IT!¡±


    Charles looks at Nero and says, ¡°It¡¯s happening again.¡±


    Letting out a giant, sigh Nero says, ¡°Just ignore her if you do she should get back to studying like normal.¡±


    As Mariana throws a fit beside them, she eventually notices they aren¡¯t paying any attention to her, so she throws a rock right at the Omega owl.


    This causes the omega owl, to run towards Charles''s arms, and Nero to turn around in frustration saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t hear your wines, I need you to spea-.¡± Before Mariana can finish Charles throws some of the mud around right into her face.


    With a playful smile, Nero says, ¡°Oh sorry I don¡¯t speak mud monster, so could you speak up!¡±


    A smile matching Nero appears on her face, and she says, ¡°Well if that¡¯s how you want to play it let¡¯s go.¡±


    Picking up mud, Marina throws is directly at Charles.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    As the three return from their day at work, Charles looks over to the two covered in mud, and says, ¡°Bad job,¡± While sticking up his thumb.


    ¡°WE KNOW,¡± Both Charles and Mariana say in unison.


    Seeing all three kids at the entrance, Edward waves to them, and says, ¡°How you guys doing?¡±


    Seeing Edward Nero, says, ¡°Horribly!¡±


    ¡°Well, that is strange considering I didn¡¯t see you guys at all during the castle construction today. But yet you do all look ragged, so can you finally tell me where you have all been scurrying off to?¡±


    Pointing at Edward, Mariana says, ¡°If you ask too many questions we will be forced to ground you permanently!"


    With a piece of sweat, trickling down his face, Edward says, ¡°Ok, ok. I like being alive.¡±


    Turning his face to Charles, he says, ¡°Where sharing stories over there, do you want to come along, I can tell you more about our home country?¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Charles putting up both his arms in joy says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    As Charles walks away with Gheorge both me and Mariana head towards the other direction.


    Ever since Samhain, everyone around the campsite is a lot friendlier with each other and it isn¡¯t as tense as it used to be. Now after work, a lot of people simply sit down and talk to each other.


    Talking with each other would have been hard if the beastkin were still around, but ever since the end of the first month of the year all the beastkin have disappeared and things are like how they were when Samhain was going on with only D¨®nal around.


    And this has benefits, like us getting to walk around the campsite all we want after work, but also things like this.


    In front of me and Mariana are buckets filled with water.


    Instead of the beastkin simply splashing us with water now buckets are simply left out for us to use to splash ourselves.


    Walking away from the bucket, a woman by the name of Sandra says, ¡°You guys are really dirty, what happened.¡±


    ¡°NERO THREW DIRT AT ME!¡±


    ¡°MARIANA STARTED IT!¡±


    After letting out a little laugh, Sandra says, ¡°Almost everyone has had a bath, so don¡¯t worry about using as much water as you need.¡± With that, Sandra walks away.


    If this had been before Samhain, we would have all been fighting over who gets to use the most water, it would have been hell. But since all of us are on rather good terms, it is nice like this.


    Still, with every new victory, we get a new problem, like the girl next to me. ¡°So Mariana would you like to tell me what that whole freak out was about.¡±


    ¡°It was about the fact that nothing is making sense to me.¡±


    ¡°When we first started you were ahead of both me and Charles but since then you have steadily started to fall behind the both of us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that already! It is really just getting boring and no longer sticking in my mind. I can¡¯t be like Charles who gets excited over every new thing he sees, my passion is dying as we speak.¡±


    ¡°I get what you mean, while he struggles to understand he constantly shows an interest and is constantly excited while learning.¡±


    ¡°Well, then what about you Nero, what makes you work so hard that you even surpass Charles''s speed in learning.¡±


    With a thoughtful look, Nero says, ¡°Simple, I would like to give both you and Charles a better life.¡±


    Surprised Mariana says, ¡°Huh? That can¡¯t really be your reason.¡±


    ¡°It might be hard to believe but it really is all I can think about. I noticed that by simply doing this little bit of studying I might one day be able to take all of us out of here and to somewhere a bit better.¡±


    Mariana blushes then she moves her face completely out of the direction of Nero.


    Concerned Nero asks, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°NOTHING!¡± Mariana screams.


    ¡°Ok then!?¡± Nero says surprised.


    Realizing something, Mariana says, ¡°Well there is actually a question I want to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± I say while using water to clean one of my dirty arms.


    ¡°Do you think it is even necessary to still learn their language?¡±


    Stopping my action, I look at Mariana and say, ¡°What are you on about you know why we have to do this?¡±


    ¡°I know that, but in all honesty, we both know that the amount of Beastkin watching us has decreased drastically, ever since D¨®nal became the boss. The only thing keeping any of us here are the Merarks that are at certain points in the plantation.¡±


    The fact that the amount of beastkin not only watching us but in general has dropped isn¡¯t something that has escaped the notice of any of us. Quite probably due to D¨®nal¡¯s shitty leadership.


    ¡°So what Mariana, what do you want us to do try and run for it?


    Getting up and moving close to my face, she says, ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. We could all just make a break for it and run away. Animals are dumb we should be able to outsmart them.¡±


    ¡°Stop right there Mariana. Wonderbeasts are not like any other animals, they are fiercely good at hunting their prey. I know you didn¡¯t have many on your island, but my clan has had to deal with lots of them and they aren¡¯t easy.¡±


    ¡°We could just learn their patterns instead, with that information we would be able to make a break for it. D¨®nal is incompetent, and we have a lot more allies than we used to so it could be possible.¡±


    ¡°Then we still run into a similar issue from before; we don¡¯t know where the hell we are even going to go. For all we know we could run into another beastkin plantation that¡¯s why using their language to gain info was our number one strategy.


    We haven¡¯t brought anyone else into our strategy due to safety issues, and I doubt any of them would be willing to bet their lives on an insane plan like that especially when we have other options.¡±


    ¡°Still, we have an opportunity now that might not exist in the future. So shouldn¡¯t we capitalise on it?¡±


    ¡°We made a promise to pick the safer option already, we can¡¯t put Charles''s safety at risk.¡±


    ¡°For all we know D¨®nal might get transferred out of here because of his horrible leadership, and when that happens we could get someone a lot worse than him in his place and that would be the end of all our benefits!¡±


    ¡°We already discussed this, so why are you even turning this into a fight.¡±


    ¡°Because I suck!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get the material, and then when I struggle I make sure to ruin both you and Charles''s concentration. I was the one who proposed this plan yet I am the one who is struggling the most it is so pathetic!¡±


    ¡°STOP BEING A MORON!¡± Nero shouts at Mariana.


    Shocked by his loud tone Mariana instantly quiets down, and as she does Nero says, ¡°You are the only reason I am even trying this hard, if it wasn¡¯t for you giving me hope I wouldn¡¯t even have tried to learn their language, I would deem it too dangerous and leave it at that.


    Not only that but thanks to you everyone in the plantation has been able to become friends, in the entire time we were here I haven¡¯t been able to do anything of the sort.


    Charles and everyone else is a lot happier thanks to you, so shut your stupid face and don¡¯t talk down about the person who gave me hope, you fool!¡±


    As Nero stops his rant to regain his breath, him and Mariana just start to stare at each other, until both of them turn red.


    Suddenly Mariana jumps up and grabs a bucket of water, causing Nero to ask, ¡°WHERE ARE YOU GOING!¡±


    ¡°BACK TO THE HUT!¡±


    ¡°WHY!?¡±


    ¡°TO BATHE!¡±


    ¡°HAVE A GOOD ONE!¡±


    ¡°YOU TO!¡±


    As Mariana walks away Nero starts to take off his clothes, but then from behind him, he feels someone blow into his ear.


    Moving forward with a blush he turns around, and says, ¡°Mariana what is that for!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was just wondering if you wanted to take a bath with me?¡±


    As Nero goes bright red he says, ¡°LIKE HELL I WOULD WANT TO.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad see you,¡± Mariana says with a victorious smile.


    As Mariana leaves, Nero crouches down, and as he does a man named Pluso walks up to him and says, ¡°Bath time, bath time. Huh, Nero what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°CROUCHING DOWN!¡±


    Taken aback, Pluso says, ¡°I know that, but why?¡±


    ¡°Because if I stand up, a certain part of myself will become very visible!¡±

 Interlude 2.30: United part 2

    The next day


    In front of me, I see the two faces that matter most to me; my parents. I run towards my father who picks me up, and in his arms, I give a kiss to both of my parents on their cheeks and say, ¡°I want to see you both so much.¡±


    My father rubs my head and says, ¡°I know you do, but you can¡¯t come see us.¡±


    ¡°But without you both I am all alone in this world.¡±


    My mother says, ¡°Mariana you know as well as I do that is not true, god would never allow it.¡±


    My father says, ¡°While it might be years till you see us again, that doesn¡¯t mean you need to cry. All you need is to cherish those would you have around you.¡±


    In unison, they both say, ¡°Bye Mariana.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I rub the tears in them away and say, ¡°Another one of those dreams. I guess my fears of my mother''s fate are still bothering me.¡±


    Sitting up and looking at Charles and Nero, I say, ¡°Well even if it is just a dream I should heed them.¡±


    Suddenly Nero sits up and starts to throw up, so I say, ¡°Another bad dream?¡±


    After he finishes he sticks his thumb up and says, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Standing up I go over to him and give him a hug, saying ¡°It will get better.¡±


    Blushing Nero says, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Simply comforting my friend. What can¡¯t handle it?¡±


    Looking away from me, he says, ¡°If you touch me for too long weird things start to happen.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Like what?¡±


    Turning even more red, he breaks my grip and says, ¡°Just leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was trying to help!¡±


    As Mariana and Nero fight, Charles walks up and after looking at them he smiles, and says, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Suddenly from outside all three of them hear from a very familiar voice, ¡°All of you humans gather outside the entrance at once!¡±


    Charles says, ¡°Was that D¨®nal?¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Animal pens


    As Mariana, Nero, and Charles stand in a crowd alongside everyone else in their Campsite, they start at D¨®nal who is standing on a podium in front of them all with two Merarks by his side.


    Holding a shatter shell up to his mouth, D¨®nal says, ¡°As of today everyone who currently works in your campsite will be working half the hours and the other half will be spent here, you insec-, I mean you humans.


    The work will entail taking care of animals. Each and every one of you will be assigned animals to take care of and their each and individual maintenance will be up to you for the foreseeable future.


    If anything were to happen to negatively affect the animals during their stay here I will make sure the one responsible will be severely punished.¡± As D¨®nal finishes his speech, the Merarks open their mouths open and growl frightening the crowd.


    But as others look on with terror Mariana and Nero have very plain faces.


    Without a doubt he messed up and couldn¡¯t get anyone else to take care of this job so he is making us do it; is what Mariana thought in her head.


    He probably chose our campsite because he thinks he is most familiar with us, if he had picked another campsite he might have actually scared them into submission; which is what Nero thinks to himself.


    As D¨®nal starts down at the crowd he sees both Mariana and Nero giving him looks of pity. These looks cause panic to start appearing on D¨®nal face so he says, ¡°ALL OF YOU LINE UP AN-ND RECEIVE YOUR ASSIGMENTS.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking over to the animals they were assigned Mariana looks in front of herself, and says, ¡°Is that a pig?¡±


    Looking over to Nero¡¯s horse, she says, ¡°Hey switch with me!¡±


    With a smug expression, Nero says, ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining and learn to enjoy what you have like Charles.¡±


    Turning around, Mariana looks at Charles and says, ¡°Is that a cow.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°Is that what it is?¡±


    Nero says, ¡°Yep, they are rather delicious.¡±


    Staring directly into its eyes Charles says, ¡°You¡¯re very cute Blu two.¡±


    He named it! This is what Mariana and Charles think at that moment.


    Putting her arms up with fervour, Mariana says, ¡°I won''t let this get me down!"


    -Break-


    All those of the campsite who were made to take care of the animals had to do many jobs but the three main ones that everyone did were the to.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Feed the animals.


    Handing the pig in front of her some vegetables, Mariana squeals as it jumps for her to take it. Looking over to Nero, she says, ¡°It¡¯s eating it out of my hands, help me!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry pigs are nice.¡±


    Charles beside both of them says to his calf, ¡°Eat lots ok Blu two.¡±


    -Break-


    Clean the animals.


    With a sponge in her hands, Mariana hesitates to rub the pig''s body. But then Nero says, ¡°Coward!¡± Using a cough afterwards to cover up the sound, but still loud enough for her to hear.


    Spurred on by this, Mariana says, ¡°JUST WATCH ME!¡±


    With passion filling her veins, Mariana starts to scrub the pig and as she does it starts to fall down and make cute noise.


    With a surprised expression, Mariana says, ¡°You¡¯re actually kind of cute.¡±


    Beside them, Charles rubs his calf saying, ¡°Get nice and clean.¡±


    -Break-


    Walk the Animals.


    As Mariana runs through a pasture of grass the pig follows close behind her, and as it does she eventually stops causing the pig to jump into her arms and knock her down.


    ¡°Pinky you really are such a good girl.¡±


    Looking from afar, Nero says, ¡°She really can switch things up as her mood changes, what a beast.¡±


    From behind him, Nero is hit by his horse''s head. Turning around, Nero says, ¡°Was I not giving you enough attention? Sorry she was just shining a bit too much, but I hope this is enough relaxation to refresh her.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day.


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    As the video plays for Mariana, Nero and Charles, Nero stares at Mariana who is making a very stiff face.


    Concerned he says, ¡°Is everything ok with you.¡±


    With her face growing even more stiff, she says, ¡°Everything is fine!¡±


    As Nero goes back to face the projection, he thinks to himself; I guess relaxation wasn¡¯t enough to get her to do better here.


    Moments later Mariana throws her hands into the sky and screams, ¡°I DON¡¯T GET IT. Why the hell is the word for pink, a mixture of the words for red and white


    -Break-


    One week later


    Location: Animal pens


    Nero while tending to his horse, looks down at Mariana who is lying against her pig completely mentally exhausted.


    Sighing Nero, says, ¡°What am I going to do with her.¡±


    Behind him, Sandra and Pluso who are also tending to their animals; a sheep, and cow respectively, ask, ¡°Is everything ok with Mariana?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she is just feeling down.¡± I freeze for a moment; I need to make up some excuse fast, ¡°Because of- rain. Yeah, because of rain.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°I see so it is because of whatever you guys always sneak off to do.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°Well cheer up Mariana, I hope you can be happy just like my Raimarron here.¡±


    With her face still against her pig, Mariana turns her head to face Pluso and says, ¡°You named your cow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing like that, Raimarron is simply what we call cows back home.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why is that?¡± Mariana asks confused.


    ¡°A long time ago, there was a woman named Raia in our village who ate a lot of cows in our village, so much so that she almost wiped out the entire population of cows. Her hair was also a rather peculiar colour which was very close to the plant named Marronaity. So we started calling cows Raimarron thanks to that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really funny,¡± Nero says with a mini smile.


    But behind him, Mariana says, ¡°To name something you combined the names of things in your surroundings.¡±


    Sitting up, Mariana stares at Sandra and pluso then asks, ¡°Hey does red and white have anything to do with pink?¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°I believe the mixture of red and white makes pink.¡±


    With a look of pure concentration, Mariana says, ¡°That was some sort of correlation.¡±


    Staring at Mariana, Sandra smiles and says, ¡°You know, a long time ago the great sage Cordum visited my people.¡±


    Nero, Pluso, and Mariana have extremely unimpressed looks on their faces.


    ¡°Yeah Cordum has visited almost all of our people at different points in time,¡± Nero says.


    A little annoyed, Sandra says, ¡°Just listen to me! During that time she told us something really important; that languages are derived from their environment. So the differences behind each country''s words can tell you a lot about said country.¡±


    Mariana pauses for a moment after hearing this, then jumps up with passion and says, ¡°I Can Definitely do this now!¡±


    Pluso asks, ¡°Do what per se?¡±


    ¡°Silence Pluso, because if you ask any more questions I will have to bury you alive.¡±


    Pluso with a tired expression, says, ¡°You really threaten murder quite often.¡±


    Nero with a sigh, says, ¡°It is just part of her charm at this point.¡±


    Turning to Sandra, Mariana gives her a smile, and says, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    ¡°I need to go do some stud-.¡± Nero stops her sentence by hitting her on the head.


    ¡°Watch what you say!¡±


    With a fury Mariana starts to turn around to attack Nero, but then suddenly a loud noise happens outside.


    After a moment of initial shock, they all run towards it.


    There they and all others who ran towards the sound were greeted with a certain sight. One of a giant cow standing next to Charles''s calf, while just a little bit away from them lies Charles with some blood flowing down his head, as Edward lies on the ground in front of them.


    Running over towards them all, Nero asks, ¡°What happened.¡±


    Charles with slight distress in his face, says, ¡°That big cow started to run towards me, and Edward got in the way to protect me from the bow, and now he is injured.¡±


    Nero getting close, says we just need to patch him up then.


    Suddenly another voice roars through the area but it is a familiar one. D¨®nal shouts, ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!¡± While seething with rage.


    He walks over to us, his eyes transfixed to Charles.


    This is bad, the only thing D¨®nal cares about is Charles, and now he is injured.


    Moving over to D¨®nal, I explain the situation, and the very moment I finish, he looks at Nati, and says, ¡°It was your job to mind this cow.¡±


    Scared he says, ¡°Sorry, it just started to run.¡±


    D¨®nal slaps him across the face with a force I didn¡¯t know he could muster. ¡°DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH YOU DUMB HUMAN!¡±


    As the area falls silent, Edward looks at D¨®nal and says, ¡°This was your fault anyway.¡±


    ¡°What was that human!¡±


    ¡°Nati stop,¡± I say.


    Sandra says, ¡°No, it is his fault it happened anyway. You split up a mother from its newly born calf, what did you think was going happen when they ended up seeing each other again? And the way you have us managing all the animals is random and inefficient, it is like you don¡¯t even know how to do your job.¡±


    ¦µ Feeling a sick feeling in my stomach, I shout, ¡°SHUT UP! What do you think gives any of the rest of you the right to talk to me. You¡¯re all scum who deserves to be looked down on because from the moment of birth you were all inferior. If I ask you to jump you jump, if I ask you to run you run, if I ask you to die you die, even if I lock you in boxes till you suffocate you say th-.¡±


    Suddenly images of my childhood flash into my mind; Aren¡¯t they just like me them?


    Stopping my rant, I look around to see the countless faces of hatred and disdain, something all too familiar to me, so I say, ¡°All of you get back to work.¡± Then run off.


    ¦µ As D¨®nal leaves I see everyone huddle around each other and talk.


    ¡°Thanks for standing up for me.¡±


    ¡°No worries, you did nothing wrong, and if anything Sandra said more than me.¡±


    ¡°Just said what was necessary. Now let¡¯s get you and Charles bandaged up.¡±


    Walking up beside me, Mariana says, ¡°Hey Charles?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°One day, I want to make it so that none of us are slaves.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to work hard.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¡°I STILL DON¡¯T GET IT.¡±


    Nero says, ¡°Did you think you would just start magically understanding everything after yesterday.¡±


    Dejected, Mariana says, ¡°Yep.¡±


    Rubbing her head, Charles says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Getting up with passion, she says, ¡°All I have to do is simply keep going till I win.¡±


    Nero says, ¡°This isn¡¯t a battle, but I do get what you mean. So let¡¯s do this.¡±


    With a more flavoury than usual tone, Charles says, ¡°Yes!¡±


    So the three studied with all of their heart and as they did time passed.


    Three years later

 Interlude 2.31: United part 3

    -Break-


    Location: Paths towards the campsite


    ¦µ Led by a beastkin, a group of slaves walk towards the campsite. They are scared, sick, feeble, and angry.


    They don¡¯t know what to do, should they run? Should they fight? Despite having these thoughts run through their minds they all universally do the same thing; remain obedient.


    Within this crowd though, a young girl cries as she rubs his freshly put-on brand. It is so sore that she doesn¡¯t know what to do except hold it till it calms down, but every time her hands touch it she shrieks.


    But her crying and shrieking annoys the beastkin near her so he stops the entire crowd of slaves, and then reaches for the kid picking her out and raising her by the neck.


    ¡°Let me explain something to you parasite, you no longer need to make any noise out of your mouth except to breathe. You will never be asked any questions, just given orders because you are a slave, so those pointless cries and whimpers stop right now.¡±


    The beastkin drops the girl and then starts to lead all the slaves towards the campsites. The girl still feeling pain and sadness wants to cry with all her heart but inside of him there is something that overtakes that feeling completely; fear.


    The group of slaves were marched right into their campsites with the girl being brought to her own.


    They broke off everyone into groups and sent them into tiny little huts of their own, and after some time had passed there was only one person left in line, the young girl.


    The beastkin who was leading them, looked at her and says, ¡°This is your punishment.¡±


    Then directs her towards a hut, but unlike every other hut it was empty, the girl had no roommates. So she simply just went inside and laid down. She wanted to cry, but due to the fear of the retribution she might face, he held it in and just slept.


    -Break-


    From her slumber, the girl slowly opens his eyes, and ass he looks up she sees an unfamiliar human face staring down at her, then moments later the person says, ¡°You¡¯re finally up!¡±


    The girl instantly moves to the edge of the room and is about to scream, but she puts her hands over her mouth to stop himself from making noise. Then with a quiet whisper, she says, ¡°Who are you.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I should have led with that, my name is Nero Animus, and it is nice to me you, so can I have your name, oh wait it is probably ms snores a lot.¡±


    The girl freezes for a moment thinking about Nero¡¯s words, and then her head fills with steam as she quietly says, ¡°I don¡¯t snore a lot!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie, I was watching you for a while and boy do you snore, my father didn¡¯t even snore that much when I was a child!¡±


    With her embarrassment increasing she says, ¡°I DIDN¡¯T¡¯ SNORE!¡±


    With a smile, Nero says, ¡°Looks like you still have some life in you after all.¡±


    Realizing what just happened, she covers her mouth and whispers, ¡°That wasn¡¯t a nice thing to do. If you keep making me speak up those monsters will come and attack us.¡±


    With a nonchalant face, he says, ¡°Oh you don¡¯t have to worry about them.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°They usually only are around on the days the new slaves come in, and then they usually fuck off and go lazy around. It used to be them just going away for celebration, but their laziness has increased over the past few years.¡±


    ¡°I see, but that still doesn¡¯t explain my question.¡±


    ¡°What question the great snoring empress?¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S Not my name!¡± Huffing and puffing towards him, I recompose myself and say, ¡°Why are you here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, simple just to introduce you to here. Despite almost doing no work, they still all like to punish us whenever they see us messing up, so all of us at this campsite have decided to train all of the newbies to make sure no punishments get dished out.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re here to help me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Because I am the very incarnation of the sun, and I am here to put some spirit in your dull body.¡±


    ¡°I am not dull.¡±


    ¡°I hope so because the people around here can use a little more excitement.¡± Standing up, he reaches out his hand and says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Looking up at him, I pause for a moment. Even though he is wearing tattered clothes and looks rather ragged he still has a noble, if not heavenly feel to him.


    Shyly, I reach out my hand and grab his.


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Standing in front of giant flowers, Nero says, ¡°Your first job will be to pick seeds from these lovely flowers here. These kind fellows tend to move around a lot, so you got to be precise.¡±


    Moving forward, Nero brings his hand close, but the giant flowers move away, and turn away from Nero, then it tries to strike him with its steam but it misses and at the moment Nero pulls out its seed.


    Facing me, he says, ¡°Like so.¡± With a smug expression he says, ¡°It might take you a while for your first try, so don¡¯t feel down if you can¡¯t get it.¡±


    Moving forward, I try to pick out the seeds, but the flowers dodge and it tries to strike me. I dodge out of the way and at the same time I grab a seed.


    Facing Nero, I say, ¡°Like so.¡±


    With a face of surprize, he says, ¡°How did you do that so easily.¡±


    ¡°Where I am from has some flowers just like this, but instead of hitting you they spray poisonous gas in your face, so you have to be extra careful.¡±


    Nero bows down, and says, ¡°You win this round, I admit your superior.¡±


    Looking at him bowing to me, I freak out and say, ¡°Please stop that!?¡±


    Jumping up he says, ¡°But experience matters more than anything, I still have tomorrow to show you my utter mastery.¡±


    Seeing his proud face I can¡¯t help but giggle a bit.


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Scortha fields


    With a hoe in hand, I strike the dry soil under my and say with sweat trickling down my forehead, ¡°TOO HOT!¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the covering made of leaves I have over me I would be dead.


    ¡°Hahaha, looks like it is my win today.¡± Nero Laughs as he continues to toil away at the soil.


    Hearing his words annoys me, so I say, ¡°Don¡¯t count me out yet,¡± And start to toil away just like Nero.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite a bit stronger than you¡¯re frame would have me believe?¡±


    ¡°The place I am from had many different farming techniques passed down to us by the great sage Cordum, so dealing with farm work is something I am very familiar with. And I would say from the way you work it is similar for you.¡±


    Nero pauses for a moment, then smiles and says, ¡°No my people never had a homeland, so we always just kept moving around so we had absolutely no use for farming. We used to just live off the land it was a lot of fun, but now those are just distant memories.¡±


    As Nero becomes silent, I say, ¡°Sorry for bringing up such a thing.¡±


    With a bright smile, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I might have lost what I had before but right now I have two giant suns in my life so I have no reason to feel sad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Now enough talk, all that is left is victory!¡± Nero proceeds to speed up and start to toil away at the land even faster.


    So I do the same and try to compete, but the heat has started to really get under my skin. But Nero continues to work as if he is unaffected by it.


    Looking over at him, I say, ¡°How are you even able to keep going for so long, I feel like I am about to die just being here.¡±


    ¡°Simple the more you work, the woozier things become, soon your body, mind and soul will all become completely numb, and when you reach that stage of complete inability to feel anything you realize that you can keep going.¡±


    Looking at the happy yet somewhat unnerving look he has on his face, I ask, ¡°Nero are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I think I am about to throw up.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    As the beastkin talk loudly around us, I walk with Nero towards a nearly fully built castle with a spade in hand. Beside me with his head down, Nero says, ¡°I am sorry about yesterday.¡±


    Rubbing a wound on my cheek, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You were only working so hard to entertain me anyways, who could have guessed you would have gotten sick.¡±


    Still dejected he says, ¡°I should have known better because when the beastkin saw what happened they hit the both of us across our cheeks.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, and anyways doesn¡¯t the marking look sort of cool, if anything it just makes us look better!¡±


    He looks at me and smiles, then he moves the part of his face next to the part of my face that has a scar, and says, ¡°We sort of match don¡¯t we.¡±


    Flustered, I move him away and say, ¡°Stop that.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry I was told not to go around touching girls. Apparently, people have complained that I keep intruding on their space.¡±


    Stopping for a moment, I look at him and say, ¡°Yeah I can see that.¡±


    ¡°I am feeling some disrespect in that comm-.¡± Stopping his sentence, Nero grabs and pulls me towards him.


    I am about to freak out, but right before that, I notice that a rock lands where I was just standing.


    Looking over at it, I say, ¡°Did you just save me?¡±


    Letting go he says, ¡°I just heard someone say they were going to throw it as far as possible, so I moved you out of the way in time. Sorry about having to touch you though.¡±


    Blushing, I say, ¡°Oh no problem.¡± Suddenly I realize something, so I say, ¡°No one is talking except the beastkin in their language, so who did you hear?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡±


    ¡°Come on tell me please?¡±


    ¡°If you want to know information about me, you should relieve information about yourself first.¡±


    ¡°Well, back home they used to call me the animal whisperer because I was always really good with them.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡±


    ¡°Then you might come in hand a little bit down the line.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Another secret of mine.¡±


    ¡°Hey you told me it I tell you mine, and you will tell me yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh did I?¡± Nero instantly makes a break for the castle.


    ¡°Hey wait up!¡± I say as I run after him.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    As the girl lays in her hut¡¯s floor she is suddenly hit on the stomach which causes her to get up.


    Looking in her hut, she sees that Nero is sitting beside her with his hand in a fist, so she says, ¡°YOU!¡± And tries to strike Nero.


    But before she can hit him, he dodges and grabs her hand saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As they run out of the hut, she says, ¡°If the beastkin see us talking during the night they will attack us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they have all already started lazying about elsewhere so we are safe to move out during the night.¡±


    ¡°Where are you taking me, Nero?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Nero says as he stops running.


    In front of the girl is everyone at the campsite gathered together in one big group talking to each other.


    ¡°Not that the beastkin, has left we can finally have a proper welcome party for all of you. We do this every year and we can finally do one for all of you.¡±


    Confused, I look at him and say, ¡°But why would you guys do all of this for us?¡±


    ¡°Because we might all not want to be here but that doesn¡¯t mean while we are here we have to be lonely, so will you join us, ummm what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Statilia.¡±


    ¡°I see well let¡¯s go have fun.¡±


    ¡°Led the way, Nero."

 Interlude 2.32: The Animus family part 1

    -Break-


    As Statilla talks to members of the campsite, she smiles with all her heart and soul. She tries to be completely and utterly defenceless as she tries to allow people to come near her heart, but still, she can¡¯t help but be rigid,  and one man seeing this decides he must do something about it.


    Moving up stealthily behind her, Nero puts his hands on her waist and starts to tickle her nonstop.


    As she laughs, she says, ¡°What are you doing Nero!?¡±


    ¡°You are being way too closed off, let out the beast that I have seen these past three days.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± She says while laughing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±


    As Nero continues to tickle her, she continues to laugh, until she is able to gain enough power to grab him and throw him right onto the ground. Then while she towers over him Statilla starts to pound his head with her foot repeatedly.


    Nero screams in terror, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Statilla with a demonic smile, says, ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!¡±


    Statlilla continues to stamp against Nero¡¯s head for a little while until she runs out of breath. ¡°Next time you do that I will stomp out your privates.¡±


    Beaten on the ground, Nero says, ¡°Yes mam.¡±


    Behind the both of them, a string of claps go off, and with countless people in the campsite making faces of wonder.


    Turning around in shock, Statilla says, ¡°Sorry for my barbaric behaviour.¡±


    But to her surprise, the members of the campsite sing her praises.


    ¡°That throw was amazing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know a dainty girl like you could pull off something like that.¡±


    ¡°You got some arm strength.¡±


    Charles sticks up his thumb at her and says, ¡°Good job!¡±


    All this praise causes Statilla to blush and say, ¡°It was no big deal, I simply did it on reflex. If you guys would like to know I could teach you.¡±


    The group of people rush up towards Statilla and put up their hands saying, ¡°I would love to know.¡±


    ¡°Teach me.¡±


    ¡°I want to know how to beat Nero¡¯s butt as well.¡±


    Nero screams, ¡°HEY YOU TRAITORS WHAT¡¯S WITH THIS BETRAYAL! ESPECIALLY YOU CHARLES!¡±


    Charles moving over to Nero says, ¡°You caused this for yourself.¡±


    ¡°HOW!¡±


    Charles moving close to Nero¡¯s ear says, ¡°Because they all still remember how you used the technique D¨®nal taught you to beat them up.¡±


    Nero screams, ¡°YOU PETTY LITTLE CHILDREN THAT WAS OVER FOUR YEARS AGO GROW UP!¡±


    The crowd screams back, ¡°YOU GROW UP, WE STILL HAVE SCARS!¡±


    Standing up, Nero says, ¡°Well then I will give you more.¡±


    As Nero prepares to walk forward, grabs his arm and knocks him on the floor and while on the floor she puts him in a grapple hold. Nero screams in pain but he is completely ignored.


    Then looking at the crowd, she says, ¡°If you put your foe in a move like this, you can break their arm really easily.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says.


    Moving over to Nero¡¯s other arm, Charles copies the same move Statilla just used on his free arm.


    ¡°Like this?¡± Charles asks.


    ¡°Woah that¡¯s an almost perfect copy, you''re really talented!¡±


    Suddenly a voice says to us all, ¡°What¡¯s going on here.¡±


    Turning my head, I look at who is speaking and I see a woman with a rather huge belly.


    Charles who is still holding onto his arm, lets go and gets up then runs towards the woman. ¡°Sandra we were practising offensive attacks on Nero.¡±


    Sighing, the woman says, ¡°Could you all please stop this noise isn¡¯t good for me or the little one.¡±


    Realizing what I am seeing I let go and get on my hands and knees in front of Sandra and say, ¡°Sorry for disturbing you and your baby.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that it is embarrassing.¡±


    As I arise from the floor, Charles says, ¡°But you married Pluso, so doesn¡¯t that mean you don¡¯t care about embarrassing things?¡± Charles says.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sighing, Sandra says, ¡°If that sentence had come out of anyone else¡¯s mouth they would deserve a slap, Charles.¡±


    Charles asks, ¡°Is what I said bad?¡±


    Screaming at him, I say, ¡°YES!¡±


    Sandra then holds her stomach, while making a pained face. Freaking out, I say, ¡°Is something wrong, is the baby coming now?¡±


    ¡°No, I just get those little pains every now and then. Things like loud noises make it worse, so could you all keep it down?¡±


    I nod my head, repeatedly!


    But behind me, someone didn¡¯t understand her words. Nero says, ¡°It¡¯s time for round two.¡±


    Turning around, I hold myself back from screaming at him and quickly move to attack him.


    But before I even reach he is grabbed by the collar and pulled back. Looking past Nero I see a beautiful girl behind him, and stop completely in my tracks.


    If Nero looked like a prince to me, then she would be a goddess. Her clothes are just like everyone else, tattered and ugly. But despite that, I still felt the need to bow down and ask to look upon her.


    As Statilla stands there memorised by the girl, Nero looks at her with fright and says, ¡°Hey Mariana, why are you making you¡¯re, I am going to kill you face?¡±


    With a bright smile, Mariana says, ¡°Because I am going to kill you.¡±


    Despite looking like a goddess she strikes Nero with the forces of a demon!


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    ¦µ Standing close to the edge of a giant channel dug into the ground, Nero says, ¡°I don¡¯t understand Mariana¡¯s problem.¡±


    Charles beside, me says, ¡°Is that anything new?¡±


    ¡°OF course, it is! I used to be able to always understand what was on her mind, but as she has gotten older she makes a whole lot less sense to me!¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t she make very little sense when you first met?¡±


    With a serious face, I say, ¡°Hey Charles remember I told you not to bring up the incident from that period in time.¡±


    ¡°You mean when you kept trying to get close to Mariana but were acting like a fool, or the time when you cried because I hit you?¡±


    Embarrassed, he says, ¡°ALL OF IT! FORGET ALL OF IT.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°And anyways a lot of things have changed since then. I am finally starting to look like a man. Your cuteness has all but faded away since you''re fifteen now, and Sandra is pregnant. Even this castle has changed. It is almost completed and any month now we are going to finally start flooding it with water.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But won¡¯t that also mean it is normal for Mariana to change.¡±


    With a voice of distraught, I say, ¡°YOU¡¯RE RIGHT, AND IT IS DESTORYING ME. I didn¡¯t even do anything wrong this time.¡±


    Standing up, Charles says, ¡°Do you want me to tell you why this is happening.¡±


    Turning to him, I place my hands on his shoulders and say, ¡°Yes please tell me you¡¯re secret knowledge.¡±


    ¡°It is because you¡¯re always Nerrowing your view of her, so if you expand it you will find the Maright answer to your problem.¡±


    I simply standstill and stare into Charles''s eyes, then moments later I put my arm around his head then squeeze, ¡°WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE!¡±


    Charles struggling says, ¡°I am practising my comedy.¡±


    ¡°WHY!¡±


    ¡°Because I want to make people laugh like Pluso does.¡±


    Tightening my grip, I say, ¡°One Pluso is naturally laughable it is not something one could ever hope to achieve by training, and second, YOU GOT TO PICK A TIME AND PLACE TO USE THEM!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°You better be,¡± I say as I let go of Charles. Walking away from Charles, I say, ¡°I only have one thing left to do!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Animal pens


    ¦µ In front of a pen with countless pigs, in it Mariana stands and smiles saying, ¡°I missed you guys so much.¡±


    Getting close to the pigs Mariana grabs them and gives hugs saying, ¡°I couldn¡¯t see you guys since the beastkin were taking care of you during our work, but now I am back to absorb your wonderfulness.¡±


    Looking at my children, I say, ¡°Pinky you¡¯re looking as vibrant as always. Marsella you''re looking wonderful as well, even you Hank you make me want to give kisses to all of you.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°The last three days have been really bothersome, thanks to a certain somebody but now that I get to see you I am really-,¡± My words as Interrupted as I feel two cold objects touch both of my cheeks.


    Jumping away, I look around and see Nero who is holding his hands in front of his face. ¡°I gotcha pig princess,¡± He says with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been so hot-headed I thought you needed to cool down a bit.¡±


    With a smile, I look at Nero which causes him to say, ¡°Why are you making, you''re I am going to kill you face,¡± with sweat trickling down his face.


    Ignoring him, I kick open the door to the pigs'' enclosure and then point at Nero while saying, ¡°Attack.¡±


    The pigs all rush and attack Nero. He screams, ¡°I was just trying to cheer you up since you¡¯ve been angry for no reason.¡±


    ¡°The fact you think I am angry for no reason is what makes me mad.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you angry.¡±


    ¡°You should know!¡±


    ¡°HOW!¡±


    ¡°WELL FIGURE IT OUT.¡±


    I walk away as my pigs continue to attack him, and then from my right side I hear, ¡°You look tired Mariana.¡±


    Looking, I see Charles so I hug him whilst saying, ¡°Nero was just annoying me, but now that you are here I feel better. Why can¡¯t that idiot just behave smarter.¡±


    Beside me, Charles says, ¡°Mariana I think you¡¯re being stupid.¡±


    Hearing this I stop, and look at him, and say, ¡°You meant Nero right.¡±


    ¡°I think he is stupid as well, but so are you and since you''re smarter than him I think it is really bad for you.¡±


    ¡°How stupid am I being.¡±


    ¡°Pluso level stupid.¡±


    I fall to the ground and scream, ¡°NOOOOOO! Anything but that!¡±


    Looking over at Charles, with a saddened expression, I say, ¡°Soi what can I do to fix this.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow I won¡¯t be there for learning, so just talk to Nero or else you will continue to be Pluso stupid.¡±


    With tears falling down my eyes, I hug Charles and say, ¡°Ok then I will try my best.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    As Mariana and Nero sit in front of the omega owl, they say nothing to each other.


    ¡°Hey, Mariana.¡±


    ¡°What Nero?¡±


    ¡°We have been sitting here for thirty minutes, aren¡¯t we going to do some studying.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we here!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    With a docile tone, Nero says, ¡°Ok Mam.¡±


    Dammint, I really thought I knew what to say to him but now I am confused, my head a mess thinking of how I am going to order my thoughts.


    Suddenly I feel a hand rubbing my head, and then I hear Nero say, ¡°Please don¡¯t be stressed out.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Whatever I can to make you happy again. I don¡¯t know what I did to make you upset but please whatever, it is I am sorry.¡±


    Suddenly my heart calms, and I say, ¡°For the past three days you have been ignoring me.¡±


    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t, I was just helping Statilla get used to the campsite.¡±


    ¡°But when you returned to our hut every night you just went to bed and didn¡¯t say anything to me.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°Because whenever I talk to you I get loud, and my voice starts becoming too loud. If the beastkin heard us they could have hit you, and I promised to never let that happen.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just have spoken quietly.¡±


    ¡°Impossible, when I am around you I am too happy to do that.¡±


    The air around both of them becomes heavy. What the hell is even going on I am starting to feel weird, I feel like something is about to happen. Wait Mariana what are you even thinking!?


    With her face bright red, Mariana gets up and runs away.


    Nero gets up and runs after her, screaming, ¡°You really are not well!¡±


    ¡°STAY AWAY FROM ME!¡±

 Interlude 2.33: The Animus family part 2

    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Location: Path towards the campsite


    As Mariana runs forward towards the campsite, Nero chases after her struggling to keep pace.


    ¡°MARIANA WHY ARE YOU RUNNING!?¡±


    ¡°LEAVE ME ALONE!¡±


    ¡°DO YOU REALLY HATE ME THAT MUCH.¡±


    ¡°NOT IN THE SLIGHEST!¡±


    ¡°THEN WHY!?¡±


    ¡°I JUST CAN¡¯T STAND BEING AROUND YOU, OR SEEING YOUR FACE, OR HEARING YOU BREATH!¡±


    ¡°IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HATE ME!¡±


    ¡°YOU DON¡¯T GET IT YOU IDIOT!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE AN IDIOT!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU ARE.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR ALMOST AN HOUR, THAT¡¯S WHAT A FOOL WOULD DO?¡±


    ¡°SAYS THE ONE WHO IS CHASING AFTER ME!¡±


    ¡°I DO THIS BECAUSE I CARE!¡±


    ¡°THAT IS WHY I CAN¡¯T BE NEAR YOU IDIOT!!!!¡±


    With a panicked voice, I hear Nero scream, ¡°MARIANA A MERARK¡¯S IS OVER COMING TOWARDS YOU.¡±


    I instantly stop and look around my surroundings to see the Merark, but nowhere in my surroundings do I see one. Then from behind I am tackled by Nero and brought to the ground.


    While on the ground, I say, ¡°You bastard you tricked me.¡±


    ¡°You should have known all the Merarks¡¯ are always on the outer perimeter of the plantation nowadays.¡±


    ¡°I only stopped because I thought I could trust you, but it seems I can¡¯t so get off of me,¡± I say as I push him away.


    ¡°No,¡± Nero says as he fights back against me.


    On the ground, we struggle against each other but with his strength, Nero pins me down and towers over me, after which he scream¡¯s ¡°STOP!¡±


    Hearing his loud voice and seeing him tower over me makes me scared, but then moments later Nero makes a shocked face and then lets go of me.


    Nero then falls over to my right side and says, ¡°Please if just for a moment listen to me, and if you don¡¯t care for what I say you can run as far as you want and I won¡¯t chase.¡±


    Looking away from his face, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Mariana I truly have no idea what¡¯s wrong. I explained earlier why I did what I did but it seems I still have found some other way to annoy you, and whatever it is I apologize for it, and if it is my presence that causes pain then I will remove it from you¡¯re life.¡±


    ¡°Nero you¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡±


    ¡°Still you¡¯re in pain, and I made a promise not to hurt you or Charles anymore. Because to me you and Charles are my suns, my hope in this world. So if I make you sad I will just leave,¡± Nero says as tries to get up.


    Grabbing him, I pull him next to me and say, ¡°Don¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°So what do you want from me?¡±


    I trip over my words as I try to speak, but as I look at his saddened yet serious face and as I do my mind clears, and I say, ¡°Nero I lo-.¡±


    A scream all the way from the campsite reaches both our ears which causes, me to scream, ¡°REALLY!?¡±


    But Nero gets up and with a face of terror, he says, ¡°The only person at the campsite right now should be Sandra.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I say as I come to the same realization he has.


    Instantly both me and Nero start to run towards the campsite, and mere moments later we see near the entrance that Sandra has collapsed with her hands on her stomach.


    Running over towards her, I ask, ¡°Sandra, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°My stomach started to hurt so I decided to wait by the gate to see if anyone was nearby.¡±


    Sandra screams in pain again, so Nero says, ¡°Let¡¯s get her to her hut.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I say nodding my head.


    Picking her up by her shoulder me and Nero slowly walk her back to her hut.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Since Sandra is pregnant she was given quite a few different things to help her deliver her baby. At first, I thought it was weird why the beastkin would care at all about a human pregnancy, but it seems they plan to use it as a method of increasing our numbers.


    As we prepare to lay Sandra down on the ground she lets out another scream, and then beneath us, I hear something make a sound on the ground, almost as if water splashed.


    Slowly looking at her, I say, ¡°Sandra what was that I just felt?¡±


    ¡°I think my water just broke, the baby is coming.¡±


    I look at Sandra, then I look at Nero who has a face of terror and shock, one that mirrors my expression at this moment. Then a few seconds later me and Nero start to scream until all of the air leaves our lungs.


    With both of us still holding Sandra we start to panic.


    ¡°What are we going to do, what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°The baby is coming, the baby is coming, the baby is coming?¡±


    Sandra lets out another scream of pain, so Nero says, ¡°We have no choice then, Mariana get one of the blankets over there and lay it down.¡±


    ¡°Nero you don¡¯t mean.¡±


    ¡°I do we need to deliver this baby.¡±


    -Break-


    As Sandra lays down screaming in front of us, Nero turns to me and says, ¡°We need to get ready for when the baby appears don¡¯t we?¡±


    Looking at him confused, I say, ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    Sandra screams, and says, ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°Mariana we don¡¯t have time for this, you know I am talking about the fact that babies appear on top of a woman¡¯s stomach after a few hours of screaming.¡±


    Coming to a realization, I say, ¡°You do realize babies don¡¯t magically appear after a few hours?¡±


    ¡°Well then since you¡¯re so smart, why don¡¯t you tell me how they appear.¡±


    ¡°They come for the hole underneath you idiot!¡±


    ¡°WHAT! No wait it would actually make a lot of sense if babies came out of a woman¡¯s butt.¡±


    ¡°No, the other one!¡±


    ¡°What other one! Are you trying to tell me women just have a giant hole that baby can fit through? I might not know everything but that is utter nonsense.¡±


    I put my hands against my head and rub them against it in utter rage, then say, ¡°WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO EXPLAIN THIS!¡±


    Sandra lets out another scream in pain.


    Looking at Nero, I ask, ¡°Haven''t you seen any of your horses give birth before?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, because unlike your whore pigs my horse know not to keep bursting out babies.¡±


    Enraged I walk over to Nero and say, ¡°What did you just call my pigs!¡±


    ¡°WHORES!¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡±


    ¡°They have multiplied way too much over these last three years, now they are an infestation. My horses are getting less food because of them.¡±


    ¡°Your horses are too fat anyway, maybe some reduction in their food will actually make them able to run.¡±


    Angered, Nero says, ¡°What did you just say, about my gallant babies!¡±


    ¡°You heard me!¡±


    ¡°My children are just like me, gallant, intelligent and are great eaters. Unlike yours which are just whores, who can¡¯t stop popping out babies, dirty pigs always hugging each other.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how babies are made! By that logic, I should have had countless babies with you.¡±


    ¡°You need to be in love to make babies by hugging.¡±


    I start to blush, and say, ¡°I mean with Charles, not you!¡±


    Suddenly Nero looks at me with a face of shock, then says, ¡°You and Charles haven¡¯t been making babies have you.¡±


    I smack him right on the top of his empty head and say, ¡°We are literally together all the damn time when would I have had a chance to get pregnant and give birth!¡±


    As me and Nero scowl at each other, Sandra screams, ¡°HELP ME!¡±


    Suddenly we both snap out of our confusion and I say, ¡°Nero go support her back I will stare at the baby.¡±


    As Nero runs over to her front side, and kneels beside her while saying, ¡°Just breathe Sandra I am sure everything will be fine.¡±


    Sandra screams, ¡°NO IT WON¡¯T IT FEELS LIKE I AM GOING TO EXPLODE FROM THE INSIDE!¡±


    Nero with a polite smile on his face, says, ¡°Sandra don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overreacting a little bit, it can¡¯t hurt that muc-.¡±


    Sandra bites Nero which cuts off his words as he shouts, ¡°Please stop, please stop, please stop!¡±


    Letting go of him, she says, ¡°I am feeling that pain several times over every single second, so just-.¡± Sandra''s sentence is ended as she starts to scream in pain while holding Nero.


    Nero screams, ¡°Too tight, too tight, too tight.¡± Then he stares at me and says, ¡°Please get the baby out already.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just take it out it will take hours!¡±


    Sandra lets out another scream, and says, ¡°PLUSO WHY DID YOU HAVE TO HAVE SUCH A GIANT HEAD!¡±


    As Sandra screams, and Nero is driven to tears by the tightness of her grip, I start to look down towards her nether regions, and their I see her privates expand.


    What the hell is going on? Why have they gotten so big? I didn¡¯t even know it was possible for them to expand this much, how in the messiah¡¯s name is this ever going to go back to normal? Could this happen to me, could my privates become this big? Wait, is that a head I see? It is coming out of Sandra, an entire human is coming out of Sandra.


    Putting my hand over my mouth, I say, ¡°I am getting a bit woozy.¡± Then moments later I fall over to the floor.


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes, I see Nero¡¯s face close to my mind, and he says, ¡°Mariana you¡¯re awake. You just suddenly passed out, and I was super worried.¡± Bringing me close to his chest, he hugs me and says, ¡°I am so glad you¡¯re ok.¡±


    His close proximity to me causes me to blush, so I push him away and say, ¡°GO AWAY!¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care just scram.¡±


    ¡°Not until I make sure you¡¯re ok.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing the two kids fight while she is struggling to even exist causes a memory to arise in Sandra¡¯s mind.


    Two years ago


    Looking at Mariana and Nero flirt in front of them, Sandra says to the other adults, ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should help these two love birds along.¡±


    Edward beside her says, ¡°No way, because if we do that I lose my daily entertainment.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Present day


    ¦µ Sandra screams, ¡°You¡¯re dead Edward!¡±


    Pushing Nero, away I say,  ¡°Sandra needs a hand to hold.¡±


    With a begrudging face, he runs over to her and says, ¡°Alright but you be safe.¡±


    As Nero returns to his position, I look at Sandra¡¯s nether regions again and feel sick.


    I need to focus, but I can¡¯t because this is all too much for me. At this rate, I might mess up and even damage the baby.


    The thought of this sends shivers down my spine and causes my hands to shake.


    Focus, focus, focus, focus, focus!


    Suddenly Nero and Sandra in front of me take all of my attention. While holding Sandra, Nero says, ¡°I know it must really hurt, but please bear through it. The Sandra I know is bare and smart and won¡¯t let any big-headed baby beat her.


    And I know for a fact that any baby made between you and Pluso will want to be greeted with a smile. I can already imagine it¡¯s pudgy, cute little face. I can already imagine how much I am going to love my little sibling.¡±


    Sandra smiles, and says, ¡°You¡¯re right that little one will definitely be an adorable baby, just like me.¡±


    ¡°Exactly so make sure to bear through it and allow it the opportunity to one day be hugged by its amazing mother, and father.¡±


    Seeing Nero it is like all the doubt¡¯s in my mind disappear as one thought appears; I love him, truly I do love him.


    Slapping both of my face cheeks, I let out a roar of passion and say, ¡°Let¡¯s bring this little one into this world!¡±

 Interlude 2.34: The Animus family part 3

    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Using blankets I clean up the blood that is leaking from Sandra¡¯s nether regions and as I do, I say, ¡°Sandra everything will be ok.¡±


    Sandra screams in pain and then says, ¡°I know, I know, but it still HURTS!¡±


    Looking at Sandra I notice she is gritting her teeth so I say, ¡°Nero go take one of the clothes from over there and but it in her mouth, or at this rate she will hurt her teeth.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Nero says as he follows the instructions I just gave him.


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Looking directly at the little head poking out of her nether regions I feel a sick feeling rush over me. It feels like I am just going to pass out at the sight of it, but if I do both her and the baby are doomed.


    Nero who is holding both of Sandra¡¯s hands stares directly at me and mouths; you can do this towards me.


    Feeling a surge of courage that calms the sick feeling, I scream, ¡°SANDRA PUSH!¡±


    ¡°I am trying!¡±


    ¡°TRY HARDER!¡±


    ¡°ARGHHHHH!¡±


    ¡°ARGHHHHH!¡±


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Sandra still struggling starts to cry and scream, ¡°WHERE THE HELL IS PLUSO, I CAN¡¯T CONTINUE UNTIL HE COMES.¡±


    Nero looking at Sandra¡¯s face says, ¡°Yes you can, and right now you need to push Sandra.¡±


    Sandra grabs Nero, and says, ¡°DON¡¯T TELL ME WHAT I CAN¡¯T AND CAN DO YOU, DUMB LITTLE BOY, RIGHT NOW I NEED MY MAN SO BRING HIM, YOU BASTARD!¡±


    ¡°I am trying to help you.¡±


    ¡°PUSH,¡± I scream.


    As I say this Sandra bites into Nero which causes him to scream, ¡°WHY!¡±


    ¡°SANDRA PUSH!¡± I scream again.


    This causes Sandra to bite deeper into Nero, which causes him to scream, ¡°PLUSO YOU BASTARD!¡±


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    ¡°I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t do this. This where my life comes to an end, this is where my life comes to an end. Is that you I see god?¡±


    Nero slapping her face lightly says, ¡°Hang in there, hang in there. God if you exist leave her alone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that you''re going to turn a curse against her,¡± I say.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be correcting me on this Mariana!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, because we need to remove all chances of some sort of outside interference.¡±


    Turning towards me, Nero says, ¡°We need to make this go faster!¡±


    ¡°HOW DO I DO THAT!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you speed up the process?¡±


    ¡°NO, I CAN¡¯T! HAS YOUR BRAIN STARTED TO ROT!¡±


    ¡°NO IT HASN¡¯T BUT SINCE SHE HAS BITTEN ME ABOUT TWENTY TIMES I HAVE LOST A BIT TOO MUCH BLOOD! SO AT THIS POINT, I NEED YOU TO START PULLING OUT THAT BABY!¡±


    Turning to face Nero, Sandra says, ¡°Bye Pluso.¡±


    Nero says, ¡°Where losing her, she is about to go to the other side!¡±


    This situation keeps getting worse, Nero is about to pass out from blood loss, and Sandra is teetering between life and death. Despite how stupid is sounds, I feel like I am just about ready to start tugging the baby out!


    Sandra says, ¡°Mom and Dad is that you!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just me Charles.¡±


    Instantly I turn my head around where I see Charles''s adorable face. ¡°CHARLES,¡± I SCREAM!


    ¡°MARIANA!¡± He lightly screams back.


    I stumble over my words, and say, ¡°Birth, pregnancy, Pluso, get now!


    Confused, Charles says, ¡°I and everyone else have returned, but it seems you guys are busy, so I will go.¡±


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Seeing Charles about to run off, all the rage and frustration that has built over the last few hours comes out in a beastly demonic tone, as I say, ¡°STANDSTILL!¡±


    Charles freezes in terror, and then says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°GO GET PLUSO NOW!¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Sandra then screams, ¡°NO I HAVE GONE TO HELL, LEVITATAN IS IN FRONT OF ME!¡±


    ¡°No, just Mariana,¡± I say in my usual tone.


    -Break-


    A few moments later


    From behind me, I hear a voice say, ¡°What did you need me for Marian-, oh god what is going on!?¡±


    In that moment, a tired voice emerges from Nero, an angelic voice from Sandra, and a demonic voice from Mariana, as they all say, ¡°PLUSO YOU¡¯RE HERE!¡±


    ¡°Why did you have to have such a big head,¡± Nero says exhausted.


    ¡°I missed your big head,¡± Sandra says with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°YOU DISGUSTING BIG-HEADED PEST!¡± I say with furry in my bones.


    Pluso is initially overwhelmed and confused by the different voices talking to him, but after a moment he runs towards Sandra, and then says, ¡°Is everything all right.¡±


    Sandra lets go of Nero, who falls to the ground in a pool of his own blood, and then she says, ¡°Yes now that you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°PLUSO HOLD YOUR WOMAN BECAUSE NOW WE ARE ALMOST THERE!¡±


    As Pluso holds Sandra I scream, ¡°PUSH!¡±


    And she screams in pain. This process repeats itself again and again for a little bit longer and then a miracle fell upon us all; a child was born into all of our lives.


    The parents held their baby and as they did they cried tears different from all the others who cried today, tears of pure joy. Soon others from the campsite came to congratulate and greet them, and to meet the new member of their little big family.


    -Break-


    A little while later


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I see Mariana¡¯s face handing over her mind. ¡°Good morning sleepy head,¡± Mariana says as she smiles at me.


    Looking around I notice I am laying my head on her lap, so I say, ¡°What happened.¡±


    ¡°You out when Pluso arrived, so I took you out and patched up all your bite wounds.¡±


    Moving my head from her lap, I say, ¡°So that sound in the background is everyone going to see the baby then.¡±


    ¡°You just assumed I delivered it properly.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did I had full faith that you would get everything perfect like usual. So now it is time to go see that baby,¡± I say standing up.


    But as I get up I feel pain throughout all of my body causing me to scream. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Mariana then says, ¡°I said I covered up all your bite''s wounds, not that they have healed idiot.¡±


    Falling back on my butt, I say, ¡°Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Too late, the moment you got up you lost your right to be on my lap.¡±


    ¡°Please, I can barely hold myself up.¡±


    Pulling me closer to her, she says, ¡°Well ok then, but don¡¯t go thinking I am some easy woman for this.¡±


    As I lay on her lap, I looked up at her and said, ¡°No way would I ever think such a thing. Because you¡¯re one of a kind.¡±


    With her face bright red, she says, ¡°Do you really think such words would make me feel happy.¡±


    ¡°Trying to understand you¡¯re feelings is a task not even god could accomplish. So I will simply just speak my mind, now if you excuse me I will start enjoying your lap.¡±


    Pushing my head into her lap, she says, ¡°You really are just too much Nero, so now go ahead and enjoy it.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Please Mariana stop, if you keep pushing my head into your lap I won¡¯t be able to breathe.¡±


    We laugh as this continues until she stops. As I stare at Mariana, I ask, ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t know how to explain it but despite all the pain I feel incredibly happy knowing the baby was born.¡±


    Excited, Mariana says, ¡°I know what you mean, it feels like something has completely overcome me and I just feel like the world is just a bit brighter.¡±


    ¡°Childbirth is a lot harder than I could have ever imagined, but this feeling isn¡¯t half bad. But also sort of scary because I don¡¯t even know what I would do for the little one.¡±


    ¡°I guess this is why my mother was always so overprotective.¡±


    ¡°If I had to go through all the pain that Sandra just went through I for one would make sure that no harm would ever come to my child.¡±


    I wonder if this same feeling is why my mother always scolded me and my father always protected me.


    ¡°But after seeing Sandra go through that I feel like I need to apologize to my mother for being such a brat.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you mean, but I am sure my mother wouldn¡¯t even be able to recognize me since I look so different now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think she will because you haven¡¯t changed a bit.¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°What do you mean, my face is slightly rougher, and my body definitely isn¡¯t as small or nourished as it once was. And I think I have started to grow a bit of facial hair. I have gone from twelve to seventeen, I am essentially a man in all but accomplishments.¡±


    ¡°But despite all that the real you, the person who I love is the exact same since the first time I met him.¡±


    ¡°Well thank you very muc-, huh Mariana what did you just say.¡±


    ¡°Oh well, I let it slip. Nero Animus, I love you.¡± Mariana says while looking down at me.


    From the hut, we hear Pluso yell, ¡°Mariana and Nero come in.¡±


    Pushing me off of her, Mariana gets up and completely composed she says, ¡°Come on Nero.¡±


    Getting up I follow her in a complete daze, almost as if my mind has been put completely on halt. She loves me, she loves me, she loves me, she loves me?


    As Nero and Mariana enter the hut, Mariana moves towards Sandra and asks, ¡°Have you given a name to the little girl yet.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°Yeah Jupio, Pluso named her.¡±


    ¡°My name is a pun used by my people which means smallest, and Jupio is the inverse of that which means biggest. Because she is the biggest thing it our lives right now.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that cute Nero,¡± Mariana says as she stretches her hand and touches him.


    The moment she touches me, I feel something come over me and I jump away to the far corner of the hut and scream.


    Edward, asks, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°I don¡¯t know just his usual activities.¡±


    Sandra turning to me asks, ¡°Hey Nero do you want to hold the baby.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s ok, he is kinda acting weird?¡±


    Sandra with a pout says, ¡°While unlike you he sat with me for hours until the baby had come, so he deserves to hold it.¡±


    ¡°Honey it wasn¡¯t my fault what was I supposed to do?¡±


    As Pluso saddens, I move over towards them, and still feeling erratic I hold the baby. I stare at the baby and it stares back at me with a cute little smile.


    Ahh, I feel all my frustrations being completely washed away. ¡°How cute!¡±


    Turning to Charles, I say, ¡°You know you¡¯re no longer the youngest in the campsite anymore, you¡¯re a big brother now.¡±


    Charles pauses for a second, then moves towards the baby, and says, ¡°If you need anything just ask me.¡±


    The baby makes a happy noise in response to this.


    Standing up, I hand the baby over to Pluso and say, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Pluso takes the baby lifts it up in the air and starts to cry. This causes Sandra to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong dear.¡±


    ¡°I know this is stupid and I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about such things. But when I look at this face I see something so much greater than myself, something that deserves to exist.


    But still when I think about the fact that this child will have to grow up in this world where she can¡¯t even be free. She is simply going to be raised to work like a slave, and the more I think about it the sadder it makes me. I am sorry.¡±


    As Pluso finishes speaking the air in the room becomes heavy and others start to cry.


    But seeing all this I couldn¡¯t let it go on, so I said, ¡°We won¡¯t have to raise her like this.¡±


    Pluso asks, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°All of us are going to escape.¡±

 Interlude 2.35: The Animus family part 4

    Everyone in the room stops and looks at me, and then moments later Pluso asks, ¡°Nero I think I might have misheard you, did you just sa-.¡±


    ¡°You all heard me right Pluso, I said I plan for every single one of us on this campsite to escape.¡±


    Edward stepping forward, asks, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious Nero?¡±


    ¡°I am dead serious, all of us will leave this place.¡±


    Edward says, ¡°Please stop this delusion you know such a thing is impossible for us all, we have no plan.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you would be wrong Edward, because for the last few years me Charles and Mariana have been setting the stones that will allow us to leave, so please I want all of you to listen to me.¡±


    -Break-


    I told them everything. About our history with D¨®nal, about our secret classes, and about our plan to escape.


    As I finish, another member of the campsite; Rolo says, ¡°So that¡¯s where you guys have been sneaking off to on the castle days?¡±


    ¡°Sorry for not telling you guys earlier, but we needed to keep it a secret,¡± Mariana says.


    Another member of the campsite; Nora says, ¡°But still to be able to speak the language of the beastkin. That¡¯s utterly amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well some of us can speak it better than other,¡± I say while looking at Mariana.


    Moving close to me, Mariana says, ¡°Say that again!¡±


    But as she approaches me, she touches my leg causing me to instantly move to the other side of the hut.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought Nero.¡±


    As I cover my red face with my hands, Charles asks, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just a little bit hot.¡± As I look through my hands I see Mariana making an incredibly smug expression at me.


    THAT GIRL!


    Edward turns to me, and asks, ¡°Is that man D¨®nal really your ally.¡±


    ¡°Ally is a strong word but he is complian-.¡±


    Charles interjects and says, ¡°He is my friend.¡±


    Charles has gotten looser with his tongue, but when he says something, he means his tone becomes unbreakable.


    Edward then says, ¡°But we don¡¯t know if he really is Charles friend at the end of the day he is a beastkin who might do harm to Charles.¡±


    Looking at Dnal straight in the eye, with the most clam yet disrespectful tone I can muster, I say, ¡°Should you really be talking about Charles safety with your history?¡±


    Embarrassed he looks away from me, and says, ¡°Yeah I did some bad things, but I apologised!¡±


    ¡°You know what an apology won¡¯t fix, all the scars!¡±


    Edward drops his head to the ground, and says, ¡°Sorry,¡± While drooping over.


    Charles pats him on the head and says, ¡°I forgive you.¡±


    Seeing them, I let out a sigh and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about D¨®nal, I mainly got information from him, and his current use to us is his horrible management of the campsite. So it is not like we need to be his friend.¡±


    ¡°I am his friend,¡± Charles says while pouting.


    Hitting him on the head, I say, ¡°Yeah I got that already.¡±


    Sandra then says, ¡°But even if you speak the language there is the issue of the Merarks.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°We have also been working on that. You see haven¡¯t any of you notice Charles absence during the animal days.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°Now that you mention it he is always disappearing and reappearing.¡±


    ¡°It is because D¨®nal gave Charles who he thrusted the job of feeding the Merarks, and he has been making them very overweight!¡±


    Charles beside me says, ¡°What do you mean overweight? You said if I keep given them more food they will be happier.¡±


    Crap I forgot we lied to him about the reason he was supposed to overfeed them. It will be bad if he catches on, because when it comes down to it he can be surprisingly hardheaded about certain things.


    Sandra then let¡¯s out a little scream, which causes attention to shift towards her.


    ¡°Is everything Darling,¡± Pluso says.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yes it is just a little pain, but I think some flowers would make me feel better. So Charles could you go and pick some from around the perimeter of the campsite for me?¡±


    Getting up, Charles says, ¡°Yep.¡± Then runs out of the room at full speed.


    Sighing, Mariana says, ¡°Thank you Sandra.¡±


    ¡°No problem, but if you¡¯re going to keep Charles unaware keep up the charade better.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡±


    Edward says, ¡°Still even if the Merarks are not a factor, what about Bricriu?¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°Why would Bricriu be a factor? He hasn¡¯t been to the campsite in the last three years. For all we know he is no longer involved with it.¡±


    ¡°I think what Edward is getting at is the amount of slaves that where brought over this year, against the last two years.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Nero?¡±


    ¡°The last two years the amount of slaves brought in was tiny, almost as if they haven¡¯t won enough battles to send them over here. But this year a giant heap came in again, one even larger than when Mariana and all the women were brought in. So that means.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°They have recently won a battle.¡±


    ¡°And now Bricriu who was likely a part of this war will be coming back, and for some reason, he has a rather strange fixation on our campsite.¡±


    ¡°If he comes back, he could start fixing all of the issues that D¨®nal has made and then our chances for escape will dwindle,¡± Edward says.


    ¡°But there is still an option for our escape,¡± Mariana says.


    ¡°What would that be,¡± Rolo asks.


    ¡°We simply leave as soon as possible, which would be when Sandra feels up to it.¡±


    Edward says, ¡°Wait isn¡¯t this too soon.¡±


    ¡°If we wait to long their won¡¯t ever be another time, so as soon as possible is the best we can do.¡±


    Everyone in the room seems a bit doubtful so, I say, ¡° I know every single one of you feel scared, and I do as well. But something scares me far more than this, the idea that Charles, or even Jupio or any other kids born into this campsite would have to spend the rest of their lives living like this.


    Countless pieces have fallen into our hands, ones that could completely cease to exist at any moment. So right now I truly believe that we should go, and if we do I also believe that we would be able to make it.¡±


    The room falls silent, but then Sandra raises her hand and says, ¡°I will go with you all.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Pluso asks.


    ¡°Everything Nero said was right, and to pretend like it wasn¡¯t would be a lie to myself. Now that I have this little girl in my hands, I no longer can be satisfied with this life, I must leave.¡±


    Rolo shouts, and says, ¡°ARGHHH. I can¡¯t lie to myself either, if given the option to leave I would want to take it.¡±


    Around the hut all the people inside started to get rowdy as they start to all voice their agreement one after the other. Then with a sigh, Edward interjects and asks, ¡°Nero if we are going to even escape where would we go?¡±


    The room quiets to hear my answer, so I say, ¡°Obviously I don¡¯t know?¡±


    Edward smacks me against the top of my head, and says, ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Just like I said, I haven¡¯t been able to figure out the direction we should all go, but it is not like I have no idea. I wanted to ask all of you where you think we should go?¡±


    ¡°Well, heading to the east of Victoria is not an option. Since my and Charles''s village was there and was destroyed.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°We didn¡¯t plan to head there anyways, because as far as we know the beastkin homeland is east.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Heading west, is also pointless because Mariana¡¯s people come from the continent to the west. So without a doubt, the beastkin have cleared out the western part of Victoria.¡±


    Nora asks, ¡°Though isn¡¯t there another continent west, why couldn¡¯t we sail there?¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°We would have to find a boat somewhere, and the seas of Molstoria are incredibly viscous and hard to navigate through. So inexperienced captains like us would all sink in mere days.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°North of Terrafide is still an option?¡±


    Edward says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I was you.¡±


    ¡°Huh why.¡±


    ¡°This is simply an old folktale passed down in my village, but the north of Terrafide is an incredibly cold region, and the people who live in such a region as just as fierce. Sturdy like mountains and fiercer than wonderbeasts, not the friendly type.¡±


    ¡°But considering that we haven¡¯t seen anyone like that here, I could mean that these people have been overrun by the beastkin.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°I think I get what Edward is saying. We would have to trek through a freezing area and without knowing where we were going. All for the chance to find people, who might be wiped out, or hostile towards us. And if for any reason we turn back, we will again be in the beastkin sphere of influence.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°And we can¡¯t head south, because we know how the beastkin have started to sink their teeth into Terrafide for the last five years, for all we know it could conquered.¡±


    Mariana looking at me asks, ¡°You where part of a nomadic clan, so wouldn¡¯t you know any places to go to in Terrafide?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are a few. But they have issues.¡±


    ¡°Could you please elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Around the western edge of Terrafide is a large kingdom, known as Jedidiah. Apparently it is the oldest kingdom in all of Terrafide, and is incredibly powerful.


    But in Terrafide there is a giant river that goes from the northwest edge of the continent and bisects it up until about just a bit halfway, so to even reach Jedidah from our current location we would have to cross said river or head east to go around it.¡±


    ¡°But it is just a river, and there is no way it can be as fierce as the seas of Molstoria.¡±


    ¡°You forget Mariana, but Terrafide is full of wonderbeasts. Crossing the river would be easy enough but dealing with the wonderbeasts would ensure our death.¡±


    ¡°So north, east, west, and south are all out of options.¡±


    I rub my head viscously, and say, ¡°ARGHHH THIS IS GETTING ANNOYING!¡±


    ¡°Well, we always knew it would be, and can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°We should head southeast.¡±


    Stopping we all look at him and I say, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If we look at our options we either have to cross that river to Jedidiah, or we will have to cross the ocean and head to the eastern continent. Both of those are in reality the only options where many of us could survive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, that really is our only options, so we ought to get ready. So that whenever Sandra get¡¯s better we can leave.¡±


    As we all start to talk about other plans we have about our escape, Pluso says, ¡°What about the other campsites.¡±


    We all stop and look at him, which causes him to say, ¡°I know it is childish, and foolish for me to ask such things. But I can¡¯t stop thinking about the other campsite on the plantation, and how things could get even worst for them if we leave.¡±


    Nora says, ¡°So what do you want us to do, all stick around and die together.¡±


    ¡°No, I am just saying it feels like we should include them in our plans.¡±


    Edward says, ¡°Pluso you do realize how impossible that would be without putting our plans at risk.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but it just feels wrong.¡±


    Putting my hands on Pluso shoulders, I pull my head back and give him a powerful headbutt.


    ¡°OWWW!¡± He says as he holds his forehead.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying Pluso, but right now this is the best we can do, and by escaping we can hopefully make other know of what is happening here. If we stay we can¡¯t help ourselves or others.¡±


    Looking down, Pluso says, ¡°Yeah you¡¯re right.¡±


    Sandra clapping her hands, says, ¡°Now that all of this has been settled would you allow me and my husband some time with our child.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s time to go.¡±

 Interlude 2.36: The Animus family part 5

    As we all leave Charles runs right into the room holding flowers and says, ¡°I have returned.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Sorry Charles, but the three of them need some alone time.¡±


    Disheartened he says, ¡°But I picked the prettiest flowers.¡±


    Mariana walking up to Charles says, ¡°Just give them to the prettiest person around you then.¡±


    After Mariana says this she smirks, fully believing Charles will give her the flowers. And behind her Nero looks at her with disbelief at the sheer audacity of her actions.


    Looking at her, Charles says, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He then walks up to the oldest woman on the campsite, a grey-haired lady known as Anna, and then says, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank you, Charles,¡± She replies with a smile.


    Mariana looks in disbelief, and then asks, ¡°Hey Charles didn¡¯t I ask you to give them to the prettiest girl around? Why¡¯d you give them to Anna!¡±


    ¡°Well obviously because she is.¡± In a serious and concerned tone, Charles asks, ¡°Is something wrong with her eyes?¡±


    Mariana makes a face of complete annoyance, and behind her, I start to laugh with all my might.


    Turning around she grabs me and says, ¡°What¡¯s funny!?¡±


    I plan to say something back to her, but as I see her face so close up I start to turn red and freak out. This is bad, if she doesn¡¯t let go of me, my head might actually explode.


    Before something horrible happens to me, Anna comes and smacks Mariana on the head, then says, ¡°What was that you said about me being pretty?¡±


    Mariana slowly walking away from her, says, ¡°You really do look stunning today.¡±


    ¡°Too late to lie now, Mariana.¡± Grabbing her ear Anna pulls Mariana away and says, ¡°It is time for your punishment!¡±


    I recover as Mariana starts to be pulled away by Anna. ¡°That was close if she had come any closer it wouldn¡¯t have been good.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you two have reversed roles,¡± I hear a voice behind me say.


    Crawling away, I turn to look at who is talking and see Edward. ¡°What are you doing sneaking up on me?¡±


    ¡°I was just being entertained by you and Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Well go find some other type of entertainment!¡±


    ¡°Ok, ok, but in all seriousness I have something to ask you in relation to our plan.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°If our plan goes off and we all do manage to escape, who do you think would take the blame for the entire situation.¡±


    I pause for a second, then I say, ¡°It would be D¨®nal. Especially since it is his poor control that would have let us escape in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Even if you take into consideration the fact he is from a powerful family, I would say such a blunder would lead straight to execution. Not that I care what happens to a beastkin.¡±


    ¡°So why bring it up.¡±


    ¡°Would Charles be ok with that? He is kind, so kind that he would forgive someone who used to beat him every day. If given the option do you really think Charles would be ok with such a thing happening to D¨®nal?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t brought it up with him.¡±


    Surprised, Edward says, ¡°Are you sure, couldn¡¯t that cause issues with him later on.¡±


    ¡°No it won¡¯t because by the time he figures it out it will be too late and he will simply have to get over it. If given a choice Charles would be unable to choose so I simply don¡¯t plan on giving him one.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that is unfair to him Nero?¡±


    ¡°I made a promise to myself to make the best life possible for him, and here in this campsite that isn¡¯t possible so I will be taking him out of here.¡±


    ¡°Is that you¡¯re only reason for this?¡±


    While giving Edward a displeased look, I say, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°That some of this might be revenge against the beastkin.¡±


    I laugh and say, ¡°Did you know that the beastkin can smile?¡±


    ¡°What are you on about Nero?¡±


    ¡°I mean the beastkin can smile, they can cry, they can love family, they can even dream. They are exactly like us yet still choose to treat us like this, so yeah, you¡¯re right I would be lying if I said this wasn¡¯t partly about revenge.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    I hope that not only D¨®nal gets punished, but they execute every single one of those bastards who are in the campsite, and even if that happened it wouldn¡¯t be enough to pay back all the suffering they have caused us.¡±


    Nero says this with eyes so fierce and full of anger that Edward simply steps out of his way and lets him go forward.


    -Break-


    One week later


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    ¦µ Opening his eyes, the man called D¨®nal steps out of his bed, and walks forward saying, ¡°I hope today will be easier for me, and that it holds happiness for Charles.¡±


    He puts on his clothes and then dashes out the door and screams, ¡°EVERYONE GET UP! IT IS TIME TO WORK!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what I would say if there were any workers around here,¡± I say with a pitiable expression.


    Because I am the only one doing any work, I need to wake up earlier than even the slaves to make sure everything is functioning well.


    As D¨®nal walks through the hallways he comes across the sight of something that annoys him. It is a group of beastkin and humans passed out on the floor surrounded by bottles.


    ¡°Again,¡± I say quietly to not wake them from their slumber.


    Some beastkin stay around here, but they don¡¯t work. They simply party all day, and then use the humans however they want.


    Kneeling down next to the humans, I check them and then say, ¡°They aren¡¯t breathing.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Another wasted worker. These guys don¡¯t even do any work but now they are actually hurting our efficiency as well.¡±


    Looking at Ryan on the floor, I mockingly say, ¡°Damn those dirty insects, it is great we no longer have to pollute our bloodline. When it comes down to it you all uphold our principles until it stops you from getting what you want.


    Seeing the degraded body of the humans young and old, I sombrely say, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t call them insects.¡±


    Picking their bodies up, I say, ¡°I might as well put them with the rest of them.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Azure Flower Garden


    Looking at all of the beautiful flowers in front of me, I say, ¡°How nice.¡±


    Four years ago, when I got the flower of Mariana¡¯s mother I decided to plant it where I buried her, and we only a little bit of help the flower grew into this large field beyond me.


    Its colour is just like Charles''s hair, so whenever I see them, I feel a wave of happiness flow over me. If I had another precious thing in this world it would be this flower garden.


    Feeling blood drip against my back, I say, ¡°It is about time we bury these.¡±


    Whenever we need to dispose of human bodies for whatever reason, we are instructed to burn them or stick them up against the walls of the campsites.


    But if I stick them up against the walls, it will cause the Merarks to attack them. And giving those boys too much human meat will make them difficult to control.


    Burning them also seemed like a waste, so I have opted to use their bodies for a more productive manner.


    Throwing their bodies into a hole I dug, I say, ¡°Now at the very least I can use your bodies to get some use out of this garden. I should thank those guys really cause without them I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this garden so pretty.¡±


    As D¨®nal prepares to pour dirt over all of their bodies, he looks at the contorted human faces and pauses for a moment. The seconds later he pulls all but one of the human bodies out of the hole he had dug for them.


    Moving to another section of the garden he digs another hole then buries one in that hole. D¨®nal repeats this process until each and every one of the humans is buried in their own specific holes.


    He then smiles and walks away from the garden.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    I have consistently avoided coming here or being seen. I simply just drop off the supplies at this campsite just like every other campsite. But due to the newborn baby being born, I have to actually go in and meet the new parents.


    With a Merark at my side, I walk through the empty campsite until I reach the hut of the woman named Sandra.


    As I try to look as intimidating as possible, but she barely seems spooked. One of the things I have noticed over the last week is when I try to intimidate any of the humans here they look quite unbothered.


    ¡°How is the child?¡± I say in the sternest voice as possible.


    With a bright smile, she says, ¡°She is doing wonderful.¡±


    What a weird human, well then let me try something. ¡°Let me see the baby then, hand it over.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± She says handing it over.


    I once asked a woman from another camp to do the same, she started kicking and screaming in response. I can¡¯t even begin to understand what is going on in this woman¡¯s mind.


    Holding the baby, I inspect it to make sure everything is alright within it. But as I hold it up in the air it smiles at me.


    HOW CUTE!


    No D¨®nal you need to calm down, you can¡¯t let this human woman see you as weak.


    Handing the baby back to her, I say, ¡°Everything seems to be alright with it. So you can continue on with your day, but before that.¡±


    Turning around I grab the bag of supplies that the Merark has and then I bring them to the woman and say, ¡°You can use this to wrap the young one up, and this one can be used to keep yourself warm. There is also some mushed food in here for the baby today, as well as some food for you.


    Can¡¯t have your poor health affecting the baby. Here are also some sanitary things to stop infection, and also a protective case for the cradle we don¡¯t need bugs getting into them.¡±


    While I talk I notice the woman is giving me a very bright smile, so I say, ¡°What¡¯s that face for.¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing, it is just like you sound like a parent.¡±


    Surprised I say, ¡°WELL I AM, GOOD DAY!¡± Then run out of the room with the Merark following back behind me.


    ¡°Stupid human making fun of me. Right now I need to go see Charles and recover.¡±


    Name: Nero Animus


    Age: 17


    Birthday: 21<sup>st</sup> Gemini


    Hair: Gold


    Eyes: Brown


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who was a slave at the Beastkin farms. He is quite pigheaded from time to time, but his heart is always there for those he loves, while his anger is always present for those he hates.


    Name: Mariana ¨¢ngela Girasol Ramos


    Age: 16


    Birthday: 21<sup>st</sup> Aries


    Hair: Grey


    Eyes: Purple


    Height: 160 cm


    Description: A young girl brown skinned girl from the Molstoria. She is very talkative and active, never allowing her situation to destroy her heart. She wants to from the bottom of her heart to escape.


    Name: Charles Animus


    Age: 15


    Birthday: 9<sup>th</sup> Aries


    Hair: Blue


    Eyes: Gold


    Height: 162 cm


    Description: A young boy who has spent his entire life on the Campsite. He has had no friends until he met Charles, who gave him a family name and has stood by him throughout their struggles. His kindness is so intense that those around him feel it is nothing less than destructive.

 Interlude 2.37: The Animus family part 6

    -Break-


    Location: Beast pens


    Hiding a little bit away D¨®nal stares at all the slaves and says, ¡°Now where is Charles?¡±


    He scans the area with his eyes, but instead of Charles, he comes across Edward and his men.


    Infuriated he says, ¡°Those are the bastards that used to beat up Charles, how dare they look so happy! Scum, Scum, Scum, die, trash, die! If it wasn¡¯t for Charles stopping me I would have followed through with your assassinations.¡±


    Returning to looking at the pens, I look around the area and come across Nero and Mariana. Mariana is trying to get closer to Nero, and in response to this, he starts to run away at full speed.


    ¡°I swear those two humans need help. One obviously likes the other and they just keep running in circles. If I was him I would have already had her as my woman by this point.¡±


    D¨®nal falls into despair and then says, ¡°Well I would do that if I had a chance, but I am never even going to get married. At best, they will use me as a political marriage chip to some old stinky lady!¡±


    Cheering up, D¨®nal says, ¡°Ow well, at least I have Charles!¡±


    Suddenly the Merark jumped on D¨®nal and started to lick him. ¡°I know, I know, I will also have you guys! Now time to look for Charles.¡±


    Staring into the distance, I say, ¡°There he is.¡±


    Charles is sitting alone with a cow. ¡°Why is he all there by himself?¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Well I guess this means I should go over to him and make him feel better. YES, I WILL DO THAT!¡±


    But as I prepare to go over there I see something. A group of people have come over to him and are talking to him, and as they do he smiles back.


    Letting out a little laugh, I say, ¡°Charles really is popular among the humans. Nothing like before.¡±


    Standing there I stare at Charles for a long time, then say, ¡°He talks more, he has fewer bruises, he has friends, he has family, and I can¡¯t go calling him my baby boy anymore. Does Charles even need me anymore?¡±


    I bad chill goes through my entire body, and I say, ¡°It makes sense that a human would want to be around other humans. Maybe one of these days he might no longer want to see me.¡±


    I walk away from where I was standing and begin to move towards my dorms. ¡°It was stupid for me to think, he would always be here. Don¡¯t all children have to leave one day.¡±


    As I speak I feel something horrible swell within me. So to escape this, I walk faster. ¡°No, what was really stupid was me thinking I could be his parent, that I could be something in his life.¡±


    But it doesn¡¯t, so I walk faster but it still doesn¡¯t leave, so I run as fast as I can to outrun the pain. Then I screamed with tears running down my face, ¡°I HATE THIS!¡±


    I trip and fall onto the ground, and say, ¡°This sucks, this sucks this suck, this sucks. For the first time in my life I have finally attained someone who wanted me, someone who needed me, and when I have this it is going to be taken away from me.


    No friends, no family, no lovers, no dreams, no achievements, no respect, not even the child I raised by myself. I can¡¯t have any of it. Was I born just to lose!¡±


    ¡°Danu! Can¡¯t I just have one thing, just one for myself, without Charles, without him, I will crumble. I will have nothing else.¡±


    As I lay there and cry the Merark which has followed me closely starts to growl, then moments later it jumps into a bush.


    Confused I get up and say, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Then I walk over to bush where I see Charles restraining the Merark, saying, ¡°Bad boy behave.¡± The Merark calms down immediately, and I jump back in surprise saying.


    ¡°D¨®nal I have caught up to you.¡±


    ¡°You were by the animal pens, why are you even here? No more than that, how did you even know where I was.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I feel a creepy chill down my spine, so that means you¡¯re watching me from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry,¡± I say with my head down. ¡°But how did you catch up to me.¡±


    ¡°Simple, I ran at full speed.¡±


    ¡°WHAT! The distance was way too far for a human to run.¡±


    ¡°I am really fast,¡± Charles says.


    The Merark that Charles just restrained jumps him and tries to lick him, but Charles knocks him on the nose, and says, ¡°Nate be good.¡±


    The Merark instantly follows his words.


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    Looking at him, I say, ¡°You really are amazing.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It took me a long time to get these boys to listen, but you managed to do it in no time. You really are beyond me, if one would ask, they would never consider you and me to be family cause you¡¯re so amazing.¡±


    What the hell am I even saying, as this point, I am just rambling. ¡°But I am used to that, because you see my siblings were amazing just like you and completely beyond someone like me.¡±


    I need to be quiet. ¡°So it would make sense that they used to bully me, I am sure they would hate being attached to a useless tool just like me.¡±


    I truly am trash. ¡°Of course, they would come to hate me and push me away. But it is my fault for being born, so if you need to leave don¡¯t hesitate to any time you wa-.¡± I am stopped by a forceful impact on the stomach.


    On the floor, I roll around in pain and then look up at Charles who is holding his fist in the air. ¡°Did you just hit me?¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± He says in a stern voice.


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± I say completely compliant to Charles''s words.


    ¡°Did that hurt?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Remember that¡¯s what happens when someone makes fun of someone I care about. No one gets away with that even if it is the person themselves.¡±


    ¡°Charles that¡¯s very nice, but I am tra-,¡± Charles hits me across the top of my head causing me to bite my tongue.


    ¡°What did I just say?¡±


    Rolling on the ground in pain, I say, ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±


    As I stop Charles hands me something and says, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    From Charles''s hand, I take and see that what Charles had given me is a bracelet made from finely woven flowers.


    ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It is your birthday today, so I made you a gift. Mariana showed me how to do it.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°You mean how I found out you¡¯re birthday. Simple every year I used to always ask you how many years it had been since you raised me and eventually I was able to find out when you¡¯re birthday was. It took a couple of years but I finally got to it.¡±


    As tears start to form in my eyes, I say, ¡°No Charles, I was asking why would you give me something like this. I don¡¯t deserve it from you in any way, that¡¯s why I have never received a gift in my life, because someone like me has no right to accept this.¡±


    Charles hits me across the head again, and says, ¡°Of course, you do since you¡¯re my family.¡±


    Kneeling down to where I am on the floor, Charles says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive if it wasn¡¯t for you looking out for me, all the happiness I have and will ever have is thanks to you.


    I have lots of older brothers, and sisters, even a younger one. But I have only one parent and that¡¯s you D¨®nal. So please be happy.¡±


    As I stare at Charles I cry, then I hug him. ¡°Their, their, D¨®nal you don¡¯t need to cry because you have done a good job.¡±


    I don¡¯t know a lot about this world, but I do know one thing; Charles is my everything and as long as I have this wonderful boy, I can keep going for eternity.


    But that¡¯s not enough if I want to stand by him I will have to become someone who can also be a father to him, not a coward.


    Charles backing up from me says, ¡°So from now on I want to never catch you in Donial!¡±


    Hearing his words, I stopped in my tracks completely as I realized Charles just told a joke. I fall to the ground and start to roll over while laughing.


    Charles with a victorious smile says, ¡°I knew I was funny. Nero must just not have any sense of humour.¡±


    As he smiles, I say, ¡°You really are one of a kind.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin Dorms


    And if I want to truly be you¡¯re father I can¡¯t let you down in any way. Walking through the hallway of the dorms I come across Ryana and a whole bunch of other beastkin.


    Looking at me Ryan has a cocky smile on his face, then says, ¡°Thanks for picking up after us breastmilk, it meant a lot.¡±


    Getting close to me he puts his hands on my shoulder, and as he does my body tenses up. ¡°Makes me feel nice and cosy, knowing that you will be here to pick up our trash, just like a good wife.¡± Looking at my shirt, he says, ¡°Are those lactation stains?¡±


    Walking past me, he says, ¡°Oh and we will be going to drink up northwest, so please come and pick up our trash when we are done. Thanks a lot, Mom.¡±


    As Ryan and the group behind him, walk down the hall D¨®nal says, ¡°I won¡¯t be doing that anymore.¡±


    The group of beastkin stops, and Ryan says with a playful voice, ¡°I think I might have misheard you could you repeat yourself?¡±


    While turning around, I say, ¡°I said I won¡¯t be acting like your mother anymor-.¡±


    As D¨®nal turns fully around he is smacked right on his face by Ryan, which knocks him directly into the ground.


    D¨®nal holds his cheek and looks up at Ryan. He breathes rapidly unable to control it, and he is shaking like a scared little child.


    Ryan kneels down to his level, and says, ¡°I was being nice the first time allowing you to correct yourself breastmilk. I knew you were weak like a woman, but not that you¡¯re head was just as empty as one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sor-,¡±


    Grabbing my neck, he picks me up and puts me against the wall. ¡°No, no, no, it is too late for that, I gave you a chance now it is time for punishment.¡±


    As he chokes me, I start to struggle but I can¡¯t break free. Am I going to die here? I start to hold the bracelet that Charles has made for me.


    I can¡¯t die here, not now, not yet. I owe Charles a good father.


    I have been beaten to near death countless times so I know the difference between someone trying to kill you and not and Ryan no matter what he says or does is just playing. At the end of the day, he is still scared of my Red branch title.


    Rats are garbage animals but even they have their skills. I soften all the bones in my left leg, then use it as a whip to hit Ryan directly in the balls.


    As he drops me he screams in pain and I regain my breath.


    ¡°HOW FUCKING DARE YOU BREASTMILK!¡±


    ¡°NO how fucking dare you. I am a Fuinseog, I am not on the same level as daily trash such as you. You can insult me, hit me, or laugh at me, but that won¡¯t ever change.¡±


    Standing up, Ryan says, ¡°You think I won¡¯t kill you?¡±


    ¡°I think you have a brain and know that if you touch a single hair on my head, all you¡¯re family members down to the youngest child will die with you.¡±


    With a smirk, Ryan says, ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re family cares enough to do such a thing for you!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about care, it is about pride, and my family roles in it. I have faith in the pettiness of my siblings, that any form of embarrassment will be faced with destruction towards the aggressor.¡±


    Taking off my clothes, I show them all the scars I have, then say, ¡°And my siblings no just how to hurt you enough while keeping you alive, so I can guarantee your torture would be slow.¡±


    In front of me, all the beastkin have frightened scared faces, so I say, ¡°Hear me, then send word far and wide, that every single one of you better be on time to work every single day. Because if you don¡¯t I will be reporting you¡¯re transgressions against a member of the Fuinseog family.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°And from now on, all the fully paid work that has been done over the last three years will need to be paid back in full.¡±


    Ryan says, ¡°We don¡¯t have that money.¡±


    Turning my head around, I say with a smile, ¡°Then I guess I get free labour till it is paid back. Looks like the plantation has just gotten some new slaves.¡± With that, I walk off.


    As I walk I smile, then say, ¡°I did it, I did it, I did it.¡± Then I stop and vomit out my guts.


    Sickly, I say, ¡°I still did it!"

 Interlude 2.38: The Animus family part 7

    -Break-


    One week later


    A week earlier Charles had said words that had raised the resolve of D¨®nal. But unbeknownst to him such words would have a horrible effect on others who he holds close.


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    ¦µ As I carry my seeds over to the beastkin who are collecting them, I let out a sigh and say, ¡°That goddamned beastkin are e


    I hear a very familiar scream, so I run towards it.


    On the ground in front of me, Statilia lays on the floor clutching her cheek. She stares up at a beastkin who is standing over her like he just hit her.


    Running towards her, I say, ¡°What happened?¡± But before Statilia can respond I am kicked down by the same beastkin.


    Standing over me, he says, ¡°If you want to skip the line so fast I can give you a beating instead!¡±


    He starts to kick me on the floor, and a familiar feeling comes back to me, the feeling of fear that I had lost towards the beastkin. But with that fear, rage comes with it causing me to scowl at the beastkin.


    ¡°What¡¯s that look for human? I need to teach both of you some respect.¡±


    Hits Nero on the floor, and seeing this Statilia says, ¡°I am sorry, I don¡¯t know what I did to offend you but please forgive me.¡±


    The beastkin hits Statilia again then says, ¡°It is that goddamn look you keep giving me as if you are staring at an equal. YOU¡¯ RE A HUMAN, YOU ARE BELOW ME! But since you have both forgotten that I will have to remind you both.¡±


    The beastkin hits the both of them until another beastkin comes and stops him from killing them.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    Sitting in Sandra¡¯s room Pluso uses some bandages to rap me up. But as she raps me, I say, ¡°Oww.¡±


    ¡°I know it hurts but please bear with it.¡±


    Looking at Sandra, I say, ¡°Thank you for allowing me to use your baby supplies to bandage myself up.¡±


    Holding Jupio, she says, ¡°Well you did help me deliver this little one, so take this as a gift from her.¡±


    Behind us, Mariana walks into the room, so I ask, ¡°How is Statilla?¡±


    ¡°She is still unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Where the wounds she got that much worse than mine.¡±


    ¡°Well you are stronger than her, so it is to be expected,¡± Pluso says.


    Mariana responds, ¡°That¡¯s not it. The issue is that it seems this event was quite a mental blow for her. She has only recently arrived at the plantation and everything has been rather nice, so I guess this event was a rather big shock to her mind.¡±


    ¡°I should¡¯ve don-.¡±


    Mariana stops me by placing her fingers on my lips, then says, ¡°You should have done nothing. Because if you went any further for her you could have sustained some permanent injuries.¡±


    Moving my head till I am facing the ground, I say, ¡°I know that but what am I supposed to do, just bear with this.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°What you¡¯re feeling isn¡¯t wrong, but don¡¯t forget about our plan. For that we are going to need to be in the best shape we can be in so don¡¯t cause a mess.¡±


    Seeing her face so up close to mine, I remember the words she said to me, and then I started to move away at full speed to another corner of the room. Then on the other side of the room, I start to feel my body ache


    Pluso confused by the situation unfolding in front of himself asks, ¡°Nero are you alright.¡±


    ¡°I am fine.¡±


    ¡°But you seem jittery and panic like you''re about to be set ablaze!¡±¡¯


    ¡°I AM FINE!¡±


    Nero¡¯s shouting causes Jupio to start crying. Sandra gives Nero an angered look, then says, ¡°SHHH or I will make you.¡±


    Frighten, I calm down and say, ¡°Yes Mam!¡±


    The baby cries even louder, causing Sandra to scowl at Nero and him to whisper, ¡°Yes mam.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As Sandra calms down Jupio, Edward in a corner says, ¡°Not that you guys are done with the entertainment, can we finally talk about the issue at hand? The ridiculous increase in the amount of Beastkin all around.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is happening. D¨®nal would never be able to get all of the beastkin to follow him, not a wimp like him.¡±


    ¡°But regardless of what you think Nero the wimp has done just that. Most of the beastkin are working, but the big issue is that they are incredibly violent and are taking out their anger on us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to cause this change. But all we can do is hope those bastards will eventually calm down.¡±


    ¡°What bastards!¡± I hear an unfamiliar voice say.


    Turning around, I see that a beastkin I standing in front of the entrance to Sandra¡¯s hut.


    Everyone in the room upon realizing what is going on have frightened expressions, but before any of them can react Nero is grabbed and thrown out of the room by the beastkin.


    As Nero catches his breath he looks around and sees a whole group of beastkin outside the hut.


    Edward runs out and bows down, then says ¡°Please forgive him for his stupidity, he is just a child.¡±


    The beastkin turns around and kicks Edward in the face, then says, ¡°Who are you to tell me anything? Now fuck off and go back to your hut, and that goes for the rest of you, unless your multiply like the bugs you are, you all better be in your huts. Now boys take them away.¡±


    His beastkin starts to grab and move everyone away, but Sandra stepping out of the hut says, ¡°That man is my husband.¡±


    He looks at her then looks at Pluso, and says, ¡°If you want to lie don¡¯t make it so blatant. This ugly fucker couldn¡¯t even get a monkey to be his bride.¡± Then he hits Pluso directly in the stomach.


    Pluso screams as he falls down, but then looks up towards Sandra and the baby, then says, ¡°I am not lying.¡±


    ¡°Who said you could take back?¡± He continues to beat Pluso on the ground and as he does everyone screams for him, but they are all being forced away.


    Sandra seeing this grabs the beastkin, and says, ¡°He isn¡¯t lying just look at my child''s hair, they both have the same colour.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell gave you permission to touch me,¡± The beastkin says as he turns and swings at Sandra.


    ¡°MOVE!¡± I scream witness this.


    Many in the area close their eyes as they are fearful at what they are about to witness but two people, Pluso and Nero eyes are transfixed on what is going on.


    The beastkin hand comes towards Sandra''s face, but moments before it hits her it is grabbed out of the sky by Charles.


    ¡°Charles,¡± I say looking at him holding the beastkin arm in front of Sandra.


    Charles looking at the beastkin, says, ¡°What were you about to do to Sandra?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you,¡± The beastkin says as it tries to break free from Charles''s grip. ¡°What the hell why can¡¯t I get my hand loose.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°What were you about to do to Sandra?¡± Then tightens his grip causing the beastkin to scream in pain.


    ¡°You think you can hurt me you human,¡± The beastkin says as it prepares to punch Charles with its other fist.


    But then Charles grabs that fist and bends the arms he was already holding onto, which causes the beastkin to let out a horrible scream of pain.


    The other beastkin in the area turn and head towards Charles with the exception being the one in front of me.


    They attack him but effortlessly he dodges then strikes at their arms or leg, breaking them with each hit.


    As all of his allies lie on the floor in pain, the beastkin in front of me backs up slowly and then says, ¡°Are you really human?¡±


    ¡°No I am a caterpillar,¡± Charles says so tastelessly that it comes across like a joke.


    Furry starts to build in the beastkin in front of me, so much that I can taste it. Then he lunges at Charles, saying, ¡°You insignificant human!¡±


    Charles simply steps out of the way, and as the beastkin passes through where he is standing, Charles quickly taps him in the jab knocking him out.


    Charles turns his head and looks around, then he points at me and asks, ¡°Good job?¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Good job.¡±


    One of the beastkin who just had their arms broken, says, ¡°Just you wait we will come back with more frien-.¡±


    Before he can finish his sentence Charles knocks him on the head making him pass out. Then he does the same to the rest of the beastkin.


    I have been hit by Charles before, so I know how much it hurts. Even though I despise these bastards a part of me feels sort of sorry for them.


    Charles with a smile, says, ¡°I am done.¡±


    Mariana responds, ¡°Don¡¯t you think we are going to get in more trouble now that you have beaten them up.¡±


    Charles pauses for a moment then says, ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Then he picks up all of their bodies and says, ¡°I will go talk to D¨®nal.¡±


    With that, Charles walks off and as he does Edward says, ¡°What the hell was that? I knew he was sort of strong but that was ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°He has gotten stronger as he has grown nothing is wrong with that.¡±


    ¡°Nero don¡¯t you think that we might be able to use thi-.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance. Charles might be strong but I guarantee putting any faith in that option will only lead you to getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he can¡¯t k-.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    As most of us are gathered in and around Sandra''s hut, Edward says, ¡°Yesterday Charles said that D¨®nal will make sure. No beastkin will be watching our campsite and instead, it will be Merarks. But that as we have seen today it only makes the harassment worse during work.¡±


    Nora says, ¡°Quite a few of us got beaten during work today.¡±


    Rolo says, ¡°And they have been keeping a keen eye on us, which causes a giant problem. If they keep this up we won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±


    Pluso says, ¡°We may even need to put off this whole operation.¡±


    I say, ¡°But now that they are targeting us the longer we stay, the worse shape we will be in.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°But if we run now, I am sure that beastkin will chase us down with all of their might. Out of nothing but anger.¡±


    Mariana then says, ¡°Nero I agree we should postpone it.¡±


    ¡°But Mariana.¡±


    ¡°Let me finish. I am saying we should postpone it till around the time when we start to flood the moat around the castle. That will be such a big operation that most of the beastkin will have to be there to make sure everything goes well.¡±


    ¡°I see, but isn¡¯t that around the time of Samhain, it is still far away.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good for us?¡±


    Realizing what she is saying, I say, ¡°I understand. The beastkin tends to become lax around that time, so it will just make it easier for us to escape. Mariana is right we should go with this.¡±


    Edward says, ¡°So our depart date is set,¡± With a happy yet worried expression


    Throughout the room, many others say what they are feeling.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel real.¡±


    ¡°We are actually going to leave.¡±


    ¡°We will finally get to shower when we want and eat when we want.¡±


    ¡°Our children don¡¯t have to grow up here.¡±


    ¡°We no longer have to deal with those bastards.¡±


    ¡°I hope all those bastards get punished.¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°Most if not all of them are probably going to be executed for this blunder even that bastard D¨®nal.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean Nero,¡± I hear Charles''s voice say.


    Turning around, I see Charles in the front of the hut¡¯s entrance. ¡°Nero, what do you mean that D¨®nal is going to be executed?¡±

 Interlude 2.39: The Animus family part 8

    Looks of shock and surprise appear on the faces of the people in the area because the tone Charles used was packed with emotions, something they were never used to hearing him do.


    But one person in the room; Nero sighs, then says, ¡°Charles if a bunch of humans escape what do you think will happen to the beastkin responsible? If you consider how prideful they are it is all but guaranteed that the people who let such insignificant beings escape would be killed.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°So then you knew D¨®nal would be killed if we tried to escape.¡±


    Getting up, I face Charles and say, ¡°Of course I did. Now please tell me what¡¯s wrong with it?¡±


    Confused Charles says, ¡°D¨®nal will die!¡±


    ¡°Why would that be any of my business?¡±


    ¡°Because he is our friend!¡±


    ¡°I HAVE NEVER ONCE CONSIDERED HIM A FRIEND!¡± I shout a Charles bringing him to silence.


    His hands shake a bit, so I continue, ¡°Nero for the last four years I have been only even talking to that man to get information to help our escape. The truth of the matter is that whenever we had to be close to him my skin was crawling each second of it. He is not my friend, nor is he yours.¡±


    ¡°YES HE IS. He is always nice to me, and happy to see me. He has a nice smile like every one of you. He raised me when no one else would.¡±


    ¡°Charles the beastkin killed your parents. You¡¯re mother and father who were crazy enough to betray their people just for you were done in by the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°But he is my father.¡±


    ¡°NO HE IS NOT. His people took the chance away from you to grow up to be a normal kid, and it is because of those people that you got beat every day, that you never had any nice clothes, that you can¡¯t bath when you want, that you can¡¯t eat enough for a normal person, that you¡¯re future is to work till you die.


    SINCE THE MOMENT YOU WERE BORN YOU HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN A FUCKING HORRIBLE CAGE, ALL HE HAS DONE IS MAKE THAT CAGE LOOK BETTER BUT STILL, NEVERTHELESS, HE HAS KEPT YOU IN IT!


    He doesn¡¯t give a shit about you, all you are is his pet. He keeps you around to stave off his fucking loneliness because no one wants to be around him. But since you can¡¯t think for yourself, because nothing is going on up there, you don¡¯t understand this simple fact!¡±


    Charles in front of me starts to cry and snorts trying to bull up what seems to be snot. He tries to clean his eyes of the tears but they won¡¯t stop. In this moment it feels like I am bullying a child.


    But regardless of my feelings, this has to be done. Allowing him to continue to live in a delusion would be the worst thing I could do for Charles. So I simply tighten my fist and watch.


    Charles still in this state says, ¡°D¨®NAL IS MY FRIEND, HE IS MY FAMILY. I KNOW THOSE TEARS HE CRIES ARE REAL, I KNOW THAT HE TRULY CARES FOR ME I HAVE SEEN SUCH RECENTLY. I AM NOT STUPID OR FOOLISH. I REMEMBER HIS TOUCH, THE HAND THAT USED TO HUG ME WHEN I WAS A KID!¡±


    As Charles something goes off in Mariana¡¯s head, which causes her to say, ¡°Charles what do you mean you have seen such recently?¡±


    ¡°A week ago I celebrated his birthday, and told him kind words like he always does for me.¡±


    In the room, almost everyone but Charles can to a realization of what happened.


    Looking directly at Charles, Pluso says, ¡°Do you realise what you have done?¡±


    Confused, he says, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Nora then says, ¡°The reason everything has gotten worse on the campsite is because of what you said to D¨®nal.¡±


    Rolo says, ¡°You¡¯re words seem to have made him clean up his act and now we are paying the consequences of that. All the beatings and all the bullying is because of this.¡±


    Pluso putting his hands on Charles''s shoulders says, ¡°Because of what you said to him Sandra and Jupio almost got hurt Charles, they both could have died!¡±


    Charles realizing this looks away, then says, ¡°I am sorry. I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Seeing him in his current position, I say, ¡°See Charles this is what happens when you start acting like the beastkin are truly you¡¯re friends. No matter how they act, or what they say they will always pick to hurt others. Statilia lying unconscious in her hut evidence of that.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t it was a mistake. I am sure that with D¨®nal, not with everyone we can be friends!¡±


    Charles looks around the room, but all of the pity that existed because they trusted him, and because of his current state had vanished and only contempt remained.


    Seeing this Charles started to breathe in and out heavily until he couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and ran away.


    As he runs Nero lets out a deep breath, then Edward says, ¡°Maybe you were a bit too harsh.¡±


    ¡°Maybe but if that made Charles realize just a little bit faster it was completely worth it. Though I didn¡¯t expect Charles to be like that, still he needs to grow up and handle himself better.¡±


    Mariana pulls on my clothes, then says, ¡°Nero, the reason Charles is sad is not because of what you said, but because he sensed dishonesty.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you that everything I said is how I felt.¡±


    ¡°Nero, if there is one thing I know for certain more than the existence of god, it is that no one is more attuned to whether you tell the truth or not than Charles.¡±


    ¡°Mariana, you¡¯re being annoying leave me alone.¡±


    She suddenly puffs up her cheeks, then walks out saying, ¡°OK be like that you bully. I am going to comfort Charles!¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°I guess I should go and clean up after myself as well.¡±


    -Break-


    Inside their hut, Charles with tears running down his face is held by Mariana who says, ¡°It will be ok. Nero is just a big meanie head.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°He is a stupid coward.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°He keeps running away from me instead of responding to what I said.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE HE IS A BRAT!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    Appearing in front of the entrance to the hut, Nero says, ¡°Hey stop bad-mouthing me.¡±


    ¡°Look who finally arrived after two hours.¡±


    ¡°I needed to ready myself.¡±


    Getting up and walking past me out of the hut, Mariana says, ¡°Well he is all yours.¡±


    As she walks past me I move away, out of fear of touching her. And when she sees this, she stomps out and says, ¡°Idiotic fool!¡±


    Being close to her really isn¡¯t good for my heart, but that issue can wait because the main one is the child in front of me. Walking close, I say, ¡°Charles.¡±


    But he turns around so that only his back faces me.


    He is angrier than I thought, this is really going to be a pain. I guess I have no choice.


    Grabbing Charles I try to make him face me, but he struggles back against me stopping me from even moving him a bit. ¡°FACE ME YOU COWARD!¡±


    But he ignores me and keeps resisting. ¡°Fine then ok I will allow you to keep being a baby,¡± I say as I sit with my back facing against his.


    ¡°Nero you¡¯re a fool.¡±


    ¡°Often, but not in this case. And you need to understand that you baby.¡±


    Charles pushes his back against mine. ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to play!¡± That is what I say before I start to push mine against his.


    We struggle but then he overpowers me, ¡°I yield, I yield.¡± But he doesn¡¯t stop and my spine starts to compress.


    ¡°Charles stop, please! Charles, CHARLES!¡±


    Moments later Charles stopped and I lay on my belly with my face to the ground. ¡°You feel better now.¡±


    ¡°Bad job.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop being a baby, and just tell me why you''re angry?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a mean lying bully.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie about how I felt, I told the truth.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I am not angry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t I told the truth.¡±


    Sometimes I feel like he was easier to handle when he didn¡¯t have a personality.  Sitting with my back against his, I say, ¡°As you have said I am an idiot, I won¡¯t be able to understand unless you talk to me.¡±


    Charles remains silent, then after a few moments he asks, ¡°Do you really only feel hatred for D¨®nal?¡±


    I take a deep breath in and out, and say, ¡°No that wouldn¡¯t be true. The way he looks at you, and feels about you, it does remind me of my parents. So to say I feel nothing for him even after all these years would be a lie.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you ok with him dying Nero?¡±


    ¡°Because despite knowing how we feel, despite having the same emotions as us, he still chooses to look down on us. I think on some level we are all the same, and we could even be friends but despite all that the beastkin simply sees us as insects, slaves and as long as that continues I can never truly care for them. That is simply the way I feel about all beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Bu-.¡±


    Cutting him off, I say, ¡°Or so I would like to say. But in all honesty, hatred fades rather quickly, the reason I do this is simply because I just want to get you and everyone out of here.


    You¡¯re right I don¡¯t hate D¨®nal enough to do all this just for his death, but I do love you all enough for that. So beyond all my hatred I just want you and Jupio and everyone to be able to sleep without fear, laugh without fear, and play every day while getting to eat your fill.¡±


    ¡°But does D¨®nal have to die for this?¡±


    ¡°It is simply a consequence of getting such a result. It might not be guaranteed but there is a high probability.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there some other way Nero? If we put all of our heads together we should be able to do something about it?¡±


    ¡°There is another way.¡±


    Shocked, Charles says, ¡°Then let¡¯s try it.¡±


    ¡°The other way would be for you to kill all of the beastkin except for D¨®nal, and let us all escape while kidnapping him.¡±


    Over the years Charles has grown rather strong, it seems time has increased the power of his flowy stuff. So I would even say he is stronger than the average beastkin, but still, he has a single weakness.


    Charles with a trembling voice, says, ¡°I-I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    He can¡¯t take a life. Even when he fought that beastkin, he broke all of their bones cleanly, and thanks to the information we got from D¨®nal they should grow back without any issues. He hurt them because knew he wouldn¡¯t kill them.


    ¡°And that¡¯s fine Charles because you are a kind person, someone whose kindness saved me.¡±


    ¡°Give me time Nero, I will be able to find another way.¡±


    Getting I turn around and force Charles to face me as well, then I say, ¡°Charles you have grown up so much. You¡¯re even able to fully speak your mind, something I never thought you would be able to do, so I won¡¯t treat you like a child and will simply say it clearly.


    It is either D¨®nal life or mine, Mariana''s, Jupio''s, and everyone else, those are the only options in front of you. No matter what we say or do, those are our options so Charles I need you to choose.¡±


    With his tears increasing, he says, ¡°That is too cruel.¡±


    ¡°I know it is, but it is also the reality of the situation, so Charles chooses.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You must.¡±


    ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°I believe in you,¡± I say staring right into his arms.


    He opens his mouth then closes it, and then moments later he says, ¡°I don¡¯t want everyone to die.¡±


    Charles hugs me still crying, and a hug him back. ¡°Good job, you will definitely become a good man.¡±

 Interlude 2.40: The Animus family part 9

    -Break-


    Walking outside the hut, I say, ¡°It seems the sun has fallen, I should go and check up on everyone before I head to bed myself.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like everything has gone alright then,¡± I hear a voice to the left of me say.


    Turning to my left, I see Mariana who is standing with a smile. ¡°Better than I had expected. Charles really is much more mature than I give him credit for.¡±


    ¡°But considering how long it took you it must have been a long conversation?¡±


    ¡°No really, the actual talking part took a very small amount of time, what made it go on for so long was Charles crying. I had to stay there until he fell asleep.¡±


    With a confused, Mariana says, ¡°Ehh, isn¡¯t that incredibly childish.¡±


    Erratic, I say, ¡°No it was mainly crying! You just wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Well I am fine with some secrets being forever unknown to me, now it is time for me to go to sleep.¡±


    As Mariana walks past Nero, he start to become jittery like he is about to do something but keeps stopping himself. But then he reaches his arm out and grabs Mariana.


    Surprised, she says, ¡°Nero what are you doing.¡±


    With a red face, he looks towards Mariana and says, ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    After a second her face turns red as well, and then she says, ¡°REALLY!¡±


    -Break-


    As they both sit in front of the hut, Nero keeps taking glances at Mariana beside him and then keeps opening and closing his mouth repeatedly.


    Mariana on the other hand has a face of annoyance and is tapping her feet every other second. Grabbing me by my shoulder, she says, ¡°IT HAS BEEN ONE HOUR SPEAK!¡±


    ¡°I am not ready yet!¡±


    ¡°Then when will you be ready.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then I will leave!¡± She says walking away.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I say as she walks away.


    Turning around, she says, ¡°Are you finally ready to say something.¡±


    I continue to struggle as I try to open and close my mouth, but then after a few moments, I say, ¡°I want to tell you a funny story about Claudia that time.¡±


    Mariana walks up to me, and kicks me in the shin, then says, ¡°Die!¡± While looking down on me as if I am trash.


    On the floor, while I roll around in pain Mariana walks off. What the hell is wrong with me, why am I acting like this? Right now I am acting like Claudia.


    Wait, why did Claudia even act like this around me all the time? After a few seconds of thinking, I said, ¡°Claudia liked me.¡±


    In that moment all of Claudia¡¯s behaviour starts to make sense, even up to the moment she decided to save me from being killed. ¡°You fool.¡±


    Standing up, I shout, ¡°MARIANA ¨¢NGELA GIRASOL RAMOS I LOVE YOU!¡±


    Mariana stops in her tracks and then turns around with her face red.


    ¡°I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE, ALL MY SENSE AND LOGIC HAVE GONE OUT THE WINDOW.¡±


    ¡°Hey Nero, you¡¯re being very loud.¡±


    ¡°FROM TODAY UNTIL I DIE, I PROMISE THAT NO MATTER THE FORM I WILL ALWAYS HAVE LOVE DIRECTED TOWARDS YOU.¡±


    Embarrassed she moves towards me, and says, ¡°Nero please quiet down.¡±


    ¡°I WILL GIVE YOU MY HEART SO IN RETURN I ASK FOR YOUR HEART BACK. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU.¡±


    Mariana grabs me and then says, ¡°Please say this just a little bit quieter.¡±


    Grabbing her back, I say, ¡°PLEASE MARRY ME!¡±


    She pauses for a second, then says, ¡°Huh!!!!!!?¡±


    ¡°I know a girl who lost love by waiting to love, and I know a boy who because of his love was willing to give up someone he loved. Following those two¡¯s examples I have decided to be fast, and strong. Mariana I love you, in this life of mine you are the most wonderful woman I know, so if you still love me after all my nonsense please marry me!¡±


    She turns red then looks away, then stares right into my eyes and says, ¡°I love you two Nero, so please marry me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, this is my proposal!¡±


    Closing her eyes, she says, ¡°Not anymore, I have claimed it as my own.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hey, it took a lot of courage to do this.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and say yes.¡±


    ¡°No way, this is my super romantic confession!¡±


    She turns vermillion, then says, ¡°If we don¡¯t do it this, and I have to say the words my heart will explode and I will die on the spot!¡±


    ¡°Ok, I see.¡± I put my head against her, which causes her to open her eyes, and as she does, I say, ¡°NO chance. You are definitely going to say it first.¡±


    ¡°But I will die!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been having your fun mocking me lately, so think of this as my revenge, either you say it or I am finished here.¡±


    She looks around as if she is trying to find some kind of solution, but then she closes her eyes and puffs up her face. ¡°You can use your cuteness all you want but I won¡¯t budge.¡±


    She starts to get erratic then puts her head into my chest, and says, ¡°FINE THEN. Nero, I love you so YESSSSS!¡±


    I hug her, and say, ¡°Yes, now and until the day I die.¡±


    ¡°CONGRATULATIONS!¡± We hear a group of voices say.


    Looking around, we see that a group of people from the campsite are everywhere around us.


    Confused, I say, ¡°What are you all doing here?¡±


    Edward says, ¡°You were shouting so loud that all of us heard and came to congratulate you guys.¡±


    Looking at me, Mariana says, ¡°See I told you that you were being too loud.¡±


    I smile, then I start to show Mariana off and say, ¡°LOOK AT MY beautiful bride.¡±


    Looking at me with shock, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any shame?¡±


    ¡°Not when it comes to you, Mariana!¡±


    Blood starts to flow from Mariana¡¯s nose, and then she looks at me and says, ¡°I told you if you kept this up my head would explode!¡±


    Hugging her, I say, ¡°Sorry, sorry. But we shouldn¡¯t let that blood hit your clothes because of the wedding.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, obviously we''re getting married tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°TOMORROW!¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Of course, why wait? Let¡¯s just do it tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. This is all too fast, we need to sit down and talk, what about my hair, my dress, what about my pigs? I can¡¯t get married without them. I also need flowers, it is not a proper marriage on my island unless I am where flowers and given flowers!¡±


    ¦µ With all of the noise outside Charles who was lying asleep in the hut wakes himself up and goes outside to see everyone in celebration.


    Walking up to Sandra, he asks, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Mariana and Nero are going to get married.¡±


    Charles, pauses for a moment, then says, ¡°So Mariana is going to be my dad?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nero said he is like my mother, so Mariana becomes like my dad. Does that also mean that Nero will get to sleep with me and Mariana?¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°You know once they get married, they will sleep together, so you will not be allowed to sleep with them anymore. You might even need to move to a different hut.¡±


    A face of bone-chilling shock appears on Charles''s face, and then he says, ¡°That can¡¯t be,¡± While shaking.


    Sandra looking at his state hands him Jupio and says, ¡°Here you go she has healing powers.¡±


    Holding Jupio Charles calms down and says, ¡°Very cute,¡± Tastelessly.


    Looking back at Nero and Mariana, Sandra says, ¡°Though it is a shame.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I mean that even if these two had a wedding it wouldn¡¯t have been a nice one. I was fine with having a small one, but I would really be nice if those kids could have one as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    ¦µ Walking into a room with a bunch of beaten beastkin, D¨®nal drops a bottle of alcohol, and says, ¡°Drink.¡±


    One of the injured, Ryan says, ¡°Have you punished those humans for what they did to us?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, but that isn¡¯t any of your business so just shut up and drink.¡±


    ¡°Hey, how dare you let those humans get away with the insult they raised against us.¡±


    ¡°Blah, bablah, bablah, is all I hear coming out of your mouth so just shut up and follow instructions.¡±


    Ryan grabbing the bottle sits back down by his friends and says, ¡°You dirty human sympathiser.¡±


    I giggle, then say, ¡°What¡¯s worse being a human sympathiser, or getting defeated in combat by a human child.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Ryan says as he starts to approach me, but after a few moments, he stops.


    ¡°Oh, did you finally find sense? You see my proclivities are treated as a perversion, a special bonus I get from being a noble. But your failure would be grounds for execution if anyone found out. But I am the nice kind of gentleman who has given you all a special room so no other beastkin find out about your failures, but don¡¯t worry I won¡¯t ask for anything else in return.¡±


    Walking close to him, I put my hands on his shoulder, then say, ¡°Because where friends are we.¡± Then I walk out of the room.


    After getting a fair distance away from the room, I run towards my office, and upon entering I throw up. ¡°I did it again, I put on an amazing performance!¡±


    Dancing around the room towards the balcony, I say, ¡°I did it, I did it, I did it."


    But beside me, I hear, ¡°I did it, I did it, I did it.¡±


    Taking a look at my surroundings, I see Charles I dancing around me. So I jump back, and scream, ¡°Charles what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I snuck in.¡±


    ¡°How did you get past the Merarks.¡±


    ¡°Where friends so they just let me get past.¡±


    ¡°But why would you sneak here, what if another beastkin saw you.¡±


    Charles pauses for a moment, then says, ¡°That would be bad.¡± But then he walks up close to me and says, ¡°But still I am happy to see you.¡±


    Seeing his saddened face, I say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong did that bastard Nero do something to you.¡±


    ¡°I just missed you so much.¡±


    I hug him and squeeze saying, ¡°I miss you as well.¡±


    But he hits me on my head, and says, ¡°I have something to say so calm down.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but what is it?¡±


    Charles then tells me something completely outrageous. ¡°Charles you do realize how impossible that would be.¡±


    ¡°But it is for Nero¡¯s marriage.¡±


    ¡°HE¡¯S Getting married.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Wait isn¡¯t this amazing? Won''t this mean I will get Charles all to myself, maybe I should do his request. No, I can¡¯t it is simply too risky, I don¡¯t need anyone knowing of my relationship with Charles.


    ¡°Please D¨®nal, I need to do this to make sure Nero and Mariana¡¯s marriage is fun.¡±


    As he says the name, Mariana, the name of the woman whose body I disposed of comes back to my mine. I sigh, then say, ¡°Ok then let¡¯s do this.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ Sitting with my legs crossed inside my hut, I start to panic. ¡°I was completely under the influence of love yesterday, so I didn¡¯t realize this but I am about to be married in just a few moments. THIS IS BIG!¡±


    I start to breathe in and out and move around the room. ¡°I need some fresh air.¡±


    Getting up I get out of my hut, but looking around I see no one. ¡°What the hell is going on, everyone should be setting things up out here for the wedding.¡±


    I run from hut to hut to see if I can find anyone but I can¡¯t. ¡°Where is my bride!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I hear Charles''s voice say.


    Turning around, I ask, ¡°Where is Mariana? Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°I have moved them to the venue.¡±


    ¡°What! Where? How!?¡±


    Grabbing my hand, Charles says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He drags me out of the campsite and runs towards what I believe are the beast pens.


    As he does I say, ¡°Charles slow down, I need to take things slow or I am going to die.¡±


    Looking back at me, he says, ¡°What do you even have to worry about, aren¡¯t you going to marry Mariana today? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy?¡±


    His words were posed as a question, but they were the answer I needed.


    I smile, then say, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right what do I need to worry about.¡±

 Interlude 2.41: The new Animus family

    -Break-


    Location: Animal pens


    As we approach the animal pens I see everyone from the campsite. Then when we arrive in front of them, I say, ¡°It wasn¡¯t nice to abandon me!¡±


    Edward says, ¡°I called you multiple times but you were so lost in your own thoughts that you just blocked me.¡±


    ¡°So I came to get you,¡± Charles says.


    ¡°Well, so what are we supposed to do no-,¡± I pause for a moment as I realize something, Mariana is standing there even more beautiful than ever.


    Upon seeing me she hides behind Sandra and says, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The groom isn¡¯t supposed to see his bride until the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense, my parents were always together from the moment he proposed till they drank the other''s blood.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s not how we do things on my island, and what do you mean they drank each other''s blood are your people demons!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply how we showed our love! But I don¡¯t want to talk about that because you look amazing right now.¡±


    Mariana hides behind Sandra, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that or I might start bleeding from my nose again!¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°We took apart the old dress she had when she came here and used it to decorate her current clothes.¡±


    Another member of the campsite, Lia says, ¡°Mariana kept very good care of her old clothes so even now they look as good as new.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right she looks amazing!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Looking over towards Charles, she says, ¡°Why did you even bring us here? How have none of the beastkin come to stop us? And where the hell are my pigs!?¡±


    Charles says, ¡°Catch me if you can,¡± Then runs away into a nearby forest.


    After making a series of very frustrated expressions, Mariana says, ¡°EVERYONE AFTER HIM!¡±


    I say, ¡°YOU HEARD THE BRIDE ALL YOU BASTARDS BETTER FIND HIM!¡±


    We all run towards Charles who is moving slower than usual, is he trying to let us catch up to him? Looking at Mariana''s face, I noticed all the shyness she was feeling had vanished.


    While smiling, I say, ¡°You little brat!¡±


    -Break-


    They chase Charles through the forest, and as the group does they see flower petal fly their way. But undeterred by this they keep running and run into more and more flowers.


    Then after a few moments, they break through all of the trees and find an area surrounded by trees filled with sunlight. And throughout that area, even on the trees are countless blue flowers the exact same shade as Charles''s hair.


    Standing in the middle of those blue flowers, Charles says, ¡°Surprise!¡±


    Everyone looks around in amazement, and I walk up to Charles and says, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Your wedding area. It is must nicer to be married here than in the hut, I think. And in case you get sad, you can look at all the flowers and get reminded of me!¡±


    I laugh then rub Charles''s head, and say, ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡±


    Whilst turning around, I say, ¡°Isn¡¯t this beautiful Marian-.¡± But I stop as I see Mariana staring at the flowers with tears falling from her eyes.


    Erratically moving over to her, I ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Wiping her tears, she says, ¡°These flowers, are from my country. I had thought every single one had burned down with the country, but some are still here.¡±


    ¡°What, how could that even be possible?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but these are without a doubt from my country, they are the same ones mom always kept on her.¡±


    A voice from afar says, ¡°I planted them in my garden.¡±


    The voice is one I have heard all to often, it is D¨®nal. He says, ¡°I took the flowers from a dead woman and planted them over her body. Theirs kept growing over the years and I just gave some to Charles to pull off this ridiculous plan.¡±


    Angered I say, ¡°Hey what kind of thing is that to say on her wedding day.¡±


    But as I speak Mariana gets up and walks past me all the way over to the trees D¨®nal is sitting behind. ¡°Mariana, where are you going?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    As D¨®nal hears Mariana approach he says, ¡°Do you have something to say to me human?¡±


    Standing in front of the sitting D¨®nal she bows a bit and says, ¡°Thank you,¡± With tears falling from her eyes.


    D¨®nal is dumbfounded by this and as he sits there in confusion, Mariana says, ¡°That flower was something that my father cultivated just for my mother, so she had always held onto to it tightly.


    I have been scared, no terrified of what has happened to my mother over the years. I had suspected that she had died a horrible death and somewhere her body was hanging on a pike to be used as a tool of fear against others.


    But knowing that is not only not true, but that she got buried under such flowers as well brings nothing but joy into my heart. I thank you because today the one thing that bothered me most in life has left.¡±


    D¨®nal looks away from Mariana''s face, and says, ¡°Whatever, I just gave this because I had excess and Charles asked, it has nothing to do with you in the slightest.¡±


    In the moment Charles flashes back to when they took the flowers from the garden and remembers that all but three flowers were taken to make this area and the smile D¨®nal had on his face while doing it.


    With a sweet yet sour tone, D¨®nal says, ¡°You can do with them whatever you want, it is not like I have any use for them, so take them, idiot human.¡±


    Nero says, ¡°Hey watch your tone!¡±


    But Mariana just bows, and says, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    Running back over to Nero, she says, ¡°Let¡¯s get this started!¡±


    A noise echoes through the area which causes, Mariana to say, ¡°I know those oinks anywhere!¡±


    Soon her pigs rush out from the forest and tackle her. Rubbing them, she says, ¡°I missed you guys. You¡¯re so adorable I can¡¯t I missed you.¡±


    ¡°I asked D¨®nal to let me bring them,¡± Charles says.


    ¡°THANK YOU!¡± Mariana screams.


    D¨®nal then says, ¡°They were getting sad because you wouldn¡¯t see them nothing more nothing less. It is only a logical decision, no emotion attached.¡±


    Walking up to Nero, I ask, ¡°Hey what about my-.¡±


    ¡°Then are here as well, just deeper in the forest we just need to guide them back.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°Now that we have your flowers, can¡¯t we add the finishing touches to the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right!¡± Mariana says with vigour. ¡°Wait if we can move stuff around, there is a bit of redecorating I would like to do!¡±


    Clapping her hands Sandra says, ¡°If you would groom please give us a few moments with the bride.¡±


    -Break-


    Everyone and all the animals sit on the flowers, and in front of them, Mariana and Nero stand facing each other holding the other''s hand tight. with Charles and Edward standing behind them.


    The area where they stand has been decorated with flowers in a specific pattern by Mariana''s request. Throughout both of their clothes are flowers, and on their heads are crowns made of flowers.


    Mariana stares at Nero while shaking, and he does the same back to her while shaking. Then in the middle of the both of them, Charles shakes as well barely holding in his excitement.


    With his head, mere minutes away from exploding Nero turns to Charles and says, ¡°Please begin.¡±


    Turning to Edward, Charles asks, ¡°What were my lines again?¡±


    Edward whispers something in his ear, and then Charles says, ¡°Today both this man and woman will be joined in holy marriage.¡±


    Edward giggles a little as Charles the usual calm and collected boy messes up his lines. But then Charles looks at him for his next lines, and Edward whispers in his ear again.


    ¡°Now speak your hearts,¡± Charles says.


    They both freeze unable to say anything, but Mariana looks at him, then says, ¡°I don¡¯t like being here. I like the people, and all of my animals you all mean a lot to me, but without a doubt I would have been happier if I got to stay in my home for the rest of my life.


    But you Nero make me doubt that resolve completely. Simply being with you makes me just as happy. So even if god makes me a king tomorrow, or even if I am in the pits of hell I would want you right there beside me.


    Wait no, I don¡¯t want you to go to hell, I am sorry!¡±


    I laugh, then take a deep breath, and shout MARIANA I LOVE YOU!¡±


    All the animals start to get giddy and Mariana''s face turns scarlet red. ¡°Mariana I don¡¯t really have faith in anything. Not god, not the world, not myself, and the only thing I had faith in my friends and family is something I have for better or for worse in my heart given up for.


    But meeting you makes me believe that maybe god does exist because the fact I could find such a light in hell could only be the hand of god. So even if I can¡¯t fully put it into words, I just want you to know Mariana I love you.¡±


    Both Nero and Mariana have completely calmed down and are staring at each other. Seeing calms Charles as well who says, ¡°Nero from this moment on do you fully in mind, body and soul vow to eternally unite with the existence that is the woman before you, in all of life, and all of death.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Mariana from this moment on do you fully in mind, body and soul vow to eternally unite with the existence that is the man before you, in all of life, and all of death.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Now exchange flowers.¡±


    Mariana takes a flower off and prepares to give it to Nero, with Nero doing the same. But before the exchange, Nero bites his finger and covers it in blood.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Mariana asks.


    Well since you won¡¯t drink my blood this is the next best option.¡±


    Mariana opens her eyes, and then does the same with her flower. They both hand each other their flowers covered in blood and add them to their flower crowns.


    Charles then says, ¡°You may now kiss the brid-.¡±


    Before the last syllable leaves Charles mouth they already start to passionately kiss in front of everyone. They kiss so much that everyone in the area is shocked by the scene unfolding in front of them.


    But to Mariana and Nero, no one else exists at that moment but the two of them. Pulling back, Nero says, ¡°I love you.¡±


    Mariana looking back at him says, ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Everyone in the area proceeds to celebrate the joyous day, unable to hold back all of their happiness. Seeing them one would never guess that those who were smiling so happily were all slaves.


    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    ¦µ Smashing his bottle on the ground, Ryan says, ¡°How dare breastmilk talk to us like that. Did you see that smug look on his face yesterday, he looked at us as if we were beneath him.¡±


    Smashing his foot into the ground, Finn says, ¡°We need to punish that annoying twat.¡±


    Cian says, ¡°But what are we going to do about it? He keeps all of the records of our unworked pay close to hand, so if he was to die and they send someone to investigate we will be at the top of the list.¡±


    Daniel says, ¡°What if we faked it.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about.¡±


    ¡°His death, what if we faked it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what we just talked about!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what about Samhain, if we make it seem like he got attacked by some spirits? They probably won¡¯t investigate it too much.¡±


    ¡°But that would require us to get rid of his body with no trace, so it can¡¯t be sniffed out.¡±


    Ryan sitting up, says, ¡°The moat.¡±


    Suddenly everyone in the room was attuned to what Ryan was saying. ¡°Also remember that Liam should be coming back around that time. So if we were to get him to launch an investigation into breastmilk¡¯s disappearance, he could probably spin it favourably for us.¡±


    Finn says, ¡°Are we all serious about this?¡±


    With a smile, Ryan says, ¡°I am, even if I have to do this alone. Breastmilk you¡¯re days are fucking numbered.¡±

 Interlude 2.42: Dinner with the devil part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ With joy in their hearts and defended by the night, the members of the campsite return to their area filled with joy and happiness from the events that have just taken place, ready to sleep away the rest of their day.


    Some say, ¡°It has been a long time since we have had fun like that.¡±


    Others say, ¡°But now we have to go back to hell tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Still we should be thankful to Charles for helping us get today off.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know but I am still stressed.¡±


    ¡°All we can do is simply work and then sleep off the pain until our great escape.¡±


    As most of them have experienced great amounts of excitement today they plan to simply sleep the rest of the day away. But one of them is teeming with excitement as the most interesting part of his day is about to begin. Nero walks with everyone with a giant smile on his face.


    It is finally time! If everything goes as planned tonight will be the night I become a man.


    You see after the night Nero helped deliver little baby Jupio, Sandra sat him down and explained everything about women a babies he didn¡¯t know before. Which completely fried his brain at the time.


    But now it is different, he is full of excitement and vigour, truly a young man. Running towards his hut, he says, ¡°Now it is time for me to become a man!¡±


    ¡°Hello Nero,¡± He hears as he runs inside the hut.


    Looking down, he sees Charles hugging Mariana. So with a blank and murderous stare, he asks, ¡°Hey Charles what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I just came to finally sleep with all of you guys.¡±


    I laugh, then I grab Charles and run both of us out of the hut. Then I say, ¡°Bye Charles,¡± And then start to walk myself back to my wife.


    As I walk I notice Charles walking behind me, so I turn around, and say, ¡°What are you doing!?¡±


    ¡°Coming to sleep with both my mother and father.¡±


    ¡°DIDN¡¯T SANDRA TELL YOU WE CAN¡¯T DO THAT ANYMORE!¡±


    ¡°No she didn¡¯t,¡± Charles says lying with the greatest of ease.


    ¡°DON¡¯T LIE TO ME!¡±


    Charles puffs, up his cheeks, then says, ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Inside me are two conflicting forces, one that wants to grab his inflated cheeks, and another that wants to snap his neck.


    But in the end, inside Nero, the side that wants to snap Charles''s neck wins and its rage with a sprinkle of youthful lust makes him say, ¡°I don¡¯t care, so scram or I will bury you.¡±


    Hearing these words, from Nero causes Charles to fall to the ground, and start to cry. But Nero who has been completely devoured by his lust, just shakes his shoulder and moves towards his hut.


    But as he tries to walk he notices something is dragging him down, and turning around he sees that Charles is holding on to his leg. So he continues walking while dragging Charles.


    In response, Charles tightens his grip and makes Nero scream, ¡°OWWW.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me you brat.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I said let go!¡±


    As I try to break free Charles lets go which makes me fall right into the ground. Looking back at Charles, I see he is standing up, and then I see him say, ¡°If you¡¯re going to be mean, I will simply go stay with D¨®nal for the rest of my life.¡±


    Hearing this the part of Nero that is overprotective of Charles battles back against the lust and dominates his body for a moment. ¡°No don¡¯t do that, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°But you said I should go.¡±


    ¡°Just somewhere safe, like Edwards hut.¡±


    ¡°No. Everyone there smells really bad, unlike Mariana.¡±


    Putting my hand on Charles''s shoulder, I say, ¡°Wait what does she smell like? Is it nice? How does she feel? DAMN YOU CHARLES I SHOULD BE ENJOYING SLEEPING BESIDE HER RIGHT NOW!¡±


    Confused, Charles says, ¡°That¡¯s what I want to do, all three of us.¡±


    ¡°You see that¡¯s the problem it can¡¯t be all three of us!¡±


    ¡°WHY?¡±


    ¡°Because I said so.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I am going to D¨®nal!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Mariana appearing in the middle of the two boys says, ¡°Calm down you fools, I know I am an angel but you don¡¯t have to fight over me!¡±


    Charles with a confused expression, says, ¡°Aren¡¯t angels supposed to be graceful?¡±


    Hitting Charles on top of his head, Mariana says, ¡°Charles, add that to the list of things never to say to a woman. As number one hundred and forty-one.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°Mariana please tell Charles that we need to be left alone tonight.¡±


    Suddenly Mariana starts freaking out, then grabs Charles and runs to the hut while saying, ¡°Sleep with us tonight Charles.¡±


    Standing with a face of shock and disappointment I look at them and then say, ¡°GODDAMMIT!¡±


    -Break-


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Laying with my back against the little thatch bed, I hear Mariana to my right whisper, ¡°Are you ok Nero, you look red.¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes I am do-o-o-o-oing f-f-f-f-f-fine,¡± I say with my embarrassment and lust dominating my body.


    Charles to my right, between me and Mariana says, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    With all my embarrassment and lust vanishing, I say, ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says while smiling.


    Charles grabs both my arm, and the Marianas, and turning left, he says, ¡°Mother good night.¡±


    ¡°I am not you¡¯re mother.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°I will be your mother if you want one.¡±


    Turning right, Charles says, ¡°Father good night.¡±


    ¡°Father!? I assure you no man could ever become the greatness that is Mariana ¨¢ngela Girasol Ramos Animus.¡±


    ¡°Animus,¡± I say entranced.


    ¡°What does it make you feel good hearing my new name,¡± Mariana says with a smile.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Charles holding the both of us, tighter says, ¡°Of course it would because we are the Animus family. So from here on out we will never be apart.¡±


    Seeing Charles and Mariana, I say, ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Now let us go to sleep.¡±


    Charles says, ¡°He has accepted it.¡±


    Mariana then responds, ¡°Nero is everchanging, so it is not a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t insult me. Now good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night,¡± They both say back.


    -Break-


    During the night all three of them sleep soundly together like angels, well they would if not for the fact that Nero can¡¯t close his eyes and go to sleep.


    I CAN¡¯T SLEEP! No matter how much I try to close my eyes, I am still too excited, and sleeping so close to Mariana is bad for me.


    Her face, her hair, her lips. I want to kiss them again. Wait, we are married maybe I could get away with going for it.


    NO! Almost all of the joy I get from kissing her is the expressions she makes, without those I might as well be kissing a wall. A soft beautiful seductive wall.


    Slapping myself, I say, ¡°Bad Nero. A wall is still a wall no matter how heavenly it may look.¡±


    What I need to do is continue to lie down and calm myself. BUT I CAN¡¯T! I have been hyping myself up all day for this and now it is ruined, and that kiss today.


    If heaven exists I am sure it was that kiss. I was just touching her lips but then she put her tongue in my mouth and I did the same back and then it was like I felt my mind melt. I almost collapsed a few times.


    Looking towards the lower parts of my body, I notice that I have just gotten more excited. No more thinking about such a topic only about peace and quiet, and it is not like I could do anything with the grip Charles has on my arm anyways.


    Taking a deep breath in and out, I lay perfectly still and closed my eyes. Let all of the lust and frustration flow out with each breath. I feel it shrink as it all flows out of my body, but then I hear a soft voice say, ¡°Nero are you awake.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I see Mariana hovering over my body, so I close my eyes and say, ¡°Have I become so lustful that I am now even imagining her over me.¡±


    Feeling an impact right in my stomach, I hear her say, ¡°I am right here idiot.¡±


    Opening my eyes and becoming erratic, I try to say a bunch of things but eventually just ask, ¡°How are you even over here, Charles grip while he sleeps is unbreakable.¡±


    Surprised she brings her hand toward him, and says, ¡°If you touch him here he releases he grip.¡±


    After putting two of her fingers on the left side of his neck, Charles completely releases his grip on my arm. Shaking my arm, I say, ¡°I am finally free. If I had known this was possible I wouldn¡¯t have let him break my arm so much over all these years.¡±


    With a proud expression, she says, ¡°Well you should thank me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, my wife.¡±


    Hearing the word wife, both Mariana and Nero start to laugh creepily.


    Nero snapping out of it, he says, ¡°But why are you up, Mariana?¡±


    She acts shyly in front of me, then after a moment she cutely says, ¡°Do you want to take a walk outside.¡±


    The expression she makes, and the words that she says make my heart beat so fast I am going to die. With a disgusting smile, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    -Break-


    As the two walk around the campsite, they both jitter with a blend of nervousness and anticipation. Nero stopping, says, ¡°So Mariana what did you call me out here for.¡±


    Mariana says, ¡°I, well I, well I want to talk about Charles.¡±


    Nero drops to his fours in sadness, then says, ¡°I should have not gotten my hopes up like a fool.¡±


    Mariana starts to freak out, then says, ¡°DON''T BE SAD, I HAVE MORE TO TALK ABOUT!¡±


    ¡°REALLY!¡± Nero says getting real close to her face.


    Pushing him back, she says, ¡°We have to talk about Charles first.¡±


    ¡°So what about him.¡±


    Bowing, she says, ¡°I just want to apologize for standing with him.¡±


    ¡°No need to do that, I probably stressed you out.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t that. it is just that earlier he told me he wanted to stay with all three of us for one last time.¡±


    ¡°Huh, one last time?¡±


    Mariana then tells me what he said.


    ¦µ ¡°You and Nero will be married soon, so I will have to give you two a lot of space and when you guys get married and have babies, I can¡¯t be bothering you.¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about babies Charles, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re getting ahead of yourself there,¡± I say with my body about to melt.


    ¡°Still, I would like to stay with the both of you at least once before I have to leave the both of you to your lonesome.¡±


    ¦µ Surprized, I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know he felt that way.¡±


    Laughing, Mariana says, ¡°You forget that for as much as you care for him, he cares for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that.¡± Then with a smile, I say, ¡°Now onto our other business.¡±


    ¡°Hey didn¡¯t you move on too fast?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but what am I supposed to do, I fulfilled his request, so I don¡¯t see the issue.¡±


    Mariana starts to freak out for the hundredth time today, so I walk up to her and say, ¡°Mariana.¡±


    ¡°YES NERO!¡±


    ¡°Can we.¡±


    ¡°Can we what?¡±


    ¡°Can we hold hands!¡±


    ¡°Hold hands?¡± She says confused.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Hitting me in my stomach, she says, ¡°That¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°What did you expect me to say, you know as well as I do that Charles is still asleep in our room.¡±


    ¡°STILL, why didn¡¯t you just grab my hand.¡±


    ¡°Because all the pain I felt from when I touched you without you¡¯re permission years ago still lingers.¡±


    Kneeling down beside me, she says, ¡°Sorry about that. And just so you know we are married so you can do certain things without asking.¡±


    ¡°So I can kiss you whenever I want.¡±


    ¡°NO! If I get kissed randomly, I will die of a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°Ok but that is more than enough for me,¡± he says grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers.


    Holding her hand, I giggle and say, ¡°I am holding my wife¡¯s hand.¡±


    She giggles as well, then says, ¡°Well you better get used to it, since this hand will always be here, and I expect the same.¡±


    ¡°So is there anything you would like to ask from me.¡±


    Mariana looks as if she is thinking, then her face turns red and she looks around, then says, ¡°Could we kiss again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I absolutely. Try and stop me.¡± I say bringing my face closer.


    We both kiss, until we hear someone say, ¡°Charles!¡±


    This instantly causes us to pull back in embarrassment, and then looking at the source of the voice we see Statilia up and walking.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!?¡±


    ¡°I just got up, and I went to go visit Sandra who informed me of some things.¡± As she moves over to us, she asks, ¡°Where is the new couple just smooching!?¡±


    ¡°YES,¡± I say with vigour.


    ¡°Nero!¡± Mariana says back to me, pushing her hands against my face.


    Bowing, Statilia says, ¡°Sorry to interrupt you too, but if you could tell me where that bastard Charles is it would please me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I just learnt, he was the reason the Beastkin got so hostile and attacked me, so I want revenge.¡±


    ¡°I see well he is in our hut.¡±


    ¡°Nero!¡± Mariana says shocked.


    ¡°Also his body is like iron, but the moment he wakes up he relaxes, so you can strike him then. If you want to stay in our hut until he wakes you can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Statilia says while walking away.


    ¡°Hey Nero, wasn¡¯t that kind of mean.¡±


    ¡°Not at all but ignoring that. Now that Statilia is in our hut, we can¡¯t sleep there so we have no other option but to go into her hut, which should be completely empty.¡±


    Mariana pauses for a moment, then says, ¡°I know what you¡¯re up to, and just to let you know all we are going to do is sleep.¡±


    Disheartened, I say, ¡°I know, but at least I could¡¯ve hoped.¡±


    Grabbing my hand, she says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Opening her eyes with her clothes off, Mariana turns her head left where she sees Nero in the same state, and then looks up at the top of the hut and says, ¡°WHAT DID I DO LAST NIGHT!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it was amazing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, I couldn¡¯t allow my mind to forget such an experience.¡±


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡±


    Getting up, I hug Mariana and then say, ¡°Good morning my wife.¡±


    She says back, ¡°Good morning darling.¡±


    They both giggle as she says this. Then from outside they hear a large shout.


    ¡°I guess Statilia just gave Charles his punishment.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, I hope he is ok.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s go look at him,¡± I say standing up, and reaching out her hand.


    Grabbing it, Mariana says, ¡°You got it, darling.¡±


    For the two that moment was precious like many others they had experienced, and they continued to make more special memories together with everyone on the campsite.


    And that took them till the day of their plan.

 Interlude 2.43: Dinner with the devil part 2

    -Break-


    Location: D¨®nal¡¯s office


    ¦µ Swinging on my chair, I say, ¡°Today I was able to make those bastards work without throwing up. Look how far I have come, soon I will be able to tell them without feeling like I am going to die as well.¡±


    Putting my hands up as I swing on the chair, I say, ¡°I am amazing.¡±


    But as I do this I start to fall back and scream, ¡°NO!¡±


    Before I hit the floor I am stopped by something, and turning around I see Charles.


    ¡°How are you here?¡±


    Pushing my chair back to normal, he says, ¡°I snuck in.¡±


    ¡°Again!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Moving over to him, I say, ¡°I missed you too, but please don¡¯t go around doing such dangerous things. A lot of people don¡¯t really like me, and they might try to take such things out on you.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°What is it.¡±


    Charles seems sort of jittery then he says, ¡°Do the beastkin, and you¡¯re position mean a lot to you?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering, if you were given the choice to throw it all away, the beastkin, this place, and run away somewhere to never be found. Would you?¡±


    I stop and calm down, then say, ¡°I was always putting my head down, I never had anything to raise it for, no I never had the strength to raise it that¡¯s why I always kept my head down and just tried to pick up the crumbs of happiness that others dropped for me on the floor.


    But right now I don¡¯t have to do that anymore, I can hold my head up high. I can find joy in being alive every day, and I have hope for the future. For years I was just a corpse walking whose only purpose was taking care of you, but now I finally feel like a person. The place I am currently is the best I could have ever hoped for, I wouldn¡¯t trade it for anything.¡±


    Charles puts his head down, and says, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Ehh please don¡¯t be sad, just so you know you¡¯re life will always fit into mine no matter what.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t I a dirty human?¡±


    Panicking, I say, ¡°No. but you¡¯re special.¡±


    ¡°But I am still a dirty human.¡±


    Falling to my knees, I say, ¡°Charles, in all honesty, I don¡¯t think you humans are really that dirty anymore. After seeing you all over these last few years, I can¡¯t simply say you¡¯re dirty anymore.¡±


    Charles grabs me and says, ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but this is a secret between you and me, no telling.¡±


    ¡°No telling?¡±


    ¡°No telling!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Now you should get back before soon, some of the spirits from Samhain might already be out.¡±


    Walking to the balcony of the room, Charles says, ¡°D¨®nal if you ever feel scared and need to run, come towards me and I will protect you.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°OK?¡±


    ¡°Bye D¨®nal, we will definitely meet again.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Charles.¡±


    As Charles jumps down, I turn around and say, ¡°That was strange, but it gave me some motivation.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    Walking through the fields with a smile on my face, I say, ¡°Everything is just how it was back when I was just a worker. It seems my management has come a long way, maybe one day they might put multiple plantations under me.¡±


    Beastkin in line, humans in line, no one to disrespect me, and Charles smiles a lot more. Dropping to my knees, I put my hands together and say, ¡°THANK YOU DANU!¡±


    Getting up, I walk over to the beastkin who are working and to my misfortune, I see Cian beating a human.


    I stop at the sight of this. Just like before this is how things were, and still, it makes sure humans stay in line, it is necessary and important, but why do I feel like I should stop this?


    Under my breath, I say, ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Moving over to Cian, I say, ¡°Cease this at once.¡±


    Cian looks at me with anger as if he is about to insult me, but he visibly swallows his pride and says, ¡°For what reason? Because isn¡¯t this simply what my job entails?¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re job entails following order, thought it wasted on one like you.¡±


    He grits his teeth, then says, ¡°If I am to effectively do my job from now on I would need to understand the reasoning behind this, so I can better understand when and when not to dish out punishment.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing to say? Well maybe it is because the reason behind this decision may not be logical but emotional, maybe it is because you are a human lo-.¡±


    Stopping Cian, I say, ¡°This is an illogical decision made from pure emotion. You see if you kill this human today due to your over-aggressiveness, you will probably get a rather vengeful visitor from Samhain.


    And I don¡¯t want anyone to have the displeasure of having to bury your piss and shit-stained body, I might be part rat but I also am a refined gentleman. So please restrain from stupidity, do you understand?¡±


    Some of the humans around giggle, which causes Cian to get embarrassed and say, ¡°I understand.¡± Then walks away.


    The human who was getting beaten looks at me and then says, ¡°Thank you,¡± With a smile.


    So I smile back, and say, ¡°It isn¡¯t a big deal, you human.¡±


    As the human walks away I notice, that all the humans with the exception of a few are making smiling faces at me, and the few who aren¡¯t are making worried faces.


    Normally I wouldn¡¯t notice this, but the faces that aren¡¯t smiling are all familiar to me because they are from Charles''s campsite. They seem shaking uneasy in all honesty.


    Well to be honest if I had to see Nero all the damn time I would feel unease, but they also get to see Charles all the time. THOSE SELFISH BASTARDS!


    ¦µ With a rage so intense that I can feel it covering me, I say, ¡°How dare he talk to me, that fucking brat who can only use his family name as protection. You¡¯re nothing but useless trash who any of us could dispose of nothing but trash!¡±


    From my right, I hear, ¡°Calm down Cian.¡±


    Looking right, I see Ryan and say, ¡°But you just saw what he did to me.¡±


    Moving close to my face, Ryan says, ¡°I clearly did, and if you want to get revenge you better calm down and not act like an idiot.¡±


    I grit my teeth, so Ryan says, ¡°Good, now just rest and relax, because the letter has already been placed on his desk. Only a few more hours till we flood the moat, and then we can even mess with those humans he loves so much right after.¡±


    ¡°You''re right,¡± I say with a smile.


    -Break-


    A few hours later


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ As they all get back to the campsite, countless voices start to talk.


    ¡°Today is the day.¡±


    ¡°We are finally going to leave.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is happening.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t raise your spirits just yet, we will need to be in constant motion from here on out.¡±


    ¡°But we still have some time.¡±


    ¡°We leave while they flood the moat, and when they come to get us for Samhain we are already gone.¡±


    ¡°And they won¡¯t chase after us straight away because of their fear of the spirits.¡±


    ¡°We got this.¡±


    ¡°I am going to see my home again.¡±


    ¡°I can finally eat when I want.¡±


    ¡°We can finally sleep when we want.¡±


    ¡°We''re going to make it, we are going to do this.¡±


    Looking over towards me, Sandra says, ¡°Are you alright, you look down?¡±


    ¡°Nothing it is just that I am feeling a little bit nervous.¡±


    ¡°I know today is a big day, but don¡¯t feel nervous you guys have worked really hard.¡±


    ¡°No, it is not that, I just had a nightmare last night.¡±


    ¡°A lot of us do, but don¡¯t worry when we get out of here no more will be had.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is not a bad thing. You see most of my nightmares till recently were about the days I had lost my people, but recently it has been about you guys instead. So it just made me realize that the hole I had in my heart has been filled, so I feel just a little bit nervous about this realization, I guess I am a bad son now.¡±


    Putting her baby in my hands, Sandra says, ¡°We can still care about each other and our original families equally, so don¡¯t worry about such things, especially since to Jupio you¡¯re the hero who saved her from this hell.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say holding Jupio.


    ¡°Hero?¡± Sandra says. Then she makes a loud noise as if she had thought of something.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hey since you three discovered the beastkin song, why don¡¯t we rename it to the heroes'' song, just like how we call our language the saviour''s song.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is fine, but why song? I thought it was called the tongue of the saviour.¡±


    ¡°Well where I am from we usually learn language throw singing to our babies, so we call it the saviour song, hence the heroes'' song.¡±


    I laugh a bit, and say, ¡°How do you feel about this Jupio?¡±


    She makes a bright smile back, so I say, ¡°Heroes song it is?¡±


    Looking at Jupio, I say, ¡°Hey Sandra, would it be ok if we let Charles carry her during our escape.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because if worst comes to worst I am sure Charles will be fast enough to get away, and maybe if he has something to protect like Jupio he might be willing to break some of his lines.¡±


    After waiting for a moment, Sandra says, ¡°I understand, but where is Charles?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, he should be here with everyone.¡±


    Looking around, I notice that Charles is nowhere to be found, but another person who is missing is Mariana. What, I am sure they were with us as we were leaving.


    ¡°WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TWO.¡±


    ¡°Hey Nero,¡± I hear Statilia say.


    ¡°What is it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be rude, I just wanted to tell you that Charles and Mariana told me earlier they went to go get that Omega owl, apparently Charles knew you would complain if he told you.¡±


    ¡°THAT IDIOT!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Far east of the River L¨²ide, inside a nearby forest


    ¦µ In front of me, Charles sneezes, so I say, ¡°Someone must be talking about you.¡±


    ¡°I see, people really love me.¡±


    Patting his head, I say, ¡°Well I do. Now please go get your owl so we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Charles says right before he runs off.


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°Well I better get comfortable.¡±


    A little time passes, and from down words in the forest, I hear someone say, ¡°What did you call me here from.¡±


    Instantly I am shocked into motion, but then I completely go still. That voice was in the beastkin language.


    This is really bad, in all the years we have been here they have never once come here, and now they are. This is really bad if they find us it might ruin our whole plan.


    But wasn¡¯t that voice, D¨®nal¡¯s?


    ¦µ Looking around, I see Ryan in front of me, and say, ¡°Did I not just  ask you a question, reply or is you¡¯re brain too tiny to reply.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what a horrible thing to say to someone who wrote you a note, just like a maiden I have asked you to meet with me, so I can tell you my heart.¡±


    ¡°Your jokes are as funny as you are beautiful, so get to the point or I will leave, we have a moat to flood.¡±


    ¡°You see that, you¡¯re big fucking mouth is not something I can deal with anymore, so right now I am putting an end to it.¡±


    From my back, I feel an impact that brings me to my knees, and then looking I see Cian, and from the forest, a bunch of other beastkin emerge.


    ¡°What is this? Do you fools understand what will happen to you if you do anything to me?" I say while panicking inside.


    Walking up to me Ryan kicks me in the face, then says, ¡°Shut the hell up breastmilk, today is the last time you will ever take such a tone with me. You see we wrote to Liam to come back quickly.


    So, when he arrives and finds that you¡¯re dead, as a high-ranking official now he will do an investigation. But the fun part is that his investigation will rule you¡¯re death a suicide, and your body will be right at the bottom of River L¨²ide.¡±


    Feeling fear throughout my body, I say, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Kicking me again, he says, ¡°Did I say you could speak breastmilk?¡±


    Grabbing me by my head, he says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¦µ Hearing everything that has just taken place, I say, ¡°What should I do?¡±

 Interlude 2.44: Dinner with the devil part 3

    They¡¯re going to kill D¨®nal. I need to do something, but what?


    I am not strong enough to fight them, and getting closer is dangerous because if they spot me, I am dead. I could wait for Charles, but even if he was moving at top speed, it would be a least thirty minutes up and back to get the omega owl.


    So that begs the question what should I do?


    Pausing for a moment, I say, ¡°Should I even do anything?¡±


    This whole D¨®nal debacle will simply make our escape easier, and knowing how prideful those beastkin our, I am sure they will have a big celebration after killing him, which just increases our chances of escape.


    In all honesty, we know our plan could end with him dying for his blunder of letting us escape anyway, so how is this really any different than that?


    Unlike Charles, D¨®nal means nothing to me, so this shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Suddenly imagines of my wedding flash into my mind, and from my head, I take the blue flower dowsed in Nero¡¯s blood, then say, ¡°Dammit.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: A few meters away from the River L¨²ide


    ¦µ Taken my head, Ryan smashes it against the ground then says, ¡°Look down there, you see that. It¡¯s the pathway we are going to use to redirect River L¨²ide, and it will be your final resting place.¡±


    Cian says, ¡°It was dug out by his favourite humans, so I doubt he would have an issue with that.¡±


    Finn says, ¡°I bet that if we buried him in a pile of their sit he would still be happy.¡±


    Hurt with my head pinned to the ground, I say, ¡°It would still be better than sleeping around you bastards again.¡±


    My words incited fury inside all of them, causing Daniel to start stomping on my head while saying, ¡°Shut the fuck up breastmilk.¡±


    As he finishes stomping on me, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t forget guys this is our last chance to finally beat on this piece of shit so don¡¯t pass up your chances.¡±


    Soon all the other beastkin around me, start to take turns beating me so viscously that I feel like I am at home. But despite their beatings the thing in that moment that was causing me the most pain where the tears falling out of my eyes.


    My entire life I had been pathetic and when I finally gained something valuable, I wasn¡¯t even strong enough to stand beside him. I had finally gained power, I had finally gained the ability to hold up my head.


    But now it is gone, so I had wished to at least retain some of that strength when I died, but here I am just crying as I always do when faced with something hard. The truth of my life is that I have never been a failure at anything, I was just unworthy of happiness.


    As D¨®nal lays there with bums, bruises and blood covering his body, Ryan kicks him into the moat, then says, ¡°Let¡¯s start the redirecting of the river.¡±


    ¦µ From a distance away, I look upon the beastkin and say, ¡°I got the gist of their plan from overhearing them, so let¡¯s hope my plan works.¡±


    I shout in their language, ¡°OF THE TWELVE RED BRANCH FAMILIES, RONALD FUINSEOG HAS ARRIVED.¡±


    Their plan hinges on that they need a high-ranking beastkin who is friends with them to rule D¨®nal¡¯s death an accident, but if a high-ranking beastkin who isn¡¯t friends with them was to launch the investigation it would end up bad for them.


    This is risky because to my knowledge D¨®nal and his brother don¡¯t have the best relationship, But I doubt they know that and regardless of that if his brother were to die most people would assume he would launch a personal investigation.


    The second risk is if they pick up on my voice they could tell I am a human, but without a doubt, I am sure these guys don¡¯t listen to human voices enough to be able to tell I am one, especially from this distance.


    ¡°WE ARE GOING ON AN EXPEDITION TO FIGHT BARBARIAN TRIBES TO THE NORTH AND HAVE STOPPED TO RESUPPLY. OUR LORD HAS REQUESTED A MEETING WITH D¨®NAL FUINSEOG IMMEDIATELY!¡±


    ¦µ Suddenly all of the beastkin in the area panic, then Cian says, ¡°This is nothing less than a disaster.¡±


    Rory says, ¡°Why did it have to be him, and why did it have to be today?¡±


    Brain says, ¡°We¡¯re going to die, we¡¯re going to die.¡±


    Daniel asks, ¡°How do we even know that was true, maybe it was someone playing a prank.¡±


    Finn says, ¡°I knew you were lame Daniel but at least try and use you¡¯re brain. The dialect used was something only people who were formally educated would use, so only nobles and no one on this plantation except for D¨®nal meets the qualification. So what is being said is true.¡±


    Paul looks towards me and asks, ¡°Ryan what are we going to do.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Cormac says, ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know this was your plan, you are supposed to make sure everything works.¡±


    I grab Cormac, and say, ¡°When did you start getting mouthy to me, remember that no matter the situation you will always be under me you got that.¡±


    Looking past Cormac, I see all the others staring at me with contempt and muttering things under their breath.


    Listening in I hear Brain say, ¡°Why should we have to pay for your plan?¡±


    Letting go of Cormac, I punch Brain then putting my foot on his head, I say, ¡°Listen here, if I go down we all do. That is a fact, there is no chance that they will differentiate whatever lies told and will just kill us all. So we are all in this together.¡±


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    Turning my head to Cormac, I say, ¡°You wanted a plan, here¡¯s your plan. Let¡¯s all run as far and as fast away as we can, if we all go and run towards the countryside we will be able to hide.¡±


    Cian asks, ¡°But we would have to do that for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE! It is either this path or death, and every moment we spend discussing this decreases our chances of actually getting away.¡±


    All of the people around me calmed down and then start to show their agreement to my plan.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¦µ Looking from the distance, I say, ¡°It worked! Now I should get going.¡±


    As I move to walk away, I turn back and say, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then leave.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ Tapping my foot against the ground, I start to panic. ¡°Mariana, Charles where are you two idiots.¡±


    Throughout my body terror spreads as ideas of what could happen to them, but before these thoughts reach their worst, I hear someone shout, ¡°They¡¯re back!¡±


    Getting up, I move to the front entrance and see both of them, with the omega owl flying over both of their heads.


    Letting out my breath of relief, I say, ¡°It looks like nothing will ruin today after all.¡±


    From really close behind me, I hear a voice say, ¡°How would today be so important that the absence of those two could ruin it?¡±


    All motion in my body comes to a halt. That voice, I know it. Among all of the beastkin¡¯s voices, this one is eternally engraved in my mind. Behind me in this instance, is Bricriu.


    Turning around slowly, I see his smiling face, and then he says, ¡°Well if you won¡¯t explain those two can.¡±


    Turning and facing Mariana and Nero again, I see Beastkin grabbing both of them and leading them over to the rest of us.


    ¡°You look surprised by my presence, but I guess that is only to be expected considering how long I have been away, and me jumping over the wall and sneaking over to you probably didn¡¯t help with that.¡±


    Facing the rest of the people in the campsite, he says, ¡°Still despite that you all look worked up, no you all look like you¡¯re in despair. Why would that be?¡±


    We all remain silent. ¡°Nothing to say, what a pity. Though it doesn¡¯t matter to me if you do or don¡¯t, but these two will need to explain what they were doing out there.¡±


    Both Charles and Mariana are brought in through the entrance, wasting no time Bricriu asks, ¡°Could you both please explain to me why you humans were coming back so late.¡±


    Mariana and Charles freeze. All the words Bricriu said were polite, but the fear of death hangs in the air, as if one misspoken word would be the end of every one.


    Bricriu then grabs Charles''s hand and says, ¡°Your hand looks strained, and I can tell all of this was rather recent?¡±


    With a delightful smile, Bricriu says, ¡°I see, you two were probably doing extra work. How delightful, what passionate workers you are.¡±


    Patting both of their heads, he says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Walking to the entrance, he says, ¡°Now I will take my leave, but it is a bit strange that there are no guards. So why don¡¯t I give you guys some of my men, fifty should do.¡±


    Bricriu then snaps his finger and then a group of armoured Beastkin enter our campsite. Then standing at the entrance, Bricriu says, ¡°Now what do you say when someone does you a favour?¡±


    We all stand there in silence, but then as Bricriu men draw their swords, I say, ¡°Than-.¡±


    Interrupting me, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think your head is a bit too high, and I am doing this favour for all of you so why is only one of you doing what I asked?¡±


    Everyone starts to grovel on the floor, and say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome! Now I will truly be on my way.¡±


    As Bricriu leaves, it truly dawns on all of us that our plan for escape has ended before it even began.


    -Break-


    Location: Beastkin dorms


    ¦µ Sitting on a stool Bricriu stares at the strung-up bodies of beastkin who have recently gone through extreme torture.


    Raising his hand, he directs one of his men to plunge a needle into one of the beastkin nails. Then as that beastkin screams, Bricriu says, ¡°It truly was arrogant of you to try and kill a member of the red branch, and then try to run away.


    With tears flowing down he face Ryan says, ¡°I am sorry, it was a foolish decision.¡±


    Bricriu directs one of his men to hit Ryan, and then he says, ¡°Oh please don¡¯t lie about this, you see the note you wrote to Liam was rather malicious and meticulous in your plan to kill the Fuinseog.¡±


    Ryan gives a glare to Liam, who responds, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, it is your own foolish decisions that have led you to this outcome. Seriously you guys are morons.¡±


    ¡°Now even though your actions are unforgivable, I am willing to give you a pass because your letter to Liam gave me reason to return here. So if you answer my questions truthfully, I will at least leave you all intact enough so that you may all still be able to feel the touch of a woman.¡±


    Ryan nods his head, so I ask, ¡°Now tell me why did you run away?¡±


    ¡°We heard someone announce that Ronald Fuinseog had come.¡±


    ¡°Well, he hadn¡¯t so whoever told you such a thing was obviously lying.¡±


    ¡°But the voice who said it was speaking in our native tongue, and it was a rather fancy dialect. So I assumed it came from a noble.¡±


    I smile and say, ¡°That is simply impossible unless a human learned our language. But that is yet again impossible, so you¡¯re lying to me.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Continue their punishment.¡±


    Walking away, I hear their screams and cries, and then Liam walks up next to me and says, ¡°I don¡¯t think they were lying.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but I need to make sure they understand treason will never be tolerated.¡±


    ¡°But if they die we won¡¯t be able to get information.¡±


    ¡°There are countless sources of information, you just need to know where to find it.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Campsite


    ¦µ ¡°Nero I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad Mom.¡±


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Hugging me and pushing her body against mine, Mariana says, ¡°Please forgive me!!!!¡±


    Charles does the same, and says, ¡°Please forgive me!!¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I don¡¯t want either of you two doing something so stupid like that ever again.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± They both say in unison.


    Suddenly we all hear a loud ringing sound, and then here, ¡°ALL HUMAN MOVE TO THE ENTRANCE!¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t sound like our usual get-to-work bell, this could be bad.¡±


    Holding my hand Mariana says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such things, everything is going to be fine.¡±


    ¡°Your right,¡± I say giving her a smile.


    As we walk out to the front entrance with all the other members of our campsite, we are greeted by Bricriu and his men.


    Looking around Bricriu''s eyes land on Charles and he says, ¡°I have been given reason to believe that this boy right there has committed a horrible offence against my people by learning the language of the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann. So you will be taken away.¡±


    Immediately I walk in front of Charles, and say, ¡°That isn¡¯t true, Charles is too stupid to be able to learn another language, he struggles to speak our own.¡±


    Bricriu, says, ¡°Please be quiet, I have substantial reason to believe this, and the only two possible suspects for this are this boy and the girl right beside you.¡±


    Making a gesture with his hand, his men start to push through the crowd of us and take Charles.


    Trying to stop them, I am hit right in the face and sent to the floor.


    This causes Charles to say, ¡°STOP!¡±


    Charles tries to force the beastkin to let go of him, but five of them hold him to the ground and stop him from moving.


    The Bricriu says, ¡°Oh you¡¯re rather strong. Since this may be an issue, you should take of an arm and a leg from the boy.¡±


    The beastkin draw their swords prepared to slice into Charles, but before their blades hit him Mariana yells, ¡°Stop!¡± In the Heroes song.


    I stare at her, and say, ¡°Stop Mariana.¡±


    Looking at me, she says, ¡°Sorry Nero.¡± Then faces Bricriu and in the heroes song says, ¡°The one you¡¯re looking for is me, so leave them alone.¡±


    Bricriu smiles, and says, ¡°That is all the evidence, I need. Take her away.¡±


    The beastkin grabbed Mariana and led her through the entrance, and I scream, ¡°MARIANA!¡±


    But my screams and cries are pointless as she is taken away. I continuously start to breathe in and out until I can¡¯t catch my breath anymore and collapse.

 Interlude 2.45: Dinner with the devil part 4

    -Break-


    The next day


    ¦µ Over his unconscious body, Charles waits on Nero who is visibly struggling as he sleeps. Charles doesn¡¯t know what to do, so he just sit¡¯s their and holds Nero¡¯s hand while saying, ¡°I am sorry,¡± over and over again.


    He cries, and says, ¡°Please be okay Nero.¡±


    But throughout all of his incentive cries, Nero finally opens his eyes, and says, ¡°Charles you¡¯re being too loud.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at me, Charles says, ¡°Nero I am sorr-.¡±


    I pat him on his head, and say, ¡°Why aren¡¯t we at work, isn¡¯t it rather late in the day.¡±


    Charles pauses for a moment, then looks down and says, ¡°Bricriu told not one of us to leave the campsite until he returns.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that nice of him. I guess if I am awake now I should go and check on everyone,¡± I say getting up and walking out of the hut.


    ¡°Wait, there is something I need to tell you!¡± Charles says to me.


    No time to stop, I just need to move and do. All other thoughts need to cease because if they don¡¯t I won¡¯t be able to go on.


    As I step out of the hut, I am immediately stopped by one of the armoured beastkin.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± I say with sweat going down my face.


    ¡°My lord has commanded me to bring you and that blue-haired boy with us to him, when you awake.¡±


    My heart stops for a moment, and I say, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Is that such a question you should be asking? Do you really want to squander this opportunity to meet her?¡±


    Realizing what he means, I say, ¡°Take me.¡±


    Charles walking out of the hut says, ¡°I am ready as well.¡±


    And just like how Mariana was taken from us, we are taken from everyone else.


    -Break-


    Location: Bricriu dinner hall


    ¦µ Through to large doors, me and Charles our brought into a dimly lit room, with a table in the centre. Then on that table with the same smile, that he always has Bricriu sits, and says, ¡°Come now my guests, take a seat.¡±


    Me and Charles both walk up to the table and take a seat. Bricriu then snaps his finger then from the dark parts of the room, two men appear and drop plates in front of us.


    Looking at Bricriu, I ask, ¡°May I ask you a question?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°What would be the purpose of this?¡±


    ¡°You see I falsely accused this little one over here, and thanks to that you got hit. So I have decided to have a little meal with the both of you.


    His men take off the covering of both of our plates, which reveals a rather hefty meal, it smells so nice that for a moment both me and Charles forget the situation and have faces of pure delight.


    Though I quickly compose myself.


    Bricriu then says, ¡°No need to look like that. You should just enjoy the food, especially the meat, I made sure it is extra juicy.¡±


    I don¡¯t feel like playing along with his game. ¡°You know I don¡¯t really thin-.¡±


    Before I can finish all around the room, I hear the sound of swords being drawn. The amount of noise is not equivalent to the amount of people I saw, are there more people in this room hiding in the shadows.


    I guess I have no choice then, using the took he placed in front of me, I take a bite of the food and say, ¡°It is quite good.¡±


    With a smile, Bricriu says, ¡°Happy to hear.¡±


    Charles then starts to eat as well, and as we all do Bricriu says, ¡°Please let me apologize for my mistake, as a leader I should make sure not to damage my workers more than necessary.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t have concern for people just like us.¡±


    Passionately, he says, ¡°That¡¯s impossible because you are all precious to me, and I am sure you understand that since a baby was just born at your campsite.¡±


    Looking at Charles, he asks, ¡°What was the name of that child again.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Jupio,¡± Charles says with a big smile. ¡°She is really adorable and smiles a lot. I have to make sure to be the best big brother to her as possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, but that description sort of reminds me of you Charles. I remember when you were a child just like that. I am sure your mother and father would have said the same things about you.¡±


    Charles stops for a moment, and asks, ¡°Did you know my parents?¡±


    ¡°Well sort of but the memories of what happened to them are lost to me.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Charles says.


    Suddenly, Bricriu says in the Heroes song, ¡°I think I just remember what happened to them. Your father was killed in a single blow to the heart, by that merciful queen of shadows, but you¡¯re mother just like the rest of the captured woman where sent to help us produce more offspring.¡±


    Charles stops and freezes for a moment, but then I take a big bite of my meat, and say, ¡°How delicious this is!¡± While looking at Charles.


    Right now Bricriu is speaking in saying horrible things in the Heroes song to try and bait a reaction out of us. I need Charles to pretend like he didn¡¯t hear any of that.


    Taking a bite of his food, Charles says, ¡°This really is amazing.¡±


    Bricriu continues in the Heroes song and says, ¡°But she isn¡¯t the only woman who has such a fate, your mother as well has been working very hard to make sure the number of us beastkin continues to increase as well.


    Earlier you said you see Jupio as your younger sister, but in actuality, both of you have quite a few younger siblings. You see I have kept track of the lords both of your mothers have been put under.


    Though unfortunately, they both seemed to be physically unable to properly deliver our babies so they kept having miscarriage after miscarriage. Nero, you should have about thirteen dead siblings, while you Charles have about eight.¡±


    I can feel my body about to shake with anger and disgust, but I am able to hold myself back from doing anything. Because just like I have done over the last five years, I put up with the disgusting things told to me.


    Looking over at Charles I see he is struggling, so I say, ¡°Charles you need to focus on this food, it is heavenly.¡±


    Charles nods his head and then continues to eat. Good boy, don¡¯t think about it and just move forward.


    ¡°Still it is sad that both of them have passed away, both died in their last childbirths. But you know what¡¯s amazing, on the deathbeds of both they asked for the same thing; how are my children?¡±


    Putting his hand over his mouth, in the Saviour''s song he says, ¡°Oh sorry you guys couldn¡¯t understand any of that. It is a bad habit of mine to start speaking in my native tongue when I get excited.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± I say with a half-smile.


    ¡°Then let me change the topic. Apparently, some of the guards I had stationed to work on this plantation were taking and abusing women, so they were punished quite severely.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Charles says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, the fact that they would damage such useful workers is something that would never be allowed to pass. But I can understand them, the sense of domination, the sense of control, and the sense of passion that comes from taking a woman, as she screams and resists but is eventually subjugated by your overwhelming self. And the ones who always behave the strongest are the easiest to break.¡±


    I start to feel a sense of pure dread come over me, but then Bricriu says, ¡°Disgusting isn¡¯t it.¡±


    With a slight sense of relief, I say, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°But looks of the history, that exists even from the forbidden age, have a lot of sexual content, the arts they enjoyed, the entertainment they enjoyed, even the reasons for their wars.


    Almost as if life cannot separate itself from it, and don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a waste? Imagine all of the other potential of creativity that could exist if we put all the passion we had for the sexual into other things.


    The world is so vast and big and yet we are so fixed on this singular thing. So to pursue that untouched world, I force all the men under me to be castrated.¡±


    I stop eating and look at him, which causes him to say, ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, it has only helped them all. Now they have focused and channelled that passion into other things, like art, cooking, and even warfare. My men have become exceedingly amazing at all they do.¡±


    In the Heroes song, Bricriu says, ¡°And collect. You see, during all my conquests I come across so many amazing humans like your father Nero. A strong warrior who took down a great amount of us.


    So I decided to take the kin of these great people and turn them into slaves. Through this plantation are many who are special to me due to this very fact, because isn¡¯t it hilarious to watch the offspring and family of these greats humans become nothing more than cattle who follow my every word.¡±


    Images of my father flash through my head as he speaks. He used my father''s brave sacrifice as a reason to punish me, right now this evil bastard is trying to turn me against my father.


    Back in the Saviours song he says, ¡°I should really quit that bad habit of mine, but it is just one of many habits of mine, you see I have many. Like cooking.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you a noble?¡±


    In the Heroes song, he says, ¡°I might be but the cooking I enjoy is a pit peculiar. You see first thing I have to do is behave the precious one I am cooking so I can drain the blood, of course, this time to enjoy the suffering of my prey I decided to use an alternative method.


    But after that, I had to move on to the skinning process, when the skin of my prey is a lighter colour I usually just leave it on so it can darken later on. Though this time my subject had darker skin.¡±


    I pause for a moment.


    ¡°Then I start to take apart the body, splitting the intensities and meaty parts of her body up, and remaking them into excellent food of course it has a unique smell but spices made from Flora around wonderbeasts really do work wonders.


    Eyes when cooked well enough can be almost indistinguishable from eggs, even her grey hair and tongue can be turned into things unrecognizable from what they originally were.


    Though I left out the noses, feet, stomach, and anus because aren¡¯t eating all of those just completely vile.¡±


    It isn¡¯t true, it isn¡¯t true, it isn¡¯t true, it isn¡¯t true, it isn¡¯t true, it isn¡¯t true, it can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be,  it can¡¯t be,  it can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be. No, no, no, no, no,  no, no!


    Did I just eat? Have I been eating? As the realization comes down on me, I put my hands over my mouth holding back in my vomit.


    As I do, Bricriu says in the Saviours song, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    I don¡¯t respond because a single word would make me vomit.


    ¡°I know what to do. Babies are known to heal people, so why don¡¯t I send one of my men to get that child Jupio.¡±


    Then in the Heroes song, he says, ¡°But you know if you have been understanding all I have been saying this time, I wouldn¡¯t know whether all the other members of you¡¯re campsite know. In all honesty, I would simply just have to kill them all to make sure our language remains pure.¡±


    Understanding his threat, I suck in my vomit, and say, ¡°Nothing is wrong.¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful. Now eat.¡±


    Charles looks at me with a face of shock and horror, he looks more full of emotion than he ever has. I know he doesn¡¯t want to but he must, and if I am to make him I must lead the way.


    Picking up the utensils, I use them to take a bite into the meat.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Bricriu asks.


    As countless images of my wife flash in my mind, I say, ¡°Delicious.¡±


    But as Nero speaks the life that existed within his eyes vanishes.

 Interlude 2.46: Betrayal

    -Break-


    With Bricriu walking in front of me and Nero surrounded by his guards, he led them through the doors they entered.


    Nero faces is without life, and without thought, because any single idea he would have in this moment would be the end of him.


    ¦µ And I stare at him not knowing what I should say or do. I rack my brain, I think of something to say, but as I do the taste returns to my mouth and I stop talking to not vomit where I stand.


    I can still feel her, in my mouth. Stuck between the pieces of my teeth. The teeth that she told me made my smile bright.


    I shake as I think about what I have down, but then on my head, I feel Nero place his hand on me.


    Staring at him, I see that his expression hasn¡¯t changed, and he isn¡¯t even looking at me, but still, he is using his hand to comfort me. Even like that he still cares for me.


    Right now, I need to be strong as well.


    As we all exit, Bricriu says, ¡°Well this has been quite fun spending time with you guys over the years, but that¡¯s over now.¡±


    Bricriu men then grab me and Nero. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my men will simply be taking you both to your new campsites.¡±


    ¡°We both already have one.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, from now on it will be completely dismantled. You see I have insider information that you guys have not only been getting extra special treatment but have been conspiring and I am bringing an end to that.¡±


    Looking at Nero, I see him making no struggle as the beastkin takes him, so I say, ¡°We haven¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°You can lie, but it really isn¡¯t my problem anymore. Because I am done with this plantation, the faces you two gave me today have been the best this little project of mine could ever produce, so I am done.


    I won¡¯t be returning, and all the special protections I have given to you two and my other trophies will be removed. Bye, bye, slaves.¡± Turning his head to the right, he says, ¡°Let¡¯s go my partner.¡±


    From a side I wasn¡¯t able to see, a man walks up to Bricriu and then looks at me.


    Seeing him my body completely stops, and I say, ¡°D¨®nal?¡±


    He looks at me, and says, ¡°Traitor.¡± Then with Bricriu, he walks away.


    Words Mariana told me after we reunited two days ago play in my mind.


    ¡°You did all of that to save D¨®nal!¡± I said with surprise.


    ¡°Shhh, it has to be kept a secret because if Nero knows what I just did he would be angry with me.¡±


    Jumping with joy at D¨®nal safety, I ask, ¡°Why did you help him, I thought you didn¡¯t like him.¡±


    Jittery she says, ¡°It is because of you idiot. He is your family, and you¡¯re my family so I just decided to help.¡±


    Hugging Mariana with Blu in my hands, I say, ¡°I love you!¡±


    Hugging me back, she says, ¡°I do love Nero more, but I love you too!¡±


    Staring at the ground, I understood how Bricriu knew so much, I understood why he brought us out here, I understood why Mariana was taken, and I understood why D¨®nal was angry. I understood everything was my fault.


    So the tears I had been trying to hold back just burst forth.


    Bricriu stops, and says, ¡°I can¡¯t believe I almost forgot to give you this.¡±


    Quickly moving towards Nero, he takes out something from his pocket and plants it on Nero''s head, then he walks away saying, ¡°This is yours isn¡¯t it.¡±


    On top of Nero¡¯s head, was Mariana''s flower with his blood on it.


    When it was placed some of its petals had fallen off, and upon seeing this Nero whose expression had all but frozen, instantly cracked and he started to cry profusely.


    As he cried no one would believe this man in front of me was anything less than a child. Even when Jupio cries she doesn¡¯t look so pitiful.


    Seeing him looking like this makes me shake, so I say, ¡°Nero I am sorry, Nero I am sorry.¡±


    But he doesn¡¯t react and just cries, and as this continues both me and Nero are dragged away far from each other.


    -Break-


    Two days ago


    Location: D¨®nal room


    ¦µ Gripping tightly to his blanket, D¨®nal says, ¡°That can¡¯t be true,¡±


    ¡°Oh, but it is. Your precious Charles was planning to escape with his new family and leave you to suffer punishment.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°But we have quite a bit of proof given our engagement with them today that they were planning to escape. Due to the back-to-back events of Samhain and the flooding of the moat, not to mention the complete lack of security they had and all of the packed items they had, I am all but certain that they intended to leave today.¡±


    ¡°But if they did that he knows I would get punished, and Charles wouldn¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Think then D¨®nal has Charles showcased any behaviour recently that would come off as a final goodbye.¡±


    He pauses in front of me, so I say, ¡°Let me guess did he ask recently if you could make sure no guards came to the campsite.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±


    ¡°You see, you can¡¯t deny it because the truth of the matter is that he was only using yo-.¡±


    ¡°NO! I raised him, I love him and he loves me. He is my son, he would never betray me for those humans.¡±


    ¡°Of course, he would, because at the end of the day, humans will always pick those similar to them above all, and the kindness he showed you is yet another lie from humanity.


    It was never about you as a person, it was just about the human finding something to use to validate its emotions, once something else was able to do that you were thrown away like trash.¡±


    Shaken and full of fear, D¨®nal says, ¡°That can¡¯t be true because if it is, I wouldn¡¯t be able to go on living.¡±


    ¡°Then if your life has no use to you, let me have it.¡±


    Staring at me, D¨®nal asks, ¡°What use could my life have to you?¡±


    ¡°You see the other beastkin that where they are far too self-centred to remember the voice they heard calling out to them, but you¡¯re not the same .¡±


    Understanding what I am about to ask, D¨®nal says, ¡°I don¡¯t remember,¡± While looking away from me.


    Moving my face closer, I say, ¡°But at least remember my words right now. You owe those humans nothing, all you have done is sacrifice for them and yet they were all so ready to toss you into hell for their own benefit.


    So do not be afraid to do the same for them, because a single day of your life isn¡¯t worth all of their lifetimes put together. Remember you are a member of the red branch, you are a Fuinseog.¡±


    Spurred by my words, D¨®nal says, ¡°The voice was-.¡±


    Present day


    Location: Bricriu carriage


    Sitting across from me, D¨®nal asks, ¡°What will happen to them now?¡±


    ¡°Do you think they would ask the same questions about you in the opposite situation?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± D¨®nal says lowering his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look sad, because from now on the rest of your life truly begins so grasp it and move forward. You will never need to bow your head to someone below you ever again.¡±


    Still looking down, D¨®nal smiles and says, ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    A new life is set out in stone for you Fuinseog, but for the rest of my formerly precious pets, all that awaits is hell, far worse than any you have known.


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    Location: ¨ªogair grassland


    ¦µ Beside me rows, and rows of men and women stand picking the seeds out of the flowers, and as we do Beastkin behind us screams, ¡°WORK FASTER.¡±


    With a whip in hand, he strikes the backs, of some people and says, ¡°Hurry up, I have a debt to repay.¡±


    The screams of the people he hits are so loud and sorrowful that I can¡¯t help but look. However, when I poke my head out to look, I am hit in the face.


    ¡°If you got time to look you got time to work.¡± He stops and stares at me, and says, ¡°You were one of Bricriu''s special little brats, I see why you would be so pigheaded. But he no longer cares about a single one of you slaves.¡±


    Hitting me with his whip, he says, ¡°So, you, better, lower, your, head, or, die!¡±


    He takes joy in the act of hitting me, but unlike everyone else I am able to deal with the pain so I should be the one who takes it.


    A Beastkin walking up beside me, says, ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This little brat is stronger than others, so hitting him is pointless. If you want to do some real damage against him, there is this dead-eyed boy who does actually get hurt.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I scream, ¡°PLEASE DON¡¯T HURT NERO.¡±


    But then I am kicked in the face by one of the beastkin, and fall to the ground.


    Then he says, ¡°Look he is injured now.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, so he stopped doing whatever was keeping his body safe.¡±


    ¡°Hit me all you want, just leave Nero alone.¡±


    ¡°You can have it your way then,¡± The beastkin says before it starts to whip me.


    -Break-


    ¦µ With markings all over my body, from the whipping a walk back to my hut with all of the other people, and all tired from the day''s work we head into our hut.


    Yet unlike before with Mariana and Nero there is no order we all simply just throw our bodies down and lie down with people falling on top of each other.


    As I lay on the floor tired people throw their bodies over me, this keeps happening till I start to struggle to breathe so I move some of them out of the way so I can at least find air. I struggle to sleep like this but the tiredness coming over my body wins over in the end.


    -Break-


    Woken up by the beastkin, we start to leave our hut, but as we do I look inside and see some people collapsed on the ground, so I rush back and check on the people, and say, ¡°Wake up we have to go.¡±


    But as I touch them, I say, ¡°They are dead.¡±


    Someone behind me says, ¡°They suffocated, leave them.¡±


    ¡°But we have to-.¡±


    ¡°We have to do nothing because if we don¡¯t go right now we will die deaths much less peaceful than this.¡±


    I stop for a moment over the bodies then I run out of the room to join everyone.


    -Break-


    Sometime later


    We were forced to work incessantly, without any rest in between, with less food than I have ever had to work with before. The life I was currently living was in worse than the life I had before I met Nero, it felt like hell without any source of light.


    The only solace I had each day was when I returned to the campsite, but one day even that came to an end.


    Location: Campsite


    ¡°Hey human,¡± I hear as I see something thrown at me.


    Noticing what it is, I catch her, and say, ¡°Jupio?¡±


    One of the beastkin who threw her, says, ¡°She is your responsibility now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean she has parents!¡±


    ¡°And they are dead, so we simply gave her to the nearest person who would know her.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is so deal with it.¡±


    ¡°But how am I supposed to work with her.¡±


    ¡°Do what the woman did and work with her strapped to your body, stop being annoying and fuck off.¡±


    ¡°But what about her food.¡±


    ¡°Not my business, ask someone who cares!¡±


    As the beastkin walks away, all I can do is stare at the crying Jupio. So I walk into the hut with her.


    I lay down against the wall like everyone else, and after a few seconds of being in the hot and crowded room, Jupio started to cry. This small action from her sends a cascade of shouts towards me to quiet her down, with some even throwing things at me.


    But I ignore them. Still, sleep is the only good thing in these men''s lives, so me robbing that from them causes many to get angered and stand up in front of me.


    ¡°Shut her up or we will make you.¡±


    ¡°I know I am being unfair, but she is struggling too so please just make do.¡±


    As I say this the men start to raise their fists to prepare to strike me, so I use my body as a shell to defend her from the beating the men, and as I do I stare down at her face, and smile.


    Still taking blows, I start to feel pain throughout my back. It seems my lack of food and sleep has been affecting my control over the flowy stuff, so even these men''s light punches hurt.


    The noise and pained expression start to make, Jupio cry worse, but then as this continues, I start to hear a voice, it is Sandra''s voice.


    As I lay there confused, I remembered that Blu has been flying over me since I got him from the forest. Is he coping Sandra¡¯s voice for us?


    Even though the men haven¡¯t ceased hitting me, Jupio in front of me starts to smile back towards me. I don¡¯t know what to do or what to even think anymore, but defending her I something I definitely have enough power to do.


    This resolve kept me going for some time until another change in my fate came.


    When the new lord arrived.

 Interlude 2.47: Goodbye part 1

    -Break-


    Six months later


    Location: Scortha fields


    With the little baby Jupio tied against him, Charles works the fields in the blazing heat just like everyone else. Many struggle to simply breathe, but Charles perceivers throughout it.


    Though the little one tied against him isn¡¯t so strong.


    Jupio starts to cry, so I look at her and say, ¡°Please bear with it.¡±


    But unable to understand my words, she continues to cry. I look up with a face of worry as I know what is about to happen next.


    A beastkin walks up to me and kicks me in my shin causing me to kneel, then grabbing my head he smashes my face into the dirt a few times.


    After he finishes, he pulls me by my hair towards his face, and says, ¡°You see that is how that baby''s constant cries feel to my ears. It isn¡¯t nice, is it?¡±


    Coughing, as I try to get air, I say, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then make sure I don¡¯t hear it anymore, because every bit of pain I feel, so will you.¡±


    Jupio starts to cry even louder than before, and due to this, I see the beastkin in front of me negatively react to the sound. Then with even more angered eyes, he says, ¡°I really doubt the plantation will ever need such an annoying girl.¡±


    Then he violently reaches for Jupio, but before his hand reaches her a trumpet sounds, and an expression of surprise dominates all of the hate on his face.


    ¡°Get back to work,¡± He says as he starts to run off.


    As I regain myself, I listen in to one of the beastkin conversations in the Heroes song, ¡°Isn¡¯t this earlier than we planned?¡±


    ¡°We already knew she was strange, so her being off schedule is expected.¡±


    ¡°What a pain in the ass this new lord will be.¡±


    Understanding the meaning behind the trumpets, I feel a sensation of fear come upon me as I realize a new lord of the plantation has arrived.


    -Break-


    Location: Campsite


    Sitting near the entrance of my hut, I rock Jupio to sleep while saying, ¡°I know the heat makes it difficult to breathe in here but please try your best.¡±


    But in my arms, she still struggles to sleep. ¡°She has been struggling to eat as well lately, maybe she is sick?¡±


    Touching her forehead, I say, ¡°She doesn¡¯t feel warmer than the room would allow, so what is going on with her.¡±


    With my head hanging low, I say, ¡°Mariana, Nero, I miss you.¡±


    Suddenly a taste fills my mouth, causing me to almost puke.


    Holding it in, I slouch and say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Over the hut, Blu replays Mariana''s voice. Staring up at the top of the hut, I say, ¡°Thank you. Now I just have to keep trying as well.¡±


    ¡°HEAR ME HUMANS!¡± A booming voice says from outside.


    This voice causes Jupio and the other men in the hut to walk up. As Jupio looks to cry, I start to make funny faces which turns Jupio¡¯s sadness to happiness.


    I sigh and as I do the voice says, ¡°Each and every one of you are to gather at the castle and welcome your new lord. Make haste or we will remove those good-for-nothing legs that you have.


    -Break-


    Location: Anam Castle


    With a group of uneasy people, I walk into the castle grounds, and as I do I see a large crowd of people. ¡°People from other campsites.¡±


    Understanding this, I start to turn my head and look for any signs of others from my previous campsite, but I am soon surrounded by those taller than me, so I stop and simply stand in line.


    After a little bit of time passes from one of the castle balconies a beastkin emerges.


    She was a rather beautiful woman who was clearly the beastkin of a lion, but Charles couldn¡¯t know that.


    Looking down on everyone, a voice announces. ¡°I introduce you all to Viscount Kathleen Fogerty. NOW EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU BOW TO YO-.¡±


    Interrupting him, in a kind voice, she says, ¡°No need for that. You see I want every single one of you to ignore my station and my title.¡±


    In the Heroes song, the beastkin with the booming voice faces Kathleen, and says, ¡°That can¡¯t be allowed, it is disrespectful.¡±


    Turning to him, she says, ¡°How else will I befriend them? I have no other goal here than that so set ablaze all ideas that don¡¯t aid me in that circumstance.¡±


    In the Saviours song, she says, ¡°Many of you have been treated as less than the dirt you walk upon. Your hearts have been shattered, and your wills mocked, but hear me today as I declare that has all come to an end.¡±


    From the top of her tower, she jumps down and lands in front of us. Getting on her hands and knees, she bows in front of us.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    This action causes the beastkin with a booming voice to shout in the Heroes song, ¡°VISCOUNT PLEASE STOP THIS SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOUR, DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!?¡±


    Ignoring him, she says, ¡°I humbly ask that you place your trust in me and my words. From today on this dirt that my face touches will no longer be something you will ever feel like.¡±


    All around me, everyone was stiff and scared as they feared what torture or punishment they would be given in their sleep-deprived state. The intensity of their fears makes the air harder to breathe than when I was nearly crushed by people in my hut.


    But now all of those emotions have eased as she has spoken. Many were still on the edge, but after this woman who was dressed in such pristine clothing had dug her face into the ground for us, they all seemed to relax.


    Looking at everyone, she jumps up and says, ¡°I am not a woman of words but of actions as well so I would like to reward each and every one of you with a meal cooked by my personal chefs.¡±


    She claps both her hands and a group of beastkin with forced smiles on their faces walks out with plates of food in their hands.


    Then she says, ¡°Please enjoy!¡±


    It takes very little time for everyone to start moving towards the food since these last few months have been some of the worst that we have ever experienced.


    Seeing everyone moving around freely an idea pops into my head, and I say, ¡°Maybe someone I know is around here.¡±


    I move around and look for any signs of people I might know. But I struggle to find anyone.


    Then I hear two beastkin say to me in the Heroes song, ¡°To think she broke the rule of gathering all the humans together in one place, she truly is going to be an annoying boss.¡±


    They continue to speak, but I block their voices out.


    If all of the humans are here, then anyone who isn¡¯t here is no longer on the land. In that moment I look down at Jupio and remember that both Sandra and Pluso are dead.


    I start to run frantically to look for anyone I know. Edward, Rolo, Nora, M¨¬cheil, Frantziscu, Leela, Branko, Ljubica, Kristina, Vercingetorix, Adalfuns, Mattin, Rochus, Alex, Nero.


    But I stop as my running starts to make Jupio whine. Holding her in my arms, I say, ¡°Sorry, I really am.¡±


    As I calm her down, I notice someone sitting with his wall against the castle, I see Nero and a boy with an eyepatch beside him. I believe his name was Ogier.


    But I quickly ignore his presence and start moving towards them, but as I do I notice how Nero looks. His body has lost weight, his eyes are lifeless, and he looks like he is sitting more because he can¡¯t stand not that he wants to sit.


    Ogier beside him has food and is trying to feed him, but Nero just sits there almost lifeless. He looks nothing like the man I knew.


    As Nero takes a bite out of the food Ogier gives him, he starts to move his body as if he is about to throw up, with tears running down his eyes.


    Seeing this I run away, all the way to a corner of the castle where no one is to see me, and holding Jupio I say, ¡°Sorry, I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°What are you sorry for?¡±


    Looking at who is talking I see Katheleen standing away from me, and she says, ¡°So you¡¯re the one with the baby.¡±


    Sitting beside me, she takes Jupio out of my hands and says, ¡°She is so cute.¡±


    ¡°She really is.¡±


    Turning to me, she says, ¡°Is everything alright.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jupio was just crying so I was apologizing for worrying her.¡±


    ¡°I see, well if anything is bothering you or you need something for her, don¡¯t feel scared to ask me for help.¡±


    Handing Jupio back to me, she says, ¡°Bye!¡±


    And as she walks away I feel a certain feeling in my chest.


    -Break-


    Over the next month, Kathleen spent lots of time with us.


    She would join us in the mud on the days when we would be working the land and worked beside us.


    She would struggle to get the work right and would be sad when she didn¡¯t do everything right. But on the other hand, whenever she did succeed she had a very big smile on her.


    This and her beauty enamoured many around towards her. Especially since on the days when she was around we weren¡¯t hit or hurt in any way.


    She allowed us to bathe more, gave us food, and allowed us to sleep in a little bit more than usual. These things that she did drew many of us towards her, but it also made that feeling in my chest grow.


    This all continued until the month was over and she held another banquet just like the one on the day she came.


    ¡°I hope we have all been able to grow closer over this last month so please enjoy yourselves.¡±


    As most people start to enjoy themselves I sit down with Jupio in my arms and delightfully feed her.


    But then in front of me, Katheleen appears and says, ¡°Why are you sitting all alone here?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to.¡±


    She looks confused and upset, then kneeling down, she says, ¡°Whenever I am with everyone you always go off on your own. Have I done something to make you mad at me!?¡±


    Since all the eyes of the people around are transfixed to her, they soon all become transfixed to me.


    Looking around, I sigh and then say, ¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±


    She looks taken aback, then says, ¡°I know that the beastkin have treated the humans horribly, so what you feel is understandable. But I promise I won¡¯t let any of you go through that ever again, I want to be friends.¡±


    ¡°We are slaves. Not one of us has a choice in this matter, if we don¡¯t get on your good side we won¡¯t even be allowed to talk. Even now as I speak to you, your men stand there with weapons in hand waiting to beat me for this words, because I have no freedom here.¡±


    With sweat trickling down her face, she says, ¡°Food, sleep, and clothing, will all be given to you, I have worked with all of you in the fields and invited you to my castle. I know we all have different standings, but I really do want you to believe I want to be friends with you all otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have gone through this effort.¡±


    I look at her clothes and say, ¡°Those clothes are your right.¡±


    Confused she says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You wash those clothes, fold them, keep them away from things that could destroy them, and make sure to use and spend time with them by wearing them. You might even bond with those clothes and they might become something special to you.


    But at the end of the day, it is just property, if you decided to rip it into one thousand pieces you fully withhold the power to do that, and that is no different than what we are to you. We are pets, and by throwing us a few bones you stop us from turning against you in any way.


    You feed us? Give us clothes? Allow us to sleep? Humans have done all that before we even came here, next are you going to ask us to thank you for the air we breathe?


    Before everyone came here they all had families, and lives, and had hopes and dreams for their lives. Now the best they can hope for is someone treating them like a human being, you act different but it is all the same in the end, you look down on all of us humans.¡±


    Kathleen says, ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± And turns around.


    But as she faces the crowd of people behind her she sees there is no more kindness in their faces. Charles''s words brought reality back upon every one of them.


    Seeing this Katheleen drops her head down, and says, ¡°Ok then, I will just leave and you can all go back to living how you used to.¡±


    Hearing this a large group of people come up to her and start to beg her to stay.


    But she says, ¡°NO! DESPITE EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE FOR ALL OF YOU THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT ME!¡±


    The faces of everyone which were lit up by Charles''s words have all turned back to terror as they realize that things might return to the way they previously were.


    But then a voice says, ¡°PLEASE FORGIVE HIM!¡±


    Looking at the voice, it is Nero. Despite looking still horrible, his voice has power in it.


    He walks up to her, and says, ¡°I am his family, and it is my fault he is so rude, so please forgive him and stay.¡±


    She looks at Nero¡¯s face and says, ¡°Do you all really want me to stay.¡±


    The crowd of people beg her to stay and as this goes on she turns to Nero, and says, ¡°I want you to make it up to me for what he said.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will.¡± Turning to me, he says, ¡°Charles leave here.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like her so leave here so you don¡¯t say anything stupid.¡± Turning to Katheleen, he asks, ¡°Can he go.¡±


    With what some people would call a cute expression, she says, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t feel like seeing him.¡±


    Turning to me, Nero says with a cold expression, ¡°I don¡¯t feel like dealing with your stupid blunders again so make sure I never see you again.¡±


    Seeing such a face causes me to run with Jupio right back to the campsite.

 Interlude 2 End: Charles Animus

    -Break-


    Later that night


    Location: Campsite


    With Jupio in his arms, Charles is flung to the floor by a group of people from the campsite.


    Despite being hit hard, Charles''s first instinct is to watch over the little Jupio in his arms.


    Looking up at his attackers, he says, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    The man in front of them all says, ¡°You almost ruined all of our lives today, despite how much better it has gotten for us you tried to throw us into hell.¡±


    ¡°I simply spoke the truth of what I saw, and is that action enough of a sin to do this to me?¡±


    The man grips his hands and looks down then says, ¡°I would be lying if I said your words earlier didn¡¯t ignite something in me, and many around me would attest to that.


    But no matter how truthful they are it doesn¡¯t change the fact we will never leave here, this life we currently have is the best we could ever hope for, so if we have to be pets, be property we will do so. Because you''re not the only one tasked with protecting a child.¡±


    ¡°But is this life one we really want to raise the children in?¡±


    He looks extremely conflicted and says, ¡°Chasing after such a dream will doom those who live in the present, and since you don¡¯t understand that I will make you.¡±


    I cover Jupio and as I do I am hit repeatedly again and again. Due to all the food I have gotten I can use the flowy stuff yet again to protect my body. But despite taking no damage I still cry.


    It is all my fault. It is because of meeting me, and my foolish blunders that everyone is gone. They gave me so much yet I took so much away from all of them.


    I used to be hit like this time and time again with the men who did it telling me to die repeatedly over and over again, it was as if they thought my death would suddenly make everything my life caused go away.


    But now more than anything else I wish that was true, I wish by giving up this worthless little life that I could make all my mistakes my despair and all the sadness I have caused disappear.


    With my body over her to protect her from the ongoing strikes, my tears fall down at Jupio and stain her little face. As she starts to cry as well, I say, ¡°I am sorry, I am sorry, I am sorry.¡±


    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Anam Castle


    Due to my interruption the day prior it had seemed the party she had planned for us ended early even though I had left, so I continued the next day.


    So with Jupio still in my arms, I sat down against a wall with my head down. But despite me not looking at anyone else, just like spikes, I felt their anger and contempt towards me.


    I led many of them into running from the woman who had become a god to them. To them, I was their devil.


    Yet despite that, someone came over to me, and said, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Looking up I see the man Ogier with an eye missing holding out some food for me to grab.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it would obviously be hard for you to get food without my help, so take it and eat.¡±


    Grabbing the food from his hand, I say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Seeing as I accepted his gift he sat down beside me, and he said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to respond to me, you can just eat as I blabber away.


    A few months ago Nero was sent to my campsite and he looked like he was a corpse walking, it seems they had beaten him quite intensely before they brought him to us.


    But it wasn¡¯t that beating that made him look dead, but the look in his eyes, it was the look of a man who had died in soul not flesh. So I have been taking care of him, as thanks for the time when he patched up my eye.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say.


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t a big deal, I just decided to do it because there isn¡¯t anything else to do on the campsite. But boy was it hard, he never talked except when he was sleeping, and he struggled to eat most of the time and when he did he violently spit up his food. He wasn¡¯t doing good in the slightest.


    But yesterday when he saw you talking to her, it was like life went back in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He had barely said a word over all these months by he eloquently got up and started to defend you. I was completely taken aback, he really must love you.¡±


    Looking down, I say, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, he wouldn¡¯t do that for me after all I have down to him.¡±


    ¡°As sure I am that all of these beastkin around us, don¡¯t like us in the slightest, I am sure that Nero cares for you an equal amount.¡±


    Hearing this I feel something deep within me, so I ask, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, it seemed he was talking to Katheleen about what you said and since then he hasn¡¯t returned.¡± With a sad expression, he says, ¡°I think he might have gotten punished for what you said.¡±


    I instantly jump up and say, ¡°I need to go.¡±


    But then I remember that I have Jupio with me. If I sneak into where Katheleen is I definitely can¡¯t take Jupio with me.


    Looking down at Ogier, I say, ¡°Would you please be able to look after her?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, raising a child is a big responsibility?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry Nero will be coming to take her soon.¡±


    Instantly, I run out of the Castle gates, which causes a group of Beastkin to start running after me.


    When I see them, I start to speed up and rush into the forest, and they eagerly follow me. They won¡¯t be able to catch me at their speed, so while they chase after me I will circle around and sneak into the castle.


    -Break-


    Location: Anam Castle; Viscounts bed chambers


    ¦µ My father was a common farmer and was drafted into a war like countless other men.


    My father was rather strong, but for a foot soldier on the battlefield the biggest factor which decides whether you go home or not will always be luck, skill can only get you so far in that chaos.


    So he ran away like a prideless coward, and as he did he came across a member of the red branch and saved his life. With the lone accomplishment or family went from grass to nobles.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Still, we were lowly nobles which led to a lot of bullying for me, especially when people learned how my family reached such a title. But in return for all this bullying, my father could just bow his head and laugh it off because the kids who mocked me to death were more powerful than him.


    I was trash, I was nothing. My bloodline had no unique animal traits to pass down, and my beauty was eclipsed by others so marriage wasn¡¯t easy to come by for me. And the men who did come around simply used love to get what they wanted from me and then tossed me aside when they were finished.


    Due to the differences in rank, none would believe me. I was alone, but so were others who were around me. The humans who were kept on the lands of the nobles were like me.


    And just like how animals group together due to their differences so do beastkin. I watched how the humans were treated day by day, and noticing the similarities I couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to them.


    I helped them, defended them, and talked to them as if they were my equals, and soon this caused a strange phenomenon to happen.


    These people who looked completely dead would only ever smile in my presence, they would run to me whenever they saw me. When I wasn¡¯t around they spoke of me and yearned for me.


    These people had lost everything and had completely broken down, and in that empty state my kindness had completely overtaken them, they were all rebuilt around me. To them, I was their core, their god.


    And the feelings these humans had for me, rebirthed me into such.


    I asked to be sent to a plantation, and using the same methods I eventually brought the people there to the same state that the others were at. They dedicated their hearts and souls to me and worked harder than ever before.


    Many in our ranks are only rewarded based on family powers, but there are competent men like the wolf of the east who reward people based on their competency, and just like that I soared passed my father''s rank and became a viscount.


    I was given more land and work, I was given more believers who would give me, their minds, their bodies, theirs souls. I was in a perfect world, but now I have come across something that has decided to ruin that.


    Reaching my right hand I put it around the neck of the human boy chained to the bed, and I continue to mount him and look into his eyes.


    Why, Why are there still people who rejected me so passionately on this plantation? The look in this boy''s eyes is as if he still has hope in this life, and the other one with the baby was the same.


    You have no hope, no future, nothing yet someone you still reject me. I refuse to allow this to happen. I am your saviour, without me, you would be a slave!


    Bringing my face towards his ear, I say, ¡°Love me,¡± And continue.


    But after some time I hear a knock on my door. So I put on my robes, walk over towards the door, and say, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Speaking through the door, my subject on the other side says, ¡°The boy Charles has escaped.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°What do you mean he has escaped, how the hell did he get past you all?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know he was just so fast we couldn¡¯t catch him.¡±


    How could such a thing be possible? There could only be one answer; ¡°Spirit arts.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡±


    Opening the door, I step out and say, ¡°Find him, I am going to go out there and keep the peace.¡±


    With fervour, I walk out and say, ¡°I need to settle this quick.¡±


    ¦µ Unknown to both Kathleen and the beastkin Charles was already in the castle actually he was hanging on to the top of the right wall. He had plunged his fist inside and had used it to keep his body up.


    An inhuman feet, that the beastkin wouldn¡¯t ever think was possible. As the two left he jumped from wall to wall until he reached the bottom with as little volume as possible.


    Then looking through those giant doors, Charles opens them and walks in and the sight before him leaves him speechless.


    In front of me lying on the bed, is Nero naked with both his arms chained to the bed. ¡°Nero,¡± I say running over to him.


    ¡°Oh is that you Charles?¡± He says with a big smile on his face.


    Getting closer I see, his body is abused with the most notable thing being his swollen right eye and swollen left cheek. He was already looking weak, but now he looks even worse. Though despite all of this he has a sick and unnatural smile on his face.


    Facing me he says, ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I feel great, everything feels really nice even the air.¡±


    Smelling something putrid beside the bed, I see some little blouses. As I cover my mouth from the stench, Nero says, ¡°She made me eat those, and now I feel strange.¡±


    Mariana once told me that some poisonous things don¡¯t kill the taker but instead render them in a state of utter uselessness.


    ¡°Nero let¡¯s go I need to get you some help.¡±


    Looking at me Nero says, ¡°Charles you gotten really, really big. You used to be so tiny and cute like a baby but now you¡¯re a man, you can have kids, but you have to find a wife. I hope that the woman you marry is an Angel.¡±


    Hearing what he says, I freeze for a moment and say, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve such happiness.¡±


    Crying, I say, ¡°It is all my fault that Mariana, Edward, Sandra, and everyone else died. That you have been constantly tortured and beaten, and that Jupio will never see her parents again. It was all my fault!¡±


    With a calm and serene voice, Nero looks up and says, ¡°You¡¯re utterly amazing. You were born without love, and were surrounded by enemies yet became so kind, that you suppressed all of your issues and became strong. Now a boy who couldn¡¯t speak can say words that shake my soul.


    While I still have nightmares about the day my people were killed. Mariana knew how amazing you were and that¡¯s why she sacrificed herself for you, and I agree with that decision because I would do the same for you any day.¡±


    Still crying, I say, ¡°Nero, I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I should be apologizing to you and Mariana because she sure isn¡¯t happy with her cheating husband. Look I can see her puffed up checks angry staring down at me.¡±


    Looking at his face, I say, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    As I come in view of his face, I see that his eyes are full of blood, and his nose is bleeding uncontrollably.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no,¡± I say looking at him. ¡°Where they poisoned? If so I need an antidote, it must be around here somewhere!¡±


    I run around the room and frantically throw things around, while saying, ¡°Everything will be alright, everything will be alright, I promise, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Mom, Dad, even Claudia is here, they''re all waving at me.¡± Then he says, ¡°Hey Charles, I can¡¯t see anything so could you hold my hand.¡±


    Hearing this I run over to him and grab his hand.


    ¡°Thank you Charles I was starting to feel scared.¡±


    ¡°Everything will be ok, just hold on for a little longer.¡±


    Gripping my hand tightly, Nero says, ¡°Charles please go to Floraci¨®n.¡±


    ¡°Mariaiana home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and then to Edwards, Sandra¡¯s, Pluso¡¯s, Ogier¡¯s, my home of Terrafide. Go and look around and see how beautiful they are. Promise me.¡±


    ¡°I promise, me, you and Jupio will go see it all.¡±


    Nero''s sick smile vanishes, and the kind one I have always known appears, then he says, ¡°I always thought I would be a good big brother, and an even better father. But seeing you made me know that I was the best in the world. I love you, Charles.¡±


    As Nero says this his arm goes limp. ¡°Nero? Nero? Please stop kidding, please lift your arm, please say something.¡±


    Suddenly a loud noise rang through the room, but it wasn¡¯t coming from something strange, but from me. My voice echoed throughout the room, as I fall to my knees still holding Nero¡¯s hand.


    Moments later two beastkin arrive through the door, then one shouts, ¡°There he is.¡±


    The first one walks over to Charles and grabs him trying to pull him saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    But Charles doesn¡¯t budge.


    So the beastkin says, ¡°Let go of that boy and move now, or I will make you.¡± He then reaches at Nero.


    But this action causes Charles to react, and grab the man''s arm which he snaps. Then getting up in a series of fluid motions, he breaks his other arms and his two legs, and after he does that he wraps his arms around the beastkins neck and snaps it.


    The other beastkin taken aback by the ease he just saw his comrade die, pulls out his sword and steps back.


    Charles slowly walks up to him and says, ¡°Step back human or I will show you through terror.¡±


    But Charles ignores him and just keeps walking forward.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Standing we all my subjects I engage in small talk, as I wait around for my guards to report back to me.


    Though in my peripheral vision, I keep an eye on Ogier and the girl Jupio. There is a chance Charles tries to come back for her, so I need to be extra careful.


    A giant sound rings throughout the area. ¡°Did someone just open the castle gates?¡±


    From the balcony, I usually stand at Charles jumps down. As he lands I get a good look at him and see he is covered in blood has a sword in hand, and has someone on his back.


    Locking eyes with me, Charles drops the body on his back on the floor; it is Nero. Then he says, ¡°This is what she did to him.¡±


    The eyes in the area are a mixture of confusion, shock, and terror. So I say, ¡° I did no such thing?¡±


    Charles chucks something at me, and grabbing it I see it is the head of one of my guards.


    In shock, I fall back to my butt and scream. Then Charles says, ¡°Lie all you want, I already decided what I am going to do to you.¡±


    As Charles walks forward I notice he tightens his grip around his sword. So I instantly start to run towards, Jupio and say, ¡°She is mine.¡±


    But before Kathleen can even reach the child, Charles cuts her head off, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t touch her filth.¡±


    ¦µ People in the surrounding area start to scream and one says, ¡°Do you know what you have just done to all of us!¡±


    This is followed by a series of complaints.


    And in response to all of this Charles screams, ¡°SHUT UP!¡± His voice is so loud and visceral that all in the area come to a halt.


    ¡°I am going to leave and go, that is the path I have chosen, I refuse to let Jupio or myself end up like Nero and Mariana so I am going.¡±


    Suddenly a group of armoured Beastkin walk in and seeing the head of their boss rolling they Charge the humans indiscriminately.


    But before they harm a single person each of the armoured beastkin is cut down in a flash.


    Looking at their bodies, I say, ¡°And anyone who stands in my way will be cut down. If the rest of you are ok being property, slaves stay here. BUT IF YOU WISH FOR SOMETHING MORE WITH YOUR LIVES, IF YOU WISH FOR SOMETHING MORE FOR THE LIVES OF YOUR LOVED ONES AND ALL OF THEIR DESCENDANTS THEN STAND UP AND FOLLOW ME, NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU WILL DIE IF YOU STAY WITH ME!¡±


    I grab Nero and Jupio and walk forward, and behind me, I hear a large amount of footsteps.


    It was written in the books of the Tuatha De Danann that day that on their 618<sup>th</sup> plantation all the humans and animals, including the wonderbeasts had vanished, and all that remained were the dead bodies of beastkin.


    To Charles, this story was the story of a tragedy that never ended. But to the humans of that time and all of those who came after, it was a story of hope that began their reign over most of the world.


    But the time for the rest of this story to be told is not here yet, so we return to the present where the young boy with eyes that constantly look forward wakes up.

 Part 3: Niflheim

    Period: 3<sup>rd</sup> cycle


    Continent: Fimbulwinter (Victoria)


    Location: Orb¡¯s Mansion


    A few days after Niflheim was founded


    ¦µ Still the dead of night one grey-haired young man in a room filled with people awakes and opens his eyes.


    The young boy froze his body on the roof of the room and woke up he stared at all the people in the room, and smiles then says, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    Slowly I break out of my ice then using my legacy I freeze my feet to the wall and escape out of the room. Yet when I leave the room I have to continue to manoeuvre because outside the room is also filled with sleeping people.


    After I brought everyone to Fimbulwinter to start our country we quickly ran into a problem and that is where are we all going to sleep?


    Due to me not being affected by the cold, I was able to sleep outside, but the only other person who could put up with such intense colds for a long period was Cyrus.


    Even though I have been moving snow away each day, it simply is just way too cold for everyone to sleep without suffering some horrible side effects.


    So everyone had to sleep inside the mansion, and to save space I froze both me and Cyrus to the walls during the night.


    Reaching the front door of the mansion, I say, ¡°It used to be just me and Capti here.¡±


    Smiling, with pink hair he says, ¡°I have a whole lot of friends now, so I need to try my best.¡±


    Going outside I take off my top then I create a giant block of ice and freeze it to my back, then I start to run.


    Due to the fact, that I was asleep for 6 months lots of muscle mass I had built up had completely vanished, and when you add in the constant pain from Ahmed''s Judgement, I was physically horrible.


    So every day I run about 25km across Fimbulwinter, it takes me about an hour to complete. If I was at full strength I would be able to run much longer, but this run essentially kills me by doing it.


    But I have no time to waste, so when I return I do a series of full-body workouts and as I do them, I activate my legacy and manipulate my snow to form objects.


    Doing this allows me to separate and control my snow even when I am in extreme physical pain. This has allowed me to better control my snow.


    But still, it is still not good enough. All I am able to make are very uncomplicated objects like a dog or a ball. Still, I can feel it becoming easier with each attempt.


    Falling to my but, I say, ¡°Three hours in I should rest.¡±


    Taking a sip of water, Orb looks into the distance and gets lost in my thoughts.


    My training is going well, if I keep at this I will eventually master fighting with my legacy. During Jedidiah, I reached a point of exhaustion really quickly, and that was simply just a fight for survival.


    If I had to fight while protecting someone during that time, me and the other person would have died. Thankfully I had Anto, and his inversion legacy to allow me to broaden my options in battle.


    But I won¡¯t always have him as I option, so the best I can do is be more efficient with what I have. Which is hard with the judgment chains constantly inflicting pain and dulling my body.


    Though it would be dishonest not to talk about all the advantages I do have, Legacy, Helix battle arts, enhanced senses due to my legacy, and my greatest power, regeneration. But even that has drawbacks.


    Sitting up from the floor he was lying on, Orb actives his legacy and rips off one of his arms. Holding back from letting out a loud scream, I wait for my arm to grow back and it those so.


    The first issue is that outside of Advent, my wounds don¡¯t heal as quickly. The second is that it makes me a little too overconfident, which is how I got hit with those judgment chains.


    And most alarming issue is that the afflicted wound grows back in a predetermined state.


    This means that all my scars vanish, but it also affects my muscle growth. If I tear my muscles too explosively they will just grow back without becoming stronger.


    So I have to slowly exercise to grow strength, and then after I do such that state becomes what¡¯s natural and what my body will return to when damaged. It is a pain in the ass.


    But with the exception of starvation, I might essentially be immortal. And there are other fun benefits, such as being able to grow my cold-resistant hair as long as I want.


    Using his method I was able to make blankets and clothes for everyone that has been allowing them to function, and the best benefit.


    Holding up his arm, Orb with a sick smile says, ¡°How cool, how amazing. I always wanted a human arm, and now I have one!¡±


    ¡°I have wanted to always see the nooks and crannies of the human body, but to do that would require touching dead bodies, and Capti opening seeing me smiling at a book grabbed me and said.¡±


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    ¡°Orb for the shake of humanity please give up your interest with the human body!¡± With a very serious expression, as if he was trying to stop a murderer from being born. I just started back at him with grey hair.


    With bright green hair, Orb says, ¡°But this is my flesh, so morally it is alright. Isn¡¯t it!?¡±


    Slowly but precisely Orb rips apart his arm and sees the insides. ¡°This is the spot that always itches and I can finally see this.¡±


    Stopping Orb says, ¡°Maybe I should try that today? But what if I die? YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, SO WHAT IS THERE TO LOSE!"


    Using his legacy Orb, slowly but precisely rips his longs right out of his body. Then collapse on the floor waiting for them to regenerate.


    Getting up from the incident, Orb grasps for air, then he looks down at his lunges and says with bright green hair, ¡°Humans bodies really are wonderful. I wish I could look through everyone''s bodies. Suzuka, Cyrus, Atalanta, Iancu. I wish I could just gaze upon them all.


    But if I were to rip them apart, but when they die after living long lives I can do it then, right? We are friends after all, and isn¡¯t that what friends do for each other!¡±


    With nothing but the smile of a pervert, Orb smiles and laughs.


    Then a few moments later, his hair turns grey, then silver and he says, ¡°I wonder how the mechanics behind my regeneration works. How does it remember which state of being my body should return to?¡±


    With green hair, Orb runs back inside grabs something then comes out.


    Holding it over his head, Orb says, ¡°Anto¡¯s lighting dagger,¡± The one we stole from Easifatan.


    Then Orb using the daggers stabs it into his right arm and then cuts his arm off. But as Orb stares at his arm it doesn¡¯t grow back, so Orb takes the dagger out of his arm and says, ¡°It seems my idea was correct.¡±


    It is my brain that remembers how everything is in my body. So when I get damaged it sends electrical impulses to regrow the limb, but when I used the dagger to absorb it my limb didn¡¯t regrow.


    Sitting up, Orb''s hair turns yellow and he says, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean if my brain got damaged or destroyed I would die!?¡±


    Putting my hands on my head, I say, ¡°It would, wouldn¡¯t it? I need to be careful from now on!¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°I need to get back to work.¡±


    Putting on my clothes, I grab my spear and start to run down Fimbulwinter.


    -Break-


    Calling Fimbulwinter a mountain would be a lie. In all honesty, it is simply just an elevated land mass that was once known as the continent Victoria.


    This was very clearly written in some of the books Captivant left me. I had always wondered why there was such a weird use of language about it, but I realized it just shows a greater issue. The difference in knowledge among people.


    Since talking to some of the former slaves and children of Skydust, I realized there is just a giant difference in knowledge between them.


    The kids from Skydust knew a lot about the different continents and other key historical information. But some of the adult slaves, couldn¡¯t even name Molstoria. It seems that some people really did just stay in their villages their whole lives.


    Due to this, I suspect many don¡¯t even know about the fact that Fimbulwinter was once known as Victoria. But the rumours of the demonic mountain that freezes countless to death would be a much juicer story to be spread, and hence why it is more widely known as such.


    Still, Fimbulwinter is a strange place. Even after clearing all the snow, I noticed that the soil beneath was still great despite being frozen for a long time.


    But more than being strange it is dangerous. Stopping under the golden trees of Fimbulwinter, I see a group of waptors pop out and attack me.


    Grabbing my spear, I use spirit energy to reinforce my body, then I accurately pierce each and every one of their skulls.


    Stopping, I say, ¡°Still lagging a bit.¡±


    My next training is to move around the bottom of Fimbulwinter and hunt wonderbeasts on Fimbulwinter. I don¡¯t use my legacy so I can sharpen my physical abilities, but more than that my spirit energy control.


    Even though, I can use spirit energy my control is still so horrible. When I was showing it to Suzuka a few days ago she said, ¡°HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE, EVEN A BABY COULD CONTROL IT BETTER!¡±


    The genuine concern, and confusion, Suzuka had made me feel really embarrassed. So I need to train, and more than that I have seen by simply using spirit energy, Atalanta was able to move faster than me, and Ahmed was able to cut Cyrus. I feel like mastering spirit energy can bring me to a new stage.


    Seeing a Spercera charge at me, I say, ¡°But spirit energy isn¡¯t the only thing I need to sharpen.¡±


    Dodging the Spercera charge, I rotate my body and build up energy, then I hit the Spercera with my palm on his head, and says, ¡°Helix battle arts: Spiral.¡±


    The rotational energy I built up flows through the spercera¡¯s thick head and damages its brain causing it to collapse. I then use my spear to kill it.


    The Helix battle arts I learned from Naji have been slipping from me, it seems to be asleep made me lose the sensation, so I have had to build it back up.


    Helix battle arts: Spiral, builds up rotational energy then sends it as a shockwave through its target and can damage them internally.


    A dangerous yet incredibly effective technique, and due to no one knowing the Helix battle arts except for me, I don¡¯t have to worry about someone taking the energy and sending it back at me.


    Seeing another Spercera charge at me, I dodge away.


    Helix battle arts has another benefit, for a little time after my rotational energy passes through a part of my body, it strengthens it.


    With my fist infused with spirit energy, I smash it against the head of the Spercera which leaves a crack in its face. Then using my spear, I stabbed through that hole and hit its brain.


    ¡°If I was using my legacy, I would probably have killed it in one blow.¡±


    Looking at all the dead predasaur bodies around me, I say, ¡°This reminds me of when Christopher and the other adventures left.¡±


    We had to pay the Adventures with a ridiculous amount of wonderbeast corpses. Not so they would not tell anyone about us, but so they would make sure when they returned to Cordum that Christopher would be quiet.¡±


    With Orb¡¯s hair turning black, he says, ¡°I hope they can keep him quiet.¡±


    Looking around, I say, ¡°I guess I should get going.¡±


    On Orb¡¯s head, his ears dissipate, and he grows two wolf ears and a tail. Even outside of Advent, I can grow my wolf ears and tail that I have in that form.


    Listening in I find a wonderbeast, and when I do I return my body to normal and then run over.


    After arriving I find a scardo. Looking at it I am reminded of the first time I arrived from the top of Fimbulwinter. ¡°How nostalgic, but sorry to say I eat meat now.¡±


    The scardo runs, and I chase after it slowly taking my time, and having fun with it. But then from the sky, I hear something coming for me, so I dodge away.


    Looking at what was coming towards me, I said, ¡°That¡¯s a razordon¡¯s plate, it shot it at me.¡±


    Suddenly I start to hear a bunch of foot stomps. All around me a bunch of different wonderbeasts are heading towards me. Vanir Mammoth, Waptor, Atlas eater, Spercera, waptor, and others I am not familiar with.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Activating his legacy Orb¡¯s hair turns green and he says, ¡°Looks like I am going to have to fight my way out.¡±


    Part 3 Start


    Name: Orb Rian


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary: White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed) Silver (Thinking)


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.

 Arc 10: Tuatha D茅 Danann

    As waptors surround and head towards me, I create a bunch of ice spikes all around me to take them out.


    These guys are the fastest predasaurs around here, so if I take them out now it will make my escape much easier.


    But as I focus on taking them down, an annoying pest attacks me; An atlas eater.


    Moving away from it, I say, ¡°It must suck to be so stupid.¡±


    The atlas eater wildly tries to attack me, but it cannot hit me. Even if I didn¡¯t have the benefits of spirit arts, my legacy, and the enhanced senses it wouldn¡¯t be able to strike me since I have learned its pattern.


    Moving forward, I prepare to hit its weak spot; the belly. But as I do I hear unknown footsteps heading towards me, it¡¯s fast like a waptor but its footsteps are not the same.


    After stabbing through the eater''s stomach with my spear, I instantly move left to prepare for what is coming towards me.


    But I was too slow as something crashed into me the moment it does, it keeps moving forward and crash me straight through trees.


    Its body size is just slightly bigger than a waptor, so use my legacy on my fist and hit it in its neck which causes it to move to the left and stop while I fall to the right.


    Looking at it, I see its body is like a saw similar to a waptor, but it has a very thick head, and its body looks quite aerodynamic. Willow told me about this wonderbeast; astamatisaurus.


    A predasaur from the upper parts of Fimbulwinter, that rarely ever comes down.


    The adventurers told us that they found a few wonderbeasts from the upper parts of Fimbulwinter, I should have been prepared for this. I heard a lot of unknown footsteps, so who knows how many are here; this has gotten way too risky, I need to run.


    As I try to move away the asta, moves its head forward really quickly, so I am just barely able to dodge. It then follows this up with a few more quick head strikes.


    The way it moves its head to strike and then pulls back, it feels like I am getting stuck with quick jabs. Its body must be quite flexible to pull this off, Willow would love to see this in real life.


    But I don¡¯t have time for that. Dodge one of its jabs, I snow boost away, then create a pillar of ice beneath me and head into the trees.


    While on top of the trees, I start to run away. Sighing, I say, ¡°Finally some relaxatio-.¡±


    Almost as if God is laughing at me, I am hit with a giant arm and sent flying away. My right arm got broken by that blow, so I manifest my tail and ears.


    Then using my tail, I grab one of the trees and swing back up. Far in front of me swinging from branch to branch, I see more wonderbeasts.


    They have cone-shaped bodies and their skin and two giant arms, but disproportionately they have extremely tiny legs; they are like monkeys or gorillas. The way these guys swing so freely from tree to tree, tells me all I need to know; I need to get rid of them to survive.


    Activating my legacy onto my spear and legs, I snowboost towards them.


    Seeing me, they let out laughs and swing towards me with crazed smiles on their faces. ¡°If you think I am easy pickings you would be dead wrong!¡±


    One moves forward and swings its giant muscular arm towards me, but I am able to skilfully dodge, and with my spear in hand, I stab into its chest.


    But it doesn¡¯t pierce through my spear simply gets stuck in the chest, and as I try to pull it out the monkey swings its arm at me.


    So as the tip of my spear, I create large amounts of ice which kills the monkey easily, but then as I jump away from it another of the giant monkeys tries to hit me out of the air.


    I can¡¯t dodge, so I need to use it instead. I place both of my legs on its arm and as it swings, I jump up and propel myself to a tree and then freeze my legs to it.


    Making a look of pain, I say, ¡°I definitely broke something in my legs, but it should heal soon enough.¡± As the monkeys in the area surround me, I say, ¡°I still am in a bad situation.¡±


    Suddenly I hear something in my ears, and as I hear this I notice the monkeys have stopped moving and are just hanging. That sound was like a low-frequency roar, I was only picked it up due to my ears.


    Then from the distance, I heard a bunch of projectiles coming towards me; it was Razordon plates.


    I dodge away, but due to the fact I don¡¯t want to get too close to the monkeys, one hits me and I fall.


    I am not affected by the cold so that¡¯s now a problem, but if I am encased in ice, I still have to deal with the extra weight it adds to my body. Slowing me down to a halt.


    Falling to the ground, I position the part of my body that is encased in ice, to be where I land, which breaks the ice for me.


    As I stand up, I fall back to my knees and start holding my body. Whenever the parts of my body infused with the judgment chains get hit, it aggravates the pain it causes me.


    The predasaurs give me no time to rest, and immediately start to attack me again. The waptors are weak but due to their speed, they are able to stop me from having any moments of reprieve.


    Hearing the footsteps of something much larger than the waptors, I dodge away, and it place where I was standing the ground is craved out.


    Looking up, I see a giant wonderbeast that looks like a big waptor, but the colour of it is quite different. But most notable are the giant sharp blades that are where its finger would be; It¡¯s a kovosaurus.


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    The kovo¡¯s five fingers all combine together into one giant great sword on each hand, and he swings it super-fast towards me. try to dodge away but it is so fast, I have to use my spear to block.


    But it rips right through it. Seeing the spear that Sequoia gave me break fills me with rage, so I activate my legacy and create large amounts of ice killing it instantly.


    Hearing a projectile different from the razordon¡¯s coming towards me, I cut off my arm and jumped away, but when the projectile hit where I was standing it exploded.


    That was a ball of condensed air, it was a vanir mammoth.


    Hearing more two more balls moving towards me I create a pillar of ice under me and go up high into the air.


    There I see it in the distance, three vanir mammoths, but on an elevated land mass over all three of them I see a Merark.


    A memory from Pine''s class plays in my mind.


    Looking at a book of drawings for the predasaurs, I say, ¡°Pine what is this one labelled dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a Merark. They are a wildly intelligent wonderbeast, only next to the king of the forest. But unlike the king who overwhelms with raw power, they hunt just like us humans.¡±


    ¡°But all of you are inhuman monsters, so I doubt this would be an issue for you guys.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that choice of words.¡± Sighing, Pine says, ¡°About 200 years ago one of our chiefs, decided to hunt the 20 Merarks here to death. But as they headed out they found out that they were the ones who fell into a trap, and every single one was wiped out. So if you ever come across one run Orb.¡±


    I knew that a bunch of people had been heading to investigate Fimbulwinter and subsequently dying. But that fact bothered me. If they could properly use spirit arts, and at least be somewhat prepared for the cold they would survive, and this answers my question, this hunting pack is what has been taking them down.


    Numerous waptors, 4 atlas eaters, 2 kovosaurus, 3 astamatisaurus, 3 Vanir mammoths, 8 of the monkey wonderbeast, 1 spercera, 1 razordon and one Merark. Judging by the size of the merark relative to what it should be it is without a doubt an alpha merark.


    As I stare at the Merark it lets out a roar and the mammoths start to shoot at me. So I jump off the pillar and when I land on the floor I push my legacy to the max and create lots of giant ice walls around me.


    Using this moment, I take stock of this situation. Right now I am surrounded by a hunting pack of predasaurs, who have blocked my existence. I am without a weapon, supplies, or any backup; I need to fight my way out.


    But all of the predasaurs here are for the most part resistant to cold. Usually when I freeze someone with my legacy, the frostbite all but assures that they won¡¯t be getting back up, allowing me to be sloppier with my blows.


    That won¡¯t work here, I need to deal precise and critical blows on all of the predasaurs without a weapon.


    I could try helix battle arts. No, it wouldn¡¯t work, I won¡¯t be able to build up enough rotations to pierce through the thick hide of the predasaurs.


    I have to use Advent, but if I do my body will give out and collapse. I recently learned, that Advent only taxes my body because I am weak, the more muscle I have gained the more I noticed it doesn¡¯t hurt as badly.


    But physically speaking, I am still below what I was when I first used it. So I doubt I could sustain it for a minute even if I try my best.


    If I even use Advent I would have to use a large-scale attack to make sure I defeat all of my hunters, but that will just attract more predasaurs around the area to come to check what happened.


    These wonderbeasts are savages who will never miss an opportunity to eat, so I can count on some coming to scout the area. Even if I cover myself with a shield of ice there is no guarantee it will hold, especially since a bunch of wonderbeasts from the upper levels have been wandering around, they could easily smash a wall made out of ice.


    Or I will have to use the strength from Advent to individually take them out one by one. But if I fail I would be in the same situation, and I still don¡¯t guarantee others won''t come.


    I can¡¯t control the ice without advent, so what am I supposed to do to win against these odds?


    As the blast from the Vanir mammoths starts to break my ice wall, I feel panic overtake me. I need to run, I need to run, I can¡¯t win!


    Suddenly a memory flashes through my mind, one that has been etched into it since the moment I happened. Skydust being destroyed.


    In this world there exist people who can do such things in a single blow.


    Suzuka a Cursed child, Cyrus a dragon, the kids and wonderbeasts from Skydust, Avram''s workshop, the Basileia crystals, the land beneath Fimbulwinter, and all of Dushes money.


    I have countless things that people would want to take from me, and when they do they will destroy the people I want to protect.


    Spirit arts, a legacy, Helix battle arts; I thought having these things made me stronger than I actually was, but I am sure many have those things, and when we clash I can¡¯t be sure I will win.


    Right now I need to prove to myself, that I can overcome the mountains in front of me, and that I can protect all I have, that I can become the king of Niflheim!


    Standing up, I turn my ice wall into snow and then race forward. ¡°I WILL WIN!¡±


    Name: Waptor


    Height: 205cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It has two legs and four wings at its side covered in light blue feathers. They¡¯re also swift and have very soft skulls.


    Fact: They specifically will not eat 4-year-old children.


    Name: Spercera


    Height: 320cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It¡¯s a giant silver quadrupedal omnivore with one large horn at the front with curved horns around its face that form a spiral armoured face cover. It is covered in fur and has skin as hard as iron. They have elongated tones that can take their prey off their horn.


    Fact: They ram into the hardest object they can find to sharpen their horn.


    Name: Atlas Eater


    Height: 410cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: It has a large upper body with six arms, a semi-sphere head covered in white fur, sharp teeth, and two tiny stocky feet.


    Fact: they can roll their entire body into a ball to sleep.


    Name: Vanir Mammoth (Fimbulwinter)


    Height: 6M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A large woolly quadrupedal wonderbeast with two curved antler-like tusks. It has 3 trunks which are used to suck up air and shoot, and it can extend its neck allowing it to further it¡¯s reach.


    Fact: They will impel any foe they deem weak enough with their tusks and parade their bodies there for 2 weeks until they finally devour them; this leads to much of their food being stolen by small animals when sleeping.


    Name: Razordon


    Height: 5M


    Type: Carnivore


    Description: A reptile-like quadrupedal wonderbeast, which is quite chunky with a sharp blade-like head. But most notably it has tall plates through its entire backside that are made of ice, and a quarter of it¡¯s face is made of ice. It can shoot of these plates from its back as giant projectiles; they regenerate over time and eating ice makes this faster.


    Fact: They are all in a never-ending state of anger due to the fact that there back constantly itches them, but the plates on their back stop them from scratching it. However if they find a friendly Scardo anywhere around it will scratch there back for them.


    Name: Merark


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A black and blue wonder beast which has a shark-like body covered in fur with no eyes. They are quadrupedal with two mighty front legs, similar to that of a lion, and two mighty back legs similar to that of a goat which grants them the ability to jump and stick onto different surfaces.


    Fact: They have no natural habit and can be seen living in the ocean, mountains or forest.

 Arc 10.02: The hunter

    Using my ears, I listen to my surroundings. Distinguish between the wonderbeasts, their distances from one another, and which ones could destroy my head, and which ones can¡¯t.


    Running forward, I look at the Altas eaters in front of me, and say, ¡°You made a mistake by using dump idiots like them.¡±


    My legacy is running out of power, so this will be the last big attack I have in me so I got to make it count. Create a giant ice block I hit the atlas eaters, which causes them to fly into one another.


    The eaters, that hit each other start to fight. They are the foolish kind of wonderbeast that flies into a rage at the slightest of provocations, truly easier to manipulate.


    As I move though, the Kovosaurus tries to slice me into pieces, so I dodge and then move away. I need to deal with this annoyance since it¡¯s fast and deadly.


    Creating a blast of snow to block its vision, I run around it and head towards the altas eaters, and when I arrive I create the biggest blast of ice and knock another two of them into the Kovosaurs, which causes them to start fighting.


    I have reached my limit for ice today, I can only make small amounts from here on out. Now what¡¯s next?


    But before I can even gather myself waptors come to attack me. Waptors are the most numerous predasaur on this battlefield, but they have no chance of dealing critical damage to my head so they are not high value.


    Their constant attacks are annoying to deal with but nothing more, don¡¯t waste energy on them. Pick a target and deal with it.


    From the distance, I hear a vanir¡¯s shot, so I dodge away. It looks like my next target is set, but with the waptors constant approach and the high-pressure shots that the 3 vanirs are shooting it will be hard to get close. So how about a ranged attack?


    When I hear the next shot coming I start to move toward it and rotate, building up rotational energy. As the shot starts coming near me, I stop in one place and hold my hands out.


    Helix battle arts is the power of rotation, the ability to take force and redirect it. If I were to apply this same concept shouldn¡¯t I be able to redirect attack?


    With the air shot coming towards me, I stretch out my hand and say, ¡°Helix battle arts; spiral redirection.¡±


    Using my hands, I try to guide the shot to follow my hands and to turn around so I can send it back. But to my dismay, I fail and both my arms fly off.


    I hold back a scream of pain and start to regenerate. It seems that technique is too advanced for me, I need to change my plans then.


    Dodging the other shots coming towards me, I hear something fast approach me, so I jump into the air to dodge and looking down I see an astamatisaurus.


    Looking at its speed and hard head, an idea pops into my head.


    Behind me, I create a thin sheet of ice over the snow. Then I bait the astamatisaurus to run at me with its tremendous speed, and as it approaches me, I jump over it.


    While it runs past me and I am still in the air, I activate my legacy on my two legs, then using snowboost I hit it on the back, and due to its speed and the ice the wonderbeast jets forward and flies right into one of the vanir¡¯s shoulders.


    Seeing more astamatisaurus coming towards me, I do the same again. I hit the same vanir¡¯s, head and trunk.


    Dodging the ongoing attacks of the waptor, I look and examine the vanir. Its trunk looks damaged so that one can¡¯t fire off any more win shots, but it seems even though I send the Astamatisaurus, right into its head it looks like it barely tickled it. The beast''s hide is just too tough, if I am to take though beast down I need a weapon to take it down.


    From above me, I hear the razordon¡¯s projectiles coming towards me, so I dodge, and as I do the waptors beside me take collateral damage. In actuality waptors have been taking collateral damage this entire fight, it seems the merark doesn¡¯t care for them.


    This is simply getting too much for me, I need to find somewhere to escape or, I will be worn down. So I head up towards the trees.


    Using my snowboost, I jump from tree to tree until I reach the top, and when I see those annoying monkey wonderbeasts, I say, ¡°It¡¯s time for round two you annoying pests.¡±


    The monkeys come for me, so I move from tree to tree. These predasaurs are simply too good at manoeuvring on the treetops, I won¡¯t be able to outrun them, and I need a spear and my legacy to even damage them, their bodies are simply too sturdy.


    But nothing living is without its weakness. Their bodies are cone-shaped, and the area inside the cone which contains the head is quite fleshy, so a direct hit there will probably kill it.


    Still, can I move fast enough to hit it precisely and kill it? Wait, I have an idea.


    I snowboost right towards one of the wonderbeasts, and this causes it to take one of its large arms and hit me with a lariat which sends me flying.


    The body blow causes the judgment wounds to start to ache me, but I persevere through the gut-wrenching pain not only from that but the blow as well.


    While I fly through the air, I start to spin my body repeatedly and build up spiral energy, I land on a tree branch, I say, ¡°Helix battle arts; Spiral snowboost.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Then I use the spiral energy I have built up to jump forward while activating snowboost.


    Using this technique, I fly through the air at a completely ridiculous speed. I am so fast, that my body can barely keep up, but as I move past the monkey, using my legacy I manage to strike one of their bodies as I planned causing it to fall and die.


    But I end up flying straight into a tree. The speed was way too much for me to handle, I can¡¯t use it again.


    Before I can even stand up another monkey wonderbeast swats me out of the tree causing me to fall to the ground.


    Landing on my legs, catch my breath and recover from the blow. If it wasn¡¯t for the added strength I had after using Helix battle arts, my legs would have snapped.


    From nearby I hear the waptors coming towards me. So I dodge them, as my time to recover has vanished, then and I do a scream goes through the area.


    Looking at its source I see the kovosaurus running towards me, covered in blood and enraged.


    Did it kill all the atlas eaters?


    It swings its sharp blades at me, and I dodge away, but as I do it slices through one of the trees. Seeing this an idea pops into my head.


    I skilfully dodge the attacks of the waptors and the kovosaurus, then I slice it in its neck causing it to bleed out, and wasting no time I rip off one of its blades.


    I activate my legacy on the large blade, and then I move through the forest and cut down all the trees the wonderbeasts are on. One by one they fall with the trees, and once they all land on the ground they lose all of their mobility.


    So like snow, I crave through all of the monkeys, but the moment I am about to strike the last one, a vanir mammoth crashes through the forest towards me.


    It is the one I sent all of the astamatisauruses towards; since it can¡¯t shoot wind anymore it has decided to charge me.


    If you had done this earlier when I had no way to get through your hide, I would have been in trouble, but now I should be fine.


    Using the blade, I cut the mammoth, but not fatally so I continue. I never realized it till now, but the extra cutting power that comes from freezing my opponent beforehand really can¡¯t be understated. If I could I would easily kill the mammoth, but now all I can do is slowly wear it down.


    But I am soon faced with an issue as the last monkey starts to throw pieces of the tree towards me, and then the waptors charge at me suicidally looking for whatever opportunity they can to beat me.


    Then from a distance, I hear the other vanir mammoths'' shots, and the razordon¡¯s bombardment. I can hear it all, but I am simply too overwhelmed to deal with them all.


    So as the vanir shots come I use the blade to block them and all the other projectiles coming towards me. Then as I prepare to move, the mammoth in front of me hits me with its body sending me flying backwards.


    Looking at the blade I see it has started to crack. This has reached its limit I need a new weapon. Remember the predasaurs around, I say, ¡°It should be around here somewhere.¡±


    Seeing the annoyances in front of me coming towards me, I say, ¡°But before I move I need to at least finish off that gorilla.¡±


    Using all the strength I can muster I throw the blade high into the air, and then start doing many different flips to build up spiral energy. ¡°I hope this works.¡±


    Jumping up to meet the blade as it falls down, I bunch the ice handle that I made for the blade, and say, ¡°Helix battle arts; Spiral imbuement.¡±


    As my fist punches the blade the spiral I built up in my body is transferred to the blade and it flies towards the monkey. It hits and pierces its chest.


    I smile, but then instantly run away as the waptor and the mammoth chase me.


    Running around I scan for my target, where is it? Where is it!?


    Seeing a spercera, I say, ¡°Found you!¡±


    When it sees me it charges towards me, so I start to build up spiral energy, and as I am about to be struck with its long horn, I duck down onto my back, then I say, ¡°Helix battle arts; Spiral snowboost,¡± as I kick its horns.


    Its large horn breaks off and my legs also break, but I grab onto its body fling myself to its back and then I strike its neck.


    After my legs regenerate, I grab its large horn, make an ice handle and then activate my legacy on it. Usually, our spears are made from a section of its horn, but this is the in-tack horn. In all honesty, I wouldn¡¯t call this a spear, but a lance.


    Throwing it in the air, I build up spiral energy and then jump up and use, Helix battle arts; Spiral imbuement.


    Then my lance flies and pierces the mammoth''s skull. At that moment shots from the razordon and vanir mammoths come, but they are blocked by the dead mammoth giant body.


    So I use this moment to take out all the waptors around, so I can finally get some time to myself.


    After I kill them all I pull the lance out of the mammoth, and say, ¡°Time to end this.¡±


    ¦µ Standing on its elevated landmass over the top of the two vanir mammoths beneath it, the merark is on high alert.


    The wonderbeasts it had been leading to victory have been taken down one by one, even the waptors which it used to keep track of its prey position.


    It had survived by turning the hunters that came after it into prey, but now it had to uncomfortable feeling of being prey yet again.


    Then suddenly to its far left, a large sound is made. Over there is where the razordon is, so sensing that the boy went after it the merark directs his mammoths to shoot over there.


    But as they do Orb comes from with sky with his lance in hand and pierces one of the mammoths'' heads.


    ¦µ Ever since I left the ice walls, I have been secretly moving the snow which made up the ice walls over to where the razordon was located.


    Then with spiral snowboost, I jumped high into the sky, and then as I was falling down, I turned the snow back into ice and pierced the razordon¡¯s belly.


    The distractions worked and now, one of the mammoths is dead. It seems that my training in controlling my legacy under stressful situations paid off.


    I instantly jump from one mammoth''s head to the other and pierce it, but as I do I notice the merark has jumped forward and has cut off my legs.


    Unable to stand anywhere after I pierce the mammoth I start to fall, and as I do the merark falls toward me with its mouth open to bite my head.


    I won¡¯t be able to move my arms in time to stop it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am out of options.


    As my right leg bone regenerates, I activate my legacy and freeze the area into a blade, then I infuse that blade with spirit energy and cut the merarks belly killing it.


    Falling on the floor, my hair turns yellow, then silver, then green, then gold and I get up and say, ¡°I WIN!¡±


    Getting up, I look at the body of the merark, and say, ¡°Judging by its size relative to what Pine said they should be it was probably an alpha. I am definitely going to brag about this.¡±


    Holding my hands against my head, I say, ¡°But I can¡¯t or everyone will find out about my training and say I am overreacting.¡±


    Suddenly I fall to my knees and hold my throat. It feels like it is starting to swell.


    Looking around, I notice this whole area where the mammoths and the merark are is surrounded by flowers, ones extremely familiar. With my breath, I say, ¡°These are the ones that killed "illows parents, I was set up.¡±


    He specifically stood here the entire time, so that if I snuck up and killed him, I would die soon after. What a fool I am I should have been more careful.


    If I lose that ability to breathe that would damage my brain, and I might not regenerate.


    I need to destroy my throat and force it to regenerate. As I activate my legacy it instantly turns off; I have pushed myself too far today.


    Falling to the ground and holding my swollen throat, a thought occurs to me; I am going to die!

 Arc 10.03: A lost and found home part 1

    Holding my throat, I feel tears fall down my eyes. Dammit am I really going to die here, and let everyone down.


    I try to move my hands towards my throat but I am too weak to even do that. Looking up to the sky, I feel sort of nostalgic, like this isn¡¯t the first time I have died before.


    My vision starts to get blurry and as it does, it is like the scenery around me changes.


    But it is a familiar one of a snowstorm raging overhead, and in front of me, a beautiful woman with black hair is staring at me with a baby in hand.


    From the way her body is positioned, I can tell she is way bigger than me, yet compared to the background she is still normal size, almost as if I can only see her as big from my perspective.


    I can¡¯t hear her voice, and I can see my body but the face she has when she looks at me is one of sadness.


    Suddenly the area around me changes again, and I hear some voices.


    ¡°I inverted him hear.¡±


    Anto?


    Soon I see Avram over me, and he says, ¡°His throat is swelling, we need to rip it and activate his regeneration.¡±


    Anto Avram, and Mime, who are around me start to rip my throat to shreds. This allows me to get air back and the swelling vanishes.


    Getting up and grasping for air, I hold my chest. Then I look at the three over there and say, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    But all of them have angered smiles like I just kicked their pregnant wives.


    Avram hits me incredibly hard on my head, and says, ¡°HOW DID YOU THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA!¡±


    Anto, screams, ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡±


    Mime says, ¡°DON¡¯T BE SO STUPID!¡±


    The twins start to cry and then hug me, so I say, ¡°Sorry I will be more careful from now on, I won¡¯t make you worry.¡±


    Sighing, Avram says, ¡°I thought Captivant said you were smart, but if I have to put up with this nonsense I might die soon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, next time I do this I will be prepared,¡± I say with a smile.


    Avram hits me on the head again, and says, ¡°No more I will be prepared, just no more anything.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Hitting a child, how inappropriate!¡±


    ¡°I think running into the middle of a dangerous area such as here is much more inappropriate.¡±


    With Grey hair, I say, ¡°How did you guys even find out about this?¡±


    Mime, says, ¡°Anto noticed you look tired.¡±


    Anto says, ¡°So we woke up early and followed you, and we found you doing something stupid!¡±


    They both start to bash their heads against me, ¡°Ow, I am still weak please stop.¡±


    Mime says, ¡°Then promise you won¡¯t be stupid anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Anto says, ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I promise.¡±


    Avram claps his hands and says, ¡°Alright now let¡¯s return and get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°But before that you should get rid of you¡¯re animal ears and tail.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot I still had them on.¡±


    As I am about to turn them off, Avram puts his hand on my shoulder and says, ¡°Oh not like that please rip your tail off.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°Just think of it as your punishment.¡±


    ¡°Ok then.¡± Using my legacy, I rip my tail off my back, and then moments later I scream so loud that one could mistake it for the cries of tortured souls in hell.


    On the ground with tears flowing out of my eyes, I say, ¡°Why did that hurt so much?¡±


    ¡°The tails of beastkin tend to be connected to the nerves attached to one''s private area. So it feels like someone just ripped your family jewel right off. Next time don¡¯t do stupid things.¡±


    Feeling the pain, I say, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Picking me up, Avram says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go home.¡±


    -Break-


    One day later


    Location: Orb¡¯s Mansion


    ¦µ In the middle of the floor of the mansion as all of the people get up and start to head out, one young man still lies on the floor, and continues to sleep.


    But his sleep is interrupted as Mime who is being chased by Anto, steps on his face.


    ¡°Give back my lightning dagger, I stole that fair and square.¡±


    ¡°I will never return it!!!¡±


    Waking up the man sits up and says, ¡°I guess I can¡¯t stay sleeping.¡±


    Just like everyone else he stands up and starts to get himself ready to go outside. ¡°What a pain.¡±


    -Break-


    Up until recently, I had been a slave, who was held by Gaia¡¯s sky, and just like everyone else I was invited to stay with everyone else up here, and since I didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go after being a slave for a decade, I took up that offer.


    For the most part, it has been a pleasant enough experience. The members of the village of Aplos are all kind, and love to talk so it isn¡¯t hard to be around them even for untalkative people like me.


    And watching Orb euthanise and punish all those slavers put a smile on my face, and it is funny watching all of them have to take care of all of the sick people from the Basileia mines.


    Especially since they are constantly under that scary woman¡¯s Pine, so seeing them walking around with bruises from crossing her is also quite funny. Makes all the suffering I faced at their hands worth it.


    However, I have also learned by watching those people infected with the Basileia radiation, that even though I was a slave there are worse forms of suffering out there.


    But I doubt I would ever have to worry about ever being in such a situation, because if ever a calamity occurs whether it is my fault or not I will walk away with the least pain, since I am an accursed survivor.


    ¡°Hey you we need your help.¡±


    Nervous due to being surprised by being called, I say, ¡°Oh, I am coming.¡± Then run over.


    Every day all the kids play, and learn with the teachers of our group. While all of us adults start to work all day, and it is hard.


    I say this like a complaint, but it isn¡¯t that bad. We all work to the land to try and get some fields going so we can eat, while those skilled in weaving use Orb¡¯s hair to make clothes for us to stay warm.


    The warriors of Aplos go down to hunt and bring up food for us to eat, it seems they have chefs skilled in cooking wonderbeasts making so amazing cuisine. This is something that would cost a fortune to get in any normal circumstances.


    They also have people who use the giant airship; wave sweeper and the Zterytavises to go get water and bring it up for all of us to use. However, if I have an issue, it would be the only normal toilet is the one in the mansion which gets annoying very quickly.


    Still, I wonder how a house on the top of Fimbulwinter has a sewage system, but more than that I wonder who crafted such a house. Everything about it from its design to its quality is utterly beautiful.


    ¡°I need some help here,¡± someone says to me as I am mesmerised by the house.


    ¡°Oh, I am coming.¡±


    -Break-


    Sitting on the floor with a cup of water in my hands, I say, ¡°I am exhausted.¡±


    A man standing beside me, says, ¡°Well it¡¯s better than being a slave.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Eating shit is better than being a slave, doesn¡¯t mean eating shit is a good thing does it, Neil.¡±


    Embarrassed by my answer, he says, ¡°I see your point.¡± Looking at a crowd of people chatting in front of us, he says, ¡°But this isn¡¯t anything like eating shit.¡±


    Staring at them as well, I say, ¡°Looks like they are all getting all chummy with each other. Wait is that Nara talking as well, I thought she was like us?¡±


    ¡°Like us?¡± Neil says.


    ¡°Loners, black sheep, you know complete and utter chastity destroyers like us.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever felt the touch of a woman?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to shame you or reward your honesty.¡±


    ¡°As a reward, I would like you to help me get a lover.¡±


    ¡°Please ask for something easier for me to do, like kill god.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, but continue with your point.¡±


    ¡°She was an ice queen who always looked away from people and didn¡¯t talk to anyone but look at her happily chatting away with them now, isn¡¯t it strange.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think so. She was all alone before, but now she has a bunch of kind people around her who are all working towards a common goal, a common dream, it is no wonder she opened up. You know like national pride and such things.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I don¡¯t think it sounds as great as you make it sound. That kind of thinking is why others go to war and kill a bunch of people.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that, but still if you want to smile like they are doing, you got to interact with people on some level.¡±


    As Neil starts to walk forward, I say, ¡°Where are you going.¡±


    ¡°To live my own words and, go become an actual destroyer of chastity.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    He gives me a thumbs-up as he continues to walk away.


    Getting up I say, ¡°Guess I will slack off again,¡± And walk away.


    Community, dreams, friends; I am long past all of that, so I am just going to run away.


    Finding the area where they keep all the materials, and wonderbeasts they brought from Skydust, I walk into it. Seeing one of the Zterytavises react to my presence, I pat its head and say, ¡°Please don¡¯t make any sounds you lovable girl.¡±


    As it calms down, I find an area where I can¡¯t be seen and lie down. ¡°Guess I will get some rest.¡±


    -Break-


    A few hours later


    Hearing a loud noise, I open my eyes and see that literally right beside me, a small house is there. No, I would call this a hut.


    Sitting up I freak out and move away from it, then I say, ¡°This wasn¡¯t there when I arrived, did I finally go insane?¡±


    I look around to see if I have moved, but I am still in the same place this building has just appeared.


    Confused, I see the small hut has a window. So I move up to it and look through and inside I see the king Orb standing over a table that has a large piece of paper on it with a pencil in hand, and in a chair, in the corner of the room I see the nightmare boy Iancu.


    King Orb seems to be drawing something, but then he lifts his pencil up and then rips the paper to shreds. After this, he freaks out and says, ¡°IT NEEDS TO BE BETTER!!!¡±


    Looking down at the paper, I say, ¡°Is he designing a building?¡±


    Suddenly King Orb looks at me through the window, our eyes meet and his hair turns green, then like a demon he runs towards me.


    ¡°No, no, no, NO!¡± I say scared, and mere moments later I am grabbed and brought inside.


    Standing beside the king, he puts his arms up and says, ¡°I have found a helper!¡±


    Name: Iancu Bogdan


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: Dark blue (Primary) Black(Secondary), and short.


    Eyes: Red(Left) Black(Right). Has a mark under his right eye that looks like this ??


    Height: 160 cm


    Description: A young Vampire. He is rather tough and doesn¡¯t show his soft side but he is a protector by nature and wants to follow in his mom''s footsteps.


    Legacy: Capricorn

 Arc 10.04: A lost and found home part 2

    ¡°Hey, you kidnapped me.¡±


    ¡°All I did was forcibly ask for your help, Arend.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°I know a lot about you. You struggle to wake up in the mornings and are the 82<sup>nd</sup> loudest snorer in the mansion, you spend quite a bit of time on the toilet each day, and always have a crude smile despite your body being very dejected.


    You work the fields most of the time and you mainly talk with Neil, you seem to think Nora is pretty as you stare at her quite often. I have also noted that you seem to be aroused by women¡¯s armpits, and over the last 5 days you have coughed 75 times.¡±


    With green hair and a smile on his face, the king happily goes on and describes me and in response to this, I have a scared face, and say, ¡°Creepy. I need to run away right now.¡±


    Shocked by this, he grabs me and says, ¡°Please don¡¯t leave I need help.¡±


    Pointing at the nightmare, I say, ¡°Ask him to help you.¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± The nightmare says as he just sits there looking annoyed.


    The king then says, ¡°Iancu is trying to protect his cool guy, I don¡¯t care about anything else persona. So he is only trying to help me in very minor ways that don¡¯t hurt his ego, so in all, he is barely being of any help at all.¡±


    Iancu throws something at us and says, ¡°Don¡¯t go around spreading lies about me.¡±


    ¡°Despite how he acts he is actually really nice so don¡¯t mind him.¡±


    ¡°I AM NOT NICE!¡±


    Iancu then starts to try and attack the king, but he just dodges and continues to mess with him. Seeing them start to fight, I say, ¡°I want to go to sleep,¡± With a tired expression.


    Looking at the king, I say, ¡°What would someone like you even need me for? You¡¯re already talented, smart, well-liked, strong, lucky with the ladies.¡± As I speak my jealousy starts to leak out as I make an annoyed face.


    With a proud child-like face, the king says, ¡°I need to design a building so people can move out of the crowded mansion, and unfortunately all of my tests so far have ended in failure.¡±


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t you ask someone from Skydust to help you with this?¡±


    ¡°I tried but unlucky among all the different craftsmen among them, none are skilled in architectural design.


    Apparently, the craftsman who was the best architect in Skydust was annoying and always going on about Benelium, he even tried to hire Cyrus with a horrible contract.


    So all of the kids including his own, made a promise to stay far away from architecture so they wouldn¡¯t be associated with him.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Then if you can¡¯t find people who are skilled, you shouldn¡¯t bother doing this. The mansion can still fit us all.¡±


    Looking down with black her, the king says, ¡°I know it is stupid, but I feel like if everyone is working this hard then they at least deserve some space to sleep.¡±


    He really just looks like a kid trying to help his parent, and all too familiar sight to me. ¡°Ok then, I will help.¡±


    Picking up a sheet, the king says, ¡°Here are my first few designs.¡±


    Looking at the sheet, I say, ¡°How did you even make this, you have integrated the parts of wonderbeasts so effortlessly into the building.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to use readily available materials so that¡¯s why, but is it so impressive.¡±


    Iancu then says, ¡°Wonderbeasts'' bodies make amazing materials but they are still not really well understood. So it takes many people multiple years to truly understand their inner workings.


    That¡¯s why people who can craft or cook with their parts are very skilled. So the fact that you were able to do this is quite impressive.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I got all this information about how they work from Willow so it isn¡¯t like I discovered them myself.¡±


    I then say, ¡°But you made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°You made a lot of the frame of the house out of atlas eater bones, but you didn¡¯t account for their special qualities.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°While atlas eater bones look very strong, they have a property that makes them soften when they are used put under certain weight for long periods of time.


    Using them to construct a building will definitely lead it to completely collapse.¡±


    Looking at the page, the king says, ¡°I see.¡±


    Iancu then says, ¡°Orb why is your hair silver?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Creating some ice he looks in his reflection and says, ¡°It is silver, that has never happened before!¡±


    Iancu then says, ¡°The shade looks different from the silver of your legacy in your hair, so this must be due to your emotions.¡±


    Putting his hands against his hair, the king says, ¡°I was concentrating pretty intensely so maybe this is due to that.¡±


    ¡°How does that explain anything, you concentrate all the time and your hair never turns silver, and doesn¡¯t your hair usually turn green when thinking about something.¡±


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    Smiling at Iancu, Orb says, ¡°I never told you that yet you still figured it out, how kind of you.¡±


    With his fa?ade hurt, Iancu says, ¡°You''re probably so insane that your hair couldn¡¯t even keep up with your emotions anymore.¡±


    The king says, ¡°Hey I am a completely sane human being!¡±


    Iancu gets up and says, ¡°Do you want me to name how crazy you are because I have a long list!¡±


    As they shout, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t really think either of you are right.¡±


    They both stop and face me, so I say, ¡°As you grow your emotions become more complex. So I don¡¯t think it is because you just got a new emotion, it is just that your emotions are becoming more distinct from each other.¡±


    Staring at them, I see that they both have faces of shock and disbelief.


    Then shaking the king says, ¡°I am so sorry, I thought you were a stupid slacker, but you just said something so wise.¡±


    With a big head, I say, ¡°Well I am an adult, so of course my life experiences would show.¡±


    Suddenly a flash hits both the minds of Orb and Iancu, then Orb says, ¡°Arend who did you steal that line from,¡± While looking at me with eyes of pity.


    ¡°WHY DO YOU JUST ASSUME THAT I STOLE THE LINE!¡±


    He says nothing in response and just keeps giving me the same stare as if he is asking me to not further embarrass myself.


    Hanging my head low, I say, ¡°My father.¡±


    They both let out sighs of relaxation as if the world now makes sense to them again, and I just stand there in embarrassment.


    The king says, ¡°Your father sounds like a wise adult, it is rare to see one so why don¡¯t you tell us about him.¡±


    ¡°That sounded like a backhanded slap.¡±


    ¡°Oh it was but not to you, so please could you tell me about him.¡±


    ¡°If you want to so bad ok, but it isn¡¯t a pleasant story.¡±


    -Break-


    20 years ago


    Continent: Molstoria


    Location: Island of Niabio Sokija


    Like a lot of famous craftsmen and merchants around the world, my family is descendants from people who left Skydust to pursue their dreams, and due to the blood of those crazies, it is normal for people in my family to be a bit insane, but still, in comparison to that my father was a strange man.


    With excitement, he says, ¡°Look over there, it is a Zoidzel. They really are four times the size of a Zterytavis.¡±


    Taking out his hammer from his back, he says, ¡°Time to get to work.¡±


    My father equally had a strange hobby, and that was to build houses for animals. Big or small, cursed or not, even if they were wonderbeasts my father would go around and build houses for them.


    Staring at the happy Zoidzel, my father says, ¡°Looks like I am done here.¡±


    He was talented, a man who had spent years studying wonderbeasts, and had learnt not only how to utilize them in making houses, but also how to build houses for them.


    Sitting in the middle of the forest eating lunch freshly bought food, I ask him, ¡°Dad with your skills you could easily become an irreplaceable member of anyone¡¯s court, so why do you choose to build houses instead?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t reach my level of knowledge and expertise easily, I had to kill lots of different wonderbeasts to truly reach my level of experience. During that time I saw countless different lifestyles.


    But one thing that I did notice common among all of them is that they all looked really lonely, so I decided to build them houses that I hope could become their homes. That is what makes me more happy than anything else in this world.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, my father said, ¡°Though I am sorry I didn¡¯t give you that noble lifestyle, you could have even married a princess.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you''re right I won¡¯t ever forgive you,¡± I say completely cold a detached.


    Shocked dad, says, ¡°Please how can I make this up to you.¡±


    Giving him a cheeky smile, I say, ¡°By teaching me everything you know.¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°Ok son.¡±


    I trained and tired over years, but still, I wasn¡¯t able to reach my dad''s level of expertise, I was a failure and all of that failure led me to run away from home.


    I distanced myself from him so I wouldn¡¯t be hurt, but in the end, I ended up hurting him much more.


    Continent: Terrafide


    Location: Kingdom of Rasartine


    As I lie tied up and beaten, I lay on the floor in front of the king in his hall, and down the steps leading up to the throne is my father being held by knights.


    The king then says, ¡°You will build me a wall to surround my great country from Gevurah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my son,¡± My father cries.


    A knight brings a sword to my neck, and the king says, ¡°That depends on your compliance, so get to work architect.¡±


    A few years later I was released, and when I was I asked the guards, ¡°Where is my father.¡±


    The guard says, ¡°We couldn¡¯t let anyone know the weakness of our magnificent wall, so he was killed. Now leave.¡± And starts to walk away.


    Shook by these words, I ask, ¡°Where is his body!?¡±


    Still walking he says, ¡°He might have been burned, buried, thrown into the river, or thrown in with the garbage, how the fuck would I know, and why would I care.¡±


    From the bottom of my heart, I was shaken so badly that I couldn¡¯t do anything with my life and was eventually kidnapped and sold as a slave.


    ¡°That is basically my story, I told you it won¡¯t be pleasant. Though I guess I talked more about me than him in the end, guess I really do suck.¡±


    Looking at the two, I see I have made the atmosphere weird, so I say, ¡°Don¡¯t feel down about this, the reason my bad died was due to my stupidity and nothing else, I have already made peace with it.


    Of course, sometimes I wonder why my father would give up his life for a vile piece of shit like me, but what can I do about it since it seems no matter how bad of a situation I end up in someone just pulls me out!¡±


    ¡°Stop being an idiot,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Your father said that his work made him happier than anything else in the world, yet he gave up all that for you. The only answer is that you make him happier than that ever could.¡±


    Hearing Iancu, words I freeze, and say, ¡°Please don¡¯t speak of nonsense.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to stop being stupid. Don¡¯t cheapen your dad''s emotions towards you, because he loved you more than his dream.¡±


    Hearing this I fall silent and shake, and then the king says, ¡°Please help me develop this building more, I know you might not want to, but all I can say is that even if you are not as good as him all his has passed onto you won¡¯t be useless.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Ok then, but don¡¯t expect much from me.¡±


    Throughout that night we worked tirelessly to the point of exhaustion and this continued for some days, but at the end of it we got something amazing.


    -Break-


    6 days later


    I once asked my father when I was a child, ¡°How does this building stay up with all the weight?¡±


    ¡°You see all of the numerous pieces help to distribute the weight all around the building. Each piece does its own part, and together they can carry weight not a single one of them could alone, still, they need a strong base.


    But I am sure the base I have given you is enough, so please one day gather many pieces of life because if you do I am sure you will be able to build something great with others.¡±


    In front of a large crowd, both me and Orb stand on a podium and present a giant sketch paper to all of them. Then as he finishes talking, he says, ¡°So Arend will be in charge of this project, so please talk to him about this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    The crowd rushes at me, and then a group of people rush towards me and start talking.


    ¡°Did you really design this?¡±


    ¡°It is amazing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had such talent.¡±


    ¡°I am really excited.¡±


    As people try to talk to me, a smile appears on my face. I guess working with others isn¡¯t all that bad.


    ¦µ Looking at the crowd of people working together, I say, ¡°My plan went off without a hitch.¡±


    Walking away, I say, ¡°If I didn¡¯t notice him always staring at the mansion, I wouldn¡¯t have known what to do. Now it is time to help the remaining sad people.


    If I were looking in terms of sadness, I would say Mike, Toria, Ruto, and Land, are the ones who need help next. I also need to thank Iancu for helping me carry and move that house for my plan with Arend, I also have quite a few kingly duties to get to, and I need to keep up my training.¡±


    Suddenly feeling woozy, I say, ¡°Oh yeah when was the last I ate and slept.¡±


    ¦µ Orb who was walking collapses, but before he hits the floor he is caught by Iancu.


    Putting Orb on my back, I say, ¡°You need to rest as well you idiot.¡±

 Arc 10.05: The village Chief part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Orb¡¯s mansion


    A few days later


    ¦µ Hopping up from her bed Maple opens her eyes yawns and looks to her left, where her husband Willow lies.


    Looking at Willow¡¯s face I am quiet, then a few moments later with my finger I poke his cheeks and say, ¡°This is all mine,¡± With a smile on my face.


    ¡°His face really is big, and his cheeks are softer than I thought.¡±


    Grabbing his hands, I say, ¡°He is always wearing the bandages across his hand, so he can keep his hands soft. It makes the animals like his touch more. He really is adorable, makes me want to eat him.¡±


    Lying down on our bed, I say, ¡°Well he is my husband, so a little nibble won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I open my mouth and try to bite Willow''s ear, but I end up nibbling on something bigger.


    Opening my eyes, I see I am biting his nose. Facing me with his eyes open, Willow smiles and then starts to cry profusely.


    Shocked, I sit up and say, ¡°I am sorry I didn¡¯t think it would hurt a lot, I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Standing up as well, Willow says, ¡°No, I am just so happy I get to experience this with you. I love you so much!¡±


    Freaking out, I hit Willow in the chest, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t cry over such stupid things! I thought I had actually upset you.¡±


    Hugging me, Willow says, ¡°You could never upset me, as long as you remain you, I will always be in love with you.¡±


    Facing him, I say, ¡°Well you better, because if you don¡¯t, I will kill you.¡±


    Hugging me even tighter, he says, ¡°Please do if such a tragedy were to ever happen.¡±


    ¡°I got your permission so no taking it back.¡±


    ¡°Oh course I won¡¯t, but also I am your husband so you can ask permission to do other things for me instead of just attacking me during the night.¡±


    Looking away, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do anything!¡±


    ¡°You sure, because I have already allowed you to see me completely, so if you want to nibble me a bit you can.¡±


    Turning red, and looking away, I ask, ¡°Can I.¡±


    Crying even more, Willow says ¡°Yes, whatever you want to do, go ahead!¡±


    Turning into his chest, I open my mouth and prepare to bite him, but then through the door, Orb walks in and says, ¡°The day has begun time to work!¡±


    In our compromising position, we stare at Orb and he stares at us. Then with blue hair, Orb says, ¡°Wha-What did I say about doing unspeakable things in my childhood bed!¡±


    Willow''s face is filled with embarrassment, and I scream, ¡°LEAVE RIGHT NOW.¡±


    ¡°NO, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM.¡±


    ¡°IDT¡¯S MY ROOM NOW SO DASH!¡± Grabbing my bow from my bed side I activate my legacy and shoot directly at out.


    When it lands it lets out a little explosion.


    ¡°Serves you right, bleh!¡± I say, sticking out my tongue.


    -Break-


    Since Orb didn¡¯t get us a gift for our wedding, he decided that he would give us alone a room to ourselves. But he imposed stupid rules like we cannot do anything he doesn¡¯t like in the room.


    Walking out the main door of the mansion, I wave to Willow and say, ¡°See you later.¡±


    Hugging me, he says, ¡°Bye darling!¡±


    As we split ways I stop for a moment as I notice something in my peripheral. It is a girl wearing a fox mask, with 3 large white tails behind her; it¡¯s Suzuka.


    ¡°It seems I need to get to it today as well.¡±


    I start dashing towards her, and as I do, she starts to run away so I scream, ¡°You''re always stalking me, so instead of running away why don¡¯t you try to talk to me!¡±


    Using her tails she rolls up into a ball, and just like a hedgehog she rolls away faster than I can keep up with her. Stamping my foot, I say, ¡°She got away again!¡±


    Before I can catch my breath, someone says, ¡°Hello chief.¡±


    Looking at him, I see it is someone familiar to me, ¡°Umm aren¡¯t you the head architect.¡± Struggling for a minute, I eventually say, ¡°Your name is Ned right!¡±


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    He pauses for a moment, and then says, ¡°You''re right. It is just that I wanted to talk to you about the plans for the building, so do you know where Orb is.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Hey you can just ask me, I am the village chief anymore, but I guess we are a bit bigger than a village now. So I guess I am the queen!¡±


    Maple is incredibly happy as she speaks about being the queen, so much so that the man in front of her goes along with it.


    Grabbing, the paper out of his hand, I ask, ¡°So what do you need?¡±


    Ned says, ¡°I just need you to get me more of the materials for the construction, I would also like some ideas because we need substitutes for the atlas eater hide we have been using.


    If we start hunting too many of them, we might hurt the ecosystem around here, and wonderbeasts like predasaurs need balance or we might end up with more animals behaving like sonbits and overhunting.¡±


    As he speaks my head starts to spin. I have killed thousands of wonderbeasts, and have seen their insides, but I don¡¯t recognize any of them in this drawing.


    This building in front of me just can¡¯t be constructed from wonderbeasts parts it just can¡¯t be. There are also a bunch of numbers on the page, isn¡¯t building physical work, what is with all of this maths?


    As I am about to pass out due to all this information, I hear Orb say, ¡°Arend is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, king would you be able to help us with this?¡±


    With a face of disgust, Orb says, ¡°Please don¡¯t call me king, Orb is enough.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, just force of habit from hearing people talk about you.¡±


    ¡°So what do you need?¡±


    Arend shows Orb, the paper and then in mere moments, Orb replies to him and solves the problem.


    ¡°Thank you, ki- I mean Orb.¡±


    ¡°No problem, just do your best.¡±


    Seeing this, Maple hangs her head down low in frustration and embarrassment.


    Turning to me Orb says, ¡°Hey Maple I have a favour to ask you?¡±


    Giddy I say, ¡°What is it, tell me I will get it done!¡±


    ¡°Glad to see your enthusiasm. I need you to do some extra hunting during today''s training, specifically, the monkey-like wonderbeast that I found, the Norka¡¯s as Avram put it, we need some of its hide.¡±


    ¡°WILL DO!¡± I say as I run off.


    -Break-


    Location: Bottom level of Fimbulwinter.


    During each day all of the warriors of Aplos, and some others head down to collect food, and now materials for building as well.


    As a Spercera attacks one Coco, Buloke interrupts and strikes it with his spear.


    Then reaching out his hand, he says, ¡°Coco, are you okay.¡±


    Grabbing it he says, ¡°Yeah, but this spirit arts thing is hard to get down.¡±


    Along with the usual hunting, we have also made sure to train everyone in spirit arts. Some people got it instantly while others have been struggling, though unlike when we were training in the Gaia sky caves, actual combat makes it easier to understand.


    Someone behind us screams. It seems a waptor is attacking the man behind us, though before it does any serious damage Alis kills it in one blow.


    Aea says, ¡°It seems the new recruits are struggling to fight, I guess not all outsiders are as strong as Orb.¡±


    Mango says, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t judge them, they were all still slaves until earlier this year, they need to build up strength. That¡¯s why we should protect them.¡±


    Seeing the man shivering, I start to move close to him, but before I reach him Atalanta appears at his side, and uses her legacy to create heat.


    Looking at the man, she says, ¡°If you want to be strong you got to stay warm.¡±


    The man blushes as Atalanta looks at him and says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Looking at everyone, Atalanta says proudly, ¡°I might still be missing an arm but if any of you need to stay warm in her or at night just call on me!¡±


    Cheers erupt through the area, and I notice how many people are simply getting on by themselves.


    Due to all my squabbles with my father, I never got a chance to spend time with lots of the people in the village, even over the time Orb was gone I mostly spent my time with Willow.


    So right now, strong, reliable figures like Buloke and Atalanta are behaving more like leaders than I am.


    I need to change that and establish myself. I am not good at all of that paper stuff, but I can fight with my legacy.


    From behind Atalanta grabs me and says, ¡°Maple give your master a hug. Tell me you love me!¡±


    Turning to her. I glare directly at her, and say, ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I am not feeling it with that murderous glare!¡±


    Suddenly Buloke shouts, ¡°GROUP UP!¡±


    Everyone following his instructions comes together in a giant group, and then I ask, ¡°What is the issue.¡±


    ¡°Those monkey wonderbeasts; the Norkas are here!¡±


    Ever since Orb had a run-in with these wonderbeasts they have been appearing a lot more often, and they are a pain to fight. Their ability to swing from tree tops gives them a ridiculous amount of mobility, and if we spread out they will swoop down and start picking us off one by one.


    Luckily no one has died from them, yet, but we have sustained some serious injuries from them in the past.


    Buloke shouts, ¡°Aea, Alis, Banya, Mango, Apur, Fir, Spruce, all of you will follow me into the treetops, the rest of you will stay here and be safe.¡±


    Bringing the strongest among us to the treetops while the rest of us stay here, the best plan he can manage. But still, it would be hard without someone with enough power to break through their hide.


    ¡°Buloke why can¡¯t I come along?¡±


    ¡°Princess stay here it is too dangerous for you to join us.¡±


    ¡°But you guys won¡¯t have enough power without my legacy.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but you are not used to fighting side by side with us, there will be some issues with coordination when fighting a deadly enemy.¡±


    Yet again my mistakes haunt me, but still, I need to prove myself worthy, as a warrior, and as a leader.


    ¡°Then I will just fight by myself.¡±


    Using my spirit bow I weave an arrow with a very long tail, shoot it and then grab on to the end and use it to swing high into the air.


    Buloke looking in shock, says, ¡°I thought her bow only shot arrows.¡±


    Atalanta then says, ¡°I taught her how to elongate the shape of her arrows, to make weave rope in the spirit bow.¡±


    All the warriors of Aplos scream, ¡°SO THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT.¡±


    Buloke says, ¡°Protect the princes-, I mean chief right now!¡±


    As I swing to the treetops, a memory plays in my mind.


    Activating my legacy on the soul book, I open it and say, ¡°Vector messiah, Sagittarius?¡±


    Orb then says, ¡°It seems that is the name of your legacy, Sagittarius, just like Iancu¡¯s Capricorn, and Anto and Mime¡¯s Gemini, your legacy is named after one of the twelve months.


    It must mean that whoever your legacy previously was, it was a great person who had an entire month named after it.¡±


    My legacy improves my vision, but more than that it grants me the ability to speed up and slow things down.


    Reaching the treetops, I activate my legacy and say, ¡°I am going to take each and every one of you done right now!¡±


    Name: Norka


    Height: 375 cm


    Type: Predasaur, Carnivore


    Description: A giant monkey-like wonderbeast from the upper levels of Fimbulwinter, It has a giant cone-shaped body with thick skin, two giant arms that could easily crush a human body, and tiny feet.


    Fact: They smile constantly not because they are violent, but because they truly love swinging from the trees with all of their heart

 Arc 10.06: The village chief part 2

    Using my legacy I shot myself in the foot, and increase my speed.


    Then as the norka come at me, I jump from tree to tree and dodge all of their attacks, but it is incredibly close dodges.


    Unlike Atalanta, I can¡¯t shoot tricks shots, and bending arrows like she always does, but if there is one thing I am confident in is that I am more adaptable than her.


    No matter what [position I am in my arrows'' accuracy will never decrease. With my bow, I shoot arrows directly at the norka. When they land they don¡¯t do much damage, but the norka slow down.


    I can impart the slow down and speed up effect to my spirit arrows, so now the Norka I hit are much easier to keep up with.


    Now step 2. Using my bow, I shoot an arrow and speed it up. The faster my arrows go the stronger they become, so when my arrow hits the norka head this time it explodes.


    ¡°One down,¡± I say with excitement.


    ¡°COME DOWN,¡± I hear Buloke shout.


    ¡°No, I can do this by myself!¡±


    With my legacy, I move around and shoot each of their head, one by one, but some start to swing away, so I chase after them I continue to fight.


    I am amazing, look at me, I am defeating the opponents that gave Orb so much trouble. Don¡¯t be embarrassed about me, don¡¯t worry about me, and accept me as your leader, I am strong so watch me fight, watch me win!


    As I shoot the last Norka down, I look around myself and see that I am not anywhere close to where I was. ¡°I must have gotten pretty far away. Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean that people didn¡¯t get to see my fighting skills.¡±


    I start to rush back in sadness, as I notice my awesomeness hasn¡¯t been seen. When I start to get close, I hear a scream which causes me to speed up.


    Landing I see that there are a group of dead norkas on the ground, and another group of people bleeding.


    Moving closer, I ask, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Buloke moving closer to me, slaps me across the face, and says, ¡°When you started running away, we broke formation to chase after you and a few norkas, attacked the weaker members and almost killed them.¡±


    ¡°But I thought I hunted them all?¡±


    ¡°Some were hiding away, that¡¯s why I wanted us to be cautious. Please don¡¯t do something stupid like this again, princess.¡±


    Walking away, from me Buloke goes to treat the injured, and I just hang my head down in embarrassment and shame.


    -Break-


    A few hours later


    Location: Niflheim


    With my head low, I say, ¡°What the hell is wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like animals enough!¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°Willow!¡±


    ¡°Your one and only.¡±


    Looking at his arms, I say, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It is a baby Zterytavis, one recently gave birth so I am looking after it, isn¡¯t it cute.¡±


    As Willow brings its gross face close to me, I backflip away, and say, ¡°Keep it away from me.¡±


    With fake tears, Willows says, ¡°What a tragedy it is that you don¡¯t understand the love these companions can bring you is.¡±


    ¡°No, and I won¡¯t ever.¡±


    ¡°You look like a dog girl, so I will get you a dog.¡±


    Huffing and puffing, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    ¡°Well, it looks like you are doing better now.¡±


    Realizing what he has doesn¡¯t, I say, ¡°Playing tricks isn¡¯t what men do.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re smiling so I won in the end, so what is bothering you my darling.¡±


    Turning my back to him I say, ¡°Nothing, now leave.¡±


    Suddenly I feel a prick on my back, then I turn around and say, ¡°Did you just attack your wife?¡±


    ¡°No, I did not, your butt was just begging me to pinch it, so I simply followed its instructions.¡±


    ¡°It did no such thing.¡±


    ¡°See now your mouth is saying, please Willow listen to all my problems.¡±


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    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t, go away you bastard.¡±


    Willow falls to the floor, and says, ¡°My wife just told me to go away, my soul leaving my body.¡±


    ¡°Stop lying you bastard!¡±


    Shaking on the floor, Willow says, ¡°It is getting worse, only a hug from the village chief would save my life now.¡±


    I sigh and then move closer to give Willow a hug, and as I do he grabs me and pulls me down beside him, then says, ¡°It truly hurts me to see you like this, so please tell me whatever is bothering you, even if I can¡¯t fix it I can bare it with you.¡±


    I feel saddened, then look away, turning to my back, I put both my hands over my face, and say, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be the village chief.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true Maple.¡±


    ¡°It is. I am not smart, I am not competent, I am not friendly, I am not organised, I am not reliable, I am not cooperative, I am only strong in body but not in mind, and I am no leader at all.


    During our time since we left the village, Orb and everyone else have all been working their hardest to make sure everything goes smoothly, but here I am working less than the average person, yet I am still called chief.


    I can¡¯t help anyone when they need it, and I am so angry with myself for being so pathetic. The greatest thing I have done as village chief is allowing Orb to come here, aside from that I haven¡¯t done anything else of note.


    I can¡¯t even be a good wife, you do everything regarding us two and are always loving me even though I am too embarrassed. I feel so ashamed, that I just want to die.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°I see, I won¡¯t lie to you all of that is true, but there is also another truth I want to show you.¡±


    Getting up Willow grabs me and takes me somewhere.


    -Break-


    As we walk to a secluded area, I see in the distance a small hut.


    ¡°Willow where are you taking me.¡±


    ¡°Shh, don¡¯t make too much noise or he might notice.¡±


    When we reach the small hut, Willow points me to look through one of the windows, and inside the hut, I see Orb with a series of papers in front of him.


    ¡°The day is almost over, is he really still working.¡±


    Willow puts his fingers on my lips, then says, ¡°Keep watching.¡±


    In the room with no one else in it, Orb starts to talk, ¡°Capti what do you mean, I am really trying my best. If you keep talking to me like that I am going to tell Draga on you.¡±


    Turning his head to his left, Orb says, ¡°You see Draga your husband is bullying me protect me, didn¡¯t you say you love me like a son.¡±


    Looking throughout the room, I ask, ¡°Willow is there supposed to be someone else in the room?¡±


    ¡°No, it is just Orb.¡±


    With a face of fear, I say, ¡°Then who is he talking to?¡±


    ¡°When Orb is alone he starts to simulate conversations, with Captivant and his wife Draga.¡±


    Orb then start to hold up something in his arms, and says, ¡°Looks how big my sister is isn¡¯t she so cute.¡±


    ¡°The lore of his delusions have also gotten deeper, now he is simulating a third child Capti and Draga had whom they named after him, Orbina. Of course, they only had two children in real life.¡±


    ¡°My god!¡±


    ¡°How adorable this heavenly qpeep is.¡±


    ¡°What is a qpeep?¡±


    ¡°It is a queen, you see due to Orb learning a lot of languages through a book. His pronunciation for a few words is awful, I and others like Anto and Avram who have realized this have been skilfully helping him hide these words.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you just tell him?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this funnier though?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but this is all just awful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we have just started.¡±


    Suddenly it looks like something clicked in Orb mine, and he says, ¡°This reminds me.¡±


    He then runs over to a side of the room and pulls something out. It is a frozen human limb, and then an incredibly creepy smile appears on his face, I wouldn¡¯t even think this man is Orb.


    ¡°Willow, Willow!¡± I say quietly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry that is one of the limbs of the bandits he ripped off.¡±


    Looking at it, Orb says, ¡°Ahh, how marvellous humans truly are wonderful, I love them so much. I really wish I could see these arms insides though. But to do such a thing would be morally bankrupt.¡±


    I shake my head up and down while saying, ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°But still it is already ripped off and it is not like it is going to get much use either way, so maybe just cutting it open a little bit wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Shaking my head from left to right, I say, ¡°No, no, no, no, no!¡± What¡¯s most concerning about all of this is that his hair is turning pink, he is in love with this idea.


    ¡°Then again I did this solely for punishment, if I fiddle with them my motivation becomes impure and I did this for some level of personal pleasure.¡±


    Putting it down, Orb puts both of his hands together with his elbow on the table and just stares at it with silver hair.


    From the background, I start to cheer, ¡°Do your best Orb, do your best Orb, do your best Orb, defeat the evil inside!¡±


    Orb then suddenly starts to burst out in laughter and rolls on the floor back and forth.


    ¡°Willow is he ok, did a demon possess him?¡±


    ¡°No, he just thought of a funny joke while thinking, and just distracted himself.¡±


    ¡°But Willow look he is struggling to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Oh it must be really funny then, I will ask him later.¡±


    Seeing this rumbling mess of a human being on the floor, I say, ¡°Is this Orb?¡±


    -Break-


    As me and Willow walk away from Orb¡¯s secluded hut, he says, ¡°During your time in Basileia, Atalanta caught him acting like that pretty often, so she decided to shower him in love to try and circumvent it, but it seems it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Turning to face me, Willow says, ¡°Why do you look so down.¡±


    ¡°I guess I feel sort of disillusioned seeing Orb like this. It is like seeing your father cry, it is a horrible feeling.¡±


    Willow fake crying, says, ¡°So you''re picking on me for having a dead dad. Really how insensitive.¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°I have a dead dad as well so you can¡¯t play that card.¡±


    As we fall to the ground, Willow looks at me and says, ¡°Regardless of how you feel that is the truth of the matter, that is Orb.¡±


    ¡°Still regardless of all of that, he is still better at me at too many things.¡±


    ¡°Orb was raised strangely and so he grew up strangely, he is great at things others aren¡¯t, but he lacks basic things everyone has. It is just the way life made this out for him.


    It doesn¡¯t make him better just different, and you¡¯re the same. You''re active, you''re honest, you''re passionate, and you know the power of others. But more than that, you care for everyone just as much as Orb, and as long as you have that, I am sure you will grow into a wonderful leader.¡±


    Feeling tears fall from my eyes, I say, ¡°But hear you are helping me again, and I am doing nothing for you even though you''re my husband.¡±


    Jolting up, Willow says, ¡°I have a whole list of things I want to try with you, especially when we finally build a home for ourselves.¡±


    Turning bright red, I say, ¡°Ok then but only once we leave Orb¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°YES! I NEED TO GO HELP WITH THE BUILDING RIGHT NOW!¡± Willow says as he jumps up and starts to run away.


    Seeing him run, I say, ¡°Idiot.¡± Getting up, I say, ¡°Now I have something to do.¡±


    Running back to Orb¡¯s hut, I burst through the door.


    Orb instantly hide all of the limbs on the table, then with blue hair, says, ¡°Maple what are you doing here!?¡±


    I simply run and hug him, then say, ¡°Orb if you are ever feeling sad or lonely just come to me, I am your little sister. I love you!¡±


    ¡°Please let go of me, you''re being strange. You''re acting like Atalanta!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t until you feel my love!¡±

 Arc 10.07: The fox and the vampire part 1

    -Break-


    The next day


    Location: Orb¡¯s mansion


    ¦µ In Orb¡¯s mansion, hiding in a dark corner without any light in the library. Is Suzuka.


    Hearing people walking outside, I say, ¡°It must be time to get up.¡±


    Moving out of her corner, she says, ¡°Oh darkness I will miss you.¡±


    ¡°Now the real challenge begins,¡± Suzuka says as she stares at the other people in the library.


    ¡°There is so many of them but I have a foolproof plan for avoiding all contact with each and every one of them.¡±


    ¡°Fox art; Unko.¡±


    Suzuka takes all of her white tails and wraps them around her body, in a space that looks like a dog poop.


    ¡°Now no one will notice me dressed like this!¡± I let out a little laugh completely thrilled by my genius.


    As I walk through the library I do so with a smile on my face, because no one can even notice it is me.


    But then suddenly a bunch of little boys start to grab and poke at my tails.


    These boys are so weak that I can¡¯t hit them away, and this room is too small that I can¡¯t run away. I am trapped.


    Feeling woozy, I say, ¡°Too, much, contact!¡±


    The parents of the kids come towards me, and pick all of the kids up and then say, ¡°Please don¡¯t bother the nice girl.¡±


    ¡°Ok, buy poopy,¡± The kids say waving at me.


    I wave back and then dash out of the room. ¡°Mission successful. Now where is Maple.¡±


    Looking through the crowd of people going out, I don¡¯t see Maple. So I move over to her room and look inside, where I see neither her nor her husband.


    Shocked, I say, ¡°They''re gone!¡±


    Freaking out I say, ¡°But she is never gone, did she wake up early today. Now I don¡¯t know where she is I have to look for her, or how else am I going to stalk her!¡±


    I instantly run out of the mansion and start to look around for Maple.


    ¡°Where is she, where is she, where is she.¡±


    But as I run around, in a fervour I sense something composed of spirit energy coming towards me.


    So, I release my 5 tails from the disguise and use one of them to block the arrow.


    But as I do five more come towards me, so I use my four other tails to swat them away as well.


    An attack from where I can¡¯t sense any spirit energy nearby so they must have come from far away, is Atalanta challenging me to a fight. How exciting. I told her to attack me whenever, but I didn¡¯t think she would do it now.


    Suddenly I start to panic. Wait, I am supposed to be looking for Maple, but if I engage with Atalanta I might end up losing her, but fighting would feel so good.


    As the two sides of my brain fight over control, another volley of arrows comes towards me, so I dodge all of them while moving back, then say, ¡°I want to fight.¡±


    ¡°Fox art; leg breakers,¡± I say as I wrap my tail around my legs boosting their ability.


    As the arrows come towards me, I dodge and then start running.


    Atalanta is only using spirit energy to shoot, and not to move so I can¡¯t trace her back.


    Due to the spirit bow properties of getting heavy when no spirit energy is being used on it, she has to be constantly using tiny amounts of spirit energy on it, but not enough for me to trace.


    Still, I have more than one way to trace someone¡¯s possession, my mind reading. Right now most of the voices are from the crowd of people leaving the mansion, but if I do my best to suppress those voices.


    There are three in the area ahead of me. From the position of one, I know it is Cyrus training like he always does, and from the unreadable level of thoughts going on in the others, it must be Orb, so that means this third voice is my target.


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    ¡°So you''re over there,¡± I say, as I run towards my target.


    The arrows then start to come faster, but they are all so accurate that it becomes easy to dodge them, almost like a rhythm. It feels like I am dancing with my mother.


    But then as I start to dodge, I get hit with an arrow. There is no way I messed up the timing, I can read spirit energy almost perfectly. In fact, it felt as if the arrow just started to move slower in the middle of the air.


    ¡°You really are a monster Atalanta now I am excited.¡± As I get up I try to move but then I say, ¡°My body is moving slower.¡±


    As more arrows come towards me, I use my tails and knock them away, ¡°Whatever, this should just make the fight fair now.¡±


    As I start to move towards her again, I see something in my peripheral vision. Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup>, the Tiritrex from Jedidiah.


    Using its lighting horn, it shoots towards me, so I block it with my tails, and say, ¡°That was close.¡±


    But then from the two giant blue horns on its back, it shoots water that combines with the lighting and hits my tail.


    The water added way too much pressure to my tails, in a battle of attrition I will lose at this point.


    Well, I might as well risk it if I am in such a dire situation.


    I convert one of my tails into spirit energy, then start moving forward bringing me closer to the tiritrex. ¡°This should be enough.¡±


    Then bring them all to my right and as I do I release my body and fall to the ground dodging the fusion of water and lighting that was coming towards me by my hair.


    Then while still in that position, I say, ¡°Fox art; boundless hand.¡± Which turns all of my tails into one giant hand, and I smack the tiritrex with it while still on the ground.


    Hearing something sneaking up behind me, I turn around and prepare to hit it with my fist. But to my surprise it is Maple, and seeing her causes me to stop and moments later I am grabbed by her.


    On the ground, she has me in a tight hug, so I say, ¡°M-M-Maple what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I want to talk to you.¡±


    Struggling, I say, ¡°NOOOOO! LET ME GO!¡± While facing away from her.


    Suddenly Maple starts to cry, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to talk with me?¡±


    This causes me to go into an even deeper panic, and I say, ¡°PLEASE DON¡¯T CRY I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± She says as the tears disappear.


    -Break-


    Sitting on both my knees, I take a glance across to Maple who is doing the same.


    We have just been sitting here for minutes now, I want to leave so bad. I should read her mind, and figure out what she wants, no my mind is too much of a mess right now to focus. I can¡¯t differentiate between all the voices.


    Feeling the sounds of the voices increase, I shout, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Realizing how weird I was just acting I feel my heart about to explode, so I put my mask on and say, ¡°What the hell are you doing you idiot, stop wasting my time and speak.¡±


    With a calm expression, and a stern voice, Maple says, ¡°Never talk to me like that again.¡±


    In a neutered voice, I say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Now take off the mask as well.¡±


    With my head hanging low, I glance upwards and ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    She glares at me, which causes me to say, ¡°Sorry for my impudent question.¡±


    ¡°No I was just confused, obviously it is because I would like to see your beautiful face, I wouldn¡¯t want to deprive myself of that.¡±


    Vibrating furiously, I say, ¡°Ok then.¡± And take off my mask.


    I then try to maintain eye contact with her, but it is too much and I go back to avoiding her face. ¡°S-Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry the glances I am getting are good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°So why do you want to talk to me.¡± I know she is about to scream at me for always watching her, I messed up so badly. I just wanted to make friends.


    ¡°What¡¯s your favourite colour?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What is your favourite colour?¡±


    Is she serious, this must be some kind of joke, right? She doesn¡¯t look like she is joking.


    ¡°Purple.¡±


    ¡°I see, good to know. Mine is black.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I thought it would be either white or blue because of your clothes colour.¡±


    ¡°My mother''s favourite colour was white, so I wear it to make my dad happy. But mine is black, everything in Fimbulwinter is always white, our clothes, the predasaurs, most of our hair, the sights, so the colour black which is the opposite of that is far more striking and beautiful to me. Though I only ever get to see it when the blood of predasaurs lines up.¡±


    Under my breath, I mutter, ¡°Would you like me more if I dyed my hair black.¡±


    With a strong tone, she says, ¡°No. I think your hair is beautiful the way it is.¡±


    Holding up a strand of her hair, she says, ¡°And thanks to my legacy one colour on each of our hairs matches, makes us feel like sisters.¡±


    I start to turn red, and then I say, ¡°Yeah it is cool.¡±


    ¡°I like it having matching hair with you rather than Orb, but then I guess Orb matches with everyone.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Quickly she responds with, ¡°Because Orb is gross.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Enraged, Maple says, ¡°He is always either playing a prank on me or being too overprotective just like my father. Orb is kind to everyone, but with me it is extreme, I have caught him checking on me about seven times one night.


    The fool treats me like he owes me or is indebted to me despite the fact that he isn¡¯t on any level, and it pisses me off. He says I am like his little sister, but he makes me feel like his daughter instead.


    I just don¡¯t know what goes on in his head most of the time, sometimes I don¡¯t even think he is human.¡±


    Interjecting, I say, ¡°I understand what you mean, but I think Orb is also very kind, he is like a pillow nice to hug but if you do it for too long it starts to irritate your skin.¡±


    With a kind and happy expression, Maple says, ¡°I know all of that, and I want to understand him better so I can help him. But unlike Willow, Atalanta, and Avram I don¡¯t think I fully know what goes on in that boy''s mind. Though I hope I will someday.¡±


    Shaking she says, ¡°Though I doubt this creepy feeling he gives me will go away anytime soon, especially when I am wearing his hair like this.¡±


    ¡°But it is so smooth and keeps us warm.¡±


    ¡°About that, why don¡¯t you wear his hair like the rest of us? Your clothes are completely different?¡±


    ¡°They are made from Orb¡¯s hair, I crafted them myself since I can¡¯t wear my usual clothes up here.¡±


    ¡°Really, I couldn¡¯t even tell, but how is it different colours.¡±


    ¡°Oh I learned if you infuse a piece of Orb¡¯s hair with spirit energy and feel a certain emotion, it changes to said colour, then it was simply just a matter of knitting the clothes. I don¡¯t really work well with people so I have just been doing this beside Cyrus as he trains.


    With a curious face, she says, ¡°It looks amazing, can I touch it.¡±


    Proud and full of life, I say, ¡°Go ahead, I can assure you of its quality.¡±


    Preparing myself mentally, I await her touch. But instead of simply touching just a single part of my clothes, she grabs and hugs me.


    Which causes me to internally start to die.


    ¡°It really is soft.¡±

 Arc 10.08: The fox and the vampire part 2

    Feeling up my body, she says, ¡°Your clothes really are made of Orb¡¯s hair, how cool. To think you would be able to do this you''re really talented.¡±


    Hearing her words of praise I go from being shaken, to very bashful and say, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    For the next few minutes, we simply sit there in silence. Why hasn¡¯t she let go of me?


    Suddenly she starts to smell me, and says, ¡°You have a very nice aroma.¡±


    What the hell is going on? Is she marking me as her? I have been marked as hers. When are we going to get married, no isn¡¯t she already married? Then I guess I have to be this girl''s dog.


    Under my breath, I say, ¡°Woof.¡±


    ¡°Woof?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡±


    Loosening her hug on me, Maple says, ¡°I am sorry for taking so much time to start our conversation, it was rude.¡±


    ¡°I-It is no problem.¡±


    ¡°I am also sorry about attacking you to get you to listen to me. I am not good at doing things in different ways so I decided to be an idiot and try to engage with you the only way I know how headfirst.¡±


    With a bright smile on my face, I turn around and say, ¡°Oh please don¡¯t worry about that, in fact I enjoyed having a fight with you. If you ever feel like it just attack me, and we can enjoy a bloody deathmatch.¡±


    Realizing that I have lost control of myself yet again, I say, ¡°S-S-S-S-SORRY!¡±


    ¡°No, I am happy that you have decided to be honest with me.¡±


    She then tightens her grip again. I see so we''re back to this, well I do enjoy this as well so I don¡¯t see the issue. Her body is soft, but not bouncy like Atalanta so it sort of feels like my mom is hugging me again.


    Maple then says, ¡°Hey Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°Yes momm-, I mean Maple.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always say Fox art, instead of Fox battle arts?¡±


    ¡°Because my fox art isn¡¯t officially recognized.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You see Battle arts are the names given to recognized schools of combat by Cordum, and derivatives of battle arts simply go by arts, which applies to mine since it is just a derivative of my family''s Gozen battle arts that I use.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference.¡±


    ¡°Not anything much, I simply incorporate my evil legacy into my battle strategies, and I would never sully the name of my family''s fighting style by using the same term and this disgusting legacy.¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me about Gozen battle arts?¡±


    With Fervour, I say, ¡°It is a style in which you send spirit energy into a target to destroy it from the inside.¡±


    With a face of confusion, Maple asks, ¡°How is that different from Orb¡¯s Helix battle arts?¡±


    Breaking out of her grip, I stand up and say, ¡°It isn¡¯t the same as all, Gozen battle arts is about hard work and dedication, Helix battle arts is just masochism that a pervert would use.


    Taking someone''s force and using it against them, sounds like you just like getting hit. No Gozen battle arts is about enforcing the strength of your soul on the world, that is why it is one of Seirei''s two great battle arts.¡±


    Maple starts to laugh then falls on her back and son huffing and puffing, I say, ¡°What¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡°Nothing I just like seeing you so excited like this.¡±


    Feeling embarrassed, I fall to my knees and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No I enjoy it, and you''re right anyway. A masochist is a great way to describe Orb, but still, I don¡¯t really understand the difference.¡±


    ¡°Helix battle arts, build up rotational or spiral energy and send it throw a surface as a shockwave. But Gozen battle arts sends your spirit energy into an object and makes it go bomb like a bomb.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you can¡¯t send spirit energy into a vessel already containing it.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t entirely true. Like, imagine if two people were holding a sword, and both poured their spiritual energy into it. If the two get along both of their spirit energy will be added to the sword, but if they hate each other they will fight each other within the sword. If one is stronger it will push the other spirit energy out but if they are equal they will constantly reject each other causing an explosion.


    Gozen battle arts use this principle, by hitting our opponents very hard in one place, we temporarily make the spirit energy there fluctuate, and then we send our spirit into the body, and since the body is infused with spirit energy the rejection principle will activate causing an explosion.


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    It doesn¡¯t work on Wonderbeasts or those who don¡¯t use spirit energy. But it was a battle art mainly used for battles against spirits, and against those being made of pure spirit energy, it is debilitating.¡±


    ¡°I see that really is interesting, but it does surprise me that your father would let you learn it when you''re were so gifted as an artist.¡±


    ¡°My father told me I had to learn it to punch all the men who try to date me away. He said if someone wanted to marry me they would have to beat me in a fight first.¡±


    In that moment Maple taught; So your father made it impossible for you to get married.


    ¡°And anyways, it helped me with all of my craft work. My mother used to pull all nightery for multiple days straight, to finish her work and if I didn¡¯t train in Gozen battle arts I wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up with her.¡±


    Thinking about the faces of my parents, I say, ¡°And I am glad I did because it allowed me to find out so much about them.¡±


    ¡°I see you''re lucky then because my father wouldn¡¯t hated the fact I fought. In fact, I had to constantly sneak out of my house to train, and when I requested to take the warrior test and passed his rage almost heated up all of Fimbulwinter.¡±


    ¡°I am so s-sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have been bragging about my training then.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologize, it isn¡¯t your fault it is his for being an idiot. How could he expect not to want to be a warrior with how cool he always was.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, my mother despite all her stress was always smiling as she worked, almost as if it gave her the life to surpass her limits, my dad was very much the same, and seeing that made me want to be like them both. Because they''re the strongest.¡±


    Maple then says, ¡°Stop right there Suzuka, the strongest is my father.¡±


    ¡°Maple, I can¡¯t let such slander go. My parents would destroy your father.¡±


    ¡°My father would kill a man in one blow.¡±


    ¡°My father would kill 50 men in one blow.¡±


    ¡°My father would destroy a building in one blow.¡±


    ¡°My father would destroy a town in one blow.¡±


    ¡°My father would reshape a mountain in one blow!¡±


    ¡°My father would reshape Fimbulwinter with one blow!¡±


    Suddenly Maple, starts to laugh causing me to laugh as well. ¡°It seems we got a bit caught up there.¡±


    ¡°I guess we did.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even bring up your mom, if she isn¡¯t going to fight.¡±


    ¡°My dad likes to show off when my mom is in sight, so her being there would make him surpass his limits. If I was there cheering him on as well, he would have completely destroyed any opponent.¡±


    ¡°My father was the exact opposite, he hated having me watch him, because despite how strong he was, he was also equally weak.¡±


    ¡°Weak?¡±


    ¡°He got scared easily whenever anything happened to me, if I got sick he looked like the sky just fell, and every time I went to join the warriors'' hunt he would stick close to me like we were conjoint. He always looked stressed.¡±


    Falling back to the ground behind her, Maple says, ¡°When my mother was alive, apparently they didn¡¯t talk. They used to just walk around the village not saying a word to each other all day, but they were smiling all the while.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that very strange? I couldn¡¯t imagine my parents ever being quiet.¡±


    ¡°Most people thought the same, but still they were happy, and my father never had a stressed or worried expression, like he always had with me. My mother died giving birth to me, so sometimes I wonder if my dad would have been happier if I wasn¡¯t born, because at the very least I would be alive.¡±


    Seeing her disheartened face, I jump over her and say, ¡°My dad told me, humans can be happy doing anything. It is simply a matter of warping your brain enough to feel happiness.


    Regardless of whether he choose he would still suffer and feel happiness. So he chose for the happiness of me and all of the suffering that came along with it. And your parents choose that for you.¡±


    With my fingers, I count, ¡°Orb, Cyrus, Atalanta, Me, Iancu, all of the people here, are only here due to you being here, so please don¡¯t say something so sad.¡±


    Getting up Maple hugs me, and says, ¡°Thank you Suzuka.¡±


    Freaking out, I say, ¡°No problem.¡±


    Hugging me tighter, Maple says, ¡°Hey Suzuka.¡±


    Feeling my heart beat repeatedly, I say, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Would you please.¡±


    What is she going say, WHAT IS SHE GOING TO SAY!!!!


    ¡°Be my friend.¡±


    Still pounding endlessly, I say, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°I do, I really do. But why me?¡±


    ¡°I have very few friends, so I wanted to ask you to be mine since you''re very adorable.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so is that a yes.¡±


    Impassioned, I say, ¡°YESSSS!¡±


    As I hug Maple many thoughts go through my head. Mother and father, I finally have a female friend, a best friend!


    As I hug Maple, over her shoulder, I see the annoyance Iancu.


    He notices me, so I give him a look of superiority, and then mouth, ¡°Look who has no friends.¡±


    He then gets embarrassed and runs away in frustration!


    Gripping my fist, in victory, I say, ¡°I WON!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Maple says.


    ¡°Nothing!¡±


    Pulling back, I say, ¡°In all honesty, I wanted to be friends with you too.¡±


    ¡°is that why you have been stalking me?¡±


    Nodding my head, I say, ¡°Yes, Orb told me it is the best way to make friends.¡±


    Maple in front of me makes an irritated face, which causes me to ask, ¡°What''s wrong!¡±


    ¡°Doing that is a surefire way to make people hate you, Orb played a prank on you.¡±


    Coming to this realization, I get up and start to run away!


    I run so far and so fast, that I end up running into Cyrus training in the forest, and when I see him I jump and give him a tackle.


    ¡°Suzu-u-uka, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    I simply rub my face into him repeatedly, which causes him to freak out. Noticing this I calm down and say, ¡°I made a friend.¡±


    Cyrus smiles gently, and says, ¡°Good to hear. Who is it?¡±


    Filled with excitement, I say, ¡°It¡¯s Maple, and she is just the best. She is very nice to me so nice that if she were to ask me to become her dog I would. She sort of gives you that slightly creepy feeling that Orb does, but it is nowhere as bad as him.


    Did I mention she is also very nice to me, and she is a great fighter so we can spar every now and then? She also said I am her favourite person in the world, and if she was to have a kid it would be named after me.


    She told me I am an angel that has descended to be her best friend for life, and that her life was empty before she met me. She said we will have many sleepovers from now on and be together forever.¡±


    Cyrus overwhelmed by Suzuka, says, ¡°I-I-I-I-I see.¡±


    ¡°Hey Suzuka, are you ok? I saw you run over here?¡± I hear Orb¡¯s voice say.


    Walking through the forest, Orb sees us, and says, ¡°Cyrus I have been wondering where you have been. Give me a hug I want to touch your tail.¡±


    But before Cyrus can move, I rush over to Orb and punch him in the face.


    Get sent backwards, Orb recovers, and says, ¡°Suzuka what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Did you think your joke was funny?¡±


    Orb''s hair turns green, and says, ¡°It was actually.¡±


    ¡°You''re dead!¡± I say running towards him.


    Activating his legacy Orb, says, ¡°Try me!¡±


    ¡°P-P-P-Please do-o-o-on¡¯t fight!¡± Cyrus says.


    Suzuka and Orb start to fight, and Cyrus tries to stop them from hurting each other. A scene that one could easily mistake as siblings playing with each other.

 Arc 10.09: The fox and the vampire part 3

    -Break-


    The next day


    ¦µ With Cyrus behind me I walk through the shabby wooden door in front of me, and say, ¡°Look who has arrived.¡±


    Suddenly the kids in the classroom start to run towards me, and say, ¡°Orb.¡±


    ¡°Doggy.¡±


    ¡°Play with us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to study anymore.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go on an adventure.¡±


    As the kids from Aplos jump at me, I say, ¡°If you want me to respond to your requests you must overcome my guard dog.¡±


    Using my legacy, I make a little doggy out of snow and use it to chase the kids around. As my dog stops the kid''s approach, I laugh and say, ¡°Seems you were all too weak!¡±


    In a mere moment, I am struck hard on my head by Pine who says, ¡°Not all those kids are from Aplos they can¡¯t put up with the cold of your wolf.¡±


    With blue hair, I say, ¡°Sorry,¡± And then remove the snow wolf.


    As I do this Cyrus bows to Pine and says, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning as well, I like the volume you have got now.¡±


    The kids then run towards me and start complaining that they want to play. ¡°Don¡¯t worry young ones I have something far more exciting.¡±


    Pushing Cyrus into the kids'' clutches, I say, ¡°A dragon!¡±


    The kids start to cheer as they pull a clueless Cyrus away.


    ¡°I swear coming in here and interrupting my class with this, you sure have grown a giant ego.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Granny Pine no amount of arrogance would ever make me want to deal with a monster like you.¡±


    She hits me again in the face, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t call me a monster I am still a woman!¡±


    Holding my face I wonder why all the women around me are such violent monsters, they used to be all cute and adorable when we first met.


    ¡°Lady Pine, he is still just a young boy who is yet to grow into a great man. I don¡¯t think instilling violence against him at such formative years is a great thing. Not to mention he does do a lot of work by himself, the less injured he is the better,¡± Elliot says.


    ¡°I guess you''re right,¡± Pine says.


    Seeing someone like Pine answering to someone who isn¡¯t Sequoia is strange, but she does tell us to mine the words of our elders. Despite most of us calling her granny she is only 47 which was rather old for a lifespan in Aplos.


    Compared to Elliot; Lady Dushes former servant from Skydust is 72. So it seems on some level she does respect him for all his experience, considering he is old enough to be her father.


    Looking at her I have a bright smile on my face, and pink hair.


    ¡°What¡¯s that look for Orb.¡±


    ¡°I am just glad you somehow made a friend, it seems violent women like you and Suzuka are being blessed by god with friendship.¡±


    Pine puts both of her knuckles on my head, and says while rubbing them furiously, ¡°I would have you know not everyone needs to be like you and be friends with everyone. I have a few and I am fine with that.¡±


    Looking at her, Orb¡¯s hair turns Maroon and he says, ¡°That sounds pretty amazing.¡±


    Pine lets go of me and says, ¡°Is that a new colour?¡±


    ¡°AGAIN! I say trying to find something to look at.


    Looking around the room, I stop and say, ¡°Are the new courses going alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it seems to be well received by the kids, talking all of the knowledge everyone here has and using it to make a rather informative course seems to be making the children smile, especially when they can¡¯t do anything else here.¡±


    ¡°I see some of the former slaves here, but what about the members of Aplos, I am pretty sure the adults were supposed to be taught as well.¡±


    Elliot says, ¡°Well we ran into a few issues with that.¡±


    ¡°Really, did they give you a hard time, I can help if needed.¡±


    Pine says, ¡°No, Orb it isn¡¯t your responsibility to deal with that.¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°But-.¡± Before I can finish I sense two things appear and fall on my head.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHA! Be amazed because the one and only Mime the Great is here to brighten your day!¡±


    ¡°Anto is here as well, we have been hiding and waiting to teleport to surprise you.¡±


    ¡°I see so that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t sense you.¡±


    Crawling over to my face, Mime says, ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t because my plan is amazing!¡±


    Pine says, ¡°Mime what are you doing, haven¡¯t you finished your work?¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA, you didn¡¯t get me this time I have everything completed right here,¡± Mime says as she hands Pine a sheet.


    Pine reads the sheet and starts to have a surprised look here. ¡°Everything is correct, even though you''re always asleep in classes.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA! Of course it is.¡±


    Moving closer to me, Mime puts her head down, and says, ¡°Proceed Orb.¡±


    Patting her head, I say, ¡°Good job Mime, you did wonderful.¡±


    She blushes then her ego spikes and says, ¡°Now it is time to play!¡± Mime then runs towards the other children.


    On my shoulder, I look at Anto who is making a tired expression. It seems he is still keeping up the act of being dumber than Mime to make her happy.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°For the most part, but I swear whenever my twin isn¡¯t directly in my sight she causes me to worry for her and everyone around her safety. I wish I could take a break from her.¡±


    Mime looking at us with a sad expression, says, ¡°ANTO HURRY UP!¡±


    ¡°But whenever I am not around her she starts to get sad, and I don¡¯t want to let that happen. The struggles of being the grown-up twin,¡± Anto says as he jumps off my shoulder.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± I say to Anto.


    As he turns around to look at me I give him some candy and say, ¡°I saved some for you, but if you''re too much of an adult I can ju-.¡±


    Before I can even finish Anto takes the candy out of my hands and puts it in his mouth, he then runs over to Mime.


    ¡°I guess he still is a child.¡±


    Elliot beside me then says, ¡°Orb what do you know about those two kids?¡±


    ¡°Nothing really, I overheard one of their conversation before but outside of that I really don¡¯t know anything about them.¡±


    ¡°It is just that both of them are smart quite a bit smarter than the average kid their age. It is very apparent that they have received a noble education simply from watching them, even their posture gives them away.


    But that is also strange because despite their age they are also quite capable of keeping up on the battlefield, and for kids that young it is incredibly strange. Don¡¯t you think we should ask them?¡±


    When I overheard both Mime and Anto speak, they were talking about how they were betrayed in the past. This topic for them isn¡¯t something I should force out of them I should just leave it be.


    ¡°I am sure they will tell us when the time is right.¡±


    Pine says, ¡°Orb so why are you here in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, I have come to ask both of you and Maple to come with me for the next meeting, which is starting soon, but where is Maple.¡±


    ¡°She is over there,¡± Pine says as she points to an isolated area of the room.


    Looking over there I am hit with an intense gloomy aura. Sitting on a desk with her hands on her head is Maple, and the assistant chief of Aplos Cedar Wodok.


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± I say shocked.


    ¡°It seems the learning isn¡¯t going as well for her as she had hoped, and I think Mime''s mocking of her has made the situation worse.¡±


    Going closer to her, I touch her on the back which causes her to turn around.


    With an incredibly frustrated look, she says, ¡°What is it?¡±


    Scared, I say, ¡°It is time for the meeting to start?¡±


    Getting up, with excitement she says, ¡°Really, I guess I got to stop this and go. Bye Cedar.¡± Maple then runs out the door filled with joy.


    -Break-


    Location: Meeting room


    Inside the mansion, a group of people are seated around a circular table.


    Representing the people of Aplos; Maple.


    Representing the people of Skydust; Sandra.


    Representing the construction; Arend.


    Representing education; Elliot.


    Representing the slaves of Basileia; Pine.


    Representing resources; Avram


    Avram and Orb also sit at this table.


    But strangely enough, in Orb''s arms is Cyrus, and in Maples''s arms is Suzuka. Orb sitting down rubs his face into Cyrus''s hair, and Maple does the same with Suzuka.


    Cyrus looks confused, and Suzuka is red with embarrassment, but they both put up with it since the two Rians look happy.


    ¡°Now I have noticed that everything around here is flowing as well as it should be, and I have also noticed that many of you are avoiding telling me this issue,  so I have called this meeting here and no one will leave till we figure things out.¡±


    The room falls silent as they all see the red in my hair, but then unintimidated Pine says, ¡°Ok then, As you know I have been looking after my husband and all the others that have been sick from the Basileia crystal incidents. But we have run into an issue which is both food and water.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have enough of both of those?¡±


    ¡°For water, we have to make it hot, and that requires us to find some wood. But all the wood on Fimbulwinter is from the trees, and sadly we can¡¯t start fires from the trees in Fimbulwinter.


    This means when Avram and his people go out to get us water on their airship they also have to bring trees back which is very hard to do without getting caught.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°This also leads to another issue, which is food.¡±


    Pine then continues, ¡°We have found out that the people who are sick really can¡¯t eat predasaur meat, so instead we have had to find real animals, which is again an issue because when Avram and the rest leave they essentially have to find lone animals and take them for us to use every day.¡±


    ¡°About 20 per cent of all the people in Niflheim currently are sick, so it makes sense the resource issue that this would cause.¡±


    Maple then sits up and proudly fully says, ¡°What if we just take the animals and trees around the outside of Fimbulwinter, when me and Orb left Fimbulwinter on Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>¡¯s back we saw a whole bunch of them.¡±


    Pine says, ¡°Remember there are a bunch of adventures still running around the bottom of Fimbulwinter, that plan might work in the future but for now it is pointless.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t seen any.¡±


    I say, ¡°Buloke reported recently that he saw signs of adventures during your latest hunt.¡±


    Maple with a demoralised look grips her fists and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    Arend says, ¡°This yet again leads to another unfortunate issue. Which is that all of the cooks who can handle wonderbeasts are held up, and without them taking apart the wonderbeasts for us we can¡¯t get the materials and slowing our construction down.¡±


    ¡°I see so we need to get the sale of Basileia crystals going as fast as possible. At the rate we are going we will start to have resource problems.¡±


    Turning my head to Maple, I say, ¡°How is the education of the warriors going? For our plans, we would need to at least send over 100 warriors trained in spirit energy and knowledge enough to get around, to be the guards of our shop, wherever we choose to send it.¡±


    Maple gritting her teeth, says, ¡°That won¡¯t be possible, anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    Sandra then says, ¡°Orb, the biggest issue we currently face is the complete and utter uncooperativeness of the people of Aplos.¡±

 Arc 10.10: The fox and the vampire part 4

    ¡°Uncooperativeness?


    Pine follows up and says, ¡°A lot of people from Aplos have been rather rude and distant to members of Niflheim. They have refused to work well with each other, and have sometimes just ignored orders. It seems that some of their ego are being hurt by the outsiders who have knowledge of the world. A bunch of idiots who I need to knock around.¡±


    Arend says, ¡°Of course, there are those like Ewen, who likes learning about foreign construction techniques, but I doubt there are even 30 like him among the over 1000 thousand adults in Aplos.¡±


    ¡°But I thought everyone was getting along?¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°They have gotten along with the people who have joined Aplos but the rest who have formed into their own grounds, have not received any kind of treatment from them.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this kind of childish behaviour from them.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°The unknown is scary, and when a group of people are faced with another group who is unknown to them, the first thing they do is try and dominate them.¡±


    Arend, then says, ¡°And this behaviour has caused many people to be in tension. This has slowed down their working effectiveness, which has led to delays, which has led to even more frustrations and tensions. Some people have even started to complain very vocally about it.¡±


    Maple clenches her fist, as he talks.


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡±


    Avram says, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it, Elia has been handling all of it. Though even her abilities can only calm such frustrations for so long.¡±


    Upon hearing Elia¡¯s name Orb, lets go of Cyrus, and Cyrus then stands up behind him still confused by Orb¡¯s actions.


    Rubbing my hands against my head, I say, ¡°I was too na?ve. I thought everyone would get along rather well, but of course, this would happen. I fooled myself into thinking my words were more powerful than they were.¡±


    Avram responds, ¡°Don¡¯t get down on yourself, in most cases this would result in the different parties killing each other, and the fact that all these people who lack trust for each other can work together this well is a sign that your existence has weight to them. But still.¡±


    Elliot says, ¡°The fact is you''re not around enough due to the work you do, and our country is a mishmash of all different types who are here since they have nowhere else to go.¡±


    Clapping my hands, I say, ¡°I see, and now I know why you have all been looking stressed out, but I have thought up of some solutions.¡±


    ¡°First, I will be reducing the work I concerning the removal of the snow.¡±


    Maple says, ¡°But aren¡¯t you doing the most important job?¡±


    ¡°It is a long-term goal. Right now I don¡¯t see us doing any farming for the foreseeable future, so it is better to focus on the current crisis we are facing and get through them.


    Due to my free time, I will go and speak with the people who have made their own groups. Reaffirming and thanking them for all they have done should calm their nerves down.


    I would rather give everyone a break, but right now we are all working for the sake of survival so this is the best I can do.¡±


    Sandra says, ¡°Please that would be very helpful.¡±


    I look at Maple who is struggling, and then say, ¡°Secondly about our shop. To the west is the continent of Molstoria, to the east is Enotita, and to the south is Terrafide. Ignoring Fimbulwinter and the dragon content Avesta for obvious reason, these are the three places we have been talking about setting up our shop.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°We were talking about setting it up in Enotita since we haven¡¯t caused any incidents in that continent and it would be better for us to slowly get a foothold into the market over there.¡±


    Elliot being a businessman grasps my thought process and says, ¡°But that won¡¯t do it anymore?¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t we are in desperate need of resources. There is also the fact that over in Enotita the heaven''s song is the most spoken with the saviour''s song being the next one. The warriors only speak the Heroes song, out of the Tria carmina.


    And with all of the problems faced by the warriors of Aplos in regard to learning, no way would they be able to learn the heaven''s song in time. So we are shifting gears, we will be setting up our shop in Cordum.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°Orb are you sure about that? It is quite literally the biggest trade city in the world and is filled with a lot of people who would use any means necessary to crush their opponents.¡±


    Looking at Elliot, I say, ¡°What do you think about this.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Elliot was one of Dushes most trusted subordinates, he had done countless business deals with her, there is no one here besides his sister that knows as much about him.


    ¡°I think it would be hard. Cordum is very well regulated, so nothing could happen within the city, but that only relates to inside the city outside it there is no such protection, and to get rid of competition the people there are known to use countless underhanded tactics.


    But I do think we should be fine. With the Zterytavises providing us safe transport, and an exclusive product known as the Basileia crystals, we should be able to get a foothold.


    Though after that how we use our money to break into other markets, will be the biggest issue of them all, we would need to not only send warriors, but people who know the market.¡±


    ¡°Elliot, would you be able to head up that office?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I am a very familiar face, and while I may have connections, I also have lots of enemies who if they knew I was somehow connected to the Basileia crystals would intentionally get in the way of our work and then we would be in a lot of trouble, so it would be best to get someone else to do it.¡±


    ¡°Since this applies to all of Lady Dush''s staff as well, Who am I supposed to pick then?" I say with silver hair.


    Seeing someone pop into my head, I say, ¡°Bella would be a good choice.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Maple asks.


    Cyrus says, ¡°S-S-S-She was w-w-w-with me, and W-W-W-Willow in Ba-a-a-asileia.¡±


    Squeezing Suzuka tighter, Maple quietly mutters under her breath, ¡°A woman I don¡¯t know.¡±


    It seems like you have problems in the future Willow.


    ¡°To my knowledge, she trained to be a scholar at Cordum and is the only one outside of me, Avram, Elia, and all of Dushes staff, who can speak all three songs. And I am sure she would like the role, so Elliot can you run her through a few things?¡±


    ¡°I will get on it after this.¡±


    ¡°When we get everything ready, our shop in Cordum will be set up immediately, so that should help us with the resource issue.¡±


    Taking a deep breath in and out, I ask, ¡°Pine what would you say the people of Aplos think of me.¡±


    She pauses for a minute out of surprise for my question, then says, ¡°They respect your power, mind, and heart. Your showcasing of these attributes has made them come from fearing you to loving you.


    But Orb you¡¯re a very kind person, but I also think that does scare the people of Aplos. Because to some of them, they feel like you would always pick what¡¯s good for everybody instead of what¡¯s good for them.¡±


    Avram says, ¡°A very selfish thought process, but since the people of this newly found country don¡¯t see themselves as one people, it will simply be an organic thought process that would pop up to defend themselves.¡±


    ¡°I have been spending far more time helping people outside of Aplos since I have returned. I will simply have to pay more attention to them, and maybe break a few bones. This should get everything to start working better.¡±


    Maple then sits up and says, ¡°Can I ask a favour?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Would I be able to handle the issues regarding Aplos?¡±


    ¡°Maple, this is quite a time-sensitive issue, something needs to be done fast.¡±


    ¡°I understand that, but at the end of the day I am the village chief and I need to do something about this everyone else can¡¯t be doing their jobs and I am just here sitting down. So let me do this or you will be exiled.¡±


    I sigh, and then say, ¡°Ok. But there will need to be a change in their behaviour soon.¡±


    Cheerfully, Maple says, ¡°Ok!¡± And then rushes out of the room.


    Seeing her run out, I clap my hands and say, ¡°That will be all for today.¡±


    As everyone leaves, Pine stops me and says, ¡°Do you think she will be fine?¡±


    She looks concerned, so I smile saying, ¡°You look so adorable when you''re worried.¡±


    Grabbing my face, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like I am a child!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡±


    Letting go of me, she says, ¡°Her mother getting pregnant with her during the plague is the main reason she didn¡¯t pull through, and her saving Cole led to her father''s death, so I am scared that she who was so opposed to the idea of becoming the village chief is now doing it out of some sense of responsibility.¡±


    With white hair, I say, ¡°I left my home and went out to the world to find something, I guess you could say my motives were selfish. But Maple the reason she wanted to leave was to bring things back to share the wonders she would experience. Maple has always loved you guys, and now she wants to simply show it more.¡±


    ¡°I guess you''re right to some respect. But still, help her and watch her, she is simply way too hard-headed to function by herself.¡±


    ¡°I will, I will.¡±


    Avram patting me on my back says, ¡°If you two are done now, I have something I want to show you Orb.¡±


    ¡°Ok then?¡± I say with brown hair


    -Break-


    As I walk with Avram towards, where we keep all of the supplies and the Zterytavis, he says, ¡°And that¡¯s why Ai Kumo hates Captivant.¡±


    With Coral hair, I say, ¡°I understand why she hates Captivant now, that¡¯s just awful.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too disgusted, if you knew his full history with women you wouldn¡¯t be able to even stand near him without feeling like you need to bathe.¡±


    ¡°Oh actually I know about that, there is Coral Ritana, Laura Bora, Emi Noko, Kate Everbloom, Koko Unitos, and Sandra Borenheight.¡± Pausing for a moment, I say, ¡°ISN¡¯T THAT SANDRA FULL NAME, I CAN¡¯T BELIEVE SHE FEEL FOR HIM AS WELL.¡±


    ¡°Captivant really named all of the women to you.¡±


    With pure and innocent eyes, Orb turns to Avram and says, ¡°Of course, Captivant told me about all his escapades both pure and filthy, with the exception of Ai.¡±


    ¡°Now that I think about it being raised by that man without his wife to reign him in would obviously make one crazy, I can see why you talk to yourself.¡±


    With bright blue hair, Orb says, ¡°How do you know about that!!!!!!!?¡± While attacking Avram.


    Suddenly a scream rings throughout the area, one that came from a child.


    Hearing this both Avram, and Orb run towards the source of the scream, and when they arrive they come across a horrible sight.


    In the distance is a group of members from Aplos, and on the floor is a child covering his face which has just recently been hit.


    Hovering over that child is Iancu, holding something in his left hand and clenching his fist in his right hand.


    Name: Orb Rian


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary: White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed) Coral (Disgust) Maroon (jealousy) Silver (Thinking)


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who loves everything he sees. He is clever and hopeful, whenever he sees someone in need, he will help them. He also tends to be quite feminine looking which bothers him.


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.

 Arc 10.11: Nightmares

    Suddenly a group of warriors from Aplos move towards Iancu and in response to this he activates his legacy which increases the gravity around them all.


    I instantly ran over to Iancu, and grab his arm saying, ¡°What are you doing.¡±


    He breaks the grip I have on his arm, and says, ¡°Let go of me, and tell these bastards to not touch things they don¡¯t own.¡±


    Looking at Iancu I notice he is holding something that looks like a weapon, though it is completely unfamiliar to me. Its design is nonstandard, kind of like Anto¡¯s lightning dagger.


    ¡°Orb move out of the way,¡± I hear Buloke say behind me.


    Turning around I see he is filled with rage, so I get in front of him and say, ¡°Please just calm down, getting angry won¡¯t help anything.¡±


    ¡°HE HIT ONE OF THE KIDS!¡± Buloke says as he points at Neem who is crying.


    Maple who is holding Neem, says, ¡°Orb this isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Iancu then says, ¡°Well none of you should be here in the first place, you''re all just skipping your other duties!¡±


    ¡°I understand, but getting angry won¡¯t help anythi-.¡±


    Before I can finish Buloke hits me across the face sending me to the ground.


    Buloke isn¡¯t as aggressive as he was when we first met, but that side of him will come out when something happens to a member of Aplos. Still, if he and an emotional Iancu fight blood will be spilled.


    Suddenly, I hear Maple say, ¡°Please stop.¡±


    Standing up I get in front of the both of them, and I look at Buloke and say, ¡°Calm down.¡±


    Ignoring me, he uses his right leg to try and kick me in the head. At the angle he is going it will just knock me out, he does still care.


    I effortlessly dodge the attack, and then with my elbow, I hit him in the kidney, which makes him crouch to the ground. Then I grabbed his head using my legacy and proceeded to hold him down so he couldn¡¯t move away.


    ¡°Please stop!¡±


    As I do I start to hear muttering with my keen hearing.


    Looking over to the rest of Aplos gathered, I see they are looking at me with fear. Then Buloke says, ¡°Why are you siding with this outsider over us!¡±


    This causes a few others to say, ¡°I thought you were one of us.¡±


    ¡°We accepted you, but you let an outsider hurt us.¡±


    ¡°If you won¡¯t protect us, we will protect ourselves.¡±


    Maple then adding fuel to the fire, says, ¡°Orb this can¡¯t be let go, Neem is just a child.¡±


    The cries from the people get louder. Then in my peripheral, I notice that Suzuka who is near Maple, is holding her hands on her head. It seems all the chaotic thoughts and emotions are negatively impacting her.


    Getting angrier by this situation, I shout, ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP!¡± So loud that humans would even struggle to hear what I said.


    Then I say, ¡°If you idiots think for a second I don¡¯t care about you then your brains are rotting. I am not picking an outsider over any of you, I am trying to figure out what the hell happened. When something is important you don¡¯t just get overly emotional and start acting neurotic, you stop shut and think to get the best answer, you morons!¡±


    My words and my tone get them all to shut up, and as that happens Avram walks up to Iancu and says, ¡°Why?¡±


    Iancu seeing his father''s look of disappointment, gives his father what he was holding, and starts to run away. As he does that I hear Suzuka sneak away as well.


    Buloke who I am holding down, says, ¡°I have calmed down so please let go out me.¡±


    ¡°Oh alright,¡± I say as I get off of him.


    Buloke then says, ¡°So what do you want to discuss then.¡±


    Maple moving in beside him says, ¡°Orb regardless of whatever you say you won¡¯t convince me that Iancu shouldn¡¯t be punished for this.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± A group of calm, but quietly angry members of Aplos say.


    I know she is trying to look out for Aplos but she really is just adding fuel to the fire. It seems Maple is trying to use this incident to cement herself as a leader, but it might not turn out so well for her if she ends up leading everyone off a cliff.


    Before I can say anything, at a perfect 90-degree angle Avram comes and bows down in front of everyone then says, ¡°Please forgive my son.¡±


    Buloke is about to say something, but then Maple comes in and says, ¡°Do you think that will be enough?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t but I believe I can give a good explanation for his actions, after that you can decide whether or not to judge him. But I have to call Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim first.¡±


    ¡°Ok, good ahead but make it quick.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Avram sitting in front of all of us looks down on us with his workers, Iva, and says, ¡°Me, Iancu, Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim are what would be known as nightmares by the outside world.¡±


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    Sitting beside me, Orb says, ¡°I heard people call you guys that a few times on Skydust.¡±


    Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim stare at Orb, strangely, then Ivana says, ¡°I thought you would know considering Captivant¡¯s wife was one of us.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, Draga was?¡± Orb''s hair turns Rosewood, and then he rubs his hair in annoyance and says, ¡°Captivant you bastard always leaving information out?¡±


    I guess Rosewood means his frustrated.


    Avram says, ¡°He probably thought the face you would make when you first saw one would be funny, but he still could have explained what a curse was to you.¡±


    I then say, ¡°You mean what Suzuka has.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but to give a definition of a curse, I would say it is a change in someone¡¯s soul that leads to a change in their body. Suzuka¡¯s curse makes it so she can feel people''s emotions, and hear their thoughts, which indirectly makes their spirit energy flow around her.¡±


    Grabbing an item, Avram says, ¡°This is a ruler made from the bendy bones of the wonderbeast the Nord cat, and as you can see as I bend it the shape returns to normal but is just slightly off. This is how Suzuka''s curse works, it is a light curse.


    But if I bend it to the extreme like so, even though it tries to return back to its normal shape, it simply can¡¯t. And that¡¯s the type of curse we nightmares have.


    By altering our souls to the extreme, our bodies go through permanent physical changes, and those who are cursed to this extent are called nightmares.¡±


    The room falls silent as they understand what Avram, is saying. Orb then asks, ¡°How is that even possible, to interact with one''s soul?¡±


    ¡°There are some beings in this world who have somehow gained such abilities, but usually this is caused when one comes into contact with a demon.¡±


    With fear in my voice, I say, ¡°Demons are real.¡± This causes everyone in the area to have faces full of fear.¡±


    In a calming voice, Avram says, ¡°Very, but don¡¯t be scared because if you ever come into contact with one unintentionally you would have to be seriously unlucky. All of us here inherited our curses from our parents. Where we are from is filled with decedents of those who have been cursed.¡±


    Buloke still in a bad mood says, ¡°So what if you¡¯re cursed that still doesn¡¯t explain Iancu¡¯s actions.¡±


    ¡°Buloke is right,¡± I say as I compose myself.


    Avram then holding up his finger says, ¡°All nightmares share 4 things in common. First, each of their bodies is far physically stronger than humans.


    Second, they all manifest some kind of ability. Mine makes me take on all the qualities of a vampire, Ivana over there can control her hair, and Gheorghes skin is harder than most metals.


    Third, we are all incapable of using spirit arts and have to rely solely on physical abilities. And finally, all of our bodies degrade far slower after death.¡±


    Suddenly Orb''s hair turns black, and he stands up saying, ¡°I get it now.¡± Then he runs out of the room.


    ¡°Orb where are you going?¡±


    ¡°So it seems he has realized,¡± Avram says.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Our abilities are not spiritual like legacies they are physically embedded into our bodies, our bodies remain fresh a long time after death, and unlike wonderbeasts, it doesn¡¯t take great levels of expertise to understand our inner workings.


    Due to all of these things, nightmares are usually hunted to be made into equipment, called cursed weapons.¡±


    In that moment many people in the room come to a realization, but the one who this hits the most hard is Maple.


    ¡°If one was to make armour out of my body, it would regenerate as long as it had blood. These weapons could be used by anyone, and humans are easy to restrain unlike wonderbeasts, so it is quite cost effective.


    Due to this kidnapping, and grave robbing are very normal nightmares. But while I was aboard, I made sure to always buy any cursed weapons I came across, so we could bury them if I ever returned home.¡±


    Getting up Avram bows again, and says, ¡°I am sorry for Iancu¡¯s misconduct, but please understand that to him it looked like you guys were just playing we a corpse.¡±


    Many in the room start to make faces of guilt as they realize that their anger was overblown, but no one makes more of a panicked face than Maple herself.


    Getting up, she says, ¡°Sorry!¡± And then she runs out of the room with tears forming in her eyes.


    -Break-


    Location: Orb¡¯s mansion


    ¦µ Sitting against a wall in a corner, I look down and say, ¡°Stupid idiots.¡±


    ¡°You see that bad attitude of yours is why no one likes you.¡±


    Looking up, I see an annoyance with a fox mask on. ¡°I am not in the mood, so go away before I drain you dry.¡±


    With annoying energy, Suzuka says, ¡°I would also be in a bad mood if I was all alone like you are, but can you blame people for not being around you considering how annoying you are.¡±


    I just look away ignoring her insults, but suddenly I feel the water on my head, then hear, ¡°Grow little seedling into a decent existence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± I shout as I kick her.


    Recovering from my blow, she charges at me and attacks me.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Running in through the main doors of my house I am stunned as I see the mess all around me. Hearing the sounds of two children fighting, so I run upstairs towards the bathroom where is see Iancu and Suzuka fighting.


    Getting in between them, I say, ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°He hit me!¡±


    ¡°She started it!¡±


    I then smack both of them incredibly hard across the head, and then in a demonic voice I say, ¡°STOP DESTROYING MY HOME!¡±


    Hearing my expression and red hair, they both calm down and say, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Now Iancu instead of making yourself look quality like an idiot, please just explain yourself, you¡¯re a nice person so stop acting like you aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I am no-.¡±


    Before Iancu can finish I hit him in the head, and say, ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Suzuka laughs, and says, ¡°Serves you right.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you''re getting off easy, why the hell did you start a fight with him?¡±


    ¡°He is always so smug, so I wanted to kick him when he was down.¡±


    I headbutt, her and say, ¡°Don¡¯t start fights!"


    As Suzuka holds her head, I say, ¡°Iancu my problems led to the desecration of one of your people''s bodies, I apologize, but if that is not enough request anything you want from me.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± Iancu says with delight.


    Moving towards the toilet in the room, Iancu rips it out of the ground, which causes me to scream.


    ¡°I always wonder how you have a sewage system.¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Looking down the hole, where the toilet once was, Iancu says, ¡°There is something down there,¡± And then jumps down.


    Following him, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t jump into strange holes.¡±


    Behind me, Suzuka says, ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind!¡±


    When we all land, we are dumbstruck by a giant underground area, with pipes filling it. Iancu says, ¡°Time to figure this out!¡± And runs ahead with me and Suzuka following close behind.


    As we move through the hole, we see pips connected to the places where water is in the house.


    Iancu then says, ¡°This whole place is odd, but what is confusion is that there is no ice or frost against the area where pips move through, But against the walls of this underground area, there is ice and frost. It is like the ice or frost never reaches the pipes.¡±


    Taking another look, I see some ice and frost against a pipe, then I say, ¡°No maybe that isn¡¯t correct, it is more like all of the ice and frost left the pipes.¡±


    ¡°Why.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so they could work.¡±


    ¡°But who would do that.¡±


    ¡°There is only one answer, to that,¡± I say moving ahead.


    When we reach the bottom of this area, Iancu says, ¡°Unlike the rest of the walls which is just frozen dirt, this bottom area seems to be pure ice.¡±


    Looking at me, Suzuka says, ¡°Orb can¡¯t you just convert this to snow.¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± I say as I do it.


    As the area is converted into snow all three of us fall through it, and as we fall through it we are greeted by the strangest thing we have seen yet. A place with a giant tree at least 80 meters tall with orange leaves, and underneath that tree is what looks to be a city covered in an area surrounded by lush green leaves.


    ¡°What the heck!¡±

 Arc 10.12: An adventure through the hidden land part 1

    Looking at me as we fall, Iancu says, ¡°Why did you think that was a smart idea?¡±


    ¡°You told me!¡±


    ¡°Not to do it when we were still standing on the ice, you idiot!¡±


    Suzuka beside us, says, ¡°WEEEEEEEEE!¡±


    Iancu then activates his legacy which causes us to slow down. ¡°I decrease the strength of the gravity around us, so we can float mid-air.¡±


    Suzuka under her breath, says, ¡°Always ruining the fun!¡±


    ¡°WOULD YOU RATHER I LET YOU FALL!¡±


    ¡°Iancu calm down, please.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Suzuka says under her breath.


    I knock her against her head, and say, ¡°You need to quiet down as well.¡±


    As I am talking to Suzuka, a large shadow goes over us. Looking at it, I see a giant mothlike wonderbeast at least 30 m, with fur that looks like a silver cloud.


    Staring at it, I say, ¡°Iancu make any sudden movements.¡±


    ¡°No way I can move when I am looking at something like this.¡±


    Suddenly in my arm, Suzuka starts to scream, and says, ¡°NO BUGS!¡±


    She moves and freaks out trying to break the grip I have around her, she is completely hysterical. ¡°Suzuka please keep it together,¡± I say, but it has no effect on her because fear has taken hold of her.


    The moth wonderbeast then growls at us and starts to charge.


    ¡°Iancu release your legacy right now!¡±


    ¡°R-Right,¡± Iancu says still scared.


    As we all fall down.


    Realizing that we are falling to our death, Iancu says, ¡°What the hell are we supposed to do now?¡±


    ¡°I need you to accelerate our fall, and then make us enter into zero gravity before we land.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane, there is no way I will be able to accurately sense when to use my legacy falling at such speeds, we will hit the ground before I even know what to do.¡±


    As the moth chases us during our descent, which causes Suzuka to scream and freak out more.


    So I say, ¡°I will use my enhanced senses to gauge the fall, and I will pinch you when it is time to activate your legacy.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work, if I mess up we will all die.¡±


    Looking directly at him, I say, ¡°You won¡¯t, I have full faith in your abilities, so please trust in me as well.¡±


    Iancu looks conflicted, but then says, ¡°Ok then.¡±


    Iancu using his legacy speeds up our descent, so the moth that was mere moments away from us is now much further away from all of us.


    All three of them are decent at such incredible speeds that they can¡¯t even keep their eyes open.


    ¦µ I don¡¯t feel good about this. Doing reckless things and letting myself get hurt is one thing, but allowing Orb and the annoying one to die because of me is too much.


    I made a mistake in Elp¨ªda, and due to that Morrigan got taken away. I can¡¯t fail, I can¡¯t fail, I can¡¯t fail! Feeling a slight irritation against my skin I start to freak out as I wonder whether or not Orb signalled me.


    Was that a signal or merely the win against my skin? I don¡¯t know, but if I use my legacy too early the moth will catch up to us, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?


    Suddenly, Orb brings my head close to his, and says, ¡°It will be ok Iancu, just believe in me.¡±


    All the pressure around me fades, and I say, ¡°Yeah!¡±


    ¦µ As we all quickly approach the ground at high speed, I pinch Iancu creating a bit of ice, and flawlessly he activates his legacy and brings us to zero gravity right before we hit the ground.


    Then he release it causing all three of us to land on the ground. Regaining my bearings, I say, ¡°Good job Iancu,¡± While smiling.


    Looking away, he says, ¡°Whatever, I was just trying not to die.¡±


    ¡°Aww don¡¯t be like th-.¡±


    Before I can finish speaking Suzuka rubs into me and wraps her body against my face while shaking. With a terrified voice, she says, ¡°No more creepy crawlies.¡±


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    Rubbing her while she is on my head, I say, ¡°There, there, it will be ok.¡±


    Iancu then says, ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡±


    Bringing Suzuka off my head into my arms, I say, ¡°With Advent, I could probably create enough ice to make us reach that hole over up there but we have some issues.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°First, I have already used Advent today, so it will be a minimum of 24 hours till I have enough strength to use it again. If I was stronger physically I would be able to use it much sooner, but my body is still recovering from


    the giant moth would destroy any ice pillar I make, so we need to kill it, and due to my sense of smell I am sure I can locate something with such a unique musk.¡±


    Suzuka in my arms, says, ¡°Please don¡¯t bring me towards such a thing!¡±


    Rubbing her head, I say, ¡°Instead of being fearful of the bug, wouldn¡¯t it feel better to rip it to shreds piece by piece and then bathe in its blood.¡±


    Suzuka''s face becomes one of delight, then one of disgust, as the idea of fighting battles with the disgust she feels for insects inside of her. But after a little bit, she fearfully says, ¡°OK.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Are you sure you want to leave here so soon? This whole place might tell us something about where you are from.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the thought, but I can¡¯t do something so dangerous now. After I get you guys back, I might come and explore one day, but for now, it is better to leave before and prepare to come back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Now we should get moving shouldn¡¯t we,¡± I say full of vigour.


    -Break-


    Together the three walk through the lands. Filled with grass so green one would think they were in heaven, with countless different coloured flowers that make a rainbow look plain


    Fruits whose shapes remind them of countless objects found in the outside world, and wind that blows the heavenly scent of their surrounds through their noses.


    Suzuka who never has time to be around others joyfully runs through these fields with a green-haired Orb chasing behind her, and even though he doesn¡¯t want to show it, Iancu smiles in excitement over this.


    Under his breath, he mutters, ¡°I could never see something like this up in Elp¨ªda.¡±


    Orb moving over to Iancu, puts him on his shoulders and says, ¡°They get a look from up above.¡±


    Iancu feels like saying something to him, but he lets it go as the view is something he likes.


    Suzuka mocking Orb says, ¡°Even on your shoulder I doubt he could see anything.¡±


    Orb enraged, says, ¡°DID YOU JUST CALL ME SHORT!¡±


    With a giant smile on her face, she says, ¡°I would never say that, the mirrors already tell you that enough.¡±


    ¡°I WILL EAT YOU!¡± Orb says chasing her with me on his shoulders.


    ¡°COME AND TRY,¡± Suzuka says laughing manically.


    However, as the three move through the endless landscape, it is not all peaceful.


    Rampaging through the land, is a giant watermelon, with three giant eyes and two thick shorts. Attach to the top of it is long black strands that almost make it look like the giant watermelon has hair.


    These giant black hair-like strands, start to attack everything around them and when they hit anything they cut it to pieces. After this happens the eyes on the watermelon turn into eyes, and it starts to devour whatever is in its path.


    The three crouth behind a three, and devise a plan to defeat it and then after a few seconds Orb whispers, ¡°Go.¡±


    Suzuka jumps out from her hiding space and faces the watermelon. It throws its black strands at her to cut her up, but she moulds her tails into her hands and then using them she gently guides all the attacks away from her body.


    She doesn¡¯t take the force head-on but just redirects it away from herself, though she only currently has five tails, and the watermelon has numerous strands so slowly but surely she is being overwhelmed.


    As the watermelon starts to move all of its strands to solely focus on her, Orb uses that moment to move towards the body using snowboost, and then he freezes its body.


    Then Iancu says, ¡°Gravity, times ten.¡± And it gets crushed to pieces.


    As it breaks into pieces the delicious juice in it spurts onto the three bodies, and the aroma is so enticing that they all look at each other and come to the same idea.


    They eat the body of the giant monster they have just bested, and as they do they all say, ¡°DELICIOUS!¡±


    Soon though all three of them fall to the floor, and Suzuka says, ¡°I think it might be poisonous.¡±


    But then Orb says, ¡°I knew this was too delicious, it seems equivalent exchange is still a thing here.¡±


    Iancu with the passionate voice of a kind says, ¡°BUT ARE WE GOING TO LET THAT STOP US!¡±


    Both Orb and Suzuka reply, ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°THEN EAT!¡±


    All three of them devour the rest of the watermelon, and then they all get up and start to walk away.


    As they move filled with poison that makes every single part of their bodies ache in pain, they all only have one thought in their head; IT WAS DELICIOUS!


    Orb has high poison resistance due to his regeneration, and unique constitution.


    Iancu has higher physical capabilities due to being a nightmare, and one that can heal itself at that.


    Suzuka during her early years as a hiruko(Cursed child) was only fed horrible food till Shinko arrived, so to survive she had to eat all of the strange foods she could find and built up poison resistance.


    They continue on and eventually, they end up in a field of giant orange flowers, that have clovers growing out of them. As they walk through it Orb says, ¡°Just up ahead through this field.¡±


    While the giant flowers dance around us, Iancu says, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to be out of this field filled with these annoying flowers.¡±


    Suddenly the giant flowers shoot pollen in his face, and he says, ¡°Come on!¡± and tries to attack them, but they just dodge and Wack him instead.


    Suzuka says, ¡°It isn¡¯t all that bad, these giant sunflowers have pretty gems embedded in them.¡±


    ¡°Oh course an annoyance would find other annoying things pretty,¡± Iancu says.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME!¡±


    As Suzuka screams, the flowers shoot pollen in Suzuka¡¯s and Iancu¡¯s face.


    Holding Suzuka so she doesn¡¯t attack Iancu, I look through the flowers, and say, ¡°It is here.¡±


    In the middle of the field of flowers the giant mothlike wonderbeast, simply lays there sleeping.


    Whispering, I say with an evil smile, ¡°This is perfect, now we can attack it while it sleeps and kill it.¡± Completely zoning out, I start to formulate a plan for an attack against the monster.


    ¡°There really is something wrong with you,¡± Suzuka says while making a disappointed expression.


    Iancu then whispers, ¡°Funny coming from you.¡±


    ¡°You know you need to stop talking or I am going to do it for you.¡±


    ¡°Says the girl who was losing to me in a one-on-one.¡±


    ¡°It seems your brain has started to rot because I was winning our fight!¡±


    ¡°Your delusion has been getting out of hand because there are no wounds on my body.¡±


    ¡°Because you heal faster!¡±


    ¡°Excuses, excuses!¡±


    Suzuka and Iancu then throw punches at each other faces sending them both flying back, into the flowers. And as the flowers get hit, they start to instantly wither.


    And then smelling something, I look forward and see that the giant moth is right in front of me. It seems that their fighting and the flowers withering work it up.


    As its head is mere inches away from me, I kiss it and say, ¡°You''re looking stunning today.¡± Hoping my compliment puts you in a good mood.


    It then screams and attacks us.

 Arc 10.13: An adventure through the hidden land part 2

    -Break-


    One extremely brutal battle later


    Orb, Iancu and Suzuka all lay on the ground beaten and battered, with the body of the giant moth dead beside them.


    Taming his anger Orb says, ¡°Both of you apologize now.¡±


    Iancu and Suzuka both scream in unison, ¡°IT WASN¡¯T MY FAULT, IT WAS ALL THAT MONSTERS!¡± directly at each other.


    With bright red hair, I say, ¡°DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE!!!!!? Both of your fighting alerted the wonderbeast to our location, and guess who was the first to be attacked, ME!


    It almost crushed my head in one blow, I ALMOST DIED! Not only that but it was able to mould all of its fluff into weapons and all of its fluff was coated in some kind of weird drug, EVERYTHING AROUND ME IS SPINNING AND PINK!!!!¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Hey we helped!¡±


    ¡°DID YOU THOUGH! You both started fighting in the middle of the fight with the giant moth, and I had to do all the heavy lifting myself!¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S BECAUSE THE DUMB FOX COULDN¡¯T KEEP HER MOUTH SHUT!¡±


    ¡°SAY SOMETHING AGAIN AND MY FIST WILL FLY INTO YOUR FACE!¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± I say with the voice of a demon. ¡°All your fighting ends right now go bow to each other and apologize or I will never forgive you again!¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Sorry, but my leg doesn¡¯t bow to self-entitled brats.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think insects will understand human gestures.¡±


    They both get up and begin to fight each other again. Angered I run over to both of them and physically break them apart.


    ¡°Stop with the nonsense and apologize!¡±


    ¡°You''re not my father, why would I ever listen to you!¡±


    ¡°Cyrus, Atalanta, Maple, Mommy, Daddy, Orb is bullying me!¡± She says while crying.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you two just work together and be friends!¡±


    They both scream back at me, ¡°NO!¡±


    Then they look at each other and again say in unison, ¡°Stop copying me!¡± And then they continue to fight.


    I have bested hundreds of men at a time, I have pulled off miracles one after another, and I have even found my own country, but I can say one thing, no way will I ever be able to deal with these two.


    I sigh and as I do I hear something approach us at incredible speed, so I kick both of the fighting brats away, and then as the fast thing attacks me, I move away and using my legacy I punch it and create ice on impact.


    But the thing moves so fast that it gets away before I see it. As I try to compose myself from the surprise attack, I hear something right behind me.


    I don¡¯t know what it is but it is approaching me just as fast as the last thing, no even faster. I can sense that a blade infused with spirit energy is coming towards my neck, so I move with as much force as I can generate to get my head out of the way but it cuts off my right arm.


    After this I snowboost away, and notice that my arm isn¡¯t regenerating, how is this possible? Suddenly I remember my experimentation; those blades must conduct lighting that¡¯s how they blocked my regeneration.


    I activate my legacy on the part of my right arm that is left and freeze that entire area stopping blood from flowing out of it, and as I do that I say, ¡°Iancu, Suzuka play time is over.¡±


    Even though I said this, both of them had already assumed battle positions.


    ¦µ Due to being a nightmare my physical capabilities are far greater than a normal human (though not to the same extent as a dragon), yet even with that I wasn¡¯t able to even notice these things.


    ¦µ When it comes to sensing spirit energy, I can do it so well that having my eyes open actually hinders my ability to fight. Yet I couldn¡¯t sense them until they were about to attack. Which means all this speed is physical ability.


    Still with only Orb and the dirty one around, I can use my other method of finding people. Block out both Orb''s never-ending stream of thoughts and Iancu¡¯s disgusting thoughts, I hear for whatever¡¯s around me.


    Suddenly I hear two voices in my head.


    ¡°I should crush the ice brat first, he is the control tower. Without him, the other two will be lost.¡±


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    ¡°I will simply follow the lead of brother like always,¡± A second person thought.


    ¡°ORB 78 DEGREES RIGHT!¡±


    ¦µ I instantly follow Suzuka¡¯s instructions and create a wall of ice in that position.


    The one coming towards me is the slower one, and when I struck it earlier I realized it has rather tough skin so it would break through my ice. If I want to stop it I have to use Helix battle arts.


    Just like when I fought Ahmed on Jedidiah, I create snow around one of my legs and spin it to build up spiral energy, and then I transfer that energy through my body and up to my fist and prepare to hit the thing.


    But as it crashes through my ice I look at it and am frozen stiff upon looking at its form.


    ¦µ Looking at Orb, I see he is sent flying into the air, and then lands behind the speeding thing. Seeing this I activate my legacy and then say, ¡°Air resistance increase!¡±


    This causes both of the speeding things to slow down as they approach me and as they do I get a good look at them.


    They are both humanoid, one looks like a crimson rhinoceros beetle with heavy armour and a hammer. The other looks like a light navy stag beetle with two curved blades. I stand there stunned as I recognize what they both are.


    Suzuka then asks, ¡°Are those humans?¡±


    ¡°No, they are beastkin, a near-extinct race!¡±


    The rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°Extinct? You must be kidding there are more of us here than are strands of hair on your head.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me,¡± I say shocked again at this revelation.


    Putting on her mask, Suzuka says aggressively, ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong so why are you attacking us?¡±


    The Rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°You attacked the Aisachta over there and we are its guardians.¡±


    ¡°We fought it for some time so were where you?¡±


    They both start to sweat and then the stag beetle says, ¡°It definitely not because we fell asleep on the job.¡±


    The rhinoceros beetle hits the stag, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t go around telling them that!¡±


    ¡°Sorry bro, I will do better!¡±


    I can¡¯t believe beastkin are still around in such a large number, but more than that what are they doing here under Fimbulwinter, and more specifically under Orb¡¯s house?


    Breaking me out of my thoughts, Suzuka says, ¡°Iancu!¡± While pointing at Orb.


    On the ground, Orb is rolling and screaming in pain, whilst gripping the part of his body with the judgement attack imprinted onto it.


    Orb said the pain from the judgment chains only activates when he is hit there, but the way Orb is acting is like his whole body is in pain not just the judgement part.


    Suddenly a memory of Elp¨ªda plays in my mind. Didn¡¯t this happen as well when he found out that Morrigan was a beastkin? Did seeing a beastkin trigger something in his legacy again?


    As Iancu continues to mull this over Orb goes completely unconscious. Seeing this both Iancu and Suzuka lunge at the beetles in front of them and try to get past.


    But they are both repelled away and are sent backwards. The rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°Do you really think we were going to let you both get past us?¡±


    ¡°Hey, dumb fox.¡±


    ¡°Hey, dumb bat.¡±


    Looking at Orb, with determined looks they both say, ¡°WIN!¡±


    Iancu runs and attacks the rhinoceros beetle, while Suzuka attacks the stag beetle.


    ¦µ I send my tails and try to attack the stag, but it moves so fast that I can¡¯t hit it.


    ¡°Too slow!¡±


    ¡°We will see about that. Fox art; Limb breakers.¡± I wrap my tails around my legs and arms so they reinforce and mimic muscles, then using that strength I dash forward to attack the stag.


    I meet the stag in close-quarter combat, my reinforced fists clash with its twin blades, and as they do I gain ground.


    In head-to-head combat, its movement speed doesn¡¯t matter as much, and despite how fast it looks its blows are actually very light, so deflecting each blow isn¡¯t taxing.


    After my left fist and his right blade clash I put more force behind my fist which causes his right arm to fly backwards from the impact, and then with my other fist, I strike him in the stomach sending him back.


    ¡°Is that all you got?¡±


    Standing up he says, ¡°Not in your wildest of dreams!¡±


    From both his blades lighting appears, and as he swings them the lightning comes towards me.


    I instantly release the breakers around my arms and then use my tails to shield me from the lightning, but as I do from my left side I am cut by the stag beetle moving past me really quick.


    As he cuts me a shock gets sent through my body, and I can¡¯t move my left arm. So I use breakers against my left arm, which allows me to move the arm even though it is paralyzed.


    I then chase after the stag beetle, but in terms of movement speed I am completely outclassed, so before I can catch up to it I am struck by it again.


    He can attain this speed without spirit energy so it is difficult to track him, and I can¡¯t track the lightning with anything other than my sense, so right now I am at a complete disadvantage.


    What to do, what do I do!? Glancing at Orb, I start to panic but as I do I remember something my father told to me.


    ¡°Suzuka, the easiest way to defeat an opponent, is to create a miracle, or to put in simpler words take something they believe is constant on the battlefield and make it variable.¡±


    I take off all my tails from my body, and then I plunge them into the ground, as he approaches me, I make them all pop out of the ground and make them surround me in a complex pattern.


    My tails are far from me making a complex net all around the area as the stag beetle as he moves, so they can block his paths towards me. He may move fast but my reaction speed is definitely higher.


    ¡°Do you really think making a cage around yourself will keep you safe, all it has done is distance your only defence for you!¡±


    He starts to move through my net at incredible speed and as he does that I bring me next closer like how one tightens a shoelace while throwing stones infused with my spirit energy at him, but he dodges them all.


    He continues to come towards me and I continue to close my net in, at this rate my net will close in and bind him to myself and in that moment I will win.


    But the moment before my net catches him he suddenly accelerates and whispers as he cuts me, ¡°I can use spirit energy to go even faster.¡±


    ¦µ Cutting the girl twice, I shock her and then start heading towards the largest hole in the net to escape before it closes in, and after I do that I will turn around and deal a killing blow.


    As I head towards the hole, I notice that the next completely disappears, and the girl''s spirit energy increases tremendously. Suddenly I notice she is right beside me, and I am subsequently hit with a devastating blow that knocks me directly onto the ground.


    On the ground, I say, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°The net wasn¡¯t made to catch you but to make you follow a specific path so that after you strike me I would instantly know where you would be without having to think about it


    I then turned all of my tails into spirit energy, and using speed you would have never thought I was capable of I caught you. Took something you thought you had the advantage in and set a trap with it; your speed.¡±


    Looking at her, I say, ¡°A complete defeat.¡±

 Arc 10.14: An adventure through the hidden land part 3

    -At the same time that Suzuka was fighting-


    ¦µ My legacy allows me to affect any and all forces. Action force, reaction force, Friction, air resistance, electromagnetic, gravitational, etc, I can increase and decrease these forces acting on myself or others at my will, and to a certain extent control them.


    Moving at incredible speed, the Rhinoceros beetle runs around me, and from its hammer lightning gets thrown directly to me, but I simply put up my hand and decrease the electromagnetic force to zero.


    Then using my legacy I increase the air resistance, slowing him down. Increasing the action force I lunge towards him and with my legacy, I punch him while saying, ¡°Gravity fist.¡±


    But his skin is so thick that I don¡¯t even make a dent, and before I can move back, he grabs me and holds me. ¡°Speed is simply a bonus for me, my true strength lies in my body!¡±


    He then swings his hammer directly at my chest, so I cross both of my arms with my legacy active to defend myself.


    Action force is the force an object sends to you, and reaction force is the equal and opposite force that the object reflects back on the object that sent the force.


    If I reduce the action force I take less damage from his blow, and if I increase the reaction at the same time, he takes more blowback for the attack.


    Doing this I am sent backwards a little while his right arm which swung the hammer flies back as it took more recoil than expected, in that moment I lunge forward, and try to attack him again.


    But he speeds away before I can hit him and from my back, I am struck with the hammer.


    As I recoil, he speeds forward and hits me again, and again while saying, ¡°The moment you blocked my attack, it became easier to run again. So you can only mess with a few things at a time.¡±


    Using my legacy, I increase the air resistance to slow him down, but then from his hammer lightning shoots out again, so I use my legacy to decrease its power.


    But as I do he throws his hammer which sends me back, and then he says, ¡°Out of my physical strength, speed, and lightning you can only mess with two at a time, so two is your limit.¡±


    With incredible speed, he picks up his hammer and then smacks me with a devastating blow that breaks my left arm and knocks me all the way to the Aisachta¡¯s dead body.


    I lay again the Aisachta¡¯s body drifting in and out of consciousness. The rhinoceros beetle then says, ¡°If you''re no good guess I will go and kill that boy.¡±


    As he says that I look at Orb completely defenceless on the ground and pull myself up towards the Aisachta¡¯s body, then with my mouth I bite into it, and as I drink its blood, I replay the memories of my father.


    -During their stay in Jedidiah-


    Sitting on a chair, my father says, ¡°Iancu our specific curse grants us two abilities and one detriment. The detriment is when outside in the sun we will always feel a certain amount of pain, which was never a problem in Elp¨ªda but you have felt it since we have left.


    But the benefits we have are worth the risk. First, when we drink another blood our bodies get stronger and sharper in all respects while healing itself from any wounds it has taken.


    -Present day-


    As I continue to drink the blood of the Aisachta my body heals from the injuries it has received completely, so I scream, ¡°I AM NOT  DONE YET!¡±


    Looking over at me, the rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°So there is still some fight left in that one, then I will finish you off first!¡±


    While he comes from me I remember the other words my father spoke.


    ¡°Second Iancu, any blood that comes in contact with yours is completely under your control.¡±


    From the body of the Aisachta, all of its blood bursts out of my right arm and forms into a jagged blood blade, then I activate my legacy on the arm which affects even the blood blade, and I say, ¡°Come.¡±


    As he speeds around me, I focus my eyes and ears to take in everything around me.


    During my first time trying this out, my father said, ¡°Iancu our cells absorb body to increase their strength, so focus the blood you have taken into where you want to be strength and if you do, you will never be bothered by your lack of spirit energy.¡±


    I move as much blood as possible to both my eyes and ears, and then say, ¡°Gravity times 10.¡± And around my blood blade, I can feel the weight increase.


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    Then from 32 degrees northwest, the rhinoceros beetle comes at me with his hammer infused with lightning, and as he does I move my blade and cut through both his armour and his hammer.


    As he falls on the floor from his wounds, I run over to Orb, with Suzuka arriving at the same time.


    Reaching Orb, I say, ¡°He looks even worse than in Jedidah!¡±


    Suzuka completely erratic, says, ¡°We need to find him a doctor.¡±


    ¡°Where, are we supposed to find someone like that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know just think of something, aren¡¯t you always talking about how smart you are!¡±


    ¡°THAT DOESN¡¯T MEAN I CAN JUST PULL ANSWERS OUT OF MY ASS!¡±


    Over Orb¡¯s body, the two of them start to get into one of their usual arguments, but Orb stretches out his arms and pats both of them on the head, then says with a weak voice, ¡°Please get along.¡±


    Seeing him they both calm down, and Suzuka says, ¡°Sorry, but if we don¡¯t do something soon Orb could be in serious trouble, and I don¡¯t want to lose anyone else.¡±


    Noticing the pain she is in, to comfort her, I say, ¡°With all he goes through I am sure only the demon god himself could kill him, right now we just need to look around to see if we can find anyplace near where we could take him.¡±


    I then hear, the rhinoceros beetle scream, ¡°Serves you right, you dirty, Tuatha D¨¦ Danann.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°We aren¡¯t whatever that is we are humans!¡±


    Both of the beetles sit up and say, ¡°WHAT!¡±


    Getting closer to us, the stag says, ¡°You guys are really humans?¡±


    The rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to us she has a tail and you have fangs!¡±


    Filled with impatience and rage Suzuka says, ¡°My tails are part of my legacy and his fangs are from chewing on too many bones, now leave us alone and allow us to tend to ORB!¡±


    Both the beetles collapse on the ground in disbelief, and I say, ¡°Hey don¡¯t go spreading misinformation about me.¡±


    Suzuka clicks her tongue at me, and says, ¡°Does it really matter I just need them to go away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right but still.¡±


    The rhinoceros beetle slams its head into the ground and says, ¡°We have made a huge mistake so let me and my brother repay you, by taking that boy to a doctor.¡±


    ¡°You know one?¡±


    ¡°The best that you would find anywhere in Nialathr¨² the land of the beasts.¡±


    Me and Suzuka look at each other and then smile, after that, I say, ¡°Please take us there.¡±


    ¡°Ok get on our backs!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Orb¡¯s mansion


    ¦µ As Maple runs around in a panic looking for Iancu and Orb, I say, ¡°Honey, I think you''re making a big mess.¡±


    She then turns around and growls at me like a beast, so I run up and look her dead in the eye, then say, ¡°Please do that again, I need to hear that a second time in my life.¡±


    Calming down, she says, ¡°Stop being weird!¡±


    ¡°How can I help it when you do something so seductive, this is like when you meowed when we were in be-.¡±


    Embarrassed Maple says, ¡°STOPPPPP! If someone hears my heart will explode.¡±


    Sighing she looks at me and says, ¡°Acting weirdly to calm me down isn¡¯t nice I don¡¯t like being manipulated.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Manipulated? I was just speaking my mind.¡±


    Maple freezes for a moment, then headbutts me in the middle of my rips and walks away, saying, ¡°Pervert.¡±


    On the floor with my hand on my chest, I say, ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I am not happy you calmed down as well.¡±


    ¡°LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± Maple screams as she heads upstairs.


    Following her, I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad.¡±


    But she speeds walks away while puffing up her face. This continues, until she randomly stops in front of the bathroom, and says, ¡°Willow, it is missing.¡±


    Looking past her, I see that the toilet is in fact gone, and there is a hole where it used to be, so I say, ¡°Maple, I know how you are currently feeling, but maybe we should wait before going in hea-.¡±


    Ignoring me, with her bow, Maple jumps through the hole. Sighing, I say, ¡°I married her knowing she was like this, can¡¯t complain then. I feel like this is going to go bad.¡±


    I run forward and jump down the hole with her.


    -Another foolish decision later-


    As me and Maple fall through the second hole she jumped through, I scream, ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU JUST WAIT!¡±


    ¡°I thought it was some sort of illusion!¡±


    ¡°WHY, HOW DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T SCREAM AT YOUR WIFE YOU EVIL HUSBAND!¡±


    ¡°I WILL SCREAM AT ANYONE WHO PUTS MY WIFE¡¯S LIFE IN DANGER EVEN IF IT IS MY WIFE!¡±


    Feeling the wind pressure, I grab Maple and raise her body over mine. At the very least if I take some of the damage of this fall she could maybe live.


    As we fall we suddenly come to a stop, and I look at Maple and say, ¡°Oh yeah your legacy allows you to slow and speed things up.¡±


    Maple then blushing says, ¡°You were going to die for me?¡±


    Seeing her face, I layer on kisses, which causes her grip on me to tighten and she says, ¡°If you do that I won¡¯t be able to hold you and you¡¯ll fall.¡±


    ¡°So either I love my wife or die, there is only one option to choose.¡±


    As I continue to layer on kisses she says, ¡°WILLOW!¡±


    -One sickening fall later-


    With lumps all over my face, I say, ¡°Maple I am sorry,¡± And try to hug her.


    But she knocks away my arm, and says, ¡°No more touching until we find Orb.¡±


    ¡°But-.¡±


    ¡°So you are not sorry?¡± She says with a violent expression.


    Bowing my head, I say,¡± Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Good now what are we going to do.¡±


    After so brazenly telling me what to do, she so shamelessly asks me for help; how adorable.


    Getting up, I point at a pile of snow, and say, ¡°Around the whole where we fell there was some ice, and if we look here which is directly under it we see some snow, which is quite out of place if we look at everything around here.¡±


    Maple understanding what I am saying says, ¡°Orb turned the ice covering that hole into snow and fell through. So I am not an idiot!¡±


    So she is still feeling embarrassed by jumping through the hole. ¡°If Iancu was with him they would be able to do that zero gravity thing, and float so they could be around here somewhere.¡±


    Getting up, Maple says, ¡°We are from a village of hunters, so let¡¯s go find our two missing people.¡±


    Clapping my hands, I say, ¡°I agree!¡±


    Together with my lovely wife, we walk into the distance determined to find Orb and Iancu.


    Name: Aisachta (Snowdream)


    Height: 30m


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A giant moth-like wonderbeast, with fur that looks like a silver cloud. Its face is purple and looks similar to that of a bunny, which often distracts its prey. It is capable of manipulating the fur on its body to attack any who it sees, and its fur is laced with a powerful drug that allows it to better hunt its prey.


    Fact: Throughout time religious leaders of all kinds have used their fur to in their words ¡°See god.¡± Due to this the Snowdream grew to be violent against others, but are rather friendly to those they like.

 Arc 10.15 A crown of flowers

    -Break-


    -After a little investigation-


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°Knowing Orb, he would have loved to explore here, but he wouldn¡¯t do that if he wasn¡¯t prepared, especially if Iancu was with him.¡±


    ¡°So wouldn¡¯t he have used advent to build an ice tower to the hole?¡±


    ¡°He has already used Advent today, so I doubt he could use it again, that would mean they would have to hide somewhere until the day was over, and will wait till tomorrow to leave.¡±


    Rubbing her hands against her head, Maple says, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we just made this more troublesome for them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we are going to stay here until tomorrow morning, then when Orb and Iancu arrive we will go. Or at least that¡¯s how I would like for it to go but after scouring the area around us we haven¡¯t found them, despite finding quite a few hiding places.¡±


    ¡°Orb wouldn¡¯t miss such spots so that would mean they left this area to go somewhere else. They could have gone adventuring the area, but that is unlikely for Orb, especially with how cautious he has been since he returned from his adventures.¡±


    What my dear wife says is correct, Orb is a lot less headstrong than he was specifically after he had returned Sparrow to us. It seems what happened during his journey from Elp¨ªda to Jedidiah impacted him heavily.


    Maple with a worried expression, then says, ¡°What if something happened to Iancu, or Orb saw someone in trouble.¡±


    Reaching the same level of perturbation, I say, ¡°You¡¯re right, it is the only reason I could see that Orb as he is would risk going out into this unknown place.¡±


    ¡°This could mean he is in trouble, we need to go find him?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t Maple, he could literally be anywhere, and we have no idea what¡¯s out there as well.¡±


    ¡°But sitting down doesn¡¯t guarantee us anything, having extra hands will only help.¡±


    ¡°It would be better for us to wait under the hole where we know they would be coming.¡±


    Getting irritated, Maple says, ¡°Orb''s body is not at a hundred per cent, and the boy Iancu isn¡¯t even a fighter he is a craftsman.¡±


    As the two talk their anger flares at each word from one to another.


    Also getting irritated, I respond, ¡°Well then how do you plan to find them? Just keep looking and hope you find them.¡±


    ¡°I can figure it out later, just let me go and look for them!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± I say screaming at Maple. ¡°Don¡¯t go causing more issues for people.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue, I am strong and can take care of myself, I have a legacy.¡±


    ¡°Orb is far better at using his legacy than you and look at what state he ended up in. What if you find someone with a legacy as well and what if they can use advent!¡±


    ¡°I will still make do I can use spirit arts and my shots will never let me down!¡±


    ¡°So can I, that doesn¡¯t mean anything against monsters that exist in the outside world. Don¡¯t be incompetent.¡±


    Maple filled with anger says, ¡°JUST BECAUSE YOU¡¯RE WEAK DOESN''T MEAN I SHOULD BE AFRAID LIKE YOU. If you want me to be safe just stay here it will be less of a burden. If my father was here instead, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about this at all, but you can¡¯t even ease my worries like he did!¡±


    I tighten my fist as if I am prepared to hit something and say, ¡°If your father was here Aplos wouldn¡¯t be stuck with such an incompetent leader, but guess what we are.


    During the time he was fighting for his life, you couldn¡¯t even do anything as Orb fought a man to death just to protect you. Don¡¯t talk to me as if you are some almighty and powerful figure, you''re just a little girl who lucked on power!¡±


    I look directly at her face after saying this, and I see she looks completely heartbroken, with tears in her eyes, she says, ¡°You liar.¡±


    Then turning around she runs away, and on her legs, she activates her legacy and dashes away from me.


    As she does, I hold up my hand and say, ¡°Please stop.¡± But I can¡¯t keep up with her. She completely outpaces me to the point where she looks like a piece of dust.


    So I run as fast as I can even running out of breath, but still I continue until in the distance I see Maple crouched down in a field of flowers, so I stop and then walk over to her.


    ¡°Maple,¡± I say standing behind her.


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    She ignores me, and shifts her body away; using it as a symbol that she is rejecting me.


    ¡°Maple,¡± I say again trying to move my body towards her face, but she does the same action bringing me away from her line of sight.


    But I persist, and say, ¡°Maple, Maple, Maple, Maple,¡± While trying to get her to face me but she keeps up her evasions.


    Then she says, ¡°Liar.¡±


    Annoyed, I sit down in the field of flowers beside her and say, ¡°It isn¡¯t fair of you to get like this, you said some horrible stuff to me as well.¡±


    In a mocking voice, she says, ¡°I am sure you will grow into a wonderful leader.¡±


    ¡°Me saying you''re incompetent, doesn¡¯t disprove that sentence.¡±


    Maple throws her bow at me, which pins me to the ground until I use spirit energy to make it lightweight.


    ¡°I already know, I am an incompetent girl who can¡¯t do anything right. I make a promise to be a nice girl after my dad dies, and then I go saying mean things to one of the only people who still cares about me. I am a fool, who can¡¯t even keep a promise to herself.¡± Maple says as she starts to cry.


    She wipes tears from her eyes and pulls back in her snot, so I quickly make something and hand it to her saying, ¡°Here.¡±


    Looking at my hand she sees I am holding a poorly put-together flower crown.


    Maple looks at the crown and then looks at me, so I say, ¡°I heard from Buloke that your dad used to make them all the time, so I thought this would make you happy.¡±


    Maple grabs it from my hand and as she does it falls apart. Seeing this I droop my head down low, and say, ¡°I guess I can¡¯t do anything right.¡±


    Seeing Willow disheartened Maple places a flower crown on Willow''s head, and says, ¡°You look quite handsome with that on.¡±


    Embarrassed, Willow says, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me such things.¡±


    Maple pleased to see Willow embarrassed smiles, and then pushes herself against Willow, and says, ¡°You really aren¡¯t gifted with plants are you.¡±


    Willow irked by this says, ¡°SO what, plants are evil soulless demons that exist to predate on humans, completely unlike adorable wonderbeasts who are beckoning to be friends.¡±


    Maple looking at me says, ¡°Has a single wonderbeast you¡¯ve met, not instantly tried to attack you?¡±


    With a proud smile, I say, ¡°It is simply their way of saying hello. After you bypass it the gate to friendship opens, my bond with the Zterytavises and the Tiritrex is evidence of that.¡±


    With a false expression, Maple says, ¡°How sad it is that means I will never be able to get a good flower crown from my husband.¡±


    Willow looks shocked by this and then moments later he combles together and forms another flower crown which falls apart easily.


    Seeing this Maple falls on her back and laughs which causes Willow to say embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s not that funny!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°You really can¡¯t do something so basic, I thought you were better than that.¡±


    Willow turns her body away from me so that I only see his back, so I say, ¡°Willow,¡± And try to get in front of him.


    But he turns his entire body away from me so that I can¡¯t.


    ¡°Willow, Willow, Willow,¡± I say as I continue to try and get in front of him, but he simply just continues.


    Getting annoyed, I grab him and try to turn him toward me saying, ¡°Don¡¯t just ignore me, it¡¯s really annoying.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t fun is it,¡± He says looking away from me.


    Sitting down, I hug him from the back, and say, ¡°I am sorry, I don¡¯t want my husband to not talk to me.¡±


    Making a cute noise, Willow says, ¡°So am I, I don¡¯t want to make my wife cry.¡±


    After hugging for a moment, I say in a bashful voice, ¡°Orb isn¡¯t around to stop us.¡±


    Willow then turns around and gives me a shocked look and says, ¡°To suggest we do something such as that right here in the open, I didn¡¯t know you were like that, you really are Orb¡¯s sister.¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t call me a freak of nature, and if you don¡¯t want to do it just say no.¡±


    With bright and pure eyes, Willow says, ¡°I absolutely want to.¡±


    Looking away from him, I say, ¡°Pervert.¡±


    I am about to go in to kiss Willow, but then both me and Willow jump backwards away from each other, as an arrow appears in between the both of us which then explodes.


    Using my enhanced vision, I look into the distance, and say, ¡°8 hooded archers all of them riding wonderbeasts with large green antlers.¡±


    Using spirit energy Willow picks up my bow and brings it towards me, but more shots get in the way of both of us, and due to the explosions after impact.


    I look at the riders again and notice that before they shoot their arrows they attach to them these purple fruits growing out of the wonderbeast''s green antler, and then shoot them.


    If that is causing them to explode it would explain why they aren¡¯t infusing spirit energy into their arrows using string, this allows them to make us rely on only our senses when fighting.


    Me and Willow continue to dodge the arrows, but they are sent at us in such frequency and in so many different directions that we can¡¯t keep up.


    But Willow suddenly stops dodging and runs towards me, which causes an arrow that lands at his feet to explode. Still, he runs through it with his legs bleeding and scarred and throws me my bow.


    ¡°Get them.¡±


    Grabbing it, I say, ¡°You bastards will pay for that.¡± Activating my legacy I increase the speed of my body which allows me to dodge, quicker then I weave arrows and shoot one at high speed which explodes upon hitting a rider.


    Dodging more arrows, I shoot an arrow into the sky and slow it to a halt, using this I am able to get some elevation and then I shoot another arrow directly at another horseman, taking him out of the battle as well.


    One of the riders lets out a whistle, and then their battle formation changes, 3 of the remaining riders charge towards us, and the remaining 3 continue to shoot at us.


    ¡°Trying to take me out in close combat, lucky for me I have a great guard.¡±


    I shoot an arrow at Willow and increase his speed, which causes him to say, ¡°Good work darling.¡±


    Using spirit energy and his new speed Willow runs at high speed, jumps us and manages to kick one of the riders in the face, after that, he is able to hit another of the riders before they can counter, and then he knocks out the last one.


    As he does this I move around and shoot down the remaining three, then I move over to Willow and ask, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Willow is looking down at the people on the ground in amazement, and says, ¡°Maple come look at this.¡±


    Looking at the people, I see she looks like a human but he has ears on his head reminiscent of an animal, and a tail as well.


    ¡°Maple it is like a human, but also an animal, It¡¯s this amazing!¡±


    Noticing Willow¡¯s enthralled face, I say, ¡°Remember I am your wife!¡±


    Willow with a half-hearted expression, says, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t cheat on me with animals!!!!¡±


    Suddenly both me and Willow get up on our feet and assume battle positions.


    Coming from the distance we see a Tiritrex that looks similar to that of a tree, and on that beast comes a man with a spear, whose presence makes us go still.


    Sighing, he says, ¡°I still need to train my men more, I guess I was too soft.¡±


    Raising his spear at us, he says, ¡°But regardless of that you two demons from the sky, need to be cleansed immediately.¡±

 Arc 10.16: Greatest in all creation

    Maple using her bow, shoots a volley of arrows but with the spear in he knocks them away, and says, ¡°Your arrows can only affect the speed of things they touch, so my weapon isn¡¯t affected.¡±


    I grab the sword, and one other thing from the body of the woman beneath me, and then run forward.


    Not wasting any time Maple shoots me in the back to increase my speed, then I run towards the man with spirit energy infused into my blade, then with one arm, he uses his spear to clash with me.


    We clash again and again, with Maple shooting arrows to support me as I fight him up close and personal. His spear is weird, it feels like every time we clash a vibration moves through my body which throws me off focus.


    Though that is simply a plus to his already superb skill with a spear, I would even say from that alone he is as strong as Sequoia


    Still, we won¡¯t be outdone. Using my sword I strike the ground and pull up some of the earth beneath toward him. He swats it away with his sword, and as he does I step back and scream, ¡°Maple!¡±


    Maple shoots an arrow directly at him with such high speed that it explodes on contact.


    From the dust of the explosion, something is shot at me which almost hits my leg. More coming my way, so I jump backwards to dodge them, then as the dust fully clears I see that from his left arm is a wide, black, fingernail-shaped blade.


    But the blade isn¡¯t a separate item, it looks like it is coming out of his arm. Suddenly it makes sense, and I say, ¡°You¡¯re some kind of fusion of a bee and a human.¡±


    ¡°Correct, but why do you act like that is strange, I thought demons knew far more than us beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Because we are humans!¡±


    He pauses for a moment, and then says, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, everything in the outside world froze. Humans are extinct, so you must be a demon in disguise.¡±


    ¡°I am telling the truth look at us.¡±


    ¡°Demons have the power to look like humans, so that is utterly inconclusive.¡±


    Maple says, ¡°This is pointlessly we just have to make him listen,¡± And shoots another high-speed arrow.¡±


    But the blade which I believe to be some sort of stinger, shoots out from his arm and intercepts the arrow, and he then says, ¡°You really are annoying so I am going to kill you first.¡±


    He moves towards Maple, but I run in front of him and say, ¡°You won¡¯t touch my wife as long at I am alive.¡±


    We then go back to our series of clashes with him gaining ground on me and dodging Maple''s arrows.


    As he dodges another arrow, he says, ¡°Her accuracy is quite good, she has good vision and adaptability, she is better than most of our archery. It is a shame that her husband, instead of supporting you offensively she is simply making it hard to deal a killing blow.¡±


    Taking a step back, I say, ¡°You talk a lot for someone who still can¡¯t beat me.¡±


    ¡°I said she made it hard, not impossible.¡±


    He steps back, then puts both of his hands on his spear, and attacks. His power and accuracy increased by leaps and bounds, before it felt as if a slip-up would cause me to take a few cuts but now it feels like a single slip-up means death.


    Feeling how desperate my situation is I strike back, and swing my sword towards his neck, but he drops down and sweeps my legs and as I fall down he rises and with his spear tries to cut my face.


    But I move my body just out of the way enough for it to cut through my cheek.


    ¦µ Willow¡¯s cheek has a cut so deep on his cheek that I can see his teeth. Enraged by this, I shoot volleys of arrows towards him all at the same time, and then I speed up my body and move around to shoot him from different directions.


    He knocks away some of the arrows but is very visible struggling to deal with the faster ones. I then shoot explosives one¡¯s between him and Willow to put some distance between the both of them.


    Using the stinger on his arm he shoots at me which takes off some of the arrows, and then he starts to run at me using the moments of relief the stingers have given him.


    If he gets up close and personal with me, I lose. So I won¡¯t allow that.


    Using my arrows I stop them in mid-air to create footing, and go up those arrows, and as I move higher doing so I resume the motion of the bottom arrows stopping anyone from following me.


    And now in the sky, I barrage arrows down on him, with him helpless to do anything but block. He is struggling to deflect all my arrows, and when he gets tired enough I will hit him with a slowing arrow and finish this battle.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Suddenly he screams, and then from over to my side I see a bright light shining. Over there I see the Tiritrex that looks like a tree, its leaves are shining and from its mouth is a white light.


    Noticing what is about to happen, I try to dodge away, but I am too late because it shoots a bright white ball towards me that explodes on impact. This blows away all my arrows and causes me to fall towards the ground, and before I hit the ground, I am stabbed in the back by the man''s stinger.


    I can feel anything around the area I was hit.


    He throws me to the ground, then with his stinger he strikes me repeatedly making it so that I can¡¯t feel many areas around my body, and then he throws me on the ground.


    ¡°You cheated.¡±


    ¡°At what point did I say, I would fight you guys just by myself? But enough talk I need to make you pay for the injuries you have done to my men, and I can assure you it won¡¯t be quick.¡±


    He then stabs me in one of the areas where I can feel which causes me to scream. But that doesn¡¯t make him stop, all it does it make him do it again.


    ¦µ I haven¡¯t always been strong, I only became a warrior at the start of last year, and that was mostly due to my knowledge of the wonderbeasts not my skills as a combatant.


    So I was scared when everything got crazy because I didn¡¯t know if I had enough power to protect what was dear to me, I didn¡¯t want to lose family again, however, Orb¡¯s legacy had shown such power and knowing that Maple had such power I was comforted.


    But then Orb returned from his journey, and hearing the struggles he had and how it hurt him all my worries returned. There are monsters in the world who can bring legacy holders to the brink of death many times over.


    Knowing this my weakness caused me untold amounts of despair, because an image kept flashing in my mind, the thought of everyone I love dead, the thought of Maple dead, and I cursed myself for being weak enough to allow this to happen.


    Getting up I grab my sword and run toward the man. I swing it and we clash, then I say, ¡°GET AWAY FROM HER!!!!!¡±


    But he easily parries my sword, and then says, ¡°Without her enhancing your speed, you''re nothing.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU THINK I CARE.¡±


    I continue to clash with him and he swats me away. In terms of power, speed, and technique, I can¡¯t keep up with him but if there is something I am good at it is understanding patterns.


    ¦µ As I clash with the boy, I knock him back and say, ¡°You would struggle to beat even one of my men over there in a fair fight, so the idea that you could even harm me is in enough itself hilarious.¡±


    Getting up, he says, ¡°Keep talking, because I am ripping out your tongue when we finish this battle.¡± He dashes towards me.


    Tired of this farce I grip my spear with both hands, then thrust it at him saying, ¡°Die.¡±


    But to my utter disbelief, he barriers my trust with one hand on his sword. This is impossible, the only way such a thing could occur is if he knew exactly where my spear would go. This boy guessed where I would strike based on my former moves, he read me perfectly.


    Then with his other hand, he throws something at me; it is the green ball of the Granear that allows are archers to explode their arrows.


    Moving my left arm of the spear, I use the stinger to cover my face as it explodes right in my face.


    ¦µ The first thing Pine ever said to us in class was, ¡°Never get cocky, because there is no one who is easier prey than an hunter who is relaxed.¡±


    I move to his right as the explosion goes off, and then I swing my sword directly at his neck, going in for a killing blow. But as I do my sword breaks in half as a red flash pierces into my body.


    Looking at him I see that the blade of his spears is bright red and that his face is scared. But before I can do anything he kicks me backwards and then shoots both my legs with his stinger.


    As I lie on the ground defeated and immobile, he says, ¡°How dare you do such a thing to me. If you think there is even a chance you might get off easy for this you are sorely mistaken, now watch as I carve up your wife.¡±


    While he slowly walks over to Maple, I scream, ¡°STOP, PLEASE DON¡¯T, I WILL DO ANYTHING!¡±


    ¡°Silence you demons, now suffer,¡± he says as he is about to stab Maple again.


    Out of nowhere a flash appears and knocks his spear away. Then moments later I see a man holding Maple in front of me.


    He is wearing clothes I am unfamiliar with(Like a musketeer), also, his body is similar to that of a scorpion, but the most notable thing is that he also has two hair and eye colours, he is a legacy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way you dumb oaf, do you even know what you are doing!¡± The bee human shouts.


    ¡°Obviously you fool, I am protecting these foolish ones!¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Why would you do this.¡±


    He suddenly raises his hand to the sky, and in that same moment, light rains down from the heavens and drops upon him. I am very confused at the sight of this because it is like an intense singular light source completely converses him.


    Still, within this light, he says, ¡°Because in all of creation, I am the lone one god has chosen who is the greatest in all creation, and nothing should have to die before it gets the chance to meet me.¡±


    Are you serious? That is what I think with a dumbfounded face.


    ¡°Dumnorix, do you really think I am going to let those two demons go.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are, because now that I have decided to protect them a lesser person like you can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Enraged, the bee dashes towards him going in for a kill.


    Dumnorix draws his white blade which looks like a needle, and then moments later the blade turns bright red, and he says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Starflower.¡±


    In that moment, he moves forward and strikes his opponent seven times in a flash, and as he falls to the ground he says, ¡°Dumnorix, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s bedtime now old man.¡±


    ¡°Are you really going to let those demons rampage!?¡±


    ¡°You really are stagnant Ganthr¨².¡± Walking over to us, he sits in front of me, and points his blade towards his neck, ¡°I have no spirit energy around me, and my body is perfectly relaxed.¡±


    Grabbing my hand, he puts it against the blade, and says, ¡°All you have to do is push it in and I die, if you really are a demon I won¡¯t be able to react in time.¡±


    As my hand holds the sword I feel rage, if I kill this man I will be able to seek revenge on the man who harmed Maple. This feeling fills my mind and soul, but my better sense gets a hold of  me so I let it go and say, ¡°We are no demons.¡±


    Smiling, he gets up and turns around, then says, ¡°I expected as much.¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°Do you really think that will be enough to convince me?¡±


    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter what you think especially when I have this,¡± Dumnorix says as he holds up a piece of paper.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that-.¡±


    ¡°It is an order from the grand druid, he said that all of those who fell from the skies must come to him, along with all the heads of the red branch families!¡±


    As Ganthr¨² looks shocked, I say, ¡°Please help my wife!¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will tend to her now.¡±


    As he tends to her, I simply look on and see her wounds caused by my failure.

 Arc 10.17: Please help us

    -Break-


    ¦µ On the back of the rhinoceros beetle he and his brother run me and Suzuka through the trees at incredible speed, he says, ¡°Sorry again for attacking you.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, as long as you get our friend healed,¡± I say turning my head to the right.


    On the back of the stag beetle, Suzuka is holding Orb with her only tail left, and on her face is a look of excitement. ¡°You really can move fast!¡±


    With a tone indicating pride, he says, ¡°I am the fastest man in the entirety of the beastkin, don¡¯t underestimate me!¡±


    Looking at her, I say, ¡°I thought bugs freaked you out.¡±


    With a look of disbelief, Suzuka says, ¡°He isn¡¯t a bug he is a person, you really are rude.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T PRETEND LIKE YOU¡¯RE HIGH-MINDED NOW. It was due to your freaking out that we almost died when we fell!¡±


    With a disapproving look, she says, ¡°Bringing up such ancient history, what a displeasing man you are!¡±


    ¡°You really are insane,¡± I say tired.


    She hits me, so I hit her back and this continues until Orb groans, which causes the rhinoceros beetle to say, ¡°It seems he doesn¡¯t like you two fighting.¡±


    Me and Suzuka stop, and then the stag beetle says, ¡°Maybe saying nice things about each other will make Orb feel better.¡±


    We both give each other looks of disgust, but then I sigh, and say, ¡°Ok then let¡¯s try if it will make the patient feel better.¡±


    Suzuka grits her teeth, and then says, ¡°I will try my best to.¡±


    I stare at her, and she stares at me, and as this continues we start to make more and more panicked expressions, then in unison, we both say, ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything good! Hey, what do you mean by that!?¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°I am talented at many things.¡±


    ¡°I am knowledgeable at many things.¡±


    ¡°I am stronger than you!¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been proven!¡±


    As we grit our teeth at each other, the beetle brothers break through the forest and we see a village beneath in the middle of sunken ground, the surroundings are covered in wonderous plant life like most of this underground area, but strangely despite how little the village is it seems to be backed with a ridiculous amount of people I would say the number far exceeds our numbers up top.


    The rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°This is our home.¡±


    Suzuka with an amazed look says, ¡°How bland.¡±


    The stag beetle says, ¡°It isn¡¯t bland it looks amazing!¡±


    ¡°I guess after seeing Skydust, Elp¨ªda, Jedidah, and even the rest of Nialathr¨², looks far more amazing than this.¡±


    The stag beetle says, ¡°I won¡¯t let this insult stand!¡±


    Suzuka using her fist hits him on the head, and says, ¡°Do you want to fight amazing, because if you do I won¡¯t go easy on you a second time.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± The stag says in a docile voice, as he speeds up.


    Seeing him move so fast, the rhinoceros beetle also speeds, up and in no time we eventually reach our destination; a middle-sized house with vines all throughout it, and surrounded by plants much different than what I have seen so far.


    Hopping off the beetle brothers'' backs, Suzuka asks, ¡°What can of person is this doctor.¡±


    ¡°A dear friend of ours who patches us up after all of the fights we get into.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°So he is nice,¡± With a smile.


    The rhinoceros beetle then says, ¡°Though he forces us to work like slaves each time he does it, and gives us an evil glare every time we show up at his door.¡±


    Suzuka putting on her mask, says, ¡°So he is mean.¡±


    Interjecting, I say, ¡°Anyone who puts up with the antics of headstrong buffoons like the both of you, is probably an angel.¡±


    The rhinoceros beetle says, ¡°Hey don¡¯t call us buffoons we are far superior to than weak buffalos, isn¡¯t that right brother!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    Looking at them with faces of utter disbelief, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t prove my point idiot!¡±


    In unison, the beetle brothers shout, ¡°WE ARE NOT IDIOTS!¡±


    Suddenly the door to the house opens, and then a voice shouts, ¡°Proteus, Malachy, BE QUIET!¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The man who comes through the door looks like a dragonfly. His arms and legs look rather weak and his torso is tiny since his head makes up the majority of his body. Despite being a bug his eyes are something I could imagine on a human, and he has a tail attached to his head that comes down like hair, he is also rather tall.


    Proteus, the rhinoceros beetle, and Malachy the stag beetle both run up to him, and Proteus says, ¡°Look here Abb¨¢n, we found something great.¡±


    Malachy, says, ¡°They are humans!¡±


    Despite not really being able to understand the intricacies of his facial movement I can feel his annoyance. ¡°Humans are extinct you fool, these ones behind you are probably demons, or the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann playing a trick on you fools.¡±


    The beetle brothers turn back and look at us, and then they whisper.


    ¡°Do we even know what humans look like?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time we got tricked?¡±


    Are those two idiots serious! As Orb groans, Suzuka moves forward, and then in an aggressive tone she says, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this you bug, I need your expertise right this instant.¡±


    In an even more aggressive tone, he says, ¡°IS THAT HOW YOU ASK FOR SOMETHING!¡± His rage makes Suzuka shut up. ¡°DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD JUST WALK IN HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DAY AND THEN TELL ME WHAT TO DO, DID YOU NOT THINK I WAS BUSY, DID YOU NOT THINK I HAVE OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES, DID YOU NOT THINK? IF YOU CAN¡¯T AT THE VERY LEAST BE POILETE DON¡¯T THINK I WILL EVER DO SOMETHING FOR YOU!!!¡±


    Suzuka starts to whimper and cry under her mask, but then she takes it off, and wipes her tears, then she bows her head to the ground and says, ¡°I am really sorry about that, my tone was unacceptable, but I am worried to death right now. So would you please listen to my request and help my friend.¡±


    He pauses for a moment, and says, ¡°Are you really human?¡±


    The beetle brothers say, ¡°SEE WE WHERE RIGHT.¡±


    He looks past Suzuka towards Orb, then says, ¡°No leave this land.¡±


    Suzuka raising her head says, ¡°Why? If this is about my tone I will apologize again.¡±


    ¡°No, I have let your transgressions go, but if you really are humans, I can tell that your existence will have the Red Branch full attention especially with you all having legacies, and I don¡¯t want any of that trouble to fall upon us.¡±


    Malachy tries to speak up, but then Abb¨¢n says, ¡°SILENCE! Do you two want to bring more trouble onto us, have we not suffered enough!¡±


    Malachy and Proteus quiet down, and become a lot more reserved, then Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Now go away, and don¡¯t come back ever. I care not what you do as long as it is not around us.¡±


    Suzuka then slams her head so far into the ground that it creates a small crater, I can even smell the scent of her blood. With no animosity, Suzuka says with fervour, ¡°I REFUSE, PLEASE HELP ORB!¡±


    With annoyance in his tone, he says, ¡°You''re back to being a pest again.¡±


    ¡°YOU ARE RIGHT I AM, BUT THIS IS THE LEAST I CAN DO. I WAS ALL ALONE, I HAD NO ONE, AND NOTHING, NOW I HAVE CYRUS WHO LISTENS TO ME COMPLAIN, ATALANTA WHO GIVES ME NICE COMPLIMENTS, A FRIEND WHO WANTS TO SPEND TIME WITH ME, I HAVE FAMILY AND ORB GAVE ME THAT, SO THE LEAST I CAN DO IS PESTER YOU TILL YOU GIVE WAY! SO PLEASE HELP ORB!!!¡±


    Seeing her passionate fervour, I walk up and say, ¡°This annoyance made sure to help me avoid a horrible situation, where mine and those I choose to protect would have died.¡±


    Getting on my knees and slamming my head into the ground like Suzuka, I say, ¡°SO PLEASE HELP ORB!¡±


    We repeat the phrase, ¡°PLEASE!¡±


    Over and over again until Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Ok then, but I will merely check his symptoms, so bring him inside.¡±


    We both bring our heads up and then look at each other and smile.


    As Abb¨¢n walks into his house, he says, ¡°Tell me Orb¡¯s conditions and make sure you constantly keep touching his body with spirit energy of someone he knows, it will help.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Orb¡¯s mansion


    ¦µ Jumping up through the hole in Orb''s toilet, I say, ¡°So it seems Orb, Suzuka, Iancu, Maple, and Willow all fell through the giant hole down there.¡±


    Pine freaking out says, ¡°This is horrendous Avram, we need to find some way to get them back. Anto can¡¯t your dagger switch locations.¡±


    Holding his sister, Mime from jumping down the hole, Anto says, ¡°If I fell such a distance at such intense speed, I would without a doubt mistake when my dagger timing to switch is and die, not to mention if I was to throw the dagger the wind pressure will make it fly away.¡±


    Turning my head, to Atalanta, I ask, ¡°Aren¡¯t you able to use fire to fly with your legacy.¡±


    ¡°Not really I use fire from my foot as a boost, pure flight is something I wouldn¡¯t be able to do.¡±


    Cyrus who looks even more panicked than Pine, says, ¡°I think I could survive that fall.¡±


    Looking at Cyrus, Buloke asks, ¡°Are dragons really that tough?¡±


    With bright eyes, Cyrus says, ¡°I might break both my legs, and most of the body in my upper body, but I should be able to crawl.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T SUGGEST DOING THIS THEN!¡±


    Elliot interjects and says, ¡°I think we are looking over something, Orb advent would be able to create enough ice to reach back here at full capacity, but he has already used it today for a lot of work, so they are just probably waiting for it to recharge.¡±


    ¡°Elliot is right, and unlike my son whose legacy can decrease speed and gravity allowing for a nice fall. But even if we use Atlanta¡¯s or Cyrus¡¯s methods we might cause a scene.¡±


    Cyrus says, ¡°B-B-B-B-But wha-a-a-a-at about eve-e-e-eryone.¡±


    Buloke responds, ¡°Orb, Iancu, Maple, and Suzuka are all legacies, with Orb being able to advent, and Willow is quite strong in enough himself, we should just leave them be because throwing ourselves into the mix will only make more problems.¡±


    Putting my hand on Cyrus¡¯s shoulder, I say, ¡°I know how you feel, my little fireball of a son is down there, but for now the best thing we can do is wait, and if they don¡¯t return soon we can ride down on a Zterytavis, though we would have to break a good portion of this mansion from that.¡±


    ¦µ I nod my head in agreement of Avaram''s words, and as everyone disperses, I look down through the hole and as I do the scene of my sister dying with me helpless to do anything flashes through my mind.


    Behind me, Atalanta says, ¡°Cyrus, you coming.¡±


    Snapping out of this I turn around and says, ¡°R-Right.¡±


    Name: Astamatisaurus


    Height: 208 cm


    Type: Predasaur, Omnivore


    Description: A bipedal wonderbeast, reminiscent of a pachycephalosaurus. Its head is incredibly strong and when combined with its aerodynamic body and speed it can easily shatter trees, and it has a flexible body which allows it to attack with its head in a style similar to that of quick jabs.


    Fact: Whenever one of them and a Spercera meet, they instantly enter a competition with each other about whether its head is shinier, or the Spercera¡¯s horn.


    Name: Kovosaurus


    Height: 700cm


    Type: Predasaur, Omnivore


    Description: A bipedal wonderbeast, reminiscent of a therizinosaurus. Attached to each of its fingers are swords longer than an adult male''s body, and when it holds its five fingers together these blades combine into a giant blade. Its fur-covered body has materials similar to its finger all across it to serve as armour.


    Fact: Every day it breaks off all five of its fingers, to allow them to grow back just as sharp the next day, this also allows it to move more freely without hurting itself.

 Arc 10.18: The Grand Druid

    -Break-


    Location: Abb¨¢n¡¯s house


    ¦µ Sitting beside Iancu, I tap my foot again, and again feeling anxiety as Orb waits in the room with Abb¨¢n, but as I do this the beetle brothers sing jolly songs right beside us.


    Feeling irritated at the loud noise, I say, ¡°SHUT UP!¡± which frightens them.


    ¡°You¡¯re both so loud for no reason, can¡¯t you guys understand the situation or does your brain not work, do you want me to beat you both until you understand?¡±


    Malachy gets up and says, ¡°I get stronger every time I fight, the next battle won¡¯t go so well for you.¡±


    Proteus, says, ¡°You better understand that bat boy.¡±


    Iancu with a look of surprise, says, ¡°Don¡¯t drag me into your nonsense, and I am not a bat but a nightmare.¡±


    Proteus then says, ¡°You¡¯re a Fomorian, I thought you said you were human.¡±


    Annoyed Iancu kicks Proteus down and while stomping on him, he says, ¡°I already told you I am human, and a nightmare it isn¡¯t difficult to understand. So don¡¯t go referring to me as a Fomorian or whatever you just said.¡±


    Opening the door to the room he and Orb were in, he says, ¡°You pests can¡¯t even behave yourself when I am doing you a favour.¡±


    All of us hang our heads low and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Walking over to the Beetle brothers, he says, ¡°You guys wounds will be fine as long as you don¡¯t get into any fights, so behave yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± They both say back.


    Impatient I ask, ¡°What about Orb!?¡±


    Sitting down, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°He will be fine for now.¡±


    Both me and Iancu sigh, and then Iancu asks, ¡°What was even wrong with him?¡±


    ¡°From what I could see and what you told me, I would say it is dependent on two things. First, that judgment attack on his body is inflicting serious pain towards him, but it seems up until now he had enough pain resistance to deal with it. That pain resistance was from his legacy because if it wasn¡¯t it wouldn¡¯t have gone away.


    Second, it seems, that looking at beastkin triggers something within his legacy that would force memories to fall into Orb¡¯s head, so to circumvent this Orb¡¯s legacy has sealed away all of its memories, which probably included memories and experiences that gave Orb such high pain tolerance.


    ¡°I see but what are we supposed to do with him.¡±


    ¡°Nothing you simply just need to let this run its course. Orb simply has to build up enough pain resistance to get through it, and develop the ability to stand on his own, though I have given him some medicine to help through this.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°You''re really knowledgeable about legacies.¡±


    ¡°My mother had one so I am familiar with how they can affect people.¡±


    Getting up he says, ¡°It is getting late you can stay the night, but this won''t be permanent, you will only get to be here for three days then I am kicking the three of you out.¡±


    As he starts to walk away, I get in front of him and bow, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it, now go to bed.¡±


    As he walks away both me and Iancu look in through the room and see even though Orb is still struggling he looks a lot better, so we smile.


    -Break-


    Location: The Shackled Gardens of D¨ªothaithe


    ¦µ Beside Willow, I walk with Dumnorix, and Ganthr¨² through until we reach a large do, and as we do Dumnorix turns his head back towards us, and says, ¡°Please both of you have your guard up.¡±


    I ask, ¡°Why aren¡¯t we safe with you around.¡±


    Willow grips his fist, and Dumnorix says, ¡°Red Branch battle arts, is a style that focuses on super high-speed attacks towards your opponents, so if for some reason we get ambushed, it would be hard for even me to stop all of them.¡±


    I swallow my spit and hold my bow to the ready, and then Dumnorix opens the large door, and as we move through it we a greeted by a beautiful garden, filled with flowers, and covered in many brother thrones, and in front of all of those thrones is a gigantic door.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    We had all been walking away from the city with the massive tree, so I simply thought we were going to some dilapidated area where we couldn¡¯t cause any trouble, but I would say just from the looks and decorations everywhere this room is extremely important to the people here.


    As I stare at the flowers, Dumnorix, says, ¡°Those are Scorched lions, eternal flowers that never rot or wither, forever constant. To us, they represent the Red branch, and in my opinion, they perfectly represent it.¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°You really lack sense don¡¯t you, simply letting your mouth run as if you have the same levels of control as a wild animal.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe they are humans now? Because if you didn¡¯t it would make sense to say anything since demons would already know this.¡±


    In the broken thrones that we walk towards people sit, a goat man says, ¡°Dumnorix I hurry up we don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    ¡°Minister of Defence, D¨²r how nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°How unpleasant it is to see you.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, lies are rather unbecoming of you.¡± Turning his head, he says, ¡°Leisci¨²il, minister of justice, how has the day been to you.¡±


    A penguin woman responds, ¡°Not happy that my day has been interrupted.¡±


    ¡°Olc, minister of food and health, do you share the same sentiment?¡±


    A cowman who is eating says, ¡°I should be enjoying my next meal but here I am playing with your foolishness.¡±


    ¡°Amad¨¢n, minister of labour and developments, I know you miss me.¡±


    A rooster man, says, ¡°Not in the slightest, because I believe this whole situation is one of your rather unfunny jokes.¡±


    With a face of genuine confusion, Dumnorix says, ¡°When I have ever told a joke that wasn¡¯t funny?¡±


    Amad¨¢n responds, ¡°You sent us a letter that said the grand druid called us, an obvious lie.¡±


    D¨²r says, ¡°It has been over two thousand years since that rotting beast has gotten involved with us.¡±


    ¡°Yet didn¡¯t you all show up?¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°Because it is signed with his insignia which we are assured you stole.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it the rarest item in the country, so obviously it should belong to the greatest man in the country?¡± he says as if he is dumbfounded by their anger.


    Olc says, ¡°Your greed knows no bounds, you should be executed where you stand!!¡±


    Snickering, Dumnorix says, ¡°Are you going to do that professor big belly?


    Inraged Olc stands up, and says, ¡°How dare you?¡±


    A bear woman walking up to Dumnorix, says, ¡° Don¡¯t be childish Olc and fall for his provocations he is merely trying to annoy you. Dumnorix you¡¯re ego is rather large like always, but it doesn¡¯t bother me one bit as long as you remember who your master is.¡±


    Bowing on one knee, Dumnorix takes the woman¡¯s hand, and kisses it, then says, ¡°Now and forever more.¡±


    ¡°Good, now what are these two doing here?¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡°They are humans.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, all humans are dead.¡±


    ¡°I had thought the same, but it is true, I checked her body and by all descriptions she is human.¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°Do you really believe that a demon couldn¡¯t change its shape you fool.¡±


    ¡°To my knowledge didn¡¯t Amad¨¢n and his people clear up the rest of them?


    Amad¨¢n says, ¡°Countless of those worthless scum were crushed, it would be impossible for us to have gotten rid of all of their bodies. So it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if these were demons.¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°And now you have given them a prime opportunity to attack all of us at once.¡±


    Olc says, ¡°I say for this particular annoyance we should have the right to reclaim the wonderbeasts he has been awarded and take them for ourselves.¡±


    Cult¨²ir then says, ¡°That sounds like a marvellous idea, especially since the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann are not ready for little versions of this man running around. But I do believe there is some semblance of logic within the brain.¡±


    Getting close to him, with a sinister voice, she asks, ¡°So why did you do this?¡±


    Holding Willow''s hand beside me, I start to get nervous. Depending on the answer he gives them, will be whether or not we can escape this situation we have been put in.¡±


    Dumnorix puts his finger up to the sky and as he does all the light in the room rushes towards him, and then he says, ¡°Because of a whim, but aren¡¯t the mere whims of a higher being such as myself greater than the concept of logic.¡±


    Cult¨²ir gives him a look of disbelief and says, ¡°SO you endangered all our lives on a mere whim.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He says proudly.


    Freaking out, I say, ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡±


    D¨²r getting up says, ¡°So why are we even wasting time here, let¡¯s exterminate the demons.¡±


    Dur lunges forward to attack both me and Willow at incredible speed, to the point we can¡¯t even follow him until he is right in front of us, if this was combat we would be dead, but before that can happen Dumnorix kicks him in his face right back to his chair.


    ¡°Of course, I wasn¡¯t devoid of all logic, because the fact still remains as long as I am here no more safety could be assured.¡±


    Suddenly a quaking happens through the area as if a stampede is going on. Then Dumnorix says, ¡°Oh and I wasn¡¯t lying the grand Druid did call for all of us.¡±


    A quaking voice starts to laugh and says, ¡°You really are as much of a jester as I have heard Dumnorix.¡±


    Bowing he says, ¡°I hope you enjoyed that and my introduction of everyone in this room.¡±


    The quaking voice says, ¡°It was rather fun.¡±


    Suddenly all of the beastkin in the room get on one knee and bow towards the giant door in front of the room, feeling the tension in the air we follow suit.


    The door is taller than both Willow and Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> combined. Yet I feel like whatever is behind it is just as big, judging from the quakes it makes with every movement and word.


    In a polite but quaking voice, he says, ¡°I am sorry for the games, but I struggle to remember people I don¡¯t care about, so I had Dumnorix say all of your names again, despite you all talking your vows of leadership here years ago.¡±


    Amad¨¢n says, ¡°No don¡¯t be, but would you please tell us why you have called us here today.¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°You must admit grand Druid this is the first time in two thousand years that you have spoken to any leader.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me grand druid, it makes it sound as if a failure like myself is more important than I am. So call me Sen¨¢n, I think that name sums my existence up better.¡±


    Olc says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is a bad place to have a conversation, I can set up a much greater banquet for us all.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, are we not the leaders of our country shouldn¡¯t our focus be to use every single moment to work for it, instead of stuffing our faces.¡±


    Olc says, ¡°I am so sorry please forgive me!¡±


    Ignoring him, he says, ¡°Girl with the bow come towards the door.¡±


    I bring up my head, and say, ¡°What?¡±


    Willow looking at me, says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Maple I will come with you.¡±


    Sen¨¢n says, ¡°No you won¡¯t, little girl come here alone.¡±


    Willow speaks up and says, ¡°Why would I leave my wife alone!¡±


    Sen¨¢n smacks the ground causing it to rumble so much that everyone in the room falls to the floor, and says, ¡°Is she your wife, or your daughter? If you really are a cowardly demon I will strike you down with your husband, but if you are a strong human face me.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°I will be right back.¡± Then frightened to my core at what I face, I take a deep breath in and start to walk.

 Arc 10.19: Fear and regret

    As I walk towards the giant door fear starts to fill my heart. I shake after each step, sweat trickles down my face, and my breathing becomes hefty, it feels like I am a baby facing down a wonderbeast.


    There are many people in this room who could kill me as I am currently, and there is nothing I can do about it, yet they are all bowing in the face of the monster I am walking towards. The fear is so much, so intense that I stop walking and start to panic.


    I could die, right now my life will could truly come to an end, my father, Orb, no one can save me. I will have accomplished nothing in my life, all I will have done is cause pain to others.


    But worse than that, if I was to die right now what would change for anybody? Willow and Orb will cry, but they will both swallow their sadness like they have done in the past for everyone¡¯s benefit. Buloke will become the leader of the village, and even Suzuka will definitely make more friends, even my master will find more students.


    What have I even done with my life?


    Tears flow from my eyes and as they do, the quaking voice says, ¡°I care not for the words of children, so I will carry out your execution.¡±


    Willow screams, ¡°WAIT! Do you think such a thing like this is fair, not even these mighty warriors in this room dare to raise their heads against you but you would think she would be able to.¡±


    ¡°Yet despite being the weakest person in the room by far, you just did.¡±


    Willow is silent and I am still standing in one place shaking and crying. ¡°I will give you a choice to make this fair then, if one of you kills yourself, I will completely protect the other for the rest of their life.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°What is the problem? If you love your wife so much lay down your life for her, and if this girl is so much of a coward that she can¡¯t face me she can simply kill herself to protect you.¡±


    I start to cry even more and say, ¡°I hate this, I hate this so much. This fear, these thoughts, myself, I just wish I didn¡¯t have to do any of this, I wish more than anyone I was dead right now.¡±


    I start to walk forward, ¡°So I refuse to still be in the same spot as such a weakling for even one more moment.¡±


    Full of tears I walk towards the door, and say, ¡°Maple Rian leader of the village of Aplos, I am here today to speak to you Grand Druid Sen¨¢n.¡±


    His quaking voice says, ¡°Thank you for your effort since this will make it easier to do this.¡±


    Through one of the walls a giant arm bursts through, the arm is so big that with his hand he could pick up and through Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> like a toy, even his fingernail could crush me into a dush. It¡¯s furry, and bloody, beastlike but human at the same time.


    He swings his hand towards me at such a fast speed that the wind pressure causes destruction and blows away large portions of the area behind me, but I use my legacy to decrease my body''s speed so much that I don¡¯t move away from the spot I am standing.


    His hand moved towards me so fast, that I can¡¯t even react, all I can do is brace myself for my inevitable death. But as the hand comes towards me I feel something gentle touch my face.


    One of his fingers is gently caressing my face, if he were to use more force this finger could crush my entire body, but even though this hand is massive it is controlled perfectly.


    In a far gentler voice, he says, ¡°Blood really is hard to run from.¡± Then in his normal quaking voice, he says, ¡°Please chief of Aplos please forgive me for my rudeness.¡±


    Olc says, ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize to someone like her.¡±


    ¡°My status doesn¡¯t excuse my actions, or do you believe that having a high enough rank means you no longer have to show respect to others.¡±


    Olc in a cowardly voice says, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Pulling his hand away from me, he says, ¡°Now please would you tell me why you are here?¡±


    I pause for a moment as I think what information, I should and shouldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°I see the hesitation in your eyes, so Here me now Maple Rian, because on all of the lives of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, I promise you that no information you say to us will be used against you, and your safety will be assured as long as you are here. So please tell me, has the outside world truly frozen over?¡±


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    With no hesitation in my mind, I say, ¡°No, only the continent of Victoria was frozen over, the rest of the world has gone on fine.¡±


    The beastkin behind me starts to mumble as the information strikes them all, but then Sen¨¢n asks, ¡°How are you here then.¡±


    ¡°Someone I know has the ability to move the snow and is resistant to the cold, he is the only one in the history of humanity who has such an ability, and recently we have started to make a home for ourselves on the upper parts of Vicotria.¡±


    ¡°I see this is starting to make sense. I assume this boy is a legacy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    In a serious tone, he asks, ¡°Does this body have some silver hair and one gold eye?¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°Yes he does, have you met him already.¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, just an educated guess. Considering your confusion, I would make a guess that the boy somehow found out about this place and went it and you followed after him, which is what I saw falling from the sky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be rather accurate.¡± How good is this man¡¯s eyesight this place is extremely far from where we fell though.


    ¡°I see this is rather joyous news that humanity has survived for the last 2000 years.¡±


    Amad¨¢n says, ¡°Isn¡¯t this rather alarming news? This would mean that the rest of civilization spent the last 2000 years developing.¡±


    Sen¨¢n laughs then says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am sure that the world outside of here is barely more advanced than us, change isn¡¯t something that comes easy to humanity.¡±


    After he ceases his laughter, he asks, ¡°Maple Rian, are you descended from a man by the name of Magnolia.¡±


    My head jolts up and I say, ¡°Yes he was the founder of my village, but how would you know that name?¡±


    ¡°Because Magnolia was a member of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan or a beastkin as you humans would put it.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°You must be joking.¡±


    ¡°I assure you what I speak is the truth. Magnolia was also one of the only people who would have known we were down here, so it is rather fateful that one of the first people to find us would be Magnolia¡¯s descendent.¡±


    ¡°May I ask you what was your relationship with Magnolia?¡±


    With the softest voice he has used today, he says, ¡°Someone whose forgiveness I will never be able to obtain, for a single second of my life.¡±


    I simply stand there shocked that a man whose voice was so powerful could sound so weak.


    ¡°Thank you for answering my questions Maple Rian, both you and your husband will be kept in our protection, and I swear to you we will find your other friend who you are looking for.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Now ministers, make sure to treat her will all the respect you would me, I won¡¯t tolerate any disobedience. Now draw your blood and make a geas to me.¡±


    Suddenly behind me all of the ministers cut their stomachs and then drenched in blood they say, ¡°On our pride, on our bloodlines, on the teachings of Danu, each of us solemnly swear to this pack, this uniting of souls, to this Geas, and my everything that stems from us rot and wither if we fail.¡±


    Each of them then gets up and starts to walk away, and as they do I run towards Willow. Before I get close to him I turn and face Sen¨¢n saying, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°No need for that, I am just happy you are alive.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Umm, I will try my best to continue that, thank you.¡±


    -Break-


    Later that night


    Location: Abb¨¢n¡¯s house


    ¦µ An image all too familiar to me plays out in front of me, the image of my mother''s body burnt to a crisp.


    Her skin was dark like the night sky but was as soft as the clouds in the sky, her smile was bright which always made me feel better whenever I saw it, her soul which I could feel every single day had faded completely.


    This person who once gave me a life full of joy has disappeared, this person is nothing more than rotting flesh, this person is a husk that can only ever deteriorate and the fact my mom is that scares me to no end.


    Opening my eyes some tears fall down them, so I turn my head to the right, and when I do I see Suzuka¡¯s face looking directly at mine. So I instantly punch her right in the face out of shock.


    She holds her hands over her face, and says, ¡°OUCH!¡±


    Frightened, I say, ¡°I knew you were a creepy girl but trying to touch me in my sleep, truly you are putrid.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to do that? And the first thing you do when you see a girl''s face next to yours is punch it!? you¡¯re a failure of a man.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to get punched you should learn not to attack people in their sleep!¡±


    Still holding her face in pain, she says, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to attack you, idiot, I was trying to help!¡± Then she points at me.


    Looking around me, I notice that of the three tails she has currently two of them are wrapped around my body, though as I notice this she pulls them back and wraps her body in them.


    Aggressively, I say, ¡°Why were you touching me with your tails.¡±


    Rolled up in a ball with her tails surrounding her, she says, ¡°Because you looked like you were having a hard time, and I know friendly spirit energy makes the body feel better, so I was trying to help but no more idiot!¡±


    ¡°Well, you should mind your own business you fool!¡±


    In a quiet tone, Suzuka says, ¡°You mumble Mom, and I know what it feels like to miss your parents.¡±


    I feel foolish at my previous insults, so I say, ¡°Hey tell me abo-.¡±


    But before I finish, she says, ¡°BUT YOUR PARENTS ARE PROBABLY HAPPY YOU AREN¡¯T AROUND ANYMORE!¡±


    ¡°YOU BITCH!¡±


    Jumping her we both suddenly start to fight, and she gets my arm in a lock and starts to stretch it out, ¡°APOLOGIZE TO ME!¡±


    This is bad, if this goes on any longer she really will take off my arm. I need a way to make her docile right now or I forgo this arm. Wait a minute why is she even mad at me in the first place, ever since we met she has always been picking fights against me.


    Suddenly a memory of our first conversations appears in my mind, so I say, ¡°SUZUKA DO YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND.¡±


    She suddenly lets go of my arm, and backs up, then acting shy, she says, ¡°Are you serious.¡±


    Seeing this I am so disgusted, that I say, ¡°Urgh no.¡±


    Putting on her mask, she tries to attack me again. ¡°Do you think you can mess with a maiden''s heart and get away with it!¡±


    But before she reaches me something moves past the both of us. ¡°Suzuka was that you.¡±


    She shakes her head no.


    Both of us put our backs against each other¡¯s, and then she says, ¡°Iancu there is something else in this room with us.¡±

 Arc 10.20: Fear and Beauty

    With my back against Suzuka, I say, ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°He is moving around us so fast, that it wouldn¡¯t even matter if we could tell.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Simply strike against him when he attacks, but that is probably too hard for someone weak like you.¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°We will see about that! And when this fight is over I will crush you next.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on!¡±


    Eventually, he attacks Suzuka, and she quickly moves to strike him back. But after she launches her counterattack she simply stands there.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    She immediately covers herself in all her tails and starts to bounce around the room, saying, ¡°No creepy crawlies!¡±


    With both her and the third person now moving around the room randomly, I say, ¡°Enough!¡± Then activating my legacy increases the gravity of everything in the room pinning everything down, this crushes some of the items in the room including all of the put-out candles.


    Moving over to the window, I open the curtain and say, ¡°Now let me look at your face!¡±


    As the moonlight hits the third person, I see another beastkin one who looks like an ant, and outside of the shape of its body it doesn¡¯t look human at all.


    The ant says, ¡°Let me go, you scoundrel.¡± His voice is that of a child.


    Sighing, I turn off my legacy, and say, ¡°Suzuka it isn¡¯t a bug but a beastkin.¡±


    Stopping her freak out, she says, ¡°Oh.¡± Then unwrapping her tails she jumps to her feet, and says, ¡°I KNEW THAT ALL ALONG!¡±


    ¡°Yeah right.¡±


    ¡°I did!¡± She says trying to convince me.


    With a stick in hand, the bug says, ¡°Stop talking you scoundrels, and leave this place at once.¡±


    ¡°We were given permission to be here?¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter leave this place at once, or I will strike you down.¡±


    ¡°I doubt you could do that little boy, a random bug is never going to make me do anything.¡±


    ¡°I am not a random bug, I am the one who strikes terror into the hearts of all of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, I am a reincarnation of the warrior of light, Lu-.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°His name is Dillion, he is the younger brother of Abb¨¢n.¡±


    ¡°HOW DID YOU KNOW WHAT,¡± Dillio says shocked.


    Giving her a smile, I say, ¡°Your curse really is convenient, keep going let¡¯s learn all we can.¡±


    Excited by this, she says, ¡°He gets annoyed when people are always coming to his house to get fixed up and brother his brother.¡±


    ¡°So you love your brother.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I just want him to rest.¡±


    ¡°He is also known to throw away the food his brother cooks because it tastes horrible but doesn¡¯t want to tell his brother to preserve his feelings. He also sometimes calls his teacher''s mother, or father which causes him great deals of embarrassment.¡±


    The boy screams in embarrassment while rolling on the floor, and says, ¡°Kill me, Kill me now!¡±


    Mocking him, I say, ¡°Aww how cute, you want to call me daddy as well.¡±


    Jumping at me, he tries to attack me so I put my hand against his head stomping him from reaching me, then facing Suzuka, I say,¡°Keep going,¡± With a smile.


    Even more fired up than usual, Suzuka says, ¡°He doesn¡¯t like going outside and playing with others but still does because there is a girl he likes, but he is scared that because of how he looks the girl will never look his way so he has been trying to better himself but is still failing.¡±


    Suddenly, the boy falls to the ground and starts to cry, it seems that instead of the anger that he has been throwing at us all that is left is pure sadness, at the fact that we have just exposed the boy''s deepest secret, for a child this must be the equivalent of his world coming to an end.


    Crying curled up in a ball, he says, ¡°BIG BROTHER COME SAVE ME FROM THESE MONSTERS!¡±


    An image plays in my head as he cries, the image of the brother walking in seeing this then calling all of the beastkin in that overpopulated area over here to viciously attack us. Then moments later Orb''s body will rot and he will succumb to his pain and die.


    Looking at Suzuka, I say, ¡°I need your hel-.¡±


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    But to my surprise, Suzuka is curled up in a ball saying, ¡°Monster, monster, I am a monster aren¡¯t eye, I should have been executed back on Seirei.¡±


    She is going to be no help. Walking closer to Dillion, I say, ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t cry.¡±


    But then he gets up and starts to run while saying, ¡°BIG BROTHER!¡±


    This is bad I need to stop him right now, but if I use force to restrain him it will just make everything look a lot worse.


    As he runs towards the door, it opens and Dillion is grabbed by Orb.


    ¡°Orb,¡± I say surprised by his presence here.


    Still crying, Dillion says, ¡°Let go of me.¡±


    ¡°Your body is made up of countless different parts all distinct and different from each other yet they still all work together in harmony, it truly is beautiful just like the holder of this body.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, everyone thinks I am strange and look disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Yet despite that fear of others, you want to pass love onto a girl, and you came here to protect your brother, your soul is strong. And this body of yours was made to harness this great soul of yours, so even if you won¡¯t I take great pride in the fact that I get to hold you even if for this brief moment.¡±


    Dillion calms down, and hugs Orb saying, ¡°Those two are still horrible monsters.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± I say annoyed.


    Laughing, Orb says, ¡°They can be mean, but both are sweeties. Suzuka recommended making a place for Iancu and all of the children from Skydust a house so they could practice their craftwork.¡±


    Giving her the smuggest look, I can muster, I say, ¡°Ehh, you did all that for me.¡±


    ¡°ORB THIS IS WHY I DIDN¡¯T WANT YOU TO TELL HIM!¡±


    ¡°Iancu over there, took care of Suzuka the whole time she was unconscious in Skydust.¡±


    Getting in front of me, with a haughty look she says, ¡°Ehh, you did all that for me. Really did mister I hate everyone does all of that for me.¡±


    ¡°ORB YOU BASTARD!¡±


    Staring directly at Dillion, Orb says, ¡°So please don¡¯t be scared of those two, they tried their best to help me, and I am sure they will do that with countless people in the future.¡±


    Dillion says, ¡°OK then.¡±


    ¡°Now that we have finished that I can finally examine this body of yours. How is it possible for something that looks so like an ant to function like a human? What parts of your insides are that of an ant, and what are that of a human, and how do they work?¡± Orb says with a perverted look just like Ai Kumo usually has, but for different reasons.


    As Dillion starts to cry, Suzuka hits Orb in the face with her tail. Which causes him to collapse on the ground in a lot of pain.


    Frighten, I say, ¡°Why did you hit him so hard.¡±


    ¡°It was a light tap, I only meant to push him away.¡±


    Laying on the floor in pain, Orb says, ¡°My body was already in pain so that tap sent me over the edge,¡±


    ¡°Then why did you leave your bed.¡±


    ¡°Because I had a feeling that the both of you were fighting, so I came to stop the both of you.¡±


    Both Suzuka and I lower our heads, and say, ¡°Sorry.¡± Then with a perverted look, Orb says, ¡°But if I happened to run into Abb¨¢n I would have used such an opportunity to examine his body.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like the second reason was more important than the first reason.¡±


    Suzuka getting up walks over to the top of Orb and starts stepping over his body, saying, ¡°We were worried sick about you and you decided to make us worry more because you¡¯re a pervert.¡±


    Grabbing her foot, orb says, ¡°From the way I have been going I will be able to walk around fully in a few days, so it is not like I didn¡¯t think about it. And there is nothing perverted about my interest just look at the wonderful specimen over there, those tiny arms of him can lift a hundred times their weight!¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Suzuka says interested. Moving over to Dillion, she grabs his arms, and says, ¡°Oh, I do feel such incredible strength from these little arms.¡±


    ¡°And Iancu, by studying the structure of how a body such as this can coexist, wouldn¡¯t you be able to further improve your craft.¡±


    ¡°Well now that you say it, I do have questions about his form.¡±


    As all three of us surround Dillion, we suddenly hear someone walk into the room.


    Looking at the person, Orb with a smile says, ¡°How are you doing Abb¨¢n.¡±


    Grabbing both of mine and Orb¡¯s faces he slams them into the ground, and then he flicks Suzuka on the forehead. ¡°All of you bastards are going to be my next meat!¡±


    Dillion then runs up to his brother and says, ¡°BROTHER!¡±


    Picking him up, he says, ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed, and when I come back I will force maggots up all of their faces.¡±


    ¦µ With my brother in my arms I walk through the house, and say, ¡°Sorry for that. They won¡¯t be here anymore.¡±


    But Dillion says, ¡°I don¡¯t think they are bad people, it has been long since others have been so nice to me.¡±


    Rubbing his head, I say, ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Getting up, I yawn, and as I do light hits me in the face. ¡°How do they even get sunlight down here?¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Well whatever, I might as well go check on Orb.¡±


    As I leave the room, I turn my head to the left and pause, because there I see Suzuka in different clothes, they are more like the clothes everyone else down here is wearing, and they are green and pink.


    Suzuka excited, says, ¡°Abb¨¢n left us some clothes to change into, they are so pretty aren¡¯t they.¡±


    ¦µ Iancu moves really close towards me and starts to inspect my face, then he says, ¡°I never really got a good look at your arms and legs, before but you really are dainty.¡±


    Getting shy, I move back, and say, ¡°Thank yo-.¡±


    With a painful face, I say, ¡°I really thought you really had gorilla arms and legs, but it pains me to say your skill with spirit arts is just that amazing.¡±


    Even more embarrassed, I said, ¡°You really think I have the strength of a gorilla.¡±


    With a dumbfounded expression, he says, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it as a compliment.¡± As Iancu finishes from outside a small ball flies into the room and hits him in the face.


    The Dillion runs in saying, ¡°Did I hit someone.¡±


    -One explanation later-


    Sitting down outside, Dillion says, ¡°Using a racket, we try and swing these metal balls. The rackets are made of poorly put together straw, so if we don¡¯t focus our spirit energy they will fall apart.¡±


    ¡°I see so this is some form of spirit energy training.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°What is the point of a child even training their spirit energy at such a young age.¡±


    ¡°The early you start the better it flows, spirit energy works like poison resistance, where the longer you do it the easier it can move through your body. If a child does this during their formative years it can make it so spirit energy would be no different than breathing to them.¡±


    Iancu makes an embarrassed expression, and as he does I get in his face, and say, ¡°Did Mister know it all not know this? Is Mister know it all embarrassed? Is Mister know it all sad that he can¡¯t use spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I consistently read your mind, to try and find information to blackmail you with. So I know all about you being a nightmare, and how every day you pray to god to give thanks that you are surrounded by such kind people.¡±


    ¡°YOU CREEPY WITCH!¡±


    Dillion throws the metal ball right at Iancu''s face, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t scream at girls.¡±


    Feeling victorious, I say, ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Then turning around, I say, ¡°Now as thanks for your loyalty I will teach you how to better control your spirit energy.¡±

 Arc 10.21: Spirit energy mastery

    Turning his head away from me, Dillion says, ¡°I don¡¯t need to learn how to fight from a girl.¡±


    Iancu on the floor starts to laugh, at me so I knock him in the head with my tail, and then say, ¡°My dad taught me how to deal with such a situation.¡±


    Getting in front of Dillion, I kneel down then using my fist I punch the ground and crave it in with causes Dillion to fall on his butt.


    As he is shaking on the ground, I ask again, ¡°So would you like to be trained by me.¡±


    Bowing, Dillion says, ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°Is that how you refer to your master!¡±


    ¡°I WOULD LOVE TO LEARN FROM YOU MASTER.¡±


    Turning to face Iancu, I say, ¡°Leave, because I can¡¯t share my secrets with one that is not my student.¡±


    Getting up, he says, ¡°Alright it is not like I want to learn anything from you anyway.¡±


    ¦µ As I move to go away, I am grabbed by Dillion who says, ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me only with her I am scared.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but as she said I can¡¯t stay.¡±


    ¡°Then join our training.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a pai-.¡±


    Before I can finish Dillion stares at me with his little bug eyes as if he is only mere moments away from crying.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Dragging me, I say, ¡°I would like to join in on your stupid training as well.¡±


    With a condescending look, Suzuka says, ¡°Ehh, is that how you respond to your great master? Use the same words as my other pupil here.¡±


    ¡°No way in hell am I going to sa-.¡±


    Dillon grabs me and stares at me, so I swallow my pride, and say, ¡°I would love to learn from you master.¡±


    ¦µ As Iancu falls to the ground in defeat, I smile with all my heart, and say, ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±


    With both of my students sitting in front of me, I say, ¡°Spirit arts, is what we call the control of spirit energy. A form of energy that arises from one''s soul, in form it is the same for everyone, but each one has different tastes.¡±


    Iancu, under his breath, says, ¡°Yeah everybody already knows that.¡±


    I punch him in the face, and say, ¡°Patience is a virtue. To better one''s use of spirit energy one has to do three things, increase its quality, Its output or increase their control over it. True masters do all three.¡±


    Dillion puts up his arm, and says, ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you refer to your master?¡±


    ¡°I have a question, Master.¡±


    With a smile on my face, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Can I just increase the quantity of spirit energy?¡±


    Like a manic, I laugh, and then say, ¡°Ahh, a question all beginners at spirit arts ask. Remember this and crave it into your soul, all people have the same amount of spirit energy, with the exception being me due to my legacy.¡±


    Dillion, says, ¡°How is that possible, I run out of spirit energy way faster than Abb¨¢n.¡±


    ¡°Let me demonstrate then.¡±


    I coat my fist in spirit energy, and then I say, ¡°Now you do it too.


    Dillion follows suit does it, and so I say, ¡°Is my spirit energy right here stronger than yours?"


    Dillion says, ¡°It¡¯s not even comparable.¡±


    ¡°Alright, now Send your spirit energy into the tree over there, and try to spread it out.¡±


    Dillion sends his spirit energy into the tree, and his spirit energy covers a certain area. ¡°Ok, now it is my turn.¡±


    Doing the same I send my spirit energy into the tree and cover the same area.


    Dillion says, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, you had much more spirit energy in your fist than I did.¡±


    ¡°No, I had the same amount in my fist.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you so much stronger?¡±


    ¡°A difference in quality. The exact same quantity but the quality was different.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Dillion says excitedly. ¡°SO all I need to do is increase my quality!¡±


    ¡°No, as you are right now your quality will remain the same.¡±


    ¡°But why is that.¡±


    ¡°The quality of one''s spirit energy steams from the person''s belief and faith, one could also say it¡¯s the strength of their will. Simply put for kids it is hard to have high amounts of that, due to their rather relaxed attitude in general towards life.¡±


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    ¡°I see,¡± Dillion says disheartened.


    ¡°But quality is simply one of three ways to get stronger. Another is output, which is the maximum amount of spirit energy one can use at a time, could you put all your spirit energy into your fist right now.¡±


    Dillion follows my instructions, and says, ¡°This is all I can do.¡±


    ¡°Around 30 per cent. In one attack that¡¯s the amount you can release.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible to put more.¡±


    ¡°It is quite possible, that output is how much of your soul your body can release, so you must train your body''s usage in spirit arts to increase it more. It requires time and effort, so even someone like Orb on that bed currently has a maximum output of 5 per cent.¡±


    ¡°Still it is another form of training I can¡¯t use.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that so I left the best one for last, spirit energy control. As I have stated you only have a limited quantity of spirit energy, yet others are able to use it longer than others how is that.¡±


    Iancu with an inquisitive expression, says, ¡°I see now. Since spirit energy quality differs for each person, the reason others are able to use spirit energy longer than others is that they break it down to use individually.¡±


    Getting in front of Iancu¡¯s face I smile, and say, ¡°You really seem to be interested in my class.¡±


    Looking away embarrassed, Iancu says, ¡°It isn¡¯t because of your class it is simply because the topic is interesting for someone who can¡¯t use spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say,¡± I said with my face in a cocky smile.


    ¡°I am telling the truth!¡±


    Ignoring Iancu, I say, ¡°If 1 per cent of my spirit energy is worth 1000 per cent of Dillions, I would have to be able to break that one per cent down a thousand times to make sure you don¡¯t waste spirit energy.


    This is by far the most important part of spirit energy because even if you master the other two methods, you would still just be an incredibly strong fight and would be unable to fight after a couple of minutes. An example of someone like this would be Orb, with his abysmal spirit energy control.¡±


    Dillion disheartened, says, ¡°Would that take a great amount of time to learn how to do?¡±


    ¡°Normally it would, but I have a way to circumvent that. Come close.¡±


    As Dillion comes close I sit in front of him, and put my fingers on his chest, then say, ¡°Please relax because if you are tense your heart may explode.¡±


    Iancu Screams, ¡°DON¡¯T SAY THAT TO HIM,¡± While Dillon shakes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me.¡± Taking my tails I cover Dillion and say, ¡°Just focus on the fluffiness.¡±


    Then I say, ¡°Gozen battle arts; Spirit rehabilitation,¡± And send a small bit of spirit energy towards his heart.


    ¡°My fighting style, Gozen battle arts, allows me to send spirit energy into the body, and the body seeing this as hostile sends spirit energy to forcefully reject it out of the body making a little explosion in the part that happen.


    Though this only happens if I send my spirit energy in with hostile intent, if I simply send it into a body that allows it to flow inside it will simply just move where I want it.


    Now that my spirit energy is surrounding your heart, I become a little hostile, and your soul reacts by sending spirit energy to your heart to push mine out, and at the same time as this, I pull mine away. Now where is your spirit energy.¡±


    Dillion is surprised, and says, ¡°It is just around my heart, but I didn¡¯t think that was possible.¡±


    ¡°Normally, Spirit energy when first used usually just covers the person''s body, but the more advanced one gets the more they can focus their spirit energy.


    Don¡¯t cover your body in it, but also send it into specific muscles, to increase their efficiency which also lowers the cost. To my knowledge, Atalanta uses this method on her legs, which is what also her to move so fast.


    Though doing this is a masterful level of control over spirit energy which only few can use, you must quite literally soak your body in spirit energy every day for years to reach this level of skill.


    But my Gozen battle arts before it was a fighting style, was a form of medicinal arts, so techniques for increasing the strength and control of my allies have been taught to me. Using such techniques I have forcibly brought you to a high level, and now we will break that down.¡±


    Putting my hand, on his chest, I say, ¡°Now focus and remember this feeling.¡±


    Full of concentration, Dillion says, ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Your spirit energy is right now focus on your heart, now fuse more into it.¡±


    Dillion follows my instructions, so I say, ¡°Now using your blood as their base sends you spirit energy through out your veins.¡±


    Breaking his concentration, Dillion says, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t think, just feel. Uses your blood as a guide, and simply let your spirit energy be pulled along.¡±


    It takes Dillion a little bit of time, but throughout his whole body, he does it, and then says, ¡°Is this it.¡±


    Excited, I say, ¡°Yes exactly you got it right. Now that your spirit energy is all throughout your veins, try and focus it on the veins in the legs, then expand it to reach your muscles. Simply focus on the spirit energy around your heart and the veins to your legs, cut off all the rest.¡±


    Dillion focuses and says, ¡°I can just feel it in my bones and muscles, for my legs now.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, jump.¡±


    Dillion jumps a great distance, and as he falls I catch him. With excitement he says, ¡°I have never been able to go that high before.¡±


    ¡°But now is time for the true test, of all of this.¡± Using spirit energy on my nail, I make a cut in the palm of his hand.


    Getting out of my arms, he jumps and picks up his racket, and then as his blood flows down it, I say, ¡°Use the blood to guide the spirit energy.¡±


    As his blood flows down the racket, his spirit energy follows it, and then using the racket, he throws the metal ball right throw three trees.


    He then jumps up and down in celebration and as he does the spirit energy fades from his heart. ¡°Ehh, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°You were able to keep the spirit energy going on in your heart, due to how controlled the environment is, you still need to train to actually use it when you are in different emotional states. So keep at it.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡± Dillion says as he tries to focus spirit energy in his heart.


    As Dillion does this, Iancu asks, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you used this method for Orb, or used it to help the warriors of Aplos train?¡±


    ¡°His soul is very aggrieving to outside spirit energy regardless of hostile intent or not, so it really doesn¡¯t work for him. This also stops me from using any of my other techniques to boost his body.


    And in the case of the warriors of Aplos, it is simply too much for my heart, being close to all those men with their giant muscles and facial hair.¡±


    I always forget she finds older men attractive.


    ¡°And it is not like they would want to be trained by someone like me.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°You might be annoying in many aspects, but your abilities with spirit energy are top-notch take pride in what your parents taught you.¡±


    Smiling, I grab Iancu and then shake him while saying, ¡°Whatever demon possessed you leave get out of that body right now!¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S THE LAST TIME I GIVE YOU A COMPLIMENT EVER!¡±


    As me and Iancu prepare to fight, Dillion screams, ¡°I WAS LATE!¡±


    Looking we see a giant beast with what looks to be moss growing out of it running away.


    On the ground, Dillion says, ¡°I missed the school beast because I was too focused, on training.¡±


    Iancu and I look at each other and realized this is our fault, so we say, ¡°We will help you catch up to it.¡±


    ¡°But then people will see your face.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Your brother made both me and Iancu, animal masks composed of fur to hide ourselves with.¡±


    Grabbing both Iancu and Dillion, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± And I run towards the beast.


    Feeling a speed increase, I hear Iancu say, ¡°Your reaction force and the air resistance have become stronger and weaker respectively.¡±


    Using this boost in speed, I jump onto the large beast, and say, ¡°Safe, now me and Iancu can get off.¡±


    As I try to get out of it I realize the moss that is sticking us to it won¡¯t let us go, so I say, ¡°Why can¡¯t I let go.¡±


    Dillion then responds, ¡°The beast moss will only let us go after we arrive at the school. For safety reasons.¡±


    In unison, both me and Iancu scream, ¡°EHHHHH!¡±

 Arc 10.22: The city of Prosç…¤nfore

    -Break-


    Location: Abais Castle


    ¦µ Feeling a tingling in my nose I sneeze and open my eyes. Then as I do I see some kind of creature on my face.


    I scream, which wakes up Willow beside me, and he says, ¡°Maple what¡¯s wrong!¡±


    I point to the creature on my nose, and as he sees it, Willow instantly reaches for it and says, ¡°Get off of her.¡±


    The creature moves away from me, and as it does, I see it is around the size of Buloke¡¯s fist, and it is quite thick throughout its body.


    The creature then starts to glow as if it is made of light and then files around the room, as this happens both me and Willow chase it around the giant room, we are all in but we are unable to catch it.


    As we do this the giant doors to the room we are in open and a woman walks in and claps his hand bringing which makes the creature fly towards him.


    ¡°I see you two are having a good day.¡±


    The woman in front of us is a beastkin like the rest of the people we have met, she looks like a sheep.


    Willow immediately becomes very shy at the sight of her, so I hit him in the stomach, then glaring at her, I say, ¡°What is that thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, this little one is a wonderbeast known as a pixie. You see these little ones are responsible for all the light we have down here, during the night they rest up and in the morning they spread it everywhere.¡±


    ¡°But then why was it on my face?¡±


    Letting go of the pixie, he says, ¡°It is because it likes you.¡±


    As it flies around me and touches me, I say, ¡°It sort of looks kind of cute.¡±


    Grabbing its soft body, I place it on my head and say, ¡°Well it can stay then.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± The lady says snapping her fingers. Soon a group of others dressed similar to her come in and she says, ¡°Now let¡¯s get the both of you changed, lady Cult¨²ir has invited you both to breakfast.¡±


    The people surround us and start to have their way with us.


    -One grooming later-


    Walking through the hallway, with the servants following behind us, I say, ¡°They brushed our teeth, wiped down our bodies, did our hair, completely removed our hair from private places, and changed our clothes. And they were thorough, I feel so violated.¡±


    The pixie on my head jumps up and down, and its soft body makes me feel better.


    Noticing that Willow is smiling, I say, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°It is just that I got to have a close look at all those beastkin!¡±


    I kick him in the shin, and say, ¡°You dirty cheater!¡±


    ¡°How does this count as cheating, I am just interested in them.¡±


    Walking ahead of him, I mutter under my breath, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be interested in any woman but me.¡±


    From behind, he hugs me and says, ¡°I care not that they are woman, I am just interested in what kind of animal they are. Please don¡¯t be jealous.¡±


    Turning back around, I say while shaking, ¡°You don¡¯t care if they are a woman?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Willow says.


    ¡°I always knew you liked animals, but I didn¡¯t think you were like that.¡±


    ¡°Maple I think you might be misunderstanding things.¡±


    I run off at full speed, and Willow follows behind me saying, ¡°WAIT!¡±


    This continues until we exit the hallway we were walking through and enter an area that allows us to see outside, and as we do I completely stop and gaze upon everything with Willow doing the same beside me.


    I wasn¡¯t able to get a good look at everything outside during the first time we arrived at the castle due to how dark everything was, but now that I can see it I am completely blown away.


    This castle is much larger than Orb¡¯s home. It is comparable to the difference between, the Grand Druid and Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup>. The city that we can see far below us, more than tens of thousands of the village of Aplos, yet despite being so much bigger it looks as if it is running even smoother. What kind of leadership would be capable of this?


    The people are smiling, the buildings are beautiful, and I can see countless different wonderbeasts throughout the area, yet the people are not afraid or hurting them, they simply live beside them. Even a giant Wonderbeast is running through the area and all the people around simply accept it.


    It feels like I am staring at a world that only exists within my dreams. So I slap myself on my face, and say, ¡°I can¡¯t be mesmerized by this, I am the leader of Aplos. I need to hold my head high.¡±


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    Willow putting his hands on my face says, ¡°Then I will help you when needed.¡±


    ¡°Ok, animal breeder.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Willow says annoyed.


    So, I run away, and says, ¡°Oh no, an animal breeder is screaming at me.¡±


    Embarrassed, Willow chases after me and says, ¡°DON¡¯T SPREAD LIES!¡±


    Location: Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ ¡°That castle is rather big, I would love to go look inside it,¡± I say looking at the giant castle in the distance.


    Dillion replies, ¡°Only the members of the red branch are allowed anywhere near the castle, people like us would be struck down in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, I doubt they could even land a blow on me.¡±


    Dillion says with a calm yet angry voice, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the warriors of the red branch, they are butchers who will kill countless. If there is one thing you must never do during your time in Nialathr¨² it is to anger them. Please.¡±


    Feeling emotion sealed behind those words, I say, ¡°OK, I promise I won¡¯t. Make sure you follow those words as well Suzuka.¡±


    Looking at her, I see that Suzuka is shaking, so I say, ¡°What¡¯s going on with you.¡±


    ¡°I AM TOO EMBARRASSED; EVERYONE CAN SEE ME!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, you¡¯re not eye-catching enough to get their attention.¡±


    Taking her hands off her face, she says, ¡°Really!¡±


    ¡°Of course Suzuka, because you¡¯re the second most unappealing woman I know of, be proud.¡±


    Suzuka gets annoyed, then asks, ¡°Who is the first.¡±


    ¡°Elia the fallen angel herself.¡±


    Location: Orb''s mansion


    ¦µ As I stand in front of a door with Gheorghe at my side, I look inside and see adults complaining and whining like children.


    Gheorghe beside me says, ¡°They have been complaining non-stop for a while now about their current situation, but It seems they are extra rowdy today since Orb isn¡¯t around,¡±


    Before I can say anything, I sneeze, and then Gheorghe says, ¡°Bless you.¡±


    ¡°Someone must be talking about me.¡±


    ¡°If you''re sick, it might be better to get someone to do this today, you have been dealing with this personally since this country was founded, taking some time off and resting is important.¡±


    Stretching, I say, ¡°I have been doing this for the express purpose of reducing the workload on the young king. If he had to deal with all of these people¡¯s complaints his mind and body would be too preoccupied, that¡¯s why we can¡¯t let too many people find out about this or he will know.¡±


    Tapping Gheorghe on the back, he smalls his fists against the floor, which quiets the whole room, and as we enter a man named Musa says, ¡°The witch has returned.¡±


    With my best smile, I say, ¡°Orb is nowhere around today, so I don¡¯t have to worry about him hearing your screams.¡±


    Musa taking a step back, says with sweat trickling down his face, ¡°If you plan to beat us into submission that would be no different than treating us like slaves.¡±


    I snap my fingers and Gheorghe places his hand out for me. Sitting down on his giant hand, I cross my legs and say, ¡°Of course, I would never do something so barbaric. And it would be a waste of time since, unlike the mind, the body heals rather quickly. So I am going to make you two promises, first, you won¡¯t be hurt physically, and with just my words I will make each and every one of you docile. Ok, start!¡±


    Location: The city of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Suzuka looks at me and says, ¡°You know you''re sort of like Orb.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T INSULT ME!¡±


    The beast we are riding on suddenly stops and both and all of the people who have been stuck to it our flung off onto the floor. Both Suzuka and I land on our feet, Suzuka uses her tails to catch quite a few falling people including Dillion.


    One of the people, who Suzuka caught says, ¡°Thank you so much, usually we all fall and get hurt but not today.¡±


    She goes stiff as if her mind can¡¯t handle this sudden interaction. This issue is multiplied by the large amount of people who come and start thanking her as well.


    Looking in front of me, I see the school building and I say, ¡°Is this where you all get educated?¡± to Dillion.


    ¡°Yes, it is one of the oldest and most secreted buildings in all of Nialathr¨². The grand hall of Eche, now we need to go otherwise we will be in trouble.¡±


    As Dillion runs off, I grab Suzuka who was getting surrounded by people in admiration for her, and say, ¡°I need her.¡±


    The people wave to Suzuka bye, and she does the same back while saying, ¡°I think I like it here.¡±


    Looking at the mask Suzuka was gifted, one of a fox, I start to laugh to myself, then I say, ¡°That mask is so stupid!¡±


    She says in retaliation, ¡°So is yours!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean bats are cool.¡±


    ¡°So are foxes!¡±


    As we run Dillion says, ¡°We need to go into that room there.¡±


    Me and Suzuka cease our fight and follow him, and when we enter the room, I say, ¡°This lecture hall is even bigger than the ones in Elp¨ªda!¡±


    With a small sense of pride, Dillion says, ¡°Even compared to whatever you humans have built us beastkin shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡±


    Suzuka stares at some big beastkin who walks past her, and says, ¡°There are a lot of adults here, are we supposed to be here?¡±


    Dillion looks slightly confused, then a few seconds he says, ¡°Due to having the genes of certain animals and wonderbeasts, the mental abilities of beastkin differ a lot despite age so you are put in a class with people who can think on the same level as you.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Then you must be a pretty brilliant bug.¡±


    Giddy, Dillion responds, ¡°Of course I am, I can¡¯t shame my brother or my people.¡±


    Someone from afar, says, ¡°The very existence of a Fanalis like you is already a shame.¡±


    Both Suzuka and I turn our heads and we see a group of beastkin, human-looking ones, with one in front that looks like a deer.


    Dillion with his head hanging low says, ¡°Sorry for that.¡±


    Seeing his face, I say, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°I see uneducated bugs, keep ignorant acquaintances.¡±


    His words upset both me and Suzuka.


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t I enlighten you to who I am. I am one of the children of our people''s leaders, a decedent of the red branch, My name is-.¡±


    Suzuka cutting him off says, ¡°We really don¡¯t care, thank you for your time bye.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± He says confused.


    Turning to face, Dillion Suzuka asks, ¡°Is a Fanalis what you beastkin who look more like animals than humans are called?¡±


    ¡°HEY DON¡¯T IGNORE ME.¡±


    Turning around with a disgusted aura, Suzuka says, ¡°You still here?¡±


    She really does get a lot more rude and disrespectful with something covering her face. ¡°You heard the lady, now vanish.¡±


    ¡°I will not take this slight.¡±


    Dillion grabs both of us and says, ¡°You both need to stop, he is from a powerful family, he is not someone to be trifled with.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry Dillion I will never trifle with anyone.¡±


    Secretly activating my legacy, I make the gravity around us reduce, then say, ¡°If only someone could fan me down.¡±


    Understanding my intent, Suzuka uses her tails to fan me extremely hard making a gust of win that sends the annoyance flying.


    As he lands in a rather embarrassing position, I say, ¡°Oh what an unfortunate turn of events!¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Who could have ever foretold this.¡±


    The boy''s men move towards him, and as this happens Dillion starts to panic and says, ¡°Do you know what you two have done!?¡±


    Patting him on his head, I say, ¡°Of course I do we protected you from bullies and as long as we are around you''re getting a nonstop amount of that, so you better deal with it.¡±


    Walking past Dillion, Suzuka says, ¡°So what about my question?


    Dillion smiles, and says, ¡°Yes, Fanalis is the name of us beastkin who are more beast than humans have,¡± he runs walks with Suzuka and Iancu to their seats.

 Arc 10.23: A day of joy part 1

    Location: Abais Castle


    ¦µ Entering another set of giant doors, I see a ridiculously large table in front of us a circular one, covered in vines.


    And sitting at the top of this table is one of the ministers we met yesterday, Cult¨²ir.


    With a pleasant smile, she says, ¡°How wonderful it is to see you accepted my invitation.¡±


    It was an invite? If felt more like they were telling us we had to go here.


    Composing myself, and getting on my tippy toes, I say, ¡°It is a pleasure to be here as well.¡±


    As Cult¨²ir is about to say something, Willow looks at me strangely and says, ¡°Where did this Maple come from?¡±


    Proudly, I say, ¡°Certain forms of training have been passed down so the village chief could deal with outsiders well.¡±


    ¡°How enthralling.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things about me,¡± I say hitting Willow repeatedly but lightly in the chest.


    Suddenly the maid behind us coughs, and then we stare back at Cult¨²ir who looks less than pleased at us ignoring her.


    ¡°It must be fun to be young and in love.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be bitter just because your husband cheated on you Cult¨²ir,¡± We hear a voice say from the sky.


    So we look up and see Dumnorix strung up on the roof with pixie flying around him.


    Willow asks, ¡°What is he doing up there.¡±


    ¡°His antics yesterday caused all of us some degree of mental strain, so I decided to leave him up there with no food for a few days, but it seems that was a bit to easy.¡±


    Taking a piece of cutlery from the table, Cult¨²ir throws it up and hits Dumnorix in the stomach. ¡°Bleeding out while he hangs will be a much more appropriate punishment.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t this make his blood fall on the table?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you won¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±


    As his blood drips down, a vine from the table grows up and knocks it away. ¡°This table is very capable of taking care of itself.¡±


    That feels like it would be a bigger distraction to eating than the blood dripping down.


    Willow intrigued, asks, ¡°How did it do that?¡±


    ¡°You see this table has been impeded with quite a few different types of plants and fungi. It was a heirloom passed down by one of the heads of the red branch back in their prime, apparently, it was a table that its owner commemorated more than anything else.¡±


    Willow sitting on the table says, ¡°Then we better treat it with the same level of respect.¡±


    Following Willow, I prepare to sit down, but he gets up and pulls my chair out for me. I am embarrassed by this action, but having to compose myself I keep quiet and sit down with grace.


    Staring at Cult¨²ir, memories of the conversation me and Willow had last night flow into my mind.


    -Last night-


    ¡°Willow, I think we should be careful when going ahead tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Why the big lovely fluffy angel that gave you a rub while leaving me alone, said everything would be ok?¡±


    I feel that Willow is slightly jealous that I got to be touched by that big hand. ¡°It is just that I feel despite his and all the other''s promises that they might try to gain from us.¡±


    ¡°Why would they, these cute, wonderful beasts, are just like our village I am sure more than anything they would want to get us to leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°But they aren¡¯t like us Willow, our people chose to leave, and theirs was forced to be here. If they figure out, they have a chance to leave, I don¡¯t know what they would do. There are many of them and only one was able to defeat both you and me.¡±


    Willow tightly grips his fist, not allowing Maple to see.


    ¡°But the worst thing is that when I was talking to Sen¨¢n, I felt the same kind of fear I do when I am hunting, the fear of a beast looking at me as prey. They are all ready to pounce at the slightest show of weakness, so we got to be prepared and I don¡¯t know if I can do it.¡±


    Walking up to Maple, I say, ¡°It is the jump of the spouse to make sure the village chief is prepared, so have faith in me, and anyways I have some ideas for what we can do tomorrow.¡±


    -Present-


    From the table, two large vines appear and drop plates, and after these plates are open both me and Willow are blasted with an extreme aroma that makes my mouth instantly fill with water.


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    This looks utterly delicious, this smell, the look. I swear the food is quite literally shining right into my face, and begging me to eat it.


    Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Please go ahead, and have eat your fill.¡±


    I wipe away the drool that is almost spilling out, and say, ¡°I sure will.¡±


    Beside me, the table places two different pieces of cutlery down. Seeing them I am taken aback since neither of them looks like what I am used to. Where is the spoon!!!?


    One looks like a small blade, and the other a small four-bladed weapon. The blade looks like it is used for cutting, but can¡¯t I also pick this up with it? But the four-bladed one is also quite sharp so I am pretty sure I could use it for cutting and it definitely can use it for picking this up.


    Do I have to choose you to use over the others, like how some people in our village used spears or bows? But both weapons had different things they specialize in, this doesn¡¯t since they both look to do the same job.


    Wait, do we have to eat in some kind of order, in my village we eat the smallest piece of food first, and slowly work our way up to the biggest meats. Though Orb didn''t follow that rule.


    While I am lost in thought, Cult¨²ir claps her hands and says, ¡°Is this some kind of problem with the food?¡±


    Fearing her finding out about my ignorance, I say, ¡°No, not any problem.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you eat.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    As I quietly feel my mind explode, Willow says, ¡°Hey sheep would you come over here.¡±


    He is unnaturally loud and rude, especially considering how much he would want the sheep-maid to like him. She rushes over a bit perturbed, and says, ¡°Yes, what do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°I am not a guest of the grand druid.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday your men injured my arm, so feed me.¡±


    ¡°Feed you?¡±


    ¡°Are you slow? I said feed me!¡±


    ¡°R-Right,¡± The woman says as uses both of the cutlery to cut apart Willow''s food.


    As this happens Willow passes me a glance. He really made himself look like the bad guy just to help me.


    With a goofy smile on his face, he opens his mouth and takes the food the sheep feeds him. He looks so happy one would wonder if he has reached heaven.


    Judging solely by the look on his face, I start to doubt that Willow did this solely for the reason of helping his wife.


    Annoyed, I hit Willow in the stomach, and then giving the sheep maid my best smile, I say, ¡°Please excuse us, my husband was being quite lazy, don¡¯t degrade yourself by putting up with his nonsense.¡±


    With a smile back, she says, ¡°Right!¡± Then joyfully she walks away.


    Now understanding how to handle the food, I cut the meat on the plate and then eat it; see I can act just as refined as the rest of you, don¡¯t underestimate me!


    In the back of my tongue, the aftertaste of the food hits me, and it shakes me down to my soul. I immediately take another bite, then another one after that.


    As I keep eating my form becomes less and less refined, as my carvings for another bite overtake my logic, and suddenly all the food on my plate is gone, and all that is left is a mess all over my face from my actions.


    Putting both my elbows on the table I hold my head in frustration. I thought I had to be careful of my presentation, but the real trap on this table, it was so good I became a beast.


    Cult¨²ir across the table laughs and says, ¡°I am glad you enjoyed it so much.¡±


    I could hang my head down low with shame, but that would simply be a lie looking across to Cult¨²ir with pride in my eyes, I say, ¡°It was beyond extraordinary. It truly was a divine meal, and I thank you for allowing me to partake in it,¡± With mess still across my face.


    Cult¨²ir laughs yet again, and says, ¡°Well if you like it so much, you should thank the chefs.¡±


    ¡°But what about my friend, I was planning to look for them after this meal.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that, we have already sent search parties everywhere to find them. We know this land far better than you do so please leave this task to us.¡±


    Thrown off a bit, I say, ¡°Oh-ok.¡±


    Getting up, she says, ¡°Now come along.¡±


    As both me and Willow get up I give him a glare, then say, ¡°Did you enjoy yourself?¡±


    ¡°I did that all to help you, and see by making myself the rampaging rude dog, you came off as a strong leader. Those maids have been looking at you with smiles since it happened.¡±


    ¡°So you have been staring at all of those women?¡±


    ¡°How is that all you got from my words.¡±


    ¡°Staring at woman, what a child you are.¡±


    ¡°Says the one with food all over her face.¡±


    ¡°Because I need to still saviour the taste, so I will be slowly licking the food off my face.¡±


    ¡°Then why is your face red.¡±


    ¡°Because I am embarrassed! Even though it is tasty my sense is telling me this behaviour is unacceptable and I just feel like a giant idiot.¡±


    Willow sighs, and then he kisses me on my lips, and says, ¡°Look now we both have food all over our faces.¡±


    ¡°Willow,¡± I say as I stare into his eyes.


    Behind the both of us, Cult¨²ir coughs, then says, ¡°If you two are done flirting I would appreciate it if the both of you would hurry up!¡±


    Dumnorix laughs and says, ¡°Your bitterness is tangible, but don¡¯t worry simply being around the chosen one such a myself will cure your from you-.¡±


    Before he can finish, Cult¨²ir throws a sword that was hung against the wall towards him, then says, ¡°Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Name: Willow Berk


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Sagittarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: Light Green, short hair.


    Eyes: Orange


    Height: 181cm


    Description: Orb''s best friend, and husband of Maple Rian He is well loved around his home due to him being someone who takes care of others, some call him a natural-born leader. He has an intense love for animals.


    Name: Maple Berk


    Age: 15


    Birthday: Sagittarius 1<sup>st</sup>


    Hair: white (primary), gold (secondary), usually in a ponytail.


    Eyes: Red(left), green (Right). She has a mark that looks like ?? under her right eye.


    Height: 167 cm


    Name:  Gheorghe Dumitrescu


    Age: 29


    Birthday:  Taurus 11<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: None


    Eyes: Purple


    Height: 200 cm


    Description: A giant monstrous-faced man covered in orange scales. His scales are harder than steel. Together with Wadim and Ivana, they are known as the three idiots despite being smarter than most people.


    Description: The current head of the village of Aplos. She is a very headstrong but bashful girl who loves all her people. But more than that she loves adventure.


    Name: Elia Moonwalker


    Age: 17


    Birthday: Capricorn 3<sup>rd</sup>


    Hair: It is Long, flowy, and Dark pink. She also has a yellow and black hair accessory.


    Eyes: Unknown. She has a light blue and pink heart-shaped tattoo under her left eye.


    Height: 174 cm


    Description: She is a rather meanly blunt girl to the point where it is common for her co-workers to call her a bitch. Though they all admit that her advice is helpful. She is known for her vast amounts of knowledge and her childish love for all things technical.

 Arc 10.24: A day of joy part 2

    Location: Grand hall of Eche


    As the eccentric lecture rampages on with her teachings in front of all of us, I take the time to form my thoughts.


    Through this one class, I have learned quite a bit about this place. First, they all speak the heroes song, after seeing so many of them speak it I can confirm it is simply the universal language down here.


    Secondly, it seems they all think the humans were completely wiped out, and everything on the outside has frozen over.


    And from other statements they have made, I can rightfully assume they have all been living here since before Victoria froze over and became Fimbulwinter.


    This has made me extra cautious in regard to protecting our identity. Because we are their only key to the outside world, and if we are not careful we could even start a human-beast war like in all of my childhood books.


    However, I doubt they could do anything to the human nations which have advanced much further since the time humans were the slaves of the beastkin.


    Still, this brings up another issue, as to how a civilisation that has been left alone for over 2000 years could be so small. If anything they should be one of the biggest groups of people in the world.


    When I was falling I did see that this place was big, but no bigger than a large city, it wouldn¡¯t be comparable to a country. Which by my calculation would struggle to even house all of those people if they just kept breeding unrestricted.


    The next thing I noticed, is how regressed their education is. This isn¡¯t really that unexpected due to them being sealed in Fimbulwinter, but it is kind of funny that the prideful teacher in front of me is completely wrong in a lot of these topics.


    Though I will say that their knowledge in regard to wonderbeasts is unbelievable, all forms of crafting in regard to wonderbeasts require an extreme level of understanding of how they work internally, and the fact that I have been constantly learning new things will help me quite a bit.


    Something hits me on the back of my head, so I turn around and look at a group of boys laughing among themselves and mocking us. Ignoring them I turn around and refocus on the lecturer.


    The third thing I have realized is that there seems to be a pretty blatant hierarchy within their society. The fact that some kids who seem to be the children of the richest parents are able to essentially command other kids.


    The kids are running around for them to get them stuff like food and water, in the middle of class, and they are messaging their bodies while also taking notes for them.


    Even though this is a large classroom, people are all in these big groups, because the kids in power simply commanded them to listen to them. but one thing I take particular notice of is that the ones being commanded, tend to be more animal than human, the Fanalis.


    They are really annoying, but at the end of the day they''re the ones who would get us in the most trouble so I guess I will just put up with it.


    Suddenly they throw a note that hits Dillion on the head, it was tightened to a rock so it hits him a bit harder, and after it does he picks up the rock and sees that something is tied to it.


    With both me and Suzuka watching, Dillion opens the note, and in the note is a poorly drawn image of Dillion over two dead bodies, and written on the note is you should have joined the devils you disgusting monster. Seeing this causes Dillion to cry a bit.


    Dillion''s parents don¡¯t seem to be around, and by how attached he is to his brother I had a few ideas, but this seems to confirm it for me, and at the same time their actions to him fill me with anger as well.


    But before I can do anything Suzuka grabs the stone and in the moment the lecturer looks away she gets up and turns around then throws the stone at full force.


    The boys scream and get out of the way, and the stone hits the wall leaving a crater, and shakes the room a tiny bit.


    One of the boys gets up and says, ¡°HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME!¡±


    The lecturer stops and the class focus on us. The lecturer asks, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°She threw a stone at me.¡±


    Suzuka with pride says, ¡°I did not, and if I did do you really think of someone with frail arms like myself who could make such a crater?


    At first glance, one would say Suzuka''s arms are frail and dainty but if you were to touch them you would feel the ridiculous amount of muscle within and that she is just relaxed.


    ¡°SHE IS LYING!¡±


    With confidence and pride, she says, ¡°I am not, that is a fact as true as the fact of the whiteness of my tails. But if we are talking about who has been assaulting who, I have quite a bit of evidence that you have been constantly throwing objects at me, and it is everywhere around me.¡± Then with her tails, she holds all the objects the boy and his friends have thrown at us.


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    I instantly start to laugh, and say, ¡°You know he might like you if he keeps trying to make up reason to talk to you.¡±


    Embarrassed and angry, he says, ¡°I am not!¡± However, his rampart emotional state doesn¡¯t make it come off as convincing.


    Suzuka playing along says, ¡°Ah I know it is hard to be so enthralled with a person with the fear of rejection embedded in your very soul, but I fear your utter and uncontrollable obsession with me won¡¯t make you suffer in class.¡±


    A few laughs go out towards him and this makes him even angrier. Pulling out a weapon from his side, he says, ¡°I won¡¯t let you in this life or the next ever get away with insulting me in such a manner.¡±


    ¡°Then how should we insult you, I am open to ideas. Though you make it so easy that they just keep coming.¡±


    Dillon starts to giggle a little, and then the deer says, ¡°That is enough!¡±


    The teacher in the front of the room says, ¡°Ciar¨®g silence! Are you not a member of the red branch, in all things you do I expect excellence and to disturb my class just to flirt with a Fanalis is the pinnacle of disrespect to not only me but your ancestors.¡±


    ¡°But I have been paying attention.¡±


    ¡°So prove it, what is the answer to the sum I have on the board.¡±


    The boy stares at the board trying to figure out the answer.


    The lecturer is a spider beastkin, with long spider legs attached to her back. She uses them to write across the giant board, which would otherwise be impossible without some sort of ladder.


    Still, despite having such a large board, she tries to maximise the space on it making her writing small and detailed. Due to this Ciar¨®g is having quite a bit of trouble deciphering what she has written.


    So I say, ¡°1834.¡±


    ¡°Correct, unexpected for a Fanalis,¡± The lecturer says with a surprising amount of joy. ¡°But still that was the answer to the first section, what about all the rest?¡±


    ¡°Oh I know the answers I just wanted to give Ciar¨®g some help, he is a member of the red branch and the least a dirty Fanalis like me can do to assist him,¡± I say turning my head back and giving him a smile.


    The lecturer says, ¡°How helpful of you, now Ciar¨®g go ahead he has given you a head start.¡±


    Ciar¨®g sits there staring at the board for an embarrassingly long amount of time, which causes giggles to go out through the classroom. So I say, ¡°2334.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Ciar¨®g slams his hands against the table, and says, ¡°I was just about to answer.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I simply don¡¯t have all day, so I needed to hurry this up. Now can the class resume as normal miss?¡±


    Ciar¨®g then holds up an amulet, and says, ¡° On the name of the O''Loughlin family, I command you to continue the questions.¡±


    The lecturer says, ¡°You do realize you are invoking your family''s name into this, if you fail I am sure there will be consequences. So I suggest you back down from this.¡±


    ¡°You heard me woman, do as I ask.¡±


    The teacher sighs, as if she has already accepted his fate, then says, ¡°Ok I will ask you both a series of questions about topics and the one who answers the most wins.¡±


    I grab Suzuka and pull her to my side, which causes her to say, ¡°I am going to throw up, please let go of me.¡±


    Holding back my sensation to deck her right in her face, I say, ¡°I am going to need you to read some minds since I won¡¯t be able to answer any questions about knowledge of this land.¡±


    ¡°I would rather see you fail and get embarrassed.¡±


    This annoying little girl.


    Ciar¨®g then says, ¡°What is taking so long do you beasts need to mate!¡±


    With rage so tangible, she says, ¡°Though in this case I think I might hate him more, than life itself.¡±


    And just like that the battle begins.


    She at first asks a series of arithmetic questions, all easily answered.


    ¡°221.¡±


    ¡°4.56¡±


    ¡°8.45¡±


    ¡°8.32¡±


    ¡°71%¡±


    ¡°7892.¡±


    ¡°7¡±


    ¡°2¡±


    ¡°85¡±


    Dillion says, ¡°How is he doing all of those so fast.¡±


    Suzuka then whispers to Dillion, ¡°It is because he had no friends so he put all his time into studying.¡±


    I am going to punch her incredibly hard after this, and that¡¯s a promise.


    Next were questions about this civilisation.


    ¡°What caused the battle of M¨ªor¨²ilt?¡±


    ¡°During a period where the government lost power, Fianna bands of warriors plotted to overthrow them.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°What was the great fire of Tuirlingt?¡±


    ¡°The minister of defence 300 years ago, was seen eating the gentiles of an animal still alive by one of the druids, and so to make sure no one found out. He set a great fire and used the opportunity to assassinate the druid, yet the druid had already told a great number of people.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Suzuka uses her tails to shape the answers for me after finding them out by reading people''s minds, despite how she asks she is definitely useful to have around.


    These questions are also rather useful when it comes to figuring out more information about this place, in fact, this is the best outcome I could have hoped for.


    ¡°What is an Alpha wonderbeast?¡±


    ¡°All wonderbeasts have parts of them that are the signifiers of their strength like size, due to a mutation or cannibalism, some wonderbeast''s signifiers are greater than others, and this causes wonderbeasts of the same species or even other species to follow them. Those superior wonderbeasts are known as alpha¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°What is a behemoth wonderbeast?¡±


    ¡°A wonderbeast that is one of a kind. They are completely asexual and other wonderbeasts can be spawned from them, and even if they were to die they will somehow appear again over time, no one knows how this is possible. Each one is over 60 meters tall, and are all considered walking calamities.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Now for the last question tell me what this symbol in the lost language means.¡±


    Looking at it, I whisper, ¡°Isn¡¯t that from the heavens song?¡± These guys must have come across some of the texts for the heavens song, and now consider some form of lost language.


    ¡°It has two meanings depending on the way you read it, Wall, or protector.¡±


    The teacher looks surprised, and says, ¡°How could a Fanalis possibly know that? But still, regardless it is correct, Iancu has answered 72 questions, Ciar¨®g has answered 5, Iancu wins, and with that, the class comes to an end.¡±


    Getting up, I hug Dillion and say, ¡°It¡¯s a victory for us!¡±


    He is excited and jumps around as well. As he does this I look back in at Ciar¨®g who is all alone as his allies have gone away, and he simply sits there in despair.


    Don¡¯t really feel good about seeing that expression, but you reap what you sow, and that smile on Dillion''s face feels real good.


    ¡°Now it is time to carry out my promise.¡± I punch Suzuka in the stomach so as not to hit her mask, and she retaliates by kicking me across the classroom. This causes a fight to break out between us.

 Arc 10.25: A day of joy part 3

    -Break-


    Location: Base of the great tree Anucro¨ª


    ¦µ As we walk with Cult¨²ir through a corridor someone runs up to her and says, ¡°Madam.¡±


    ¡°Madam?¡± She says giving the girl walking over to her.


    The woman then corrects herself and says, ¡°Deirfi¨²r na gr¨¦ine.¡± Which is a term in more classical heroes song, a version of the song that no one in the village or outside the village tends to use.


    The term means sister of the sun. With a bright smile, Cult¨²ir asks, ¡°Yes what is it.¡±


    ¡°The pipes understand, Ronald''s bakery has burst which has caused flooding, and it seems Moris had used the Uissl¨ª plants for his own recreational use so we have none to make any pipes.


    This has caused a big stir as his bread was recently going to be used as a prize for the upcoming Gaelic tournament, and now those who usually eat his bread are fighting with those who want to save it for the sports tournament, this has caused some to even start fighting.


    But the worst part is some of the kids participating in the tournament are children of the red branch so they have started crying to their parents which has caused even more stirs.¡±


    Cult¨²ir pats the young girl on the head and says, ¡°Don¡¯t be so worked up, we will deal with this easily. First, I keep Uissl¨ª plants in a safe within my home, because I realized that Moris was playing a prank.


    Next ask to inform the members of the crowd that the bread will be restored, and that I personally will use some of my collection of food as a stand-in, in case the bread isn¡¯t finished in time.


    Then I would like you to head over and with some of my red branch guards give those who came to blows a physical warning, we may share the powers of beasts but we are above that.


    You can also leave the issues with the other red branch families to me, I am sure I can restrain them. What you need to do right now I calm down and sort out the issues one by one.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± The girl says inspired to move.


    Sighing, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Sorry for that unsightly show of my people.¡±


    ¡°No don¡¯t be, if anything I am impressed. But should you be showing us around when there are other important matters to address?¡±


    ¡°My subordinates are capable, and besides it is no bother. At the end of the day, all of those people are far more similar than they are different they all have a hard time believing that others truly would wish them harm, this fight was simply caused by miscommunication and hastiness. But if those people didn¡¯t see themselves as similar then that is when true hell begins. Ahh, it seems we are here.¡±


    We walk through another set of their grand doors, and we come to a place where we are greeted with beastkin all in robes covered with different types of plants, and each of those beastkin have horns seemingly made of trees.


    But the most noticeable thing is the ridiculous amount of wonderbeasts running around, there are so many different types and they are all so varied that I can feel Willow''s soul slip out of his body.


    I grab him so he doesn¡¯t die from excitement, and say, ¡°You have a wife, you can¡¯t die!¡±


    Cult¨²ir giggles and says, ¡°I knew you would both like this. You see this is the eternal garden of Medb which is where we keep all of the wonderbeasts in our lands. It is split up into many different ecosystems for all the different wonderbeasts which you can see as you go up the great tree of Anucro¨ª.¡±


    Some people walk up to us, and bow, then Cult¨²ir says, ¡°These are the druids the ones in charge of keeping the wonderbeasts and the flora in prime condition, and over the research of them and their inner workings. They are also our chefs.¡±


    Both me and Willow run up and grab their hands.


    Shaking it, I say, ¡°The food was truly heavenly a mark of god, a song to existence, a dream made real, you should be proud and hold your head up high for the rest of your wonderful existence.¡±


    Willow does the same and says, ¡°Your work truly is wonderful, you angels should hold your head up high for the rest of your wonderful existence. I love you all very much, and I would also love if you were to tell me about all these great beasts.¡±


    The druid looks taken aback, and then Cult¨²ir says, ¡°I think you should take them up on their requests.¡±


    The druid says, ¡°Ok then follow me.¡±


    After walking for a little bit, he points at a wonderbeasts; the dear-like one that was ridden by the beastkin that attacked us.


    The druid says, ¡°That¡¯s the apex deer, a wonderbeast known for its speed and manoeuvrability, it is great for archers because of this. They also are rather great companions, and will put their lives on the line of their riders.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°What about the exploding fruits on their heads? Those caused us quite a bit of pain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, those are not naturally part of the wonderbeast. You see they are from a parasitic plant that once infected our apex deer, but through our help, the deers were able to adapt to it and have now made them a part of their arsenal. The archers can use them to make their arrows explode which only furthers their arsenal.¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± I say touching the deer.


    ¡°That¡¯s not all we have, over there are the bursting bears,¡± he says pointing at a blackbird with markings all over it.


    ¡°They have incredibly well-insulated fur, and during the winter when the cold from Fimbulwinter gets much worse we can use them to keep ourselves warm.¡±


    ¡°I see, how amazing!¡± Willow says.


    Feeling Willow''s excitement, it seems the druids are moved, and another one says, ¡°Over there is the s¨¢ntacht elephant, they have the ability to suck in air and completely purify it, so we can reuse all the air that has been trapped in this area again and again.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful tell me more!¡±


    ¡°Those ones of there are colheita, they are a species of wonderbeasts that allow you to plant seed on their back and if you give them enough time they will grow the plants, allowing you to get different types of plants that wouldn¡¯t be able to have been grown in this.¡±


    ¡°That is amazing, I need to hear more.¡±


    ¡°Then how about this one, the y¨ªgant¨ªsoma. It is a wonderbeast that has many different uses, but we mainly use it for medicinal purposes.¡±


    Another druid says, ¡°It is capable of creating medicine for anything as long as it ingests the diseases. For more complex diseases it will take quite a few generations to make a cure, but as long as you make sure they stay alive, it will eventually find a cure and become immune to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    As Willow freaks out, I see another y¨ªgant¨ªsoma that looks very different from the one they are looking at and I ask, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is also a y¨ªgant¨ªsoma, but a cursed one, or a nightmare as some would call them.¡±


    A nightmare, like Iancu. ¡°Wait how can a wonderbeast be cursed?¡±


    ¡°Anything with a soul and a physical body can be cursed, and these wonderbeasts are one of the unlucky few. When a wonderbeast or animal is cursed they tend to lose their ability to deal with their ecosystem and die while destroying their ecosystem at the same time.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t all bad, they can find other places where they belong and still be of great use. This y¨ªgant¨ªsoma has the ability to create water, so by carefully breeding the one that used to have this curse, we were able to get a near-infinite source of water down here. Though a large portion of our yearly yield has to go into feeding the cursed y¨ªgant¨ªsoma.¡±


    Rubbing its back, I say, ¡°That¡¯s good, I hope you have a good home here.¡±


    Suddenly I hear something incredibly strong stomp its way towards me, looking in the direction the sound is coming from, I see it is the Tiritrex that Ganthr¨² rode when he attacked us.


    As it hurls its strong body toward us, me and Willow start to panic, but then it stops right before it rams into us, and from its mouth, it drops something.


    ¡°Flowers,¡± I say looking at the floor. I look up at the Tiritrex, but then I get shy and hide its face, ¡°Is it a little girl?¡±


    Cult¨²ir giggles and says, ¡°This girl is rather sensitive, and doesn¡¯t like to be this liked.¡±


    Walking up to the Tiritrex, I say, ¡°Thank you for apologizing it means a lot, so how about we become friends?¡±


    The Tiritrex using its large tongue starts to lick my body however it likes, so I say, ¡°Since you are so clingy, I will name you Suzuka the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    In that moment, all the Druids and Cult¨²ir had the same thought; Did you just name our wonderbeast?


    Willow behind me, says, ¡°You guys must truly love wonderbeasts.¡±


    Cult¨²ir replies, ¡°Of course, we do, since they decided so much of our personal existence.¡±


    ¡°Is it because you are part animal as well?¡±


    Cult¨²ir looks confused for a moment, then says, ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t know. You see whenever a member of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan consumes an animal or wonderbeast, that creature''s genes get locked into our genes.


    So if we have offspring they can become beastkin of any creature locked into our genes, they can take all the aspects of one or multiple aspects of many different creatures. These creatures determine everything about us and our offspring so of course they all hold great amounts of meaning to us.¡±


    Hearing her words I am completely pushed to silence. Isn¡¯t that a massive thing to reveal to us, we are outsiders and if they kept that information to themselves, it would only benefit them. How am I supposed to feel about her?


    Willow says, ¡°That''s freaking amazing, I didn¡¯t even know it was possible for wonderbeasts to mix genes like that.¡±


    One of the druids says, ¡°Most Wonderbeasts can mate with other wonderbeasts of different species.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Researching wonderbeasts shows you that the impossible can be possible. Still after fusing four different wonderbeasts through mating the offspring will eventually go infertile, while also developing a lot of other negative attributes. Though every once in a while there is a breakthrough, we actually keep records on this if you want to see.¡±


    Excited Willow calms himself down and says, ¡°No, not really.¡±


    Seeing how he is holding himself back for me, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t this your dream?¡±


    He kisses me on my face, and says, ¡°You¡¯re the best wife ever!¡±


    As he leaves Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Would you please follow me, I would like to show you something.¡±


    Slightly weary, I say, ¡°Ok then.¡± And then I follow her whole will preparing to protect my heart from whatever she might try next.


    Name: Y¨ªgant¨ªsoma


    Height: 242 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal wonderbeast, with a rotund body. They are covered in fur and have a faces that are rather fierce for how their bodies look. They have a strong internal defence so any harmful substance they ingest won¡¯t kill them, instead after generations they will grow branch like horns through their rotund body which contains medicine for whatever they have ingested.


    Fact: They have no hunting capabilities, so they simply join packs of other animals and use their abilities to create medicine for the others. They are often referred to as the first doctors.


    Name: Cursed Y¨ªgant¨ªsoma


    Height: 242 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal wonderbeast, with a rotund body that has been cursed. They are covered in fur and their skin is flowy like water, to those who see them from afar they would wonder if they are capable of even touching these wonderbeasts. They can create water from their body by using the large amounts of fat within themselves, though sadly the curse has reduced their previous capabilities.


    Fact: Due to the newfound ability to create water, it is often seen as prey instead of a companion.

 Arc 10.26: A day of joy part 4

    -Break-


    Location: Grand hall of Eche; Dinning Hall


    ¦µ With a plate in my hands, walk up to where all the food is, and it is tremendous. Ever where I look I see food glistening as if the messiah has fallen down on it.


    So with my stomach grumbling I reach out my hand and prepare to take what I want, but then I am stopped by a beastkin with a weapon at his side, who says, ¡°Don¡¯t try and be funny, Fanalis you know which food is yours.¡±


    So, I stretch my arm, away from the food I was about to grab and to another dish, but he makes the same angered look that he had on before. So I repeat this process, till my hand ends up hovering over food that is clearly made from bugs.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡±


    ¡°Are you sick in the mind you Fanalis, stop complaining and take what your kind eats as normal.¡±


    Filling my plate full of bugs, I get up and walk away till I meet Dillon and Suzuka. Sitting down beside them, I say, ¡°Hey Dillion why can¡¯t I take any of the other food there?¡±


    ¡°What the Fanalis eat is heavily restricted, the only thing we''re allowed to eat are our bugs.¡±


    Seeing the cooked bugs on my plate get up and move away, I say, ¡°This can¡¯t be ok.¡±


    Dillion with a delightful smile says, ¡°Most don¡¯t test the best, but some do especially bugs made from the aisachta in particular, they taste super sweet, and are very healthy. Though my brother says we won¡¯t get to eat it after today.¡±


    Suddenly, I feel a sinking feeling. Isn¡¯t the Aisachta the giant moth with killed when we landed in Nialathr¨², doesn¡¯t that mean we killed one of the only tasted creatures that the Fanalis get to eat!?


    I start to shake out of fear of people getting to know what we did.


    ¡°Iancu are you ok.¡±


    In a very erratic way, I say, ¡°Yeah I am fine!¡±


    As I stare at Dillion I also see Suzuka staring at another table and drooling through her mask, so I say, ¡°You know stealing is wrong.¡±


    Wiping her Drool, she says, ¡°Of course, even I know that! I was just having a fantasy.¡±


    ¡°Why do that, look the bugs are so tasty,¡± Dillion says trying to hand Suzuka a bug.


    ¡°Please stop!¡± Suzuka says as she panics. But Dillion seeing this continues to tease her with it.


    But then suddenly, a large amount of Fanalis gather around the table we are and they start speaking.


    ¡°I hear you guys made embarrassed Ciar¨®g.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know any of the Fanalis at this school were so smart.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had any bat Fanalis.¡±


    ¡°That is also a fox, her tails as so pretty.¡±


    ¡°Dillion how do you know these two?¡±


    Making up a lie, Dillion says, ¡°They uhm, are my cousins.¡±


    ¡°But how come we have never seen them before?¡±


    ¡°It is because we have always been very sick so we stay inside, isn¡¯t that right sister.¡±


    Suzuka makes an aura of disgust so intense that I can hear it, but then I point at Dillion and make a symbol of a wolf with my hands to remind her of Orb.


    So she says, ¡°It is right, me and my brother have been sick because he is a plague and I have been infected by it since birth.¡±


    She really doesn¡¯t know when to stop, but I can¡¯t do anything back.


    A bear Fanalis says, ¡°Is all the stuff they are saying about you true Dillion?¡±


    Dillion''s face instantly turns red and his bug face starts to move around, Suzuka and I in this moment realize that this girl is the one he has a crush on.


    So I grab Dillion and say, ¡°All the information I learn, it was taught to me by him.¡±


    Suzuka follows up and says, ¡°he is also always nursing us back to health, he is truly caring and kind.¡±


    Dillion looks at both of us in his erratic state, then facing the bear he says, ¡°Melissa, don¡¯t listen t-.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s so amazing Dillion, I didn¡¯t know you were so cool.¡±


    Dillion instantly changes his words and says, ¡°I am pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°It was them!¡± A voice from afar says.


    Looking in the distance we all see Ciar¨®g, who has a group of men behind him. Seeing them the Fanalis around our table get scared, and one mutters, ¡°Warriors of the red branch!¡±


    The men walk up and say, ¡°So it was you who decided to embarrass house Flanagan.¡±


    Dillion lowers his head and looks scared, but then the grown man picks Dillion up and says, ¡°You were extremely talkative till a second ago, so answer my question was it you!?¡±


    The guards in the room simply look away as Dillion is forcefully picked up, it seems they don¡¯t care what happens to a Fanalis.


    Dillion gets scared because of this, so Suzuka stands up on the table and hits the man''s wrist gently but precisely which causes him to let go of Dillion.


    He moves back and holds his wrist which he cannot put any power into, and then Suzuka says, ¡°Daddy told me not to use violence unprovoked against anyone, so if you keep messing with my friends I will strike back.¡±


    Behind her, I say, ¡°You''re always attacking me.¡±


    Turning her head around, Suzuka says, ¡°Let me correct myself, Daddy told me not us use violence unprovoked against anyone with a soul.¡±


    ¡°HEY YOU JUST CALL ME SOULLESS!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be called what you are, so being that!¡±


    The man draws his sword and then says, ¡°If you think you can attack me and get away with it Fanalis you have another thing coming!¡±


    As he swings his sword at Suzuka, she plants her fits into his face and slams his head into the floor and then with her tails she forms firsts and does the exact same thing to all of the beastkin around him.


    Then getting up she looks at Ciar¨®g who falls on his butt, who says, ¡°You monster, this is unfair!¡±


    Suzuka looks angry at being called a monster, but there her stomach grumbles which calms her down.


    Getting an idea, I say, ¡°You¡¯re right this was unfair, so let¡¯s change the battle. If you can beat Dillion here, both Suzuka and I will do whatever you say no matter how embarrassing or degrading.¡±


    Ciar¨®g perks up at this suggestion, but then he cautiously asks, ¡°What do you want in return.¡±


    ¡°Oh simple, we just want all of the food you can get for us.¡±


    With all of his pride and arrogance returning, Ciarog says, ¡°Let¡¯s do this then you bug.¡±


    Dillion scared attaches himself to my leg and says, ¡°I can¡¯t win this.¡±


    Suzuka picking him up says, ¡°You managed to maintain your spirit energy flowing through your body all day up to now, so I am sure a little bit of physical strain won¡¯t cause you to lose control.¡±


    Dropping him in front of Ciar¨®g Suzuka says, ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¦µ Dillion moves his head around to look at all the other Fanalis including Melissa, in that moment Ciar¨®g moves towards him to strike in his confused state.


    But before he is hit he moves away, which causes Ciar¨®g to say, ¡°So you''re quick on your feet. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re going to win.¡±


    Ciar¨®g moves to attack him and Dillion dodges out of the way. Despite being young both of them move with speed comparable to adults using spirit energy.


    It seems their beastkin bodies are just that much stronger than humans, but despite that everyone can see there is a clear difference between the both of them, Dillion is faster.


    Ciar¨®g seems to just be throwing his strength around, but Dillion''s great levels of control allow him to step out of the way. I know my technique allowed him to flow his spirit energy better, but to keep that up requires dedication.


    After a while, Ciar¨®g''s spirit energy decreases to miniscule amounts, and Dillons is still quite large. ¡°How do you still have so much left.¡±


    ¡°Because I have a great master.¡± Dillion smacks Ciar¨®g in the head knocking him out.


    Then after he does that the Fanalis in the area rush him and pounce.


    ¡°You really beat him!¡±


    ¡°I never thought you were so skilled.¡±


    ¡°We Fanalis are really that cool.¡±


    ¡°Can you teach me that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing.¡±


    ¡°I could never be like you.¡±


    With a smile, Melissa says, ¡°How cool!¡±


    As Dillion''s emotions start to cook him, I go and grab all of our victory food. ¡°To the winner goes the spoils!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Outskirts of the city of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ On the back of one of the apex deer, I say, ¡°WOOOO!¡± As I race with it.


    Riding beside me on another one, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°I told you it was fun didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Smiling at her, I say, ¡°Absolutely. I feel though I could go even faster on this.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t bother because I happened to be the fastest rider in all of Nialathr¨², in my younger days.¡±


    ¡°It is rather saddening to see an eighty-year-old talk about her younger days.¡±


    ¡°HEY, I AM MERELY FIFTY YEARS OLD!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference, grandma,¡± I say speeding up.


    Speed up as well, I say, ¡°It seems you need to be taught a lesson, little girl.¡±


    Both of us race each other at full speed, and eventually, our race comes to an end as we reach a cliff. Jumping off of my wonderbeast, I say, ¡°You really are fast.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, bow at my superiority! But if you are too tired to do that I would suggest looking here.¡±


    Getting up, I look over the cliff, and over it, I see the entirety of Pros¨²nfore. ¡°It is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I know it is, this is a country I love deeply, one which I and many have poured their body into to survive.¡±


    ¡°I can see why you would do all of that.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, there are many in this country who if given a chance would destabilize it for personal gain, and there are many who if they found out that the outside world was still here they would look to plunder it. And I feel the same can be said of the humans in the outside world as well.¡±


    Remembering all of the scum who destroyed my village, I nod my head in agreement.


    ¡°Maple, we have promised not to harm you and I will put my very life at stake to make sure as the grand minister of Nialathr¨², but can I ask you won¡¯t do the same to our people!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make that promise,¡± I say pointing my head downwards.


    ¡°Judging from your expression, I believe there is more to that than just greed.¡±


    ¡°I simply don¡¯t have the confidence to make such a promise. Unlike you who is able to hold your head up high as the leader of your people, I simply cannot do that.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you introduce yourself as the leader of your people?¡±


    ¡°I hold power, but one of the people I am looking for, someone I feel is like a brother to me is far more capable as a leader. I can¡¯t calm people''s hearts or lead them forward, yet he can far easier than me, so I feel utterly useless.


    I don¡¯t lack the authority to make such a promise to you, but it simply doesn¡¯t hold any weight, since I couldn¡¯t stop anything if it happens, I am useless,¡± I say with tears forming.


    Wiping my eyes, she says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, awareness leads to growth, so I trust that you will be able to one day become a great leader. So as future insurance could you promise me this.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, now let¡¯s us go back it is getting late. When we arrive I can also give you some pointers on how to rule.¡±


    ¡°I would enjoy that very much!¡±

 Arc 10.27: A day of joy part 5

    -Break-


    Location: Fanalis Village


    ¦µ As all of us kids return on the back of the beast, I say, ¡°What an eventful day.¡±


    Suzuka replies, ¡°I cannot wait to reach that much tomorrow.¡±


    Dillion then says, ¡°We don¡¯t have any school tomorrow.¡±


    Suzuka''s face instantly fills with despair, and I try my best to hold back my laughter.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to worry, it is almost dinner time,¡± Dillon says as he points towards their little village which seems to have a lot of people gathering in the centre.


    Suzuka runs forward and we follow behind her, and when we reach the overpopulated village, we see there is a giant pot in the middle of the village and from that pot a heavenly smell emanates.


    Beside us, we hear, ¡°It seems the Aisachta up and died, so they are cooking it all tonight.¡±


    ¡°What? I thought we would have been able to get more out of it.¡±


    ¡°Well what use is there complaining about it tonight, it won¡¯t bring it back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°I guess you''re right, so let¡¯s simply party today to make up for all of our missed opportunities.¡±


    Hearing this I start to feel incredible amounts of guilt as I realize what I have taken from them, but Suzuka pays them no mind and simply drools over the smell.


    ¡°You do realize that is a bug?¡±


    Suzuka wiping her mouth, says, ¡°I have bested it in battle so it no longer counts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re internal rules are so confusing.¡±


    ¡°Well it isn¡¯t your job to understand, it is time to dig in.¡±


    As Suzuka runs forward she is grabbed by the head, and I am too. Turning to face the person who grabbed us, I see Abb¨¢n.


    Sweating I say, ¡°How¡¯s your day been coming.¡±


    ¡°YOU FOOLS!¡±


    -One earful later-


    With our legs folded on the ground in a dark corner, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°DO YOU TWO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE inconspicuous!¡±


    ¡°Sorry!¡± We say in unison.


    ¡°I should kick both of you out over this, but my brother is partly to blame so I will let it go, just tell me you didn¡¯t do anything that will make you guys stand out.¡±


    All the memories of the last day pop into my head, so I repressed them and all of my emotions and say, ¡°We were completely normal, to others we were simply air, truly unnoticed. Right, Suzuka?¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± She says with vigour.


    Abb¨¢n takes off her fake fox head and then looking into her face, he says, ¡°Is that true.¡±


    She instantly breaks, and with tears in her eyes, she says, ¡°No it isn¡¯t. We picked a fight with someone who looked really fancy, and then we embarrassed him multiple times throughout the day, beat up his guards and stole all of his food. His friends left him and everyone in the school made a big deal about it and was super interested in us!¡±


    Abb¨¢n steps back and then smashes my face into the ground saying, ¡°YOU IMBECLILE!¡±


    ¡°Hey, why did you only hit me, what about Suzuka!¡±


    ¡°She told the truth, and she is a girl.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S UNFAIR!¡±


    He slams my head into the ground again, then says, ¡°Life is always unfair!¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°I think Dillion is in trouble!¡±


    Abb¨¢n turns his head to him and says, ¡°What do you mean!?¡±


    ¡°I can hear his thoughts going crazy, they are almost overpowering everyone else¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°you can what?¡±


    ¡°It is a long explanation, just trust her. Suzuka where is Dillion.¡±


    Getting up she runs, and we follow her, and eventually we get in between two houses, and then before we can rush in between that gap Suzuka stops us.


    In the gap we see both Dillion and Melissa his crush, so Suzuka extremely excited says, ¡°I think he might be doing it.¡±


    ¡°No way, my brother would never be so bold.¡±


    ¡°Well after beating up that member of the redbranch he must be feeling confident.¡±


    ¡°My innocent brother did what!? You bastards must have polluted his mind!¡±


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Hey, we just made him stand up for himself.¡±


    ¡°Mess with one of those rich bastards you mess with all of them, this is going to be trouble!¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°SHUT UP YOU TWO BASTARDS!¡± And then biting her nails she looks at Dillion and Melissa.


    ¡°You seem oddly excited.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t allowed to interact with people, but I was able to read their minds so loved hearing people confess their love to each other. Because before they ever said anything their minds would constantly go crazy, and when they finally did it their thoughts would go even wilder, it was one of my only sources of entertainment.¡±


    ¡°I see, then let¡¯s shut up and watch.¡±


    Dillion in the distance is shaking and then says, ¡°Melissa, we have known each other for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we have for years now.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of me.¡±


    She looks confused for a moment then says, ¡°I used to think you were a winey crybaby, who couldn¡¯t do anything without his brother.¡±


    Dillion falls to the ground in shock and Suzuka says, ¡°His thoughts are filled with despair.¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I see I guess we have to kill her.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Grabbing them both, I say, ¡°Let her finish!¡±


    ¡°But I saw a completely different side of you today. You were brave and stood up to those annoying bullies, and then you shared your food with all of us, not to mention your fighting skills. I found it really cool especially when I found out you are always taking care of your two cousins.¡±


    ¡°Cousins,¡± Abb¨¢n says.


    ¡°SHH, I will explain later.


    ¡°So Dillion, I think you''re really awesome, and I feel safe knowing you will be our next leader after Abb¨¢n.¡±


    Dillion gets up full of energy, runs up to Melissa and then grabs her hand, following this he says, ¡°Melissa, I love you, I think your nose is adorable, your fur is adorable, your voice is adorable, your smile is adorable, you are adorable! I want to be with you forever and I hope you do the same, so will you become my wife.¡±


    In the distance, all three of us look at him with our mouths open in surprise. Dillion that was way too much and way too soon! But Melissa looks like she is happy to hear this, so maybe it all worked out?


    Jittery, Melissa says, ¡°Dilliom thank you very much, but I am sorry I can¡¯t go out with you.¡±


    All of Dillion''s happiness falls to sadness so fast that I swear it made the ground shake.


    Holding back tears, he says, ¡°Would you be able to tell me why.¡±


    ¡°Because I am in love with Iancu!¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± all of us in the area say.


    Then as Suzuka and Abb¨¢n look at me, I scream, ¡°HUH!¡±


    ¡°I knew it the moment I first saw him that I would one day become his wife, it was love at first sight. And even though I do think you are a great person, Dillion, I don¡¯t think your face is one I could wake up to every day, but Iancu¡¯s is one I definitely could to.¡±


    Abb¨¢n grabbing my head, says, ¡°See what you have done to my little brother!¡±


    ¡°How is this my fault, she fell in love with the mask you made!¡±


    ¡°That girl must seriously have something wrong with her if she would ever pick Iancu.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a girl who is forever alone.¡±


    Suzuka strikes me right into the open so Dillion and Melissa can see me.


    ¡°Hi,¡± I say trying to break the tension in the air.


    Melissa seeing me starts to blush and Dillion runs forward and jumps into the sky prepared to strike me.


    -One minor fight later-


    Crying beside me, I say, ¡°Dillion again I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that you beautiful bastard!¡±


    Abb¨¢n walking over to us with two plates in his hands and gives them to us.


    Smelling it, I say, ¡°This is wonderful, you should enjoy this food as well Dillion.¡±


    Grabbing his plate, Dillion starts to cry into the food and asks, ¡°Will this make my pain go away big brother?¡±


    ¡°I promise it will.¡±


    ¡°But you also promise that people will like me if I just talk to them.¡±


    A bit shaken Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I know a said that, and it is true who wouldn¡¯t like my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Melissa doesn¡¯t. I thought if I just said how I feel everything would turn out alright, but everything got worse and now I feel stupid for trying.¡±


    Abb¨¢n pauses for a moment and says, ¡°I am sorr-.¡±


    Cutting Abb¨¢n off, I say while carefully destroying the food, ¡°I think that a really one-sided way of looking at things. My kind isn¡¯t really liked all that well on the surface by the humans.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Dillion says.


    ¡°Yeah, humans can be pretty hateful to others and themselves. So they rejected people like me, and in turn, I rejected them back, but that wasn¡¯t right. Others took their rejection like the Lebensbaum family, and fought to change it to acceptance, which is one of the main reasons humans even put up with me. So I don¡¯t think giving up and being afraid of rejection, is the right choice.¡±


    Abb¨¢n asks, ¡°But what if they keep rejecting me no matter how hard I try?¡±


    ¡°Then keep trying because the alternative is to live as outcasts for the rest of your life, and if I have to do that I might as well keep trying to change my situation.¡±


    ¡°You are actually a lot smarter than you look, Iancu.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I just have a rather great that, a heroic mother, a crazed sibling, and three idiots who all take care of me. Though I guess thanks to a stupid wolf I have a bit more than that now.¡±


    Dillon taking his plate starts to eat, and after he takes a bit, he says, ¡°It is delicious.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess Abb¨¢n must not have cooked it.¡±


    ¡°Is there some kind of problem with my cooking?¡±


    Suddenly the beetle brothers dash into us and knock our food out of our hands.


    Turning to them, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Fighting in the middle of us all, do you two even know what self-control means!¡±


    Frightened, they say, ¡°SORRY ABB¨¢N!¡±


    I notice that Suzuka is nowhere to be found.


    -Break-


    Climbing the top of a building, I say, ¡°There you are?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing up here Suzuka,¡± Asks annoyed.


    ¡°Looking for you?¡±


    ¡°So I see you have also turned into a stalker.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I have better things to do than stalk you.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    Sitting down diagonally to her, I say, ¡°All the voices were too much for you.¡±


    She looked amazed, then with her head down she said, ¡°With everyone this tightly packed I couldn¡¯t be here without a giant headache.¡±


    ¡°Well looks like I planned well,¡± I say taking out three plates of food.


    As she smells them, she starts to drool and says, ¡°What are these for?¡±


    ¡°You moron.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± She says with an ecstatic expression.


    With haste, she starts to eat, and I say, ¡°They''re all really merry, I could have never seen this if I was back in Skydust.¡±


    ¡°I understand as well. Before, celebrations like this were something I could only dream of but now I get to see them really often, it makes me really happy.¡±


    ¡°I guess I need to thank Orb next I see him.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, and I guess I will share some food with him.¡±


    ¡°You might want to rethink that because everyone gets two servings only, so if you give him yours no more food.¡±


    ¡°But I have three here.¡±


    Getting embarrassed, I turn my back to her and say, ¡°I gave you one of mine.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°As I thank you for covering me with your tails this morning. Despite what I said, it did help me, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. And since I am sure a kind and caring person I will allow you to stay up here with me.¡±


    ¡°No, sounds like a pain,¡± I say walking away.


    In a surprised voice, she says, ¡°Ehh, what, umm wait!¡±


    ¡°No, I would rather leave, you''re kind of annoying.¡±


    ¡°WELL, I HATE YOU TWO SCRAM!¡±


    Glancing at her, I see she looks really upset, so I say, ¡°Well I guess my feet do hurt, so I will stick around for a little bit.¡±


    Happily, she says, ¡°Well you should prepare yourself because spending time with me will shorten your life span with how fun it is.¡±


    Sarcastically, I say, ¡°Oh how I can¡¯t wait.¡±

 Arc 10.28: Signs of chaos part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Abais castle


    ¦µ Sitting in one room the five ministers of Nialathr¨² gather. ¡°Cult¨²ir, how did today go?¡± Amad¨¢n asks.


    ¡°It went far better than I had expected. As it stands the little girl seems like she would be very easy to control.¡±


    ¡°So should we move on with the next step of our plan?¡± Olc asks.


    ¡°Sadly, not yet, one thing I learned is that one of the people she is looking for seems to be the one who holds all the power among the humans who live above us.


    This means our plan to use the girl to control the humans won¡¯t work without killing this other human first. But to do that we are to go ahead with our plan, we now need a bit more info. Leisci¨²il did you do the inspection like I asked?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my people doubled checked and without at doubt falling from that height would have killed a normal person. So those people the human is looking for have legacies, well at least one has.¡±


    ¡°That causes a minor problem for us, but not one that we won¡¯t be able to get past. Still we need to find them first.¡±


    Dur says, ¡°I think I might have an idea.¡±


    ¡°Please enlighten us.¡±


    With his rage pouring out, Due says, ¡°My son had a bad run-in with some Fanalis, and they not only embarrassed but physically dominated multiple guards and my son.¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°That has to be impossible, Fanalis know to take their beatings.¡±


    ¡°Yet they didn¡¯t, they fought back and smeared my family name,¡± Dur says breaking a bunch of stones which he had been throwing until recently.


    Amad¨¢n says, ¡°There is only one reason the Fanalis would suddenly get big-headed.¡±


    Olc panicking says, ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad, if the Fanalis have thrown in with the human leader, that could mean trouble for us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic Olc, we won¡¯t be in any trouble, if anything this gives us an opportunity to kill two birds with a single stone.¡±


    ¡°Dur get your soldiers ready, and Leisci¨²il I you to prepare a hiding space for a few beastkin and fill it up with resources for the foreseeable future.¡±


    Amad¨¢n says, ¡°What are you going to do Cult¨²ir?¡±


    ¡°Are you forgetting that despite being the leader of us all, I am still the minister of education, so I am simply going to educate all of those Fanalis.¡±


    -Break-


    -The next day-


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I see the Pixie is on top of my face so I grab it and say, ¡°Thanks for comforting me last night.¡±


    Looking to my left, I say, ¡°Because he never came back last night.¡±


    An unknown voice says, ¡°He is still in the eternal garden enjoying himself.¡±


    Getting up I grab my bow and point it at the source of the voice, and I see Dumnorix sitting in a chair at the right wall of my room reading a book.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing in my room!?¡±


    ¡°I have simply come here today to request you join me on an adventure.¡±


    With a deep demonic voice, I say, ¡°Get out you pervert.¡±


    Closing his book he says, ¡°DON¡¯T FOOL YOURSELF, DO YOU TRULY BEILEVE A TINY CHILD SUCH AS YOURSELF COULD STAND BESIDE ME!¡±


    Getting up, he reaches his hand towards the sky and says, ¡°I am the one chosen by the heaven, the greatest in all creation. The only woman who will ever touch me is one who suppresses me!¡± As he speaks the pixies shine a light down upon him.


    With a smile, I say, ¡°So I am ugly then.¡±


    Shaken he says, ¡°Huh?¡±


    With a make-speed arrow, I shoot him and then as it hits him the explosion sends him right into a wall. ¡°That¡¯s what you get scum.¡±


    As he lays on the floor, I notice something. Under his right eye, just like me, Iancu, Mime, and Anto, he has the symbol ?.


    While I stare at his eye, he jumps up and says, ¡°Now that you have sought your revenge let us go on an adventure.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°We are both blessed by legacies, so doesn¡¯t that mean you should trust me!¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit?¡±


    ¡°Not even a tiny bit!¡±


    With the same cherry yet confident, attitude he always has, he says, ¡°I saved your life so you owe me this request!¡±


    I have waited all my life for this! Remembering what Orb said to me back when I tried to do the same thing to him almost two years ago, ¡°Maple, I mean Dumnorix I have recently learned that using the good deeds you committed to ask for favours is bad manners!¡±


    ¡°I see then I will run arrow the entire area and tell everyone that humans are ungrateful scum he can¡¯t even value the help others give them with a small favour.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S JUST BLACKMAIL!¡±


    ¡°Blackmail is using threats to force someone to do something they don¡¯t want to. I am using threats to force you to do something you really want to do, IT IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!¡±


    ¡°NO IT¡¯S NOT!¡±


    ¡°I see then, you leave me no choice.¡± Running around me incredibly quickly he says, ¡°Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time, Adventure time!¡±


    This annoying onslaught continues until I say, ¡°OK THEN I WILL HELP YOU!¡±


    Stopping, he puts his hands up to the sky and says, ¡°It seems the will of the heavens has made you listen to me,¡± As light from the pixies shines down on him.


    Looking at him with disbelief, I say, ¡°If you ever drop your guard I will shoot you in the head, NOW GET OUT AND LET ME CHANGE!¡±


    Location: Abb¨¢n house


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I feel something incredibly soft like a cloud. It must be Suzuka¡¯s tails again. Wanting to feel more softness I squeeze but as I do I feel something hard and open my eyes and see that Orb is holding onto both me and Suzuka.


    ¡°Good morning Iancu,¡± He says as he hugs both me and Suzuka.


    Breaking his grip, I say, ¡°What are you doing out here!?¡±


    Like a child he says, ¡°You guys got to have a lot of fun yesterday while I was left all alone!¡±


    ¡°The reason any of us are still here is because of you, so just get better so we can leave!¡±


    Throwing a tantrum like a brat, Orb says, ¡°I want to have fun as well, I want to bet the beastkin as well, I want to go on an adventure as well, I want to eat tasty food as well! It¡¯s not fair, it¡¯s not fair, it¡¯s not fair!¡±


    As Orb continues to complain, a sinister aura appears behind him which catches both his and my¡¯s attention. It is Suzuka who has woken up and is staring daggers at Orb with a rather frustrated expression.


    ¡°Orb what are you doing,¡± She says with a silent furry.


    Sweating, Orb says, ¡°I am trying to get Iancu to stop being a bully.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be in your bed?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to stay locked up in there any longe-,¡± Before Orb can finish his sentence his is struck in the face by Suzuka.


    Then with her anger exploding she says, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, here I am worried for your health and now you are running around without a care in the world acting like a child.¡±


    ¡°But hitting me I also bad for my heal-.¡± She strikes Orb again silencing him.


    ¡°No back-talking.¡±


    ¡°Yes mam,¡± Orb says with the tone of docile animals.


    Picking him up, she throws him out of our room then she walks and grabs him by his foot dragging him. ¡°Iancu save me!¡±


    I simply nod my head no. Even I know when and when not to pick a fight with her, and this definitely isn¡¯t the right time.


    ¡°You traitor,¡± Orb says.


    Stepping out of the door with them, I see Suzuka pick Orb up by the leg and then slam his body into the ground. ¡°I said no talking didn¡¯t I!?¡±


    ¡°SHE IS GOING TO KILL ME!¡± Orb says in fear.


    Suzuka steps on Orb and says, ¡°SO you now feel fear, but that¡¯s something that I have had to experience over and over these last two days.¡±


    Suzuka then throws Orb into his room, then using her tails she pins him down to his bed.


    She sends her tails through the window and rips off some of the branches which are part of the house, then using them she ties Orb up, and as he is tightly confined to his bed she says, ¡°If you move from there you will experience pain beyond any measure.¡±


    Orb screams, ¡°SOMEONE SAVE ME!¡±


    But as he does Suzuka hits him right in the neck which knocks him completely unconscious, and then in her normal voice she says, ¡°Get some sleep idiot.¡±


    After this Suzuka looks out the window confused, and says, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Dillion sneaking over there?¡±


    I walk up to the window and say, ¡°That definitely is him.¡±


    Me and Suzuka look at each other, then we dash out of the room and grab Dillion who says, ¡°Suzuka,¡± Then with Malice he says, ¡°Iancu!¡±


    ¡°Looks like someone is still not liked,¡± She says mocking me.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I say falling prey to her mocking. Looking down at Dillion, I say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was just going to go into Pros¨²nfore for the weekend market.¡±


    ¡°All by yourself with no transport.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to have the beetle brothers take me!¡±


    Thinking about letting the only person watch Dillion be those two idiots makes a chill run down my spine, and looking at Suzuka¡¯s expression I can tell she feels the same, so we both say, ¡°We will come as well.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Standing in front of what looks to be a rundown building, I say to Dumnorix, ¡°What are we doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just wait and see,¡± he says as he opens the door.


    Inside the building, I see an old man running around lost, and a bunch of kids around fifty running around like animals.


    Seeing us, the kids run towards us and say, ¡°DUMNORIX!¡±


    ¡°We missed you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight again.¡±


    ¡°Make light appear out of nowhere again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we will get to all of that later, but today I have brought a friend.¡±


    All the kids look at me and then start to barrage me with questions.


    ¡°You have a legacy right.¡±


    ¡°Your face has made like Dumnorix.¡±


    ¡°Where are your ears and tail?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re face looks stupid.¡±


    ¡°You are pretty, marry me.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t smell like a beastkin and doesn¡¯t look like one of those Fanalis?¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡°Because she is a human.¡±


    ¡°A HUMAN,¡± The kids say with excitement. Then one kid says, ¡°What¡¯s a human.¡±


    Dumnorix replies, ¡°A beastkin but without any animal abilities.¡±


    The kids look at me with complete disinterest and one says, ¡°So she is boring.¡±


    ¡°HEY YOU BRATS GO AWAY!¡±


    The kids run away and go back to playing like animals, and then the old man says, ¡°Hello my name is Aois, and I thank you for coming, I really appreciate the help.¡±


    ¡°The help?¡±


    ¡°You see Dumnorix comes and helps me out from time to time, and he said he would be bringing someone else to help me next time.¡±


    While turning my head, I say, ¡°So this is why you called me to help?¡±


    But when I turned to where he was I saw Dumnorix had disappeared.


    ¡°Where did he go,¡± I say as I turn my head looking for him, but I see on the wall a note.


    It reads, ¡°I have gone to take care of other things fill in for me!¡±


    Grabbing the paper, I crumple it and say, ¡°NO WAY I AM LEAVING!¡±


    Aois says, ¡°That¡¯s understandable, Dumnorix tends to try and rope people into things that don¡¯t concern them.¡±


    As Aois walks away he falls and says, ¡°My back just gave out again, oh how am I going to serve out the food that the kids need? I am a failure of a man who can¡¯t even do anything simple!¡±


    Seeing Aois cry on the ground in a pathetic state, I walk over to him and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will help!¡± And deep in my heart, I make the shoot where I am going to put an arrow in Dumnorix.

 Arc 10.29: Signs of chaos part 2

    On the ground, Aois says, ¡°Thank you, I have already made their breakfast, all I need you to do is serve it in their bowls.¡±


    Walking forward, I opened a compartment that Aois was pointing towards and took out a couple of bowls. There are only a few, so I guess these kids must reuse the bowls.


    Taking one bowl, I serve food inside it then hand it to one of the kids with a smile, saying, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    The child gives me a confused look, then she throws the bowl of hot porridge right into my face causing me to roll around on the ground, and then she says, ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT MY BOWL!¡±


    Getting up I scream, ¡°It¡¯s just a bowl, eat!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to touch Malta bowl, she is yucky!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re yucky!¡± Malta says as the two start to fight.


    ¡°Stop being brats and just eat!¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± The children scream.


    Aois says, ¡°Sorry, but the kids refuse to eat from anything other than their own bowls!¡±


    ¡°But there are not even fifty here, so how could that be?¡±


    ¡°They tend to misplace them, so only they would know.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± As the kids start to make more ruckus I feel my motivation falls through the ground, but then I say, ¡°If I can¡¯t handle a bunch of small kids, how am I expected to handle a bunch of big kids.¡±


    Moving closer to the kids, I bend down and say with my best smile, ¡°Hey would you guys be able to tell me where you left your bowls.¡±


    The kids stare at me and then they as a group, spit in my face. My anger heats up my body so much that the sweat evaporates, and I jump the little kids. ¡°Don¡¯t think because you are kids I won¡¯t fight back!¡±


    ¦µ As the young girl in front of him gets into an altercation Aois simply wonder to himself, will this be ok?


    -Break-


    To get the children to listen to her, the human girl had to battle each child in a game of their choosing and win to get the bowls, and then after she did this she had to follow the children''s poor instructions and run all around the area to collect each child¡¯s bowl.


    After doing such an arduous task, the kids are all gathered around the large table eating and the human girl is slumped up over a wall looking like she is about to get sick.


    ¦µ As Aois walks up to me, he says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Turning to face him still exhausted, I say, ¡°I am doing chipper.¡± And as I finish my sentence the contents of my stomach try to come up, but I am able to hold them down.


    ¡°How are you even able to handle these kids regularly.¡±


    ¡°I promise they aren¡¯t usually this bad, but whenever they find an opportunity to have fun they never miss it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like they need to be tied up and hung from the tallest building in the city.¡±


    ¡°Who would do that to a child?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Still I do hope you won¡¯t be too harsh to the kids, along with the clothes on their backs those bowls are the only thing each of them owns, I do hope you understand how important they are to them?¡±


    Sighing and slouching, I say, ¡°I wish you didn¡¯t tell me that, it makes it harder to be angry at them.¡±


    ¡°I hope it does.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Looking at the large crowd of people in front of me, I say, ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It is the weekend market, due to how the schedules of all the people within the country line up, there is always a big market around the end of the month when everyone is free.¡±


    ¡°I see why we had to leave Suzuka with the beetle brothers. But that begs the question, why would you come all the way out here to buy something? I don¡¯t really think anything here would suit you.¡±


    Dillion in a shy voice says, ¡°This is around the time my father was born, and around the time of my parent''s birthday, my brother gets sad so I thought of buying him something.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Rubbing Dillion''s head, I say, ¡°What a good bug you are.¡±


    He smiles and then starts to run off energised.


    Dillion''s face looks like an ant, so when he smiles multiple parts of his face move around since he is a bug, and I can¡¯t say anything other than it looks really gross, but I would never tell him that. ¡°Wait up.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Outer edge of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Sitting on a log with Aois, he speaks constantly as the kids play around a tree in front of all of us.


    ¡°And that¡¯s about it all, do you have any questions?¡±


    Looking at him like he is insane, I say, ¡°HOW COULD I. You explained to me every detail about these kids'' relationships and all the drama they have all gone through. I know all of their friendship, who has a crush on who, and who still holds grudges against them. It is too much!¡±


    Fallen down on my back out of annoyance, I say, ¡°Though it is impressive that you understand these kids that well, I struggle to do that myself with those I care about.¡±


    Bluntly he says, ¡°That just means you''re lazy.¡±


    ¡°What a rude thing to say to someone who helps you, just so you know I try my best to memorize all of my loved ones'' details, though it hasn¡¯t worked at all.¡±


    ¡°Effort would be having the dedication to keep trying to find new methods that will allow you to remember those details and having the mental resilience to put up with how long it will take. You simply choose the easy technique of memorising which didn¡¯t work for you and now beat yourself up about it, little dedication and little resilience.¡±


    His words anger me, but I control myself and say, ¡°I know someone who is able to memorise easily, so that isn¡¯t a fair judgment.¡±


    ¡°That is merely a difference in flavour between two people, not quality, there is a method for you that allows you to accomplish the same thing. Hence my point still stands, You are lazy.¡±


    Sitting up, I say, ¡°You''re mean.¡±


    Rubbing my head, he says, ¡°I know what I said wasn¡¯t nice, but I truly don¡¯t want a kind girl like you to waste time fixating on the wrong issues. So please take my words to heart, and be easier on yourself.¡±


    ¡°I see why those kids like you.¡±


    ¡°Aois!¡± One of the kids shouts as she runs over.


    Getting up Aois says, ¡°What is the issue.¡±


    ¡°We have a present for you.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± He says delightedly.


    ¡°Yeah we have it for you here,¡± The girl says as she throws something at us.


    As it hits Aois it explodes and from it pollen fills the air. Both Aois and I start to get incredibly congested and as I am dealing with my running nose I say, ¡°YOU BRATS!¡±


    Grabbing Aois, I move both of us out of the range of the pollen but both of us have to wait sometime until our eyes clear from the pollen and when it does I look and say, ¡°All the kids are gone.¡±


    Aois panicking says, ¡°The weekend market is on today, they must have snuck off to attend it, I am going to go get them.¡±


    Running forward, Aois trips and falls face first towards the ground and says, ¡°Oww, my back.¡± On the floor, he lies as his back has given out yet again.


    Angered, I say, ¡°That¡¯s the final straw, I am done playing nice!¡± Using my legacy I run into town.


    -Break-


    Arriving in the middle of the town, I am quickly overwhelmed as there are countless beastkin throughout the area. This place is already massive, but even with all of that space it is incredibly tightly packed,


    ¡°How am I going to find those brats?¡±


    As if god hears my cries, I hear someone say, ¡°Don¡¯t break my things you brat.¡±


    Looking in that direction, I see one of the kids running away, so I chase after them. But as I do the child notices me and using his tiny body he moves through spaces I can¡¯t and escapes.


    All of these kids are rather amazing physically, it seems them having parts of animals spliced into them isn¡¯t for show. ¡°But still I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    Throughout the town, I find the kids and chase them but each time I keep failing, and when I do the kids mock me from afar, or lead me into breaking things in other people''s shops, which gets me yelled at.


    Running out of breath, I fall to the ground both exhausted and utterly humiliated. ¡°I can¡¯t catch any of them no matter how much I try.¡±


    From behind me, I hear Aois''s voice say, ¡°Are you ok Maple?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just can¡¯t find them at all.¡±


    Someone walking up to us says, ¡°Aois, your kids are causing us problems again, they have been destroying a bunch of stuff as they run around like demons!¡±


    Bowing Aois says, ¡°I am sorry for this, please accept my apology.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t parent those kids you should have just left them on the street, you damn grave keeper.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Hey how dare yo-,¡± but I am cut off by Aois.


    ¡°Why would you let them speak to you like that?¡±


    ¡°My own failure brought this on, there is no more to this than that. These kids had nothing, so I thought of giving them something, a home, a family. But I can¡¯t even take care of them myself and have to rely on others just to help me deal with them daily. Maple thank you for your help, but please let me deal with this from now on.¡±


    As Aois walks away saddened, I walk behind him and hit him in his lower back which causes him to fall on his face.


    ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°Did I not say I was going to help you, so just shut up and wait for me to help you, idiot!¡±


    As Aois lies on the floor I start to move again. The kids are too energetic and have too much freedom of movement, so I won¡¯t be able to catch them simply by chasing them.


    If only I had Orb¡¯s dexterity, I could easily have caught them. But right now I don¡¯t so what can I do?


    I have all of the information that Aois gave me about the kids and the little groups they have split into. I know of all of their interests and whose interests overlap with whom, so I could try and put all that information together in my head.


    No, I doubt I could do something like that, and even if I did it would take too long and not guarantee results. But I don¡¯t think the idea of trying to get into their heads is wrong.


    Why? Why would they be running around for so long, if it is just to have fun and mess with me they have already accomplished that for almost two hours now.


    And whenever they see me they run away and try to lose me instead of mocking me as I would expect them to, maybe those kids have a specific reason for being out here?


    But what could that be, what is something all of those kids would care about? Stopping in my tracks, I say, ¡°I have got it! Now it is time to act.¡±


    As I turn to move I am hit by someone who was also walking and am knocked down to the ground, with a bunch of things the man was holding breaking as they fall.


    Looking at the man he sort of looks like a toad, but not having any time to waste I start to run away.


    ¦µ ¡°Hey wait up,¡± I say to the girl who just ran into me. As she moves away, I say, ¡°Dammit.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    ¡°Some of my mucus touched her skin, and if it isn¡¯t removed, she could be poisoned. I need to do something.¡±


    ¡°I am pretty sure she is the girl who has been breaking everything today?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right that is her!¡±


    ¡°So just leave her and let the poison stop her from being so annoying, it won¡¯t kill her, just make her wish she wasn¡¯t alive.¡±


    Both of the men mind their own business as Maple goes on her way.

 Notice: Exams and break

    Umm, so due to my exams for my bachelor''s degree. I will be taking a break and posting my next chapter on the 30th, I am really sorry about this, but when my degree is finished I am going to go into maximum writing mode, so my 3 chapters per week will might increase, not certain yet but I will definitely have backlog to avoid this situation in the future.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Thanks for all the support, I originally started this book because I made no friends in college and want to use my free time, but all the support has made it worth it. (Especially you with the consistent comment Lorddarkrai!) And I promise you that the rest of this arc, and what goes on later in this part will truly have you feeling countless things! See you all soon!

 Arc 10.30: Signs of Chaos part 3

    ¦µ Running forward at full speed, I go up to everyone I can see and ask the same question to each of them. But in response to this, I get either unaware or rude remarks in response.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Could you stop being such a pest!¡±


    ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    ¡°I have no clue, sorry.¡±


    ¡°No idea but here¡¯s a snack for your trouble.¡±


    Still running in a circle, I start feeling a little weak and then I end up falling into another beastkin. Getting up while on the ground, I say, ¡°How many times is that now!¡±


    Seeing the beastkin, I notice he is something that I haven¡¯t seen before. He looks way more like an animal than he does a human, in fact, he looks like a bug.


    ¡°Sorry, I was running like a fool.¡±


    Looking at me he says, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t watching where I was going please forgive me?¡±


    Hearing the sound of a child being considerate is something that seems completely alien to me after the day I have had, so crying uncontrollably, I say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With his cute little bug face freaking out, he says, ¡°Are you ok, because you are crying like crazy.¡±


    Wiping my tears, I say, ¡°No don¡¯t worry about it, this is just the happiness I am feeling after meeting you.¡±


    Putting my hands on my head, I freak out and say, ¡°But what am I going to do, I still haven¡¯t found any hints of what I am looking for. I need to go!¡±


    I get up and start to run, but as I do I am hit and grabbed by the bug who says, ¡°Don¡¯t go yet!¡±


    ¡°Huh, why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re arm it is purple.¡±


    Looking at one of my arms, I see it is purple and say, ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice.¡±


    ¡°You were looking woozy earlier and this must be the cause. You got poisoned.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I will do something about it later.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± The boy shouts. Using his pincers, he bites my arm causing me to feel a sting of pain, and when he finishes, he says, ¡°I injected your body with a nontoxic substance, it will make your body more efficient though it will have a bad blowback. So make sure you take care of your business fast.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°My brother is always helping people much like this, so I want to try and do the same.¡± Hitting me on my head with the palm of his hand, he says, ¡°I just gave you all my blessings, so good accomplish your goal.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Thank you and then I go on my way.¡±


    I continued to run around and ask questions to the people in the area, and finally, someone says, ¡°I think Samuels shop has what you are looking for.¡±


    So I let out a yell of success, and say, ¡°I almost have everything I need, I can start soon.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Throughout the area Aois kids run about, looking for something that they all desperately want. Their impatience makes them lose all concern for others as they search because all they care about is their goal.


    ¡°I can¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°But it should be around here somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Why is this thing so hard to find?¡±


    ¡°Have you all been really trying?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has been lazing around.¡±


    ¡°No, I have been trying my best, it was just that my group is incompetent.¡±


    ¡°I hate being part of your group let me leave.¡±


    ¡°Stop fighting and focus.¡±


    ¡°I am hungry.¡±


    ¡°We need to help Aois.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we causing too much damage?¡±


    ¡°Who cares, just hurry up!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all bullies!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a baby!¡±


    As the kids run into each other during their investigations, they share information and fight as kids do, but regardless of their individual problems, they stay on course to find their target.


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    Suddenly a loud noise fills the entire market, as one man talks through a human-sized shatter shell which amplifies his voice all across the market.


    ¡°The aingeal droim still remains, a perfect cure-all for all kinds of muscle fatigue, but we only have one left in stock, so come and get it.¡±


    All the kids at that moment realize they can get what they are looking for. So they all rush towards the source of the voice at full speed. They smile as they move because what they want is just a single lunge away.


    But as they arrive at the store, they jump the man who was yelling, and then they say, ¡°WHERE IS IT!¡±


    ¡°It was sold a while ago.¡±


    ¡°THEN YOU LIED TO US!¡±


    Pointing towards a rooftop, he says, ¡°That¡¯s because that girl paid me extra if I said this to.¡±


    The kids all look where he has pointed and see Maple holding a little jar filled with cream.


    ¡°Is this what you brats are looking for.¡±


    The kids annoyed, say, ¡°Give it to us, you boring monkey.¡±


    ¡°If you want it take it from me.¡± Rubbing a bit of cream on her arms, she says, ¡°And you better hurry before I use it all.¡±


    The kids without any logic or cohesion run after Maple. Every single one of them has lost all sense of unity, and skill they had when initially evading her, because the long time they have spent chasing after their prize has made each and every one of them so tired they only can focus on running after her.


    Soon all the kids form into one giant crowd that chases Maple across the rooftops. Seeing this Maple looks back and grins, then she stops at the edge of one of the buildings.


    Then with a smile, she rubs more of the cream on her body and says, ¡°This stuff really is amazing.¡±


    Then between the space of two small buildings, she jumps down, and the kids infuriated follow without thinking and as they jump down they are greeted with a large net that catches them.


    The kids who fall inside of it try to move but their bodies are all moving far slower than usual, so none of them can move out of the net by the time the other kids fall on top of them.


    But some kids sensing danger try and stop themselves from falling into the net and successfully they do. As they look over the edge, Maple stands behind them and with a piece of rope in her hands ties them up.


    ¡°I got you brats!¡±


    As they struggle to get out of the ropes, incredibly slowly they ask, ¡°Why are we so slow.¡±


    Holding up the piece of rope in my hands, I say, ¡°I have attached this rope to the net and have used my legacy on it to make everything it touches slow down, so now none of you can get away from me.¡±


    With a demonic smile, I stare at the children and they make expressions of fear back towards me. One is about to speak but I put my hand over her mouth and say, ¡°It is too late for that little girl, no more excuse, no more running, only justice!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Dillion is that present what you want to give Abb¨¢n.¡±


    Holding a statue of a scorpion made of food, Dillion says, ¡°Yes it is, my brother is fond of this animal.¡±


    ¡°I see then let¡¯s get going because it will be getting dark soon.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Outer edge of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Throwing the net of kids in front of Aois I say, ¡°Every single one is back!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this Maple, now.¡± Sitting in front of the kids, Aois asks, ¡°Why did you all do this today.¡±


    Making faces of sadness the kids say, ¡°We knew there was medicine that could fix your back issue.¡±


    ¡°Some other kids told us at school.¡±


    ¡°So we have been saving up all our money.¡±


    ¡°And planned to buy it for you today.¡±


    ¡°But that monster stopped us from reaching our goal,¡± A child says as they all turn their heads towards me in anger.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t act like I am the monster hear!¡±


    ¡°I see, so you guys all did this for me?¡±


    Bright smiles appear on their faces, but as it does Aois smacks each and every one of them on the head and shouts, ¡°DON¡¯T BE STUPID!¡±


    ¡°Caring about me and going to such lengths for me is a wonderful thing, and the fact you could all work together is equally wonderful. But bothering all of those people to get what you want isn¡¯t how I raised you.¡±


    The kids look like they are on the verge of tears, but Aois sits in front of them and says, ¡°Just talk to me next time, something doesn¡¯t have to be a surprise to be special to me.¡±


    The kids cheer up and then they all say, ¡°No way.¡±


    Surprised, Aois says, ¡°What!?¡±


    ¡°If we said something, you would have just spent the money on us instead of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to surprise you or you would take it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a liar Aois.¡±


    ¡°Big fat liar.¡±


    ¡°We''re not listening to a liar anymore.¡±


    ¡°We are going to go play.¡±


    ¡°No, you most definitely are not.¡±


    The kids run around ecstatic full of life, and Aois chases them. These kids can move much faster and sharper than they currently are, they must be doing it for Aois''s sake.


    As they all run around with each of them gravitating around Aois, reminds me of the pixie¡¯s wonderbeast flying through the sky without a care in the world.


    Seeing this I can¡¯t help but smile, and as I do the kids say, ¡°You¡¯re face is ugly stop.¡±


    ¡°Are you ok you look sick when you smile?¡±


    ¡°Never look at us again you demon.¡±


    The insults from the kids cause all of the frustration they have caused me today to explode, and I say, ¡°THAT¡¯S IT I AM GOING TO TEACH EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU TO BE LIKE THE NICE ANT!¡±


    And I jump in to join them.


    -Break-


    Location: Aois Orphanage


    Sitting down on one of the chair, I say, ¡°Finally the day is over.¡±


    ¡°Sorry it was so harsh, but I am surprized by how fast you where able to get them all to go to sleep.¡±


    With great amounts of pride, I say, ¡°My singing always puts everyone who hears it to sleep, even Orb and Williow have to cover their ears while making pained expressions when I sing.¡±


    ¡°Oh how I feel sorry for those two boys.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Quickly turning away, Aois says, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Well then it is time to go.¡±


    Aois says in a kind but powerful tone, ¡°Maple would you be willing to help me with one last thing today.¡±


    ¡°Looking outside to see the dimming lights, I think about refusing his request, but then I sigh and say, ¡°What the hell, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Maple, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    Name: S¨¢ntacht elephant


    Height: 350 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A wonderbeast that looks all but exactly like an elephant. Though in way it differs is its many holes throughout its body and its rather rubbery body. It is capable of taking in large amounts of air and turning all of the carbon into oxygen, then breathing it out again. This process requires it to be fed a ridiculous amount of food and ends up making their poop smell bad.


    Fact: The poop they make smells quite bad, so they tend to cover themselves with flowers to give off their scent, because of this they tend to like colours.


    Name: Colheita


    Height: 8m


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A giant sloth-like wonderbeast, that has a giant square-like back and four long arms that it can use to stretch and grab onto the top of trees or mountains, it can also use these giant arms to form hammock on trees to sleep. But most notable, it can grow countless different plants starting from its back to all across its body, by having seeds planted on its back regardless of the climate or other factors.


    Fact: They refuse to eat any plants they grow off their backs, but if taken off and given to them they will eat it.

 Arc 10.31: Signs of chaos part 4

    -Break-


    Slowly Aois walks in front of me, and at the same pace, I follow behind him.


    ¡°Maple, I cannot thank you enough for what you have done.¡±


    ¡°It really is no big problem, especially with you getting that poison out of my system, and seeing the faces of defeat on those kids'' faces was also quite lovely.¡±


    Aois laughs, then says, ¡°The kids may come off harsh, but that is simply how they were raised.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°You don¡¯t seem like the kind of person to raise them that way?¡±


    ¡°Before they came here, each and every one of those kids were picked off the street, so they learned to look out for themselves above others.¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s why they didn¡¯t seem to care about all the stuff they were breaking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is one of their many bad habits that I am slowly trying to change. But sometimes I wonder if I ever can, the last time I raised an orphan it was Dumnorix and despite his achievements, he has some attitude issues.¡±


    ¡°Some?¡±


    Aois laughs again, and says, ¡°Some might be too generous, but he is quite brilliant as well. Though I would enjoy if the kids did end up like you more than him.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°If that is your hope, you have nothing to fear, because I was the loudest, argumentative, most obnoxious brat in all of existence.¡±


    ¡°That does give me some peace of mind, though I hope I will be able to show that to all of the other as well.¡±


    ¡°On that note, I find it a bit weird that those kids could destroy so much and no one would have come here to complain about all of the merchandise they destroyed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply because they respect me enough to let it go, but still some of them do complain when the kids go too far.¡±


    Confused, I ask, ¡°Why would that be?¡±


    ¡°Well, we are here, so I can show you.¡±


    Reaching the top of a hill, we both look down and there I see a mass of graves. As we look down, Aois says, ¡°I am a grave keeper, and these are all of the graves that have died in the last thirty years.¡±


    There are more graves here than there were people in Pros¨²nfore, by a couple times, and this is just the amount of people who have died in the last thirty years, that¡¯s impossible. What disaster could have led to this?


    Aois walks forward and says, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Breaking out of my prettified state I follow him and he says, ¡°Massive isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We had so many bodies we had to stop making graves for each and have started to bury family all under the same one.¡±


    Stopping in my tracks, I ask, ¡°What could have caused all of this death? There is no way this is normal. There are more graves here than people I have seen in my life.¡±


    ¡°Around thirty years ago a crisis happened, and all of us Tuatha D¨¦ Danann were in a dire situation, yet the crisis could be passed if we all had worked together.


    But a certain section of the Tuatha didn¡¯t like that idea and saw this as an opportunity to seize power, the Fanalis. They started a war in the midst of our crisis.


    Countless people from the young to the old were killed, and the people had to suffer every day not knowing if those monsters would come to kill them every moment they were awake. The bodies that pilled up due to this war were so numerous that we haven¡¯t even found all of the bodies.


    The amount we had to bury broke the hearts of all the other grave keepers to the point where we had to start burying them due to their despair, the only one left to watch after these graves was me.


    It was hell, and those who lived through that hell weren¡¯t guaranteed a better future. Today the only one of all of our cities that still stands is Pros¨²nfore the rest have all been burned to the ground, we were forced to rebuild everything and even then it has been a struggle.


    Many were displaced and lost their families, and since everyone who remained had to struggle to survive none could take them in except for me. Too much had been lost and those beasts didn¡¯t seem to care, it seems the fact that their bodies are more beast than human had made them lose all compassion.¡±


    As Aois stops I say, ¡°Why, why did you show me this?¡±


    Turning to me, he says, ¡°Maple you¡¯re a human that must mean we have found a way to reach the outside and escape from this place.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, the weak man with a voice of anger grabs onto me with his weak grip and he says, ¡°Please help us! Our land is so soaked with blood and disease that we can barely grow any more crops on it, due to this our numbers won¡¯t be able to increase back to defensible numbers.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    And every day I live in fear of when the Fanalis will attack us again or when those beasts will come for our land, our lives, our children. I hate them those monsters, those beasts don¡¯t deserve to live a single day more.¡±


    Falling to the ground while still holding onto me, he cries, ¡°Please stand with us.¡±


    As he speaks an image of the little Fanalis child pops into my head, a child sweater than any I had met, one who didn¡¯t sound anything like the monsters he speaks about.


    Yet the fear, anger and sadness that radiates off him is not a lie, because I know I have felt like this before, I know right now what he is saying he believes from the bottom of his heart.


    Nothing he has shown me would make me believe what he saying is untrue, but what I have seen makes me think the opposite. Right now I truly don¡¯t know what to say or what to think.


    But an image flashes through my mind, one of Orb hugging people like usual. So I get down to his level and simply just hug him until he calms down and his tears stop.


    And as I do I can tell that despite being part beast, he feels like a human being.


    -Break-


    Location: Abais Castle


    As I walk towards the castle I still feel conflicted. I didn¡¯t realize it before, but I am exactly like Orb, an unknown stranger who has entered these people¡¯s lives.


    But unlike him, I can hold the power to change these people''s situations. My only goal is to rescue Orb and apologize to Iancu, but if something bad is happening here shouldn¡¯t I try to help?


    Though even completely unknowingly, Orb doing the same thing leads to bad things happening throughout my village.


    I place both of my hands against my head and rub them in frustration while falling to my knees. At that moment I said, ¡°Is this the weight Dad felt when he had to decide to let Orb and Cole in or not, was he also this anxious.¡±


    Feeling slightly relieved I look up towards the sky, and with my enhanced vision I see a small black dot fall from way up in the sky. But before I can even react to that, I hear from behind me, ¡°How was today?¡±


    Turning around peeved, I say, ¡°Dumnorix what do you want.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t your eyes by scowling at me, when it truth you should be using them to take in the full glory of my presence!¡±


    Lunging forward I kick him in the face and say, ¡°Tell me what you want before I kill you.¡±


    With a smile on his face, he says, ¡°What did you think of Aois from his actions alone?¡±


    A pause for a moment and say, ¡°I think he is a very caring and kind person.¡±


    ¡°Now, what do you think of what Aois said?¡±


    This question causes my brain to struggle quite a bit more than before, and while I do, Dumnorix asks, ¡°Do you think the emotions in his words are unfounded?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± I say immediately in response.


    ¡°What an impassioned response, so you think positively about Aois words?¡±


    Conflicted, I say, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You agree with the emotions but not the words? How funny, so let me ask you if Aois acted on those words would you be ok with that?¡±


    Wavering, I say, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be ok with that.¡±


    ¡°It simply seems to me like you don¡¯t want to make a choice.¡±


    ¡°No, that isn¡¯t tru-.¡±


    Interrupting me, Dumnorix says, ¡°Another no, well then let me make this question simple.¡± Standing up, Dumnorix says, ¡°So tell me from the point of view of a leader, what do you think of Aois as a whole.¡±


    I freeze as he asks this as all of the good and bad things I can think of Aois flood into my mind. Right now I feel the right thing would be to weigh up all the good very all of the bad, but even if I did that I feel like I would still end up being dishonest.


    He is kind, but that kindness seems to disappear in response to the Fanalis. Yet the emotions he feels towards them a real and are heavy, this isn¡¯t something like the fights I had with my dad, they did something to hurt him unfounded.


    I open my mouth and try to say something, but I can¡¯t even fully form words I just make noise, and as I am about to say something, Dumnorix hits me on the forehead, and says, ¡°That feeling is what it means to be a leader and while hesitation is good, it can also lead to greater tragedy. So if you can¡¯t figure out your emotions on this then I suggest you stay completely out of Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan affairs.¡±


    With those words Dumnorix walks away, and as he does I run away into Abais castle, trying to pull myself together.


    ¦µ As Maple runs away on the verge of tears, I say, ¡°While a bit harsh, it is better that she feels conflicted instead of helping one side. Though I thought it would take two days to get her feeling like this, I guess her running into your little brother was some kind of divine encounter.


    But I guess since things are about to heat up, I better put my money where my mouth is and prepare to take action. Let¡¯s just hope everything works out this time.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Abb¨¢n¡¯s house


    ¦µ Looking at the unconscious boy on the bed, I say, ¡°Looks like you will be ready to go tomorrow. I would say something insulting to you for the trouble you and your friends have caused, but I thank you for the help and the happiness you gave to my brother and the other kids a lot of joy, so I thank all three of you.¡±


    ¡°If you want to thank me give me a reward!¡± Orb says with green hair


    I am a little spooked as I learn Orb is awake, but I quickly recompose myself and say, ¡°I thanked you but it was actually the other two who did the most work.¡±


    With his hair changing from green to Rosewood, Orb says ¡°I would have you know that I saved those two so their achievements are my achievements. So repay me by allowing me to cuddle all you big animals, oh my friend Willow will also enjoy doing that so let him as well.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Would you even want to hug a bunch of bugs?¡±


    With bright red hair, Orb says ¡°OH COURSE I WOULD. While not the cutest, bugs happened to be a marvellous wonder of this world, who despite being incredibly tiny are able to survive just as well as dragons!¡±


    ¡°What a freak you are.¡±


    ¡°I know I am, so pay up.¡± With Orb''s hair going through a series of colours as if he is conflicted, he says, ¡°Though Cole told me it was rude to ask for payment in return for helping someone, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime situation, oh the morality!¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°You really are demented, but a good kind.¡±


    As I walk away, Orb says, ¡°I have overheard the situation down here from all your patients, so when I get better I will help you guys.¡±


    Breaking off a fingernail, I throw it at Orb, and when it hits his body he has an adverse reaction moving in pain. ¡°You might be doing better, but touching a beastkin still makes you feel intense pain, don¡¯t overdo yourself.¡±


    With black hair, Orb says, ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave you guys like this.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but despite everything we are happy. Change isn¡¯t worth risking what we have now, for some vague future. So please just get better and leave us to our ways.¡±


    As I walk out of the house, I say, ¡°I almost forgot, today is your birthday Dad, so I should go check on it like usual.¡±


    Walking towards my destination, I look out on our small town completely overpopulated, and then say, ¡°How did it even come to this again.¡±

 Arc 10.32: A history of chaos part 1

    -Break-


    30 years ago


    Location: City of Ceathair¨¦ad Miongh¨¢ire


    In a city that is only rubble in the present day countlessly people run around trying to simply get on with their days, but they all struggle immensely because there is barely any space to move.


    The people in the area are as abundant as air, and even though the city is quite large it is still barely able to handle the mind-bulging amount of people who run through its streets.


    And in those streets lies a group of kids who are beating on another group.


    Taking a punch to my face I fall to the ground and as I do the beetle brothers shout, ¡°ABB¨¢N!¡±


    As they hover over me, the group of boys a few years older than me say, ¡°That¡¯s what you pests get for making me spill my food over myself.¡±


    Proteus says, ¡°We apologized!¡±


    One of the other boys says, ¡°Do you think that¡¯s good enough.¡±


    Another says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even be in this city.¡±


    Malachy says, ¡°This city is a shared area!¡±


    The boy who hit me stomps his foot against the ground and breaks it, says, ¡°We share this land with you out of mercy, but we barely have any land to live now thanks to your kind. And despite all of that fucking kindness you pests can¡¯t just keep to yourselves, and even demand we have to share this city despite having your fair share.¡±


    Angered, I stand up and say, ¡°Fair? Kindness? Among all the land in Nialathr¨², your people own eighty per cent, all of the Major cities are owned exclusively by your kind or are shared area, and despite that, you still think that is fair, that is kindness?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you Fanalis are allowed to live after the abuse that you put us through is mercy enough.¡±


    ¡°I DIDN¡¯ T DO ANYTHING!¡±


    ¡°You carry their blood, so you carry their sins, their legacy.¡±


    ¡°If you hate them so much, then I will send you to go meet them, then you can take it out on them!¡±


    I attack but my blow is easily deflected, and I am hit again. As I see his spirit energy flow around him he says, ¡°This is the power that your people can¡¯t even use. But if you apologize I might be willing to let you off easy!¡±


    ¡°No way in hell.¡±


    ¡°Ok have it your way.¡±


    As he strikes me he hits me again and again. I know I should just apologize and go away, but I can¡¯t, I just can¡¯t let him get away with attacking me and all of my friends like this. I can¡¯t let him get away with thinking he has a right to hurt us.


    Seeing the spirit energy surging in his fist I close my eyes prepared for the worst, but then I hear and sound, and quickly opening my eyes, I see someone kicking the boy in the face, a child just like me.


    He looks like the other Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan and is a scorpion beastkin, and his eyes and hair indicate he has a legacy.


    ¡°A legacy! The boys who were just fighting us ask.


    Putting his hands up towards the sky he says, ¡°I am not just a mere legacy, what I truly am is the lone one who is capable of walking the path of the messiah, I am the greatest in all of creation, Dumnorix!¡±


    As he speaks light falls from the sky and lands beside him creating a sort of spotlight. Seeing this light fall beside him Dumnorix falls to the ground with tears in his eyes, and says, ¡°I failed to call the heavenly light upon me!¡±


    Then like a child he cries and rolls around on the floor, throwing a tantrum saying, ¡°I am supposed to be the greatest in all creation, so why won¡¯t the heavens respond!!!!!!!¡±


    The older boy sick of Dumnorix runs towards him and prepares to strike him, but he moves out of the way and then with his scorpion tail strikes one of the boys in the neck making him instantly collapse.


    The other boy tries to attack him from the back, but he dodges again and then strikes the other boy with his tail which causes him to collapse as well.


    Standing over their bodies, Dumnorix says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t make it poisonous yet, so it will wear off in a couple of hours and you will be able to move.¡±


    Dumnorix then turns to face me, and in response, I say, ¡°What do you want!¡± Aggressively.


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    Stretching out his hand, with a shining light radiating from his eyes, he says, ¡°Your bravery when facing those bullies shook me to my core, so I as chosen by the heavens also elect you to be chosen by the heavens, come and join me as my friend!¡±


    Grabbing me, the Beetle brothers run away a high speed.


    Proteus says, ¡°I thought we were going to die!


    While crying Malachy, says, ¡°I am so happy we are alive!¡±


    Proteus says, ¡°I promise I will get really strong so no one can pick on us again!¡±


    ¡°ME TOO!¡±


    As the Beetle brothers talk I zone them out, because the only thing I can focus on is the boy who just saved us. He had an incredibly plain face, but despite that, he truly did feel like a heavenly messenger.


    ¡°ABB¨¢N,¡± The beetle brothers shout in unison.


    ¡°Oh yes, I know the both of you will be strong.¡±


    And just like that the beetle brothers with Abb¨¢n run from the city of Ceathair¨¦ad Miongh¨¢ire to a city that also existed long ago, the city of Cr¨®ga Soilsithe, the place where Abb¨¢n¡¯s house currently stands in the current day.


    The journey lasts them five hours including all of the breaks they take, but during those long five hours at no point during that journey were they not in view of at least one thousand people at a time.


    -Break-


    Location: Cr¨®ga Soilsithe


    Waving the beetle brothers off, I turn and prepare to enter my house and when I do, I say, ¡°Mommy, Daddy, I am home.¡±


    When I enter the door, I see my mother a Moth Fanalis drunk and trying to grab a bottle out of my father a Kola Fanalis hand.


    Seeing me my mother still drunk runs to me and says, ¡°Abb¨¢n your papa is bullying me! Wait you injured what happened to you!¡±


    ¡°I got into a fight.¡±


    ¡°Huh, who did this to you? Did you win?¡±


    ¡°A bunch of boys, and by the end of it they were all left on the ground screaming.¡± A little lie, but I know it will make Mom say.


    ¡°GOOD ON YOU MY LITTLE MAN! Now go tell your mean daddy to give me back my bottle.¡±


    My dad whacking my mom on the head says, ¡°Don¡¯t use your child as a tool!¡±


    On the floor, my mother throws a drunken fit and as this goes on, my father says, ¡°Please go check on your brother Abb¨¢n.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± I say as I run towards my brother.


    In the middle of of house lies a big golden egg, and encased within it is my little brother, I put my hand against the egg, and say, ¡°I hope you had a good day, Dillion because your brother food his hardest for you.¡±


    Turning my head to my dad who is giving a piggyback ride to my mother, I ask, ¡°When is Dillion going to walk up, it¡¯s been a few weeks since he was laid?¡±


    ¡°It seems your younger brother has inherited traits from the eclipse ant. An incredibly powerful Wonderbeast that grows stronger the longer they stay in that state, before being birth. So we have to keep him like that for a few years or even decades, till he becomes super strong.¡±


    ¡°But I want him to hatch, I want to play with him!¡±


    ¡°No can do, he is our little prized possession, and anyway he will hear all you say to him, so just keep on talking.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    My mother on my dad''s back says, ¡°You really are adorable, unlike my husband here,¡± While swing on my dad back, and eventually falling off.


    As my mom is on the floor, I ask, ¡°What is wrong with her?¡±


    ¡°We just had a bad day at work, being politicians is a rather frustrating job when your opinion is in the minority.¡±


    My mom on the floor in a drunken tone says, ¡°Those bastards are just greedy scheming demons! First us Fanalis agree to only eat lower-class animals and insects over generations to give the Tuatha more power.


    Then they requested more land so they could reproduce, and increase their numbers to again even out our power after the losses they took, which made them take all of the major cities and farmable areas.


    Then they asked us to stop using spirit energy since our bodies were already far stronger than their weak frail bodies, and then when we complained that these restrictions were getting unfair, they started accusing us our trying to gain power to start another war.


    We shared our powers as leaders of the nation and gave them seats in our government, splitting the power fifty-fifty, but through the use of their whore, and their gigolo they took over our hours which held seats, and now hold more power than us.


    The Fanalis who beat and oppressed them are all long gone, and we are trying our best to make up for it, but now they keep pressing and pressing and pressing, and making us feel ashamed of our power, stripping us of the title of Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan and calling us Fanalis instead.


    We gave them an inch and they intend to take everything, all of them are irredeemable scum, and having to deal with them every day makes me think my answers were right to keep them as pets.¡±


    As my mom finishes her rant, my father says, ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you honey let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± Turning to me, my father says, ¡°Abb¨¢n go outside and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± I say with my mother''s words still flowing through the back of my head.


    -Break-


    With a wooden sword in hand, my father swings at me, and I dodge away, but my father screams, ¡°Don¡¯t dodge the attack meet it!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± I say going in to meet his sword.


    Me and my father clash again and again with spirit energy blows until my sword breaks and I fall to the ground.


    Kicking my sword over to me, my father says, ¡°Get up!¡±


    On the verge of crying, I say, ¡°It has been three hours, I am tired Dad.¡±


    Sighing, he sits down and says, ¡°OK then, I will give you some time to recoup.¡±


    As I get up and try to catch my breath, my father says, ¡°The Nord dragonfly which you are a wonderbeast of, has a rubbery and stretched body, so take advantage of that when taking blows.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, I will try hard,¡± I say with my head hanging low.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged, I am not berating you, but simply telling you how to improve. These skills will save yours, and the other lives.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°These training sessions we go through are tough, but we have no choice they have banned us from studying spirit arts, so our only option to retain it is to teach you boys at night, speaking of that I don¡¯t hear the beetle brothers crying like usual?¡±


    ¡°They promised me they were going to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°I see, that¡¯s rather good for us considering both of them are sonic beetle wonderbeasts. If they train hard they may be our strongest warriors someday. But without a doubt, you will be our strongest.¡±


    Walking over to me, my dad puts his hand on my head and says, ¡°Since you were chosen by the messiah and Danu and granted a legacy. Has anyone at school found out?¡±


    ¡°No, it is hard for others to see the colour of my eyes due to the type of beastkin I am, and having no hair also helps.¡±


    With a kind smile, my father says, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, so now let¡¯s start again, but this time use your legacy. Because one day you and your younger brother will be our weapons against that lesser beastkin, won''t you?¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± I say feeling the pride he takes in me.


    As we start to clash again, I resolve myself. I will become the strongest and deal with those pests myself!

 Arc 10.33: A history of chaos part 2

    -Break-


    -The next day-


    Location: City of Ceathair¨¦ad Miongh¨¢ire


    In front of me, the boy named Dumnorix stands with his hand out and light radiating from his eyes, and says, ¡°LET¡¯S BE FRIENDS!¡±


    Instantly, I turn around and try to run away. And as I do, I say, ¡°No good can come from this.¡±


    Beside me, I hear, ¡°Why are you running away?¡±


    Looking at him shocked, I say, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±


    With an impassive expression, he says, ¡°You know lying is bad?¡±


    ¡°HOW IS THAT A LIE!¡±


    ¡°BECAUSE I CAN SENSE YOU WANT TO!¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE CRAZY!¡±


    ¡°DO NOT PRETEND LIKE YOU DON¡¯T WANT TO TALK TO A WONDER OF THIS WORLD LIKE MYSELF. BECAUSE I AM THE ONE WHO SOAR¡¯S THROUGH UNKNOWN PATH OF EXISTENCE, THE GREATEST IN ALL OF CREATION!


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE DELUSIONAL, AND YOU CAN¡¯T EVEN KEEP YOUR INTRODUCTION CONSISTENT!¡±


    ¡°THE GREATEST IN ALL CREATIONS, IS EVER CHANGING SO, OF COURSE, HIS INTRODUCTION MUST CHANGE!¡±


    ¡°IF YOU ARE EVER CHANGING THAT MEANS YOU ARE NEVER TRULY THE GREATEST!¡±


    ¡°I AM EVERCHANGING BUT I AM ALSO EVERPRESENT, SO I AM TRULY THE GREATEST IN ALL OF CREATION!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    ¡°YES, I AM!¡±


    Stopping I punch him in the face and say, ¡°NO YOU¡¯RE NOT!¡±


    As he flies away, I start to panic. Oh, no I used some spirit energy in that punch! But worse than that he is lying on the ground unresponsive.


    Stiff with fear, I ask, ¡°Hey are you ok?¡±


    Jumping up with passion, he says, ¡°That punch was amazing, I felt the weight behind it! I knew it you were chosen by the heavens like I was.¡±


    Suddenly on his face, a giant red swelling appears on his face, it looks like a ball has fused into his face. So I say, ¡°AH, what is that!¡±


    ¡°Oh I am a beastkin of the a skerlegh, it is capable of making a couple of poisons in its tail which I test on myself every morning. This one makes my skin super sensitive, and makes everything hurt three times as much.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you are currently in a lot of pain?¡±


    With his legs constantly trembling, he says, ¡°Pain is an illusion.¡±


    ¡°It looks like you are in pain.¡±


    With tears and snot flowing from his body, he says with a whimpering voice, ¡°Not at all!¡±


    ¡°You sure about that.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± He says right before he falls to the ground.


    Seeing him unconscious in a lot of pain, I pick up his body and say, ¡°I guess I have to pay him back.¡±


    -The next day-


    ¡°We meet again my friend!¡±


    Turning around with the beetle brother who stands beside me, I say, ¡°Oh not again!¡±


    ¡°After I fell asleep yesterday you took me to a druid, and I thank you for your effort. So now let us become the greatest of friends, and advance our friendship to the next stage.¡±


    ¡°Next stage!? I haven¡¯t even agreed to stage one!¡±


    Moving closer to me, he puts his hands on my shoulder and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry I know you want to.¡±


    The beetle brothers, getting in between the both of us enter a defensive position.


    Proteus says, ¡°If you mess with Abb¨¢n you will have to deal with us, isn¡¯t that right brother!¡±


    ¡°RIGHT!¡±


    Dumnorix stepping forward, puts his hands on the shoulders of the beetle brothers then hugs them while saying, ¡°You¡¯re both so brave. To think you would try to defend your friend even though you both have no chance of beating me, let¡¯s be friends!¡±


    As the beetle brothers look like they are about to fold to Dumnorix¡¯s straightforwardness, the words my father says to me flash through my mind, and I pull both of them back and say, ¡°Leave us alone!¡±


    Confused Dumnorix says, ¡°Why?¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Because you and all your people are scum. You bully us, you attack us, you keep us held down, and then call us monsters for complaining just a bit. You tell us we deserve are treatment, you tell us we are beasts, you tell us we¡¯re greedy, you tell us to suffer for the rest of our lives. Then when I act like that you people use it against us, so get out of my face!¡±


    I try to catch my breath after the words, I say, but then Dumnorix says, ¡°I see why you feel like this but you are missing something, I am not like those ones who speak ill of you, I am the one who the heavens part¡¯s for the greatest in all of creation! DUMNORNIX!¡±


    Both of the beetle brothers watch him in amazement, but I say, ¡°You''re really starting to piss me off. Why the hell would you ever think a needle in a haystack beastkin like you would ever be the greatest in all creation!¡±


    ¡°SIMPLE, BECAUSE MY MOMMY AND DADDY SAID SO!¡± He says with great fervour.


    Dumbstruck, I say, ¡°Are you stupid!? All parents say that to their kids!¡±


    ¡°So what, it was said to me so it must be true!¡± He says with unbreakable confidence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiotic moron, so by logic, it is true.¡±


    ¡°Nuh, huh.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, nuh huh!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust your words or your judgement, so your words are meaningless to me!¡±


    ¡°So you only take the words of people who say good things about you, what kind of stupid logic is that.¡±


    ¡°But you take in the words of all those people who insult you.¡±


    I freeze for a moment.


    ¡°Unlike you, I am not stupid, I don¡¯t take in the words from people who don¡¯t know me. I only take in the words of those who do, and my parents have known me since my birth so if they say I am the greatest in all creation, I am.¡±


    Getting close to me he points his finger at me, and says, ¡°You stand there and talk about how everyone says this or that about you, but why do you care for the opinions of those who know nothing about you? Didn¡¯t you say all parents say their kids are the greatest in all creation, so why have you chosen to take in all the bad words and not the good words.¡±


    Reaching his hand towards the sky, Dumnorix says, ¡°If you choose to listen and walk the path of the messiah you too can become the greatest in all creation and shine like the heavens!¡±


    Suddenly light shines down on him from the sky and unlike before it lands on him directly this time.


    After this a bright smile appears on his face then like the giddy child he is, Dumnorix runs around and jumps while saying, ¡°I finally did it, I finally called the heavens towards me!¡±


    As he says this, I start to laugh at how ridiculous his entire existence really is. Walking up to him I stick out my hands and say, ¡°Ok, Let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    He runs and grabs me with his tail, and then says, ¡°I can see it right now, the heavens are showing me the way. Just watch, we will have a series of adventures that will go down in history as a legend among all of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, now let¡¯s go!¡±


    Dumnorix runs off into the distance; dragging me along, and this causes the beetle brothers to chase after us while screaming, ¡°Wait up!¡±


    -Break-


    -A few hours later-


    Location: Northeastern part of Nialathr¨²


    Running through the forest as Wonderbeasts chase after us, I look to Dumnorix and say, ¡°Why did you make us do this!?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I have tried to best these beasts before but I had failed, so I simply thought by bringing allies we would be able to overcome this challenge together.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    ¡°But when one has the power of their friends they can do anything!¡±


    Hitting him, I say, ¡°Not this!¡±


    -Some tireless running later-


    Laying on the floor with Dumnorix and the beetle brothers, I say, ¡°I revoke our friendship.¡±


    ¡°Impossible, it is lifelong. Now just wait I have plenty more adventures planned out.¡±


    -Break-


    -4 weeks later-


    Location: Neamhcheangailte plains


    ¡°Keep moving you brats!¡± A man says as he yells at me Dumnorix and beetle brothers to move wood during a construction project.


    Walking beside Dumnorix, I say, ¡°How much longer do we need to do this?¡±


    ¡°For a few more weeks, we need to make money to finance our quests, and there is no storage of construction jobs all around. So we need to make a bit without our parents finding out.¡±


    Malachy, says, ¡°My back hurts!¡±


    Proteus says, ¡°My leg hurts.¡±


    ¡°The man shouts, ¡°You Fanalis better hurry up, I know you freaks are capable of doing more.¡±


    On the back of all of the Fanalis throughout the area are almost twice as much weight being carried per person, yet they are being screamed and sneered at despite doing more work overall.


    Feeling anger well up inside me, I feel it about to explode, but before it does. Dumnorix grabs all of the weight me and the beetle brothers are carrying, then says, ¡°This stuff is pretty light, don¡¯t you think you Beastkin who are carrying such light loads should be pretty ashamed.¡±


    Just like that, he walks ahead without a care in the world.


    -Break-


    -3 months later-


    Location: Sports field of the grand hall of Eche


    With a group of other boys for class, I play hurling. But just like usual we Fanalis, are put under far more restrictions. We are only allowed to support the other players, and must never intentionally go for the ball.


    Our role is only that of subservience to the other boys and girls. It¡¯s a fun sport, but not being able to try my best really does peeve me, and a lot of other Fanalis just sit down.


    But I refuse to, even if there is only one moment where the ball will fly towards me, I wish to grasp it. I don¡¯t want to just accept this lot we have been given.


    As I run towards the side, I see countless players gather around Dumnorix. He is rather good, but he likes to showboat a lot instead of focusing on winning and ends up getting surrounded.


    But in the middle of that large prison of people, a hole upon up and through the hole he hits the ball to me and screams, ¡°SHOOT!¡±


    With the ball in hand, I smash it into the goal and score points. Then moments later he came and kicked me in my side.


    -Break-


    2 months later


    Location: Back side of the grand hall of Eche


    Peering over a corner, me Dumnorix and Malachy, look over a corner and watch as Proteus talks to a girl he likes.


    But moments after their conversation begin he runs over to us crying. ¡°There, there.¡±


    -Break-


    5 months later


    Location: Dumnorix residency


    ¡°This is my mother and father, are they the greatest.¡±


    Both of his parents instantly jump me and say, ¡°Thank you for being friends with our little boy!¡±


    ¡°We know he is a lot, please stay with him forever!¡±


    Shocked, I pat the heads of his parents, and say, ¡°You two must have been through a lot.¡±


    Crying they say, ¡°It was so tough.¡±


    ¡°Sleep didn¡¯t exist in our lives.¡±


    And Dumnorix just watches this scene completely perplexed.


    -Break-


    4 months later


    Location: Eche training grounds


    As Dumnorix clashes against my sword with his tin blade, mine is deflected and he hits me with his tail.


    On the ground, I say, ¡°I can¡¯t beat you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re really bad with a sword?¡±


    ¡°I know I am weak you don¡¯t have to rub it in.¡±


    ¡°Not that I mean you just suck at using any form of sword, so maybe pick another weapon. But what to choose?¡±


    With his eyes lighting up, Dumnorix runs into a storage closet and picks up something and hands it to me.


    It is a shield with bladed edges, and he says, ¡°I think this would work better for you considering your rubbery body.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: City of Ceathair¨¦ad Miongh¨¢ire


    With Dumnorix and the beetle brothers, we sit in front of a street shop and request golden Potatoes.


    In hand, we stare at all of our steaming golden potatoes, and I say, ¡°This is what we have been saving up money for the legendary golden potato, now let¡¯s dig in.¡±


    All of us take a bite, and say the same thing, ¡°So bitter!¡±


    The shop owner says, ¡°It is hard for kids to understand the complexity of the flavour, so it usually ends up bitter.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Then why did you sell it to us?¡±


    ¡°To give you kids something to look forward to when you grow up, it seems a lot of you are lacking that now.¡±


    ¡°I see, so give us back our money.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    Angered, I hear Dumnorix say, ¡°I think that is fine, because without a doubt I plan to come back here with you guys.¡±


    Seeing his smile, I say, ¡°Ok, I know we will too when we get older. But for now, let¡¯s finish this.¡±


    As we continue to eat the bitter potato, I savour it and that moment, especially looking back on it, since it was a day that didn¡¯t last.

 Arc 10.34: A History of Chaos part 3

    -Break-


    -7 months later-


    Location: Cr¨®ga Soilsithe


    With my shield in hand, I clash against my father''s sword. Using the blade on my shield I counterattack him after I deflect his blows, and I am successfully able to strike him.


    Stopping my father says, ¡°You really have gotten better.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but it is all due to finding a weapon that suits me.¡±


    ¡°That is still an achievement. When you first started using that weapon I thought you were crazy, but now it has become so effective that even I struggle to deal with it. And it works better with your legacy ability than a sword does, I really am sure you will become a strong warrior.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will, and I¡¯ll make sure to keep you and everyone protected.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, now let¡¯s go get some rest.¡±


    -The next morning-


    Hearing a loud voice on the other side, I get up from my bed and take a walk outside. Where I see a group of adult¡¯s, including my parents, talking with pure fright and terror in their eyes.


    As I approach I hear, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious no way is that possible.¡±


    ¡°It is, the soil has been damaged, from the preliminary tests about 75 per cent of the land is no longer usable for farming.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible no way such an event can happen overnight?¡± My mom says.


    ¡°It seems this issue has been existing for a while, but it was only just made public since a lot of the farmer''s yield was awful this year. It seems someone has been covering this up!¡±


    My father immediately says, ¡°I need all of the Fanalis parliament members to follow me immediately, and everyone else to go and gather up all of the Fanalis scattered around Nialathr¨², I have a horrible feeling.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, is everything ok?¡±


    Hearing my voice, my father walks up to me and says, ¡°Yes everything will be alright. But what I need you to do now is to gather up all of the kids and watch your brother, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    As I walk back inside, I hear someone say, ¡°We were already suffering from serious overpopulation for Nialathr¨², and now that we have lost most of our farmable land, only the worst can happen now.¡±


    -Break-


    -Sometime later-


    Location: City of Ceathair¨¦ad Miongh¨¢ire


    Seeing Proteus and Malachy standing by a wall chatting away, I run up to them and say, ¡°We all have to go home.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to meet up with Dumnorix today?¡±


    ¡°I know, but we will have to postpone this.¡±


    The beetle brothers make worried faces and say, ¡°He is going to stand here for the rest of the day, if we don¡¯t show up.¡±


    Conflicted, I say, ¡°I know, but Dad said we all have to return now.¡±


    Suddenly from down the street, we hear a loud noise, that takes our and everyone else¡¯s attention.


    Looking down, we see a Fanalis on the ground and one of the Tuatha holding what seems to be bread.


    The Fanalis says, ¡°That¡¯s mine you bastard give it back, I bought it!¡±


    ¡°So, what, it is your people''s fault that this is scarce. So, the least you all can do is hand over the remaining bread to us.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this is even our fault, for all we know it was the government that is mostly Tuatha, so if anything it was your people''s fault.¡±


    ¡°Says the beasts who used to keep us as pets, this is just another one of your ploys the get back at us.¡± The man then turns around to all of the people around us, and says, ¡°Rise up my brothers, we can¡¯t let them take from us again!¡±


    All the people in the area surrounding us, start to look at the Fanalis with wary eyes, including us. Seeing this I feel frightened, so grabbing the brothers I start to run away at full speed.


    -Four days later-


    Location: The grand hall of Eche


    Walking through the school, Proteus asks me, ¡°Why isn¡¯t Dumnorix around today.¡±


    ¡°His parents are farmers, so he is probably helping them now that things have gone awry.¡±


    Malachy says, ¡°But without him, things feel a lot scarier.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The beetle brothers were afraid, and rightly so. Word of the incident has spread like wildfire, and just as quickly as it has spread, the rumour that it was the Fanalis who caused this has also made its rounds.


    This has caused hostility to be spread to all of us, far more than usual, and normally it is mind-breaking. That plus the fact that my parents haven¡¯t returned from Parliament makes it all so much worse than it should be.


    -1 week later-


    ¡°Most fields are completely useless.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to survive?¡±


    ¡°They say it is the Fanalis who caused it?¡±


    ¡°Apparently their tiny providences have a lot more farmable land?¡±


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t their land already poor in the first place?¡±


    ¡°So what it doesn¡¯t change the fact of what happened.¡±


    ¡°Fanalis can eat less food and survive for longer.¡±


    ¡°This might be a ploy for them to starve us out.¡±


    ¡°They are trying to dwindle our numbers!¡±


    ¡°These bastards are plotting something.¡±


    ¡°They need to be kept under a close eye.¡±


    ¡°But we also need to protect our kids from them?¡±


    ¡°We need to close down the schools, and kick them from the shared areas.¡±


    ¡°School is important we can¡¯t just close it down, and the government still hasn¡¯t made any announcements.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to get them to move, we need to make them not want to be there, far more intensely than ever before.¡±


    The harassment towards all of the Fanalis got worse incredibly quick, to the point where each and every one of us decided we couldn¡¯t be in school anymore.¡±


    We all stayed in our cities and in time, slowly moved towards our exclusive cities.


    During that time, our cities and houses underwent raids for food, as this year lack of food started to rear its ugly head, and still during this entire time my parents hadn¡¯t returned.


    Lots of us lived in fear during this time as we felt that any retaliation against our attacker could lead to even worse attacks. It truly was a horrible time, and our empty stomachs made the whole experience hundreds of times worse.


    Eventually, in the dead of night, my parents returned and woke me up.


    Dragging me, by my hands my father brings me to the egg holding my brother, and says, ¡°Abb¨¢n I need you to protect your brother with your life, his power will without a doubt be important to us one day.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Something that we have to do, but during this long time I am going to need you to take charge of the children.¡±


    My father spoke with an eerie calmness in his tone as if all doubt and restraint within him had disappeared. ¡°Will I see you again?¡±


    He pauses and then places his hand on my head, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know the next time we will meet, but I am sure we will. Now be strong my son and make me proud.¡±


    Filled with energy, I say, ¡°Right!¡±


    Guided by another Fanalis I am taken outside with my brother in hand, but as I am I hear some of the Fanalis talk.


    ¡°They plan to blame it all on us.¡±


    ¡°It was the Tuatha who spread those rumours.¡±


    ¡°We are going to be squeezed dry.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t let ourselves be beaten like this.¡±


    ¡°If they plan to destroy us, our only option will be to destroy them first.¡±


    -Sometime later-


    Location: Fanalis hideout 9


    We declared war on the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan. In a swift move, we attacked their major cities and struck each and every one of them down.


    After this, they were met with full retaliation and just like that war raged everywhere. From morning till night as we hid we heard the screaming of others.


    Then during the day when we moved from hideout 9 to 30 to 57 to 132, we were met with the sight of dead bodies and blood running through the soil.


    Nialathr¨² was packed to the limit with people and now it was packed to the limit with corpses. The stretch these bodies let out became what we all knew as fresh air for years on end.


    Sometimes we even had to hide in those dead bodies as we fled from our enemies. If one of us made a noise we all had to run and during that time I saw many of the children whom I had to take care of fall to the swords of my enemies.


    Yet whenever this happened I couldn¡¯t turn back or look for their bodies, I just had to keep running even if it meant running over their bodies.


    The adults who guided us eventually had to join the war, and I was left alone to take care of everyone. I had to bandage up those who got hurt during our escapes and care for the minds of those who couldn¡¯t stand the sight of all of the bodies.


    I wasn¡¯t able to handle all of them, and some chose death over life. Seeing their bodies made me want to break down and cry, but if I did I knew it would make the other kids give up, so I had to kill my childish heart.


    I took the clothes of the corpse and distributed them to those who needed them. I had to use force to stop people from running and giving away our positions, I had to force food down the mouths of those who rejected it.


    And I had to train each of the kids, so that when one of us where called to the battlefield we would be ready.


    Our lives were hard, and this existence went on for years, and one day when scavenging for food we ended up on a farm.


    While looking through the storage for food, I hear one of the other kids say, ¡°Abb¨¢n it seems some of the other ran into some adults.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Are they ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes the adults surprisingly didn¡¯t fight back, and we were able to kill them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Bring me to them.¡±


    Getting up I run all the way over to the place where I see my allies standing over the bodies of those they had just killed, and when I see them I fall to the ground over the bodies of the two dead adults.


    Suddenly words flash into my mind; ¡°Please continue to be friends with our son.¡±


    Looking down at the two bodies, I see both of Dumnorix¡¯s parents, and seeing this I break down and start to cry. They were truly kind to me despite being a Fanalis.


    -Break-


    -Sometime later-


    While hiding in a cave with the rest of the kids, I hear someone enter the cave and prepare to attack them. But then I say, ¡°Dad?¡±


    ¡°Abb¨¢n, this must be a miracle by Danu.¡±


    ¡°Where have you be-.¡±


    Cutting me off, my dad says, ¡°Where is your brother Abb¨¢n?¡±


    ¡°What do you want him for?¡±


    ¡°We will unleash him, and use his power.¡±


    ¡°Dad, where is mom.¡±


    ¡°Using Advent she was able to take a lot of them down in exchange for her life, truly a brave woman. And now I need all of you kids to come with me, and show the same bravely.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We need some forces as a distraction as we go and recover some of the weapons we have kept in a hidden storehouse.¡±


    ¡°But that will put everyone in danger.¡±


    Enraged, my father shouts, ¡°WE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING ALL THIS TIME FOR YOU, THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS DO THE SAME NOW THAT YOU ARE OLDER! WE NEED THIS MISSION TO BE DONE OTHERWISE WE WILL HAVE TO LOSE, WE NEED TO WIN!


    Scare I step back, and as I do my father tries to walk forward in the cave, and as he does the images of all bodies I have had to walk over appear in my head, and I step forward and stab him in the heart.


    Falling to the floor he looks down at me, and asks, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Today is my birthday Dad.¡±¡¯


    -Present day-


    Soon after that I brought the head of my father to the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan and surrendered. Happily, they didn¡¯t choose to wipe us out, but all of the freedom we had before was all but taken from us.


    On that day countless responsibilities and restrictions where placed on us, but none of that mattered to me because all I remember is the face of Dumnorix who was standing in the crowd of people yelling for the death of us all.


    And so like that, my life turned into what it is. Happily, my brother was able to finally hatch a few years down the line, and even though it is binding we have been able to attain quite a bit more happiness.


    Opening a door, I look inside a room filled with weapons, the ones my dad wanted us to reclaim on that day long ago, and I say, ¡°Nothing but a tool of death, yet I have truly never been able to bring myself to throwing them away.¡±

 Arc 10.35: Revenge part 1

    Closing the door, I say, ¡°No point in thinking about pointless things.¡± I can¡¯t control my feelings or thoughts, but I can decide what matters more, and this peace we have and the smile on my little brother''s face, will always weigh more, and I will act on those two things.


    Location: The path to the beastkin Village


    ¦µ Stepping off the beetle brothers back, Iancu says, ¡°This is why I told you guys to behave instead of fight.¡±


    Proteus says, ¡°We wanted revenge against Suzuka.¡±


    ¡°AND SHE BEAT YOU TILL YOU WERE BOTH INJURED AGAIN. And now our journey has to be delayed for the 7<sup>th</sup> time.¡±


    Turning to Suzuka, I ask, ¡°You couldn¡¯t go easy on them.¡±


    With passion, Suzuka says, ¡°A half-hearted fight is the worst sin of them all!¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Then you carry us all home, you meathead.¡±


    ¡°I would have you know that I eat balanced meals, so my head isn¡¯t just composed of meat!¡±


    Iancu has a look of disbelief and says, ¡°You really are an idiot!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot!¡±


    As the two of them clash, I turn to Malachy and say, ¡°I want to go make sure my gift wasn¡¯t damaged during our journey.¡±


    ¡°Ok, but you should get some space, these two¡¯s fights can be rather destructive.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Running for a little bit, I eventually reach some trees where I see nobody. Sitting down, I unwrap the gift I got for my brother, a statue of a Kola. ¡°This was the type of Fanalis dad was, so I am sure brother would like this.¡±


    I start to wrap up the gift again, but then hearing a sound, I turn to the right and I notice someone.


    ¦µ As I am about to hit Iancu again in his big idiot face, I stop and say, ¡°Someone is nearby.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I hear their thoughts.¡±


    Suddenly a scream comes from close by, and moments later all four of us run to the source, and when we get there we are greeted with an awful sight.


    -20 minutes later-


    ¦µ ¡°Can I hold your hand?¡± Orb asks while slightly delirious.


    ¡°You really are a needed child,¡± I say as I give him my hand.


    After fiddling and examining my hand like some weird science experiment, he asks, ¡°Hey?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°If you die, can I mess with your corpse?¡±


    I strike Orb on the head and say, ¡°You truly need some corrective punishment.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°Well before any of that I might as well get dinner started.¡±


    As I walk out of Orb¡¯s room, I hear someone scream, ¡°ABB¨¢N!¡± From outside.


    Hearing the panic in the voice, I rush outside and say, ¡°Wha-.¡± But I stop speaking before I can finish because the sight in front of me brings me to a state of Stupor.


    In front of me is Suzuka with Dillion in her hands, with one of his arms ripped to shred, wounds across one side of his body,  and his ant head is cracked open.


    I walk slowly towards him still not fully understanding how to feel, but then Proteus says, ¡°ABB¨¢N SNAP OUT OF IT!¡± And I come back to my senses.


    Not wasting any time, I say, ¡°Bring him in.¡±


    We lay Dillion out on a table and I start to cover up all of the haemorrhaging parts and as I do, I say, ¡°WHAT HAPPENED!¡±


    Iancu being the most level-headed in this situation explains, ¡°I don¡¯t know, we let him out of our sight for just a little bit, and then moments later we heard him scream. There were no wonderbeast around, so we left Malachy to search the area.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even let him out of your sight.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry we didn¡¯t know this would happen,¡± Proteus says.


    Holding back my anger I look at Dillion and say, ¡°His body is completely unresponsive, he is losing too much blood.¡±


    Iancu then makes a cut in his arm, and throws it into Dillion¡¯s blood, causing me to say, ¡°What the hell are you doing!¡±


    ¡°Any blood that comes into contact with mine falls under my control, due to my curse. So I can stop him from bleeding out, but that¡¯s the limit of my ability. Suzuka, I know you can help as well!¡±


    Calming down from her state of panic she grabs Dillion and says, ¡°Gozen battle arts; Spirit therapy.¡±


    Throughout his body, the girl sends shocks with her spirit energy which get¡¯s Dillion spirit energy to respond in his body. ¡°He is still unconscious but is now covering his body in spirit energy.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Suzuka says, ¡°As long as this is going on, his soul won¡¯t leave his body.¡±


    Looking at the both of them, I say, ¡°Thank you.¡± Now turning to Proteus, I say, ¡°I need you to find wonderbeast meat for my brother.¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Iancu ask, ¡°Will that help?¡±


    ¡°All Beastkin can regenerate faster with the flesh of wonderbeasts, so right now what we need more than anything else is food.¡±


    Our operation on Dillion went on for quite some time, and eventually, we were able to bring him to a stabilized point but he still didn¡¯t wake up.


    -3 hours later-


    Sitting in my house surrounded by a bunch of other adults who came to check on Dillion, I simply stay quiet going through my memories.


    The memory of when he first was born, the memory of when he first walked, the memory of when he first spoke, the memory of how he used to sleep beside me, the memory of when he first asked about our parents, the memory of his first day at school, the memory of his first time eating dinner, the first time he said he loved me.


    Suddenly Malachy runs into the room, and I get up and say, ¡°Did you find who did this?¡±


    Malachy says, ¡°No, but I found this.¡±


    What Malachy handed me was pieces of my brother''s ripped-off flesh sown together and on it, the words; child of sinners, were written on it.


    Everyone hearing this starts to talk around me, but as if time has stopped, I can¡¯t even perceive their actions. I apologize, we all apologized.


    We were treated like shit every day and then were put in a situation where we would all starve to death. So, we fought back like anyone would, but still we gave up we stopped, we didn¡¯t want war.


    We gave up our land, we gave up our food, we gave up our destinies, and we lost much more family than they did, we all lived lives stuffed inside this tiny village where we were shamed every day, and we didn¡¯t even complain about all of this.


    Because the only thing we wanted was our families, but we couldn¡¯t even have that, we weren¡¯t even allowed to have this little space, this little happiness.


    Are we such vile existences? Are we such mistakes of creation that we deserve this? Were we truly meant to be born to be treated like this? Is this truly the goal of our lives?


    Because if so, I reject this. Shaking tears fall as anger swells up inside me, and I say, ¡°Enough.¡±


    All of the people around me fall silent and look at me. ¡°The only reason the war ended is because of our kindness, the only reason they can hug their children is because of our kindness, the only reason they can eat is because of our kindness, the only reason they have beds to lay on is because of our kindness, the only reason they know peace is because of our kindness, and if they think we are monsters, then we will treat them with the kindness of monsters. A quick death.¡±


    The surrounding beastkin says, ¡°Abb¨¢n you don¡¯t mean.¡±


    ¡°I do, because if we don¡¯t do this now. How are we going to tell the kids to sleep at night knowing that any moment someone will kill them for being a monster.¡±


    The faces of everyone become determined, and as they do Orb listens in from the other room.


    -Break-


    Location: Abais Castle


    ¦µ Staring at me, Amad¨¢n says, ¡°My men have reported back, they have struck the target.¡±


    ¡°Now Abb¨¢n should be eager to attack us.¡±


    D¨²r says, ¡°Then my men will sneak into his house and assassinate Orb.¡±


    ¡°Then we can blame it all on the Fanalis, and now that we have removed the leader of the humans, Maple will be next in line and with my guidance will be extraordinarily easy to control.¡±


    Turning to Leisci¨²il I say, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for your recognisance we wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull this off.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be thanking me, but thanking Danu for letting the boy be ill. Now we should be able to successfully bring him to an end. But we should be careful we don¡¯t need Amad¨¢n men getting caught.¡±


    Olc says, ¡°I have already prepared a hideout for them, one of the food storage houses. No one without express permission would be able to get in.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, now tell Ganthr¨² to get troops ready, and I need you to spread the word of the incoming Fanalis attack. If some angered citizens go to meet, them and get slaughtered we would have even more wonderful backing.¡±


    D¨²r sitting up says, ¡°I should get going.¡±


    Olc asks, ¡°Don¡¯t you think your assassination will have a higher success rate with Dumnorix joining.¡±


    ¡°I would rather die than have him join me on anything, I have already sent him on a wild goose chase, so we won¡¯t be hearing from him till today is over.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Well at least that idiot won¡¯t be able to make anything worse now.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Abb¨¢n house


    ¦µ Sitting down on a chair as Abb¨¢n and all of the other beastkin prepare their plan, I say, ¡°Suzuka I am going to join them.¡±


    With a fright, she says, ¡°But that means you will have to kill people!¡±


    ¡°SO WHAT!¡± I shout. ¡°Back in Elp¨ªda horrible people always got away with their awful nonsense. Even now I have no idea what those bastards are doing to Morrigan, but if I have a chance to do something about it I will no matter how far I have to go.¡±


    ¦µ Standing up, Iancu walks away into the crowd of people and starts to talk and as he does, I hear the never-ending thoughts of resentment from everyone¡¯s heads. It is so intense and painful that I can barely move, but it reminds me of my time in Seirei.


    Suddenly, I hear Orb say, ¡°What the hell are you guys doing!¡±


    Staring at Orb, I see his hair is back and he looks much more sickly than he did when we first arrived at Abb¨¢n¡¯s house.


    ¡°You idiots somehow think going to war will fix anything? The first time you guys went to warn you almost lost everything.¡±


    Iancu angered tries to say something to Orb, but Abb¨¢n stops him and steps up. ¡°Orb shut the hell up because you don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±


    ¡°I am sure I do because right now you¡¯re not thinking straight.¡±


    ¡°My mind is more clear than it will ever be. Because I refuse to live like a bug, to live like I shouldn¡¯t be alive, to live like I am the monster when they assault our children, I am tired and have decided to strike back. Is that not fair for all we have been through or do you agree with them and think we deserve this!¡±


    Orb jumps up and headbutts Abb¨¢n, then says, ¡°Not a single fibre of my being believe you deserve this, but just because someone says something wrong doesn¡¯t mean any idea in retaliation and opposition of that is correct. Abb¨¢n, are you aiming to be less wrong than your enemy or are you aiming to be right?¡±


    Orb¡¯s words make faces of doubt appear on everyone¡¯s faces, but then Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore, I simply refuse to show any form of kindness and compassion because if any or all of us Fanalis were to fall, no compassion would come for us, only cheers of our destruction, so I simply don¡¯t care and am bringing an end to this.¡±


    Getting up, Abb¨¢n turns to the Fanalis and Iancu, then says, ¡°So would you all like to join me to end this suffering?¡±


    They all shake their heads in agreement, and as they do Orb falls to the ground. Then Abb¨¢n says, ¡°His health seems to have gotten worse Suzuka take him back to his room.¡±


    Picking Orb up, I see he is trying to struggle but is too weak to do so. ¡°Please Orb just come with me.¡±


    ¡°Suzuka are you truly ok with this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any right to tell them that because to this day I still think about hurting those who hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you crying.¡±


    Using my tails to wipe my tears, I say, ¡°Because everyone is so sad, and I can feel it intensely, I don¡¯t want it to get worse, but I also don¡¯t think they are wrong.¡±


    Pressing himself against me, Orb says, ¡°Suzuka if they go ahead with this their sadness will increase, so I need you to stop this.¡±


    ¡°But I already told you, I don¡¯t have the right or the will to.¡±


    Looking at me dead in the eyes, Orb says with a confident voice despite being weak, ¡°I have a plan that can stop this completely before any blood has to be spilled, and it relies solely on you!¡±

 Arc 10.36: Revenge part 2

    ¡°But how?¡±


    ¡°Suzuka, for all we know this whole thing could have been caused by a small group of people. During my stay here I have heard things, and know that a lot of people are not happy about the fact that the last war between the Fanalis and the Tuatha came to an end with the Fanalis still alive.¡±


    Confused, I look at Orb and say, ¡°There was a war?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, did you not pick up on that due to all the tension?¡±


    Embarrassed, I say, ¡°I was enjoying myself too much.¡±


    Orb smiles back at me with green hair, then holds in a laugh and says, ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at me, I am not dumb. Even if these people are trying to reignite a war, why now?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange that we have almost been here for three full days, and that no one from up above has come from us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Maple Legacy would have been able to get a group of people down here.¡±


    ¡°So maybe a group of us from up above, or Maple herself all came down and ran into the other beastkin. And maybe to try and curry favour with the members of our community they decided to try and paint the Fanalis as beasts to make themselves look like heroes.¡±


    With everything dawning on me, my anger fills, and I say, ¡°Now I really want to go punch them!¡±


    Putting his hand on my head, Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t forget this might have just been by a small group within the Tuatha. Judging them all and letting war happen is wrong.


    So Suzuka I need you to use your ability to hear thoughts to find the people who caused this. Their scent is still over Abb¨¢n body so if you were to drag them in the middle of the war there is a good chance we could end it before it starts.¡±


    ¡°But Nialathr¨² is vast there is no way I could find them all by myself?¡±


    ¡°The people who set up this entire plan probably have connections to the higher up in Nialathr¨² so if you swing by their and read their thoughts you should be able to learn the person, or even the location of our perpetrator.¡±


    Slamming my fist into my hand, I say, ¡°Right, and when I find the perp I will have to make it docile right? So I will need to break all of the bones it this person''s body right?¡±


    ¡°Ehh, Suzuka we need this person alive to face judgement.¡±


    Moving to the window, I say, ¡°I will leave the windpipe intact.¡±


    I jump out of the window, and then I run around the house and grab Malachy, then say, ¡°I need you¡¯re help?¡±


    ¡°We are busy here?¡±


    ¡°Malachy, I think I might have found the locations of the one who hit Abb¨¢n so let¡¯s go catch him, and then you will be able to get revenge for Dillion!¡±


    Malachy looks conflicted, then says, ¡°Ok then let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Northwestern wall of Pros¨²nfore


    Here lies the great wall of Pros¨²nfore. A giant structure made to defend the last city that stands in Nialathr¨², and is guarded twenty-four-seven by members of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan in chase of another beastkin invasion.


    ¦µ Standing and looking down the wall, a beastkin by the name of Mary, here two other beastkin say, ¡°Mary come play cards with us.¡±


    ¡°Get to work Maratha.¡±


    ¡°What a stick in the mud you are. Always staring at the wall nothing is going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Cut your foolishness, Brandon, that sort of complacency leads to problems in the future, what if the Fanalis were to attack again?¡±


    Maratha says, ¡°Despite how they look the Fanalis aren¡¯t all that beast-like, they won¡¯t do something stupid like attacking us.¡±


    ¡°You expect too much of those monsters.¡±


    Brandon says, ¡°You need to grow up, if the Fanalis wanted to really wipe us out, they would have fought to the last man but instead they sued for peace, so just like the rest of us they don¡¯t like war.¡±


    ¡°Once they started.¡±


    ¡°People like you really are annoying you know that Mary.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°If you want to go and kill Fanalis go do it, but don¡¯t sit here pretending like you¡¯re a hero when you want to just kill them.¡±


    ¡°I am here to protect the people!¡±


    ¡°Then protect us from sadness by joining in!¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Feeling frustrated, I sigh and then say, ¡°Fine. Deal me a hand.¡± But moments later I feel something bite me by the neck, and I fall to the ground.


    ¦µ In front of us Mary falls to the ground and we then see a snake Fanalis behind her. We freeze for a moment seeing her, but as she rushes towards us we draw our weapons and are about to scream.


    Then both me and Maratha have hands placed over us their mouths from behind, and then they both stare at each and in between both of their faces they see the one who has hands over their mouths is Iancu.


    Iancu using his legacy increases gravity and slams their heads into the ground and the snake Fanalis venom into them.


    Across the wall, guards are behind attacked by venomous Fanalis, who make them all go numb. Of course, some are beastkin of wonderbeasts who are more resistant to venoms, so a second person works with each Venomous wonderbeast one who has the ability to physically overpower their enemies.


    From a distance, a bat Fanalis uses echolocation to tell that all of their enemies have been knocked out then turns to Abb¨¢n and says, ¡°It is time to go.¡±


    As the main army of the Fanalis starts to head up to an open gate and pass through, the bat Fanalis says, ¡°Abb¨¢n something is coming.¡±


    From a distance, they see the same Tiritrex that hurt Maple coming directly towards them, and then Proteus asks, ¡°Why is that thing here?¡±


    But he is shocked as he feels the anger leaking out of Abb¨¢n. ¡°The only reason Ganthru¡¯s pet would be here is if they knew we would attack. Or as if they did something that they knew would make us attack.¡±


    ¡°That means,-.¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°It was the leaders of the Tuatha that hurt Dillion.¡±


    The Tiritrex starts to charge up the same blast it sent at Maple when she was fighting Ganthr¨². Holding his bladed shield in his hands, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I will handle this.¡±


    A glow appears over his shields and moments later a legacy acts on it. Holding his shield with both of his arms in front of him, he says, ¡°Ions¨² uisce.¡±


    Then water appears from his shield, and then as tiritrex shoots its blast, Iancu says, ¡°We need to move.¡±


    But Proteus says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry as long as Abb¨¢n is here damage is estranged to us.¡±


    The moment the blasts hit the water it starts to dissipate and grow smaller. While this happens, Proteus says, ¡°Abb¨¢n legacy absorbs all damage it takes, and then send it back at double the strength.¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Scaoileadh uisce,¡± And the water forms into a small ball and shoots out directly at the tiritrex completely eradicating its head.


    Turning back to everyone, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Abais Castle, meeting room


    As I grab some documents off the table, Leisci¨²il asks, ¡°Are those really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are, we are all so swamped with work that even during these turbulent times we must do our best.¡±


    Olc walking in says, ¡°Can you both please hurry up, we need to leave soon.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear it is bad manners to rush women,¡± Leisci¨²il says.


    ¡°You must address the underlying issues when dealing with people Leisci¨²il is the number one way of fixing an issue. Now Olc I see you are scared of the Fanalis coming to attack us first, but don¡¯t worry the chances of them getting anywhere close to us is next to zero.¡±


    ¡°I see, but-.¡±


    Leisci¨²il says, ¡°We will have guards with us till this is all over, and just like a little ally, have access to one of our countless hideouts.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°So, we are completely secure, now let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we all leave the room I turn to my right and ask, ¡°Did anybody hear that?¡±


    ¡°No, you must just be paranoid Cult¨²ir.¡±


    ¡°You must be right,¡± I say as I continue walking.


    ¦µ Hiding on the outside of the room, Suzuka says, ¡°Mission accomplished, now it is time to catch the perp.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Standing in front of a crowd of people, I look down and one of my subordinates looks at me and says, ¡°Commander Ganthr¨², this is everyone?¡±


    Preparing myself, I say, ¡°As of two hours ago, the Fanalis have pierced our walls and are heading straight for us.¡±


    Panic spreads among the people, so I say, ¡°Now me and my men will go and meet them, but this isn¡¯t the first time I have faced the Fanalis, and I know they are strong. So for me and my men, I can¡¯t assure our safety or our victory, so we ask you to stand with us! If you are strong, if you are truly children of Danu we ask that all of you will come and fight with us!¡±


    Looking down at them, one of my subordinates says, ¡°They are panicking.¡±


    ¡°It seems my word did not inspire hope within them, but despair.¡± I have fought against the Fanalis during the last war, and have stood to protect this people in case those beasts attacked us again.


    But it seems that I have not been able to ever inspire enough courage, respect, or admiration within them for them to follow or listen to me. ¡°It seems I have failed, these past few decades.¡±


    My men say words to try and encourage me, but I simply say, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I haven¡¯t been able to accomplish what I set out to so it is pointless.¡±


    Suddenly a man steps up and says, ¡°I will join you.¡±


    Looking down at him, I say, ¡°Aois? Please don¡¯t make a joke you''re too old.¡±


    ¡°I know I am old, I know my bones are rickety but, I have lived through that hell and many of us here have as well. But I don¡¯t want others to live through that as well, we should go in the order that we came so if me moving these dusty bones will help, I will join you.¡±


    Jumping off the elevated platform we are on, I get on one knee and hold out my hand saying, ¡°Thank you for joining us.¡±


    Another voice, says, ¡°I will come with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join as well.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let the young fight.¡±


    ¡°I will teach those Fanalis a lesson.¡±


    ¡°We will not be overrun.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be killed!¡±


    ¡°Our land is for us.¡±


    ¡°No more of our blood will spill on this land.¡±


    ¡°This is our home!¡±


    As more people join, I say, ¡°I am welcome to have you all.¡± Now at the very least, we can protect our city from those who wish nothing but destruction on us all.


    ¦µ Looking from a distance, I say, ¡°I knew sending gramps there would change their fear, into passion. Now it is time for the greatest in all of creation to get to work.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Abais Castle


    ¦µ Walking around my room unable to focus, I run my head, and say, ¡°What the hell do I even plan on doing thinking about all of this is pointless, my only goal should be to find Orb.¡±


    My two doors swing open and walking into the room I see Willow, who says, ¡°Where is my beautiful wife?¡±


    Seeing him, I run and give him a hug which causes him to say, ¡°You missed me, Didn¡¯t you?¡±


    I start to squeeze and Willow says, ¡°Maybe a bit too much. Maple you''re going to break my spine.¡±


    ¡°I need you!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry, DON¡¯T KILL ME!¡±


    Before I can snap Willow¡¯s back, Suzuka runs into the room and grapples the both of us to the floor saying, ¡°Maple I missed you!!!¡±


    Seeing that she grappled, with Willow as well, Suzuka says, ¡°The husband? Did I interrupt something, I AM SO SORRY!¡±


    Tapping her on the head, Willow says, ¡°You saved my life so don¡¯t be sorry.¡±


    I then grab Suzuka, and say, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you were hear. Did you fall down with Orb and Iancu? If so where are they!?¡±


    Before Suzuka can answer my question, she says, ¡°Sorry, but I need your help with something!¡± With a very urgent pressed tone, something Suzuka never uses.


    Slightly shocked, I compose myself and say, ¡°Tell me.¡±

 Arc 10.37: Revenge part 3

    -A few minutes later-


    Panicking as I fully digest what Suzuka just told me, I say, ¡°We need to do something now! Or else everyone is going to end up killing each other.¡±


    Willow asks, ¡°Do you know where the people are located?¡±


    ¡°I have a name, but I don¡¯t really know the layout of this place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was able to learn the maps of this place from the druid so I can help you catch them.¡±


    Full of energy, I say, ¡°I will come as well, my ability to increase your speed, will be helpful.¡±


    Suddenly, we hear a large group of footsteps, and torches lit. Looking at them in the distance, I say, ¡°It is the people of Pros¨²nfore and the military.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°They are heading in the direction of Abb¨¢n and the Fanalis!¡±


    Willow says, ¡°If they rounded up the people to go and fight the Fanalis, that means their clashes will happen, far sooner than expected.¡±


    ¡°Then I will go stop them.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°Absolutely not!¡±


    ¡°I must, with my ability to slow them down, I should be able to stop all fighting from happening between the two parties.¡±


    ¡°It is way to dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I agree, with Willow, it is far too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°SO WHAT! Do you both really expect me to sit here, and let everyone get into a conflict? I refuse, and I don¡¯t plan on letting this happen. If Orb¡¯s theory is correct, the reason this is all happening is to curry favour with me, so I will fight back.¡±


    Holding my hand, Willow says, ¡°You must be safe!¡±


    ¡°I promise, now you two go.¡±


    Grabbing Willow Suzuka uses her tails to swing out of the room, and as they do I grab my bow and start to run towards the crowd.


    ¦µ Looking at him, I ask, ¡°Willow are you sure it is ok to leave Maple alone like that?¡±


    ¡°No I am not sure, but one thing I do know is that if a single person dies because of this she won¡¯t be able to live with herself. In her mind to many have fallen because of her. So all we can do is hurry up and catch these bastards!¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Location: Abb¨¢n house


    ¦µ With the meek energy remaining in my body, I sit surrounded by a whole bunch of the Fanalis children, with Dillon¡¯s battered body, still unconscious.


    With his eyes still closed, the kids gather around him scared for his safety, and as they do I see countless visions flash into my head, these aren¡¯t memories of anything I have ever seen but each one feels intimately familiar to me.


    One of a spear, one of the holy men on the floor, one of a slave, one of a man looking at me through a jail cell, one of a baby, one of a woman cloaked in shadows, one of two adults, one of a happy young girl, one of a shining young man, one of a wedding, one of a man with a spear through his chest, one of crystals, one of a three-headed dragon, one of a gravestone, one of a man drenched and black blood, one of a girl whose body is ripped to shreds, and one of a grown man in a snowy cave with weak flames coming off his body, and one of a baby bleeding in a snowy mountain.


    The more I see these things the more countless emotions flow into my brain, so fast and so rapidly that my hair colour can¡¯t even keep up, and it simply stays purple, a shade of purple that perfectly complements the silver I always have in my hair due to my legacy.


    One of the kids beside me asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Turning to him, I put my hand on my head, and say, ¡°Yes just a little headache.¡±


    Staring at Dillon, he asks, ¡°Is that going to happen to us, will we be killed.¡±


    Seeing the other kids fall silent and focus in on us, I say, ¡°No you won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The Tuatha De Dannan, are always aggressive and mean to us, but they have never attacked us like this, so from now on will we have to expect this, if so I hope they all get wiped out.¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°War isn¡¯t good.¡±


    Another child says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to die, I have a lot I want to do?¡±


    Another says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be scared, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°I just want to go and play outside without a worry.¡±


    ¡°I would like to play with the animals and wonderbeasts.¡±


    ¡°I would like to visit Abais castle.¡±


    ¡°I would like to be able to have my own bed.¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t like always eating bugs.¡±


    ¡°I would like to see all of Nialathr¨², instead of being stuck here.¡±


    ¡°But those lesser beastkin won¡¯t let us.¡±


    ¡°So if they were to all disappear, would we be able to?¡± A child asks me.


    But before, I can answer, another child says, ¡°I have some friends who are lesser beastkin.¡±


    A lot of the other kids go, ¡°What?¡±


    Another child says, ¡°Yeah I do too.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you ever said anything?¡±


    ¡°Because their parents don¡¯t like it, so we usually have to keep it hidden. Isn¡¯t that the same for the rest of you?¡±


    A lot of kids say, ¡°Yes,¡± In response to this, revealing how many of them actually are friends, with the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan.


    ¡°How can you be these guys'' friends, you know they are mocking you behind your backs.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true, because they taught me how to knit that scarf I gave you for your birthday.¡±


    ¡°Huh, really!¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°One of them also confesses to me.¡±


    All of the kids in the room start to freak out and run to the boy who said this. ¡°Who was it?¡±


    With pride, he says, ¡°It was one of the red branch families!¡±


    The kids start to freak, out and have excitement in their eyes, and another child says, ¡°I actually get to eat food other than bugs.¡±


    ¡°How!?¡±


    ¡°Some teachers make a special exception and store some of the other food for us to eat later.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±


    ¡°I wanted more for myself.¡±


    ¡°You selfish bastard!¡±


    ¡°AH, you used a curse word!¡±


    ¡°I am telling!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Then you have to be it when we play tag, for the next two times.¡±


    Tired, he says, ¡°OK.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°This is why people find you annoying.¡±


    ¡°No one finds it annoying.¡±


    ¡°Hands up!¡±


    About 63 per cent of the kids raise their hands, and the Fanalis child says, ¡°You¡¯re all mean.¡±


    ¡°It is your fault for being annoying, and telling on everyone.¡±


    The remaining 37 per cent side with the snitch and say, ¡°It is all your fault for breaking the rules that were clearly laid out.¡±


    ¡°The rules are stupid!¡±


    ¡°Then ask to change them, don¡¯t just break them and complain when you get in trouble.¡±


    ¡°You all say that but then use the information you get to ask for bribes.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you guys are going to break the rules we might as well benefit from it.¡±


    ¡°See you¡¯re corrupt.¡±


    ¡°No, you are.¡±


    ¡°No, you are!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU ARE!¡±


    ¡°NO, YOU ARE!¡±


    ¡°NO YOU ARE YOU MONSTER!¡±


    The child called a monster starts to cry, and in response to this the child who started this goes up and hugs the crying child and says, ¡°I am sorry, you¡¯re not a monster.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry as well, but you guys as still corrupt.¡±


    The kids then go back to fighting and in the middle of this cute argument, another one says, ¡°Do you think the lesser beastkin talk like this?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Do the lesser beastkin, have chats with their friends, have food they want to eat, rooms to themselves, things they want to do, parents they want to impress, do you think the lesser beastkin are like this?¡±


    The room falls quiet, and the kid who got confessed to says, ¡°My secret admirer said she wants to become a druid, though she is bad a mesmerising so she doesn¡¯t know if she can do it. It really bothers her.¡±


    The kid who gets free food says, ¡°One of the teachers told me, their kids are always saying they don¡¯t want to share rooms with each other.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t the Lesser beastkin have bigger houses?¡±


    ¡°Only the really rich ones, most have houses barely bigger than us.¡±


    Another kid says, ¡°If they are like us, do you think they wouldn¡¯t want to be hated either.¡±


    ¡°Then why do they say mean things to us?¡±


    ¡°Why did you say something mean earlier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was angry, so I just struck back, I didn¡¯t think. I didn¡¯t really want to make anyone feel bad.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t you think they feel the same?¡±


    ¡°I see so if they are like an idiot over there, they could just be angry and need to learn better.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t idiot struggle to learn?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am not an idiot, the name is¡­. What is my name again?¡±


    ¡°When I struggle to learn it is because it isn¡¯t fun. So my mommy gives me sweets which she makes from the bugs to help me learn.¡±


    ¡°You are at the top of your class so it must work.¡±


    ¡°So let¡¯s get a bunch of sweets and then use them to make everyone learn we are not monsters.¡±


    ¡°That will work.¡±


    ¡°I am sure of it.¡±


    ¡°We are so smart.¡±


    ¡°Peace in Nialathr¨²!¡±


    -The children have overcome racism-


    The kids cheer amongst themselves, and it their whole conversation has distracted me from my pain so much that I fall on the floor and start to laugh.


    ¡°Why are you laughing human?¡±


    ¡°Maybe humans are stupider?¡±


    ¡°Well, unlike the Lesser beastkin, he isn¡¯t a beastkin at all so he maybe?¡±


    ¡°If he is that stupid maybe we should keep him locked up so he doesn¡¯t hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°But if we keep him amongst us he might infect us with his stupidity even from a cage.¡±


    ¡°So we should probably take him and the rest of the humans and lock them away.¡±


    ¡°Or dispose, of them.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he isn¡¯t like us, so we don¡¯t know what goes on in that head.¡±


    ¡°But, maybe disposing of them is a bit too much, so how about we just separate him from us and train him to be as amazing as us Fanalis!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡± The kids say in unison.


    -The children have reacquired racism-


    ¡°But first, let¡¯s go stop the war. TO THE BATTLEFIELD!¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    The kids try to move but to their dismay, I have frozen their legs. Looking at them, I say, ¡°Sorry but I cannot let you kids go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Why!?¡±


    ¡°Even though I enjoy what you have to say, bringing a kid to a battlefield is irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°But then people will die.¡±


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t because a rather viscous yet kind girl is working to protect them.¡± Patting the children¡¯s heads, I say, ¡°So please just wait?¡±


    The kids start at me, and one of them gives me an honest look and asks, ¡°You¡¯re not really stupid.¡±


    ¡°Shhh, don¡¯t give away my secret.¡±


    From my right, I hear multiple bodies approaching Abb¨¢n house at high speed, so I activate my legacy and as they break through the house I create a wave of ice, but they break through.


    The group of beastkin all wrapped in black clothes, target me with blades, and as they do I move back. They are incredibly fast and all of their strikes are aimed at my head.


    I have to constantly back away from their repeated blows and this process eventually leads me outside, where I am struck again.


    The children scream for me, and I shout, ¡°BACKAWAY!¡±


    But then one of the beastkin steps up and says, ¡°After we end your life the witness go next.¡±


    ¡°You bastards.¡±


    ¡°Now I will bring this to an end in one blow.¡±


    The man leading them all assumes a stance while holding his sword, and as he does another vision hits me. Then I see a woman with beautiful purple hair just like mine say, ¡°Red branch battle arts, is a style focused on high-speed attacks with each one aiming for the kill shot.¡±


    As this vision plays more starts to flow in and I can feel my body turn stiff as it is overloading with too much information.


    The man in front of me dashes towards me a speed at high speed, but then as he closes into my stiff body, he says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Passiflora.¡±


    His sword then moves towards me so fast it is like lightning. In my normal state, I doubt I can dodge this, and as I currently feel I have no chance.


    His sword comes towards my face, but before I can hit me another sword knocks it away and a sonic boom blows my eardrums. As I recover from this I open my eyes, and in front of me, I see Cyrus.


    ¡°I have come to save all of you,¡± Cyrus says as I regenerate my ear drums.

 Arc 10.38: Revenge part 4

    ¦µ No waiting for us to recover the animal people dash at me with the same speed they came at Orb with. Seeing them move so fast I know I can never dodge such an attack so I take and am sent backwards.


    ¡°You rather sturdy aren¡¯t you, but regardless it won¡¯t let you survive against us.¡±


    Like insects, they zoom around me, and strike me again and again slowly but surely chipping away at me. So in response to this, I activate my legacy and quickly swing my sword around in a circle, while darkness extends from my blade, increasing my reach.


    This cuts quite a few of them, but many others dodge the attack. And then they run towards me at full speed and continue towards us and strike with speed and precision.


    They are all incredibly fast, so much so that my eyes can barely keep track of them. Still, I don¡¯t understand how a human body can move so fast, there must be some try it.


    Suddenly one of them from behind me says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Passiflora,¡± And comes at me with the same incredible speed that came towards Orb.


    But using my tail, I smash the ground behind us something him from closing in, and then I quickly move and swing my darkness-extended blade towards him, but he moves out of the way again.


    As the fight continues and this process repeats itself, with my enemies constantly moving and striking me at incredible speed, I start to feel a sickening feeling come over me.


    You promised, you promised you would take care of Orb and Suzuka, that you would be someone they could rely on, but are you going to fail again? Are you going to continue being nothing but a parasite?


    Seeing an image of my sister play in front of my eyes, I start to shake again and again and again, until I start to feel something different. Anger, so much of it that I lash out like a moron, and with my blade producing as much darkness as possible I swing it.


    Whatever I swing at with my blade either get¡¯s absorbed into it, or sliced to pieces, and as I continue to do this I break the ground and any other footing they could use, and in those moments of imbalance I strike them with everything I have got knocking each and every one of them down to the floor.


    But as I do this I am struck again by the animal people, this time by my cheek and he says, ¡°You aren¡¯t that sturdy everywhere, on certain places in your body are hard coloured scales which are very visible, but all over your skin are soft scales which completely blend into your body. They can be worn down.¡±


    Looking at the cut on my cheek I notice it is one of the places Ahmed struck back in Jedidah. The scales across that area are of the softer variant, and they still haven¡¯t fully repaired themselves since Jedidiah. The lack of energy that human food gives me is really apparent right now.


    Getting into a battle stance he says, ¡°The next blow will cut your head in half.¡±


    As he prepares to attack me, an image plays before me like a memory is being forced out of my mind. Yet this memory isn¡¯t anything I recognize.


    In front of me, I see a silver-haired boy with rather lifeless eyes looking down at me. After a moment he says, ¡°Red branch battle arts attacks are fast even for a dragon like you, but there is a trick to it. They usually come in sets of three before a break in between, and if you stare at our feet you will see another sign.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on tell me!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t spoil you like that, so get back up and figure it out yourself or is a noble dragon like you far weaker than a beastkin like me Azi.¡±


    ¡°NO WAY! You¡¯re on!¡±


    The memory comes to a halt, and a second later the animal person is coming towards me at high speed. So, using my sword I prepare to block which is easy enough knowing what his target is, I do it once, and again, and for the third strike, he attacks me in my stomach instead.


    Taking the blow, I transfix my eyes on his feet and then swing my sword, and with a smile, I say, ¡°I have got it.¡±


    Taking another battle stance, he says again, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Passiflora,¡± And charges.


    But as he comes for me I take a step forward, and then I let his sword slice my cheek, but I dodge just enough that his blade doesn¡¯t fully enter my mouth.


    When using this fighting style, due to the strain after they do any attack one of their legs go numb, so they must alternate legs when doing follow-up attacks, so if you want to catch the user out you must stop this. As he lands his left foot into the ground in the same moment I stamp on his foot and keep it locked to the ground.


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    His other leg is numb so no matter what he does he can¡¯t move, and with incredible speed, I hit him with a downward slash winning the battle.


    Looking around, I see I have defeated all of the animal people, so I let out a scream, and as I do Orb says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Hearing this makes me incredibly bashful, and I say, ¡°I-I-I-I am an ad-d-d-d-d-dult, so of course I would be there to p-p-p-p-p-protect a child like you.¡±


    Orb snickers while still in pain and then walks over to the body of the man beneath me.


    ¦µ As I unmask the man who Cyrus cut down last, I hear one of the children say, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the minister of defence.¡±


    Staring down at him, I say, ¡°He and his people were clearly here for me, so they must have aimed to assassinate me, and try to stick the blame on the Fanalis to make them look worse in they eyes of Maple. I guess this means my theory was correct.¡±


    Looking at me, Cyrus asks, ¡°Orb what is even going on?¡±


    ¡°No before that how did you even get down here?¡±


    ¡°I used my darkness to create a giant ball and absorb myself into it.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense, are you the only one?¡±


    ¡°For now, everyone was preparing to send a rescue party, to look for you, Iancu, Suzuka, Maple, and Willow.¡±


    ¡°Willow is down here as well, I should have expected that.¡±


    As I sit and mull over my thoughts with Silver hair, I hear the kids say, ¡°Is that a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they super rare?¡±


    ¡°I always wanted to fly on the back of one.¡±


    ¡°Turn into a big dragon now.¡±


    ¡°You guys are really tasty right!?¡±


    Suddenly something clicks within my head, and standing up I grab Cyrus and then start to run inside the house.


    ¡°What¡¯s goin-n-n-n-n-g on?¡±


    ¡°I just need you to come with me.¡±


    Getting over Dillon¡¯s body, I say, ¡°Cyrus I am going to keep you to make that wound on your cheek bigger for me.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± Cyrus says as he uses his finger to open the wound more in an incredibly gruesome fashion.


    As his blood flows out, I grab a bowl and catch it within the bowl. Then I run over to Dillion and get him to drink it, and say, ¡°IF what Abb¨¢n said earlier is true taking in something high quality like the blood of a dragon should help Dillion heal a lot faster.


    Suddenly after Dillion drinks the blood, his eyes start to open and he says, ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it worked!¡±


    ¡°Orb?¡±


    Rubbing his cute little head, I say, ¡°Yes it is me, but now is not the time for that. I know this may be a tad irresponsible but with Cyrus here we can probably do it now. Dillion I am going to need you to talk to Abb¨¢n.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, I will fill you in on the way but for now I am going to need you to guide Cyrus to Pros¨²nfore.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Dillion says.


    Turning around and getting ready to leave, I fall to the ground in more pain, and as I do Cyrus says, ¡°O-O-Orb are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is just the pain, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now just pick me and Abb¨¢n up, but before that please restrain all of those beastkin.¡±


    ¡°I w-w-w-w-will.¡±


    As Cyrus does what I ask, I start to see more and more visions flow into my brain. I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of information, but strangely it feels like all of this information is starting to make sense to me.


    Location: Plains of D¨ªoltas


    ¦µ The plains of D¨ªoltas the place where some of the most brutal fighting took place during the last war between the beastkin. Due to it being an open plain with nowhere the hide, it was the place where the Tuatha De Dannan confronted the Fanalis during one of the most critical battles in the last war.


    And on this plan now, two armies lie facing each other, one of the Fanalis, and one of the army and the people.


    As they see each other, the realization of what truly is going to happen dawns on many of them, but the fear and anger they have for each other overtakes them.


    No words are exchanged or even attempted, and when the leaders of both sides Ganthr¨² and Abb¨¢n are asked by their men whether or not they ask the other side to surrender now, they both say, ¡°No those beasts don¡¯t even know what peace is, the only option is death.


    They each look at one another with anger and contempt, and in the same moment they stare at each other and prepare to give the sign to start, but in that same moment between the both of them, Maple drops down and shoots her arrows high into the sky.


    My arrows seem to have distracted them enough, and noticing me, I am sure Ganthr¨² won¡¯t risk attacking knowing what the Grand druid said, but still, in this situation, I need to say something quickly.


    The tension I feel is far more intense than what happened back in Niflheim, so much so that I know that whatever I say whatever I do will decide the fates of the people here. And this pressure feels like I am being crushed by a mountain.


    I shake, I can¡¯t see straight, and I feel like I am about to throw up. But I also feel that in this situation not doing anything is just as bad, which causes me to wrack my brain for an answer. In this moment my mind goes so hectic, and all I can focus on is my bow.


    In that moment I remember the words I said to Atalanta in Basileia. I have no time for thought or anything else, all I need to do right now is just be honest, so speak your heart, Maple.


    Grabbing the shattered shell I took from Abais castle, I scream, ¡°EVERYONE LISTEN UP!¡±


    Name: M¨°inteabrae


    Height: 13m


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A giant bipedal wonderbeast. It is covered in very sticky moss that asks in the same way fur does, and it has two giant eyes that glow with a white light. It Usually walks on its fours despite being bipedal. It is very agile despite its size and can even move through a city without breaking anyone or anything.


    Fact: The moss covers their face, so it ends up looking like a monster in the dark, or a giant moving mountain with two white lights in the dark. Though it is an extremely friendly wonderbeast, and will never harm another even at the cost of its own life. All of these factors make it great for transporting kids to school.

 Arc 10.39: Revenge part 5

    ¡°I am Maple Rian and I am one of the leaders of the humans, as of three days ago, we have made our way here into this country.¡±


    The people stop and start to talk amongst themselves as they understand what is going on. Following this up, I say, ¡°We humans have not frozen over and the outside world, hasn¡¯t been destroyed, and we plan to establish contact with you all, but before that, I have to tell you all something.¡±


    With all of my heart, I shout, ¡°PEOPLE ARE SCARY!¡± This is so loud that it makes everyone on the battlefield shutter.


    ¡°What are they thinking? Why do they act in certain ways? Why do they lie? Why do they hurt people? Why do they do things differently from one another? Why do they choose death over life? Why are some better at certain things than others? Why do some want others to be a certain way?


    Why do they carve attention from others? Why do they trick themselves? Why do they rely on one another? Why do they form groups? Why do they create rules they break? Why do they choose leaders and then ignore them? Why do they not even have answers to these questions themselves?


    People are terrifying, and no matter where I go or what I do, I will never escape them, it is impossible to do that. But at the same time, people are kind, they are good, they are strong. People scare me, but it is simply one aspect of them, people being scary is no different than people having skin, it is simply a part of them, not their existence.


    My father put up with all of my anger for years, and my people didn¡¯t hold a single grudge against me despite all of the danger I had put them all in. They all forgave me even though I wouldn¡¯t have done the same for them, they all love me.


    Their love is powerful and something I want to protect and I am sure you all do as well, but that love doesn¡¯t need to stay with your own people or your own family. Because I know someone who has no relation to me and my people yet loves us just as much as we love each other, maybe even more.


    He is a stranger to us all but now he is a member who would die for us and we would die for. That love he has shown us has given us the strength to show that love to countless others, and now our small family has grown so big that we struggle to keep count.


    So listen to me now, as you stand on this battlefield ready to kill others for your people. Know that these ones you could kill can one day become your people.


    That there are those you would strike down today, that you would have killed millions to protect, so I ask you is it worth it to fight each other¡¯s is it worth it to fill this land with blood?


    Because if you still fear each other, if you are still scared of each other. I will stand beside you to protect your heart. It is said that the messiah stands beside everyone¡¯s soul to give them strength to fight against demons, so I will be his messenger in those moments where you feel overwhelmed by fear.¡±


    Crying as I shout, I say, ¡°I am weak, pathetic, and not the greatest leader, I will make mistakes again and again. But I will get better for my people, and for all those who could love my people. I will stand for you and help you, so please just trust me, please give me your faith so I can fight against the fear with you!¡±


    My words cause everyone on both sides to stop moving towards each other, but then I slowly see two people walk up towards each other. Ganthr¨² and Abb¨¢n and then behind them more people from the frozen crowd follow their leaders down the hill.


    Then I hear shouts from both sides as they say, ¡°DESTROY OUR ENEMIES!¡±


    My words fell on deaf ears, so I cleaned my tears and then I shout into the shatter shell, ¡°No matter what I won¡¯t let any of you fight!¡±


    In my bow, I weave a spirit arrow, but instead of making the top pointy I make it blunt, and then I shoot it at someone slowly knocking them to the ground. ¡°Now he will be slower, I just got to keep this up.¡±


    As the majority of all the people on the field keep coming towards me, I shoot more and more arrows to both of the beastkin sides, but then suddenly I see an incredibly fast Fanalis that looks like a cat coming towards me.


    I show arrows, but it dodges as it heads for me on all fours, and soon enough it reaches me, and then it opens its giant mouth and heads towards my neck.


    I try to shoot but I am not fast enough, and as it is about to rip my throat out, it suddenly gets knocked to the ground, and then in front of me, I see a Fanalis with the face of a bat.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    But shockingly the Fanalis takes off its head and then underneath it I see Iancu. As I see him for the first time in 3 days, I am shocked and the embarrassment from the issue we all had comes back to me, and I say, ¡°Sorr-.¡±


    ¡°Leave it, we have better things to do. You¡¯re little speech cut both armies in half, so let¡¯s deal with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    As both groups come at us, we use our legacies to stop them from fighting the best we can.


    Location: Outskirts of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ Seeing a cave, I say, ¡°That¡¯s the only place around here where someone could hide so it is my best guess for where the perpetrators is hiding.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    Staring at her covering her face, I ask, ¡°Are you sure you are ready?¡±


    With a shaky voice, she says, ¡°Yes, I just don¡¯t want to cause any problems between the two of us.¡±


    ¡°You Orb said that you think I hate you.¡±


    She starts to visible panic even more, and mutters, ¡°I will slaughter him later.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you will believe me, but it is furthest from the truth. I am happy Maple has another friend who she can talk to, it has been hard for her to connect with a lot of the members of Aplos because of how estranged she has been, so it makes me incredibly happy to know she has a friend like you.¡±


    With a face full of happiness she says, ¡°Really! Well then let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Suzuka picking me up lunges towards the hideout, but as she runs closer to the surroundings a green fog starts to appear. ¡°SUZUKA UP,¡± I scream.


    And she uses her tail to push her and I off the ground, and then she says, ¡°My legs feel a bit numb.¡±


    ¡°It was a trap!¡±


    ¦µ Feeling spirit energy approaching us fast, I throw Willow up into the air and block an incoming punch. It is fast and heavy, but I should be able to hold it.


    Suddenly I feel a second impact in the same place and am sent to the ground. As I recover I see that the person in question has grabbed Willow by the leg and has flung him towards me.


    Using my tails I catch him, but as I do I see the foot of the enemy mere millimetres away from hitting me in the face. I pull my head back as fast as I can but am still hit.


    If I had taken that head on my head would popped off, but more than that how did he move from the sky to the ground so fast?


    Taking a closer look, I see that the person who attacked us looks like a grasshopper with metallic arms and metallic legs. But more importantly, it is a Fanalis.


    Staring at us, he says, ¡°Cannot believe someone actually managed to find us, and I thought I wouldn¡¯t have to do my job as a guard today.¡±


    In my peripheral, I see someone on a wonderbeast riding away at high speed. So I say, ¡°Covering while your friend escapes.¡±


    ¡°That is the role of a guard but don¡¯t worry I will meet up with him after I kill the both of you.¡±


    He lunges towards me and prepares to strike me, but before he does with a sword Willow parries the blade.


    Then looking back, he says, ¡°Please go after the perpetrator and leave this guy to me.¡±


    ¡°But this guy is too strong.¡±


    ¡°The longer we take the more danger Maple is in.¡± Parrying a second blow from the Fanalis, Willow says, ¡°So please catch him!¡±


    Seeing his determination, I say, ¡°But please don¡¯t die, I would like to be your friend too!¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¦µ As Suzuka leaves I step back and then say, ¡°You¡¯re a Fanalis, don¡¯t you know what that person did?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but how is that any of my business.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The fact is the Fanalis are the losing side, so switching to the side of the winners will preserve my existence for time to come, and the sweet deal I worked out with the minister makes it so that they will take care of me for the rest of my life after this,¡± He says with an incredibly gloaty expression.


    ¡°I will always forgive animals for their behaviour since they know no better, but you are different. Ready to allow all those people to go kill themselves because you want to profit, right now you''re in below a mindless beast.¡±


    ¡°If you want to talk to so much back it up with some actions!¡±


    He throws a punch at me with his right and I dodge it, then swing my sword towards him to counter. But before my blade lands, his left leg goes from a completely stationary position to right next to my temple.


    So I put my hand up to block but I am hit away, with my arm breaking in the process. Then with his fist, he charges towards my stomach, so I pour all my spirit energy there to block, and successfully I minimise the pain.


    Moving my spirit energy back towards the rest of my body I prepare to counterattack, but before I can do anything I feel a second impact in the same stop, which causes me to spit up blood, and move back.


    Standing up, but slumped over I stare at him as blood spills from my mouth. Within his body is some mechanism that allows his body to go from a stationary state to action, that is the only way to explain how he was able to hit me with a second blow with such intense impact.


    The force was also so great he is able to move through the sky with it, but now that I have figured this out I will be able to factor it in. He keeps up his attack and in return, I charge towards him with my blade and we clash.


    ¦µ On my apex deer, I ride away from my hiding space, and turning around I see a girl with white fox tails behind her and I shout, ¡°TOO SLOW PRINCESS!¡±


    I saw that she and the boy triggered the trap we set, so anywhere the fumes touch should feel numb. No way she is going to catch up to me moving at that speed.


    Turning back again I see something, surprising the girl has used her tails and has turned her body into a wheel. Just like a hedgehog, she is rolling towards me at high, and as she reaches beside me, I see a hole open in the middle of the white wheel and see her eye looking at me.


    I scream and start to speed up while throwing some of the Apex deer¡¯s bombs at her.


    ¦µ Looking at the beaten and battered body of the boy on the ground, I turn around and say, ¡°Now it is time to go kill that little girl as well.¡±


    On the floor, Willow''s arm twitches as he grabs his sword.

 Arc 10.40: Revenge part 6

    ¦µ I am scared, completely terrified of everything. The world is so much bigger than I thought, and all of the people I care about have been thrust into it, with very little way of backing out.


    Some have already come back with scares, both mental and physical. And I fret the idea that others will soon have scares like this as well, which could be a lot more deadly than the ones I have already seen.


    But what terrifies me the most is my lack of ability to do anything about it. Back when me and Orb were hunting predasaurs I was scared but knew deep down I could overcome them if I trained.


    However, this world we live in is one where even a genius like Orb can be devoured, and I don¡¯t think I can survive in such a place. I am frightened that one day all I have, all I love will crumble. So maybe it is better to die right here.


    Still, I made a promise to always be there for my wife, and to be a living example of Orb¡¯s hope for people. So I will take this sensation, take this fear, and move on.


    Standing up, I look at the Fanalis and say, ¡°I am not done yet.¡±


    Turning to me, he snickers and says, ¡°Pfft, if you can¡¯t even stop shaking don¡¯t talk as if you are worth even a second of my time you bug.¡±


    With my hand still shaking from the eminent fear of death, I put on the best smile I can, and say, ¡°You''re so amazing yet you can¡¯t even finish off a bug, looks like you rate yourself to highly.¡±


    Angered, he says, ¡°Ok then, I won¡¯t let you die peacefully.¡±


    He lunges towards me, and I pretend to enter a position ready to parry, and as he punches at me, I move my sword and let his blow break my sword in half.


    With one of my arms broken swinging a large sword like I wasn¡¯t effective, so fighting this way will allow me to fight somewhat effectively.


    With my broken sword, I slice a part of his leg and then start to run away. As I do he screams, ¡°YOU THINK I AM GOING TO LET YOU GET AWAY!¡±


    He is about to lunge towards me but then stops as he notices where I am standing. Stamping my foot on the ground, from the trap spring again which causes the gas to come, and following this throughout my body I start to feel numb.


    Looking at my hand which has stopped shaking, I say, ¡°I can fight like this now!¡±


    I then slowly approach him and say, ¡°What are you scared of a little poison?¡±


    He lunges towards me, and as he does I dodge the best I can, my head feels clear as if the pain doesn¡¯t exist, but still, I am limited physically by the shape my body is in.


    He spends fast blow after fast blow, but I am able to barely dodge each now that I am accustomed. He does spend a different type of attack every now and then to mix it up, but using my spirit energy I am at least able to hold on, though to an onlooker this fight would be anything but even.


    Still within brief moments where I see and opening a land a slice on both of his arms and his legs, and then I say, ¡°Looks like I am far more than a bug.¡±


    Angered he punches directly towards my face and I use my broken arm reinforced with spirit energy to block. This blow causes so much pain it overrides the numbness in my body and sends me flying away.


    On the floor with teeth missing, I say, ¡°Is that all you have got!¡±


    He then lungs towards me, and says, ¡°DIE!¡±


    But as he lunges towards me a large snapping sound happens and he falls towards the ground and looks confused. ¡°What the hell is going on.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°The Ruathar hopper is a wonderbeast that uses special muscles located in its limbs to instantly accelerate to any speed necessary to surprise and catch its prey, but it shouldn¡¯t be used too many times in rapid succession. So I have been damaging those muscles every so slightly, and have waited for you to overexert yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, I have no limit to my ability.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s what you¡¯d think but have you ever been forced to use it in such rapid succession like this, and thanks to the numbness you got from walking into the poison you didn¡¯t even feel the pain that would come with strain, then using my sword I made sure to make this situation every so slightly worst.¡±


    He looks dumbfounded, on the floor, so I say, ¡°How would you even know about this!?¡±


    With a sadistic smile, I say, ¡°When I first arrived I got beaten quite badly, so I have spent the last two days with the druids memorizing everything I possibly can about all of the wonderbeasts they have on record. I don¡¯t have a legacy or special abilities, but I do love animals with all my heart, and I know that the Ruathar grasshopper''s belly is incredibly shock absorbent, and incredibly weak to slashes.¡±


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    He gets up and runs at me, then says, ¡°I will kill you bastard!¡±


    Quickly I move forward then with my sword, I disembowel him and say, ¡°It is over.¡±


    As he falls to the ground, I look at his body and then say, ¡°This is the first time I have ever killed someone intentionally. He is an awful person but this is equally an awful feeling.¡±


    Staring at the blood on my hand, I feel rather intense emotions, but the numbness throughout my body stops any physical expression of this. I start to breathe in again and again, with the speed increasing with each breath, yet I cannot calm down no matter how much I try.


    But suddenly, I see Suzuka''s face in front of mine and she says, ¡°WILLOW ARE YOU OK!?¡±


    ¡°Ye-.¡±


    Before I can finish she grabs and holds me then in her panicked state, she says, ¡°Willow don¡¯t die, please don¡¯t die, if you do Maple will cry and I will cry so don¡¯t die, don¡¯t die!¡±


    Pushing her face away, I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me off in your mind, I am fine.¡± Looking at the beaten body she is dragging, I say, ¡°So you managed to capture the perpetrator.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we need to hurry back over to Maple.¡±


    ¡°That man was riding on a Wonderbeast right, so take it go.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you behind.¡±


    ¡°Enough with that, I am able to bandage up my wounds by myself so all I need you to do is go right now.¡±


    ¡°No Willow, I don¡¯t know how to ride a horse, much less a wonderbeast. I also forgot the way we came here.¡±


    ¡°Huh, YOU FORGOT!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me, the entire time we were coming here I was so panicked by being next to you that I couldn¡¯t remember anything!¡± Starting to cry, she screams, ¡°Orb, Maple, WILLOW IS ABUSING ME!¡±


    ¡°HEY DON¡¯T GO MAKING UP LIES!¡±


    As Suzuka cries, I say, ¡°Hey if you stop I will tell you some of Maple and Orb¡¯s embarrassing secrets.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really! But now we need to find a way to get us all there.¡±


    As me and Suzuka mull over and think about what to do, we hear a loud quaking sound and soon we see something that shocks us both to our core.


    -Break-


    Location: Plains of D¨ªoltas


    ¦µ Me and Iancu continue to fight with all of our hearts. We do whatever we can to slow them down, using our legacy the best we can. But the beastkin are simply too varied in the ways they attack and how we deal with them.


    Each of them has a different animal which affects the way they move, think, look, and can do. They are all special, their greatest blessing is what is about to make them lose it all and there is nothing I can do about it.


    From my back, I feel something strike me, and turning around, I see Iancu is preoccupied with keeping so many beastkin from moving through that one that looks like a chameleon has snuck behind him and hit me.


    The Fanalis then tries to go for my neck but using my bow I block in then with my finger coated in spirit energy I strike it in the eyes and kick him off me.


    Standing I look around and with my enhanced vision, I see that we are already overwhelmed and in mere moments they are going to start fighting, feeling defeated I am about to drop my bow.


    But I tighten my grip, and say, ¡°Even if I can stop one more person from dying it will be worth it.¡± So I prepare to shoot a final shot.


    But as I do, I feel a quake through the ground. Something that I felt for the first time a few days ago. The quaking keeps happening so regularly that everyone on the battlefield can¡¯t even stand.


    And mere moments later we see something running at us. It is the biggest living thing that I ever have seen, a giant silver wolf covered in tattered robes similar to those of the druids, and just like the druids it has two tree horns growing out of its head, but unlike the druid, the branches raged across its body.


    It¡¯s arms are long and sore our it¡¯s legs. Throughout its skin are scars that are bigger than houses, and wounds that carve out its flesh. But despite all of that this beast in front of us has a regal aura.


    As the beast comes to a halt it looks down at us, and in that moment it says, ¡°For the first time in two thousand years, I have left my prison of repentance, and this is the sight I see, how humorous.¡±


    Everyone in the area feels fear overtake them and they don¡¯t know what they are looking at, but from the moment I felt the quaking I knew who it was.


    Ganthr¨² instantly falls to the ground and says, ¡°EVERYONE BOW YOUR HEAD AT ONCE!¡±


    A Fanalis who is trying to hold back her fear says, ¡°Why would we ever bow are head to one of you.¡±


    Ganthr¨² screams, ¡°BE QUIET FOOL BECAUSE THE ONE IN FRONT OF YOU IS OUR HIGHEST AUTHORITY, IT IS THE GRAND DRUID!¡±


    Hearing this name, the rest of the beastkin in the area quickly start to fall in line, for that is the respect this beast commands.


    Name: Bursting Bear


    Height: 230 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Omnivore


    Description: It is a large quadrupedal wonderbeast, with two long Appendages attached to its back that look like furry wings. It is incredibly similar to a black bear in terms of looks, but it has orange markings throughout its body that allow it to compress and stop heat inside its body, allowing for both offensive and defensive use. The two wings like appendages on its back are adaptions it made so it could better insult other wonderbeasts that don¡¯t have heating capabilities.


    Fact: The bear is a social and friendly wonderbeast, and it will fall into a deep depression and die if left alone, so it adapted the wings on its back to better keep other wonderbeasts without insulting capabilities alive through harsh conditions.


    Name: Eclipse Ant


    Height: Undefined


    Type: Wonderbeast, Omnivore


    Description: An ant-like wonderbeast, that has incredibly powerful blade-like legs, and wings that are as strong as they are light. It is capable of gripping onto any surface, and it can secrete a special kind of drug that reduces pain and raises one''s physical capabilities. But the most important aspect of them is that the longer they stay in their cocoon the bigger it''s size becomes and the denser it¡¯s muscles get.


    Fact: If a beastkin is born with this wonderbeast as it¡¯s animal the pregnancy process is described as utter hellish and that no pain on earth could even compare to it.


    Name: Nord Dragonfly


    Height: 20M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Omnivore


    Description: A wonderbeast that looks like a long slim, serpent-like dragon with glowing blue orbs hanging throughout its body. Its body is incredibly stretchy so it can take all forms of purely physical impact without a dent


    Fact: Despite how they look they have no alignment with the dragons or the draconic wonderbeasts, they are insects. Over the generations the dragonflies used their rubber-like bodies to stretch and model themselves into a new shape, to ward off predators. This led to an issue where humans would easily hunt them and think they are not capable of hunting dragons leading to a high amount of corpses.

 Arc 10.41: Revenge part 7

    We all shutter as we stare at him. But turning to me Iancu says, ¡°Maple what the hell is that, we got to go now!¡±


    Sen¨¢n then holds out his palm in front of all of us and opens it, and then in the middle of his palm a light front the sky descends down and we hear, ¡°NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE MOST MAGNIFICENT BEING TO EVER EXIST, DUMNORIX THE GREATEST IN ALL CREATION!¡±


    As Dumnorix''s foolish act plays out, the tension that everyone feels turns to annoyance, yet despite our reaction to him, he doesn¡¯t just stop there.


    Turning to Sen¨¢n he says, ¡°Thanks for the ride doggy, you made my already magnificent entrance greater than it was before!¡±


    ¡°DID YOU JUST CALL HIM A DOG!¡± The beastkin from both sides yell.


    Sen¨¢n then drops Dumnorix down on the ground, and says, ¡°I am happy that funny Beastkin like you still exist.¡±


    Every movement he makes sends wind through the area he is just that big. With his other arms, he opens his palm and then spits something into it.


    Then he throws that big ball of mucus onto the ground, and in that ball, I see Maple, Willow, four of the ministers, and another unconscious beastkin.


    Shocked by this sight, I run forward with Iancu and liberate all of those stuck in the mucus, and as I do I see Willow battered so I grab him and say, ¡°What happened, why are you so beaten, explain!¡±


    ¡°Can I keep the explanation for later and just get pampered by my wife instead for now.¡±


    Giving him a good hug, I say, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Suddenly I see Suzuka making a facial expression as if she wants to be pampered by me as well, so I turn to Iancu and say, ¡°You do it.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Even after we asked everyone to come to peace you can¡¯t even do that?¡±


    Sighing, he touches Suzuka¡¯s head and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    She looks rather happy by this.


    Dumnorix then picks up the person who was unrecognizable to me and then in front of both armies he shouts, ¡°This man around the end of the last day attacked and brutally injured a child from the side of the Fanalis, and this attack was planned by our ministers, upon realizing this the Fanalis came to retaliate, and they set it up that all of the soldiers would be scatter around Nialathr¨² so that Ganthr¨² would have to recruit citizens to protect the city.¡±


    The crowd of people are shocked by this revelation, but then a member of Ganthr¨²''s army, an actual soldier says, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense what would that have accomplished?¡±


    ¡°The four kids you see behind me are all humans from the surface, and recently we have discovered the fact the world above had not frozen over but has been going on for the last 2000 years, and that we had all simply been separated.


    There are currently only one group of humans who know about our situation, and these ministers here have been trying to curry favour with the humans all this time.


    Yet the treatment of the Fanalis would be something that would be a very bad look, so they tried to trigger this war and make the Fanalis kill some civilians to make everything look like the treatment of the Fanalis was justified.


    By my count, they even sent assassins over towards the Fanalis villages, to make sure that the humans they and been keeping along with any witnesses were to be killed.¡±


    A stag beetle Fanalis says, ¡°Then aren¡¯t the kids and Orb in danger!¡±


    The Fanalis panic, but then Dumnorix says, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid Proteus, I have already sent men to stop such an attack from happening everything should be fine.¡±


    A member of Ganthr¨²''s army says, ¡°Yet this sounds incredibly convenient doesn¡¯t it, if they wanted to control the humans there were many different ways they could have gone about it. Like putting the humans in our debt, or even using drugs if things went wrong why would they use civilians as human shields.¡±


    Ganthr¨² then says, ¡°Because of the Geas, they made a Geas with their blood with Sen¨¢n and they would break such a thing so easily knowing that Sen¨¢n specifically has an interest in the two humans they found. This is all plausible.¡±


    As Ganthr¨² speaks you can feel the lost resolve on the faces of the rest of his army as they realize they have been pawns, but then he says, ¡°But do you have proof Dumnorix while all this may have been a ruse simply making a convincing theory with no backing is the height of stupidity.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do silly.¡± Pulling out a list, Dumnorix says, ¡°This is a group of people who would collaborate on my story, we can double-check with them all when we get back.¡±


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    Pointing the list in the face of a tighten-up Cult¨²ir Dumnorix says, ¡°Do these names look familiar.¡±


    Cult¨²ir says, ¡°These are all our staff.¡±


    ¡°Correct, they all are ready to testify against you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, there is no way they would do this!¡±


    ¡°Of course, they would because each and every one of them is under my thumb.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°I assure you it is, why else would you think I would work beside all of you insufferable people for so long, just so I could earn the trust of those around you? For the last two years, all of the people around you have been completely under my control.¡±


    Cult¨²ir then says, ¡°You really think you have everything figured out against me, but let me tell you something I have figured out. Do you know the way you¡¯re parents died?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Dumnorix says.


    Suddenly you can see some Fanalis who had just become relaxed instantly become stiff, and then as Cult¨²ir proceeds to say, ¡°It was Abb¨¢n Fuinseog and his people who killed them!¡±


    Dumnorix who usually has a smile on his face has a serious expression, then he walks over to the leader of the Fanalis and says, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    Dumnorix punches him directly in the face which knocks him to the ground, this causes Fanalis to enter a hostile position, and then in response to this Ganthr¨² army turns hostile as well.


    But Dumnorix with his usually goofy and smiley expression says, ¡°That felt good, all is forgiven.¡±


    On the ground, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°What do you mean all is forgiven, did you hear what I did?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did you idiot, and besides it isn¡¯t like I already didn¡¯t know, I was just trying to be dramatic.¡±


    Cult¨²ir says, ¡°You already knew?¡±


    ¡°I already told you all of your people are under my thumb, it was easy to source such information from them. My parents weren¡¯t weak, I trained with you every day Abb¨¢n and there is no way in hell you would be able to kill my dad unless he let you.


    When their lives were at stake they still chose not to kill others, and I will respect that, so to all of you here who say they are equal to my parents, will you make the same choice or another foolish choice.¡±


    A Fanalis says, ¡°Do you think this is over, your people started this and brought chaos onto us.¡±


    A member of Ganthr¨²''s army says, ¡°That is because you¡¯re people have soaked this land in so much blood, we could form an ocean with it.¡±


    ¡°That is because you treated us like garbage for years.¡±


    ¡°Say that to your people 400 400-year reign over this land where you killed so many of us that we haven¡¯t been able to repopulate since.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°You reap what your blood sows, if your ancestors passed down riches you would gladly accept them, but not their problems sounds foolish to me!¡±


    Suddenly throughout the area, a large argument breaks out as tensions begin to rise.


    Looking at the crowd I notice something, this was never about the child who was attacked the issues between these people are so embedded in them that it is no different than blood. I doubt any of them know of life without it.


    As I stand there, I begin to move forward so I can get in the middle of all of them, but then laughter fills the area, but not from any of the people but from the Grand Druid Sen¨¢n himself.


    His laughter echoes across the area like an earthquake, and this causes everyone to fall silent again. Ceasing his laughter he looks down on us all and says, ¡°This truly is comical, you people have no idea of what you are talking about.¡±


    An angered Fanalis says, ¡°Don¡¯t act like you know either, you have simply just stayed hidden away for years as we all suffer and fight, if you are so smart then why didn¡¯t you stop any of our conflicts throughout history!?¡±


    A member of Ganthr¨²''s army says, ¡°You have done nothing but watch everything unfold, so continue to do that for the rest of eternity, as we fight to protect ourselves from these people and their history of destruction.¡±


    Sen¨¢n laughs again, and says, ¡°History? You use that word as if you even know our people''s history. I pose a question to you how many times has our grand library been destroyed.¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°What do you mean it has only happened once?¡±


    ¡°No, over our last 2000 years, the library has been destroyed five times, twice intentionally and three times due to conflict. And that¡¯s only of the history that was brought into this area in the first place.¡±


    All the beastkin have faces of shock as Sen¨¢n talks, and then he says, ¡°So would you all like to hear it, the history of the beastkin? Our falls and our rises.¡±


    Location: Northwestern wall of Pros¨²nfore


    ¦µ As me and Dillon travel on Cyrus''s back we are greeted by a wonderbeast that looks like a tiritrex but looks arborescent. It has a bunch of little wonderbeasts that produce light over its body, and from its body tree roots are growing and forming a head.


    Dillion says, ¡°If we were to give it a bit of dragon blood, it could regenerate faster, and then we could ride it to our location rather than on your back.¡±


    ¡°Ok, b-b-b-b-but what a-a-a-aabout you Orb.¡±


    As I look at Cyrus I struggle to separate reality from the words I hear in my head over, and the images that keep flashing towards me. ¡°I think that is a good idea.¡±


    As Cyrus and Dillion continue to work, I feel tremors throughout the ground as I do the memories start to flow even faster but one image sticks out an image of a giant silver wolf with tree horns.


    Name: Sonic Beetle


    Height: 15cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: Wonderbeasts take the form of countless different beetles, though each one has different and distinct horns. They are a type of wonderbeast which can move at incredible speeds, and as they do they end up storing lots of energy within themselves, which they release as lightning.


    Fact: They travel in giant groups, and due to this they end up creating large lighting fields as millions of them release their energy over the span of an entire week. This phenomenon and the trouble it caused made them prime targets for hunting.


    Name:  Abb¨¢n Fuinseog


    Age: 45


    Birthday: Aquarius 7<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: None


    Eyes: His eyes look like bugs so it has to tell the colours, but one is red (left) and one is Cyan (Right)


    Height: 211 cm


    Description: A greater beastkin of the Nord Dragonfly, His arms and legs look rather weak and his torso is tiny since his head makes up the majority of his body. Despite being a bug his eyes are something I could imagine on a human, and he has a tail attached to his head that comes down like hair.


    Legacy: ?

 Arc 10.42: Revenge part 8

    Location: Plains of D¨ªoltas


    ¦µ Pointing to Iancu beside me, Willow and Suzuka, he says, ¡°You seem more knowledgeable than the other humans who look quite smooth.¡±


    Iancu without hesitation says, ¡°Smooth is too light, utterly idiotic is a better word to describe the three of them, especially Suzuka.¡±


    Suzuka completely out of character starts to attack Iancu and says, ¡°Why did you only exclude me!¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to be truthful!¡±


    Seeing her act wilder than she ever does, I laugh a bit, and say, ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could be like this.¡±


    This causes her to come down and say, ¡°I am not a monster Maple, it is just that Iancu is a demon and deserves to be smithed.¡±


    Watching from a distance Sen¨¢n snaps his fingers which create a loud sound then says, ¡°Are you all done?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± We all say frightened by his slightly aggressive tone.


    ¡°Now nightmare, do you know of the 1<sup>st</sup> cycle?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, it is hard not to.¡±


    Willow turning to me says, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the thing Orb talked about?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I believe he said history is split up into three cycles.¡±


    ¡°Now I ask nightmare, do you know of how this had happened?¡±


    ¡°As someone who has spent quite a bit of time researching golems, I would know of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°then explain to me how such a thing came to be.¡±


    Iancu makes a slightly annoyed face, and says, ¡°Why am I doing all the talking after you made it sound like you would be explaining things.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Please, if you do I will let you suck Willow''s blood.¡±


    ¡°My dear wife I am not ok with this!¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to do that.¡±


    ¡°Orb is always saying how he would like to try such a thing,¡± Suzuka says.


    Iancu then says, ¡°WELL I DON¡¯T EVER NEED TO SUCK WILLOW BLOOD.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°My husband''s blood is probably amazing you are missing out!¡±


    ¡°All of you are annoying, but whatever. I will do what you ask and explain.¡±


    Taking a death breath Iancu says, ¡°The five Continents are Victoria which we stand on, Enotita to the east, Molstoria to the west, Terrafide to the south, and further west is the Dragon continent of Molstoria.


    Between the continent the two continents to the east of us which are the Enotita and the dragon continent of Avesta, there lies a giant ocean that separates the two of them.


    And in that space, a sixth continent used to be from our historical records, Nitztzedek. During the time of that continent''s existence, we used to live in a golden age of sorts where all of the people in the world were united and the science we managed to achieve was the principle of humanity at the point, with only Basileia and celestial vision two thousand years ago rivalling it.


    Suzuka says, ¡°If such an amazing place existed where did it go?¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°It was destroyed completely, the entire landmass was annihilated, and almost all of its history went with it, very few texts from that time still exist, and almost all monuments of that time have been destroyed, all of the glory of that time had vanished in an instant.¡±


    Everyone falls silent as Iancu says this. But then he continues on and says, ¡°Yet that wasn¡¯t the worst of it, the destruction of a continent made the weather in the world run crazy, making most of the world into an extreme weather zone, like Fimbulwinter and Jedidiah.


    This change in weather completely destroyed most civilisation not on Nitztzedek as well, and brought an end to that era of humanity, and so the scholar of Cordum named such an event to be the end of an era of humanity of the end of the 1<sup>st</sup> cycle of humanities history.¡±


    As others take time to digest what Iancu has said, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°I thank you for the explanation Iancu, and now I ask that you let me finish it.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, I don¡¯t know much about the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle since a lot of the history is disjointed until the end of it.¡±


    Sen¨¢n then says, ¡°Due to the event of the 1<sup>st</sup> cycle throughout most of the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle humanity lived completely disjointed and nomadic because the incredible attacks they faced due to the weather stopped them from developing civilization.


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    There were groups of people who stayed in and around the same area throughout most of the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle, but during this time a lot of humanity got disjointed with most of the difference between different groups becoming null and void.


    No one knew their ancestors, no one knew the differences between them and due to this countless different bloods mixed leading to the destruction of many of the cultures during the 1<sup>st</sup> cycle.


    But eventually, the planet started to adjust and the strong weather zones vanished. With this people started to rebuild civilization again, but then they were faced with an issue.


    For thousands of years, all of humanity found themselves unable to reestablish a form of civilization. Any country that tried to establish itself would all collapse within 30 years.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± Willow asks.


    ¡°It is unknown why, it was almost as if a curse was placed on all of humanity that they would never form another society again. Many believed that this was a curse from god, from the Messiah. That humanity had made so many mistakes that they would never be allowed to build anything of their own again, And like this, we all wandered the world like birds with no place to return to.


    But amongst all those people were those who were stuck on far in the southern part of the world during the end of the 1<sup>st</sup> cycle. These people knew their home was far away but knew great riches lay there.


    So throughout the 2<sup>nd</sup> cycle, these people moved from the bottom of the world all the way up to Victoria. The world was a mess and those people faced hardship after hardship, the biggest one being that they had one rule which had be passed down to them generation after generation; to never partake of the flesh of an animal.


    Due to this throughout their journey, many starved to death, but never lost hope and continued on. And eventually, these people reached their home, the Garden of Danu.¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°Where these people-.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they were our ancestors, the Tuatha D¨¦ Danu. They found the land that was lost to them, a place overflowing with abundance of all things, a fruitful land that they could survive and thrive in.


    Our ancestors had everything they could have wished for and they spent a decade building up a place for them, but one day they had an idea; that they should share this prosperity with everyone else.


    So they ventured out of their land and brought other humans in, and for a little while it had worked, but just as quickly as this little land came to be it vanished.


    Our people held the values of nurturing and caring for people above all else. We tried to see the good in others and made sure to care for each other regardless of their situation. We didn¡¯t compete with each other but elevated one another, these values kept us connected to one another.


    But within these values were weaknesses, because when evil came we were unable to act against it, and then a tragedy fell upon all of us. The greedy saw our weakness and plotted against us.¡±


    ¡°Why do they have all these resources?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it unfair they have complete control over this land?¡±


    ¡°What if one day they kick us out of this land?¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t we have a right to be here?¡±


    ¡°No isn¡¯t this place completely unnatural?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they made a deal with a demon?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t some people gone missing, I think I heard a rumour about such?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are sacrificing them to keep this land as fruitful as it is.¡±


    ¡°Those beasts how could they do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°This place shouldn¡¯t belong to such people?¡±


    ¡°We need to fight and take back our homes.¡±


    ¡°These people are an affront to the messiah.¡±


    ¡°Maybe these people are the reason Messiah has abandoned us.¡±


    ¡°They are the ones who cursed humanity to never unite again.¡±


    ¡°We must defeat these beasts and free humanity from this curse of sickness.¡±


    ¡°We are the heroes here, so let us destroy them in the name of the messiah.¡±


    ¡°And just like that the humans united and overthrew the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan and set up their own kingdom using our land. They turned us into their slaves, they were cruel and vicious to us.


    We were turned into worthless bugs who they would use for whatever purpose suited them and as we cried, they told us it was our fault for conniving with demons.


    The greedy used their nonsensical logic to rouse people against us and they listened because their lives become better if it is true, it was a lie that made them the just and we the evil.


    But not all of us were turned into slaves, many managed to escape. But they were all stranded outside with countless humans looking for them so they could be captured.


    Their living conditions were anything but consistent, so there were times when they would go days without any edible plant-based options. Thus they were forced to make a choice.


    And they broke a rule Danu had passed down to them all, they had eaten the flesh of animals. They felt disgust within themselves as they did it, but they kept at it. Since if they died no one would be able to save their enslaved kin.


    But soon they found the reason as to why they should never eat meat, because when they partake in an animal''s flesh they gain the characteristics of said animal and become it. They became beastkin.


    They gained a wonderous advantage, and then using this advantage they plotted in waiting for numerous years until they struck back against their foes, and this event was known as the first human beastkin war.¡±


    Iancu has a contemplating face, and says, ¡°It was always known there was a first war, but the reason behind it was completely lost to us, this is rather mind-blowing.¡±


    ¡°I am sure it is to all of you, as your facial expressions show me. But that isn¡¯t the end. After we conquered the humans and took our land back we started to go out and conquer other humans as a defensive act.


    Our hatred for humans had been set deep within us, and we set out to crush them and take from them to close the wounds they had given us, and this process went on for a year then 2 then 3 then 10 then 20.


    Many humans were terrorized during that period of time, but they all knew the truth that no civilization had lasted for more than 30 years at that point. But then the 30<sup>th</sup> year came to pass, and then the 40<sup>th</sup> then the 60<sup>th</sup> then the 90<sup>th</sup> and in no time over 100 years had passed.


    The beastkin rejoiced as they had broken the curse that had plagued humanity to them it was proof of their superiority, and the humans had cried tears as they had lost hope, they had accepted that this was their lives from now on.


    Our prosperity continued on and on and our great kingdom grew greater and greater. We became people who had ruled most of the known world, and we were headed on a path of world conquest.


    Yet two boys would change our fate complete, and the younger of the two was born in the 120<sup>th</sup> year of the athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar, a child by the name of Setanta.


    Location: Outer edge of the Plains of D¨ªoltas


    ¦µ As me Cyrus and Dillion ride on the back of the Tiritrex silver pieces of hair fly down and fall upon all of us, and as I grab one of them out of the sky, I start to scream.


    ¡°Orb what i-i-i-is wrong!¡±


    As Cyrus checks on me I am hit with the most intense yet clear images in my mind one of a man with a crescent scar on his cheek and after a moment they all start to play in order, and it feels like I am almost experiencing someone else¡¯s life.


    And in Orb¡¯s head, he experiences them as Sen¨¢n talks, the memories of Setanta.

 Arc 10.43: Setanta part 1

    2<sup>nd</sup> Cycle of history, the 132<sup>nd</sup> year of athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar.


    Continent: Victoria


    Location: The village of Gaoth


    ¦µ A young beastkin girl stands in a concealed area, and as she does she pets a wonderbeast that looks similar to that of a horse, Gl¨®rmthai. The beast has great flowing hair and glistening eyes.


    And as she hugs it someone walks into the area and says, ¡°Sister, they are back.¡±


    Turning around to look at my brother, I say, ¡°Again.¡± Then start running with him.


    We run from the back of my father''s shop to the outside, and as we do we see a group of men fighting. As the drunken men are fighting outside, they break through the shops one after another.


    ¡°Those bastards are shattering everything here,¡± I say as I clench my fist.


    With panic in his face, Andrew walks up to the people and says, ¡°Please stop, you''re breaking my shop.¡±


    His words and pleas are ignored and moments later the leader of these men comes close to Andrew, a man with beautiful golden locks. With a playful expression, he says, ¡°Sorry, but my men got into a little argument, so we would be rather happy if you would overlook this.¡±


    Andrew looks at him and tries to say something, but then the man''s playful expression dissipates and he says, ¡°If you want to talk to me, please assume the proper position.¡±


    Andrew falls to his knees and bows his head saying, ¡°But you said the same thing last time, and it took a lot of time to rebuild my shop, business really suffered during that time.¡±


    ¡°How heartless you are, my men recently came back from a battle to expand our great empire of Louernia. So we are tired and are blowing off some steam, yet you tell us we are wrong for that.¡±


    Putting his hand on the hilt of his sword, he says, ¡°That sure sounds like treason against our king and his values.¡±


    Wasting no time, I stand in between the both of them and say, ¡°Stop it!¡±


    His face lights up and he says, ¡°Laeg, I am so happy to see you here.¡±


    ¡°I am not, now leave.¡±


    ¡°You''re lucky your so pretty or I would have taken off your head for that comment, but I do like fierce women, now could you go prepare some food in your father''s tavern, we tend to get hungry after our little brawls.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t serve trouble markers.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be like that,¡± he says as he tries and grabs me.


    My brother knocks his hands away, and says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go touching women who aren¡¯t your bride.¡±


    ¡°It seems being mouthy runs in the family, but unlike your sister, I can¡¯t see a reason to let that go.¡±


    My sister says, ¡°Yet we let all of your unlawful hunting of the wonderbeasts around here go, yet if we were to report such a thing I wonder what would happen.¡±


    My comment makes him relax, and he says with his same fake smile, ¡°Well what do you expect we need to sharpen our fangs, and you guys seem to have an utter abundance of Wonderbeasts for a mere fir bolg village.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Because we took care and cultivated them over the years, but I am sure you would know such in the land you own.¡±


    He gets visibly angry, and then my brother says, ¡°Oh wait you a mere F¨ªan, landless warrior. But isn¡¯t that strange, usually great achievements are rewarded with land, yet you don¡¯t have any?¡±


    In front of us, Hubert with his golden locks is mere moments away from striking my brother, so I stand in between the both of them and turn around saying, ¡°Don¡¯t pick a fight we want them to leave.¡±


    ¡°I know but-,¡±


    Before my brother can finish, Hubert grabs my chin and faces me towards him, and then says, ¡°You know that it isn¡¯t uncommon for villages like this to be overrun and destroyed by wonderbeasts, so I wonder that by the time you send any notice about our current action some wonderbeasts might burn his place to the ground, and I am sure the authorities would love to claim them as their own.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°No it is just an idea of something that could happen, but if me and my men had another way to pass the time we would be so tired, so satisfied that we might move on to the next village.¡±


    He caresses my face and as he does I hold my brother back because Hubert''s hand is still on his sword.


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    But then I heard a familiar voice say, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Looking back, I see my hefty father with large barrels on the floor, and then walking up to us, he says, ¡°Both of you stop being foolish.¡±


    In front of us, he bows his head, and says, ¡°Please forgive my children and take these wines as reparations. It is our best product.¡±


    Hubert stops, then smiles and then he puts his foot on my father''s and his head presses down, this causes both me and my brother to twitch in anger at this slight.


    Hubert then says, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear an apology from the one who raised his kids to be like this.¡±


    With my dad''s head pushed down into the dirt, he says, ¡°I am sorry for my children, and I beg that you forgive us.¡±


    Hubert says, ¡°Apology accepted.¡± Turning around he shouts for his men, and they take their goods and then leave.


    The moment they leave my father gets up, and seconds later my brother shouts, ¡°What the hell is wrong with you!¡±


    ¡°Ibar,¡± my father says in a gentle tone.


    Looking around, Ibar says, ¡°Why do you all just let them walk all over you, every one of you is completely pathetic!¡±


    As he runs off I am about to say something, but I can¡¯t bring myself to, because on some level I agree. So I grit my teeth and just watch him run off.


    -Break-


    -An hour later-


    Walking into Ibar''s room, I see him quickly hide something, and then I say, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes now leave me alone.¡±


    Sitting on his bed beside him, I say, ¡°You know he could have taken off your head with one swing.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you antagonize him, you idiot?¡±


    ¡°Because I am not going to let someone like him insult us and get away with it for the hundredth time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than being dead isn¡¯t it!¡±


    ¡°Is it really? Why the hell should father have to bow his head towards someone like that, he is a far greater man.¡±


    ¡°You know why he did it. Because if he didn¡¯t this whole situation would have devolved and become much worse.¡±


    ¡°So what I am supposed to be ok with it!¡±


    ¡°NO WAY!¡±


    My brother shocked says, ¡°Huh?¡±


    "The memory irritates me to my core, and the fact that there is nothing I can do about it bothers me tremendously, right now I just want to go over to their campsite and set them all on fire. Those cowards probably are just fodder kept on the backlines, yet they think they are exceptional, it really bugs me to no end.¡±


    Ibar starts to laugh and says, ¡°I know what you mean, for fierce warriors their bodies are scarless. How can they walk around like that, I would be embarrassed even by the thought.¡±


    ¡°Now that your whining has ceased, come and join us for some dinner.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Also I expect you to apologize to Dad.¡±


    My brother clicks his tongue, and as he does I put my hand over his mouth and say, ¡°Oh my how manly it is for you to not own up to your mistakes and refuse to apologise, truly this makes me shudder in your pure manliness.¡±


    ¡°Ok I get it, I will talk to Dad,¡± My brother says as he walks out of the room.


    But as I follow behind him, he suddenly backs up into me, and I say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Look down,¡± he says while pointing.


    On the floor is a person completely covered in robes from head to toe, so we cannot see any of this person''s features, all we can tell is that this person I clutching something in their arms.


    Seeing him we look at each other then scream, and run downstairs, where we see my father.


    ¡°Dad there is some stranger upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Dad what the hell is going on here!¡±


    Another voice says, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Looking at one of the tables in the tavern, we see another person covered in robes sitting there, and we also scream and then turn to my father, saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t we closed for the day.¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    With a smile, my father says, ¡°These two travellers had nowhere to go so I am going to let them stay here for as long as they want.¡±


    Both me and my brother with dumbfounded expression say, ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    Annoyed I say, ¡°You have a giant head so use it, dad, don¡¯t just go letting strangers stay in your home.¡±


    ¡°But did you hear their voice they are so young. Leaving young men like that on the street made me imagine a situation where the two of you are on the street and no one wants to help you. I would hate that so I won¡¯t do that.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t invite random men to stay in the same house as your young daughter. For some reason, the eyes of men outside this family don¡¯t work, and they happen to find her beautiful.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that Ibar, I would have you know I am beautiful.¡±


    My brother laughs then says, ¡°Despite being given the powers of a horse, I sometimes wonder if you are truly a gorilla instead!¡±


    I smack him in the face, and say, ¡°If you speak to a woman like that you won¡¯t be getting married.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°I would have you know that I am well-liked by women as well!¡±


    I snicker at him which causes him to go on a rant about how popular he is, but as he does that I turn to my dad and say, ¡°Father those robes those two are wearing are made of high-quality material I have never seen anything like this. What if they whisk me away and trap me in a castle to be married.¡±


    With a bright smile on his face, my father says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry even if they did do that, I am sure they would return you soon after.¡±


    ¡°HEY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry something like that won¡¯t be done.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± I shout as I notice the boy is beside both of us.


    ¡°Our master would brutally beat us if she found out that we forced a woman to do anything.¡±


    With a nervous smile to avoid trouble, I say, ¡°How nice of you.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°What are fancy men like you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Ibar,¡± I say indicating he should shut up.


    But he ignores me and continues, then says, ¡°Our village is all the way on the outskirts of Gorias, and there are not many places to go from here, so why would you both be out here.¡±


    ¡°I see you seem to think we are up to no good, but I assure you we are not. The truth is we are looking for mistwalker riders, I am sure you as locals have heard of them.¡±


    Sweating I say, ¡°We have heard rumours.¡±


    ¡°The L¨²cogadh is a red branch family, known for the swiftness of their riders. But it was said that during one of their test runs around these parts, some strange riders beat them in a race.


    The L¨²cogadh family didn¡¯t want to accept this loss so this process repeated for about three months, until the members were forced to return home, and all across the land people have been calling them the mist walker riders since none know their identity. Me and my compatriot are looking for them, would you happen to know anything about them.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°No idea, if such people were here we would have used it to market this place better, but as you can see by how sad everyone in our village looks, business hasn¡¯t been good.¡±


    ¡°I see what a shame, but still if possible I would like to ask you guys for he-.¡±


    ¡°I know I have let you stay in my home, but that is not permission to involve my kids in anything, understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Clapping his hands, he says, ¡°Ok, not that is all for the night everyone returns to your rooms.¡±

 Arc 10.44: Setanta part 2

    -A Few hours later-


    Location: Hidden pen


    In the depths of night, I walk out to Gl¨®rmthai''s hiding place, and as I do I hear the sounds of a few men drinking inside the tavern. Looking through an opening in the horse, I see inside where my dad is comforting Andrew and others who have their property destroyed.


    ¡°What a softy,¡± I say with a smile.


    Walking over to Gl¨®rmthai, I hug him and I think back to the events that played out this morning and all I can feel in response to them all is anger, so fierce and so intense that I feel like screaming.


    ¡°Glory, did Dad really do the right thing because right now more than ever I want to just go out there and crush all of those bastards with my fists.


    Glory simply neighs in response then licks my head, and I say, ¡°I guess this is your way of telling me to calm down.¡±


    Looking at Glory, I say, ¡°You usually don¡¯t like to sit down, but you''re doing so right now. What is going on?¡±


    Looking past Glory''s head, and flowing hair I see one of the two boys from earlier lying on Glory''s back. Enraged, I shouted, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING!¡±


    But he doesn¡¯t even react and just scratches his head. Standing up, I walk over to the front of his body and say, ¡°You think you can just walk in here, and start doing whatever you want. This is why I hate all you rich and entitled bastards that come around here.¡±


    Cracking my knuckles, I say, ¡°But it is great that I do not have an excuse to relieve some stress.¡± With a big step forward, I swing my fist directly at his head, but before it lands a hand stops me from hitting it.


    ¡°If you attack my benefactor, you¡¯re the one who will be taking damage so I would opt against that.¡±


    Looking to my right, I see the other boy still covered in robes holding my arm. Angered, I say, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    He then points to his cheek, and I notice from my cheek there is a medium-sized cut that is bleeding. Shocked, I say, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°This one here is selective with those he allows to interact with him, so you should be careful in the future.¡± As he says this he rips off a piece of his cloth and uses it to cover my wound.


    Feeling fear from these two, I try my best to hide it and say, ¡°I see, but he is making Glory here feel uncomfortable so he has to be moved one way or another, so how am I going to go about it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I can happen it.¡±


    With his right fist, he backhands the boy right off of Glory and onto the floor, and says, ¡°It is as simple as that.¡±


    Slight worried, I say, ¡°Are you allowed to do that to him, considering he is your benefactor?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes I am perfectly allowed to stop him from committing disruptive behaviour, also if you catch him doing something idiotic like this again just report him to me, I am always looking for excuses to hit him,¡± he says with a very cheery expression.


    ¡°I see.¡± I have a feeling that asking questions about this will lead to nothing good, so I will just move on.


    Moving over to Glory, I stand her up and say, ¡°Are you a good girl?¡±


    ¡°This is a rather rare wonderbeast to have, are you sure it is okay to let outsiders like us see it?¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°That¡¯s why it was hidden, but then two idiots decided to sneak into our hideout!¡±


    ¡°I see, I am sorry?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, I can¡¯t do anything about it now, and so far you haven¡¯t given me a reason to be too suspicious of you yet.¡±


    ¡°Really, that makes me rather happy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it make you too happy, I still don¡¯t trust someone whose face, and name I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How disappointing, but depending on whether my theory is correct, or not you might learn those two things rather soon.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Petting Glory, he says, ¡°I have already answered one of your questions today, so it would be nice if you were to answer one of mine.¡±


    ¡°You really are annoying.¡±


    As he touches Glory, he says, ¡°It is strange for a fir bolg decedents like this village to own such a wonderbeast.¡±


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    I click my tongue and say, ¡°Spoken like a member of a warrior family. I knew from those robes that you were one of them.¡±


    Looking up to the sky, he says, ¡°Warrior families, those who fought against the humans to save our people, and fir bolg families, those who were turned into slaves and made into laughing stocks.¡±


    Angered, I say, ¡°So what, are you forgetting that you are staying in one of those fir bolg families homes? Or do you think it is your right to do whatever you want with us, just like the rest of the fir bolg families?¡±


    Still petting Glory, he says, ¡°The Fir Bolg families, during their time under oppression learned many of the skills and techniques of the humans that enslaved them.


    Since countless different groups of humans joined that disgusting empire in its hay day, they were able to gather a lot within themselves. And it is only thanks to those skills and techniques that we Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan were able to build ourselves up so quickly. The fir bolg truly are the backbone of our great empire.¡±


    Full of pride, I say, ¡°OF COURSE WE ARE!¡±


    ¡°Yet it is still the warrior families that allow us to enjoy our prosperity and expand our empire.¡±


    Feeling down, I say, ¡°So you''re trying to say they are better than us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I happen to be from a fir bolg family myself.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Stop messing with my emotions and just say what your point is!¡±


    ¡°Fir bolg families have to struggle immensely to grow and my constantly refine themselves to survive and prosper, whereas warrior families can just go kill a couple of thousand humans and they get large amounts of land and capital from the High king. So the fact that a fir bolg village like you can grow this large is utterly amazing to me!¡±


    Blushing, I say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Then I say, ¡°Glory here was a wonderbeast that the founder of this village rode to escape from the humans who kept us as slaves. It is with this same stead that he escaped and contacted the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan who escaped


    ¡°Well it shouldn¡¯t be that unexpected considering how tight nit all of you are,¡± he says as he looks back towards our house.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what woke you up. I keep telling Dad he shouldn¡¯t be allowing all of these late-night visitors.¡±


    ¡°But they do seem to be having a merry time, drinking like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but on days when that bastards mess things up my father makes sure to help those, who received harm calm down and still find some happiness.¡±


    ¡°What a big heart he has.¡±


    Smiling I say, ¡°It is as big as his arms.¡±


    ¡°But then why do you guys let you¡¯re people be stamped down and crushed like that?¡±


    Looking at him, my mood sours, and I say, ¡°You saw?¡±


    ¡°Well we have been in this area since the morning so we got an eyeful of the pathetic state of your village.¡±


    ¡°None of this is your business.¡±


    ¡°You are right about that, but I simply can¡¯t understand why people who love their home so much would allow others to just step on it and crush it.¡±


    Angered I say, ¡°You don¡¯t know anything, if we were to stand up, if we were to fight back we would be destroyed and crushed into the ground like dirt.¡±


    ¡°This is a merchant village, yet due to these intruders, people have all but stopped coming towards here and are impacting your livelihoods. So are you okay with your people''s current situation.¡±


    ¡°No of course not, but what are we going to do, we have no power.¡±


    Suddenly the boy who lays on the ground says, ¡°Coward,¡± While still in the same position.


    The other boy stands up, and says, ¡°Sorry about him, he likes to talk in his sleep.¡±


    Picking the boy up, he says, ¡°You say you have no choice, but do you believe if you guys continue to lay down and show them your belly, they will eventually just get bored and leave? Restraint isn¡¯t natural, so whatever one allows will increase, and I wonder how long will you allow this all to increase.¡±


    With that, he walks away, but as he does I grit my fist, and unbeknownst to Laeg at that time, Ibar was listening in from a distance.


    -The next day-


    Hearing a large ruckus outside, I get up from my bed and head outside. Where I see a group of my people standing around, and in front of them is Hubert and all of his men, and on the floor is Andrew whose shop they destroyed yesterday.


    Noticing that everyone is scared to speak to him due to fear of retribution, I run up and say, ¡°What are you doing Hubert!?¡±


    ¡°Oh Laeg, just in time.¡± Stepping on Andrew, he says, ¡°This bastard tried to sneak into our hut to attack us last night, so we happened to be fucking pissed.¡±


    ¡°Andrew you idiot, what would possess you to do such a thing.¡±


    Andrew opens his mouth to try and speak but as he does I see his teeth are broken. ¡°Hubert what did you do!¡±


    ¡°It is a rather like punishment for what was trying to kill me, and in all honesty, I think I have the right to demean competence for the terror this man put me through, in blood.¡±


    His men pull out their weapons and the crowd backs away, as they fear for their lives.


    Hubert kicks Andrew towards me and then steps on his head in front of me. ¡°You see I should crush this and everyone right now, but you see I have a counteroffer.¡±


    Feeling nervous, I say, ¡°You really that pent up, that you would go this far just for me.¡±


    Grabbing my face, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself, I have no intention of talking a newly born cub such as yourself for me, what I want is for you and your brother to become my charioteers.¡±


    Sweating, I say, ¡°What do you mean? I have never ridden a horse much less a chariot.¡±


    ¡°Your lies are cute, but that is merely all they are you mistwalker.¡± Feeling nervous at that name, he smiles at me and then says, ¡°Did you really think I spent time in this backwater village for my own pleasure? Now give me what I want or I might get a little ruff.¡±


    He starts to step down on Andrew''s head even harder, which causes him to scream, but then I hear, ¡°GET OFF THEM.¡±


    Then I hear a stabbing sound.


    Looking I see Ibar has stabbed Hubert in the side, in response to this Hubert backs off, and says with a pained expression, ¡°Do you know what you have done?¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°No way will I ever allow you to step on a single member of our village again.¡± Turning to Andrew, he says, ¡°Make sure to make me a bigger bed after this ok?¡±


    Andrew in a rather weak state nods his head with tears.


    ¡°COME AT ME!¡± My brother screams, but mere seconds after this he is kicked in the gut by Hubert.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second we are equals. Yet I still need you, so for every second until my wounds close I am going to rip a fingernail off of you, and when I finish I will move on to your skin.¡±


    As his men move closer to my brother to attack him, members of our village move closer to my brother and stand in front of him. Then one says, ¡°We have been letting these kids deal with you due to your fondness for them.¡±


    ¡°But we won¡¯t allow you to touch a head on their heads just to protect ourselves.¡±


    ¡°So come at us!¡±


    With that, they charge at us and try to attack, but in that moment my father with his hefty body hits them with a fist to the face and with the angry expression of a beast on his face.

 Arc 10.45: Setanta part 3

    My giant of a father with an expression he never shows me, proceeds to attack the men in front of us, and following behind him others try to help. The fighting goes on, but as expected with the exception of a few of us including my father, the rest of the people go down easily.


    As their swords, hit the bodies of everyone we see their blood fly, around and it is a horrible sight. Holding my brother I stand there frozen in shock, but then my father says, ¡°Both of you grab the children and run.¡±


    These words unfreeze me and I say, ¡°But what about you!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter just leave!¡±


    Swords swing towards my father¡¯s arms but he is able to block the attack. Since my father has a bull as his animal his muscles are quite a bit thicker than others.


    But then, Hubert moves towards my father, and with two quick slashes he leaves a carve on my father''s chest which causes him to drop to the floor, then moments later Hubert steps on his head, and says, ¡°Is this all you people got.¡±


    Me and my brother''s bodies move without us being able to stop ourselves, and we head over to stop our father from being stepped on. We grab onto Hubert''s foot and try and move it off.


    He sighs and says, ¡°You¡¯re both annoying.¡±


    Then with his foot, he steps on us trying to knock us away, but we still hold on to protect our father.


    ¦µ Seeing the scene in front of him play out, Andrew tries to crawl over. But as he does he hears, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try that, it won¡¯t work out.¡±


    Crouching beside him, he sees one of the two boys who stayed in the tavern the night before. Looking at me, the boy says, ¡°Even though the big man over there made sure to give you a bunch of free drinks and take you home, why did you decide to go over to attack them?¡±


    I am unable to speak properly so with no teeth in my mouth, I muffle, ¡°I was angry, and I just wanted to get back at them. But I didn¡¯t want this, I didn¡¯t want everyone to be hurt.¡±


    ¡°Well that is just a shame isn¡¯t it because now everyone is going to die without even living half their lives, very few things are as funny as this. But I bet that is the best a whimpering coward like you could come up with,¡± The boy says while laughing.


    Hearing the boys'' laughter echo throughout my mind, I feel my body trembling in anger and humiliation. I have truly been made into a laughing stock.


    But then I see it, the sword of Hubert ready to pierce Fergal who has moved his body to protect his two kids. Getting up, I run and end up running into Hubert, who quickly counters with a kick to the stomach.


    Not wasting an opportunity Fergal punches Hubert directly in the face, and following the up he is stabbed by Ibar, and kicked in the balls by Laeg.


    ¡°FUCK!¡± Hubert screams. Staring at everyone in front of him, he says, ¡°I am sick of all of you, everyone attack.¡±


    Suddenly all of the other men who have been dealing with others come and attack me, and the O¡¯ Gear¨®id¨ªn family. But then in front of all of us, we see new scenery.


    Then we hear, ¡°I thought you all were a bunch of cowards, but it seems there are some balls on the lot of you, how exciting.¡±


    ¦µ In front of me, I see one of the two hooded boys, but I can tell just from his voice he is the one who was always asleep.


    Getting up he turns around and takes off his hood, and I see a young boy around our age with silver hair and golden eyes. The animal he has is some form of wolf, and in his hands is a spear made from pure metal.


    Then behind us, I hear from the other boy, ¡°Please don¡¯t break more things than these brutes already have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, mother I will listen.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you do Setanta.¡±


    ¦µ Holding onto my sword, I look a the young boy named S¨¦tanta walk up close to me and my men. Grinning, I say, ¡°I know you have had a soon forced fed to you all your life you noble brat, but this is the real world and I don¡¯t feel like going easy today.¡±


    Ignoring me he starts to through his spear into the air and catches it repeatedly, then he says, ¡°I would like the make this fun for me, so for every time one of you manages to clash your fangs or weapons manage to clash against my spear, I will give one of you an opportunity.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°An opportunity to what?¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°To beg for your life silly.¡± He catches the spear he had been throwing up into the sky, and moments later I see the spear right in front of my eyes.


    ¦µ Feeling the blood splatter on my cheek, I see that the Setanta has put his spear right through the boss''s head, and before any of us can react to this he has already moved on to his next target.


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    Before any of us have moved, 5 of us have already fallen, by the time the first one of us swung our weapons at him, 15 have fallen, and by the time I swing my sword, 30 have fallen.


    ¦µ In front of me, I see a sight similar to that of a hundred children fighting a tiger. It is an indiscriminate slaughter. Our group is formed of around 55 warriors, an incredible amount for a common band of warriors.


    Looking forward I see that the more people who move towards him the more blood that files, yet despite that I wouldn¡¯t call this anything other than beautiful.


    The way that the spear moves in his hand is so careful and precise that one would think he is handling a brush. This land is the canvas, our bodies our ink, and he is the painter, and with his spear, he then moves to me to paint a picture


    ¦µ He continues to spill the blood of my compatriots one by one until they all fall but me. As he stares at me, I feel incredibly scared at the idea that any moment from now I could be killed and wouldn¡¯t even notice, that any agency I had in my life is gone.


    But then he says, ¡°That last one actually managed to use his sword as a shield, even though I still pierce through it, I count that as a clash. So I grant you permission, beg for your life.¡±


    Suddenly, a tense sense of hope fills my body, I need to manoeuvre this well or else I am dead. I slam my head into the ground and say, ¡°I will do whatever you say for the rest of my life. I have numerous connections due to my current job, I can connect you with men who will do whatever you ask for the right price. That is just the start of the many gifts I offer.¡±


    I look up and see he is making a rather annoyed face. ¡°Do you think someone of my stature lacks something that you have?¡±


    I Force my head back into the ground and say, ¡°No, that is not what I mean. You are far greater than me, I was presumptuous. But I am rather skilled in many things, so having me as a friend or pet isn¡¯t a bad idea.¡±


    From the ground, the boy picks up my head and then crouches down to look me in the eye and says, ¡°You are pathetic, if you are willing to humiliate yourself so much, does your life even have value.¡±


    Seeing the unforgiven look that he is giving me, I say without holding back, ¡°I am a member of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, I have fought in numerous battles for our glorious Empire. Our people''s numbers have received damage over the years and have finally started to recoup yet you would kill us based on your whims, you are nothing but a fool who stands opposed to Louernia.¡±


    He puts his hands over my mouth and says, ¡°The people are the most important part of Louernia and killing them for personal grievances is the height of folly, even I know that much. Yet you and your men were about to do the same, and who knows if you have done it before. So for the sake of Louernia, die.¡±


    Losing all restraint, I say, ¡°You demon, you are merely doing this because you want to use Louernia as a shield!¡±


    ¡°Of course I am because regardless of that this is still lawful.¡±


    With that, he pierced me through the head.


    ¦µ Looking at Setanta surrounded by bodies, I say, ¡°What is he.¡±


    ¡°A rather bothersome boy,¡± The second boy says.


    Looking at him, I see a boy whose face is riddled with freckles, he has brown hair and silver eyes. Outside of his eye colour, he looks like someone one could find off any street, but his aura is something special.


    ¡°Oh I guess I never said what my name was, I am Ferdiad and we should get to work patching up all of your injuries.


    -A little while later-


    Location: Fergal¡¯s Tavern


    Wrapping the last bandage on my body, Ferdiad says, ¡°And with that, we are finished.¡±


    ¡°You''re rather good at this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I am used to keeping people from breaking. But make sure you eat the meat we brought, it will heal you up.¡±


    Ibar asks, ¡°Is it really ok for us to eat something so high quality like this? The wonderbeast will end up within our cells.¡±


    ¡°It is fine, and I brought that in case Setanta did something stupid, and accidentally picked a fight.¡±


    Setanta on a table surrounded by others says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°THE PAST SAYS OTHERWISE!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Then someone says, ¡°You¡¯re so strong how did you become this way!?¡±


    As my people stare at Setanta with glowing eyes you can feel his ego swell, and his says, ¡° HAHAHAHA, Alright then let us begin!¡±


    Seeing them, I say, ¡°He really is annoying,¡± With a disgusting face.


    ¡°Very much so, but to me, he is also like a brother to me so I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡±


    Staring at my brother, I say, ¡°Yeah I know how you feel when it comes to dealing with stupid brothers, but they do happen to be great.¡±


    ¡°Now that we have settled all this, let¡¯s talk about what me and my friend came here to ask miss Mistwalker.¡±


    Tensing up, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Setanta family would like to hire both you and your brother to be Charioteers for his family.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡± My brother says.


    ¡°Calm down Ibar.¡± Looking at Ferdiad, I say, ¡°I am thankful for all the help you gave us, but we didn¡¯t deny Hubert just to accept the same proposal from you.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°I swear you people are always asking for favours without ever giving anything in return.¡±


    ¡°If you accept my proposal, the land your village and everything within about 1000 acres of this possession will become your property and that is if you merely fill the basic duties of your contract.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± I say shocked. Smiling I say, ¡°I must have misheard you?¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t, and if you work harder you and your brother could become the lords of rather large amounts of land.¡±


    ¡°HOW!¡± I shout.


    ¡°Setanta family is rather powerful, so if you work for them you will be set for life.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°That is ridiculous, there must be some catch.¡±


    ¡°Well Setanta is rather special and when the time comes he will be at the head of countless battlefields, so as his charioteers you will be facing mortal danger. I think the reward matches the benefits.¡±


    ¡°You guys must be part of a red branch family?¡±


    ¡°I can neither confirm nor deny, but I say this is something that gives fir bolg family like yours the ability to gain some actual social standing, it doesn¡¯t come along often.¡±


    As I think about this I really understand how good this deal is, and look to my brother who is making a similar expression. But before we can say anything, my father slams his fist on the table and says, ¡°I thank you for what you have done, so I will let you stay the night and serve you whatever you want to eat. But after that go and never come near my children again.¡±


    ¡°Daddy.¡±


    ¡°QUIET!¡± he shouts. Which is something he never does.


    My brother is shaken by this and just look is confusion.


    My father then grabs both of us and leads us away, but as he does Ferdiad says, ¡°Due to our war with the eastern continent, many different F¨ªan bands will be coming through, so I wonder will you people by yourselves be able to protect the village?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± And like that, we are dragged away.

 Arc 10.46: Legs of the wolf part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Fergal house


    ¦µ In the dead of night, Fergal walks carrying multiple barrels of wine towards the storage house, and as he does one of the barrels falls from his body towards the floor.


    But before it hits the floor, the barrel is caught by Ibar who says, ¡°You need help Dad?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d much prefer you be sleeping, but for now it would be nice.¡±


    Walking forward, I say, ¡°I know where Laeg got her nagging from.¡±


    ¡°I am sensing some disrespect in your tone.¡±


    ¡°None of that sir.¡±


    ¡°Good, now are you doing ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah my wounds have healed up great, but are you sure you¡¯re out? You got cut up pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°I am fine, I have rather thick muscles, and the meat those two visitors brought was incredibly nutritious.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, my mouth still waters thinking about it, I wish we could have that every day.¡±


    ¡°Well then I am going down to the next major city to see if we can get materials for rebuilding, and I will be sure to bring back something delicious back.¡±


    ¡°But that is only for the short term, there may be a way to get it for the long term Dad.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Just listen.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you acting like this!¡±


    ¡°Because you''re my son.¡±


    ¡°I am almost 14 and a year after that I will be an adult.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Adults should be allowed to make their own choices.¡±


    Annoyed, my father says, ¡°You want to know what I did when I became an adult. Me and a group of my friends went drinking got lost in a forest, accidentally lit ourselves on fire when trying to start one, and had to kill a giant wonderbeast that attacked us. Then we all got drunk on the animal''s poison and pissed blood for two weeks, then we slept in the middle of a river.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a great time!¡±


    ¡°IT WAS AMAZING!¡±


    ¡°Then what point are you trying to make!?¡±


    ¡°Due to those excursions, my left eye is blind.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, I didn¡¯t even know that.¡±


    ¡°Because I play it off, but it is thanks to that stupid trip I lost one eye. Turning fifteen doesn¡¯t suddenly make your stupid child brain start acting like an adult, and the decisions you make during that time could affect your life for the foreseeable future.¡±


    As we arrive at the storehouse, my dad drops the barrels and starts to put them inside and as he does I say, ¡°Father this job could fix all of our problems for the future far beyond our lifespans, we have to take it.¡±


    ¡°No way, we will find other ways.¡±


    ¡°Like how you mean like the ways you used. You bowed your head to those bastards and they still were about to kill us, your methods down work.¡±


    ¡°You talk about my methods yet you so arrogantly believe you can walk into warzones and walk away from them. You have only ever travelled far enough to reach the closest city, you know nothing of the world or the dangers within it you child!¡±


    ¡°We still aren¡¯t safe living the way we currently are, you heard what he said. Others will come and cause trouble and we won''t always be lucky.¡±


    ¡°You say that but you''re shaking?¡±


    Holding my arm to stop the shaking, I say, ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°Today you say someone died for the first time and you can barely even understand the emotions that are going through your head right about now. Do you really think you can handle that on mass, or handle that happening to people you care for!¡±


    I can¡¯t respond to this, so I get angry and run up and kick my father saying, ¡°Even if I struggle today I will get used to it.¡±


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    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get used to death, what kind of life is that?¡±


    ¡°The kind of life that can save my people!¡±


    ¡°Stop being so headstrong you idiot!¡±


    ¡°I have only one parent so I wonder who I learned it from!¡±


    My father is slightly taken aback, and says, ¡°I am in no way as obstinate or big-headed as you are.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a cow, who is having an argument with someone they say is a child.¡±


    ¡°You''re right you are a child so this conversation is over!¡± My father walks away and starts to pick up a barrel and as he does I kick him in the back of the leg.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°You keep calling me a child, and treating me like one, but for some reason, you cannot understand how scary it is for a child to lose their parent.¡±


    ¡°Ibar.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to die today, and I wasn¡¯t able to do anything about it. Everyone is like family and all of you were ready to leave us all alone, why can¡¯t you understand how scary that is, how much it frightens me.¡±


    Father says, ¡°I am sorry for being so weak as to make you worry so much.¡±


    Kicking him in the back again, I say, ¡°One man didn¡¯t build this village everyone worked together and did their part, so I am asking you Dad let me do my part for this village.¡±


    Sighing, my father says, ¡°I need to apologize to my dad the next time I see him. Ok then, but on one condition you got to make me fall to the ground.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfair!¡±


    ¡°So is war, now show me what you got!¡± Suddenly as my dad finishes speaking he gets knocked down straight into the ground and behind him is Laeg riding Glory saying, ¡°It looks like our plan worked.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°You scheming duo.¡±


    ¡°You did say we need to show you and we did.¡±


    Sitting up Father says, ¡°Fine you win.¡± Stretching out his arms, he says, ¡°Now come in for a hug.¡±


    I am hesitant but my sister grabs me and brings me into my father''s arms, and after a nice hug my father grabs both our heads and slams them into the ground then says, ¡°Disrespect will not be tolerated.¡±


    -The next morning-


    ¦µ Standing in front of two horses, I say, ¡°It looks like those two aren¡¯t coming.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°I knew we should have just taken them by force.¡±


    ¡°Would you really want to head into battle with riders who don¡¯t want to be there?¡±


    Sitting down he says, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Because unlike you I think with my brain.¡±


    Getting up he grabs me and puts his forehead against mine and says, ¡°That sounded like an insult Ferdiad.¡±


    He pushes his head against mine, so I do it just as hard against his and say, ¡°Well it''s because it was.¡±


    As me and him continue this struggle for supremacy, we hear a clap and then someone says, ¡°If you two want to kiss please do not do it on our lands.¡±


    In unison, we look at the voice and say, ¡°NO WAY!¡±


    Seeing Laeg, Ibar and Fergal, I compose myself and say, ¡°So it looks like you decided to join us.¡±


    Setanta mutters, ¡°Acting all composed as if you are not a rampaging beast.¡±


    I kick him in the shin, and then say, ¡°This is all right with you Fergal.¡±


    ¡°Enough so to let them leave, but I am rather worried.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Ibar says.


    ¡°We beat you so no complaining.¡±


    ¡°But how can I be assured of your safety?¡±


    Setanta then says while staring directly at his eyes, ¡°These two from this moment on are extensions of myself, so know this the day these two die will be the day I die as well, and all the strength within this body will be used to defend itself.¡±


    Smiling, Fergal says, ¡°It''s better.¡± Then gives both of his kids another hug, he says, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¦µ Hoping on the backs of the horses, Ferdiad says, ¡°The grey to the right is Macha, and the one on the left is Crunniuc.¡±


    Touching Macha I say, ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± and my brother does the shame with Crunniuc.


    As we begin to ride off, we wave by to my father and then I say,¡± I can¡¯t wait to begin this wonderful adventure.¡±


    -Some days later-


    Riding the horses me and Ibar have rather upset looks on our faces and Setanta asks, ¡°Your faces look like Balor himself.¡±


    ¡°WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT IS.¡±


    Laying unsafely on the back of my horse, he says, ¡°No idea,¡± With a childish smile on his face.


    Ibar says, ¡°Because you''re treating us like slaves! We have been riding nonstop since we left.¡±


    ¡°We have a deadline to reach.¡±


    I say, ¡°You say that but every time you see something that interests you, we are forced to go and do whatever you want. Crossing the river filled with man-eating fish, crossing the swamp filled with horrible smells, trying those poisonous fruits for you. It is all too much!¡±


    ¡°You guys are the equivalent to my legs, so you need to go where I asked.¡±


    ¡°You''re also really annoying, you get bored so easily and start to whine when you don¡¯t get your way.¡±


    ¡°Stop being dramatic.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°We need Ferdiad to wake up.¡±


    Looking at his horse where Ferdiad is hanging off, I say, ¡°Is it ok for him to be sleeping like this, he has been doing it since we left.¡±


    ¡°Well, it only makes sense, since this is his first time sleeping since we left for our journey.¡±


    ¡°What, how many days has that even been?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand myself, but he once said that he needed to keep an eye on me or something.¡±


    I understand, because from the brief time I have spent with this boy, I can tell he is as frivolous as he is powerful, all it would take is a whim for him to do something incredibly stupid.


    Ibar says, ¡°I feel sorry for Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why do you two feel like that.¡±


    Shouting we both say, ¡°IN UNISON IT IS BECAUSE OF YOU!¡±


    ¡°You two really are mouthy you know I am your boss, there is a certain level of respect I deserve.¡±


    ¡°Help shouldn¡¯t demand respect.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad is obviously the master here, he just pretends like you¡¯re in charge to hide his identity.¡±


    Annoyed, Setanta stands up on the horse''s back and says, ¡°NO WAY I AM THE BOSS, FERDIAD SAID SO HIMSELF!¡±


    Giving him a look of utter unbelief we say, ¡°Yeah right.¡±


    ¡°Keep going on with those lies, it won¡¯t change our minds.¡±


    Sitting down, Setanta says, ¡°Whatever, think what you want.¡±


    ¡°Also don¡¯t stand up on the horseback again, it will hurt it.¡±


    ¡°So what, it is just a horse.¡±


    Grabbing his face, I say, ¡°Do that again and Ibar and I will leave immediately.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°This is something we won¡¯t budge on.¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°What were we talking about?¡± with a face of utter confusion.


    Throwing his face away, I say, ¡°You can¡¯t even follow conversations that don¡¯t interest you can you!¡±


    Pressing himself against me, Setanta says, ¡°Look over there, it is mail¨ªtree forest, that¡¯s a shortcut to the capital!¡±


    Looking at the black forest that radiates a red light, I say, ¡°This cannot be just a normal forest.¡±


    Setanta looks over at Ferdiad checks if he is awake then says, ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE LYING!¡±


    ¡°No I am not,¡± Setanta says with the most unconvincing tone I have ever heard.


    ¡°I hate you, I hate you so much.¡±


    ¡°Well that is all well and fine, but as my legs, I say we go through the forest,¡± Setanta says with stars in his eyes.


    Ibar looks to me and says, ¡°The quicker we get this journey over with the quicker we get to rest and make money.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Arc 10.47: Legs of the wolf part 2

    As we ride through the forest a chilling feeling goes through my body. It is a place filled with dark trees that look like they have been burnt to ash yet maintain their form and texture.


    Through those trees, a red Firey energy flows as if a flame that was used to burn this forest simply got captured and ingrained with the trees themselves.


    No light from the sun can pierce the giant forest we are encased inside, with the only light source being the purple leaves that exist within the trees. It is hard to breathe as if feels like the air in different places moves from pure and clear to utterly putrid.


    There are fruits growing off each tree. They look dead as if all life has left them, yet they throb over and over again just like hearts. These sounds fill the area and make a rhythm that unnerves me deeply.


    However what truly scares me is that as I look away and then back at the trees, I swear they are shifting. It makes me feel like I am going crazy and I start to swear, but then Setanta says with joy, ¡°The trees keep moving like they are alive how exciting!¡±


    ¡°LIKE HELL IT IS!¡± I shout.


    ¡°Why are you always so moody, you''re lucky I took you with me since you lack the gifts of an elegant lady.¡±


    My brothers laugh, and I say, ¡°He got you their Laeg.¡±


    Turning around on my horse, I start to grab his face and say, ¡°An overactive brat like you shouldn¡¯t be telling me anything to do.¡±


    ¡°Hey I am merely twelve years old, don¡¯t call me a brat you low-born brat.¡±


    I look at him then scoff and say, ¡°You''re still pretending you¡¯re of high birth, you should be ashamed since you¡¯re the help!¡±


    ¡°Your my help,¡± he says sticking his finger into my cheek.


    Ibar says, ¡°Spoken like a true child, if you want me to teach you some manners ask an adult like me.¡±


    Setanta immediately jumps over to my brother''s horse and puts him in a headlock saying, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that.¡±


    With the same annoying air of superiority, Ibar says, ¡°It is find Setanta, do you want me to teach you how to brush your teeth.¡±


    Setanta tightens the headlock and as he does, I say, ¡°That¡¯s big talk coming from someone who still picks through his food to remove the stuff he doesn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE IS A CHILD YOU DUMB HORSE!¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HERE THAT FROM YOU DUMB DOG!¡±


    Laeg and Ibar become so caught up in the shenanigans of Setanta that the tension they feel starts to vanish. But maybe this was a mistake.


    -Break-


    See a source of water, I say, ¡°Whis that some water!¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°We have finally found what I was looking for!¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Ibar says.


    ¡°Just go touch it.¡±


    Jumping off our horses, we walk off to the water source which is steaming, and then upon putting our hands in it, we learn that it is not only rather deep but warm.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this.¡±


    ¡°A hot spring,¡± Setanta says.


    ¡°You knew it was here?¡± Ibar asks.


    ¡°Of course, it is the main reason we came here, I wanted both of you to experience it due to how helpful you have been.¡±


    I make a face of happiness and my brother makes a face of embarrassment as Setanta says, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, just let me watch you get into the water fully naked!¡±


    My and Ibar instantly kick Setanta in the face sending him flying into the tree then, I whistle which causes the two horses to gang up and attack Setanta.


    ¡°What is going on these are my steeds.¡±


    ¡°When you make them ride for days nonstop they tend to pick better partners since after that.¡±


    Ibar whistles again, and the horses return to us, and say, ¡°You traitors after all I did for you two horses.¡±


    ¡°Horses are majestic and logical animals of course they would choose us over you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I am leaving.¡±


    Setanta moves towards Ferdiad checks if he is asleep, makes a victorious gesture, and then grabs something from Ferdiad, and says, ¡°I am going to go until you guys are finished,¡± With a smile.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Wait a minute, what were those suspicious actions.¡±


    Playing dumb, he says, ¡°What do you mean.¡±


    ¡°You know damn well what I mean, and what is with that smile? And what is that you are holding?¡±


    He pauses for a moment, then he makes an expression as if he has thought of an answer, then says, ¡°Asking me all these questions to get me to stay, I know you must really want to show your naked self to me, but we are compatriots I cannot take you as my fifth wife.¡±


    Using the strength in my legs I get a stone at high speed towards then yell, ¡°GET OUT OF HERE!¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡± He says as he joyfully wanders off.


    ¡°What a pest.¡±


    I hear my brother snicker, and say, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    -Break-


    The two siblings lie in the hot spring with the horses taking a well deserved break.


    Swimming over to my brother, I say, ¡°When was the last time we took a bath together.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care and don¡¯t feel like remembering that cramped basin, but can you please move away I don¡¯t feel like seeing your disgusting body right now.¡±


    ¡°How rude,¡± I say swimming away.


    Looking up into the purple leaves that have started to fall from above, I say, ¡°Do you think we will get to enjoy baths like this from now on.¡±


    ¡°Depends on how well we do.¡±


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s go do our best for everyone,¡± I say jumping up out of the water.


    As I jump off I notice that Ferdiad is awake and is on the other edge of the hot spring we are in, he looks like he was about to tap on my shoulder from behind, but now that I have jumped up I have exposed myself.


    But before I can even react, I notice that I am covered in the robes he used to hide himself when he first arrived and that I am also in his arms.


    I feel panic, confusion, and embarrassment all at once as I have barely had seconds to understand the situation that is transpiring.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Please don¡¯t worry I only saw a bit of your back,¡± With a red face.


    Still stunned by the overflowing emotions rising inside of me, I say, ¡°It is ok.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for this, but could you tell me where we currently are?¡±


    ¡°I believe Setanta called it the mail¨ªtree forest.¡±


    With a look of polite shock, he says, ¡°You mean the forest the red branch has designated a forbidden area, due to the fact that all who enter it never return.¡±


    Ibar slaps his hands against his face, and says, ¡°That bastard tricked us.¡±


    In a moment of anger, Ferdiad slams his fist into the ground, then goes back to his usual cheery self, then asks, ¡°Where is Setanta.¡±


    ¡°He ran off, saying he had something to do.¡±


    Suddenly throughout the forest, we here shaking, and then he says, ¡°Both of you get dressed now, something is coming.¡±


    Getting up, we both rush to get into clothes and moments after we sloppy put them on, we see Setanta jump through the trees and following behind him, is a giant mass of trees that look like a giant beast.


    ¡°I have returned!¡±


    In disbelief, we all look at him and even though we exchange no words I can tell we are all thinking the same thing, this stupid idiot!


    We all jump on the horse, and Setanta lands on mine, then instantly we all take off. As the be tree beast chases us, I ask, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°It is a man-eating plant, this entire forest is just one giant man-eating plant.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great,¡± Setanta says.


    As me and my brother ride the horses at full speed, Ferdiad says, ¡°What is wrong with you!¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to check if it really was as dangerous as everyone says.¡±


    ¡°IT WOULDN¡¯T BE FORBIDDEN IF IT WASN¡¯T! DID YOU JUST THINK YOU COULD WALK IN HERE AND DEFEAT WHATEVER UNKNOWN MONSTER LIES IN WEIGHT!¡±


    ¡°You are screaming a lot Ferdiad, but really did expect anything else from me,¡± Setanta says with an unapologetic smile.


    Face palming, he says, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Now onwards to victory,¡± Setanta says as he jumps off the back of the horse directly into the beast''s open mouth.


    Branches stretch from the beast and attack Setanta, but he easily beats them away with his spear. The way he fights makes the giant difference in size between the two of them seem like a non-element.


    Using his spear he destroys the branches until he reaches the head of the beast where he prepares to stab it in its head. As the blow lands Setanta says, ¡°I have one.¡±


    Ferdiad shouts, ¡°It isn¡¯t an animal, it doesn¡¯t have a brain!¡±


    Suddenly from the beast, a green gas is released and then a branch knocks Setanta all the way to right over our heads. Jumping up Ferdiad catches him, and we see his face is all puffed up, and snot is leaking from his nose.


    ¡°See this is why I told you not to mess with them.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°What are we going to do if Setanta is down, how do we fight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry the moment I heard we where going around this area I planned ahead.¡±


    Grabbing something from my horse, Ferdiad says, ¡°Man-eating plants are formed when any normal plant takes in a family of parasites that change its internal structure forcing it to devour living things.


    The red fiery substance you can see in the trees are the parasites, and the answer to destroying man-eating plants are simply, to destroy the parasites.¡±


    From the bag, he takes out things that look like icy blue balls, and says, ¡°These are experimental weapons I borrowed from one of the druids back home, made from a mixture of plants that will freeze anything upon contact, so I am going to need the both of you to get in close and help me throw these in.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Ibar says.


    ¡°We promised to be your chariot riders but that isn¡¯t even human, we won¡¯t make it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t insult us. These Macha and Crunniuc are no fools, they are a stiggly duo who hate being controlled by those they can¡¯t respect, and in the few days you have been here you have already earned their trust.


    Setanta here is an amazing warrior, so don¡¯t for a second think you both can survive if you aren¡¯t just as amazing in your given field. And if you both doubt you are no that among the six of us here only you two doubt yourself.¡±


    Setanta in his nasally state says, ¡°Run fast my legs!¡±


    I look at my brother and he stares back, we smile and then we turn our horses around. Throwing Setanta a bag, Ferdiad says, ¡°I don¡¯t care how sick you are don¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± Me and my brother say.


    The beast is an amalgamation of plant life and as we run towards it, the beast throws that life at us as a shield to protect itself from our advances, but we press on.


    These horses are incredibly responsive, and we can ride them without any issues at all truly great steeds. Me and my brother move ourselves through the never-ending attacks of plant life the best we can, and as we do giant smiles appear on our faces.


    I have never felt this free.


    I have never felt this powerful.


    Riding into battle is fun!


    As we approach both Setanta and Ferdiad on our backs throw the bag into the plant, and in that moment they freeze it including the fiery parasite inside.


    After this happens, Ferdiad screams, ¡°MORE WILL STILL COME WE HAVE TO GO!¡±


    And just like that, we continue racing on as the sounds of more beasts quickly approach us. We eventually reach the edge of the forest, and as we do we see seventeen different beasts chasing us.


    But as we break through the forest they are all stuck inside, and moments later we are greeted by a wonderful sight in the distance.


    ¡°Is this it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is the capital city Gorias!¡±


    Seeing it all the emotions of excitement I have been feeling overflow, and I see my brother smiling the same.

 Arc 10.48: Spear of Lugh part 1

    Location: City of Gorias


    Standing in front of the largest city I have ever seen I look with awe, and say, ¡°Is this place real.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Does this place actually exist?"


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Of course, it does, Gorias is one of the four major cities in the place of our origin of Tir na n-iontas.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Do you think we will run into the high king here?¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°You''re confusing here for Tara which is in the centre of all four cities. You won¡¯t be seeing the high king here, but you might run into one of the four lesser kings here, the king of Gorias.¡±


    Both me and Ibar completely clammer up.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I thought both of you were rude to nobility.¡±


    ¡°Common nobles are one thing but the king is chosen by Danu herself. So meeting him is far more special than meeting one of the countless talentless nobles.¡±


    ¡°I guess that is how a couple of country hicks would react hey.¡±


    ¡°WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HICK!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T FORGET WE JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, now let¡¯s go. That includes you Setanta.¡±


    As Ferdiad finishes speaking, he looks to where Setanta should be, but as he stares he makes a shocked expression. So we look as well and see that Setanta has completely vanished.


    We then stare at each other, and in that moment me and Ibar scream, with Ferdiad saying, ¡°Calm down!¡±


    ¡°But Setanta ran off!¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the middle of the forest who knows what trouble he might be getting us in.¡±


    Ferdiad with the most tired expression I have ever seen, says, ¡°I know. Setanta is quick and erratic so he could be anywhere so all we can do is simply move around to the best of our ability.¡±


    -Sometime later-


    As we move around I am stunned by the size of the house and how beautiful they all our. The streets are massive yet they are clean, and unlike my home, the average person is wearing fine clothing.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Hey I need to stop by this shop here.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± we say.


    Walking into a blacksmiths, we see a group of people say, ¡°Welcome Ferdiad, I take it Setanta has messed up again today.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Ferdiad says as he drops two spears in front of the man, one is whole, and the other is damaged.


    ¡°So, my spears didn¡¯t hold.¡±


    ¡°No, they were amazing, Setanta actually broke the one you gave to me because he was afraid of me stabbing him after the nonsense he pulled.¡±


    ¡°So, they didn¡¯t break in battle that¡¯s the best I could hope for. But would you tell me how they faired against the wonderbeasts you fought on your journey?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    As the two of them talk away, I see my brother with gleaming eyes staring at a spear on the wall. ¡°Ehh, what¡¯s this does my brother want to be a warrior?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just thinking about how cool I would look with a spear in hand riding on a horse.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but unlike me you need both of your arms to control your horse.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I am still a better rider than most people despite needing two hands, though I do think  I would love to have one.¡±


    As my brother talks another man comes towards us. He is riding a small wonderbeast, and he does his legs fling like they have no life in them, as if he can¡¯t control them. But more than that despite being a beastkin like the rest of us he has less clear traits of his animal.


    The wonderbeast stretches out its tongue and pulls the spear off the wall, and then says, ¡°You can have it.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why? This isn¡¯t some kind of trick is it.¡±


    One of the other blacksmiths says, ¡°Boss you can¡¯t go giving away high-quality merchandise for free.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, these two are working for ¨® Faol¨¢in family, if they do good they are sure to become famous. So all I ask is that if you both get your own castles one day you will allow us to craft all of your weapons and armour.¡±


    Smiling, my brother says, ¡°Sure!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what about me!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t forget. Since you¡¯re a far better rider, here is some head where so no stray arrows will hit you.¡±


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    ¡°OOOOH,¡± I say with excitement.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we leave we wave goodbye, then continue on.


    -Sometime later-


    On our backs, we carry an old lady and her two grandkids up a ridiculously steep incline. Both me and my brother are sweating as we carry two giant babies that just like their grandma have a hippo animal within them.


    Ferdiad is the opposite of us, he effortlessly carries an old lady, and in all honesty, he looks so gallant doing so that I can¡¯t help but stare.


    ¡°Sister, what are you looking at.¡±


    ¡°NOTHING!¡±


    The old lady then says to Ferdiad, ¡°I hope I am not too heavy; I have been eating a bit too much recently.¡±


    ¡°You eating is a sign that the kingdom is overflowing with abundance, so don¡¯t feel ashamed. But do remember that your grandkids should still have limits on their consumption.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Dropping them in front of the door to their house, Ferdiad asks, ¡°Hey have you seen a silver-haired wolf boy.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, we saw him running about in that direction.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Grabbing the both of us, Ferdiad says, ¡°We need to go now, he is never in one place for too long.¡±


    -Sometime later-


    As we all walk in the middle of a street looking for Setanta the best we can. I end up seeing something that catches my eye, a shop filled with beautiful clothes and jewellery.


    I move closer to get a better look and as I stare into the shop I look down and see my shabby clothes. Then suddenly, I hear, ¡°Something catches your eye.¡±


    Looking to my left, I see a woman who grabs me and says, ¡°Well you might as well come inside then!¡±


    She drags me into the shop, and then she puts a necklace on me whilst dragging me in front of a mirror. ¡°You look dazzling.¡±


    Seeing the pretty necklace on me, I say filled with anxiety, ¡°I don¡¯t think this suits me.¡±


    ¡°HOGWASH! It looks magnificent on you, you¡¯re just like a princess.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± I ask filled with joy.


    She makes an evil smile, then says, ¡°Of course you are, but you could be more!¡±


    Grabbing me, she brings me into a room in the back then with a speed that makes Setanta look like a snail, she takes my clothes off and places a dress on me.


    Then grabbing a bunch of other accessories she says, ¡°Now your transformation is complete. The perfect princess.¡±


    ¡°Hehehehehe,¡± I say giddy with excitement.


    ¡°But what do you think sir Ferdiad?¡±


    Turning around I see Ferdiad and Ibar who stare at me.


    Ibar says, ¡°Ferdiad told me what you''re about, trying to trick us into buying your overpriced goods.¡±


    Ferdiad puts his hand in front of Ibar and then starts to walk over to me, and after eyeing me up and down, he says, ¡°Utterly magnificent!¡±


    I feel embarrassed by these words and start to turn red, but then Ferdiad turns to the woman and says, ¡°Could I get these clothes for my sister, and can you get me some accessories for an adult woman, I don¡¯t want my mom to feel left out.¡±


    ¡°OF COURSE,¡± She says with all her heart.


    Dropping my head low, I say, ¡°I thought you were talking about me.¡±


    Ibar with a bratty smile, says, ¡°Don¡¯t feel down Laeg, clothes won¡¯t make you prettier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that was a compliment or an insult.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Sorry but I can¡¯t do that, we brought you to be a charioteer, if you start getting marriage proposals from across the land that will be an issue.¡±


    Happy, I push my brother and say, ¡°Did you hear that your sister is a beaut.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I already know.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± the lady says as she drops the clothes in Ferdiad''s hands.


    ¡°Thank you, but seeing as you were staking out for me, could you please tell me if Setanta was here.¡±


    ¡°He came earlier to buy something for his little crush, he should be heading towards the centre of the city next.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Laeg, Ibar let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Sometime later-


    As we walk towards the central plaza of the city, we see a large group of people also heading in the same direction.


    And after a while, we start to hear some sounds.


    ¡°Is that a harp?¡± Ibar asks.


    ¡°How would you even know what one of those sounds like.¡±


    ¡°I heard them during one of the trips I took with day to one of the nearby cities.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I forget, Aidan plays his harp around this time.¡±


    Grabbing me and Ibar, Ferdiad says, ¡°We should look from a higher vantage point.¡±


    Jumping up on a building with us in tow, both me and my brother look down and see that Aidan has the face of an animal.


    ¡°Is he-.¡±


    Ibar cutting me off with excitement, says, ¡°A GREATER BEASTKIN!¡±


    ¡°You know of them Ibar?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do, those who Danu blessed with more beast blood than others. They are worth 20 beastkin all by themselves. Truly miracles.¡±


    Smiling Ferdiad, says, ¡°You look so excited, it is fun to see you talking like this.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look down on me!¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, I hope as allies I get to see the things you are crazy about.¡±


    Ibar makes an embarrassed face, and I say, ¡°Sorry about him, he doesn¡¯t have many friends due to his attitude.¡±


    ¡°YES, I DO!¡±


    Ignoring him, Ferdiad says, ¡°Well he shouldn¡¯t worry, since we have all sworn to put our lives on the line for each other we are already friends.¡±


    ¡°No, we are not!¡± my brother says with half-hearted rejection.


    As he plays the harp, I say, ¡°This music is really relaxing.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Perfect for eating a meal.¡±


    Suddenly Ferdiad says, ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± And then he starts moving across the rooftops.


    After reaching a certain area Ferdiad throws the both of us, and quickly seeing our target we drop and kick Setanta in the face.


    Getting up, we see that Setanta is eating food from a street vendor and says, ¡°THIS IS WHERE YOU WENT!¡±


    ¡°You bastards kicking your master like this, you deserve a hundred deaths!¡±


    Suddenly Ferdiad puts him in a headlock and says, ¡°Who deserves a hundred what?¡±


    Turning to Ferdiad, Setanta offers up the food in his hand, and says, ¡°You look famished, here is some lamb.¡±


    Ferdiad slams Setanta into the ground and then bites into his lamb. ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t both hit me and take my food.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, idiot.¡±


    As Setanta''s stomach growls, he says, ¡°I don''t care anymore. Petra give me some more!¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    Suddenly as our stomachs growl, we look at Setanta with the most innocent eyes we can muster, and he says, ¡°You kick me in my face and now shamelessly ask for a favour.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Setanta then smiles, and says, ¡°I respect it,¡± and then slamming money on the table, he says, ¡°More for the both of them as well.¡±


    Soon the food is given to us, and as the music plays we all eat, and say, ¡°YUMMY!¡±


    Looking at everyone, I say, ¡°I hope we have more days like this.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°We have to survive the battlefield first.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°The battlefield to the east has been growing more and more intense by the day.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as I am here we will get to have more days like this. Now Ibar tell me what kind of woman is your type!¡±


    ¡°Why would I tell you that!¡±


    ¡°BONDING YOU FOOL!¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be shy Ibar.¡±


    ¡°YOU THINK YOUR EXCLUDED LAEG, WHAT MAN DO YOU LIKE!¡±


    ¡°No way am I telling you that.¡±


    ¡°I see I have no choice but to spread rumours about the both of you.¡±


    Jumping off Setanta says, ¡°Listen to this everyone Ibar and Laeg here are new citizens of this city and just so you all know they love destroying marriages and burning down the common man''s shops!¡±


    Jumping up we grab him and say, ¡°You bastard!¡±


    ¡°We will kill you!¡±


    ¡°GO AHEAD!¡± He says while laughing manically.


    As this all unfolds, Ferdiad simply looks on with a happy expression as the both of us suffer to control him.


    ¡°This really is my life from now on.¡±


    -Sometime later-

 Arc 10.49: Spear of Lugh part 2

    -Break-


    Walking with my compatriots, I say, ¡°Where are we going.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Home.¡±


    ¡°But this is the capital, shouldn¡¯t we be heading towards the outer regions since you¡¯re a noble.¡±


    Smiling, he says, ¡°You will see.¡±


    I look at Ibar, who with a tired look says, ¡°Get ready sister.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    So we all continue on with our horses in tow through the city. Against my idea, we head deeper inside instead of outside, and eventually, we reach the giant castle at the centre of the city.


    Standing in front of the towering gate, Setanta says, ¡°We are here.¡± Then like an idiot he walks directly toward the tower gates.


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°You¡¯re not funny.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°You can¡¯t just walk into the castle of one of the four kings.¡±


    ¡°I know you like to constantly disrespect people, but if you disrespect one of the four kings that means utter annihilation.¡±


    ¡°The only way you could actually do worst is if you spit on the high king himself.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°I have already spit on the high king himself.¡±


    Me and Ibar look at each other, and then shout, ¡°WHAT!!!!!!!¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Wait sister this must just be some kind of idiotic prank.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Setanta enjoys his daydreams.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean I am not lying.¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, a comical joke indeed, but now let us go before you get us executed.¡±


    Suddenly a trumpet sounds, and someone shouts, ¡°LORD SETANTA HAS RETURNED!¡±


    Then the giant gates that guard the castle open us, and then Setanta says, ¡°About time.¡±


    In utter shock at what is going down, we look and ask, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Sighing, he says, ¡°This man here is Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, son of Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in, next in line of one of the ¨® Faol¨¢in; a red branch family, and also the current family that controls the eastern province of Gorias.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Setanta family is one of the four powers that our only eclipsed by the king himself.¡±


    Both me and my brother shout hysterically at this revelation.


    Then suddenly we look at Setanta and say, ¡°Maybe the red branch families aren¡¯t really that special.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, all the excitement and respect I have has dropped.¡±


    Ferdiad laughs, and Setanta says, ¡°What treasonous things to say.¡±


    But before he can do anything, a man runs out and screams, ¡°SETANTA!¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s Darragh, how are you doing!¡±


    Before Setanta can finish the man puts his palm over Setanta¡¯s face and starts to squeeze, then Ferdiad says, ¡°This is a member of his father''s coill, a council of sorts that helps run Gorias. He is in charge of diplomatic relations.¡±


    He stares at us and then we stare back at him, and then he says, ¡°It must have been hard for you both.¡±


    Then with an understanding look, we say, ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°Now Setanta we have business to attend to immediately.¡±


    Darragh walks back into the castle with Setanta in his grip and the Ferdiad says, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s look at your new home.¡±


    As we walk inside we see an incredibly beautiful area, it is eye-catching all around. But more than that, it is an incredibly packed area with many different people constantly moving around, yet not a single one of them is bumping into one another, they all work in harmony.


    Looking throughout the area I cannot see even a speck of dust, as this castle is just as clean as the purest of rivers. But the most important thing would be, the endless string that wraps all around the castle.


    I didn¡¯t notice them at first, but then as the wind started to blow, it made the string produce sounds that filled with area with a delightful aura. Almost as if all the tension in my body vanishes by just being here.


    This place feels much greater than I, but as our group moves through it people bow at us and say, ¡°Good day.¡±


    These people''s clothes despite being merely help, are much more well-made than mine, yet they bow to a child like me. This constantly happening makes me feel amazing.


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    Looking at Ibar, I say, ¡°Look how important we are!¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to your head.¡± Then he starts to blow kisses at the woman who are bowing their heads to him.


    Walking inside we are greeted, by a group of men. They are the best-dressed people we have seen this entire time, and all of them are standing in groups with flags over their heads.


    As we walked inside each of them had looks of annoyance to pure anger on their faces, but as they saw Setanta many of them tried to cheer up, but the feelings they previously had were still clear enough.


    Darragh then says, ¡°Setanta, here we have members of esteemed family such as the head of the Mac Fiachra family, R¨¢sa¨ªocht Mac Fiachra. The first son of the ¨® Aibell family Luath ¨® Aibell. Even the first daughter of the Mac Duilleog, Giorra¨ª N¨ª Duilleog.  And a member of the impressive red branch family the ¨® L¨²cogadh, T¨¦ad ¨® L¨²cogadh the second son.¡±


    Ferdiad asks, ¡°Darragh what is the purpose of this.¡±


    ¡°Oh each and every one of these warriors are here to fulfil Setanta''s request for charioteers and they have sent some of their best. Getting all of them to come on such short notice was difficult but we were able to do it.¡±


    Ferdiad looks at Setanta who makes a confused face, and then says, ¡°I forgot I did that, well it was unnecessary all of you can go home, your unless.¡±


    The face of everyone in the room sours, and then Darragh says, ¡°Setanta what do you mean, you asked me to bring them.¡±


    Grabbing me and my brother, he says, ¡°I have found my charioteers I don¡¯t need those guys.¡±


    Darragh looks at Ferdiad who says, ¡°I had believed I knew everything, but your selfishness never ceases to amaze me.¡±


    The nobles look at me and my brother with contempt that causes me to shake, but causes Ibar to scowl back at them, then T¨¦ad walks forward and says, ¡°I refuse to stand for this insult.¡±


    ¡°Then you can sit down,¡± Setanta says with an uncaring tone.


    ¡°You not only make us wait here for days until you come back but then tell us we are unneeded, this was an utter waste of our time.¡±


    ¡°You act like staying in this castle was some kind of disservice, I am sure it is better than whatever pile of sticks you live in.¡±


    ¡°I am a member of a red branch family.¡±


    Setanta snaps back and says, ¡°So am I and since you believe house L¨²cogadh is equal to house Faol¨¢in we can simply go to war and settle this with blood.¡±


    T¨¦ad reals back at this suggestion, then trying to place off the fright that is clearly on his face he says, ¡°How quick to war you are, to think the heir of the Faol¨¢in would be so pig-headed. Makes me doubt if Gorias is in good hands.¡±


    Setanta''s demeanour shifts to a more aggressive one, but before he does anything Ferdiad grabs him and says, ¡°Don¡¯t be so rash Setanta he knows not what he speaks. But who could blame him he is merely the second son of his esteemed family he knows nothing of rulership or the troubles it brings.¡±


    ¡°How dare an insignificant person like you say such a thing about me.¡±


    ¡°I am an employee of the O Faol¨¢in, specifically one of the people who you would be riding around in a chariot. You complain about my insignificance yet complain when you don¡¯t get picked, you must really be in love with me.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Weak men like him struggle to speak their minds, you got to nudge him slightly. Don¡¯t worry he will tell you the truth one day.¡±


    Embarrassed and enraged T¨¦ad says, ¡°THAT IS ENOUGH. I am one of the greatest riders in our empire how dare yo-.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so great then the journey home will be quick.¡±


    ¡°But the Faol¨¢in is quite a bit bigger than the tiny piece of land the L¨²cogadh¡¯s have so he might get lost. But it is not like a 2<sup>nd</sup> son such as him being away is any loss,¡± Ferdiad says.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! I challenge your riders to a race, and if I win I request an apology and reparation for all of us here.¡±


    Grabbing both me and my brother, Setanta throws us forward and says, ¡°You¡¯re on!¡±


    I knew it would end up like this; is what I think to myself as the intense gazes make me feel like throwing up.


    -Break-


    Location: Stables


    Walking around the stables with everyone who was in the room following us, I started to feel the tension hit me and I say, ¡°I am going to get sick.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have chosen both of you as my legs so I am sure it will go splendidly. Now which leg will go.¡±


    I point to my brother, and he also puts his hand up. Ferdiad says, ¡°That was quick, I expected you two to fight more.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Not about this.¡±


    ¡°I have better control over my house, but Ibar is great at going fast.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Ibar walking up to Crunniuc says, ¡°Good boy,¡± as he pets him.


    T¨¦ad says, ¡°Hurry up, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry to be embarrassed.¡± Leading Crunniuc out of his pen, my brother says, ¡°You should enjoy these last moments that you can use to hold your head high.¡±


    ¡°We will see about that.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Looks like my legs know their worth, I like those words.¡±


    ¡°My brother isn¡¯t needlessly cocky like you, he was just stating a fact.¡±


    ¡°That sounds cocky to me.¡±


    -Break-


    As we all sit on the sidelines and watch the two of them prepare to start, Ibar waves towards us and moments later the race starts.


    T¨¦ad horse takes an early start against Ibar, and I ask, ¡°How many laps is this race.¡±


    ¡°Five,¡± Ferdiad replies.


    ¡°I see so this will not be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Hey what makes one good at horse riding,¡± Setanta asks.


    ¡°Mostly experience. It is mostly just repeating a process but repeating that process in different situations is hard, so having experience is the most important thing.


    Second would be horse''s capabilities, and by the looks of it the L¨²cogadh¡¯s house is much better bread than Crunniuc.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t insult Crunniuc like that.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an insult just a fact, those guys are known for being excellent riders for a reason, and I am sure their horse abilities are mainly the cause of that, I felt it back when we outdid those L¨²cogadh riders back at my village.¡±


    Seeing T¨¦ad still in front of Ibar, Ferdiad says, ¡°So T¨¦ad has the advantage in experience and horse capabilities, so Ibar is at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but T¨¦ad still lacks the third skill necessary. Understanding.¡±


    ¡°Understanding?¡± Setanta says.


    ¡°Yes, unlike weapons horses are living beings, they can¡¯t simply be mastered like a spear, each is different. Sort of think of them as women, there are general skills you can learn to talk to many of them, but each are distinct and requires personal time to understand them.¡±


    ¡°So you''re saying T¨¦ad lacks that understanding?"


    ¡°Exactly. Just like a wife, if you respect and honour her existence while not belittling her existence as a mere tool she will submit to you and be your greatest ally. But if you don¡¯t your wife will become the most deadly poison that will kill you in mere seconds, and horses are much the same.


    My brother has spent this journey bonding with Crunniuc and right now, he knows that boy''s insides and outs. He knows what Crunniuc can and can¡¯t do and how to bring out or limit its power when necessary, I guess being horse beastkin has given us a rather sharp sense of this.


    If you compare that to T¨¦ad who is simply making his excellent stead move at high speed, it is obvious who will come out ahead, this match was over the moment we saw how he treated his stead.¡±


    As the race continues T¨¦ad horse starts to become fatigued and Ibar pulls ahead with Crunniuc maintaining a very energized sprint, and eventually, the race comes to an end with Ibar in the lead.


    Standing up, Darragh shouts, ¡°House Faol¨¢in has won this race!¡±

 Arc 10.50: Spear of Lugh part 3

    Getting off his horse, Ibar waves to all of the maids who were watching him with great vigour. As they wave back full of excitement, I can see the happiness appear on my brother''s face.


    But it soon vanishes as Setanta tackles him and says, ¡°Well done my right leg, you are a splendid foot.¡±


    ¡°I am not a foot you freak.¡±


    Setanta puts my brother in a headlock and says, ¡°You are officially my servant and I refuse to allow you to disrespect me in my home.¡±


    Fighting back Ibar says, ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to disrespect you be someone worth respecting!¡±


    As the two of them fight T¨¦ad marches over and says, ¡°You cheated.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My brother says with a dismissive tone.


    ¡°There is no way nameless scum like you could have defeated me, that horse was obviously given substances.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Crunniuc is a horse owned by house Faol¨¢in, be careful with the accusations.¡±


    Moving up close to him, I say, ¡°I thought the red branch was supposed to be the bravest in the land, but you''re unable to even admit to losing to a bunch of fir bolg!¡±


    ¡°Fir bolg, that makes sense. I request a retry with a horse of my choosing since this deplorable fir bolg obviously slipped something into the horse when I wasn¡¯t watching. Look at the shame they have brought to a duel between the houses of the red branch.¡±


    ¡°How dare you,¡± Ibar says as he prepares to get up.


    But before he can do anything Setanta punches T¨¦ad in the face before we can even blink and sends him flying over to his men.


    His men surround T¨¦ad and then moments later they pull out their swords and ask, ¡°How dare you do such a thing to our master.¡±


    Looking at the men as if he is staring at the dirt, Setanta says, ¡°Shut your mouths insects. Did I not tell you that these two are my legs, and you have numerously insulted them, so all of my pleasantries are over? I am going to send all of you back to your land in pieces.¡±


    Setanta walks forward with the same murderous aura he had when fighting Hubert, but there is noticeably much more rage coming from him than before.


    Setanta lungs forward and as we blink we see his hand about to pierce the eyes of one of the men, but before he hits them he is kicked to the floor, and in between the both of them we see a man with silver hair.


    He is a wolf beastkin just like Setanta, and is covered in scars from head to toe, no area is untouched. Unlike Setanta''s hair, which is wild and unkept, his hair is tidy, the same can also be said of his bread which is well-kept.


    He is also far more built than Setanta. If Setanta has some beauty that could confuse a man, he is the opposite. Muscles that show clearly through his clothes with broad shoulders that look like they could carry the world, not someone you would ever call feminine. All this creates a very handsome man.


    Looking at Setanta, he says, ¡°Did I not teach you the virtue of patience,¡± with a very emotionless tone.


    Setanta who is usually very uppidy starts to act in a very mature and respectful manner, then says, ¡°Yes you did, and I had foolishly forgotten it Dad.¡±


    The man starts at Setanta then grabs and throws him into the ground, and says, ¡°I told you to call me sir or father.¡±


    ¡°Sorry father,¡± Setanta says with his face buried underneath the ground.


    Turning to face T¨¦ads men who fell on the floor out of the shock of almost dying, he says, ¡°Overlook my son''s actions today, he is brash and requires a tight leash to be effective, so he will be punished for almost killing you.¡±


    T¨¦ad whose expression turns from fear to confidence says, ¡°King of Gorias, Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in I accept your apology-,¡±


    ¡°Stop right there, when did I ever give an apology to you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, your son attacked me?¡±


    ¡°After repeated insults against his character and his house, a house that you seem to think is your equal.¡±


    ¡°Your son wasted our time in, and then insulted our abilities first,¡± T¨¦ad says with a far more docile tone.


    ¡°My son is rash, but he is also fair, he gave you a chance to prove yourself and you couldn¡¯t, now you fall to petty insults to somehow salvage your broken pride. It sounds like you are upset that my son my an intelligent choice by picking the best charioteers he could find.¡±


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    T¨¦ad looks around at the staff of the castle and understands they have passed his remarks off to Lugh. Sweating a bit, T¨¦ad says, ¡°The remarks I made were against those fir bolg. Taking in vermin like them will only hurt Gorias in the long run, I was simply doing this out of your best interests.¡±


    Lugh pushes his foot into the ground and breaks it a bit, then says, ¡°Most of my staff here is fir bolg. Many of them are skilled in a variety of fields because it is the only way they can achieve anything in this country.


    I know a man of such small scope such as yourself will struggle to understand this, but your clothes, horses, castles, food, and privileges do not exist solely because your father murdered humans, it was due to these vermin that you live on anything other than blood-soaked lands.¡±


    With his pride wounded, he says, ¡°How dare you say such a thing to a L¨²cogadh, we are a family equal to yours!


    Raising his voice, Lugh says, ¡°If your claim is true then, I hope to see such when my army marches to your lands to pay to L¨²cogadh a visit.¡±


    T¨¦ad stutters in return to this, so Lugh says, ¡°Oh 2<sup>nd</sup> son now that you have to back up your threats you seem to have sewn your mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°Two red branch families going to war is something the high king would never permit.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you the high king in my brother-in-law so I am such I can get away with far more than you can.¡±


    Sweating profusely, T¨¦ad says, ¡°Regardless of his permission it will be a rash decision that will only negatively affect the empire and Gorias, did you not give out to your son for being rash.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, but there is a limit to the amount of insults that can be given to my house before I must spill blood in retribution, and you have long since passed that threshold. So, what are you going to give me to quell my anger?¡±


    T¨¦ad stutter, then Lugh says, ¡°I am not a material man so simple words combined with a gesture will be enough for me.¡±


    T¨¦ad whose head hangs low, grips his fist in frustration at this, and then he shoots one of his men a look, who says, ¡°This is far too exe-.¡±


    Lugh with the back of his fist knocks the man to the ground, and says, ¡°Your men are clearly untrained in any form of decorum, but I am sure you aren¡¯t so what does one do when they disrespect another.¡±


    Bowing his head, T¨¦ad says, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I see, now vanish with your men, and I hope you know I have eyes everywhere throughout this land so you should make haste home otherwise my army might show up there first.¡±


    T¨¦ad runs away with his men following close behind, then Lugh turns to all of the other riders who came and says, ¡°I am sorry for the inconvenience, and I ask that you forgive my son of his actions.¡±


    All of them had been staying out of T¨¦ad arrogant actions due to them lacking the same authority as a red branch family, but they had very visibly held the same disdain. Though now that Lugh has approached them their demeanour changes to that of a submissive pet.


    ¡°It was of no consequence.¡±


    ¡°He simply chose the best, how could we fault that.¡±


    ¡°It was an honour to simply be in this castle.¡±


    ¡°Though if possible, I would at least like to show how valuable my house could be for yours,¡± one of the many says.


    Others join in on this opportunity, and start to say, ¡°I think my family has excellent riders that would be happy to fight alongside your horse.¡±


    ¡°Our steeds are some of the fastest in the land so I am sure if you were to join hands with us we would be able to further strengthen your mighty house reputation.¡±


    As they all gather around Lugh, Setanta looks on with sparkly eyes, and says, ¡°Amazing.¡±


    Peering over to Ferdiad, Ibar asks, ¡°What¡¯s going on with him.¡±


    ¡°It is just how he is around Sir Lugh, you should watch and feel happy because if you do well one day people will be enthralled by you just like that.¡±


    Imagining the faces of handsome nobles looking upon me, I blush and say, ¡°Oh no I cannot marry you all.¡±


    Whilst the adults speak to Lugh, he interrupts them all and says, ¡°Let us discuss this at a later date. We have prepared gifts for you all and escorts to make sure you all get home safely.¡±


    He claps his hands and then a group of servants walk into the area and move all of the people away as they try and get in a few more words to Lugh.


    Immediately after this Lugh turns and faces me and Ibar. Seeing him up close makes me terrified as if I am facing a beast thirty times my size.


    He reaches into his pocket, and moments later he pulls out something and hands it over to me and Ibar. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    It is two small balls in his hand, and then he says, ¡°Eat them.¡±


    Out of fear both me and Ibar immediately put them into our mouths, and a moment later I say, ¡°Sweet.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°It is a type of food made mostly from sugar, one of the things my fir bolg have been working on, it is based on something we found when plundering a human settlement. Did you enjoy it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Both Ibar and I say.


    He looks like a man who is completely opposed to the idea of sweat things and laughter, his facial expression barely changes, it is expressionless with only hints of anger appearing.


    Looking over to Ferdiad he asks, ¡°I assume the journey went well.¡±


    Ferdiad with a bright smile, says, ¡°It was the same as all our other journeys.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Grabbing Setanta, Lugh throws him into the ground again, and says, ¡°Your punishment won¡¯t be light.¡±


    Turning to us he says, ¡°I hope you two truly become the legs of my treasure and are able to guide him out of stupidity.¡±


    Ibar shouts, ¡°WE WILL TRY OUT BEST!¡±


    I snicker slightly at his panicky vigour, and then I say, ¡°I will try my hardest.¡±


    ¡°Now since you have had the displeasure of being around him for an extended period of time, I can tell that you kids need sleep, so please head to your rooms.¡±


    He claps his hands and a group of servants come and pick up all of us. Then holding us all, we are quickly dragged into the castle.


    After a bit of walking, I am brought into a room that looks to be the same size as the entire lower level of my father''s tavern. Turning to the two maids who brought me here, I ask, ¡°Where are the other five residents.¡±


    One of them gives me an evil glare and the other says, ¡°Oh this place is all for you, little miss Freckles.¡±


    ¡°How amazing!¡±


    The one who snickered at me, mutters, ¡°Know your place,¡± Under her breath.


    Pointing at her, I say, ¡°She just insulted me.¡±


    The other maid says, ¡°No she didn¡¯t you must be hearing things.¡±


    ¡°No, I am sure I heard her.¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Holding in my frustration, I say, ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Crazy,¡± The maid mutters under her breath.


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Can you both leave.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure,¡± the maid says. As they leave they give me evil glares.


    In response to this, I simply jump on my huge bed and say, ¡°New life here I come!¡±

 Arc 10.51: House Faolè°©in part 1

    -The next day-


    As the sunlight shines in my room, I gracefully stretch and as I do I sit up look around my room, and then say, ¡°What a fine morning it is.¡±


    Like a fairy I dance and hum to myself to the closest window, and say, ¡°How beautiful it is in these lands. But it shall become far more enchanting when I grace it with my presence.¡±


    Changing my voice to that of a little child, I say, ¡°But wonderful, majestic, queen Laeg N¨ª Fergal, why is that?¡±


    Returning to my normal voice, I say, ¡°Oh little child, it is simply. Because anything thing a sky-splitting beauty touches instantly changes in value, something worth one wonderbeast suddenly becomes worth a hundred.¡±


    In a childlike voice, I say, ¡°Of course that must be through, you are the greatest fir bolg in existence. You at the tender age of fourteen have already become a valuable asset to the king of Gorias, truly a legend in the making.¡±


    Changing my demeanour I move to the left of the room, and then I start to gallop as if I am on a horse, after a few moments I say in a deep voice, ¡°I have heard you are the fairest in all of the land.¡±


    In my normal voice I say, ¡°You mean little old me? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re exaggerating?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, in all honesty, I was simply being too modest, since you are the fairest in the entire world!¡±


    In a shy voice, I say, ¡°Really?¡±


    In a deep and powerful voice, I get on one knee and say, ¡°Of course now marry me, my lady. I will give you all you desire and become a servant to your whims, mere seconds of your affections will fill my sole for mere moments!¡±


    ¡°But what about your fianc¨¦?¡±


    ¡°Some political marriage will never be enough to stop me from loving you, even if I have to abandon my family, and fortune I will go with you.¡±


    Making a voice similar to Setanta, I say, ¡°You have proven yourself as the greatest Charioteer in all of the land, one whom I owe my life to countless times. You are worth this man''s love, and here is enough money to never have to work for countless generations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Setanta you impudent, foolish, rash, bastard, it seems you have finally come to your senses and have acknowledged my greatness, for your efforts I will reward you with a bone, here go fetch.¡±


    In a voice similar to Ibar, I say, ¡°Sister you¡¯re so amazing I want to be you!¡±


    In a voice similar to my dad, I say, ¡°My greatest achievement is giving birth to you.¡±


    In a voice similar to Ferdiad, I say, ¡°If you have space for a second man in your life please take me!¡±


    In a deep and powerful voice, I say, ¡°No you are my woman.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t fight over me like brutes. If you are to fight do it in an official setting, a tournament that involves you and all my other 500 suitors. Hahahahahaha!¡±


    To finish my performance, I lie on my bed and say, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what my future has in store.¡±


    Looking up to the top of the room, I see Setanta with one hand holding onto the chandler and the other hand covering his mouth as he holds back laughter.


    My face turns red deeper and darker than blood, and then I say, ¡°NOOOOOOOO!¡±


    ¡°Of don¡¯t say that miss fairest in all of the land.¡±


    I pick up a decoration then I kick it towards Setanta, but he releases his grip which causes the decoration to hit the chandler, and fall down.


    As it smashes on the ground I lunge forward and grab Setanta, then I say, ¡°Delete that memory from your mind instantly.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that, who would want to forget a sky-sitting beauty such as yourself?¡±


    Shaking him furiously, I say, ¡°Forget, forget, forget, forget, forget.¡±


    Looking over at the Chandler, Setanta says, ¡°You know that is worth more than your village.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Well in actually it would be worth more than three castles. It was one of my father''s favourites.¡±


    I start to sweat profusely and look to the ground, then I say, ¡°Oh no.¡±


    Looking at the chandler broken into pieces, I say, ¡°Setanta I need you to fix this right now!¡±


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    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°Because I am your legs, and you are your hands, so help! And besides, there is no way you aren¡¯t skilled at fixing things with how often you break stuff.¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t insult me, I might come off as a man who can do everything by himself, but I am sophisticated enough to make the servants to my cleaning for me.¡±


    ¡°SPLOIT BRAT!¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t fret, since I am a good master I have gotten you servants of your own.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡±


    Setanta claps his hand, and then from the door, two maids come in.


    On my face, I have a bright smile onto I see who they are. It is the two bitches who were mean to me last night.


    Pointing to the one who mumbles under her breath, Setanta says, ¡°She is Inn¨¦acs, and the cheery one is named L¨²id¨ªn. Say hello.¡±


    I wave to them cautiously, and full of a fake cheerfulness they both bow to me and say, ¡°Nice to meet you miss sky-splitting beauty.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°It is an honour miss I have 500 suitors.¡±


    My embarrassment remerges, and I cover my face. While I do this Setanta leans against me, and says, ¡°Aren¡¯t these two so funny, the cold and cheery demeanours are why I have decided they will be my 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup> wives respectively.¡±


    With a face of immense disgust, I stare at him and say, ¡°Of course you would be like that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, is it not fitting to have multiple women for a great man such as myself!¡±


    Snickering, I say, ¡°Great? Maybe great in you¡¯re stupidity. One woman having to put up with you in marriage would be a victim of abuse, but many would be some kind of tragedy against the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann.¡±


    Annoyed, Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t mock me, I am the inheritor of one of the greatest powers in our empire, and woman would be amazed and thrilled to have me as her own, isn¡¯t that right number 8<sup> </sup>and 9.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs, says, ¡°You¡¯re existence certainly does make our hearts pound consistently.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Your actions have certainly made me fall to my knees countless times, sometimes I even pass out due to the shock of your uniqueness.¡±


    Smiling, Setanta says, ¡°See here how amazing I am.¡±


    Those sounded like insults in disguise. Playing along, I say, ¡°Regardless, I will never have an interest in you.¡±


    Like a laughing fox, Setanta makes a cheeky expression and says, ¡°But you don¡¯t seem to have the same sort of disgust with Ferdiad, I wonder what that means! I better go tell him!¡±


    I try to kick him in the face but he easily moves out of the way, and then runs out of my room saying, ¡°If you want to stop me hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I WILL KILL YOU,¡± I say as I try to run out the door.


    But as I do L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Many of the male servants are walking around and you¡¯re going to run around in your night garments.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°It seems our master who is a self-proclaimed valuable asset to the king of Gorias, is a rather shameless girl.¡±


    Looking at what I am wearing, I quickly get embarrassed and re-enter my room. Then I look over to where I put my clothes last night, and there I see the messy chest I had used last night.


    I dug through the massive chest of clothes to put on so I could sleep, and now surrounding it are countless clothes all over it. Looking at my maids, I say, ¡°There is an explanation for this!¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Now, now it is none of our business what you did last night. Though I would like to remain you while we possess the abilities of beasts we don¡¯t have the behaviour of them.¡±


    ¡°Fucking savage,¡± Inn¨¦acs mutters under her breath.


    Now clapping her hand, L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Let¡¯s get you prepared for your day.¡±


    They both move over to me and start to take off my clothes, causing me to say, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    ¡°We are to take care of all of your basic duties down to the most mundane including physical care, we can¡¯t go letting you wastefully expending energy.¡±


    ¡°I think that is unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you will need every drop of energy you can have.¡±


    ¡°Daft,¡± Inn¨¦acs mutters under her breath.


    Getting slightly annoyed, I say, ¡°Do you have a problem with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I exist to serve your will,¡± Inn¨¦acs says with a dispassionate voice.


    Having a fun idea, I say, ¡°Ok, then allow me to take a seat.¡±


    While they tend to me I sit on Inn¨¦acs back and say, ¡°How comfy.¡±


    She grumbles, but as she does L¨²id¨ªn finishes taking off my clothes.


    Then moments later she brings in a basin filled with water, and then she throws two blue objects and one red into the water, and then after a few moments it boils then starts to cool down.


    Inn¨¦acs who is a monkey beastkin, uses her tail to throw me into the water and says, ¡°Mistress it is time to get clean.¡±


    And as she says that I stare at her and we give each look of annoyance, but soon the temperature of the water overtakes me, and I say, ¡°Is it really ok for me to be having a bath like this?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it is simply standard protocol, we all take bathes like this every day.¡±


    ¡°Really, I didn¡¯t even know that could be possible?¡±


    Inn¨¦acs is about to say something, but I pre-emptively splash some water in her face, and then ask, ¡°Did you say something.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°It is one of the many things that you should get used to, now let¡¯s get you cleaned and changed.¡±


    They scrub my body rather harshly with some instrument to get the dirt off, and then they pull me out of the water and quickly dress and start to groom me.


    As they do it I admire their skill, but I don¡¯t wish to let them know.


    While grooming me I look out of the window, and I ask, ¡°Hey why wouldn¡¯t you want to marry Setanta?¡±


    They both make angered looks at me and I can feel their rage leaking from their bodies. L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°What do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because even if he is annoying, getting to inherit all of this seems like a dream. Even his personality isn¡¯t enough of a dissatisfying factor to stop one from wanting this utter beauty.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°Many of the women working here do feel the same, but we have all made a pack to never ever ruin our romantic tale of true love that unfolds throughout these walls.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°It is none of your business, especially since our tale doesn¡¯t need another heroine.¡±


    I don¡¯t ask any more questions as the aura both of them exhibit becomes so intense that I go back to being intimidated.


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°And it doesn¡¯t really matter anyways, as long as Setanta is lord of Gorias we won¡¯t ever have to worry about nothing having enough.¡±


    As she says this both of them have a calm aura that makes me feel at ease. As if the happiness expressed in those words has broken loose and raptured the room.


    Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°We are done so look at yourself in the mirror.¡±


    Getting up, I look at myself. I am wearing a fine dress, with my skin shining from the bath. My hair is also done wonderfully, and the jewellery I got yesterday also looks wonderful. I truly look amazing.


    Inn¨¦acs behind me whisper, ¡°I think we did too good of a job.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn whispers, ¡°Maybe we should set her face on fire to make her uglier.¡±


    ¡°I CAN HEAR YOU TWO!¡±


    They quickly shut up and then I say, ¡°Now let us go to experience this wonderful day.

 Arc 10.52: House of Faolè°©in part 2

    -Break-


    Walking through the corridors of the castle, I see that there are many people who are up and about despite how early it is. So I ask, ¡°Why is everyone running around so early.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just normal behaviour for people, didn¡¯t you¡¯re family do much the same.¡±


    ¡°Growing up sure, but that¡¯s because if we didn¡¯t work we wouldn¡¯t have been able to grow our village. You guys are already at the top of the empire so what is the point of waking up so early.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°Gorias is majestic, but keeping it running is not an easy task. So waking up at this time to make everything run smoothly is simply a baseline we must keep otherwise this place would fall apart.¡±


    Looking towards everyone working, I say, ¡°I thought you guys had it easier, but I guess there is much more responsibility on your shoulders than I thought.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs mutters, ¡°You can think?¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°I heard that!¡±


    Ignoring her, I continue to walk and as I do I notice the servants around the castle are waving and bowing to me. Seeing this I get shy and ask, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    The L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°The clothes and jewellery you are wearing is a sign that you are considered important within this castle, and for a fir bolg that can only mean you are someone of incredible skill despite your mental capacity and deserve respect.¡±


    I don¡¯t feel like the comment about mental capacity was necessary, but ignoring that I start to feel a certain degree of pride. I start to walk gently, and wave to my subjects saying, ¡°Good day.¡±


    As I do this my ego grows so much that one could taste it, but then as I walk I feel the ego of another crash into mine and looking at who it is I see my brother Ibar.


    Ibar is being guided by two servants, he is also dressed in fancy clothes like me from head to toe, but unlike me, he has far more expensive jewellery on his body than I do.


    Seeing him, I use my fans to flutter my hair, and he in response flashes his jewellery.


    ¡°With all of the jewellery, one might mistake you for a prince, though you don¡¯t look the part.¡±


    My brother laughs in response to this and says, ¡°That dress is very good at attracting attention and completely distracts from its wearer''s face, it is perfect for you.¡±


    Stretching out my hand, me and Ibar then grab each other''s hands and start to spin about. ¡°Mom, Dad look how esteemed we look.¡±


    ¡°These clothes are enough to bring us out of any debt we could incur for years, look how far we have come.¡±


    Thinking back to memories of Setanta''s annoyingness, I say, ¡°Dealing with that beast was worth it.¡±


    ¡°We have finally been rewarded for all our hard work.¡±


    ¡°Now since we are done let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°Right, we have done our jobs.¡±


    As me and my brother happily skip away, we are grabbed by our maids, who say, ¡°Your jobs have only just begun.¡±


    Turning to L¨²id¨ªn, I say, ¡°We jest, we jest.¡±


    ¡°Please be careful about your jokes, you represent your master and we don¡¯t need any more damage to the house''s name so behave.¡±


    Looking back at the maids, Ibar says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry we will act in a way befitting our master.¡±


    I say, ¡°We will simply communicate the way our master has shown us people must be treated.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°That fills me with no confidence.¡±


    Both me and my brother then hear, ¡°Please, no more conflict.¡±


    Turning around we both see Darragh who is dragging himself across the corridor with a dark aura emanating from him. ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°For the most part just sleep deprived, I had to be up all night fixing the issues that were caused yesterday.¡±


    Shaken, both me and my brother bow our heads and say, ¡°We are sorry for that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it wasn¡¯t either of your faults, Lugh himself should have handled the situation a lot better than he did. But now I am forced to handle such things.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were so important here.¡±


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    One of his maids responds, ¡°Each of the kings of the four providences has a council that aids them in their work, and the one who handles political matters is Darragh here.¡±


    Remembering the mess that was yesterday, both me and Ibar apologise again.


    ¡°It is appreciated but unnecessary, all I can ask is that if you see Setanta doing anything stupid please knock him out.¡±


    ¡°We promise,¡± Both me and my brother say without hesitation.


    Looking at our maids, Darragh says, ¡°Now please get these two to their classes, we have no time to waste in their training.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°What training?¡±


    Darragh says, ¡°The future of our empire is in your hands so try your best.¡±


    His words cause me and my brother to look at each other with fear in our hearts. This feels really bad.


    Soon our maids grab us and start to drag us away.


    -Break-


    Location: Ord Room


    Sitting behind two desks in a giant room, me and my brother started to panic. ¡°Turning to him, I say, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The maids just abandoned us in here and left?¡±


    ¡°Do we have to go through some test?¡±


    ¡°I barely know how to write!¡±


    As we continue our freak out a greater beastkin walks in through the door, an elephant beastkin, and says, ¡°You must be Ibar and Laeg, it is nice to meet you both.¡±


    ¡°Hi,¡± We nervously say back.


    Looking at him, I ask, ¡°Why are we here?¡±


    ¡°You see as important members of our future king''s court, we need to make sure that both of you despite being fir bolg are educated in a way that will allow you to be seen as greater than you our.¡±


    Both of us get slightly annoyed at this and my brother says, ¡°So your doing this to both of us since we are idiotic fir bolg right?¡±


    Before my brother can continue, the elephant says, ¡°It seems you believe yourselves to be slighted right now, but don¡¯t think such a thing. From this point on you will have to stand beside Setanta in his many escapades and there will be those who will look down on you.


    These classes of mine are simply tools I am giving you to fight back when the time comes, and no one knows them from birth. Enemies you will face who have hidden themselves as allies have spent years mastering them and I need to catch you up. So I ask for your cooperation.¡±


    Hearing him out, my brother says, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Now then let¡¯s begin. The first thing I will teach you in this class is the full structure of our kingdom, I don¡¯t know what you covered in your classes but I will be breaking it down here.


    Our great empire of Louernia stretches through all of Victoria with a few exceptions up north, and we also command the vast majority of Domhan Th¨ªos to the south, or as the humans call it Terrafide, and the Duibheag¨¢n to the west, or as the humans call it Molstoria.¡±


    ¡°What about the land to the east? I learned that at one point we owned large portions of it.¡±


    ¡°The eastern continent of Sruth¨¢ntu¨ª, or Enotita was one that we had a lot of power over, but due to many miscalculations we have lost most land that we had control of.¡±


    ¡°I see, but still our empire is large.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but despite all of that land one stands above the rest, T¨ªr na n-iontas our place of origin. This is the largest and most heavily populated place in all of our empire. Most of all the nobles live here, even the high king, and this land makes up a large chunk of the continent.


    T¨ªr na n-iontas is split into four large providences, which are Gorias to the east, Murias to the west, Findias to the south, and Falias to the north, and a small one in the centre called R¨ªchathaoir Danu.


    The high king and leader of all of Louernia lays in R¨ªchathaoir Dhanu, and he elects one of the red branch families to rule over one of the four providences each.


    But on that note, we might as well talk about our social structure. On the lowest level are peasants, who usually do menial tasks such as working as farmers or helping with construction and so on. Tend to lack skill, and be of fir bolg decent.


    Next would be commoners, who are usually, merchants, or tradesmen of some kind or those with essential skills. Many of the Fian bands are also located on this level.


    Then we have nobles, who are those who have distinguished themselves to one of the kings and have received some title which tells how much land they own. Many are from warrior families though since it is far easier for them to distinguish themselves, and due to the fact that it is simply more time effective for skilled fir bolg to work for these families rather than aspire for these titles.


    Next would be red branch families, the descendants of those who fought against the humans and started this country, each one of them are worth far more than the average noble and one could say they alone control whether one will be able to move up and down this list of peerage.


    Next are the kings of the four providences who each are chosen from a red branch family. These kings are given complete control over all of the residents within their providence, but as also given complete responsibility.


    If the providence starts to decline under their leadership, it can end up with them being executed. Outside of an offence against the high king himself, this is one of the only ways a member of the red branch can face any legal punishment.¡±


    Stiff with the level of power I now have, I say, ¡°That is quite a lot of people I rank above now, it is rather scary.¡±


    ¡°It truly is, but don¡¯t worry our king Lugh is rather smart and doesn¡¯t make lots of enemies so serving under him doesn¡¯t cause any worries. Though I do plan to resign the moment Setanta takes over.¡±


    Hearing that I start to feel sick to my stomach as I imagine Setanta spitting in the face of the high king. But as I do this, my brother raises his hand and says, ¡°Merchants and tradesmen aren¡¯t treated the same as Fian, but you ranked them the same why is that.¡±


    ¡°Is there a specific reason you asked?¡±


    Interjecting I say, ¡°We are commoners by your ranking, yet when we ran into trouble with Fian in the past, we tend to not be given the same amount of leeway as they were.¡±


    ¡°One can say that within each of these classes, there is a hierarchy. Our physical capabilities are what allow us to take our freedom back from humans, and expand our empire, so since our formation strength has always been key.


    Other forms of strength are seen to draw from human knowledge, which while useful shouldn¡¯t come ahead of our own abilities. Hence, they fir bolg are while not officially forced to do so, must be subservient. Those who wield human tools should be ahead of those who wield our strengths.


    Otherwise, we might fall into the never-ending deceit and lies humans fall into, and that destruction is far worse than the attacks fir bolg fall into.¡±


    My brother asked, ¡°Are you ok with that? You have been smiling a lot as you teach us things we never knew, yet they say your work is worth less to them than others.¡±


    ¡°It does upset me from time to time, but I have enough money to provide for my children, wife, siblings, and parents, so I don¡¯t care that much. It is not like I would be remembered anyway, so I might as well do my best for those around me.¡±


    Smiling Ibar says, ¡°I wish to do the same.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Now let us continue.¡±

 Arc 10.53: House of Faolè°©in part 3

    1 hour later


    ¡°The four providences each have which are chosen by the current family in charge of the providence. Right now they are, Murias holds up scientific development above all, for Findias it is military power, for Falias it is agricultural development, and for Gorias it is labour development.


    These are the reasons for a lot of the differences between the four providences, a great example of this would be your education. It is a standard that all people between the ages of three to eleven must be in full-time education, and we subsidise the family for the lost labour and other expenses.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°So the kids in other providences, don¡¯t have to go to school? How do they even learn anything.¡±


    ¡°Most learn from their parents, but as you can probably guess this leads to very broad distances between the average mental abilities of people throughout the empire.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Does it really matter though, not many things we learnt in school are going to help us better cut off our enemy''s heads in the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Exactly Ibar as of now such things are useless, but our king Lugh believes that as we conquer more and more of the world, eventually the strongest and most powerful people in the red branch won¡¯t be those who have the biggest military might, but those who hold the keys to a strong society.


    So he develops his people and encourages them to put their hands in many different fields, and as they grow strong in each of those fields we gain a head start on all of the others. This has also allowed us to be far more self-sufficient than almost all of the other providences, to many we can be seen as a mini country ourselves.¡±


    Looking at our teacher, I say, ¡°You take great pride in Lugh.¡±


    ¡°I and everyone else here does, especially Setanta. If he didn¡¯t create this providence this way our paths in life would have been heavily blocked, but thanks to him many of us can hold our heads up high knowing that we are also fighting for the future.¡±


    We smile, and then I say, ¡°Though it does seem funny that Setanta is the son of such a studious man considering how much of a brute he is.¡±


    ¡°Setanta is actually quite a scholar.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Me and my brother say.


    ¡°I know it might be surprising but when it comes to anything involving ruling he is quite an academic, it seems he wants to take over his dad''s position.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°That can¡¯t be true, he is always picking fights and going on detours that end up with our lives in danger.¡±


    I furiously nod my head up and down in agreement.


    ¡°He never goes on detours when it comes to official business, at times he is even more level-headed than Darragh. He is also quite skilled at conversation when the time comes, and knows how to differentiate between situations he can and cannot be rude in, yesterday was an example of something he knew he could get away with.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°That cannot be true?¡±


    Holding up two sheets of paper, he says, ¡°This here is the sheet filled with questions I asked you to give me so I can judge your skill level, and this is the letter I asked Setanta to give me in under five minutes last night.¡±


    Looking at Setanta''s page we see lines far more beautiful than even the sights of the castle, and if one was to compare that to my messy handwriting, they would equate it to comparing a diamond to shit.


    Feeling as if I am about to have a mental breakdown, I say, ¡°Is Setanta smarter than us?¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry sister he has had years to master this, just give us some time and we will surpass him.¡±


    ¡°YEAH!¡±


    The two siblings stare at their teacher with passion in their eyes which frightens him, and they say, ¡°No more holding back.¡±


    ¡°Give us all the knowledge in that head.¡±


    In unison, they say, ¡°RIGHT NOW!¡±


    -Six hours later-


    ¦µ Sitting down beside steps outside of the room the two siblings look utterly exhausted, and noticing them in the distance Ferdiad walks over and asks, ¡°How are you two doing?¡±


    They look over at him with dead eyes, and he says, ¡°Ehh, what happened.¡±


    ¡°Study, information, too much.¡±


    ¡°Need sleep, annoyed, beat Setanta, smart.¡±


    ¡°Class long, it never ends, we overestimate our brains.¡±


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    ¡°Teacher break, free time, have two hours.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I see you guys had to attend the classes as well, when I first got here they almost made me cry but I eventually got used to them. But I did have some tricks that I used to get back on my feet, the first one was food.¡±


    They both jump up and say, ¡°Food!¡±


    Composing themselves, they Ibar says, ¡°Well if you want to provide us with some sustenance we won¡¯t be angered.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Only if you want to, not like we are demanding you to do this.¡±


    Both of their stomachs growl so loud that everyone in the area looks at all three of us. This quickly embarrasses both of them, and I say, ¡°Oh I didn¡¯t know how hungry I was I guess I better go eat a big meal, but knowing me I always overestimate my food so I wish I had two people who would come with me.¡±


    Recovering from their embarrassment, they put their hands on my shoulder and say, ¡°Ferdiad you little baby, don¡¯t you know it is foolish to skip meals just because of your pride.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t feel embarrassed it happens to everyone, now let us go and fill this foolish child''s stomach.¡±


    As they are about to run off, I grab both of them and say, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Turning to one of the servants, I ask, ¡°Can you bring a hefty meal to the training grounds please.¡±


    ¡°I will be on it, sir Ferdiad!¡±


    As the maid runs off the two siblings ask, ¡°Why are we going to the training grounds?¡±


    ¡°You will see?¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Training grounds


    With Ibar flung over my shoulder and with Laeg in my arms, I look down and ask, ¡°Is anything wrong Laeg.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± She says while bright red. ¡°I just hope I am not heavy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you most definitely are.¡±


    Depressed, she says, ¡°Sorry for this unfortunate event.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, those muscles are a sign of your physical upkeep, and I hope you grow stronger ones for the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Muscle princess,¡± Ibar says.


    Reacting to this violently, Laeg responds, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Calming herself down, she says, ¡°I am sorry again for this, I wish we weren¡¯t this much of a burden. I didn¡¯t expect us both to collapse after taking a few steps from the classroom.¡±


    ¡°It is fine it was like that with me as well the classes here are intense.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°I feel like my head is about to explode.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°I wish our maids were here to escort us instead, why the hell did they even run off to?¡±


    ¡°They had to return to work.¡±


    Ibar asks, ¡°I thought those were our personal servants. Aren''t they supposed to stay and do our bidding?¡±


    ¡°Their schedule is too packed for such a thing, they don¡¯t have the time to weigh hand and foot on someone.¡±


    Sadden Ibar said, ¡°They made me feel important.¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°I know how you feel, but if you both were to look around you would notice something.¡±


    Both of the siblings look around the open area where we are currently walking. In the area leading to the training grounds, there are many people moving back and forth with almost no one standing still.


    Whether they are working, moving, or eating, everyone is doing something. Laeg says, ¡°I felt this yesterday but no one here ever stops?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t nobles supposed to be lazy?¡±


    ¡°There is a war brewing down south, and whenever combat does take place the house in charge of the providence has ridiculous workloads to do especially since our house will be at the head of this upcoming battle. Our king Lugh is rather cautious and believes in getting work down fast because we never know what might show up later.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°So that is why the maids had to leave so fast?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Hey Ferdiad will we be playing a part in this war.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I say while laughing. ¡°This will be your first big battle and is the main reason both me and Setanta when to go look for Charioteers it was the condition Setanta had to reach to be allowed to go.¡±


    Instantly I notice that both of them tense up and I say, ¡°You might be feeling a little scared, but don¡¯t forget this is the man who will be protecting you.¡±


    ¦µ As Ferdiad brings me and my sister and through a door, we are in a great expansive area; the training grounds.


    Many are running in the distance and others are maintaining their weapons, but what draws the most people is a battle in the centre, and as it rages on Ferdiad says, ¡°You should go and watch.¡±


    Placing us down in front of the crowd, we see that Setanta is fighting a man over twice his size. Setanta is holding a wooden staff with a soft end, and the man is holding a wooden hammer.


    Soon two plates of food are placed in front of us, and Ferdiad says, ¡°Enjoy the entertainment and the meal.¡±


    ¦µ Gripping my hammer tightly, I swing it towards the young lord but before the attack hit he has already moved back, so I keep up the attacks again and again forcing him back with each blow.


    As this continues, I hear people shout, ¡°Cruadhlaoich beat him.¡±


    ¡°I have my next two meals bet on you Cruadhlaoich.¡±


    ¡°If you lose I am going to break your kneecaps Cruadhlaoich.¡±


    ¡°So us that bull strength.¡±


    ¡°Go kick the ass of our young lord.¡±


    Inspired by the cheers I swing even faster and hit Setanta sending him back a bit. ¡°How was that.¡±


    ¡°Amazing Cruadhlaoich you have come a long way from our last fight, if that was a real hammer I would have broken my arm.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget I am your senior, I have survived countless battlefields so don¡¯t look down on me.¡±


    Entering a stance, Setanta says, ¡°You''re right so I will try a little.¡±


    In front of me, Setanta speeds up and in next to no time his staff is already near my eye, but already anticipating this I moved my hammer to block his spear.


    After this, with a thrust, Setanta hit my kneecap at a forty-five-degree angle which caused me to buckle. In that moment he moves his speed and strikes me in my stomach.


    But not feeling the blow, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can pierce the body of an adult with a thrust that weak.¡± And then I swing my hammer towards him.


    Backing away, Setanta says, ¡°A spear is a precision weapon so don¡¯t think those stupid muscles will stop a real spear.¡±


    ¡°Most of my enemies have said the same thing!¡±


    ¡°And all of my enemies didn¡¯t even have time to speak!¡±


    Feeling angered I charge towards Setanta and keep up the attack.


    ¦µ Looking at the battle, I say, ¡°Why does it look like Cruadhlaoich is more agitated than Setanta? He is twice his size.¡±


    ¡°Because Setanta is fighting like he is an adult.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Setanta is shorter than Cruadhlaoich since he is a child but he isn¡¯t using this to his advantage, he is intentionally putting himself in places that are easy to see, and hit.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°To make it fair, he wants to be treated as an adult so he goes this extra step to make sure people are only judging him by his skill, yet despite that he is still dodging perfectly, and as a warrior great skill Cruadhlaoich understands and is getting angry.¡±


    Looking at Setanta, I say, ¡°He really is a monster.¡±


    Seeing Setanta enter a stationary position, Ferdiad says, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet Ibar, the real show is about to start.¡±

 Arc 10.54: House of Faolè°©in part 4

    ¦µ Gripping my hammer tight, I say, ¡°Come at me with all you have got!¡±


    Suddenly Setanta vanishes from my sight and then moments later I feel a blow to the left side of my stomach. So I swing my weapon towards that space, but Setanta is nowhere to be found.


    Then yet again I am struck on my right side before I can even sense his presence. This also causes me to turn in that direction, but as I do I feel the wind blow past my body at high speed and every time it does I feel a blow.


    ¦µ ¡°With the way he is moving, Cruadhlaoich can¡¯t even see him much less block, this is completely ridiculous!¡±


    Laeg looks at me and Ferdiad says, ¡°How is Setanta moving so fast, I don¡¯t even think I can move that fast on my horse!?¡±


    Ferdiad with a smile says, ¡°He is using a special form of fighting taught to those who train under our master, Red branch battle arts. A style of fighting that emphasises intense speed and finishing the battle in quick blows.


    You put all of your speed into a short lunge, and alternate between one foot and the neck, then you time your movements to when your opponent blinks so they struggle to follow you even more, until you find the perfect spot to pierce them.¡±


    ¦µ Seeing an opening on Cruadhlaoich I smile, then say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡± Then I strike him in both his elbow and knee joints at the same time then head towards his neck.


    ¦µ Ferdiad says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover, a technique where you lunge until right in front of your enemy then strike all for of their key joints in rapid succession which completely disables them. Then with your next lunge, you send your spear right towards their neck.


    ¦µ As Setanta comes for my neck I feel an impending sense of doom. NOT!


    He might have damaged my bones with those last blows by he has forgotten that with muscles this strong I can easily manoeuvre my body on that alone.


    Strength the muscles in my arms I swing my hammer towards Setanta, but he dodges it and ends up standing up on top of my hammer. Looking down at me he says, ¡°You really are some kind of muscle freak.¡±


    Then at the same moment, he thrusts his spear, so I bring my arm around my neck to block, but to my dismay, he didn¡¯t aim for my neck but my family jewel.


    ¦µ I jump off Cruadhlaoich and as he falls to the floor in pain a member of our crowd shouts, ¡°THE VICTOR IS SETANTA!¡±


    Cries and cheers erupt from all those who bet money on our fight in the crowd, and as I they do I shout, ¡°WHO IS THE GREATEST!¡±


    ¡°SETANTA!¡±


    ¡°WHO IS THE STRONGEST!¡±


    ¡°SETANTA!¡±


    Cruadhlaoich still recovering from my blow, says, ¡°That¡¯s dirty you brat.¡±


    Picking my nose, I say, ¡°Shut up, fair or dirty doesn¡¯t matter it is who is standing in the end that wins, and I could¡¯ve won without such a technique it is just that you are such a wall of muscle that it would have taken too long.¡±


    With passion in my voice, I say, ¡°Though do not let it get you down I will take your challenge any day, so come at me with your best.¡±


    With his head hanging low, Cruadhlaoich makes a content facial expression and says, ¡°No need for that I have been fighting since I was thirteen years old but I still was defeated by a twelve-year-old brat like you.¡±


    Getting up, he reaches out his hand towards me, and says, ¡°You truly are born special, and I am sure you will one day lead our empire to great victories, so I yet again vow myself to you.¡±


    Annoyed, I ignored his hand and hit him in the balls. ¡°What the hell what that for!!!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when I hear some weak-ass resolve like that. I am special but that isn¡¯t an excuse for you to start acting like some chair, I only need people with the resolve to stand on top of the world, so if you''re going to be in my army aim to surpass me!!!¡±


    On the ground, Cruadhlaoich says, ¡°I got beat up by a twelve-year-old, if I didn¡¯t say all of that shit I wouldn¡¯t be able to look my wife in the face, so just let me have this!¡±


    ¡°I see, well if that¡¯s how you want to be your daughter will be getting a splendid proposal. I hope you enjoy her becoming my one hundredth and eightieth wife!!¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T TOUCH MY LITTLE GIRL YOU WOLF!!!¡±


    Grabbing my staff, I say, ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!!¡±


    ¦µ As Setanta and Cruadhlaoich clash again, I say, ¡°He really is strong.¡±


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    Ferdiad says, ¡°Very much so. The son of the king of Glorias, the nephew of the high king of the entire empire, and the grandson of the great hero who crushed the humans, along with mind-breaking looks and the genealogy of a wolf.¡±


    Laeg looks at Ferdiad and says, ¡°What you mean nephew of the high king?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear Lugh yesterday, he called the high king his brother-in-law.¡±


    Suddenly Setanta family line hits both me and my sister, and says, ¡°His mom was the king''s sister!¡±


    ¡°That would make him part of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°Both of those things are true.¡±


    ¡°Wait not only that, but he is descended from the warrior who led the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan to rebel against the humans and established our great empire.¡±


    ¡°Also true.¡±


    ¡°Wait I heard the high king has no children, so wouldn¡¯t that mean.¡±


    ¡°Setanta as the eldest male in the royal family is the next in line to become high king of our great empire!¡±


    ¡°WHAT!!¡± Both me and my sister scream.


    Looking at Setanta, I say, ¡°He really is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Should we even be allowed to think about it talking to him!¡± Laeg says.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°You both look very shaken, but I want you to remember all of the interactions you have had with him till this moment.¡±


    As my sister and I remember all of the annoyance Setanta has caused us, we say, ¡°He suddenly doesn¡¯t seem impressive anymore.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty I sort of think of the royal family lower than ever before now.¡±


    Laughing Ferdiad says, ¡°I felt the same. But don¡¯t worry the high king is more than likely going to have a child eventually, and Setanta will probably become the king of Gorias. But still despite all his strange proclivities he is still rather amazing and such a man has chosen to protect you.¡±


    Feeling happy, I say, ¡°I guess he has.¡± But then in the same moment, I see someone fly past me.


    Looking at who it is I see Cruadhlaoich, and then turning back to Setanta I see a bunch of people who are trying to restrain him get beaten down. The way he is acting is like an animal who has completely lost control of himself.


    Laeg says, ¡°Setanta has gone into a blood rage.¡±


    ¡°In that state won¡¯t he just start attacking everyone randomly?¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Yep, this is always the issue when dealing with carnivore beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so calm!?¡±


    ¡°Did you not see his strength, we are all dead,¡± Laeg says.


    Someone in the distance throws Ferdiad a staff and says, ¡°Please do the usual.¡±


    ¡°Ok. You two wait here, I don¡¯t want you guys getting caught in the crossfire.¡±


    ¦µ Holding my spear, in a battle-ready position, I say, ¡°Setanta come and get it.¡±


    He lunges towards me at high speed, and his staff come for my neck, but skilfully I parry it with my staff and then wack him on the side of your head. ¡°Hey, Setanta is that all you have got.¡±


    Setanta then lunges towards me, and in response to him the same way, both of us clash and continue to move at high speed using red branch battle arts, but as this continues, I use my staff to knock a rock underneath his foot as he alternates from one to another.


    As this throws Setanta''s balance off I dash forward and prepare to capitalize on this moment, but as I am about to reach him he uses his staff to hit the ground and launch himself into the air which brings his body perpendicular to my back.


    But prepare for this I thrust my spear behind me to try and hit him, but he says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower.¡± And then he hits the air with one leg so hard that his body moves forward.


    Sky flower uses all of the strength in one''s leg to make them move at incredibly fast speed to the point that they could even move in the sky, but it can only be used once per leg before the user has to stop.


    As Setanta lands behind me, I turn around and prepare for him to come, and then he says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower,¡± and lunges towards me.


    Star flower is seven consecutive hits that can be aimed at any point in the body while still retaining one''s motions. Very hard to counter, but not impossible.


    As he comes towards me, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.¡± A single thrust from a stationary position that breaks the speed of sound. With this technique, I aim and breakthrough Setanta''s staff and hit him in the gut.


    But at the same moment, I feel something fluffy wrap around my right arm. Looking I see Setanta¡¯s tail, and then I hear him say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,¡± and then he hits me directly in the stomach with it.


    This blow sends us apart from each other, and I say, ¡°You calm down yet?¡±


    ¡°I had to; I need full concentration if I am going to beat you!¡± Setanta says as he catches another staff that was thrown to him


    ¦µ Seeing Ferdiad clash against Setanta, I say, ¡°Is he really Fir bolg like us.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°That can¡¯t be true, there is no way he would be able to move like this if true.¡±


    A warrior from beside us says, ¡°It is quite true, Ferdiad there is just from a farmer family like many others, he is also the beastkin of a wolf-like Setanta so there isn¡¯t anything special about him at all.¡±


    Cruadhlaoich says, ¡°Yet our young lord took a liking to him and brought him back here, and he quickly showed he was a young monster like our king. Two years older, but still far more capable beyond his age, even Setanta teaches choose him to be part of their training.¡±


    Ibar asks, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that upset you guys?¡±


    In unison, all of the warriors say, ¡°No.¡±


    Cruadhlaoich says, ¡°For years we couldn¡¯t deal with our young lord, and we feared it would hinder his potential, but now at the very least he has someone who he can work beside and grow. And it is also a relief that someone outside of the king can control Setanta.¡±


    Looking on to the two of them, I say, ¡°I am surprised he still has strength after all his running around this morning.¡±


    Cruadhlaocih says, ¡°I know what you mean him coming to our barrack in the morning is such an annoyance.¡±


    ¡°He came to visit you guys in the morning as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re new so you wouldn¡¯t know. Setanta gets up and visits all members of the castle in the morning.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what he was doing in my room, but why.¡±


    ¡°What kind of king expects his people to work while he is lazy, he wakes up first and goes to bed at the latest. Because if he demands the best from people he must uphold that standard, and more than that our lord just cares for us. It is why we never have to worry.¡±


    The words the maids said to me about not needing to marry Setanta make sense.


    Cruadhlaoich slamming both me and my brother on the back, says, ¡°I hope you both understand the importance of your positions because the weight that falls on his shoulders falls on yours.¡±


    Hearing these words makes me feel incredibly heavy as if the weight of the world is on my shoulders the fates of countless now ride on me, this job is way bigger than I ever thought.


    But looking at Ibar I see he has a smile and says, ¡°This is the gate to greatness sister, we need to try our best.¡±


    Setanta screams, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    Looking at the battle I see both Setanta and Ferdiad are rather beaten and bruised, it seems their battle has come to an end. Setanta then says, ¡°Now that I have finished, let¡¯s get both of you on your chariot, and show everyone what you are made of!!¡±

 Arc 10.55: House of Faolè°©in part 5

    Location: Stables


    Walking out of the changing room I look down at the clothes I am in and jump around. They have given me quite comfortable clothes to change into for the sake of practising.


    ¡°Usually I don¡¯t get to wear pants, they really are comfortable.¡± Jumping around with my new range of motion I start to smile brightly.


    And as I do, my brother says, ¡°Laeg stop embarrassing me.¡±


    Noticing all of the people watching me, I see my brother''s bright red face and moments later I have the same expression, and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    With an annoying grin, Setanta says, ¡°No please continue.¡±


    I hold myself back from kicking him in the face, and say, ¡°I am done.¡±


    Setanta then proceeds to laugh, but then Ferdiad hits him directly in the face. ¡°Don¡¯t feel like you can¡¯t hit him due to his position, if you don¡¯t you might lose your sanity.¡±


    ¡°HEY, DON¡¯ T TELL MY LEGS TO ATTACK ME!¡±


    As they talk I stare at Ibar and say, ¡°My little baby brother is looking quite handsome today.¡±


    Hitting me in my side Ibar says, ¡°Don¡¯t treat me like a child.¡±


    ¡°But you are one.¡±


    ¡°So what, right now both of us hold the exact same position. I am your equal and you better remember that, I am not your brother but Ibar Mac Fergal and I hope you remember that.¡±


    Ferdiad signals us to follow him and as we do, we see the two horses Macha, and Crunniuc who we instantly go and pet.


    But then Setanta says, ¡°We have two new friends for you guys. The girl on the right is Liath, and the boy on the left is Kooacht.¡±


    Me and my brother go and pet them as well, and then I ask, ¡°What is the point of these two?¡±


    ¡°You guys will be controlling a heavy chariot so four horses will be necessary.¡±


    ¡°I see, but we can¡¯t train these guys without knowing their strengths individually.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°That¡¯s fine, we have lighter chariots that only need two horses to pull them as well, so we will have you guys train with Macha and Crunniuc to begin with and then change later.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°That sounds good.¡± Looking at me, Ibar says, ¡°Sister let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I say with passion.


    -Break-


    Standing in our chariot we hear screams from the men standing on the sidelines who say, ¡°Show us what you got!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see that skill that puts the L¨²cogadh to shame.¡±


    ¡°Make house Faol¨¢in shine!¡±


    ¡°Let us see those skills your prodigy.¡±


    ¡°So, us what the future legs of Gorias can do.¡±


    Hearing their praise me and my brother look at each other and have incredibly obnoxious smiles.


    Soon after this, a man signals us and then we start to go. We ride on the same track that Ibar did yesterday, and as we ride I make sure to handle the horse while Ibar makes sure to gauge how much strength remains in them.


    We start off at a good speed with good control, but as we continue to go around, we start to cut some of the turns close, and I say, ¡°Ibar you''re not telling me how the horse our doing stamina-wise.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell right now the strain the chariot is putting on them seems really inconsistent, I think you need more steady control because as things are going now I won¡¯t be able to tell.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done.¡±


    As we continue we start to lose more control and more speed, as if all the coordination we have no coordination.


    My brother screams, ¡°SISTER YOU NEED TO TIGHTEN UP!¡±


    ¡°IT ISN¡¯T THAT EASY!¡±


    Every time the chariot shakes I get distracted which loosens up my control, I need to maintain a better balance. The difference between controlling a horse directly and through a chariot is also quite steep, there is a slight time lag between my input and responsiveness.


    As we hit a rock the chariot shakes again violently.  A chariot has a lot more surface area than a lone horse so keeping track of the terrain is something I also need to do as well now.


    ¦µ Looking at the horse my sister is trying to control I start to sweat, and while I do my sister says, ¡°How are the horses doing?¡±


    ¡°They are being annoying!¡±


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    ¡°What the hell does that mean!?¡±


    ¡°Just tighten up your control and I will be able to tell you better!¡±


    Normally when riding a single horse you only have to worry about understanding the sole beast to bring out its best, so I simply thought that if we understood both of the horses it would be no different.


    But I was wrong these two horses are competing with each other, while also being individually unique. So I have to worry about how they individually function alone, plus how they get on together.


    When one starts reaching its limit the other picks up the best to prove its superiority, and then the one that was tired starts to overexert itself to catch back up. It is chaos.


    ¦µ Me and Ibar start to struggle on the track. The way we are moving is completely unsightly not even something one would expect from a novice.


    As I struggle to reign in control, I look to the crowd, and there I see a bunch of the men who were just cheering for us staring at us with vicious eyes. It is like they are watching our every movement, and they say failure is not acceptable


    Then in that same moment, I feel the weight of our positions crash down on us, and looking at Ibar I notice he feels the shame. Then as we continue to ride Ibar says, ¡°Sister reign them in.¡±


    Snapping back into action, I say, ¡°R-Right.¡±


    But as I try to reign them in and slow down the horse picks up, and Ibar says, ¡°I made a mistake they both still want to beat the other.¡±


    Suddenly the horses move even faster which I was not prepared for and then in a very turbulent moment me and Ibar completely lose control of the chariot and are sent flying out of it.


    But while in the air about to fall to the ground, we hear, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower.¡±


    Then before we hit the ground we are grabbed out of the air by both Setanta and Ferdiad. Shaking me, Setanta says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Regaining myself, I say, ¡°I am ok, please check on Ibar.¡±


    Setanta lays me down, and says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    As he runs over to Ferdiad and Ibar, I sit up and look in the distance where I see faces of disappointment, but worse than that in the distance I see Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in. He stares for a moment and then walks away, and as he does I feel like I am being crushed between the jaws of a wonderbeast.


    -Break-


    Location: Laeg room


    In the arms of my maid L¨²id¨ªn, I am carried to my room where I am quickly stripped and washed by her and Inn¨¦acs. They start to change me into other clothes and brush my hair, but as they do I stare into the mirror in the room without so much as a word.


    Throughout my body, I feel such intense shame and embarrassment that I feel like I could genuinely die from it. This combined with the physical and mental fatigue I was already feeling makes me feel like a corpse walking.


    Suddenly Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°When I first arrived in this castle I broke two castles worth of plates.¡±


    Turning my head, I say, ¡°Huh?¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°You¡¯re putting that quite lightly, more like five. If we also combine that we the amount of clothing you destroyed, and the jewellery you accidentally ate, you might have actually become one of the biggest sources of expenditure within the empire.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs who usually mutters under her breath, has an embarrassed face and says, ¡°Says the girl who actually lost Setanta when he was a baby.¡±


    Also, embarrassed L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°How was I supposed to realise he would climb into a Tiritrex mouth and go across Tir na n-iontas!¡±


    ¡°five kids yet still couldn¡¯t handle a baby, how shameful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a woman who has never even been on a date with a man.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a woman who fell in love with a man who brought her to a bog on the first date.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a woman who is on a watchlist by all of the men due to her stalkerish behaviour.¡±


    As the two women start to turn red from exposing each other''s secrets, I turn to them and say, ¡°Are you two ok?¡±


    Filled with vigour, they say, ¡°We are fine.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to tell you that it is no big deal.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad''s talent has spoiled us a bit but don¡¯t think people have given up on you.¡±


    ¡°The moto of the house of Faol¨¢in is the refined crude metals, so no one has lost hope in you.¡±


    In unison, they both say, ¡°Try your best.¡±


    Hearing their words I feel some relief and then I say, ¡°I will.¡±


    -The next day-


    Location: Training grounds


    ¦µ Along with a group of warriors me and Laeg run around the ground, but as we do we lag behind.


    Laeg says, ¡°It has been two hours I can¡¯t go on!¡±


    ¡°How the hell do they still have stamina we are horse beastkin, we should be better at this than them.¡±


    Setanta running up behind me and my sister says, ¡°You can only go so far with your natural abilities.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Did you lap us?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, since I am a wolf.¡±


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t have some wonderbeast blood in your veins,¡± I say annoyed.


    Ferdiad also coming up behind us says, ¡°It¡¯s more than likely considering that we can inherit parts of other wonderbeasts in our blood.¡±


    ¡°UNFAIR!¡±


    Setanta with a smile, says, ¡°Hey I run twice as many laps as everyone to be fair, so you better keep up with me slow pokes.¡±


    Setanta runs forward and as he does we chase after him.¡±


    -Two days later-


    Location: Ord Room


    Looking directly at us our teacher says, ¡°The main houses that dwell in the red branch are named after their progenitors and are known as.


    Of Gorias, Faol¨¢in the Shining, Fuinseog the Hunter, Serlasracht the smiths.


    Of Murias, C¨¦il¨²s the ingenious, M¨¢irse¨¢il the storm, Cumhaill the wise.


    Of Falias ¨¦ire the bountiful, Cathal the protector, Sealbh¨®ir the tricky.


    Of Findias, Laoch the fierce, Biorg the spiritual, L¨²cogadh the swift.


    -Four days later-


    Location: Training grounds


    ¦µ Laying on the ground after falling of our chariot, I go over to my brother and pick him up while saying, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    He opens his eyes and makes a fist out of anger, then he looks over to the crowd of unimpressed people, whose eyes are like daggers at us.


    Sadden, he says, ¡°We failed a fourth time.¡±


    -Seven days later-


    ¦µ Feeling something hit me against my head, I am forcefully brought awake, and as I do I see our language teacher saying, ¡°Is this boring to you.¡±


    With my head low, I say, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then you better pay attention, not only is learning the human language of the saviour''s song important, but improving your vocabulary in relation to our language is important as well.¡±


    Laeg covering for me, says, ¡°We are just a little tired.¡±


    ¡°So what? If you cannot learn these skills then you can just get up and go back to your home. There are many who want your positions.¡±


    My sister and I lower our heads in shame and continue to work.


    -Three days later-


    In L¨²id¨ªn arms I am being carried back to my room and as I do, I close my eyes due to exhaustion.


    But while I am being carried, I hear some other servants mutter, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the useless girl.¡±


    ¡°Setanta caused lots of problems for that one and her brother, but unlike Ferdiad, they haven¡¯t produced anything.¡±


    ¡°Well what do you expect from ones such as them, it is unfair to expect them to be as amazing as our Setanta or Ferdiad.¡±


    As they speak I clench my fist in shame. You truly are an utter failure.


    -Two days later-


    Location: Stables


    As me and Ibar are caring for the horses in the morning, Setanta suddenly appears with a tired Ferdiad and says, ¡°Both of you come with me it is time to go on an adventure!¡±


    We both look at him and say, ¡°Huh?¡±

 Arc 10.56: Twin suns part 1

    ¡°I have decided that the four of us will go on a picnic with some of my associates today, so get off your buts and let¡¯s get going.¡±


    I stare at Setanta, and say, ¡°No.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°We have work to do, and unlike you, we cannot just disappear when we have to train.¡±


    With a bright smile plastered over his face, he says, ¡°But what does it matter it is not like you two achieve much anyway.¡±


    His brutally honest words caused both me and my brother to fall to our knees. Our pride is currently shattering into pieces and this direct blow to it has taken our remaining strength.


    ¡°Hey, where are your usual comebacks?¡±


    My brother says, ¡°No, more, fighting, spirit.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Of come on don¡¯t start acting like humans, show me some fire!¡± as he grabs and shakes Ibar.


    Ferdiad moving closer to me crouches down and says, ¡°You guys still need to get used to riding Liath, and Kooacht. So I think this journey to the picnic will allow both of you two get a better feel for them.¡±


    With all my barriers to mental resistance gone, I say, ¡°Ok then.¡±


    Getting up, my brother says, ¡°I will come too, only if Setanta promises to behave.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Setanta?¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I will behave.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Promise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is necessary.¡±


    ¡°PROMISE!¡±


    ¡°Ok, then, I promis-.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Village of Valeria


    Each of us rides towards the village each on the back of a different horse and Setanta with a smile on his face says, ¡°How fun was that, right guys.¡±


    Turning back, Setanta is greeted with a face of expected annoyance from Ferdiad, and two faces of rage from his two legs.


    Laeg is covered in leaves and her hair is ruffled, and Ibar is drenched in some form of mucus that clings to his entire body.


    My brother says, ¡°YOU PROMISED!¡±


    ¡°How could I have known that the shortcut we took would lead us into a swamp?¡±


    Infrusrted I say, ¡°I know you have a keen sense of smell, you smelt that swamp far before we came across it, you bastard.¡±


    ¡°My nose is feeling a bit stuffy today.¡±


    We both say, ¡°EXCUSES!!!!¡±


    ¡°Why are you guys so upset, we killed all of the wonderbeasts that attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Because I was assaulted by giant bugs, and Ibar got swallowed by that big frog-looking wonderbeast.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, but both of you are alive?¡± Setanta says with a face of confusion.


    ¡°I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!¡±


    Before I have a chance to jump and assault him a woman says, ¡°Is that you Setanta?¡±


    Looking over to here, he says, ¡°Of Abi, how nice it is to see you.¡±


    ¡°If you are here does this mean it is going to happen again today,¡± The woman says with a face that makes it feel like she can¡¯t hold back her excitement.


    With a proud and overbearing voice, Setanta says, ¡°Of course! Tell those within in the village to make their best meals and bring them to me right now, and to all those who make an excellent meal they should know that the favour of house Faol¨¢in will be with them for the foreseeable future.¡±


    The woman jumps with joy, and I ask, ¡°Wait do you make the villagers make you the food?¡±


    Ferdiad responded with, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Shocked, my brother says, ¡°You really can just walk into a village and demand they make you food, and then they jump for joy. It is scary the power you guys have.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound as if we are forcing them, I make an effort to properly compensate them with rewards for their contribution to the health of the next ruler of Gorias.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Not to insult the people here, but would food from this village even be enough for you? The food back at the castle is some of the greatest eating I have ever had.¡±


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    Ferdiad says, ¡°Village has become known for its association with house Faol¨¢in so many young cooks come to up refuge here waiting for the chance to get into the good graces of our house. Despite how plain this farming village may look, it is actually a centre of culinary skill within Tir na n-iontas


    Setanta says, ¡°Exactly now let me be on my way to go collect the food, while the rest of you go and me our associates.¡±


    Setanta runs off, and Ferdiad says follow me. As we all start riding along with Ferdiad he asks, ¡°How are Liath and Kooacht holding up?¡±


    ¡°Liath here is a nice girl though she does seem a bit slower than the rest of them, yet see feels like she has a rather big temper.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Kooacht, is much the same. A horse meant to be easy to ride, very different from Crunniuc who loves going fast, yet he doesn¡¯t seem to like it when I go too slow either.¡±


    ¡°Both of them were Setanta''s first horses, so they were meant to be easy to ride.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be better if you got other horses for the chariot, these two really aren¡¯t on the same level as Macha, or Crunniuc. I also feel like these two are quite a bit older.¡±


    ¡°Setanta refuses, personally speaking, he refuses to give up on those who refuse to give up, and those two horses are as stubborn as they come so don¡¯t expect him to replace them anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is like that,¡±


    Following this, I say, ¡°Well I think these two attitudes, might help Macha and Crunniuc stop being so competitive with each other and fall in line.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Or it could make it worse.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°True, but we can worry about that later since we have arrived at our location.¡±


    A short distance away from our position, we see a big house one that looks like it was five of my family''s taverns fused into one, and in front of that big house. We see a woman.


    Looking at Ferdiad I notice his face become noticeably more cherry when he sees her, and he says, ¡°Let¡¯s go meet our associates.¡±


    As we ride forward I get to have a better look at the woman, and see is rather skinny to the point where I think I could even make out her bones if she flexed.


    But more than that, she has a horrible burn wound on her face and marks that look like they could only be inflicted on a warrior who has seen countless battlefields.


    She is also a squirrel beastkin though she has two tails so she must be a form of wonderbeast as well. One of her two ears is also noticeably damaged, and all of these factors together make her rather hard to look at, she just looks like a rather disfigured person.


    When we reached a certain distance we hopped off our horses, and when we did I started to feel a terror, as if I expected this person in front of me to reveal herself as some kind of demon.


    But instead, I see a bright cherry smile, and she runs over to us saying, ¡°My little man, are these friends of yours! I thought you would never make another one after Setanta!¡±


    As she runs and hugs Ferdiad, he says, ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t embarrass me.¡±


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be like that, you have barely come over recently mommy was lonely.¡±


    Embarrassed Ferdiad turns to us, and says, ¡°This is my mother, Minabr¨®d, and mother these are me and Setanta Charioteers, Laeg and Ibar.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± me and my brother say.


    She stares at both of us and after a moment she places her hands on our shoulders, and in an understanding nod she says, ¡°Setanta.¡±


    We both nod back confirming her guess, and she says, ¡°My that boy truly needs to learn restraint, not everyone can keep up with his antic.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, why are you doing laundry didn¡¯t I get you servants for that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I put them on leave.¡±


    ¡°WHY!!!!¡±


    ¡°They said a bunch of things like, how they were feeling unwell, and how they needed to go to tournaments to find husbands, so I paid them their full wage and let them go early. I just couldn¡¯t bare their saddened faces begging for help.¡±


    Ferdiad, ¡°How early.¡±


    In a rather ashamed tone, she says, ¡°About since you left.¡±


    Ferdiad uncharacteristically makes an emotive expression and says, ¡°MOM DON¡¯T BE SUCH A PUSH OVER!¡±


    She slaps him and says, ¡°Don¡¯t take that tone with me!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do that with other people?¡±


    In a rather pathetic voice, Minabr¨®d says, ¡°They just looked so sad.¡±


    ¡°They will look sadder when their heads roll!¡±


    Ferdiad looks far more annoyed than he ever is with Setanta, but also far more worried.


    As the two talk from behind us, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and then turning around with my brother, I see a girl around our age, who is very clearly related to Ferdiad.


    She is the same type of beastkin as her mother and has scars just the same, though her face isn¡¯t disfigured, and she is more plump. But one thing that is exactly like her mother is her cherry demeanour.


    She makes many different expressions and gestures towards us but does speak and eventually, she brings one of her squirrel tails to the front of her body, and suddenly the hair on the tails starts to shape into the words, ¡°What are your names?¡±


    Doing this seems to put quite a lot of physical strain on her, so I quickly realize why she is doing this instead of talking. But my brother says, ¡°Please stop with the theatrics and speak words. Didn¡¯t anyone teach you that you shouldn¡¯t do strange things in front of people you don¡¯t know.¡±


    She makes a very saddened but also a panicked expression, so I slap my brother in his mucus covered face, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him.¡±


    Grabbing her arms, I say, ¡°He is Ibar, and I am Laeg it is nice to meet you.¡±


    See jumps up and down with joy and as she does I can¡¯t help but say, ¡°Cute.¡± Which makes her jump even more with joy.


    In all honesty, she looks rather plain, someone you could find off any street corner, and when you add a bunch of scaring on top of that it doesn¡¯t make for the most attractive girl, but the way she is makes it so I can¡¯t say she is anything but cute.


    Minabr¨®d running over to us, says, ¡°My son is being a bully.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not, come back over here and let¡¯s finish our talk.¡±


    ¡°No, we have guests who need to be cleaned. We also need to prepare for the hoard of food coming our way.¡±


    Sighing, Ferdiad says, ¡°Fine. Ibar come with me and bring your horse, we will clean you up.¡±


    Grabbing me, Minabr¨®d says, ¡°Then I will take care of her.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, Minagrain go to your room and wait there for me.¡±


    She makes a series of gestures, and then Ferdiad says, ¡°If you don¡¯t do this I won¡¯t be giving you any of the presents I bought.¡±


    She makes a pouty face and then loudly stomps away, with that both of our groups separate.


    Name: Gl¨®rmthai


    Height: 170 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A wonderbeast that looks similar to that of a horse. It has greats flowing which it can light on fire to attack and defend itself. By taking in large amounts of air, it can increase this firepower and even shoot it from its mouth, though this can drastically reduce the level of oxygen in an area to unbreathable levels.


    Fact: They have been selectively bred by those who own them to minimise the fire abilities within them. This removes a lot of danger for the riders, and ones with weaker fire abilities are far less aggressive, this essentially makes faster and stronger horses.

 Arc 10.57: Twin suns part 2

    -Break-


    ¦µ Still covered in mucus, I walk with Ferdiad who is carrying a large bucket of water to a little shack behind his giant home, and as we enter inside it, Ferdiad says, ¡°I knew she kept the cloth in here. We have so much room, yet she insists on still using these places.¡±


    Standing in the shack, I see that this place has clothes and beds inside of it, it also has a section set out to prepare food. As I stare around it, Ferdiad says, ¡°Does this place interest you?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I was a bit surprised by why there are things here despite looking like a storage area.¡±


    Walking past me, Ferdiad says, ¡°Because it is our former house. Now come outside where I can get you clean.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I say as I follow him.


    Reaching outside the room Ferdiad grabs me and places me on the floor and starts to clean the mucus  off of me, and as he does I say, ¡°You used to live there?¡±


    ¡°That is what I said, don¡¯t tell me you have some parrot blood in your veins.¡±


    ¡°No, but it is shocking that you¡¯ve been able to move from there to such a large house. As a fellow Fir bolg that is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is to be expected, working for the king of Gorias pays well especially when you are essentially the caretaker of his son.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Now that I think about it, I think you''re house might be too small.¡±


    ¡°I could have made it bigger, but I reinvested a lot of the money we had into the land around here. I was able to get a bunch of the land from the local lord, and now most of the families here work for me, essentially all you see within eye view is mine.¡±


    His house is elevated quite a bit, so the view is incredibly vast, and the idea that all of this is owned by him shakes me to my core. But suddenly a question pops into my head and I ask, ¡°Most of the land around Tir na n-iontas goes for far more than all of the land within the rest of the empire of Louernia, due to it being part of our original land.


    So how much did you have to pay to even get this much land? Because it would cost anyone a fortune.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you have been paying attention in class, but even with an amazing position like the one I had I would never be able to afford this place with just three years of working with Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Then how?¡±


    ¡°War.¡±


    His words bring me to silence, and then Ferdiad says, ¡°Lugh brings Setanta to many battlefields for training, though he is either in the base camp and or the rear. And during those battles, we fought beside many houses and made many friends, and I just happened to have saved the lord of this land son, so I got a rather good deal for this land.¡±


    I grip my fist tight, and say, ¡°War huh?¡±


    After looking into the distance, I am reminded of my own home, and think about the faces of them in great houses like these, so I say, ¡°Ferdiad I need you to train me in the spear.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Getting up I turn to him and say, ¡°I need to expand my skills, so I can do as much as possible rack up accomplishments.¡±


    As I talk I push into Ferdiad which causes him to walk back and say, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re a bit too eager?¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest!¡±


    ¡°You and you¡¯re sister are working towards the same goal so you shouldn¡¯t be in much of a rush.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t rely on my sister, she is far too soft.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I knew she looked soft.¡±


    I punch him in the stomach and say, ¡°Watch how you speak about my sister.¡±


    ¡°What an annoying duo.¡± Ferdiad then kicks me in the knee and says, ¡°Calm down, and enough with that the only thing we are going to do today is relax so come on.¡±


    Frustrated, I say, ¡°I cannot just relax. We have been getting anywhere recently, and people have started to look at us as average. If I don¡¯t start being exceptional I will get left behind¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Ferdiad looks me in the face, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit, I told you today is picnic day so no talking about work. And besides instead of focusing on your problems think about how much you have been through.¡±


    ¡°No one cares for what I have gone through, they will only care for achievements.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t true,¡± Ferdiad says while pointing at a window at the back of his giant house.


    Looking there I see his younger sister Minagrain, staring at us with sparkling eyes. She quickly runs up to Ferdiad and then makes some of her strange gestures, and then Ferdiad says, ¡°My sister here likes to listen to adventures I have been on and wants to hear about all the things that Setanta put you through.¡±


    I say, ¡°It really isn¡¯t all that interesting.¡±


    She makes a face so sad that it makes the sunlight around her vanish, so I quickly reply, ¡°But if you want to hear I can make an exception.¡±


    She jumps for joy then Ferdiad says, ¡°Go wait in your room we will go there.¡±


    She runs away at full speed, and we slowly walk to follow her and as we do I look out into the view again, and say, ¡°You could quit as Setanta caretaker and just rule this land instead, it is far less stressful and just as fruitful. So why don¡¯t you?¡±


    In a playful tone, he says, ¡°Well I would just say that I am so greedy that I can put up with Setanta for money.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that for a second.¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you have such a high opinion of me, but what I said wasn¡¯t a lie. But something that also isn¡¯t a lie is the fact I don¡¯t think I could ever abandon him as long as I live. Now let us go meet my sister.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°Ok, ok.¡±


    Location: Minabr¨®d¡¯s house


    ¦µ Sitting on a stool in the middle of the chicken, Minabr¨®d gently combs my hair and removes all of the things that were stuck inside of it due to Setanta''s annoying journey.


    She has a very calming aura around her, so I feel myself relax and all the stress in my body starts to leave, and as it does I look around her kitchen and notice how nice it is.


    ¡°You notice something you like? Is it my son?¡± She says with an inciting expression.¡±


    Shaken by this, I say, ¡°NO IT IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK!¡±


    ¡°I know, I was just messing with you.¡±


    Calming myself down, I say with red cheeks, ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny. I was just admiring how wonderful this place looks.¡±


    ¡°My son made sure to get the best of the best to make this house. It keeps in heat while being well-ventilated, and he even got me these little balls that can heat or cool down water.¡±


    Looking at the balls, I notice that they look very similar to the ones the maids use to heat up my bath water.


    ¡°Recently he said that the beastkin have found plants that allow one to flow water throughout entire houses or castles, they can even reuse waste. Ferdiad said he wanted to get some for us, but I think that is a bit much for my mind to handle right now. So many little things I thought I had to simply put up with are vanishing little by little, I really am getting old.¡±


    ¡°I never really noticed before, but since I have been studying at the house of Faol¨¢in, I have realized that there are many different members of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan who are constantly looking for ways to improve the lives of our people, it really is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Well if you say so it must be true because judging just from your hair you know a thing or two about beauty.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I say staring at her with a smile.


    She makes an incredibly happy expression and says, ¡°It is such a shame you¡¯re a warrior, I am sure that many would have loved to make you their wife.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, since I plan on racking up countless achievements and becoming the untouchable beauty that no man can attain. Which will spur a man to devote his life to win my favour and join countless battlefields. Then after a tragic battle, we will kiss, and be married, it will be a romantic tale of blood and love.¡±


    With an innocent kindness, she says, ¡°I believe in you!¡±


    Full of despair, I say, ¡°Though with how everything has been going for me, I doubt I will be able to even step on a battlefield, at this rate I might end up becoming one of Setanta''s wives. What will my mother think.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be upset, Setanta is actually really food with mothers, so I am sure he will convince her it is ok for you guys to marry,¡± she says trying to cheer me up.


    ¡°That was kind of you but unnecessary since my mother is dead already.¡±


    Panicking she says, ¡°I am sorry I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°No need to be sorry, it was a death due to pregnancy incongruency. Nothing could be done so it hurts a bit less.¡±


    Minabr¨®d says, ¡°Pregnancy incongruency is when a beastkin births a child with animal traits that conflict with the mother''s own animals traits making for a difficult birth, I thought it was all but impossible nowadays.¡±


    ¡°Most people watch what they eat so their kids won¡¯t be born with animal traits of an animal the mother can¡¯t handle, but when my mother was young her people moved around quite a bit and ate a wide selection of things, so it was just unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°I am really sorry for that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, my mother had the same issue during my pregnancy and the same during my brother, yet she chose to have us so I shouldn¡¯t be sad otherwise her life would be in vain.¡±


    Finishing up my hair, she says, ¡°I was right, you really are beautiful. If your mother was even a bit like you she would be one of the most amazing people I have ever met.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I also think by the same logic you''re also amazing.¡±


    Walking away from me she starts to take things out, that look like they are for the picnic and says, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡±


    Moving over to help her, I say, ¡°Ferdiad is the only reason, and many others are able to put up with Setanta, and being the kind of mother who can raise such a man is an accomplishment.¡±


    ¡°So you really do like my little man?¡±


    ¡°NO! I was just giving him a compliment,¡± I say flustered.


    ¡°You really are fun to play jokes on,¡± she says with a bright smile. ¡°But still don¡¯t misunderstand, I am not the kind of person you think I am. I happen to be a coward who is too afraid to either fight or run, someone whose children have saved more than she has saved them. I am useless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say tha-.¡±


    ¡°THOUGH I DON¡¯T CARE!!!¡± Walking over to a door, she peeks inside and sees Ferdiad, Minagrain, and my brother, then she says, ¡°The only thing I can do is simply just not dwell on my pathetic side, and smile for those two. It is the only thing I can do for them anymore.¡±


    Kicking her in the shin, I say, ¡°Caring for your kids that much makes you good in my books idiot.¡±


    Rubbing my head, she says, ¡°Thank you for that.¡±


    Suddenly from outside we start to hear many loud screams, so we look at each other and say, ¡°Setanta!¡±

 Arc 10.58: Twin suns part 3

    Walking into the room, Setanta says, ¡°Someone called for me.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°What did you do!¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, he says, ¡°I promised a bunch of rewards to those who make the most food, and then everyone started to get real excited.¡±


    ¡°What kind of rewards?¡±


    ¡°Oh, a castle.¡±


    From the back, Ferdiad hits Setanta and says, ¡°You idiot!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was just trying to provide for our picnic.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°You know what is not relaxing? A GIANT MONEY HUNGREY CROWD.¡±


    Minabr¨®d says, ¡°Ferdiad would you please calm them down?¡±


    ¡°Yes momm-, I mean mother. Now Ibar come join me.¡±


    Ferdiad walks away slightly embarrassed, and as he does. Setanta then proceeds, to run towards Minagrain and shout, ¡°You look radiant as always!¡±


    With the happiest expression, I have seen her make yet she jumps towards Setanta and gives him a big hug.


    Setanta then says, ¡°How are you doing wife number one.¡±


    She then proceeds to make motions which I do not understand the purpose of and Setanta makes some back at her. Looking at Minagrain with a sigh of disbelief, I say, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let Setanta populate that fairy.¡±


    Continuing to take equipment for our picnic, she says, ¡°If I did such a thing my little sun would cry for days, and Setanta has royal education he knows how to handle himself.¡±


    Taking quick peaks at them in the other room, I say, ¡°That¡¯s what makes it worse, he knows how to behave he just chooses not to. He is a brute at heart.¡±


    Minabr¨®d walking over to me, says, ¡°Look closely, and tell me what you think they are doing.¡±


    After a little bit of staring, I notice the way they are currently acting is similar to a conversation, so I say, ¡°Are they communicating with each other?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, it probably isn¡¯t a surprise that my daughter can¡¯t speak, and using her tail to form words is very painful. So Setanta took it upon himself to bring her to the castle and translate our entire language into a physical way of speaking.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Do you know how much time that would take?¡±


    ¡°A long time, he apparently cut out most of his sleep to do it over months. Then after the fact he forced all of us in the village and the Gorias castle to learn it just to communicate with her.¡±


    Seeing the both of them talk I start to feel a little teary-eyed. ¡°Setanta is a bit much at times, but what he has done for my daughter and son will never be understated.¡±


    ¡°I see, I guess I could say the same for my family.¡±


    Suddenly something strikes me. Didn¡¯t those maids say they didn¡¯t want another woman to ruin their love story? According to this story, they should all know of Minagrain¡¯s existence.


    So because I was another woman who is close to Setanta, they decided I should be pushed down so I don¡¯t mess up these two''s tale of romance. Those evil maids, who do they think I am? You think I would make that girl cry!


    Walking into the room, Ferdiad says, ¡°We are all set.¡±


    Setanta jumping up says, ¡°Let this picnic begin!¡± Minagrain also jumps up a lets out a cute roar


    -Break-


    In the middle of a blanket, I grab a bit of food and put it in my mouth saying, ¡°DELICIOUS!¡±


    As I crew, I say, ¡°This stuff is even better than the stuff back at the castle.


    Minabr¨®d puts a cloth to my mouth, and says, ¡°Please chew with your mouth closed or the food will get everywhere.¡±


    Ferdiad in a calm and collected tone says, ¡°Well such a reaction is normal for your first time eating this food, but after a while, it starts to taste pretty normal.¡±


    Ferdiad talks a bit of one of the many giant mountains of food around us all, and then says with a delighted expression, ¡°HOW LOVELY!¡±


    Pushing into him, I say, ¡°What is that about it being normal?¡±


    Looking away, he says, ¡°I never expected it to taste so good, they must have stepped up their game.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Ferdiad loves pretending that he is higher class than he is, at the end of the day we are all just animals and should relax more.¡±


    Looking at Setanta with annoyed eyes, Ferdiad says, ¡°I would get to relax more if you started behaving like the future king of Gorias.¡±


    Running behind Minabr¨®d, Setanta says, ¡°Ferdiad is so mean all the time.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, he complained directly at his mother after such a long time apart.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Hugging Minabr¨®d Setanta says, ¡°I would never complain to a fairy like you.¡±


    With her hands to her cheeks, she says, ¡°Ahh, thank you so much you really do make me feel like a young woman Setanta.¡±


    Ferdiad screams, ¡°GET THE AWAY FROM MY MOTHER!!¡±


    ¦µ As Ferdiad and Setanta fight in the distance, I nibble on some of the food around me, and then I take notice of Minagrain. She has picked up some food and is bringing it near the horses.


    Getting up, I grab the food out of her hand which surprises her. Then I say, ¡°Horses have very specific foods they can¡¯t and can eat.¡±


    She looks at me with a scared face, almost as if she is about to cry, so I start to panic and say, ¡°So please feed him with this instead.¡±


    Placing fruits in her hands, she starts to cheer up, and walks towards the horse from behind. Grabbing her, I say, ¡°Please walk towards him from the front, he would like it better.¡±


    Moving up to Crunniuc from the front, she puts forward her hand and he starts to eat out of it. She looks at me with a happy face almost as if she wants someone to congratulate her.


    So I say, ¡°Good job.¡± Then walking closer, I put her hand on its neck and say, ¡°Crunniuc likes to be pet as he eats so try.¡±


    She moves her hand and Crunniuc makes a happy expression in return. Looking at me she smiles, and I say, ¡°He is a very nice boy, so if you ever want to pet him go ahead.¡±


    From behind me, I hear, ¡°LOOK HERE IBAR!¡±


    Turning around, I see Setanta with his arms around Laeg, and he says, ¡°LOOK I HAVE TAKEN YOUR SISTER!¡±


    ¡°Hey let go of her.¡±


    ¡°No way, if you try and take my wife then I will take your sister.¡±


    My sister then jumps up into the air and crashes back down on Setanta saying, ¡°Don¡¯t go grabbing woman, you idiot.¡±


    Minagrain wasting no time runs up and pats Setanta on his head, and in return he says, ¡°You truly are the best definitely wife number one material.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at Ferdiad, I ask, ¡°Are you ok with that?¡±


    With a scary yet determined look, Ferdiad says, ¡°I fully trust Setanta with my sister. Though if he takes any woman after her I will kill him.¡±


    Laughing, Setanta says, ¡°You make a lot of those jokes.¡±


    Ferdiad laughs back at him and says, ¡°They aren¡¯t jokes.¡±


    Suddenly Setanta bashes his head against Ferdiad and says, ¡°You truly must not expect me to be bound to one woman.¡±


    ¡°Do whatever the hell you want, but my sister won¡¯t be one of many. If you marry her it will her and no one else.¡±


    They both start to fight, and as they do Minabr¨®d says, ¡°You know you complain a lot for how similar you are.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I am not similar to Setanta at all, I would never do something reckless like he does.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, because I happen to recall a giant hundred-man army at our front door a few years ago saying my son had punched the future ruler of Gorias in the face.¡±


    ¡°HE WAS JUST SO ANNOYING!¡±


    ¡°He was so annoying that it was worth having all your family executed.¡±


    Ceasing his fight, Ferdiad says, ¡°No.¡±


    Setanta laughs and says, ¡°Look at the baby answering to his mother. I guess someone as childish as you still need your carer.¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!¡±


    They both start to fight and I say, ¡°It must have been a horrible experience.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t imagine the fright I had that my son had hurt a relative of not only the king of Gorias but the high king himself.¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Though it happened to be the best thing in our lives.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°I see.¡±


    Then moment later I am distracted by Minagrain staring into the distance, and as she does I see a rainbow.


    Walking up to her, I say, ¡°Do you like rainbows?¡±


    She nods her head very energetically up and down.


    My brother says, ¡°That is strange, I didn¡¯t think I rained today?¡±


    Minabr¨®d says, ¡°It was probably due to pixies¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Pixies¡¯?¡±


    ¡°A type of wonderbeast that can be used to mimic natural phenomena, like sunlight and rain. They are really cute, and many appear around this area.¡±


    Minagrain starts to jump up and down really quickly, and I ask, ¡°Do you like them?¡±


    She nods, then Minabr¨®d says, ¡°I would really like to show her some but it is hard to catch any of them.¡±


    Suddenly, Setanta and Ferdiad pick us all up and throw us on the horses.


    Setanta says, ¡°Well good for you that won¡¯t be a problem today.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Because these two riders here will be able to catch them in no time.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°You can¡¯t just spring this on us.¡±


    Setanta points at Minagrain''s face and says, ¡°You won¡¯t do it for us.¡±


    Looking at her hopeful expression my brother relents, and I say, ¡°Might as well. Minabr¨®d, Minagrain, both of you hold on!¡±


    With that, me and my brother began to ride towards the rainbow as fast as we could. While I ride, I feel the wind blow through my hair, the sights that blur together as we move, and the motion my horse sends through my body as I ride.


    I really do love riding a horse, it makes it feel like I am leaving all my worries and problems behind and all that matters is making this beautiful beast move to its heart''s content.


    As we see the pixie wonderbeasts, me and my brother look at each other with determination and then we start to race each other to our destination. Soon we are neck by neck, but my brother pulls ahead and Minagrain grabs a pixie out of the sky.


    The pixie has the same body shapes as fat babies with insect wings. Though their body texture and colour remind me of radishes, in all honesty, it looks very silly to me.


    Me and my brother try to hold back our laughter when seeing them, but Minagrain and Minabr¨®d look at it like stare at them with the same expression one does when seeing a baby.


    Soon after this Setanta and Ferdiad came to join us, and upon seeing the pixies¡¯ they burst out in laughter, making both me and my brother lose control of our laughter as well.


    The day continued from that point on and all in all, I had way more fun than I ever did before.


    -Break-


    On the back of all our horses, we wave goodbye to Minagrain and Minabr¨®d, and then moments later we ride off into the night sky.


    Ferdiad asks, ¡°How was today.¡±


    I say, ¡°I had fun, it relaxed me.¡± My brother nods his head in agreement with me.


    Following this up, I say, ¡°Though it really showed how much better you are than us Ferdiad. I sort of doubted you came from a fir bolg family like ours due to how great you are, but you were also from a peasant family unlike us commoners and still this amazing makes me realize how normal I am.¡±


    While riding Setanta turns around on his horse, and says, ¡°I hate humans.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± My brother says.


    ¡°They are cowards who only think of themselves in the long run. Every single one of them is a natural-born slave, who will bow their heads to a pile of shit if it meant they could benefit. They have no backbone.


    So I hate all beastkin who act like that, I hate all beastkin who act like they are humans. Look here and remember this you¡¯re amazing and so is everyone else, the only thing that stops someone from being amazing is their will.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°I think you might be exp-.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, because remember before the red branch, before being fir bolg, we were all just the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan. So on a basic level, there truly is no difference between any of us.


    I have seen countless riders, and I have known since the first time I got on a horse with you two that, you are some of the best I have ever known. You both might be facing some walls now but I know you have it in you to overcome it.¡±


    Me and my brother both smile and say, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s get back! The last one back has to do twice the laps tomorrow,¡± Setanta says as he races forward.


    Ferdiad soon follows after him, and I say, ¡°You bastards.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°Our horses are older and tried!¡±


    We start to race after those two and continue like this all the way till we reach the castle.

 Arc 10.59: Newfound strength

    -Break-


    Location: Laeg room


    As my maids get me prepared for bed, I take in a deep breath and I say, ¡°I hope Minagrain finds happiness as well.¡±


    Looking at the faces of L¨²id¨ªn and Inn¨¦acs, I notice they seem shocked for a moment, but then they quickly turn to ones of excitement.


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Isn¡¯t she just the most precious thing in the world.¡±


    ¡°So adorable.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs ¡°And the way she diligently studies to not be an embarrassment to Setanta of his position, just brings me to tears.¡±


    ¡°How heartwarming.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°Not a single woman in this castle would ever get in the way of her efforts.¡±


    ¡°I feel the same.¡±


    Inn¨¦acs turns to L¨²id¨ªn and says, ¡°I knew this girl would come around, this is why I told you all of your childish passive aggressiveness was unfounded.¡±


    Me and L¨²id¨ªn looked at Inn¨¦acs and then, we says, ¡°IT WAS YOU!¡±


    ¡°You guys are so strange why worry about who said what, the most important thing right now is to hear about how the picnic was today.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°I will only tell you if you tell me stories about her running around the castle.¡±


    ¡°DEAL!¡± They both say.


    And just like that, I spent the rest of the night talking to my two maids.


    -Two weeks later-


    Location: Training grounds


    Talking in a deep breath, I say, ¡°Are you ready Ibar.¡±


    ¡°Completely, what about you sister.¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am about to collapse out of fright.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t in the slightest.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because you are here with me,¡± my brother says while not facing me.


    Together both of us walk forward and get on a heavy chariot which is pulled by four horses.


    Then we both prepare to take off.


    ¦µ As both of the siblings take off the group of soldiers in the distance start to talk amongst each other.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope they don¡¯t crash again.¡±


    ¡°The chariots are going to start getting expensive at this point.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, this still feels like too much for them.¡±


    ¡°They are only kids, we might be expecting too much from them.¡±


    ¡°If only they could be a bit more talented.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean not everyone can master such arts at a young age.¡±


    ¡°Still I don¡¯t like seeing them get hurt each time they fail.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it would be better if they gave up and went hope.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Setanta shouts which brings all of the men to silence.


    One of them says, ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to demean your friends, we were just worried about them.¡±


    Setanta with his face and completely transfixed to their test drive says, ¡°That¡¯s fine, but I can feel it today, that something is different.¡±


    All of the men who hear Setanta lose their nonchalant attitude and start to show focus on the same level as their young master. Their eyes are all transfixed on the test drive with the same level of intensity and expectations they had during the first.


    As Laeg and Ibar make their rounds, they both catch sight of these intense stares of these intense expectations and then they start to tighten up. They feel the weight of their title and positions fall upon both of them.


    But they also feel the wind blowing against their bodies, the rhymetic motion of the horses moving, and the sunlight shining down upon them, and just like Setanta they both reach a state of intense focus although they also have bright smiles on their face.


    Soon they make round after round without losing control a single time, and this brings on cheers from the soldiers watching them, Setanta has a quiet yet powerful smile on his face as well.


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    This continues until they make all of their rounds around the track and for the first time since they have arrived Laeg and Ibar have successfully driven the chariot.


    ¦µ As we stop, I look at my sister and say, ¡°We did it.¡±


    With a joyful smile on her sweaty face, she says, ¡°We did it.¡±


    ¡°WE FUCKING DID IT!¡±


    While I shout my sister jumps up and down repeatedly screaming, ¡°WE ARE THE BEST!¡±


    We then continue to scream and jump in victory, but before long we are completely bombarded by a group of soldiers who run up and start to talk with us.


    ¡°You guys really did it.¡±


    ¡°Truly the legs of our future king.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I had given up hope.¡±


    ¡°You two are true soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see these skills on a battlefield.¡±


    Me and my sister smile at each other, and then I say, ¡°All of that stamina training really helped.¡±


    One of them rubs my hair, and says, ¡°I am thankful it did.¡±


    My sister jumps on one of their shoulders, and as she is carried up above their heads, she says, ¡°WE ARE THE BEST!¡±


    The large group of soldiers also cheer, and as they do my sister says, ¡°I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU!¡±


    ¦µ Looking at everyone from a distance, Darragh says to me, ¡°It looks like they were finally able to overcome their issues.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You could show more interest.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°I am excited.¡±


    ¡°That plain expression you always have doesn¡¯t tell me anything.¡±


    ¡°I simply don¡¯t have the energy to waste on such things, as I am almost done with the preparations.¡±


    ¡°When will you all be leaving for Emain Macha?¡±


    ¡°The end of this week. It will be Setanta''s first big battle.¡±


    ¡°But do you think it will be okay for Setanta to come, you know how he is. If he was to find out who the enemy is it might do something to him.¡±


    ¡°My son is steadfast in his beliefs, and I know that nothing the traitors say will affect his view on humans. And regardless it is better for him to know of the poison within us first-hand.¡±


    ¡°I see, but I can¡¯t help but be worried.¡±


    ¡°You''re always worried, at this point I think you might get off on it?¡±


    Angered Daragh says, ¡°THAT¡¯S YOUR FAULT!¡±


    -Break-


    A few days later


    Location: Ibar room


    ¦µ I lay on my bed completely restless. I can¡¯t sleep no matter how much I try, so I get up and start to walk in circles.


    ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow, the day we leave our first battle. Not only that, but it is an important battle that will feature four of the red branch families. This is no joke.¡±


    I have a great smile on my face, and I say, ¡°if I show my excellence hear I will be famous. But if I fail and somehow get Setanta killed I will be facing a life of horrors.¡±


    As I think about the possible rewards of victory and possible consequences of failure, I start to get hit by waves of happiness and sadness over and over again, until I hear, ¡°Ibar don¡¯t think to much it will hurt your brain.¡±


    Looking through the window in my room, I see Setanta and Ferdiad on the outside of it, and flung over his shoulder I see Laeg tied up.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER!¡± I say opening my window.


    Coming in Setanta says, ¡°We kidnapped her and brought her here.¡±


    ¡°WHY!!?¡±


    ¡°Obviously so I could carry out my agenda.¡±


    He drops my sister on the floor and I untie her then she says, ¡°You FREAKY BASTARD, DO YOU KNOW HOW SCARY THAT WAS!¡±


    Confused, he says, ¡°I had to carry a rampaging beast, I think I should be far more scared.¡±


    Me and Laeg kick Setanta towards Ferdiad, and he knocks Setanta right back towards us where we both hit him again, and then Ferdiad knocks him back again. This continues until we get tired.


    While me and my sister catch our breath, Setanta on the floor says, ¡°Are you guys finished now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, now tell me why you interrupted our sleep.¡±


    With a smile, Setanta says, ¡°I just thought I should bring all of us together.¡±


    Jumping on my bed Setanta says, ¡°This is really comfy!¡±


    ¡°Get off it!¡±


    ¡°Did you forget I actually own this place?¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°No you don¡¯t it¡¯s your dad who does.¡±


    ¡°SO WHAT IT WILL ALL BE MINE SOMEDAY!¡±


    Under my breath, I say, ¡°Because you were born with a birthright not because you earned it.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Ibar!¡±


    And I quickly put my hands over my mouth in response.


    But before I can say something to apologize, Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯re right, no need to hold yourself back.¡±


    ¡°You try really hard, and I have seen it.¡±


    He laughs a bit and then says, ¡°It is perfectly fine.  I was born with a lot, of strength, allies, knowledge, wealth, beauty, and the powers of a wonderbeast, and regardless of whether I prove myself or not it will all be mine in the end, the Faol¨¢in has always been knowing for their perfection in all things.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Now it just feels like you''re bragging.¡±


    ¡°It is simply the truth and one who cannot handle such a truth is a child. Though personally, I believe those privileges also come with responsibility, I am in charge of the prosperity of all those who bow to me.


    I am also responsible for leading and guiding them like a parent does to a child. So if my children are so worked up they cannot rest well for battle it is my job to help them get to it.¡±


    Looking at my sister I notice that despite how late it is she is wide awake like I am, so I say, ¡°You might not be as dumb as I thought you were.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Wait for it.¡±


    Setanta then follows up and says, ¡°Of course not. Now to get you all to sleep let¡¯s play a game! I will try and punch you all as hard as possible till you fall asleep and it is your job to dodge.¡±


    Me and Laeg say, ¡°THAT¡¯S STUPID!¡±


    Looking to Ferdiad, I say, ¡°You need to stop him!¡±


    ¡°Impossible, when it comes to things like helping his people he will never stop.¡±


    ¡°This won¡¯t help!¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°We will die!¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t know till you try,¡± is what Setanta says before he lunges towards us all.


    And for the next hour, he chases us all around the room leaving crates in the places he punches. Eventually, due to the mental stress and exhaustion, we all fall asleep.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Hearing someone open the door to Ibar''s room I awake and instantly grab a sharp tool and head for the door, but my arm is grabbed and I am easily forced to the ground.


    Looking at the intruder, I see it is Lugh. So I say, ¡°My lord what are you doing here?"


    He looks around the room and sees all of the craters then he says, ¡°I came for you. I couldn¡¯t find them you where you were supposed to be, so I checked all four of the rooms.¡±


    He let go of me and I got up, then I say, ¡°Setanta wanted to help his legs fall asleep so I accompanied him.¡±


    With the same dry and uninterested tone he uses for everything, Lugh says, ¡°I see. Now follow me.¡±


    He starts to walk and without question, I follow him.


    Through many rooms we walk, and as we do there is a rather uneasy feeling that creeps up on me, so I say, ¡°I am sorry for the mess Setanta caused.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry, if it wasn¡¯t for you I am sure he would have caused far more destructive and chaotic mess.¡±


    ¡°Your words are kind my lord.¡±


    He peers back at me and says, ¡°You should relax. Being stiff will just make your muscles weaker.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, will do!¡±


    ¡°For someone who punched my son, you sure are docile.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry for that afront I committed against you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Quietness sets into our walk as we continue, and then stopping in front of a large door, Lugh says, ¡°I have something I want just you to experience, so don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    Shaky, I say, ¡°Yes my lord.¡±


    With that, he opens the door and we go through it.

 Arc 10.60: Ferdiad part 1

    As I walk through the door, I see what I can only describe as an ever-growing lump of flesh. It isn¡¯t that much bigger than two meters, yet I instinctively feel a sense of dread that I have never before.


    Lugh throws me a real spear, and says, ¡°What is my greatest achievement!¡±


    ¡°The besting of the wonderbeast V¨¢nagandr. Countless fell by its claws and you killed and devoured it.¡±


    ¡°This beast that lays in front of you is the remainder of its flesh, and half of its brain I kept for experimental purposes, and know I want you to fight it by yourself.¡±


    Lugh whistles and the flesh form starts to change, it continues to repeat over and over again until this two-meter lump of flesh takes on the form of a wolf, but most of its flesh is still exposed, and in small patches, skin is throughout its body.


    Its teeth fully regenerate, but only one eye does. It has a tail reminiscent of a crescent moon, and its body seems metallic but also organic. I can tell that whether this thing once looked like, it was glorious.


    Though in its current form, it both disgusts and shocks me. But before I can even show such emotions on my face it attacks. So I jump away as fast as I can and barely dodge.


    My life almost ended.


    Despite the panic, I currently feel I have no time to worry because, by the time I do, I notice that it is already coming for me again. So I move away and this pattern continues.


    This beast is so fast I barely am able to keep up, but if it comes down to speed I won¡¯t ever lose. I start to increase my speed and as I do the beast easily keeps pace.


    Did it just speed up? Does that mean it was going easy on me?


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; star flower.¡± And then still at high speed, I strike it seven times retaining my motion.


    ¡°How¡¯s that!¡± I say as I look back towards it.


    As the beast turns to face me, I notice that the seven places I have hit have started to regenerate. Then the beast comes its attack.


    This really isn¡¯t good for a spear user. But I may have a way around this. Earlier Lugh say it was his flesh and half its brain, which is strange considering that the beast regenerated other organs.


    Does that mean its brain is necessary for its regeneration to continue? Lugh bested this beast, and with how quickly just this lump of flesh heals the real one must have done it much better.


    So I doubt he just kept attacking it till its regeneration wore off. The key to winning this battle is to strike at its brain!


    I continue to use red branch battle arts to move around and then  after I line it up and get it into position, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.¡±


    Then with one stationary thrust at the speed of sound, I penetrate its head. But my spear never hits its brain. I try to move my spear out of its head, but I can¡¯t.


    The beast has regenerated so fast that it stopped my spear before it could pierce, and right now I am completely stuck in place.


    Not wasting the opportunity the beast raises its tail and small it into me. The tail is sharp and powerful, so it leaves a deep cut on my arm, and sends me flying to the end of the room.


    With my back against the wall, I look at the beast slowly removing my spear from its head, and as I do I feel my resolve waver.


    What a fool I was thinking I could somehow beat this thing. Deep inside me, I guess I enjoyed believing that I could defeat such a legendary beast, but it seems I am nothing but a fool.


    I stare to look at Lugh and see his face of utter indifference. Seeing this my heart sinks, and I say, ¡°Just a fir bolg after all.¡±


    As the beast pulls out its spear and stares at me. I can feel my impending doom coming towards me, and I say, ¡°How familiar this feels.¡±


    Then an image of my mother and sister flashed before my eyes. One all too familiar, they are both hurt and lying on the ground.


    The beast lunges at me, but jumps onto the wall and says, ¡°That¡¯s right, I think I had forgotten. Life has always been unfair.¡±


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,¡± I say as I jump from the wall all the way over to my spear.


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    ¡°That¡¯s why I fight, that¡¯s why I train hard. So, I can fight back against that shittiness for them.¡±


    Suddenly a memory pops into my head something that puts a smile on my face,  one of Setanta saying, ¡°You''re my partner.¡±


    ¡°And as long as he sees me as his equal I won¡¯t die to you!¡±


    The beast lunges at me, but I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; star flower,¡± and attack the beast at the same time.


    If its regeneration is so fast that I can block my spear, all I need to do then I make it so that it regenerates slowers. I must pierce its important organs and as they regenerate I will pierce its brain.


    So I continue I start using star flower again and again, which makes me move around it at high speed as I pierce it again and again. Its liver, heart, lungs, spleen, intestines. Then I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡±


    Then I stop right in front of its face, and then instantly pierce different muscles of its face four times, then I do the follow up to this and pierce its neck.


    Then I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,¡± and then I slam my leg right into its face breaking its skull, and it this moment of weakness, I use sonic thrust to completely pierce its brain.


    I let out a shout, and then say, ¡°I won!¡±


    But suddenly I see the tail of the beast swing towards me. It is going to hit me, it is way too late to dodge or block it!


    As I prepare to be stuck I see the tail suddenly break off, and the beast half dead body gets flung across the room by Lugh.


    ¡°Turning to me, he says, ¡°You did far better than expected.¡±


    With an extremely irritated look, I say, ¡°Thank you. It was a privilege to even fight a fragment of the beast that made you famous around the land.¡±


    With a slightly confused expression he asks, ¡°But why do you look angry.¡±


    ¡°I am not angry in the slightest my lord, I feel that this action is definite proof that you are Setanta¡¯s dad.¡±


    He looks confused for a few more seconds and then turns, his head saying, ¡°Ok.¡±


    HOW ANNOYING!!!!! Still, the strength he used to knock the beast away was beyond me. I doubt adults would be able to have an easy time against this thing and he just blew it away, he truly is worth his title.


    He turns around and says, ¡°Ferdiad I haven¡¯t told anyone this, but there is a high chance that Setanta will become the next high king.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°But I thought High King Conchobar was trying to have an heir, didn¡¯t he just marry the girl he got pregnant?"


    ¡°It was another miscarriage. His father ate many different wonderbeasts throughout the world, and it seems this mixture has led to multiple problems when convincing. One could say it is the price to pay for our extravagant eating habits.¡±


    ¡°I knew that the issue of beastkin not watching their dietary restrictions has led to birth problems but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad.¡±


    ¡°For the common folk who have restricted access to food, it isn¡¯t an issue. But for the red branch who have none, it has become a far more pervasive issue. So at this point, an heir isn¡¯t expected from my brother-in-law.¡±


    Suddenly my body starts to shake, and I say, ¡°Setanta the high king.¡±


    In my mind, I see Setanta covered in every piece of jewellery imaginable, and him saying, ¡°Now as my first command I decree all men must drink twenty buckets of poison if they wish to be recognised as adults.¡±


    HE WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT!


    Lugh says, ¡°I can see you are worried.¡±


    ¡°I can already imagine the frivolous laws I will have to deal with.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your only issue with him being high king.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Well of course, when it comes to his duties for the sake of people he won¡¯t ever fail.¡±


    With a slight smile, he says, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Though he needs to learn restraint,¡± I say with an annoyed furry. ¡°Still I have already promised myself to help him rule Gorias, the entire empire cannot be that much bigger.¡±


    Lugh then says, ¡°The position as king of one of the four providences is powerful, but my position is subject to change. If the people of this providence were to suffer my title would be stripped and another member of the red branch would take over for me.


    But the high king is different. Unless one is proven to be an affront to Danu herself, none would ever even question the person who sits on that throne. So many would be far more willing to gain Setanta''s favour and manipulate him. He will be surrounded by liars.


    We the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan have worked hard to separate ourselves from humans. Humans lie, cheat, scum, beg, plunder, and will shatter all principles in exchange for prolonging their lives.


    They are a disgusting existence who take years to simply take a single step forward, against their horrible selves before taking another two steps back. That is the reason so much of there is history, so many of their lives have been lost.


    But it is not their fault for such behaviour it is just their role. The world is a horrible place and humans simply weren¡¯t given the tools by who there false god to brave it.


    Danu is unlike the messiah they know, she has granted us the ability to brave this world, to overcome its trials and tribulations. Countless of the strongest humans I have seen couldn¡¯t have overcome what a mere beastkin of fourteen years could do.


    Nature is our power, so we respect it and the creatures that derive from it far more than humans. We are superior, and Setanta is the accumulation of all of our work as the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan.


    But slowly few are acting like humans, and to remain pure we must make examples out of those fools, such as Conchobar and his excess that has led to the end of his line, and the foolish men who beat his wife to a state pf horror and daughter to silence.¡±


    I grip my fist as an unpleasant memory resurfaces. Turning to me, Lugh gets down to my eye level and says, ¡°My son will be critical for the future of the world, and he needs supporters. The two he brought in will be his legs. Minagrain will be his wife at his left, and you will be the one to stand at his right.¡±


    Full of pride, I say, ¡°Ever since you both saved me and my family, I swore myself to be just that, and I will no matter the situation.¡±


    He gets up and says, ¡°I know you will.¡±


    Walking past me, he pats my head and says, ¡°Amongst men I have met in my life, you are truly one of the greatest. I am proud of you.¡±


    As he walks away, I touch my head and smile. Then I follow after him. In my heart, I know I will always follow this house.


    -The next day-


    Location: Path to Emain Macha


    Grabbing a bunch of random berries off a tree we are riding past, Setanta puts it in his mouth and I say, ¡°Maybe I made a mistake.¡±

 Arc 10.61 Emain Macha part 1

    ¦µ ¡°Your head really doesn¡¯t work,¡± I say looking at Setanta.


    ¡°Laeg life is an adventure, don¡¯t worry about such small stuff.¡±


    ¡°Death isn¡¯t small.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, this isn¡¯t even doing anything to m-,¡± before Setanta can finish he starts to throw up.


    While this happens I look at my brother who is incredibly jittery, and ask, ¡°What¡¯s making you so excited.¡±


    ¡°Because we are on our way to Emain Macha, the place where many of the red branch go to train their skills. It is known as the gathering place for all those who have or will have power in the future. A perfect place to make connections.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would want to connect with someone who looks like he is about to drool at the mere sight of this place.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I am just excited.¡±


    Turning to Ferdiad, I ask, ¡°So why are we going here exactly?¡±


    ¡°Before major battles, it is normal traditional to come here for good luck, since it is the sight of our first victory against the humans. In actuality, this is mine and Setanta''s first time here.¡±


    ¡°Really, I thought both of you would have come here before.¡±


    Recovered, Setanta says, ¡°I wanted to come before but my father said I would end up causing too many problems or something to that effect, something about how I would cause problems with the other red branch children in the boys'' troop.¡±


    I look at Ferdiad with a worried expression, and he says, ¡°It is our duty to make sure nothing goes wrong.¡±


    A tremendous weight falls on both me and my brother.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Don¡¯t feel down, there are benefits. Like how we get to ride horses.¡±


    Looking back at all the soldiers who have been walking nonstop since we left Gorias, I say, ¡°You''re right in that at least.¡±


    Moments after this Setanta says, ¡°We can see it from here!¡±


    Looking down I see one giant building that is connected that has twelve paths emanating from it, and those paths are connected to smaller buildings each of them sectioned off from one another.


    The area is a bright lush green, with bursts of colour that can be found due to the plant life around it. But what makes the place really feel alive our the people and animals that are visibly moving all around. Not as constantly as Gorias but still rather active.


    -Break-


    Location: Emain Macha


    Walking towards the large building connected to everywhere, I hear from Darragh, ¡°Please behave yourselves. You will all be future members of Setanta coill and have to make allies, not enemies.¡±


    Setanta with an oblivious expression says, ¡°Who would want to be my enemy?¡±


    I could smack him, but there are too many people watching for me to do that.


    As Lugh walks towards the giant gate of the building, people open it for him and together with him, his coil, his guards and our little group we enter the building.


    And immediately I see how fancy everything looks. Gorias castle was already beautiful, but the beauty embedded in this building was something done over generations.


    Looking at Ferdiad, I say, ¡°Am I allowed to breathe the air in here?¡±


    With a similarly freak-out expression, he says, ¡°I don¡¯t think we can without being taxed.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°If I was to sell the air in here I am sure I would make a fortune.¡±


    Setanta adds to this and says, ¡°This is beautiful. I think I am going to claim this castle as my own.¡±


    He prepares to shout something at the top of his lungs, but the three of us intercept and restrain him, and I whisper into his ear, ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    He struggles, but then Lugh turns towards him, and he calms down immediately. Looking at us Setanta says, ¡°You guys should learn how to control yourselves,¡± in an incredibly polite tone.


    In that moment Laeg and Ibar both share the exact same thought; Setanta is really a daddy''s boy.


    Soon trumpets sound and three different groups of people move from the end of the room towards us, each of these groups carries a different flag.


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    Darragh turns back from Lugh¡¯s side, and says, ¡°Do you remember what those flags stand for?¡±


    Remembering my studies I say, ¡°The leftmost flag of a butterfly belongs to the house of C¨¦il¨²s. They are known for the innovations they bring to the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan.¡±


    My brother says, ¡°The rightmost flag of a hyena belongs to the House of Fuinseog. They are known for their ability to hunt and track, they have found the most human settlements among all the horses.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°The centre flag of a horse, belongs to the house of L¨²cogadh. They are known for being the fastest rider in all of the land, and have the strongest cavalry among the Red branch.¡±


    ¡°Correct, it seems you guys have studied well,¡± Darragh says.


    From the three groups, two men and one woman walk up towards Lugh.


    The ladybug beastkin from the left says, ¡°Mairead ¨® C¨¦il¨²s at your service.¡±


    She is dressed in unisex clothes that are beautiful yet practical. She also has a rather nice appearance, but it is messy at the same time which detracts from her presence.


    The tiger beastkin on the right says, ¡°Ronald ¨® Fuinseog, here to bring glory to the empire.¡±


    He is clad in Armor from head to toe with only his face showing and has an incredibly mean expression on his face, and his body language backs this up. It might be early to say but he is the type I would be scared of meeting outside of this setting.


    The bird beastkin on the centre says, ¡°The head of house L¨²cogadh, Ru¨¢n ¨® L¨²cogadh.¡±


    He is without a doubt the oldest person in the room, but he also carries an air around him just as heavy as Lugh despite not holding the same position.


    ¡°I am happy you all come could, I especially never expected the head of the L¨²cogadh¡¯s to come greet me himself.¡±


    ¡°I originally planned to send one of my sons, but after receiving word of the insult my son caused against your house, I decided to come personally so I could apologise.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t worry about such things, uncontrollable children are something that plagues all our houses. Back in the days of my youth, I was saved by the L¨²cogadh calvary more times than I could count, nothing he could have said would have been enough of an offence to create conflict.¡±


    ¡°I am happy to hear that, though I do find it amazing that the orphan of the Faol¨¢in has grown into such a smart man.¡±


    ¡°I thank you, it was only due to watching competent leaders like you, that I was able to quickly surpass you.¡±


    With a grand laugh, he says, ¡°It seems some of that youthful vigour still hasn¡¯t left you.¡±


    Ronald says, ¡°Now that we have finished our greeting I would like to discuss battle plans.¡±


    Mairead says, ¡°Young star of the Fuinseog, you should relax a bit more. Conversations are a great way to build community, we are all family in Danu''s eyes.¡±


    ¡°Are a member of the house of Biorg. Right now pleasantries can wait.¡±


    Ru¨¢n turning his head says, ¡°Your feistiness is proof of your youth, and I am sure it is the reason you lead your house armies at your age. But making friends is the difference between someone leaving you to rot on the battlefield or not.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry unlike the rest of you I won¡¯t ever be in a critical state, so your advice is unneeded.¡±


    After he says this, I blink and then moments later Lugh ¡°is holding his helmet in his hands and says, ¡°It is quite easy to take this off, I would suggest sharpening your senses.¡±


    Everyone in the area with the exception of the house of Faol¨¢in and Ru¨¢n, has surprised looks on their face, especially Ronald. But one thing I notice is that he has two different eye and hair colours, now that his helmet is removed.


    Lugh reaches his helmet towards him, and Ronald grabs it while saying, ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Turning to Daragh, he says, ¡°Call for all the generals to come to the meeting room, and Setanta, Ferdiad follow me as well.¡±


    With those few words, all of the important people start to scatter and do their jobs. Me and my brother try to follow Setanta, but then he turns to us and says, ¡°Only me and Ferdiad can come into the meeting room.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Take the horses for a few rounds, they seemed worked up that they had to walk at a controlled pace for so long so just ride them anywhere in eye view.¡±


    I look at my brother and he looks back at me and smiles, and then we run out of the room at full speed.


    -Break-


    Riding Kooacht, I say, ¡°What a beautiful boy you are.¡±


    Seeing a group of boys training, all of them looked rather young around my age. But what catches my eye, is that they are all wearing rather nice clothes.


    Could they be the other red branch children that are part of the boys'' troop, or whatever Setanta called them.


    Suddenly a realization hits me. If they are red branch children doesn¡¯t that mean to a certain extent these boys are royals and nobles of the highest class. What if one of them sees me and tells me to become their bride, isn¡¯t this what I have dreamed of.


    ¡°Hey, you!¡±


    Looking over to the origin of the voice, I see a group of boys walking over to me who are sweating but have smiles on their faces.


    Each of them looks handsome in their own right, and so I jump off my horse and straighten out my clothes, then say, ¡°Yes.¡±


    My heart is a flutter as imagine the beginning of my life, but it quickly shatters as he says, ¡°Good fetch us some.¡±


    I make a disgusted expression and turn around, saying, ¡°Go get it yourself.¡±


    He then puts his hand on my shoulder, and forces me around, and says, ¡°Servants shouldn¡¯t take that tone with me.¡±


    ¡°I might be a servant, but I am also a charioteer, to another master. So I don¡¯t fall under your banner.¡±


    He sighs, and says, ¡°Another stupid one, woman and their little dreams.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Are population has finally started to stabilize, and we no longer have to use human women. So it is time for women like you to abandon these foolish dreams, and help us spread our numbers far and wide.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be on the battlefield if you men could do your jobs better, so who is the one failing here.¡±


    He puts his hands all over my face and hair, then says, ¡°Aggressive, freckles, and coarse hair. You can say all you want about men, but it isn¡¯t like you could get one if you tried your hardest.¡±


    I instantly throw my leg towards him for a strike, but he easily catches it out of the air and squeezes it causing me pain. Then he flips up my skirt, and says, ¡°I guess you¡¯re a girl after all.¡±


    The boys around him snicker, and I push down my skirt with a few tears forming in my eyes. He then throws me to the ground, and Kooacht tries to protect me, but he is punched to the ground by the boy.


    He then picks me up by my hair and brings my face close to his, while saying, ¡°I still am thirty, so go fetch me water you bitch.¡±


    As he talks I know, I can¡¯t do anything, because at this moment I am utterly powerless and embarrassed.


    He shakes my head, and says, ¡°Is that a yes!¡±


    While in this embarrassed state, I feel the tears become stronger in my eyes and I look up preparing to nod my head up and down. But then I see something smash into his face.


    Then I hear, ¡°Since you''re so fond of undergarments here''s mine.¡±

 Arc 10.62: Emain Macha part 2

    -Some time ago-


    Location: Strategy room


    ¦µ Looking at the model battlefield in front of us, I hear Lugh say, ¡°And that¡¯s our current strategy. Our enemies are all humans who have escaped from us in previous battles and have all joined forces in this area, so their destruction is critical. Humans who survive against us go on to inform other humans creating an avalanche of problems.¡±


    Surprised by what I just heard; I feel excitement.


    Our enemy is situated in Terrafide surrounded by forest and mountains. They are in a castle, which has its back towards a giant mountain range. This mountainous area is filled with wonderbeasts and completely covers the northern, and western defence of the castle.


    The eastern part of the area has a river flowing through it, though it is also filled with wonderbeasts and can¡¯t be used for sea travel.


    The only way to enter the castle is from the south, but one would have to pass through a giant forest on their way to the castle, which is most likely set with traps.


    Due to its position relative to the mountain, it is a giant chokepoint, so entering our armies through it will be an issue.


    So our strategy would be to send a small part of Ronald Fuinseog army through the forest. They will act as if they are on a scout mission and then pretend to get caught which will cause the humans to attack them.


    Fuinseog has the role of locating human settlements around the world and reporting back, and due to these humans having knowledge on us, they are sure to recognize that destroying that scout team is imperative for not getting found.


    But since they haven¡¯t realized the Fuinseog have already found them out, they will think this is their first time finding them. So Ronald and his men will then engage the humans in a battle for some time, and lead them as far as possible from the northwestern point on the map.


    They will do this, as they head towards the eastern sea looking for a way to escape. This strategy is heavily relevant on the Fuinseog''s ability to fight a large number of humans without dying. I am strong but I wouldn¡¯t feel happy taking on such a role. But Ronald is said to carry some greater power.


    During the time that Ronald is holding off the humans a strike force composed of many L¨²cogadh men, and us will head towards the castle at the northwestern point.


    We will quickly take it down while the major armies are fighting Ronald. This will cause the humans to either try and take back the castle or escape into the forest.


    Regardless of which we will have the advantage. If they choose to leave all of our armies will be standing guard around the entrance to the forest, and now we can turn their chokepoint into our own.


    If they choose the castle, all of our armies will move through the forest and box them in. Whether or not we win will be completely dependent on how fast, and quick we can rampage through their lines.


    In all honesty, this whole strategy feels amazing for me and Setanta. Especially if Setanta will one day become the high king, this would be our first major battle and we are at the helm of it.


    Around me, I feel certain glazes of aggression towards me. I guess that it does look suspicious that the leader of this joint army put his son in a place likely to attain glory, but still, we are going to be with the L¨²cogadh main fighting force, so it will still be up to us to show ourselves.


    Suddenly I notice something that doesn¡¯t make sense and then ask, ¡°How are we going to breach the castle?¡±


    Mairead holds up a giant red organic and spherical object, then asks, ¡°Do you all know what this is.¡±


    ¡°Luibh beads,¡± someone says.


    ¡°Yes an innovation made by house C¨¦il¨²s, made true expert work, but they allow us to condense aspects of plant life into these little balls. Many of you have used them to instantly heat and cool water.


    But then ones are far more experimental and far more powerful. It is an explosive that would be able to blow straight through a castle if we had enough, and we will.¡±


    Feeling excited, I turn to Setanta and say, ¡°Can you believe this!?¡±


    Instantly I see a stick with a note attached to it, so I grab the note and it reads. ¡°I got bored the moment I learned I was a decoy, so I am leaving.¡±


    Decoy? Angered, I say, ¡°SETANTA!!¡±


    Everyone in the room looks at me, and I bow my head saying, ¡°Sorry for the disruptions.¡±


    Ronald Fuinseog says, ¡°What can of brat would leave our meeting during such a critical time.¡±


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    Lugh ignoring the provocation says, ¡°He headed out the door about five minutes ago, if you leave now you will probably find him quickly.¡±


    Darragh looks at Lugh and asks, ¡°My king when did you notice that?¡±


    ¡°About five minutes into our strategy presentation.¡±


    Darragh has a stressed look on his face, which is mirrored by a similar look on mine.


    Setanta look how you are making yourself look bad! Smiling, I say, ¡°I will go get him and return him here.¡±


    Suddenly a woman''s voice says, ¡°Then let me accompany you.¡±


    Then moments later throughout the room shadows flow everywhere which scares most people in the room, except the few who know this presence. Lugh says, ¡°So you have finally arrived.¡±


    ¡°I have been in your shadow since you left Gorias castle.¡±


    The shadows start to pull me in and the same feminine voice says, ¡°Now Ferdiad let us both go search for your brother of the spear.¡±


    -Present time-


    ¦µ Seeing Setanta in front of me, I say, ¡°What are you doing here.¡±


    ¡°I got bored in the meeting, and decided to come check out the boys'' troop.¡±


    With his tail, he cleans my tears and says, ¡°Though it looks like they weren¡¯t as cool as I thought.¡±


    The boy removes Setanta''s undergarments from his face, and says, ¡°Do you know what you just did.¡±


    ¡°Oh please I hope you do enlighten, I Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, son of the king of Gorias and, nephew to the high king of the empire of Louernia.¡±


    The boys'' tone and facial expressions instantly relax at the realisation of who I am, and you feel the fear from them.


    The one who stands in front of them all composing himself says, ¡°I see so that means you came here to join the boys'' troop.¡±


    He signals some of the other boys who are still training, and then says, ¡°Well I will be happy to let you join.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Your scent is all over Laeg, why is that?¡±


    He sweats a little bit, and then says, ¡°it was just a little joke, yet she started to cry like a child over such a minuscule thing.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a joke!¡± I shout.


    But then he glares at me, and says, ¡°Be careful what you say, because your lies have the ability to cause conflict between the red branch with your little mouth.¡±


    Feeling insulted I keep quiet, and then he says, ¡°See, she was just throwing a fit since I rejected her. You shouldn¡¯t waste your time with the words of such a lowly girl.¡±


    Setanta looks a me, and says, ¡°It isn¡¯t cool to tell lies Laeg. Everyone should be able to take a joke.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± The boy says.


    Hearing this I lower my head and grab my dress. I try my best to hold back my tears, but they start to fall to the ground.


    Setanta says, ¡°Look it was so funny that she is even tearing up, I definitely want to try and do a joke like that.¡±


    The boy says, ¡°Then go ahead, I am sure it will be hilarious,¡± with a joyful tone.


    Instantly I hear a loud sound, and looking up I see Setanta has smashed his face into the ground with the palm of his hand and now he is squeezing down on his face.


    ¦µ Pain flows through my face as Setanta presses and squeezes down on it and I say, ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!!¡±


    ¡°I am telling a joke; can¡¯t you tell by the smile on my face.¡±


    As he squeezes, I start to feel my facial muscles snap and my bones shake, so I shout, ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T FUNNY I AM GOING TO DIE!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh really. But Laeg didn¡¯t find your joke funny but you still called it a joke. So maybe a joke isn¡¯t defined by how the person feels about it, but how it causes the receiver to feel. But as you have said that¡¯s wrong, so let me enjoy my joke.¡±


    As he squeezes, I use my arms to try and pull off his arm, but I can¡¯t break his grip, this child is younger than me, yet he is far stronger. I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die!


    ¦µ Kicking Setanta at the back of his head, I say, ¡°Stop.¡±


    Turning to me confused, he says, ¡°Why?¡±


    Pulling him back, I say, ¡°Because killing a member of the red branch is far too much.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what he did anymore, I am thankful for the fact that you would go this far for me, but killing him would only cause me more trouble.¡±


    Setanta makes an annoyed face, and says, ¡°All that studying has turned you into Ferdiad. Are you really ok with that?¡±


    Hugging him tight, I smile and say, ¡°After that showing definitely.¡±


    Looking at Setanta pout like a child, I smile quite a bit.


    As the other boys arrive on where we are some walk forward and say, ¡°Do you know who we are.¡±


    ¡°No, but I am sure you know my father Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    All of the boys calm down with the exception of one, who walks forward, and says, ¡°I am Ruair¨ª ¨® ¨¦ire, son of the king of Failas.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t that make him one of equal rank to Setanta? I need to make sure Setanta doesn¡¯t cause more problems than he can handle.


    ¡°Hey I am Setanta,¡± he says in a dismissive tone.


    The house of ¨¦ire is a family focused on agricultural development and are the richest of the red branch. They lack strength in terms of war, but they substitute for that with diplomacy with large gifts. So if we don¡¯t attack him he won¡¯t bite back.


    ¡°I hope we can all ignore what has just happened and get along.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but what about that boy over there.¡±


    Ruair¨ª turns his head back and says, ¡°You hold no grudge, right?¡±


    The boy shakes his head up and down in fear.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Setanta looks down on him with a smug expression and I say, ¡°Stop.¡±


    ¡°Now Setanta, I assume you know to ask for protection.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I say confused.


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°To join the boys'' troop, one must ask for protection from the boys'' troop. We are a family after all, so we all look out for each other.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Oh I see that¡¯s how it is. Go ahead and ask for protection.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well if I was to join I would be doing all the protecting since I am far stronger than each of you, so go ahead all of you ask me to take you under my wing for protection.¡±


    Every single one of their face turn sour at Setanta''s cocky suggestion, and then Ruair¨ª says, ¡°That is a funny suggestion, but please don¡¯t kid. We all have received the finest training from birth and are all considered the next elite within the military force of our empire. Each one of us is a guaranteed general.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t, and if you''re not going to change my mind then I ask that you start asking.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, we will change your mind.¡±


    Breaking out of my grip, Setanta says, ¡°I will be right back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill anyone!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, maybe.¡±


    I don¡¯t feel good about this.


    -Break-


    Over the bodies of all fifty of the boys, Setanta says, ¡°Now let me hear you say this.¡±


    ¡°Please take care of us.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    I knew Setanta was strong but this is just far beyond what I thought was possible, Setanta is truly a monster.


    But as my shock for this sets in shadows fill the area despite it being sunny, and a woman''s voice says, ¡°You really are a rascal Setanta.¡±


    Full of joy, Setanta says, ¡°I knew you would be here!¡±


    From the shadows Ferdiad and a cloaked figure emerge, and Setanta shouts, ¡°Master Sc¨¢thach I missed you!¡±

 Arc 10.63: Scè°©thach part 1

    The woman who Setanta calls master is dressed in a black dress that covers her from halfway through her face to the ground. The black dress is also filled with frills that move horizontally across the dress all through it, they remind me of waves on a beach.


    Her head is covered in a veil that conceals her face entirely with one thing of note being the silver circlet that holds the veil over her face. Her hair is a beautiful light shade of purple and mimics that of a shark''s tail.


    ¡°Wait did you just say Sc¨¢thach! As in the woman who trained the beastkin during our earliest years so we could strike back and reclaim Tir na n-iontas, the queen of shadows herself!¡±


    ¡°Yep, she is mine and Ferdiad''s master.¡±


    Jumping off all of the bodies he sits on top of, Setanta says, ¡°And if my wife number zero. Now give your husband to be a kiss.¡±


    ¦µ All my senses heighten as I feel a murderous aura emanating from my right, so I turn my face and say, ¡°Ferdiad, did you arrive with master?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she brought me to you. Now would you mind telling me who all those boys are?¡±


    ¡°Just some red branch brats who call themselves the boys'' troop, all of them were trash. Though one of them said he was the son of the king of Falias or something like that.¡±


    Ferdiad then explodes at me, and says, ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I simply accepted their challenge, and fought them on equal terms.¡±


    ¡°Like I would believe that! You must have provoked them knowing you. These aren¡¯t your common noble bums, they come from families with the same level of prestige as your own!¡±


    ¦µ Catching my breath I look at Setanta and reign myself in. This idiot, these boys will be men who will be leading the red branch, when you become the high king, the trust of people like this will be imperative.


    I need to straighten this behaviour out of him, but I should be calm, I need to be calm. Looking at me with a dumbfounded expression Ferdiad says, ¡°You look stressed, you should go and take a nap.¡±


    My restrains instantly break and I shout, ¡°YOU DUMB DOG!¡±


    But before I can do anything master stops me, and says, ¡°Ferdiad you need to be a little wiser.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Patting Setanta on the head, she says, ¡°You did well, and acted like a true warrior today.¡±


    Then with her shadows wrapping around me, she guides my face across the area and I notice how Laeg is looking, and with a little sniff, I notice that her scent is emanating from one of the boys in the pile.


    Setanta looks giddy, and says, ¡°Anything to woo you my wife number zero.¡±


    Master giggles a bit and says, ¡°You can consider me your wife when your spear manages to pierce my brain.¡±


    With Vigour, Setanta says, ¡°You better not take this back when you''re dead.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¦µ Running over to Setanta, I grab him and say, ¡°Is that really the legendary Sc¨¢thach? Why the hell would she train someone like you? Do you think she would stab me with her spear if I asked? This is so unfair! Why does her voice sound so youthful, she is at the very least over one hundred and fifty years old since she trained the founders of the empire!?¡±


    ¡°If you have all these questions then ask them yourself.¡±


    ¡°No way could I do tha-.¡±


    Before I could finish Setanta grabbed me and placed me between them, and as Sc¨¢thach stared down at me, I see she has bright beautiful blue eyes. That added to her massive presence completely suck me in and enraptures me to the point I start to stutter over my words again and again.


    With a kind voice, she says, ¡°is there something you want to say to me little one?¡±


    ¡°Umm, ahh, I just want to say, blah.¡±


    ¡°Blah?¡±


    WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST SAY! No time to think about it just follow through, ¡°Yes blah.¡±


    She pats me on my head and says, ¡°Well that is good to hear. Setanta I can tell from her muscles but this one here is an excellent charioteer.¡±


    ¡°Spot on as always master.¡±


    ¦µ Suddenly Laeg in front of me collapse and Ferdiad catches her, and he says, ¡°It seems she got a bit too excited.¡±


    I let out a loud laugh, and Ferdiad says, ¡°It is not funny, I will bring her over to Kooacht and make sure they are both fine.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if anything is wrong tell me and we will leave.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere till you clean up this mess!¡±


    Master shadows emerge from the ground and then she picks up all of the broken boys and fixes their bones with her shadows. While she does this she personally walks towards them and sits them all up.


    then after they are all transfixed by her presence like Laeg was she says, ¡°Don¡¯t act on your perception of your enemies, to can anything in this world you must be able to truly evaluate the power of yourself and your enemies.¡±


    Master is very kind, she knows what these boys did yet still takes the time to educate them. It is due to that naturing personality that I was able to respect her as my master, her beauty and strength also do hell that as well.


    Doubt I have yet to see the full extent of each, one of the many mountains I hope to conquer in this life. ¡°YOU HEAR THAT MASTER ONE DAY YOU WILL BE MINE!¡±


    A shadow wraps tightly around my mouth, and she says, ¡°I am teaching you to be quiet.¡±


    The anger in her voice is apparent so I quickly shut my mouth, and as this happens one of the boys says, ¡°I am Ruair¨ª ¨® ¨¦ire, son of the king of Failas. And as someone of equal rank to Setanta, I ask that you instruct me and the rest of the boy''s troop to reach his strength.¡±


    ¡°HEY, MASTER, IS MINE, SO BACK OFF UNLESS YOU WANT ANOTHER BEATING!¡±


    The shadows wrap tighter around my mouth then master says, ¡°Sorry but I cannot do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Why are we not worthy of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand me. I have no barriers for accepting students from training students, the issue is that most people would die if they were to accept my training. Setanta over there is the bare minimum required to even approach me.¡±


    Breaking out of the shadows I grab a spear and thrust it directly at my master''s head, but with one hand she grabs my spear and says, ¡°Did someone try to tickle me?¡±


    She flings me with my spear towards where all the boys are sitting and I say, ¡°Bare minimum. I have mastered many of your techniques, and have grown a lot since we last met.¡±


    ¡°Yet you try to pierce my skin with the overgrown toothpick.¡± Turning to the boys, master says, ¡°I will never refuse minds who are curious to learn the way of the spear, but I hope that this mock battle will make you rethink what you are attempting to get into.¡±


    ¡°Take up your spear.¡±


    From her swords, she pulls out a stick and says, ¡°This will be good enough.¡±


    Annoyed, I say, ¡°Today will be the day where I finally best you. Red branch battle arts; star flower.¡±


    I lunge forward and go for seven quick thrusts, but she blocks all of them with her stick, and it doesn¡¯t slightly break when it is hit with my spear.


    ¡°Is that all you have learned little doggy?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t kind to insult your husband''s wife number zero. Red branch battle arts; tulip.¡±


    All around her, I start to move at incredible speeds in ever-changing patterns so she can¡¯t even track me, and in response, master says, ¡°Your tulip has gotten much better, I knew if you cooled down a bit more you would figure it out.¡±


    As I move around I reflect some sunlight from my spear right into her eyes, then I move to the back right of her body and prepare to pierce her. But she quickly turns around knocks my spear upwards and then strikes me in my face with her stick.


    Reeling from the pain, I say, ¡°No way is that just a normal stick.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, idiot.¡± With the stick, she whacks me right on the top of my head making me fall to the ground, and then says, ¡°A true warrior can make even a stick a deadly weapon.¡±


    Picking up my spear I break the point bit off my wooden spear, and say, ¡°I see.¡±


    Master laughs and says, ¡°Now why would you do that?¡±


    Getting into position, I say, ¡°Experiencing something is the best way to understand said thing, now I am going to figure out your secrets.¡±


    ¡°Well let me teach you something today, you should use every advantage against those stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would if you were.¡±


    ¡°My, my this little boy truly does bring out my young competitive spirit. Now it is time to make you chew on those words.¡±


    We start again.


    ¦µ Opening my eyes, I see that I am on Ferdiad''s lap. So I jumped off and say, ¡°What happened!¡±


    ¡°You passed out upon meeting Sc¨¢thach.¡±


    ¡°NOOOOOO! Now she will think I am some strange girl.¡±


    Kooacht who has a bandage attached to the place where he was struck comes to comfort me, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Looking in the distance, I see Setanta fighting Sc¨¢thach and I ask, ¡°WHAT IS HE DOING!?¡±


    ¡°Testing himself, though it isn¡¯t going well.¡±


    ¡°That is a rather kind way to refer to this.¡± Setanta is moving around at speeds I couldn¡¯t have even imagined, but the way Sc¨¢thach swats him away is reminiscent of the way an adult suppresses a child.


    Her clothes don¡¯t seem built for movement, but even with that restriction, she is effortlessly able to swat away all of his attacks. For the first time, Setanta genuinely looks like he is utterly outclassed, and the faces of the boys who he recently beat up corroborate this.


    I turn to Ferdiad to say something, but I notice he is also holding a spear and watching intently. The focus on his face is so sharp that it feels like it has overwritten all the emotions he currently has.


    ¡°An opening,¡± he says right before he lunges directly towards her.


    ¦µ She set herself slightly off balance with that last blow so if I am fast enough I could capitalize on it.


    As I send my spear towards her, I am knocked away, by her stick then I am kicked into Setanta.


    ¡°Did I raise you boys to gang up on women?¡±


    Setanta with pride says, ¡°Ferdiad is my hand, he is me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bitter master just because you are alone.¡±


    Suddenly shadows fill the area, and we feel rage emanate from my master who says, ¡°I would have you remember that I am a widow.¡±


    Setanta with an honest smile, says, ¡°Master that old lie again, you don¡¯t have to pretend that no man wants you, because I do so here I could wife number zero.¡±


    As the shadows start to encroach on us, I say, ¡°This is why you should keep your big mouth shut, we are going to die.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible because you are here with me.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Ok. Though if you die my mother and sister better get a castle.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    ¦µ Riding up towards my sister, I ask, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°A slaughter.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ In the middle of the knight we lay on the floor with both of our spears shattered to pieces, all the boys who were watching us left and all that remains is Laeg and Ibar. So I say, ¡°You¡¯re too strong!¡±


    Getting up, Ferdiad says, ¡°A stick shouldn¡¯t be that strong, you must be cheating.¡±


    Master laughs, and says, ¡°You boys are far too focused on what your senses tell you is in front of you. Trust your soul more, and one day you will figure it out.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I wonder if we should even keep trying at this point.¡±


    Master smacks both me and Ferdiad on the head, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t give up for even a moment. Both of you are boys of incredibly strong faith, and I am sure you will use said faith the guide the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan into the future.¡±


    ¡°Faith? Don¡¯t pray to the human god.¡±


    Master laughs, and I say, ¡°What is funny?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it is just that many things are funny when you are smart.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°It means you are dumb Setanta.¡±


    ¦µ Setanta starts to fight Ferdiad and as he does I walk away. Under my breath I mutter, ¡°I hope you both shine brightly so I can have a beautiful shadow to dwell in.¡±


    Both of them behind me says, ¡°WE WILL DO!¡±


    ¡°Truly lovely wolves.¡±

 Arc 10.64: A signal of destruction part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Lugh room


    ¦µ In a room with a single candle light, lies Lugh who is reading a book to himself. As he stares into this book he breaks off one of his nails and then flings it directly at one of the shadows in the end of the room.


    Shadows from the room move to intercept the nail, and as they do this Sc¨¢thach appears from one of the shadows and looks at Lugh saying, ¡°Attack a woman I thought I had thought you better.¡±


    ¡°You taught me to strike down anyone who tries to use their power for evil, did you not you peeper.¡±


    Pulling out a chair from her shadows, Sc¨¢thach sits opposite to Lugh and says, ¡°Don¡¯t make it out to seem that I looked upon you for some perverse sexual gratifications. I just thought that seeing a scared smile on your face would be fun.¡±


    ¡°Play such pranks on your current students.¡±


    ¡°The only student of mine who still gets spooked is Ferdiad, Setanta just smiles whenever he sees me. How unfun.¡±


    ¡°You should cease your foolish games, you¡¯re not youthful enough to get away with them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Rude. I would have you know that my body hasn¡¯t degraded a bit since I saved you beastkin.¡±


    ¡°I meant mentally not physically you undying witch. Now would you state your business or leave.¡±


    ¡°I just came here to say both Setanta and Ferdiad are moving along splendidly. They have mastered most of my style, and have grown far more refined in combat than they were before.


    Setanta has added a calm and collected approach to his incredible battle instinct, yet he is still too obsessed with the physical to truly control his soul yet.


    While Ferdiad has added technique to his fiery confrontational personality. He is just as aggressive as he was before, but there is logic to it as well now. Though his mind can betray him quite a bit stunting his growth.¡±


    ¡°How would you compare your students in battle?¡±


    ¡°They are both pretty even, but I would say Ferdiad has the advantage right now, his style of fighting is a lot more focused on one-on-one combat than Setanta is. Setanta is like water a substance that can be gas, liquid and solid, ever-changing in any situation.


    ¡°I thought the same, Setanta is stronger with more freedom on the battlefield, while Ferdiad shows his best when the battlefield is calmer and simpler.¡±


    ¡°Though I would say, my daughter is stronger than the both of them by a large margin,¡± Sc¨¢thach says with a smile. ¡°Though she keeps saying she wants to quit a procced in dance, and it is all your fault.¡±


    ¡°She does carry red branch blood, so I found it suit to get her a tutor. If she has found her other studies more fruitful than training, let her attain them.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach stares directly at me with a glare so intense a murderous, that I feel slight bits of fear and say, ¡°You know what let me talk to her, send her over to Gorias castle whenever you can I will make time.¡±


    ¡°I refuse because if Setanta runs into her he will try and take my beautiful daughter.¡±


    ¡°My son is already quite infatuated with the squirrel girl as I am sure he has told you.¡±


    ¡°Regardless I refuse, I don¡¯t need him pursuing my angel.¡±


    ¡°You are far too overprotective, scheduling her from all of us beastkin, and controlling her interactions, you should be more hands-off like I am with Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use Setanta as an example when talking about discipline, your son constantly gets himself in life-endangering situations.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I will make sure Setanta is out when you send her over. Though I would like to add you wouldn¡¯t need me to talk to your daughter if you and your husband didn¡¯t spend over sixty years to get married with your game of hooky.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bring up such embarrassing memories!¡±


    ¡°Even though you had both known each other for a long time, you decided to keep your feelings till yourself till he was eighty-eight, then got married. You¡¯re daughter also ended up being a rather annoying type of wonderbeast, so you spent another thirty years pregnant before you could push her out, and your husband died during that process.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach covers herself in shadows to hide her embarrassment, then says, ¡°You evil boy stop bringing up my most embarrassing memories.¡±


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    I let out a little laugh, and say, ¡°Sorry I might¡¯ve gone too far. But in hindsight, it does make sense why you are so obsessive with her, a thirty-year pregnancy is no more than an aggressive form of torture, though I do have another theory.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you might be hiding her from the beastkin for the sake of us not figuring out what she really is.¡±


    The air in the room grows tense, as Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Whatever could you mean.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t aged a day since you first helped the beastkin which was over one hundred and thirty years ago. Depending on the wonderbeast fused into us, beastkin can live for much shorter, or much longer periods of time. Yet as all of your students like myself know, you¡¯re not a beastkin.¡±


    The shadows in the room start to grow and move towards Lugh and as they do, he says, ¡°You don¡¯t have any form of curse put on you, or you would love the ability to use spirit energy, you also don¡¯t have the distinct smell of a dragon, so master what are you?¡±


    The shadows lock in on Lugh and as they reach him they form a little woman and Sc¨¢thach starts to talk to it saying, ¡°See Deichtire, your husband is so invested in another woman¡¯s body. Even though I have known him since the womb he tries to hit and seduce me.¡±


    With my book, I break the shadows, then with an annoyed look, I say, ¡°You aren¡¯t funny.¡±


    ¡°You thought I was funny back you were a wee little baby boy.¡±


    ¡°I thought many things back then,¡± I say while opening my book.


    ¡°A the little light of the Faol¨¢in, whose father and brothers died on the battlefield, so he was the last one left with any degree of Faol¨¢in blood. All of the servants of the house were incredibly protective of you.¡±


    ¡°They threatened me like I was a child still within their mother''s womb.¡±


    ¡°I can attest to that with how they acted during our training sessions. Hiring me to train you to be strong, but at the same time constantly interrupting us anytime you face any single degree of physical or mental strain.


    But worst than that you always made them worry with the way you would just run off who knows where with no mind for your life, battlefields, forests, even into the jaws of wonderbeasts a lover of chaos.¡±


    ¡°I was no such thing. If I wanted to rule Gorias I needed more knowledge than what could be found in the castle, so I had to leave and find out more so I could better rule.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I just think that behaviour is very similar to a certain little wolf.¡±


    ¡°Setanta rummages around to fulfil his own desires, I did it for nothing more than a learning experience, once I got the knowledge I needed I stopped. I am sure that even when Setanta rules the land he will still be the same as always.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but you shouldn¡¯t discount how intelligent that boy is. If one only saw his work, and not his personality, they would think he is the most well-taught child in all of Louernia. You should give him some words of affirmation for his great work.¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary, he would grow pigheaded and do more foolishness than he already does.¡±


    ¡°Still hearing praise from one''s own family is of great pleasure for the receiver.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand such things, he already receives praise from countless sources, I don¡¯t see why I would be a special one.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a true parentless child.¡±


    Slightly peeved at her words, I say, ¡°Idioticy all around.¡±


    Her shadows form into a finger and flick me on the head, then she says, ¡°You underestimate how much that boy idolizes you. If not for the pride he takes in you I can guarantee you that he would have been far more vain than any who lived.¡±


    Moving close to me, she says, ¡°A few words would give that boy energy for the next fifty years.¡±


    ¡°I will think about it.¡±


    Grabbing the book out of my hand, Sc¨¢thach makes a chair of shadows and falls back on it then says, ¡°You have taken up your late wife¡¯s hobby of reading now?¡±


    ¡°It is one of Deichtire''s books, I have been spending the last year going through them.¡±


    ¡°Deichtire liked collecting all pieces of knowledge she could find from the humans she conquered on the battlefields, she was particularly interested in searching for the great sage Cordum; a human with knowledge that spans countless centuries.¡±


    ¡°Many would chastise the princess of Louernia for taking such a keen interest in the history of humans. Yet she didn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Because she is just as obsessed with knowledge as her husband.¡±


    ¡°No, because she understands that us Beastkin were humans once and knows that human accumulation must be well kept.¡±


    ¡°If I remember correctly, she is the reason that you have made education mandatory in Gorias, due to that most beastkin in your providence actually know their relation to humans.¡±


    ¡°I am sure most of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan want to forget that fact entirely. But it shouldn¡¯t be forgotten.¡±


    Giggling a little, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Are you a human sympathizer Lugh?¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°Humans throughout history have built beauties that make nature look stale, created tools that pervert death, and have passed down knowledge that would save the lives of countless in the future.¡±


    Standing at the window in my room, I say, ¡°But it is all for nought. Since they have destroyed most of it. Their wars, their mistakes, and their lack of control have burned so much of it to the ground.


    I am sure if we had kept all of the books regarding medical technique alive, we would have been able to find a cure for pregnancy incongruency, and Deichtire would still be alive.¡±


    ¡°You dislike humans.¡±


    ¡°No more than trees, I simply know how they act, and I know what must be done because if humans are left unchecked, they will someday create something that has the potential to end all life on earth, or worse they will continue to be as stagnant as they are.¡±


    ¡°So is that the reason which the current Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in fights for?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is, and I hope to have you help. I want you to accompany the Fuinseog and make sure they don¡¯t kill too many humans.¡±


    ¡°I will, but only if you keep a promise to me as well.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Keep a close eye on Setanta throughout all he does, and I am sure you will find something that could save even that resolve.¡±


    ¡°Have you?¡±


    ¡°That is a pointless question to ask me, the reason I fight isn¡¯t resolved but a cowardice, to simply keep my daughter in a shining box of ignorance while the world burns around her, at the very least she will be able to find joy in such a thing.¡±


    Sinking into her shadows, she says, ¡°And revolution isn¡¯t for an old witch like me to head, I will simply follow the world those who I have taught have made.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Waking from my nap, I open my eyes and look out the window where I see Setanta and Ferdiad training. Looking at them, I ask, ¡°How long have you two been up?¡±


    ¡°Three hours,¡± They reply.


    ¡°WHY!!¡±


    Setanta stopped saying, ¡°Because we have no time to rest, since today we leave for our great battle!¡±


    -Four days later-

 Arc 10.65: A signal of destruction part 2

    On the third of the fourth month of the 132<sup>nd</sup> year of athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar, the battle of the shadow serpent began.


    At 900 hours, Ronald Fuinseog''s advance team left to head through the forest guarding the human settlement. They made sure to stealthy past through their surveillance, and made an effort to not spring any traps.


    No more than three hundred men could have been brought by Ronald as any larger would have been suspicious and ruined the impression that they were on a scouting mission.


    At 1100 hours, they reached the other side and proceeded to move forward.


    At 1200 hours, they are spotted by choice and proceed to start running away.


    By 1330 hours, they are forced into their first confrontation. Ronald''s advance force consists of around three hundred men, versus around three thousand humans.


    Location: Eastern Battlefront


    ¦µ To the east of Ronald''s positions is a slightly mountainous area that guards a river further east river, which is where they are pretending to flee.


    The humans falling for this send an army from the northwest, and another army from the southern forest, and successfully manage to box Ronald''s army in. Soon after this fighting begins.


    On the battlefield, the humans where fabric armour which is composed of numerous fabrics interwoven together, and the standard soldier wields a wooden spear, and others shoot arrows from behind. While the beastkin wore black armour, which was something all elite Fuinseog men had to wear to war.


    Some were less armoured than usual to give the feeling that they were simply scouting the area, so instead, they covered themselves with chainmail armour. Yet they are still far more protected than humans. Each one of them carried sword as their main weapon.


    Each beastkin was outnumbered one to ten, yet the odds were still in their favour. They easily ripped through the fragile humans without anything stopping them, even the thick cloth the humans were wearing was no match for the beastkin inhuman strength.


    But more than that was the innate beast qualities in each of them. Some beastkin were faster than the human eye could catch, some had the ability to jump on top of their heads, and some could poison the humans with each blow.


    The beastkin were a strong army when united but each of their individual strengths where more than the humans could handle. But the humans had two massive advantages.


    First was morale. One of the human generals shouts, ¡°These men are simply scouts, led by the Fuinseog. If we take them out now, they won¡¯t be able to report back on our whereabouts, if we win this battle our children and wives will be protected. FATHER, BROTHERS, SONS, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT TO SHOW YOUR STRENGTH!¡±


    The second was the number of them. The humans outnumbered the beastkin ten to one, and around forty-five minutes into the battle, another army of two thousand humans appeared. So that number jumped up to sixteen to one.


    Killing humans wasn¡¯t an issue to the beastkin but the numerous amount of them, and the morale they had started to exhaust the beastkin and soon the beastkin had to deal with even more humans. This situation was unsustainable and no one was more conscious of this fact than Ronald Fuinseog.


    ¦µ Gritting my teeth, I say, ¡°What a bother.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach who is sitting on a chair composed of shadows, says, ¡°You look stressed how about you take a seat.¡±


    ¡°I would rather die than touch the powers of a witch such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Such a shame, but it is rather funny for a legacy like you to say such a thing.¡±


    ¡°This power I have received is divine, it is nothing like the sorcery of yours.¡±


    She laughs a bit, and says, ¡°I hope you never have to see the flaw in that thought process.¡±


    ¡°Enough, now bring up the map.¡±


    From her shadows Sc¨¢thach makes a map which showcases everyone¡¯s current position on the battlefield, and the shadows take on specific shapes denoting enemy from ally, and their brightness increases or decreases to show the current health of the combatants.


    After taking a good look at the witch''s map, I say, ¡°Something is wrong here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°These humans are far too organized. Their armies are composed of both archers and pikemen in organized little units, and there is also their armour, which is one I have faced when fighting humans in Duibheag¨¢n (Molstoria). How do they have access to this?


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    But one thing about this settlement that also bothers me is how close it is to our territory, I know that other houses can be foolish but to completely miss the humans so close to Louernia is ridiculous.¡±


    Turning to the witch, I ask, ¡°Lugh has no role on this battlefield, which seems quite strange to me.¡±


    ¡°What are you insinuating Fuinseog?¡±


    ¡°That maybe these humans were intentionally kept here, so Lugh little boy could defeat them and gain infamy.¡±


    ¡°That is quite the accusation.¡±


    ¡°There have been rumours going about, that our precious high king won¡¯t be able to have kids, and wouldn¡¯t take make Setanta the next in line to be ruler.¡±


    ¡°Did I hear you just slander the high king?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, I was just trying to understand the minds of our great leader.¡±


    ¡°You suck at it.¡±


    ¡°What a shame, but we have far more pressing issues to attend to,¡± I say walking forward.


    ¡°You do realize we are supposed to keep the humans occupied, if too many of them die they will retreat.¡±


    ¡°I understand that you ageless hag, but I don¡¯t feel like allowing a loyal solider of mine to die, so simply allow me to ease up the weight on their shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, and if you fall and scrap your knee grandma over here will kiss your booboo. I would also suggest getting your nose checked, a hunter like you shouldn¡¯t be so off.¡±


    ¡°Die.¡± Walking forward, I take out my whip and say, ¡°Please lend me your strength again today, Arawn.¡±


    My legacy activates from my whip, and then I swing my whip, and from it countless briars appear and strike my foe. The briars stretch out and easily pierce through the bodies of my foes one after another.


    Then I say, ¡°Third bloom,¡± which causes a flower to appear that releases poison from the briars.


    Due to how numerous and clumped up the humans are the poison devastates them. As this continues, Ronalds shouts, ¡°Don¡¯t let you¡¯re morale fall, those of you who fight with all your heart and soul are those I will never let die!¡±


    His men feel far stronger than they ever were before and start fighting harder, and as this happens Ronald looks around and sees humans running away due to few.


    So he plunges his briars into the ground and they move through the earth till they end up right below the deserters and plunge out piercing them from the ground. Ronald continues to strike all of them, and as he does he remembers the face of his older brother.


    -Break-


    By 1500 hours, the number of humans had quickly increased to nine thousand, as multiple big and small armies had come to join and crush the Fuinseogs.


    The beastkin army is fighting back the best it can, but they are quite literally being crushed by the dead bodies of the humans they are fighting. So Ronald says, ¡°We will break through their encircle meant on the east, all men move immediately!¡±


    Soon Ronald and his army make their way towards the eastern part of the encirclements around them, while doing this he uses the briars he has created to move massive clumps of dead human bodies to guard their escape.


    Then through the use of his legacy, he mows through the humans who were blocking their exit, his skill with his legacy is tremendous and he is capable of not only using it for offence but also for supporting his men while they escape.


    Upon breaking through the enemy lines, they start to head for the small mountain range to the right of the battlefield, but since they are now free from other humans they are finally capable of getting struck by arrows.


    Fifty of the beastkin with Ronald are dead, and the rest are all in critical states, with many not fit for battle anymore. So as the arrows rain down they deal quite a bit of damage to the rest of the force.


    So Ronald turns around and says, ¡°Enough of this. Advent!¡±


    Through his body half of it does not have his legacy acting on it, and the other half has a dark energy radiating off of it. Unlike Orb¡¯s advent, the legacy is completely acting on his face forming a mask, and the radiating energy doesn¡¯t go through his face as well.


    From his whip, countless briars emerge, and then he sends them in an overwhelming wave towards the humans, which devastates them once again, then Ronald says, ¡°Second bloom.¡±


    And from his briars man-eating plants a fluffy substance is produced, which spreads far and wide, then he says, ¡°First bloom,¡± which causes a single red flower to appear that catches on fire and as it does it ignites the fluffy substance which explodes making a huge mess for all of the humans.


    Ronald and his men then move into the mountain range, and the humans follow suit.


    By 1700 hours, the humans had surrounded the mountain range and had sent in an army to snuff them out.


    But they are currently engaged in a game of tag inside the mountain range. The beastkin hunts the wonderbeasts present and feasts on their flesh, while the humans desperately try to catch the smaller force of the beastkin but can¡¯t.


    The beastkin and Fuinseog especially are skilled hunters and know how to make the best of their environment, due to his and their smaller force, it is next to impossible for a large human which is necessary to battle them, to find them.


    This stalemate continues for the rest of the day, and by 1000 hours the next day, the beastkin have made their break for it. But made sure to pass by the human encampment on the mountain range, to alert them into following them.


    By 1100 hours they have escaped the mountain range and entered into a battle with the humans surrounding the mountain range. They draw out this fight so other humans can join which they do, and soon they end up in the same situation as before.


    Most of Ronald''s men are tired, so with Advent, he fights against all of the humans in the surrounding area using his briars to both attack and defend, until 1200 hours, where one of the humans shouts, ¡°IT IS A TRAP, WE MUST RETURN, THERE IS A BEASTKIN FORCE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE CASTLE!¡±


    The humans freak out at the mention of this, but the Fuinseog army just smiles knowing their efforts weren¡¯t in vain. Ronald says, ¡°We can¡¯t stop yet, we now need to hold as many of them back as possible, no more holding back kill all you can.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach stepping forward says, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because I will take care of each and every one of them.¡±


    From beneath her shadows arise, and start to restrain all of the humans to the ground and she then says, ¡°Now go on and scurry over to the armies that have already gone back I will deal with all for these here.¡±


    ¦µ Dumbfounded, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As I move away with my men, my mind struggles to comprehend what I have just seen. That output of power was equal to that of my Advent yet she has no legacy, is this the true strength of the queen of shadows?


    Legacy: Arawn


    Ability: it allows it¡¯s user to manifest briars and manifest plants associated with them. The different types of briars manifest depend solely on the skin and ability of the user.

 Arc 10.66: A signal of destruction part 3

    Three hours earlier


    ¦µ At 700 hours a team of beastkin moves into the forest and stealthily assassinates many of the humans who lie there, and as they do the L¨²cogadh army moves through the forest on a predetermined path.


    By 1100 hours, they have all escaped the forest, and with one hundred calvary twenty chariots, and around five thousand infantry. This group quickly moves from where they are and makes haste towards the humans'' castle at the most northwestern point of the land.


    By 1120 hours, they have alerted the humans of their presence and they are some small human forces come and try to block them. But due to them all being composed of infantry, the Chariots are sent to deal with them.


    The general of the army, Ru¨¢n ¨® L¨²cogadh, shouts, ¡°Now dispatch ten chariots to quickly deal with them.¡±


    Ten chariots are dispatched, which include two heavy chariots one ridden by Setanta and his allies.


    ¦µ Feeling nervous, I hear Setanta say, ¡°Since we are one of the heaviest with the most mass, we will break through the front while the lighter ones go towards the sides.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± I say very energetically to hide my unease. Looking towards my sister, I see she also has a very worried face, so I say, ¡°Everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she says looking straight ahead. Her focus is incredible but despite all of that she still looks very worried


    Right now, I need to be strong for myself, and also for her. I turn my head to face forward, but as I do I see an arrow move towards my face so fast that I don¡¯t even have time to panic. I am going to die.


    But as it comes towards me it is knocked away by Setanta who says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just focus.¡±


    Feeling a hefty amount of fear vanishing, I enter a state of intense focus and with my sister, we go forward.


    ¦µ By 1125 hours the first skirmish begins. The humans shoot arrows at the chariots but they either miss or are knocked away by the warriors riding them.


    four of the eight small chariots move to each flank, while the remaining four and the two heavy chariots break through the front.


    The chariots easily trample the humans, but as some of the humans fall they try to take down the horses of the lighter chariot and manage to slightly wound their horses.


    But in mere minutes these humans are utterly devastated.


    ¦µ Looking at the trampled bodies, my focused expression turns into that of a smile, and I say, ¡°We did it.¡±


    Setanta asks, ¡°How were your first kills?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we did it, I had some doubts but we really managed to move forward and win. Sister we really are amazing.¡±


    As I turn my head to face my sister, I notice she is staring intensely at the bodies, and says, ¡°Yeah, I never expected it would be so easy for so many to die.¡±


    From one of the other chariots, we hear, ¡°More small human groups are coming so let us take them out before they reach our main unit.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± We say back.


    ¦µ At 1335 hours the chariots proceeded to destroy small human units which have panicked and have decided to try and attack the main army. This disruption stopped the small human units from joining up as one allowing the main army to move uncontested.


    At 1622 hours, the main L¨²cogadh army was faced with a human army of triple the size. So, they formed up and prepared to engage.


    Both of the infantry face each other, and at both flanks of each army, the calvary rests. Soon the cavalry moves forward, and try to outmanoeuvre each other but eventually end up engaging one another.


    The L¨²cogadh riders are utterly superior and dominate the humans, but due to the large amount of riders, they are unable to break through fast enough.


    During this skirmish, the beastkin army moves to meet the humans, who shoot volleys of arrows towards them, but they are ineffective due to the beastkin dodging, knocking them away or just having to thick skin.


    But then from the back of the human lines, something gets flung towards the beastkin; giant stones. As the infantry struggle to understand what is going on, the humans cheer and look at their prized possession, a catapult.


    On the right flank of his army, Ru¨¢n says, ¡°Is that a catapult? The humans who had such technology are in the East. If this goes on they could end up hitting the luibh beads and set off an explosion, we need to get to the catapult now.¡±


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    Ru¨¢n understanding the dire situation they are in starts to encourage his men to fight harder, and the beastkin who are getting pelted by the catapult moves forward to face the humans who are on slightly elevated ground.


    Some beastkin move to protect the explosive from the ranged assault and end up separate from the main army. But they get help from the remaining chariot units to get away safely.


    Yet the damage the catapults are doing on the beastkin is more than they were imagining. The returning chariot units including Setanta, look onto this state, and hitting the back of Ibar Setanta says, ¡°I have a plan.¡±


    After he informs his plan to his charioteers they break away from the rest of the chariots and start heading towards the battle between the calvary on the right flank.


    The leader of this small chariot unit shouts, ¡°STOP!¡±


    But they ignore him and keep moving forward, and eventually when they reach a close enough distance Setanta and Ferdiad hold the extra spears in their chariot in their hands.


    Setanta says, ¡°Sorry.¡± Then he and Ferdiad throw the spears as hard as they can and pierce the human horses, through this ranged support Ru¨¢n is able to break through the right flank.


    As the cavalry heads to destroy the catapult, Setanta goes to ram straight into the left flank of the enemy army, and as he does that the remaining chariots follow suit.


    ¦µ As I move forward countless bodies are trampled beneath the feet of our horses, and chariots. Before the number of humans, we rode over was small, but now we are in an area packed densely with humans so the amount of blood, and body parts flying is incomparable.


    But worse than that is the fact that it becomes so much easier for humans to stall our horses. Before they are crushed. Many humans try to strike at our chariot.


    So Ferdiad and Setanta try their hardest to knock them away. They both move around the chariot and stab all those who try to do such things, through the head and kill them, they even make sure to block any attacks coming for me and Laeg, this all allows our chariot to move unfettered.


    My body feels warm, my arms feel light, and I can feel my heart pumping blood faster and faster. While on this bloody battlefield, I smile and say, ¡°This is amazing!¡±


    Then turn to my sister who is in a hyper-focused state, yet she also looks sad as she controls the chariot with me.


    ¦µ At 1845 hours the battle has come to an end, and the beastkin proceeds to move away from the field.


    At 2110 hours the beastkin reach an area where they can rest, and there they decide to set up a base of operations and prepare for the next day. The generals go over their strategy for the next day, while the soldiers party.


    ¦µ Leaning against a tree I look towards all of the soldiers enjoying themselves and hear them scream, ¡°WE HAVE BESTED OUR ENEMIES TODAY, AND THE ONES WHO CONTRIBUTED THE MOST ARE OUR YOUNG MASTER''S LEGS!¡±


    Picking up Ibar, one of the Faol¨¢in soldiers puts him on his shoulders and says, ¡°On their chariot, these kids lead our young lord to crush countless enemy soldiers, the most on the battlefield. And hear this, it was their first-ever battle!¡±


    The soldiers scream, and then on the man''s shoulders, Ibar looks proud. So, he plays along and shouts, ¡°IBAR MAC FERGAL OF HOUSE FAOL¨¢IN STANDS STRONG!¡±


    The men all start to scream proudly but some remain quiet. This army is made up of both Faol¨¢in and L¨²cogadh men mainly, with member C¨¦il¨²s being in charge of the explosive. So I am sure they didn¡¯t take too kindly to that.


    Ibar says, ¡°Yet let¡¯s not forget it is only due to the strength of the L¨²cogadh that we were even able to find an opportunity, our glories today stand for both houses!¡±


    Soon all of the men from the L¨²cogadh¡¯s join in and get into the celebration with everyone else. Setanta and Lugh made efforts to attack the L¨²cogadh so I have been worried if bad blood was still held, but it seems everything will go well.


    Looking around, I notice that Laeg is nowhere to be found. So I move around and try to find her.


    ¦µ Squatting over a lake, I void my stomach of its contents then wipe my mouth saying, ¡°You¡¯re so pathetic.¡±


    From behind me, I hear Ferdiad''s voice say, ¡°Feeling a little sick?¡±


    Turning around, I see he is holding some water out for me to grab, so I do and say, ¡°Yeah, it seems today was heavier than I had first thought.¡±


    Squatting beside me, he says, ¡°Ibar is having a good time, spreading his name out there, doing what both of you wanted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good, makes it far easier for us to reach our goals. Though I am surprised Setanta is not out there.¡±


    ¡°He is currently in the general''s meeting preparing for tomorrow''s battle.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised he even had the patience to sit down and stay like that.¡±


    ¡°There is a good chance that many beastkin will die tomorrow,¡± worry fills my face at the utterance of these words.


    ¡°The humans were vastly more prepared and organized than we had first suspected, and despite most of their armies being away, they should still have a sizeable garrison. Setanta wants to make sure that as many of us will return to Gorias as possible, so he is doing his best.¡±


    Looking down into the water, I say, ¡°Are you used to this Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°War and death are you used to this,¡± I say staring at him.


    He makes a worried expression when he sees my face, then says, ¡°I guess sort of. During my childhood, I faced many near-death experiences, and had to see things I didn¡¯t want to so in all honesty was simply an escalation of that.¡±


    I laugh a little, then say, ¡°Hearing you say all of that makes me feel weak because my mind is simply going crazy after today.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel for the humans? Many beastkin tend to feel like that at the start but further education can show you it is pointless.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that. Today it was incredibly easy for countless bodies both human and beastkin to pile up in mere seconds, and when I think about that happening to all of us I feel scared.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, I guess me and Setanta are not doing a good enough job making you feel safe on the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true, both of you are trying your best. It is just that-.¡±


    ¡°Just that what?¡±


    ¡°I have always had a good sense of my surroundings and environment, that¡¯s what enables me to be so good at controlling my horses, but during my time on that battlefield, everything felt like an uncontrollable black storm. It felt that no matter what kind of skill you have luck is the only thing stopping you from dying a horrid death.¡±


    I stand up and say, ¡°Sorry about this I didn¡¯t mean to say all of these depressing words.¡±


    Ferdiad tries to say something, but I just run away, and as I do I picture the faces of Ibar, Setanta, and Ferdiad lying on the ground dead.

 Arc 10.67: A signal of destruction part 4

    Location: Eastern battlefield


    ¦µ Held down by shadows the humans struggle to break free of Sc¨¢thach powers. They want to escape as quickly as possible and return to the battlefield to aid their loved ones, yet they can¡¯t move an inch.


    This causes many to fall into despair, freak out in anger, or cry while screaming for their freedom. But Sc¨¢thach is nowhere to be found until she appears from the mountain range with numerous plates carrying food.


    Many of the humans look at her with confusion, but she just says, ¡°Dinner is ready,¡± in a cheery voice.


    Using her shadows she releases all of their body parts with the exception of their legs, then places all of the massive amount of food she has on one shadow table.


    The humans are very confused by this, and some try to use their newfound freedom to run away, but they don¡¯t move an inch from where they are.


    ¡°My shadows will only allow you to walk towards me or around this table, they won¡¯t allow you to run away like you are planning.¡±


    A human says, ¡°What kind of trick is this, you witch?¡±


    ¡°Let us go right this instant.¡±


    ¡°We have people we need to save, and a war to fight.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Throughout history, all humans have had to understand the idea of value, to ask for something you must offer something of equal value in return.


    Yet you people go ahead and ask me for freedom as if I have any reason to give it to you, such childish behaviour from adults should be shamed, and removed.¡±


    Her shadows move up the necks of the humans and wrap around them. Then Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°If you thought I couldn¡¯t kill you all, you have been sorely mistaken.¡±


    She releases the shadows from their necks returns them to their former state and says, ¡°But my student told me not to allow excessive human casualties, and as a widow mother myself, I don¡¯t feel like killing any of you. So go ahead and eat.¡±


    The humans look around at each other, and many of them start to walk forward towards the table. Then one asks, ¡°What¡¯s is this.¡±


    ¡°Animals I hunted from the top of the mountain and cooked for all of you, but you better eat them quick or it will go off.


    The food looks delicious and many of the humans'' mouths start to water, yet they all still choose not to take a single bite of the food, up until one says, ¡°We are going to become slaves or be executed after this whether we like it or not, so we might as well enjoy our final proper meal.¡±


    The humans start to eat the food wholeheartedly without any chance of stopping, many sing, dance, and laugh the rest of the night away, and as they do the queen of shadows stares at them deep in thought.


    For a bunch of men who were scared for the sake of their families, they seem to have relaxed quite a bit despite the danger to their families still being present.


    They were all so impassioned, and while it might be easy to accept one''s own fate of death or suffering, it isn¡¯t easy to accept it might happen to loved ones.


    So that would either mean that they are truly such hopeful creatures or the threat of death to their loved ones is unlikely. Sigh, she says, ¡°With all the evidence from the humans'' behaviour it seems you were right Lugh.


    -The next morning-


    Location: Beastkin campsite


    ¦µ Walking towards the horse, I sigh and say, ¡°I really didn¡¯t manage to sleep a lot last night.¡±


    As I reach the horses, I notice that Setanta is in front of all of them, so I ask, ¡°Setanta what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh Laeg, wonderful timing I need you to help me check up on the horses.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I planned to do that anyway,¡± I say as I come and join him.


    Throughout our four horses'' bodies, we clean, scrub and brush them, while double-checking all of their wounds to see if they have healed nicely. As we do this Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯re worried.¡±


    I am shocked for a moment, then ask, ¡°Did Ferdiad tell you?¡±


    ¡°No, you usually look really happy when caring for horses, but today you look nervous, so you must be worried about something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pathetic, but I think I am scared to enter the battlefield. Even though me and my brother came to Gorias with our heads held high, and spent many resources becoming better I still have this voice in the back of my head telling me to give up.¡±


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    ¡°Laeg, I get scared.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you get scared? Please don¡¯t make such a joke.¡±


    Looking straight at the horses, he says, ¡°It isn¡¯t a joke, all it takes to learn fear is to simply be proven you aren¡¯t indestructible and then from that moment the little voice telling you to run away never vanishes.¡±


    ¡°But if that is true, why do you constantly do such things?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to lose to myself. It is easy to never change and find comfort in the things you know, but if I see some value in doing and experiencing something, or not then I want to move forward with those decisions regardless of comfort, otherwise how else can I lead the people of Gorias.¡±


    Facing me, he says, ¡°Nothing is wrong with that fear, it stops people from being idiots and picking a fight with someone like Master. Though it shouldn¡¯t be your god, but a tool to force you to think and that is the process you are currently on, so enjoy it and whatever answer you come to make sure it is one you see the value in.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Thank you I feel like my mind is clearer. You truly are smarter than you come off.¡±


    Laughing proudly, Setanta says, ¡°OF COURSE I AM!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ At 900 hours the L¨²cogadh army restarted their approach towards the human castle.


    At 1120 hours the L¨²cogadh army arrived at the human castle. The castle was tucked at the northwestern edge of the mountain and used as a natural wall. Due to this they only had two walls around the castle towards the south and east.


    In front of the castle many humans stood, most with bows but a few with shields. A large ground of humans also stood on the walls and were equipped with bows as well.


    ¦µ Staring at the castle, I wait for one of my scouts to return, and as she does I ask, ¡°Situation now.¡±


    ¡°Aside from what you can see the humans have quite a few catapults inside which will pelt us with long-ranged fire, another thing I noticed is that they have a large metal box inside the castle, it seems to be a mobile contraption that holds wonderbeasts, it probably holds a few small ones they plan on releasing at us.


    But the most important piece of information I have found is that they have coated the wall in oil. It seems they don¡¯t want us climbing the walls with our agility, though it will only make our explosives more dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± Turning to my subordinates, I say, ¡°We will be moving forward with the fourth strategy discussed last night. In the name of Ru¨¢n ¨® L¨²cogadh, I command you to attain a speedy victory.¡±


    ¡°YES SIR!¡±.


    At 1150 hours, the battle begins.


    Throughout the battlefield the large beastkin army breaks up into hundreds of smaller units, and scatter about like little rats. This makes the fire from the catapults and arrows a lot harder to hit.


    ¦µ Seeing this play out Ibar asks, ¡°So we are trying to waste their ammunition by not clumping up.¡±


    Ferdiad responds, ¡°Exactly, but that¡¯s now all. Since beastkin are simply superiors to humans in battle the small units are able to put dents in their number if they get close enough.


    Turning to Setanta, I ask, ¡°So what is our role?¡±


    ¡°To be distractions, now I need you to move over there.¡±


    ¦µ While the infantry moves forward many different members of the cavalry, and the chariots move to flank the archers, but as they do they are bombarded by arrow fire. Their large mass makes it far easier for arrows to hit.


    ¦µ Under a swarm of arrows, I see both Setanta and Ferdiad knocked away from our chariot while sweating, so I continue to ride the chariot forward with all my heart, but my sister says, ¡°How much longer do we have to be here?¡±


    ¡°For as long as we can hold out, this allows us to take the stress of the approaching infantry,¡± Ferdiad responds.


    ¡°Sister, calm down we still have control.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but the atmosphere fills even more chaotic than usual.¡±


    ¦µ Soon the infantry meet each other and many small skirmishes begin. The small beastkin groups peck away at the human army like insects feasting on a beast.


    These small attacks disrupt the formation of humans, as their advantage is number, not individual skill. So whenever the small beastkin groups meet the humans they decimate the humans they face and quickly move away.


    ¦µ The leader of the human army stands on top of the castle walls and looks down on the battlefield then says, ¡°Something is wrong.¡±


    ¡°General Adan, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It is the beastkin despite being in all of these small groups they are still coordinated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible there are hundreds of them.¡±


    ¡°I know but it is, they are all moving far too in line with one another it is as if they are having commands sent to them, it is the only way they could be running circles around us like this.


    But the strangest thing about our current situation is the fact that despite how much they are outdoing us, they still haven¡¯t made any real attacks towards the main two gates.


    I feel like something is brewing. Morice tells everyone to get ready to release the black box, I have a feeling that we will need its power soon.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¦µ Ru¨¢n standing at the base they beastkin set up before launching the attack says, ¡°Impart new instructions.¡±


    One of the beastkin speaks at a frequency so high that the human ear can¡¯t pick it up, but in one of the numerous beastkin groups, there is a least one who can hear these instructions and informs his group to act accordingly.


    Ru¨¢n looking down on the battlefield, says, ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¦µ In the area where both the south and east walls connect a group of beastkin who are invisible walk up and place the Luibh beads against the oily wall.


    ¦µ Ru¨¢n says, ¡°The house of Dofheicthe, a vassal of house Fuinseog, they hold the blood of the wonderbeast, unseen toad. A wonderbeast that produces mucus that reflects all light allowing them to be unseen by their enemies. In this battle, they are our vital blow.¡±


    ¦µ On the battlefield a large explosion goes off and makes a large hole in between the southern and eastern walls. Then in this moment, many of the chariot units and infantry start to move towards that hole.


    The humans lose morale incredibly quickly due to this, and the beastkin rush in completely relaxed, as to them they have all but won the battle. But a turn happens on the battlefield as many of the chariots are suddenly blown away, along with infantry form both armies.


    From the hole, a wonderbeast appears and walks through the hole in the castle wall. A slap bull, an uncursed variant of this wonderbeast. It lets out a mighty bellow then rushes forward crushing all in its path, and as it does Setanta says, ¡°I think I have just found out what will make us famous on this battlefield.¡±


    Name: Slab Bull (Cursed)


    Height: 15m


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is a Coven hooved herbivore with four horns and purple skin. It is a cursed version of the slab bull which has erased many of its characteristics, but in exchange, it has a curse that makes hard things become softer and soft things become harder around it.


    Fact: Despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet.

 Arc 10.68: A signal of destruction part 5

    The Slab bull breaks through all of the infantry in his path, allies or enemies it doesn¡¯t care and just bursts through to the horror of all those around it.


    Many run away and try to escape but they are trampled under the size of this 11-meter beast that simply moves through it.


    Ferdiad looking at me, says, ¡°We need to run now!¡±


    But I say, ¡°We can¡¯t do that, we need to take it down. Ibar, Laeg move in the area around it.¡±


    They follow my instructions, but Laeg says, ¡°We have no knowledge on that wonderbeast, I don¡¯t think this is safe Setanta.¡±


    ¡°I agree, the L¨²cogadh have beast-catching nets which we can use to make a better strategy to overcome this wonderbeast.¡±


    ¡°No, if we do that this achievement will be given to them, and the rights to the wonderbeast would be given to the L¨²cogadh. But if we manage to take it down earlier not only will we gain all of the achievements for ourselves but be the heroes of this battle.¡±


    Looking into the eyes of Ferdiad, I say, ¡°This will be our biggest victory yet, and the level our names will reach will be greater than we can imagine.¡±


    Ferdiad makes a conflicted expression, but as he does Ibar says, ¡°I agree, we should do it.¡±


    ¡°Ibar?¡± Laeg says with a sad tone.


    ¡°How could you even object to this, isn¡¯t this the reason we came to this battlefield, the reason we trained so much it is all so we can get these achievements.¡±


    Laeg opens her mouth as if she is about to say something against his words, but then she says with a pained expression, ¡°You''re right.¡±


    I place my hand on her head, and say, ¡°Act according to how you feel, but until you can we will do as I say, now move forward!¡±


    As the slab bull breaks through the swarm of infantry, I throw a spear at it and the bull starts to head towards our chariot, and as it does, Ibar asks, ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Well, first it is time to collect some information. Please loop around to this beast''s backside.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Ibar says, and as he does me and Ferdiad jump off the chariot and with Red branch battle arts, we move towards the bull.


    When we reach it we move all over its body and try to find a weakness. Its body is brown, and it has a deep red mane like a lion, it also has metallic horns on the front of its face that look like giant semicircles, but sharper like a blade.


    It¡¯s extremely muscley to the point where it skin feels even harder than the ground on the floor, and it has holes on the side of its body. I try to strike the holes but as I do I am met with even more muscle.


    As me and Ferdiad fling around the wonderbeast, it suddenly stomps and then starts to rampage around in one stop, kicking, jumping, and turning trying to knock us off.


    Eventually, this knocks both me and Ferdiad to the ground, and when there we are hit by the tremors its little rampage is causing. They shake and break the ground we are standing on and send rocks flinging towards us.


    It becomes so chaotic that me and Ferdiad but say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,¡± and quickly leave the area heading back to our chariot.


    When we arrive, Laeg says panicked, ¡°Did you find out anything?¡±


    ¡°Its skin is ridiculous though due to the muscle beneath it, even those holes are of no use to our plan.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Its stomach is also so thick with fat that it would take a ridiculous number of cuts to get it to bleed out from that end, and seeing how hard it is to be underneath it I doubt we could even do that.¡±


    ¡°So what are we going to do now!¡±


    ¡°Unlike a bunch of other wonderbeasts this one is similar to that of a bull, so to put it simply that means we know where its brain is.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°The muscles were weaker around the head area but still pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s use the moment of the chariot. We move around at max speed then Ferdiad throws me off it and I impale through its skull. Though this plan will put all of you in danger.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°If you need speed you can count on me, and I am sure my sister will be able to manoeuvre us out of any trouble right Laeg?¡±


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    ¡°I will do my best,¡± She says with a little fright in her voice.


    I throw another one of the spears in our chariot at the Slab bull and as I do our chariot charges towards him. We continue to speed towards each other one after another.


    Getting into position, I say, ¡°Where building up speed nicely, as long as we don¡¯t mess up the timing we win!¡±


    ¦µ I can always feel the environment around me. If it is come it feels like a gentle breeze, and if it is tricky it feels like my body is on fire, this is the reason I am always able to keep control when riding.


    But right now this situation feels like an uncontrollable storm. Our plan isn¡¯t going to work, I can feel it, I can feel the storm growing strong enough to devour all four of us.


    This isn¡¯t fear, I just know that there is something we are missing, so right now we need to prepare to move away not to attack.


    ¦µ Laeg reaches one of her hands, and says, ¡°Get us out of here!¡±


    Seeing the look in her I waste no time, and cut the four horses loose which causes Ibar and Ferdiad to look in surprise, but before they can even reach I throw both of them out on top of each other way, and grab Laeg and jump off the chariot.


    Then in that moment, the Slab bull releases air from the holes on its side and increases its speed instantly decimating the chariot, and the two older horses, Liath and Kooacht.


    ¦µ Discombobulated from the impact I lay on the ground and try to regain my mind. Loud sounds and tremors are all around me which make it hard to tell what the current situation is.


    But after a moment I am licked by Crunniuc, and after staring at him for a little bit I start to have a clear mind. Looking around on the battlefield, I see the Slab bull is still rampaging, breaking through whoever it can get to.


    I also see the dead bodies of Liath, and Kooacht along with destroyed pieces of our chariot. Looking around, I say, ¡°Look what you have done you idiot sister.¡±


    Soon my eyes come across Setanta and Laeg. She is in his arms and Setanta lays on the floor bleeding profusely, seeing this I reflectively move over towards them, but at that same moment, I hear the bull bellow at us.


    ¡°I need to draw it away.¡± With slight injuries across my body, I jump on Crunniuc who for the most part is fine, and start to ride diagonally past the bull.


    They completely ignore me, and I shout, ¡°COME GET ME INSTEAD!¡±


    But it moves forward, so I start to chase after it. I need to get close and hit it, but if I get too close I won¡¯t be able to escape it in time, what the hell am I supposed to do?


    Suddenly I see a spear fly right into the bull''s eye, and then hear, ¡°COME AND GET ME YOU IDIOT!¡±


    Seeing Ferdiad with blood rushing down his head, and a bunch of spears on his back, I race over and grab him which causes the bull''s attention to be focused on us. On my back, Ferdiad says, ¡°I need you to run around the area, I need to impart instructions to the members of our army.¡±


    ¡°I wil-,¡± Feeling a pain in my arm I stop talking mid-sentence and hold my arm in pain.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just have a small wound on my arm, but compared to your wounds it is not important. I will do it.¡±


    Me and Ferdiad race around the battlefield with the bull chasing behind us, and as this happens Ferdiad shouts, ¡°TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE FREE EARS LISTEN, DISMANTLE THE NETS AND USE THEM TO FORM A LONG ROPE THEN SET IT UP TO TRIP THE BULL, AND WHEN THIS HAS BEEN DONE WE ALL RUSH FOR IT¡¯S HEAD AND CRUSH IT¡¯S BRAIN.¡±


    The beastkin in the area fearing the bull obeys Ferdiad¡¯s instructions even though he has no authority to. I have always thought this, but Ferdiad really is a natural leader.


    He is doing his part excellently, and so I say, ¡°I need to try my best as well.¡±


    When it comes to pacing out a horse''s energy to make the most of it, and maximise speed no one is better than me. I continue to bring Crunniuc around the battlefield with the bull always out of reach enough that it will never catch us.


    Soon on the battlefield, we see that a large group of beastkin have set up some rope far away from the battlefield, just out of reach of the enemy catapults, so I move towards that area as quickly as possible.


    Ferdiad throws all the spears he can to further enrage the bull, and soon its speed randomly accelerates. So I start to panic, but soon we reach the rope and I jump over it.


    As the bull passed through the rope, many different beastkin pulled with all of their might and successfully, they managed to trip the wonderbeasts over. Then they quickly move to try and tie up its legs.


    When I see this my body instantly relaxes, and as I do many of the other beastkins lying in wait move forward to try and crush its head.


    But suddenly I say, ¡°Doesn¡¯t the air here feel kind of thin.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°EVERYONE BACK AWAY!¡±


    From the holes on the bull lots of air is released and as it is the horns of the beast start to vibrate and then a large sound rips through the area causing an explosion to everything in front of the wonderbeast.


    All the people holding the beast back are blown away, and it starts to break free from the rope, but Ferdiad not missing a single moment lunges forward and heads towards the beast.


    ¦µ It uses those horns and the air it sucks in to make a sound bomb. It probably can¡¯t do it immediately after doing it once so right now I need to break its horns.


    I move as fast as I can and prepare to break one, but to my dismay, I see it about to create another explosion; I made a mistake.


    But an arrow hits its impaled eye socket, and it turns its head to the left to see Ibar, and in that moment the explosion is released in Ibars direction. So I use this moment to shatter one of its two horns.


    And it turns its face back towards me, opens its mouth and uses its tongue to grab and squeeze me tighter and tighter to the point I spit up blood, but then I say, ¡°When it matters he will always be here.¡±


    From the top of the wonderbeasts, Setanta comes crashing down with a spear in hadn¡¯t and destroys its brain, and moments later I am released, and see that Laeg is riding Macha.


    Setanta who has wounds throughout his body, screams, ¡°WE WON!!!!¡±


    And all who are still alive around us shout as well.


    Name: Slab Bull


    Height: 11 m


    Type: Herbivore


    Description: It is a coven-hooved herbivore with two horns that look like sharp metallic crescent moons. It has brown skin and a red mane. It has holes on the side of its body which it can use to suck in air and accelerate, or suck in air and use to vibrate the horns making a sound bomb


    Fact: Despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet

 Arc 10.69: A signal of destruction part 6

    ¦µ After Setanta finishes screaming he passes out and falls off the bull so I lunge forward and catch him in my arms. He is body is quite battered to the point where I don¡¯t think he should be able to move.


    Ibar coming towards me asks, ¡°Is Setanta ok?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I have never seen him this injured before we need to get him bandaged up right now.¡±


    Ibar looks confused for a moment, so I ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Setanta was far more beaten up when I saw him after falling off the chariot, did his wounds heal.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, beastkin need food to heal, and no beastkin could even heal that fast if they had all the food in the world.¡±


    Laeg coming closer to us, says, ¡°I brought some druids to help Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Laeg, now it is time to go and make sure this battlefield ends in our victory.¡±


    ¡°No your not!¡± Laeg says with an angered voice. ¡°Your wounds aren¡¯t light either you need to sit down and go get treated as well.¡±


    With blood dripping down my forehead, I say, ¡°It isn¡¯t that big of a deal, you worry too much.¡±


    She jumps off her horse and tries to physically restrain me saying, ¡°I am not going to explain to your mom and sister where you aren¡¯t coming home, so you better sit down!¡±


    ¡°Quit your bickering you children,¡± I hear the voice of Ru¨¢n say.


    Turning our faces towards him, I hear Ru¨¢n say, ¡°All of you children should go rest and take your time to recover. You have done excellent work today, and without this, the battlefield would have had triple the casualties. So lay your bodies down to rest, and encourage the other around you.¡±


    ¡°Encourage?¡± Laeg says confused.


    But soon her question is answered as groups of injured men come towards us, and start to lift us up and celebrate our victory against our enemy.


    ¡°You children are excellent.¡±


    ¡°Definitely the ideal for warriors to reach.¡±


    ¡°The house of Faol¨¢in have chosen brave warriors to stand at the helm of their family.¡±


    ¡°Especially you boy, riding on your own as that wonderbeast followed you, truly amazing.¡±


    ¡°I am sworn to house Fuinseog, but if you ever need something from me, just ask and you will receive.¡±


    Ibar with power in his voice simply says, ¡°I ask you to remember the name of Ibar mac Fergal with all your heart. Pass it on to your friends, pass it onto your lords, and pass it on to your children.¡±


    The men cheer in response to this, and I look towards Laeg who has a saddened expression on her face. But unbeknownst to me Ibar also looked directly at her and was visibly upset staring at her.


    -Break-


    As we all sit down in our base, Laeg looks over Setanta and asks the Druids, ¡°Will he be alright.¡±


    ¡°Yes he should be fine, you just need to leave him alone for a little while so he can recover. No quick movements under any circumstance, he is the next king of Gorias and should be treated as such.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    As they leave Laeg continues to look at his body visibly agitated, and as she does she says, ¡°Please get up.¡±


    Ibar in a hostile tone says, ¡°The only reason he is injured is your fault.¡±


    Laeg looking at Ibar says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, it was because you made Setanta send us all of the chariot instead of our original plan that we had so many casualties.¡±


    Laeg annoyed says, ¡°I knew we wouldn¡¯t make it if we went ahead, so of course I asked Setanta to do that to us.¡±


    Anger, Ibar says, ¡°Thanks to that both Liath and Kooacht died, not to mention all of the beastkin who were killed in the process.¡±


    Pointing his finger, Ibar says, ¡°Look.¡± Walking past the blood we see others carrying the damaged or dead bodies of some of the beastkin who couldn¡¯t withstand the attacks of the Slab bull.


    Feeling the tension rising between the two of them, I say, ¡°Ibar don¡¯t you think you are being slightly unfair, she did save our lives.¡±


    ¡°So what, it is not like what happened afterwards was a safer situation. We still took a gamble that put our lives at risk, the only difference between that time and this time was that you weren¡¯t at the front lines since you¡¯re a coward.¡±


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    Stepping towards him in anger, Laeg says, ¡°What kind of coward would be on this battlefield unless they were the biggest fool in existence.¡±


    ¡°The kind of coward in front of me. Despite being here all you have done is frown, and look like you''re five seconds away from running away. So just run away, I am sure Father will need more hands in the kitchen anyway.¡±


    Laeg is about to attack Ibar, but I restrain her and say, ¡°Ibar you''re going too far, don¡¯t insult someone who faced death.¡±


    ¡°Everyone on this battlefield is facing death, I won¡¯t threaten her better because she also chooses to be here.¡±


    ¡°You little big-headed bastard!¡±


    Suddenly there are screams throughout the base camp, which takes al three of our attention. We run out to check what has happened and to our confusion, we see one of the beastkin who can pick up high frequencies visible shocked.


    A general walks up to him and says, ¡°What was just reported to you.¡±


    The beastkin says, ¡°Outside of the soldiers, the enemy''s castle is completely empty. No civilians, very little supplies, and almost no equipment necessary for living is there.¡±


    Suddenly in the distance, we start to see a fire appear emanating from the castle. It seems almost everything within the castle is wrapped in flames, and in response to this sight, Ferdiad says, ¡°This was a trap.¡±


    ¡°Ibar responded, ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°The humans had escaped before we even got here, and lit the castle on flames as a way to kill us after we enter.¡±


    Another of the voices nearby says, ¡°Ru¨¢n should be inside the castle!¡±


    Upon realizing this many here start to panic and then the generals say, ¡°Send rescuers immediately!¡±


    ¦µ In 1620 the beastkin who had defeated the human army fell for a trap and many were caught up in a burning castle. Few died, but many were critically injured. Which included Ru¨¢n ¨® L¨²cogadh.


    Location: Beastkin tent


    ¦µ As the rest of the generals and commanders stand together awaiting news, a beastkin walks in and says, ¡°Ru¨¢n will survive.¡±


    The tension in the air disappears, but then we hear, ¡°Though he won¡¯t be able to command this army, so his second in command D¨¢ith¨ª will take control of this army.¡±


    Standing up D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°I know this is an unfortunate event, but I hope that each and every one of you will happily welcome me as the leader of the army.¡±


    We all nod our heads, and then D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°Now the first order of business that we have is to figure out where the humans have gone.¡±


    I put up my hand and asked, ¡°Let me go do reconnaissance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Ferdiad right, the right-hand man to Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, and I humbly ask that you send me to scout ahead. Currently, we don¡¯t know if there were never humans here or if there were and they left. So if we head pit we might be able to spot them.¡±


    ¡°But that would be far too dangerous. You are young and have shown great talent, during our invasions into the east in the upcoming years I am sure one like you would be critical.¡±


    ¡°I understand that, but I also think Ronald Fuinseog will be important as well, and if things are going as we expect he might die.¡±


    The general looks down at the map and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice but you''re right.¡±


    Someone says, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°If the humans who were here left, they are sure to have headed east towards the oceans, and around that area is where Ronald''s men should be holding off the beastkin they have lured away.


    But if humans actually did leave the castle they are sure to run into the Fuinseogs, and crush them due to the fact the Ronald wouldn¡¯t be prepared.¡±


    Many of the beastkin have shocked expressions on their face, and one says, ¡°Losing someone who bears special powers like Ronald would be a critical blow to our military strength.¡±


    Speaking up, I say, ¡°We are forgetting that almost all of the castle supplies were missing, if the human''s main armies were to like up with the escapees then all the effort we put into weakening them would disappear, and they might even be able to cross the river to the east, and escape.¡±


    D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°These humans were used to fighting the beastkin, and if they somehow manage to escape they will only become a bigger threat in the future. Scouting ahead is imperative but are you sure you would be able to get to them in time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I doubt this castle was only filled with combatants, I am all but certain they have civilians and that will slow them down. If I was to leave with the fastest rider I know, Ibar. I am sure we will catch up in no time.¡±


    ¡°Right, then I will send you out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ As Ferdiad and I prepare to leave, he turns to Laeg and says, ¡°Please make sure Setanta is ok.¡±


    ¡°I will, but you guys must also be safe.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a coward.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Ferdiad says, while turning to face me.


    I ignore him and continue to prep, while I do that we hear, ¡°Ferdiad we will be coming with the both of you.¡±


    All three of us look over and there we see T¨¦ad ¨® L¨²cogadh and his men. We then make faces of disgust and Ferdiad asks, ¡°That would be unnecessary.¡±


    D¨¢ith¨ª walking up says, ¡°I will need them to come with you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask with a slightly annoyed tone.


    D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°We need to send an owl with you all, and we have trained these owls to only respond to the L¨²cogadh to stop interceptions, so we need to send a least one and the young master here offered.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable, but I don¡¯t see why we need this many men, especially one whom we have had a turbulent past with.¡±


    T¨¦ad says, ¡°I deeply apologize for my slights against you all, and I hope that this help will allow you to trust me more in the future.¡±


    Ferdiad makes a face of distrust towards them all, but then from behind us we hear some Faol¨¢in men say, ¡°Please let us come along as well.¡±


    Ferdiad smiles and turns around then says, ¡°Are you guys sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, protecting one of the greatest assets of our empire is an honour that we gladly accept.¡±


    One of the L¨²cogadh men says, ¡°You all make it out to sound as if our master would try and attack these two.¡±


    ¡°The brash youngest child of L¨²cogadh doesn¡¯t have a nice reputation, you can¡¯t blame us for being fearful.¡±


    Ferdiad claps his hands and says, ¡°That¡¯s enough, we are wasting time. So everyone who wants to come, you can. But if you are slow we will leave you behind. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¦µ At 1640 hours a group of calvary left to investigate the human''s location.


    At 1820 hours the beastkin who were outside the forest started to move in as they had received word from the L¨²cogadh army.


    At 1910 hours the Fuinseog army finished fighting the humans who they were stalling. Through a series of surprise attacks on the army that had panicked and scattered so they could return to the castle they were able to decimate half of the army.


    ¦µ Standing over the body of the last living human, Ronald says, ¡°What are you smiling about.¡±


    ¡°Just happy, that my family will live another day.¡±


    Ronald kills him and then says, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¦µ On that day, Ronald to the east, the beastkin to the south, or the Fuinseogs to the west not a single one of them ran into any more humans.

 Arc 10.70: A signal of destruction part 7

    -Break-


    ¦µ At 1940 hours, Ferdiad¡¯s scout team comes across something.


    ¦µ As Ibar comes to an end, he says, ¡°Why did you tell me to stop?¡±


    Hopping off the horse, I say, ¡°Look here?¡± Picking up a piece of wood, I hold it to my nose and sniff it.


    ¡°This smells of food.¡±


    A soldier of the Faol¨¢in house Liam says, ¡°That little piece of wood.¡±


    Another Faol¨¢in soldier named Cian says, ¡°Was it part of a box.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It was probably part of the fleeing humans'' supplies, I want everyone to search the area for more, if we can find something with a strong scent we might be able to actually find the humans.¡±


    Turing my head to T¨¦ad, I say, ¡°I need the L¨²cogadh to go ahead and see if Ronald has made contact with the humans.¡±


    One of them says, ¡°We don¡¯t take orders from you.¡±


    But T¨¦ad puts his hand up and says, ¡°We will be back in no time.¡±


    As they leave, I sigh and then say, ¡°Now let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    The beastkin spread out and eventually, one of them says, ¡°Ferdiad over here!¡±


    As I arrive beside him, I see a pile of dust, and say, ¡°What is this.¡±


    Brandon says, ¡°It seems to be crushed wood, and if we dig down here a bit we can see that there is a lot of it.¡±


    Picking it up, I say, ¡°Did the humans do this to hide their tracks, but if so how could a human manage to crush wood into fine dust, this strength is almost like a beas-.¡±


    Before I can finish, I hear T¨¦ad scream, ¡°We have information!¡±


    With my focus distributed, I turn to the L¨²cogadh who are riding back and I say, ¡°That was quick, you¡¯re back already?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because we didn¡¯t make it to Ronald, due to what we found.¡±


    ¡°It must be important then, spit it out.¡±


    Some L¨²cogadh''s look angry at the way I spoke, but T¨¦ad says, ¡°During our investigations, one of my men with an excellent sense of smell came across a rather distinct smell coming from up north.  So we went into the mountains there, where we saw the dead body for a wonderbeast.¡±


    Brandon with an annoyed tone says, ¡°Is that why you abandoned your mission? It was probably just a pesky wonderbeast that they killed for being too close.¡±


    One of the L¨²cogadh says, ¡°Don¡¯t insult our intelligence.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t an insult, I am just hoping you won¡¯t be repeating your past mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant as always, the perfect Faol¨¢in talk down to all they meet.¡±


    Behind me, Cruadhlaoich claps his hands which shuts both sides up and I say, ¡°I am sure that isn¡¯t all you had to say T¨¦ad.¡±


    ¡°Correct. The wonderbeast we came across was killed a while ago, but its blood remains and was dripping down. And on that blood, we saw many footsteps, people recently passed through there and it was a lot of them.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°If what you¡¯re saying is correct, that means the humans escaped into the mountain range.¡±


    Many of the Faol¨¢in men around me start to lose their bearing with this information and talk unendingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible, the mountains are filled with wonderbeasts.¡±


    ¡°Humans simply don¡¯t have the skill or knowledge to hunt wonderbeasts in such a chaotic environment.¡±


    ¡°But these humans must have such skill otherwise there is no conceivable way they could have escaped.¡±


    ¡°The humans here have consistently shown us their strength, if they were to survive and leave we would be giving humanity far more strength than we could imagine.¡±


    ¡°At worst the humans might become a menace like those demons to the east.¡±


    ¡°We need to chase after right now, even if we put our lives at risk we must go!¡±


    Speaking up, I say, ¡°T¨¦ad you need to send an owl back to our main camp immediately, tell them of the situation and that we have all moved ahead to monitor the humans.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°All of you who are injured yet came along, I want you all to return.¡±


    ¡°What! We can still be of use in this battlefield.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny that, but right now we are going to need extreme precision and stealth for this upcoming mission. If your wounds get worse over time, we will be in trouble so please just return.¡±


    With frustration very visible on their bodies they say, ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ At 2010 hours, the scout team moves through the mountain range in the north. It is a rocky and mountainous area that is incredibly hard to manoeuvre.


    It is usually filled with wonderbeasts which add to the difficulty, but as the scout team passes, they find more and more wonderbeasts'' bodies. Soon they reach the second half of the mountain which is filled with plant life, and lush trees on higher levels. Though on the lower levels, it is much the same.


    To get a better view of their surroundings the scout team moves into the forest area and continues their search all the way until 2140 hours.


    ¦µ Ibar turning towards me says, ¡°We need to take a break, at this rate, Crunniuc is going to collapse.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Turning around to all of the beastkin, I signal them to stop, which they all quickly follow.


    At 2200 hours, the scout team have set up a temporary camp, and are resting and relaxing. The sun has completely vanished by this point and all of them are in the dark forest waiting for their strength to return.


    As I walk over to Ibar, T¨¦ad comes up to me and says, ¡°Can I scout the area a bit more?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I just want to make sure no one is around.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, but come back quickly. Your horse needs to rest because I plan for us to keep going until we come across the humans.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± He says as he prepares to leave.


    Turning around, I head over to Ibar and say, ¡°Is Crunniuc doing alright?¡±


    ¡°Not really. His mood has dropped quite a bit due to the deaths of Kooacht, and Liath.¡±


    Patting him, I say, ¡°Please cheer up boy, when we return to Gorias I will make sure to take good care of you.¡±


    Under his breath, Ibar mutters, ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if my sister wasn¡¯t so dumb.¡±


    Sitting down beside Ibar, I say, ¡°What has been your issue.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You and your sister usually never have problems like this, but today it seems you really can¡¯t let anything she has done go. Which is quite weird for a sister-obsessed boy such as yourself.¡±


    Embarrassed Ibar turns to me and says, ¡°I am not obsessed with my sister!¡±


    ¡°I know the smell of my own kind. Protecting one''s family is something we both hold dear to our hearts, so lie Ibar and tell me what would make one like you get angry at your sister.¡±


    Sighing, Ibar says, ¡°I don¡¯t think my sister is made for the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of what she did today? If so I think that might be debatable.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only what she has shone today, but all her life. Back in our village, whenever we needed to put down an animal due to them carrying defects which would be horrible if passed down, my sister would cry and fight my dad.


    If they didn¡¯t die they would go on to lead to the deaths of other animals, and even the villagers due to the horrible defects it would pass down. But my sister cried to make us stop and continued to cry even after it was done. We had many different animals but she cried whenever anything happened to a single one.


    She is saddened by all the bodies we have seen over the last two days to the point where I can feel her concentration skipping, and when faced with the chaos of the battlefield she will avoid it to preserve life, she shouldn¡¯t be here, I can handle it all on my own.¡±


    ¡°Did you know Setanta actually had a horse before Kooacht and Liath?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep, it was a brown and old stallion named Dull. He went everywhere with it and would never let him leave his side, even in his bed, and he had forbidden anyone from riding the horse or he would execute them. Strange isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Setanta whole existence is strange, so it isn¡¯t the biggest surprise.¡±


    ¡°I guess you are right about that, still for Setanta who had to spend most of his early years locked in the castle, Dull was his best friend.


    Eventually, even Setanta wasn¡¯t able to keep him around. He caught a disease and started to act erratic and Setanta had to put him down.


    Apparently, it is said that Setanta didn¡¯t smile for about two years after this event, this caused great distress among the servants who thought it would be best to buy Setanta all of the expensive horses they could find.


    Still, it didn¡¯t do anything to improve his mood. Until he one day he started smiling again, which confused the servants. So they asked him why, and he answered; Dull deserved two years of no smiles.


    It was utterly ridiculous from any outside perspective that Setanta would act like this over a horse he barely had for a year, though for him he had decided that his life was worth that much.¡±


    ¡°What point are you trying to prove?¡±


    ¡°On paper Setanta actions seem stupid. On paper, my sister should be the last woman Setanta would go for, on paper your sister caring for the animals may seem stupid. But I assure you none of it is, and if you can¡¯t understand that you¡¯re immature.¡±


    ¡°Immature!¡± Ibar says angered.


    ¡°Well, you somehow believe your sister is unfit for the battlefield, while someone like you who was raised in the countryside and saw no real combat until recently is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I am much better than she is, but unlike her, I have a reason to never run away.¡±


    ¡°And that is? Let me guess, your love for your sister.¡±


    Serious he says, ¡°No because it is my duty.¡±


    ¡°Duty?¡±


    ¡°My family had someone who would always come up with new ideas, my mother. Whenever our village was in trouble she would always come up with a way to save it, and that¡¯s how a tiny village like ours grew to become so strong. But I took that away from everyone when I killed my mother, and it is my duty to use my life to repay that.¡±


    Getting up, Ibar walks away and I say, ¡°I might have gone a bit too far. Though I do hope he understands what I was getting at, I guess I should take some more language classes when I get home, subtext is still so annoying.¡±


    Suddenly I feel a force in my pants and say, ¡°I need to pee.¡±


    Looking around, I start to run off into the forest looking for a place to relieve myself.


    -Break-


    Pulling up my pants, I smile and start to walk away, saying, ¡°Now it¡¯s time to get some work done.¡±


    My ears twitch as I hear a sound come through them. Listening in I say, ¡°Is that a voice?¡±


    Instantly I start to move towards the origin of the sound I am hearing and make sure to conceal my presence as I do. Then eventually after some walking, I come across something that shocks me to my core.


    In the lower rocky level of the mountain range, I see a camp of humans. But they are numerous, a ridiculous amount that might even rival all those who are present in Gorias.


    ¡°We severely underestimated the amount of humans within this settlement. But more than that why were there so many humans here to begin with, too much of this just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±


    An idea pops into my head, and I say, ¡°If this is true, we might be in more trouble than we thought. I need to go back and inform everyone else.¡±

 Arc 10.71: A signal of destruction part 8

    I run as fast as I can moving through the forest with great haste. This is too big, I think I might understand why Lugh saw it fit to bring so many allies with us to this battlefield.


    Humans who can comfortably move through an area filled with wonderbeasts are insane. Even if they cleared out this entire area beforehand, it is still an amazing feat.


    Not even us beastkin can overcome something like this without ridiculous amounts of planning. But what is most worrisome is that there were no human corpses anywhere around, so they didn¡¯t overcome this place by throwing massive amounts of soldiers into it, they have people with skill enough to do this themselves.


    As I enter the proximity of our campsite, I start to hear a scream, and say, ¡°Oh no.¡±


    Moving through the forest, I see that our camp is being assaulted by humans. Few are on their feet, and many of them are on their horses.


    The area around here is protected by trees but isn¡¯t dense with it allowing one to fight on horseback, and using this advantage and the fact that we were caught off guard by the humans they destroy us.


    I quickly scan the area and look to see where a spear is, but as I do this I notice that the humans are attacking all of the horses, and defending them is Ibar.


    Seeing a spear dash forward grab it and then say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Starflower.¡± Then pierce all those who stand in my way till I reach Ibar and defend him.


    ¡°Ferdiad!¡±


    ¡°Ibar! I need you to gather up all of the men you can and keep them together. Individually we can be overwhelmed but as a single unit we will crush them, if we lose here many will suffer in the future, fight with all you have got!¡±


    ¡°I WILL!¡±


    I start moving around the battlefield and pierce the necks of the riders one after another, ¡°If we can¡¯t have our own horses we will simply take yours.¡±


    I continue to do this until I am met with another man on foot who is holding a sword. I try to kill him in one blow like the other humans, but I am deflected as I try, all the momentum I had built up was brought to a stretching halt.


    So I stare at him and ask, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°My name doesn¡¯t matter, the only thing that I need to do is bury beastkin like you.¡±


    We begin to clash against one another and strangle on a physical level he can keep pace with me.


    No human should be able to do this, they physically can¡¯t.


    Shaken by this I mistime a thrust and am hit with a kick to my stomach which sends me backwards. As I shallow my rushing vomit, I stare at him.


    Around his body, I start to see this flowing aura that reminds me of water, so I say, ¡°What the hell is that surrounding you?¡±


    With a surprised face, he says, ¡°Did you become aware of it? That means you just need to die even faster then!¡±


    He rushes at me at full speed, and as we clash I am surprised that his chipped sword can even compete with the quality of my spear, but it does. His body is acting in ways that aren¡¯t physically possible, and so is his weapon.


    Getting knocked back again, I say, ¡°Still skill and strength are necessary, and you only have one.¡±


    The human rushes at me, and as he does, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.¡± And then I quickly pierce his neck, then move on.


    But as I do I see throughout the battlefield many men with flowy auras are fighting. ¡°There are about twelve of them and each of them is capable of defeating the average beastkin, they also have at least two normal humans being used as shields for them, if this goes on we will be killed.¡±


    I start to look around and try to regain myself, but as I do I see something on the hill above us, T¨¦ad.


    Did his party return from their investigation? If the L¨²cogadh were to run down with their cavalry we would be able to at least make the battlefield more chaotic to our benefit.


    Me and T¨¦ad meet eyes, and then he stares at the battlefield and runs away. I want to react to this, but I am soon assaulted by many different humans so I have no time to waste.


    At least three of the humans with the flowy aura surround me, and as they do their followers come for me as well, Making nine humans who I have to fight back against all by myself.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    I don¡¯t even have time to feel frustrated as my life is constantly on the line, and I can barely keep up with their attacks. I get hit again and again without making equal progress back and eventually one of them strikes me in my head onto the ground a little distance away from them.


    I can feel it, the same feeling of imminent death that I had experienced when doing Lugh¡¯s trial. Raising my head slightly, I look around and see a battlefield that is all but lost.


    My motivation is lost, and my body is exhausted and hurt, so I say, ¡°Can I just die now?¡±


    While I feel my consciousness fading, I say, ¡°This feels familiar.¡±


    -Five years ago-


    Many years ago a man by the name of Cian ¨® Buadh had two sons. His land was bountiful, not to the extent of any noble, but was much more than the average peasant could ever wish for.


    To decide which of his sons would inherit his land, he decided to gift both of them small pieces of it to cultivate and grow. His youngest son was diligent in his work and grew the land, while the eldest was reckless with it and used it as collateral for debt he had.


    So Cian gave the house to the younger of the two siblings leaving the older one bitter, and in that bitterness the older one tried to kill the younger of the two.


    But his attempt failed, and all those who knew of him called him, a fool, and his children were called.


    As me and my sister walk hand in hand towards our little hut, a group of little kids throw rocks and say, ¡°Children of the clown!¡±


    ¡°Degraded beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Faulty existence.¡±


    ¡°Danu¡¯s mistake.¡±


    They mock both me and my sister again, and again, but we just move away and head towards our house. My sister starts to tear up, so I look at her and smile with all my heart while making silly faces so she laughs.


    We walk home into a rickety old house and as we enter I see my mother. Many who see her would call her beautiful, and her smile was one filled with compassion.


    If Danu was alive today, I am sure the mother of all beastkin would look something like her.


    Upon seeing us my mother runs to me and says, ¡°You''re bleeding, what happened!¡±


    My sister hugs my mother, and I say, ¡°Some people were just being annoying, but I managed to make sure that Minagrain wasn¡¯t hurt, aren¡¯t I a good boy Mom!¡±


    My mother flicks me on the head, and says, ¡°You did good, but be careful with wounds you take, not all of them heal.¡±


    Proudly, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t care wounds make me look more manly.¡±


    My mother puts both her hands on my face, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone hurting my handsome little man¡¯s face, this adorable face which I love so much!¡±


    She then plants my face with kisses and says, ¡°Look how adorable you are, I want to just eat you up.¡±


    I laugh from how ticklish these kisses are and say, ¡°Ok, I will be careful.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Minagrain looks at my mother and gestures towards her, so my mother says, ¡°You feeling jealous, well then here are your kisses as well.¡± She plants kisses on Minagrain''s face causing her to have a giant smile.


    Minagrain then makes more gestures and shapes her tail to look like a book, so my mother says, ¡°We will read the storybook today so go and grab it.¡±


    With joy, Minagrain heads out to go grab the book, and as she does my mother asks, ¡°Did she manage to say anything today?¡±


    Dropping my face to the ground, I say, ¡°No, she still hasn¡¯t spoken a single word for some time now.¡±


    I clench my fist and ask, ¡°Mother, maybe if we left this place and begged uncle for somewhere else to stay we coul-.¡±


    My mom stops me and says, ¡°We are family, and family stays together forever.¡±


    With a sad expression, my mother says, ¡°I know the sadness of a family of people who couldn¡¯t bother to care for each other and the sadness of loneliness. Despite everything your father has never left us, and we will never leave him so just trust in me and wait.¡±


    My mother hugs me tight and says, ¡°Trust in his love, and I am sure we will all be happy. I am sure even Minagrain will get better.¡±


    Drowning in her embrace, I say, ¡°Ok Mom.¡±


    Minagrain who has returned with her book sees us and looks down. Then with her tail, she spells, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Hugging her, I say, ¡°Nothing is wrong with you.¡±


    And my mom quickly follows up and says, ¡°Your brother is right, you are perfect.¡±


    She cheers up a little and then looks at the book, so my mother says, ¡°Let¡¯s go read.¡±


    Together in a corner of the room, my mother reads the book to us, recounting a tale of Danu.


    A long time ago a being who was engraved with the powers of infinity gave birth to six children, and one of them was Danu.


    These six spread through the world and sought to help people, in ways they could never have known. Danu knew countless people who lived on the planet didn¡¯t appreciate all it did to protect and cultivate the lives of humans.


    More than anything she wanted humans to learn empathy, and understand the world exists for them to flourish, so they should respect it. So she gave those who gave their blood to her the ability to be bound to nature, so they may understand the impacts it has on the world.


    So humans joined with their surroundings again and again, and eventually, they became truly bound to the planet for the rest of all time.


    Yet an arrogant being who named himself god the messiah saw this as blasphemy, and sought to destroy Danu and her family, so they fought back and were defeated by his angles.


    As my mother ceases reading she says to us, ¡°The story doesn¡¯t end here, it continues on in our blood since we have inherited the abilities of Danu. We have a right to hold our heads up high and be strong, so remember this both of you are precious.¡±


    While my mother hugs us I feel a strong sense of pride and happiness within me and I say, ¡°I will be strong for everyone!¡±


    My mother rubs my head and says, ¡°That¡¯s my little warrior.¡±


    We laugh and enjoy each other¡¯s company and as we do we hear the door to our house open, and my mother instantly says, ¡°Go to your bed Minagrain.¡±


    A voice says, ¡°Is this how I am supposed to be greeted when I return!¡±


    Both me and my mother ran towards the entrance of the house making as much noise as possible to mask the sound Minagrain makes while moving.


    When we arrive at the entrance, I say, ¡°Hello Father.¡±


    And my mother says, ¡°I am so happy you are home husband.¡± She quickly moves towards him with sweat trickling down her face and takes his shoes off and as she does, I stare into the face of my father a man who I am supposed to find safety in and shake out of fear.

 Arc 10.72: A signal of destruction part 9

    My mother removing his shoes asks, ¡°How was your day?¡±


    ¡°Horrid, why do I have to work for my brother!"


    My mother says, ¡°I know it¡¯s unfair, but even after your father unfairly gave everything to your brother, he still chose to keep you by his side.¡±


    He starts at my mother and says, ¡°Why did you phrase it as if he is doing me a favour.¡±


    My mom looks down and says, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that, I am just sure that¡¯s how he views it.¡±


    Running up towards my mother''s side, I say, ¡°They look down on you Dad, but you¡¯re the only reason everything here is capable of working. I know it must suck not getting the right reward for all your effort, but you''re still the best.¡±


    My dad puts his hand on my head and rubs it saying, ¡°Of course you would understand, unlike the rest of the idiot here, you¡¯re my blood.¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± I say gripping on my mother''s skirt.


    Breaking my hand from my mother, he pulls me to the table in the centre of the room and says, ¡°My son needs to eat if he wants to grow up strong.¡±


    Looking directly at me, he says, ¡°You¡¯re going to prove to everyone that my genes are superior to my stupid brothers, so you need to grow up big and strong.¡±


    Our entire house is small and outside of the bedrooms, all other parts of the horse are within reach of each other. My mother starts to run around getting dinner ready and as she does, she makes great effort not to even nudge my father or me.


    While my mother runs around, my father says, ¡°So you see my brother was a kiss ass every single day. He never spent a single moment standing on his own two feet, so my father felt sorry for him constantly. That¡¯s why even though I was the smarter of the two my father gave everything the my younger brother.¡±


    None of that is true dad, it is because you were irresponsible while your brother put great stock into cultivating it. You were a fool.


    ¡°I was always going to and from battlefields as well, so my brother had much more time to make my faster fall in love with him.¡±


    Lies, you never once stepped foot on the battlefield and simply ran around the empire partying, and buying humans.


    ¡°Everyone growing up around here loved me with all of their hearts, but my sick brother spread vicious rumours about me to make them all turn their backs on me.¡±


    That was a lie, everyone hated the cocky son of the Cian, a man who would walk around like he was a noble who fought in the liberation of our people but was no more than a brat who abused his status and money.


    ¡°This entire place would be so much better if I was in charge.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t, if you were in charge you would run this place into the ground and we would be back to poverty in no time.


    ¡°Still it hurts you know, that despite all of the success I have given to this land no one wants to understand me.¡±


    You fail again and again, and again. Yet your brother keeps you working for him out of love, he even offers to give us a better house, but you refuse out of spite.


    ¡°I even had to settle for a single wife like her.¡± He says staring at my mother.


    I grip my fist under the table, and I can feel myself about to burst, but suddenly I feel my mother''s hand on my head and she says, ¡°I am sorry, one like me should be a mistress a best.¡±


    Annoyed, my father says, ¡°Well if you know that try a bit harder then. I come home and there isn¡¯t even anything on the table, what the hell do you even do all day, your head really is full of air.¡±


    My mother laughs a bit, and I say, ¡°But father you come home at erratic times throughout the day, how could she know when you are returning.¡±


    My father says, ¡°Let me tell you one thing Ferdiad, there is something called true love in this life, and if you love your partner enough they should be able to tell everything about you.


    Your mother should just know when I am coming home, know what I want to eat and know what would make me feel better, but she can¡¯t even do that. Just an utter lack of love, when you grow up I will get you a way better wife.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± I laugh. Even Minagrain without the ability to speak knows how to communicate better than an oaf like you.


    Behind me, I hear some tears fall down from my mother''s face, and start to feel rage build up inside me, and as this happens my father swings on his chair like a child, laughing saying, ¡°You really understand me don¡¯t you, you truly are the greatest child I could ever ask for.¡±


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    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hey so what, gave you those wounds on your body today, my little treasure.¡±


    Me and my mother become tense, and I say, ¡°Oh these, I just fell and tripped a little.¡±


    My father an eagle beastkin brings his eyes close to my face and says, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, since I see little pieces of rocks in your face. Did someone do this to you and why would they do such a thing?¡±


    My mother says, ¡°Kids can be cruel they were probably just picking on them.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to speak scum. Now my son tell me.¡±


    Shaking, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I see it was the attention seekers'' fault.¡±


    ¡°Minagrain did nothing wrong!¡±


    My father hits his hand on the table in response and says, ¡°Did I ask you to speak?¡±


    My mother says, ¡°Minagrain is sleeping, if she doesn¡¯t get rest she won¡¯t be able to get better.¡±


    My dad strikes my mother directly in her face, and says, ¡°Just like the rest of them you look down on me.¡±


    I get up and grab my father, saying, ¡°Mother isn¡¯t looking down on you it is just, she isn¡¯t lying.¡±


    He stares at my mother with resentment and says, ¡°So now you¡¯re trying to turn my own blood against me.¡±


    He grabs my mother by her hair which causes her to scream, and drags me by my arm. At the right wall of the house, there is a door that leads to a very thin hallway, that then leads to our bedroom, or the storage room.


    Within the hallway, my father picks something up and says, ¡°What is this you dumb bitch.¡±


    Cowering mother says, ¡°It is a page?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a page from that little shit¡¯s favourite book, that book she holds twenty-four-seven. You telling me she accidentally ripped it out, or maybe she was rushing to hide from me and mistakenly ripped it out.¡±


    My mother looks down, and my father hits her saying, ¡°SPEAK!¡±


    I try to say something, but my mother puts her hand up to stop me and says, ¡°I a-a-a-am, tell-lling the tr-r-ruth.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you want to be. Ferdiad stay here and watch this fucking liar,¡± my father says as he moves forward and walks into my sister''s room.


    My father moves forward, towards my sister with rage in his body, so I try to move forward and stop him, so I move to the kitchen and grab one of the knives but my mother moves to grab it out of my hand.


    ¡°Mom let me go!¡±


    ¡°No, you fool don¡¯t do something so rash! You won¡¯t win, you will be killed, you idiot!¡±


    A horrible scream comes from my sister''s room, and I say, ¡°I can¡¯t just let this happen!¡±


    I struggle to get the knife back out of my mother''s hand but my mother resists and then slaps me in my face, and almost as if Danu is laughing at us, my father reappears in front of us at that moment.


    He viscously kicks my mother to the floor, and then says, ¡°You dare hit my son!¡±


    He throws my sister onto my mother and says, ¡°You ingrate, taking up a weapon in your hand, and trying to punish my son. You a fool, just a foolish scum who got lucky.


    You were never able to do anything go, you never had any value before I picked you yet you failed me time, and time again. You are nothing, and I won¡¯t ever listen to a word that comes out of your fucking mouth again.


    He kicks her again, and again, then says, ¡°That¡¯s why you raised such a faulty daughter as well!¡±


    My sister grabs onto my father''s arm and makes unintelligible noises, but it is clear to me that she is begging him to stop hurting our mother.


    But seeing this drives my father into an even deeper rage and he strikes her harder than he has even struck my mother.


    From her mouth, teeth and blood fall out and my father says, ¡°I am sick of this attention-seeking behaviour from you. Do you even know the looks of shame I now have pointing at me because of this, you¡¯re a Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan yet you can¡¯t do something even humans can do, people talk and insult me because of this, do you even know how that feels!¡±


    Putting his finger in her, mouth he says, ¡°Talk you fool, I know you can stop with your lies. One doesn¡¯t just lose the ability to do something they always could!¡±


    He keeps doing this until my sister throws up, and as some lands on him he smacks her down and looks at my mother while saying, ¡°I would sell this trash to others, as your mother did to you, but even if one of them accidentally got her pregnant like us, they wouldn¡¯t accept a disgusting roach like her, and that¡¯s all your fault!¡±


    My mother cowers and says, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    My sister gets in between the both of them and puts up both of her hands signalling my father to stop. So he says, ¡°Are you going to speak now?¡±


    In clear visible pain my sister brings her tail in front of them, and controlling the hairs on it she spells out the words, ¡°Please stop Father, I love you and I am sorry for this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sorry?¡± My father laughs and says, ¡°Ok then, show it.¡±


    Moving to the storage room my father grabs something and then comes back out holding a belt, and says, ¡°Then prove it.¡±


    He begins to whip my mother and my sister so I shout, ¡°FATHER DON¡¯T DO THIS!¡±


    ¡°SHUT YOUR MOUTH! You need to be quiet and see how a man disciplines his family when they don¡¯t know how to behave!¡±


    ¡°You kill them!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, but if you don¡¯t stand there and watch I might.¡±


    My father proceeds to beat them both viscously, more so than ever before.  My mother holds Minagrain, and they both cry together, but soon the blood from their cracked skin flows far more than the tears in all three of our eyes.


    Soon my father stops, and says, ¡°You¡¯re forgiven for today, so you better have dinner ready when I return.¡± And like the wind he is gone.


    I instantly move over to both of them and cry saying, ¡°Mother, Minagrain!¡±


    My mother says, ¡°I should be fine, but we need to bandage up Minagrain. I will need you to run to our local doctor, and request some supplies, but make sure he doesn¡¯t know what happened.¡±


    Standing over the both of them, I say, ¡°Mother I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad?¡±


    ¡°We need to leave, we can¡¯t stay here, our lives will be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°No need for that, I know what a horrible mother is like, and I can guarantee your dad isn¡¯t that bad. And in the future when you are older you can protect us.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t have a future! Every day he gets closer to killing Minagrain, and I don¡¯t want her to die, so if you don¡¯t come with us I will have to take her and go.¡±


    My mother drops Minagrain to the ground and wraps her arms around me saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me, I won¡¯t be able to survive without you. Your mother will die here, your mother won¡¯t sleep, your mother will be forced into doing whatever he wants. Without the both of you I will die, what man would let his mother die like this? Are you this type of man? Is it not a man''s job to protect the woman in his life? Did I raise you to hate me so much?¡±


    ¡°Mommy no, I don¡¯t want that to happen to you.¡±


    Hugging me tighter and whaling like a child, she says, ¡°So please stay with us, please stay with me, without the both of you I have no reason to live, I will die Ferdiad, I will die!¡±


    As my mother breaks down in my arms, I hug her and say, ¡°I won¡¯t go, I will stay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ferdiad, thank you.¡±

 Arc 10.73: A signal of destruction part 10

    -Break-


    Those days continued, and as I expected father''s abuse got worse with each passing day. He hurt them more and more while leaving visible scar after visible scar, and eventually, they reached a point where neither could leave the house.


    Minagrain spent every day crying and trying to force herself to speak but it was all to no avail. It just broke her heart more and more, so I hugged her and made her let it all out in my arms.


    It was horrible that she had to stay in that house all day, never letting anyone else see her. But for me, I was liberated, because now I could move around unfettered with anyone reporting my actions.


    With this new freedom, came an idea, one that would allow me to end all of this once and for all.


    Holding a dead fish in my arms, I walk in front of my Hewt¡¯s house and say, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Expecting it he says, ¡°This is a high-quality salmon, it is good to have you around Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that, just hand me my rewards.¡±


    In my hands, I am handed some Red branch coins, and then I run away, ¡°Saying thank you.¡±


    Holding them in my hands, I say, ¡°Now I no longer have to wait!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Gorias


    In front of a blacksmith, I walk in and am greeted by many different men working. Nervous I walk forward and there I am stopped by a man, who says, ¡°What does a child like you want here?¡±


    The man is old and riding a wonderbeast, so I say, ¡°I want to buy a weapon, whatever you have I just need it to do a job.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    I sweat a bit then say, ¡°For my father, I plan to give him a present before he leaves for war.¡±


    ¡°I see, then how much do you have.¡±


    I drop some coins in front of him, and he says, ¡°So these red branch coins are Fuinseog, it seems you got a good family to back these off against, they are doing rather well after their last battle, and are currently ranked 5<sup>th</sup> in value among all of the different red branch families.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I say with a smile.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know, well you¡¯re a lucky one. With these, you can buy whatever you want in this room.¡±


    I look around, and soon I see an iron spear so I say, ¡°I will take this one.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    The small cuboid wonderbeast the man is riding opens its mouth and sticks out its long tongue to grab the spear off the wall, then the man hands me the spear and my coins back saying, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Why are you returning my coins?¡±


    ¡°Judging from the callous on your hands I can tell that a boy like you has worked really hard to buy this for your dad, so I have decided to reward that effort, it is as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°I think you should take it, because I won¡¯t have any use for it after today,¡± I say sticking out my hand with the money open.


    He closes my hand and says, ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason I want you to keep it, if you want to be kind to me make sure you get value out of this.¡±


    I nod my head and run out. With my spear in hand, I run happily through Gorias moving towards the exit, but as I do I run into another person and then fall onto my butt dropping my spear.


    Recovering I go to pick up my spear, and as I do someone else picks it up and says, ¡°This is a rather nice spear, I claim it as my own.¡±


    Looking up, I see a boy with silver hair and golden eyes, some type of wolf beastkin. Getting up, I say, ¡°Hey, give that back?¡±


    ¡°Is this yours? Well not anymore, since it is mine now. Bye, bye now.¡±


    Moving up to him I grab his shoulder, but then he grabs my body and pins me to the ground saying, ¡°I prefer not to be touched by lowly peasants just like you, and I am sure this beautiful spear doesn¡¯t like it either so shut your mouth and stay in place.¡±


    ¡°Give it back.¡± The boy smashes my head into the ground quickly in response to my demand.


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    Then he says, ¡°Peasant trash like you has no right to ask anything of me like this, so remember to be a good little dog and go back home to your mommy.¡±


    Getting up, he walks away while saying, ¡°I swear the trash around here is getting far too uppity.¡±


    As he moves away I start to cry and tears fall from my eyes whilst blood falls from my head, and soon a man comes up to me and says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    I swat him away, but he says, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked that, it is not like you would admit it.¡±


    Ripping off a piece of his cloth he wraps it around my head, then says, ¡°That¡¯s Setanta he is a child of the red branch family that lives around here, and essentially goes about doing what he wants.¡±


    Looking up, I see he is flipping up the skirts of any girl he passes by.


    The man says, ¡°It is best to keep your head down around him, since for as arrogant as he. Setanta is also strong so please take care.¡± After finishing my bandages, he leaves and I get up to do the same.


    As I walk away, I simply look down in shame with my tears non-stopping. Why does this have to happen to me? I went through all of that effort, yet even when it seems I am finally having a good day someone has to come and ruin it. I am always looked down, upon all told what I have to do, I am not even allowed to protect my sister from my father, and at the end of all of this hardship, I get insulted by a child who has never faced hardship!


    -Break-


    ¦µ On the outskirts of the town Setanta uses his new spear, and as he does from behind him someone runs up and tries to tackle him so he jumps up and away from the attack.


    Turning around, he says, ¡°I thought I told you to stay down you fool.¡±


    ¦µ With tears down my eyes, I say, ¡°Return that spear to me!¡±


    Setanta hits me in the stomach and then says, ¡°Make me.¡±


    As I reel from the blow, Setanta walks away and says, ¡°At least be able to fight before you make demands you bitch.¡±


    On the floor holding my stomach, I say, ¡°Return my spear, apologize to me, and to all of the women whose you touched today, you scummy brat.¡±


    ¦µ Setanta infuriated by this Kicks Ferdiad in the face, but to his surprise, Ferdiad doesn¡¯t fly away. Instead, he sinks his teeth right into Setanta¡¯s leg and mumbles, ¡°Apologise.¡±


    Setanta punches him on the side of his head saying, ¡°Let go of me you peasant.¡±


    But as he does this Ferdiad grabs Setanta''s other leg with his tail and makes him fall on his butt then he strikes his right in the groin causing Setanta to reel in pain.


    Ferdiad then rips a piece of leg meat right out of Setanta and then spits it on him, and then he says, ¡°What¡¯s wrong mister prince, you were acting all high and mighty but now you are on the floor like a beaten down puppy.¡±


    Even more enraged by this Setanta says, ¡°Every bone in your body is going to break for those words.¡±


    Getting up Setanta punches Ferdiad, but Ferdiad manages to hold on and punches Setanta back in the face directly.


    Taking the blow Setanta says, ¡°Is that all you got!¡± Then release a flurry of hits to Ferdiad.


    ¦µ Oh fuck, if this goes on I am going to die. He keeps hitting me and dodges right as I am about to hit him, and even if I land a blow he can take it far better than I can.


    It hurts, it hurts really fucking bad, no beastkin should ever have to face this kind of punishment. But my little sister takes even worse than this all the time, from someone she believes loves her, from someone who she relies on for protection.


    She is strong, far stronger than I am.


    I always hated myself for not being able to do anything as they get beaten, making illusions of how if Father would attack me instead of them, I would easily hold through all the abuse, but after taking this I know I was full of shit. But at least for now, I will try to change that.


    Watch closely, and strike. Dodgin Setanta blows I hit him in the face once, and then again, and then again, between each of my blows he lands more than I ever do, but I won¡¯t go down.


    ¦µ Stepping back Setanta says, ¡°Why the hell won¡¯t you go down!¡±


    ¡°Because I am tired of having no control over my life, if someone hurts my family I will kill them, and if someone looks down on me I will fight back that¡¯s how I am going to live from now on!¡±


    Ferdiad moves forward and hits Setanta right in the face, which causes him to fall to one knee. Excited by this Setanta smiles and says, ¡°You¡¯re on then you fucking peasant, I can¡¯t wait to see you break into pieces!¡±


    They both fight with all of their hearts and despite everything, they smile as they do.


    -Break-


    Exhausted both of them walk towards one another, and Ferdiad says, ¡°How is that you royal asshole.¡±


    ¡°You talk a big game from someone whose face is lumpy like a field of burial mounts.¡±


    ¡°Well only one of us will win in the end,¡± Ferdiad says moving forward.


    ¡°And it will be me!¡± Setanta says throwing a punch.


    Dodging Setanta''s punch Ferdiad throws his head into Setanta¡¯s Diaphragm and says, ¡°Take this!¡±


    Falling to the ground, Setanta falls on his back and Ferdiad on top of him says, ¡°Apologise you bastard,¡± while hitting him.


    Exhausted, Setanta says, ¡°You won, I am sorry.¡±


    Ferdiad yells at the top of his lungs then fall over right beside Setanta and says, ¡°And you better go apologize to everyone you messed with you bitch!¡±


    Setanta covers his face and tears run down and seeing this Ferdiad starts to look around and the reality of what he has done crashes down on him, and he says, ¡°I just beat the shit out of the son of one of the most powerful men in the empire.¡±


    He starts to sweat profusely, and says, ¡°I guess I am dead.¡±


    But as he says this Setanta jumps up and says, ¡°I never knew why Father would waste time on all of you useless pieces of trash, but if all of the other peasants and commoners can be as amazing as you, I see why he cares for Gorias so much!¡±


    ¡°Is that a compliment?¡±


    Picking me up and putting me on my feet, Setanta says, ¡°Of course, it is since from today on you got my approval.¡±


    Laughing a bit, Ferdiad says, ¡°I guess that¡¯s worth something.¡±


    ¡°Be jealous not many people could get the blessing from the nephew of the high king.¡±


    Ferdiad with a smile of disbelief, says, ¡°You mean you have royal blood?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Ferdiad starts to panic internally, and as he does Setanta says, ¡°You have the victory today, but don¡¯t worry I will win the next eight times.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t even get one.¡±


    ¡°We will see about that, but for today it is your complete victory. See you later.¡±


    Setanta walks past me and throws the spear towards me saying, ¡°Master that, since I am at my best with a spear in hand. Now onto apologising to all the women I met today.¡±


    As he walks away, I smile and say, ¡°I actually managed to win.¡± Then for a little while, I just cry in this spot.

 Arc 10.74: A signal of destruction part 11

    -Break-


    Location: Minabr¨®d¡¯s home


    With Cambell over my body, I feel pain in my face repeatedly. With tears streaming down his face he continues to hit me whilst saying, ¡°Why, why, why, why, why did you try and kill me son? I loved you, I have always been here for you why!?¡±


    Spitting out some teeth, I smile and say, ¡°Two strangers I met today showed me more compassion than you could ever even muster. You¡¯re a failure of a man, you¡¯re a failure of a father, and I hate you with all my heart scum.¡±


    Cambell hits me directly in the face again, then gets up and faces my mother who is holding my sister in her arms, and as they cower my father says, ¡°It is your fault witch, you turned my son against me, a stupid whore like you and your insignificant daughter planned this against me.¡±


    Cambell throws at punch at my mother, and I get in the way defending the both of them. Then looking him in the face, I say, ¡°You won¡¯t be laying a hand on these two ever again Cambell, remember that you fool.¡±


    He smacks me again, but I use my body to protect them both from his hits. It hurts really bad, so much so that I feel like I could die at any moment. But it doesn¡¯t hurt as much as what Minagrain went through.


    I laugh a bit, and Cambell says, ¡°What¡¯s so funny!¡±


    ¡°I know a child who hits harder, you fucking embarrassment.¡±


    He hits us all so hard that our positions on the floor move, then he walks to the wall and gets his cane whilst saying, ¡°You aren¡¯t mine. None of you could be mine, because my own children would never betray me like this. You cheated on me didn¡¯t you bitch.¡±


    My mother as if she still hopes for his affection says, ¡°I would never do such a thing to you I promise!¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES!¡± He says while his tears fall down.


    He comes toward us with rage in his eyes, and as he does my mothers looks completely distraught so I just hold my sister and brace for impact. But then on our door, a loud knock comes through.


    This forces Cambell to stop in his tracks and moments later, he says, ¡°If any of you move from that corner, or make noise you¡¯re dead.¡±


    Cambell says, ¡°We are busy with family time, so I need you to leave.¡±


    At this same moment, I shout, ¡°WE NEED HELP!¡±


    So Cambell throws something directly at us, and then says, ¡°There has been some chaos within this household, please return soon.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be happening we shall have a chat now.¡±


    Moving closer towards the door, Cambell opens it and says, ¡°GET THE HELL OFF MY LAND!¡±


    But as he does he starts to back away slowly out of fear, and then moments later a man with silver hair and golden eyes walks in with an entourage of armoured beastkin then says, ¡°Considering I am the king of all of Gorias, I could very well say the same thing to you.¡±


    Looking at the man, I utter the words, ¡°Setanta?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the name of my son, and according to him, you so happen to have assaulted my son today.¡±


    Cambell looks at me with eyes of fear, and shock, then in the most pathetic tone he has ever put on he bows his head and says, ¡°I am sorry for my son''s transgressions, I will punish him for this.¡±


    Walking past Cambell, the king of Gorias says, ¡°In the state your family is in a few strikes from a cane like that would kill them.¡±


    He then puts his hands on Cambell''s shoulders and says, ¡°A real man should think ahead, and not act purely emotions all the time. Balance is necessary.¡±


    He comes over to us and, then pats my sister and I on the head saying, ¡°It will be all right now.¡±


    His hand is gentle and kind, but also strong. Feeling it I can only think of one word, a father. Because this kind of touch is something a child expects from their father.


    But as the king does this I see Cambell swing the cane towards his head, so I try to say something, but the kind interrupts me and says, ¡°Don¡¯t do something so reckless without thinking ahead, you¡¯re lucky Setanta didn¡¯t kill you.¡±


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    The hand my father uses to hold the cane falls off, and then moments later blood spurts from my father''s neck. The king then says, ¡°Take him away, children shouldn¡¯t have to see such a thing.¡±


    As they take my father away, I pass out while thinking; he is so strong.


    -Break-


    Opening my eyes, I see a Setanta looking down on me, and then he says, ¡°Good morning you ugly princess.¡±


    Jumping up, I say, ¡°What the heck are you doing here!¡±


    ¡°I came about an hour after my father arrived.¡±


    I look around and see a group of soldiers around my house, then I try to run towards it but I fall down in pain right onto the floor, and Setanta says, ¡°You''re way too injured to be moving around.¡±


    ¡°But I got to go check on my family, I don¡¯t even know what happened to my father or where the king is?¡±


    ¡°My father is giving out to your uncle for allowing this abuse to continue, and your mom and sister are getting examined inside their. They are with some of the best doctors Gorias has to offer, I should know because they patched me up today.¡±


    Looking at the wounds on his face, I say, ¡°I didn¡¯t give you all of those where do you have them.¡±


    ¡°Oh these are from me apologising to all of the maid staff and women in Gorias, they beat the hell out of me. That was our agreement.¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°I guess it was, but still I am going to be punished pretty badly for this.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that my father didn¡¯t come here to punish you.¡±


    Confused I ask, ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    Standing up with a smile, Setanta says, ¡°I have been looking for ways to get back at you for our fight today, and I found my answer. From now until the day you die a glorious death as my meat shield, you will be my property.¡±


    ¡°Huh!¡±


    ¡°No let¡¯s get going Ferdiad!¡±


    ¡°No way, I don¡¯t plan to ever be at the side of a crazy man like you.¡±


    ¡°Too late, you either join me or I burn down the entire land here.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just do that!¡±


    ¡°Of course I can, for I am the prince!¡±


    Suddenly one of the soldiers who passes by us says, ¡°Setanta doesn¡¯t have that authority.¡±


    He makes a dumbstruck face, and I say, ¡°You can¡¯t even be honest with me no way in hell will I ever I trust my life to a man like you.¡±


    ¡°I see, but regardless you will be at my side forever you bastard.¡±


    ¡°There is no amount of money you could pay me to do that.¡±


    ¡°How about -Censor- amount?¡±


    Frozen out of shock, I say, ¡°I must have misheard you how much did you just say again.¡±


    ¡°If you successfully become my right-hand man and join me on my battlefields, -Censor- amount will become pocket change for you.¡±


    As the amount of things, I could do with that money washes over my head, I stop and say, ¡°I can¡¯t do this regardless, I am just a fir bolg. Making me the right hand of the future king of Gorias is just too much.¡±


    Setanta punches me in my face and sends me towards the ground. ¡°What the heck was that for.¡±


    ¡°Not once in my life have I ever experienced anything as fun as fighting you. Most of the people I have met are nothing but pushovers with barely any will at all, they are all trash to me, but for the first time in my life that has changed, and I now see the world differently.


    When I am in charge I am going to wreak so much havoc and make everyone inside of Gorias reach their full potential by any means necessary, and as the man who started that chaos, it is your responsibility to help. So take responsibility you damn deadbeat.¡±


    Setanta sticks out his hand in front of me, and as he does I pause for a moment. This all feels too ridiculous to be reality, but if by some off chance, it is, I can¡¯t let this moment disappear.


    Grabbing his hand, I say, ¡°You''re on. But if I start to outshine you don¡¯t complain.¡±


    ¡°I hope you do.¡±


    Suddenly from my side, I am tackled by Minagrain. She cries on top of me endlessly, so I just hug her and say, ¡°Everything will be alright now.¡±


    She gets up from me and as she does, she sees Setanta''s face incredibly close to her. Setanta then smiles, and says, ¡°You are of passing beauty, so I shall allow you to be my 421<sup>st</sup> wife, if you work hard I am sure you might be able to climb up the rankings and become number 400.¡±


    Setanta then proceeds to hug my sister, and she cries in response so I hit him and say, ¡°Don¡¯t touch my sister!¡± While hiding her behind me.


    ¡°Return my wife to me this instant.¡±


    ¡°I will kill you!¡± just like that both of us began to fight yet again.


    -Present time-


    ¡°I can¡¯t die yet I made a promise.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°I won¡¯t falter, I won¡¯t lose here.¡±


    The men who see me get up come towards me and start to strike my again, and again. So I block, parry, dodge, whatever I can do to keep living and when I find a moment I strike with so much force that my spear breaks.


    So I use Red branch battle arts to grab another one and continue this process. If the humans want to use their allies as shields, then I will just stab through them as well. I won¡¯t stop, I won¡¯t give up until I win!


    I continue to fight, and as I do I see some of my men crawl their bodies up and continue fighting as well.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let Ferdiad die here, no matter what we have to make sure the arm and the leg return to Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    They all fight using whatever method they can, some of them only have one attack left in them and they use all of their remaining will to make sure they get it off.


    In front of me, Cruadhlaoich stands and says, ¡°Take a moment to catch your breath Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°But I can still fight.¡±


    ¡°No, right now they are fighting with the hope of you surviving, so please rest for a moment, and then strike our foes down. You are the future of Gorias.¡±


    I grip my spear, and say, ¡°Right!¡±


    As my men get cut down defending me, I take a moment to gather myself and all I am. Right now I need to put everything I can into this spear and strike.


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower.¡± Dashing from my stationary positions I move and pierce the necks of the remaining humans, and as I do I see the same flowy aura around my spear.


    When my attack comes to an end, I look at my hand and say, ¡°I never felt strength like that before, what the heck just happened.¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°We need to get up and go now, anyone who can move please help the others get onto your horses.¡±


    Suddenly from behind me, I hear something quickly approach all of us, and as it does I turn around to block an attack but my spear is broken into pieces and I am sent flying backwards.

 Arc 10.75: A signal of destruction part 12

    Location: Basecamp


    ¦µ As I stare down at Setanta''s face, I say, ¡°Please wake up.¡±


    Suddenly he opens his eyes and says, ¡°Laeg you scandalous harlot, I never thought you would try to steal a kiss as I sleep, well then here you go.¡±


    He kisses me on the forehead, and says, ¡°That should satiate your desires you beast.¡±


    I prepare to hit him, but then relax and hug him saying, ¡°I am so happy you''re ok!¡±


    Rubbing the back of my head, he says, ¡°Not even the god of the humans could rip me off this planet so young, never worry about such things.¡±


    ¡°But how did you even wake up, I was told you would be out for at least two days with your wounds.¡±


    Setanta jumps all around and says, ¡°I feel amazing so it seems you were off.¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t move around your wounds could reope-.Wait they are all gone!¡±


    Examining his body, I say, ¡°All of your wounds have healed with no scars.¡±


    ¡°You guys must have fed me well whilst I was sleeping.¡±


    ¡°We did, but isn¡¯t this a ridiculous amount of healing in such a short period of time.¡±


    Laughing proudly, Setanta says, ¡°I guess I am just special.¡±


    From the other side of our tent, we hear, ¡°You really are an energetic young boy.¡±


    Bowing my head, I say, ¡°General Ru¨¢n, sorry for the disturbance my master has caused I will remove him from here immediately.¡±


    As I try to pull Setanta out, he says, ¡°So you fell for the trap Ru¨¢n. By the burns, I am guessing they set their settlement on fire.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but how could you know about that?¡±


    ¡°Because I noticed back during our strategy meeting that we are all supposed to be a decoy.¡±


    ¡°Decoy?¡± Ru¨¢n says.


    ¡°I was planning to explain this after I felled the wonderbeast, but it seems I passed out before I could. Gather everyone I will talk about it now.¡±


    -Break-


    With everyone gathered around Setanta, he says, ¡°You see during the strategy meeting, I thought it was weird that if this plan was it we would need all of these different houses and resources to fulfil this plan.


    In all honesty, I am pretty sure the Faol¨¢in house could have completed this whole mission by themselves, my father completely hastes waste and inefficiency, yet he would do something like this?


    But then I noticed a few different things, like how my father and the elite of the Faol¨¢in house are currently nowhere on the battlefield. Despite me clearly seeing him talk to them, I also caught my father sending his own scouts out after the report from the Fuinseogs came back.


    In all honesty, the only reason I could think that he would do all of these things, pulls bringing four different red branch houses is because the humans were going to leave this castle.¡±


    Ru¨¢n says, ¡°So you think your father knew the humans would abandon their settlement?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, if we were to look at this battlefield the humans here have been far more advanced than most of the settlements within Terrafide, so they probably have ways to spot scouts.


    In my opinion, the humans who lived here are escaped slaves, and they are probably aware of the Fuinseog hunting methods if they were in servitude to us at any point.¡±


    I add, ¡°But would slaves really have that much information on us?¡±


    D¨¢ith¨ª responds, ¡°Up until around the last twenty years or so, many humans were working closely with beastkin as direct slaves until our number reached an amount where they weren¡¯t necessary.


    Due to many nobles'' negligence, a lot of humans ran off with detailed information about us that we didn¡¯t want them to know. This wasn¡¯t a problem till that rogue group kept liberating the plantations.¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°Even if you go back to the first day many of the humans we came across should have headed back to the castle to reinforce as quickly as possible, but instead they kept trying to slow us down. As if they knew to make sure we couldn¡¯t reach the castle during the first day, because if we did we would have spotted the humans leaving.¡±


    Taking one of the army pieces on the map, Setanta says, ¡°The humans probably went through the mountain range to escape, and if I know my father he has set up an ambush as they are about to leave to end them.¡±


    Many faces around us look surprised and shocked, but some look angry, and one of those angry faces says, ¡°That means your father knew the castle was a trap?¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he tell us? Some of our men got killed and the rest including our lord were almost killed. I know you Faol¨¢in have your peculiarities but this is an intentional slight against the L¨²cogadh¡¯s, comparable to an assassination plot.¡±


    Setanta gets on his knees and bows his head into the ground, and says, ¡°I apologise. My father probably planned for me to inform you all of this, but my weakness led me to get knocked out of the fight early.


    I am deeply sorry for this slight against all of you, and I ask that you put me in contact with the families of everyone who was injured due to my foolishness so I can apologize.¡±


    Putting his hand on my shoulder, Ru¨¢n says, ¡°No need to do such a thing, I should have been much more careful, and the reason so many of my men are still alive is due to your downing of that wonderbeast, so all is forgiven.¡±


    ¡°I see but please still put me in touch with the families.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    D¨¢ith¨ª says, ¡°Hey there is one issue I see with your plan.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How would the humans be able to get past the mountain range by themselves? The number of humans definitely can¡¯t be small, and that place if filled with wonderbeasts. Even us beastkin would struggle to get past that mountain.¡±


    ¡°You''re right we would struggle, but I am sure the strongest amongst us could easily get through that area, even guiding others would be an easy feat.¡±


    ¡°What are you sayin-.¡± I come to a sudden realization and then say, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean the humans are assisted by.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Ferdiad¡¯s encampment


    ¦µ In front of me I see a group of six men all covered from head to toe in black armour with shark designs on them, they all look very similar except that they all have smells related to different animals on them.


    ¡°You¡¯re beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    One of them charge at me with a great sword, so I dodge, and try to grab another spear.


    With it in my hand, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower.¡± Then I move forward to clash against my foes.


    But as I clash against the man in front, he says, ¡°You have already noticed it haven¡¯t you, that I am above you.¡±


    He instantly swats me away, and as he does I can feel the difference between us, but worse than that I can see his body is covered in that flowy aura.


    Armour that is hard to pierce, skills comparable to me, physical capabilities of a beastkin, and the abilities to use that flowy energy, he isn¡¯t someone I can beat just like that. If all of his allies are similar to him in strength then we will be annihilated.


    ¡°I take it that you guys are the reason the humans where able to survive this long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and you happened to slaughter quite a few of them, though since you are a child if you throw down your weapon and surrender we will let you go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d sooner die.¡±


    ¡°Ok then,¡± proceeds to lunge towards me, but his attack is blocked by two beastkin who get in his way.


    Suddenly I hear, Cruadhlaoich scream, ¡°WE NEED TO PROTECT FERDIAD WITH ALL OF OUR HEART!¡±


    Groups of Faol¨¢in men run in front of me, and put their lives on the line to protect me, and as they do i see them butchered to pieces.


    Then from behind me, I hear Ibar say, ¡°Ferdiad we need to go.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°They organized this so we can leave, if we don¡¯t go now all of us will be annihilated, and the humans could escape.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t just leave them.¡±


    Ever since that day I met Setanta countless things have changed in my life for the better. So many people have done things to look out for me.


    -Setanta-


    Location: Gorias Castle


    Walking into a room, I say, ¡°Setanta where did you take my sister!¡±


    Suddenly a maid walks in front of me, and says, ¡°They are over there but please don¡¯t interrupt them.¡±


    Following the maid, I see that Setanta, Minagrain and a group of other staff are all making their weird movements, and I ask, ¡°What are they doing.¡±


    ¡°Setanta has been making a visual language for Minagrain, and he is making sure all of the staff learn it.¡±


    Looking at Minagrain smile as she communicates with some of the maids, I say, ¡°Why would he do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Because our young master has taken an interest in the potential of all the people of Gorias, due to a certain someone.¡±


    -Soldiers-


    Location: Training grounds


    Beaten and bruised on the ground, I say, ¡°How the heck am I supposed to beat him.¡±


    From behind me, Crudaloich says, ¡°Well Setanta has a habit of always trying to meet his opponents so you can use that to create a trap.¡±


    Someone else says, ¡°His footing is incredibly important so always try and knock him off balance.¡±


    ¡°Setanta has sensitive ears so if you scream loudly you might be able to distract him.¡±


    More and more men come and start giving me pointers, and I ask, ¡°Why are you all going this far for me? I have been given this position unworldly, yet I know outrank many of you.¡±


    The men look at each other and laugh, then they start to talk.


    ¡°You had the balls to punch Setanta in the face, I wouldn¡¯t call that someone who is unworthy.¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, all of us have given up on trying to match the young master but you are still charging into that mountain.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t fools we know our limits, but you can still surpass yours so we will support you in that endeavours.¡±


    ¡°The idea of someone from a fir bolg family like you standing next to Setanta has us all excited.¡±


    -Lugh-


    Location: Lugh¡¯s office


    Standing in front of me, Lugh bowed his head and says, ¡°I am sorry for my oversight.¡±


    ¡°Please raise your head you shouldn¡¯t be apologizing to me.¡±


    ¡°I am the father of all who live in Gorias yet I allowed such a thing to happen in my own home, I apologize that you had to experience such a thing.¡±


    Suddenly I start to cry, and say, ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, it seems I have done something to upset you again.¡±


    ¡°No, I am really happy, it is just that I have never received this kind of care the entire time I used to live with Cambell, it just made me really happy.¡±


    -Sc¨¢thach-


    Walking behind my master, I ask, ¡°I think I should stop.¡±


    ¡°IS my training too hard for you Ferdiad?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it is not only that, I am simply not worthy of all of this, the more I study, the more I train, the more I spend time with Setanta, I learn he is someone utterly destined for greatness, I can¡¯t be his ally.


    Someone like me who was born from such a vile piece of shit, can never become the equal of him no matter how much I wish to, my fate is simply to never reach this far.¡±


    With her shadows, she slaps me on the face, then says, ¡°Understand this, Ferdiad you are your own man. There are many in this world who have the benefits they have inherited from the past, but at the end of the day we will all have to forge our own paths.


    Countless people in the world have passed down love from the creation to now, and there is definitely enough love for you as well, so even if you don¡¯t believe in yourself, never believe that you are below anyone. Because I can guarantee from birth you have to ability to stand up proud.¡±


    I cry more, and say, ¡°What kind of warrior am I.¡±


    ¡°It is fine to cry, and I can promise you I will always listen to such cries.¡±


    The house of Faol¨¢in and all those who make it up have done countless amazing things for me, and I can¡¯t betray those hopes or wishes, but more than that I can never abandon them!


    I ignore Ibar and dash forward.

 Arc 10.76: A signal of destruction part 13

    With a tight grip on my spear, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower.¡±


    Then I dash forward knocking as many of the enemy soldiers away as possible. I move from place to place striking down as many of them as I can and as I do this, I shout, ¡°I won¡¯t let any of you die.¡±


    ¡°You need to leave Ferdiad!¡±


    ¡°No way, unless all of you come with me. You guys are my family, and none of you shall die here!¡±


    I continue to move faster and faster knocking back their enemies, but due to their armour, I cannot strike a killing blow on any of them.


    Yet he manages to push many of them back, and he says, ¡°I will slay all of you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re far too arrogant for your skill level, and I will show you that now.¡±


    One of the armoured beastkin gets in a stance that is all too familiar to me. Shocked, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts!¡±


    ¡°Clover.¡±


    The beastkin then lunges forward and is about to hit me with clover, but as his spear comes towards me, Cruadhlaoich gets in the way, and the beastkin sword goes straight through his head.


    Seeing this I freeze out of shock, and before I can regain myself the beastkin pulls back his sword, and kicks Cruadhlaoich¡¯s body right into mine, sending me flying back.


    ¡°Defend Ferdiad,¡± many of my men say as I lie on the ground.


    Getting up, I look at Cruadhlaoich¡¯s dead body and hold him saying, ¡°Please get up, you can¡¯t die here, don¡¯t you want to beat the smug look off of Setanta¡¯s face? Your daughter and wife are waiting for you at home, so please get up.¡±


    But my time to grieve over his death is soon cut short, as the soldiers break through the shield of my men. Then they stare at me holding Cruadhlaoich and say, ¡°This is the end of you.¡±


    Suddenly from above me, I start to hear a loud sound, and turning around I notice that T¨¦ad and the rest of the L¨²cogadh¡¯s cavalry are running down the hill towards us.


    They crash into the enemy soldiers, and as they do T¨¦ad picks me up and starts to run away, saying ¡°We need to get out of here immediately.¡±


    Trying to resist with my tired body, I say, ¡°Let me go, you traitor.¡±


    ¡°I did not betray you, I went to go gather my men to make sure we would have enough strength to turn the tides. If you look you can see that my men are picking up the injured Faol¨¢in men.¡±


    Seeing that his words are true I start to quiet, down, but then I say, ¡°Behind you!¡±


    Behind him, one of the armoured beastkin is in the air, above our heads. Did he use sky flower to jump this high? Regardless of the way he is coming towards us, where going to be hit.


    As his sword is about to swing at T¨¦ad, Ibar riding Crunniuc crashes into him, and screams, ¡°GET FERDIAD OUT OF HERE!¡±


    ¡°IBAR!¡±


    ¡°Please take care of my sister.¡±


    Soon Crunniuc''s head is cut off, and Ibar falls off then I shout, ¡°We need to go back right now!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°Of course we can, as the commanding officer in charge of this scouting party, I demand you turn around right now!¡±


    Suddenly T¨¦ad slaps me and says, ¡°You need to shut up right now.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!¡± He says back at me with an enraged expression. ¡°All of those men including that boy have put their lives on the line to protect yours.


    I am merely the third child of the Lucogadh, born from a mistress. I was never treated with respect or care by people outside my father no matter how well I did.


    Not a single person would be willing to go to the lengths that all those people went to for me unless it was for the sake of my house''s honour. But countless men just put their lives on the line for you, so be respectful and live to fight another day.¡±


    Unable to hold myself up, I say, ¡°But they shouldn¡¯t die for someone like me?¡±


    ¡°And someone like me shouldn¡¯t have been awarded this spot when there are people like Ibar who are far better riders than me. But still, this is where we are in life and we need to find a way to deal with it. So please just let us go.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Falling silent I let the L¨²cogadh¡¯s ride us to safety.


    Location: Basecamp


    ¦µ Turning his head in horror, Setanta says, ¡°What the hell do you mean Ferdiad and Ibar are chasing after them.¡±


    ¡°They went out earlier to scout ahead of where the humans disappeared too, and haven¡¯t returned yet. We got a messenger bird that told us they were heading into the mountain just a few moments ago.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°If they are chasing the humans into the mountain range they might get attacked by those beastkin who are working with the humans.¡±


    Trying to calm Setanta¡¯s nerves, I say, ¡°So what they went with a pretty strong party, and Ferdiad is just as tough as you.¡±


    ¡°My father is personally going to the battlefield to surprise attack the humans, he never would do such a thing unless he thinks it¡¯s imperative. So that must mean there is someone of strength who is making my father that this precaution.¡±


    The room around us all becomes tense, and then Setanta shoots up and says, ¡°I need to go and warn them.¡±


    Ru¨¢n says, ¡°It would be faster to send the bird back.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t risk that, I need to go personally and make sure they get the message.¡±


    ¡°But it is nightfall and there is no way you will make it there in time.¡±


    ¡°There is one way, if I ride diagonally across the mountain range, I should be able to make it to their current location. Where they were headed was disclosed in the message after all.¡±


    Ru¨¢n says, ¡°It¡¯s impossible, they could still be wonderbeasts, and you would have to ride through incredibly uneven terrain in the dead of night, no one could do it.¡±


    ¡°I could,¡± I say raising my hand.


    Setanta looks at me, and says, ¡°Laeg, are you sure?¡±


    I put both of my hands on Setanta''s shoulders and say, ¡°You told me to decide things for myself, and any risk is worth making sure all of our people come back alive, so trust me.¡±


    Setanta smiles, and says, ¡°I do. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    As we start to move, Ru¨¢n shouts, ¡°Send messengers to each of the armies scattered about, and inform them of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Slowly opening my eyes, I see a beastkin in front of me, who is dressed in the same armour as the men who attacked us, but he isn¡¯t wearing a mask.


    Seeing him, I become incredibly angry and try to move, but then I notice that I am sitting on the floor and tied to a try.


    The man is currently peeling an apple, and upon hearing me move he looks up and says, ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake.¡±


    I instantly start looking around, and there I see that many of the armoured beastkin are simply walking around unbothered by my presence.


    ¡°Hey you look sort of hungry, do you want an apple?¡±


    Glaring at him I ask, ¡°Where am I?¡±


    A woman¡¯s voice says, ¡°You¡¯re at our base camp.¡±


    Looking up to my right, I see a Fanalis relaxing on a tree.


    The man then says, ¡°What Saoirse said is correct, we brought you back after we won our battle. Oh and by the way I am named Craig.¡±


    ¡°Why have you not killed me.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a child.¡±


    Saoirse then says, ¡°And since you seem to be friends with the leader, they might foolishly come back for you without getting reinforcements.¡±


    Craig, says, ¡°Hey Saoirse, no need to be so crass. I would have you know that I simply just don¡¯t like killing kids. That''s the only reason I didn¡¯t finish that other boy.¡±


    I hold back my rage as I realise he was the one who beat Ferdiad, and then I start to take in my situation. Right now I am a captive, and if they were to use me as some form of bargaining chip it could be horrible for us all.


    I don¡¯t believe I have great value, but I do know that Setanta would do something stupid to get me back, and I can¡¯t allow Setanta to get hurt or worse die for me. Right now the best way to protect everyone and increase the value of my name would be to die for the empire.


    Opening my mouth I prepare to bite my tongue off, but as my teeth come down the top row never end up hitting my tongue as he puts his sword in my mouth stopping this from happening.


    Pulling his sword out he places the apple in my mouth and says, ¡°You can try all you want to kill yourself but I will stop you every time.¡±


    Walking away from me he says, ¡°Classic Faol¨¢in behaviour, always ready to throw away one''s life.¡±


    Quickly devouring the apple, I spit it out and say, ¡°Don¡¯t bring up that name, you know nothing about my house.¡±


    ¡°But I do because I was born and raised in Gorias and was one of Lugh¡¯s knights.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°I have sent lots of time studying up on the house of Faol¨¢in history, and no such knights exist, you¡¯re just making up lies!¡±


    Saoirse says, ¡°It is common for people to not want to believe things that could break their worldview.¡±


    Craig then says, ¡°We where a secret order of knights who served the House of Faol¨¢in for off the book missions. We exemplified the principles of house Faol¨¢in perfect in everything. That¡¯s how we were able to lure you bastards into this trap.¡±


    ¡°That just cannot be true.¡±


    ¡°Red branch battle arts. Lugh specifically asked Sc¨¢thach to teach it to us, and as you know very few people are as close to Sc¨¢thach as Lugh.¡±


    ¡°Then why, why would you betray Gorias and side with the humans.¡±


    ¡°Hey did you know that Gorias is the only of the four providences where they teach us about the beastkin origins? And that¡¯s just inside Tir na n-iontas, on the other parts of our empire most beastkin have no idea they even share common ancestry with humans anymore.¡±


    ¡°Our blood has always been special even before when we were humans. We only looked like humans because we limited ourselves.¡±


    ¡°True, but during our times of bringing up our populations we used many different humans to help us increase our numbers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the humans reduced our numbers, so if you trying to say they didn¡¯t deserve this you¡¯d be wron-.¡±


    Saoirse swats me on the top of my head, and says, ¡°You keep talking like you have actually experienced life outside of anything you have just been taught. Maybe if I snap off a few of your bones you will learn about what you are talking about.¡±


    She grabs my arm and is about to break it but Craig says, ¡°Saoirse I thank you for getting angry for my sake, but I am alright. Please let go of him.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    As she lets go I grab my arm, and Craig says, ¡°My elder sister was a human.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s-.¡±


    ¡°Impossible. It is almost impossible for human blood to be more apparent than a beastkin when they have children together but it can happen. Due to this, my sister was treated as scum by everyone including our parents.


    She was denied all of the rights that countless citizens had just for being born, but despite all of that she treated me with great amounts of care. She loved me deeply, and I remember that.


    But still, as someone born human when she turned thirteen she was going to be married off to a Fanalis who had far more intense beastkin genes, or killed so she couldn¡¯t pass down her inferior traits.


    Fanalis have the most marriage prospects of any within the empire and didn''t want my sister, so a date for her death was set down. Until one man stepped forward to help, Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in our saviour.¡±

 Arc 10.77: A signal of destruction part 14

    ¡°He saved you?¡±


    ¡°Quite, when he found out about my sister''s condition he decided to take the both of us in. Apparently, that man had been gathering those born with a similar condition and had been sending them off to one of his faraway colonies to live.¡±


    Smiling Craig said, ¡°But guess what when he told me this, he just said I shipped your sister off to a plantation, where she will work and live till she dies.


    Can you believe that! It made me think she was a slave, and when I later found out the truth, he said; what did you think I mean? Can you believe that asshole?¡±


    Saoirse says, ¡°It¡¯s better than him telling you that your brother is being squished to death when in actuality he means your brother just got married and his wife can¡¯t stop hugging him.¡±


    A few others come towards us and say, ¡°Once he told me that the food he was eating was so good it would destroy you, so I took a bite and it turns out it was poison. Then he looked at me as if I was strange for eating it!¡±


    ¡°He once told me to go on a quick mission where I had to fight off seventy-five humans who could use spirit arts, then when I came back to yell at him he said; I was talking about travel distance!¡±


    Others come and share stories about Lugh, and as they do they laugh with all of their hearts, so I say, ¡°Who are you people to Lugh?¡±


    ¡°We are those who he has helped, and we have all once sworn our lives towards him. Lugh was far kinder and much more humane than other beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you betray him!¡±


    ¡°Because he taught many of us something. That humans are no different than us Beastkin in almost every regard. He sent us on missions to assassinate horrible beastkin and spy on those who would bring shame to our empire.


    Through many of these actions we saw the depravity of beastkin that we had always thought could only ever come from humans, and we also saw the smiles from the humans we saved.


    Those who worked for Lugh all reached a point where they came to know the truths of humans, and after such a time we could not just continue to let them face their abuse.


    So we turned to our compassionate lord, but in his heart he truly is a beastkin supremacist, and nothing could change that. In all honesty, if all beastkin were to follow the standard Lugh set, I am sure the humans wouldn¡¯t suffer.¡±


    ¡°Then why won¡¯t you help him? I have seen how the Faol¨¢in work, they demand the best from all around them, so why couldn¡¯t you have just worked with him.¡±


    ¡°Because he contradicts himself. Any world where beastkin look down on humans, even slightly will be a world where beastkin will always be one step away from falling back into their old habits.


    At a time this was the best we could hope for, but during one of our assassination missions, we met someone who changed that, a man just as bright as Lugh with a child just as amazing as Setanta. A human, and it is within that human that we place our beats.¡±


    Feeling anger well up inside me, I say, ¡°Do you know how many of our men you killed!¡±


    ¡°All of those men came here to kill others for their benefit. Complaining because it happens back to them is foolish.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t foolish, if you truly served the house of Faol¨¢in you would know how kind, and wonderful all of those men are. They would happily die for you on the battlefield, and they all put their lives on the line to better the future of those in our empire. They would give everything for you and your family, while these humans would stab you in the back when convenient.¡±


    Staring directly at me, he says, ¡°You talk as if those men going and killing random humans somehow makes them greater than the people they killed. I know many of those who I killed today and will continue to know them in the future.


    Yet I won¡¯t stop, because this path they are on, of blood and war for growth is one that harms the empire far more than it helps it. Right now all of them died for nothing, they lived their lives for the sake of making our people worse, and all they have accomplished today is brainwashing a child into thinking it is admirable.¡±


    ¡°HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT THEM!¡±


    ¡°It is merely the truth. If you have an issue with my statement, then take it up with all of the people within the empire who push the idea that such a life is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a hypocrite. I have killed far more people today than those men have, on my chariot, I crushed far more humans than they have seen, yet you let me live, that is nothing but hypocrisy, so if you are so steadfast in your ideals kill me!¡±


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    Looking around at all of the beastkin, I say, ¡°Come on you bastard take my life, end me a murderer of your precious humans right this instant!¡±


    Craig said, ¡°We won¡¯t you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°First is to at least make it so those men died for a child¡¯s feature.¡±


    Walking up to me, he says, ¡°And from the look in your eyes, I can tell that you haven¡¯t killed someone directly in your entire life.¡±


    ¡°I have trampled over someone''s body.¡±


    ¡°There is a difference between killing someone by poison and by one''s own hand, the same extent to chariots. The truth of the matter is that you kill without understanding the value of a life, so you can still learn.¡±


    As Craig walks away, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me.¡±


    But he simply ignores me and says, ¡°I am going to go check in with the leader keep an eye on that boy.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Western side of the mountain


    ¦µ On Macha, I race through the mountain range and as I do attack from wonderbeasts come against us constantly. So Setanta swats them all away with his spear, but from his breathing, I can tell it is getting to him.


    There are many things I want to say to Setanta right now; stop, let¡¯s go back, don¡¯t push yourself, but I can¡¯t bring myself to say any of that. All I can mutter is, ¡°Setanta stay strong.¡±


    With pride in his voice, he says, ¡°Who do you think you¡¯re talking to, this is all barely a warmup for someone on my level.¡±


    He continues to fight as I move. The terrain is uneven and perilous, one misstep and I could injure Macha and get us stuck here, but I refuse to, right now I need to be at my best for the sake of everyone.


    Throughout the night both Laeg, and Setanta continue heading towards Ibar, and Ferdiad''s former location.


    -Break-


    Location: Human camp


    Feeling some movement, I open my eyes, and brace for the morning sun shining down on me, then I notice that one of the armoured beastkin is untying me.


    The moment the ropes around me are loose, I try to move but am quickly grabbed and restrained before I can move an inch. Then I heard Craig say, ¡°Did you really think you could escape?¡±


    ¡°You never know till you try.¡±


    ¡°Spoken like a brave warrior, too bad you don¡¯t have the power to back up those words.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± I say annoyed by his words.


    Looking around, I notice that the rest of the beastkin around me are all starting to pack up and move, so I ask, ¡°Where are you taking me?¡±


    ¡°To the people we are going to protect.¡±


    Soon he and the rest of the beastkin all put on their armour, and one of them covered me in a sheet, then all of us headed off.


    About a minute later we come across a large gathering of humans. It is such a ridiculous amount of them that it makes the number I fought during this war look like child¡¯s play.


    Seeing this I am speechless, but before I can even say anything the beastkin move towards the humans.


    The humans all are beaten down and bruised, they look like an animal that is overdue to be put down. In all honesty, many of them in terms of expression have what I would expect of Minagrain and Minabr¨®d, though they aren¡¯t injured anywhere as badly.


    Though the moments the humans see the beastkin in their black armour, their expressions change to one of hope. They all start to run towards them with the joy of a child that has just seen their parent again.


    They gather and cling to each of the beastkin, and say, ¡°We missed you!¡±


    ¡°We heard you pushed back beastkin who were chasing us.¡±


    ¡°You really are our heroes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much, you truly are helpers god has sent down upon us.¡±


    The beastkin receives all of this praise while making an effort to ask about the humans'' situation and comfort them.


    But then Craig claps his hands and says, ¡°This reunion is nice, but right now we need to go. We need to ensure that the beastkin won¡¯t catch up to us.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± The humans say as they joyfully prepare to leave.


    Looking at me, he says, ¡°Did those people look like beasts to you.¡±


    ¡°To an unassuming person a snake could look rather cute, but when has that ever made it less deadly.¡±


    ¡°Our culture really is ironclad, how annoying. Though since you won¡¯t be returning to your people I suggest you get used to your new surroundings, I am sure you will one day realize how good those humans are¡±


    ¡°You talk rather highly about those humans, but the truth of the matter is that you are not even allowed to show the fact that you are beastkin to them if I am right.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re rather perceptive. The fact of the matter is that we can¡¯t let them know we are beastkin, so we hide our faces and sleep where they cannot reach us.¡±


    Scoffing, I say, ¡°Humans are so wonderful, yet you know that they are so pigheaded that they couldn¡¯t even recognize their saviours. I am sure that if you were to take off your mask right now, they would have animosity against you even if you acted the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t really think such a thing is wrong, inside everyone''s mind is a false idea of what others are like, some of those ideas are stronger than others, but at the end of the day the only way to change those ideas is to prove them wrong.¡±


    ¡°You are already an integral part of their lives, so why should you have to go through the effort to prove that you are somehow not a monster? Those that exchange seem fair or balanced to you.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I think it is idiotic to talk about situations being fair and balanced. Because it is a game where you will always fail to look at your advantages in life.


    The truth of the matter is that the method I am doing works, and if it leads to a world where beastkin and humans can walk hand in hand, then I say it is far too fair in my opinion.¡±


    I click my tongue at his remark, and then he says, ¡°And not all humans struggle to understand us.¡±


    A human man walks up to us, and he is wearing a pendant. It has one vertical line with a star on top of it, and through the upper part of that line is a downward arc.


    ¡°He is a member of the human religion, the ones who worship the messiah.¡±


    The human says, ¡°Craig, I would like to thank you and the rest of your men for helping us, I know how much it hurts to fight your people but I promise to always hear you out regardless of anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but we will be fine Daniel.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Looking at me, Daniel says, ¡°We won¡¯t hurt you regardless of how many of us you hurt.¡± Then he walks away.


    Craig looking at me, says, ¡°I am sure that a day will come where you won¡¯t ever want to harm a human will arrive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all crazy.¡±


    ¦µ At 0600 hours all of the humans begin to move, and in around one hours time the war would come to an end.

 Arc 10.78: A signal of destruction part 15

    -Break-


    ¦µ As the L¨²cogadh¡¯s cavalry race through the mountain range, T¨¦ad remembers a conversation from the night before.


    To my men, I say, ¡°And that will be the path we will take to reach the outside, any problems?¡±


    None of my men raise any disputes but then I hear, ¡°Please go rest Ferdiad.¡±


    Moving my head, I see Ferdiad fighting against my men trying to reach me, so I head over to him and say, ¡°What are you doing moving about?¡±


    Grabbing me, Ferdiad says, ¡°I have a favour to ask.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Please let us return for Ibar.¡±


    ¡°No that is stupid, at this point, he is all but assured to be dead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he would be. The enemies I fought seemed hesitant to kill me because I was a child, if they caught Ibar I am sure they would restrain him.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of that, those foes you fought were exceptionally strong, even if all of us here teamed up against them, winning would still be an uphill battle.¡±


    ¡°I know but we can¡¯t just leave him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we can. This is war when one man is down we leave him behind. Even the life of one of the king''s children would be something that we would have to think twice about.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Alright, then I will go by myself.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane you? You¡¯re one step away from dying.¡±


    ¡°It is just some fatigue and exhaustion, my wounds aren¡¯t deep and if I rest of my way there I will be able to be up for battle.¡±


    Grabbing me, he says, ¡°Did all those men not die for you? And you¡¯re back to throwing away your life again.¡±


    ¡°They died so Setanta would have the best fighting force to stand beside him and lead Gorias to glory. Ibar is a part of that fighting force, without him we would have died today, he is someone who I owe my life to and will protect.¡±


    ¡°There are others to be chosen, you have barely known him for half a year unlike you he can be replaced to Setanta.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand how attached Setanta can grow to those around him, he happens to be a freak. The kind of freak who would go above and beyon¡­¡±


    Grabbing me, Ferdiad says, ¡°Setanta has probably woken up by this point and received our message.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what of it?¡±


    ¡°Earlier he said that our entire operation was a decoy, at first I didn¡¯t know what that meant. But if I think about it logically, maybe Lugh set up the L¨²cogadh¡¯s strike to be a trap that would force the humans to run through the mountain range. Then close to the end of it, Lugh would launch a surprise attack against the escaping beastkin and humans.¡±


    ¡°Wait that¡¯s impossible, because if not that means he set up my father and others to fall for the trap within the castle.¡±


    ¡°Lugh might not have known it could be destroyed like that, or maybe he expected Setanta to say something and didn¡¯t know he would have been knocked out by the wonderbeast.


    In all honesty, after seeing the forces we faced during this war I don¡¯t see why the Faol¨¢in forces couldn¡¯t have handled it all by ourselves, but if there is going to be a large strike force to crush the escaping humans, it would make sense why we needed such numbers.¡±


    ¡°Still that wouldn¡¯t change the fact that we should probably leave this to Lugh and his warriors.¡±


    ¡°I want you to think for a second if Setanta woke up and received our message that we would be heading into the mountain range, I am sure he would figure out our situation and head out to inform us of this so we wouldn¡¯t make any stupid moves.¡±


    ¡°Impossible the only way that would work is if he rode all the way through the mountain range diagonally in the night. No one could pull off such a feat.¡±


    ¡°Laeg could, without a doubt and would be willing to do such a thing, and if they continued on in that direction I am sure they would come across the giant fleeing human army before they came in contact with Lugh, and if they see Ibar without a doubt he would go and try to get him back despite the odds.¡±


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    Sweating a bit, I say, ¡°Your entire plan is still upon a bunch of what-ifs. None of it is guaranteed.¡±


    Looking me dead in the eye, Ferdiad says, ¡°It is all guaranteed, I am sure that this would be Setanta¡¯s actions. All the years I have spent with him can guarantee that.¡±


    Clenching my fist, I say, ¡°I am also a red branch child, he might be the son of the king of Gorias but it isn¡¯t enough for someone like me to so willingly throw away his life for such.¡±


    Ferdiad pulls me close and then whispers in my ear, ¡°The high king is infertile, so Setanta is next in line for the position of high king. Do you know what that means?¡±


    As he pulls back I can feel an immense weight fall on top of me and I say, ¡°EVERYONE PREPARE TO MOVE OUT WE WILL GO AND INTERCEPT THE HUMANS!¡±


    Riding through the forest on my horse with Ferdiad resting behind me, I say, ¡°I want a castle?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I want a castle for all my hard work, it doesn¡¯t have to be big but just somewhere I can relax and be to get away from being a bastard.¡±


    Ferdiad laughs a bit, and says, ¡°You can have a whole colony.¡±


    Smiling I say, ¡°Then you better not die.¡±


    As we ride we hear the footsteps of the human army getting closer and closer, and soon from the tree tops we see the armoured beastkin fall down on us.


    One tries to strike me, but Ferdiad knocks him away, and I say, ¡°Spread out, from this point on be vigilant and stick to the plan.¡±


    We all move forward and soon we break through the trees and in the middle of a mountainous valley we look down and see a huge amount of humans walking, so many that I freeze for a moment before going on.


    ¦µ Seeing a group of cavalry rushing down the valley, I say, ¡°Ferdiad.¡±


    Craig instantly grabs some robe and ties me up, and then he says, ¡°A pack of fools.¡±


    Soon he moves towards the cavalry with the rest of his men following suit so he can intercept them all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any time to just stay and be locked up here.¡± Using my tail I grab a dagger that is attached to the horse and fling it up towards my hands.


    Using that dagger I slowly start to break and cut through the ropes.


    ¦µ Seeing the same beastkin who defeated me coming, I say, ¡°Be steadfast T¨¦ad, if you can do that I will make sure you come out of this alive.¡±


    He rushes at me and says, ¡°You were lucky we didn¡¯t kill you last time.¡±


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust,¡± Is what I use to strike directly at him, which knocks the man back.


    ¦µ Recovering from the blow, I say, ¡°All of the Lucogadh¡¯s calvary rushes to the humans!¡±


    As the rest of my allies rush back, I say, ¡°Why the hell are you they even do that.¡±


    Saoirse beside me says, ¡°Craig, hurry up people will die!¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    As those who went away get back we move in to fight but soon we fall into their trap.


    ¦µ The Cavalry of the L¨²cogadh¡¯s have stuck themselves in the dense amount of humans and are using them as a shield.


    The armoured beastkin are all using great swords, which wasn¡¯t an issue in the forest due to their ability to cut through trees, but surrounded by humans they have all lost their range of movement.


    The beastkin however have not as they have no qualms about stabbing directly through the humans to hit their targets, this combined with the fact they are using spears gives them more freedom than before.


    They throw the humans at the armoured beastkin, and use them as shields, then slowly but surely, they wait for moments where the beastkin drop their grab and pierce their necks.


    Ferdiad especially uses this tactic to defeat the armoured beastkin who was untouchable to the knight before. Using these methods the battlefield changes in favour of the house of L¨²cogadh, and Ferdiad.


    ¦µ Enraged by what I see, I lunge forward towards Ferdiad and say, ¡°You people are butchers.¡±


    ¡°I care not for that, I have come to war to gain by killing. The only wish I have is to protect the house of Faol¨¢in and all those within it, so get out of my way.¡±


    We clash a bit but due to the fact I can¡¯t swing my sword how I want I am on the defensive far more often. During this exchange, Ferdiad makes sure to position himself in between humans to break my focus.


    Soon he throws humans towards me, whom I catch, then he pierces through the woman¡¯s face which shakes me, but not even giving me a second to rest he stabs right through my armour and strikes my left shoulder.


    Then with a smirk, he says, ¡°When you''re shaken the flowy aura starts to dissipate, so one''s mental state feds into its control.¡±


    I hold the body in my arms tightly and look around the battlefield. There I see humans are confused, scared, and trying to look for somewhere to run away. But they can¡¯t as the beastkin are running around them so much that they can¡¯t even react, whilst the rest are being used as shields, or being trampled on.


    ¡°DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!¡± I say as break my sword into less than half its length.


    I charge forward and attack Ferdiad, and with my shorter sword, I am able to react and fight better. We move around the bodies of the humans, and as he tries to use the humans as a shield I am able to counter.


    But then he manages to whip my helmet with the back of his spear and taunts me saying, ¡°Your concentration is slipping.¡±


    The attack he hit me with managed to break a bit of my helmet off, and noticing this I go to cover the broken portion. Ferdiad at this moment rushes forward and continues to attack me.


    ¡°I think I might have the flowy aura down.¡±


    This is getting bad, I can¡¯t waste any more time dealing with him, he has to die now. Invigorated our clash continues and soon we start using red branch battle arts to move at high speeds all around.


    But an issue occurs as now due to the opening in my helmet I have a weak spot which he can easily reach with his spear, so I am still on the defensive while also having to keep humans safe from his attacks.


    Soon he hits me directly in the stomach with red branch battle arts; Sky flower and I am knocked backwards out of the crowd of humans, but then Ferdiad starts to move out of the cover of humans towards me.


    He has gotten overconfident; I should be able to kill him in this open space. But as Ferdiad comes towards me, I calm down and hear a sound behind me.


    Turning, I see it is Ibar on a horse, and using that horse he kicks me directly in my back which breaks my stance, and then using his spear Ferdiad tries to stab me through the hole in my helmet.


    But I quickly move my head which makes Ferdiad''s spear hit the edge of the hole in the helmet, and the force from this attack breaks my helmet off.


    As I recover from the blows, I hear one of the humans scream, and then one of them says, ¡°The black knights, are beastkin!¡±


    Suddenly the faces of all of the humans turn to horror as they see us.

 Arc 10.79: A signal of destruction part 16

    Turning to the humans, I say, ¡°Please you need to calm down the situation is too dangerous.¡±


    But in response to this, they look at me with fright and move away. Then one of them screams, ¡°Monster!¡±


    Ferdiad noticing this situation says, ¡°Do you see this humans your famous black warriors are all beastkin! That¡¯s the reason they have let so many of you die today because they are simply trying to use your bodies as shields so they can escape and be heroes.


    They ask for your trust just so they can stab you in the back for their own benefit, these soldiers betrayed all of Louernia due to their own greed, and now they plan to do the same to you.¡±


    ¡°IT ISN¡¯T TRUE!¡± I shout in response to the accusations, but my voice is completely destroyed by the sound of the panicked humans who now have lost all those they can trust.


    Throughout the battlefield I see the humans are now running erratically, attacking everyone, or just crawling into balls on the ground. All of this behaviour makes it far harder for my allies to fight, and soon it starts to cause some of their deaths.


    Is everything we have done, all of the hardship we have faced for the humans going to end right now just because they have seen that I am not a human-like they are?


    Hearing Ferdiad I turn my head around dejected, and I see his spear my inches away from piercing my eye.


    But then before I am struck another spear intercepts Ferdiad and knocks him away, then covered in robes I see a beastkin, a woman with a horn on her head, and say, ¡°Leader.¡±


    Turning her head back to me, she says, ¡°Craig what are you doing laying all on the floor like a beaten down animal.¡±


    She instantly turns her head to face forward, because Ferdiad dashes towards her trying to pierce her head, but blocks him in time and after knocking him away, she says, ¡°I told you that spirit energy conducts better through natural material rather than armoured, if you had just trained that more and covered yourself in robes like me you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation.¡±


    Ferdiad continues to attack her but my boss swats him away each time and as she does, I droop my head to the ground and ask, ¡°This mistake is my fault, but you know deep down inside I thought it wouldn¡¯t matter, after all the time we have spent together I thought they wouldn¡¯t care.


    But many of them who covet their lives are now fully prepared to throw them away out of disgust with us. For what reason have we left our entire lives behind if we can¡¯t  even progress past this stage.¡±


    Ferdiad uses clover at my leader, which takes her a good bite more effort to block, but after she does, she says, ¡°The greatest plague on the mind that caused this whole war is thinking the actions of a small group of people is indicative of the remaining group you fool, take a second to look around.¡±


    Suddenly I can hear it, someone screaming, ¡°What is wrong with the rest of you fools!¡± Is that David?


    ¡°Are these men and woman not allies who you have spent great amounts of time with? They have protected you out of the goodness of their hearts, and even now as you cower and look down on them they still fight solely to protect you from people who are their own.


    You all cry here wondering why god hasn¡¯t saved us, but we so casually ignore his precepts without actions of hatred. Remove all the foolishness and hatred in your souls and understand that you should trust the people you have met rather than the words of a false prophet who wishes for your deaths!¡±


    Throughout the battlefield, I see changes. The human soldiers who were around, and even those leaders brought with her have started to fight more in line with us.


    The humans are no longer acting erratic and are far easier to defend, and for the first time since the battle has begun, we are on the offensive.


    Leader says, ¡°You see that my foolish little soldier, that¡¯s why we fight against our homeland, so stop being a little baby and get to work.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¦µ Facing me, the old lady says, ¡°Now young boy in the name of the leader of the eternal moths, I Aoife will undo all of your foolish education.¡±


    She smirks as she says this, not a single bit of herself believes I could lose to her. The sheer confidence she has in all her actions shakes me a little bit.


    Right now the battlefield has turned for the worst. The humans were walking in a very long line with forces spread out evenly throughout the area, but the vast majority of them were at the front.


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    The line of humans fleeing is so large that I don¡¯t even think the people at the front would be able to see an attack at the back, so we thought we¡¯d have some time before they send reinforcements back.


    But no for some reason this woman and others rushed a large among of men back and we are being overwhelmed. They have surrounded us and soon we might be stuck in between the humans we used as shields.


    Ibar is free, and Setanta should be coming from the southwest, so if we flee there we should accomplish all our goals.


    I instantly look at T¨¦ad and signal him with my eyes, and moments later on his horse, he starts to scream instructions for retreat. It will take him a few moments, so right now I need to hold her off.


    Aoife says, ¡°You are rather strong for someone your age, I am sure you would grow up to become a great warrior, so I think it is a shame your life ends here. Join me.¡±


    ¡°Never, I have sworn my life to Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    ¡°So the offspring invokes the same admiration as the parent, no maybe even more. As someone who understands that feeling let me put you down now.¡±


    We both take our stances, and from her stance, I can tell she uses Red branch battle arts, but still right now thanks to this energy around me I am the strongest I have ever been.


    We both begin and start to clash with each other, one after another and as I do I am sweating as I feel like if my concentration slips once I will be killed.


    In contrast to this Aoife is smiling and then she says, ¡°Didn¡¯t anyone tell you not to beat up an old woman like me.¡±


    ¡°You have already taken up enough time on this planet, so just vanish into the ground!¡±


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower!¡±


    As I charge towards her, she says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Camellia japonica.¡±


    I pierce her body, but to my surprise the body I just pierced disappears, and I say, ¡°What.¡±


    From my side, I am hit with her spear, and she says, ¡°You seem to not have all of the forms down.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± I continue to attack her, but she knocks me into a crowd of humans.


    ¡°Right now I need a shield.¡± I scan around and find a human child.


    So I grab her, and as I do the child cries and screams for her life. Seeing this I stop for a moment, but soon after an image of the House of Faol¨¢in pops into my head and I throw the child at her.


    Then says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡±


    But Aoife is not only able to grab the child out of the air, but deflect my attack, and she says, ¡°I wasn¡¯t fond of that, if you use such tactics don¡¯t use this style you talentless freak.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T CALL ME TALENTLESS!¡±


    I begin to move faster and clash with her more and more, whilst I do I use my spear to break some ground and send the rock to cover eyesight then, I quickly get behind her and try to pierce he kidney.


    But my spear doesn¡¯t go through and she says, ¡°Spirit energy flows better through cloth, and with my level of control, this fabric around me is harder to break than their armour.¡±


    Seriously!?


    She turns around and strikes me in my gut, so I grab it and say, ¡°Thanks for the information I will surely use it in my next battle.¡±


    ¡°Funny how you think you might walk out of this alive.¡±


    We go back to clashing again, and as we do, she says, ¡°Good form, and technique. You¡¯re also a wolf beastkin so a good combination of power and speed is within your body, all in all, I would say you are strong, especially with spirit arts, but still the way you fight is too formal.¡±


    I thrust at her head, and she completely collapses her body and crouches towards the ground, then with her spear she tries to pierce my belly, but I am able to get my spear between us.


    The force from her attack sent me into the air, and then she throws her spear at me which I deflect, but doing so caused my left arm which holds my spear to be in a bad position leaving me open.


    Before I even have time to twitch the muscles in that arm, she has already planted a kick in my gut, then with her other leg she strikes me in the back of the neck sending me towards the ground.


    Feeling my head shaking, I look up and see that she is already in front of me, and before I react she kicks me into the air towards her eye level. Then says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower,¡± Then with seven quick punches she strikes me in my gut.


    As I fly back from these blows I am caught by Ibar who says, ¡°We are ready to go.¡±


    While he rides I see most of the cavalry have broken out of the human crowd and are all preparing to run away at full speed, so I say, ¡°I am glad you¡¯re ok.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for coming for me, but please next time don¡¯t do something stupid. If everyone died here all of my amazing achievements would have gone unknown.¡±


    ¡°I know, I am sorry, will probably happen again.¡±


    Annoyed, Ibar says, ¡°Don¡¯t admit to such things.¡±


    As we all ride away I look back at Aoife who is jumping up and down on one foot, and whisper, ¡°What is that woman doing.¡±


    Suddenly she stops holding and as she does that all my sense starts telling me danger is coming, ¡°IBAR MOVE!¡±


    ¦µ ¡°Red branch battle arts Ultimate art; Morning glory.¡±


    ¦µ Aoife instantly move towards T¨¦ad with a single thrust so powerful and forceful that the pressure she creates as she moves blows everything in the area away, until her spear hits T¨¦ad.


    ¦µ Holding Ibar, who I caught on the ground, I look up and there I see both T¨¦ad and his horse have been utterly annihilated. With the rest of our men knocked to the ground from their horses, and behind us, we hear the footsteps of the enemy soldiers approaching us.


    Standing over my body, she says, ¡°That¡¯s the end of this battle.¡±


    ¡°I get up and say, ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    But then she knocks me down and says, ¡°I happen to be a wonderbeast beastkin, yet you didn¡¯t even make me use my abilities once. This battle is over you don¡¯t have the strength to overcome even me at this point don¡¯t go sending these men to pointless deaths, and we may reach a compromise.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t ever bow our heads to traitors.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could say I thought your answer would be different, but as someone who was once much the same, I knew this was coming.¡±


    Raising her spear, she says, ¡°I will make it quick.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°YOU FUCKIN MORON!!!¡±


    I hear a familiar voice scream. Turning my head, I see that riding towards us is Setanta and Laeg.

 Arc 10.80: A signal of destruction part 17

    Setanta immediately throws his spear directly at Aoife which causes her to back away, and then moments later he arrives their saying, ¡°Did you miss me?¡±


    Smiling I say, ¡°No, I felt peaceful for the first time in a while.¡±


    Setanta kicking me in the gut says, ¡°No time for that, peace is for the dead the living must struggle on.¡±


    ¦µ Turning to face the traitorous beastkin, I say, ¡°Now have you bastards said your last goodbyes.¡±


    The woman who was just fighting Ferdiad says, ¡°Son of Lugh, now that you¡¯re here I hope that you will listen to me and get all of your little friends here to surrender.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance, unlike you traitors scum we don¡¯t want to spit on our people''s graves.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°Why do you struggle to understand the fact that humans are worth protecting.¡±


    I giggle a bit and say, ¡°Because humans are cowards who merely run and hide from the world. They once ruled the world, no even more than that they have all but tamed it, but their behaviour which is far more brutish than any beast leads them to destruction. Among all beasts that live humans are without a doubt the only ones who aim for their extinction.¡±


    ¡°What a sweeping statement, but it is still unfounded. You think you who has barely left the comfort of your home can judge millions of people in such a manner without even knowing them.¡±


    ¡°I know enough.¡±


    ¡°A childish excuse.¡±


    ¡°Then answer me this; why does the empire of Louernia exist?¡±


    ¡°Because the humans had abused us back when we were also humans.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, I am asking today why the empire of Louernia exists.¡±


    ¡°The hell are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°Humans outnumber us 10000 to one beastkin, if the humans wanted they could annihilate us faster than we ever could to them. They hold books which pass down knowledge that can improve every facet of life, they hold numbers that could kill us merely based on time, they can train and some can even fight against beastkin.


    But with all those advantages they still haven¡¯t been able to stop our empire, and it is simply because they refuse unity, instead, they stay in their own little communities dividing themselves even though power is with unity.


    Dividing and conquering is a basic principle of warfare, and the humans willing to do this due to their minor debate, or hatred for one another. Yet if their lack of unity brings destruction upon them, they will blame anything but that because their logic only exists to benefit their ever-changing happiness in a single moment forgetting any future sadness it may bring.¡±


    Shaken she says, ¡°That isn¡¯t true.¡±


    ¡°Then tell those who are running away to turn back and help fight us, if even five per cent of those humans came here to support you we would be overwhelmed and our chances of escape would be finished.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Exactly because those humans fear for their own existence so much that they will put their greatest defenders in harm''s way. To humanity as a whole, you beastkin are far more valuable than half of those humans, yet you must throw your life away so they can escape. They don¡¯t even have unity when there is a threat of enslavement for them all.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± she says. ¡°Someone born strong like you has no right to say anything about them.¡±


    Hopping from left to right, Setanta says, ¡°All those who live can have strength, the humans are just beings which like to pretend they don¡¯t, that¡¯s why I hate them.¡±


    I lunge forward towards her, and say, ¡°Everyone rises again.¡±


    Invigorate the men around me to fight back against the armoured beastkin who are shaken by my words.


    ¡°You know it is a shame that such a beautiful old lady like you have to die here.¡±


    ¡°How sweet of a thing to say to a shrivelled-up fruit like myself, I will make your death painless.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance!¡±


    We both continue to attack each other and as we do I notice that she is not only using red branch battle arts, but her technique is sharper than mine, it may even be approaching Sc¨¢thach.


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    Smirking, I say, ¡°But still you''re unlike master you are not near your physical peak.¡±


    I dodge her spear, again and again. If I can¡¯t be as sharp as her I can counter by using my youthful stamina to exhaust her, and when she eventually slips, I will strike.


    Seeing her slip, I use red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust. But then at that moment she instantly speeds up, and I can hear her behind me whispering, ¡°Good bye.¡±


    I try to turn around, but I can tell her spear is going to pierce me.


    Though lucky Ferdiad even in his injured state knocks her spear away, and the both of us move backwards.


    ¡°She seems to be a Wonderbeast beastkin, but that still doesn¡¯t explain how her body can move that fast without any charge in her heartbeat, my hearing should be able to tell.¡±


    Ferdiad then socks me in the face, and I say, ¡°The hell was that for.¡±


    But then granny comes towards making Ferdiad move forward and counter her and as he does he says, ¡°Look closely Setanta!¡±


    As the two of them fight I see it is like their bodies are encased within a flowy aura, but I struggle to fully make it out.


    Seeing Ferdiad get forced back I move up and assist him, and together we make her move back. Ferdiad then says, ¡°If you can see it you need to control it with intense concentration, because if you do it will make whatever part you send it to stronger.¡±


    ¡°I see that¡¯s how she was able to move that fast.¡±


    ¦µ I purposely only used spirit energy to move faster so I wouldn¡¯t hit him with a blow of it and accidentally awaken his perception to it, but it seemed Ferdiad figure out what his trigger for it was.


    It pains me to do this, but for the sake of humanity''s future, both of these boys cannot leave the battlefield, especially now.


    ¦µ ¡°You got all of that Setanta, because if you don¡¯t Aoife is going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I do, and don¡¯t think for a second I am going to let you continue being stronger than me.¡±


    Smirking, Ferdiad says, ¡°You better get used to it, since it will be a given from now on.¡±


    ¡°In your dreams.¡±


    We both move and then clash with Aoife. She is far stronger than someone her age should be able to be, this is hard for me to keep up with so I am hit a few times.


    Ferdiad is hit as well, but it is far more due to his physical state rather than a lack of skill. Right now I am dead weight, though I am not struggling for nought.


    Each time I get struck with one of her heavy blows, I recoil with pain but at the same time, I see the flowy aura more and more around the both of them and myself.


    Follow Ferdiad''s instructions, concentrate it and send it through your body. Aren¡¯t you going to be the next king of Gorias, you need to show your worth immediately on this battlefield.


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower,¡± I say as I move forward and send seven quick strikes towards Aoife.


    Suddenly off balance from that attack, I am struck by Aoife who says, ¡°You¡¯re not used to the new power!¡±


    My body moves backwards and as it does Aoife comes in towards me with a thrust, which Ferdiad blocks for me.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Setanta reduce the amount you are using.¡±


    Getting back into the battle, I say, ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Right now you won¡¯t be able to accumulate your techniques to your new strength in time. It took me an entire night to do so, just focus on support or you will leave to many openings.¡±


    ¡°No way, trust in me,¡± I say staring right into Ferdiad''s eyes.


    He stares back and then, he takes a step back as I charge forward. Trying to get the most out of the flowy energy, I push my body to the limit and attack again and again against Aoife.


    I mess up repeatedly, but in those moments Ferdiad comes in and supports me. With each mess, I learn, and we continue to keep going.


    Eventually, she says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Camellia japonica,¡± and she vanishes from my sight, and appears behind me.


    Ferdiad wasting no time, hits me with a sky flower to the side of my body knocking both of us out of the way of her blow, and then getting up, I charge towards her, but she uses the same technique again and manages to pierce my calf with her spear this time.


    With my calf injured my ability to use Red branch battle arts, drops dramatically. She charges at me again and I struggle to keep up with her and am eventually stabbed in the body.


    The way she fights is unorthodox, she has a habit of using her spear as a staff and dealing body blows with it. She can seamlessly move from using it as such to fighting with it like a common spear.


    When handling a spear, the ability to instantly go from a stationary point to a deadly thrust while keeping yourself safe is the main advantage of the weapon, and as you advance in skill you can get better at making it completely unreadable where you going to strike.


    Normally a spear would break if one used it like this. The flowy aura reinforcing her weapon is the only reason she can fight like this without it snapping.


    A skilled swordsman''s movements can be tracked simply by the nature that a sword requires more movement, but a skilled spearman can be almost unreadable.


    Her combining this skill with her ability to switch between using her spear as a staff or spear makes it even worse for us.


    After taking another body blow, I notice she is prepared to use clover, so I get in position, and she comes towards me. She is going to dash in front of me, stop, strike at the joint in my body to disable me, and then move towards my throat.


    Clover is strong because is tricks people who are used to the high-speed combat of Red branch battle arts, so when you suddenly stop it throws off their reaction time and the attacks which come after that disable their ability to block and ensure you a victory. But it won¡¯t work against someone who holds knowledge like me.


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡±


    She lunges forward and stops right in front of me, but then instead of the attacks against my joints, she slams the spear right into my foot pinning me to the ground.


    Then as I am filled with pain, she slams her fist into my chin four times, and then moves to a familiar stance then says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.¡±


    Then with a blow that surpasses the speed of sound, she hits me in my stomach, and I am sent upward. As all of these blows hit me into the air, my foot got pieces of wood stuck within it as it fiercely pulled against the spear pinning it to the ground.


    Eventually, my foot dislodges the spear, but not until it has gone through about half of it, Grabbing her spear, she quickly pulls it making an even bigger hole through my foot and whacks me into the air again.


    Right now my existence is synonymous with a ball that kids won¡¯t let fall onto the ground, an utterly embarrassing sight for any to see.


    She modified clover to trick me, and I fell for it. Right now she is truly outclassing me, but still, I have a partner on this battlefield.


    With a large boulder in front of him, Ferdiad prepares to thrust into it, and I say, ¡°Time to turn this battle around.¡±

 Arc 10.81: A signal of destruction part 18

    ¦µ As Ferdiad and Setanta fight, I slowly start to get the horses that were blown away by Aoife¡¯s attack back up and as I do my sister comes up and says, ¡°We need to hurry up and get out of here this instant.¡±


    Looking at her I see she looks worn out as if she has been doing a physically strenuous activity. She also has heavy eye bags showing a lack of sleep, so I ask, ¡°Laeg are you alright.¡±


    Not even stopping to look at me, she says, ¡°Ibar right now we need to get everyone out of here because if for a moment I start worrying about your wellbeing I won¡¯t be able to focus.¡±


    Getting back to work, I say, ¡°Then let¡¯s get through it quickly.¡±


    ¦µ As we work I take glimpses at Ibar¡¯s body, and every time I notice a bruise or injury I can feel my heart almost stop. Don¡¯t focus on it, because if you do you won¡¯t be able to keep going.


    Setanta, Ferdiad please finish up and return quickly.


    ¦µ Behind me, I hear Ferdiad use sonic thrust right into a giant boulder, and turning I start to deflect the pieces of stone coming towards me at high speed.


    It was a large boulder so many of the pieces come towards me in large chunks which I swat away. ¡°I am disappointed if that is all your surprise amounted to.¡±


    Hearing Setanta move, I turn my head to see he has jumped into the air.


    Is he insane? with his calf in that state any movement could permanently damage his injury. The pain alone could probably knock an adult out.


    To my surprise I see Setanta smiling as he comes towards me with sky flower. I thrust my spear at him, but then Setanta quickly jumps off the pieces of the boulder scattered in the air, and move around me.


    I have an advantage, in spirit energy, technique, physicality, and even in wonderbeast abilities, but one thing they do have more than is stamina, and smaller bodies.


    Due to that pulling off something like jumping off pieces of rocks is a feat he is capable of accomplishing.


    He continues to move around me, and I try to hold out until gravity pulls all the pieces down, but then Ferdiad does the same thing again to another boulder he has pulled out of the ground.


    I quickly move to dodge the pieces but Setanta uses that opening to splash blood in my face obscuring my vision. Then I feel a sharp pain in my calf, and soon I notice Setanta has sent his spear straight through one of my calves.


    I move backwards, but at that moment Ferdiad comes towards me and starts attacking again. The battlefield is hectic and my senses have deteriorated due to old age, I rely far more on my sight than the average beastkin.


    So keeping up with him with my sight gone is extremely taxing, and in some cases impossible. Lightly pierces my body a few times which causes me to drip blood, but I am able to wipe away the blood from my face during this time.


    I instantly go to counterattack but as I do the pain from my injury causes me to stop mid-way, and wielding his spear like a staff Setanta wacks me in the face and says, ¡°You''re too old to walk off an injury like that.¡±


    As I fly in the air from that blow I take some of the cloth around my body and use it to tie up my leg before I land.


    His spirit energy control has gotten good enough to the point where he can use his spear as a staff. It hasn¡¯t even been twenty minutes since he awakened his use of it, some kids truly are blessed from the moment they are born.


    The both of them charge forth at me and put me on the defensive completely.


    As I am right now my chances of beating both of them without seriously wasting stamina is low. I don¡¯t feel like using my trump card yet, so I will just allow my men to get here.


    The beastkin our trying their best their best to hold back my men giving Setanta and Ferdiad time to finish me, but they will soon be overwhelmed, and then my men will kill the rest of their horses and come support me. We have all but won.


    Suddenly I hear a scream and then one of the humans from behind us screams, ¡°WE HAVE BEEN HIT WITH A SURPRIZE ATTACK IN THE FRONT, ANOTHER BEASTKIN ARMY HAS ARRIVED.¡±


    What!?


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    Location: Front of the fleeing humans


    ¦µ Looking down at the humans and my eternal moths I say, ¡°My greatest weapon, and my biggest mistake. It is time for me to finally put an end to all of you, goodbye old friends.¡±


    I raise my hand and my army of beastkin rush down, screaming, ¡°FOR GORIAS!¡±


    Then they rush into the humans and the eternal moth knights protecting them.


    ¦µ Gripping my first, I shout, ¡°LUGH!!!¡± He saw through us and came here to launch a surprise attack.


    ¦µ Setanta beside me shouts, ¡°EVERYONE MY FATHER HAS ARRIVED IF WE HOLD ON FOR JUST A LITTLE LONGER, WE WILL HAVE WON THIS WAR!¡±


    He stares at me and says, ¡°Come on.¡±


    I smile, and then the both of us move forward towards Aoife, and she gets into a stance ready to perform and attack, so I throw my spear full power toward her leg which breaks her footing.


    In this moment Setanta moves forward but suddenly from the horn on her head light shines, and we are both blinded for a second.


    Shit, that light completely overloaded my eyes so much that all my other senses are out of control.


    Opening my eyes again I see her spear is merely a moment away from my heart, and in that moment my life flashes before my eyes as I brace for death, but then Setanta pushes me out of the way.


    Then threw his body, her spear moved and pushed out his heart.


    With her spear through Setanta¡¯s heart she says, ¡°This battle is over.¡±


    She pulls her spear back towards her body and throws Setanta¡¯s body at me.


    In my arms, I stare down at Setanta¡¯s lifeless body, and as I do all of the memories I have with him flash before my eyes, and I scream from the bottom of my soul.


    ¦µ Looking around, I see all of the beastkin who were just fighting have taken a rather fierce mental blow and my men have started heading towards all of the beastkin readying the horses.


    This battlefield is won, I need to go and kill Lugh.


    Sensing something coming towards me at high speed I turn my body to intercept it and their I see Ibar in a rage coming towards me. I block his spear and the force behind his attack sends me back somewhat.


    Just from the look in his eyes, I can tell that he has abandoned all logic and is coming at me with the resolve to end my life. If I try to run he will just get in my way.


    ¡°Leaving your master to just lay dead like that on the cold ground? As his right hand, delivering his body to his home should be your first instinct, but that would be the only the second big mistake you have made today.¡±


    ¡°I WILL KILL YOU!¡±


    ¡°TRY IT!¡±


    I thrust my spear at him, but he disappears.


    Wait isn¡¯t this!


    Before I finish my thought, I am stabbed in the side, and say, ¡°You figure out Camellia japonica in your rage.¡±


    We continue to clash again and again, and as we he spams Camellia japonica again and again.


    Camellia japonica allows one to move particular way that makes it so that the light doesn¡¯t capture your movement, leaving behind an afterimage that fades by the time you launch your attack.


    In his enraged state he is forcing his body to bring out the best it possibly can, and has just happened upon this technique, it seems doing it was enough for him to figure it out unconsciously.


    I hate prodigies.


    If by some twist of fate, he would be capable of pulling off the ultimate art, this entire area will be lost after I leave. I should just kill him now.


    From the horn on my head, I shine a light which blinds him, then I strike him right in the chest. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡±


    ¦µ As me and my sister get the remaining men on the horses so we can all leave, I turn my head around and there I see Setanta lying on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him, and moving my head around a bit I see his heart close by.


    Looking for Ferdiad, I see him fighting Aoife like a beast with tears falling down his eyes, and I mutter, ¡°No.¡±


    My sister looks at me, and says, ¡°Why did you sto-.¡± Noticing Setanta and Ferdiad¡¯s states my sister completely freezes.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t, he just couldn¡¯t have died,¡± she says with a trembling voice.


    Seething with rage, I run forward and say, ¡°YOU BASTARDS!¡±


    Two humans seeing me run forward towards me. One swings his sword at me, but due to his injuries and exhaustion, I am able to dodge it easily despite him being a human using the weird energy.


    When the sword lands downward I kick it and break it. I may not be a wonderbeast beastkin, but the leg strength of a horse shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    I then kick him in one of his kneecaps breaking his leg. The other human swings his sword at me, and I take a step back easily dodging it.


    To a certain extent, I have always been afraid of a real life or death battle. Though at the end of the day, I am a beastkin, I can take down a dozen humans if I really put my mind to it.


    I continue to dodge and as I do I kick him right in the middle of his ribcage and wait for him to fall but even though he is grasping for air the human with determination in his eyes still manages to swing one more time.


    But I dodge it saying, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky you pathetic human.¡±


    Feeling a sharp pain in my leg, I turn to see the other human has plunged a dagger into it, and he says, ¡°Same for you.¡±


    He twists it which causes me to fall to the ground in pain. It feels so bad that I start to tear up and lose the ability to move, but then as I look up I see both of the broken humans towering over me.


    In pain, I say, ¡°How are you able to move?¡±


    ¡°Even this pain that we feel at the point just before death is light compared to all you people have put us through.¡±


    ¡°If you think that hurts imagine it every day, for years on end. We will be free, and you will die.¡±


    Both of the humans grabbing their broken weapons swing them directly towards my neck, and I cry even more until my sister comes in and kicks them both backwards.


    Then she loops around both of them and puts them in headlocks, and tightens her grip.


    The humans try to fight back hitting, biting and scratching her wherever they can, and eventually even stabbing her, but my sister continues and eventually snaps both of their necks.


    Sitting up on her knees, my sister looks at her hands and starts to breathe in and out heavily. Sweat trickles down her panicked face as she starts to become short of breath, and she looks like she just saw a loved one die.


    In this state Laeg is defenceless, and one of the other humans seeing this throws his sword directly at my sister.

 Arc 10.82: A signal of destruction part 19

    I try to move but as I do the dagger within my body causes an extreme surge of pain to flow within my body, so I just shout, ¡°MOVE!¡±


    The sword continues towards Laeg, but then Craig gets in the way and the sword hits him right in the throat.


    Seeing this I manage to rip the dagger out and head towards my sister.  As I hold her, I look at Craig and ask, ¡°Why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°I simply pity you. You¡¯re young and you don¡¯t understand what you''re doing, so I simply wish to reduce the strife you would feel when you finally understand the meaning of your and others'' lives, like your sister has.¡±


    His face soon goes lifeless, and other enemies, ignoring his sacrifice head straight towards us with the intent to kill us.


    ¡°Laeg we got to move.¡±


    My sister tries to move but as she does the panic she is facing intensifies and we are in the same position. Then she mutters, ¡°They were alive, they had blood, a pulse, and families.¡±


    Seeing as she can¡¯t bring herself to move I get up, and with the wound still open I cry, and say, ¡°You won¡¯t touch my sister!¡±


    ¦µ Ferdiad continues to move around me again, and again, but as he does his pattern of attack becomes far sloppier and more straight forward each time, and I say, ¡°You¡¯ve become easy to read.¡±


    Finally pierced one of his arms, and then I hit him in the stomach with my fist knocking him backwards, it is over.


    On the floor, he cries Setanta, with tears falling down his eyes. Looking at him right now he looks like the very definition of a little child, it makes me feel sorry for him, but nevertheless, he still cut down hundreds.


    As he cries Setanta, I peer my head towards Setanta¡¯s body and it isn¡¯t where I was before. Shocked, I start to look everywhere for his body.


    ¦µ I am overpowered and knocked over towards my sister, and the human men swing their swords down at us. As they do my sister covers my body, and I scream, ¡°NO YOU IDIOT!¡±


    But she just stares at my face with a smile and says, ¡°Love you.¡±


    I stare into my sister''s face and I notice that she looks beaten up. There are so many wounds and marks on her face, she is also utterly exhausted, right now my sister is in such a state that it makes me feel like all I want to do is pick her up and run away from the battlefield.


    So I hold her tight hoping that my arms on her back might protect her even if it is just a little bit. Though to my surprise I don¡¯t ever feel them, all I end up feeling is a little splash on my face.


    I open my eyes and look up and there we see all of the men with blood spurting from their throats and Setanta standing in front of us.


    With his tails, he wipes the blood off our face and says, ¡°I promised you guys, didn¡¯t I? Never worry about your lives for the rest of your existence.¡±


    Me and my sister just cry like the time we found out our mom had died. In this moment we have never felt happier, and hopeful.


    ¦µ Seeing Setanta in front of his men, I am utterly shocked and then instantly move to kill Ferdiad, but Setanta manages to knock my spear away, and then kick me in my stomach.


    ¦µ I see something that looks like Setanta in front of me, and I just mutter his name as I know I am about to move to the other side, but then this image crouches beside me and says, ¡°I got your sister pregnant.¡±


    I sit up and say, ¡°WHAT!?¡± While grabbing his collar.


    ¡°I am just kidding that will be after we return.¡±


    I prepare to hit him in the face but then I notice he is alive, and start to tear up a bit. Jumping up he says, ¡°We can talk about this when I finish her, for now just rest princess.¡±


    ¦µ Falling back, I look at his body I notice that not a single wound he had is still on him, so I ask, ¡°HOW!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I guess death was simply too scared to meet me.¡±


    Setanta moves forward and with the energy of someone who has just slept for an entire day he comes at me, and says, ¡°Let¡¯s finish this Aoife!¡±


    Not waiting anytime I use Sonic thrust, but Setanta doesn¡¯t dodge instead he runs head first into my spear, and as I pierce his body and I see something that shocks me, he regenerates then pierces my leg.


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    He pulls his spear out and I attack him again, but he doesn¡¯t wait and just moves into it and counterattacks me yet again. Shocked, I use Red branch battle arts to move around at high speed and then use star flower to strike him seven times.


    But all those blows heal, so I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡±


    As my attack comes towards him, Setanta disappears and strikes me in my back saying, ¡°I think I finally got that Camellia japonica thing down.¡±


    ¦µ The most famous feat of Lugh was the slaying of the wonderbeast V¨¢nagandr, a behemoth wonderbeast which regenerated nearly infinitely. I fought a piece of its flesh before I came here, and it was a struggle.


    When a beastkin eats an animal of any kind there is always a chance that their kids will inherit a specific animal''s traits or even a mix of different animal traits. I had always thought Setanta was just a wolf, or some mixture of other wonderbeasts and a wolf, but could Setanta really have inherited the characteristics of a behemoth wonderbeast?


    ¦µ Setanta and I continue to clash again and again but no matter how many times I hit him he keeps regenerating and pushing forward.


    If Setanta has the abilities of V¨¢nagandr then that would mean no matter how much a stab him he will always regenerate. Still, if I remember correctly, Lugh managed to kill the beast by piercing through its brain.


    It regenerated the thick skin on its head so fast that Lugh had to fight it for hours to break down its ability, but Setanta shouldn¡¯t have such a benefit so I should be able to move forward and win.


    Seeing a path forward, I knock Setanta¡¯s spear away and then thrust directly at his head. But then Setanta for the first time since he got up dodges, and then says, ¡°I have figured you out.¡±


    He moves towards me and as he does he effortlessly dodges all of my thrust while saying, ¡°It took me a little bit of time, but I know everything about you physically, the movement of your muscles, the number of times you breathe, even your unconscious attack patterns it is visible to me.


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Moving as fast as possible I launch a flurry of thrusts towards him, and he uses Camellia japonica to effortlessly get behind me and attack.


    Dodging backwards I hold my wound. This can¡¯t be, both his technique and spirit energy have improved, so much so that he can¡¯t even be compared to who he was when we started


    ¦µ Thanks to my newfound ability I was able to forgo defence, and just purely focus on learning her movements in regards to both the flowy energy and Red branch battle arts.


    And now I can recreate all I have seen. ¡°The time you were above me has come to an end Aoife, thanks for the lesson.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯ T GET COCKY!¡± She says with a very stressed expression.


    From her horn light radiates, but I close my eyes in time so I''m not blinded by it.


    Focusing on my hearing I listen in for the direction she is coming from and then block her spear''s attack, and after this, I lay on a barrage of thrusts which she tries her best to parry.


    But then from her horn a singular beam of light shoots towards my neck, and suddenly a fire starts causing my flesh to be born.


    Using my claws, I rip the burning area out and wait for it to regenerate, but it takes a little longer than usual. Seeing this she points her ray of light at her spear setting it on fire and then comes at me far more aggressive than every before.


    Right now every single one of her hits will burn my flesh, and she is being far more liberal with her uses of her horn. She is no longer holding back and is just trying to kill me as fast as possible.


    She happens to be aiming for my head time and time again, I can only imagine this switch up in her fighting style means that to her my head must be a critical target. I should do some research into this when I return home.


    But for now, I will simply put an end to all of this.


    We move at high speed barely dodging each other''s blows as we move around, she consistently throws in flashes from her horn to throw me off, but I manage to react to them in time by focusing on my hearing rather than my sight.


    I use Star flower, sonic thrust, sky flower, clover, and Camellia Japonica over and over again, and each time I reuse them I feel like my brain is starting to solve a puzzle.


    I kick her in the stomach knocking her backwards, and then I see her take a stance that sets my sense of danger off. Right now what she is about to hit me with isn¡¯t something I can dodge, and will kill me if it lands.


    Though I feel like whatever the attack will be, it is something that I already know.


    Within Setanta¡¯s mind words he heard from Sc¨¢thach rush to the forefront of his consciousness.


    ¡°Master you¡¯re hiding something from me. No way Red branch battle arts would be as infamous among everyone in the empire if this is all it can do.¡±


    ¡°Setanta you already have everything you need to see the true power of my fighting style. Just continue repeating what you have been taught.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, because if I did I would be stronger. I really am bored with you speaking like your tongue is knotted.¡±


    Bringing her cloaked body next to mine, she says, ¡°I do no such thing. Understand this Setanta that all of the forms I have taught you are building blocks which when mastered shall reveal the pinnacle of the style, the ultimate art so to speak.


    But to achieve such a peak you must be patient and focus day by day, because if you do just like a morning glory all your enemies will fall within the day.¡±


    Inside my mind, all of the forms overlap and I take a stance similar to Aoife. The ability to recognize your surroundings from Star Flower, the ability to understand your opponent¡¯s body from Clover, the ability to exert the full power of your legs with Sky Flower, the ability to release instantaneous force from sonic thrust and the ability to be unseen with Camellia japonica, when all of these forms overlap I can bring out the full potential within myself.


    Both of us say, ¡°Red branch battle arts ultimate art; Morning glory.¡±


    We both blitz forward at full speed leaving sound completely behind, and then meeting each other in the middle both of our spears clash with mine shattering hers and leaving a hole in her body.


    ¦µ Falling to the ground, I use the remainder of my strength to look back and see a shining figure standing gallantly and screaming his heart out.


    I am sure if this boy was to join up with that human a new era for all the living beings on this planet would come.


    With tears falling from my eyes, I say, ¡°Why would we rob all those to come from such a happy world?¡±


    Falling to the ground, Aoife dies.

 Arc 10.83: A signal of destruction part 20

    ¦µ Seeing Setanta as he lets out a roar of victory, I am utterly stunned. That last strike of his was beautiful, it was far beyond anything I could have ever imagined myself doing.


    Turning around Setanta faces me and as he does I see a giant chasm appear in between us, something so large and wide that I feel like I couldn¡¯t ever reach the other side even if I had wings to fly with.


    Setanta then quickly moves across the battlefield, and one after another he kills the enemies in who almost destroyed us with a single blow to their necks each.


    His speed, power, and dexterity have risen to new heights, that even surpass the wall of strength was Aoife. Not only this but he also has the traits of a behemoth wonderbeast in his blood, Setanta is truly a miracle to our people.


    Not someone I can ever reach.


    ¦µ Lunging forward to Ferdiad, I say, ¡°You need a hand princess.¡±


    Getting up on his own, Ferdiad says, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky you dumb doggy, just so you know I am the strongest.¡±


    Ferdiad''s leg buckles as he fully stands up so I catch him, and say, ¡°Watch your wounds, you are in no position to move.¡±


    ¡°I have already failed spectacularly today, please just allow this loser to fall on his face.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call a single thing you did today, a failure. You are far stronger and braver than you were when we last met, and that just proves to me that you are the man who will stand at my side.¡±


    Ferdiad looks heartbroken for a brief moment, but then he quickly composes himself and with a smile he says, ¡°Of course I am you dumb wolf.¡±


    ¡°A wonderbeast actually, you¡¯re the only wolf here.¡±


    From behind us, I hear a loud noise, and then I see that another army has appeared from the top right. The Fuinseog army including Ronald ¨® Fuinseog.


    ¦µ At 645 hours Aoife falls, and then soon after the Fuinseog army which appeared at the rear of the escaping humans, and the Faol¨¢in army which appeared at the front quickly annihilated all of the remaining human resistant capturing thousands of surrendering humans.


    At 700 hours the finally human resistance was completely stamped out and the battle ended in the victory of the beastkin. Many beastkin quickly moved to treat the wounded, and the rest of the human survivors were rounded up and herded away.


    ¦µ Sitting in front of my sister who has a look filled with despair in her eyes, I say, ¡°Laeg you have always been far more sensitive than others, even among the girls I know you seem to take everything far more deeply than average.


    You¡¯re a kind and sensitive soul, even though someone like me took the life of our mother you never blamed or cursed me, and whenever I would feel lonely from lacking a mother you would always step in.


    I know after watching you Laeg that you value human life, and I don¡¯t know why but after spending time with Craig, I struggle a bit to truly see them as lower than me, especially considering them almost besting us today.


    I love you Laeg, you are truly the greatest sister I could ever ask for. So I want you to go home, you''re not fit for war or battle and I understand that you worry for our finances so much that you would join me on this battlefield.


    But I can work harder to provide for our village, I will also be smarter and not get myself in any more bad situations like today.


    So please Laeg when we return I want you to leave and quit, all the pain and suffering of this battle should fall on me, I can¡¯t bear to see you doing things like riding all night, and killing people.¡±


    Laeg starts to cry and then says, ¡°Ibar you¡¯re a fool, a stupid fool. I hate hurting others, I hate war, and I have never truly seen humans are far lower than us. Being here has barely changed that aspect about me.¡±


    ¡°Then why would you choose to come here?¡±


    ¡°Because I love you dammit, I could easily run away and live a comfy life, but it is like you don¡¯t understand that you¡¯re a part of my life as well. I didn¡¯t save you when we were younger, I took comfort in your existence. You made me feel like Mom didn¡¯t leave.


    Your key to mine and everyone else¡¯s life, and you don¡¯t seem to understand that you idiot! So that¡¯s why I came here, to make sure to bring you home to everyone.


    But not just you, Setanta, and Ferdiad everyone, they have all become very important to me and I want to make sure we all get home together. Even if I have to push myself to the extreme or take others'' lives, I want that more than anything else in the world.


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    So stop being an idiot and acting like you have to take on all of the suffering or pain alone, as some kind of apology for mom dying during your birth, because if you were to die and leave us it would be like mom has disappeared again.¡±


    My sister breaks down into her tears, and I just hold her saying, "Sorry, Laeg, I am so sorry.¡±


    ¦µ Looking around the battlefield, I see Laeg and Ibar crying, but they are not the only ones. Many who are injured beyond belief are writing their final goodbyes to their still-living friends.


    While others are picking up the dead bodies of those who have fallen today fighting by their sides.


    Seeing a group of men pass by with T¨¦ad body, I grip my fist tightly, but Setanta hits me on the back and says, ¡°Don¡¯t feel frustrated, if you want to honour him make sure others know what he has done for us all today.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Now I got to go.¡±


    ¡°Where are you heading?¡±


    ¡°To see my father, apparently they have rounded up all of the humans over there.¡±


    ¡°I will come along.¡±


    I tap him in the stomach with my tail and he falls to the ground, so I say, ¡°If you can¡¯t even take that you shouldn¡¯t be going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°But it is my job to watch you.¡±


    Picking my nose I say, ¡°When the hell did you sleep with my dad?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Have you finally gone insane?¡±


    ¡°Well, you had to have because that¡¯s the only way he could have impregnated you.¡±


    Ferdiad pauses for a moment, then says, ¡°You could just say I was nagging you!¡±


    ¡°Whatever Mom. I will be fine, and looking around I am sure we both know that others could use your support right now.¡±


    Ferdiad looks at Ibar and Laeg then says, ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid.¡±


    ¡°I promise, I will.¡± I dash off as Ferdiad screams, ¡°SETANTA!¡±


    -Break-


    On the other end of the mountain range, the large group of captured humans lie in the middle of a plain with trees scattered throughout, and in front of all of them on a make shift platform, is my father Lugh, Ronald Fuinseog, and their generals.


    Seeing a tree, I jump on top of it and take refuge while I look down at all that is on folding.


    The humans cower, cry, and shake in fear of their upcoming despair, and while they do I say, ¡°How comical if even half these people came to the battlefield we would have been completely overrun. Ridiculous that they would somehow choose not to fight in this situation.¡±


    They all look like they are moments away from ending their own lives, right now I can only say what they feel is utter despair and hopelessness, and I am sure that the only thing keeping many of them alive right now is the fact that none of them have weapons to give themselves quick deaths.


    In front of the humans, my father says, ¡°All of you have committed vile acts against the empire of Louernia. You have abandoned your plantations and master but also used all of the knowledge you had learned under us to destroy us.


    The equivalent of a child spitting in their parent''s face and each of you will be punished through severe discipline.¡±


    Many of the humans relax, and I say, ¡°Lives without pride,¡± in a disgusted tone.


    My father continues, and says, ¡°Or so I would say if this was under normal circumstances, but you humans intermingled with all of the different groups of your kind we have brought together and shared knowledge with one another.


    Right now each of you are walking bomb of knowledge that could give smaller groups the ability to wage war against us, and for that reason, you will all die.¡±


    The humans start to freak out with many of them looking like they are about to run away, but then Ronald lifts his hand, and following this his men come out of the surrounding forest with Merarks¡¯ in tow.


    There are around seventy-five thousand humans here, an utterly ridiculous number of them. So if they really just tried to all run in the same direction and push their way through they could make it.


    But with the Merarks¡¯ hunting capabilities, they would all be thorns to shreds, right now it¡¯s over for them.


    The humans cry and complain, their shouts are so numerous echo among them.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt us.¡±


    ¡°We never wanted to fight against the empire.¡±


    ¡°We are alive to don¡¯t we deserve to be happy.¡±


    ¡°They forced me to come here, I would still be in the plantation if I could.¡±


    ¡°Spare my children please.¡±


    ¡°I am able-bodied I can still work.¡±


    ¡°I promise you I don¡¯t know anything I don¡¯t talk to anyone.¡±


    ¡°Daddy come and save us.¡±


    ¡°Spare my wife, let me take all her torture.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, this one here, and this one there are the real leaders of our group.¡±


    ¡°I deserve to be free.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all monster.¡±


    ¡°We can one day be allies and walk hand in hand.¡±


    ¡°The messiah will one day wipe your putrid existence from the planet, just watch your days are numbered!¡±


    Even in this chaos, humans can¡¯t act with any form of unity, it is like they don¡¯t enjoy victories or success. How the hell did they ever rule this world?


    Suddenly Ronald slaps his whip on the ground and activates his legacy making thorns manifest from it and head towards the humans. ¡°Silence you dirty monkeys.¡±


    My father moves forward, stops the thorns, and then says, ¡°You will all die, but I am going to give you all a choice on how quick or painless it may be. Any information you give will result in a merciful death, but any resistance will be met with a torturous one. So choose.¡±


    The humans go back to complaining, but then my father says, ¡°SILENCE! No matter what you say your fate won¡¯t change, so at least have some dignity and choose. You all have five minutes to decide what kind of death you want.¡±


    My father gets back on the platform he hand-built, and then Ronald drags a human body out. Or what I think is one, then says, ¡°This is the reality of what will happen if you choose the wrong option, the handwork of me and my men.¡±


    It is a human body but the arms and legs are missing and the body has been so punished that it makes Minagrain¡¯s injuries look like. The human can¡¯t speak and just makes noise.


    I get up and grab my spear, then prepare to throw it at that thing''s head, then whilst saying, ¡°Nothing like that should be alive, so I am going to do what you should have done to yourself instead of being captured.¡±


    I prepare to throw my spear but before I do my father lobs his head off and says, ¡°I don¡¯t like inefficiencies and wastes of time, kill the humans when they reach such a state.¡±


    Glaring at my father, he says, ¡°Look at all of the human faces I think my little show did some work. Now let¡¯s just wait.¡±


    The humans stricken with fear start to talk and whisper amongst themselves and despite them all having different conversations the sentiment is the same, that they must tell of their secrets.


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Cowards, I have no need to watch this.¡±


    But then from the crowd of humans, one rises and says, ¡°I refuse to tell any of you anything in the slightest.¡±

 Arc 10.84: A signal of destruction part 21

    The man who says these words has one of their holy amulets right next to his next, he is a follower of the church of the messiah.


    Walking forward he says, ¡°I will do no such thing.¡±


    Ronald dashes forward and grabs the man by his collar then he says, ¡°So you that¡¯s what you choose, fine by me. I think a living example will get my point across.¡±


    Ronald truly is far more cruel when handling humans. Well what do I expect from a man who enjoys a hunt, making sure you get to play with your prey is a must.


    While still in Ronald''s arms, he says, ¡°Please don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°Too late to beg for your life now.¡±


    ¡°I am not begging for mine but for yours.¡±


    Surprised by these words, Ronald says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Right now you members of the empire of Louernia are riding a path straight to hell. If you all continue your indiscriminate slaughter and suppression of others it will one day lead to your doom.¡±


    Pulling him closer Ronald says, ¡°Those are very charged words, you talk as if you know more about our empire than us who live in it. Human arrogance at its finest


    ¡°I may not know the ins and outs of your empire but I can see the signs, the signs that our holy scripture tells us come with the fall of me. Your empire will grow more bloated and lazy by the day, and all the while you incur the wrath of countless due to your own godless morality.


    Even those blessed by the messiah himself will fall into the pits of hell if they were to follow your path. So I beg of you stop this foolishness, because if you continue on a day will come when the beastkin will live the rest of eternity in a hole unbeknownst to man if they are lucky.


    Right now due to your peoples'' actions humanity is the most connected it has been in millennia. None have ever survived the depths of malice that live in the hearts of humanity, not even humanity itself.


    I can hear the whispers god sent to me, and right now we are at a turning point in history. If you all continue on your path the way it is, I am sure a wonderful future that could exist with all of us walking hand in hand could exist.


    So yet again I beg don¡¯t do this, and spare the lives of yourself and all those who will share a drop of your blood, because your actions will decide whether they shall live in the future or not.¡±


    Anger Ronald starts to choke him more and says, ¡°If you think you humans could ever wipe us out, you''re far more delusional than we could ever be. The empire of Louernia is the greatest society to ever exist on this feeble planet, I am sure even the dragons would be jealous of its beauty.


    So never in your pathetic short human life think that you can tell us what¡¯s best for the beastkin or not. Unlike you, waste of flesh we are chosen, granted a special power to tame this planet and take it as our own.¡±


    ¡°God gave us all this planet to help each other and be with one another. Not for the shake of ever controlling it.¡±


    Ronald throws him to the ground, and as he does my eyes remain transfixed on him. I haven¡¯t been able to break my gaze on him, and my ears only care about the words that live him mouth.


    ¡°Back when the humans took of Tir na n-iontas, our holy land they used your god to say they had a right to take all that lay before us, to kill and enslave us just as your holy scriptures said.


    And when you''re in the opposite situation your scriptures now say the opposite, rather convenient? You talk and talk, and talk, yet nothing of actual substance is said. At the end of the day, this is all you say just exist to save your own life.


    You¡¯re just scum who decided to beg for his own life, whilst you couldn¡¯t even bring yourself to beg for the lives of your young. Each and every one of you humans are the same.¡±


    On the floor, the man rises whilst saying, ¡°I know not what those fools have said to your people, but would an evil man not say he loves a woman just so he could deflower her, and would an evil woman not use men simply for their value?


    Is love now an evil existence due to their use of such a thing? Our scriptures tell us that humans can go without food, sleep, and sex, but one thing they cannot exist without is love.


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    It is the building block of our existence that the scriptures exist to remind us of the paths god has given us that lead to the greatest future for all existence on this planet.


    I make the choice to love you beastkin even though the acts I have seen today have caused me deep unbearable pain. I truly wish to stand beside you all in my greatest or lowest moments.


    Some may have used my words to attack you, and I denounce them and will spend any time I have left fighting against those scum.


    Those scum have left deep wounds on your people, which will not heal instantly, but I am sure we can all receive a miracle that will allow us to move forward, and I will walk with you all the way.


    So even if you have to kill me, I ask that you don¡¯t kill anyone else. Even if you have to kill all of us in a horrendous way I ask you to let us be the end. This is my plea for the future of the kids who lay under humans, and those who lay under the beastkin, because if you were to continue this the hatred and pain that would be passed down would be something our minds couldn¡¯t even comprehend.¡±


    As the man speaks Ronald looks shaken, as if his words have had an effect on him. He isn¡¯t the only one in such a state, the humans who were all just moments ago being consumed by fear and are now focused on this conversation.


    The human continues while taking steps forward, ¡°You say you care for the future of your empire, but is your anger and hatred for us enough to doom your people for the rest of time? If you truly have pride in your nation, and care for it''s well-being stop this foolish behaviour.


    All that exists was built when people worked together as god intended. One might be able to receive short-term gains by trampling over another, and these gains might persist for 40 years, 60 years or even 100 years, but one day that loss will far outway the gains, and all of the striving your people have done whether good or bad will be lost.


    So please I beg you give up and stop this!¡±


    Ronald who looks shaken, acts irrationally and goes to strike the human saying, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    I prepare to move forward as fast as I can, but my father grabs his hand, and says, ¡°Control yourself.¡±


    Ronald composes himself, and then my father says, ¡°The malice of humans is truly something to be feared almost like a raging river, but even that can be redirected if one is smart enough.¡±


    My father moves back to his platform, and says, ¡°Listen here, humans. I am giving all of you a choice, you will split into two groups one on the right and one on the left.


    If all of you stand on the left I will spend each one of you back to the most peaceful plantations under my men¡¯s direct rule unharmed, for the rest of your days you will know no harm.¡±


    Aren¡¯t the plantations under my father''s direct rule the place he keeps all of the beastkin who manifest only human traits? One could easily say it is the only place in the entire empire where humans are treated the same as beastkin.


    ¡°Or if all of you stand on the right, I shall let every single one of you go, and won¡¯t give chase. I will march my armies back to Tir na N-iontas, I swear this to you on my ancestors, and on the name of our god Danu.¡±


    These words get both the beastkin and the humans incredibly hysterical.


    The generals beside my father say, ¡°Lugh if such a thing was to happen you would lose your position.¡±


    ¡°Not even Setanta would do something this reckless.¡±


    ¡°This is utterly insane.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many of us died in this battle? If you did this it would be too far.¡±


    My father then says, ¡°Though there is a single condition. If even a single one of you chooses left instead of right I will torture all those who choose right to death right before you all, and those who choose left will still get their reward. Oh, and I will only allow around half of you to be on the left side.¡±


    The humans who were unified in their decision to go right now look at each other with distrust and animosity.


    What a horrible decision to play on them, if they all work together they win, but those who choose left will be able to secure their safety. What makes it worse is the ridiculous number the humans have.


    If it was a small enough group you might feel calm but these are people who mere moments ago felt like they could betray each other, and now their lives hang in the balance of their trust.


    A human shouts, ¡°HEY, how do we know you''re going to truly keep your promise if I go to the left.¡±


    ¡°If a single one of the men here reports I broke a promise to Danu, they could easily have me removed from my position as king of Gorias during the next selection for who should have the position. Unlike you humans, we don¡¯t take our god''s names in vain.¡±


    The humans continue to think, and think over the options they have, but then the man who had been arguing against Ronald moves to the right, and says, ¡°God gave us the miracle of each other, and I will believe in that miracle as long as I live.¡±


    My father says, ¡°That¡¯s what I expected of you. Now the rest of you have a minute to choose. Close your eyes and move to one side and if I see a single one of you open them, you will die regardless of the side you choose.¡±


    My father starts to count loudly, and the humans follow his instructions.


    ¦µ With my back turned and my eyes closed I stand here shaking as I hear footsteps move. Unable to bear the idea of people moving to the left side, I put my fingers in my ears.


    I am scared, so scared. My legs shake and I feel like I am about to sully my undergarments just from the thought of being reduced to such a state.


    I am not strong or powerful, my mind is weak and so is my body. Even now I think back to the beastkin who fought to protect us and wish they could have done more to save us.


    I feel far more upset that all the people who sacrificed their lives are unable to save me than the fact they are dead. I am not a kind person.


    But still, I will make the decision to stand up despite this fear, and to believe in people. No matter how much I want to run to the other side to save myself, I won¡¯t because I believe in the precepts of the messiah with all my heart.


    He has spoken to me before and has shown his light to me in my darkest times. I have sinned plenty in the past, but for now, I will believe and have faith.


    The leader of the beastkin shouts, ¡°Now open your eyes.¡±


    So I do, I turn around and open them.

 Arc 10.85: A signal of destruction part 22

    ¦µ  As all of the humans open their eyes including myself, I sigh and say, ¡°What did I even expect of those humans.¡±


    On the left side is an overwhelming amount of people, so many that it makes me feel quite sick at the sight of it.


    Hanging off my tree, I say, ¡°Words aren¡¯t enough to move the human heart it seems.¡±


    ¦µ In front of me lies about 20 people from the 75000 of us. About 12 of them hold the holy cross, but it is not even a hundredth of the total congregation among all of us, the rest lie on the other side.


    But what truly breaks my heart is that of the 20 people, it includes a family with children who followed my words to the right side.


    I feel sick like I am about to throw up. All these people across from me choose their own safety even though we all could escape, they choose to spit on all of the sacrifices made today, and at the end of it all not even half of them will be allowed to go with the beastkin.


    I want to scream at them, I want to kill them, I want to fall to my knees and cry. Why god, why? Was I wrong? Maybe god wanted me to put my life first since all of these people are utter scum?


    Have my past sins caught up to me? Did you not speak of forgiveness in all things? Have I not tried my best to dedicate my life to your word and precepts?


    I thought I was good, I thought you said whispered words to me, and told me that I need to keep believing in you. Was it all a lie? Did it ever even happen? Maybe all of the words of god were just something I made up in my head? Looking back would I have been here if god existed, would I have even had to suffer like this?


    In front of me, the large group of humans on the left side start to fight amongst themselves.


    ¦µ Only half the humans on the left can go, so I guess they have to shorten their numbers somehow because if it goes up to some sort of random selection, their safety will no longer be an assurance.


    If they all just went to the right side it wouldn¡¯t have even been an issue. A bunch of morons, but I guess the biggest idiot here is the holy man who looks like he is one second away from killing himself.


    Guess he was just another boring human.


    ¦µ Looking at their fight, I hold back a smile. At the very least before I am turned into a creature that shouldn¡¯t even be called human I get to watch these fools cannibalize themselves, I can find joy in this to get me through the hardship.


    Suddenly to the left of me, the family of four parents get on their knees and hug their children crying profusely saying, ¡°Forgive us, mother and father were stupid, and we put you in harm''s way please forgive us.2


    To the right of me, two lovers hug and the woman says, ¡°I dragged you here due to my own stupid wishes, my delusions have caused you harm, and even now you are crying.¡±


    ¡°I am only crying because I fear for your safety more than anything else in this world.¡±


    Both the parents and the wife say, ¡°We were stupid for believing in this.¡±


    Seeing both of their pleas I smack myself in the face which causes all those wearing crosses to ask, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Under my breath, I say, ¡°Please forgive me lord for my lack of faith, you have once again sent a message to me.¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°Do you all still truly believe in god.¡±


    They all look shaky, and each and every one of them ends up being unable to reaffirm their faith in me. So I say, ¡°Please don¡¯t give up yet, and just watch me move forward.¡±


    ¦µ The holy man walks forward and then says to my father, ¡°I have a proposition.¡±


    Ronald is about to say something, but then my father stops him and says, ¡°Go ahead human.¡±


    ¡°I wish for you to inflict all of the pain on me that you would have inflicted on all those who stand on the right. If I am able to bear it all please let them all go.¡±


    Looks of shock appear on the faces of those around him including myself.


    ¡°Is he insane, the physical and mental damage that would inflict on a person would kill them countless times over. No way a skinny human could take such a thing. Even with my regeneration, I don¡¯t know I could handle such a thing.¡±


    My father responds, ¡°I refuse, I am still killing all of you who walked onto the right. I fully intended to let every single one of the humans go if you had all gone to the right, and so you must face the consequences of your own peoples'' avarice.¡±


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    The holy man looks down, but my father says, ¡°Though if one was to survive such a tortuous ordeal, a reward would have to be given simply out of respect of such a feat. If you take 19 men¡¯s worth of torture while still being conscious and I will kill the remaining people of the right without torturing them, it will be a signal quick blow.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at him, I say, ¡°Father you do realize that is far more cruel than just killing him. How would one even be able to motivate themselves to do such a thing knowing the target would still die.¡±


    But to my surprise with a bright smile on his face, the holy man says, ¡°Yes I will do it. But please also extend my condition to all the people who you will kill on the left side.¡±


    WHAT!? Is he insane to do such a thing for those cowards?


    The humans also seem to be just as stunned by his declaration. But he doesn¡¯t, he just comfortably smiles.


    How, how can he smile like that in such a situation?


    My father also seems slightly perturbed by this, and says, ¡°Ronald do your worst until you feel like it is enough.¡±


    Using his legacy Ronald uses manifest a briar and drags the man onto the stage impaling him as he does that.


    But Ronald is careful as he does that the briars only pierce skin deep, and they do so slowly. The area which the briar pierce also starts to turn red causing a skin rash.


    The holy man goes from a pained to a distressed expression. He starts to squirm around but Ronald has bound his arms and legs in his briar¡¯s not allowing him to move.


    Ronald then says, ¡°Being a hunter is a very hard job. You must know all aspects of your prey to efficiently understand their patterns and predict their movements to your advantage,


    But knowledge is an everchanging tool, and what can be used for hunting prey can also be used for torture. There are countless sensations that the human body can experience that would drive a man insane.


    Itchiness is one of them. It can be far more intense and distressing than pure pain yet it doesn¡¯t lead to death like bloodless can. And there are many other things like this.¡±


    ¡°Fourth bloom.¡± From his whip briar wraps completely around one of the holy man''s arms and brings it to the front of his body. Then his briars start to enter into the man''s arm.


    ¡°A poison that makes it so that one loses feeling in a certain section of the body. The level of effect depends on how much I use it so right now the outer parts of your arm are completely numb, but you can feel the workings of the inner parts far more intense now  not if I send my brairs into your arm you can feel every single movement.¡±


    The look the holy man makes is one of intense discomfort, one so horrible that it makes him throw up.


    Ronald says, ¡°Though discomfort and pain can be inflicted on a person at the same time.¡±


    He then uses his whip to strike his body multiple times. He has the strength to rip this human body in half with one blow, but he holds back his strength and hits him lightly enough just to leave some sore red skin.


    The humans on both sides look at him and have ceased any arguments as they watch intently at what is unfolding. The holy man looks like he is about to cry and break any moment now.


    But to the surprise of everyone especially Ronald, he says, ¡°Please hurry it up, standing this long won¡¯t be good on everybody''s backs.¡±


    Ronald becomes infuriated by this and says, ¡°I will show you the height of punishment which your mind can¡¯t even comprehend.¡±


    Ronald from this point on increases the brutality of his punishment towards the holy man, he inflicts him again and again with attacks that brutalize his body and poison that ravages his senses.


    The humans can¡¯t even look at what¡¯s going on, and the beastkin who hates humans with all their hearts turns away from the utter brutality that takes place before their eyes.


    It is a horrible sight, but right now I would say the one in the most mental anguish is Ronald because despite all he is doing the holy man doesn¡¯t let out a single cry the only thing that comes out of his mouth is prayers.


    ¦µ I feel like every aspect of myself is crumbling, right now every single principle and piece of will I have within me is all but gone. I pray but not due to faith, it is simply a reflex that is keeping me going through all of this.


    If I was to stop for even a second and acknowledge the pain I would die in mere moments.


    I know I shouldn¡¯t question it, I know I shouldn¡¯t doubt myself. But does this truly have any meaning? Anything to be gained? Because it is no different than fighting to see how a corpse will be buried, an utterly pointless endeavour.


    Still, I truly have faith that god is good to me, so I will simply move on and march forward. I start to pray lower and Ronald gets more enraged, he whips me again and I feel like I am going to die.


    But to my surprise, a small group from both sides about 50 people move forward and say, ¡°Please let us join him.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°His deal let us all take some suffering as well, and split the rest.¡±


    ¡°You will all die a tortuous death.¡±


    Shaky, crying, trembling and scared the humans in front of me say, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Lugh single them, and they join me on stage and I hold back a few tears from my eyes, but this doesn¡¯t cause Ronald to stop just intensifies but with a second wind at my back I say, ¡°Keep going and hurry it up, I don¡¯t want anyone to have to see this for too long.¡±


    ¦µ Until the sun sits Ronald beats all of the humans to death one by one,  but as they fall another human moves forward and stands up eventually of the 70 thousand humans 7 thousand choose to throw away their lives in Ronald''s rampage.


    And for every single moment, they do my eyes are transfixed, I can¡¯t draw them away and eventually, only one human remains the one at the starts whose body is tattered beyond belief, it is hard to even call him alive at this point.


    Ronald walks away, and says, ¡°I am done, I don¡¯t have any more to give.


    My father stands in front of him and says, ¡°I will keep my side of the deal, and kill the remaining ones mercifully.¡±


    ¡°I am happy.¡±


    ¡°So why are you crying human?¡±


    ¡°I know it was my victory today, but I don¡¯t know if I truly have been able to wave the flames of hatred that will persist between humans and beastkin in your hearts. Because if I haven¡¯t then you will all still die to humans soon.¡±


    ¡°I doubt such a thing would ever happen to us,¡± Holding a spear in hand my father says, ¡°Any last words?¡±


    From the depths of his lungs, he shouts, ¡°PLEASE DON¡¯T HATE HUMANS ANY MORE, AND PLEASE HUMANS HOLD FORGIVENESS FOR BEASTKIN GOING FORWARD!¡±


    My father pierces him through the chest, and as he does I ingrain his expression in my head.


    Then I fall back and swing on the tree and say, ¡°Do I know 7000 beastkin who would have done this in such a situation?¡±

 Arc 10.86: Intersection between the future and the past part 1

    ¦µ Following the beastkin¡¯s victory, they quickly took all of the humans captive and started to transport all of their possessions along with the bodies of fallen beastkin soldiers out.


    All of the human soldiers were killed for spilling the blood of members of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, and the civilians were to be executed by Lugh.


    However, due to the undisclosed situation, 35,000 of the humans had been spared. The remaining humans had all been killed mercifully with a single strike, except for around 7000 who were all brutally tortured to death by Ronald Fuinseog.


    Both Ronald and Lugh received harsh punishments that where ugly stains on the names of the young Ronald who had accomplished countless military victories, and Lugh the perfect young king who seemingly had no flaws.


    But at the very least, in the eyes of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan the name of house Fuinseog didn¡¯t decrease much as Setanta''s accomplishments were spread far and wide as well, along with a rumour that he is to be the next high king.


    -Two weeks later-


    Location: Emain Macha


    ¦µ As I stare in a mirror and look at my clothes. They are rather nice with the Faol¨¢in crest plastered over them and with jewellery for my wolf ears and tail.


    I stare right at the Faol¨¢in crest, and as I do the images of all the men who died for me flash through my mind again, so I simply hold it and say, ¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough to save you, and I am not even strong enough to be by his side anymore. Your sacrifice was wasted on someone like me.¡±


    Bursting through the door, one of the maids shouts, ¡°Ferdiad come and help us!¡±


    ¡°What did Setanta do this time!?¡±


    Suddenly we hear Setanta says, ¡°I can do whatever I want I am the hero of this party!¡±


    I instantly run out to see Setanta who is utterly draped in so much jewellery that he shines like the sun.


    Turning to me, he says, ¡°Ferdiad as my right hand prepare to be transformed as well.¡±


    ¡°NO WAY! NOW THAT ALL OF THAT OFF!!¡±


    -One fight later-


    Walking down a corridor with Setanta at my side, I say, ¡°Why can¡¯t you just behave once, just once.¡±


    ¡°It is completely stupid that I just have to where jewellery around my animal parts.¡±


    ¡°It symbolizes the pride we take in being beastkin and is a sign of respect, just like how we have drawn tattoos on our body before we put on our clothes. It is a symbol of the abuse that the Fir bolg suffered under the humans.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but I think it would be fine if I decorated my other parts as well.¡±


    ¡°Why they are far less important than your beast parts.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really think that is true.¡±


    Staring at him, I say, ¡°If this is some sort of sign of incoming stupidity from you I ask that you cease before you start.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I am just thinking about how pretty Minagrain would have been in a dress beside me.¡±


    ¡°My sister is far too shy to go to a big event like a celebration of our victory, and besides if people found out that you plan on marrying her it could be disastrous with the rumours flying around.¡±


    ¡°You mean the rumours of me being the next high king. How ridiculous, who would even spread such lies.¡±


    Looking away I start to ruminate over my thoughts.


    I shouldn¡¯t have said anything to T¨¦ad because it seems like his men happened to overhear what we were saying and some foolish decided to spread the fact that Setanta is probably the next high king.


    Many people have been sceptical of the validity of this rumour, but the actions of King Conchobar like accepting much younger women as concubines have made people start to think he is infertile.


    If people figure that out, someone like my sister would be put in harm''s way as Setanta even if he becomes high king would probably still marry her, and even if Setanta was to get a harem he would play favourites with my sister. I can¡¯t even imagine the amount of attempts that would be on her life.


    ¡°Ferdiad?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡± I shout shocked.


    ¡°Do you need to take a shit?¡±


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    ¡°Nope, now what were you saying.¡±


    ¡°We here.¡±


    Walking through two doors we are greeted by Ibar and Laeg who are dressed to a high standard just like the both of us. Ibar looks kind of like a young version of his father, while Laeg looks so pretty my heart stops for a moment.


    ¡°Ibar you truly look like a strong warrior now, while Laeg you are utterly stunning.¡±


    Ibar becomes excited and makes a cocky expression saying, ¡°Obviously who would expect any less.¡±


    While Laeg blushes and says, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Setanta appearing behind then grabs their tails and says, ¡°Though those clothes don¡¯t see to have much movement.¡±


    They both quickly turn around and prepare to hit Setanta but just like lightning he moves behind them again, it was so fast that my eyes couldn¡¯t even keep up with him.


    ¡°You both cannot even see me with the new powers I have obtained!¡±


    They continue to run around and try to strike Setanta which ruins their regal appearance to the maids around, but to me, all I can do is focus on Setanta''s speed trying to grab ahold of him with my eyes.


    Eventually, Setanta exhausts them both to the point that they can barely stand, then he goes up and hugs them both saying, ¡°I am happy you both can still smile like this. I know it must have been hard on the both of you, but remember this I will always be there to support and stand by you even if you choose one day that you don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    I snap out of my hyper-focus on Setanta¡¯s speed and notice how stressed they both look. I didn¡¯t notice it before but I have no idea when is the last time I have seen either of them smile.


    They both hug Setanta and then in unison kick him directly in the stomach and start to stamp on his head.


    ¡°Thanks for that boss, now let¡¯s see how you handle this,¡± Ibar says with a smile.


    Laeg looking at me, says, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to join in.¡±


    Laughing a bit, I say, ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad, come on where friends, you¡¯re a brother to me.¡±


    I give him a little smile then join in.


    -Break-


    ¦µ As we walk through the castle, Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯re all evil.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a man who would touch a woman¡¯s tail. Pervert.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°You¡¯re lucky you met Setanta when he did before he had quite literally no respect for everyone.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°That¡¯s a rather frightening thing to think about.¡±


    Turning to Setanta, I ask, ¡°What changed then?¡±


    ¡°Easy, I met Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°Awww, how cute.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad says, ¡°He robbed and beat the shit out of me the first time we met.¡±


    ¡°Urgh,¡± I say looking at Setanta.


    ¡°Hey but then we became friends after that right,¡± Setanta says looking at Ferdiad.


    Ferdiad avoids this gaze and turns his head, then says, ¡°Looking back on it I didn¡¯t even have the right to refuse such a request, and now I have been dragged into a hole not of my own making.¡±


    Setanta droops his head like a depressed wolf, but Ferdiad says, ¡°But it has been a rather pleasant time.¡±


    Setanta jumps with joy, and I ask, ¡°Oh, I never got a chance to ask you but how was the funeral at the L¨²cogadhs¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Pleasant enough, but rather saddening that the only thing T¨¦ad was even remembered for at the funeral was his contribution to helping us, they couldn¡¯t even say a single other good thing about him.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°I guess despite being one of the sons many people didn¡¯t value his life much. It seems that at the end of the day, beastkin only truly values the lives of those who do great things, even if they were your family you will only weep for the loss of their achievements.¡±


    The air becomes tense as my brother says this, and noticing this Setanta says, ¡°Then all you guys have to do is remember him. If you all succeed and keep him in your hearts all the way it means his existence was far more important than others.


    Knowing how amazing my arm and legs are I am sure that would make him far more important than even his entire house one day.¡±


    We all smile at this suggestion, and then come to a stop. ¡°We are here,¡± I say.


    Setanta moving to the front of the door says, ¡°This is another battlefield, while not as bloody you can reap just as many rewards. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¦µ As a door opens we are greeted by a staircase, and below it is countless beastkin dressed so well in a room that is so fancy that I feel like my heart is about.


    I then hear someone shout, ¡°From the house of Faol¨¢in the young lord and future king of Gorias Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, and his loyal subordinates.¡±


    A herd of claps fill the room and I started to get spooked out as I see all those who were staring at me. So I grab Setanta''s tail and say, ¡°So fluffy, I feel better.¡±


    Looking back at me, Setanta says, ¡°My front tail is as nice to hold as my back one.¡±


    I let go and kicked him down the stairs, which caused him to tumble downwards in a rather embarrassing fashion.


    Ibar looks to me as this is happening and whispers, ¡°That was the right decision.¡±


    ¡°I know but look, I just embarrassed the house.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°When dealing with Setanta you must always have ways to salvage a situation.¡±


    Ferdiad throws both me and Ibar down the stairs and then Setanta who has stopped tumbling sticks out both his right and left arms and we land our feet on the palms of his hand.


    Then Ferdiad says, ¡°Stick them out.¡±


    We turn our heads and see he is jumping down as well, so we put out our hands and allow Ferdiad to land his body on them.


    Then Setanta says, ¡°I hope you enjoyed our little entrance, and we hope you have seen the great vigour our empire has.¡±


    Many clap and Setanta lets us all down and then says, ¡°Time to get some food.¡±


    Setanta starts to head towards the food, and with his mouth-watering Ibar says, ¡°I need to go keep him in check, I will be right back.¡±


    I look around and see that the entire hall is far more beautiful than I thought. Ferdiad asks, ¡°Is everything ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is just that this place is far more beautiful than I thought anywhere could ever be.¡±


    ¡°This is one of our two holy grounds, outside of Tara where the high king lives this would be the most important place for us beastkin. That¡¯s why each of the red branch families and the king have their own little castle here.¡±


    In the giant banquet hall, there are thirteen staircases with doors around the room, each one has the coat of arms of a particular red branch family and one for the high king.


    ¡°Makes me feel rather small like I shouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    Ferdiad hits me in my back and says, ¡°The first kings were farmers. No need to ever feel ashamed.¡±


    ¡°I guess you were right.¡±


    Suddenly a man comes up to us and says, ¡°Hello Ferdiad, it is nice to see you again.¡±


    ¡°M¨ªche¨¢l, it has been so long.¡±


    Introducing me, Ferdiad says, ¡°This is M¨ªche¨¢l Mac Carthaigh, and he is a man I once helped a while back.¡±


    ¡°Helped? More like saved, if it wasn¡¯t for you and Setanta I would have died in that surprise attack.¡±


    ¡°Oh you flatter me too much, and anyway with the house you have built for my family I have been all but repaid, oh by the way this is one of our charioteers.¡±


    Ferdiad directs me to introduce myself, and I start to panic. ¡°I CAN¡¯T DO THIS!

 Arc 10.87: Intersection between the future and the past part 2

    I remember all of the decorum I have been taught and then focus thoroughly.


    When speaking to one who you respect you bow your bow, and whilst allowing all of your animal parts to stick upwards. This lowers the part of you that is human while also showing how the animal parts of you are greater.


    While you bow stick one leg in front of the other, and while you do this make sure your balance is impeccable, a single movement shows that aren¡¯t properly making use of the power bestowed onto you by Danu, and lack the control of one''s body that separates us from humans.


    Then you say your name, and what family you come from. ¡°My name is Raereg Ni Fergal, I serve the house of Faol¨¢in but I am originally from a village in Gorias called Gaoth.¡±


    If your greeting has been received well, the other beastkin will tap your foot, and then you stick out your hand for the other one to return you to a normal standing position.


    He pulls me up and says, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    This last bit changes depending on whether or not you rank above or below the person in question. If they rank above you, let them bring you up, if you¡¯re the same rank you bring each other up, and if they rank below you bring yourself up.


    Seeing that I have successfully done my introduction, I look at Ferdiad and trying to hold back a smile, he mutters, ¡°Raereg.¡±


    Instantly I understood what he is talking about, and I become slightly embarrassed. So I step on his foot, and M¨ªche¨¢l says, ¡°I heard whispers of your existence, but I am truly surprised that someone from such humble beginnings as you would be able to handle the house of Faol¨¢in then again you are truly beautiful.¡±


    Slightly annoyed I hold myself back. A backhanded comment; I knew I was going to have to deal with these while working but it still hurts.


    Though I have been prepared for those rather well. And with Ferdiad¡¯s little conversation with him earlier I know everything I need to.


    ¡°It is nice though, that I can give humans something beautiful to look at before I trample over their bodies with my chariot and choke the life out of their eyes with my hands on the battlefield. I am sure you have done the same many times.¡±


    He looks a little perturbed, and I hold back my smile.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure did back in my younger days, I went to countless battlefields,¡± He says with a slightly shaky expression.


    ¡°Really how surprising given your current position. I would love to hear of your exploits, and how you eventually went from battlefields to construction?¡± I say with a dumbly innocent voice.


    Looking a bit more shaky he says, ¡°It is pointless chatter, nothing even a retainer of a red branch family would want to hear.¡±


    ¡°I have heard your family has quite splendid practices in home building, such a task requires one to spend quite a bit of time learning. So the fact that you were able to balance both intrigues me quite a bit. Besides staring at a beauty like me would at least make it interesting from your side.¡±


    He smiles a bit and says, ¡°I would love to invite you ove-,¡±


    ¡°Though my brother and Setanta would have to come with me, they love knowledge about warfare far more than I do,¡± I say with another smile.


    He giggles a bit and then turns to Ferdiad whilst saying, ¡°Sorry I have to go now, I was already in the middle of a conversation and just came to greet you. It will be rude if I don¡¯t return.¡±


    ¡°I see, bye.¡±


    As he moves away, Ferdiad turns to me and says, ¡°Good job.¡±


    Taking a deep exhale, I say, ¡°I try my best.¡±


    Ferdiad then pulls me close to him, causing me to say, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°There are many beasts here who have rather wonderous hearing, so we need to be this close so I can hear you.¡±


    ¡°I understand but isn¡¯t this a bit much.¡±


    ¡°I just want to see the beautiful face you''re so proud of.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Suddenly music starts to play in the area, and looking around I say, ¡°What kind of instruments are those Druids playing?¡±


    ¡°It is one of the many inventions that the C¨¦il¨²s family have been working on. Just like the explosives we used to breach the castle wall, they have found a way to turn to plant life around wonderbeasts into instruments as well.¡±


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    As the music plays, I say, ¡°Why does the music smell and taste sweet? Isn¡¯t it just sound.¡±


    Smiling Ferdiad says, ¡°The instruments'' unique frequency and our enhanced senses as beastkin allow for us to manipulate the mind in such a way that we can start to even stimulate other senses.¡±


    Turning around to face the other people, Ferdiad says, ¡°Though since each of us aren¡¯t all the same animal, it produces unique effects to all who listen to it. So even you and me aren¡¯t having the same reaction, to me it feels quite spicy.¡±


    ¡°How wonderful, I never knew such things were being made.¡±


    ¡°House C¨¦il¨²s is a red branch family that is constantly trying to see what we can create we have advanced knowledge of wonderbeasts and their habitats as a whole. Many records of such things have been kept in Tir Na N-iontas before we ever arrived.¡±


    ¡°I am surprised that you have such an interest.¡±


    ¡°They create many of the things I plan on implementing into my family''s home, so I got accustomed to them. Not to mention that apparently, the head of the family is trying to unlock the true potential of us beastkin.¡±


    ¡°True potential? What does that even mean.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but maybe it could allow me to keep up with him.¡±


    Staring at Ferdiad, I notice he looks as if his mind is preoccupied, so I say, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Focusing on me he says, ¡°Yes I am doing fine, I am rather happy right now.¡±


    Slapping his cheeks, I then force his face into a smile and say, ¡°Now you look happy.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°You better prepare for retribution.¡±


    I brace as I see his hands coming towards my face at high speed, but not feeling an impact I say, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know, it is disgusting behaviour to damage a piece of art?¡±


    He starts to walk away as his words dawn on me, and then I strike him in the back of his knee saying, ¡°My heart can¡¯t handle things like that.¡±


    He giggles a bit, and then suddenly he stops and stares into the distance.


    Tracking his gaze, I see he is looking at Setanta, talking to a group of adults. I feel anxious as I watch this, One of the women in front of Setanta has rather large assets, and the fixation Setanta''s eyes have on them is sending a chill down my spine and soon both of us precede towards him.


    Ferdiad whispers, ¡°That woman is said to be the betrothed for the current head of the  Laoch household.¡±


    ¡°The red branch family that is known for being brutish warriors!¡±


    Ferdiad shakes his head up and down and I say, ¡°This is bad, really bad.¡±


    The woman says, ¡°My name is Nuala N¨ª Loingsigh, and it is a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Ibar looks away showing great resolve, but Setanta keeps staring at them.


    He moves forward and then spends his head downwards as if he is about to crash into them, but then with excellent form Setanta greets her and says, ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    Lifting her up, he says, ¡°I have heard of your exploits in botany and the like. I have bought many flowers for people I care for from you.¡±


    Nuala becomes incredibly excited and says, ¡°Almost no one knows me for my botany despite my efforts, hearing this is an utter delight. Which of my collections is your favourite?¡±


    ¡°My favourite would be the uses of the fallen tiger. A bouquet made from combining the flowers that grow out of the corpse of a tiritrex, and the red lotus from the eastern continent to show how just like the tiritrex¡¯s every evolving nature, us members of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan will overcome and conquer the east.¡±


    Nuala starts to cry out of happiness and turns to her friends saying, ¡°See I told you people cared about my work.¡±


    I turn to Ferdiad and say, ¡°I knew he was more respectable than I thought.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Take a second and look at the movements of his head every five seconds.¡±


    Looking closely, I notice that using his speed Setanta is moving extremely close to her and then he goes backwards, in the moment she blinks.


    Ferdiad angrily says, ¡°Such skill is being used for this foolery.¡±


    Moving up to Setanta I grab him and pinch his cheek saying, ¡°I know what you doing have some shame.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°I thought you grew up.¡±


    Setanta then grabs both of us and says, ¡°It is easy to say that till you experience them.¡±


    He moves us up close to them and backwards.


    In that moment, I say, ¡°What the heck is wrong with those boulders, they simply just too much.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°I know.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Laeg you can¡¯t have fallen for this as well. Don¡¯t fall for such perverted ways.¡±


    Turning to him I say, ¡°It isn¡¯t even a matter of perversion just science, how can she even stand with those? What in Danu''s name are those!¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Truly a beast with no comparison, a part of me just wants to get down on one knee and start barking.¡±


    Ibar coming up behind Setanta, says, ¡°Hey let me get close as well.¡±


    Stopping him, I say, ¡°It is too much for your young mind.¡±


    ¡°And somehow war isn¡¯t!?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even making sense.¡±


    Suddenly Nuala turns back around which brings me, Setanta and Ibar to focus.


    Beside Nuala, a man walks up and says, ¡°Thank you for engaging in my daughter''s silly little hobby, it seems it means quite a bit to her.¡±


    ¡°I only say such words to those who earn it, people I don¡¯t care for aren¡¯t even worth a greeting.¡±


    ¡°Haha. An eccentric man just like your father.¡±


    Setanta then ignores him and faces his daughter saying, ¡°If you could give me an advancement on your next collection I would be very happy.¡±


    She nods up and down which angers him slightly.


    But he can act on it in any way another woman comes up and says, ¡°Nualas bouquets speak of our victory against the eastern humans, but in all honesty, such a win is still far off into the future for us beastkin.¡±


    Another beastkin says, ¡°I thought when their king died we would finally be able to break them, but it seems the systems he put in place still hold strong. What a pestering human.¡±


    Nuala says, ¡°A human who during our first invasion into the eastern continent, managed to gather up all the scattered tribes and groups into a single fighting force and pushed us back decades ago, then formed all of the people in the east into a single kingdom. The heavenly emperor blessed by the bloody lotus, or so the humans called him.¡±


    Another beastkin says, ¡°Regardless of whatever they called him, he still died early like most humans. And now that his incompetent son is in care our armies will breach his kingdom and destroy it.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°He might have died due to age, but many of his generals and their decedents still stand by protecting the kingdom, there is no amount of incompetence that could truly destroy something so well built so quickly.¡±


    Setanta claps his hands and says, ¡°You all talk about this situation to much, it is like you all forget. I am here, the kingdom will soon fall the moment me and my retainers will run them over.¡±


    Setanta words bring peace to everyone around him excluding Ferdiad, but before I can say anything.


    Another of the doors in the room opens, and someone says, ¡°From the house of Fuinseog, the next head and one true leader of his house, Donald Fuinseog and his three siblings!¡±

 Arc 10.88: Intersection between the future and the past part 3

    A man walks down and beside him is a beautiful woman, and three more adults behind them.


    ¡°His eternal partner Aimee Fuinseog, The great hunter Ronald Fuinseog, The Soar speed Cillian Fuinseog, and The shining existence Aisling Fuinseog.¡±


    Ronald who is usually dressed in scary armour is in common clothes and looks quite nice, though his sour and aggressive personality is very visible. In comparison to this Cillian is a handsome young man with next to no scars, and a rather cocky attitude, his gaze reminds me of the rest of the scum from the boys'' troop.


    Aisling is gorgeous but carries a look of utter disinterest in everything around her. I would say many here carry themselves in a way to excludes class, but her mere existence shows it. I think if she was to fart it would still seem classy.


    But the two most eye-catching are Donald Fuinseog, who for lack of a better term seems extremely odd. He has a jolly demeanour and doesn¡¯t carry the same presence as anyone else.


    His wife is exactly the opposite, I wouldn¡¯t say she is eye-catching but the presence she gives off is one of domination. I feel like I would suffocate just being near her.


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Good thing I don¡¯t have to talk to them.¡±


    The five of them with no break in their movement start moving towards us the moment they drop down from the staircase, with the exception of Ronald who goes elsewhere.


    S¨¦tanta then runs forward and says, ¡°Donald how are you doing you old fart!¡±


    With a happy smile, Donald says, ¡°Better than you rampaging wolf.¡±


    They both go and give each other a hug, but then Aimee pulls Donald back and says, ¡°Please carry yourself in an appropriate manner, neither of our fathers would be happy seeing this display.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯re still as grumpy as ever, too bad makeup can¡¯t cover that.¡±


    Aimee looks slightly angry, but then Donald gives her a peck on the cheek which softens her, and she says, ¡°Don¡¯t waste time with him for too long.¡±


    She signals Cillian and Aisling to walk with her, and as they move Aisling waves at Ibar, who looks flushed, so I step on his foot and say, ¡°Don¡¯t fall for her, you''re still my little baby.¡±


    He steps on my foot back and says, ¡°Gross.¡±


    We both continue to stand on each other¡¯s feet until Ferdiad coughs.


    Both Aimee, Cillian, and Aisling move away and go to talk to others, and Setanta says, ¡°You got any for me today.¡±


    ¡°I never come without it.¡±


    From one of his selves, Donald pulls out a little piece of the sweat food that we ate before and gives it to Setanta who devours it and says, ¡°You¡¯re still the best Donald. Danu made you a rat beastkin to cap your awesomeness but it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    Donald looks like he is about to tear up and rub Setanta¡¯s head, so I turn to Ferdiad and say, ¡°What is that about?¡±


    ¡°Setanta was a rampaging child as you know, and not many people were able to deal with him. Donald was one of the few exceptions to this, for some reason he happens to be good with dealing with odd children.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Setanta gestures up to come up to them and as we do, he says, ¡°This is Laeg, and Ibar, children of Fergal.¡±


    We both give him a greeting and are lifted up due to him behind our superior, then he says, ¡°It is quite nice to meet all of you, I heard some young warriors have recently joined Setanta and I was rather surprised. I thought Setanta and Ferdiad''s existence was already strange but Danu seems to be sending this blessing down unendingly.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Maybe it is an omen for things to come.¡±


    These words spook us a little bit, so Ferdiad says, ¡°I am just joking.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Jokes like that aren¡¯t funny, I would prefer not to think that what we just faced was easy.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°All battles will be easy from now on because I happen to be the supreme talent in this world. Not even my father had the same accomplishments at this age.¡±


    Donald says, ¡°There are people who are born blessed, even though many don¡¯t know it.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Do you have any examples.¡±


    A bit shaken, Donald replies, ¡°Not really, I guess I was just trying to sound smart.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Donald, don¡¯t embarrass yourself.¡±


    Turning my head I see that Ronald is walking up towards us. Donald with a rather sharp voice says, ¡°I can handle myself fine, please go instruct someone who you outrank instead of telling me how to act.¡±


    His words cause the already bitter Ronald to have a far more heavy aura than before.


    ¦µ To my knowledge at one point, Ronald was going to be the next family head a couple of years ago, but around the time of my birth, it became Donald, the first son who had next to no achievements to his name.


    Many don¡¯t have theories, but none of them would ever speak them out loud, since they don¡¯t want to have the ire of the man who is most likely responsible for this situation.


    Ronald says, ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to talk to you, it was merely a secondary goal.¡±


    Getting in front of Setanta, Ronald does a greeting, which Setanta replies to. But he leaves his hand out at the end to be lifted up. This causes many in the room to look over our way.


    Setanta pauses for a moment, then lifts Ronald up and he says, ¡°You must think highly of me.¡±


    ¡°I simply do for you and you¡¯re men''s future potential. That will be my stance for now and the foreseeable future.¡±


    This is really bad. I start to use my hearing to pay attention to whispers in the room.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Ronald outrank Setanta by quite a bit?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Setanta the next ruler of Gorias?¡±


    ¡°The Fuinseog do live in the providence of Gorias.¡±


    ¡°But to my knowledge, hasn¡¯t Ronald Fuinseog famously never bowed his head to Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    ¡°Why would he bow his head to the rowdy Setanta, but not to the Lugh?¡±


    ¡°Wait didn¡¯t you hear?¡±


    ¡°Apparently Setanta will be the next High king.¡±


    ¡°But the high king is still young, and Setanta is merely his nephew, why would he be chosen when a child could be born any day now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the king can¡¯t bear children. He did recently take on another wife.¡±


    ¡°Quite, if someone was to hear you, you¡¯re head will no longer be married to your neck.¡±


    ¡°But what else could it be.¡±


    ¡°Maybe this is his way of trying to one-up his brother?¡±


    ¡°Ronald has a rather bad personality, it would sense to look for favour in the next king as a fellow warrior.¡±


    ¡°Wait doesn¡¯t this make those children by his side some of the most powerful people who will exist in the future.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be good if we decided to keep an eye on them.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what will happen in the future so it is best if we choose to stay on their good side.¡±


    ¡°P¨®l I need you to go gather as much information on their background as possible.¡±


    Looking around I see many sly gazes from the adults who cannot stop rambling on about us. This is bad, right now I need to make sure that nothing worse comes of this, and the one most likely to cause trouble is.


    Turning I grab Setanta who is walking away on the shoulder and say, ¡°Hey where are you going.¡±


    ¡°All the whispers are annoying me, so I think I am just going to set a couple of people''s clothes on fire, for their cowardice.¡±


    Shaking him I say, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid like that, you hear me!¡±


    ¡°You know what is stupid everyone calling me the next high king. It is starting to become a bother, and I am going to make sure it ends today.¡±


    Setanta tries to move, but using all of my strength I hold him in place as he struggles against me.


    Right now this idiot is mere moments away from creating a bunch of opposition to him from getting the throne. He is a warrior at his heart filled with compassion, but he is not the type of person that scheming nobles like in the slightest, so pissing a bunch of them off is the worst thing he can do in regard to his future position.


    ¦µ With a woman at his side, Lugh walks up to the door that Setanta and his allies recently walked through and says, ¡°I can already hear all the turmoil that Setanta is causing.¡±


    The woman laughs and says, ¡°He really is a rowdy boy, but just as adorable.¡±


    ¡°Though I do wish he had a tad more sense, if he didn¡¯t awaken his regenerative powers Aoife would have killed him.¡±


    The woman falls silent and makes an upset look, which causes Lugh to bring out an apple and hand it to her saying, ¡°Here you go.¡±


    She grabs it and laughs a bit saying, ¡°You have barely changed since you were a child, the type of man who sees a woman crying a gives her an apple to cheer her up.¡±


    With a slight smile, Lugh says, ¡°They are filled with nutrients, and water, and taste amazing. All one needs to get through the day.¡±


    ¡°You really are your son''s father. I am rather happy now so let¡¯s go and do this.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¦µ The door of Faol¨¢in opens, and from the door, shadows spread throughout the entire room mesmerising everyone. From the shadows men and women dressed in fine cloth with animal faces bow down at all levels of the staircase.


    Then the announcer says, ¡°The head of the house of Faol¨¢in, the child of light, Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in, and at this side is the woman who all of the greatest heroes among our people, Sc¨¢thach ¨® Meisias.¡±


    As my sister and everyone else turn their heads upwards I see Lugh who excludes a calm but fierce power with a woman on his arm. There are many things I could say about her, her face covering, her beautiful dress, her amazing posture, and her light purple hair that matches with Lugh¡¯s silver hair perfectly but none of them could encapsulate her presence to me.


    The best way I could describe it is unknown, an eerie feeling that is both beautiful but repulsive to my mind, and makes to transfixed onto her, but also makes me want to look away.


    As the two reach the floor everyone bows to them, and then intense feelings in the room continue. Soon Lugh walks up to Setanta and he rises up and says, ¡°Father you need something for me.¡±


    Lugh picks Setanta up by the collar and then slams him into the ground saying, ¡°Don¡¯t go causing trouble for Ferdiad.¡±


    This action shocks everyone and relaxes them, with the exception of Ferdiad who looks like he is about to lose his mind.


    Under his breath, he mutters, ¡°Reputational damage, reputational damage, reputational damage.¡±


    He looks like someone who just had countless hard workloads dropped on his shoulders.


    Setanta on the other hand looks jolly and says, ¡°Yes Father I will make sure not to do such a thing ever again.¡±


    Sc¨¢thacha says, ¡°I thought you better than that Lugh, don¡¯t handle your son in such a barbaric way.¡±


    Looking at Sc¨¢thach Setanta says, ¡°You look pretty today.¡±


    With a calm and sophisticated voice, she says, ¡°Thank you Setan-.¡±


    ¡°You could actually pass as a young maiden instead of a prehistoric hag.¡±


    She grabs Setanta and then slams him into the floor then her shadows start to beat him up.


    Beside me, Ferdiad lets out a big sigh, then says, ¡°At least people are not minding us now.¡±


    My sister rubs his back and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Hitting him in the shin, I say, ¡°If you can run into the enemy army for me, I am sure you can deal with the reputation damage of Setanta.¡±


    He laughs a bit and says, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Soon a trumpet plays, and then the largest door in the middle staircase opens up, and I say, ¡°The high king is here.¡±

 Arc 10.89: Intersection between the future and the past part 4

    Throughout the area loud trumpets play, and then we hear, ¡°His highest and the greatest power in all of the empire. High king Conchobar ¨® Danu.¡±


    Soon after this is said together with a group of armed Fanalis, a man with an average build walks through the most extravagant door in the room, and descends onto us all.


    He is covered from head to toe, in fine cloth and jewellery. This all gives him a great presence of authority and power, but even with all of this plus his guards, he doesn¡¯t grab my attention as much as Sc¨¢thach and Lugh did.


    He might be the high king but I feel like his existence doesn¡¯t command the authority of such a title.


    However, one thing that does is how quickly both Lugh and Sc¨¢thach''s knees dropped when they saw him. This quickly made everyone else in the room including me follow suit, even Setanta did so without making a single scene.


    Moving over to Lugh and Sc¨¢thach, he reaches out his arm and says, ¡°Now everyone rise.¡±


    He lifts both Lugh and Sc¨¢thach up and everyone else gets back up, and then with a smile he says, ¡°Brother-in-law how are you doing today.¡±


    Bowing slightly he says, ¡°I was just dealing with my rowdy son.¡±


    With a hefty laugh, he replies, ¡°Danu must be repaying you for all your behaviour.¡±


    Lugh looks confused, and asks, ¡°Whatever do you mean?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°I truly wish I could see the world through the eyes of you and your son.¡±


    ¡°You are free to harvest them when I die.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°That¡¯s still a long while off. I plan to put you to work for every single bit of your remaining lifespan for the incident you caused.¡±


    The high king gives a look to Ronald, who turns his head and looks away. ¡°You can look away all you want, but that goes for you as well Fuinseog.¡±


    Ronald looks slightly embarrassed and his younger siblings start to make fun of him a little.


    Donald Fuinseog walking forward says, ¡°My lord so will that be the punishment for the executions?¡±


    Sighing he says, ¡°Yes. But that isn¡¯t an excuse for you to go ahead and do all these things. I was seriously considering throwing the both of you into prison.¡±


    Everyone looks slightly shocked, and Donald says, ¡°What changed your decision.¡±


    ¡°Another one of the four kings stepped in, and she demands that both of you visit her.¡±


    Ronald looks shaken by this, and Lugh says, ¡°I hope you know I am still married to my wife in soul.¡±


    ¡°Well if you don¡¯t like this you shouldn¡¯t have acted in such a stupid way.¡±


    Surprisingly Lugh looks shaken, and Sc¨¢thach pats him on the head. Conchobar then says, ¡°Now where is my nephew I would love to see him.¡±


    Conchobar looks around and then stares at his leg where he sees Setanta rubbing some of his snot against his garments. Me and Laeg instantly grab Setanta and I say, ¡°Who dropped you!¡±


    Laeg points at Ferdiad who is despairing and she says, ¡°Look at what you''re doing to his poor heart, he can¡¯t take much more of this you brat.¡±


    ¡°Stop overreacting you two, it is just clothes?¡±


    Conchobar grabs Setanta, picks him up by the face and says, ¡°So it seems my sister didn¡¯t die, but came back to life in the body of an annoying dog.¡±


    ¡°Woof,¡± Setanta says.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re cute?¡±


    ¡°Utterly adorable.¡±


    Hugging Setanta close, he says, ¡°WELL YOUR NOT!¡±.¡±


    Conchobar starts to pull at Setanta''s cheeks in a rather unfaltering way, and Setanta equally fights back creating an embarrassing sight. Though the both of them look rather jolly as they fight.


    Ferdiad walking up behind us, says, ¡°Whenever Setanta is around, the high king starts to get infected by his cheeky attitude causing him to act in an unhinged manner.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you were despairing at Setanta''s actions.¡±


    ¡°At this point, I just think we need to chain his arms and legs.¡±


    ¡°As if that would even keep him locked up Ibar.¡±


    Soon another trumpet roars, and then another one of the doors opens, and the announcer says, ¡°The genius who has discovered more of Danu''s secrets than anyone else in our entire history. The king of Murias Medb Mac C¨¦il¨²s.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    As the door of the C¨¦il¨²s family opens, an enchanting beastkin walks out and stands on the top of the steps, she doesn¡¯t move forward and for a moment she simply lets all of the eyes in the room gaze at her presence.


    But then she turns her head back and a man walks out. Soon the entire room is filled with grasps and looks of shock.


    And then I turn to my sister and say, ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one from all of the picture books, and statues.¡±


    She nods her head, and says, ¡°Without a doubt, I am sure it is.¡±


    The announcer regaining his bearing says, ¡°Unknown to any of us, a rather wonderful event has just taken place. The hero king who fought against the humans and liberated us from their imprisonment, the one who established our great empire in the world, our first ruler Fergus ¨® Danu!¡±


    A man walks forward who is dressed in robes that only really cover the bottom of his body, the top of his body is mostly exposed with a few sections covered. He wears next to no jewellery but still stands out due to both his massive stature and the unending scars that plague his muscles.


    He is a deer beastkin, so on the top of his head our beautiful antlers that by themselves could attract anyone¡¯s attention. His appearance is one of a walking legend.


    But the thing that makes me feel that the most is the smile he wears on his face, confident and unending. Even with a grey head of hair, and beard, his smile is that of a cocky young man, but unlike such a person he seems to have the experience to back up such an attitude.


    He walks forward and as he does each of his steps carries power and weight to them, so much so that I feel my body start to tremble.


    The room is dead silent, and in this silence even I am able to pick up on the subtle movements of the fool close to me. Setanta instantly dashes forward and tries to strike him in the face, screaming, ¡°HELLO GRANDPA!¡±


    But almost as if time froze, I see Setanta in a carter on one of the walls, and another instant later I see Fergus stand in front of Setanta.


    My sister says, ¡°Please forgive him for his foolish actions.¡±


    ¡°She is right as his men we should have handled his education.¡±


    He turns to look at us, but as he does that Setanta moves from the crater and strikes him in the back of the head, which causes Fergus to smile, grab Setanta and then say, ¡°You got two new wonderful retainers, and have mastered spirit arts, YOU TRULY ARE AMAZING MY GRANDSON!¡±


    With a hefty, and hearty laugh, Setanta responds, ¡°Well what do you expect from the greatest beastkin to ever walk this planet!¡±


    Laughing even more than Setanta, Fergus says, ¡°That¡¯s some confidence, but what else would I expect from my little rampaging wolf.¡±


    Fergus slams Setanta into the ground, and says, ¡°But don¡¯t think I will ever let you have the last laugh!¡±


    Setanta moves and strikes him back saying, ¡°I am not like how I was before, you won¡¯t be getting the last hit this time.¡±


    Both of them start to fight causing a huge disturbance, and I say, ¡°It is like we have two Setanta.¡±


    Ferdiad walking up to us, says, ¡°That¡¯s incorrect, it is more like we have two Fergus¡¯s. Setanta learned most of his behaviour straight from his doting grandfather.¡±


    ¡°So the hero king is actually just another Setanta?¡± My sister says like a disillusioned child.


    Looking at Ferdiad, I say, ¡°Should we do something about this?¡±


    ¡°Just work with me and make sure none of the debris their fight causes will fly into anyone else. We don¡¯t need a fatality today.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¦µ As the kids move to protect the guest, Medb moves towards Lugh, Conchobar, and Sc¨¢thach, then says, ¡°Good day my fellow king,¡± With a pleasant smile.


    Lugh stares back at her, and says, ¡°What a displeasure to meet you Medb.¡±


    Conchobar steps on Lugh¡¯s foot, and says, ¡°He meant you are dressed beautifully tonight.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°No need to cover for him. I already know this man lacks tact in many different ways.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach laughs a bit and says, ¡°You say that but I was pleaded with to raise the both of you out of your strange ways.¡±


    Medb with a cocky smile says, ¡°But unlike him, I have actually become a fully functional person.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°The day that a woman who spends her days cutting up animals, and sleeping with men is considered more functional than me, is the day the sky falls.¡±


    Medb slightly annoyed turns to Conchobar and says, ¡°Would you please defend your mother.¡±


    ¡°I will the day you experience either the pain of birthing me or that of raising me. Merely sharing a bed with my dad isn¡¯t enough,¡± He says slightly annoyed.


    ¡°Oh I simply jest my high king, did you take me seriously? This is how you always fell for me and Deichtire jokes.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°Those pranks would be considered too much to even inflict onto humans let alone a child like I was.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Some people just don¡¯t have a sense for others.¡±


    Both Conchobar and Medb stare at Lugh, and then Medb says, ¡°I surely didn¡¯t hear such a thing come out of your mouth did I?¡±


    ¡°Of course you did. It seems spending time with all those animals has impeded your ability to use your brain.¡±


    ¡°Who was it again, that talked to the high king to let you keep your position.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk about such as if it is a compassionate act, I for one know that whatever you want will bring shame onto my body.¡±


    ¡°Is it really shameful if it would advance the empire of Louernia forward?¡±


    ¡°The very act of being associated with you is shameful.¡±


    Medb and Lugh''s anger starts to leak out of their body, and Sc¨¢thach just laughs a bit.


    Lugh says, ¡°So she has finally gone senile, I promise to throw you a grand funeral.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°I knew this day was coming, I could tell by her sense of style that her mind was degrading.¡±


    ¡°You both overexaggerate. I was just laughing at how despite all appearances you''re still my same kids. The king known for perfection still lacks as much tact as ever, and the girl who is known for her purpose and achievements is still a sensitive princess who used to cry into my chest. Looking at all of your talk makes me feel decades younger.¡±


    Suddenly a piece of jewellery flies into Sc¨¢thach''s face at high speed and this causes fright to appear on the faces of all those around her. Sound they all turn their heads and see that the object came from Setanta and Fergus''s fight, who have completely stopped as they realize what they have done.


    Sc¨¢thach then says, ¡°Please give me a moment to go educate a former and current student of mine.¡±


    Setanta and Fergus shake unendingly, and soon they are being crushed by shadows.


    Soon after this, a woman with red hair walks up, and says, ¡°My lady I am here.¡±


    She has burning red hair, and equally burning red wings, but her fierce appearance is contrasted with her shy expression. Medb then says, ¡°Hello Setanta, this is one of my druids, P¨¦atra N¨ª C¨¦il¨²s. I would like you to keep her company for the rest of the party.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I will talk to you about it later, but think of this as the start to repaying your favour to me.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    They both do a greeting and then walk away together.


    Conchobar says, ¡°My sister is probably going to curse you on the next Samhain.¡±


    Medb giggles a bit, and says, ¡°If she was going to curse me for such a thing, it would have happened years ago.¡±


    ¡°What could you mean by that?¡±


    Walking away she also says, ¡°My little secret.¡±


    Waving at Ronald she says, ¡°Now let¡¯s talk about what you are going to do to repay me.¡±


    ¦µ Could those words mean what I think they do? ¡°No I doubt it is true, and besides what I said was stupid. People stopped seeing the dead during Samhain years ago.¡±

 Arc 10.90: Intersection between the future and the past part 5

    ¦µ Towering over Setanta, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Now say it.¡±


    On his knees, Setanta says, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    With his legs crossed and laughing, Fergus says, ¡°Serves you right for what you did!¡±


    Sc¨¢thach slams a fist made of shadows right into his face, and says while giving him a glare, ¡°You are almost 150 years old, and you''re still acting so childish.¡±


    With great fervour, Fergus says, ¡°A true man never loses his child-like enjoyment of life. I shall live this life of mine to the fullest! My vibrant life will become a legacy that will illuminate the future generations.¡±


    ¡°How cool Grandpa.¡±


    With an even more intense glare, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°So you do that by fighting with your grandson in public.¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    Sc¨¢thach looks directly in his eyes, and says, ¡°When you die, I will make sure to spread as many secrets about you, and send that Legacy into hell.¡±


    Fergus gets on his hands and knee, and says, ¡°Anything but that master. No one needs to know what you know?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach turns to me and says, ¡°Blackmail is a great way of keeping the Faol¨¢in in line.¡±


    With a shining smile, I say, ¡°I know and have been gathering countless pieces of dirt of Setanta.¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°Hahaha, I have no shame?¡±


    ¡°The letter in the front draw of your room.¡±


    Setanta gets on his hands and knees in front of me, and says, ¡°Anything but that.¡±


    Laeg walking up to me, asks, ¡°What do you have on him?¡±


    ¡°A love letter who wrote to mas-,¡± Setanta jumps up and puts his hands over my mouth and says, ¡°Those were dark days, which shall never be spoken about.¡±


    Fergus laughs and says, ¡°You really are a seductress master.¡±


    With a playful tone, she responds, ¡°I have no idea what you speak of, I am a holy woman by every sense of the term.¡±


    ¡°You know we don¡¯t use the term holy when referring to Danu¡¯s grace.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that.¡±


    Fergus sighs and says, ¡°Why can¡¯t you simply just act ignorant, if others said such things we would question their allegiance, what an unappealing woman you are.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach then says, ¡°Your eyes are like stars that shine brightly in the sky, and your bosom is where my hopes and dreams lie.¡±


    Fergus puts his hand over her mouth and says, ¡°Please erase that from your mind!¡±


    She giggles a bit and then Laeg says, ¡°It seems she has a bind on the Faol¨¢in men through the generation.¡±


    Suddenly the high king''s voice says, ¡°Now that all the important guests have arrived, let¡¯s get onto the main event of today.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Throughout the room many all stand with their attention solely focused on Conchobar and Fergus who both stand on an elevated balcony at the end of the room.


    Conchobar says, ¡°Our brave warriors have won a critical battle for us. Within our ranks was poison, traitors who intended to use all of the skills and gifts Danu had given them for the shake of humanity rather than for the empire.


    They plotted the escape of countless humans, and are the ones who are most likely for the attacks on our plantations over the years. These beastkin slowly but surely were destabilizing our empire''s power right before our most important war.


    These traitors had set up bases within our lands and built up the human forces and intelligence, making them a fighting force that might¡¯ve one day dealt a fatal blow to us.


    But through the non-stop efforts of the Red branch and their warriors, we have been able to sail through this storm. So today as the high king I wish to honour these brave men and women in front of you all.


    First I wish to award the four generals who lead the armies. Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in, Mairead Ni C¨¦il¨²s, Ronald ¨® Fuinseog, and Ruan ¨® L¨²cogadh.¡±


    Three of the four called names walk up, with the exception being Ruan. But in his place, a Fanalis walks up to collect his rewards.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Throughout this war, Lugh showed his expertise in planning and strategy to crush our enemies leading us to completely dominate them, and wipe out the traitors beastkin.


    Ronald''s expert scouting skills allowed us to find the humans'' hideout, but his exceptional skills in battle allowed him and an extremely small cohort of men to beat countless humans in battle.


    Mairead''s newest invention allowed for the breaching of the walls to the humans'' castle effortlessly, and the medical support led by her army after the battle ended spared many of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan''s lives.


    Finally, Ruan''s expert leadership allowed the strike force to fall the humans'' main settlement in a day, and due to his men¡¯s expert abilities, they were able to do so with minimum casualties.


    I grant my favour, and one of our newly conquered providence in the southern continent to each one of you, and 50 of  Danu¡¯s red branch coins to each of you. But for three of you, I have more than that.


    There are seven ranks given to those who achieve excellence in their given fields, the first people to ever achieve the highest of these ranks were the founder of the Red branch.


    So today both Ronald ¨® Fuinseog for his achievements in battle and hunting, and Mairead Ni C¨¦il¨²s for her achievements in her scientific progression shall be moved to the third highest rank of Cl¨ª.¡±


    Both of them smile, and cheers sound throughout the area.


    Conchobar turns his head to the Lucogadh, and says, ¡°I have heard your father is retiring Luath, I expect great things from you as the next head.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    Fergus says, ¡°The same goes for the both of you Ronald and Mairead. If you reach the highest rank of Ollamh like Lugh, you would gain the ability to add a house to the Red branch as Medb did, or better yet become one of the four kings.¡±


    Mairead says, ¡°I have dedicated my life to Medb, I need no such thing.¡±


    But Ronald says, ¡°I don¡¯t plan on staying my current rank for long.¡±


    ¡°Both answers are filled with passion, I enjoy them. Now go on.¡±


    As they leave, Conchbar says, ¡°Next there is a group of young warriors I would like to congratulate for their amazing skills and bravery that was shown during the war. Ferdiad ¨® Buadh, Laeg N¨ª Fergal, Ibar Mac Fergal, and my very own nephew and the future king of Gorias Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    The four of them walk up, and they bow, Conchobar then raises each of them up and says, ¡°Laeg N¨ª Fergal managed to ride through an entire mountain range filled with wonderbeasts in the dead of night for the sole purpose of defending and saving her allies.


    Ibar Mac Fergal, showed intense bravery when faced with an unknown wonderbeast, and it is due to his quick thinking and skills that the main Lucogadh army ended up retaining as many lives as it did.


    Ferdiad ¨® Buadh was a critical warrior in the battle against the humans'' main settlement, but more than that he singlehandedly led a preemptive strike against the fleeing humans which guaranteed Lugh¡¯s victory. His skills as a warrior which allowed him to fight the traitorous beastkin should also not be underestimated.


    Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, the man who not only chose all of these brave warriors to stand at his side but also fought and defeated the leader of the traitors beastkin, a warrior who once fought beside our hero King Fergus. His excellent skills and quick judgement throughout the battlefield prove his ancestors proud, and I am sure Danu smiles on him every day.


    So for Laeg and Ibar who have shown excellent skills in horse riding skills I raise them from rankles to the sixth rank of Mac Fuirmid, and to Ferdiad I raise him from the sixth rank to the fifth rank of Doss.


    Finally for Setanta, taking in all his accomplishments so far, I raise him from the sixth rank to the fourth rank of Cana, and I grant him 10 of Danu¡¯s red branch coins.¡±


    Claps echo throughout out the area, and the four children move down from the stand.


    Ibar and Laeg look like they are moments away from crying, and Setanta says, ¡°You guys are happy.¡±


    Laeg wiping the tears says, ¡°Of course, all our hard work was for nothing.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°If we continue at this pace we could become Ollamh in under a decade.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t get too far ahead of yourselves, to move from one rank to another you need to show a great group of connected skills. Just horse riding can get you only so far, things like breeding, individual ability, and the ability to train and lead others would be things you would have to learn.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Hey you never brought it up we had to do all of that.¡±


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t, because you won¡¯t as long as you stay under me, but regardless I expect all my soldiers to aim for Ollamh.¡±


    Both Laeg and Ibar give Setanta annoyed looks, so he turns his face to Ferdiad and says, ¡°Looks like I am ahead of you for the first time in years, you got to do your best and catch up.¡±


    Ferdiad grips his fist tightly and says, ¡°You can count on it.¡±


    Conchobar then hands out a few more rewards, and then he says, ¡°Now that this has come to an end, I ask you to enjoy the rest of your time at this party.¡±


    Fergus says, ¡°You must also live knowing that these exemplary people are here to stand by you, but they are also your competition. Those who you called the Red branch were all just common men, who refined themselves again, and again. So all of you do the same and make the Red branch grow into a numerous tree.¡±


    Conchobar claps his hands and music starts to play in the area, and as it does many start to dance.


    Laeg looks at these people in awe, and Ferdiad steps up saying, ¡°Would you like to dance.¡±


    Shocked, she says, ¡°Ehh, are you sure about that? I know this dress makes me look fancy but it is still just me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, who would pass up to chance to dance with a girl as beautiful as that dress.¡±


    Laeg giggles in a gross way, and says, ¡°I can¡¯t dance so don¡¯t complain when I step on you.¡±


    ¡°If I can dodge a spear, I am sure I can deal with your feet.¡±


    They both take each other''s hands and go forward.


    Ibar then turns and says, ¡°Looks like it is just the both of us Setanta.¡± But to his surprise, Setanta is nowhere to be seen.


    Ibar looks around and starts to get slightly embarrassed, but then a girl comes up to him and says, ¡°Hello my name is Eithne N¨ª D¨°mhnall, and I heard from my brother the story of you fighting the giant wonderbeast on the battlefield, and it truly is amazing to me.¡±


    Ibar freaks out, but then instantly composes himself. Then leaning against the wall he says, ¡°It wasn¡¯t really that big of a deal, it was just another battle which I was going to win.¡±


    Eithne is excited by these words, and the words, ¡°How cool slip out of her mouth.¡± She then quickly covers her mouth, and becomes slightly embarrassed.


    But then Ibar says, ¡°Though if you really want to I can tell you about it.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± She says getting very close to him.


    Taking her hand in a dramatic fashion, Ibar says, ¡°But it would be boring to simply talk about it so let¡¯s do it as we dance.¡±


    Enamoured by his words, she says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    With that the both of them head to the floor.


    Location: Outside the castle of Emain Macha


    Walking side by side with Sc¨¢thach, Setanta turns and looks at the moon, then says, ¡°Hey Master, I want to ask your opinion on something.¡±

 Arc 10.91: Intersection between the future and the past part 6

    ¡°Go ahead my little wolf.¡±


    Setanta acts nervously as if his mind is undecided about whether he should be having this conversation or not.


    So Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°You¡¯re uncharacteristically hesitating. So is this another one of your love ballots, because if so I would really like you to sing it to me again..¡±


    ¡°I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO FORGET ABOUT THAT!¡±


    Giggling, she says, ¡°How could I ever forget something so cute? It is cruel to even ask me too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an evil woman.¡±


    ¡°I am far more divine than you know?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡±


    Suddenly from the distance, Setanta hears a loud noise, and walks forward to say, ¡°I guess the party for the soldiers has finished.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach walks forward and says, ¡°Considering it has been going on for a week, I think it is fair for it to come to an end.¡±


    Sitting back on the floor, Setanta says, ¡°It used to be commonplace for week-long celebrations and parties to happen when beastkin won battles, but in our recent history the Red branch has their little parties far away from the rest of the soldiers.


    In all honesty, our parties feel like they are more human than we beastkin, The clothes, the jewellery, the castles. Kind of feels like we are betraying our history by doing such things like this.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach comes up beside Setanta and says, ¡°That¡¯s not exactly through?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If you spend a lot of time examining history you can find how two different groups from across the world can invent the same ideas, traditions, and festivals with next to no correlation to each other.


    A perfect example would be Samhain, there are many human tribes which have celebrations around the same time for different reasons. Another thing to consider is how much of people''s culture and so forth are a mismatch of other ideas.


    Throughout most of history especially the last few thousand years, humans haven¡¯t been stationary. When people join other cultures, worship other gods, or simply steal other ideas, through the acts of marriage, migration, conquest, shows of allegiance, or just a need to start something new they bring what they once had and end up combining it will what other have,


    Saying our current parties are bad because they take more from human cultures is a very narrow way to look at it because if one were to truly examine the history of our people they would probably find it hard to say that our culture is simply our own given how migratory our people have been over time.¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°I guess if you look at it like that, you really can¡¯t say our culture is just ours, in all honesty, you could make the argument that everything that belongs to the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan could belong to all other life on this planet. Still, I don¡¯t think I like the way our current parties are for the Red branch.¡±


    ¡°You can still criticise the way things are regardless of whether they are your culture or not. I don¡¯t really think whether something is acceptable or not should depend on such a thing, so feel free to think for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I think I will.¡±


    Setanta jumps up and says, ¡°Master you have given me to courage to ask this. Is violence a good thing?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach sits up and says, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I am wondering more and more if violence really is as important as I thought it was. Violence and killing are the way all great empires have ever sustained themselves for as long as we know.


    It is the main way they grow, and the main way they stay safe. It is through the power of it that order, hope, and growth are born. To me, it is simply the best way to move people in the direction you need them to be, and those who wield it are people I admire.


    Our superior ability to wield violence is what puts us ahead of humans in every regard, and it¡¯s the dragons'' superior violence that stops them from ever knowing invasion. It is truly a wonderful weapon.


    But I think I have seen someone wield another weapon to great effect just like war. He changed the hearts of people and protected them, he curbed violence without any of his own. It his moment the man''s will and ability because something I admired.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly equivalent, but if this weapon could be refined, to its utmost limit, if humans could wield this weapon to that degree doesn¡¯t that mean that mean that my entire basis of humans being weaker than beastkin isn¡¯t through.¡±


    ¡°I see so you pondered this question as well?¡±


    ¡°Has someone asked you this before?¡±


    ¡°Many of my students end up asking this question. It is like an unknown curse that falls upon each of them, and changes their lives permanently going forward.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°So how did you respond to them?¡±


    ¡°With a story.¡±


    Standing up, she walks and Setanta follows behind her.


    Sc¨¢thach starts to speak and as she does her shadows show what she says, ¡°A long time ago, in a time that only exists in the memories of the old, there was a titanous being that walked the land of the western continent, of what humans call Molstoria.


    It was so big that it could walk on the sea with its own two legs, and pick islands up to throw them. It was a walking calamity, a living menace, and all those who met it simply accepted death when it came.


    Though the god of the humans took pity on both them, and the being in question, and sent a demi-god down to slay the beast. A spectral man who looked like a black rabbit.


    If the titanous being was the pinnacle of physical strength, at the time this demi-god was the pinnacle of spiritual strength, and passively absorbed the spirit energy and thoughts of those around him.


    Using this great power bestowed on him, the demi-god fought the titanous being for days, and nights on end until the seasons had passed and after this numerous amount of time the demi-god stood victorious over the beast. Because, unlike the titanous being, his soul wouldn¡¯t break no matter what.


    So with his reason for existing over, he proceeded to help the humans in all the things he did. For years, decades, centuries, he helped each one of them develop their world into the greatest it could be.


    He made that little continent into an utterly marvellous empire, a place where people didn¡¯t starve, cry, or sleep without a home, a place many of today would call a utopia.


    But when one loses all of the major issues that plague existence, and only has the minor issues left, they tend to lose sight of themselves. Just as many kings forget what it once felt like to be a common man, they started to forget what it felt like to be human.


    My sister once told me, that the greatest issue life will ever face will always be within it, if you lack everything else but have a strong mind you will still be better off than one who has all in life but that.


    The humans filled with abundance forgot to educate themselves of value, and soon disgusting thoughts and behaviours started to leak from each of them, they became so self-absorbed in their mental superiority that they had forgotten the basis of what a human even is.


    When one reaches a certain level of intelligence, they can use that to make reasons to hide the same dirty impulses that other humans have used for evil throughout history, and this society excelled at that.


    And as I said, the demi-god was influenced by the thoughts of those around him. Passively he absorbed all of those emotions, and thoughts that they had, and soon his mind became poisoned as well.


    He became a vessel for all of the ideas these people had created, but unlike the humans of that time, he singlehandedly had the power to act them out, and when he did their society crumbled.


    When faced with the ideas they created being carried out instead of just pondering they saw what could only be called the end of existence, and faced with that they were nearly wiped out.


    The humans who lacked the strength of the titanous beings managed to do what they never could, they slayed the demi-god, and turned it into a pathetic version of itself, all without ever spilling a single drop of blood.


    So if one can completely destroy the greatest of existence without spilling a single drop of blood, I ask you this is thinking and progress evil?¡±


    Setanta looks up and then throws his body back saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    Sc¨¢thach laughs and says, ¡°Most of my students don¡¯t know at first.¡±


    ¡°Well what do you expect, you can¡¯t just tell me a story like that and ask me to think straight.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I do think it gets my point across well enough.¡±


    ¡°Still I find it hard to believe humans could do such a thing to a demi-god as you have put it, but more than that I find it hard to believe such a story, since by that logic wouldn¡¯t the human god have sent another demi-god down to liberate the humans from the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°For all we know he already has and the demi-god could be secretly out their gathering strength.¡±


    ¡°Well that sounds fun, I can¡¯t wait to fight such a being.¡±


    ¡°Did you really learn nothing from what I said?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how anything we talked about means I can¡¯t enjoy a good fight?¡±


    ¡°I guess you can, but still please be careful I don¡¯t need you almost dying like in your last battle.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will, now let¡¯s return back before someone wonders why a young man and woman are strolling in the night.¡±


    ¡°Yes we have to make sure no one sees this beautiful lady, and baby are walking beside each other this night.¡±


    Setanta clicks his tongue and says, ¡°I am a few years away from my growth spurt and I will tower over you just like father.¡±


    ¡°I hope to see that one day. But for today could you tell me why you decided to talk to me instead of your father for such an important issue?¡±


    Setanta gets his head up and says, ¡°Oh that¡¯s simple because your style is filled with compassion.¡±


    ¡°Compassion? I have been told many things about my fighting style, but that isn¡¯t one of them. My style plies up bodies more than any other.¡±


    ¡°What a foolish idea. Every single one of your techniques can quite easily be modified to disarm an enemy, the high speed one can move at allows them to fight like a pacifist and also be incredibly effective. A compassionate style filled with love for one''s enemies.


    You told me that all of the forms of your style work together, and when I put all I have learned through them together, I get that even though one has the power to end life in the blink of an eye, they should still not choose to do so.


    I have always gotten his message from your fighting style, but never really understood why this would be until recently. Master you really are filled with compassion, and I am sure all of your students felt the same.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach stops and says, ¡°Whatever you do don¡¯t betray the empire, stay here and stay alive, it is the one thing I request from you. Whatever foolishness I have taught you forget it, if it would make you leave.¡±


    Setanta then turns around, and says, ¡°Your trembling voice when you spoke right there was really arousing.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke!¡±


    ¡°I know that, but if you say something foolish I will respond with one as well. I won¡¯t turn out like Aoife and the rest of your former students the compassion you have taught me won¡¯t ever be used against the empire.¡±


    ¡°But if you find that the empire doesn¡¯t align with your answer to your question what will you do.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious, I will simply take over the empire and change it for the better.¡±


    ¡°You do realize the scale of what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, I love this empire and all those within it so if I see something as good I sure as hell am going to force them all down this path with me.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°You¡¯re both selfish and arrogant.¡±


    ¡°I know I am and I love it.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach rubs Setanta¡¯s head and then looks up at the night sky.


    The moon and the stars shine brightly and Setanta says, ¡°You like the moon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it always keeps the shadows company, and shares its light with us.¡±


    ¡°Then I will make sure to be the brightest moon ever.¡±


    ¡°I have heard from my father that the moon is cold, not something a hot head like you could ever be.¡±


    ¡°I can be cold, I will be so cold that everything here shall freeze over.¡±


    ¡°I would like to see that happen.¡±


    They both talk and walk with joy leaking from their bodies.

 Arc 10.92: Intersection between the future and the past part 7

    -Break-


    Location: Ballroom


    ¦µ As the music stops Laeg has an excited look on her face, and says, ¡°I did it, I really did it, I danced!¡±


    ¡°I know you did, and you were every bit as enchanting as I expected you to be.¡±


    She headbutts my chest a little bit, and says, ¡°Hey Ferdiad, do you have anyone you like.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am rather fond of master.¡±


    Depressed, she says, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But if there were a woman who my eyes couldn¡¯t leave, I would say it is the one in front of me.¡±


    She giggles in a nervous but excited manner, and prepares to say something, but is hit on the back by Ibar, who says, ¡°Sister I need you right now!¡±


    She turns around with fury and says, ¡°I am busy!¡±


    But to her surprise is the first son of Ru¨¢n and the next head of the L¨²cogadh¡¯s Luath.


    Bowing, he says, ¡°I am sorry for interrupting the both of you, but I was just wondering if we could talk.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡± I say stepping in between them.


    Ibar says, ¡°He wants to become a patron.¡±


    Looking at Luath, I say, ¡°Why do you want to become the patron of the two who stole your family''s position from you.¡±


    Luath says, ¡°We believe we can have a mutually beneficial allegiance, but by no means do we wish to offend the Faol¨¢ins with our request.¡±


    Turning my head, to Laeg I say, ¡°What do you want to do.¡±


    ¡°For the sake of my village, I would like to talk to him.¡±


    Rubbing her head, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t fall for any traps, and when you return we can continue our conversation.¡±


    She turns bright red and then walks away with Ibar and Luath. As they do I go to one of the walls, and stare at all those enjoying themselves.


    While I lie against the wall, I feel some of my wounds ache, and soon I start to get lost in thought as I ruminate over the last battle I had.


    There, and there, and there, and there, are all times I was moments away from dying. If I wish to be stronger, and secure my place among monsters with countless advantages I can¡¯t allow such a thing to happen again, I must be stronger, I must be perfect.


    ¡°Nice day isn¡¯t it.¡±


    I turn my head to the left and beside me, against the wall I see another man, one who smells like a snake.


    I don¡¯t recognize him at all, so it is best if I just treat him with respect. ¡°A rather wonderful one.¡±


    ¡°I think everyone else must feel the same with the way they are satisfying their desire today.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a rather extreme way to say they are just partying?¡±


    With a slightly confused tone, he says, ¡°Over there Breand¨¢n Mc Ceallach is an up-and-coming merchant, and he has been making very clear advances at Fionnuala Ni Uidhir, whose husband very clearly neglects her. She is quite over in age and is falling victim to this young man who plans to use her for social climbing.


    M¨ªche¨¢l mac Uidhir also isn¡¯t wasting this opportunity and is using it to talk to the youngest Fuinseog boy, and possibly try to marry his daughter off to him securing a connection to the red branch.


    Over there, is Gr¨¢inne NI Chuilinn a single woman who killed her cheating husband over a decade ago. Of course, she made sure to make everyone think it was a natural death, but it is actually a fabrication. She simply runs an operation that traffics humans from plantations to lonely rich women, and it has been incredibly fruitful. She is trying to get the Fuinseog girl on board with this.


    Ciar¨¢n Mac Carthaigh is an especially nasty one who completely stole their blacksmithing business from his partner leaving him crippled, and broke and even married his partners'' daughter, now he continues to destroy his partner''s reputation making it next to impossible for him to get work.


    Of course, Ciar¨¢n makes sure that no one really knows the full story, and uses events like this to put money in the pockets of those who might find reason to expose him.


    Many of them are filled with desire and will go to any means to gain whatever they want. Truly deplorable beings, but at the same time they are entertaining to watch rise, and inevitably fall due to their hubris.¡±


    I stare at the man with fear and confusion, then say, ¡°How do you even know all of this?¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°I happen to be a gossip, it is a rather bad habit that has gotten me into lots of different issues. Though it is sort of rewarding to find out all of these little things about people.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you allow these things to happen? You could stop them.¡±


    ¡°You really are a Faol¨¢in boy?¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The Faol¨¢in love perfection in all they do, so things like corruption struggle to exist in Gorias, but if you think the other Red branch families are as nice you''re deluded. As long as the high king doesn¡¯t catch wind many things can go without any intervention.¡±


    ¡°How can you say such things without feeling sick?¡±


    ¡°Because from my experience, they always tend to self-destruct. Greed is a beast, and soon enough most of these people tend to let it grow that they eventually tell the high king soon enough. I simply enjoy watching that phenomenon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sick individual, and I hope you know I plan to tell on each of them.¡±


    ¡°I hope you do it would give me some entertainment.¡±


    ¡°I have never seen someone make such an awful first impression outside of Setanta.¡±


    ¡°I am just being truthful, it is best to start friendships with honesty.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t when you¡¯re an evil person.¡±


    ¡°I happen to enjoy watching others rise as much as fall you know, seeing fools who think they are at the top falling makes for satisfying stories, but also seeing those who have restrained themselves fully unleash their potential is equally as enjoyable for me.


    Setanta for example is a perfect example of this. A child born with countless blessings, but also born with complete apathy of the world that stopped him from utilizing it, but one day his outlook on all of that changed, and a monster was born who could bring about great change! I want to see what he births, and witness it with my own eyes.¡±


    ¡°You say that but I am sure Setanta is the kind of person who would hate you with all his heart.¡±


    ¡°My love is strong, I can watch and enjoy him from afar. Though the same could be said for many different people, compared to his greatness none can stand beside.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting a bit, a lord needs an army, and there are people who are ready to stand beside him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that, aren¡¯t you? There is Niall ¨® Laoch, who is called the strongest warrior of your generation. Se¨¢n ¨® M¨¢irse¨¢il the seafarer who despite his young age has mastered the tides.


    Fionnbharr ¨® Cumhaill, a genius who has truly accumulated vast amounts of knowledge leaving the rest of the druids in the dust. Then Peig¨ªn ¨® Cathal who despite her young age is a master of defensive strategy. Not the mention the brother and sister Laeg N¨ª Fergal, and Ibar Mac Fergal.


    All of them prodigies born in the same generation as Setanta, and soon I am sure all of them will head to stand by his side and lead the beastkin into a grand new generation.¡±


    I grip my fist in rage, and say, ¡°You¡¯re a really infuriating man you know that, it is like you want to become my number one enemy.¡±


    ¡°I contest that statement, in truth, I wish to become your number one ally.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I say confused.


    ¡°Right now the fact of the matter is that you will be left behind, and soon all you had around you that has been built with your strength will crumble. Which will leave you in the same state as your father.¡±


    His words send a shock of terror throughout my body as the idea of ever becoming that man scares me to my core.


    ¡°Shut up you stupid serpent, I have heard enough and any more words from you will be grounds for a fight.¡±


    The man laughs a bit, and says, ¡°I never expected to hear that from someone like you who respects authority.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Donald ¨® Fuinseog runs up and says, ¡°Father, I didn¡¯t know you came.¡±


    ¡°Please compose yourself, and walk like the next head of a Red branch family.¡±


    Turning to me the man says, ¡°My name is Bricriu ¨® Sealbh¨®ir, the head of the Sealbh¨®ir family, one of the Red branch, and I will make sure you aren¡¯t punished for this little transgression. Your thanks are unneeded.¡±


    As he walks away I grip my fist tightly and look down as the words he said play in my mind.


    -Break-


    Location: High King¡¯s Chamber


    ¦µ In a room with three chairs facing out a window staring at the moon, Setanta walks in and says, ¡°The party is wrapping up and the people are leaving.¡±


    In the other two chairs both Medb, and Conchobar sit, and Conchobar says, ¡°Now I guess we can celebrate our victory.¡±


    Medb holding up a glass full of wine says, ¡°Now let us start.¡±


    All three of them sitting down judge the alcohol with no form of refinement then throw their glasses on the floor and then Medb shouts, ¡°IT¡¯S OVER.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°I was wondering how long you were able to keep it together having to act like you actually have manners.¡±


    ¡°Well unlike you I struggle to suppress myself, not every one of us is used to being dominated all the time. Though I guess King Fergus does do such a thing all the time.¡±


    ¡°Please do not bring up the fact you''re sleeping with my ancient father, I think I might throw up.¡±


    ¡°Stop trying to make me out to be gross, you both would do the same if you had an opportunity to sleep with your childhood hero.


    ¡°I would never be so disgusting as to do such a thing?¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°If Sc¨¢thach came to your chambers in the night?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to restrain myself, ¡°Conchobar says with a single moment of hesitation.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Both Lugh and Medb respond.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the same, Sc¨¢thach isn¡¯t your real mother.¡±


    ¡°What a cruel thing to say, she picked me off the street and raised me as her own, Sc¨¢thach is by all in intends and purposes my mother.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Let¡¯s just settle with both of you being disgusting and uncouth.¡±


    ¡°WE DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°You consistently picked and systematically made efforts to disrespect every single member of the Red branch in your youth.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°You actively and consistently snuck into the high king''s castle to deflower his daughter, and when he caught you, you say it was none of his business what his daughter does and he should but out.¡±


    ¡°But now I am the most respected out all three of us, and am a father unlike the two of you.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°When you die I will make sure to experiment on your body day and night.¡±


    ¡°At least it will allow you to fulfil your lifelong dream of having my body to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Conchobar I retract my statement please execute Lugh instead.¡±


    Lugh then with a slightly panicked expression says, ¡°I just jest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was just a joke now? Well unlike you I actually have some manhood, time to die.¡±


    Conchobar claps his hands together, and says, ¡°Lugh do you like being alive right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Medb, don¡¯t you want to experiment with the V¨¢nagandr.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So this fight is over, and you will both stick with your mutually beneficial contract.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°The little crybaby if finally acting like a king.¡±


    Wiping a tear Medb says, ¡°I remember it was just the other day he was crying into my shoulder saying he was scared of thunder.¡±


    ¡°AS THE HIGH KING I DEMAND YOU FORGET SUCH MEMORIES!¡±


    Medb and Lugh both laugh, and then after a little bit Conchobar does as well as the moon shines brightly on the three of them.


    In that moment one couldn¡¯t even see these three great Beastkin as their titles, but merely three old friends catching up.

 Arc 10.93: Intersection between the future and the past part 8

    Conchobar says, ¡°It will be some time till we can all sit and talk like this. Now that we have destroyed the leaders of the human resistance.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Our next few moves will be important. Without a doubt the only people who could have allowed the resistance to work so well would be Aoife and the rest of the traitors, and now that we have annihilated the vast majority of them the humans out to become incredibly disorganized.


    In that chaos we will use all the might we have to destroy all of their little sects around our empire and put an end to all of this. We will remove the beasts who have been waiting to pounce on our weakness.¡±


    Medb then says, ¡°Don¡¯t forget you still have to find some time to spend with P¨¦atra.¡±


    Lugh makes an annoyed face and Medb follows it up and says, ¡°You don¡¯t like the new wife I chose for you, I thought she was an earnest cutie, very much your type.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°She constantly avoids looking at me, and it feels like for some strange reason she seems afraid to converse with me even though I am acting normal.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°You have a rather fierce reputation it makes sense for the girl to be scared.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like marrying a woman scared of me. What a horrid thing for you to put her through Medb.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°I consider anyone marrying you to be a form of self-suicide, but P¨¦atra happens to be one of the many mentally distorted women in the empire who somehow think you¡¯re a god. If you give her a smile and a few compliments I am sure she will fall to you completely.


    And due to her age I am sure you will have an active bed life and spawn many little children for me to experiment-, I dote on.¡±


    ¡°You really are a freak?¡±


    ¡°I am no such thing! It is just that any child you have is likely to inherit the aspects of a behemoth wonderbeast, and if that child were to inherit aspects of P¨¦atra who is a Phoneix beastkin, I would have one of the greatest subjects to experiment on in the world! I could fully unlock the power trapped in the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan¡¯s blood!¡±


    Conchobar swats her on the face, as she drools over and says, ¡°Down girl.¡±


    Lugh sighs, and then says, ¡°Let¡¯s hope my dear departed wife doesn¡¯t curse me with impotence before that happens.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°My sister is many things but she isn¡¯t selfish enough to get in the way of our plans like that; oh god she would wouldn¡¯t she? She will probably find a way to scarp herself from the underworld and curse the entire empire to destruction?¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°You get my point.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°I don¡¯t like you both disparaging my best friend in such a way, she maybe vindictive, manipulative, vengeful, and prideful, but only to her enemies and woman who try to talk to Lugh; You know what I think we should pray to Danu every night from now on for protection.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Both Lugh and Conchobar say.


    Medb then follows up and says, ¡°But still we need another heir to Gorias, since at this point it is all but confirmed that we will make Setanta the next high king, and we cannot allow the seat of Gorias to fall to one of the other houses.¡±


    They all stare up at the moon then Lugh asks, ¡°Conchobar are you truly ok with Setanta taking the seat of high king?¡±


    ¡°Lugh didn¡¯t I already tell you for our plan to work we will need a strong man in the seat of king after me, and we got extremely lucky with your son. He has all the character, and power of my father, but also has wisdom and incite that Fergus lacks.


    He is all but perfect for our empire''s next ruler and me having a child would just become a hindrance to that. So even if we have to spread unsavoury rumours so that people think I am impotent I do not care as long as it works out in the end.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°But I know how much you have always wanted to have kids, are you sure you still want to give that up? I am sure a child born from you could also become a prodigy.¡±


    Lowering his head, he says, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I could force such a path on that child, I know how it feels to be constantly compared to a hero and if you can¡¯t live up to those expectations if feels like you have just died.


    I don¡¯t want any child of mine whether boy or girl to feel like they have died due to me trying to mould them into another Setanta. Besides I already have an adorable Nephew, and Sc¨¢thach''s daughter is also rather sweet.¡±


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    Medb says, ¡°I know isn¡¯t she the most pretty little goddess the world has ever since? It is like she is a glass orb that reflects all of the beauty in the world.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Sc¨¢thach barely lets me see her.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°It¡¯s because she doesn¡¯t want Setanta going anywhere near her, which I agree about.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°We don¡¯t need your little future manwhore of a son going anywhere near here.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Things like that aren¡¯t easy to predict. Before you became so open you used to have your face in books reading up about wonderbeasts. You what I would even call cute.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you said I was ugly back then!¡±


    ¡°I said the shy look on your face made you look uglier, never that you were innately ugly.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°How did my sister even handle you.¡±


    Lugh responds, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean, you guys are the weird ones.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°You really are an annoying man, but I do very much enjoy our conversation.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°I concur.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°I am sure there are many in our empire who have conversations like this. That is why we make the effort to protect them, because right now even if I have to drag my name in the dirt I must remove the dirt that lays within our empire.¡±


    ¡°It seems my wife influenced you far more than any one of us.¡±


    ¡°She often did show me the records of the fall of the kingdom in the past. The greatest of empires which were infallible by any outside enemy, always grew complacent and eventually, they fell from within.


    The internal affairs of a country are what will decide how it will continue into the future. Our current culture of gluttony is the first of those major issues. If we keep eating like beasts we will end up with a great amount of pregnancy incongruency which will lead to our extinction.


    But worse than that are our feelings of superiority towards the humans which has been popping up more and more. It feels like every day since we stopped using them to recoup our numbers a culture of genocide for them has been born. Which hasn¡¯t been helped by the actions of one man.¡±


    Conchobar gives Lugh a glare but he says, ¡°I needed to kill all those people as an act of demoralization, they had to die.¡±


    Medb laughs a bit, and says, ¡°I agree with Lugh on this. Our views are humans are beneath us but not without value, if their death can lead to a greater benefit in the future we should kill them, and regardless of that they died on our soil so they should be happy.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like a fanatic with that last bit, I don¡¯t see how them dying on our soil made it better. And whilst I understand your point Lugh it still came at an inopportune time.¡±


    Sighing Conchobar says, ¡°Humans are inferior to us, on average they will never be our equals. But we don¡¯t kill animals simply due to that fact, we need humans to understand their inferiority, and as the superior race, we must care and guide them out of their destructive ways.


    We hold power but we must hold equal responsibility, and we must create a world where both races understand their places. The humans serve us, and we allow them to live fruitful lives.


    For now, we still need to use the humans as slaves to grow our empire quickly, but soon the transition will start and for it to go smoothly we must remove the current view of humans, which we will need the power of the four kings to do.


    So just like how one must clean their house to prevent disease, we must do the same to our empire to keep it safe from ourselves. We do not simply want to be a story of a great power that once existed in the future, but a story of a seed which continued to grow into a far greater empire.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Both Gorias and Murias have implemented widespread education plans to push our agenda, the issue would be convincing both the house of ¨¦ire and the house of Laoch to join us in implementation.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°Forcing them to help us might make our plans open, and would probably cause people to look into what we plan and cause dissent so we must be careful.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°The house of Laoch are warriors at heart, and will bow to any who they seem as stronger than them, the way they treat Fergus as a god is already a sign of this. I am sure Setanta will be able to get the future king of Findias to bow to him.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°The house of ¨¦ire is filled with a bunch of greedy bastards, and if my future research and beauty are put on the table I am sure I could wrap them around my fingers, especially the next head I have already had that child smithing with me.¡±


    Lugh under his breath mutters, ¡°The depths of your depravity know no bounds.¡±


    ¡°Considering your future wife wasn¡¯t even born when you married your first one I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡±


    Conchobar giggles and says, ¡°Don¡¯t insult each other you both will essentially depend on each other, especially for the coming battles, especially with our invasions into the eastern continent.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°Is Bricriu''s plan almost finished?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he has spent the last decade slowly spreading poison throughout their land and within the next five or so years their kingdom will crumble, and we will move in for the win. Without a doubt, this will make Bricriu a hero of our people.¡±


    Both Medb and Lugh make noises of disgust.


    ¡°Ok let me hear it.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°That man is the living definition of a double-edged sword, whether he chooses to build something up or crash it down for fun is completely based on his mood. I am certain that he has done heaps of unnecessary actions within the continent for his own enjoyment, and would even interrupt our plans to continue to find this enjoyment.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°He is a man overloaded with desire, and lust. I have seen many men and he by far has the deepest depths to his depravity, yet none of it is sexual, which makes it far less direct, and far more destructive.¡±


    ¡°I know how you feel but put your grievances aside and accept his help for now. Right now you both have other roles to do.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°I will intensify Setanta¡¯s training, and get him in as many battles as possible from now on.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°I will continue my research into ways to use wonderbeast fauna, and the true potential of us beastkin.¡±


    ¡°I thank you both, and I ask that you die for this project. Everything we are outside of this has no value to us anymore, and we must commit our souls, minds and bodies to this from now on.¡±


    Conchobar raises a glass and the other two follow after him, and then he says, ¡°To our last night of peace.¡±


    ¡°To our last night of peace,¡± Lugh and Medb say.


    They all drink their glasses and as they do the celebration through Emain Macha comes to an end.

 Arc 10.94: Intersection between the future and the past part 9

    -Break-


    Location: Gorias Castle; training grounds.


    ¦µ Charging forth with their weapons in hand, a group of beastkin charge at Setanta, who is holding a wooden stick.


    They swing at him with their weapons but Setanta easily dodges the lot of them, and as he does he whacks them in certain parts of their bodies while saying, ¡°Peadar Your footing is off, and Colm¨¢n don¡¯t telegraph your attacks so much, Manus always keep your eyes on the enemy.¡±


    He then jumps out of the group and whacks them all on the head, and he says, ¡°You aren¡¯t humans, aim to split up into small groups when attacking your enemy so you can make better use of your beast traits, don¡¯t just rely on the physical strength increase.¡±


    Sighing, Setanta says, ¡°New recruits are such a pain to train.¡±


    Feeling something from behind, Setanta puts up his stick to block a sharp axe, and then turning his head he says, ¡°A chameleon beastkin, using your invisibility eh? I like that!¡±


    Setanta hits the chameleon in the leg with his stick, and as his leg buckles Setanta winds up a kick and smacks the chameleon right in the chin knocking him to the ground.


    ¡°But just because people can¡¯t see you with their eyes doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t hear your footsteps, do better!¡±


    Soon two quick flashes come towards Setanta, which he easily redirects with his stick, and looking in the distance he sees a beastkin with a long arm that looks like a barrel. From the barrel, little pointed pieces of blood shoot out towards Setanta.


    Knocking a few more of the shots away, Setanta says, ¡°A wonderbeast beastkin, specifically of the G¨¦ar grasshopper. I looks like we got a fun one in the new batch.¡±


    The man starts to shoot more incessantly, and eventually, one of his shots moves past my stick and scratches my face, and he shouts, ¡°YES!!! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT YOU SPLOIT BRAT!¡±


    Then he says, ¡°Good aim, waited for an opening, and ready to fire off the next shot if you missed. I am impressed! Now let¡¯s see how you do against a mobile target, and due to your lack of respect I will make sure not to hold back,¡± Setanta says as he moves towards the man.


    The man shoots at Setanta again, and again. But Setanta easily moves past him and continues forward.


    The grasshopper beastkin starts to sweat and Setanta says, ¡°Are you scared, well then you should have thought of that before provoking me!¡±


    Setanta who was previously acting like a mentor has completely reverted to an enraged child who is thinking of beating up his opponent far more, than teaching his opponent.


    While this happens one of the beastkins taking a break says, ¡°We better call Ferdiad, Setanta is one blow away from going on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should do that Niall.¡±


    ¡°Why is that Con¨¢n?¡±


    ¡°Because I feel like these rookies are better than we think.¡±


    As Setanta closes in on the grasshopper, he sticks out his tongue at Setanta, and moments later three beastkin attack Setanta, which causes him to stop his forward momentum and dodge away.


    But as he moves away, the grasshopper continues to shoot him, and in that moment all three of the beastkin who just attacked him keeps up the attack.


    The first two beastkins are Fanalis and a type of tiger, with the last one is a Fanalis, and holds the power of a wonderbeast beast. All three of them keep up their assault against Setanta but he manages to knock them all away.


    ¡°It seems that we have more than one exceptional new recruit.¡±


    The wonderbeast Fanalis, says, ¡°If you think that¡¯s all, we will surely surprize you.¡±


    Suddenly the wonderbeast Fanalis, claws turn into, and his tail turns into a metal weapon(A multiple-sectioned staff) as well. Then Setanta says, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that wonderbeast before, what are you.¡±


    ¡°My father ate a rare wonderbeast during the invasions into the eastern continent years ago, and it just so happened to manifest in me. In the east they can it the D¨°u H¨³!¡±


    He charges at Setanta with his brothers, and the grasshopper continues to rain down fire on Setanta all the while. Their fierce attack him, but with a nonchalant expression Setanta asks, ¡°Hey why are you guys trying so hard in training?¡±


    The tiger whips his tail at Setanta, who dodges it, then he says, ¡°Me and my two brothers, are going to show the world we are not some nameless men and achieve greatness. To use these bodies are ancestors blessed us with the crush all those who stand in our way and make our names be passed down into history.¡±


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    The two other tigers say, ¡°YES!¡±


    ¡°I like that answer, very greedy. HOW ABOUT YOU GRASSHOPPER!¡±


    ¡°I am going to take the heads of countless generals and use that money to live a comfortable life where no one can reach me.¡±


    ¡°Another great answer. I am sure going to like you guys as part of our army, but if you want to achieve your grandiose dreams, be able to break this stick first.¡±


    Setanta tightens up the spirit energy he has been directing to the stick this entire time, while also spending spirit energy throughout his body. Then he quickly moves around and starts to strike all of the tigers, and the grasshopper till they fall down.


    On the ground, the grasshopper says, ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°That is the level that many of the top fighters in the world have been at for decades, make sure you reach it quick, I believe wholeheartedly that you all can do it.¡±


    Setanta then starts to gloat, and says, ¡°BUT NOT TODAY! YOU BOYS REALLY THOUGHT YOU COULD BE ME YOUR UTTERLY INSANSE!¡±


    From his back, Setanta is whacked in the head by the chameleon beastkin, who says, ¡°Couldn¡¯t hear me now, could you!¡±


    Setanta loses all sense and reason and says, ¡°I AM GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!¡± Then he starts to go on a rampage.


    As Setanta goes on a rampage, Ferdiad runs into the training ground, and shouts, ¡°SETANTA YOU ARE NEEDED!¡±


    He looks around for a moment, and sees that Setanta is going on a rampage then says, ¡°Of course he is, always at the worst moments.¡±


    Ferdiad then moves towards where the spears are and grabs one and as he does two soldiers come up behind him and ask, ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would you ask that.¡±


    One of them looking a bit nervous says, ¡°It is just that we think Setanta might be a little much nowadays, especially since that war you guys had recently.¡±


    Ferdiad gives them both light wacks on their heads and says, ¡°I happened to be in tip-top shape, don¡¯t count me out just yet.¡±


    With a frustrated expression, Ferdiad runs towards Setatna and says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower.¡± He moves at top speed not holding anything back, and from the distance, all those around Setanta move away as they feel a surge of blood lust heading their way.


    Both Setanta and Ferdiad clash.


    -Break-


    Location: Lugh¡¯s office


    In front of Lugh are both Setanta and Ferdiad who are covered in wounds.


    Lugh says, ¡°I thought I told you to train the new recruits, why did you go on a blood rage.¡±


    ¡°There is a very specific reason for this, wait how did you know I went on a blood rage?¡±


    ¡°Because I felt a surge in the idiotic levels around here.¡±


    Happy, Setanta says, ¡°I guess my presence really is that great.¡±


    Lugh snaps his fingers, and from behind Setanta to armour knights come and strike Setanta in the back of the head.


    Ferdiad is shocked by this, and says, ¡°Aren¡¯t these knights-.¡±


    Lugh interrupts him and says, ¡°They were former members of my personal squad like Aoife and the rest of them. Except they didn¡¯t abandon me, I expect you know that they served me from Ibar?¡±


    Ferdiad responds, ¡°We did hear about this but I didn¡¯t think any of them remained.¡±


    ¡°Not all my knights were as traitorous as those who you struck down. I have about eight of them who are still working under my service, and from now on they will be yours Setanta.¡±


    Setanta holding his head suddenly gets up and says, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Then he jumps up and says, ¡°REALLY!¡± While putting his hand on Lugh¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Yes, I have decided to give them all to you, and among the new recruits I want you to pick a hundred men, and form your own personal squad. We will be heading on a campaign in a week''s time I want you to bring them.¡±


    Setanta full of excitement, takes a few steps backwards and then composes himself then says, ¡°I promise on your blood that runs through my veins that I will use this gift you have given me to prove the strength of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan throughout the land.¡±


    Lugh simply puts out his hand and beckons Setanta forward. Setanta comes forward, and Lugh places his hand on his son''s head and rubs it whilst saying, ¡°I know you will, you are the future of the land and the one whom I place our future in.¡±


    Exhilarated Setanta says, ¡°I will live up to your expectations.¡±


    Lugh then palms Setanta''s head and throws him out of one of the windows in the room.


    Ferdiad then says, ¡°I think doing that is what has caused Setanta innumerable brain damage.¡±


    ¡°I had to remove him if I am going to talk to you about your situation.¡±


    ¡°My situation?¡±


    ¡°So you want to play dumb.¡±


    Lugh gets up and then walks to Ferdiad, and strikes him on his waist, which causes Ferdiad to fall to his knees and hold that spot in pain. ¡°That¡¯s what I am talking about.¡±


    ¡°It really isn¡¯t anything,¡± Ferdiad says trying to play his pain off.


    ¡°When you tried to stop Setanta earlier you took far more damage than you expected. Ferdiad you''re struggling to keep up with him.¡±


    Getting on his feet, Ferdiad says, ¡°NO I AM NOT! I SIMPLY MADE A SLIGHT ERROR WHICH ANYONE CAN MAKE!¡±


    Realizing his demeanour Ferdiad calms down, and says, ¡°Sorry my king, I had no right to say that.¡±


    Lugh rubs Ferdiad¡¯s head and says, ¡°I know you are strong Ferdiad, but there are limits that you will need to understand that you have. You are strong, but you are not Setanta in any way.¡±


    Ferdiad clenches his fist as he hears this, and says, ¡°I know.¡±


    Lugh then looks to the window and says, ¡°He ought to have climbed up by now.¡±


    Jumping out the window Ferdiad says, ¡°I will go check how he is doing.¡±


    ¦µ Running forward, I say, ¡°It¡¯s the stunning ¨¢ine N¨ª Chonaill and Siobh¨¢n Mc Cruadhlaoich.¡±


    With dried-out leaves formed into chains around their animal parts, ¨¢ine waves towards Setanta, who stops in front of them and says, ¡°You¡¯re both as pleasing to look at as ever.¡±


    ¨¢ine says, ¡°Thank you for the compliment, it is nice to hear.¡±


    ¡°If you ever need more, just come to me I have lots to unload on you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I feel like a young woman again.¡±


    ¡°Have you come to pick up your food?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and thank you all again for providing for us even after his death.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it is the job of the Faol¨¢in to look after their own. Rember if you ever have any issues just come to me. Though I will be going to another battlefield soon, so if you need anything before I go you can tell me.¡±


    Suddenly Siobh¨¢n who was hiding behind her mother says, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Slightly angry she says, ¡°Why are you guys going to battle again? So many people died last time, including my father yet you guys are already preparing to go to war!¡±


    ¨¢ine says, ¡°Please Siobh¨¢n stop this.¡±


    ¡°No, it is alright. Please continue.¡±


    With tears starting to appear in her eyes, she says, ¡°Why are you guys even fighting if our lives are good enough? Why did my dad have to die when he only ever loved us? Why are you getting all the glory when he put in so much work?


    Daddy still had so much to do with me, we had a lot planned, and it is gone now. I don¡¯t understand why he had to put his life on the line, and why he had to die. Setanta why is my father gone?¡±

 Arc 10.95: Sharping ones fangs part 1

    ¡°Your father died doing what he wanted to do most in life, protect you. There is no such thing as an empire that¡¯s infallible, and your father knew this. He wanted to strengthen the power of the empire so you would never have to live in the fear or torment of the Fir Bolg.


    He spent his life trying to make this place just a little bit safer for all of us, he stepped on a hellish battlefield, and even on that battlefield, he never lost his heart and still went out of the way to protect the young. Your father was a true man.¡±


    Siobh¨¢n says, ¡°My father was brave until the end.¡±


    Touching her shoulder, I say, ¡°He was a man worthy of all the love he has ever been given.¡±


    She cries and holds ¨¢ine, who struggles to keep herself together, and soon some of the maids come, and say, ¡°Please let us help you.¡±


    They guide the both of them out of the way, and I crouch down with my face pointed towards the ground. Then I say, ¡°Nothing I said was false, but did I truly lead him towards a death that actually helped the empire?¡±


    Getting up, I slap my cheeks and say, ¡°No time for this now. I got to make sure none of the others die so I can make my decisions.¡±


    -Break-


    On the fifteenth of the fifth month of the 132<sup>nd</sup> year of athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar, the great campaign of Brigid began.


    A great campaign starting from Tir na n-iontas, all the way till the end of the continent of Victoria, to wipe out all of the disjointed humans who had lost their most important members during the battle of the shadow serpent.


    A group of armies from many different red branch houses went to areas which have been known to have high human activity and were ordered to subdue and dominate their enemies.


    The fourth battle of this campaign was the first battle of the Faol¨¢ins and was called the battle of the thunderous storm.


    Location: Left Flank of the human army.


    On his chariot, Setanta rides around with, Ibar, Laeg, and Ferdiad at his side, and takes account of his soldiers.


    I have one hundred men, and each of them is split into groups of ten, which are led by one of my father''s knights, with two of the groups being led by former soldiers who served under Cruadhlaoich.


    Breaking my soldiers up like this allows them to better utilize their individual traits, allowing for greater mastery and teamwork. A small group of beastkin making the most of their traits could take out a vast amount of humans.


    Many of the new recruits are rather strong and able-bodied, but they lack refinement, they are strong weapons but lack the incite or the ability to use themselves to their greatest potential, I am sure my father did this intentionally. But still, I don¡¯t plan on not meeting his expectations.


    We have a series of stellar beastkin on my side. The three Fanalis tigers of named R¨¦alta¨ªogar, Gealta¨ªogar and the wonderbeast one Gr¨¦inta¨ªogar. The grasshopper is named Obair, and the chameleon is named Fionn.


    As well as a good group of outstanding soldiers. But not to forget the soldiers I have at my side, soon an arrow comes toward me and I knock it away, but before I can throw a spear and defeat my aggressor, an arrow is shot at it by Ibar.


    Looking down at him, I say, ¡°You finally got to use that boy you got a while ago.¡±


    ¡°I have been keeping up with my training so don¡¯t doubt that I could get this done.¡±


    Laeg then says, ¡°Setanta, the left flank has been chipped away at rather nicely. It seems they thought the reinforcements they sent could keep us down, so they have forgotten about us. I don¡¯t think there is any better time to charge.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°You were able to keep up with all of this while riding? I guess the L¨²cogadh¡¯s becoming your patron wasnt for show.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°You guys aren¡¯t planning on leaving me right?¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°You¡¯d probably just harass whoever our new master was anyways.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°You got us for life at this point.¡±


    ¡°I see then let¡¯s charge forward!¡±


    Soon Laeg and Ibar lead Setanta chariot directly into the left flank and his men follow suit, and they burst their way right through the humans knocking down as many as they possibly can.


    Then Setanta says, ¡°It seems our little arrow has caught more attention. Me and Ferdiad are going to sneak off and take the general''s head, will the two of you be safe.¡±


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    Both of them instantly say, ¡°GO!¡±


    And I just smile back and lunge out into the ground of humans.


    Using spirit energy, red branch battle arts, and my small size I move through the crowd of humans slashing the tendons of as many of them as I can find.


    And soon I break through the entire army of humans and make it behind the human army, where I see the general.


    One of the humans spotting me says, ¡°ONE OF THEM HAS GOTTEN THROUGH!¡±


    They all tense up but after seeing I and a child some of them relax, and I use this movement to lunge forward, and stab one of the general advisors through the heart while saying, ¡°You put your army around you, not in front of you idiot.¡±


    He looks completely unfazed as I say this and says, ¡°Prepare to retreat, we will take the western escape route,¡± in a calm and collected voice.


    Then I try to stab through the general''s head but three humans holding swords deflect it. I see they are all covered in spirit energy, and I say, ¡°I see that¡¯s why you look so calm.¡±


    His men push me back and he says, ¡°Death has no hold on me because we have already bested your dogs. Our battle today has already been a victory and everything after that is merely child¡¯s play.¡±


    Annoyed I lunge forward and say, ¡°I would like to hear what that really means.¡±


    But his bodyguards intercept me, but using my smaller stature I dodge their attacks and then jump back. Ferdiad should be here in five, or four.


    I lunge forward and pierce one of their necks, then I follow it up with my claws to rip through another of their throats. Three, two, one.


    Then I turn towards the general and prepare to strike him, but then I am knocked back by the last of the men, turning my head I see Ferdiad still hasn¡¯t caught up with me, which means the final of the three is still there.


    So I quickly kill him with a signal blow, then turn my head to the general who is lying on the ground, together with the rest of his advisors.


    I quickly move over to him, and hold his body then I notice he is drooling, and I say, ¡°He poisoned himself.¡±


    I bring out my claws, and say, ¡°I am sorry for doing this to your corpse.¡±


    I rip off his head, and then move over to the human army and shout, ¡°YOUR GENERAL HAS FALLEN!¡±


    ¦µ After Setanta''s defeat of the enemy the humans quickly lost their morale, and the main army quickly destroyed the rest of the humans bringing an end to the battle.


    ¦µ Sitting down, in front of his unit, Setanta says, ¡°Good fight everyone. The Solasmionna unit is just as amazing as I hoped, take some time to rest because you are the heroes of this battle.¡±


    As the army disperses, Ferdiad walks up to Setanta and says, ¡°I apologis-.¡±


    Cutting him off Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t bother doing that I just made a miscalculation in terms of your speed. I am not the best in the world with numbers.¡±


    Jumping up, Setanta says, ¡°I got to go report to my father, so please make sure everyone is in tip-top shape.¡±


    As Setanta runs off, Ferdiad says, ¡°You didn¡¯t make a mistake.¡±


    -Break-


    The seventh battle of this campaign was the third battle of the Faol¨¢ins and was called the Battle of the Splinter Mist.


    Location: Northeastern edge of the battlefield


    ¦µ I stare down into a mist-ridden forest, and then start to dig up the ground beneath me and say, ¡°It is all starting to come together.¡±


    Turning to me Gr¨¦inta¨ªogar asks, ¡°Why are we all the way over here? Shouldn¡¯t we be attacking with the main army?¡±


    One of my father''s former men, S¨ªle says, ¡°Watch your tone and respect the chain of command or I will remove your tongue.¡±


    The rookies all seem to jolt back at her vicious words, and I say, ¡°My father truly knows how to pick the best woman.¡±


    She looks like she is about to cry, which scares the rest of the rookies even more and Ibar says, ¡°Is she ok.¡±


    Another one of my father''s eight men named Bairre says, ¡°We usually never got compliments directly from Lugh so it just moves our hearts to hear someone who sounds so much like our former master say such nice things. I even feel a bit emotional myself.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°That''s really nice to hear since my other retainers don¡¯t seem to like my compliments.¡± I look at Laeg, Ibar and Ferdiad, who all look away.


    Turning to the rookies, I say, ¡°I know you may not like my methods but know now and forever more that I will always be looking out for your best interests, and the best way to make you all live a glorious life.¡±


    Many of them seem to lose the agitation that they had, and then Obair walks up to me and asks, ¡°So what¡¯s the plan.¡±


    Holding up mud, I say, ¡°We will be covering ourselves in this.¡±


    MY MEN SCREAM IN ANNOYANCE, and then they shout, ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!¡±


    I then say, ¡°Well you Obair, and Aoibheann won¡¯t have to?¡±


    Obair then walks to my side and says, ¡°You peasants dare question the divine wisdom of our leader.¡±


    ¡°Traitor!¡± my men shout.


    And Laeg knocks me on the head, then says, ¡°Stop playing with us and explain the plan.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Through the forest a beaten human army consisting of two thousand men move, and a man riding on a horse in front says, ¡°My men don¡¯t lose your heart. Because if we manage to escape we will be able to warn the next settlement to evacuate in time so they won¡¯t fall victim to these beast''s rampage across our lands. Humanity will live long and be strong!¡±


    Soon his horse stops, and he says, ¡°What is wrong girl?¡±


    From the distance, a blood bullet comes towards the general and knocks him off his horse, and the rest of the humans rush towards him, but he says, ¡°Take cover we have some form of an archer!¡±


    The bullets keep coming and the humans move closer to the ground and to the trees as covers.


    And in the air, Obair says, ¡°Looks like we did enough.¡±


    The eagle beastkin, Aoibheann says, ¡°With this, the battle should be completely finished.¡±


    From the ground beneath the humans, weapons appear and stab them in and then from the ground covered in mud Setanta and his men appear and attack the disrupted human army.


    They are able to defeat a great amount of them before they are able to regroup, and as they do the beastkin use the thick mist and their enhanced senses to gain the underhand and a group of a hundred beat over two thousand human soldiers.


    As the battle ends, Obair who has been dropped from the sky says, ¡°How did you know they would be here boss?¡±


    These humans all seem to have escape paths set up everywhere as we have seen in the last two battles, and one thing I noticed is that the area with the least human scent tends to be the escape route. So I just set up here and waited for them to come through.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Sometimes I wonder whether you''re just really smart and are playing a long prank on everyone.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°If I was you all would never find out, now let¡¯s meet up with the main army.¡±

 Arc 10.96: Sharpening ones fangs part 2

    -Break-


    The eleventh battle of this campaign was the sixth battle of the Faol¨¢ins and was called the Battle of the Shattering Storm.


    Location: Castle of Pionek


    ¦µ From the four walls the human soldiers within the castle repel the beastkin with great results.


    Through the walls, they have placed a slippery substance to inhibit the beastkin climbing abilities, and they have huge metal gates stopping anyone from breaking through.


    Finally, they rain fire down on all of the beastkin from above, with arrows set on fire. Their attacks are fierce and nonstop which stops even the strongest of beastkin from making any progress.


    Looking into the distance the human general says, ¡°My brave soldiers we are strong and unbreakable, and that is because right now every man, woman and child is working as one to fight back against our enemies.


    They have been able to make no progress and soon our allies will come and strike them down! Trust in your allies, and trust in each other, because together we will never be defeated.¡±


    As everyone shouts for joy the general looks forward towards the beastkin, and using a makeshift telescope he says, ¡°The winged beastkin haven¡¯t moved an inch since this battle started one would think he would have already made a plan for them to assault us since I don¡¯t see how they could get through otherwise.


    Regardless I will just wait and be vigilant. Until those forces are dealt with we could still be defeated, so I must make sure to prepare for their eventual attack.


    Still, it pains my heart that I already have to use all of these innocent who barely know combat for this plan of ours to get this far. I need to make sure as many of them live to see our revival as a race.¡±


    ¡°GENERAL! One of my men shouts as he runs towards me.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The eternal moth knights they are alive.¡±


    Shocked the general says, ¡°Really they are still here, they have come to save us!¡±


    The man then points at the knights who are carrying the bodies of three brutalised tiger Fanalis.


    And the soldier says, ¡°I had heard they were all wiped out but it seems they hadn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Have you spoken to them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they told me they wanted to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that all they said?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the soldier says slightly confused.


    The general walks past his soldier and whispers something into his ear, then heads down to the knights and says, ¡°I am so happy you are all here.¡±


    ¡°General, I am sorry but we don¡¯t have time for this. We need to plan a counterattack and for that, we will need an accurate breakdown of everything here.¡±


    The general says, ¡°I see I will give it to you in a moment.¡± Then he reaches for his side as if he is about to bring out a map but instead, he reaches for his sword and swings it towards the Eternal Moth knights.


    They block it and say, ¡°Why did you do that you fool?¡±


    But before the general responds, the soldier who is holding up a shattered shell screams, ¡°EVERYONE WE HAVE INTRUTERS WHO ARE DRESSED UP AS ETERNAL MOTHS!¡±


    One of the knights looks at the general and says, ¡°How did you know.¡±


    ¡°If you think our level of security is so lax that we would simply trust anyone with the armour on then you are sorely mistaken.¡±


    The three tigers Fanalis who are tied up break free of their restraints and then head into the humans accompanied by the Eternal Moth knights and start moving towards the gate. But the humans beat hold them off.


    The general says, ¡°We might be weak but we won¡¯t let you break through us.¡±


    The humans shoot flaming arrows down towards the beastkin with no regard for each other, they willingly light each other on fire just for the sake of hurting the beastkin.


    This savagery shakes the tiger brother, but then S¨ªle says, ¡°You got to keep calm, this level of desperation is common for those who are about to lose everything.¡±


    The tiger brothers soon collect themselves on the battlefield and return to combat, and as they do the arrows stop.


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    The general turning his head sees the flying beastkin has finally entered the battle and are attacking the archers.


    He screams, ¡°Half of you on the east wall move to cut down the beastkin. All those coming from the north wall move to cut them down as well, we can hold on we can survive all you need to do is keep fighting.¡±


    Suddenly he hears the sound of one of the gates opening, and turning to it he sees Setanta and Fionn the chameleon beastkin standing by the gate, and with all his strength Setanta, and Fionn raise the gate letting other beastkin in.


    -Break-


    The thirteenth and final battle of this campaign was the seventh battle of the Faol¨¢ins and was called the battle of the Re:Order.


    Location: Western flank


    ¦µ On rocky terrain, Setanta and the rest of his squad fight alongside the Faol¨¢in army, and as they do the air becomes so hot that one can barely breathe.


    ¦µ Moving towards one of my Gealta¨ªogar, I strike the human coming for him down, and as I do I say, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°For now at least, but the amount of humans here is way too much.¡±


    Of course it is, to our knowledge it is the biggest settlement of them on the continent, that¡¯s why four full Red branch families are taking part in it.¡±


    ¡°I know but still it feels like there isn¡¯t enough air for me to use.¡±


    I guess that big body of his requires a lot of air to move around with, he must feel like he is suffocating a bit.


    ¡°Take the rest of the Fanalis here and fall back a bit.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t, I still need to fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an order! Unless you want to be known as the warrior who died due to humans breathing around him, I suggest you fall back.¡±


    He grips his fist, but then releases it and follows my instructions. With the rest of the Fanalis, he heads back, and I prepare to reenter the battle, then I lunge forward towards a human.


    But to my surprise, the human is knocked out by Laeg and Ibar. They both move on and continue to fight against the humans, and as they do I look at the soles of their feet where I see a metal contraption attached to them.


    ¡°It seems the L¨²cogadh¡¯s gave them a present.¡± With the contraption they both fight using their innate leg power, and I soon join in.


    The battle rages on for another 9 hours until the human castle is captured by another one of the Red branch armies, and as it finishes I turn to all my men and say, ¡°Fantastic work everyone, but we are not done yet. We got to move around and look for any runaways, humans are numerous some might have escaped through the cracks.¡±


    My men let out exhausted groans of annoyance and I just clap my hands in then say, ¡°Too bad your compliant hold no power here, all of you hurry and move on my beloved Solasmionna unit.¡±


    They all get up and move then I turn to Ferdiad and say, ¡°Your weapon is the most worn out of everyone here you must have been going above and beyond.¡±


    Sulking Ferdiad says, ¡°I guess you''re right, or maybe I was just so unprecise that I couldn¡¯t handle my weapon well.¡±


    I hit him on the back a few times and say, ¡°Don¡¯t downplay yourself Ferdiad, I don¡¯t want to be hearing these gloomy words coming from my right-hand man.¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± he says with his same old gloomy tone.


    I wonder what is bothering the idiot, maybe his hungry or needs some sleep, but it is not like he ever needed that before. I guess there must only be one thing.


    Move to Laeg I pick her up and then throw her butt at Ferdiad, and as she lands on his face she says, ¡°SETANTA WHO DROPPED YOU!?¡±


    She then turns to Ferdiad and says, ¡°Oh no I need to get off of you I am far too heavy.¡±


    As she raises Ferdiad also gets up and says, ¡°You weren¡¯t heavy the pressure was perfect. In fact it felt amazing.¡±


    Laeg looks like she is about to explode, so I say, ¡°Both of you go scouting together, while I head over here.¡±


    Laeg turns and says, ¡°Setanta!¡±


    Ferdiad with a little smile says, ¡°Walking with Danu¡¯s sister is something that will make me feel a lot better.¡±


    As they get up and walk together, I put my arm around Ibar¡¯s neck and say, ¡°Do you want to go spy on the two love birds.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°I know this is just another of your annoying little games, and should say no. But I really do want to see that!¡±


    We both clap our hands against each other and go off to follow them.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°So the L¨²cogadh¡¯s showed us how important it is to raise and breed the horses well for the sake of getting the best out of them. A lot of the science behind the breeding of animals is super cool, and I think I might want to use it as another qualification.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing, if you start both expanding your knowledge and refining it you will be able to increase your rank as soon as possible, I suggest getting into contact with the C¨¦il¨²s family to broaden your knowledge, I am pretty sure Setanta knows Medb¡¯s daughter so it would be easy enough.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your words, but on that note what else are you doing to higher your standing? Only one special skill can get you so far, so what else are you learning?¡±


    A bit shy Ferdiad says, ¡°Bureaucracy for the most part, if I am going to stand at Setanta''s side learning how to rule will be important for reigning him in. I have already had many classes with Lugh¡¯s Coill, so I have my foot in many different things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Most Fir bolg would never dream of being in your situation, but you are. What an inspiration.¡±


    Ferdiad scoffs a bit, and then says, ¡°That¡¯s only if I can remain at Setanta side.¡±


    As he says this a looks like it is one second away from breaking appears on his face. I need to change the subject or otherwise, he will continue to feel horrible.


    ¡°They also gave us training programs which were really effective at teaching us the skills we lacked. Ibar learned how to control better, and I learned how to move faster. It seems all of the knowledge the Lucogadh have accumulated on riding makes them really good teachers.¡±


    With a pained smile, he says, ¡°That¡¯s fantastic.¡±


    WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!


    As I am caught up in my own mind, I see a human run out of some trees to the left of us and stop right in front of us.


    We both prepare to fight, but the humans say, ¡°PLEASE TAKE ME AS PRISONER!¡±


    As we both are confused by his action, we stand still and whilst we do this a giant axe comes from the forest and slashes the man''s head off.


    Then a voice says, ¡°That makes 504.¡±


    From the trees, a bear beastkin with skulls arranged as a necklace around his head comes forth. He is wearing no shirt, is covered in tattoos and just has a lion on his back.


    Looking at the human skulls I notice they still have some fresh meat on them, so I say, ¡°Are those deserters? You know that¡¯s forbidden, we are to capture all of the humans after the battle ends.¡±


    The large man''s claws suddenly appear in front of my face, but Ferdiad knocks me backwards in time and dodges as well, then says, ¡°Laeg, I need you to be quiet for a moment. This man is a monster.¡±

 Arc 10.97: Sharpening ones fangs part 3

    ¡°Do you know what you are doing?¡±


    ¡°Getting rid of some annoying little pests who are trying to get in my way.¡±


    Laeg said, ¡°We happen to be members of the house of Faol¨¢in so an attack against us won¡¯t be taken lightly!¡±


    In a very dismissive tone, he says, ¡°What does that matter to me? I also happen to be a part of the Laoch family, actually, I am the next head Niall ¨® Laoch.¡±


    Ferdiad then mutters, ¡°You mean the strongest warrior of our generation?¡± As Ferdiad says this I notice he does seem to be around our age, but maybe one or three years older than I am.


    Picking his nose, he says, ¡°I guess people started calling me that, but it is not like it means anything when I am surrounded by weaklings.¡±


    I prepare to say something to him, but then Ferdiad says, ¡°Laeg N¨ª Fergal I need you to calm down and think about all your actions from now on through carefully?¡±


    The boy stops then makes a confused look on his face, and says, ¡°Wait aren¡¯t you Laeg N¨ª Fergal?¡±


    Ferdiad turns to me, and I say, ¡°Y-yes I am.¡±


    ¡°I knew it, I had heard rumours about you. That there was a little girl who rode the young head of the Faol¨¢in through a mountain filled with wonderbeasts in the dead of the night. I never thought I would have the pleasure to meet someone like you.¡±


    Rubbing the back of my head, I say, ¡°I never thought my reputation would get so far, to think that even another future head of the red branch has heard about me!¡±


    In mere movements he moves right in front of us, which spooks both me and Ferdiad, then he says, ¡°Of course I have, doing something like that takes guts which is sorely lacking in beastkin today. Hey, why don¡¯t you become my wonderbeast rider? If you can tame a horse with such skill I am sure you would be able to do the same.¡±


    I then say, ¡°I am sorry for how rude this my sound but after what you just did right there, no way would I ever work for such an uncivilised and unrespectable person. Despite your rank, I don¡¯t feel a single bit of radiance when looking at you.¡±


    ¡°What a childish way to look at your rank. We, members of the Red branch, aren¡¯t upholders of the rules, we simply make them. If I choose to break anyone of said rules I completely withhold the right to do so.¡±


    I then say, ¡°What an asshole way to look at things. You can¡¯t just go out of your way breaking rules as if they only exist for show, killing humans outside of battle holds no strategic value, and is only done by madmen who thirst for blood. The Red branch families are supposed to be what us other beastkin aspire to, not whatever this is.¡±


    ¡°You Faol¨¢in can spend all the time you want counting ants, but I won¡¯t. If I see one I will use it as target practice to see how sharp my weapon has become. Any other opinion on the matter can go kill itself, I don¡¯t know what you think the Red branch is but this is how most of us operate by doing what we want.


    You seem to be under the impression that the Faol¨¢in are different but they are the same, they will violate countless traditions to do what they want, and just because we do the same in a way that doesn¡¯t aline with your values, we are the ones who are wrong? Sounds like you¡¯re a hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°Faol¨¢in move forward keeping everyone in mind as they do. I know for a fact they are strange weirdos who don¡¯t perfectly aline with traditions or the laws, but I can at least say they don¡¯t go out doing anything they believe will bring harm to the empire or its people, unlike a smug cunt like you.¡±


    He laughs a bit, then covers his mouth and glares at Laeg then says, ¡°The first time someone has had the balls to say such a thing to me, I am far more entranced now. I now think what I want to see most in the world is you sitting in my castle pregnant.¡±


    He reaches his hand out towards me, and Ferdiad grabs it and holds him still, then says, ¡°Watch where you put those fingers?¡±


    The man pushes down, but Ferdiad pushes back against his hand which causes him to say, ¡°So young, and so strong. I think I want you as well.¡±


    ¡°Sorry but I already have one lunatic master to serve, I don¡¯t need a second.¡±


    ¡°Your compliance wasn¡¯t even a factor.¡±


    He moves his giant axe towards Ferdiad, and he kicks me away before lunging backwards.


    ¦µ Looking at the ground where his axe landed I see he has completely destroyed the ground beneath. This power isn¡¯t even something I expect from a wonderbeast, I need to be careful and watch out for the axe.


    Suddenly the axe is coming towards my eyes, so I duck and dodge out of the way, and then move to thrust my spear into his shoulder; I land a direct hit.


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    As I move backwards, he asks, ¡°What age are you boy?¡±


    ¡°I happen to be fourteen years old.¡±


    He laughs again, and says, ¡°Someone three years my younger is this strong, I must definitely have you now. I won¡¯t be holding back anymore so keep up.¡±


    Throughout his body, I notice his muscles flexing from the little sounds they make and see that spirit energy has enveloped him.


    I definitely won¡¯t be able to see him if he attacks me, so I must attack first. Red branch battle arts; Star flower.


    I move forward at high speed and strike at him, but then he disappears and then punches me in the gut, which causes me to spit up blood. Then he swings his axe, but I manage to block it with my metal spear but it is cut in half.


    As I land on the floor I prepare to move, but then I spit up blood and fall to the ground.


    That one punch hurt my insides far too much, I feel like my insides were shaken over and over again. It makes everything difficult, breathing, thinking, living.


    As I lay on the floor Niall says, ¡°Huh is that all you have got? I got my hopes up a bit too much well regardless I will let you join me, but I am no longer as excited as before.¡±


    He moves over to Laeg and then puts her over his shoulder.


    Kicking him, Laeg says, ¡°Let go of me, you bastard!¡±


    He glares at her, and says, ¡°Feisty. Your behaviour really isn¡¯t like the Faol¨¢in who try to mimic human behaviour all the time, you really are going to be an excellent bride.¡±


    Laeg stares at me, and says, ¡°Ferdiad I am sorry for my big mouth, I promise I will be fine so I am going to need you to run back.¡±


    Niall says, ¡°It must be so sad to be such a pathetic worm, there are very few options for people like you but to run when in the face of someone greater than them. In fact, this whole experience has irreparably soured my feelings on you Ferdiad, run back to Lugh and go find some happiness in his womb, like the loser you are.¡±


    I throw the backside of my broken spear at him which he knocks away and then I lunge forward and stab into his arm.


    ¡°So you have a little fight left,¡± Niall says as he drops Laeg.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t deal with this anymore, I WANT TO SEE YOU CALL ME WEAK AGAIN!¡±


    I start to move around as fast as possible pushing myself to my limit and wielding my broken spear like a dagger, I stab into his body innumerable amounts of times.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, KEEP IT COMING!¡±


    He swings his axe letting out a powerful gust that pushes me back, and then he moves towards me, so I say, ¡° Red branch battle arts; Camellia japonica.¡±


    Which allows me to dodge and stab him again. We then keep up this pattern of me stabbing him and him swinging towards me and missing.


    While it may seem I have the advantage I soon come to realize the position I am in. One blow will knock me down, and my stabs are going to take a long time to make him bleed out, especially with how worn my spear is and how thick his muscles are.


    But I can do this, I am sure I can. Right now I will use everything I have learned and defeat this monster standing in front of me without fail. That is the promise I make to myself because I know you could do it Setanta, and I refuse to be left behind like dust!


    I continue to do this, but then Niall lets out a roar so loud that it completely distorts all of my senses and causes me to freeze. Then he hits me with a full-power punch to the chest sending me flying towards Laeg.


    While I lay on the floor, he walks over to me, and says, ¡°I take back what I said you''re worth possessing. A bride and a general is what Danu has given to me today and I will offer countless sacrifices up to her as thanks.¡±


    As he walks towards me, Laeg looks at me with panic and I can tell she is currently looking for a way to get me out of this. She whispers, ¡°You have saved me before, so I will do it today just watch me.¡±


    She prepares to walk forward, and she says, ¡°I will come with you willingly, just let him go. If you take us by force you will be forced to deal with the wrath of the Faol¨¢in and in a battle between two Red branch families, the high king will without a doubt side with the one that carries his blood.¡±


    ¡°You make a convincing argument, but there is one mistake in your line of thinking. The fact that I would love nothing more than to go head to head with those foolish Faol¨¢in.¡±


    He then whacks Laeg across the face which makes her hold her face in pain, and he then says, ¡°While I do like your feisty side I don¡¯t need you thinking you have actual power over me, so please remember that pain. Now let¡¯s go.¡±


    As he prepares to grab us he is suddenly hit in the stomach by a silver flashing streak. The person was so fast that I could feel the wind pressure through the area changing by its arrival, and the sound of the attack hadn¡¯t even caught up yet.


    The impact sends Niall flying through the trees, and I see it is Setanta whose right arm is completely destroyed.


    Did he use Morning Glory with his fist instead of his spear? If so, it explains why his arm is destroyed, but it is utterly foolish to do so.


    Setanta''s arm regenerates, and he turns to me and he has a look of anger on his face.


    I lower my head in embarrassment and grip my fist. Ibar soon comes towards Laeg, and I say, ¡°She took a direct blow to her face, we have to be careful in case she broke something.¡±


    Niall then lunges towards us with his axe, but Setanta jumps into the air and hits him with a decisive strike to the face which knocks him down.


    Then Niall whose stomach is completely pruised, and is leaking blood from his mouth like a waterfall says, ¡°WHO ARE YOU!¡±


    In a worse rage than I have ever seen Setanta be in before, I hear him say, ¡°Morr¨ªgan.¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHA!¡± Niall says, before dashing forward and saying, ¡°SO ME WHAT YOU CAN DO!¡±


    Suddenly a group of beastkin appear and restrain Niall then one of the beastkin who is standing on Niall¡¯s head says, ¡°Bad bear, no more fighting for you.¡±


    ¡°Glic, you bastard.¡±


    Turning to us, Glic says, ¡°Hello my name is Glic ¨® Sealbh¨®ir, daughter of Bricriu ¨® Sealbh¨®ir, and I deeply apologise for my master''s actions!¡±


    ¡°You really think that will be enough!¡±


    ¡°Well considering the fact that your friend''s skull is shattered over there, I think you will need our medical abilities right now, hence requiring us alive.¡±


    Setanta calms down and turns to Laeg, then he says, ¡°Come and help her right now!¡±


    ¡°I knew you were a logical man. Boys return Niall to his house and his six wives, I will deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°They go and as they walk past, Glic stops and waves at me. Then she continues on to help Laeg.¡±


    ¦µ Twenty hours after it had started, the thirteenth and final battle of this campaign was the seventh battle of the Faol¨¢ins the battle of the Re:Order, came to an end with the overwhelming victory of the beastkin.


    And within history, this was the last recorded major victory of a war for their race.

 Arc 10.98: The golden wolf part 1

    -Three weeks later-


    Location: Gorias Castle


    ¦µ Looking into a mirror, I look at the bruise on my face and say, ¡°It really is bad isn¡¯t it, I swear his fist nearly reconstructed my skull.¡±


    The maid Inn¨¦acs says, ¡°In all honesty, I don¡¯t really see a change in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡± I ask turning my head to face her.


    ¡°Of course, not even a fist could break down that rather bizarre face you have.¡±


    ¡°L¨²ID¨ªN SHE INSULTED ME AGAIN!¡±


    ¡°You have grown so much in just over half a year, you can even pick up on my insults.¡±


    ¡°SHE ADMITTED TO IT!¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn walking up to Inn¨¦acs flicks her on the forehead, then says, ¡°That was her trying to cheer you up in her own special way.¡±


    Looking down, I say, ¡°So it is apparent enough for even that cold bitch to try and cheer me up.¡±


    L¨²id¨ªn kneels to my eye level and makes me face her, then she says, ¡°Don¡¯t be ashamed for a single moment. You and your brother have gone on to some of the fiercest battlefields and have succeeded.


    Few men would even have the courage to take those steps, and you two did. Unlike the liars who sit comfortably in their castle, you have spilt your blood for us all, take pride in those wounds.¡±


    Feeling a surge of happiness, I say, ¡°Right.¡±


    Inneacs says, ¡°Now we should head over to bring an end to the conflict going on outside.¡±


    ¡°Conflict?¡± I say confused.


    L¨²id¨ªn says, ¡°We haven''t told you, since we wanted you to rest after returning back from the battlefield, but Setanta has been at it again.¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡± I say tired.


    -Break-


    Location: Setanta¡¯s room


    As I enter his room, I see that a ridiculous amount of chains are everywhere, and in the centre of them I notice Setanta tied up and bound. Ferdiad and Ibar as also in the room looking incredibly tired.


    ¡°LET ME OUT!¡± Setanta shouts before he notices me.


    ¡°What did you do this time?¡±


    ¡°Laeg, you''re up and running,¡± He says with a big goofy smile on his face.


    Ibar and Ferdiad turn to me, and Ferdiad says, ¡°Are you capable of walking,¡± while rushing to my side.


    ¡°I am in much better shape than the last time you saw me, getting to receive care back at the castle made me heal up quite a bit faster than before.¡±


    Ibar runs to me and gives me a hug, then says, ¡°I am so happy you are ok.¡±


    Hugging him back, I say, ¡°Thank you, I am happy you''re doing ok.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Look at all of us back together again, so why don¡¯t you guys let me out.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Both Ibar and Ferdiad shout.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    Looking at Ferdiad, I ask, ¡°Why is he like this?¡±


    ¡°The moment we returned, Setanta started building up an army, to go attack the Laoch family.¡±


    ¡°WHAT! Setanta you do realize among the Red branch families they are the strongest in terms of military strength. It is estimated that they could probably wage war against half the empire by themselves.


    ¡°What of it, I will kill them all personally with my own two hands. Anyone who dares to hurt my family will no longer be allowed to breathe the same air as me.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°IF YOU DO THIS MORE OF YOUR FAMILY WILL BE KILLED!¡±


    ¡°NO, THEY WON¡¯T I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT! ISN¡¯T THAT RIGHT BOYS!¡±


    Suddenly from the chains, a bunch of voice says, ¡°YES!¡±


    Which causes me to ask, ¡°Who was that.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°The rights of the Solasmionna were going to follow Setanta to war, so we tied them up as well.¡±


    ¡°You guys would all really go that far for me?¡±


    ¡°OF COURSE!¡± They all shout.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Aww,¡± I say with some tears forming.


    Ibar says, ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, it will only push them further into thinking their stupidity is ok.¡±


    Walking up to Setanta, I rub his head and say, ¡°Thank you for what you have done for me, but please leave this alone from now on  I don¡¯t want you guys getting hurt over this, and I heard from L¨²id¨ªn you make Niall spit up blood, so I feel good.¡±


    Setanta calming down says, ¡°Ok, but if he ever comes again, I will burn their castle down and eat all of that man''s children.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding right?¡±


    Setanta pauses for a long moment, then says, ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound like a joke.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Finally he has calmed down.¡± Then he falls face-first onto the floor.


    Turning around, I say, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he has been staying up all day and night punching me in the face so I couldn¡¯t escape.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Setanta then instantly breaks out of all the chains, and says, ¡°Thanks to the spirit energy I have I could easily break out of these, so Ferdiad had to keep almost killing me by constantly punching me in my face so I couldn¡¯t focus my spirit energy anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Really? I feel sorry for him.¡±


    ¡°Why do you feel sorry for him, I was the one getting hit. And now that I think about it, he looked pretty happy as he did it.¡±


    ¦µ Everyone in the room looks at me, and then Laeg says, ¡°Now that I think about Ferdiad got lucky.¡±


    Everyone else says, ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Suddenly one of the maids called, N¨®ra walks in and says, ¡°Setanta, Minagrain''s gift is here and waiting outside for you.¡±


    ¡°She should be coming soon so I need to go and get everything ready, I will go and grab it.¡±


    As I run out of the room, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t miss me too much.¡± Then I blow a kiss to them all and rush out of the room.


    -Break-


    Location: Eastern side of the Gorias castle


    Looking at the bouquets of flowers, I say, ¡°Nuala must have really enjoyed my compliments at the banquet, she has sent me some rather amazing collections of flowers. Minagrain ought to love these, I just need to prepare them.¡±


    The eastern edge of the castle has an area expressively sealed off from most people''s entrances. It is where my father and I keep things of importance so we make sure only certain people can come and go.


    Even Ferdiad is only allowed to enter here if he is with me, or knows I am in here. That is how tightly it is guarded, it is an open garden area solely for the viewing pleasure of my father, his wife, and his children.


    Setting up all of the bouquets, I say, ¡°Minagrain ought to love all of this, I have missed her very deeply, and seeing the smile on her face ought to reinvigorate me for the battles to come.¡±


    Behind me, I hear, ¡°Awww young love, how wonderful for two little children to find each other and fall into one another''s grasp.¡±


    This voice sends me into high alert, and I say, ¡°I don¡¯t recognize that voice.¡±


    I quickly move around the entire garden, and soon I find the source of the voice. Within a group of cages lies a bunch of humans, many of whom carry similar characteristics.


    At the southwestern corner of these cages is one with a man waving at me. He has bright blonde hair, and hypnotising blue eyes, so I walk up to him and say, ¡°Where you the one who was talking to me,¡± in the Saviours song.


    In our language, the human says, ¡°Of course it was me, I was just so entranced by your love of your lady that I had to say something.¡±


    I reach my hand through the cage bars and grab his face, then I say, ¡°You know it is one of the highest crimes to speak our tongue, it is considered a violation of our existence.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t learn it intentionally or anything. The beastkin I used to live under forced me to learn it nothing I could do in the matter.¡±


    Pulling my hand away from his mouth, I say, ¡°So you¡¯re a former slave. Then shouldn¡¯t you be in a plantation?¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head nonchalantly the man says, ¡°Oh no I happened to be an escaped slave. Five times actually, each time I get away I just so happen to get caught by a series of beastkin unrelated to the ones who held me.


    In fact this time I just so happened to get caught by the Faol¨¢in army after running away from my plantation.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere between your third and fourth battle.¡±


    ¡°We had one of eight paths to take from our third to fourth battle, you really must be unlucky for us to have specifically picked the one you were on.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it, I had escaped for around five months but while gathering some food, I was landed on by a beastkin who fell off a cliff.¡±


    Impressed, I say, ¡°Still that¡¯s pretty freaking awesome. To think you would keep trying after the first, especially with how hard they torture humans who try and escape.¡±


    Proudly he says, ¡°Finally someone understands, all of the humans kept calling me an idiot, but I always say it as courage.¡±


    ¡°Only a true man has the balls to keep bashing his head against a wall when it seems all but impossible for him to succeed.¡±


    ¡°EXACTLY! My motto is that the only barrier stopping one from moving ahead would be themselves.¡±


    ¡°But if you get caught by random beastkin each time, doesn¡¯t that mean that it is luck standing in your way not yourself.¡±


    ¡°The devil tries to destroy those with the greatest powers, is something one of my mates in the plantation said to me. So each time luck makes me fail, it must mean that I must continue to try again.¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°You¡¯re a pretty funny man.¡±


    Laughing with me, he says, ¡°I learned a lot on the plantations, now how about you let me go?¡±


    Ceasing my laughter, I say, ¡°No way in hell boy.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think I would just let you go?¡±


    ¡°I am a very hopeful person.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a very stupid person.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°I just so happened to be the son of the head of the Faolain house.¡±


    Many of the other slaves become fearful as I say this. They all back away in their cages and shake as if they fear retribution from me.


    I guess many of them are used to being abused by the other beastkin, especially the high-ranking ones. Humans need to know their places so putting them in line is an important aspect of leading a plantation, but there is a difference between instilling obedience and fear and the plantation commonly crosses it.


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off you bastard, under no circumstance in this castle will harm ever befall you, that¡¯s my word. But if you continue to judge me what others have done to you, I will make sure you are treated the same.¡±


    Many of them are trying their best to out worldly high their fear, but it is still apparent to me solely from the movement of their bodily functions.


    I peer my head to the man, who didn¡¯t show a bit of fear, and I ask, ¡°What¡¯s with you? Aren¡¯t you scared?¡±


    ¡°Nope, if you want to start a friendship with someone it is best to try and understand who they are before you may make judgement.¡±


    Walking away, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be friends with a thirty-something-year-old man.¡±


    Pushing his face against the bar, the man says, ¡°I know you do want to be friends with a twenty-eight-year-old man. Let¡¯s become best friends, and then you will help me escape.¡±


    ¡°Not in a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°I see, the reason you are angry is because I haven¡¯t told you my name yet. It is Aurelius Anima, you can just call me Lius.¡±


    I prepare to turn my head around, and say something. But then Ferdiad strikes me in the head and says, ¡°YOU BROKE ALL YOUR CHAINS!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I did how was I supposed to get out.¡±


    ¡°ALL OF THOSE WERE A LOAN FROM THE OLD MANS STORE! YOU NEED TO GO UP TO HIM AND FIND A WAY TO APOLOGISE!¡±

 Arc 10.99: The golden wolf part 2

    Location: Gorias city


    Standing outside the blacksmiths, I walk in and say, ¡°Culainn, I have come to return the chains!¡±


    I look around the store and notice no one is inside, and then moments later riding on his little wonderbeast, Culainn comes out and says, ¡°Is that you Setanta?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is, and you won¡¯t believe what I have to tell you. You see Ferdiad-,¡±


    ¡°So you got angry and broke the chains by accident.¡±


    ¡°Let me finish!¡±


    Riding his little cuboid-shaped wonderbeast he rams into me, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice to me!¡±


    His blows causes all of the chains I am holding to tumble and fall down on top of me. ¡°That hurt old man!¡±


    ¡°I hope it did! I explicitly told Ferdiad not the break them!¡±


    Looking him straight in the eye, I say, ¡°Well technically Ferdiad didn¡¯t break them, I did. So everything is ok right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and back out of this you brat.¡±


    Lowering my head, I say, ¡°I am sorry about this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good enough man to apologise to me, but a good man also knows that an apology doesn¡¯t reverse time.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°Of course I do, so in exchange for all your lost time, take this.¡±


    I flip Culainn five of my Dan¨² coins, and say, ¡°Here ya go. Use those to buy yourself something pretty.¡±


    He looks dumbfounded as he holds them, so I say, ¡°Don¡¯t cry all at once.¡±


    He throws the coins right into my eye which nearly blinds me, and causes me to hold it whilst crying in pain.


    ¡°What use would I even have for these?¡±


    ¡°YOU DO REALIZE WHAT THESE ARE! Each Danu coin is worth 100 times whatever the valuation of the highest red branch coin is per month. You could buy a castle the land around it and have feasts every day for 20 years with all of those.¡±


    ¡°I am a dying old man, do I look like I have time to spend all of this?¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you pass it on to the two boys who work for you?¡±


    ¡°They have gone to Findias.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why? Both Cian and Ryan were born and raised in Gorias; those traitorous bastards!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Setanta, but I don¡¯t have time for this. I have a rather packed schedule, so you are forgiven and can keep your money.¡±


    Culainn tries to pick up the chains, but due to his immobile legs, he has to do it while riding on the back of his wonderbeast which puts quite a bit of stress on it.


    I snatch the chains from his arms, and he says, ¡°I don¡¯t remember asking for your help boy.¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t remember when I listened to your authority.¡±


    ¡°You really are Fergus¡¯s grandson.¡±


    I laugh a bit, and say, ¡°Now as to why those two boys have left.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t for a special reason or something like that, they have simply just finished their tenure here and have sought out another master for better qualifications.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you an Ollamh in terms of being a blacksmith Culainn?¡±


    ¡°How do you know that I am certain I have kept that quite hidden.¡±


    ¡°It seems like you have forgotten the amount of spears I have stolen from you. Just by holding them, I know they could only be made by someone of that skill level.¡±


    ¡°You really are far too much for me.¡±


    ¡°So yet again, why did those boys go out and choose another master?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t choose another master; I forced them out. Despite my rank, I am essentially exiled from the blacksmithing community. Due to certain events of my past that were my own fault, I no longer have any form of pull.


    Even being an associate of mine will get you treated in a similar fashion. I had to kick both of them out to the house of Laoch in Findias to get some work, and eventually work their way up to Ollamh.¡±


    I have a disgusted face, and Culainn asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yeah, just a natural reaction I have developed to the entire house of Laoch.¡±


    As we reach the back of the store, I see that it is a very spacious workshop with a forge in the centre. All across the walls are unfinished weapons of various shapes and sizes, and to the left of the room is a desk which is covered in a blanket.¡±


    ¡°Throw the chains on the floor, so I can recycle them.¡±


    I do that, then ask, ¡°Are you going to melt them?¡±


    ¡°No this type of metal is one that Lugh recently picked up from mount Lock in Terrafide last year, he has been asking me to experiment with it. And one of the things I have learned is that it really doesn¡¯t like changing shape after it has been set into one.¡±


    ¡°So how are you going to recycle it?¡±


    ¡°Obviously with the help of my little friend under me.¡±


    The cuboid wonderbeast which is covered in hair under him opens its mouth and starts to eat the metal.


    Culainn says, ¡°This is a munchnunchers, or so the humans called it. They are a type of wonderbeast that can eat a bunch of different materials and produce a substance based on their colour.¡±


    As the munchnunchers eats away, at it Culainn tries to get off its back to a chair so as to not interrupt its meal, and as he tries to struggle his lame body onto the chair.


    His heart rate increases heavily as he struggles, and he sweats a bit out of what I can just assume is shame. But this causes him to lose focus and the chair tips which causes him to fall as well.


    I move as fast as I can and move the chair to his butt then return to where I was standing.


    I walk over to the table covered in a sheet, and lift it up saying, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Underneath the sheets I see a group of rusty weapons, mainly spears but some blades as and shields as well. Though strangely beside all of these rusty weapons, are incredibly high-quality ones which have engravings throughout them that make them look regal, even holy in a sense.


    ¡°What are these?¡±


    Sighing, Culainn says, ¡°My final project.¡±


    ¡°Final project? What are you closing the store?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, just look at me Setanta, I don¡¯t have the health or vigour to run this place anymore. But before I close it down, there is one more thing I would like to do.


    All those blades there, are ones of fallen warriors that have previously wielded my weapons. It was an arduous process, but I was able to get them from the battlefields they were left on. I plan to decorate them and return them to their families.¡±


    ¡°How do you even remember whose blade is whose?¡±


    ¡°I am a hawk beastkin I have really good eyesight, so I use that to engrave many small details that I can use to identify my weapons afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I see but are you sure you will be able to handle that by yourself?¡±


    ¡°I must, because this is what I decided to do, and I don¡¯t plan on letting it go unfinished.¡±


    ¡°I see, then let me help.¡±


    ¡°Setanta this will be a very long process, at least two months of constant work, then another 2 weeks of travel around Tir na-iontas. Do you really think the young prince of the Faol¨¢ins can waste time like that?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter. Our next war won¡¯t be until next year, and Ferdiad can keep up the training regimen for my men. So as long as I keep up with my studies, I can do whatever I want.¡±


    Culainn is about to say something, but I get in his face and say, ¡°Don¡¯t bother because I have decided to do this and nothing will change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn brat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡±


    ¡°Ok then. You have a rather sharp sense to my knowledge, so you should be able to help with the engravings.¡±


    ¡°Just leave it to me.¡±


    I pick up a sword and bring out some of my claws, but before I can use them to start engraving, I am swatted on the head by Culainn who has jumped onto my back.


    ¡°What are you doing old man, your twice my height and not a fucking baby?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just use your claws, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°You said I should be engraving, and how am I supposed to do that without a sharp object!?¡±


    ¡°Before you start engraving you got to mark out the area ahead of time, and then use your tools to guide you.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP AND STOP BEING SO ANNOYING! JUST WATCH ME WORK!¡±


    -Break-


    On my knees with my head pressed against the ground, I say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    I peer my head at the shattered sword on my left, then say, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it would break like that.¡±


    Culainn whacks me in the head again then says, ¡°You overestimated your precision and control.¡±


    ¡°On the battlefield I am incredibly precise, so I sort of just thought I could do the same here.¡±


    ¡°Setanta, you have incredible senses that allow you to know many different things about living creatures just by using your senses. But you can¡¯t do the same with metal.


    Your instinct as a beastkin helps you know how to hunt prey thus raising your precision, but it doesn¡¯t allow you to handle metal as well. The fact of the matter is that this is one of the things that beastkin aren¡¯t all that superior to humans in.¡±


    His words bother me, and I say, ¡°So right now would you say I am below a human?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he says with no hesitation.


    ¡°I COULD HAVE YOU EXECUTED FOR THAT!¡±


    ¡°THE TRUTH HURTS DOESN¡¯ T IT!¡±


    Getting up, I say, ¡°I will try again.¡±


    His munchnuncher crashes into the back of my knee and he says, ¡°No you will stop and go home for today.¡±


    ¡°But I can still-.¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You''re far too hot-headed right now and this is important, I don¡¯t need hubris ruining it. If these metals break it becomes far too hard to reforge them.¡±


    Seeing his expression as he picks up the broken, sword I say, ¡°I will be back tomorrow, and I won¡¯t fail.¡±


    I quickly pick up all the shattered pieces even the tiniest ones and place them on the table then run out.


    And as I look at the setting sun, I say, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Minagrain be on her way? Crap I need to get back!¡±


    Name: D¨°u H¨³


    Height: 3M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A tiger like wonderbeast with grey stripes across it¡¯s body red body. It has the ability to hardness it¡¯s fur into a metallic substance which allows it to form different weapons and armaments. It usually uses this to form metal claws, and four iron shield¡¯s with one each of joints between it¡¯s body and appendages. It also forms it¡¯s tail into a weapon that will help it during it¡¯s hunts.


    Fact: In Enotita it is known as one of the twelve divine wonderbeasts, and represents endurance.


    Name: G¨¦ar grasshopper


    Height: 2M


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A insectoid wonderbeast with a similar body small to a grasshopper. In it¡¯s natural state it¡¯s body looks like one curved vase with four other curved vases attached to it as it¡¯s appendages, with a single eye that looks like a tattoo of a target symbol attacked to the center of it¡¯s face which is gold mask.


    But when it prepares to hunt all of the appendages open up and it¡¯s two back legs extend and burry them themselves into the ground, which it uses to lift it¡¯s body up, and it¡¯s two front arms turn into ranges weapons which is uses to shoot out condense blood shots.


    Fact: It is one of the only land wonderbeasts from the den of the sky, a place where most of the worlds flying wonderbeasts original from.

 Arc 10.100: The golden wolf part 3

    -Break-


    Location: Eastern side of the Gorias castle


    Looking at all my set-up flowers, I say, ¡°The way the moon hits these makes them look just as beautiful as you.¡±


    I grip my fist, and say, ¡°YEAH THAT WILL WORK, I WILL KNOCK MINAGRAIN OFF HER FEET!¡±


    ¡°What a lucky lady!¡±


    Turning my head, I say, ¡°Hey human. shut up, my woman is coming over!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, little kids with their little love.¡±


    I dash over to where he is and kick his cage down, then I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want a slave calling me a little kid.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t you one?¡±


    ¡°For another year. My birthday was recently, so after I get through my corrupted year of 13, to my reborn year of 14 I will be an adult.¡±


    ¡°Why do you beastkin have a weird thing about 13, I have always wondered but no one will tell me.¡±


    ¡°Because almost all of the bad events in our history just so happen to fall on that day. So, it is said that a beastkin will experience the most misfortune of their existence during their thirteenth year.¡±


    Petting my head, he says, ¡°I hope you get through this fine, because you¡¯re my ticket out of here.¡±


    Removing his hand, I say, ¡°Not a chance, now let go of me.¡±


    As I remove his hand, I see him wince in pain, which causes me to take a good look at his body.


    Grabbing him, I pull his body closer to mine and move his clothes. Behind his clothes, I see a wound which causes me to say, ¡°These are fresh, and they were not here earlier today. Who did this?¡±


    The man looks panicked for a moment, then says, ¡°I kind of touched the maids in a bad way while they were changing me, and it seems they didn¡¯t like it. So, they kind of beat the crap out of me.¡±


    He laughs a bit, then says, ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt me, I have learned from my mistakes!¡±


    His face looks like he fully expects me to strike him, but then I say, ¡°My hearing is a lot better than a lot of people, I can hear your heartbeat going crazy; you¡¯re lying through your ass.¡±


    I let go of the man and look to a young boy in one of the other cages. Then I say, ¡°Your heartbeat has been beating like a drum as well, but more than that, you look extra clean almost as if you were scrubbed with more care than the others.¡±


    ¡°So I am going to take an educated guess and say you told the maids who came in to tend to your needs that he was being rude to me, and due to my scent being on his cage they believed you and took their anger out of him.¡±


    The boy looks away from me, so I grab him and push him against the railing of his cage, then say, ¡°When someone is talking you look them in the eye you brat.¡±


    The man says, ¡°That kid didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Glaring at the kid, I say, ¡°Did you, do it?¡±


    ¡°Ye-yes.¡±


    ¡°You sold out one of your own for the sake of bettering your situation. Disgusting.¡±


    I toss the boy into the cage, and then he looks back at me while saying, ¡°I am going to have to stay here for the rest of my life, I just wanted to make sure that I can at least have one thing to look forward to is that so much to ask for in this godforsaken life!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Any right you have is given to you, and without anyone to protect it you have nothing. It is as simple as that, your right to live is only supported by the strength of those who claim you as important.


    I said I won¡¯t ever abuse you out of personal distaste for your kind, but I will repay all your actions a hundred times in kind, remember that. But before I break this child¡¯s arm.¡±


    Turning his head to the man, I say, ¡°I will make sure no harm comes to you from now on as my slip-up caused this, so I won¡¯t allow it to happen again.¡±


    ¡°Now time to get started,¡± I say as I stare at the boy.


    The man then puts up his arm and says, ¡°Great teacher Setanta I have a question?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°I have decided that kid''s life is as valuable as my own, and any harm to him will result in my suicide. So, I wish for all rights that fall upon me, will fall upon the rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you can¡¯t just do that?¡±


    ¡°Why not, as you said you only have a right to life if someone protects it. You have protected mine, and I in turn use that to protect theirs.¡±


    I make a series of annoyed and pained expressions, but then I say, ¡°Fine. I guess it counts. But boy you better be grateful for what you were given.¡±


    The boy turns his head to the man, and mouths thank you. Then turns himself around embarrassed.


    A few of the other humans in their cages do the same, and I start to feel angry. Why do I feel like I just lost?


    ¡°Hey you need to cheer up, isn¡¯t your woman coming today? A real man has got to be his happiest for his woman!¡±


    I scoff, then say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to get relationship advice from someone like you.¡±


    ¡°I would have you know that I happen to be an excellent lover. Me and my soon-to-be wife Lillian are hopelessly in love.¡±


    ¡°Please keep your delusions to yourself. I don¡¯t want to hear them.¡±


    ¡°I have no delusions, Lillian was my future wife when we were kids, and our love surpasses all. Even if we haven¡¯t seen each other in sixteen years, it doesn¡¯t matter our love is still strong and steadfast.¡±


    ¡°You''re insane.¡±


    ¡°No, I am not, I will one day escape and meet her. Then we will start a giant family.¡±


    ¡°She is probably already dead.¡±


    The man freezes up for a second, and I say, ¡°All of the women captured before we allowed them to work on the plantations were treated rather horribly, and even if she survived that and returned to the plantation, she would have had to put up with horrible labour which I doubt a frail body could handle.¡±


    ¡°No she isn¡¯t, Lillian is strong, but more than that caring and would never allow herself to be killed while there are people she cares about still suffering and waiting for a saviour,¡± he says with a quiet yet confident expression.


    ¡°I doubt that is true, but if she is alive, I will look out for her.¡±


    ¡°What really!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess. In all honesty, I have inherited my master''s distaste for that era of our history, so if I can rectify it a bit by allowing you to bear some more workers for us together I will try my best.¡±


    He reaches his hand out to pet me and says, ¡°You¡¯re the best wolf a man could ask for.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, now stop touching me!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure of that, I am really good at using my hands.¡±


    ¡°I said let G-.¡± My scream is interrupted by the satisfaction of his scratch, and I start to allow him to continue while saying, ¡°Only for another minute.¡±


    ¡°See I knew we were friends.¡±


    He continues and my body becomes more relaxed, but then I hear a scream, and looking forward I see Minagrain staring at me with a shocked expression.


    I say with a panicked expression, ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!¡±


    But she just runs away.


    I then slam my fist into the ground, and shout, ¡°NO!¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°I got to explain this situation to her quickly.¡±


    I begin to run off, but before I do I turn around and ask, ¡°Hey what¡¯s your and hers full name? It will help me find her.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Lillian, and mine is Aurelius. Our clan doesn¡¯t really have individual last names, so we all share them, so all together my name is Aurelius Anima, and my soon-to-be wife is Lillian Anima.¡±


    ¡°I will remember that!¡±


    I start to run away after Minagrain, and as I do I peer my head back and see his face. I don¡¯t know why but the look of confidence and satisfaction on his face pisses me off.


    -Break-


    Location: Setanta¡¯s room


    In front of me Minagrain gestures, ¡°So all together, the red branch has to receive loans from the people. By taking in their extra produce and coins, they essentially become debt holders of the common people.


    And to repay them, they give them mass amounts of the conquered land we have taken in for them to own and control as their own. This will be a way to reduce the finances of the common household, so our current overconsumption crisis will not reach a critical point.


    And due to some rather underhanded wording, we should be able to still invoke martial law on these gifted lands if the common beastkin ever think of using this power they were given against the red branch and high king.¡±


    I clap my hands, and then using our special gestures I say, ¡°You really have been studying economics hard. I never thought the quiet squirrel I first met would become this knowledgeable.¡±


    ¡°It is all really interesting, and by doing it I can find a way to help around once we get married,¡± she gestures at me with a happy smile.


    But soon she turns red, and gestures, ¡°Though I am not the best yet, so please don¡¯t think I am being overconfident there is a lot more debate going on about that plan, and I barely touched the surface level-.¡±


    As she rambles on, I grab her and give her a hug while kissing her face, then with my mouth, I say, ¡°You really are wife number zero.¡±


    She turns to me and then gestures, ¡°I thought Sc¨¢thach was number zero?¡±


    ¡°She was.¡±


    Minagrain becomes elated then starts to hug me as well, and then we look at each other. ¡°Leading my first unit was something I waited for, and it was a splendid experience, but nothing could make me happier than being here with you right now.¡±


    Minagrain buries her head in my chest, and then she brings it out and kisses me on my lips.


    Location: The room below Setanta¡¯s


    ¦µ A group of maids and other women within the castle like Laeg, are all gathered in their nightgowns looking directly at two of the maids standing in the centre of the room. Both of the maids in the centre are bat beastkin.


    The two bat beastkin act out all of the actions they hear from Setanta¡¯s room. But then as Setanta and Minagrain kiss, they both stop and say, ¡°THEY ARE KISSING!¡±


    The woman in the room start to go wild and freak out.


    Laeg then stands up in the middle and says, ¡°Everyone you see this here is what you have all worked so hard for. Right now Minagrain is winning, and a happy life for the fairy is soon to begin. So we must do all we can to continuously keep all of the other harlots who would think of also becoming Setanta''s wife away!¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    Sitting back down, Laeg says, ¡°Now Amara and Amira continue your performance.¡±


    Amira says, ¡°Umm, I can¡¯t hear them anymore.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡± The woman shouts.


    Name: Pixie


    Height: 50 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A flying wonderbeast that looks like a fat human baby moulded out of radish, with two large butterfly wings on its back. It has the ability to mimic natural phenomena like sunlight and rain making them very useful for everyday life.


    Fact: The Pixies used to be much smaller, but due to their cuteness humans kept overfeeding them until their bodies started to grow so big and eventually that became their natural space.

 Arc 10.101: The golden wolf part 4

    Location: Rooftop of Gorias castle


    ¦µ With Minagrain in my hand, I guide her throughout the rooftop while saying, ¡°Sorry about this, I just didn¡¯t want some pests to catch wind of our activities.¡±


    She shakes her head and follows me.


    Soon we reach the tallest point of the castle and look down. It is a windy night so all of the strings that are attached to Gorias castle play music as we stare at the moon.


    Holding Minagrain at my side, I stare up at the moon.


    But as I do, she nudges me a little, and I ask, ¡°Do you want to kiss more?¡±


    She shakes her head from left to right, then up and down, then left and right again.


    Then she gestures, ¡°Are you Ok?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am.¡±


    She then gestures, ¡°You have looked like you have been worried about something in the back of your mind since we met.¡±


    ¡°Minagrain, nothing like that is happening to me.¡±


    ¡°Setanta, don¡¯t you want me to be your wife? If so please tell me what is bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Minagrain, I don¡¯t want to talk about this thing in front of you. Besides it is not like you could understand.¡±


    ¡°Setanta you always speak with emotions, so I can tell when you are off. Even when you told me the story about leading your first unit, you were lying. I can tell you must have felt anxious leading all of those people, having to care for all their lives.¡±


    Slightly annoyed, I say, ¡°Minagrain, I wasn¡¯t anxious. I don¡¯t feel such things, a leader of a Gorias cannot feel like that.¡±


    Minagrain then says, ¡°Setanta, I don¡¯t like lies, so be honest.¡±


    Her hands tremble a bit, then she looks at me and gestures, ¡°You have helped me and my family through very hard times. Without you and your family, we would have been crushed under an intense unbearable weight.


    If at any point in your life, you feel the same, I want to help lift it off of you, I want to take your hand like you have done mine. So please Setanta I want you to tell me what¡¯s wrong, you¡¯re making me worry.¡±


    ¦µ In response to Minagrain''s words Setanta grips his fists and bites his teeth. Then turns to her and says, ¡°Speak.¡±


    She pauses for a moment, and then gestures, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I DIDN¡¯T STUTTER!¡± Setanta says while raising his voice.


    Minagrain jerks back shocked and spooked by Setanta¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Minagrain right now if you want to help me, if you want to do all you say I need you to prove to me you can speak.¡±


    Minagrain worried facial expression, turns to one of disbelief and desperation. Then she says, ¡°Setanta, I can¡¯t,¡± with a pathetic and dejected tone.


    ¡°Why not Minagrain? We have already had you checked multiple times, nothing about your body is wrong in a way to prevent you from talking, it is purely in your mind.¡±


    She stares at Setanta as he speaks, but then lowers her head as if she is ashamed, and tears start to form in her eyes as this continues.


    Setanta then says, ¡°So I guess you don¡¯t really care about me then.¡± Setanta then looks away at the moon, and says, ¡°I guess you were all talk then.¡±


    Minagrain raises her head and grabs Setanta to turn him towards her, then she gestures, ¡°I do love you, I want to speak, I really want to, but I can¡¯t.¡±


    She moves her hands in a desperate way as if she is scared that the floor would disappear from under her, and in response to this Setanta says, ¡°Minagrain it seems your love for me is not enough motivation, then let¡¯s see if your love for you family is enough.¡±


    Minagrain makes a confused expression, but it soon becomes one of fear as Setanta says, ¡°Minagrain as the future king of Gorias I order you to speak, or from this moment I will arrest your prostitute of a mother and banish Ferdiad from my court.¡±


    His expression has no hesitation or doubt. His body movements, tone of voice, and visible rage would make it clear to anyone that he isn¡¯t joking. In that moment it looked like Setanta was a man void of affection.


    Minagrain makes a shocked expression and then lowers her head to the ground, and in response to this Setanta returns to his normal self and says, ¡°I was just kidding, but if that is your reaction to my question, don¡¯t bother thinking you could handle the troubles I deal with.¡±


    ¦µ Noticing the Minagrain hasn¡¯t peered her head up I turn to her, and say, ¡°Maybe I was a little too harsh, forgive me.¡±


    But as the anger I feel in my body subsides I start to pay attention to Minagrains body, and I notice her body is sweaty, her heart is racing, and her breathes are rapid and quick.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I pick her up and I notice her eyes are moving strangely as if they are not looking at what¡¯s in front of them. ¡°Minagrain, Minagrain!¡± I say as I try to get her to focus back on me.


    But she just continues to like this, so I pick her up and start to move her as fast as I can.


    Then upon re-entering the castle, I shout, ¡°HELP!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Apothecaries room


    ¦µ Sitting outside the door, Setanta looks broken, and as he does, he hears, ¡°Setanta I hear about Minagrain, judging by your actions I can guess she is still in there.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The words I said to her caused her to go into a state of panic. It is common among soldiers, but I didn¡¯t know Minagrain could experience it too.¡±


    Setanta slams his fist right into the ground, and says, ¡°The only thing I am is the king of the idiots.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach looks to the left and sees a crater on the ground, filled with blood and says, ¡°Hurting yourself won¡¯t fix anything.¡±


    ¡°I wish it would, I wish I could piece myself into a million pieces and die thousands of times over and over again. But even then it wouldn¡¯t be enough!¡± Setanta slams his fist into the ground again.


    Then from the Apothecaries room, a Fanalis emerges, and says, ¡°She is awake.¡±


    Setanta jumps up and says, ¡°Can I see her?¡±


    ¡°Young lord, I don¡¯t think it would be a good idea. Right now, I think the person she needs to see the most is Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°WHY IS THAT, ISN¡¯T LAEG IN THERE WITH HER? SO WHY CAN¡¯T I JOIN¡± Setanta says like a ravaged wolf.


    Sc¨¢thach then smacks him on the head, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t take that attitude with him. You already know that soldiers who experience strikes of panic from the battlefield can¡¯t return to it.¡±


    Setanta makes an expression full of despair and says, ¡°So she won¡¯t ever be able to talk to me again.¡±


    Setanta runs off into the distance, and as he does Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°I will send my shadows to grab Ferdiad, just keep an eye on her.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Gorias rooftops.


    While on the rooftops of Gorias castle, Setanta who sits on top of the roof says, ¡°Please go to Minagrain, it will make her feel comfortable to have a hero there for her.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but I have selfishly decided to help the spoiled brat who has been given everything in life.¡±


    ¡°Everything but a functioning brain?¡±


    ¡°Setanta, why did you say such a cruel thing to Minagrain after all she has been in.¡±


    ¡°Because she embarrassed me.¡±


    ¡°Embarrassed you?¡±


    ¡°She saw right through me. I try my best to be strong when Minagrain is around. I don¡¯t want her of all people to see me as weak, so more than ever I cannot let her know things are bothering me.


    But when she saw that I think it rubbed me the wrong way. So, I lashed out at her. She is one of the strongest people I know so I thought she could take it, but it seems I did too much, and now she may never want to see me again.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach picks Setanta up with her shadows, and then says, ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°Huh!? What do you mean so what? This is a big deal for me.¡±


    She flicks me on the forehead, then says, ¡°See Setanta that¡¯s how words can come off. I meant so what are you going to do about it, but you didn¡¯t understand that, and it caused an intense reaction.¡±


    Setanta lowers his head, and says, ¡°I want to make Minagrain come near me again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something you simply cannot decide.¡±


    ¡°Then master what am I going to do?¡±


    ¡°Wait and see if she wants to come near you again, and when she does be honest. Tell her what¡¯s truly bothering you, that¡¯s the only option you have.¡±


    ¡°But what if, I am still unsure? What if the thing that is bothering me is something I still haven¡¯t found an answer too.¡±


    ¡°Then go and find it and show Minagrain that you won¡¯t allow such a thing to ever bring her harm again. Little lover boy.¡±


    Getting cheery, Setanta says, ¡°Right!¡±


    He then moves and runs off the rooftop saying, ¡°Please look after her master!¡±


    A large shadow forms at the end of Sc¨¢thach''s feet, and she falls into it. Then that shadow moves throughout the castle until it ends up in Minagrain''s room.


    From the shadow, she listens, and sees Minagrain on a bed hugging Ferdiad, who is saying, ¡°I am sorry for this, it was my fault for not fixing the dents in that idiot''s head earlier.¡±


    Minagrain moves back from Ferdiad, and then gestures, ¡°It isn¡¯t Setanta¡¯s fault. I just couldn¡¯t take it, it seemed he had something annoying him, and I bothered him. I shouldn¡¯t have done that, I was a fool, it was my fault. Setanta has always been good to us, and I was just a bit too arrogant.¡±


    Minagrain continues to gesture, and as she makes countless expression that reminds him off the past. The words she communicates and the way that she does them is something Ferdiad has seen countless times before, with his mother and father. Minagrain speaks as if she is one moment from breaking down.


    Ferdiad struggles to say something and looks like he is about to explode, but then from the shadows Sc¨¢thach appears, and says, ¡°Minagrain how are you doing.¡±


    We are all shocked by this and my sister manifests a big smile on her face. She starts to surge with life, and points at Sc¨¢thach which causes her to smile back and says, ¡°Sc¨¢thach in the flesh.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Why are you hiding in the shadows?¡±


    With a playful tone, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°I am hiding everywhere including under your bed at night.¡±


    ¡°PERVERTED HERO!¡±


    Sc¨¢thach quickly moves to Laeg''s ear and whispers something that makes Laeg turn red and shut up, so Ferdiad asks, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I informed her that after her activities last night she has no right to call me-,¡±


    Laeg grabs Sc¨¢thach¡¯s face and interrupts her, which causes Sc¨¢thach to giggle.


    Sc¨¢thach then moves to Minagrain and says, ¡°Mina, do you love Setanta?¡±


    She hesitates for a minute, then nods her head.


    Then using her hands, Sc¨¢thach says to Minagrain in her unspoken language, ¡°Now I ask you, was what he did last night acceptable?¡±


    Minagrain immediately gestures back, ¡°Yes, I provoked him too much even though he asked me to stop. I shouldn¡¯t have done such a thing, I should have just listened.


    Setanta has always been far kinder to me, than anyone else, if I managed to drive him to such an ugly state it would be my fault. He has a lot on his mind as the next ruler, and it is my job to put those fears to rest.¡±


    Minagrain cannot say a word, but her desperation, and erraticism are fully communicated by her actions.


    Sc¨¢thach then says, ¡°Minagrain I ask you again, was what Setanta did last night acceptable?¡±


    Minagrain prepares to say something, but then Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Minagrain there is no value in a person who takes too little blame for their own actions, they are nothing more than scum.


    But a person who takes too much blame is the same type of scum. If you love Setanta and want him to be the best, he can then you will be honest about his actions. Minagrain was what Setanta did last night acceptable?¡±


    Minagrain pauses for a minute then lowers her head, and with tears in her eyes she shakes them it left to right.


    ¡°Did it make you feel scared?¡±


    She nods up and down.


    ¡°Do you still love Setanta?¡±


    She nods her head up and down.


    The Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Well he is a lucky boy then. Next time you speak to him makes sure you tell him all of this, and as punishment for his actions I will make sure to impart great amounts of fear within him also.¡±


    Minagrain smiles a bit, and Sc¨¢thach hugs her.

 Arc 10.102: The golden wolf part 5

    -Break-


    Waving goodbye to Laeg and Minagrain, both Ferdiad and Sc¨¢thach exit the room and as they do.


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°No problem. Ensuring the woman at Setanta''s side can criticize him is essential for his growth as a leader. He needs a partner, not a pet.¡±


    As the two of them walk. Ferdiad says, ¡°Now I need to go find Setanta and stab him with a spear a couple of times. I had never thought his stupidity would ever reach this extent.¡±


    Gripping his fist so tight it bleeds, Ferdiad says, ¡°Please join me, master, because I am so pissed I could kill him.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Punishing him for this is a necessary result of his actions. Though I do think you would be better served, letting it go for now. We both know he is going through a few rather intense things so at least give him some time to figure things out. A few days will be great.¡±


    Ferdiad stops, and says, ¡°What do you mean Setanta¡¯s been going through things?¡±


    Confused Sc¨¢thach turn around, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? It has been written all over his face. We had a talk about it after you guys defeated Aoife, so I just assumed you would have noticed like usual?¡±


    Ferdiad with some anxious embarrassment, says, ¡°I didn¡¯t notice anything.¡±


    ¡°You have also been preoccupied with a lot so don¡¯t allow it to weigh on you. Let¡¯s continue on.¡±


    Ferdiad''s heartbeat accelerates, and he says, ¡°Master why did you make me your student?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach turns and says, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a warrior who has only trained the greatest in the empire, you find those with great potential and refine them. Many would kill to be chosen by you, but you chose me as a student, so master why is that, why was I picked?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach falls silent, and Ferdiad says with a trembling voice, ¡°It wasn¡¯t because of Setanta, was it? Am I only your student because Setanta took a liking to me or am I someone with potential?


    Am I someone who is worthy of standing beside, and surpassing Setanta? Do I have a place here as something other than Setanta¡¯s keeper? Did all those people who died to keep me alive do it for a good reason? Master, am I special?¡±


    Ferdiad trembles and shakes as he speaks, but at the same time there is a fierce desperation in his eyes, that would shake anyone¡¯s soul.


    Seeing this Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Hey Ferdiad what do you think is the single thing that life cannot exist without is?¡±


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t need riddles I need answers.¡±


    In a rather proud and playful voice, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°Students don¡¯t get to choose how they learn, they just learn. Now answer my question?¡±


    Ferdiad sighs which releases all the tension in his body, and then he says, ¡°Fine.¡±


    After thinking about it for a moment, Deji says, ¡°Death. Life must always be countered with death, it cannot exist without it.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach then get uncomfortably close to Ferdiad''s face, and says, ¡°BORING!¡±


    Ferdiad then headbutts her, and says, ¡°WELL THEN DON¡¯T GIVE ME A RIDDLE.¡±


    Pouting Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°What a brute.¡±


    ¡°Stop pretending your feelings are hurt and give me an answer.¡±


    Composing herself, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°The answer is rather simple, life requires others. Life can only be brought from others.


    There are countless things in this world that exist, but one thing that must be certain in the creation of our lives is that we must come from others. Even death can only happen if life exists.¡±


    Moving closer to Ferdiad, Sc¨¢thach puts her hands on his face, and says, ¡°No one in this world was born to walk alone, are minds simply aren¡¯t made to handle such things.


    Even Setanta is the same. If you truly believe Setanta is an exceptional person, then remember that others were born to walk at his side as well, and the first of those people is you.


    You are special Ferdiad, no one else like you exists, and I am sure there are countless lives that will be brought forward from your own.¡±


    Ferdiad with a little smile appearing on his face, says, ¡°Thank you, master.¡±


    ¡°But no illegitimate children, I have rather bad luck with my students'' illegitimate children, and don¡¯t feel like dealing with any more of them!¡±


    Moving her hand off his face, Ferdiad says, ¡°Stop being gross, do I look like Setanta to you?¡±


    Sc¨¢thach gives Ferdiad a kiss on the cheek and says, ¡°Not a bit, and that will be a mark of something you have that Setanta doesn¡¯t.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Sc¨¢thach disappears into the shadows as Ferdiad holds his cheek, and then says, ¡°I think I need to go to my room.¡±


    Ferdiad then slaps his cheeks and says, ¡°No training comes first.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Culainn Blacksmiths


    With passion in his eyes and a ripe motivation Setanta tries to use one of Culainn''s tools to engrave on a metal shield, but it breaks as he tries, causing him to say, ¡°Ooops.¡±


    Culainn smacks the back of his head, and says, ¡°That¡¯s the fourth one today, get the hell out of here!¡±


    ¡°I AM TRYING MY BEST IT ISN¡¯T MY FAULT YOUR SHIT IS CRAP!¡±


    Culainn whacks me in the head again, and says, ¡°Ge the hell out of here you brat.¡±


    ¡°You get out of my city you old shit!¡±


    He whacks Setanta again, and says, ¡°That¡¯s it, your execution is happening right now you old shit!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, just keep doing your abhorrent work and I will die anyway.¡±


    ¡°YOU PIECE OF SHIT!¡±


    Setanta and Culainn continue to fight against each other. Until they both tire out and lay on the ground.


    ¡°How the hell do you have so much energy? It makes no sense?¡±


    ¡°Never underestimate an artist¡¯s scorn, I will sooner die and kill all in the empire than allow you to desecrate my work.¡±


    Sitting up, Setanta says, ¡°I am sorry about what I have done so far, I didn¡¯t mean to break your sword. I am just distracted and am letting that get in my way.¡±


    Culainn sitting up says, ¡°Go shove it up your ass.¡±


    ¡°HEY I APOLOGISED!¡±


    ¡°So what? I need results not words!¡±


    Setanta is about to argue against him, but then says, ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Culainn stares at Setanta who hangs his head down low, and says, ¡°If you cannot concentrate today, come back tomorrow and I will give you another chance when your hands steady.¡±


    ¡°Steady hands? I think I have an idea wait here you old fart.¡±


    Setanta runs off towards Gorias castle, and as he does Culainn says, ¡°That boy has far too much energy, it isn¡¯t good for my heart, but for my soul, it is an exquisite meal.¡±


    -Break-


    Hearing a large amount of noise outside, Culainn says, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    Then riding on top of his pet he moves outside and there he sees something that makes his mouth drop to the floor and says, ¡°Setanta what is this?¡±


    Beside Setanta stands an adult human male.


    Setanta responds, ¡°I have brought some help!¡±


    Culainn looks around at all the peering eyes, and then says, ¡°Get inside now!¡±


    As they arrive at the back of the shop, the man says, ¡°Hey, so how am I going to escape if all of these people are watching me?¡±


    With an uncomfortably cherry smile, Setanta ¡°You¡¯re not going to escape dummy.¡±


    ¡°BUT YOU PROMISED!¡±


    ¡°I lied, you¡¯re here for slave labour.¡±


    ¡°YOU BASTARD!¡±


    ¡°My father is the king of Gorias, so be careful calling me a bastard because he might hear.¡±


    Culainn whacks Setanta on the head, then puts him in a headlock and says, ¡°What is wrong with you child!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see the issue; I was unable to focus so I brought someone who can.¡±


    ¡°But he is a human, this could attract a bunch of troubles towards you for no reason.¡±


    ¡°The concern is nice, but it is unnecessary. Besides what is most important is worrying about accomplishing your goal.¡±


    Culainn sighs, then says, ¡°It is fine for me to throw away my dignity and reputation at this old age, but don¡¯t be so quick to damage your own.¡±


    ¡°I will keep those words in the back of my mind.¡±


    Turning to Aurelius, Setanta says, ¡°Now come on and help us we need to get this work done.¡±


    Pouting like a child, Aurelius says, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean no.¡±


    Getting on the floor and throwing a tantrum like a baby Aurelius says, ¡°No I don¡¯t want to work, I just want to escape and leave this empire. You promise and now you¡¯re taking it back, asshole, coward, scum.¡±


    Setanta proceeds to kick Aurelius in the air, and every time he falls down, he knocks him back up and juggles him in the air like a ball.


    ¡°I forgot when a slave had the ability to refuse his master''s request.¡±


    ¡°A good slave has the same principles as their master.¡±


    ¡°A good slave shuts up and listens!¡±


    Setanta stops and Aurelius falls to the ground, and then Setanta says, ¡°Hey if you help us I will give you something you want?.¡±


    ¡°Like my freedom?¡±


    ¡°A snack maybe?¡±


    ¡°Then no!¡± Aurelius says as he turns his head away from Setanta.


    As Aurelius looks away, he sees a few pieces of broken metal on the floor and for a moment he admires the beauty even in the broken piece of metal, and then asks, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    Setanta is about to say something, but Culainn cuts him off and says, ¡°I want to return the broken weapons my people used to slaughter humans back to them.


    You don¡¯t have to help if you truly don¡¯t want to but if you can I would be pleased for you to do so.¡±


    Aurelius sits up on the ground, and says, ¡°I will under the condition I get fed three straight meals while I work here. If I am working, I want bigger meals than I had at the castle.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°That¡¯s fine, and I thank you.¡±


    Aurelius freezes for a moment and says, ¡°Did you just thank me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. I have met people who would rather die than help me and some have actually taken their lives than to come near me. We all have some degree of choice in our life, so if for some reason those choices have allowed you to help me now, I thank you for making those choices.¡±


    Aurelius sits up and says, ¡°Ok then let¡¯s get to work.¡±


    -Break-


    Holding up a shield Aurelius says, ¡°Is this good?¡±


    Culainn grabs and inspects it then says, ¡°This is wonderful, far better than Setanta.¡±


    ¡°HEY!!¡±


    Culainn continues and says, ¡°You have drawn the beastkin characters far better than most do in this empire, where did you learn this level of skill?¡±


    ¡°For the first few years, I was a slave I worked on a plantation, but one of the guards had a client who liked to buy humans with hair like mine and collected them to be her little servants.


    She didn¡¯t really like other beastkin, so I guess keeping humans where a lot easier for her. She taught us a bunch of little things; it was rather nice even though I would have preferred to be free.


    After all of the beastkin conquests, humans were sent to the newly conquered lands and were forced to help grow and maintain them. It was a rather harsh experience, and it was the first time I made an escape.¡±


    Both Setanta and Culainn fall silent, and then Setanta says, ¡°I have heard how the humans are treated in the outer colonies where we cannot really monitor the beastkin actions. I am surprised you could even look a beastkin in the eyes after that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care. My first master was a rather lonely lady, I think in all honesty her wish to be cared for by us made us have quite a bit of power over her a times.


    I really wish she let us go, but at the very least I can definitely say after spending so much time with her, that she was on a functional level no different than a human. I cannot fully despise her.¡±


    Culainn smiles a bit, but Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky human we aren¡¯t the same.¡±


    ¡°I know, we aren¡¯t but humans aren¡¯t as similar as you think. From all of the other slaves who used to live with me, I learned that the way my people lived was only one of many.


    In all honesty, if those other humans all had different appendages attached to their bodies I could make a rather splendid argument that they aren¡¯t the same as me.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°You can both keep your thoughts to yourself regarding that matter, right now I only welcome skill, so show them to me.¡±


    The three of them continue to work until the sun sets.

 Arc 10.103: The golden wolf part 6

    -Two days later-


    Looking at Setanta, Culainn says, ¡°I need you to go grab me all of this. It is a list of tools, and metal I need to continue my work. Engraving so much has worn out my tools, and I need to reforge all of the things you broke.¡±


    ¡°REALLY!?¡±


    Aurelius holding back a smile says, ¡°Look how happy he is to be contributing!¡±


    Setanta moves to punch Aurelius, but stops midway, and says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t tempt me, or I might accidentally kill you.¡±


    ¡°Then I will laugh at you from the grave at you for breaking your promise.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Take Aurelius with you. He is quite aware of the things I need.¡±


    Aurelius looks shocked, but Setanta calmly says, ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, are the two of you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Stop being a baby and come along,¡± Setanta says as he grabs Aurelius.


    Setanta drags Aurelius out of the shop, which causes him to whisper, ¡°This might be a good time for me to look around so I can plan my escape.¡±


    Setanta ears twitch and he turns back to Aurelius, and says, ¡°You know I can hear you?¡±¡¯


    Aurelius puts his hands on Setanta¡¯s shoulders and says, ¡°Well does it really matter since you are going to be helping me with my escape plan anyway.¡±


    Setanta picks Aurelius up by the legs and then begins to spin him around in the air, which causes Aurelius to say, ¡°Hey you promised no violence?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t consider this violence.¡±


    ¡°LIAR!¡±


    Setanta peers his eyes around and notices the looks from the beastkin around them peering at Aurelius. He then jumps on a nearby roof saying, ¡°Let¡¯s head over there first.¡±


    As Setanta moves through the roof at high speed, Aurelius screams, ¡°I am going to die, humans were not meant to move at such high speeds!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, you humans are far too easy to fling around to not be able to handle such speeds.¡±


    ¡°You evil child!¡±


    -Break-


    With giant bags in his arms, Setanta says, ¡°That was a bargain. We got all of this for half price.¡±


    ¡°It must be because you are the son of the king, they must love to get in your good graces.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that most people in this providence sort of see my father as a mascot as well as a king.¡±


    ¡°A mascot?¡±


    ¡°He is strange to some people, apparently he has been like that since he was a child. It is like his brain is sort of misaligned, and I think it was only due to Sc¨¢thach that he can at least pretend to act like everyone else.


    Due to that he is rather casual with most of the citizens here and has a good relationship. He even helps out with a lot of the festivals in person, so many kinds of see him as a mascot to love instead of a king to fear.¡±


    Aurelius pauses for a moment and revisits the memories he saw of Lugh leading an army of beastkin. Lugh eyes deny his name as they were devoid of light, and his body was covered in blood from head to toe as if it was clung to his flesh.


    His men beside him released an intense aura that could boil the very air itself, and the very idea of fighting him felt like a snare from the god of death.


    ¡°That frightening man is seen as a mascot?¡±


    Laughing, Setanta says, ¡°Haha, yeah.¡±


    Looking through his heap of things, Setanta says, ¡°I think I dropped one something back at the shop.¡±


    ¡°How can you even tell that everything in the bag is wrapped.¡±


    ¡°I can hear the little sounds they make as they hit off other pieces of metal, and I have been looking out for one, but it hasn¡¯t made any sounds.¡±


    Pointing to a wall, Setanta says, ¡°Go wait over there, I will go and grab it then head over here in no time.¡±


    Setanta drops his stuff next to the wall and then jets away.


    Aurelius then stands against the wall quietly. However, he starts to grow tense as he notices the stares of countless beastkin as they pass him.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Gorias is a bustling dense city, and the amount of people that move through it on a daily basis is an intense sight to behold, but for all those that walk past Aurelius, whether young or small they stare at him, which terrifies him.


    Aurelius starts to sweat, his heartbeat speeds up, and he breathes more and more trying to gather as much air as possible. He rubs his hands to together and looks at them trying to distract himself but it all doesn¡¯t work.


    He continues to feel nervous, and suddenly the world around him starts to spin. The beautiful harp music that one can hear around Gorias starts to pervert and distort as Aurelius hears it.


    He shuffles his feet again and rubs his hands against each other with an increasing intensity. His eyes wander rapidly trying to find something to become fixated on, and he starts to say, ¡°Nero, Lillian, Claudia, Marco, Ante, Aetius, Domita. It will be ok, everything will be ok, soon I will come find all of you so just wait for me.¡±


    Then as this chaos continues to go on Aurelius is hit on the back, and then he turns around to see an old woman who says, ¡°Don¡¯t lean against my store.¡±


    He slowly moves forward while making apologetic gestures, and he starts to stare around faster and faster looking for a place to stand but also trying his best to avoid eye contact with those around him.


    The world becomes even shaker than before and the beastkin who passes by him looks like mere flashes of colour, which freaks him out and increases his breathing even more, and even that earns more scorn from those around him increases his anxiety causing him to start walking about without any form of spatial aware.


    He continually bumps into beastkin due to this which intensifies his issues, until a group of beastkin walk right into Aurelius''s shoulder and as they do one of them exerts more force than necessary and knocks him down.


    The beastkin who does this looks down on Aurelius and then says, ¡°Watch your step human.¡±


    Aurelius instantly responds in the beastkin language, ¡°I am sorry, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Aurelius quickly covers his mouth as he realizes what he has done, but it is too late as the group of beastkin he had run into have already grabbed him and picked him up.


    The one he ran into him says, ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    Aurelius starts to speak in the saviours song like he has been doing strategically around Setanta, and says, ¡°I said so-.¡±


    The beastkin lightly headbutts Aurelius, and says, ¡°If you think a member of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan memory or hearing is as bad as a human you are sorely mistaken, so either say the truth right now or I will show you how much stronger than humans we are.¡±


    Aurelius in the beastkin language says, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    The man then shouts, ¡°DO YOU THINK A DIRTY HUMAN LIKE YOU HAS ANY RIGHT TO SPEAK OUR LANGAUGE! YOU HAVE INSULTED OUR VERY EMPIRE!¡±


    The beastkin in the area all stop and start to take a look at this sight that plays out before them. Those who merely had looks of disgust soon changed their expression to looks of anger, but none of them except the men in front of Aurelius get aggressive.


    Yet their animosity is clear and sends shivers down Aurelius¡¯s spine.


    But despite feeling worse than ever, Aurelius says, ¡°I am sorry for that, but I didn¡¯t choose to learn it by choice. I won¡¯t ever speak it again, so please let me go. Because I am sure fine men like you have better things to do than to beat up a slave like me,¡± with a bright smile on his face.


    The man then punches Aurelius which lands him on the floor holding his face in pain, his body moves reflexively as he rolls on the floor trying to spread out the pain.


    Yet in that state, he manages to turn himself around, and with a harmless smile he says, ¡°If you really want to spend time with me, I can ask the future master of Gorias castle to allow us to go on a date, but my heart already belongs to another, so it won¡¯t go far.¡±


    The beastkin ignores him and says, ¡°I am sick and tired of your smug attitude human!¡± Then tries to strike Aurelius.


    But Setanta falls from the sky right onto the beastkin arm planting it right into the ground, and then he jumps up and kicks the beastkin in the face right into an alleyway.


    This causes the others in that beastkin group to look at Setanta and then one says, ¡°Did you just defend that human?¡±


    Setanta sticks up his family crest, which is sewn onto his sleeves, and then he says, ¡°Did you just touch the property of the Red branch?¡±


    The group becomes docile, and then one of them says, ¡°Where sorry.¡±


    ¡°Go then and leave the city by the time night comes.¡±


    Setanta picks up Aurelius and their stuff, then says, ¡°I thought you would have punished them more, knowing your personality.¡±


    ¡°They are clearly from out of town simply judging by the way they carry themselves around. Gorias is far more tolerant of humans than other beastkin providences, so it is simply to be expected. They knew no better, but I cannot say the same for the people here.¡±


    Setanta look around glares at all those in the area who lower their heads.


    He then turns his head back to Aurelius who looks like he is mere moments away from passing out or throwing up. With his eyes Setanta can see his body is trembling ever so slightly, so he says, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Aurelius then begins to tickle Setanta, and says, ¡°I am doing fine, your fur is so soft I just feel like it could knock me out.¡±


    He smiles and as he does one could swear that he had never been better, despite the physical evidence showing otherwise. So Setanta pushes his fur against Aurelius.


    -Break-


    -Two weeks later-


    Location: Culainn Smithy


    Looking down at a sword with engraves, Culainn pass a green and gold substance within it, and then he wipes it off. What remains is that the green and gold substance has gone into the engraving bringing colour into them.


    Aurelius then says, ¡°Is that gold?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The green liquid you see here is from a rather nasty-smelling plant, and when put together with the gold dust it crater a paste that while keeping a rather beautiful shine looks far too dirty to be seen as actual gold to the common person.


    Though after it hardens, the green liquid is very easily washed off allowing you to get accepted to the gold. I think this will be a nice way of helping the families who have lost a parent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rather nice. Just so you know I have lost a parent as well.¡±


    ¡°I am not giving you any.¡±


    ¡°What a spoilsport.¡±


    Turning around, Aurelius looks at Setanta who is making the paste, and says, ¡°He finally has something to do.¡±


    Setanta jumps up and puts his hands on Aurelius''s face then says, ¡°Hey I helped derust the swords.¡±


    ¡°A child could do such a thing. So, you''re right, you did help.¡±


    ¡°HEY, YOU JUST TRIED TO CALL ME A CHILD!¡±


    Confused, Aurelius says, ¡°But you are?.¡±


    ¡°Technically, I am a dog, So I age in dog years. Hence, I am older than you!¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°So now you''re ok with being called a dog?¡±


    Setanta kicks him in the face and says, ¡°I am a wolf, not a dog you dirty human!¡±


    ¡°MAKE UP YOUR MIND!¡±


    Culainn then says, ¡°Setanta you got some of the paste on you.¡±


    Taking off his top, Setanta says, ¡°Oh crap.¡±


    As Setanta Strips Aurelius says, ¡°What the hell?¡±

 Arc 10.104: The Golden wolf part 7

    Aurelius looks ahead of himself to see that Setanta¡¯s body is rather furry and is much more animalistic than human. Despite Setanta¡¯s body retaining a humanoid shape, his face is next to indifferent to a human, with the exception of his ears.


    Setanta looks at Aurelius and says, ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°I just thought you were a normal beastkin but are you a Fanalis?¡±


    Setanta laughs a bit, then says, ¡°I am a normal beastkin.¡±


    Culainn then says, ¡°I think you''re under a misconception that a lot of kids fall under.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am sorry I didn¡¯t have an education in beastkin anatomy.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Being a Fanalis or not isn¡¯t as simple as one would think. It isn¡¯t a box to check but more of a spectrum. With one end being Fanalis and the other being human.


    As beastkin, we consider anyone whose head resembles that of an animal or has gone through intense animalistic changes to be a Fanalis. Because in those cases far more of their brain resembles animals than any other type of beastkin.¡±


    ¡°I see, so would that mean Setanta is close to being considered a Fanalis?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Quite a bit of his body is that of a Fanalis so he gains their physical strength while retaining a more logical mind, if you pair that with the fact that it is almost impossible to tell he is a Fanalis outside of seeing him naked which is an advantage on the battlefield, and the fact that he also happens to be a wonderbeast beastkin which can regenerate, it all makes him essentially perfect in terms of traits. ¡°


    With a smug look, he says, ¡°Perfection comes easily to all Faol¨¢ins, it is to be expected.¡±


    Looking at me, he asks, ¡°Does it disgust your human sensibilities?¡±


    ¡°In all honesty kind of. I think you beastkin have really perverted what I find attractive. Though I am sorry, since one cannot control their beauty, I shouldn¡¯t be so rude about it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about such things, many beastkin cannot find other beastkin attractive any more than humans.¡±


    ¡°Is it because your animal sensibilities clash with what you see as attractive or not?¡±


    ¡°That plays a part. But for a long period of time, all of us beastkin suppressed our blood and were essentially just humans. So, whether subconsciously or not we see humans are uniformly more beautiful than other animals.


    Of course, this doesn¡¯t affect me since I am attracted to almost every type of animal, so I don¡¯t have this issue. But apparently, it has become an issue in a lot of villages are there are people who genuinely cannot find the other beastkin around them attractive, hence they don¡¯t have sex.


    This has hit beastkin with more animalistic traits and Fanalis the hardest, since now that they have less sex, they produce less offspring and now our greatest assets are not reproducing and passing on their strength.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°The strongest beastkin are not multiplying, what a tragedy!¡±


    ¡°I can hear your sarcasm. And while it is an issue it can easily be solved by migration efforts to get a lot of similar beastkin in the same place. But that also leads us to end up with way too many homogenous beastkin who only have specific traits. It really is very annoying.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing a leader has to think about.¡±


    Sighing, Setanta says, ¡°I guess so. Aurelius, you hear that us beastkin are fucking up, looks like that¡¯s a victory for all of humanity?¡±


    ¡°I know the comment I made, but in all honesty, I wouldn¡¯t say I am too happy about this. I know more than anyone the pains of having no one around you to love, and I wouldn¡¯t wish that on my enemies.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°That¡¯s a nice view you have there, but I encourage you to wish destruction on your enemies. Because otherwise, they will triumph.¡±


    With a smile, Aurelius says, ¡°Or you could end up with some great friends,¡± while looking at Setanta and Culainn.


    Culainn says, ¡°Are friendship will soon come to a close, because by the end of today, you will both be done.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you say this would take us a month or two?¡±


    ¡°You both have done superb work and now we are essentially finished. All we have left to do is deliver these weapons and our job will be done here.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Aurelius says, ¡°That sounds like a wonderful time to escape.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere?¡±


    ¡°You love me that much?¡±


    ¡°Stop talking as if you are coming with us. You¡¯re a slave I can¡¯t let you leave.¡±


    ¡°AWWW, COME ON!¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Setanta I would like you to ask your father for permission to take Aurelius with us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Aurelius says.


    ¡°He has done a lot of work, so I think the least I can give him is the reward of seeing the faces of the people he has helped.¡±


    Slightly confused, Setanta says, ¡°Why would I even need to tell my father about this, I haven¡¯t told him about everything up till now.¡±


    Culainn looks at me with a face of shock, and says, ¡°Setanta does anybody know where you have been and what you have been doing over these last few weeks?¡±


    ¡°Umm, Sc¨¢thach found out somehow. But aside from that no one has been told by me, but there is a good chance that my father has received complaints about a human walking around.¡±


    Culainn riding on his munchnunchers runs into Setanta and says, ¡°GET BACK HOME AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING BEFORE I GET EXECUTED!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Gorias Castle


    ¦µ Walking through the corridors of Gorias castle, I look up at the ceiling and hum along to the music that moves through the castle, and say, ¡°This is Minagrains favourite song, it seems the wind decided to cheer me up today.¡±


    As I walk, I see a woman with burning red and orange hair with two wings at her back, and she says, ¡°Oh Young Master Setanta it is great to see you.¡±


    She assumes a regular greeting position, but I don¡¯t bother to pick her up and just touch her wings instead and ask, ¡°These are really pretty.¡±


    She shoots up in excitement and says, ¡°You think so. You¡¯re father said the same things, I had always thought they were a bit too flamboyant but now I take great pride in them. To think two great Faol¨¢in¡¯s would say something so kind about me, I could melt right now, oh you are so adorable, so so adorable, how I love you so much.¡±


    She picks me and as she does flames burst out of her back and cover the room, so I say, ¡°HOT!¡±


    And she drops me then falls to the ground and covers her eyes, then whilst on the floor she says, ¡°Oh what a foolish wench I am, I have brought great harm to the next king of this providence.


    I should just fall over and die, rip myself up and be fed to the dogs. Choke on my own disgusting words, for I am someone whose life is a lie, whose thoughts are a lie, whose happiness is a lie, for I should die and be reborn millions of times over!¡±


    As she continues to ramble, I start to panic a little, as her never-ending words throw me off. As I calm down, I hug her from behind and then rub her head saying, ¡°Please don¡¯t cry, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. I am happy that such a cheerful woman has come to our castle.¡±


    She hugs me and then says, ¡°I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, I WISH I BIRTHED YOU OUT OF MY WOMB!¡±


    Pushing her away, I say, ¡°No need to get creepy now.¡±


    As she stands up, I ask, ¡°You smell like my father?¡±


    She looks a bit flushed, then says, ¡°Oh yeah, I have been spending some time with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then you can point me to where he is because I haven¡¯t been able to find him yet.¡±


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she says as she walks forward.


    As I walk beside her, I say, ¡°Aren¡¯t you with the house of C¨¦il¨²s, I have been wondering why you have been around for so long.¡±


    With depressed eyes, she asks, ¡°You want me to leave?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, just curious.¡±


    Joyfully, she says, ¡°I have been helping out with the research and development here in Gorias by the druids. Think of it as a joint venture between Faol¨¢in¡¯s and the C¨¦il¨²s¡¯s. You guys have the greatest workforce in all of the empire, and we have the brightest minds, I am sure together we could craft something amazing.¡±


    ¡°But I am surprised that the house of C¨¦il¨²s would be ok losing one of their Ollamhs and such a young one at that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they were, but I kept pushing to come.¡±


    ¡°You really wanted to help us with our development that much, you must truly be in love with your work, but what else would I expect from an Ollamh.¡±


    With a proud face, she says, ¡°I assure you I will try my best to cultivate a thriving environment within Gorias, and will make sure the Faol¨¢ins grow numerous and are well loved!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know what the loved part has to do with scientific progress, but I like your passion.¡±


    Coming up to a door, I open it and say, ¡°Thank you for your guidance.¡±


    And the woman says, ¡°I promise if you ever need guidance from now until the day you die, just come to mommy and she will help you.¡±


    ¡°Mommy?¡± I say confused.


    She turns red and starts burning with flames, then jumps out of a window whilst flying away. ¡°What a strange woman.¡±


    Opening the door, I see my father and his right-hand man Darragh beside him, but sitting in front of my father is the head of the house of Sealbh¨®ir Bricriu.


    As he turns around and looks at me, he smiles, then says, ¡°You Faol¨¢in really are blessed, your son shows up the very moment our conversation finishes.¡±


    Sitting up, Bricriu says, ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to disturb your family time, so let me be off.¡±


    My father asks, ¡°Do you want some guards to accompany you?¡±


    ¡°No, I will be fine, this is Gorias after all. Everyone here is a pure, moral, law-abiding citizen,¡± Bricriu says with a slight disdain in his voice.


    As he walks past me, he touches my shoulder and says, ¡°I hope you grow into an excellent leader, because I am sure we will need that far sooner than you think.¡±


    Holding back my disgust, I say, ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡±


    He laughs and says, ¡°You should work on your gambling face because it will doom you in the future.¡±


    Bricriu leaves and as he does my father asks, ¡°Setanta why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just kind of realized I didn¡¯t report certain things to you, so I should start.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Training grounds


    ¦µ Looking at everyone while I rest again a wall, I say, ¡°Our unit has become a lot sharper. No thanks to Setanta¡¯s help. That idiot just up and told me to start taking care of the training and is gone every day from morning to night, he hasn¡¯t even come to apologise to Minagrain yet.


    Though I think he wants to let her recover first which is strange for him to show so much self-restraint. But I guess that means the idiot must truly love her. It seems the time I worried for my sister''s future is gone.¡±


    ¡°What a beautiful love story.¡±


    From my side I hear a rather disgusting voice and turn to see that Bricriu is standing to my left looking at me, so I say, ¡°What the hell do you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing much, I just wanted to have a little chat with you Ferdiad.¡±

 Arc 10.105: The golden wolf part 8

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking to a man such as you,¡± I say while avoiding eye contact.


    ¡°What a mean thing to say, especially since it was my daughter who singlehandedly stopped you from being killed by the next head of the house of Laoch.¡±


    ¡°I think you have that backwards, Setanta would have killed Niall all by himself.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he would have if he didn¡¯t have giant weights tying him down. If Niall and the rest of his men had all attacked Setanta he would have died protecting the rest of you, I can assure you of that.¡±


    Spinning my head to face him, I say, ¡°Is there a reason you are pestering me with this?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I just think you have the funniest reactions.¡±


    I grit my teeth and then say, ¡°Ok then vanish.¡±


    Bricriu looks at all my men training and says, ¡°The fact that you a normal beastkin have the authority to train a unit filled with such great talent is amazing. Truly a light in the dark for the rest of the Fir Bolg.


    Setanta was right to take such a keen interest in you because now he has a great advisor who can sit and do all the work for him while he goes and messes about however he wants.¡±


    ¡°What about it? Setanta has always been like this, but on the battlefield, his command is excellent and effective, the least I can do is make sure his weapons are polished.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my opinion that small things matter more than most. Intelligent life is such a fusion of countless different small things that have happened over time.


    So, through the use of those small things like constant effort and determination one can accomplish great things, though to be fair the inverse is correct as well.¡±


    ¡°Does this conversation have a point?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What I am trying to say is that you polishing Setanta¡¯s tools is just as important as him using them, but sadly no one talks about the man who polished the tools of the great heroes tools in the history books,¡±


    ¡°So what, I don¡¯t need to be in the history books I just need a good reward and a comfy life afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I figured you would be a man like that. That¡¯s why I have made great efforts to remind the high king to look after the Fir bolg within our ranks, and other untold heroes because they are truly sources of untapped skills.


    That¡¯s what my meeting with Lugh was about, as he shares many of the same ideals on our current system which has devolved from a merit-based system to one that encourages people to bend the knee to the Red branch.¡±


    I smile a bit at this gesture but then he says, ¡°Though it looks like that won¡¯t be a problem for you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know? Well, I guess Lugh hasn¡¯t told you, so maybe I should keep my mouth shut. But I guess we can keep a secret between the both of us.¡±


    ¡°Spit it out!¡±


    ¡°You see regardless of any effort you really put in, as long as you continue your role of cleaning up after Setanta you will continue to be promoted through the ranks far easier than others.


    In all honesty, I have heard that you and Setanta will reach Ollamh around the same time regardless of any accomplishments you have, it seems that both Lugh and the High king have conspired about this.¡±


    Shocked by this, I say, ¡°Please hold your tongue, you do realize you''re saying a law-abiding man like Lugh and the High King are both secretly breaking our laws for personal gain right?¡±


    ¡°Of course, they are, because having a man they can contro-, I mean they understand like you being the one who is actually keeping Setanta in check is far more important than bringing someone of actual skill to the position.


    But it makes sense. Setanta is wild, so to control him they must control his environment. They have worked hard with Sc¨¢thach to make sure he only takes one wife to control the influence of women in his life, and have then sculpted his only wife to be a woman who follows their ideals.


    You do realize that the classes your sister attends for her education are all fake. Well not exactly true, what she learns is real information, but the classes were specially put together just for her and no one else.¡±


    As Bricriu talks I can feel all of the ground around me crumbling. Could everything I have, and everything I will one day have simply be mine just because Setanta is fond of me? Have I truly not built anything to stand at his side, but simply exist here because I am easier to control than others? Is everything Master and Lugh have said to me been nothing but a manipulation?


    Bricriu then walks forward and as he does, I say, ¡°Is everything you said true or just speculation?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He puts his finger over his lips and says, ¡°Sorry, in-depth explanations are only for those who fall under my wings.


    Though since I see myself as a rather charitable man, I will tell you this. Did you know that while you have been training everyone here Setanta has been outside galivanting with a human, it looks like he has found a new person of interest.¡±


    Bricriu leaves and as he does, I start to feel myself falling into a dark pit with no escape.


    -Break-


    Location: Meeting room


    ¦µ Setanta says, ¡°So that¡¯s what I have been up to and what I plan on doing for the future. Can I get your permission to bring the human with me?¡±


    Looking at Setanta from behind his father, my head starts to go crazy.


    This child has really been running around with a human! We have been so busy that I thought all the reports were just some nonsense people were sprouting but u can¡¯t really say that now.


    I had thought he had been good, but he had just found a way to escalate his nonsense. What are we going to do with this boy!?


    Lugh says, ¡°That¡¯s fine Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I say looking at Lugh.


    Ignoring me, he says, ¡°I will personally give you a written decree which will make sure no harm will be permitted onto you, and Culainn during your journey, and you may take whatever actions necessary to defend that.¡±


    Surprised Setanta says, ¡°Thank you so much, father. I could never repay this kindness you have shown me for overlooking my rude actions.¡±


    ¡°Unnecessary, but in future please do make an effort to communicate your thoughts to me, since certain people would use the fact, that you had contact with a human to do damage to your future.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will. So now I will be off.¡±


    Setanta starts to get up, but then Lugh says, ¡°Setanta sit back down,¡± in a serious tone.


    With no waste in motion, Setanta reverts to an obedient child and sits down with his head hanging low. He seems scared and is right to be so. The tone Lugh used was anything but kind, and it carried a heavy weight a parent shouldn¡¯t use with their child.


    Lugh stares at Setanta who starts to sweat more, but as he does, I see Lugh¡¯s body jittering a little as if he is just as scared as Setanta. He looks away, and then back towards Setanta.


    Is he nervous?


    He is! The last time I ever saw Lugh Nervous was when he proposed to his wife decades ago. But now look at him he is getting all jittery again as if he doesn¡¯t know what to say.


    Lugh then says, ¡°Setanta do you love your mother?¡±


    ¡°Well, I have never met her, but from all of the stories I have heard about her, I know she is without a doubt my mother and is inherently the greatest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Lugh says with a smile.


    But soon after that, he starts to glare at Setanta, which makes Setanta ask, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    With a wrathful tone, Lugh says, ¡°I am fine!¡±


    Setanta lowers his head, and says, ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    I think Lugh is trying to fine a way to tell Setanta about his new mother. But this awkward little child can¡¯t manage to do it and is acting like an idiot.


    Oh, this reminds me of back when he was a boy and barely knew how to communicate with anyone but me. So, he would just tightly grip my pants and ask me to speak for him. Back then he was such an adorable little boy, who followed instructions.


    Tears start to fall down my face, and both Lugh and Setanta face me with frightened expressions.


    Shaking Setanta says, ¡°Darragh are you ok. Did your mind finally snap?¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°It¡¯s okay, even if your mind leaves you, I promise to take care of you.¡±


    Covering my face, I say, ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that, just ignore me and continue on.¡±


    ¦µ My father turns back to face me, and I get nervous again. Fathe is usually very to the point, so if he feels the need to keep me and stare at me here, it must mean that something wrong is going on.


    What is it? Is there going to be another big battle? Or did Minagrain say something to my father? Maybe she doesn¡¯t want to marry me or worse maybe she has found someone else? I don¡¯t want that!


    No, maybe my father is even dying! That would be just as bad. If he was to die, I don¡¯t even know what I would do with myself. Danu, Danu please help me.


    My father then sighs and says, ¡°I am being foolish. Setanta I am getting remarried, it will be to P¨¦atra N¨ª C¨¦il¨²s, and it will be a union between our two houses.


    We also plan to produce more heirs for the House of Faol¨¢in to try and inherit more of my V¨¢nagandr wonderbeast, and her Phoenix wonderbeast.


    Though I assure you that this won¡¯t hurt your claim for the throne. And you will still hold a position worthy of yourself. I am not replacing you under any circumstances, and still expect the greatest from you.


    This also isn¡¯t a reason to be more reckless, behave yourself and live a long life like your mother would have wanted. Now tell me about your thoughts on all of this.¡±


    ¦µ Lugh looks nervously at Setanta who is slowly processing all of this information, but then Setanta jumps up and puts his hands on Lugh¡¯s table and says, ¡°I am going to have little siblings!?¡±


    Setanta then starts to erratically jump around the room, and says, ¡°We are going to have so much fun; I am going to show them countless fun things and make their lives just as exciting as mine.¡±


    I then say, ¡°Looks like Setanta is happier than you are?¡±


    Lugh with a slight smile says, ¡°True, I guess I was an idiot.¡±


    Setanta then says, ¡°Though I am surprised you are getting remarried.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the idea of me marrying another woman?¡±


    I personally never thought Setanta would take issue with his. But I guess Sc¨¢thach''s education on monogamy for Setanta which we used to make sure he isn¡¯t manipulated by women is more effective than we thought.


    ¡°Oh, not anything like that. it is just that I kind of thought you were impotent.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± both me and Lugh say.


    Setanta continues on and says, ¡°Well lots of mindbogglingly beautiful women throw themselves at you, but you just ignore them. So, I thought you had to be impotent to not touch a single woman for the last thirteen years. Made me fearful that I ran into the family and celibacy would be my fate as well. Hahaha, funny isn¡¯t it!¡±


    Lugh closes his eyes and then opens them with a large smile on his face.


    -Break-


    Location: Training grounds


    ¦µ ¡°I have healed my head multiple times, but it still stings. Did Father have to hit me that hard? He should have known I wasn¡¯t serious especially since I used to smell Medb on him when I was younger.¡±


    Seeing the training grounds in sight, I say, ¡°Well whatever, I still got to inform everyone of my actions.¡±


    I move forward into the training grounds and there I see all of my men beaten and bruised.


    Even Ibar is lying on the ground with Laeg kneeling beside him. So I move forward and ask, ¡°Hey what happened?¡±


    He then says, ¡°Ferdiad.¡±


    So I turn my head and look for him, and standing in the distance I see Ferdiad with a spear in hand. Then looking directly at me he says, ¡°Good you have arrived Setanta. Right now, me and you will fight!¡±

 Arc 10.106: Ferdiad part 2

    Looking at Ferdiad, I say, ¡°What do you mean fight?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, now let¡¯s start,¡± he says as he lunges at me.


    I pick up Ibar and Laeg and move away from his attack then plant them on the ground and say, ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re doing Ferdiad!¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. You put my sister through hell, so I am going to take it out on you.¡±


    Ferdiad is extremely emotional right now, far more than I have ever seen him. But at the same time there is a rage that hides behind it all, seeing this causes me to ask, ¡°Is that the reason you¡¯re doing this?¡±


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Star flower.¡±


    He lunges forward again, and I barely manage to dodge the seven strikes, with three grazing my body.


    He then tries to sweep my legs with his spear, but I jump up and kick him in the face, and ask again, ¡°Ferdiad it has been a while since we have been able to fight, so show me what you got.¡±


    He smirks and then charges at me again, and at that same moment, I charge forward.


    ¦µ Setanta and Ferdiad begin to clash against one another, with Setanta using his claws to ward off Ferdiad''s spear. They both send spirit energy throughout their bodies which accelerates the conflict to a point that the average beastkin cannot even keep track of them.


    Those with greater senses than the rest of the beastkin keep watch and try to commentate, but they barely can.


    Staring at an eagle beastkin the soldiers ask, ¡°What is going on, who is winning?¡±


    The eagle stares at the two with his vision the eagle continues to step over his words again and again, then says, ¡°My commentary couldn¡¯t even keep up, they are just too fast.¡±


    Ferdiad and Setanta clash again, with Ferdiad¡¯s spear breaking through Setanta¡¯s nails and striking him right in the shoulder. Using the brief moment of pain Setanta experienced Ferdiad moves to his side and then says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,¡± right before hitting him with a critical kick right into his kidney.


    Setanta screams in pain and flies directly into a rack of spears.


    The eagle beastkin says, ¡°Ferdiad a blow like that could critically injure the young king, do you even know what you¡¯re doing!?¡±


    Ferdiad then says, ¡°That¡¯s what he gets for playing around. Stop messing with me Setanta and use a spear!¡±


    He then holds his kidney, and says, ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for that attack Ferdiad.¡±


    Setanta then picks up a spear and charges towards Ferdiad and they start to clash again.


    ¦µ Setanta is fast, so fast that he looks like a blur to me, I can barely keep up. But I will, I won¡¯t be defeated here.


    I know his fight patterns better than anyone else, I know what he is going to do before he even does it. So, if Setanta is moving at this particular speed then in five seconds he should be 27 degrees to my left.


    Getting my footing, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.¡±


    My spear lucky hits Setanta in his right shoulder and I see the shockwave from my speed pass through Setanta''s body rocking him from the inside out.


    Normally this attack would have been enough to defeat my opponent but after a moment of spitting up blood Setanta''s body, comes towards me again. If he keeps regenerating, I will just need to piece his heart or even his head!


    ¦µ Ferdiad is slow, unlike before I can easily see all of his movement. No degree of thought needs to go into my attacks because before he can make one strike I can make three.


    Yet somehow, he has been able to keep pace with me. He truly is amazing and a splendid warrior, so maybe I could kick it up a notch.


    ¦µ Setanta moves faster than he was before which overwhelms and pushes Ferdiad back. Setanta smiles with sick joy as he continues to go all out, but that soon comes to an end as he sees Ferdiad''s face struggling to keep up with him.


    Setanta slows down, and then says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Clover.¡±


    Setanta drops his spear, delivers four punches to Ferdiad''s stomach sending him backwards, and as Ferdiad flies he plunges his spear into the ground and uses that to stop himself, then he says, ¡°Is that all you got! You have still been holding back, hit me with your ultimate art right now!¡±


    Ferdiad, ¡°I don¡¯t have to since this battle is over.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Ferdiad lunges forward and attacks Setanta, then says, ¡°Like hell it is!¡±


    ¡°Ok then, prove me wrong.¡±


    Setanta and Ferdiad continue to fight against each out but then as their spears clash once again, Setanta spear breaks and Ferdiad pierces straight through into Setanta¡¯s heart.


    He then plunges Setanta¡¯s body into the ground and smiles. But a mere moment later he looks at Setanta who makes a relieved expression and then he instantly moves his ends to Setanta¡¯s spear and sees a clean break in it; as if someone broke it by hand at high speed.


    ¡°Looks like you beat me Ferdiad, but don¡¯t think this will stand I will win next time.¡±


    Ferdiad pulls his spear out of Setanta''s chest, which causes him to spit up blood and say, ¡°Be gentle asshole.¡±


    Boiling with rage, Ferdiad says, ¡°Do you think you''re funny?¡±


    Playing ignorant, Setanta says, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Fine then, if you want to be like that I will as well.¡±


    Ferdiad throws his spear into the air, and then he kicks it at one of the maids tending to the injured soldiers.


    Like thunder itself, Setanta moves and knocks the spear out of the air, and Ferdiad grabs it and then attacks Setanta again.


    ¡°HAVE YOU GONE INSANE!¡±


    ¡°NOT A BIT, I KNEW YOU WOULD BLOCK IT!¡±


    They both continue to fight, Setanta says, ¡°I am sorry for what I did to Minagrain and will continue to apologise for it until the day I die, but don¡¯t go around hurting others because of my mistake.¡±


    ¡°If you want to prove you''re sorry stop running around like an insect and fight me, you bastard!¡±


    They clash again, and again, with Setanta losing ground with each attack, but each time Ferdiad sense an opening he throws a stone towards one of the staff at high speed, which forces Setanta to go all out to block it.


    ¡°YOU NEED TO STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!¡±


    ¡°I WILL WHEN YOU USE YOUR ULTIMATE ART YOU MOTHER FUCKER!¡±


    Setanta clicks his tongue and then the aura around him changes, then for a moment Ferdiad is confronted with Setanta''s bloodlust and slows down.


    Using the brief moment, Setanta says, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Passiflora.¡±


    Then using his fist, he moves at an intense speed forwarded then punches at Ferdiad''s spear which he uses to block the majority of the blow, but at the same time, the attack shatters both Setanta¡¯s fist and Ferdiad''s spear.


    Ferdiad flies back and lands on his back then spits up blood, and says, ¡°What was that move?¡±


    ¡°A weaker version of the ultimate art, it is quicker to use and drains me less, but it is also weaker than the other one.¡±


    ¡°Something Sc¨¢thach taught to her star pupil.¡±


    ¡°No, I figured it out myself.¡±


    Ferdiad grits his teeth, and tries to stand up then says, ¡°You still haven¡¯t hit me with your ultimate art yet Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Give up Ferdiad this battle is over.¡±


    ¡°LIKE HELL IT IS!¡±


    Walking away, Setanta says, ¡°Everyone go get yourselves checked for any injuries. Those who cannot walk I will take myself. Call my father''s apothecary to look after Ferdiad specifically, and make sure he has no long-lasting injuries.¡±


    Ferdiad becomes more and more annoyed at Setanta''s actions, so he says, ¡°YOU PATHEIC MAN! TURN AND FACE ME!¡±


    Turning around, Setanta says, ¡°Ferdiad I don¡¯t plan on talking to you in such a state. Right now, you aren¡¯t the same person I brought into this castle to chase the same dream as me, a rival and a friend. If you saw yourself, you would be ashamed.¡±


    ¡°Ashamed? Me? You are the one who cannot even keep your own words! You brought me here just because I interest you! My success is directly tied to how important you see me, not due to my own accomplishments. Rival? Friend? I am just a pet you keep around who you just push work onto, and at the end of it all my efforts mean nothing!


    You¡¯re no leader, you¡¯re not even a man, you''re just a brat who lives according to his own wimps. I can see why your mother died while giving birth to you, she didn¡¯t want to have to deal with such a pathetic son!¡±


    Setanta turns around and smacks Ferdiad in the face, and says, ¡°What the hell did you just say to me!?¡±


    ¡°What was the truth too hard to handle!¡±


    Setanta starts to beat Ferdiad again, and again. ¡°Since you want to fight so much, I will stop holding back!¡±


    The strikes continue again, and again until the beastkin around Setanta says, ¡°He is going to kill him.¡±


    So, they start to rush him, but then Ferdiad mouths, ¡°Just like my father.¡±


    And Setanta freezes for a moment, then gets off of him. Setanta starts to walk away while holding his fist, and says, ¡°All of you follow the instructions given.¡±


    Once he leaves the sight of everyone, he holds his fist in his hand and tears up a bit, and as if they are linked Ferdiad picks his injured body up and denies all help given then walks away while tears flow from his eyes as well.


    -Break-


    Location: Culainn¡¯s Smithy


    ¦µ Crouched in a ball under his front desk, I sigh again, and Culainn says, ¡°Are you going to tell me why you are down boy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then are you going to return to your castle?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. Not while I feel like this.¡±


    Setanta holds his fist in front of himself and notices his body is shaking, so he grabs his fist with his other hand and says, ¡°We should leave tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°So, your father gave you the ok.¡±


    I nod my head, and say, ¡°I gave everyone I break so my unit won¡¯t have to work, and can recover from their wounds.¡±


    ¡°Wounds?¡±


    Suddenly a very cheery voice says, ¡°Broke legs, I have arrived.¡±


    The voice is that of a girl, and her footsteps show she is around my size.


    ¡°Remember what I said about calling me that you brat.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, but I would like you to know I only give nicknames to those I love dearly.¡±


    Culainn whacks her head, and says, ¡°It is still disrespectful. Remember not everyone will put up with stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°I know, I will think of a better nickname.¡±


    ¡°Good, now I will get your shoes. Just make sure you don¡¯t tell your mother.¡±


    ¡°I promise the girl,¡± the girl says while putting her finger over her mouth.


    Culainn leaves and I stay under the desk, then I hear, ¡°Hey doggie wactha doing there?¡±


    ¡°How do you know I am here?¡±


    ¡°I happen to be a shark-type beastkin with a keen noise, and I can smell your sadness and tears from over here.¡±


    ¡°First of all, I am a wolf, not a dog. Second, if you keep up that attitude with me, I will deck you right in the face?¡±


    ¡°What kind of brute would attack a woman!¡±


    ¡°One who happens to be having an awful day.¡±


    She gets on her hands and kneesand  then starts to say, ¡°Woof, woof, woof, woof.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you doing.¡±


    ¡°As an empath, I know that such actions will make any doggo feel better. It is just one of the many wonders of my existence.¡±


    Smirking a little, I say, ¡°You¡¯re a fool.¡±


    ¡°I might be, but I still achieved my goal of making you smile, so hence I must be a genius!¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°RIGHT! RIGHT!¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but her voice and presence make me feel a bit happy, like I know her from somewhere.

 Arc 10.107: The little shadow part 1

    ¡°Now as part two of my master plan, I will elicit a second grand reaction from you, and you will become so enthralled that you will answer all my questions. GENIUS, I SAY, GENIUS!¡±


    ¡°Danu must have blessed you with great amounts of beauty if you¡¯re also this dumb.¡±


    ¡°You think I am beautiful. Oh, you dirty dog trying to seduce me like that.¡±


    ¡°Women really only hear what they want to,¡± I mutter under my breath.


    Getting up, she says, ¡°Now as part two of my part two of my plan allow me to dance on your spine and get all of the evil out of your body!¡±


    ¡°Really how cool, just let me assume the position-, HELL NO!¡±


    ¡°Why? Shouldn¡¯t such an opportunity be appealing to your beastlike senses, you dirty dog.¡±


    ¡°Not a dog, and I don¡¯t like being stepped on by strange girls.¡±


    ¡°So, you like being stepping on?¡±


    Pausing for a moment, I say, ¡°The idea of Minagrain sitting on my face is rather hot, but aside from that I don¡¯t care for such things.¡±


    With a shaky, and surprized voice, she says, ¡°Mother was right all men really are wolves who aim to devour woman. How deplorable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure to spice and cook you before I chop you up into little fun-sized meals.¡±


    ¡°I AM NOT A MEAL TO BE EATING, but if you¡¯re going to eat some shark meat it would be wise to soak it in some milk, so you can get rid of the smell that will cling to it after death.¡±


    ¡°I see that would be a rather unpleasant experience. How are the levels of chemicals within your blood, anything I wouldn¡¯t want to devour?¡±


    ¡°Well, my mercury levels can get a bit higher than other animals, but if you are careful in your consuomptio-, WAIT A MINUTE, YOUR ARENT GOING TO EAT ME!¡±


    Getting up, she says, ¡°Mommy really was right. Mean are beasts who will not only devour your body, but your time, and soul as well. Truly foul beasts.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is a crazy woman who deserves to get locked up.¡±


    ¡°My mother is definitely crazy. Making me follow a bunch of nonsensical rules, but don¡¯t worry I will take revenge on her when she is old and senile. HAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    ¡°You should let your bloodline end with you. I think it would be good for the sake of the world.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this talk, it is time to get back to my main goal.¡±


    She climbs ontop of the desk I am hiding under. Then she peers her hands down, which are rather frail, but have many callous on them. I feel sorry for the hands that have to be attached to a girl such as this, I can only imagine the abuse they have been put through.


    Using her hands she starts to create shadow puppets, and then she says, ¡°This is the tale, of why love conquerors all.


    Once upon a time, there was a man who dwarfed humans, a Nephilim, and a woman who could see all of the world''s secrets a Seer. They both led their races towards prosperity and soon became the kings of each of their people.


    Their people were on opposite ends of the spectrum. The seers sought knowledge above all else, devoting their lives to observing the world, while the Nephilim held power and excitement above all else, and gave no mind to what was lost in the pursuit of it. So, they clearly fought again and again, as the Nephilim¡¯s nonsense led to the destruction of literature.


    The two kings fought so much that they started spending large amounts of their time examining each other. They soon both became so utterly obsessed with their opponents that they moved past their hate and feel into utter love.


    A harmonious time then came to be, where the seers taught the brutes to examine life in a more indebt fashion and seek more than just worldly pleasure. And the Nephilim taught the know it all¡¯s that examining life should not make you disconnected from it. It was an age of prosperity for all who lived.


    They also spent many nights speaking of their love for each other.


    ¡®I know why I was given these eyes, was so I could embed every last inch of you within them.¡¯


    ¡®I know why I was given this body, so I could guard every last bit of your body.¡¯¡±


    The girl then starts to clap her hands against each other again and again, which makes me chuckle a bit.


    ¡°But soon their individual gods came down towards their races, and asked them to go on a war of conquest against the god of the humans, and his people. But they eventually switched sides and joined the humans against their own gods.


    Love had joined them, and they both knew that beings who loved should never be eradicated. So, they fought against their rulers and drove them to destruction.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In the aftermath of such a war, they were the largest group outside of the humans to survive. So, they went and founded a joint nation of love in the most dangerous ocean on the planet.


    This empire was a pillar of love that would stand for the unity of all races, and the two lovers were happier than the messiah himself. But sadness comes to all things that live in this world.


    The great empire had a rule to fight any other entity that tried to enforce itself on the love of others and clashed with the church of the messiah and other countries due to this on multiple occasions.


    They had gone to war again, and again. Piling up bodies, and soon from those corpses that had been left around. A demon strung forth, one of the demons the church referred to as a king.  It slaughtered many before it was banished to the depths again, but the worst thing it did was infect both kings with individual plagues the two kings.


    She was plagued with a short life, and he was plagued with madness.


    The seer had always had a dream, to see the stars before her long life came to an end. But sadly, even with all the advances the seers had made she was unable to do such a thing, and lamented this intensely.


    But her husband wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing to happen, and in his madness, he made countless projects to try and build a tower to the sky. But each and every one of them failed, again and again.


    Soon he almost bankrupted the country, and to support his projects the once peaceful nation had become cruel warmongers so they could find enough treasure and people to accomplish this mission.


    But it was all to no avail, so the king of the Nephilim turnt to another method. He had decided to devour his own kind, and with each Nephilim, he devoured he grew bigger and bigger and bigger until he could reach for the stars himself.


    So, he grabbed his dying wife and stared into her eyes, then said, ¡°My eyes, my mind, my heart, my wisdom, my stars, my wife. I won¡¯t allow you to return to the heavens without your eyes getting to see a beauty that is only eclipsed by yours.¡±


    He prepared to lift her into the skies to there at the great stars, but then the spicy food he ate early that day came back to strike him and the Nephilim sneezed knocking his wife out of his hands and sending her plummeting to her death. THE END!¡±


    Bursting out in laughter, I say, ¡°WHAT KIND OF ENDING WAS THAT!¡±


    But then I quickly cover my mouth and say, ¡°Dammit!¡±


    ¡°I WIN! Now as the loser of our bet, it is your job to answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Fine, go ahead?¡±


    ¡°Ok now little silver wolf, tell me what is bothering you? And no lying or I will curse you with impotence for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°Fine. To put it simply I got in a fight with my brother and feel like this now.¡±


    Pushing her body against the other side of the desk I am under she says, ¡°Why did this fight start, where you may be jealous of this ¡®brother¡¯?¡±


    Erratically, I say, ¡°Jealous me of him? You must be joking? Unlike him, I am not an asshole who goes around attacking his friends because he had a bad day, then using my words to hit them where he hurts. Fuck him, he is just jealous of me like the stupid Fir Bolg he is!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say things that make you feel sad. I happen to be a nobody so you can just say the truth, I have been honest so all I ask for is that in return.¡±


    Collecting myself, I take a breath in and out then I say, ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason why the fight started. He seemed deeply upset about something that had been bothering him, but I couldn¡¯t even figure out the reason as to why.


    I have been so preoccupied with my own issues that I didn¡¯t even bother to check on the person who supports me the most. I have never seen him so sad, and the fact that I allowed that to happen bothers me.¡±


    ¡°But the sadness could be simply due to his own circumstances how does that say anything about you?¡±


    ¡°Because I never thought I could make my brother feel like this, and now he might not want to stand by my side anymore,¡± I say on the verge of tears


    ¡°Hundreds of people could stand by your side at your beck and call so why is he so important?¡±


    ¡°He is my first friend, the one person I never thought would not support me. But now I have allowed that bond to crumble, if I cannot even handle that bond how can I handle this kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Me and my mother get into fights a lot, but I think the times those fights hurt the most is when she says something that hits me in a sensitive spot. Especially if it was unintentional because it means this part of myself I am ashamed of is so clear that she could pick up on it without me knowing.¡±


    Hearing her words, I calm up a bit and struggle to speak, but she says, ¡°Don¡¯t force it out, let is flow just like water.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever doubted myself as much as I currently have, and with him leaving I think it has gotten worse. In all honesty, I don¡¯t know if I am as great as all the people think I am, and now it feels like all the things I wish for have become suffocating, I truly am the worst.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I think you are one of the most big-headed people I know.¡±


    Getting slightly annoyed, I say, ¡°What kind of thing is that to say to someone who is upset?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth you big baby. To think that all of the issues and suffering of those around you is your fault is nothing but arrogance and pride, my mother feels like that as well, but I can assure you most of my problems come from things that she has nothing to do with, and I am sure the same is true for you.¡±


    ¡°So, I am just supposed to not care and let him get through it himself.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t take too much or too little blame, find the right amount. It¡¯s far harder, but it helps the people around you much more than any other method.¡±


    ¡°That actually good advice, I didn¡¯t expect it from a person like you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I am the pretty little girl in the empire.¡±


    ¡°After having a talk with you I retract my earlier statement, you must be hideous.¡±


    ¡°How rude.¡±


    Soon she moves her entire body in front of me and says, ¡°Well how do I look?¡±


    She has light purple hair, and two blue eyes that look like gems, her face is round like a bun, and the shark characteristics on her body are very transparent.


    But strangle the more I look at her face the more familiar her very presence feels. This feeling soon keeps growing and growing until I say, ¡°You have a very punchable face.¡±


    ¡°HEY WHO SAYS THAT TO A LADY!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the more I look at you the more I just want to fight you.¡±


    ¡°You brute! Well whatever, because I am sure my future husband will like my face and I don¡¯t care for what you think. BLEH!¡± she says while sticking out her tongue.


    Culainn coming from the back of the store says, ¡°Uathach your shoes are here sorry I took me so long.¡±


    ¡°No problem, please just keep this away from my mother.¡±


    With a visibly happy smile, Culainn says, ¡°I Promise.¡±


    She grabs her shoes, and says, ¡°Love ya old man!¡±


    Culainn looks happier at her comment than any other time I have seen him.


    Uathach starts to move away and as she does, I ask, ¡°Hey was that really the ending to the story of the two lovers?¡±


    ¡°I may have changed the ending for comedic effect.¡±


    ¡°Then will you tell me what really happened?¡±


    Moving extremely close she says, ¡°If we ever happen to meet again, but for now goodbye Wolfie.¡±


    She runs off and as she does, I feel a certain degree of calmness in my soul and I say, ¡°Culainn I think I have cleared my head. I will be ready to go tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear.¡±

 Arc 10.108: Keepsake part 1

    -One week Later-


    Location: Village of Eas


    ¦µ I believe in true love.


    It is something I have always kept in my heart ever since I was a little girl.


    It isn¡¯t for any complex reason in the slightest, but just because my parents were always happy when next to each other.


    Both of them were strong people by themselves who could have lived fruitful lives on their own. Yet they choose to join together and the reactions that were caused by their union have made so much happiness that even people who don¡¯t know them can partake in it.


    The power of love is something that can bind people together, some think of it as a chain, but I think of it as a string. It is delicate and must be maintained because there is nothing easier to do than to break it.


    When I see two people who have gone through the effort to keep it maintained my heart just melts. I want that, I really do.


    So, during my younger years, I would spend my day playing with the little pixie wonderbeasts to look like a majestic beauty myself. But for some reason, the pixies kept running away from me with frightened expressions.


    According to some people I had a demonic look on my face, but I was just determined to find love, so it kept showing on my face.


    I chased the pixies day after day, and they cried in response to my actions. However, it didn¡¯t matter because I knew love would appear one day, my perfect partner would fall out of the sky right onto me.


    And one day a ball whacked me directly in the face sending me thumbling to the ground and planting my face in the dirt.


    Getting up I wipe the dirt off my face and start to seethe with rage, but behind me, I hear, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Is this finally the time? Is this finally the moment where I find my true partner!?


    I turn my head, and behind me, I see a snot-nosed brat who happens to be a fox beastkin stretching out his hand in front of me.


    I reel back in disgust, and then say, ¡°Get out of here Ugo, I have better things to do.¡±


    Getting up, I passionately return to chasing the pixies. What I need is a mature handsome man who will spoil and love me, not some brat like that. A herbivore beastkin would be my preferred choice, a near Fanalis as well, and he must be handsome as a prerequisite. If I have all of that I will be able to fall in love with that person''s soul.


    ¡°NOW ONWORD!¡±


    I continued my journey for pure love, but the boy who I had rejected returned the next day, and started to throw balls at me and my pixie friends, and soon one hit me in the face knocking me down to the dirt.


    Laughing with his friends, he says, ¡°Maybe all of that dirt will allow you to grow into a beauty.¡±


    Stranding up, I get into a running position and then take off after them saying, ¡°YOU¡¯RE ALL DEAD!¡±


    I chased them again, and again then when I got the boys, I would fight them all up until we were all scattered across the ground exhausted.


    Lying beside me, he says, ¡°You evil witch haven¡¯t you ever heard of what it means to be ladylike!?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear courtesy from a human!¡±


    ¡°I am not a human, I am a fox you stupid deer.¡±


    I kicked him in the side, and then our fights continued until the sunset.


    From that day the boys kept showing up and bothering me again and again and again. Interfering with the heavenly presence I had built up for myself.


    So, I got the rest of the girls together, and told them, ¡°Let''s execute them.¡±


    ¡°But Niamh, won¡¯t our parents be upset?¡±


    One of the other girls grabs Saoirse in front of me and says, ¡°Don¡¯t defy Niamh, this girl is crazy! You see the demonic look she always has while chasing those pixies, so just help her and run off.¡±


    Sometimes the other girls said things like my face looked demonic, but they couldn¡¯t understand the beauty I was trying to capture. Though they all have aesthetic anaemia, so what could I expect?The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    During the next festival,l we poisoned all of the boys'' food, but all of our food was also poisoned by the boys making us all sick.


    When we recovered both me and the stupid fox''s parents threw us into the fields and said, ¡°All this land is now both of your responsibility to till, and you cannot stop until it is done.¡±


    ¡°Daddy, that isn¡¯t fair!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, now both of you two work!¡±


    Together with the stupid fox, I was forced to work each day, and this went on for so long that I eventually broke and shouted, ¡°WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS? IT ISN¡¯T FAIR!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, it isn¡¯t like you¡¯re the only one working.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but unlike you I spend my time trying to find true love, and now I cannot do that since I have to be here toiling dirt with you.¡±


    ¡°I am not sorry, you brought this on yourself.¡±


    ¡°You started this by throwing your stupid ball at me!¡±


    ¡°I APOLOGISED!¡±


    ¡°Then why did you keep coming back!¡±


    The boy turns shy and shows me his back, then he says, ¡°It is because you looked like a goddess right out of the picture books when chasing the pixies.¡±


    I instantly move in front of his face, and say, ¡°Finally someone gets it! Others act like I am crazy, but they just lack the artistic understanding of what I am trying to accomplish!¡±


    ¡°Crazy? I thought you looked amazing, all those people must be crazy. Though I think dressing your clothes in flowers, would make you look even more enchanted.


    ¡°But they won¡¯t be able to say on at my speed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that, how about you frolic instead of running at full speed.¡±


    After thinking about his words for a moment, I say, ¡°YOU¡¯RE RIGHT THAT SOUNDS MUCH BETTER!¡±


    Getting close to him, I say, ¡°You have a lot of great ideas, I have now decided you will help me in my journey to be the prettiest princess ever. What¡¯s your name.¡±


    ¡°Cian.¡±


    ¡°Cian from now on it¡¯s just me and you.¡±


    From that day both me and Cian went everywhere together and tried to make my frolic look as beautiful as possible. We bounced ideas off each other and spent day, after day waiting beside each other.


    We grew up and grew wiser and as we did my head became clearer and clearer to what I wanted.


    Then one day beside a waterfall central to our village I stood dressed in a gown that we had spent years designing, and I slowly walked around the waterfall with the pixies I had befriended making light fall down upon me and rainbows appearing all around.


    In that moment I think I had felt as beautiful as I could be, but more than that I felt the person who this was for had been found, the one right in front of me.


    So, as I finished, I pointed at him and said, ¡°Cian, I am done with this, because no one else other than you should ever see this. It seems your little plan worked out.¡±


    I was confident yet embarrassed with my words, but in response to my declaration of love, Cian panicked.


    Freaking out, he said, ¡°WHY! I HAD THOUGHT WE WOULD KEEP GOING TILL WE FOUND YOUR KING! DID I DO SOMETHING TO STOP THIS PROJECT!?¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU AN IDIOT, DON¡¯T YOU GET WHAT I AM SAYING!¡±


    Freezing for a moment, I say, ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you do all of this so I would fall in love with me?¡±


    He looks confused and responds, ¡°No, I did it because it looked like fun.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, so you weren¡¯t in love with me, so my declaration of love was rejected?¡±


    ¡°Wait you¡¯re in love with me?¡±


    ¡°We literally have spent the last four years together every day!¡±


    He paused for a moment, and says, ¡°My god we have.¡±


    Turning my head away, I say, ¡°Well I have embarrassed myself enough today.¡±


    Cian suddenly grabs me then lifts me up into the air and starts running while saying, ¡°BROTHER! I HAVE FOUND THE BEST WIFE IN THE EMPIRE!¡±


    His words embarrass men and make me hold my face.


    I think it was that day I found love of my own, love which couldn¡¯t be taken from me and love that I will forever maintain.


    I had fought with that man, cried with that man, laughed with that man, and even created another being with that man. Every aspect of me was amplified when with him, and I will never regret that bond.


    Even if you are gone.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I was born a twin, and within the beastkin that is nothing but a bad omen.


    It is said that the reason a child is split in two is because their destiny is so great that misfortune will come towards them, so the child had to split in two and send its misfortune onto its other half.


    The younger of the two is said to be a scapegoat for the elder to accomplish great things, and the very idea of that being the reason for my existence bothers me time and time again.


    No one in my family expected anything from me, so I tried my best day in and day out. But I was beaten in everything by my brother again, and again.


    He was praised for his success, and I was treated as a fool for even trying to compete with him.


    The way I was treated made me hate my life. Just because I came out second, I was forced into a life of sadness and no love. Just because he came out first, he was expected to be a great man, it was just unfair, so unfair.


    So plotted to end Cian, I plotted to bring an end to his great life, and even if my life would never have weight at the very least, I could find happiness in the fact that I had robbed him from the world.


    I waited for one night when my parents had left, and I pretended to sleep. Then I got out of my bed and with a spear in hand I prepared to end his life.


    But as I moved from my shack outside to his room, I heard him mumbling something, and soon after that, I heard a smack, which caused me to freeze up for a moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool Cian, you cannot stop now. Because Ryan never stops, if you want to be his cool big brother you must match his awesomeness, now keep going.¡±


    The words he said when he thought no one was around were his truth, those were how he felt about me. I noticed the hypocrisy within myself and came to a realization that he wasn¡¯t my enemy but my rival.


    I fought with him with much more passion than ever before, but when I lost, I said, ¡°I WILL WIN NEXT TIME!¡± instead of simply running off like I did before.


    The adults of my family gave me dirty looks, but he responded and said, ¡°TRY YOUR BEST LITTLE BROTHER!¡±


    His words and smiles melted my heart and gave me the warmth I never knew I could have.


    As he grew older,


    he was less bound by our family and spent lots of time with me and soon we truly became brothers.


    To those of my family, I will always be a source of misfortune, but at the very least to my other half I am someone who ought to have been alive, and I love him for that.


    And I know his son does as well.

 Arc 10.109: Keepsake part 2

    That¡¯s why I accepted the request you made that day.


    ¡°Ryan, would you join me for the Laochs campaign?¡±


    ¡°Brother so far, we have only gone on monster hunting and slave catching with our band. Going to war, especially for the Laoch who have near-suicide tactics wouldn¡¯t be sane.¡±


    Getting on his hands and knees, Cian says, ¡°I know this might sound reckless, but I need the money.¡±


    ¡°Money? You know Mom and Dad will give you money for whatever you do.¡±


    ¡°Niamh is pregnant. They were close to kicking me out of the family when I married her. In their heads, they still think their perfect little boy will one day marry someone of high status and bring them prestige, so if they found out I got her pregnant I am sure they would maltreat her or even worse try something against her.


    So, I need to make as much money as possible and support my new family, and get her, my child, and you away from our heartless parents. I know this is selfish but there is no warrior I would ask to be by my side outside of you.¡±


    He raises his head and smiles at me, then I kick him in the face and say, ¡°Let¡¯s hope your child isn¡¯t as foolish as you are.¡±


    With his bright and cheerful smile, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t ask for the impossible.¡±


    We found others who would fight with us, we trained ourselves for the chaotic battlefield, we bought amazing weapons from a feeble old man, we practised our skills against each other, and we talked about all we would do when we returned.


    And we set out to the battlefield.


    It was chaotic, like being trapped on a small piece of wood in the middle of the sea during a storm, and every time a battle ended we received the euphoria of our lives remaining our own.


    It was hard, harder than anything else we have ever done, but we got through it due to my brother''s never-ending smile, and throughout joint efforts, we were able to even cut off the head of one of the human elite fighters and had secured ourselves the money we need.


    But the battlefield is chaotic, and it isn¡¯t something that anyone can control.


    In front of us laid a Vanir mammoth that destroyed all that stood in front of it. We had always thought of ourselves as above average but in front of that beast, we were nothing but ants.


    It sent out countless blasts of air out of its trunk which battered our bodies and left one of my legs broken. I turn my head around and see my friends and allies dead with only three remaining including my brother.


    As I laid on the battlefield my brother walked up to me, and said, ¡°Ryan I am sorry for being such a selfish brat, but at the very least I won¡¯t allow you to die here.¡±


    Picking me up, he ran as fast as he could and then threw my crushed body on a horse, and said, ¡°Please find people who think you¡¯re as awesome as I do.¡±


    He then turned back and went to fight the mammoth as I fell unconscious.


    When I awoke at the base camp, I ran all around looking for anyone I would recognize, but I didn¡¯t find one person. So, I asked about the battle with the mammoth, but no one knew what I was talking about.


    No one from the battlefield we were on returned, even after I had awoken. They were wiped out.


    I feel ill at the realization of this, in that moment I had thought I had experienced the worst pain, I could ever have. But it only got worse as I had to tell my parents what happened.


    ¡°You living curse! It should have been you!¡±


    I had to tell his wife who was desperately holding his son what happened.


    ¡°Cian, no he can¡¯t be, no it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    When I had to look at my lover and tell her why I couldn¡¯t devote my life to her anymore.


    ¡°Have you gone insane Ryan, he dragged you to this battlefield and now you will spend your life looking after his widow? So much of your life has been taken from you by your family and now your future!¡±


    When I had his son look his son in the eye and explain to him where his father was.


    Crying Kian says, ¡°Uncle where my dad is, everyone else has a dad but I don¡¯t. Does that mean something is wrong with me?¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    These feelings hurt worse than my shattered leg, and deep inside it made me wish I wasn¡¯t born.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I have a father, no I had a father; he is dead now.


    All the people who seem to have known him talk about how amazing he is, but I don¡¯t really know anything about him, and in all honesty, I don¡¯t really like him all that much.


    It seems like he makes everyone far sadder than they would be otherwise, which makes me sad. Mom and Uncle are my favourite people so when they cry, I cry, which makes them cry more and I cry more.


    Though, sometimes I do wish I knew who he was. People say he was strong and always brings a smile to people''s faces. Mom says he was always kind to her and never hurt her. Uncle says he was a role model for all those around him and an exemplary scholar.


    So, I tried to be that.


    I beat up those who picked on others and smiled as I did. But people started avoiding me because apparently my smile as I hurt others scared people. It made me feel like a monster at times, so I stopped fighting even when people got hurt, I just walked forward because Dad wasn¡¯t like that.


    I also tried my best to be kind to women, because that¡¯s what dad would do, but girls are confusing.


    With her rage tangible, Maeve says, ¡°Hey why didn¡¯t you chase after me earlier!¡±


    ¡°Because you said I was an idiot, and you didn¡¯t want to talk to me.¡±


    ¡°That means you should keep chasing after me and apologise!¡±


    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make sense you¡¯re supposed to say what you mean?¡±


    ¡°I DID, YOU¡¯RE JUST TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°You don¡¯t make any sense, I am done with this.¡±


    As I start to walk away, she grabs me and turns me back towards her, then smacks me across the face whilst saying, ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡±


    So, I hit her back and say, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit people!¡±


    On the floor, she started to cry, and then some of her friends who were watching us in the distance started to call the adults.


    I was punished that day, and my mother apologized as if I started the fight. She looked deeply upset, and the rest of the people started looking at me with disgust.


    They told my mother, ¡°If you can¡¯t raise your child properly then you shouldn¡¯t have had him.¡±


    My mother bowed her head and said, ¡°She is sorry.¡±


    When I got home my uncle came up to me and said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have hit her.¡±


    ¡°But she struck me first am I supposed to just take it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. When things like this happen, you need to just keep your chin up and get through it, I am sure something good will come from it eventually.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why, none of it makes a lick of sense to me, do I just have to accept this?¡±


    I was very upset by all of this, so I ran away and decided to stay with my grandparents for some time. They were very nice and kind to me unlike everyone else.


    But then they started to bad mouth, my mother and my uncle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it is your mother''s fault that you are being on your education. A dumb women like her wouldn¡¯t understand the need for it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spend any more time with your uncle than necessary, that man is a walking curse who exists to tear down this family.¡±


    ¡°If your father just listened to us, he would still be alive right now.¡±


    ¡°He would have been one of the greatest men to ever live in the empire.¡±


    Both my grandparents were nice, lovely, and warm to me, but the things they said about others including my mother and uncle who had always been here upset me deeply.


    I didn¡¯t know what to make of them, should I hate them? Should I love them? I just didn¡¯t know what to do, so I left I ran away back home, but I still didn¡¯t know how to deal with what my mother and uncle said so I ignored them.


    I ignored all those around me, so I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with all of this. I distanced myself from them only staying in the house so I could see how they were doing.


    But when they spoke. ¡°Kian how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I AM FINE, NOW GET OUT!¡± I shouted them away.


    I hated the look she made, but I was scared to feel like that again, I was scared to not know who to trust.


    Life scares me. It feels like I am walking on a tightrope with all my paths forward leading to outcomes I know nothing about. I have no light, no guide, and my mother is too tired from work to be that, but I want to be good to everyone, though I feel like if I keep moving on this path I may one day no longer be myself.


    -Break-


    ¦µ ¡°Thank you for your hard work Niamh,¡± Aimee says.


    ¡°It was my pleasure, and besides keeping the house of you newlyweds clean brings a lot of joy to me. Though please do make sure to not get it too messy.¡±


    Daniel holding his wife says, ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises.¡±


    We laugh a bit and then I excuse myself from the house, and as I do I sigh a bit and then start to walk home.


    As I walk, I see Ryan waving at me, and his wife Emma glaring at me, then I say, ¡°Are you two doing ok?¡±


    Ryan responds, ¡°Yeah we just finished cooking some meals and decided to bring them over.¡±


    Excited I say, ¡°I cannot wait to try your cooking, Sister.¡±


    She looks away and says, ¡°It is for Kian not for you, and I told you to stop calling me sister.¡±


    Looking inside the pot, I say, ¡°But isn¡¯t that some of my favourites in there, I am pretty sure my son hates those?¡±


    ¡°Husband, tell your sister to stop pestering me!¡±


    ¡°I just want to give you a big hug.¡±


    ¡°Stay away!¡±


    Emma uses her husband as a shield in between the both of us, and as I try to get around him, he says, ¡°It has gotten a bit dirty, your ring I mean.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you''re right.¡±


    Emma says, ¡°Why did you even have that anyway, it is a human tradition. You should have gotten gemstones decorated around your tail or ears.¡±


    Looking at it, I say, ¡°Cian didn¡¯t have the money to afford such a thing, so instead he went on a mining expedition and stole a gemstone for me. It was the only one he could steal without being suspected.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like my brother.¡±


    ¡°It really does.¡±


    Suddenly from the door of my house, I see Kian walk out and after a moment of inspecting us he starts to move away without saying anything, and Ryan says, ¡°You should greet your elders.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± he shouts back.


    Ryan starts to walk over to Kian, but then Emma stops him and says, ¡°You need to calm down.¡±


    ¡°But he cannot be behaving like that when his mother is slaving away for him.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± A voice unfamiliar to me says.


    Suddenly I hear I thud and then turning around, I see my son is on the floor, and standing over him I see a wolf beastkin with silver hair and golden eyes, and he says, ¡°It¡¯s called respect idiot!¡±

 Arc 10.110: Keepsake part 3

    Looking at me, the boy says, ¡°You should have raised this boy to learn more respect, because that was completely ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO GOES AROUND HITTING CHILDREN!¡±


    I instantly move towards my son and help him up, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Kian, mommy is here. Does it hurt anywhere; do you need me to kiss your wound?¡±


    Pushing me back, he says, ¡°Stop being so annoying and get off of me you old witch.¡±


    The boy hits Kian back into the ground, and says, ¡°Don¡¯t take that tone with your mother you brat, or I will be making sure you don¡¯t get up again after my next blow!¡±


    Ryan says, ¡°Why are you here young man?¡±


    With a cocky smile, he says, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡±


    Emma takes off her shoes and then moves towards the boy to whack him, but Ryan stops her and she says, ¡°Just let me give him one good whack to straighten out his head.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that, just look at how he carries himself he is obviously some sort of noble brat.¡±


    ¡°We already have one unruly brat to deal with, we don¡¯t need another!¡±


    Suddenly a man riding a wonderbeast rams into the boy, then starts to pounce on him up and down as the child screams, ¡°I am sorry, I was just trying to have a bit of fun!¡±


    The man turns to us, and says, ¡°Please forgive this deeply troubled child for his stupidity.¡±


    Holding my little son as he struggles out of my arms, I say, ¡°A few more pounces and I might.¡±


    The man proceeds to pounce on him a few more times, and at that moment, Ryan says, ¡°Wait aren¡¯t you Culainn?¡±


    ¡°You still remember me Ryan O Lorcan?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, the weapons you sold me and my brother and helped us on hunting trips all the time, they were so good we could never forget.¡±


    ¡°I see. I am sorry for disturbing you all as I look like you were moments away from eating but I would like to give you all something that I think you will all like.¡±


    We all stare at each other, and then I say, ¡°Ok then, come in, but please be quick we have all had very hectic days so far.¡±


    Culainn nods his head, then soon a putrid smell hits our nostrils.  Turning my head, I see someone dressed in grey robes from head to toe who emanates such a horrible smell that I don¡¯t even want to be around him for a mere second.


    This weakens my grip, and my son breaks out then says, ¡°Finally I don¡¯t have to be pressed against that thing anymore.¡±


    The sliver-haired boy grabs my son by his hair and says, ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere brat, you¡¯re going to come in here and listen!¡±


    He starts to drag Kian into the house as Kian shouts, ¡°Let go of me you eejit, don¡¯t you know you''re supposed to respect your elders!¡±


    As he does, I run after my son and scream, ¡°LET HIM GO!¡±


    -Break-


    Standing inside the house, the man who releases the foul stench places a shield and a sword on the table in front of us. Both of them are covered in engravings that are expertly hand-drawn, and within the little cracks are what seems to be gold.


    They both look like decorative weapons that would be hung on the walls of the red branch families, so the fact that I can simply look at them makes me feel kind of nervous.


    But for Ryan, they elicit a different sort of reaction. He says, ¡°Are those Cian¡¯s weapons?¡±


    Turning to him, I say, ¡°What do you mean Cian¡¯s weapons, didn¡¯t he go missing on the battlefield where no one could find him?¡±


    Culainn in front of me says, ¡°But I did.¡±


    My heartbeat rises higher than the sky, and I put both my hands on the man and ask, ¡°Where is his body, you must have found it right?¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°You know it is incredibly rude to do such a thing to the man who went out of his way to look for your husband when no one else did.¡±


    I let go and say, ¡°I am sorry, I just miss him.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°I found the body of a Vanir mammoth killed and surrounded by a couple of beastkin by the base of a waterfall. Many of the beastkin bodies were completely destroyed and the corpses were feasted on by the surrounding fauna. Though I was able to find both the sword plunged into the beast''s head, and the shield batter by the edge of the waterfall alongside a pile of bones which held the characteristics of a fox.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I get weak and start to fall only to be caught by Kian who looks panicked.


    Ryan asks, ¡°Niamh are you ok?¡±


    With my body relaxing on my son, I say, ¡°I am fine, it is just that deep inside somewhere I had always hoped that maybe Cian ran away. That maybe he thought about protecting his life and decided to go into hiding waiting for the right moment to come and reunite with his family.


    But now that I know for sure he is dead it feels like the ground around me has opened and is coming to eat me. I didn¡¯t realize until now how much that fantasy kept me going.¡±


    Tears start to fill my eyes and Kian wipes them off.


    ¡°Sorry about this Culainn, even though you did this for us, I really do wish you had never come here because I don¡¯t know how I am supposed to go on now?¡±


    No one in my family says anything to disagree or agree with me, because I am sure it is a fantasy we have all had for a series of different reasons.


    The man with the putrid smell says, ¡°I don¡¯t think you should say that just yet, while not knowing can bring comfort, but when we loved these people we agreed to partake in their lives and knowing their ends are just as important. And besides your conversation with your husband hasn¡¯t ended just yet.¡±


    He points at the shield and says, ¡°While we were engraving the sword we found a series of rather shitty engraving already on the sword, and Culainn here already confirmed they weren¡¯t his.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Showing the sword and the shield to me, he says, ¡°I think he left messages for you.¡±


    I get up and stare at the sword and on it I see a gem which I touch and say, ¡°This is his ring.¡±


    Looking around it, I see a picture of a waterfall and say, ¡°This is where we proposed, it is the waterfall over in the distance.¡±


    Setanta says, ¡°Many of these engraving where done in his last moments. It seems before the end the number one thing on his mind was you.¡±


    I start to tear up more and more and soon the tears fall completely out of my control.


    ¦µ My wife takes hold of Niamh, and then the man covered in cloaks says, ¡°Please look at the shield here.¡±


    Staring I see more engraving, and it is of two little foxes, and on top of it the words, ¡°In my mind you were the destined twin.¡±


    ¡°No way that¡¯s true you idiot,¡± I say looking at the shield with a smile.


    ¦µ My mother has broken down in tears, and my uncle looks like he is soon about to follow her. Their reactions are so intense that I start to feel frightened, and I want to comfort them, so I stretch my hands forward. But I soon real my body back as I realize what I am about to do.


    But then the boy called Setanta whacks me on the head and says, ¡°There is something here for you idiot.¡±


    Looking at the shield, I see under my uncle''s drawing there are some words written in a corner, and Setanta says, ¡°This part was almost destroyed, and it was hard to get the words back in order, but you lucky had an amazing scholar here to do it for you.¡±


    Reading the shield, I see it says, ¡°Trust in yourself, because I love you so much,¡± with a little drawing of a baby beside it.


    Is this what you wanted to say to me father, I had always wondered what advice you wished to give me, and this is it. Right now, there are many things I want to say to you about leaving us all alone, but right now all I can think is thank you.


    Turning to my mother and uncle I say, ¡°It will be okay, so remember to breathe and enjoy the messages.¡±


    ¦µ In front of us Niamh grabs Kian and starts to hug him, then she cries so loud that I feel my eardrums are one second away from blowing up. Kian looks like he is about to push her away, but he holds her bag.


    The scene in front of me is irritating but at the same time,e it makes me pretty happy.


    Moving to Aurelius and Culainn, I give them a high five and say, ¡°It looks like we did really good this time.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Looking out the window of the carriage Setanta and Aurelius wave goodbye to the family and then return to their seats, and looking at me Aurelius says, ¡°Another job well done.¡±


    ¡°It was only thanks to your expert work.¡±


    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t compliment me too much.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the transport Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I did more than just provide transport!¡±


    ¡°I kid, thank you for your help.¡±


    Turning to Aurelius in a mocking fashion, Setanta says, ¡°Remember your place trash.¡±


    Petting his head, Aurelius says, ¡°Whatever you say Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Stop treating me as a kid!¡±


    ¡°Then stop looking like one!¡±


    As the two of them fight I get flashes back to my younger days, back to when my workshop was filled with rowdy youths filled with guts. Flashbacks to my daughter who came to see us every day, and flashbacks to the son I thought I had.


    Looking at me, Setanta says, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°I am fine just feeling a little wistful.¡±


    Jumping me, Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t die yet I still haven¡¯t paid you back in full you old fart!¡±


    ¡°I am not dying, so get off of me!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: The path towards the Village of Valeria


    ¦µ Riding on the back of my horse at full speed, the memories of my fight with Setanta play in my head again and again. The words I said, the actions I took, they feel so intense that I am mere moments away from being pushed to tears.


    So I keep moving faster and faster pushing my house to the limit until it stops, and takes a break.


    Jumping off of it, I say, ¡°Take a break boy.¡±


    But as I do, I hear, ¡°I never thought you would stop.¡±


    Turning my head, I say, ¡°Glic ¨® Sealbh¨®ir.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the way you should address someone who stopped an all-out war between two Red Branch families?¡±


    ¡°I would if I thought your intentions were any purer than your father.¡±


    ¡°How rude! My father and I are different people, I would rather not be compared to him and his nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here.¡±


    ¡°I was actually on my way back from delivering a message to the house of Serlasracht and I decided to enjoy the scenery of Gorias.¡±


    ¡°A red branch family? No, I don¡¯t care whatever you two are scheming just leave me out of it, I don¡¯t want any left to do with you and your family.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Because of what your father made me do!¡±


    Moving extremely close to my face, she says, ¡°My father didn¡¯t make you do anything boy, that was your own mind that brought you to your decision.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I say swinging at her.


    But just like the snake she is, she easily slips her body past me and holds onto me, then she says, ¡°Why don¡¯t the both of us have a little talk.¡±

 Arc 10.111: Ferdiad part 3

    Swatting her away, I say, ¡°I have no more time for the tricks of you snakes!¡±


    Pouting, she says, ¡°I have no tricks, I would have you know that I just hate waste, and right now you¡¯re wasting your life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business how I live my life.¡±


    ¡°But my Faol¨¢in blood is just commanding me to fix the misalignment in front of me.¡±


    Turning to her, I say, ¡°Faol¨¢in blood?¡±


    Getting close to me again, she says, ¡°My mother was a Faol¨¢in, the wife of Bricriu.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible all of the Faol¨¢in¡¯s except for Lugh were killed!¡±


    Dancing around like a fairy, ¡°She was a woman named Airmedh a beautiful warrior who despite her gender was poised to be the next head of the Faol¨¢in¡¯s for a time. The Faol¨¢in head at the time cared very little for tradition. He favoured results. and she had many.


    Before Medb came there was a good chance she would be the first woman to ever be in charge of one of the four providences, and while many opposed this, many thought it made her the most precious jewel in the empire and sought her hand in marriage.¡±


    ¡°But she and her father died in the battle of Shannon as the story goes, and Lugh¡¯s father her younger brother took the throne of Gorias for a few years before he died.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the popular tale. But during the battle of Shannon she and her father were constantly being attacked by humans who seemed to know their every tactic, strange isn¡¯t it?


    But what was stranger was the series of venomous wonderbeasts the humans seemed to have, some of the venoms merely hurt, some liquefied your organs, but the one from the Wonderbeast the Fetch had a special property.


    The serpent''s venom would create illusions so vivid and real that no one could tell them apart. It is considered one of the worst kinds of things a beastkin can experience as the illusion becomes stronger in relation to your innate senses.


    With this venom flowing through her veins, Airmedh attacked and killed her father and most of his men, but through her madness, she woke up and there she found herself lying over the bodies of her men and tried to commit suicide.


    But almost as if Danu herself planned it a single man showed up to stop her, Bricriu. He saved her life and took her home then using his vast information network, he spread lies and after lies at such a speed, one would think he was already prepared for this.


    He kept her in his home and waited for her to mentally recover, but strangely the visions of the woman had never disappeared, or more like more venom kept entering her system.


    The distress this put on her mind was great, so great in fact that she had lost all her sense of self and decided to grasp onto the last thing in her life that she cared for, the only one who would stand beside her, Bricriu. And bam I was born.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°Do you even know what you just told me?¡±


    Getting close to me again, she says, ¡°Think of it as a sign of friendship and a warning. My father says many different things but those who he has an interest in will lose agency in their lives, and you¡¯re the one he is most infatuated with at this current moment.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the warning, but as far as I am concerned this is another manipulation from him just from your mouth now.¡±


    ¡°That does make logical sense, because the way to get to a young man''s heart is through a beautiful young lady.¡±


    Staring at Glic who is dressed in a way that makes it impossible to tell she is a woman, I say, ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡±


    ¡°I would have you know I inherited my mother''s beauty. The Faol¨¢in men are already nymphs themselves, so just imagine what a Faol¨¢in woman would look like.¡±


    Lifting up her pants to show me her ankle, she says, ¡°Here is a little look you pervert.¡±


    ¡°GO AWAY!¡±


    ¡°You really are no fun, but I assure you that I am here just due to personal reasons, and it¡¯s because you are wasting your life.¡±


    Walking past her, I say, ¡°I will never waste my life because I dedicated it to a great man.¡±


    As I start to get my horse prepared, she says, ¡°No matter how hard I try I can never match Setanta, I can never be next to Setanta, I will always be below him, but I am fine with that.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He will make many new allies who can stand at his side, as Bricriu said this is a generation filled with prodigies, and they will lead us to victory against the east, and usher in an era of beastkin ruling the known world.


    I am ok simply standing behind him, and anytime he falls down I will pick him up and push him forward. And if a time ever calls for me to lay down my life for him, I will do it, and I hope it will be in a moment that will scar him forever.¡±


    As she finishes, I freeze, and she says, ¡°That¡¯s your current thought process isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s the future you plan on heading towards.¡±


    I try to swipe her away and I say, ¡°No!¡±


    But she grabs me and brings me close, then says, ¡°The shakiness of your body, the trembling look in your eyes, and the increasing rate of your breathing tell a different story.¡±


    I punch towards her, and say, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that, if I thought like that it would be a betrayal of our promise, and I wouldn¡¯t ever do that!¡±


    ¡°Stop lying, you know in your heart that you¡¯ve already broken it. I was watching the both of you fight, and as you ran off, I saw you smile while no one else was watching. Because in your heart, in your cowardly little brain, that fate is enough for you.¡±


    Pushing her to the ground, I say, ¡°SHUT UP!!!!¡±


    She makes a painful expression which causes me to notice how hard I am pressing her against the ground.


    I stare at my hands in horror and try to pull myself back, but she puts her hands on my face and drags it closer. ¡°My father is obsessed with Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in and is trying to use you towards his ends. But the idea of someone like you being reduced to mere motivation is criminal.


    So, pick me, and I will help you break free from my father, and from yourself. I will accept your anger and hatred, and I promise I will never leave you. Right now, I want you to trust in me.¡±


    She brings my face closer to hers, but I pull back and jump on my horse then start to ride away as fast as possible towards my village.


    -Break-


    ¦µ If a paradise is a place where everyone is happy should the empire of Louernia be called such a thing?


    I have always had that one thought since I was a child.


    Findias is the providence which tries to separate itself from humanity as much as possible. They go on campaign after campaign throughout the world to rediscover our lost history and culture and will reject every form of development that can be seen as steaming from humanity.


    This makes the people of Findias take pride in their heritage more than anyone else, but it also makes them fiercer to those who are seen as an affront to that.


    So, half half-human, beastkin like myself was treated like trash. Especially after breeding with humans was no longer allowed under the law.


    Me and my mother were forced to stay in a raggedy hut by the edge of the city of Findias, and under no circumstances were we allowed to leave during the day.


    All I was allowed to do was watch the other kids play from afar and whenever I waved to them, they would throw stones at me which would shake our already rickety house.


    I looked essentially identical to a beastkin and bore no more human traits than others, but simply due to the fact that I had a human father during an era when it was unnecessary, I was locked away with my mother.


    So, I tried to receive all I couldn¡¯t get from others from her, but she hated me. She pushed me away and glared at me whenever I got close as if I was a parasite who existed the suck away all of her nutrients.


    But regardless of that she always fed me, even when her own stomach growled. So, I knew somewhere in her heart she loved me, and that kept me going because someday I knew she would finally be honest with her feelings.


    And as I grew older, she started to bathe me thoroughly and take care of my hair. Throughout my days I felt like nothing more than waste, but it was the first time I had felt pretty in any way, that I felt proud of my body that everyone hated.


    The days I finally wished for came, but they soon came to an end after Mom brought me to her work.


    My mother worked in one of the numerous underground areas within Findias, where those who hated humans more than anything could engage with kept slaves and beastkin who carried their blood.


    Seeing all of this I was scared as I felt I knew what was going to happen next, but my mother said, ¡°I have been here for years now providing for us, and now I need you to step up darling. Please repay the love I have shown you.¡±


    With a trembling smile, I look at my mother and say, ¡°I will.¡±


    The nights I worked there were long, and arduous, but the smile my mother had on her face after I returned home each night kept me going, so I kept making more and more money for us to survive on and gained joy that I was finally instrumental to someone, that my life actually mattered, that it was ok for me to be alive.


    But soon that came to an end as she vanished with all of the money I had saved.


    And my mind went crazy as I thought of why this would happen.


    Mother, don¡¯t you love me? Mother, didn¡¯t you want me? Mother, why did you leave me? Mother, I would have gone anywhere with you. Mother, you matter more than anything to me, did I not matter to you? Mother, for what reason am I alive now?


    I asked myself countless questions and could come to no answer on anything, so simply returned to work the next day.


    The joy I found within my mother was replaced by the feeling of acceptance I got from the men the nights I worked there. In the moments we lay together, these people who hated and despised me were at my mercy and that brought a smile to my face.


    But at the end of it all they would still all leave after they satisfied their desire. They had limited my life in countless ways and at the end of it all shaped me into a person who still needed them to feel powerful, to feel like I was alive.


    I was truly never in control, just deluded myself that the role they forced onto me was something that gave me power.


    But I continued even after I realized this because if I lost that lie my life would end, and I couldn¡¯t deal with that.


    Yet it seems Danu, or the Messiah still hadn¡¯t given up on me as one day two men came into our establishment. One was a frequent visitor and the other was his older brother.


    The younger introduced me to the older and he said, ¡°Please take care of him.¡±


    Grabbing the elder hands, I say, ¡°My name is Minabr¨®d and I will love to look after you tonight.¡±


    The man looked embarrassed then said, ¡°My name is Cambell and I hope I will be enough for a woman such as yourself.¡±

 Arc 10.112: Ferdiad part 4

    He was a rough and harsh man who cared only for himself the entire night. I had learned to wait through it when it came to people like him with a smile.


    He mumbled countless things to inflate himself as many others did, and I just responded with confirmation and an accepting face as I always did, but then he randomly came to a stop and asked me one question, ¡°Am I better than my brother?¡±


    The face he gave me as he said this wasn¡¯t one of arrogance or pride, it wasn¡¯t one of a man looking for some sick pleasure in taking the woman who his brother sees as property, it was that of a man who was one moment away from breaking down.


    Seeing his expression I was shocked to silence and didn¡¯t answer his question which caused him to tear up and say, ¡°I knew it, even in this moment I can still never beat him at anything.¡±


    He collapsed in on me and started crying. I don¡¯t know if it was the shock of the situation or an instinct buried deep within me, but when I saw this man cry like he had just reached his limit with life I felt my body move and I simply put my arms around him, then said, ¡°Everything will be alright.¡±


    I rubbed his back as he cried into my arms dampening my bedsheets, and soon he pulled his body back and began to talk. He told me all about himself, his family, his friends, his village, I think by the end of his rant I knew more about him than I knew about myself, and at the end of it all I held him and said, ¡°It is ok.¡±


    And he hugged me back, then said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The men who come here want to fulfil some sort of fantasy, some wish for power, some wish for love, some wish for connections, and very few solely wish for pleasure.


    And as people who aren¡¯t allowed to exist, we answer those fantasies by allowing them to become something they aren¡¯t during the day. But in that moment, I was the one in a fantasy, one of an object who was reminded she is a person.


    He came back to our establishment the next day, and the next, and the day after that, and every single time he came we talked and talked. He had no guard around me, no shield, all of his fears, thoughts, insecurities, and weakness were all open and freely handed to me.


    I learned how horrible his brother was. Despite many people seeing him as a charming man he engaged in far more depraved things than Cambell but was far better at hiding them.


    I learned that Cambell was a bastard and his father resented him for it, so he made great efforts to try to skip over the laws of Gorias where all children must get an inheritance and give it only to the younger of his two children by constantly attacking Cambell¡¯s character.


    Even his bringing Cambell to our establishment was merely a way to taunt him over the fact he could get away with things that Cambell could never dream of.


    I felt warm and fuzzy inside as if someone lit a fire in my soul. So, I spoke back telling him all about myself even what happened to my mother, and my life so far.


    ¡°I am sorry if my simple life was as boring compared to yours, but I can tell you some of the stories of the other people her-.¡±


    My words come to an end as I notice the tears that fall from his eyes, and I say, ¡°Huh why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°It just sucks so much that people could hurt someone like you.¡±


    ¡°I have half human blood it is only natural.¡±


    ¡°NO! Unlike everyone else you were compassionate and kind to me, you listened to me instead of writing me off as a crazy person, for that I am sure you are far more aligned with the ideal Danu had for her children than any member of the red branch.¡±


    Sentences like that are easy to make up and throw out, I have been given countless compliments by men who simply want to pretend we have a connection before they toss me away, but the words he said to me right now I know for a fact that he meant them, and right now I know that I love him.


    Grabbing his face, I planted a kiss on his lips then I pushed him down and said, ¡°You never finished.¡±


    That night was the first time I ever truly wanted to be with someone out of my own free will. Not because of money, and not because of obligation, and what truly fulfilled me was that he wanted to be with me.


    And as he kept coming to be with me each night, I had become intoxicated by the feelings that he gave me, and didn¡¯t want to let them go, so I did a bad thing.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    I knew him insane and out far better than anyone else and I knew how he would react if he became a father, so I intentionally didn¡¯t take preventative measures, and soon I told him, ¡°I am pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Is it mine?¡±


    ¡°You come so often that I don¡¯t even have customers outside of you.¡±


    He grabs me and says, ¡°I promise you I won¡¯t allow you to be harmed again, and I promise I won¡¯t allow this child to experience the hell our parents put us through.¡±


    He held me that day, and I cried as I felt that the fantasy I had been living had finally become reality.


    He bought me from the establishment using portions of his land as collateral, and then he brought me home to stay as his wife.


    Cambell decided from that point on to work harder and harder so he could overcome his brother. He did whatever was necessary to fix his reputation. He spent hours working with the rest of his community and found ways from those around him to cultivate the land he was given, so he could catch up to his brother.


    He spent nights awake beside me studying, and when I asked, ¡°Why are you pushing yourself so hard?¡±


    He responded, ¡°Because you have saved this life from turning into nothing, and I will use it for you from now on.¡±


    Soon Ferdiad was born, and our family grew even bigger bringing more happiness and motivation to both our lives, and for some time it looked like things would be turned around and our situation would change.


    But that year as the harvest came from the land Cambell was tasked with carrying for, we were created with a blood bath. The soil had been infected with maneater parasites and the plants became maneaters around the time of harvest.


    They attacked the families on the land we looked after, and we had to ask his father for help to destroy them, which eventually led to us having to burn the soil and dig up most of our land to remove their roots under it.


    It was a critical setback that we didn¡¯t recover from, and later that day Cian came to visit us.


    ¡°To think your failure would not only hurt the livelihood of your people but also bring an end to their lives. I have never felt more embarrassment than I have today.¡±


    With a desperate look in his eyes, Cambell says, ¡°Father I don¡¯t know how this happened I had taken proper precautions.¡±


    Niall says, ¡°Well Maneaters could easily sneak into one''s soil and remain dormant for years, so even if the maneaters didn¡¯t appear this year they could have appeared during your era of incompetence.¡±


    My husband dropped his head to the ground as he understood the validity of the words spoken to him and said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°A mere sorry won¡¯t bring all of the dead back to life, and if you think it would you are even dumber than I thought you were. Cambell from this moment I strip you of your inheritance.¡±


    I still remember the look on his face that day. It made the sadness and despair he had when we first met seem like a simple mood swing. He felt like a man who had died endless times and had lost hope in life.


    So, I held him and the baby Ferdiad in my arms did as well while saying, ¡°Daddy.¡±


    He snapped out of it and held us back, and if it wasn¡¯t for Ferdiad at that moment I would have lost everything again.


    We had lost our rights to the land we lived in, and my husband¡¯s reputation had become significantly worse making finding a job harder than ever in the land.


    And during a moment when we were mere days away from thinking of leaving Tir na n-iontas, his brother came up to us and said, ¡°Regardless of your failures you''re still blood to me, and I believe both you and your future children should be allowed to stay on this land, and I will make sure to give you enough where you and your children could live however you want.¡±


    Cambell gritted his teeth and held his fist tight as if he was about to punch his brother, but stared at me and Ferdiad then said, ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±


    I loved him more than anything as he did to me, so I made sure that even after the hell he had suffered each day I would stand beside him, that I would be his safe haven.


    But each day he worked there I knew his brother was using it as an opportunity to mock him and abuse him. Still, the money was too good for him to risk moving elsewhere when he had us to look after.


    So, I fought for him.


    I went up to his brother and slapped him in the dead of the night saying, ¡°You are nothing but a monster who doesn¡¯t even deserve all he had been given.¡±


    Rubbing his cheek, Niall says, ¡°It was my brother''s foolishness of the years he was without you that caused him to fail, not me and you better remember that.¡±


    ¡°So, what!? He has changed and is trying better, yet you use this as an opportunity to mock him?¡±


    ¡°What of it? Does changing now change that past? You will never have control of how your past mistakes affect your future now, and even a child knows that.¡±


    Putting his hand in my hair, Niall says, ¡°But others will always have the ability to mitigate those mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Let go of me.¡±


    Bringing me closer he says, ¡°You do realize I had you long before my brother did, never forget you were on loan, and repaying that loan might decrease your husband''s suffering.¡±


    I hated Niall, much more than anything else in this world, but I loved the smile my husband had coming home from work recently than even that hatred.


    What I did was a disservice to myself, Niall''s wife, Ferdiad, my husband and worst of all to you Minagrain.


    Cambell started to ack stranger and stranger by the day. The looks he gave to Minagrain were one of investigation, and the looks he gave to me had a lack of emotion behind them.


    Minagrain looks like me more than anyone else, so he can¡¯t know, he couldn¡¯t know. But no matter how much I told myself this I knew Cambell wasn¡¯t stupid.


    He started drinking, more and more and despite his reputation improving, it took a clear hit on his health and mind, so I asked him, ¡°Cambell please you need to stop this.¡±


    He ignored me, so I tried to grab the bottle out of his hands, but he knocked me away and onto the floor causing a loud thud to move through the house.


    I stared up a my husband on the floor as the kids rushed towards me, and he looked at himself with horror and then ran out of the house, and later I found out he had run all the way to Niall¡¯s house.

 Arc 10.113: Ferdiad part 5

    I sent the kids to bed and stayed awake all night waiting for him in our bed, eventually, he strolled back in, and I instantly moved towards him.


    Cambell was covered in wounds, so I ran up to him and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    As I came up to him, I grabbed whatever I could see to put over his wounds, but he shouted, ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH ME!¡± And swiped me away.


    Then he got up and started walking.


    ¡°Cambell, please let me help you!¡±


    ¡°If you want to help me, stay away and keep your daughter away from me as well. The only reason you get to stay here is because I need you so that my wage stays up, Ferdiad future is all that matters now.¡±


    I freeze and stop momentarily, then say, ¡°Minagrain is your-.¡±


    He throws a bowl at the floor beside me then says, ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me anymore, or I might just kill you.¡±


    Cambell moves into our room and locks the door, and I just move beside it then start to cry while whimpering, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Our days got harsher from then on.


    Minagrain and Ferdiad came into the house crying daily, and whenever I asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ferdiad with tears formed in his eyes, would say, ¡°Everyone kept bad-mouthing dad, and calling us names.¡±


    Minagrain crying uncontrollably says, ¡°Mommy, everyone is avoiding me!¡±


    All I could do was hold them both to ease the pain they had been subjected to.


    As I walked through the land, I heard many words spoken against me and my children, but one that stood out was, ¡°Whore.¡±


    How much did they know? How did they know? Who told them?


    I had asked myself these questions, but I knew deep inside who told them, but at the end of the day I couldn¡¯t do a single thing about it because he had control over our livelihood.


    I spent nights with him but knowing that the sadness that I had once wanted to rid my husband of had come back, I couldn¡¯t bear it anymore, and to Cambell, I asked him, ¡°Do you want to leave the village?¡±


    He ignores my words and continues to eat, so I say, ¡°I have heard that some plantations are understaffed so maybe we could go. There have also been many different openings for workers to come to colonies we have set up around the world, so maybe we could migrate.¡±


    As if I am insignificant, he says, ¡°You really want to go and fuck other men that badly?¡±


    I look at the beside us on the table who have rather shocked expressions and say, ¡°Dear that isn¡¯t the type of thing to say with our children in front of us!¡±


    He slams his fist on the table and says, ¡°WELL IF THE TRUTH IS HARD TO HERE DON¡¯ T BRING UP STUPID THINGS!¡±


    Minagrain starts to cry and says, ¡°Mommy, daddy don¡¯t fight.¡±


    Cambell shouts at Minagrain, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    She controls herself out of fright then he says, ¡°Can¡¯t even control your daughter and you somehow think we could even afford to get all the way to the colonies or plantations without you paying for it with your body.


    If you want to go and sleep with other men so much that you would risk damaging Ferdiad¡¯s future prospects by raising him outside of the Tir na n-iontas is truly a question, then your desires have clearly overtaken your mind.¡±


    Lowering my head, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be with that man anymore, I want to stop and start anew with you.¡±


    Cambell gets up and slaps me right onto the ground, then he shouts, ¡°THEN YOU SHOULDN¡¯T HAVE STARTED THIS!¡±


    Ferdiad grabs his father and says, ¡°Dad please stop this.¡±


    He pushes him away, and says, ¡°Ferdiad I need to teach you a lesson now, and it is how to keep a beast like this woman in line.¡±


    With fury in his eyes, Cambell moves over to me and then starts to hit me again and again, while saying, ¡°Woman like her trick you into giving you their hearts so they can drain you of everything you are, and when you¡¯re at your lowest they will just continue to stab, stab, and stab you.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Why can¡¯t I have one person in this life who trusts in me? Who respects me? Who wants to actually just be honest with me? I have only ever asked to be loved, but my father couldn¡¯t, my brother couldn¡¯t, my community couldn¡¯t, and now even my wife couldn¡¯t!¡±


    Minagrain runs to Cambell and hugs him, then says, ¡°Daddy, I love you, more than anything. I think you are amazing, so please stop hurting Mommy and yourself!¡±


    Cambell stares at her then with a furious backhand smashes her away into the wall.


    I start to crawl over to Minagrain and as I do, Cambell shouts, ¡°YOU¡¯RE A BASTARD! NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE YOU; THEY WILL FIND REASONS TO HATE YOU FOR BEING BORN, SHAME YOU FOR BEING BORN, CONTROL YOU FOR BEING BORN, AND THEN TOSS YOU AWAY AFTER RIPPING YOU TO PIECES, THEY DON¡¯T CARE FOR THE DAMAGE THEY DO TO YOUR HEART AND JUST EXPECT YOU TO GET ON WITH IT! LIKE YOU¡¯RE SOME MULE BORN TO AMUSE THEM.¡±


    I reach Minagrain but she is transfixed on Cambell and despite not saying a single thing she breathes in and out like she has just run all across Gorias.


    ¡°Daddy, but I still want to be your family.¡±


    Gripping his fist, Cambell says, ¡°Minagrain one thing I will tell you is that, unlike others who were born out of love, people like you and me can only be born out of sadness, we are underserving of love, and you should remember that. Nothing that comes out of your mouth, or any action you take will change the fact that as long as we try, we will fail others, in the end, all of the failures of this world are our fault. These words are the only warmth I have left for you.¡±


    Cambell went away for that night, and Minagrain cried tears so intense that I felt like she was moments away from dying.


    Our lives got worse from then on. Cambell was mocked more each day, Minagrain and Ferdiad were bullied more each day, and the beatings increased with the days.


    He lost the restraint he had previously and didn¡¯t even care if the kids were around, he even made an effort to make them watch as I was viscously battered day in and day out.


    My face always took the worst of it, as if he was trying to use hurting something his brother wanted as a way to spite him, so I took it, I let him continue as a way to at least comfort him in that.


    But I forgot how this would affect my kids. Soon Minagrain had lost her ability to say anything and was left a mute, which enraged Cambell even further.


    I think somewhere in his mind he simply couldn¡¯t handle the fact that he pushed Minagrain to such an extent, so he decided to take things out on her as well. His attacks landed on her just as much as me, and Ferdiad watched with tears in his eyes all the time.


    I failed my daughter and allowed her to become mute, I failed my son and pushed him to try and kill Cambell, and I failed my husband by turning him into a monster. If I had never left where I was, they would all be so much happier.


    But still, fortune shined on us and we were rescued we were saved, and now I can walk through the streets of my village with my head held high.


    And as I do the people wave at me and walk up to me looking for my favour.


    ¡°How are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard from your kids?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Setanta come around, you need to get Minagrain to lock him down.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell Ferdiad our harvest this year will be amazing, here have some of the early goods.¡±


    The faces around me smile and radiate joy, the same faces that looked at me with disgust and abandoned me during my harshest times, those who called me such vile insults that one¡¯s tongue would rotten just by saying them.


    Turning to all of them, I say, ¡°Thank you all for how good you have been to my family and for accepting me.¡±


    They all stare back at me with joy, and I feel a warmth within my soul. Ahh yeah, this is it, this is what I love more than anything.


    So, I talk to them, hug them, and say goodbye to all of them then return home, but not before staring into where Niall¡¯s house was and seeing the ragged building that remains of it.


    -Break-


    Location: Minabr¨®d¡¯s home


    Entering my house, I drop the items I have been given on the counter, then move towards a trap door on the floor, and open it.


    I walk downstairs, and eventually, I reach a small underground basement, which has only a small bump on the ground engraved with blood, and a single candle in the room.


    Moving up to the bump, I lay against it and say, ¡°Cambell, it was another fun day today.¡±


    Kissing his bump, I say, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even be able to believe it if you were still here, but your son owns all of this land now. He had bought it from Niall¡¯s wife after Lugh put him to death by lashing.


    It is everything you have ever dreamed of in a world where your son stands on top, and has great success. Though he still hates you, I think one day I will be able to turn him around.


    On that note, Minagrain apparently had a little scuffle with Setanta and got to meet Sc¨¢thach who gave her some advice so now everything should be fine for her.


    My little girl has finally found a man for her, and he is such a great one as well. I guess my beauty really did pass onto her, what a little munchkin. Though this doesn¡¯t mean our little boy isn¡¯t handsome as well, and hear this, apparently, he found a girl he likes. We may soon be grandparents.¡±


    I talk to Cambell about whatever I can, my day, my family, my friends, even in death, and I plan to do it for the rest of my life. I have failed you in so many ways but at the very least let me stay by your side today.


    It¡¯s funny, even in moments like this I still feel like the world belongs to just the two of us, and it truly fills my life with light.


    Suddenly I hear, ¡°What is this?¡±


    Turning myself to the entrance, I see Ferdiad, and then I say, ¡°You didn¡¯t notify me of your arrival,¡± with a shocked expression.


    Ferdiad instantly turns around and runs out, so I chase behind him saying, ¡°Wait Ferdiad, I can explain.¡±


    Name: Ratatoskr


    Height: 30 cm


    Type: Herbivorous, Wonderbeast


    Description: A squirrel-like wonderbeast with two tails, its fur is usually multiple colours, and it has two fluffy horns composed of hair on top of its head that make a jingle sound as it moves. It has the ability to turn it¡¯s body into extremely thin fibres and move them through the wind, but it can only do this for a little amount of time before it reverts, to many this ability looks like it can control its hair.


    Fact:  It has been noted throughout history that this wonderbeast may be the most protected species. During times when humans or greater predators come to the area it uses its sly body to warn all of the other Fauna in the area to run.


    Due to this ability almost all animals have adapted to find their taste disgusting to discourage them from being eaten. Their only natural predators are humans.

 Arc 10.114: Ferdiad part 6

    Once we exit the staircase, he stops and takes many deep breaths as if he is about to collapse, and says, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because-.¡± My tongue starts to feel tied, and I lose the ability to say anything.


    So Ferdiad says, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know we had an area like this. You had to have had it custom built, and you used it, for a man like that! A man who hates you and beats you, he is a demon wearing human clothing!¡±


    ¡°NO! That is not true, your father didn¡¯t do anything wrong I did.¡±


    ¡°DID HE BEAT THE SENSE OUT OF YOU! Mother, he tried to kill you, kill me, kill Minagrain? Does this not make sense to you, he is a coward who allowed his brother to use you like a tool and then complained about it!¡±


    ¡°How do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t a fool Mom; I watch and listen to see why my parents started hating each other. I know Mom, I know about Minagrains birth, and I am sure she does as well.¡±


    ¡°It was my fault for sleeping with that man.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain him trying to kill both me and Minagrain. If he hated you, he could just leave! But instead, he chooses to destroy you and us every day!¡±


    Grabbing him, I say, ¡°Ferdiad he isn¡¯t like that, you really got to listen to who he really is.¡±


    ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t care. It isn¡¯t like you own this house anyway, it is my home, and I get to choose what happens with the money I built and he won¡¯t be buried anywhere on my land.¡±


    Ferdiad moves and starts to head to the storage house, and I chase after him saying, ¡°Ferdiad what are you doing?¡±


    I put my hand on him, but he swats it away, and says, ¡°Get off of me!¡±


    He quickly grabs a spade and then moves at speeds I can¡¯t keep up with back into the house, so I start to run.


    ¡°No, no, no, no! It¡¯s my fault so please don¡¯t hate your father!¡±


    I reach the underground, and there  I see with a furious expression on his face Ferdiad is digging up his father, and soon he reaches deep enough to drag out his skeleton.


    But as he reaches to touch the skeleton, I push him out of the way and hug Cambell, which causes Ferdiad to say, ¡°Why mom, just why?¡±


    ¡°Because I love him.¡±


    ¡°But, I love you.¡±


    ¡°But what you give me, and what he does are different, the only reason I get to do anything is because of him, and I ruined him. So Ferdiad I simply can never allow myself to part from him. If I do, I would be the most fiendish demon in all of existence.¡±


    Ferdiad grips his fist tightly and raises his spade as if he is going to throw it at me, so I close my eyes and hold Cambell but I soon hear the spade drop, and Ferdiad says, ¡°Mom, you truly disgust me.¡±


    Looking at Ferdiad, I see he is just a mere moment away from tears, and his face mirrors Cambell''s despair to such an extent that I feel like I am thrown into the past.


    ¡°You know I always wondered why you ignored my requests to flee, and the answer is simply because you are self-serving, you care so much about what he gives you that you don¡¯t care about who else gets hurt. You pretend to love me as much as it benefits you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±


    ¡°IT IS! And no matter what you say it will always be, because the fact that you should choose to be with that man shows you''re nothing but a coward who asks her children to be stronger than her, instead of being a mother.¡±


    Ferdiad cries, and says, ¡°I just wanted someone to rely on, someone who I knew was working in my best interests. But I couldn¡¯t even find that from you, before or even now.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad, tell me what¡¯s bothering you, I will always listen,¡± I say desperately trying to get my feelings across.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter Minabr¨®d, because I can never trust someone like you. Bye.¡±


    Ferdiad runs away, and I go after him, but he is so fast I can¡¯t keep up, and eventually, I fall onto my face.


    As he runs away, I reach out, and say, ¡°PLEASE COME BACK!¡±


    I know I am weak; I know I am a coward, I know I can only live through underhanded means. But Ferdiad at the very least I want to be there for you, I didn¡¯t ever want you to know what it means to be alone in this world.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¦µ No one, not a single person truly believes in me. Even my own mother would rather choose him over me, can I not have one truly fair relationship in my life?


    Behind me, I hear my mother cry and say, ¡°Ferdiad I couldn¡¯t have left with you, because if I did a monster like me would have put you through even worse! I am sorry, but please trust me, because I LOVE YOU! So please don¡¯t leave me, please stay with me!¡±


    I stop for a moment, then I grip my fist and keep running directly into the distance until I fall to the floor and punch the ground yelling from the depths of my soul.


    But then I feel someone hug me from behind, and a voice I truly didn¡¯t want to hear says, ¡°It will all be alright.¡±


    And she rubs my head again, and again. At that moment I feel no different than when I was a child.


    -Break-


    ¦µ I have always felt inferior, ever since I was a little boy. When me and my people were locked up and kept in cages, I couldn¡¯t fight back to protect my family from being separated, but worse than that due to my physical condition I couldn¡¯t even work, so they tossed me aside like garbage.


    I spent my days laying in the rest of the animal waste they had packed away to be disposed of, and looking onwards at the humans who had control of our people, I cried to myself as I wished more than anything to be able to do something, to help my people, to help myself.


    But I was a man who couldn¡¯t even walk, to the humans I was scum, and to my people I was baggage. So, all I could do was cry my tears away day, after day, until my eyes got infected by my surroundings.


    I had lost all faith in myself, and in my mind, I was no different than the animal waste that covered my body, but still, someone reached out to me someone grabbed from that waste, a human.


    He dragged me to his house, he wiped my body of all the rotten substances on it and fed me food. So, I asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    It was a stern old man who had taken me, his face looked opposed to the idea of happiness, and the words he said reflected that, ¡°All of the slaves I needed were too expensive, so I will be taking you instead.¡±


    ¡°But for what reason do you need me?¡±


    The man picked me up and flung me over his shoulder, then plotted me on a chair in a different room, and said, ¡°I need you to help me with this.¡±


    Looking around the house I see different kinds of jewellery and other types of decorated objects, and within the room are many different humans and beastkin working.


    So, I ask, ¡°Did you guys make all of this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we did. And we are short-staffed, so you''re joining us as well.¡±


    A Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan then shouts, ¡°We aren¡¯t short-staffed, your goals are just too damn big.¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up or I will come over there and kick your ass.¡±


    ¡°TRY IT INVADER, LET¡¯S SEE WHICH ONE OF US ENDS UP IN THE GROUND.¡±


    ¡°No respect.¡±


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°But how am I going to help?¡±


    ¡°With your hands obviously.¡±


    Lower, my head, I say, ¡°But just look at my body, my legs don¡¯t work, my muscle mass is almost non-existent, and the only thing I know how to do is talk, I couldn¡¯t ever make anything like this?¡±


    ¡°This dramatic nonsense is why I hate kids. Listen up, the only thing that matters here is your ability to work and help me accomplish my dream, the rest of your nonsense can go fuck itself. I don¡¯t care for anything other than your determination to learn skills and the creativity in your mind, so if you doubt yourself based on any other reason, I will smack you, got it. You can do this.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but those words my me cry again, and he said, ¡°What this now, can¡¯t you just behave?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I just can¡¯t stop.¡±


    From that day I worked for him, a human known as Konrad.


    He spent months on end teaching me how to work, and was stern whenever I messed up, yelling, ¡°AGAIN!¡±


    So many times, that I thought it might be the only words he could utter from his mouth. He had a mountain of expectations for me and wouldn¡¯t allow me to fall short of them, but I loved that my existence could receive such expectations.


    I practise, and practised, and practised some more until the day I finally finished my first project a ring, and said, ¡°It¡¯s done I finally did it!¡±


    I jumped for joy of my seat, and quickly fell to the ground as I couldn¡¯t use my legs, and after being brought back onto my chair, I say, ¡°Now we just need to engrave your initials, Konrad.¡±


    ¡°No, we will engrave yours.¡±


    ¡°But aren¡¯t we working for you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you did it for me, you were the one who made it and anyone who ever holds it should know that. So, enough talk and just take it for yourself.¡±


    Konrad engraved my initials into that day, and said, ¡°This is your first completed work, so keep it on your person at all times Culainn.¡±


    Holding it tightly I say, ¡°I WILL!¡±


    The days continued on, and I learned lots of things from Konrad and my fellow workers. I had always thought working under the humans would be hell, but everyone always had a smile on their faces.


    We would spend hours making up designs and putting them to practice and talked about how we were going to make something so beautiful that the world would turn upside down.


    Though some days, Konrad would say, ¡°You¡¯re all working too hard, go take a break!¡±


    And we would go to the nearest river and play, and on one particular day, I asked him, ¡°Why do you do this?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean it pays well; I believe, but I don¡¯t know why you work like this.¡±


    Konrad rubs his chin, and says, ¡°Down in the south around the middle of Terrafide, there is this mural known as the sept perfections. It is a beautiful piece of craftwork that distorts the world around it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Apparently, it was so beautiful that the human god, the messiah blessed it with a miracle. To each eye that views it on each day, it looks different. It is a piece of work that transcended the very laws of the world, and simply laying eyes on it will increase one''s soul, or at least that¡¯s what Cordum passed down in my village.¡±


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t even know if it exists or not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but I believe the words of Cordum. I have a dream, and it is to make something that will receive the same blessing as that piece of artwork did. And for that ,I need many different perspectives and masteries to do it.


    Just like all the other empires that humanity has built,t I am sure this one we live in will fall someday, so I have a dream to pass on this desire and one day I hope one of my students or their descendants will keep the dream alive, and we will one day build it.¡±


    ¡°Then I will keep that dream alive for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that.¡±


    Picking me up, he says, ¡°Now it is time for you to go and play with everyone else.¡±

 Arc 10.115: Serlasracht part 1

    With Konrad, I spent years working and learning all he had to offer along with my peers. Inside that workshop we were not human and slaves, we were not strong and weak, we were equals with one another and for the first time in my life I could laugh alongside others.


    Our little family continued to grow because after every sale Konrad would bring another slave or human to our workshop, and say, ¡°This is our new member, work them to death.¡±


    Each of them where completely different than the last, but despite all of their differences they all had one similar trait, the fact that their eyes looked like they had given up on life.


    Despite his demeanour, and harsh tongue Konrad was a man who was as soft as a cloud, and all of us wished we could have laid on it for the rest of our lives.


    But peace is something easily taken from someone, and in exchange all that is left is chaos.


    Many didn¡¯t like the idea that so many of us slaves were being brought to a place where they weren¡¯t under watchful eyes, and our animal traits started showing from eating fauna our beastlike qualities incubated their hatred even more.


    Soon all of this bubbled over, and one night Konrad came up to our sleeping chambers and yelled, ¡°EVERYONE GET UP RIGHT NOW!¡±


    His voice was fierce and shaky as if all of the confidence he had always projected had vanished. It made me feel terror for the first time since I had entered here.


    ¡°Each of you needs to get dressed and run as far as you can. I have an escape route at the backside of the workshop. If you go through there I am sure with your animal-like abilities none of you would ever be caught.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I ask.


    ¡°Some people are coming to confiscate the lot of you, so I need you all to go now!¡±


    We had all started moving around to follow his instructions but when we heard that, we all stopped and I said, ¡°We aren¡¯t going anywhere then.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane!?¡±


    ¡°If we go, I am sure something will happen to you, so we won¡¯t move a single inch.¡±


    Konrad picks me up, holds me by my throat and says, ¡°You pieces of filth need to stop right there, if you think for a moment I want the property I bought and sold to try and care for me you¡¯re mistaken.


    I only value you due to your skill and am doing this so I don¡¯t need to train any more new workers. Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, and just follow orders like the slave you are!¡±


    ¡°Konrad, I have made far more mistakes than the number of times you have blinked in your lifetime, yet despite that you never threw me out. Every single time I needed something you had to pause your work to get it for me because I couldn¡¯t walk.


    Not to mention the number of times you have picked me up similar to this to take me to the toilet in the middle of the night no matter how tired you looked without saying a word.


    You can say all of the harsh words you want, but just as we judge an artisan off their work, not their words, I will do the same with you. So please just let us be taken.¡±


    All of the beastkin in the room grab a hold of Konrad and hug him in rebellion against his wishes. So, he slams me to the ground pulls out a sharp blade, and cuts off one of his fingers which causes me to scream, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING!¡±


    ¡°Every minute I don¡¯t see you animals moving, I will remove a finger from my hand.¡±


    ¡°But what about your work?¡± Another beastkin says.


    ¡°Please stop that or you will lose your dream!¡± Another beastkin says.


    ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE! NOW HURRY UP OR ANOTHER ONE COME OFF!¡±


    As he pushes the blade against his finger, we all start to pack our things and I feel tears form in my eyes.


    Soon enough all of us had run through the back, and on the back of one of the taller beastkins I ask, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have left all of the humans behind.¡±


    ¡°What other choice did we have Culainn, this is all we can do.¡±


    We ran as far as we could, and eventually, we noticed a bright light in the dark of the night. A fire had been started at the workshop which caused many of us to lose strength, but then one of the bat beastkin said, ¡°Horses are on their way and a lot of them at that. WE NEED TO MOVE!¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Many of us had lost our strength long ago, but still, Mason whose back I am on says, ¡°EVERYONE IF WE DIE HERE WHO WILL REMEMBER THEM? WHO WILL REMEMBER ALL OF YOUR FAMILIES BEFORE THEM? LIVE ON EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!¡±


    Building the last of their strength everyone starts to run as fast as they can away from the horses, but they are too quick and catch up to us in mere minutes.


    The humans riding them with blades in hand swing towards Mason, so he throws me onto the next beastkin and says, ¡°You always had the most brilliant mind out of any of us.¡±


    Another beastkin catches me and Mason is struck down.


    The humans continue to chase after us and the process Mason started continued. Every single time one of my family is cut down they toss me to the next one and refuse to stop.


    I plea, ¡°Please just let me die, I am a dead weight, a half-man!¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°You are the youngest here, what kind of cowards would we be if we let you die.¡±


    ¡°I hate this, but I hate seeing you die more.¡±


    ¡°You have inherited the most of Konrad''s will.¡±


    ¡°We will continue to live on within you.¡±


    ¡°I am sure that one day you will make some beautiful pieces for us all.¡±


    ¡°You were born lesser than us but still surpassed us. You truly are amazing Culainn.¡±


    This process continues until I am the only one left on the ground. So, I started to crawl in a pathetic fashion, in a way that lacked all forms of dignity, but I had to live, I needed to make sure all of my friends'' deaths had meaning.


    But I was slow, and the humans mocked me as I crawled forward, but despite the stain on my pride, or the mud I crawled through, I didn¡¯t let it break me because my life wasn¡¯t mine alone.


    Bored of their game they came to finish me off, but in that moment a single beastkin appeared and finished them all off.


    He was a normal lion beastkin with a completely tattered mace and a happy expression on his face.


    He reached out his hand towards me, and said, ¡°My name is Fergus, what¡¯s yours?¡±


    Grabbing his hand, I say, ¡°Culainn.¡±


    That day Fergus brought me back to his base, and that day I met the resistance of a beast who had come back after years of training to defeat the humans.


    The first ten warriors who had formed the red branch were led by a twelfth warrior named Fergus and his master Sc¨¢thach. They had told me of their battles, and their training.


    They even told me their future plans, and how they intended to hold a raid against the human capital.


    Fergus says, ¡°You see our weapons are not the best quality, and we heard there was a workshop near the forest with a master craftsman, so we thought we could threaten him into making us some. But by the recount of your story, we were too late, I am sorry for the loss of your friends.¡±


    ¡°Do not be, all I ask for you to do for me I allow me to help you. I want to forge your weapons!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you are up to the task?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me you imbecilic. Within my mind are the works of men and women far greater than you, each and every one of them lives on inside me, and I will not stand for an insult to their ability.¡±


    Faol¨¢in, Laoch, and Fuinseog pin me to the ground, and Fuinseog says, ¡°How dare you talk to our king like that you lame man.¡±


    I completely ignore him and just stare directly at Fergus who says, ¡°I see a far stronger determination within you than I find within myself most days.¡±


    Taking a knee, he says, ¡°It would be an honour to have a weapon crafted from you.¡±


    He grabs my hand, and I grab his. That was the day I became friends with the hero king of the beastkin.


    Soon I started to work on weapons for each of them. I taught all of the troops they had in reserve how to make weapons, and soon for the army I had made high-quality spears for them each, with a special weapon made for the king.


    Holding the giant thick slab of metal in his arms, I say, ¡°Sturdy and unbreakable. It is currently unfinished but it should be strong enough to break down anything that stands in your way.¡±


    ¡°I like this, it suits me!¡±


    Soon after this the final battle took place and the beastkin toppled the humans and set up the empire of Louernia, and I was allowed to return to the workshop.


    But I found nothing except the burnt remains of the humans I had once thought of as family. That was the last day I can remember that I had cried tears because from that moment I had a mission to continue his dream.


    I went to Fergus and made a request, to which he responded, ¡°If that is all you want, I will give it to you. But in return, you must become something for me?¡±


    ¡°And what is that.¡±


    ¡°Become the eleventh family in the red branch.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    I had started the house of Serlasracht, and my gathered followers from all across the land to help me in my endeavour. Human or beastkin I didn¡¯t care.


    This sentiment made me deeply unpopular amongst the recently liberated beastkin, but I simply felt my dream was superior to all of their fears, to all of their worries.


    So, I continued on and worked, and worked, and worked. I developed many different beautiful pieces to one day reach the sept perfections on one hand, and on the other I made many weapons to be used to subjugate the humans.


    I had always wondered why Konrad never wanted to be close to us, but I think he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do such a thing while he was also responsible for our continued enslavement. Even if it was a horrible realization it made me happy, I could understand him more.


    Still, I didn¡¯t let any of this stop me and moved onwards in my life.


    I grew successful, had many students, found a woman to love, and had a daughter who I will always keep in my heart and soul. I had gained countless things that I never thought possible.


    But even in my old age, I had made a mistake. I had allowed him to join my workshop.


    Name: Skerlegh (Dumnorix¡¯s wonderbeast)


    Height: 8m


    Type: Carnivore, Wonderbeast


    Description: An arachnid-like wonderbeast, with eight long legs that have spherical ends that allow it to move around at high speed. From the center point of its eight legs is a single thin pillar of a body, and from the pillar, a giant chest plate lays on top of it, with a sharp thick metal-like mask acting as its face. From the chest plate, countless thing blades protrude like tree branches. Finally, it has a stringer like a scorpion attached to it¡¯s back which it uses to create different poisons it often coats its blades in


    Fact: To an ancient people it was once known as one of the twelve-star wonderbeasts, and it represented a never-ending will as it would chop up its target until they couldn¡¯t be seen by the eyes of those ancient people.

 Arc 10.116: Serlasracht part 2

    During our first invasion into the eastern continent our forces managed to push themselves incredibly far into the humans'' land completely decimating them beyond belief, but a few years into the destruction, the individual groups of humans united under one banner.


    It was unlike anything we had ever faced before, and soon the beastkin were forcefully pushed out of the eastern continent, and the humans even attacked into our land as retribution.


    This was the first giant loss the beastkin had ever faced, and the damage it did not only to our pride but to our people was immense, and on the war-thorn battlefields of our land, I found a young boy. He cried over the bodies of his parents, who had the animals aspects of their bodies craved out by the humans.


    I picked him up and asked, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Ciar¨¢n.¡±


    ¡°I see. Remember this Ciar¨¢n, from today you will never grieve like this again.¡±


    During this period, I had gone out to many different destroyed battlefields and had taken any of the beastkin children who were left without a family into my care.


    I trained them much like how Konrad trained us, and one of them showed greater skill and technique than all of the rest. Ciar¨¢n wasn¡¯t a genius but he dedicated more time and effort than anyone else as if his very life was in the balance.


    He was determined and had the results to show it and when I asked him, ¡°Why do you try so hard?¡±


    He said, ¡°I need to make weapons that are capable of defending you and crushing the humans.¡±


    Patting his head, I say, ¡°Remember weapons are merely an obligation we are made to make it isn¡¯t the point of what I am teaching you.¡±


    With a little bit of discomfort, Ciar¨¢n says, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    That was the first moment I should have noticed it, but I chose to be ignorant because I didn¡¯t want to imagine his hate could be so strong so fierce, and that a snake was using that to poison my life.


    As the war with the east started to intensify, the abuse of humans all throughout the empire did as well. The humans started to hear of the beastkin defeat, and to suppress any possible building dissent the humans were continually crushed in both body and spirit.


    The mood towards the humans had moved from pathetic creatures who could never hurt us, to conniving creatures who may use this sign of weakness to pounce.


    In a way many beastkin became scared of the humans they had seen below them, and this animosity started to spread to my workshop as well.


    My men who had been peacefully working with the humans in the workshop started to have increasingly bitter attitudes towards them, and the animosity started to become so tangible I could smell it.


    Soon my men came towards me and asked, ¡°Master please remove them from our house.¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Slightly irritated my men say, ¡°Master, we cannot trust them with all of your knowledge and techniques.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, you seem to think those humans who you have treated as family would use that knowledge against you.¡±


    ¡°But you can already see it in their current work, that their quality has been diminishing each day.¡±


    I flick the leader of the group in the forehead, and say, ¡°That¡¯s because of your horrible attitudes towards them that they cannot focus. It is called a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you need to cease such action. This should be the last I hear of this.¡±


    I had thought in my head addressing the complaints of those who came in front of me would have been enough, but silence isn¡¯t the same as a solution. All that locking their speech gave me was a false sense of security.


    Until one day it happened. I was dragged forward to the current high king Fergus, and I was told a horrible truth.


    ¡°Yesterday during a meeting by the former head of the house of Faol¨¢in, and the current heads of the house of Cathal, and the house of Cumhaill on the treatment of the humans throughout the kingdom because of our war east.


    An attack took place in which all three of them and many of their attendant were killed. It was by a rogue group of humans who wielded these weapons.¡±


    ¡°How? How is this possible!¡±


    Fergus struggles to speak, but then he manages to say, ¡°And I wish I didn¡¯t have to tell you about it this way, but your wife was one of the attendants to this meeting.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    His words move through my mind like a spear through my heart.


    Fergus throws the weapons in front of me, and I see the engravings on them, and I say, ¡°These are the symbols of the humans from my workshop.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my friend. Your students used the freedom you have given them to enact some sort of revenge against the beastkin.¡±


    Looking at the weapons, I say, ¡°This is nonsense, without a doubt none of them would ever do such a thing! Let me speak to them and get the truth about this situation.¡±


    Fergus says, ¡°They are all already dead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They had committed suicide and left a note removing you from any involvement with their crimes.¡±


    ¡°Impossible,¡± I say as my head hangs low in disbelief.


    Getting off his throne Fergus comes down to me, and says, ¡°This whole event will be kept under wraps as we cannot allow such an event to increase the amount of abuse the humans are getting currently, it would destroy productivity throughout the empire.


    But at the end of the day, someone needs to be punished, and regardless of whether you knew or not it was due to your actions that the humans were put in such a position. You may be a great hero my friend, but the deaths of red branch families are far too heavy to be pardoned.¡±


    Fergus looks like he is on the verge of tears as he says, ¡°You will be stripped of your title as head of a red branch family, rank of Ollamh, and will be forced to work hard labour in your given field for the next 20 years after which you will be put under a great number of restrictions in for the rest of your days.¡±


    I have nothing to say in response except, ¡°Can I please read the note they had left?¡±


    One of the members of the Fergus''a Coil says, ¡°You have no right to request anything.¡±


    Fergus stamps his foot and the entire castle shakes, then he hands me the note, and I read it.


    But as I go through it I realization comes to my mind. This isn¡¯t their handwriting.


    Many of the humans came from illiterate backgrounds and could only speak the saviour''s song. Almost every single written word they know is something I expressly taught them, and the language here has some words they shouldn¡¯t know how to spell.


    I instantly look over at the weapons, and quickly scan them with my eyes.


    Are those copies?


    Suddenly a series of information surges through my head as I am dragged out of the room, and as I leave the high king castle, I see a group of my men, and in that moment my eyes move to each and every one of them to see what how their expression look.


    Some look angry, some look sad, and my daughter looks like her heart is broken, but one in particular moves his face away from my gaze. Ciar¨¢n.


    The confrontational boy''s eyes completely move away from my gaze. And in that moment, it all makes sense to me.


    I never thought, I never even had an inclination that his wrath and furry could be so intense.


    I could say something and spare myself from all of this punishment, but I cannot bring myself to do it. I cannot bring myself to sell out one of my children.


    I was forced from that day to live in humiliation. I was forced to constantly create weapons and aid the druids in their research to create more and more new tools of war to be used against the humans.


    The days were tough and arduous, with the only thing keeping me going was the memory of the man my wife fell in love with, and the promise he made to one day see his daughter again.


    And when that time ended and I got to return home, I found out Ciar¨¢n had married my daughter and had taken over our house as her husband.


    I tried to speak with my daughter, but she denied me again, and again, saying, ¡°YOU ALLOWED MOTHER TO DIE! FOR THE SHAKE OF A FEW HUMANS!¡±


    She held power of the house and our land. She had full authority to ban me from ever coming back, so I had lost the only thing keeping me going and Ciar¨¢n had completely taken all I had.


    I spent many nights sleeping on the street, and the rage inside me kept growing more and more. I wanted to let everyone know and destroy him, I wanted to get my daughter and my house back.


    But I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do this because it was my fault. That boy who I took in that day had nothing except for me, and I take sole fault for raising him to become how he is.


    If only I was wiser, if only I was smarter if only I looked out more. I would have been able to fix his broken heart like I had done to countless tools, but I was too foolish, and too dazzled by my own dream to look at my students more often.


    I had lost everything. But one thing I still had was knowledge and will.


    I used all the knowledge I had gained to give private lessons to any who would take it while concealing my identity and got enough money to get myself a shop.


    And on the day, I opened it, I found a small wonderbeast that smelt like an old friend in my shop, which I used to ride around.


    I had lost my title and dream, but I still had the power to allow others to grow.


    I decided to take on students and passed on my skills to them all, and I was still able to impact the world even if it was ever so slightly.


    I wish I didn¡¯t lose all I had gained, but more than anything what I gained from all I did was the ability to go on. So, if I can give that to someone I will be fine.


    Staring at the family in front of me holding the decorated piece, I look to Setanta, and Aurelius then say, ¡°Another good job.¡±


    Putting his hands on my head, Setanta says, ¡°Of course, my work will never be bad.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°I actually did all of the work on this one. But you can claim it because I know how much you wished you were actually as good as me.¡±


    Setanta jumps on top of Aurelius¡¯s head and starts to chomp down on him, and as the rest of the beastkin quickly moves to stop them, all I can bring myself to do is laugh and say, ¡°Life can really always go back up.¡±


    Location: Dl¨²th castle, home of the house of Serlasracht


    ¦µ In my hands I hold my son, and say, ¡°How has your work progressed recently.¡±


    ¡°It is going fine, but still compared to my big brothers, I think it is trash.¡±


    Rubbing his head, I say, ¡°You are merely 10 years old, both of your brothers are grown men, don¡¯t allow it to bother you.¡±


    Suddenly one of the servants marches in, and says, ¡°My lord you have a guest.¡±


    ¡°I am with my son right now; do you think I care for any guest?¡±


    Suddenly Bricriu walks past the servant, and says, ¡°You don¡¯t have time for me?¡±


    I instantly compose myself, and say, ¡°Please go play with your mother.¡±


    Sensing my nervousness my son gets up and leaves the room with the servant, and I say, ¡°Bricriu is there anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing of the sort, I just came to talk to you. Is that not allowed now that you are no longer a kid?¡±


    ¡°No. You can come and talk to me whenever you want, it is only thanks to you that I was able to get everything off decades ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear Ciar¨¢n, but in regards to our prior deal there is something recently that has been added onto it.¡±

 Arc 10.117: Ell茅n Trechend part 1

    Sweating, I ask, ¡°What is it?¡±


    With a smile on his face, Bricriu says, ¡°Let¡¯s not start off with such a heavy topic. Right now, what interests me the most is that new brooch of yours, It looks nice.¡±


    This man truly is a pest, who I wish I could rid myself of, but right now he has quite a bit of power over me, so I might as well play along. ¡°Yes. I got me and my wife new gemstones from our 2<sup>nd</sup> eldest during his wedding, so I make it into ornaments for us.¡±


    ¡°They look quite pretty. Your son has a great eye.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°He has come an awfully long way before Br¨ªan used to struggle to keep up with other people socially, but he has grown enough to even get married. It brings tears to my old eyes.


    ¡°No one is prouder than me and my wife.¡±


    ¡°Though it would be a shame if all of it came crashing down.¡±


    I tense up, and say, ¡°I doubt anything could bring me down from this position in my life, especially since I have the untouchable snake at my side.¡±


    ¡°Well, even I have my limits when faced with the wrath of the high king.¡±


    ¡°The high king?¡± I say alarmed. ¡°Did he find out what happened all those years ago to C-.¡±


    Bricriu wraps his tail around my neck and says, ¡°You should watch what you say out loud Ciar¨¢n, you are getting complacent.¡±


    Calming down, I say, ¡°I am sorry please go on.¡±


    ¡°There have been eyewitness reports that Culainn has befriended Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, the son of Lugh.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one that is being said to be the next high king of the empire?¡±


    ¡°Exactly, and for some time, Culainn has been getting increasingly closer, and closer to Setanta. It reached a point where he would start ignoring all of his duties to spend time with him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anything Ciar¨¢n, I am merely relaying information I have seen.¡±


    My nerves start to run rampant, and I ask, ¡°So what are we going to do Bricriu.¡±


    ¡°We, aren¡¯t going to do anything since this isn¡¯t my problem.¡±


    Bricriu gets up, and as he does, I say, ¡°What do you mean? Ever since that day, I have made great efforts to support you in whatever you wish to do, I have even offered my children to yours.¡±


    Bricriu spins the cane he always carries in his hand, and then in the moment I blink he presses up against my neck pushing me into the chair.


    Struggling to breathe, I say, ¡°Please stop.¡±


    ¡°The young talent of Culainn who was poised to surpass him, but never did. You were once entertaining to me, as someone who had the resolve to even attempt such a plan.


    But since then, you have been so pathetic I don¡¯t even know what to say to you. Even now you have people out there looking for dirt on me so you can break off our bond like a coward.


    I thought a man of great will and strength was born on that day, but all I got is a coward is too cowardly to walk a path of forgiveness or domination. You are a man without will.¡±


    He pulls the cane off my neck, and I take the next few moments to regain my breath.


    ¡°You should have brought the blade to the neck of your enemies long ago, but instead your complacency has allowed a noose to tighten around your neck. Truly sad to see you go out like this. Take this as my final goodbye to our bond.¡±


    Bricriu moves to the door and leaves and as he does, I stare into the drool that has puddled on the floor as I tried to regain my breath. I stare into it and see the face of a powerless man.


    -Break-


    As I walk down the hallway of my castle, my mind goes crazy trying to process all of the information it has just been given.


    I knew Culainn moved to Gorias, but I thought he simply did it since it was the easiest place to live. But to think he has been sneakily using this time to get close to the next high king.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I have seriously underestimated him, and now everything in my life is at stake. What am I to do!?


    From behind me, I hear, ¡°Dear?¡±


    Turning around, I see my two adult sons and their wives, my teenage daughter, my little boy, and my wife holding our newest baby daughter.


    My little boy Brandon comes up to me and says, ¡°I saw sister flirting with a man!¡±


    My daughter Clara runs up and grabs my son and says, ¡°I wasn¡¯t he is a liar!¡±


    My oldest ¨¦amonn says, ¡°No need to be embarrassed, it is about time for you to start looking into a partner.¡±


    My Br¨ªan says, ¡°Me and ¨¦amonn have worked hard to be the heirs, so you can marry whoever you want Clara.¡±


    Clara blushes a bit, and says, ¡°I will take that to heart.¡±


    As the kids talk amongst themselves, my wife comes up to me and asks, ¡°Ciar¨¢n, is anything wrong?¡±


    Composing myself, I say, ¡°Nothing, I am just happy to see you.¡±


    I hug her and my children start to make mocking noises, and Brandon says, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have seen you two all in love like this.¡±


    ¡°He is right dear, how about we all go out on a trip soon?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I just think I would be fun, how about to the springs of the west? I have heard the volcanos have made the water heavenly.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, I will get to planning.¡±


    ¡°I also have some things to take care so I will see you all soon.¡±


    My wife grabs my hand and says, ¡°Please think before you act, so don¡¯t do anything stupid. I have only one man I can rely on in this life, so don¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    As I walk away, I grin to myself.


    Under Culainn''s rule, the House of Serlasracht was taking in abuse not only for their aversion to war, but also their love of humans, and I managed to not only pull them out of that but establish them as a family which cares for the longevity of the beastkin.


    His daughter''s life will never face danger, and his grandkids have all asserted themselves into the world and are poised for great futures. I have done nothing wrong and have only bettered the lives of all those within the house of Serlasracht.


    As I move, I feel a rustling in my chest and then reach my hand down my shirt to feel what is going on inside my clothes.


    Feeling something, I grab and pull it out, and in front of my eyes lays a note. Turning to its back, I see it has the Sealbh¨®ir family crest, and I say, ¡°Did Bricriu sneak this into my clothes?¡±


    It was probably when he had his cane to my neck.


    I open the note and quickly read it, then I smile and say, ¡°This truly is an amazing farewell gift, and I will make the most of it.¡±


    -Two weeks later-


    Location: Near the border of the providences of Findias and Murias


    ¦µ With all of the strength in his arm, Aurelius takes a little ball made of cloth and throws it into the distance, and running as fast as I can I grab it out of the air with my mouth.


    I then run over to him and drop it on the ground in front of him, and he rubs my head, whilst saying, ¡°Good boy Setanta, you caught that ball like a nice doggy.¡±


    I almost bark, but I quickly regain myself and put him in a headlock. ¡°You evil bastard! Using my instincts against me!¡±


    Laughing through the pain, Aurelius says, ¡°What did you expect me to do? When you said that you couldn¡¯t help but chase balls today, I had to try it.¡±


    I grip him tighter and say, ¡°This is like forcing a lame man to walk. Don¡¯t you dare try and use my biology against me!¡±


    I continue to tighten my grip then, I say, ¡°DIE!¡±


    As Culainn comes back towards us, Aurelius says, ¡°Help me!¡±


    Culainn wonderbeast runs into me, and he says, ¡°Can¡¯t they both you ever behave.¡±


    ¡°It was his fault,¡± I say barely holding back my rage.


    Smiling Aurelius says, ¡°You beastkin would be so adorable if you weren¡¯t so bloodthirsty.¡±


    ¡°I assure you that I will make a great effort to drink your blood after you pass away.¡±


    Angry Aurelius says, ¡°What a waste! At the very least use it as the broth to cook a lovely meal.¡±


    Culainn claps his hands and says, ¡°There will be no cannibalism you fools. And besides I have figured out where we are.¡±


    I quickly turn my head to our carriage which is broken by the bottom of a cliff, and I say, ¡°You should really learn how to ride better Culainn.¡±


    He grabs my face, and says, ¡°The only reason we fell off the cliff is because you wanted to chase one of the crows that shat on your face!¡±


    ¡°THEY DESERVE IT!¡±


    Culainn smashes my face into the ground, and says, ¡°I feel for Ferdiad.¡±


    ¦µ On the face of Setanta beside me a desolate, despair-filled expression appears, and I say, ¡°You said the forbidden words Culainn.¡±


    With a tough exterior Culainn says, ¡°He should stop acting like his wife just died every time we bring up Ferdiad.¡±


    With tears forming in his eyes, Setanta says, ¡°My future wife wants nothing to do with me. Minagrain.¡±


    Culainn with a worried expression starts to sweet, and I say, ¡°Don¡¯t worry everything will be fine. Just remember all of the happy faces of the people we have helped, just try and be like them.¡±


    Setanta despair becomes so intense that I swear he looks like a corpse.


    Culainn says, ¡°Grab Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I think I might have found something that could cheer him up.¡±


    I pick up Setanta and fling him across my shoulder, then as Culainn moves forward I walk behind him, and eventually we close to another cliff.


    And over that clift, I see a beautiful natural landscape, but in the middle of that landscape is what seems to be a colossal wonderbeast, that looks like it is also a building.


    I ask, ¡°What in god¡¯s name is that?¡±


    ¡°It is the Behemoth of Tir na n-iontas, Ell¨¦n Trechend. We use its body to serve as our store for all of the knowledge within Tir Na n-iontas.¡±


    Turning to Setanta, he says, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this look familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°It is the wonderbeast defeat by Amergin Mac Faol¨¢in, the founder of our house. Ever since their battle Ell¨¦n decided to stay in the border of Murias and Findias and serve as the store for the great warriors who had bested her.¡±


    With his eyes transfixed on the beauty Setanta, says, ¡°I never got to see it before now. But to think it would be so amazing.¡±


    Turning to Setanta Culainn says, ¡°We only have a few deliveries left, and they should be in around this area, why don¡¯t you use this time to go visit this place? I am sure it will serve great use to you in understanding your bond with your house more.¡±


    With a much more cherry expression, Setanta says, ¡°Thank you. But both of you should be safe.¡±


    ¡°We have been fine up till now, and at this point, your role as a bodyguard was essentially pointless. Everything will be fine so go enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    Setanta jumps off my back and races towards the wonderbeast, and I turn to Culainn and say, ¡°Let us get this over with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±

 Arc 10.118: Ell茅n Trechend part 2

    Location: The grand Library of Rathcroghan


    ¦µ As I land at the bottom of the hill, I stare at the wonderbeast known as the Ell¨¦n Trechand. A three-headed beast with wings made of copper red flowers that scatter throughout the area.


    It lies in the middle of a river with a large town built around it, and within it. The wonderbeast is completely integrated with the city, almost like it was made for this.


    Amazed by all of this I keep moving forward until I reach the main entrance, and standing outside it I say, ¡°Now what am I going to do first?¡±


    Suddenly one of the giant heads of the Ell¨¦n looks down at me and starts to scream, and the other two heads stretch from its body and come down right next to me.


    All those around Ell¨¦n and me have shocked expressions, and I prepare to hit the giant head of the 60-meter beast, yet I know it would be pointless to try.


    From each of its three heads, I see blood rush into their mouths that suddenly turns gold as it lights ablaze. I quickly prepare to move before I am set ablaze, but it quickly turns its head towards the sky and shoots three golden fireballs that explode.


    The head then pushes against me in a goofy fashion, and I say, ¡°Are you happy to see me?¡± while rubbing it.


    It soon pulls its heads back and returns to its former position, and I then look around to all of the faces looking at me, and say, ¡°YES IT IS I, THE DECENDANT OF AMERGIN HIMSELF, SETANTA ¨® FAOL¨¢IN!¡±


    Many of the people start to swarm me, and say, ¡°Are you really his descendant?¡±


    ¡°We have always wished the Faol¨¢in would visit our city!¡±


    ¡°Hey, could you bring Ellen¡¯s head close again, I would like to touch it as well?¡±


    ¡°What a handsome young man you are.¡±


    This is why I love travel. All the people around me tend to talk down to me and treat me like I am some agent of chaos, but when the lower class meet me, they treat me like what I truly am, the future king of GORIAS!


    ¡°Please come stay at my hotel young king of Gorias, I am sure we will be able to give you a wonderful stay.¡±


    ¡°Come eat at my shop, I am sure the food would be so delicious that you would never stop coming back.¡±


    ¡°Are you in need of servants, my children are amazing in that regard?¡±


    ¡°If you ever need some produce, I can assure you nothing is as nice as what you could get at my farm.¡±


    As they now start to pull and tug on me, I remember the other reason I hate this. I AM NOT A TOOL!


    I should fling them all off but there are so many people of different physical abilities huddled around me, that I don¡¯t know if I might accidentally kill someone. This is starting to get really annoying!


    I hear a voice say, ¡°ALL OF YOU BACK AWAY!¡±


    Then a group of boys in and around my age range circle around me, and with spears in hand start to press back all of the people surrounding me. Then a boy standing in front of them, says, ¡°Do you people even know who this is? Stay away!¡±


    All of the people start to disperse and then the boys all drop onto one knee and bow, then the boy in front walks up to me and says, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time my friend.¡±


    I sniff him a bit, and then I say, ¡°Oh aren¡¯t you, money is all I got going for me, and the stupid troop.¡±


    The boy in front of me has a bright smile in response to my insult as if it made him happy. Maintaining a creepy level of eye contact with me, he says, ¡°What a cute name. But no, I am Ruair¨ª ¨® ¨¦ire son of the king of Falias, and this is the boys'' troop, you know the ones from Emain Macha.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, the group that tried to assault my charioteer.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t the group it was only one particular member who has been severely punished for his action.¡±


    Ruair¨ª points to a beastkin who has all of the hair on his head shaved, and countless marks on his forehead. Looking directly at me, he smashes his head into the ground and says, ¡°Setanta, I do so apologise for my arrogance. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The boy brings his spear to his neck, and I kick him in the face onto the ground. ¡°Stop being annoying!¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Turning to Ruair¨ª, I say, ¡°Please control your men!¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°What are you talking about they are your soldiers first and foremost, did you forget after you defeated us, we became your group and fell under your protection?¡±


    ¡°I forgot I said that,¡± I say with a pained expression.


    Getting close to me, Ruair¨ª says, ¡°We were mesmerised when we saw you and that boy fighting Sc¨¢thach till you couldn¡¯t stand. We realise we were living life too easy and have started to train to become excellent warriors like you and lead our houses as you can. You¡¯re an idol to us!¡±


    CREEPY! They are overzealous but not in the way I like, I feel like I could spit on them right now and they would be happy to receive it. How annoying!


    An idea springs into my head, and I say, ¡°Ok then, now all of you leave and never let me see you again. I don¡¯t want to deal with this nonsense any longer.¡±


    Ruair¨ª and the rest of the boys'' troop look like they are about to cry, and then he grabs me saying, ¡°Why!¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re all off-putting.¡±


    They all fall to the ground as if their brains have been pierced with spears. Their eyes are so lifeless, and their bodies are so unresponsive, that they actually look like corpses littered across the ground.


    Ruair¨ª suddenly springs up and says, ¡°If you let us follow you and become your private army, I will pay you.¡±


    ¡°No amount of money will allow me to agree to that.¡±


    ¡°60%.¡±


    ¡°60% of what?¡±


    ¡°The ¨¦ire family has 60% of all of the empire''s wealth. We are a trading family which are the ones solely responsible for keeping goods and services moving throughout the entire empire, and currently hold 60% of the empire''s wealth. IF YOU ALLOW ME TO STAND AT YOUR SIDE, I WILL GIVE IT ALL TO YOU!¡±


    Suddenly a series of things I want to do flow into my mind, the first of which is a giant statue of Minagrain the size of a castle, which is edible.


    Wait Setanta, control yourself. This boy is the son of the House of ¨¦ire, a lineage of cruel businessmen who value coin over pride, many think they have enough money to even overthrow the high king.


    But now that I look at the face of this pervert in front of me who looks like he would break down in tears if I don¡¯t accept his request, I cannot imagine a man like this would ever pose a threat to anyone.


    Sighing, I say, ¡°Fine.¡±


    The boys jump for joy like a gaggle of little girls, and I say, ¡°Only on one condition.¡±


    They all have faces of fear, like me when I call Sc¨¢thach a hag.


    ¡°You must all work to surpass me and reach the rank of Ollamh through only your own efforts. If I find a single one of you tried to use your family''s position to reach that point you forfeit your lives.¡±


    They all nod their heads in agreement with me.


    I walk forward finally ready to enter Ell¨¦n, but then all of them crowd around me in a defensive circle which feels like a bunch of pillows being pushed against my skin, so I say, ¡°Did you know what the best kind of protectors are?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Those who stay in the shadows and protect their lords from all sorts of harm without their lord even knowing. Keeping it out of sight, and out of mind.¡±


    The boys quickly disperse and hide in the shadows watching every single threat with the exception of Ruair¨ª who stays beside me, causing me to ask, ¡°Why are you still hear?¡±


    ¡°I am not a strong combatant; I am a lover at heart. So, I can¡¯t really pull of things like that.¡±


    ¡°But you were the leader of the boys'' troop?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because I had status and money.¡±


    ¡°I forgot you people don¡¯t properly reward merit.¡±


    ¡°DO YOU WANT ME TO CHANGE THAT!? I PROMISE I WILL IF I BECOME THE HEAD OF FALIAS!¡±


    I knock him in the face away from me, and say, ¡°Please back up away from me.¡±


    As he moves away and composes himself, he says, ¡°Though I do spend a lot of time here performing research due to my father''s instructions. So, I should be able to show you around better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, go ahead.¡±


    Both of us finally walk into the Ell¨¦n and inside I see many different things.


    First is a library built into the beast''s flesh and bones. Second is a golden light that shines down everywhere. Third is a series of small little wonderbeasts running around, and fourth is a series of people in green and red robes with tree branches growing out of their heads; Druids. And finally are the banners of the two red branch houses, Cumhaill and Biorg.


    I stare at them for a moment, and Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Cumhaill the wise, a group of historians and scribes who made great efforts to write down and record the achievements of the beastkin, and the Biorg the Spiritual, the religious sect of the beastkin who are in charge of all our ceremonies and all other religious practises across the land.


    I whack Ruair¨ª in the face and say, ¡°I already know that.¡±


    Holding his nose, he says, ¡°A true servant''s job is to help his master even when it comes to simple thoughts.¡±


    ¡°How annoying,¡± I sigh.


    My annoyance fades, as my attention is quickly taken by a golden light coming down from above me.


    Looking up I see a little golden baby-shaped creature with golden vein-like tendrils coming from its body. It is those same tendrils that shine a golden light throughout the area.


    Suddenly it lands on my head, and I feel the excess heat coming from it, I take a moment to truly appreciate the beauty of everything around me as all those who see the creature stare at it, and me as well.


    The family line of Faol¨¢ins


    Faol¨¢in: First head of the family who fought during the beastkin war of liberation. Died in a battle where the Ell¨¦n Trechend appeared on the battlefield and destroyed both sides.


    Amergin: Son of Faol¨¢in, who attempted to avenge his father by hunting Ell¨¦n Trechend but befriended her instead, and was the one who went on the found his house after the war came to an end. Though the wounds he suffered in battle never fully healed and he died sometime later.


    Cethern: Son of Amergin, who was a rather unremarkable king to the beastkin, at least in the era he lived. He wasn¡¯t a warrior, but an excellent ruler who put in place many of the practises that earned the Faol¨¢ins the reputation of the perfectionist they are. His lack of care for tradition is something the Faol¨¢in still carry.


    S¨²altam: Son of Cethern, and became the king unexpectedly after the death of his father, and his sister. He was a prideful man who hated the fact he got his position only because his sister died. So he constantly rushed into battle after battle dragging his sons along which lead them all to a quick death.


    Lugh: The only surviving son of S¨²altam. A prodigy who had skills surpassing Amergin, and wisdom surpass Cethern. His leadership of his house was so great he became the first Faol¨¢in to be awarded a providence to rule over stripping the position that was once held by the Fuinseogs in Gorias. He was the last known ruler of Gorias.

 Arc 10.119: Ell茅n Trechand part 3

    Suddenly one of the druids came up to me and says, ¡°I was expecting you Ruair¨ª, and I assume that you are the Faol¨¢in I heard people were raving about a little while ago.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°I am, and this is my new lord Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    ¡°I guess I am, hello.¡±


    The man looks at us in disbelief, and then says, ¡°Please don¡¯t say things that alter the political landscape of our empire so casually like that. So my little kings what are you here for?¡±


    I take a moment to think about it, but then I say, ¡°I would like to see where you keep the records of humankind''s interactions with the beastkin over time.¡±


    He looks at me with a rather shocked expression, then smiles and says, ¡°It makes me happy that the young kings would like to learn about such things. Let¡¯s be off then.¡±


    We start to walk and as we do, I look around and throughout the ridiculously tall library, filled with multiple levels connected by plants, and bones, and take the sight in.


    However, one thing that takes away from the beauty is the boys troop trying to stealth hide throughout the area. So I pick up a few rocks and as we walk I fling them into the boys troops chins knocking them out.


    The man says, ¡°Are you amazed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just never thought that something like this could exist. A library inside a wonderbeast, though I am still kind of confused as to how it works. But first, could you tell me what this little thing is?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s Ell¨¦n.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t we inside Ell¨¦n?¡±


    ¡°You see the wonder beast Ell¨¦n Trechand, is actually a collection of wonderbeasts. Ell¨¦n, you have on your head there is the heart, and through its abilities of communication it gets lots of different wonderbeasts to work together forming the giant beast you see outside.¡±


    A series of little insectoid wonderbeasts pass by us that look like the little leaves that form Ellen¡¯s copper red wings outside.


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Russects, a series of little flower like mosquito type wonderbeasts that have the ability to blend into any flower making them incredibly effective hunters.¡±


    A group of small wonderbeasts run into my legs. Looking down I see a blue ball of wool that looks the same as the fur of the Ell¨¦n outside.


    Picking the ball of wool up, I see it has tiny cone-shaped black arms and legs, and in the middle of its fur I see a small black rectangle with two cute yellow eyes, and I say, ¡°This is a Baba Sheep, right?¡±


    I rub it against my face and say, ¡°I used to love hunting these little cuties. They taste way better than sheep.¡±


    The Baba sheep in my arms looks like it is about to cry until it breaks free and keeps running.


    Then I hear a druid on another level say, ¡°Ell¨¦n book number 78 in the warfare section has been misplaced, can you find it for me?¡±


    One of Ell¨¦n golden little tendrils moves next to the Baba sheep and they all suddenly start to move towards a bookshelf and stand on top of each other till they reach a book.


    They grab it and then move towards the druid in question.


    Then Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Ell¨¦n has a psychic connection to all of the wonderbeasts in here that are connected to her, and she can command them as she sees fit.¡±


    The druid in front of us says, ¡°Not quite, they are merely her friends and listen because they love her. Nothing more.¡±


    Petting her, I say, ¡°I see. You¡¯re a little cutie aren¡¯t you.¡±


    Ellen rubs her face against mine then moves away, and as she does, we continue our walk until a druid randomly bursts out of a door and flies right in front of us.


    He looks quite a bit younger than the druid in front of us and wounded quite severely.


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Aren¡¯t you the head of the house of Cumhaill?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and what¡¯s it to you, your fucking brat?¡±


    Ruair¨ª looks like he is about to pounce, but then the druid in front of us says, ¡°These are the young kings of both Gorias and Failas.¡±


    He gets up and says with a cheerful attitude, ¡°Oh so you¡¯re Lugh¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you failure of a man.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    He laughs a bit, and says, ¡°Straightforward combative, you are definitely your father son. Enjoy your stay here and avoid the filthy Biorgs. ALSO, tell your father that he better return all of the books he borrowed from our study.¡±


    He then shouts, ¡°ELL¨¦N SPEAR!¡±


    Ell¨¦n throws a spear towards him which he grabs, and then he jumps right back into the room, and I ask, ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡±


    The druid leading us, says, ¡°Oh it just seems things in the debate hall is heating up yet again.¡±


    ¡°Debate hall?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it can get rather heated between the parties that try to decide what is actually the true history of the beastkin, facts can point in many different directions and people tend to get up in arms about it.¡±


    We continue walking forward and I hear, ¡°No the beastkin spent only 300 years moving through the eastern Continent?¡±


    ¡°Are you a fool? If it only took them short a time, they would have reached Tir na n-iontas much sooner!¡±


    I start to hear fierce clashes, but I ignore them and continue on, then I ask, ¡°Did my father do something here?¡±


    With a rather annoyed laugh, he says, ¡°Lugh had a very horrible habit of borrowing books, and then never returning them, due to Ell¨¦n favouring Faol¨¢ins whenever we tried to fight back she would just start attacking us.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re telling me I can take as many books I want from us here and never return them.¡±


    The druid in front of us stops and then faces me with sweat dripping down his face, and he says, ¡°No, of course not. We have many self-defence mechanisms in case you try that.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°He is lying. You can take whatever you want, and I promise even if they try something I finance a war between the Faol¨¢ins and the Cumhaill with every drop of liquidity I have!¡±


    Patting Ruair¨ª on the back, I say, ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool of you!¡±


    He then starts to bleed from his nose rapidly, and I pull my hand back saying, ¡°Control yourself you, perverted Deer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should take your own advice, you waste of seed,¡± a rather feminine voice says.


    The druid leading us turns her head towards the woman, and says, ¡°Findabair, it seems you have finished dealing with that big bear?¡±


    A druid decked out in the most ornate outfit yet walks out, it is like she is wears a garden throughout her body, and her tree horns are by far the most pronounced.


    But despite how amazing she looks her posture, and financial expression are the opposite. Her face is dirty like she has recently been playing in the mud, her voice is harsh and heavy and hearing it is the verbal equivalent of a lashing, and she spits directly over onto the floor then walks over it with her bare feet. She feels so unrefined that I could mistake her for a barbarian, it is incredibly attractive.


    She moves up to me, and crouches down, then grabs my face and says, ¡°If you think you can just come and desecrate our library like your father you have another thing coming.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°You do realize this is the next king of Gorias. If you pick a fight with him, you pick a fight with the Failas as well.¡±


    ¡°As the head of the Biorg family I don¡¯t mind, and beside my mother will mobilize the armies of Murias if it comes to this.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make you the daughter of Medb?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh.¡±


    Ruair¨ª gives her a look of disbelief, and says, ¡°You guys don¡¯t look the same.¡±


    She whacks him right in the face and then proceeds to stamp on the child whilst saying, ¡°Just because you and all the other men want to fuck my mother doesn¡¯t mean you can go around being rude to people who don¡¯t behave like her!¡±


    Her rage isn¡¯t that of a single comment but of a lifetime of similar judgement. Right now, Ruair¨ª you are receiving the hate that many others have spent some time building within her, you don¡¯t deserve this, but I know better than to try and interrupt her while she is like this. Rest in peace.


    The druid leading us says, ¡°To formally introduce you this is Findabair ¨® Biorg, daughter of Ailill ¨® Biorg, and Medb Mac C¨¦il¨²s.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know the leader of the Biorg was related to Medb.¡±


    She grabs me up by the collar, and says, ¡°Why is that? Is it because you also think there is no way a beauty like her could give birth to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, my dad doesn¡¯t like her, so he never lets me know anything about her. And besides I think you''re beautiful with the fairy kisses and all.¡±


    She puts me in a headlock, and says, ¡°You¡¯re a freaking genius, aren¡¯t you? I like this one Treasa, continue to lead him forward towards his target.¡±


    ¡°Well, he actually wants to go up to the highest level, so we will need you to bring us.¡±


    Suddenly another loud ruckus starts, and Findabair says, ¡°I will do that but first I need to redo the restraints on that man.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± Treasa says.


    As the two druids walk with me in Findabair''s arms, I use my tail to pick up Ruair¨ª and follow them into a room filled with a bunch of druids trying to hold down a man who disgusts me the moment I see him.


    He is shirtless and covered in tattoos and has the characteristics of a bear within his body. So, I say, ¡°Niall ¨® Laoch!¡±


    Turning to me, he says, ¡°Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢ins!¡±


    He tried to move towards me, but then Findabair kicked him in the face and says, ¡°Did I not tell you to sit the hell down?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s boring I want to go experience the life in this town.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. I don¡¯t want any more women showing up with Laoch bastard children at my doorstep.¡±


    ¡°They are all liars.¡±


    ¡°Let them all seem far more sincere than you are now.¡±


    With a dumbfounded look, he says, ¡°Women can only get pregnant when they want to.¡±


    I turn to Treasa and ask, ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°No, it is not.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Flailing around like a caterpillar, Niall says, ¡°Just let me out, I want to do something!¡±


    ¡°I refuse! This is a holy space of reason and knowledge, not something that I would want to be ruined by a warrior like you.¡±


    Suddenly from the entrance to the room we hear a voice says, ¡°Reason and Knowledge. It¡¯s funny hearing a Biorg say such things.¡±


    Turning I see the head of the Cumhaill family covered in bruises, and Findabair moves over to him and says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you Fr¨¢ech!¡±


    They both me next to each other and violently press their heads, against one another. Then Findabair says, ¡°Unlike you brats, we actually try to record and decipher the true history of the beastkin that was lost throughout the ages.¡±


    ¡°True history? You people are fully prepared to pervert are findings if it opposes your teachings in any way! Do you know how many times I have found books edited?¡±


    ¡°Your house calls itself the wise, but your hatred for our culture shines forth in your records. You and your people will consistently recite disproved facts and will consistently try to paint any single spiritual druid throughout our history as unrefined, and say the ones you actually do like were light in their faith.¡±


    They both continue to press their heads up against each other, and Ruair¨ª turns to Treasa and asks, ¡°How many kids do those two have together again?¡±


    ¡°Four, with the one born three months ago.¡±

 Arc 10.120: Ell茅n Trechend part 4

    Both of them start to jump on top of each other and fight against one another, and Tresa worried says, ¡°If you guys start fighting there is a good chance the restraints will come undone.¡±


    Understanding what Treasa just said, I turn around and see that Niall''s green restraints have come undone. So, I put my arms against my face for protection, and I am hit into the distance.


    Recovering, I move forward and with a spirit energy-infused kick whack him to the corner of the room, and I say, ¡°Did you forget how this went last time?¡±


    ¡°Not a single bit.¡±


    He then moves at a speed I struggle to keep up with and hits me again, and as he does, he says, ¡°Did you think I was at my best after being on the front lines in a war!¡±


    Feeling his killing intent, I start to prepare myself to strike back at full force, and say, ¡°Red branch battle art-.¡±


    But I am interrupted by Findabair saying, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Ceangailte.¡±


    And then the flowers and plants within the room grow and move around Niall binding him to the ground, and I then turn to Findabair and say, ¡°One of the druids'' techniques.¡±


    Niall whines like a baby and says, ¡°NOT FAIR!¡±


    But then Findabair and her husband start to step on his face saying, ¡°DON¡¯T DAMAGE THE LIBRARY, YOU IDIOT!¡±


    With an annoyed look, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way!¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°You should be happy we stopped there or someone else would have dealt with you.¡±


    Fr¨¢ech points upwards and we all look, and there we see one of the giant bird heads staring down at us, with a visible bloodlust in its eyes.


    ¡°We should all behave ourselves within this space.¡±


    Sighing, Niall says, ¡°Fine.¡±


    Findabair says, ¡°Now let¡¯s go find Setanta his records.¡±


    Niall getting up says, ¡°Can I come as well?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I say with a furious glare.


    But then Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°Come on, it will be easier to keep an eye on you when you''re with us.¡±


    Findabair puts the palm of her hand up which is cut open, and then the binds wrap around the upper part of his body allowing him to move his legs.


    We all leave and as we walk towards our target he keeps bumping into me, and Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Keep attacking my lord and I will strike you down.¡±


    ¡°So, Gorias and Failas have joined together! How interesting. If you ever want to attack Findias just tell me, and I will be prepared.¡±


    Turning to Findabair, I ask, ¡°Why is he here?¡±


    Niall says, ¡°If you want to know about me, at least ask me the question.¡±


    ¡°You''re too stupid to properly explain yourself, so I am just being efficient with my time.¡±


    ¡°You Faol¨¢ins and your perfectionism.  What a waste of life if you cannot waste time.¡±


    ¡°We waste time when we see it has a benefit like fun, talking with you in neither fun nor informative, so fuck off.¡±


    He glares at me, and I glare back, then Findabair says, ¡°He is here to get his new name?¡±


    ¡°New name?¡±


    Fr¨¢ech, says, ¡°Since you live in Gorias you probably didn¡¯t know. But usually, when one inherits the house in the Red branch, they change their names, and as you can guess it is because Dedad Mac Laoch is dying due to old age.¡±


    ¡°What a waste of time, Dedad should be teaching his son to be civil instead of sending him here to pick a good name.¡±


    Niall says, ¡°You cultureless Faol¨¢ins wouldn¡¯t understand the importance. When you take control of your house you become your own man, and the first step of that is to take control of your own name.¡±


    Snickering, I say, ¡°You say that, but you were still sent here to pick a good one because of how stupid you are.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a child with no tattoos on his body.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t take wounds so I don¡¯t need to cover them up with tattoos, but I guess despite being a few years older than me you still cannot figure that out.¡±


    As the tension in the air rises, I prepare to hit Niall, but then Findabair says, ¡°We are here.¡±


    We reach a round circular platform, that seems to be made entirely of natural material, unlike the rest of the library which has a mix of that and metals. But what catches my eye the most, is the complete lack of books throughout the walls.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°This place doesn¡¯t seem to have any books?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because it leads to the next level which does.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°The druids will bring us up using their techniques.¡±


    Findabair says, ¡°That¡¯s correct now follow our lead.¡±


    We all head onto the platform, and then Findabair and Fr¨¢ech both make cuts on their palms and allow their blood to drop down onto the platform, then they say, ¡°Beast blood battle arts: F¨¢s.¡±


    Then the platform starts to shoot to the sky. As we ascend, I move to the edge of the platform and see that beneath the platform plants are growing at an increased rate pushing the platform upwards.


    Ruair¨ª then says, ¡°Beast blood battle arts is a special trait that some beastkin can use that allows them to control plants, and other types of flora to varying degrees, many of them use this power to forge us all of our neat tools made from plants all around the empire!¡±


    I whack him on the face and say, ¡°Again, I knew that, stop telling me things I already know.¡±


    Looking at both Findabair and Fr¨¢ech whose palms are leaking blood like waterfalls, I ask, ¡°Do you guys know what allows you to do such things?¡±


    Findabair says, ¡°Most people who have the ability have wooden horns growing from their bodies by the age of 10, which allows them to do it. Genetically speaking we don¡¯t know what makes this happen except that people of the Biorg bloodline are more likely to become one, so for now I cannot answer said questions.¡±


    Niall then says, ¡°But I heard word that Queen Medb is trying to decipher the secrets within our blood to make it accessible to everyone?¡±


    Findabair clicks her tongue at this suggestion, and then says, ¡°That evil woman would go to any lengths to accomplish that dream. Even using herself and her own children.¡±


    The platform stops and we all start to walk through a long corridor, and as we do I ask, ¡°Do you have some kind of issues with your mother, on paper, she is quite the beastkin, beauty, brains, and all the research she does, she makes it publicly available for no cost. that but generationally old households to shame.¡±


    Findabair starts to leak rage, and then she says with a fit of bratty anger, ¡°You see that¡¯s the problem with her. She lives life in accordance with her desires, she wants to become a member of the Red branch she does it? She wants to have funding for her research, well just become a king of a providence.


    She wants to marry the hero king of the beastkin and spend a few days seducing him. She wants to create prosthetic limbs using plants and other things? Spend nights researching! She wants to have a powerful druid at her side, she just makes one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how any of that is a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°On paper, it does seem bad, but the problem is that she doesn¡¯t care how much trouble she puts all those around her in.


    When she wanted to become a member of the Red branch literal hundreds of murder attempts were made claiming her eldest two siblings, and then she had the gall to put all of us through this again when she wanted to become the king of Murias.


    The hero king who she remarried eats the food of three hundred beastkin in one day, and to keep his stomach full has put our providence into an economic downturn.


    The prosthetics she creates, are tested on her kids far before any other person will ever have, and she even married Aili ¨® Biorg and forced me to learn all of his knowledge so she could have her own private druid, I was never allowed to even play!¡±


    The rage and frustration from years of having to deal with an annoying parent leak out from her body and make the air feel so heavy that all of our heads drop.


    ¡°But you know what¡¯s worse than anything else? SHE DOESN¡¯T SHE ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT!¡±


    Stopping in front of a door, Findabair opens it, and inside we see a bunch of extravagant gifts, and on all have some form of the words; Mommy misses you, please come home daughter, I don¡¯t know why you''re angry but I love you!


    ¡°She sends me all of these gifts acting like the reason I left home was due to some kind of temper tantrum. It is like she is incapable of self-reflection or understanding. Then she constantly harasses me with all of these gifts and that fixes all of her behaviour and problems. I swear, I am one moment away from smacking her in her dumb wolf face!¡±


    Wiping her sweat away, Findabair says, ¡°That was refreshing. Now onwards and upwards.¡±


    We all just look at her after her freakout and continue to move until we reach an area with a giant library in it and a dome hanging on top which allows light to shine in.


    As the sunshine hits the books, I become more enchanted than staring at the night sky itself, I notice both Ruair¨ª and Niall look the same as me.


    Findabair says, ¡°Within Ell¨¦n library is our history kept as well as we could ever have done.¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°There may be things here that deny your worldview or my reinforce it, but I can tell you there are no lies here, just information.¡±


    ¡°And I hope you three future kings use it to lead the people of Gorias, Failas, and Findias into a brighter future.¡±


    Name: The behemoth of Tir na n-iontas Ell¨¦n Trechand


    Height: 60M


    Type: Behemoth, Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A giant grey wonderbeast that looks like an Eagle with blue fur, and three heads, one normal, two elongated heads that can retract into its body, and copper-red wings that look like an assortment of flowers, with a gold heart at its centre, but in fact that isn¡¯t true. It is actually only a small wonderbeast within its golden heart, and every other part of it is another wonderbeast that are all affectionately referred to as the Ell¨¦n Collection.


    Its heads are made from three cockatrices, its body is made from a skeletal Centipede wonderbeast, its fur is made from a group of small sheep-like wonderbeasts that hold themselves together by tangling their hair into one another. Its wings are made from small insectoid wonderbeast that look like flowers, its flesh is made from a group of slug-like wonderbeasts that form muscle fibres, and its insides are made up of slimes that break the food down, and the golden heart sends little vein like strings everywhere to share the nutrients and blood to each individual beast.


    Fact: Ell¨¦n can make a body out of other kinds of wonderbeasts, but due to only one type of a behemoth existing at any one moment the only one to exist as of this moment is Ell¨¦n Trechend.


    Name: Ell¨¦n Croi


    Height: 80cm


    Type: Behemoth, Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: The heart and true form of Ell¨¦n Trechand. It looks similar to a pixie but has a golden body with tendrils emanating from its back.


    The true power of the Ell¨¦n is its ability to boost the individual abilities of the wonderbeasts that receive nutrients from it, which makes them all grow to a ridiculous size, and exhibit much stronger natural abilities than they would be able to otherwise, and it also has the ability to light it¡¯s blood on fire, but this burns through a ridiculous amount of nutrients so it will only do it when it¡¯s life is in danger.


    Fact: The reason all of the wonderbeasts within Ell¨¦n work well together, is because they all like Ell¨¦n. Ell¨¦n strongest and mightiest ability is the ability to be loved by all wonderbeasts that exist in the earth.

 Arc 10.121: Cç…¤ Culainn part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Village of Lann Bhuan


    ¦µ As we leave the sword in front of the family, I smile brightly behind my face coverings.


    I am sure they will enjoy it. Just look at this large family all living in this house, they must really love each other.


    The family of twenty stands on the other side of the table facing both me and Culainn, and the grandfather who sits in front of everyone, he says, ¡°This could probably fetch us a fair price, thank you for this?¡±


    Surprised, I say, ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you want to keep it?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to keep something from my failure of a son.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly his wife says, ¡°Uilliam died after his first battle, and cost us all of his equipment without ever paying things back. This is the least that coward could do for us.¡±


    ¡°I am sure we will be able to eat well for the next few months with this.¡±


    The family in front of me starts to get cherry and giddy completely ignoring the very idea of thinking of their fallen family member.


    This site makes me feel like I have magma within me that is ready to burst out, so I say, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that is a horrible way to think about your family?¡±


    The family in front focuses on me, and then I say, ¡°Did he not go into battle for you all? Don¡¯t you at least want to be kind to him after his death as a way to honour the effort he put in for you all?¡±


    One of the children moves forward and says, ¡°That coward died to humans without accomplishing anything. People like him may be ashamed; he is lucky we have forgotten about him.¡±


    The child¡¯s mother rubs his head, and says, ¡°Please take yourself and your Gorias nonsense, and leave our home. Take the half man with you.¡±


    Gripping my fists, I prepare to let out a large rant, but then I notice the eyes of the beastkin are all locked on me, and fear starts to fill my body stopping me from moving with intention leaving me shaking.


    Culainn then grabs my arm and then, he says, ¡°Thank you for your time we will be leaving.¡±


    With my hand in his own, he guides me and says, ¡°It¡¯s alright, nothing bad will happen.¡±


    Behind me, I hear some of the beastkin snicker which makes me feel like I am going to fall to the ground in shame, but as I stare down at Culainn I compose myself and walk out with him.


    As we leave the house and get a bit of distance from them, I say, ¡°I am sorry for that. I know I shouldn¡¯t be engaging like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re forgiven, but please be careful while you are in Findias, they don¡¯t tolerate as much as others do and are far quicker to get into altercations.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I didn¡¯t like how they insulted you and treated your gift like a bag of coins.¡±


    ¡°We have met countless beastkin over our journey who have only given us thanks. So don¡¯t let this singular bad experience rotten your mood.¡±


    Gripping my fist again, I say, ¡°But what they said about their family member is horrible. How could they do such a thing especially when so many would desperately want for their lost ones to return.¡±


    Culainn kicks me in the shin, and says, ¡°After Conchobar took the throne, he has been working hard to get rid of the large amounts of hatred for humanity that had become engrained in us like it was almost a part of our culture.


    This increases a lot especially when two of his friends become two of the four kings. These actions forced a lot of people who hated such things to leave Gorias, and Murias and gather in Findias which openly still despises humans.


    Dying in battle to humans is seen as an insult to everyone within your bloodline in Findias. The hatred of humans here has become so intense, that they have started to act much more beastlike just to separate themselves from humans.¡±


    ¡°But why would that be so intense here?¡±


    ¡°Because the first head of the house of Laoch¡¯s wife and children were fir bolg kidnapped by humans during the period they controlled this land. And we were too late to rescue them leading him to manifest an intense hatred that he had passed down throughout the land. We inherit many things from the past, many of which are good, and many of which are bad.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I look into the distance and prepare to say something, but I suddenly hear a large number of coughs that completely grab my attention, and I run over into a little forest to my right.


    Culainn chasing behind me says, ¡°Slow down you idiot.¡±


    ¡°I think I just heard a child.¡±


    I move through the forest, and there I see a little boy with a spear in his hand and surrounding him are a group of squirrels.


    As I get close the squirrels scatter, and I grab him then pick him up and say, ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    The boy just coughs, and says, ¡°I can do this,¡± while wheezing.


    Culainn says, ¡°He has some kind of infection. Let¡¯s get him back to his home.¡±


    Looking at it, I ask, ¡°Where do you live?¡±


    Crying a little bit, he raises his hand and says, ¡°By the edge of the village that''s why.¡±


    I quickly carry him there with Culainn close behind me, and soon we reach a wooden object that I wouldn¡¯t even call a shack by the side of a river. The ¡°Shack¡± is a bunch of cobbled-together sticks that look like they are about to keel over.


    So, I ask, ¡°Do you live here?¡±


    He nods his head and points downwards.


    My eyes move from the shack to the ground where I see a blanket and other utensils that one would use to live.


    I slowly walk around with the boy in my arms, shocked by the state of his living arrangement. But as he coughs again, I quickly gather myself and then move towards the blanket and wrap him up.


    Culainn behind me says, ¡°I will start a fire and make some warm water.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I will go back and grab one of the buckets from our carriage to use.¡±


    -Break-


    As the kid lays in a bucket filled with warm water, he looks up into the distance, and then I ask, ¡°Now that you¡¯re feeling better could you tell me what you were doing out there?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to hunt one of those birds for my family.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys in a dire situation?¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that, it is just that they won¡¯t let me return unless I do.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Do you have a weak constitution?¡±


    The boy grits his teeth, then nods his head, and I Culainn then says, ¡°You¡¯re unable to do physical activities as well as others, and to make your family less annoyed, you decided to come here and do some hunting if I got it right.¡±


    The boy nods his head, and I say, ¡°What is wrong with those bastards?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with my family. I am the one who is a burden!¡±


    Gripping his hands, ¡° I can barely do anything without getting sick or injured, and just end up relying on all of them without contributing anything. I am a useless member of our group whose value would be less than that of a human.¡±


    I feel many things rush to my mind as he speaks, but I calm myself down, and then I say, ¡°Stop being so dramatic.¡±


    The kids get a bit upset, and says, ¡°This isn¡¯t being dramatic! This is my life, and it sucks!¡±


    With a smile on my face, I stand up and say, ¡°You¡¯re probably just hungry. You know you could have just asked for food instead of throwing a fit.¡±


    Looking over to the side, I see the emptied contents of the barrel a load of fish and walk over to it saying, ¡°Good thing, I brought all of this along.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°I am surprised you could even carry it with all of that fish inside.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in for more, because you guys are going to watch me prepare them!¡±


    The boy in the barrel says, ¡°Please don¡¯t lie, you already don¡¯t know the importance of washing yourself, so I doubt you have any sense of flavour.¡±


    As my clothes radiate a sickening smell, I say, ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. Little fool, just wait there and see!¡±


    ¡°Step one is to cut all of the fish into fun-sized chunks.


    Then you put it into a large pot, and since I lack that I will use the munchnunchers mouth. Due to all of the materials it¡¯s supposed to eat, its mouth is like ma etal pot.


    The beastkin has such a ridiculous amount of fruit and veggies growing everywhere, that I can find all my ingredients.¡±


    I quickly run around and grab a bunch of different things and as I do, I say, ¡°It¡¯s weird though to find a couple of these different plants growing near eat other.¡±


    Culainn signals me, and then with an annoyed face he says, ¡°Druids'' abilities over plant life it is possible to force the growth of different plants all near each other.¡±


    Following along, I say, ¡°Right how could I have forgotten!¡±


    ¡°Now I grind up the olives, and add in some tomatoes and onions. Use some of the wine me and Culainn were gifted for our work earlier today, bring the munchnunchers jaw under the fire, and then add the fish stock. Watch it all simmer and after no time at all we have some fish stew!¡±


    ¡°Serving some out it one of the bowls by his home, I give it to him and say eat up.¡±


    He sniffs it, and then he starts to devour the bowl until there is next to nothing left, and then he reaches out his arms for more, and I say, ¡°It looks like someone was just hungry.¡±


    As he waits for his next portion, he says, ¡°I am hungry but that doesn¡¯t change the fact I am a failure.¡±


    ¡°If judging just from my muscle mass you never would have guessed that my people were hunters. We used to travel all around Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°Hunting humans?¡± The child asks.


    ¡°Ye-yeah, hunting humans. Anyways, during our journeys many of us would be harmed by the large number of animals and wonderbeasts that roamed Terrafide, and some even lost their ability to fight.


    But they still decided to find other ways to help. Training the youth, sharpening other skills, or even gathering with others, they never stopped looking for a way to help even without being on equal fitting with others.


    The reason we all fight in all our different ways is to help each other in some way, and I can already tell from my life, and the life of the man over there, that without wielding a single blade you can help lots of people including yourself. You aren¡¯t a burden just a child who wants to someday figure out what he wants to do.¡±


    The boy cries a bit, and says, ¡°But my family won¡¯t accept me.¡±


    ¡°That sucks I am sure, but I can guarantee that there are people who you can have just as much fun with from around the world without you even sharing any blood with them. It will be fine. Besides don¡¯t you think it will be fun to become more successful than those assholes without even having all of their strength.¡±


    ¡°I think it would.¡±


    The kid takes the bowl from my hand and eats as we all talk to each other, and from the distance, a beastkin dressed in robes made to blend into the trees stares directly at all of them.

 Arc 10.122: Cç…¤ Culainn part 2

    -Break-


    Location: In the forest by the eastern edge of the area


    ¦µ Through the threes a swarm of beastkin dressed in black ropes move from tree to tree, each coming from different directions but all of them converging to the same spot.


    Soon all of them land in front of a beastkin, a bursting bear beastkin. Then in that moment, they peer their heads up where they see their leader and an entire army of men in front of them.


    The man who sits at the front of the army says, ¡°Speak.¡±


    All of the men in the robes shut their mouths except one, who says, ¡°I have located Culainn and the human, they are currently in a small village and are isolated from any other people.¡±


    ¡°Good, it seems we should be able to carry out Ciar¨¢n''s request easily enough on the former head of his house.¡±


    Getting up the man says, ¡°Everyone gets your weapons ready; we will be leaving when the sun sets.¡±


    As the man walks away one of the beastkin dressed in robes says, ¡°Is this a good idea?¡±


    Their leader stops and turns around, then asks, ¡°Who said that?¡±


    The other beastkin move their gaze towards the one who spoke up, so he says, ¡°It was me.¡±


    ¡°I am not familiar with your smell, you¡¯re new here.¡±


    Standing up, doing the formal greeting the young man says, ¡°I am one of the many beastkin who aspires to stand on the battlefield with members of the house of Laoch.¡±


    ¡°So, for what reason did you question my orders?¡±


    ¡°I am unsure why we have to be so grand while doing this. Both Culainn and the human would be better assassinated rather than making a giant scene out of this, in all honesty, this could just bring trouble with the Faol¨¢ins.¡±


    The bursting bear moves towards the man in robes and strikes him on the base of the neck breaking it, which causes the man to fall to the ground paralysed, but worse than that is the blood that flows from his broken major veins into his throat which starts to suffocate him.


    ¡°Choke on your own blood for your cowardice, Laoch men have no need to fear the Faol¨¢ins.¡±


    As the man walks away, he says, ¡°Decades ago that fool Culainn gave humans weapons that lead to the death of many beastkin including my wife. And on the name of the second son, and brother to the head of the house of Laoch, I D¨¢ire ¨® Laoch will bring his head as penance for the dead! Gather the people, we will make this a spectacle.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: The grand Library of Rathcroghan


    ¦µ Sitting beside Ruair¨ª I read through the records, and I say, ¡°It really is complicated how much of our culture beastkin is actually our own?¡±


    Niall beside me says, ¡°It is all lies!¡±


    I look at him who is tied up with three times the restraints than earlier today, and I say, ¡°When you can be in a library without having to be restrained, I will give heed to your words.¡±


    Findabair who has been hanging around the room says, ¡°There was a time when all of us Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan were scattered around the world completely displaced from our land, and when the world entered its age of chaos which caused all of us to try and come back.


    We took some of the things from the people who we stayed with because to the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan living with them, it was completely their own by that point.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you kind of upset as a Biorg? I know you people are not fond of things getting mixed up with the human tradition.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am not happy that it is hard to differentiate what is ours and what is not. But in all honesty, lying to us about it and simply saying everything has beastkin roots is a disservice to ourselves.¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Besides, I think it is really interesting how in different parts of the world people can come up with similar things.¡±


    Niall says, ¡°I respect you for all of the work you people put into this research.¡±


    I look at him with disbelief and say, ¡°You have enough cognitive capacity to understand what she was saying.¡±


    ¡°The way you talk little wolf, it is like you''re begging me to put an axe to your neck.¡±


    In the saviour''s song, I say, ¡°Try and you will lose your life along with your pride, you monkey.¡±


    ¡°Stop speaking in nonsense, I cannot understand you.¡±


    In our normal song, I say, ¡°That¡¯s the point, you idiot. I swear how do you even function if you cannot even understand the human language.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Glic ¨® Sealbh¨®ir handles most of that for me.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rely on a Sealbh¨®ir for anything if you ask me.¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Why is that? Bricriu and my father have been best friends since I was young.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°What would you do Niall if your father''s body was taken and thrown into the bottom of the ocean?¡±


    ¡°I will obviously go swim and get it.¡±


    Looking at Ruairi, I say, ¡°Now what would you do if your father stood in the way of you marrying the girl you wanted.¡±


    ¡°I would speed up my plan to overthrow him.¡±


    ¡°My point exactly. If the house of Cathal wasn¡¯t constantly watching Sealbh¨®ir and Eire, there is a good chance that they would have already tried to overthrow the high king.¡±


    ¡°I promise you Setanta I won¡¯t try and overthrow you when it¡¯s time to become the high king.¡±


    I rub his head, and say, ¡°That¡¯s nice but I won¡¯t become the high king, and make sure you stay away from the Sealbh¨®irs, and you too Niall I don¡¯t feel like dealing with your house becoming a puppet for their ambitions.¡±


    Niall says, ¡°I welcome the Sealbh¨®irs to try and manipulate me. I can handle anything they throw at me.¡±


    I would mock him, but he seems to be prideful enough, that no one would be able to stop him from doing something he wants. But who knows if someone won¡¯t trick him into thinking he wants something he actually doesn¡¯t.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t let your gaggle of idiots get corrupted.¡±


    As I return my eyes to the book in front of me, I give it a strained look as I try to understand what is written down. ¡°Who the hell is this referring to? I can¡¯t tell if it is the king or his brother.¡±


    Findabair says, ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    I give her the book and she gives it a quick read, then she says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what this word is supposed to even be?¡±


    Niall like a caterpillar wiggles his way to her side, looks at the book and says, ¡°It¡¯s referring to the king''s brother. You see it is a combination of the terms brother, and fool with half of the start of both words switched.¡±


    Taking the book back, I say, ¡°I see it now, but why the hell is it like that we already have a way to refer to those words?¡±


    ¡°Back when we were inventing Danu¡¯s song, we wanted to make more complex fusions of words. So, we thought that if we wanted to fuse two words we should figure out a special way to combine them to make some distance between this and the saviour''s song. Though we settled on a simpler version of doing such a thing.¡±


    Shocked, I turn my face towards Findabair and ask, ¡°Did those plants make him grow a brain?¡±


    Findabair responds, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know it was the Laochs that came up with Danu¡¯s song?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Niall says, ¡°Of course we did. Why would we allow our people to speak the same language as those beasts.¡±


    Findabair says, ¡°The house of Biorg is actually an offshoot of the house of Laoch, filled with the people who wanted to bring the beastkin back to their roots.¡±


    ¡°So, you guys were so motivated by your hatred of humans that you decided to devote your life to this?¡±


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHA!¡± Niall laughs.


    Findabair with glowing eyes, says, ¡°So have you learned anything important?¡±


    With a frustrated expression, I say, ¡°Kind of, but I would like to do more research.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    As I walk forward to grab more books I feel a nasty feeling inside me.


    I hate this, I hate this so much. The more I read the more I struggle to find the difference between humans and beastkin.


    If we are so much smarter how come humans have made so much more than us? if we are so much stronger how come humans dominate this planet and we don¡¯t? If we are so much kinder how come humans have contributed so much to our people? If our wills are so much stronger than theirs how come humans were able to sacrifice themselves just to reduce other humans suffering, and how come Aurelius is able to smile in despair while Minagrain can¡¯t?


    Putting the book back, I say, ¡°I just don¡¯t know.¡±


    Suddenly through the doors, Fr¨¢ech bursts through, and says, ¡°We have an issue, and I need Niall!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Findabair says.


    ¡°D¨¢ire ¨® Laoch has appeared with his arm on the other side of the land and has gathered up a series of beastkin to chase some people.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he know this is Biorg land?¡±


    ¡°He does, but despite our warnings, no one is stopping him. Because the people he is chasing is Culainn with a human.¡±


    I instantly run past everyone and star tot manoeuvre my way out of the inside of Ell¨¦n.


    Culainn and Aurelius got found out, and are going to be killed! Right now, they are currently somewhere in Rathcroghan, with an army of soldiers chasing after them in the middle of the night.


    ¡°SHIT, I NEED TO MOVE!¡±


    As I try to escape, I am grabbed by a series of Ell¨¦n tendrils, and I say, ¡°ELL¨¦N I DON¡¯T HAVE TIME FOR THIS RIGHT NOW.¡±


    But ignoring my words she tightens her grip on me and brings me to the out of her body where the three giant cockatrice heads are.


    She places me on top of one, and then it detaches itself from the amalgamation of the different beastkin, and then she waves me goodbye.


    ¡°Thank you Ell¨¦n,¡± I say as the cockatrice takes off into the air.


    On the back of the Cockatrice which glows golden, I notice that as it flies it starts to shrink to a normal size and speed up, so I say, ¡°I guess Ell¨¦n must have the ability to enlarge the other wonderbeasts that make up it¡¯s body. Still, this is good now the Cockatrice can fly faster!¡±


    Facing the cockatrice, I say, ¡°Please look out for a man who cannot walk, he is a bird beastkin like yourself.¡±


    The cockatrice lets out a little noise and soars through the sky.


    ¦µ ¡°What the hell was that does he want to join in the hunt that bad?¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°If he joins up with the crowd, no one would be able to calm them down.¡±


    Sighing I say, ¡°Looks like we just have to do damage control, I guess.¡±


    Ruair¨ª chimes in and says, ¡°I think I heard rumours of Setanta travelling with Culainn the blacksmith.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Suddenly it hits me, and I say, ¡°He is going to try and stop the army! This is bad, this is really bad?¡±


    Fr¨¢ech holds my head and rubs it then says, ¡°Honey don¡¯t freak out, the moment they learn that it¡¯s Setanta, anyone who has heard the rumours of the high king would surely leave him alone, and someone of D¨¢ire rank must.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I say calming down.


    With a joyful expression, Niall says, ¡°D¨¢ire has been looking for a political excuse to King Culainn for decades now, due to him causing the death of his wife. I am sure that even if Setanta told him to stop he would continue and a fight would break out, ending in Setanta¡¯s death. I would like to see it.¡±


    All my anxiety reaches its pinnacle and I say, ¡°WE GOT TO MOVE NOW!¡±


    Name: Cockatrice


    Height: 7m


    Type: Carnivorous, Wonderbeast


    Description: A Four-winged three-tailed blue beast that has the head of an eagle, and the body of a wyvern. Its three tails are sharp whips it can use to slice its surroundings, and also grab a hold of things, and it¡¯s for whing allows it to move at high speed throughout the sky. Its most unique ability is the ability to hypnotise any animal that looks it in its eyes, it does this by sending a small electrical signal to its brain which messes up the concentration of its target.


    Fact: Just like many other flying wonderbeasts it originates from the den of the sky, and in the den it is a guard that only ever hunts wonderbeast that overconsume others.

 Arc 10.123: Cç…¤ Culainn part 3

    Location: Outer edge of the Village of Lann Bhuan


    ¦µ Grooming the hair of the horses by the riverside, I say, ¡°Sorry for Setanta¡¯s nonsense, we are lucky he managed to catch you from the air when we fell off that Clift. But don¡¯t hold it against him, the little boy seems to be in a dire strait.¡±


    Beside me Daragh comes up and looks at the horses, so I turn to him and say, ¡°Do you want to touch one?¡±


    ¡°Can I!¡± He says with a bright expression.


    Picking him up, I hold him near the horse and say, ¡°Horses are very highly perceptive, and will sense distrust. So, make sure to earnestly approach.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    He slowly brings his hands close and then touches its head. As he does the horse playfully rubs its head against Daragh¡¯s hand, and he looks back at me whilst saying, ¡°He is touching me back! I think he likes me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that, it seems he senses what a good man you are.¡±


    Daragh looks at the horse, and says, ¡°They never let me go near one back at home. Horses are animals which are only for warriors, and I was the furthest from that. But they really are the coolest.¡±


    Rubbing his head, I say, ¡°I am happy you feel that way, and if you want to learn how to ride them, I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my people often used them to catch faster wonderbeasts on our hunts.¡±


    The kid looks confused for a moment, and I quickly cover my mouth. I did it again and said something that might clue people in I am not from here.


    His face turns bright again, and then he says, ¡°YOU COME FROM HUNTERS!¡±


    As the light from his expression hits my eyes, I remember that he is a kid. He probably doesn¡¯t assume that a human would be walking around in a land that hates humans.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean your people fought all kinds of wonderbeasts!?¡±


    Placing him on the back of the horse, I move around and say, ¡°Of course we did! We fought wonderbeasts that looked like viscous sludges, and others that soared through the sky, even those that filled the land with mushrooms, and others that could rip a beastkin in half with one attack.¡±


    ¡°OOOOOHHHHHH!¡±


    Moving my body into funny poses and shapes, I say, ¡°I will tell you the story of when we stuck down a wonderbeast that looked like a giant ball, and the harsh battle that followed.¡±


    He moves his weak body around like an excited chipmunk, and I continue to tell my tale, but in the middle of this moment, Culainn says, ¡°Aurelius! We have to go right now!¡±


    Turning to him, I ask, ¡°Why should we do that?¡±


    ¡°I saw a large army of beastkin who have gathered up a crowd of humans and they are all coming towards us!¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do you even know they are coming towards us?¡±


    Culainn takes a moment to look a Daragh, then says, ¡°Because from the word that they are chanting, I know specifically they are coming for you.¡±


    Realizing the situation, I take Daragh off the horse and place him on the ground, but then I say, ¡°As far as anyone is concerned the last time you saw us was half a day earlier, ok?¡±


    ¡°What, why, please tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°I am sorry, but we have to cut our stop here short.¡±


    I instantly move to help Culainn and his wonderbeast up onto the back of the horse, and then quickly get on my horse as well, but then I notice that the rancid smell that was all over my clothes is gone, so I say, ¡°Culainn my scent is all over that child, and your wonderbeasts scent are both over that child, if he gets left here they will interrogate and punish him.¡±


    Culainn breaks for a moment, then says, ¡°Ok take him with us, we will pretend he is a hostage.¡±


    I quickly grab Daragh, who says, ¡°Why are you guys in such a hurry and why are the beastkin coming after you both? You guys are not telling me something?¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Daragh but please just follow us for your own safety.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Daragh nods his head, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I trust you both won¡¯t hurt me.¡±


    I rub his head, and say, ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    Both me and Culainn then start to ride the horses away, and using his wonderbeast to apply weight Culainn is able to control his specially trained horse to move how he wants. I would say he is an even better rider than me right now.


    We both move as fast as possible and after riding to the edge of the forest, Culainn says, ¡°We will try our best to meet up with Setanta, at the grand library. If he is with us, he would be able to get them to listen to Lugh¡¯s decree.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t he a quarter of a day¡¯s travel away from us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but we quite literally have no other choice but to hope we make it there in time, and anyway. I am sure the moment Setanta hears about our situation he will come running to meet us which will save us an hour or two. With how large this crowd is I am sure are attackers must have sent words all throughout the land to see your execution.¡±


    Behind me, Daragh pulls at my back and says, ¡°I think I know a shortcut.¡±


    ¡°A shortcut?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I struggle to move around, and my family leaves me behind when we travel places, so I have figured out a couple of shortcuts that aren¡¯t popularly used to move around.¡±


    Rubbing his head, I say, ¡°Great job.¡±


    He smiles a bit at me but lowers his head the entire time. Culainn then says, ¡°Let¡¯s move then!¡±


    Daragh points us in the direction where he is speaking of, and we head out at full speed to reach our target, but as we do, we pass through a tunnel filled with orange dust, and I say, ¡°This land is really beautiful.¡±


    Hugging my back, Daragh says, ¡°I love it lots.¡±


    ¡°You should. Never forget to take a hold of the beauty of your home, I wish I could do that every single day.¡±


    We continue to ride through the dark without taking a moment to rest.


    -Break-


    We ride in behind the trees at the dead of night and as we do, I struggle to keep up with my surroundings. Unlike the beastkin my senses aren¡¯t sharp enough to allow me to ride effortlessly through a dense forget in the dark.


    Culainn says, ¡°We should take a break, Aurelius.¡±


    ¡°Why? I can still keep going.¡±


    ¡°No, a few minutes of rest will allow you to get further than you would by pushing yourself, and besides letting the horses rest for a moment would be good.¡±


    ¡°But where would be safe to stop in this place.¡±


    ¡°I know of a location close to here that should be safe.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    We ride until we reach a little workshop that looks worn down and is surrounded by countless little graves.


    So, I ask, ¡°What is this place?¡±


    ¡°A place I once called my home once upon a time. But enough of that, take a seat then go to bed. I will go and make sure there is nothing in the area that might come after us.¡±


    ¦µ As Aurelius and Daragh lay down to rest, I jump on the back of my munchnunchers and start to take a stroll around the workshop.


    I visit my former bedroom, my former workshop, and even the graves of all my friends, and in front of it, I say, ¡°I am sorry it has been so long since I could return Konrad, I haven¡¯t been in a position where I could come to Findias for a long time.


    Lots of things have happened since I came here last to rebuild this house and make your graves. I wanted the next time you all saw me to be after I managed to make some progress on the dream we all shared, but lots of things have happened since then.


    I took in many students, but they were killed by others under my control. I started a family, yet I allowed my wife to die and for my daughter to hate me, I even lost my rank and peerage that I had worked my way up to get.


    But at least from that, I was able to meet and help many different bright students. I have sent many of their way to get the proper qualifications while planting the seed of our dream within them.


    It may be selfish, but I think anyone who aspires for greatness would love to know of its existence.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I say, ¡°Konrad, I wanted to turn out like you. Someone whose actions spoke louder than their words, and I did in such a horrible way. Every single day for decades I had simply thought about giving up and coming to see you all.


    But there is still something I can do here, I can teach some people without hope how to work, and I can help a stupid little wolf have time to think about the problems going through his head. I can tell you that it wasn¡¯t a mistake for you to take me in, and soon I will get to say it to your face.¡±


    Suddenly my munchnunchers starts to get aggravated, and I touch him saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡± But before I can even bend my body enough to place my hand on his head, I feel a blade to my neck, and I hear someone whisper into my ears, ¡°Come out traitor.¡±


    I am picked up off my munchnunchers, which causes it to turn around and attack; biting the beastkin who holds me. But furious with its action the beastkin kicks the munchnunchers into one of the graves then another beastkin appears and stabs it, killing my friend.


    I simply stared at my partner''s dead body, but I wasn¡¯t even given time to mourn as I was immediately dragged away and brought to where both Aurelius and Daragh were standing surrounded by beastkin.


    ¡°LET THEM GO!¡± I yell, but my face is pushed into the ground by my captor.


    From the forest, a man emerges, and says, ¡°You let down your guard Culainn.¡±


    ¡°D¨¢ire.¡±


    ¡°O,h you remember my name.¡±


    ¡°I remember the names of all those I wronged.¡±


    ¡°Then you would know the names of all beastkin within the empire then, because even after your mistakes all those years ago you still saw it was fit for you to do something like this.¡±


    He pulls the covering off Aurelius and to everyone they can clearly see he is a slave, even Daragh who makes a frustrated expression at this revelation.


    ¡°You would dare bring one of them to freely walk around in this land, the land which they stole, the land which they pillaged. You deserve a thousand deaths for the disrespect you have allowed to happen on our land.¡±


    ¡°I have permission from the Faol¨¢in¡¯s to bring him with me. He is their property and should be treated as such.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think the Faol¨¢in care about one dead slave, to the point they would risk war with the house of Laoch? I can even tell by his golden hair and blue eyes that he was one already destined to be executed in the next year anyways.¡±


    Aurelius makes a confused expression at this statement, but then D¨¢ire says, ¡°If you never showed you¡¯re face in front of me I wouldn¡¯t have killed you, but you truly have pushed my hands, so I will make the death of you two the most torturous pain to ever be experienced in this lands. Past, present, and future.¡±

 Arc 10.124: Cç…¤ Culainn part 4

    ¡°But before that, I will thank the brave warrior who put his life at risk to warn of this traitor''s location.¡±


    Both me and Aurelius look confused, but then the beastkin holding down Daragh let him go and he comes over to D¨¢ire.


    Aurelius seeing this says, ¡°Daragh, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The tunnel we passed through on our way here releases orange dust when one makes lots of noise within it, and as our horses went through it the orange dust was released everywhere showing our pursuers that we had gone off the main path and had taken a shortcut. Any member of the village would be aware of this.¡±


    ¡°You sold us out?¡±


    With a disgusted expression, Daragh says, ¡°Of course I did you human. No matter how I am treated I know not to make deals with the devil that could curse all my people.¡±


    Daragh walks away and as he does a man comes out from the mob of people throughout the forest, and says, ¡°Good work my son, you have truly shown that it was worth raising you.¡±


    As his father rubs his head, he makes the brightest smile I have seen from him yet, and as he does, I grit my teeth and look at Aurelius while panicking.


    Aurelius will be killed at this rate. It will be a long and incomparably horrible death that will make him suffer in the worst ways possible, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.


    No that¡¯s not true. Setanta is without a doubt coming so all I have to do is delay them.


    ¡°D¨¢ire you talk about protecting your people from humans, that I am a traitor because I didn¡¯t do just that. But it seems you''re forgetting that just like me you allowed your wife to be slaughtered by a bunch of slaves.¡±


    He smacks me across the face right into the ground, and then he grabs me by the head saying, ¡°I was thinking about leaving you till I broke the human, but I think it would be more scary for the human to see what we are going to do to it first, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    I spit in his face, and his rage becomes more visible than before.


    Soon he pulls me with one arm as Aurelius is dragged by his men behind him and he takes us right in front of a large crowd of beastkin all gathering in one place.


    Many of them are dressed in the clothes of commoners and are carrying a series of sharp objects from spears to knives, essentially anything they could have gotten a hold of.


    In the middle of this giant crowd, he throws me, and then he jumps over to me and starts to say, ¡°See here is a man once known for being a member of the red branch. He has built countless weapons to strike fear into the eyes of humans and to allow our greatest warriors to overcome their enemies.


    Even our hero King Fergus, he forged his great sword which he later refined into a weapon that none could match. In the eyes of our people, he is nothing more than a hero who has staked his years for us. It is for this contribution that I sought to leave him alone all of these decades, but I can¡¯t no longer.


    But he has been corrupted. Years before he met Fergus, he was a slave to a human, this human beat and trained him so much that in his mind, humans are a necessary part of his existence that he will never be able to break away from.


    This caused him to make a great blunder that not only got his own, but even my wife killed. He had lost his title, his family, and his life due to this blunder, but even that punishment wasn¡¯t enough to remove the poison from his veins, even know he still wished for humans.


    An utter tragedy that humans were able to pervert a man such as this. But take this as a lesson my people as to why we must be strong and stay on our path.


    Do you know why all of us Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan were spread all over the world far away from our homeland? It is because we held such kindness such compassion in our hearts that we would happily move all over the world to help all of the humans.


    But due to that we were fractured and removed from the place where we lived, and our culture, the history of our people was nearly annihilated, while the history of the humans lives on.


    Kindness isn¡¯t wrong, compassion isn¡¯t wrong. But we have given humans far too much and have weakened ourselves. So that is why we of the house of Laoch embrace our beastly nature to undo the medicine of compassion that has turned into a poison for our people.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    We must strike the humans down, we must remind them of their place, and we must elevate each other to reach the greatest heights we could ever think of reaching, and for the beastkin, like Culainn who refuse to do such a thing, we can give them a death that will make the rest of those who watch immune from ever falling into that trap. Now my soldiers begin.¡±


    The crowd cheers, and soon a group of beastkin in red robes move around me. The beastkin are all venomous animals who one by one take turns striking me with their different concoctions.


    Then when they finish beastkin with strong bodies inflect blow after blow onto my body, and when they finish beastkin with sharp appendages take their time cut into my body.


    My body feels like it has already died a hundred times, and my mind cannot make sense of my surroundings, the only thing I can hear is the screams of the crowd, and the only thing I can see is Aurelius shining golden hair.


    Right now, I feel like just letting them kill me since the only reason I have to experience such pain is my fault and no one else. I have had the option to change my life.


    I didn¡¯t have to save humans, I didn¡¯t have to save Ciar¨¢n, I didn¡¯t have to live my life under a lie, and I definitely didn¡¯t have to let my legacy end with this.


    I could be at home spending time with my wife and daughter unaffected by any of the world''s plights. My wife would compliment even my most horrible creations and encourage me to keep going.


    I would ramble on to her about all of my different ideas, and she would go out of her way to learn things she didn¡¯t care for just so we could have longer conversations.


    My daughter would pine for our attention, and when she noticed her mother wasn¡¯t giving her enough she would move over to her to get some hugs.


    She would tell us about her day, and about all of the fun she had with the other kids in the city while hiding her identity. Then at the end of the day, we would all return to my room where we slept as one big family.


    My wife would place me on the bed, and my daughter would make some jokes about my condition to make me feel more normal, and then we would laugh at each other until sleep came to us all.


    It would have been a simple life, and it would have been here for as long as the empire stood. I would use all I have for those that mattered most, it is what I should have spent all my life aiming towards.


    As the beatings continue the fantasy grows ever so much more vivid, and I imagine a life spent with just the both of them for the rest of my life, a time where I would still be able to have drinks with Fergus, and butt heads with the rest of my peers. Where my title of Ollamh would still be intact, and I could demand respect where I went without fail.


    But as I would move through those halls, I would stare out the windows, and see humans treated as slaves, and memories of my past would come back to me again and again.


    And I would yet again, bring them into my shop, teach them all I know, find Ciar¨¢n on the battlefield and bring him into my home, and yet again forget to heal his heart and end up right back here.


    Nothing would have changed, since I would have acted like the man my wife would have fallen in love with.


    I guess I was destined to be here as long as I continued to be the man my wife loved. If that is the result of the single greatest decision in my life, then I have no regrets except my own ignorance.


    I was happy to have started my shop, happy to have trained many young craftsmen, happy to have met Aurelius and Setanta, and happy to be on this journey.


    As the pain from the beatings decreases, I wonder if my body has all but died, but soon I feel dripping on my face which causes me to compose myself, and looking upwards I see Aurelius is covering my body from the attacks of the beastkin.


    I say, ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    As beastkin whacks away at him, he says, ¡°I am a very simple guy. If someone comes to my aid when I am down, I remember that. During my life as a slave, I learned to remember those who have helped me so I can make sure to pay it back hundreds of times over to them, so I won¡¯t let you die Culainn. Because you have allowed me to leave behind countless beauties that I never imagined I could have.¡±


    As the beastkin keeps smacking him, I say, ¡°Spirit energy?¡± as I notice that the aura has surrounded his body.


    Smiling, he says, ¡°Even if I die, the rest of Clan Anima will be able to know I actually did something with my life. I won¡¯t disappear into nothingness.¡±


    The beastkin becomes more vicious and I scream, ¡°Let me go, and run away or I will bite off my own tongue.¡±


    As I put my tongue in my teeth, Aurelius says, ¡°Go ahead, but I won¡¯t allow them to desecrate your body any more even if your soul leaves.¡±


    Crying, I say, ¡°You fool.¡±


    They continue to attack him more and more and as they do his blood spills everywhere people cheer throughout the area and as they do D¨¢ire says, ¡°See this brutality. It is necessary, as a reminder to all of us of the dangers we will face if we don¡¯t understand the differences between us.


    This sight you see is violent and the epitome of it as well, but it isn¡¯t a sad one because as long as we understand what humans are and they understand what we are this pain and suffering will never have to be inflicted on humans or beastkin ever again.¡±


    The attacks continue until my tears have long dried up and as they finish, Aurelius falls on top of me with his back bleeding, and his body ravaged by venoms.


    ¡°Hehe, they were weaker than I thought.¡±


    Holding him, I say, ¡°Thank you. When we go let¡¯s leave together.¡±


    ¡°Setanta is going to be angry.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he is, but he has a strong will I am sure he will be able to build himself up again.¡±


    D¨¢ire says, ¡°In the man¡¯s last moments he rejected all of his love for humans and apologised for all his mistakes hoping death would be the start of his redemption. That¡¯s the story I will tell to your daughter and your grandkids, so they remember you.¡±


    ¡°How kind.¡±


    ¡°Now die!¡±


    As D¨¢ire starts to swing his axe a screech moves through the sky, and which is quickly followed by a shadow that hangs over everyone¡¯s heads. This pulls the eyes of everyone upwards where they see a cockatrice, and falling from it is a hungry wolf with eyes of vengeance.

 Arc 10.125: Cç…¤ Culainn part 5

    Setanta lands and the moment he does, he moves to the crowd and grabs a knife from one of the members of the mob who are all holding miscellaneous weapons. Then he moves towards Culainn and Aurelius pulling them out of harm¡¯s way.


    ¡°You ok old man, do you need some worms?¡±


    Culainn looks at Setanta and says, ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of birds you stupid wolf.¡±


    Setanta smiles, then gets up and faces D¨¢ire, then he says, ¡°First son of the Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in, next head of the house of Faol¨¢in and the next king of Gorias, Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in. I give you only until the next time I blink to explain to me what just happened to my compatriots.¡±


    Blinking, he says, ¡°Times up.¡±


    Setanta glares at all of them with a ferocity that makes many of them except D¨¢ire elite warriors shudder in fear.


    D¨¢ire looks at Setanta, and says, ¡°Son of Lugh, a human was caught walking in our lands, and will be judged by the rules of it.¡±


    ¡°This is Biorg land.¡±


    ¡°But this is the providence of Findias, so it still all falls under the control of the Laoch.¡±


    ¡°Did my allies not say they had affiliations with my house?¡±


    ¡°Why should I care for such an affiliation in my very land? Faol¨¢ins are not allowed to just come into any providence they want and overturn the rules of the land they are in?¡±


    With a smile, Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯re right. So, I won¡¯t say this with any form of authority behind it, but out of compassion not to see my fellow countrymen slaughtered. Leave us this very minute, or your eyes will never see another sunrise.¡±


    Setanta turns his back to them and moves towards us, but D¨¢ire utterly unamused by Setanta¡¯s actions says, ¡°Kill him.¡±


    Soon a group of his men move towards him with weapons in their hands, but soon all of those weapons fly into the air, and after a moment I see all of their fingers have been cut off.


    All of their eyeballs are sliced through, which causes all of them to fall to the ground and hold their hands to their eyes which causes blood to leak from their fingers into their open eyes balls.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a single child in sight, but I am a kind person so I will give you all a second warning. Go home right this instant or die.¡±


    Setanta¡¯s words, the screaming of the beastkin, the cockatrice in the sky, and the ease with which they were reduced to this state all caused fear to take root deep inside.


    D¨¢ire says, ¡°To whoever strikes the killing blow on this boy, I will grant my daughter hand, and a position in the upper court of my brother, the king of Findias.¡±


    The men who had been stricken by fear were soon overcome by the words of their leader, and headfirst they ran into Setanta.


    ¡°Setanta grab Aurelius and run, I know you can both get away.¡±


    He looks back at me and smiles, then says, ¡°You talk as if there is danger nearby.¡±


    As he turns to face them, I notice something about his presence.


    Right now, he is wearing dark blue pants and a dark blue shirt both made with fine wool, which had the golden Faol¨¢in crest over where his heart was, and from that crest emanated a design similar to a harp string throughout his body.


    But it wasn¡¯t the clothes, his posture, or even his wonderbeast traits, but it was his soul that made him seem so similar to his grandfather in that moment that made me stop and just stare at his presence.


    Setanta moved forward and started to destroy the foes in front of him.


    ¦µ While moving forward towards my for I weave spirit energy into the weapon in my hand and start carving through them one by one. Each of them wears a type of armour or padded clothing which makes it hard for me to properly slash through them with the knife, so I aim for each of their throats leaving one slash after another.


    But the amount of them that I am surrounded by is so much and so dense that I feel like I am going to be drowned by them, so I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Tulip.¡±


    I move around all of them at high speed in every changing pattern. Tulip isn¡¯t an attack-oriented form, it is solely focused on maximise your speed in a series of hard-to-follow footwork, allowing you to completely break away from whatever situation you are in to reposition.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    And as I use it, I manage to make it out of the crowd, and then I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Starflower.¡±


    I quickly rush back in and throw seven strike towards the beastkin at high-speed slicing their necks, and I continue to do this until I hear, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Ceangailte.¡±


    Suddenly plants from around the area move towards me and end up binding my leg, which causes me to say, ¡°They got a druid!¡±


    Looking in the distance, I see a group of druids standing with the branches sticking out of their heads, and quickly lock my eyes on them which causes them to be stricken with fear.


    But D¨¢ire says, ¡°DO IT NOW!¡±


    This causes them to snap out of it, and movement later I see a group of seeds fly throughout the air, and then I hear, Beast blood battle arts ultimate art; F¨¢s Gl¨®rmhar!¡±


    I quickly remember back to when Findabair used f¨¢s to cause the plants around her to grow, and I quickly prepared for something like that. Soon all of the seeds around quickly turn into trees and their branches move around everywhere.


    Seeing this I instantly move to make sure Culainn and Aurelius don¡¯t get crushed by them, and after I pick them up, I see the trees have grown into a giant intertwined tree that reaches up to the cockatrice in the sky.


    Then I notice that all of the beastkin are scattered across the branches, and D¨¢ire says, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to hide amongst us anymore.¡±


    I quickly take note of the druids and see that they are leaking blood from their palms, and I say, ¡°They must have used up a lot of their blood to make sure of a large attack, I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about those guys for a while now.¡±


    From behind me a group of beastkin comes to attack, and I start to move at high speed and strike them all down. But as I move from person to person, I am constantly interrupted by beastkin.


    Due to the larger space, all of them can now have far more room in between them, and when I hit one target it gives the rest the ability to reposition and attack me before I reach my next target.


    Moving around this entire area is also draining my stamina, and I constantly need to keep an eye on Culainn and Aurelius to make sure no beastkin gets past me over to them.


    Right now, I am in a rather inopportune position, but regardless of that, I am still fighting.


    Remember; be just like Aoife, and fight freely.


    ¡°Red branch battle arts; Tulip.¡±


    I move around at high speed all over the place unable to be caught by the eye, and annoyed by this the beastkin starts to move towards Culainn and Aurelius, in an effort to force me out of hiding.


    But as each of them moves I go from body to body and take them off, wrapping them around their body parts like their appendages or neck, while also tying them against each other clothes connecting them.


    Then soon I have a chain of beastkin all connected to their clothes, and I then grab the person on the end of the chain, and then plunk him right in the middle of the cockatrice¡¯s mouth.


    Then I say, ¡°Go crazy boy.¡±


    The Cockatrice swings the beastkin in the chain around into the air and then throws the chain far into the distance, and as they are thrown, they start to fly in the air like a sword thrown in a circular manner until they crash into some of the forest.


    But just as I catch my breath, I hear a surge of noise, and feel spirit energy approach me, so I prepare to defend myself with my knife but both it and a portion of my chest are cut through.


    And looking at my attackers, I say, ¡°So the elite have stepped onto the battlefield.¡±


    I bring out my claws and send spirit energy into them, then I clash with the man in front of me, but I soon manage to outspeed him and get behind him where I whack the man in the back of the neck knocking him down.


    But as he falls the horse beastkin uses his tail to grab onto me, and then pulls me forward before giving me a kick to the gut which I just bear through.


    We both fall from where we were standing and I use this moment to bite into his neck and rip out the flesh, which causes him to do the same towards me, but he passes out due to blood loss before we land.


    Then while I get myself back up, I look and see that above me are twenty beastkin with spirit energy covering them, and D¨¢ire at the back of all of them.


    ¡°Ehh, you¡¯re not sending in any more rookies.¡±


    ¡°I acknowledge your strength, and I don¡¯t feel like allowing any more young talents to be butchered.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you won¡¯t be alive long enough to even mourn the ones who have been.¡±


    The beastkin moves towards me and I rush forward to me them, but then one of them a Spider Fanalis shoot webs at me mid-air which cover my arm, then I hear, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Bog.¡±


    Then the plants start to move towards me from all around to strike me, my unbound right arm, which causes intense pain as the plants move inside the wound.


    I use Red branch battle arts; Sky flower to kick off one of my shoes towards the pursing beastkin, and then I bring out my claws on that foot and use it to rip off my arm that is bound by the web.


    The pain seeps throughout my body, but my arm grows back quick enough for me to rip my other arm out before the other beastkin reaches me.


    With only my newly regenerated left arm, I fight off the beastkin as they come for me, but their skills are equal to mine, and their bodies are stronger.


    The crushing jaws of the hippo Fanalis, the unbreakable skin of an Armadillo Fanalis, the venom of a cobra Fanalis, the dexterity of a rabbit Fanalis, the flight of a sparrow Fanalis, and the overwhelming strength of a Kraken Fanalis, all combined with the leadership of and abilities of the flaming bursting bear that D¨¢ire is, leaves me beaten and battered by the bottom of the tree, and as he stares down at me, D¨¢ire says, ¡°You where a fool to challenge us to this battle.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it had to be done. Because there is no world where I will allow my friends to be hurt like that, and for my people to be animals that find joy in the public beatings of others.¡±


    ¡°So, you do this for us?¡±


    ¡°I am not sure about many things in my life right now, maybe one day I will believe you''re right about the way you think about things, but right now I don¡¯t know. So, until I do I won¡¯t allow you to make judgements and decisions like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an arrogant fool.¡±


    ¡°Yet all the things I hold precious were also gotten by that same fool, I am fine being like this. Now throw down your weapons or never feel a sensation again.¡±


    ¡°Kill him.¡±


    ¡°Come and try me and you will all die unhappy deaths.¡±

 Arc 10.126: Cç…¤ Culainn part 6

    The beastkin rushes at Setanta from all sides, and he fights and fights and fights.


    Red Branch battle arts; Starflower, Clover, Tulip, Sky flower, Sonic thrust, Camellia Japonica, Passiflora, Morning Glory.


    Again and again, he uses the forms of his style to strike down the foes who come for his neck, using whatever weapons he can, even his own flesh.


    His weapons and flesh break down from this constant battle, but Setanta doesn¡¯t stop until he starts to push them back.


    Scared by this D¨¢ire rookies rush back in to help him and his men, and the fight rages on even more.


    They come towards Setanta again, and again ripping his flesh out which causes Setanta to scream in pain again and again. But never falls.


    To all those who see this sight fear and awe is put in their hearts as they await for him to crumble down and simply give up, but again and again he rises to strike down more and more beastkin until, the very foes he is fighting start to feel more strain then he does.


    The rookies, the elite, the Fanalis, the druids, and even D¨¢ire himself fail to kill him and all of them no matter how much they try can¡¯t break down the man in front of them.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Arriving on horseback with her allies, Findabair follows the rising sun to the giant tree the druids made, and as she does, she gazes upon an amazing sight with Ruair¨ª, Fr¨¢ech, Niall, and a group of warriors beside her.


    Setanta stands on top of D¨¢ire with his foot on his face, and scattered everywhere are the bodies of all his warriors beaten and bruised beyond belief, and the tree they¡¯re all hanging off of, is drenched in blood.


    In utter disbelief, Findabair says, ¡°Did Setanta beat them all?¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°Those were all warriors from Laoch? Fanalis at that, did this boy really defeat them all?¡±


    Ruair¨ª says, ¡°This goes beyond talent. This is a feat that some houses wouldn¡¯t even be able to handle.¡±


    Setanta who stands on top of D¨¢ire says, ¡°You were strong I wasn¡¯t able to defeat you without inflicting fatal wounds.¡±


    ¡°I am honoured. To think I would witness the beginnings of a great king such as yourself.¡±


    Ignoring his compliments, Setanta says, ¡°We could still get you patched up.¡±


    D¨¢ire laughs a bit, and says, ¡°I refuse.¡± Then he bites off his tongue, and Setanta stabs him in his heart before he dies of blood loss.


    Then he says, ¡°I don¡¯t like my hand being forced.¡±


    Moving forward Setanta stares at the crowd of people who clutch themselves and shake in fear of the fact that their protectors are all dead.


    Setanta glares at them all, and they all feel intense fear spread through their bodies. Every single sense tells them all to run, but Setanta says, ¡°I have memorised all of your scents, and faces.¡±


    Hearing this makes the few who were about to dash away stop and plant their feet into the ground, then Setanta says, ¡°Understand this you fools! Take pride in your people and take pride in your ancestors. Feel hatred for the humans who have embarrassed us and tortured our ancestors.


    Despise the weak who hide behind others, and shame those who choose to live their lives as cowards. Find joy in your strength and use it however you wish. Even gather together like this if you ever feel you are in danger again.


    But do not touch those who truly wish to live with their heads held high. Challenge them, but due not break them with your words or actions, for if you ever do such a thing, I will be a hound who will chase you all down till you''re meet a bloody pathetic end.


    I am the protector of the beastkin and the one who wishes the beast of all of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan. So, remember this I am the defender of Culainn, C¨² Culainn, and any who wish to harm him should remember that for the rest of their lives. Now my people follow the orders of your king and return to where you came.¡±


    His presence and warriors dazzle those who watch him making the lot of them fall to their knees out of a mixture of this and relief from the fact they are not dead.


    Many of them cry at this, but at the same time many shout, ¡°Long live the future High King, Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, C¨² CULAINN!¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The shouts grow more and more and more, and as they do Ruair¨ª says, ¡°I made the right choice on who to follow,¡± with a bright smile on his face.


    Findabair, Fr¨¢ech and Ruair¨ª notice an intense aura that emanates from Niall.


    Findabair quickly takes notice of the fact that it was the house of Laoch which has just been dishonoured and slaughtered, and then she says, ¡°Niall wait!¡±


    But Niall dashes forward from his house all the way up to the tree tops where Setanta stands, and with blurry vision, Setanta says, ¡°What the hell do you want?¡±


    Setanta shakes as he stands and Niall walks forward, but Setanta falls over, and Niall catches him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come here for revenge?¡±


    ¡°My uncle challenged you to a fight and lost. You killed him before he died was far more kindness than a loser like him needed, I thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°I see. Please tell Ruair¨ª to heal my friends, they won¡¯t hold out for much longer.¡±


    Setanta falls unconscious and standing up, Niall says, ¡°Hey Findabair, I think my new name will be C¨² Raoi, I have decided that¡¯s the name I must take on to match this boy.¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Raising her voice, Findabair says, ¡°By order of the house of Biorg, I command all Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan in the area to stand down and follow our lead. I want each and every one of you to help me get medical attention to the injured and save as many as we can!¡±


    Soon under the lead of the Biorgs, everyone instantly starts to tend to the wounds of all those scattered throughout the area making an effort to save as many as possible.


    -Break-


    ¦µ With a limp I move forward, and I say, ¡°How are you doing blondie?¡±


    In front of me is Aurelius sitting over Culainn¡¯s body holding the corpse of Culainn¡¯s munchnunchers, as beastkin stands guard over the both of them.


    I stare at both guards and signal them to leave, and they follow my instructions.


    Aurelius seeing this says, ¡°It seems you have earned quite a bit of respect.¡±


    With a smug smile, I say, ¡°They have just witnessed how great and amazing I am.¡±


    With a smile as well, he says, ¡°People cannot turn away from the truth for that long so obviously they would.¡±


    Raising his energy, Aurelius says, ¡°I knew you were strong but when I heard what you did, I almost fell unconscious again, to think you could fight them all off while protecting us. Though I do apologise for all of your people you had to kill for us.¡±


    ¡°I only killed about a quarter of them. For the rookies I realized inflicting intense pain was enough to knock them out of the fight, the elites, and D¨¢ire were the only ones I had to kill to down.¡±


    Looking at my arm, I say, ¡°They were strong, if I didn¡¯t have my ability to regenerate I would have died no less than 22 times, and if they figured out they needed to destroy my head earlier in the battle I would have died without a doubt.¡±


    Falling to my backside, I say, ¡°But this comes with the issue of now that my regeneration weakness will probably spread to the furthest reaches of our empire. In all honesty, killing everyone here would be for the best.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is the great C¨² Culainn scared that if people figure out his secret he could be killed?¡±


    ¡°NOT A CHANCE! DON¡¯ T MOCK ME!¡±


    ¡°See, so there is nothing to be scared of idiot.¡±


    I pout a bit and as I do Aurelius looks at Culainn, and I say, ¡°You do realize what you did was more idiotic than me. If you didn¡¯t awaken spirit energy you would have died an embarrassing death.¡±


    ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°I mean if you had died you wouldn¡¯t have been able to see your family ever again.¡±


    ¡°While that is a tragedy, what would be worse is that I become a person who is no longer myself.¡±


    ¡°Self-preservation matters more to you than family. I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that.¡±


    ¡°My family don¡¯t love the sack of flesh named Aurelius. They love Aurelius, so I have to make sure he is kept alive, and in that moment Aurelius wanted to protect Culainn.¡±


    ¡°But why? You¡¯re a slave; if you had chosen to simply allow him to die no wrong would have been held against you. At the end of the day you''re still property.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe in free will?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I have met many slaves who said, that we don¡¯t have free will all things are decided by past actions that you will never understand. They were destined to become slaves according to themselves and any feelings of love or hatred they have towards it is pointless because it was meant to be that way.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the talk of cowards.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Back then those words gave me even more hope than the ramblings of the religious among us, it made all the pain just hurt less like I had finally let go of the reigns.


    But I don¡¯t really believe in such a thing anymore, because even if I was given evidence to the contrary I could just write it off by saying it was always supposed to be this way, just like how the church of the messiah calls everything good or bad gods will.


    In the end, I think most of it just sounds like comforting lies. I believe that regardless of my situation I have a choice and that I should always act accordingly.


    I can¡¯t have control of becoming a slave, but it would be ridiculous to deny the fact that I have had control over more choices in my life than not, and I want to live my life accordingly.¡±


    The look on Aurelius''s face as he says this is calm and tranquil like he is more connected to the world than any other in this moment. And it pisses me off far more than anything I have ever experienced before.


    ¡°Hey Aurelius, don¡¯t you think it is utterly stupid and ridiculous for you to be having such an expression when talking about beastkin?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Aurelius you said you had a woman you loved right? Her name was Lillian, if she was as pretty as you said I am sure many fun nights were had with her.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°Hey Setanta, shut up,¡± in a rather calm tone.


    ¡°What you don¡¯t like to hear it, but it¡¯s the truth you should know as well as I do that the beastkin used all the women they could find to increase our population again, and again. I am sure your lovely one-day wife already has had beauty her taken away, and has birthed kids who look down and hate her.


    Then after that, she was tossed aside like the rest of the women and sent to the plantations where they were made to breed like cattle until they eventually succumbed to the poor living arrangements and died dog deaths.


    Or better yet maybe her former master was fond enough to keep her, but to hide the fact he has done such a thing I am sure he has kept her trapped and locked away in a basement living with whatever bastard children she has birthed since then.¡±


    Aurelius smacks me in the face, then pins me to the ground and says, ¡°ENOUGH!¡±

 Arc 10.127: Cç…¤ Culainn part 7

    Aurelius looked up at me with a pained and frustrated expression. It is the face of someone who has had to swallow a harsh reality that they would rather reject under all circumstances.


    ¡°What? Is the truth hard to hear? Well as you said people are free to make whatever choices they want, so if she didn¡¯t like it, she could have just killed herself couldn¡¯t she have.¡±


    ¡°Setanta shut the hell up!¡±


    ¡°But you would hate that wouldn¡¯t you, you want her to be alive and suffer through all of that, just so you can make her pump out her fifth set of kids that look like you don¡¯t you.¡±


    He raises his fist to punch me, and as he does, I say, ¡°Hit me all you want but understand that the only reason you can is because I let you. You¡¯re no different than a pet biting its master in this moment, you can get as sad and angry as you want but your survival demands good behaviour.


    Even after all I said you still want to live so bad that you won¡¯t punish me for my words. The common Beastkin could beat you, break your bones, even torture you, and no matter what you do it won¡¯t end.


    Humans are not our friends they are not our equals, but our playthings within this empire. We use them to build our empire, comfort ourselves, and entertain our minds, and no matter what delusion you have cooked up in your head that will always remain the truth.


    Even the boy who betrayed you today will be lauded as a hero by his village for some time to come. Many of them don¡¯t feel remorse for what happened to you today, and only stopped because a beastkin commanded them so.¡±


    Aurelius slams his fist right next to me, and says, ¡°But you¡¯re not like that, neither is Culainn.¡±


    ¡°I feel sad that Culainn wonderbeast died, the same way I feel sad when one of my old toys breaks, the same way I would feel sad when you die. But you want to know the difference between all those things and Ferdiad.


    When I lose one of those things, I just go get a new one. Because you are replaceable! It is fun to have one around, but once it breaks getting a new one is as easy as breathing in or out.¡±


    Moving forward, I pick up Aurelius and throw him into a tree which reopens the wounds on his back, and I say, ¡°I am a mere thirteen years old, and I can do this to an adult human. You see this Aurelius; it is the difference between us.¡±


    Aurelius points his head towards the floor and makes pained expressions as the blood from his back leaks out.


    Walking over to him, I kneel down and pet his head saying, ¡°But I still did fail you today by allowing those beastkin to harm you, so let¡¯s say this. I grant you full permission to torture all of them as much as you want.¡±


    Raising his head to me, Aurelius says, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Did I stutter? You are my property, and I don¡¯t like those who harm what I own, so Aurelius I give you full permission to hurt as many of them in whatever way you want with full protection from me this whole time.


    You can mutilate them, take one as a partner, hell you can even eat them. They have slighted me, and I believe you should be allowed to do whatever you want.¡±


    As Setanta speaks he brings out his claws and hovers them just above Aurelius¡¯s neck mere inches away from slicing his head off and lobbing it onto the ground.


    ¡°So, Aurelius what will it be?¡±


    Aurelius tackles Setanta and puts his hands over his neck, and with a beastly expression he starts to choke Setanta while saying, ¡°YOU PEOPLE TOOK MY HOME, TOOK MY FAMILY, TOOK OUR LIVES, AND TRY TO BREAK DOWN MY WILL EVERY SINGLE MOMENT I EXIST!¡±


    Tears rage from his eyes as he lays on top of me with an expression I never thought he could have on his face whilst he chokes me. I have seen animals that resemble humans more than he does now.


    So, I use spirit energy to push back against the force of his arms against my throat which happens to work well due to how weak he currently is physically.


    But before I do, he pulls his arm away and says, ¡°But I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    He makes a pathetic face like one of a man being chained and sealed away. This enrages me and I say, ¡°Come on, what are you doing stopping like this have you really been neutered that much that you can¡¯t even fight back against those who hurt you, or are you taking pity on me since I am a child you bastard!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Aurelius screams as he slaps me.


    Holding my cheek, I stare at him as he says, ¡°Not everything is about you. I just cannot allow myself to become the kind of person who would ever find joy in such a thing or even comfort in it, because I don¡¯t want to lose my smile.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Your smile? What the hell are you even on about?¡±


    ¡°Nero, Lillian, Claudia, and all the rest of the Anima Clan, I am sure that each and every one of them has forgotten how to smile. When faced with all of this shit time and time again, I am sure that their hearts have been broken down.


    So I won¡¯t stop being myself, I won¡¯t change from the person I was to someone else. I will remember how to be happy, and how to smile through all of his nonsense.


    So that when we all meet again, I will be able to repair whatever wounds they have taken. No matter what you say or do to me, I won¡¯t back down Setanta because I have something far greater than myself, I need to protect.¡±


    As I hear his words I drop my head, I stare to look around for somewhere to escape to. But I punch myself in my chest and say, ¡°No more running away.¡±


    Getting on my hands and knees in front of Aurelius I slam my brain into the ground which spooks him, and then I say, ¡°I am sorry for this slight Aurelius.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I was trying to do, well I don¡¯t even know what I wanted. But it was mean, and I apologize!¡±


    ¡°So, you were just trying to piss me off?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Aurelius falls onto the ground and starts to laugh, and I move over to him saying, ¡°You¡¯re not angry.¡±


    With some tears falling down his eyes, he says, ¡°I am, but I am also relieved that you didn¡¯t actually think like this. Makes me happy you¡¯re the person who I thought you were.¡±


    ¡°Of course I was. The chances of me being different from who I am is next to impossible, obviously, I hide nothing!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°And in relation to those words, I have something to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Will you be my friend?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been honest with you up until this point, and I think I kind of figured it out. I want to be friends with you, so will you be my first human friend?¡± I say while sticking out my hand.


    Grabbing my arm, he says, ¡°We are already friends you idiot.¡±


    Suddenly we both hear, ¡°Can you two idiots keep it down I am trying to sleep you fools.¡±


    Turning our bodies to face him, we say, ¡°Culainn!¡±


    As we move towards him, I say, ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t die like this you old fart.¡±


    ¡°My wife sent me back saying I had a nice surprise waiting for me, but this definitely isn¡¯t nice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right it is wonderful!¡±


    Sighing, he says, ¡°It¡¯s not bad, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Aurelius says right before he collapses on the floor.


    ¡°AURELIUS!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scream Setanta, it just seems I lost a bit of blood from my wounds reopening.¡±


    ¡°Reopening? How did they reopen?¡±


    ¡°Setanta flung me into a tree.¡±


    Culainn gives me a dirty look and I say, ¡°There was a reason!¡±


    ¡°What was this reason?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I tried to kill him.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°YOU FOOL!!!¡±


    ¡°STOP SHOUTING AT ME!¡±


    Aurelius on the ground, says, ¡°Help me.¡±


    ¡°Oh right. Let¡¯s get you patched up.¡±


    -A week later-


    Location: Dl¨²th castle, home of the house of Serlasracht


    ¦µ Sitting on my desk, I read a note and then smile to myself, saying, ¡°I did it, I finally did it!¡±


    I found a fall guy to take the blame for my attack against Culainn. No there is no trace back to me from this incident, I can go and live freely.


    Suddenly I hear a knock on my door, and I say, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Through the door walks my wife with two cups made out of translucent plants.


    ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach, my wife how great it is to see you after a tremendous victory.¡±


    ¡°In what regard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my secret.¡±


    ¡°I see, well you are entitled to keep your little secrets, but so am I.¡±


    As she walks up to me and places the cups in front of both of us, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that my dear wife or I might just cry.¡±


    She pouts at me, and then I grab and put her on my lap and say, ¡°Come on darling.¡±


    She flicks me on the forehead, then says, ¡°It¡¯s too early in the day, and the tea I made us will get cold.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Picking up the translucent cups, I say, ¡°The colour changes depending on which side I look through it from?¡±


    ¡°Just a little creation I made to make tea parties with my friends more interesting.¡±


    ¡°It must be fun being a druid. Your powers enable you to make all of these fun little things.¡±


    ¡°It is, it must be unfortunate to be you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rub it in.¡±


    Taking my cup, she pours it down my mouth whilst saying, ¡°Well let my liquids make you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be crass.¡±


    She giggle a bit, then she say, ¡°Hey can I talk to you about something?¡±


    Wiping the remaining tea from my lips, I say, ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You see, a few years ago I ran into Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢in.¡±


    ¡°The disrespectful?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I assure you he showed his lack of tact to me like he does to everyone. But during that conversation, he said something to me that sounded ridiculous. That you were the one who set up the accident that killed my mother.¡±


    I get slightly tense, but seeing my wife¡¯s relaxed body language, I say, ¡°How ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I know. The event was prosecuted by the high kings'' court and took place far before he was even born. The whole idea was utterly preposterous. But then I thought about it and thought about it.¡±


    ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach,¡± I say as I try to move my arms, but I realise that my entire body cannot move.


    ¡°Is this some kind of prank honey?¡±


    ¡°I thought that if it was true, it would mean that over these last few decades, my father has been living what can only be called an indescribable hell. It would mean the man I choose to always be by my side was a liar who had manipulated my life for so long that I essentially had no freedom.¡±


    ¡°I love you, Sp¨¦irdeannach.¡±


    ¡°So, I looked into it and followed the evidence that Lugh left as if he was guiding me, then I eventually set up a communication device it your room.¡±


    She says, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Aon. Is a form that connects one''s nerves and sense to that of nature, usually used for torture but can be used for reconnaissance, it¡¯s a forbidden form only learnt by those who the high king gives permission to.¡±


    I look around all the beautiful plants in the room and say, ¡°The plants you gave me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my darling. I heard everything including your conversation with Bricriu, and I have all the proof I need after D¨¢ire little stunt.¡±


    ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach, I love you.¡±


    Kissing me, she says, ¡°I loved you, and regardless you were a good husband, so how does; he was dying from a critical illness, and in his final moments managed to convince both the high king and his wife to forgive Culainn sound? I think that¡¯s a story our kids would be ok hearing.¡±


    ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach, please I have cared for you, and I have guided this house to prosperity. I don¡¯t deserve this.¡±


    ¡°My mother and my human friends didn¡¯t either. Earlier you swallowed a little seed in your drink. Beast blood battle arts; F¨¢s.¡±


    In his stomach a seed sprouts and rips it and other organs within him to spread.

 Arc 10.128: Cç…¤ Culainn part 8

    -Break-


    Location: Culainn¡¯s Blacksmiths


    ¦µ As we walk through the streets the people of Gorias yell my praises.


    ¡°Setanta the destroyer of the Laochs.¡±


    ¡°Setanta the future kings!¡±


    ¡°The protector of all who live within the empire.¡±


    ¡°C¨² Culainn!¡±


    ¡°The silver wolf of the victory.¡±


    ¡°Our future hero king.¡±


    ¡°The one who shall conquer the east.¡±


    As they speak and celebrate whilst a walk with Aurelius who holds Culainn on his back, I say, ¡°THIS IS WHAT I WAS WAITING FOR!¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°We get beaten up, and you grow more famous, life truly isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°But we''re lucky to be alive at least.¡±


    ¡°You are lucky to be alive. So now I want to go stay with my hot wife.¡±


    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been able to meet with my hot wife yet, so we all stay single together!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with the both of you.¡±


    Aurelius and Culainn say, ¡°Minagrain,¡± and instantly all the energy in my legs fades and I fall to the ground.


    ¡°Low blow.¡±


    ¡°Someone needs to take down your ego every now and then.¡±


    Reaching his hand towards me, Aurelius says, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As he does this, I take note of the displeasing expressions many beastkin have, and I grab his hand allowing me to lift him up. Then I say, ¡°THANK YOU MY FRIEND!¡±


    These words make many around me visibly upset and the praises start to become less intense, and some even stop entirely which makes Aurelius say, ¡°Are you sure you want to do such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Who cares, getting help from a friend is better than a bunch of praise.¡±


    As we reach Culainn store and go inside we place the remaining things we have within the store, but as we do I say, ¡°Someone is here, I can hear footsteps in the back.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Please be gentle to whoever it is Setanta.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°You know what, Aurelius bring us all in at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I can do it myself.¡±


    Aurelius carries Culainn forward, and he says, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    Soon we all walk into the back, and there we are greeted by a little munchnuncher running towards us. I catch and hold it, but at the same time as that we all see a woman standing in the middle of the shop in mourning clothes.


    ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach,¡± Culainn says.


    Sp¨¦irdeannach says, ¡°Father I have come to see you.¡±


    Culainn starts to panic as if he doesn¡¯t know what to do with himself, but then he says, ¡°Are you okay? Is everything alright with you? How are your kids? Have you been taking care of your health?¡±


    The women quickly fall to the ground and start to cry, and Culainn calls Aurelius to drop him next to her.


    As he gets up close to her, he says, ¡°Sp¨¦irdeannach, why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°Even after all the shit I have put you through even after all these decades, you still want to treat me like your daughter. I thought you would hurl insult after insult at me, and I was prepared to take it after what I had done to you. But this is much worse.


    I am sorry Dad; I am so sorry for all I did. For all the years of loneliness for making you live like a slave for a second time in your life, for not forgiving you all these years, and for dismissing the rumours for so long. I am sorry, so sorry Dad.¡±


    They both hug each other while curled up against each other, and as this touching moment plays out in front of me I laugh, and I say, ¡°You named your daughter sky dust. What kind of stupid name is that!¡±


    I fall on the floor and roll over laughing, then Aurelius puts me in a headlock and says, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be laughing right now.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Culainn says, ¡°That¡¯s my little protector over there.¡±


    Bowing her head, to me she says, ¡°For all of House Serlasracht, I thank you for protecting my father.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, I say, ¡°Wait wouldn¡¯t that make you the former head of Serlasracht!?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here then?¡± I say with a surprised tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, that my father should have told more people about.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to say unnecessary things.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t unnecessary! But whatever, I came here today to ask if you would like to visit your grandchildren, and prepare with me as your great-grandchild is about to be born?¡±


    Smiling, Culainn says, ¡°I would love more than anything to see that.¡±


    Sensing the air in the room, both me and Aurelius try to sneak out, but Culainn says, ¡°Wait you two fools.¡±


    Stopping I say, ¡°Can I come? I heard one of the daughters of house Serlasracht is a beauty.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Sp¨¦irdeannach, says, ¡°But father, don¡¯t you think my daughter being associated with such a caring, and powerful young man is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°He made be that, but he is also crazy and not something one should ever subject their child to taking care of.¡±


    ¡°I am sensing some disrespect here Culainn?¡±


    ¡°Since when have facts become disrespectful? But regardless of that, he already has a woman.¡±


    Culainn says, ¡°Aurelius.¡±


    This causes Aurelius to move over to all of our stuff, and bring out a small object warped in a clot which hides what it is, and Culainn says, ¡°Here is a present for you to give when you make your apology.¡±


    Taking it, I say, ¡°Did you guys make it?¡±


    Aurelius says, ¡°We wanted to make sure that you could fix up your relationship with your little wife, so we made this to help you through that experience.¡±


    Holding it I say, ¡°Thank you both.¡±


    I let out a scream and say, ¡°TODAY I AM GOING TO DO IT!¡±


    I run out of the store while screaming, ¡°BYE!¡±


    Then charge forward toward Gorias Castle. But as I do I say, ¡°BOYS TROOP I KNOW YOU¡¯RE FOLLOWING ME COME OUT AND HELP!¡±


    Soon Ruair¨ª and the rest of the boy''s troop appear around me, and I say, ¡°Time to apologise.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Gorias Castle


    ¦µ Within the halls of the castle both Minagrain and Ibar walk beside each other with Ibar saying, ¡°So does this mean tired?¡± While trying to move his body in a way that signals words.


    Minagrain nods her head, and Ibar smiles, but at that moment, Setanta appears at the other end of the corridor behind them, and shouts, ¡°MINAGRAIN, I WANT TO TALK!¡±


    Minagrain almost turns her body around on instinct, but a chill moves through her body that causes her to clam up and stand still while shaking a bit.


    Ibar seeing this says, ¡°Looks like she doesn¡¯t want to talk to you.¡±


    Setanta falls to the ground and buries his head into the floor whilst tears flow out of his eyes, he says, ¡°That¡¯s ok, I can¡¯t force her to talk,¡± in a pitiful voice.


    Minagrain who hears this continues to shake, but as Sc¨¢thach¡¯s words move through her mind, she puts her hands to her chest and then stomps on the ground again, and again.


    Then she signals to Ibar words which he says.


    Taking a moment to understand, Ibar says, ¡°Minagrains says she does want to talk.¡±


    Lifting his head up Setanta happily says, ¡°Really?¡±


    Ibar then says, ¡°But she also doesn¡¯t want to talk because you¡¯re a.¡±


    Stopping Ibar looks at Minagrain and says, ¡°You really want me to say that to him?¡±


    She nods her head and Ibar says, ¡°Stupid ugly bitch.¡±


    Saddened, Setanta says, ¡°So what does she want?¡±


    Minagrain makes a few movements, and Ibar says, ¡°Please do it slower,¡± which she does, and then he says, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know, all she knows is that it¡¯s your job to fix this.¡±


    Minagrain then hops on Ibar¡¯s back, and then Ibar says, ¡°She wants me to run now.¡±


    ¦µ As they run off I look confused for a moment, then I say, ¡°WHAT DID ANY OF THAT MEAN! No don¡¯t think Setanta, that obviously wasn¡¯t logical so don¡¯t use logic either, just do what you want.¡±


    I start to run after Ibar, and as I do I shout, ¡°GIVE ME BACK MY WOMEN IBAR!¡±


    I prepare to speed up, but then Ibar says, ¡°Minagrain says if you use Red branch battle arts, she won¡¯t forgive you.¡±


    ¡°OH, COME ON! If so, I will just chase you!¡±


    I run after Ibar, but as I do he runs forward with the speed of a horse, and I say, ¡°This is an unfair genetic advantage!¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM YOU!¡±


    Suddenly Minagrain whistles, and Solasmionna, my personal squad tries to attack me from all directions.


    As the three tiger brothers attack me, I say, ¡°YOU KNOW I AM YOUR BOSS!¡±


    Gealta¨ªogar says, ¡°Rule one of Solasmionna was protecting Minagrain at all costs!¡±


    ¡°FUCK!¡±


    As my men attack me, I say, ¡°RUAIR¨ª!¡±


    And the boys'' troop appears to defend me and as I break through my men, I say, ¡°Good job to the boys'' troop.¡±


    Which invigorates them into wild beasts of happiness.


    Seeing the sizeable lead Ibar has gained on me, I say, ¡°Fight freely.¡±


    I look at one of the walls of our castle, and I smash it open, then I move through it and using my claws I move across the wall, and jump onto one of the banners of my family hanging off the castle, and I use it swing myself forward while ripping off the banner from the wall.


    Then as I swing through the air, I end up in front of one of the windows Ibar and Minagrain are passing by, so I use the banner to wrap around Minagrain, and then I pull her out of the window and into my arms.


    In my arms, she starts to hit me against my head with her arms. But I just take it and stare right into her saying, ¡°PLEASE, LET¡¯S TALK!¡±


    As we land in the middle of the courtyard, she gestures, ¡°You¡¯re really mean! Even though you know how much I would hate such a thing, you did it to hurt me. It was horrible really horrible, and I don¡¯t even know why such a thing happened.


    You have never been so cruel before, so I thought it had to be my fault, and even now I still do. But if I am the type of person, you hate so much that I can drive you that then just tell me so I can disappear.¡±


    ¡°MINAGRAIN THAT ISN¡¯T TRUE! The fact of the matter is that you hit the nail on the head with your questions, and the fact that I could be seen as vulnerable by the one I wanted to protect the most made me feel like shit!


    I have been feeling shaky, like I couldn¡¯t lead my people, I couldn¡¯t fulfil my promise of being the best I could. Yet I found another person who had far greater will and resolve than I did, but I saw that person as far beneath me.


    The frustration that gave me made me take it out on you, but I know that the frustration was misplaced in the first place on both you and this person. I was a fool.


    But now I figured out how I want to move forward. Minagrain if I had a hundred wives but didn¡¯t have you, I would feel horrible, so I don¡¯t need them just you. Even if it makes my life harder, I will bear with it just for you.


    I don¡¯t want to make you cry or sad ever again, and I want to support you and let you support me throughout it all now and forever more.¡±


    Removing the cloth from the item Culainn gave me, I see a ring and say, ¡°Minagrain please marry me, and become mine now and forever more. Because I promise to give you my heart and will never stop you from touching it.¡±

 Arc 10.129: The final celebration part 1

    Minagrain in front of me turns incredibly nervous, and she blushes again and again. Her ears start to move wildly, and she takes her tail and uses it to cover her face. She jumps from one foot to the next and then falls to the ground while still holding her tail.


    Then she looks at me, and she nods.


    ¡°Was that a, yes?¡± A say with a face of disbelief.


    ¡°Yes,¡± She gestures towards me.


    I pick her up, twirl her around, and say, ¡°I happen to be the happiest man around!¡±


    She turns more and more red as I twirl her around, and we both laugh together. Then stopping I hold her tight and put the ring on her finger which makes her raise her arm to stare at it, before looking directly at me and smiling.


    Is it even fair to be this cute? Is it even fair to be this adorable? It is like this little girl has a grip on my soul, and there is nothing I can do about it. I am completely dominated by her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Minagrain, I will get this traded for some jewellery for your tail instead of this human tradition.¡±


    I pull her close and continue to hug her, and then she stares into my eyes while I stare into hers, and then I hear a ridiculous amount of claps again, and again.


    Looking around, I notice that both of us are in the middle of the courtyard. All those who were working from the staff to the soldier, were all looking at us and clapping.


    This all makes Minagrain far more embarrassed as it seems she didn¡¯t notice this either, but I pull her close and say, ¡°WHERE GETTING MARRIED EVERYONE!¡±


    The cheers increase, and Minagrain gestures, ¡°Don¡¯t be telling everyone, I don¡¯t want you to get embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°What is there to be embarrassed about my love? I won in this aspect of life, and I plan to enjoy my victory for the rest of my life!¡±


    Suddenly I hear, ¡°Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her, kiss her.¡±


    Turning my head, I see Aurelius who is wearing his cloak, chanting this, and I gesture to him that I am going to slit his throat.


    But before he stops, Laeg says, ¡°Kiss her, kiss her, kiss, her, kiss her.¡± And soon the rest of the crowd starts to chant the same thing again, and again.


    Looking at Minagrain, I say, ¡°I am sorry for this, you don¡¯t have to do anything you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    But she looks kind of disappointed as I say this, so I pick her up and I start to kiss her, and the rest of the people around me cheer, but soon all their voices fade from my ears as all my senses are completely dominated by Minagrain.


    -Break-


    With Ibar in a headlock on the ground, I say, ¡°So what were you doing walking around with Minagrain all by yourselves?¡±


    ¡°I was watching her like you instructed us to!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I am jealous!¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡±


    Laeg walking over to us with Aurelius comes and kicks me in the face, and says, ¡°Control yourself!¡±


    I am knocked back to a wall, and as I lay against it Minagrain comes up to me and pats my wounds on my face, and I say, ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t be jealous if someone tried to touch my precious little goddess here.¡±


    Minagrain blushes and Laeg picks me up by the collar and says, ¡°I don¡¯t care, just behave!¡±


    ¡°How mean!¡±


    ¡°Well then behave yourself and we won¡¯t have to have this issue.¡±


    The boys'' troop suddenly appears all around me, and Ruair¨ª says, ¡°How rude of you to say such a thing to your master.¡±


    Laeg gets a little scared by this, and Ibar moves to protect her, so I say, ¡°Hey Laeg these guys are my new slaves, and as my first decree you¡¯re free to do whatever you want to them. They are you and Ibar¡¯s personal guards.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ruair¨ª says.


    Freaking out a little he says, ¡°I thought we are going to serve under you.¡±


    ¡°I obviously cannot allow you guys to join me if one of my people sees you all in a negative light, so when Laeg is comfortable enough around you bastards you can work for me all you want until then that isn¡¯t my issue.¡±


    Ruair¨ª makes a disappointed face, and in that moment Laeg kicks him in the balls which causes him to fall to the ground in pain, and then she turns to the rest of the boys'' troop and says, ¡°Line up.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    They make scared faces, but I glare at them, and say, ¡°Fall in line.¡±


    Laeg proceeds to continue on kicking them with both a sadistic and satisfied smile pasted over her face.


    As she does this, I turn to Minagrain, and say, ¡°Since I plan to marry you on my birthday next year, we should inform both your mom and Ferdiad.¡±


    The moment Ferdiad¡¯s name leaves my mouth my mood sours and I feel like I am one moment away from crying, but I manage to keep myself together and look at Minagrain.


    Minagrain in response to my question makes a worried expression, and I ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Ibar puts his hands on my shoulder, and then says, ¡°We have something to tell you.¡±


    Laeg stopping turns to me, and says, ¡°We didn¡¯t know how to relay this information to you, especially after we heard all you went through with the house of Laoch. But Ferdiad has left the house of Faol¨¢in.¡±


    Standing up, I say, ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Why would he do such a thing? Where the hell is he?¡±


    As I speak, I move increasingly close to Laeg, and my tone isn¡¯t a kind one. But Minagrain and Ibar stop me, and Laeg says, ¡°He left for the house of Sealbh¨®ir, after saying his goodbyes to everyone else here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say to anyone but Lugh.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say as I start to move.


    Ibar says, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To go and find him, then drag him back here!¡±


    ¡°Setanta you can¡¯t just force him to be here.¡±


    ¡°I can do whatever the hell I want!¡±


    Suddenly I am tugged from behind, and I turn around to see Minagrain who slaps me, and I say, ¡°Wha?¡±


    She points at me, then gestures, ¡°Bad.¡±


    Continuing from that, she says, ¡°We all help each other here, so don¡¯t just run off after being in such a harsh battle. We can all go together.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Turning to everyone, I say, ¡°Get the rest of Solasmionna we are all going to Falias.¡±


    I pick Minagrain up and I start to walk away with everyone, but as I do I move over to Aurelius and take off his hood, then I say, ¡°Oh this is Aurelius a human, he is my friend and by extension of all of you guys friends now as well. Make sure no harm comes to him.¡±


    Everyone looks shocked by the fact that I have a human right next to me, except for Minagrain who waves and smiles at him, and I bury my head in her as she adorably does this.


    -Break-


    Location: Lugh¡¯s chambers


    ¦µ In front of me, Lugh sits at his desk, and I finish my report by saying, ¡°As you requested the Fuinseogs intercepted Setanta¡¯s group trying to head into Falias and stopped them. A battle broke out but using his legacy and skills Ronald was able to subdue Setanta before he got too wild and did any lasting damage.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. I am glad we set up this safety net the moment Ferdiad left.¡±


    A bit nervous, I ask, ¡°Though this probably won¡¯t stop him, the fact that Ferdiad just up and left isn¡¯t something Setanta is going to just let go of, and in all honesty, many here don¡¯t want to let that go either.¡±


    ¡°I know how you all feel. But we were too complacent with him since unlike Setanta he never acts out.


    It seems that the disgusting snake got his hands around Ferdiad while we were focusing on other things, and now Ferdiad won¡¯t even talk to his mother or sister.


    Though for now we must protect ourselves, and I want you to still make it so that any contact between Ferdiad and everyone else will be banned until further notice.¡±


    ¡°That sounds extremely harsh. His mother was hysterical when he left, and she has been trying to contact him ever since, even Minagrain and Setanta are raging around like beasts trying to get him. It feels cruel to do that.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I don¡¯t know what Ferdiad has been told or how far he is willing to go so until further notice he must be treated as an enemy agent, and cannot have free access to those who care for him,¡± Lugh says while shaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we should take some action?¡±


    ¡°For Red branch house going to battle over something like this would be seen as utterly insignificant. Especially since we can¡¯t claim we had any rights to him; he had no form of marriage pack with any of the Faol¨¢ins or the houses surrounding us. And now I have heard rumours that Glic Sealbh¨®ir will be his new wife.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she the one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is probably my cousin. I had dropped a few hints towards her since she was a child about this, but I have yet to see if it has born any fruit, all I can hope for is that her Faol¨¢in blood overcomes that of her Sealbh¨®ir blood.¡±


    ¡°I know, but everything about this just rubs me the wrong way. It feels like we are allowing that bastard to have his way, and push his venom into Ferdiad and by extension Setanta.


    I made great efforts to make sure he never had any form of impact on your life while growing up, but it seems he has taken an interest in our house for the third time, and he has been successful so far.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret Darragh, we still have all the evidence we had gathered from when we helped Sp¨¦irdeannach get rid of her husband due to being the ones who by law have to conduct the autopsy. It is rather conclusive when put with all the other things both me and Medb have gathered.


    The house of Laoch has always had a disdain for the Sealbh¨®irs, due to this deceiving nature, and we have recently gained an upper hand against the house of Eire with regard to the fact that the next head has fallen under my son''s command.


    We have the support of the four kings, and when we start the invasion into the eastern continent next year, we will have all the proof we need to force the House of Sealbh¨®ir out of the Red branch for good, and I will reclaim my aunt, my cousin, and my son.¡±


    ¡°I think this is too easy. He without a doubt knows the trouble of the house of Serlasracht losing their former head who had a tight relationship with him, so I doubt he doesn¡¯t know of the evidence you gathered. He must have realized all of this, and has planned accordingly.¡±


    ¡°I am sure he has some backup card, namely the eastern continent, which he has been weakening. I am sure he will probably try to use the role he has over there to protect himself for the time being and wait for a weak spot to attack, but all we can do till then is continue to defend ourselves and build up strength.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right my king. But you also need to rest, you cannot be trying to do all of this without taking a nap yourself.¡±


    ¡°I will get to it eventually Darragh, I still need to sort things out with the house of Laoch. Daire was a beastkin who had agreed with Conchobar¡¯s plan, and now that he is dead we need to find another helper.¡±


    Grabbing Lugh, I say, ¡°No you will do it ,r ight now you fool! You need to your habit of overworking, if you¡¯re going to be a married man.¡±


    Looking up, Lugh says, ¡°I guess you''re right about that.¡±


    -Break-


    During the era after Setanta was referred to as C¨² Culainn the beastkin spent time resting and building up strength for the battles to come the very next year and in the blink of an eye time had passed and on the 13<sup>th</sup> day of the  2<sup>nd</sup> month of the 133<sup>rd</sup> year Lugh¡¯s wedding has arrived.

 Arc 10.130: The final celebration part 2

    Location: City of Gorias


    ¦µ For six days a festival has been raging on within the city of Gorias, and the entire providence of Gorias.


    The beastkin during the festivals made it a point to dress in clothes far more ornate than usual; wearing flowers throughout their bodies, or dressing in clothes made entirely out of plants.


    Clothes made out of animals had the motif of using materials from animals their innate beast was hunted or were hunted by as a sign of greater connection.


    The druids made clothes out of plants that could be modified with their beast blood battle, allowing them to change their designs of the clothes, and throughout the city, designated druids were given instructions to change the clothes of those who passed by.


    Many wore jewellery such as brooches, pins, armlets, rings, and torcs against the animal parts of their bodies as a way to honour their heritage, while many others decorated their bodies with paint or tattoos which represent ancient stories or those who they called gods throughout their history.


    For their hair, they wore many different types of braids, and it was common to take some hair from your tails and use it when making the braid and staining it with blood to represent the fusion between animal and man.


    However for beastkin who didn¡¯t have hair due to being a certain type of beastkin, they would make artificial braids out of plants throughout their heads, and with the help of druids, they would be temporally attached to them.


    Many musicians filled the area playing their heart out on their instruments of choice, but harps were far more prominent than others and filled each and every area of the city.


    The different groups of musicians moved around, and using their druid-made instruments, they were able to create sounds that when exposed to each beastkin sense sounded different, allowing many people in one area to hear multiple different songs from one person.


    But in coordination with them, those who served food whether big or small, made efforts to make specific food types in different areas, which made the beastkin who ate those food types crowd into those areas allowing the musicians to move in a predetermined pattern, that made is so that everyone could hear their playing.


    At the same time as all of this, a parade moved throughout the city. Those who marched in it played music and danced, but also in the parade there were many floats that incorporated wonderbeasts into them, and riders would move through the area showcasing all of the different wonderbeasts, some would even use this time as advertising to sell them off.


    During the parade, the most spectacular wonderbeasts were the tiritrexs'' which all bore an appearance similar to that of the Tiritrex of Nialathr¨², as it was its ancestor.


    The tiritrex¡¯s open their mouths and let out a blast of sunlight that exploded making a beautiful sight for those below.


    Still, those who hadn¡¯t enjoyed the festival, and the rowdy kids who couldn¡¯t behave within the city, were all able to move to an open field just outside the city where many different games were played.


    The kids played a game where they carried sticks made of wood and flung special boluses at each other. When the boluses hit, they puff up into a ball of cotton knocking the player out of the game.


    The young kids play this game to have fun, but it also allows the young children to use their innate animal abilities and enhanced senses in a way that is non-lethal while letting them use their bodies without restrictions.


    But this leads to many different matches being unfair, due to many of the kids'' physical attributes removing a sense of fairness. So, the adults join in every now and then to make sure fun is maintained when a group has a genetic advantage.


    Throughout the streets, the druids held exhibits showing off their latest inventions to all the beastkin who passed by, many using this event as a form of crowdfunding to further their research.


    They showcased boluses that clean dirty water, a flour substance that improves soil health, an artificial flower that feeds off of man-eating parasites within the soil, and an artificial aquarium which is capable of regrowing its insides allowing people to keep fish as pets.


    Medicine made from plant extract that numbs pain, plants that automatically devour waste and send it to the soil, plants that can forcefully boil water, even plants that have the ability to turn lots of sunlight into water, sunflowers which shine bright lights, prosthetics.


    And the most incredible invention to all was from the house of C¨¦il¨²s which gave a presentation and showed.


    In front of all the people gathered, and he says, ¡°To all those who live in the cities I am sure you have had issues with getting water, and cleaning waste. While we can use wonderbeasts to recycle them and hire cleaners that is such lowly behaviour for us members of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan.


    So we of House C¨¦il¨²s have found a new way to do things. Look here is a little man-eating parasite. But don¡¯t fear because using what we have learned from it, us druids have become able to reverse engineer a lot of it for our benefit.


    Now this ball I hold in my right hand uses many of the same aspects of the parasite, but when implanted in the ground it would grow to look like that of the sewage systems found within the Red Branch castles, granted as long as we carve out its path beforehand.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    The inside of the plant pipes would be waterproof but they would also be self-cleaning, and unlike the sewage systems we would not have to have a large group of people working on this, druids could essentially do it themselves saving us an incredible amount of time and money.


    The system would not only be able to clean up your waste, but put toilets in every single house, and we even might be able to put individual fountains in everyone¡¯s house, and the best part is that it would be far quicker and cheaper to make than a castle.


    But to make this a reality we of House C¨¦il¨²s need your help and your funding, and the quicker we get this done the faster we never have to handle our own waste ever again.¡±


    The crowd goes wild with many of the people in front of the two members of house C¨¦il¨²s going wild. But the two of them start to talk amongst themselves.


    ¡°Hey Roi, is it a good idea to allow one of the four kings of Tir na n-iontas to go around asking citizens for money, especially if they are not from our providence?¡±


    ¡°What other choice do we have, the research requires money to keep us fed and rebuy plants after we make a mistake!¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t this kind of shameful?¡±


    ¡°We have no other choice, at this point we are about to go into debt over how much money we owe the house of ¨¦ire. Our queen is gifted in conversation, but even she can¡¯t borrow that much before that filthy piece of trash starts getting a bit too annoying.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see but still this feels low class.¡±


    ¡°Never feel like that, my boy. Remember no matter how much money you take from people in Gorias, Lugh will always make sure they are still all fed and housed. So, rip these people off as much as necessary.¡±


    ¡°How heartless.¡±


    The druids all continue to show off their inventions with many getting the funding they need from people and nobles who walk past.


    At the height of the celebration, the young king stands at the top of a fountain in the middle of the city, and beside him, the Druids use their abilities to make plants grow.


    The plants grow into a shape that resembles a horn, and in that moment Setanta shouts, ¡°SOON WE WILL BE WELCOMING A NEW MEMBER INTO THE HOUSE OF FAOL¨¢IN, SO ALL OF YOU MAKE SURE TO CELEBRATE HER UNION WITH OUR KING, AND THE EVENTUALLY CHILDREN THEY WILL BRING!¡±


    The people shout in response to this, and Setanta says, ¡°Everything is going according to plan. It looks like my planning is perfect.¡±


    One of the druids beside Setanta says, ¡°You seem to be going all out today?¡±


    ¡°Because my father requested, I gather everyone into a single area tomorrow for his wedding. It going to take a lot of time, so I had to push all of the things I wanted to do tomorrow into today.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Lugh wanted that big of an audience?¡±


    ¡°It seems my father enjoys being praised as much as everyone else. So, let¡¯s let this festival rage on even more.¡±


    With the combined efforts of everyone, the festival continues through the day up until nightfall.


    Many at this time have gone to rest, but for those who stay up many of the beastkin put on performances showcasing the stories of the ones they call gods.


    The pieced together stories passed down from oral traditions along with Biorg, and Cumhaill''s research. Using wonderbeasts, druids, and dance they make them as real as possible.


    Each day four heroes are chosen, and their stories are put on for all to watch. The birth of those known as gods, the heroes who conquered great beasts in the past, and even Lugh the god¡¯s battle against the humans who had their souls cursed, Fomorians.


    And as the people enjoy these stories being performed all throughout Gorias.


    An exclusive party between the Red branch and their guests have begun within the castle. The different houses of the Red branch are all gathered and met in one place.


    ¦µ Drinking beside another old man, the horse beastkin Ru¨¢n ¨® L¨²cogadh says, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you''re getting too old for that Dedad, we are both passed our primes and drinking an entire barrel might kill you.¡±


    The lion beastkin Dedad ¨® Laoch says, ¡°Drinking this providence into poverty is my revenge for C¨² Culainn killing my brother, and besides my son is already ready to take over my house so why should I stop?¡±


    With a stressed-out look, Ru¨¢n says, ¡°I wonder if our providence of Findias is going to be ok with Niall at its head.¡±


    ¡°I thought the same, but he has been taking his studying, and training far more seriously. He even started to learn the saviour''s song.¡±


    Surprized Ru¨¢n says, ¡°What happened to bring this about?¡±


    ¡°It seems the son of Lugh has become some kind of rival to him, so he wants to crush him. The talented need motivation or they become stale, Findias will be fine with C¨² Raoi at the helm.¡±


    ¦µ Standing by her lonesome an armadillo beastkin who has rather well-defined muscles rests looking directly at the heads of the house of ¨¦ire and the house of C¨¦il¨²s.


    Soon a shark beastkin walks up to her, and says, ¡°Treasa ¨® Cathal, why do you look so glum even at a party?¡±


    Treasa stares at the smiling and cocky woman who walks up to her, and she says, ¡°L¨ªra ¨® M¨¢irse¨¢il, how unpleasant it is to see you.¡±


    ¡°You say that but only one of us of looks like she is not relaxed at a wedding.¡±


    ¡°Because unlike you I have people to watch.¡±


    Laying against the wall with her, L¨ªra says, ¡°Cathal¡¯s the sturdy protectors of the empire whose defence can never be broken through, those who pushed the east back when they invaded into our lands. The house which watches over both the Sealbh¨®irs, and the ¨¦ires in Falias, and a bunch of uptight workaholics who don¡¯t even know how to relax.¡±


    Annoyed, Treasa says, ¡°The M¨¢irse¨¢il, the house who have masted the seas but use that ability to go on nonsensical adventures to satiate their curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we bring back delicious gifts from where we go to.¡±


    Glaring at L¨ªra she says, ¡°Don¡¯t try and pretend like that was your intention.¡±


    L¨ªra gets a little bit spoked so she changes the topic and says, ¡°I know having to live in the same providence as those sneaky and greedy bastards can put you on edge, but you are allowed to just enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t because I don¡¯t know what Medb and pests are cooking.¡±


    ¡°My king Medb is actually rather great if you got to know her, beside it is only thanks to her that women like us are even allowed to be in charge of our houses.¡±


    Blushing a bit, Treasa says, ¡°Well I guess that is true. I should at least thank her for that.¡±


    Standing up and hugging Treasa, L¨ªra says, ¡°That''s my cute little dillo.¡±


    As they walk forward Treasa says, ¡°Call me that again, and I will squash you.¡±


    ¡°Right, Right.¡±


    Leaders of the Red Branch.


    Of Gorias


    Faol¨¢in the Shining. Led by Lugh


    Fuinseog the Hunter. Led by Donald


    Serlasracht the smiths. Led by ¨¦amonn


    Of Murias


    C¨¦il¨²s the ingenious. Led by Medb


    M¨¢irse¨¢il the storm. Led by L¨ªra


    Cumhaill the wise. Led by Fr¨¢ech


    Of Falias


    ¨¦ire the bountiful. Led by Dagda


    Cathal the protectors. Led by Treasa


    Sealbh¨®ir the tricky. Led by Bricriu


    Of Findias


    Laoch the fierce. Led by Dedad


    Biorg the spiritual. Led by Findabair


    L¨²cogadh the swift. Led by Ruan

 Arc 10.131: The final celebration part 3

    ¦µ As Dagda laughs in front of me, I say, ¡°So if you would excuse me.¡±


    With his same cherry smile as always, he says, ¡°Haha, your jokes are as tasteful as your clothes. Now Medb where is my money?¡±


    ¡°Money? You mean the financial instrument we have assigned value to for the sake of switching things we have made into items we have collected from our environment and from others through labour, intelligence and ingenuity?¡±


    With his smile fading a bit, he says, ¡°Hahaha, yes. Now where is it?¡±


    ¡°Dagda what really is value? Is it something kings assign value to-,¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Putting my finger on his lips, I say, ¡°OR! Is it the exchange of wills from one person to another, so isn¡¯t my mere smile payment enough?¡±


    ¡°Not a chance, now my money.¡±


    I get thrown off my balance as he rejects me, and then I lean on him and say, ¡°We have known each other for a long time, and you still don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    ¡°I trusted you decades ago when I invested in your research hoping for a return. But every time you make a return, all the money instantly goes into other projects.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because as a smart woman, I have decided that value creation is better than simply handing you back your cash. I care about your ledgers far more than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I believe such words some time ago, but you have started to create so much value that I am starting to doubt there is enough capital within the empire to actually give me a return equal to its value.¡±


    ¡°For now, it is, but new jobs are being created every day, and the key beastkin in Tir na n-iontas are becoming far more educated every day, soon we would be able to create a robust financial market for all those within our empire. Think about the long term.¡±


    ¡°I am dead in the long term. Now I want my money back before your husband eats your providence coffers away.¡±


    Noticing a change in Dagda¡¯s expression, I say, ¡°Oh I see it now, that¡¯s why you''re angry.¡±


    Interlocking his hand with mine, I take him to the dance floor and along with others I twirl around and say, ¡°Dagda my friend, my brother, my kin. Don¡¯t feel sad now that I have found a man, both me and Fergus believe love and the body are two different things so if you ever believe that my need for you will decrease, you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    With his sadness being far more visible than before, he says, ¡°You say that but I believe both Sc¨¢thach and Lugh would put up with such behaviour especially when directed at the high king.¡±


    ¡°My mother can haggle me all she wants, but just like my sister, I can ignore her all day. And Lugh is a man of many things, but he wouldn¡¯t make me stay faithful while Fergus loses all restraint the moment he sees a woman he likes.¡±


    Getting close to Dagda¡¯s ear, I say, ¡°So we can still be together.¡±


    Dagda brings his face close to mine, and I back away while giving his body a spin which moves us into a new position, he can¡¯t kiss me from, then I say, ¡°But before that. I have a rather good proposition for you.¡±


    ¡°What would that be?¡±


    As we continue to dance, I say, ¡°One of the things I requested from Lugh is access to his special plantations.¡±


    ¡°Plantations?¡±


    ¡°In his private land he has made an effort to keep humans there, and to put it simply I would say those humans have a better life than quite a few beastkin in the empire.¡±


    ¡°I had heard rumours of such places existing, but why would you tell me this?¡±


    ¡°Because as payback for the time I bailed him out last year, and as dowry for the cute little girl he is marrying I got him to give me access to these plantations and the people on them under certain conditions of course.¡±


    ¡°Why should I care for this?¡±


    ¡°Because Lugh educated these humans, and trained them just like those in Gorias. So, in these special plantations is a large number of humans and beastkin who only manifested human traits and are as skilled as the Faol¨¢in workers.


    As we both know Lugh uses his workforce that he has educated and trained to control quite a bit of the advancements within the empire. Even a large portion of my staff is from Gorias and the power struggle we have within my own house is starting to get annoying.


    So having access to our own special workforce will allow us to remove a lot of the control he has on us, and even if I don¡¯t pay you back yet, I am sure you could use a Faol¨¢in workforce to create more wealth.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°That sounds pleasant, but where would these people happen to be located?¡±


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. Sorry, but that information is exclusive to me, though I will cover any and all transportation costs.¡±


    ¡°What a shame, but can you at least tell me why you would give me this information knowing Lugh specifically hides this from people?¡±


    Putting my head into his chest, I say, ¡°It¡¯s because I trust you. You¡¯re one of the few people I feel safe telling this to.¡±


    His heart rate increases, and just continues to twirl with him. This should keep this stupid deer in line for a little bit more time. Both Conchobar, and Fergus know about Lugh¡¯s farms anyway, and we can quickly make them disappear if anyone starts to take issues with them.


    Setanta befriending Ruair¨ª makes our job a whole lot easier as I can just wait till this man dies instead of trying to get him to join our side. Now all we have to do is somehow get C¨² Raoi to join us and we will have all four kings on our side.


    Seeing a disgusting piece of trash, I break free of Dagda and say, ¡°I will see you soon.¡±


    Then I move over to him and with a pleasant smile, he says, ¡°Oh Mother how nice it is to see you.¡±


    ¡°Fr¨¢ech ¨® Cumhaill how unpleasant it is to see your daughter stealing manwhore.¡±


    We both laugh with animosity deep in the air.


    ¦µ Sitting on a table, I look across from me, and say, ¡°Donald ¨® Fuinseog you seem jolly as always.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head, he says, ¡°Really, I never taught that of myself. In all honesty, I think I am quite a negative person.¡±


    ¡°Then you must not look in a mirror enough. You have a beautiful wife, a child on the way and even a hero''s story of rising from nothing to become the head of your house. Quite a good life.¡±


    The cheerful Donald¡¯s face disappears, and with a despairing look he says, ¡°But regardless of that it could all fall away. The people you think care for you might betray you one day, and use those feelings within your heart to kill you. No matter how good things may seem, you¡¯re always in a battle with those around you for survival like a hunter.¡±


    I kick him in the shin, and he grabs it then says, ¡°THAT HURTS!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you all those years while you were at that plantation, but Donald be happy that you have people who care about you. You¡¯re no longer the same rat who got stepped on by everyone, and regardless of the fear you feel hold your head up high.¡±


    With a nicer look, he says, ¡°Findabair you really are nice?¡±


    ¡°Oh, course I am, Dan¨² gave us our blood so we can feel more connected with all of the life around us.¡±


    ¡°On that note, we have recently come across something rather interesting in Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°What would that be.¡±


    ¡°In the western border,r there is a ruined empire filled with sand, and for the past few years, we have been looking around the entire area trying to find all we can. But recently we have finally come across a huge discovery, that under all of that sand lies a fallen empire that is still well intact.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Donald shakes his head as confirmation, then he looks over to Ronald and gestures to him to come towards us, and then he says, ¡°What do you want?¡± With his same harsh and mean glare.


    But then Donald says, ¡°He Ronald come tell her about all of your discoveries, I am sure Findabair wants to hear them.¡±


    Playing coy, Ronald says, ¡°That sounds like a bother,¡± while his tail shakes.


    But then Donald realizing this says, ¡°It¡¯s an order from the head of the house.¡±


    Quickly sitting down, Ronald says, ¡°I guess I have no choice.¡±


    Despite how Ronald acts he happens to be really into history and enjoys hunting for the secrets of the world, it¡¯s the one cute thing about this evil hyena.


    ¡°There are many places I could start but I think the most important thing would be to talk about the fact that I found traces of Cordum here.¡±


    ¡°So, what, we find traces of Cordum everywhere?¡±


    ¡°You''re correct, but these traces were fresh, and by that, I meant the scent on her writings was less than a day old.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    Excited Ronald says, ¡°I know right!¡± Composing himself, he says, ¡°We went through the underground area, and it seems that Cordum visits this place regularly. Throughout the area, we found what seemed to be towers filled with books from head to toe, containing information, and they all have the same sent as known objects of Cordum.¡±


    ¡°Then does this mean that area could be the place that is where the great sage stores their knowledge?¡±


    ¡°The underground empire which we were able to piece together which name we managed to piece together might be where all of the humanities leftover knowledge is stored, in the place called Jedidiah.¡±


    ¡°How interesting!¡± I say before my attention is pulled away.


    Looking at an annoying sight, I say, ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    ¦µ Looking at the stupid bear in front of me, I say, ¡°Fr¨¢ech if you have failed to fulfil any of my daughter''s needs spiritually, mentally and physically I will kill you.¡±


    ¡°So, you have accepted our marriage?¡±


    ¡°No, but if you are going to be an interim husband you might as well aim to be the best you can.¡±


    ¡°Aww, what a nice suggestion. But your opinion has never been any different that shit to me.¡±


    ¡°And your mouth is still as big as ever.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you I put it to go use, in the debate parlours and with your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha, you¡¯re dead!¡±


    Soon Findabair gets in between the both of us, and says, ¡°Honey please stop inhaling poisonous gas.¡±


    Turning to face me, she says, ¡°Urgh, what do you want.¡±


    ¡°To spend time with my lovely daughter.¡±


    ¡°Then go to the graveyard because she died years ago.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, then how about you fill that gap she left.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I like to put distance between myself and pests like you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t put any gap between us when your big head was coming out of me, so are far as I am concerned that gap will never exist.¡±


    I hug her and say, ¡°A mother''s love is eternal.¡±


    Findabair pulls her fist back about to whack me, but her husband grabs her and says, ¡°Not in public, we ambush her after the party.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go planning to assault your mother!¡±


    Soon all the attention within the hall is taken away by a beautiful sound playing. Through the room the sound of a harp fills every single inch of it which takes the attention of all those in the room.


    Looking up at the young boy playing, Findabair says, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that kid had such skill with a harp.¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°For how chaotic he is I didn¡¯t think he could actually play something so beautiful.¡±


    As I stare at Setanta, I say, ¡°Chaos can bring both beauty and destruction kids. That boy''s mother taught me that a long time ago.¡±


    As Setanta plays the image of Deichtire overlaps with him, and just like his mother his playing and his beauty enrapture all those within the room, and I say, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have been so smitten like this.¡±

 Arc 10.132: The final celebration part 4

    ¦µ As I play, I look down at the people below me and laugh to myself. Look at me and be entranced by my playing you fools. Your eyes, your mind, and even your eyes and hearts are forever transfixed onto my playing.


    Now you beasts, become enraptured by my every movement. You lot get your kicks by insulting me calling me brash and stupid, but is this brash and stupid? Is my playing not the equivalent of the euphoria of sex dripped into your ears!


    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


    Soon, I finish and when I do I stand up to bow, then I say, ¡°From the house of Faol¨¢ins, we all welcome you here to enjoy your time as members of the Red branch, and as the next king of Gorias I will be here to help you with any problems.¡±


    I get off the stage and look around at all of the people who are tilting their way towards me. I told them to come talk to me if they had an issue, but it seems like they want to try and get me to talk to their kids or remember their names. What a bother.


    But soon my annoyance vanishes, as I hear, ¡°C¨² Culainn over here.¡±


    I turn my head to where the voice came from, and there I see, Laeg, Ibar, and Minagrain. Upon laying eyes on Minagrain, my heart stops and I almost fall to the floor.


    This causes Minagrain to run over and hold me, but this causes me to spit up blood from my mouth, and I say, ¡°Minagrain you¡¯re too powerful right now you need to put some distance between us.¡±


    Minagrain starts to panic, but Laeg hugs her and says, ¡°This means he finds you pretty Minagrain.¡±


    Embarrassed she hits me in the shoulder, and I say, ¡°Any more of those blows and my heart might actually stop.¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Looks like our future queen has as much destructive power as Ferdiad.¡±


    As Ferdiad¡¯s name leaves Ibar¡¯s lips, Minagrain and Laeg all fall to the ground in despair, and Ibar says, ¡°Oh come on it¡¯s been months, and you still all allow Ferdiad¡¯s very name to get you all depressed like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you''re just heartless because you don¡¯t actually care about him.¡±


    Ibar embarrassed looks away from us, and says, ¡°Of course, I care about someone who has saved my life. But getting depressed won¡¯t bring him back, getting enough power to burn the Sealbh¨®irs to the ground.¡±


    Standing up I grab Ibar hand and say, ¡°You''re right, revenge is the answer, not sadness.¡±


    As the thought of revenge alleviates all their hearts one of the servants in the room steps on and trumpets play, then I hear, ¡°From the house of Serlasracht, Sp¨¦irdeannach ¨® Serlasracht, and Culainn Mac Serlasracht.¡±


    Soon the main door opens and along with Culainn his family comes in behind him, and I quickly move towards him elegantly moving past the people who try to talk to me.


    Then in front of Culainn, I say, ¡°Former head of the house of Serlasracht, how does the night treat you today.¡±


    He whacks me in the head, and says, ¡°Whoever cursed you should be killed.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been cursed I am just speaking with elegance.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    ¡°HEY?¡±


    Sp¨¦irdeannach looks at Culainn who is riding on another little munchnuncher and says, ¡°Father, don¡¯t you think that is kind of rude to say to the next king of our providence?¡±


    Turning to her, he says, ¡°I got to make sure this one turns out alright, so I can¡¯t hold back on the discipline.¡±


    Mocking him, I say, ¡°I cAn¡¯t hoLd Back on tHe disIcipliNe!¡±


    ¡°You see this, it¡¯s why the boy needs correction.¡±


    Sp¨¦irdeannach says, ¡°I am starting to see your point.¡±


    ¡°Hey Sp¨¦irdeannach, don¡¯t take his side.¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Sorry, but I plan on taking his side for the foreseeable future.¡±


    The father and daughter look at each other with affection, and I say,¡± Go be cute with your daughter in front of your grandkids not in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry one day you will feel this way about your daughter.¡±


    ¡°I doubt I could ever be as insane as you.¡±


    ¡°All parents think that at first, but I know you will be a great day.¡±


    Embarrassed, I say, ¡°Annoying.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Say whatever you want. But there is something I need to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I will be opening back up my workshop.¡±


    ¡°Really? I never thought you would be allowed to do it again.¡±


    ¡°Due to all of the evidence Lugh presented, plus all of my work, and the support of quite a few Red branch houses, I was able to get back to chasing my dream.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°But there is a bonus to all of this. I should be allowed to bring Aurelius into my workshop, allowing him to stay there instead of his cage.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great news.¡±


    ¡°But it gets better, listen to this-.¡± Culainn then tells me something that brings a smile to my face.


    And after digesting it all, I say, ¡°I need to go tell Aurelius right now!¡±


    I run away, but as I do, I am ambushed by a bunch of annoying people.


    A young wolf, druid says, ¡°My name is Fionnbharr ¨® Cumhaill, next head of my house.¡±


    A young lion, lady says, ¡°My name is Peig¨ªn ¨® Cathal, the successor of my mother.¡±


    Then they both say, ¡°Young king of Gorias we would love to make your acquaintance.


    How annoying, ambushing me, and getting in my way.


    But soon in front of me, Minagrain, Ruairi and the rest of the boys'' troop appear, and then Ruair¨ª says, ¡°Our master is busy, so any questions should go to his mistress Minagrain.¡±


    Minagrain gives a pleasant yet deceptive smile to the two in front of me, and then she turns around to wink at me. She is the best ever!


    I run away at full speed, but then quickly turn around and grab Minagrains face, then I ask, ¡°Can I kiss you?¡±


    I can tell by how erratic it makes her, and that countless thoughts are moving through her mind, but in the end, she says, ¡°Yes.¡±


    And I lay a kiss right on her lips and run away again, whilst saying, ¡°Any perceived slight against her means war, so behave you two.¡±


    I can tell that both of my ambushers become extremely tense at that declaration, but I ignore them and continue moving till I leave the hall.


    I move through the corridors and prepare to jump out of the first window. But when I reach the first window, I am struck in my neck and knocked downwards onto the floor.


    Looking at who struck me, I say, ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!¡±


    But in front of me, I see the cooks of the castle looking at me with a pissed off expression, and with demonic voices, they say, ¡°WE KNOW WHAT YOU DID!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They grab me and then drag me off.


    -Break-


    Location: Kitchen


    Strapped to a chair, the head chief Br¨ªomhar looks at me and says, ¡°You know what you did you piece of trash.¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You ate all our flour in the storeroom, right out of the bag as well!¡±


    ¡°WHY WOULD I DO THAT!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we want to know!¡±


    ¡°Think about this for a second. I am the one planning this wedding you think I would do something so dumb?¡±


    They all look directly at me, and I say, ¡°I WOULDN¡¯T!¡±


    Br¨ªomhar says, ¡°This is classic Faol¨¢ins behaviour, so why would I believe a single thing you say about this!¡±


    ¡°This is treason!¡±


    ¡°You know what else is treason? Eating all the, FLOUR RIGHT BEFORE A WEDDING!¡±


    As I hear a quick noise, I say, ¡°Wait, everyone shut up.¡±


    Breaking the restraints, I move towards an area of the walls, and then I send my fist right into it and the bricks break down without even the least bit of a struggle.


    Then in front of me, I see a druid snake girl around my age with dark purple hair and in a pretty dress chugging a bag of flour down her mouth.


    We both lock eyes, and then she tries to run away, but I easily capture her and place her in a chair then tie her with rope.


    Standing beside Br¨ªomhar, we stare at the girl with blood-lusted eyes, and I say, ¡°Choice your next few words-,¡±


    Br¨ªomhar says, ¡°Carefully.¡±


    The girl quickly composes herself, and then says, ¡°Hello, I am a genius, a beauty, a warrior, and a glutton. Nice to me you both.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s execute her.¡±


    With a cocky composed grin, she says, ¡°Are you sure you want to do away with such an existence as mine? For wouldn¡¯t it be an affront to the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan to allow some like myself to die.¡±


    Clapping my hands, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s get this execution rolling guys we don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    The chef moves to get the biggest knife they can find, and she starts to sweat and say, ¡°ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO KILL ME!¡±


    Getting close to her, I say, ¡°YES!¡±


    She kisses me on my cheek and then says, ¡°But that would be unfair.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± I say giving her an evil glare, as I wipe the kiss-off.


    Composing herself, she says, ¡°Because I didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°You do realize we saw you.¡±


    Looking at Br¨ªomhar, she says, ¡°But did you all see what you think you did?¡±


    Clapping her hands, she says, ¡°Think about it like this. Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in has spent months planning this wedding and during that time he has gotten ever so close to his precious Minagrain.


    Every single day they get closer, they touch each other more, and they kiss more than ever. And when faced with that at a constant never-ending pleasure, Setanta noise starts to bleed.


    His nose bleeds so much that his regeneration can¡¯t keep up, and he needs to find a way to resupply his body with nutrients. So, he finds an easy and quick supply of carbs to refill his body, something that there is a lot of and people won¡¯t tend to notice is missing. Flour.¡±


    All of the cooks look at me, and I say, ¡°SHE IS OBVIOUSLY LYING!¡±


    ¡°Am I really? Doesn¡¯t eating an entire bag of flour sound just like common Faol¨¢in behaviour, and think about do you think a frail girl like me could devour all those bags in a single night? Or was it the child with regeneration powers who could use his influence and lackeys to constantly eat and hide his crimes over time?¡±


    They stare at me again with faces that make me look like I am guilty.


    ¡°WE FOUND HER CHUGGING A BAG!¡±


    They turn back around to her, and she says, ¡°Me and my family came all the way to Failas for the wedding and the house of Faol¨¢in paid for a lot of food for those who couldn¡¯t afford it.


    And on the streets, I heard people saying that you could just walk into the castle and grab any free food you could find, so I thought of grabbing something for me and my siblings to eat.


    But I found this pretty dress lying around, and I know while it might be immoral I thought a little farm girl like me would have the chance to be pretty, so I snuck into the empty kitchen to try it on, and during that time I found Setanta chugging the flour, so he put me in a wall with a bag and left me there.


    I had no choice but to eat it since I hadn¡¯t eaten for a while, and just when I started chugging it. He revealed my location to you all, so he could throw the blame for his actions onto me,¡± she says with tears falling down her face.


    My servants crowd around the crying girl and look at me with disgust, and then she sticks out her tongue at me.


    This lying bitch! But guess what I know a gluttony when I see one.


    Moving at high speed I grab the half-eaten bag of flour she had and then I throw whatever ingredients I can find in a high speed, and then using my same speed I move fast enough to heat the ingredients, and then inside the bag forms a mismashed cake.


    Cutting the bag open I throw it towards the ground and the girl moves at high speed then like a rabid dog she eats it off the floor and says, ¡°DELICIOUS!¡±

 Arc 10.133: The final celebration part 5

    -Break-


    Walking with the flour thief beside me in the hallway, I ignore her cries and hum to myself, but then she cries even louder while pushing the bump on her head into me.


    So, I start to hum much more cheerfully than before while keeping the same tone, but she continues to push into me, so I put her in a headlock and use my knuckle to aggravate her bump which causes her to say, ¡°OWOWOWOW!¡±


    She then bites me in the arm, and I say, ¡°You gluttony.¡±


    I start to pull her hair, but she locks her legs with mine and continues to chow down on my arm, and our fight continues until we both lose energy, and I say, ¡°You¡¯re a beast.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re delicious,¡± she says licking her lips.


    ¡°I think I might bring forward that execution.¡±


    ¡°Try me, I will defeat you before you have the chance.¡±


    ¡°You think you can beat me?¡±


    ¡°I think I can eat you.¡±


    We both get up and press our heads against each other, and I say, ¡°You¡¯re both a glutton and a liar.¡±


    ¡°If everyone believes a lie it becomes the truth.¡±


    ¡°Nu-uh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah-hun.¡±


    We both bash heads against one another then, I say, ¡°I hope you enjoy the toilet after eating all of that flour!¡±


    ¡°I will, because my husband-to-be takes care of me.¡±


    Moving my head back, I snicker and say, ¡°You, a husband? Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡±


    ¡°I would have you know some wolves appreciate women with a big diet such as myself.¡±


    ¡°Saying big diet instead of glutton won¡¯t make all of the weight disappear.¡±


    Making a mocking expression, she says, ¡°Hey guys, I am C¨² Culainn, an idiot who beats on women!¡±


    With the sincerest look I can make, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t know why but hurting you felt natural to me.¡±


    ¡°BEAST!¡±


    ¡°YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO IS A BEAST. THE GIRL WHO EATS ALL OF THE FLOUR IN ONE OF THE FOUR KINGS CASLTE, ON THE EVE OF THEIR WEDDING!¡±


    ¡°I ALREADY SAID, I WOULD REPLACE IT! What a small man for holding onto such things.¡±


    She stares at me up and down, then snickers whilst saying, ¡°Small.¡±


    I ignore her and walk away, but then she pushes her face into mine and says, ¡°SMALL!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    She starts to laugh, and I say, ¡°I might be short now, but I am only 13, soon I will be an adult and tower over you.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, you pixie.¡±


    My rage starts building but I calm myself, and walk away saying, ¡°Minagrain, Minagrain, Minagrain.¡±


    She then walks up beside me and says, ¡°Minagrain, the future queen of the empire. I can¡¯t wait to meet her.¡±


    I glare at her, and say, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    I walk forward and say, ¡°And she isn¡¯t going to be the queen of the empire, but of Gorias. I am getting sick and tired of these rumours.¡±


    ¡°You might be getting tired of them, but they aren¡¯t dying down.¡±


    ¡°For now, but if they keep trying to imply that Conchobar is impotent their heads will roll, and they will shut up.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that a couple of years ago, one of the women Conchobar wanted cheated on him with her first love? What was her name again Deirdre?


    After her cheating, Conchobar killed all of her family, and her husband''s family until none were left. Rather brutal isn¡¯t it?


    Well, cheated is a bit much considering that Conchobar was so smithing he used many different underhanded tactics to get close to her, and all but forced her into marriage.¡±


    ¡°I know of this story. My uncle says it was his greatest failure, and my grandfather and master punished him harshly which allowed him to change and fix his reputation.¡±


    She makes her same old smile and says, ¡°That¡¯s all well and good for him, but the dead lady and her family are rotting in the ground due to his mood swings.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    After these words leave her mouth, she tills her head away from me and makes a furious look filled with disgust. That almost makes me stop in my tracks.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct and the high king should be shamed for his behaviour till he also rots in the ground. But he can do more to help his people alive than dead.¡±


    I don¡¯t like to think about it from time to time, but I am sure my father, uncle, grandfather, and the rest of the people I love and care for have done horrible stuff.


    Who knows how many of the older Faol¨¢in soldiers even took part in the assaults against humanity? Even I might have if I was born during that era, and didn¡¯t have both Sc¨¢thach, Ferdiad, and Aurelius.


    If such a thing happened to Minagrain, would I be able to write it off as easily as I just did?


    An unpleasant image rushes into my brain and I put my hand over my mouth to stop me from throwing up, and the girl beside me catches and supports me then says, ¡°You need to shit?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go trying to be funny after all of that.¡±


    Getting up, I walk and say, ¡°I will change things for the beastkin. So, if you have an issue with our past be assured they die with our generation.¡±


    ¡°I am sure you are going to be a great king. Sad that your future sibling won¡¯t have a chance to be a king like you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will always have a place for the little brat at my court.¡±


    ¡°You have a lot of love for it already.¡±


    ¡°Of course. It will exist at some point, so it is good to preheat my brain for the love I need to give it.¡±


    Looking upwards she says, ¡°Do you think all siblings feel that way.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure but from the way, Laeg, and a certain man talk about their siblings. I think that it¡¯s the only relationship one can have where they can hate and love a person just about the same.¡±


    With a smile appearing on her face, she says, ¡°I see. I am sure you will be a good brother, and besides you might already be one. I hear rumours that P¨¦atra is already pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Really? So my father has been enjoying himself,¡± I say with a smile.


    ¡°Most kids don¡¯t smile at that?¡±


    ¡°Sex is fun, so why wouldn¡¯t I be happy my father is having some.¡±


    ¡°Have you had?¡±


    ¡°I am waiting till we get married, so Minagrain can feel as secure as possible.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I hope you have a good time. Though it is kind of funny that the first event this new life will experience is an execution.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you know, they are going to execute a bunch of golden-haired humans tomorrow? I heard of the announcement from my father.¡±


    I stop for a minute and then my head flashes back to Aurelius and all of the other slaves brought in with him, and I say, ¡°They gold.¡±


    Turning away, I start to move and say, ¡°I got to go, but our conversation was nice. You happen to be the second strangest purple-haired girl I know.¡±


    ¦µ As Setanta runs away, I say, ¡°First must be Sc¨¢thach right? Is she really stranger than me?¡±


    Turning around, I say, ¡°But still I accomplished all I aimed to with that conversation. Looks like the next high king can be tricked if he is stressed enough from planning a celebration.¡±


    With a smile, I say, ¡°I can see why you would want him to be in charge of the empire Ferdiad, I would definitely like him to be in charge of the empire. Though that doesn¡¯t mean you have to be his stepping stone.¡±


    Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice say, ¡°Glic ¨® Sealbh¨®ir, what are you sneaking around here for.¡±


    Looking over at her, I say, ¡°Of course it is to see you Aimee Fuinseog, or should I say sister.¡±


    ¡°I am married to Donald; I am no sister to you.¡±


    Moving up close to her, I say, ¡°But we share half our blood with each other.¡±


    She turns to walk away and says, ¡°We share half of the devil''s blood.¡±


    I follow her as she walks and say, ¡°If it allows me to be connected with you, I am sure it must be the most sacred blood.¡±


    With a cocky smile, she says, ¡°If Father sent you to make me spy on the Fuinseogs you can tell him to choke on his own venom. I have no intention of telling him anything or allowing Donald to remain his toy.¡±


    ¡°No, right now Father doesn¡¯t even know I am here.¡±


    My sister looks shocked for a moment, then says, ¡°So you have started your own little schemes like he does. No wonder you¡¯re his favourite.¡±


    ¡°I am his favourite because I allow him to both seduce and manipulate the younger generation in a way he cannot. Besides I am sure father has some interest in you.¡±


    ¡°Everything is a game to him and you where all people are just toys to be used. All I am is a result of him playing too much with a toy before it broke. Never once have I stirred his interest outside of this marriage to Donald.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right I lied.¡±


    She looks at me with distrust, then says, ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    Holding her hand, I say, ¡°He might not care for you, but you¡¯re one of my two favourites. So, I will make sure no harm comes to your new family, I will protect you an avenge both our mothers.¡±


    She freezes for a moment, then breaks my grip and walks forward saying, ¡°I would never believe a word out of your mouth. I hate you.¡±


    I walk up beside her, and say, ¡°That¡¯s fine because siblings are the only people who can carry both intense love and hate for each other.¡±


    She blushes a bit and walks forward.


    ¦µ I was almost seduced by this family of mine again. No matter how sincere she sounds, I refuse to believe that someone raised as his successor could ever be truthful. Never again, never again.


    Location: Deichtire¡¯s room


    ¦µ Running as fast as I can I burst through the door, I look at Father who sits on a chair staring at all of Mother''s possessions.


    Seeing him in the chair, I smell the strong scent of alcohol and tears, and then I hear my father say, ¡°Hey Setanta, I have given you very few things that I have explicitly forbidden and walking into this room without my express permission is one of them.


    So, I will assume that the only reason you would do such a thing is because you believe some circumstance makes this an exception. Now I give you a chance to explain your actions, and it better be good.¡±


    ¡°FATHER, WHY ARE YOU EXECUTING MY HUMANS!¡±


    Lugh sighs, and says, ¡°So it was for something stupid.¡±


    Getting up my father says, ¡°In the latter half of this year the beastkin will launch an invasion into the eastern continent, and to boost morale we will be executing those who bear similarities to the leader of the humans who enslaved us.¡±


    ¡°Is that the reason you have kept those humans locked in a cage all this time, so you could kill them for sport!¡±


    ¡°Setanta the eastern continent are the only people who have ever defeated us in battle, they are the only people who cause fear in the beastkin. So, something symbolic like this can help alleviate that fear. I shouldn¡¯t have to explain something so elementary to you.¡±


    ¡°But they are living beings!¡±


    Confused my father says, ¡°No they are humans. Now enough of this, get out of this room, and return to the party.¡±


    Lugh sits back in his chair and gestures me away, and I try to say something, but he says, ¡°SETANTA. Get out of this room immediately or I will stop treating you like a misbehaving child.¡±


    ¡°NO! I refuse to leave her until you answer my question.¡±


    Lugh sighs, and says, ¡°Care for my opinion more than I think? Nonsense.¡±


    Getting up, my father stares at me, and for the first time in a while, I feel my legs shake.

 Arc 10.134: The final Celebration part 6

    My father moves towards his chair, and standing against it, he says, ¡°For clarity, explain to me again why I should care about those humans?¡±


    ¡°Because we Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan are not barbarians. You know as well as I do that the growing love, and justification for violence without any benefit is happening everywhere.


    If everyone¡¯s first reaction to anything they don¡¯t like is to kill everyone in front of them, it will only negatively impact us as a society going forward. Death has a purpose, and boosting our egos isn¡¯t a purpose.¡±


    My father sighs, then moves towards his chair and grabs a bottle of alcohol, then says, ¡°Hey Setanta, do you know what this is?¡±


    ¡°Alcohol.¡±


    ¡°I hate this stuff. It is a substance that makes people stupider, and wilder than they were before. Order is necessary for survive, yet this is something that makes order harder to put in place, not to mention all of the health issues it causes.


    At one point it became a problem in the providence that couldn¡¯t be ignored anymore, so your grandfather Cethern put in place a couple of rules to curb its use. He artificially increased the prices and started disqualifying people from working certain jobs due to its use.


    Finally, a ban was put on it, but overall, it didn¡¯t actually work. More people still came to the substance and its use was curbed at all. The Faol¨¢ins during that time only had control of their own land, and all those who lived their loved and respected our house, yet they still ignored our declaration.


    Cethern was deeply confused, by what alcohol could be so entrancing to the people, why were the nights of fun it brought so important? But with the help of my aunt, he finally figured it out. It is because people weren¡¯t drinking alcohol for the reasons they said.


    This was around the time that the east had destroyed us in combat, the empire seemed shaky to many, which led to an increase in many things. Alcohol was merely a mask that people used to hide the fact that they were drinking to curb their fear, sadness, loneliness, and other emotions.


    Only by then addressing those issues, where we able to curb the problem surrounding alcohol in our land.


    Of course, one could boil every issue down to the issues people have making them commit crime, and obviously for a functional society we can¡¯t do such a thing. But in all things, a ruler needs to understand his people¡¯s minds, not their words, which you are failing to do Setanta.¡±


    ¡°Failing to do? You¡¯re not even making sense.¡±


    ¡°Setanta do you really think that most beastkin truly believe that it is ok to slaughter humans? I have already had many beastkin who served as guard during the incident with David, that have left our ranks after seeing what the humans where willing to go through for each other.¡±


    He knew I was watching back then.


    ¡°Then why go through all of this!¡±


    ¡°It is because, right now it is necessary.¡±


    ¡°You agree with me that most beastkin don¡¯t want this, and that our increasing violence is bad. So how can it be necessary!¡±


    ¡°Because the beastkin needs to kill humans, for the sake of their minds. Many abuse humans out of a need for superiority, a need to matter, a need for power, a need for control, and a fear of dominance. The beastkin as we stand is a shaky race which fears extinction and slavery more than anything.


    That¡¯s the reason they covet violence because it allows them to deal with all of there issues in a simply unstoppable way. In a world dictated by violence, the beastkin who can wield more than humans will always be more important. It inflates their existence.¡±


    ¡°But that is foolish!¡±


    ¡°Your right, but that is how it is. You cannot strongarm people into following your rules. Just like in a bad marriage, a king is supposed to read his people''s minds, and act accordingly without angering them too much.¡±


    ¡°The people of Gorias are the most educated within the empire I am sure they will be able to understand the logic you use in your decisions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes them the most annoying to restrict Setanta. They are able to craft more intricate shields of faulty logic than others in their same position; to hide the true reason they covet violence. Knowledge isn¡¯t intelligence or morality.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Setanta right now they need blood to be split, it is just that simply, and if you have an issue with this, think of the policy you will implement when you¡¯re king instead of nagging me like a child.¡±


    ¡°But in that time people will die.¡±


    ¡°Of course they will. Do you really believe a time has existed in this empire when people weren¡¯t dying on mass? But isn¡¯t this still the same empire you love?¡±


    ¡°I do love it, so I seek the best for it, and right now I believe this isn¡¯t it. But more than that, it is because you''re lying to me.¡±


    My father glares at me, and says, ¡°What lies have I said?¡±


    ¡°You know the reason I am angry is because my friend will have to be executed. Yet at no point did you even think of mentioning to leave him out of the execution, to curb my resistance.¡±


    My father''s face becomes slightly angrier, and I say, ¡°You''re far too strong-headed about this despite knowing the issue that it is causing, so father why are you still going ahead with this?¡±


    ¡°Setanta where does your loyalty lie?¡±


    I laugh, but soon I see my father was serious in that question, so I say, ¡°Is this a serious question? Because it should be obvious where my loyalty lies to anyone with eyes.¡±


    ¡°Yet it isn¡¯t as clear as you think it is. C¨² Culainn, a name that has been spread far and wide by now. Your latest endeavour, your achievements, and the rumours of you becoming the next high king have all fused together and have finally exploded to a point beyond our control.


    You have become quite a popular icon within the empire due to all of them, and that¡¯s the reason I put you in charge of the celebration, so everyone could see you front and centre.


    But at the same time, another sentiment has been growing, which I am sure that snake has had something to do with. Which is that you have a deep love for humans.


    Your association with Culainn, and your protection of Aurelius have further strengthened this idea, and now many people who have come here, are also here to see if that is true.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t, you pampered little princess. That¡¯s why I plan to make you execute the humans tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!¡±


    My father gets up close to me in an instant, and says, ¡°You¡¯re going to need to prove to everyone, that you are a soldier of the empire, and your one and only love is the people within it. Spill the blood of humans for them all to see.¡±


    ¡°THIS IS FOOLISH!¡±


    ¡°It is, but it is the current state of the empire, and it¡¯s also what we need to do. So Setanta, prove to the people and to me that you are loyal to the empire.¡±


    My father sits down in his chair, and I start to run off.


    Countless thoughts and ideas flow through my mind as I run. I feel like their weight and speed are far more than even the most destructive of blows and makes me feel like I am going to fall to the ground, but I just keep running as fast as I can go.


    -Break-


    Location: Eastern side of the Gorias castle


    Looking at him in his cage, I wave, and say, ¡°Hi Aurelius.¡±


    Aurelius throws a ball right out of his cage, and I quickly move the grab it with my mouth. After I do this, he turns to the rest of the slaves and says, ¡°See, I told you he reacts just like a dog with a ball?¡±


    I grab his cage and shake it over again, and again, then say, ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOU!¡±


    ¡°I was just trying to have some fun. You beastkin are all partying, so we should as least be allow to enjoy our lives this much.¡±


    Sitting down, I say, ¡°I guess it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Did Culainn arrive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he came with his daughter today, and looks as happy as can be. I didn¡¯t think that old man could smile as much as I have seen him do recently, but I guess miracles do exist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear. I can¡¯t wait to come and talk to her later as well. But it is sad that it will have to be until after the party to do so.¡±


    My body gets stiff as he says that, and I can feel my heart rate increase. What am I going to do, what am I going to say? I know what I have to do as the next king of Gorias, but still, this man in front of me is my friend. Yet my people are also important to me.


    Should I tell him, that would only make his life worse, but if I didn¡¯t tell him that would be a betrayal worse than anything else. I simply am at a crossroads and don¡¯t know what to say.


    Aurelius looking at me asks, ¡°Setanta is there something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°What? No.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but you seem more off than usual, as if there is something you want to say but can¡¯t bring yourself to. But you shouldn¡¯t feel like that around me. There is no judgement and just trust here.¡±


    ¡°What about all the people in the cages beside you?¡±


    Waving them away, Aurelius says, ¡°Just ignore them, pretend like they are just air.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± One of the humans behind him says.


    Trying my best to put on a smile, I say, ¡°We found where Lillian is.¡±


    ¡°You what!¡± Aurelius says jumping to the edge of the cage!


    ¡°Culainn told me earlier that he was able to find out where Lillian was located with the help of his house, and she will be moving in with the Serlasracht, along with the rest of you soon.¡±


    The humans in the cages start to go crazy, but Aurelius in contrast to everyone else collapses onto the floor, and I move over to his cage asking, ¡°Are you alright.¡±


    Turning over to his side, Aurelius says, ¡°I was scared for so long. I though that she was dead for years. But finally hearing the confirmation she is alive, is more than I could have ever asked for. Thank you, Setanta, from the bottom of my heart I thank you. You¡¯ve made all the time I spent as a slave worth it.¡±


    I feel like I am breaking bit by bit from the inside, but I can¡¯t let any of it show right now, so I say, ¡°You better be.¡±


    We continue to talk and celebrate the news until all of them become so exhausted that they start to feel sleepy, and as they take their rest I get up and walk away.


    Through the dead of night with only the full moon guiding me, I say, ¡°You bastard, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard.¡±


    As I cry, I put my hands over my face and walk forward.


    Until I hear, ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT YOU GET FOR TRYING TO RUN AWAY FROM ME YOY BASTARD!¡±


    I turn my head to the source of the voice, and their I see Uathach carrying a shovel, and beneath her feet is a deep hole in the ground with a boy tied about to be buried by the mountains of dirt she has at her side.


    Looking at me, she screams, ¡°IT¡¯S EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!¡±


    ¡°YOU IDIOTIC SHARK!¡±

 Arc 10.135: The final celebration part 7

    Moving to her, I knock her on the head, and say, ¡°A murder, really?¡±


    I turn my head to the boy in the ground and lift him up from the hole.


    I also see he is tied with rope, so I start to untie him whilst saying, ¡°This is why you don¡¯t hang around crazy women like her.¡±


    ¡°I am not crazy; he is a cheater!¡±


    I turn my head to Uathach and say, ¡°I know you¡¯re lonely but don¡¯t go making up lies about men being in a relationship with you, it is slander.¡±


    She jumps on my back and starts to bite me, so I say, ¡°Let go of me.¡± While trying to break her grip.


    However, to my surprise, she is so strong that I can¡¯t get her to let go of me. ¡°Spirit energy?¡±


    ¡°Of course! NOW TAKE MY FURY WOLFIE!¡±


    She continues to tighten her body around me choking me out, and as she does this the boy who I was untying gets up and stares at me.


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°HELP!¡±


    But the boy turns and runs away from me, without even acknowledging my situation. So, I just lie there whilst getting choked.


    In all honesty, getting choked out right now feels like a relief. I don¡¯t have to think about anything or betray anyone I can allow myself to fall into a comfortable sleep.


    Her grip instantly loosens, and she stares into my eyes, and says, ¡°Are you ok Wolfie, I smell great sadness within you.¡±


    THIS IS MY MOMENT!


    I grab her and then at full speed toss her into the boy who is fleeing!


    Then I dash forward, grab both of them by the face and smash their heads into the ground and say, ¡°Now you¡¯re going to tell me why the both of you were out here like a couple of fools!¡±


    -Break-


    Sitting in front of them both, I say, ¡°So shark boy, your Laigmara ¨® M¨¢irse¨¢il, the next head of the house of M¨¢irse¨¢il, and you¡¯re a playboy if I have that right?¡±


    ¡°I am not a playboy, I am a lover of all things, sea, food, women. My existence is just like the sea, I can¡¯t be retrained by any.¡±


    ¡°THAT WASN¡¯T A REASON TO CHEAT ON ME!¡± Uathach says.


    With a smirk, he says, ¡°But the sea never forgets its true shape and will always return.¡±


    Blushing, she says, ¡°Aww, how romantic!¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong with your head you dumb shark.¡±


    ¡°You just don¡¯t understand wolfie, me and him are destined to be together forever!¡±


    Turning to him, I say, ¡°Do you know of Clara ¨® Serlasracht, I can put you in touch with her.¡±


    His face lights up and he comes over to me and says, ¡°The beauty of house Serlasracht! I have been looking to meet with her for ages. Whatever you need, just allow me to meet with her!¡±


    Uathach who face turns into snow and melts right into the floor, or at least that¡¯s how she probably feels right now.


    With a searing rage, she grabs the Laigmara and says, ¡°YOU DUMB BASTARD! YOU¡¯RE TRYING TO CHEAT ON ME STRAIGHT AWAY! AT LEAST GIVE IT A WEEK, AND TAKE ME OUT TO DINNER AFTER!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry babe, I will make sure to take you out after I cheat next time!¡±


    In disbelief, I say, ¡°Are all sea creatures this stupid!¡±


    Grabbing her, he says, ¡°But don¡¯t ever forget, that you¡¯re the only one who loves my true nature and can still forgive me. So, I will try my best to make our relationship work, because, because, I LOVE YOU MARIA!¡±


    ¡°Maria?¡± both me and Uathach say confused.


    She starts to burn with rage, then says, ¡°You know my name, right?¡±


    He turns his face to the left and starts to sweat, and then mouths, ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡±


    I simply smile in return, and he says, ¡°Catherine?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± She smashes his face into the ground and then runs into my tail where she rubs her head against it.


    ¡°All men are scummy cheaters, who all deserve to die. I promise I am going to kill all men when I grow up and hang their organs in my room!¡±


    Pulling her off me, I say, ¡°Please calm down, and also don¡¯t get so close to me I am a taken man.¡±


    A smug grin appears on her face, and her plump cheeks turn bright red as she starts to move around me in a fast and annoying fashion. ¡°Did little Wolfie find his Wolfeite? Are you going to have a bunch of Wolfdren, and build a lovely Wolfmily, in your giant Wolfdom! It seems my little advice helped start a Wolfegacy.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°You really are the number one most annoying purpled-haired girl in my life.¡±


    Hugging me, she says, ¡°Really! I am always second place, so it feels good to win.¡±


    Pushing her away, I say, ¡°It isn¡¯t a compliment crazy. Just don¡¯t try and commit murder on my property.¡±


    Titling her body to the right in a cute fashion, she puts her hand to her chest and she says, ¡°Yes sir!¡±


    ¡°Now please leave and return to whatever barn you snuck in from.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know I was invited to this party, I came with Medb.¡±


    Of course, she is related to the House of C¨¦il¨²s, so I can see why my father doesn¡¯t like them.


    Standing up, I say, ¡°OK then. Go have fun, and don¡¯t sneak around this castle anymore.¡±


    With a plain expression, she says, ¡°Of course I am going to do that.¡±


    ¡°DON¡¯T JUST BLANTLY SAY YOUR GOING TO COMMIT CRIMES!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to stop me, how about you tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± I say turning around.


    She put her arm around my shoulders and says, ¡°We have already done this song and dance before my little Wolfie, so why don¡¯t you just trust in daddy, and tell me what I want to hear.¡±


    Grabbing her face, I threw her into her friend, and say, ¡°Piss off.¡±


    But by the time, she lands she already makes it back over to me and puts her elbow on my shoulder saying, ¡°You need to try a bit better than that to rid of me.¡±


    ¡°I must have died, and Morrigan is keeping me in hell.¡±


    ¡°Our legendary hero of the dead has better things to do than to keep you.¡±


    Giving me a hug, she says, ¡°Now tell me what is bothering you, so I can help. I don¡¯t like seeing my friend sad.¡±


    ¡°I forgot when I became your friend.¡±


    ¡°Since you helped me break up with that cheater you get 20 friend coins. You can cash them in for friend time, and you just used one.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°It will be easier to get rid of you if I just tell you.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it.¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, there is a human I want to protect but if I protect him, I will deeply piss off my father, and the rest of the empire, so right now I don¡¯t really know what to do.¡±


    I turn my face to her, and she looks like she is moments away from bursting out in laughter.


    Soon she falls to the ground and the laughter echoes through the areas, so embarrassed I say, ¡°This isn¡¯t funny!¡±


    ¡°It is hilarious.¡±


    ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have talked to you about this!¡±


    Getting up she puts her hands against my face and forces me to focus on her. ¡°Setanta, if Ferdiad was in this same situation would you save him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you have your answer.¡±


    I start to laugh and bit, and say, ¡°Am I a dumbass.¡±


    ¡°A big one.¡±


    I slap her in the face, then slap myself in the face and say, ¡°I am super invigorated!¡±


    ¡°Did I need to be slapped for that?¡±


    ¡°Friends share in each other¡¯s pain. They also help each other with their struggles, now I am going to need your help to formulate a plan to help my friend escape.¡±


    Jumping up and down, she says, ¡°That sounds fun, let¡¯s get to planning!¡±


    -The next day-


    ¦µ Just like all the days before Gorias was in an utter uproar. All the people who had gathered in the city, have dressed their best for the upcoming celebration.


    They have cleaned their bodies three times, washed their clothes five, and have all spent time examining their looks in the mirrors and the rivers.


    The natives of the city sat through the streets telling stories of the Lugh and his wife, while others took time to rejoice about the queen who would be joining them soon.


    The parades were the loudest they were ever before, and the people joined them as they marched around in celebration through the streets.


    It was a momentous occasion for all those involved, and to many was considered the highlight of the year already. It was a day of celebration, that reminded all those here that the empire is the very light of all their lives.


    And the pride each of them feels throughout the days makes it so not one of the millions who flood the city feel anything other than pride, and happiness.


    Except for one woman whose heart has been in flux the entire day.


    Location:  P¨¦atra¡¯s dressing room


    In front of a mirror, P¨¦atra stands, and the maids beside her say, ¡°The Faol¨¢in colours of dark blue as a dress, with the Faol¨¢in crest, and ornate designs scattered through.


    With your red and orange wings acting as a shawl for your dress, and green jewellery decorating them to show how from your great phoenix heritage, you shall birth another royal child.


    Braids that resemble your three phoenix tails attached. I embedded your tails across your skirt for the sake of fashion, it really is hard to match the innate beauty of your tails and wings design, so bear with the pain and discomfort it brings


    We have also located seeds in both your and Lugh¡¯s hairs, so as you walk druids will make the flower sprout leaving a trail of flowers behind the both of you, and there should still be enough to manifest a flower crown for both of you.


    And a decorative book in your hands to show the glorious knowledge you will bring from your house to ours as an Ollamh. Overall, I believe you look absolutely stunning.


    ¦µ In this moment I do truly look beautiful. My clothes, and accessories are of the highest class, and I wouldn¡¯t call myself ugly to begin with anyway. But at the end of the day, it still doesn¡¯t really matter.


    I have been having fun with the idea of getting to marry Lugh my beloved, but I was only chosen due to the fact that I manifested a rather special wonderbeast. Outside of that, I would have never been considered.


    To Lugh, this is a marriage to form another son for Setanta to take over as High King, and for my Queen Medb, it is simply a project for me to produce a test subject that she wants.


    No freedom or agency.


    Brushing my hair, the head maid Aimee says, ¡°Don¡¯t fret, I have heard that Lugh is actually quite amazing in bed, so I am sure you will produce a wonderful heir.¡±


    I smile in the mirror towards Aimee.


    Kids. They are by far the most important thing that women can do in the empire. One could say we have the sole responsibility of making sure that our people don¡¯t go near extinction again.


    It is without a doubt an important role, and it is something only women can do. So throughout my life, I was told it is the most important thing I can ever do.


    Especially as a wonderbeast beastkin, I was someone who was told that it was far more important than anything else in my life, that men die on battlefields, and women die on beds.


    It is the sacrifice we all make, except there is no glory in the empire by birthing a hero, just in being one. A sad reality but one I have always been forced to hold.


    Though the looks, the whispers, the statements, and actions taken against me, all the shit I have had to deal with just because I was born with a strong body makes me feel like no more than a piece of meat.


    Suddenly Aimee places a plate of meat in front of me which causes me to reel in disgust.


    ¡°Despite how pretty you are, more mass would do you well. So, you should eat this to fatten yourself up a bit?¡±


    As I stare at the meat, I start to feel a bit nauseous, and I say, ¡°I will eat it later?¡±


    ¡°Sorry my lady, but I don¡¯t trust you. Despite all the heavy meals I have given you since you arrived,  you haven¡¯t put on any weight, which is a horrible habit to have if you are going to bear Lugh¡¯s kids.


    So please eat up, and don¡¯t worry about mess. We are fast enough to get rid of any stains before they land on your dress.¡±


    Aimee gives me a smile so nice I can¡¯t refuse, so I look forward and accept my fate.


    Suddenly a knock on my door rings through the room, and a familiar voice comes in and says, ¡°I have come to talk with my wife.¡±


    Turning, I say, ¡°Lugh?¡±

 Arc 10.136: The final celebration part 8

    In his hands is a basket, but I soon skip over it as seeing Lugh all dressed up does many things to both my mind and my body,


    His beautiful face is both mature and effeminate, but the aura of his body and his wounds give the impression of a hardened warrior. His muscles which show in his clothes, enrapture my eyes and never let them go.


    The heavenly smell of his silver hair crushes my nose, and his heavy voice which ties it all together slays my ears. Right now, he is more seductive than any man of the night, and should be locked up for indecency.


    Covering my eyes, I scream, ¡°THANK YOU!¡±


    Aimee then gets up to Lugh¡¯s face, and says, ¡°My king, it isn¡¯t good for you to see her right now. You should wait until the ceremony so you can be surprized by her looks.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised anyway. P¨¦atra is a beautiful woman, it isn¡¯t like she could get prettier if she tried.¡±


    I let out a gross laugh in response to this, and start to drool. The maids quickly catch my drool as it falls off my face stopping it from falling onto my dress, and Lugh says, ¡°Please all of you excuse us, I need to talk to her one on one.¡±


    ¡°But.¡±


    ¡°This is an order, Aimee.¡±


    As Lugh glares at her, Aimee composes herself and excuses the room along with the rest of the maids within the room.


    Lugh grabs one of the other chairs in the room and sits beside me, then he says, ¡°Have they been bothering you?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all. They have all been rather nice to me,¡± I say lowering my tone


    ¡°I see,¡± Lugh says as he moves the basket he holds.


    Even now I still feel stiff when talking to him, even though I plan on marrying him today, what an embarrassment. How the hell am I going to look at him when we breed tonight?


    My face turns red and I swing my head from side to side, until Lugh asks, ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    ¡°YES!¡±


    In the same emotionless expression, he always has on he, says, ¡°That¡¯s good. Now have this.¡±


    Lugh places the basket on the table in front of me which is where the maids placed all of the make-up when dressing me, but currently holds my plate of meat.


    He opens the basket, and inside I see many different plant-based foods, which make my mouth water a bit.


    ¡°I made a bit too much for myself, so I am going to need you to help me eat some.¡±


    My body almost jumps to bite into the foods, but I restrain myself, and say, ¡°Are you sure about that? I might dirty my dress and cause issues for everyone.¡±


    ¡°If you''re scared of dirtying your dress, I can feed you.¡±


    ¡°NO! I will eat it myself.¡±


    I take a few purple balls and through them into my mouth, and I say, ¡°Sweat.¡±


    ¡°They are a form of candy, that the druids have been trying to make.¡±


    Holding one of the balls up, I say, ¡°I wonder what went into making them. The druids of Gorias really are talented.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the highest of compliments coming from someone like you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, your work on portable castles is by far one of the most groundbreaking advancements in our technology so far.¡±


    Shocked, I say, ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°You make small buildings out of plants, which can be carried in one''s pocket, and then using Beast blood battle arts, you grow the little plant buildings into giant structures of a premade design. If perfected it will completely change the way we do warfare, an ingenious creation.¡±


    Suddenly a force overtakes me, and I say, ¡°It isn¡¯t! It is riddled with problems that keep getting in the way. First is the fact that when growing the buildings requires a lot of blood, so multiple druids would be knocked out.


    Then you need to grow each part of the building at different speeds which requires a lot more skill than it may seem. We also have to hand-make each building in its tiny form beforehand which takes a lot of time.


    Before we even do that, we need to harvest the plants that go into making the building, and then modify them so they can work within our structure. Not to mention everything needs to be fresh, so if any mistake is made during the creation, it can set us back by a ridiculous amount of time.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Noticing I was rambling, I covered my mouth, and say, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, I find it very interesting.¡±


    ¡°I will be sure to keep on working on it while I stay in this providence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But in line with that question, I have to ask. Do you want to get married to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± I say with an exasperated look.


    ¡°In all honesty, I wonder if I am good enough for you.¡±


    Lugh stares at me, then looks out the window and says, ¡°Us beastkin are superior to humans, in almost every regard. It is just a matter of our biology.


    We as a species are far easier to wipe out if we are not careful about both the mental and physical health of our population, along with nature around us and hence have a greater sense of how to balance life with nature.


    But in one regard we are below humans, and it is about sex. Biologically speaking sex holds for more importance to us than humans do, our lives are far more dependent on our innate characteristics than humans. So, we attempt to control such a thing far more openly.


    It is far more common for people to be encouraged to act certain ways, for those with weak traits to pick dangerous jobs and not interact with the opposite sex. While for those with strong traits are far more exposed to sexual activities, and are encouraged to engage in them. Which has led to quite a bit of abuse. In that regard we are just as bad as humans.¡±


    ¡°But women in the empire are allowed to both divorce their husbands and own land. Which many human kingdoms didn¡¯t allow, and besides having kids is important for our race.¡±


    ¡°I agree with that statement, but power makes people act in strange ways. I have seen many women both young and old, treat Conchobar my brother as nothing more than a tool, and the impacts that can have on people.


    Even for me, after I bested and ate the V¨¢nagandr the person known as Lugh had all but died, all people cared about was the power that could be brought forth from my loins. It became so intense, that I even developed a phobia of eating meat, just like you.¡±


    Shaken, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t have a phobia.¡±


    ¡°P¨¦atra, I have been getting reports of you sneaking into the kitchen to make plant-based food for yourself.¡±


    Lowering, my head, I say, ¡°I am sorry for lying, I just didn¡¯t want you to think of me as ungrateful for all of the food your people have cooked.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be, it is not like you are alone in the behaviour. Many within the empire have started to act as such, in response to the way we have been treating those with strong animal traits.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but it is still an excuse. Our people fought hard to allow us to eat, and now I am wasting food due to my own weakness.¡±


    Lugh pats my head, and says, ¡°It¡¯s ok P¨¦atra, besides I was like you for some time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t eat any meat. I hated the look of it and avoided it at all costs. But then my future wife told me something.


    ''Does it really matter if people want to use you, at the end of the day those traits might save your child¡¯s life, so why should you hate them? People can treat you like a piece of meat all day, but at the end of it you are what you are and if you spend your acting in a way you wouldn¡¯t have otherwise due to others, you might as well just become a slave.''


    It was rather simple, and effective, but more than anything true. As I thank our ancestors for allowing Setanta to be born with such traits, and now when I see meat like this,-¡±


    Eating all of the meat Aimee left out for me in one fell swoop, Lugh says, ¡°I can eat as much as I want.¡±


    Seeing his face light up for the first time ever, Lugh says, ¡°Your wife really meant a lot to you.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that, she was the woman who taught me what love was, and until the day I die I will love her with all my heart.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I say saddened.


    I already knew he felt like that. It was stupid of me to think I could match up to the daughter of the hero king himself. This was simply the reality that you knew from the moment you walked in here.


    Suddenly, I start to cry. Stop them, stop them right now, don¡¯t let a single tear fall from your eyes.


    Lugh holds my hands, and raises my head towards him, and I say, ¡°I am sorry for this shameful display.¡±


    ¡°P¨¦atra, I will never love you more than my departed wife I simply don¡¯t have the ability to. It is for that reason I didn¡¯t want to trap any young woman in a marriage with me when I knew she would always be second in my mind while she could be the first in another¡¯s.


    But I promise you, I will care for your mind, body, and soul. Never betraying any aspect of them, I will sleep beside you every night, help you chase any dream you wish, cook your meals whenever you wish, and stay by your side even in the worst of pain.


    I promise I will love you in some form that can be felt by you, and I will make sure any fear, any discomfort, any battle you are facing, will become something I will fight with you. I will trust you P¨¦atra, so don¡¯t cry.¡±


    Holding his hand, I hug him and say, ¡°I won¡¯t. I love you, Lugh.¡±


    He hugs me back and doesn¡¯t say a word.


    I have always been scared that one day, I will become a tool for someone to use. That I would never be anything more than a possession in someone''s draw they take out when necessary.


    But at the very least I can say, that if I stay with Lugh. He will see me as me, before he sees me as anything else, and I can love someone like that from the bottom of my heart as well.


    ¦µ Conchobar walking up to me says, ¡°Are you listening in pervert?¡±


    ¡°I need to make sure he is treating my girl properly.¡±


    ¡°Lugh wouldn¡¯t intentionally hurt that girl, Medb.¡±


    ¡°Intentionally. But it seems he is being good, I am sure P¨¦atra will be a good wife to him.¡±


    Standing beside me, Conchobar says, ¡°You have been pushing Lugh into this marriage for a while now. I feel like you are far too invested in it for this to simply be due to our plan.¡±


    Walking up to him, I say, ¡°Of course, it is not just for our plan.¡±


    ¡°Then why?¡±


    ¡°Because I want the both of you to be happy in some form. I refuse to let you two walk along this planet alone.¡±


    Stretching out my hand, I remember the image of the two young boys who would never let go of it no matter how horrible I was.


    ¡°The both of you are going die happy beside beauty women.¡±


    Smirking Conchobar says, ¡°I doubt that for me. Besides I am fine with what I already have.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have already picked out a great woman for when you retire, so you should hurry up and abdicate the throne for Setanta.¡±


    ¡°On that note, I need to go make sure that boy actually delivered my stuff. I flew in and he was waiting for me to handle my things, and my Hippogriff.¡±


    Walking away from him, I say, ¡°Yeah keep bragging about having your hippogriff. I will catch one for myself one day.¡±


    ¡°Keep dreaming.¡±


    ¡°I happen to have a habit of making my dreams come true.¡±

 Arc 10.137: The final celebration part 9

    -Break-


    ¦µ In all of Gorias providence, there isn¡¯t a single native or visitor who isn¡¯t current in one place.


    Throughout the city, Druids have gathered together. Many of them wear the crest of the Faol¨¢ins, but far more are wearing the crests of each house of the Red branch, including the royal house itself.


    And under the instruction of Fr¨¢ech and Findabair, they all say, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; F¨¢s.¡±


    Which is quickly followed by, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Bog.¡±


    Soon a series of giant plants set throughout Gorias grow and, the most important of them which are located near Gorias castle move into shape where they form three large platforms made of plants which are placed on top of each other from biggest to smallest.


    The bottom and biggest of these three platforms takes up a large portion of the castle of Gorias city, with the other two being smaller, but also extremely large as well.


    The druid using Bog continues to move and mould the platforms until a staircase is made leading from the top to the bottom, and then a group of beastkin move in to set up for and decorate the platforms.


    Through the effort of the maid staff, flying beastkin, and wonderbeast riders they successfully decorate all three platforms making them look as beautiful as Gorias castle proper.


    The rest of the followers shape the remaining plants into large lily pads, which people can use to get an elevated look of the city and the platforms


    Soon after this, music moves through the air as everyone gathers preparing for the main event.


    Both Lugh and P¨¦atra stand in front of one of the staircases at the bottom platform and start walking up towards the highest platform.


    As they walk many look at the both of them are looked at with awe and happiness while they take steps forward, in the entire area the only one who looks nervous is P¨¦atra, who shakes at the extravagance of it all.


    But rubbing her wings, Lugh says, ¡°Be confident, a woman of your achievements and character should always hold her head high. You have lived your life in a far more beautiful way than many.¡±


    P¨¦atra calming down smiles at Lugh and says, ¡°I am happy I get to marry you.¡±


    Lugh grins at P¨¦atra, which shocks her back into her nervous state, and brings a state of confusion on him. But nevertheless, they continue forward unwavering.


    As they walk, flying beastkin drop seeds, and then druids use beast blood battle arts; Fas to make the seeds on the clothes of Lugh and P¨¦atra as well as the seed in the air, bloom and grow into flowers which fly throughout the city.


    Soon both Lugh and P¨¦atra reach the main stage where the high king himself waits.


    Conchobar says a few words of pleasantries towards the both of them and then both Lugh and P¨¦atra bite into each other''s neck and consume some of the others'' flesh.


    Conchobar says, ¡°What they hold within each other has now been shared, as will all their triumphs, and defeats. From the bottom of my heart, I wish this union well, and I know our ancestors do as well. Now, everyone who stands in the kingdom, I ask you to celebrate the birth of a new Queen in GORIAS!¡±


    The beastkin all cheer, and clap as Lugh and P¨¦atra stand hand in hand. Then Lugh says, ¡°Now let the final celebration of these 7 days reach its climax!¡±


    Soon many of the shops closed open, and the owners say, ¡°FREE FOOD FOR ALL WHO WISH TO EAT! IT IS ALL COVERED BY LUGH!¡±


    People flock to these sights, and as they do the druids move the giant lily pads through the sky, and on the pads are musicians, and performers entertaining all those who will watch.


    The platforms of Gorias castle are turned into a single giant stage after everyone leaves it, so that the most spectacular performances can take place on top of it.


    All of the Red branch sit on lily pads in Gorias castle to watch the performance as they eat and converse, and many people from the general populace are allowed to come in and watch from below them as well.


    They smile and look up with joy at the sight in front of them, but not everyone can be so carefree.


    ¦µ Sitting on a table beside his wife, Conchobar, and Medb, Lugh looks to P¨¦atra and asks, ¡°Are you doing, ok?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am doing great,¡± she says forcing herself to be composed.


    Lugh says, ¡°P¨¦atra I have been considered dense before-,¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Chiming in Medb says, ¡°Not considered.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°You are dense.¡±


    Ignoring them Lugh continues and says, ¡°But whatever it is bothering you, I would like to hear it out, we are married so your problems are mine and vice versa.¡±


    P¨¦atra says, ¡°It is just that this feels a little over the top for me. I just don¡¯t think I deserve all this time and resources. So many druids will be out of commission for a least half a month after this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry P¨¦atra I didn¡¯t do all of this for you.¡±


    P¨¦atra mood drops, and she says, ¡°Really.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°You really lack tact Lugh.¡±


    Confused Lugh says, ¡°I was just trying to calm her nerves.¡±


    Medb then says, ¡°While the majority of this is a show of power for our plan. It was only planned to be a third of the size, but Lugh tripled it so a certain someone will feel special.¡±


    P¨¦atra moods increases, but then she says, ¡°What plan?¡±


    Conchobar looks to Medb, and says, ¡°You did discuss our plan with her before you told her to marry Lugh right?¡±


    Medb looks away, and says, ¡°The moon is really bright right now.¡±


    Conchobar sighs, and says, ¡°Medb explain.¡±


    As Medb, Conchobar, and P¨¦atra talk, Lugh turns his head to one of the servants bringing him wine, and asks, ¡°Have you been watching Setanta?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A group of the eternal moths have been keeping an eye on him since this morning. Right now, he is busy saying his last goodbyes to the human.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure of this?¡±


    ¡°I have seen it with my own two eyes my lord.¡±


    ¡°Tell my men in his Solasmionna unit to watch his soldiers as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they won¡¯t be a problem as the entire unit has been gone since morning.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Setanta sent Minagrain, his unit, and a bunch of other guards to go and get the human women both he can Culainn have been looking for. It seems they want to let Aurelius and her meet before he dies. Though he sent far too many men away for the sake of protecting Minagrain, so I don¡¯t think he will make it.¡±


    Sighing, Lugh says, ¡°What a fool. If he had planned to do something like that, I would have at least looked to get him a flying wonderbeast to pick her up. Regardless, keep an eye on both him and Culainn, so that during the execution no scene is made. This is a big day for the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°Right, my king.¡±


    Facing forward Lugh looks down at the main stage where a group of girls both young and old are doing a form of step dancing, which attracts the eyes of all those watching them.


    Looking towards the people who are enthralled by the dance, then he mutters, ¡°It seems everyone is happy. I can thank Setanta for planning this celebration.¡±


    Though from up high Lugh can only see the faces of those who want to see him, not those who hide in their corner sulking as they feel their lives breaking down around them.


    Especially one woman with marks and wounds across her face. She walks forward through the castle like a reanimated corpse, lifeless in both mind and body.


    Nothing more than a husk forced to keep moving under forces she can barely control, and from this woman''s mouth she says, ¡°Ferdiad.¡±


    ¡°Ferdiad I am sorry, please come home Ferdiad, I will listen to you, I will care for you so please stay here with me, don¡¯t leave your mother and sister all alone.¡±


    The woman losing strength to her sorrow falls, but before she crashes onto the floor, an arm grabs her hand olds her up, then she hears a voice say, ¡°If you are able to walk, please allow me to be your legs.¡±


    Minabr¨®d turns her face around, and standing over her she sees Sc¨¢thach, who looks down at her with her same face covering on. Minabr¨®d is frozen as she sees Sc¨¢thach and quickly tries to speak.


    But before she can Sc¨¢thach picks Minabr¨®d up and then she walks hand in hand with her.


    Minabr¨®d says, ¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to do all of this.¡±


    Walking forward with her, Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°I have taught both Ferdiad, and Setanta to respect their parents, so I must obviously do the same.¡±


    ¡°Sc¨¢thach, I am not someone worthy of respect.¡±


    ¡°I disagree, you have raised both a strong heroic young man and a smart courageous young woman. Both of which are primed to become some of the most important figures in our empire going forward.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t raise them,¡± Minabr¨®d says under her breath.


    Soon they both reach the lily pads where all of the Red branches sit, and after they take their seats. They both look up at the dance on the main stage and then Sc¨¢thach asks, ¡°What did you mean by you didn¡¯t raise them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I am a horrible mother. I brought them both into this world and allowed incredible hardships to be thrown at them repeatedly, if it wasn¡¯t for Setanta both of them would be dead now.


    My daughter who used to love to sing, and talk can¡¯t speak a word and has wounds over her despite never stepping on a battlefield, and my son was breaking down in front of my eyes and even if you offered me all the riches in the world, I couldn¡¯t tell you why he was like that.¡±


    ¡°But the kindness you put in them helped them weather the storm.¡±


    Staring at Sc¨¢thach in an unruly manner, Minabr¨®d says, ¡°I got lucky. I have seen many people break under those circumstances, I simply was born with two strong and righteous children nothing more, I didn¡¯t contribute to them positively.¡±


    Squeezing her hands against each other, she asks, ¡°Hey Sc¨¢thach, do you know what the most valuable thing in this empire is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beastkin women.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. It is far less likely that a beastkin will inherit weak traits, or just be a human overall if one of the parents isn¡¯t a beastkin woman. Our wombs are built to handle beastkin children, unlike human women.


    Even during the period we used human women, out of a hundred trie,s we would only get around three beastkin babies, so even though there were far fewer beastkin women, the amount of beastkin children produced between the two races was close to being the same.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach says, ¡°If all beastkin men died you would eventually recuperate, but if all women died there is a good chance you all might actually go extinct.¡±


    With a sick smile on her face. Minabr¨®d says, ¡°You know when I married my Cambell, for the first time in my life I got to talk to other women and learn of all of this.


    We are considered the most special and protected people in the empire and are seen as images of our Danu ourselves. I have heard some have grown distant over it ever since more pressure has been put on us due to the lack of human women, but I love it. For the first time in my life, I had innate value, I could do something that was special.


    Ferdiad in my belly made me special. Yet I still failed him, I still failed Minagrain, and I know why it all happened. It¡¯s because of the human blood in my veins, it¡¯s because my mother loved a human, and created the abomination known as me.


    Humans pollute all of the good things in our world and ruin our very existence. If only I wasn¡¯t human, if only I was a full-blooded beastkin, I am sure I could have given, Minagrain, Cambell, Ferdiad, and my mother to stay with me. It is all the human bloods faul-.¡±


    Sc¨¢thach slaps me across the face which attracts the attention of the beastkin around us, and then she says, ¡°Minabr¨®d you''re being childish.¡±

 Arc 10.138: The final celebration part 10

    Standing up Sc¨¢thach looks to everyone around them, and bows her head saying, ¡°Sorry for the disturbance it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Using her shadows Sc¨¢thach places Minabr¨®d back on her chair and says, ¡°Minabr¨®d your human blood is not to blame you are. You failed Ferdiad.¡±


    Minabr¨®d lowers her head and barely holds back tears from coming out of her eyes.


    ¡°But so did I as his master, Setanta as his friend, Minagrain as his sister, and Lugh as his king. We have all failed that child in certain ways, and we will never be able to take back the hurt that has caused him, but you must simply find peace in that.¡±


    ¡°Why! Why should I find peace in that? I couldn¡¯t help him, I couldn¡¯t protect him, all I could do was hurt him like a disease, and if it wasn¡¯t due to my blood, and just due to me. Then I don¡¯t deserve to keep breathing.¡±


    ¡°Minabr¨®d kids are scary, raising a child is scary. You have to teach another person how to survive be alive and navigate the world.


    I have lived three times your lifetime, and the only thing I know is there is far too much I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t tell you what¡¯s the best way path to take in life, or even what¡¯s the worst path.


    Yet all of us here are given the ability to create life simply by existing, it is like being thrown into a battlefield naked. It is impossible to exist without failure, all parents will fail at one point in their life, you must accept that.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s frightening.¡±


    ¡°I know. We have far less control over our kids than we realize, yet we have far more impact on them than we could ever realize. One out of 100 different small interactions with a child might be the deciding factor of how they end up.


    But we get no warning for which interaction it is, we will only find out decades later. It is the most stressful, chaotic battlefield one will ever need to face.


    Still, I think it is worth it for the sake of the love it can bring to their and many others'' lives, and Ferdiad has brought lots of good and love to many people''s lives.¡±


    ¡°But he has cut me off, and banished me away from himself due to my failures, and I am just supposed to accept that? Sc¨¢thach, I want to see my boy again, I want to listen to all his problems, and love him throughout them.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Minabr¨®d, but you can¡¯t decide that. Whenever a child trusts an adult, they are given a pass into their life that can only be revoked if that trust is broken. And all of the adults in his life have thrown away those passes.¡±


    ¡°So, what now? Tell me what I should do now!¡± Minabr¨®d says crying her eyes out.


    ¡°Wait, and keep your arms open. One day he might fall, and need someone, and he might seek you out. So keep your heart open and strong, always at the ready to wait for him to return to your side.¡±


    ¡°But what if that day never comes?¡±


    ¡°Then take solace in the fact that Ferdiad is doing good enough in life where he doesn¡¯t need us anymore. Because more than anything else we wish and pray for peace in his life.¡±


    As Minabr¨®d cries Sc¨¢thach holds her. With Lugh peering down at them both from his platform.


    ¦µ While I enjoy the performance unfolding in front of me, Conchobar says, ¡°Sorry but I need to head home now, so we should be getting to the main announcements.¡±


    Medb says, ¡°He is right Lugh. After today all of us will have many sleepless nights.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but I had wished to allow everyone to enjoy more blissful fun before they heard our news.¡±


    Signalling one of the servants to come over towards me, I say, ¡°Call Setanta, and please prepare both the Conchobar and Medb¡¯s rides.¡±


    ¡°About that. We currently don¡¯t know where Conchobar¡¯s wonderbeast is.¡±


    Looking over to my brother, I say, ¡°Who did you give it to?¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°Setanta.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I say staring at Conchobar.


    ¡°Yeah, he came early in the morning to grab it, like he was waiting for me to arrive.¡±


    Turning to my servant, I say, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Setanta has been conversing with Aurelius since the morning? When did he have the time to go and meet with Conchobar and then transport the wonderbeasts.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. According to our reports, he has been with Aurelius since before Conchobar arrived.¡±


    Suddenly a surge of thoughts moves through my head, and I say, ¡°Where did Setanta get the extra guards he sent along with Minagrain?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Go check!¡±


    My servant starts to run as I get flustered. I look down to Sc¨¢thach who is comforting Minabr¨®d and then I say, ¡°She wouldn¡¯t be a part of something like this especially after Aoife¡¯s betrayal.¡±


    P¨¦atra placing her hand over mine, asks, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, I am just having a few thoughts.¡±


    I look around, then I start to stand up and say, ¡°I need to check something out, I will be back.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get lost,¡± Medb says in a mocking tone.


    But then on the main stage ,I hear them announce something.


    One of the dancers says, ¡°Our youngest and most brilliant star here wants to make an announcement.¡±


    Confused, I say, ¡°No announcement was scheduled?¡±


    I look up at the youngest star, and before I can fully recognize who it is Sc¨¢thach jumps up from her seat.


    The girl wearing says, ¡°Hello everyone my name is Uathach N¨ª M¨¢irse¨¢il or better known as-.¡±


    From her feet, shadows appear and swirl around the area, and  then she says, ¡°The daughter of Sc¨¢thach the hero.¡±


    The crowd goes wild, but all of their reaction are far more tame than Sc¨¢thach who looks like she is about to blow up.


    Uathach then says, ¡°You see I have been brokenhearted recently. So, I plan on playing a fun little game, whoever manages to catch me today gets to decide who I marry. You can make it one of your family members or sell my marital rights to the highest bidder. You all have until nightfall.¡±


    She claps her hands, and soon all the shadows on the floor form into platforms which raise all of the common folk up to where the Red branch is, and soon they start rushing around with a complete disregard of the Red branch.


    As the crowds flood the area Uathach moves towards our table, and I say, ¡°Setanta tricked us.¡±


    Grabbing P¨¦atra as the people rush towards us, I say, ¡°We have to move now.¡±


    My servants form a barricade around us, as my soldiers help all of us evacuate away. But then from the sky Uathach lands on Medb¡¯s shoulders and says, ¡°Did you enjoy my reveal big sister?¡±


    Medb says, ¡°You fool! I let you join this celebration by promising you would hide from Mother, yet you went and revealed your existence to the entire empire.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re the one who told me to disregard rules to achieve my heart desires.¡±


    Medb tries to grab her, but she runs past us into the castle, and I say, ¡°We were one step behind.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Conchobar says.


    ¡°Setanta is getting Aurelius and the rest of the humans away!¡±


    Location: Southwestern forest of Gorias


    ¦µ In a carriage I sit with the rest of the humans, as both Laeg and Ibar drive the carriage through the woods. I look down at my shadowless feet and try to calm my nerves as the humans chat away with each other.


    Looks like everything is going off without a hitch.


    I look out the window and quickly sit back down.


    I then stare over at Aurelius and the rest of the humans who converse amongst themselves, and let out a sigh of relief.


    Aurelius then turns to me, and says, ¡°Sorry you had to bring us to Culainn¡¯s during your father''s wedding.¡±


    ¡°It is just easier to get things done this way, and besides it gives me a reason to avoid talking to the Red branch families.¡±


    My plan to get Aurelius and the other humans out of here has been successful so far.


    First, I got rid of the guards around this area, by sending to help Minagrain. Most people wouldn¡¯t consider it suspicious considering how obsessed with my I am.


    Next was securing Conchobar¡¯s wonderbeast, his Hippogriff. I had to get there and move it after Minagrain and the rest had left. The griff is a wonderbeast that is very easy to train to be well-behaved, so I am sure even Aurelius and the humans could fly on it.


    After that was the tricky part in which I had to somehow get both my father''s spies off of me, and make sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to me after he realised.


    Uathach took care of that both for me. I am surprised to learn she is Sc¨¢thach¡¯s daughter and shares the same abilities to make shadows. By taking my own shadow and the rest of the humans she was able to make exact clones of us.


    But she also had another use which is her potential for chaos using her family relations.


    While it might seem stupid, Sc¨¢thach is the only person allowed to disrespect the high king, and her child will be able to allow a beastkin to inherit her godly physical abilities. Many beastkin would even do something like foolish run around the Red branch for an opportunity to marry her.


    Now it should be a straight shoot towards the griff.


    Aurelius turning to me says, ¡°Nero, Poline, Ukiyo, Mantona, Kyrios, Aurelius Jr. Which one is the best?¡±


    ¡°What are you even saying?¡±


    ¡°I am discussing baby names for when I have a child with my beloved.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get so ahead of yourself, please keep your hope until we get there.¡±


    ¡°I can and will because I trust in you no matter what.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hearing a noise, I say, ¡°LAEG, IBAR JUMP OFF!¡±


    Then I quickly grab all of the humans and jump off the carriage before a whip breaks through the carriage destroying it and killing the two horses in front.


    Landing outside, I hear Laeg say, ¡°Setanta what did you do this time!¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T BELIEVE YOU!¡±


    Both Laeg and Ibar stomp over toward me and jam their feet into mine, then Ibar says, ¡°I will be reporting that you kissed another woman to Minagrain if you don¡¯t tell us what the hell just happened.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what I would do. So, spit it out.¡±


    Sighing I throw all of the humans into the air, then knock both of them out, and then I catch all of the humans. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t let you two be complicate in my crimes.¡±


    ¡°What crimes?¡± Aurelius asks.


    ¡°Shh,¡± I say, as I focus on the sound I hear.


    Looking at the source of the noise, I say, ¡°You can come out now.¡±


    From one of the trees Ronald Fuinseog comes out, and he says, ¡°What the hell are you doing Setanta?¡±


    ¡°Trying to save my friend idiot.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be smart with me. You know as well as I do those humans are to be executed.¡±


    I look back at Aurelius and the rest of the humans whose faces of worry turn to fear, but then I smile at them and say, ¡°Sorry but I plan on letting them all escape.¡±


    Ronald activates his legacy on his whip, and then from it numerous briars appear and he says, ¡°We already know how this went last time.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that, but I forgot when being outmatched was a reason to give up.¡±


    Moving forward, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Tulip.¡±


    Then I move around Ronald at high speed, but he moves his briars infused with spirit energy towards me. I try to dodge them, but they''re so fast and sharp that I get hit multiple times forcing me to regenerate.


    But I quickly move and grab a spear from the broken, carriage and then lunge forward towards him.


    As I ward off the briars he says, ¡°You have been blessed with immense physical talent by your parents, but I was blessed with someone more the power of a god. Third bloom.¡±


    From Ronald briar''s poison is released which paralyzes Setanta''s body, and then around his body, the Briars move to restrict him, and he says, ¡°This battle is over.¡±

 Arc 10.139: The final celebration part 11

    He brings me closer to him and tightens his restrictions which causes me to bleed, and then he says, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your future by doing something so stupid my young king.¡±


    Laughing a bit, I say, ¡°It is nice to know you care for me, but I can assure you of something your future king can never be restrained from doing what his heart desires.¡±


    ¡°You may be strong, but don¡¯t forget that this is the second time you lost to me.¡±


    ¡°And since when did a Faol¨¢in allow his weakness to remain open?¡±


    Taking in a deep breath, I shout, ¡°RUAIRI!¡±


    ¡°Beast blood battle arts ultimate art; F¨¢s Gl¨®rmhar!¡±


    From my mouth, I spit out a swarm of seeds, which all accelerate through their growth forming into massive trees in front of Ronald. I then lunge over towards the humans, and then the boys'' troop which is ahead of us, runs down towards us.


    ¡°Ruair¨ª, I need you to take both Laeg and Ibar then get them out of here. The rest of you make sure Donald doesn¡¯t follow us.¡±


    Turning to the humans, I say, ¡°Follow me!¡±


    As I run forward, I hear a lack of footsteps, so I turn back to see that Aurelius is the only human who isn¡¯t moving. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Looking down at his feet, Aurelius says, ¡°Setanta, you should stop.¡±


    ¡°Have you gone insane? We don¡¯t have time for this now, just follow me and be free.¡±


    ¡°I made lots of jokes about you letting me escape, and I did want you to let me go. But Setanta, I know how much you love your people and this land, and if letting me go may hurt your standing I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    Moving toward him, I say, ¡°Thank you for that.¡±


    Then I kick him in the balls which drops him to the floor.


    ¡°What was that for!?¡±


    Laughing, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect me. Do you really think something as small as this could actually hurt my standing? I am a hero, and the one who will lead my people into a better future.¡±


    Reaching out my hand, I say, ¡°Stopping this foolishness is for them as much as it is for you. So please just trust in me, and accept your reward for fighting so long.¡±


    Grabbing my hand, he says, ¡°Right.¡±


    Then we move, but as we do Ronald bursts through the trees and sends his whips towards us. But the boys'' troop knock the whips away.


    ¦µ I send my briars towards the boys, but they manage to dodge them while moving at high speed. ¡°Red branch battle arts? Still, it doesn¡¯t matter if Setanta taught you pests that, you¡¯re all still far weaker than me.¡±


    I quickly grab the boys one, by one.


    Setanta must have sent all of these boys up ahead, to wait in ambush for any pursuers. A good plan, but now that this giant tree has appeared, more people will be coming, but it isn¡¯t like it matters.


    As I am lost in thought my eyes quickly grab a hold of something, and then I quickly send my briars into the boys mouth and keep them open. ¡°You¡¯re trying to bite your tongue? Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°For our king risking our lives is all we need.¡±


    From behind me, I hear, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Starflower.¡±


    Turning around quickly I see three boys I hadn¡¯t accounted for are moving toward my blind spot, so I quickly reinforce my back with spirit energy breaking their spears.


    ¡°You¡¯re out of luck!¡±


    The kids smile, and then I turn around and see some of the boys held by my briars have been cut free.


    All of the boys start to move around me at high speed.


    I can¡¯t sense them due to their lack of spirit energy, and combined with their speed it is like I am fighting a bunch of mosquitoes. I guess I have no choice.


    ¡° Advent.¡±


    ¦µ In front of us, we see the Hippogriff and I say, ¡°All of you hurry on!¡±


    They all start to run, and I hand Aurelius a bag of stuff and then say, ¡°In this bag there is a map of your current location and where you should head to meet Lillian, from where you should fly to any of the marked locations which are known human hideouts, or even the eastern continent if you want to make the journey.


    This hippogriff has the royal family''s crest, so no authorities will try and stop you or even double-check if you''re flying with it. I have also put a royal ornament with the Faol¨¢in crest and my name on it in case you get stopped. People know I am friends with humans so using this could help in the worst case.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    As everyone gets on the wonderbeast, I turn to the young boy who sold out Aurelius and say, ¡°Astolfo you''re capable of flying wonderbeasts if I am correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Astolfo pauses for a minute then says, ¡°Why are you letting us all go? Aurelius is the only one who is your friend, and besides you have always shown me you don¡¯t trust me.¡±


    Flicking him in the forehead, I say, ¡°That happened last year, I got over it and so should you. Besides, I don¡¯t believe humans deserve that fate any more than beastkin do, so ride safe.¡±


    Hearing a loud sound coming, I say, ¡°You guys need to take off now!¡±


    As I jump off the wonderbeast, then I hear, ¡°C¨² Culainn!¡±


    ¡°What do you want Aurelius?¡±


    ¡°I wish to return to my glorious homeland, so I will name my child Orlando. Please give me and my family a new last name, so we may always remember you.¡±


    ¡°You''re kind of putting me on the spot to think of a name. It has to be unique and something I would recognize.¡±


    Snapping my finger, I say, ¡°Solasmionna my unit''s name, it should translate to Light sworn. So your new last name from this on will be Aurelius Lightsworn, married to Lillian Lightsworn, and father of Orlando Lightsworn.¡±


    ¡°I like it. Thank you for everything Setanta.¡±


    ¡°No need, just be happy.¡±


    Aurelius and the rest of the humans start to take off, and I get in position as I hear the swarm coming. From the forest, I see Ronald in a strange form riding on a giant wave of briars that are headed towards the humans.


    So, I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts ultimate art; Morning Glory.¡± Then I dash forward at high speed and use the force of my impact to push the wave of briars back allowing Aurelius and the rest of the humans to get away.


    Despite all my speed and strength I was unable to reach Ronald behind all of his briars, and am now in the middle of a swarm of them.


    They all move around to restrict and catch me, so I say, ¡°Red branch battle arts; Tulip,¡± and rush out of there as fast as I can, but the amount of briars Ronald it able to make is utterly ridiculous.


    From every direction I am overwhelmed as I try to fight back, but no matter how hard I try I am pushed back. Then soon my spear breaks, and the briars come for me.


    As I accept my fate, I hear an extremely loud sound coming towards me, and moments later a giant shockwave moves through the briars, and before I can blink, I am moved away from the middle of the swarm into the forest.


    Looking around myself, I quickly try to understand what happened, but my brain quickly draws to a halt as I see Ferdiad.


    With a smile, he looks down at me and says, ¡°The moment I leave, you get put in such a pathetic state.¡±


    So many things flow through my brain all at once, happiness, sadness, embarrassment, regret, loneliness, but the only thing I can bring myself to say is, ¡°I am happy to see you again.¡±


    Kicking me in the face, he says, ¡°Stop being weird you dumb wolf.¡±


    Kicking him in the face, I say, ¡°That was morning glory, wasn¡¯t it? Looks like you can finally keep up with me.¡±


    ¡°Keep up with you, I am going to surpass yo,u idiot.¡±


    Smiling I reach out my hand towards his and say, ¡°Just how I like it, now help me remove this annoying hunter.¡±


    Grabbing my hand and pulling himself up, Ferdiad says, ¡°Just like the old times.¡±


    I walk forward, and I say, ¡°Just so you know I have changed quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine because I have as well.¡±


    Suddenly through my heart, I am stabbed with a spear.


    Turning around, I look at Ferdiad, and he says, ¡°I will be taking control of my own destiny now.¡±


    I jump away from the spear in my back, but then I feel a sudden numbness rush through my body. ¡°Ronald¡¯s poison?¡±


    ¡°It should be strong enough to numb even your body.¡±


    Hearing a stream of briars coming towards me, I say, ¡°Ferdiad.¡±


    I am captured by Ronald¡¯s briars which surround me, and then after a few seconds, I hear him say, ¡°Third bloom,¡± and poison rushes from the briars into my body sapping away my consciousness.


    -Break-


    ¦µ With his wife and friends beside him, Lugh talks to a servant who has just entered the room, and as the servant leaves Lugh says, ¡°Setanta was never with Aurelius.¡±


    P¨¦atra says, ¡°How is that possible, you had eyewitness reports.¡±


    Medb then says, ¡°Sc¨¢thach has the ability to make copies of people by manipulating their shadows, so Uathach used the same ability to make a false version of Setanta and the humans.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°But the shadows cannot talk, so did no one check they were chatting.¡±


    ¡°My men kept their distance as a sign of respect for my son, so they never got close enough to hear any talking even if there was some.¡±


    As Lugh stews in his anger, a large voice says, ¡°To all of the Tuatha D¨¦ Dannan, I ask for you to give me your ears.¡±


    Lugh snapping out of his anger says, ¡°Is that Bricriu?¡±


    Soon all those within the room rush outside, and there they see Ronald Fuinseog in Advent along with Bricriu and his daughter, but worst of all is Ferdiad holding Setanta.


    ¡°What is that fool doing?¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°I need to get up there and put a stop to this right now.¡±


    Holding him, Medb says, ¡°You can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Right now, the area is in a state of chaos, and Ronald briars are everywhere. It is the perfect moment for an accident to happen.¡±


    ¡°So I am just supposed to sit here?¡±


    ¡°For now, yes.¡±


    Bricriu says, ¡°I have come to tell you all that the Red branch has decided to launch a full-scale campaign eastward into our greatest enemy, the dynasty of D¨¡.¡±


    The people start to become scared, but then Bricriu says, ¡°For the last few decades I have made great efforts to destroy the dynasty from the inside out, and now they are merely a shell of their former sell.


    But still strong generals and soldiers remain who could destroy us, but do not worry or fret because we have a warrior who we can rely on to stand by and protect us.


    A child by the name of Ferdiad ¨® Sealbh¨®ir, my son-in-law. The only other child in the empire who Sc¨¢thach has deemed worthy to train, just like many of you he is from Fir bolg descent, but his kills rival even the greatest of young talent like this traitor.¡±


    Using his briars Ronald holds up Setanta into the sky, and Bricriu says, ¡°Now listen to this my people. For today you have been betrayed by a man who you placed your trust in.¡±


    Beast blood battle arts: The special nature of blood from certain beastkin called Druids who have branches growing out of their heads, allows them to control all flora through this special fighting style.


    By dripping blood from an open wound on their bodies, they gain the ability to manipulate flora. The greater in scale the control they exercise the more blood they use, but for micro adjustments the use is minimal.


    Beast blood battle arts; Ceangailte: A technique that makes the surrounding Flora move towards a target and bind them.


    Beast blood battle arts; F¨¢s: A technique that forces any Flora no matter the form, in the area to grow at high speed.


    Beast blood battle arts; Bog: A technique that allows one to move Flora at their will.


    Beast blood battle arts; Aon: Connects ones nerves to Flora of their choosing, allowing them to connect their sense to it, but can also be used to torture enemies.


    Beast blood battle arts ultimate art; Gl¨®rmhar: A technique which deeply connects one with nature vastly increasing the range of any other technique.

 Arc 10.140: The final celebration part 12

    My skin tenses up with rage, but P¨¦atra grabs my arms and says, ¡°Right now if you cause a scene in front of everyone it will be a mess and a show of weakness to the people.¡±


    Restraining myself, I look at Bricriu who says, ¡°C¨² Culainn the warrior whose name has been spread far and wide throughout the empire has committed a grave sin.


    He has aided human slaves in their escape from the empire, siding with the idea that they deserve to be treated as equals to us. He has betrayed both the empire and his blood.


    These slaves are now loose carrying critical information about our empire and will aid our enemies in upcoming battles. But do not worry as Ferdiad has bested C¨² Culainn today, he has overcome the rapid warrior and now stands on top of the greatest talent in the empire!¡±


    Walking forward Ferdiad says, ¡°Know this as long as I stand at the head of my generation. I will never allow tragedy to befall you all, I will fight tooth and nail till the east has fallen. So from today on I am C¨² Dannan, the protector of the people of this land!¡±


    The people let out screams into the sky, and as they do I grip my fist, and say, ¡°We were outplayed. This failure is not one we will be recovering from.¡±


    ¦µ And just like that, the wedding between both Lugh and P¨¦atra had come to a climatic end. The ripples of this event sent shockwaves through the empire which had to be guarded against.


    -One week later-


    Location: Gorias prisons


    A humming echoes through the area as the child of light within the empty prison sings to himself hopping to pass time quicker. His tune amuses the guards standing in front of his cell, so they join in on the tune.


    But as they dive deeper into the tune, with one step after another the embodiment of light walks through the prisons of Gorias, and as he moves he signals all those standing guards to leave his presence.


    His face shows a discomfort that spooks the guards as they walk by, but what worries the guards, even more, is the humming that doesn¡¯t stop despite who just entered the room.


    Soon Lugh stops in front of Setanta and looks down towards his smiling son humming without a care in the world. Looking at his father, he says, ¡°Good morning, sir, you look stressed?¡±


    Lugh looks back at him then he kicks up a peddle and catches it. With a flick of his wrist, he throws the peddle at high speed into one of Setanta¡¯s eyes which causes Setanta to roll on the floor in pain.


    Both his hands and legs are tied so he struggles to pull out the stone. But after he manages to get it out, Setanta says, ¡°I was just trying to lighten the mood.¡±


    Pulling one of the guards'' chairs towards himself, Lugh sits down and says, ¡°If you wanted a kind mood, I would suggest not pulling the stunt you did, it caused quite a bit of trouble.¡±


    Calming his demeanour, Setanta with a worried look asks, ¡°What has the fallout been?¡±


    ¡°Your name has been dragged in the mud, and now lots of the recognition you had has been given to Ferdiad with the help of a rather skilful propaganda campaign.


    Which I had to support them since the people had lost their would-be hero and we needed to replace it. Not only that but Bricriu, the pest himself has gotten a lot more support and recognition so getting rid of him is far harder than we ever thought despite having his throat in a bind.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°It looks fine.¡±


    ¡°How is this fine?¡±


    ¡°Because my little darling and unit aren¡¯t getting harassed.¡±


    ¡°I feel like you are underestimating how much you have screwed up Setanta. A week ago, you very extent held immense control over the people of Gorias and had the support of three kings. Now it has gone from a matter of when you become the high king to if?¡±


    Sighing, Setanta says, ¡°So all the rumours were true, you were trying to turn me into the high king.¡±


    ¡°If I told an idiot like you, and you acted with that information. I can¡¯t imagine what you would do with that information after this nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense? I saved my friend.¡±


    Lugh smashes his foot into the ground, and says, ¡°You let a human go with a royal wonderbeast, and him to take more humans and escape.¡±


    Smiling Setanta says, ¡°So he escaped. I am glad.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool Setanta.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a liar!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You are saying all of this to me over how the people will react, but if that was the only thing you were angry about you wouldn¡¯t be reacting this much. So, father, my king, tell me why you see humans as below us?¡±


    Sighing, Lugh composes himself and glares right into Setanta¡¯s arms, then says, ¡°Setanta how many races do you think lived on the earth like beastkin and humans?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just humans, dragons, and beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Incorrect. There were 7 in this world. Humans, Beastkin, Dragons, Seers, Nephilim, Yugaku, and Seraphs. Each one where thinking creatures like us, and existed on this planet just like us.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Then how come I have never seen them?¡±


    ¡°Because just like us beastkin, almost all of them have been driven to near extinction. The only exceptions are dragons and Seraphs who have distanced themselves from us. Did the stories we read to the children not say Danu had siblings, these races are descended from these siblings.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t make sense. Doesn¡¯t the story say that Danu and her siblings blessed humans with powers and that it was the god called Messiah that defeated them in a vengeful battle?"


    ¡°That¡¯s merely the popular theory that was pushed by nationalists when we first founded the empire, it is based on faulty information. The truth of the matter is that lots of records have been destroyed, and the true story is unknown to us. But using our current knowledge we know that Danu had a family and part of that family where others including the human god called the messiah. The exact familial relationship is unknown, but to our knowledge, just all the seven known races descend from one of the family members. Danu never blessed humans, we beastkin are a different race entirely.¡±


    ¡°If you knew that why did you teach us we descend from humans?¡±


    ¡°First, the logic the nationalists used when saying we didn¡¯t descend from humans is faulty, and was made before the discoveries were found, and second it makes it easier for beastkin and humans to get along that way.¡±


    ¡°So is that difference the reason you think we can teach humans whatever way we want?¡± Setanta says with an aggressive tone.


    ¡°Setanta through the efforts of the Cumhaill and Biorg, we know a battle took place in which the seven races fought, and the humans came out on top. But without a doubt, they are the weakest out of every single one of the races, so I ask you this question how did the humans survive?¡±


    Setanta freezes for a moment unable to answer, and then Lugh says, ¡°It is because of a simple weapon they wield, love.


    As a race, they have a greater emotional range than the rest of the races, which they often use to seduce and trick the leaders of the other races into destroying themselves, whilst also converting the other races to their side. Then during the infighting they reproduce like bunnies to increase their numbers crushing their opponents with serve numbers.¡±


    ¡°Everything you just said sounds like sound tactics to defeat a stronger opponent. Cowardly, but not foolish.¡±


    ¡°You miss the point. The greater emotional range given by humans leads to their greatest problem, stagnation. As a species, they hate each other just enough to wipe out all they have built and almost themselves, but at the same time love each other enough to never fully destroy themselves.


    They cannot commit to kindness or hatred and constantly move through each state bringing all the others on the planet to ruin along with themselves.¡±


    ¡°Hate and love coexist in all of us it is necessary for balance to exist, it sounds like you¡¯re just making a reason to not accept people!¡±


    ¡°Setanta balance is a perfect harmony of two things that allow them to move forward. What humans do is shift from one extreme to the end with their love and hate, which causes them to stand still? But I agree with you in that they still have value.¡±


    ¡°Father.¡±


    ¡°We were given these bodies to help us connect more with nature, and understand the balance of life. It is our job of us dictated by our biology to lead them forward.


    Guide them so they can experience happiness and joy whilst enjoying the fruits of their own labours. To make sure their stagnation ceases, and they move forward into the future.


    That¡¯s why we exist Setanta, to lead them. But like all leaders, there will be times when we have to make sacrifices, and we refuse to do such a thing. So, my son, I want you to change your views and move forward with me to build a better future.¡±


    Setanta looks down, and says, ¡°You''re really amazing Dad, but I refuse.¡±


    Slamming his foot on the ground in anger, Lugh gets up and pulls Setanta''s body against the railing of his jail cell then says, ¡°Now why is that you arrogant spoilt brat.¡±


    ¡°Because everything I love about you has nothing to do with your biology. You have been far too good to me for me to believe something like biology matters that much.¡±


    Shock manifests itself over Lugh¡¯s face, and he drops Setanta. Then he says, ¡°You will be staying here until further notice, I don¡¯t care how many years it takes, that parasite in your brain will be removed.¡±


    Lugh walks away, and as he does Minagrain walks past him and over to Setanta. After she arrives a very loud slap follows, and Lugh says, ¡°I can still try to fix his reputation during the invasion east. If I plunk him on the battlefield during a critical moment, we can still turn things around.¡±


    As Lugh leaves Setanta face Minagrain, and says, ¡°I am sorry darling. Don¡¯t be mad.¡±


    She brings her head close to him, and head-butts him over and over, then kisses him, which makes Setanta say, ¡°Aww.¡±


    She hits him again, and then she communicates, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what happened to you! I was worried! And what kind of surprise was that?¡±


    Rubbing his head against the floor, Setanta says, ¡°I am sorry I won¡¯t ever do something that makes you uncomfortable ever again.¡±


    Raising his head, he says, ¡°But I do have a least one slight favour that may make you uncomfortable.¡±


    Minagrain headbutts Setanta again, and Lugh finally makes it out of the underground dungeons, then he says to the guards, ¡°Give the two a few minutes of time to spend with each other.¡±


    Lugh walks away, and running down the corridor in front of him Darragh yells, ¡°LUGH WE HAVE AN ISSUE!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t yell like a brute.¡±


    Darragh ignores him and just puts his hands on Lugh¡¯s shoulders then says, ¡°There is a massive issue, and all of the Red branch houses have been summoned.¡±


    Seeing the look of distress and panic on Darragh¡¯s face, Lugh asks, ¡°What happened.¡±


    Darragh says, ¡°The humans-.¡±


    -Break-


    Continent: Victoria


    Location: Land of Niruuian; Private quarters


    ¦µ Sitting on a bed a broken man lays who has no sense of self or his surroundings, and by his bedside, there is a man, a child and standing on the child¡¯s head an owl. The child holds the hand of the man who can barely keep his drool in his mouth, and says, ¡°No uncle, you can¡¯t be doing that.¡±


    With a piece of paper, he cleans the drool, and the adult in the room pats the boy''s head, and then he sticks up his thumb saying, ¡°Good job.¡±


    His son smiles and says, ¡°I WILL!!¡±


    ¡°Blu keep my son close.¡±


    The omega owl Blu flaps its wings at the man.


    The man gets up and then walks to the doors of the room they are inside, and then turns back saying, ¡°I will return Nero,¡±


    As the man leaves, he is greeted by four warriors wearing cloth similar to him with the only metal on them begin the weapons at their sides.


    Each of them has a mantle dappled over their right shoulders which all have the designs of animals, with the leader of them having a Condor on his.


    They all walk forward and soon they stand in front of a giant crowd of humans, far more numerous than all those gathered in Gorias during the celebration.


    Standing in front of everyone, the man in front of his four warriors, the man says, ¡°Our suffering ends today, our fear ends today, our sadness ends today, our slavery ends today.


    On my name, I swear to you that the freedom I have allowed you to taste will be given to all of humanity till the day we bury ourselves in the ground. So give me your hearts, your swords, your lives, and swear them to me and I will be victorious! NOW ROAR MY SOLDIERS!¡±


    The humans scream, and then they chant, ¡°Charles Animus, Charles Animus, CHARLES ANIMUS!¡±


    On the 27<sup>th</sup> day of the 2<sup>nd</sup> month of the 133<sup>rd</sup> year of athbhreith beith¨ªoch calendar, King Charles Animus declared war on the Empire of Louernia and started the second human-beastkin war.

 Arc 10.141: Two masters part 1

    As the second human-beastkin war began, the humans attacked large plantations all across Terrafide, Victoria, and Molstoria, completely decimating the beastkin and pushing back their forces in Molstoria.


    On each battlefield they won they freed all human slaves there, and increased their army size.


    Word of their victories spread as beastkin ran from battlefield to other locations sending warnings of the oncoming invasions, which soon spread to the humans there causing massive uprisings even before Charles armies had arrived.


    However, after a series of uprisings, the Red branch armies mobilized and started to meet the humans. But to the shock of many, the armies of the Red branch were mostly defeated again, and again.


    Eventually, this led to an eight-month long war that the beastkin were losing, and in response to this, the leaders of the beastkin gathered in one place to discuss the events.


    Location: R¨ªchathaoir Dhanu; Home of the high king in the centre providence of Tara


    ¦µ Sitting across at the sides of a long table, the heads of the Red branch families or their representatives sit, with the Conchobar at the head of the table looking down at the latest battle report.


    ¡°As it stands right now, we are in a precarious situation, as The battle of Aillte ended with another defeat. As it stands right now, we are in a stalemate with the humans. So my generals what are we to do?¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°So far, I have identified a few issues which we will have to fix to overcome our current problem. First is the stall tactics the humans are using to beat against us.¡±


    Treasa ¨® Cathal, says, ¡°I agree, right now they are sending waves of humans at us which are exhausting our stamina, before they send in their actual strike force which has the power to strike down our strongest.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°The next issue would be that we don¡¯t know where any of their main bases are located. Up till now they have somehow managed to remain hidden from our view and have kept their base of operations either mobile or stuffed away in some corner of the planet.¡±


    Dedad ¨® Laochs says, ¡°It is also slowing down our invasion because I can grind through humans all day, but if don¡¯t have a final target I will essentially be trying to kill every last human.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°After that would be the issue of trade routes. Some of our biggest plantations in terms of produce have been stolen from us, and we were preparing to use them as supplies for our invasion east, so they had excess supplies which were being used against us.


    The humans are also engaging in guerrilla tactics to attack our supply route, and we have had to dispatch units to deal with them within our own grounds, which has also led to quite a bit of civil unrest.¡±


    Dagda ¨® ¨¦ire says, ¡°It seems they have studied all of my trade routes before the war started and set up traps. I have had to all but completely update the way I move my goods just to be safe. This has put us behind a step that we haven¡¯t recovered from.¡±


    Lugh says, ¡°The final issue would then be the fact that they seem to have a hero king of some sort, Charles Animus. As it stands, he is a symbol of strength to many others.¡±


    Fr¨¢ech says, ¡°But it really is only one human? Considering how meticulously this has been planned there must be others who are just as capable as him, so I don¡¯t think he should be a priority in our minds.¡±


    With a far more nervous than usual demeanour, Donald then says, ¡°I Concur, for now, he seems like a rather unimportant person, considering there are probably many human leaders of equal skill behind this rebellion.¡±


    Ruan ¨® L¨²cogadh chimes in and says, ¡°I disagree. We all know how Fergus is important to our people. For revolution actions like this, a single symbol can carry the weight of the entire movement.¡±


    Conchobar looking at Lugh says, ¡°That¡¯s all right?¡±


    ¡°For now, but if we don¡¯t turn the tables soon, we might be in a permanent disadvantage, that the east will take advantage of.¡±


    Conchobar focuses his attention down on the papers in front of him, and he says, ¡°There are a series of reforms we need to do right now.


    First, we need to leverage the places we have been succeeding. Both Lira ¨® M¨¢irse¨¢il and Bricriu ¨® Sealbh¨®ir have been making dominating progress.


    If I were to guess as to why that is, Lira is winning due to her superior seamanship, and navy. This isn¡¯t something the humans could match, which means making pushes from her side will be necessary, so I will be requesting the house of ¨¦ire should turn over all of their trade ships to be repurposed to battleships and given to Lira.¡±


    Dagda sighs and says, ¡°I would prefer not to let that woman use my things, but it is not like any trading will be going on right now anyway. I will send my best captains towards her.¡±


    ¡°Next and more important, is Bricriu. Currently, a combination of Bricriu and Ronald have been making their way within Victoria and have crushed most if not all of the opponents they have faced.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A combination of the Fuinseog scouting abilities and the unorthodox tactic Bricriu uses seems to be the best way of fighting against them, so all offensive armies will have a strategist from the house of Sealbh¨®ir integrated in them.¡±


    Dedad slams his arm against the table, and says, ¡°I refuse.¡±


    Treasa says, ¡°Apologise to the high king or I will have your tongue.¡±


    Conchobar puts up his hand signalling Treasa to calm down, before asking, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Sealbh¨®irs engage in cowardly tactics that are a disgrace to our name. Their peculiarities lead them to play around with their enemies leading to the pointless death of my men.¡±


    Dedad scowls at the representative of the Sealbh¨®irs who just smiles back at him.


    Lugh chimes in and says, ¡°Then let¡¯s just make it a numbers game. Before the strategist reaches you, I will send some of my men to count the number of your men who die during each battle, and you will then allow the Sealbh¨®ir to run your army for a week and if the numbers are greater, you will concede.¡±


    Dedad looks upset at this suggestion, but then Findabair says, ¡°The answer is quite easy if one cares for the lives of their men the most. But maybe if you were just using your men as a shield for your distaste of the Sealbh¨®irs you would hate this deal.¡±


    Dedad says, ¡°Fine, I accept, but when the base of operations of the humans is located, I request leadership back.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°Of course, when it comes to offensive tactics, you are the best. Next, I will be moving the Cathal from their position on the eastern border to fortify our defences for the south and the west.¡±


    Fr¨¢ech asks, ¡°Aren¡¯t we keeping Treasa there for the sake of protecting from a surprise invasion from the east?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but as it stands, we need to set up forts that cannot be passed through from our attacking enemy. Though Sc¨¢thach and the royal army will leave Tara and head to the eastern border for this.¡±


    Looking at Treasa, he says, ¡°I trust you will be able to handle this.¡±


    Delighted she says, ¡°Anything for you, my king.¡±


    ¡°Now finally, we need to kill Charles Animus.¡±


    Donald ¨® Fuinseog says, ¡°But my king he is merely one man, is he really important enough to be a priority to kill?¡±


    ¡°Yes, right now he has the same role for the humans, are Fergus had for the beastkin during our first war. He is the glue that holds them together and keeps everyone going forward.


    Killing him and removing the line of leadership, could create enough chaos that will we have an opportunity to deal the humans a decisive blow destroying their ability to fight back against us.


    Don¡¯t forget the humans have been slaves, and if we make threats that their treatment will get worse if we win and they don¡¯t surrender, we can make their morale plummet into the ground.¡±


    Donald lowers his head, and says, ¡°I see.¡±


    Conchobar looks over to Mairead Ni C¨¦il¨²s, and ¨¦amonn then asks, ¡°Is Medb, and Culainn¡¯s research bearing fruits?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather has found a way to streamline turning out wonderbeast supply into weapons, and armour, and he has already started mass producing some, so the quality of weapons has to increase quite tremendously.¡±


    Mairead says, ¡°For now Medb has locked herself away working on a rather specific project, if things turn out well it may change the course of the war.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear in both cases. Now everyone go out and bring glory to the empire.¡±


    As everyone leaves Conchobar signals Treasa to stay, which the representative of Bricriu, Creed ¨® Sealbh¨®ir takes note of before he leaves.


    At that same moment, Donald moves up to Creed and asks, ¡°When do you think I will be able to talk with Bricriu next?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t know. He seems to be enjoying himself far more than he ever has on the front lines, but when he returns, I will let you know.¡±


    Without a wasted moment, Creed walks out of the room, and eventually,y he runs into both Glic and Ferdiad, where he says, ¡°Glic it seems you will be going to the front lines, along with your husband.¡±


    With a cold tone, Ferdiad asks, ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°To where the house of Laoch is fighting. It is a bloody meat grinder in which swarms of humans are getting thrown against the strongest in the empire.¡±


    ¡°Perfect, I am sure my skills will be tested far more there than anywhere else.¡±


    Holding back a laugh, Glic says, ¡°You really would be an amazing actor for a villain.¡±


    Annoyed Ferdiad grabs Glic¡¯s nose, and swings it around moving her body along with it, then says, ¡°And you would play any demon wonderfully.¡±


    Blushing she says, ¡°We aren¡¯t married yet and you are already saying things that make me think of our children.¡±


    Ferdiad lets out an annoyed sigh, then says, ¡°One Faol¨¢in, for another.¡±


    Glic wraps her hands around Ferdiad, and walks with him away from Creed, then whispers into Ferdiad¡¯s ear, ¡°Thank you for being by my side, and I promise to always love you fairly for that.¡±


    Pushing her away, she says, ¡°I don¡¯t need love, just control over my destiny. And as someone walking down that same path, I will work with you.¡±


    ¡°How sad that the man I throw myself at doesn¡¯t reciprocate my feelings.¡±


    Ferdiad stops, turns around then pats her on the head, and says, ¡°You are the second person to impact my life like this, and I thank you for that. For now, until the day I die, I promise I won¡¯t ever leave you alone.¡±


    Glic pushes, and says, ¡°Now say it to me again, and add honey.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Ferdiad says quickly turning around. But as he does, he stops as in the distance he sees Laeg, Ibar and the rest of Solasmionna down the hall.


    He shakes when he sees them, but quickly controls his breathing, and walks forward.


    As he reaches both Laeg and Ibar, he is about to speak, but then Laeg runs up to him and slaps him across the face with visible rage showing on her face and composes herself in mere moments afterwards.


    Glic glaring at her, says, ¡°That can be considered an act of violence, by a commoner against one of the future spouses of a Red branch family.¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°This has nothing to do with the Faol¨¢in that was my own personal issue. It¡¯s all the pain Minagrain and the rest of us have felt since you left.¡±


    Ferdiad touches his cheek, then says, ¡°I will give you a single pass, but any more violence against me will be returned in kind.¡±


    Grabbing Glic hands, Ferdiad walks forward and moves past all those in front of him.


    Laeg then says, ¡°We have all been tasked to come work for you in the upcoming battles.¡±


    Stopping, Ferdiad says, ¡°Why the hell would you do that?¡±


    Laeg says, ¡°Setanta asked Minagrain to tell us to look out for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need charity from the Faol¨¢in especially when I can¡¯t trust you won¡¯t get revenge for your master?¡±


    Ibar says, ¡°Not a single member of our squad of the House of Faol¨¢ins, will ever see you as not one of us. We have always had two masters, and besides Setanta said, you get lonely easily.¡±


    Ferdiad says, ¡°Do whatever you want,¡± and walks away.


    But as he does his hand trembles uncontrollably which causes Glic to turn back and look at all of them with viscous eyes of contempt.


    Though soon none of them would have time to waste on such issues, as the turning point in the war was came sooner than any would expect.

 Arc 10.142: Battle of Fort Niall part 1

    -Break-


    ¦µ I have always been strong and gifted. Since I was a little boy, power has come towards me, born talented in hand-to-hand combat, born with the eyes of a hunter, born with the strength of a wonderbeast, and born with the powers of a god in this body.


    I was Ronald Fuinseog, a warrior who had never known fear. But that¡¯s just the lie I tell myself to keep myself together.


    There wasn¡¯t a day of my childhood in which I didn¡¯t know fear.


    My older brother, D¨®nal was a failure to my parents, and the shame he has brought upon our house made it so that our parents didn¡¯t want their other three kids to turn out like that.


    My sister Aisling was forced to learn all of the secrets that could be expected of a noblewoman, and when she failed my parents said, ¡°Your dinner goes with you.¡±


    Aisling with tears in her eyes says, ¡°I am too hungry, I can barely focus.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, in the same situation I managed to get through it. Keep your excuse to yourself, now balance the books on your head and maintain your posture. Your beauty is your only blessing so sharpen it as much as possible.¡±


    With tears in her eyes, my sister tries her best to balance the books on her head, but when she fails all kinds of slurs and insults are thrown her way breaking her down a bit, by bit.


    My brother Cillian was forced to seal away his heart.


    With tears falling from his face, Cillian holds a blade over his pet rabbit, and says, ¡°Dad I don¡¯t want to do this.¡±


    My father stuck him with a single hand leaving a mark on his face, and he says, ¡°Stop being a coward. We are a family of hunters above all else, so you must know how to strike it down.¡±


    ¡°But I raised it, it¡¯s friend. It¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°You did that so you could closely observe its patterns. The lives of those you choose as prey have no meaning, it is simply no different than the wind which moves according to factors. Learn their pattern and strike them down.¡±


    Cillian holds his blade over the rabbit, but drops it and says, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    That day he was beaten yet again, but unlike the other days, it continued until my brother was put in a state in which he had to choose whether his life or his pets was more important.


    The both of them were breaking down, and I wanted to protect them more than anything. So, I worked harder, I learnt decorum, I learnt military strategy, I spared with the best in the house gaining on them with each blow.


    My parents were a jealous duo who had lost the right to become the ruler of Gorias to the young Lugh ¨® Faol¨¢ins and wanted to make an heir to overtake him. So, I decided to be that being, I decided to be the warrior who could allow them to dream.


    And in response to this, their hatred fell on my siblings less, and less. They were able to smile more and stopped being attacked.


    Even as a family, we started to have meals with each other, sitting around a table. But no matter how hard I tried there is one child I could never get them to accept.


    With comically tiny portions on his plate, my brother D¨®nal lowered his head making sure to never cross eyes with my parents in the slightest, but by the off chance, he glared at the happy family in front of him.


    My father would say, ¡°Don¡¯t let my eyes ever catch your face, or let my ears ever hear your voice.¡±


    D¨®nal lowered his head and looked down at his plate not even motioning to my father that he heard his response. I felt sorry for him at the time, but there was one thing I never understood back then; why he smiled after what our father said.


    Time moved on, and I continued to gain strength until I eventually hit something that almost destroyed my future. My growth started to have diminishing returns.


    At first, I was just struggling to understand more advanced literature, but soon I couldn¡¯t beat the soldiers in combat, or in the wargames, this all eventually reached a head when I failed to hunt my first wonderbeast during the annual Fuinseog hunting festival.


    After that day my parents both despaired, and made a resolution in front of us, ¡°For Ronald we have put far too much faith in you, so both Cillian and Aisling will have to step up.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Soon the torment they had endured had returned to its former levels, and each night both of them would come to my room and cry in my arms. So, I had to work harder for them.


    Yet every day felt worse, I wasn¡¯t improving and the state both of my siblings were in crushed my soul, I needed help, I needed someone to help me carry this weight.


    So, I went to the only person I knew who could help. In front of D¨®nal, I ask, ¡°Please would you be able to help around more, if you do it will lower the burden on us. I don¡¯t think I can take this anymore, so please brother?¡±


    With his same defeatist look, D¨®nal rubs my head, and says, ¡°I can¡¯t do that, if I tried, I would just make it worse. But you¡¯re strong Ronald, I am sure you can do whatever you put your mind to.¡±


    On that day I learned, something this pathetic creature didn¡¯t deserve to be called a person, he didn¡¯t even deserve to be called my brother. He had already given up on everything and got to enjoy a comfy life doing whatever he wanted while his younger siblings suffered.


    How could a brother look at this and be ok with it when my mind breaks each day seeing Aisling and Cillian getting hurt and abused? There was a reason he was born a rat; it was by no misfortune.


    Still, he could have some use to us. Each day, Cillian, Aisling, and I vented our frustration, and abuse on his body. Everything we face was pushed on that scum.


    Again, and again we broke him down to raise ourselves up, and with that power, I moved forward. My rage, and hate for this family, for the ones who I was supposed to trust in lead me forward.


    I must become the head of Gorias because power is the only thing that I need.


    I dedicated my heart and my soul to this mission eventually reaching heights no one expected, along with the power of my legacy I became a modern-day hero, and the next head of the House of Fuinseog.


    But one day D¨®nal returned, with the head of the Sealbh¨®irs at his side, and in mere moments my life was flipped on its head.


    Standing in front of his siblings with Bricriu at his side, he says, ¡°Father and mother have recently passed away, and it their will they have named me the next head.¡±


    Cillian walking forward says, ¡°What are you talking about you stupid rat? The next head will obviously be our brother and hero Ronald.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, so move forward and get over it.¡±


    Cillian moves to hit D¨®nal, but Bricriu catches his hand, and says, ¡°You just tried to assault the head of a Red branch family, are you ready for the repercussions?¡±


    ¡°I will never accept him as the he-,¡±


    D¨®nal punches Cillian in the face knocking him to the floor, and as we are all shocked by this action, he says, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what any of you think, you all have no power. From this moment, I am Donald ¨® Fuinseog and the head of the House of Fuinseog, that¡¯s all you ingrates.¡±


    With Bricriu he leaves, and the three of us stay there shocked.


    Aisling holds and inspects Cillian¡¯s wound, but he tries to stop her out of shame.


    However, none of that matters to me as a deep rage builds within my body.


    I need power.


    So much power that no one will ever be able to hurt us again, so I will become stronger and fight more enemies. Find favour with the strong like Setanta, and if he falls move on to the next like Ferdiad. Gain as much as you can and leave no openings to be struck from.


    All of this I did so one day, I can finally have the power to control my destiny, and take everything back from those who robbed me, my parents, my brother, and even you Bricriu.


    Location: Northwestern Defensive line; Fort Niall


    Entering a room with Cillian at my side, I look around and see Bricriu along with a group of generals, then say, ¡°I have arrived with my soldiers to act as reinforcements to this line.¡±


    With a smile, he says, ¡°I was hoping we could do our combination again. You randomly abandoned me, to go flirt with other generals.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°We had to break up to reinforce all of the land we have taken.¡±


    Moving close to me, Bricriu says, ¡°What¡¯s with the grumpy look, the combination of our two forces has defeated far more humans than anywhere else in the conflict so far.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find a defensive war fun, especially one where I have to hang around unsavoury characters.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but the both of us have become rather good friends recently.¡±


    Getting up close to me, he says, ¡°Besides if you work hard, I am sure a great future awaits you.¡±


    When my brother no longer interests him, he moves to me as if he wasn¡¯t the one who caused my biggest problems.


    Walking forward, I say, ¡°What are the details of our plan?¡±


    Bricriu says, ¡°For not it is to act as a special flanking unit for the main army. A recent report says, that the Laoch will be moving from their current position past the massive human army in front of them to try and retake a lot of the land that has been stolen.¡±


    ¡°Who will be taking over their previous defensive position?¡±


    ¡°The Cathals will be moving from the eastern border to the western defensive lines. I am rather surprised the High king would send his favourite into harm¡¯s way, but it seems love can¡¯t overtake is pragmatism.¡±


    The things he eludes to with his words would get the average person killed, but he has made himself far too important to the beastkin.


    Despite my hatred of him, Bricriu really does have power, a tangible force which cannot be refuted, by any who would try.


    ¡°So, I assume we plan to support the Laoch¡¯s charge when needed, while also using them as a distraction to find the home base of the humans?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. How brilliant my Ronald, now all we need to do is prepare our armies to get to work. Right now, I have around 15,000 soldiers here, and along with you 15,000, we should be able to do our job rather effectively.


    Please also make efforts to educate my men on the proper procedures to be safe around your wonderbeast riders, I know you hunters have a lot of them with you, and I know how sensitive it can be.¡±


    So he wants to gain information about how we handle our wonderbeast? Well, I can play his game as well. ¡°Please make sure to inform my brother of all your tactics. If you don¡¯t inform us and our battle plays out like before where we didn¡¯t know what we were doing, I might make an order to simply ignore your requests.¡±


    Bricriu says, ¡°I see, will do.¡±


    Suddenly someone rushes into the room, and says, ¡°Emergency!¡±


    The soldier stops in front of us, and Bricriu says, ¡°What is it, Did the Laochs fail?¡±


    ¡°No, right now a 70,000-man army of humans is currently heading towards us. But worse than that, we have spotted that Charles Animus himself is heading here!¡±

 Arc 10.143: Battle of Fort Niall part 2

    The room explodes in panic, but I shout, ¡°SILENCE!¡± Which hushes the voices and panic within the room.


    Looking towards the messenger, I say, ¡°Are you certain of this?¡±


    He nods, and I look back towards the map, then I say, ¡°This makes no sense. Right now, the Laochs should be sending a massive army straight into their territory, and they have decided to come and meet us, a far smaller force?¡±


    Cillian coming towards me, puts his hands on the map and says, ¡°We are the group that has pushed the furthest into their territory, so maybe they want to try and push us back out.¡±


    ¡°Even if they wanted to do that, the Laochs would simply turn around and take back all of the land they would take from pushing us back, and this time they would be stuck in the heart of our territory, with a massive army coming from them behind, especially with their leader in the said army.¡±


    I look over at Bricriu to get his reaction, but then on his face I see an elated smile which he quickly removes as I take notice.


    This plan would be utterly idiotic, so maybe it is. Maybe this battle isn¡¯t for militaristic gain, if so we now have a weapon to use.


    Looking at him, I say, ¡°Bricriu, we need to get started with forming a plan.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I already have one, though it will depend entirely on the strength of your soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Standing beside Bricriu, Ronald looks on into the distance, and at the same time beastkin moves in the dead of night throughout the forest.


    ¡°The first thing the humans did when attacking us, was set a perimeter around the area to keep us locked in, and then they took to rest for the night, and do you know what both those things led us to know?¡±


    ¡°The encirclement is to keep us locked in, and then resting for the night is because they know it is far easier for beastkin to move through the night which would give their enemies the advantage.


    If I combine this with my earlier assumptions, I can conclude they are looking to either kill me as one of the strongest warriors in the empire or end you due to your depraved antics.¡±


    ¡°Depraved? Well, I believe the both of us are depraved considering the torture you can dish out to humans.¡±


    ¡°I do it for integration and punishment, you do it for pleasure.¡±


    ¡°My fierce warrior, understand that no man can do something to such a high skill level and take no pleasure in it.


    But moving on, now that we know they are looking for someone the best option would be to send a bunch of false escapees out to trick the human.¡±


    Through the dead of night groups of beastkin travel on horses through the forest, and one in each group stays in the centre and wears a black cloak covering them. The paths they move make it so that they are spotted by human encampment watchmen.


    And upon seeing them the humans blow their horns and alert all the others that the beastkin are trying to escape. The humans rush out from their encampments, and the beastkin who see this still try to break out, but after engaging with the humans they are overwhelmed and rush back into the forest, and each one of them has lost their horses before they go back into the forest.


    ¡°My little escapees were sent to encampments a good distance from each other so none of them should be able to cross-check the fact that I had sent someone who could have been me towards each encampment. Now the little humans should be willing to chase those fakes right into the forest.


    Normally, I would have sent a bigger force to attack the camps alongside with the smaller force for the shake of increasing the believability, but it is unnecessary due to the fact that these humans seem to want to hunt me.¡±


    In the human encampment, one of the soldiers who wears the same type of mantle as Charles over her shoulder walks out, and with a smirk says, ¡°Everyone split into groups and move out into the forest, don¡¯t let our target get away.¡±


    She wears a uniform that looks royal white with pink designs throughout it, and a veil over her head. She lets out a little prayer, then says, ¡°The time is coming soon.¡±


    Ronald then says, ¡°Now that they have entered the forest, my men lay in wait for the humans who will foolishly charge headfirst into the forest in hopes of catching you.¡±


    Bricriu says, ¡°Then when they appear, we will divide them up into small groups and kill them. A group of five beastkin can kill fifty humans, so we will gain quite a few confirmed kills tonight.¡±


    Within the forest beastkin lies in wait with the eyes of predators towards the small groups of humans that try to look for them, and the moment they see the human guards drop, they smile and pounce.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    But as they attack, each and every single one of them sees a glowing pink butterfly in front of their faces, and then moments later a sword appears in front of their faces.


    Throughout the forest, this phenomenon happens again and again, until all of the beastkin hiding within the trees have been cut down and killed.


    Then moments later the woman with a veil over her head, puts her light great sword back in its scabbard and says, ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡±


    As Ronald and Bricriu lookout in the forest waiting for their men to return, their happiness soon turns to worry as not a single soldier they had sent out had come back to base.


    Ronald says, ¡°It has been two hours after the return time, I will head out.¡±


    Bricriu puts his tail around my leg, and says, ¡°No. We will call it a defeat. Right now our enemies have a factor unknown to us, and we can¡¯t risk you dying today.¡±


    ¡°But my soldiers-,¡±


    With an uncharacteristic, focused look Bricriu says, ¡°I apologise, but I assure you that leaving here right now will be of the benefit to no one. We must go in and prepare for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± I say gripping my fist tight.


    -Break-


    ¦µ Fort Niall is a fortress that used to be a castle for minor nobility. Quickly modified from a castle to a fort to watch over the area. Its back is towards the base of a cliff, making escape from it hard for the beastkin to do.


    In front of the fort, is a large army of 70,000 has wrapped itself completely around Fort Niall with the only exception being the back. Around 5,000 members of the army are calvary, and 15,000 are archers with the remaining all being infantry.


    On the other end are the beastkin, who have a military force of around 30,000 with 0 archers; 20,000 soldiers, and 10,000 cavalry. Along with both wonderbeasts and some artillery.


    The beastkin army forms up in front of the fort with all the infantry formed up into tight rectangles with the weaker members in front and reserves filled with the more experienced members behind.


    On the flanks of the army are two squads of calvary, both of which include horse riders, chariots, and beastkin riding the wonderbeast Merark.


    While the human army wraps around the entirety of the area blocking all points of escape. From the humans'' perspective, their formation looks like a giant U that stops at the mountain.


    The U is made up of a formation of humans structured in multiple rectangles of infantry behind one another to reinforce their strength. Their archers are hidden, and their cavalry are behind the infantry at the minimum point of their U formation.


    On this battlefield, Ronald moves to Cillian who is riding on the back of a Merark along with the other members of the cavalry, and says, ¡°Our calvary will most likely be the source of our victory in this battle. But despite all the work you will have to do, remain safe my brother.¡±


    ¡°I promise I will.¡±


    Soon Bricriu standing behind the infantry, gestures his hand, and then a lion Fanalis lets out a roar sending the infantry forward.


    First, the chariots run forward towards all of the different human armies, and as they move they release a powdery substance from what looks to be a modified plant, that makes a white smoke in front of the human armies.


    At the same time as this, the catapults fire off bombs made from plants towards the human armies, and when they explode, they release the same white smoke.


    The humans try to reconfigure their armies, but the chariots ram into them messing up their efforts.


    The chariots rip their way through the human forces upon first impact, but then certain soldiers step up.


    In the army of humans, some wear some form of leather armour, or chain mail with few having any form of armour at all, but every here and there some of the humans have scarves around their necks.


    These humans move towards the chariots, and even at the high speed they are faced with, these humans easily move to the sides of the chariots and throw spears in between the wheels messing them up.


    As this keeps happening, one of the beastkin who falls looks at the humans with scarves around their necks, and says, ¡°Spirit energy!¡± But his attention is quickly taken by the humans who surround and look down on him.


    The beastkin who fall to the ground, are surrounded by a dense amount of humans that manage to pick them off, but not without casualties. A single beastkin can cut the heads of a dozen humans of this normal unarmoured human before they fall themselves, yet the numbers are still not being traded in an equal ratio as the humans still hold an advantage.


    Soon the chariots in all the different battlefields fell, but the humans noticed a loud sound kept moving through the area. They look around with eyes of panic, and one of the scarfed humans says, ¡°The chariots are gone so why is there still large sounds!¡±


    Soon the human squadrons are hit with a giant force that blows away their lives and the smoke. As the smoke clears, they can see the source of this attack, and in the distance in front of each of the squadrons are vanir mammoths, along with squadrons of beastkin around defending them.


    The wonderbeasts pull in air through their trunks and shoot them at the human decimating their dense formations.


    Through the battlefield the human generals send word to loosen up their formations and also move forward towards the vanir mammoths which starts to break down the encirclement.


    In this same moment, the Merark riders, and the rest of the calvary on the beastkin side move up to take advantage of the chaos, but the human calvary moves forward the counter this as well.


    The humans are blown to pieces are they head towards the mammoths, but they eventually manage to get close enough where the shots stop, but then the beastkin who are riding the mammoths send them forward with the soldiers.


    But as they do they release these boxes on the side of the mammoths that drop more of the white smoke obscuring the humans'' vision of the battlefield.


    Soon the lines clash, and the scarfed humans move out to attack the mammoth. But in that same moment, a bat Fanalis beside Bricriu receives a transmission from the battlefield at a high frequency.


    Then it says, ¡°Humans with spirit energy. The ones with scarves.¡±


    Bricriu then instructs another beastkin, a Dolphin Fanalis to let out a high frequency, that a series of Fanalis in the area pick up, and transfer to each squadron on the battlefield.


    Then the beastkin start commanders to target the humans with the scarfs, keeping them away from the mammoths that rip through the rest of the infantry.


    At the same time, this beastkin dressed in human clothing used the smoke as a screen to move through the human armies, towards the commanders and captains of each squadron and cut their heads off.


    Then they move into the battlefield sowing chaos among the humans.


    Soon Bricriu receives another transmission that the humans have lost enough leaders, and then he sends four more mammoth squadrons toward the corner in the left-hand side of his vision, and says, ¡°It¡¯s time to break through.¡±


    As the mammoths appear using the smoke as a cover they smash into the humans, and start to completely destroy anything in their way pushing forward.


    ¡°Looks like I made a break Charles. I won¡¯t be dying today.¡±


    In his base camp, Charles Animus and the rest of the strategists look towards him, and with awe, they say, ¡°My king it really is going according to your plan.¡±


    Charles smiles and says, ¡°Now my men get ready for our counterattack to begin!¡±

 Arc 10.144: Battle of fort Niall part 3

    Throughout the battlefield clashes between the beastkin and the humans rage, with the beastkin moving further, and further into the humans'' lines.


    But despite all the chaos the infantry is being put through a far more important battle is happening close to the castle, a fight between the two cavalry units.


    As the cavalry from both sides meet for an initial skirmish, the humans are blown out of the way by the Merark riders. They decimate each, and every horse they come across ending their lives in mere moments.


    With the numbers of calvary being about equal, the humans are quickly finished off and surpassed. Then the beastkin push their way through towards the damaged flank of the infantry units in front of them.


    Cillian leading the right group of calvary says, ¡°Now that they are all dispersed from the mammoths, we should be able to run over them all. Even if they somehow manage to fend off our breakthrough point, we should be able to create more now.¡±


    As Cillian moves toward the squadron close to him, he hears a loud sound that makes one of his ears bleed. Soon he turns his head to the area in front of the castle and within the U-shaped encirclement of the human armies.


    There he sees five large gongs on moving wagons, and in the middle of those trumpets are a group of archers riding merarks. The wagons disperse from the archers, and then from the wagons riders beat into the gongs playing at a frequency so loud and so intense that all of the wonderbeasts in the area lose control of themselves.


    The merark, and vanir mammoths start to rampage causing chaos through the battlefields as they lose the ability to differentiate between friends.


    This effect spreads to some of the beastkin and especially the bat beastkin, who become completely frozen by the sounds they¡¯re receiving.


    Coming up to Cillian one of his men says, ¡°Those are the anti-beastkin weapons from the eastern continent!¡±


    Another one says, ¡°Does that mean Charles has allied himself with the East.¡±


    Looking around, Cillian says, ¡°Those wagons need to fall.¡±


    Jumping off his merark which is doing its best to hold itself together, Cillian says, ¡°Good boy, just stay here and rest.¡±


    Cillian moves to one of the horse riders, and says, ¡°Watch the merarks, I need this.¡±


    Taking the horse, Cillian then looks at the rest of the cavalry that are able to move, and says, ¡°FOLLOW ME!¡±


    He starts to head towards the wagons carrying the gongs, which play louder and louder sounds as they move close. Many within the calvary start to bleed from their ears as this happens, but Cillian never stops.


    ¡°I am Cillian the swift, I am a warrior who will always ride faster than his opponents to hunt those that stand in his way. I need to be fast and strong, so I can take the burden off of Ronald even if only a little bit, so I can¡¯t stop here!¡±


    As Cillian and his men approach, arrows reign down on top of them, but the horses are fast enough to outmanoeuvre them, and Cillian continues to charge towards the wagons.


    At that same moment, a young man with a turquoise mantle over his shoulder walks in between the archers. He takes out a metal bow which amazes the rest of the archers beside him.


    Then he says, ¡°This is as far you guys go.¡±


    In his metal bow, he weaves an arrow of spirit energy and then shoots it directly at Cillian''s horse''s head which flings him to the ground, and then Cillian on the ground says, ¡°Was that an arrow? No, it was too fast, and I swear I sensed spirit energy.¡±


    Cillian looking up sees the man with the mantle holding a spirit metal bow, and then moments later an arrow composed of spirit energy pierces his head.


    As Cillian lays on the ground with his last breath he mutters, ¡°Aisling, Ronald, sorry.¡±


    The man with the mantle shoots down all the rest of the cavalry, and as he does the soldiers beside him say, ¡°Don¡¯t even bother shooting anymore, because now that Guido the unreachable has stepped up none of them will ever come close to us again.¡±


    Guido continues to send arrow after arrow towards them, and as he finishes, he places a feathered hat over his head, and lies down saying, ¡°Now my men, you handle the rest!¡±


    One of his commanders says, ¡°You do realize if she catches you lazing about like this, your fingers will come off.¡±


    ¡°I know she is obsessed with me, but no woman''s words can ever make me change who I truly am. A lazy, bed lover!¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    Suddenly a pink butterfly appears in front of his face, and Guido quickly picks himself up and starts shooting arrow after arrow with fear in his eyes.


    Back in the battle between the infantry, now that the vanir mammoths are freaking out, it has become far easy to herd them away from the infantry, though the beastkin dressed as humans still move throughout the ranks spreading fear and confusion.


    They attack all who their eyes lay on, using the smoke screen to its fullest, and as this continues one of them lays eyes on someone with a purple mantle across his shoulder and an eyepatch over one of his eyes.


    As the man with the mantle sneezes, the beastkin moves towards the man and tries to stab him, but he quickly grabs the beastkin dagger and then moves his body and the beastkin hand behind the beastkin back, while using his other arm to choke the beastkin.


    Whispering into his ear, the man says, ¡°You guys seem to be having a lot of fun running around in our ranks and killing all of our people. I thought you beastkin were all about pride and superiority, but this is rather cowardly.


    But you see unlike you animals, we humans have something called compassion. It allows us to love one another and remember those who we care for.


    I have used that principle to remember the face of every single member of our army, and you are not one of them my little coward. Neither is that one, that one, or then over there,¡± the man says as he points each of them out.


    The beastkin being restrained says, ¡°You humans know nothing of compassion.¡±


    The man puts a smile on his face, and says, ¡°Oh it seems I was wrong. If you are such a compassionate being the best punishment for you will be to see this next bit with your own eyes.¡±


    Suddenly the humans in the area turn and start to group up and kill the beastkin the man pointed out. The beastkin who he holds says, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    The man then moves his face in front of the beastkin, and the beastkin says, ¡°A legacy,¡± while looking at the legacy that is being activated on the man¡¯s left eye.


    ¡°You see my legacy Melusine, allows me to share my sense and mind with anyone I have marked beforehand. Right now, they have my eyes, so each one of them can see all of the beastkin I can, and act on this.¡±


    As his allies are cut down in front of him the beastkin turns around and says, ¡°Who are you.¡±


    The man cuts the beastkins neck with a dagger, and says, ¡°Ogier the All-seeing.¡±


    Soon Ogier continues from army to army, sharing his sense and snuffing out all of the beastkin who hide among them to strike them from the shadows.


    Finally, on the bottom right area of the U-shaped encirclement, the humans struggle to fight against the beastkin as the mammoths try and break their way through.


    But as they fight the humans start to lose morale as the force in front of them is far greater and stronger than anything they could muster against it, but in their moment of need another man wearing a mantle walks up.


    He is over 7 feet tall and is a hefty man covered in black and gold lion-like army, with a brown mantle over his shoulder. Looking at all of the shoulders around himself, he says, ¡°You all did a good job, and let me take over from here.¡±


    The giant man walks over to the mammoths which are rampaging towards him, and he plunges his hand into the earth, then says, ¡°Become my blade.¡±


    He rips his hand out of the earth, and soon a great sword made out of the earth comes out of the ground and into his hand. Then with one glorious downward swing, the ground around him manifests a giant spike made out of earth right into one of the mammoth¡¯s killing it easily.


    Facing his blade towards the rest of the mammoths he says, ¡°If you fear death, leave at once.¡±


    The mammoths start to turn around out of fear, and the men around the man shout, ¡°Turpin the heavenly!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me, my men, right now go find your allies who are shattered around the battlefield and rescue them. We need to save as many of them as possible before it¡¯s too late.¡±


    The moment the humans start to move, a group of beastkin coated in spirit energy attack Turpin, and say, ¡°You won¡¯t be leaving here trump card.¡±


    Striking them back, he says, ¡°Trump card?¡±


    Soon on the opposite side of the battlefield, a wall of briars burst forth from the ground, and destroy everything that stands in its way, and then the beastkin in front of Turpin says, ¡°You humans really fell for it!¡±


    Turpin turns his head, and behind the wall of briars sees an uncounted-for calvary unit, then says, ¡°So your main goal was to distract us so you can break through on the other side and allow your leaders to escape.¡±


    ¡°You figured it out too late!¡±


    Turpin reaches his hand into the air, and his spirit energy decreases then he says, ¡°Wind become my blade.¡±


    The wind in the area forms into a curved blade, and Turpin says, ¡°The only fool here is your own leader if he thinks for a moment, that this was unaccounted for.¡±


    Standing in front of a squadron of humans, Ronald using his legacy makes briars that rip their way through the humans, regardless of whether they use spirit energy or not, none can make their way even close to him.


    Gritting his teeth, Ronald says, ¡°Cillian where are you? I need you to hurry up or I will have to escape without you.¡±


    A group of the scarfed humans rush toward Ronald, but with a violent and furious swing, he kills every single one of them leaving no one left with the will to oppose him.


    But when his eyes lay on the pathetic humans who have lost the will to fight his rage increases and his briars follow suit striking down all of the humans who stand in front of him, creating a blood bath.


    With only one remaining, he sends a briar towards him, and the man who he tries to kill gets up and rushes towards the briar with tears in his eyes, in a pathetic fashion that gets a chuckle out of Ronald.


    But before the Briar hits it is cut in two, and falls to the ground, and moments later the human is nowhere to be seen.


    Ronald turns his head side to side until he feels a surge of spirit energy which he moves his eyes towards, and there he sees a man with blue hair, and gold stripes within it, with a black mantle over his shoulder. He wears mostly white cloth with gold designs over it and has two flowers in his head with dried blood on them.


    This man looks directly at Ronald, and from that look alone Ronald knows who stands in front of him. ¡°Charles Animus.¡±


    Name: Merark


    Height: 220cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A black and blue wonder beast which has a shark-like body covered in fur with no eyes. They are quadrupedal with two mighty front legs, similar to that of a lion, and two mighty back legs similar to that of a goat which grants them the ability to jump and stick onto different surfaces.


    Fact: They have no natural habit and can be seen living in the ocean, mountains or forest.

 Arc 10.145: Battle of fort Niall part 4

    Charles looking at the man who he just saved says, ¡°Your bravery and courage is something you should hold in your heart till the day you die my soldier.¡±


    ¡°Your words are too kind for me, even know I want to run away with all my might.¡±


    ¡°You did far more than I many would have done in that same situation, the fact that you choose to face someone far stronger than you, shows me you are a warrior who is worth saving. Now go on and help the rest of my men.¡±


    Dropping him, Charles turns around and all the compassion he had in his eyes fade leaving nothing but two golden pits on his face that suck in all light like a black hole.


    With a smirk, Ronald says, ¡°So this the great hero king? Utterly disappointing. But what can I expect, a pathetic saviour for a pathetic people.¡±


    Charles doesn¡¯t bother to speak and just stares at him. Annoyed by this Ronald says, ¡°It would be wise to use the last few words you will ever get to speak so you don¡¯t regret it when you die.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t find joy engaging in pointless chatter. So hurry up and stop your squealing D¨®nal Fuinseogs, little brother.¡±


    Enraged by that statement, Ronald generates dozens of briars from his whip which he sends towards Charles.


    From his waist, Charles pulls out a straight sword composed of the same materials as Guido¡¯s bow and waits for Ronald¡¯s briars to come towards him.


    As they reach Charles, with one hand he moves his sword around and slices the briars to pieces effortlessly. Ronald proceeds to infuse spirit energy into his briars and does this process again with even more briars.


    Charles seeing this runs towards the briars then jumps on one, and says, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Sky fang.¡±


    At high speed he jumps from one briar to the next, eventually heading high into the sky above them all, and as they chase after him, he falls towards them then with a single slice cuts the briars apart and lands on the ground.


    Sending more briars out Ronald says, ¡°It should be impossible to infuse spirit energy into metal without losing some efficiency, and power, but you effortlessly are able to do that, a metal capable of allowing that doesn¡¯t exist!¡±


    Cutting through the briars and heading toward Ronald, Charles cuts straight through his armour leaving a bloody gash across his body, which makes him fall to his knees.


    ¡°It is arrogant of you to even believe beastkin could know of all the different materials this world has to offer.¡±


    Wrapping his briars around his armour to recover from the wound, he says, ¡°You talk a big game but without that sword, you wouldn¡¯t be able to reach me.¡±


    ¡°The Echoing Hyena. A wonderbeast which has a supreme level of spatial awareness, allowing it to handle multiple things all at once. It¡¯s a waste that even with such physical gifts you still need to make up excuses as to why you lost. How pathetic.¡±


    Ronald says, ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself!¡±


    From his whip briars poor out and warp around the handle, forming into a pertuisane. Holding this polearm, Ronald says, ¡°I have been going easy on, but that ends now!¡±


    Charles turns around, and says, ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    Ronald lunges towards him, and in one motion he already arrives at Charles, then clashes with his spear against Charles''s sword.


    As they fight, Ronald says, ¡°My spear is organic so is fully capable of perfectly blending with spirit energy just like your sword! Your only advantage is gone.¡±


    Holding his spear Ronald says, ¡°Third bloom,¡± and from it, a poison flower sprouts and coats his weapon in it as he tries to stab Charles.


    But Charles deflects this blow and kicks Ronald in the stomach, Ronald then comes at Charles again, but before he reaches him, he says, ¡°Second bloom,¡± which causes a cloud of fluffy to emerge from his spear and obscure both of their vision.


    At the same time as this, he stops using spirit energy and moves forward with physical strength alone to attack Charles, but when he goes to strike him, he can¡¯t make out his position.


    Ronald looks around, in the cloud of fluff, but before he can stop Charles he hears, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Stalking fang.¡±


    Then across Ronald¡¯s right shoulder another gash appears, and the moment that lands Ronald backs away, then says, ¡°First bloom!¡± Causing a flaming flower to appear on his briars and thrusting his polearm forward the cloud of fluffy ignites making a giant fireball in front of him.


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    But then he hears from behind, ¡°I thought you stopped holding back.¡±


    He moves to hit Charles but is kicked in the waist before he can even turn. Charles then runs forward and says, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Serpents fang.¡±


    Both his body and his sword movement patterns start to become hard to keep up with until they resemble the ever-moving body of a snake, which confuses Ronald.


    And before he can get a grasp on Charles the serpent has wrapped around his body, leaving a series of gashes in his armour and body.


    With his rage building up further, Ronald rushes towards Charles and says, ¡°What the hell are you even doing? This fighting style is not something a human should be able to pull off!¡±


    Charles holds his sword against, Ronald''s spear keeping him in place and says, ¡°To hunt a beast you muster understand a beast. Four beast battle arts is a form my allies and I created to best you beastkin. By sharpening our own senses to the point where we develop the same instincts as you animals. It is the reckoning we have made towards all of you.¡±


    Charles pushes his sword forward which knocks Ronald off balance, then he says, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Predatory fang!¡± Then he moves forward at high speed and aims for the spot where Ronald''s armour is weakest and where he is the most relaxed, he lets out a single slash that cuts off Ronald¡¯s right arm.


    Moving back, Charles says in the Heroes song, ¡°Now even the very senses and instincts you beasts pride yourselves on have been given to us.¡±


    Holding his missing arm, Ronald stares at his wound.


    ¦µ My arm, it¡¯s gone. How could I human do this to me? I can barely keep up with my legacy and spirit energy. It makes no sense how one such as that could ever defeat me, I am a beastkin, a member of the Red branch, a Fuinseog. I am a warrior who was born to stand at the top of the food chain.


    I can¡¯t lose, I won¡¯t lose, no matter what, I have to return to Cillian and Aisling I become a hero amongst the beastkin!¡±


    ¦µ In one ear-breaking scream, Ronald says, ¡°ADVENT!¡±


    Charles moves back as Ronald¡¯s body transforms into a different form. Using the briars that now emanate from every part of his body he makes a false arm out of them.


    Then says, ¡°This is the difference that no amount of talent can cross your pest. Now die like the vermin you are.¡±


    From Ronald¡¯s body, a giant mass of briars moves towards Charles, and he moves towards them cutting them up as he goes, but soon he is overwhelmed and pushed back into his men.


    Stuck in this state, Charles takes a few deep breaths looks for the weak point in the mass, and says, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Predatory fang.¡± Then in one violent movement cuts his way up through the mass of briars.


    Then on top of the mass he runs and dodges the briars that appear from within the mass over towards him. The briars from the mass move to the top of it and circle around Charles looking for an opportunity to strike him.


    As he moves Charles takes note of his surroundings, and through his eyes, he imagines a series of feathers everywhere. Then as the briars start to move close to the feathers, he says, ¡°Four beast battle arts; Condors paradise.¡±


    In one quick movement, he strikes everywhere that he sees a feather, completely destroying the briars in one wide-ranging attack, then he dashes forward reaching the other end of the mass of briars.


    As he jumps off the mass and looks for Ronald Fuinseog, he sees that there is a ball of briars on the ground from which the rest emanate from. But sensing the spirit energy inside of the ball, he notices the spirit energy is in a humanoid shape.


    With a single slice he cuts through the ball, and seeing a humanoid figure inside it, he cuts its head off.


    But after taking a moment to stare at it, he sees that the body is just a mass of briars shaped as a human with spirit energy following through it.


    Charles quickly moves his head around to search for Ronald, but before he can find him the briars return and strike Charles again, so he cuts them up while running from the mass.


    Then he hears, ¡°Fourth bloom.¡±


    Looking up, he sees Ronald is in the sky up an elevated platform of moving briars, but Charles is quickly distracted by the petals that emanate from the briars around him.


    He tries to move but is then hit with a surge through his body, and Ronald says, ¡°Those are a special type of flower whose scent can cause damage to the nerves of living begins. It can chew away at the nerves of others the longer you''re exposed to it.¡±


    Charles takes a knee, and Ronald continues, ¡°You can run, but even a little exposure causes one nerve to go crazy causing intense pain throughout the body. Your movement is sealed!¡±


    Sending spears of briars towards Charles, Ronald says, ¡°It¡¯s over for you brat.¡±


    The briars move towards Charles, and in response to this, he moves forward and cuts all of the briars around him into pieces.


    ¡°How, how can you even move?¡±


    With a deadeye expression, Charles says, ¡°After everything you beastkin have done, did you really think that something like this could genuinely even be considered pain to me?¡±


    Ronald sends more briars towards Charles, but he lunges forward and continues to cut them up at he approaches him, but then he generates another huge mass of briars that he sends towards him, and in one powerful slice Charles cuts through all of them.


    The very force of his slash is so intense that it cuts through the briars Ronald is standing on. While Ronald''s body falls, Charles runs forward and catches Ronald¡¯s body with the palm of his hand and slams it into the ground.


    Ronald generates more briars to make him back off and stands up facing him.


    ¡°You have a legacy, don¡¯t you? Otherwise, that last slash would have been impossible to do even with spirit energy. Something so forceful that it can cut things without reaching them, impossible without a legacy.¡±


    ¡°I have no such thing.¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡±


    Sighing, Charles says, ¡°I do owe the Fuinseogs a favour. So, allow me to educate you. Ronald, where does your power to generate briars come from?¡±


    ¡°My legacy.¡±


    ¡°And why does your legacy have said power?¡±


    ¡°Because they are a legendary hero.¡±


    ¡°Yet before they came back to our plane of existence beside your soul as a legacy, most of our legendary heroes and gods were simply people who existed at a point in time. Yet normal people can¡¯t just make briars appear from their body.¡±


    Ronald pauses as the words Charles says start to dawn on him.


    ¡°Ronald when someone reaches the maximum potential they can with their spirit energy, their soul starts to take a unique shape and from that shape a Regalia, or as they call it in the east a soul technique is born, a special ability one can manifest using their spirit energy as the fuel.


    The Regalia one has along with memories and physical traits are all inherited when they become a legacy. You must manifest a Regalia to become a legacy as it is proof of mastery of one¡¯s soul, and your legacy did just that. That¡¯s the truth of your powers.¡±

 Arc 10.146: Battle of fort Niall part 5

    As the explanation finishes, Ronald stutters at the implication, and quickly sends a swarm of Briars towards Charles, who says, ¡°You have noticed it haven¡¯t you, my spirit energy has been dropping at a quicker rate.¡±


    With a single slash Charles completely cuts through and destroys all of the briars, and then he says, ¡°My Regalia, is Supremacy, it turns my will into a tangible force I can use for my benefit.¡±


    Charles closes his eyes takes a deep breath, and then his spirit energy drops. Soon after this an intense pressure emanates from his body and all those who cannot stand it are sent flying back like they were hit with a tangible force, human and beastkin alike, the only one who manages to keep his balance is Ronald Fuinseog.


    ¡°Impossible, if these abilities are so powerful, it makes no sense for you to have one.¡±


    ¡°You can continue to deny reality, but that won¡¯t stop your head from rolling onto the floor.¡±


    Ronald forges his briars into a series of blades and sends them towards Charles while charging at him as well.


    Charles meets Ronald and starts to clash with him, but then as Charles''s spirit energy drops, then from the sword, a blue pressure like gravity surges forth from it, and Charles swings his blade right into Ronald creating such intense force that all of the briars are blown away including Ronald.


    Trying to get up from the blow Ronald can¡¯t get his balance, and Charles says, ¡°Supremacy happens to have to side effect of attacking my target¡¯s will and mind. So don¡¯t feel too bad.¡±


    Ronald smashes his fist into the ground, and says, ¡°This is unfair, it is only because I have my legacy that I can¡¯t manifest my own Regalia!¡±


    Charles kicks him, and says, ¡°If only such a convenient excuse existed. People with legacies are blessed by the fact that they can manifest their own, while still having their legacy. Besides that, a legacies Regalia is far more powerful than one manifested by a living person.¡±


    As Charles walks towards him the pressure he exudes falls on Ronald incredibly hard, which brings the man close to tears, and in said state Charles says, ¡°Give up, and I will spare you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You have use to me alive, so give up and bend your knees towards me, and I will give you the ability to serve me.¡±


    ¦µ Lower my head I look down into the ground. Again, again, I am rendered in such a state. Right now, my army is being pushed back, my brother still hasn¡¯t come, my sister is waiting for my return, and that scum still sits on our family''s throne.


    So many things have gone wrong in this life of mine, but one thing I will never be ok with is letting a human take pity on me.


    Generating as many briars as I can I send them towards Charles and continue to clash against him with the king gaining on me with each attack.


    If I had one wish, it would be to have had a guardian. Someone who would tell me I am doing good, someone who would have watched out for me, someone who I could rely on in bad times.


    Charles all but obliterates my briars and starts to clash with my body which is wielding a spear made out of briars.


    Though I couldn¡¯t have such a thing, so I wanted to at least give it to both of my siblings, to be the parent they couldn¡¯t have. But I am scared, I am terrified, I don¡¯t want to handle this alone, I don¡¯t want to deal with this terror alone.


    Charles cuts one of my legs which I quickly replace with briars.


    War, politics, economics, marriage, there are many complicated things I had to deal with, and for them, I needed power so I could hold my head up high. So, I can sleep at night knowing everything will be alright.  Though now that I think about it running away might have been the better option.


    Charles cuts off my other arm and leaves another gash across my chest.


    Did D¨®nal feel like this as well? Maybe that¡¯s why he was always a coward because he knew things would never be good here, though seeing the look in his eyes after he returned, I can¡¯t say that¡¯s true.


    In the end, I still hate him. I will always hate him, because I loved him more than anything, and I really wish you could have been an older brother to me.


    ¦µ With one final slice Charles cuts off Ronald''s head, and takes it as his own.


    As he holds Ronald¡¯s head, he notices that one of the two eye colours, the one in his right eye vanishes and becomes the same as his left eye.


    Soon Charles Animus leaves the battlefield, and moving to the closest general, he hands him the head, and says, ¡°Announce his death through the battlefield.¡±


    But then a messenger arrives on the battlefield, and says, ¡°Charles there is big trouble.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The carriages behind Ronald Fuinseog were empty, Bricriu wasn¡¯t inside them like we thought. But worse than that there is a breakthrough at the top right corner of our encirclement, we think he might have used Ronald as a shield to escape.¡±


    Charles with a calm expression says, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t we come for him?¡±


    ¡°The moment we came to this battlefield he had lost his chance to escape since a predator has kept him in her eyes since she came here.¡±


    -Break-


    ¦µ Riding through the forest east of the castle with an escort of Merark rider, Bricriu laughs to himself a bit.


    Ronald, you are a smart and powerful man, but you made the mistake of forgetting to truly understand the minds of the other on the battlefield. From the moment this war started, I had one goal, to escape.


    Every action I took was for that sole purpose. The entire time during this battle I had been diverting troops away from the bottom left corner ( Top right corner from Charles''s perspective)


    I sent most of my hidden soldiers to the right side to disturb their chain of command making it hard for them to send reinforcements, I then set up two very plausible breakthroughs that would take a good bit of time to check the validity due to the power of the mammoths, and Ronald.


    I also put Cillian with the calvary on the right side, because I knew they would be a far more important target to get rid of allowing the calvary on the left side to do more damage beforehand.


    Throughout the battle I had made sure that all fronts except my escape route had some major threat that needed to be dealt with straight away, allowing me to break through at the last minute.


    Earlier we sent owls to the castle behind us to send troops, even though it would be pointless. Now as I escape back into our lands, I will have some smokescreens as I try to reach a fort with the Cathal.


    In the carriage I sent with Ronald, I placed all of the druids I used to create the smoke bombs with him. In actuality, I hope they all escape, as they will have further use by me, but for now, all I can do is hope the young bird I played with all those years ago didn¡¯t continue to be a prodigy.


    Laughing, I say, ¡°I wonder what kind of chaotic story will be told if Charles and Setanta were to meet, how fun.¡±


    Suddenly within my carriage, I notice a pink butterfly, and as I take note of it I hear screaming, and then my carriage flips around tossing my body inside of it.


    I quickly kick open one of the doors of the carriage and get myself out as it lands, and then I look around to see all of my men and horses have been killed.


    I turn my head around, and say, ¡°An enemy, but how?¡±


    My plan was impossible to tell. The only way one could know of me, is if they had eyes on me the entire time. As if I was being stalked like I am prey.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t fun, is it?¡± a young girl''s voice says.


    With a slight fear cropping up, I say, ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°I wonder who I am, I have always had to ask myself that question since I was young.¡±


    Picking up a sword, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy games.¡±


    ¡°But you do enjoy games, but only when you¡¯re the gamemaster.¡±


    ¦µ A cut appears on Bricriu''s face, and he turns to see who it is but to his dismay, he sees no one.


    Then feeling a pressure against his back, he hears, ¡°I don¡¯t see how someone can enjoy doing such things to people. Even though you deserve this, I still find this activity utterly asinine.¡±


    Bricriu swings his sword, but as he tries his fingers are cut off and the sword he wields falls to the ground. Then on top of his head, two feet rest themselves.


    Looking up Bricriu sees a young girl with a pink mantle over her shoulder with a giant butterfly on it and a veil over her head.


    Bricriu starts to lose his composure, and says, ¡°WHO ARE YOU!¡±


    The girl steps off his shoulder then stares him in the eyes, and says, ¡°Maugrine, the fantastical.¡±


    Bricriu stares at her face lost, and she says, ¡°You don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡±


    From her side, she brings out a light great sword and cuts one of his eyes out. Which causes him to scream in pain, and she says, ¡°For someone who loves moulding people into statues composed of their body parts, you have surprisingly little pain tolerance.¡±


    Bricriu infuses his fist with spirit energy and tries to strike the little girl, but she continuously dodges his attacks again, and again, then trips him over and says, ¡°Really is that all you got? Make this a little more invigorating.¡±


    Bricriu grabs a rock and prepares to throw it at her, but then one of the pink butterflies moves towards his fingers on his other hand and cuts them off.


    Looking at his missing finger, Bricriu says, ¡°A Regalia?¡±


    ¡°Yep. The Celestial Butterfly, my regalia allows me to make these little butterflies of super condensed spirit energy that can cut through lots of things. But more than that,-¡°


    A butterfly lies in front of Bricriu''s eyes, and after a moment it vanishes and Jupio appears, and she says, ¡°They allow me to switch my position with myself and the butterfly at the expense of spirit energy.¡±


    ¡°You were the one who cut down my soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I am surprised you still thought you could escape after my showing last night, but stupidity is hard to solve.¡±


    Maugrine cuts his ear off, and he screams again, then she says, ¡°You know you make a lot of enemies. That¡¯s how we were able to find your location, so easily.¡±


    ¡°Impossible I made certain the only people who knew my location were the high king, Ronald, and my; Daughter.¡±


    Clapping her hands, she says, ¡°Spot on, you get 10 points for that.¡±


    Bricriu sits there and laughs, then he says, ¡°It looks like my daughter is going to grow up to be even more brilliant than I ever could have imagined.¡±


    With disgust, Maugrine looks at Bricriu and says, ¡°You¡¯re happy about this?¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t I be, Charles, Setanta and the little prodigy I met in the east were all born in the same era, and my daughter has even surpassed me. Oh, what a wonderful time to be alive, and it was all started by me, this world bends to the whims of a man such as me. In this moment I have reached the pinnacle of my existence, my life truly was wor-.¡±


    Maugrine slices Bricriu¡¯s throat, and as he holds it to bleed out he laughs, which enrages her more, so she cuts up and stabs his body with her rage increases as she does.


    She continues until from behind her Charles grabs her and says, ¡°Stop Jupio.¡±


    ¡°Brother let me go! It¡¯s unfair even after everything he did, he can still smile like that. After killing both my mom and dad and all of your friends at the campsite he gets to smile like this!¡±


    Holding Jupio against his chest, Charles says, ¡°The fact that the little baby delivered in that plantation has grown up to be so strong, is enough payback towards this fool. So please Jupio don¡¯t look like that.¡±


    The fifteen-year-old girl turns into Charles''s chest, and cries her heart out, and at the same moment with empty eyes, Charles looks at Bricriu''s decaying body.


    And like that, the battle of Fort Niall had come to an end with the utter decimation of the beastkin, and the death of Red branch members, Ronald ¨® Fuinseog, Cillian ¨® Fuinseog, and the head of the Sealbh¨®irs, Bricriu ¨® Sealbh¨®ir.

 Arc 10.147: Mother of Light part 1

    -Break-


    Throughout all of Tir na n-iontas, the news of the defeat and deaths of two of their most valuable warriors spread like wildfire. The people¡¯s fears exploded as both a hero blessed by their ancestors and a man known as untouchable fell.


    Many went to the houses of the Red Branch and shouted their grievances at all those who would listen.


    ¡°Are you not the strongest within the empire!¡±


    ¡°The reason you have these castles is because we trust you to protect us.¡±


    ¡°Beastkin are superior to humans, stop losing you fools!¡±


    ¡°What is the point of warriors who cannot win battles!¡±


    Throughout the empire, these grievances kept growing eventually turning into revolts. But the Red Branch didn¡¯t have any time to quiet them down, as everyone who could fight was on the front lines punishing the humans back.


    The main army of the Laoch and L¨²cogadh moved to intercept Charles Animus who was charging headfirst into the beastkins land, but during the battle both Dedad, and Ruan, the heads of both the Laoch and L¨²cogadh respectively fell in battle to Charles.


    This caused all of the nearby armies with the exception of L¨ªra¡¯s to return to the borders to push him back, and with the aid of Treasa and Lugh the forces of Charles Animus were slowed down but they advanced nevertheless.


    The first year of the war had passed and the beastkin territory looks like it has had large bites taken from in on all sides, and one man currently looks at all of this trying to hold it all together.


    Location: Tir na n-iontas; R¨ªchathaoir Dhanu


    ¦µ Sitting in his office surrounded by papers, Conchobar looks to the man standing in front of him, and says, ¡°Please make sure Aisling has someone around her at all times, we don¡¯t need her making more attempts on her life. It is hurting morale in Gorias due to her popularity.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my king.¡±


    As he leaves Conchobar sighs and says, ¡°We can¡¯t stop him. It is like he is some god chosen by the heavens who must win every battle he is in.


    Ronald, Dedad, Ruan, and many other warriors have fallen by his sword, Lugh told me if their fight had gone on for longer, he would have died as well.


    But worse than that are Charles''s generals. The strongest among them can rip armies apart by themselves. The only person able to make leeway is L¨ªra in the ocean, but since the warrior known as Maugrine has arrived on the sea we have had our progress pushed back there as well.


    I don¡¯t know or have any answers, and morale is dropping every day he advances. The only hope we have now it to bring Sc¨¢thach back from the eastern border to engage him in combat.¡±


    An image flashes through the high king¡¯s head of his master lying dead on the ground and he says, ¡°No, Charles Animus attacked us knowing full well of Sc¨¢thach, and he has a power like her so there is a good chance that he has a countermeasure for her. We need to be able to get more information.¡±


    Looking at the reports on the table, he says, ¡°But our prisoners won¡¯t speak no matter, how much we torture them. I have seen people with faith in the fact that they are alive, weaker than these men¡¯s loyalty to Charles.


    Right now, this entire war, no this entire battlefield is being completely dictated by that human, and there is nothing that can be done to stop him except throwing our strongest into the wild.¡±


    Getting up, he looks out the window, and says, ¡°Is everything we have accomplished, everything my people have built, and my family has ruled going to end during my reign? Am I really that much of a failure?¡±


    Suddenly the doors of his room burst open, and dishevelled Medb walks in and says, ¡°Conchobar!¡±


    Turning, he says, ¡°Sorry, but now isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    Slamming her hands on my desk, she says, ¡°YES IT IS! I have found a way out of this mess!¡±


    Conchobar stares at her with a tried look, but as he sees the excitement, and life in her eyes, he says, ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Before I tell you I am going to need you to agree to two conditions. First, I need you to send Lugh to the most remote battlefield you can put him on, and second I need full command over all the Druids in the country right now.¡±


    Conchobar says, ¡°Fine, but this better be worth it.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Fort D¨ªlis


    ¦µ Throughout the battlefield in front of himself, Ogier along with his men carve through the beastkin in the first skirmish of infantry.


    He has his legacy activated on his eye, and unlike before where everyone could see what he was seeing, this time he can see through everyone else¡¯s eyes.


    With both a long and short dagger in hand, he moves throughout the battlefield positioning himself to cut down his opponents but as he does, he notices that the amount of beastkin around him is not decreasing.


    Stopping for a moment, he tries to take it all in, but then a beastkin attacks him from the back and he dodges before cutting that beastkins arm, and throat.


    But as the beastkin leaks blood from its throat, Ogier notices something and shares his vision with every human on the battlefield. Through Ogier¡¯s eyes, he sees the body of a beastkin completely regenerate in a couple of seconds.


    The beastkin which healed throws a little pill into his mouth and then attacks Ogier again.


    ¦µ The King of Murias Medb had made a breakthrough in one of her many experiments. She had learned that through cannibalism, and the help of druids one could make inherit the powers of a beastkin for a short period of time.


    It requires two things, the flesh and blood of a beastkin which was a Fanalis, or one close to being one, and the power of druids to combine them with plants to improve the potency of the blood, which accelerated the rate at which the characteristics were inherited.


    It was an incredibly limited and specific method, as all traits gained had to not require any special organs that were in the subject beastkins body, and within the entire empire, there was one person who perfectly fit the bill for becoming materials.


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    Location: Gorias Prisons


    ¦µ Within the prison, a couple of beastkin walk towards the cell of Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in is in, and say, ¡°We¡¯re back.¡±


    In his cage sickly and weak surrounded by flowers which blow a numbing toxin, Setanta says, ¡°I missed you, now how about you get rid of these flowers so I can move?¡±


    The beastkin man handles Setanta and then rips off one of his arms before putting it in a back. Setanta tries his best to hold in the pain, but its presence is visible on his face.


    One of the beastkin says, ¡°My son recently went to war for the first time. It was during the start of this conflict. He had always admired the young talent in the empire and wanted to stand beside them.¡±


    As Setanta¡¯s arm regenerates, they cut it off again.


    ¡°He loved our young king of Gorias Setanta, C¨² Culainn, the next high king. But his hero wasn¡¯t there on the battlefield with him, he was sitting here in his cell, while his precious humans killed and slaughtered his people.¡±


    ¡°This is merely the outcome of the path we were on, even if I was on the battlefield with your son, the hatred we have festered all these years would still overcome us all.¡±


    The man punches me in the face, and says, ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace to your race. But now even the body of scum like you can be used for our greater benefit.¡±


    Taking out a rusty sword from his side, the man brutally cuts off Setanta¡¯s arm making efforts to inflict as much pain as he possibly can with each strike, until Setanta¡¯s body cannot continue.


    This process happens day, after day, after day the entire second year of the war, and it grants the beastkin the power to push back against the humans who they hate with all their hearts. The warfare throughout the entire map becomes far more equal.


    And the boy¡¯s body and mind are ravaged by the attacks he takes, with his only solace being the girl who visits him each day.


    Sitting in his cage with him, Minagrain cries over Setanta¡¯s body, and he rubs her face saying, ¡°It is ok. I made a choice, and got the consequences, at the very least my people are able to survive off of this.¡±


    She gestures, ¡°But even though you wanted to go to war with everyone, they kept you here and Conchobar is using you as a scapegoat for all of the people''s hatred. Now they torture you every day, and threat you like livestock, it isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°What isn¡¯t fair is the fact I get to have such an amazing wife. Most people wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to dream of such a thing, yet I get to live it. So please leave me I don¡¯t take in any of these flowers ¡¯ toxins.¡±


    Ignoring his wishes, she kisses him and nods her head no.


    ¡°I see, then at least let¡¯s talk about something happy.¡±


    Minagrain, gestures, ¡°They have been keeping a human in the castle, and I have become friends with him. I made a human friend.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing.¡± With a sick smile, Setanta says, ¡°I am sure I will have a lot to discuss with him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bully him, he is sensitive!¡±


    ¡°I AM JEALOUS, SO I WILL!¡±


    The two¡¯s chat is the only thing that brings life into the eyes of the boy who feels like he is losing himself by the day, but he manages to smile through it.


    But still, all those days come to an end, because the beastkin couldn¡¯t hold up in the end.


    2 years and four months into the war the beastkin homeland was invaded by Charles Animus¡¯s army.


    -Break-


    Location: Gorias Prisons


    From the top of his cell, an explosion occurs that sends debris everywhere, which Setanta is able to deal with due to his regeneration, and after recovering.


    The young boy turns to his cell, and see it has been blasted open, so he picks up his withered body.


    ¦µ With my chains still attached to my body, I drag my body out of my cage, and as I do through my weak ears, I hear the sound of chaos and combat above me.


    But through all of it, I can only say one thing, ¡°Minagrain, Minagrain, I need to find her.¡±


    Moving as fast as I can, I exit the prison and head back to the surface where I see my castle destroyed, and the lands around the area burning. As I look around, I try to remember how everything looks, and the thought of it starts to break down my mind.


    But the image of Minagrain makes my body start to move towards the castle.


    As I move my hearing gets better and better, until I start hearing the atrocities and violations of my people occurring everywhere, their pleas, and their cries ring in my ears.


    But I can¡¯t stop moving, I need to make sure she is ok, that she is alive.


    The numbness of the flower starts to wear off, and I move while infusing spirit energy throughout my body. I dare from room to room, saying, ¡°Minagrain, Minagrain, Minagrain, Mina-,¡±


    Looking forward I see a group of soldiers with bloody fists standing over a body whose face looks unrecognizable.


    One of the men standing over her body says, ¡°Find the boy, I don¡¯t care where she hid him I need his body right here in front of me! If we don¡¯t, everything we planned will be nought!¡±


    ¦µ Setanta seeing this lunges forward and attacks the five men in front of Minagrain, but spirit energy surges through all of their bodies, and they fight back against Setanta.


    At first, he gets a few good blows in, but one of the men noticing his eyes are locked at Minagrain throws this sword towards her body, which Setanta move to knock away, and in that moment the other four move in and pierce Setanta¡¯s body.


    Setanta¡¯s body starts to regenerate with the swords, and then one of the men with a smile says, ¡°Silver hair, wolflike traits. Hey, this brat is are other target.¡±


    The men talk amongst themselves, but Setanta who is still pinned in one place due to the swords turns his head to Minagrain, and says, ¡°Minagrain wake-up, Minagrain come on we still haven¡¯t talked to Ferdiad yet or gotten married. So please get up and stop being silly. Our entire lives are ahead of us, so no time for this.¡±


    One of the men cut off Setanta¡¯s tongue out of annoyance, and then they drag him away as he stretches his hand toward Minagrains body, which stretches out towards Setanta as well.


    Tears and blood roll down his face as he struggles, but in the end, he is taken by the men.


    -Break-


    Riding around desperately on their horses, the five men run around the area far from the human armies looking for something. Setanta tied to one of their horses has no life in his eyes or his mind. To an onlooker, he would be nothing more than a corpse.


    But using his healed tongue he still manages to mutter, ¡°Minagrain.¡±


    And these words start to annoy the riders, so one of them, stops and brings out his blade, and says, ¡°Be quiet we don¡¯t have time for your nonsense.¡±


    Then he moves to cut off Setanta¡¯s tongue yet again, and as he does, Setanta looks at the destroyed Gorias from a distance and cries tears that carry his very soul within them.


    As these tears fall to the ground they turn into ice, and his spirit energy decreases. However, this phenomenon is ignored by both Setanta and the five men.


    ¦µ I regret all I have done, I regret all I have thought, if I could go back in time I would take it back, but I can¡¯t do that anymore, all I can do is just die, and let this life of mine rot away as punishment, as penitence, and at the end, I hope I can see you one more time Minagrain.


    But before that, I at the very least need to go bury your body.


    I push back against the man who holds me and then grab the restraints they use to tie me to the horse. As my hands touch them, they freeze and break, and I start to run forward using this miracle.


    I must do this, I must! It is the last thing I have to do before I die!


    As I run one of my legs is cut off by the man behind me, and I fall to the ground.


    My body is finished from regenerating day after day, I can¡¯t move anymore or else my healing will give out and I die.


    With tears falling from my eyes again, I say, ¡°You can¡¯t even bury her you foolish idiot!¡±


    The man walking over to me says, ¡°This brat has powers as well. We can¡¯t keep him anymore.¡±


    With his sword in hand, he prepares to rip off my head. As I look up, I see my reflection in the sword, and it is that of a pathetic man, one so worthless that I wish it death from the bottom of my heart.


    As the sword comes down towards me, I relax and close my eyes, but it never hits. So, I gaze at what has happened and see that in front of me a man dressed as some form of jester with a mask over his face in front of me.


    Looking at the man with the sword, he says, ¡°Bullying kids is only what scum does. Though I guess to me you¡¯d also be considered a child.¡±


    The other men ride towards us, but then I see for flashlight and then all of their riding comes to a stop.


    Then walking up the hill a woman with a case in her arms comes and a strange bow in her other comes up to me.


    The bow in her arms turns into blood and goes into her body, and she says, ¡°Look at the state this foolish conflict has left you in.¡±


    The man in the jester outfit says, ¡°Should you be doing this? You only came here to record the events not interfere.¡±


    ¡°One million.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This child would have been the millionth innocent I would have seen die, and I just decided that today was enough.¡±


    ¡°So, are you going to take responsibility for that life?¡±


    Picking me up and holding me, the woman says, ¡°On the name of Cordum. No on the name my mother gave me, Mable Lux I promise I will take responsibility for this life.¡±


    There are many events in my life I would say there are 7 critical moments in my existence. Meeting Ferdiad, saving Aurelius, but the most important one that will ever happen to me was the day I met the woman named Mable Lux.


    Yet my biggest regret was that I didn¡¯t stare longer into the two blue voids filled with stars where her eyes were supposed to be.

 Arc 10.148: Mother of Light part 2

    -Break-


    Location: Mable House


    Opening his eyes, the young boy Setanta turns his head slowly from side to side to figure out where he is, and as he does, he notices he is lying on a bed in the middle of an isolated room.


    Moments after he wakes, Mable Lux walks into to room, and says, ¡°I see my little doggy awake.¡±


    As she moves over to Setanta, he takes a few moments to look her up and down.


    ¦µ She has shining golden hair, that have blue stars scattered throughout it.


    On her head, there are little golden four-pointed star birth marks that wrap around her forehead, they also continue down her neck and probably through the rest of her body.


    Her ears are long, and they have star birthmarks on them as well. They hang downwards normally, which makes them blend into her hair, but as she speaks with more excitement, the ears flip up, making them far more noticeable.


    But the most noticeable thing is her two giant blue pits where her eyes are supposed to be. Staring inside them, it looks like they are filled with tiny little stars.


    It doesn¡¯t remind me of anything that I have ever seen in my life, it feels completely unnatural. Or at the very least different from the things I known.


    ¦µ Mable puts her hands on her face and swings her head side to side, saying, ¡°You¡¯ve been staring at me up and down. Am I really so beautiful that you can¡¯t take your eyes off of me? GABI, GET IN HERE!¡±


    The man with the jester costume walks in and says, ¡°What are you screaming about so early in the morning?¡±


    ¡°This child thinks I am pretty.¡±


    ¡°Of course he does, since you are?¡±


    Turning her head away, she says, ¡°Well, you never say it, so how am I supposed to know.¡±


    Putting his hands over his mask, Gabi says, ¡°Not this again.¡±


    Turning to Setanta, she says, ¡°Oh, I forgot about introductions. I am the great sage humans like to call Cordum, but my actually name is Mable Lux, and that man over there is piece of shit who hasn¡¯t proposed yet.¡±


    ¡°I AM NOT READY!¡±


    ¡°THEN WHEN WILL YOU BE? IT¡¯S BEEN OVER 500 YEARS!¡±


    Facing Setanta, again, she says, ¡°Just like you could probably guess, neither of us are humans, we have to be from near extinct races like the beastkin currently. I am a Seer, and well, Gabi doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Gabi moves up to Mable and says, ¡°You¡¯re being mean. Stop disrespecting me!¡±


    ¡°I am disrespecting you no less than that atrocious outfit you decided to put on.¡±


    ¡°Hey, kids like jesters, so I am sure he will enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Not one kid has liked that in every single century we have been alive!¡±


    Setanta, with a weak and pathetic voice, says, ¡°My people, what has happened to them?¡±


    Both Maple and Gabi compose themselves, then she says, ¡°Setanta, I think it would be better if you didn¡¯t think about such things right now. I would suggest focusing on recovery.¡±


    Under his breath, he mutters, ¡°Please, I need to know.¡±


    Mable reaches out to hold his hand, but he pulls it back and says, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to sleep without knowing.¡±


    With a far more serious expression, Mable says, ¡°The empire of Louernia was defeated by the armies of Charles Animus in a decisive final battle outside the providence of Murias.


    They proceeded to rampage through Tir na n-iontas, taking and burning all they wanted. The only rule given was that no beastkin could leave with them as prisoners, though they could do whatever they wanted with them before they left.


    Lots of beastkin were slaughtered, though the bodies don¡¯t match the numbers of beastkin in the empire, so I am sure many have escaped, including some of the Red Branch houses.¡±


    Hearing this, Setanta tosses his blanket onto Mable and tries to move forward, saying, ¡°I need to return back to Gorias.¡±


    He moves slowly as his body can barely support his weight anymore, so Mable grabs him and says, ¡°You can¡¯t be doing things like that, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°Minagrain is still there, I saw her wave to me. She might still be alive; I need to go see her.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±


    Setanta generates ice on his body, which pushes Mable off, and he says, ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this I need to move.¡±


    He hobbles forward, but Gabi slams him onto the floor and says, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a child or an ancient hero, no one will hurt Mable like this!¡±


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    Mable moves over to Gabi and says, ¡°Let go of him!¡±


    ¡°So, he can hurt you a second time?¡±


    With a smile, she says, ¡°Please trust me.¡±


    He removes his hand from Setanta, and Mable picks up the boy''s body, then says, ¡°Setanta. Give me a moment.¡±


    Under her lips, she mutters something, then in the two blue pits in her eyes, they reshape themselves to something that takes on an almost mystical pattern, but in the end, it all looks like two giant glowing crystal stars in her eyes.


    They contain all of the little wonders there were within those blue voids before, and the very look of them is so beautiful that some light returns to Setanta¡¯s eyes just by looking.


    With her eyes in this state, she looks into the distance, then moments later she turns her head to Setanta and mutters another sentence under her breath before touching Setanta.


    Then she says, ¡°Seers have numerous abilities like you beastkin, and now I am going to share to you all I just saw with these eyes of mine.¡±


    Suddenly, through Setanta¡¯s mind, an image of Gorias appears, and he sees everything in its current state, including Minagrains'' burnt and dead body.


    Seeing all of this causes Setanta to throw up on the ground in front of himself, then looking at the floor he says, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my fault that they lost this battle, that they lost this war. If I had been there, they wouldn¡¯t have died. If only I had gone to the battlefield, I could have defeated them all, I could have saved everyone.


    My squad, my people, my house, my family, my master, my father, my brother, my wife, all those who could have existed. I have failed them far beyond anything that can ever be forgiven.¡±


    Mable tries to hold Setanta, but he pushes her away and says, ¡°Why did you save me? Minagrain was there, and so many others who deserved to live far more than me. Why do I get to stay in his house? While so many of them are living in fear and horror at the collapse of everything they know, this isn¡¯t fair. I should be dead!¡±


    Mable slaps Setanta across the face and says, ¡°Never say such words.¡±


    Hugging him, she says, ¡°That isn¡¯t true.¡±


    With his rage building, Setanta says, ¡°IT IS!¡±


    Ice starts to emanate from his body, freezing Mable.


    ¡°If only I had never saved those humans, if only I had followed my father¡¯s instructions, I would have struck down Charles Animus. I would have saved everyone!¡±


    The ice continues to grow, and as it does, Mable puts both her hands on Setanta¡¯s face and makes him focus on her. ¡°Setanta, the reason I came for you is because I ran into a little married couple while staking out the human camp, and their a single human and his wife begged me to come look if you had escaped; The man you saved Aurelius.


    Aurelius has gone on about the impact of countless lives in the time he has left here and has made great efforts using his connection to Charles to reduce the suffering beastkin have received. You choose correctly, Setanta.¡±


    Crying, Setanta says as he still freezes her, ¡°But I allowed the legacy of my people to fade into nonexistence for a second time in our history. I didn¡¯t fight to protect all of these things that I love and have loved me.¡±


    ¡°A legacy is simply what one passes down to the next in this world. Blood, love, kindness, dreams, support, and works, and all of that has been passed down to you who love your people so much.


    And Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in C¨² Culainn, I can tell just by looking on you, you¡¯ve already passed enough into the future to be one of the greatest men to ever exist. And I have made the decision to stay with you for as long as you want me to.¡±


    ¡°But what if I fail again? And fail the both of you just as much as my people.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky with me brat. Don¡¯t think for a second you could ever have enough strength to ruin mine or Gabi¡¯s life, and besides, you''re talking to a woman who has failed more times than anyone, yet I am still known as the great sage.¡±


    Setanta buries his head in her chest and cries, and then Gabi touches her frozen body. His spirit energy decreases, and all of the ice on her body turns into water.


    Clapping her hand, Mable says, ¡°Now time for some food!¡±


    Moving outside the room, she quickly grabs something and walks back in, saying, ¡°Taste this.¡±


    It is a gord-shaped plant that smells nasty to Setanta.


    With a proud smile, she says, ¡°This happens to be one of my experiments, a plant that grows back super quick regardless of soil quality. It could one day be used to end world hunger.


    She cuts off a piece and places it in Setanta''s mouth, and as he chews it, he says, ¡°That¡¯s nastier than Ibar¡¯s feet.¡±


    Turning to Gabi, she says, ¡°Hey, you said it was delicious.¡±


    ¡°I lied to make you feel better.¡±


    Mable jumps on Gabi and starts to hit him in the head, and seeing all of this, Setanta starts to laugh and cry.


    ¦µ I have experienced so much through Setanta, and I can guarantee one thing. If it wasn¡¯t for Mable, he would have been broken beyond repair.


    Through Setanta¡¯s body, I reach out my hand, and say as my hair turns silver, ¡°I know there is still more far more to this story between all of them.¡±


    Suddenly, the view playing out before me starts to become distorted, and then a bunch of images and voices flash through my mind endlessly like a torrent of memories.


    It¡¯s not your fault.


    Please kill me!


    Isn¡¯t she cute?


    My name is Emer.


    I will never allow you to break me.


    On this day vow your spear to me Setanta!


    I love you Mom.


    I would like to hear the end of that story.


    I am pregnant.


    You have always been my best friend, even now.


    This child feels like a bad omen.


    I am really your child.


    Nothing is wrong.


    My name is Orlando, and I will never allow abuse to happen in front of me!


    I will prove that even a copy can surpass the original.


    A generation of revival, yet we still keep all the hatred that led to our downfall.


    Why? Why would you forgive me?


    Brother, even if you never are happy again, please stand by everyone because I know that these bonds can be rebuilt.


    You truly would have ended your life if you didn''t.


    My hatred of you has nothing to do with that child.


    I think I have found my dream.


    I will never regret meeting you.


    You destroyed what I love the most, and for that,t I will never forgive you.


    Setanta you-.


    My curse is getting worse, so please, Setanta, kill me.


    I tried my best; I tried to gain the best possible future, but I wasn¡¯t able to. My entire life was a mistake, I should have never been born. I am so sorry, Setanta.


    As these words flow into my head, I try to make sense of them, and little by little, they become clearer to me. ¡°I will grasp them; I will grasp you, Wolfie.¡±


    In front of me, I see Wolfie in a distorted form lying over a body, and then moments later, from his body, snow and ice pour out to such an unnatural and extreme extent that the Continent around him freezes.


    Seeing this sight, I reach out my hand in this dreamscape filled with memories, but as I do, I am grabbed and flung onto the ground.


    Looking at the person in front of me, I see an old grown man with his right eye being the exact same as Mable¡¯s, but the eye has cracks within it.


    Looking down at me, the muscular man with unruly hair both on his head and his face says, ¡°You have had fun rooting through my memories, haven¡¯t you Orb?¡±


    With shock in overtaking my face, I say, ¡°Setanta?¡±

 Arc 10 End: A promise for a better future.

    He looks just like Lugh, but with far more wounds across his body. In fact, his hair looks exactly like mine does when I am in my Advent state. With his arm, Wolfie holds me down by my throat to the ground, and he says, ¡°You have been rooting around in my head for a while now, haven¡¯t you?


    Did you enjoy seeing all of my failures, my disappointments, my mistakes, and my regrets. All you have seen is what you humans call life. A never-ending avalanche of battles, which all look to destroy you.


    And that¡¯s what I tried to save you from, but in the end, you still rejected my guidance, my care. Now, look at your body, under a Legacy that constantly makes you feel all the pain I have experienced and burdened with the lives of 7,000 strangers at the age of fifteen.


    Now I am tired of this stupid little game I have allowed you to play.¡±


    The silver in Orb¡¯s hair grows and the blue in his eyes turns golden, then Setanta says, ¡°I will be taking over your body now, and removing all the pests from your home, even if I have to kill them all.¡±


    ¦µ As the change encroaches on Orb¡¯s body, Setanta stops for a moment and says, ¡°What¡¯s the look?¡±


    Staring at Setanta, the parts of Orb¡¯s hair that are still his own turn green, and he has a giant smile on his face while crying profusely.


    ¡°I am just happy.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you''re everything I thought you were. Wolfie, you¡¯re such a nice and caring person who really was always looking out for me. But more than that, you lived a long life and got to share that with so many different people. I don¡¯t know much, but I did feel that at no point in your long life were you alone.¡±


    ¡°The world would have been a better place if I had been.¡±


    Sighing, Orb says, ¡°I can see why Ferdiad was angry at you all the time. But in the spirit of your brother, I will kick some sense into you!¡±


    Orb moves his leg upwards and kicks Setanta in his gut with a kick infused with spirit energy, then jumps backwards, and says, ¡°Stop being an idiot!¡±


    Angered, Setanta says, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can escape from here, this is my mental world, and nothing can leave when it enters without my permission.¡±


    Orb moves forward, and as he does, he flips and rotates his body, whilst saying, ¡°Like I was planning to leave anyways.¡±


    Jumping into the air, Orb raises his leg into the air and says, ¡°Helix battle arts; Spiral.¡±


    Orb axe kicks Setanta, and when he does, the rotational energy moves from his body to Setanta, sending a shockwave through Setanta¡¯s.


    But when this happens, Setanta doesn¡¯t even react and says, ¡°If something like that could do damage to me, my life would have ended back when I fought Daire.¡±


    Setanta grabs Orb¡¯s leg and throws him back. Then as Orb lands, he says, ¡°Then show me what you got because I hope you know that I also happen to be a prodigy, Wolfie.¡±


    Orb locks his vision to Setanta¡¯s body, but the moment he blinks, Setanta disappears, and before Orb notices him again, his body is flying across the room.


    Orb lands on his back and then brings his hands to his chest where he notices there is a fist mark, and moments later he spits out blood and says, ¡°My lungs.¡±


    Appearing in front of Orb, Setanta walks forward slowly, and Orb says, ¡°You are nothing like you were as a child.¡±


    ¡°I died nearly a century later. Did you seriously think I didn¡¯t improve, you fool?¡±


    Picking himself up, Orb says, ¡°Regardless of if you did, I have still fought against foes far stronger than myself and won.¡±


    Orb charges forward and consistently attacks Setanta, but with minimal effort, Setanta block all of Orb¡¯s attacks while striking him at a speed Orb can¡¯t keep up with.


    ¡°Did you really think you were a prodigy you fool? Your spirit energy control is worse than when I first awakened mine; all of your innate fighting abilities are just instincts you inherited from me, your enhanced sense is also from my beastkin abilities, just like your regeneration.


    If you weren¡¯t blessed with my powers, you would have died again and again and again and again. Yet you think your lucky break, after lucky break means that you are talented? Means that you can actually live some kind of life different to mine?¡±


    Setanta kicks Orb in the stomach, then says, ¡°Your life is just an amalgamation of the mistakes of others, who would take them back if they ever had a chance to. Don¡¯t get cocky!


    I tried to protect and guide you away from all of this, but you let that poisonous man named Captivant destroy all I had built for you. I should have killed him the moment I felt him encroach on my land.¡±


    Standing up, Orb says, ¡°If you think the only reason I do this is because of Captivant, you¡¯re a big dumb idiot.¡±


    Setanta moves his hand and then sends a wave of ice over to Orb, which freezes his body, and Orb starts to scream in pain. ¡°Due to the blood of V¨¢nagandr, you¡¯ve never felt the cold before, but now I hope you understand the pain millions felt before they died.¡±


    As the cold seeps into Orb¡¯s body, the image of the woman with black hair standing over Orb¡¯s body plays again, but he quickly snaps out of it and stares directly at Setanta.


    Setanta moves over to Orb¡¯s body and says, ¡°That¡¯s powerlessness, that¡¯s helplessness, and you will feel that far more intensely if you continue to move forward, if you continue to fight for others, and stay out in the world. I am by no means the strongest, and my legacy will only ever get you so far. Orb, give up.¡±


    ¦µ I feel calm, far more calm than I usually ever do. It must be because this feeling of ice being ingrained in my body is something that gave me happiness for the vast majority of my life. Back when you raised me Setanta, when we stayed in the snow playing without a care in the world. At that moment, I was happy.


    I have never repaid you for that kindness.


    Through my body, I send spirit energy and burst forth from the ice with my skin ripping out, and I hug Setanta in front of me, and say, ¡°Setanta you don¡¯t get it do you.¡±


    Freezing my body again, he says, ¡°There is nothing to get, just be silent and follow my instructions.¡±


    ¡°Not one of them regret it. All of them who met you hold it close in their hearts.¡±


    Pushing me away while increasing the amount of his ice, Setanta says, ¡°You¡¯ve barely seen an eighth of the memories I have experienced in my life, and now you think you can tell me what those who I cared for think!?


    I have failed them far more than you know, I have made them regret far more than you know, and I have led to the deaths of innocent people who deserved to experience far more than I ever did. NOW SILENCE, YOU FOOLISH CHILD!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP, YOU STUPID WOLF! You are always ignoring my feelings and my cries for you to come back. You barely understand how I child felt after raising me, and you somehow think you can understand others? Don¡¯t make me laugh.


    I have seen your memories, and I have seen their expressions; I have made all of the same ones when thinking of you Wolfie. Yet, despite all of the sadness and despair I have faced since meeting you and since meeting Captivant, I would never say I regret doing it. I love you.¡±


    Setanta freezes for a moment, then pushes me back, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t need your love, I need your happiness, your safety, for you to never experience the despair that comes from this unfair world.¡±


    I smash my foot into the ground and say, ¡°My failures are my own, I don¡¯t consider any aspect of my existence to be unfair. I have always had the ability to fight and will continue to fight.


    Right here and now, I won¡¯t be able to promise you I will be able to live a life I am proud of; I have given up on such a dream. But I can say one thing, that it is possible, and I am sure the people of Niflheim will show you it¡¯s true.


    So Setanta come along with me and through my eyes see the beauty in life, through my nose smell all there is to smell, through my mouth eat the food people have poured their souls into, through my ears hear the joy of their voices, and with my mind understand how great all those who walk on this planet are.


    Let¡¯s move forward together, and I promise you that if there is ever a time when what I say isn¡¯t true, I will come back here and live with you for eternity. So how does that sound, Wolfie?¡±


    Setanta walks past me, then says, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Do whatever you want.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°It worked. I thought for a second that you were actually going to control me.¡±


    ¡°I will make efforts to stop my memories and experiences from falling into your head again. Now you should be able to interact with beastkin for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Really, that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Sighing, Setanta says, ¡°A bloodline of fools,¡± then he starts to walk away.


    Running up behind him, I say, ¡°Hey, I have a question.¡±


    As I run, the distance between us expands to a crazy extent, and he says, ¡°I am kicking you out of here.¡±


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    ¡°Wait before that, can you tell me why you decided to stay with me!?¡±


    ¡°I was just repaying a favour, nothing else.¡±


    Right before I am forcefully kicked out of the world around us, I shout, ¡°I LOVE YOU WOLFIE, AND WILL MAKE SURE TO MAKE YOU HAPPY EVEN IN DEATH!¡±


    ¡°Take care, Orb.¡±


    As those words leave Setanta¡¯s mouth, Orb is thrust out of the world, and then on the back of Cyrus, Orb opens his eyes.


    -Break-


    ¦µ In front of the beastkin and Fanalis armies, including Suzuka, Maple, Willow and Iancu, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°And thus the second human-beastkin war came to an end, and our story.¡±


    Iancu replies, ¡°The end? Isn¡¯t there a third and a fourth war?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I think it would be pointless to tell the stories of them as they stand. For all I wanted to tell you today was to prove a point, the beastkins'' foolishness and warmongering attitudes are what lead to our collapse first and foremost.¡±


    All of the Beastkin in the area lowered their heads, but then one of the beastkin say, ¡°But the humans started this conflict, and it is only due to them that w-,¡±


    Before the man can finish, Sen¨¢n moves its giant head right on top of the man and says, ¡°Please continue.¡±


    Sen¨¢n body which mimic the size of a Behemoth, hushes the man out of pure fear, and Sen¨¢n then says, ¡°During that period, and the following battles, the beastkins refusal to make peace led to the near extinction of our people, because in the Red Branches own words, ¡®Death is better than defeat.¡¯


    Though one beastkin went through the efforts to stop this, Setanta ¨® Faol¨¢in, the beastkin who was locked up and hated for his love of humans, made this sanctuary you see here today. The fact that you all lived is because of that same human lover.¡±


    Shock moves through the bodies of the beastkin, and Sen¨¢n says, ¡°You all asked me why I never interfered with all the conflicts for the last 2000 years, and it is simple. Because I wished to prove beastkin were superior.


    That if given time to develop, they would not fall into the same stagnation and foolishness humans have gotten themselves mixed up in, an experiment of sorts.


    And I was proved that I was wrong, at the end of the day beastkin committed all mistakes just as grievous when separated. The people who were once tied together by their shared pain looked to dominate one another.


    Back during the time of Louernia, the Fanalis would have been celebrated as the most superior warriors in our empire, but now they are abused just for existing. We are all just a pile of failures.¡±


    Cult¨²ir on the ground says, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this fool! He has betrayed you and his people for 2000 years just to carry out his project, instead of spending that time improving our lives and bringing order.


    Unlike this beast, those of us here are the continuation of the Red Branch; we carry their blood and their names, and we shall fight with all we have to reclaim our land.


    The world belongs to us beastkin, and together, if we leave, we should be able to reclaim what it ours. So, my people don¡¯t lower you heads, but raise them up!¡±


    Sen¨¢n says, ¡°Not a single one of you so-called Red Branch members carries their blood.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I have kept extensive records of the lineage of the beastkin, and none of you carry the Red Branch blood. This sanctuary was set up for those who ran from war, otherwise known as cowards to the beastkin.¡±


    Cult¨²ir drops her head and says, ¡°That isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°But it is. There are humans who have more ties to the Red Branch than you do.¡±


    Sen¨¢n looks to the beastkin and says, ¡°Your people have been nearly wiped out, your land has frozen over, and the world has moved forward while you have stagnated for 2000 years. Yet despite all of that, you choose to hate each other and kill one another, so I ask you what you want to do!?¡±


    The beastkin and Fanalis armies look around, lost, but as they do, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°And that goes for you, inheritor of Setanta!¡±


    Upon hearing Sen¨¢n¡¯s words, all of the beastkin turn their heads and look at the people who have just arrived.


    On Cyrus¡¯s back, Orb and Dillion jump off, landing on the ground.


    Abb¨¢n and the rest of the Fanalis run towards Dillion, and after hugging him, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°You''re alive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am doing really good thanks to Orb and Cyrus.¡±


    The Fanalis look at Orb, and he walks slowly towards Sen¨¢n, and seeing him, Sen¨¢n lower his head to stare at Orb.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the child who has inherited C¨² Culainn¡¯s powers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my name is Orb Rian, I have inherited Setanta as a legacy and a fair few of his memories.¡±


    ¡°I am the grand druid and current leader of this community. My power is absolute and supreme over all those who live here. But I am only supposed to be keeping this title as a formality.


    It belongs to the man who set this entire place up or his descendants, and you Orb, as the one with his legacy, fit the criteria. So, from this moment,t I veto all of my power towards you. In this moment, you are the new head of Nialathr¨².¡±


    The beastkin start to whisper among themselves.


    ¡°He has inherited Setanta¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he also a human?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean he came with the rest of the humans?¡±


    ¡°That means he is untrustworthy.¡±


    ¡°But the rest of those humans fought hard to keep us safe.¡±


    ¡°So, isn¡¯t he trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°He is the only person who can control the ice that binds us, so he has to be the only choice for our leader.¡±


    ¡°If Setanta has truly allowed him to use his power, he must care for us.¡±


    ¡°I will trust in the man who went so far to protect his people.¡±


    ¡°As will I.¡±


    Iancu seeing this smirks, and says, ¡°IS THAT HOW YOU GREET THE NEW RULER OF THE BEASTKIN!¡±


    Soon, all of the beastkin in the area bend the knee to Setanta and say, ¡°Orb Rian, we pledge ourselves to you.¡±


    ¦µ This is the best-case scenario. Right now, all of the beastkin are submitting to the idiot. As long as Orb doesn¡¯t mess this up, we will have a whole lot more help and resources to set up Niflheim.


    You know what to do Or-,


    ¦µ Iancu¡¯s joy is quickly interrupted by the face of utter disgust on Orb¡¯s face, and he quickly runs over to him and says, ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°CYRUS!¡± Orb shouts, causing Cyrus grab Iancu.


    Stepping forward, Orb says, ¡°The hell is wrong with all of you fucking idiots!¡±


    The beastkin are shocked by Orb¡¯s words, but then he quickly says, ¡°You hear all of that story, and your response is to bow your heads and tell me to handle it.


    You guys made Setanta your scapegoat during the second war and now want me to fix all your problems because you''re too lazy to do so, and you idiots don¡¯t even know anything about me, and you decided to bend the knee.


    What kind of slave mentality is this? If you want to be a bunch of slaves, then find so be it. I will strap collars on your necks and sell you morons to the highest bidder.


    If you have a problem with that you can shove it up your asses, because you all just bowed you head to me, so you¡¯re all my property, you got that my little pe-.¡±


    Maple comes up behind Orb and breaks his neck. Then, Willow and Maple start to bow their heads, saying, ¡°Sorry for this idiot!¡±


    Maple then turns and stuffs her fingers up Orb¡¯s nose and says, ¡°Listen here you idiot, don¡¯t just go around antagonizing people who were just trying to kill each other! UNITY, NOT DIVISION!¡±


    Scared for his life, Orb bows his head and says, ¡°Ok.¡±


    Walking forward, Orb says, ¡°You people have lost everything. Not a single piece of your glory remains anywhere to be seen compared to what you once had.


    Now each of you walk a part to starvation, with the only thing you can do is to war against each other until your land fills with corpses once again, a pack of fools.


    Yet you wish to have me take the role as a master who will lift you idiots out of despair. A complete and utter lack of responsibility for your own actions.


    You take glory in your blood and land, but refuse to learn from the mistakes of them, and now you are all standing alone in this world without a single thing to support you outside of a stranger you don¡¯t know.


    Up just above this land are people nothing like you. Those who lost their families or never had anything close to it, people who yearn for all you have.


    Yet they don¡¯t fight amongst themselves or tear each other down. They stand together and fight against the fate that has been given to them, and aspire to build a place where they can belong.¡±


    The beastkin lowered their heads in shame as Orb talks until he says, ¡°And I invite all of you to join them!¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Would you really allow all of us to come with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but as long as you make one promise to me. Dedicate your lives to changing. Today, each and every one of you were prepared to lay down your lives and claim the lives of your fellow countrymen.


    Show resolve when it comes to change, when it comes to combating your hatred, your fear, your sadness, your greed, and your history, the same thing that everyone above you does to allow themselves to move forward and become stronger. So will the beastkin of Nialathr¨² join us?¡±


    Many of them start to bow their heads, and Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t bow your heads! Because what I need most from all of you is to stare right at the problems and fight with me.¡±


    Looking at Orb, they all say, ¡°I will!¡±


    One by one, each of them chants their agreements, and after hearing this, Orb claps his hand, then says, ¡°Good! Now, let¡¯s get a few things done.¡±


    ¡°First I strip every one of their noble titles, all government branches of their power, and all people of their rights, and give them all to me.¡±


    The beastkin stop and look at him in shock, then shout, ¡°WHAT!¡±


    ¡°I am now the sole absolute monarch of you all! Next, I veto all judicial power towards Dillion Fuinseog.¡±


    Dillion, pointing at himself, says, ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°You were assaulted, which is the starting factor of this war, so you get to dish out whatever punishment you want on all of these people. Including the so-called Red Branch leaders over there.¡±


    Cult¨²ir, Amadan, Olc, and Leisci¨²il start to freak out when Orb says this, then Amadan says, ¡°You have no power to do such a thing.¡±


    The giant beast Sen¨¢n says, ¡°I am merely an extension of the will of the ruler, I will follow any command given. So, Dillion, what do you want me to do?¡±


    Dillion thinks very deeply for a second, then says, ¡°I want everyone to hug.¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Dillion, you can¡¯t be serious?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really hear the full story. But I do remember what the kids were talking about earlier, and we should all get along. So, everyone hug!¡±


    All of the people who were moments away from killing each other stand there staring at one another. But then Sen¨¢n slams its arm on the ground, and everyone in the area starts to move towards each other hugging one another.


    Orb, looking at this, says, ¡°What a good sight.¡±


    Then he turns and grabs Maple, Suzuka, Willow, Iancu, and Cyrus in one big hug. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡±


    Cyrus says, ¡°I-I-I-I wil-l-l do bet-t-t-tter next time.¡±


    Suzuka says, ¡°Stop pulling me so close to everyone, my heart can¡¯t take it!¡±


    Iancu says, ¡°Let go of me, you dumb wolf.¡±


    Maple says, ¡°Haaa, at least everyone can get along now.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°Are you ok Orb? You¡¯re looking sad?¡±


    Imagines of Ferdiad, Minagrain, Ruair¨ª, Laeg and Ibar flash through Orb¡¯s mind, and he says, ¡°I just missed you guys a lot!¡±


    Sen¨¢n laughs, and from his eye,s a tear so big that it could fill a pond falls out as he looks at the beastkin and humans in front of him.


    Turning to Sen¨¢n, Orb looks at his tree horns, then says, ¡°Hey, can you get us all out of here.¡±


    Sen¨¢n bites into his arm a bit, and as the blood falls down, he says, ¡°Beast blood battle arts ultimate art: Glomar F¨¢s!¡±


    From the ground, all of the plants beneath everyone grow at a ridiculous rate, and Orb then says, ¡°Cyrus, I need you to help me.¡±


    Both Orb and Cyrus jump up, and Maple hits them both with her legacy,y speeding them up, then Orb says, ¡°Advent.¡±


    And as they both head toward the top of the ceiling, they attack with incredible force, pushing their way through the ground and making a hole to the surface.


    Together with Dillion and Dumnorix, Abb¨¢n takes the first step onto their former continent, which they originated from, and he looks at the moon in the sky, he says, ¡°This is the surface.¡±


    On the 28<sup>th</sup> day of the 12<sup>th</sup> month, Capricorn, the beastkin have been reintroduced into the world.


    As they all stand on the land, Willow turns to Orb and says, ¡°Almost forgot, happy birthday, Orb.¡±


    Looking up, Orb says, ¡°I guess it is my birthday.¡±


    -Break-


    In the dead of night, as a celebration takes place in the distance, Orb walks forward looking at a wolf composed of snow in front of him, and he says, ¡°Hey Setanta, I know it¡¯s you controlling that wolf so why don¡¯t you just speak to me directly.¡±


    The wolf continues to walk forward, and Orb says, ¡°You''re very cute, like a little girl hiding her feelings.¡±


    Soon, the wolf dissipates into the snow, and Orb runs forward towards its location, saying, ¡°I know you''re in my head, so you can vanish all you want, but you¡¯ll never be able to leave me.¡±


    As Orb walks, he sees a bump, then he says, ¡°Isn¡¯t this where I buried Draga?¡±


    Kneeling, Orb says, ¡°I guess it has been some time since we caught up.¡±


    Looking to the left, Orb sees another bump in the ground and then says, ¡°This wasn¡¯t there before.¡±


    Orb places his hand on in, but he smiles as he understands who it is. Moving in between the two bodies, Orb says, ¡°I have a lot to tell both of you now.¡±


    Orb speaks to the lovely couple buried in the ground together, and Setanta watches from his inner world, and says, ¡°I have already seen two of your descendants live horrible lives, so if any god hears my pleas. Allow those who descend from the family of Lux to truly be happy in this area. It is my only wish.¡±

 Arc 11: Nightmare Nation, Blestemate

    Name: Orb Rian


    Age: 16


    Birthday: Capricorn 28<sup>th</sup>


    Hair: His hair is short and spiky like icicles, and is made up of two primary colours.


    Primary: White (standard), Red (anger), Green (excitement), Yellow (fear), Brown (nervousness), Grey (confusion), Cream (hunger)


    Lime (lying), Orange (discomfort), Black (worry), Pink (happiness)


    Purple (?) Gold (arrogance) Blue (embarrassed) Coral (Disgust) Maroon (jealousy) Silver (Thinking) Rosewood (Annoyed)


    Secondary: Silver.


    Eyes: Blue (left) and Gold (Right)


    Height: 168 cm


    Description: A young boy who loves everything he sees. He is clever and hopeful, whenever he sees someone in need, he will help them. He also tends to be quite feminine looking which bothers him.


    Legacy: S¨¦tanta.


    -Break-


    Continent: Fimbulwinter (Victoria)


    Location: Nialathr¨²: Anucro¨ª prison


    Anucro¨ª prison is a large structure buried under the ground beneath the giant tree Anucro¨ª. From the base of the tree, its roots move down into the ground, and due to their thickness, it is possible to build a structure within them all. Through the efforts of Nialathr¨² druids'' Beast blood battle arts, they managed to make space within the roots without damaging their ability to absorb the nutrients from the ground. The prison was made as a response to the size constraints within Nialathr¨².


    And within the prison, a young boy walks. He moves from branch to branch within the prison, passing by each cell and throwing large balls of his hair into each of them.


    The branches inside prison are used to create a rather unorthodox path around, and combined with how icy the entire area is, for most it is hard to traverse. But for the boy, he simply freezes his legs to the branches and keeps moving.


    He moves through the area, heading for the lowest point. But as he starts to move towards the bottom cells he here the sound of a woman saying, ¡°You crazy bitch, stay away from me! I won¡¯t break as well.¡±


    The boy, hearing this, smirks, and his hair turns green in excitement, and he slowly starts to walk towards the cage, and as he does, the woman screams more and more.


    ¡°Stay away, stay away, no matter what you do to them, I won¡¯t break, I won¡¯t be defeated.¡±


    The boy then quickly pokes his head from the side of the cage, and says, ¡°BOO!¡±


    Which shocks the woman in the cage.


    ¦µ Unable to hold it back anymore, I fall to my side and burst out in laughter.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that worked. Aren''t you a beastkin?¡± I say as I laugh with my entire soul.¡±


    The former leader of the beastkin, Cult¨²ir, says, ¡°Look at you scaring a young lady like myself.¡±


    ¡°Young lady?¡±


    Cult¨²ir moves to the bar of her cage and tries to swipe at me, but I quickly move back from the bear''s wrath and say, ¡°Not today.¡±


    Composing herself, she sighs and says, ¡°Well, at least it isn¡¯t her.¡±


    As Cult¨²ir turns to move back to the bed in her cell, I say, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The evil one with the pink hair.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean Elia? Has she been down here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that demon. She has been coming here an-.¡± An icicle from one of the branches breaks off and drops down, which causes Cult¨²ir to stop talking and start to shake.


    ¡°She is coming, she is coming.¡±


    Throwing a snowball I made with my legacy at her, I say, ¡°No one is coming, and besides, she is just a normal human girl. You talk as if she could do something to you.¡±


    Moving up the cage, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°But she did!¡±


    Looking at her body, I say, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t look injured.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t attack with her body, but with her words. It is like I am being constantly smashed in my soul.¡±


    Cult¨²ir sticks her finger out of her cage and points to another cell and says, ¡°Just go see what she has done!¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Walking over to the cell beside her, I see D¨²r, the beastkin who tried to assassinate me and the rest of the Fanalis children before Cyrus showed up. But what I see turns my head Grey.


    With a giant smile on his face, D¨²r says, ¡°Is that you Orb? I hope you are having a fine day.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    My hair turns switches between cream, yellow, and orange, and I say, ¡°W-What happened to you?¡±


    With eyes as pure as a newborn baby''s, he says, ¡°Nothing, my good Orb, I have just been saved and redeemed from the beast I was before. On that note, I humbly apologise for my prior behaviour. It was rash, indecency, beastly, uncouth, and I hope you accept the apology of this scum before you.¡±


    ¦µ Orb look towards Cult¨²ir, and she says, ¡°That witch did that to all the other ministers as well. She broke their souls with her words, then with that same tongue built them back up in a matter of da-.¡±


    Cult¨²ir comes to a stop as she sees Orb with a completely smithen facial expression and says, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    With blue hair, Orb says, ¡°Nothing! Just lost in thought!¡±


    ¦µ Walking back toward Cult¨²ir¡¯s cage, Dur says, ¡°Please forgive me.¡±


    Standing in front of her, I say, ¡°I will send a doctor down and restrict her entry here for a while.¡±


    Calming down, Cult¨²ir sits back down on her bed and says, ¡°I thank you. Now I will be willing to give some grace to you usurper. Tell me what you want and leave.¡±


    Sitting down on the floor with my legs crossed, I say, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I just came here to talk for a bit.¡±


    Seeing her blow a cold cloud from her breath, I say, ¡°Chilly, isn¡¯t it. I can¡¯t believe you guys would build a prison down here.¡±


    ¡°It works as a method of getting people to comply. Discomfort can be worse than torture for some people.¡±


    ¡°But people are rather adaptable, especially beastkin, so it doesn¡¯t seem like it would work in the long run.¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, we don¡¯t all have the power of a wonderbeast. Prolonged cold isn¡¯t something we can deal with.¡±


    Orb, in a black shirt and shorts, with a blue bandana on his head, says, ¡°That isn¡¯t true. I feel cold as well.¡±


    ¡°THEN PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!¡±


    ¡°No need to shout. But don¡¯t worry, I have figured out a plan to help everyone out here.¡±


    Orb throws a ball of clothes over towards Cult¨²ir, and she grabs it and says, ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Some clothes made out of my hair. It holds the same cold-resistant properties that my body does. So it should keep you warm, though I guess as a bear beastkin, you were already doing fine beforehand.¡±


    Cult¨²ir, holding the coat, says, ¡°Why are you here? I am getting tried of this conversation, so tell me what you want and leave.¡±


    She drops the coat on the ground, and I say, ¡°I just wanted to come talk to you a bit about life.¡±


    Cult¨²ir stares me up and down, then says, ¡°From how exhausted you look. I am guessing that your efforts to rule haven¡¯t been going well.¡±


    With dark black hair, Orb says, ¡°Of course it hasn¡¯t been smooth. When you randomly inject a population of around 50,000 into a population of 7,000, things start getting chaotic really quickly. I haven¡¯t slept since the new year started and don¡¯t plan on for a while.¡±


    She giggles a bit and says, ¡°A rebellion isn¡¯t as easy as you thought, is it child, but if your looking for advice on how to rule you won¡¯t be getting a drop of it from me.¡±


    Puffing up my cheeks, I say, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t share some advice for someone as adorable as me!¡±


    ¡°I would smash that face with a hammer if I could.¡±


    ¡°Violent, but violence is a tool you love using, just indirectly.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do; it has allowed me to rule in peace all my life. It brings order, and amnesty, while being the only tool that is effective in a crisis.¡±


    ¡°Yet your people were culled by those same exact tools.¡±


    ¡°It was inevitable. We were so densely packed in this land that another hunger crisis was going to start. The moment the soil started to get damaged, people where going to die and I simply decided who would come out on top by acting first.¡±


    ¡°To a certain extent, I think you are right. People were going to die, but if you had chosen the more foolish option of holding out hope, in two decades, you would have all been allowed to escape.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me I should have counted on the fact that someone would randomly open up Fimbulwinter for us to escape through?¡±


    ¡°From a purely numbers point of view, what I am saying is stupid. But looking at things from a numbers point of view is inherently illogical because one would never have enough data to make a decision.¡±


    Enraged, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Shut your mouth, boy, I have heard enough of this nonsense. Leave!¡±


    ¡°I am sorry, but there are far too many lives on your hands for me to care about such things. Cult¨²ir the answer you gave me was number-based, but with the effort of both the druids and smart polices, the idea that the beastkin would starve immediately even after the soil issues is untrue.


    Beastkin have different dietary patterns, and druids, through the years, store large amounts of food within the great tree of Anucro¨ª. It may have been a logistical nightmare, but the option of saving as many as possible was there, so why didn¡¯t you choose it?¡±


    Composing herself, she says, ¡°Orb, in terms of knowledge, you may very well have more than I do. But one thing you do not have is experience in dealing with others.


    I have come to understand people''s minds and patterns over my long life, and I have seen all I need to justify my decision. Looking back on it, you could rightfully tell me that maybe there indeed was a way to feed everyone.


    But on that day, during the council of all our leaders, not one was thinking of such an outcome. They were fighting and letting out all of their grievances, trying to find ways to horde as much food as possible for those they aligned with.


    Because in the depths of each of their hearts, none of them wanted to help each other, just gain as much power as possible to defend themselves from each other.¡±


    ¡°That fear and hatred didn¡¯t start that day; it was merely the accumulation of the actions taken up to that point.¡±


    ¡°What of it? It existed in that moment, and even if I wanted it to, it wouldn¡¯t vanish. But more than that, people didn¡¯t want it to vanish.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Cult¨²ir laughs to herself and then says, ¡°You''re really are a idealist, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, just someone who understands how amazing the people around him truly are.¡±


    Her body moves in a manner that doesn¡¯t suit someone in a cell. In the micro-movements she makes, from tilting her head to the positioning of her hands as she speaks, it is elegant yet powerful.


    The presence she gives off radiates the title she has previously held in her life, and in the face of this, I start to freeze up. ¡°Well then, Orb, answer me this: what is a country?¡±


    Name: Echoing Hyena


    Height: 190cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Carnivore


    Description: A fur-covered, quadrupedal, spotted wonderbeast with holes scattered throughout its body that resembles a hyena in many regards. It has a strong, reinforced jaw that looks like a black piece of metal, and it has two elongated pieces of skin on the top of its shoulder that it can whip around to capture a target. They are capable of using the holes on their body to both sense changes in air pressure and use echolocation giving it an immense level of spatial awareness.


    Fact: Due to their immense level of spatial awareness, the Echoing Hyenas have been known to be very good at teamwork and have been spotted many times playing group games with each other. Some even say they have been spotted playing a form of football.

 Arc 11.02: Marriage

    Pausing momentarily, I say, ¡°A country is a place where a bunch of different people gather together to build a future for them all.¡±


    Laughing, she says, ¡°How childish.¡±


    Slightly peeved, I say, ¡°I don¡¯t see how what I said was wrong?¡±


    ¡°It was a very idealistic way to phrase such an answer. Exactly what I would expect from a dreamer like you.¡±


    ¡°If you know so much, tell me what a country is to you.¡±


    ¡°Orb, have you ever been married?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever want to be married?¡±


    ¡°N-No.¡±


    Smiling Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Well then, let me enlighten you on what it is. Marriage is a union where two strangers who know each other come together to bind themselves to each other for mutual benefit.


    Some do it for resources, some do it for protection, some do it for sex, some do it for security, some do it for dominance, some for genetic advantage, and some do it for love. As long as they or some party over them receive benefit it will work.


    In the past, sex and protection used to be the norm. Some say it is because marriage began as a way for providers to know the children they provide to are theirs; others say it is because we were divinely obligated to.


    Understanding another beastkin''s flaws and strengths, understanding some things need to be worked on, and some things that can¡¯t be changed. You accept them for who they are and love them regardless, and together, all the things you can do are multiplied, allowing you to benefit even more than you thought.


    It is an ever-moving, ever-growing relationship that requires massive amounts of time and effort, but in the end, to many, the benefit it gives them is enough.


    However, this relationship has a single pillar on which it relies on; Trust.


    It requires all parties involved to trust each other because on some level, these people are given a part of your life that you no longer have control of.


    The time and effort or even resources you have given to this person will never be given back, and regardless of the presence of an emotional bond or not, that loss will sting.


    In a marriage, you work to maintain trust above all other things, but if damaged, the chaos that ensues cannot be controlled.


    This person hurt me; but why would they after everything I have given them?; I hate them; is their a reason for this?; that¡¯s illogical; am I that insiginicant?; my life has been an utter waste; they apologized maybe they can change; this uneaseness has never vanished; right now while I can¡¯t see them are they betraying me again are they hurting me; this pain, this suffering I can¡¯t handle it anymore.


    And just like that, the marriage ends, but the suffering doesn¡¯t. Lost love festers into hate, which spreads like a virus, infecting every part of that person''s life, and now all others must face the distrust this one person caused.


    Maybe the hurt ones will love again and build themselves up, but that will take even more time, and that''s only if they are lucky as they could easily lose all hope and refuse to ever give another person that level of trust.


    That is a marriage, and Orb, a country is a marriage between every single citizen. You must trust your countrymen, you must understand your countrymen, you must be patient with your countrymen, you must stand by your countrymen, you must work with your countrymen, and you must trust that your countrymen won¡¯t betray you.


    But love is a zero sum game, and not everyone can care and respect others in this world. So you choose those you care about based on blood, ideals, personality, or even strength, and choose to stay and care for those people. Regardless of whether you do that or not you are in a form of marriage with your countrymen. Their actions affect you. Their selfishness can cause the collapse of your life, their anger can drag you into battles, their stupidity can deprive you of efficient systems, and their immorality can allow evil to thrive, which comes for those you care about.


    This continues and continues until the trust you have placed in them fades, and the marriage crumbles. But not all marriages end in divorce at not immediately.


    You simply withdraw yourself from the rest, yet you can¡¯t leave without destroying all you have built, and so you try to get them to change, and when they don¡¯t, the hatred grows, it mutates. You have plenty of valid grievances at first, but the fact that they go answered makes them change more and more until it becomes nothing but an illogical hatred and fear of the others. You enter into a state worse than divorce, you become part of a loveless marriage, where all parties start looking for reasons to remove the other from it.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But if, for any reason, the remaining benefit is perturbed, the beings you no longer see as anything resembling beastkin are now simply objects that stand between you and your goals. So you fight, kill and steal from each other, breaking everything down into nothingness. And that¡¯s what the beastkin did, that¡¯s what we all did. Grievances turned to discrimination and then to genocide.


    We were all innocent in bringing ourselves to this place, yet we were all complicit in not ending things, and in that chaos where our soil was damaged I made a choice to help those I care for the most. I don¡¯t feel even the tiniest bit of remorse over what I did to the Fanalis for all these decades. Because the only reason they see me as a villain is because I got to hurt them before they could enact the same on me. That is simply the end state of a gathering of a bunch of people who only tolerate each other so they can survive. And in your little country, your dream kingdom the same is bound to happen.


    Blood and soil are used to try and minimise this effect, but your little mishmash kingdom of a bunch of strangers doesn¡¯t have the same leeway. You truly make me laugh Orb, as the very idea of your kingdom is foolish. Installing almost 50,000 beastkin into a population of 7,000 is laughable. So, as you fall and are crushed under the weight of bureaucracy that will follow such a transition, I will sit here and laugh as the bodies pile up in your new homeland.


    But you have never thought of that, have you? Children often think of themselves as indestructible, revolutionaries who will pave a new way, but in the end you are simply the same as all those who have come before you, and the fact you think of yourself to even be slightly different is proof of your unending arrogance and stupidty.¡±


    ¦µ As C¨²ltuir finishes her rant, she looks at the green hair of the boy in front of her. Looking at her, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, not once have I thought of myself as a super special being who stands above others.¡±


    ¡°Lies won¡¯t refute your actions. To even attempt what you are doing is proof of all I have said.¡±


    With a dumbfounded look, Orb says, ¡°You¡¯re not going crazy from old age, are you?¡±


    Getting up and shaking with black hair, he says, ¡°I need to get a doctor to treat you right now.¡±


    Stomping her foot, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Don¡¯t mock me!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t mocking you, I just thought you where being serious.¡±


    Looking at his hands, Orb says, ¡°I know I am not special; in fact, there is a good chance this life of mine wasn''t ever assigned worth. But it doesn¡¯t matter as I know that good people have gathered around me, and two great men have passed down their strength, knowledge and love to me. So I will continue trying hard.¡±


    ¡°As if ¡®trying hard¡¯ will get you anywhere. That¡¯s what everyone thinks at first, but they all still end in failure of destruction. I heard from the witch that none of the superpowers from the third human-beastkin war still stand. Even the greats who united humanity again all fell eventually, and so will you.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably? If you can admit that, why are you even wasting everyone¡¯s time, you fool. Trying to form a marriage between so many parties is an endlessly complex web, and the fact that you keep trying can mean you''re nothing more than a lunatic.¡±


    ¡°Something being endlessly complex doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible. No matter how large a number is, it is still finite, it will always be closer to us than to the infinite. So I will try my best till the day I die. But you''re still right in that I might fail and that my idea might just be impossible. Still, all I can do is try and pass down what I did so those that come after me can learn from what I do.


    Even if it is just a little bit, I will unravel a knot in the endless web that we all face. Because both you and I stand on top of the shoulders of giants. So I plan to keep that going into the future.¡±


    Cult¨²ir grits her teeth at Orb¡¯s words and clenches her fist, and then says, ¡°It¡¯s a stupid dream one that always ends with the ones you wish to speak to closing their ears and burying their heads in the ground.¡±


    ¡°Good thing life on this planet created countless ways to communicate with each other, and besides, Orbs are good at making people get see how amazing they are.¡±


    She giggles a bit and says, ¡°Fine then. Do whatever you want.¡±


    Sneaking through the cage handles, Orb with a giant smile on his face, says, ¡°You look ready to receive a hug!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Walking up closer to her, Orb stares at all of the bear parts of Cult¨²ir and says with a degenerate look, ¡°Come on, as fellow living beings, let¡¯s hug and share our happiness with each other!¡±


    ¡°I know those eyes, or ancients warn of you perverts, who enjoy animals!¡±


    ¡°I would have you know I enjoy all bodies whether dead or alvie. So come on, let¡¯s hug, and let¡¯s get a feel for each other. I am very soft, I promise!¡±


    Glaring at him, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°Try me and I will kill you.¡± All of the happiness she had just felt vanished, and a fury even more intense than anything she had said the entire day.


    Freezing up, Orb says with white hair, ¡°Fine then, I just have to work up to it.¡±


    ¡°No chance in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Then I just got to make sure we go to them same place after death.¡±


    ¡°I doubt any god would allow me to go anywhere like that after death.¡±


    ¡°Well then, you should at least try and be good, and the first step in that is keeping your promises.¡±


    Orb gestures to someone when outside of the cage, and then moments later, Maple walks in front of the cage with a notebook and a pencil in hand. Then she says, ¡°Hi, Cult¨²ir.¡±


    ¡°Maple, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think you would get out of teaching me how to rule just because you¡¯re a criminal now?¡±


    Cult¨²ir is stunned for a few moments, then giggles a bit, saying, ¡°I do like the idea of having a dumb, na?ve mind to beat each day. So I will, at the very least, keep this promise, Maple.¡±


    Sitting down with her legs crossed, Maple says, ¡°Try your best. I will see through any nonsense and take what I need.¡±


    Orb smiles a bit and walks away, and as he does, Cult¨²ir says, ¡°In my room, you can use Beast blood battle arts to move the floor around, and if you do, you¡¯ll find a book with some helpful information on how things operate.¡±


    Orb runs forward, and as he does, he shouts, ¡°THANK YOU!¡±

 Arc 11.03: Willows Heart part 1

    -Break-


    Location: Nialathr¨²


    ¦µ In front of a couple, I stand, and just like all the rest I asked, they say, ¡°Sorry we don¡¯t know much about him.¡±


    Smiling, I say, ¡°I see.¡±


    Then I walk through the busy streets.


    All around me are beastkin and humans moving things around as they work to count the resources scattered throughout Nialathr¨². All objects must be accounted for so that we can properly plan our future.


    It is rather boring work, but all parties doing it are invigorated. For the beastkin, it is due to their liberation and remorse for their past actions, and for the humans, it is out of happiness that they don¡¯t have to work in the freezing cold anymore.


    Each party works hand in hand as they smile away with each other, I struggle to see the difference between beastkin and human. If only I could, if only the beastkin didn¡¯t function as a living being in my brain, then maybe this sadness could disappear.


    One of the beastkin walking up to me says, ¡°You''re from Aplo,s right?¡±


    ¡°Nodding my head, I say, ¡°Yes, my wife is the chief.¡±


    ¡°Then would you be able to pass this list onto Orb?¡±


    Taking the notebook handed to me, I say, ¡°I will be on it.¡±


    And with those few words, I run, and run, and keep running away from everyone around me, but no matter how fast I move, I can¡¯t outrun this pain, this guilt.


    Because I killed someone.


    A Ruathar hopper Fanalis, the mercenary who was protecting the attacker Cult¨²ir and the rest of the ministers set up to be a light for the war, and he knew all of this before he signed up. That people would die, that another bloody war down here would break out. That the hatred which had always caused so much pain and decay would grow even more. Yet he didn¡¯t care because as long as he profited, and that very idea could have brought destruction onto countless people. He was scum and deserved to die.


    Yet I can¡¯t get the image of him out of my mind, of his corpse laying flat on the ground without anything inside it. Our bodies are objects made of nature like everything else, but I never truly feel like that. On some level, I think I don¡¯t fully believe that people are like that.


    But when you look at a corpse and see something that was once filled with dreams, thoughts, emotions, expressions, and purpose lying on the ground without any of those things, it makes a sick feeling rush over my body.


    I have never liked seeing it; no matter how many people died from disease or hunting, I never got used to seeing their bodies. It doesn¡¯t feel right, death doesn¡¯t feel right.


    Putting my hands on my head, I say, ¡°What kind of childish nonsense am I saying?¡±


    Walking forward, I start to take slow and deep breaths.


    Regardless of how I feel about this, he still tried to make many people go through this same sickening feeling, and for that, I can¡¯t forgive him. I shouldn¡¯t forgive him. But I already know that, so why can¡¯t I deal with this? Why can¡¯t I just take this hatred and move on?


    Stopping, I look at a puddle of water on the ground, and as I see it, I say, ¡°It¡¯s because I am the one who dirtied my hands, isn¡¯t it? How pathetic am I?¡±


    -Break-


    In front of me lies a sight that is both annoying, amazing, and kind of terrifying.


    In the top of Nialthr¨², there is a hole the same one we used to reach the surface, and under that hole is a giant structure. In place of the platform Sen¨¢n built is a form of transportation system from the surface to Nialathr¨². It seems to use a kind of pulley system, or so I think it was called. There are no giant plant platforms that they use to carry things from the surface to the ground.


    As I stare at it dumbstruck, I soon hear shaking, and then moments later a palm drops on top of me and as it does the wind pressure from it knocks me to the ground.


    Pulling his palm away, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°Did I scare you this time?¡±


    ¡°Not even a bit. I heard the tremors long before you got here.¡±


    ¡°How upsetting.¡±


    As I stand up, I take a moment to stare at this magnificent creature in front of me. Gallant, beautiful, mesmerizing, even in this creature''s decayed state, it was nothing but breathtaking.


    Stolen story; please report.


    Yet the mind in that gorgeous body was anything but.


    Picking his nose, Sen¨¢n eats a booger so big it would suffocate a school.


    Seeing this, I smash my hands into the ground and say, ¡°IT SHOULD¡¯VE BEEN ME! WHY DOES THIS IDIOT GET SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BODY!¡±


    Giggling a bit, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°Danu warned of perverts who love animals, but this is the first time I have seen one in person.¡±


    ¡°I am no pervert, I just understand the magnificence of that body. So you should sharpen your mind to act in a way benefiting such a form.¡±


    Burping, Sen¨¢n says, ¡°I have took life a little too seriously for too long, so I am just going to sit back and relax from now on.¡±


    ¡°Whatever!¡± I say, turning my body to face the structure.


    ¡°Are you scared of heights?¡±


    ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I just saw you blindly staring at this, so I just assumed you are scared of heights.¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest. Just amazed that you beastkin could do something in less than 3 days.¡±


    ¡°It is only because of how ridiculously big my body is that I was able to use beast blood battle arts to such a large extent. But the real amazing ones are the druids who worked night and day implementing this that we got in done, though they will be useless for around a month now.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier for you to do such a thing with your beast blood battle arts?¡±


    ¡°In actuality I suck at using it, just like the rest of the modifications that brought me to this state, my druid horns where implanted on me. So I didn¡¯t start my life learning how to use this battle art.¡±


    Suddenly, every other person in the area stops and looks towards Sen¨¢n, then I say, ¡°Modifications?¡±


    ¡°I guess I never brought this up before, but I happen to be just a normal beastkin who was turned into this giant beast you see in front of you.¡±


    Some of the druids in the area run up and say, ¡°What do you mean you where turned into this?¡±


    ¡°How is this even possible?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s possible to implant Druid powers into other beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Why have you never brought it up?¡±


    ¡°We thought you where Chosen by our ancestors spirits to be like this, but your just a science experiment.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many theories we have made about your existence?¡±


    Sen¨¢n laughs a bit, then, rubbing the back of his head, says, ¡°I don¡¯t really see how this is such a big deal?¡±


    ¡°WELL, IT IS!¡±


    ¦µ Willow, seeing the druids arguing with Sen¨¢n, starts to walk away to the large elevator. Walking up to a beastkin, he says, ¡°Willow Berk. Of Aplos.¡±


    The beastkin writes his name down, then lets him move forward.


    The platforms to move up and down in a cycle are all rather large so they can move supplies, people and animals from the top to the bottom easily.


    To get on, one must quickly move onto one of the platforms before it heads up. Though for larger objects there are ways to stop it before sending it upwards.


    Willow, waiting for a platform to reach his level, jumps onto it with a shaky yet excited grin, and then he allows it to take him upwards.


    As he moves through the sky, he heads towards one of the walls. Each platform has three walls made out of plants with rails attached to each of them that hold a binding in case one wants to bind themselves to it.


    During the first movement of people from the top to the bottom, they had a fourth wall that the druids could create, but it was removed when they tried to make it move faster than before.


    But against all of the walls are a series of small little windows that allow one to see out into all of Nialathr¨² from above, and looking through one, Willow says, ¡°This place looks way better when you¡¯re not falling from the sky.¡±


    As Willow looks out of the window, his eyes are drawn to a location which causes images of the Fanalis dead body to flash in his mind.


    Falling to the ground in the elevator, Willow says, ¡°What is wrong with me?¡±


    But moments after that, the elevator shakes, which causes Willow to look around, and above him, he sees Sen¨¢n''s head. From the outside, Sen¨¢n is holding the elevator that Willow is on, bringing the whole chain to a stop.


    And as he stares over at Willow, he says, ¡°Don¡¯t allow pain to fester, because if it leaves for a little too long, you may end up hurting those you care about. If you truly care for your allies, let them suffer the pain you feel now instead of later.¡±


    Sen¨¢n, let¡¯s go, and as he does, the platform moves upwards, and Willow shouts, ¡°THANK YOU!¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Mable Mansion


    ¦µ Standing in front of the door, I take a deep breath then prepare to walk in.


    But as I put my hand on the door, it bursts open, and Orb flies directly into my face.


    Both of us manage to land and regain our footing. Then I stare at Orb, who has both his wolf ears and tail out and is wearing a woolly dark blue top, with dark blue pants as well, and throughout both is a silver design that wraps around into a crest.


    With an evil smirk on his face, he says, ¡°She is coming!¡±


    Rushing out the door, Suzuka tries to tackle Orb. Interupting her, I wrap my arms around her and hold her still, but like a rapid animal, she shakes in my arms saying, ¡°Let me go, I need to kill him!¡±


    Looking at Orb¡¯s smiling face, I say, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Orb looks at Suzuka, and she turns red, then says, ¡°If you tell him, I will kill you!¡±


    Holding up a doll, Orb says, ¡°I found this doll of Maple she made?¡±


    Looking at what looks to be an amazingly crafted yet freaky doll of my wife, I look down at Suzuka, who turns her head away from me, and she says, ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT TO STEAL HER! I JUST WANT TO BE HER DOG!¡±


    Falling to the ground Suzuka says, ¡°I know I am weird, but still I don¡¯t know what to do with this friendship with these feelings!¡±


    Orb slowly walks up to her and sits in front of her, saying, ¡°I think this is super cool.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair turns pink, and he says, ¡°Of course I do! Just from touching it I can feel the surge of emotions you have poured into it. Suzuka, you¡¯re a caring person, and the love you have is the sweetest drink anyone could ask for, so make sure to share it with all those you want to.¡±


    Suzuka, with a smile, nods her head and hugs Orb, then looking at me through the hug, Orb says, ¡°She is so easy?¡±


    Suzuka punches Orb in the stomach, then stomps away.


    As I look at Orb on the floor holding his stomach that has been ruptured from Suzuka¡¯s strength, I ask, ¡°Why do you always pick anatognize her?¡±


    ¡°Because if everyone is too nice to her due to her behaviour, she will grow up into a spoilt brat. So I got to make sure someone is always there to challenge her in some way.¡±


    Standing up, Orb walks back into the room and says, ¡°Now Willow what did you want to talk about?¡±

 Arc 11.04: Willow part 2

    Walking into his room Orb sits on his bed, and as he does I ask, ¡°Why are you dressed up like that?¡±


    ¡°I have a meeting with some important people later on and needs to at least look just as nice for them.¡±


    Spinning around, Orb says, ¡°This outfit is similar to stuff Setanta wore back in the past; Suzuka made it up for me today.¡±


    ¡°She made that in a day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah she did learn a lot from her mother, it is shocking how talented she is at so many things.¡±


    ¡°You''re one to speak?¡±


    With gold hair and an inflated head, Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t be jealous Willow I am sure you will be good at something someday!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t hear you from down there.¡±


    Orb jumps on top of my back, and says, ¡°You just called me short again!"


    ¡°Only LITTLE, children get mad over something SMALL, like this,¡± I say while tossing him onto the ground.


    Rolling around on the floor like a child, Orb says, ¡°SHUT YOU BIG MEANIE ONE DAY I WILL GROW UP TALL AND BE LIKE YOU!¡±


    ¡°ANY MOTHER AROUND! WE NEED SOME BREAST MILK FOR THIS BABY!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP! If you were born 2000 years ago, I would have cut off your legs!¡±


    ¡°Huh why?¡±


    ¡°It was a common beastkin punishment. Basically, apparent the core of a beastkins existence is in their tights so damaging it caused weakening of all their beastlike traits.¡±


    I quickly sit down full of excitement and say, ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t that mean lame people would be sickly.¡±


    ¡°You''re right about that. Culainn despite being a flying beastkin could never fly due to this issue. But apparently there is actually more to it than that, beastkin who are born druids apparently have a different muscle structure around those parts, but the technology back then didn¡¯t fully allow them to investigate it. Setanta learned a lot of this stuff inside Ell¨¦n Trechend.¡±


    ¡°Ell¨¦n Trechend?¡±


    ¡°A behemoth wonderbeast made up of a bunch of different smaller wonderbeasts, that was also converted into a giant library.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S SUPER COOL! What wonderbeasts was it made up of!?


    ¡°Well you see it first started with a, wait do you want me to talk about all the wonderbeasts and their own stories first or just how they work with Ell¨¦n?¡±


    Scratching my chin, I try to say something, but then I close my mouth and palm Orb''s face saying, ¡°YOUR DERAILING THE CONVERSATION AGAIN.¡±


    Putting him in a headlock he says, ¡°But you asked?¡±


    ¡°Of course I asked, I can¡¯t help myself, you know how I am with animals! We keep getting our conversations derailed recently, whenever we try to talk about anything?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s my fault!¡±


    ¡°NO, BUT I WON¡¯T BE ABLE TO STOP MYSELF SO YOU HAVE TO!¡±


    As I let go of him we face each other, and I give him a notebook saying, ¡°This is the count of the eastern area of Nialathr¨².¡±


    Holding it Orb says, ¡°This will help when it comes to planning for our feature.¡±


    Noticing his tired eyes, I say, ¡°You look worn out.¡±


    Rubbing the back of his head Orb says with blue hair, ¡°Do I? Sorry about that, I don¡¯t mean to make you worry. It is just that I don¡¯t know when all of the systems the beastkin used to run their government will start to collapse due to our investigation.¡±


    Dumnorix came with a list of all the people within the government of the beastkin who were working with and or conspiring with the ministers, and for their crimes, they had to be thrown into prison. Which to a certain extent has left the government without many of its systems functioning. So now it¡¯s essentially a race as to whether and not we can stabilize enough things or let the whole system crash.


    "Despite all of the horrible things they did, the Beastkins systems ran efficiently enough, so I would much rather integrate and clean up the system than destroy it, but the Fanalis needed a show of trust, so I had to throw out far too many people from the government.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just allowed them to stay in government long enough to help you keep things running, and have just pushed back the Fanalis problems.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°We already tried that with Aplos, and we saw how much chaos that caused with only 7,000 people. Trying that again with a population of 50,000 would ruin us, and letting a bunch of people who tried to turn all of their people towards civil war isn¡¯t a popular thing to do.¡±


    ¡°But now all of the weight has been pushed onto you. That¡¯s just selfish.¡±


    With purple hair, Orb says, ¡°It is fine, and people like Avram¡¯s, his workers, and the people from Skydust have been helping me along with Dumnorix. Besides this handy journal I got from Cult¨²ir has given me a lot of critical knowledge, so everything should be fine going forward.¡±


    As Orb gets up, he says, ¡°Thanks for delivering this.¡± Then starts to walk away.


    And as he does I try to open my mouth, but I close it. Right now, he is going through so much, yet I want to bother him with my issues, am I insane? I can barely handle taking one life on my own and here I think I can pester someone doing this to thousands of lives, how foolish am I?


    Orb turning around says, ¡°Oh, is anything bothering you Willow?¡±


    Trying my best to hold back in my feeling, I close my eyes, and say, ¡°No I am doing just fine.¡±


    Seconds after this I open them, and I am greeted with a knee to the face. ¡°WHY!?¡±


    Grabbing me by the collar and shaking me, Orb says, ¡°I have seen that look, it is I am going stab my best friend in the heart face, and I have seen where it leads.¡±


    Shaking me far more violently than before he says, ¡°NOW TELL ME WHAT¡¯S BOTHERING YOU!¡±


    ¡°NOTHING!¡±


    ¡°BULLSHIT, I DON¡¯ T FEEL LIKE TAKING A SPEAR THROUGH THE CHEST AT A CRITCAL MOMENT SO TELL ME!¡±


    ¡°OK FINE! JUST DROP ME!¡±


    As me and Orb split up, I lower my head, and say, ¡°During the time when I had to catch the attackers of Dillon, they had a bodyguard with them, who I ended up killing in battle.¡±


    ¡°Willow.¡±


    Shaking, I say, ¡°I know it is stupid and I know it is foolish, but I just can¡¯t seem to handle that at all. I keep thinking crazy things like he could have changed, or is there someone who would weep for him like I did for my parents? The fact that I have killed someone just makes me feel filthy, even though I have been fine with other people doing it for me, and I just don¡¯t know how I feel about that.¡±


    As tears start to fall from my eyes, I wipe them, and say, ¡°Sorry I am so pathetic.¡±


    Orb quickly grabs my hand, and with white hair he says, ¡°Willow.¡±


    Then he flips me onto the ground, and I smash my head off the floor.


    Holding my head I roll around on the ground just wishing that the pain would disappear even a little bit.


    ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°Just a reminder that you are alive. Whenever I get a bit too wrapped up in my thoughts I do the same to remind myself that pain still moves through this body, and I can still affect the world. Willow, I am sure more people have died to my actions already than will ever in your life, but I am alive so I must keep moving forward because if I don¡¯t all the lives lost won¡¯t matter in any form.¡±


    He stretches out his hand, and as Orb does I stare into his eyes for a moment.


    Even if it is only faint, I can see them within his eyes, the people who have died because of him. Orb all this time since you have returned, have you been carrying this same awful feeling?


    Grabbing his hand, I allow him to pull me up and I give him a hug.


    Smiling Orb says, ¡°Hugs are nice.¡±


    I am sure the chaos that led to that man¡¯s death won¡¯t be the end of the battles we will all have to face, and when the bodies pile up I want to be able to take on some of the weight from Maple and Orb.


    Even if I feel like shit for the rest of my days, I want to keep my family safe throughout it all. That¡¯s a promise I make to myself, and I make to them.


    I quickly move to fling Orb onto the ground, and as he slams on the ground he says, ¡°YOU DIRTIED THE SANCTITY OF THE HUG!¡±


    Picking my nose, and flicking it onto him, I say, ¡°I guess I did.¡±


    Through the doors one of Avram¡¯s associates Ivana walks in dressed in a similar get up to Orb, and says, ¡°We need to leave now Orb, or we will be late to the meeting.¡±


    ¡°Oh crap!¡±


    Running out the door, Orb says, ¡°Hey Willow if you wish to learn more about Barr, go to the graveyard run by old man Aois.¡±


    With that Orb rushes out, and sigh saying, ¡°So his name was Barr. How much did you already know.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Grand graveyard of Nialathr¨²


    As I get close to the graveyard, I see a ball flying towards me which I quickly catch, then moments later I see a bunch of children both beastkin and Fanalis running towards me saying, ¡°PASS!¡±


    I prepare to throw the ball at them, but then from behind me my arm is grabbed, and then I hear my favourite voice say, ¡°HEY WHAT DID I TELL YOU BRATS ABOUT PLAYING SO CLOSE TO THE GRAVEYARD!¡±


    Looking over I see Maple slightly annoyed by their presence.


    Hearing her complaints the kids make mocking faces towards her, and she starts to squeeze the ball until they fall in alone.


    Seeing her cute face, I plant a kiss on her cheek, which causes her to blush and say, ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t hold back.¡±


    One kid says, ¡°She¡¯s in love!¡±


    And the rest say, ¡°EWWWW!¡±


    ¡°SCRAM!¡± Maple shouts while throwing the ball into the distance.


    As they leave she takes a moment to calm down, then turns to me and asks, ¡°Willow what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Obviously I came to see my adorable little wife.¡±


    She playful hits me in the stomach with her fool power, then blushing looks away and says, ¡°A-A-Adorable, I can¡¯t with you. If you think you''re definitely getting special treatment later, you would only be 80% correct.¡±


    Holding my stomach in pain, I say, ¡°This is totally worth it.¡±


    Standing up slowly, I ask, ¡°Do you know where Aois is?¡±


    ¡°He is over here just follow me.¡±


    As we walk I say, ¡°The kids seem to like you a lot.¡±


    ¡°They did force me to play with them for an entire day and at the very least it seems it made them attached to me.¡±


    Looking into all the people working on the graves in the distance, I ask, ¡°Are you guys still burying the war casualties?¡±


    ¡°No, right now we are moving some of the bodies of the Fanalis who were not allowed to be buried here before into the graveyard.¡±


    ¡°I can see the sentiment, but is it really practical.¡±


    ¡°Apparently so, Sen¨¢n gave us some new wisdom that the reason the soil became as damaged as it did was that all of the wonderbeasts aspects from the beastkins bodies slowly overtimes eroded the soil quality.


    And when the population hit levels where people were dying faster than the soil could break down their bodies we eventually reached a point like this where the soil started to lose its ability to sustain life.¡±


    ¡°That must be hard work?¡±


    ¡°In this new era for us all, everyone is working hard, so I will continue to.¡±


    Hugging her from behind, I say, ¡°You really are amazing.¡±


    Maple remains shy but still allows me to hug her, until she stops and points at a small old man and says, ¡°That¡¯s Aois.¡±


    Kissing her on the cheek, I run away and say, ¡°See you later.¡±

 Arc 11.05: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 1

    Walking over to Aois, I wave my hand and say, ¡°I am Willow.¡±


    ¡°Maple husband,¡± he says with a jolly tone. ¡°She happens to talk about you all the time.¡±


    ¡°What does she say?¡± I ask with a joyous look.


    ¡°Wel-,¡± Before Aois can finish speaking a stone is thrown that passes by his head, and then he says, ¡°I value my life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a smart decision.¡±


    Walking forward with a gravestone in hand, he says, ¡°Come with me as I work.¡±


    Seeing him struggle I pick up the gravestone along with a couple of others lying about and follow him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good man.¡±


    ¡°I just grew up around lots of respectable people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice to hear. I hope all of my kids will be able to turn out like you as well.¡±


    ¡°I think they all have a rather respectable man raising them, so I am sure they will.¡±


    ¡°I am not as good as you think I am. My words and pleas caused the beastkin to go to war with each other. My fear of another slaughter pushed me into making what I can only refer to as a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Many were tricked by the ministers even me and Maple wouldn¡¯t have figured this out unless Suzuka came and told us.¡±


    ¡°In the end that doesn¡¯t matter, despite how short to confrontation was people died due to it. Even if it wasn¡¯t me who started it all, I still have responsibility for it.


    And running from that will just make the lives of those that felt be even more meaningless than they have been rendered due to my actions.¡±


    Smiling I say, ¡°See respectable.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Now Willow why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Hey Aois, during the battle I fought to catch the perpetrator of the attack on the Fanalis, I ended up fighting a single Fanalis warrior which I killed called Barr.¡±


    Aois not even stopping for a moment says, ¡°He was a child raised here due to being orphaned at the end of the first war.¡±


    ¡°You raised a Fanalis? I thought you only raised non-Fanalis?¡±


    ¡°Fanalis children don¡¯t always start off looking like animals, sometimes the adaption grows as they age, and Barr was one of those cases. He grew up after a giant crisis and was raised by me during a formative stage of his life. Back then I was far less friendly to Fanalis than I am currently in my life. And he was exposed to all of that. The reason he was orphaned, all of these people had died, and all his friends lost their parents was due to fanalis, and his hatred for them grew each day. During the post-war era, the hatred many felt for Fanalis united them, and the boy who had lived through the end stages of that war found a home in that hatred. But when he became a Fanalis all of that fell apart. His friends abandoned him, his community some him as the enemy, and worst of all even I let my love for him fade. For the second time in his life the Fanalis in some form have taken what he truly wanted, but this time he had no one to comfort himself with, and eventually became the man you saw.¡±


    As we eventually reach a place with lots of dirt that was recently dug up and put back into the ground, Aois takes the gravestones from me and sets them down over the specified area.


    And as he does I shake a bit, then I say, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be it wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    ¡°But he was a person, he was your son.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t my son. I don¡¯t deserve to call him that.¡±


    Turning to me, Aois says, ¡°Willow I can see you regret what you have done, that¡¯s why you came to me, and I am sure hearing his story has only increased that regret. But don¡¯t beat yourself over something like this.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I have decided to take all of this and move forward regardless of whether I think it was good or not.¡±


    ¡°A strong resolve. And if you have that don¡¯t regret Barr''s death. He had suffered a lot, but he had chosen to replace his lost love with hatred that eventually turned on himself. I didn¡¯t help, but I can also tell you after raising countless children they aren¡¯t clean slates, he was capable of making choices himself which could change his end. Dumnorix was raised by me as well, and instead of choosing hatred, he spent the days under me ignoring my teaching and looking for a way to bring peace to everyone. We all carry a certain degree of responsibility and only by realizing that can we all truly help each other and move forward. I failed Barr, and Barr failed Barr, so don¡¯t fret Willow.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I am sorry but I will fret. If put in the same situation a hundred times I would still end up killing Barr, so I won¡¯t regret that action, but I will fret, I will know I could¡¯ve saved him. All of this is so that when I next encounter this situation, I can look for an alternative I wouldn¡¯t have encountered with Barr. Like you said everyone will take a certain degree of responsibility, and I will take my own and use it to grow.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong man.¡±


    ¡°I think someone who can admit their wrongdoings to a stranger is far stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, now please use that strength to help me finish this.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¦µ As the two of them work together from Abais castle Orb stares out towards them, and says, ¡°I hope everything is going well for Willow.¡±


    Orb quickly turns his head to Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim, and says, ¡°Come on three idiots, let¡¯s get this done.¡±


    But the three of them shake far too much and say, ¡°We can¡¯t, we can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, Avram lent you guys to me today, so let¡¯s try our best.¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°No in that room are way too many heavy hitters, we can¡¯t deal with them.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°I feel like I am back at school again. They''re going to bully the shit out of me.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°We escaped from Blestemate so we wouldn¡¯t have to put up with nonsense like me.¡±


    Picking them all up in a hug, Orb says, ¡°Please I need you guy''s help, your all so smart that I can¡¯t do this without you guys.¡±


    All together they say, ¡°You think we are smart?¡±


    ¡°Oh course I do.¡±


    From all of their eyes tears poor out, and then Orb with grey hair says, ¡°Huh. Why are you guys crying?¡±


    Gheroghe says, ¡°Iancu, Avaram, and Elia never compliment us.¡±


    Wadim says, ¡°They are always giving us sass or complaining.¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°Is this what nice words feel like? I never thought it would be this good.¡±


    They all stand up and look at Orb with tears pouring down their faces, and then say, ¡°We do it!¡±


    Excited Orb says, ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Now let¡¯s head in!¡±


    Walking towards the door with yellow hair, Orb opens it and he enters Cult¨²ir dining room, the same one she meets with Maple and Willow in.


    But around the circular table is five beastkin.


    ¦µ From the journal I got from Cult¨²ir I was able to learn a lot about the way this country is put together, but more importantly than that I was able to figure out something that was slowly becoming an issue; Who is competent?


    I have had to dismantle or at least freeze many things within the country for the sake of showing public trust in the beastkin and Fanalis who have been harmed by the current rulers.


    But even in a corrupt system there are still those who have earned their way through some form of merit, and those skilled workers are the pillars of society who will be needed going forward.


    And from that journal, I identified 5 people who I need to quickly gain on my side.


    Fois the pangolin. Among the druids who specialize in medical studies, he is at the forefront, creating many new drugs per year that have been misused by the current administration to great effect.


    Luachan the monkey. The chief economist of the beastkin, whose efforts have made sure that the policies implemented by the ruling government post-war had the ability to ease the troubles of the public.


    S¨ªofra the matriAnt. A Fanalis who leads a large number of ant Fanalis. Due to their biology and physical capabilities, they are able to build large amounts of structure with incredible speed and precision.


    Aoibhinn the bear. A druid who specializes in genetic modification of plants, and wonderbeasts. He has inherited the teachings of Boann the druid and has followed her teachings to ensure that they keep a diverse bloodline and food supply.


    Ganthr¨² the marshal bee. The leader of the military of Nialathr¨² and also the man who tried to kill Maple and Willow upon their first arrival. He has the trust of the people within Nialathr¨² and is respected by his men to an intense degree.


    Together all of these people in front of me make up the true backbone of this country and if I don¡¯t sway them to my side chaos will spread and ensew in this new country of ours.


    -A little time before Orb arrived-


    ¦µ Tapping his foot again and again, Luachan says, ¡°I can¡¯t deal with this, I can¡¯t deal with this.¡±


    Aoibhinn says, ¡°Stop being a child Luachan, you already know that complaining doesn¡¯t solve anything. I can¡¯t believe this is the man who has stopped economic crisis for us so many times.¡±


    Fois says, ¡°If you here ever dealt with economic theory you would know it is always a certain degree of randomness thrown into it. Someone who deals with that for their job is no doubt going to be stressed.¡±


    S¨ªofra says, ¡°I find it funny that you like to pretend you aren¡¯t scared Aoibhinn.¡±


    ¡°You have something to say S¨ªofra!?¡±


    Ganthr¨² looking at Aoibheann says, ¡°Calm your tone, if you don¡¯t you will end up like your sister Cult¨²ir and thrown in prison.¡±


    Calming herself down, Aoibheann says, ¡°You say that like you won¡¯t be first on the list.¡±


    Fois says, ¡°Now, let¡¯s all calm down, you young children are getting far too rowdy for me.¡±


    All of the other beastkin in the room look at Fois the tiny Pangolin who looks similar to a child.


    S¨ªofra says, ¡°Don¡¯t say such things Fois, you might make Aoibhinn feel old.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the second oldest here, I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡±


    S¨ªofra takes part of the wonderbeast the matriant, and antlike wonderbeast. Though, unlike a normal Fanalis whose animal parts tend to overpower her humanistic elements, S¨ªofra looks far more like a normal beastkin leaning towards a Fanalis. Her body shape is clearly that of a woman, with her skin and body being made out of the same material as an ants white exoskeleton, but despite that, her head is that of a human.


    With a smug look on her face, she says, ¡°But unlike you, it¡¯s nearly impossible to tell my age since my exoskeleton nearly breaks.¡±


    ¡°You annoying little Fan-.¡± Aoibheann stops herself, and S¨ªofra laughs.


    ¡°You can no longer use that as an insult, oh how good it feels to be socially dominant I can¡¯t wait to abuse this power.¡±


    Luachan says, ¡°How are you all so calm!¡±


    Their attention all focused on him, and he continued saying, ¡°We are now being thrown into the world, with extremely little information, or any form of goodwill to use as bargaining power.


    The humans have been sharing stories of how the beastkin have been evil villains for over 2000 years, and now we have to enter such a world. In fact, we are already at a disadvantage in our negotiations with king Orb, because he has sole control over all the ice and snow that covers Victoria. None of you seems to understand how utterly screwed we all are.¡±

 Arc 11.06: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 2

    Luachan continues, ¡°We have no bargaining power at all. Right now, we are completely slaves to the whims of the Orb, and they could take everything they want from us. And if we refuse, Sen¨¢n will defend them and throw us all into prison. I don¡¯t want to go to prison, I hate the cold!¡±


    Fois turning to Luachan says, ¡°You¡¯re letting your youth best you Luachan. This is by no means the worst crisis we have ever faced, I can assure you of that. Don¡¯t fall into the lie that is fear, and keep your eyes open. There are benefits we also have that one could learn of if they bothered to look around."


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Fois says, ¡°Unlike the rest of you I didn¡¯t have any bad stigma so I was able to do a little reconnaissance. So I was able to find out that humans currently have a financing problem, and with that, we have an advantage. They are looking to make money by selling goods, but even those goods are limited in quantity. But what isn¡¯t limited in quantity are all of the different goods and tools the beastkin have made here over the last 2000 years. We have been separated from the world but it was also separated from us.


    We control all of the best workers in the country and have the exclusive rights to the best products within the Nialathr¨², and unless Orb wishes to start off this peaceful union with tyranny, we will hold an advantage.¡±


    As footsteps encroach from outside, Fois says, ¡°We have power, so don¡¯t show him your butt, and keep your minds calm and collected. But most importantly be nice everyone.¡±


    Orb opening the door walks in with the three idiots behind him. He wavers to all five of the beastkin in front of him and says, ¡°I hope you guys are doing well.¡±


    Each of them returns his greeting with nerves of steel reinforced by Fois''s words to them all. Each of them holds their heads up high and meets Orb¡¯s gaze.


    Seeing this makes the three idiots behind Orb calm down, and then under their breath, they all say, ¡°These glares are way better than Elia¡¯s.¡±


    Orb signals them which causes them to start to move as he also puts on a pair of glasses on his face, then says, ¡°As you know I am Orb Rian, brother of the Leader of Aplos, and the one currently trying to allow our two countries to fuse together harmoniously, to get the best future for us both.¡±


    Aoibheann scoffs at his words, which gets her a quick glare from Ganthru.


    Continuing, Orb says, ¡°As we all know there has been a deep settled hatred between the beastkin for some time now, but due to Sen¨¢n story and the efforts of people like Dumnorix it seems that for the first time in a long while everyone is ready to put their differences away.¡±


    Looking at Ganthr¨², Orb says, ¡°Even if the violence formerly committed has still left a bad taste in everyone''s mouths.¡±


    S¨ªofra giggles which makes Ganthr¨² kick her under the table.


    ¡°Yet this fusion between our two parties hasn¡¯t been going as efficiently as I had hoped. But due to some recent knowledge, I have found out that you five could help me with this issue, and that¡¯s why today I would like to partner up with you.¡±


    Luachan increasing his fear mutters under his breath, ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Could you speak up Luachan?¡± Orb asks.


    Luachan shuts his mouth, and then Siofra says, ¡°What Luachan was getting at is that you have a rather funny way of putting things. He meant no other harm.¡±


    ¡°I see. I always thought myself to be quite hilarious,¡± Orb says with green hair. ¡°But enough of that, right now it is time to tell you guys what we shall be doing in the future.¡±


    Behind Orb the three idiots have set up a series of interconnected boxes and inside the boxes are lights.


    The three idiots then press a button on the back, then inside the boxes, a light is projected.


    The light hits the face of the boxes and then Ivana uses her hair to press a series of inputs on the back of the boxes, and then the boxes reform themselves showing a specific set of images appear.


    As all the boxes light up what is shown on the faces of the boxes is a presentation of Orb¡¯s plan including slides.


    Seeing this the beastkin in the room are all taken aback, and Orb says, ¡°This is a tool my allies made, which allows us to generate images by combining the different engraving on each box along while using colour filters for the lights.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Looking at the box S¨ªofra is taken aback, and says, ¡°The level of skill it would take to make this would require days of planning and expert craftsmanship.¡±


    The three idiots start to smile, and Orb says, ¡°I am happy you enjoyed that, but for now let¡¯s pay attention to my presentation.¡±


    A series of slides appear one after another, and as they do Orb says, ¡°Currently standing the beastkin are disliked all over the world. In fact you guys are so disliked I don¡¯t even know where to begin. But a good place would be this book.¡±


    Throwing a book onto the table in front of them, Ganthr¨² picks it up and says, ¡°The Hero king and the demon lord?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a childhood story, that I  and many others have read growing up. It is about a saviour chosen by god who tries to annihilate the evil beasts who are the children of animals and demons. At first, I just thought this was fiction, but after having a conversation with Iancu, I came to know that this book is based on the Second human-beastkin war.¡±


    Fois says, ¡°That¡¯s a rather unflattering look for us beastkin to have.¡±


    ¡°Very much so, but that is only one of the many childhood stories based on you guys. To put it very simply people do not like you guys in the slightest. BUT THAT CAN BE CHANGED!¡±


    Orb signals the three idiots, and soon the boxes change shape into a giant slide, and after reading what¡¯s on it Aoibheann, says, ¡°Beastkin world friendship plan?¡±


    ¡°EXACTLY! Right now people think you beastkin are monsters but to counter this idea we must fight back against it using all we can get our hands on.¡±


    Orb snaps his fingers and the three idiots drop giant books in front of the beastkin, and then says, ¡°Those are books my dream friend Avram made for me, they include an overview of important the current history of the countries within the world, as well as an overview of Chronicle Nimbus reports for the last 24 months, reading them should catch you up to speed on the current state of the world.¡±


    Luachan stares in dismay at the nearly human-sized book in front of him, but his eyes are quickly brought back to Orb as a new colourful slide appears again.


    With even more exactment than before Orb activates his legacy, and then uses his legacy to create a little diagram out of snow that moves as he talks, describing what he is saying.


    Then from above on the chandelier hanging over the table, Orb looks up at Mime, who shines a light down on Fois as Orb says, ¡°Fois, you druids have developed drugs that can raise people''s resistance to certain types of bacteria and viruses, as well as drugs that can boost the bodies function. Right now the world is currently in a crisis due to the loss of Basileia crystals which were often used for medical practises, so a giant monopoly could be founded by your efforts.¡±


    Moving the light to S¨ªofra, Orb says, ¡°Next would be S¨ªofra who leads the workers ant known for their skill, precision and speed in constructing building. Within Niflheim, we have a rather talented architect, and an abundance of wood, so we could bring your fabhtaire company worldwide. If you were to read the books you would learn that the world currently has rather high tensions everywhere, as wars are breaking out left and right leaving desolation. So a group of workers who would appear after wars to quickly rebuild all that is lost would be rather helpful to the common people. Of course, I would expense the whole thing, and we would use the Zterytavis to fly you guys in and out before any harm could come to you. But rebuilding after the war is only one way we could benefit from that chaos.¡±


    Pointing the light to Ganthr¨², Orb says, ¡°Ganthr¨²''s beastkin are all capable of using spirit energy, so in general a single one of them is the match for dozens of humans. Though more importantly their enhanced senses and speed, could be used to move onto battlefields and pull people out before danger comes to them. The Red Branch humanitarian squad! But let¡¯s not forget war doesn¡¯t just destroy homes and end lives, it wears people''s clothes and makes them feel like they are less human. So to fix this we must also provide for their clothes.


    Pointing the light to Aoibheann, Orb says, ¡°So Aoibheann who is a master of plant and animal modification/breeding can use her and her druid¡¯s skills to make clothes out of plants. The unique clothes which have never existed before will be a marker that the people we help will wear as they spread the good news of our work. The Beastkin Regal Relief store.¡±


    Orb then clamps his finger and then the light moves to the middle of the table, where Anto in a magician uniform stands. He wears black shorts with performer tights under them all of which have a golden Faol¨¢ins crest over them, and another wolf-like design throughout them, and at the side of his right hip is an indigo bow, with his other side having a gold chain. On his top, he has a blue ruffled shirt, and over it, he wears a black button-up with a gold bow at the top, and over his left arm is a mantle that has a black clown on it. Finally, on his head, he wears a black magician''s hat with purple designs throughout it and has a black half-clown mask on.


    As everyone looks at him he throws his dagger into the sky, and Mime does the same towards him. Then Orb says, ¡°Now if you follow my plan I am sure!¡±


    Anto inverts everything in the room Sending everyone into the air, and Orb says, ¡°We can turn your entire world upside down!¡±


    Anto caught the dagger Mime threw and activated his legacy on it, then let it fall and inverted everything back to normal, then Mime jumped on Orb¡¯s head sitting on his shoulder.


    Mime wears clothes similar to Anto, with the positioning of her ornaments being reversed.  All the black and indigo on Anto is white and Purple on her, and instead of shorts, she wears a giant puffy skirt covering her legs.


    Sitting on Orb¡¯s back, she says, ¡°Your performance was a 4/10. How dare you waste our time.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought I did good.¡±


    Anto jumping on Orb¡¯s shoulder as well says, ¡°Your body language was stiff and horrible. You kept changing what you were doing with your hands and failed to maintain eye contact with the audience.¡±


    The kids squeeze Orb¡¯s cheeks, and Anto says, ¡°We will have to put you through more training.¡±


    Mime says, ¡°In the name of the Baudelaire family we will never allow a student of ours to be trash!¡±


    With tears streaming down his face Orb says, ¡°YOU KNOW WHAT MORE HOMEWORK FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!¡±


    The kids start to pound on Orb''s white hair, and as they do the beastkin stares at Orb taking in all they just heard. But then Ganthr¨² standing up says, ¡°Orb I have a question for you.¡±

 Arc 11.07: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 3

    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good head lizard,¡± Mime says.


    ¡°Go ahead, ant-eater,¡± Anto says.


    Orb smacks them both on the head, then says, ¡°Behave!¡±


    The twins start to bite Orb, and he bites them back until Fois says, ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fois grins at the kids playing, so Luachan steps up and says panicked, ¡°You do realize you have just given us a rather ridiculous amount of information. Just by skimming through this book in front of me, I can already tell how ridiculously dense and detailed it is. And even ignoring that, your plan was just about our benefit, and tying us less to you. The smartest thing to do would have been to use our negative standing in the world to make it so that we can only do business with you. This deal is simply too good. You must have some kind of scheme?¡±


    Aoibheann sighs and says, ¡°You idiot. You make me doubt that we should let you handle our economy.¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°If you noticed all of that, you should have kept your mouth shut and played dumb, instead of letting your panic take hold of you.¡±


    Orb lunges towards them, and then he sits on the table in front of them, and says, ¡°There is no plan, this is my deal to all of you.¡±


    Aoibheann says, ¡°Please don¡¯t mock us, we will find out whether you¡¯re lying or not so speed this up already.¡±


    ¡°No lies. I mulled over how to do business with all of you guys for a while. But I decided that the number one thing needed to help this country go forward is trust. I trust that I will be good to you and that working with me will help us the most, but at the same time, I don¡¯t want any of you to feel like I have a collar around your necks. So I offered these plans to help you all become reengaged with the world outside. Since I inherited Nialathr¨², I made a promise to make the beastkin and the humans get along, so we shall do that to the best of our ability. I would like to become friends with all of you, so would you join me in building up this country?¡±


    Fois smiles but looks to the others. Aoibheean, with a mean glare, stares at the table with her head down, Ganthr¨², with a stiff and unchanging look, meets Orb  eyes, and Luachan tucks his head between his knees, taking small peeks out.


    S¨ªofra says, ¡°I agree, to help you and be your friend.¡±


    ¡°Really!¡± Orb says as the others look right at her.


    Aoibheann says, ¡°S¨ªofra, what are you doing?¡±


    Looking directly at Orb, S¨ªofra says, ¡°Hey, do you know what the Fanalis call me?¡±


    Orb looks away with brown hair, then says, ¡°I have heard a few.¡±


    Anto says, ¡°Queen of the slaves, killer of hope, race traitor.¡±


    Mime says, ¡°Bogtrotter, Crumb collector, nature''s trash bin.¡±


    Orb whacks them both on the head again, the S¨ªofra laughs and says, ¡°I am not well-liked, and I am sure you have an idea as to why.¡±


    ¡°S¨ªofra ¨® Ceannas, a Fanalis who was once a major component of the Fanalis community, who led her worker ants, a group of Fanalis who had boasted some of the greatest economic output in the country before the war, especially in the construction sector. But after the war, she and her Fanalis turned their backs on the rest of the Fanalis to side with the rest of the beastkin to boost their standing at the expense of their fellow Fanalis.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, and I don¡¯t regret what I have done in the slightest. The Ceannas Clann is a family which has taken up a structure similar to the wonderbeasts that empower us, we have a queen whose job it is too keep order but also to protect the colony. It was the best thing for our Clann, so I picked it. But there is a certain degree of, I guess, disgust I have for my actions if only a little, so I would like to rid myself of this guilt by helping build something for all for the right price.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, now what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want an exclusive contract to rebuild all of Victoria.¡±


    Orb pauses for a moment to allow what she said to sink in, then says, ¡°WHAT! You mean like across the whole continent?¡±


    Ganthr¨² says, ¡°I knew you were greedy, but that¡¯s a bit much even for you.¡±


    With a smile, S¨ªofra says, ¡°Victoria is the largest continent except for Avesta, when Orb removes all of the snow, eventually someone will need to build necessary infrastructure, and I would like that exclusive right.¡±


    With a wonky smile and Rosewood hair, Orb says, ¡°You do realize that¡¯s essentially giving you a giant industry exclusively, for the rest of your life right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is, but I will make sure to employ Fanalis to work for me more than anyone else. So, all in all, this just ensures that the Fanalis will be a strong and empowered class for the rest of our time here. If you reject this, who knows when the next time those cruel little beastkin might one day wield power against my Fanalis yet again. You wouldn¡¯t want history to repeat itself, maybe you do. Maybe you¡¯re a racist.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I AM NOT A RACIST!¡±


    ¡°So you will agree to what I said.¡±


    Orb hair moves from Rosewood, to silver, to red, to grey, to black, to white, then he says, ¡°You will get exclusive right to do any construction around the capital city of Niflheim.¡±


    ¡°I want the right to do construction around all of East Terrafide.¡±


    ¡°You will have the right to do any construction around all of the capital city of Niflheim, and will have the exclusive right to do all construction around southwestern Terrafide when we uncover it.¡±


    ¡°Deal! Thank you for your patronage.¡±


    Putting his hands to his face, Orb says, ¡°I just gave her the right to do all construction around the closet, point to Cordum.¡±


    Mime says, ¡°Big dummy Orb.¡±


    Anto says, ¡°Giant clown Orb.¡±


    ¡°You brats!¡±


    Aoibheann says, ¡°Hey, that isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    With a smirk on her face, S¨ªofra says, ¡°Well then, strike a deal as well.¡±


    Luachan goes up to S¨ªofra sand ays, ¡°I am horrible at negotiation, can you do it for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, though I will send you my bills later.¡±


    Luachan says, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can afford your rates.¡±


    ¡°Then you better get good at negotiating,¡± S¨ªofra says with an unkind smile.¡±


    Fois seeing of all this let¡¯s out a laugh far greater athan anything his little body should allow for and moves towards Orb, and bows, then says, ¡°I have seen great character within you, so Orb allow me to serve you.¡±


    Shaking a bit, Orb says with yellow hair, ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and charge me as well.¡±


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Loser,¡± S¨ªofra mutters under her breath.


    ¡°So what? I am nearly 90 years old, I have little need for wealth. I would like to help this new nation get on its feet in whatever way I can, and despite their attitudes, these four behind me also find great passion within their work, and will serve you wonderfully.¡±


    Sitting down in front of the kneeling Fois, Orb says, ¡°I am happy to hear that, but don¡¯t go straining your back for me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t you don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    Aoibheaan and S¨ªofra put their hands on Orb¡¯s head, then say, ¡°Now let¡¯s get to discussing the rest of our deals.¡±


    With a worried look and pitch black hair, Orb says, ¡°This is going to suck.¡±


    Contracts


    S¨ªofra ¨® Ceannas: The Fabhtaire company will have the right to do any construction around all of the capital city of Niflheim, for as long as this country lasts. They will have the exclusive right to do all construction around southwestern Terrafide when it is uncovered.


    Granted, if the work they do is below a certain standard consistently the ruler at said time can renegotiate the terms of the contract. The Fabhtaire company is also allowed to have priority for whom they shall hire for the first 30 years, after which they may fall under any legislation.


    Aoibheann ¨® Goilte: The state druids who focus on animal and plant modification will be given priority and ample investment to pursue non-critical research, and they will be given first claim on the research of any newly found wonderbeast or flora for the sake of experimentation.


    Excessive cruelty will be banned, and audits will take place on a regular basis. Orb Rian will also be required to be used as a test subject for any new drugs they make.


    Luachan Mac Glasb¨¦al: He will be given paid days off in proportion to the overtime hours he works during any form of economic crisis. He will not be called in off hours, and he has a right to a private sleeping room at work.


    If economic polices are passed without his oversight, and he is later consulted, his pay increases. He also requests that a steady supply of whatever literature he needs for his job be paid for by the state.


    Ganthr¨² ¨® Gairbhith: A new legal system reform must be put in place immediately. The legal system must take into account the differences between beastkin and humans and not discriminate against either group because of them. Disbandment of all privately armed groups, outlawing of any form of mercenary work within the country. Increased documentation requirements for state guards who do their jobs.


    None of the property of the outside of the ministers/any beastkin who took part in propagating the war can be claimed or redistributed by force during the merger of the country. The Red branch knights will now and forever be a tool for the people to defend the people, and destroy violence against one another, allowing conversation to take place. They must never be the initiator of violence for Orb¡¯s or anyone else¡¯s individual or group values.


    Fois ¨® Croidhe¨¢in: Right of a change in legal precedence regarding every generation to account for the genetic evolution of beastkin over time. Medical research must always be state-sponsored to account for the great variety in differences of beastkin. No person should ever be forbidden from receiving healthcare or education. Our history must be recorded, and any attempts at the destruction of our history will be considered a grave crime.


    In exchange for all of these this, and the deals Orb promise at the beginning Fois, Aoibheann, Ganthr¨², Lucahan, and S¨ªofra will dedicate their lives, and all of the other resources at their disposal to help the country of Niflheim, and the people of Nialathr¨², to successfully merge, and grow into their own self-sufficient country.


    -Break-


    Location: Abban¡¯s home


    ¦µ With a giant smile on his face, Oren looks at all of the plants across Abb¨¢n''s shelf and says, ¡°Can I really take a look at that?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Oren jumps for joy, and behind him, his wife Pine says, ¡°Easy there. You''re still sick.¡±


    ¡°Why does my adorable wife have to treat this old man like he is a child?¡±


    ¡°Because your wife is noticing her husband acting like a little child.¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°You''re only 53, you¡¯re not old Oren.¡±


    With a half smile, Oren says, ¡°I used to be when we were all stuck in Aplos, but now I am barely halfway through my life compared to a lot of humans, and still a child compared to some beastkin.¡±


    Turning to Pine, he says, ¡°How does it feel to be with a young and youthful man?¡±


    Pine stares at the rot from the Basileia crystals that ravages her husband''s body, and says, ¡°Wonderful, and I will enjoy all of the time I have with you.¡±


    Abb¨¢n, looking at this, says, ¡°Beastkin medicine is far more advanced than you would think. So don¡¯t say your goodbyes yet.¡±


    With that, he leaves the couple and walks out, where he sees Dumnorix standing beside the entrance of his house.


    In his same cold and cynical tone as always, he says, ¡°What¡¯s that look for Dumnorix?¡±


    Smiling Dumnorix says, ¡°You are worthy of being friends with the greatest in all creation!¡±


    ¡°You are annoying.¡±


    Pointing forward, Dumnorix directs his finger at the Fanalis chatting with the humans, and says, ¡°But I always bring wonders with me at the same time.¡±


    Smiling Abb¨¢n says, ¡°You¡¯re right about that at least.¡±


    Suddenly, trumpets place, and Dumnorix says, ¡°So the heavens have finally started to call me!¡±


    ¡°No, you fool! A pest has just arrived.¡±

 Arc 11.08: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 4

    Together with Dumnorix, Abban and a group of Fanalis and humans, they move forward towards the sound of the trumpets, and as they arrive. They see a series of beastkin.


    Some are Fanalis, others look similar to regular beastkin, and others far more in between, but there are two things they all share: each of them is in some way an insectoid, and each of them wears a turquoise ant tattoo plastered on their bodies.


    Seeing this, Pine asks, ¡°Who are they?¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡° The Fabhtaire company belongs to the house of Ceannas. A family of Fanalis.¡±


    Oren, slightly confused, asks, ¡°They look rather fancy for Fanalis?¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡°The Fabhtaire company is special, as they are highly skilled and they gained quite a bit of political power during the era of overpopulation. During the war between the Fanalis and beastkin, they switched sides to secure their position after the war had ended, and didn¡¯t face restrictions anywhere as harsh as the rest.¡±


    Proteus, the rhinoceros beetle, says, ¡°Disgusting traitors, led by a money-grubbing egoist.¡±


    A voice comes forward and says, ¡°Proteus, what a mean thing to say, and if we are talking about traitors, isn¡¯t the Fanalis who surrendered just as much of a traitor to all the people who died?¡±


    Malachy the stag beetle says, ¡°Don¡¯t compare Abb¨¢n''s love for us to your selfishness, you bug!¡±


    ¡°You do realize stag beetles are bugs as well.¡±


    Confused, Malachy says, ¡°So what!¡±


    Sighing, she says, ¡°It must be fun to be stupid. You can never lose an argument.¡±


    As Malachy laughs in joy, Abb¨¢n walks forward and says, ¡°What are you doing here, S¨ªofra?¡±


    ¡°I came to see you, my beautiful dragonfly.¡±


    ¡°Be quiet, hag. Tell me what you want or leave.¡±


    S¨ªofra covers her face with her hands that are covered in rings, and she says, ¡°Oh, how painful it is to be rejected by my own people. Maybe I should go take a bath in all my money to feel beautiful again.¡±


    ¡°Your humour isn¡¯t funny.¡±


    Dumnorix says, ¡°People who walk the paths of the peasant lack a sense of humour, apparently.¡±


    Malachy grabbing Dumnorix, says, ¡°It is only natural for fools like her to try and mimic exalted ones like us.¡±


    Malachy and Dumnorix''s high five, and S¨ªofra says, ¡°Like I said, it must pay to be an idiot.¡±


    Abb¨¢n, with frustrated mannerisms, says, ¡°You have no right to insult anyone here, you witch. Now take your children and leave!¡±


    Three beetle beastkin move forward and hold weapons to the necks of Abb¨¢n, Dumnorix, and Malachy.


    One is a golden Fanalis Scarab beetle. The other is a silver wolf spider that looks like a semi-Fanalis in a similar way to S¨ªofra herself, with her body resembling a human but with an arachnid exoskeleton, and four legs coming of her back. The last one is a bronze moth that looks like a regular beastkin and wields a tiny axe.


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°You came here to allow your people to attack us.¡±


    ¡°Not in the slightest, but they don¡¯t tend to like insults towards their queen. The Matriant beastkin is great a pumping out precious little kids that love their mother like these three.¡±


    Dumnorix puts his finger on the wolf spider''s back legs, and says, ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear, but you see I am also rather hostile to those who raise their blades against others unfairly. So if you think these three or any of your other children could handle my wrath, I ask you to tell them to continue.¡±


    Sifora says, ¡°Lorc¨¢n, Cara, Fionn, all of you step back.¡±


    They all retreat behind their mother, and Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Now get out. And take your little bugs with you.¡±


    ¡°But what if I have something important to ask you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care to hear it, not now, not ever you witch. We have finally regained some form of happiness, and I don¡¯t need you spoiling it with your venomous tongue.¡±


    ¡°I see, well, it can¡¯t be helped. But I would like you to know my tongue is loved by my partners.¡±


    All of the Fabhtaire company have disgusted looks on their face, and S¨ªofra says, ¡°It¡¯s only thanks to this generational skill that any of you brats are alive, so I don¡¯t want to hear it!¡±


    As S¨ªofra leaves, Oren catches a glance, and then that moment, he steps forward and grabs her hand. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±


    S¨ªofra turns and gives him a confused look, then says, ¡°What are you doing, human?¡±


    Turning to the Fanalis, Oren says, ¡°Please let her talk.¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I appreciate your words. But you know nothing of the way this woman is, so leave it alone.¡±


    ¡°You''re correct that I don¡¯t. But I do know that life is far too short for things like grudges. You don¡¯t have to forgive her or even humour any nonsense, but I do ask you to at least hear if it is nonsense before making that choice. Because I can guarantee that you will reach a certain stage where you will have far too many regrets if you do.¡±


    ¡°I agree!¡± A child-like voice says.


    Turning his head, Abb¨¢n sees Dillion, his brother, and says, ¡°What are you doing here, weren¡¯t you out playing?¡±


    ¡°I came back to steal some of the snacks Orb gave us, but here I hear my brother being uncharitable.¡±


    ¡°I refuse. You seem to be forgetting that all judicial power is still mine. If you don¡¯t want to go to jail, brother, you must be charitable and hear S¨ªofra out.¡±


    Abb¨¢n, whose face is usually controlled and kept together, has a look of utter disbelief, which makes Dumnorix burst out in laughter.


    Hitting Dumnorix in the stomach, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°I will lock you up for that!¡± Dillion says, pointing at Abb¨¢n.


    ¡°Yeah, you and what army!?¡±


    Suddenly, the ground shakes, and then in the distance they all see Sen¨¢n, who is eating a house-sized grape, waving at them with a happy smile on his face.


    ¡°GET A JOB!¡± Abban yells.


    ¡°Now listen to me, BIG BROTHER!


    Oren''s legs give out from exerting himself too much, and S¨ªofra catches him and says, ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much, you brittle human.¡±


    S¨ªofra hands Oren off to Pine, then says, ¡°You heard your boy Abb¨¢n. Now, hurry up and get in line.¡±


    Abb¨¢n walks forward, towards S¨ªofra and then asks, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Is that how you talk to a girl you open with a compliment!¡±


    Abb¨¢n turns around, but then Sen¨¢n slams the ground again, forcing Abb¨¢n to face S¨ªofra again. ¡°Dumbass I need you help!¡±


    Dumnorix, moving up to S¨ªofra, get on one knee and grabs her hand, then says, ¡°My waterlily, oh how I have wished to allow you to see me all day. I know your eyes hunger for my existence, yet you haven¡¯t been able to get a good look. So devour and feast the amazing sight before you, as I have deemed those two pearls in your face to be worthy of capturing the greatest to ever exist.¡±


    Standing up and grabbing her by the way, He puts his finger up and says, ¡°Because in this perfect existence, I am the lone one god has chosen who is the greatest in all creation.¡±


    Almost as if the heavens call light shines down on him, and S¨ªofra, with an annoyed look, punches him in the stomach and says, ¡°Abb¨¢n, take this!¡±


    Siofra throws a piece of paper towards Abb¨¢n, who grabs and looks at it, then says, ¡°Contract of employment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as of today, all of you here are my new employees.¡±


    The Fanalis start to take amongst themselves, and Abb¨¢n says, ¡°Your jokes are consistently unfunny.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it is not a joke, I have been awarded a great contract from Orb, that puts me in charge of all building within the capital city up above, as well as Nialathr¨² down below. There is also a fair bit of land outside of that I fully get to claim as well. But for this project, the reproduction of my ant hill won¡¯t be enough. I will need quite a bit more workers, and who is better than the strongest of the beastkin, the Fanalis?¡±


    Abb¨¢n takes another moment to look over to the contract, while saying, ¡°Do you think I coul-. Huh? Did you even read this piece of paper you just gave me?¡±


    ¡°Yep, it is co-ownership of the Fabhtaire company, between me and you.¡±


    All of the House of Ceannas, behind her and the Fanalis behind Abb¨¢n start to scream.


    ¡°You do realize how much power your giving me.¡±


    Walking up to Abb¨¢n, she says, ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    As she passes Abb¨¢n, she plays up her expression, and with tears flowing down her beautiful face (By Fanalis'' standards), she says, ¡°I have decided to help my people no matter what extent I have to go through. My betrayal all those years ago locked you all into a period and density of pain and suffering, and now I wish to do the opposite and look you into a predetermined future of hope.


    It may take you months, years, even lifetimes to forgive me, but for this new generation, I hope all the Fanalis that exist will gather under the banner of the Fabhtaire company so we can fight for a new and strong future for our people.¡±


    The Fanalis clap, and then S¨ªofra moves close to Abb¨¢n, says, ¡°The social power the Fanalis have is rather heavy currently due to the ministers'' planned annihilation and our revealed history. Now, all of the social bending power has gathered under my banner. How wonderful is this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to sign this?¡±


    ¡°But you will, because it¡¯s simply too good a deal.¡±


    Sighing, Abb¨¢n says, ¡°If you really think I won¡¯t undermine you and your children every chance I get. You are already delusional.¡±


    Giving Abb¨¢n a kiss on the cheek, she says, ¡°I highly doubt that, now I hope we get along, my dear little big-headed dragonfly.¡±


    As she walks away, Dumnorix stands up and says, ¡°You like what you see.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance. I just don¡¯t know how she can trust me with this?¡±


    Dumnorix laughs a bit and says, ¡°The answer is obvious. Because you''re such a big softy that you will without a doubt treat all her kids just like how you treat all your people.¡±


    Sighing, I say, ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Men with good character like you can''t lie. So don¡¯t even bother with it, Abb¨¢n.¡±


    Name: Tiritrex (Version Nialathr¨²)


    Height: 12m (MAX)


    Type: Predasaur, Omnivore


    Description: A quadrupedal beast with two horns made out of trees. It is rather affable, and has an arborescent body, with bark being in place for its hide, and plants being in place for it¡¯s softer areas. Its body is mainly brown and green due to, but coloured flowers persist across its body. The giant wonderbeasts can absorb light and blast it off, as well as use that light to regrow their body at will.


    Fact: Can adapt to any and all situations if given enough food. They can shrink to heal faster.


    Name: Apex Deer


    Height: 290 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A large quadrupedal deer-like wonderbeast, with green and white fur, that has blue markings running throughout its body. It has great wooden antlers that can be used to hold crossbows, and as a scope for arrows, and can outspeed, and manoeuvre a horse. On their wooden antlers grow fruits which are filled to the brim with nutrients it gets from sunlight, but due to a parasite they were infected with, the fruits are no longer edible and now explode when launched at a certain velocity.


    Fact: The apex deer are rather friendly to other animals, which makes them great companions to beastkin.


    Name: Ruathar Hopper


    Height: 10 cm


    Type: Wonderbeast, Herbivore


    Description: A small bipedal grasshopper-like wonderbeast, with a metallic body that looks similar to silver, along with two little clenched fists for arms. On its legs and arms are special golden muscles, and using these muscles, it is able to release an immense amount of force, allowing it to move and strike its opponents at ungodly speeds.


    Fact: Despite being herbivores, they like to coat their grass with damaged animal skin, which they get by constantly punching at the skin of an animal till it breaks off. It is common in some martial arts practices to mediate as Ruathar Hopper constantly tries and break one''s skin.

 Arc 11.09: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 5

    -Break-


    Location: Orb¡¯s office


    ¦µ From the table in front of him, Orb slowly raises his head and opens his eyes. Looking down at the table, he sees drool and says, ¡°It seems I fell asleep again. I need to find a way to remove that disease.¡±


    Slapping his checks, he says, ¡°Whatever, today is a new day, and there is more than enough work to be done, so let¡¯s get started!¡±


    Orb gets up and takes a few steps forward, and then he sees a mirror that reflects his face, which has a bunch of drawings on it. Seeing this Orb¡¯s hair turns blue, then red and he shouts, ¡°ANTO, MIME GET HERE RIGHT NOW!¡±


    The two kids outside the room start to laugh as Orb¡¯s scream reaches them.


    -Break-


    Location: Lower area of Nialathr¨²


    ¦µ As a swarm of Waptors rushes towards our group, along with a parade of Norka swinging through the tree tops. Dumnorix and a group of beastkin come out in front of the warriors of Aplos, who prepare for the flood.


    There are two types of clothing worn by the beastkin. The first is a uniform one which includes a rather thin white tunic, and black breeches with two black boots, along with different coloured reinforced tabards, usually in green, white or orange. All of their clothes have slight modifications for their individual beast parts.


    The second type of uniform has breeches, and a plain white dress shirt with embroidery that represents the animal the beastkin is in some way, along with an under-bust corset with two buttons, and two gauntlets made from the same material as the corset, all with either gold or silver designs on them.


    But unlike the first uniform, this one varies a bit. Some of the women wear skirts and hosiery, while some wear breeches or even dresses. Some people wear capes, and long jackets as well, some even wear doublets. There is more freedom in the choice of clothes. Though one thing everyone has is some kind of cavalier hat.


    Each of them takes out a blade with the main one used being a needle-like sword, and says, ¡°Red branch battle arts: Star flower.¡± With speed nearly incomprehensible to the humans beside them, they rush forward and cut down all of the wonderbeasts in front of them.


    Looking at this, Buloke leading another group says, ¡°We can¡¯t be outdone!¡±


    Him and a bunch of the other warriors jump into the treetops to fight the Norkas, who constantly move around trying to outmanoeuvre them.


    With the mobility and resilience of the Norkas, the warriors of Aplos struggle to fight back, and soon a Norka prepares to smash Buloke with a lariat, but it is shot by an arrow and stops.


    Maple then shouts, ¡°Now!¡±


    Buloke uses this opportunity to strike the norka in its neck, killing it, and then Maple starts to move around, slowing the speed of other Norkas or increasing the speed of her allies until all the Norkas fall.


    But then a series of trees start to fall, and Buloke looking down shouts, ¡°It¡¯s a kovosaurus.¡±


    All of the warriors of Aplos jump off the trees where they see the Kovosaurus with its bladed finger that it uses to create a giant sword on each hand.


    14 of them rush forward, swinging their blades that cut through the thick trees of Fimbulwinter in a single blow. Some people, seeing this are scared, but then Maple fires a series of arrows at them, which they are able to block for the most part, but as the arrows travel, she slows down and then speeds up some arrows to throw them off and manages to him them.


    Then she says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, warriors, these things are no greater than us.¡±


    Many of their nerves calm down, and then with her legacy, she lets out a series of shots boosting the speed of everyone around her, then she says, ¡°Move forward!¡±


    The warriors of Aplos go to meet the Kovosaurus, and with Maple''s support, they manage to fight back at the start. But as they fight, Dumnorix comes up behind her and says, ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    Maple elbows him in the face and says, ¡°Don¡¯t spook me like that in the middle of a battlefield.¡±


    Holding his face with shock, he says, ¡°How could you not sense my esteemed presence the moment it came close to you?¡±


    ¡°Stop being arrogant, and go kill the rest of the waptors. We''ve got this.¡±


    Dumnorix moves up close to her, directs her eyes towards the Kovosaurus, and says, ¡°That would be incorrect due to the mistake you made.¡±


    Maple looks at the battlefield, and notices the wounds and the downed warriors are increasing. ¡°Are the kovosaurus winning? Are they that much stronger than I thought?¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Dumnorix prepares to speak, but then Maple puts her finger to his mouth, and then with her enhanced vision pays special attention to the battlefield, and says, ¡°I see it.¡±


    She instantly cancels the enhanced speed on a majority of the warriors and shoots at the kovosaurus, slowing them down instead. Then she says, ¡°Too many warriors weren¡¯t used to the enhanced speed and started messing up!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Now let us help.¡±


    The beastkin who wear the second type of uniform step out in front of Maple and bring out their sword. Then they hold their hands against a spike placed close to the handle, and then their swords drain their blood. The swords turn blood red, and then Dumnorix says, ¡°Red branch knights-Morr¨ªgan squadron, it''s time to let our fury bloom.¡±


    On each one of the knights that Dumnorix leads a type of plant blooms on their body; for Dumnorix, it is a giant flower against his shoulder that forms a mantle.


    The warriors of the Red branch knights rush forward and meet the kovosaurus for combat. A single kovosaurus required Orb¡¯s intense senses and legacy to beat, but each of the knights manages to easily kill one in one-on-one combat, blasting through their enemies. As they finish they come up to the warriors of Aplos, who look rather embarrassed at their showing, and with a gloating face, Dumnorix says, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad. It is too be expected when facing us.¡±


    Buloke looks angry, but before a word could leave his mouth, Maple walks forward and says, ¡°YOU THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT TO US!¡±


    Placing his hand on Maple¡¯s shoulder, Dumnorix says, ¡°The results say it, I am just reinforcing it.¡±


    Turning to everyone, Maple says, ¡°You see these smug bastards! They think they can never come to our forest and beat us? We will crush them into paste for this!¡±


    Buloke and the rest of the warriors feel a wave of vigour wash over them, as their little leader''s passion hits them right in their hearts. Standing up they rush away, and Dumnorix says, ¡°This might be fun, Morrigan order, let¡¯s annihilate them.¡±


    As Dumnorix runs off, Orb, looking at them from a treetop in the distance, eats a sandwich and says, ¡°It seems Maple is getting more efficient in her hunting.¡±


    He then takes a look all around Fimbulwinter from his vantage point, and sees different groups of beastkin rushing around, then says, ¡°The beastkin can withstand the cold and fight in higher areas so our hunting range has increased. So it seems our food problems won¡¯t be an issue anymore.¡±


    Staring at the weapons of Dumnorix and the other members of the Morrigan Order, Orb says, ¡°Though those weapons are giving me a little bit of a headache, have I seen them before?¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Great tree of Anucro¨ª, break floor 4.


    The great tree of Anucro¨ª is the home and base where the beastkin keep all of their Wonderbeasts. The 12 floors are artificial habitats called the eternal gardens of Medb, created by the druids for different wonderbeasts, and between each floor is a break room, which is used to store things needed for each floor.


    In between the fourth and the fifth floor, together with both Avram and Iancu, Orb stands in front of a group of druids ripping the carcass of the wonderbeasts apart.


    Iancu, with wonder in his eyes, looks at the contraptions that the beastkin have. Each of them is made of plants, and each of them is capable of performing complex tasks. A machine that allows the beastkin to scan the inside of a wonderbeast, a jelly that makes the leftover meat on the bones easy to remove, and a fridge that freezes the food, keeping it frozen along with room that allows them to reheat it in seconds.


    In disbelief, Iancu says, ¡°You have all really optimized this, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    A druid walks up and says, ¡°Food production is the most important role for the survival of our people here. Constantly innovating technology to allow us to store food is a must. And in the long history of Nialathr¨², no matter how bad things have gotten, it¡¯s the one thing every single ruler has supported, as it was literally life or death for them.¡±


    Orb one up to the scanner says, ¡°Hey, Amelia, how does this thing allow you to see the inside of the wonderbeast?¡±


    Amelia the goat druid says, ¡°It uses soundwaves to map the inside of the wonderbeast and then sends it back to us, then we simply map it and use it to draw inferences.


    It required us to take man-eating plants and combine them with the tiritrex you named Suzuka the 2<sup>nd. </sup>Since Suzuka the 2<sup>nd</sup> had adapted to become a semi-plant, it became possible for the man-eating parasites to infect it. which allowed us to create a plant with something mimicking a brain but its functionality was far too low. We then took some of the dancing flowers parts and combined them with our little parasite which allows us to add it¡¯s reactive nature to it, and through a little thinkering we made it so that as the sound waves pass through this little bio machine here it¡¯s body automatically morphs into a reflection of the same from the sound waves.¡±


    ¡°Then couldn¡¯t this be used on humans?¡±


    ¡°It could be, but the issue is that we don¡¯t have enough funding or time to use it for such a thing. And we sort of don¡¯t know how to build it anymore?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see most of the research done to make things here has been gathered through generations, but almost all of it was built 500 years ago, when a certain engineer was born with the skills to make it happen. Since then, we haven¡¯t been able to build it again, so if it breaks, it¡¯s lost.¡±


    Suddenly, we hear someone shout, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING!¡±


    Turning, we see Avram with stars in his eyes, ripping one of the machines apart, which causes Amelia to faint, and for me to put him in a headlock. ¡°You''re always telling Iancu not to do rash stuff, but look at you.¡±


    Avram then says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it should be good now.¡±


    The machine in front of them is a series of coffins in which wonderbeasts are placed inside, and then a machine that causes intense vibrations makes sound waves pass through the beastkins bodies, and the coffins reads all the information from the sounds waves sends them towards a flower which models itself into models of the insides of the wonderbeasts. Though there is a long pause between each one as the vibrations made ate intense.


    But after Avram finishes tinkering, the strength of the vibration lessens and the rate at which the machine works is increased multiple times over.


    The druids moving over to him say, ¡°It¡¯s working better than ever. What did you do?¡±


    Avram, moving over to the machine, says, ¡°The internal wiring of the plants was a mess, so I fixed it up some. We had something similar to this in Elp¨ªda, though we used a form of radiation, so I am pretty used to these systems.¡±


    Moving over to the beastkin, he says, ¡°I am not good a many things, but when it comes to engineering, you can leave it all to me.¡±


    The druids, along with Amelia, start to smile profusely at his words. ¡°With this, we may be able to actually build all our different ideas.¡±


    Avram turns to me then says, ¡°Maybe bringing the kids from Skydust here to help would make it so they feel at home again.¡±


    ¡°I will keep it in mind. But I think I should start getting all the food here, and move to the next stop.¡±


    Rubbing my head, Avram says, ¡°You should but don¡¯t push yourself too hard.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Looking over to Iancu, I say, "I hope you can make some more friends."


    "PISS OFF!"


    I smile as he get''s angry, and start to head off.

 Arc 11.10: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 6

    -Break-


    Location: Great Tree of Anucro¨ª, floor 2; Grasslands


    With some dogs chasing after him, Orb runs forward with a cart of wonderbeasts'' carcasses, and says, ¡°These aren¡¯t for you doggies!¡±


    But the dogs ignore him and move forward towards the fresh meat. As they continue to chase him around, Orb says, ¡° Don¡¯t make me attack you guys, I am one of you!"


    But the dogs bark and continue to chase him around with silly expressions on their faces, until a loud whistling sound plays, bringing them all towards the source of it.


    As Orb stops running when he hears the sound, he turns his head, and there he sees Willow with a whistle in his hands. Looking at Orb, he says, ¡°Did they try to mate with you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not funny!¡±


    Giggling to himself, he says, ¡°I think I am.¡±


    Willow then blows the whistle, which compels Orb''s body to move, and he says, ¡°You really are a dog.¡±


    Orb quickly lunges towards Willow and puts him in a headlock, then says, ¡°Do that again and you will see who is a dog, and who is a corpse.¡±


    As they start to fight on the ground, the dogs join in, making a giant mess around them until a druid says, ¡°What are you guys doing?¡±


    The druid quickly moves to break them up, and then Willow says, ¡°Shamrock, I was just informing this idiot of his beastly nature.¡±


    ¡°If you''re going to pick a fight, at least leave the animals out of this!¡±


    Shamrocks himself looks like a giant towering over both Orb and Willow. Judging solely from his stature and muscles, one would think he wrestles animals for a living, and the lion aspects around his body only make him more menacing.


    Willow whispers to Orb, ¡°I hear he slammed a tiritrex into the ground with his bare hands.¡±


    Orb whisper to Willow and says, ¡°I hear his biceps are so strong he can pop your head off by flexing.¡±


    Shamrock puts both of their heads between his biceps and starts to squeeze, then says, ¡°You think you can both just start having a conversation in front of me when I am talking to you?¡±


    ¡°SORRY!¡± They both say.


    Willow lowers his head from the scolding and says, ¡°You''re right.¡±


    With a smug grin on his face, Orb says, ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s in trouble.¡±


    But then Shamrock smashes Orb¡¯s head into the ground, and says, ¡°You can¡¯t go running around the grasslands with giant carts of meat, any number of fauna here could assault you, fool.¡±


    Willow starts to laugh at this sight, and Orb says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Willow, I will get you back for that later.¡±


    Standing up, Shamrock says, ¡°Come with me to avoid any more issues.¡±


    Orb and Willow get on their feet, then follow the man in front of them while keeping the dogs at bay from attacking the cart.


    Orb says, ¡°Is Maple or Willow the 2<sup>nd</sup> on this floor?¡±


    ¡°No, currently they are on the 11<sup>th</sup> floor; the desert habitat, along with Suzuka the 2<sup>nd</sup>.¡±


    ¡°Will Willow and Suzuka the 2<sup>nd</sup> be ok up there? They are both from winter and forest habitats respectively?¡±


    ¡°Maple the 2<sup>nd</sup> is constantly creating water to keep both Willow and Suzuka hydrated, besides, their bodies are far more resilient than we give them credit for.¡±


    Willow says, ¡°The tiritrex¡¯s all wanted to be together, but Maple doesn¡¯t like either forests or the cold. So it seems Willow and Suzuka did what¡¯s best for her.¡±


    ¡°Just like their real-life counterparts.¡±


    Willow smiles a bit, but is quickly distracted by a wonderbeast flying into his face.


    As he lands on the ground, he looks up and sees a baby Zterytavis on top of him, and says, ¡°Captain, it seems like you''re up.¡±


    Looking up Orb and Shamrock see a series of Zterytavis flying through the sky, and Orb says, ¡°It seems they are happier now.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t able to fly up on the surface due to the snowstorm constantly making it hard, and you didn¡¯t allow them to fly around outside of Fimbulwinter for their safety. So they are finally getting to spread their wings and are cheering up.¡±


    Willow, sitting up, says, ¡°Though I do wish we would be able to allow them to have more space to fly.¡±


    With a smug smile on his face, Orb says, ¡°I happened to discuss that with S¨ªofra, and we might make the top of Anucro¨ª into another habitat for flying wonderbeasts.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Shamrock, with his muscles rumbling, says, ¡°HOW WONDERFUL!¡± He then flexes so hard that all of his clothes pop right off his body.


    Then posing for the Zterytavis, he says, ¡°The joy of the wonderbeasts fuels my muscles, my passions, my instincts. Don¡¯t worry, my dear pets, this perfect body exists to protect you from all harm!¡±


    As Shamrock continues to flex, Willow says, ¡°You should get moving on. When he starts this, it takes him a while to stop.


    ¡°I will,¡± Orb says as he starts to move away.


    But before he can leave, Willow grabs him by his collar and says, ¡°Make sure to rest ok?¡±


    ¡°I promise I will.¡± Orb runs and gets some distance between them, then says, ¡°In a couple of weeks, I will.¡±


    ¡°YOU LIAR!¡±


    Orb with a smile starts to run away, and then Willow says, ¡°I''ll just draw on his face as revenge when he collapses.¡±


    -Break-


    Location: Great Tree of Anucro¨ª, Compounding floor.


    Beneath the first floor of the great tree of Anucro¨ª is where experiments into the biological manipulation of plants and animals for medical and practical use take place. Every single corner of the area is filled with plants, with the only exception being a special carved out area where wonderbeasts'' parts are kept, but during this time, a large group of sick humans rest instead.


    As Orb enters the room, he says, ¡°Your food has arrived!¡±


    Hearing this, Fois, the head of the pharmaceutical department, says, ¡°You arrived rather quickly, didn¡¯t you, Orb. But you look kind of messed up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, cause I ran from the fourth break room down here.¡±


    Fois walking up to me says, ¡°You do realize there is an elevator that you can take up and down Anucro¨ª in the centre of each floor, right?¡±


    ¡°The flow of resources is incredibly large dense due to how much movement is going on right now, so if I joined that line it would take up resources unnecessarily. Besides, it was just some stamina training.¡±


    The rest of the beastkin in the room look at Orb like he is some monster, but then he says, ¡°Why are you guys dilly-dallying? we need to get some food prepared for our little patients expressly.¡±


    As the other beastkin move to get food prepared from the ingredients Orb brought, he walks over to Fois, and says, ¡°How is everyone doing?¡±


    Fois says, ¡°Come on, see.¡±


    Looking at Orb¡¯s face, Fois says, ¡°You do realize you shouldn¡¯t be here, don¡¯t you have a couple of plans going on for the rest of the day?¡±


    ¡°I work up earlier and have already used my advent limit for the day to push snow away. Now I''m just checking up on things I haven¡¯t been keeping track of and am making sure other projects I put into place, like construction and the movement of patients, are going well.¡±


    ¡°While I want to ask you how long you have been awake, I feel like it would just scare me a bit.¡±


    Orb giggles a bit, then says, ¡°But on that note, how are the patients?¡±


    As they walk, Fois says, ¡°I have never seen anything like that excessive radiation, as you guys call it. Not only is their skin burnt, but to seems like the damage has spread to every single part of their body.¡±


    ¡°The Basileia crystals by themselves are incredibly rare so it would make sense the symptoms wouldn¡¯t be found.¡±


    ¡°My issue with that is that I struggle to know where to begin when it comes to treating them permanently. I simply don¡¯t know how to reverse the effects of the illness they all happen to be afflicted with, and with the rate at it is degrading their bodies, I don¡¯t think I will.¡±


    Stopping in one place, Orb says, ¡°Does that mean everyone is going to die?¡±


    ¡°I simply can¡¯t answer that question in good faith, as it is above the level of knowledge I currently have Orb. But there is something I want to show you.¡±


    Walking through a set of doors, Orb and Fois enter a room full of people afflicted with Basileia radiation, and every single one of them is jumping around full of life. With another group of rather unscrupulous people looking after the patients.


    They talk to each other like they are in their youngest day, and they move around like they are in their youngest forms. Seeing this, Orb says, ¡°They could barely move a few days ago.¡±


    Fois with a smile, says, ¡°While healing them is currently unknown to us, we have methods to help. The amount of different types of pain relief drugs we can make with beast blood battle arts, has given us a wide range of weapons to use in reducing their pain. So at the very least, they can function as normal, and many of them could go about living life normally if the members of Gaia¡¯s sky watch after them.¡±


    The kids who are attached to the hip of their now healthy parents run over to Fois and say, ¡°Fois, do the thing.¡±


    Fois rolls his little pangolin body into a ball and starts to roll around the children to their amusement.


    Getting down to their eye level, Orb says, ¡°Lieke, don¡¯t go bothering Fois, he is busy, you know?¡±


    ¡°No one is talking to you, doggy.¡±


    As Lieke says this the kids start to laugh in amusement, and the big bad wolf says, ¡°LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE''S NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT DISCIPLINE!¡±


    The kids with smiles on their faces say, ¡°IT¡¯S THE BIG BAD WOLF!¡±


    Orb manifests ice on his face to mimic a wolf face, and then manifests his ears and tail and starts to chase the kids around to their amusement as Fois rolls around them.


    But as they play, a man sitting in a chair beside some beds sighs. He holds a book in his hand, and the people beside him, gathering their beds in a circle, all have pens and paper in their hands.


    That man, the former leader of Gaia¡¯s sky, Sparrow says, ¡°How childish can that boy get?¡±


    A patient in a bed beside him says, ¡°Do you really think a child slaver like you has any right to talk about anything?¡±


    Sparrow has a kneejerk reaction as he is remained of everything stolen from him by Orb and says, ¡°Don¡¯t take my advice then, but when you guys little country collpases due to making a fucking child carry all your burdens don¡¯t come crying to me.¡±


    A woman in a bed beside him laughs a bit, which brings the attention of everyone in the little circle surrounding Sparrow. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, Sanne?¡±


    ¡°I just think you are a surprisingly nice person.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, most of us have gotten used to overly relying on our hardworking king, but you one of his enemies at least understand that a child like him needs a break. Your kind.¡±


    Moving his face to the book in front of him, Sparrows says, ¡°If you truly think that on any level it makes sense how you ended up a slave, learn how to read and write before you actually make any claims about who I am as a person.¡±


    "I don''t worry I still think you;re and abosultly scummy piece of dog turd. So don''t worry when I get smarter, I will make sure to use this tongue to destroy all sense of self and pride you have. So get to educating me teacher.


    "With your abilities I fucking doubt that."


    "Don''t worry, I have already started manipulating you. Soon you will be licking my feet and calling me mommy."


    Sparrow puts down his book, and says, ¡°Please hand me up your sheets, I will check your spelling now.¡±


    The adults hand up their sheets, and when Sparrow looks at Sanne''s he starts to laugh to her extreme displeasure.


    Orb continues to chase the kids until he corners down in front of a door, and then says, ¡°I am going to blow you all away.¡±


    He rushes at them, and they open the door, hoping to escape,e but as they all pass through the door, they see a Pine and Oren hugging each other, both with a happy expression on their faces.


    Though as Pine turns to see the children, and they stare back at her, each and every one of them says, ¡°EWWWWWW! SOMEONE''S IN LOVE!¡±

 Arc 11.11: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 7

    -Break-


    Together with the rest of the children, Orb sits with a significant dent in his head and says, ¡°You know violence isn¡¯t good, Pine.¡±


    She grips her fist, and Orb puts as many children as he can between them, and says, ¡°How cowardly to strike all these rosy-cheeked children.¡±


    Oren starts to laugh and then picks up Pine and spins her around.


    With a shaken and red face, she says, ¡°Put me down.¡±


    Oren ignores her words and says, ¡°No, a chance, I am going to be using this newfound strength to spoil you every chance I get.¡±


    Covering their cheeky faces, the kids look a Pine, and say, ¡°EWWWWW!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    As Orb looks at all of them he notices the decay still on Oren, and then Fois says, ¡°We have given ourselves far more time than before, be patient and we will find a way out of this.¡±


    Gripping his fist, Orb says, ¡°You''re right, but it still stings knowing this is all I can do for everybody.¡±


    A hand lands on Orb¡¯s back, and a woman¡¯s voice says, ¡°Who says that¡¯s all you can do for everybody?¡±


    Turning around, Orb sees Aoibheann, who is smiling and says, ¡°I am happy you could make it.¡±


    Grabbing Orb, she drags him out of the room with a giant smile on her face.


    -Break-


    Sitting on a bed, Aoibheann and a group of other druids place a ball that looks like candy in front of Orb, then they all run as far away as they can. Then Aoibheann says, "Ok, you can eat it now!"


    Orb stares at them with cream hair and an annoyed look. Then he shrugs his shoulder and throws it into his mouth, Orb says, ¡°This is so sweet, it tastes amazin-.¡± Orb¡¯s words are brought to a halt as fire bursts out of his mouth along with blood.


    Aoibheann, looking at Orb, says, ¡°Looks like increasing the body''s temperature is as rather annoying issue. It was only meant to warm you up enough to kill all infections in your body. Clara, right that down.¡±


    With a pen, Clara writes, ¡°Flame breathing, immense pain, sweat taste, and-.¡± Looking at Orb, who is enjoying seeing his blood split on the ground, she says, ¡°Neurological degeneracy.¡±


    Aoibheann says, ¡°Cross that last one out, it is probably just something with this freak, not my medicine.¡±


    One of the other druids says, ¡°You''re experimenting on a child, and he is the freak?¡±


    ¡°WHAT WAS THAT!¡±


    ¡°NOTHING!¡±


    ¡°Good, now let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Bringing a giant blow of different concoctions in front of Orb, she says, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try this all out.¡±


    -Break-


    Walking out of the room with blood pouring out of his eyeballs, red and rashy skin, a swollen tongue, and blurred vision, Orb hear Aoibheann say, ¡°Come back tomorrow!¡±


    He raises his hand to wave at her and continues to hobble forward. But soon his regeneration cannot keep up with the degradation going on across his body, and he collapses.


    But he is quickly caught and lies snuggly in this presence.


    ¦µ It feels like a cloud that I could just disappear into, how nice. This smell is also mesmerising, far better than even Lugh¡¯s flower gardens, I feel like I could fall asleep here every night, and my body regenerates quickly now at peace from this.


    I reach out my hands and grab at this existence, but then I start to hear a giggle, and as the voice hits my ears, I pull back, stand up and open my eyes in front of me to see. ¡°ATALANTA!¡±


    ¦µ With a big smile on her face, she says, ¡°The one and only. But I guess to you, I was the comfiest bed to ever exist, just judging by that look.¡±


    ¡°FORGET ABOUT THAT!¡±


    ¡°I have had people tell me so many things about my body before, but I have never truly seen someone so at peace with lying on me, just like an adorable little dog.¡±


    ¡°SHHHHHHH!¡± Orb says as he tries to spit out words to deny what she says, but his emotions fluctuate far too intensely for coherent words to reach her.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Now it looks like I broke his little brain, truly a mind cracking beauty I am.¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Ivana, Gheorge and Wadim ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Atalanta turns to them and says, ¡°Orb just committed to being my dog.¡±


    ¡°NO I HAVE NOT!¡± he says as his hair colour changes again, and again.


    ¦µ Calming down and looking at the three idiots, I notice they are all holding different things in their arms, so I say, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Just some prosthetics,¡± Ivana adds.


    ¡°They are advanced down here, even more so than Elp¨ªda,¡± Wadim adds.


    ¡°Using machinery to mimic all the complex movements of humans is a rather hard task, but with plants, that becomes a lot easier,¡± Gheorghe says.


    The three of them continue to talk with just excitement that I can barely hold back from smiling at them.


    ¦µ Atalanta says, ¡°My adorable little child, if you''re so tired, why don''t you come and hang out with me? Don''t you want to spend some time hanging out with mommy?¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair turns blue, and he says, ¡°No, and I am not your son.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep lying to yourself, girls don¡¯t like that.¡±


    Orb hits her with the back of his head and says, ¡°Leave me alone.¡±


    But she falls to the ground and holds her chest. Orb¡¯s hair turns pitch black as he sees this, then he rushes to her side, and says, ¡°Atalanta are you ok!?¡±


    Holding her chest, she says, ¡°My heart, my heart.¡±


    Orb moves closer with yellow hair and says, ¡°I-I-I am so sorry.¡±


    ¡°I need ice, I need ice, right here.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go get you some.¡± Orb gets up and turns his head looking for ice, but then stops and manifests his legacy. Moving his hand towards her chest, he started to create a little bit of ice.


    And in that moment, Atalanta grabs and puts Orb in a headlock, saying, ¡°You really enjoyed looking down on me, didn¡¯t you, brat, but now I''ve got you where I want you.¡±


    With bloody red hair, Orb says, ¡°YOU IDIOT!¡± and fights back within the headlock to the amusement of the three idiots.


    Wadim says, ¡°I bet tomorrow''s lunch on Orb.¡±


    Ivana says, ¡°I bet the next two days lunch on Atalanta.¡±


    Gheorghe says, ¡°I bet the next three week''s lunch on a draw.¡±


    Location: D¨ªoltas Plains


    Standing in front of the Fabithre company and S¨ªofra, Arend, who is nearly shaking out of his clothes, turns to Orb, and says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak with her.¡±


    ¡°Why, you don¡¯t like bugs?¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s because she is an attractive bug, and it makes me feel all weird.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, despite how she looks, she is actually a hag. So nothing to feel weird about.¡±


    Abb¨¢n says, ¡°You going to let him talk about you like that?¡±


    ¡°If a classy woman like myself got up in arms about everything lower-class rubbish like Orb says, I wouldn¡¯t be able to call myself a Fanalis.¡±


    ¡°You seem to love throwing around the existence of being a Fanalis now that it is popular.¡±


    ¡°No one would call themselves a king if people didn¡¯t respect the name.¡±


    ¡°What a pest.¡±


    ¡°I think that makes me a true Fanalis after all.¡±


    Arend, walking forward with a slightly nervous posture, says with a crooked smile. ¡°According to Orb all of you will be building the houses down here for the humans, and I thank you for the effort you have all chosen to put in before we have even started.¡±


    Handing S¨ªofra a scroll, Arend says, ¡°This is my initial design.¡±


    Opening it up, S¨ªofra says, ¡°You plan on using a giant tree as the base for a different house, and then building around it with organic material. But the design of these houses is rather strange overall, with many of them connecting to form a giant web, and having a bunch of empty space.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I made it in a way used as a community centre after all?¡±


    ¡°Community centre?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, back when I used to be a nomad with my father, it is something I came across it. Kind of like a giant market made by people to serve the people, a more personal government in a certain way.


    And while the humans are down here I am sure many of the beastkin would want to talk with them, which we can see has already started to happen. So I think this place will turn into a form of community centre anyway.¡±


    These houses are only going to be temporary,  since we humans will move back up ground due to our distaste of being trapped underground. But until then, I would like for this place to be a bridge between humans and beastkin.¡±


    Arend, noticing how much he was talking, tries to relax the mood, by saying, ¡°Or it will just be cool.¡±


    Smiling Abb¨¢n says, ¡°I find it to be a rather kind idea, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you''re popular, Arend.¡±


    ¡°I wish I were popular with some woman instead of the big bug beside me.¡±


    S¨ªofra says, ¡°While this is a nice idea, I have some practical concerns, making a building out of plants is quite the endeavour, as a single mistake costs us materials.¡±


    Orb says, ¡°For the materials leave it to us!¡±


    Orb whistles, and then Sen¨¢n in the distance says, ¡°Beast blood battle arts; Fas.¡± Making many different little trees around.


    ¡°I guess this will be easy enough then.¡±


    Arend giving her another scroll, says, ¡°I do too. Now here is the inside.¡±


    Opening the scroll, S¨ªofra looks like she is one moment away from violently screaming, and says, ¡°What the hell is this?¡±


    Pointing the scroll at Arend, Orb sees an incredibly detailed internal setup for the houses, and he says, ¡°Why are all the rooms so chaotic it feels like dungeon from a story book with all the different areas?¡±


    ¡°All these different beastkin have different physical requirements, so I thought I should accommodate for everyone¡¯s differences, as best I could. I broke it up mainly by animal families. It is similar to the way Anucro¨ª has different habits for all the different wonderbeasts within it, but on a smaller scale.¡±


    ¡°Did you know how long it took them to build Anucro¨ª from the inside?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, in all honesty, I thought this was already a bit too extreme, but judging by your attitude, I guess you guys aren¡¯t skilled enough, forgive me for asking such a task, I will dumb it down for you.¡±


    Soon the temperature in the area rises, and S¨ªofra says, ¡°When did I say we couldn¡¯t build it?¡±


    With a smile Arend says, ¡°In the middle of all the bitching.¡±


    Grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up into the air, S¨ªofra says, ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to be then fine, I will show you the best goddamn building you have ever seen!¡±


    ¡°I hope to see it.¡±


    Turning around, S¨ªofra holds her heart, and then looks at the scrolls, then says, ¡°Begin!¡±


    In that moment a shock moves through all of the Fanalis behind her, and they move forward. Each and every one of them starts to work together with each other without missing a beat, and Orb says, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Abb¨¢n, walking up to him, says, ¡°The MatriAnt, is a particular wonderbeast that derives its body through reproduction. Everyone who shares blood with the ant up to three generations can share a mind with the queen. This allows them to function as a high mind, but it uses the queen minds as a base to host all of the others, which drops an incredible strain on the queen, but a strong queen like S¨ªofra is capable of handling it all on her own.¡±


    Staring at Arend, S¨ªofra says, ¡°You''re going to eat those words.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that, but let''s see."

 Arc 11.12: Unite Nialathrç…¤ part 8

    -Break-


    Location: Eastern edge of Nialathr¨²


    Orb runs at full speed towards a group of people working vigorously. Each of the beastkin covered in clothes made from Orb¡¯s hair hold shovels, and they dig through all of the dirt that makes up the wall of the eastern edge of Nialathr¨², which has formed a tunnel that moves deep within the area. They scream and yell as they work to motivate themselves, so they don''t break down from the pain.


    ¡°Who are we!¡±.


    ¡°The strongest!¡±


    ¡°Why do we dig?¡±


    ¡°To sustain ourselves!¡±


    ¡°When shall we stop?¡±


    ¡°WHEN WE ARE DEAD!¡±


    ¡°THAT WAS I LIKE TO HEAR, NOW KEEP DIGGING MY MEN!¡±


    Each of them digs like they have nothing left to lose in life, but one by one, each of them falls, unable to produce enough strength or effort to keep themselves going.


    So when Orb arrives, with a bag tied at his back, he says, ¡°Refreshments!¡±


    The beastkin who mere moments ago where about to collapse in on themselves in despair look at Orb as if he is the very incarnation of joy itself as they run towards him and take what he has brought to them.


    As the move towards him, Orb pats all of their heads, and says, ¡°You guys have done tremendous work, and I can¡¯t thank all of you enough for how much effort you have put in for everyone.¡±


    The grown men cry as they see the heavenly face of Orb say such kind words towards them. But as they start to cry, a noise still emanates from the tunnel they were digging, causing Orb to say, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Proteus says, ¡°That level of muscle and strength is something I wish for every night.¡±


    Malachy says, ¡°The endless levels of stamina he has brings me to tears over how amazing it is!  I feel like I should fall to my knees and start calling him big brother."


    Proteus says, "You only have one brother!"


    "Are you that strong?"


    The beetle brothers start and fight, and as they do, Orb runs into the tunnel and sees Cyrus still digging away like he is lost in a trance. He continually strikes the dirt in front of him, removing as much as he possibly can.


    With his legacy, he releases darkness that absorbs the dirt in front of him, and then shoots it out behind him. He moves in an almost rhythmic motion with how fluid his movements are.


    But as Orb looks at him, he stops for a moment in shock. Cyrus¡¯s expression is intense, almost as if his very life hangs in the balance as he works. No joy or satisfaction is found in it. If one were to see this look on his face without knowing he wished to be here, they would think he is a slave.


    As Orb sees this, he moves towards Cyrus, and he hears him say, ¡°I must get stronger, I must get stronger. Not again, never again!¡±


    Orb, using his knees, hits Cyrus in the back of his knees, hoping to collapse him and snap him out of it. But instead, he damages both of his knees and falls to the ground, then shouts, ¡°OWWWWW!¡±


    Hearing Orb¡¯s pain, Cyrus snaps out of his trance, and turns around to see Orb, and says, ¡°W-W-What ha-a-appened?¡±


    Giving Cyrus a thumbs up, Orb says, ¡°Nothing important, I just messed up a hit.¡±


    Cyrus picks Orb up and runs out of the cave, saying, ¡°Doctor! DOCTOR!¡±


    Throwing Orb on the ground near the other workers, he takes as much cloth as he can find and wraps himself up in it, then stuffs some of the food around him into Orb¡¯s mouth.


    And then says, ¡°He can¡¯t breathe, he needs air!¡±


    Then he places his hands on Orb''s chest and starts to push down, nearly breaking his rip cage, and as Orb lies unable to fight back from the crushing force that is Cyrus, the rest of the Fanalis grab Cyrus and say, ¡°You¡¯re killing him!¡±


    Soon after a little bit of a skirmish, Cyrus calms down, and Orb is free.


    On his knees, smashing his head into the ground, Cyrus says, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Holding his ribs, Orb says, ¡°No problem, but just make an effort to never try and resuscitate  anyone from now on, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    Looking at the large tunnel they had dug, Orb says, ¡°You all have been working your buts off. At this rate, we will almost certainly reach the ocean.¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Cyrus says, ¡°I don¡¯t kno-o-ow if our pace if ok th-h-h-hough, don¡¯t we ne-e-e-eed this now-w-w-w.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to have a direct water source as soon as we can, but for now, all we can do is dig slowly. We were working on maybe catching a few Ignamoles to dig it for us, but they have proven to be a giant issue to catch, so we have no chance of doing that anytime soon.¡±


    Rubbing Cyrus''s head, Orb says, ¡°Just do it little by little, and I am sure you¡¯ll eventually reach your goal.¡±


    With a saddened look, Cyrus lowers his head and says, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Location: City of Pros¨²nfore; Gr¨¦as¨¢n lonrach Tailor


    Standing in a giant nest within the city of Pros¨²nfore stands Orb with Suzuka hiding behind him, and in front of them, a man falls down from the sky, and says, ¡°I told you not to come back here, my new king.¡±


    The man is a spider beastkin with four legs coming out of his back, and with five eyes on one side of his face with three on the other covered by a metal exoskeleton.


    He wears a fine silk suit with so many detailed patterns on it, one would think it is some kind of mural. Along with a series of other beastkin like birds, ants, frogs, and moths. Each of them dressed in what can only be called equally gaudy clothes.


    As the man drops in front of Orb, he quickly makes a chair out of silk that emanates from his four back legs, then sits on it with his legs crossed and his head resting on his fist. ¡°So, please do tell why you are here?¡±


    ¡°As you asked, you said I should only come back once I have managed to find a design to inspire your soul.¡±


    Snickering, he says, ¡°I lied to get you out of here, you brat. Do you really think I would even humour you?¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, I have a rather great sense of style ¨¢engus.¡±


    ¨¢engus looks Orb up and down, then starts to laugh to himself, and says, ¡°It must be great to live in your little bubble, isn¡¯t it, but I guess those blessed with natural beauty don¡¯t respect the craft of enhancing one''s beauty.¡±


    Orb hairs turn rosewood, but then he rubs his head and says, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter what you say, because I happen to know you far better than you¡¯d think.¡±


    Orb turns around and grabs Suzuka, who is hiding behind him, but she struggles and fights back as he tries to move her. Until eventually, he gets her in front of him.


    She starts to tremble and shake, but Orb says, ¡°It¡¯s showtime and pushes her forward.¡±


    Turning around and glaring at him, Suzuka says, ¡°I am going to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I expected that anyways."


    ¡°Please, can you get this grubby child away from me?¡± ¨¢engus says.


    ¡°Grubby?¡±


    Smiling, ¨¢engus says, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the kindest word I can use to describe this thing that happens to be gracing my eyeballs this wonderful day. Your messy hair, your nervous tapping, that unstable eye contact, your dirty hands, and that gi which doesn¡¯t fit your body in the slightest, all of it is just disgusting, now vanish, you dung hill.¡±


    As the words he says file at Suzuka, Orb says, ¡°Oh no,¡± and Suzuka snaps.


    She dashes forward and grabs him, and as his people move in to defend him, they are blown away and sent flying by Suzuka¡¯s tails, so Orb moves forward and says, ¡°No killing!¡±


    Suzuka takes ¨¢engus by the neck and then stuffs a rolled-up scroll in his face. Then she says, ¡°Read it!¡±


    Taking the scroll in his hands, ¨¢engus says, ¡°Fine then. Let me see the trash you managed to come up with!¡±


    ¨¢engus opens it up, and then blood starts to pour out from his eyeballs as he is sent flying backwards. All of the other tailors in the room rush up to him and gather around his body, asking, ¡°Boss, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Did she attack you?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you die no matter what.¡±


    But then from his mouth he says, ¡°S-S-So beautiful.¡±


    Rising up, he moves towards Suzuka, and says, ¡°From every aspect of the design on this page, I can tell of your love and passion. I didn¡¯t know such essence could ever be captured on a page; only a god could accomplish such a feat. This goes past anything I could imagine.¡±


    With a smug look of superiority, Suzuka says, ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHA! OF course it is too be expected you fool, now bow your head and give me your neck to crush you loser.¡±


    ¡°Right away, my queen!¡±


    As he puts his neck on the ground, Suzuka tries to step on it so everyone in the room moves to restrain them both, and Orb says, ¡°Suzuka, remember when Maple walked in on you making a song about her.¡±


    Suddenly, all of the ego in Suzuka¡¯s body vanishes, and her face turns red as she remembers her past actions. Then she says, ¡°Kill me! Kill me now!¡±


    Hugging her, Orb says, ¡°It¡¯s ok. Maple has a bunch of embarrassing secrets as well.¡±


    Turning to me, she says, ¡°LIKE WHAT!¡±


    Biting her nose, Orb says, ¡°Come down, you pervert.¡±


    She pulls her head back and says, ¡°You¡¯re the pervert. What kind of man bites a young lady''s nose?¡±


    Snickering, Orb says, ¡°Lady?¡±


    Suzuka starts a fight with Orb, but then ¨¢engus gets in between the two of them and says, ¡°Enough! WE MUST START MAKING THESE BEAUTIES!¡±


    Picking Suzuka up, he says with sparkling eyes, ¡°My Danu, please stay and watch over us with your blessing.¡±


    With the eyes of a man looking at a dog, he says, ¡°You go get this list of things, hurry up, we have things to do.¡±


    Orb¡¯s hair turns an even deeper rosewood, and Suzuka laughs at the treatment Orb receives. Causing him to rub his knuckle against her head.


    -Break-


    Location: Pros¨²nfore


    As Orb walks through the street with a series of materials against his back, he holds up a piece of paper and says, ¡°Red branch seeds.¡±


    ¦µ When this place was first formed and a hierarchy was established between the beastkin, they had a privately owned economy which worked well enough for the most part.


    But because of the extremely limited resources of the beastkin down here, it essentially reached a point where extremely few people had monopolies on key resources and they could very easily hike up the prices on the key goods people needed to survive, so the government had to step it, and take control of almost all key industries.


    But that had another issue, which is that because beastkin have extremely specialised needs, it¡¯s almost impossible for the government to keep up with all of the information necessary to allocate resources.


    So they found a fix to this; they did three things. First was paper money, which allowed them to standardise trade more, which also made it far easier to control trade. An example of this is that they were able to put an exact numerical limit on the price of certain goods, allowing them to make more things private again.


    Second was controlling the beastkin''s genealogy. By making sure beastkin bred with animals that had more robust bodies that needed less food and water to operate, they ensured that there would be less demand on these essential industries decreasing their power.


    If you take these two factors, plus the amount of wars the beastkin fought amongst themselves within Nialathr¨², their economy was able to be stable enough.


    Though I find it funny that the managed to make a fiat currency like Cordum did. Despite that being a rather strong advancement when it was first introduced, yet they were still able to copy it in some form. ¡°How amazing.¡±