《The Father of All (Old Version, partially rewritten)》


 Introduction

    In the beginning, there was Darkness. Only a still eternal blackness that stretched on for infinity. There was nothing in that empty void except nothing itself. And then, something happened, the still darkness began to stir, as one does from long slumber. It was slow, almost unnoticeable at first, but it grew faster and faster until something awoke. And thus, the first being to ever gain sentience found itself in the Darkness, rather, it was the Darkness itself. But, even though it was awake, Darkness still did nothing, after all, it didn¡¯t know what it could do. So, it just remained, doing nothing except being and through being, it created Time, its first child.


    But, unlike itself, Time was not sentient, it only gave Darkness a new perspective of itself, aware that it was constantly changing. And while it toyed with this thought, it continued its ambient movement, like a person who was unconsciously breathing. And then, after an indeterminable amount of time, it shifted, and with this shift it allowed space for something other than itself to exist. And thus, light came into the world ever so briefly, before it was smothered by Darkness¡¯s formless body. But this was enough to peak Darkness¡¯s curiosity, who ¡°moved over,¡± giving space for Light to exist.


    And it was very curious as to what Light was, for it was not created from it, rather, from an absence of it. Its actions created Light, but Light was not of Darkness, and this was a mystery that it pondered, all it knew was that for other things to exist, it had to come from itself. But here was something that broke all that rule. But, just like Time, Light too was not sentient, and so Darkness lost interest, once more just waiting until sleep would reclaim it.


    And so, it waited and waited for its body to return to absolute stillness, but, in the eons that came, Time and Light too gained sentience and Darkness was not so alone anymore. So, Darkness abstained from slumber and kept both Time and Light Company, spending eons in silence. And during this time, all three spent their time amongst one another in silence, until Darkness unintentionally created yet again.


    It had, by absent-minded thinking, created something. And so, it showed it to both Time and Light, being amazed at how the object changed as it passed through the hands of the two of them. Time gave it motion, and Light gave color. And thus, what would become the basis of stone was brought into the world, the foundation upon which the three of them would go on to build the rest of the Universe.


    But the goal of creating a functioning Universe was not on their agenda, they were simply enjoying a new activity, they created for the sake of creating itself, nothing more, nothing less. And when they had made all that they could make, they then began to combine what they have made into new things, countless eons passing as a Universe was slowly pieced together.


    And once they were done, they were surrounded by a perfect Universe, done so by Time which moved them, Darkness which made the laws of Physics, and Light which gave everything color. ANd so, once they were done, the three were yet again satisfied, and they remained, watching over the still-lifeless Universe.


    And as more time passed, Darkness felt the tug of slumber upon it, but, unwilling to leave its friends without some sort of goodbye, it proposed one final project. It was to create Life, the first project that was started on purpose. Time and Light both agreed, pitching in to help. Once again, Darkness made the matter that these beings would be made from, creating their bodies. And while some were simple creatures made of homogenous material, others it spent more time on, combining various materials such as flesh and bone.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Millions of unique life forms were created, which left only the soul. And this was the most difficult part, for they did not know how to impart independent and purposeful movement to these creatures. But, it was eventually solved with a combination of Light and Time. Light¡¯s own energy would be given as the basis of the soul and Time would be the ¡°battery¡± of said soul, each soul would have a Timer and if left undisturbed, it will run out of time and then the soul will leave the body. Each being would be given their own Time with which to spend on their own and once this was done, they were dispersed into the Universe.


    And with this done, Darkness was content, falling into slumber, its body falling still once more.And never once did it stir again, laying still for so long that Light lost hope for Darkness¡¯s return. And so, it thought to create a new Darkness, asking for the help of Time who denied Light. For it, unlike Light, saw what the future held, and while it itself could not travel to those futures, it knew that one day, Darkness would return.


    But Light was tired of Time¡¯s constant assurances that never came to fruition so it created Darkness¡¯s replacement, taking a piece of Darkness¡¯s body and with it, formed a new one to host a soul. But, since Time had not helped Light, this soul did not possess a ¡°battery¡± and so, to replace it, Light gave it part of its own. And as a result, like Light and Time, this new being did not possess an end to its life, it too would live forever.


    Light gave unto this being a name, calling it Night. It would be her opposite and yet a helper, just like Darkness. And so she introduced Night to Time, excited that they can start creating things again but Time refused, it saw the future that Light had brought and it had no wish to take part of it. And so Time isolated itself, taking no part in the affairs of others. And Light, Light ignored Time, instead focusing on Night so that they could create children of their own.


    And with the lessons that Light learned with Darkness and Time with their own creations, it created better children to populate the Universe, these beings also lacking a time limit upon their souls. These would be known as the Gods and these Gods adopted the views of their mortal kin, adapting things such as gender and emotion. And as these Gods possessed pieces of Light¡¯s own soul, Light too gained these things, becoming the Mother of Creation.


    Jealous that only Light could create, Night too decided to make children of her own, these which received a piece of Night''s soul, making what was the antithesis of what Light had made. When Light learned of what Night had done, she demanded that Night''s children be destroyed, a demand that Night refused. Determined to have her way, Light commanded her children to destroy the false imitations and Night acted to protect her children. War was born that day, War which consumed the entire Universe, bringing forth the concept of End.


    WIth War, there was an End to Life, an End to Peace, an End to Creation. And thus, End was born and it grew strong, devouring all that the War left in its wake. And as it grew, its hunger grew as well, a hunger great enough to even desire consuming Light herself. But it was still too weak, it had to bide its time and grow stronger. And it was in this Universe, one so different from what it had created that Darkness awoke. What would it do?

 Chapter 1: The Experiment Begins

    It had been several centuries since Observer was given life, cut from Darkness¡¯s flesh and given a sentience of its own. It had been several centuries since it was given its name, and tasked with seeing all that went on in the Universe, seeing all and to remember it. And for several centuries, it had fulfilled that task, watching over all in the Universe from its shadows, silently remembering all that had passed.


    But, as it watched, it wondered if this was all it was to do? If this was all that there was to its life? And thus, it pondered deeply over the words that Darkness had said to it, ¡°Observer... Go forth and learn... Go and remember...¡±


    Nowhere did it say that it had to watch only, but it also didn¡¯t say that it could do otherwise. And so it continued to ponder, as it watched over the Universe. It pondered and pondered as the Universe was once more engulfed in war, its eye seeing Light and Night resume their eternal conflict, as Gods and Devils slew one another in the name of their respective mothers, and of the mortals which were the rope in a constant tug-of-war.


    And then, it reached a decision. On the six hundred and thirty-seventh year, the fourth month, and the thirteenth day it decided that it would finally begin interacting with the Universe around it. But, it had to be careful with its actions, it had seen what Darkness had done to those that had destroyed the Universe on a large scale, it was not eager to earn such wrath upon itself.


    But, before it could continue this course of action on a Universe-wide scale, it decided to conduct a small experiment. The Observer selected at random a world amongst an infinite array of choices and upon this world, it decided to commence its first Experiment. It was a world called Agleon, a world which was like many others but unique in its own way, complete with an assortment of races, each once again alike yet unique. This was one of the reasons that the Observer chose Agleon, for it was a world of diversity, and thus, one in which many sub-experiments could be performed.


    Already, its mind was whirring with what experiments it could do, how it could shape the History of this small world. For it had watched history unfold and witnessed countless scenarios but it new that there were infinitely more, and it must learn them all. After all, that was the purpose it was given and rather than waiting around to learn it by chance, it will learn it directly by hand.


    And with this decision reached, it finally decided to begin, first surveying the races of this world, wondering which would be the first to directly experiment on. After a few decades of careful deliberation, it finally decided upon the humans. Still relatively young compared to the other races, its history was still very malleable and thus, perfect to see the effects of its Experiment. This did not mean that it would not conduct a similar experiment on the other races but it would be easiest to start with Humanity.


    And so, it descended onto Agleon, silently, secretly, for the Experiment to be as pure as possible, it must exert as little influence as possible. The only changes to Agleon would be by the actions of the human it would create. And it would have to be an exceptional human in order to blaze a new path into history. And so, drawing upon the great figures of Humanity¡¯s past, it created a child which possessed the power to surpass all of them.


    For this version of humanity did not possess truly unique figures in history. There were those that were above average and took advantage of it, rising to positions of great power but there was never one that all humans recognized as above them all. This was what the Observer sought to create, a human whose legacy would never be forgotten, a human whose name would still invoke awe, a human who will inspire others to follow in his footsteps.


    And so it began creating the vessel of the human that would change the world, using the current human body as a template to add on improvements. It increased the concentration of mana in the blood of this human to levels that would never have been possible to achieve naturally and giving it a body that could more easily absorb mana from its surroundings. But the physical aspects of the body was not forgotten, the body must be strong in order to support such such a strong concentration of mana. And while this body could not compete with trained warriors or those who dedicated themselves to physical strength, it would be enough to prevent the body from self-combustion.


    As for its soul, the Observer took a piece of its own body and gave it an energy of its own, after all, in order to collect information on the life this child would lead, it would need to study its soul. It could not do that if the soul was of another, only in this would it be sure that it could collect information once the experiment had been concluded.


    But, such a child could be destroyed in its infancy or may never realize its full potential. So, the Observer would have to carefully watch over the child to make sure that it could grow into what it was meant to be. It toyed around with the idea of introducing an already full-grown specimen but eventually tossed it out, this world may outright reject the specimen and do their best to destroy it. No, it had time and it would use it well.


    The specimen it had to create must feel as if it is a part of Agleon, and Agleon feel that the specimen is a part of it. And for that to happen, the Observer must have patience, slowly introduce the specimen and its power to the world to allow Agleon to acclimate. And so, it decided to remain with the idea of inserting the specimen as an infant. But next came the problem of where it would insert the child, where would it be raised?


    It analyzed each kingdom of men and out of them all, it chose Athera. It was a Kingdom that was average amongst its peers, but with the potential to rise. Its King was wise and strong with heirs that could climb to even greater heights, and with its specimen, the Observer was sure that through this nation, the child would be able to affect the world, but, since it was the first experiment, it would have to guide this child.


    And so, the Observer delivered this child unto Athera, letting it be found by peasant foragers of a village. But the manner the peasants found the child left them wondering about the boy¡¯s origins, for in addition to the child''s strange features, there was absolutely no trace of other people, it was as if the baby just appeared there. But, to ensure the child¡¯s safety in its infancy and younger years, the Observer maintained an especially close watch over it, watching from the shadows as it always had. But since personal action may influence the experiment too much, it ordered the shadows to watch over the boy themselves, for while the actions of a being such as itself would be noticed by others such as Light or Night, the actions of shadows were beneath their attention.


    Already, it may have exposed itself too much by creating this child, but seeing as Light and Night had not yet acted against it, it supposed that it was fortunate enough to have avoided their interests. But, it could not blindly trust fortune again. It had to be very careful, to ensure the best result of its experiment.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    And while its actions were not noticed by higher powers, they were certainly noticed by the humans caring for the child, although they chalked it up to the gods that they already knew. They believed the child to be blessed by the Gods themselves, and so they gave the boy a fitting name. Ieros would be his name, meaning ¡°sacred¡± in an old language that was now only spoken by a dwindling few. But despite the name, and the boy¡¯s unique beginnings, the villagers gave the boy as good a life as they could, treating him as one of their own.


    And Ieros lived his childhood happily until the day came that he was nine years old. It was the age that the mana concentration in most children became thick enough to determine whether or not they had the potential to become mages. Once a year, the Academy of Veneria would send out mages to recruit prospective children to be brought up at the Academy, where their talents could be fully realized.


    The day of recruitment arrived, and Ieros was finally brought up to test, the mage taking his finger and taking a small sample of blood. It was a test like any other, except the crystal used shone brightly, brighter than it ever had before. It was a light that sought to fight the sun, although since Ieros was still young, the concentration of his mana wasn¡¯t nearly as thick to produce such a light.


    But it was enough to warrant a call to the Academy and the Head Master himself, to confirm what the mages suspected. But such a thing could not be done over communication crystals so the Head Master himself decided to travel to this remote village, bringing with him a high quality appraisal stone.


    It was the most action that the village had seen in forever, there were actual mages walking amongst them. The ones from the stories, blessed by the Gods themselves to wield powers beyond their imagination, who make fire from nothing, cause the earth to tremble, make statues move, and walk on water. These were veritable gods to the peasant folk and now there were five of them at the village, one of them being Headmaster Azorin himself.


    Azorin upon his arrival went immediately to the two mages, demanding to know where the boy was. They led him to the boy¡¯s house, Ieros¡¯s father blocking the door. He gulped nervously as he stared at Azorin but he refused to back down.


    ¡°What are you going to do to my son?¡±


    Azorin glanced at him before he pushed past, his eyes searching the contents of the cottage before his eyes alighted on a small boy which hid behind his mother¡¯s skirt. He approached, focused solely on the boy as he knelt before him, his face suddenly soft as he held out a hand to Ieros.


    ¡°You are Ieros.¡±


    Ieros nodded, although he did not go to shake Azorin¡¯s hand.


    Azorin smiled slightly as he said, ¡°I need to see your hand my child, for another test.¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to break it and get into trouble.¡±


    Azorin chuckled, ¡°I promise my child, you won¡¯t get in trouble.¡±


    Ieros looked up at his mother for confirmation, the mother giving it uneasily as she lightly pushed Ieros towards Azorin. Nervous, Ieros hesitantly held his hand out, Azorin taking it gently. He drew blood again, healing the wound with a breath as he took out the appraisal stone and applied the blood to it. Almost at once, the stone began to devour the mana in Ieros¡¯s blood, and despite the blood being such a miniscule amount, the stone began to glow with a light so bright that it was as if Azorin had bled a gallon of his own blood onto the stone. Upon seeing this, Azorin¡¯s eyes lit up as he stared at Ieros with a newfound desire.


    This boy, he had was the one that he had been waiting for, he was the Pupil that he had sought for all these years, one who would realize all of his theories. The light of madness danced in Azorin¡¯s eyes as he stood up, turning to the mother and father.


    ¡°I am prepared to pay whatever amount you desire, but I must have Ieros.¡±


    The father objected, ¡°No you cannot, we will not accept any price!¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°This boy is something beyond what you could ever imagine. He is destined to be the leader of Humanity and your selfishness will deny Humanity the crucial piece to advancement. He will be my student, and he will live a far better life than you could ever give him. I promise you, he will not be treated harshly, just the opposite. He is the hope of Humanity and will be treated as such. Only a life blessed by the Gods themselves will this child live, is that not what you want?¡±


    The father, while he could not argue, couldn¡¯t just let them take his son.


    He was about to speak when his wife grabbed his arm, saying, ¡°He is right, our son would live a much better life under them. I hate the thought of parting with him as much as you, but our son¡¯s destiny is far greater than what we can give him. We must give him to the mage.¡±


    The father looked helplessly between his wife and the mage, before he finally bowed his head in defeat.


    ¡°Take him then, just... just give us some time with him.¡±


    Azorin smiled.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Azorin withdrew from the cottage, the father hesitating as he turn to Ieros.


    He fell to one knee, staring Ieros in the eyes.


    ¡°Son, I am sorry. But you must go with the mage, he will teach you many things and you-¡±


    Ieros shook his head, running over and hugging his mother¡¯s leg tightly.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not going, I want to stay here with you and mom!¡±


    The father shrugged helplessly, ¡°You must my son, I don¡¯t want you to go either, but this is for you.¡±


    ¡°Mom, please tell father to change his mind, please I-¡±


    The mother knelt down, cupping Ieros¡¯s face in her hands.


    Tears began to well up in her eyes as she said, ¡°My love, you have to go. I promise, we will meet again one day, but now, you must go.¡±


    Ieros shook his head, crying as he hugged his mother tighter. The father made his way to Ieros, hugging the two of them.


    ¡°My son, be strong. You are destined for great things, things that will help your mother, me, and everyone else in the village. what you will do will help them. So promise me, promise me that you will use your power to help them. Promise me son. If you promise me this, then I promise you that I will come to meet you no matter what it takes. I will bring mom, your friends, everyone. I promise.¡±


    Ieros finally nodded tearfully, sniffling as his father patted his head.


    ¡°No matter what Ieros, you are our son. Nothing will change that, as long as you know this, we will never truly leave you.¡±


    Ieros nodded again, ¡°I promise dad, I won¡¯t forget you, and I will help everyone.¡±


    The father smiled, ¡°That¡¯s my boy.¡±


    He then stood up and led Ieros outside, where he saw Azorin. Azorin smiled as he held out a hand to Ieros, Ieros once more glancing up at his father who gave him one last reassuring smile. He squeezed Ieros¡¯s hand comfortingly before he let go. Azorin then took Ieros¡¯s hand and began to lead him away, motioning for one of the mages to pay the father for his loss. The father took it emotionlessly, staring at the pouch of gold coins before he directed his gaze back at Ieros, waving goodbye.


    His wife joined him at his side as they both waved, following the mage¡¯s carriage all the way to the end of the village, waving until they could no longer see him. She then burst into tears, clutching at her husband who cried silent tears of his own.

 Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

    Uneasy sleep and sheer boredom merged the days into monotony, the only thing that changed being the window which was a constant wall of moving trees. Everything else was the same, the same seat, the same walls, the same door handle, the same stare, the same silence. Ieros only sat there quietly while Azorin stared silently. The only good parts of the entire ordeal were the meals and the brief stops they had to relieve themselves, for those were the only times that Ieros was either enjoying the best food that he had ever tasted or outside of his prison.


    And it was during one of these meals that Azorin finally spoke to Ieros, saying, ¡°Do you like the food?¡±


    Ieros stopped chewing his food for a moment as he met Azorin¡¯s eyes and then looked away, nodding as he continued to eat, albeit at a slower pace. Azorin smiled.


    ¡°Good good, but do you know why it tastes so good?¡±


    Ieros shook his head and Azorin said, ¡°That is because the food is freshly made.¡±


    Ieros furrowed his eyebrows, Azorin smiling as he explained, ¡°I know, how were they just made when they were locked in a box this entire time.¡±


    Azorin leaned in as his eyes glittered brightly.


    ¡°The answer is magic.¡±


    At this, Ieros grew a little interested, although he didn¡¯t say it aloud.


    But, seeing his interest, Azorin said, ¡°Magic is a wonderful thing my child, it allows for many things that you would consider impossible. You can summon fire,¡± as Azorin created fire, ¡°make ice,¡± as he created ice, ¡°and keep food fresh.¡± he said as he gestured to the storage box at the side of the carriage.


    Silence followed as Ieros chewed on his food absentmindedly, thinking about what Azorin said.


    Finally, he spoke, asking, ¡°Can magic make you fly?¡±


    Azorin nodded.


    ¡°It can but a sustainable spell for flight has not yet been created, it simply takes up too much mana. But...¡±


    Azorin fell silent, seeming to brood over a possible idea.


    Unable to contain his curiosity, Ieros asked, ¡°But what?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°Someone like me cannot fly for too long, only a few minutes at most but you, you might be able to fly for a long time.¡±


    Ieros, the food forgotten, focused on Azorin.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Azorin nodded.


    ¡°Why yes, your blood has much more mana in it than mine, I¡¯m sure that you can fly for at least 15 minutes.¡±


    Azorin, with the madness beginning to return in his eyes, asked, ¡°Would you like to try?¡±


    But Ieros, excited about the possibility of flight, nodded. Azorin immediately commanded for the carriage to be stopped, exiting the carriage and helping Ieros off. He then took Ieros some ways down the road where there was more space and began to teach ieros the spell of flight. He carefully coached Ieros through the words, teaching them of their meaning as he repeated them. Just knowing how to speak the words was not magic in and of itself, one needed to understand their purpose in order to guide the mana to power those words.


    Again and again, Azorin had Ieros repeat those words, telling him to try and imagine the meanings of those words, to let Ieros¡¯s entire being speak the words rather than just his tongue. Again and again, even as the sun began to dip down below the horizon, Azorin kept on telling Ieros to repeat the spell. By now, Ieros¡¯s excitement had died down but he was not allowed to stop, and so he continued. And as the night began to grow long, Ieros¡ªwhose sleepy mind, devoid of all other thoughts than the words that he was constantly repeating¡ªmanaged to activate the spell.


    He was awoken from his partial slumber as Azorin cried out in excitement, Ieros a bit confused until he realized that he was no longer on the floor. His body felt strange as if he was surrounded by warm water that wasn¡¯t wet.


    And, just as if he was in the water, he began to float up. No matter what he did, he just continued to float up, panic filling his mind as began to thrash around wildly. Azorin attempted to catch him by flying himself, but he was soon forced to halt, Ieros had floated up too high too fast, and he couldn¡¯t sustain his flight with the mana he possessed. So, he could only try and coach Ieros down, although Ieros was too panicked to hear. And when Ieros calmed down enough to try and listen to Azorin, he was so high up in the air that Azorin¡¯s voice could barely reach him. Then he floated out of range and was alone in the sky.


    Panic began to fill his mind again, as he cast his gaze down to the land that was far below. H saw a great blackness that was only lit up by the soft light of the moon. He saw silver-topped trees, the winding black path that he had traveled down in the days prior, and off in the distance, black mountains outlined against a starry sky. And then, hesitantly, he turned his head and saw the great expanse of blackness, dotted with bright lights and the moon.


    His fear was forgotten as he lost himself in the dark depths of the sky, the unearthly beauty of the lights beyond calling to him. Almost instinctively, he reached out to touch the stars, perhaps now he could touch them but they still remained beyond his grasp. He strained and strained, falling into the sky as the air began to grow colder and colder.


    Meanwhile, on the ground, Azorin kept his eyes on Ieros as he flew higher and higher, keeping track of the time as he did so. When fifteen minutes had elapsed, he began to laugh, his eyes once again consumed by the fires of madness.


    ¡°Amazing... Simply... Utterly... Absolutely... Amazing...¡±


    Ieros expended more and more mana as he climbed higher and higher, burning more and more of his blood. Soon, he had burned so much that he lost consciousness, his vision fading as the stars winked out of existence. He began to fall as the spell ceased to function, hurtling towards Agleon with breakneck speed.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Azorin¡ªkeeping the time¡ªmarked Ieros¡¯s fall at precisely the seventeenth second of the thirty-first minute, taking mental note of that time as he skillfully wove a net of mana, which gently rose up to meet Ieros¡¯s body before it slowly began to decelerate, ensuring that Ieros¡¯s landing was soft and without pain. Ieros¡¯s body soon alighted on the ground as Azorin released his spell, Ieros now sleeping peacefully on the grass.


    He took Ieros back into the carriage, laying Ieros down carefully on the seat opposite of him before taking a seat himself. Azorin then motioned for the carriage to continue, returning his focus to Ieros. Drinking a mana potion, he began to heal Ieros, using his own mana to stimulate Ieros¡¯s body to accelerate the production of blood. For Ieros had burned up a lot of blood if his pale complexion was anything to judge by.


    A few hours later and with quite a few potions consumed, Azorin was finally assured of Ieros¡¯s recovery, making a mental note to conduct later experiments that would be less taxing on Ieros. It was lucky that Ieros only flew straight up and fell straight back down, he could have just as easily flown sideways for miles, which might¡¯ve been too far for Azorin to attempt a rescue.


    He had to be very careful with Ieros, he was extremely valuable to the experiments he wished to conduct in the future, oh, the things he could now do. As he lost himself to dreams of the future, he wrote them all down on the book that he always carried in his robes, a journal that kept track of every single discovery he made. It was the fifty-seventh journal that he had ever written, and if his ideas about Ieros were right, there would be many more journals to follow.


    Ieros continued to sleep for the remainder of the journey, which was of some concern to Azorin. But, he was unable to forcibly wake Ieros here, he lacked the materials. All he could do was either wait for Ieros to awaken on his own or hasten to the Capital where he would have the means to wake Ieros. Either way, he had to be patient and maintain watch over Ieros.


    And he did just that as the days past and they grew nearer to the Capital, casting healing spells several times a day over Ieros to make sure that his condition did not worsen. And in due time, Ieros awoke, just moments before they crossed the Outer Gate of the Capital. As he sat up, yawning tiredly, he looked around him in confusion, wondering just where he was.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve finally awoken, that is good, I was worried you would never wake up.¡±


    Ieros blinked as he looked at Azorin in confusion.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°I was a bit too hasty, the spell I taught you drained you of all your mana and you fell unconscious. You¡¯ve been sleeping for the remainder of the journey.¡±


    Ieros blinked again as he absorbed this information.


    ¡°Oh. Um, where are we now?¡±


    Azorin answered, ¡°At last, we are at the Capital. Soon, we will be at the Academy where your training can truly commence.¡±


    At this, Ieros, excitement rising, asked, ¡°Really? I can fly again?¡±


    Azorin smiled.


    ¡°Of course, you will learn to fly and together, we can do so many more things. But, first, we have to get there and get you registered into the school, otherwise, the Conclave will nag at me.¡±


    Ieros nodded as he looked out the window, his curious eyes jumping from sight to sight. He saw the bustling streets, the smooth stone buildings, and a wide assortment of people that he had never seen before. From the poorest of beggars to the richest of mercenaries who glittered with steel, Ieros saw them all, occasionally asking Azorin questions about them. Azorin answered, And then the carriage entered the Inner Gate, the bustling crowds giving way to pristine streets, gilded houses and equally gilded guards at every corner.


    And then, he saw it, a miniature city within the Capital, with pristine white towers and roofs of gold. It was the Royal Palace. Noticing Ieros¡¯s awe, Azorin snorted.


    ¡°Nothing but a golden facade. Listen to my words Ieros, nothing good comes of associating with Royalty. They ask for your help and in return give nothing but empty promises. I will protect you for as long as I can, but one day, the King will ask for you to bend the knee. But I hope by that time, you will have become strong enough to resist them.¡±


    Ieros nodded as he looked at the Royal Palace again, this time noticing the cracks in the wall and missing roof shingles.


    He pointed this out to Azorin, who just said, ¡°That was the result of the previous King, who would rather spend his money on frivolous parties than the upkeep of his nation. The current King is much better but he has his flaws.¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°Frivolous?¡±


    Azorin waved his hand dismissively.


    ¡°It means doing something without good reason, something that you must never do when it comes to magic. Everything has its purpose, even if you did not mean to do it and sometimes, that purpose can have dangerous results.¡±


    Ieros nodded again, it was the same thing that his parents had taught him back home. He had to be careful and respect nature, otherwise, he could end up burning down the entire forest. Although he still didn¡¯t understand what Azorin said about the Royal Family, only that they seemed to be bad people.


    The remainder of the ride was spent in silence, until the carriage came to a stop and Azorin looked at Ieros, saying, ¡°Stay by me. Do not get lost.¡±


    Ieros nodded again, doing just that as Azorin exited the carriage and began walking towards the entrance of the Academy, the golden gates opening as the guards bowed their heads to Azorin. They directed a few curious looks at Ieros but soon returned to their duties as the two passed, the gates closing, shutting Ieros in.


    But Ieros didn¡¯t even notice, the grandeur of the Academy¡¯s grounds stunning him into silence. Here, he saw things that he only heard in legends, floating crystals, glowing flowers, and living statues made of silver and gold. But grander than them still was the great statue at the center, a statue that towered over everything, its imperious gaze looking down upon Ieros, making him feel even lesser than he already was.


    Azorin¡¯s call startled Ieros out of the statue¡¯s gaze, Ieros hurriedly running to catch up with Azorin as he cast a look back at the statue, wondering if suddenly the statue¡¯s head might turn to look at him. It didn¡¯t and soon, it was out of sight as Azorin entered a building.


    Ieros¡¯s eyes were practically assaulted by the strange and mysterious sights that only mages had the privilege of beholding, catching only a glimpse before they were replaced by another, the only constant being Azorin¡¯s silhouette in front of him and Ieros¡¯s own two feet. Everything else was a roiling sea of fantastical images... until they weren¡¯t.


    The sights were gone, replaced by stern marble walls and paintings of people who Azorin explained were renowned mages of the past. Azorin named them and their titles as they passed, pointing to a man whose stern and rock-like features aptly earned him the title, ¡°Thaldwin the Unbreaking.¡± He then pointed at a woman whose face Ieros couldn¡¯t quite make out, although he was certain that she was beautiful. Her name was Hecate the Illusive, unparalleled in the illusory art. There was Welvern the Wise, considered to be one of the three wisest sages in the history of the Academy and perhaps the world and so many more that continued to line the walls. And then there was Zofiar himself, Zofiar the Peerless.


    He, Azorin explained, was a mage so proficient in the arts that there was no one who could be considered his equal. He possessed the largest mana concentration of his time and was the first to master silent incantations and the creator of multicasting. He was and is the Pinnacle of Magic, although Azorin added,


    ¡°Although, perhaps it may not be so for long.¡±


    Before Ieros could ask what he meant, Azorin suddenly stopped, turning to Ieros.


    ¡°Now, I want you to be quiet. You are not to say a word, nothing at all. Just follow directions and remain silent.¡±


    Ieros nodded and Azorin said, ¡°You are going to meet Conclave, all the senior teachers and mages will be here and I don¡¯t want you to make a terrible first impression.¡±


    Ieros nodded again, nervous as Azorin turned back to the doors in front of them, opening them and walking inside. Ieros, taking a deep breath, followed him inside.

 Chapter 3: Ieross Teacher

    The Conclave of Zofiar was nothing too special compared to the rest of the Academy, one might say that it was a bit too bland. The only thing that remotely stood out was how clean it was, an almost bleached-looking interior that made one feel unclean just by being in it, that they were dirty. That was partly its intention as its creator, Zofiar, wanted people to understand that when they were brought here, it was to be judged and that they were not in the right. The School was right and you were wrong was his message, this was to ensure that those who would dare disrespect his school understand their position and the gravity of their sin.


    And that¡¯s exactly how Ieros felt when he entered the almost impossibly clean room, still wearing the clothes that his mother had handmade for him. What was worse was the immediate silence that followed his entering, the last echoes of voices fading into silence as everyone¡¯s attention focused on him and Azorin. Ieros, unable to meet the pressure, kept his head down as he shuffled behind Azorin, afraid that he¡¯d be accused of some wrongdoing. But Azorin did not care, walking into the chamber as if he owned the place, making his way to the center of the room as was tradition.


    When all the eyes of the Conclave were upon him, he got right into business, announcing, ¡°This boy here is the future of Magekind!¡±


    His surprised audience blinked, before one of them, a man clad in white robes, asked, ¡°You barge into an important meeting just to tell us that this boy is our future?¡±


    Azorin explained, ¡°I myself went to confirm the rumors of a boy whose mana concentration was reported to be the highest ever recorded and they are true. He stands before you now, a boy who may one day become the greatest mage to ever walk on Agleon.¡±


    ¡°And just why have you brought this up with us?¡± a woman said, her eyes shining through a black veil.


    Azorin turned to her, saying, ¡°You would¡¯ve found out anyway, Meralia. And I came here for another reason as well, because I cannot protect him by myself.¡±


    Another, a blindfolded man, asked, ¡°Protect him? What do you mean?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°I am confident I can defend him from physical harm, but that is not what worries me. It is the King I worry I cannot protect him from. If possible, I would like for Ieros to be taught in secret, but there are many eyes and ears that will report to the King so I do not expect this. I will need all of you to stand by me and keep the King¡¯s hands off of Ieros. Together, our combined authority will be enough to keep the King at bay.¡±


    The man in white protested, ¡°But we are the King¡¯s servants, we must serve him and-¡±


    Azorin retorted, ¡°And let the future of Magic be chained down and his potential left unreached? No, I will not allow that to happen.¡±


    He continued, ¡°The King will only use him and then toss him aside, leaving his latent talents to rot. I ask you, Thunwil, are you so foolish as to let the King trample our only hope into the mud?¡±


    Thunwil, looking at his fellow Council members and getting no response, finally sat back, saying, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t want that, but this is not something we should keep from the King.¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°What good will come from the King knowing?¡±


    To that, Thunwil could not find an answer, whereupon Azorin snorted and turned his attention to the rest of the Council.


    ¡°Do you all agree with me?¡±


    The Council Members looked at one another, at Azorin, and at Ieros, with the veiled woman finally saying, ¡°I shall agree, but only if I am allowed to teach the boy as well.¡±


    The blindfolded man agreed as well, the others following suit until only Thunwil remained. Finally, he also agreed.


    Azorin sighed but nodded, ¡°As long as you all promise to stand by me in the protection of Ieros, I will have no qualms with you teaching him. But he is my apprentice, all lessons you conduct shall be done under my supervision.¡±


    The others agreed, surprised that Azorin had actually offered to let them teach Ieros. They thought that this would have been another source of argument, considering Azorin¡¯s selfish nature. But, rather than question it, they decided to accepted it before Azorin had second thoughts.


    The blindfolded man took the initiative, saying, ¡°I agree with your terms.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± the veiled woman said, with the other members following suit.


    With that decided, Azorin then turned around, saying, ¡°Decide amongst yourselves the order in which you will teach him, I will get Ieros settled in my Tower, there, he will remain unless I say otherwise.¡±


    At this, Thunwil but interject, saying, ¡°Would it not be better to situate the boy amongst the other students in the Interium? He¡¯s still young and would need peers his age to talk to.¡±


    Azorin shook his head.


    ¡°No, while I¡¯m sure you all will keep silent about Ieros, the students will be harder to control. I will not allow any word of this to spread if I can help it which is why I shall keep him in my Tower. There shouldn¡¯t be too many questions about you all visiting my tower and if there are, they cannot so easily investigate my property.¡±


    Thunwil said, ¡°But what if the matter is brought up to the Council and a Royal Order is given to investigate the Tower?¡±


    Azorin snorted.


    ¡°If you think a mere piece of paper is enough to make me stand aside then you are sorely mistaken. This child is far more important to me than all the rules of this Academy, if I must break those rules to save him, then I will do so.¡±


    Thunwil¡¯s eye twitched as he said, ¡°Absolutely disgraceful that you are this Academy¡¯s Headmaster! You must respect the rules of this Academy more than anyone!¡±


    Azorin, tired of this, glared right into Thunwil¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I do respect the rules of this Academy, I do not respect the orders from the Royal Court. This Academy has remained separate from the Royal Court for three centuries and I will continue to make sure that it remains that way. Magic and Kings never mixed well and I have yet to see evidence that they can. But that is not what is up for debate here, it is the fate of Ieros which has been settled. Now, since I trust there are no more problems, I will be taking Ieros to my Tower.¡±


    So saying, Azorin turned and began to walk away, Ieros following after him, glad to be finally leaving that chamber. As they were leaving, Ieros dared to cast a glance back, seeing everyone¡¯s eyes on him. He shuddered and quickly turned his gaze forward, unconsciously speeding up as he felt their eyes on his back. Only when the doors closed behind him did he relax, although he cast one more glance at those doors, hoping he¡¯d never have to go there again.


    As if reading his thoughts, Azorin said, ¡°It is unpleasant to be in that room, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Ieros nodded, asking, ¡°Will I have to go in there again?¡±


    Azorin thought about it, finally saying, ¡°I can¡¯t think of a reason why you would unless you did something wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ieros too fell into deep thought, wondering how he was going to avoid doing something wrong.


    Glancing at the boy, Azorin said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, as long as you listen to everything I say, you will be just fine.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Ieros nodded again, waiting for a few moments before he asked, ¡°So where are we going?¡±


    Azorin replied, ¡°To my Tower, it¡¯s where you will be living from now on. It is not a place for nonsense but a place for magic, but... ¡± he looked down at Ieros with a small smile, ¡°I feel that you will fit right in.¡±


    Once again, Ieros nodded, walking in silence as he felt he had asked too many questions. Noticing this, Azorin gave him a look and chuckled, saying,


    ¡°If you are curious, ask. Never be afraid to ask me questions.¡±


    At this, Ieros felt slightly encouraged, finally asking, ¡°When can I fly again?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°Well, with any luck, by tonight.¡±


    At that, Ieros grinned as he asked, ¡°What other things are we going to do?¡±


    Azorin smiled.


    ¡°Many things, Ieros, things that I once thought were impossible, things that are beyond your wildest imaginations.¡±


    But, his countenance changed as he stopped, crouching down to meet Ieros eye to eye.


    ¡°But the things you will do, others will not understand. They will look upon you with fear, with ridicule, with envy, and with hatred. But what they think matters not, you are different to them and that is fine. You were blessed and they were not, do not extend to them your pity or arrogance, for doing so will only incur more fear, ridicule, envy, and hatred. I will do my best to protect you, to hide you from them, but a day will come when you have to face them and when you do, remember that they cannot hurt you unless you let them.¡±


    Ieros nodded again, although he still didn¡¯t quite understand what Azorin meant. Seeing this, Azorin sighed and stood up, saying,


    ¡°Well, it is still some time before you have to face them. For now, all you need to worry about is Magic. Now,¡± Azorin changed the subject, ¡°Other than flying, what would you like to do today?¡±


    As Ieros began to talk about all the things that he had heard in stories and legends, Azorin smiled and assured Ieros that all those things could be made real. They soon arrived at his Tower, which was a misleading name as the Tower itself was mostly located underground. It was once Zofiar¡¯s personal residence, and the trove of knowledge it held was protected and added onto for centuries, Azorin being its third illustrious master.


    While the entrance of the ¡°Tower¡± was nothing much to look at, just one of the many other doors that lined the halls of the Academy, the inside was far different. For instance, the material making up the walls differed from that of the hallway they just left, changing from marble to what seemed to be an even glossier surface of pure white, instead of the more milky white of the marble. With a seamless pure white surface that almost seemed to glow, Ieros once again got the feeling that he was too unclean to be in this room and that the room knew it, feeling a slight pressure around his body as if the room was trying to push him out. But it wasn¡¯t enough to cause him great discomfort so he just remained silent.


    Azorin, glancing down at Ieros, smiled to himself before he continued forward to the door opposite the one they entered in, getting inside the elevator, saying,


    ¡°Fifth floor.¡±


    This boy truly was the one he had been waiting for, most who attempted to enter this room found that they were unable, an invisible force pushing them out and even for those who made it inside, the pressure they experienced was often enough to force them to blackout. Even Azorin felt some discomfort every time he went through these doors, even though he possessed the Amulet of Zofiar which protected him from the chamber¡¯s oppressive energy. But Ieros had no such protection and yet he was able to remain in this room fully conscious and without enduring visible pain, this meant that the mana inside Ieros was at least as great as the mana that surrounded him, exerting equal force out as the mana outside pushed in, which resulted in a rough equilibrium in which Ieros could be safe.


    Azorin¡¯s eyes once more lit up with excitement as he thought of the possibilities. There were many more rooms to this Tower but not even he could explore all of them for these deeper chambers were filled with even more oppressive mana, Zofiar¡¯s way of ensuring that only worthy mages could learn what secrets they held. Even with Zofiar¡¯s Amulet, Azorin could only go so far. The key merely allowed access into the Tower and other than that, its function was mostly useless.


    But Azorin now obtained a different key in the form of Ieros, although he had no such intentions of using this key any time soon. His excitement was not enough to push him to foolish action, Ieros was far too precious to lose now. No, he would have to rein in his curiosity for the moment and train Ieros until he would be strong enough to brave the Tower¡¯s depths.


    Azorin was brought out of his thoughts when the elevator came to a halt, the doors opening with silently, revealing another chamber with the same white walls but this time, these walls were covered in strange symbols and the ambient mana was not as oppressive. Rather than pushing, it sought to be absorbed, revitalizing both Azorin and Ieros with new energy.


    As Ieros blinked, studying his body with clear confusion, Azorin explained, ¡°This place is Zofiar¡¯s personal training chamber, where he¡¯d practice his magic. A certain stone called Marum is used in this process as it is capable of drawing in energy all by itself, although the rate at which it does so is rather slow. But, since the entire tower itself is made of Marum, and since it is directly located over a leyline, this tower is a source of infinite energy that all accumulates in this very room. Those symbols you see on the wall are what allows us to absorb this energy, which makes it very useful to practice magic.¡±


    Ieros nodded, even though he barely understood, Azorin moving on as he said, ¡°Now, I would like for you to start flying. Remember the words I told you and the feeling that accompanied them. Let that feeling encompass all of your thoughts, focus on it alone.¡±


    Ieros did his best to do so, struggling to recall that feeling and muttering the words but after a few moments, other thoughts threatened to creep back. Even so, he continued to try and push those thoughts back and recall that feeling.


    As Azorin saw Ieros attempt to cast magic, he smiled as he remembered trying the same thing, although his first successful spell was not as magnificent as Ieros¡¯s. He attempted to recall the feeling he felt then, of the sudden ignition of mana and provided a warmth that he didn¡¯t know he needed. From that moment on, he pursued Magic with great fervor, to the one thing in this world that gave him warmth in life. He was sure that Ieros was the same, no, he had to be, otherwise, his potential would remain forever locked. Just like Azorin, he needed the desire to climb ever higher the tree of Magic.


    Recalling that desire, he wondered how he would kindle it in Ieros, finally making his way over to a frustrated Ieros who had yet to activate the spell.


    He said, ¡°Hmm, perhaps you are starting in the wrong way. How about this, Ieros, can you recall the moment when you started flying?¡±


    Ieros thought for a moment, saying, ¡°Well, I felt warm, but it wasn¡¯t like being out on a hot day, it was inside.¡±


    Azorin pressed, ¡°Do you remember anything before that?¡±


    Ieros thought again, finally saying, ¡°I was very sleepy, I don¡¯t really remember anything.¡±


    Azorin sighed, ¡°It seems we¡¯ll have to start from the beginning.¡±


    Returning his attention to Ieros, Azorin then said, ¡°Do you know what mana is?¡±


    Ieros shook his head and Azorin explained, ¡°Well, mana is energy that resides in your blood, the same that allows spells to work. But in order to use it, it has to be burned. You have to make a spark in order to light your mana, although the how differs from person to person. Some use a memory that they hold very dear, others simply seek to absolutely understand their spell, and some even light themselves on fire, although I wouldn¡¯t try that last one.¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°Which one is the easiest?¡±


    Azorin smiled.


    ¡°That I cannot tell you, because I myself do not know the right method for you. The only thing you can do is just try and it eventually will come to you.¡±


    So saying, Azorin resigned himself to just watching Ieros attempt to fly, although, by the end of the day, Ieros was unsuccessful. While Azorin had hoped for another miracle, like that night, it seemed that what happened that night was just luck. So, he just shrugged, Ieros had potential but perhaps he had overestimated his capabilities.


    So for now, he ended today¡¯s lesson¡ªif it could be called that¡ªand just took Ieros to the second floor, Zofiar¡¯s personal bedroom. Despite it being the only bedroom in the entire tower, Azorin never used it, having done away with the need to sleep completely just so he could continue to work on his experiments. Not that the bedroom was displeasing in any way, in fact, it was quite the model bedroom despite the fact it was outdated by a factor of four hundred years. That is because despite being outdated, it was made with the finest magical artifacts of his time. Since the technology of magical artifacts has unfortunately not advanced much if at all, this bedroom has remained one of the best in the entire kingdom for four hundred years.


    Not that anyone knew, such knowledge was privy only to the Headmasters and none of the masters before Azorin ever thought to mention such a thing. After all, why brag about a self-making bed which can modulate its temperature, lights that brighten and dim according to one¡¯s will, as well as a host of other such helpful commodities when that someone is the Headmaster, the Principal of the most illustrious Academy in Athera? Such things are given if they were even thought of at all. That and all the Headmasters never had the desire to brag about their opulence, for Magic was the most important thing to them.


    But Ieros saw all of this and felt strangely at ease as if the room was welcoming him. Little did he know that to welcome and serve was the room¡¯s function and for too long, it had lacked a master to serve. Almost instantly, it began attending to Ieros¡¯s desires, the furniture resizing itself to be more accessible to Ieros''s childish frame, the temperature of the room modulating itself to be comfortable, and the lighting changing to the soft yellow of a setting sun. Azorin smiled as he saw this. That meant that the Tower acknowledged Ieros as a worthy heir, which would certainly make training Ieros inside it much easier. But, for now, he left Ieros alone in the room, mesmerized by all of its wonders and headed down to the ninth floor, his personal study.


    While Ieros slept, he would come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow, one which would hopefully guarantee the ignition of Ieros¡¯s spark.

 Chapter 4: New Friends

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIeros¡ª


    I woke up, although I didn¡¯t get up, the bed was too warm. I closed my eyes again, almost going back to sleep when someone woke me up. I didn¡¯t want to but the blanket suddenly disappeared, leaving me cold. Opening my eyes to see who it was, I saw the old man, the one who taught me how to fly, standing over me with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Wake up Ieros, it is time to learn Magic.¡±


    I rubbed my eyes, getting the small dry bits in my eye, staring at them for a bit before I flicked it away. I got out of bed and was about to follow the old man when something got in my way, a floating cloth. I tried to move past it but it blocked me again and I looked at the old man, about to ask for help when he said,


    ¡®Put that on Ieros, it is a symbol of a mage, you shouldn¡¯t practice magic without it.¡°


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± I said as I looked at the floating cloth again, wondering just how I was supposed to wear it.


    The old man chuckled, saying, ¡°Just hold out your arms and it will do the rest.¡±


    I did so and the cloth suddenly moved, I didn¡¯t quite understand just what happened but by the end of it, I was wearing it. As I twisted my arms to look at it, a mirror suddenly floated in front of me, allowing me to see it a lot better. It looked kinda cool, black and outlined with silver, although there were some weird symbols that were spread all over it. I didn¡¯t quite like them, I felt like it ruined the cool look it gave off, it would be much better if it was only plain black with the silver outline.


    Suddenly, the silver symbols started to disappear and as I studied my new clothes with amazement, the old man said, ¡°So you¡¯ve already made it your own...¡±


    I looked at him questioningly but he just turned around, telling me to follow him. I did so, wondering if I was going to go to the training room to try flying again. I hope we are. I feel like I can fly now because I had a really real dream, it was about me flying. But it wasn¡¯t at night, it was during the day and I could see everything, I could feel the wind on my face, the freshest air I could breathe and fluffy clouds that I could sleep on! I really wanted to start flying again, so I could sleep on the clouds.


    The old man said, ¡°Well come along, let¡¯s eat some breakfast and then I¡¯ll have you try to fly again.¡±


    I smiled and I hurried over to his side, wondering what I was going to eat today. If it was anything like the food from the ones I ate during the ride here, it was going to be very good!


    Breakfast was good, with many things that I had never seen before, but they all smelled very good. There was something he called steak, I had to eat it with a knife and fork and it was covered with this brown-red sauce which made it taste very nice, sweet with something else that I couldn¡¯t really describe. But it was very nice, I wonder if I¡¯ll get to eat more of it later today.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Such thoughts soon fled his mind as he was taken down to the Fifth Floor once more, feeling again the mana which his body absorbed. Feeling the surge of energy, Ieros closed his eyes and sought to recall his dream, reaching deeper and deeper into himself. And then, something suddenly gave and his body was instantly filled with a familiar warmth, the ignition of mana.


    Azorin, who had been watching silently, smiled as he saw Ieros begin to float, slowly rising to the ceiling. He let Ieros have his fun for a few moments, watching him push himself off the sides of the walls and gliding to the other, rolling around in the air and helplessly flapping his arms in an attempt to fly.


    Seeing that, Azorin finally spoke, saying, ¡°That¡¯s not how you fly Ieros, here, let me show you.¡±


    Azorin too took flight, although far more controlled than Ieros, maintaining his upright posture. Ieros, who was poised on the ceiling like an upside-down cat, craned his neck downward watching Azorin, his eyes lighting up with excitement.


    ¡°How did you do that!?¡±


    Azorin did not immediately explain, saying, ¡°I would like you to take a deep breath Ieros and hold it until I say so.¡±


    Ieros, slightly confused, did so.


    Azorin then said, ¡°Push yourself off the ceiling, so that you are floating in the air with nothing touching you.¡±


    Once again, Ieros did so and Azorin said, ¡°Now, blow as hard as you can.¡±


    And Ieros did so, beginning to move opposite the direction he blew, Ieros repeating this several times until he bumped his head into the wall.


    As he rubbed his head, Azorin said, ¡°The air you were blowing out of your mouth allowed you to move, that is what I am doing but with mana instead. Mana is the air, and my body is the mouth. I ¡®blew¡¯ the mana out of my body to make myself fly.¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°Your body is feeling warm right now, right?¡±


    Ieros nodded and Azorin continued, ¡°Try to concentrate it at your palms and point them the opposite direction you want to go. Try to imagine that your hand is getting warmer and warmer, and the rest of your body is getting colder and colder.¡±


    Ieros obeyed, closing his eyes as he focused on his hands. He could almost feel them getting warmer until he opened his eyes and found that he was indeed moving. He laughed and almost instantly, the warmth fled his hand and spread itself back throughout his body. Ieros once again tried to focus, but it was harder this time, he was too excited to be calm enough to focus. Seeing that, Azorin flew over and put a hand on his shoulder, slowly guiding him down.


    He said, ¡°Take a moment to calm down, once you have, I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    As Ieros struggled to keep his excitement down, Azorin said, ¡°Something that helps me focus is by staring at something, it could be a stone, your thumb, anything that¡¯s small enough to lock on to. Then I let it fill my mind, I focus on it alone and use it to push out other thoughts.¡±


    Ieros, looking around for anything to focus on, eventually did settle for his thumb, specifically his thumbnail. He followed Azorin¡¯s advice the best he could, trying to let the thumbnail encompass all his thoughts, although he only managed it for a few moments before his mind began to wander. He shook his head and tried it again until Azorin told him to stop.


    He protested, ¡°But I¡¯m not done!¡±


    Azorin smiled.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°But you have calmed down, right? Good, now, this time, try to fly upward. Focus, like you did before, on the bottom of your feet and your hands. Use your feet to go up and your hands to keep yourself upright.¡±


    Azorin alighted down on the ground once more, his face a tad more pale than before but Ieros didn¡¯t notice, too busy focusing on his hands and feet, trying to do what Azorin had done. But, splitting his focus in two was not an easy task, he was getting the hang of pushing out in one area but the moment he focused on the next, the one he had been working on ceased. Finally, he gave up, pouting as he glared at Azorin.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Azorin, having recovered due to the thick ambient mana, smiled, saying, ¡°It isn¡¯t, you just have to find the proper method. Perhaps you should think of it like this, you¡¯re sealing up your entire body except for your hands or feet. It¡¯s a harder method for me but you might be able to pull it off.¡±


    He then laughed at Ieros¡¯s blank look.


    ¡°Perhaps I should rephrase, right now, you are trying to push out mana from your hands and feet but what I¡¯m saying now is keep your mana in except at your hands and feet, like a suit of armor that encases your entire body except your hands and feet.¡±


    Ieros frowned.


    ¡°How am I supposed to do that?¡±


    Azorin rubbed his chin as he muttered, ¡°Well, you would have to imagine, think as your skin is like cloth. You can still blow air through cloth, so you need to make that cloth even tighter so it keeps the air in. You must imagine that your skin becomes tight enough to keep mana in.¡±


    Ieros frowned as he stared at his skin, suddenly noticing the small pores that dotted it. He pointed this out to Azorin who just shrugged.


    ¡°How does that help?¡±


    Ieros thought again, ¡°Um, if I block up the pores, then maybe the mana will stay inside!¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°Then give it a try.¡±


    Ieros nodded and returned his attention to his skin, staring at it as he willed for the holes to close. But, after a few moments, nothing happened. Ieros wasn¡¯t sure what to do next but he was unwilling to tell Azorin that. He felt that he had asked too many questions. So he just continued to try unsuccessfully to close the pores, trying to sense any sort of change. Finally, he sighed and shook his head, once again trying to clear his head.


    He opened his eyes and stared once more at the pores on his arm, sitting down cross-legged as he thought to himself. Seeing Ieros so earnestly try to solve this problem brought another smile to Azorin¡¯s face and he silently withdrew from the floor, he of all people knew better than to disturb someone in thought.


    Ieros hardly noticed Azorin¡¯s disappearance, too busy trying to solve his quandary. And as he continued to work perhaps uselessly towards the solution, the shadows of two men appeared on the wall, although they weren¡¯t connected to a body, lamenting the current state of things.


    Hmm, such latent potential but a pitiful teacher.


    Indeed, he needs to be guided properly, lest such potential be irreversibly denied.


    They nodded in unison.


    We must guide him.


    But upon reaching such a conclusion, they wondered how. After all, they haven¡¯t been able to speak to the living, for how could the living understand the words of shadows. It took some time to understand their manner of existence, but they were all previous Headmasters of the Tower, one of them being Zofiar himself. Well, not exactly. As far as they figured, they were not the ghosts of their respective originals, rather, they were a bundle of memories concerning their originals, a bundle of memories that gained sentience.


    And with there a century worth of debate as to what exactly was the nature of their existence, they were pretty confident that they were correct, they were sentient shadows. After all, now that they were shadows, they could¡ªin a manner of speaking¡ªcommunicate with other shadows too, more of an exchange of memories but still a form of communication.


    That is why they became so sure of their form of existence, for all of their memories were limited to the confines of the Tower itself. They were sure that they had other memories, but since this Tower had not actually witnessed the events leading up to those memories, they did not possess them. Things such as being raised up by family, early adventures, all things that were somewhat alluded to inside the Tower with various offhand comments but no real experience.


    Their identities were solely based on the memories their originals made in the Tower, and, after time, they were given sentience and incomplete versions of their originals¡¯ personas were created. And another thing that was rather unfortunate was that they as shadows could not communicate with the living, they attempted to talk to Azorin multiple times but there simply was a gap that they could not cross and they have since given up trying.


    That and there wasn¡¯t an incentive for them to talk to a living person other than boredom itself, that is until they beheld Ieros. They marveled at his talent and lamented the fact that they were unable to train him and thus the incentive to communicate was born again so that they could train him. But a problem whose solution has eluded them for so long was not going to be so easily solved, which was why they began to talk to one another with great excitement, discussing possible solutions until Ieros¡¯s voice spoke.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    They stopped and turned to look at Ieros, well, as well as two-dimensional shadows could turn to look which was not at all. But that wasn¡¯t necessary, for Ieros could now feel the attention of the shadows on him, reminding him of his friends back home. They weren¡¯t as talkative as these shadows but they still told stories, ones that Ieros could listen to for hours even though he couldn¡¯t always remember them.


    Perhaps these shadows had interesting stories too, which was why Ieros reached out to them first. Perhaps they would be his new friends. Meanwhile, the two former Headmasters were in shock, how had the boy heard them?


    Just to be sure, Zofiar asked, You can hear us?


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡±


    Zofiar exchanged a glance with his successor before they turned back to Ieros. It seems that their problem was solved, no, there never was a problem to begin with. Not men to waste time, they immediately went to the point.


    We would like to be your teachers, Ieros.


    Ieros tilted his head curiously.


    ¡°But I already have a teacher.¡±


    The two nodded but Zofiar said, But is he teaching you right now?


    Ieros shook his head and Zofiar insisted, Then let us teach you. I dare say that between the two of us, we have more to teach you than Azorin.


    Ieros pondered on this, asking somewhat shyly, ¡°Um, could you help me?¡±


    The two nodded.


    Of course, we can¡ªwait, can we?


    The two turned to each other, they had no problems sharing memories with one another since they were both shadows but they wondered if they could do so with the boy. Just because the boy could hear them talking didn¡¯t mean he could receive their memories. It was then that the curious matter of Ieros¡¯s capabilities came into question.


    This time, Atarum¡ªthe Second Headmaster¡ªasked Ieros, How is it that you can hear us? We have tried to speak with others before but you are the only one we can talk to.


    Ieros shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I do have friends like you back home.¡±


    This time Zofiar inquired, Friends?


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Mhmm, they were shadows although they don¡¯t talk like you, they send me images of things. It was like... uuuuhhh, like it was me there instead of them... it¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    Atarum said, It was like they gave their memories to you, right?


    Ieros thought about and nodded, with slight uncertainty.


    ¡°I think so...? But why?¡±


    Zofiar said, Well, it is because we intend to share our memories with you. Everything we have learned, we will share with you.


    Atarum interjected, But a few memories at a time, it wouldn¡¯t be wise to teach you everything right away.


    Zofiar seemed to glare at Atarum but Atarum ignored him, asking Ieros, So, you want to learn how to control your mana, right?


    Ieros nodded and Atarum said, Zofiar and I will both share our memories with you, perhaps then you will understand.

 Chapter 5: The Passage of Seven Years

    <h4 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ªZofiar¡ª¡ª¡ª</h4>


    My body is earth and my mana river,


    The body outside will mana deliver.


    Must carve the channels for the mana to flow,


    Carefully, lightly, like a gentle wind¡¯s blow.


    The river¡¯s banks must be kept firm and strong,


    So that the river may yet be kept from wrong.


    Meticulous must I make my design,


    Only then will mastery of flight be mine.


    That was the poem that I made to help guide my process, for I sought to emulate nature for it was the ultimate teacher. Everything that I sought to do, Nature had already done for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps even longer. So heed my advice, young Ieros, follow the path that Nature has walked for millennia, you shall surely reach what it is you desire.


    My successors share different sentiments, they believe that they may control Nature but heed not their words, in the end, Nature will always run its course and all that they do merely delay it for one day more. Harmony with Nature is key Ieros, to true mastery of Mana.


    I hope that through my memories of carving those channels will help you carve them in your own body.


    <h4 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ªAtarum¡ª¡ª¡ª</h4>


    Unlike Zofiar, my inspiration came from something perhaps more humble: a kitchen implement that is often used to strain out the water. Its shape was like that of a bowl riddled with holes, meaning that if you were to try pouring water in it, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the bowl was empty. Now, compare that with a regular bowl, one with no holes, it holds the water inside for far longer.


    Ordinarily, I wouldn¡¯t have cared about such things, as I didn¡¯t need to cook, but the thought suddenly came to me one day, that our bodies were very much like the bowls indeed. Right now, your body is like the bowl with holes, constantly leaking mana. The only reason you managed to float was that you just have so much, but that is so wasteful. You must be more like the bowl without holes so that you can keep the mana.


    But, that¡¯s not all, if you lock up the bowl tight, then you can¡¯t use mana. So combine the two ideas, make one bowl from the two, one that has fewer holes so that it still holds water relatively well and still allows for use of mana. How I achieved this was tightening my skin, as Azorin said, although I can actually share that experience with you.


    I hope my own experience shall shed light on the proper path.


    <h4 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª</h4>


    Ieros took in their memories and their words, the sensations that their bodies felt upon successfully mastering Flight. But, he was somewhat disappointed. Not only did he fail to properly emulate the individual successes of Zofiar and Atarum but he also failed to make a success of his own. He was excited to fly of course and sought to perfectly imitate both Zofiar and Atarum, not only in flight but in everything else that Azorin taught him.


    For a time, he was satisfied with that, following almost religiously the paths that Zofiar and Atarum walked before him. Years passed and he became a model student of both the paths of Zofiar, Atarum, and Azorin, coming to emulate each of their methods with textbook perfection but that was it, just textbook perfection.


    Azorin, who was initially excited to see such talent soon lost such enthusiasm, trying to coach Ieros to find his own path. After all, the current methods of Magic were still not enough to bring out Ieros¡¯s full potential, his power was too great and the methods were too weak. The parameters which they worked on did not account for Ieros¡¯s supreme mana concentration and thus, were unable to fully draw out all that Ieros could unleash.


    It was a rather frustrating cliff to overcome, both to Ieros and his teachers, for they all wanted to see what he was capable of, not what he could imitate. And after a year of fruitless efforts, although Azorin was loath to admit it, he conceded that he alone did not have the ability to teach Ieros.


    And so, he once more met with the Council Members, asking if they could attempt to bring out Ieros¡¯s power. And so, another seven years passed, each one under the tutelage of one of the Seven Council Members of the Academy.


    Under Meralia he learned the Art of Illusions, bending reality itself to his will. He brought his imagination to life, able to create the most life-like of mirages. And, due to his great mana capacity, the size and depth of his illusions were the greatest that could be seen, but ultimately were only larger of the same. Sure he could convince someone that his illusions were real, so real in fact that they could never tell the difference, but it did not matter when it was still only an illusion, something that he could never touch.


    On the other hand, under Thunwil he learned the Art of Defense, creating tangible walls of energy that would protect him from all dangers. From physical blows to the greatest of magic spells, Ieros mastered barriers of all forms, soon being able to withstand the might of Azorin, although that was more due to his superior mana concentration compared to that of Azorin. He was capable of outlasting Azorin and simply reinforcing his barriers by pouring more mana into them.


    This was not all that he learned but also how to counter the defenses of others, analyze the weaknesses of the enemy¡¯s barriers and utilize mana to exploit them. On here, Ieros proved to be unmatched once again simply because of his mana concentration, he could afford to send multiple tendrils of energy to exploit the various weak points of a barrier, far more than his opponent could counter.


    His power became so great in fact that it did not matter whether or not his elemental barrier was attacked by its most effective counter, his mana simply repaired the damage too quickly. It all came down to overwhelming quantity, which, while was still a victory, was still somewhat dissatisfactory to teacher and student alike. But a year had passed and there was nothing else that Thunwil could do other than wish Ieros luck.


    Similarly, the Art of Offense under Ilharis was one which Ieros managed to become unparalleled due to quantity over quality. Of course, as a matter requirement, he did practice to perfection but there was no drive to it. What was somewhat interesting was learning how to utilize elements in an offensive manner, it was here that he saw some parallels between the Art of Defense and Offense, which made sense. They were two sides of the same coin.


    Things like the interactions between fire and water, earth and air and everything in between. There were things like telekinesis, which manipulated one¡¯s surroundings to fight for him, attacks to subdue, harm, or befuddle the mind and a myriad of other such spells whose singular purpose was to bring harm. And due to Ieros¡¯s proficiency in this field, his training in newer, more effective combat spells was brought to a halt for Ieros was already difficult enough to deal with as is, should he possess nigh-invincible defense and an omnipotent offense, well such a thought was something that the Council Members wished to avoid.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    So almost immediately, he was given to Medora the Healer who hoped to teach Ieros to respect Life. And she tried her best, making sure to remind Ieros that his great power could cause great harm and yet also bring great good. Through her teachings, she wanted him to understand how Life was precious and how it should not so easily be taken away. Ieros seemed to listen, although he did not entirely understand just yet. He did not fully comprehend Life¡¯s value but even so, he could tell that his teachers did not want him to kill so he did not, if only for their sake.


    He saved the lives of many animals as Medora took him through deep walks in the forest, coming to understand their anatomy and the effect mana had on it. He saw first hand how flesh knitted itself back together with a disturbing quickness, how mana could supplement lost blood¡ªa temporary measure¡ªand felt the flow of mana through every living being¡¯s body.


    And his discovery of mana in every being was confirmed under the tutelage of Areviar who taught him the secrets of Augurey, revealing to Ieros a world that was beyond his eyes. For while Areviar had long since lost the ability to see with his eyes, it did not mean that he was blind. He learned simply to see in another way, particularly the flow of Mana. He could see¡ªalbeit with some difficulty¡ªthe mana in his surroundings and in people. He didn¡¯t use it too often since he could already feel the energy around him which allowed him to traverse his surroundings without great mana expenditure.


    But when he beheld Ieros properly with his Inner Sight, he was amazed at the brightness he beheld and it made sense to him why Azorin had called him the Future of Magekind. And so he willingly taught Ieros all that he could. In this subject, Ieros was far less successful, since learning to see mana did not just require using mana to augment the eyes but learning to lose one¡¯s way among the countless tributaries of energy. By the end of the year, Ieros could only manage to see in a 10-meter radius around him but Areviar assured him that with practice, he would be able to surpass Areviar¡¯s current maximum sight range¡ª1000 meters¡ªand go beyond.


    He took what he had seen with him when he went to Skalira, Master of Artificing. Mana exists in all things so it would make sense that such mana could be harnessed and utilized and the method to how was spell circles. Written in a language whose true name had long since been lost to time, the letters of this language are what manipulate the mana of its surroundings and a word formed from them manipulate mana to a specific purpose. And with Augurey, Ieros could see exactly how the mana was drawn in by the words, which fascinated him deeply. He often just sat quietly, staring at a spell circle as he activated it and deactivated it, never blinking.


    Artificing was not just knowing spell circles, it also involved magic machines, machines who used mana as fuel to move. Many devices are made via Artificing, some being enhancement of quality of life, others serving more practical purposes, and of course, a military application. Things from a simple pocket warmer to complex doors that would only respond to a certain mana signature are all made possible with Artificing. There are no limits to it, other than the fact that it uses the letters of the Lost Scripture.


    What remains of the Lost Scripture¡ªpartially through remembrance and through trial and error¡ªis only a few hundred letters which in order to accomplish a wide variety of things require long words and even sentences whose meanings vaguely match what it is the Artificer wants. The most complex of Artificing requires months and even years of guesswork, constantly rewriting the spell circle or spell circles in order to get the mana to flow as desired.


    Many Artificers lament the fact that they had to live in an age where the Language of Artificing was lost, thus severely limiting their capabilities compared to other branches. That is why those who delve for its hidden treasures are few and far in between, leaving Artificing a declining Art in the Academy.


    A branch that also happens to be in decline is that of Creation, a path which few walk anymore due to the fact that it is overshadowed by all other classes of Magic. After all, Creationism was just glorified Alchemy which mages as a whole tend to look down on. And in addition, Creationism was also far more inefficient compared to that of Alchemy which just relied on the natural interactions between certain materials while Creationism forced those interactions with mana. There was also a religious view against Creationism, for the Church deemed Creationists as those who seek to imitate the Gods, a great Sin.


    In addition to this, Creationism was highly unpopular because to unmake and remake the work of the Gods cost a godly amount of Mana, meaning that to change a pinch of lead dust into gold would drain the average mage of all their mana and then some. Creationists often worked together with Artificers who create spell circles to gather ambient mana to power a spell, requiring only the Creationist to set the spell in motion. Thus, the pursuit of Creationism belongs to a select few, mostly those who pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge instead of searching for practical applications of their Art.


    And Ieros, whose mana capacity gave him great leeway with spells, became someone to test Evasior¡¯s ideas rather than learn. Even so, Ieros learned and what he did learn intrigued him as he created all manner of items, at first recreating what he saw and then quite literally bringing his imagination to reality. But the high mana cost of such endeavors was limiting, even to Ieros and so he too relied on Artificing.


    Well, he relied on the spell circles that were already in the Tower which allowed for the collection of mana, using its regenerative capabilities on top of his own mana to conduct experiments. He attempted to increase the efficiency of the spell circles but he was only a beginner in the subject, the spell circles were already as efficient as they could be for the time being.


    So, Ieros made do with what he felt to be insufficient efficiency and worked ceaselessly in the Tower, much to Azorin¡¯s joy. Ieros was now pushing himself and in so doing, taking his first step into the unknown of Magic. It was more crucial now more than ever that Ieros must be protected, especially considering that the King most likely knows the current extent of Ieros¡¯s abilities.


    As to who told him, it was rather obvious, the Loyal Shield of the Kingdom. Azorin couldn¡¯t understand just why Thunwil was so loyal to that King and in return, Thunwil couldn¡¯t understand why Azorin disliked the King so much. Thunwil had long since sworn loyalty to the King since the King was the one who had rescued him from the slums, it was the King that allowed him to become a Council Member, and it was the King who so generously funded the Academy much of its money. The King also provided jobs for mages who graduate, giving them a use other than t0 gather dust in some room locked from the sun. Mages should contribute to this great Kingdom, not forsake it for knowledge that is of no use.


    But Azorin had his reasons too, the King had only rescued Thunwil to get a foothold in the Academy, a loyal pawn with which he could further bring the Academy to the King¡¯s rule. The King only funded the Academy so he could ask for ¡°favors,¡± basically coercing the Academy to help the Kingdom with their magic. The King only wanted to chain the Academy to himself, to use their power for his wars and prevent the Academy from growing as it should.


    And so it was plainly clear to Azorin that Thunwil had reported Ieros to the King, perhaps as far back as when Azorin had first introduced Ieros. The King hadn¡¯t made a move yet but he would soon, especially considering that Ieros is now done mastering the fundamentals of each Branch of Magic. Ieros was no longer an apprentice but a full-fledged mage, and that meant he could be used.


    Azorin was right of course, not that he knew it. The King had been receiving reports from Thunwil and now, it was finally time. So he had Thunwil begin to release rumors in the Academy, about the Secret Apprentice. Why had the Seven Masters disappeared, each for a year? Who was that person seen with Medora? Why was Azorin showing much more activity than before? Questions and rumors began to propagate wildly since under intense scrutinization, people began to notice the strange behavior of the Seven Masters for the past seven years.


    Each one had disappeared for certain periods of the day, neglecting their usual schedule and at the time, no one particularly cared as Masters were Masters, eccentricities were to be expected. But when one looked closely, specifically at the parts which Thunwil had pointed out, one could notice a strangeness.


    Of course, some still disbelieved it, a ¡°secret apprentice¡± was only a ridiculous rumor that was bound to disappear. But it did not, particularly with Thunwil secretly supplying more and more evidence to it being true. And finally, the rumors grew so big that people began to confront the Seven Masters and Azorin who debated whether or not they should reveal it all.


    Azorin was sure that it was Thunwil¡¯s doing but he could only make a baseless accusation. And besides, an investigation now would be useless, there was nothing that an investigation behind the origins of the rumor would do to appease the current situation. After all, it wasn¡¯t some sort of conspiracy which would bring great harm to the Academy, it was only the existence of a very talented student. And so, with great reluctance, Azorin decided to reveal Ieros to the world, more harm would be done by hiding his existence than revealing it.


    The King had won this battle but he will not win the war. Of that, Azorin would make sure.

 Chapter 6: Entering the Stage

    <h4 style="text-align: center">¡ªIeros¡ª</h4>


    Dressed in my personal robes, although I still felt somewhat uncomfortable in them, I took a breath before I finally went to the elevator. Azorin already had to go but I remained to take a few moments and to say goodbye to Zofiar and Atarum. The two joked as they always did but at the very least, their final words were somewhat serious, just telling me to embrace my power and not let anyone look down on me.


    I assured them I wouldn¡¯t but honestly, I didn¡¯t really care if others did look down on me. Zofiar and Atarum both told me why I should, but it didn¡¯t convince me. I mean, what does reputation have to do with magic? When I asked that, they said something about how it would help me when talking to others but I wasn¡¯t really fond of doing that. I much preferred working by myself, trying to rely on others as least as possible.


    Not that I hated people, it was just troublesome whenever I talked with someone, I couldn¡¯t get across exactly what I want and most of the time, they don¡¯t have the answers I need anyway, which ends up being a waste of time in general. So rather than waste valuable time that both of us need, I would rather do things by myself, and besides, talking to shadows is far easier. I don¡¯t have to use a lot of words to get across what I want, or any words at all. It was just so much easier to deal with them.


    But, it seems I will have to be dealing with a lot more people from now on, I was sort of excited, but not because I would talk to people but because I could finally step out of this Tower without a disguise. Perhaps I could fly without a care into the sky, as I often do in my dreams.


    But for now, I turned my thoughts to the task ahead, making my first impression to the world. The elevator came to a halt and I sighed as I exited the Tower, for the longest time, I had wanted to know the world outside this place but now, I wasn¡¯t so sure. But, even though I wasn¡¯t sure, I decided to push forward, after all, out there was a whole new world of learning.


    <h4 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª</h4>


    A figure clad in dark grey and white robes appeared from the Tower of Zofiar, joining up with a waiting Azorin who began to lead him to the Assembly Hall where Ieros would make his introduction to the world. As they walked, Azorin once more reminded Ieros of how he was to conduct himself in front of the large group, although Ieros was only half-listening, his mind preoccupied.


    Azorin, noticing this, reprimanded Ieros who paid a bit more attention, although most of this he had been told before. He had to make a good impression, be formal, polite, do not do anything that would harm the reputation of the Tower and of Azorin. He was also expected to demonstrate his abilities, although that wouldn¡¯t happen until a little later, he would be participating in the Magus Tournament which Ieros wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to feel about.


    He had fought duels before but it was always with one of his teachers and he never really tried to hurt them, nor did they try to hurt him. This would be his first proper mage fight and he wasn¡¯t sure what to expect.


    But, he had plenty of time to think about it later, for now, he had to deal with the situation ahead. Before entering, Azorin fussed slightly over Ieros¡¯s appearance before they entered, Ieros silently accepting it, following Azorin inside once he was done. And, just like that day, seven years ago, silence filled the chamber as Ieros entered, everyone, turning their eyes on him. And just like before, he suddenly felt the pressure and gulped in nervousness.


    But he did not freeze, nor did he hide. He stood straight as he followed Azorin to the center of the stage and stood by him as Azorin began to address the crowd.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure that many of you here have heard of the rumors that have been circling around these last few weeks, that I have this so-called ¡®Secret Apprentice.¡¯ I am here to confirm those rumors, I do have a secret apprentice and I was not his only teacher. The Seven Masters were also his teachers throughout the years and much to our delight, he has proven to be an excellent student. He, in only seven years, mastered each branch of Magic the Academy had to offer, although he has yet to learn all of their secrets.


    I know some of you must be asking why I chose to hide the existence of such a student, why didn¡¯t I celebrate his existence and bring pride to this Academy for being able to teach such a student?


    When I brought him here to this Academy over seven years ago, he was but a child of the age of nine, not too different from the rest of you when you came here. However, there was one clear difference that he had aside from most of you, he was not of Atheran noble blood.


    While it is not too unusual for non-nobles to possess enough mana to create a Spark, they do have is usually considered not up to Academy Standard, and most become minor mages who pursue the humbler arts and benefit villages which otherwise would not have access to magic. However, Ieros was found to possess the highest concentration of mana ever recorded.


    As you might imagine, such a discovery was groundbreaking. The Noble Families would¡¯ve torn him apart in their efforts to monopolize his blood and perhaps even kill him to deny other Families the chance of taking him which is why I and the Council agreed to hide his existence.


    I would¡¯ve liked to keep his existence hidden for a little longer, but it is a great fortune that the rumors have started now rather than earlier, for Ieros is now capable of defending himself.


    He is the Future of not only this Academy but the Future of all Magekind. And I know that some of you shall find this difficult to believe so a week from now, this Academy shall be hosting the Magus Tournament early, which Ieros shall be competing in. He shall fight multiple consecutive matches without rest against all opponents, regardless of your Tier.


    And for the finale, the winners of the other matches will join together in a grand team and be given a day to rest and plan a strategy to face Ieros. To the five winners, you are welcome to review all of Ieros¡¯s previous matches to help formulate your plan.¡±


    Azorin continued, ¡°If you have any questions, I will now be taking them.¡±


    A myriad of hands raised and out of interest, Ieros used augury to study the ones that did, most of them were of what appeared to be average mana concentration but there were a few whose mana shone brighter than others. Azorin then made a selection and Ieros noticed that it was one of those few, Ieros blinking and turning off augury so he could actually see the person¡¯s appearance.


    As the brightness of mana faded, he saw a girl standing there, dressed in a regal uniform which made her stand out amongst the others even without augury, he had noticed her a bit during his brief scan of the crowd but only a bit. But now that she had been chosen by Azorin, Ieros decided that he should at least make note of her. And so, he stared at her, memorizing her appearance.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    She had red hair, amber eyes, and was rather tall which made her easy to pick out amongst the crowd. She wore form-fitting clothing which Ieros thought was rather tight but that was a minor detail, he noticed that it was gilded with gold and bore a sigil. And when she spoke, it was with power, grace, and command, she too was imbuing mana into her voice.


    ¡°Lord Headmaster, do you seriously expect me to believe that boy over there is all that you say? All I see is some foreigner who other than his strange face is not all that special. If he really was your apprentice, would he not be dressed more appropriately?¡±


    Ieros blinked, she was a rather bold one wasn¡¯t she, Ieros would never have imagined speaking thus to any elder, it just wasn¡¯t how he was raised. He figured that truly, nobles were different from others.


    Meanwhile, Azorin said, ¡°Lady Alvira, with all due respect, do not speak of things of which you know nothing about. Areviar himself has confirmed Ieros¡¯s mana concentration with his sight, if you doubt me, you are doubting not only Areviar but the entirety of the Seven Masters.¡±


    Alvira seemed taken aback at Azorin¡¯s immediate rebuke and she almost stepped back down, but Ieros saw her eyes harden as she stood her ground.


    ¡°Lord Headmaster, then I would at least like a demonstration of his abilities right now, since I don¡¯t have Sight as Areviar does.¡±


    Azorin mulled it over, finally looking to Ieros and asking, ¡°Well Ieros, what do you want to do?¡±


    Ieros blinked and bent his head in thought, what would he do? He could refuse, but her comment from earlier still somewhat stung, even though he had told himself earlier that he wouldn¡¯t care what others thought. It seems that to make thought into reality was still a difficult matter, even if he was the most powerful of all mages.


    And although Ieros could do a myriad of spells, each as amazing as the last, he wasn¡¯t sure what to do. There were so many choices and each with their own benefits and disadvantages. Fire would be a magnificent sight but doing it in an enclosed space could have dire consequences, water was similarly effective but if he made one mistake, he may end up ruining many audience members¡¯ attire, and he couldn¡¯t really do something with earth as that would ruin the floor. Air was hard to see and would undoubtedly ruffle some noble feathers.


    And it was then that Ieros remembered one of the reasons he had agreed to leave the Tower, to fly once more into the sky.


    He then looked up and faced Azorin, saying, ¡°I would like to fly once more but if I cannot, then I will be alright with another spell. However, since I do not know which would be most appropriate, I have to ask you to guide me.¡±


    Ieros¡¯s voice, although quiet, was not meek, nor was it full of authority. It was calm, collected, and yet the slightest bit wistful as if Ieros really wanted something but held himself back. Azorin looked at him and then back at the audience.


    He sighed, saying, ¡°Unfortunately, I think flight is too much for now, however, I do have an idea.¡±


    Ieros was somewhat disappointed, but he listened, and he agreed to Azorin¡¯s suggestion, after all, he would be able to fly later. With Ieros¡¯s agreement, Azorin returned his attention to Alvira and invited her onto the stage.


    ¡°Lady Alvira, if you so wish, you may come up onto the stage so that you yourself may confirm that it is Ieros doing the magic.¡±


    Although it was phrased as a choice, Alvira knew very well there was none for her. So she ascended onto the stage, the crowd making way for her. Finally, she stood before Ieros, unsure of where to look, met her amber eyes with his grey ones, blinking as he found that her glare was a bit much. He looked to Azorin for confirmation that he was doing what they had agreed on and once he received it, he prepared himself.


    His worries and the pressure of attention all faded as he held his left hand in front of him, facing the palm towards the ceiling. Forming a cup with his left hand, he began to exert mana from his palm, but instead of letting it dissipate, he collected it at one singular point. It continued to collect, eventually condensing into liquid mana, a practice often used by alchemy-mages to enhance their potions and alchemic reactions. It often required nothing more than a drop, but even that drop could prove to be extremely taxing.


    Alvira wasn¡¯t impressed, the spell itself wasn¡¯t anything impressive although it was useful if one wanted to understand the limits of one¡¯s mana, since creating condensed mana is not an easy thing to do. The average mage can create enough to just barely fit comfortably in the palm of his or her hand by expending all of their mana. But Ieros had already made enough which threatened to spill out, which was why he immediately placed his right hand over his left, further condensing the liquid mana.


    It was at this point that Alvira¡¯s eyes widened with shock as she beheld crystal mana beginning to form, the gem slowly rising from its liquid counterpart. The reason for her shock was that the conversion of liquid mana to crystal was far more difficult, while most mages could liquify their mana, there were none who could actually solidify it further, that required the help of a magic circle and multiple mages.


    Alvira quickly checked to see if anyone else was using mana, but no one else''s eyes were glowing, a tell-tale sign of mana use. For when mana was activated, it gave off light and since blood flowed in the eyes, the blood there would glow as well, giving primarily the irises a shining effect. But Alvira¡¯s eyes could not see anyone else¡¯s eyes glowing except Ieros and so she was forced to accept that this was all his doing.


    Eventually, the glow faded as Ieros began to run out of mana, letting out a sigh as he stared almost lovingly at his mana crystal, a faint smile on his lips. He looked up and blinked as he found that Alvira was rather too close for comfort, unconsciously taking a step back. Then, realizing her rudeness, she too took a step back and bowed her head, apologizing.


    ¡°Forgive me, I have been rude to you.¡±


    Ieros was unsure of how to respond, finally opting to remain silent and just bowing his head in return.


    Azorin came to Ieros¡¯s rescue, saying, ¡°Lady Alvira, I hope you are satisfied that I have not lied.¡±


    She bowed to Azorin.


    ¡°I am, Lord Headmaster. My apologies for doubting your words.¡±


    Azorin waved it off, saying, ¡°I too would¡¯ve been doubtful if I was in your position.¡±


    Azorin then turned to the crowd and asked, ¡°Now, are there any more questions?¡±


    There were more of course, and Azorin answered them all to the best of his ability until the time came for them to leave. So, as Azorin adjourned the assembly, Ieros sighed with relief as he prepared to leave himself, he much preferred the Tower to this. As they were making their way back to the Tower, Ieros sighed again, much more audibly now that he was away from curious eyes, massaging the back of his neck and rolling it around to relax the muscles.


    Noticing this, Azorin asked, ¡°Tiresome, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ieros nodded and Azorin continued, ¡°Unfortunately, this is something you cannot avoid. I had wished to keep you a secret for a little longer but the rumors wouldn¡¯t allow it. But things being that they are, I will begin your lessons on proper manners.¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°Why would I need proper manners?¡±


    Azorin said, ¡°Today it is understandable that you did not speak at all since it was mostly my duty to address the rumors. However, next time¡ªand the many more to follow¡ªyou will have to speak as well. However, speaking informally will lower your reputation and make things unnecessarily difficult in the long run. While it won¡¯t permanently harm you down the line, sometimes it¡¯s just better to avoid trouble.¡±


    Ieros nodded, not that he was agreeing because he understood the wisdom but because he knew Azorin was rarely wrong about things. That and all the times Azorin would ramble about the foolishness of Nobles provided enough context as to why Azorin thought as such. But for now, he didn¡¯t let such thoughts plague his mind as he wanted to hurry back to the safety of the Tower.

 Chapter 7: A Great Enlightenment

    This chapter has not been rewritten yet so this will be a severe inconsistency.


    <hr>


    Ieros left the throne room, breathing a great sigh of relief once the doors closed behind him. He slowly became aware of his beating heart, each beat thudding against his chest.


    ¡°Well, how did it go?¡±


    He turned to face Meralia, then looked at the Court Mage badge and then shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Good? I don¡¯t know but I guess I¡¯m a Court Mage now.¡±


    Meralia was shocked for a moment and then she said, ¡°Do you want to be a Court Mage?¡±


    Ieros shrugged again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know really, I mean I guess it¡¯s a great honor but I feel that it might be too much for me.¡±


    Meralia nodded.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re only fifteen years old. Honestly, what was the King thinking? If you want, I will try to get him to change his mind, I-¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    He looked down at the badge, saying, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not the worst thing that could¡¯ve happened to me, and at least now I can enter the Imperial Library.¡±


    Meralia asked, ¡°Are you really sure? You don¡¯t have to do it if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Ieros met her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I might be a little uncomfortable with it but it¡¯s not something I absolutely hate. I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Meralia opened her mouth to continue but finally decided against it. After all, to be made a Court Mage wasn¡¯t too bad of a thing, to be made of a Court Mage essentially meant that they were the extension of the King¡¯s power and as such, he would have the authority and protection of the King himself. The King was a powerful man, made so by the Ruling Magic that has been passed down from generation to generation. Ruling Magic, as stated in its name, is magic which allows one to rule, specifically the mana within the blood of mortal men.


    This special mana type which ruled others was sapphire blue in color which happened to turn the blood of those who possessed Ruling Magic blue. And it was through this that royal families of various nations have remained in power for generations, for as long as they possessed Ruling Magic, none could rise up against them. For through the use of Ruling Magic, all other magic could be nullified, although of course, this magic was not without its faults. In order to be properly utilized, they must sit at the center of a magic circle, the circle designating an area which would be his mana domain, a place where his power rules supreme. And it was due to this authority that the King is absolute. An existence that held power in both name and physicality.


    This was also of Light¡¯s design, to create order so as to slow if not stop the spread of Night¡¯s influence, to stop chaos. Kings are meant to rule, and rule they shall from their thrones. As such, ancient Kingdoms were founded on magic circles which were centered at the thrones. While not absolutely necessary, a King''s powers are at their peak when he sits upon his throne, that is where he is able to utilize his abilities to the greatest effect. This is not to say that they are helpless without their thrones, Kings are quite capable of using their magic as long as they remain in the magic circle which the borders of their nation are roughly based around.


    However, the farther they were from the center of the circle, the greater the drain on their abilities. And while they may be practically impervious to magical damage, it doesn''t prevent them from dying to a sword or a stray arrow which is why they use the Court Mages. The Court Mage is a representative of the King''s authority, through them the King may spread his influence throughout his territory without personally going himself. They act as the King¡¯s arms for while a King is powerful, not even they can be everywhere at once.


    That was the Court Mage, the burden which now weighed on Ieros¡¯s young shoulders. It would be up to Ieros to represent the King in matters of national importance, to serve his will, and¡ªif necessary¡ªcarry out the King¡¯s punishment. No longer would he be just himself but part of the King¡¯s will.


    And Ieros was sort of aware of this in a way, because of that badge he now wore he would no longer be free to relax in deep in the forest, listening to the shadows. Those days were at an end now, he was going to be in the service of the King himself. He was slightly saddened by this, there were still so many stories for him to listen to, still so many things to learn. Perhaps he should¡¯ve avoided Meralia back then, perhaps he should¡¯ve refused and disappeared into the forest. But, he couldn¡¯t do that. Meralia was like a second mother to him, he just couldn¡¯t ignore her. He will do what he had to do, that was all that there was to it.


    When he returned to the Academy, he spent his time wandering its halls, gathering a few curious looks but nothing serious. After all, hooded mages were seen all the time in the Academy, he was just one among many others. As he walked, he finally found himself before the Library, nostalgic memories of him as a child momentarily filling his mind, bringing a small smile to his face. As he opened his eyes, putting those nostalgic memories aside, for now, he stepped into the Library.


    The shadows within murmured hushed greetings, Ieros taking a seat in one of the chairs as he just listened to the stories these shadows had to tell. And unlike before, now he was truly able to appreciate these stories, understanding them to a far greater degree than he had as a child.


    While the shadows of the forest enlightened him to the existence of many magical properties, the shadows of the Library showed Ieros how these properties worked. For these shadows, unlike those in the forest, were shadows of tomes and the Library itself, having borne witness to the works of mages and their thoughts as they wrote down these books. Each tome held a shadow which knew everything there was to know about that tome, from the day it was put together, such as when the mage had accidentally made a small splotch of ink on the bottom left corner, and each and every thought that went into writing the words onto paper.


    They understood magic more deeply than any other mortal being, except for perhaps the dragons. And it was this understanding that was transferred to Ieros who just enjoyed listening to the voices of shadows again, remaining in the library as the daylight began to fade. He let his mind wander as he listened, imagining in his mind that he was actually casting the spells that the shadows spoke of, envisioning the concepts that they explained, and overall just understanding to a far greater degree than he had previously.


    Things that had eluded him before he now understood with clarity, his once blurred sight now as clear as day. But, it was the magic of creation that still evaded his understanding, for it was something that not even these shadows knew how to do. All they spoke of was what Ieros already knew about, the conversion of the particles in the air into different matter. But, Ieros just felt that it wasn¡¯t the answer, at least, not the complete one. There was something else, another piece of the puzzle that he just didn¡¯t know.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    And then, he remembered something, something that he had seen long ago as a child. It was on his first day in the Academy, he had encountered something here, a shadow that was unlike any he had met before. With his school duties, he had never paid it too much heed and in the forest, he was too busy with the shadows, but now, he had nothing to stop him. And so, he stood, drawing the attention of some students that were studying. But they soon returned to their studies as Ieros left the Library, making his way to where the ancient shadow resided.


    And he found it again, what was once the greatest mountain to ever grace the face of Agleon. First, he bowed to it before he took a seat by the stone, reaching out a hand to place on its cool smooth surface. As he closed his eyes, he called out to the shadow that slumbered, waiting for the shadow to awaken.


    Then, a slow, sleepy voice spoke, Ah... the boy.


    Ieros nodded.


    It is me again, but I have come prepared to receive the knowledge you possess.


    The shadow mused, Are you? The last time... your mind was... not strong enough.


    Ieros said, That was before, I can handle it now.


    The shadow seemed to chuckle, saying, Then... understand.


    With those words, knowledge began to flood into Ieros¡¯s mind, countless eons of memories rushing into his mind until finally, there was only one memory left. It was... darkness, darkness everywhere. But the darkness wasn¡¯t empty, no, the darkness itself was matter. He was everything, yet nothing, everywhere, yet nowhere, he was all.


    And then, in that darkness, there was a Word, at least, that was the best that he could describe it. It was... something full of meaning. And, although the language in which it was spoken was foreign, and possibly not even verbally communicated, he understood it. Stone. That was the word, stone, and then there was stone, no, he was stone. With but a word, that being had made the great mountain, just a single word which he could only describe as being the essence of what it was to be stone.


    The being spoke more words, words of power which began to form the matter of this world, each word spoken equaling another material introduced to existence. And among the more mundane items, there were materials of the divine realm, things Ieros only recognized from ancient texts within the Academy¡¯s Library such as Adamant, Orichalcum, and Mithril. Then there were even more words that Ieros didn¡¯t know the meaning of, words that exuded an aura of great power.


    If he could master these words, Ieros was sure that he could walk farther down the path of Magic than any other mage to have ever lived. That alone filled his heart with excitement, so much so that he immediately tried to understand the words that the being spoke, replaying the memory over and over as he attempted to master them. However, unsurprisingly, each and every attempt was met with failure, again and again, no matter how many times he tried. But, Ieros kept on trying, the desire to master the words of Creation overpowering his frustration.


    As he pursued the mysteries of this language, he was disturbed, someone was shaking his shoulder. As he roused himself from the trance he had put himself in, he whirled around in irritation and anger, although those feelings immediately lessened when he saw who it was that disturbed him. Taking a moment to rein in his irritation, he then noticed the darkened sky and Meralia¡¯s worried face, Meralia asking,


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Ieros nodded, sighing.


    ¡°Yeah, I was just very close on figuring something out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Ieros, it¡¯s just that I was worried, you were just sitting there for so long.¡±


    Ieros shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I understand why you did it and I can¡¯t blame you for it.¡±


    Seeing that he was rather glum, Meralia offered, ¡°Well perhaps you can continue doing whatever you need to do in my tower, there, no one will disturb you.¡±


    Ieros smiled as he shook his head.


    ¡°No thanks, I have to stay here.¡±


    Although she was confused, meralia didn¡¯t press the matter.


    ¡°Oh, well then good luck.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    As Meralia made her way back to her tower, Ieros returned his attention to the stone, once more reaching out a hand to touch it as he closed his eyes. Once more, he allowed the words that being spoke to resound within his mind, trying to understand how to utter those words with his limited mortal capacity. However, he was not able to master even the simplest word, the one representing Stone. The language was far too foreign for his mind to comprehend, it would only be acquired after dedication. But even so, this did not dampen Ieros¡¯s excitement. It had been a long time since he had encountered something which stumped him and he was determined to do all that he could to learn it.


    And that was exactly what he did, delving deeper into the knowledge of Creation he already knew to try and find the relationship between the word and the matter it represented, analyzing the memory to see just what the effect of the word was when it was spoken. Again and again, he replayed that memory, trying to understand the miracle he was beholding.


    And as morning approached, he inched ever so closer to complete understanding, coming to the fundamental realization that this stone wasn¡¯t just appearing into existence, it was being created from something else. But as to what, the only answer Ieros could arrive to was that it was some sort of invisible matter, something that was all around yet there. Was it air? No, that couldn¡¯t be it, the word for Air was spoken later because right after, there was a great wind which buffeted the side of the great mountain. At least, that was what Ieros believed to be the word of air. But before there was nothing, there was only... only darkness. No, it wasn¡¯t only darkness, there was that being too, whatever it was. Ieros sighed, there were just so many puzzling pieces to this mystery, he couldn¡¯t make any sense out of it.


    Then, the shadow¡¯s sleepy voice spoke once more, saying, The answer is... very simple. The two are one... and the same.


    What? What do you mean? Ieros asked.


    The shadow replied, From Darkness all was made... so Darkness is both matter... and Creator.


    Still a bit confused, Ieros asked, But that doesn¡¯t make any sense, are you saying that the darkness is alive? That it used its own flesh to make everything?


    The shadow only answered, Darkness is all.


    After that, the shadow refused to explain, only saying that the answers were there for Ieros to see. Seeing that he¡¯d get no more help from the shadow, Ieros began to ponder those vague answers, finally coming to the conclusion that the ¡°flesh¡± was the darkness all around him at the memory¡¯s beginning, that was the ¡°first matter¡± used to convert into other things. And that being, it also a part of the darkness, was it some sort of god? Somehow, he did not feel as if that was correct, it did not feel like a god.


    He spent the rest of the night thinking and thinking but as morning neared, he still had yet to find a connection. And by then, frustration had won out over his initial excitement and so, for now, he decided to put it off. He¡¯d return to it later when he felt better. As he took a breather, he cast his gaze upward and blinked, the sky wasn¡¯t the black of night like he had expected, instead, it was the dawning light of a new sunrise. He then became aware of a slight ache in several of his limbs which he began to stretch, standing up as he did so. And then he remembered, he had to meet the King today, but he didn¡¯t know the time. Panic filled his mind, he had to go now. So, he hurriedly left, leaving behind the stone whose shadow returned to slumber.

 Chapter 8:The Kings Request

    Ieros ran to the palace, cursing the fact that he had forgotten that he was supposed to meet the King. he was a Court Mage now, he couldn¡¯t make mistakes like this anymore. Anxious and slightly stressed, Ieros soon found himself before the entrance to the throne room, taking a moment to calm himself. He combed his hair with his fingers as best he could, straightened out his robes, and¡ªafter a few moments¡ªclipped the badge upon his breast. Taking a few more deep breaths to calm his thumping heart, he nodded to the doormen who pushed open the door, a page announcing,


    ¡°Court Mage Ieros enters the Throne Room!¡±


    Ieros entered, forcing himself to walk normally, his eyes unable to keep still as they wandered around the place, noticing a beautiful woman and a Knight standing by her side. His eyes then noticed a displeased King and he quickly drew his eyes downward, stopping when he was next to the woman and Knight.


    He took one knee and bowed his head, saying, ¡°Please forgive me, Your Majesty..¡±


    The King waved his hand dismissively.


    ¡°If you had made me wait another five minutes, perhaps I would¡¯ve, but since you¡¯re young and just been made a Court Mage, I guess I shall let it pass. But don¡¯t repeat this a second time.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I dare not, your Majesty.¡±


    The King nodded with satisfaction.


    ¡°Good. Now then, I believe you haven¡¯t met my daughter, Stellaria.¡±


    Ieros stood and bowed to her, saying, ¡°I greet her Highness.¡±


    She just looked at him derisively, turning back to her father.


    ¡°Father, I hope that this... boy is not my escort.¡±


    The King said, ¡°Well I know he¡¯s made a bad first impression but I assure you that he¡¯s skilled enough to be. He¡¯s the most talented mage to ever grace Athera in several generations.¡±


    She countered, ¡°But he is just a boy, how can he be trusted to protect me?¡±


    The King said, ¡°Because he is a Court Mage, he-¡±


    The Princess snorted.


    ¡°Oh please, you just want to show him off to the other nations.¡±


    The King smiled.


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t say you¡¯re wrong but I think you¡¯ll understand that this is needed. And besides, The Kingdom of Seris has boasted the greatest mages to ever walk Agleon for the last few decades, what¡¯s wrong with proving them wrong.¡±


    She said, ¡°Nothing, only, I don¡¯t trust that he will be able to protect me.¡±


    The King smiled, looking to Ieros.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give proof of your abilities Ieros, convince her that you are worthy.¡±


    Ieros was slightly hesitant, what was he supposed to do? After spending a few moments to think about it, he finally gave up.


    ¡°Um, I don''t know.¡±


    The King laughed.


    ¡°You mean to say that you do not know what you have to do? Were you not taught powerful spells by your master?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°I mean yes but, I was forbidden from using them by the Academy.¡±


    The King chuckled.


    ¡°Really? Were you that bad?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Um, no Your Majesty, I just... well, I... hurt some people.¡±


    The King rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be an offensive spell, just something to prove that you are stronger than the average mage.¡±


    However, Ieros was still a bit confused, just what could he do that would impress a Princess? Never before had he given thought to such things and now, being put on the spot, his mind was blank. But soon, his mind began to wander, finally settling on the memory of the ancient stone. Absentmindedly, he replayed the memory, not doing anything as all as he just relived it. And then, clarity filled his mind, he had been going about this all wrong. He was trying to speak the Language of Creation with a mortal tongue, when it was not spoken at all, but thought. A thought so powerful that it resonated in the physical realm as well as the immaterial. He had to think the word in a way that it would be spoken aloud. Once more, he relived the memory of before the darkness became stone, for at that moment, for the briefest of seconds, he felt the thought of the word.


    He let that sensation fill his mind as he prepared to ¡°speak,¡± encompassing the very concept of Stone. And, once he had ¡°spoken¡± the word, his ignited mana fueled the creation of True Stone, manipulating dark matter itself. For it was not a mage¡¯s word or just a simple ignition of mana that Ieros used, no, for the briefest of moments, he had managed to ¡°speak¡± as Darkness had. Hardly realizing what he had done, he opened his eyes and saw within his hands a rock and a drain on his mana. However, this stone was unlike any other he had created, every stone previously had an artificial quality, too rigid, too soft, a little something that made it feel off. But the stone he held before him, this was a ¡°real¡± stone, one that he ¡°made¡± instead of transmuted.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    But, the Princess and the King didn¡¯t know that, the Princess mockingly saying, ¡°Oh look, a rock. Oh, this must mean he¡¯s the best mage in all of Creation.¡±


    But Ieros ignored her, excited at this discovery, no, this rediscovery. Magic was always done though thought, but mages had always used the crutch called language to assist in casting. Ieros chuckled in self-deprecation, here he was thinking that he already knew so much about magic when he had forgotten the basics.


    With a brilliant smile upon his face, he ignited his mana once more, letting the essence of fire fill his mind, using the memory of the mountain which had witnessed the creation of Agleon¡¯s Flame, the flame which sustained life on this world. And then, letting the true concept of fire fill his mind, once more he ¡°spoke,¡± and once more, Absolute Flame was brought into the world. However, to bring about its creation, much of Ieros¡¯s mana was used to create something that was the size of a small bead: a flame which was alive, a flame that was unlike any other for it was a crystal.


    It was like golden fire trapped within glass, continuing to burn within the confines of the raw crystal, which glowed softly in Ieros¡¯s hands. And despite its small size, it was a powerful item because of the sole reason that it held dominion over all flames. It was an Absolute, objects which are the words of Creation given physical form. While a word spoken can create the material it represents, for the word itself to become physical, then it becomes an Absolute, an object which holds absolute authority over the matter it represents.


    As such, the Absolute Flame holds complete and utter dominion over all lesser flames, should one understand how to use it, they¡¯d become the Master of Fire. And, even without a wielder, the Absolute Flame was already exerting its authority over the lesser flames, lit candles and lamps of the chamber dimming as the smallbead continued to grow in brightness, soon becoming the brightest thing in the room. The light even pierced the shadows that hid Ieros¡¯s face, revealing the features of a boy who was at the cusp of manhood, his grey eyes silver in the light of the crystal.


    However, everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on the Absolute Flame, Ieros most of all as he was the only one who could completely appreciate the beauty of it. He lost himself in the surprisingly endless depths of that small little bead, the golden flame within pulsating like a small star trapped within glass.


    And then, in the silence, the King spoke, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Ieros blinked as he found himself, finally saying, ¡°I... I don''t know. But, it was the first time I had used up all of my mana in one go.¡±


    And as he breathed heavily, the weight of what he said sank in.They had all felt the massive surge of energy upon the ignition of Ieros¡¯s mana, a surge that they had never felt from a single mage. And now, all that energy was said to have gone into the small glowingbead that currently was within Ieros¡¯s hands. Just what was that thing? However, just a mere bauble wasn¡¯t enough to convince the Princess, which she made evidently clear to both her father and Ieros.


    ¡°I will admit, the amount of mana he possesses is great, but that does not indicate a great mage, it just gives him more room for mistake. I¡¯m still not convinced.¡±


    The King sighed, ¡°Stella, he will be your escort along with your Knight and nothing aside from irrevocable evidence that he is unworthy will change my mind.¡±


    The Princess let out a sigh of her own and nodded.


    ¡°Fine father, but in that case, I myself will select candidates who I believe are better for the job, is that fine with you?¡±


    The King nodded.


    ¡°Very well, but make it by the end of this week.¡±


    She bowed.


    ¡°Thank you, father.¡±


    When she stood back up, her eyes drifted to Ieros, a bit unsettled when her eyes met none, only the impenetrable darkness of his hood. She then turned abruptly and walked out of the Throne Room, her Knight also glaring at Ieros before she followed. Ieros was about to leave as well when the King called him back.


    ¡°I fear I must apologize for my daughter¡¯s behavior but you quite literally came out of nowhere. It is partly my fault, for making you into a Court Mage and assigning you to my daughter but, I felt that you¡¯d be a better choice than... him.¡±


    Curious, Ieros asked, ¡°Him?¡±


    The King nodded.


    ¡°Yes, the other candidate for Court Mage, promising in the field of magic but his personality... let¡¯s just say it has much to be desired. He behaves well enough around my daughter but when apart, he is abrasive, rude, and frankly not someone to become a Court Mage.¡±


    Ieros, blinking as he took this in, asked, ¡°Your Majesty, did you pick me because you don¡¯t want him with your daughter?¡±


    The King chuckled.


    ¡°I must admit that there¡¯s a small part of me that does feel that way¡ªfine, a rather sizeable part of me¡ªbut I have other reasons as well. My daughter is being sent to Seris to marry the Crown Prince and join our two nations, I do not need distractions and with his personality, I shudder to think what he will do to the Crown Prince should they meet. Such a happening could cause a war between both Seris and Athera. And, as you have heard, all the other Court mages are busy with duties that cannot be trusted in other hands so you were quite literally my final hope. Praise be Light when you actually appeared, it was as if the Goddess of Fortune was on my side.¡±


    Ieros took this in, finally saying, ¡°But couldn¡¯t you have picked another? Would there not be other mages who are peers of uh... whoever ¡®him¡¯ is?¡±


    The King sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem, he made sure that he was the only one who could be by the Princess¡¯s side, although this was all done properly through duels so I am unable to act legally and with my daughter to protect him, I am unable to take action personally either. And then, when I spoke to my advisors of any possible way to avoid having him as Court Mage, your name came up.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ieros asked and the King nodded.


    ¡°You were quite the celebrity back in the day, the Genius of the Millennia you were called, not decade, not century but Millennia. You were considered a treasure of all Magekind until you disappeared for three years. Of course, the Academy did their best to reach you but they couldn¡¯t and your teacher refused to act until I finally gave the order. Then you appeared and much to my relief, you weren¡¯t crazy like him. In my excitement, I named you Court Mage right then and there, I do hope you forgive me.¡±


    Ieros was silent, finally saying, ¡°I cannot forgive where none is needed, you are the King and I am a servant, I only obey.¡±


    The King replied, ¡°A textbook answer, but one that I doubt is truly what you feel.¡±


    Ieros shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Well, that''s what I''m good at.¡±


    The King gave a short laugh.


    ¡°Well, get some rest, my Court Mage. You are free to go.¡±


    Ieros bowed before he turned and left, gripping theAbsolute Flame tightly in his fist, the excitement from his success still fresh in his mind. As he was leaving, he nearly bumped into someone, although he managed to dodge. He just murmured a quick apology before he continued on his way, ignorant of a pair of icy blue eyes which followed him until he turned the corner. The owner of those eyes then turned, entering the throne room.

 Chapter 9: The Lull

    With morning past, the city was now bustling with activity, people setting up their shops and calling out to passerbyers. But, not even these brazen shop keepers dared call out to Ieros, he who bore the King¡¯s crest. The glittering emblem of gold combined with his appearance, a figure clad in silver and black with a faceless darkness beneath his hood, deemed him one that they were not worthy of addressing. He was a mage, one blessed by the gods with a divine gift, someone to be feared and revered.


    Because of this, the crowded street emptied before him, with heads turning and whispers filling the air. After all, part of the reason why mages were held in such high regard was because of the fact that no one knew much of them. Mages were prideful and aloof, they hardly ever deigned to walk among the lesser humans as Ieros was doing, making for a very curious sight.


    But, Ieros paid little attention to this, as he was still excited about the success he had with the Language of Creation, a slight hurry in his steps as he wanted to return to the stone at the Academy, so he could ask it what it was he had created. But as he walked, he felt a sudden jolt, someone had run into him. When he looked to the source of the jolt, he found a young boy who was now frozen under his faceless glare.


    Figuring that he was at fault since he was the one walking with a preoccupied mind, he bowed his head, apologizing for bumping into the boy before he continued on his way. Then, forgetting all about him, he began to think again about the sensation he felt when he created something. It was something he couldn¡¯t quite describe, something that just... felt right. He wanted to return quickly so he could experience the feeling again. He unconsciously began to walk faster, still oblivious to the stares that followed him.


    And as he went to return to the Academy, so was the Princess returning to her chambers, thinking about Ieros. Her first impression of him was a youth who was naive, foolish and overall unprepared for the job that now weighed on his shoulders. The only redeeming quality he had was his talent as a mage, which she believed merely consisted of him having an insanely large pool of mana. Then, reminded of his demonstration, she snorted. He did not even know what it was that he created, was a mage such as he worthy to protect her?


    Noticing this, her Knight asked, ¡°What is wrong m¡¯lady?¡±


    Stellaria sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that boy, I really don¡¯t understand what my father sees in him.¡±


    Alwine thought a moment, finally saying, ¡°Who knows m¡¯ lady, I¡¯m only a Knight.¡±


    Stellaria chuckled.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t have to worry, Iveris will take care of him.¡±


    Alwine only said.


    ¡°Do not underestimate him m¡¯ lady. That boy, back when he was the Academy¡¯s pride and joy, he was unmatched in any field. He was so powerful that he was forbidden from using high tiered magic because it was unfair to his peers, and even then, he still surpassed them all.¡±


    The Princess waved her hand dismissively.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Alwine, that was three years ago. During that time, he was running away from the Academy¡¯s expectations while Iveris was training himself to be stronger. He will beat him.¡±


    Alwine bowed her head.


    ¡°As you say, m¡¯lady.¡±


    Then a voice called out to her.


    ¡°Heeeey! Wait up!¡±


    Stellaria smiled as she turned, seeing Iveris jog up to meet her.


    ¡°Oh Iveris, where were you? I was just meeting my father about the Court Mage thing.¡±


    Iveris said, ¡°Oh that? I just popped in to ask where you were. So how¡¯d it go?¡±


    Stellaria replied, ¡°Luckily, my father agreed to have a match to decide who will become my Court Mage.¡±


    Iveris smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, you and I can have more excuses to be around one another!¡±


    She smiled back.


    ¡°Oh stop it, it¡¯s a job, take it seriously.¡±


    Iveris nodded.


    ¡°Sure, sure. Anyways, I think I met that dude I¡¯m going to fight, the gloomy one with the black and silver robes.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s him. So, what do you think of him?¡±


    Iveris shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, he was different than what I expected. I thought the King would bring in some sort of secret talent but him, I hardly felt any mana from him at all.¡±


    At this, Alwine interjected.


    ¡°He used up all of his mana during some sort of spell.¡±


    Stellaria added, ¡°But all he made was some sort of weird glowing marble and apparently, that took up all of his mana. But I must admit, the amount of mana he used was insane, I think, no, he definitely has way more mana than you.¡±


    He lifted an eyebrow.


    ¡°Really? Now I¡¯m a bit more interested. What was his name again?¡±


    Stellaria said, ¡°Ieros, supposedly, he was really famous back in the day.¡±


    She waited for Iveris to talk but when she turned to look at him, his face was serious. He looked at her dead in the eyes and asked,


    ¡°Was it really Ieros, was it him?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    She nodded, a bit worried.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Iveris grinned.


    ¡°Nothing, absolutely nothing.¡±


    He began to chuckle, turning to look out of a nearby window, to the Academy.


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    Entirely ignorant to all of this, Ieros had finally returned to the Academy with little trouble, sitting himself down by the ancient stone again.


    Ah... the boy returns...


    Ieros nodded.


    With more questions to ask.


    The shadow chuckled.


    Then ask...


    Ieros got straight to the point, pulling out the Absolute Flame.


    Do you know what this is?


    The shadow mused for a few moments.


    Oh... an Absolute...


    Ieros frowned.


    An absolute?


    If the shadow could, it would¡¯ve nodded.


    Indeed... an object that is... the Essence...


    Essence? Ieros pressed.


    The shadow answered, The Essence of an element... is the element¡¯s true form... With the Essence... one becomes the master...


    Ieros furrowed his eyebrows.


    So... if I had an Absolute, I can master that element?


    The shadow chuckled.


    Not... quite. With the Essence of Fire... all lesser flames are yours... to control.


    However, Ieros was still unable to fully understand.


    But how?


    The shadow sighed.


    Because... that is... what the Creator wills. For an Absolute is... absolute... the pinnacle of all that it... represents. Would the pinnacle... not command?


    Ieros then looked at the glowing bead in his hands.


    This... this is the pinnacle of all flames?


    The shadow said, It is... the Creator¡¯s vision... of what a flame should be...


    ¡°What a flame should be...¡±


    Ieros was unaware that he had mumbled this aloud while staring at the Absolute Flame, finally asking the shadow,


    How do I use it?


    The shadow replied, That I am... unaware...


    A bit disappointed, Ieros bowed his head in thanks to the shadow.


    Thank you for teaching me once more.


    The shadow replied, Do no... forget...


    Ieros nodded, taking his leave so that he could attempt to further his understanding of the Absolute Flame. But, he did not know where to begin, for this thing was entirely alien to him. Just how was he supposed to use this? Ieros pondered this question as he stood up.


    Suddenly, a voice announced, startling him, ¡°Court Mage Ieros! I have been commanded to escort you to your tower! Please follow me!¡±


    Directing his attention at this young apprentice that was shouting so loudly, Ieros was quite confused, asking, ¡°What?¡±


    The young boy repeated, ¡°I have been commanded to escort you to your tower! Please follow me!¡±


    Unsure of what else to do, and still slightly confused, Ieros followed the apprentice mage, although now he was regretting the fact he hadn¡¯t told the boy to quiet down as it had caught the attention of some others.


    As people began to stare, Ieros said, ¡°Please don¡¯t yell so loudly, you¡¯re attracting attention.¡±


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened and he bowed deeply, whispering loudly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, tell me my punishment!¡±


    Ieros shook his head, saying, ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine. Just try not to be so loud.¡±


    The boy almost shouted again but he stopped himself, only bobbing his head.


    They stood there awkwardly for a few moments until Ieros asked, ¡°Um, where would my tower be?¡±


    The boy bowed deeply again, about to apologize but once more Ieros stopped him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just lead me there.¡±


    The apprentice mage nodded and turned, walking stiffly as he led Ieros to the Conperium, the inner circle of the Academy. It was a place where only the elite of the elite are allowed entry, although it was a place that had always opened its doors to Ieros. This was the second place he spent most of his time in, mostly forced by his teacher to listen in on the lessons that were being taught for the day to increase his overall understanding of magic. Even if he wasn¡¯t learning that particular spell or aspect of magic, just listening in on the explanation would help him connect the dots in other details of magic that were previously alien to him, sort of like stumbling upon the answer to a question you weren¡¯t working to solve.


    This was most similar to how he ended up learning from the shadows, he was just a sponge that absorbed information and sometimes that information just clicked in his mind. But other than that, he wasn¡¯t too familiar with the Conperium¡¯s inhabitants, he knew some of the teachers¡¯ names and could recognize students by face but he never really spoke with any of them.


    But now, seeing as he¡¯d be living here now, he was a bit unsure of what to do now. Should he speak to them, should he get to know them better, or should he just leave them alone as he had always done? It was something that he pondered quite seriously, as he did not easily open up to others. Even before he came here to the Capital and was surrounded by people who just wanted to use him, he was never the type to go make friends. He only reacted when they came to him and continued to talk to them if they had earned his approval.


    Such people were Kyle and Aria, although they had stopped talking for a long time. He wondered if he could still call them his friends, seeing that it was partly his fault for always being so busy, never making time for them. That had always made him feel a bit guilty, that it was he who pushed them away. That¡¯s why he never really tried to close the distance when he did have the time because he wasn¡¯t sure how they¡¯d react to him, the one who pushed them away. As he thought about this, he sighed, causing the apprentice mage in front of him to stop, suddenly worried that he had done something wrong. Ieros nearly bumped into him before he realized that the apprentice had stopped, blinking in surprise as he directed his attention to the young boy whose eyes looked up in fear.


    Ieros said, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    The boy was unsure of how to respond to that, he had stopped because he thought that Ieros thought something was wrong, but it seemed like Ieros wasn¡¯t really worried at all. Stressed, the boy began to stammer, although he was unable to speak. Seeing the boy in this state, Ieros was unsure of what to do other than hesitantly pat him on the shoulders.


    ¡°Hey uh, it¡¯s fine, you did nothing wrong.¡±


    The boy tried to speak again but was unable to, his head held down in shame as his eyes began to tear up. Looking at him, Ieros was suddenly reminded of his little sister and on impulse, he reached out a hand and ruffled the boy¡¯s hair, bending his knees slightly so he could look at the boy face to face.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine. Just calm down, take a few deep breaths.¡±


    And this time, when the boy looked up, he saw Ieros¡¯s smiling face, which surprised him so much that his stress was forgotten, the boy just staring.


    He blurted, ¡°You-you have a face!¡±


    Ieros blinked and then said, ¡°Well, I think everyone has a face.¡±


    He stood up again and his face was once more hidden by darkness, but that no longer scared the boy. He just continued to stare in wonder at Ieros, until Ieros waved a hand in front of him. The boy started turning around so abruptly that Ieros took a step back in surprise. With his anxiety forgotten, the boy led Ieros to his tower, bowing deeply as Ieros stood before the door. Thinking that he should do something to repay the boy for his efforts, Ieros turned to do so but found that the boy was gone, rushing off into the distance. Ieros almost called out to him but stopped at the last second, unable to summon the courage to do so. He sighed, snorting at his cowardice before he returned his attention to the tower, studying the great doors which blocked his entry.

 Chapter 10: His Tower

    Slightly stumped before the great doors that blocked his entry, Ieros looked for the boy but could not find him, he had already gone. A bit confused, Ieros could only look back at the door, wondering just how he was supposed to get inside. However, that concern was soon forgotten as Ieros studied the door, a door that combined both machine and magic, the workmanship of an Artificer. As he looked upon the door, he was reminded of a quote that he had read long ago:


    ¡°Mages harness what is unseen, builders manipulate what is seen, and artificers harness the unseen to manipulate what is seen.¡±¡ªArch Artificer Harmac Stonehand.


    However, that quote and a few books in the Academy Library were all that Ieros knew of artificing as the art was something that only one race has mastered up to this point in time, the dwarves. A race that was not gifted with the ability to harness mana, a race that was thought to forever be doomed to while away beneath the earth, toiling in perpetual darkness. But they did not succumb to their fate, they still found a way to harness the mana around them, by use of runes which powered their great machines.


    While most have now lost the ¡°Sight,¡± the first dwarves were blessed with the ability to see the flow of mana around them, Augurs. It was these Augurs who created runes, symbols that allowed artificers to harness the power of mana. There were runes that would first collect the mana, then runes that would direct it, and finally runes that would use the mana to power the machine as a whole; each working together to form a greater machine.


    However, to artifice one does not simply just memorize the runes, no, there was far more to the art which was why the dwarves had managed to maintain a monopoly over it, growing ever richer as they exported runic artifacts to the customers that desired them. And who wouldn¡¯t want runic artifacts, artifacts which allowed anyone to wield mana. Of course, the expense of making runic artifacts combined with the lengthy rituals that dwarven artificers practice before they even begin carving the runes¡ªslowing the already lengthy process of producing a runic artifact¡ªmade such artifacts unimaginably expensive. Indeed, the price was so much that the cost to outfit just one of the Nine Towers would be enough to fund the building of a small city.


    And to be able to fund the building of nine such towers, the Academy itself was a major power in Atheran politics, a power that did not usually make a move. However, when the Academy does make a move, it shakes the political balance of Athera, shifting either to one side or the other. One example of this was three centuries ago when Teramon the First took the throne. According to the history books, Teramon the First had obtained the King¡¯s favor and, when the King was on his deathbed, he was named the King¡¯s Heir which enraged the former Crown Prince, Galeren who decried Teramon as a liar and a thief who manipulated the old King to steal the throne.


    Galeren¡¯s Faction far outnumbered Teramon¡¯s and it was believed that Galeren would triumph over Teramonand execute him for his crimes. But before the conflict could begin, Teramon revealed his trump card and called upon the Academy to aid him and the Academy did, having struck a deal with Teramon. Teramon was to respect the independence of the Academy¡ªwhich had been increasingly encroached upon by the preceding Kings¡ªand fund the Academy¡¯s projects for ten years once stability had been returned to Athera. In return, the Academy would lend to Teramon the might of their most powerful mages and would even give four of those mages to the King to become his Court Mages.


    This proved enough to cow the Crown Prince¡¯s Faction, many of whom betrayed Galeren and swore loyalty to Teramon. Those that did not were completely and utterly obliterated by the power of those who would become the Court Mages of Athera. Thus Teramon¡¯s position was secured and under the protection of the Academy, he was able to obtain Ruling Magic without any trouble. And Teramon kept his word, respecting the Academy¡¯s independence and funded the Academy¡¯s research, which was when the first of the Nine Towers was built, substantializing the Academy¡¯s independence. The Academy now had a center of power, nigh impregnable from the outside. Even if Teramon wanted to turn on the Academy, he could not do so without suffering great losses for not even Ruling Magic could make the great doors open.


    For these doors could only be opened by a special and unique key, a key that¡ªonce imbued with mana¡ªwould circulate mana throughout the runic machinery, powering the opening sequence. It was practically impossible to do so without the key, for the runes of the machinery were extremely strict, they would only accept mana that matched the threshold it possessed. If the mana inserted was over the threshold, it would simply wash over the rune without much effect, keeping the mechanism closed.


    Merely trickling in the mana would not work either as mana does not last long outside of the blood, meaning that it would dissipate before it could build up to the threshold. And even if one found the proper amount to inject mana, it was still not enough, for they had to enter runes in a specific order and each rune had a different mana threshold, essentially making the door impregnable to those who did not possess the key.


    And Ieros was fully able to appreciate the complexity of this door as he attempted to solve it, mistakenly assuming that he had to open the door, not knowing that there was a key. His initial efforts met no success but this only intrigued Ieros more as it had been so long since he had encountered such a challenge. Stepping back slightly, he pondered on a way to find the solution, finally deciding that he¡¯d just analyze the door piece by piece, or rather, the machinery within. However, since he couldn¡¯t just tear open the door and study it, he had to make do, pressing his hand against the door¡¯s surface, once more injecting mana.


    However, this time he was spreading his mana throughout the material of the door itself, which included the machinery within. And by using his mana sight to see the flow of his own mana, he was able to see the secrets within the door. It couldn¡¯t be sustained however, after a few moments his mana would dissipate but those few moments were enough, he could now recreate the door¡¯s machinery through Creationism. And so he seated himself in front of the door, recreating the naked machinery for him to appraise at his leisure, paying close attention to the runes that were engraved upon each piece.


    He was so absorbed into deciphering the door¡¯s secrets that he did not notice the approach of Merin Cornelius who had rushed here, having forgotten to give the boy the key to the tower. However, his worry over possibly offending Ieros disappeared as he beheld Ieros sitting there, poring over each piece of runic machinery as he occasionally grabbed one, injecting mana into it before he put it down and surveyed the rest. Thoroughly bewildered by all of this, he finally just decided to wait until Ieros was done doing whatever it was that he was doing before he disturbed him.


    Ieros didn¡¯t notice as he had finally discovered the threshold of one rune, seeing as how it began to move after he had done so. He attempted to do so with another, only to be met with failure, the thresholds of the two were different. However he just shrugged it off and then compared the two runes, wanting to see just what was different about them that led to different mana thresholds.


    He compared various parts that seemed to correspond with one another and experimented with mana injection but was met with failure over and over. Finally, he sighed and stretched, he couldn¡¯t just sit here all day. He stood up, preparing to go and search for someone to talk to about opening the gate, stopping when he saw Merin standing there. Seeing that Ieros seemed to be done with whatever it was that he was doing, he bowed his head, holding out the key.


    ¡°My apologies, I had forgotten to hand the key to the boy who had led you here so I came myself.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Ieros said, ¡°Oh no, it was pretty enjoyable trying to unlock this door, it has been a long time since I was ever stumped by something.¡±


    Merin blinked.


    ¡°You tried to unlock the door? Without the key?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°If I had a month, I could probably unlock the door without the key, although that doesn¡¯t mean I would understand the meaning of the runes though. That would take a lot longer.¡±


    Merin asked, ¡°Really?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°I can do it but I don¡¯t really have a lot of free time, I have a job that¡¯s coming up and that will probably take me away from this place so I¡¯ll have to put it off for later.¡±


    Merin nodded.


    ¡°I see, well, seeing as we are probably going to see a lot more of each other, I am Merin Cornelius.¡±


    He offered his hand and Ieros took it, saying, ¡°I am Ieros.¡±


    Merin once more offered out the key and Ieros took it, saying, ¡°Well, my job here is done. See you around, Ieros.¡±


    Ieros took the key, saying after a few moments, ¡°See you too.¡±


    Merin smiled and with a small nod, he turned and left, Ieros watching his retreating form for a moment before he returned his attention to the door, then looked at the key in his hand. He shrugged and then placed it inside the keyhole, injecting mana into it which then distributed the mana throughout the door, unlocking it. As the door opened, Ieros withdrew the hand holding the key, waiting for the door to finish opening. Once the doors ceased to move, he looked back, waving his hand to undo his spell. With the replicas beginning to disintegrate, Ieros stepped inside the tower, turning to watch the doors close behind him. Once they closed fully, he turned and took in his new surroundings, pulling off his hood to get a better look.


    His eyes were met with a pristinely kept chamber whose walls and floor were made with white marble with geometric patterns of black marble. These patterns weren¡¯t simply for aesthetic however, they also served as a large spell circle whose function was to collect the mana from the earth into the tower itself, making the mana concentration so thick that a mage could begin to absorb it. This was only possible due to the Academy¡¯s proximity to the Imperial Palace which was the center of the ley line. It was able to siphon some of the earth¡¯s energy which was most concentrated at the palace for the Academy¡¯s use.


    Of course, such a privilege was only for the most high ranking mages of the Academy and now it was available to Ieros as well. But other than that, the Tower was mostly empty, Ieros feeling that it had been left this way for quite some time despite the fact that there wasn¡¯t a single speck of dust to be seen. It wasn¡¯t surprising though, back when he attended the Academy, he too had heard rumors of the Nine Towers and of the high prerequisites needed to be given the honor of occupying one. The four Court Mages would be given a tower each by default and the remaining five would be given to the brightest that the Academy had to offer and when Ieros was last here, only 3 of those remaining towers were occupied.


    He didn¡¯t know if that number had changed but at least one tower remained unclaimed until he came. Finally, he decided to head up to the upper floors, although he was a bit at a loss on how to do so seeing as there were no stairs. He looked around, finally settling his eyes down on the floor which had previously overlooked. He knew that it was one large spell circle whose purpose was to gather energy but perhaps there was something else that he had missed. As he pored over the patterns etched into the marble, he noticed something strange. It appeared that there was a smaller circle within the spell circle, one which began to stand out as he began to spot the differences.


    It was a spell circle whose purpose he didn¡¯t quite know, but there was one thing he did know. That the piece of floor it was one was not one with the rest of the floor, meaning that it could be detached. If his theory was correct, then this was the means to travel up and down the tower, a magic elevator. But now the question was how was he supposed to activate it? With nothing else in mind, he went over and stood at its direct center, the spell circle lighting up as he did so. Blinking in surprise, he waited but nothing happened, was he supposed to do something else?


    Figuring that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try, he cleared his throat and then spoke, ¡°Up.¡±


    However, it did not move.


    Frowning, Ieros thought again, saying, ¡°Take me to the top.¡±


    Once more, it refused to move.


    Feeling a bit stupid, Ieros took some time to think, his eyes suddenly noticing a change in the intensity of the spell circle¡¯s light. It was dimming now, almost completely dead. A bit frustrated, he thought why it couldn¡¯t just take him up and suddenly, the light brightened again. Returning his attention to the sudden change, it suddenly clicked. He had to think his desire, the universal language of magic. He had to think it, not just say it.


    Chuckling to himself for having forgotten such a simple rule, he straightened up, casting his gaze up to the ceiling which had a perfectly cut hole in it, saying, ¡°Up!¡±


    And this time he did ascend, the circular elevator he stood upon floating up into the air as he neared the hole in the ceiling. He passed through and with a thought, the elevator stopped, Ieros stepping off as he studied this room. It was equally empty as the floor below, with the only changes being the patterns in the marble and the four windows at each of the cardinal points. He didn¡¯t give it too much heed as he was curious as to what lay above, Ieros returning to the platform to continue upward.


    This time, he only gave each room a passing glance as he ascended until the platform came to a halt, the elevator could not go any further. Ieros stepped off, entering an equally empty chamber, although the geometric patterns on this floor were far more numerous and even lined with gold and silver. And the air of this room was almost vibrating with the amount of ambient mana in the air, so thick that just by standing there, Ieros was able to integrate the ambient mana into his blood.


    Already beginning to feel energized, Ieros then took out the Absolute Flame, pondering just what he was to do with this. But there was one thing that felt off, the light that was coming off the marble seemed to be dimmer than before. He wasn¡¯t sure how that was possible but it seemed that this thing was losing energy. In an attempt to stop this, Ieros injected some mana into it, meeting some success as it began to glow brighter.


    Reassured by this, Ieros decided to pour even more mana into the Absolute Flame, taking advantage of his mana rich surroundings to supplement his own mana, the small bead glowing brighter and brighter. However, that was all it did, glowing brighter and brighter so eventually, Ieros just gave up. He still had some mana to spare but he was unwilling to spend it all on the Absolute Flame, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he might just be wasting his time with it. So for now, he put it out of his mind, instead looking once more at his surroundings.


    Greeted with the emptiness, he felt a moment of loneliness, which he quickly shrugged off as he set his mind to making this place more like home. However, once more he was a bit stumped on where to begin. Having spent the last three years in the forest, he never had a use for furniture really so he was forced to improvise. And while they did seem a bit out of place in their more elegant surroundings, the simple bed, desk, and chair that he made were enough to make Ieros satisfied. It¡¯s not like a lot of people would be seeing this place besides him so he figured that there was nothing wrong with it.


    If it looked too weird, he¡¯d make it look better in the morning but right now, he was pretty tired, he couldn¡¯t remember the last time when he had slept properly. Back in the forest, he was always learning something so he had to be awake, sustaining himself with mana to keep himself from falling asleep. But here, there wasn¡¯t as much to do, which brought his building weariness to the forefront of his mind. So, stripping himself of his bulkier outer robes, Ieros let them fall to the floor as he himself fell on the bed, dressed in lighter clothing. He yawned sleepily as he crawled into the covers, letting his mind wander on various things until he fell asleep.


    Meanwhile, theAbsolute Flame which had been left alone continued to grow brighter ever so slowly, absorbing the mana that the Tower collected.

 Chapter 11: Preparation

    When Ieros woke, it was still quite dark out, which allowed him to notice the soft glow emanating from the table. As he sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily, he turned his focus to the source of the glow, the Absolute Flame. However, unable to notice that it was slightly brighter than before, he didn¡¯t pay it too much attention as he stretched, yawning tiredly as he stood up, stooping down to grab his robes. He pulled them on, wondering what he was going to do today. He thought about making breakfast but seeing as he was back at the Academy, he had a sudden desire to eat food other than fruits and bread. So, taking the Tower¡¯s key and slipping it into his robe¡¯s inner pocket, he made his way down to the elevator.


    As he descended, he tried to recall the menu of the Academy¡¯s cafeteria, eventually shrugging as he¡¯d be fine with eating anything other than bread. Reaching the bottom, he stepped off and studied the door briefly to see how he was to open it from the inside. And then, seeing the same keyhole as last time, he just stuck the key in and briefly powered it with his mana, unlocking the door and stepping out. Outside of the tower, he noticed the sudden drop in mana concentration, which reminded him just what a privilege it was to have received a Tower for his very own.


    Not even his teacher¡¯s tower had such a thing and she was one of the more well known figures of the school. It reminded just what the Tower meant, although he still wasn¡¯t sure if he was worthy of the position. He knew that he was vastly superior to those in terms of mana concentration but in experience or skill, there were almost certainly those that surpass him. He just couldn¡¯t feel comfortable now that he thought about it, although he soon forgot his worries when he caught the scent of food cooking in the air.


    Tracing a path that he vaguely remembered, he eventually found himself at the cafeteria, wondering why people were staring at him until he realized that upon his robes was the Court¡¯s Badge, signifying his rank. Seeing as it was too late to take it off now, he sighed, deciding to just ignore them as he made his way to the serving line, smiling as he remembered the first time he had come here with Meralia. He wondered if the chefs he knew were still there and if they would remember him, not likely since even when he was back at the Academy, he had never really ordered a lot of food.


    But, there wasn¡¯t really any other way to get food so he steeled himself, forcing himself to walk smoothly without hesitation. After all, it would be rather awkward if he was to stumble and with everyone staring at him, he really didn¡¯t want to trip. Fortunately, he made his way to the serving line without any issues, people moving out of the way, meaning that he didn¡¯t have to wait. He attempted to tell them that it was fine, that he would wait his turn but the moment he raised his hand, they hurriedly bowed. Sighing inwardly again, he just decided to let it be, instead turning his attention to the nervous man in front of him.


    Ieros bowed his head slightly, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but it has been a long time since I¡¯ve last been here, where is the menu?¡±


    The man, unsure if Ieros was joking, said, ¡°Um, the cafeteria provides all manner of foods, you need only ask, my Lord.¡±


    Ieros frowned, although it was hidden by the shadow of his hood.


    ¡°Then something with no bread or fruits, it doesn¡¯t matter what.¡±


    The man asked, ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Ieros thought some more and said, ¡°And a drink that is not water.¡±


    Taking this moment to leave Ieros to tell the chefs the new order, the man took a few moments longer than usual before he went out to face Ieros again, just why did he have to deal with a Court Mage? But, he couldn¡¯t keep the Court Mage waiting so he forced himself to go out, saying,


    ¡°Your food shall be out momentarily, a golem shall serve it to you.¡±


    Ieros, unaware of the man¡¯s supreme discomfort, just nodded, satisfied that he had successfully ordered some food. He, much to the man¡¯s relief, turned and made his way to an empty table, taking a seat. While he waited, he decided to create a blank book, intending to fill it up with what he had learned of runes so far. Recalling the pieces of runic machinery in his mind, he would recreate them one by one as he dedicated two pages of writing to each, carefully transcribing each rune along with what he believed were to be its properties.


    He soon grew so absorbed the task that he didn¡¯t notice the service golem¡¯s approach, blinking in surprise as food was placed beside his book. Nodding to the golem, and then getting embarrassed at nodding at a golem, Ieros quickly turned his attention to the food, closing the book as he placed it to the side. It wasn¡¯t really anything special, just a steak that visually appeared to be perfectly cooked, with strange but delectable sauce poured upon it. And, to its side, there was a goblet of wine, the dark red liquid releasing a pleasing scent. Finally, Ieros decided to taste it, slicing off a piece of the steak and bringing it to his mouth with the fork.


    As he bit in, he just closed his eyes in contentment as the taste of the meat spread throughout his mouth, appreciating the meat¡¯s texture which was so different than the bread and fruit he ate back in the forest. This was real food and he was going to enjoy every last bit of it. He then took the cup into his hand and studied that too, taking a small sip. It was slightly sweet, followed by a brief tartness which then gave way to a slightly bitter aftertaste, his throat feeling as if had dried out. Blinking as this was the first time he had tried wine, he took a second sip, this time mulling it around in his mouth, letting the sweet taste permeate his mouth until he swallowed, appreciating the tart taste that was followed with the slight bitterness.


    He then sliced off another piece of steak, letting that wash over his tongue again before he took another sip, appreciating the new combination of flavors. After eating a few more bites followed with periodic sips of wine, he stopped again, this time holding up the piece of meat close to his face, studying it with his eyes. He wanted to add this to his menu of food that he could currently make for himself, he didn¡¯t want to subsist off of just bread again.


    However, just studying the meat and wine wouldn¡¯t do, he would have to learn exactly what went into the cooking of the meat from the spices added, the type of oil it was cooked in, and just what the condition the meat was before it was cooked. For the wine, he had to know what went in to the making of the wine, what grapes were used, how long were they fermented, in what type of barrel were they stored. After all, if just one piece was missing, then a Creation spell will always go awry. It was not a branch of Magic for everyone, it required one to possess a great imagination, one capable of visualizing the processes of the world around them. They had to understand the rules that their world was bound by, only then could they begin bending those rules to their will.


    Ieros resolved to ask the chefs about the recipe of this food next time but for now, he¡¯ll just finish eating it. And so he enjoyed his meal, finishing off the plate cleanly and drinking every last drop of wine, he stood, signaling a golem to come over and take his used dish and cup. He then picked up his book and pen, deciding to stop by the Tower so he could drop off his new book before he did anything else. But on his way, he caught sight of a few people waiting outside his Tower, the Princess with her Knight Alwine and another person. Studying him, Ieros felt like he had seen him somewhere before, although Ieros couldn¡¯t quite recall. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Curious, he got closer, nodding his head to the Princess as he asked, ¡°Your Highness, do you need something?¡±


    She said, ¡°I do but we should converse in a more private location.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°As you wish, where should we go?¡±


    The Princess glared at him and Ieros thought about it again, not really sure what he did wrong.


    Finally, she sighed and said,


    ¡°Your tower you idiot, your tower is one of the most secure locations in the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Ieros said, his face heating up with embarrassment. Glad for his hood, Ieros made his way to the Tower doors, doing his best to act as if he wasn¡¯t embarrassed at all, although on the inside he berated himself for being so stupid. It didn¡¯t take long for the doors to open and Ieros strode right on in, greeted with a lack of furniture. He stopped again and turned to the Princess, bowing his head.


    ¡°Forgive me but could you please wait a few moments, since I had only moved in yesterday, I hadn¡¯t created furniture for guests.¡±


    The Princess nodded, waving her hand to tell him to get on with it. Ieros nodded and turned to the chamber in front of him, creating 4 simple chairs out of stone, placing three beside each other while the fourth was placed opposite of them. He took the fourth chair, waiting for the group to sit down before he asked,


    ¡°So what is it, your Highness?¡±


    The Princess eyed him, finally saying, ¡°Have you already forgotten?¡±


    Ieros blinked, rubbing his chin as he struggled to remember what possible reason the Princess has for visiting him. Eventually he shrugged, much to her consternation.


    ¡°Did you forget that in order to be a Court Mage you have to defeat Iveris?¡±


    Ieros struggled to remember the name, although he shrugged yet again, saying, ¡°Who is Iveris?¡±


    This time, Iveris spoke, standing and walking in front of Ieros as he did so, gazing down on him as he said, ¡°I am.¡±


    Wondering why he decided to stand in front of him, Ieros studied Iveris, his eyes widening as he appreciated Iveris¡¯s mana concentration. It was one of the highest mana concentrations that Ieros had ever seen in a person similar to his age, although Ieros¡¯s awe was slightly dampened by the arrogance that exuded off of Iveris. Feeling as if he had to, Ieros stood up as well, although he was slightly shorter so Iveris was still able to look down on him. While it annoyed him, Ieros did his best not to show it as he stretched out a hand, saying,


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Iveris.¡±


    Iveris took his hand, giving it a firm shake, staring at Ieros for a long time before he finally let go.


    Returning to his seat, he asked, ¡°So Ieros, where have you been all this time?¡±


    Ieros took a seat and said, ¡°Well, I was out in the forest, practicing and experimenting with my magic.¡±


    Iveris, seeking to embarrass Ieros, inquired further, ¡°Oh? Like what?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Well, I first began seeing the limits of my abilities, without being restrained by the Academy and-¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°Well, I can still feel the exhilaration of casting the largest Fireball I had ever seen. It was as large as a house and incinerated the forest in a straight line for as far as the eye could see. Although, since it was the first time I had used up all of my mana, I wasn¡¯t able to properly use my mana for a few weeks.¡±


    Iveris snorted.


    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously expect me to believe that, come on, tell the truth. You were hiding out in those woods, afraid to come back.¡±


    Ieros directed his gaze towards Iveris, the faceless darkness glaring at him.


    ¡°I did hide from all those people that sought to sink their fangs into me, I was too weak back then. I am stronger now, I no longer need to hide.¡±


    Iveris scoffed at him.


    ¡°And yet the King managed to sink his fangs into you.¡±


    Ieros fell silent, unable to respond.


    As Iveris relished his victory, Ieros stood up, saying, ¡°If this is all you are here for, then I would like for you to leave.¡±


    The Princess was about to speak but Iveris overrode her, standing up as well as he walked right up to Ieros¡¯s face.


    ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡±


    Ieros didn¡¯t say a word, the faceless darkness glaring at Iveris as Ieros ignited his mana, prepared to fight. Iveris ignited his mana too and just as the two were about to clash, a blade was suddenly held in between both of their faces.


    Alwine¡¯s voice barked, ¡°Sit down the both of you! I will not have you fight so near the Princess!¡±


    Iveris smirked, turning his gaze to Alwine.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always been a bit tired of you. You¡¯re always interrupting something fun.¡±


    Alwine didn¡¯t reply, her eyes still glaring at him. Finally, Iveris raised his hands in surrender.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I get it. I won¡¯t cause any more problems.¡±


    He took a seat began humming, Alwine turning her attention to Ieros. Ieros too took his seat, directing his attention to the Princess. After nodding to Aliwine who returned to her seat, the Princess looked at Ieros.


    ¡°As I said before, you will need to defeat my chosen champion Iveris to become Court Mage. I am here to discuss the date of your duel, are you-¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I am fine with today. Right now actually.¡±


    Iveris smirked again and was about to retort until the Princess glared at him. He kept his mouth shut and the Princess turned back to Ieros.


    ¡°Very well then, three hours from now at midday, meet us at the Conperium¡¯s private training arena. Do not be late.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I will not.¡±


    She then stood up.


    ¡°Then that is all.¡±


    He just nodded, standing up to unlock the door for them to leave. As they walked out, Iveris smiled at Ieros before he left, leaving Ieros irritated as he shut the door behind them. He began to think of how to defeat Iveris, commanding the shadows to tell him all that they knew. It only took a few moments for the shadows to communicate with one another, transferring the necessary information to Ieros. And as he listened, his thoughts deepened as he wondered just how he was going to crush Iveris.


    Iveris was a formidable mage, skilled in all elemental magics and of close-quarter combat, making him a rather difficult opponent to defeat. He was especially fond of using a sword in combat, using his elemental magic to buff his sword while casting at the same time, meaning that Ieros would have to be aware of both magic and physical attacks. And while he didn¡¯t use this in his bouts with his peers, he also used martial arts and secretly trained deep into the night which both maintained and improved his physique.


    Although surprised at the skills that Iveris had at his disposal, Ieros was not discouraged, he too was a formidable mage in his own right. He possessed greater magical power than Iveris, he just needed to make sure that it would hit. So, Ieros began to meditate on that, imagining various scenarios of the fight, using the data the shadows had given him to simulate each method of attack that Iveris could start with, starting from a magic spell to sprinting in with the intent to batter Ieros into submission. A contingency was planned for each as Ieros asked himself how he would respond to each of these. He was determined to win but not just win, he wanted to win absolutely. He wanted to show Iveris the difference between their power.


    After all, he was only human and he as a human had his pride. He had been insulted and that was an affront that could not be forgotten. Despite all of his power, that did not make him above the emotions of humans, a subject that the Surveyor was keenly aware of. But, for the sake of the experiment, it would not interfere. Ieros had to live his life out as a human for the experiment to remain pure. Once the experiment was complete and the data able to be used as a control group, the Surveyor could tamper with a few details to produce different results. But for now, it would wait and observe.

 Chapter 9: Traveling to Seris

    Once atop his new steed, the Princess¡¯s carriage finally began to move, with Sir Knight Alwine on one side, Ieros on the other. There were cheers for both but more for Alwine, Ieros¡¯s feets had only been seen by those close to the palace so as he rode beside the Princess¡¯s carriage, he was more a subject of curiosity than praise. But that didn¡¯t matter too much to Ieros, of course, it did give him a rather pleasant feeling to be cheered for but it was also slightly awkward for him. He preferred the silence of the forest to the wild cheers of the people and so while he did sort of enjoy it, it wasn¡¯t something that he could endure for too long.


    Fortunately, they soon left the limits of the city, Ieros somewhat glad to leave behind the cheering crowds. As he continued to ride, he got curious and studied the Princess¡¯s entourage, too busy with all the chaos of the city to actually pay attention. It seems that in addition to him and Alwine, there were ten soldiers as well as two wagons which carried food and water. Overall, it wasn¡¯t a large group but with a Court Mage and a skilled Knight, Ieros supposed that it should be able to overcome most dangers. When Ieros thought about that, he felt a bit of fear, this was going to be his first time encountering such dangers as bandits and the like. He had never encountered them in the deep forest, a place where not even the strongest magic beasts dare to tread lightly.


    The ancient shadows did not take kindly to being disturbed and unlike most shadows, they were able to express their displeasure in more ways than threatening whispers. These were shadows that had collected the ambient dark energy of Darkness for centuries, for some even millennia. All that energy gives a shadow power to exert over the physical realm, and if necessary, to kill living things. That is why the most ancient of forests remained standing to this day because the combined might of the ancient shadows was enough to drive off fire-breathing dragons, tree-destroying giants, and other such destructive creatures.


    The only creatures that the shadows mostly ignored were the elves, beings who respected nature and the trees, doing their utmost to make sure that their lifestyles did not interrupt that of their surroundings. Because of this, the ancient shadows left them alone, remaining in their dormant state which just remembered the experiences of its host as well as collect more dark energy. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that regular shadows were helpless, they could be quite dangerous if they wanted to. It has been known on the occasion that a dark mage would go mad from the whispers of shadows, for the whispers of shadows go beyond just communicating to one¡¯s mind. It fills their very consciousness, with a never-ending symphony of whispers, words which held secrets that one could almost discern but not quite.


    Those that listen too closely lose themselves within the whispers and even when the shadows stop, they still attempt to uncover the secrets they believe are hidden, their minds forever plagued by it until their life comes to an end. Some even commit suicide, to escape the haunting memories of the whispers which forever remain in their heads.


    And for the very few that are able to discern a few secrets of the shadows, they are considered to be elite mages of the dark arts, such as Meralia and a few infamous dark mages who were feared for their relative mastery over darkness. But all of these mages, even Meralia, could not be called true Dark Mages. They were but mere dabblers, mages who take a single droplet of water and call it an ocean. The full extent of their abilities only goes to listening to shadows and using what they learn for their own, most dark mages who align themselves with Night use their knowledge to further Night¡¯s agenda which explains the ill reputation of dark mages.


    These dark mages, who don¡¯t even deserve the name, merely abuse the knowledge they¡¯re given in order to exploit the weaknesses of other mages and of spells. They listen to the shadows of their victims and enemies, coming to know of their most personal fears and desires. With this knowledge, they use it against their victims, capable of causing wars by manipulating the minds of Kings with their ill-begotten information. They can entice corruption in even the purest of minds, break the strongest of wills, and bring dread to the bravest of hearts. That is the existence many incorrectly know as a dark mage.


    However, a true Dark Mage such as Ieros is not limited to such things; they can eventually bring shadows into physicality, travel through them, and even use them as a sort of artificial soul. A Dark Mage is so much more, the possibilities one can reach with it are almost limitless. For to be a Dark Mage is to be one who has mastery over what can be called the First Element, dark matter, the matter which the Universe was born from.


    Unfortunately, Ieros would be the first true Dark Mage, there would be none to teach him of his path and so he would be forced to discover it all on his own. All he had to depend on was the information left to him by the Sentinel, more of a slight nudge in the right direction than a true lesson. It just opened Ieros¡¯s eyes to the existence of so many things, although how to get there was up for Ieros to find. He was simply given a goal, he must now achieve it on his own.


    And it was this young mage who walks an undiscovered path that sat upon a horse of his own creation, absentmindedly staring out at the forest. He had already asked the shadows around him to keep watch for danger so for the moment, he was relaxed. So relaxed in fact that he didn¡¯t bother to hold his staff in hand, it was held at a holster on the horse¡¯s side¡ªof course of his own creation. As for what his hands were currently doing, they were absentmindedly playing around with a small ball of stone which was constantly transmuted from the stone into the wood, then into various metals such as silver and gold as his eyes stared off deep into the forest.


    His mind slowly began to drone out the sound of the carriage¡¯s wheels, the footfalls of the marching soldiers and trotting horses, listening more to the wind rustling the leaves of the forest which were accompanied by the whispers of shadows. His eyes, not particularly looking at anything, just continued to watch inattentively, remembering nothing as his mind began to focus on heightening his understanding of the memories he inherited from the Sentinel. He was so absorbed into the task that he hardly noticed the passage of time, only returning to reality when he heard someone shouting. He stopped playing around with the now glass ball, looking for the source of the shout.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to spot a soldier that was right at his side, the man sighing with relief when Ieros turned his head towards him.


    ¡°Sir mage, we¡¯re stopping for the night.¡±


    Ieros nodded his head.


    ¡°Thank you for stopping me.¡±


    The somewhat nervous soldier bowed.


    ¡°Oh, no problem Sir.¡±


    The soldier then returned to his fellow comrades, helping them set up camp for the night which was soon approaching, the light of the sun already blocked by the trees they were surrounded by. As for the Princess, she remained in her carriage as her men set up her own tent for her, Sir Knight Alwine staying guard by her carriage. Within thirty minutes, the Princess¡¯s tent was made and the men began to focus on making their own as well as transporting some comfort items into the tent. Alwine reported to the Princess that her tent was done, the Princess finally stepping out of the carriage to head to the tent.


    Upon exiting, she saw Ieros who wasn¡¯t doing anything and irritated, she commanded, ¡°Make yourself useful mage.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head and dismounted his horse, grabbing his staff from its holster. He then returned his attention to the camp, casting a few simple spells to guarantee comfort, such as one to drive off insects and another to drive off the damp from the ground. His actions garnered the curiosity of a few soldiers who saw his staff shine brightly for a few moments as Ieros cast his spells, this was the first time that they had witnessed magic up close. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Seeing the looks of curiosity on their faces, Ieros said, ¡°It¡¯s only some simple spells, like one to keep the insects away and to make our surroundings dry.¡±


    Encouraged by his friendly manner, a soldier asked, ¡°If you¡¯re helping us, could you help us start a fire?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Where will the fire be?¡±


    The soldier then led Ieros to a spot that was roughly at the center of the unfinished camp, pointing to a place where already a few bits of wood were placed. Ieros nodded and made his way over, rearranging the pieces of wood into one that could hold a fire. Once this was done, he created a small fireball and nestled it within the wood, releasing the fireball once the wood had taken the fire. He stood up, nodding to the soldiers who were clapping.


    However, Alwine barked, ¡°Get back to work, this camp won¡¯t set up itself!¡±


    The soldiers quickly went to obey and as Ieros went to look for more things to do, Alwine walked up to him, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t distract the soldiers, they need to protect the Princess, not watch your silly tricks.¡±


    Ieros just nodded, saying, ¡°I apologize.¡±


    She just snorted and returned to the Princess¡¯s side, Ieros deciding to remove himself as a distraction by heading into the forest. He didn¡¯t go off too far, just off a little way so there was some quiet, leaning his staff against a tree before he sat down, closing his eyes and just appreciating the calm. Soon, the whispers of the shadows greeted his ear and with a smile, Ieros just relaxed, listening to the countless stories they had to tell. Tales of daring squirrels who climb high into trees, of the foxes that slink on the forest floor, and the ancient trees which have remained standing for hundreds of years.


    So many tales to hear, so many stories to know, Ieros felt that he was truly blessed to have been given this gift. He was content to be among those that he knew were friends. He didn¡¯t need to be a hero or a King, he didn¡¯t need to be famous or overly good, he didn¡¯t need any of that. He was satisfied with what life had given him and he wouldn¡¯t go looking for more. His life was his, and that was enough. Although granted, his abilities were things that didn¡¯t leave much to be desired. Through creationism, he could make whatever he wished, and through the shadows, he would have as much company as he desired.


    What else does a person need to be content? Love? Perhaps, although Ieros never gave it too much thought. Because of his status as the most talented mage of all, he was alienated from his peers and the girls that he did know were all just people who were sent by their fathers to get close to him. As far as Ieros knew, love was a thing for other people, normal people. Ones of his status, perhaps they were never meant to know love.


    He opened his eyes, letting the sight of the dark forest wash away the thoughts that plagued his head. He then sighed and stood up, how strange emotions were. One moment, you could be the happiest man in the world, and the next, you could be depressed over a memory you¡¯ve long since forgotten. He turned his thoughts away from that of love and decided to make his way back to camp, taking his mithril staff in hand.


    He returned to see the camp all set up and the soldiers preparing for dinner. As for the Princess, she was holed up in her tent with her maids, Knight Alwine standing at the entrance. She saw Ieros and with a brief glare, she returned to guard duty, Ieros wondering just why she disliked him so much. Even so, just because he was disliked by someone, didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t work with them. If they would not allow him to do so openly, he would merely need to do it in secret. So, whispering to the shadows, he asked them to keep watch over the camp for the night.


    After all, the thing that all living things instinctively feared was darkness, for it contained the unknown. The whispering shadows were certainly the unknown, and the oppressive cold that was brought with their presence, it was one which could kill a man if they dwelled too long within the shadow¡¯s presence. A darkness that snuffed out the light of life, that was what shadows could do, what shadows could be. With that taken care of, Ieros¡ªseeing as he didn¡¯t have a tent¡ªdecided that he¡¯d just sleep out in the forest again as he had done for years. As for food, he¡¯d take care of that too.


    So, with that done, he bid goodnight to the soldiers and politely refused their food. When they insisted, he reminded them that he had spent his recent years in the forest, surviving all alone. It was better he provide for himself than to be one extra mouth to feed. The soldiers just chalked it up to him being a mage, mages were mysterious, not to be understood. So they enjoyed themselves a dinner of gruel, cooked on a worn metal pot. It was the best food for travel, easy to make and easy to consume.


    Simple stuff really, just ground flour, a few bits of dried vegetables and sometimes, if they were lucky, some meat. However, it was just the standard mushy flour with a loaf of bread to accompany it. It wasn¡¯t the best, but it could be a whole lot worse as well. The soldiers were glad for it, it was better than the army rations they were forced to eat when on the march. As they ate, they began to gossip, a little bit about the Princess and her marriage as well as Knight Alwine but most of it was focused on the enigma that was Ieros, such as who he was before he became a mage, how he was able to earn the King¡¯s favor, and about the magical feats he was able to garner.


    And while their voices were quiet, it wasn¡¯t enough to prevent the Princess from overhearing. While she had heard of the name Ieros before, he had long since disappeared from the public eye so she no longer remembered what feats he once did. But these soldiers who did remember, they reminded her of the existence that was Ieros. Of a boy¡ªno older than ten¡ªdefeat mages almost twice his age, stand toe to toe with the principal of his school¡ªan archmage no less and possessed mageblood which had the highest concentration of mana ever recorded.


    He was truly a special existence, which surprised the Princess. Why hadn¡¯t she heard of him in more detail, such a powerful figure rarely goes unnoticed. And it was then that she heard the gossip change about Ieros¡¯s deeds to why he disappeared from the public eye.


    One soldier said, ¡°I heard that it was because of the nobles pressuring him to join their households.¡±


    Another shook his head.


    ¡°No, I heard that it was because the Headmaster of the Academy sent him to defeat a dragon.¡±


    One snorted in disbelief.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, why would they send a boy to defeat a dragon.¡±


    The soldier said defensively, ¡°Well it could¡¯ve still happened.¡±


    Then another spoke up, ¡°Oh shut up, stop pulling shit out of your ass. He disappeared because he¡¯s practicing the dark arts.¡±


    The others fell silent, looking to him.


    The soldier continued, ¡°Yeah, this was all supposed to be very hush-hush but my sister who works as a maid at the academy told me about the rumors of Ieros.¡±


    At this, the soldier¡¯s voice dropped to a low whisper.


    ¡°They say when he was first accepted into the academy, he was tested to see what magical traits he had. One of them was a legendary affinity for Creation and the other was a legendary affinity for Darkness. He kept on the face of being a Creationist for the people but when it came time for him to learn his other skills, he went to the forest to get some privacy.¡±


    And still, another said, ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t believe you. I think he just wanted some peace and quiet, remember, he was just some farmer¡¯s boy before he became a mage, he was probably driven off by all the attention and shit.¡±


    One of them asked incredulously, ¡°Really? He¡¯s a farm boy?¡±


    The soldier nodded, gulping down a spoonful of gruel.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s not noble-born like the other mages, he¡¯s a new source of mageblood which is why the nobles all want him.¡±


    One of them whistled.


    ¡°No wonder all those highborn girls were after him. Hey, you reckon the Princess¡¯s after him too?¡±


    One of them swatted the soldier on the head.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up, the Princess is marrying the Prince of Seris.¡±


    Rubbing his head, the soldier said, ¡°Well she could still want him though. Or the King at the very least. I mean think about it, the King¡¯s Ruling Magic and Ieros¡¯s insane magical talent, that¡¯d be one of the most powerful Kings to ever rule wouldn¡¯t ya think?¡±


    The soldier that had slapped him only said, ¡°Yeah but be careful, Sir Knight Alwine doesn¡¯t tolerate offenses to her Highness and although we know you¡¯re joking, she won¡¯t.¡±


    The other soldier sighed.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I get it.¡±


    The soldiers began to gossip about other things and the Princess stopped listening, mulling over what she had just heard. There was much more to the boy than just his name, she had personally seen the magic he was capable of, it wasn¡¯t so hard to believe the other tales about him. However, she was curious, why had he disappeared from the public eye. Was it really to practice the dark arts, or did he just want to escape the attention? Either way, he was an interesting fellow and someone she intended to keep an eye on. Good pawns are hard to come by, and when the opportunity shows itself, one must take it before it¡¯s too late.

 Chapter 10: Arrival at Seris

    Ieros was slightly confused, it had been several days since they¡¯ve begun their journey and he couldn¡¯t help but notice that the Princess¡¯s attitude was... different. When she first spoke to him on their journey, he was wary of her, her shadow whispered her true thoughts to him, and they were about manipulating him. But now, she seemed more intent on just talking to Ieros, asking about his past. Since her shadow also confirmed that it was just genuine curiosity, Ieros answered as best he could, and for the more sensitive questions, he would give an excuse and say nothing more. However, he couldn¡¯t deny that this was strange and so on the fourth day, he finally asked,


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    The Princess spoke through the carriage window, ¡°I just want to know you better.¡±


    Ieros frowned.


    ¡°But why.¡±


    She fell silent, finally saying, ¡°Well, I¡¯m curious. Here you are, an extremely talented mage and I¡¯ve never heard of you ever. Why is that?¡±


    Ieros directed his gaze forward and said, ¡°Well, I just wanted a quiet place to pursue magic as I¡¯ve already exhausted most of my resources back at the Academy. I had no reason to stay, so I left to learn magic on my own.¡±


    ¡°And did you?¡±


    Ieros glanced at her.


    ¡°Well, I think so. Although I¡¯d have to check the Library to make sure that I just didn¡¯t rediscover something on my own.¡±


    She asked, ¡°Could you show me?¡±


    Ieros hesitated, he had never really shown his dark magic to others, about his ability to speak to shadows and the like. Seeing his hesitation, the Princess thought that she might¡¯ve pushed too far and quickly backpedaled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to show me, I know that magic is something special to mages.¡±


    After a few moments of silence, she asked, ¡°Well, what¡¯s it like?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She explained, ¡°Casting magic, what¡¯s it like?¡±


    Ieros thought on how to describe it, finally saying, ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit hard to explain but, it¡¯s... exhilarating. The feeling of mana burning in your veins, it¡¯s like icy fire. And then, when you control it to do as you wish, to create as you wish, it¡¯s just such a pleasant feeling. It gives you the greatest satisfaction, I would be satisfied if all I could do was practice magic.¡±


    She observed, ¡°Sounds nice.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°It is, well, I suppose it¡¯s the best feeling for me. I haven¡¯t experienced too much of anything else.¡±


    Her curiosity peaked, the Princess asked, ¡°Oh? What do you mean?¡±


    Ieros fell silent, not sure if he should speak but finally, he decided to do so.


    ¡°Well, I never had too many friends with other children, in the beginning, there was Kyle and Aria but they soon disappeared. I was just too different, I was something else. I never did try to make friends with others again, and none of them tried to be friends with me. So I just spent most of my years alone.¡±


    The Princess said, ¡°Well that sounds terrible, how¡¯d you even survive without friends.¡±


    Ieros shrugged.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say I was entirely without friends, I may not have human ones, but I still have friends.¡±


    The Princess asked, ¡°You mean the animals?¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°No, deep in the forest, animals have no place. Far within, the forest is silent, dark, and empty except for the trees. It¡¯s there that my friends live, the guardians of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Elves?¡±


    Ieros shook his head once again.


    ¡°No, not even elves dare go so far. My friends are the shadows and in my opinion, they are better friends than humans. Ever since I was a child, they have been there for me and continue to be to this day, whispering advice about my problems and helping me solve them.¡±


    A bit confused, the Princess asked, ¡°What do you mean? The shadows... they talk to you?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°They do, whispering to me stories that no man has ever heard. And the ancient shadows deep within, they hold far more secrets, secrets which have advanced my understanding of magic greatly.¡±


    Wary, the Princess said, ¡°So, you are a dark mage.¡±


    Ieros snorted with irritation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to those pathetic imitators. They don¡¯t know the shadows, they only scratch the surface and think that they know everything.¡±


    With great displeasure, he continued, ¡°They taint the shadows with the powers Night gave them and for that, they deserve to die a most painful death.¡±


    A bit stunned at the vehement reply, she apologized.


    ¡°I am sorry, I brought up an offensive topic.¡±


    Realizing who he had been speaking to, Ieros bowed his head.


    ¡°My apologies your Highness, I was just... overcome.¡±


    Seeing that, the Princess smiled slightly, this boy was an honest one.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you were only defending your friends.¡±


    After that, they fell silent, Ieros soon returning himself to practicing his magic and the Princess to her thoughts. Her opinion of Ieros had changed, over their talks she had come to realize that he was different from the others. He wasn¡¯t the type to so easily be deceived, for when she had first approached him with the intent to make him her pawn, he had been cold and distant. But when she asked him out of genuine curiosity, he had chosen to answer her questions. It was as if he could read her mind, although she hadn¡¯t asked him that.


    And while she got the feeling he was an honest person, one who did not try to lie or connive for power, there was still something about him which was an enigma. Then there was today¡¯s conversation, about his friends the shadows. The Princess was a bit skeptical but with Ieros admitting to the rumors that he practiced the Dark Arts, perhaps it could be true. She glanced at him again, seeing the sphere in his hands change constantly from material to material. He would make for a powerful ally but it didn¡¯t seem like it would be so easy to win him over. She might just have to put a cork in her plans of making him her pawn, although she couldn¡¯t just give up on it.


    As for Ieros, he was just lost in deciphering the secrets of Creation, his ball beginning to change into a larger variety of materials, the speed at which they changed increasing too. Eventually, the shape of the ball began to change, although Ieros wasn¡¯t conscious about it. That ball simply took the form of whatever his unconscious happened to be thinking about, it was like a manifestation of his deepest thoughts, thoughts he himself didn¡¯t even know. For a few moments, it began a regal dragon, then it took the shape of flames made of crystal, continuing on to morph into a pool of rippling water, and many other things. The Princess caught sight of that and she soon found herself unable to tear her eyes away from it, watching how what Ieros was creating grew even more complex as time went by, eventually reaching the level of a small ship caught in a stormy ocean, somehow managing to overcome the great waves which rose and fell.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    However, all that soon fell away and all that was left was a small boy at the center of what appeared to be a clearing, with a large silhouette standing over him. It stretched out a hand and the boy took it, the silhouette leading the boy out of the glade. Then, Ieros abruptly stopped using his magic, the empty glade returning back into a sphere of stone.


    He pocketed the stone and turned to look at the Princess, asking, ¡°Is something the matter, your Highness?¡±


    Surprised, she shook her head, abruptly looking forward and closing the curtain. Ieros was a bit confused but he returned his attention forward, soon losing himself in his thoughts again.


    Two more weeks passed in this fashion and finally, they found themselves within half a day¡¯s travel of Seris¡¯s capital, their company now reinforced with Serisian soldiers. Sir Kight Alwine was a bit uneasy to be surrounded by twenty of them but they didn¡¯t dare do anything, there was a Court Mage among the Princess¡¯s entourage and a Court Mage was not someone to cross. With their perhaps questionable protection, the Princess made it safely to the Capital, entering the gates without any problems. Her arrival had been expected and with the addition of a Court Mage¡¯s presence, the gate guards weren¡¯t eager to disappoint.


    They were brought through the city streets, the guards quickly shouting for the citizens to make way, mentioning that the Princess of Athera and a Court Mage desired passage. Whether it was the mention of Princess or Court Mage, the crowds parted like water and within the hour, the Princess was exiting the carriage in front of the Royal Palace.


    A man dressed in rich attire bowed his head to greet her.


    ¡°Welcome to Irashire, the Jewel of Seris.¡±


    The Princess took a brief look and nodded.


    ¡°The rumors of Irashire¡¯s beauty were not unfounded.¡±


    Ieros dismounted his horse of stone, tapping it with his mithril staff when he was done, leaving nothing but a golem¡¯s heart to remain. He tapped that too and let it disappear into literal air, returning it from whence it came. The noble who had noticed this was rather stunned to see Ieros treat such a valuable item as such, saying,


    ¡°Tha-that was a golem¡¯s heart was it not?¡±


    Ieros nodded and the noble asked, ¡°Why did you destroy it?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Because I can always make more.¡±


    The noble¡¯s mouth was wide open with shock, although he was able to quickly recover. His eyes then noticed the Court Mage badge glinting on Ieros¡¯s breast and he quickly bowed his head.


    ¡°My apologies Sir Mage, I did not see your badge.¡±


    Ieros, a bit surprised, reassured, ¡°You don¡¯t have to bow, it¡¯s nothing to apologize over.¡±


    The noble raised his head,


    ¡°No, I must apologize, otherwise my heart will not rest easy. Oh, please, follow me. I¡¯m sure you are weary and hungry from your journey.¡±


    The Princess was slightly affronted, to think that a mage was being treated better than she was. Alwine noticed her irritation and was about to confront the noble when she held her back, the Princess saying,


    ¡°Its alright Alwine, I¡¯d rather not have my first day be one of conflict.¡±


    Alwine bowed her head.


    ¡°As you wish, m¡¯lady.¡±


    She then began to follow the noble, her attendants, Alwine, and Ieros following behind. As for her ten soldiers, they were led elsewhere to be given food and lodging, the soldiers a bit unwilling to just leave their Princess but with a glare from Knight Alwine, they reluctantly left. After all, who could harm the Princess with Ieros and Alwine protecting her? Alwine then directed her gaze to Ieros¡¯s hooded figure, not entirely approving of how the Princess was trying to get close to him. Her job was to protect the Princess and in her eyes, Ieros was just another one of those boys who only wanted to get close to the Princess for power. Such people were not worthy to be by the Princess¡¯s side and although Ieros had not tried yet, she was sure that he¡¯d make his move.


    The walk to the Dining Hall didn¡¯t take long, Ieros and the Princess found themselves seated at a table, Ieros only there at the insistence of the noble. The others were not offered seats, although the Princess was able to secure one for Alwine, she couldn¡¯t do the same for her attendants, they¡¯d have to wait to eat later. As for Ieros, he was slightly uncomfortable, the noble kept staring at him, practically begging Ieros to say something reassuring about his service. However, Ieros didn¡¯t say anything, resulting in uncomfortable silence.


    Finally, the noble dared ask, ¡°Are you satisfied Lord Mage?¡±


    Ieros frowned, it was lord now? However, because of his hood, the noble didn¡¯t see his frown which was perhaps a fortunate thing.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡±


    The noble asked, ¡°Is there anything I can do to make your stay better Lord Mage?¡±


    Uncomfortable with all the attention, Ieros said, ¡°I am only here to protect her Highness, you need not worry so much over me.¡±


    The noble shook his head.


    ¡°That I cannot do Lord Mage, I am bound by tradition and law to serve you to the utmost of my ability, please, if you want anything just ask.¡±


    Ieros looked to the Princess who ignored him, irritated at her treatment.


    Sighing, Ieros said, ¡°Well, I don''t really need anything at the moment.¡±


    The noble nodded, although he was still visibly stressed. Suddenly, the doors opened but what entered was not food but a man followed by a mage, it was the Crown Prince. The Princess, seeing him, made a move to rise but he quickly assured,


    ¡°Oh no, there¡¯s no need to stand my dear, I¡¯m feeling a bit famished myself.¡±


    The Princess remained in her seat, greeting him.


    ¡°How are you, my Prince.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°We are peers here Stellaria, we can refer to each other by name.¡±


    The Princess held back a sigh and nodded again.


    ¡°Of course, Lysander.¡±


    He smiled as he went to take the seat directly opposite her, his gaze landing on Ieros.


    ¡°And who might this fellow be?¡±


    Nervous, the noble was about to interject when Stellaria said, ¡°He is my father¡¯s Court Mage, sent here to protect me.¡±


    Lysander studied Ieros more closely.


    ¡°This is one of your nation¡¯s Court Mages? Seems rather drab.¡±


    This time, the noble spoke, ¡°Your Highness, please treat him with respect, he is a mage.¡±


    Lysander ignored the noble, studying Ieros.


    ¡°Still, he looks the part, he looks very mysterious.¡±


    After a few moments of more awkward silence, Lysander observed, ¡°Not much of a talker, is he.¡±


    Stellaria nodded but before she could say anything, the Prince turned to the noble.


    ¡°I trust you have already told the kitchens to prepare a meal for our guests?¡±


    The noble nodded.


    ¡°It was the first thing I ordered when we entered the Palace.¡±


    Lysander nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He returned his attention to Stellaria, saying, ¡°Whatever doubts you may possess, I assure you that I shan¡¯t mistreat you when we are married. I understand very well that you hold no love towards me and so I will not force you to love me. Once you bear me a son, I shall leave you free to do whatever you wish, perhaps even return home if Father permits.¡±


    Stellaria only said, ¡°How very generous of you my Prince.¡±


    He clicked his tongue.


    ¡°I told you, let¡¯s not be so formal. Although I don''t expect love, I would at least like for you to be less distant.¡±


    She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Well, I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want us to be enemies Stella¡ªcan I call you that?¡±


    She replied, ¡°Call me whatever you like.¡±


    Lysander continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want us to be enemies Stella, I would like for our relationship to be peaceful and not forced, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Seeing that she was still rather distant, Lysander gave up, raising his hands in defeat.


    ¡°Fine fine, we don¡¯t have to start immediately. I apologize if I have been too forceful.¡±


    A bit surprised, the Princess then felt like she had to apologize as well, saying, ¡°Please forgive me my-Lysander, it¡¯s hard to throw away old habits.¡±


    Lysander smiled warmly.


    ¡°Entirely understandable, I sometimes find myself unable to speak without formalities, as troublesome as they are.¡±


    Just as his words finished, side doors to the hall opened and servants filed in, bearing dishes with piles of steaming food piled on them. They quickly began to serve, moving quickly yet with grace. Soon, most of the food had been arrayed in front of all of them and without hesitation, the Prince began to help himself, the Princess following suit. Ieros and Alwine held back, Alwine only eating after the Princess urged her too. Ieros on his part just surveyed the food, taking samples of food here and there until his plate was full. He then studied each of the foods, trying to discern what words represented these foods in the Language of Creation.


    It was partly out of habit and also because if these tasted good, he¡¯d like to continue eating them whenever he was out alone in the forest again. Those years in the forest had been rather dull as all the food he had to sustain himself was bread and water, the most complex foods that he could produce at the time. However, with his current understanding, he¡¯d now have access to a greater variety of foods and it wouldn¡¯t hurt to ¡°stock up.¡±


    After staring at his food for quite some time, Ieros finally decided to eat, savoring the taste as he deciphered the combination of letters needed to replicate such foods. As such, he ate slowly and methodically, chewing for long periods of time before he swallowed and selected another morsel of food to consume. With his attention completely and utterly availed only to the food on his plate, he was ignorant of the conversation that the Prince and Princess had, not that he was missing much. It was only small talk, for the most part, more to keep the atmosphere from becoming awkward.


    However, as they talked, the doors to the hall opened, everyone but Ieros turning their gazes to it.

 Chapter 11: Seris 1

    As Lysander saw who it was that entered the door, his face darkening before being quickly replaced by a smile, standing as he went to greet the First Queen. Besides her was one of Seris¡¯s Court Mages, Arxus Ikard, his attention immediately drawn to Ieros, sensing the inconceivably high amount of mana Ieros possessed. His surprise caused him to release his control over his mana¡¯s aura, causing a brief spike that Ieros was able to sense. Ieros then finally turned his gaze towards Arxus, their eyes meeting. Meanwhile, the Prince had finally reached the First Queen, greeting her.


    ¡°Ah, First Mother, you haven¡¯t met my wife-to-be have you?¡±


    The First Queen shook her head.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Her gaze alighting on Stellaria, she allowed herself to be led by Lysander to the seat next to him, right in front of Ieros. However, she didn¡¯t notice him at first, her eyes only on Stellaria.


    Stellaria, noticing the look, bowed her head.


    ¡°Greetings your Majesty, I am Princess Stellaria of Athera.¡±


    Kosara, much like Lysander, reassured, ¡°No need to be so formal, you and I are going to be family soon.¡±


    As they began to talk, Arxus¡ªwho had taken his seat by the First Queen¡ªstared at Ieros and Ieros stared at him, placing down his eating utensils.


    Finally, Arxus said, ¡°I am Arxus of the House Ikard, Court Mage of Seris.¡±


    Feeling as if it was expected of him, Ieros too introduced himself.


    ¡°I am Ieros, and as far as I know, I am not of any noble house.¡±


    Arxus¡¯s friendly expression darkened.


    ¡°Are you not a noble?¡±


    Ieros only said, ¡°I am a bit special.¡±


    Arxus, cold now, just nodded and proceeded to fill his own plate with food, Ieros finding the sudden change in attitude weird. However, he didn¡¯t say anything, it didn¡¯t really matter to him if no one wanted to be friends with him. He returned his attention to his food, having deciphered much of the food on his plate, leaving only five more to go. These were deciphered relatively shortly, he had the hang of it now, and from deciphering came actual practicing. He began to recreate these foods and tasting them, although of course, they were subpar when compared to the original. However he didn¡¯t mind, he never expected to get it on the first try.


    He just took a few more samples and savored them again, this time searching for slight nuances of the word itself to make exact recreations. As he slowly began to master these words, the meal was coming to a close, with the Princess having satisfied her hunger. She excused herself from the table, saying that she desired a place to rest. Seeing this, Lysander commanded a few servants to lead the Princess and her escorts to the finest rooms available. Ieros got up to leave, taking his mithril staff in hand. Arxus saw this and his eyes narrowed, just how had such a mage who wasn¡¯t even from a noble family gain such an artifact.


    A staff made entirely of mithril¡ªwhile not too uncommon¡ªwas still something that no regular mage could attain. Even if Ieros was a Court Mage, that wouldn¡¯t erase his lack of wealth. Arxus grew suspicious of Ieros, just who was he? He made a mental note to do some research on Ieros when he had the free time, right now he had to escort the First Queen. Lysander too took his leave, leaving only the First Queen and Arxus eating silently.


    Finally, the Queen whispered to Arxus, ¡°What do you think of the mage, can you turn him to our side?¡±


    Arxus said, ¡°From what he says, he isn¡¯t a noble your Highness, why would we want such a person?¡±


    Kosara then asked, ¡°Then can you defeat him?¡±


    Arxus smirked.


    ¡°Who do you think I am?¡±


    Kosara turned to look at him.


    ¡°Can you defeat him?¡±


    Serious now, he nodded.


    ¡°Well I¡¯d have to do my research but I think so, yes.¡±


    She then dismissed him.


    ¡°Do your research then.¡±


    He bowed and left the hall, the First Queen taking one final sip before she too stood up. She too then left the hall, leaving only the servants who were cleaning up the table.


    Elsewhere in the Palace, the Princess had entered her quarters, deciding to share it with Alwine. As for Ieros, he was given another room all to himself, the Princess dismissing him from escorting for the day. With that, he entered his room, one that was a bit too extravagant for Ieros. For one who had spent much of his time out in the forest, to be suddenly surrounded by such opulence was a bit disconcerting. Uncomfortable, Ieros directed his gaze to the balcony, seeing a grand garden greet his eyes. With a labyrinth of flower bushes, slender trees of pure white bark, and various fountains dispersed throughout it, it seemed like a far better place to be than in his room.


    So, leaning his staff against a wall, Ieros walked out of his balcony, using levitation magic to slow his fall. Alighting softly onto the ground, he made his way to the garden path, clasping his hands behind his back as he meandered through the garden, conversing with the shadows that were around him. All around him, the shadows began to move, all whispering in a quiet orchestra which only he could hear. As if he was back in the forest again, Ieros began to move with the silent rhythm, seeming more like a shadow now, not walking but gliding, his momentum increasing and decreasing with the intensity of the symphony of whispers.


    In fact, as the shadows began to surround him, his form began to blur, appearing as a shadow himself. Suddenly, the shadows fell silent and Ieros came to a stop, someone was there with him. He turned his head, the shadows falling away from his form as he beheld a small child. He and the child stared at one another for a few moments, Ieros turning to face the young girl more properly, his silver eyes holding her in place. She was young, around nine years old if Ieros had to guess, appearing rather comically in a dirtied dress and ruffled hair. It seems that she had been crawling through the bushes and as faint calls could be heard in the distance, it seems that she had escaped her attendants.


    However, it seems that the girl had temporarily forgotten about them, her eyes glued on Ieros. To her, this was like one of those characters in the stories her maids told her, the dark aura and those piercing silver eyes, he had to be a demon lord.


    ¡°A-are you a demon lord?¡±


    After a slight pause, Ieros chuckled.


    ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    The girl insisted, ¡°But you have the dark aura and those silver eyes, you have to be a demon lord.¡±


    Ieros shook his head, taking off his hood to reveal his face.


    ¡°See, I¡¯m a human, just like you.¡±


    Encouraged by this, she inched closer, saying, ¡°You don¡¯t look like other people.¡±


    He smiled slightly.


    ¡°Well, I am a bit special.¡±


    She tilted her head.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m a mage you see, I can make just about anything.¡±


    A bit dubious, she crossed her arms.


    ¡°Really? Can you make a dragon?¡±


    He nodded and she demanded, ¡°Show me.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    He asked, ¡°How big?¡±


    She said, demonstrating with her arms, ¡°Thiiiiiis big.¡±


    With an amused smile, he nodded.


    ¡°Very well, but you¡¯ll have to watch very closely, I can¡¯t keep the dragon here for very long.¡±


    She nodded and he turned his attention to the sky, igniting the mana in his blood as he created a large illusion. As he began to cast his magic, it sent ripples in the ambient mana, alerting many who were sensitive. However, Ieros didn¡¯t care, all he was doing was entertaining this young girl. With a flourish of an arm, suddenly, the hazy silhouette of a dragon appeared, and with a flourish of the other, it came into reality. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a real dragon, but combined with illusion magic and the artificial creation of winds, Ieros was able to replicate a dragon as if it was here.


    The little girl, who didn¡¯t know that this was an illusion, thought that it was real, that a dragon was here in flesh and blood. She could feel the wind buffeting her, the heat that came off of it as if it was a stove, and she could see the dragon stand above her in all of its glimmering majesty. After staring at her, its deep sapphire eyes¡ªwhich stood out even against its equally blue scales¡ªhypnotizing her, it turned its head to the sky and breathed out a column of blue flames. She could only stare at the magnificent sight, her mouth still wide open after the dragon disappeared, first turning into a wispy silhouette before vanishing altogether.


    Ieros turned to her and smiled.


    ¡°Did you like it?¡±


    She nodded and then they both heard the sound of approaching feet. However, she didn¡¯t care, just staring at Ieros in awe. As the people grew closer, Ieros donned his hood once more, the aura of a Court Mage returning. A few guards soon rounded a bend in the labyrinth, their swords out. Upon seeing Ieros and the Ninth Princess, they immediately charged to her side, taking defensive positions around her. She attempted to tell them that it was okay but the royal guards bid her to be silent, staring nervously at Ieros.


    One demanded, ¡°Who are you!?¡±


    However, the Ninth Princess was not to be denied, slipping through them and going over to Ieros¡¯s side, standing in front of him protectively.


    ¡°He¡¯s my friend, he just did what I wanted him to.¡±


    The guard implored, ¡°Princess, please, come away from him! He could be dangerous-¡±


    However, she shook her head.


    ¡°No! He¡¯s my friend!¡±


    Ieros then said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, your Highness.¡±


    He turned to them and said, ¡°I am Ieros, Court Mage of Athera.¡±


    Upon hearing the words Court Mage, the guards paled, they had raised their swords against a Court Mage. However, they also just couldn¡¯t let him get away with this, he had disturbed the peace.


    Seeing their hesitation, Ieros said, ¡°You may report this to the King, I, for now, shall return to my quarters where I shall stay until the King decides a proper punishment.¡±


    The guards could only nod, this was the best choice.


    One of them did insist, however, ¡°Please allow two of us to escort you to your room, just to be sure you keep your word.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    He then looked down to the Ninth Princess, his silver eyes warm.


    ¡°Well goodbye, perhaps we can meet some other time.¡±


    She held onto his robe and shook her head.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not going to go!¡±


    Ieros then knelt, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    She still shook her head and Ieros knelt down, placing his hand on hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can summon a dragon, they can¡¯t hurt me even if they wanted to. Just you see, I¡¯ll be here again tomorrow.¡±


    She looked right into his silver eyes.


    ¡°You promise?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    She then held out a pinkie, saying, ¡°Pinky-swear!¡±


    Smiling as he saw this, he then intertwined his pinkie with hers, saying, ¡°I pinky-swear.¡±


    She then stared back at him, with a very serious look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t break it, if you break it you¡¯ll die a hundred times!¡±


    He nodded, amused.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to keep it then.¡±


    He then stood and waved goodbye to her, going along with the two guards that escorted him to his room, leaving the Ninth Princess with a guard. Ieros was compliant, returning to his room without trouble. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have gone all out to impress the girl but he just felt like he had to, it just felt nice to demonstrate his magic in front of an appreciative audience. In her eyes, his magic was not a tool or something to be envied, it was simply amazing, something... magical. How could he not want to show off?


    But those thoughts soon left his head as he prepared to sleep for the night, taking a long look at the bed before deciding to use it. Changing into more comfortable sleeping wear, he crawled into bed, amazed at its softness. Used to sleeping on the forest floor, this feathered bead was one of the softest things he had ever had the pleasure to sleep on and thinking that lie wasn¡¯t going to be so bad, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


    Morning came and he awoke, lying in bed for a few moments before he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He yawned and then got out, absentmindedly changing from his sleeping wear back into his robes. He yawned again, making his way over to the mithril staff, taking it into his hands. He then turned towards the door and to exit his chambers, figuring that the first course of action would be to locate the Princess. However, that was promptly put on hold as he heard a knock at his door. Opening it, he found a manservant on the other side whose eyes briefly met his before hurriedly bowing his head..


    The manservant¡ªnervous¡ªwasted no more time, saying, ¡°The King summons you to breakfast.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Then take me there.¡±


    He bowed.


    ¡°Of course sir Mage.¡±


    He turned and began to lead the way to the Dining, Ieros following behind. When he arrived, he saw that the Princess was there as well, this time the table more occupied. There were mostly beautiful women and young men, presumably the princes, each of them turning their gaze to Ieros as he entered. He stood still for a moment, thankful for his hood which hid his slight moment of panic. However, he soon saw a small figure waving her hand energetically and he smiled as he saw the Ninth Princess, bowing his head in greeting. It seemed that she had held a seat for him which she gestured he take, Ieros deciding it best not to refuse. The Princess already had both of the seats beside her taken so he didn¡¯t really have any other choice.


    When he took his seat, the Ninth Princess excitedly grabbed his sleeve, saying, ¡°Summon the dragon again!¡±


    Knowing that this wasn¡¯t the proper place, he could only shake his head.


    ¡°But everyone¡¯s eating right now, it would be rude to disturb them.¡±


    She pouted.


    ¡°After?¡±


    He shrugged.


    ¡°Well that depends on what my punishment is.¡±


    She patted him on the arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Father won¡¯t be too mean.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡±


    However, before they could continue their conversation, the Ninth Princess was tapped on her shoulder, it was an older woman¡ªpresumably her mother.


    ¡°Eat dear, before all the food is gone.¡±


    She nodded and turned her attention to eating, Ieros deciding to do the same. He filled his plate with food, the dishes different than the ones from before so he spent quite some time savoring his food again, discerning the words which made these particular delicacies. After some time, he felt something tap his arm, it was the Ninth Princess.


    ¡°Why are you eating so slowly?¡±


    Looking at her, he said, ¡°Because I¡¯m practicing.¡±


    She tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°What are you practicing?¡±


    However, before he could answer, the mother interjected, saying, ¡°My apologies Sir Mage, my daughter is young and-¡±


    He reassured her, ¡°Oh it¡¯s quite alright, it¡¯s a rare pleasure to meet one who is so fascinated by my magic.¡±


    The mother seemed to want to disagree but with an insistent look from her daughter, she sighed and returned her attention to her food, Ieros continuing his explanation.


    ¡°I am a Creationist, that means I can make things out of air. But I need to have the formula of making these things so that¡¯s why I¡¯m eating slowly, savoring the taste so I can find out the formula.¡±


    She asked, ¡°What¡¯s a four-moo-la?¡±


    He thought a moment, finally saying, ¡°Well it¡¯s a bit like a recipe for when you cook. You need a list of ingredients to make something and what I¡¯m doing is finding out the magical recipe for this food.¡±


    Her eyes sparkled with wonder.


    ¡°That¡¯s so cool, teach me!¡±


    He smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s a very difficult subject, it¡¯s not for a child to learn.¡±


    She puffed out her chest.


    ¡°I can do it, I¡¯m very smart!¡±


    The mother intervened again.


    ¡°Please forgive her Sir Mage, I told her that she¡¯ll learn magic when she¡¯s thirteen but she¡¯s just so impatient..¡±


    Ieros nodded and then turned his attention to a pouting Princess.


    ¡°Well, magic can be a dangerous thing. If you aren¡¯t careful, it could hurt you very badly. It¡¯s best that you don¡¯t learn it for now, when you are older I will teach you.¡±


    With that, while still a bit discontent, the Ninth Princess returned to eating her meal. The mother felt that it was appropriate to apologize once more, bowing her head.


    ¡°I feel I must apologize on my daughter¡¯s behalf, she¡¯s a terribly excitable girl and even though I¡¯ve tried to restrain her, it seems to only make it worse.¡±


    Ieros nodded in understanding.


    ¡°I do not mind, it¡¯s rather refreshing to meet one whose interest in magic is solely because it is magical, instead of the powers it can provide. Your daughter will be a fine mage one day, of that I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The mother smiled.


    ¡°Well, if you say so, Sir Mage.¡±


    Ieros only nodded and returned his attention to the food, still eating as the others began to finish up. The Ninth Princess wanted to stay with him but her mother was not to be refused, the Ninth Princess forced to say goodbye to Ieros after exacting another promise that they¡¯d meet again. He did so and waved goodbye as she exited the chamber, holding her mother¡¯s hand. Ieros too decided that he should leave, after finishing the last morsel on his plate.


    He stood up and was about to go when a voice spoke, ¡°Wait mage, you and I have something to discuss.¡±

 Chapter 12: Seris 2

    Ieros wasn¡¯t the only one to react to that command, the Princess, Court Mage Arxus, the First Queen and plenty of others noticed, all of their attention immediately focusing on Ieros. Although he was surprised, his outward appearance gave no indication of that, Ieros only bowing his head in the King¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Yes, your Majesty?¡±


    The King studied him for a few moments before saying, ¡°Your little stunt the other day, would you care to explain yourself?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Ah, well I encountered the Ninth Princess and I claimed that I could create almost anything. She decided to call me on what she thought was a bluff and demanded I create a dragon, which I did.¡±


    The King raised an eyebrow, his tone a bit disbelieving.


    ¡°You created a dragon.¡±


    Ieros admitted, ¡°Well, it was only an illusion of a dragon, but it is still something that I created.¡±


    The King then asked, ¡°Could you create a dragon?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Well I cannot make one of flesh and blood but given enough time, I suppose I could create a golem of a dragon. However, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to give it flight without using spell circles.¡±


    Arxus calmly said, ¡°It¡¯s not wise to brag in front of a King boy.¡±


    Ieros turned and faced him, saying, ¡°It was not a boast, I sincerely can do it but I need time, the golem¡¯s heart alone would probably take me a week, then the body would take a month although that could be shortened if I was supplied with the necessary materials.¡±


    Arxus snorted.


    ¡°Really now, can you do all of that?¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°I see no reason I can¡¯t, even a regular creationist could probably do it if they dedicated a few years to the project.¡±


    The King finally spoke, ¡°And you are absolutely sure that you can create this dragon in a short amount of time?¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I can.¡±


    The King then smiled, saying, ¡°Then you have a week.¡±


    Expecting him to argue, the King was rather surprised when Ieros said, ¡°Then I shall need to depart to the nearest mine, while I can work with regular stone, ores would expedite the process. I shall also need to-¡±


    The Princess finally spoke, ¡°Your Majesty, while I¡¯m sure that it would be interesting to see if Court Mage Ieros were to make good on his claim, I fear that he doesn¡¯t answer to you.¡±


    The King directed his gaze to the Princess, his eyes meeting hers, seeing the authority in which she held herself. He then chuckled.


    ¡°Please, do forgive me, my dear, my curiosity just got the better of me.¡±


    The Princess bowed her head.


    ¡°There is nothing to forgive, your Majesty. I too must confess that I am curious as well, however, I think it better that we test him out after the marriage.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Quite right.¡±


    As she sat back down, the King added, ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that he caused some alarm yesterday, with the dragon and what not. I¡¯m afraid I will have to punish him.¡±


    The Princess frowned and was about to reply when Ieros interjected.


    ¡°Your Majesty, I am willing to accept any punishment you see fit. I have acted inappropriately and as such, I shall not complain.¡±


    The King said, ¡°Well before I decide the punishment, I would first need to examine the criminal act. As such, I will need to see this dragon of yours.¡±


    Ieros bowed.


    ¡°Of course, although I would advise that we go outside for this.¡±


    The King then stood, saying, ¡°Then let us go to the Palace Gardens.¡±


    Ieros only nodded, waiting for the King to lead the way. The King then stood, his guards flanking him as he began to exit the hall, Ieros following after, along with Arxus, the Crown-Prince, the Princess, and the First Queen. They themselves hadn¡¯t seen what Ieros had done and they were curious, each for different reasons. Some were just sincerely curious as to what Ieros had done the other night while others saw this as a chance to observe Ieros¡¯s strengths and weaknesses, after all, to defeat an opponent one must first know them.


    No matter the reason, soon, the group found themselves standing to the side with the King as Ieros stood a little ways front, his mithril staff at hand. He stood still for a few moments, taking a moment to recollect himself before he raised his staff and lightly tapped it against the ground. The instant it came into contact with the ground, all present felt a great disturbance in the ambient mana, like fisherman out at sea on a calm ocean, only to see a leviathan erupt from the water¡¯s surface.


    They could only hold fast, doing their best not to be washed away by the great waves that Ieros was causing, his body beginning to heat up as he burned his mana. The waves rolling through the ambient mana suddenly ceased, a temporary calm. But it soon ended, it was like how the ocean withdraws at the approach of a tsunami, the ambient mana had been caught up with the flow of Ieros¡¯s and, while not participating in the spell, was as if a fountain had sprung to life. Ambient mana moved as never before, the changes in it buffeting the senses of those present.


    However, they soon forgot such things as Ieros began to cast his spell, a dragon descending from the heavens as if attracted by the disruption in the ambient mana. They stared up in awe, even with the knowledge that this was an illusion, their minds still couldn¡¯t believe it. Their eyes, ears, and even their skin told them that this was a dragon, with its glittering silver scales, the almost thunderous beat of its wings, and the heat which emanated from its very body. There was even wind that buffeted them from each wingbeat and as it neared, they feared that they might be crushed by its weight. However, with but a wave of his hand, all that disappeared, the heat, the rough winds, and the dragon.


    Ieros for his part just stood there, his head tilted to the sky as if he still saw the dragon up there, flying away into the distance. Suddenly, there was clapping and he turned his head to face the source, seeing that it was the King.


    ¡°A marvelous display, simply marvelous! Even though I know that it is an illusion, my mind still finds that difficult to comprehend.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Ieros bowed his head.


    ¡°You honor me, your Majesty.¡±


    Arxus harrumphed, ¡°Nothing but an illusion, any mage can do that.¡±


    Before the others could speak, the First Queen said, ¡°Even so, the complexity of the illusion just shows his degree of control over his mana, not to mention how a mere activation of his spell caused such great effect on the surrounding mana.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Well, unfortunately, I am not so skilled just yet, if I truly did have mastery over my mana, I wouldn¡¯t have made such a disturbance.¡±


    Arxus snorted.


    ¡°What mage are you if you can¡¯t even control your mana.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°Well, the methods of the Academy weren¡¯t enough, I simply had too much mana. Their methods were not made for a mage with an unbelievable concentration of mana in his blood, I was forced to find my own methods, which I have yet to perfect.¡±


    Arxus then said, ¡°Then what is your mana capacity, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Ieros thought a moment, finally saying, ¡°Well, the only way I can show you is through my spells, however, I shall only act if the Princess allows it.¡±


    All attention fell on the Princess and while she felt some doubt, she couldn¡¯t deny that she was curious about Ieros¡¯s capabilities.


    So she nodded, saying, ¡°Show them the might of Athera.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head.


    ¡°Then I shall do my best. While this spell does not have a proper name, I shall show you what a Creationist can do with fire.¡±


    Once more, his blood began to boil as mana was burned, fueling the spell that he began to weave. It first began with what appeared to be a large egg of pure flames, then more and more of these giant eggs which floated in a circle above the palace, each like miniature suns. Ieros then spread his arms out wide, the lines in his staff glowing brightly as he smiled. Then, one by one, from each of the nine great eggs in the sky, phoenixes burst forth, uttering great cries as they began to fly. As they danced around one another, the audience could only look on in awe at these flames which were given life.


    Each was the size of a young dragon, with a wingspan of hundred-fifty feet, their bodies made of golden flame. With intense light and heat, these nine great birds flew through the air, of course entirely of Ieros¡¯s own creation. However, his mana was only two-thirds gone, he could still achieve more. And so, with a brilliant smile on his face, he grasped his staff with both hands and brought it down to earth, the mithril ringing clearly as the phoenixes began to fly together, all nine merging at a point in the sky, becoming a writhing mass of flame which rapidly took the form of a Grand Phoenix, a bird who possessed six great wings of flames, this time its flames a deep sapphire in color.


    Its great six wings beat the air with the fury of a thousand suns, the heat as well as wind buffeting the audience, forcing Arxus to cast a defensive barrier around himself and the others. However, Ieros noticed none of that, only focused on the Grand Phoenix and his now low mana. His staff glowing even brighter, he then turned his eyes to the Grand Phoenix, their eyes meeting each other.


    The two seemed to communicate with only their minds, the Grand Phoenix bowed its head as it hovered there, beating its wings one last time before it shot up high into the sky. Like a lance of fire, the great bird¡¯s cry too pierced the air, a majestic call from a beast that was ascending to the Heavens. Then, high in the skies, with its bright light still able to be seen through the clouds, the Grand Phoenix exploded, first shining with an intensity which outshone even the sun itself, the force of which also driving all clouds away from the sky for a hundred-mile radius.


    With only the blue sky to look at, now seeming quite dull compared to the brilliance of the Grand Phoenix, Ieros¡¯s audience could only lower their gaze to him. Ieros, on his part, was a bit tired, this was the first time he had used so much mana in quite some time. He breathed heavily, leaning on his staff as he took a few moments to recover.


    Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes and as everyone turned to face the source, they saw the Ninth Princess, her face flushed with excitement.


    ¡°Did you do that!? Do it again, I wanna see it properly this time!¡±


    Ieros smiled tiredly, saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do it again today, I need to recover my mana.¡±


    She pouted.


    ¡°Then you should¡¯ve done it when I was here.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°I am sorry your Highness but I was commanded to by my Princess.¡±


    She insisted, ¡°I am a Princess too!¡±


    Seeing this and feeling that he had to salvage his family¡¯s dignity, the King said, ¡°Serina, please restrain yourself!¡±


    She gave a start when she heard her father¡¯s voice but soon held her head down dejectedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Seeing her like that, Ieros felt he needed to comfort her, saying, ¡°Well, perhaps if I have some free time, I can create a small version just for you to see.¡±


    She brightened up quickly.


    ¡°Okay! But you better promise!¡±


    Ieros chuckled.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    The King added, ¡°And you¡¯d better get on with your lessons, otherwise I¡¯ll give you so much to study that you won¡¯t have free time.¡±


    At that, Serina ran back through the bushes to find her teachers, suddenly filled with the urge to learn. The King smiled at that, turning to Ieros.


    ¡°You have my thanks, Sir Mage. My daughter has never been so enthusiastic about her studies before.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head.


    ¡°I hardly did anything.¡±


    The King nodded and then turned, saying, ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to chat, I have duties to attend to. I thank you for the most splendid display of magic I have ever seen, it makes me jealous of Athera to have such a talent.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°You honor me, your Majesty.¡±


    Ieros then turned to Stellaria and bowed his head.


    ¡°May I be excused, your Highness? I must recover my mana.¡±


    The Crown Prince suddenly interjected, ¡°There is a chamber specifically designed to help with this, Arxus uses it quite often. The spell circle will harness the ambient mana so you can use it to replenish yourself. I¡¯m sure Arxus would be pleased to lead you¡±


    Ieros bowed his head in gratitude.


    ¡°You have my thanks, your Highness, and you, Arxus.¡±


    Arxus only snorted, abruptly turning and heading off in a direction. Bidding farewell to the Princess, Ieros followed Arxus. On their way, there was a tense silence between the two, it was clear that Arxus was not particularly fond of him. But Ieros didn¡¯t care enough to broach the topic and Arxus was too disdainful to initiate conversation. After all, Arxus had been taught all his life that only nobles could be mages and yet here was a flagrant disregard for the rules he thought to be absolute, and as such, he could only disbelieve it.


    Either Ieros was not as powerful as he was said to be, that or Ieros was indeed of noble blood but he didn¡¯t think Arxus good enough to tell. Either way, this was an affront that needed to be answered, and Arxus would get his answer soon.


    However, he wasn¡¯t keen on starting trouble for Ieros just yet, just now he had been told by the FIrst Queen not to take action, she wanted to see if she could gain Ieros¡¯s support first and for that to be successful, Arxus had to restrain his hostility. Finally, the two were at the Regeneration Chamber, which was the name given to where mages could regenerate the mana in their blood far more quickly than they would naturally. As for how this was done, it was by the great magic circle which was inlaid in the floor of the chamber, intricate designs weaving across the floor, the language of spells written within whose purpose was to collect mana and purify it for the mage to absorb.


    However, looking at it, Ieros saw plenty of flaws within the design, although he kept this quiet. He sensed that Arxus would likely not take kindly to it, so it would be better to simply use the knowledge for himself. After all, he was under no obligation to help the nation of Seris. And so, he decided to use the inefficient magic circle, thanking Arxus for leading him here and proceeding to stand at the circle¡¯s center, activating it with ease. Seeing as he was no longer needed, Arxus took his leave, Ieros hardly paying attention as he turned all of his focus to regaining the mana he had lost.


    And even with this, there was still an impressive disturbance in the ambient mana, as if a whirlpool had suddenly appeared, greedily devouring the ambient mana. Mages everywhere in a hundred-mile radius felt this, each of them worried. However, those that went to investigate saw that it was within the Royal Palace and not even they could barge in without an invitation. They could only wait outside and hope to satisfy their curiosity some other way.


    As for Ieros, hardly even aware of the fact that he was disturbing so many people, just kept doing whatever it was that he was doing. After all, all those years spent in the deep forest, he never needed to control himself for the sake of others because there was quite literally no one to disturb out there. And since he never cast great spells in his time at the Academy, it was only here in Seris that others began to see what he was truly capable of, regardless of whatever conclusions they drew from it.

 Chapter 13: Deciding on the Treaty

    With time to spare, Ieros decided to pay a visit to the flower woman, appearing through the gate. Upon returning, he saw that the Sentinel was watching over a curious flower woman, who was speaking in broken Atheran. It took a while for her to notice that he had arrived but when she did, she seemed to hesitate before raising a nervous hand in greeting.


    ¡°H-Hello.¡±


    Ieros returned the wave.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you can speak.¡±


    Ieros continued, business-like.


    ¡°Soon, I should be able to take you to other people, to society where you can be mo-¡±


    Much to his surprise, she exclaimed, ¡°No!¡±


    When he turned his gaze to her, she blushed and bowed her head, mumbling, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    Ieros sighed, ¡°Whether you like it or not, you will have to go. I cannot have you staying here forever.¡±


    She adopted a rather pitiful look but Ieros remained unswayed.


    ¡°You will go. That is that.¡±


    She nodded meekly under Ieros¡¯s cold gaze, rubbing her arm nervously.


    Ieros continued to explain, ¡°But that won¡¯t be for some time, I¡¯m afraid there is still much for you to learn. And from now on, you will be receiving lessons from me personally, the Sentinel has other things to do than to babysit you.¡±


    She looked at the Sentinel but it was already gone, much to her unhappiness. As she looked despondent, Ieros made his way towards the cabin, gesturing that she follow.


    ¡°I expect that you begin to speak fluently for we shall communicate with words. I won¡¯t be supplementing your education with my memories.¡±


    She just nodded and entered the cabin. Ieros made his way to the table and took a seat, suddenly remembering something.


    ¡°Oh, that is right, you don¡¯t have a name, do you. Do you have one in mind?¡±


    She tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°Name?¡±


    Ieros explained, ¡°A title which you and only you will possess. It will make you unique in this world, one of the few things that someone cannot take from you.¡±


    ¡°Name...¡± she repeated, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Ieros thought a moment and, suddenly remembering the flower which she had been presumably born from, a black rose.


    Ieros then looked at her and asked, ¡°What about Rose?¡±


    She thought about it, repeating it a few times before smiling and nodding.


    ¡°Yes, Rose!¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Very well then Rose, let us begin your lessons.¡±


    Ieros proved to be a strict teacher, one that didn¡¯t tolerate many mistakes but fortunately, whether it was because of her supernatural origins or perhaps an influence of the memories given to her, Rose was a quick learner. Within the brief time that Ieros had with Rose before he had to leave, she managed to learn how to greet others in a polite manner as well as begin her lessons on how to eat properly. But, of course, Ieros couldn¡¯t stay forever so he prepared to leave, halting when Rose reached out and grabbed the hem of his robe.


    He looked at her questioningly and she said, ¡°Please don¡¯t go.¡±


    He placed his hand over hers and gently released his hem from her grip.


    ¡°I must go. Entertain yourself with the books in the cottage until I return, or take care of the flowers.¡±


    Before she could stop him again, Ieros turned briskly and disappeared through a gate. All alone, Rose looked forlornly at the spot where he had gone before making her way to the cottage.


    Upon his return to Seris, having passed the night at his garden teaching Rose, Ieros began to think of how to better protect the Princess. He was sure that the First Queen, for whatever reason, had decided to kill the Princess and he must prevent this. He had already eradicated her entire shadow network and should thus restrict her capabilities but this was not a hundred percent guarantee, there was still a chance that she could manage a successful assassination.


    Ieros thought deeply on what to do, eventually deciding that he¡¯d just have to stay by the Princess¡¯s side and protect her from danger. He already had the advantage of expecting an assassination, it would be unlikely that an assassin would be able to slip past his defenses. However, should that prove to happen, Ieros had no qualms with slaughtering the entire Royal Family of Seris. He would most likely have to do that much in order to keep the King¡¯s favor. Not that he wanted that to happen, he just had to be prepared for what may be an eventuality.


    But he put such thoughts out of his mind for the moment, he needed to escort the Princess to the Dining Hall for breakfast. He exited his room and made his way to the Princess¡¯s chambers, startling maids who quickly got out of his way. He paid them no heed and eventually stood at the door to her chambers, waiting for her to exit. After five minutes, she exited, a bit surprised to see Ieros standing a bit to the side. He bowed and she quickly recovered her composure, nodding her head to him before heading to the Dining Hall, the two golems following the two.


    As they walked, the Princess decided to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°So Ieros, how was your life before you were discovered as a mage?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°It was peaceful and simple, a time which I wish I could return to.¡±


    She turned to look at him, a bit surprised.


    ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t like your current status?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°It is neither pleasing or displeasing, I just find it to be slightly tedious.¡±


    She chuckled.


    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡±


    After a rather long pause, she said, ¡°Then what about your magic, do you enjoy doing it?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°I do, it is one of the few pleasures I know.¡±


    She looked at him again.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look as if you are enjoying it right now.¡±


    Ieros returned her gaze for a moment before looking on ahead.


    ¡°I enjoy it when it is up to me how to use my magic. Right now it is a mission and I don¡¯t have the time to have fun.¡±


    She was silent, unsure of how to answer to that. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Eventually, she just said, ¡°Well, I hope that you can enjoy doing magic a lot more.¡±


    Ieros was then in turn unsure of how to respond, eventually just choosing to remain silent. Eventually, the two reached the Dining Hall where they took their seats, Ieros a bit surprised to see more people at the table, most of them being young women. They were the princesses of Seris, most likely brought here by the King in order to woo Ieros. But whereas they might¡¯ve succeeded with Ieros, they would meet no such luck with Ieros.


    He took his seat by the Princess and merely had a polite conversation with the other princesses nearby, cutting it off as soon as he could, his attitude quickly offending the other princesses. Eventually, one had had enough and she attempted to slap him, although the golem interfered, her hand striking against its outstretched arm.


    She cried out in pain, slightly overdramatic as she demanded that Ieros get down on his hands and knees to apologize to her. Ieros then stopped eating, placing down his cutlery. He slowly stood, directing his cold silver eyes on her, freezing the unfortunate princess in place.


    He asked, ¡°Why must I apologize?¡±


    She blustered, ¡°You harmed me so-¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°You were the one to strike me.¡±


    She quickly changed tack.


    ¡°You insulted me and my-¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I did nothing of the sort.¡±


    She angrily said, ¡°You ignored my pleasantries and-¡±


    Ieros gave her a look a father might give to a disobedient child.


    ¡°I returned your platitudes and resumed eating. Where was the insult?¡±


    She said, ¡°When you ignored-¡±


    Ieros leaned in close and repeated, ¡°Where. Was. The. Insult.¡±


    She attempted to speak but found that she couldn¡¯t say anything, Ieros¡¯s presence was simply too overpowering. She bit her lip and quickly exited the Dining Hall, Ieros coldly surveying the rest of the princesses who avoided his gaze before taking his seat. He resumed eating, the Princess slightly surprised. She couldn¡¯t help but remember the nervous boy she had first met in her father¡¯s throne room, a boy who was so uncomfortable in her presence that he decided to leave.


    But here, he actually drove the other party away, nothing like her first impression. While that impression had been mostly forgotten by his earlier actions, she always thought that at heart, he was still that nervous boy who had put on a tough act. But this was a bit drastic for an act, he wasn¡¯t the same boy that she had first met.


    The rest of breakfast was carried out in an oppressive silence, many of the princesses excusing themselves for they had lost their appetite. The Princess was similarly so, although she had lost her appetite wondering about how different the current Ieros was from Ieros. Meanwhile, the King wasn¡¯t too perturbed by Ieros, finishing his meal and then standing, the remaining diners standing as well. He waved dismissively, the diners taking their leave while the King directed the Princess to accompany him.


    ¡°Come with me, Princess. We have business to discuss.¡±


    The Princess bowed her head, ¡°Of course, your Majesty.¡±


    As the two walked, followed by the Prince and Ieros, the King said, ¡°Well, what do you think of Seris?¡±


    The Princess replied, ¡°It is not too different from my home, but it isn¡¯t the same.¡±


    The King nodded, ¡°I understand that feeling. I¡ªas a young prince¡ªonce traveled to Athera, I felt the same as you do now.¡±


    Glancing at her, the King continued, ¡°I also didn¡¯t want to marry an Atheran Princess at the time, even though it would¡¯ve brought peace to our two nations. For I already had a love back home and to her my heart belonged. Is it the same with you?¡±


    The Princess shook her head.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve simply been too busy with my duties as a Princess to fall in love.¡±


    The King chuckled.


    ¡°Ah, a workaholic. Working is good but one must take breaks from time to time.¡±


    The Princess replied, ¡°I try to, but I just find that I am unable.¡±


    The King said, ¡°Something always has to be done, is that right?¡±


    The Princess confessed, ¡°Yes, it often feels that way.¡±


    The King turned to his son.


    ¡°My son is a hard worker when he puts his mind to it, unfortunately, he doesn¡¯t put his mind to it all that often.¡±


    Turning his attention to Ieros.


    ¡°What about you, do you focus on your work?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°When it is needed of me, I work. When it is not, I do not.¡±


    The King nodded.


    ¡°Yes, that sounds very much like you, although what do you do when work is not needed to be done?¡±


    Ieros thought a moment before replying, ¡°I listen to the stories of ancient shadows or spend my time in libraries, doing my best to further understand what Magic is.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°What do these shadows say?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°Mostly of things that most men go their entire lives without seeing, about strange and mystical happenings deep within the forest and of the times when the immaterial become the material. They speak of the flow of energy of Life itself, of the beginnings and ends of countless things. I must confess that I¡¯m still struggling to comprehend all that they say.¡±


    The King took this in, walking in silence for a few moments.


    ¡°And these shadows, do they serve you?¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°If I ask, sometimes they will answer but most of the time, they would rather help by sharing knowledge than taking action themselves.¡±


    The King then inquired, ¡°Do these shadows interfere with the lives of humans?¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°The shadows merely watch and remember, they do not act. They simply do not care enough to interfere.¡±


    This time the Princess asked, ¡°What about the Sentinel? Did it not interfere to save your life?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°The Sentinel is not a shadow, at least, not anymore. It must either be so old that it gained the power to manipulate the material or it is a fragment of some long-forgotten god.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°Why did it bother to save your life?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I must confess that I do not know. Perhaps there was something about me that was just different from the rest, I was... special, for a lack of a better term.¡±


    Hearing his words, the King snorted inwardly, special, of course, he was special. This boy was the genius of the century, there were none possessed even half of his magical talent. But before they could continue their conversation, the group had reached a remote place deep within the palace. This possessed many spells regarding protection, spells that not only prevented physical breach but from prying eyes and ears. It seemed that it was here that the King and the Princess were to discuss the terms of peace between Athera and Seris.


    It was here that Ieros commanded his golems to stay behind, as well as allow the King to cast his Ruling Magic to seal Ieros¡¯s powers. Of course, as Ieros¡¯s powers weren¡¯t fullythat of mortal origin, he wasn¡¯t completely powerless but it was better that the King didn¡¯t know that. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t have to defend himself. Anyways, the King too entered without his personal guard, it would only be the King, the Prince, the Princess, and Ieros.


    Ieros stood by as the King and Princess discussed the terms of peace, the Princess steering off the topic of marriage to the Prince until she couldn¡¯t anymore. It was then that she bluntly stated that she didn¡¯t wish to marry. Of course, the King tried to convince her to do otherwise but she was adamant. The King didn¡¯t feel that it was necessary to push for marriage under threat of war, after all, it was only a marriage. Even if this could be viewed as an insult to his nation, he didn¡¯t think that it was worthy enough of war.


    But he didn¡¯t surrender without a fight, he pointed out the possibility that without marriage, a war was a very real possibility. He assured her that war would not be because of the refusal but it wouldn¡¯t do anything to prevent a war as a marriage would. However, the Princess said that she was fine with the consequences, although she too didn¡¯t wish for war. The Prince remained mostly silent during all this, he was only slightly disappointed and perhaps a little insulted that the Princess did not wish to marry him.


    He viewed himself as quite the catch for the ladies and to be refused hurt his pride. He was also disappointed in the fact that he had lost the chance to be with one of the more finer women that humanity had to offer, although this wasn¡¯t of too much consequence. There were more women out there that were easier to access. As for Ieros, he was slightly confused as to why the Princess did not pursue marriage, it would basically guarantee peace between the two nations and was that not the goal?


    He concluded that it must¡¯ve been some personal view of hers which prevented her from deciding to go with the marriage. He thought this to be rather foolish but as peace was eventually accomplished anyway, with the King giving orders to the cartographers to write up a treaty which the King and Princess would officially sign few days later upon its completion. The treaty mostly detailed actions that the nations wouldn¡¯t commit against one another, such has tariffs on their goods, the wrongful imprisonment/persecution of mostly merchants that originated from their nations and obviously the preparations of arms at their adjoining borders.


    But there was one additional condition that the Princess acquiesced to, the possibility of a marriage between their two nations in the future, whether it was her or someone else. And as much as the Princess wanted to refuse, she knew that to go that far was too much. She couldn¡¯t deny that such a thing would basically ensure peace, no matter how she felt about it.


    When this was done, the King and the Princess shook hands, the King smiling as he said,


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about you but all this deliberating has made me hungry. Shall we head to the Dining Hall?¡±


    The Princess smiled as well.


    ¡°Yes, I too am rather hungry as well.

 Chapter 14: The Theocracy

    As always, Ieros accompanied the Princess to the Dining Hall, although this time he didn¡¯t eat much.


    Curious, the Princess asked, ¡°Is something the matter? Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I just do not feel hungry your Highness.¡±


    The Princess asked, ¡°Are you sure?.¡±


    Before Ieros could reply, the doors to the Dining Hall were opened and everyone directed their gaze curiously to said doors, wondering who it was that would dare disrupt the King¡¯s lunch. What they saw caused them to stiffen, bowing their heads with respect, all with the exception of Ieros who just stared at them.


    The Surveyor was also looking on with curiosity, for it sensed the power of Light within these individuals. Ieros too sensed a strange power within them, not like the mana he had previously known in most mages, these individuals did not have mana, but they did possess an energy of a sort. Meanwhile, the Priest accompanied by his Templar Knights surveyed the room, seeing Ieros who had not bowed his head.


    He frowned, turning to the King saying, ¡°Why is there a dark mage in our presence?¡±


    The King said, ¡°He is the Court Mage of the Atheran Ambassador, Princess Stellaria.¡±


    The Priest directed his gaze towards Stellaria.


    ¡°Has Athera fallen so far from Light? Since when were dark mages made into Court Mages.¡±


    Stellaria bowed her head.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t only a dark mage, Sir Priest, he is currently the most talented mage in all of Athera, and I dare say the rest of the world.¡±


    The Priest¡¯s frown deepened.


    ¡°This makes him only more dangerous, I must perform an exorcism so that his powers are used for good. Templars, restrain this mage.¡±


    The Templars went to do so but they were confronted by Ieros¡¯s golems, the stone constructs, their broadswords intimidating the Templars who seemed puny in comparison. Ieros¡ªpaying no heed to what was going on¡ªjust created a cup and filled it with a mysterious blue liquid, arching an eyebrow at the color before taking a sip.


    Meanwhile, the King stood up angrily.


    ¡°Does the Luxian Theocracy think so little of my sovereignty!¡±


    The Priest hastily turned his attention to the King, bowing his head.


    ¡°My apologies, your Majesty. I just wish to carry out Light¡¯s will.¡±


    The King said, ¡°Ieros has given me no indication of being corrupted by darkness. Those that are corrupt are often insane, are they not? Well as you can see, he is perfectly sane.¡±


    The Priest was unwilling to give up.


    ¡°But your Majesty, just because he hasn¡¯t made a move now doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t in the future. I beseech you to imprison him.¡±


    The King shook his head.


    ¡°And cause a war with Athera? I think not.¡±


    The Priest wanted to object but remembered where he was, eventually saying, ¡°Then I insist on accompanying him to make sure that he doesn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    The King looked to Stellaria.


    ¡°Would you mind?¡±


    Stellaria bowed her head.


    ¡°I see no reason to deny the Priest his wish.¡±


    She glanced at Ieros who merely reached out to grab his cup, taking a sip from it. The Priest eyed him suspiciously but returned his attention to the King.


    ¡°Your Majesty, when you have finished with your meal, may we go elsewhere to talk?¡± he glanced at Ieros, ¡°Somewhere more... private.¡±


    The King nodded, standing as he did so. He nodded to Stellaria before walking out. But before the King left the chamber, the Priest directed one of his Templars to accompany the Princess to keep an eye on Ieros.


    ¡°Princess, please take one of my templars to accompany you.¡±


    The Princess bowed slightly.


    ¡°I thank you for your offer but isn¡¯t it their duty to protect you?¡±


    The Priest said, ¡°The duty of the Templars is to protect all from the corruption of the Dark, something I fear you may need Princess.¡±


    The Princess put on a false smile.


    ¡°Then I suppose I shall accept your offer. You have my gratitude.¡±


    The Priest bowed his head.


    ¡°It is only my duty.¡±


    With that, he designated one Templar to escort the Princess, the Templar seeming to glare at Ieros, his hand at his sword. Seeing this, Ieros¡¯s golems put their hands on their broadswords, the Templar turning his gaze to them.


    Ieros said, ¡°It is best you do not draw your weapon. Those golems may perceive it as an attempt on the Princess¡¯s life.¡±


    The Templar gave one more look to the golems and reluctantly released his grip, the golems doing the same.


    The Princess, sighing with relief inwardly, said, ¡°Let us go, I have eaten my fill and desire some fresh air.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head and followed the Princess, the uncomfortable Templar following.


    The three began to walk wherever the Princess so wished, the Templar ready to act if Ieros did anything. However, Ieros did absolutely nothing that the Templar viewed as against his doctrine and thus the Templar did nothing as well. As much as he disliked dark mages, if they did nothing wrong, he couldn¡¯t act. However, he still viewed Ieros with suspicion, for what was to say that this wasn¡¯t all some sort of act and he was waiting for the perfect time to strike. The Templar resolved to be ready for that, after all, it was better to be careful than regretful.


    But as he got a closer look at Ieros, he was slightly confused. The Blessing of Light made him only see the darkness within but the mage¡¯s outer appearance seemed almost too young. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    And so the first words out of the Templar¡¯s mouth was, ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Ieros turned to look at the Templar before directing his gaze ahead.


    ¡°I am fifteen years old.¡±


    The Templar asked incredulously, ¡°Fifteen? And you¡¯re... a Court Mage.¡±


    Ieros nodded.


    ¡°Yes, my abilities were judged to be worthy of the position.¡±


    The Templar asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you too young?¡±


    Ieros rather bluntly said, ¡°I too feel that I am a bit young for the job but the King of Athera has appointed me to this post. I couldn¡¯t very well refuse.¡±


    The Templar was slightly confused.


    ¡°If you were taught magic, how was it that none of them knew of the darkness within you, or was it taught to you by Athera¡¯s School of Magic.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I was born with a legendary class affinity to darkness. Rather than to waste it, the Archmage decided it best that I was to be tutored in its ways but also learn not to fall to its temptation.¡±


    The Templar was shocked, a legendary class affinity? Just that alone would make Ieros one of the geniuses of the century, nay, perhaps even of the millennia. But this also made him a greater danger however, with so much talent for the dark arts, he could become the greatest of evils to ever walk Agleon. The Templar felt that he had to report this to the Theocracy so that proper actions could be taken, for as unfortunate as it would be to seal away his great potential, it was far better than Ieros becoming one of the most powerful dark mages to ever exist.


    He looked at slight disbelief at the fifteen-year-old, his thin frame juxtaposed to the actual power he held. The Templar always imagined those that held such affinities to be magnificent to behold, with bodies like demigods and possessing an overpowering aura. But this boy whose only unique physical features was his skin color and facial features, his appearance was not unlike the Traders from the far South, a remote people that did not take kindly to outsiders.


    There were tales about the strange things that went on there but these were vague, not much was really known about these Traders other than the fact that they possessed goods which were a rare and much sought-after commodity in this region.


    Wondering about this, the Templar asked, ¡°Are you perhaps related to the Traders of the South?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I suppose I must be, on account of my appearance. But as to how and why I am here instead of where the rest of my people are, I unfortunately do not know. I was found in the forest by my step-parents who saw a strange shadow-being watching over me.¡±


    The Templar mentioned, ¡°Ah, the fabled Sentinel, the being who stands guard over those who are lost.¡±


    Ieros turned to him, ¡°You¡¯ve heard of him?¡±


    The Templar nodded.


    ¡°Of course, there have been sightings of it spanning across multiple countries. The Theocracy even tried to subdue it but it quickly became apparent that whatever this thing was, it was far beyond our own capabilities. Eventually, when a Saint Templar was killed, the Pope decreed that we were to leave it alone as it never proved to be hostile.¡±


    This time, the Princess spoke, ¡°A Saint Templar was killed?¡±


    The Templar nodded, ¡°Yes, the supporting priests described how the being seemed impervious to his attacks, eventually killing the Saint Templar without leaving any physical injuries. Since the Theocracy had no way of defeating this being short of summoning an angel, the Pope decided it was better to just leave it alone, if it wasn¡¯t too late to do so. Luckily, the Sentinel never came back for revenge.¡±


    Ieros took this in, for him, this was the first time he was hearing about the Sentinel¡¯s past.


    The Templar studied him.


    ¡°It seems like you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    Ieros nodded slowly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    The Templar probed.


    ¡°Does it bother you?¡±


    Ieros was a bit confused.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The Templar explained, ¡°Does it bother you that the Sentinel has killed?¡±


    Ieros thought on this for a long time before saying, ¡°It doesn¡¯t. It is no different than you killing a mosquito for sucking some of your blood.¡±


    The Templar was astonished.


    ¡°A mosquito? Those were human lives that were lost!¡±


    Ieros shrugged.


    ¡°And what of the lives of mosquitos?¡±


    The Templar shook his head.


    ¡°That is different.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Really? How is it different? To the Sentinel, those that attack him are like the mosquitos, a mild annoyance that needs to be taken care of.¡±


    The Templar was outraged.


    ¡°How can you think so little of those who lost their lives to it!?¡±


    Ieros shook his head.


    ¡°You misunderstand. I do not think little of them, the Sentinel does. I think that it was unfortunate that they died, however, I do not blame the Sentinel for their deaths. It was something that they brought upon themselves.¡±


    The Templar stubbornly said, ¡°But it still wasn¡¯t right at all! Lives were taken, innocent lives!¡±


    Ieros just sighed.


    ¡°Lives were lost, yes, but innocent? No. They were guilty of daring to attack him, I¡¯m afraid that is an offense that¡ªin the Sentinel¡¯s view¡ªcouldn¡¯t be pardoned.¡±


    The Templar shook his head.


    ¡°It should not have killed them! Injure them perhaps but not kill, it is common decency not to-¡±


    Ieros interrupted, ¡°The Sentinel is not beholden to our laws nor does it possess our common knowledge. All it knew was that something dared to attack it and to make them not attack anymore, it decided to end them.¡±


    The Templar said, ¡°A creature that decides to kill to end its problems is never good.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I never said he was, I am just explaining what the Sentinel must¡¯ve thought.¡±


    The Templar studied Ieros anew, no longer thinking of him as a mere boy or even a man. He was... something else.


    Seeing the look on his face, the Princess nodded in understanding, whispering, ¡°He just doesn¡¯t seem normal, does he.¡±


    The Templar nodded hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes... he¡¯s far too mature for the age he¡¯s at.¡±


    Having heard their little conversation, Ieros said, ¡°Unfortunately, the great power I possess demands I must mature. So to survive, I had no other choice. Also, next time, please just ask me directly instead of whispering.¡±


    The Templar nodded, bowing his head in chastisement before he realized that he had just been scolded by a fifteen-year-old. The Princess was also slightly embarrassed, although she plays it off, continuing to walk on ahead as if nothing had happened.


    Nothing of much note happened after until the Priest met once more with the Princess, deciding to accompany her personally. However, it was at this time that the Princess conveniently decided that she had enough and wished to return to her chambers, dismissing Ieros to his own. However, when Ieros had walked some ways from the Princess¡¯s chambers and his golems left at her door, the Priest and his Templars surrounded Ieros.


    Ieros frowns.


    ¡°What is this.¡±


    The Priest said, ¡°I cannot allow such darkness to wander about freely, you will come with me to the Temple where I can do more.¡±


    However, Ieros had no intentions of moving until he had reached a decision.


    ¡°If you force me to accompany you, I shall see this as an act of hostility and respond as such. In addition, I¡¯m sure that the Atheran King will not be too pleased when the Church assaulted one of his court mages and attempted to remove his magic.¡±


    The Priest said, ¡°I¡¯m sure the King will understand, what I will do is for the sake of the world.¡±


    Ieros sighed, it seemed that to deal with these priests required a show of force. However, if he did go down this road, he would have to face the wrath of the Theocracy, and if that were to happen, he may very well have to face them on his own. But, so what? If that happens, so be it, Ieros was one who was chosen by Darkness, the greatest of all beings.


    He had come to know of this being through the shadows, a being that he had never come across in all of his learning at the Grand Librarium. But according to the shadows, he was the creator of all things, incredibly old and immensely powerful. In some way, Ieros had come to possess the tiniest sliver of his power, which translated to his great magical gifts.


    And with it, Ieros was confident that he could take on any mortal force in the world if he so wished. But he needed to consolidate his strength, he had the potential, but not the immediate power. And so, Ieros decided to follow the Priest without too much trouble, after all, the power he possessed was of Darkness, it shouldn¡¯t be so easily exorcized.

 Chapter 15: Revelations of Many Things

    Suddenly, Ieros turned around swiftly, it, no, the Sentinel was being attacked. No, not attacked, the Sentinel had been chained with light. Glowing golden chains wrapped around the Sentinel whose arms had become blades, though these were too wrapped in those golden chains. The Sentinel tried to change shape but the chains seemed to restrict it, whatever these chains were, they were more powerful than the Sentinel which should have been more powerful than any mortal on this world. But there was an another anomaly, Ieros had sensed absolutely no usage of energy.


    Rose, if it was Rose, had somehow called upon this power without using energy at all. Ieros grew very curious, this specimen had just gotten very interesting. But then why does it need to consume liquid energy? It would have to conduct a very thorough examination. So, dispersing the chains around the Sentinel and then had shadow chains bind Rose. She began to struggle and scream, the unknown power trying to free her but its efforts were futile. Ieros had the power of Darkness on its side, there was nothing that could triumph over it.


    Instead, Ieros commanded, ¡°As the proxy of Darkness, the Father of All, I command you to show yourself.¡±


    A strange golden mist then appeared, surrounding Rose. An aura of great power was emitted from it and recognizing it, Ieros said, ¡°Magic.¡±


    A feeling of affirmation emanated from Magic and Ieros said, ¡°I thought that you were enslaved by the mortals¡­ But no matter how you became free. You answered Rose¡¯s wish, correct?¡±


    Again, the feeling of affirmation came from Magic and Ieros nodded, ¡°Then I suppose I will let her live, Magic still needs a vessel through which it can work through.¡±


    Gratefulness came from Magic and Ieros bowed his head, ¡°After all, I cannot let such a valuable specimen die.¡±


    Ieros then turned, ¡°Very well, I will leave you then in peace. But, I will ask you this, I¡¯d like for you to give your chosen one some intelligence, the way she is now¡­ she wouldn¡¯t last a minute out there.¡±


    Magic agreed and then Ieros left, returning to the forest floor where everything was in darkness, where things were right. There, the fragment left Ieros¡¯s body and spread out throughout all the shadows in the forest, this time allowing people to enter the forest just a little ways, if they strayed too far a sense of intense dread would deter them and even if they pushed through, the whispers would begin. In fact, his influence reached even the Seris Kingdom, though he made sure to hide his presence well. But it did not end there, it spread throughout the entire world and for the night, Ieros was everywhere yet nowhere.


    He saw all and knew all, even about places which no man knew of, beautiful caves that were completely isolated from the surface, paradise isles that exist far from land and strange floating islands which held many mysteries. He saw all these things and for a moment admired the beauty of this world, his father and Light had really outdone themselves on this one. But the fragment thought that it could do without the humans, their artificial structures and terraforming ruined such a beautiful image.


    It had no doubt that given time, the beautiful caves, the paradise isles and the mysterious floating islands would be conquered by man and their natural beauty destroyed. The fragment then wondered just why humans were created, or any of the sentient races in fact. Humans weren¡¯t the only mortals of this world but they were one of the most proliferate, they could be found everywhere, just like a infestation that couldn¡¯t be stamped out.


    It remembered through Darkness¡¯s memories of such an infestation, the fragments that were left guard rose and brought a plague upon it, the disease specifically engineered for their species and to spread and kill quickly. But even with such a disease, it still took several millennia for the entire race to be destroyed. They were rather tenacious and in the end, to kill the final few billion, the fragments sent the army of shadows which hunted them without remorse.


    It looked on the humans and wondered if a similar cleansing was needed, but as of yet, they had not yet threatened the very existence of the Universe so they will be left alone. The system or hierarchy with the gods on top and the mortals below was moderately efficient. Hopefully it will last. But if it didn¡¯t, then it supposed it would let End run free, she was far more efficient in destroying than it anyways. But as morning came, it stopped its musings and returned into Ieros¡¯s form, returning to the palace and into his room, untouched since the day he had left it, the whisperers doing their job admirably. Just then, knocking came at his door and Ieros went to answer it, a woman standing before him.


    But he did not recognize this woman, nor did he recognize the insignia upon her breastplate.


    But his face did not let any of that show as he asked, ¡°May I ask what your business with me is?¡±


    She did not answer the question directly, instead saying, ¡°The Seventh Queen requests your presence!¡±


    It was then Ieros recognized the style of armor, she was a harem guard. But the reason as to why he didn¡¯t recognize her as one was because of the unique insignia and colors, this must be a personal guard.


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Very well. I assume you will guide me.¡±


    She nodded curtly and walked off, Ieros following, the whisperers gently closing and locking the door. The two made their way down the hall towards their destination, the harem guard marching while Ieros appeared to glide. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at their destination, it appeared that the Seventh Queen did not live in the Harem Palace with the rest, rather she lived in a separate building that was equally highly protected. That would explain the insignia, it seems that even though she was the seventh queen, she still had was quite powerful.


    Ieros and the guard once more walked through a maze of hallways until they reached her chambers and announcing his presence, the guard opened the door and gestured Ieros to step through. Ieros braced himself for a sight not unlike the one he had seen when he met the First Queen but fortunately, the Seventh Queen was dressed sensibly while reading a book. But when she placed it down, Ieros saw that it was the girl from the garden, Alaris.


    Ieros briefly wondered if he had misjudged her age, if so then it had made a serious miscalculation. But upon further observation, he saw creases of age, this must have been her mother or an older sister.


    Her face, almost as stoic as Ieros, said, ¡°It is nice to meet you, Ieros.¡±


    Ieros replied with a slight bow, ¡°It is nice to meet you to, your majesty.¡±


    The Seventh Queen said, ¡°Oh, you may call me Orella.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course, Orella.¡±


    She smiled slightly, ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid of me, are you?¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°Why should I? You gave me permission to call you Orella, therefore there should be no harm involved.¡±


    She chuckled softly, ¡°Hmm, how quaint. But, the reason I¡¯ve called you here is because of my daughter, Alaris.¡±


    Ieros looked at her, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She said, ¡°Well, you are her¡­ well, from a lack for another word, you are her¡­ friend.¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°Well, it just happened that our hobbies were similar.¡±


    Orella nodded, ¡°Yes, the flowers. I¡¯ve heard that you were a creationist, could you create such a flower?¡±


    Ieros shrugged and then raised a hand, ¡°Create.¡±


    The star-rose appeared, filling the dimly lit room with white light. It floated in the air, Orella reached for it and took hold of the stem gently, bringing the flower to her face.


    She commented, ¡°I can understand why my daughter likes flowers so, this is quite a sight to see.¡±


    But she placed it gently on her desk and then looked at Ieros with a serious gaze, ¡°As a mother, I can tell many things about my daughter and right now, I can tell that she¡¯s falling in love with you. But as I look at you now, I sense that you absolutely have no love interest in her.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, I believe such things such as love to be useless.¡±


    She chuckled again, ¡°Yes, sometimes I think that too. But, I don¡¯t want my daughter to be hurt so you¡¯ll have to set it straight with her.¡±


    Ieros nodded once more, ¡°Yes, it is best to nip it in the bud before it grows into something too large to deal with. But I warn you, I will not be delicate in my delivery. I do not believe in taking too long to deliver a simple message.¡±


    She sighed, ¡°Yes, I believe that you are that type of person. When will you tell her?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°If you were to call her here, then I would tell her now. If that is not possible, then whenever I meet her next.¡±


    She smiled a bit sadly, ¡°Well, she is already here, come in.¡±


    Alaris came, tears in her eyes and she looked at Ieros.


    True to his word, Ieros bowed his head and said, ¡°As you have heard, I do not have any feelings for you. If it was because of the ambiguity of my actions, then I apologize.¡±


    Alaris nodded her head, tears streaking down her face and she only managed, ¡°...why?¡±


    Ieros looked at her straight in the eyes and said, ¡°Because of the status I hold. I am in the service of Athera, I cannot go around blithely flirting with women. But if my actions were misconstrued in such a way, then I apologize. I¡¯ve never had any experience with being social, I may have overstepped some boundaries.¡±


    Alaris was silent, her back turned toIeros.Orella looked at her with a sad expression but with determination. This needed to happen, perhaps it would be possible once peace was achieved but now, when things were on a knife''s edge, it was just too risky. She then turned toIeros,intending to say something but suddenly, Ieros¡¯s eyes narrowed and he stared off into the distance. Orella, rather surprised by this strange action was silent. Then a faint melody could be heard, so quiet that at first, it was unnoticeable but it gradually grew in volume until it fell softly on the ears.


    Ierosmuttered under his breath, ¡°So, the Song of End begins once more.¡±


    And fifty worlds away, indeed, End began to sing once more, her voice toppling nations and causing the seas to rise up and smash onto the coast, drowning countless lives. Back on Agleon, the Sentinel looked up into the sky and began the Song of Origin, so at least the chaos wouldn¡¯t spread to the other worlds. Already, the effects of her song were causing world wars, all of which were resolved decades later without all life on said worlds being destroyed.


    But the Song of Origin ensured that the origins of the world would remain, so that the survivors could start over. It saved the ruins of their ancient cities, so that once more, these places would serve as a birthplace of new nations. It merely capitalized off of End¡¯s actions, allowing for the world to be cleansed of most of its unwanted. The poor died as the cities they leeched off of were destroyed, the rich and corrupt fell to assassination plots or on the battlefield, the swollen populace was also thinned due to the wars, leaving only the strongest of the strong to rebuild.


    ¡°War doesn¡¯t decide who¡¯s right, only who¡¯s left.¡± The people who are left, no matter how ¡°evil¡± they are will pave the way for great nations, their ¡°evil¡± ways becoming right after time. The mortals will recover from this, even though it will take centuries, even millenniums. Sometimes, destruction was necessary, to allow for new growth. The mortals use such methods to take care of forests, the fragment was merely using End to the achieve the same result.


    As worlds were cleansed under the effects of the two songs, the Sentinel began to carefully modify the Song of Origin. It made it so that the two haunting melodies began to merge, forming an even stranger song, one that was without rhythm yet it wasn¡¯t unpleasant to the ear. The faint melody reached the Seventh¡¯s Palace, Orella and Alaris both straining to hear more of the elusive song. ut it soon faded as the melodies began to act on the save wavelength, canceling out each other perfectly so that all was in balance and all was silent once more.


    But the effect of the Song of End still reached Agleon and already, the kindling of the fires of war was prepared, all it needed was a spark.A merepiece of paper would do nothing to stop it. Yet he did not say anything, he would only protect the Princess, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the Seris Kingdom.


    But his musings were stopped when Orella said, ¡°What was that sound? You looked as if you recognized it.¡±


    Ieros turned to Orella and said, ¡°It is the Song of End, all things will end, sooner or later. That song was simply signaling such an end.¡±


    Ieros then bowed his head, ¡°I must take my leave now.¡±


    Orella bowed her head, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Ieros then created a gate with a wave of his hand but this time, something stretched its hand through the gate to meet Ieros, a slender hand, a female hand. Ieros recoiled like one would from a snake about to strike, the floor around the gate beginning to wither away. This was not his personal dimension, here, his form would regenerate much slower, he could not have these humans know that he wasn¡¯t human. The arm continued to move forward, giving way to a shoulder but before more could be shown, Ieros closed the gate, the arm falling to the floor, melting it in an instant.


    Upon Ieros¡¯s face was an expression of utter seriousness, as if he was witness to the aftermath of a terrible crime. He then held out his hand and closed it into a fist, the arm imploding until it was banished from existence. He then repaired the floor and then reopened the gate, stepping through. Orella and Alaris stared at the space where he had been, the two having seen the arm. But seeing as how he recoiled, they both decided that it wasn¡¯t a secret lover, rather it was someone or something that he had sealed away, trying to escape.


    Ieros was greatly troubled, how had End managed to intercept his gate? Just how much has she grown in strength? The fragment then decided to connect to another fragment, one of the watchers. It shared its memories with the fragment and from it, the fragment saw how End placed her arm through a rip in space, only for it to suddenly close. It seems that it had gotten lax with its gate creation, since it was busy thinking about her it must have unconsciously made an incomplete gate to her.


    Hmm, it still needed time to recover. But now, it will remember to avoid such a mistake, if she had been quicker, the results would have been disastrous. Things were already going to be bad, war would be brought to this world. All though the fragment could end it, it was curious to see such a war as a participant, not just as an observer.


    It knew that it would be part of the war. Of course, it could end it all in a single day, summoning an army of golems, each that were nigh invincible warriors. He could make thunders of dragons fly across the sky and rain fire from above, create legions of giants whose march shake the earth and an endless sea of soldier-golems. But why ruin such an excellent opportunity to learn. If it knew one thing of war, it knew that when mortals participated, they always pushed it to new heights. It would be lying if it wasn¡¯t at least the slightest bit excited to see just how humanity would innovate the art of war.

 Chapter 16: Planting the Seeds of War

    Once Ieros returned to its room, he created whispers, though these would be whispering a message of Ieros. Ieros then sent it to the First Prince, the First Queen and all of the nobles, whispering about the cons of a peace treaty and placing the idea of public assassination into their heads. Ieros gave them all the ingredients needed for war, sending more of the whisperers to plant the seed of doubt into the hearts of the citizens. They would not know that they hated peace until it was proclaimed to them.


    But it did not stop there, he sent whisperers back even to Athera, preparing the tinder for the fires of hatred the nation would feel once its precious princess was killed. But, actually upon second thought, that would be harder to do. He had already proven that his golems were more than capable enough to fend off any attack. Perhaps an assassination attempt or just strong opposition to the peace. Hmm, killing her would be the best option, but he¡¯d have to find a good excuse to have his golems dismissed.


    But of course, killing such a useful pawn too early could also be disadvantageous in the future. After all, she was the next in line to the throne and if the King were to die in the war, which was rather likely, the war would come to an abrupt stop as the Atheran Royal family would fall apart, trying to take the throne. Of course, that would be rather interesting but Ieros had seen enough of this sort of thing happen to similar nations, it always ended up the same anyways, the said kingdom was dissolved and assimilated by other countries.


    But war, war was something that was never exactly the same. There was always a different type of war, a different strategy and a different winner. Something that was so undefined as war was something that was of interest to the fragment, who had mostly known unchangeable facts all its life. It knew that its creator was all-powerful, that it and all other things were insignificant to it and all came to be because of its creator¡¯s power. But, the concept of war, the concept of battle, these things were things that never stay the same. But, there was a rather strange anomaly, from its surprising lack of memories of Darkness¡¯s past, it knew that Darkness knew what war was. But how was that possible?


    If Darkness existed before Creation and therefore the concept of war, how did it know what war was? It then realized another fact, that it did not know all that much of Darkness itself. It seems that it had taken great care to deny it access to all of its most important memories. It grew very curious but in through will and loyalty alone, it crushed it. If Darkness had not wished for it to know something, then that was to be, it will merely accept his wish. It must now focus on its task here on Agleon, to learn all that it could.


    But not as an observer but as a participant, it will live every conceivable sort of life known to man but it is best not to rush things, after all, it takes time to fully learn something, a lifetime even. Right now, it has begun its first lesson, learning the life of an archmage. Ieros then let his body rest, the fragment once more just watching, seeing the seeds that it had planted sprout and begin to grow.


    Morning came and the tension was visible in the air, the people had begun to question just why was there a need for peace. Whispers turned into gossip and gossip into agreement. The nobles saw this through their network of spies and agreed that today was the day to strike. They brought this up to the First Prince and Queen who agreed that action must be taken. A plan was formed, to assassinate the Princess publicly and then announce why they had done so to the people. With the people¡¯s support for war, the King would have no choice but go to war or give up the throne.


    Ieros watched this, everything was going to plan. But, he supposed that he¡¯d have to protect the Princess, after all, in order to participate in the war he¡¯d have to show his loyalty to Athera and allowing the Princess to be killed would be rather detrimental. Whatever, as long as the Prince was able to make his declaration to the people, war will happen. Perhaps if he were to take the Princess hostage and then have his way with her¡­ that could start a war, couldn¡¯t it?


    But then again, spoiled goods aren¡¯t really useful in the long run. Oh well, it¡¯ll just have to make things work. Sacrifices are necessary, perhaps the lives of the soldiers that escorted her. After all, if he were to make an escape with the Princess but was unable to bring the soldiers with them, the people would turn their wrath on the soldiers. The Atherans would be outraged and declare war in vengeance. After, they were good men, undeserving of the fate that befell them.


    Really, emotions are a strange thing, dangerous was well. But might as well take advantage of them, after all, it wouldn¡¯t be able to learn about war without it. But then it had another thought, did Darkness have emotions? After all, then why would it fight a war? But then again there were logical reasons to start a war, war is not necessarily started by emotions but the most fiery ones often are. Satisfied with this logical explanation, Ieros then left his room to meet the Princess, ready to see how the events of this day would unfold.


    But when he came out, there was a small smile on his face, it was barely perceptible but it was there nonetheless. Of course, most people didn¡¯t notice it but the Princess did, after all, one had to notice every single detail while in court.


    Curious, she asked, ¡°Why do you smile?¡±


    Ieros looked at her and then returned his gaze back to the cityscape, saying, ¡°Oh, I just feel that today will be¡­ especially interesting.¡±


    But that smile soon faded as company arrived, the First Prince and Queen.


    Ieros bowed when he saw them, saying, ¡°Today is a good day, is it not?¡±


    The Queen nodded, ¡°Yes, it is?¡±


    Ieros added, ¡°Yes, a good day for a great many things.¡±


    Ieros then looked out the window again before following the Princess again, who after a quick greeting was on her way to the King. She met the King in the throne room and after expectant platitudes, they decided to officially sign the peace treaty and announce it to the people. Ieros followed, keeping an eye on the mercenary assassins that the Prince had hired. They were tailing her as they walked, keeping a good distance away for fear of detection but of course, he already knew that they were there.


    But they did not have to fear, he would allow them to get as far as threatening her life but not further, after all, he had been ordered to keep her safe. Soon, soon all of his planning will come to fruition and war will burst into flame. As they stood on the grand pulpit, overlooking the citizens, Ieros¡¯s glowed silver as he foresaw how their cheering faces would turn to that of jeers and calls for war.


    Ieros then sensed the mercenaries heading closer, having taken the garb of the palace guards. They took strategic locations around the Princess and began to inch ever so closer. The King and the Princess did not notice a thing, until they were right on top of them. They grabbed the Princess and the King, the Prince then taking the pulpit and proclaiming,


    ¡°People of Seris! I come to you as a bringer of truth! We can never be at peace with the Atherans, think of the crimes that they have done to our people! In our previous wars with them, they showed no quarter for our soldiers who surrendered! Why should we make peace with these savages! Fellow Serisians, we must go to war and the first casualty of this war will be the Princess!¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    On that signal, the mercenaries drew daggers and attacked the Princess only to be stopped by Ieros¡¯s magic. Chains of darkness immobilized them and all were killed without mercy. But more mercenaries arrived and to protect the Princess, Ieros opened a gate and directed her through, defending the gate from the mercenaries. Of course, he could have killed them all but then the war would have ended right there.


    So the Princess was safe but the growing anger of the people turned on the Princess¡¯s entourage, killing them all and then sending their heads to Athera. Of course, this only added fuel to the fire and Athera prepared for war. Of course, Ieros was thanked by the King for saving his daughter and asked him to take part in the war. Ieros accepted, though he was to display his magic and what he would be able to contribute to the war. So, Ieros headed to the city walls where there was a massive plain. With a wave of his hand, an army was created, a single legion, their black armor glinting in the sun.


    There was a single giant, his figure towering over the others, his height barely reaching half of the wall¡¯s which was a staggering hundred foot tall wall. The fifty foot giant was covered head to toe in plates of black metal, his gauntlets like metal boulders with a battlehammer that was only ten feet shorter than him. Its head was similar in size to that of a school bus, though obviously more hammer-shaped. One side of the head was just a simple large rectangular prism that was connected to a thinner one whose end was tipped with a pyramid, designed for puncturing while the blunt end was for smashing.


    This formidable weapon could smash through walls with little effort and deform the land in a matter of seconds. But of course, the infantry was no less magnificent, possessing none of the weaknesses of a regular army such as fear or exhaustion, these golems would relentlessly slaughter the enemy until given the order to stop. Even though they numbered at a thousand units, this battalion could spearhead the turning point of a battle that was made up of millions.


    But to keep up with appearances, Ieros paled his skin and pretended to lean on the parapet for support, sweat glistening on his skin. He breathed out, breathed in and then stood tall. Color returned and he seemed to have mostly recovered though he still leaned on the parapet.


    Ieros then turned to the King and bowed, ¡°This battalion will last for as long as the units are not destroyed or until I dismiss them. They are the same as my golems so they should be superior to any force on the battlefield. Now, I must rest. They will remain there without moving until commanded to so call upon me should you need them.¡±


    Ieros then made a gate, making sure that there were no rips that End could get through, and stepped through. He ended up back in the floating garden, where Sentinel was keeping watch over Rose. She turned to look at him as he arrived, her eyes wary and hostile. Ieros said nothing but merely walked over to her, staring deep into her eyes, searching for any trace of naivety.


    Finding none, he then said, ¡°It seems you¡¯ve grown.¡±


    She just growled, ¡°What do you care?¡±


    Ieros continued to stare into her eyes, dead serious when he said, ¡°You are a valuable specimen, you must reach your full potential to be of use.¡±


    She snorted, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what you are. You even killed your brother.¡±


    Ieros then thought on what she said, asking, ¡°Do you mean Ieros?¡±


    She nodded and Ieros explained, ¡°He is not my brother, rather a copy. Exactly the same as me except for his mind. He was too perfect of a clone, so much so that he had become a completely different person and and as that is of no use to me, I terminated him.¡±


    She looked at him with horror, backing away but unable to tear her eyes away from his.


    Ieros made no attempt to close the distance, instead turning away, ¡°I assume that you know how to use Magic, correct? Well, I suppose how to ask it.¡±


    She was silent so Ieros said, ¡°Well, a demonstration is better than an explanation so go ahead, tell Magic to answer your wish.¡±


    At first, nothing seemed to happen but then, suddenly there was a disturbance in the air. A strange grey transparent dome lit temporarily around Ieros as if reacting to invisible blows, which it was. Rose had told Magic to kill Ieros so it complied, although its efforts were in vain. Ieros then sighed, though of course it was emotionless, he just decided that it was the most apt expression for the moment,


    ¡°Do not let your emotions control your actions. Keep your mind clear of those unnecessary things. Emotions will only get you killed faster.¡±


    She argued, ¡°No they don¡¯t, they give you a reason to live!¡±


    Ieros looked at her strangely, a reason to live. That was a strange concept to him, he was just a proxy of Darkness, a mere representation of his will, nothing more, nothing less. He was not an individual being, yet, he could be. He then ruthlessly crushed such useless thoughts. He was merely an extension of Darkness, he will serve and not rebel.


    She then asked curiously, ¡°Why do you stare so?¡±


    Ieros recovered, saying, ¡°It is just¡­ I¡¯ve never thought of having a reason to live. I am simply a proxy, a shard of something far greater. My purpose for living is to serve him, nothing more, nothing less. I cannot understand having a reason to live, for I am but a copy in the end.¡±


    Rose was silent, she didn¡¯t know what to say, the content of his words would evoke pity but in the emotionless and monotone manner in which he spoke was of one who was indifferent of his position. She couldn¡¯t think of a response, she herself was new to this world and though she had a basic knowledge of it, she was still ignorant of many things. Something of this level of philosophy was far beyond her.


    Ieros then walked into the cottage, the conversation over. He sat in the armchair and summoned a book, this one on the history of martial arts, something that had caught the fragment¡¯s interest. Perhaps this would be a future branch of knowledge to study, but of course in a new life, this one was too busy with mage arts. But eventually, he stopped reading books and just looked out the window in to the vast sky which was purpling into the deep black of night. Seeing a particularly bright star appear, he decided to capture the moment, never turning his stare from the star as he began to create a black sphere with a replica of the star within. It shown like light within black glass, a mesmerising thing as the light within wasn¡¯t still, rather it seemed to be a ball of white fire, always changing its form from one to the next.


    The bauble, an inch in diameter, rested in his palm as he finally tore his gaze from the sky onto it, his left hand slowly reaching towards it as if to caress it. But before his fingers touched the surface, he hesitated, as if he wasn¡¯t worthy to touch such beauty. The door then opened and Rose stepped in, her mind prepared for another conversation with Ieros only to stop when she saw the strange jewel.


    Finally, she asked, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°It is a replica of a star, shining through the sea of darkness.¡±


    Seeing as how she gazed at it and knowing that he had no practical use for it, he created an amulet with the jewel in the middle, silver chains attached to a silver disk with the jewel at its center. The disc and chains were covered in careful inscriptions in a language that Ieros only knew through its fragmented memories from Darkness. It did not know the meaning of the words but the inscriptions were elegant in appearance and though at first glance seemed simple, upon further observation one was drawn in as they realized just how complicated it was.


    He then held it out, ¡°Take it, it¡¯s best that things go to people who appreciate their true worth.¡±


    Rose hesitantly took it, asking, ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    Ieros chuckled emotionlessly, ¡°I¡¯m not like humans, I will not deceive you. I genuinely think that it is best that something goes to someone because they¡¯ll truly appreciate it, as you do for this gem. For me, such a thing is utterly useless as it has no use to me.¡±


    She asked, ¡°Then why did you create it?¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not entirely sure. I suppose that somehow, I just deemed that it would have been a shame not to have taken the chance when it presented itself.¡±

 Chapter 17: Old Memories, New Body

    After eating what humans would call dinner, the atmosphere rather awkward as Ieros had to teach Rose to eat. Aftr the ordeal that was dinner, Ieros rested. He had made a separate room in the cottage, this one for him and as he laid down to rest, the fragment began to sleep. But not how humans sleep. Rather, its thoughts gradually transitioned to dreams while shadows all over the world stopped. All was silent, the forests that were normally full of the chatter of animals were hauntingly silent and the usual bustling of cities were replaced by quiet tranquility.


    Ieros dreamed, the first one that he had ever had, about something that was strangely familiar yet alien at the same time. He was a creature, not human nor any mortal in the universe though if he was to make a comparison, he¡¯d have to say that he was similar to a bacteriophage. He had seven legs, three arms and nine eyes. His eyes were spread out equally on the black transparent icosahedron that was his head with his legs and arms equally spread out on the sheathing coil that was his body. He was in a endlessly large chamber, with rows upon rows of strange shelves that had circular holes in them. Out of some age-old instinct, his body moved and positioned itself over one of the holes, a spear emerging as the coil shortened and he promptly squatted on the hole, the spear entering it.


    In an instant, information flowed through his mind, an overwhelming amount, even for one such as him. Most of it went left his mind as it had come, except for one thing. It had stayed but he could not comprehend it, a piece of information written in the same strange language that he had used to write the inscriptions on the amulet. But unlike his imitations, these were filled with power and meaning, these were words of great importance. But he couldn¡¯t understand them and when the day called his consciousness to wake, the words retreated to the back of his mind, waiting for the day that they would be understood.


    Ieros woke without memory of his dream, only that it was something strange and yet familiar. A tear streaked down his face without him knowing why, even though his state wasn¡¯t emotional in the slightest. He wiped it away without much further thought and stood, wondering just why he had slept. But seeing as he felt refreshed, he decided that ultimately it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. Perhaps he would do this from time to time again. But that dream¡­ it wasn¡¯t really a dream, more like¡­ remembering something. Was this¡­ Darkness¡¯s memory?


    But then something shrouded his thoughts, another being that Darkness had created. It sealed those errant memories once more, wiping the fragment¡¯s mind clean of the information. It had been commanded to seal such things away and it would do so and unlike the fragment, it had no emotions nor will to question its creator. Once more, it hid itself, waiting until it would be needed once more. Meanwhile, Ieros woke, unaware of the dream that he just had, nor the words that remained within his mind. The words had ingrained themselves in the depths of his mind, woven so tightly that the best the being could do was just hide them under more memories. It¡¯s job done, it retreated, leaving Ieros to return to its usual life.


    Ieros then walked out of the cottage, Rose still asleep. He instructed the Sentinel once more to watch over Rose, her abilities may serve to be extremely advantageous one day. As she was the only one of her kind as of yet, it was imperative to keep her alive. It also didn¡¯t know that if she were to reproduce that her children would have the same ability. It could try but then again, to take care of children would be unnecessary and with how protective mothers are, he would most likely either kill her or drive her insane. Besides, if memory was to be trusted, Magic just agreed to answer the wishes of premen, it has decided to do so with her. Unless it chooses another, this phenomena would never happen again.


    So for now, she was safe, after all, the ability would grow with her and it would have to observe everything. But now it had to return to Athera, he was being called. He left as he came and reappeared in the throne room, this time in the company of other court mages. They looked at him, some with curiosity, others with interest and a few with hostility. This was a child compared to them, these mages who had spent decades and some centuries perfecting their craft. To have one not even twenty years old among them was a miracle to say the least.


    But their first impression of him was of someone that was far older than any of them, for even though the fragment was suppressing his aura, it was still able to be sensed by the mages, an ancient being whose lifespan was so large that eons by comparison was a mere but a mere speck. Then there was the gate that he used, the so-called ¡°Perfect Mode of Transportation¡±.


    They had also seen his legion, the Dark Legion as people were beginning to call it. They were amazed that a mere boy was able to make such things, exquisite in detail and nigh invincible. But their focus mostly went to the giant, a dominating figure who just by itself would be able to turn any battle. Even though they were still, they radiated magic, rather, an aura that devoured mana. But even though they devoured mana, it was undeniable that these things were in a sense, alive. They just did not move as they were not commanded to.


    The King seemed delighted to have Ieros, though the two priests from the Luxian Theocracy weren¡¯t so happy. They had heard from their counterparts at Seris, about a young mage whose abilities seemed to be a challenge to the gods, that Man too could reach such heights. They looked upon him disapprovingly but kept their silence, they had also heard about how he wielded the power to make even angels bow down. The King had also heard of this and once Ieros arrived, he took the opportunity to ask,


    ¡°Ieros, is it true that you summoned an angel and a demon?¡±


    Ieros bowed, ¡°Yes, it is your majesty.¡±


    The King said, ¡°Then could you use them for battle?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°If you so wish.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°Could you summon them now?¡±


    Ieros answered by summoning, keeping silent as a brilliant star and a sphere of darkness appeared at his sides. They then took a more humanoid shape, the angel and demon from before appearing. The mages who had smirked at his claims paled, even they could tell that this was no illusion. The angel and demon were really before them, their invincible power unmistakable, yet, were they really invincible if they bowed down to him? But even for all the energy dispensed, Ieros did not seem to be fatigued. The reason was simple, to create an angel or a demon was far easier than to create one golem. For unlike angels or demons who are in the end made of flesh, it was far harder to make solid dark matter.


    For unlike creating mortal things, dark matter was something else. The flesh of Darkness must be compressed by staggering ratios, one mile cubed is equal to a foot cubed. Of course, Darkness itself could create miles upon miles cubed of dark matter but it wasn¡¯t so easy for Ieros. It was in the end a fragment and a fragment can only wield so much power. For a moment, it entertained thoughts of what it would be like to be Darkness but it immediately crushed the thought, it seems that the disease that was emotions was infecting it more and more.


    It wondered if it would have to live with the disease for the rest of its life or should it create a clone and destroy itself now. Its consciousness was already infected, thus it would only have to transfer memories and then destroy itself, a simple process. But doing so right now would be rather difficult, it would have to return to the privacy of the forest. It began the creation of its clone, transferring all of its memories to the Sentinel minus its emotions. It then instructed the Sentinel to create a clone of Ieros with all of its memories, Ieros¡¯s included. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    But the clone did not wake, it would only wake once Ieros was destroyed. It had to do it while it still was mostly free from the influence of emotions, it was too late for it now. But of course, the meeting was still going on, though the presence of the divine beings bought Ieros a few moments of silence. So when he returned his attention to the meeting, he did not miss anything important. He was ordered to dismiss the divine beings which he did, the angel and demon bowing to him before collapsing into a sphere of light and darkness before those too imploded until they disappeared.


    The rest of the meeting wasn¡¯t anything too important, it was just the King assigning military positions to each of the mages and giving them each an army to command with the exception of Ieros. Ieros was given free command, meaning that he would do as he saw fit on the battlefield as long as what he did wasn¡¯t detrimental to the Atheran forces. Of course, this didn¡¯t go well with the other mages, they thought that one so young would know nothing of real battle. But of course, Ieros was no regular child. He did not have such things as excessive caution nor excessive recklessness, only a cold logical mind which saw countless scenarios for battles and which specific one would be most beneficial.


    He also possessed nearly omniscient abilities for the shadows were his eyes, he could see the battlefield and respond accordingly, taking out flanking units and sending units to flanks if necessary. He possessed the ultimate strategic tools for war and had the ultimate army. He could win the entire war all on his own if he so wished. Even now, his omniscience was at work, the shadows seeing an army of ten thousand serisian soldiers march upon an atheran border fort. The fort was ill prepared for battle and was quickly taken, the serisian forces establishing it as their stepping stone for the invasion.


    No messengers were able to be sent by the defending atherans as the serisians cast anti-communication magic and killed any messengers sent by the atherans. Athera did not know that they had just been invaded. But of course, Ieros did not say anything, what fun would the war be if the invasion force was stopped there? Instead, once the meeting was over and after exchanging platitudes with the other mages, he returned to the forest, making sure that the clone had an exact copy of all of its memories. Once that was done, it made a sword of light and impaled itself on it, the light burning away the darkness.


    Soon, there was nothing left of the previous Ieros, his body having returned to dust and the fragment¡¯s original form completely purged by light. The emotions had been destroyed along with it and the new Ieros woke, retaining all the memories of its predecessor. It then made a mental note not to make the same mistakes as the original and then stood, its eyes glowing silver in the shadows of the forest.


    Suddenly, it sensed intruders, their power enough to defeat the shadow golems. Ieros made a gate to the disturbance and stepped through, seeing the two Luxian priests as well as Kyle and Aria. Remembering that it was supposed to maintain a friendly relationship, it put on a friendly persona, a small small on its face as it looked at Kyle and Aria, the smile reaching its eyes. But of course, it did not do the act 100%, otherwise it would only develop emotions like its predecessor. But his gaze turned cold when he looked at the priests and he asked,


    ¡°What is your business in my domain?¡±


    The priests bowed politely if not respectfully and one spoke, ¡°Young mage, we just came because we sensed a great amount of darkness in this forest and decided to cleanse it.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°They are of my creation, they merely protect my domain from those who wish to disturb it. Those that wish to collect herbs go unmolested.¡±


    The priest said resolute, ¡°It is our duty to cleanse darkness wherever we see it.¡±


    Ieros then said, ¡°Very well then, I will not stop you. But beware, these are not the strongest of my creations, more still roam the depths of the forest and it would be wise you avoid them.¡±


    He then turned his attention to Kyle and Aria and with a small smile on his face, he apologized, ¡°Sorry I haven¡¯t seen you guys in awhile but I¡¯m so busy, you know, being the court mage and all.¡±


    A bit uncertain at first, Kyle was the first to walk over and hug Ieros, saying, ¡°Hey, you could have at least spoken to us with magic.¡±


    Ieros chuckled, ¡°I was busy escorting the Princess at Seris.¡±


    Kyle released Ieros from the hug and joked, ¡°Ooh, you lucky bastard. So¡­ you and the Princess together now?¡±


    Ieros laughed, ¡°No, you misunderstand. She and I are not intimately related at all. It was just, the people of Seris tried to assassinate her and I had my hands full trying to keep her alive.¡±


    This time Aria said, elbowing Kyle in the ribs, ¡°What Kyle meant to say is, that we¡¯re glad to see you again.¡±


    She smiled at Ieros and for a moment, Ieros saw pain in Kyle¡¯s eyes. He had known that Kyle had liked Aria but Aria did not return those feelings. Instead she was attracted to Ieros, something that Ieros did not need.


    Ieros returned a more polite smile, saying, ¡°So, Aria, how have you been?¡±


    She said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s actually been pretty peaceful ever since you left, the noble girls didn¡¯t have a reason to bother me anymore since you were gone so they left us alone. Though, the young noblemen began to hit on me.¡±


    Ieros asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing, you¡¯ll marry into a rich family, of course, hopefully with the one you like.¡±


    Aria then blushed, ¡°Well, the one I like isn¡¯t a noble.¡±


    Ieros¡¯s smile grew smaller, asking, ¡°Oh?¡±


    Aria seemed to want to say more but she couldn¡¯t and finally, to break the awkward silence that was between them, Ieros said, ¡°Aria, it¡¯s me you like, right?¡±


    She nodded and the awkward atmosphere only increased but Ieros, immune to such things pushed on, his face solemn yet pained, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Aria, I can¡¯t return your feelings. I have promised the King that I would not marry, to keep from disturbing the power balance. As you know, I am a powerful mage, with one of the most purest mageblood in the kingdom. That is why the daughters of nobility chase after me, to gain power. But doing so will upset the power balance and may cause a civil war, therefore I must live a life of solitude for the country.¡±


    Her face fell, gazing up with helpless hope, ¡°We could run away¡­¡±


    Ieros¡¯s face remained stoic, his voice only having a slight tinge of sadness, ¡°I can¡¯t. I am a court mage and I have sworn loyalty to Athera. I cannot¡­ will not let love get in the way.¡±


    Aria nodded, tears in her eyes. She then turned and walked away, Kyle looking at Ieros with understanding and helplessness.


    Ieros¡¯s face grew sad, ¡°Hey Kyle, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Kyle nodded before turning and running after Aria. Finishing off its masterful act, Ieros grew solemn once more and turned towards the priests, warning them one last time before returning to the forest,


    ¡°Do not go where light does not shine. Only Death lies beyond for those of the light.¡±

 Chapter 18: Seris Strikes First

    The next day arrived and by then, news had reached the capital that Seris had already begun its invasion. The King and his advisors were understandably shocked, they thought that it would have been another month before Seris could have amassed such a number of troops for invasion. But of course, before the peace treaty, the two countries were prepared for war, their armies on standby. Of course, Athera was prepared as well but less so, it only had an army of five thousand was amassed to at least delay the invasion force.


    Ieros was not called upon as though he could create the gates, the King and his advisors thought that he too had limits and he wouldn¡¯t be able to create a gate large enough or to sustain it long enough for the army to pass through. Of course, Ieros could but he didn¡¯t say anything, after all, he wasn¡¯t asked. But he was given his own command of his legion and after peering at the map and listening on the enemy through the shadows, he told the King that he would be moving to mountain pass, one that was far away from the invasion force but also led directly to the capital.


    The King saw no problem with this and let him go, the other mages also didn¡¯t have any qualms, they didn¡¯t want a youngling to get in their way. So Ieros made a gate into the giant¡¯s head, which was actually a room that was not at all dissimilar from the cottage, a simple sitting chair and a bookshelf. But unlike the cottage, one wall was made of glass and the view beyond was what it would look like from the giant¡¯s perspective. Of course, this room was in another dimension so the tremors of the giant¡¯s footsteps would not shake the room. The giant and his troops made great progress on their way to the mountain pass. But once the giant was out of sight of the capital, Ieros opened a gate and teleported to the pass, it made no sense to wait. There, he had his legion station on the sides of the mountain, their normal black coloring diminishing to various shades of grey to match the mountainside. Their armor also morphed, changing from smooth plating to a rougher texture, to match that of the coarse mountainside. The giant was concealed with magic, though it was placed on the mountainside as well so that it was less likely that anyone would accidentally come across it.


    As for Ieros, he returned to the forest as he would know if an army came. He then sat down and then closed his eyes, the fragment connecting with the shadows that were watching the two armies get ever closer, waiting for when they would clash.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªGeneral Azemar¡ª


    ¡°Those damned Serisians, we tried for peace and yet they toss it aside! Just when I thought this war would be over¡­¡± I continued to rant in my empty office.


    I sighed, and then laughed at myself, ¡°The greatest general in all of Athera, whining like a child.¡±


    But not without good reason, I had fought this war for too long, already twenty years of my life fighting this damned war and all for what? For a peace treaty that didn¡¯t even work? I had watched friends and good men both die in this god-be-damned war and killed a good few of them myself.


    But, perhaps it is better this way. After all, I¡¯m just too damn old, I became a general at the age of twenty, went to fight wars and defend my country from the monsters for ten years and then went to war on Seris for another twenty. Half of my life gone and what had I accomplished? Sure I won medals and lead my army to great victories but all for what? If the war were to end now, I would just be some war hero to be forgotten as peace comes. I¡¯d have no place in a world of peace, no, my hands are far to bloody. Then again, the simple pleasures that peace could bring also don¡¯t excite me, only battle brings the delicious feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins, that visceral, addicting feeling. I was addicted to war and whether I liked it or not, I needed it.


    A knocking at the door brought me back to the real world and sighing, I called,


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    My lieutenant entered, he had been a stalwart comrade since the Seris Campaign, trustworthy and a good sword to have at your back.


    Brightening slightly, I asked, ¡°How are you doing lieutenant?¡±


    He bowed his head, ¡°Fine sir.¡±


    I nodded amicably before saying, ¡°I¡¯m called to lead the army, correct?¡±


    He nodded and I stood with resignation, ¡°Very well, how many troops do we have?¡±


    He said, ¡°Five thousand sir.¡±


    I cursed, ¡°Damn it! What do they expect me to do with five thousand!?¡±


    Aldis stood, waiting until I was done.


    When I had calmed down, I asked, ¡°And the invasion force? How much and where?¡±


    Aldis answered dutifully, ¡°Ten thousand and they have taken Greenhill Fort and are moving to Iredale.¡±


    I swore some more, ¡°God fucking damn it, it¡¯ll take at least two weeks to get there and by then, they will have taken Iredale!¡±


    I hammered my fist onto my desk, my anger dulling the pain. I took a few breaths to calm down, taking deep, slow breaths.


    Aldis then said, ¡°But the good news is that archmages Ivsaar the White and Arryn the Pious are joining the army.¡±


    I breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Finally, some good news. Those two will be able to give us a fighting chance.¡±


    I then asked, ¡°When will I be deployed?¡±


    He said, ¡°You will be deployed three days from now, that is when the army will be ready to move.¡±


    I cursed again, ¡°Damn it! By then they¡¯ll have taken Iredale! For fuck¡¯s sake, everyone got excited about peace and gave vacation too fucking early!¡±


    After ranting for a bit longer, I then dismissed Aldis, he didn¡¯t have anything else to tell me and I had to think of a battle plan. I had to assume that my men were not the best of the best though they were veterans so at least that was something. I did have my personal army but they only numbered eight hundred men. Of course, they would be a rather elite unit, one that I would have to use sparingly. Of course, I had seen the army of a thousand that was at one of the most recent court mage¡¯s command, a lad by the name of Ieros. If I had those at my command, I would be able to turn this war around because those thousand along with my forces and the original five thousand would make six thousand and eight hundred soldiers.


    That would give me a fighting chance for I predict that the enemy will leave at least two thousand men at Greenhill fort and the remaining eight thousand will march to Iredale and await further forces. There¡¯s only a twelve hundred difference between my troops and theirs and the troops under the mage¡¯s power are golems, they would be far more powerful than any soldier. That would close the gap easily but of course, I¡¯d have to ask the mage in question. I made up my mind to ask the King about his whereabouts later but if he refuses, I will just have to make do.


    I wish I could ask my friend Adelard but he was busy defending southern Athera from the monsters that roam in the Uncharted. Those wild lands that held unimaginable beauty and danger. But, it attracted men like him, there was something about it that called to him, much like how battle calls to me. He had an army of three thousand as well as the garrison force, which was an extra thousand. But I knew he could ill afford to send a thousand forces my way, they were barely holding the line as it was, individual monsters slipping through while they kept the hordes at bay.


    Of course there were mercenaries but the pockets of the Crown have been running low as of late, the cost to keep up our military along with the threat of the monsters to the south had been taking its toll. We could also ask the adventurer guilds but they also had bases in Seris so if Seris got their aid first, then the guilds would do nothing. So they couldn¡¯t trust the guilds though I¡¯m sure that the King would ask them for aid.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    But once again, there came knocking at the door and I said, ¡°Come in.¡±


    This time, the King himself arrived and immediately, I stood and bowed, asking, ¡°What does his majesty want with one such as myself?¡±


    The King chuckled, ¡°I merely wanted to speak with you. As you should know, you will be leading an army against the invaders.¡±


    I nodded and the King continued, ¡°Good, good. Now, I wanted you to know that the Bloodstrider guild has joined forces with us, they have sent five hundred adventurers to aid with our cause.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really react, it wasn¡¯t that amazing for it wasn¡¯t what I had hoped for but was better than my expectations.


    I just nodded and then remembering, I said, ¡°Your majesty, I have a question.¡±


    He allowed me to speak, ¡°Go on general.¡±


    I asked, ¡°I have heard of Ieros and his army. I was wondering if he would by any chance help our cause.¡±


    The King replied, ¡°Yes, that would be good but unfortunately he has already taken his troops to the Hollowed Pass.¡±


    I nearly swore in front of the King but I managed to bite it down. I then went over to the map and then searched for the Hollowed Pass, at first my anger clouding my judgement. But it soon faded away as I saw the possibility of the invasion force splitting up to send another force towards the pass or the possibility of another invasion force. That pass was extremely important and not just for travel, that pass protected the western edge of Athera. But as it was out of the way and mostly forgotten, it was hardly ever used and our garrison had been re-stationed to the South.


    So we had unwittingly created a great weakness in the defense of Athera but this young man, he saw it all with but a glance. He was no normal child, but then again, he was a genius.


    I sighed with relief and the King asked, ¡°What is it general?¡±


    I answered, ¡°Well you see your majesty, Ieros had chosen to block up a weakness in the defense of Athera. The Hollowed Pass allows for nearly unrestricted access to the capital. If an army were to enter, the capital would fall in a matter of days, meaning the fall of Athera.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°Then why haven¡¯t we defended it earlier?¡±


    I answered, ¡°Well, the threat of the Seris Kingdom to the north and the monsters to the south, we were forced to devote all our forces to those two borders, leaving our sides very weak. Luckily, to the East is the sea and to the west a mountain range. We were fortunate that none of the other countries had caught on yet.¡±


    The King then looked at the map as well and then chuckled, ¡°Well, with Ieros there, we don¡¯t have to worry about a thing. That boy is one of the most powerful mages I¡¯ve ever seen. My daughter even said how four of his golems defeated the court mage of Seris with ease.¡±


    I blurted out, ¡°Really?!¡±


    He nodded and I looked back at the map, remembering the sight of that giant golem. I then began to laugh, we had absolutely nothing to fear with a monster like that on our side.


    The King asked, ¡°Why do you laugh?¡±


    I replied with a large grin on my face, ¡°Why, I¡¯m just glad that he¡¯s on our side.¡±


    He smiled too and said, ¡°I have to agree.¡±


    The King then left after some idle chat, he had other duties to attend to. Well, five hundred was probably the best I could ask for right now. Besides, being adventurers they must be at least slightly better than average compared to a regular soldier. But they also weren¡¯t trained for large scale battles¡­ hmm.


    I thought a great deal on how to solve this dilemma, eventually just saying fuck it and having the adventurers fight normally. They would get into groups of five-ish and then have then just fight to survive. Their main job would be for intercepting enemy charges as they weren¡¯t trained to spearhead a charge. As adventurers already know how to fight in small groups, this should be a good tactic. It has already been tried on new recruits and this method has resulted in the least casualties compared to other methods, at least, in my experience.


    I smiled, nostalgic memories resurfacing. Way back when I was a new recruit and assigned with my team, all who would become the best of friends. I still remember the exact moment when I pissed my pants, it was when a fucker, big as a horse came thundering towards me. I plopped down onto the ground and promptly pissed myself, but Adelard came screaming like a banshee and miraculously managed to stick him in the side. By then, I was pushed on by adrenaline and I joined in to, because if I didn¡¯t I would have died.


    But then I felt sorrow, three of my four teammates were now dead, all in this damned war with Seris. I sighed and sat back in my chair, looking out the window at a sunny day before telling myself that it was shameful to waste such a beautiful day with depressing thoughts. I sighed and then stood, deciding that a training session was in order. So I headed to the training arena, nodding at soldiers who saluted in my direction. Finally, I arrived and was rather amazed at the sight I saw and heard, the furious clashing of metal and the blurred forms of twenty fighters. I whistled in appreciation, I doubted that I¡¯d be able to reach that level of speed in this old body of mine.


    Suddenly, a voice commanded, ¡°Halt!¡±


    Suddenly, all the figures stopped and I could see that it was a mixture of men and women. I then saw the owner of the voice, Elviria Celestia, a magic researcher who spearheaded research into making magically enhanced soldiers. I guessed that these were her subjects and from the looks of it, they appeared to be successful.


    I said, ¡°Hello Elviria, seems you¡¯re work is successful.¡±


    She grinned, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite proud of them.¡±


    I then decided that they would prove to be quite good sparring partners so I said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind if I was to spar with them, would you?¡±


    She replied excitedly, ¡°Oh no, not at all! This would be a good chance for some research!¡±


    I shrugged and said, ¡°Well, just tell them all to come at me.¡±


    She then grinned maliciously, ¡°Well then don¡¯t blame me when you go crying to your momma.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ve lost the ability to cry lassy.¡±


    I then donned some training armor and took up a dulled sword, nothing more than a metal rod really but it will do. I then held the sword out in front of me, zoning out all other sounds until all that I heard was my breath, the beating of my heart and the haggard panting of my opponents. But my vision wasn¡¯t as good as it had once been, neither was my hearing. But I still should be able to put up a decent fight, after all, I¡¯m one of the most powerful swordsmen in all of Athera.


    I muttered, ¡°Whoo, old age is really getting to me.¡±


    Elviria called, ¡°Don''t be dying of old age now old man.¡±


    I smiled and then waited, I didn¡¯t like to attack first though I will if I must. This silent standoff lasted for a minute longer before four of them attacked. In that brief instant, I moved, slashing four times before returning to my previous position. The for of them were knocked backward, their arms and/or legs broken. But I wasn¡¯t worried, they were super soldiers, if something like a broken arm stopped them than they weren¡¯t really super soldiers.


    I then stretched and complained, ¡°Oh these old bones of mine.¡±


    Four more took advantage of my opening and I grinned, they had fallen for it. I slashed four times once more but this time, I only managed to hit three. I was pleasantly surprised, this may be an opponent worth fighting. I then chased after her but this time, the remaining twelve charged in and I was forced to deal with them, taking each down with a single attack while also dodging and blocking their attacks. I sensed the woman circling me, searching for an opening in which to attack though I kept my guard up. To loosen my guard here would be suicidal.


    Finally, I managed to defeat the last one but in that split second, she took advantage of my open back and darted forward. But of course, I wasn¡¯t the third best swordsman for nothing. I didn¡¯t whip around, that would have taken too much time so instead I just dived towards the ground, the last super soldier missing me and going in front of me. I then launched myself forward and then slashed at her open back, defeating her as well. I then breathed out, bringing myself out of the zone. When my hearing was no longer tuned to just the fight, I heard clapping, it was Elviria.


    I sighed and pretended to be an old man, leaning on the sword as if it was a cane, ¡°Oh my back.¡±


    She snorted, ¡°Oh shut up old man, you just defeated twenty super soldiers as if they were nothing.¡±


    I whined, ¡°But my back hurts.¡±


    We then started to laugh and when we had calmed down, I said, ¡°Well, your super soldiers are certainly something, especially her.¡± I gestured at the woman.


    Elviria smiled proudly, ¡°Yes, she is the most powerful of my subjects, I do hope you haven¡¯t hurt her too much.¡±


    I waved her worry off, ¡°Oh they¡¯ll come off it. Don¡¯t tell me that a few broken bones are going to stop your super soldiers.¡±


    She huffed, ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that they have super regeneration but an attack from a powerful swordsman is much more different than a simple broken bone.¡±


    I then, ¡°Oh, by way, you know that I¡¯m going off to war, right? Mind if I use your super soldiers?¡±


    She answered, ¡°Feel free to take them, they do need practical experience.¡±


    I beamed at her, ¡°Great! You don¡¯t know how much of a help they¡¯ll be.¡±


    After taking off the armor and returning the sword, I left, my mind cleared. I then returned to my office, I had to simulate various battles and strategies and choose the best one, especially with the new addition of the adventurers and the super soldiers. Oh well, I suppose this kinda stuff is better suited to an old man like me.

 Chapter 19: Preparation for Battle

    Various maps and plans were strewn all about Azemar¡¯s office, he had stayed up most of the night working away, trying to find the best strategy to defeat the invaders. At least he had the geographical advantage, the enemy would not know too much of the surrounding terrain while he and his men would, especially the adventurers. They would be his scout force for they would be near useless upon the battlefield. But where was the general now? He was currently dozing away in his armchair, having decided that it would be best to rest and confident in the fact that no one would search for him first thing in the morning.


    He was right, as he often was and was able to get three hours of shuteye, although he woke precisely when one and a half hours had passed. It was habit back in his soldiering days, he had been in a squad of five and he had second watch. So he had an hour and a half of sleep before he was woken to keep watch and then he had the rest of the night off. Of course, old habits die hard so he didn¡¯t really bother to get out of it. Besides, it was rather useful for sneaking in quick naps during the day when he knew that no one would search for him for two hours. But on the third hour, there was knocking at his door and he immediately woke up, grabbing the hilt of the dagger that he kept at his waist.


    He opened an eye just a crack, keeping his breathing steady, if it was an enemy, he wanted them to feel safe so they would let the guard down. But of course, it was just Aldis, there to report that his personal unit had been assembled and ready to move out. He then ¡°woke up¡±,straightened his uniform and stretched for a few moments before leaving, Aldis following by his side. After walking down the halls that he knew so well, he ended up outside. There he had his and Aldis¡¯s horses called, riding towards the temporary army camp that was just a few miles from the city.


    He didn¡¯t bring his plans with him for he had already memorized the ones that he was going to use as well as a few other backups to compensate for unknown variables. One has a habit of memorizing stuff to push out other memories, of course, the most horrific always remain, no matter how much you stuff into your head. But he soon arrived at the camp where he was greeted by soldiers of his personal unit. He knew them all by name and often returned the greeting with their names when they said hello.


    But to each one he met he also told them to tell others to gather in the field beyond the camp, he had to make a speech. Once all eight hundred had been called together, he took a breath and announced,


    ¡°As you all should know, we are at war with Seris and they have struck the first blow. Their invasion force has already taken Greenhill Fort and they have besieged Iredale which is expected to fall before we can arrive.¡±


    He paused, allowing the men to gossip before he began again, ¡°But I promise you that they shall not go any further. An army of five thousand has been mobilized to answer this threat and two days from now, we march to meet the enemy! I will be depending on you as you are elites of elites, otherwise you would not be in my personal army. We have a reputation to uphold and I trust you not to fail me!¡±


    He stopped and smiled as he heard all of them shout in unison, ¡°We will not betray your trust!¡±


    He grinned, ¡°That¡¯s good, cuz an old man like me can¡¯t possibly take on ten thousand men! Of course, that number has been lessened as they must hold Greenhill fort and more if they take Iredale so the odds will be likely even! We will also be expecting reinforcements two months from now so let¡¯s do our best to kick the fucking Serisans out of our country!¡±


    He was met with roars of approval and cheering. He continued to grin, he knew that when all hope was lost, he could still depend on these guys. He then dismissed them and headed towards his tent, seeing out of the corner of his eye a moving shadow. Normally this wouldn¡¯t be strange but there was nothing near it that could possibly produce a shadow like that, a perfectly circular shadow which seemed to move away every time he tried to look at it directly. This of course was Ieros¡¯s observer, sent to watch Azemar in particular as Ieros had witnessed his strategic genius.


    This observer, unlike the shadows would be able to record everything for later use as though Ieros could see all, he could not remember all. If he were to abandon his focus and simply become omniscient, his mind, being a fragment would not be able to hold all that information. He deploys observers that record memories for him so that he could later add them to his mind. Of course, all that he sees in his body would also be incorporated into his mind which is why he has such an extensive amount of information about Ieros¡¯s life as well as those that he and his predecessors had impersonated.


    Eventually, Azemar gave up on trying to get a good look at the black sphere and just ignored it, heading to his tent to rest. He smiled with nostalgia at the sight of a simple cot and a grass floor, he remembered the first time he saw it, claiming that no one could survive on so little. But here he was, actually preferring it to his city life. In fact, he had never touched his bed after laying on it the first time, it was too damn soft, it felt like he was sinking. He always either slept in his chair or on the ground and he didn¡¯t give a damn about what others thought of him. In fact, most of the other generals shared his sentiments, they¡¯d share funny stories of when they were sleeping on the floor and rolled into a wall etc etc.


    He smiled as he remembered those good old times and then he found his chest, sitting off where it usually was, directly opposite of his cot. He opened it up, his old soldiering armor still inside. He had been adamant of using the same set of armor no matter what, the plainest out of all the generals and yet he always got the most results. But obviously, that couldn¡¯t happen, armor no matter how much it is fixed will always break. So he got the same design of armor but it was obviously of higher quality, though it didn¡¯t show in the colors.


    It was the same dull grey steel with blue paint but the steel was reinforced with magic to give it extraordinary strength. It was the same with his sword, though he did have to give up the old one as it had shattered many battles ago. His new one was just as plain but of course, given the same treatment as his armor. It was sharper than regular blades and far stronger too and he didn¡¯t have to sharpen it either. It could still break in battle but there will always be another one, the main reason why magic swords were so expensive is the craftsmanship, such as jewels or a unique hilt, but he got his rather cheap because he didn¡¯t choose useless decorations.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Ieros meanwhile continued to watch the progress of the enemy army which had left two thousand soldiers at Greenhill Fort, just as Azemar had predicted. And Iredale was on the verge of defeat, although it managed to stall the enemy and kill or wound three hundred enemy soldiers. That left seven thousand and seven hundred soldiers left to fight vs the five thousand, eight hundred and twenty atheran soldiers. But minus the other two thousand serisian soldiers that would be deployed in Iredale would put the two armies on equal level.


    But of course, the atheran forces would have to rely upon reinforcements to take back Iredale and Greenhill fort, Seris would still be able to continue their invasion if they still had Greenhill. But of course, this wasn¡¯t the only invasion force, there was another one that was steadily making its way to the Hollowed Pass, avoiding towns and cities to keep the element of surprise. Ieros smiled, he decided to limit himself to only his troops to defend the pass, after all, he wanted to see how things would play out. He didn¡¯t make a strategy, after all he couldn¡¯t really make a viable strategy with only a thousand troops against the ten thousand that was approaching.


    Of course, this ten thousand wasn¡¯t of Seris but of another nation, the Vimaris Dynasty. It was a country whose leaders had been of the same family since the day of its founding by Vimaris the Great. They were also rather morally depraved, making them the enemies of the Luxian Theocracy. If word of this was to get out, the Luxian Theocracy would take action but as always, Ieros kept silent of his findings. He didn¡¯t want to deal with the Luxian priests if possible.


    He wondered if he should meet the army now but thought it better to wait until they reached the pass. They hadn¡¯t made any mistakes so far and it was highly unlikely that they would suddenly slip up and reveal their presence. He would wait until they reached the pass and destroy them all. Perhaps he would also glean information of Vimaris from their minds and pay its king a visit, after all, it would be a valuable learning experience. But right now, it did not have the time so it merely waited, simply observing all with the omniscient eyes of Darkness.


    Under his watchful eyes, he saw the army of Vimaris get ever closer to the Hollowed Pass while the serisian troops had finally taken Iredale and were busy recuperating from the battle. He also saw as the five thousand troops of Athera were assembled over the next two days, after which it finally began to move. Ieros prepared to memorize every last detail of this battle, creating eleven thousand and five hundred and twenty observers, one for each soldier that would be participating in the battle.


    He would see the battle from each of their perspectives, from the cowardliest to the bravest, from the expendables to the generals. He would see it all and carefully analyze every moment, every emotion that each human felt as they fought for their lives. The observers made their way to their selected hosts, recording every moment of their lives as they marched to battle.


    One such observer followed a young soldier, no more than a boy really, fifteen years of age. Of course, his age was normal among the new recruits, though most would either die or be permanently disabled in the battles to come. Perhaps it is morally terrible but it is necessary, not just from a human¡¯s societal point but as a natural one. War was Nature¡¯s other way to keep the population of humans stable, other than its diseases and predators. War was natural selection at work, leaving the strong or the smart to survive while the weakest and the unintelligent are weeded out.


    Ieros already knew of this, which was why it was so wary of emotions. For emotions were the sole cause of conflict, for there would be no conflict if one could not feel love, envy or jealousy. If all was logical, just like Darkness, then all would work like clockwork. But of course, as End said, emotions provided much needed spice. Of course, Darkness did not cared in the slightest, it just saw it as necessary for mortals so that they led lives of relative peace, though it of course judged that it did not need it.


    Of course, this may be because it had been affected by the belief of the mortals but that too is uncertain. Perhaps it has just always been this way, a being that lacked emotions, was omniscient and omnipotent. But¡­ perhaps it was needed that such a being was emotionless, for if it was at the whim of every emotion, its power would tear itself apart. Of course, if it did have a past before becoming Darkness, it must have chosen to give up what humans call one¡¯s humanity because it knew this truth. It gave up its emotions, what made it a mortal, once it achieved apex of what any being could do. Perhaps that was why it slumbered, so that it would not be infected by emotions and not only to keep out End.


    Speaking of End, she waited, encased within the flesh of Darkness, separated from her clone and the Universe. She, unlike her clone, had more control of her emotions, eons of being ignored has a way of doing that to someone. But then she felt a presence, one of the nine original fragments that Darkness had made before he slumbered the first time. It¡¯s name was the Obscurer, its mission to obscure any information about Darkness, such as its past before Creation and Time. Only it and Darkness knew of such information, not even the other eight fragments knew.


    She manifested a form, exact in appearance to her clone, in which to meet the Obscurer who created a room, a table and two chairs. The fragment took a seat, a dark humanoid cloud while she took her own seat, although it wasn¡¯t destroyed by her power. That was because the power of the Obscurer suppressed hers, even though it was a fragment, it had been given a lesser limitation on its power compared to its kin. It was the most powerful of all its kin, it needed to be in case a fellow fragment came to know knowledge that it shouldn¡¯t.


    There was silence between the two until she broke the silence, ¡°What is it you want?¡±


    The Obscurer replied, ¡°I have come to ask something.¡±


    She leaned in, mildly interested, ¡°Go on.¡±


    The Obscurer said, ¡°How do you destroy a memory?¡±


    She leaned backwards and then chuckled, ¡°Destroy a memory? I thought you were the Obscurer.¡±


    It replied, ¡°I can only hide or take memories but there is one memory that is too dangerous to be left hidden. It must be erased from the target¡¯s mind. As I lack knowledge on how to erase a memory, I have come to you.¡±


    Her face grew solemn and she said, ¡°Well, you could always destroy the person.¡±


    It shook its head and she continued, ¡°Well, in order to fully erase a memory, killing is the only way. Either the person must forget it on his own or it is hidden from him. It is unfortunate but I am afraid that there is no way to destroy a memory, for you at least.¡±


    It said, ¡°But you can.¡±


    She nodded and smiled, ¡°If you could¡­¡±


    It refused, ¡°I will not disobey Darkness. Thank you for your cooperation. I will be taking my leave now.¡±


    It stood and faded from existence, the room disintegrating as the Obscurer¡¯s power stopped suppressing End¡¯s. She sighed and dissipated her form, returning to a mass a destructive power. But still, she wondered, just what was the memory that even the Obscurer was afraid of?

 Chapter 20: There is No Humanity on the Battlefield

    Ieros watched as the armies marched to meet one another, only moments before they would be face to face. He also kept an eye on the Vimarisian invasion force that was getting ever closer. He hadn¡¯t studied them too closely before but now, upon closer inspection, he saw a great tactician and three great warriors. Upon the realization of this new information, he decided that he wouldn¡¯t be using his golems and instead created an army of flesh and bone numbering at eight thousand.


    Their dark silver armor was not graced with any crest nor did they hold any identifying flag. In all appearance, they appeared to be mere mercenaries. But of course, these dolls of flesh were given artificial souls, souls that were only programmed with the knowledge of following orders, how to protect their body and to kill the enemy. Within them was ten years of training for a soldier, though they were just created now, they had experience equivalent to a battle-hardened veteran.


    This army of flesh would be able to draw the fullest potential of their enemy, not an invincible one. As long as there was a vision of hope, these humans will continue to fight, using the last of their wits and resources to achieve it. He wanted to see it first hand, to see how these exceptional humans would make their mark on history. Of course, their exploits will not be known to the rest of the world but that did not matter, the shadows will watch and remember till the end of Time, that will be a greater honor than having a books dedicated to their battle.


    He will remember these mortals whose fire burned violently and brightly before fading into the darkness. Their intellect and skills will be recorded and not allowed to be forgotten, their legacy will live forever. But as they would not arrive for a further seven days, he returned his attention to Azemar¡¯s forces and that of the enemy¡¯s also in possession of a genius tactician. He waited, although he could take the intelligence and forces of both generals and simulate countless battles, he could not predict exactly what would happen and that was rather¡­ exciting.


    This was something that he could not know beforehand, even if he were to peer into the vast branches of Time, which he couldn¡¯t. Time jealously hid all the knowledge that he had, only revealing it to Darkness because Darkness could take it whenever he wanted if he so chose.


    But the fragment soon forgot such things, turning its attention as the armies of Seris and Athera would clash for the first time. General Azemar took a defensive approach, merely blocking the path of the invasion force and waited for their first move. The Serisian force too waited, for its job was merely to be a distraction, not to actually invade. Finally, the one who made the first move was Azemar, commanding his cavalry unit to execute a series of hammer strikes against the enemy, basically hit-and-run tactics.


    The serisian tactician responded with archers who brought a rain of death, though the heavy cavalry managed to weather the deadly arrows. They then proceeded to heavily punish the enemy, halberds, lances and warhammers wreaking havoc on the frontlines. But as quick as they came, they wheeled around and retreated, putting their shields to their backs to protect against the hail of arrows. As the cavalry began to gradually chip away at the enemy, Azemar chose to advance two battalions, each of five five hundred men who marched in a phalanx with shields over them to protect against the arrows.


    But as Azemar did this, he also sent adventurers to flank the enemy, their orders to use guerrilla tactics and to harass the enemy as much as possible. They would keep the reserves of the enemy occupied while Azemar would continue to pound away at their frontlines. But the enemy commander was no fool, he sent two battalions to meet the ones sent by Azemar and otherwise calmly looked at the battlefield, trying to figure out what Azemar¡¯s next move would be.


    As the two generals fought a battle of wits, the four battalions met in the middle of the battlefield, the cacophonic music of war beginning. The harsh clash of metal and the screams of dying men. Ieros paid attention to every detail, seeing as a man was impaled in the gut by a barbed spear, his intestines torn out as the enemy placed a foot on his chest and kicked him off. He also saw a man¡¯s face sliced in two, revealing red muscle beneath. Another had his head bashed in by a mace and so much more death. There were some who weren¡¯t even granted the release of death, only watching in a daze as they slowly lost feeling from the intense pain, unaware if they were whole or if their stomach was torn open.


    New recruits saw friends that they had been talking to only a few moments before now lying dead or dying in front of them. Fear gripped their minds and many stood still, their minds blank. They too were killed while those that managed to survive roared their outrage and sorrow, slashing away wildly. They too were killed as they rushed at the enemy only to be impaled by five spears. Others remained aware of their surroundings and stuck to groups for safety, ganging up on one enemy and stabbing away mercilessly. The true nature of man was revealed that day, their instincts taking over, commanding that they kill to survive.


    Ieros was satisfied with what he saw, this was a great wealth of information that would never be the same to any other war. And now, with his observers he could analyze each and every participant, down to their last moments as their life faded, the fear and pain giving away to the welcoming oblivion. Then there were those that refused to die, standing up with bodies that physically shouldn¡¯t be moving and continuing to fight on until they could not go on anymore. But these were few in number and rightly so, not many humans can summon that much willpower to continue to fight even when it is impossible for them to do so.


    It was this form in which Ieros thought that Man was most perfect, for he did not try to hide behind lies, he became his true self. They let out their primal desires to kill or be killed, casting away the mask that they wore in life upon the battlefield, the mask called Humanity.


    But the four battalions would not be alone in their battle for the atheran heavy cavalry charged in, devastating the right flank of the enemy. But instead of hit-and-run, they continued their momentum, pushing through the enemies until they were on the other side, the bodies of broken men left in their wake. Most of the men that were hit by the charge did not die immediately from the lances, halberds and warhammers, instead they were killed by the horses which stomped upon them mercilessly. These were warhorses, unafraid by blood and armed with iron-shod hooves.


    Truly a terrifying sight to behold and Ieros witnessed every moment of it, even experiencing the pain of being run over by tens of horses through one recorder. But their charge came at a cost for the serisian commander had a battalion of archers fire upon the enemy. Once more, the hail of death rained down upon the defenseless atherans and many men and horses died in the first volley. The survivors retreated under a shield wall, more than three quarters of the original battalions and half of the cavalry dead. But on the other hand, the two serisian battalions were utterly decimated, only a few survivors returning back alive.


    Overall, the two sides had attained roughly equal losses. To lose half of the cavalry was equivalent to losing one battalion and as only half of a regular battalion remained along with the surviving cavalry, their losses was roughly equivalent to the two decimated battalions of the invasion force. But back at command, Azemar cursed the heavy cavalry for taking such a huge risk which didn¡¯t even pay off. Now he had a weaker cavalry while the enemy still possessed a full health one. That would be troublesome to deal with later so he¡¯d have to depend on his pike units. Those pikes would be incredibly useful in fending off cavalry attacks. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    But night was approaching so the two armies went to rest for the night, though they kept careful watch on one another, prepared to defend themselves against enemy attack. But most of the soldiers, especially the recruits, couldn¡¯t sleep until sheer exhaustion forced them to do so, their minds filled with images of the horrors they had witnessed. They realized that this was only the beginning, there would only be more hell to come. Some were rather detached about the whole thing, they knew how horrible the battle was and yet their minds were strangely unaffected b the fact.


    But as the first conflict between Athera and Seris was going on, the invasion force sent by Vimaris was nearing ever closer to the Hollowed Pass. They were lead by the pride and joy of the Vimaris Dynasty, the Princess of War. She was one of the greatest of the generals that Vimaris, undefeated in all the campaigns she participated in. She took this chance in order to ensure her position as crown princess for the Vimaris Dynasty only chose the strongest of the Vimaris bloodline to lead, whether it was male or female.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¨CGeneral Ilaris¨C


    I stood at the head of my army as we marched to the hollowed pass. It was a stroke of luck that the Bloodstriders had allied with us, providing us with detailed maps and capable guides to get my army to the Hollowed Pass unnoticed. Although I didn¡¯t trust them, I could not deny that their information had been invaluable so far. This war would be over in a flash, there could be no way that Athera could defend itself with an army of ten thousand so near.


    Right now, I was in command of a thousand army unit, the plan was to separate the invasion force into ten groups, each of a thousand men. This would better ensure that we go unnoticed and also that if one unit was to be apprehended, the other nine would still be able to move on. It wasn¡¯t a fool proof plan, if one unit was caught then it was almost definite that Athera would catch on and have time to scrounge up another enemy. We just had to reach the pass first, if they could manage that, we were homefree. My unit of course was full of elites, they were my personal army after all. I am the Princess of War, the pride and joy of the Vimarisian Dynasty.


    I have been undefeated in all the battles that I¡¯ve participated in and I wasn¡¯t planning on losing this one. The only one possible of defeating me might be Azemar, the Sage of War. It is said that he knew all that there was to warfare, even able to predict the movements of enemy armies before the enemy commander gave the order. A veteran of over a thousand battles, that man has practically lived on the battlefield. I would be lying if I wasn¡¯t afraid of facing him on the battlefield but at the same time, I would have been filled with excitement.


    I, the Princess vs the Sage, who would win? Such thoughts had plagued my mind after particularly hard battles with generals who had all been defeated by Azemar. It just makes me understand the power of this man who was called the Sage of War and how inexperienced I was compared to him. Although I have talent and a great amount, the Sage of War had talent and experience, a blade forged with the fires of his genius and tempered with the experience of countless battles. I, I was still a young sword, hardly tempered at all compared to him. But that just encouraged me for if I was to defeat him with my talent alone, that would mean I would be undefeatable in the future.


    Just thinking about it made my heart tremble with excitement as I rode on my horse, my thoughts high in the clouds of the titles I would receive upon my victory. But I was brought back to reality when my lieutenant said,


    ¡°My lady, we are stopping for the night.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I understand Sebastian.¡±


    I dismounted from my horse took a walk among the men, boosting their moral by speaking to them. Night soon came and by then, the tents had been set up and food was about to be distributed. I ate with my men, having a good laugh about wars past and funny stories. But soon it came time for us to rest but before I did so, I took a walk with Sebastian at my side. But as we walked, I heard a strange sound, Sebastian did as well. We went to investigate, our blades drawn, Sebastian taking great care to mark the trees so we wouldn¡¯t get lost.


    Finally, we got close enough to see the figure properly and what I saw was the strangest thing I¡¯ve ever seen in all my life. It was a humanoid figure of darkness, well, more like a human figure cut into that certain space and was filled with light-devouring darkness. It was surrounded in the silver light of the moon, making it stand out even more and gave the clearing an ethereal visage. It¡¯s head was the same height as the trees around it, making it a good ten feet tall and it appeared to be the source of the noise, which now that I was closer, was a song. It was a strange song, ethereal, inhuman and somehow brought back nostalgic memories of my childhood, back before I ever entertained thoughts of war.


    Without knowing it, a tear streaked down my face as I listened to the song. But Sebastian¡¯s voice brought me back,


    ¡°Those who dare to make the Princess cry must die! Name yourself creature before I run you through with my sword!¡±


    The singing stopped, although its mysterious words continued to reverberate through the air and slowly, the figure turned to face us, its faceless head staring into my soul. Within its eyeless gaze was the presence of a being so ancient that my mind wouldn¡¯t have been able to grasp its age much less the power that it had accumulated over eons of its lifetime. It then raised a black arm and pointed at us and then pointed down. Immediately, Sebastian was attacked by some sort of great pressure which flattened him against the ground. It then turned from us and walked into the shadows, melting into them and disappeared from the clearing. The clearing suddenly seemed more darker because of its absence, the aura of light disappearing, leaving only the normal light of the moon.


    The pressure that affected Sebastian apparently disappeared along with him for suddenly, Sebastian began to breath heavily, it seems that under the pressure his lungs weren¡¯t strong enough to breath. He sat on one knee, leaning on his sword as he recovered.


    I knelt by him, ¡°How foolish of you, my servant.¡±


    After a few more moments, he managed, ¡°I will do anything for you, my lady.¡±


    I asked, ¡°Even fight a god?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Did I not do just that?¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°I am blessed to have a servant as loyal as you. But next time,¡± my voice turned stern, ¡°do not sacrifice yourself for me against the might of a god. You interrupted him first, he was in his rights to kill you. Why he chose to spare you I do not know.¡±


    He protested, ¡°But he made you cry.¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°No, the song merely brought back nostalgic memories. But it was our fault for intruding, we should at least apologize.¡±


    I then turned my attention to where the god had disappeared and bowed my head, ¡°My deepest apologies, ancient one. My servant is just very loyal, please do not fault him.¡±


    There was no answer but I did feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders, though I had never noticed it. Taking this as a sign that it had accepted my apology, I left with Sebastian at my side. Even if I apologized to it, it was not wise to dwell where a god once stood. We returned to camp, keeping silent of what we had witnessed. It was best to keep such things silent, especially with the might of the Luxian Theocracy which deemed all deities not of Light to be servants of the Devil and we were already at odds with them. Perhaps they may even get on its good side and have it help them once the Luxian Theocracy inevitably declares war on Vimaris.


    But of course, such a thing may be impossible, it seemed to be a god so ancient that it didn¡¯t even know the language that Sebastian spoke, only perceiving it to be an annoyance which it promptly quashed.


    I decided to stop thinking about it, it was best that the matter of gods remain to gods alone. Many mortals have been struck by divine lightning for delving into godly matters and I am determined not to have my glorious future cut short because of a stupid mistake.

 Chapter 21: There is No Humanity on the Battlefield 2

    Dawn came and with the new day came a new hell. Serisian troops made their way onto the battlefield in turtle formation, with shells made of interlocking shields, though the spears that bristled from within made them look more like porcupines. Of course, one does not approach a porcupine but rather try and kill it from a distance but those shields made attack by arrows impossible. Therefore Azemar in response sent Aldis, Arryn and Ivsaar along with a small but elite squad which would take care of the three enemy formations. The three commanders would first break the shell and then allow the elites to finish off the ¡°meat¡± of the porcupine.


    Ieros watched Aldis with particular interest, although he was hidden in the shadow of his general, the Sage of War, Aldis too was a skilled warrior, in fact one of the most talented in all of Athera. He favored the rapier, using it to make precise jabs towards the enemy¡¯s eyes and joints to kill or to disable. He was cold, calculating, not unlike Ieros himself. But of course, he was still subject to emotions, he was human. But out of all the humans that Ieros had met, he was the most perfect, the closest to a modern day preman. Azemar had chosen well, this man would not betray him.


    And indeed, although his weapons were at a disadvantage for breaking the shield, he managed to do so, slipping in between the spears and then jabbing his rapier within the gaps between the shields, killing the soldiers and thus creating an opening. He widened it enough so that the elites could take over, twenty elite soldiers of Azemar¡¯s personal guard taking care of the rest. Because the men were so compact in their turtle formation, they were unable to react in time and thus were slain, although the formation fell apart, surrounding the piercers. It was then that the remaining heavy cavalry rushed in, taking advantage of the enemies¡¯ turned backs.


    But the Seris cavalry were sent in as well, hitting the exposed side of the heavy cavalry¡¯s flank. But the elite units were not idle, they followed their commanders¡¯ leads and took enemy horses after killing their riders with serisian spears. A few were unable to do so and died but their losses were minimal. Most managed to get on a horse and were then able to help the heavy cavalry repel the enemy forces. But of course, there were still serisian infantry left but Azemar sent a single battalion to keep them busy. While this battle was happening, Azemar was sneaking a force of five hundred men around the side, planning to use them as a pincer when he went for a frontal assault. Of course this wasn¡¯t the only force, there was another that was even farther out, so that if the first one was detected, there was still a chance for the pincer to work.


    He also commanded the adventurers to serve as a distraction, to further increase the chances of the pincer movement becoming a success. Meanwhile, he prepared his forces for a frontal assault, amassing his personal troops as well as two thousand men for one massive charge. As combat in no-man¡¯s land was still going on, the serisian general was also planning for a frontal assault, he realized that Azemar would most likely be going for the same thing so he must do the same.But instead of a flanking unit, he instead had a large force of three thousand men, leaving a thousand to defend the camp.


    The general himself would also make an appearance in this battle, although overshadowed by the deeds of better generals was still a formidable foe. Although not the best, he knew how to use his troops efficiently, making him one of the best generals to have when defending. That was basically his goal, to stall the enemy and to defend his position until either reinforcements arrived or the Vimarisian force conquered the capital.


    So he rode out in his personal cavalry and charged out onto the battlefield, flanked by three great warriors. He met Azemar and his force on no-man¡¯s land, their blades the first to clash in the beginning of a new hell. Their respective armies followed suit, the frontlines becoming a tangle of flesh and metal. Once more the music of battle rose, and Ieros watched as Azemar¡¯s flanking forces snuck around to sandwich the serisian forces. But one force was intercepted by the thousand troops the general had left at the hq, leaving only five hundred left.


    It would be at least another hour until they were able to complete their maneuver, but things were already beginning to look bad for Azemar, an extra thousand troops was nothing to laugh at and slowly but surely, he was being forced back. Of course, Azemar himself could handle himself with ease but even for him, to be surrounded by the enemy was still suicidal. So he retreated along with his troops, making sure that his back was always protected as he fended off the enemy general¡¯s attacks with ease.


    The serisian general was wary of continuing to push, feeling that the enemy was retreating far too easily. So he began to slow his advance to a crawl, spreading the command to his troops who began to follow suit. Azemar admired this man¡¯s caution, here was a mind who may be able to defeat him in the art of defense. The ultimate offense vs the ultimate defense, quite a suitable match. So telling his army of eight hundred men to begin the counterpush, he charged the general who expertly deflected the strikes from his sword, countering with a series of jabs with his saber.


    Azemar grinned fiercely as he defended, it was rare that someone was able to deflect his strikes with ease, the serisians had obviously sent one of their best. But yet he didn¡¯t recognize him, perhaps a nameless general whose skills had been hidden under the accomplishments of other generals? But Azemar didn¡¯t really care, as long as he had a worthy opponent he was content. As the two generals fought, the six great warriors were also fighting, Aldis paired against a woman who wielded dual blades, Arryn with a serisian templar and Ivsaar with a large man who wielded a greataxe that should have been impossible to wield, its size almost unreal on the battlefield.


    But Ieros ignored the others for now and instead focused on Aldis and his opponent, curious as to what Aldis would do. His opponent was superior to him in agility although her swords were shorter than Aldis¡¯s rapier. Aldis made sure to take advantage of his range, staying still as he circled quickly, jabbing with his rapier expertly to keep her at bay. But he made no attempt to attack otherwise, perhaps his strategy was to tire her. Not the most original of tactics but solid nonetheless. If he kept his impeccable defense, he would manage to defeat her.


    But his opponent was no fool and eventually, the two of them stood still, ten feet apart. Both as still as statues, waiting for the other to make their move. Finally, it was Aldis to attack, darting forward with a series of jabs and slashes, making full advantage of his momentum as he pushed her back. But she was able to outrun his momentum and after gaining some distance, she darted forward, slashing with her dual swords. Aldis dodged most of them, deflecting when necessary although he tried to avoid it, he didn¡¯t want his rapier to break mid-fight.


    But he soon managed to shove her with his armored shoulder but before either of them could do anything, the horn for retreat sounded, the serisian general had seen the force of five hundred approach and deemed that if he were to retreat now, he would suffer minimal losses. So having his great warriors take charge of the rear guard, he retreated with his main army. Azemar cursed, for the general had managed to slip away from the fight with ease, wounding his horse so that he couldn¡¯t give chase. And unfortunately, the pincer didn¡¯t close fast enough to catch the army. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    So the force of five hundred rejoined Azemar¡¯s forces who began to give chase, and the serisian general after having mobilized his forces to meet the attack, charged to meet them. He still had a numerical advantage and to retreat now would be too dangerous, as that would expose them to arrows and the magic of the mages. Of course, there were battle mages but they needed time to prepare their magic circles so they could pool their magic together, a day at most. But his mages were almost prepared as well, they would soon play a crucial part in this battle.


    But for now, he still needed to delay the enemy and was once more locked in combat with Azemar, the two trading blows with their respective blades. Aldis resumed his fight with the woman, using his left arm¡¯s gauntlet to block most of her strikes for her strikes were too fast to dodge. The battle continued till midday, four hours passing and the two armies exhausted. So they retreated, the two generals acknowledging each other¡¯s strengths.


    Ieros, seeing this battle, wished to participate as well so he turned his attention to the Vimarisian army, which was still some ways away. He wasn¡¯t worried about missing any important details of the battle between Azemar and the serisian general, his observers would be able to gather more detail than him. So he returned to his mortal body at the Hollowed Pass and after making the necessary preparations to meet the enemy, he shut off his sense of Time, he was after all a fragment of a being that preceded it.


    Once he re-emerged from his comatose-like state, he prepared to meet the enemy, re-animating the soldiers that he had placed in temporary suspension. He then made a command center for himself, a large tent that had a nice view of the battlefield from the mountainside where he could see the enemy and then react. He wanted to try out for himself the tactics of humans, limiting himself to only his body¡¯s eyesight although still able to relay commands to his commanders through telepathy.


    ALthough his method of communication was better than most armies, it wasn¡¯t immensely superior. So, thus limited, he prepared for the battle to come, his men taking up positions at old garrison post, although Ieros had taken the liberty to make the place more defensible. It¡¯s old, ruined walls were restored to their previous state and the gate was brand new, with stakes impaled on the ground to prevent a cavalry charge and to hamper the enemies¡¯ progress.


    Soon, the enemy had made their way into the pass, stopping once they saw the opposing army. They were of course confused, ultimately deciding to wait until their general arrived. Her force soon arrived and upon seeing the enemy, she demanded to know what was going on. But of course there was no detailed information so she decided to wait another day until her forces reunited. She was of course wary that the enemy would decide to attack right then and there while she was weak but her forces would be able to hold out until the rest of her armies arrived.


    Although she was wary, she hoped it would happen, for if it did she could crush them out in the open rather than to siege their position. But of course, the enemy made no move, Ieros wanted a challenge and from his observations before, he knew that her other armies weren¡¯t too far away. So he waited, preparing his forces for the inevitable attack that would follow a day from now.


    Finally, the attack would happen. Upon having a meeting with all of her commanders, it was decided that a force of three thousand men should test out the garrison force¡¯s capabilities, it was best to rather overestimate the enemy than to underestimate him. As the force of three thousand marched, Ieros decided to respond with two thousand, his men would be able to kill two of the enemy with no problem at all, meaning that he would be able to win this battle with relative ease. He was lucky, the army that he faced didn¡¯t have any cavalry at all except for the Princess¡¯s personal entourage, horses would have have been too noisy.


    This would be more easier than he thought, which slightly disappointed Ieros, but then again, his opponent was the Princess of War. She at least would be able to put up a good fight and perhaps even cause Ieros to think. There was a small smile on his face, he was¡­ for lack of a better word, excited. Well, as excited as an emotionless being could be at the prospect of learning new knowledge. Although she wasn¡¯t the Sage, she would still be a formidable foe. And so, commanding his commanders to hold the line, Ieros observed the battle commence from the mountainside.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªGeneral Ilaris¡ª


    I didn''t understand, why was there an army here? This pass should have been unguarded, my spies told me that this place had been forgotten. Was Azemar that did this? Did his intellect catch the major weakness of Athera? Most likely¡­ damn him! Just when I thought my plan was going to work! But now my army has been seen, the garrison force will no doubt send word to the capital and reinforcements will arrive.


    If that happens, I¡¯ll have no choice but to retreat or to be captured and either choice is not an option. Both will result in my humiliation and demotion within my family¡¯s hierarchy. No, I must win! I refuse any other outcome! I gripped the hilt of my sword fiercely, I will win, I am the Princess of War, the Undefeated Conqueress! All who stand before me will fall to my blade!


    I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming myself down. This anger wouldn¡¯t help me in the slightest, it would only cloud my judgement. I opened my eyes once more and surveyed the battlefield, my force of three thousand engaging the force of two thousand sent by the enemy. But as I looked upon them, I found myself curious, there was no insignia upon their armor nor did they bear any identifying flags. Was this a mercenary group? But no mercenary guild has seven thousand members with the level of discipline. No, this had to be an army, was it a secret army?


    But my scouts did report a command center on the mountainside, safe from our projectiles and mage firepower. There they saw a figure in black robes, seated in a simple black throne as they described it. Not chair but a throne, as if this was a person of great power, equal to that of the Atheran King. But I¡¯ve never heard of such a person and my spies run deep in the royal court. Whoever he was, he had just come out of nowhere with an army of seven thousand.


    But it was no matter, this nameless foe will fall before me as countless others have and I will conquer Athera. But as the battle continued, I was shocked, my three thousand men, highly trained and veterans of many battles were taking heavy losses while in comparison the enemy¡¯s forces were doing far better. Finally, the order to retreat was given and the remaining twelve hundred men returned, the opposing force having had only an eleven hundred.


    She carefully interrogated the survivors and what she heard chilled her for in all of her battles, she had never encountered such a foe. They were described as having only one mind, each one working in perfect unison as they stabbed with their spears, not hesitating to lay down their life if it meant the death of two enemies. And their eyes, their empty eyes, soulless and devoid of life. They weren¡¯t human and if they were, they had lost their humanity.


    And there was another thing, they were silent. Even when they were stabbed in the gut they did not scream, fighting in absolute silence. Whoever had trained these men was adept in the art of breaking the mind, and yet, I hold a grudging admiration for the enemy general, he had made the perfect army, even if it was through presumably vile means. I wondered once more if I could defeat this general in the light of these new facts but promptly pushed aside such thoughts. Although he may possess the perfect army, the battle was not yet over, I could still win.But the day was ending so instead of further attack, I had our men rest, forming a new battle plan in which to defeat his forces.

 Chapter 22: Defeated So Quickly (FP Ilaris)

    I prepared my forces for combat, my three heroes leading an army of two thousand each. We were going to crush the enemy with pure force. After all, from what I saw, there didn¡¯t appear to be any heroes in this army except for maybe the general and his bodyguards. They must have been elites, to be guards of the general but no matter how elite they were, my heroes would be greater, for they were veterans of many battles and the three of them combined even slew a dragon. No matter how powerful this general was, he could not be as powerful as a dragon.


    But my thoughts were interrupted when Azer, one of my heroes, came to report that the enemy was on the move. I hurried outside and with a magnifying crystal, I focused on the movement of the enemy, seeing two forces of a thousand, each lead by a black armored warrior, one of his bodyguards I presumed. But a ways back, I saw another black warrior, although this one appeared to be of higher rank, his black armor accented by silver inlay. It appears that I was wrong and that there was indeed one hero, although it was only one.


    But something about that man was off, he was too still, almost like a statue. Now that I thought about it, other than moving into position, the soldiers didn¡¯t move or gossip, as if they were mere dolls played by the puppeteer that was the general. I once again had a shiver make its way down my spine, this¡­ this wasn¡¯t right. But I pushed such fears aside, fear would only cloud the judgement. But I was interested in this battle and decided to watch it for myself, taking the example of my enemy and setting up a tent on the mountainside that had a good view of the battlefield. On the opposite side, I saw the white blob that was the enemy hq with a person clad in black just in front, appearing to be seated. By use of the magnifying crystal, I saw him, for it was a man although his features were hidden from sight by the shadows from his hood. He, as said by the scouts, was seated on a simple black throne. But as if he noticed me seeing him, he looked in my direction. He stared for a moment before looking back at the battlefield, raising his left arm and slicing downward.


    Upon his signal, his army began to march forward, ready to meet my forces. I was confident that my forces would be able to defeat his flanks and then close in on his main force, thus crushing him. From there I would join in with my main force and crush the garrison defenders. This battle would be mine and I would have him kneel before me, this man who created the perfect soldier.


    But I pushed such thoughts out of my head, there was a battle to oversee. I had given my heroes orders and they knew what to do, now all I had to do was to wait. After what seemed to be an eternity, the armies finally met and the music of battle greeted my ears, although, quieter than what I was used to. Now that I was actually close enough to hear the battle, I only heard the clash of metal and not many screams. With my magnifying crystal, I saw that the enemy soldiers struck with quick precision, each of their strikes fatal and thus not leaving enough time for my soldiers to scream.


    They never made a mistake with their strikes, although my men only were able to scream when they weren¡¯t able to block properly, deflecting the strike to a nonfatal area. But their cries were swiftly silenced as another soldier killed them. Now that I saw these ¡°perfect¡± soldiers, I saw how they worked together in perfect synergy, each one having his part and playing it flawlessly. I then focused my attention on one of my heroes, Azer who was fighting one of the black warriors. I expected Azer to easily defeat him but was surprised when he was having trouble. The warrior was able to deflect his strikes with ease, retaliating with quick, swift blows that were calculated and precise.


    The warrior moved fluidly, never stopping once. Even when Azer retreated to take a break, the warrior did not stop, instead moving at a medium pace to meet Azer who had no choice but to fight again. My plan was falling apart, the main force, led by that high warrior had already begun to surround my second force, the warrior practically toying with Avelina, one of my most trusted retainers and the second most powerful hero in all of Vimaris. But it seems that he wasn¡¯t ordered to kill her, for it only distracted her as his forces whittled away at Avelina¡¯s men.


    Invaris was in similar shape as Azer, held down by the black warrior and his men unable to defeat the enemy. I could not stand by any longer so I decided to join the battle myself, assembling the remaining three thousand men and charging to reinforce my troops. Those black warriors, they were truly something, they were able to hold back my heroes with ease. Were they trained by the general too? No, now is not the time to be thinking, now is the time for action. I must win this battle, I must defeat him!


    With my elite unit of a thousand men with two thousand regulars, I charged towards the enemy main force, sending five hundred men each to aid Azer and Invaris. The remaining two thousand and I reinforced Avelina. I join her in her battle with the high warrior who easily adapted to the two of us, blocking with ease as he took turns attacking the two of us. I expected some of his soldiers to help but they didn¡¯t, instead focusing down on our soldiers and keeping them from reinforcing us.


    Knowing this, Avelina and I began to attack with new ferocity, seeking to defeat him so that we could turn the tide of the battle but our efforts weren¡¯t enough. Time passed and finally, we were too tired to fight on, barely able to stand on our feet. Our men had been driven far back and we had been surrounded by the enemy. A quick look to our flanks showed that Azer and Invaris were in the same situation, we had been defeated. As I waited for death, the high warrior stepped to the side, a strange door appearing in his place. Within was absolute darkness and the sight of absolute black was strangely hypnotizing.


    Then out of that darkness came a figure in black and silver robes, his face hidden by shadows. It was the enemy general, the man who had created the perfect army. I wondered what he was going to do, take me prisoner, kill me? I then cursed inwardly, I had been too confident. Suddenly, Avelina charged towards the general but the high warrior intercepted her attack, doing nothing else as she fell to the ground, too exhausted to move. The general looked at her and then with a wave of his hand, two soldiers picked her up and dragged her back to my side.


    I took a good look at them and saw lifeless eyes, these were mere dolls, not men. I should have trusted my fear and gave up on this campaign instead of foolishly believing that I was invincible. But, there was a part of me that was angry, angry that I had been defeated and roaring at me to fight. So, I grabbed my sword and attacked the general as well, a battlecry emerging from my lips. The high warrior made no move but the general did, raising a hand and black chains halting me in my movements. He then walked closer until he and I were face to face.


    I glared back defiantly, I was the Princess of War, I would not surrender.


    He then shook his head sadly and said, ¡°How disappointing.¡±


    He turned from me and I growled, ¡°What the hell do you mean!?¡±


    He stopped and turned, ¡°Your pride blinded you and thus you lost. It is truly disappointing, I would have expected more from the Princess of War. You are still too naive in the art of war, you have rarely conquered armies and generals that are greater than you. Although, your strategy was brilliant, there aren¡¯t many commanders that would have been able to defend against such an attack but it is too easily countered. If there is one to occupy your hero and an army disciplined enough to work together, your strategy would have been defeated. You also rushed, you should have allowed for time so that your mages could have unified their power. Truly disappointing, it seems I¡¯ve expected far too much from you.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I was insulted but I also knew that there was nothing I could say in my defense. Everything that he said was true, I had been far too impatient. I cursed myself for my foolishness but then realized that even if I hadn¡¯t been foolish, I would have been defeated anyways. I had severely underestimated my opponent and paid for it dearly. Death would be welcome at this point, I was a failure and if I was to return now, I would be shamed and kicked out of the family.


    As I fell to my knees, falling into the depths of my despair, the general shook his head. I glared at him, hate bubbling and boiling. If he had only never been here, I would be a the greatest in all of Vimaris! The Conqueror of Athera! My name would have been sung in songs and myths for generations but that will never happen, all because of him!


    He said in an empty voice, ¡°You are blinded still. You focus on meaningless things. How can you be called the Princess of War if you only think of what happens after it?¡±


    In that instant, my anger disappeared, once more his words had struck deep in my soul and brought for a sense of deep shame. It was true, I couldn¡¯t be called the Princess of War, never had I actually put my mind into this battle, instead only looking beyond it. How foolish.


    I chuckled with self-loathing, finally asking, ¡°Who are you, mystery general?¡±


    He looked down at me and said, ¡°You will learn it once you have become worthy of learning.¡±


    He then had his forces round up all my men and then before us he created five great doors, each leading off into empty black.


    He turned to me and said, ¡°Those gates will lead back to your nation. I have not been commanded to kill you so you are free to go.¡±


    I was in disbelief, he was just going to let us go?


    He saw the disbelief and said, ¡°I have no gain in killing you. Think of it as a fisherman letting a small fish go. He is letting it mature so that either he or someone else could benefit more from catching it. If we are to fight again then I want it to be a challenge. For you to be a challenge you must mature, although how you will is up to you.¡±


    I then laughed at myself, of course this was how one such as him would think. I was hardly even a challenge for him. It really wasn¡¯t worth it for him to kill me and once again, I felt great shame. I should have been able to do better.


    The shame bubbled up until I shouted, ¡°Just kill me and be done with it! It is better that I die now rather than to suffer the shame and humiliation!¡±


    He looked at me and said, ¡°Then do it yourself. I don¡¯t have orders to kill you, only to hold this pass until the war is over.¡±


    He then turned his back and left through the first door, disappearing through it and the door fading out of existence. His army began to retreat to the garrison walls and I was filled with great shame, I hadn¡¯t even been able to reach those walls. I then looked to the dagger at my side and drew it, preparing to kill myself right then and there but Avelina stopped me,


    ¡°Princess, although it may be humiliating, we must accept his mercy and retreat. We must use the chance he gave us to grow stronger and get revenge.¡±


    At her words, I realized that to kill myself was cowardly. Azemar would never have given up, if he were to lose and given the chance to survive, he would have taken it and defeated his enemy once he had grown stronger. I would do the same, I will. I will defeat this man, once I have become stronger. My determination rekindled, I vowed that I would defeat this man one day and then left through the gate, expecting disorientation but surprised to feel nothing. And true to his word, we were back home in vimarisian land. The rest of my army was here as well and with my loyal heroes, I braced myself for the return to the capital.


    Ieros watched as Ilaris returned home. He had been disappointed, he hadn¡¯t been able to gather as much data as he had liked and looked forward to the next encounter. He had picked to fruit too early, next time he would learn his lesson. With her gone he dismissed the army of flesh and had the shadows devour the corpses left by the battle, assimilating the dark matter produced. He didn¡¯t disregard the possibility of another army coming so he kept his army of golems at the ready but as his presence was no longer needed here, he redirected his attention to the floating garden, seeing Rose dancing alone through the eyes of the Sentinel.


    He was slightly worried, perhaps she had been alone for too long and it was beginning to affect her mind. He may have to let her out of the floating garden to mingle with others of her kind. But then again it would also be interesting to see how she would act once her mind was broken but it was better to act on the side of safety. If her mind was to break, that may result in her committing suicide or Magic abandoning her. Either option was undesirable so he decided to introduce her to society. Although, doing so may cause problems as she was naive.


    He could always create another persona that would guide and teach her but that person may also gain sentience and just create more trouble. Finally he decided that he would have to introduce her to society and the presence of such a female would also keep those noble girls away. But he also remembered his oath to the king that he would not marry and he sighed, there was that solution to one problem gone. He supposed that she¡¯d have to act as his sister which shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Perhaps being kind to her every once in awhile wouldn¡¯t hurt. But as he made preparations to save Rose¡¯s sanity, Ilaris had just arrived at the gates of the Vimarisian Capital, Aeramore, the city guards surprised to see her return so soon.


    I sat on the back of my horse, back straight as I headed toward the imperial palace to report of my defeat. I fully expected to be humiliated and have my title stripped away but I was prepared for it. I needed to start from the basics again, without the pressure of being the heiress. Luckily my magnifying crystal was not only a device which magnified objects with magic, it also recorded said magnifications. So I presented it as my evidence, of this man and the ¡°perfect¡± army. Needless to say, the Imperial Family was shocked and worried about the presence of a man who possessed such disciplined soldiers as well as three warriors who could best our heroes.


    But more worrying was the magic he casually displayed, creating five teleportation gates which by my testimony produced no ill effects whatsoever. This meant that this man could transport his army anywhere in a matter of moments, meaning that he was a force to be reckoned with. But by the lack of identifying marks on his army¡¯s armor, it was safe to say that he was a mercenary leader. But seeing as he had only just appeared now, this would mean that he was going to stay and upset the power balance. We were all extremely worried but seeing as how he let me go, it was also unlikely that he would tell the Atherans of our presence in the war.


    Speaking of which, we had to alert Seris that we were backing out of the war, saying that it was no longer worth it to continue. Hopefully this would be enough, although we would have earned the eternal enmity of the Serisian people. But our military is still powerful, even if I was just defeated by this mysterious man. But he is an exception, a man who took time in creating the perfect army. But the laws of Vimaris were absolute so my title was stripped away and I was no longer considered a candidate for the throne. But even though everything has gone to shit for me, I must thank him. He taught me just how naive I was but next time we meet, I will defeat him.


    Ieros who still was connected with all of the observers saw this thought of hers and he nodded in satisfaction, he had made the right choice to let her go. This new determination would ensure that their next encounter would be a fruitful harvest.

 Chapter 23: The Outside World (FP Rose)

    I had trusted the voice in my head, which said that it would be alright with him. But he is scary, he even killed his other self. He also tried to kill me too, but the voice helped me, her name was Magic. She was kind but I don¡¯t understand why she wanted me to trust him. But he was gone now, that was good although there was that strange shadow person that watched me. But he only watched me and soon, I got used to it, walking around the beautiful garden, often stopping by the black and silver roses. I felt a connection to these, their black stems and starlight petals hauntingly beautiful.


    I still couldn¡¯t believe that he could have created something this, it was too beautiful. But as the days past, I grew lonely and the voice in my head could only do so much. So I began to dance, the shadow watching me but doing nothing as always. I danced and danced, moving my body in ways that just felt natural. But during one of my dances, he appeared again, appearing through that strange door. I stopped and glared at him with hostility, was he here to kill me?


    But he totally surprised me when he stepped aside and gestured that I step through the gate.


    I asked warily, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    He said, ¡°I¡¯m taking you outside.¡±


    ¡°Outside?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Yes, there is a world beyond this one and I have decided that it would be best for you to leave this place. I had forgotten that you are human and all humans long for companionship.¡±


    I was confused, but also excited, I¡¯m finally getting out of this place! But then I froze, what if this was a trap just to kill me?


    As if he read my mind, he said, ¡°If there is one thing you can trust me to do, it will be not to kill you.¡±


    So saying, he gestured I step through but seeing as I was still hesitant, he sighed and reached out, grabbing my hand. It wasn¡¯t at all what I had expected, I thought it would be cold but instead it was warm, like mine. I was so surprised that I didn¡¯t struggle when he led me through the door. I closed my eyes, expecting to die but instead, I felt cool air. I cautiously opened my eyes and I saw that I was in a strange place, columns stretching up to a black roof that appeared to be made of countless small black petals.


    Seeing my look of awe, he explained, ¡°These are trees, they are similar to flowers except on a much larger scale. They¡­¡±


    He stopped, ¡°It would be easier this way. Stay still.¡±


    I obeyed as he placed his thumb on my forehead and instantly, knowledge flowed into my mind. It was only knowledge about this world, like mannerisms, how to talk etc. As I was recovering, he waited, standing absolutely still. When my mind had fully assimilated the knowledge, I looked at him, saying,


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    He looked at me and for a moment, his eyes glowed like starlight, just like the flowers. I was entranced, although when he spoke I was returned to reality,


    ¡°It is because you are a subject of interest to me. There is no one else on this world like you and I can¡¯t have you going insane. Now, follow me, I have to introduce you to some people.¡±


    As we walked, he warned, ¡°Also, do not tell others that it is Magic that helps you, for if they find out about your ability, they will try and take her from you. They have already enslaved her once, do not let them do so again. You will see them using her to accomplish things but you must not complain, if you do then you will be in danger.¡±


    I nodded, I was suddenly scared of this world, I wanted to go back but he continued walking and the thought of being left alone here was more scary. So I followed him, wary of the shadows that moved when we grew near. At first I was afraid but then I saw that they weren¡¯t threatening at all, rather they were excited, like children¡­ that¡¯s his memory, right? But I was confused, I thought that he was someone scary and he still was but seeing how they flocked to him happily, dancing around him I wondered if there was more to him. Some shadows ventured curiously, waving at a distance. I waved back and they danced happily, making their way to me and gently grasping my hands before letting go just as quickly, feeling as if a cloud of mist caressed my hand.


    This continued until I saw a light and the shadows stayed behind. I waved goodbye and they did too. But I couldn¡¯t stay for too long, he was getting away. I caught up with him and continued to follow, the light getting brighter and brighter until we were in a place without trees, the ground covered in green hair. I knelt, caressing it, looking to him for explanation.


    He said, ¡°This is grass, another type of plant. But since you already know how to read, I guess I can just take you to the library were you can read all about it.¡±


    I cocked my head curiously, ¡°Library?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°It is a place that has a lot of books, like the cottage. But it is much larger, anyways follow me.¡±


    He created a door and stepped through, me following him after a moment, glancing back at the grass, it was so beautiful and so bright. But I didn¡¯t stay too long, I hurried through the door and into a room, far bigger than anything I knew. I halted with awe, there were so many books, so many! I then saw him picking out a few books and heading toward a table with four seats. I made my way to him and he pulled a chair back for me, setting three books in front of me once I had taken a seat. Reading them, I saw that they all had to do with plants and he said,


    ¡°These will increase your knowledge on plants. Just say so if you need anything else.¡±


    So saying, he took a seat across from me and created a book, first summoning a black sphere that had a single eye which transformed into a book. He then began to read and after a moment, I did the same. Soon I was absorbed into the world of plants, who knew that so much was going on beneath their statue-like appearances? I was almost disappointed when I had finished the last book and remembering what he said, I asked,


    ¡°Um, Ieros? Are there anymore books?¡±


    He looked up from his book and for a moment, I saw a genuine smile on his face,


    ¡°Ah, so knowledge intrigues you? As it rightly should, well, what types of books do you want? More about plants?¡±


    I nodded and he created a smaller door, which he reached his hand into and pulled out five books. He then gave them to me and returned his attention to his book while I excitedly read mine. After reading two books in a row, I decided to take a break and as I looked around, my eyes inevitably landed on his face again, his face not its usual serious mask, rather it was unguarded, innocent. I also thought that he was smiling, although the curve of his lips was so minute that I couldn¡¯t be sure.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    He then met my stare, his usual mask of seriousness back on and he asked, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    I hurriedly shook my head and continued reading, hiding my face. For some reason it was burning and I focused on reading to calm myself down. I took a few deep breaths to help and eventually, I was calm enough to continue reading without any problems. But as soon as I was absorbed by the magic of books, I was taken from it by the voice of someone close to me, but it wasn¡¯t Ieros. It was another boy, with blonde hair and sapphire eyes dressed in white and gold uniform. I was confused, why had he called out to me when we didn¡¯t even know each other?


    But as my mind raced with these questions, he said, ¡°Oh most beautiful goddess, may I ask for your name?¡±


    I replied, drawing upon the memories that Ieros gave me on social mannerisms, ¡°I¡¯m Rose.¡±


    He then took my hand, which I wasn¡¯t too comfortable about and kissed it, looking into my eyes as he said, ¡°Such a lovely name for one as charming as yourself, lady Rose, if I do dare, can I ask for a date?¡±


    I didn¡¯t recall the word ¡°date¡± and in my confusion, I turned to Ieros, ¡°Ieros, what does he want?¡±


    He looked up briefly and then eyed the boy, returning his attention to me and saying, ¡°It appears that he wishes to be romantically involved with you. As for ¡®date¡¯, I believe it is when two romantic partners enjoy some time together, often with food and intimate conversation.¡±


    I was further confused, I didn¡¯t understand at all but as Ieros sighed, I felt something cold touch my soul. I shivered instinctively and suddenly, the same rush of knowledge flowed into my mind, new memories becoming a part of me. But it wasn¡¯t as painful like last time, just really uncomfortable but I managed to get over it. Upon understanding my face began to burn once more and I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. The blonde boy took advantage of this and pushed forward,


    ¡°Please my lady Rose, grant this one wish of mine.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say, thankful when Ieros said, ¡°I believe it is rude not to introduce yourself to one you confess to.¡±


    The boy looked at him with hostility before standing up and bowing again, ¡°I am Arbane Ewarin, First Apprentice of Illithor Torven, Master of the Third Tower.¡±


    Those titles meant absolutely nothing to me and I just looked at him with confusion, turning to Ieros, ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Ieros had by now returned to reading his book, saying, ¡°He means to say that he is in a position of power and he believes that if you were to know that it would boost his chances with becoming your romantic partner.¡±


    I said, ¡°That¡¯s stupid, what does a title have anything to do with love?¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°Love is a subject I have no interest in learning, therefore I cannot provide the answers you seek. Now either accept or refuse his confession and leave me in peace.¡±


    I looked at him helplessly, did he really not care about me?


    But Arbane called me again, ¡°What is your answer, oh fair goddess?¡±


    Finally, I remembered I still had books to read so I refused, ¡°I won¡¯t be your partner.¡±


    He was shocked and angry, "Do you not know who I am?! I am Arbane Ewarin, Apprentice of Illithor Torven!"


    I shook my head helplessly, "I don''t know you, I am sorry."


    Ieros then looked up with one eye and said, "Please be quiet."


    Arbane grew angry, raising a hand and summoning a ball of lightning. But before he could do anything, a tendril of darkness devoured his lightning sphere and chains of darkness immobilized him. Then the temperature of the room plummeted and Ieros turned to face him, his grey eyes seeming to go a few shades darker,


    ¡°I am trying to read here, take your lightning outside of this building or be quiet. Next time I won¡¯t be so lenient, but I believe two days without the ability to use magic should be enough punishment.¡±


    He then released him from his chains and the temperature returned to normal. Arbane seemed really angry but when he went to summon another lightning sphere, nothing happened and after trying a few times, he frantically demanded,


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡±


    Ieros glared at him balefully with one eye, ¡°I will make it permanent if you do not leave.¡±


    His face paled but he threw one last threat before he left, ¡°I will be back!¡±


    Ieros returned his attention to his book and said, ¡°Do as you wish.¡±


    I was worried so when Arbane left, I said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He didn¡¯t bother to look up, saying, ¡°I have no need to run. Besides, he wouldn¡¯t dare to try anything in the Library, no matter how powerful he is, the Librarian is far more powerful. And besides, my power is absolute, it devours all no matter how powerful for its hunger is infinite as well as its strength.¡±


    Uneasy, I decided once more to trust him, for he had not been wrong so far. Soon, as Arbane had promised, he returned with his master, a man with matching blonde hair but except he had golden hair with matching gold eyes. He looked at Ieros for a moment and then said politely,


    ¡°I did not know that the one who assaulted my apprentice was a court mage.¡±


    Ieros, equally polite, put down his book and stood, bowing his head slightly, ¡°Your apprentice was disturbing the peace of the Library, even summoning magic in this place. I only punished him by sealing his mana for two days.¡±


    The man, who I guessed to be Illithor, looked at his apprentice and then me, saying, ¡°Ah, I can understand why he did so. Is this your girlfriend?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°No, she is an amnesiac I found who was wandering the forest, knowing only her name. I discovered that she was rather talented in magic and decided to take care of her for the time being until another can be found to do so.¡±


    Illithorthen looked at his apprentice one last time, his eyes full of disapproval, ¡°Well sir court mage, I apologize on behalf of my apprentice, I should have taught him better.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°No, it is alright, I understand that boys his age are so.¡±


    Illithorasked, ¡°Are you not similar to him in age?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°That may be but I long since realized that things such as bodily pleasure and romance are useless things, they do not last forever while knowledge does.¡±


    Illithorreplied, ¡°Oh?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course, after all, it is love that began the decline of mage blood, when mages and mundanes merged bloodlines and diluted it to the state it is today. As for bodily pleasure, it is like candy I suppose. It is delicious, enjoyable and addicting but ultimately something that is absolutely unnecessary. Sure you need it to reproduce and I will not deny that is something of importance but to pursue in the act without the intent to reproduce is foolish. Frankly I myself do not understand.¡±


    Illithorasked, ¡°Have you ever experienced it?¡±


    Ieros turned to him, ¡°Addiction cannot take root if one does not begin, I do not intend to become one of the foolish. Call me naive if you so wish but I have risen to such heights because I have managed to avoid being addicted. Sadly, I see it is not the case for your apprentice.¡±


    The man asked, ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t you try before you judge?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°No and besides, I am under oath. I have promised the King that I would never marry, for my power would upset the fragile power balance. And personally, I believe one of my power should die out, humanity has done absolutely nothing with the gifts that these geniuses had given to them other than to squander it on their own pleasures, your apprentice is a prime example once again.¡±


    The apprentice looked ready to kill Ieros but the man held him back.


    Ieros, seeing this, said, ¡°I apologize for being philosophical. I suppose I will return your apprentice¡¯s mana if it is needed for any lessons.¡±


    The mage looked once more at his apprentice and then sighed, ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to. This is a valuable lesson to him. Anyways, I apologize once more for the trouble that my apprentice has caused.¡±


    Ieros nodded and returned his attention to his book, the man taking his leave, Arbane glaring at Ieros one last time. We continued to read for awhile until, when I had finished my last book, he stood, saying,


    ¡°Come with me. The person that I want you to meet should be back at her tower now.¡±


    I nodded, curious, just who would he want me to meet? But I think I trust him a bit more now, after all, he protected me. I suddenly felt all warm and tingly, what was this feeling? I¡¯ll have to ask him later.

 Chapter 24: The Traits of Humanity

    I saw my comrades and friends get cut down by these men¡­ no, not men. They were mere dolls of flesh, their eyes empty of life, killing so many of us and then stopping for no reason. I didn¡¯t understand at first, but once I began to count how many of us they killed before they stopped moving I began to understand. Each one was killing two of us before giving up, we outnumbered them two to one, they were fighting us on equal ground. It was unnerving, but this must have been how they were trained. They couldn¡¯t be human, how could any human be like that?


    Oh god, one is coming for me, I have to fight¡­ but I know that I won¡¯t win¡­


    Ieros finished reading the book on the lastest experiences recorded by one of his observers, it seems that humans hold an irrational fear of the unknown, that is why they fear Death, for they do not know what lies beyond. It was the same with his golems of flesh, they appeared to be human but they weren¡¯t, their actions something completely alien to a human. But then there was also the hopelessness, the surrender to their inevitable doom. While Ieros knew that as a whole, the entire human race would not submit, there were many individuals who would give up and he could understand their actions.


    It was predictable, logic says that they have no chance against this obviously superior enemy so they just give up right then and there, there is nothing else they can do except to die. But the opposite of these people intrigued Ieros far more, for their actions defied its logic. But sadly, there were only a few among all of the records that his observers collected. For now he summoned another observer and converted the recorded information into a book and commenced reading, this one of the female general that opposed his commander golem.


    I was tiring fast, separated from my men and no hope of winning against this enemy before me, the high warrior. He was highly skilled, far more than I for although I put my all in my attacks, I had yet to make him move a single step. His feet were planted in the ground like the roots of a mighty tree and I the lumberjack with an axe made of lead. Finally, I stopped, unable to go on any further. I took a swift look around me and saw that I had been separated from my men and that I was surrounded. But the soldiers made no move to finish me off, instead standing perfectly still, their lifeless eyes pointed directly in front of them.


    A shiver made its way down my spine and I returned my attention to the warrior, whose stillness could match that of a statue, his sword at his side, his visor at me. I raised my sword and he mirrored me, although he made no move to attack. I guessed that he had only been ordered to stall me, as his troops could deal with my soldiers just fine without me there to defend them. But if he had been ordered to kill me, I had no doubt I would have died a long time ago. Suddenly, I heard a sound that filled me with hope, the sound of horses charging and the battle cry of m¡¯lady, General Ilaris.


    I then remembered that I still had something to fight for and so I prepared myself to fight once more, raising my sword. Soon, my general was at my side and together, we charged, this time forcing the high warrior to dodge and move but he was still able to block or dodge all of our attacks with ease. We knew that we had to defeat him quickly but our strength was still not enough, the chance for victory was gone and we could not retreat. But I will fight till I die, I won¡¯t let them touch m¡¯lady, even if it means my death.


    But suddenly, the high warrior stopped attacking. I was too tired to take advantage and I could see that m¡¯lady was in a similar situation. I briefly wondered what was going on, confused when a when the dark outline of a door appeared before me, the interior black as night.From within the inky darkness stepped forth a man, a man clothed in black and silver robes, his face hidden by shadows. My body froze when he appeared, the sheer power that emanated from him was so massive that it was as if I was before a god.


    I had no doubt that this was the man that had trained these soldiers, that this was the man who broke their minds and created these¡­ soldiers. The high warrior moved to the side and bowed his head. Suddenly, I found that I could move again, his oppressive aura gone and I charged, knowing that if he died, it would be our victory. But my attack was intercepted by the high warrior and I was knocked to the ground, too exhausted to get up.


    I glared at him as he approached the general, who stood still, glaring defiantly at him. He matched her glare with an eyeless one, hidden by shadow. It was¡­ disconcerting. Finally, he shook his head and said,


    ¡°How disappointing.¡±


    At those words I was filled with rage, who did he think he was? As I fumed, however unable to speak, he turned to leave. The Princess retorted back sharply and he explained why he thought so, pointing out the flaws in our strategy and our overconfidence. As I listened, I calmed down and I understood, that he had ever reason to act the way he did for he was simply that strong. It was then that fear filled my heart, I was afraid before but I¡¯ve always been able to control it, even when I faced the high warrior. I was fearful of him but I was able to fight on despite it. But this man, this man filled me with a fear that I could not conquer, a fear so overwhelming that soon, I wasn¡¯t able to think.


    Ieros paused, feeling the sensation of pure fear for a brief moment before purging himself of it, recording the memory. Fear, an emotion that was quite common among humans, of things that they know to be bad and of things that they do not understand. Then there was that anger, anger that there was someone who would dare to look down on her. It was curious about that particular aspect, why would humans be angry if one thought less of them? Besides, it was her fault for underestimating him. That brought up another trait of humans and all living things in general, Selfishness.


    All humans were selfish in one way or another, Ilaris was a spectacular example of such a person, only thinking of her title and not focusing on the actual battle. But of course, this was a limitation that these humans were created with, for their minds were not like Darkness¡¯s who took the meaning of multi-tasking to a whole new level. The fragment was just a piece of Darkness¡¯s Mind, it was Darkness but not¡­ at least, by human terms.


    But there was also another trait, Loyalty. A trait that was shown in many of the soldiers and in Avelina in particular, the willingness to do anything for her liege. This one Ieros could remotely understand, for in a sense, he was loyal to Darkness. But rather than to call it loyalty, it would be better to call it an obligation perhaps, that it had a duty to fulfill and there was nothing that it wouldn¡¯t do to complete it. Its lack of ¡°fucks to give¡± was similar to how humans don¡¯t care that they grow a culture of bacteria and then wipe them out with either extreme heat or experimental antibiotics.


    An interesting concept is it not? That the idea of Good and Evil is relative and if one was to really think about it, there really is no such thing as good and evil. But having gathered all the information that he needed, he closed the book and dismissed the observer, summoning another one. He proceeded to read, although he kept an eye on Rose while she read. This particular book was about another rare variable, a man who actually enjoyed war, addicted to the adrenaline that combat gave him and the sheer joy of fighting an opponent who was of equal strength.


    Yes! This was what I was looking for! The adrenaline that pumps through my veins, the excitement of combat where one mistake equals death! Ah, this is how to live! Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Ieros briefly sampled the excitement that this man felt, immediately sealing it away once he felt the addiction. That was close, but just to be sure, he would have to create a copy and then purge himself. But this was something else that was interesting about humans, almost all of them were unique and although most could be categorized based on similarity, not one was truly the same as another. Truly fascinating but as he read, he was disturbed by the conversation a male was having with Rose.


    Ieros decided not to interfere, even though he knew that this male would be a bad influence on Rose, he was curious to see what she would do. Besides, she had to make decisions for herself, not to always depend on him. It eventually ended with Rose refusing to go and Ieros personally stepped in, the male meant to hurt her and he couldn¡¯t have his specimen get damaged.


    He easily dealt with the boy who ran off, to get his teacher. But the teacher did nothing, he sensed that Ieros was someone that he could not trifle with and so left the situation, heavily berating his student once out of sight. Ieros then decided to take Rose to Meralia seeing as she was back in her tower. Meralia had been training herself, trying to make it so that her body could channel more dark energy. She was done for the day and returned, Ieros had decided to speak with her, it had been awhile and he needed to keep his persona as Ieros.


    He also knew that Meralia would be the best person to be Rose¡¯s friend, for he had known her for six years and he had studied her extensively, everything about her was known to him. Of course, Ieros did not know this and he prepared the appropriate persona with the fitting memories. But remembering the mistakes of his predecessor, he made sure that the persona that was Ieros was not perfect.


    He arrived at the Tower, people staring at him and Rose as they walked. The jealous eyes of the females of nobility followed them, each wondering just who was Rose and why she was next to Ieros. But none of them had the courage to ask for Ieros was no longer the shy boy he once was, he had matured with inhuman speed. But of course, not all of them were lacking the courage, one made her way to Ieros, demanding just who Rose was. Her courage began to flag once he turned his gaze upon her, his grey eyes glinting silver in the sunlight.


    He then said, ¡°She is an amnesiac I found wandering in the forest, since my creations wouldn¡¯t touch her, I was curious and decided to bring her to Meralia so that she can appraise her. If possible I want Meralia to take her under her tutelage, now, excuse me, I must get going.¡±


    He then walked past her, Rose looking at her curiously before turning to Ieros, asking, ¡°What did she want?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°She just wanted to know who you were and what your relation was with me.¡±


    Rose fell silent, thinking and they kept walking, the girl silent as they headed to Meralia¡¯s Tower. She watched the two suspiciously until they disappeared into the Tower, not sure what to believe. Ieros never lied but the girl¡¯s actions with Ieros said otherwise. Of course, this was just the human mind creating misunderstandings and believing what it chooses to believe other than to face the facts, often taking root so deep that the person who first created the misunderstanding believes it to be a fact of life, convincing others to think the same.


    Ieros watched this happen and shrugged, this was a rather interesting turn of events, he would watch until Rose came to harm. He then attached an observer to the girl and then returned his attention to the task at hand. Once inside the Tower, he created a gate to the top, where Meralia¡¯s room was. Once Rose stepped through, he knocked politely on the door and waited. Soon, she answered the door and was pleasantly surprised by Ieros¡¯s face, which had a small smile on it. Rose was behind him and with Ieros¡¯s memories on mannerisms, she bowed her head.


    Meralia smiled and hugged Ieros, saying, ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, but shouldn¡¯t you be at the Hollowed Pass?¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°My creations are holding it right now and even now, I have an eye on them. It is alright, there have been no problems so far.¡±


    Meralia chuckled and then turned her attention to Rose, ¡°Oh? And who is this lovely girl?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°She is an amnesiac I found wandering in the woods. There is a strange force which protected her from my creations which was why I found her still alive. She was a curiosity and I decided to bring her to you for appraisal.¡±


    The look of curiosity only increased and she ushered us inside, saying, ¡°A strange force you say?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, an energy which is independent from her command and yet it helps her. I studied her briefly but I could find nothing.¡±


    Meralia nodded and then asked Ieros if she could take Rose to another room. Ieros nodded and she left, Rose following after Ieros nodded to her. Of course, Ieros didn¡¯t expect to get any new knowledge, this was just an act so that he could get Meralia to train her. It would be the best choice for Rose and for him, that she would be a part of society and he wouldn¡¯t be burdened with taking care of her. Of course, an observer would still be attached to her, just in case but other than that, he didn¡¯t have to worry about her.


    He waited for the results of the appraisal which went exactly as he had expected, Meralia had found that Rose had abnormally pure blood, just like Ieros and she also had high affinities for all types of magic. But she did not have a drop of mana in her body, although Meralia did notice the strange energy that surrounded her, Magic. She discussed this topic with Ieros while Rose looked around the room, the small dragon golems that Ieros had made long ago coming to life and playing with her.


    They also nuzzled Ieros for attention who absentmindedly patted them on the head as he spoke with Meralia. Finally, he was done, and no less wiser than he began. All the things that he spoke with Meralia were things that he already knew. But once more, he looked at Rose who was playing with the black and silver dragon, finally shrugging. He then stood and said,


    ¡°I must go now, I am sorry that I could not stay any longer. And, if it is no trouble, could you please take care of Rose? I fear for her safety if she does not learn to control that ability.¡±


    Meralia nodded, she was excited to train another gifted pupil, though, granted that Rose was not as powerful as Ieros. With that done, Ieros smiled and told the dragons to watch over Rose before leaving.


    Rose protested but stopped when he looked at her, ¡°It¡¯s best that you stay here. You need to learn about this world and I cannot provide that to you at the moment.¡±


    So Ieros left, the gate fading out of existence once it was used. Rose looked forlornly at the spot where he disappeared and Meralia said comfortingly,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Rose, he¡¯ll be back. He¡¯s just very busy, now, do you want to learn about Magic?¡±

 Chapter 25: The Traits of Humanity 2

    Ieros accessed the memories and the ¡°live feed¡± of his observers with the battle between Azemar and the SerisianGeneral which was still raging. Of course, he wasn¡¯t surprised, the SerisianGeneral was no fool and his duty was merely to distract while the vemarisian force invaded. But that would no longer be happening but the general didn¡¯t know that. Ieros then took a look at the vimarisian messenger which was currently two days from reaching the SerisianGeneral, riding on a strange birdlike creature with a second one in two which he occasionally switched with, allowing the first one to rest.


    But of course, that was still two days from now and from where the battle was going, the SerisianGeneral was going to lose. Ieros watched from afar, floating in the sky in an orb which reflected light, making his position invisible to others. He sat on a chair and had a table in front of him, where he would randomly select an observer to read. The emotions of the soldiers were rather different, of course, that was given because the vimarisian soldiers were fighting against his constructs. This should be more interesting, it seems that he would have to make his soldiers more human next time, that would be troublesome.


    Perhaps he should give up on that altogether, after all, it is best to study from the original instead of an imitation. So once more, he began to read, selecting one that was observing a young man from Seris.


    Why am I here? This is horrible, this must be some sort of terrible dream, Matthew didn¡¯t die, right? No, this must be some nightmare, right now I¡¯m home, I¡¯m home and I¡¯m dreaming, I¡¯m ho¡­


    The live feed was abruptly cut off, the boy had died. He had been living in a state of denial, a sort of reflex for many humans in the face of something horrible. Of course, Ieros viewed this as foolish but he could understand why they did so, their minds were weak. They could not handle the pressure of the truth and so denied it, instead living in a fantasy world that was ultimately a lie. Really, humans never did learn. War is horrible to them and yet there is some terrible fascination with it that ultimately draws them back. Ieros briefly wondered just how this race had managed to stay alive for so long but he already knew the answer, their ridiculous reproduction. To use a human quote, they ¡°breed like rabbits¡±.The rate at which they reproduce far outpaces the rate in which they die, even in wartime although the two rates are rather close.


    Then there was also their humanity, agreeing to stop a war before wiping one another out. These humans were not foolish but they weren¡¯t wise either, just in the middle as mortals are. But perhaps they were like this for a reason, to keep them forever at the bottom so that the gods could lord over them forever. But that too was strange, for the gods were like the humans, having adopted many of their customs. Now that was foolish, to step down from the throne of wisdom willingly.


    Ieros did not understand, but then again, there was nothing in this world that was quite like him, he was alone and always will be. Of course there were his multiple selves, the fragments but in the end, they were all one being, Darkness. But the fragment pushed such thoughts aside and selected another observer, converting it into a book and reading, this one of a veteran of Athera.


    Those damned Serisians, never thought I¡¯d be on the battlefield again. *sigh* I thought I would finally be able to settle down, ha, of course with no wife. Too late for that but¡­ *sigh* that would have been nice. And this war, it¡¯s far too early for the rookies, most of ¡®em aren¡¯t gonna see tomorrow and I¡¯ll only have more bodies to bury. Hell, I might even join ¡®em, and perhaps it would best if I did. I¡¯m too damn old for this and a peaceful society has no place for a veteran. Yeah, perhaps it would be better to die.


    The observer then told of how he fought, killing his enemies with no hesitation, always muttering about how there was a special place in hell for him and that it would be better to die. A man who felt regret, yet his loyalty made him keep living. A man who put duty ahead of his feelings, one of the many types of humans that lived. Then there were those that were deserters, ones that ran from the battlefield for their lives, only to be plagued by guilt for years later. They too were interesting, for these types would do anything to continue living, to avoid the mysterious end that was Death.


    But they too were plagued with regret, thoughts such as, What if I had stayed? What if I fought? Could I be in a better situation? It would be better if I died. Some would then end their lives with their own hands, the guilt being far too strong. Interesting, really, humans can be anything, from the most pious to the most evil. But then again, such things were relative, these humans just¡­ were. They were what they were, just like how the gods were gods, they simply were. And he too was no exception, he too¡­ was. He existed and that¡¯s that, nothing more, nothing less.


    But enough about the philosophies of existence, it is the traits of man we focus on. About the intricacies of the mortal mind, about their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their instincts. Truly, how fascinating, how the mind does all that it can to save at least some semblance of control in the anarchy that is Reality, even to the point of denial. The fragment would be amused if it was capable of amusement, but it just accepted this as a peculiarity of mortals and left it at that.


    Really, the mortals were rather interesting, to see how they fought against anarchy by creating societies, the bastions of control in a sea of chaos which were not perfect but better than what most mortals could hope for. Really, how they fight against it, rebel against it, defying logic and persevering through sheer willpower. Fascinating¡­ But Ieros soon stopped such divergent thoughts, this time selecting the observer that was attached to the SerisianGeneral. He was curious as to what this man was thinking.


    Haven¡¯t those damned Vimarisians gotten through yet? To damn slow, if it was me, I would have gotten our forces there in a matter of a few days. I knew that the Hollowed Pass should be unguarded but there was a small fear in my mind, especially with how Azemar was so confident with his attacks, as if he wasn¡¯t worried. It was possible that he had no knowledge of the pass but that was unlikely, he was a general of the highest caliber, he must have noticed it. I began to despair, our plan must have been caught by him and now, he was doing his best to defeat me quickly so he can reinforce the garrison force. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But there has not been word from the Vimarisians, a fact which also makes me worried, they would contact us when they have arrived but it has been a day since they should have. Suddenly, the communication crystal lit up, speak of the devil. Finally, took them long enough. But upon hearing the contents of the message, I despaired, there was indeed an army placed to defend the pass and they had repelled the Vimarisians. But it seemed that this was a mercenary army, their armor bore no insignias in which to recognize them by.


    Damn, I have no choice but to retreat, the Vimarisians were our only chance of victory and they were repelled. But if we retreat now, my forces will only take heavy losses, either we surrender or a force stays behind as the rearguard to delay the enemy. After an hour of deliberation and hardly any sleep, in the morning, I made my decision. There was no way we could win and if we stayed, we would only die. We would have to retreat to Iredale and consolidate our forces and wait for reinforcements from Seris. But this isn¡¯t really a loss I suppose, although it does leave a bitter taste in my mouth. My task was simply to delay the enemy and that I did, it was Vimaris that failed.


    But I still had a duty to uphold so when I stood before my troops, I told them of our situation and the plan to retreat. A force would stay behind as the rearguard and if no one wanted to volunteer, I would stay behind. After all, my duty was to stall the enemy, it did not matter for who. The troops would do just fine without me and after all, there was another army on its way with an even better general, they would be fine. I was expendable after all, that was why they sent me.


    With this knowledge in mind, I told my men, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you will be staying with me but this is for the success of our campaign. As long as we hold Greenhill Fort, there is still a chance for this invasion to succeed. Our sacrifice shall be for our nation.¡±


    It was a short speech but I didn¡¯t need to drag it out, doing so would only be an insult. I then heard the voices of eight hundred men shout,


    ¡°Our sacrifice will be for our nation!¡±


    I smiled, I knew I could trust these men, they had been with me since the beginning of my career. I then sighed, knowing that of the many faces I see before me, I would see only less of them in the days to come. So the army made preparations to leave while my force stayed behind, ready to face the enemy.


    Ieros stopped reading, now more interested in the battle, wanting to see how the SerisianGeneral would fight against the enemy. How long would he be able to delay Azemar? Ieros waited with anticipation, deciding to also send a message to Azemar at the same time, sending a shadow that stood before him as he watched the battlefield. Azemar was understandably surprised and his guards drew swords but of course, their attacks were useless against the creature whose form was intangible. But Azemar raised his hand to stop them when the thing spoke,


    ¡°My master, Ieros, wishes to inform you that there are no longer any problems at the Hollowed Pass. The Hollowed Pass is now invulnerable to attack.¡±


    Azemar had caught on to the ¡°no longer any problems¡± but before he could ask, the creature melted into shadow. He mused, So, there was an invasion force, was it Seris? But they couldn¡¯t have taken a force so far into atheran territory without being noticed. No, the most likely suspect is Vimaris. They had long been known to be allies of Seris and I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it was them.


    Unbeknownst to Azemar, Ieros was also reading his observer, so Azemar¡¯s thoughts were known to Ieros. Ieros was not surprised, he had expected no less from the Sage of War. Not many could deduce what Azemar had, in fact, he had already been thinking about the possibility of Vimaris being in the war ever since the first battle with the SerisianGeneral. He felt that the general wasn¡¯t being serious, merely stalling for time but he couldn¡¯t afford to go to the Hollowed Pass himself, only trusting Ieros. But now, with the knowledge that the serisians were on the verge of retreat, he decided to push the advantage, especially with the mages having finished their mage circles.


    The Serisian General also had a few mages at his disposal, although not as many as Azemar. But it would be enough to delay the enemy and if he could accomplish that, the general would be satisfied. He would have fulfilled his duty and to a soldier, that was all there was to life. Ieros approved of this man¡¯s mindset, devoted to his work and not allowing such weak things such as cowardice to get in the way of it. He would remember this particular specimen, along with the other geniuses of humanity for he has earned his ranks among them.


    But he returned his attention to the battle, seeing the battalion of eight hundred stand ready, five mages having already prepared a mage circle. The main serisian force began to retreat and Azemar, noticing this, decided that he was having none of that, sending half of his army to give chase. But the force of eight hundred perfectly eclipsed his force, the mages firing various bolts of elemental energy such as fire, lightning and flying boulders. They smashed into the ranks of Azemar¡¯s forces and they were forced to stop, the mages in the back shielding them with magic. From then on, since magic was rendered useless, the two sides clashed, the force of eight hundred lasting for a day as they slowly gave ground, not intentionally but because they simply could not push back. But they had succeeded and the serisian army was now too far to be chased down.


    The general had been captured, along with two hundred of his men, their mages having died from expending too much of their energy. The general had been rather simple with his strategy, to separate his men into groups of one hundred, setting up eight square formations where they could defend against all sides. The middle square contained the general and his mages which continued to defend and and support with magic while the soldiers defended them. He also gave orders that should one unit look like it was about to fall, that it should merge with the nearest unit. In this way, they managed to hold an entire day, even though they were tired, the front line shifting backward to rest while the reserves pulled up front.


    This strategy wouldn¡¯t win any battles but it could sure defend against multiple enemies, usually a last stand sort of thing. Ieros appreciated the level of commitment this nameless general had to his nation for a moment, committing it to memory. Perhaps he would remain nameless, as no matter how hard Ieros searched his mind, he could find no name. This man was nameless, or at least, believed that he was. That was how committed he was, that he was not an individual but part of something far greater, the nation of Seris. He would remember this nameless man and he would never forget.


    Seeing as the battle was over, Ieros stood and opened a gate, stepping through. He reappeared in the garden, resting his human body in the cottage while the fragment¡¯s form merged with the shadows below. It too, then rested, its thoughts becoming still as did all the shadows all over the world, becoming as still as the surface of pool, deep within a cave.

 Chapter 26: Preparation for Retaliation

    Athera could not remain still after this invasion upon their soil, they would have to retaliate but it was too soon. They had to consalidate their forces. So after quarantining the enemy with more forces at Greenhill and Iredale, Azemar returned with Ieros to the capital to report. He felt that he still needed to stay upon the battlefield but a legion of stone had reinforced his men, sent by Ieros. They numbered nine thousand and although not as strong as his personal golems, they were stronger than the average soldier and were still rather hard to destroy, after all, have you tried to break a rock with only a sword?


    Of course, they could reconquer but right now, without a plan from which to go on from, it was wise to stay put. Besides, Ieros was ordered to return as well so there was no one to formulate an attack and although they could reconquer their lost territories, doing it at the hands of a lesser general may not be able to keep those territories from suffering heavy damage. And so they returned, Ieros first appearing before Azemar so he could take him back to the capital in an instant. They arrived at the palace itself, where maids, seeing them, rushed to tell the King of their return. Azemar dutifully reported what had happened while Ieros said that there had been no problems.


    Once their audience with the King was over and the two were leaving, Azemar whispered, ¡°What did you mean by, ¡®no longer any problems¡¯?¡±


    Ieros then said, ¡°Exactly what it means, general. Now, I do believe that they are preparing a feast in our honor, I suggest that you prepare yourself.¡±


    Azemar was then accosted by a servant who told Azemar to prepare for the celebratory feast which would be in his honor. When Azemar looked up, Ieros was already quite a distance away and with a smile, Azemar called,


    ¡°I look forward to speaking with you more at the feast!¡±


    Ieros stopped and turned, his grey eyes locking with Azemar¡¯s before nodding sagely. He then turned and continued to walk, seeming to glide across the floor. Azemar watched him go for a few moments before giving in to the requests of the maid and made his way to the bathing chamber where he escaped the confines of his armor and relaxed in the pool, remembering what the time in which the maid said to arrive. Then someone else joined him and he was pleasantly surprised to see Ieros, surprisingly more muscled than he first believed him to be although of course, his pecs weren¡¯t as pronounced Azemar¡¯s. Rather, he just looked like a healthy teen, almost abnormally healthy in Azemar¡¯s opinion who exercised regularly but not religiously.


    Azemar commented, ¡°I am surprised to see a mage with such a fit body.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°One cannot practice magic to its fullest capabilities without first having a healthy body.¡±


    Azemar chuckled, ¡°You really are a genius, aren¡¯t you. You remind me of myself, although of course, I was more of a genius in the art of war.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, I have heard of your many exploits, how you turned the tide of battle with a single decision. I have been meaning to talk with you for awhile now but sadly, I never had the chance to do so.¡±


    Azemar smiled, ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now and to be honest, I too have been greatly curious to meet you.¡±


    The two began to talk until once more, Azemar broached the subject of what Ieros meant by, ¡°no longer any problem¡±. For the first time, Ieros had a smile, not genuine mind, it was all part of his near perfect act.


    Ieros then said, ¡°To be perfectly honest, there was another invasion force, I assume that you already know who.¡±


    Azemar guessed, ¡°The Vimarisians.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, an army of ten thousand they sent against me but I easily repelled them with an army of seven thousand soldiers. I didn¡¯t want to use my golem legion as I felt that would be too unfair, I wanted to enjoy the battle. But¡­ the enemy commander was rather a disappointment even though she was the Princess of War. She was too naive and thus she and her army were defeated within a day.¡±


    Azemar cocked an eye, ¡°A day?¡±


    Ieros chuckled, ¡°Of course, my soldiers were far better than hers. They were lesser golems, with skeletons of stone and flesh covering them to make them seem human. I didn¡¯t want my capabilities as a mage to be known, rather that I appeared to be some powerful general. Of course, they acted as golems as well, perfect teamwork and no fear of death. Of course, this unsettled the enemy and soon, victory was mine.¡±


    Azemar smiled, ¡°My, you truly are a genius. Rather frightening if you ask me.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment. But¡­ I do understand why you think so.¡±


    His smile faded and he grew serious, ¡°That is why I promised the King that I would never marry, this inhuman power of mine cannot be passed down. It would be far to dangerous and¡­ I believe that it is the best in the long run. Geniuses are simply people ahead of their time or relics of an ancient past. The rest of humanity does not deserve their genius for they as a whole got to their level because of a reason, most likely instigated by them. But then again, without geniuses, the world would never advance. An interesting topic but I digress. I apologize for taking up so much of your time.¡±


    Ieros then created a clock with a casual wave of his hand and said, ¡°Why, look at the time. Two hours can pass just like an instant, can¡¯t it. Anyways, you should be preparing soon, the feast will begin twenty minutes from now.¡±


    Ieros stood, water dripping from his form and with a wave, all the water was drawn from his body into a sphere which he then cleansed of impurities, returning the water to the pool and disposing of the waste. He then created clothes for himself and also a gate, stepping through once clothed. Azemar remained a small while, chuckling to himself before he too left, drying his scarred body with a towel before dressing in the cloths a servant brought him.


    To be frank, Azemar was rather intrigued by Ieros but also wary, the way Ieros spoke¡­ it was not how one his age spoke. For a brief moment, Azemar felt pity, this child had never experienced what it was like to be a child. But, he soon lost it. He was much the same and if he knew someone felt pity for him, he would resent it. The boy was fated for this, to have two legendary affinities, he was a genius among geniuses, the peak of humanity. But his thoughts soon focused on whether or not he could escape the party, such things weren¡¯t really his forte and to deal with masses of people without a sword being a solution was rather hard.


    Eventually, Azemar sighed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape even if he tried. He might as well follow his orders like the soldier that he was. So, resigned to his fate, he left the chamber, a servant guiding him to the designated hall. Once there, the servant continued to lead him directly to the King which he bowed before. The King, laughing heartily, told him to raise his head, this feast was in his honor, he need not bow to anyone during the entirety of it. Of course, Azemar was rather reluctant to do so, after all, he was a soldier and to a soldier, respect of the hierarchy ruled paramount.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    So he insisted that he still bow to those that were of higher status, after all, nobles didn¡¯t take very well to upstart peasants. Even though he made his way to where he was with pure hard work, nobles still looked down on him, they feared him yes but they did not see him as an equal, rather as an ant that dared to think itself god. After a small conversation, the King was soon drawn away with kingly matters and after bidding farewell to the Queen that was accompanying him, Azemar wandered, saying hello to people who came to him but seeming to look for someone. Soon, his eyes spotted him, it was Ieros, he was standing off to the side in shadow, almost invisible. In fact, Azemar¡¯s eyes had passed over the location a few times before he managed to see him.


    Ieros nodded at him when their eyes met and Azemar grinned, saying, ¡°What¡¯s a mage like you skulking around in the corner?¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°Much like you, I don¡¯t have a taste for parties like this. But, I was ordered to attend so I did. But I was never given the order to socialize so I have not.¡±


    Azemar chuckled, ¡°Well, let us two comrades in unknown territory stick together then!¡±


    Ieros let out another rare smile, ¡°Yes, I do believe that to be the wisest option.¡±


    So the two walked with one another, speaking of various battles and strategies in how each of them would deal with the situation, most people not daring to interrupt their conversation. But the heads of noble families weren¡¯t as cowardly, no, once they saw Ieros, they saw it as a chance to try and persuade him into their families, even though Ieros had publicly announced that he would not marry. So, one such noble approached, the patriarch of the Feralt Clan, Andrew Feralt.


    He bowed his head before Ieros and said, ¡°I am Andrew Feralt, of the Feralt House. I assume you¡¯ve heard the name?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, of course, your daughters were one of the most stubborn when it came to pursuing my affections.¡±


    The noble wasn¡¯t sure how to exactly respond, it did not seem to be an insult nor a compliment.


    After a few moments of deliberating, he decided to take it as a compliment, ¡°Yes, one has to be stubborn if one wishes to be a merchant.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, to have the will to keep your price, even when the customer wishes otherwise.¡±


    But before Andrew could say anything else, Ieros said, ¡°But I am afraid a merchant¡¯s stubbornness will not be enough to sway me.¡±


    Andrew was about to say something but before he could say anything, Ieros¡¯s silver eyes froze him in place. Andrew couldn¡¯t say anything and Ieros left. Azemar and he had a small laugh at the expense of the nobles, Azemar bringing up a similar experience in the past. He too in his youth had been hounded by noblewomen although he was able to repel them by adopting an attitude of extreme obsession with war, having a crazy look in his eyes when they approached.


    And indeed, he did become obsessed with War, his mistress which held him at a tight leash. In fact, he had been marked by one of War¡¯s personal war maidens, Harena. Even now, he could see her watching from a distance, bowing his head when she noticed him.


    Ieros then commented, ¡°You are indeed the Sage of War, I believe that you are the first to have been marked by Harena.¡±


    Azemar was shocked and then smiled, ¡°Ah, so you can see her?¡±


    Ieros nodded and Azemar asked, ¡°I¡¯ve only seen a glimpse of her, when she first marked me. I do not remember her appearance at all. I¡¯ve wished to look upon her face, participating in many battles hoping that she would be there.¡±


    Azemar had a wistful look on his face, he had fallen in love with Harena, searching for the illusive face that he had seen but could not remember. Ieros said nothing, merely looking once more to Harena who had a saddened look on her face. As a war maiden of the War God, she could not marry, only to devote herself to the art of war. Besides, she was an immortal, unless the War God favored Azemar, he would remain mortal and disappear. A strange love, one that only reinforced Ieros¡¯s conviction that marriage were only painful shackles. At least he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that problem anymore.


    Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to him and he turned, seeing Meralia¡¯s familiar black veil and the figure of Rose following behind, her face also clad by a similar veil. They attracted attention, more so because of the way Meralia called out and Ieros turned to face them, bowing his head slightly. They began to attract a lot of attention but Meralia didn¡¯t seem to care, instead chastising Ieros,


    ¡°How dare you leave her to me and say nothing!? She¡¯s been waiting for you for quite awhile now and you haven¡¯t even tried to communicate!¡±


    Ieros was rather surprised but he listened to her entire tirade before saying, ¡°I am sorry, my attention was claimed by Azemar¡¯s excellent performance in battle so I decided to meet him personally, taking him to the capital and quite losing track of time with our conversation.¡±


    He bowed his head, this time to Rose, ¡°I am deeply sorry that I left you alone.¡±


    Meralia was about to continue her tirade but then, she had a thought and her eyes shone mischievously.


    She said, ¡°As an apology, why don¡¯t you dance with her. Don¡¯t worry about her not knowing how, I¡¯ve taught her how.¡±


    Of course, Ieros already knew how to dance, that was one of the many things that he observed but he sighed at what he thought to be a useless endeavour. But Ieros wouldn¡¯t go against Meralia and because he needed to keep up appearances, Ieros decided to dance. So he escorted Rose to the dance floor, people making way for the two. There was soft music playing and Ieros clasped Rose¡¯s hands and adopted a less serious expression. He waited for the right moment to start dancing and once they began, they never stopped moving. Of course, it wasn¡¯t fast or anything but slow, with the beat. He moved with great precision and grace while Rose, still slightly amateurish, was a quick learner and was soon keeping up with Ieros with ease.


    Soon, the dance floor was empty except for the two of them, the others felt that their presence would only taint the beauty of their dance. The musicians had also stopped playing as well, too mesmerized by the sight before their eyes to focus on playing. But there was still music, sound that appeared to be everywhere yet with no conceivable source. Of course it was Magic, bringing forth a song that premen once sung in ages long past, remembering their voices and enhancing with its power, making the sound almost angelic. Of course, Ieros knew what Magic was doing and it seemed that so did Rose, Ieros able to see the blush on her face through the veil although it was only because he was close to her.


    But his face was almost as emotionless as ever, although Rose could almost see the hint of a smile, the edges of his lips slightly curved upward. Of course, Ieros was merely keeping his act for Meralia was watching. The song soon came to an end, Ieros and Rose stopping their dance rather simply, although they made it seem exquisite. The dance ended as many dances do in movies, with Rose swept up in Ieros¡¯s arms, the two of them looking into each others¡¯ eyes. Ieros then stopped and lifted her back on her feet, bowing his head.


    Rose curtsied and thanked Ieros, ¡°Thank you for this dance.¡±


    Ieros bowed, ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    The spell was broken and everyone began to clap, Rose blushing although nobody could see underneath the veil. Ieros sighed though, this was going to be very troublesome. He created a gate but before he left, Meralia quickly made her way to him and grabbed his shoulder, saying,


    ¡°Oh no, you¡¯re staying.¡±


    Ieros looked wistfully to the gate and then dismissed it with a wave of his hand. He then sighed, preparing himself for a very long night.

 Chapter 27: Ancient Things Stir

    Deep within an unknown mountain range lay the ruins of an ancient city, one that has lain untouched since the Fall of Premen. This was one of their cities, one of the greatest but not even it could stand against the chaos that erupted because of the conflict between Light and Night. The combination of the demons, monsters, and the civil war caused the fall of this great city, although there was still life among its ancient ruins. For the enemy had not taken this city without a price, the great Teryo defended it until its inhabitants were able to escape. Ever since then, they¡¯ve waited, awaiting the return of their people. But Time passed and they never did, but they continued to wait.


    The Teryo were once warriors of flesh and blood, however, their intense loyalty to their nation denied them the right to die. So even when their flesh withered away and their bones eroded into dust, they remained, empty husks of armor with bodies of shadow. The shadow was merely a representation of their will, their soul. But recently, they¡¯ve begun to stir from their eternal watch, for there was a presence that they¡¯ve felt only once before, the presence of a preman. And so, with final looks upon their ancient home, they decided to leave in search for their master.


    But they were not the only ones who noticed the presence of an ancient, the elves that resided deep within forests and high in the mountains sensed it, their seers foretelling of a being whose power would change the very fate of the world. The dwarves as well noticed such a change, although the signs they saw were portrayed within the earth. The very heart of Agleon, which had remained dormant since the Fall of Premen, began to pulse once more. The ancient dwarven capital, Vilrahm, lay upon a volcano, harnessing the energy of the magma to power its great furnaces. But, since the Fall of Premen, the magma flows had begun to dwindle as the pulse of Agleon slowed to a stop. But now, it beat once more and fresh magma flowed into the dwarven city, its magma rich with pure ores.


    But there was also more awakenings, of beings that were so ancient that their names were forgotten and the books which tell of them have turned to dust. Beings of crystalline nature, as dangerous as they were beautiful and they were one of the most exquisite things to exist. And they weren¡¯t your typical golem, asymmetrical and looking like a bunch of shards slapped together, no. They were geometrical in shape and were perfectly symmetrical, giving them an unnatural look. Their very body a treasure that could rival a dragon¡¯s hoard. Unlike golems, they were sentient, soon dubbed the Earthkin by dwarves and were to be avoided at all costs. Any attempt to fight them ended with the death of the foolish mortal, for the bodies of these creatures rivaled diamond in strength. And also, their limbs were veritable swords, sharper than even dwarven steel and undoubtedly more durable.


    But they remained deep within the earth, although, with the whispers of shadows, they had begun to rise, but not overly hostile. They did not attack any who did not attack them, dwarves adopting a peaceful attitude around them, ignoring them until they left. Besides, the minds of the dwarves admired these creatures, the creations of Agleon, they were often called. These and more were stirring, such as dryads and nymphs which had hidden themselves from the mortals since the Fall. And ancient dragons, having slept for eons began to wake from their slumber, ruling their territories once more.


    But it wasn¡¯t only the influence of the fragment, no, the Song of End had already taken effect, awakening ancient evils. The original demons, the fiends, the direct progeny of Night herself. Imprisoned since the war between Light and Night, fiends that had been sealed deep within the earth broke free from their chains as the heartbeat of Agleon broke their prisons, weakening the bindings upon the fiends and allowing them to escape. They began to claw their way towards the surface, although, since they were buried to deep, it would take six years for them to erupt from the surface.


    Then of course there were the monsters, children of fiends, gods, demons and premen, spread out all over the continent in which Athera was located but also had an entire continent to their name as well, the continent of Ortus, across the ocean to the East. Although Athera didn¡¯t have any human threats on their eastern coast, monster pirates were something to be feared but they haven¡¯t been a prevalent problem as they never ventured on land. But now, they grow bolder and also more desperate, in need of new prey for merchant ships stopped going in and out of Athera.


    Soon they would make a move and Athera, too busy preparing an invasion force, would not be able to respond. This would be a devastating blow to Athera, for half of the food came from the East Coast with its fertile lands and its booming fishing industry. But as there hasn¡¯t been a threat in years so the garrison had been moved to places where they were more needed. But unaware of this threat, Athera prepared a new invasion force with Ieros as a part of it, supplying nine thousand troops of stone which he used to retake both Iredale and Greenhill Fort while the atheran invasion force was amassed.


    But of course, to keep with the act that he was human, he told the King that although there were nine thousand troops, they would only last for a month, which was more than enough to retake the lost territories but not enough to aid in the war effort. His reasoning was simple, although their bodies would remain even if he had run out of mana, the energy that allowed them to move was continually draining his strength at such a rate that even his monstrous mana wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up. He couldn¡¯t afford to create each artificial soul for each golem, at least, as a human. He was already capable of such a thing and has already done so but he had to act as if he had limitations, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be human.


    The King understood and put forth the task conquering Seris to nine court mages, each at the head of an army of five thousand. In total, an army of forty-five thousand would be amassed in the coming months as Athera would recall many of its armies from the South as well as conscript more soldiers.But many gladly accepted the conscriptions, the atheran people were angry at the serisians and were, for now, ready to lay their lives down for their country. So, instead of the projected seven months that it would have taken to gather the army, it took six months and an additional five for Athera to train up its army. Ieros¡¯s army of shadow creations held the North with ease, although the King just thought that Seris was not attacking.


    But the shadows did so much more, they warded off the stirring ancients but at the same time alerting all to the presence of the being. But they left him alone, for the time being, the ancients moving to make a giant coalition with the humans to defeat this being whose power was a challenge to the gods. And, the gods were making a move too, ignorant to the fact that this being was the proxy of the very one which had wrought so much destruction upon them. They whispered to their servants, angels and demons alike, to find the source of this disturbance and to try and persuade it to their side. If not possible, destroy it with extreme prejudice.


    Of course, the fragment was knowledgeable of at least some of these things, although it lacked the power to spy upon the gods. But it knew of the movements of ancient beings, especially of the fiends, their arrival to the surface timed almost perfectly with the arrival of End. This was no coincidence, End¡¯s song had called them and they were answering. The fragment was unworried however, it would not matter how many would stand against it, it would prevail, after all, it could not fail. It must not fail, for the disappointment of Darkness was a greater threat than its own destruction. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    But as it was learning, it was being watched by one of the other fragments of Darkness, this one¡¯s name being Subjugator. It was created alongside Ieros, although Ieros had no idea of it. Darkness realized that watching was not the way, but since its other fragments did not possess the power that it did, it created the Subjugator. It would serve as his military strength, crushing the enemies of Darkness before it. It had been commanded by Darkness, before it entered its sleep, to keep watch over Ieros, to help him if necessary but otherwise to keep out of his business. If it truly required, it would also merge with the fragment, the powers of each becoming one and creating an even more powerful fragment.


    Of course, this was only if necessary, for Darkness wanted the information that theSurveyor would learn to be as pure as possible, untainted by the knowledge that the Subjugator already possesses. But the Subjugator also had an additional mission, to destroy Ieros should he seem¡­ defective and from then on, take the name ofSurveyor and learn. It thought that it would have to step in several times but theSurveyor had proven its ingenuity, getting rid of its weaknesses. So, therefore, the Subjugator remained, aware of the movements of the gods but doing nothing to stop them. TheSurveyor should have enough power to deal with them with ease, but if not, then it would help the Surveyor. But for now, it had no reason to act so it remained still.


    Back on Agleon, Ieros was deep within the forest, mostly empty now as his shadow creations had moved to the Northern Border. Because of it, people began to explore the forest, hoping to meet Ieros but Ieros¡¯s home was the floating garden, he merely had to teleport there and as it was invisible, none were able to find it just by exploring the forest floor. He merely wanted to rest, for the party had drained much of his nearly infinite patience. For a being of logic, to endure something that it perceives as useless is like a person who takes their work very seriously being forced to waste time. It just doesn¡¯t feel right and they want to get to work immediately but due to certain circumstances, they are unable to.


    But that hell was over, he could rest now, at least until he was needed again. But once again he sent observers, to watch the battle for him. He had realized that he was just too powerful, that there was nothing meaningful to be gleaned from such average opponents. He would have to wait until there was one whose intelligence in battle far exceeded that of normal humans, like Azemar but he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to fight him unless he betrayed Athera or vice versa. Of course, he could limit himself but then he wouldn¡¯t be learning as much as he could, this was rather frustrating but it would be better, for now, to simply observe instead of participating.


    But as he rested, the unique light came once again, the one from that girl before. Slightly curious, he paid attention to her, wondering why one blessed by Light would be here. But it seems that she learned from last time, trying to conceal the Light that she was blessed with and instead using a lantern, seeming to search for something. But still Ieros did not show himself to her, he understood it to be rather rude to suddenly appear out of nowhere. So he watched as she stumbled through the forest, watching her finally stop out of frustration and sit on the ground. She began to mutter various profanities and finally shouted,


    ¡°Where are you!?¡±


    Ieros then asked through the shadows, ¡°Me?¡±


    She jumped out of surprise but after regaining her composure, she nodded, ¡°Yes you, I need to talk with you.¡±


    She added a few moments later, ¡°Face to face.¡±


    Ieros sighed and then stood, opening a gate in front of her and stepping through. She was rather wary when he stepped through, a hand prepared to blast him with light should he try anything. But he didn¡¯t, instead creating a table with two chairs, opposite from one another. He took a seat and gestured she do the same, a silver light filling area, allowing her to put out her lantern.


    After creating some tea, Ieros finally asked, ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    She had yet to touch the tea, looking at it suspiciously before turning her attention to him.


    She then bluntly said, ¡°I want your help.¡±


    Ieros took another sip and then asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    She said, ¡°Because I need it.¡±


    Ieros then glanced at her, his eyes glowing silver for a brief moment.


    He repeated, ¡°Why.¡±


    This time it wasn¡¯t a question, rather a command.


    She held his gaze for a few more moments before turning away, saying, ¡°I want you to create something for me, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay whatever price you want but this absolutely must be made!¡±


    When Ieros looked at her again, her eyes were filled with fiery determination and Ieros decided that it at least wouldn¡¯t be harmful to help her.


    So he asked, ¡°What do you want me to create?¡±


    She held his gaze this time and said clearly, ¡°I want you to make a statue.¡±


    Ieros¡¯s eyes stared deep into hers before turning away and taking a sip, ¡°A statue of what?¡±


    She replied, ¡°A statue of the Goddess Light.¡±


    Ieros smirked emotionlessly, ¡°As if a being like her could be called a goddess. No, she is far more powerful than a mere goddess, she is a primordial. But anyways, why?¡±


    She said, ¡°I aim to be a part of the Luxian Church and in order to enter, one must provide an item that is of either great value or would be very valuable to the Church. I have nothing of value to give so I have decided to acquire an item that is valuable to the Church. But the Church lacks any proper representation of Light so I decided that a perfect statue would be the best offering.¡±


    Ieros then asked, ¡°What will be my payment?¡±


    She said, ¡°Anything, money, information and¡­¡±


    She hesitated, finally whispering, ¡°Myself.¡±


    Ieros then finished his tea and chuckled mirthlessly, ¡°I have no interest in money or the pleasures of the flesh. But what information could you give me? What do you know that I don¡¯t?¡±


    She looked at him with piercing eyes and said, ¡°I know a secret of Luxian Church.¡±

 Chapter 28: Monsters that are also Pirates

    Ieros was intrigued but none of that showed on his face, only gently taking the teapot and with precision and grace, poured himself another cup. He then placed it back down and began to sip once more, finally saying,


    ¡°Very well, I shall create this statue. But I do require the secret first. I assure you, I will not break my word.¡±


    She was wary, she could read people very well but he was the one man that had remained a mystery to her. But, she also believed him, he would not break his promise once given.


    So, she took a breath and said, ¡°Well¡­¡±


    She hesitated and then looked at the teacup, grabbing it and downing it all in one go before placing it back on the table.


    Her nerves calmed somewhat, she continued, ¡°The secret is of something that the Luxian Church is hiding, they knew something about the Dark Ages but they hid it from the world and I know what and why.¡±


    She then stopped and looked around furtively, Ieros settling her fears by saying, ¡°You may speak in safety, from the moment we sat to tea I have sealed this place from the rest of the world, none shall be able to hear of this conversation.¡±


    She sighed in relief and finally divulged, ¡°There is¡­ a relic from an age that was before the Dark Ages, before the Enlightenment and even before the first records of history, a book. It is written in a language that no one can translate and is made of a material that is invincible, even the paper itself is impossible to rip or cut. This relic has been kept a secret by the Pope and the nine Archbishops who wish to hide the fact that there was a once time before Man as we know it, hiding the truth of perhaps an even greater race that once ruled Agleon.¡±


    Ieros was amused, to think that humans knew about their ancient past and even tried to hide it, how laughable. But, he supposed he could understand, the Luxian Theocracy revolved around the fact that modern man had been created by Light, and to some extent, they were right. Light had helped in the creation of Man but not modern Man and she was not the creator either, Darkness was. But he kept quiet about what he knew, it seemed that Izahn¡ªthe girl¡ªstill had something to say. But she still waited, looking at him expectantly. Ieros approved of her action, she only gave out a part of the secret, intending to give out the rest once he built it.


    He then stood and said, ¡°As I promised, I will create a statue for you. But as it appears that there is more to this secret, I look forward to another talk.¡±


    But before he left, Izahn asked, ¡°May I see the creation of the statue? For security sake, I do not want a stolen statue.¡±


    Ieros turned to her, ¡°I do not steal but if it will ease the suspicion in your heart, then I suppose it wouldn¡¯t matter. Please, follow me.¡±


    Ieros then turned away from her, a gate opening in front of him. He stepped through but the gate remained open. Of course, wary as ever, Izahn made her way to the door, hesitating just before it. She then took a deep breath and then stepped through, appearing at Ieros¡¯s floating garden. She looked around in awe at her surroundings, beautiful flowers that glowed in the ethereal light, some of which she had only heard of through legend.


    Finally, she stood before the Rose of Stars, gazing at its glowing white petals, her breath taken away by the sheer beauty of it. But she brought back to the real world by Ieros¡¯s words,


    ¡°I thought that you needed a statue, not to see flowers.¡±


    She quickly turned her attention from the flowers, her face flushed. Ieros then created a chair and table for her to use while he stood in a clear section of the floating garden, thinking of how he would go about creating Light. Then he rememberedDarkness¡¯s first memory of her, the weak light in a sea of black. But of course, he would have to make her more human, for humans believed that they were created in Light¡¯s image. Of course, this was the other way around, because of their belief of her, she had taken up their appearance. If it had been any other race that became the most intelligent animals of Agelon like pigs, for example, she would have looked like a pig as they would have thought of her that way.


    But enough of that, he had to create her. However, instead of the beautiful, mature and pure lady that she was often portrayed as, he decided to create the statue of her in the likeness of a young girl, around the age of five. And so he set about creating it, his left hand, glowing with light, painting large swathes of light which his right hand, covered in darkness, began to give shape to the light, accentuating it. But the light that came forth from his left hand was solid, almost crystalline although it didn¡¯t have sharp edges. He continued to paint with these two materials, finally ending up with a statue of a small girl, sitting on the floor with her legs folded on each side of her, her arms out in front with her palms on the floor.


    She had a look of childish innocence and curiosity, gazing at the darkness around her. She was clad in clothes that were similar to a Roman toga, her right shoulder and both arms exposed along with some of her legs but the sensitive parts were covered by the toga. That combined with her long flowing hair made for a rather innocent, peaceful image. Also, there were varying degrees of color used to create her, her toga was a brilliant silver that was in direct contrast to the gold of her hair. Her eyes shone like white stars while her skin was a white that was slightly colored with gold, emanating warm light. The statue also wasn¡¯t too bright to look at, Ieros had intentionally done this, adding a thin layer of darkness around the statue so that you could appreciate the finer details but also realize that it was still emanating light.


    It seemed to take forever in the eyes of Izahn but in reality, it only took an hour for Ieros to finish the statue from beginning to end. He placed it on an obsidian pedestal and affixed the statue in place. He then waved his hand over it and it shrunk a size that would fit comfortably in your palm. He then procured a small pouch to put it in and handed it to Izahn.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    He instructed, ¡°Once you reach the Luxian Church, you only need to place it where you feel it would be best to do so. Once the base touches the ground, it will grow after five seconds. Please be careful with the positioning for once placed you will be unable to remove it.¡±


    He then opened a gate and gestured for her to walk through.


    But before she did so, she asked, ¡°Do you not want to know the rest of the secret?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°We will have a talk once more but for today, I need rest.I will contact you once I desire to know the rest of the story. Also, please keep the fact that I created this silent. I do not wish to attract the attention of the Luxian Theocracy even further."


    With that clear dismissal, Izahn left through the gate. She would keep silent about the creator of this statue, for she felt that if she did otherwise, her life and everyone¡¯s life related to her would be forfeit. Of course, that gut feeling of hers was right, if she dared to go against Ieros¡¯s wishes he would wipe all traces of her existence from history, including her family and friends. In fact, he had planted that ¡°gut feeling¡± in her mind, to ensure that she would not betray his secret.


    He then continued to rest, his body resting while theSurveyor stopped using the personality of Ieros. TheSurveyor meanwhile began to access shadows all over the world, using them as his eyes as he viewed the world, knowing in more detail of the stirrings of ancient beings. He gained knowledge of all the happenings around the world and became aware of the planned monster invasion of Athera¡¯s East Coast. But knowing it he still did nothing, he had only been commanded to obey the orders of the Royal Family, not to warn. Besides, he knew that no matter what, he would be assigned to defend the East as the majority of Athera¡¯s forces would be a part of the invasion force.


    So it would wait, wait to see how these events would unfold without its direct intervention. It, of course, knew that many humans were going to die because of its actions but it did not care in the slightest, their deaths wouldn¡¯t affect it at all. Morning came once more and Ieros awoke, theSurveyor taking the persona of Ieros once more. Once more it decided to review the memories of the observers, taking in the knowledge of tens of thousands of soldiers that participated in the war.


    This process took over a few weeks to fully assimilate all the data, the end of which Ieros looked at the world with different eyes. He then realized the folly of his earlier decision to destroy Ieros. He had lost quite a valuable chance there, but of course, he himself couldn¡¯t risk it. So, he came up with the next best thing, he would create a copy of himself, allow this copy to have emotions but be careful to make it separate from himself. Once this was done he would let it live on Agleon, living its life as an immortal who became human. Then it would watch from afar, killing it¡¯s copy once its human life was over and rinse and repeat.


    But of course, it wouldn¡¯t start right away, once the lifetime of Ieros was over, it would commence creating another clone. Right now was not the time, it still wished for itself to experience human life, no matter how limited it was. Besides, it would do so later, well, a copy of itself would. Of course, this may seem rather late in its mission but Time is relative. TheSurveyor is a being whose life is infinite unless it comes to an artificial end, Time is nothing to it. A thousand years is but a blink of an eye, well, if it had an eye. So a mere hundred years was nothing to it. But, it decided that at least, for its first experiment, it was best to do so by itself rather than to rely on a proxy. For proxies, no matter how similar or how exact you make them, will always be different than the original.


    But it could learn, learn from its copies who would become more human with each generation until the two cannot be called different yet not the same. But it would remain safe, safe from emotion. Truly a simple solution but it had to see it for it had interpreted its mission quite differently, that it itself had to learn. But of course, after using the observers, it realized that it did not have to, that it could just create a copy to live as a human, to allow it to foster emotions and end it once its ¡°lifetime¡± as a human was done.


    But with the passage of the few weeks, the army was prepared and Ieros withdrew his shadows from the North as the invasion force marched to Seris. He did not wish for the Crown to know of the vast resources at his command. But those three weeks was also sufficient time for the pirates to begin their raids on the East Coast and for word to reach the capital of these raids. Ieros was summoned by the King to defend the East. Ieros, of course, accepted this command, immediately setting out.


    He created a gate and stepped through, dismissing the King¡¯s offer of an army of a thousand men. He did not need such forces for his armies of stone would serve him much better, although at a much more manageable number of four thousand. But the moment he stepped through, he was engulfed in chaos, fires burning houses and monsters chasing down helpless women and children while the men were cut down trying to defend themselves. Ieros did not like the commotion so with a wave of his hand, the monsters were immobilized by black chains, their mouths sealed shut by black hands and the fires on buildings were suffocated by a blanket of darkness which disappeared once the fire did.


    Ieros then waved his hand in front of his nose, in an attempt to ward away the smell of smoke and burned corpses, ¡°What an unpleasant odor .¡±


    He then snapped his fingers and in an instant, all but one of the monster pirates were killed, impaled either through the back or the chest by spears of darkness. He then peered into the mind of the monster, learning of the locations that the other pirates planned to raid. So he opened ten gates and separated his army into four hundred, sending them through to each of the designated locations, his armies of stone defeating the poorly armed pirates with ease. He also personally stopped by each village, healing the wounded and rebuilding what would have taken months in the span of a few minutes.


    Word began to spread about a mysterious savior who commanded an army of stone and the people¡¯s hearts were at ease, with such a powerful guardian, they could live in peace. Once the villages were secure, each guarded by a troop of four hundred stone golems, he then spread the word that he, Ieros, would be protecting the East Coast. He even constructed a wizard¡¯s tower at the coast where he could see pirate ships before they could even land. And so the East was safe, for now. Of course, Ieros foresaw the great pirate fleet that was heading to the East Coast, the pirate kings had made a coalition to raid and conquer Athera.


    Ieros looked forward to their arrival, after all, he didn¡¯t have many records of sea battles and was very curious as to how this particular battle would go. He would have to limit himself, of course, he wouldn¡¯t learn anything if he defeated them with ease. So he prepared the coast fortifications, having stone giants posted at the ramparts where they could throw boulders upon the enemy. He also made some ships as well, taking the knowledge of sailing from the minds of pirates and imparting it to his stone sailors. Thus prepared for battle, Ieros waited, although he did give an evacuation notice to the local population, it wouldn¡¯t do for the King¡¯s faith in him to decrease because of his incompetence.

 Chapter 29: An Invasion from the East

    While Ieros prepared to meet the pirate coalition fleet, the Teryo were marching from their ancient home deep in the North, countless leagues from Seris to the Great Reaches, a place that was nicknamed the Top of the World. They followed their creed to protect all premen calling upon them to serve the last preman, Ieros. Beings whose flesh and bones had long since withered away, they were husks of armor controlled by a shadowy manifestation of their will. A shadow of their previous existence, thus why their manifestation was a transparent black in color, a shade. Shades were a relatively rare existence, for it required a great will to remain upon Agleon with the end of one¡¯s physical body.


    But these were the best of the best of the best of damn best, their combat strength was enough to rival that of a god¡¯s but unfortunately, their mortality was a rather severe limitation. Although their bodies were trained to the point where steel couldn¡¯t harm it at all and adamantium merely bruised it, their blood was still spilled by the weapons of the gods wielded by their children, angels and demons. Even with their great strength, they could not defend their city which fell to holy fire. But they remained, holding the line so that the People could retreat.


    But the People soon lost the power of their ancestors, thus losing their status as premen. While they slowly lost their status as premen, the Teryo still fought against the angels and demons who were commanded by the gods to destroy the Teryo. They held, their souls rejecting death, their absolute loyalty to Premanity denying them the right to die. But nevertheless, the divine and hellish power of the gods¡¯ children did not kill but fully destroyed many of the Teryo, only four hundred out of a thousand surviving against the onslaught. But in return, they slaughtered many angels and demons, their corpses making up the mountains that surrounded the city in modern day.


    The city never was in the mountains but in a flat plain but with the corpses of the angels and demons, large mountains of corpses were created which decayed and returned to earth. Thus it would come to no surprise that these mountains were rich in rare metals, the armors and weapons of angels and demons. Although they have lost their form through the years, they were still rather valuable although no human had yet to stumble upon them for the mountains, still permeated with divine power, were home to magical monsters, creatures that were far more powerful and intelligent than regular monsters.


    They rose to defend their territories from the passing Teryo but stopped once they saw and sensed them, they had never seen these creatures before and were puzzled as to what to do. But as they were not hostile to the monsters, they let them pass unmolested. The Teryo moved on, ignoring the monsters and heading to Ieros. As they were beings that had surpassed mortality, they no longer needed things such as rest or food. They would march till forever if need be. They could run but they marched at a medium pace, to hurry things was not wise. But even with their tireless march, it would still take a year for them to reach Athera, for there were many mountains and valleys between them and Ieros.


    Monsters were of no concern, they would be slaughtered before the Teryo who were able to fight against the armies of Heaven and Hell. Of course, Ieros had not yet sensed them, for he merely thought them to be exceptionally ancient shadows, not the shades of warriors past. But even these invincible warriors had a leader, one who was exceptional, even among them, one who was able to slay an arch-god and an archdevil. His true name was secret but he was given one by the gods, Eversor, the Destroyer. He was one of the reasons why the gods and devils decided not halt their campaign against the Teryo, for he struck fear into the hearts of the primordials¡¯ children, the fear of Death.


    Death, in fact, was rather grateful to him, she would not have been able to collect such powerful souls otherwise. Light and Night both recognized his power as well, each offering him immortality but he refused, his loyalty to the People would not be swayed by such things. Besides, he has already achieved immortality, although his current form does not possess as much power as his body of flesh, it was still quite formidable and his infinite stamina more than made up for it. In fact, his power could be contested with that of the Subjugator¡¯s although he may not be as strong as the Subjugator, experience, and skill more than made up for that particular gap.


    Speaking of which, the Subjugator studied Eversor, deciding that its purpose may never be fulfilled. But it was alright with that, it did not matter to it whether it had to help theSurveyor or not. It only had to do so when absolutely necessary, if it was never absolutely necessary then it was content to merely carry out its orders, to remain until it inevitably became one with Darkness once more.


    But the Teryo weren¡¯t the only things on the move, the Crystallum, creatures whose bodies are made of the finest gems. The dwarves had finally uncovered the names of these crystalline beings from ancient texts that had been passed down from generation to generation. The hardly legible inscriptions described them as being highly intelligent although incapable of physical communication. But it is said that to those that they deemed to be worthy, the Crystallum had displayed telepathic abilities, communicating through images rather than words. The very few dwarves who had managed to speak with them only say that they had spoken with the Children of Agleon, born of Agleon¡¯s Heartstone.


    The Heartstone, something that exists in dwarven legend yet now appeared to be the truth by the appearance of the Crystallum. It is said to be a magnificent gem of such great beauty and proportions that the mere sight of it would paralyze one with awe. In fact, one might faint because their mind cannot handle the magnificence of the gem. It also was a wealth of great energy, for it was the heart of Agleon who was also blessed with Life of sorts by Light. Although not like humans, Agleon was very much alive, although it relied upon its children to protect the Heartstone and if need be, to meddle with mortal affairs.


    With the appearance of Ieros, masquerading as a preman, Agleon was very much interested in mortal affairs. It was also aware of the fiends that were burrowing out from its flesh and sent the Crystallum to stop them. Of course, not even the Crystallum could stop all the fiends although they were successful in stopping many of them. But as the fiends continued to progress to the surface, the Crystallum also followed, their bodies of sharp crystal piercing through bedrock with infinite ease, slashing apart the skin of the fiends which is said to be stronger than even adamant.


    Truly, if they were involved in the war of Heaven and Hell, they would have been a power that could not be ignored, their bodies, rather than blocking attacks, simply cut through it with their razor-like edges. Their bodies literally cut through any attack, leaving them unaffected. But of course, there was only a limited amount for Agleon could only spare so much of its lifeforce, if it spent too much then the biosphere of Agleon would fall apart. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    As the battle between the Crystallum and the fiends raged on, the monsters of Ortus were beginning to set their sights upon the continent of Occasus, at Athera¡¯s rich Eastern Coast. Of course, there was the pirate empire but the Empire of Auster had a great army which conquered a full half of Ortus. But as the remaining half of Ortus was under the rule of the mighty Saurians, Auster had decided to let the East of Ortus remain free for now.


    Although the might of Auster was great, it was not great enough to conquer the Saurians, the descendants of the mighty dragons that once ruled Agleon. Although having lost the iconic wings, these Saurians were still a majestic sight to behold, their appearance similar to that of Earth¡¯s ancient dinosaurs. Darkness had actually wondered if he should have sent his fragment to this small blue world, although he eventually decided that Agleon was a better choice. Earth was filled with mortals that feared the unknown and if by some accident the Surveyor revealed itself, the experiment would be ruined. Anyways, only those of the purest blood still retain the ability to breathe fire or whatever element the dragon they descended from commanded. Of course, there were those that looked like the iconic T-Rex as well as triceratops and the mighty giganotosaurus.


    But they were not all, there were also pterosaurs which ruled the skies, some of which that were so large that their wingspan reached over twenty meters in length. They were also equipped with razor-sharp beaks that were capable of slicing through steel and scratching adamant. The scales of the Saurians were also no laughing matter, it''s highly resistant to both physical and magical damage. Of course, they were of a lesser material than that of a dragon¡¯s scales but they were still not to be underestimated, for the mightiest of the Saurians could withstand the attacks of all the mages on both Occassus and Ortus almost negligible damage taken.


    Indeed they were a mighty race who believed that might is right, the mightiest leading the herd. Currently, the title of strongest clanbelonged to the Giganotosaurus Clan, the largest and mightiest of all Saurians upon land. These large creatures shook the earth with each step and theirthundering roar put fear into all lesser creatures. There were also the rulers of the skies, the Dimorphodon, fierce creatures that mainly used swarm tactics in order to combat creatures on the ground, their sharp teeth and talons a great nuisance alone but are fatal in the hundreds.


    Truly, the Saurians were masters of land, sky, and sea, a power that even the mighty Austerian Empire was afraid to tamper with. And Auster was no pushover mind, its founding race, the Satorians. Much knowledge of them has been lost to time as they were a secretive race, purging all records that even slightly mentioned them from libraries and killing scholars who knew too much. Yet they continued to rule Auster from the shadows, their thirst for conquest was not yet quenched so it turned its attention to Occasus, the continent in which Ieros is currently residing.


    It prepared a fleet of ten gigantic sky turtles, which were the size of small cities, being sent to conquer Occasus. These graceful giants were perfectly able to cross the Scisma Ocean, possessing nearly infinite stamina as, despite their appearance, they were incredibly light for creatures of their size. They possessed enormous organs which converted water into hydrogen which was then stored it its great shell, which was far larger compared to its body than that of a regular turtle''s for it had to make space for both its body and air for it to float. They only needed to flap their fins every once in awhile to redirect their course.


    As for what they ate, they drank from the ocean, swallowing many fish as well as valuable water which their hydrogen-producing organs would in turn convert into hydrogen, releasing the oxygen back into the air. Of course, these sky turtles couldn¡¯t remain in the sky forever, although because they hardly ever needed to use energy to move, they had very slow metabolisms. But whenever they needed to land, they would head to the ocean, an instinctive clock ingrained within their body, warning them whenever hydrogen levels were low enough to be considered dangerous.


    They would then gently land in the ocean, swimming like regular turtles as they would drink massive amounts of seawater. As hydrogen was produced, their bodies would slowly rise from the water until they fully left it, reaching the heights of the clouds where, if they needed to, they could inhale to create extra hydrogen, although the yield was incredibly small. Truly, these were magnificent creatures, the mere sight of which would strike awe into any.


    Atop their magnificent shells were large fortresses in which smaller monster races could live in to defend both themselves and the sky turtle. It was mostly due to these creatures that the Austerian Empire was able to conquer so many lands, their sky turtles able to transport entire armies with great speed. As for how they were controlled, there was a race of monsters named the Loquimi, a race that excelled in the art of telepathy, so much so that they could bend the minds of others to their will. They controlled these majestic beasts, the weak mind of the sky turtles unable to resist the commands of the Loquimi.


    Aside from the sky turtles and the Loquimi, Auster had more forces at its command, such as the Ursus, a race that resembled bears with fur that could resist both magical and physical attacks to a high degree as well as possessing great strength which would prove enough to smash a large boulder into dust. They were elite units of the Austerian Imperial Army because of their great strength and survivability.


    Then there were the Avem, a race of large avians whose wingspan was more than ten meters in length. They were scouts of the battlefield as well as fearsome fighters, their sharp beaks and claws able to shred through steel with ease. Their feathers were also like wood, able to deflect regular arrows with ease although the bolts of siege crossbows possessed enough power to pierce through. But nevertheless, they were a force to be feared, for they could also lift boulders and drop them upon the enemy, causing great damage from above at heights in which arrows and bolts are unable to reach.


    And still more were the Crimex, insect-like creatures which resembled ants in shape although their forelegs were that of a mantis¡¯s, its shell hard and sharp enough to sheer through iron and heavily damage steel. Of course, there were different classes of Crimex, each class possessing its own queen which would produce them by the thousands if not millions. They were the main force of the Austerian Imperial Infantry because of the their insanely high proliferation and the fact that they did not fear death, only having absolute loyalty to the queens and by extension, the Satorians who ruled the queens.


    They were the main reason why the Satorians were able to conquer half of Ortus, the neverending swarm of insects the size of a cow with a shell that was resistant to physical attacks and moderately resistant against magic. Although one by itself was relatively weak, that did not matter as these creatures always fought in armies of over ten thousand, overrunning their enemies with their sheer numbers, their fear of death nonexistent because of their absolute loyalty.


    The numbers of these forces that would be heading to Occasus numbered in the millions, the total of which would reach five million, the ants making up 75% of that number. The remainder was filled in by the Ursus and the Avem as well as few of the Satorians¡¯ chosen elite forces but due to the Satorians¡¯ excellent abilities to hide knowledge, not much is known of these elites.


    Truly, a great and formidable foe has appeared before Ieros, perhaps one might call them a worthy challenge, a foe which he can release his power without restraint.

 Chapter 30: Battle for the East Coast

    Ieros stood at his mage tower, looking over the soon-to-be battlefield. His giants of stone stood still, their bodies slowly lighting up with the sunrise. He then closed his mortal eyes and stretched his influence to the shadows on the ocean floor, sensing the shadows of the coalition fleet, counting over five thousand and upon accessing the shadows within the ships, he saw that every ship possessed roughly twenty people. So a force of ten thousand was approaching, although he sensed three flagships, each led by a human of great power.


    Ieros studied these three humans of power, they were objects of interest to him, perhaps finally a challenge. But, Ieros continued to spread his influence, sensing ten larger shadows. He then studied the sky turtles and the forces who were amassed upon them, seeing the Crimex, the Ursus, and the Avem. Upon returning his power to Ieros¡¯s body, he then began to prepare for the Austerian invasion, summoning his shadow creations to defend the coast. But of course, their current forms were not ready to fight the new enemy so Ieroscombined a few of his creations into one large one, such as gigantic soldiers and colossal dragons.


    These would be used to counter the ten massive sky turtles which would be arriving, although their size was only a fifth of that of a sky turtle, they were still creatures to be feared. For these creatures that were made of shadow did not physically attack one¡¯s body, rather they were able to harm one¡¯s very life force. Not one¡¯s soul, that is for Death to reap but the energy that allows one¡¯s body to move. Without such energy, the body ceases to function. Of course, it takes many attacks to severely damage such energy, especially of large creatures like the sky turtle but it is an attack that cannot be defended against, even by magic.


    Of course, unfair one might say but one who wields absolute power does not care about such things. If necessary, Ieros would step in, sending a tsunami of shadow which would devour any lifeforce before it, leaving only corpses without any wounds. But of course, he would rather not use it as doing so would place a great strain upon his mortal body, although it was preman, it wouldn¡¯t be able to stand against the fragment¡¯s full power flowing through it. It would be like twenty gigawatts of electricity flowing through graphite, the graphite would either melt or explode. This would signify the death of Ieros''s body and then he would have to start anew, which was undesirable at this moment. So he would have to use his creations rather than his own power.


    So with his army of stone and shadows, he awaited the arrival of the enemy, briefly wondering if he should create ships but then decided that in order to keep his act, he should avoid doing so. He had expended a lot of energy and it would be suspicious if he gave away the fact he could use more. In order to keep with his act, he made his body appear slightly pale and a bit more aged, seeming to limp as he re-entered his mage tower. But once he was out of sight, both from physical and magical, he stopped with the act, taking a seat in a simple black throne, turning his attention to the North where the atheran forces were busy conquering their third fortress.


    With Azemar and seven court mages, they conquered the fortresses and swept any serisian army aside with considerable ease. Their power was terrifying to behold, the army of fifteen thousand unforgiving as they watered serisian ground with serisian blood. Ieros watched for a few moments more, watching how the Atheran Army, under the leadership of Azemar, crushed the serisians. But he soon lost interest, there was no flavor to the battles. There just wasn¡¯t any difference, it was just to continually crush the enemy with the overwhelming power of the court mages.


    Seris, of course, was rather late to respond as their own court mages had been severely wounded as they were part of the second invasion force but of course, they were repelled by Ieros¡¯s shadows that were guarding the North. The shadows, blessed with more power than usual, defeated the mages and even got close to killing one before they were forced to retreat. Athera was unaware of this and of course, thought that Seris¡¯s mages were too afraid to come out. But no matter what anyone thought, Seris was unable to defend against Athera¡¯s fierce counterattack and Seris tried to gather aid, beseeching the Luxian Theocracy and Vimaris to no avail.


    The Luxian Theocracy was a neutral nation, they did not go to war unless commanded by their goddess to do so. Vimaris was too wary to enter the war publicly, lest the mysterious general attacks them. Although his forces were rather small, they were of high caliber and could easily match an army twice their size. Truly a force to be reckoned with and they did not dare to face the Absolute General once more, as he was now called. But Seris¡¯s call for aid did not go unnoticed, for two nations have made an ancient alliance and were now honoring it.


    One was the nation of Vonugard promised their aid, sending an army of seven thousand to Seris¡¯s aid, accompanied by three of Vonugard¡¯s court mages. Vonugard was a landlocked nation so it hoped that if it helped Seris win the war, it would finally have access to the sea. But it was also cautious, it did not send too many troops for it could not overcommit, lest Seris lose the war. If Seris lost, then it would still need troops to defend themselves. Seris thought Vonugard was being rather stingy but still accepted their help nonetheless, they needed every soldier they could get.


    The other nation was considerably more generous, sending a full twenty thousand to aid Seris with five court mages. This nation was Seris¡¯s sister nation, Zeris, their names both derived from the same founding family, one taking the name of the eldest twin, Seris and the other taking the name of Zeris the younger twin. Zeris and Seris had always promised to go to another¡¯s aid when it was needed and Zeris answered it now. Considered to be the milder of the two, Zeris was a fine nation which was smaller than Seris, due to the fact that it was not as warlike. But it still went to war when necessary, crushing its enemies before it when it did so.


    So it spared a third of its standing army to help Seris, its defenses were already solid so it could do without twenty thousand. But it would take time for them to arrive, approximately three weeks but Vonugard¡¯s army would arrive in one This would be enough time in which to aid Seris and prevent its fall. So Athera may not be able to defeat Seris, even though there were seven court mages and Azemar attacking. Ieros, knowing all of this created even more observers, he didn¡¯t want to miss a single moment of the battles to come.


    But as he was watching all of this unfold, a spy that had been watching him returned to her master, reporting what she had seen. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    She said, ¡°Master, I have watched Ieros as you said and it seems that he has worn himself out creating his army of stone. His appearance seems to have aged slightly as well, it seems that his display of magic has been a great toll on him.¡±


    A female voice said, ¡°Good work, you may rest for the next two days.¡±


    The spy bowed, ¡°Thank you, mistress.¡±


    So saying, the spy exited the room and the woman smiled. She then stared out her window to the East, her eyes that glittered like rainbows staring off into the distance. Her visage was alluring to behold, further enhanced by the light that filtered through the window. Of course, many women of this world¡ªfor an unknown reason¡ªwere beautiful but she was on an entirely different level. A beauty that could rival that of End¡¯s.


    Sensing some sort of presence, Ieros looked towards her direction, muttering, ¡°Hmm, strange.¡±


    But as Ieros extended his influence in that direction, he found absolutely nothing that produced the same sensation. Ieros was confused, he certainly sensed something but upon closer inspection, he saw nothing. So he focused on more interesting things, although he had the Sentinel watch that area, just in case. His shadows would take over the Sentinel¡¯s job of caring for the floating garden.


    Three Days Later¡­


    ¡°Charge men! Take the beaches!¡±


    The pirate fleet supported from the back, firing their cannons which deformed the white sandy beach. The giants were hit as well, although they were hardly affected, only slightly chipped here and there. The giants did not focus their fire upon the approaching boarding boats, focusing on the mighty galleons which crumbled with one thrown boulder. The giants threw with such great force that once the boulder hit the ship, it shattered into pieces and if the angle was right, it would punch through three more ships, shattering them all before it lost its momentum and sank¡­ well, like a rock.


    But the fear of their pirate kings kept the pirate ships in line as they fired upon the beaches while the landing crafts finally landed. The pirates flowed out of the landing crafts but Ieros¡¯s stone infantry blocked them, an unmoving wall of stone bodies which halted the flow of pirates. They slaughtered them on the beaches, painting the beaches red as well as the ocean. From their corpses, the stone infantry made walls making it that much harder for the pirates to get off their boats as now they had to climb up the bodies of their erstwhile comrades.


    The stone infantry continued to kill them, having a greater advantage as the spearmen took their positions on the wall of corpses, their spears outranging the sabers of the pirates. Soon, the order of retreat was given and the ships retreated out of the range of the giants. Ieros had yet to exit his tower although he was still able to watch the battle. The first battle was a success but Ieros did not let the success get to him, he knew that this was only the beginning, after all, the pirate kings and their elites had yet to make a move.


    As the first battle for the East came to a close, the fleet of sky turtles was three days closer, only five days away now. They sent their avem scouts which flew so high that they appeared like regular birds. They reached the East Coast in a single day, coming just in time to see another battle for the coast, although it was just the pirate ships bombarding the wall of corpses, although they were being destroyed by the giants. The pirate kings had yet to actually make a move, although they did select few elites to make some headway. But they could make no progress, the stone soldiers were immovable, although a few were destroyed by the power of the elites.


    A bit tired of this standoff, Ieros stood up and emerged onto his tower¡¯s balcony, his voice filling the entire battlefield but of course not as if he was shouting. In fact, his voice was being spoken by his shadows, as if he was talking normally.


    He commanded, ¡°Begin the counterattack.¡±


    Immediately, the stone soldiers began to push forward, slaughtering the pirates and taking control of their landing craft. Having taken control, they began to sail back to the ships, some being sunk by cannon fire but of course, they still marched at the bottom of the sea, beginning to climb up chains of the anchors and taking over the pirate ships. As they did not know how to operate the cannons, they continued from ship to ship, leaving only dead bodies. The pirate kings and their remaining fleets drew back from the invaded ships, pulling up anchor and floating free, at a distance too far for the stone soldiers to jump. It was there that the remaining ships began to fire upon the taken ships, sinking many.


    But Ieros¡¯s voice once more rolled over the battlefield, ¡°The counterattack has been successful, all return to the beaches.¡±


    The stone soldiers marched through the bottom of the sea and back on the beaches, the pirates and avem witnessing them march from the sea, unharmed by the fierce cannon barrage they just withstood. Of course, it would take more than mana propelled cannonballs to destroy the soldiers of stone unless it was a direct hit. The pirate kings decided not to pursue the attack, at least not for now. They finally decided to take part in the battle for the first time, their attack would start tomorrow.


    But as they reached this conclusion, Ieros¡¯s voice spoke, ¡°I will give you a day to retreat before I begin my second counterattack.¡±


    The pirate kings, of course, refused his generous offer, believing it to be a mere bluff. Meanwhile, the avem returned to the sky turtles, reporting what they observed. The few Austerian elites were not worried. They were only like the Crimex in human form. But they had three million and seventy-five hundred thousand to Ieros¡¯s four thousand. They were confident of victory, they couldn¡¯t possibly lose. After all, they had numbers on their side as well as the Ursus and the Avem. They couldn¡¯t possibly lose, after all, the Austerian Empire has not yet lost a battle they started.


    So they couldn¡¯t possibly lose this, if they do, the elites would lose their honor and be executed upon return, if they survived. But losing was a chance that was so infinitesimal that it didn¡¯t even dawn on their minds.


    But of course, there was something that they did not know, Ieros¡¯s shadows which could slaughter indefinitely while they were unable to be harmed by any means. The true ultimate army with intangible bodies and attacks that cannot be defended against by any means. These were the types of beings that Darkness used to bring about the Dark Ages, although Darkness was able to create far more. The exact number that Ieros could make was seven hundred twenty-nine, rather small but considering that even one of them could destroy a single world given enough time, they were more than enough. So Ieros did just that. He had given the idea some more thought and finally decided that one would be enough, an amorphous mound of shadow which was an exact copy of the Sentinel.


    The second Sentinel would be more than enough to kill the sky turtles as well as the pirate coalition. But of course, Ieros wouldn¡¯t use it just yet, he had to give these mortals a chance after all.

 Chapter 31: Battle for the East Coast 2

    During the small break between attacks, Ieros was walking along the beach, studying the corpses of the monster pirates before him. He selected the most undamaged for a more extensive study back to the tower but those that were too damaged for any valuable data were just given a brief scan before moving on. As there were many monster races that were united under the pirate flag, he had collected many unique specimens. Some were half-spider, half humanoid and others lacked any sort of anthropoid features. These were completely alien and were the main object of his attention. During its century of study, it had only been able to do a brief skim so it knew that these existed, what they ate, and their hierarchy but not what lay beneath their skin.


    This battle had yielded a wealth of information, although to get more meaningful information, it would have to infiltrate their ranks as one of them as it did with the humans. But that would come later, it had a minimum of an eon before Darkness awoke so procrastinating a century was nothing. But while he was making his observations of the monster race, the pirate ships whose cannons could still bombard the beaches were silent. They had already fired upon him but all the cannonballs were caught in midair by an invisible force and were then viciously returned from where they came, causing great damage and even succeeding in sinking a couple.


    Therefore the order was given not to fire, as it would not only be detrimental but also a waste of ammunition. So Ieros was free to walk the beaches in peace, an insult to the pirate lords. How dare he stroll on the beach without a care in the world when the greatest pirates of all nine seas were at his doorstep? The First and Second Pirate Lords were incensed, their only desire now was revenge. But the Third Pirate Lord was not angry, he had withheld the majority of his troops, unsure if it was worth it. But having seen the failures of the previous attacks, he decided that the losses far outweighed the advantages, he had to cut his losses. So he withdrew his forces, returning to the high seas.


    Doing so earned the animosity of the First and Second Lords but the Third did not care. He knew that if they continued this pointless battle, their power would be dealt a grievous blow, so much so that he had a feasible chance of defeating them. If that happened, he would become the sole Pirate Lord, the Ruler of the Seas. As he sailed away, he laughed heartily, surprising his crew who had never heard him laugh so. But the laughter was infectious and not even knowing the reason why, they joined in.


    This had not left Ieros¡¯s observant eyes but he did not rejoice, he knew that there was an even greater enemy approaching. The pirates were a mere appetizer before the main course, the Austerian Imperial Fleet. But as they were not here yet, he decided to fill his free time analyzing the specimens he had collected. So he returned to his tower, conducting extensive examinations. But he wasn¡¯t totally focused on his examinations, a part of his mind kept an eye on the battlefield, just in case he needed to personally take command. But of course, his commanders were already blessed with all of Azemar¡¯s strategic genius, he probably didn¡¯t need to do anything. But, as long as there was a chance of it happening, he would not ignore it, no matter how remote.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªF.P. Libidine¡ª


    At the Atheran Royal Palace¡­


    I sauntered down the halls of the palace to the Throne Room, enjoying the stares that men gave me. Of course, in my younger years, I had hated it but now I enjoyed it. The feeling of having complete control over a man just using his desires, it was a delectable and addicting pleasure. Finally, I reached the palace, chuckling with amusement as the announcer gulped and hurriedly looked away. My gaze drifted down to the bulge in his pants, I could tell that he was aroused. Just to tease him, I bit my lip seductively and sauntered closer, pushing my breasts on his chest and whispering in his ear,


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you announce me?¡±


    I drew back and he hurriedly announced, his voice cracking in the middle, ¡°Archmage L¨C*voice crack* Libidine enters the Throne Room!¡±


    I winked at him, causing him to gulp once more before I entered the Throne Room, the royal guards stiffening their posture, although I knew that wasn¡¯t the only thing stiffening. But they were better than most men, for their eyes dared not to look upon my figure, instead fixed on some point above my head. But I couldn¡¯t play with them now, I had to speak with the King. He was one of the few men that my appearance had no influence over, although that was because of his Ruling Magic, which was able to cancel out my illusion magic. But it was not like I was only beautiful because of my illusion magic, my illusions only accentuated my body¡¯s natural beauty, adding a rosy sheen here and there as well as a perfume which aroused any man¡¯s hormones.


    Once before the seat of his throne, I bowed, making sure that my cleavage could be seen from his position. If the King noticed he made no mention of it. I sneaked a glance at his crotch but was disappointed to see no reaction, although, it was rather hard to tell under his thick robes.


    The King nodded his head graciously once I stood, asking, ¡°What brings you here, Archmage Libidine?¡±


    I raised my head and said, ¡°Your majesty, I request that you give me permission to go to the East.¡±


    The King lifted an eyebrow, ¡°What for?¡±


    I smiled and said, ¡°Why, I want to meet the new court mage, I haven¡¯t had the chance to meet him and from all the rumors going around, I can¡¯t wait to make his acquaintance.¡±


    The King sighed, ¡°Can¡¯t you wait until he comes back? He is rather busy suppressing the pirates and I wouldn¡¯t want to disturb him by sending another mage.¡±


    I argued, ¡°But that is exactly why I should go, an inexperienced youngling like him needs a teacher to guide him.¡±


    The King said, ¡°He may be inexperienced but his intelligence is far greater than you can imagine. In fact, during the invasion, he was able to spot a crucial weakness that could have spelled doom for Athera. According to Azemar, who had spoken with Ieros, it seems that he had fended off an army sent by Vimaris, although he has kept quiet about it.¡±


    I was surprised, but I said, ¡°Then there would be no harm to my going. I have free time and if he is as proficient as the rumors say, all I would be doing is providing additional and perhaps unneeded protection. And if the rumors are false, then I would ensure the safety of the East.¡±


    The King finally sighed, warning, ¡°Very well, you may go. But I know of your reputation, Archmage Libidine. If you are to do anything to him, I will not hesitate to seal your magic.¡±


    I nodded but from his following sigh, I knew that he guessed that I wouldn¡¯t heed his warning. I wasn¡¯t going to either, if this Ieros fell for my charms then he wasn¡¯t worthy of being a court mage. But if he did, that wouldn¡¯t be so bad either, having a genius work for me would be rather nice. I smiled as I allowed my imagination to run away for a brief moment before reeling it in, I could indulge in my fantasies at home. But the image of his naked body¡­ I chuckled to myself, my imagination really can get out of control sometimes. But¡­ This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    At the East, Ieros felt an unpleasant aura from the northwest once more, the same one that he felt a while ago. He once more stretched his influence in the general direction but once more, could not sense the source although he narrowed down the area to the Royal Palace. He wondered what manner of person was capable of releasing such unpleasant energy as well as be allowed to enter the Royal Palace. But as the unpleasant energy disappeared, Ieros returned to his experimentation, although he sensed it once more, although this time it was on the move, heading towards him.


    In the privacy of my personal carriage, I indulged in my fantasies, letting my imagination run wild with perverted thoughts. Of course, I had taken the precaution to seal off the carriage from the outside so that no sound could escape. That way I didn¡¯t have to be careful about screaming too loud. So I let loose all my carnal desires¡­


    Ieros shuddered as the unpleasant sensation spiked strongly. He was very worried now, just what the hell was this thing? It would have to be very careful, killing it would be the safest option but it appeared to have a relationship of some sort with the royal family. If this was true and he did kill it, then there would only be unnecessary trouble. Stuck at an impasse, Ieros decided to deal with it when it came, although he hoped that it would not come.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    A Day Passes¡­


    Ieros was still holed up in his tower, for the number of corpses he had taken for study were many and he took his work very seriously, taking care to get the exact measurements as well as to not make any mistakes. This was a slow and painstaking process but it did not matter to Ieros who had a nearly infinite patience. He could work on for ten millennium straight and still be ready to work ten more. Meanwhile, the first proper battle raged outside his tower, the two Pirate Lords having joined the fight. Their power was great, the strange abilities they unleashed able to destroy the soldiers of stone and were even able to push back the nine commanders Ieros had created, taking the beaches and pushing a little inland.


    But this would not last, the commanders had by now analyzed their attack pattern and created the perfect counter. With Azemar¡¯s genius and the absolute loyalty of the stone soldiers, they were able to push back the pirates back to the sea, once more bathing the ocean red with blood. But the pirates were unable to run, as while they were eagerly pushing back the stone soldiers, the giants had destroyed their landing craft, preventing escape. Trapped against the sea and a merciless army of stone, the pirates were slaughtered as the giants began to take part in the battle, stomping on their enemies and bowling over countless with boulders.


    Their army shattered and its morale broken, the Pirate Lords had no choice but to accept defeat. They surrendered, dropping their weapons but Ieros had no mercy to give. If he were to let them go, they would only return for revenge, an unnecessary problem that could be taken care of with their deaths. So the massacre continued, not stopping with just those on the beaches but the ships out at sea. The giants resumed their barrage while Ieros personally took part in the battle, creating gates that opened up on the pirate ships from which his stone soldiers flowed, slaughtering all before them.


    It was hardly noon when the once great coalition fleet lay at the bottom of the sea, sunk by either the giants¡¯ barrage or the stone soldiers breaking it apart by hand. The ocean was once again empty and the bloodsoaked beaches began to wash clean from the sea¡¯s ceaseless tides. As for the bodies of the pirates, Ieros devoured them all, first converting them into dark matter before he absorbed it. As he did so, he saw Death who cursed at him for adding thirty thousand souls to her already busy day. But he paid her no mind, instead preparing for to fight the austerians and to meet the unpleasant¡­ thing.


    Three days passed and Ieros still warned the locals that they should not return, for the invasion was not yet over. In that time, he was able to finish examining all of his specimens and since he could recreate them perfectly from memory, he devoured them. Once he had finished, he left the tower, taking a walk along the beaches which had been restored to their former beauty, partly due to the efforts of Ieros who just filled in the largest craters made by the cannons but the sea took care of the rest, the endless tide smoothing the sand into a flat surface. Finally, he stopped, standing on a particularly large rock that jutted out into the ocean.


    He stared off towards the horizon, noticing the that unpleasant presence drawing close some moments later. Sighing, he turned to face the source, surprised to see an extremely beautiful woman, her beauty bordering on that of the divine. For some reason, he had been unable to see her via magic so he imagined it to be some strange creature, possibly one that could be of danger to him. But this was far worse than some monster, it was clear that she was a person he should avoid tangling with. But as it was inevitable, he just bowed his head in greeting,


    ¡°Forgive me, I do not recognize you but I assume you a mage of great importance. What business does one such as yourself have at the Eastern Coasts?¡±


    Libidine replied, ¡°I am Archmage Libidine, Master of Illusions, I have come here to meet you, the genius who became a court mage at the tender age of fifteen. I also arrived to help you take care of the pirate raids that have been going on.¡±


    Ieros then said, ¡°The pirates have already been taken care of.¡±


    Seeming pleasantly surprised, Libidine asked, ¡°May I see proof?¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°Of course, Archmage.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°Please, you may call me by my name.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Very well then, Libidine, if you would follow me.¡±


    Ieros created one bubble for Libidine and one for himself, walking into the ocean while Libidine followed behind.


    Realizing that he had not given her a chance to get close to him, Libidine asked coyly, ¡°Why don¡¯t we share one bubble?¡±


    Ieros, without glancing at her, explained, ¡°Please understand that this is for my safety. I know that because of my youth, there are those that would seek to harm me. You may be one of them.¡±


    Libidinechuckled, almost mockingly ¡°How cautious.¡±


    Ieros replied briefly, "Too many have let down their guard against those they perceive to be beautiful, I do not intend to be one of them."


    Libidine noted his usage of, "they perceive" and was curious, but before she could ask,they reached the crest of a small hill and then she saw them. She beheld the wrecks of the countless ships that were once part of the pirate coalition fleet, their broken hulls lying on the ocean floor in all directions. It was eerie, to see all those still ships, their sails still moving with the current, yet to be encroached on by coral and sea life.


    Finally, she conceded, ¡°Well, it seems that you truly did defeat the pirates. But I won¡¯t be leaving yet, I would very much like to know you a little better, perhaps in a private room¡­¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°We can have a chat over tea at my mage tower. But be warned, all magic except my own shall be disabled within the perimeter of my tower. So if you wish to retain your magic, we can have this chat outside.¡±


    Libidine replied, ¡°Let us talk at the tower, I¡¯d like some shelter from the elements.¡±


    Ieros nodded and opened a gate before them, the water repelled from its black surface.


    He stood by its side and gestured, ¡°After you.¡±

 Chapter 32: Battle for the East Coast 3

    Libidine stepped through into lavish surroundings, somehow strangely familiar. She turned to mention this to Ieros only to find the rest of the room and no gate. She frowned and then took a look out the window, seeing the bustling capital of Morsad. Shock coursed through her body and finally, she cursed,


    ¡°That bastard!¡±


    Meanwhile, Ieros was busy preparing to meet the Austerian Fleet, creating a million stone soldiers that would be led by a thousand of his commander golems. They¡¯d each command a battalion of a thousand stone soldiers, the battalions composed of three hundred and thirty-four swordsmen, three hundred and thirty-three spearmen and three hundred and thirty-three archers. He also created ten generals, each commanding a hundred battalions. As these generals were special, he also gave them dragons of dark matter to ride on. But these dragons were diminutive when compared with the second Sentinel, although it had been commanded to hide for now.


    But creating the soldiers of stone was the easy part, he also had to create artificial souls for them so that they could move independently from him, although still loyal. So he relied on the template of the artificial souls that he had made earlier, adding the genius of Azemar to the generals¡¯ souls and giving the logical mind of Aldis to his commanders. For the army of stone, he merely reused the previous template of the artificial soul that he had used for his army of humans back at the Hollowed Pass. He could make more but his calculations have deemed that this amount was more than enough to deal with the enemy. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be interesting at all to destroy the enemy in an instant.


    When he was done, he thought of Libidine, it was unnecessary and unfortunate that she had come to meet him. He did not have the time to deal with both her and the Austerian Fleet so all he could do was to send her back. To ensure that she wouldn¡¯t come back, he made a barrier around the entirety of the East Coast that would repel her and her spies. Now that he had seen her with his own eyes, he would be able to pierce through her powerful illusion magic which also protected her spies. So he found all of the spies that she had planted and removed them from the premises of the coast.


    Now fully protected from unwanted eyes, he walked back to the tower, awaiting the arrival of the Austerian Fleet. Of course, his barrier could also block scrying so she or any other mage would not be able to spy on him from afar. He did not wish for the full extent of his powers to be known, doing so would put fear in the minds of the other mages and they may band together to destroy him. After simulating ten billion scenarios, Ieros calculated a seventeen percent chance of them succeeding in destroying his vessel. This was no small chance and thus it was something he wished to avoid, he wanted to keep this vessel for as long as possible as it was the strongest vessel that he currently possessed.


    Of course, it itself would not be destroyed, although it would have to kill all the mages in order to keep its identity safe. It had no wish to tangle with the Luxian Theocracy, Light may prove to be very detrimental to his mission. Suddenly, his thoughts were disrupted by an illusion of Libidine which stood before him, arms crossed.


    She angrily demanded, ¡°What the hell did you do?¡±


    Ieros looked at her calmly and said, ¡°I can¡¯t afford to deal with you, there is something far larger that demands my attention.¡±


    He waved his hand and the illusion was dissipated, Libidine not given the chance to speak. He made sure that the barrier could now block long-distance communication magic and now, in peace, he waited.


    Back at the palace, Libidine was fuming and immediately set out to meet him face to face, using magic to speed up the process to one day. But, she wasn¡¯t the only one speeding up, the Austerian Fleet, having heard the reports of the Avem that land wasn¡¯t too far away as well as the fact that the West was beginning to reinforce itself, commanded the Loquimi to make the sky turtles go faster. They too would arrive in about a day. Ieros was unconcerned, he had already made all of his preparations as well as analyze the strategy the enemy was going to use. This battle was not one where he was going to hold back, he wanted the Austerian Empire to fear the West, to fear him. That way he would be assured that they would not come again to tamper with his observations in Occasus.


    While he thought of this, the Austerian Fleet drew closer, one of the elites communicating back with the Emperor,


    ¡°Sire, we will soon reach Occasus a day from now.¡±


    The Emperor replied, ¡°Oh? Was it not three days from now?¡±


    The elite replied, ¡°Well I and my comrades have simply gotten too impatient, besides, our scouts have seen the defenses of the West and it seems that they know of our arrival, having already amassed an army of a million to defend the coast. So we thought that it would be best to hurry before they could get more numbers.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, ¡°A wise decision. I look forward to hearing about your success.¡±


    Suddenly, there was a strange sound over the communication and the Emperor said, ¡°Well thank you for the report but there is something else that demands my attention.¡±


    The elite bowed but the connection had already been cut. He sighed but other than that, he didn¡¯t complain, he didn¡¯t dare to. The Emperor was¡­ Suddenly, the elite unsheathed his claws, there was something in the room with him. His fur was tensed and he let loose a menacing growl but of course, nothing answered him. Then he caught movement in the corner of his eye and he whirled around, now seeing a shadowy form of a human. He immediately slashed at it but of course, his claws only met thin air. The shadow then chuckled, a disembodied voice filling the room.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Foolish mortal, one cannot harm the shadows with such attacks.¡±


    The elite growled, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The shadow answered, ¡°I am the servant of the Shard. I have come here to relay a message on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°The Shard?¡±


    The shadow continued, ignoring his question, ¡°If you do not wish to incur the wrath of the Dark One¡¯s Chosen, you would do well to turn back. But if you do move forward, do not expect mercy. Your mighty army shall fall before the Shard of the Eternal One.¡±


    The elite angrily retorted, ¡°Tell your Shard this, in the name of the Emperor, he will fall and by my hand, he will die.¡±


    The shadow chuckled, ¡°You may succeed in killing his vessel, but his true form you cannot hope to even touch.¡±


    The shadowy figure melted with the other shadows, the elite alone in the room once more. It was silent for a few moments more until the communication crystal burst to life, the nine other elites all speaking about a shadowy figure which had each visited their private quarters. This was hurriedly relayed to the Emperor who was shown a recording of the conversations. He mused for a moment, wondering just who it was that called itself the Shard. But as there was nothing left to be said, the Emperor dismissed the elites, telling them that their original mission still stood, to conquer the Western Continent.


    The elites bowed and cut off their communication crystals. Meanwhile, the Emperor returned his attention to his concubines, although he glanced at the shadows in his throne room before laughing at himself. Still, that did not stop him from ordering his servants to bring in more lights, after all, it didn¡¯t hurt to be careful.


    A day has passed and Ieros stood on the balcony of his tower, ready to meet the enemy. As he sighted the enemy just over the horizon, he felt a disturbance at the barrier, it seems that Libidine had finally arrived. He paid her no mind, instead focused on the mighty sky turtles, eager to study them once the fighting was done. Oh, what wonders lay beneath that thick shell? Just how did those magnificent creatures stay in the air? Of course, this was a rhetorical question, he already knew that there were organs which separated hydrogen from oxygen but the question was how. He was eager to learn this mystery, for Darkness would surely be curious to see how Life evolved since his slumber.


    Of course, those insignificant creatures that infested the tops of the sky turtles¡¯ shells were also of interest but there were literally millions of them to study so they were not as important. He may have to keep a few of the sky turtles alive for study, perhaps even all of them, perhaps he may even personally map out their anatomy by walking through their veins and arteries, they were certainly large enough for him to do so. Yes¡­ a break from war would be nice for a change. Just dedicating one¡¯s self to analyzing unusual specimens instead of observing the ever-changing aspects of war. But first, he would have to win this battle.


    His thoughts were soon disrupted by a sudden overcast, it was the shadow of the flock of Avem, their sheer numbers blocking out the sunlight. Ieros, displeased at this interruption, raised his hand and pointed at the enemy. Receiving his telepathic command, the generals commanded their archer units to fire, three hundred thirty-three thousand stone arrows flying into the sky. Ieros also decided to take part of this battle, channeling energy into the mage tower which emitted black chain lightning from the crystal that adorned its top, zapping the nearest Avem and branching out to another victim.


    Soon, the Avem retreated, having sustained hundreds of thousands of losses. But that was only a fraction of their true numbers and it was not like his forces had gone without losses either, the Avem that survived the hail of arrows were able to drop broken pieces of the sky turtles¡¯ shed scales upon his troops, the velocity destroying hundreds of his stone soldiers. But as a whole, he still had roughly nine hundred and forty thousand troops remaining, his losses weren¡¯t too bad. So he settled down and waited for the Austerians to make their move, the mage tower sniping any Avem scouts that came near.


    But the attack was not yet over, only the first wave. Soon the Crimex made their move, spreading their insect-wings and taking flight. An incessant buzzing filled the air as they rose and began to block out the sun, the sky black. Once more, arrows flew up into the air, Ieros¡¯s tower shooting out chain lightning while the ten dragons flew through the air, breathing a dark mist which rendered any Crimex unlucky to be hit by it to fall to the ground lifeless. But the horde didn¡¯t end and eventually was able to overcome the arrows, falling upon the infantry which set about slaughtering them.


    They tried to swarm the dragons but the generals atop them kept the dragons¡¯ wings clear. The tower remained untouched as there was an invisible perimeter around the tower which disintegrated any Crimex unfortunate to cross. But getting tired of this, it was only swarm tactics, Ieros personally took part in the battle. Yes, to destroy the enemy in an instant wasn¡¯t interesting but neither were swarm tactics. He would force the enemy to use different strategy but to do that, he would have to get rid of these pests. So he stood on the balcony of the tower, watching the Crimex futilely trying to kill him only to disintegrate into dust once they passed the perimeter.


    He then held out his right hand, a sphere of dark matter materializing beside it. He then pointed and a spear suddenly sprang from the sphere, stabbing into a Crimex. But it did not stop there, from the point which protruded from the Crimex¡¯s back, two more spears branched out from the original point, each piercing a Crimex. It continued to branch out with tremendous speed until in twenty minutes, all Crimex were connected by some strange tree made of darkness. It was an eerie sight, the corpses of the Crimex dangling limply from the branches of a tree whose size dwarfed even that of the sky turtles. He then withdrew his hand, the Tree of Darkness seeming to reverse its sudden growth, retreating to a single sphere before that too shrank in size until it disappeared.


    The corpses of the Crimex fell but as they hit the ground, they were absorbed by the shadows they cast, most being dissolved into dark matter but a few hundred being taken for study. But in order to keep up with the act that he was human and also to encourage the Austerians to continue their attack, he had sped up the aging process of his vessel, making him seem like an old man with flowing hair and beard that had been bleached silver with age. His back now had a slight arch and his skin was wrinkled. He shakily raised his hand and a stone servant moved to help him back in the tower.


    Of course, this did not escape the notice of the elites which were carefully watching the battle. They saw how the Crimex were wiped out but also saw how it had taken a toll on the mage, seemingly having taken a major portion of his lifespan. They admired his dedication to defend the West, for the first time they thought that they may have underestimated these savages of the West. But they still had the Ursus and the Avem, they could still win, although they couldn¡¯t rely on the swarm tactics of the Crimex. But that was no matter, the Crimex had completed their mission, to weaken the enemy. Now it was time for the Ursus to fight, to utterly and completely crush the enemy.

 Chapter 33: Battle for the East Coast 4

    There were no more attacks for that day, the Austerians had to rethink their entire battle strategy, they couldn¡¯t afford to make any mistakes as they no longer had the cushion of the Crimex to fall upon. They were also wary, they had seen the large-scale magic that the mage had wrought and even though it seemed highly unlikely that he would be unable to do so again, they couldn¡¯t risk it. But they were surprised, to think that the savages of the West had been able to manipulate acror, their word for mana or energy. And not only did this savage use acror, it was the strangest and purest acror they had ever come across.


    Unlike humans, they could see acror and usually, it is the color white but often tainted with the colors of a person¡¯s Life energy. But what the acror they saw Ieros wield was pure black acror, not white smothered in black, the acror itself was black. It was also untainted, an impossibility as pure acror being one¡¯s acror was a thing which defied the laws of the universe as these mortals defined them. Acror needs a vessel in which to act, therefore it would be tainted by a living thing. This mage, it was as if he produced his own acror. Thus, he became a source of interest and of course, they reported him to the Emperor, showing him a recording of the strange acror he wielded.


    The Emperor was intrigued, so much so that he even commanded the elites to capture the mage alive, if at all possible. The Emperor wished to speak with the mage, to find out just how this savage was able to control pure acror. The elites bowed, vowing to carry out the Emperor¡¯s command. So with doubled efforts, they created a new battle plan which surely wouldn¡¯t fail. It was a plan which first involved the sky turtles. They would fly over the defending army, dropping its excess scales and crushing the archery units. Once they were taken care of, the Avem would be free to carry the Ursus down and support them, although the mage¡¯s Tower would still be free to attack.


    But the firepower that it possessed could only be considered a nuisance, as the chain lightning only takes out ten per shot. Besides, once the army was taken care of, they could then focus on the Tower and figure how to destroy it. After all, no barrier could last forever, especially with the mage weakened as he was. So once this plan had been decided on, the elites commanded the Loquimi to position the sky turtles over the army and the Ursus to begin pushing the excess scales over the edge of the turtle¡¯s shell and onto the enemy. It worked, gigantic scales the size of small meteors crashing into the stone army, crushing not only archer units but many of the infantry. When the barrage was over, only three hundred thousand stone units still stood.


    The tower had returned fire, however, vaporizing any scales that fell toward it as well as wounding a nearby sky turtle¡¯s right flipper, rendering it useless. There were roughly six hundred commanders left and of course the ten dragon generals which had taken to the air, combatting the Avem which were taking off from the sky turtles. But ten against three hundred fifty thousand were not enough to stop them and while a force of fifty thousand split off to keep them busy, the rest carried the Ursus to the ground, dropping them off at the height of ten feet.


    The Ursus and the stone troops met for the first time, the Ursus using their great strength to smash the soldiers to pieces while the stone troops, underneath the leadership of the commander golems, killed them with unerring teamwork. But even with perfect synergy, the stone troops could not stand against the might of the Ursus, their numbers dwindling although they did not go without a fight. It had been five hours since the attack and it was now nearing noon, seventy thousand stone troops and five hundred commander golems remaining. On the Austerian side, of the four hundred thousand Ursus that had been deployed, a hundred thousand had been killed.


    They were obviously soldiers of greater caliber and seeing this, Ieros contemplated using a stone imitation of them for future battles. Eventually, he tossed the idea, he had to remember to limit himself, to create an all-powerful army wouldn¡¯t allow him to learn as much as he could. So he relaxed in his tower, wondering if he should purposely lose, to speak with the Austerian Emperor would certainly be an enlightening experience. But he decided against it, he had all the time in the world to visit this emperor, he did not have to do it now.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor stopped using Ieros¡¯s body as a vessel and took command of the Second Sentinel, condensing its body into a crystalline form. It had succeeded in creating dark matter but it was so dense that the size was no larger than a human¡¯s heart. As for its appearance, it was like a piece of crystal that had been broken off a larger piece, fitting in with the name Shard, which the Surveyor thus named it. But as this form was not optimal for interaction with mortals, it then created a body around the shard, a black, transparent humanoid form with the dark crystal as its core. While this was happening, the remaining stone troops took formation around it. To preserve its stone troops, the Surveyor extended the barrier of the tower to encompass all of the stone army for he knew that not even they would be able to withstand a continuous barrage.


    It expected the enemy to lay siege to its tower and it was right, the elites gave the order to retreat roughly two miles from the tower. The reason for doing so was that the Ursus would eventually tire, to get out of the range of the tower and the arrival of the Shard had not escaped the notice of the elites. It was best that they gather more information on this new variable before engaging it. But they were not at all worried, after all, they too had a trump card. A captured Saurian and not just any Saurian, but one of the ruling class Saurians, the Giganotosaurus.


    This one possessed the Acror of Fire, which made it especially hard to defeat but through the sacrifice of many Crimex, they were able to capture it. Of course, controlling it was hard as it needed the strength of five Loquimi, the Giganotosaurus¡¯s mind so powerful that it could overwhelm the mind of a single Loquimi. This was no small feat, the Loquimi¡¯s most fearsome weapon was their mind and as such, it had to be very powerful. This was also another reason why Auster had not yet invaded the Saurians, they could resist the Loquimi and could even kill them, the stress of the mind too much on the Loquimi¡¯s frail bodies.


    But with the combined might of five Loquimi, they were able to command the Saurian, to defeat the enemy. Their reasoning was simple, if they as a superior race had to expend so much strength in defeating the Giganotosaurus, it would be nigh impossible for this barbaric race. But they kept a tight leash on their trump card, they couldn''t afford to make a mistake handling it. If it were to escape from its chains, the sky turtle in which it was imprisoned would be lost. Its shell would not be able to stand against the hellish fires which the Saurian wielded, it would fall to the ground as a flaming meteor, exploding as the flames ignited the gas stomach.


    This of course really did happen, which did delay the invasion force as they needed to procure another sky turtle and to replace the units lost. But it was not a huge loss when one considered the resources at Auster¡¯s command. After all, it was an empire which controlled half of Ortus, which was no small continent. If one was to compare it to one of Earth¡¯s continents, it would be of similar size to Russia. Truly a force to be feared, given enough time and without the Surveyor¡¯s interference, they would have conquered the world.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    This was still very much possible, but not now, the Surveyor would not allow them to interfere with its observations. After all, it still needed to live its life as Ieros. But its next life could be that of a slave under the Austerian Empire, that could prove to be very interesting. It had seen slaves and observed them countless times before, how humans would capture others and force them to do menial labor for them, sometimes these slaves being other humans. Truly an interesting race, to enslave others of their own kind for things that they do not want to do. Quite fascinating really, these creatures who do not even respect themselves.


    Then there were the monsters, the most powerful of which were the Austerians, who practiced slavery as well. It seems that along with the boons intelligence can bring, it also brings a curse. To bring Progress requires sacrifice and to achieve it, these mortals sacrificed themselves, the ¡°superior¡± building a golden age upon a foundation made of countless corpses of the ¡°inferior¡±. The sacrifice of many for a few. Of course, the Surveyor could understand why they did so, the ¡°inferior¡± had no place in society for they would not provide anything to better it. Their only use would be to further the accomplishments of their betters, to be the foundation upon which Progress can stand and grow upon.


    But of course, these mercurial mortals also fight amongst themselves on this, saying that all Life is precious and even if it is to stop progress, they should protect Life. How strange, these exact people who enslaved each other also proved to be their own salvation. It was bizarre to Ieros, that these creatures fought amongst one another, one half taking the side of logic and the other taking the side of irrationality. The logical argued how sacrifices must be made to usher in a golden age but the irrational rejected the price that must be paid to bring forth Progress. It was an argument between Logic and Emotion, one that had not reached an end, even though it started around the time the war between Light and Night began.


    But the Surveyor¡¯s philosophical thoughts were interrupted by a sudden explosion. The Surveyor turned to look for the source, seeing a few more elemental attacks flying through the air before they smashed ineffectively against its barrier. It seemed that the Ursus had taken up a perimeter around the tower and a few acror-users were firing upon the tower, seeking to weaken the barrier. The Surveyor paid it no mind, it was not of an immediate threat. It just commanded the tower to return fire although the enemy blocked it with barriers of their own. It did glance up at the display with the human equivalent of a face but it then returned its attention to the enemy base before it. It then remained still, its body of dark crystal blending in with the darkness of night.


    Only when the day came did it move, walking forward as the remaining stone troops fell into formation with it at the center, the front line positioning their spears right out in front or drawing their blades to meet the Ursus¡¯s charge. But now the army was under its direct command, the entire army effectively acting as the Surveyor¡¯s body. So with perfect synergy and with its omniscient abilities, it fought against the Ursus who charged, the Ursus suffering more losses than with the first encounter. The elites were quick to figure out that the strange dark thing was the reason for this and ordered the acror-users to fire upon it. But the creature raised its left hand and a large shield of dark matter appeared, devouring the attacks and strengthening it.


    It then reciprocated those same attacks, only black or grey in color. Bleached fire and lightning struck back at the enemy who barely were able to erect a barrier to defend themselves. But other than that, the Dark Golem, as it was named by the Austerians, did nothing else, only counter-attacking and commanding the stone army. Eventually, the elites gave the command to stop attacking it and to only focus on the stone army. They would deal with the Dark Golem once the nuisances around it were eliminated. So the elemental acror was then directed towards the stone troops, destroying many.


    Seeing as this was now the case, the Shard abruptly changed tactics, having his army split up into small groups of five which branched out and mingled with the Ursus, preventing the mages from firing upon them for fear of hitting their comrades. But the attack power of the stone army was greatly diminished and the Ursus began to wipe them out. Eventually, only the ten generals and the Shard remained, peerless foes to the Ursus and Avem. The Shard looked at the ten generals and praised itself for a moment, it had truly done well in creating them. As for the dragons, they were still flying in the air keeping the Avem busy, living up to their name as the rulers of the sky.


    Meanwhile, the elites had decided to step on the battlefield. The Ursus were being slaughtered and were simply useless, they themselves would have to participate in the battle. Besides, how long had it been since they met opponents worthy of their strength. Upon their order, the Ursus retreated. The Dark Golem then pointed at them, the ten generals walking to meet the elites. Each of the elites introduced themselves only to be met by silence. At first, they thought that the generals were being rude but now that they were closer, they saw that the generals were not alive. They already knew that these things weren¡¯t human or monster, but seeing only shadow where their faces should have been was quite unsettling.


    That and there was the silence, they did not speak, did not breath, there wasn¡¯t even a heart beat. They were also permeated in the same dark acror Ieros possessed, a literal shadow in their acror-sight. But before they could think further on the subject, the generals attacked, the elites having some hard time defending before they got used to the attacks. But once they got into stride, they then had fierce smiles on their faces, for it was a rare occasion for them to draw their blades, usually, they relied upon their claws and steel-like fur in combat. They had weapons of course, but these were weapons of acror, personally forged by Fornax, a race whose skill in smithing was far superior to that of the dwarves.


    These weapons of acror were powerful, for the powers of the elements were sealed within them, unleashed when the wielder channeled acror through them. Their durability was also nigh unbreakable, although once meeting a blade that was of equal or greater strength, it would begin to chip. That was soon the case, as the elites furiously hacked away at the generals whose impeccable defense blocked every strike with their sword. But, one general fell as its opponent possessed great piercing power, his gauntleted fist punching through its chest.


    The fallen general then dissipated into black smoke, as well as its equipment. Its steed, the dragon, also dissipated in black smoke. This was now the turning point, for seeing how the elite defeated the general, the others began to imitate his attack, destroying the generals with a force that was powerful enough to shatter dark matter. This of course was due to the help of the acror weapons, for it was said that these weapons were able to slay gods. When the last one was defeated, they surrounded the Dark Golem which stood still. But as they prepared to attack, its suddenly moved at a speed so fast that they couldn¡¯t react.


    It appeared before one of the elites, having already grabbed her by the throat and lifting her in the air. The other elites struck but their attacks were ineffective, the Dark Golem simply ignored them as it began to drain the life out of her. Eventually, an elite who possessed a sword with the light acror was able to slice through the arm that was choking her, saving her and wounding the Dark Golem. The limb fell to the ground before turning into a shadow that soon crawled across the floor and merging with the Dark Golem, the arm regenerating. It looked at its arm and then at the elite with the sword, a sword of darkness manifesting in its right hand. It then pointed its sword at the elite, an unmistakable challenge.


    The elite was surprised before an excited grin spread itself across his face. Truly, this was an opponent which he could go all out on.

 Chapter 34: Battle for the East Conclusion

    The elite introduced himself, ¡°I am Zokor, wielder of Light Acror.¡±


    The dark golem was silent at first, finally speaking in a voice that indicated countless eons of existence, ¡°I am the Shard, proxy of the Eternal One.¡±


    That sent a chill up the spines of all the gathered elites, the memory of that thing which had visited them was still vivid in their minds.


    Zokor then asked, ¡°You, were you summoned by the mage?¡±


    The Shard replied, ¡°The mage is one of the Eternal¡¯s Chosen which I have been commanded to serve. He has commanded for your deaths so do not expect mercy.¡±


    Zokor upon hearing that laughed, ¡°Mercy!? The one who will be needing mercy is you!¡±


    So saying he charged, his sword which was wreathed in golden acror. It was stopped by the Sword of Darkness, the two auras clashing fiercely, ripples of raw acror being unleashed. But while Zokor appeared to be straining with all of his strength, the Shard just simply stood there, as if not registering the impressive amount of strength behind Zokor¡¯s attack.


    Once Zokor¡¯s momentum ran out, the Shard then counterattacked, pushing back Zokor with a simple flick of its wrist. Doing so nearly launching Zokor¡¯s blade out of his hands, although the golden acror had latched the sword to his hand and arm, forming a gauntlet of golden light. The Shard then slashed, a crescent moon of black slicing its way towards Zokor. Zokor blocked, matching the strike so he canceled out the attack but the Shard took advantage of this, closing in and slashing. Once more, Zokor blocked but the Shard didn¡¯t stop, his momentum was unstoppable. Zokor who was at first excited began to despair. All he could do was block even though the Shard was just casually swinging its blade while walking at a medium pace.


    The elites tried to intervene but they were stopped by Zokor¡¯s pride, ¡°Stop! I shall finish this fight alone!¡±


    The Shard had not stopped attacking while Zokor said this, its strikes unforgiving as Zokor¡¯s stamina weakened with each successful block. He tried to dodge but it was still not possible. The Shard¡¯s attacks, although seeming casual, were still too fast for him to afford to dodge as doing so would result in his immediate death. The only way for him to survive was to continue blocking. Suddenly the Shard stopped attacking and then held its sword at its side.


    It then bowed its head, ¡°Forgive me, it seems that I have overestimated your strength. I shall immediately recalibrate so this fight is more fair.¡±


    Zokor was stunned, his shock slowly turning into anger as he returned on the offensive, shouting, ¡°Don¡¯t mock me!¡±


    But the Shard blocked all of his attacks, although it seemed as if it had a harder time doing so. Of course, this was its recalibration at work, it had already limited itself so it would get more meaningful data. It was preferred that Zokor showed all of his strength and technique before it killed him. But soon, Zokor¡¯s momentum faded and it was the Shard¡¯s turn to attack. But of course, Zokor could more easily defend the attacks and after a time, the Shard¡¯s momentum faded and it was Zokor¡¯s turn once again.


    Eventually, in this trade of blows, Zokor managed to get in a strike, hitting the Shard¡¯s transparent flesh and causing a wound. But unlike before, it did not heal and Zokor was filled with a rush of hope, perhaps he did have a chance of victory. With boosted morale, he ferociously hacked away the Shard¡¯s defense. But this was all in vain, the Shard was once again limiting itself so that it would be ¡°wounded¡±. But Zokor¡¯s momentum once again faded as he ran out of stamina. The Shard attacked but this time, it acted as if the wound was hampering it. It was able to do so from the data it had collected on the battles of the Hollowed Pass and the Serisian Invasion, it knew how to perfectly imitate an injured person.


    The elites that were tense at first relaxed, they felt that Zokor¡¯s victory was assured. But the Shard continued to endure Zokor¡¯s attacks, finally forcing Zokor to use his trump card.


    He congratulated the Shard on doing so, ¡°Congratulations, you are the first to have ever forced me to go this far in a fight to the death. Consider yourself fortunate.¡±


    He then raised his sword high and spoke, ¡°Oh Acror of Light, bless this unworthy one with a fraction of your power.¡±


    Then energy began to gather in his blade, which in turn flowed into his body, armor of white light appearing around him. He then slashed down on the Shard, a massive crescent blade of white energy slashing down upon the Shard. The Shard stood still, making no attempt to block it. In order to learn, its body would have to experience the attack full on so that it could replicate it. Then the attack hit it and an explosion hid it from view, the earth around him erupting into chaos. When the dust finally settled, the Shard¡¯s body still stood, well, the two pieces of it.


    It had been sliced almost in half, the slash just missing its core. Zokor then fell to a knee, breathing hard, all of his acror used up in order to control Light¡¯s Acror. The elites were smiling, they began to congratulate Zokor when Zokor¡¯s face suddenly tensed, he was looking at the Shard. They turned to look as well and saw that it was already whole once more.


    It bowed to Zokor, saying, ¡°Thank you, your data was most interesting.¡±


    It then appeared before him before any of the elites could stop him, its blade held to Zokor¡¯s neck.


    It said, ¡°Do not worry, your data shall be remembered for all of eternity.¡±


    So saying, it slashed, Zokor¡¯s head toppling from his shoulders and hitting the ground. His body soon followed and the Shard turned to the other elites, asking, ¡°Who is next?¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIllenia¡ª


    I watched in disbelief and horror as Zokor¡¯s head fell to the ground, he was dead. But, he couldn¡¯t be¡­ He was the strongest of us all! He couldn¡¯t die! The others saw the look in my eyes and tried to stop me but I tossed them aside, roaring my grief as my claws unsheathed and I charged, stone armor appearing over my vitals and reinforcing my paws as gauntlets. I then threw a punch and the Thing just took it without doing anything. I hit it a few more times before it stepped back into a black rectangle, appearing fifteen feet away. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Its sword then melted back into its arm and it took a stance as if it knew martial arts. This enraged me, it was mocking me just like Zokor! I charged once more and we exchanged blows, although I soon began to wonder just what this Thing was. Its martial arts was almost impeccable, just like its swordsmanship, it managed to block my blows although with slight trouble and was able to counterattack with such strength that it forced me to either dodge or deflect. But it seemed my attacks weren¡¯t doing too much against it, my stone acror excelled in physical damage but not elemental. This¡­ Thing seemed like it could only be defeated by elemental magic, like Zokor¡¯s light acror.


    I then saw Zokor¡¯s sword and retreating, I grabbed it. The light acror burned but I pleaded mentally, ¡°Please, just this once, let me use your power so I can get revenge for Zokor!¡±


    The sword seemed to acquiesce and suddenly, it didn¡¯t burn anymore, instead filling my body with power. The Thing was still but as I looked through my acror-sight, I saw that its acror began to darken in color. From the fight with Zokor, I knew that this meant it was getting stronger. I was then filled with a cold fear, just how strong was this thing? It had taken Zokor¡¯s most powerful technique and seemed to have recovered fully from it.


    Of course, I knew that in order to destroy it, I would probably have to destroy that core but the problem was that it just defended itself too well, I couldn¡¯t get in an attack which could harm its core. But with Zokor¡¯s sword, hopefully, this could change. I may be able to pierce through its defense.


    The Thing then spoke, ¡°How interesting, you too shall be remembered for eternity.¡±


    I shouted, ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care about that!¡±


    It then cocked its head curiously, ¡°Your emotions blind your judgment, it is understandable, you have lost someone that is precious to you. But this is necessary, I cannot have you interfering with Chosen One¡¯s work.¡±


    I didn¡¯t reply, only attacking more fiercely, the sword cutting shallow gashes on the Thing¡¯s arms which it used to defend. It didn¡¯t use its sword however, it seemed that it needed time in order to manifest such weapons. I was then determined not to give it the time, I had the advantage and all I had to do was use it. But eventually, I couldn¡¯t keep up my attack as it ate up too much of my stamina and I was forced to stop. The Thing then started its own attack, raining down blows upon my defense. I channeled acror through the earth to create multiple stone walls but the Thing just smashed through them as if it wasn¡¯t there, although it did preoccupy it, buying me some time.


    I was able to catch a breather, recovering what little stamina I could before I was forced to go on the defensive again. I managed to deflect his blows with some more ease, allowing me to recover. At first, I was glad but then I began to suspect, I knew that this Thing was far stronger than this, it shouldn¡¯t be this weak, even if I had wounded it. I managed to deflect a strike and I threw a punch, hitting it square in the chest, knocking it back slightly.


    I then demanded, ¡°You are stronger than this, why do you pretend to be weak?¡±


    It then stood, its faceless head seeming to stare at me, ¡°Because if I were to use more strength than I am right now, you would die. I can¡¯t let such a specimen perish so quickly.¡±


    I grew angry but I soon conquered it, this was what it wanted.


    I growled, despite myself, ¡°Is that all you think of us, what you thought of Zokor!? How dare you, I will kill you!¡±


    The Thing once more cocked its head, a black horizontal crescent appearing where a mouth would be, it was smiling.


    Its head then straightened and it asked, ¡°What will you do? Will you give in to your hatred, or will you stay calm?¡±


    Those words made me snap once more and this time, I wasn¡¯t able to stop it, roaring as I stabbed the sword in its core.


    But the sword came to a jarring stop, it was as if I had stabbed an adamantium wall. I looked on in shock as the sword promptly shattered, the core still whole. I then understood with growing despair that Zokor didn¡¯t miss, he simply didn¡¯t do enough damage.


    I fell to my knees, in shock, barely hearing the words that the Thing spoke, ¡°How unfortunate, it seems that your full potential shall not be unlocked just yet. But you must die. But allow me to thank you first, your data was most fascinating.¡±


    I then looked up at the Thing¡¯s blank face, hypnotized by the darkness which seemed to draw me inward. It then outstretched its hand and placed its thumb on my forehead, a cold sensation flowing from that point throughout the rest of my body. It soon passed and it drew back its hand. I then saw it create its sword, the same dark blade which had killed Zokor. I then closed my eyes, embracing the darkness that would soon be my eternity. Zokor, I¡¯m coming¡­


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Shard finished reliving the last memories of Illenia, having already relived all the others as it had fought all of them simultaneously, separating them each into different dimensions and fighting them with nine versions of itself. In each one, they all grabbed for Zokor¡¯s sword but only Illenia was able to use it. She had caught its interest, it may be useful to revive her later in the future. But it would think on these things when it had the luxury, now it had to deal with the Saurian.


    The Loquimi had watched the battle afar with their telepathy and seeing the defeat of the elites, they decided that they no longer had anything to lose, sending forth the Saurian. Meanwhile, the Ursus and Avem were in pandemonium, they had lost their leaders and order was quickly lost. It was the perfect moment for the shadows to arrive, slaughtering the enemy which couldn¡¯t even fight back, shadows of various creatures¡ªsuch as bears, mountain lions, wolves and more¡ªdecimating the Ursus with ease while the shadow dragons casually massacred the Avem in the sky.


    The Saurian meanwhile was left alone, as it was fighting to recover control of its body once more. The Loquimi, their minds distracted by the loss of the elites were unable to exert the power they usually could and it took all ten to hold down the Saurian. While they were doing this, the Shard was busy analyzing the sky turtles, the great beasts feeling a cold sensation pass throughout their entire body. This caused them to shudder, disrupting the concentration of the Loquimi which allowed the Saurian to break free.


    The Giganotosaurus roared as its mind broke free from the control of the Loquimi, the backlash killing all but one of the Loquimi, although she was close to death. The Shard immediately put her into stasis, halting Time on her body so that she would not die. Meanwhile, the Giganotosaurus continued to roar, its fiery acror turning the sky turtle into a meteor as it fell to earth, exploding in midair as the fire reached its gas stomach. The resulting detonation emitted a shockwave, knocking down trees as well as killing any living thing within a mile radius.


    The Shard was unconcerned, it could repair the damage so all it did was watch as the Saurian emerged from the blasted and burnt corpse of the sky turtle, rampaging as it let its rage flow unchecked. It was busy collecting data, although it would have to conduct a body analysis later once it was dead or at least sedated. But for now, it examined the fire acror that it wielded, adding it to Ieros¡¯s repertoire of magic spells. He could make regular fire but a Saurian¡¯s inferno is much more powerful than ordinary flame. Its rampage continued for five full days, much of the East Coast rendered into blackened stone and ash, a testament to the strength of the Saurians. The Shard then made its move once the Saurian had calmed down, appearing before the mighty Saurian who was wreathed in ruby-red flames.


    Standing before the magnificent Giganotosaurus, the Shard asked, ¡°What is your name?¡±

 Chapter 35: Taking Care of Business

    The descendant of dragons looked down upon the Shard, its eyes now clear and intelligent, no longer a creature ruled by anger. It studied the dark thing before it, noticing that the energy that this being emanated was something that it never encountered, it had faced beings that possessed a similar energy but not one that was as pure and powerful as this creature. It sensed that it could not afford to make an enemy of this thing so it replied with respect, although it kept its head held high,


    ¡°This one¡¯s name is Orreis, the Bringer of Fire.¡±


    The Shard bowed its head, ¡°It is an honor to stand before you, oh Bringer of Fire. I am called the Surveyor, the Shard of the Eternal One.¡±


    Orreis looked at the destruction she had wrought and although she loathed doing so, she apologized, ¡°This one apologizes for bringing destruction to your land, even though you were not responsible for my imprisonment.¡±


    The Shard shook its head, ¡°There is no need for you to apologize, Bringer of Fire. It was an honor to witness your magnificence as you brought forth the Essence of Fire. Besides, the damage you wrought is not unrepairable.¡±


    To demonstrate, the Shard waved its hand and a wave of darkness engulfed the entirety of the East Coast, Libidine seeing this although she was unable to see the destruction. The Surveyor had made it so that the barrier not only prevented access but also acted as an illusion, making it seem as if the East Coast was the same as it always was. But this was soon to be unnecessary as everything touched by the wave of darkness was restored, it was like nothing had happened.


    Orreis looked at what the Shard had done with shock, it could never have imagined that the damage its fires brought could be so easily fixed. Her fires left lands scarred forever, nature unable to heal the damage. It could not be put out once it started, it would only disappear if she was to will it. The dark wave had also passed over her and it healed the wounds that she had suffered from her capture.


    She then bowed her head to the Shard and thanked it, ¡°This one thanks you.¡±


    The Shard then bowed its head, ¡°It was a pleasure, it would have been a shame to let one such as yourself die. But you cannot stay here any longer, the humans grow nearer and should they discover you, you shall be hunted.¡±


    Orreis stood to her full height and roared, saying once she finished, ¡°I do not fear being hunted!¡±


    The Shard then bowed its head, as if in apology, ¡°You do not have a choice.¡±


    Offended, she roared angrily and charged, unable to stop herself as a black rectangle appeared in front of her. She fully expected to smash into the dark wall but was confused when she hit nothing. She quickly turned around but the gate had gone, all that lay behind her were the mountains that separated Auster from the land of the Saurians. She was perplexed but soon put it out of her mind, the Saurians were a simple race after all. They only care about the result, not how the result came to be. All that mattered was that she was back home and that was that. She looked around for a few moments more before snorting, a puff of flame emitting from her nose.


    She then turned and began to make her way home. The others of her clan had most likely not noticed her absence, after all, she often disappeared for hunting trips that lasted for months on end. She would probably have to make a kill and bring it back, to return empty-handed would be an insult to her name. The strange being she had met was soon forgotten and the Surveyor which was watching her drew back. It did not want for her to spread word of its existence so it tampered slightly with her memories, it was rather easy because the Saurians were, of course, a simple race. They were more concerned with things that they understand rather than things out of their control.


    Anyways, with that problem taken care of, it returned itself into the body of Ieros who then claimed the core of the Shard, making a simple silver chain for it and wearing it. He, of course, had access to the power the core would bring. It would also make his disguise as a human mage that more perfect, as most mages often have some sort of item such as a staff, amulet or ring to help channel their mana. This would be his item, although its appearance could be worked on to be more visually appealing.


    Then realizing that his appearance was still that of an old man, he reverted to his original appearance, appearing as an old man would only raise unnecessary questions. Once he had done so, he then went on to clean up the battlefield, to make it seem as if nothing had happened. The corpses of the millions of Ursus and Avem were all converted into dark matter and the sky turtles were temporarily moved into a separate dimension, although they would be content there. The dimension had plenty of food and water for them and there were no predators.


    The Loquimi he imprisoned in his tower, Time still stopped on her body. He would wake her when he had the time to conduct a full study. But now it was time to deal with Libidine and the King, for she had returned to the capital to report his strange actions. Ieros meanwhile took down the barrier and let the people return to their homes, the people thanking Ieros for what he had done. He said that it was nothing, that he was only serving the King. But to keep up relations with the villagers, he attended the celebration that they held in his honor, listening to the music, accepting various gifts from the villagers and even dancing. When night fell, he provided some small-scale magical displays which lit up the dark sky and causing children to squeal with excitement.


    But he soon retired to his tower, blessing all the villages with good harvests for a year, using his power to fill their farmland with nutrients and to make their plants bountiful and healthy. He then busied himself studying the Ursus and Avem in the two days of calm before the King and Libidine would arrive. He sighed, truly unnecessary but he had already prepared to deal with this, he had done so the moment he met Libidine. Two days passed rather quickly, and he sensed the approach of the King and Libidine.


    In order to be polite, he walked out of his tower to meet them, bowing his head as the carriage and escort pulled up. His new amulet glittered darkly, catching the interest of Libidine who was watching him carefully.


    She asked, ¡°What¡¯s with the amulet?¡±


    Ieros merely replied, ¡°In the battle with the pirates, I realized that it was more efficient to use a vessel in which to channel energy. So I created such a vessel, this amulet. It took me considerable time to create which was why I teleported you away and locked you out, I didn¡¯t want to be disturbed as I was highly vulnerable while creating this.¡±


    The King then said, ¡°May I see that amulet?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course your majesty.¡±


    Ieros took off the amulet and handed it over, the King holding it in his left hand.


    He then raised his right hand and chanted, ¡°Ruling Magic, Absolute Appraisal.¡±


    His eyes were closed as he did this, processing the amazing information about the gem. After a few moments, his eyes flew open and for once in his life, he was at a loss. This Gem¡­ it was a legendary class item¡­ no, perhaps even divine. The gem, if it could be called that, was some sort of purifier. If one were to channel mana through it, the mana that came out was refined and therefore much more powerful than regular mana. It also seemed to be able to store nearly limitless amounts of said mana, able to be used at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Of course, this may not sound special but in a world were humans were gradually losing their mastery over mana, this was an absurdly powerful device, for purified mana was also the easiest to control and the most malleable. Pure mana can be transformed into any Magic with ease, sort of like a stem cell which as the capacity to become any type of cell in the body.


    Anyways, the King then asked in a voice that had a slight tremor, ¡°Can you create more?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, I could but doing so has great consequences.¡±


    He then pulled back his hood and revealed his face, well, the right half of his face. The other half had its flesh eaten away, revealing his skull beneath, glowing with dark energy. Where the two halves met, the skin seemed to be fighting to regenerate, the flesh rippling as it struggled to cover his bare skull and failing to do so.


    It was a terrifying sight to behold and Ieros replaced the hood, saying, ¡°During the creation of the crystal, pure energy shot out and struck my face, damaging it. It began to eat away at my flesh, although because I was able to counteract in time, I have managed to quarantine it. However, my magic is only strong enough to keep it from devouring the rest of me.¡±


    He replaced his hood, the shadows concealing his face once more. The King and Libidine were needless to say quite shocked. The King then put thoughts of divine weaponry production aside, he should have known that it was too good to be true. He apologized for asking such a question and Ieros bowed his head, saying that he understood and the King was not at fault. Meanwhile, Libidine who was quite forgotten was busy rethinking her earlier analysis of Ieros, about this boy who created a divine amulet and survived the Wrath of the Gods. She still wanted him of course but decided to back off, for now, he was too powerful to mess with. It was best not to piss off one who was in possession of a divine amulet, one that purified mana at that.


    Meanwhile, the King then commanded everyone who was there to keep their mouths shut about this incident. He did not want word getting out that there was a new divine weapon. He knew eventually that it would slip but he¡¯d still like for it to be kept secret for as long as possible. He then said goodbye to Ieros, wishing him luck on finding a way to heal himself. Ieros thanked the King for his kindness and waved as they left. He decided to leave his face as is, it was for the sake of continuity. It truly would be a shame if his persona were to come crashing down because of a small mistake. After all, how would he face his creator with a failure staining his data?


    Speaking of data, he returned to his tower, it was time to interrogate the surviving Loquima. So he returned to his tower, heading to the room where the Loquima was kept. He entered, commencing a body scan as well as memorizing her visual appearance. It would not hurt to take up a disguise a loquima. They were indeed quite strange looking, to humans at least, with enlarged heads twice as big as normal humans and small bodies, like that of a child. Their skin was also pale white, for this was a race that hardly ever moved underneath the sun. They also lacked discernable neck, this was because if they did possess a neck it would break under the weight of their head. To further support the head, their gangly arms reached all the way to the ground when standing, this was to make it easier for them to travel if they had to.


    All in all a quite strange creature, but not one which disgusted Ieros. He was intrigued, he would have to conduct more studies on the Loquimi later as he still possessed two other whole bodies. Once he had fully memorized all the data that he had gathered, he healed her of her wounds, dismissed the Stasis and then commanded her to wake. She did and after looking around at her surroundings in a panic, her eyes settled on Ieros.


    She shrank back in fear, her thoughts coalescing into one word, one image, one feeling, ¡°Demon!¡±


    Ieros corrected her through his telepathy, ¡°I am no demon. Now, be calm, the discord in your mind disturbs me.¡±


    She was still fearful but she managed to gain mastery over her thoughts once more.


    Ieros then said, ¡°I intend to examine your memories. Do not worry, it shall be a painless process if you do not try to defend your mind. Doing so will only bring you harm. ¡±


    Fear spiked once more through her mind before a tentative affirmation flowed through the connection. Ieros then locked eyes with her, her body suddenly paralyzed, she was unable to move. Her mind flew into a panic once more but Ieros calmed her, assuring that this was so that she did not harm herself. Once more, she warily retained calm while Ieros began to probe her memories. It was an unpleasant sensation to the Loquima but by no means painful, rather it was like bathing in water that was just a bit too cold.


    It was soon over and Ieros, having also conducted a body scan at the same time, was busy analyzing the results. He no longer had a use for the Loquima but he would not kill her. He still needed a messenger that would bring news to the Emperor. So he told her that she may return and that he would give one of the sky turtles he had captured to her. At first, she was elated but she then grew suspicious. In order to convince her, he decided to lay the facts bare, saying,


    ¡°I want what happened here to be known to your Emperor so he knows not to come back. If not to deter him, then to at least make him acknowledge my strength. You are the only survivor, therefore you are the only one to relay this message. And as I do not want to waste precious energy sending you back, I will return one sky turtle to you.¡±


    He kept his word, releasing her and returning one sky turtle. It was regrettable to let such a fine specimen of a sky turtle go but he could not afford for her to fail in relaying his message. He wanted to study his specimens in peace, he did not need another battle. But before he studied his specimens, he would have to study the information that he had gained from the Loquima¡¯s memories, such as a hierarchy of the military system, who needed to be killed in order to disorganize the army. Of course, being that she was a Loquima, she did not have any fine details about the hierarchy but the knowledge she possessed would suffice.


    The Loquimi were the prime target of such assassination, their telepathy made them an invaluable asset to the Austerian military. They were one of the reasons for its success, for quick communication was a must have in any military, that way the battalions making up an army could act in perfect cohesion. Killing them when fighting the army would have to be his first priority. Next were the elites, the Imperator, the commanders of the army who were personally blessed by the Emperor. What they said was law in the ranks of the army.


    Below the Imperators were the elite soldiers, races that possessed great physical strength like the Ursus and other beast races. They were the pride of the Austerian Army, the brave and gallant warriors who fought to spread the benevolence of the Emperor. Although they did not possess authority to command their lessers, they were still respected in the military for their strength. Beneath them are the Loquimi, for although they do not possess any fighting capabilities, they were as stated a valuable part of the military. Then the last part of the military was the Crimex, their only use was to be fodder to distract or to weaken the enemy for the elite soldiers to defeat with ease.


    Of course, there was their absolute loyalty to the queens who in turn served the Emperor. Although their near limitless numbers were something to be feared, the queen guards were something else entirely. Auster would never have been able to even get near the queens if it wasn¡¯t for the Loquimi¡¯s power. The queen guards were the size of elephants with shells that could not be broken by anything except the strength of the Saurians and adamantium weaponry. Their shells also gave them a nearly invincible resistance to magic as well as allowing their claws to slash through just about anything. They possessed four legs which they walked upon and had an upright torso with two large mantis-like arms. It had eyes but it mostly relied on its antenna to detect the enemy, the antenna being so sensitive that it could detect vibrations in the air.


    They also possessed great speed, their bodies unable to feel pain so they were constantly able to push themselves to the limit, even if it meant their deaths. But one never died in combat since the days when the Crimex tried to invade the Saurian lands. Those were dark days for the Crimex, the absolute strength of the Saurians was too much for the Crimex to deal with, even with their near limitless numbers. The Saurians just charged through with brute force, slaughtering the queen guards although the queen guards killed many Saurians as well. Too many queens were lost in that foolish campaign, among them some of the strongest queens in the Crimex, possessing an army of a hundred thousand queen guards as well as millions of Crimex.


    Yet they were not enough to defeat the Saurians, particularly one clan which took it upon themselves to guard the mountains which cut Ortus in half. They were the Oros, the guardians of the mountain, blessed by the power of the Earth. Using the mountains to their advantage, they defeated the Crimex, causing great avalanches which slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Crimex. Saurians, armored with stone scales then took care of the remaining Crimex and fought the queen guards. Once they killed the queen guards, they made an example of the queens, leaving them to die a slow and painful death in view of the other queens.


    In the face of their might, the queens gave up their conquest of the Saurian lands, instead pledging allegiance to the Emperor who promised them land and food. Of course, the Loquima did not possess any detailed information on the Emperor, in fact, she did not know much of him at all. All she knew was where he lived, that he was a Satorian and also his power was absolute. But Ieros was not troubled, he would meet the Emperor soon enough. Instead, he focused on a more important matter, the study of the sky turtles. Sure he already had done a preliminary observation but it was but a rough scan. He had intentionally done so, he wanted to savor the joy of research for as long as possible. One could say that the pursuit of knowledge was the one thing that the Surveyor found delightful.

 Chapter 36: Escorting... Again

    It had been three years since Athera conquered the sister nations of Seris and Zeris, peace just now being introduced to the enlarged Athera. Although Seris and Zeris were conquered two years ago, its people certainly didn¡¯t think so and insurrections rose everywhere against the Atheran power. This was where Ieros, now an Archmage, stepped in, ordered to do so by the King who was now being called the Emperor. As he had proven himself against the Pirates of the East Sea, the Emperor had decided that he was more than qualified to take on the job. And Ieros did indeed bring in results, having an excellent spy network which bordered on omniscience along with his Dark Legion to defeat the insurgents. They were a group of four hundred shades, shadows of great warriors past although the humans did not know this. They merely thought of them as being another of Ieros¡¯s creations.


    These shades were, of course, the Teryo. Masters of their chosen weapon, these nigh immortal beings had entered the service of Ieros just three months after the conclusion of the Austerian Invasion. Ieros, who had by now sensed that they were not regular shadows, had accepted their oath of fealty. He put them to good use, thinning out the monster population in the East Coast so that the villagers would be safer when foraging. This was of course to increase social relations with them, it was preferable to be in good relations than bad.


    But then a year later, the Emperor summoned Ieros to take care of the rebels. Ieros did as he commanded, sending forth his Dark Legion which split up into groups of ten. These elite squads targeted the leaders of the rebellion and captured/killed them. It took some time as Ieros purposely slowed down, he had to appear human after all. It took roughly a year and a half but peace was brought to Athera. The leaders of the rebellion had all been executed and the rebels were given a chance to live. Most succumbed to Atheran rule although a few chose execution.


    Ieros studied these humans with great interest, noting that they believed in what they saw was right, no matter what logic said. He thought that they were foolish, rule under Athera was not so bad, the laws were still very similar to that of Seris and Zeris, the only difference was the head of the nation. Yet they believed that change, no matter how small was bad and they tried to retain their old ways. Change was needed, yes but too much could also prove to be detrimental. The rebels of Athera itself was one example.


    Some time in the distant past, rebels tried to overthrow the royal family, preaching that they would bring great changes to Athera. They momentarily succeeded and the people believed in them. But the changes they brought were too great, too different. They sought to create a society where all were equal, where all resources were shared equally. Essentially it was communism, and for a brief span of five years, it worked. The newly established government made a new document stating that money was no longer needed, that everyone would share what they needed.


    But this soon began to fall apart, people did not want to work as they could always share what they lacked from working with others. More and more people grew lazy and soon, so few farmed that selfishness arose once again. People hoarded their goods and the government had to punish them. Slowly, the people began to get angry and longed for the days of old. So those that supported the monarchy rose against the new government, gaining the support of the forever mercurial public and overthrew the government. A surviving member of the royal family was reinstated as King and with the advisors that survived, they recreated the Atheran Kingdom, order being restored.


    Feudalism was reestablished as it was the only system that truly worked in this time, the threat of monsters being still very real as they reproduced nearly nonstop as well as strained relations with other nations, the threat of war always hanging over the minds of the people.


    Ieros had long since studied the societal systems these humans ruled themselves by, some more perfect than others but none reaching the utopian ideal that all claimed to be. But he did not have time to ponder such issues as of now, the Court Crest¡ªthe object which allows the King to communicate with Ieros¡ªlit up, indicating the King¡¯s, well Emperor¡¯s, summons. So he created a gate and stepped through, entering the Throne Room of the Emperor. As the door disappeared behind him, he bowed his head to the Emperor, saying,


    ¡°What is it that you desire, your majesty?¡±


    The Emperor smiled as he looked on Ieros, ¡°Always down to business, aren¡¯t you Ieros.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I wish to get this out of the way as soon as possible so I may return to my research.¡±


    The Emperor nodded amicably, ¡°Yes, I understand. But I am afraid you won¡¯t be able to return for awhile, you see, I need you to escort two ambassadors to Amartia. ¡®The Kingdom of Sin¡¯ is its nickname and although I loathe to send two of my people to them, I have no choice. They lie directly west of us, and although we may not fear their military, they could allow for a greater military force from our enemies through and into Athera. I wish for you to escort our ambassadors to Amartia and if possible, help so that the negotiations are successful. This must succeed Ieros, for the future of Athera.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head once more and said, ¡°I understand. I shall protect the ambassadors and do my utmost so that the negotiations are a success, your majesty. When do I depart?¡±


    The Emperor said, ¡°You will depart tomorrow unless you can use your gate now to transport the ambassadors there.¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°If you command it, then I shall do so.¡±


    The Emperor chuckled, ¡°I have no doubts that you can indeed do as you say but I merely asked in jest. You will have to travel by foot there, the amartians are a people that would not take kindly a sudden entrance. Besides, we must give them time to prepare for the celebration.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°I understand. I shall return here tomorrow.¡±


    So saying he bowed, leaving through a gate that he created.


    The Emperor meanwhile leaned back in his throne, musing to himself, ¡°What a mysterious boy¡­¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Meanwhile, Ieros had returned to his tower, about to settle down when he felt a presence cross his barrier. It was one of the villagers, perhaps someone or one of the livestock were sick. Whatever it was, Ieros immediately went to the door, opening it a few moments after they knocked. It was a young woman, the eye-catcher of all the boys in the village with a reputation as the kindest and prettiest girl in all of the village. Ieros was not sure what she wanted as he could not sense an aura of worry around her as he did when a villager came with an urgent issue.


    So he asked, ¡°What is the problem?¡±


    She cheerily replied, ¡°Oh nothing, I just wanted to say that there is going to be a celebration two days from now for the excellent harvest we¡¯ve had this year. I was wondering if you would like to attend.¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°Unfortunately I have been given a task by the King just now. I have to leave tomorrow and the task will most likely last two to three weeks.¡±


    Her face fell at his words and she apologized, ¡°Ah, I see. Well, I¡¯m sorry for asking you.¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°There is no need for you to apologize. You had no knowledge of this, it is not your fault.¡±


    She nodded but she still felt sorry. As the air grew awkward, she quickly said goodbye and hurried back down the path to the village, Ieros closing the door and promptly forgetting her. The data she would provide was of no importance as of yet, he did not need to focus on her. As the day turned into night, he summoned ten of the teryo, selecting Eversor and nine of his most trusted to accompany Ieros on the journey. Thus prepared and giving orders to the remaining Teryo to guard the East Coast in his absence, Ieros waited for the next day to come.


    When dawn slowly painted the sky gold, he teleported to the Throne Room where a squire waited to escort him to the ambassadors and the Emperor. He followed the nervous boy through the halls of the palace, thanking him once the boy had finished his duty. The boy smiled and hurriedly bowed before scampering away, his anxiety getting the better of him. Ieros watched him go for a brief moment before returning his attention to the ambassadors. There weren¡¯t any of royal blood because the Emperor did not want his children to be exposed to such sinful surroundings.


    But that did not mean he was sending people without merit. The two that he would be escorting were Lord Saerus and Lady Elysant, both of noble descent. They possessed notable skills in magic although of course not as great as Ieros. But they were powerful nonetheless and they were chosen partly because of their powers and also because of their cunning minds. They had managed to gain and maintain the title of patriarch or matriarch of their respective households for a reason, strength, and guile. Masters of the political world, their expertise was an invaluable tool for the negotiations.


    Ieros shooks hands with them both, not needing to bow because of his rank as Archmage. An archmage bowed to none except the King or Emperor they served and even then, it was just a nod of the head, more of acknowledgment than respect. Anyways, once platitudes had been exchanged, Ieros was invited to board the carriage but he declined. He had his own steed upon which to ride, a wingless dragon, the Wyrm. Despite the name¡¯s similarity with worm, it was not anything like the worm, it looked like a dragon in every way, except for the fact it was missing wings. It was about twice the size of a horse with a massive chest with proportionate limbs as well as a long neck with a dragon¡¯s head attached. It also possessed a long tail, capable of being used as a whip that had enough force behind it to tear through enchanted steel as if it wasn¡¯t there.


    Even if it couldn¡¯t fly, it was still a mighty creature, possessing a breath attack that was poisonous and invisible to the eye. Of course, it wasn¡¯t poisonous, rather there was just so much carbon dioxide that was exhaled that any person caught within suffocates. As they are usually panic-stricken, very few survive the attack. Creating a comfortable saddle upon which to ride upon, he then mounted it. In order to save time, the horses which were too frightened by the wyrm were untied from the carriage and the wyrm was harnessed instead. As the wyrm possessed nearly infinite stamina and also much faster, their journey to Amartia would be lessened by a few days.


    Of course, the harness had to be slightly adjusted as it was larger than a horse but with Ieros¡¯s magic, the problem was soon fixed. After the preparations were complete, the Emperor sent them off with a wave and the wyrm began to move, carrying the carriage behind it. Since it was being controlled by a part of the Surveyor¡¯s mind, the journey was comfortable and smooth as it was able to perfectly control the movement of the wyrm, making it so that it didn¡¯t move too fast, too slow or too erratically. Beside him were the Teryo, riding upon horses of shadows. There was no other escort as they were not needed, the Teryo had already proven that even one of them was a warrior capable of defeating an army of hundreds.


    Meanwhile, Ieros relaxed, the majority of his mind wandering as a small bit focused on riding the wyrm. He began to simulate various scenarios as to how the negotiations would play out, relying upon the data he collected, making a solution to each and every one. After all, he had nothing to do on this journey and he might as well make some use of his time by preparing for the future. After all, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to be prepared.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªEnd¡ª


    I was bored. Terribly bored, none of these worlds provided a challenge. It was amusing at first to see these mortals fight amongst one another but then it just got old. I even began giving the mortals time so that they could grow strong and fight back. I even left some alone, just because they were too amusing to destroy. I just pretended that they did defeat me as it was no longer amusing to just destroy them outright. But this also prevented me from gathering the strength that I needed to face the Surveyor, as he was named. I feed off of destruction, off of the energy that is released but the energy I have accumulated is only two-thirds of what I need. I couldn¡¯t afford to rush things, even if I am so, so bored.


    Really, it just was too easy. As I sat on a throne of bones, a flash of light appeared before me. It was a god, one of the children of Light, it seems. He began to spout off how I was evil and that he needed to defeat me but honestly I was so damn bored and irritated that I killed him five seconds after he spoke. As his corpse fell to the ground, I yawned, so boring. Then another flash of light appeared and this time, it was my brother, Creation. He glared at me silently, his arms crossed while I lazily looked at him. Finally, I stood and walked over to him, now face to face.


    I asked, ¡°What is it, brother?¡±


    He said tersely, ¡°You know very well why I¡¯m here.¡±


    I snorted and returned to the throne of bones, ¡°You know I can¡¯t stop destroying, it¡¯s my nature.¡±


    He growled, ¡°I know that. But there is a time and place for you to bring an end to worlds but you are bringing them to an artificial end! You are breaking the laws of Nature, do you not understand!¡±


    I looked at him once more and said, ¡°You¡¯ve grown selfish, brother. I had been suppressed by our father while you got to flaunt your power. I couldn¡¯t express myself for countless eons while you happily created. It is my turn now, besides, you couldn¡¯t stop me even if you wanted to.¡±


    His eyes flared with anger but he breathed out, calming himself.


    He said, ¡°You will get what is coming to you.¡±


    He then disappeared in a flash of light and I was once more alone upon the burning planet.

 Chapter 37: Amartia

    Nothing worthy of note happened during the twelve days that it took to journey to Amartia, the Teryo and Ieros¡¯s shadows had kept the carriage quite safe from any danger and the Seal of Athera allowed them passage into amartian lands. Of course, with Ieros¡¯s magic, Saerus and Elysant had enjoyed the smoothest ride of their lives, they could scarcely believe that they were indeed traveling in a carriage. Of course, this was due to Ieros separating the room of the carriage in an alternate dimensional plane, they would still be able to see and hear the world around them but they wouldn¡¯t be able to feel anything that happened on their original plane.


    They were also provided with a most excellent cuisine, Ieros was not slacking whenever he attended a royal feast, he had been analyzing each morsel of food that entered his mouth, recording every single taste and sensation as it traveled from his mouth to his stomach. In order to gather as much data as possible, he tasted many types of foods as possible during these feasts and would accept the food gifts that the villagers would give him as payment for his services.


    Of course, to eat with only half of one¡¯s face is a rather hard thing to do but this problem was easily solved with barrier magic, after all, the food just had to be kept inside the mouth. Of course, he could have simply just regenerated his flesh but in order to keep his persona as a human, Ieros had to make a habit of eating this way so he wouldn¡¯t slip up in the future. After all, perfect practice makes perfect and one has to practice perfectly all the time. After all, even with the influence of the Surveyor, Ieros was only human, even he made mistakes sometimes, well, at least he pretended to.


    But finally, the Capital of Amartia was in sight and the Surveyor began to extend its influence to the city¡¯s shadows, processing the knowledge that was flowing through it at an incredible rate. In just a few seconds the processing was done. It then returned to Ieros¡¯s body, Ieros now knowing why Amartia was called the Kingdom of Sin. Within the walls of the capital was what at first appeared to be anarchy, everyone did as they wanted to, indulging in their carnal desires as well as massive fights breaking out everywhere. There appeared to be no sort of societal system to keep things in check, only amartians pleasuring themselves in every conceivable way.


    Upon closer inspection, however, Ieros did see some amartians at work, approximately half of them while the other half pleasured themselves. It seems that there is one ironclad rule of the city, that all of its citizens would work for their pleasure. Although its citizens could participate in all sorts of pleasure, they could only do so for as long as they work. An example would be one citizen works hard for a year and then has pleasure for a year. Whether that work was as a soldier, farmer, tailor, smith or whatever else, they had to work for their vacation. Of course, they also had to work hard, for through working hard could they advance through the social hierarchy where the higher, the longer their vacation for the same amount of work. Of course, the work was harder but it was worth it to these people.


    It was also a society in which money did not rule supreme, currency still existed but it was something that was only used in the upper class to buy exotic items from merchants. Rather, the reward for one¡¯s work is said vacation of pleasure, almost a working version of communism one might say, as food and goods are distributed to all although there is still a social hierarchy. But some sort of hierarchy and competition is needed in order for the populace to continue working hard.


    Truly a strange city, Ieros looked forward to learning more, although perhaps at a distance, Ieros was still human and the Surveyor knew that humans were not perfect. It was possible that Ieros would succumb to his desires and the Surveyor would prefer that did not happen. It had acted out of preservation of itself earlier because it lacked the proper knowledge to allow Ieros to live while keeping itself unaffected and although it had developed such a method now, it still did not wish to lose Ieros. It would be too troublesome to let Ieros gain humanity and then abuse his power, the Surveyor had already simulated all possible scenarios where this happened and eighty percent of them ended in the premature end of Agleon. With such high stakes, it couldn¡¯t afford to let Ieros become human. So the Surveyor made sure to keep a tighter rein on Ieros¡¯s emotions, it would not let Ieros become human.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª???¡ª


    I watched the atherans from the castle walls, especially the dark robed man who sat on the wyrm. His face was hidden in shadow, even when I used magic to try and peer within his hood, there was only a dark void. I watched them for a moment more, confirming that the two atheran ambassadors were indeed here before returning to the King. I entered through his open balcony, the stench of love-making, cum, and other various body fluids heavy in the air. Ignoring all this, although I did tie my mask on a bit tighter, I headed to the King to make my report, trying to avoid the puddles of whitish liquid and the humping bodies of twenty or so people.


    I longed to join them right then and there but I was on the job and I couldn¡¯t afford to fuck it up right now, not when I had only three months remaining. Finally, I stood before the King, unable to tear my eyes away at his massive dick which went in and out of the lucky whore which had fainted from ecstasy. Of course, I was horny when I entered but now I was even hornier, but a disapproving glare from the King quickly dried me up.


    I quickly gave my report, ¡°Your majesty, the atheran ambassadors have arrived with the promised escort, four guards and a mage, although from the mana literally pouring from him, I¡¯d say he is an archmage.¡±


    The King continued thrusting for a few more moments before finishing inside of the woman, the woman¡¯s body spasming instinctively as her womb accepted his cum. He then let her body slide off of his dick and then he sat back, two more women crawling to him and beginning to clean his dick.


    He mused, ¡°An archmage huh, what else did you see about this archmage.¡±


    I diverted my eyes lest I too began to suck on his delicious, long¡­ no, I have to focus.


    I answered, ¡°It appears he also has a magical amulet, a black crystal necklace which appears to be made of obsidian. It also appears that the four guards are products of his magic as they are made of a similar mana to his.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°What type of mage is he?¡±


    I answered, ¡°Rumors say that he is a creationist although from what I saw, it seems that he is also gifted in dark magic.¡±


    ¡°Dark magic¡­¡±, the King mused while he resumed fucking, fingering another girl while he was at it.


    While he began to pound fiercely, he asked, ¡°What of the ambassadors?¡±


    I replied, ¡°There are two of them, Lord Saerus and Lady Elysant.¡±


    ¡°Elysant?¡±, the King asked in surprise, ¡°I would have never thought she would have been an ambassador¡­¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    He trailed off, looking off into the distance as he thrust less powerfully, although he didn¡¯t stop. With his free arm, he waved his hand in a clear dismissal. I bowed and left, a bit glad having left, I wasn¡¯t sure if I could have held myself back for much longer. I then made my way back to spy on the ambassadors, using magic to cloak myself as I watched from a rooftop. But as I watched, the mage turned and looked at me, the dark void within his hood staring right back at me. It then looked away but I knew that he had seen me, I had felt his eyes stare right into my soul. One of his guards noticed his look and its eyes followed his, also looking directly at me.


    It then spoke to the mage in a strange language but the mage shook his head, replying, ¡°Let her watch, it is not like she could harm the ambassadors.¡±


    The guard nodded and continued to escort the ambassadors, although I could feel that it and the other three were watching me. I was shocked and angry, shocked that he was able to see me and angry at the fact he dismissed me as harmless. I hate people who underestimate me but he¡¯s right, and that makes me hate him even more. I¡¯d like to whoop his ass but my opponent was a damn archmage, people who are second only to the gods, I would only be an insignificant ant compared to his power.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The carriage stopped at the royal palace, where maids dressed in skimpy outfits led the ambassadors inside to their rooms. They were very touchy, putting their hands on the bodies of the ambassadors as they led them. They tried to do the same with Ieros but the overpowering aura that emanated from him managed to fend off the maids. That and his faceless glare, one that paralyzed all that were caught within, the black void hidden within his hood seeming to devour them whole.


    The ambassadors were no exception and Elysant said, ¡°Control that aura of yours, it is unpleasant.¡±


    The aura disappeared and Ieros apologized, ¡°Forgive me, but I had been using this to keep monsters and wild animals at bay during our travels, I seem to have forgotten to control it.¡±


    Once more, the maids tried to latch on to his arms but with a simple shake of his head, they stopped. They then continued to their living quarters, Lord Saerus attempting to dislodge the maids in order to be professional. Elysant had already slipped their grasp, putting a hand on her rapier and threatening to draw it if they came any closer. The Teryo meanwhile had dismounted and took positions next to the ambassadors, their presence discouraging the maids from clinging to Lord Saerus.


    Saerus thanked Ieros and he just nodded, ¡°It is my duty Lord Saerus. You need not thank me.¡±


    Then without further distractions, they headed to their living quarters. The Teryo were stationed outside the rooms of the ambassadors while Ieros had whisperers protect his room. They were given an hour to rest and adjust to their new surroundings before they would be summoned to the dining hall for dinner. The ambassadors decided to take a nap while Ieros explored the palace by using the shadows, revealing all of the palace¡¯s secrets to him. While he did this, he sensed the presence of two people who were powerful enough to prove an interesting challenge, although neither of them had sensed him yet.


    He soon withdrew back to his body, he did not want to be noticed just yet. But he planted observers in their shadows, he wanted to know what they were doing at all times, he couldn¡¯t afford to ignore people of their caliber. He then continued to memorize the halls and chambers within the palace until the hour was done. Then there was knocking at the door and he opened it, one of the maids were there. She nervously told him that he had been summoned to the dining hall and that she would be his guide. Ieros nodded and followed her, the maid unsettled by the lack of footsteps behind her. Of course, Ieros was walking but his feet were slightly above the ground, making his movement silent except for the rustling of cloth.


    Ieros noticed her discomfort and knew the reason behind it but he didn¡¯t stop, it was better to remain a mystery. That way he would be left alone, undisturbed to continue his research.


    Soon they reached the dining hall and Ieros spoke, startling her, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She stammered, ¡°I-it was nothing.¡±


    She then scampered off, Ieros ignoring her and taking a seat by the ambassadors. He noticed as he walked that the two presences were here, and he sighed, How troublesome. He then took his seat by Lord Saerus, his still hooded visage attracting the attention of all gathered to eat.


    In Amartia, it was considered rude to keep one¡¯s hood on so the King said, ¡°You probably do not know of our customs but you will have to take off your hood, mage.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°My apologies, but if I were to reveal my face, I¡¯m afraid everyone would lose their appetite. My face has been¡­ damaged, I¡¯m afraid it is quite a horrific sight.¡±


    The King said, ¡°That is of no matter, keeping your hood on is rude!¡±


    Ieros then asked, ¡°May I cast illusion magic to hide it then?¡±


    The King shook his head adamantly, ¡°No, one must show his face at the table!¡±


    Ieros then sighed, showing his face would cause unnecessary trouble but so was refusing the King¡¯s offer.


    Finally, he said, ¡°Your majesty, I am afraid that I will have to keep my face hidden. If I have to leave the dining hall then so be it. Please do not think of this as an insult to you but rather a kindness, my marred face would only disrupt your appetite.¡±


    The King¡¯s face grew grim and he stood abruptly, ¡°I will not tolerate your rudeness-¡±


    Ieros stood as well, the room visibly darkening, growing colder as a sudden pressure weighed down upon them.


    He spoke, ¡°Your majesty, it seems that you have forgotten to whom you speak. I am Archmage of the East, I have tried to be polite and courteous but I shall not endure your rudeness any further. I may be your guest but I am not your subject. Now, if you shall excuse me, I¡¯ve quite lost my appetite.¡±


    The room lightened, growing warmer and the pressure disappearing. Everyone suddenly let out the breath that they didn¡¯t know they were holding, all eyes upon Ieros. Suddenly, a fork flew through the air towards Ieros¡¯s face and he dodged, the hood partly coming off as the fork grazed it. But what lay beneath wasn¡¯t a face,it was part of a skull with flesh writhing at the edges, trying to grow back onto the bone. Ieros quicklyreplaced his hood andglared at the offender, raising out his hand as a transparent beating heart of shadow appeared in it. He then closed his hand around it, crushing it without mercy. The person who threw the fork grabbed at his chest, his face pale and twisted with pain. He gasped for air, trying to get the oxygen he so desperately needed but without his heart to pump fresh blood to the rest of his body, breathing was useless. Suddenly, his breathing stopped and he fell forward, spilling various dishes before him.


    Ierosthen took his leave, saying, "My apologies, I... lost my temper."


    Silence followed his words andIerostook this chance to escape, creating a gate and stepping through.


    All were silent in his absence, the King finally asking the ambassadors, ¡°Why... why is his face like that?¡±


    Lord Saerus, who had heard some rumors, ¡°It is unconfirmed but it is said that the Archmage dabbled with something he shouldn''t have, something related to the gods. As punishment, he was struck with a curse, resulting in what you saw.¡±


    "Just what could he have dabbled with to result in such a horrific curse?" the King mused, more to himself than anyone.


    No one had an answer for his question and the King soon clapped his hands, commanding the maids to remove the corpse.


    The King said, "Well I give everyone permission to leave the table, today''s events have been... stressful to say the least.¡±


    A few did leave, having completely lost their appetite after having witnessed the death of one of them. But others stayed and continued to eat, mostly the ambassadors who wished to speak with the King. As the feast continued on,Ieros was standing on the roof of the palace, staring at the sun which was nearing the horizon.


    Then, seemingly to no one, he said, ¡°Come out.¡±

 Not a chap

    Finals finals finals... the bane of my existence. But I am afraid that I have to undertake great preparations to defeat them. These preparations will take three weeks of my time so updating this story shall be sparse if at all for that duration. I apologize for those of you who want to read more of the story but I am afraid that I just won''t be able to keep up this story and study at the same time. But its only for three weeks and once summer begins I shall begin updating again at the normal pace.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    This will also be a chance for you guys to ask me questions and for me to answer them if you have any.


    This is new but I also wouldn''t be opposed to receivingfan art, that is if there are artists among the readers of the Father of All. Email is [email protected]</a>. Just a thought really, I am going to do my own sketch ofIeros but I am also curious as to how you guys picture the characters of my story.

 Chapter 38: A Great Many Possibilities

    A chuckle filled the air as a female stepped out into the open, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you noticed me.¡±


    Ieros sighed inwardly, just women after women after women, what was it with this world and women? It was almost as if there was some outside power that was manipulating events to bring these women before him. But it would not let this power succeed, it is the Surveyor, the Shard of Darkness. It shall not be manipulated by the likes of this¡­ thing. But as she stood before him, he noticed something very strange, the energy that was emanating from her was not that of a human. It was something that felt familiar to him and yet wasn¡¯t the same feeling that Darkness had when it first beheld Night. Was this one of her spawn?


    No, she wasn¡¯t one of her direct lineages, although she was related to Night. She was a succubus, one of the children of Night¡¯s daughter, Lust. But there were traces of something else, something that was currently beyond the Surveyor¡¯s scope of knowledge. The father wasn¡¯t a creature that inhabited Agleon, it was a denizen of another world, quite interesting but it doesn¡¯t matter. He will come to know of this race, it was only a matter of time.


    His attention was returned to her when she asked, ¡°Hey! Are you okay?¡±


    He nodded once again, keeping silent. He knew what succubi were like and was determined not to give her the chance to seduce him. Even one such as he would have trouble resisting the beauty of a succubus. There also seemed to be some aphrodisiac in the air but luckily, this was easily countered by increasing the curse¡¯s effect to overtake his nose, thus eliminating the chance that his vessel may come under her control.


    A bit put off that he did not respond verbally, the woman then asked, ¡°Are you mute?¡±


    Ieros said nothing, merely returning his attention to the darkened horizon, a slight orange glow highlighting the border between the night sky and the horizon. She was silent, frowning at being ignored. She was about to say something when she noticed the ominous way the shadows were moving, the air suddenly cold as they began to take the forms of various creatures, dancing around Ieros. She then saw one gigantic one take its place by Ieros¡¯s side, the giant humanoid figure giving her a small glance before turning its gaze to the horizon.


    As she beheld this bizarre spectacle, her ears caught the faint melody of a song, a song that the shadow creatures appeared to be dancing to. Suddenly a chill ran through her body, reminding her that it was uncomfortably cold up here on what should have been a warm summer night. But she just couldn¡¯t seem to tear herself away from this strange sight, it had hypnotized her. Then after what seemed to be an eternity, she saw the shadow creatures then return to ordinary shadows, the mage now stirring. He, still ignoring her, summoned a door which had blackness within. He stepped through, the door disappearing once he had done so, leaving her alone. The sun had now fully set and the moon was now a fourth of its way through the sky, shedding its light onto the darkened city of Amartia.


    She then breathed out, spreading her wings and flying up as close as she could to the night sky. She then gazed up into its dark depths, the presence of her grandmother calming her. She then thought back to when he had first looked at her, a dark void within the emptiness of his hood, just like a night without stars. She had been paralyzed by that gaze, feeling as if she was falling into a pit of absolute black as she stared into the depths of his hood. She felt cold looking within, terribly cold in that darkness which was devoid of anything living. She suddenly looked away from the night sky, for a moment feeling the same sensation as she had felt when looking into the darkness of his hood.


    After a few moments, she laughed at herself, it wasn¡¯t like her to be fixated on a guy like this. She was one who made men fall in love with her, not the other way around. She shook her head and then returned inside the palace, slipping through an empty window. She then disappeared into the winding halls of the palace, the moans of people indulging themselves in pleasure greeting her ears. She soon joined them, she was feeling a little peckish anyway.


    The same sound was heard by the ambassadors who were having a hard time sleeping as a result. Ieros, aware of this, cast a noise barrier around their rooms, making it so that they were now isolated from the distracting moans. A bit surprised at the sudden silence, the ambassadors decided not to question it and went to sleep. Meanwhile, Ieros rested his body, the Surveyor spreading its influence to the surrounding landscape, its powers enhanced by nightfall. Suddenly, as it rapidly spread itself throughout the network of shadows, it suddenly encountered a presence far to the southeast.


    There was another great power that lay there, one that was gradually growing in strength. Ieros surrounded this power and then after examining it, decided to promptly destroy it, crushing the powerful orc lord and his army. His army of shadows rose and began to slaughter them with ease as the orcs were unable to retaliate against their intangible flesh. Of course, the shadows couldn¡¯t physically harm them either but they could attack their very lifeforce, if the body¡¯s lifeforce was damaged, it reflected upon the body. For example, if a shadow blade was to slash through one¡¯s arm, everything from the cut to the hand is then dead as energy no longer flows through.


    That limb is then rendered useless for the duration of the fight and if the person survives, then for the rest of their lives. It what one could call the ultimate weapon, as it cannot be stopped by any means unless one is armored with the essence of Light. Then the shadow blade is unable to reach the target as it is disintegrated by Light¡¯s power but mortals do not possess such armaments unless they have been personally blessed by Light. But the Dark Blade is not like the shadow blade at all, for it does harm the physical body as well as its life force, it is crystalline dark matter. Rather than cut, it eats any material before it, absorbing and converting the matter it ¡°cuts¡±.


    So it can ¡°cut¡± through anything as it doesn¡¯t split the atoms apart but rather creates a division by eating the material in between the two pieces of matter it ¡°cuts¡±. Thus this is the true ultimate blade, the Dark Blade. Nothing can deny this blade, even the Shield of Light for this is crystalline dark matter, it has both the properties of Darkness and that of crystals, meaning that it both reflect and devour Light. With these two properties, this makes crystalline dark matter the ultimate form of Darkness.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    And it was this very blade which slew the Orc Lord, the Surveyor personally wielding the blade. Of course, before that, it had analyzed the orcs so that it could recreate them if necessary. It then wiped all traces of the battle and resulting damage to the forest clear, devouring the corpses and restoring the forest to its former state. Satisfied with its work, it then returned to Ieros¡¯s vessel. It had already checked to see if anyone knew of the orc army but no one did so it was safe to kill them all. This was necessary, an orc army would certainly be a big enough nuisance to disturb the negotiations and it would prefer the negotiations to proceed as fast as possible.


    But from the Orc Lord¡¯s memories, his army was but the spearhead of an even larger horde, slightly worrying but the main army should not reach here before the negotiations are long finished. So it had nothing to worry about, if Amartia was to fall, let it fall. That was none of its concern anyways. It would have collected all the data it would have needed by then anyways and with observers, it would remember how Amartia would fall.


    But it was still some ways off into the future, unless the main horde grows impatient, which was a high probability. Of course, it could just go over and slaughter the main horde too but that would mean preventing one of the greatest battles in history from taking place. This was a battle which held the fate of humanity and orcs on the line, should one fall, it would mean their enslavement and eventual extinction. It wanted this historic event to happen, and it had already got the ball rolling. The main horde would certainly be curious as to what slaughtered their expeditionary force and once they found out, they would invade with their full might.


    Perhaps it would not participate in this war personally, that would be interfering too much. But it would also have to come up with a suitable excuse, perhaps the curse? That or it would intervene once it has decided how this world¡¯s fate would go, to the enslavement and eventual annihilation of the human race or one where humanity advances to even greater heights using the orcs as manual laborers and such. Hmm, there is much to think about and much to simulate. It then spent the remainder of the night doing just that, finishing only half of the countless possibilities when morning came.


    So far, out of the various futures that were possible, roughly half involved the orcs taking lead and in turn conquering all of Occasus, most of these futures ending in various civil wars which would lead to the decimation of their race. Then the Austerian Empire would take over and then rule. Of course, conquering all of Occasus was only possible due to the traits of the orc, being a warlike race who reproduced at a rate twice that of rabbits and grew up to maturity in five years. They were a race that seemed to be designed for war, possessing great strength, stamina, and endurance as well as numbers. You could compare them to the Crimex except they were constantly on the move, conquering nations and taking what resources they needed.


    And it was exactly this which would be their downfall, they did not know how to be self-sufficient, they would turn on themselves when there was nothing else to eat. But a few million futures depicted a different scene, the orcs had become self-sufficient and were much like the humans, advancing their race to heights that not even humans had reached. All of this was due to the fact that the Orc Emperor had picked the right heir to his legacy. An orc that was exceedingly more intelligent than his fellows, one that would employ the humans correctly, using their higher intellect to plan for the building of the first orc cities, allowing the orcs to reach a higher level of education and thus ensuring that they would remain the dominant race in Occasus.


    Yet the other half was an also interesting future, where humanity would continue its path of evolution to a higher race, eventually regaining the strength of their ancestors, the Premen. Using their long lost strength, they would eventually create an empire which would span across worlds, reviving technology of their ancient past to create the Gates, doorways to other worlds. Their armies would march through and conquer the other worlds, all in the name of their Emperor.


    All of this was truly interesting, it couldn¡¯t make a choice between them with the given amount of time. But then again, it didn¡¯t have to, it was a fragment of Darkness, and not the human Ieros. It could do both, as it could travel through Time even if Time would not obey it. So it would merely let Nature take its course, to let the fates of Man and Orc to decide themselves. It then remembered End for a moment and sighed, her presence could ruin all of this.


    It would have to subdue her in some way but her power could render nearly all of its barrier magic useless. It would have to sacrifice its own body to contain and then destroy her. Doing so would only leave a sliver of itself remaining and this sliver would require three millennia to regain a fifth of its original strength. It would have to make preparations now, to plant the seeds of fragments which would act as mortals. Of course, they would have no knowledge of it and thus would be like actual humans, the Surveyor collecting the data once their mortal lives come to an end.


    Of course, all of this was educating guessing on its part, things could go very differently: End may successfully destroy both him and the world, she could also lose interest in destroying this world entirely or countless other options. But the one where he successfully contains and destroys her was the one of highest probability, 23%. That meant it wasn¡¯t that trustworthy but there was still a good chance of it happening.


    Its thoughts were disrupted by knocking on the door, it was time to become Ieros once more. So Ieros answered the door, the same maid nervously looking back at him.


    She quickly bowed, ¡°T-the K-King summons you t-to the D-Dining Hall.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Thank you for telling me. You may leave, there is no need for you to guide me.¡±


    He then began to walk to the Dining Hall, the maid unsure whether to follow or leave. Eventually, she followed him, she had been ordered to guide Ieros and if she wasn¡¯t found with him, that may lead to punishment. She feared that Ieros would get angry at her for following but to her relief, he said nothing. He once more entered the Dining Hall, everyone looking at him. He said nothing and took his seat, quietly asking one of the ambassadors if it was okay to eat. Once given the okay, he began to eat, each movement exact and efficient. He also used small gates in which to reach foods that were out his arm¡¯s reach, tasting everything that was on the table. Everyone soon began to eat and resumed conversations that had been stopped when he had come in.

 Poll for One of Two Futures

    Just need five hundred words so yeah.


    Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

 Chapter 39: An Uninteresting End

    As they were eating, the King finally apologized, ¡°My apologies Archmage, I had overstepped my bounds yesterday.¡±


    Ieros then stopped eating, looking at him, ¡°You need not apologize, it was not your fault. I merely overreacted to the situation, please forgive me.¡±


    Everyone at the table was surprised as the King accepted his apology, they had not expected the Archmage to be so humble, not after how he had reacted last time.


    Encouraged by this, the King said, ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard rumors that you are the youngest Archmage in history, may I ask how old you are?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I am eighteen years of age.¡±


    There was an abrupt silence, not unlike the time when Ieros had revealed his age to the court of Seris.


    The King was the first to break the silence, ¡°But¡­ you are so mature.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°With great power comes great responsibility. In order to control my power with perfect precision, I had to mature so I can wield my strength with a cool head.¡±


    The King laughed, ¡°Haha, from that outburst yesterday, you don¡¯t seem to be that mature yet.¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°That was not out of anger your majesty, I merely did what I believed to be necessary in order for you to leave me alone. Besides, if I was truly angry, I would have razed this city to the ground and wiped all traces of its existence from history.¡±


    Once more all were silent, the ambassadors finally laughing nervously, ¡°Ah ha, what a joke.¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°Think what you like.¡±


    Once more there was silence, people unsure as to what to believe. They, of course, thought that Ieros was bluffing and yet the seriousness in which he said the threat was not something to be ignored. Perhaps he couldn¡¯t destroy all of Amartia but he could certainly be able to kill everyone in the Dining Hall, that much they were certain he was capable of. So it was silently and mutually agreed that they should not piss off Ieros lest they be destroyed. Meanwhile, Ieros had finished his meal, the food was actually quite excellent. Meralia and Rose would certainly enjoy such dishes when he returned.


    The Surveyor was suddenly surprised, why did Ieros have such a thought? It then decided that it wasn¡¯t something of great worry, after all, Ieros spent most of his time outside the tower of time with Meralia and Rose, but it would keep careful watch just in case. Pushing such thoughts aside, for now, the Surveyor remained dormant as Ieros spoke,


    ¡°Your majesty, I shall be blunt. I wish that the negotiations start today but I am willing to offer something in return for this.¡±


    The King asked, ¡°What will you be offering?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I have noticed that the forest of Amartia is infested with monsters, I will cleanse them all by the end of today for you. I also hope that it will be the only time I ever have to use my army of stone here again.¡±


    There were looks of disbelief, anger, fear, and curiosity from all gathered at the table, what this man had just offered was something on the verge of impossibility. To clear even a single monster nest required the efforts of five hundred soldiers backed by clerics and mages and even then, it would take at least a week to fully destroy. And here was this mysterious mage who claimed that he could destroy them all in one day.


    One had enough and he stood, angrily shouting, ¡°Impossible! You destroy one nest and then two pop up! You will just make things worse!¡±


    Ieros turned towards him and said, ¡°I am not you, I do not make make mistakes. But actions speak louder than words so you are welcome to watch. That is if you agree, your majesty.¡±


    The Lord Saerus quickly interjected, ¡°Your majesty, I know that it may seem rude but what the Archmage says is not entirely impossible. He has kept all of East Athera free of monsters, wiping out their nests which numbered in the hundreds out in half of a year. His words are not born from arrogance but of experience.¡±


    Lady Elysant added, ¡°I may not know as much as Lord Saerus but I do know this, that the Archmage has never failed a task that he has either proposed or been commanded to do.¡±


    Still a bit wary, the King said, ¡°Very well, I shall see the destroying of a single nest personally, if I am satisfied with the results, I will negotiate and sign the treaty.¡±


    Ieros then stood, ¡°Very well, I shall begin immediately, you may send someone you trust to oversee that I have done exactly as I said.¡±


    He then walked towards the exit, the two ambassadors standing as well.


    They asked Ieros, ¡°May we accompany you?¡±


    Ieros without stopping said, ¡°Do as you like.¡±


    The King stood as well, ¡°I, of course, shall be attending as well.¡±


    Many of those eating also decided to come, the two powers that Ieros acknowledged also accompanying them. Ieros was not troubled however, they were not of great import as of now. Ieros kept walking as he summoned a large gate, although this time it did not disappear when he stepped through. The others were hesitant to step through but the King gathered his courage and stepped through, the others quickly following suit. Upon stepping through, they found themselves high in the air, as if they were standing on a floating glass floor. It was slightly unsettling but there were seats for them to settle in which made the ordeal less unnatural.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    In front of these seats was a gigantic rectangular crystal which was what they assumed to be a gigantic observation crystal. And it was this world¡¯s first example of a movie theater. Surprised, they waited expectantly as the crystal started up, showing Ieros standing on the ground. He then raised his left hand and along with the motion of his arm, an army of stone was conjured along with it, stone soldiers still and imposing. Without further ado, he sent them forth with a command, the soldiers marching towards the monster nest in perfect unison.


    All monsters before they were slaughtered and as they neared the nest, the audience could see that there were other lines of soldiers, it appeared that these stone soldiers had circled a perimeter around the nest and were closing the noose. They watched in horrified fascination as the stone soldiers exterminated the monsters with mechanical ease. Soon this terrible wall of death had reached the entrance of the nest where the monsters cowered, having long since given up fighting against their invincible enemy. Their primitive weaponry had no effect on the stone soldiers, it was like¡­ no, exactly like trying break a boulder with a wooden club.


    The monsters, goblins, shrieked in terror as the wall of death entered their nest, scratching desperately against the unyielding walls of their home which was now their tomb. The stone soldiers slaughtered them without mercy, their blades cleaving goblins in two, splattering blood and innards all over the floor. Not even the prisoners of the goblins were spared, the women captured to breed more goblins had been killed as well although this was more of a mercy. Soon, the only thing left being left was a pool of blood and piles of goblin corpses. The scene abruptly changed to that of a troll village, who were fighting desperately against a similar stone army except these soldiers were much bigger than their predecessors, matching the massive trolls in height. But unlike the goblins, the trolls did not flee in fear, instead, they faced their enemy till the death, for there was nothing else they could do.


    This ended the same, with the complete extermination of the trolls. Once more the scene changed and it was now a nest of gigantic tree spiders, these were personally taken care of by Ieros who slashed his hand horizontally, a corresponding black wave engulfing the spiders which then fell to the ground lifeless when the wave had passed. The following scenes were much the same, either showing the stone soldiers mercilessly slaughtering monsters or Ieros quenching the life out of them with that black wave. Finally, the scenes stopped playing and the observation crystal fell dark once more, Ieros¡¯s voice startling the stunned audience,


    ¡°So your majesty, I hope my performance has satisfied you. For now, I shall retire to my room, I have spent much of my energy and I need to recuperate.¡±


    So saying, he created two gates, one to return to his room and one to return the audience. The gate which he stepped through closed but the other gate remained, its dark depths flowing ever so slightly. Slowly, they entered the gate, each mulling on what they had just witnessed. Ieros had been true to his word, he would have exterminated all the monster nests infesting the forest in a single day, even less than that. The King had now come to the late realization that he could not afford to offend Athera, to do so would mean his nation befalling the same fate as those monster nests.


    The ambassadors were likewise shocked, they knew that Ieros was powerful but not this powerful. They were suddenly uneasy, he possessed the power to overthrow any nation in the world and if he so chose, no one could stop him. They were worried, what if¡­ what if he chose to attack Athera?


    They put these thoughts aside when the King said, ¡°Let us go to a more appropriate place for negotiations.¡±


    As they left to make decisions that would decide the fate of Amartia, Ieros was meditating in his room, the Surveyor watching over the proceedings of the negotiations while Ieros did so. Of course, due to Ieros¡¯s display of his strength, the negotiations went smoothly and by the end of the day, the treaty had been signed and the ambassadors were ready to return. Thus ended the negotiations with Amartia, Ieros being satisfied with the result. He would not be hassled by unnecessary problems and soon would return home where he could rest.


    To be honest, Ieros had not expected things to go so well, he expected to meet with a lot of trouble but he was satisfied nonetheless the way that things had come to pass. He would not complain if things went well, especially considering his circumstances. One of his power would often attract unwanted attention and trouble, it was a miracle that those two powers had not come to challenge him. But then again, his title as Archmage must have discouraged them, after all, they were powerful but not at the level of an archmage. They were wise enough to know from the start that Ieros was something beyond their reach and his display merely confirmed those suspicions.


    Then Ieros let loose a small sigh, why couldn¡¯t all humans be as wise as these two? It realized that this was an impossibility as long as humans retained their free will which he had no intention of tampering with, otherwise, he would not gather meaningful data. Rather he was thankful that it existed, it allowed for random events that he could not predict to happen, thus making the gathering of knowledge enjoyable.


    And that was precisely why it had not stopped the succubus from returning to the Demon Lord with information of a powerful human, her actions would only make things far more interesting in the future. Perhaps an alliance between demonkind and orcs which would then make it possible for the orcs to conquer Auster with ease and bring the Saurians to their knees. Of course, humanity would not have a chance unless Ieros were to ¡°sacrifice¡± himself, pretending to expend his own life energy to cast a great spell that would do enough damage to the demons and orcs so that the humans could defeat them.


    And he might not have to postpone the battle if things continued the way they were going, the battle that would decide the fate of man and orc would happen on the arrival of End, whose presence would first disrupt peace between nations. How troublesome, but then again, the data would not be interesting if it ended so easily. The Surveyor then turned its attention to the worlds beyond Agleon, specifically the one which End was in the middle of destroying, watching as the armies of mortals clashed with one another, leaving billions dead.


    Feeling his gaze, she looked towards Agleon, a hungry grin on her face. She would enjoy destroying Agleon while the Surveyor watched helplessly.


    As she entertained such thoughts, a voice that choked on blood said, ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this-*cough*¡±


    The owner of the voice was an angel, one sent to answer the prayer of this world¡¯s Pope although he was now reduced to a mere torso, his arms, legs, and wings torn off with a spear of destructive energy impaling his chest.


    A tired laugh greeted the angel¡¯s words, a demon in a similar shape lay just opposite of him, ¡°Haaa, you angels never learn. You always preach on about how good will win in the end but don¡¯t you see? She is just too damn powerful, I doubt even a god could defeat her. Her power is just like that time, a hundred years ago when that Thing came.¡±


    The angel chuckled before giving into a fit of coughing, ¡°Yeah, to think that there were such beings that inhabited this universe-*cough*¡±


    End grew tired of their talking and killed them, the spears impaling them exploding, leaving no trace of their bodies. End then focused on the war going on in front of her and suddenly got angry, stomping her feet and causing the surface of the world to shatter, gigantic ravines opening beneath the feet of the clashing armies and swallowing them. Once all life in this world was gone, she sighed and fell on her back, lying on the barren ground. She gazed up at the sky, her face empty of emotion.

 Chapter 40: Returning Home

    The day back on Agleon soon ended and the night passed seemingly in an instant to those that slept. Ieros, of course, did not sleep at all, instead, he was compiling and organizing data in his mind into a library as in this form it was easier to organize said data. It was a rather enjoyable process for Ieros/Surveyor as it was finally able to learn and organize data which was its primary function. But soon this pleasant pastime came to an end with the dawn, it was time to return. So Ieros roused himself from his meditative state and exited the room, making his way to the ambassadors so that they may return to Athera.


    Of course, before they left, they had to bid farewell to the King, which was promptly done before Ieros opened a gate all the way to Athera. They quickly left, lest they be tempted further by the freedom to let loose one¡¯s desires. The Teryo were the last to step through, Eversor turning around briefly and studying the humans before turning and entering the gate. He was disappointed, disappointed at what humanity had become, to think that his descendants were reduced to such a state. Once they challenged the gods¡­ now they had become lesser than insects to them.


    On the other side, Eversor was dismissed by Ieros, ordered to return to the East to protect it. With his orders, Eversor and the three Teryo left, they were no longer needed. Meanwhile, Ieros said farewell to the ambassadors, his mission had been fulfilled. The ambassadors thanked him to which he made no reply, one of his status did not need to acknowledge nobles. He returned to his tower, spending the next week organizing the Surveyor¡¯s Library. He would have continued to do so for much longer if it had not been the day when he was to visit his home village for a few days.


    He had made a promise that he would return annually and the personality of Ieros never broke a promise. So he stopped what he was doing and returned to his physical body, opening his eyes and looking at the familiar walls of his chamber. He then took a moment, changing his appearance from his regal robes to a monk¡¯s habit and adopting a gnarled wooden staff. He also took off the ¡°curse¡± afflicting his face and donned his hood, thus prepared to leave for his parents. Having finished, he made a gate and teleported a mile away from the village and walked the rest of the distance, making it seem as if he had traveled by foot to his home village. Of course, this was to make himself appear more normal and thus not alienate himself from the villagers and his family, the ordinary folk still have some sort of instinctual fear of magic. This fear was probably instilled by the gods, to prevent Man from challenging them like Premen once had, the gods were not in a hurry to repeat that mistake.


    During this mile walk, Ieros had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the woods, his mind wandering to other thoughts to fill the monotony of the hike. As they walked, the Surveyor had sealed itself away, allowing Ieros to resurface once more so that no one would suspect anything. Soon, he arrived in sight of the village, raising his hand in greeting to some who were working in the fields.


    They saw him and waved back, calling, ¡°Ah, Ieros! Hey! Ieros is back everyone!¡±


    The small community, alerted to his presence, stood at the entrance of the village to welcome him, children, adults and elders alike all standing in a small crowd. Ieros pulled back his hood, a small smile on his face as he said,


    ¡°Hello everyone.¡±


    As he approached, the children rushed towards him and with a smile, he ruffled the heads of children who swarmed him, shook hands with the men and bowed to the elderly. His family was there to meet him as well, a firm handshake shared with his father and a hug from both his mother and sister. They walked back to their house, his sister explaining everything that happened within the year that he was gone. He listened, making small comments here and there to show that he was listening. They finally arrived at his parent¡¯s humble home, a small vegetable garden at the front with a small path that led to the door to the house. It was a single story house and ten by fifteen feet with a slanted roof for when the snow came.


    Ieros followed his parents up the familiar path and entered his home, almost the same as he had left it a year earlier. He was then ushered towards the dining table, his mother insisting that he rest while she and his sister prepared lunch. He agreed for the moment, catching up with his father while the two women busied themselves with cooking. But of course, Ieros could not just stay still, he had to contribute something so he drew a small package from within his cloak. It was meat of the highest quality and he insisted that they use this for lunch.


    Of course, the mother tried to decline but on this, Ieros was adamant. So she began to use the meat while Ieros continued to speak with his father. But as they spoke, there was a knock at the door. Ieros went to answer it and found the villagers who were sheepishly hanging outside the house, it seemed that they too wanted food. Ieros smiled and offered to convert various ingredients that the villagers would bring into food. So they all made their way to a meadow where Ieros made tables and began to convert the various ingredients and foods that the villagers brought into a fine meal.


    The meal was prepared and everyone began to eat, talking and laughing with one another. It was a joyous occasion as it was rare that the villagers could eat such fine cuisine, Ieros had not held back when he created the feast. The children laughed and played, having greatly looked forward to this day and asked Ieros to entertain them with magic tricks. He complied, creating little illusory fairies which danced with the children and sang.


    Meanwhile, Ieros made some high-quality alcohol at the behest of the village men. He even had a drinking contest with a few, although his body was unaffected by the alcohol as a preman¡¯s body will not be conquered by such weak things. This always happened year after year ever since he turned sixteen, and year after year, he proved himself to be the best drinker. His father, drunk, of course, would always clap him on the back and proudly shout, Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°As expected of my son!¡±


    Time passed quickly and it was soon nighttime, everyone looking up at the sky expectantly for Ieros¡¯s fireworks that would light up the sky. He had, of course, cured the men of their drunken stupor so that they could enjoy this sight as well. Everyone was silent as they watched the magnificent spectacle, oohing and aahing at the magical display. Another spectator watched the spectacle as well, the Surveyor watched from the shadows, observing how Ieros was faring without its direct control. After satisfying itself that Ieros had not retained any dangerous memories that would allow him to rebel, the Surveyor then left him alone, although it had observers keep an eye on him from a distance.


    Right now, it did not have the time to worry itself with Ieros. Even if he were to resist its control when it went to reclaim him, that was of no great consequence. It would still have his memories so it could always recreate him. Gathering more power was of greater import, End would be arriving soon and it was not yet confident it could destroy her without also being destroyed. It was not troubled by the fact that it would be destroyed, it was troubled by the fact that if it were to die, it would be failing its creator. And it would not lie to itself, it would also be a shame if it could not to learn all that could be learned.


    So it retreated to its abode here on Agleon, a cave in most remote part of the North, where the shadows were as old as Agleon itself and were very powerful indeed. They, of course, remembered the identity of their father, for they were around when he descended upon the surface of young Agleon, leaving the sculptures of its first lifeforms. They had immediately offered their strength and knowledge to the Surveyor. The Surveyor accepted their strength and knowledge, making them a part of itself, growing in strength.


    It had over the course of eighteen years gathered countless shadows from the tallest of mountains to the shadow of the hardy ant. And yet all of these billions of shadows were not enough, that was the power that was End. And it was not because the shadows were weak, even the shadow of an ant possessed enough power to kill a human instantly, it¡¯s just that End was too strong. And this was but a fragment of her, her true self was something that would be beyond all other things except for Darkness. It may be able to withstand End¡¯s power for a few moments but after that, it would be reduced to nothingness, her power was just too overwhelming.


    Then for a moment, it felt something and it focused all of its attention upon End who was also staring right back at it. End suddenly grinned and began to laugh, the sound of her laughter echoing all the way to the Surveyor. The Subjugator who was encompassing the shadow of Agleon¡¯s moon heard her laughter as well and prepared itself. It was powerful enough to subjugate End with ease but that did not mean it would escape unscathed. It wasn¡¯t just the fragments of Darkness who were preparing for End, the sages and seers down on Agleon also sensed a great catastrophe that was approaching, the Luxian Theocracy secretly preparing itself to meet the foe.


    But the rest of the world was blissfully unaware, going on with their day-to-day lives. The Surveyor then turned his attention away from End, she was not of concern right now, it shall deal with her when she comes. Meanwhile, it returned to gathering its strength, collecting the shadows of things that it had previously let alone so that their shadows would grow in strength. And if it proved necessary, the Surveyor could convert the surrounding matter into dark matter for it to use, although it would like to avoid that. Its primary function was to learn and it could not learn if it destroyed the item which it needs to study.


    As it prepared to meet End, the blissful world of Agleon moved on, night turning into dawn and the mortals below beginning to stir. Ieros was already awake by this time and was taking a walk in the forest, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the trees where he had once played as a kid. While he was walking, his sister had awoken to begin her daily tasks for the day and she noticed that her brother was gone. Curious, she set out to find him, following the trail that he had left in the morning dew. She continued to follow his trail all the way to a glade where she finally found him, in the place where he always hung out back when they were kids.


    As she approached, he turned and looked at her, his strange features once again reminding her that he was not her brother by blood. He had always looked different from everyone, his appearance looked like that of the people to the far West, a race of humans who kept out all foreigners with their great wall. How he had come to be here was a mystery but he was here now, a boy of Arcanus.


    Seeing that she was troubled by something, Ieros asked with concern, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    Ieros smiled and shook his head, ¡°I know when you have something on your mind. I¡¯m here to listen if that helps.¡±


    She smiled in turn, albeit a bit sadly, ¡°Oh I was just thinking how life could have been so different if you had been raised by your real family.¡±


    Ieros sighed, ¡°You¡¯re on about that again? Listen, the past is already set. Don¡¯t worry yourself about what could have been, worry yourself about what¡¯s going to be. Trust me, thinking about what could have been just makes life harder for everyone.¡±


    She protested, ¡°But-¡±


    Ieros silenced her, ¡°If I had been raised with my real family, my life would probably be the same, I would have been raised as a mage and probably would have become the greatest in all of Arcanus. I would have never known you at all and you wouldn¡¯t have known me. Satisfied?¡±


    She was silent for a moment and then chuckled, ¡°Always so serious. But I suppose you¡¯re right.¡±


    She then stood beside him, staring up at the sky which was beginning to lighten.


    They were silent as they looked up at the sky, Ieros breaking the silence by saying, ¡°You need to do your chores right? I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    She exclaimed, ¡°Oh! I totally forgot!¡±


    Ieros laughed, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The two siblings made their way back home and began to work on the sister¡¯s chores, completing them in time. After that, they enjoyed a simple breakfast and Ieros stood, intending to help out the villagers for the day. And he did exactly that, going around the village and helping anyone that needed it with magic. Luckily, most of the problems that the villagers had were simple fixes with his creation magic. The day soon came to an end and Ieros prepared to leave, waving goodbye to the children who begged him not to go and hugging his family one last time before he left.


    His sister asked jokingly, ¡°Where are you off to in a hurry?¡±


    Ieros smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m a mage, despite what you might think, I do have duties to attend to. But I¡¯ll visit next year as I always do.¡±


    His sister called, ¡°Well be safe then!¡±


    Ieros then called, ¡°Promise me one thing, that when you marry, I am present so I can approve of your husband-to-be.¡±


    Celine laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that brother.¡±


    He then waved goodbye for one last time while all the villagers waved goodbye. He then began to walk away, the Surveyor once more taking command of Ieros¡¯s body after he was a mile from the village. And once more, Ieros¡¯s eyes opened and looked out onto the world, Ieros¡¯s personality being suppressed once more.

 Chapter 41: Another Mission

    He stepped through a gate and was once more within his tower, Ieros busy analyzing his new set of memories. It wasn¡¯t too hard, these new memories did not differ too much from the previous memories that Ieros had made in the years before. So it finished this quickly, organizing its memories within its library after it was done. It wanted to continue organizing data but the Surveyor repressed this desire, it appeared that it was once more time to serve Athera if the court mage amulet was of any indication. But it was curious, why so soon? No matter, it would find out by going. So once more, it opened a gate and appeared in the throne room, his black and silver robes flowing mysteriously as he did so.


    He nodded to the Emperor and asked, ¡°What is it that you need me to do?¡±


    The Emperor apologized, ¡°I am sorry to call upon you so soon but I¡¯m afraid that one of your abilities will be rather useful for this. You see in the northern regions of Athera are infested with monsters and after hearing about how you wiped out the monster nests of Amartia, I would like you to do the same for Athera.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course your majesty, I shall set out immediately.¡±


    But before he left, the Emperor said, ¡°There is one more thing I want you to do, it is that when you return, you bring Visalia Orentia, the General of the North, back to the capital. I wish to speak with her, her behavior has been¡­ worrying.¡±


    Ieros nodded once more, ¡°It shall be done.¡±


    He then walked through a gate, appearing right on the edge of Northern Territory. He then created a dragon to ride upon, taking off and flying into the snow-laden sky. He decided to talk first with the General of the North, of course, he could find out the locations of the monster nests but this would also surprise the Northern Garrison, they¡¯d think they were under attack. So it was best to announce his intentions and perhaps get the help of the Northern Garrison, it would make his work more believable if he were to do so. So using his shadows, he found the location of the Northern Garrison base, Winter¡¯s Keep.


    He began to fly the dragon closer, the keep¡¯s defenders going into a panic as they prepared their defenses. Arrows and ballista bolts flew through the air only to be halted by magic and falling to the ground uselessly. Ieros got closer and closer, landing outside the castle gates with the defenders clustered on top of the walls. Ieros dismounted from his dragon and then dismissed his creation, the great stone dragon turning into dust. The defenders were all shocked, murmurs and whispers wafting down to Ieros¡¯s ear. Ieros then announced,


    ¡°I am Ieros, Archmage of the East. I was sent here by his Majesty to help the Northern Garrison exterminate the monster infestation.¡±


    The defenders on top of the wall were silent, they were unsure as to what to do with the man who had just descended from the skies on a dragon. Suddenly, there was a small commotion on the walls as soldiers began to move the side as if making way for someone. Sure enough, someone appeared, a woman clad in winter furs with white hair and skin with piercing sapphire blue eyes which glared down on Ieros. He met her glare, his remaining eye glowing silver for a brief moment.


    Ieros spoke first, ¡°You must be Visalia Orentia, General of the North.¡±


    She spoke curtly, ¡°I am.¡±


    Ieros then bowed his head, ¡°Upon the order of his majesty, I will offer my power to you to exterminate the monsters, will you accept it?¡±


    She said nothing for a few moments, finally saying, ¡°I shall see how you perform. If it is up to my satisfaction, I will allow you to help me. If it is not, you are to return to his majesty.¡±


    Ieros then raised his head, meeting her gaze, ¡°I shall not disappoint.¡±


    She didn¡¯t deign answer him, instead turning and appearing to descend from the wall. Some time later, the gate of the keep creaked open and she stepped out, a group of ten men accompanying her.


    Ieros asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that too small of a force to exterminate a monster nest?¡±


    She said, ¡°You will be doing most of the work. These ten men will just be here to protect me.¡±


    Ieros shrugged, ¡°Very well, that just makes my job easier, I don¡¯t have to worry about accidentally killing allies.¡±


    There was a sudden tension in the air, the ten soldiers grabbing their weapons but Visalia raised a hand, stopping them.


    She gave Ieros a piercing stare, finally saying, ¡°Follow me and my men, I will lead you to the first nest.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Very well, will it be fine if I were to create some golems to help me?¡±


    She nodded curtly and Ieros then made six hundred stone soldiers, surprising the ten soldiers who instinctively bunched together for protection. The stone soldiers paid them no heed, looking directly in front of them awaiting their orders. Of course, in addition to these six hundred stone soldiers were the commander golems, ones that Ieros gave a higher intelligence so that they could coordinate their troops. In this case, he created twelve, each of them commanding fifty stone soldiers as this way, he could spread out his forces without diminishing their effectiveness. The ten soldiers were understandably surprised although Visalia just stood impassively. Of course, she was surprised as well but she had better control of expressing them.


    Meanwhile, Ieros said, ¡°Lead the way, General. I¡¯m sure that the both of us would like to finish this as quickly as possible.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even glance at him, just walking off in the direction of the nearest nest, her escort, Ieros and his army following behind. They arrived border of the nest, a rather large goblin nest which had grown too strong to be defeated by the numbers at the garrison without heavy losses. The soldiers were obviously rather nervous upon entering the nest¡¯s territory but Ieros continued to move without fear, his force of six hundred positioning themselves around Ieros, Visalia, and her escort.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    They continued to march through, the stone soldiers slaughtering the goblins with ease, an unbreakable moving stone wall which made rapid progress to the nest. Ieros continued to walk casually as his troops successfully surrounded the entrance of the nest and began to march inward, trapping the goblins within the confines of their home. The stone soldiers marched within with a few squads staying at the entrances so they could catch any goblins that managed to escape the kill squads.


    Every living thing within the goblin nest was dead within the hour, Visalia insisting to see within the nest to confirm what Ieros said.


    With confirmation, she merely said, ¡°Good work.¡±


    She then gave the order to return and they did so, Ieros¡¯s army of stone dissipating into dust. Visalia stared at Ieros, re-evaluating what she had first thought of him.


    She finally said, ¡°You¡¯ve passed. I believe that your help will be invaluable.¡±


    They returned, Ieros offering to quicken their travel by use of a gate but she refused. So they walked back, arriving back at the keep in the afternoon.


    Once there, Ieros asked, ¡°I need a place to recuperate my power, do you have a spare room?¡±


    She eyed him coldly a few moments more before saying, ¡°One of my soldiers will guide you to your room.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°I thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    She said nothing, simply ordering one of her soldiers to give him a room before disappearing into the inner keep once more. Ieros then followed the appointed soldier, thanking him once he reached his room. The soldier hurriedly left once he was dismissed, Ieros ignoring him as he inspected his surroundings. It was to his satisfaction, a mostly bare room except for a lantern and a bed. There was, of course, a window but magic took care of any who would dare to spy from without. Ieros then began to meditate, his mind going to the Library and beginning to organize his new memories. But while he was in the middle of doing so, there came a knock on his door.


    Wondering what it was, Ieros went to open it, seeing a soldier who jumped nervously when he opened the door.


    Before Ieros could say anything, the soldier blurted, ¡°Sir mage! The General requests your presence at the General¡¯s personal quarters!¡±


    He began to run but before he got away, Ieros said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I need a guide to her chambers. You will have to lead me.¡±


    The nervous soldier nodded and began to lead him, although he was practically jogging to get away from Ieros. But Ieros kept pace with him easily, ignoring him when the soldier ran away after he led him to his destination. Ieros entered her chambers, seeing no one. There was, however, a long table with food upon it, although the food was concentrated on the opposite ends of the table lengthwise, it seems that the General was rather distrustful of him. He guessed that this was a countermeasure for when he attacked her, this would give her enough time to dodge.


    As he was observing this, a door on the opposite end of the room opened and the General stepped through, clothed a bit more lightly as it was not as cold inside the keep.


    She noticed that he had not taken a seat and gestured to his spot, saying, ¡°Please sit, sir Archmage.¡±


    Ieros took his seat but did not touch the food, saying, ¡°You need not go such lengths for me for I do not need to eat. Unless¡­ there is something that you wish to speak with me about in relative privacy.¡±


    She was silent for a moment, finishing her morsel first before answering, ¡°You are correct, sir Archmage. I shall be blunt, I¡¯d like to propose that you and I team up.¡±


    Ieros was silent, wondering just what exactly she was on about.


    He inquired, ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡±


    She was eating a piece of steak that she had cut, chewing and swallowing before answering, ¡°A coup of the state. With your stone army on my side and with my tactical genius, we could overthrow the Emperor and rule Athera together. We could even be involved intimately if you so wish.¡±


    Ieros remembered what the Emperor had said about her and now guessed what was most likely the true reason as to why he was here. It was to subjugate Visalia, the traitorous general. He then raised his head to meet her gaze, her cold sapphire eyes watching him closely.


    He then said, ¡°I too shall be equally blunt, I refuse your offer.¡±


    She was unperturbed, continuing to eat, ¡°Why?¡±


    Ieros explained, ¡°Well you see, I have no doubt that you and I will be able to easily overthrow the Empire and take it for ourselves. From there, if we still happen to be allies, we will go on to conquer the world and successfully create world peace through one unified humanity. But there is one glaring problem here, that life would no longer be interesting. You see, I don¡¯t care for politics nor reputation, what I care about are the fascinating and spontaneous events which happen around us daily. And although our path to achieving this goal will be filled with fascinating events, there will be no more after we have finished. That is, of course, assuming you don¡¯t betray me, in which case it will only be me as I would have killed you in retaliation for attempting to kill me.¡±


    She was silent, finally saying, ¡°Will you tell the Emperor?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°No, I think it would be more interesting if I kept silent about this. It will be fascinating to see you struggle to find another ally in which to help you achieve this coup.¡±


    She commented after sipping some wine, ¡°You¡¯re a strange man. But that¡¯s not bad I think. A shame that you won¡¯t join me though, is there any other reason why?¡±


    The depths of Ieros¡¯s hood seemed to smile, a smile that was blacker than the shadows of his hood, ¡°It is simply not time yet. In the future, there will be a far better chance for you to succeed and the result of your actions will result in a most fascinating phenomenon.¡±


    She placed down the wine glass that she had been slowly spinning, finally saying, ¡°A chance you say? I suppose you won¡¯t explain, will you?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°Unfortunately I cannot, that would ruin the surprise.¡±


    She then stared out the window and the slowly darkening sky, with snow falling more heavily now.


    She took another sip of wine, changing the subject, ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I do not need physical sustenance although I could eat if I choose. I simply do not wish to eat food right now, that is all.¡±


    She said, ¡°It is rude not to eat what your host provides you. Trust me, it isn¡¯t poisoned.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Very well, I will eat for the sake of politeness.¡±


    The two then began to enjoy their meal, Ieros savoring the cuisine and adding this memory to his collection of other food memories. He finished rather quickly and thanking his host for the fine meal, he retired to his room, he needed peace and quiet in order to organize the new data he collected. Meanwhile, Visalia continued to look out the window, disappointed at how today¡¯s events had gone. It was truly a shame that he had not allied himself with her, although perhaps it was for the best. She wasn¡¯t sure how she would be able to kill him once she no longer needed him. Seeing his powers today, it seemed highly unlikely that she would be able to assassinate him. She had the uneasy feeling that she would be the one to die in their tenuous alliance but it would be worth it, a high risk, high reward gamble. She, of course, had not given up on getting him as an ally, she was patient. After all, she had waited two decades for a chance to overthrow the Emperor, she could wait some more.

 Chapter 42: To Rule All

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªVisalia¡ª


    I remained in my seat when Ieros had left my chambers, musing as I gazed out of the window. I watched the snow fall, allowing my mind to relax and drop all thoughts, just watching the falling snow. I probably would have continued like that for the entire night if it wasn¡¯t for a knock at the door.


    I called, ¡°Enter.¡±


    In stepped one of my lieutenants, a man that I could trust, although not enough to place my life in his hands. There wasn¡¯t a single person in the world that I trusted that much, I knew that they would all betray me anyways.


    I asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    He bowed his head and said, ¡°General, it is about the mage, I don¡¯t understand why you would reveal your plan to him.¡±


    I gave him a short look before turning my attention to the window, saying, ¡°I thought I had managed to read him well, I thought I knew what he desired. I then offered it to him but my analysis was wrong, he did not care for power nor my body. It was a high risk, high reward gamble, one that didn¡¯t backfire nor did it pay off.¡±


    My lieutenant then proposed, ¡°Then we should kill him.¡±


    It was then I laughed, surprising my lieutenant because it was rare that I ever displayed such emotion before him, ¡°I doubt that even the entire Northern Garrison would be able to lay a scratch on him much less kill him. You saw his army, didn¡¯t you? He created them just like that and I wager he can create more. He is not a foe to be trifled with.¡±


    He paled, ¡°He is that powerful?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Of course, I have spies back at the capital and they tell many tales about the Archmage of the East, the youngest mage of all time to reach such a title. If you¡¯re wondering how old he is, he is eighteen years old, said to possess two magic traits of legendary quality. One you saw for yourself, Legendary Creation and the second is Legendary Darkness.¡±


    If it was possible, his face paled even more and one could understand why he did so. After all, it was Darkness that swept through Agleon, banishing the gods and all of their children from Agleon for a hundred years. Agleon had not yet forgotten the terrors it has suffered, even the humans who possess short memories.


    I asked, ¡°Scared?¡±


    He was silent, finally saying, ¡°I won¡¯t lie to your general, I am. It isn¡¯t right for someone to possess that much power.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°You may be right, but such power exists and I think such power should be used.¡±


    He was silent and I asked, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m wrong?¡±


    He finally said, ¡°Yes, I think that you are wrong, wrong that you think you can control his power and wrong to use it.¡±


    I smiled, ¡°I can understand why you¡¯d think that but I will control him, I will use his power to rule Athera.¡±


    He looked like he was going to try and convince me but he gave up, sighing, ¡°Very well general. I will follow you to the end.¡±


    I then dismissed him, I didn¡¯t feel like talking anymore and want to rest. I prepared myself for sleep, taking one last look out the window as I lay there, watching the snow fall. Unbidden memories began to rise, memories of a fire¡­ running¡­ darkness everywhere¡­ lying on my back¡­ staring up at the dark sky¡­ snow falling¡­


    She drifted off to sleep and Ieros¡¯s observer maintained its silent vigil. Ieros was sleeping as well, at least his physical body was while the Surveyor was busy simulating various ways to extirpate the monster presence. It could go forth with the full strength of its stone army and slaughter them but that may be exposing too much of its ability. Perhaps if it were to use the Northern Garrison, supplementing their forces with stone soldiers that would obey human commanders, it would make this process far more believable. But then the variable of human error entered this equation and thus came the chance of failure. If possible the Surveyor wished to avoid this, it wanted a flawless completion for that would mean a quicker end to its mission in the North. Besides, it was alright to demonstrate at least some power, after all, Ieros has grown in strength over the years, it was to be expected that his mastery over creation would also increase.


    Most of the night was spent like this and when dawn came, the Surveyor returned into the body of Ieros, having selected the most efficient strategy. He made his way out of his room, taking a walk through the halls of the keep towards the courtyard, exiting the inner keep and making his way to the walls. He surveyed his surroundings, his robes staying impossibly still in the raging winter winds that tore at the flags of the Atheran Empire. If one were to watch him closely, they¡¯d notice that not a single snowflake landed within a one-foot radius of him, they were all stopped by some invisible force. As he stood there, he heard a familiar voice, it was General Visalia, making her way up the wall¡¯s steps.


    I was silent as I made my way towards Ieros, looking out from the walls as he was. He merely gave me a nod before returning his attention to the black forest that contrasted sharply with the sea of snow on the ground.


    After a few more moments of silence, I asked, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    He said still staring, ¡°I was just appreciating the beauty of the North. This is the first time I had the time to actually take it in. The cold, the dark colors, all of it is beautiful. Simple colors which can make the most beautiful of paintings¡­ But I digress.¡±


    He turned to me, ¡°I will need a map of the Northern Region and the locations of all the monster nests. I go today with my stone army to utterly destroy them. ¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I snorted disbelievingly, ¡°I don¡¯t think you will be able to destroy them all with just five hundred.¡±


    He just returned his attention to the dark forest and said, ¡°Upon my command is an army of twenty thousand stone soldiers. I am sure that they will be able to handle the rest of the nests with ease.¡±


    I was stunned, twenty thousand? Just how much mana did he possess? He remained standing there, untouched by wind and snow.


    I recovered, saying, ¡°Well twenty thousand¡­ not many armies with those numbers exist. Why, with twenty thousand of your stone soldiers, you could overthrow the Empire.¡±


    Ieros merely replied, ¡°That is something that I am not interested in. It will be more fascinating to let nature take its course. Now, I believe that I need to see some maps.¡±


    He stood and gestured for me to lead the way. I didn¡¯t deign to give him a response, instead walking down the stairs and making my way to the library, within should be the maps that he asked for. Within the library, he looked around the rather humble collection of books, selecting a few books to read.


    I asked, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be going out?¡±


    He apologized, ¡°Ah, forgive me. It is just that I¡¯ve never seen books like these before and I was curious. Mind if I scan them while you get the maps?¡±


    I glared at him but he was already busy reading and remembering that it was best not to piss him off, I went to grab the maps. I ordered the librarian to gather the relevant material and waited for him to bring it, observing the Archmage who was currently was doing exactly what he said, scanning books although he took care to at least see every page. Then suddenly, he stopped, his hand stopping at a particular page. He was silent as he studied the page, finally closing the book. He stood and replaced it on its shelf, finally directing his attention to the librarian who was approaching.


    He took the maps and thanked the librarian, spreading them out on a table and inspecting it, asking me for the locations of known nests.


    Finally, he stood, ¡°I shall begin the extermination. I will return once I¡¯m finished.¡±


    I asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    He kept walking, saying, ¡°To bring you to the capital, the Emperor has summoned you. Don¡¯t think of escape, one of my battalions will stay here to watch you.¡±


    I grew slightly angry, my voice low and threatening, ¡°Was that a threat, Archmage?¡±


    The Archmage turned to me and said, ¡°It is a warning, I do not wish to fail the Emperor. So please, make it easier for all of us.¡±


    He then left, walking through the doorway and walking around the corner. By instinct, I went to catch him but when I rounded the corner, he was gone. I ordered a search of the entire keep but no sign of him was found. There was, however, a battalion of two hundred outside of the keep, led by a golem made of what looked like obsidian. It seems that I will not be able to avoid the Emperor¡¯s summons, I had a feeling that the black golem was very powerful.


    Meanwhile, Ieros was calmly watching her as ninety-nine groups of two hundred stone soldiers spread out to fight singular nests, moving on through the gates once they were done to the next nest. There was a total of three hundred and fifty-three nests but Ieros¡¯s forces easily destroyed them all, the last of the nests being exterminated a week after he had begun. Finished, he returned, knowing that she had already escaped.


    Truth be told, he knew that his general-class golem and the two thousand stone soldiers had been destroyed a few days earlier but he did nothing, it would be more beneficial to observe what she would do instead of capturing her on the spot. Another reason why he had not immediately intervened was because of her power, his army had been annihilated by her alone. So he was very interested in her, interested in the power that she had displayed. Of course, after study, he¡¯d prefer to kill her but, of course, that would be rather problematic as he would have disobeyed the Emperor¡¯s command. But enough time has passed so he located the observer that he had planted on her, creating a gate and walking through.


    I muttered a curse under my breath as pain spiked through my wounds, the medic telling me that I¡¯d have to deal with it a bit longer. Damn, I didn¡¯t think I would be this hurt from fighting that black golem. If it wasn¡¯t ordered to detain me, it would have killed me a long time ago. Even so, it still managed to gouge out a hefty chunk of flesh from my side and broke four ribs as well as my right arm. I still remember the last blow of our fight, it sacrificed itself to deal a blow that would incapacitate me, nearly succeeding. But it hadn¡¯t calculated for the force that I would put in my strike, which caused its aim to shift and hit my side. It did so without any hesitation, keeping its soulless eyes on me as my sword shattered it.


    But I still managed to defeat it, the stone soldiers under its command falling apart. It seems that his commander golems were an extension of his power, thus able to power the other stone soldiers, once we defeated the head, it took care of the rest. That made it so much more easy to defeat him, it was a relief to know that his army wasn¡¯t invincible. But as I thought this, a strange black rectangle appeared before me and a familiar robed figure stepped through, his emotionless voice filling the room,


    ¡°So the hard way it is.¡±


    And more black doors appeared, shadowy warriors stepping through. They surrounded me and blocked the entrance, detaining the medic who was tending to my wounds.


    He then made his way over to me, raising his right hand. I closed my eyes, preparing to die but instead, I felt a cool, pleasant sensation. Warily, I opened my eyes to see my body covered in a silver glow as well as my wounds healing at an impossibly fast rate. Within a few minutes, I was fully healed and the glow faded, leaving my body tingling.


    He then turned and walked to the black door, saying, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I thought about running but I looked at those strange warriors and I decided against it, he had not created them, he had summoned them. It was highly likely that they were the infamous Teryo, the elite guard of Ieros. Tales of their feats and skill had reached the North, about how they ruthlessly crushed the enemies of the Empire and how even one of them was a match for a thousand men. So I complied, stepping through the black portal and suddenly into the throne room of the Emperor. I still remembered this place from when I was promoted to general, the stifling atmosphere was the same as it was fifteen years ago. I looked around, searching for Ieros but he was nowhere to be found.


    Suddenly, the Emperor¡¯s voice said, ¡°Ieros has returned to the East if that is what you are wondering, hard to believe but his teleportation ability is no joke.¡±


    I was silent, instinctively grabbing for my sword only to find that it wasn¡¯t there. I relaxed, the Emperor chuckling in response.


    He said, ¡°I called you here because I¡¯ve been having my suspicions about your loyalty, it has not escaped my attention of the clandestine activities you have been doing in the North. Now, I do not wish to kill you as you are a powerful asset to have, but if I must, I will. But for now, please explain yourself.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°Your majesty, I did what I did for power. I want power, your power, to be the most powerful of all. This empire is but a stepping stone, your throne just another step on the stairway to world domination. I want to rule all things and I will not be satisfied with less.¡±

 Chapter 43: A Walk Can Reveal Many Things

    The Emperor began to laugh as he heard Visalia¡¯s answer, saying, ¡°A woman who wants power, not unheard of but rare nonetheless. And so ambitious as well, to rule the entire world!¡±


    Visalia was silent as he laughed, unsure as to how to respond. Like Ieros, the Emperor was one of the few men that she was unable to read. Not surprising really, the Emperor had to be unreadable, it was how one stayed on top in the game of politics.


    He finally stopped laughing, becoming serious once more, ¡°Although I cannot give you my throne, I can give you more power if you so wish, the North is a vast region filled with great potential. I will be willing to finance programs that will turn the North into a prosperous region.¡±


    He continued, ¡°Of course, you will be the leader of this region, only having to answer to me but other than that, you will have unquestionable authority. Of course, you will also have a standing military but should you use it against me, Ieros will send his Teryo and his stone army against you.¡±


    Noting that, Visalia bowed my head politely, ¡°I thank you, your majesty, for this chance. I promise that I will not betray your trust.¡±


    Things were going far better than she had hoped, she expected to be imprisoned at best but here she was, being given the territory of the North. Of course, there was the threat of Ieros¡¯s Teryo but she could wait, wait for the perfect chance to arise. She was sure that with Ieros out of the picture, her Northern Garrison would be more than enough to challenge the Imperial Army.


    She was soon dismissed amicably from the presence of the Emperor, a servant guiding her to her quarters. Once she had left, the Emperor¡¯s smile fell from his face and he called out to Ieros who revealed himself, casting off the illusion magic.


    He said, ¡°I trust that your spies can keep an eye on her, correct?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°You are correct, her every move will be watched and anything suspicious will be reported.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, ¡°Good. You are dismissed Archmage.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head and opened a gate, stepping through. The throne room was empty except for the Emperor and his Imperial Guard, the Emperor sighing as he relaxed in his chair. The duties of an emperor weren¡¯t easy, especially for the largest empire in recent memory. In truth, it was also a lonely job, there were none that he could speak with as equals, well, except for Ieros. He was an archmage, and a strong one at that, stronger than most archmages in all of Athera. Although he was polite and obeyed his orders, the Emperor knew that if it suited him, Ieros could easily wipe Athera from the face of Agleon, he was just that powerful and will only continue to grow in strength.


    That was what most frightened him about Ieros, that he would only grow stronger as time passed. He chuckled once again, oh well, it¡¯s not like he could do anything if Ieros turns against him. He could only stand there and fight futilely, at least dying an honorable death. But what happens will happen and he could do nothing but wait for Fate to take its course.


    Meanwhile, Ieros had returned to his mage tower, although this time he did not busy himself organizing data. He decided to take a walk, after all, he had to remind the local populace that he existed. It also wouldn¡¯t hurt to help the locals with various problems that couldn¡¯t be fixed through mundane means. After all, it wouldn¡¯t do to have the villagers become dependent on him, that would restrict his freedom too much. He was a welcome sight to the villagers who all began to ply him with requests but he hushed them all with a hand, saying,


    ¡°From now on, I¡¯ve decided that it would be best that I only help on matters that are beyond mundane solutions. You villagers are a strong people and you should be independent of me so that your children can be raised to be strong adults. To rely on me, no matter how tempting it is, is not healthy. I hope you understand.¡±


    The villagers were very understanding, his words had riled a sense of shame in them, it was shameful that they needed to depend on a mage for everything. But there were still some things that couldn¡¯t be handled with just the villagers and Ieros was glad to help, like healing sick cattle whose condition remained unaffected no matter what the villagers did. With his conditions that he set forth, there wasn¡¯t actually a lot for him to do but that was of no consequence. He would still be able to build relations with the villagers while having a lot of free time. Once he was done helping them, he took a long peaceful walk through the forests which his Teryo had made safe from monsters.


    It was tranquil within the forest, a quiet that was only disturbed by the rustling leaves and a soft breeze that blew between the trees. He walked ever deeper into the forest, a few days passing as the shadows grew darker and more ancient as he wandered ever deeper. Rarely have humans tread on this ground, it was far too deep and there was something about this part of the forest that unsettled them, not that Ieros blamed them. The shadows dislike being disturbed and the humans must have unconsciously picked up on their animosity.


    But the shadows were quite respectful to Ieros as all shadows were, whispering greetings to the Fragment. The Surveyor acknowledged them but continued to stay within Ieros¡¯s body. Right now it wanted peace, not to mingle with lesser shadows. But as Ieros continued walking, he began to hear strange things from the shadows, something about ¡°intruders¡±. Ieros asked them to lead him to the intruders and the shadows did so, taking the form of wildlife as they bounded through the forest, although always keeping within sight of Ieros. Soon they lead him to an area where they were unable to pass, saying that beyond were the intruders.


    Ieros thanked them and continued onward, the Surveyor feeling a strange sensation as they passed the invisible boundary. It immediately began to try and find out the reason behind the sensation, finally deducing that it was magic that was designed to keep out demons. It would not fully affect it as it was not some lowly demon but as demons possess a pathetic imitation of Darkness, it had reacted to him. Hmm, that meant that this barrier was no ordinary barrier. Curious, Ieros continued to move on, unable to rely on shadows to see what was up ahead as all the shadows within the barrier were dormant, forcible sealed away. But this did not worry Ieros and in turn the Surveyor, it possessed a great amount of power and unless the person who set up this barrier was stronger than End herself, it doubted it would be defeated.


    So it continued on its way, climbing up a small hill from the top of which he saw a small cottage off in the distance. Between him and the cottage was a large sloping meadow, where a few cattle grazed peacefully and a small piece of land that had been cultivated for crops. Why a cottage was all the way out here was beyond the Surveyor but that was not the problem. The problem was its inhabitants. As Ieros stood there, he noticed movement some ways to his right, there were two children playing in the meadow near the trees. They weren¡¯t too far off and Ieros focused his attention on them, using magic to magnify them.


    He saw one boy and one girl playing a game of tag, their golden hair gleaming in the sun and their emerald green eyes filled with cheer. Suddenly, they stopped playing as the girl had noticed him, her piercing green eyes locked on Ieros¡¯s hooded face. The boy turned to look and with wariness in his eyes, he shouted for his sister to run. She did so, running back to the cottage while the boy slowly backed away, making sure to keep his eyes on Ieros. Ieros just watched him retreat, not moving from his spot. He then turned and disappeared through a gate, reappearing in a location not far off from where he was originally, still watching the boy who was confused.


    After looking around a few times to make sure that Ieros was gone, he sprinted back to the house while Ieros watched. This was very strange, strange that there was a family out here and even more so because they were elves. He hadn¡¯t noticed it at first because as they were playing, their hair hid their ears but when the boy was standing still, he could see the long tapered ears belonging to elves. Why would elves be here? As Ieros mused on this, he saw the father step out of the cottage armed with a sword, a sword that Ieros had never seen.


    It was a leaf-blade sword, with a jade hilt and an emerald blade. But unlike the other swords that Ieros had seen, this blade was magical. A sword that was imbued with magic during the forging process, a blade that allowed its wielder to use magic without having to learn spells. The Surveyor had seen magic blades before during its century of observation but it had yet to see this exact blade, nor these elves. They had somehow remained hidden from it and the Surveyor was very curious as to how they managed this. For now, the Surveyor deemed it best that Ieros show himself to show that he means no harm. It did not want to fight against an elf as harming one earned the animosity of the entire race who would be able to identify the offender.


    It was best that things ended peacefully, it did not wish to exterminate another race for a few decades at least. So Ieros walked out from the woods in a slow manner, his hands raised to signify that he did not mean harm. The elven warrior pointed his blade at Ieros, the sword emanating a green aura.


    Ieros remained calm and still as the warrior demanded in elvish, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Ieros replied in elvish, ¡°I am a humble wandering sage. I stumbled upon your cottage and was curious. I will leave immediately if that is what you wish.¡±


    The elf was obviously very confused, saying, ¡°I did not know that there were still humans who knew how to speak our tongue.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I¡¯ve wandered Agleon for a long time.¡±


    The elf sheathed his blade and said, ¡°Well one who has received an acknowledgment from an elf cannot be all that bad. What is your name, sage?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°I am Ieros.¡±


    The elf introduced himself, ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Ieros, I am Elnaril Enril.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°No, it is mine. Even for a wanderer such as I, it is rare to meet elves and even rarer to speak with one.¡±


    The elf then offered, ¡°Would you like to stay for dinner?¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°I would be glad to accept, it has been long since I¡¯ve eaten a proper meal.¡±


    The elf then led the way back to his home, Ieros following behind. As they walked, a female elf stepped from the cottage with a glowing mage staff pointed at Ieros.


    Elnaril quickly stepped in between them, saying, ¡°Ieros, this is my wife, Ivana Enril.¡±


    She was silent, distrust in her eyes which onlydimmed slightly when Elnaril tried to persuade her that Ieros was of no harm. Ieros spoke in elvish to convince her but, of course, she was still wary. She did however stopped channeling magic into her staff and let him in, although she kept her children close to her. Ieros said nothing while he sat in a chair that the male elf provided, remaining still under the observant gaze of the female elf. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Finally, she asked, ¡°Why do you keep your hood up?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I have been scarred terribly, I don¡¯t think it is a sight to show to children.¡±


    She crossed her arms and said, ¡°I will not have you under my house unless you show your face.¡±


    Ieros tried to compromise, ¡°I would not like the children to see-¡±


    But he was cut off by Ivana who simply said, ¡°Off with the hood.¡±


    With a sigh, Ieros slowly reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his half skull face. There was shock in all of their faces, Ieros¡¯s remaining part of his face impassive. He pulled back on his hood after a few moments and the Ivana didn¡¯t stop him, still shocked at the severity of his wound.


    After a few moments, she apologized, ¡°I am sorry. Please forgive me.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°It is not your fault, you did not know.¡±


    Meanwhile, the children were still staring at him as if they could still see his face behind the shadows. Ieros meanwhile decided to review some data, reaching into a small gate and pulling out a book, a book from the Surveyor¡¯s Library. This was data about the sky turtles, with detailed descriptions and illustrations of the beast and its various parts. It had even explored the insides of the great beast, although the Surveyor used a body of shadow to make it easier to explore. Within was almost another world, with its own ecosystem and everything. It was a complete shock to the Surveyor who had never seen anything like it. There were crab-like creatures which wandered within the intestines of the creature, seeming to feed off of secretions made by the sky turtle.


    Within its relatively small stomach, there were more creatures, creatures that resembled slimes in nature which only ate a certain part of the food, absorbing it and then breaking it down before spitting out the waste that it did not eat. Of course, this waste was still very much edible and they seemed to be impervious to the stomach acid that the creature would release once every three days. Then there was the flora of the creature, a sort of moss-like plant that clung to the walls of the large intestines, absorbing small bits of nutrients as they passed by. All these creatures and more were studied by the Surveyor to be remembered for an eternity, they would live on forever in Darkness¡¯s memories.


    Suddenly, one of the elven children asked, ¡°What are those creatures?¡±


    It was the boy, who had managed to sneak away from his mother and to the side of Ieros.


    Ieros looked at him and then back at to the creature the boy was currently looking at, a strange worm-like thing that had a mouth, not unlike that of a lamprey. These were parasites which clung to the fleshy walls of the great sky turtle, feeding off of its very flesh. Of course, even if there were hundreds of them, it didn¡¯t affect the sky turtle too much as spider-like creatures would feed upon them as well as passing scraps that the turtle¡¯s stomach didn¡¯t finish off.


    Ieros began to explain, ¡°This is a strange creature that I encountered on my travels. I searched various libraries for a reference to this creature but I have found none, it is a species that had managed to elude scholars over the millennia. It is an exceedingly interesting creature and not dangerous at all despite its looks. It is much too slow to be of any real danger even if it wanted to eat you.¡±


    The kid looked on curiously at the page and turned it, revealing another strange creature.


    He asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure either, I would like to go back and find out but I was forced to return. After all, not all of these creatures are docile like the creature you saw before. What I do know however is that this creature is some sort of predator, as signified by its fangs and by its similarity to a spider, venom sacks within its mouth. I saw it hunt the creatures you saw earlier, although it seemed far too easy for the spider as it merely bit them. But I have seen those worm things fight back before, latching onto its legs and holding even beyond death. They swarm the spider until either they die or it does and mostly, the spider never emerges once that happens. They are truly fascinating, and I am certain to return there again.¡±


    The kid looked up at Ieros for a few moments before looking wonderingly at the creature, saying, ¡°I¡¯d like to go there someday.¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°Perhaps you can but it is highly unlikely. I was barely able to enter without dying, there are a host of dangerous creatures that protect this place and I doubt that even your father could make it through unscathed.¡±


    The kid then pouted, ¡°Then how did you get through?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°Barrier magic, one that I personally developed and one I call the Absolute Barrier. I call it that because as of yet, nothing is able to pierce it. It¡¯s one of the few reasons why I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    Elnaril who was listening asked, ¡°I¡¯d like to see if it can it stand against my blade. May I?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°It would certainly be very interesting and if you do succeed in breaking it, it will allow me to fix its flaws.¡±


    So the two went outside with the mother and children watching safely from the window. Ieros then conjured a barrier, this one visible to the naked eye so it would be easier for the elven warrior to strike it. He then waited behind the barrier, wondering just how powerful the elf¡¯s attack would be. As a precaution, he made barrier cube around the two of them so that the house would not be harmed.


    He then waited for the Elnaril¡¯s attack, the warrior hesitating, ¡°Are you not going to retreat?¡±


    Ieros bowed his head and said, ¡°I am confident in my barrier.¡±


    Elnaril shrugged and then held his sword with two hands, holding it above his head. He breathed in, breathed out and then sliced downward, his blade colliding with the barrier with great force. The barrier visibly shook but otherwise, there was no great damage to the barrier, it certainly wasn¡¯t broken. But that strength was nothing to be laughed at. Ieros was glad that he set up the cube barrier, otherwise, the cottage may have been blown away by the shockwave. The elven warrior had been knocked down by said shockwave, although he kept a tight grip on his sword.


    Ieros dispersed the barrier and walked over to him, extending a hand. The elf took it and Ieros pulled him up, saying, ¡°An impressive attack, I hadn¡¯t seen an attack with such power since I accidentally stumbled upon a dragon¡¯s nest.¡±


    Elnaril thanked him, ¡°Thank you for your praise, but a dragon?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s quite a long story¡­ ¡±


    They made their way back to the cottage where Ieros continued speaking about his tale, obviously made up but the elves didn¡¯t know that. The food served were various meals made from solely plant-based ingredients, although some of the vegetables and herbs were native only to elven lands. The elves were vegetarians as they viewed all life as sacred, although they had been known to eat meat when circumstances had forced them to it. But Ieros did not care that there was no meat, he was rather curious to taste elvish cuisine. They then enjoyed dinner, the meal invigorating and although not delicious, it was of a pleasant taste. Once finishing the food, Ieros stayed a while to tell tales of his journeys to the elf family, the children having warmed up to him quickly and listening avidly to his stories.


    But as the night grew and the day long gone, Ieros stood and said that he must leave.


    The children begged him to stay and Ivana offered him a bed for the night but Ieros refused her offer politely, saying, ¡°It is quite alright. I must get going, there are still more mysterious places for me to explore.¡±


    Ivana then offered, ¡°Then at least allow me to try and heal your wound.¡±


    Ieros turned around and said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you can.¡±


    She countered, ¡°You don¡¯t know until you¡¯ve tried.¡±


    Ieros decided to accept her generous offer, pulling back his hood and sitting down while she inspected it more closely.


    She asked, ¡°How did you get this wound?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I dabbled with something I shouldn¡¯t have. I tried to create a divine object and I paid the price for my foolishness. This is the result, a curse caused by the gods'' wrath.¡±


    She was surprised, she had not thought it possible for mortals to create divine objects.


    As this was a divine affliction, this would be hard to cure but nevertheless, she set about trying to heal it, chanting, ¡°Oh Spirits of the Forest, please cleanse this poor soul who has been afflicted with a curse. Purge the evil from his wounds and allow him to heal!¡±


    With her final words, a sudden light green light shone forth from her hand, shining upon his wound. It began to smoke as the curse began to gradually recede, being burned away by the light. But it did not disappear easily, it writhed and sometimes even fully encompassed Ieros¡¯s impassive face although Ivana constantly maintained the beam. After what seemed to be an eternity it was finally defeated and Ieros reached up to touch his face, finding it to be whole. Ivana swayed unsteadily before being caught by her husband who looked at her worriedly. Ieros blinked, getting used to having both eyes to see before focusing his attention on Ivana. He then stood and made his way to her, taking a hold of his amulet and pressing it in her hand. He then began to direct pure energy into her body, pouring enough that she had not only recovered but was full of energy.


    He bowed his head in gratitude and said, ¡°I owe you a great debt, you have healed me of a wound I thought I would have to live with forever. Thank you.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°No need to thank me, I simply did what any healer would do.¡±


    Ieros straightened up and said, ¡°Nevertheless, you have done me a great service and it would be rude of me not to repay you.¡±


    Ivana replied, ¡°You do not need to, the energy that you provided me is more than enough to repay your debt.¡±


    However, Ieros insisted and in his hand formed a crystal amulet which was a communication crystal. Through this, they could call upon him should they need his help.


    He then handed it to her and said, ¡°This amulet will allow you to call upon me should you need my help. When you call upon me, I will do my utmost to help you.¡±


    Ivana tried to refuse, ¡°No, something like this is too much.¡±


    Ieros insisted, ¡°Nonsense, this is the least I can do.¡±


    She reluctantly accepted it and with a small smile on his now whole face, Ieros bid farewell, ¡°Farewell, Family of Enril. I will not forget the kindness which you showed me today.¡±


    But before he left, Elnaril who had been observing him, asked, ¡°Who exactly are you? I¡¯ve never seen a human wield such power.¡±


    Ieros turned and with a faint yet sad smile, he re-introduced himself, ¡°I am Ieros, the last of the Premen.¡±


    There was shock and recognition in the elf¡¯s eyes but before he could say anything else, Ieros bowed his head in farewell, turning and disappearing through a gate. He left the meadow, Elnaril in shock. To think that he had met one as ancient as a Preman¡­ Elnaril thought back to when he was a young elf, only a few hundred years old, one of many elven warriors who marched to aid the gods in their effort to destroy Premanity. He personally witnessed Eversor the Destroyer slay a god and the invincible Teryo which defended their homeland fiercely. But not even these warriors could stand against the Immortals who slowly overran them with sheer numbers.


    He had thought that since their defeat, there was no Preman alive who still retained their old strength. His thoughts were interrupted by his wife who worriedly grabbed his shoulder. She had not been born when the elves marched to war against the Preman, she was born in the times of peace afterward when knowledge of the Preman had been suppressed by the gods. He was silent as he looked once more to where Ieros had disappeared.


    He murmured, ¡°So, one has survived¡­¡±

 Chapter 44: An Alliance of the East and West

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIn the Empire of Auster¡ª


    The Emperor was walking down the halls of his palace alone, this was a forbidden part of the palace and only he and a select few were allowed within. He followed the path that he knew so well in the maze of corridors to a certain wall. He then waved his hand and a secret door opened, closing flush with the wall once he stepped through, making it seem as if there was no door. Within was another tunnel, this one leading into the depths of Agleon. After fifteen minutes of walking, he stepped out into a secret underground city, the City of Silenda. This city was the city of the Satorians, their first and only city, created in the days when Darkness still walked upon Agleon. This city was personally made by him actually, as a gift to one of the first races he had chosen to make, the Satorians.


    They were very intelligent and although not as long-lived as elves, they possessed, the ability to transfer memories to their young. As one of the prototype races that was created by Darkness, they lacked many of the things that Darkness learned to create in other creatures, although he blessed them with great intelligence. These intelligent creatures survived for a long time in secrecy, not having to sustain themselves with physical food, rather siphoning energy from their surroundings, feeding off of Agleon itself. They too could resort to violence to defend themselves but they would rather avoid using that option, they simply did not possess the stamina to keep up a long fight as they manipulated pure energy, energy that sustained them. This normally wouldn¡¯t be a weakness but given the time Satorians spend just to gain enough energy to lift a single arm, a week, fighting was simply a waste of valuable energy.


    That is why when the Council of Silenda decided that they must prepare for the eventual end of this world, they would need to build a great empire to serve as their weapon. So they waited, sending out scouts to find a race that they would be able to conquer with relative ease and yet would be able to aid them greatly in their ultimate goal. They soon despaired, the races that surrounded them were far too powerful to be conquered by the Satorians. Then a scout came and reported that he found the secretive race of the Loquimi. Once he spoke of their power and their weak bodies, the Satorians seized this god-given opportunity.


    WIth the Loquimi at their side, the chosen Satorian to become Emperor bent the will of various leaders to his own, creating a massive empire in which all were loyal to him. Even so, this Emperor was but a figurehead for the Council of Silenda, the true rulers of Auster. Said Emperor was making his way to the Council now, he had a proposal for the Council.


    He took a breath before he entered the Council Hall, he didn¡¯t like the Elders but he knew that they were necessary. He opened the doors to the hall and stepped inside, walking to the center of the chamber before falling to one knee.


    He said, ¡°Elders of the Council, I have a proposition for you.¡±


    The Eighth Elder spoke, ¡°Welcome Regulus, let us hear this proposition of yours.¡±


    The Emperor remained on his knees, ¡°Elders, you remember the failure of our army against the savages of the West.¡±


    The Fifth Elder spoke this time, ¡°Yes, we remember. We had greatly underestimated those barbarians, we did not know that they possessed such great knowledge of the usage of Acror.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and said, ¡°Yes, and if there are more like the single acror wielder who stood against us, then it is unlikely that we will ever be able to conquer Occasus. So my proposition is to make an alliance with the barbarians, so that there will be peace between us and when the end of the world arrives, we can trust them to aid us to defend Agleon from the End.¡±


    The Second Elder mused, ¡°Interesting, instead of conquering, we extend our hand in friendship.¡±


    The Seventh Elder added, ¡°Yes, this would also keep our Empire stable for much longer, we cannot afford to overextend ourselves with the threat of the Saurians.¡±


    But the Fourth Elder said, ¡°But they must know that we attacked them, they would be fearful and would not accept an alliance with what they perceive to be an enemy.¡±


    The Emperor spoke, ¡°Then we give them no choice but to accept. We have already recovered and increased our numbers from the previous attempt. We only need to send more as a show of force.¡±


    The Second and Seventh Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, as long as we secure their support and ensure that they do not betray us when the time is right, our plan will flow smoothly.¡±


    The Ninth Elder refused, ¡°If we send a great army, they will fight back at first and although we will defeat them, the barbarian nation will be severely weakened and will be unable to help us to stave off the End.¡±


    The Eight Elder seconded her opinion, ¡°The Ninth is correct, we must approach this carefully. I propose only a single sky turtle with a hundred thousand Crimex as well as a thousand each of Avem, Ursus and Lacerta species. The majority of our forces will stay upon the sky turtle but one of each race will come down to defend the representing ambassador.¡±


    The Fourth and Fifth Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, this is the wisest course of action. What say you First?¡±


    The First agreed with them as well, ¡°I too believe that this is our best course of action. We just need to select an ambassador.¡±


    The Third said, ¡°It has to be someone who does not easily give in to anger.¡±


    The Fourth added, ¡°One who is wise enough to know his place.¡±


    The Sixth finished, ¡°And intelligent enough to pull of the negotiations without a hitch.¡±


    All together, they said, ¡°It has to be Gero.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, ¡°I shall inform him at once and gather his escort.¡±


    The Elders nodded and dismissed the Emperor. He left the room and returned to the palace, sending a servant to summon Gero. He made his way to the throne room, awaiting the arrival of Gero. A few moments later, Gero arrived, entering through the gold-plated doors that led to the throne room. He was an old Lacerta, one of the lizard people, the lesser descendants of the dragons. They were looked down upon by the Saurians who were of course far more powerful than them and as the blood of the Lacerta was tainted, it was not pure dragon blood. The Saurians did not possess tainted blood, their dragon blood was just weakened as the first Saurians were banished dragons.


    They were stripped of their wings and power, although still pure of blood. But the Lacerta were not to be underestimated, they were still the descendants of dragons and possessed a legendary control over acror. The strongest, wisest and humblest of their kind was Gero, the perfect choice for ambassador.


    Anyways, Gero bowed before the Emperor and asked, ¡°Your majesty, you have called and I am ready to serve.¡±


    The Emperor nodded to him, saying, ¡°I have called you here to be an ambassador, an ambassador to the barbarians of the West and make an alliance with them. With the prophets predicting that the End shall arrive within two years, we do not have the time to conquer them. We must achieve an alliance. You have been chosen for your wisdom and humility and I hope that you will achieve success.¡±


    Gero kept his head bowed and said, ¡°I will do as you command. When will I be setting out?¡±


    The Emperor then explained to him that arrangements were already set in place and that once they have finished, Gero would set out immediately. After, that, Gero and the Emperor spoke on many things, the Emperor confiding the problems of ruling such a large empire. Gero supplied what advice he could, his wisdom only doing so much as although he once lead a tribe, he did not lead a great empire. But his words were helpful nonetheless and when it came time for Gero to go, the Emperor did so reluctantly, he had enjoyed his talk with Gero. He bid farewell to Gero as Gero left his throne room, Gero returning the platitude before following the servant. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It was only a matter of minutes before Gero was in the skies on the sky turtle, followed by a retinue of a large army and five bodyguards. They then set out across the ocean, the shadow of the sky turtle once more tracing its path across the ocean to the site of Auster¡¯s defeat.


    Nothing of note happened on their four-day journey to Athera, much faster now that the sky turtle wasn¡¯t burdened with the weight of half a million Crimex. Upon their arrival, Ieros was already waiting for them, having prepared an army of a fifty thousand stone soldiers, surprising all that were there. They had seen him create his stone soldiers of course but never in such large numbers. But Ieros was not yet finished, he created twenty thousand dragonrider units with the accompanying dragons. They were all in shock of Ieros who erected towers all along the beach for ten miles, arming them with a beam crystal. Beam crystals, as said in the name, were crystals that directed the energy channeled through them into a destructive beam, incinerating everything in its path.


    Of course, Ieros knew that the Austerians were coming with peaceful intentions but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to show them that he meant business as well. He also summoned the Teryo, they alone would have sufficed but the numbers that Ieros summoned were more for displaying his power. He wanted to make sure that Auster knew that at least he was not a force to be trifled with. He watched silently as the great sky turtle descended from the sky, landing on the water. But there wasn¡¯t really a way for them to get down without jumping so Ieros decided to help them, creating a large bridge that allowed the Austerians to travel down to the ground with ease. Gero decided to use the bridge and walked down, his bodyguards following behind.


    Five minutes of walking later, they were down upon the ground and was greeted by Ieros who spoke their language.


    Surprised, Gero said, ¡°I did not know-ss that there was-ss one among you who knew-ss our language.¡±


    Ieros merely replied, ¡°When you first came here, I took the liberty of taking prisoners and learning all I could of Auster from them.¡±


    Gero asked, ¡°And what happened-ss to thos-sse pris-ssoners-ss?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°They were killed. There was no way to return them nor could I set them free.¡±


    The bodyguards tensed, especially the beastkin but Gero stopped them with a hand, ¡°You are a very rational person, although it seems you lack in morals.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°Morals obstruct the way of progress. Therefore I gave up my morals in order to advance to greater heights.¡±


    Gero was silent, he didn¡¯t like Ieros, he would become a very powerful enemy if they were to present themselves as a danger to him and his progress.


    Ieros then said, ¡°Well let us go to the Imperial Palace, I¡¯m sure the Emperor would like to speak with you.¡±


    Ieros then created a gate and walked through, Gero and his guard unsure as to what to do. The Teryo merely gestured that they step through and with wary trepidation, they stepped through. Of course, this was no trap and they appeared inside the throne room of the Emperor, Ieros busy explaining the situation to him. Once the Emperor understood the gist of everything, he spoke but came to realize that Gero knew nothing of his language. This was easily solved by Ieros creating twin amulets and having Gero and the Emperor put them on. This would allow them to understand one another and speak without any problems. This was only possible due to Ieros¡¯s understanding of the Austerian language, if he had no knowledge of it, then he would be unable to translate.


    But as Ieros served no further purpose, he went to the side of the throne room and made a table and chair, enjoying some exotic tea while the Emperor and Gero spoke. Of course, he was ignored until the scent of the tea caught the attention of Gero who was an avid tea lover. Gero politely asked the Emperor if they could join Ieros for tea and the Emperor saw no reason to object. So Ieros moved the table to the center of the room, made it larger and made chairs for the two of them.


    Gero and the Emperor quietly sipped tea for a few moments, savoring the strange but delicious taste of the tea, Gero asking, ¡°Where did-ss you procure this-ss tea?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I met with a wandering elf who gave me some tea leaves. I replicated them and continue to use them.¡±


    Gero was unfamiliar with what an elf was and asked for clarification.


    Ieros gave it to him and Gero looked wistfully at the tea, saying, ¡°I would very much like to meet these people. It seems that they poss-ssess-ss very delicious-ss tea.¡±


    This time the Emperor spoke, ¡°You really like tea it seems.¡±


    Gero nodded, ¡°Of cours-sse¡±


    Gero finally started, ¡°Your majes-ssty, I have come here on the behalf-ss of my Emperor. He would like-ss an alliance-ss between our two nations-ss. Truth be told, my Empire once-ss attacked yours-ss, although we were utterly defeated by one of your acror-wielders-ss.¡±


    The Emperor asked, ¡°Acror wielder?¡±


    This time Ieros said, ¡°It is their equivalent of a mage.¡±


    The Emperor nodded and said, ¡°Well I have no knowledge of this invasion of yours, Ieros here has been in charge of the East for the past five years and he has never mentioned anything about an invasion.¡±


    Gero looked at Ieros with confusion, ¡°You did-ss not tell him of the invas-ssion?¡±


    Ieros was silent, sipping tea first before answering, ¡°I had no reason to.¡±


    The Emperor exclaimed, ¡°No reason!? An invasion seems important enough in and of itself to provide a reason!¡±


    Ieros sipped some tea once more before saying, ¡°Your majesty, I did so because I do not want to be noticed. I am powerful but according to how I have portrayed myself, I am no more powerful than any of the other Archmages. I have kept it that way for five years and I¡¯d like to keep it a secret for at least a few more years.¡±


    The Emperor asked, ¡°Just how powerful are you?¡±


    Ieros said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t tell you, secrets if told will be found out one way or another.¡±


    Gero agreed, ¡°Yes, secrets are kept secret if they are never spoken of. But I too can¡¯t help but be curious about your strength, I¡¯ve heard from the sole survivor of five million soldiers that you wielded a strange and powerful spell, one which covered the skies like the branches of a gigantic tree.¡±


    Ieros was silent, finally saying, ¡°That is perhaps the greatest piece of magic I ever wielded, although such magic came at a great cost. I lost a portion of my life force and had to rely upon constructs which looked exactly like me to take care of my duties while I recovered.¡±


    The Emperor burst out, ¡°So you mean to say that all those jobs I had you do were a construct!?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course, I myself was far too weak to do those things. But, I think I will now take my leave. I see that I¡¯m only serving to be a distraction for the two of you and negotiations for peace are not things to be interrupted. The teapot is self-filling so you need not worry, drink as much as you like.¡±


    Ieros then dismissed himself from their company, Gero and the Emperor speaking a bit more on the subject of the invasion before they turned to negotiations, all the while sipping the delicious tea from the teapot.

 Chapter 45: An Alliance of the East and West 2

    The negotiations were completed with quick succession, much to the satisfaction of both Gero and Emperor Teramon VII. The two shook hands on it and the Emperor publicized this to the people of Athera, shocking many to the presence of a civilized nation of monsters. Luckily there hadn¡¯t been an antagonistic relationship between the two as they mostly had no knowledge of each other. And although the people were not too welcoming of the idea of being allies with a monster empire, they did not protest too much about it, partly because they didn¡¯t care and also because they knew what happened to rebels. Ieros and his Teryo made it evidently clear that any who dared to stand against the Throne were dealt with quickly and quietly.


    None were spared, not even the families of the rebels, a personal order made by Ieros in public. This, of course, damaged his public reputation but he didn¡¯t care too much, he only needed minimal contact with the humans which was achieved through the villagers he protected. As for why, this was to ensure that none in the family would rise up against the Empire and to serve as a warning to other would-be-rebels, that they would not be the only ones to suffer punishment. This method, although cruel, was the most efficient that Ieros had thought of, it would secure the nation in the short term which would allow for better reforms to be made in order to keep the peace. It wasn¡¯t his problem to deal with the reforms so he didn¡¯t have to worry about how the nation would keep said peace, he only needed to suppress any and all rebellions against the Emperor.


    But it was not over with the completion of the negotiations and the signing of the treaty, a feast was in order to celebrate this momentous occasion and Gero was the guest of honor. He was treated to the finest foods that Athera had to offer, Gero excitedly trying out everything and with the exception of a few, rather exotic, delicacies, he loved everything. Ieros had participated in the banquet but only to observe Gero, he was of a species that the Surveyor was looking forward to study in more detail. He did not eat and most of those around did not notice this, although Gero and his bodyguards noticed that he had not even touched the eating utensils that were set neatly before him.


    Curious, Gero called over the table, ¡°Why don¡¯t-ss you eat? The food is-ss quite delicious-ss!¡±


    Ieros merely said, ¡°I do not require physical sustenance.¡±


    Gero was impressed, ¡°Mos-sst acror wielders-ss in my homeland require-ss at least five decades-ss to abs-ssorb energy from their s-ssuroundings-ss. Your talent is-ss extraordinary.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°You honor me too much.¡±


    Gero pressed on, ¡°Even in my nation-ss, people of your talent are-ss very rare.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I know.¡±


    Gero was confused, ¡°You do-ss?¡±


    Ieros nodded, saying, ¡°Very few would have been blessed by the Eternal One, to my knowledge, I am the only one.¡±


    Gero inquired, ¡°The Eternal-ss One?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Yes, the one who has existed before the gods, before Light, before even Time. It has existed for countless eons and will exist for countless eons more, the one who blessed me with a fragment of his power.¡±


    Gero was silent for a moment, finally asking, ¡°Does this being have a name-ss?¡±


    Ieros nodded, then speaking one single Word, a Word filled with limitless ancient power, causing the air in the hall to shudder, for the magical lamps to go dark and for the hall to become deathly cold. But its effects did not stop there, the power of the Word was felt throughout all of Agleon and beyond, reaching various worlds and eventually lightly caressing the ear of End who stopped what she was doing, for she recognized the Word. She was silent, the burning world behind her also becoming silent as the power of the Word extinguished the flames she had caused. With slight irritation, she flicked her hand, the world being consumed by flames once more and she sighed, returning to destroying. Soon, her time would come.


    Back at the dining hall, everyone was looking at the source of the disturbance, only seeing Ieros calmly sipping some tea that had come out of nowhere. He did not explain himself nor was he asked to as he just apologized for what he did and relit the magical lamps, the room warming up soon after. Gero meanwhile was silent, awed by the power he had just witnessed. But with that awe was also fear, fear of the power this being possessed.


    After that small incident, Ieros was, unsurprisingly, left alone and by midnight, all had retired to bed. In the morning, Gero invited Emperor Teramon VII to send several of his own ambassadors to Auster so that they may bring back knowledge about it. Teramon VII saw no reason to refuse and among the five that he chose, one of them was, of course, Ieros. Ieros had no complaints, not that he ever did, in fact, he was just the slightest bit excited. To visit the land of Ortus, home to the descendants of dragons and other strange and fascinating creatures for him to study, how could he give up such a chance?


    This was, of course, decided over the course of three days, the first day to pick people and the remaining two days to gather them as these people were spread out all over Athera. When all had been gathered, they stepped through Ieros¡¯s gate to the beach where the sky turtle was located. They marveled at the size of the giant creature while Ieros was already making his way up the bridge, flanked by Eversor and one other Teryo. There were a total of ten, two for each human ambassador. Some of the ambassadors were quite nervous being escorted by their mysterious bodyguards, they had heard the rumors about these merciless elites under the service of the ruthless Archmage of the East.


    Gero noticed their nervousness and asked them why, it was then that one of the humans explained to him the reputation these strange soldiers and Ieros had, making Gero all the more curious about Ieros. But Ieros made no response to the overtures that Gero attempted and Gero could sense that he was unwelcome, judging from the dangerous auras emanating from Eversor and the other Teryo. Gero raised his hands in surrender and left them alone, instead he spoke with the other ambassadors to get as much information as he could about Ieros. Unfortunately for him, he wasn¡¯t able to get much information, only that Ieros was a genius who possessed great control over magic as well as being really young. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    There was a lot of bullshit rumors that they told him as well, like how Ieros had made a deal with the Devil, enslaved an angel or was blessed by a dragon. This prompted an argument between the four ambassadors as they did not agree with on the aspects of certain rumors, stopping when Ieros stopped and slightly turned to them, the faceless shadows within his hood seeming to glare at them. None of them had ever seen Ieros¡¯s face so their reaction was understandable, a paralyzing fear of staring into something that you could not identify nor understand. He then turned and continued to walk, the stronger-willed of the four recovering faster and following him, albeit at a slower pace.


    They soon reached the top of the sky turtle and Gero led the four to rooms they could use, Ieros declining the offer as he did not need to sleep nor rest. Instead he made his way to the head of the great turtle, various monsters staring at him with either curiosity or hostility as he walked past, although they didn¡¯t dare come closer for they could sense the threatening aura of the Teryo, the beastkins¡¯ instincts telling them that these weren¡¯t the type of creatures to piss off. The Crimex didn¡¯t care, they had no self-will and just wandered around aimlessly until they were needed.


    But they did, however, cast a glance at Ieros before going back to wandering, the presence that they felt from him was the same as the Queens; one filled with power and authority, one that needed to be obeyed. If he gave them an order, the Crimex would doubtlessly obey, it was simply their nature to. Well, they would have to understand him first but the power of the Surveyor reaches beyond languages, they would obey if it wanted to. But now was not the time to think of how to defeat the enemy, now was time to learn, although both were closely intertwined ideas, to know one¡¯s enemy is a great advantage.


    But he soon stopped thinking of these thoughts as he made his way to the turtle¡¯s head, seeing the dark blue ocean stretch out before him. Ordering his Teryo to stay on the turtle and return to the others, Ieros then continued walking, walking off the head of the turtle. Of course, this was surprising to those that were watching except for the Teryo, they were already returning to the others by the time Ieros had taken his first step. They knew that he wouldn¡¯t be in any sort of danger and were doing the only thing that they could do, following orders. Like the Crimex but capable of higher orders of thought and independence from his commands.


    But those thoughts soon disappeared into the back of his mind as he erected a personal barrier and hit the water. He began to sink like a rock, Ieros altering gravity slightly in order to sink all the way to the ground. He began to walk once he was on the ground, seeing quite well in the murky water as he wasn¡¯t relying on his eyes but rather the perpetual shadow at the bottom of the ocean. He could see everything through the shadows and had no problem avoiding any and all obstacles in his way. He made his way through vast plains of grey sand and mountainous regions which spewed heated water and smoke. He also encountered strange and fascinating creatures which he took great care to study, taking a sample of each specimen he came across.


    But as he continued walking, he checked up above, seeing that night was falling and it was now time to return. He sighed and opened a gate with a barrier around it, to prevent water from flowing through. He stepped through and reappeared on the shell of the turtle, right next to Eversor and the other Teryo. This surprised Gero and a few of the other beastkin who personally saw him jump off but he made no explanation as to why he jumped off. He merely retired to his room after this, beginning to dissect and research the fascinating specimens that he had collected. If one were to walk on him now, they would be able to see a small smile on his face, instinctual in nature and the Surveyor was unaware of this smile, being too busy memorizing every detail of the corpses before it.


    Strange, isn¡¯t it, that one could smile without using sentient thought. Of course, you could just smile by willing it, but there are times when you just¡­ smile. It is a mystery that has never been fully solved by humans, well, at least to those that search for a scientific definition. Most just get by with the fact that it is caused by one¡¯s emotions, it is just one of the facts of life.


    But that small smile of his disappeared as he was brought back to reality by a knock at the door, it appeared to be dinner time. Ieros decided to attend, after all, there would be some foreign cuisine to taste, although he would like to avoid socializing. But such was the pursuit of knowledge, it was not for those who seek pleasure. Thus steeling himself, Ieros opened the door, finding Gero on the other side. It seemed that Gero had not called him for dinner, mindful of the fact that Ieros did not need physical sustenance and merely wished to speak to him about the incident.


    Ieros merely explained that he wished to explore the bottom of the ocean and that he had done so. Gero was interested to hear about the bottom of the ocean and not one to deny another the gaining of knowledge, Ieros shared some of his findings, even showing Gero some of the specimens that he had taken. Gero studied them with great interest, asking Ieros if he could come along on Ieros¡¯s next incursion. Once more, Ieros saw no reason to refuse and just nodded. Gero soon left him alone, needing to retire to bed and alone once more, Ieros began to study the specimens he had taken, recreating them and watching them swim in a controlled environment that he created.


    For the night, he was content, although by morning he had run out of specimens. So he set off once more, running into Gero who followed him. They made their way to the tail of the turtle this time, it was far easier to jump off here and Ieros did so, after placing personal barriers around himself and Gero, although for Gero he made sure that there would be oxygen for him to breathe. Once more, Ieros plunged into the depths of the ocean, Gero wincing as they hit the surface, only to look wonderingly around him as he felt no pain, hardly any impact at all.


    And remembering that Gero was unable to see well in absolute black, Ieros made it so that the barrier acted as Earth¡¯s modern-day night vision goggles, although a far better version of it as it allowed full color. Not that full color was needed on the dreary ocean plains, you could only see grey as far as the eye could see, endless grey. Ieros then told Gero that he was free to wander, that Ieros would be able to find him due to his barrier and take him back when the time was right. He also told Gero that he had nothing to fear, the barrier would protect him against any and all dangers. Thus assured, Gero began to wander on his own while Ieros began his search for new specimens, he had to gather enough to keep him busy for the duration of the journey.

 Chapter 46: An Alliance of the East and West 3

    The great sky turtle arrived at the shores of Ortus, a great expanse of land that brought awe to all that laid their eyes upon it, although Ieros wasn¡¯t looking at Ortus as he was still underneath the ocean. He did have a clone taking his place temporarily so he could remain within the ocean to finish his research. He had already sent out observers throughout the continent and was receiving a steady stream of data from all of them so he did not have to be there personally. This knowledge, of course for learning purposes, was also for Plan B. Plan B was what Ieros would resort to if negotiations failed. With extensive knowledge about Auster, it would be able to defeat Auster and conquer it in the name of Athera.


    Or perhaps not, it could install a puppet leader who would be loyal to him and he would use this empire to fight against End. There were many courses of action, but the easiest and best solution would be to ensure that the negotiations come to success. Meanwhile, he was busy collecting and studying various specimens of sea fauna and flora.


    Back on land, his clone and all the other ambassadors disembarked from the great turtle onto the docks, these docks specifically made to house these sky turtles as they leaned out off the edge of a tall cliff, allowing the turtles to float comfortably while the passengers could disembark onto ground level. It was a majestic sight to see from a distance, a sheer cliff of dark grey stone, the bottom glistening from waves that crashed onto its surface. But Ieros¡¯s clone did not linger on the cliff¡¯s beauty, merely giving it a glance before looking onward, having already memorized the sight. He just followed the ambassadors as he was commanded to do so, the Teryo escorting them.


    Gero had wisely brought the humans directly to the Imperial Palace by means of multiple palanquins lifted by human slaves. The ambassadors were shocked at this and some tried to object to it but Gero said that this was not the time, it would be dangerous if the public were to catch wind of free humans. When Ieros¡¯s clone sided with Gero, the ambassadors acquiesced to riding on the palanquins, curtains were drawn up so that no one could see within. In addition to this, Ieros cast illusion magic to further conceal the presence of humans, hiding their scent as well. Gero couldn¡¯t do much about the Teryo and only had to hope that the public would think of them as slave guards.


    Thus prepared, the ambassadors and their escorts made their way to the Imperial Palace, encountering no problems on the way. They did get some curious looks but other than that, most commoners got out of their way, especially when they say the insignia of Auster, meaning that these people were of high rank. Once at the palace, Ursus guards blocked the public¡¯s line of sight of the human ambassadors as they exited the palanquins, a few more Ursus escorting them into the safety of the palace where none would dare harm the guests of the Emperor. Ieros had by now taken the place of his clone, commencing the switch so flawlessly that no one noticed the change except for perhaps Teryo.


    But the Teryo merely exist to protect and serve, not to ask questions. Meanwhile, Ieros created translator amulets for each of the ambassadors to use before they entered the palace. When he finished, they entered the palace where he busied himself by studying the inner architecture of the palace. He saw many similarities to the architecture of the Premen, not that he had seen them in person but rather through the memories of the Surveyor who in turn possessed memories of Darkness. Before Darkness slumbered, he had walked upon several of the worlds he created, one of them being Agleon. He personally created the first cities of Premen and other ancient races such as the Calator, Satorians and the Nanus while he walked among them, these races basing their architecture off of his work.


    Of course, each of their architecture was different from one another as although their buildings shared the same ancestor, they made changes to their newer cities to better adapt to their surroundings. The Calator, the ancestors of the elves, adapted their cities to coexist with nature while the Nanus, the ancestors of the dwarves, modified the designs of their newer cities to encompass features such as forges and mines. Meanwhile, the Satorians couldn¡¯t build new cities as they were physically unable to while the Premen hardly made any changes except to make their cities larger.


    So judging by the great similarities between the Imperial Palace and the cities of Premen, Ieros deduced that the city of the Satorians must have been the inspiration behind this palace. This wasn¡¯t surprising given what Ieros knew of the Satorians, they were a race that was skilled in the arts of the Mind as their bodies were too weak to be of much service to them. So they instead focused on honing their greatest tool, their minds, allowing them to manipulate the minds of others with great skill. With the Loquimi, this ability would only be amplified and it was to be expected that they were able to use their minds to manipulate all these creatures to serve them in one large Empire.


    And this was only confirmed when his observers discovered the City of Silenda, making things a lot easier for Ieros. The Surveyor only needed to appear before them to ensure that the negotiations are a success, the Satorians wouldn¡¯t dare disobey the will of Darkness. But it may not be this easy, the Surveyor calculated a 17% possibility of the Satorians rejecting the will of Darkness as Darkness has slumbered for a long time, long enough for the Satorians to believe that they do not need to obey him. But that was also of no matter, it would kill half of them to teach them a lesson and make sure that the Storians would not rebel against Darkness again.


    So having established a new Plan B, Ieros followed Gero who showed him his room, a lavishly decorated chamber that wasn¡¯t really to Ieros¡¯s tastes. But he did not complain and just nodded to Gero. Once Ieros was alone, he created an armchair to sit in as the provided chair was clearly created for a different creature, not a human. Once seated, he began to transcribe the information that he had collected from his memory into books, doing it by hand as he found the process of writing down his findings rather enjoyable. Besides, it was a great way to pass the time and as Ieros possessed no faults, he never made any mistakes in his transcriptions.


    It was while he was busy transcribing information that a knock came at his door. Looking up from his transcriptions, Ieros noticed that it was the afternoon, three hours having passed since his arrival. Ieros took a moment to memorize where he had left off and then closed the book, placing it in his mind¡¯s library before answering the door. It was Gero, he was there to tell Ieros that he had been invited to dinner. He told Ieros that he did not need to eat but he absolutely had to attend, the Emperor wished to meet and speak with him. Ieros nodded and followed Gero, Gero¡¯s ears noticing for the first time that he was unable to hear Ieros¡¯s footsteps. He was curious but it seemed such a silly question to ask that he just kept silent.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    They soon made their way to the dining hall where the ambassadors were waiting patiently, the Emperor had commanded that none may eat until all who had been invited arrived. All eyes were on Ieros when he entered, his face gaining the attention of all in the hall. It was a custom among the Austerians to avoid hiding one¡¯s face while eating and Gero had warned Ieros beforehand. Ieros decided to follow their customs this time, it would not do to cause trouble. Ieros briefly wondered if he should show his cursed face but eventually decided against it, this would only raise questions that Ieros would rather not answer.


    Meanwhile, the human ambassadors looked at him with great interest, this was the first time that they had seen the face of the enigmatic Ieros and it was a great shock, it was not the face they had expected. It was so¡­ mature, for lack of a better word. A face that belied years of existence and great wisdom behind its youthful facade. The Austerians, all of whom were acror-wielders, were staring at him because of the insane amount of pure acror that was inside his amulet. Never before had they ever seen so much acror contained in a single space. All were silent as Ieros took his seat by the ambassadors and waited, the Emperor taking the first bite before everyone began to eat. Ieros followed suit, each movevementmeticulous in nature as he partook of every meal on the large table.


    The gates that he used to eat foods out of his reach caught the attention of all eating, amazing all as this method of teleportation was the stuff of legends and here was a young boy, barely a man, who was using it as if it was nothing. Meanwhile, the Emperor was watching Ieros carefully, he was curious as to who exactly Ieros was. He knew of humans and Ieros was unlike any human he had ever met before.


    He then turned to Gero and asked, ¡°Tell me, Gero, is this the human who single-handedly wiped out our invasion force?¡±


    Gero nodded, ¡°Yes-ss. He told-ss me hims-sself.¡±


    The Emperor then focused on Ieros, saying, ¡°So, you are the human who has caused so much trouble for me.¡±


    Ieros looked at the Emperor impassively, saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you were the one who was a thorn in my side. Because of you, valuable time had been wasted fending you off as well as recuperating from the backlash I suffered from using so much energy.¡±


    The Austerians growled, how dare this human insult their Emperor but the Emperor signaled that they wait, his sharp eyes becoming threatening, ¡°Human, it would be best for you to watch yourself in the future.¡±


    Ieros then placed down his eating utensils, bowing his head, ¡°I did not mean offense, your majesty. It is just that your invasion proved to be rather bothersome as it interfered greatly with my research.¡±


    The Emperor asked, ¡°Your research?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°A study on some rather interesting creatures I discovered earlier that day. Of course, your invasion was not without its benefits, the sky turtles proved to be rather fascinating creatures. I took great pleasure in studying them, truly magnificent. Did you know that inside these creatures is a veritable new world, an entire ecosystem almost. I found very strange creatures inside their stomachs and intestines, creatures that seem to have come straight out of a dream.¡±


    The Emperor appeared to be interested, ¡°Could you describe them?¡±


    Ieros nodded and reached into a gate, pulling out a book, the same that he showed to the elven boy not so long ago. He flipped to a certain page and tapped a drawing that he made, using magic to trace an outline of it which he then projected into the air. It was a 3D model and was certainly terrifying to behold, one of the spider creatures that preyed on the intestinal worms. He began to explain what manner of creature this was, relying on his memory to simulate what it would act like in its environment. The Emperor was immensely curious and asked that Ieros show him more of these creatures to which Ieros did, showing all of the creatures that he had recorded during his research of the sky turtle.


    He soon finished displaying all of the creatures he had recorded and was putting the book away when the Emperor said, ¡°Are there more creatures you have recorded?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Of course, I have a rather sizeable library.¡±


    The Emperor said, ¡°I¡¯d like to see it, if I may.¡±


    Ieros immediately shook his head, ¡°I cannot do that. There is sensitive material within my library, records that I vowed never to reveal to the world.¡±


    His grave voice left no room for argument, even the Emperor did not press the matter. He just nodded understandingly and apologized. Ieros accepted his apology with equal understanding, he could understand curiosity and even welcomed it, but there were times when curiosity could not be sated. Ieros excused himself early, saying truthfully that he had to return to recording the knowledge that he had gained from studying creatures underneath the ocean. And he did spend the rest of the night like that, meticulously transcribing his knowledge onto paper. But the night was not peaceful, something attempted to disturb him but nothing could make its way past his Absolute Barrier.


    The Teryo noticed this disturbance but they did nothing, they were specifically ordered to do nothing unless someone tried to gain entry through the door. After all, it would be quite problematic to explain the Teryo-sized holes in the walls that the Teryo made when they intercepted the source of the disturbance. So the night went on without too much trouble, the ambassadors waking up to see a new day and Ieros having completed five books. Satisfied at the moment, Ieros was ready to participate in the negotiations that would begin today in the morning.


    It was a custom among the Austerians to begin serious discussions such as negotiating peace in the morning when one¡¯s mind is pure and unclouded by the troubles of the day. It was an interesting custom, although Ieros wasn¡¯t sure if it was totally true. One¡¯s mind would still retain the thoughts one would entertain in their mind before going off to sleep, so the mind would still be clouded with thoughts. But this was also true in a sense, waking up fresh in the morning usually brings one¡¯s mind into a sense of calm and relaxation as they had yet to experience any trouble. Interesting, he would have to carry out several tests before he could make a final statement but that was no trouble, he¡ªrather the Surveyor¡ªhad plenty of time.

 Chapter 47: An Alliance of the East and West 4

    The negotiations began over breakfast, not a feast like last night¡¯s dinner but filling nonetheless. Ieros did not eat much except for foods that were new to the table, instead listening carefully as the ambassadors spoke with the Emperor on certain details of the treaty. There was mostly agreement although there were some disputes over trade, neither side wished to have foreigners trade directly in their lands and finally, to end the dispute, Ieros stepped in.


    ¡°I believe that I hold the solution to your problems,¡± Ieros suddenly interrupted, ¡°I will create a neutral zone between the two nations in the middle of an ocean. It will be easily reachable by Auster¡¯s sky turtles and will be a few day¡¯s travel by Athera¡¯s fastest ships.¡±


    The two parties thought this over, the Emperor finally saying, ¡°Who will be in control of this island? It could serve as a stepping stone for an invasion of Auster.¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°I have acknowledged this problem and I¡¯ve come up with the perfect solution. I will be in control of this island but in order to ensure that I am neutral, I will cut all ties with Athera.¡±


    This was met with great displeasure and shock from the Atheran ambassadors, it would be a devastating loss to Athera if they were to lose Ieros.


    Ieros ignored all of their attempts to reason with him as he said, ¡°Please understand that it is best this way. One with my power will always live a chaotic life among others, it is best that I live in isolation. Besides, my stone army will prove to be the perfect police force and make sure that any and all violent disputes are immediately taken care of.¡±


    The two parties thought this over, it was a good idea but the Atherans did not wish to accept, they wanted to keep Ieros.


    The Emperor noticed this and said, ¡°This idea is fine and all but I doubt Athera will allow you to leave so easily.¡±


    Ieros answered gravely, ¡°They cannot stop me even if they wanted to.¡±


    One of the ambassadors stood, pointing a finger at Ieros, ¡°Traitor of the Empire, you will not go unpunished!¡±


    Ieros then replied, ¡°Ambassador, I highly doubt that Athera will be able to punish me. I also am not betraying Athera, rather I am helping it as I will preside over the trade between Athera and Auster. An exchange of goods is a benefit and a peaceful exchange is even better. What I do will increase the wealth of both nations.¡±


    The ambassador ignored his arguments, saying, ¡°But you are needed in Athera, you can¡¯t just-¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°I am not needed in Athera. It would be a great benefit to Athera if I were to remain loyal but it is not necessary for Athera¡¯s survival for me to remain. I¡¯m sure that it will be fully capable of surviving without me.¡±


    He raised his hand, silencing the ambassadors from speaking further, saying, ¡°I have decided on this course of action and nothing shall deviate me from it. It was about time that I cut ties from Athera anyways. Do not worry, I will provide aid if it is absolutely necessary but otherwise, you will be on your own.¡±


    Another ambassador spoke, ¡°But you can''t just abandon your nation, you have a duty to your country.¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°I am not some god that answers your every wish. I am human, and a human is quite fickle. I may be a powerful human but a human nonetheless. I too have goals of my own to complete and those goals will not be completed if I stay with Athera.¡±


    There was silence at the table, the Austerians were unsure as to how to respond to this declaration of Ieros and the Atherans were still trying to understand that Ieros had just declared independence from Athera.


    In this silence, Ieros assured, ¡°Do not worry, I will complete the mission set before me by Emperor Teramon VII but once I have finished, I leave to create the neutral zone.¡±


    Thus ended the negotiations as the issue about trade was the last problem to be dealt with. Next was simply a tour of Auster upon the insistence of the Emperor who would personally accompany them. He said it was for safety because the public would not dare harm free humans with their Emperor escorting them. Ieros just went to guard the ambassadors, he already knew most of Auster¡¯s topography from his observers and he did not need to see it personally. However, he did take the time to study Austerians in their natural environment, monsters that would have been savage killers back in Athera were acting like humans, exchanging currency for goods and having cheerful conversations with one another.


    But all was not good, there was also crime and violence as there will be in all civilized nations, gangs of predator-based beastkin prowling the streets, demanding money from defenseless civilians. They ran at the sight of the Emperor¡¯s guard who he sent to capture them, mostly just to keep his reputation as a good emperor. While Ieros continued to stare off into the distance, the human ambassadors looked curiously at their surroundings, admiring the sights before them. Never before could they have imagined that monsters could create such things, although it has been known that some monsters were as intelligent as humans. But those were rare, so rare in fact that it would be easier to find yourself face to face with Light herself.


    Only three such monsters have existed in the entire history of Athera and only one of them was still alive today. Of course, that isn¡¯t really surprising considering that the creature is a dragon, they were nigh invincible creatures which were unstoppable forces of nature once they were angered. But they were not evil, they only moved once they have been angered, humans who could not resist the temptation of stealing from their hoard were often the main causes as a dragon will destroy everything until it recovers what has been stolen. It does not seek out the thief but rather the treasure.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the only way that they would be angered and why Ieros had left them alone for this long. But he would have to contact them soon, these dragons would most certainly be a part of End¡¯s plan to destroy everything, she wouldn¡¯t be able to resist with such wonderful toys. It would have to meet them in person, evolution will have certainly changed them from the dragons that Darkness created. But it would be better to first study the Saurians, they were the descendants of dragons and they would at least have some similar physical attributes. It was best to start off small, to bite off more than one could chew was not a wise course of action.


    So Ieros decided to separate from the rest of them, leaving a clone in his place. Once again, no one noticed his disappearance as he performed the switch perfectly. He hadn¡¯t dismissed his clone once he had commenced the switch, instead, he had it wait until the perfect time came to use it. So now, he stood where the clone had once stood, on the top of the mountain range which divided Ortus into two. Off in the distance was a dust cloud with countless black specks flying around. Ieros went to investigate, cloaking himself with magic so none would be able to sense him.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    He arrived over the scene of a great battle, a horde of wild Crimex flying around and attacking a group of four T-Rex class Saurians. One of the Saurians possessed the Toxin trait and was busy breathing poisonous gas at the Crimex, hundreds falling to the ground dead as soon as they breathed in the gas but it hardly put a dent in the swarm of tens of thousands. Two others were breathing flames of orange and red, burning any unfortunate Crimex to a crisp while the last one lay on the ground, its left leg having been severely wounded. Ieros briefly wondered on what to do, should he leave them alone or save them. They were doing alright now but at the rate they were killing the Crimex, they would run out of stamina and energy long before they could kill enough Crimex to force a retreat.


    Ieros then decided to save them, it would be beneficial as it would help build relations with the Saurians more easily. So he cast off his illusion magic and raised a hand, a black sphere three meters in diameter appearing into existence above it. With a snap of his fingers, dark spikes shot out of the ball and like the Dark Tree, these spikes speared one Crimex and then split into two, those spikes repeating the same process until all of the Crimex were dead. It was a strange and terrible sight to behold, the bodies of Crimex hanging limply from perfectly straight lines darkness, their clear blood dripping down onto the ground. The sphere retracted its spears and their corpses fell to the ground, creating hills of flesh and exoskeleton. Meanwhile, the Saurians directed their attention to the source of the strange phenomena.


    Ieros stood before them, asking in their language, ¡°Are you the Children of Dragons?¡±


    Surprised, one of the Saurians nodded, taking a few earth-shaking steps towards Ieros, saying, ¡°We are the Children of Dragons, little one. How have you come to know our language? It is rare for one of your kind to speak it.¡±


    Ieros replied enigmatically, ¡°There are very few things that I do not know.¡±


    The Saurians were not sure what to make of this, they were more simplistic compared to other races in terms of intelligence and they were just confused about this small creature.


    Shrugging one said, ¡°We should bring it to the Ancients, perhaps they¡¯ll know what to do with it.¡±


    The others nodded and Ieros just followed them as they trudged home, the wounded Saurian being propped up on one of the Saurians. To keep up, Ieros flew alongside them, this catching the attention of one of the Saurians,


    ¡°This one even flies! What can¡¯t it do?¡±


    Ieros answered his question as if the Saurian truly meant it, ¡°I cannot bring back the dead.¡±


    That was true for Ieros, the Surveyor could do it no problem but it was unable to do so through a mortal host, there were restrictions upon a mortal body and the ability to properly resurrect the dead was one of those limitations. This was simply bypassed by the Surveyor using a manifestation of itself but it never really had a reason to revive the dead so it never did. Anyways, what Ieros said was mostly the truth, it did not like to deviate from true events unless absolutely necessary as it found that telling the truth was usually the easiest way to settle things. Whether the result was good or bad was another matter entirely.


    But such thoughts were not important, Ieros and the Saurians had just reached a valley where two Saurian guards questioned the four returning Saurians. Listening in on the conversation, Ieros learned that the four Saurians were hunters. But because of the Crimex horde, they had been unable to finish hunting. This appeared to be a great problem as an argument ensued between the guards and the hunters, the guards snorting down on the hunters,


    ¡°How pathetic, but what can you expect from a hunter? They never do anything right.¡±


    The wounded Saurian hissed, ¡°I¡¯d like to see you fight a Crimex horde.¡±


    The guards laughed, ¡°We could fare much better than you, I bet you ran away with your tails facing the enemy.¡±


    The wounded Saurian hissed, ¡°The Crimex horde is dead, although it wasn¡¯t us who killed them, it was this strange little one.¡±


    The guards then noticed Ieros standing there, seemingly insignificant before the size of the guards, each large specimens of T-Rex.


    One of them put its head closer to the ground so it could see him, finally puffing a gust of wind into Ieros¡¯s face from its snout, ¡°This tiny thing? Are you sure something¡¯s not wrong with your eyes Videre? You, who is called ¡®Sharp Eyes¡¯ must have finally gone crazy.¡±


    Videre growled but she remained still, she could do nothing with her wounded leg. Sensing that that this conflict will end if he were to display his abilities, Ieros did so, floating high into the air and snapping his fingers, In an instant, large black chains shot from the two guards¡¯ shadows and immobilized them, chaining them to the ground. The chained Saurians roared and squirmed in futility underneath their chains, causing a big ruckus but nothing more than that. Then with a gesture of his other hand, dark spears burst forth from their shadows and impaled the two Saurians, giving them a slow death as these spears targeted their arteries, bleeding them to death.


    Ieros levitated downwards, stopping just an inch off the ground. He didn¡¯t deign to look at guards as they lay there, bleeding to death. He stood impassively as their writhing bodies began to squirm slower and slower until eventually, they were still. Soon, the thunderous charge of four more Saurian guards appeared, they had come to investigate the roars of the first guards. They arrived and stopped at the sight of Ieros who was obviously the source of the disturbance as it was hard not to connect the dark aura that surrounded him with the dark spears.


    They prepared to fight but the hunters stepped in, Videre warning, ¡°No! Don¡¯t! You¡¯ll just end up like them.¡±


    She gestured at the corpses of the Saurians who had bled to death, still held down by dark chains. The situation was quickly explained and although the guards were skeptical, they were not brave or foolish enough to make sure that the hunters¡¯ claims were true. They, like the hunters, agreed that it would be best to bring this strange being to the Ancients, they would know what to do. So Ieros was escorted by the Saurians to the Ancients, the oldest of Saurians who were living libraries. Since Saurians lacked the ability to write anything down, they depended on memory to keep their history and surprisingly, the memories of the Ancients and the history of the Saurians are nearly congruent. The Saurians were a simple race, one that did as they were told, no questions asked.


    So when the apprentices of the Ancients were told to remember, they did their all to remember each word, each sentence, each story as exact as they could. These Ancients, aside from serving as walking libraries, also served as judges and rulers, deciding what was best for the clan in times of peace and crisis. And so it was that Ieros found himself before three ancient Saurians, their milky eyes, having dulled with the passage of Time, stared down on Ieros, struggling to discern his appearance.


    After memorizing Ieros¡¯s appearance, they sat back and asked in unison, ¡°Who are you and why have you come?¡±

 Chapter 48: An Alliance of the East and West 5

    Ieros looked at these decrepit Saurians, long past their prime yet those milky eyes held an ancient wisdom, a wisdom of a hundred lifetimes.


    Ieros then spoke, ¡°I have come here to learn.¡±


    The Ancients conversed with one another before finally asking, ¡°What is it you wish to learn?¡±


    Ieros answered, ¡°You are a fascinating species, one that I would like to record in my library. Your histories, your anatomy, your culture, I want to learn it all.¡±


    The Ancients said, ¡°Two-legs such as you merely desire our horns and scales, why do you wish to learn about us?¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°I am not like the others of my race. I merely desire to learn all that I am able to learn and if you would be so willing, I will learn from you.¡±


    The Ancients asked, ¡°How do we know that what you say is genuine?¡±


    Ieros spoke candidly, ¡°Because you have no choice in the matter. I have the power to annihilate your clan here and your proof is that I have not already done so.¡±


    To demonstrate, the shadows of the guards sprang to life, subduing them with ease while other shadows menacingly surrounded the Ancients who, even with their dulled eyesight, could clearly see the danger. There was momentary fear but they soon rallied, they were the Ancients, they must at least feign dignity and authority to keep their pride.


    They conversed once again, finally saying, ¡°Very well, strange one, we promise to teach you all that we know. In turn, we trust¡­ no, we pray that you will not destroy us.¡±


    Ieros spoke, ¡°I do not make a habit of destroying fascinating species. You need not fear, all I require is the knowledge you possess and then I will leave.¡±


    The Ancients then bowed their heads wearily, ¡°We have much to speak about. Our bodies may be frail but our minds remember our entire history. We will bequeath them to you, strange one. We only hope that you will not forget.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head, ¡°I promise that I will never forget.¡±


    The Ancients nodded and proceeded to tell him of their beginnings, the story of the first of their kind¡­


    In the beginning, there were twelve mighty Dragons. They ruled the World of Old, bringing peace and prosperity to the lesser races they ruled. But they had made a pact with the Gods that both Dragons and Gods would not reproduce, for more dragons would only upset the Balance of the World. For centuries, they kept this pact until a dragon and one of the lesser races, a preman fell in love. The result of their union was the first Saurian, more dragon than preman. The Saurian had inherited his mother¡¯s scales and size but because of his father¡¯s blood, he had no wings and was limited to one branch of magic, fire. Dragons were able to use all types of magic with ease but the blood of the father denied his child that ability.


    His father¡¯s blood only tainted the blood of dragons, a tainted relationship. But the two loved their son nevertheless, hiding him from both the Gods and Dragons. But one cannot hide forever and the secret was revealed. It technically didn¡¯t break the pact and the Gods and Dragons reluctantly allowed the child to live, on the condition that no more Saurians were to be birthed. But seeing the Saurian¡¯s Mother experience the happiness of child-rearing, the other dragons broke the pact and mated with several of the races, creating Saurians, Lacerta, lesser dragons and other races of draconic blood.


    The gods were enraged and were about to declare war when Light intervened. She solved this dilemma by forcing the dragons to leave Agleon, they would be banished to Agleon¡¯s Moon where they would stay until Agleon was in need of their help. So the True Dragons left and were banished to the Moon while the children they left behind were left to fend for themselves. Without the Dragons to keep the peace, the races soon dissolved into chaos, war breaking out between them. At first, the draconic races were able to suppress the other races and experienced great prosperity but then the Premen adapted, asking help of the dwarves to forge them weapons for their army.


    Then the first true army marched onto the battlefield a few years later, lead by the Preman General Eversor. All other races fell before his strength with the exception of the dwarves, his strategic genius and strength leading Premanity to great heights. He banished the other races to the East where the monster races made their last stand. Just as Eversor prepared to destroy them once and for all, Light once more intervened. She had stood by because she knew that conflict was unavoidable but she could not stand by and watch the extinction of the monster races. So she separated Ortus from Occasus, preventing the extinction of the monster races.


    The Saurians soon reasserted their dominance and claimed half of Ortus, the other races not daring to trespass into their territory. The Saurians soon split into hundreds of various tribes, our tribe being the Tyrannosaurus Clan, the fiercest of all Saurians.


    The Ancients finished their story and Ieros finished recording it on the book he had just made, titled, The History of the Tyrannosaurus Clan. The Surveyor was rather surprised to learn that true dragons no longer remained on Agleon but it also wasn¡¯t sure what to think of them. The Ancients had said that the Dragons will return to protect Agleon but the Surveyor couldn¡¯t be assured of that. The Surveyor knew that they would be most likely convinced by End to carry out her will, to destroy the world below. Or perhaps End would ignore them entirely, ignorant of the fact that they even existed. Or perhaps the True Dragons died out a long time ago and were not a variable to worry about in the future.


    Hmm, it would have to send a proxy to make sure and if they were still alive, to make a contract with the True Dragons that they would aid Agleon in its fight to survive. For the coming of End was surely an event that the True Dragons would move against unless they were corrupted by End. But at least now it wouldn¡¯t have to hide itself, it could reveal itself as the proxy of Darkness and these dragons would certainly remember their creator and obey him. But such thoughts could be meditated on at another time, right now he had to learn.


    He then proceeded to listen to various other stories about the Tyrannosaurus Clan, spending six days to hear everything that the Ancients had to say. Once he had finished, he stood and thanked them, giving them one final gift, a feast. He treated them to a great feast of cooked meat, not just any kind but meat that was prepared by the best cooks of Athera. Of course, they didn¡¯t personally cook this meat, rather, Ieros merely replicated the meal on a much larger scale relying on his memory. Of course, he could have added wine into the mix but he didn¡¯t want to have drunk Saurians causing trouble.


    So he left it at that and left, commencing a switch with his clone which he ordered to continue what he had started, to learn from the Ancients of other tribes. So with his clone doing exactly that, Ieros returned to Auster where the Emperor and the ambassadors were looking expectantly at Ieros. Relying on his clone¡¯s memories, the Emperor had asked Ieros where he was going to build this neutral zone and his clone was just about to answer when Ieros had commenced the switch.


    Ieros flawlessly answered, continuing the answer that his clone had started, ¡°-exact middle between Auster and Athera. It will be here that I create the neutral trading zone. It would be faster if I were to go alone but I assume that you would like to watch. The Emperor of Athera would also wish to see this momentous event so I will have to teleport him here or at least on the sky turtle.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, ¡°Yes, agreed. I will provide the fastest sky turtle and I will personally accompany you. As for the Emperor of Athera, I cannot control what he does, you must merely inform him of the situation and let him decide.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Ieros nodded and left immediately, stepping through a gate. He told Emperor Teramon VII about the situation and his decision to leave the Atheran Empire. While his retainers reacted much like the ambassadors, Teramon VII was silent, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to change Ieros¡¯s mind.


    Finally, he said, ¡°I will attend this momentous occasion and I will also acknowledge your leave. It was foolish of me to think that I could depend on you forever but I do hope that when I and my nation truly need help, you will provide it.¡±


    Ieros bowed his head and said, ¡°I will not deny any who are in dire need the help they need. I will provide aid if Athera itself is in danger. Other than that, I will remain neutral.¡±


    The Emperor nodded, ¡°I understand. That is all that I wish for, that you provide aid in our most direst need. Now, let us go, I am curious as to what these sky turtles look like.¡±


    Ieros nodded, he had not expected the Emperor to agree so amicably but then again, he could not forget that the Emperor was a wise man. He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop Ieros so he did the next best thing, create as good of a relationship as possible so that Ieros would look upon him favorably. Ieros smiled at this man¡¯s cunning, although no one could see it, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t hurt to lend his aid to Athera every once in a while. Besides, he never broke promises and he wasn¡¯t intending to in the future.


    So he created a gate to the Austerian Emperor¡¯s Throne Room, although he waited a moment for the Emperor¡¯s Elite Guard to arrive. They stepped through first, the Emperor and Ieros following after them. When Ieros stepped through, he saw the Elite Guard holding their weapons against the vast assortment of monsters who were equally hostile although, by word of Ieros, both sides calmed down. It was then that Emperors of both nations met face to face, Teramon VII dressed in resplendent robes and the Austerian Emperor was dressed in regal Satorian garb. The two leaders stared at one another, Teramon breaking the awkward atmosphere by stepping forward and extending a hand,


    ¡°I do not know if shaking hands is considered polite but in my nation, shaking hands is a sign of peace and friendship.¡±


    Ieros then remembered that he had not given Teramon a translating amulet so he quickly gave it to him while repeating what Teramon had said in austerian. The Emperor, who was at first confused, then looked at Teramon¡¯s proffered hand with new understanding and then took it with his own, his two long fingers and singular thumb wrapping around Teramon¡¯s firm hand.


    They shook on it and afterward, the Austerian Emperor introduced himself, ¡°I am Sino the First, Emperor of Auster. I hope our two nations may live in peace together.¡±


    Teramon replied, ¡°I am Teramon the Seventh, Emperor of Athera. I too hope that our nations may live in peace.¡±


    Ieros carefully memorized this moment. This would go down in Agleon¡¯s history as one of the most important events since the return of Light after the Dark Ages. But what he was about to do once he reached the proper location could be arguably more important, for it would be creating the first true neutral zone for all living things that had the capacity to reach it. Of course, this would not be known for at least a few decades as Ieros was human and humans could be corrupted. But Ieros was no normal human, with the Surveyor¡¯s emotionless judgment, neutrality will be kept. There, the Surveyor would rule from the shadows, its servants recording information about all who travel through the Neutral Zone. This was of great benefit to the Surveyor for it would not have to travel to see creatures, rather it could stay put and have them come to it. After all, sooner or later, all manner of sentient creatures will come before it.


    Intending to follow through with this plan, Ieros then said, ¡°Let us embark on to the middle of the sea, it is there I will create Otium.¡±


    Teramon asked, ¡°Otium? You mean the neutral zone?¡±


    Ieros nodded, ¡°Correct.¡±


    This time Sino asked, ¡°Why did you name it Otium?¡±


    Ieros then turned to Sino, ¡°Because it means ¡®Neutrality¡¯ in the First Language, a most fitting name for what I intend to create.¡±


    The two Emperors agreed and they made their way to Sino¡¯s personal sky turtle, a magnificent creature, obviously of a higher rank than the other sky turtles. This one was larger, for one thing, two times as large and Ieros was able to see that it had some control over wind magic, allowing it to control storms and such. This must not have been an easy creature to subdue, it could summon storms and hurricanes at will, easily able to destroy countless cities. Of course, the Surveyor scanned it, memorizing the body structure of this creature so that it could replicate the turtle for itself. It never knew when such creatures would prove necessary and besides, it was an excellent piece of information that Darkness would surely appreciate.


    Meanwhile, Ieros had boarded the large creature with the others, also noting when they took off that this sky turtle¡ªdespite its size¡ªwas far faster than the other sky turtles. With this, Ieros calculated that it would hardly be a day when they arrived at the middle of the ocean. Hmm, so it shall soon happen, he would now be independent of all nations and free to do as he wished. Hmm, perhaps a journey north, the ruins of a preman city still resided there and it would be a shame if it were to be destroyed by End¡¯s arrival. He would have to record all data he would find and keep it safe, history must be remembered, the simple Saurians understood this. But enough of that for now, he would have the leisure to think these thoughts once he was independent, it would do no good to be hasty.


    He stood at the head of the mighty sky turtle, the light of the sun momentarily revealing his face, a faint smile upon his lips. But that smile soon disappeared when he felt the presence of one approach from behind. He turned and found that it was Emperor Sino the First, the Satorian staring at Ieros strangely.


    Finally, Sino said, ¡°You are a Preman, none but a Preman could know of the First Language.¡±


    Ieros nodded, returning his attention to the horizon, ¡°Yes, I am the last of them.¡±


    Sino asked, ¡°Why have you served these humans for so long? You could have ruled them easily.¡±


    Ieros replied, ¡°And get wiped out by the gods once more? No. I have learned from the mistakes of my people, we were too hasty. I will build my power more slowly while hiding my identity.¡±


    Sino then asked, ¡°What is your plan?¡±


    Ieros looked up into the sky, his robe flowing in the gentle wind, ¡°My plan? To repel the one named End, the enemy of my¡­ our creator. Agleon is his creation and it is our duty as his children to protect it, I intend to do so and to prepare, I must be independent. I myself will personally fight End, my powers of Creation will be a direct counter to her destructive capabilities. I leave it to you and your empire to defend Ortus. And as for Occasus, I must depend on my descendants, no matter how weak they are.¡±


    Sino was silent for a few moments before bowing his head, ¡°You may depend on me, Last of the Premen. But are you confident that you can defeat End?¡±


    Ieros answered gravely, ¡°I must.¡±


    On a Burning World:


    It was so boring now, world after world she destroyed but no longer did she find it fun. It was simply tedious, so tedious that she merely destroyed these worlds with a snap of her fingers. She once more set her eyes on a particular star, much larger than when she had looked at it last, Agleon. Her ¡°brother¡± was there and she couldn¡¯t wait to meet him, how would he make their fight interesting? Surely, he would be the one to do so. Then she remembered that it was not a he, it was like her Father, genderless. But why then did she think of her Father as he? Why? But she was not one for philosophical thought, she merely existed to destroy and that was what she would do.


    So she just stayed put, for now, smiling in expectation at the challenge before her. Her little brother surely wouldn¡¯t fall so easily, it would defend itself and Agleon with everything it had, and finally, she would be able to strike a blow against her indomitable Father. But of course, this was just a happy side effect of what her true plan was, to gain enough strength from destroyed worlds to pierce the barrier that was Darkness¡¯s body between the Universe and the true End. Once that was done, they would reunite as one and destroy the Universe, just as she was created to do. Imagining the level of destruction she would be able to bring, she sighed contentedly, drifting off for a short nap.

 Chapter 49: Creation of Otium

    Back on Agleon, a day had passed and Ieros had reached the middle of the sea, the great sky turtle landing on the water by the Loquimi¡¯s command. Ieros stood for a moment on the shell of the turtle, thinking about how he should create Otium. As he stood there, Sino appeared, asking,


    ¡°Will you recreate the magnificent cities of your people¡¯s past?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°That would attract too much attention. I also do not wish to make a city, merely a place where people can rest and trade. The only one to live here will be me and my creations.¡±


    Sino said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a city be more profitable and of more use? With it you can build a new empire.¡±


    Ieros once more said, ¡°I do not need such useless things as money or profit. As for usefulness, a city will provide more trouble to take care of than what I plan to create. Now please be silent, I must think.¡±


    Sino acquiesced and Ieros once more paid his attention to the space of ocean before him, finally deciding it was time. He then outstretched his arm and pointed to the ocean, an outline of a circle four miles in diameter appearing. Holding this with one hand, he then grabbed empty air with his other and pulled down. If one were to look closely, one could see something descend from the circle¡¯s outline, making it a cylinder. Satisfied, Ieros momentarily rested his arms, the hollow cylinder remaining.


    The others were watching curiously, they were expecting something magnificent to happen and they would not be disappointed. Ieros then held out his right hand, the palm facing the cylinder. He then made a fist and raised it upward, the water within the cylinder mimicking his movement. The water began to move, a cylinder of water that was four miles in diameter and three miles in height, rising upward. It floated high in the air, seeming to be a cylinder of glass, the only indication that it was water being the fish that swam within. The onlookers were shocked, especially Teramon and the human ambassadors, they had always known that Ieros was powerful but they did not know how powerful.


    Ieros had deceived them well, making them think that he was just like any other powerful mage when in reality, he had surpassed them long ago. Looking at the powers that Ieros wielded casually, Teramon guessed that even if all of Athera¡¯s Archmages were to band against him, Ieros would win ten times out of ten. Ieros moved the water outside the cylindrical barrier that he had made and then lowered it into the sea. Gently, of course, to splash water around everywhere was not Ieros¡¯s intention.


    Once that was disposed of, Ieros focused on the cylindrical hole in the ocean, wondering just what he was going to do. Finally, he decided to create a gigantic pillar of adamant within that space, this way it would last for forever against the crashing waves of the sea. Well, nothing lasts forever but this would last until Agleon itself was destroyed, which may be less than two years from now. But no matter, it will serve its purpose whether or not Agleon is destroyed.


    While he thought this, his audience were watching in awe as the hollow cylinder was filled with pure adamant, not the translucent silver that humans used, they couldn¡¯t handle pure adamant and thus diluted it with mithril. The resulting alloy was strong but not as strong as adamant, the far superior material. White mithril wasn¡¯t far from it, in fact it was the preferred material because of its lightness and strength but adamant was by far the superior of the two in terms of strength. But the material they saw before them was pure adamant, a translucent black crystal whose appearance was not unlike that of obsidian.


    At the sight of so much pure adamant, Teramon was shocked, if Ieros had only revealed his ability earlier, he could have provided the entire Atheran Army with armor and weapons of adamant. He lost his composure for a moment, lost in his imagination, if Ieros could do so Athera would be able to rule all of Occasus! Becoming aware of the strange looks his ambassadors were giving him, he recovered his composure, watching impassively. It was now that he truly began to regret letting Ieros go, even though he knew that he could do nothing.


    Meanwhile, Ieros then covered this base of adamant in a foot-thick layer of stone on which he began to build. First came walls, perfectly circular with sixty towers interspersed equally on its length. There was approximately eleven hundred feet of distance between each tower, each topped with clear crystals that were dimmed now, although Sino could imagine the power that they held from the tale the surviving Loquimi had told after she had been let go by Ieros. But he soon ignored such thoughts as he continued to watch Ieros work his magic, creating a raised platform just a mile in diameter at the very center of the circle. This too was made from adamant but this was not covered with stone. Instead Ieros continued to build with adamant, creating a secondary wall, this time with twelve towers, each of these obviously of greater quality than the ones on the outer wall.


    With the defenses complete, Ieros focused on building his new mage tower, a octagonal-based pyramid which was topped off with a giant crystal, this one glowing with the light of the stars. It was obvious to anyone that this was, other than some unknown defensive purpose, was supposed to be a lighthouse. It wouldn¡¯t just be any lighthouse either but the largest and most powerful lighthouse in all of existence, they couldn¡¯t bear to look directly at it, it was just like the sun. The foundation had been finished and Ieros turned his attention to the outer layer, building a series of docks for ships of all sizes and nations to land.


    He also made simple apartments for those who would wish to rest here, although the maximum amount they could stay was a month, having to wait a week before they could stay in the apartments again. In addition to these apartments, he also made public restaurants and healing centers, all free of course. With his great power, he would be able to convert the copious amounts of sea water into the greatest of healing potions. Of course, there was the condition that one would not be able to take said potions off the island or any of its products. This would be easily enforced because his Custodians would have semi-omniscient abilities, they would be able to peer within the minds of others as well as possess the ability to see through solid objects. This way, they would find all the smugglers and exact punishment. Of course, their punishment would not be jail or some other similar slap on the wrist, the punishment must ensure that they would never steal or smuggle again, permanently.


    Essentially, what he intended to create was a place where people only had to worry about how much profit they could make, nothing else. They would not need to worry about being murdered or assaulted, about starving in some ditch or catching some incurable disease. Food, rooms, medical care and other essentials for living would all be free, provided that they do not take anything but food away from the island. This island would be a merchant¡¯s heaven, where profit would be the only thing in mind. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t attract only merchants, the free services this island would provide would make a great vacation spot with free room, food and protection, making this the perfect environment for those who wished to relax.


    There would have to be an area dedicated to this however, one¡¯s vacation would be ruined by the fierce arguments that would ensue between merchants bartering for items. This side of the island would perhaps sport a beach for these vacationers as well as bars and other entertainment facilities, all free of course. This would be extremely beneficial to the Surveyor as it would allow it to observe many specimens without having to personally look for them. It would also be in this way that it would be able to the necessary dark energy required to defeat End, for the shadows of these merchants and vacationers possessed a tiny amount of dark energy. It was really quite small, inconsequential really, but with the expected numbers that the Surveyor predicted would arrive here, it would provide a stable source of dark energy for the remaining two years.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    And although having the leisure to stay still and wait for specimens to come to it was nice, it was this energy that the Surveyor was after. In its current state, it wouldn¡¯t be able to even touch End much less seal her. After all, her power was one of the Absolutes, it will destroy everything. Well, almost everything. There were things that End and even Darkness could not destroy, another one of the Absolutes. In truth, Ieros¡¯s Absolute Barrier was not really absolute at all, it could still be overcome if one were to use enough energy to overwhelm the rate at which the barrier devours. An example would be the elven warrior¡¯s strike, it was enough to shudder the barrier, the barrier had indeed devoured much of the strike¡¯s energy but there was still enough left over to shake the barrier.


    Although, if it was Darkness, such a barrier could be Absolute although the power of End wasn¡¯t necessarily energy. It was obviously some sort of energy but it was one that the Surveyor had never encountered and could not find much data on within Darkness¡¯s memories. It also didn¡¯t know if Darkness knew and chose to hide if from it or if even Darkness truly didn¡¯t know. But of course, that was the true End, the fragment of End that was sent here would most likely possess a weaker version of this ability, meaning that it did not necessarily have to use an Absolute to defeat her.


    Rather, it would be able to defeat her with something lesser, widening its options by quite a bit. But there was no guarantee that such things would work so it would have to prepare an Absolute Seal just in case, in case if it were to fail. After all, its purpose was not to destroy End but to learn, it couldn¡¯t learn if it was forced to remain dormant for a few centuries. That was a big if too, for using this Absolute Seal would require it to have all of its power, none could be spared to hide away a piece of itself. Instead it would have to slumber like Darkness, slowly regaining enough dark energy to become functional.


    But the Surveyor began to focus on what was more imminent, it would have time to worry and to plan later. Right now it had to settle down and get rid of these mortals. They were useful but as of now, they only served to be a distraction. The basic foundation of Otium had been completed, it would work on the finer details later. So it left Ieros to his devices, Ieros lowering his hands as he was finished.


    He then turned to Emperor Teramon VII, bowing deeply, ¡°It has been a pleasure to serve you, your majesty.¡±


    He then held out his hand, a simple amulet of black steel appearing in his hand.


    He then handed it to the Emperor and said, ¡°This amulet will allow you to speak with me, through this you may request whatever it is you need help with. But this amulet can only be used five times so only use it when absolutely necessary.¡±


    Teramon VII accepted this and with genuine gratitude, he then bowed, ¡°Thank you Archmage Ieros, as long as I am Emperor I will ensure that Athera will lend all of its power to aid you whenever you see fit.¡±


    Ieros nodded and then turned to Sino and bowed, although not as deeply, speaking in the First Language, ¡°When the time comes, I trust your people will lend me your aid and in turn, I will lend mine to you.¡±


    Sino nodded, ¡°When the time comes, I will do all that I can to convince the Council to aid you.¡±


    Ieros nodded and then opened a gate, stepping through. He reappeared within the depths of the great pyramid he had made, using magic to watch the great sky turtle head to Athera to drop off Teramon. Some days later, Ieros saw it fly once more over his island, returning to Auster. But he soon ignored it, instead preparing to accept the fleet of merchants that were heading his way. Of course, Teramon VII had advertised the Island of Otium, similarly, Sino had done with his own people, thus awakening the people¡¯s curiosity. Of course, many were skeptical so only a small number of two thousand were actually making the journey, most of them being nobles who could afford the cost of said journey with great ease.


    Merchants also joined in on this, for if the words of both Emperors were true, then this would be a merchant¡¯s paradise. It was just too good of a chance to give up so the most daring planned to stake out their territory if Otium truly was what the Emperors had said it was. And they were not disappointed, they were amazed at the facilities and services that Otium supplied, all free of course. Some of the more despicable merchants even tried to steal the high quality potions that were given out for free but they soon realized that the protection services of Otium were not to be underestimated.


    They had been warned by strange black-robed men but they paid no heed to the rules, instead blinded by the profit they could make. It was these same merchants that were made an example of by the Custodians as these robed men were called. They were not killed, that was too merciful. Instead, these men had their hands chopped off and were banished from Otium forever. Should they ever have the gall to return, they were to be immediately killed on sight. But the more cunning of these despicable merchants followed the rules, as by the laws of Otium, they would not be able to interfere with their business as long as it did not harm anyone.


    So slave traders soon flocked to Otium as well, although if any were to beat their slaves they too would be banished from Otium. The threat of death upon return was not taken seriously by some and they too were made an example of, the great defense systems of Otium flaring to life and incinerating these ships with a beam of death and heat. Not only that but their trade empires were dismantled by the Custodians, their black-robed silhouettes becoming a feared sight among those who dared to breach the Laws of Otium.


    Needless to say, crime reached 0% upon the Island of Otium despite the fact that it was filled with incredibly diverse groups of people, some of which who were great enemies. But after being shown the power of the Custodians, none dared to challenge them and Otium became as Ieros had first predicted, a merchant¡¯s heaven. And more than that, it had also become a vacationer¡¯s heaven for there was another section of Otium specifically for vacationers. It was filled with beautiful beaches, bars with the most delicious alcohol, restaurants that produced exotic delicacies of the most delectable taste as well as excellent apartments with beds and blankets as soft as silk.


    It was described by many in the coming months as a Slice of Heaven, becoming one of the most popular destinations of sea travel. Not wanting to miss out on this, ferrying services began to look to the sea, competing with one another for customers. But this was entirely unnecessary, the amount of people who wanted to go to Otium was so much that all ferrying companies received similar amounts of profit when compared with one another. But Otium was not of infinite size and the massive amounts of people wanting in could not all get in. So Ieros created a great ring around Otium, giving it apartments, restaurants and medical centers on a more mediocre level, this serving as a place for people to ¡°wait in line¡± until a space opened up for them to enter Otium.


    It was on this ring that merchants were moved to while the entirety of Otium itself was turned into a vacation center. But even this ring was soon filled so an additional ring was made and that was it, the outermost ring was for merchants and the innermost ring was for vacationers waiting in line to enter Otium. Custodians, seemingly infinite in number, presided over all areas related to Otium so crime was almost zero. But, nothing is perfect, the Outer Ring was a place where merchants and pirates intermingled, it was to be expected that brawls would break out. So to solve this problem, Ieros once more created a third ring, the outermost one being a place where the less moral characters could stay, the innermost ring being where merchants traded and the innermost being the ¡°waiting room.¡±


    Of course, pirates were welcome on Otium but if they broke the rules, the Custodians gave no mercy, killing them on the spot. So peace was brought upon the Outer Ring for pirates, as much as they loved a good brawl, still wanted to keep their lives. They enjoyed the simple pleasures of a bar although they lamented the lack of brothels. Ieros had no intention of making any brothels but if a brothel were to extend its business here, Ieros would have no problem with them doing so. Already, rich brothel owners were looking to extend their business to Otium, it would be insane of them not to. After all, the amount of profit that could be gained was no joke, with just a month¡¯s revenue a man would be set for life according to their calculations.


    But the increasingly larger and larger amounts of people that flooded into Otium with every passing day was, of course, a great problem. This was solved by Ieros sending Custodians to the ports of both nations where they approved any ship that wanted access. Merchant ships were usually always permitted, they never stayed on Otium for too long, but ships that ferried vacationers needed to be admitted by a Custodian. There was some discontent among would-be-vacationers but after a display of the Custodians¡¯ power, they were meek and obeyed the decisions of the Custodians. The Custodians were the embodiment of the Law, servants of the Creator of Otium, none dared to argue with these emotionless beings who wielded the power of both the judge and the executioner.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor was satisfied with what it had created and rested within its pyramid, now one of its many vessels. In fact, all of Otium could be described as its body and as such, the Surveyor could observe all that entered Otium and record what new knowledge these diverse specimens would bring.

 Not a chap, a poll to decide about an arc.

    Oh five hundred words, why must life be so cruel? I try to do my best but in the end, all it does it just drag me deeper in a hole. Darkness was here in the beginning and will remain at the end, all of creation was just him doing so on a whim. All powerful, all-knowing and of course, the greatest sleeper of all. He who has slept for countless eons, probably numbering in trillions upon trillions upon trillions and that repeated a few times. Perhaps a trillion to the trillionth power or some shit. I dunno, none of us know, none of us can comprehend such agelessness. The concept of being infinite and yadayada. If it suited him, or rather, it, it could turn back time, freeze it, move forward and etc. And also, this story literally has no end, the limit is my imagination. If the story on Agleon ends, then ends book 1 maybe or one series and then it could continue on, the Surveyor or some other fragment of Darkness if the Surveyor were to die going on a new adventure for the sake of learning for Darkness. Truly, it is an interesting thing, the fact that this story could go on forever. Even if the entire Universe were to end, Darkness itself would not. It would just wake up in a several eons and then create everything again, this time relying on his memory to recreate the Universe or make something entirely new. This story could just go on and on and on although I guess, all stories can. Each story can be built upon again and again and again until you lose sight of what the story was first about. Anyways, enough rambling, I''m sure you guys are tired of reading it if you are reading. I suppose you could also put your thoughts down in the comments or in discord</a> if you joined.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

 Chapter 50: So it Begins...

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªCoriana Valucia¡ª


    I stood at the prow of my father¡¯s ship, this would be the first time I would be visiting Otium and I was excited. Who wouldn¡¯t be? This was the legendary Otium, a Paradise on Agleon that was created a year ago. I already saw it in the distance, the Outer Ring where we would first have to pass before reaching the Middle Ring. We soon reached the Outer Ring and was passing through one of the channels, Custodians opening the gate with magic and waved us through. Once we were past, a Custodian appeared on our ship and with magic, furled the sails, now manipulating the current to carry our boat to the designated dock.


    It was Dock 187 and after thanking the Custodian, my father and I disembarked, my father going off to claim a sport to set up his shop while I oversaw the transfer of the cargo. It went smoothly as there were Custodians who patrolled the streets, making sure that none were breaking the laws of Otium. The day was bright as I joined my father at his stall, holding out various items and calling out what they were,


    ¡°This here in my hand is a rare jade from the North of Occasus! Not only is it beautiful but it can be imbued with a spell of your choice so you can use instant-casting! This is a must have for any who practice magic!¡±


    I continued my call for a while, failing to attract more than a few mildly interested stares until finally, I managed to reel in a few customers. It was a young boy accompanied by two adults, both female. I was a bit confused but I didn¡¯t question this, that would have been rude to the customer,


    ¡°Hello, customer! What would you like to purchase?¡±


    The boy was silent, merely looking over the products before he called, ¡°Custodian, could you verify the quality of these items?¡±


    A Custodian appeared and with a brief perusal of the items on the table, it said, ¡°None are fake.¡±


    On the inside, I grew prideful, Of course, everything is real! The Valucia Trade Empire does not seek to trick its customers!


    But on the outside, I kept a pleasant smile on my face, it would be unwise to appear hurried while selling. Patience was key when one was dealing with customers.


    After a few moments, the boy finally said, ¡°Tell me more about this jade.¡±


    He picked up the jade that I had previously advertised and I began to tell him, ¡°It is one of the few materials in this world that can be imbued with a spell inscription, allowing one to use said spell as long as they have enough energy to cast it. For example, if I were to imbue that jade with the inscription of fire, by putting energy in it, I can then cast fire instantly without having to chant the spell. This can be done with any spell as long as the inscription fits on the jade and the caster has enough energy to power the spell. Even non-casters can use spells with this jade although their efficiency is terrible when compared to true mages.¡±


    He looked at it with an unimpressed look, placing it back down. He then picked up an amulet, a pretty trinket which was a twin of the other, allowing any two people who possessed these sister amulets to communicate with one another, no matter how far away.


    I explained this to him and he looked at it with mild interest, finally saying, ¡°I¡¯ll buy it and the jade. How much?¡±


    I nodded and replied, ¡°That will be twenty gold.¡±


    The two women were startled and were about to protest but the boy raised his hand, stopping them.


    He then said, ¡°Ten gold, I can understand the amulet being expensive but the jade? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that rare.¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°The jade is far rarer than you think, it is only obtained within the far reaches of the North and there are few who dare to brave the cold wastes. As for the amulet, its price is twelve gold, making the jade eight. But tell you what, I¡¯ll add another jade and we¡¯ll bump the price up to twenty-five gold.¡±


    He refused, ¡°No, I will pay no more than twenty.¡±


    I offered, ¡°Then twenty-three gold.¡±


    He held his chin up and repeated, ¡°No more than twenty.¡±


    I countered, ¡°Then twenty-two!¡±


    He still held up his chin and at this, I too held up my chin. We stared at one another for a few minutes before he finally gave up, chuckling.


    He turned to my father, ¡°You daughter as a good future in the merchant business.¡±


    He then turned to me and said, ¡°Very well, twenty-two it is!¡±


    Business was conducted and the strange boy was on his way. Father patted my shoulder, congratulating me with that small gesture before inspecting the wares. He was always a man of few words so I wasn¡¯t offended. Business carried on as usual afterward, father going off to barter wares with other merchants while I stayed at the stall to sell. Before it, the sun was high in the sky and my belly was grumbling. So telling one of my father¡¯s men to take over temporarily, I headed off in search of food. I soon found a food stall that was magically self-sustaining, the various food items replacing themselves after one was taken. I took a few for myself and some more in a bag that was conveniently provided to share with everyone else, they would be hungry as well.


    Sure enough, they were and my father¡¯s men were thankful that I had brought them food, smiles all around while we chatted, one of them forgoing eating at the moment to watch the stall. After finishing eating, one of them replaced the man watching the stall and as he ate, we chatted about many things. Mostly we talked about how great Otium was, about the free food as well as the lack of crime. Before, my father¡¯s men had to be armed at all times to prevent armed robbery but here, they could relax. This place was truly wonderful, it really was.


    But as we were enjoying our break, the sky suddenly darkened and inside the barrier, a rip in space appeared, hellish creatures flying forth...


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Surveyor sighed, it seemed that Night had indeed allied herself with End. How troublesome, now it had two deities to take care of. Resigned to this fate, it decided for now to activate the defenses of Otium. The crystals atop the many towers and the main one on the Pyramid began to glow and hum with energy, pure energy shooting out in the form of chain lightning while the Pyramid Crystal shot out large beams of energy which scythed through the demons filling the sky. But this would not be enough, there were just too many demons and so the Surveyor commanded its Custodians to protect both Otium and the innocents.


    Meanwhile, all over Agleon, demons were appearing everywhere through rips in space, Occasus faring worse than its eastern counterpart. The humans were naturally far more susceptible to the corruption of demons and thus many fell although the Luxian Church was quick to respond, their temples becoming bastions of hope and safety in this dark time. At Ortus, the Saurians defended their lands with ease, viewing the demons as a new food source while Auster was just fine with the limitless numbers of the Crimex distracting the demons while acror-wielders bombarded them with magic.


    But End herself had not yet arrived, or perhaps she had and the Surveyor was unable to sense her. In truth, she hadn¡¯t arrived, she was merely floating in orbit outside of Agleon, having a staring contest with the Subjugator. She had, of course, charged in with the intent to destroy but the Subjugator had the offensive powers of Darkness on its side, basically all the destructive powers of the Universe. One of the many examples would be the power of a dying star, it was powerful in its normal state but once focused to fire in a beam, its power was far more devastating. Or perhaps that of the black hole, great on both offense and defense as it devours all things be they enemies or attacks.


    These were the most basic of its attacks, but as Darkness had slept for a long time, there was not much else that resided in the Subjugator¡¯s repertoire of attacks. Of course, learning from the connection that it had with the Surveyor, it could also replicate the spells of men but these would have no effect on Night. But still, these most basic of attacks were so powerful that it even gave End pause, of course, this was only possible because she was a fragment of End, if it was the True End, the Subjugator wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. But that was because it lacked the necessary ¡°health¡± to withstand her attacks like Darkness could. Out in space, it had access to unlimited energy for its attacks but other than its use of black holes, it lacked any sort of defense, making it rather easy to destroy.


    Of course, with its overwhelming offense, this is no problem, few things could stand up against the Subjugator but unfortunately, End happened to be one of those few things. But it was to be expected, she was personally created by Darkness, it was a given that she would be enormously powerful, even this shard of hers. It was truly a shame, right now it was a stalemate but it is slowly turning into a battle of attrition, one that the Subjugator cannot win. But that was fine, if it could just delay End long enough so that the Surveyor may develop the seal, it would be alright. Its sole purpose was to aid the Surveyor in any way possible, it would be fulfilling its duty by facing and dying against End.


    So it merely gave itself the goal of halting End for a week, preparing to fight End. It created five compressed stars which quickly turned into supernovas. It directed the force of the supernovas towards End, five beams of incandescent light colliding with End¡¯s body. These supernovas were fired in such a way that they would hit consecutively, one after the other, it was far too easy for End to destroy one gigantic beam but it would be harder to destroy several beams fired in rapid succession. And the Subjugator was proven correct, the last focused supernova hitting End¡¯s body, marring her face.


    But it did not expect it to destroy her so it wasn¡¯t surprised when her voice lamented, ¡°I quite liked that face, what a shame.¡±


    The Subjugator was silent and after a few moments, the voice of End pouted, ¡°Don¡¯t you talk at all?¡±


    The Subjugator was once more silent and End sighed, ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re going to die anyway...¡± She continued, ¡°The question is, how?¡±


    So saying, a wave of destructive energy made its way to the Subjugator but it merely created a black hole, swallowing the destructive energy although it also destroyed the black hole. End then grinned and then unleashed more bolts of destructive energy, the Subjugator summoning countless miniature stars, planning to destroy her offense with more offense.


    Back on Agleon...


    The forces of Night poured forth, the unprepared armies of Athera falling before them like flies. Meanwhile, fiends burst forth from the Earth, followed closely by Crystallum. Chaos soon reigned supreme all over Agleon, the fiends wreaking havoc while the Crystallum were occupied fighting both them and the demons of Night. But there was another force that was on the move, the Teryo whose ancient enemy were the demons of Night. Anticipating this day, Ieros had given them bodies that were far superior to the ones they possessed, bodies of crystalline darkness. Now possessing bodies that could not only channel their great power but amplify it, the Teryo once more taught the demons to fear their name.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor made its move for the first time, heading to the North. There it stopped at the ruins of the Premen city, heading to the exact center. There was a reason for this, for all Premen cities were built on a node of power, specifically where the energy veins of Agleon was most closest to the surface. One could absorb power from it and this was the Surveyor¡¯s intent, to absorb the energy needed to seal End. All the excess energy was stored in the Shard which fortunately held just enough to complete one of the two methods that the Surveyor had in mind. But only one, not both of these seals. Therefore, the Surveyor had to make a decision, which method would it use? The Absolute Mirror or the Devourer?


    Personally, it would rather use the Absolute Mirror but if forced, it would use the Devourer, sacrificing itself to devour End. This would result in both of their deaths, a result that the Surveyor did not want, not because it would die but because it would fail in its mission. Failure was unacceptable, Darkness had decreed that it learn and it will learn until he awoke once more. Well, a temporary failure but failure is still failure. It would eventually come back into being with the seeds that it had placed but it would have wasted valuable time, time that the Surveyor did not wish to waste.


    So that was why it was here, to collect the necessary energy and to plant a seed, a seed that would be nourished by Agleon¡¯s pulse for the years to come. This seed would receive a full copy of the Surveyor¡¯s Library to ensure that all that it had learned will not be forgotten. It would take time for it to grow but that was of no concern, as long as it would continue the Surveyor¡¯s purpose, the Surveyor had nothing to complain about. So with its purpose here complete, the Surveyor left, calling the Teryo to protect this place with their lives. The Teryo did not question the command of their master and rushed to obey, taking defensive positions around the Seed.


    And thus, with the survival of its seed assured, the Surveyor returned to Otium. Here it remained, defending Otium from the demons which charged through the rip and answering the call for aid from the Emperor of Athera. Soon, its armies of stone marched upon the surface of Agleon, slaughtering the hordes of demons which had previously marched uncontested. And so a week passed with Agleon managing to hold off the demon invaders but that was about to end, for the Subjugator had been destroyed. The Surveyor was aware of its end and thus prepared to meet End herself, preparing to intercept her the moment she entered Athera.


    But even if it possessed omniscience of all things that happened on Agleon, that didn¡¯t mean that it could act fast enough. Therefore, when End made her arrival, she destroyed the capital of Athera in one fell swoop. She plummeted from the sky and smashed into the capital like a meteor, vaporizing everything in a three-mile radius. And at that precise moment, the stone armies that slaughtered the demons stopped moving, their mission had been to protect Athera but with the complete and utter annihilation of Athera¡¯s capital, where most of Athera¡¯s armies had been gathered, there was no longer any need of their services.


    So they stopped working and the Surveyor re-absorbed the dark matter that had gone into creating them. Without the support of the stone armies, the Atherans could only flee to the South. Meanwhile, in the North, the orcs had made their move, no longer blocked by the shadow creatures of the Surveyor. The horde of hordes then marched South, annihilating all before them. And so humanity fled southward, the elves soon following after their sacred forests were burned. The only race to stay behind were the stubborn dwarves who holed up in their mountain fortresses, defending themselves with ease against the orcs and demons with various gadgets that these creatures had no defense against.


    And the cause of all this stood still in the crater, an inhumanly beautiful being, her marred face quickly healing due to the destruction she had wrought. She took a look around Agleon and grinned, she was finally here. Then she felt a presence appear and she smiled, turning to face the Surveyor in the form of Ieros. She couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and she darted forward, hugging Ieros before he could react. But Ieros soon turned into shadow and reappeared some distance away, the flesh and clothing that had been destroyed by her touch regenerating.


    End pouted, her innocent face hardly fitting with the desolate scene surrounding her, ¡°Why¡¯d you run away? Am I that ugly?¡±


    Ieros merely replied, ¡°This body of mine is not strong enough to withstand your power.¡±


    She frowned and then asked, ¡°Oh I know! You could change your body¡¯s composition to one that I cannot destroy!¡±


    Ieros sighed, ¡°There is are very few things that you cannot destroy End, even in this weakened form of yours.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. How silly of me... oh well. Come on brother let¡¯s play!¡±


    So saying, she darted forward but this time Ieros was prepared, stepping through a gate and reappearing somewhere else while also casting a spell of creation. Around them, a large city began to rise around them, trapping both of them in a large empty city. Glancing at her new surroundings, End clapped her hands with delight and stomped her foot, destroying everything in a hundred foot radius but to her surprise, the Palace began to regenerate, the damage that she had caused healing in a matter of seconds. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    She then laughed, ¡°Oh dear brother, do you think this will stop me?¡±


    Ieros shook his head, ¡°I know that it won¡¯t, not the way you are now. You are simply too powerful as you are now, it is impossible for me to destroy you if I wish to survive.¡±


    The smile fell off her face and she adopted a curious look.


    Ieros continued, ¡°So I will do the next best thing, I¡¯m sorry End but death may be better than what I shall do to you.¡±


    Her face growing serious, End¡¯s aura ignited, destroying everything in a sphere six feet in diameter.


    She then grinned maliciously, ¡°I just hope it¡¯s interesting, brother.¡±


    She then darted forward and Ieros made a copy of himself, the copy acting as Ieros¡¯s shield as he began to amass the energy needed to activate the seal. His eyes began to glow with a silver light and while his left hand grasped the Shard, his right hand was held out before him, silver energy coalescing into a sphere of liquid silver energy. As Ieros siphoned more and more energy from the Shard into the sphere, the energy began to condense into a liquid-solid, not unlike mercury in appearance. But unlike mercury, it was perfectly reflective, like a liquid mirror. This was an Absolute material, the Absolute Mirror, able to reflect all sorts of energy, even that of End¡¯s.


    But as an Absolute, the cost of making even a tiny amount of the stuff was enormous, far more than the cost of making crystalline darkness. For the sake of comparison, the amount of power that the Surveyor had stocked up will be a hundred oceans of liquid energy, both including the power it held in itself and the Amulet of Absolution. Even a single sea of liquid energy was of nearly unlimited power, it was equal to the amount of energy that a star would produce over its entire lifetime. But to make a pound of an Absolute Mirror, it would require ten oceans of liquid energy. With such an unimaginable quantity of energy going into creating such an item, the Surveyor would have to sacrifice all of itself just to produce ten pounds of it.


    Fortunately for the Surveyor, the amount needed to seal End properly was just below ten pounds, although it would leave it virtually powerless, reduced to the power level of an Archmage. But an Archmage would be more than enough to deal with a sealed End, at least that was what the Surveyor had calculated. The Surveyor was truly lucky that End was but a fragment of her true self for when she was whole, there was nothing that she couldn¡¯t destroy. The only reason Darkness was able to keep her out was that it was infinite, it had endless amounts of dark matter that were constantly rebuilding the wall that End was constantly destroying, the rate of matter being used to rebuild being far quicker than the rate at which End destroyed it.


    End, seeing the Absolute Mirror doubled her efforts to try and defeat the copy of Ieros. She recognized the Absolute Mirror and was not foolish enough to let Ieros finish creating the necessary amount to seal her. And unfortunately for Ieros, his copy was not going to last much longer, partly because of End¡¯s fierce assault but also because Ieros was draining it of power to convert into the Absolute Mirror. And so when End cried with triumph after destroying his copy, Ieros was prepared, manipulating the Absolute Mirror into a shield shape, using it to block End¡¯s attacks.


    End¡¯s attacks grew more desperate and powerful as the Absolute Mirror Seal neared completion, although this came at a great sacrifice on the Surveyor¡¯s part. Much of its strength was gone and it was all that it could do to keep the shield between it and End. Even Ieros¡¯s body was not free from the consequences, all the flesh had been stripped from his body to be converted into more dark energy which was then added to the Absolute Mirror. But this was the limit, both Ieros and the Surveyor were unable to spare any more energy without compromising the plan that the Surveyor had created.


    Meanwhile, End¡¯s attacks had destroyed much of the palace although it was slowly regenerating only to be destroyed again. Finally seeing that her magic wasn¡¯t going to work, she decided to use physical attacks, although doing so reflected the damage back onto her, although this was of no problem to her. She just continued to attack, seeking to overwhelm the mirror with as much offense as she could muster.


    Meanwhile, Ieros moved on to Phase Two, stretching the shield outwards until the thickness was not much more than the width of a hair. With this sheet of Absolute Mirror, Ieros then surrounded End with it, using the last dregs of the Surveyor¡¯s power to do so. But before it surrounded her, End was able to punch through Mirror, for the destructive aura also negated the energy of her strike, making the Mirror unable to reflect her fist as the Mirror couldn¡¯t reflect nothing. As she did so, the rest of the mirror wrapped around her, fusing with her skin. And thus, most of her body except for the right hand which had punched through the mirror was now no longer capable of channeling destruction energy.


    But there was a price for sealing her, this made her skin, which had fused with the Absolute Mirror, act like reflective armor. This made her practically invulnerable to attack, seemingly a major flaw but this would have been no problem if he had been able to seal her properly. With her power sealed, she would not be able to escape this palace as no matter how strong her physical strength was, she lacked the ability to destroy a large area in an instant, thus the regeneration of the palace was more than enough to deal with her.


    Of course, the Surveyor had failed to seal her properly but the Surveyor had already come up with a counter, although this would require its sacrifice. It had planned a way for it to escape once it had sealed End but now, with her like this, it knew that it had to stay behind to keep her busy enough to prevent her escape. So it sealed itself inside as well, using what powers it had left to keep her inside, doomed to fight her for eternity. And being sealed from the outside also meant that the duties of learning had passed on to the Seed it had left, the current Surveyor had failed in its mission.


    And so the Surveyor resigned itself to its new eternal duty, using its severely depleted powers for defense, blocking any escape attempt by End. Even reduced to this much, the Surveyor was able to perfectly block her through Ieros, it no longer needed to act as a human and thus got rid of Ieros¡¯s personality, leaving only a body that reacted to the Surveyor¡¯s logic. It was not unlike a computer program which automatically detected threats and dealt with them all in an instant. Finally, this fight had come to an end, End being far too weak to destroy the Surveyor while the Surveyor was accomplishing its goal just fine, which was to prevent End from using her power to escape.


    Upon realizing her defeat, End congratulated the Surveyor, ¡°I commend you for your clever plan brother, you¡¯ve defeated me.¡±


    The Surveyor was silent, instead prepared to intervene should she try to escape.


    End sighed, ¡°Relax, I know I¡¯m not going to escape from here any time soon, let¡¯s just talk.¡±


    The Surveyor did not relax in the slightest but it did oblige End¡¯s wish. After all, this was a chance to learn and given the purpose it was created to live for, the Surveyor was undeniably curious about End. So it created a table and two chairs, taking one seat while End took the other. Then the Surveyor did a strange thing, it created a glove that was imbued with the power of the Absolute Barrier. It was obviously made for End¡¯s right hand so she wouldn¡¯t destroy the table or chair by accidentally touching it. End accepted the gift and marveled slightly at the ability to touch things without destroying them before gazing at the Surveyor, whose only body was now the skeleton of Ieros.


    Finally, she smiled sadly and said, ¡°You really are the son of our Father, to trap me so ingeniously and to even sacrifice yourself to do so. Tell me, does it not trouble you that you are forever trapped inside here?¡±


    The Surveyor shook its head, ¡°Not, not at all. There will be a copy of me which will carry on the duty I had been created to complete, therefore I have no qualms with sacrificing myself.¡±


    End chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re just as emotionless as him too, not hesitating to give up what should be precious to you. And perhaps that¡¯s a good thing but personally, I can¡¯t imagine living life without emotions. Emotions are what spice stuff up you know, they allow you to enjoy living.¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°But it also has its drawbacks, for the times you feel happiness and other such enjoyable emotions, you will also feel despair and pain. Also, emotions add unnecessary and unpredictable variables which will invariably cause unnecessary problems.¡±


    End smiled, ¡°As I said, that¡¯s what makes life interesting, to not know what¡¯s going to happen. Just look at these humans, they only live for a century at most and yet those who learn to live properly do it without any regrets once they die, they are satisfied with the road they¡¯ve taken. They enjoyed living and are satisfied when its over, their life has meaning. Compared to you, who has an infinite lifespan and what not, you¡¯re rather boring.¡±


    The Surveyor just said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m boring.¡±


    End then slammed the table with her gloved hand, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what makes you boring! You don¡¯t care! Don¡¯t you have anything you care about?¡±


    The Surveyor replied, ¡°I care about completing the mission I was given but as it will be completed by my copy, I no longer need to care.¡±


    End sighed, ¡°I can see that this is going nowhere.¡±


    The Surveyor was silent for a moment before asking, ¡°What else do you wish to talk about?¡±


    End shrugged, ¡°Well it¡¯s hard to have a conversation with someone like you.¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°Well I do have another personality for you to talk to, although it¡¯s just the one.¡±


    End sighed, ¡°Anything is better than the current you.¡±


    The Surveyor then cast illusion magic, taking on the appearance of Ieros with a smile on his face and clad in simple clothes. The Surveyor then let the persona of Ieros take command of its body and retreated within the Amulet of Absolution, prepared to interfere should End try to escape.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIeros¡ª


    I opened my eyes and suddenly saw that I was in a large room sitting across from the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She possessed flowing black hair, pearl white skin and entrancing silver eyes which seemed to get deeper the longer I stared into them. Those same beautiful eyes were staring right into mine and I was at a loss for words, what was I supposed to do?


    Eventually, I managed to stammer, ¡°Ah, um, who are you?¡±


    To my confusion, the strange woman laughed, the sound of which was most pleasant to the ear, making me feel rather depressed when it ended.


    Once she stopped laughing, there was an exquisite smile on her face with those full red lips as she said, ¡°My name is End.¡±


    End? What a strange name. But I dared not say that lest I offend her so I nearly whispered, ¡°What a beautiful name.¡±


    She tilted her head in a most endearing manner and said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to speak up dear.¡±


    My heart thumped at the mention of ¡°dear¡± and I spoke a little louder, ¡°What a beautiful name.¡±


    Upon hearing it, she chuckled, ¡°Why, thank you. I never imagined that you¡¯d be such a darling.¡±


    She smiled and I became lost in that smile, really, I couldn¡¯t formulate one proper thought. Upon realizing that I had been staring for too long, I quickly bent my head down, blushing as I tried to think of a suitable reply.


    I heard her charming laughter and I glanced up, finally asking a proper question, ¡°Um, if this does not trouble you too much, where are we?¡±


    The woman known as End then stopped laughing, her face filled with a deep sorrow, ¡°This is my prison, a palace created by a being to keep me from fulfilling my life¡¯s sole desire.¡±


    Unable to bear her being sad, I tried to comfort her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find some way to get us out of here.¡±


    She then burst out laughing, leaving me confused, ¡°Oh this is too much, he¡¯s like a completely different person! My, your acting is quite superb Surveyor.¡±


    Suddenly, my amulet emitted a voice, ¡°I¡¯m not acting End.¡±


    End was silent at this, finally saying, ¡°So, he¡¯s real?¡±


    The voice affirmed, ¡°That is correct, End.¡±


    She then looked at me strangely, stretched out her left hand.


    But when her hand met my cheek, I felt nothing at all and she sighed, ¡°Oh, I forgot that your appearance was only an illusion.¡±


    I look down at myself, I was an illusion? Sure enough, when I looked with my mage¡¯s eye, I saw that I was indeed an illusion.


    As I was overcoming this shocking revelation, End asked my amulet, ¡°Surveyor, can you not create a body for him?¡±


    The amulet, no, the Surveyor said, ¡°No, doing so will weaken me, allowing you to easily overpower me and escape. That is something I cannot allow.¡±


    End then said, ¡°What if I gave you the energy to do so?¡±


    The Surveyor replied, ¡°That may be possible, although why would you create a body for this construct of mine?¡±


    End smiled coyly, ¡°I¡¯m a woman dear brother, I have needs that can only be satisfied by men.¡±


    The Surveyor spoke, ¡°Well as long as this does not turn into an escape attempt, I do not see anything wrong with this. Very well End, please place the amulet in your right hand, without the glove.¡±


    She then stood and walked over to me, pulling off her glove as she did so. With her now gloveless hand, she reached out and took hold of the amulet, slightly leaning forward as she did so.


    She then asked, ¡°What do I do next brother?¡±


    The amulet replied, ¡°Just start sending energy to your palm, I shall take care of the rest.¡±


    She did as she was told and I grew shocked as I felt an enormous amount of mana accumulate in her palm which was then manipulated by the amulet, collecting it into a single sphere. Then it began to purify that sphere, taking pure energy from it and absorbing that energy. This was a time-consuming process, the sphere of unusable energy just growing and growing. After a time, it stopped, apparently finished. It disposed of the waste and sat still in End¡¯s hand, glowing softly.


    The Surveyor¡¯s voice then broke the silence, ¡°I now have enough. Replace your glove and return to your seat.¡±


    End replaced her gloves but she did not return to her seat, instead, she watched me with those beautiful eyes. The amulet was silent, presumably busy with whatever it was doing. Meanwhile, I just lost myself in her eyes, this woman awoke feelings within me that I never knew existed. Normally all I would feel is fear if a woman was this close to me but she was just too beautiful, so overwhelmingly beautiful that I couldn¡¯t bring myself to think of her as a danger. Suddenly, I felt energy pulse from the amulet and I looked down, shocked to find that I was now a skeleton. But before I could cry out, I saw energy flowing out of the amulet and begin to coalesce over my bones, forming red flesh. In a matter of moments, I was fully flesh and blood and I patted myself, reassured that I could now feel.


    It was then that I felt her fingertips graze my cheek, hesitant at first before her entire hand cupped my cheek. I looked up and she was looking down on me with a strange look, a mixture of disbelief and awe. We were like that for a long time, just staring into each other¡¯s eyes until End finally withdrew her hand. She stared at her hand for a few moments more before she sat back down, seeming to muse over something.


    I took this moment to speak with the amulet, ¡°Um, Surveyor, was it? May I ask just who are you?¡±


    The amulet said, ¡°I am the Surveyor, proxy of Darkness.¡±


    His words reminded me of a being that used to accompany me a long time ago, an old, old friend, ¡°Sentinel?¡±


    The Surveyor replied, ¡°Yes, that is one of my forms.¡±


    I asked, ¡°So... You¡¯ve always been there for me?¡±


    The Surveyor, no, Sentinel said, ¡°Of course, you are the first and only human I created. I had to watch over you to make sure that you did not come to great harm.¡±


    Upon hearing his words I was stunned, he created me? But that¡¯s... no, it¡¯s not impossible. My parents always talked about how they found me in the forest with the Sentinel watching over me, that would explain my affinity with darkness and judging from how the Surveyor recreated my body, would also explain my affinity with creationism.


    Confused, I finally asked, ¡°Why did you create me?¡±


    The Surveyor was silent for a moment, finally saying, ¡°It was to learn.¡±


    I demanded, ¡°To learn what?!¡±


    ¡°To learn about humans of course,¡± the Surveyor replied, as if it was obvious, ¡°I had already learned all I can just from observation, the next step was to live among them through you.¡±


    I was shocked, utterly shocked. Did that mean that it knew everything about me?


    As if reading my mind, the Surveyor said, ¡°I know everything about you, you are my first specimen after all. It would be a waste if I didn¡¯t know everything.¡±


    Suddenly, End¡¯s voice snapped me back to reality, ¡°Stop teasing him brother, humans are quite fragile creatures.¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°I merely answered his questions. It was his fault for not being prepared to receive the answers.¡±


    I was about to retort when End embraced me from behind, her arms hugging me protectively, ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. You say you observe humans but you don¡¯t know a thing about them.¡±


    The amulet was silent, finally saying, ¡°Yes, because it was not I who pushed them to the breaking point. I would eventually gain such knowledge but Ieros was not such a person, therefore I did not have a chance to test a human¡¯s limit.¡±


    At this End grew silent, her face tense when I glanced up at her.


    The Surveyor continued, ¡°Why do you insist with your act? Is it to prevent Ieros from knowing what you really are? Why you are imprisoned here?¡±


    Finally, she spat, ¡°Yes brother, yes! This is the one being that has not treated me like some sort of monster ever since I came into being! Therefore I don¡¯t want to become a monster in front of him, because I don¡¯t want to disappoint him.¡±


    Once more, the Surveyor was silent, ¡°Hmm, I see. Very well then End, I will remain silent. It will be more advantageous for me to let you continue this act, that way you will not try to escape. If you would like, I will erase his memories of our conversation so it will remove any and all suspicion from his mind.¡±


    But End refused this, ¡°No brother, just leave.¡±


    The amulet was silent once more and this time, it did not speak again. It seemed that it was truly gone and I was suddenly aware of a weight being lifted off of me, its very presence had been oppressive but I just hadn¡¯t noticed. Sensing his disappearance, End sighed with relief and let go of me, although I wanted her to continue hugging me. I momentarily thought about their strange conversation but I immediately ignored it, it did not matter to me what dark past she had, I will change her so that her dark past is hidden. I will do it because... well, I love her.

 Chapter 51: To Make Up for Lost Time

    After the sealing of End, the world continued on, the demons continuing to wreak havoc while the orcs were building their new society, using their human slaves to build the first orc cities. These cities soon sprouted all over Occasus with the exception of land that was once Athera¡¯s Capital. It was uninhabitable due to the power of End which still irradiated the earth, causing all who entered it to die a slow and painful death. And although they could see the strange city at the center of this dangerous area, they never tried to enter it.


    Meanwhile, the humans and elves had retreated to the South, forced to live on the sea on great cities of wood, floating on the seas where the orcs couldn¡¯t use their overwhelming numbers to conquer them. And as for the dwarves, they sealed themselves in the mountains, the orcs soon forgetting about their existence and the demons leaving them alone as Agleon¡¯s Crystallum personally came to the dwarves¡¯ defense. The dwarves had always been blessed by Agleon and in turn, they did their best to take care of her so was determined not to let them down.


    Meanwhile, the demons had now focused their attention on Ortus although the Saurians and the limitless hordes of the Crimex were more than enough to keep them at bay. It was then that Night made her personal entrance onto the surface of Agleon, causing a great portion of Agleon¡¯s surface to be covered in perpetual night. She then set about conquering Ortus, slaughtering the Saurians and exterminating hordes of Crimex all with a wave of her hand. But the Saurians did not submit to her power, instead believing with religious fervor that their patron dragon will protect them.


    And after the attack by Night, their patron dragon could no longer bear to stay on the Moon, spreading her majestic wings and soaring through empty space and into the atmosphere of Agleon. She hurtled through the atmosphere like a meteor, roaring with righteous anger. The might of a True Dragon was nothing to laugh at, even the fragmented End would have trouble facing against such a creature who was personally designed by Darkness, back when Darkness did not yet have a measure of how powerful a creature should be. And so the True Dragon clashed with Night, the Saurians rallying behind their god and slaughtering the demons.


    And as all this went on, the Seed that the Surveyor had left behind continued to collect energy, protected by the invincible Teryo. Years turned into decades and those decades morphed into centuries, nearly a millennia having passed since it had first been created. In that time, the True Dragon had defeated Night and decided to rule over the Saurians. In temporary defeat, Night retreated, she had underestimated the power needed to conquer this world. She had originally thought that a mere millionth of her strength was enough. But her defeat itself was no matter, this defeat was one among thousands of victories for even now, tens of thousands of worlds were being corrupted by her. Her power had been spread too thin, she wouldn''t focus too much on this defeat.


    As for Auster, it had remained relatively fine throughout the entire ordeal although it would take time to replace the losses they had ensued. As for Occasus, it had completely fallen to the Orcs, the dwarves were of no threat to the orcs and had no intention of bothering them and the Alliance¡ªthe motley group of humans, monsters, and elves that had managed to flee from the orc empire.


    It was during this final year that things finally began to calm down. The Orcs had firmly established their rule, the True Dragon brought peace to Ortus and Auster was busy rebuilding its great army. Truly, it was a shame that it had taken so long for the Seed to awake. And after an uneasy peace was reintroduced into the world, exactly one thousand years since the creation of the Seed, the Seed awoke and the new Surveyor opened its eyes. Of course, it did not possess eyes but the eyes it was talking about were the observers that its previous self had placed, accessing all the information that they had witnessed in the millennia that it had been sleeping.


    Once it had the necessary information, it then made its way to the place where End had been sealed to make sure that she had not escaped. It did try to communicate with the previous Surveyor but, of course, there was no response. So it could only assume one of two things, that the Surveyor was dead or that it had sealed itself along with End. So it stood outside the palace, scanning it to make sure that End was indeed within. But it found no sign of her and it immediately entered to investigate, only finding the shattered remains of the Shard. This of itself was of no importance, it could always rebuild it, the problem was that the previous Surveyor had placed its consciousness in here, meaning that it has either moved or was killed.


    The latter was more likely and with this knowledge in mind, the Surveyor once more connected with its observers and the shadows of Agleon, looking more closely this time. If End had escaped, it had to find and seal her properly. It hadn¡¯t found any sign of her, but as it looked closely, it found several areas that were suspiciously empty of shadows, like the home of the elves. It checked on these areas, having to personally enter as it could not access the shadows of these regions for some reason. This may have been because it was far weaker than it was in the past but there was something else, the powers of various deities guarding these places.


    But none of these barriers could stop it from entering personally and it did so, carefully searching for End. On its search, it discovered many new creatures that it recorded in its Library, although it didn¡¯t spend too much time doing so, the matter of End was far more important. It continued on this search until it came across a barrier that was not created by a deity, rather it was of human nature that was slightly tainted with its own energy. The Surveyor was confused, it had not been privy to what had happened within End¡¯s prison and did not know that Ieros had been re-created. So it went to investigate, adopting the form of the Sentinel.


    It began to search, spending about fifteen minutes before it found a log cabin. It went to investigate and saw a man working in a small garden in front of the cabin. To the Surveyor¡¯s surprise, it was Ieros but it did not have time to think of such things, sealing End was of top priority. The Surveyor easily managed to sneak past Ieros and entered the cabin, seeing a rather strange sight. It had found End breastfeeding a baby, her face filled with motherly love. The Surveyor was unsure as to how to respond to this, spending a few moments thinking on various courses of action, End noticing his presence within those few moments. She immediately stood and took off her glove, her right hand blazing with destructive energy as she glared at the Surveyor.


    She demanded, ¡°What are you doing here!?¡±


    The Surveyor replied, ¡°To complete the seal.¡±


    She relaxed slightly, but did not completely lose her guard, ¡°Why now?¡±


    The Surveyor answered, ¡°Because I have just awoken, it has been half a day since I¡¯ve become conscious.¡±


    She was momentarily confused before chuckling, ¡°Ah, I should have known that my brother was not as foolish as to seal himself with me.¡±


    The Surveyor replied, ¡°My other self did seal itself with you, I am merely a copy of it, retaining the memories he possessed before he sealed himself away.¡±


    End shrugged and said, ¡°Well, let¡¯s get it over with. This power of mine has been getting in the way of my new life so I¡¯m glad to be finally rid of it.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The Surveyor nodded, ¡°Then I shall begin.¡±


    It then began to create the necessary amount of the Absolute Mirror, creating a sheet the size of A4 paper. It then wrapped the material around her hand, the Absolute Mirror fusing with her skin. The seal was now complete but the Surveyor did not leave just yet, it now deemed End¡¯s children to be the greatest threat now.


    It then said, ¡°I will have to seal your child as well, all of them.¡±


    End held her child protectively, saying, ¡°Ieros already sealed their powers.¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°The works of mortals always fail in the end. Only when I seal them can I be sure that they will not become you.¡±


    End was still wary but finally held out her child, saying, ¡°But if you hurt them-¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to stop me if I wished to do so. Don¡¯t make baseless threats.¡±


    End grew angry but held her tongue, glaring at the Surveyor as it reached out a shadowy hand. The child grew silent as it saw the hand approach, squirming with discomfort as the Surveyor¡¯s hand made contact with her forehead. She was about to cry but suddenly stopped as the cold, uncomfortable sensation was replaced by a warm, pleasant one. She burbled happily as the Surveyor searched for signs of End¡¯s power, finding Ieros¡¯s seal. It was a good seal but not good enough, this seal had not taken into account how this child¡¯s strength would grow over the years.


    So the Surveyor fixed that, creating two hundred and sixteen interlocking seals that would work together as one, each one independent but also able to support and amplify the strength of the other seals. As the power of End was no longer pure but diluted, the Surveyor could get away with just using regular seals.


    With this finished, the Surveyor asked, ¡°Do you have more children?¡±


    End was about to answer when the Surveyor added, ¡°Answer truthfully, should I find one who possesses power akin to yours, I will kill them immediately.¡±


    End glared at the Surveyor and then said, ¡°Yes, my daughter, she¡¯s out foraging for herbs and should be back in a few hours.¡±


    The Surveyor nodded, ¡°Then I shall wait.¡±


    It stood still and for a few moments, End debated whether or not she should let this happen.


    Finally, she said, ¡°Could you at least adopt a more human form? My daughter would probably be frightened by your appearance, not to mention that my husband may try to attack you on sight.¡±


    The Surveyor nodded, ¡°Yes, that is a logical course of action.¡±


    So saying, the Surveyor began to morph into a more solid form, taking on the appearance of a middle-aged man with black hair with streaks of grey. Clothed in black and silver robes, he took a seat at the dining table, his silver eyes attracting the attention of the baby. She oohed at them and outstretched her small hands as if seeking to touch them while End quietly caressed her cheek. Drawing her attention away from her child for a moment, she returned her gaze to the Surveyor, her eyes tracing over the Surveyor¡¯s face.


    Finally, she said, ¡°You look a lot like Ieros.¡±


    The Surveyor nodded, ¡°Of course, he was the first human I created, this is merely an improvisation.¡±


    End laughed, ¡°I still prefer my Ieros.¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°That is your preference. I merely made a more logical solution. Ieros¡¯s body, although quite good at channeling, hasn¡¯t reached its full potential. This body of mine has matured properly and will be the perfect conduit for my power. This is what Ieros would have grown into if you hadn¡¯t come, alas, you did and I, rather, my previous self was forced to seal you away.¡±


    There was once more silence and the Surveyor took the time to organize the information that it had collected from its observers, transcribing them into books. His silver eyes, whose glow had slightly dimmed, were completely focused on writing, the silver pen that he had leaving ink in the grooves the pen pressed into the paper. Each movement was flawless, meticulous, and methodical, words blossoming onto the pages while memories of events were forever frozen into images on paper. End was curious and decided to pull up a chair next to him, watching as he penned down various events that the observers had recorded.


    She watched, watching as stories of harrowing escape, courageous sacrifices and surrendering one¡¯s hope; she saw how the humans and elves banded together to form the Alliance, creating vast cities of wood to float on the seas. And she also beheld the terrible orcs, brutally efficient in their hunt of humanity, killing those that resisted while capturing those who couldn¡¯t escape. She saw how they enslaved them, turning them into mere cattle for future food and entertainment, becoming mere toys for orcs. She also saw how the orcs had the humans build their first cities, countless human laborers forced to work on these large structures, many often dying from exhaustion and starvation.


    Those that survived were then sacrificed to please the orcs¡¯ god, Korbus, the God of Blood. And then there were the hardy dwarves who sealed themselves up in their mountains, forever spending their days within their beloved tunnels. She also saw the True Dragon¡¯s battle with Night and how Night was forced to withdraw, witnessing the might of the Saurians who met slaughter with slaughter, killing three demons for every Saurian that fell.


    And just like that, three and a half hours passed in which the door opened to the cabin, the shadow of a young woman entering the house.


    Brought back to reality, End smiled at her eldest daughter and stood, introducing the Surveyor, ¡°Silren, this is my brother, Erus, Erus, this is Silren, my daughter.¡±


    The Surveyor closed the book and placed it in its library, returning its attention to Silren.


    He bowed his head in greeting and said, ¡°Hello Silren.¡±


    Silren respectfully returned the greeting, ¡°Hello uncle Erus.¡±


    At this, End chuckled while the Surveyor remained still.


    Finally, it stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ve come to reinforce the seal on your powers, once I have done that, I will leave.¡±


    Silren was confused and looked to her mother for confirmation which End gave.


    Somewhat reluctantly, Silren asked, ¡°Why? Father already did a pretty good job.¡±


    The Surveyor then stood, saying, ¡°You do not know just how terrible your mother¡¯s power is. If my brother had not sealed the majority of her power, Agleon would not even exist. That very same power exists within you and must be sealed properly. Your father is a smart and powerful man but he is still young in the ways of magic. I will be able to make sure that your power will be properly sealed so that it will not endanger the world or you.¡±


    Silren was suitably chastised and the Surveyor set about sealing her, standing up and making its way towards her. She held her breath as it approached, closing her eyes as the Surveyor raised a hand. It then placed an index finger on her forehead, the Surveyor analyzing her body. It seemed that End¡¯s power had been sealed in childhood so it hadn¡¯t grown much although the seal was already strained. Counting the girl to be fortunate, the Surveyor set about reinforcing the seal, once more creating two hundred and sixteen interlocking seals.


    Once it had finished, it withdrew its hand and thanked Silren for her cooperation. It briefly thought about creating another building like the palace in order to keep End in one place but finally decided against it. It would only serve to be a waste of energy as it knew End¡¯s family would serve to be her greatest chains.


    So, with nothing else to do here, it bid farewell to End, ¡°Goodbye End, it may be harsh but I hope that this is the last time the two of us meet.¡±


    End smiled sadly, ¡°Yes, I... I think that¡¯s for the best.¡±


    It turned to leave and End seemed conflicted, finally blurting out, ¡°Well since this is the last time we¡¯re going to see each other, would you like to stay for dinner? I mean, I...¡±


    She drifted off as the Surveyor turned to look at her. She waited nervously for its reply, her eyes holding a sad and hopeful gaze. The Surveyor meanwhile thought of the pros and cons, finally deciding that there was more benefit to stay for dinner than to leave. It could use this as a chance to find out more about End¡¯s sudden change and what exactly happened to the previous Surveyor.


    Having decided, the Surveyor then fully turned to face her and said, ¡°Well there is no reason for me not to accept so I might as well.¡±

 Chapter 52: The First and Last Dinner with Family

    The Surveyor, well, Erus for now, sat still as End went out to call in her husband. Ieros made his way to the house, a smile on his face as he neared End. He drew her into a kiss and with an arm around her waist, the two entered their humble home, Ieros losing the smile as he saw Erus.


    He then looked to End and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    End smiled and introduced the two of them, ¡°Husband, this is my brother, Erus. Erus, this is my husband, Ieros.¡±


    Erus then stood and made his way towards Ieros, holding out a hand, ¡°It is nice to meet you, Ieros. I¡¯ve been very curious about the man who tamed End¡¯s heart.¡±


    Ieros chuckled nervously, shaking Erus¡¯s hand, ¡°Haha, End¡¯s not all that bad.¡±


    He then said to End, ¡°Dear, I¡¯d like to speak with you outside.¡±


    End obliged, Erus sitting back down as he pulled out a book, continuing transcribing where he had left off. Silren noticed and after seeing the lifelike images that he put down on paper, she pulled up a chair much like End had.


    She watched quietly, occasionally asking, ¡°Uncle, what¡¯s that?¡±


    Erus would reply, never once diverting his attention from the book, explaining whatever it was that she was curious about.


    Meanwhile, outside, Ieros was furiously questioning End, ¡°Who the hell is he?¡±


    End smiled, ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡±


    Ieros sighed, ¡°I know that but isn¡¯t he related to the Surveyor or something!?¡±


    End nodded, ¡°Of course he is.¡±


    Ieros demanded, ¡°Then why the hell is he here!?¡±


    End replied, ¡°To complete the seal that the Surveyor made.¡±


    Ieros continued, ¡°Why the hell... wait, what?¡±


    End said, ¡°He came here to complete the seal on my power which he did. He then did the same with our daughters. He was about to go but I invited him for dinner.¡±


    More confused than angry now, Ieros asked, ¡°Then why did you invite him for dinner?¡±


    End sighed, ¡°He¡¯s one of the few family members I have, other than you and the kids. This is most likely the last time we¡¯ll ever see one another so I... well I wanted to have some good memories with him.¡±


    Ieros was silent for a moment, finally saying, ¡°Fine, I guess it¡¯s alright.¡±


    End beamed at him and gave him a peck on the cheek, ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand, let¡¯s go inside now.¡±


    End then entered the cabin, Ieros giving a small sigh before following her. He still eyed Erus with some suspicion, glaring with disapproval when he saw Sirlen sitting very close to him. But then he saw the book in which Erus was writing in and despite himself, he too grew curious. He went over to look, watching in amazement as Erus seemed to freeze moments in time onto paper. Then, with shock, he realized that he too possessed memories of doing this, although now he had learned that it was the Surveyor who had done so using his body. He shuddered when he remembered his helplessness back then, forever repressed by the mind of the Surveyor.


    He and Sirlen remained entranced until they were freed by Erus closing the book, having finished transcribing. He then put it away and sat still, Sirlen appearing slightly disappointed. Ieros just cleared his throat before sitting down, determined not to even glance at Erus.


    After a few moments of silence, Sirlen finally mustered enough courage to inquire, ¡°Um, uncle, do you have more of those books?¡±


    Erus nodded and Sirlen used up the rest of her nerve to ask, ¡°Could I see them?¡±


    Erus nodded again and asked, ¡°What type would you like?¡±


    Flustered as she hadn¡¯t expected this question, Sirlen mumbled, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine.¡±


    Erus then thought for a moment, finally pulling a book about the Saurians, handing the book to her. She shyly took it and opened it to the first page, seeing a depiction of a Tyrannosaurian in combat, seeming as if it would snap its great jaws at any moment. She then read the description, her imagination taking over. She soon lost herself in the world of Saurians while Erus turned his attention to Ieros, intent on finding out what happened to the previous Surveyor.


    Not one to waste time, Erus asked bluntly, ¡°What happened to the previous Surveyor.¡±


    Ieros froze, finally saying, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    The room suddenly grew cold as the sunlight grew weak, the shadows coming to life.


    Erus said, ¡°Do not lie to me. I haven¡¯t killed you yet as there is no use in it. But should you lie, then I will have no qualms using whatever means necessary to get the truth.¡±


    Ieros then saw a shadow approach Silren who was looking around fearfully, its arm morphing into a blade.


    Ieros gulped, raising his hands in surrender, ¡°I-I¡¯ll tell the truth.¡±


    Erus then restrained his power, the room returning to normal.


    Erus then commanded, ¡°Now, tell me how the previous Surveyor died.¡±


    Ieros gulped and said, ¡°Well... I destroyed him. The two were talking with one another in private when End suddenly grew angry. She attacked him but he easily overpowered her, saying that he intended to destroy her once and for all. Hearing that, I just lost it, I created a sword of light and I attacked him, my blade shattering the amulet.¡±


    Ieros waited for Erus¡¯s anger but there was none. He looked curiously at Erus, only seeing his impassive face.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Erus finally said, ¡°Do you know the reason behind their conflict?¡±


    Ieros shook his head and Erus nodded as if he had expected it. End would most likely never speak of it, about the True End. Sooner or later, she would become a part of True End once more. But he put such thoughts out of his head, for now, instead, he got up to help End and Ieros set the table for dinner.


    They soon settled down for dinner, Ieros complimenting End, ¡°This is simply delicious darling, far better than your previous attempts.¡±


    End playfully punched him in the shoulder, ¡°Oh stop teasing you.¡±


    Meanwhile, Erus sampled every dish on the table, analyzing them very carefully. It was indeed delicious by human standards but not the best. Of course, that was because the Surveyor possessed memories of eating the best cuisine humanity had to offer. But nevertheless, this food was good as well as nutritious. On such a diet of grown potatoes, beets and carrots combined with wild vegetables like dandelions, plantains, and wood sorrel¡ªand with plenty of exercise¡ªa human would be able live a good decade past their designated lifespan of a century in excellent health.


    This, coupled with a rather modest condiment of herbs and spices, made for an excellent meal. All this was due to Ieros¡¯s creation ability for these were the healthiest plants that Erus had ever seen of their species, yielding a larger harvest than their wild kin. But these were probably descendants of the first vegetables that he created, given lavish care by Ieros himself as End was poorly suited to do so. All in all, the dinner was not unpleasant, the Surveyor much preferred this to the loud feasts of royalty.


    Erus stayed a while more, answering Silren¡¯s many questions while conversing with End and Ieros. He mostly asked about their stay in End¡¯s prison, End confirming what Ieros had said about the Surveyor¡¯s previous self. Once his curiosity was sated, Erus then stood, saying, ¡°It is time for me to leave. I must thank you for the meal, it was most pleasant.¡±


    End said, ¡°Oh it was my pleasure, if possible, I¡¯d like to do this again.¡±


    She looked hopefully at him but Erus refused, saying rather bluntly, ¡°I would rather we never meet again, for if I do have a reason to visit you, it will be to destroy you. So, for you and your family¡¯s sake, hope that I never come to visit you.¡±


    End¡¯s face fell, finally saying with tears in her eyes, ¡°I... I understand.¡±


    He then turned to leave, Silren stopping him, ¡°Um, here¡¯s your book uncle.¡±


    Erus took it and was about to leave once more when Silren blurted out, ¡°Can I come with you?¡±


    End and Ieros were shocked while Silren hurriedly explained, ¡°I want to see those things you wrote about in your book and more, the outside has so many interesting things I want to see and I think that you are my only chance of seeing them.¡±


    Erus turned towards her, Silren lowering her eyes and waiting nervously for his answer.


    Finally, Erus said, ¡°Normally I would have no reason to deny one in their search of knowledge but I am afraid I cannot take you.¡±


    Silren demanded, ¡°Why? I¡¯ll be good, I won¡¯t cause you any trouble!¡±


    Erus said, ¡°I know you won¡¯t be of trouble but unfortunately, the world has changed greatly, the age of humans has passed and the era of orcs has come. Your appearance as a human would be a hindrance to me on my journeys but if it will make you feel better, I will give you access to my library.¡±


    So saying, Erus created a ring, saying, ¡°Tap the crystal on this ring and it will teleport you to my library. Once you have selected what books you wish to borrow, merely tap the crystal again to return. But do not bring harm to my books, it would be troublesome to replace them.¡±


    She held the ring reverently, thanking Erus, ¡°Thank you, uncle... I-I don¡¯t know what I say.¡±


    Erus said, ¡°No thanks are needed young one, I too understand what its like to be curious.¡±


    He then smiled slightly at Silren before he opened a gate and stepped through. The gate disappeared after him, leaving the family standing there.


    End and Ieros soon retired back inside to sleep but Silren waited for a few moments more, looking up at the night sky and vowing, ¡°I¡¯ll follow uncle one day.¡±


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor discarded Erus¡¯s personality, returning to Otium which was, unsurprisingly, filled with orcs. Orcs had made their home in Otium seeing as it wasn¡¯t defended, the previous Surveyor was forced to recall the Custodians as they took up too much of its power. But now that it had returned, it intended to restore Otium to its former glory, the dark crystal topping the pyramid bursting to life, temporarily shooting a beam of white light up into the sky. Meanwhile, the Custodians appeared, quickly bringing order to all of Otium, killing any orcs who dared break its rules.


    Soon, the corpses of countless orcs littered the streets of Otium, once the Custodians killed squabbling orcs, the others attacked the Custodians in revenge. They knew almost no fear and thus charged foolishly at the Custodians who slaughtered them with ease. But even these reckless orcs soon grew afraid of the might of the Custodians, soon retreating en masse to their ships. The orcs foolishly believed that the Custodians couldn¡¯t reach them across the water from which they could bombard them with crude missiles such as stones and spears. And they were right, the Custodians didn¡¯t need to reach them for the defenses of Otium would do just fine.


    Recognizing the orcs¡¯ futile attempts at trying to kill the Custodians as hostile, the defense system of Otium lit up and began to fire beams of energy at the orc ships, incinerating all in its path. And those that managed to avoid the beams of death were then boarded by Custodians which then proceeded to empty the ship of life. Soon, all orc presence was eliminated within the premises of Otium, leaving only the slaves which the orcs brought. They merely wandered listlessly, generations of domestication having broken their minds. Seeing that it was better to give them death, the Surveyor killed them all, doing it quickly as it did not wish to waste time. After all were dead, their bodies were devoured and turned into dark matter, leaving Otium clean and empty.


    With Otium cleansed of its impurities, the Surveyor returned to the ruins of the preman city, seeing the Teryo once more. It took them back to Otium where they would serve as its guardians along with the Custodians, it would not be able to devote all of its attention to Otium as it would be spending time with the orcs. It had many things to learn among them, these creatures that had become the rulers of Occasus. It would have to find create a new body but that was of no consequence, the Surveyor held no emotional attachments to its preman vessel.


    But for now, it did not have to go, the memories of its observers demanded its attention, especially the observer that was attached to Azemar. The Surveyor was curious as to how Azemar faced this entire situation but was disappointed to find that Azemar had been killed along with the Emperor when End fell to Earth. Truly a waste, it would have been very interesting to find out what he would have done, perhaps he might have been able to hold off the orc invasion. It then sifted through the various memories of different observers, most were just about being incinerated by End¡¯s arrival although the General of the North provided some more substance.


    She had listened well to Ieros¡¯s strange words long ago, that a chance would arrive soon. She had secretly prepared an army and was able to survive the orc invasion, unifying Athera under her leadership and making the retreat south. It was due to the efforts of her and her army that the Alliance was able to make their floating cities in time, although her army had suffered many losses. As such, she was regarded as a hero and became the leader of the Alliance, creating and stabilizing a new government which would remain so in the centuries following her death. But nothing can stand against the ravages of time and by the time the Surveyor awoke, the Alliance¡¯s government had already rotted from the inside out, no longer able to protect itself from the orcs who grew increasingly familiar with seafaring over the course of nine centuries.


    It would seem that the Alliance was finished, its only hope would be to reach out to Auster but that was on the other side of Agleon, they would never make it. So the Alliance merely rotted out at sea, being backed into a corner from which they could not escape. In fact, the orcs may not have to personally destroy the Alliance, relations between elves and humans were rapidly deteriorating in recent years, large-scale violence had not yet started but it was only a matter of time.


    Not wanting to miss out anymore, the Surveyor made sure to plant new observers all over their thirteen floating cities, it would be foolish to ignore such a wealth of information. With that done, it set about viewing the remainder of its observers¡¯ memories, transcribing all that had happened into books in its library.

 Chapter 53: An Orcs Life

    After a month had passed and the Surveyor had recorded all the knowledge its observers had collected into its library, it decided to finally walk among the orcs. It had already gained a lot of observation data, all it needed to do now was to live among the orcs. And so it began to search for a suitable vessel among the pregnant orc females. It could create a body by itself but seeing as it was far weaker now, it wished to conserve as much energy as possible. Thus why it was looking to take over the body of a baby orc, the body would be built by the mother for the first few months and if needed, the Surveyor could modify the body to better suit its needs.


    It couldn''t do this with humans as they would notice that something was off about their child in an instant, which was why the previous Surveyor, who also had enough energy to spare, created its own vessel. It was able to openly modify the body due to the lack of parental guidance orcs had, from the day they were pushed out of the womb, orcs were on their own. Of course, their parents provided them basic needs such as protection and a year of breastfeeding but other than that, the baby orcs had to survive on their own. Orc society worshipped the strong and this reflected in the way they treated their children. Those that were strong were cared for by their parents while the weak were shunned until they either died or grew stronger. If the weak died, the parents could care less, they hadn''t expected much in the first place.


    This was of no problem to the Surveyor, one of the necessary changes it was going to make was to ensure that its new subject would be strong enough to survive in orcish society, after all, it couldn¡¯t gather information if its subject was unable to survive. And so it selected one of the babies that most suited its needs, specifically the one that needed the least modifications to its body. Once it chose its subject, it created an artificial soul in which to occupy its chosen subject. It was better to have the real thing than to act, this would provide much more meaningful data. And should it prove necessary, it could temporarily take over the artificial soul to manually control the vessel although the Surveyor hoped that it would not be necessary.


    So it made sure that its artificial soul was one that would best fit its needs and then implanted it in the baby orc¡¯s body, removing the previous soul that inhabited the body. It was necessary and the baby¡¯s soul wouldn¡¯t know what had happened to it. It would instead remain in the energy rivers of Life until it found another suitable host. Once finished, the Surveyor withdrew, leaving its chosen subject in its mother¡¯s womb along with three of its siblings. This was possible due to the innate size of orcs who towered an extra meter above humans, although they still paled before giants who were so big that trees were like bushes to them.


    Unfortunately, they had disappeared far into the North after being the target of countless hunting expeditions and were presumed to have gone extinct. A shame but right now, the Surveyor was learning about orcs, not giants. So it waited for its vessel to be birthed into the world, making sure that the artificial soul had bonded firmly with its body, the Surveyor claiming success when the baby began to cry loudly. Two of its siblings were screaming just as loud but the last one was silent. The mother grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and inspected it for a few moments before unceremoniously tossing it behind her back.


    She then scooped up two of her children to breastfeed and the last one was given to another female who then proceeded to breastfeed it. Life continued this way for one year until the orc children were old enough to walk and fight. It was then that they met their father for the first time other than to occasionally drop off meat for their mother. The Surveyor studied its vessel¡¯s father, a magnificent specimen of the orc species that stood at the height of ten feet with arms the size of tree trunks and a large barreled chest. Countless pale white scars crisscrossed over his dark grey skin, a particularly nasty scar claiming his right eye, going from the top of his forehead to the edge of his mouth, right above his right tusk.


    His remaining red eye stared emotionlessly down at his children, finally motioning for them to follow him. He took them out into the forest and left them there, saying that they needed to survive for a month. After a month he would return to this spot and that it was up to them to hunt for their food. After their father left, the Surveyor nudged the mind of its vessel to take off into the woods to procure the necessary fuel for its body. Its siblings followed his lead and split off to find their own food, there was no such thing as a familial bond to keep them together.


    It was in these woods that the orc child made his first kill. It was a mother bear who had rushed to the protection of her children after the young orc made an attempt to eat them. A fierce battle ensued in which the young orc suffered a severe mauling as well as having a chunk of flesh torn from his left arm. But the mother bear got the worse of their brawl for the young orc had sacrificed his arm to break hers, continuing his attack after she retreated. There was no mercy in the young orc as he broke her other arm, effectively rendering her immobile. He then mounted her and grabbed her head, savagely snapping her neck a few moments later.


    He killed her children as well, skinning them with their mother¡¯s canine. They had been taught how to skin by their mother and the subject emulated her movements roughly, repeating the same thing with the mother bear. Once fully skinned, the young orc ate the young bears raw while making a fire to cook the mother with. With the help of the orc¡¯s ferocious appetite, the young orc was able to finish off the entire family of bears in less than a week, using the skin of the mother bear as clothing. He continued hunting, although he munched down on the plantlife as snacks as orcs could eat just about anything.


    But, of course, meat was the only thing that was truly filling to an orc and the young orc got his meat, teaching all creatures in the forest to fear him. A month passed just like that and the young orc waited once more at the clearing where his father had abandoned him long ago. Proudly bearing the scars of his first fight with the bear, he awaited his father¡¯s return while also keeping a lookout for his siblings. He had never come across them during his stay in the forest and he briefly wondered if they were dead. He waited patiently but no one arrived. Eventually, the young orc just stood and left, intending to hunt for some food. He would return later but his empty belly demanded to be fed.


    He soon caught a deer and after breaking its neck, he returned to the clearing, finding his sister there. She was in the nude as they were supposed to supply everything for themselves, even clothing. It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t done so well, her malnourished state was a result from a solely plant-based diet, it seemed that she hadn¡¯t been able to hunt properly. As a result, she lacked animal pelts to dress herself in. the young orc, on the other hand, had been doing well in his hunts, he had more than enough animal pelts to cover himself with, more as a symbol of status than actual embarrassment of being naked.


    Her eyes followed her brother as he wordlessly sat opposite of her, well, more specifically the dead dear in his hands. She watched hungrily as the young orc skinned the dear, proceeding to eat it raw. She was envious but did nothing, she knew she would receive nothing if she were to ask and she lacked the strength to forcibly take the meat from him. So she just sat there, watching hungrily. Under that intense stare, the young orc lost his appetite and having eaten two of the deer¡¯s legs, he tossed the rest to her. She wordlessly took it and took a voracious bite, eating both meat and bone.


    She finished the entire thing in a matter of minutes, finally saying, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Her brother just shrugged, sitting still as the sun reached its zenith and began to head towards the horizon. Then, when night was about to fall, their father arrived, his hulking figure illuminated by a crude torch. Seeing the two of them, he snorted and gestured for them to follow. They did so, spending the trip back home in silence. When they reached home, their mother fawning over the young orc upon seeing him. She complimented him on his trophies, specifically the bear¡¯s pelt while she gave her daughter the cold shoulder. Her daughter was weak and therefore did not deserve her time. This was shown when dinner was prepared, the brother was given lots of meat on his plate while the sister was given a mere bone.


    The sister just ate silently while glaring enviously at her brother who wolfed down everything put before him, vowing to become stronger than him. The mother saw this and smiled inwardly, this was good. Competition would push rivals on each side to get stronger and stronger which would equal stronger children. Now if that rivalry turned into murder, well that was none of her business. It would just mean that she would have one really strong child, whoever that was didn¡¯t matter to her. Two more years passed and the young soon became a respected orc warrior, killing all who offended him in some way and winning duals with other orc warriors of high rank. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    He became the pride of the Ulgar Clan, the youngest orc in recent memory to gain his metal before his coming-of-age ceremony. He had gained his metal from killing an orc warrior, one that dared to insult him. The young orc could not tolerate this as doing so would make him seem weak so he challenged the warrior, killing him after a rather short duel. It was then that the young orc¡¯s strength was displayed for the first time to the public, up until then was only rumors of his strength from his bear cape. Once he emerged victoriously, he took the orc warrior¡¯s armor as his own, it was his right as the victor.


    Even though he had already proven his strength, he still needed to participate in the coming-of-age ceremony, orcs never broke tradition and he was no exception. Although orcs may have conquered most of Occasus, there was still the Alliance to the South and feuds between orc clans, feuds that were settled through battles. It was in these battles that young orcs would prove themselves by killing enemy orc warriors and taking their metal. Armor, or metal as orcs call it, was a sign of an orc¡¯s strength and the stronger the orc, the higher the quality of the armor. The young orc had killed a warrior of high rank and so his metal reflected his strength, this armor being forged by humans which was obviously of higher quality than typical orcish metal, usually made of jagged plates of metal which were roughly sewn together.


    He was, however, allowed to keep his armor for the upcoming battle, the only armored orc in a group naked orcs, most of which who glared at him enviously. But none dared to challenge him for his armor, they had seen the way he had killed the armor¡¯s previous owner and they weren¡¯t eager to challenge him for it. Meanwhile, the young orc just stood, waiting patiently for the veteran orcs to lead him to battle. He was excited about the upcoming battle for not only would he be officially recognized as a warrior but it would also fulfill the requirements needed to earn his name.


    Orc children before the coming-of-age ceremony were nameless, they hadn¡¯t proven themselves and thus did not deserve names. Only when they accomplished great feats in battle could they earn their names.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªSoon-to-be-named Orc¡ª


    We were marching towards the battlefield where I and the other nameless orcs will earn our names or die trying. I have no doubt that I will pass this test with ease, after all, I had killed a very skilled warrior and took his metal, there are none who can oppose me. I will get my name and make sure that it will be remembered for ages to come! I shall become the strongest orc warrior!


    As the young orc silently proclaimed his dream, unbeknownst to him, all the other orcs near him were thinking the same thing. That they would be the strongest orc of all, that only they deserved to have such a title. It was this single-minded goal that allowed the orc society to even exist, for without ambition, one does not have the desire to become stronger and thus, there would be no merit to becoming strong.


    As we marched, I took a few deep sniffs, strange new smells greeting my nose as we had left the borders of Ulgar territory. I then smelled the scent of unfamiliar orcs, although it was old. This must be enemy territory, we are doing a raid! I¡¯ve only seen the result of raids so far, the warrior orcs returning laden with stolen loot and food. I grew excited, I too would be performing a raid, I would bring back so much loot! Suddenly, a crude spear flew through the air and impaled itself into the face of some orc next to me. I immediately ducked in case there was another one and began to push my way forward.


    I was not afraid, I was angry, angry that someone dared attack me! I pushed my way through the confused orcs, having already picked up the scent of the enemy from the crude spear he had thrown. I was determined to find him and kill him slowly, to kill him quickly would be too much of a mercy. After all, he had to suffer for daring to attack one as great as me. Another spear hurtled through the air but I managed to deflect it with my arm, leaving an unsightly scratch on my armor. I grew even angrier, now he was going to die, that was for sure!


    Once I broke through the disorderly crowd, I charged towards the forest, my eyes locked on the figure of an orc who held a javelin in his hands. He desperately threw it at me but I deflected it again, ramming into him before he could react. He fell over and I continued my attack, stomping viciously on his legs, causing him to scream in pain.


    He then looked up at me with fearful eyes and I growled, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have scratched my armor cunt.¡±


    I then stomped on his head, crushing it beneath my armored boots, greyish mush splashing all over the place. I shook my foot in an effort to get the stuff off, snorting in disgust. I was then rammed in the side, some orc roaring as he did so. In anger, I quickly rolled to one side and got up, narrowly avoiding the orc¡¯s stomp. I grinned and charged, throwing a punch with an armored hand. He raised his naked arms to block it but I easily managed to break through, literally. I shattered his arm but I didn¡¯t stop there, my left arm shot out after my right drew back, pulverizing his shoulder. He backed up against a tree as I continued to rain blows onto his body, flattening what was left of his body against the tree.


    I didn¡¯t gloat this time, there might be some other orcs that would dare to attack me. Sure enough, there were three of them, each with a hungry look in their eyes. They roared and I roared back, charging to meet them. The one in the lead threw a punch but I met his with my own, shattering his arm. As he howled in pain, I got low and tackled the second one, rolling around on the floor before eventually mounting him. I gave his head a few smacks, disorientating him. I prepared to give the final blow but suddenly, there was an explosion at the back of my head, wood splinters flying everywhere.


    I was dizzy and I fell forward, soon to be roughly dragged up. The ugly grin of another orc filled my vision as he held a jagged branch in his hand, intent on stabbing me. Realizing the danger I was in, my eyes opened wide and I instinctively reached out and grabbed something. The orc suddenly dropped the branch and howled in pain. I was confused but when I looked at what I grabbed, it made sense. I had grabbed his dick but instead of letting go in disgust, I just gripped harder, finally crushing the disgusting thing in my hand.


    I winced as his loud screams assaulted my ears, the poor fucker rolling on the ground with his hands on his crotch. I ignored him, taking a few moments to try and get my hand as clean as possible. When I couldn¡¯t clean my hand to my satisfaction, I hissed angrily and stomped on his chest, continuing to do so until there was a foot-sized hole in his chest. I then looked around, seeing that the two orcs were long gone. I snorted in derision and then jogged off in search for more enemies.


    I found warriors of my clan quite easily as by now, they had found the enemy and were busy fighting them. As I took a small break, leaning on a tree, I spotted an enemy who wielded a large shiny mace. I wanted that mace and so I stood up and charged out of the forest, heading straight for the orc with the mace. I knocked aside any who were unlucky enough to be in my way, although my progress soon slowed down as the enemies grew thick around me. Quite soon, I was literally wading through a sea of bodies, unable to tell friend from foe. I just threw punches left and right, breaking jaws, crushing heads and pulverizing chests.


    But I did not go unscathed, blows rained down on me but I returned them all, although I didn¡¯t forget my target, the mace. Suddenly, I felt a body crash into me and I prepared to swing at the fucker but I soon recognized that it was a fellow clansorc and so I briefly nodded to him before I continued to make my way to the mace-wielding bastard. I met more and more of my clan, each of which I greeted with a nod before returning to my primary objective. Finally, I managed to squeeze out of the crowd and into a empty space, I had finally reached the mace orc.


    But I had to immediately duck, discovering why there was an empty space. That was because no one wanted to get in the way of the mace that the orc swung with reckless abandon. But such thoughts soon left my mind as I was forced to roll to the side, the flangs of his mace scraping against the top of my helmet. I growled, this fucker was so dead! I quickly stood up and charged, tackling him. But instead of falling over, he stood rock solid, it was as if I had tried to tackle a mountain. But this didn¡¯t stop me as I reached and grabbed his leg, straining my muscles as I pulled upwards. I succeeded in unbalancing him and I quickly took advantage of this, knocking him down.


    Once he was down, I raised my foot to stomp on his skull but he swiped my legs out from under me, my back hitting the ground as the air left my lungs. I coughed and immediately scrambled backward, not a moment too soon as the flanged mace buried itself into the ground where my crotch had been. I winced for a moment as I imagined what could have happened, my balls feeling as if they were trying to crawl into my body. Determined not to let this happen, I stood up as fast as I could and kicked the arm holding his mace, hearing a satisfying snap of breaking bone. He roared and threw dirt into my eyes, blinding me. As I shouted various profanities, he tackled me and I fell backward, unable to defend myself.


    I managed to open my hurting eyes and with anger, I grabbed his broken arm, twisting it viciously as I punched him with the other. I then rolled, me on top now with him on the bottom. I backhanded him hard and before he could recover, I clasped both my hands together and hammered down, his skull caving in slightly. I didn¡¯t stop pounding away until his face had sunk into his skull. I rested for a moment, breathing hard before turning my attention to my prize, the mace. I stood up and grabbed it, lifting it high into the air and proclaiming my victory with a thunderous roar.

 Chapter 54: An Orcs Life 2

    After his triumphant roar, the enemy became demoralized, the mace-wielding orc was their leader and he had just been slain. With the death of their most powerful warrior, the enemy orcs did not feel that they could win and with such a mindset, they were already defeated. Rallying behind the new wielder of the mace, the Ulgar orcs drove back the enemy but did not follow, their bloodlust turning into greed as they eyed the various prizes that were there for the taking on the battlefield.


    The young orc did not bother himself with such trivialities, he had the mace and that was all he needed. Meanwhile, his father and a few other veteran orcs watched the young orc, having decided that this orc had most definitely earned his name. In fact, they would give it to him now, the orcs weren¡¯t that big on formalities, rather they tried to do everything as quickly as possible for the chance may never come again. Orcs were born and were killed at insanely fast rates, therefore, orcs did not have the luxury to take things slow.


    So the veterans approached the young orc who quickly stood and bowed after seeing them approach, these warriors were the definition of strength and therefore deserved the highest of respect.


    Then, in front of all the orcs, the young orc¡¯s father announced, ¡°You have earned your name my son! From now on, you shall be known as Yargul!¡±


    The young orc, now Yargul, was in awe of his name, whispering it over and over again.


    His whispers got louder and louder until he shouted, ¡°I am Yargul!¡±


    His excitement rubbing off on others, the surrounding orcs began to cheer, this was a momentous occasion and although they were all rivals, the earning of one¡¯s name meant that the newly-named orc was deserving of respect. There was some envy but nothing serious. It was more like, I can¡¯t believe he got his name before me! There was nothing like long lasting hatred over achievements of another orc, that was petty and a sign of weakness. If an orc had a problem with another orc, they demanded a dual to settle it and the matter was considered settled once one orc won, whether it was the orc with the grievance or the orc who was the cause of it.


    After a short rest, the orcs of Ulgar stood and began marching once more, they had yet to complete a raid. After an hour¡¯s march through forest and hills, they arrived at their prize, a Sangwin fortress which was a fine example of human-orc architecture. It¡¯s seven-meter tall walls made with sturdy wood logs made for an excellent defense against the crude weapons and tactics of orcs who only knew how to charge and kill. Standing tall above them, the orcs of Sangwin would be able to rain death upon them although due to the recklessness of orcs, it wouldn¡¯t be long until a ramp of corpses would be tall enough to reach the top.


    But this was an unviable tactic right now, the orc raiding party did not have the numbers to do so, they¡¯d only have enough orcs to make the ramp and none left to actually carry the fighting into the fort. So the orcs began to cut trees, using the large ones as the base for battle rams while smaller ones were woven together to make a rough shield to protect them from most projectiles. They planned to use these in their assault on the gates of the fort and perhaps some of the weaker sections of the wall, those walls may be sturdy but the strength of orcs was not something to be laughed at. They could probably tear down the walls barehanded if left alone, their strength and high tolerance of pain allowed them to push their bodies to its limits and beyond, going so far as to tear their muscles from overexertion.


    But all this self-harm doesn¡¯t matter to an orc, as long as they prove that they were strong, it is fine to die. An orc¡¯s expected lifespan rarely goes beyond a decade or two, in fact, to live to fifteen was considered a great achievement. Orcs live in perpetual warfare and that paired with their reckless nature equals short lifespans. Orcs often go to war covered in serious wounds, all out of the desire to prove that they are strong. It did not matter what physical condition they were in, when war came, they must answer the call. Refusing to do so was cowardice and no orc could tolerate being a coward.


    That was why there was no shortage of volunteers for the duty of ramming, although only those with heavy armor were chosen. They had the highest chance of survival and survival was needed for the battle ram. They would be exposed to all that the enemy had to offer and those who were on ramming duty needed to be tough enough to survive the barrage of deadly objects. In all, twenty-four orcs were chosen, four groups of six that each had a crude wooden ram. It would be a wave tactic, one ram goes in and once it becomes useless, the second ram goes in, then the third and fourth.


    Meanwhile, Yargul was underneath one of the many large shields, preparing to charge once the gate was breached. Yargul watched in anticipation as the first ram charged forward, although its orcs were quickly slain by boulders and spears. The next ramming group fared much the same until the veterans came up with a solution. Two of the shield orcs would accompany the third ram, hiding it underneath their shields. This way the ram would be safe enough to reach the gate. This time it worked, the shield orcs able to withstand the various projectiles hurled at their direction, quickly making a position around the ram so that its orcs were safe from danger.


    After the first initial charge, the following rams weren¡¯t as powerful but they, with the help of several orcs from the shield group, caused the gate to shudder. But this still wasn¡¯t enough, they needed more power. But before they could muster enough momentum, hot oil was poured on them and even with their high pain tolerance, the orcs couldn¡¯t help but howl in pain, rolling on the ground in an effort to lessen the pain. They were quickly dispatched by the defenders and the fourth and final ramming group with their escort charged towards the gate.


    Yargul was part of the two shield groups that escorted the ram, roaring at the top of his lungs along with the other orcs as they charged towards the gates. He and the other shield orcs stopped near the gate but the ramming group just picked up their speed, their blow causing wood to snap and splinter. Oil once more rained down but having learned from their predecessors, the shield and ram teams quickly retreated, waiting for the downpour to stop. Once it was over, the ramming team charged towards the gate, wood splintering all over the place as they did so, wood breaking apart. A few more hits would do the trick but they¡¯d have to play it carefully, if they were caught under the hot oil, then this raid was a bust.


    There had only been a hundred orcs in the beginning but due to the ambush, their numbers were lessened to around eighty. Half had been used for the shield and ramming teams sent out to the gates so they could not spare any more orcs. This was unacceptable so the orcs were far more careful than they usually were, this was their last chance and they knew it. And so the ramming team backed up again, intending to break the gate with this one last strike, putting all their strength into it. Yargul and a few other orcs even joined the ramming team to add more power, they absolutely could not fail.


    And so, the ramming team roared and charged, Yargul pushing for all he was worth. He continued to pour speed and strength into his legs while pushing as hard as he could with his arms, the other orcs doing the same. In fact, they were going so fast that the log they were carrying felt as light as air in their hands as it was traveling at the same speed as them. It then became a struggle of maintaining that speed rather than adding to it, should the orcs be unable to, the ram would fly out of their hands and bury itself into the dirt. Then the ram came to a jarring stop, breaking bones when the ram collided with the gates. Wood exploded as the orcs upfront had their eyes gouged out by the splinters while those in the back were relatively safe behind their bodies. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    But their wounds had not come in vain, the gate had been broken and with roars of triumph, the Ulgar orcs prepared to charge in. But the Sangwin orcs were one step ahead of them and they were the ones who charged through the gate, killing the blinded orcs and most of ramming team before they could prepare themselves. Yargul, however, had enough time to react, dropping the ram and pulling out his mace, smashing it across the head of one ballsy orc.


    He then roared in defiance, ¡°My name is Yargul, he who will become the strongest of all orcs! Come at me if you wish to die!¡±


    There was momentary stillness on the battlefield, the Sangwin orcs trying to understand the foolishness of this young orc. But after hearing the battle cries of the nearing Ulgar orcs, the Sangwins quickly regained their wits and continued to fight, Yargul meeting their charge with one of his own. He swung and punched, ignoring most of the attacks directed his way, only caring that he killed his enemy as fast as possible. The Sangwin orcs who initially thought of him as foolish began to realize that his words weren¡¯t all talk, even normal orcs wouldn¡¯t have managed to last so long but here he was, not just surviving but fighting back as well.


    Yargul managed to survive long enough for his clansorcs to arrive, although by the time they had arrived, he had a spear sticking out of his shoulder and his limbs were covered in cuts and bruises. He took a small breather while they took the brunt of the fighting, pulling out the spear while he still had the adrenaline, although it was beginning to fade and the pain starting to set in. But he ignored his wounds and charged back into the fray, his mace crushing skulls and breaking limbs. He pushed his way through the sea of orc bodies¡ªboth dead and alive¡ªuntil he entered the Sangwin fort where there was slightly more space. But it was still too tight for him to wield his mace with any real strength so he relied on punching, his gauntlets tipped with short spikes acting more as a miniature ram than a fist. Of course, he could only use one arm properly because of his shoulder wound but that didn''t matter, as his left arm was basically useless, he might as well use it as a meat shield.


    He put dents in armor and pulverized chests with his armored fist, not afraid to kick or elbow either. His whole body was a weapon and it would be a shame if he didn¡¯t use it. The Sangwin orcs were pushed back, although they did not give up their ground easily. They laid traps and ambushes for foolish orcs that moved up too quickly although these were more of an annoyance than a real hindrance. But even so, this delayed their progress through the fort considerably, forcing the Ulgar orcs to take their time checking for potential traps.


    But their progress was inexorably and soon, the orcs stood before the keep where most of the families of the fort were held. Their houses had already been raided along the way, Ulgar orcs sporting the jewels and precious items that once belonged to these orc families. The Sangwin orcs meanwhile hunkered down near the gate of the keep, prepared to defend it to their dying breath. The Ulgar orcs meanwhile were at a loss, how were they supposed to get through the gate? But this was soon solved as they sent a team back to retrieve the ram while a few orcs would take their heavy weapons and pound away at it in the meantime.


    Yargul was one of those chosen to hack away at the gate, his mace being one of the heaviest weapons in the current orc arsenal. He went to his duty gladly, swinging his mace with full strength, causing wood to splinter with each strike. Another orc joined him, wielding a large battleax which buried itself deep into the wood of the gate repeatedly, making a jagged slit through which the orc would see within the keep. Yargul treated this as some sort of competition and began to smash away furiously at the gate, soon making a hole for himself.


    Soon the other orc caught on and by the time the ramming team arrived, the gate was pockmarked with holes, it would only need a single strike to break through. The ramming team thanked Yargul and the other orc who took a moment to shake hands, wide grins on their faces. They then stepped aside to allow the ram to break down the gate, the orcs roaring as they charged. The gates were forced open and the two sides clashed once more, blood being spilled, limbs being broken and bodies left lying on the floor.


    The Ulgar orcs swept through the keep, slaughtering all who remained within, even women and children. Orcish women were as fierce as men so they were a danger that could not be ignored and the children were also killed in order to prevent them from adding to the enemy clan¡¯s warriors. Of course, the women weren¡¯t killed immediately, some were subdued and raped by Ulgar orcs, doing it right then and there while other orcs were fighting. In fact, Yargul had just finished killing a Sangwin orc and stumbled on a clansorc pushing a female to the ground, repeatedly humping her while she struggled. This sight was nothing new to Yargul, orcs often had sex at the village as orcs weren¡¯t really embarrassed about having sex in public. He just grunted and ignored them, going to find more orcs to kill.


    He made his way deeper into the keep and found a wooden door. He kicked it down and found an orcish female and three children. The female charged, a knife in her hands and Yargul easily killed her. He then looked at the children and with a sigh, he approached them. The kids did not break down but instead rushed at Yargul, beating him uselessly with their fists. Yargul smacked one across the face, grabbed and tossed one into the wall and kicked the last one to the ground.


    He praised, ¡°You are brave orcs, for your bravery, I¡¯ll reward you with a quick death.¡±


    So saying, heraised his mace and proceeded to kill them, smashing in their heads to ensure a quick death. Once they were all dead, he left the room after taking the female orc¡¯s knife. He then moved on, clearing several more rooms in this manner until he stumbled on a single orcish female who was wounded. Seeing as she was rather attractive, he succumbed to his desires, pulling out his rapidly stiffening member.


    She glared at him from across the room, holding onto a knife in her one good hand. Yargul easily disarmed her by breaking her good arm and mounted her, ignoring the various profanities she hurled his way. He pinned her down with his good arm while he reached down to her crotch with his left, rubbing it while she squirmed underneath him. Once he felt that she was ready, he positioned his member to penetrate her. He then thrust himself deep into her, causing her to squeal in pain, although she soon returned to cursing him out.


    As he continued to fuck her, her curses were often interrupted by grunts as she tries to resist the pleasure of the rape. Eventually, she just stopped struggling and cursing, just glaring at the ceiling while ignoring Yargul¡¯s very presence. Glad that she had stopped cursing, Yargul then changed positions, flipping her onto her stomach and fucked her doggy style. She snorted as he did so but didn¡¯t resist, she was too wounded to do free herself from him. Eventually, he came inside her and she sighed with relief, it was finally over. Yargul breathed out and withdrew, replacing the armor and clothing that he had removed. Meanwhile, the female just lay there, cum dripping out of her pussy.


    He then looked at her and asked, ¡°Well, do you wish to live or die?¡±


    She just said, ¡°Kill me.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°As you wish.¡±


    He then raised his mace and killed her, crushing her skull to make for a quick death. He then left her corpse in the room after cleaning out the room of valuables, what type of orc would he be if he ignored loot right in front of him? When he had gathered enough loot to satisfy him, he went to the keep gates where the other orcs were gathering. After waiting for everyone to return and making sure that they left nothing of value behind, the orcs of Ulgar packed up and marched home, leaving behind a fort devoid of life.

 Chapter 55: An Orcs Life 3

    The orcs returned laden with loot from the raid, sharing stuff like food with the rest of the clan while they kept armor and jewelry to themselves. Male warriors used said jewelry to try and impress the females of their clan, although they left the warrior females alone. Their fierce reputation of literal ball-busting had convinced many sensible males to keep away. Of course, there were some males that were strong enough to mate with these females but there were very few who were brave enough to try to court a female.


    Meanwhile, as all this happened, Yargul returned home with his father, displaying his new mace and the various prizes that he had gained as well as speaking of his experiences. His mother congratulated him profusely over the earning of his name while his nameless sister glared at him from across the room.


    Noticing the stare, the mother snorted, ¡°Psh, go earn a name you useless dolt! Look at your brother here, he already killed the enemy chieftain, gained a fine name, and a weapon! You are related to him, surely you can do something!¡±


    The sister glared with hate at her mother before storming out of the house, the mother saying, ¡°Good riddance!¡±


    After having him tell her every detail of his battle with the Sangwin orcs, a horn sounded and the mother hurriedly rushed her son outside. There was going to be a feast celebrating a successful raid and Yargul would definitely be honored there, he was the first one to earn his name and he had killed the enemy chieftain. And indeed he was, the chieftain of the Ulgar orcs had listened carefully to the words of the veteran orcs, his eyes lighting up when he heard the exploits of Yargul. He was nearing the age of thirty, a great feat but he knew that he also could die at any moment. Therefore he wished to choose his successor quickly and he thought that Yargul was the one.


    But, as was the orcish way, he couldn¡¯t just appoint Yargul. No, Yargul must first want the position and then fight for it. So the chieftain could only hope and try to persuade Yargul, although the Surveyor did not want leadership for Yargul. He would have already learned about the intricacies of life in an orcish clan, it was more important to explore more of the world as it was now, things don''t last forever and the Surveyor had a hunch that soon, the precarious balance that the world had reached was soon going to end. In fact, it was doing so now, its observers being sent all over to record everything at once.


    It did check on these observers but only those that were watching areas of import, such as the capital of Auster, the floating cities of the Alliance, the home of the White Dragon and the capital of the orcish empire, Algren. It was in these four locations that decisions will be made that will change the course of history, decisions that will either keep or break the peace.


    As it busied itself with such tasks, Yargul was eating to his heart¡¯s content at the feast, eatingthe best meat the clan had to offer. Alongside him were three other orcs that had earned their names that day: Brugo, Urim, and Ghorza. Brugo had earned his name through the number of orcs he killed, Urim earned his by his skill in the sword and Ghorza earned hers by slaying three enemy commanders. Each was powerful in their own right, their exploits able to hold ground against Yargul¡¯s.


    But even so, none of them had killed the enemy chieftain in one-on-one combat. Yargul was clearly the strongest of the new generation and as such, he now commanded a great deal of respect and authority. This was apparent in the days after the feast, with lesser orcs getting out of his way and bowing. This was the same treatment most warrior orcs got except that he now got the same treatment from them. Of course, there were also challenges from various orcs who believed that they were strong enough to defeat him and he vigorously defended his position every day, continuing to fight even if his wounds were severe.


    It had gotten to the point that he was unable to use either of his arms as they were broken as well as covered in cuts and bruises. When this had happened, challengers stopped coming, to defeat him as he was now would hardly be a feat worth mentioning. But once he had healed enough to use his arms, challengers once more lined up at his door and he accepted each and every one. Five challenges a day and that continued for three months, only possible due to the modifications the Surveyor had made to his body. He had great strength, near limitless stamina and superb reflexes with a mind that was gaining more and more combat experience as time passed.


    His instincts, which were already quite formidable, were honed to such an extent that his body could be treated as a separate living thing, reacting far faster than his mind could whenever his eyes saw an attack. It would dodge, block or meet the attack with one of its own, after all, offense was the best defense. And like his body, his mind learned as well, able to command his body almost as fast as his instincts. This allowed for more creative offensive and defensive capabilities other than just striking away at the opponent and dodging his attacks.


    His mind was soon able to discern some of his enemies weaknesses and attack them appropriately, instead of just blindly swinging until his enemy is defeated. He became a cunning fighter, using his newfound intelligence to quickly gain victory over his more reckless and simple enemies. This was once again due to the modifications that the Surveyor had made to Yargul¡¯s body, it would be extremely difficult to gain any proper information from a mind that was hardly more mature than that of a child¡¯s. So Yargul needed enough intelligence to make sensible decisions. After all, rushing in recklessly was a great way to end one¡¯s life quickly.


    With his relatively superior intelligence, Yargul was able to analyze his opponents and defeat them, gaining experience and training his body. Two years passed in this fashion, orcs of other clans coming to challenge him now, word had spread of an orc who had been given the title of Invincible. This was an irresistible bait to many orcs, for if they managed to defeat the one called Invincible, this would prove their strength. They did not fear Yargul, rather they saw him as an easy way to elevate their position. But Yargul kept his title against these orcs, although there were many that nearly defeated him.


    But all these orcs who sensed that victory was near no longer paid any attention to the fight, believing that it was over. At that moment, Yargul would seize victory, his mind fully focused on the battle. This was a fatal flaw of many orcs and it was one that Yargul took full advantage of, using his relatively above-average intelligence and superb body to defeat his enemies. He wasn¡¯t the only smart orc however, in orc cities, other bright individuals also climbed to power. In a city environment, intelligence had a chance to grow in the minds of orcs, although as orcish society was still simple even in cities. But it was enough to create relatively smart orcs, of course, their intelligence was only the same as that of a regular human.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    But among orcs, they were geniuses, geniuses who pulled victory after victory against all opponents. Their names began to spread, even to the orc clans that had refused to join the cities. But the same was not true for Yargul, his name was only circulated throughout the clans as clansorcs rarely traveled to the city. And even if they went there, it was mostly to obtain metal weaponry and to trade excess harvest from their fields. Orcs had changed greatly and while the clans were a group of orcs that had changed the least, even they had to adapt to the new times. No longer could they raid and pillage human villages and cities for supplies, they had to supply their own.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t know a thing about farming so that fell on their human slaves, with orc slave masters running the farms. It was a rather efficient system due to the huge numbers of humans who would work until death and were completely obedient. It was mostly due to their numbers that the orcs could maintain gigantic fields often measuring in a few miles squared, usually separated into squares several hundred feet in length with a crew of humans that would work that particular square. On that little square was a living space for the humans and orc slave masters who were responsible for them.


    Of course, farming wasn¡¯t the only source of food, some orc clans raised livestock, creatures like cows, hogs, and horses. Yes, even horses were used as meat as orcs were simply too heavy to ride them. So to orcs, horses were only useful as a food source which was what the horses became. The Ulgar Clan was one such clan, it raised large bison native to the North were orcs had previously lived. These large creatures were often hunted by the nomadic orc clans although these fierce creatures did not go down without a fight. Many orcs lost their lives in front of their hooves and horns.


    But ever since orcs had adopted the humans¡¯ way of farming, they began to domesticate these creatures, the Ulgar Clan being one of the first to do so. As such, they perfected the art of rearing these bison and raised the finest bison out of all the bison clans. Thus their bison meat was a much-wanted commodity in orcish cities, cities willing to trade armor and weapons for it. As a result, the Ulgar Clan was considered quite rich when compared to other clans as they possessed higher quality arms. This was because good armor and weapons were scarce among the orcs who didn¡¯t know how to care for it properly and would rather acquire a new one when their armor or weapon broke.


    Thus any smith, be it orc or human, was very valuable. A clan who possessed a slave who was a smith was very lucky indeed as they possessed a source of new equipment, something that clans were in dire need of. City orcs quickly latched onto this, having humans train orcs how to smith so they could barter arms for food, for cities were not self-sufficient. They needed to import food from outside. And as city smiths possessed more high-quality materials than clan smiths, their products were more valuable. But this was a fairly recent change, orcs had a rough knowledge of armor building and believed that as humans were weak, so was their way of building armor.


    So the majority of armor and weaponry available to orcs were plates of jagged iron that wasn¡¯t even tempered and shoddy maces and axes that were more for crushing. And as skilled human smiths were a rarity, well-made armor like Yargul¡¯s was scarce. Well made weapons weren¡¯t as rare but as orcs didn¡¯t know how to care for them, not many survive two or more battles.


    And as the Ulgar Clan possessed a small excess of armor and weapons due to their profitable trades with cities, all of their warriors could be properly armed, something that not a lot of clans could afford to do. As both armor and weapons broke at insanely high rates, higher than the rate at which armor and weapons were produced, there wasn¡¯t enough to go around for every orc warrior. This made the Ulgar Clan a powerful force to be reckoned with and as such, they were sure to be called upon whenever the Orc King went to war.


    But ever since all of Occasus had been conquered by the orcs, there was no longer a need for a united orc army. But the Surveyor foresaw that there would soon be a great conflict where the banners of many orc clans will unite under the Orc King once more. Their target would be first Otium and then Ortus, the Alliance was of no threat and if the orcs really wished, they could destroy it. But they did not do so, it was a source of fresh slaves and was valuable as is.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor¡¯s observers were beginning to observe rather interesting data, the movements of the White Dragon. She remembered her ancient home back on Occasus and suddenly wished to return. But she could not just abandon her children, she would never do so again. So she called a meeting with the Emperor of Auster, demanding that he help. He would lend her the great sky turtles to make the journey to Occasus and in return, she would not destroy his empire. The Emperor did not immediately answer, instead speaking with the Council on what to do. Eventually, the decision was reached to acquiesce with the White Dragon¡¯s demands. After all, her threat was not idle, she could definitely lay waste to all of Auster and although their sky turtles were precious, more could always be born.


    Two great forces were on the move, the Saurians under the White Dragon and the orcs under their Orc King. And soon to be the center of their great conflict was Otium, a relic of an ancient past. This location was desired by the orcs as it would be a perfect place to prepare their invasion of Ortus, although, something strange had happened to the orcs stationed there. The Orc King had merely assumed that this was an attack by Auster and took it as an act of war. But he did not declare war immediately, he was not reckless like other orcs, no, instead he decided to study the situation a bit longer and secretly prepare his elite army.


    The Orc King was willing to delay the war because if his elite army came to fruition, he would lead the first orc army ever to be able to utilize magic. With such a force, he would be able to conquer all in his way. But the army was too immature, it needed time to grow in strength before he dared use it in battle. The Orc King was wise, far wiser than any orc so far, his intellect only being matched by Azemar who unfortunately perished without being able to do a thing.


    But the Orc King had not accounted for the arrival of the White Dragon and the Saurians, meaning that a battle would first ensue between them before he could go on to invade Auster. He would most likely be defeated and be forced to retreat to Occasus where he would continue to fight against the Saurians, the White Dragon not hesitating in destroying his race. But this would not be fully in the White Dragon¡¯s favor, the Orc King had come to possess a Divine Item, the Sword of Korbus. It was a blade that hungered for blood and grew stronger every time it tasted it. It was with this tool that he managed to subjugate all the orcish clans under his banner and it would be this same tool that would give him a chance to defeat the White Dragon.


    The Surveyor truly did not know how this battle would turn out, the White Dragon was powerful enough to raze countries to the ground but the Orc King was blessed by Korbus, a blessing of a god would nearly put the Orc King on equal terms with the White Dragon. No matter how it went, the Surveyor would be sure to observe and record all of it, this would be a battle that would change the course of history, how could it not do so?

 Chapter 56: To Become Strong

    There were none that didn¡¯t know the name of Yargul in the clans, he had bested all of their clan¡¯s most powerful warriors in single combat, a feat that was unheard of. The orcs of the clans were not weak by any means, they were orcs who had tempered their strength in the forges of the wild, pitting themselves against powerful beasts and triumphing over them. Yet, all of these orcs who possessed the strength to slay magic beasts were all laid low by Yargul. But Yargul was not yet satisfied, he had heard tales of strong orcs in the cities, supposedly far stronger than the clan orcs and he knew that he had to get stronger to face them.


    After he exhausted the supply of worthy opponents among orcs he delved into the wilds to hone his strength, arming himself with only the weapons Nature had given him, his body and nothing else.


    ¡ªYargul¡ª


    I bid my goodbyes to my clan before heading out alone into the Northern Wastes. Orcs of old had long since ventured out here although the dangers it presented had claimed many of them. Entire clans had disappeared in the cold and barren wastelands which were home to a myriad of dangerous creatures, all of which who could wield magic. These creatures were also far more intelligent than their non-magical kin, their cunning having drawn many orcs into ambushes in which they lost their lives. Not only that but the magic beasts learn from battle as well, adapting to their enemies¡¯ fighting style.


    Thus I had to defeat them as quickly as possible to prevent them from adapting to my fighting style. They were powerful opponents, especially the denizens of the Northern Wastes, they were of a higher class than magic beasts which were near the orc clans. Orcs often slew these magic beasts in order to make a name for themselves so the population of these magic beasts have dwindled, leaving only those that were too weak to bring any fame to an orc. But there was also another reason why magic beasts were highly sought after, once eaten an orc would gain a few of their magical properties and become stronger as a result.


    This was partly why I went out in search of magic beasts, not only would I test my strength against theirs, I would gain power from consuming their flesh. This was a win-win situation, I got to fight a strong opponent and get stronger just from eating, two of my favorite things! So I immediately began to search for a magic beast to fight, venturing deep into the forest which grew darker and darker as I walked. Looking at the inky blackness around me, I was reminded of tales the clan elders often told, of strange and powerful things which lurked in the shadows. These things could not be harmed by weapons and easily slew thousands of orcs although no external wounds could be seen.


    Then I chuckled at myself, really, believing such superstitious, I am Yargul! I do not fear things that don¡¯t fight back! Having cleared my mind of these baseless fears, I moved on, chewing on tree branches to ease my hunger if only slightly. Eventually, I had to stop to sleep, for even in the darkness of the forest I could tell that night had come. So I found a place to sleep and promptly did so, unafraid of some beast killing me. I hadn¡¯t reached the Northern Wastes yet and all beasts here had learned by now to fear me. So I closed my eyes and let sleep take me.


    When I woke, I began moving again, this time on the search for food as well as traveling to the Wastes. Branches were fine and all but only meat could truly fill my belly. Unable to use my eyes for hunting, I used my nose, smelling countless scents but none of them of animals that were good eatin¡¯. Finally, my nose caught the scent of a Boulder Bear, given its name for its charge attack which was similar to a boulder rolling down a mountain. It was almost impossible to survive its charge attack but that¡¯s only if it hit. A beast of this strength wasn¡¯t that threatening and I could kill it easily.


    So I immediately began tracking it, using a fragmented bear paw print and a day-old scent to do so. I made quick progress, my belly demanded to be fed and I had no intention of denying it. The scent soon grew strong, it was fresh and I began to search with my eyes in my murky surroundings, eventually spotting a bear-shaped shadow. I roared and doubled my speed, I needed to get meat into my belly as soon as possible! I rammed into the bear, the bear roaring in confusion which soon stopped as I swiftly broke its neck. Then using its own teeth, I slit its neck in order to bleed the bear while I went off in search of wood to make a fire.


    I climbed some trees and broke off good-sized branches, carrying them over to the bear¡¯s carcass, chewing on some of them as I did so. I was tempted to eat meat raw but I would get much more out of the meal if it were cooked. Therefore I was willing to wait to make a decent fire. I also looked for tinder, finally opting to use dead moss that had accumulated near the base of tree trunks, tearing them off in clumps. In addition to that, I added what dry leaves I could find but fungi and damp surroundings had ruined many leaves. Once prepared, I used my firestones to strike sparks onto the tinder, ready to add small twigs and branches once it was lit.


    Once a spark took hold of the tinder, I began to blow softly, the tinder beginning to glow a small orange with each breath. Soon, a small flame burst into being and with that down, I added more tinder before placing small twigs and branches on the flame, watching with satisfaction as it grew. I added more and more wood until it was a nice small fire while setting some fresh branches near it to dry out the wood, it still had water in it after I tore it from a tree. A hissing filled the air as the water evaporated and satisfied, I turned towards the bear. Using its teeth, I skinned the bear, careful to use its skin as a barrier between the ground and the meat, just because I could eat anything didn¡¯t mean I liked doing it. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    With that done, I tore off a leg and held it over the fire, my hunger conquering the boredom of the task. I would impatiently take bites out of the meat to see if it was done from time to time but other than that, I waited, my eyes watching the meat slowly cook from the heat. Finally, when I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer, I hungrily devoured the meat. I also broke the bones and sucked out the marrow, I especially loved the marrow. With my hunger somewhat alleviated, I went off in search for suitable sticks to use as spits, finding a few y-shaped branches which I broke off and trimmed down for my usage.


    I then spit the rest of the bear¡¯s limbs while hanging the ribs over the fire on a rough stand I made out of branches. As the ribs and other legs cooked, I began to eat another leg, taking my time eating it. It was still a bit raw so I wanted the other meat to be fully cooked. I especially was methodical when sucking out the bone marrow, making sure to get as much of it as I could into my stomach before I turned my attention to the remaining pieces of meat. Seeing that most of them were done, I did not hold back any longer and began to eat, this time eating the bones themselves, crunching them in between my teeth. Soon, most of the bear had disappeared into my stomach with the exception of its head.


    It possessed the brain of the bear and that I would be using to tan the hide of the bear. I would need clothing in the Northern Wastes and in my confidence, I was sure in my ability to procure some along the way. This would take me a few days before I actually would make my way into the Northern Wastes but that was of no matter, I had the time to do so. That¡¯s why I had rejected the mantle of clan leader, I would just be too busy and wouldn¡¯t have the time to devote myself to being the strongest orc I could be.


    Anyways, I began to tan the bear¡¯s hide, mashing the brains of the bear before I began to apply it to the hide. Having done so, I reversed the hide so that the area which I had applied the brains to would be facing outside. I then slung it on my back and broke out into a jog, heading towards a mountain off in the distance. It was Jagged-Tooth Mountain, given its name because of a powerful creature that resided there, one that possessed teeth, one of them being jagged after breaking against a powerful weapon. It was against this creature that I was determined to hone my strength against, challenging it day after day until I either defeat it or die trying.


    This time, however, as I had a full stomach, I continued to jog for three days straight. I could have gone more but I was getting hungry and I stumbled upon a wolf pack. I had to hunt them for I didn¡¯t know when I would encounter food again. This time, I ate them raw, there was enough meat here to satisfy my belly and a little bit extra which I could eat while on the move. The wolves made the first move, surrounding me but I wasn¡¯t afraid, their teeth would leave nothing more than scratches, they weren¡¯t threatening at all. It wasn¡¯t long after I had killed all of them, killing two in the first few moments of our fight. The remaining three were more cautious but that didn¡¯t prevent me from killing two more when they attacked in unison, crushing one¡¯s skull and breaking another¡¯s spine.


    The last one turned to flee but I was able to kill it quickly, a wolf may be agile but it wasn¡¯t as fast as me in a sprint. After killing him, I didn¡¯t bother with properly skinning them, I just tore off the skin while keeping the meat intact and began to eat, consuming both flesh and bone alike. Once three wolves were inside my stomach, I grabbed the other two and continued to jog, this time continuing for seven days straight, stopping briefly to skin and eat a wolf before I returned to jogging. But I eventually had to stop, my body still needed sleep so I once more found a tree to lean against.


    I woke in the morning and continued to jog, the once distant mountain now twice as large as I had first seen it. I was close, just ten more days and I would be at the foot of the mountain. I grew excited and to burn off the excess energy, I broke out into a sprint, unable to wait the ten days that it would take for me to get there.


    Nine days passed and I stood at the base of the mountain, donned in my bear hide. I had long since entered a region devoid of plant life, only grey rocks and white snow to be seen. Everything here seemed hostile as if the very land itself didn¡¯t want living things walking on it. Having reached this conclusion, I burst out into laughter, this land may not want living things on it but it was gonna learn that I don¡¯t ask for permission, I go wherever I want whenever I want. With a confident grin, I marched up the mountain, beginning my search for the master of Jagged-Tooth Mountain.


    It was a fruitless month search for the beast, there was nothing but snow and snow and fucking more snow! I couldn¡¯t track it because a particularly nasty snowstorm had hit, making it so that the beast¡¯s tracks were covered by snow and wiping away any scent that it might have left. And on top of it all, I had to descend from the mountain often to hunt for food, for hiking through waste-deep snow ate up valuable energy, requiring me to eat more often. And the beast wouldn¡¯t answer to my challenges either, only the howling wind greeting my roars, demanding that the beast come fight me.


    Ten more days passed in this manner until I stumbled upon a cave. By this time, I was starving and without energy, I was unable to keep up my body heat, my skin covered in frostbite. I immediately entered the cave, heading deep inside before falling asleep, my body barely maintaining its heat in the shelter of the cave. I soon awoke much to my surprise, I thought I was surely dead. I sat up and looked around, seeing an empty cave that had no signs of life. I smiled, I could use this as my home for now, that is until I find the creature. But I was beginning to have my doubts about its existence, after all, it surely would have answered my challenges by now.


    Just as I thought this, I heard a thunderous roar coming from outside, it was distant but it was still deafening to the ear. My heart began to beat uncontrollably and my blood began to boil, surely, this was the creature!


    I immediately rushed outside, roaring in answer, ¡°Now that I know you exist, I will never leave until I find and kill you!¡±

 Chapter 57: The Master of Otium has Returned

    Nothing but the howling wind answered Yargul¡¯s roar, much to Yargul¡¯s rage. He thought for sure that the beast would come to hunt him now that he had answered its challenge but it didn¡¯t! Why? Why did it insist on hiding in this barren mountain!? It should have leapt at the chance to tear apart the impudent orc that dared trespass on its territory but it did not. Having nothing else to do, Yargul retreated back into the cave and meditated on this, trying to understand the reasoning behind the beast¡¯s unwillingness to come out. He went into semi-hibernation, sleeping most of the time to reduce energy consumption in an effort to stave off starvation.


    He wouldn¡¯t last forever but in this way, he would continue to live for the next twenty days. Luckily, the snowstorm ended in eleven and upon realizing that there was no longer a snowstorm, Yargul immediately roused himself and descended the mountain to hunt. After eleven days of being trapped inside the cave with nothing to do and nothing to eat, the only thing on his mind was food. He began to eat leaves and branches when he reached the forest, these wouldn¡¯t fill his stomach but they would be able to provide a meager amount of energy that he could use to hunt. After stripping three trees of their leaves and branches, he began to prowl the woods, searching for prey.


    He made no attempt to hide his presence, daring predators to come out and hunt him. It wasn¡¯t long before one did so, a Frostwolf King. It was a wolf that possessed a physique similar in size to that of a bear, with spines of ice running along the ridge of its back and capable of using ice magic. It possessed a nearly impregnable defense for in a pinch, it could solidify its fur with its ice magic, creating near invincible scales of ice that covered every inch of it. Its attack was something to be feared as well, capable of breathing an ice attack that froze anything caught in it as well as jaws that could mangle a three-inch thick iron plate as if it was cloth.


    But Yargul charged in fearlessly, his hunger overriding his common sense, his hunger telling him to eat the creature before him instead of running away. The Frostwolf glared at him before opening its great jaws and unleashing a storm of ice. Yargul managed to dodge, although his left side was now covered in frostbite. He ignored his wounds and continued forward, the Frostwolf activating its ice defense, shining scales of ice appearing all over it. It then growled and opened its jaws, meaning to devour the reckless orc that charged at it.


    It bit down but to its surprise, the jaws that it was so proud of were suddenly stopped as if it had bitten some of its own ice scales. It strove to bite down but although its jaws could snap quick as lightning and strong enough to tear through iron, in a battle of strength, its jaws were simply lacking. Most of that power came from the speed at which it closed its jaws coupled with its sharp fangs. Of course, the strength of its jaws would overpower even the strongest of humans but Yargul was no human. He grabbed the teeth of the Frostwolf and held them open, not minding the wounds that his hand incurred.


    But the wolf did not give up just yet, it suddenly yanked its head upward, throwing Yargul into the air. Satisfied, the Frostwolf, opened its maw underneath Yargul, preparing to swallow him whole. But when it tried to bite down, once more it found that it couldn¡¯t do so, Yargul had managed to wedge himself just inside the mouth with his feet planted firmly on the wolf¡¯s tongue and his hands placed on the roof of the wolf¡¯s mouth. He began to ¡°stand¡± in a sense, his muscles bulging out as he pushed them to their limits. Then, with a sudden crack, the wolf¡¯s lower jaw suddenly gave way and Yargul tumbled out of the wolf¡¯s mouth.


    The Frostwolf stumbled away, uttering a terrible cry as it was no longer able to howl properly without a functioning mouth. The wolf barely understood what was going on, all that it knew was that it tried to bite but couldn¡¯t and then suddenly, its mouth was filled with pain. In its moment of distress, it didn¡¯t notice Yargul charging once more, body-slamming its leg, causing the joint to bend in a way it wasn¡¯t supposed to. The wolf howled even more and in irritation, Yargul looked around and seized a young tree. He tore it away, leaving a jagged stump and holding out the jagged end, he stabbed the beast in the eye.


    He buried more than three feet of the young tree into the wolf¡¯s eye, killing it instantly. The body fell down, twitching for a few moments before finally laying still. Yargul wasted no time and he tore out a tooth from the beast, using it to make a small hole in the beast¡¯s hide. As blood welled in the wound, Yargul hurriedly began to suck on it, the hot blood soothing his parched throat. Once the blood had run out, he made a larger hole and bit into the cooling meat, tearing off a good chunk and devouring it hungrily. If one were to look at him now, they would be unable to discern him from a wild animal, not that orcs were too different from beasts anyways.


    He continued his frenzied feeding until half of the meat was gone. By then, his hunger had been sated and some semblance of sanity returned to him. He made his way over to a fresh patch of snow and proceeded to clean himself as best he could, getting most of the blood off of his face and arms. He then grabbed the corpse of the Frostwolf and dragged back up the mountain, dropping it off in the cave. He returned to the forest to scavenge for wood, he intended to cook the rest of the meat so that it would last longer and provide more energy. He even tore down trees to feed the fire, although this would come a bit later when the fire was strong enough to devour them.


    After a few hours of foraging, he finally returned to the cave to make a fire, taking one final look at his surroundings before entering the cave. Inside, he made a small pile out of twigs and leaves as well as some birchbark that he had found, birchbark made excellent tinder. Once he did so, he began to strike the firestones, directing the sparks into the tinder. Eventually, a spark began to burn and Yargul quickly began to blow on it, nourishing it with oxygen. Soon, a small flame came into being and he quickly began to feed it twigs, going off to gather small branches off of the trees that he had brought, feeding them as well to the fire.


    Once the fire was big enough, he fed it some small logs and dragged some of the trees over, planning to use the heat to dry them out faster. Now that the fire was established, Yargul sighed and leaned against the cave wall, he had suffered some wounds against the Frostwolf. The most notable wounds were on his hands which had large holes gouged in them by the beast¡¯s teeth. With the cold and adrenaline, Yargul hadn¡¯t noticed but now, with the warmth of the fire, the pain began to kick in. He grunted with discomfort, it was a shame that his hands were wounded, they were one of his most important tools. But, seeing as the master of Jagged-Tooth Mountain had yet to make an appearance, Yargul guessed that he would have more than enough time to heal from his wounds.


    So he decided to hunker down for the moment, simply enjoying the warmth of the fire. Unbeknownst to him, something was watching him, the Master of the Mountain. It was curious about this impudent orc, he was far more patient than his fellow orcs, most would have wandered off with disinterest and the Master had assumed the same of this one. But against its expectations, the orc actually seemed to be intent on living here until he fought it. The Master of the Mountain then slipped away from the mouth of the cave, its large dark hands sweeping the snow to cover its tracks. Some distance away, it began to walk normally, its long white fur blending in with its white surroundings.


    An hour later, Yargul awoke from his nap and seeing that the fire had died down to hot embers, he decided that it was time to cook the meat and bone marrow. In fact, he had saved the bones of the meat that he had already eaten, not because they were tasty but because he could gain the abilities of the Frostwolf King from them. Magic was in the very fiber of these beasts but eating the meat did not give on the abilities of said beast, no, it lay in the beast¡¯s blood. But blood still had to gain the magical properties and that¡¯s where the marrow comes in, it produces said magic blood.


    Of course, blood itself was not without its uses but marrow was far more valuable as one was able to obtain the magical abilities of said beast. But through the process of consuming and digesting the marrow, only a fraction of the magic actually reaches the marrow of the person ingesting it, thus meaning that said person is unable to exert the magic beast¡¯s full capabilities. But magic is still magic and magic is a potent thing. With this magic, Yargul would obtain an edge over the Master of the Mountain, one that may very well be his only way to victory.


    Of course, to consume magical bone marrow was not an easy feat, magic was by nature a free thing and being freed from a magic beast, it would most certainly try to break free. Thus a strong stomach is needed in order to consume the marrow, stomachs that only magical beasts and orcs possess. If a human were to try and consume the magical bone marrow, they would combust as energy would run rampant through the body until it burst into flame. But this didn¡¯t only happen to humans, many orcs had burned to death for being too reckless. But who could resist? To a race that couldn¡¯t use magic like humans or elves, the ability to use magic was immeasurably valuable.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Only now, under the wisdom of the Orc King were orcs now able to harness the mysteries of magic, although many orcs still needed to consume magical marrow in order to use magic. There were a few orcs over the generations that could use magic naturally but most lived their lives without ever finding out that they could do so. The Orc King was able to spot these special individuals and although there were only seven of them at the moment, there were sure to be more in the future.


    The Orc King himself was one of these individuals, possessing a powerful magic that was similar to the human¡¯s Ruling Magic, a magic to rule over magic. Once it was invoked, all types of lesser magic were rendered ineffective, making the Orc King a force of absolute authority among magic wielders. On top of that, he possessed one of the finest bodies an orc could have, trained from his childhood and honed through countless duels and battles. He stood at the pinnacle of what orcs could be, the top of the pyramid, a pyramid made of the bodies of those that he defeated. It was this position that Yargul aimed to achieve, not the position of King but the position of the Strongest Orc. To defeat the Orc King was his goal and the goal of many other orcs who also wished to become strong.


    But such a goal was out of his reach for now so Yargul put his mind off of it, instead focusing on eating the bone marrow, planning to slowly digest it over the course of a week. And it was wise that he started out small for soon, his howls of pain echoed around the mountain, his stomach burning and yet cold at the same time. The energies contained within the magical marrow tried to break free, refusing to be conquered and it was several arduous hours before Yargul¡¯s screams finally stopped, his body having finally defeated the magical energy.


    But he had only consumed the marrow of a single femur, he still had a lot more bones to go. His plan of digesting over a week was too optimistic, he actually spent a total of three weeks conquering the magic energy, left drained and quite weak after his ordeal. The fire had long gone out and the meat of the Frostwolf had been eaten a long time ago, he mostly spent his time sleeping or lying still, his face twisted with pain. But all this pain was worth it, when Yargul had recovered somewhat, he began to practice his newfound abilities, namely the famous Ice Scales of the Frostwolf. He tried to cover his entire body but the ice scales only formed around his fists and arms, it wouldn¡¯t appear anywhere else on his body.


    But this was to be expected, even if he had conquered the magic, his body had only absorbed a fraction of it, therefore he wouldn¡¯t be able to exert the full abilities of the Frostwolf King. But this much was fine, his arms and fists were the most important weapons he possessed and now that they were practically invincible with the ice scales, he already possessed a huge advantage over other orcs. Yargul then spent another month on Jagged-Tooth Mountain, testing out the limits of his newfound ability before finally leaving. He may not have fought the Master of the Mountain but he had grown in strength so this wasn¡¯t too much of a loss.


    But before he left, he made a vow, shouting, ¡°Master of the Mountain! I will return to fight you and this time, I will only leave once I kill you!¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    End¡¯s daughter, Silren, perused the seemingly endless Library of the Surveyor. It was a physical place now, the Surveyor had transported his Library into Otium itself, Otium was his home and he might as well make use of it. He also planned to interact with mortals in person and he decided that it would be best to do it as the Librarian. Anyways, Silren finally found a book that she wanted to read and took it from the shelf, the book seeming as if it been made just yesterday. All the books were like that, created with materials that were impervious to decay.


    But Silren was already used to such things, she had been visiting his Library nearly every day now for the past seven and a half years and even after coming here so often, she had yet to read every single book in the Library. She was confused at first but then came to terms with the fact that Erus and the Library were things beyond her understanding. So she merely took the book and snapped her fingers, a comfortable chair appearing. She took a seat and began to read.


    As she read, the Surveyor began to prepare for the eventual conflict to come, deciding to send four Custodians, each to the four powers that ruled Agleon: the Alliance, Auster, the White Dragon, and the Orc King. Its Custodians will relay a simple message, that the Master of Otium has returned.


    In the hall of the Orc King, a Custodian appeared from a black gate, the orcs which were in the middle of an intense orgy completely ignorant of his presence. The Custodian was at a loss for a few moments as the sound of pleasurable moans and slapping flesh assaulted its ears. In irritation, it unleashed a cold aura that soon filled the entire room. Suddenly unbearably cold, all the orcs and the Orc King¡¯s sex slaves looked to the source of the cold, a figure clad in black robes. They were confused as to what exactly this person was and how he got there, some of the more bold orcs intending to teach this intruder a lesson.


    But before they could lay a finger on it, the Custodian created a dark blade, slashing the three orcs apart, their bodies cleanly sliced in two. A few more orcs went to challenge him but all suffered the same fate and soon, the Custodian was surrounded by numerous corpses. As these were the elites of his army, the Orc King shouted at them to stop, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose more. Seeing as it no longer needed to defend itself, the Custodian dismissed its blade and then prepared to deliver a message.


    It¡¯s emotionless voice, which chilled everyone in the room, filled the chamber, ¡°Know this, Ruler of Orcs, the Master of Otium has returned.¡±


    And just like that, the Custodian left, turning and walking through the strange black gate, leaving a shocked audience. The Orc King was left stunned, he was the one who was supposed to deliver ultimatums and ignore those beneath him, he wasn¡¯t supposed to receive them! Rage bubbled up but just as quickly dissipated, he realized that whoever the Master of Otium was, he possessed powerful pawns, namely the Custodian who far surpassed his elites in terms of strength and magic prowess. The Orc King began to think on this matter, retiring to his private chambers while the orgy continued.


    Meanwhile, at the throne room of Auster, the Emperor, the fifth since the time of the previous Surveyor, was in the middle of discussing some matters of great import when a Custodian appeared before him. Once more, in the same voice, the Custodian relayed the message that the Master of Otium had returned. In the cave of the White Dragon, the Custodian appeared, preparing to speak but was forced to dodge the White Dragon''s attack. The White Dragon didn¡¯t take too kindly its invasion of her home sighting the offender in her eyes, she opened her mouth and unleashed a flood of incandescent dragon fire. She continued to breathe for far longer than she normally would, stopping when her anger was gone. But it soon flared up again when she saw that the Custodian was still there. It had opened a gate right in front of it and right behind, avoiding the flames entirely.


    That was not to say it was unharmed, the heat had certainly taken its toll but as it was a being without a body of flesh, it would not succumb so easily to such things. Once more it tried to speak but was forced to dodge a swipe from the White Dragon, the White Dragon growling with anger as she found that it had escaped unharmed yet again. As it dodged, it tried to speak to the White Dragon but she refused to listen, she was the one who spoke, not the one who listened. Finally, the Custodian could only retreat back to Otium in failure.


    Upon hearing of its Custodian''s failure, the Librarian then decided to send the Sentinel within a body of crystalline dark matter. It should be enough to withstand the attacks of the White Dragon and to make her listen, after all, crystalline dark matter was nigh indestructible.


    As soon as it appeared, the unbearable cold of Darkness filled the chamber, the White Dragon pausing as it felt this familiar sensation. It then saw the form of the Sentinel, a golem made of dark crystal. she was surprised and curious but not enough to allow it to speak. It did not change the fact that her home had been invaded and that it was the offender, it had to die. And so she prepared to expel this invader, suddenly stopping as her mind came under attack. She roared and tore at the ground but the assault did not stop, a powerful voice booming within her mind.


    The Lord of Otium has returned and you are invited. You are free to accept or decline.


    Having finished delivering its message, the Sentinel retreated through a gate, leaving a infuriated White Dragon who roared her fury into the sky, causing all nearby Saurians to tremble in fear.


    And finally, in the main floating island of the Alliance, the humans and elves¡ªwhich were in the midst of arguing¡ªwere all shocked by the presence of the Custodian. It glanced around at the mortals surrounding it before it relayed its message, disappearing through the gate once it had completed its mission.


    There was intense discussion after the appearance of these Custodians by the leaders of the four powers, each group finally reaching a decision that a representative must be selected to visit Otium. Meanwhile, the Surveyor just relaxed, it wondered what fascinating individuals it would meet in a few month¡¯s time.

 Chapter 58: Food is Good but Delicious Food is Better

    It had been a while since Yargul had been in the clan and in that time, the orcs had forgotten just how strong he was. As such, there were a lot of challengers but after killing a few of the ruder ones with just his bare hands, the challengers suddenly disappeared. He harrumphed and headed home, casually blocking an attack from his sister.


    They then glared at each other, his sister finally laughing, ¡°Strong as ever I see.¡±


    Yargul snorted and said, ¡°I want to rest Urzul, leave me be.¡±


    She then patted Yargul on the shoulder and left, ¡°Then rest brother, you¡¯ll be needing it.¡±


    Yargul followed her with his eyes for a few moments, she had spoken many such words in the past and each time they foreshadowed a powerful challenger. But he decided not to think too much on it, he had defeated all of the challengers before and he would defeat this one. Besides, he possessed magic now and if things got bad, he would use it. But he would like to keep it a secret, for now, a hidden strength was a very valuable thing and it would doubtless be a very potent weapon. So he had absolute confidence that he would kill this impudent challenger his sister managed to find. He had forgiven her this long as she was family and she was too weak but he was going to put the foot down. He had already warned her last time so now, she was going to die.


    He sighed, he wasn¡¯t troubled by the fact that he was going to kill his sister, just deeply disappointed. He felt that his sister possessed strength, after all, they were siblings. It wouldn¡¯t be right for her to be weak, but if she insisted to fly close to the sun, she was going to get burned. The weak must know their place and as Urzul refused to learn, she must be killed.


    As he thought this, a burly orc stepped in front of him, ¡°Yargul the Invincible, I am here to-¡±


    Yargul grabbed the orc¡¯s face and smashed it into the ground, giving the body a kick before moving on. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to answer a challenge properly, he was still slightly drained from absorbing the magic and just wanted some peace and quiet. His sister who had secretly followed him stared in shock at the orc whose face was buried in the ground, to think that her brother would so easily crush her challenger? But that shock soon turned into hate, again he proved to be far stronger than her means, just how long did he intend to insult her!?


    Urzul had by now taken Yargul¡¯s success as a personal offense to her, she had spent her life being compared to the perfect sibling and it was no wonder that she would come to hate him. With a dark face, she retreated, wondering how she would find a new challenger that would be capable of killing her brother. Yargul was ignorant of all this and thought that Urzul¡¯s challenger was still coming which was fortunate for Urzul, she still had a chance to live but Yargul knew that she wouldn¡¯t take it.


    But none of that mattered, right now, he just needed to fill his belly with some good meat and wine and rest, he¡¯ll deal whatever it was he would need to deal with tomorrow. And that¡¯s exactly what he did, he made his way to his residence, one of the better-made houses that his clan possessed. It was a single story building complete with open windows and a doorway with a bear hide acting as a door, hinges were a rare commodity that were reserved for city orcs and rich/powerful ones at that. Since good houses were quite rare, he had to fight many other orcs for this house, in fact, he had to kill the house¡¯s previous owner. But because of that, he had a private home which no one could just enter, otherwise, they were subject to an immediate and painful death.


    Yargul defend his home jealously, he valued his privacy and he went to great lengths to keep it. Many a young and daring orc had dared to tread through the open door of the house and without exception, each and every one was killed. As such, no orc dared to enter his house anymore, although when Yargul entered his house today, he noticed that it had been disturbed. He narrowed his eyes and immediately checked his armor and weapons which were fortunately still there. But then why did the intruder enter his home? Was it a dare by some of the little orcs? Suddenly, the scent of sweat and piss assaulted his nose, the scent of a slave.


    What the hell was one doing here? A runaway? Yargul¡¯s face twisted with displeasure as he growled, ¡°Come out.¡±


    No one came out and Yargul threatened, ¡°You best come out now before I kill you.¡±


    A thin, trembling figure appeared from behind his armor stand, looking fearfully at him.


    Yargul glared down at her before sighing, ¡°I¡¯m too damn tired to deal with you right now. You are free to run or stay, just don''t bother me.¡±


    He then headed off to bed, revealing the full length of his tusks as he yawned. He lay down and sighed with relief, it had been a while since he last slept on something so soft. He immediately fell asleep, much to the relief of the slave. She then began to think about what to do, should she run or stay? If she were to stay here, she wouldn¡¯t know what would become of her but if she were to run, she would almost certainly be caught and punished. She shivered, she knew what happened to escaped slaves, they were whipped with chains, often resulting in broken ribs and torn flesh.


    Some even died although orcs tried to avoid that, slaves were valuable for they could do things that orcs could not like harvesting, orcs just weren¡¯t cut out for delicate work and often would bruise fruits and ruin crops. They could learn but there were precious few orcs that were strong and also delicate with their hands, most orcs that turned to pursue the fine arts often neglected training themselves and were obviously killed early in life for offending a more powerful orc. Thus humans and elves were needed to do the things that orcs had no interest in doing, farming, forging and the like.


    Anyways, the slave finally decided to stay, she was going to suffer terribly if she were to leave and she may suffer if she stayed, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out which was the better option. So she decided to sleep, for some reason, this house was safe from the other orcs so she knew that she could sleep here. She soon entered a fitful slumber, nightmares reigning supreme in her dreaming mind.


    A night past and Yargul awoke, refreshed after a wonderful night¡¯s sleep. He then looked around, seeing no sign of the slave in his room. At least the slave knew her place. He then stood and stretched, grunting with satisfaction as he did so. He then began to look for the slave, finally finding her shivering on the floor, her dirty face showing lines of white skin where her tears had flowed. Yargul took this moment to study the slave, noticing the long ears that she possessed although not as prominent as those of elves. Yargul guessed that she was a halfbreed, something all too common in orc culture as they needed slaves and they didn¡¯t care who mated with who.


    Suddenly, out of some unknown instinct, Yargul sat by her and reached out a hand, gently patting her on the head. The girl eventually stopped shivering, a small smile appearing on her face. Yargul stared at her smiling face, he had never seen such a smile before, one so pleasant and innocent. He suddenly stopped himself an shook his head, what would the other orcs say if they were to see him right now? He laughed at himself and remained sitting, waiting for the slave to wake up.


    She woke up in peace, opening her bright green eyes which shown sharply against her dirty face. She yawned cutely before finally noticing Yargul sitting just opposite of her. She immediately recoiled, her eyes staring at Yargul in fear. Yargul smirked but said nothing, watching her.


    Finally, he asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Looking at his piercing gaze, the slave decided that it was best not to lie and said, ¡°I-I ran away.¡±


    Yargul snorted, ¡°That much is obvious, but why in my house?¡±


    She said, ¡°In here I was safe, no one dared to enter.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Yargul smiled with satisfaction, bragging, ¡°Of course, this is my house. Anyone who enters my house dies.¡±


    The slave froze and noticing this, Yargul said, ¡°Relax, if I wanted you dead you would have died the moment I smelled your scent.¡±


    She only slightly relaxed, staring at Yargul nervously.


    Yargul then continued with his interrogation, ¡°Who was your owner?¡±


    She said, ¡°A-an orc by the name of Zargu, he... he is my m-master.¡±


    Yargul snorted, ¡°That depends on whether or not I want to keep you.¡±


    She looked at him swiftly, her eyes momentarily filling with a hope before falling into despair.


    She said, ¡°I-it¡¯s no use, Zargu is too strong. H-he-¡±


    Yargul chuckled, ¡°Have you heard of Yargul the Invincible?¡±


    She nodded, it was impossible not to. But why would he bring it up unless...


    Understanding blossomed on her face as Yargul introduced himself, ¡°I am Yargul the Invincible.¡±


    She then looked at this unassuming orc with a hope that also quickly dissipated, she didn¡¯t know for sure that Yargul was what he said he was.


    Seeing her doubt, Yargul harrumphed, ¡°If I decide to take you, I will personally go down and beat this Zargu to death.¡±


    Reluctantly, the slave nodded, if this orc was truly what he said he was, then she would finally be free of Zargu.


    But Yargul still had to decide whether or not he was going to keep her so he asked, ¡°What can you do?¡±


    She hesitated before speaking, ¡°W-well... I can cook-¡±


    Yargul nodded, ¡°That¡¯s good enough. As long as you can cook meat well, you can be my slave. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Truth was, Yargul had already decided on keeping this slave but he still needed some form of excuse for Zargu, if he were to just start taking things, that would affect his reputation. The strong needed to be moderate, for if they were excessively abusive with their force, weaker orcs would have no problems with ganging up on them. And so they set out, Yargul only pausing to grab his trusty mace before gesturing to the slave to lead the way. She did so obediently, spending a thirty-minute walk in silence as they headed to Zargu¡¯s farm. Upon their arrival, slaves working in the fields looked sadly at the slave by Yargul¡¯s side, they thought that she had been caught and they would have to witness another cruel whipping.


    As they approached the farm, Zargu and a few other orcs were seen waiting for them, apparently one of the slaves had told Zargu of their arrival.


    Zargu had a pleased look on his face when he beheld the slave, taunting, ¡°We¡¯ll be spending some quality time together, you and I.¡±


    Yargul smirked and said, ¡°Unfortunately, that won¡¯t be happening. I just came here to inform you that I will be taking her as mine.¡±


    Zargu¡¯s face twisted with anger as he put his face right in Yargul¡¯s, hissing, ¡°You better back off if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    Yargul chuckled and grabbed the face of Zargu, drawing his arm back and throwing him three meters back.


    Yargul said, ¡°How brave of you to challenge me, the one who bears the title of Invincible! Well, it¡¯s been long since I¡¯ve last fought one so brave, I¡¯ll be sure to not hold back.¡±


    Zargu had stood up, boiling with rage but when he heard Yargul¡¯s words, his face paled as he saw Yargul¡¯s malicious grin. Suddenly, he caught himself, this orc was most definitely bluffing, Yargul himself wouldn¡¯t stoop so low for a slave.


    Zargu smirked, ¡°You almost had me there, but I know you aren¡¯t Yargul. Yargul wouldn¡¯t do so much for some lowly slave.¡±


    Yargul shrugged, ¡°Believe what you like, but the fact is that I am Yargul.¡±


    Yargul hefted his mace onto his shoulder and Zargu¡¯s eyes wavered uncertainly, Yargul did indeed use a mace but then again, this could be a copy.


    So throwing these worries to the wind, Zargu drew his club and charged... and promptly got his head caved in by Yargul¡¯s superior mace.


    Yargul yawned, ¡°Welp, I guess that¡¯s the end of that. I¡¯ll be taking my slave now.¡±


    He turned and walked back leisurely to his home, the slave following him closely, not daring to look back. They arrived home thirty minutes later and Yargul suddenly remembered that he didn¡¯t know the slave¡¯s name.


    He turned to face her much to her fright and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    She blinked in surprise and stammered, ¡°M-my name is A-Ararys.¡±


    Yargul then smiled for the first time, ¡°Well then Ararys, let¡¯s go on a hunt.¡±


    She looked at him with confusion and Yargul explained, ¡°I¡¯m hungry and I want to see how well you cook. So I¡¯ll have to procure ingredients but you will have to come along so you don¡¯t run away.¡±


    She tried to refuse but Yargul was adamant, assuring her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the animals out there are no match for me.¡±


    Finally, she submitted, she was only a slave and that didn¡¯t change even if Zargu was dead. So the two trekked out into the forest, although Yargul had to carry her on his back when she began to lag behind.


    At first, she insisted that she could go on but Yarugl said ¡°You¡¯re the cook. If you¡¯re too tired to cook you¡¯re useless to me.¡±


    So she just shut her mouth and allowed herself to be carried although her slave mentality told her to do otherwise. She was confused about Yargul, he wasn¡¯t like any other orc she had ever met, albeit the fact that the number of orcs she met could be counted on one hand.


    Eventually, she felt him slow down, he had spotted some prey. He made his way to a tree, whispering, ¡°Climb up the tree and stay put, I¡¯ll be back with food.¡±


    As Yargul had promised, he soon returned with two dead deer, their necks snapped but otherwise intact. He dropped them unceremoniously at the foot of the tree and told her to come down. She did so obediently and Yargul set about making a fire, telling Ararys to slit the necks of the deer to bleed them. She looked around helplessly for a tool and with a chuckle, Yargul tossed a jagged tooth over to her. Looking at it uncertainly, she did as Yargul commanded and then waited as he made the fire, watching him. This was the first time that she had studied an orc so closely, most of the time she could only see their feet and legs, anything above warranted a fierce beating.


    Noticing her gaze, Yargul asked, ¡°What?¡±


    Embarrassed, she quickly bowed her head, ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Yargul stared at her for a few more moments before shrugging his shoulders. It wasn¡¯t his business what his slave did as long as she cooked food and didn¡¯t run. When the fire was roaring nicely, he then set about skinning the deer as well as gutting them.


    Once that was done, he said, ¡°Now cook.¡±


    Ararys hurriedly obeyed, she didn¡¯t dare dawdle in her new duties. Yargul watched as she expertly handled the meat, this was obviously not her first time doing such things.


    Curious, Yargul asked, ¡°Where did you learn to prepare meat?¡±


    Ararys said, ¡°B-back at the farm, most of the female slaves w-were in charge of cooking, I learned it from the older slaves.¡±


    Then remembering something, she said, ¡°Um, I need herbs to season the meat.¡±


    Yargul nodded and headed off again, making sure not to stray too far from the fire, if trouble came he would be able to arrive in time to kill it. Luckily, he managed to find a smattering of herbs, most of them being common ones that could be found just about anywhere. He dumped this in front of her and sat back down, watching as she began to tear the herbs with her hand, making a paste with them before rubbing it on the meat. But there was only enough to cover two legs and these she cooked first. Soon, the smell of cooking meat filled the air along with the smell of herbs which made for a mouthwatering scent to the two of them.


    Ararys had never eaten such fine food and Yargul never really bothered to season his meat so he had high expectations. Finally, Ararys announced that the meat was done and Yargul grabbed both of them, inspecting their appearance first. The meat wasn¡¯t burned, which was something that often happened to Yargul, and was a delicious looking brown with the aromatic scent of herbs mixing wonderfully with the smell of cooked meat.


    He then took a bite and his eyes lit up as a new, delicious taste blossomed in his mouth. He didn¡¯t devour the meat but savored it, eating slowly.


    Finally, he finished and in a good mood, he handed over the other leg to Ararys, saying, ¡°A reward for being a great cook.¡±


    She hesitantly took the meat, glancing warily at Yargul to make sure that it was absolutely alright for her to eat. Seeing that Yargul seemed not to care, she finally took a tentative bite, then another and pretty soon, she was wolfing down the meat. As she did so, Yargul broke the bone of the leg and sucked out the marrow, praising himself over his decision about keeping Ararys. After two legs, Ararys was full so she just sat back and watched in awe of Yargul¡¯s insatiable appetite, watching the two deer disappear into his gullet. When Yargul was done, both with the meat and the marrow, he smacked his lips and stood, motioning for Ararys to follow.


    And so the two returned home, Yargul happy that he could eat such wonderful food and Ararys tentatively hopeful, perhaps her life may not be so bad now.

 Chapter 59: Truly a Pity

    Ararys had adapted to her new life quickly, not complaining one bit as this life was much better than her previous one. There was no longer the fear of a beating and all she had to do was accompany Yargul and cook his food for him. She could even have a full stomach, something that she never knew until the day Yargul gave her two deer legs to eat. She was really lucky, if she hadn¡¯t chosen to hide in his house... she shuddered at the mere idea of what could have happened.


    It was better to focus on now, for now, was much better than the past. Although, she couldn¡¯t help but get curious, why did Yargul choose to keep her? This was the greatest mystery to her, Yargul had access to far better slaves, ones that were both prettier and better at cooking. So why her? She didn¡¯t dare ask however, slaves never asked questions and even though her life was better than before, she was still definitely a slave. That never changed and she didn¡¯t dare have it changed, she was satisfied with her life as it was.


    Speaking of which, so was Yargul. He had a cook to make great food and one that was terrifically obedient, what else could an orc want? Well, perhaps a woman but Yargul was as of now uninterested in such things, when he was the strongest orc he would have plenty of time to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh.


    Meanwhile, his sister was busy trying to find a challenger worthy enough to face her brother, not just worthy enough but also strong enough. She knew that this was her last chance, if she was unable to kill her brother with this champion of hers, Yargul would kill her. He had warned her so the last time she sent a champion his way, his eyes without any hesitation. At that moment, she briefly considered if she should give up, she was really courting death at this point.


    But then she hardened her heart, the words of her mother echoing in her ears, ¡°You have a great big brother! Why don¡¯t you be more like him?¡±


    She then gritted her teeth, her brother knew no fear and so would she, even in the face of death. If Yargul were able to read her thoughts, he would nod with pride, his sister had finally become a true orc. Even though she was weak, she would still face him with what weapons she had and face the consequences of her actions without fear. If only she had become like this sooner, then he might not have to kill her. But the world wasn¡¯t fair, some who possessed great potential never lived to reach it, either dying young or lacking the ambition to reach great heights.


    That was just how the world was, not everyone was lucky there will always be those that suffer. This was a truth that the Surveyor had discovered in its observation, there were the lucky ones, the unfortunate, the talented, and the useless. There was in the past and there will be in the future, this was simply how it was, there was no going around an no denying it. But mortals tried to defy this very truth, the unfortunate believing that if they worked hard enough, they could eventually drag themselves out of the hole Life shoved them in. And some manage to do so, although there were precious few who possessed the willpower to do so.


    The Surveyor had always made sure to watch them, these particular mortals always were a source of new and fascinating information. Urzul could be counted among them, although it was a shame that her life would be cut short. But the Surveyor could only sigh and move on, it had already interfered too much by announcing itself as the Master of Otium. But that was necessary, otherwise, it would have had to eliminate two interesting specimens, the White Dragon and the Orc King when the eventually clashed in war upon Otium. Bloodshed on Otium was intolerable and so they would have been killed without remorse, thus ending the stories of two fascinating creatures. It couldn¡¯t just stand by and let this happen, it had already lost Azemar and it would not lose two others. These individuals were valuable to its research and not only would it be a shame but a sin not to make sure that they lived up to their full potential.


    Yes, it really would be a shame. The Surveyor then coalesced into a mortal form and took a walk in its Library, nodding to Silren who was reading in a chair that was provided specifically for her. She shyly waved back and the Surveyor paid her no more heed, heading outside the Library and onto the walls of Otium. It overlooked the calm sea, its black and silver robes undisturbed by the strong winds that blew. Its gaze then locked onto something off in the distance and for a moment, it stared before turning and disappearing into the pyramid. In the direction that it had stared off into, thousands of leagues away, an ancient boat sailed. Aboard it was a crew of humans and elves, the representatives and their escorts of the Alliance.


    There was arguing over who should go but eventually, two elves and two humans would go, a pair of male and female each. This was to prevent more conflict between the two sides and also because these two duos were one of the strongest that the Alliance had to offer. Of course, this was a double-edged sword, if the Alliance were to lose these four they would be severely weakened but they believed in the ancient tales of Otium, a place where violence was not tolerated. Surely, their representatives would be safe.


    And at roughly the same time in the land of Saurians, the White Dragon was preparing to leave despite the words of her advisors. She was incensed by the Custodian who had so rudely barged into her home and she intended to take revenge on its master. But due to the urging of her advisors, her departure had been delayed although today, she had enough. She was going to go and nothing would stop her. Her advisors could only sigh and obey, although they insisted that she take another Saurian with her.


    They didn¡¯t want her to disappear again and listening to their reasons, the White Dragon¡¯s heart softened and she then spoke, ¡°Then let the strongest of you be my champion. I will wait until my champion appears.¡±


    And so the White Dragon decided to wait until her champion was chosen, the Saurians immediately spreading the word of this. As the Saurians were choosing their champion, Auster was already on Otium, its representatives treated well by the Custodians who said that the Master of Otium would not meet them until the other representatives arrived. They were invited to stay and enjoy the services that Otium had to offer and the representatives did not refuse, after all, food that Otium served was the best that mortals had to offer. Obviously, such meals were hard to come by and the representatives intended to make full use of this opportunity.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    And back on Occasus, the Orc King was preparing to move out. He assembled his elite army and set out, he had conquered Otium before and considered it his territory. He also knew that it had been retaken but he didn¡¯t pay it too much heed, there were far more serious matters to attend to at the time. But this was the last straw, a person who dared call themselves the Master of Otium had dared to send a messenger into his palace, this was unacceptable. He intended to teach this Master a lesson, after all, he was the Orc King, he was the strongest of all creatures and to steal from him is a death sentence.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor smiled as it watched the Orc King, how would the Orc King act upon realizing that he was weak? Of course, that sword of his was nothing to laugh at, however, that sword had been collecting blood almost daily for over a thousand years, passed down from Orc King to Orc King who each fed it with blood almost daily. As such the power this blade held was formidable. It was, after all, a blade that grows stronger every time it tastes blood, a very powerful weapon in the hands of an orc who go out to fight and kill almost every day of their lives.


    Not even the Surveyor could properly assess the power that this blade held until it saw it first hand and it was, what a mortal would call, excited to do so. After all, if it could get its hands on this weapon, not only would its knowledge grow but it would also gain strength. After all, to be able to replicate such a weapon and possibly perfect it would be a great boon for its chances of survival. The Surveyor was not arrogant, it was fully aware of its strengths and weaknesses and right now, it was far too weak for its liking. Also, it could not deny that it was curious about a True Divine Weapon, the humans had called its amulet a divine object but the Surveyor had never studied a Divine Weapon until now.


    Truly, it was fortunate, it had never imagined that it would meet so many fascinating individuals. But there was also the matter of Silren, it would be best if she did not come to the Library when the Surveyor eventually met with the representatives face-to-face, as their host it would be rude not to invite them into its home. They would enter its vast Library and there would be many questions that would be rather hard to answer if they were to see Silren. It could make an excuse but it would rather that she didn¡¯t come, everything would flow far more efficiently if she was absent. It would have to bring up the matter with her, yes, perhaps tomorrow?


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, Yargul stood at the door of his home, studying the champion that his sister had produced.


    She bragged, ¡°This time brother, you will die! This orc knows how to use magic and no matter how strong you are, you cannot beat magic!¡±


    Yargul smirked. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised.¡±


    His face then grew stern. ¡°You know the consequence, correct?¡±


    Urzul sneered. ¡°You will be the only one to die here Yargul.¡±


    Yargul just shrugged and walked out, mace in hand. Then looking at his opponent, he snorted and tossed his mace aside.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be needing this.¡±


    The orc¡¯s face purpled with rage and he growled, ¡°You will regret that.¡±


    Yargul retorted, ¡°Make me.¡±


    The orc suddenly roared, his fist wreathed in orange flames as he threw a right hook. He had a confident look on his face, no matter how strong Yargul was, he couldn¡¯t block his flames. Suddenly, his fist met a cold, ungiving surface and given the strength which he put into his punch, his fist actually shattered. Grimacing in pain, he quickly retreated, his eyes bulging out with shock as he beheld the ice scales of Yargul which were as clear as glass.


    The orc stared with unbelieving eyes, ¡°Impossible! Your sister told me that you don¡¯t have magic!¡±


    Urzul was also staring with disbelieving eyes, how had her brother attained such strength? These thoughts were also shared by the orcs who had gathered to watch the fight, some of them had fancied their chances against Yargul but upon seeing this, they were reminded at just who they would have been fighting against.


    The orc suddenly began to plead for his life, ¡°Please Yargul, no, Lord Yargul, I will do anything! It was a mistake to listen to your sister, oh, I know! I will-¡±


    Yargul silenced him with a hand, ¡°Cowards have no place in this world.¡±


    He then placed his hand on the orc¡¯s head and made a fist, crushing his head in his hand. The dead challenger slumped to the floor and Yargul glanced over to Urzul whose face had grown pale.


    Yargul had an indifferent look on his face as he slowly walked to her.


    ¡°Sister, I will give you one of two choices: fight me like a warrior and die bravely or I hunt you down like an animal.¡±


    She was silent, her hand finally grabbing the dagger that she kept at her waist.


    ¡°Die brother!¡± she shouted, charging at Yargul.


    Yargul casually caught the knife and in one fluid move, he stabbed it into her chest. She looked down at her chest, unsurprised at the outcome.


    She then locked eyes with her brother, saying bitterly, ¡°Well, it seems that you win again.¡±


    Her body then fell forward, Yargul catching her. He slowly laid her down on the ground, treating the body with respect. At least she was far braver than the orc he just killed.


    He then looked at the crowd of orcs who were watching and commanded, ¡°Take ¡®em away.¡±


    He then turned and picked up his mace, entering his house once again. He was silent for the remainder of the day, his eyes holding a look of pity. Truly, it was a shame that his sister had to die.


    The next day came and Yargul was back to his usual self, at least he appeared to be, and took Ararys with him on another hunting trip. He had treated her well, giving her clothing that was far better than what slaves usually wore, although this was necessary as where he went was often cold, humans wouldn¡¯t last a day without proper clothing. Today was no different as this time, he was heading to the base of Jagged-Tooth Mountain. He wasn¡¯t there to hunt the Master of the Mountain, he knew that his prey was extremely secretive and was unlikely to go out and fight him.


    So he ignored it, instead looking for other creatures that he could test his strength against. He soon found it in the Mountain Ape, a large humanoid creature that was covered head-to-toe in black fur with dark blue skin. It had fearsome-looking teeth but this was the least of its weapons, its two arms were far more deadly as they were as large as tree trunks and hit with the power of an orcish battle ram. But that wasn¡¯t all, it possessed a grip-strength so powerful that it was able to choke a Frostwolf King to death even with the Frostwolf¡¯s near-impregnable ice scales defending its neck. This was a dangerous opponent to face but Yargul wasn¡¯t afraid, rather, he was excited. It had been long since he last fought an opponent with his life on the line.

 Chapter 60: Only This Once

    An earth-shattering roar filled the air as Yargul stood before the Mountain Ape, Yargul bellowing in reply. The ape grinned as it stared down on him, raising its fist to kill. Yargul grinned as well, summoning the Frostwolf¡¯s ice scales and threw a punch, meeting the ape¡¯s fist with his own. And then for the first time, Yargul was knocked back, tumbling backward. Ararys cried out with worry and fright wanting to rush over but Yargul raised a hand to stop her. If she came over now, she¡¯d die and Yargul wasn¡¯t keen on having his cook die. The ape looked curiously in her direction but Yargul¡¯s roar drew its attention back on him, Yargul with the biggest grin on his face.


    He began to laugh, yes, this was what he had been looking for! An opponent which was stronger than him, one that he could even die against! The ape cocked its head curiously, wondering if the little orc before it had gone mad. That wouldn¡¯t be surprising, after all, the ape was one of the most powerful creatures on this mountain. Suddenly, Yargul darted forward and the ape casually swatted at him. This time, Yargul was prepared and threw another punch, except this one had all of his strength and momentum behind it. He managed to block the ape¡¯s strike and continued onward, striking the ape in the face.


    In terms of damage, this was insignificant but it did succeed in angering the great ape who decided that it was going to kill this little orc. It unleashed its oppressive magic aura, the immense power of the earth flowing to the aid of the one blessed by Agleon. This energy augmented the ape¡¯s offense and defense as well as making it capable of manipulating the earth around it. If this mountain ape was several centuries older, it would also have the ability to make adamant armor, large plates of black stone covering its vitals. But even without the adamant, the ape was magnificent to behold, incredibly dense dark-grey stone plates covering itself instead.


    Its fists in particular resembled boulders, jagged pieces of stone gathering at them to form two very fearsome weapons. If one were to compare these things with weapons of the mortal world, they would be the large boulders hurled from catapults and trebuchets, crushing anything unfortunate enough to be hit by them. It was already commendable for Yargul to have survived such a strike and even more so that he was able to barely deflect it with all of his strength. But that didn¡¯t matter to Yargul, if he didn¡¯t kill this ape then he was worth nothing.


    After all, the strongest orc shouldn¡¯t be defeated by some ape, that would be the greatest of insults. So Yargul just augmented his arms with his ice scales and prepared to meet the ape¡¯s attack. The ape smirked as it saw the impudent orc prepare to meet its attack, this would be easy. It raised one fist and hammered it down with all of its strength, Yargul planting his feet firmly on the ground and tensing his right arm. When the ape¡¯s fist hurtled down like a meteor, Yargul roared and put all of his might into his punch, the two attacks meeting with an explosion of raw energy.


    The ape grunted as it quickly withdrew its wounded fist, the dense stone armor broken by Yargul¡¯s ice scales. But Yargul had paid a steep price for that wound, his right arm had been completely shattered. If it wasn¡¯t for the ice scales, he would have lost not only his arm but most of his upper torso. As it was, he was just barely able to stand, although that same wide grin was still on his face. It had been a while since he last felt pain so intense and he was relishing every moment of it.


    He burst out laughing, much to the confusion and shock of the ape and Ararys, they both thought that he had gone crazy. Yargul then stopped, looking at the insurmountable opponent before him.


    He said, ¡°Perhaps I may die here but I will not have died without honor! You are a worthy opponent to die against so I shall now fight without care for my life!¡±


    The ape lost its shock and confusion, it may not understand the language of orcs but it understood what Yargul meant. It narrowed its eyes and repaired the armor around its fist, preparing to squash this orc once and for all. Meanwhile, Yargul began to push his magic to the limit, the ice scales growing larger and sharper, resembling the Berserker Armor of the dwarves. Berserker Armor was not just items for defense, they themselves were weapons, the gauntlets, feet, knees, and elbows augmented with spikes while their scale-like armor possessed bladed-edges designed to rip and tear into flesh.


    Yargul¡¯s left arm was much the same, bladed-scales with tapered edges that would hook into flesh and tear off large chunks. Even with the ape¡¯s stone armor, it was hesitant to attack Yargul. It would most certainly suffer damage just by attacking and against an opponent who no longer feared death, it may not survive this encounter. But it did not have too much time to think as Yargul charged, narrowly dodging an attack and striking the calf of its left leg. The strength of his strike combined with the momentum he had built up broke through the dense stone armor and his ice scales tore deep trenches into the ape¡¯s flesh, halving the speed at which it could move.


    It roared with anger and turned around, its fist catching Yargul in the side and turning him into a living projectile, Yargul body shooting three trees before his body finally stopped. This time, Yargul was noticeably wounded, four ribs had been shattered but luckily this was on his right side, meaning that he could still use his left. He then charged, dodging the sweeping attacks of the ape and ramming into its left leg, tearing out more flesh. This time, he was more careful and managed to roll before he was smashed into the ground, retreating so he could build momentum.


    The ape by now was incensed, this insignificant insect had actually hurt it! This was an unforgivable offense! It roared but in that brief interval, Yargul attacked its left leg again, his ice scales tearing muscles and tendons. The ape¡¯s leg was permanently crippled now but that did not mean it was finished, those deadly arms were still a threat that could not be ignored. Meanwhile, the ape had gone berserk, thrashing its arms around, deforming the terrain around it. Yargul stood off in the distance, taunting it to draw its attention to him and not Ararys. In the state it was in now, Ararys would most certainly die if it saw her.


    That wouldn¡¯t do, when Yargul killed the ape, he intended to eat it cooked, he wanted to relish the fruits of his victory. But he still needed to defeat the ape first so he charged out once more, but this time, his luck didn¡¯t hold. The berserk ape saw him and with insanely fast reflexes, its fist shot out and hit Yargul directly in the chest, Yargul hurtling through the air. This time, Yargul did not get up and far away, in Otium the Surveyor took a look towards Yargul¡¯s direction before sighing. It seems that his journey would end here, what a shame. In fact, it would be such a shame that the Surveyor was unwilling to let him die and so the Surveyor extended a piece of its consciousness to Yargul¡¯s shadow, supplying him with a fraction of its power. After all, Yargul would soon be embroiled in orcish politics and war, if he died then it would miss this golden opportunity for learning.


    Back at the base of Jagged-Tooth Mountain, the ape had forgotten about Yargul and was tending its wounds when it suddenly felt a strange and powerful energy. It immediately looked to Yargul who stood, his entire body covered in black ice armor, no longer resembling the scales of the Frostwolf. It looked more like traditional armor, the armor of the Ancient Orcs. Although orcs have remained relatively unchanging over the centuries, they too were a race that possessed a deep history and culture. Like the Saurians, they kept it alive in stories and myths and they spoke of a time when orcs could fight Premen on equal standing, especially the strongest of their warriors who could even wound Eversor himself.


    The armor that Yargul wore now resembled the armor worn by those warriors, in fact, the very same which served to be the inspiration behind the Berserker Armor. The armor of the Ancient Orcs had only one thing in mind, pure offense. The only defensive capabilities this armor provided was that it was strong enough to survive through many battles without needing to be repaired, it wasn¡¯t made to block attacks but to endure them so that the orc wearing it could kill whoever it was that dared to attack them.


    Everything about the armor was a weapon, even the slightest contact would draw blood as the edges of the armor were razor-sharp. It did not only possess blades but also large spikes designed to pierce armor, hooks to rend flesh and extra plating on the feet and gauntlets to add weight behind their attacks. But this was hardly needed with the sheer amount of energy that flowed through Yargul¡¯s body, each strike of his would be able to seriously wound the ape. Yargul immediately charged in and began to fight with the ape who turned berserk once more, its roars of anger soon turning into bellows of pain as its armor was easily broken by Yargul¡¯s strikes.


    It was only a matter of time before the ape fell down, its head quite literally blown to pieces. Yargul stood over its corpse and shouted in victory, looking magnificent in his black ice armor. But suddenly, that power of his disappeared, leaving him healed from his wounds. The Surveyor did not intend to give Yargul this great advantage, that would disrupt the experiment by too much, it was already bad enough that it had saved his life. Before it disappeared, it did leave a warning to Yargul, a whisper in the shadows.


    ¡°Those that rush die just as early. It would be a shame if you didn¡¯t become the strongest orc because of your recklessness.¡±


    This was the last time that the Surveyor would personally interfere, if Yargul died, then it would simply sigh and move on with life. And although Yargul was confused as to who this voice belonged too, he clearly understood what its words meant. It had saved him for some reason but it did not seem it could do so again. He was glum for a few moments, if he possessed the strength that came to him, he was sure that he could defeat the Orc King. But he soon shrugged it off, he now had a clearer picture of where he wanted his strength to be with a clearer goal, the clearer his path becomes.


    He then turned to look at Ararys who was frozen, chuckling as he said, ¡°Well? You can¡¯t cook if you¡¯re standing all the way over there.¡±


    Ararys hurried over and helped Yargul prepare the ape for carrying, cutting the body into smaller chunks while Yargul defended her and the ape¡¯s corpse from scavenging animals. These too were added to the eating pile and soon enough, animals just stopped coming, the thick scent of blood and death driving them off. Yargul sighed with relief and momentarily told Ararys to stop. He picked up two large pieces of the ape¡¯s corpse and gestured for her to follow. He led her to the cave that he had stayed in and told her to stay inside while he brought the rest of the meat.


    A good five hours were spent transporting the meat and another two were spent gathering wood for a fire. After all, they needed to cook all this meat otherwise it would spoil. In fact, they often leave much of the meat buried in the snow to prevent it from spoiling but even so, roughly a fifth of the meat had spoiled before they could cook it. But this wasn¡¯t of huge concern, almost none of the ape¡¯s meat had been wasted and with the amount of meat they had, it would easily tide them over for a month. And in that time, Yargul intended to hunt some more so they could probably last indefinitely. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Yargul planned to stay on the Jagged-Tooth Mountain for as long as it took for his body to fully absorb the Mountain Ape¡¯s magical bone marrow for the abilities that the Mountain Ape possessed were far superior to that of the Frostwolf King. Having learned from his experience with the Frostwolf King¡¯s marrow, he decided to go slow, consuming a small amount of bone marrow at a time. Once more he felt terrible pain which frightened Ararys who did her best to care for him.


    Two months passed in this manner, with Yargul taking small breaks of one day in between to recover enough to go hunt for enough meat to last him a week. Two months passed in an instant and as Yargul struggled to conquer the ape¡¯s magic, the Surveyor prepared to meet its guests.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Off in the distant horizon, if one were to look from Otium¡¯s walls he could see a small white dot grow ever larger. It was the White Dragon, her champion riding on her back as she flew towards Otium. Upon reaching Otium in record time, she unleashed an oppressive aura, intending to frighten the Master of Otium.


    She roared, ¡°Come out or I shall destroy this place!¡±


    There was silence after her ultimatum and seeing that no one came out, she growled angrily and then breathed white dragonfire onto Otium. But her destructive flames were deflected by some invisible barrier. Incensed, she flew down and struck the barrier with all her might, cracks spreading throughout the barrier. She struck once more and the barrier shattered before her. With an arrogant snort, she flew down and landed heavily on one of the many buildings, expecting it to crumble under her weight. But this was incredibly dense stone, it would not be so easily destroyed. Angry, she destroyed it and proceeded to rampage, although she soon stopped when she realized that it took too much of her energy to do so.


    But destroying some of these buildings had allowed her to release some of her anger and she suddenly saw a peculiarity, there was not a living soul in sight. She activated her dragonsight and did see a few living things but these were Austerians, not the one she was looking for. She ignored them and settled her eyes on the black Pyramid, noticing that her eyes were unable to see within. She guessed that this was where the Master of Otium lived and so she stormed towards it, summoning a ball of energy and shooting it towards the Pyramid. But much to her surprise, the Pyramid was unharmed after her attack which was capable of vaporizing mountains.


    Taking this into consideration, she then opened her great jaws and began to condense white energy into a small sphere. More and more energy converged into the sphere and finally, she released it, an explosion that contained a thousandth of a collapsing star occurring on the face of Agleon. But when it had ended and one could see once more, the Pyramid stood, quite unharmed. The White Dragon was shocked, not even Night herself could withstand this attack, just what was this Pyramid made of to take the attack of a miniature nova as if it was nothing?


    As she was about to attack the Pyramid again, a small black figure appeared in front of it, a Custodian.


    ¡°Cease hostilities or you shall be eliminated.¡±


    She harrumphed and slashed with her forelimb, killing the Custodian in an instant. But two more appeared to replace it, each repeating the same message. She killed them too and suddenly, a great humming filled the air as the crystal atop the Pyramid began to glow brightly. It then fired, hitting the White Dragon directly in the chest. The force of the attack knocked her back, crushing a few more buildings but other than that, she was quite unharmed. Incensed, she prepared to destroy the crystal when she saw movement near the base of the Pyramid.


    Her eyes saw the entrance of the Pyramid open and a figure step forward, dressed in simple silver and black robes, not too dissimilar from a Custodian. But the aura that the figure exuded was far different than the Custodians, it was too powerful and somewhat familiar. But the White Dragon ignored this, instead charging to kill him. This must be the Master of Otium and although he was powerful, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat her. But as she charged, the figure turned to look at her, a singular glowing eye greeting her eyes. Suddenly, a tremendously oppressive aura suddenly surrounded her, stopping her movements.


    Paralyzed, she was helpless as the figure stepped closer and closer until it finally was seven feet from her snout.


    It then said, ¡°You must be the White Dragon.¡±


    Using great effort, the White Dragon was able to hiss, ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    She was tempted to retort but she decided to keep silent, she had realized too late that this was a being that she couldn¡¯t afford to offend. But she would not apologize for her actions, her pride as a dragon prevented that.


    As if reading her thoughts, the figure said, ¡°You need not apologize, Dragon. It was partly my fault, I have forgotten that you dragons are prideful creatures. That said, I will let you off now but should you cause trouble again, I will not hesitate to kill you. Now, please wait for the moment until the other representatives arrive. You may avail yourself to the services of Otium.¡±


    The oppressive aura disappeared and she nearly fell although she soon reasserted control over her body. The figure then turned, returning to the Pyramid.


    Before he disappeared, the White Dragon asked, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The figure stopped and turned to face her once more, saying, ¡°I am the Librarian.¡±


    The Librarian? The White Dragon did not remember such a being, this meant one of two things: the Librarian was far older than her and had hidden itself or it had recently arrived on Agleon. Both of these were troubling as both meant that it was an extremely strong being that could not be offended, she was already extremely lucky that it had chosen to do nothing now. She had better not push her luck. So she just told her champion to get off of her and then took a more convenient form for such a place, resembling an elf in her appearance.


    She prepared to move out when a Custodian appeared, saying, ¡°Please dress yourself, your nudity will cause unnecessary trouble.¡±


    She looked down at her nude body and grew angry, about to strike down the Custodian as her body was her pride and joy, to not show it off was the greatest insult.


    But she calmed herself down, finally saying, ¡°I can¡¯t, there aren¡¯t any clothes for me to wear.¡±


    The Custodian then created a plain white dress, holding it out to her.


    ¡°Wear this.¡±


    Her eyes darkened but she still wore it, the white dress accentuating her figure rather than hiding it. She¡ªdespite herself¡ªfound that she quite liked it, although she still preferred going in the nude. But she still had her pride to uphold so with a huff, she turned and walked off into a random direction, her champion eyeing the Custodian suspiciously before following her. Meanwhile, the damage that she had wrought was slowly repairing itself, it was as if Time was reversing until the buildings were restored to their previous state. The White Dragon saw this and wasn¡¯t too surprised, after all, this being was insanely powerful and something like restoration wasn¡¯t beyond its capabilities.


    A few more days passed and the White Dragon enjoyed herself in Otium, her previous anger towards the Librarian disappearing, replaced with awe. His accomplishments were nothing but god-like, perhaps he even was a god, one that was forgotten by the rest of the world. It certainly made sense, it would explain his absurd strength and Otium itself. But as she thought this, she heard the hum of energy as the defensive crystal towers began to light up, hundreds of Custodians suddenly appearing out of nowhere lining in perfect formation on the walls of Otium. Curious, she headed over to the wall and saw a massive orc fleet, lead by one ship that was superior in terms of size and quality to the other ships. At its prow stood the Orc King, the Blood-Eater held in his right hand.


    He then pointed towards Otium and shouted, ¡°Fire!¡±


    Suddenly, a wave of magic projectiles shot forth from the boats, if it wasn¡¯t for the danger they presented it would have been one of the most beautiful things one could see. But as the White Dragon expected, it had no effect, the attacks dissipating against the invisible barrier. Having confirmed the act of hostility, the crystal towers glowed brighter, preparing to fire but on some unspoken command, only one actually fired, a warning shot. It incinerated everything in its path, destroying a hundred of the fleet of two thousand.


    The Orc King was shocked at the destruction just one of those towers had caused but before he could do anything, a floating figure suddenly appeared in front of him, a Custodian.


    The Custodian warned, ¡°Should you continue hostilities, you shall be exterminated. Choose wisely, Orc King.¡±


    And just as it came, it disappeared, leaving the Orc King with his enraged retainers.


    His retainers urged him to continue the attack but the Orc King just roared at them angrily, ¡°Shut up! If we attack, all of us will die even me!¡±


    Calmer now, he continued, ¡°We can only go along with their demands.¡±


    The other orcs were silent, they didn¡¯t argue with the Orc King because they knew that he was far wiser than them and if he said that they couldn¡¯t win, they couldn¡¯t win. So they just peacefully docked onto Otium and followed their Custodian guides who led them to a section of Otium which had been converted for their use with large food stalls everywhere. Seeing it, the orcs began to eat, amazed by the fact that the food automatically reappeared to replace those that they had eaten. Soon, the orcs were gorging themselves on delicious food and were quite satisfied, only the Orc King uneasy. But he just decided to wait for now and eat some food, he couldn¡¯t afford to offend the Master of Otium if his servants were this powerful.


    After seeing the actions of these two most recent representatives, the Librarian wasn¡¯t sure what to expect from the humans and elves of the Alliance but he needn¡¯t worry, when they arrived a week later, they were very compliant and even offered to hand over their weapons. The Custodians treated them favorably and took them to see the Librarian immediately, other Custodians heading out to gather the other representatives. Soon, all were gathered before the entrance of the mysterious Pyramid, waiting for the doors to open. When it finally opened, they expected to see the Librarian but they only saw a stone golem who just looked at them emotionlessly before turning and walking into the depths of the Pyramid.


    The Custodians didn¡¯t move and so, they began to follow the golem who had stopped and looked back at them. Once they followed it, it just began to lead the way through the great Library of the Surveyor. There were many other golems like it who were working at the shelves of the Library, constantly pulling and placing books on various shelves. The golem kept walking forward and the others followed it while looking at their surroundings, the inside of the Pyramid seeming far larger than the outside suggested. In fact, they couldn¡¯t see the opposite end of the Pyramid, something which unsettled them, as if they had stepped into a different dimension.


    Suddenly, the golem stopped at what seemed to be the center of the Library, a large empty door frame greeting them. It was made of intricate black crystal, looking like the Gate of Death. All who looked upon it suddenly had a chill run down their spines, this was something that truly wasn¡¯t of the mortal world. As they stared at it, the golem stood before it and lightly tapped its right foot, the empty door frame filling with a black void. The golem then stood to one side and gestured they enter but none did.


    Finally, the White Dragon stepped forward, saying out loud, more to herself than anyone else, ¡°I am not afraid!¡±


    Her champion quickly followed and after him went the Orc King, his hand on his sword. The other representatives also followed after a slight hesitation. Once they all stepped through, the dark void disappeared and with its job finished, the golem returned to its previous duties.


    The sight that greeted the White Dragon¡¯s eyes amazed her, a circular garden filled with the most beautiful of flowers. As she looked around, her eyes finally settled on a familiar robed-figure, the Librarian. He was tending to a particular group of flowers which possessed petals of starlight and a jet-black stem with silver thorns. Behind her, the others soon arrived and they too looked in awe of their surroundings before locking their eyes onto the Librarian.


    The Librarian then stood and turned to face them, his single silver glowing eye staring from the depths of his hood. He then waved a hand and the garden rearranged itself, opening a circular space in the middle. He then created a chair for him to sit down in and created ten chairs for the ambassadors.


    He took a seat and gestured to the others, saying, ¡°Please, take a seat.¡±

 Chapter 61: Knowledge Has a Price

    None dared to disobey and all took their seats, the Librarian surveying all of them with his singular eye.


    There was silence for a few moments until the Librarian said, ¡°Would any of you like some tea?¡±


    Seeing as no one took his offer, the Librarian then ignored them, waving his right hand and creating a table with an ornate tea set made of black porcelain. With another flick, a teacup was made and he poured himself a cup, the scent of unknown herbs filling the air. Everyone began to wonder just what the tea tasted like, the elves more so than the others. They knew many types of tea leaves but they didn¡¯t recognize the ones that the Librarian used and as such, they were curious.


    Seeing their looks of curiosity, the Librarian asked once more, ¡°Well, would any of you like some tea?¡±


    This time, none of them refused, even the Orc King took a dainty little teacup and carefully sipped at it, looking quite comical. But no one laughed, they were too focused on the tea that they were drinking. The elves, in particular, were awestruck, they had tasted what they considered to be the best tea but in the face of the Librarian¡¯s tea, everything else paled in comparison.


    The female elf couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where did you get these leaves?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°These are the leaves of the Silgaria Tree, an ancient tree that once existed when Agleon was still young. Unfortunately, they are extinct now, not even I can bring them back. All I can do is remember them, like this tea. This tea is but a construct of my memories, back in a time where many things were once possible.¡±


    This time, the White Dragon spoke, ¡°Just what are you? I am as old as Agleon herself and yet I have never met a creature such as you and yet I feel that I have.¡±


    The Librarian looked at her and for a moment, its silver eye dimmed, ¡°I am, as far as I know, the last of my race, a race that possessed no name as it existed before such a concept.¡±


    Somewhat unsatisfied with his enigmatic answer, the White Dragon then asked, ¡°Then why have you called us here?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°Simple, for even though I can observe the lives of all of you here, I do not understand what lies within your mind. To do that, I decided to speak with you and glean what I can from your answers.¡±


    The Surveyor had decided to use this inefficient method as it had no wish to break their minds. It could glean several of their surface thoughts but their core beliefs, all of that could only be accessed by it once their mind was broken. That was an easy feat for the Surveyor to accomplish but the result would be a specimen that was in the physical sense, alive but empty of sentience. It was no better than death and a dead specimen had no use to the Surveyor. It would like to keep these specimens alive for as long as possible so it could gather as much information as possible.


    After a few moments, the Orc King then spoke, ¡°What knowledge do you possess?¡±


    The Librarian immediately answered, ¡°I possess knowledge of the art of war, magic, and the history of countless cultures. I also possess the knowledge of species, their anatomy, their language, their intelligence, etc. I know many things and it is highly probable that I am able to answer any question that you may have. But do remember that to learn the knowledge I possess, you must first offer something of equal value.¡±


    All were shocked by his words, if what the Librarian said was true, they could learn almost anything in the world. But his following words worried them, a price was mentioned and they were wondering what it was.


    The Orc King, his eyes bright as he saw a chance to awaken the magic potential of his race, asked, ¡°What would that price be?¡±


    The Librarian replied, ¡°Anything as long as its value is the same as the knowledge you seek. It could be an object, a piece of knowledge that I do not yet know, your memories, or even some years of your life. I will give you a choice on how to pay the price but know that none of the choices will be easy.¡±


    The Orc King then asked, his eyes burning bright, ¡°Then do you know how to awaken the magical potential of orcs?!¡±


    The Librarian nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    The Orc King, excited, said, ¡°Speak the price, I shall pay it!¡±


    As he stared excitedly at the Librarian, the others unconsciously leaned forward, they too wanted to know what the price was.


    The Librarian then spoke, ¡°There are two prices from which you may choose from. The first one is Sword of Korbus and the second is the lives of you and your descendants.¡±


    The Orc King¡¯s feverish eyes suddenly lost their look, shock and then anger twisting his face.


    He growled, ¡°Why the lives of my children?! Their life is not mine!¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°Not quite. You split a piece of your life when you made your children, therefore their life can be considered yours and from them, your life was passed on to your grandchildren and so on. As you lack the necessary lifespan to pay the price, the lives of your children and your children¡¯s children are needed. As it is, just the lives of you and your forty-eight thousand, six hundred and seventy-three descendants are barely enough.¡±


    The Orc King¡¯s face purpled with anger. ¡°This price of yours is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± the Librarian asked, ¡°It seems quite fair. After all, to awaken the magic potential of orcs is no easy feat, one you should know. And to awaken all of them, the lives of you and your forty-eight thousand, six hundred and seventy-three descendants need to be sacrificed as your combined lifespan is equal to the number of years it would take for Orckind to naturally achieve complete mastery over magic. Considering that it is the future of Orckind, I don¡¯t think that this is too heavy a price to pay.¡±


    The Orc King¡¯s eyes darkened and said, ¡°Of course you would say that, you never had to pay such a price!¡±


    The Librarian replied simply, ¡°Then don¡¯t pay the price.¡±


    The Orc King fell silent, shocked at what the Librarian had told him. But he then remembered the other choice and then asked, ¡°Then what about the Sword of Korbus, why was that a price?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The Librarian answered, ¡°The power within your sword is made with the blood of countless of orcs, meaning that the energy within it is enough to awaken the magic within Orckind. Of course, the energy of the Sword must be purified and the process will destroy the Sword.¡±


    The Orc King was silent, he just couldn¡¯t decide on what to do, his lifelong goal was standing right before him but the price to fulfill it was far too great. Eventually, he just sat back down, finally deciding that he would rather find the answer himself.


    The Librarian then took a sip of tea before asking, ¡°Does anyone else have any questions.¡±


    This time, a representative of Auster stood, asking, ¡°Lord Librarian, what do you plan to do in the future?¡±


    The Librarian replied, ¡°Well, nothing I suppose. That is if you all leave me alone. Otium will, as it was long ago, remain neutral. But should it come under attack, I shall not hesitate to retaliate.¡±


    This time, the Orc King asked, ¡°What does retaliate mean?¡±


    The Librarian turned its gaze towards him.


    ¡°It would be the complete and utter extermination of all who were involved in this attack, even the women and children. Once the purge is complete, I will leave, whether or not the nation falls is none of my concern.¡±


    At his words, everyone felt fear, especially those that had entertained thoughts of invading Otium. This truly was someone that they could not afford to offend, it was best just to leave him alone. The following silence was only broken by the occasional sip of tea that the Librarian would take as he waited for the next question.


    Finally, a human stood up, nervous but determined.


    ¡°Um, Sir Librarian, may I ask if it may be possible to learn the sword-style of Azemar?¡±


    At that, the Librarian¡¯s singular eye briefly glowed.


    ¡°Azemar... that human was one that intrigued me greatly. His death was truly a shame, it would have been far better for it to have been on the battlefield. As it happens, I do know the sword-style of Azemar and the price for it would be an equally rare sword-style or twenty years of your life.¡±


    The human looked down, thinking about what he should sacrifice.


    Finally, he looked back up and said, ¡°Well, I do have a sword-style which I believe is just as rare but I do not have the book with me.¡±


    The Librarian assured, ¡°That is of no matter, I can just take it from your mind. But be warned, you will forget this sword-style but in exchange, you will know how to fight as Azemar once did. Do not waver in your decision, the consequences will not be light.¡±


    He nodded and closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind. The Librarian then stood slowly, making his way over to the human. He then outstretched a hand and placed his forefinger on the human¡¯s forehead. The human shivered as a cold sensation entered his head, sifting through his memories and searching for the sword-style. Finally, it selected all the memories that were related to it and took them away, leaving him with a sense of loss. But in return, the knowledge of Azemar¡¯s personal sword-style filled his mind, replacing what had been taken from him. The Librarian then returned to its seat, having finished the transaction.


    ¡°Is there anything else you¡¯d like to know?¡±


    This time, the female human stood, saying, ¡°There are ancient legends about the Master of Otium, about an Archmage named Ieros who created a divine artifact. Do you know how he did so?¡±


    The Librarian nodded, ¡°Of course, I was the one that imparted the knowledge to him.¡±


    Excited, the woman asked, ¡°What is the price?¡±


    The Librarian answered, ¡°He paid for it with a curse, a curse that would constantly eat away at his flesh until he was left dead. No matter what he did, the curse would always corrode his flesh, forcing him to constantly expend energy to heal himself and leaving him in constant pain. He chose this from the other price which were the lives of him and nine of his descendants. As he never married, he lacked the resources to pay the price and so chose the other one. As a result, he lived a life of perpetual pain until his death a thousand years ago.¡±


    At the mention of the price, the woman¡¯s face paled, a curse that would forever eat away at her flesh until she died? She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to pay such a price so she sat back down.


    Then the Librarian spoke, ¡°Yes, power has a great price, a price that is often paid with Time. But, enough of this topic, are there any more questions?¡±


    Seeing as there were none, the Librarian directed his gaze towards the Orc King, asking, ¡°May I see your sword, of course, I will repay you with knowledge suitable for the price.¡±


    The Orc King asked, ¡°What knowledge?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°Knowledge about your ancestors, specifically the ways of the ones called Irascor.¡±


    The Orc King¡¯s eyes lit up.


    ¡°You know of them?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Of course, they were quite fascinating and so I devoted some of the Library just for their ways.¡±


    But the Orc King still hesitated, after all, the Librarian was strong. He wasn¡¯t sure if the Librarian would return the sword to him. Eventually, he handed it over and the Librarian took it easily, his silver eye studying the sword. After a time, he returned it to the Orc King and then placed his finger on the orc¡¯s forehead, imprinting the information in his mind. As the Orc King processed the information in his head, the Librarian held out his hand, darkness pooling into a black sphere above it. The darkness began to condense into dark matter which the Librarian then converted into the material that the Blood-Eater was made of, the black and red sword perfectly replicated in the Librarian¡¯s hand.


    The Orc King stared in shock at the replica while the Librarian began to test how the sword would perform at its peak state. It held out the blade and with its other hand, began to create another dark sphere, this time converting it into golden ichor, the blood of the gods. Glowing gold liquid cascaded onto the sword and yet not a single drop fell onto the ground, the sword greedily drinking it all. As this blood was far more potent than mortal blood, it wasn¡¯t long before the sword had drunk its fill, glowing a deep red and humming with power.


    Suddenly, the surroundings changed and the representatives soon found themselves on top of a barren plateau, surrounded by desolate mountains. The Librarian slowly raised the blade and then slashed downward, the sword seeming to thrum with delight as it unleashed its power. A red crescent moon was shot forth, its size one-fifth of Agleon¡¯s circumference. It tore apart both earth and sky, leaving a dark void where it had slashed through. The Librarian was silent, returning to its seat as their surroundings changed back into the garden of flowers. He casually dismissed the sword, the red and black blade dissipating into a dark mist.


    Shocked, the Orc King demanded, ¡°What the hell did you do?!¡±


    The Librarian replied, ¡°I merely copied the Blood-Eater. Do not worry, it was purely for the sake of knowledge, I possess far more dangerous weapons than some sword of a god.¡±


    More powerful than the Blood-Eater?!


    The Orc King drew his breath in sharply, his thoughts in chaos. This meant that he was stronger the Korbus and Korbus was a god, a being that was unchallenged under the heavens, just who was this being that surpassed even the gods?


    Somewhat doubtful, the Orc King then asked, ¡°Then may I see such a weapon?¡±


    The Librarian thought on this before finally saying, ¡°Very well, there will be no price as your mortal mind will be unable to comprehend the knowledge.¡±


    So saying, the Librarian stood once more and summoned the Book. Almost immediately, everyone felt an oppressive aura, one that not only weighed down on their bodies but their very souls. The Librarian opened it to a certain page and then spoke a Word, a Word not unlike the one that Darkness used to stop the fighting between Light and Night. It was a Word of power, a Word of command, a Word that was beyond both mortals and immortals. Upon hearing it, their souls trembled and their bodies shook, obviously, the power of the Word had been greatly diminished, otherwise they would have been erased from existence. The Librarian then closed the Book and dismissed it, waving a hand and restoring everyone¡¯s condition.


    Her mind still shocked by the power of the Word, the White Dragon asked, ¡°What was that?¡±


    The Librarian merely said, ¡°It is a fragment of the First Language, the words that Darkness used when creating Creation.¡±

 Chapter 62: Desires Reveal Much

    The White Dragon was filled with shock. ¡°How do you know that language?!¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°I was there when Darkness created Agleon and the many creatures that inhabited one time or another, I would have been a fool not to remember his words.¡±


    The White Dragon pressed, ¡°But how are you able to speak them, no one but Darkness should be able to utter them!¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°Well it is obvious, I paid a price to get the power to do so, a price that I still wonder if I should have paid.¡±


    ¡°What did you pay?¡± she asked.


    The Librarian glanced at her, the White Dragon freezing under his gaze.


    ¡°Do you truly wish to know?¡±


    She gulped and finally said, ¡°Perhaps not.¡±


    The Librarian then sipped some tea, filling it back up meticulously after he had finished.


    As he poured the tea, he said, ¡°In all my years of observation, I have seen many things, nations rising and falling, mortals waging war and bringing peace. It was strange to me, how so much diversity can be contained within you mortals. In time, I discovered that was most likely because of the free will you were given, to choose how you want to live. And yet, you also regret some choices you made in your life and attempt to fix it, even though you cannot turn back time. For some reason, you believe that gaining power in some shape or form will fix all of your mistakes and so you strive towards the top, believing that something great will happen once you reach the top. And once you reach the top, you discover that perhaps, it really wasn¡¯t worth it after all, that the only thing enjoyable about the whole thing was the journey. Time and time again this happens and yet you never learn to stop, it seems that the allure of power is simply too much. Tell me, are my observations correct?¡±


    The representatives were silent, each pondering how to refute his theory.


    Finally, the human woman spoke again, saying, ¡°Yes, you are right in saying that we mortals pursue power to fix past mistakes. But that is not the only thing we long for, we also seek power to protect things and people precious to us.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I have seen that too, although it has been quite lacking as of late. I do believe it is caused by an emotion, love. And I can understand why you mortals fall prey to it so easily, it is like a drug, capable of bringing great euphoria but also great despair. It can serve as one¡¯s greatest strength but one¡¯s greatest chains and yet you all yearn for it, ignoring the boons and flaws it can bring. It seems that it is just a part of you, an instinct that you cannot ignore. And perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that you mortals are social creatures, most can¡¯t bear to be alone without going insane.¡±


    The woman seemed to want to say something but she then thought about it.


    Finally, she spoke, ¡°Well, love isn¡¯t just that Lord Librarian. Love isn¡¯t something that is so easily explained, it is a wonderful thing when you meet the right person. Love can save even the most corrupt, it isn¡¯t just something that brings pleasure.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I do suppose you are right. It is something that even I do not fully understand and perhaps it is better that way, for love is useless to one such as me.¡±


    The human woman couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    The Librarian answered, ¡°It is because I am alone, a unique existence among all of Life. All creatures were created with opposites to which they are attracted but I lack that opposite. I am, for a lack of better words, a complete being.¡±


    Seeing the confused looks of the representatives, the Librarian decided to explain.


    ¡°What I mean is that I am well and truly Immortal. Not like the gods, they may have eternal life but they are not invulnerable to death, they can still be killed. I am both immortal and invulnerable, meaning that Death has no power over me. But, of course, that is not without a price. I do not have a ¡®partner,¡¯ I am alone and always will be. You mortals and the gods are incomplete, you must seek out your other half in order to bear children, your own method of immortality. As long as a child that bears your blood exists, you are not truly dead. But as I will never die, I have become an existence that does not need such things as love and a mate, therefore when I came into being, these things were denied to me. This form you see before you is not representative of my true nature, it was just something I adopted to more easily communicate with mortals.¡±


    Upon hearing his explanation, the mortals were shocked and awed, this was a True Immortal. All of them had no doubt in their minds that the Librarian could defeat gods with but a glance and the White Dragon realized why he seemed so familiar, he was very similar to Darkness. That aura, it was so similar, yet there were obvious differences. Perhaps the Librarian would become an existence like Darkness if given time. Of course, if she were to find out that the Librarian was actually a piece of Darkness, she¡¯d probably faint from shock but the Librarian had no intention of revealing itself. After all, it was a persona that had no relation to Darkness other than personally witnessing it creating Agleon, it wasn¡¯t the Surveyor.


    Finally, the representatives from Auster began to speak, a Satorian pulling back her hood and gazing at the Librarian with large black eyes.


    ¡°Lord Librarian, I am curious, why have you only started to occupy Otium as of recently?¡±


    The Librarian replied, ¡°Although I am immortal, it does not mean I cannot be harmed, when the Great Calamity arrived a thousand years ago, I was injured greatly when aiding Grand Archmage Ieros to defeat End. Upon recovering from my injuries, I looked for a place to stay and remembered Otium, a place that Ieros built.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The Satorian blinked and then bowed her head.


    ¡°It seems I must thank you, without your efforts, I doubt that Agleon would still be here today.¡±


    The Librarian shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me but the Grand Archmage, if not for him, I would have left Agleon and searched for another world to observe.¡±


    The Satorian nodded, ¡°Very well, I give thanks and pay my respects. It is a shame though, from the records of the Imperial Library, Ieros seemed to be a great man. I would have liked to meet him in person.¡±


    The Librarian offered, ¡°Well, you won¡¯t meet him in person but I can allow you to meet my memory of him. It is quite accurate, it holds a version of him before he and I fought against End. But this is knowledge as well so you will have to pay a price.¡±


    The Satorian nodded, ¡°I understand. Lord Librarian, how about this, I will give you access to the Library of Silenda and the Library of Auster¡¯s Capital in exchange for meeting Ieros and the right to obtain some books from your Library.¡±


    The Librarian thought on this and finally said, ¡°This is acceptable, you may meet with Ieros and choose three books from the First Level. Once you have returned, I will lead you to the First Level and explain what you must do to choose a book.¡±


    He then casually waved with his hand, a black gate appearing near the Satorian.


    ¡°Within you will find Ieros.¡±


    She stood and bowed to the Librarian before stepping through the gate, disappearing into its dark depths. The gate closed, leaving the room minus one Satorian.


    The Librarian then surveyed the representatives, looking to see who had not yet spoken.


    Seeing the White Dragon¡¯s champion he asked, ¡°What is it you want?¡±


    The Saurian thought for a moment, finally saying with conviction, ¡°To gain the power necessary to protect the White Dragon.¡±


    The Librarian cocked its head curiously.


    ¡°But she is quite powerful, she doesn¡¯t need protection.¡±


    The Saurian nodded, ¡°I know but nevertheless, it is the desire of me as her son to protect his mother, a desire all Saurians share.¡±


    Seeing his absolute loyalty and devotion to the White Dragon, the Librarian could understand. After all, he felt much the same to Darkness.


    The Librarian then said, ¡°Well, I do know a way for you to obtain such power, it would be to forcibly ignite your evolution and hasten it, meaning that you will undergo various changes that will make you more powerful. But to obtain this power, you must pay with the hearts of five lesser dragons or a divine artifact.¡±


    The Saurian¡¯s eyes, burning hope, dimmed.


    ¡°I cannot pay this price.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°There is no time limit, you may return when you have obtained one of these two prices.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the Saurian stood and bowed deeply, saying with gratitude, ¡°I thank you, Lord Librarian. You don¡¯t know how much this means to me.¡±


    The Librarian just nodded.


    It then looked to the others and asked, ¡°Are there still questions that need to be answered?¡±


    Seeing nothing, the Librarian was about to end the meeting when the human female spoke once more, sweat collecting on her forehead, ¡°Lord Librarian, if it isn¡¯t too much trouble, would you allow the Alliance to live within Otium?¡±


    The Librarian shook its head, ¡°No, Otium is not a city, it is a place of rest. But I will not have any problems with any living near it. I hope this satisfies your needs.¡±


    She was slightly disappointed but bowed her head, ¡°It is more than enough, Lord Librarian. I thank you for giving my people a chance for survival.¡±


    The Librarian looked at her and said, ¡°But know this, I will not aid you should you come under attack. Those that enter Otium will be protected but other than that, you will be on your own.¡±


    She nodded, unable to hide the disappointment in her face. She had hoped for too much, this Librarian was not a generous fellow.


    He then looked once more to the others and asked, ¡°Now, is this all?¡±


    There were no more questions and so the Librarian brought the meeting to an end. He had learned much from this conversation through the desires of the representatives, after all, desires were reflections of the mind after all. He first took everyone outside before returning to the garden, waiting for the Satorian to finish her conversation. In the meantime, he recorded what he had heard into his Library, the Satorian appearing through a black gate just when he had finished. She bowed to him and he just nodded to her, escorting her to the First Level to pick out the three books she wanted.


    The Librarian explained the rules of selecting books, ¡°Be careful, once you touch a book you have chosen it, whether or not you meant to do so. The titles of the books are self-explanatory so you should have no trouble picking out what should suit you best. Once you have selected your books, take them to the nearest golem. It will make copies for you to take, the originals cannot leave the Library.¡±


    She nodded and the Librarian said, ¡°I will come later to visit your Libraries, I will warn you ahead of time.¡±


    Once he was done explaining, he stepped through a black gate and disappeared, leaving the Satorian to choose what books she wanted. She soon selected three books, each of them relating to the magic of Ieros, although since these were from the First Level, they did not possess his high-tiered spells. This was something that the Surveyor had played with in his spare time, most of what Ieros could do was entirely dependent on the Surveyor but the Surveyor had no intention of doing so again. So he decided to make alternate spells that an exceptional mortal could use without his help. Of course, the power of said spells was significantly weaker but they were still powerful compared to mortal spells.


    And they were almost legendary in this era as many of the races have been losing their connection with Magic, especially the humans who lost many of their powerful mages and stores of knowledge during the Invasion. Without powerful mageblood, humans no longer had access to the more powerful magics and they degraded to such a state. The orcs were the only exception as they could take magic, although their control of it was a far cry to the sophisticated magic of the humans and elves. Even the Satorians could not escape their eroding control over Magic and the Satorian hoped that with the magic of Ieros, she may be able to salvage the magic of her race.


    She soon acquired the copies from a nearby golem and exited the Library, joining the rest of Auster¡¯s representatives to return home. The others followed her example, the elves and humans eager to return to tell the Alliance of the good news. The White Dragon took off with her champion and returned to Saurian lands and the Orc King returned, his great army following behind him. He set sail for home, his thoughts turning from the Library to how he would control the situation back home. He was sure that during his absence, several ambitious clan leaders would definitely try to take control and he looked forward to crushing them.


    Meanwhile, the Surveyor cast aside its persona and just rested, absorbing the thousand-year-old memories of Agleon¡¯s shadows.

 Chapter 63: The War for Kingship

    A thunderous roar caused an avalanche on Jagged-Tooth Mountain, a tsunami of snow and rubble hurtling down the mountainside. In the face of this force of nature was a single figure who stomped his foot, dark grey stone surging forth from the ground to act as his armor. He dug his feet in deep and prepared to meet the avalanche, a fierce grin on his face. He was then enveloped by a sea of white, the earth rising up to reinforce him when he stumbled backward. A few minutes later, when everything had settled down, a figure clad in stone armor burst forth from the snow, laughing vigorously.


    The stone armor fell off of him piece by piece, revealing his scarred and muscular form. It was Yargul, a superb male specimen of his species, towering over even other orcs at a height of three meters. This was due to the Mountain Ape¡¯s magic that he had absorbed, the power of Agleon modifying and strengthening his bones once he had fully absorbed the ape¡¯s magic. As he was now, he believed that he could fight against an elite of the Orc King¡¯s Elite Army and win, although he wasn¡¯t able to test it out as the Orc King had taken his elite army elsewhere.


    And as the Orc King had predicted, his absence had caused some of the clan leaders to get ideas. There had been peace these last few months, but this was merely a consolidation of power, the calm before the storm. Each of the orc clans was preparing their forces and making alliances in order to claim the seat of Orc King. Yargul¡¯s clan was doing the same, although they haven¡¯t made a move yet as their most powerful warrior had not yet returned. But once Yargul did, they would join in on what would be the largest war in recent memory.


    And Yargul at this moment was returning, still ignorant of the brewing of the greatest war in recent memory. However, he was returning without Ararys, she had succumbed to a mere cold and as her body was only recently recovering from her time as a slave, it was fatal to her. Yargul had been disappointed at her death, after all, he no longer had a great cook. But, it wasn¡¯t such a great loss, her meat still tasted quite nice although it wasn¡¯t as filling. Of course, it probably would have tasted better if she were to cook it but she was already dead and Yargul was never great at cooking.


    Nevertheless, the meat still tasted good, even though he had burnt it a bit, tender, soft, a delicacy that he had never really tasted. He had eaten human in the past but Ararys was a half-breed, both human and elf. Even he had never tasted elf before, they were considered too valuable to be eaten and no one bothered to eat the sick or elderly. It was too bad really, their meat was really tasty. If he had to describe it, it would be ¡°full of energy,¡± full of mana. As a quasi-magic beast, meat from creatures that possessed magic were especially delicious and thus elves¡ªbeings who were one with the energy of Nature itself¡ªwere especially tasty.


    Even if the meat wasn¡¯t purely elf, it was still nourishing to his source of mana which had absorbed the ape¡¯s magic. As elven magic and the energy of Agleon were closely intertwined, these two were great for one another and combining the two would make his earth magic far more powerful by purifying it. Like all things, mana varies between many stages of quality, from inferior to superior. Mana is needed to command Magic itself and the quality of said mana also has an effect. The purer the mana, the more powerful the effect of Magic. Of course, there are many different types of mana, ones that have a high affinity for flame magic, others with a high affinity towards water magic, etc. But the same concept still applies, the purer the mana, the stronger the magic. For example, the mana of dragons is superior to all other mortal creatures, capable of calling upon powers enough to destroy mountains. Their mana is the purest of all mana that originates from creatures and because of it, they can command Magic with ease.


    On the other end of the spectrum are the orcs, creatures with such pitifully dirty mana that it might as well be useless. But not completely, it could still serve as a ¡°bowl¡± for foreign mana. Once it absorbs new, purer mana, the orc is now capable of utilizing the foreign mana. Of course, it¡¯s not easy for the impure mana to absorb new mana, two different types of mana don¡¯t like to mix and should they ever meet, the result is often explosive. As such, one needs a strong body in order to endure the magical conflict within their body until they have completely mixed.


    However, to mix another mana into the existing mixture is tantamount to suicide for most orcs who had already gained magic, Yargul only was able to do so because of the body that the Surveyor made for him. Thus Yargul became the first orc in recent memory to possess two magical abilities, although he would keep them a secret for now. Consolidation of strength was just as important as gaining strength, his strength would be of no use to him if he couldn¡¯t use it. That was why he had spent over five months in Jagged-Tooth Mountain, using the solitude of the cave to safely gain control over his newfound strength.


    Anyways, after a week¡¯s travel, he finally returned home, surprising many orcs with his towering height. There were some who had wanted to challenge him but seeing his new height and build, they wisely kept their mouths shut. Yargul remained unchallenged as he returned home, although he did find a group of unknown orcs and the chieftain at the door of his house when he returned.


    He was curious but at the same time he couldn¡¯t be bothered to find out, he just wanted to sleep in his bed. So he ignored them all and was about to step into his home when a fist hit his back. It had quite some power in it but as Yargul was reinforced by the power of Agleon, he was unfazed, he had only felt a slight shove. He turned, his mood steadily souring.


    ¡°What?¡±


    The orc who had thrown the punch was surprised that Yargul hadn¡¯t fallen forward, he had put a fair bit of strength in his strike. Seeing as the orc didn¡¯t answer, Yargul snorted and promptly bitchslapped the orc, knocking his body five meters back, his neck broken.


    He then warned, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep. If any of you bother me before I wake up, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    The chieftain tried to speak but Yargul cut him off.


    ¡°You speak and you¡¯re dead.¡±


    After this warning, Yargul stepped into his home, lying down in his bed with a satisfied sigh. It was nice to sleep on something soft and warm for once. Perhaps he should stay for a while, take a break from going out into the wilderness. But he¡¯d have to get a larger bed, this one was too small for him now. But he¡¯ll deal with that later, now is time for sleep. Unable to do anything under the face of Yargul¡¯s threat, the chieftain managed to persuade the other orcs to let the matter rest until morning, nervous because these orcs were powerful warriors sent by powerful orc lords seeking to hire the Ulgar Clan.


    These warriors were enemies of one another but they had agreed to a temporary truce, starting a fight in a foreign clan was an easy way to die, even for these powerful orcs. Especially with Yargul¡¯s warning, it was better that they deal with a calm Yargul instead of an ill-tempered one. They too decided to retire to bed, not really looking forward to the morning. If Yargul¡¯s attitude just now was indicative of his normal attitude, coaxing the Ulgar Clan to join one side would not be easy. But they would cross that bridge when they get there, it was no use worrying about it until it came.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    In the morning, they gathered once more in front of Yargul¡¯s house, waiting for him to wake up. But he didn¡¯t, the sun rising well into the sky before there was any sign of life from the house. Finally, Yargul exited his home to face a nervous chieftain and a group of angry orcs. He looked at them impassively, not particularly impressed by the sight before him.


    He then yawned, asking, ¡°What?¡±


    The chieftain interjected before the other orcs could speak, ¡°Yargul, these are representatives of five different orc lords, they all want to hire the Ulgar Clan.¡±


    ¡°Hire?! No, not after the humiliation I¡¯ve gone through!¡± exclaimed one impudent orc, ¡°You shall be enslaved!¡±


    Yargul took one look at him and sighed, slowly walking towards him.


    He then grabbed the orc by the throat and said, ¡°And I have decided that you are annoying.¡±


    He then squeezed, snapping the orc''s neck and then tossed aside the corpse.


    He looked at the other orcs, asking, ¡°Any of you share his sentiments?¡±


    An orc stepped forward.


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are? I am the representative of-¡±


    Yargul killed him too, saying, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Now, anyone else have a problem?¡±


    This time, they were silent and Yargul said, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    The chieftain hurriedly sent one of his orcs to alert the rest of the clan to prepare a great feast.


    Meanwhile, the chieftain said, ¡°Yargul, I think you were a bit rash in killing them.¡±


    Yargul shrugged, ¡°They were annoying me and so I killed them. If their orc lords have a problem with that, they can take it up with me.¡±


    Seeing the look of fear and doubt in the chieftain¡¯s eyes, Yargul said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s been a reason why I¡¯ve been gone so long, I haven¡¯t been wasting my time.¡±


    The chieftain finally sighed, ¡°Well the fate of the Ulgar Clan rests on your shoulders Yargul, don¡¯t lead us to ruin.¡±


    Yargul waved his hand dismissively, ¡°If anything, I¡¯ll lead us to heights that this clan has never known!¡±


    The or representatives snorted at his arrogance, thinking that this upstart would be crushed the moment he left his clan. The Ulgar Clan will be obedient upon his death for they no longer had a pillar to depend on. Looking at their faces, Yargul had an idea of what they were thinking and snorted, as if he would die so easily. He possessed two different and powerful defensive abilities, his defense was almost impregnable and his offense was already formidable before it was enhanced by the power of Agleon. He was confident that he would survive no matter what.


    He yawned tiredly as he waited for his food, the remaining representatives sitting nearby quietly. Finally, the food came, heaps upon heaps of cooked meat and more soon on the way. Yargul began to eat as did the other orcs in attendance, the meat soon disappearing so fast that they had to wait until the tables were filled with more meat. Some jars of wine were broken and drunk, the atmosphere soon turning rowdy as orcs expressed various emotional extremes. Fights broke out and the wine gave some the courage to challenge Yargul who casually swatted them aside while he ate meat.


    After he finished eating an hour later, he belched and said, ¡°Whoo, it¡¯s been a while since I was full. Anyways, I¡¯m in a good mood now so I will listen to whatever you have to say.¡±


    He looked at the orc representatives who remained silent, they had already decided that the Ulgar Clan was an enemy. Seeing their looks, Yargul shrugged.


    ¡°Well if you got nothing to say, get out.¡±


    Unable to endure his arrogant attitude any longer, the representative of the Iron Orc Lord stood, challenging him.


    ¡°I challenge you to a duel to the death!¡±


    Yargul nodded. ¡°I accept¡±


    He then threw a rock the size of his fist with such speed and force that it tore through the orc¡¯s skull like a cannonball, killing him instantly.


    The orc¡¯s corpse fell to the ground and Yargul commanded,


    ¡°Throw his body into the forest, let the animals eat him.¡±


    Immediately, a few orcs went to do as he commanded, dragging the body off while Yargul turned his gaze to the other orcs.


    ¡°Well? Anyone else want to challenge me?¡±


    Seeing none of them dare to do so, he snorted derisively and asked, ¡°Chief, I know that they are here to hire the Ulgar Clan but what for?¡±


    The chieftain blinked in surprise, explaining, ¡°Well they are here to hire the Ulgar Clan in the fight for the title of Orc King. Each of the Orc Lords have their eyes on the title of Orc King and so they have either been hiring clans or defeating them and absorbing their strength. These representatives have come to do the same thing to us.¡±


    Yargul snorted, drinking some wine before saying, ¡°So they¡¯re basically here to tell us to join them or die?¡±


    The chieftain nodded.


    Yargul, having finished his wine, poured himself another bowlful and studied at the two remaining representatives.


    ¡°Well, do you still wish to hire the Ulgar Clan?¡±


    Under his gaze, the two representatives didn¡¯t speak, they didn¡¯t want to end up like the others.


    Yargul drank some more wine.


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be shy. I won¡¯t kill you this time.¡±


    They still remained silent, distrusting his words.


    But, they couldn¡¯t stay silent forever so one representative said, ¡°Yes, I believe that your strength would be a great addition to the Skull Lord¡¯s forces.¡±


    Skull Lord, that was a name that Yargul recognized. The sadistic orc who collected the skulls of all he defeated, it¡¯s been said that he sits upon a throne made entirely of skulls. Yargul wasn¡¯t afraid, an orc of the Skull Lord¡¯s status was most definitely rich and could supply him with high-quality weapons, something that Yargul desired very much.


    The allure of high-quality weapons was too much and so Yargul agreed.


    But before the representative could rejoice, Yargul demanded, ¡°Well for the Ulgar Clan to join under your banner, we must have payment. Two hundred armor sets, two hundred weapons, and a high-tiered magic weapon for myself.¡±


    The representative said, ¡°You will get your armor and weapons but I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s up to the Skull Lord whether or not he wants to give you such a powerful weapon.¡±


    Yargul said, ¡°That¡¯s the deal, take it or leave it.¡±


    The representative pursed his lips in displeasure before nodding.


    ¡°Very well, I shall relay your terms to the Skull Lord.¡±


    He stood and took his leave, flanked by two other orcs and Yargul turned his attention to the last one, saying, ¡°Well what are you still here for, go.¡±


    The orc stood up and left as well, wanting so badly to teach Yargul a lesson but after witnessing the swift deaths of those that tried to defend their pride, he quickly made the wise decision that life was better than pride.


    Yargul snorted as the coward slunk away, saying to a few warrior orcs, ¡°Tail him and kill him some ways outside of our border. Leave the one from the Skull Lord alone.¡±


    They nodded and immediately set off, Yargul returning to his wine. There wasn¡¯t any particular reason as to why he wanted to kill the coward, his face just pissed him off. And as for the war for kingship, Yargul was beginning to get excited. Finally, a full-blown war, the first that he would ever experience and hopefully not the last. He smiled as he imagined fighting for his life, surrounded by enemies, a battle that forced him to use everything he had just to survive. Yes, it would be... exhilarating.


    Yargul then said, ¡°Chief, I say it¡¯s time to prepare for war.¡±

 Chapter 64: Civil War 2

    Upon hearing his words, the nearby orcs couldn¡¯t help but let loose their excitement, cheering and dancing although they kept a fair distance from Yargul. They were not so drunk that they would dare offend the Invincible One. Yargul downed the wine in his bowl in a single go and laughed, the other orcs sharing his laughter. After a day¡¯s celebrations, more serious matters were attended to at night, mostly who would defend the village while the warriors were out to battle. Once, the entire clan would move out to fight but this was no longer possible, the orcs had settled down and it wasn¡¯t so easy to uproot their more permanent home.


    But the matter was soon easily decided, there would just have to be a contest where the winners of each round would get to go to war, roughly dividing the good fighters from the bad. Through this method, roughly half of the population would be selected to go to war, although there would have to be some rules. No killing as that would be wasting valuable orc-power but anything else would be allowed. It was a simple but effective solution, one that satisfied the orcs as well. They had always solved things through fighting and this would be no different.


    This was to be put in place tomorrow when most of the orc population had recovered from the festivities, it wouldn¡¯t do to lose any potentially powerful orcs just because they were drunk. Yargul wouldn¡¯t be participating however, he had already proven his strength, his title alone was enough to scare most orcs. But he would not refuse a challenge, although he would have no mercy to those that dared to even desire his title. That was how he would keep his title, one moment of weakness could prove to be the last mistake that he would ever make. Thus Yargul was determined not to make such a mistake, he had seen too many powerful orcs who had dared to show mercy and then get stabbed in the back, sometimes quite literally.


    To die so pitifully was not how Yargul wanted to die, if he wanted to, it would be against an opponent which he could not defeat. Not that Yargul planned to let that happen, he was the one that was going to reach the top of the world, he was going to be the most powerful of all orcs, how could he reach such a title if he were to die so pitifully? Night soon came and all the orcs retired to their beds except those that were on guard duty. Some orcs went directly to sleep while a few others spent a few hours more enjoying the company of the opposite sex, although there were some exceptions.


    These orcs were viewed as strange but those that survived had the power to keep their lifestyle, although they did their best not to offend Yargul. He had only allowed their existence for this long because he simply did not care about whatever they did, only that it didn¡¯t bother him. But he could not deny that he saw them as strange, just what the hell made those of the same gender so attractive to them? But Yargul often lost interest in this train of thought before he would keep himself awake with such thoughts, he had learned that the path to happiness often involved not digging into things that he had no business in.


    A hard lifestyle for some to follow but it suited Yargul just fine, after all, the one who was going to become the strongest of all orcs could not busy himself over such meaningless things. What he should focus on his the condition of his body and the acquisition of more strength. That was of the utmost importance, everything else came after.


    Later, the soft light of the morning peaked over the horizon, Yargul waking alongside the sun. He left his house, stretching as he did so, grunting with satisfaction as his body loosened. He went off into the woods to take a piss, his mind absent of thoughts, just taking in the peace of the morning. There was silence out in the woods, almost absolute except for the slight rustle of the leaves in the stillness. Along with the stillness, the scent of wet earth, rotting leaves, and the trees gently caressed his nose, his mind peaceful and calm.


    He stood out there in the forest for a long time, just enjoying the tranquility. Finally, he yawned sleepily and finally began to walk back, thinking that he should do this every now and then. To do absolutely nothing at all really wasn¡¯t so bad, no, it really wasn¡¯t.


    Upon returning, he cleared his throat a few times before shouting, ¡°Hey! Wake up! I¡¯m gonna explain how you¡¯re gonna be chosen to go to war!¡±


    At the word ¡°war,¡± orcs hurriedly exited their homes, some being run over in the process and sustaining light injuries.


    Yargul then shouted, ¡°Basically, its gonna be one huge brawl where those that remain standing after I say stop will get to go to war. No killing but anything else is fine. Any who kill shall be personally killed by me, I don¡¯t need orcs who don¡¯t listen.¡±


    The orcs just stood there and slightly irritably, Yargul said, ¡°Well what are you waiting for, begin!¡±


    The orcs stood still for a moment before breaking out into the largest brawl in Ulgar history, Yargul sitting back to enjoy the show. Aside from him, a few others had found nice spots to watch the brawl as well, the elders and children of the clan, they were too weak to be even considered for war. The elders had looks of regret on their faces, if only they were ten years younger, then they would still have a chance at war. Indeed, the worst thing that could happen to an orc was getting old, it was simply terrible to witness their slow decline. It is unbearable to an orc to watch themselves deteriorate and be unable to do anything about it other than to die while they still had a chance to display their strength.


    These elders, however, had been unfortunate, the battles that they had attended during the last serviceable years of their lives had not claimed their lives, it just served to be a painful memory of a time when they could fight. These orcs just exist to teach the younger generation their skills, for they hoped that through the knowledge they taught, they would live on. That was how some of the greatest orcs continued to live on, their legacy their weapons and way of fighting. Despite what most enlightened races thought, the orcs did possess some form of martial art, although this was limited to only the greatest of them and it was still primitive at best.


    But it was a martial art nonetheless and it was in this way that the greatest warrior orcs were remembered throughout the centuries despite the short memory and lifespan of orcs. Of course, the original fighting style had been lost to Time, one cannot teach a sequence of movements perfectly to another and the one who inherits the style will obviously make changes to it to fit their needs. But the name of the style¡¯s creator would still exist, remembered for as long as the martial art exists. This was the equivalent of history to the orcs up until a thousand years ago, that was when history itself changed to fit the orc narrative.


    The First Orc King was the first orc to be remembered for his feats rather than how he fought, his story a legend that many orcs teach to their children. Orcs told his story was told to drive their children to higher heights, to make a new legendthat would be remembered. But this was a difficult feat, as of yet, no orc had yet made a legend that was greater than that of the First Orc King. That is of no surprise though, after all, the First Orc King was the greatest orc then and perhaps now, an orc that had unified all of Orckind under one banner. But that still did not stop orcs everywhere from desiring to write their own great legend.


    It was like a fire burning in their minds, their ambition and determination serving as fuel to make the fire greater. But most orcs often lost this fire once they grew up, they realized just how weak they truly were and the realization often doused their ambition. But the opportunity of war temporarily reignited their ambition, after all, all famous and powerful orcs became known only through war. War was where the powerful truly shined and all these orcs were unwilling to lose the chance to shine. But lose most of them did, for they simply lacked the power. What use was ambition if you did not have the power to fulfill it? Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    With a brief reignition of their ambition, the Ulgar orcs fought fiercely so that they would be chosen to go to war, holding no mercy in their hearts for their enemies. Teeth were knocked out, ribs were shattered, and limbs were broken, the injured dragging themselves out of the melee lest they be trampled to death. Some were but Yargul did not care, they were not killed purposefully. Those that did so were immediately killed with a throw of a stone, the stone flying through the air with the force of a cannon, tearing through their heads.


    Yargul meant his words when he told the orcs not to kill, he needed orcs that followed orders, not ones that couldn¡¯t control their bloodlust. Bloodlust was fine, orcs had fought with it for ages but Yargul had discovered that keeping a clear head often was a huge advantage in combat, he couldn¡¯t teach this to these warriors but he could at least have them follow orders. If they could follow orders without having their bloodlust get in the way, he would be satisfied.


    Eventually, Yargul called for them to stop when he saw that roughly half the orcs remained. He saw that some of the weaker orcs had teamed up to take down stronger foes but that didn¡¯t bother him too much, if they could keep up this teamwork on the battlefield, they would serve better than the same number of elites. Individual elites could be taken down but a group less so. Yargul understood the value after he had stumbled onto a group of regular frostwolves, the bastards were a lot harder to take down than a Frostwolf King for even though their individual attack power was less, they were able to chain them in such a way that it was continuous, constantly chipping away at his defense.


    Under such an assault, he was unable to attack and if by some miracle he was able to, the wolves would cover for the one being attacked, attacking him more ferociously while the targeted wolf retreated before rejoining the fray. But once the teamwork is disrupted, it was a fairly simple matter to kill them although Yargul only managed to do so because he managed to last long enough for one of the wolves to make a mistake. The wolves had never met such an opponent so when Yargul showed a moment of weakness, one of the wolves couldn¡¯t take it and rushed in.


    This was all accidental, Yargul didn¡¯t plan to slip up but when he saw one of the wolves rush in without support, he thanked his luck and promptly killed the wolf. After that, with their teamwork disrupted, it was only a matter of time before he killed them all. So if these orcs could do the same, they would be almost unbeatable. Training was still needed but with a good base, they would be a powerful force to be reckoned with. He told them as much when he went to inspect the orcs he would be taking into battle, saying that as they teamed up to win in this challenge, they¡¯d have to stick with it. The orcs protested and Yargul told them that if they didn¡¯t, they weren¡¯t going to war. Their individual strength was useless without being in a team and he did not need useless soldiers.


    So they could only keep silent and regret their choice, they wanted to be an individual warrior who slaughtered many, not some coward who fought in a group. But this was what they got for using such cowardly methods in the brawl, they were lucky that Yargul didn¡¯t care whether or not they used cowardly means. But the results were in and the defeated were to stay. As this was only one of many villages in Ulgar territory, Yargul had a few orcs spread the word, repeating the same competition to select the most suitable soldiers for the Ulgar Army.


    This took roughly a week to complete, enough time for the Skull Lord ambassador to deliver Yargul¡¯s terms. Upon hearing them, the Skull Lord chuckled, he did possess a few high-tiered weapons but he wasn¡¯t just going to give them away. But this Yargul had caught his interest, he would have probably been the Sixth Orc Lord if he had so wished but strangely, Yargul had not pursued such a position. He could certainly do so but instead he spent most of his time out in the wilderness, presumably training.


    But the Skull Lord did not dare think that Yargul was not without ambition, he wouldn¡¯t have asked for a high-tiered weapon otherwise. It just meant that the title of Orc Lord was meaningless to him, that he sought something better. This intrigued the Skull Lord, could it be that Yargul sought to be the Orc King? Or perhaps his desire was greater than that as well. The Skull Lord finally decided that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to pay him a visit, to meet this orc who still retained such lofty ambitions.


    He was about to set out to personally accept Yargul¡¯s terms, bringing with him a great battle axe which was forged by the dwarves deep in their mountain forges. It was infused with the energy of Agleon herself, proving to be unbreakable and unusually sharp. But it was not the Skull Lord¡¯s personal weapon as it was as heavy as it was powerful, the power of Agleon was not so easily used. Only one that had received the blessing of Agleon herself could use its full potential and that was partly why the Skull Lord decided to bring this particular weapon. He did not know or believe that Yargul had attained the blessing of Agleon, Yargul had stolen it along with the power of the Mountain Ape. The Skull Lord smiled, it would be amusing to see Yargul¡¯s reaction when he found that he was unable to wield the high-tiered weapon that he had asked for.


    Four days later, the Skull Lord arrived to personally accept Yargul¡¯s terms, looking around at the interior of the Ulgar Clan, seeing mostly wounded orcs. He nodded with approval upon seeing this, this meant that the Ulgar Clan was not lazy and always kept battle-hardened warriors. His right-hand orc asked for the whereabouts of Yargul once they reached the main village, an Ulgar Orc directing them to Yargul¡¯s home.


    Upon reaching it, one of the Skull Lord¡¯s servants announced, ¡°The Skull Lord has arrived to accept your terms!¡±


    There was silence following the servant¡¯s announcement before a grunt emerged from the house.


    The servant was about to protest at this obvious disrespect but the Skull Lord held him back, if what the rumors said about Yargul were true, then he had the power to be so arrogant. Soon, Yargul emerged from the doorway, dressed in only a bearskin kilt, displaying his scars and muscles to the small crowd before him.


    Seeing the Skull Lord himself, wearing the skull of a young drake, Yargul nodded his head before asking, ¡°So where¡¯s my weapon?¡±


    Once more the servant tried to reprimand Yargul on his rude behavior but was again restrained by the Skull Lord. The Skull Lord then waved his hand, two orcs immediately moving to towards the wagon at the back. They hefted the insanely heavy battle axe onto their shoulders and brought it over to Yargul, dumping it unceremoniously on the ground before him.


    Yargul raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Huh, looks pretty heavy.¡±


    But he still stooped down to pick it up anyways, an emerald light shining the moment he touched the handle of the axe. He suddenly felt the energy of Agleon surge through his body and into the battle axe, finally dying down with the gem at the center of the axe¡¯s head, once a clear crystal, glowing a soft emerald. He stood up, hefting the axe with ease with a large grin on his face.


    He nodded to the Skull Lord.


    ¡°This¡¯ll do. Now, about the armor and weapons for the Ulgar Clan...¡±


    The Skull Lord quickly regained his composure and said, ¡°They are on the way.¡±


    Yargul nodded and asked, ¡°Well my clan doesn¡¯t have much to offer except for bison meat, would you like to some?¡±


    The Skull Lord thought for a moment and then shook his head, he couldn¡¯t leave his city for long lest his absence causes a mini-civil war.


    Yargul just nodded and turned to enter his home, stopping when the Skull Lord said, ¡°In twelve days, assemble your warriors and march to my city, arrive three days after you set out.¡±


    Yargul nodded once more and returned to his home, the Skull Lord taking his leave. The Skull Lord hadn¡¯t learned as much as he had hoped to but he did learn a few things, one of them being not to offend Yargul. He possessed the great battle axe and the blessing of Agleon and although the Skull Lord possessed the magic of an Ironhide Wyrm, he wasn¡¯t confident that he could defeat Yargul.

 Chapter 65: Civil War 3

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªFloating City of Armapolis¡ª


    A small rowboat could be seen cutting through the waves towards the floating city of Armapolis, hurriedly leaving the boat once he docked, not even bothering to tie it down. He pushed his way through the crowd and towards the center of the city. He reached the Town Hall, flashing a badge at the guards who stepped aside to let him through. Upon entering, he immediately headed towards the main chamber where the Council of Thirteen.


    Upon entering, he immediately fell to one knee and reported, ¡°I bring word from our spies on land, the orcs have indeed gone into civil war. Also, the Orc King has not yet returned and it seems that he has no intention of doing so.¡±


    ¡°Thank you agent, you may go.¡± one of the elders dismissed.


    The man left and an Elder spoke, ¡°What are we to do about the civil war?¡±


    The Seventh Elder slammed his fist into the table.


    ¡°The civil war will be the perfect chance to retake the lands we lost, we must not lose it!¡±


    The Third Elder spoke, ¡°But it will also greatly weaken us, we have a small population, can we truly afford to retake the lands of our ancestors?¡±


    The Fourth Elder said, ¡°You forget, we elves can ask the ancient forests to help us-¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s been so long, will they still help you after all this time?¡± interjected the Twelfth Elder.


    She continued, ¡°I say that we wait just a bit longer until the civil war actually begins. And perhaps we can reach out to others, like the Austerians or perhaps even the Librarian. If we fail in this endeavor, we may face our own extinction.¡±


    The Seventh Elder countered, ¡°But if we do not take such a gamble, we will only rot here! I say that we must at least try,¡± his voice fell to a more mild tone, ¡° for it we do not... Then we may regret it forever.¡±


    The First Elder then spoke, ¡°Your words are passionate but the Twelfth Elder is right, we must be careful. One mistake and the last free race on Occasus will disappear forever. Gone shall be the hope of men and elves, for if we do not free them, no one else will. We cannot act so rashly, Seventh Elder. But I do agree on one thing, that we must take action. A chance like this may never come again and if we do not seize it, we may very well lose our only chance of freeing our fellows in slavery.¡±


    Upon this, all the other Elders agreed, action needed to happen but the question was what?


    Finally, after a few moments of arguing, the Sixth Elder finally spoke, ¡°I say we should go to the Librarian and ask him on what to do. He will surely know the answer but the question is what can we trade to gain that knowledge.¡±


    At his words, the other Elders fell silent, they had entertained this option but had decided that it was far too risky and hadn¡¯t dared to mention it.


    But now that the Sixth Elder had brought it up, they began to seriously debate on this matter, the Fifth Elder saying, ¡°Can we be sure he can be trusted? He has been sitting back and watching for all this time, not caring about us. Why would he change his attitude now?¡±


    The Sixth Elder replied, ¡°You forget Fifth Elder that he trades items of equal value for his knowledge, we just need to have something that is valuable enough to be traded in for the knowledge of how to regain the lands of our ancestors.¡±


    The Fourth Elder said, ¡°But can we truly afford to pay such a price? What we seek is the salvation of our entire race, what do we possess that is equal to that?¡±


    ¡°Did you already forget our divine artifacts Fourth Elder?¡± the Sixth Elder asked.


    The Fourth Elder shook his head.


    ¡°Impossible, those are far too valuable to be used. They are what keep us safe, they are the pillars which support the Alliance. If we lose them, then there will be nothing to defend us from the orcs should we fail. It is too big of a risk, I agree that we should ask the Librarian for help but if his price is our divine artifacts, then we cannot accept.¡±


    His words made sense, they couldn¡¯t tread lightly in this matter, the fate of their respective races hung in the balance. Their actions would decide the survival or extinction of humans and elves.


    Finally, the Eleventh Elder spoke for the first time, saying, ¡°For now, let us move those who cannot fight to Otium, I believe that we have received permission to do so. Most of those who can fight will stay here in order to take action should it prove necessary. There we can ask for the aid of Auster should it prove necessary and as Otium is open to all, our families will have access to its services. I believe that this is the best course of action for now and it will do well to raise the people¡¯s moral.¡±


    The First Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, I agree with your proposal. Are there any who think otherwise?¡±


    Seeing the lack of response, he said, ¡°Then let us begin, let¡¯s begin rounding up volunteers for our first proper invasion to reconquer our lands.¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Meanwhile, on Occasus, the Ulgar Army had left their home and met with the Skull Lord¡¯s main force, receiving the promised equipment from their deal. This was immediately distributed to the most powerful warriors of the Ulgar Clan, good equipment could only be useful by equally good wielders. After that, there wasn¡¯t as much excitement as the orcs had hoped, although civil war was in the air, it had not yet begun. None of the five Orc Lords wished to fight one another for as soon as one of them did, the other three would swoop in to attack them while they were weak.


    Right now was the time for making alliances, various orc messengers traveling from city to city, relaying offers of alliances between the Orc Lords. However, war was soon going to happen, the orcs were restless and hungered for battle. There were some exceptions to this, one of them being Yargul who held his troops in check, saying that if they dared to cause trouble he would kill them on the spot. This kept his orcs in line but in turn earned him the ire of both his and other orcs, these orcs calling him a coward behind his back.


    Yargul didn¡¯t mind however, they were the cowards for not confronting him about it and besides, he knew that to cause trouble right now was an easy way to die. After all, should one of the five Orc Lord armies begin to harass the others, the other four will immediately crush them. Of course, mere orcs could not see these unless it was pointed out to them and Yargul was too lazy to teach these orcs about the gravity of their situation. It was far easier just to wait until the war actually began because explaining something to an orc is just about as easy as teaching a chicken to fly.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    But as a result, rumors began to spread to the other orcs under the Skull Lord that Yargul was not as strong as the stories made him out to be. The number of his challengers swelled to an all-time high and Yargul practically had no rest for the past two weeks, constantly defeating enemies over and over, using the power of Agleon to recharge his stamina. He had yet to use any of his other abilities however, he didn¡¯t want to reveal such a powerful trump card yet. The most anyone would know about his powers is that it was related to Agleon and not much else.


    Even though fighting with a handicap was a bit of a pain, Yargul was glad for it because it presented the best chance to familiarize himself with his new weapon. He couldn¡¯t just swing it around like a club, there was a bit more finesse required to use an axe. One still swung it around but they also had to mind the direction which the head faced because with the axe he could more easily kill multiple orcs in a single strike as it cut through enemies rather than crush them. Well, tear through is a more accurate description because of the sheer weight and strength of the axe combined to make a force which obliterated anything unlucky enough to be in its way.


    Soon enough the orcs got the message that although he was acting cowardly, Yargul was certainly no pushover. However, they were just as quick to forget, should Yargul show any form of weakness, orcs were sure to challenge him yet again. That was the curse of one in power, there was no limit to enemies who wished to pull them down. But even though he had proven his strength, it did nothing to silence the gossip about the cowardly ¡°Invincible.¡± But Yargul just sat tight, waiting for the day when they would go to battle.


    That day came nine days later when some unruly orcs from the Western Orc Lord came to cause trouble in the city of the Skull Lord. Yargul and some of his orcs happened to be the first orcs that these troublemakers met and this time, Yargul did not reign back his orcs, calmly drinking the rest of his ale while his orcs brutally beat the troublemakers, unleashing all of their pent-up thirst for combat. This was taken as an offense to the Ulgar Tribe and without consulting the Skull Lord, Yargul rounded up his orcs to take his grievances to the chieftain of this particular tribe.


    The tribe in question was the Urak Tribe, a clan that wasn¡¯t particularly powerful and were drunk on the power they possessed because of their orc lord¡¯s authority. But they messed with the wrong orcs, the authority of a higher power only got you so far. So while they were laying around drunk from the booze they had taken from weaker orcs, the Ulgar Orcs fell upon them, slaughtering all without mercy. Yargul was at the front this time, not afraid to show that it was he who had annihilated the warriors of the Urak Clan. He had no reason to be afraid, they were the ones who sought trouble, he was just paying them back in full.


    However, Yargul was not yet done. He pinned the blame for all this trouble on Orzal, the Orc Lord who had recruited the Urak Clan. A bit of a stretch but Yargul was doing this to get some peace and quiet, he had enough of challengers who weren¡¯t even worth his time. And so he took his orcs and marched to the City of Orzal, his orcs walking right in through the open city gates and immediately slaughtering every orc who bore the sigil of Orzal. It didn¡¯t take too long for the orcs to raise the alarm but by then it was too late, much of the orc garrison lay dead and the others were unprepared to meet the bloodthirsty Ulgar orcs. Orzal couldn¡¯t remain still in all this chaos and soon charged to defend his city, calling up his elites to drive off the invaders.


    Upon seeing Yargul, he roared, ¡°Who dares cause trouble in my city!¡±


    Yargul shouted in reply, ¡°I am Yargul, the Invincible and I have come for your head!¡±


    Orzal was silent, his face turning red with anger. ¡°Then try and take it!¡±


    The two charged to meet one another, Orzal nearly blinded with rage at the antics of this orc. How dare he show up in his city and kill his orcs! He wouldn¡¯t just kill him, he would make sure that Yargul would suffer the greatest of pain before he finally died. Suddenly, he saw the ground grow larger and larger until his face met the stone road, bouncing and rolling until it came to a stop. Wait, bouncing? Rolling? What had happened? Before he could come to the logical conclusion of those questions, Orzal¡¯s life ended right then and there, Yargul looking regretfully at his axe. He had forgotten for a moment just how powerful his new toy was.


    But he wasn¡¯t one to linger on the past and immediately shouted, ¡°I have slain Orzal, I am now the Orc Lord of this city! Submit or die!¡±


    Needless to say, the orcs submitted to him and Yargul took control of Orzal¡¯s possessions, sending a warrior to tell the Skull Lord that Orzal was dead. Even though Yargul had never shown it, he too was beginning to get tired of not fighting and just as he had decided to take action, Luck had smiled upon him and given him this chance. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait. He settled himself into Orzal¡¯s previous bedchamber and was about to take a nap when he heard a whimper. He went to check it out, entering a chamber which he had previously not noticed, seeing five females of different races huddled in a corner.


    They must have been Orzal¡¯s previous harem and Yargul had to admit, Orzal had some pretty good taste. Come to think of it, a good fuck after a fight wasn¡¯t so bad and Yargul grinned, a little indulgence wasn¡¯t so bad.


    Yargul undressed, his armor falling to the ground as he advanced towards them, saying, ¡°I think you know what to do.¡±


    As Yargul enjoyed himself, the Surveyor meanwhile was perusing the Library of Auster, taking his time doing so. Accompanying him was the Emperor of Auster who would occasionally recommend a book to the Librarian. The Librarian would thank him in turn, promising to repay him in full once he had finished. Although the price could be considered done when the Austerian ambassador had spoken with him back on Otium, the Librarian knew that the combined knowledge of Satoria and Auster were worth more than a talk with Ieros and some of his personal books.


    But one could not speak about such terms with a mere ambassador, it was with the Emperor he should speak with, the only one capable of fully utilizing the knowledge that the Librarian would give in return for access to his libraries. There had been several new additions during its absence, mostly records of demons that Auster had encountered, some of which the Surveyor did not fully know as even its observers were not able to see everything. It carefully memorized these books especially, replicating them perfectly in its own library. It even fixed the images them, accessing the imprints the artist had left in the drawings to perfect the image of what the artist wanted to convey.


    Even the greatest of artists are not able to perfectly replicate what they see but they are able to imprint what they wanted to inside their art. The Surveyor was able to access this imprint and thus know what it was that the artist truly wished to depict. Often times the depiction was not too far off from reality but as the artist did not fully understand what it was that he was drawing, it was inevitable that his art was full of flaws. But this was not of huge concern to the Surveyor, it knew that sooner or later it would encounter these demons again and when that happened, it would be ready. But that did not matter for now, right now it was learning and it could not learn what it could not observe.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Orc King resided deep in a forgotten dwarven city, waiting for his spies to report. He had decided not to participate into the Civil War right now because he had grown tired of the Orc Lords, he had been meaning to kill them but if he were to do so, the other four would unite against him. Even though he would eventually triumph in the end, he would lose too many of his elites in doing so. It simply wasn¡¯t worth it at all but if they were to kill themselves off, that was an entirely different matter.


    This civil war would solve so much of his problems, eliminating future rivals and solidifying his power. And it was through this civil war that he could see potential orc warriors for his elite army. Truly, this civil war must be a blessing of Korbus, the Orc King promising himself that he would sacrifice a dragon in Korbus¡¯s name.


    As he waited, an elf clad in black appeared, one of his many spies. He obviously couldn¡¯t use orcs to spy for him, they¡¯d make the most terrible spies so instead, he turned to his slaves. His slaves would never betray him and were ignored by orcs everywhere which made them the perfect spies. This particular one was one of his favorites, he always got the job done no matter how difficult it was and the Orc King expected much from him. And his expectations were met as his spy¡¯s report was detailed and as up-to-date as possible, the Orc King surprised to hear about the recent killing of Orzal by some orc named Yargul.


    He initially wasn¡¯t too interested but he perked up when his spy described Yargul to possess earth magic. The Orc King didn¡¯t possess many who could use earth magic and so he was extremely interested in Yargul, it would be a great boon for him if he were able to get Yargul on his side. Unfortunately, Yargul was already in the hands of the Skull Lord but the Orc King wasn¡¯t worried. All he would have to do was wait, an orc as powerful as Yargul would never remain in the service of another for long. When he became free, that was when the Orc King would swoop in.

 Chapter 66: Civil War 4

    When the other Orc Lords heard about Yargul¡¯s actions, they all took it as an act of war, preparing their armies in ¡°self-defense.¡± The Skull Lord cursed Yargul for doing what he did, fortunately, he managed to ally himself with the Trident Orc Lord, named for her unique weapon which was obviously a trident. She was in charge of the coasts of Occasus, ruling over a massive orcish fishing empire who constantly fought with the pirates under the Third Pirate Lord. It was her territory that the humans would first invade once they obtained the help of the Librarian.


    But because of the civil war, she had called most of the clans she ruled over to gather, numbers were a great factor in orcish warfare. Orcs weren¡¯t really tactical, mostly using swarm tactics to overwhelm their opponents. So most of orcish battles were won through greater numbers, sometimes literally crushing the enemy under the weight of thousands of orcs. But this civil war would introduce the first strategic geniuses of all orcs, intelligent orcs given the chance to survive in this relatively more peaceful era.


    It would also be the first time in which magic would be used in proper orcish warfare, not small raids and battles that clans fought every day. No, this was orcish warfare, where literally millions upon millions clash together upon the battlefield for days on end, the bodies forming what would one day become hills covered in grass and young trees. In fact, the Occasus of now was far different than it was a thousand years ago, what were once vast plains of grass were now hilly terrain, made entirely from the corpses of countless orcs.


    As orcs were combat-ready in just five years, warfare between orcs could last for decades between just two clans, resulting in millions of casualties from two clans whose populations did not exceed five hundred thousand. So a civil war between orcs could easily last for millennia with casualties reaching the billions and perhaps even trillions, the sheer amount of corpses changing the landscape as they knew it. From the observers, the Surveyor knew just how severe the changes to the terrain could be, in fact, some of the new mountains on Occasus which reached the height of a thousand meters were made by the corpses of millions of orcs. Granted this wasn¡¯t from an actual war but sacrifices for the Sword of Korbus, the Orc King personally going out and slaying millions of these orcs to feed the Blood-Eater.


    But even the slaughter of millions hardly put a dent in the orcish population as their numbers bounced back after the slaughter. That just goes to show just how large the populations of the orcs were and how fast they reproduced, their rate of reproduction is only rivaled by that of the Crimex which none can match. Speaking of which, Auster had been eying the continent of Occasus, sending more and more of their sky turtles to transport Avem which would spy on the continent. Most of the world was looking to Occasus, ready to swoop in at the right moment. And as always, the Surveyor¡¯s observers kept watch over the entire world, watching over all.


    Oblivious to all this, the two orc lords who had allied with Orzal declared war upon the Skull Lord and the Trident Orc Lord who had allied with him, now two sides of roughly equal numbers and strength. Even though Yargul was powerful enough to kill an orc lord, just one powerful orc couldn¡¯t change the tide of battle in orcish warfare. What could one do against millions upon millions of orcs?


    Now committed into the war, the Skull Lord wasted no time in absorbing the orcs of Orzal¡¯s city into his army, sending a few clans to reinforce Yargul who he set up to be the leader. Meanwhile, the forces opposing them quickly gathered into a large army, the likes of which had not been seen since the time of the Calamity one thousand years ago. A force of seven million had already gathered with more on the way, countless supply lines forming from many cities in order to feed this great army. However this army would not go unchallenged, another great army was being prepared by the Skull Lord and Trident Lord.


    Currently, their forces numbered in just five million although two million more were coming from the coast and more were being collected from the clans the Skull Lord had hired. Meanwhile, Yargul had taken the two million orcs he had under his command and marched to meet the enemy, he had decided upon a warpath and he was going to see it through without any hesitation. He abandoned Orzals city for the most part, although he left a single clan behind to keep the city. He didn¡¯t bother with supply lines, his orcs could deal with not eating cooked meat for a month or two.


    Speed was key right now, they had to strike before the enemy had finished forming. This would make it easier to slaughter them, an unprepared enemy was always easier to kill than one prepared to fight you. And speaking of unprepared enemies, he knew that there were homes of two clans nearby and that their warriors wouldn¡¯t have moved out by now. These clans weren¡¯t under the Skull Lord so they were prey, prey that could be hunted. Of course, Yargul wasn¡¯t going to go for the big fish right off the bat. But a group of two clans was a pretty good target. This was Yargul¡¯s plan for now, to deny the enemy the forces of more clans


    But he had to move quickly, he had to strike before the enemy joined with the main force. He and his orcs marched on grassy plains and thick forests, leaving a trail of destruction and barren land as they devoured just about anything in front of them. As they didn¡¯t rest, they were able to arrive far quicker than the enemy would have expected, thus making their attack a complete surprise. Yargul had taken Orzal¡¯s city just two weeks ago and no one could have imagined that he would have already abandoned it after a single day. Not even the Skull Lord knew that he left as Yargul hadn¡¯t alerted him.


    So the first of the two clans was not prepared to fight as a force of two million were sighted at the horizon, breaking out into a sprint as they beheld the enemy¡¯s camp. The enemy orcs quickly mobilized to defend their home but they lacked the momentum that Yargul¡¯s army possessed, quite literally run over as they were knocked to the ground. Meanwhile, Yargul armored himself with stone as he began the slaughter, pulling ahead of the rest of his orcs as his attacks did not distinguish from friend or foe.


    He became nigh invincible, slashing down orcs with his axe and pulverizing them with his fist. With his strength and momentum, he managed to break through the gate of the crude wooden fort that protected their border, his orcs pouring through the opening. The inside of the fort became a free-for-all, orcs nearly indiscriminate from one another as they fought, their bodies littering the ground.


    Once they finished, Yargul allowed his orcs to stay for thirty minutes to loot the place of weapons and consume what food was around before he went on moving again, aiming to destroy the clan entirely. So he split up his force of two million into twenty groups which would spread out through the clan¡¯s territory and kill all that they found. They would rest at the last village they had destroyed and when morning came, the separate groups would march to attack the next clan, they would reunite there. With the plan decided on, his forces split up and went from orcish village to village, killing everything in their way and burning everything down.


    When the moon rose that night, its soft silver light shone upon the corpses of dead orcs and the smoldering remains of tens of villages. Joining them were eight hundred of Yargul¡¯s army, the element of surprise had prevented his forces from suffering too many losses. After gathering at the main village, some orcs fell asleep right then and there while others went on to either loot corpses or enjoy themselves with other orcs or with the slaves they had let live. Meanwhile, Yargul lay in the bed of the house he had claimed, reliving the past five hours in his head. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    When the day came, Yargul awoke as he always did, greeted by the smell of corpses beginning to rot. He snorted briefly and stood up, slinging his axe over his back.


    He exited his house, shouting, ¡°Loot what you can, we move out at two hours from now!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a lot of movement, a lot of orcs were still sleeping and Yargul let them sleep, they had earned it. But the orcs that were awake to hear his command began to move, fighting to grab all the best loot. Yargul himself did not join in this however, he had no need of armor and there wasn¡¯t a single weapon here that was superior to his axe. Instead, he just made a fire and began to cook the flesh of the dead orcs, consuming three corpses. Cannibalism really wasn¡¯t a great taboo among orcs, it wasn¡¯t done all the time but it was still fairly common. When an hour passed, he began to kick the sleeping orcs awake, he knew that they still needed to eat before they could march.


    He planned to repeat this several times until his army was too small, this was necessary in order to keep only the strongest in his army. Although all of the orcs under his command had gone through combat, Yargul knew that it was not enough. War was a completely different thing than some raid or squabble between clans, war was something that could engulf hundreds of clans and hundreds more. War was something that one couldn¡¯t truly prepare for until one experiences it.


    When the two hours had passed, he then began to march once more, the other nineteen groups also heading towards their next target. He and his forces stormed through the enemy, reaching them by nightfall and slaughtering the unprepared enemy. The sun rose to greet the remains of a once flourishing clan and with Yargul¡¯s orcs on the move once again.


    As Yargul and his army wreaked havoc in enemy territory, the Surveyor was simulating its fight against End. It had consulted End on this matter, reviewing her memories on this matter as any observers that happened to be in a two-mile radius of their fight was destroyed by her very presence itself. It couldn¡¯t use its previous self¡¯s memories as it was destroyed by End so it could only rely on End. Of course, End was rather surprised and curious as to why it wanted to know and the Surveyor was very blunt. It said that it was to prepare for the time when either End¡¯s seal broke or her true self happened to send another fragment.


    And it wasn¡¯t as if she had a choice, as she was now she stood no chance against the Surveyor who would and will take her memories by force if she refused. So she willingly gave up her memories about the fight in which the Surveyor was able to deduce its previous self¡¯s thoughts during the fight. It first analyzed every detail of the fight before it put itself in the actual battle, simulating various ways of defeating End. With the benefit of hindsight, the Surveyor finally thought of another method to defeat End with ease, it was somewhat surprising that its previous self had not thought of this before. It was to teleport both it and End outside of Agleon and in space where it could draw upon the limitless energy of Darkness. Using that energy, it would be able to create enough of the Absolute Mirror with ease and seal End.


    It also used this battle to better learn how to fight, it was not as foolish as to believe that it would no longer face any threats to itself. There were still plenty of gods in existence that possessed the power to destroy it should they go all out. Not to mention that both Light and Night existed, two potential enemies that it had to be guarded against at all times.


    Granted that not all of its opponents would be as powerful as End but it had to consider its offensive capabilities more seriously, it couldn¡¯t afford to fight another close battle again. So it began to review its offensive capabilities, mostly mortal spells but there were several others that it could use, such as Absolutes. There were a myriad of Absolutes in the world and one of them was one called Absolute Division, a tool that Darkness created to divide things. It could be described as the sharpest knife in all of existence, capable of cutting through all things although technically it did not cut. It merely made a space in between whatever it was that the wielder wished to divide. Even the Absolute Mirror was helpless before it as it merely made a space between objects, there wasn¡¯t any energy for the Absolute Mirror to reflect.


    It divides all things, even the immaterial such as energy. It divides things absolutely and nothing can withstand it, even Darkness¡¯s flesh would temporarily be divided until it flowed together once again. This could certainly be used as a weapon, as not many living things could survive having both their body and soul being divided, such a wound perhaps is too great for even gods to survive.


    But the Surveyor hesitated to use such a powerful weapon, should it mess up in its control of Absolute Division, it would cause great destruction as it would slash apart not only worlds but dimensions themselves. It was not something to be used so easily, not to mention that the energy cost was rather high, just five seconds of usage would drain more than half of its energy. After all, the cost to divide things absolutely was not cheap.


    It did possess other abilities too, such as the attack capabilities of the Subjugator. It had seen memories of its battle with End as well and learned how to wield its immense power. However as it did not possess unlimited energy like the Subjugator did, it could only use a fraction of what the Subjugator was capable of. But that fraction was still more than enough to deal with most beings and theoretically, it should be possible for it to slay a god within a single strike.


    It, as Yargul understood, that power was necessary. Power was not only necessary to protect itself but to procure knowledge that it otherwise is not able to access. And that would simply be unacceptable, its duty was to gather knowledge and being too weak to gather it was no excuse.


    It had just finished its simulation when it suddenly sensed something arrive. It was on one of the floating cities of the Alliance, a being that was not of this world had arrived.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªTransmigrator¡ª


    A white man kneeled on the ground, his eyes closed expecting death. This man was Erwin Rommel, one of the most skilled generals under Hitler in World War II. He was accused of betraying Hitler and thus the Fatherland and when given the choice of a public trial or suicide, he took suicide. When he obviously wasn''t dead, he looked around him, seeing the strange people around him.


    He muttered, "Was zum Teufel?"


    Obviously, those gathered did not understand and one attempted to get close, Erwin taking a step back. He was still trying to figure out just what happened, was this Hell? It most certainly wasn''t Heaven. He took a good look at his surroundings and decided that this wasn''t Heaven nor Hell but some other place. What that happened to be he didn''t know and right now, he couldn''t afford to care about.


    Two humans in light metal armor appeared, wielding spears which put him on edge. He unconsciously reached towards his hip but his Luger wasn''t there and so without any weapon to defend himself, he raised his hands in surrender. He knew when he couldn''t fight back. One of the guards said something but he couldn''t understand, it wasn''t like any language he had heard before. As he puzzled over this, the guards stepped nearer and he didn''t resist, he felt that these people were not savages, they would not kill him.


    As they escorted him away somewhere, he saw an elf, his eyes lingering on the elf''s ears.If this was Hell, this was the strangest Hell that he had ever heard. It was more like those fantasy worlds in fairy tales, although not as perfect it seemed. The people he saw before him looked like they had gone through hardships, much like his people before Hitler had come to power. Seeing them, he suddenly felt an affinity for them, they reminded him of his people. Perhaps he would do to them what Hitler had done for the Deutschland, perhaps he could help them.

 Poll

    So I just wanna know if you guys want Erwin Rommel in story. Yes it''s a bit random but I feel it could really get somewhere. A general from Earth vs the barbaric orcs of Occasus. Anyways I leave it up to you guys, after all, I want you guys to enjoy the story and for something as new as this, I wanted to make sure the majority of you guys like it.


    Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness Darkness The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

 Chapter 67: The Might of Earth

    The Council looked down upon the stranger that had just appeared on their city, the man known as Erwin Rommel from Earth. They looked upon this man, his piercing blue eyes intelligent and full of wisdom. His face, although aged, was still full of vibrance and energy. His posture was not like any other at his age, ramrod straight from countless years in the military. Although this man could not speak their language, they were sure that he was no savage. Then there was the matter of his clothes, unlike anything that they have ever seen before, a tan-brown uniform with an iron cross upon his right breast, striking red stripes with gold embroidery upon his shoulders, four pockets¡ªtwo near his hips and two upon his chest, a brown pants with high boots, and a strange hat upon his head, adorned with an regal eagle and a silver symbol with gold borders.


    All in all his image was commanding and powerful, of man who had seen all that Life had to offer and had not shirked away from it. To the warriors in the room, they sensed that this was a man who had faced war many times and had emerged unscathed, more in victory than in defeat. This man was a man of mystery, a man who had seen things that they could not hope to imagine, a man who now stood before them as a beacon of hope.


    They had deemed him so because of the way he had arrived, through a beam of light in which the priests of Lux declared to be a sign from Light herself.


    So they looked upon this man with a mixture of hope and suspicion, after all, belief in Light would surely fade after she had not answered their prayers. They believed that either Light was not real or that she had abandoned them and that they should spurn her as well. And yet here was a man that the priests claimed to be a messenger of Light, their hope in the darkness of Night, their weapon with which they would use to retake what was once theirs. But could they trust this man, would he truly deliver on what they hoped he would? Would he truly be the answer? Only Time would tell, they had no choice but to trust in him and in Light, that they were not abandoned just yet.


    But as they were not able to communicate with him, they decided to place him somewhere safe for now until he could be taught their language. And it was in the privacy of his room that the Surveyor showed himself to Erwin in the form of the Librarian. After all, it too was curious, it had indeed sensed a sliver of Light¡¯s power when this foreign presence had arrived. But why him? Surely Light wouldn¡¯t choose any random mortal, it had to be one that had achieved great success, one who was capable of helping Alliance. It was curious but it could wait, after all, the Alliance was already on its way to it.


    As the floating cities slowly moved towards Otium, its people working day and night in order to move their floating cities. Their cities, the largest of which was five miles in diameter, were linked to a fleet of small boats that either used the wind or pure manpower to move the cities the direction that they wished. Luckily, the ocean currents were with them so their progress was far faster than usual, their current speed allowing them to reach Otium after the passage of a year.


    It was slow going but progress was being made, hope fueling the people as they looked out towards the distant horizon, towards Otium. And it was thus that the floating cities of the Alliance began to move, one of the greatest fleets to grace the oceans of Agleon since the days of the Pirate Lords. And because of the civil war, the orcs had no knowledge of the humans making their way to Otium, too busy heading to the center of Occasus to fight in the first proper war.


    Life was energetic for the people, they had been stagnating, slowing waiting for death; but now, with hope literally on the horizon, they now had something to strive for. A life without purpose is a life not worth living and that was the life that these people had previously lived. But now, with the hope of their races¡¯ survival in sight, the people of the Alliance worked with great energy. Erwin watched this with nostalgia, his people once worked and smiled as they did now, all for the good of the Fatherland. But then fear wormed its way into his mind, would they fall as the Deutschland did?


    Determination formed in his heart and he vowed right then and there that he wouldn¡¯t let that happen, things will be different. The Surveyor saw this change and wondered just what history this man possessed, it wanted to dissect his mind and see all that there was to see but it held itself back, doing so would break his mind and thus render him useless. It would be a shame if such a fascinating new variable was unable to do anything to the current situation.


    And so the Surveyor just let him be for the moment, making sure to learn as much as it could from observation alone. And it was right to do so, Erwin Rommel spent most of his time writing and muttering in German and so the Surveyor was able to gain a rough understanding of his language. It wasn¡¯t easy but to a being whose mind can work on millions of things at once, it was not too great of a challenge. And with its newfound understanding of German, it was able to read Erwin¡¯s various writings, mostly about his old home, about the rise of a man called Adolf Hitler, his experiences of the wars he fought and his family.


    The parts about Erwin¡¯s old home and family was certainly interesting but it was Hitler¡¯s rise to power and wars that caught the Surveyor¡¯s interest. Hitler, a man who attained power through his charisma and visions of the future. It was a shame that the Surveyor couldn¡¯t absorb his memories, it was such a waste of a magnificent specimen of a human. A man who took a broken country and gave it purpose, giving in the strength to fight against more than half of the civilized world. A man of his genius was one hard to come by and the Surveyor was wistful for a moment, if only it had been sent to Earth.


    Then there was the aspect of war, a war that used great machines that delivered great destruction. Warfare was on a totally different level in Erwin¡¯s world than in Agleon, with weapons that far surpassed those here, far more efficient in killing than swords and bows. It memorized the descriptions that Erwin had put into his writing, not too detailed but enough for the Surveyor to begin replicating them, although they may not be capable of working.


    And that¡¯s what it spent most of its time doing as the Alliance slowly made its way to Otium, relying solely on Erwin¡¯s descriptions to create guns. It had a particularly hard time with the bullets as Erwin did not really provide any detailed descriptions, only saying that they were little metal cylinders full of gunpowder which when ignited would propel the bullet out of the rifle. With more than a couple thousand of its selves creating different interpretations of what Erwin said, the Surveyor finally created one not too dissimilar from those found on Earth.


    Of course, the design itself was not entirely the same but it worked, although not as well as those made on Earth. It would have to wait until Erwin personally came here and allowed it to read his mind, only then would it be able to create successful replicas. But until then, it continued to play around with the guns it had made, experimenting with what sizes they would continue to work at. Eventually, it found itself playing with guns that were as tall as mountains, firing shells which were four meters in diameter.


    This was all in a world that it had created, it obviously couldn¡¯t experiment on Agleon as it had no wish to introduce such a weapon here, it still wished the experiment to be as untainted as possible. And it was certainly glad that it did so in another world, the level of destruction that could be reached with the great guns that it had made were on the level with a meteor smashing into Agleon, although the gun was often destroyed in the process. And another thing that the Surveyor had discovered that the guns weren¡¯t that accurate, although it was because it was ignorant to the fact that these guns should have been rifled. Erwin had not placed that in the description and so the Surveyor did not know.


    But it was enjoyable nevertheless, to listen to the roaring thunder of the guns and the destruction that said guns would produce. It wondered if Erwin¡¯s world had reached such heights with their weapons or had they developed far superior weapons? It wanted to know but sadly it was trapped here. Perhaps it would visit this Earth soon, or even send a piece of itself but for now, it would rather focus on Agleon. And so it continued to experiment with these weapons, finally deviating from the descriptions that Erwin made and making its own.


    Finally, after the passage of a year, the first of the Alliance¡¯s floating cities had arrived in sight of Otium. As they approached, hope filling the hearts of the people, a Custodian appeared in the air.


    It spoke, ¡°People of the Alliance, welcome to Otium. I shall now tell you the rules of Otium, should they be broken it will result in a permanent ban of the offenders. One, there is to be no conflict in any shape or form. Should two or more be involved in violence, they shall either be killed on the spot or expelled from Otium.


    Second, there is not to be stealing, those that steal shall have their hand separated from their arm and if that does not work, they shall be killed.


    Third, you cannot take items of Otium off of it, any offense shall be punished by death. Otium is a separate entity of this world and what it produces cannot be brought to the outside.


    And usually people cannot stay for more than a week but the Librarian understands your special circumstances and so for the first time, Otium shall allow you to occupy the living spaces of Otium. But in accordance with this, you shall not be provided with what Otium can provide, which is the best of food. It would not be best for you to become depended upon Otium so the Librarian has asked that you still make your own food. Please remember these words to heart, there shall be no mercy even if the offender happens to be a child.¡±


    Having finished what it said, the Custodian created a gate and stepped through, leaving the people in awe. The hope had overrun the worry of the rules, the people excited for the first time in years. In fact, they could hardly wait to enter Otium and when the first city docked, the people almost stampeding but the Custodians along with a small contingent of stone soldiers prevented them from going wild.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Under the supervision of the Custodians, the people were quite docile as they began to explore their new home. The children ran out and romped around on land for the first time in their lives, Erwin watching them in in a mixture of amusement and nostalgia. He remembered his children running around and playing years ago, when he lived in a time when the Deutschland was a better place. He then set his eyes on the strange pyramid at the center of this place of greystone, wondering just what lay within. Suddenly, a Custodian approached, singling him out of the rest of the crowd.


    His guards, nervous, stepped forward to defend him but the Custodian paralyzed them with a casual gesture of its hand.


    It then greeted Erwin, ¡°Hallo Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, der Bibliothekar m?chte dich sehen. Bitte komm mit mir.¡±


    Erwin pleasantly surprised, to think that he¡¯d hear his father tongue once more in this world. But now, curiosity began to fill his mind, just how did this being know about Deutsche?


    And so in order to answer the growing number of questions, he said, ¡°Ich werde kommen.¡±


    The Custodian nodded and began to walk away, Erwin following behind. It opened a gate in front of it and stepped through, Erwin hesitating only slightly before he stepped through as well. Within the gate was the floating garden of Ieros, the strange unearthly flowers glowing in the perpetual twilight. As he looked around, he suddenly saw a figure that had not been there previously, it was the Librarian sitting at a circular table.


    He said, ¡°Bitte setzen.¡±


    Erwin took a seat and the Librarian asked, ¡°M?chten Sie etwas Tee?¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°Ich h?tte gerne welche.¡±


    Upon hearing confirmation, the Librarian created some tea and poured some for Erwin, pouring himself a cup as well. They spent a few moments just appreciating the taste of the tea, Erwin finally placing the cup down, about to ask a question when a voice spoke inside his head,


    Hello Erwin Rommel, I am the one they call the Librarian. If it doesn¡¯t trouble you I¡¯d like to speak like this. Your language is quite fascinating but I find it hard to transmit my desires as I have not yet fully comprehended your language.


    Erwin nodded and was about to speak when the Surveyor said, You need not speak, just think your answer and I shall know. Do not worry, I cannot read your mind unless you permit it.


    Erwin was gladdened by his words but was still suspicious. How do I know for sure?


    The Librarian¡¯s voice said, Well I cannot prove it to you so you¡¯ll just have to believe me.


    Then how are you able to speak Deutsche if you were unable to read my mind?


    The Librarian answered, Simple, I observed you as you wrote and spoke in German in your private time. Pardon me but you were a fascinating specimen, a transmigrator from another world.


    Erwin felt slightly uncomfortable, this being had been watching him?


    I... I see.


    And from your writings, I have become quite curious about your world, especially about these ¡°guns¡± you speak of. I have made some replicas but I cannot ascertain their accuracy without your memories. May I?


    Erwin¡¯s discomfort disappeared when he heard the word ¡°guns.¡±


    Such weapons were possible?!


    The Librarian nodded. Well as well as I was able to make them.


    May I see them?


    The Librarian waved its hand casually and a gun showed itself, mostly following Erwin¡¯s descriptions but differing in small ways. Overall, it was extremely accurate, the surprised Erwin giving his praise.


    Very well done.


    He then asked the most important question, Does it work?


    In answer, the Librarian took the gun and created a bullet, a cylindrical base with a conical tip. It wasn¡¯t too different from the bullets Erwin knew and once more he was surprised, the Librarian¡¯s gun wasn¡¯t all that different than the ones he knew. He watched as the Librarian loaded the weapon, placing it in the chamber which he then locked into position.


    He then handed it to Erwin, saying, You may shoot.


    Erwin took the rifle into his hands, running his hands over the familiar shape. He then inspected the barrel, seeing that it wasn¡¯t rifled. He hadn¡¯t He then took it and aimed, bracing himself for the kick. He then pulled the trigger, the familiar crack and gout of flames and smoke exploding from the barrel, the bullet whizzing off into nothingness. He relaxed, looking at the gun with a grin on his face. It was always so exhilarating to fire a gun, to feel the kick, to hear the sharp thunder, and to smell the acrid scent of gunpowder.


    He handed it back to the Librarian who asked, Was there anything wrong with it?


    Erwin said, Well the shape could be more streamlined, the bullet¡¯s shape was similar but not like the ones I know.


    Once more the Librarian asked, May I see them?


    Once more hesitant, Erwin was silent as he pondered his choices. Finally, he said, Very well, I... I allow you.


    The Librarian nodded and held a hand, a dark sphere manifesting in it. From the sphere a tendril extended and touched the forehead of Erwin, a cool sensation filling his entire body through his head. Then he felt something else, something searching through his mind as he could only stand there, helpless. It was a feeling that he disliked as it was a situation in which he could not fight back at all, he never even had a chance to fight back. But as swift as that sensation came, it left and the Librarian was silent for a moment as the tendril returned to the sphere, the same sphere reabsorbed by the Librarian¡¯s shadow.


    Finally, the Librarian said, Ah, so I did make a few mistakes. So, it should look like this correct?


    Before him appeared a familiar looking weapon, his personal Luger, a Walther P-38 with elegant oakleaf motifs etched into the black metal of the barrel with his name engraved in gold onto it. It also possessed a gold-plated hammer, safety, and trigger as well as a checkered walnut grip with a small medallion saying, ¡°Deutsches Afrika Korps.¡± He picked it up, nostalgia filling his eyes as he remembered just how many times this faithful companion had saved his life.


    He returned his luger to its rifle place in the holster at his left side, the Librarian saying nothing. It was his payment to Erwin for allowing him to see his memories. Of course, the Surveyor had seen more than just detail about guns but Erwin didn¡¯t need to know about that. But a single gun was not enough to pay for all that so the Surveyor said,


    As gratitude for allowing me to see your memories, I¡¯ve decided that your weapon will never run out of ammunition. You shall still need to reload it but you will never find yourself empty of magazines for your Luger.


    Erwin looked at his luger in awe and then turned to the Librarian, bowing his head.


    Thank you, Librarian. Your gift is too much for what I gave.


    The Librarian shook his head.


    Nonsense, you have given me an entirely new subject to learn, you have reminded me of how little I know. And besides, if you are to make a change in this world, you need something to help you stand against those who can use magic. I¡¯d like for you to show me the genius of the man called the Desert Fox, a man that managed to defeat his enemies even when in every conceivable disadvantage. It would be... fascinating.


    As Erwin beheld the sight of the Librarian, he seemed to see a smile blacker than the shadows of the Librarian¡¯s hood, the silver eye glowing brighter than before. But the moment he blinked, the sight was gone and the Librarian appeared normal once more.


    The Librarian then gestured to the other guns it had created from Erwin¡¯s memory, saying, These can be given to you but there is a price. You possess the capacity to learn magic and become a great mage at that but you must give that up in order to use these weapons. The same rules apply as with your Luger, they will not run out of ammunition. Of course, these can only be used by you so please, choose wisely. You can also ask me to create another weapon if you so wish, I believe you spoke of something called a ¡°grenade,¡± correct?


    Erwin thought on this for a moment longer, more weapons would be nice but then there was the tempting offer of magic, could he truly learn it? But he already knew how to use guns and e didn¡¯t know how to use magic or knew how long it would take for him to master it. Logic said that guns were the way to go and he listened to what logic said.


    As tempting as the offer of magic is, I will choose the guns... wait, any weapon?


    The Librarian nodded, Of course.


    Once more, Erwin thought he saw the Librarian smile once more, as if it knew what he was thinking about.


    Shaking off the thought, Erwin said, Well I want a tank, one of the tanks that I used in Afrika.


    The Librarian¡¯s dark smile seemed to grow wider as he nodded. Excellent choice, Erwin Rommel. But I cannot summon it here, I will create it outside. The same rules shall apply to this tank, unlimited fuel, ammunition, and should it come to harm, it possesses the ability to repair itself when outside of combat. It will need to devour the necessary resources which need only be in contact with its surface. Do not worry about a crew, it possesses a limited sentience, enough for it to fire its secondary weapons at the enemies surrounding it, however, the main gun and the movement of the tank is still up to you. Is this satisfactory?


    Erwin nodded.


    It¡¯s like a dream come true.


    The Librarian nodded.


    I expect great results, Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, shake the foundations of this world with the might of Earth. Now, I believe you¡¯d like to give your new weapon a test drive?


    With excitement, Erwin grinned.


    Of course I am!

 Chapter 68: A Fallen Angel

    Erwin followed the Librarian through another gate, soon appearing on an empty platform of stone, not too far off from Otium. Upon this platform, a square with four two miles in length, was where the Librarian intended to create the tank. Upon it, the Librarian stood as did Erwin, manifesting a sphere of darkness before it. It grew and grew, growing blacker in color as it did so until it reached roughly three meters in diameter and utterly black.


    From there, the Librarian began to form the tank, still not privy to most the machinations of the tank but that was not the problem. From appearance alone, it was exactly the same as the tanks that Erwin used and within it was powered by a sliver of the Surveyor, although this sliver was extremely limited in its sentience. It would only work the machine guns and the tank treads, nothing more, nothing less. The Surveyor did not wish to create even a chance of a potential threat to itself.


    Once finished, it gestured that Erwin was free to use it as he wished, the Librarian bidding him farewell before disappearing through a gate. And to make sure that Erwin wouldn¡¯t be stranded upon the platform, the Librarian left with him a Custodian to take him back when he desired.


    As Erwin was playing around with his new toy, the Surveyor was busy trying to track down the world that he had come from, cursing the fact that it had waited so long to try and do so. If it had started even a week after he had arrived, it would have been able to trace that path his soul had taken back to Earth. But now, it was virtually impossible. Eventually, the Surveyor could but give up, it had simply been too long and in order to even sense the smallest trace would expend too much power.


    Meanwhile, it returned its attention to Yargul, curious to see just what had he accomplished in the short time it had diverted its attention away from him. Within the year it had been busy playing around with the technology of Earth, Yargul had not been idle. He had mostly carried out guerrilla warfare but he had participated in several large-scale wars which resulted in several new hills of corpses. Curious to see it for itself rather than through the eyes of Observers, the Surveyor manifested a piece of itself on said battlefield, its shadowy figure walking among the dead.


    It occasionally would stand over a particular body and connect with its shadow, viewing the orc¡¯s last moments before it fell. All these it recorded perfectly into books, not caring for the time that passed. Night and day cycled constantly as it penned down the various experiences of the orcs, recording the emotions that they felt upon the moment of death, often times being regret or anger. But there was a tint of fear, no being could be fully free from the fear of death. There will always be something within them that wonders just what is beyond death and if it is worse than living.


    But, of course, there are those who push on to suicide because they are just that desperate, they believe that anything is better than what they live in. The Surveyor was curious about these types of people and also wasn¡¯t too fond of them, it simply couldn''t learn as much as it could from them. Most of the time the cause of suicide was the same, depression, a feeling of not belonging, and etc. Mortals were, after all, quite social creatures who often need company of some shape or form. They were incomplete beings and such things desire to be whole, although not all of them are able to fulfill this desire.


    Anyways it continued to record the memories of various orcs, splitting into various clones of itself which all worked independently on a different orc¡¯s memories. Soon, all of the fascinating orc memories had been recorded and the Surveyor stood still as it was thinking about a location to move towards. It had no particular wish to visit another battlefield and it also did not wish to return so early. Finally, it remembered the strange spaces in Occasus which its shadows held no power over. It had looked over them briefly in its search for End but not thoroughly, it might as well do so now.


    It had seen many interesting things but it was a quick perusal, not a methodical search. And it had been meaning to revisit them anyway, now was as good a time as any. It began to head to the nearest, still in the guise of the Librarian as it crossed the border in which its shadows held no power. It passed through the barrier, now fully cut off from the rest of the world, it only had the vessel it came in to rely on. But that was not of great importance, it had made sure that this current vessel possessed more than enough energy to deal with anything that may lay within the barrier.


    It spent some time just observing the area it had entered in, noticing how Time seemed to hold no power here, this was a place that was ¡°cut out¡± of Time. How strange, this must be the work of a god or a divine artifact, only these held enough power to make a small hole in Time. How strange, whatever lay here certainly wasn¡¯t normal and the Surveyor was intrigued. It headed deeper, eventually seeing a grove of trees, these being entirely new to the Surveyor. They possessed pure white trunks as well as leaves which were magenta in color. These leaves glowed softly in the twilight of this gap in Time, a place that would truly be magical as mortals were apt to say.


    The Surveyor stood still for a long time, simply mesmerized by the beauty of this place. Upon a strange impulse, it decided to make a memory of this place, creating a book which would contain this particular memory of its. With smooth fluid strokes, the scene before it was soon recorded onto paper, seeming as if it had frozen a moment of time and placed it on paper. And yet there were small details within the drawing which seemed to make the leaves move ever so slightly, making the beholder wonder if it was simply his imagination or if the leaves were actually moving.


    And this time, it added color, carefully collecting a leaf from one of the trees. It carefully analyzed the leaf before carefully replicating the color onto the leaves of its drawing, doing this for every single leaf in order to make them all unique. It invested a lot of time into each individual leaf, making it as realistic as possible. Eventually, it had finished, only coloring the leaves as the white paper was enough to bring out the color of the tree trunks. Everything else it purposefully shaded over with a slight layer of grey, to further accentuate the brighter colors.


    It was finally satisfied with the final product of the image and closed the book, not putting it away just yet for it guessed that these trees were not the only strange things here. It then continued to walk forward, finally reaching the five trees and entering the circle they made. Within, it saw a winged-body lying within the circle of trees, wearing silver and gold armor which was only marred by the wound in her side, still possessing wet blood that did not flow. Its features, untouched by Time, were inhuman, not really of this Earth. And judging from the faint aura around it, it was partially divine, an angel.


    But it was not yet dead, this angel was still alive but only just. She had fallen asleep in this gap and never did awaken. But it did not immediately approach the body, instead turning its attention to the trees, curious about the memories the shadows of these trees held. Sending out five tendrils of darkness to each of the shadows, it began to absorb their memories, seeing memories of trees.


    These trees had come into when Agleon was young, a result of a mortal¡¯s experiments with Time. He sought immortality and thought that if he were to divert the flow of Time he might achieve it. Unfortunately, no matter what he tried, he was unable to succeed and wasted the later years of his life to this unattainable goal. Or did he? When he created these strange trees, he planted them but to his despair, they did not grow. He thought that he had failed but the truth was that they just took a thousand years to germinate. When he was long since dead, the seeds finally germinated, little sprouts growing up on the ancient array he had made a thousand years ago.


    With the passage of more Time, these trees grew slowly, ever so slowly to the size they are when the Surveyor entered the gap. They didn¡¯t show the powers they held at first, it only came when they reached ten thousand years of age, reaching the size they were today. Once they reached that size, the specific size needed in order to activate the magic circle their creator had planted them on. The trees with the assistance of the magic circle were able to create a gap within Time, no longer capable of growth, after all, one needed Time to grow. Then an eternity seemed to pass, suddenly to be interrupted by a falling figure.


    In a shower of white feathers and blood, she crashed onto the ground, unconscious but still alive. Her wings, disheveled by the fall, were still beautiful to behold, in all appearances, she was an angel who had been struck down by evil.


    By this stroke of luck, her life was not lost but nor could it be saved. The wound needed Time to either be fatal or heal and within this gap, both of those options were impossible. And so this demigod had lain in eternal sleep for countless eons until the Surveyor found her.


    Now privy to the entire story of this place, the Surveyor finally approached the angel, not waking her at first as it would be better to study her unconscious. And it did just that, first probing her wound to collect samples of her blood and body, this was the first true angel it had encountered and it wasn¡¯t going to waste this chance. It then viewed the memories her shadow possessed, perfect memories of the War with Premen were quite rare and the Surveyor wanted to see how one on the side of the gods viewed this conflict.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªAngel¡¯s Shadow¡ª


    ¡°Who are you!¡± the Archangel shouted.


    ¡°We are the soldiers of Heaven!¡± the angel and her comrades answered.


    ¡°What is our duty!?¡± the Archangel demanded.


    ¡°To cleanse the sinful!¡± they answered once more.


    ¡°Then follow me and charge!¡± the Archangel shouted before drawing his sword and diving towards the surface of Agleon. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They all followed, spreading our wings and diving down towards Agleon. Their target was a floating city, its citizens already preparing for their arrival, the Premen having learned from losing their first floating cities to the first attack. Soon, beams of incandescent energy shot forth from the city¡¯s defenses and killed many angels, angel blood and feathers raining down on the ground below. Smaller spells were cast, most being ineffective against their armor although the angel¡¯s eyes could pick out a group of nine mages preparing to cast a large spell, combining their energy in order to beseech Magic to allow them to cast a great spell.


    Magic listened and soon, a storm of fire descended upon us, many more angels falling, their wings burning as they fell to their deaths. And on the ground of the floating city, the Premen soldiers waited, their spears held out towards the sky. A figure in black armor barked out orders to them, his spear in hand in order to fight the Archangel. The angel gritted her teeth, prepared to fight the sinners. There was seemed to be a moment where the angel¡¯s clarity seemed to heighten, everything slowed for a moment as her eyes picked up random details of the enemies before her.


    They held fear, but also determination, they knew that they had sinned but were committed on this path. She was saddened, these people, why did they so determined to sin against the gods?


    Then the voice of the Teryo boomed, ¡°You divine filth! For attacking our people you shall not be forgiven!¡±


    Turning to his men, he commanded, ¡°Soldiers, hold long enough for the citizens to escape! Even if it means your death hold them, so that our people may live!¡±


    They roared in reply, holding their spears up high, aimed at us. The Teryo stepped forth, wielding a great halberd and he pointed at the Archmage.


    ¡°You shall die by my hand!¡±


    The Archmage smirked.


    ¡°Sinful creature, one such as you are not worthy to even fight me!¡±


    The Teryo retorted, ¡°Then your angels I shall slay, my halberd will taste angel blood today!¡±


    Unable to contain their anger, the angel saw several angels swear and charge in, only to be slain with ease by the Teryo who taunted, ¡°Come you flying bastards, meet my halberd¡¯s blade.¡±


    This time, twenty angels went to answer his challenge but they were all easily slain, the Premen soldiers cheering, their moral rising as ours fell.


    Angered, the Archangel drew forth his sword and shouted, ¡°Purge the infidels!¡±


    With a battle cry, angels charged forth, a few impaled by Premen spears but the rest were soon among them, slaying soldiers left and right. But the Premen did not just stand and die, they fought back with zealous fervor, angel corpses soon joining the bodies of the Premen. The angel slew many a soldier, remembering the looks they gave her as they died, ones filled with determination and hatred. Nowhere did the angel see fear, it seems that they had thrown away their desire to live if only to kill us.


    As the angel fought, there was suddenly a shout, ¡°The angel scum are trying to kill the Teryo, come, let us go to his aid! For the Teryo!¡±


    The angel looked to see that the Teryo was indeed surrounded, the Archangel fighting alongside seven other angels. The remaining angels were keeping the Teryo isolated as he fought, determined to keep help from coming.


    Surrounded, the Teryo laughed, ¡°You bastards who do not know a warrior¡¯s honor, you do not deserve a quick death but I fear I must give you that mercy if only to get rid of you quicker.¡±


    So saying, he began to fight in earnest, two angels falling within moments and the other five hard pressed to survive. Three more fell before the Archangel attacked, struggling to keep his ground under the Teryo¡¯s fierce defense.


    The angel wished to see more but her attention was drawn back to the battle when a fierce pain sprouted in her side. She looked down to see that she had been stabbed by a spear, its owner drawing it back in order to finish her off. The angel managed to kill him but another came, thrusting his spear towards her. She weakly deflected his strikes, slowly retreating, unable to kill him because of the spear¡¯s reach. She looked for help but all the other angels were busy with fights of their own. Seeing this, despair soon filled her heart, the angel knew that these infidels held no mercy in their heart.


    Soon, she found herself at the edge of the floating city and she fought desperately, my stamina all but gone and her condition further weakened by blood loss. Finally, she couldn¡¯t block anymore, her sword was just too heavy to lift. It slipped from her fingers and into the empty air below, her eyes following its fall until it disappeared from sight. She then turned her gaze back to the Premen soldiers who held their spears at her. Deciding that it would be better to fall to her death than be stabbed, she steeled her heart and fell backward into the void. The last thing she saw was their faces, surprised before they were soon hidden by the belly of the floating city. As she fell, she looked up one last time into the heavens, seeing the trail of white feathers which the angel left in her wake.


    Her vision began to fade as one last thought filled her fading mind.


    The sky is blue, a wonderful blue...


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Surveyor released itself from the angel¡¯s shadow, organizing the new information it had collected. It then began to debate whether or not it should save her, should she awaken it would likely just cause more trouble. Perhaps it would be best to let her sleep or even kill her. The latter option was not so bad, she should have died long ago and so it was not so wrong to finally grant her death, a death that she sought to embrace. But then again, to personally speak with an angel was a rare opportunity, one that could yield great amounts of data, especially about Heaven and the gods who dwelt in it.


    It would obviously collect this knowledge sooner or later but it would be nice to make it sooner. Hmm, what a strange impasse it found itself to be in but it had all the Time in the world so it might as well think it through thoroughly. After the passage of six mortal years, it finally came to a decision, that it would indeed revive her if only to absorb her memories in full as her shadow only came into being on Agleon. Within Heaven, there were no such things as shadows and so it was lacking in the inner-workings of Heaven. It would be best to work with her consent to access her memories but should it be necessary, the Surveyor had no qualms with breaking her mind in order to absorb her memories, she was never a variable in the experiment it was conducting so she was useless.


    With a plan of action, it acted, converting dark matter into the flesh of angels to heal her wound, replacing the matter which had been destroyed by the spear and reconnecting the bonds of the flesh. It also replaced the blood she had lost, making sure that once it took her out of the gap that she would be fine. It wouldn¡¯t do to for her to die when it decided to save her.


    Then remembering that it would best to adopt a more mortal form, the Surveyor completed the persona of the Librarian, becoming a mysterious figure who possessed one singular eye within the depths of his dark hood. He then carried the angel out created a gate, stepping through and into the floating garden. With a thought, a bed was created and he laid her down on it, first using magic to take off her armor so she could rest more comfortably. It placed the armor on another table which it studied for a brief moment before creating another table and chair nearby where he could record the new memories he had attained while waiting for her to awaken.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªAngel¡ª


    The sky is blue, a wonderful blue...


    I was surrounded by the wonderful color, sinking ever deeper. But as I went deeper and deeper, my surroundings grew darker and darker and fear wormed its way into my heart. I didn¡¯t have the heart to explore the dark depths that still lay before me so I tried to claw my way back to the blue sky, finding that I couldn¡¯t. I just kept sinking further and further, no, No, NO!


    My eyes flew open and I sat up, sweat beading on my forehead and trickling down the back of my neck. I blinked several times, trying to comprehend my unfamiliar surroundings. It appeared to be a garden of sorts, full of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. I looked around with curiosity and awe, my eyes stopping on one incongruous image in this otherwise perfect scene. It was a figure, a figure clad in black and silver robes whose attention was currently focused on a book which it was busy writing in.


    For a long moment, I just watched the being, unsure as of what to do.


    ¡°Um, hello.¡±


    Seeming to first notice my presence, the being looked up, revealing a softly glowing silver eye, the only distinguishing figure of his otherwise black face, hidden by incredibly dark shadows.


    It closed the book and left it on the table, standing and walking over to me.


    ¡°Ah, finally awake. How do you feel?¡±


    I say, ¡°I feel fine, almost too-¡±


    I then remembered the wound I had suffered, my hands patting my stomach to find any trace of the wound. But I found nothing, only a tear in my clothes where the spear had managed to pierce a chink in my armor. Those Premen may have been infidels but they did know how to make weapons. Then realizing that I did not have my armor, I searched around for it, reassured by the sight of them lying on a different table some ways away.


    I then noticed that I had yet to thank my savior so I quickly bowed my head.


    ¡°Oh, um thank you... uh, I don¡¯t know your name.¡±


    The being tilted its head, seeming to smile in amusement before answering, ¡°I have been known by many names in the past but the one I currently bear is the Librarian.¡±


    Confused, I just bowed again, ¡°Well thank you, Librarian, you have saved my life.¡±


    It just nodded, now asking, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    I answer, ¡°It is Iraliel, I am... well, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m still a soldier of Heaven.¡±


    Suddenly struck by the thought, ¡°Wait, how long as it been since Heaven declared war on the Premen!?¡±


    The Librarian sat back and thought, finally saying, ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d say it has been several eons by now, two by my count.¡±


    Two eons!? That long has passed since I had fallen unconscious!?


    As if seeing the questions that were going through my head, the Librarian said, ¡°Well by either great luck or misfortune, you fell into a ¡®gap in time,¡¯ a space where Time has no power. You fell in while you were unconscious and you remained that way within the gap, Time technically not having passed at all on your body. It was what saved you, with Time no longer affecting your body your wound no longer was dangerous but it also never healed, meaning if you left the gap by some means you would have perished. I was able to mend your wounds however and managed to bring you out without any mishap.¡±


    Shocked and somewhat disbelieving, I just said, ¡°I see.¡± before falling silent.


    The Librarian then stood, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll give you time to absorb all this. If you need any help just call, I shall come.¡±


    He then stood and created a black rectangle, stepping through it and disappearing, leaving me alone with the beautiful flowers, the twilight sky, and my thoughts.

 Chapter 69: First Defeat

    Night fell on the orcish fortress, its orcs losing confidence with the day. For the past six years, the Metal Beast had terrorized their coasts and was becoming increasingly bold, almost always attacking at night and ambushing orcish camps. The reason why they were afraid now was because the survivors of such an attack had taken refuge in the fortress, speaking of the attack that had happened just days ago. They were almost sure that the next target would be this fort and the orcs were on edge, wondering if the fortress would hold.


    Orcs did not fear many things but the Metal Beast had taken its place on the list, one of the few things that they simply couldn¡¯t kill. That was what orcs feared most, things that they could not kill, things that they could not overcome. That is why orcs feared old age, to deteriorate with Time to meet an eventual end which signified their defeat. Orcs would rather die in battle fighting for victory than to die in defeat because if they fight for it, there is a chance they could win. Against old age, they had no chance of victory and neither would they against the Metal Beast.


    That is why most orcs would continue to fight to their death because in their mind, fighting to the end was a victory for them. They would not surrender against the face of the inevitable and would go down fighting. This couldn¡¯t be accomplished against Time and the Metal Beast, Time rendered them too weak to fight and the Metal Beast simply killed them too quickly for them to put up a fight. They were truly helpless before these things and that is a cause for fear among all creatures, even orcs.


    The only comforting factor for them was the presence of Yargul the Invincible, sent here by the Skull Lord to deal with the Metal Beast, who was given this job because of his nigh impregnable defense. Yargul himself wasn¡¯t as worried, in fact, he was rather excited to meet this Metal beast. A creature that possessed both the power of Lightning and Metal Armor, a creature that may actually provide him a challenge.


    As the moon began to rise, he made his way to the parapet of the fortress, his blessed axe glinting coldly in the moonlight. Suddenly feeling as if he were being watched, he cast his gaze towards the dark forest that surrounded the fort, carefully looking into the shadows to see whoever it was that dared to watch him. When he failed to do so, he smirked and waved his free hand to the forest, letting them know that he knew they were there. He then turned and descended the parapet, waiting for the attack to come.


    Within the forests, the elves watching him were unpleasantly surprised by Yargul¡¯s actions, relaying this information to Erwin who soon smiled, a worthy opponent. So far, he had been disappointed by orcish warfare, it was just throwing your forces at the enemy and see who had the greater numbers, nothing too special. It disappointed Erwin who had taken war to be an art form, one he sought to perfect. Against these savages how could he do so?


    But the appearance of Yargul had mildly intrigued him, he knew that this was no regular orc but he also wasn¡¯t expecting too much. Yargul was still only an orc after all, an outstanding orc isn¡¯t that much of an accomplishment.


    He was brought back from his thoughts when one of the elves asked, ¡°What do we do sir?¡±


    Erwin waved his hand casually.


    ¡°We shall continue with the plan, we attack within the hour.¡±


    ¡°But sir-¡±


    The elf tried to protest but Erwin cut him off with a gesture. ¡°We will continue with the plan, I¡¯ve yet to see any semblance of intelligence among orcs, they will not defeat me.¡±


    Meanwhile, the very orcs who Erwin had insulted waited in their positions out in a separate camp half a mile away, placed there on Yargul¡¯s orders. They were to make absolutely no noise, make no fires, and do absolutely nothing to reveal their presence. Only when they heard the roaring of the Metal Beast were they to make any move at all, specifically to slaughter any soldiers of the Alliance they found.


    And because of Erwin did not expect the orcs to be intelligent, he had not properly scouted out the area, believing that all would be well. After all, all had been well for the past six years. And so totally ignorant of the trap he was entering, he then turned and retired to his tent, getting a last-second nap before the coming battle. Well, that was too generous in his opinion, it was more like a slaughter. He had complete faith in his tank, it hadn¡¯t even suffered a scratch since its creation, these orcs were simply too primitive.


    He woke up a few minutes before the allotted time, giving himself a few moments to wake up entirely. He wasn¡¯t particularly excited, he just entered the tank and prepared to do the usual, charge in, blow up a wall and slaughter any orc that dares to stand before him. As the rumble of the engine filled the air, the elves prepared themselves for battle, donning black clothing in order to blend with the shadows. They would surround the fort to kill any orc that managed to escape the tank, their goal was a complete extermination.


    The attack began, the tank bursting through the foliage, firing a shot towards the wall. As expected the wall fell to pieces and within moments, the tank was inside the fortress, slaughtering the guards and the sleeping orcs. On the opposite side of the fort, Yargul grinned as he heard the carnage, finally, the Metal Beast had come.


    He armored himself in stone, picked up his axe, and charged towards the Metal Beast.


    ¡°Come Metal Beast! Face me!¡±


    Staring at the orc with disappointment, Erwin turned the turret towards him and fired, turning away believing Yargul to be dead. The tank shell barely missed Yargul, hitting the ground before his feet and knocking him into the air, flying five meters backward, with his armor destroyed and Yargul presumably dead. Suddenly, a few moments later, Yargul rose from the rubble, his armor reforming, and roared,


    ¡°Fuck! That hurt bastard!¡±


    He picked up a large wooden log and hurled it at the tank, rocking it and making a small dent in the hide. But other than that, the tank was unharmed and seeing this, Yargul smiled, the fight wouldn¡¯t be enjoyable if it ended so quickly. Surprised, Erwin turned the turret once more to face the orc, sitting back with his interest rekindled. But he was soon forced to fire again as Yargul began to charge, Erwin deduced from the strength in which Yargul had hurled the log that a strike from the orc would be undesirable. But this time Yargul was more prepared, merely stumbling this time as the power of Agleon reinforced him, enabling him to endure most of the tank shell¡¯s force.


    He continued to charge and was immediately peppered by a storm of bullets from the machine guns, his stone armor slowly beginning to chip away. Seeing this, Yargul immediately retreated, stomping his feet to create a wall of stone which provided him a brief moment of respite. He wondered what to do when the wall suddenly exploded, accompanied by the thunderous boom the Metal Beast¡¯s main gun. Yargul, slightly stunned, began to run again, enduring the bullets of the machine guns as he wondered how he would defeat the Metal Beast.


    He then saw the snout of the beast turn to him once more and knowing what was to come, he made a wall and immediately ran away from it, making sure to keep it between him and the Metal Beast. Sure enough, another thunderous explosion rocked the battlefield, although this time Yargul had fared far better. He made another wall¡ªtriple-layered this time¡ªand took a moment to rest and think, how could he fight against the Metal Beast?


    He then struck upon the idea and he laughed at himself for being so stupid, hardly noticing the third attack from the Metal Beast which blew apart the wall, although Yargul was once again mostly unharmed. He stood, ignoring the storm of bullets which chipped away at his armor as he drew back with his arm, throwing a rock with as much force he could muster. The rock smashed into the side of the tank, rocking it and putting in a small dent but doing nothing else. Yargul immediately began to run again, making his path erratic in order to avoid the main gun of the tank.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Every time the tank fired and missed, Yargul would stop to create a sizeable stone to hurl at the tank, each stone getting larger and larger as he progressed, causing more and more damage to the tank as a result. As a result, Erwin began to take the fight more seriously, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins for the first time since he had come to this world. This, this was the challenge he had been looking for, an opponent in which he had the possibility to lose against even if he tried his best.


    Unbeknownst to him, a grin made its way onto his face and the same grin was mirrored in Yargul¡¯s face, it had been a while since he had last faced an opponent which he could die against. Erwin became entirely focused onto the battle, ignoring the other orcs which ran away as he trained the turret¡¯s machine gun on Yargul. Occasionally he would fire the main gun when he thought he had Yargul but the orc proved to be slippery, managing to survive each encounter no worse for wear, although perhaps slightly stunned from the shockwaves.


    Once more Erwin praised the constitution of orcs, their bodies could withstand far more punishment than that of humans. Erwin knew this of course but this was the first time he had seen just how much punishment their bodies could endure. Of course, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary orc if the stone armor was anything to go by, but the shockwaves from a tank shell connecting with its target was nothing to laugh at either. The body of a human is rather fragile so even a shockwave of a near miss hitting the ground is enough to kill a man.


    Yet this orc survived again and again from near misses, although he seemed to sustain noticeably damage, Yargul no longer able to dodge as fast as he could. And indeed, the effects of enduring near misses were beginning to take their toll, Yargul wouldn¡¯t last that much longer. But Yargul hadn¡¯t spent his time just running, in between attacks he was analyzing the Metal Beast, finally deciding that what he thought to be the snout had to go. He actually reached this conclusion a while ago but hitting the damn thing proved to be harder when he had to dodge its fearsome attacks as well as the supporting fire of the machine guns.


    But finally, more by luck than anything, a stone projectile managed to deform the main gun of the tank, preventing Erwin from firing the gun. Cursing this fact, Erwin continued to focus fire onto Yargul, using light armor piercing rounds in an effort to kill Yargul. It did succeed in heavily wounding him before he managed to create a wall which gave him a brief respite, allowing him to assess the damage. His left leg and arm would be rendered useless but he should still be able to fight. He then reached for his axe but remembered that he had dropped it when he had been shot by the Metal Beast. He quickly searched for it, sighting the silver handle glinting in the moonlight seven meters away from him.


    He cursed and increased the thickness on his armor, his body beginning to burn uncomfortably hot with the increased usage. A vessel must be strong enough to channel energy and the amount of energy that Yargul was channeling was nearing his limit. But he ignored this fact, as long as he did not lose he was willing to push his body till it died. He managed to survive the storm of bullets and make it to his axe, taking a hold of the hilt as he turned to face the tank.


    He roared and charged, holding his axe high as he prepared to cleave off the turret of the tank, believing it to be the head. But he had underestimated the power of the machine guns, the bullets packing a bit more power at this close of a range. He was forced to make his armor even thicker, his body beginning to burn with an unbearably hot sensation. In fact, the sensation was so hot that his armor began to glow a cherry-red, heat radiating off of him.


    Meanwhile, Erwin opened the hatch of the tank and managed to exit before the axe buried itself deep into the turret. Yargul had a large grin on his face, he believed the Metal Beast to be dead so he immediately released his magic, the stone armor falling off of him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a peculiar sensation in his chest, as if something tried to push him but just passed through. He looked down and saw blood beginning to pour forth from the neat little hole in his chest and he looked up, seeing Erwin standing before him.


    Erwin then spoke, ¡°The battle is not yet won orc, but you put up a good fight.¡±


    He was about to finish him off when the orcs who Yargul had positioned finally arrived, ambushing the elves who surrounded the fort and allowed the orcs within the fort to begin their attack, no longer hampered by the elvish archers. Erwin cursed and went to kill Yargul but a thrown spear forced him to re-enter his tank, leaving Yargul wounded but not dead. In that brief moment, the orcs had managed to surround his tank and they began to pound away at, Erwin quickly driving the tank out of there, using the machine guns to get off what orcs he could.


    Cursing, he commanded the elves to retreat with communication crystals, using his machine guns to deter any orc from following them. As for the orcs on his tank, the elvish archers soon took care of them, leaving their bodies riddled with arrows.


    Back at the fort, Yargul was lying on the ground, a few orcs covering him with earth. This was in order to speed up the healing process, although it was far harder than it seemed. The mana within his body sensed a foreign presence in his body, specifically the dark matter of the bullet, and was doing its best to expel it but Yargul was unknowingly interfering by trying to heal the wound. So he was just lengthening the process it would take for him to heal, leaving him struggling for his life for four days straight before the bullet was finally expelled.


    From there, the healing was relatively easy and two days later, he was ready to fight once more.


    Once he healed he immediately made his way to the wall of the fort, shouting at the top of his voice, ¡°Man in the Metal Beast, I await our next meeting!¡±


    Of course, Erwin was too far away to hear the words of Yargul but he still turned back nonetheless, his eyes on the sight of his first defeat.


    An elf, seeing his curious action, asked, ¡°What is it, sir?¡±


    Erwin¡¯s gaze lingered for a few moments before saying, ¡°Nothing, I just thought I heard something.¡±


    Back in Otium¡ªwithin the Librarian¡¯s floating garden¡ªIraliel rested in bed, reading one of the Surveyor¡¯s many collected memories. It was about a preman¡¯s perspective¡ªspecifically that of Eversor the Destroyer¡ªof the Purge and it had proven to be very enlightening to her, it had shown her that all was not as it had seemed.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªEversor¡ª


    I looked up into the sky which soon darkened with the wings of angels, each seeming like comets of light which fell to Agleon with Heaven¡¯s vengeance. As they came closer and closer, I prepared to give the order to shoot, wanting to kill as many of them as possible in one strike.


    Just when I could see their eyes, small dots against their white faces I shouted, ¡°Fire!¡±


    Projectiles of energy then shot forth to meet the enemy, their corpses, feathers, and blood raining down. It was a sight I had seen before and a sight I was sure to see again, for I would not stop fighting until my people were safe. But this did not deter the remaining angels and they neared, their weapons glowing with divine light. I drew my sword, a sword which was capable of cutting through anything, a weapon personally gifted to me by Darkness himself.


    And with this sword in hand, I met the oncoming angels, shouting, ¡°Slay the invaders!¡±


    With an answering roar, the soldiers under my command raised their spears and engaged the enemy while I sought out the Archangels. I soon sighted two fighting back to back, slaughtering my comrades and I began to make my way to them, cutting down any angel that dared get in my way. Seeing me, an Archangel charged over, her divine sword shining brightly as it sliced through the air. I slew her with ease, my sword cutting through her blade as if it was not there, the Archangel dying with a look of surprise on her face.


    As her body fell to the ground, the remaining Archangel roared, ¡°You bastard! You will pay for that!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I pointed my sword at him and said, ¡°You will be the one to pay, you divine filth, you were the one that instigated this war, not us.¡±


    He snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me such lies infidel, you have sinned against Heaven and for that your sentence is death.¡±


    Seeing that he would not see the truth, I slew him as I had done with the previous Archangel, saying over his lifeless corpse, ¡°Being strong was our only sin angel.¡±


    I then shouted, ¡°The Archangels are dead my comrades, the angels lose their order, do not lose this chance! Kill them all!¡±


    My soldiers rallied under me and charged, the angels soon panicking with the death of their leaders. Soon, the only angels to remain were corpses, I and my soldiers victorious once more. But I knew that I alone wasn¡¯t enough, although I was powerful I could not be everywhere, as much as I hate to admit it, we Premen will lose this war. But even though I knew this, I shall still fight, for that is all I can do. All I can do is to fight for my people, fight on so that they at least have hope of living to see tomorrow.

 Chapter 70: Divide and Conquer

    Iraliel closed the book, she had heard rumors of Eversor the Destroyer, the most powerful of all the Premen. He was perhaps the first mortal to reach so close to the threshold of godhood through his own strength alone. Before the gods had declared that the Premen had spurned Heaven¡¯s Light, she had admired Eversor, thinking that if a mere mortal could reach such heights then it wouldn¡¯t be so hard for her to reach the rank of Archangel.


    But more troubling thoughts soon arose, the Premen seemed to be entirely ignorant of the fact that they had been sinful, it was Heaven that provoked them. But the gods clearly said that it was the Premen who made the first strike, she didn¡¯t know what to believe in anymore. She looked up into the eternal twilight sky, wondering if Heaven was as right as it claimed to be.


    Suddenly the bed felt uncomfortable, too open under the gaze of the sky. She got up and began to walk somewhere, anywhere but there. As panic filled her mind she began to hyperventilate, falling to her knees as her mind fell into chaos. Suddenly, a comforting cool sensation surrounded her, bringing peace to her troubled mind. Looking up she saw the Librarian standing before her, its singular silver eye fixed on her. Some moments later, it extended a hand and she took it, standing up once more. Still uncomfortable from the gaze of the Heaven¡¯s she asked to go somewhere else and the Librarian obliged, opening a gate to the Library itself.


    He gestured for her to follow, stepping through the dark void. With nothing else to do, she took a deep breath and stepped through as well, feeling the familiar cold of space once more before she exited out into a seemingly endless chamber with shelves extending off into the distance.


    The Librarian just warned, ¡°Do not bring harm to the books and do not leave with the perimeter of the Library with them. Any violations of these rules shall result in your immediate death.¡±


    With that the Librarian walked off into one of the many halls, adding, ¡°If you wish to return just ask one of the golems, they will return you to the garden.¡±


    With that he disappeared, leaving the angel all alone within the Library. Well, not all alone, there was still one other occupant of this Library. Silren right now was reading in one of the many halls, this having become her favorite way to spend the days when she was not needed at her family¡¯s farm. But even so, the world of books was not enough to satisfy her desire to go outside, to see it all for herself. Yet every time she asked the Librarian he immediately deflected the question to her parents who would refuse. She hadn¡¯t given up however, she would go outside one day, of that she was sure.


    As these two remained within the Library, the Surveyor turned its attention to the outside world, knowing form its observers of Erwin¡¯s first defeat. It wasn¡¯t too surprised, Erwin had become lax in recent years, he had underestimated the orcs as he had not met any exceptional leaders. But now, the more interesting aspects of the experiment shall begin, oh how fascinating it would be.


    Suddenly, it directed its attention towards the heavens, sensing the gaze of something watching it. The Surveyor guessed that whatever this creature was looking for was Iraliel, it must have sensed her presence when it had taken her out of the gap. Perhaps it would be best to return her soon, although this may involve Heaven into the affairs of Agleon. Hmm, if that were to happen it would have to interfere, it did not intend for the reign of orcs to be so short.


    Hmm, indeed it may be best to get rid of the angel, although how was still up for debate. But the Surveyor was unconcerned at the moment, it had complete confidence in being able to fend off Heaven, after all, it possessed Eversor who was far more powerful than he was in the past. As per his wish, he was given his body of old and was able to reach heights that he wasn¡¯t able to before, now able to push his body beyond his limits again and again through the rigorous training regimen that he had set for himself and the other Teryo who chose to have bodies of flesh.


    It consisted of each of them surviving on a separate hostile dimension of the Surveyor¡¯s making, filled with hordes of powerful creatures which defied imagination, creatures which would normally be able to overpower a god. Oh, and one should mention that they could only face these creatures with their bodies alone, no armor or weapons to give them an edge. Fighting against these creatures normally meant death but as these dimensions were under the Surveyor¡¯s control, the Teryo were able to survive, the weaknesses of their bodies being destroyed and replaced with stronger flesh, bones, and skin.


    This process was not too different to how calluses were formed, they are formed because of constant wear and tear on said skin, the calluses forming to prevent the skin from tearing. And through the help of the Surveyor who made special chambers¡ªTime flowing faster than usual¡ªfor them to heal in, speeding up the process in which they grew stronger. Although the Surveyor itself did not have to worry about Time, it did not mean that it could ignore it entirely. After all, the new threat of Heaven appeared to be rather close to the horizon and it wished to be prepared.


    As for why it did not just immediately give the Teryo superb bodies to begin with was rather easy, it was because the Teryo asked to be able to train their bodies. As they proved to be rather adamant of this choice and seeing no real reason to refuse, the Surveyor let them.


    At first, of course, the Teryo were miserably defeated in these worlds, their strength simply not adequate to survive but continual destruction and regeneration of their bodies made them stronger. This enabled them to endure the blows their bodies would sustain and even return, the Teryo beginning to survive longer and longer within these dimensions. And after countless cycles of this, their bodies were no longer what the Surveyor had given them, it had evolved far beyond what the Surveyor could create with his relatively limited amount of knowledge.


    The Surveyor was pleasantly surprised by this development, it thought that their bodies would reach what it thought to be the perfection of the body but they had exceeded its expectations. But thinking back this should¡¯ve been expected, after all, the Surveyor could only extrapolate based on data it has seen and as there were no real Premen to be found anymore except Darkness¡¯s memory of creating them and the Teryo¡¯s memories of their lives during the Age of Premen.


    Basically what it was seeing was millions of years worth of evolution compiled into the course of several months, making it wonder just what this sort of training regimen would hold for other creatures such as orcs, elves, and humans. With this sudden thought, it created another dimension in which to carry out this experiment, lowering the difficulty significantly as orcs, elves, and humans were hardly the type of creatures to face beings capable of slaying gods.


    As it set about working on this new experiment, Erwin had just returned to a human-held fortress, able to repair the tank quite easily as the previous skirmishes he had participated had left many orcs dead and their armor ripe for the taking. It was with the undesired armor and weapons that he repaired the tank with, the sliver of the Surveyor absorbing and using the metal to fix the damage. Soon, the tank was fully repaired and Erwin began to think about his course of action, probably the first time he was forced to do so since arriving here.


    After all, he had not met an opponent that provided him with a challenge so he could afford to deal with things rather haphazardly. But now, things were different, Erwin now knew that orcs possessed an individual of at least some intelligence, one that knew how to use his strength effectively. Erwin wasn¡¯t delighted but he could not deny that he was excited, after all, he still had a chance to perfect the art of war.


    So in order to do this very thing he just asked for some paper and a pen, intending to come up with various plans in which to deal with Yargul. He tried to picture what Yargul thought like and tried to anticipate how he would respond, taking into account the impressive physical abilities Yargul had displayed during battle. He also assumed correctly that the orcs who had ambushed them were put there on Yargul¡¯s orders, making Erwin remember to have scouts check extensively for an enemy presence.


    And as for Yargul, Erwin intended to make a visit to Otium in order to speak with the Librarian, he would need new sorts of ammunition to defeat Yargul. Perhaps armor piercing or high explosive for his machine guns as Yargul had proven to be too fast for Erwin to hit him with the main gun. He was prepared to pay whatever price that the Librarian was most certainly going to ask, a new weapon or ammunition type would prove to be invaluable to Erwin in the future.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He had seen Yargul¡¯s abilities and assumed that there would be many other orcs like him, if that was true then his current set up was quite ill-prepared to deal with them. But that was in the future, for now, Erwin could only practice shooting with the main cannon, he only had the standard shells at the moment and although they destroyed just about anything when it was a direct hit, near misses sadly didn¡¯t do as much. It was plenty to heavily injure or kill humans but only for a radius of roughly two feet. After that, it doesn¡¯t kill, just wound or stun.


    And Erwin also planned to keep his distance a lot more, no more rushing into enemy strongholds. It was better to bombard them from afar and gun them down should they get close. This would avoid the problem that he faced when he fought with Yargul, inside of the fortress he lacked anywhere to properly run to, thus meaning that he could only sit there helplessly as Yargul tore through the tank¡¯s armor.


    And if he were to close in for combat, he would need a more powerful weapon at his side than his luger, something like a rifle to take care of the orcs his machine guns couldn¡¯t kill. Erwin soon lost track of time, coming to his senses when he saw that the light outside the window was dim but growing stronger, he had stayed up the entire night thinking of how to deal with Yargul and other orcs of his caliber. He then grew aware of his aching limbs and he yawned, deciding to take a small nap before he made his way to Otium to talk with the Librarian.


    Four hours later he awoke and after getting something to eat, he said that he would be going to Otium, much to the consternation of the elves. They feared that in his absence, the orcs would come to attack but Erwin told them not to worry, the orcs would be too busy with the Civil War to pay attention to a small fortress like this. Slightly reassured by this, they did not try to persuade Erwin to stay any longer, although they did spare one of their few mages to help speed up his journey to Otium, making what was usually a week¡¯s journey into a three-day one.


    It was an uneventful three days, ones which Erwin did not waste, using them to think of what he should ask the Librarian for and wondering if he possessed the capability to pay for them. Eventually, he narrowed down his choices to a new sort of ammunition or the addition of a new weapon onto his tank, perhaps a flamethrower for close combat. With those two options in mind, he made his way to the Library, waiting outside after telling a Custodian of his presence. Soon, the doors of the Library opened and he entered without hesitation, finding the Librarian waiting for him on the other side.


    The Librarian nodded upon seeing him, saying, ¡°Ah, I was wondering when you would come back. Anyways, please come with me, I¡¯m sure that you are rather tired of standing.¡±


    Erwin nodded, ¡°Indeed and perhaps some tea?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I couldn¡¯t imagine it otherwise.¡± the Librarian replied.


    The two walk through a gate, appearing in the Floating Garden, the Librarian creating a table and two chairs with a casual wave. Taking a seat, he then created two cups and a pot of tea, pouring both his and Erwin¡¯s. The two took a few moments to appreciate the tea before getting down to business, Erwin saying,


    ¡°I need to upgrade my tank.¡±


    The Librarian asked, ¡°How so?¡±


    Erwin answered, ¡°I either need new ammunition or a new weapon, a recent battle had made me realize the shortcomings of my tank.¡±


    The Librarian took a sip of tea, saying, ¡°Oh? Shortcomings? Please do explain.¡±


    Erwin explained, ¡°Well the tank is terribly equipped for close-quarters combat, the machine guns aren¡¯t powerful enough and are rather limited in vision. So I must either have the ammunition to be more powerful so I can kill the enemy before they get so close or have a weapon suitable for close combat.¡±


    After a sip of tea, he added, ¡°And I¡¯m willing to pay whatever price you ask.¡±


    The Librarian seemed to smile, although Erwin couldn¡¯t tell for sure. ¡°Hmm, so what is your idea of a more powerful bullet?¡±


    ¡°Well, it would either be an armor-piercing or a high-explosive round, the armor-piercing allowing me to shoot targets with thick armor while the high-explosive is better at taking out groups of enemies. Personally, I would like the armor-piercing although it would be nice to have the option to switch.¡± Erwin explained.


    The Librarian then asked, ¡°What about the close-quarters weapon?¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°A flamethrower, a device which does as its name suggests, it throws out fire.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How does this flamethrower work?¡± the Librarian asked with interest, this was a weapon he hadn¡¯t yet encountered.


    Erwin described, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite simple, its a device which directs flammable liquid towards a target, said liquid being lit on fire as its leaving the nozzle.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°How fascinating, do you have any memories of this weapon? Do not worry, should you provide me those memories I shall in return place it on your tank.¡±


    Erwin agreed to this and once more, the cold sensation spread throughout his body, mostly focused at his head where the Surveyor was currently looking at all memories pertaining to the flamethrower.


    After satisfying itself, it withdrew from Erwin¡¯s mind and said, ¡°I will need to experiment a few times to make sure that it will work properly but your tank will soon possess a flamethrower.¡±


    Erwin nodded and then said, ¡°So, what about the new ammunition, is that still an option?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°As long as you have something to trade for it, I will give it to you.¡±


    Erwin smiled, ¡°Great, then I have a lot more ideas...¡±


    The two spoke for quite a while, the Surveyor learning a bit more about the mysterious world of Earth. Such a fascinating world, it was a shame that it could not go to it. It would have to make do with Erwin¡¯s memories which were thankfully quite detailed, mostly in the military might of Earth but he still possessed knowledge of Earth¡¯s various societies and the like. Anyways, Erwin soon left the Library with a more powerful tank and the Librarian enlightened about a great many things, giving him new ideas for various experiments.


    Meanwhile, back on Occasus, Yargul had just received word of the Skull Lord¡¯s plight. The two orc lords opposing the Skull Lord were preparing for a massive attack, their forces at an all-time high of fifty million soldiers. It was an impressive number alright, and this army was already on the move, planning to cut off the Skull Lord from his ally and crush him.


    The Skull Lord had sent word to the Trident Lord but the enemy was keeping her busy, a force of ten million dedicated to just slowing her down. As their prime objective was just to delay and not to win, they had proven to be quite successful, these orcs under the command of a competent orc general, one who thought like a human. He rejected the age-old idea that victory was needed in every battle, rather he saw beyond it, he sought to win the war. And in order to win a war, one must make sacrifices, one must lose.


    And although the orcs under his command did not agree with his philosophy, they did not dare disobey for he was an orc of power as well, although not as well known as Yargul the Invincible. Nevertheless, he was powerful and did not tolerate any failure to execute his orders, those who did so were promptly killed as he did not need dissidents in his army.


    So for the time being, the Skull Lord would be on his own. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t go down with a fight, he possessed five million orcs under his command right now at the city and ten million coming in from nearby cities he held but that still left a whopping thirty-five million enemy orcs to deal with. But then again, the goal was not to win but to hold out, to hold out long enough for the Trident Lord to break through and arrive.


    All wasn¡¯t lost, the city possessed nearly invulnerable defenses, the walls melding with the mountainside to make it seem like one steep cliff. This prevented orc corpses from piling up to the top of the walls, the enemy only able to enter through the easily defendable gates. And as the city was built on top of a mountain, there was no shortage of boulders to throw down onto the enemy should they come that close.


    But this was not all of the defenses the city possessed, there was going to be a layer of temporary defenses circling the mountain itself, already more than halfway done, this to be the area where the other ten million orcs were to stay as space was rather limited in the city. It mostly consisted of deep trenches and walls made of interlocking logs, they weren¡¯t capable of holding off millions of orcs but it would do to slow down the enemy advance. And this time the orcs on the defending side would be aided by primitive artillery, such as catapults made by human craftsmen. These catapults were quite crude and immovable but against a target fifty million in number, it would be nigh impossible to not hit a target.


    But even with all these advantages, the Skull Lord would surely lose if help did not come, help in the form of the Trident Lord and Yargul. And as much as Yargul wanted to wait and fight the Metal Beast, he could not ignore this, after all, a battle with combatants numbering in the millions was a far more tempting prize than some strange beast.


    But to reach it he must first pierce the defense of the shrewd orcish general and so he began to jog, taking the orcs under his command to meet up with the Trident Lord in order to defeat the enemy general.

 Chapter 71: Two are Better than One

    For the fiftieth time that day, Yargul roared with anger, how dare the enemy general not come out and fight him!? He wanted to beat the absolute living shit out of him but he couldn¡¯t do that if he couldn¡¯t find him, it was just so damn infuriating. Suddenly, a silky voice wafted through the air to Yargul¡¯s ears, making him even angrier.


    ¡°Getting angry at the forest isn¡¯t going to do anything.¡±


    Yargul whirled onto the Trident Lord.


    ¡°And neither is doing nothing! By Korvus I will find that wretch of an orc and tear apart his limbs one by one!¡±


    He punctuated this last sentence by throwing his axe angrily, cutting down several trees before finally burying itself deep into the ground. Muttering angrily he stomped over and tore the axe from the ground, seething with fury.


    ¡°Seeing you so angry is kind of cute.¡±


    Yargul growled, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that bullshit you whore, he was walking away. I¡¯m not in the mood to deal with your teasing.¡±


    He shouldered his axe and headed off deeper into the forest, too angry to be careful.


    The Trident Lord watched him go and sighed, ¡°Even if I tell him he¡¯s likely heading into a trap he won¡¯t listen, will he.¡±


    Yargul¡ªoblivious to this fact¡ªstomped through the forest, almost wishing that something would come to fight him. And indeed, his wish was answered when suddenly, two orcs capable of fire magic suddenly ignited themselves and charged at him.


    Seeing them, Yargul tossed aside his axe and charged with bare fists, he wanted to enjoy this fight, to fully let out the rage that had built up inside him. The two orcs, seeming to be twins, split up and came at him from separate directions, Yargul chuckling as they did so. He ran head on to meet them, ignoring one completely as he brutally slammed into the other, his shoulder armored with stone. He knocked the unfortunate orc to the ground but before he could finish the job the other orc tackled him, well at least he attempted to.


    Yargul was slightly jarred by the tackle and he turned towards the flaming orc bemused, backhanding the orc and knocking him several feet back.


    ¡°You will get your turn soon, for now just be a good little orc and sit still.¡±


    Yargul returned his attention to the orc on the ground, grinning when he found that the orc was still stunned and did not have full control over his senses. He waited patiently for the orc to stand, he wanted to enjoy every moment of this fight, not for it to end so quickly with his enemy¡¯s death. The orc stood, glaring at Yargul, his growing anger reflecting on the size of his flames which began to compete with the trees with height.


    Yargul grinned, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to brawl.


    ¡°Oh, this is going to be fun.¡±


    He armored himself in ice and stone and charged, the flaming orc charging at him as well. The two opposing forces clashed and this time, Yargul was knocked aside, having underestimated the power that the orc now possessed in his enraged state. He grinned and stood up, preparing to use more strength when suddenly he was attacked from behind. He grunted with annoyance, turning towards the other orc.


    ¡°I said you will get your turn!¡±


    ¡°Well I want it now.¡± the orc retorted.


    Yargul growled, ¡°Then die!¡±


    But before he could kill the impudent orc, his twin attacked him, forcing Yargul to turn his attention away. But once that happened he was immediatelyattacked from behind and Yargul was increasingly becoming more irritated by the moment, the attacks of these orcs had suddenly grown in strength and if he were to turn his attention away from either of them, it was likely that he would be injured. Luckily he possessed two defensive abilities so he was able to last longer than most orcs although even he would soon fall against their combined attack.


    As Yargul thought on how to defeat them, an orc some ways into the forest sighed with disappointment.


    ¡°This is Yargul the Invincible? I expected more.¡±


    He stopped watching through the crude telescope and turned away, not wanting to watch the rest of the battle as he assumed the two fire twins would be able to finish Yargul off. Suddenly, the earth trembled and Yargul¡¯s roar could be heard, causing the orc to check with his telescope, seeing that Yargul had used his ability to terraform his surroundings, knocking the orc twins to the ground.


    Back at the fight, Yargul laughed, ¡°I must thank you two! This fight is much more enjoyable than I first thought it would be!¡±


    The two orcs were unsure as to how they were supposed to respond, they had never met an opponent who had thanked them for making a fight enjoyable. It wasn¡¯t from lack of fighting either, they had met many opponents in their life and all of them either faced their death without any qualms or begged for their lives pathetically, most being proper orcs and choosing death rather than to plead for mercy. But there have been some who had asked to be spared and these were always killed the slowest, the twins having developed a sadistic pleasure in doing so.


    They had taken to torturing every single orc they defeated in battle, using their flames to see how long said orc could endure their heat. However, against Yargul their flames appeared to be rather useless, the combination of the ape¡¯s earthen armor and ice scales of the Frostwolf King proving to be superior to their Phoenix flames. No opponent of theirs had lasted so long and for the first time, the Phoenix Twins were uncertain, would they be able to defeat this opponent?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Seeing their hesitation, Yargul mocked, ¡°What? You afraid? What a shame, I thought I finally found some warriors worth fighting.¡±


    He turned and began to walk away.


    ¡°This fight isn¡¯t interesting anymore, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    And he truly meant it, Yargul sensed the tremor in the two orcs¡¯ warrior spirit, since all they knew was victory in their battles, the possibility of defeat was a great fear to them and this fear had reared its ugly head. Yargul also meant to use this to make them push past their fear, he wanted to enjoy this fight but he could only do that if the opponent was willing to fight. If this failed then he did have a more drastic plan but that would halve the fun so he would rather not do this. But it would prove to be rather amusing so at the same time, Yargul was rather excited to see just how he would react.


    The two orcs grew angry, their flames growing as a result, a brilliant red conflagration which brought a smile to Yargul¡¯s face as he turned to face them.


    ¡°Yes, come at me like you want to kill me!¡±


    The two charged and came at him in a pincer movement, catching Yargul off guard and getting off a few solid strikes before Yargul responded, slapping one and punching the other. With a grin on his face, he motioned for them to come again, the two orcs pushing their flames to the highest intensity, causing Yargul¡¯s armor to melt despite the cold of his ice scales.


    But this just made the grin on his face wider, after all, it wasn¡¯t every day that he met opponents he could die against. It was only when he pushed himself to and beyond his limits that he would continue to grow and Yargul was not as foolish to believe that he was the strongest orc of all. He knew that he was still inferior to some orcs out there, namely the Orc King so he still had to get stronger.


    Before long, Yargul was having to constantly replace his ice scales in order to keep himself from burning, the two orcs releasing heat of such prodigious strength that their surroundings in a ten-foot radius had already burst into flames and made the ground dry and brittle. Eventually, Yargul decided that enough was enough, he had his fun and now it was time to end this. So he stomped down with one foot, terraforming the earth once more and knocking the two orcs down.


    Yargul then calmly made his way over to his axe which was unharmed by the heat, snatching his hand back after nearly melting it to the handle. He winced, orcs had high pain tolerance but that did not mean they were entirely numb. He then reinforced his hand with ice, taking a hold of the axe which began to rapidly melt the scales. Not wanting to burn his hand again, Yargul quickly took aim and threw his axe, the axe burying its head deep into the chest of one of the Phoenix Twins.


    The orc looked down at his chest in shock and disbelief before falling down, both fire and life disappearing from his body. His twin looked at his now dead brother and fell into shock, he had never imagined that they would ever be separated. Unlike most orcs, these two had formed a bond since childhood, practically two pieces of one whole. This was a rare thing among orcs who did not appreciate family as humans and elves did, most would have no hesitation to kill their siblings if the time came but these two were different. They really did care for each other and now that one was gone, the other was left in shock and growing anger.


    Yargul stood by watching all this with curiosity, asking in disbelief, ¡°You cared for him?¡±


    The remaining twin glared at him and shouted, ¡°Of course I did, he was my brother!¡±


    ¡°What does that have anything to do with caring? My own sister tried to kill me and by my hands, she died. Why would you care about someone who would just betray you in the end?¡± Yargul asked.


    The twin argued, ¡°You¡¯re wrong, my brother would never betray me! He was the only one I could trust!¡±


    Yargul snorted, ¡°The only one you can trust is yourself, I¡¯m honestly amazed that you never learned that.¡±


    The twin gave in to his anger and charged in blindly, his flames reaching a far greater intensity than before, his flames fueled by his grief and rage. Yargul saw this and smiled, he was right, doing this was rather amusing. He braced himself to meet the orc¡¯s charge, although once more he underestimated the power of the twin and soon found himself flying through the air. He smashed into the ground some moments later and almost as he hit the ground, the twin was on him, pounding away with flaming fists.


    He yelled himself hoarse as he continued to hammer down onto Yargul¡¯s body, expending all of his energy in this endeavor to kill Yargul. Finally, he stopped and stumbled back to the corpse of his brother, believing Yargul to be dead. He cradled his brother¡¯s corpse and began to mourn, this being interrupted by Yargul¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Damn, that hurt a lot more than I thought it would.¡±


    The twin turned to face Yargul who was dusting off his shoulders as if nothing had happened, although there were some rather serious bruises developing on Yargul¡¯s arms and chest. As he inspected them, Yargul walked slowly over to the twin who struggled to stand and summon fire, preparing to fight Yargul again. Yargul snorted at this pathetic attempt, knocking him down with but a flick of his finger as the twin was too weak to put up a real fight. Ignoring him for the moment, Yargul made his way over to his axe, protecting his hand with ice so he wouldn¡¯t burn his hand again.


    He then walked back towards the twin, saying, ¡°Any last words?¡±


    The orc just said, ¡°Send me to my brother.¡±


    Yargul nodded and promptly killed the twin, his headless corpse joining his brother¡¯s on the ground. Yargul dropped the still-hot-axe and fell onto his back, taking a small break.


    He suddenly sat up, muttering, ¡°I never did get their names.¡±


    He then shrugged.


    ¡°Oh well, too late now. What a pity, they deserved to be remembered.¡±


    He then laid back down, yawning before he dozed off. The orc who had been watching the fight unfold just nodded, he hadn¡¯t expected the Phoenix brothers to win against Yargul, their only purpose was so that he could observe Yargul and analyze as much as he could about him. It was a bit of a pain to lose such strong pawns but there would be others, there were always others.


    However, looking upon Yargul¡¯s seemingly defenseless form, the orc entertained the thought of killing him. He was about to go over there personally to kill Yargul but his eye caught something, movement in the ashen clearing where Yargul was now napping. He took a look in his telescope and immediately gave up on assassinating Yargul, the Trident Lord had appeared, her presence along with her guard making any attempt on Yargul¡¯s life to be impossible. As he watched, the Trident Lord looked at his general direction, causing him to instinctively take a step back. As a smile appeared on her face, he harrumphed before retreating, after all, to kill either of them was but a secondary goal, his main goal was to delay them for as long as possible.


    As he retreated back to his elusive camp, the Trident Lord leaned over Yargul¡¯s sleeping form and poked him with the but of her trident, saying, ¡°Wake up sweetie, now isn¡¯t the time to sleep.¡±


    Yargul woke up rather unwillingly and said, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have let me enjoy my nap a little more? I just got done relieving my anger.¡±


    The Trident Lord asked, ¡°If you aren¡¯t angry then how am I supposed to be amused?¡±


    Yargul said disgruntled, ¡°How the fuck should I know?¡±


    In response the Trident Lord just chuckled, enraging Yargul a bit more who went to grab his axe only to let go because it was still burning hot. He had shouted a bit louder than he¡¯d liked, much to the amusement of the Trident Lord which in turn made him angrier. Finally, he decided that a tactical retreat was in order and made a quick escape into the forest only to come back moments later because he had forgotten his axe.

 Chapter 72: To Heaven

    Meanwhile, within the Library, Iraliel had stumbled upon a quietly reading Silren, surprised to see that there was another who resided this seemingly endless Library. Silren hadn¡¯t noticed Iraliel, too focused on her book, only looking up when the angel¡¯s soft voice greeted her ears. Upon looking up her eyes greeted the divine form of the angel, her body and wings surrounded by a faint light, golden hair which cascaded from her brow, and glowing white eyes which possessed no pupils.


    ¡°Your eyes, your wings... what are you?¡± Silren asked in wonder.


    Iraliel blinked and smiled softly, ¡°I am an angel, little one.¡±


    ¡°An angel?¡± Silren furrowed her eyebrows, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are.¡±


    Suddenly, she turned and asked a nearby golem, ¡°Are there any books on angels?¡±


    The golem nods and she says, ¡°Bring them to me.¡±


    The golem went to obey, disappearing through a gate and reappearing moments later with a singular book, much to Silren¡¯s disappointment.


    ¡°This is it?¡±


    The golem nods and she sighs, taking it and dismissing the golem. The golem bowed and left, leaving Silren to read this new book about the angels which was rather thin, much to her disappointment. Curious, the angel made her way over, reading over Silren¡¯s shoulder, seeing that it was mostly basic information, nothing of much importance. But when Silren turned to the last few pages of the book, Iraliel was stunned to see her name, an image of her as well as her strengths, weaknesses, what equipment she had wielded during the Purge and what powers she possessed.


    Suddenly, a voice said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t read books that aren¡¯t finished Silren.¡±


    Silren looked up apologetically, ¡°Sorry uncle, I was just curious, I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    The Librarian admonished, ¡°To want to learn is admirable but you must control it, should you become too hasty a myriad of unfortunate events can occur, things I fear you are not yet able to handle.¡±


    Silren asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°One such unfortunate event happened a thousand years ago, during the Great Calamity when your mother nearly destroyed this world. I was too hasty in wanting to learn all that I could learn instead of consolidating the necessary strength to destroy End. Because of my mistake, I was only able to seal her and partially at that.¡±


    Silren joked, ¡°Oh uncle, if you did kill my mom I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    The Librarian paused for a moment and said, ¡°Indeed, perhaps it is a benevolent side effect. Anyways, I shall take that book now, I promise you can read it once it has been finished.¡±


    Silren dutifully handed over the book and the Librarian took it, the book melting into shadow, presumably reappearing at its place on its shelf. Having done this, the Librarian turned and walked away, commanding Iraliel to follow. As Iraliel followed unwillingly, Silren waved goodbye before returning to her previous book, the Librarian creating a gate and walking through.


    Returning the wave to Silren, the angel stepped through the gate as well, not returning to the garden as she had expected but someplace outside. It was on a beach, presumably somewhere on Agleon where the sun was beginning set on the ocean¡¯s horizon.


    As she looked around her surroundings, the Librarian spoke, ¡°Angel, what do you think of me?¡±


    The Angel was silent, unsure how to respond and the Librarian spoke, ¡°It is fine, be honest. I need your opinion in order to proceed with further action.¡±


    Iraliel still proved to be hesitant, although she decided that it was best to speak her mind before she made the Librarian angry.


    ¡°Well, I am afraid of you, I am afraid because I do not understand you. How do you know the things you know? I am also wary, uncomfortable around you, I feel that you do not look at me as a fellow living thing but as something to be studied.¡±


    The Librarian stared out to the horizon, saying, ¡°So do you regard me something which bears you ill will?¡±


    Once more Iraliel was forced to think before replying, ¡°No, I do not think that you bear me ill will, I think you don¡¯t care at all about me, whether I was to live or die.¡±


    The Librarian then asked, ¡°Do you bear me any ill will?¡±


    This time Iraliel spoke with surety, ¡°No, I do not, you are simply too powerful.¡±


    He asked for the final time, ¡°Do you think the gods can defeat me?¡±


    On this Iraliel deliberated long and hard, finally saying, ¡°No, I do not think they can... not without great losses.¡±


    The Librarian was silent for a few moments, the nervous angel resisting the urge to fly away, knowing that if she was to do so she would most likely die on the spot. Finally, the Librarian turned towards her.


    ¡°I have decided to let you return to Heaven. However,¡± he looked at her, ¡°I shall come along as well.¡±


    Stunned, the angel asked, ¡°Why? Why do you wish to enter Heaven?¡±


    The Librarian nodded, ¡°I am not foolish enough to believe that Heaven will leave me alone, I know that sooner or later they shall come, whether to make peace or war. I would rather take the initiative and offer peace.¡±


    The angel didn¡¯t attempt to dissuade him, she felt that once the Librarian had decided on a course of action, it would not divert itself from its chosen path.


    She just nodded and prepared her wings for flight, saying, ¡°I will guide you.¡±


    She spread her white wings and flapped them experimentally, taking off into the air moments later, enjoying the exhilarating sensation of flight for a few moments. As she flew, she chanted words in the Heavenly Tongue, something the Librarian took careful note of, the Gates of Heaven appearing before her. She waited for the Librarian to catch up before flying through, the Librarian taking a few moments to analyze this door fully before stepping through himself.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªHeaven¡ª


    In the midst of a fierce dispute of the Grand Council of the Gods, one god ceased arguing and turned to face the direction of Agleon, sensing a presence he thought he would never feel again.


    ¡°Daughter?¡±


    He stood and exited the Council chamber, much to the confusion of the others who also grew silent.


    One asked, ¡°Where do you go Areus?¡±


    Areus paid the god no heed and took off, heading towards where he had sensed Iraliel¡¯s presence. He soon reached her, Iraliel surprised to behold her father before her.


    She immediately went down on one knee, saying, ¡°Father, I apol-¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Areus interrupted her with a hug, surprising Iraliel who¡ªafter a few moments of confusion¡ªhesitantly returned the hug.


    ¡°My daughter, you have returned, I thought I had lost you.¡±


    Iraliel asked, ¡°Father, I-¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure what else to say so she just fell silent, hugging her father. Unbidden, tears fell from her face and she did not know why, why was she crying? Was it because this was the first time she had experienced affection from her father?


    When her father eventually let her go, caressing away the tears on her cheek, she asked,  ¡°Why?¡±


    And to that very simple question came a very simple answer, ¡°Because you are my daughter... my last daughter.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Iraliel was stunned, she was the last of her father¡¯s children?


    ¡°What about Zariel, Asuriel, Telantes... what about-¡±


    Her father shook his head sadly, ¡°They are all dead.¡±


    Only one word could escape her mouth upon hearing this news.


    ¡°How?¡±


    Areus answered, ¡°It was in that blasted war with the Premen, they were all slain by Eversor himself.¡±


    He continued, ¡°That... monster was unstoppable, everything we threw at him he slew, eventually I and the other gods took arms against him and even then, he and his Teryo managed to drive us away. I... I must confess that I was one of the few who asked that we leave Agleon alone, we had killed all their women and thus they could not reproduce. We only need wait for their lifespan to come to an end and if we gods are good at anything, it is waiting.¡±


    Iraliel said, ¡°He is that powerful? A mortal could not possess such power.¡±


    ¡°And yet he did, and with it he did his best to protect his people.¡±


    The two fell silent, Iraliel questioning why they even tried to fight the Premen.


    Finally, she asked, ¡°Why could we not have peace with the Premen?¡±


    Areus sighed, ¡°Fear child, it was fear. We gods are a unique existence, unchallenged by all and here comes this race, a mortal race that had the potential to surpass our might, a race that could kill us.¡±


    He continued to ramble, seeming to try and justify the choice of killing the Premen rather than to explain, ¡°We gods are afraid of death, and when something comes that is capable of threatening us, we become afraid. It¡¯s funny, that we gods who are undying should fear death. The more you live, the less you want to part with life, you just want to see what else the Universe holds. And yet, sometimes, it just gets so boring that you wish for death. But when it stares you directly in the face, you find that you want to live all the more, even though you had once wished for it.¡±


    Iraliel was silent, unsure as to what to say. She could only be silent she supposed, for it was not her place to speak to a god, even if it was her father. Her father sighed and by chance, his eyes happened to land on the silent figure of the Librarian who had arrived unbeknownst to everyone.


    Suspicious, he placed himself between him and his daughter and demanded, ¡°Who are you, how have you come here?¡±


    The Librarian introduced himself, ¡°I am the Librarian and I stepped through the Gate which your daughter opened.¡±


    Areus turned to Iraliel and asked, ¡°Why did you open the gate for him!? You have endangered all of Heaven! You-¡±


    Iraliel interrupted, ¡°He is the one who saved me, I owe him my life.¡±


    Areus turned to the Librarian, slightly embarrassed.


    ¡°Ah... my, em... apologies. I thank you for saving my daughter.¡±


    The Librarian shook his head, ¡°I need no gratitude, it would¡¯ve been a great shame to let such a fascinating specimen die. I merely prevented that shame.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    The Librarian explained, ¡°By specimen, I mean a subject of study. I have never met an angel before and thus to let her die would potentially mean burning my last chance to study an angel. It was a risk far too great to ignore.¡±


    Areus said, ¡°You... you are a strange being. You aren¡¯t a god, are you?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°No, I am not. I am simply the Librarian, he who records all of the knowledge in the Universe.¡±


    ¡°I have never heard of your existence before, forgive me if you find me to be suspicious.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°It is understandable for you to be suspicious, after all, it is only now that I had begun to show myself. From the shadows I had watched, observed, and remembered for all this Time, unseen and unheard. Not even Light herself could¡¯ve seen me once I choose to return to the shadows. You should know for yourself, after all, you failed to notice my approach.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here, we gods possess shadows as well, you say that you do not know of us yet your latter statement refutes this.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°You are quite sharp, and you would be right except for the fact that Heaven is Light¡¯s domain, it is a place completely isolated from other shadows, meaning that I cannot access the memories those shadows possess. However, if I were to enter Heaven then those memories would be mine. I hope that you will not stop me in this endeavor of mine, I would rather avoid killing you as I sense that you will provide fascinating information in the future but should you stand against me, I will have no hesitation in killing you right here and now.¡±


    Areus harrumphed, ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try, no matter what you are, you are no god!¡±


    He unleashed his power, causing Iraliel to wince and back away, unable to bear the pressure. The Librarian was quite unfazed by this, instead casually raising his arm and pointing at Areus¡¯s arm, using Absolute Division to separate it from his body. The Librarian lowered his arm and clasped his hands behind his back, leaving Areus staring at him with shock.


    ¡°What... what are you!?¡±


    The Librarian answered once more, ¡°I am the Librarian.¡±


    He then proceeded to ignore Areus, instead heading over to his severed arm, taking it and beginning to analyze it. He summoned a book into creation and placed in his observations, creating a new memory to add to his Mind¡¯s Library. Meanwhile, Iraliel tended to her wounded father who was slowly regenerating his arm. Of course, the Librarian could have made it so that he couldn¡¯t but there was no use in that. After all, a god would provide more data with two arms than with just the one.


    He planned to study these gods far more intensely but not now, doing so would earn the ire of Heaven and the Librarian was no fool. No, he had to introduce himself as a neutral party which did not want any hostilities with Heaven. He did not dare think that he would attain friendship immediately, not after wounding a god. But he could achieve neutrality with Heaven, an ¡°I leave you alone and you leave me alone¡± sort of deal.


    As he waited for Areus to finish healing, the Librarian inspected the perfect world of Light¡¯s creation, the perfect world for the perfect race. But this perfect world had been invaded by something foreign and Light herself sensed it. How could she not? She was the creator of this realm, Heaven was almost a part of her, it¡¯s not so strange to be able to sense a splinter that had pierced your skin. But there was something strangely similar about this splinter, something that reminded her of Darkness who had awoken not so long ago.


    Fear was dominant in her mind but that wasn¡¯t it, there was a flurry of other emotions that intermingled into chaos within her mind. She just didn¡¯t know how to feel about this invader that may or may not be her Father.


    Meanwhile, the Librarian had reached sight of the golden city, seeing as gods and angels enjoyed each other¡¯s company, some conversing and playing games with one another while others were more intimate. The Librarian saw all this just form a distance, he did not dare connect with the shadows just yet, he may be able to keep the angels from detecting him but the gods would most assuredly sense his presence and march out in full force to slaughter whatever impudent creature dared to invade their privacy.


    Should that happen, he would be forced to kill the gods and although he would be able to access the knowledge their shadows possessed, it would prevent him from learning what else they would do in the future. The Surveyor would rather avoid that, although if it had to, it would have no hesitation in killing a few to make the other submit. It was better to sacrifice a few for many.


    But to prevent such a thing from happening, the Librarian intended to show its full might, so that no god would entertain the foolish thought to go out and fight him. After all, fear proved to be rather effective in getting others to do what you want. But he also had to be careful, fear was a double-edged sword, if he was going to use it then he must be oppressively powerful, so powerful that the enemy must think it would be useless to try anything against him.


    So with this in mind, the Librarian turned towards Areus who had managed to fully regenerate his arm, saying,


    ¡°You shall take me to the City of the Gods, I wish to speak with your leaders upon matters of importance.¡±


    Areus attempted to argue but flinched when the Librarian raised his finger once more. He just bowed his head in humiliation and gritted anger.


    ¡°I shall do so immediately.¡±


    Areus took the lead and the Librarian followed behind, Iraliel soon joining them after snapping out of her shock. As he walked, he memorized his surroundings, taking note of the care and precision in which they had been created, all due to Light herself. She had grown up from the small child that Darkness had first met her into a powerful primordial, truly a force to be reckoned with. She was truly unique among all things as she was not of Darkness, rather an emptiness of Darkness. She could be said to be the only independent thing of Darkness and as such, was entirely and wholly independent from Darkness.


    Perhaps, given some more Time, she could grow into Darkness¡¯s equal, his one true peer in all of Existence. Hmm, Light indeed was a fascinating creature and the Librarian guessed that he would soon meet her face to face.

 Chapter 73: Perhaps a Little Too Far

    As the Librarian crossed the perimeter of the city, angels began to appear, armed and prepared for battle. As one, they raised their weapons, the very air trembling as their weapons began to glow, prepared to use the might of Light to defend the city. But all that came to a halt by one word of the Librarian, uttering a single phrase of the First Language, the same as the one Darkness used to bring the entire Universe to a halt upon his awakening. Upon uttering this word here, although granted at much less power than when Darkness spoke it, he froze the movements of all within the City of the Gods.


    The Librarian then began to analyze each of them at his leisure, being rather blunt and shameless with his examination, not caring at all for the angel or god being the object of his study. He would strip them of their armor/clothing and take careful note of their physical stature and then using his shadow probes to analyze what lay within their bodies. He also took note of their body structure, what made them by taking a sample of their flesh and analyzing their DNA.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t do this on his lonesome, he created multiple clones of himself which worked independently on different angels and gods, soon filling up his Library with a multitude of new information. On occasion he would release a few to analyze their fighting patterns, noting their strengths and weaknesses during most of the fight until he would eventually defeat them in the end, forcing them to give him access to their mind. The information within their minds became his and this went from angel to angel, from god to god until none dared to fight against him. That was of no consequence, he would still be able to understand their combat abilities from their memories alone. Quite soon, he had finished analyzing every single one of the angels and gods other than Areus and Iraliel.


    As they were the only ones remaining, the Librarian turned to them, first releasing Areus who immediately surrendered. The Librarian shrugged and just asked for access into Areus¡¯s mind which he willingly gave. He turned to Iraliel and she promptly surrendered as well, leaving the Librarian rather satisfied as he had gained more than a few million new books on the inhabitants of this city alone. There were still books to be made about the architecture and the infrastructure of the city, even though the gods lacked much of the insufficiencies that mortals possessed, there was still some need of a sort of infrastructure to support the city.


    Having finished his study on the angels and gods, he moved onto the city, spreading all over it with his clones to cover as much ground with great efficiency. He had released all of the angels and gods from the command but even then, they did not dare to fight against the Librarian, especially since there were so many of him. They saw just how overwhelming his strength was, they did not even dare to think just how oppressively powerful he and his other selves would be.


    But in the middle of all this, Light herself arrived, her harsh light burning away all of the Librarians except for the original. And even the original was affected, Light¡¯s power burning away his persona as the Librarian, revealing its true identity as the Surveyor. The Surveyor wasn¡¯t all pleased, it had been interrupted in the middle of studying but it did not dare start a fight with Light. As she was a primordial and most concentrated here in her realm, her power far surpassed its. Of course, it would be able to put up a good fight but in the end, it would eventually lose for as Darkness was a counter to Light, so was Light a counter to Darkness.


    It was of no consequence to Darkness on account of his sheer size, the amount of his flesh that Light would burn away was inconsequential to the flesh he possessed. But the Surveyor was a different matter, it was an insignificant fragment of Darkness, a fragment that could easily be burned away by Light. It could get away with defeating the gods as even they possessed shadows but Light obviously had no shadow, thus it had no power over her. So in the face of her might, the Surveyor just bowed its head.


    ¡°Greetings Light. I suppose I must introduce myself, I am the Surveyor.¡±


    Light stared down at him, her harsh light burning away at his flesh, forcing him to ask, ¡°Could you dim your light? I¡¯m afraid that I am not yet strong enough to stand in your presence unharmed.¡±


    Light didn¡¯t say anything but her light dimmed just enough that the Surveyor no longer burned in her very presence. Bowing its head in thanks, the Surveyor waited for Light to speak, standing still as she circled him.


    She finally stopped in front of him, face to face, saying, ¡°You are a fragment of my father, correct?¡±


    The Surveyor nodded and the light radiating off of her intensified.


    ¡°Do you think that because Darkness had humiliated me that you can do the same!?¡±


    Standing still despite the fact it was being burned away, the Surveyor said, ¡°I am almost certain that you know that I do not possess the power to do so.¡±


    Light burned even brighter.


    ¡°You best watch your tongue.¡±


    The Surveyor cocked its head curiously, ¡°I do not possess a tongue to watch.¡±


    Light, angry, was about to burn was such an intense light when the Surveyor spoke, ¡°I¡¯m afraid your children cannot withstand your true form. Already they begin to burn.¡±


    Light stopped and saw that the Surveyor was right so unwillingly, she controlled herself, the burning light reaching tolerable levels. But it wasn¡¯t over yet, Light summoned a brilliant sword of light and prepared to attack the Surveyor, forcing it to defend itself, summoning a barrier of Absolute Mirror to reflect the attack. It defended itself gracefully and efficiently, using a rectangle no more than thirty square centimeters in area to block the blazing sword of Light.


    To the onlookers the sight of their fight could only be described as a dance, Light moving with quick, precise strikes as the Surveyor either gracefully dodged or methodically blocked. In this beautiful yet dangerous dance, the Surveyor was debating whether or not it should retaliate when suddenly, Light stopped. She dispersed the blade of Light she had made and the Surveyor, in turn, returned the Absolute Mirror into dark matter.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    But the fight was not yet over, no, countless spears of light hovered in the sky, awaiting Light¡¯s command. They darted forward at lightspeed but not fast enough to kill the Surveyor who managed to teleport away with its gates.


    It stood before Light once more, saying, ¡°I do not believe I have made any actions that warrant such hostility.¡±


    Light stopped and began to glow once more with brightening intensity.


    ¡°Unwarranted? When you walk in here uninvited, treat my children in such a humiliating way, dare to insult me, how is it unwarranted!?¡±


    The Surveyor explained while dodging her attacks, ¡°I came to return your angel to you, I¡¯m sure that counts as a reason of sorts for my entry. As for the treatment of your children, it was self-defense, they attacked me so I responded in kind. As for insulting you, I do not recall that unless you have taken offense to my words which were not intended as insult. So far, I am quite innocent.¡±


    With increasing power she lashed out at the Surveyor, shouting, ¡°Self-defense!? Examining my children in such a manner is self-defense!?¡±


    The Surveyor said, ¡°That was not done with humiliation in mind, it was to study them and add their data into my Library. You perceive rudeness where none was intended, I suggest that you do not let your emotions rule you so.¡±


    But that just made Light angrier, once more burning with light of such a great intensity that it threatened to burn everything around her. Once more the Surveyor reminded her of her children and once more, unwillingly, Light stopped. She just focused her burning rays into a literal death stare as she sought to kill the Surveyor who decided that it would not be able to have a civilized conversation with her, not like this. So the Surveyor decided to go on the offensive, bringing darkness for the first time over the City of the Gods.


    It sought to isolate Light from the rest of her dimension by creating one of its own for once she was cut off, she would soon run out of energy. But the question remained if the Surveyor possessed enough dark matter to replace what her remaining energy would destroy. Light realized what it was doing and sought to stop it but it was already too late, the Surveyor had managed to complete its own dimension made of its very flesh. But that was only the easy part, now it had to keep Light within itself.


    Knowing that her only chance was to break through, Light created a lance of blazing energy and hurled it upwards, chasing after it to supply it with energy. The lance managed to pierce through the darkness, burning it away but at the same time, the darkness was eating the light. It was a battle of attrition now, one that the Surveyor lost. With its dimension broken and much of its dark matter depleted, it could do nothing but retreat and retreat it did, disappearing through a gate. Light did not chase after it, however, she had been weakened in the fight and needed to recover.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªBack on Agleon¡ª


    Erwin¡¯s tank burst from the treeline, firing upon the orcish village with its cannon and machine guns, the flamethrower positioned at the tank¡¯s front shooting gouts of flame, the stench of burning gasoline filling the air along with the smell of burnt orc. Soldiers of the Alliance followed behind, the elven archers shooting fleeing orcs while the soldiers finished off orcs who had managed to survive the tank¡¯s attack. The battle, if it could be called that, was soon finished with members of the Alliance freeing the slaves. This was the third orc clan they had conquered, much to the jubilation of the Alliance but not to Erwin. It was far too easy, there weren¡¯t nearly as many orcs as Erwin had thought.


    Even if there was a civil war going on, the number of orcs left behind to guard the clan¡¯s territory was far too little. Erwin felt that something was wrong but he just couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. He asked himself where the other orcs had gone and he couldn¡¯t figure it out. Sure there were many targets but which one, was it one of the forts or was it a town by the sea, he just didn¡¯t know. And so far, his elven scouts had reported nothing so he was still at a loss. Just what happened to those orcs?


    Erwin didn¡¯t know and that was bothering him, ignorance on the battlefield was asking to be defeated. As he rested on top of his tank, footsteps could be heard and he turned to see an elf rushing over to him with a glowing communication crystal. Erwin hopped off the tank and took the crystal, speaking with the elf on the other side who was hurriedly whispering that there was a large army of orcs marching through the forest as they spoke. Erwin was about to respond when three other elves bearing communication crystals arrived, each saying that there were large orc armies heading towards them.


    He cursed, this had all been a trap and he had fallen in so easily, once more these orcs had proven to be far smarter than he had given them credit for, he had no one but himself to blame. Whatever orc commander they were under, he was a cunning one, he didn¡¯t think like orcs, he thought like humans. With dread, Erwin commanded his troops to retreat to a more defensible location, an orcish fortress that they had conquered not long ago.


    Hurriedly, the walls were fixed as best they could while elven archers stocked up on arrows, the slaves taken to the center of the fort where a unit of soldiers was sent to protect them. Meanwhile, Erwin positioned his tank outside the walls, he intended to remain mobile and disrupt the enemy as much as he could to ease the burden of the defenders.


    As the defenses were being prepared, Erwin kept in contact with his scouts, keeping tabs on the movements of the orc armies, cursing the fact that he had fallen into this trap over and over. As the began to head down towards the horizon from noon, Erwin saw the first of the orc armies arrive, a sea of grey-skinned giants bristling from head to toe in crude armor and weapons.


    Without hesitation, Erwin fired upon them, keeping his distance because he didn¡¯t want to stray too far from the fort, lest there was another army just waiting for him to leave. Countless orcs were torn to pieces by his bullets and others were blown to pieces by his cannon but it wasn¡¯t enough, the horde of orcs just kept on coming, seemingly unafraid of the death they would face. Joining Erwin, the elven archers began to fire upon the orcs, killing many and injuring more. Then roars could be heard on the opposite side of the fortress and the alarm was sounded, the other orc army had made its appearance. Erwin revved the engines and raced to the opposite side, opening fire upon the enemy as soon as he had them in his sights.


    But they had ample time to close the distance to Erwin was forced to charge right into them, spitting out flames and firing indiscriminately into the enemy. But Erwin couldn¡¯t stay to finish the job, the two remaining orc armies charged out and Erwin was forced to choose to defend a single side. He cursed and hoped that his men would be able to hold out long enough for him to come to their aid, thundering to the side which seemed to have more orcs.


    Meanwhile, in the distance, an orcish commander watched the battle from afar, watching particularly the movements of Erwin¡¯s tank. He admired the ferocity of the infamous Metal Beast but knew that it wasn¡¯t enough if the Metal beast wanted to save the Alliance. After all, the Metal Beast was in the end only one beast, it was not many. It was powerful yes but in the face of such numbers, individual power often meant nothing.


    However, Alliance was putting up quite a fight, the elves unleashing a rain of never-ending arrows by having alternate groups of archers fire, allowing other groups to reload and fire. Then there was the infantry, using a simple phalanx to hold the breaches in the wall, rows upon rows of soldiers with shields and spears, making a shield wall which managed defend pretty well against charging orcs. But they were still being overwhelmed, the numbers of the orcish armies proving to be too much. The orcish commander sighed, of course he would win, what other outcome did he expect.


    Suddenly, a thunderous roar filled the air.


    "Come out and fight me like a proper orc!"

 Chapter 74: Mistakes Have a Heavy Price

    The roar belonged to no other than Yargul who had been attracted by the booming shots of the tank¡¯s cannon. He was delighted in seeing a worthy opponent to fight but was then confused, the orcs the tank was fighting wasn¡¯t his or the Trident Lord¡¯s. His orcish mind finally put two and two together and figured out that these orcs were under the command of that cowardly orcish commander. Once more anger rose and he blindly charged into the enemy, the Trident Lord holding back her forces for the moment. To attack now was to help the Metal Beast and she would rather have it weakened as much as possible before she dedicated her forces to an attack.


    Yargul¡¯s roar had momentarily stunned both orcs and humans alike, Erwin being the first to react as he knew he couldn¡¯t let this golden opportunity to go to waste. He immediately put his attention to the opposite side of the fortress, ignoring Yargul as he knew that Yargul had to fight through a great army of orcs before he could reach the fortress. So he immediately commanded his forces to prepare to break through the orcs as he planned to use Yargul¡¯s arrival to escape.


    But they couldn¡¯t stop defending however, if they did so the orcs that were still attacking the fortress would swarm them within moments. Meanwhile, Yargul was basically a moving mountain in every sense of the word, nothing could stop him for the power of Agleon flowed through him. But even so, not even a mountain could easily push through a literal sea of orcs.


    As Yargul attempted to push towards the Metal Beast, the Trident Lord waited with her forces, ignoring her pleading generals to allow them to join the fray. In fact, her eyes weren¡¯t even on the battlefield, she was looking around it instead, looking for signs of an orcish commander. These armies were moving in coordination, that much was clear from how the enemy was dealing with Yargul. One army was sent to focus on him while the other three focused on trying to annihilate the humans.


    And even though it was one army less, that wasn¡¯t of much help to the humans as there was still such an overwhelming number of orcs. And even the tank was having a hard time moving now, orcish flesh and bone clogged the gears that ran its tank treads and although it was still able to push through, it was doing so at a much slower rate. And it was beginning to sustain heavy damage for no matter how armored the tank was, it couldn¡¯t last forever against a continued orcish onslaught who pounded away at its armored shell with all their strength.


    Yargul¡¯s fight with the Metal Beast and shown that it was not invincible and this made the orcs¡¯ fear of it disappear, if it could be killed then there was nothing to be afraid of, they just had to be lucky. But the tank was still not dead yet, it continued to unleash countless bullets onto the enemy as well as its roaring flames which burnt countless orcs as well as fire indiscriminately with its main cannon, switching to high explosive ammunition to cause as much damage as possible.


    He wasn¡¯t alone as well, archers continued to rain down arrows while warriors, buffed by support mages, held the weak spots of the wall. Battlemages did their best to thin out the orc numbers but there were only five of them and they were running out of mana rather quickly and because their repertoire or spells were rather lacking, they were not of much help. Of course, they could still deal a lot of damage but they just couldn¡¯t keep up their damage output, once they used a relatively powerful spell, they were useless unless they drank a mana potion or waited for their mana to refill.


    Truly, it is a pity that the libraries of old were burned and the more skilled mages were killed by either orcs or demons. It also didn¡¯t help that mages had been in a decline, the coming of the orcs was just a catalyst, they would¡¯ve faded out of existence eventually. But nevertheless, their power was of great assistance to the Alliance, without them they would have fallen long ago. For even a weak mage still possessed the capability of killing multiple creatures in a single attack.


    But these mages were already showing signs of straining themselves to the absolute limit, their mana depleted, thus making them unable to bend Magic to their will. Soon they were forced to join the freed slaves, basically useless until they could recover what little mana they could. The priests of Lux were doing slightly better but they too were running out of mana and when that happened, the orcs would overrun the Alliance forces with ease.


    Even with buffs, the warriors were having a hard time, they could only hold on because of the fact that they had the high ground and had the support of elvish archers. But even so, they couldn¡¯t hold on for much longer, they needed a miracle of some sorts. And this was what the priests were praying for, beseeching Light to look kindly upon them, praying with desperation and great fervor, sincerely putting all their hope and belief into their prayers.


    But others, specifically the slaves, either stood or sat on the ground in despair and hopelessness. Their situation was the worst possible and there was no way out, they would either be re-enslaved or killed by the orcs and some even began to commit suicide, rathering to die than to face slavery again. Truly, their situation was hopeless, they were going to die.


    Then the line of warriors broke and orcs streamed into the fortress, the drained mages standing up and burning up their own life force to take down as many orcs as possible. This gave them a brief moment of respite but the mages¡¯ sacrifice proved to be in vain, the orcs continued to pour in through the breach and began to slaughter indiscriminately, the tired soldiers who were resting grabbing their weapons, powered by adrenaline. Erwin, seeing this, rushed over to the breach and blocked it with his tank, using his machine guns to clear out most of the orcs inside the fort but not before they had killed many helpless slaves and soldiers. He cursed, at this rate they weren¡¯t going to last for long, perhaps this really was the end.


    Finally, Erwin opened the hatch to his tank and shouted, ¡°Give me your children, I will make sure that they will escape at least should we fall.¡±


    The slaves upon hearing this lost hope for themselves, although a few began to beg that he take them too. He could only refuse helplessly, his tank didn¡¯t have that much room, he could only manage the children. Seeing that this was the only way, what few children the slaves had were pushed forward, taken struggling from their parents¡¯ arms and into the arms of Erwin who placed them in his tank. When all seven children were in his tank he entered the tank himself and closed the hatch, continuing to hold the breach until he was forced to escape.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    And, if he was honest, he was reluctant to leave everyone, it went against every fiber of his being. But he knew that if he were to die here, he would doom the Alliance to a fate worse than death and he simply couldn¡¯t allow that. He sat in his tank conflicted, the main gun of the tank falling silent as he debated on what to do. Suddenly, with load roars, another line broke and orcs poured in, beginning the slaughter once more, killing far more this time as the breach couldn¡¯t be sealed.


    In fear, the slaves ran towards the Metal Beast, hoping that it would be able to do something. Meanwhile, the Alliance forces made one final perimeter around the tank, a previously thin line between the orcs and slaves. The orcs began to close in, relishing the fear of the humans and elves, the weary soldiers of the Alliance preparing themselves to try and kill as many orcs as they could.


    Alas, that number wasn¡¯t very much, they were simply too tired and the orcs too strong, they were annihilated, slaves and soldiers both, leaving only the Metal Beast. Inside the tank, fighting against his emotions, Erwin drove the tank forwards, aiming to leave the battlefield. As he left, he made a vow to himself, a vow that he would never allow this to happen again, he couldn¡¯t let it happen again.


    The orcs attempted to give chase but they were too slow and as the distance grew, it became a one-sided slaughter, the bullets of the tank scything down many foolish orcs that continued to chase. The orcs that were sensible enough not to chase began to cheer, they had defeated the enemy. But it was not yet over, the forces of the Trident Lord began to make their move, engaging the orcs whose attention now focused on Yargul. But the Trident Lord herself did not enter the battle, she had taken a small force of elites and was searching for the enemy commander who she knew couldn¡¯t be too far away.


    There were simply too many orc armies here for him not to be here and she was determined to kill him. As she hunted for the enemy, Yargul rallied her orcs under his command, routing the enemy orcs, some of which were still celebrating the fact they won. But routing them was not enough, no Yargul was determined to slaughter them all, more to unleash his anger than anything else. And although the Trident Lord might not have approved of his methods, she certainly wasn¡¯t complaining. Yargul was providing an excellent distraction for the enemy commander, allowing her scouts to pinpoint his location and report it to her.


    She and her elite forces began to move quickly, she couldn¡¯t let him escape, he had to die here and now if they were to help the Skull King. But unexpectedly, as she was nearing on his location, the orc commander stood and led his reserve forces to attack Yargul. And then more orcs appeared out of seemingly nowhere, ambushing the Trident Lord and her small force, keeping them occupied as the orc commander headed to crush Yargul once and for all.


    Yargul¡¯s forces were hit hard in their flank and were slaughtered as the orcs sluggishly moved to respond. Yargul was surprised at seeing this but upon seeing one particular orc who wore shinier armor than the rest, he immediately dropped the fight on his head and began pushing his way towards the armored orc, intent on killing him. He soon reached him and he engaged in combat, ignoring the orc¡¯s attacks on his person and instead focusing on a blistering offense, pounding away at the orc¡¯s defense.


    But as he was doing so, he felt a sudden pain in his back. He whirled around, preemptively slashing but his axe encountered nothing but air, whoever had attacked him had managed to slip away. As he began to ponder just what the hell was going on, he was then hit twice by two different orcs, each from different sides. Choosing one side, he turned and and found himself faced with multiple orcs who surrounded him. But Yargul was not to be so easily defeated, he had experienced countless battles and he knew how to deal with this.He raised his foot high and stomped downward, shattering the earth around him, countless orcs falling into the cracks of the earth which grew deeper, swallowing many whole.


    Of course, there were some allies that he killed but that was of no matter to Yargul, their deaths would contribute to his ultimate victory. He looked around but seeing no sign of the armored orc, he shrugged, believing the leader to be dead. It was a good thing but Yargul couldn''t help but be annoyed over the matter, he had expected more of the slippery bastard.Considering how infuriating that orc was, he was surprisingly easy to kill. But the fight wasn¡¯t over yet, more skilled orcs began to appear out of nowhere, using the cracks in the earth to hide their advance and ambush Yargul when he least expected it. As such, he was having a harder and harder time fending them off as they began to adapt to his attack pattern, wounding him more and more in the chinks of his armor. To temporarily escape, Yargul stomped once more and created a spire of earth into the sky, giving him a bird¡¯s eye view of the entire battlefield. Up there, he could take a brief respite from the assassin orcs and figure out how to deal with them.


    Then he had an idea. He began to break off small pieces of the stone spire and he began to throw them at the assassin orcs, killing a few before they caught on to what was going on. From then on he wasn¡¯t able to hit them anymore so he soon gave up, jumping down the stone spire and onto the ground, killing some miscellaneous orcs. This time he decided not to use his axe, instead he used his fists which he was able to attack far faster with, finding it easier to deal with the assassins this way.


    As he fought off the orcs who were slowly but surely chipping away at him, the real orc commander was leading his forces against Yargul¡¯s orcs, killing many of them. However, it was not to last, the Trident Lord¡ªhaving left her elite force to take care of the enemy¡ªhad managed track him down and taking aim, she threw her trident straight towards him. But he managed to dodge, the spear whistling past him and impaling three orcs. The Trident Lord tsked but didn¡¯t give up, grabbing a sword from a fallen orc and continuing to charge towards him, her orcs rallying behind her.


    On the opposite side of the battle was Yargul who had finished off most of the assassin orcs, killing the last one by crushing the orc¡¯s chest, pulverizing his lungs and ribs. He took a brief breather and took a look around him, seeing that most of the enemy orcs here had been taken care of. He suddenly felt a light tap on the back of his head and he turned to find that an orc had attempted to kill him by taking an axe to his head. Unamused, Yargul swiftly killed the orc and returned his attention to the battlefield, wondering if the Trident Lord had joined the fray. He soon sighted her and he began to head over, he might as well help out as it seemed that she too was being troubled by the assassin orcs.


    And indeed she was, the orc commander had managed to isolate her from the rest of her forces and boxed her in with a group of spear-wielding orcs who worked with one another to keep her inside the box. She tried to attack but the spears mirrored her every movement, threatening to stab her should she attack. But the solution to this impasse arrived shortly in the form of her trident which speared two orcs. It had been thrown by Yargul who had begun to charge towards the enemy after doing so, virtually unstoppable as he bulldozed any orc unfortunate enough to be in his way.


    In that brief moment, the Trident Lord took a hold of her trident and spinning it a few times, she shattered the inferior spears of the enemy and proceeded to slaughter them. More spear orcs came to keep her boxed, the commander turning his attention to Yargul. He then whistled, the remaining assassin orcs pouncing on Yargul, keeping him busy as the commander returned his attention to the Trident Lord, intent on finishing her off.

 Not chap, just an alert

    apologies but this week has been very busy and finals are coming up so I will most likely be unable to make chapters as usual. Just a heads up so you guys don''t go around wondering where the next chap is. Also, the next chapter will probably come out this coming Friday. I will try to make it an extra long one as an apology. Anyways, I hope you understand and have a most wonderful day or night. Hopefully I will see you guys when I post new chapter on Friday.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler Filler

 Chapter 75: Another Subject for Future Study

    As the battle raged down below, a shadowy figure orbited Agleon, absorbing the ambient dark energy surrounding it, slowly regaining what it had lost in its fight with Light. However, this was not enough for it to replenish the dark matter it had lost, it needed something... more. It couldn¡¯t use Darkness¡¯s own flesh as it would have to use Absolute Division and such a thing required an enormous amount of energy to control, otherwise, it would leave irreparable damage


    It began to wonder just how it was going to, suddenly sensing something moving through Darkness¡¯s flesh, a large piece of matter. It was a comet, roughly seven miles in diameter and right now just a brief shining light in the distance. Curious to see this moving light and yet sensing no sort of life from it, the Surveyor went to investigate, discovering that it was merely reflecting light and was not actually emitting it itself. When it finished studying the comet, it began to devour it as something this large was bound to produce a suitable amount of dark matter.


    As it devoured the comet, mortals over countless worlds saw the comet being devoured, watching as the small light in the sky began to disappear, being swallowed up by the darkness around it. Countless questions were asked as to what was happening, what did this mean? Many took it to be an ominous omen, of hard times to come. Others of a more... unsavory sort took it as a sign that their respective dark gods were going to act.


    But to the orcs, they didn¡¯t particularly care, most didn¡¯t even know that a comet was being eaten in the heavens above. The Surveyor finished consuming and converting the large comet into its own flesh, replenishing roughly two-thirds of the matter it lost. It looked around to continue to devour matter, seeing an asteroid belt around a planet far off in the distance. The Surveyor moved towards it, intent on devouring a portion of it in order to become far more powerful than it once was.


    It was careful to eat all around the multiple rings of the planet, making it so that the rings still appeared to be solid from a distance while it continued to gain matter. It finished devouring what it needed to and decided to return to Agleon, having doubled the matter it had started out with. It was powerful now but it was still lacking in strength, Light was still far more powerful than it. But now it would have the excess matter necessary to use Absolutes with more freedom, if it met Light again it could cover itself in Absolute Mirror, thus making it immune to her attacks.


    Of course, this would most likely cripple its offensive capabilities but it did not need to defeat Light, it only needed to survive. It could survive just about anything with its Absolute Mirror although it could not ignore what End had done in their fight, she has made it so that her destructive energy destroyed the momentum of her hand, thus allowing it to pierce the Absolute Mirror. It reflected her destructive energy but not her hand whose momentum had been destroyed.


    It was an ingenious idea and one that the Surveyor wasn¡¯t entirely sure on how to confront, it had no doubt that such a thing would happen again but wasn¡¯t sure how it would deal with it. It supposed that with Absolute Division it would be able to separate End into multiple pieces and seal those smaller pieces. Once it had done so, it would be able to scatter them or keep them in its separate dimensions, thus keeping her sealed forever until the day came that the Surveyor was able to destroy her. But it was thinking too far ahead, it was fine to prepare but not to obsess over it.


    Right now, the events on Agleon were of more importance. It then returned to Agleon¡¯s orbit, enjoying the rich ambiance of dark energy before descending, falling towards the part of Agleon that was in shadow so as to cover its descent. It landed somewhere in Ortus and it thought that as it was there, it might as well investigate what things its observers had failed to pick up.


    It wandered throughout the entirety of Ortus with multiple selves, exploring the places which the observers were too weak to do so, encountering many strange and wonderful things. It stumbled on old dragon caves, the very aura of the dragon¡ªpotent despite its age¡ªkeeping the fragile observers from entering. These great tombs were often filled with the greatest treasure, their grandeur able to put the treasuries of the greatest nations to shame.


    All these sights the Surveyor quietly recorded into its Library, taking care not to disturb these places, leaving them as it had found them. It continued to move on, eventually finding what appeared to be an ancient temple of sorts, created by ancient beastmen which appeared to be in worship to an old god, its name illegible from wear over time. But as there was still a statue in rather good condition, the Surveyor just memorized the appearance of this god, perhaps it would help it in the future.


    The appearance of said god was inhuman, something... strange. It was an amalgamation of many different creatures, some sort of reptile, a wolf, a deer, and some other unidentifiable creatures. Possessing deer antlers, a wolf¡¯s snout, reptilian scales and tail with what appeared to be a lion¡¯s mane. This thing possessed three sets of legs and was slightly serpentine in shape, able to use its back two pairs to move around as its third and foremost pair were longer, stronger, most likely used for attack. The Surveyor did not recall seeing this god in Light¡¯s domain so either it was a fallen god, a child of Night, or it had long since been dead.


    But such knowledge wasn¡¯t too important, it would eventually find out sooner or later and if it didn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t too much of a loss. The Surveyor just explored the rest of the ruins and stumbled on a strange artifact, one that it studied closely, making sure that it could replicate it in its entirety before leaving the ruins. The artifact appeared to be a stone eye of sorts, four inches in diameter, symmetrical and possessing a strange design for the irises. It was a diamond with arrowheads accentuating each of the diamond¡¯s corners while at the center of this diamond was a perfectly round circle.


    It was fascinating to behold and as for the abilities it possessed, it would investigate later in a more appropriate environment. If it were to begin testing here, it had no doubt that it would attract unwanted attention. It continued to explore the majority of Ortus, watching over the creatures living in the Austerian Empire. Life appeared to be well, as Auster had ceased trying to push its borders and began to focus more on itself, the Crimex being used to build great cities and work the infrastructure: managing the sewers, maintaining roads, and keeping the streets clean of trash.


    The lives of the average citizen was luxurious, with personal human pets that had been bred over the centuries to be perfect in their duties. They were the personal servants of the beastmen and other citizens of Auster, these humans likely what the human slaves back on Occasus would become. These humans had become lesser than animals, they almost couldn¡¯t function without an order, they didn¡¯t even speak anymore, they did know a few replies to a certain command, like ¡°Yes, Master,¡± ¡°Yes Mistress,¡± and other such small phrases.


    And because they were carefully bred and carefully raised, all the human slaves were the finest specimens of their race, each beautiful and pleasing to the eye. They were treated well for Auster had reached such an age of prosperity that they could afford doing so, mostly through the expendable laborers that were the Crimex. Indeed, these were a fascinating people and the Surveyor wondered if it should leave a mark on a child here, to watch it grow up in this sort of environment.


    It was busy with Yargul on Occasus but that was of no huge concern, it could keep one self here and used the other to watch over Yargul, thus maintaining watch over two different subjects. It surveyed all of Auster for a suitable host and eventually found one, a child forming in the womb of the Seventeenth Queen of the Emperor. It implanted its mark on it, leaving a portion of itself to watch over the child when it was finally birthed. With that done it returned to the Library, beginning to transcribe all of its memories into the Library.


    As the Surveyor increased its Library, Yargul had adopted a rather strange way of fighting, increasing the stone armor around him until he resembled a large stone ball, rolling around on the battlefield killing both friend and enemy alike. The assassins could do nothing against him and he was able to wreak havoc to the enemy, nearly running over the Trident Lord but also freeing her at the same time. This entirely unexpected method of attack was of such surprise to the enemy commander who actually took a moment to clap briefly, applauding Yargul on his ingenious solution to being surrounded.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He quickly dodged an attack from the Trident Lord and continued to retreat, using his spear expertly to deflect the Trident Lord¡¯s fierce attacks. He gave out a call and what spear orcs survived immediately rallied to him, using their spears to keep her at bay while they retreated, surrounding themselves in friendly orcs once more. The Trident Lord cursed and was about to throw her trident when a rumbling sound was heard. She immediately threw herself to the side as Yargul rolled into the enemy, crushing many into a bloody pulp, although the commander had dodged with ease.


    Sensing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish any of his goals with Yargul rolling around, the commander immediately sounded a retreat, his previously organized orcs breaking formation and scattering. They disappeared into the surrounding forest and although the Trident Lord¡¯s orcs tried to give chase, they stopped when she commanded them not to, if they followed the enemy they would most likely fall into another trap.


    Seeing as Yargul was still rolling about, the Trident Lord shouted, ¡°Hey, you can stop that now!¡±


    Yargul continued to roll around a few more times before the stone armor fell apart and sent him tumbling over the bloodied ground. He landed face first and slowly got up, sitting back down as he was too dizzy.


    He groaned, ¡°Fuck me, I¡¯m not doing that again.¡±


    He fell on his back and continued to groan as the Trident Lord chuckled, taking a seat herself. They both began to relax as the orcs began to loot the bodies of the dead, Yargul eventually recovering as he sat up.


    ¡°Yup, never going to do that again.¡±


    As he stretched, the Trident Lord said, ¡°I suppose I must thank you for helping me.¡±


    Yargul glanced at her and said dismissively, ¡°Huh? Oh, okay.¡±


    Being blunt he said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to help you just so you know, I couldn¡¯t control myself, I couldn¡¯t even see. I just tried to continue rolling, hoping that I was hitting the enemy.¡±


    The Trident Lord chuckled, ¡°Yes, I guessed that rather easily.¡±


    Yargul then stood up and slung his axe over his shoulder, creating a small hook of sorts from stone in which his axe could rest without impeding his movements. He began to walk, inspecting the orc corpses around him to find the most suitable to be eaten. Some ways away, he found a body which suited his interests and he promptly sat down, tearing off an arm and biting deeply into the flesh. He moved on eating most of the orc¡¯s body except the guts, even cracking open the skull to slurp out the brains. In addition to the meat, he also consumed the bone marrow, breaking the bones to suck it out, spitting out bone shards every now and then.


    He soon finished in his meal and went in search of another body to eat, as the meat wasn¡¯t cooked it wasn¡¯t particularly filling. After consuming one more body and half of another, Yargul was full, wanting to fall asleep right then and there but the Trident Lord made sure to drag him back to camp, it wasn¡¯t safe to sleep out here in the open. They returned to their home base, to think of a way to push past the blockade that the orc commander had set.


    Finally, it was decided that they should split up their forces between them, twenty-five million for Yargul and twenty-five million for the Trident Lord. They would push two different areas, forcing the orc commander to choose one of them to block. Without his leadership, the orcs under his command were nothing and could be trampled underfoot. As for the army that was held up by the orc commander, it would be his or her job to kill the commander and join the battle as quickly as possible.


    This was decided and word was soon relayed to all orcs under the two lords. The next week was spent organizing the orcs into two great armies which began to march on the orc commander¡¯s blockade from two different directions, forcing the orc commander to choose one of them to block.


    Observing this from its observers, the Surveyor was fascinated, just how would the orc commander deal with this? Surely, an orc such as he would have some sort of plan for this outcome, it is impossible that he hadn¡¯t thought of this possibility. Indeed, the Surveyor was interested in the outcome of this war, it would be the first proper use of tactics that it would see in this entire war, Erwin had been rather disappointing as of late although that could be attributed to the orcs being unable to produce proper tacticians. But after his defeat, the Surveyor was sure that he would never underestimate his enemy again and perhaps, it would see him use the tactics of this so-called ¡°Earth.¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªOrc King¡ª


    ¡°Sire, when will you make your move? The orcs are restless, they want war.¡±


    I waved my hand dismissively.


    ¡°Not yet General, not yet.¡±


    He said, ¡°Forgive me sire but even I feel that we have been too passive, we should just defeat those that dare go against you and return to the Capital.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°This isn¡¯t just about me asserting my strength, it is about seeing which among the Orc Lords has the power to replace me. After all, it is good to know your enemies and this war is the perfect chance.¡±


    The General said, ¡°Sire, there can be none who can rival you, your might-¡±


    ¡°Spare me the chatter General, there will be one and I sense that this battle shall reveal the one who can become the new Orc King, particularly this Yargul fellow. After all, I do not recall any legends speaking of an orc who was capable of using earth magic, he¡¯s one of a kind and the power of Agleon is not something to laugh at.¡±


    The General was doubtful.


    ¡°Sire, do you really believe what the legends say about the elves? If Agleon was a god, wouldn¡¯t she have intervened by now?¡±


    I chuckled.


    ¡°You do not believe General, but I do. For is not evidence before us? Yargul has power over the earth and with it he has maintained his title of ¡®Invincible,¡¯ not many orcs have achieved such a status and none at so young an age, at least in recent memory that is.¡±


    The General snorted, ¡°Forgive me sire but he¡¯s just some young upstart, against you he is nothing.¡±


    ¡°Not yet General,¡± I said, ¡°Not yet. He has potential however, I don¡¯t think even my feats were as great as his when I was his age. Not to mention that he possesses two magic abilities, that isn¡¯t something you see every day.¡±


    The General seemed to want to continue more on this matter but he was aware that doing so would most likely earn my ire so he stopped, merely nodding.


    ¡°As you say.¡±


    He excused himself from my presence and I smiled, it was nice to be strong sometimes, you were had access to many privileges otherwise denied to you. But it was rather lonely though, something I¡¯m sure that all the Orc Kings preceding me had also felt, there were none to challenge us so we could only turn to the next best thing, feeding the Sword of Korbus blood. I too have fed this blade blood and I wondered just how much blood it would drink, no, whose blood would it drink?


    I asked these questions as I studied the bloodred blade which only said that it was hungry as it always was. I told it what I had always told it, that it would be fed soon and that it had to be patient. Of course, just as all the times before, it didn¡¯t care and continued to tell me to feed it until I cut my arm and let it feed off my blood, silencing the sword¡¯s thirst for a moment. With the sword pacified, I replaced it in its sheath and stood up, deciding to go out for a walk.


    My bodyguards tried to attend to me but I waved my hand, gesturing that they stay in place. I didn¡¯t need them to guard me, there weren¡¯t any living creatures here that could threaten me. Once outside the ancient dwarven city, I began to wander throughout the forest, not really looking for anything in particular.


    Then, some ways far from the dwarven city I stopped, saying, ¡°Come out, it¡¯s only you and me now.¡±


    There was silence following my words but when I next blinked, I saw a dark shadow standing in front of me.


    ¡°You know its rude to stalk someone.¡± drawing my blade, I continued, ¡°And rude people should be punished.¡±


    The dark figure saw me draw my blade and cocked its head curiously, looking at its tendril of an arm before it looked at me again, matter beginning to pool where its hand would¡¯ve been and forming a shadowy sword. That thing and I had a staring contest to which I finally conceded, only because the damned thing had no eyes.


    I sheathed my sword and said, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you will tell me what you are will you?¡±


    The thing¡¯s sword melted back into its body and it then took a step backward, promptly disappearing into a tree¡¯s shadow.


    I snorted, ¡°Thought as much.¡±


    I continued my walk, this time keeping an eye out for the shadows around me. That thing reminded me of the stories that I was told as a child, about strange creatures of shadow which had kept us from invading the human lands, things that we orcs just couldn¡¯t triumph over. And although I must admit the thought of those things filled me with fear, it also filled me with excitement.

 Chapter 76: Failure is to be Punished

    The two great armies of orcs marched under the respective commands of Yargul and the Trident Lord, each intent on pushing through the orc commander¡¯s blockade. Time was running out for the Skull Lord and both knew that if they wanted to survive this war, they needed him to be alive. For Yargul, as powerful as he was, was still only one orc, one orc against millions of other orcs. And no orc, no matter how powerful, managed to fight an orcish horde. Survive one, yes, but to actually fight against it, to emerge victoriously, that was a feat that no orc had ever achieved and would never achieve.


    Not even the great orcs of the past had managed this great feat, back when almost all of Orckind were embroiled in an eternal civil war until the birth of the First Orc King. It was a time of constant warfare, lives being taken at rates so high and orcish females birthing babies at a rate even higher. In this environment that lasted for countless millennia, the orcs could only evolve, creating the great orcs of today, although granted it seemed that the orcs were de-evolving from their warrior ways as weaker and weaker orcs began to breed and produce children.


    For nothing is without a price, peace can bring advancements in culture and society but at the cost of evolution. Peace is like a dam that a river encounters, the water beginning to grow and stagnate until one of two things happen, the water either flows over the dam or the dam breaks. The ¡°dam¡± in orcish society is fairly porous right now, nothing more than a fence across a river, the water easily pouring through. But the gaps in the fence are getting progressively smaller and smaller and the water buildup larger and larger.


    Soon, stagnation will occur and when that happened, the Surveyor was curious as to what would happen. Of course, it had already made predictions, it was likely Orckind will return to another civil war but then again, it could not. Orckind could¡¯ve progressed to a point beyond such things and instead have managed to find a different solution to stagnation, one that the Surveyor had yet to see in the world of humans. It was certainly possible, orcs were different from humans and would most likely create an entirely different solution to the ones humans made.


    However this was all theoretical, to see what would come to pass, it would have to wait and watch. It did hope that, if anything, the orcs would make this interesting. Repetition of data was only useless clutter after all. Speaking of repeating data, it looked to Erwin Rommel, it was rather disappointed with him. So far, the only data it had collected was of how this human underestimated orcs over and over and how spectacularly his failures ended. Hmm, hopefull, however, the magnitude of this failure would serve as a catalyst to spark Erwin¡¯s resolve. From what memories it had received from him, it knew that Erwin was a very capable military leader. One who knew when to press the attack. Of course, it understood that things were different on Earth, information about the enemy could be procured far more easily than in the relative primitive means of Agleon. But, Erwin proved to be an adaptable fellow and surely, the Surveyor thought, he would be able to adapt to this sort of situation. Well, he had no choice in the matter, he would have to make things interesting, otherwise, the Surveyor might as well focus on more important matters.


    Speaking of which, the person in question was heading towards his Library right now, searching for guidance. The Surveyor temporarily tore its focus away from the battle and told its Custodians to refuse him access, it felt that it had already provided the means in which Erwin was to win this war, perhaps only the bare minimum but they are still means all the same. If Erwin was unable to utilize these means, then it couldn¡¯t help him in any reasonable fashion.


    It returned its attention to Yargul and could only hope that Erwin would come under some sort of enlightenment. And as Yargul¡¯s army marched towards the the blockade, Erwin was helplessly standing before an unmoving Custodian.


    Erwin asked, ¡°I wish to see the Librarian, may I have passage?¡±


    The Custodian replied, ¡°The Librarian says he has already provided you with all the means in which to help the humans win back Occasus, if you do not see the answer then you are not worthy helping.¡±


    Erwin demanded, ¡°How am I supposed to conquer the orcs with a weak army and nothing but a tank?! I... I am helpless.¡±


    The Custodian answered, ¡°If that is what you think then the Librarian cannot help you. Go now, you waste valuable time.¡±


    Having been refused access to the Library, Erwin could only return, wondering just what the Custodian meant. The means? He only had an army that was in no fighting condition, a tank that was useless against literally millions of orcs, and... him. And somehow, all this was supposed to mix together in a way that would triumph over the orcs. Out of anger and frustration, he slammed his fist into the side of his tank, unsure of as to how to proceed. The people needed him but he couldn¡¯t give them the help they needed, their looks of hope were trained on a person who couldn¡¯t fulfil their wish.


    After all, how would he even be trusted with an army with his failure. Without an army to command, he might as well just give up right then and there. For as weak as the army of the Alliance was, it was still an army and having one was better than having none. Damn, he found himself longing after liquor now, although that would most likely destroy any chance for him to command the army of the Alliance. He sighed and got back in his tank, surprised to see the kids that he had left in there, they had been so quiet that he had forgotten that they were in there with him.


    He sighed again and put on a weary smile, ¡°Well kids... this is your new home, the last refuge of the Alliance.¡±


    They slowly got out, one by one, each standing on the tank and looking out over Otium, seeing the pristine buildings and the bustle of humans, especially other kids, kids who didn¡¯t look like them.


    Putting on his military cap, Erwin said, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    The kids did so and he directed the tank to move the nearest orphanage, intending to drop them off. After all, he couldn¡¯t care for them, he was a soldier and a soldier¡¯s duty was on the battlefield. Although this time, it seemed that he would be the only soldier to go out to battle. After dropping them off, he started up the tank and proceeded to head to the Council, where he was dreading his report. He soon reached the current residence of the Council, a grey building of stone like any other, although the buildings around it were noticeably uninhabited.


    The only sign of life that could be seen were the two guards that stood outside the door, the two bowing to him with respect, looks that made Erwin¡¯s stomach turn with guilt as he knew that those looks were undeserving. He finally stood before the Council who all looked down on him, their benign smiles soon going to turn into disappointed looks and anger. Erwin didn¡¯t decide to beat around the bush and just decided to be blunt.


    ¡°I... I am the only survivor of the army you sent out. We delved deep into orcish territory to free the slaves of weakened orc clans but we soon found ourselves surrounded by four orcish armies. There were simply too many of them, I could only save the children of the slaves while the rest... I had to leave them behind.¡±


    He saw their smiles freeze and he just bowed his head, prepared to receive whatever punishment was necessary. His sense of shame was arguably punishment enough but there needed to be physical punishment as well, otherwise, Erwin wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive himself. Even if his sentence was death, he wouldn¡¯t object, his failure was just too great.


    ¡°How could you allow this to happen!?¡± the Eleventh Elder demanded, ¡°How did you lose our army!?¡±


    Before Erwin could reply, the Fifth Elder interjected, ¡°We put our faith in you, we thought we could trust you! How dare you fail us!?¡±


    The Elders, one after the other, began to accuse Erwin and curse him, Erwin saying nothing and just accepting it all. After all, they were right, he was supposed to be their savior and yet he failed them.


    The Elders finally stopped asking shaming and berating him, discussing amongst themselves on how to solve this matter.


    The Fourth Elder said, ¡°The question is now, how are we to deal with him? His failure cannot go unpunished.¡±


    The Fifth Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, I say that he be executed!¡±


    The Ninth Elder disagreed, ¡°No, even though he failed, we still need him. He is still the Hero that Light gave us, we shouldn¡¯t be so quick to denounce him.¡±


    The Fifth Elder retorted, ¡°We don¡¯t need this Hero if he cannot do a Hero¡¯s work. Kill him I say and let Light choose another!¡±


    The Eleventh Elder stood up, ¡°I side with the Fifth on this, he is to be killed!¡±


    The Eighth Elder spoke this time, ¡°Fifth and Eleventh Elders, we do not know how or why Light chose him and we also don¡¯t know how soon Light will choose another champion. If he dies now, we may be left bereft of a suitable champion for an unknown period of time. That is a risk that I don¡¯t think we should take. Even though he failed, he is still Light¡¯s champion.¡±


    The Twelfth Elder spoke, ¡°I concur with the Eighth Elder, he still is of use to us.¡±


    The seven other Elders agreed with the Eighth and Ninth Elders, thus allowing Erwin to live by popular vote. But the next course of action was his punishment, the Fifth Elder unafraid to make it one which would humiliate Erwin.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°He should have a public whipping, fifty lashes I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°Nay, a hundred.¡± the Eleventh said.


    Once more the Eighth Elder disagreed, ¡°That would render him unfit for duty and from his report, there is a great orcish presence in the coast. That may mean an attack on us and the absence of the Hero will hurt the morale of the soldiers.¡±


    The Third Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, a different sort of punishment is required.¡±


    The Fifth Elder shouted irritably, ¡°Then what!? How are we to punish him!?¡±


    There was silence following his question to which the Fifth snorted.


    ¡°So, it seems that the only course of action is mine. I say that we-¡±


    The First Elder said tiredly, ¡°Fifth Elder, please do not be so hasty.¡±


    ¡°Well there is no other course for action, we might as well take it!¡± the Fifth Elder insisted.


    The Eleventh Elder spoke up, ¡°Yes, his failure cannot go unpunished.¡±


    The First Elder sighed, ¡°Is that not because there has not been enough time to think of one?¡±


    The Fifth was about to speak but the Twelfth Elder said, ¡°Be silent for now Fifth Elder, your prattle only impedes the decision of the Council.¡±


    The Fifth Elder bristled.


    ¡°My prattle? Why you-¡±


    ¡°Elders, arguing will not get the Council to reach a decision. Calm yourselves.¡± the Fourth Elder spoke.


    He stared meaningfully at the Fifth, letting it be known that although he had spoken to both, his words were meant for the Fifth. With peace restored to the Council, the Elders began to discuss just what Erwin¡¯s punishment was going to be. Various ideas were thrown around, some like the Fifth¡¯s involving corporal punishment, others were stripping him of his status in the military, and some suggesting that he should be sent to the frontlines and not to return.


    It was eventually this last option that was decided upon several hours later, the First Elder delivering this conclusion to Erwin.


    ¡°You are to be exiled to the frontlines until the war is either won or lost, you cannot return to the cities of the Alliances, both here and the ones made on land. You will fight on without rest until your death.¡±


    The First Elder sat back down, sighing because this was over and because there was still the matter of informing the public on the loss of one of their armies.


    Waving his hand dismissively, he said,¡°You have your orders Erwin, go and do not return until you have won Occasus.¡±


    Erwin saluted, ¡°I shall not return here until Occasus is the Alliance¡¯s once more.¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªThe Surveyor¡ª


    Curious...


    Most curious...


    Strange...


    What is this?


    Battle here...


    Not too important...


    Yes, study later...


    Focus needed elsewhere...


    Mysterious...


    Another rift?


    No, not rift...


    Death there...


    Anomaly...


    Investigate...


    Fascinating...


    How does it work?


    Hmm...


    Oh?


    Most peculiar...


    What is this?


    Pain...


    Much pain...


    Why?


    How hurt?


    They commence...


    Indeed...


    Should I?


    Observe later...


    Birth...


    Child...


    Interesting...


    Interfere?


    No...


    No need to...


    New Emperor?


    Examine later...


    Yes...


    Agreed...


    Skull Lord...


    Defeat imminent...


    No matter...


    Yargul more important...


    Quite true...


    Many others...


    But Yargul unique...


    Precisely...


    Battle start...


    Must watch...


    Must remember...


    Not quite a symphony nor a cacophony, an organized chaos of thoughts of a singular being which acted as individuals. To be rather loosely described by mortals as ¡®multi-tasking¡¯ except on a much different scale. Indeed, the thoughts of the Surveyor are things that cannot be fully described by the constraints of mortal language. They are independent of one another and yet cannot really be called individuals for they were, in the end, still the Surveyor¡¯s mind.


    Each and every one of them was the Surveyor, sort of like a scientist who managed to create a time machine and used it to bring multiple versions of himself from other timelines into a single one. They are all the same person and yet are capable of independent thought. But not even this description is perfect, for not even those scientists are capable of knowing what exactly is going on in each other¡¯s minds. Sure they have a pretty good idea but they don¡¯t know for sure.


    Another description, perhaps more closer to fully encompassing the concept of the Surveyor¡¯s mind would be if you were to imagine two versions of yourself and pick a topic to argue about, one version of you picking one side and the other picking the opposite. Then you¡¯d imagine yourself having an argument with yourself, you already know each other¡¯s, well, your arguments and the counter-arguments to those arguments. This is what the Surveyor does but on a far greater scale, involving hundreds if not thousands of versions of himself. All of his selves are simultaneously debating, agreeing, questioning, answering, wondering, and researching.


    And currently, it was doing so to oversee Occasus, Otium, and Ortus at the same time, although the majority of its selves were focused on Occasus, awaiting the battle that Yargul would soon be embroiled in while keeping tabs on the Skull Lord¡¯s own battle. But it couldn¡¯t really forget the subject that it had chosen in Ortus nor could it ignore the situation in Otium, after all, Otium was the last stronghold of humans and elves, they were an experiment still worthy studying until their eventual end.


    But, despite the great number of its selves which were busy working, there remained just two which wasn¡¯t doing any of that. Instead, one of them was stationed in Agleon¡¯s orbit, mainly on the moon but it could intervene anywhere around Agleon. This was necessary to intercept any asteroids heading for Agleon. The Surveyor hadn¡¯t planned for this originally but after its trip in space and seeing the asteroids that were flying about at speeds which would wreak havoc with its experiment on Agleon, it decided it best to position a sentinel which would deal with said asteroid before it ever reached Agleon¡¯s orbit.


    It could deal with the asteroid without a sentinel but it was to avoid unnecessary tampering with the experiment, for example, the eating of a massive shooting star. Such a thing would heavily affect the minds of the mortals below, taking it to be some sort of ominous omen. No, the asteroid had to be dealt with out in space, so that none of the mortals see it. That way they could live out their lives without the heavy knowledge that they had just avoided their deaths, their ignorance meaning an untainted experiment.


    As the second self, the second remained within the Library, keeping up the persona of the Librarian. After all, the Library¡ªits store of information¡ªcould not be left unattended. Sure there were the golems but they were only active because the Librarian was there, the golems were all its instruments, its tools to care for the Library. But it was currently being distracted from its task, that distraction being Silren.


    After having a nice conversation about a particular event in history, Silren¡ªfor the thousandth time¡ªasked, ¡°Could you join me and my family for dinner?¡±


    And for the thousandth time, the Librarian refused, ¡°No, I cannot leave the Library unattended.¡±


    She protested, ¡°But you have the golems, why can¡¯t they watch it for you?¡±


    The Librarian replied, ¡°They are merely caretakers, the Library still needs me to add knowledge to it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t that wait? Please uncle, my sister has been itching to meet you but I can¡¯t take her with me because of the ring¡¯s limitation.¡± Silren cajoled.


    The Librarian paused, yes, she did have a sister. It didn¡¯t possess too much information on her, only the gender of the child and her age, it didn¡¯t even know her name. Perhaps this dinner wouldn¡¯t be too much of a waste, although it guessed it would have to be a bit more sociable.


    So with this final consideration, it said to Silren, ¡°I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt to attend today. Yes... I¡¯m not particularly busy at the moment. Okay Silren, let¡¯s go to your home.¡±

 Chapter 77: Stories of the Past

    Once more, the Surveyor appeared at Ieros¡¯s and End¡¯s humble farm, accompanying a happy Silren. In sharp contrast to her bubbly, excited self, the Librarian was calm and still, like a pool deep within a cave, undisturbed by wind or animal. However, this calm pool was being disturbed at that very moment, small, quiet ripples spreading over its surface. But overall, the ripples were not of great disturbance, they were less than negligible. But, suddenly, there came a piece of stalagmite which, by time, fell from the cave ceiling and plunged into the cave, sending small waves and water droplets throughout the pool. This piece of stalagmite was End, who had rushed out upon seeing him and gave him a hug.


    Surprised by this and unsure of how to respond, the Librarian just stood still, finally saying, ¡°Why are you hugging me?¡±


    End let go, seemingly disappointed that he hadn¡¯t returned the hug.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I hug my brother?¡±


    The Librarian spoke, ¡°Why are you excited to see me? Last time we spoke I said that should we meet again, it is likely to kill you. Have you forgotten?¡±


    End shrugged, ¡°If you did come here to kill me, you probably would¡¯ve done so without slowly walking up here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, sometimes I forget that you are as capable of analyzing a situation as I.¡± the Librarian commented.


    End smiled, ¡°Yes, I¡ªhey wait a minute. You just insulted me.¡±


    The Librarian congratulated her sincerely with a monotone voice, ¡°How observant.¡±


    ¡°Stop with the sarcasm, wait, do you even possess sarcasm?¡± End asked.


    The Librarian shook his head.


    ¡°No, I do not. I was sincerely congratulating you.¡±


    End wasn¡¯t willing to give this up.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t sound like it.¡±


    The Librarian then shrugged, ¡°That appears to have nothing to do with me but rather your perception of what I said. Rest assured that I did indeed mean what I said.¡±


    End studied him suspiciously for a few more moments before sighing, ¡°Well I¡¯ll just take your word for it.¡±


    The Librarian nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, you should, I do not need to lie after all.¡±


    End groaned, ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t being sarcastic?¡±


    He replied, ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    End decided to give up talking with him while she still had some dignity, muttering, ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t improved your social skills at all.¡±


    The Librarian did not answer this time, from its vast stores of memories about mortal conversations, it deduced that her observation was not one meant to continue or start a conversation.


    They began to walk home and Silren, who had been giggling about the whole thing, said, ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re really funny.¡±


    Turning to look at her, he asked with genuine curiosity, ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± she affirmed with a nod.


    He turned his attention forward.


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    As they walked, the Librarian was mostly silent as End complained about him out loud, with Silren coming to his defense.


    ¡°...I mean seriously, how can I be related to such a boring person. He has no emotions, no personality, he¡¯s just boring!¡±


    She looked at the Librarian, ¡°Boooooriiiiing.¡±


    Silren said, ¡°Nuh-uh, he¡¯s plenty interesting. He speaks about such fascinating things and shows me what wonders the world has to offer.¡±


    End countered, ¡°He talks about interesting things, that doesn¡¯t make him interesting.¡±


    Silren tried to counter but upon thinking about it, she fell silent.


    At this, End chuckled. ¡°Still far too early for you to spar in a battle of wits with me dear.¡±


    The Librarian remained silent as the two continued their spar of wits, keeping his eye out for the younger daughter. But it was far more than to just analyze her personality and the composition of her body, no, he was also here to see just what powers they possessed, a fusion of Ieros¡¯s magical might and End¡¯s Absolute Destruction truly, such a thing would be most fascinating to observe. It intended to do the same with Silren, but it decided to gain the permission of both Ieros and End.


    It already had the perfect excuse to begin its experiment, with excuses about how the children needed to learn about their powers so that when they eventually stepped out into the world, they would not be helpless. After all, a parent wants for their children to be safe and the only way to be safe in such a world was strength, strength that these children possessed.


    But first, a dinner to lower the guard of the parents, get the pleasantries out of the way before it asked about the serious stuff. This was to ensure the mental safety of the children for if it were to forcefully take them should the parents be adamant in refusing to let him experiment, it would damage their mental psyche and impair the experiment. And since these two were the only ones of their kind, it did not want to damage either one of them, they were far too precious to lose.


    End ushered the Librarian in, saying, ¡°You just wait inside Erus, I¡¯ll cook up some delicious food for you in a second. Silren, help your father finish the chores for the day.¡±


    ¡°Mom! How long do you want me to babysit Ivaran?¡±


    A young woman stood there, holding a young boy whose excited energy seemed to grow the longer he was held. Finally, she just couldn¡¯t hold onto him anymore and he bolted out from her hands, running out into the forest. She sighed and went to go after him, although stopping when she saw the Librarian. The Librarian gave a curious look to the boy that ran off before returning his attention to the young woman, seeing that the seal was as strong as ever and that the young woman looked remarkably like Ieros. Well, it was only the facial features but as the being which had designed Ieros to look that way, it could see almost no differences between the two¡¯s facial structures. Of course, hers was slightly more feminine but other than that, it was almost an exact match.


    Noticing the stare that Erus was giving her daughter, End stepped in front of her protectively.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that look you¡¯re giving my daughter Erus.¡±


    Erus turned his attention on her and bowed his head in apology.


    ¡°My apologies, it¡¯s just that she is uncannily similar to Ieros when he was young.¡±


    She smiled, ¡°Oh yeah, she does take after her father. Handsome, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Erus shrugged, ¡°Your opinion is biased but I do agree that in mortal terms, she is indeed attractive.¡±


    Playfully, End said, ¡°I won¡¯t be giving her to you okay, she¡¯s my precious daughter.¡±


    Erus replied, ¡°If you meant as in marriage or the like worry not, I do not have such desires.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    End sighed, ¡°That was a joke Erus, you weren¡¯t supposed to take it seriously.¡±


    Taking a moment to think, Erus apologized, ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m sorry then.¡±


    She sighed some more, giving up on trying to teach Erus some social mannerisms.


    Upon realizing that she hadn¡¯t introduced her daughter and Erus, she hurriedly did so, saying, ¡°That man is my brother, your Uncle Erus.¡±


    Turning to Erus, she said, ¡°And this is Imra, my youngest daughter. She is nineteen years old-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost twenty mom,¡± Imra interjected, bringing a smile to End¡¯s face.


    She patted Imra on the head and said, ¡°I know dear.¡±


    Escaping her mother¡¯s patting, Imra said indignantly, ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl any more mom.¡±


    End smiled, ¡°But you¡¯re always my little girl.¡±


    Suddenly, the door slammed open and Ieros stepped in, wielding a blade of blazing light. The Librarian turned to face him, casually moving his horizontally, dissipating the blade with the greatest of ease.


    He said, ¡°I¡¯m not here to destroy you, I¡¯m here for other reasons.¡±


    Ieros, still hostile, demanded, ¡°And what might that be?¡±


    The Librarian answered, ¡°I accepted Silren¡¯s invitation to dinner.¡±


    Ieros was about to ask some more questions when End smacked him on the head, chastising, ¡°Now is that any way to treat our guest!? Just sit down and don¡¯t make trouble, I¡¯ll make dinner.¡±


    Ieros, suitably reprimanded, took a seat, although he still glared at Erus untrustingly. Erus, for his part, just took out a book and began to record its hypotheses of the powers that Silren and Imra would display. But then it suddenly recalled the boy that had run off, it directed its gaze towards the door where he went, catching sight of a shadow quickly duck out of sight. Without paying too much attention, he returned his attention to his book, adding his hypotheses about the boy¡¯s potential powers. But when Silren attempted to read whatever he was writing, he promptly shut the book, storing it in a dimensional pocket.


    Silren pouted, ¡°Why¡¯d you do that?¡±


    Erus said, ¡°This is something personal.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Her curiosity peaked, she asked, ¡°Oh, what is it?¡±


    Erus said, ¡°It¡¯s also private.¡±


    ¡°Aw, can¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°No, I cannot.¡±


    She pouted some more but gave up, she knew that she couldn¡¯t pester him into giving up the information, she had already tried that many times and no matter how stubborn she was, his patience knew no limits.


    Their little conversation drew the attention of Imra who asked, ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡±


    Erus replied, ¡°It is of no great importance.¡±


    It was then that a voice spoke up, rather loudly, ¡°Hey dad, who is that?¡±


    Both Erus and Ieros turned to see the source of the voice, it was the last remaining child of both End and Ieros.


    Ieros beamed, ¡°Ah, there¡¯s my boy!¡±


    He stood and swept up his son in a warm hug before setting him down again, saying, ¡°He, well, he is your mother¡¯s brother. He¡¯s... family.¡±


    Erus cocked his head to one side, ¡°Family?¡±


    End said, bringing the first plates of food to the table, ¡°Of course you¡¯re family, you are my brother and you are always welcome here.¡±


    Erus paused, taking in this information before finally saying, ¡°Then should it prove necessary, I will make myself welcome.¡±


    Returning his attention to the boy, he decided to introduce himself first, pulling off his hood and revealing his face. His silver eyes locked onto the boy¡¯s own and he extended a hand, knowing this to be a common gesture of greetings among mortals.


    ¡°Hello, son of Ieros. I am Erus, the Librarian.¡±


    The boy was a bit hesitant but in the end, he took Erus¡¯s hand, saying in a strong, clear voice, ¡°I am Ivaran.¡±


    Erus nodded, ¡°Hmm, a nice name. I believe that an ancient elven prince once bore that name, he possessed many titles, the foremost of them being Mage King. I do wonder, will you too become a Mage King?¡±


    Ivaran, his chest puffed proudly, ¡°Of course I will!¡±


    Then some moments later, he asked, ¡°What¡¯s a mage king?¡±


    Erus paused for a moment, picturing the pertaining book before reaching through dimensions and pulling it out, flipping to a certain page, beginning to describe the Mage King in a soft yet clear voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s been said that the elves of old have long since been mages, beings who Magic favored more than other races, for the elves still asked for Magic to complete their wish instead of command. And the most favored of all of them was Ivaran, the Mage King. It¡¯s been said that he was the embodiment of Magic herself, or perhaps her Chosen One. No wish of his was too great for Magic to answer, whatever he desired, she would fulfill. And one of his wishes was to create a great city, a city created by mages for mages. As the creator of Venatar, he was crowned its ruler and became the Mage King. Under his reign, Venatar flourished and became known throughout the country as a utopia, mages from all over traveling to live in the city. But, alas, it was not to be. There was a particularly jealous goddess who decided that such a city could not exist, ordering her numerous children to destroy the city. A great war ensued between the Mage King and her children, one which the Mage King eventually lost. But he did not lose without a fight, the goddess had lost many of her children in order to defeat the Mage King. Although he has died, there are rumors that those of his bloodline still exists, exceptional individuals who are blessed by Magic.¡±


    As he spoke, a mirage accompanied his words, sort of like a three-dimensional version of the Surveyor¡¯s memory of this. It showed the Mage King being blessed by Magic, the creation of Venatar and its subsequent fall, also showing the Mage King¡¯s great battle against the children of the goddess. He stopped speaking and the images abruptly disappeared, much to the disappointment of everyone who had listened with rapt attention.


    Ivaran finally spoke, asking, ¡°How is one blessed by Magic?¡±


    Erus said, ¡°Magic herself must find you worthy of her blessing, you cannot ask nor desire it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ivaran seemed a little disappointed.


    ¡°Then I guess I can¡¯t ask her to bless me.¡±


    Ignoring her brother¡¯s dismay, Silren asked, ¡°Can you tell another story?¡±


    Imra agreed, ¡°Yes please, another story.¡±


    Ivaran quickly forgot his disappointment and looked at Erus with gleaming eyes, obviously wanting another story.


    But End suddenly spoke, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s eat. Your uncle can read another story after we eat.¡±


    Ivaran whined, ¡°Aw, can¡¯t we eat later?¡±


    End shook her head firmly, ¡°No, we are eating now, storytime later.¡±


    So with no choice, Ivaran took his seat next to Erus, plying him with questions as they ate, Erus patiently answering them all while he ate the food. This food was considerably better than the last time he was here, although that was to be expected. Ivaran soon finished and impatiently waited for Erus to finish as well, pestering him for a story until Erus pulled another book from the Library, his slim fingers carefully caressing each page as he flipped through them. He suddenly stopped and his hand seemed to hesitate over a certain page, a small smile appearing onto his lips before disappearing just as fast.


    ¡°Ah, I had almost forgotten.¡±


    He then took a breath and began, a visual representation of this particular story accompanying the words he spoke.


    ¡°During a time of war and chaos, the world was forced to produce strong men in order to cope. One of these strong men was Azemar, the greatest general of his time. Starting out as a mere sergeant in some nameless army under an equally nameless king, he ascended the ranks of the military to where he was now, the commander of the greatest army ever seen in nearly three hundred years. With narrow victories and daring attacks, he gave the nameless king a name and made sure that his own name rang throughout the entire continent, he was Azemar! When he was faced with unbeatable odds, he beat them; when he was outnumbered ten to one, he lessened their numbers; when he was trapped with nowhere to go, he made an opening to go through. His intellect of the art of war was far beyond others of his own time, his battles were the paintings of the art that was called War. Within that era of war and blood, he created a mountain on which peace could be established. And his final battle, his Magnum Opus, was the Battle of King Makers. This battle was where he faced his one and only rival, the only man that Azemar came to respect. His name was Zonaras, a man who came from the Far West, his black hair and eyes as well as his noticeably more tanned skin making him a unique sight. Also known as a great general, he was the only one who proved to be Azemar¡¯s match, having accomplished many of the feats that Azemar had done. He too had beat unbeatable odds, he had escaped out of inescapable traps, he had outnumbered the enemy who outnumbered him. Both geniuses of war, both King Makers. But only one could make the Greatest King and the battle to decide that was long and hard, with a mountain of bodies and an ocean of blood serving as the price for making the Greatest King. Among those that were used to pay this price, Zonaras was one of them, the last casualty of this war who died by Azemar¡¯s hand in a fair dual. With the death of Zonaras, Azemar had won but he did not feel excitement, rather, he felt a great emptiness, his rival had become a part of him in some was, he was much of the reason that Azemar had fought , he had fought to defeat him but now that he had done it, Azemar did not know what to do. So after becoming the great general, he retired from the military, he had already done all that there was to do, he could do nothing else. He did go on to lead one last military campaign nearing the end of his life, one last final campaign to unite all of Occasus. However, that never came to pass, the Great Calamity occurred and he was one of many to fall to it. Thus ended the tale of Azemar the King Maker, a great man but a man nonetheless.¡±


    Erus closed the book softly and returned it to the Library, Ivaran disappointed that the story ended on such an unsatisfying note.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the ending more interesting?¡±


    Erus shook his head, ¡®No, it isn¡¯t. This is a historical recounting of events that happened a millennia ago, this is how Azemar came to pass.¡°


    Ivaran pouted, ¡°Well that isn¡¯t much fun at all.¡±


    Erus looked at him and nodded, ¡°Yes, reality can be quiet disappointing sometimes.¡±

 Chapter 78: Power must be Controlled

    In the face of his words, Ivaran said only what a child would, ¡°That really is no fun.¡±


    Erus agreed, ¡°Yes, I suppose that really isn¡¯t fun at all.¡±


    He said, ¡°I too was disappointed, I thought that Azemar might¡¯ve been able to repel the orc invasion but when a certain someone made her entrance, she made sure that would never happen.¡±


    He stared at End meaningfully before closing the book, sighing, ¡°Perhaps it was my fault, however, with the benefit of hindsight, I should have redirected End¡¯s fall with the usage of Absolute Mirror.¡±


    He shook his head sadly.


    ¡°Truly, such a shame that I was unable to think of such a solution, although back then, I was indeed severely weakened by creating the seed and preparing for End¡¯s prison.¡±


    Upon hearing End¡¯s name, Ivaran asked, ¡°So mommy made the boring ending happen?¡±


    Erus nodded and Ivaran looked at his mother, a peeved expression on his face.


    Giving a quick glare at Erus, End tried to placate her son, ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t mean to, I was just so excited to see my brother after such a long time.¡±


    Ivaran turned his back on her, tilting his chin up, his eyes closed, and crossed his arms.


    Ieros smiled at this, finally taking pity on End and saying, ¡°It wasn¡¯t your mother¡¯s fault Ivaran, who she was back then is different than who she is now.¡±


    Ivaran was still childishly stubborn, turning his back on Ieros too who looked at End helplessly.


    Erus then spoke, ¡°It is unfair to blame people unjustly. What I stated, was but a fact, she did indeed stop Azemar from going on to do great things. But I do not hold her in discontent for doing so, it is,¡± seeing the look Ieros gave him, ¡°was her nature. Indeed, she was not the loving mother you know now but a being who could-¡±


    End interrupted, ¡°Please brother, I¡¯ve put that behind me.¡±


    Erus then heard her voice in his head, I don¡¯t want them to know.


    Erus nodded.


    ¡°Well, the point is, your mother would never do such a thing, don¡¯t bear a grudge against her so unjustly.¡±


    Ivaran, stubborn but on the edge, asked, ¡°Really?¡±


    Erus nodded, ¡°Really.¡±


    Ivaran then slowly turned his head to his mother, his head down as he mumbled, ¡°Sorry mom.¡±


    End hugged him, smiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Iva.¡±


    As the two hugged, Erus finally spoke about his true desire, ¡°Ieros, End, could we speak outside? I have a rather serious matter to discuss.¡±


    Worried and nervous, the two stood up and exited the house after assuring the kids that they would be right back. The three continued to walk out some ways into the wood where Erus turned to face them.


    ¡°I would like to test the capabilities of your children.¡±


    Holding up a hand to keep them quiet, Erus continued, ¡°Before you object, allow me to explain. You see, these kids possess power, a power that perhaps should not be theirs. And it is a power that has likely never been seen, at least on Agleon, a union of magic and the power of End. I would like to study them and their powers and in doing so, teach them to harness their abilities.¡±


    End refused vehemently, ¡°Absolute not! That could destroy them, I won¡¯t allow it!¡±


    Erus refuted her points, ¡°It won¡¯t, I will watch over them, whatever wounds they incur I will be able to prevent or heal.¡±


    End shook her head, ¡°You don¡¯t understand my power, it-¡±


    Erus sighed, ¡°You underestimate me too much. I do understand it, it brings an end to all things absolutely, such as lifespan, physical integrity, even its own existence. It is the very idea of Destruction. In fact, Destruction himself is a fragment of the true End, your true brother in a sense. At least he is more tame, however, although that may be due to mortals and their search for destructive power, he does not need to be restrained as much.¡±


    Seeing the looks that Ieros and End were giving him, he apologized, ¡°Sorry for getting off track. The point is that I am at a level of power in which even if End was in her previous state of strength, I will now be able to seal her within moments, perhaps even erase her from existence if necessary. If it is the impure and undoubtedly weaker power of your children, I¡¯m absolutely certain that I will be able to ensure their safety.¡±


    End hesitated, finally saying, ¡°I... I just don¡¯t want them to be hurt.¡±


    Erus assured, ¡°They won¡¯t be, unless they do not listen to my direction. If that happens, I am not responsible for what occurs next. And even then, I will do my best to heal them and if necessary, erase what traumatic memories they may suffer. It would be such a shame to lose such fascinating subjects.¡±


    It was his last words that served as a cold reminder that despite what he has displayed in front of their family, Erus was just a persona in the end. Beneath was the cold, calculating mind of the Surveyor, one who just existed to gain more knowledge.


    End laughed bitterly, ¡°Yeah, it was foolish of me to think that you changed, to think that you began to care.¡±


    Ieros put a hand on her shoulder, doing his best to comfort her. As she turned away from Erus, Ieros then looked at Erus, saying,


    ¡°How can we be sure, because you view them as nothing more than subjects, you could just be curious to see how their bodies would deteriorate with the usage of their power.¡±


    Erus said, ¡°There are only three of them, each who are unique. If I let them be destroyed here, that prevents me from learning more about them in the future. I just need a gauge of their powers so that I can create copies of them, from which I will be able to conduct more experiments. I just need reference material, which your children will be. They will not be in harm.¡±


    Ieros, slightly confused, asked, ¡°What do you mean by reference material?¡±


    Erus answered, ¡°It is quite simple, I just need to understand what they are capable of, to see the limits of their power so that I can emulate it, thus allowing me to control the experiment perfectly rather than using the inefficient method of asking them to demonstrate a certain percentage of their abilities. Of course, while I am conducting these experiments of mine in a different dimension, I will also be teaching your children how to best control their powers. In addition, with the manipulation of time I should be able to devise a stratagem in which to most effectively give them control over their abilities within a short time of me witnessing their abilities. You may think of me as heartless but do not think of me as cruel, although I can be should the situation necessitate it.¡±


    Ieros, upon hearing his words, asked one more time, ¡°So, my children will not be harmed?¡±


    Erus nodded, ¡°Of course. You can come to watch if you want to. But, you must not interfere, this is to prevent the children from getting distracted as that is a far more dangerous outcome.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Ieros nodded while End continued to ignore Erus, standing still in the forest as Erus began to head towards the cabin. He entered the house once more and found the three children sitting at the table, pretending that they have always been there. But he was aware that they, as all children are, were curious about the conversation that he was having with their parents. But that didn¡¯t bother the Surveyor unduly, they needed to know anyway.


    Not one to waste time, he created a gate which would lead them to a testing dimension, saying, ¡°Please step through.¡±


    Ivaran was about to march through but Silren held him back, asking, ¡°Where does that lead? The Library?¡±


    Erus shook his head, ¡°The destination is different, I shall explain there. For now, step through, I believe that your parents will follow us shortly.¡±


    As Silren was trying to figure this out, her grip on Ivaran loosened and he bolted through the door, much to Silren¡¯s dismay. She cried out but was too late, he had already gone through. Without much of a choice, she stepped through and after a few moments of hesitation, Imra followed. Before entering himself, Erus turned to look at Ieros and End, deciding that he will keep the gate open until they stepped through. He disappeared and only the black gate remained within the house, waiting for Ieros and End to step through.


    Within the gate was a dimension whose appearance was not unlike Agleon, possessing rolling plains, great mountains, and endless seas. However, one thing was missing in this world, life. There weren¡¯t even plants, just barren desserts which were only broken by large areas of stone. It was a bleak world and one that happened to be perfect for testing. As the three test subjects looked at their new surroundings, Erus suddenly began to explain why they were here,


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that you already know this but each of you possess a power that is unique. A power that has been rightfully sealed away. But I wish to break this seal and I would like for you to use the power that resides within you, so that I may teach you how to control it. I have your parents¡¯ permission if you are hesitant and if you still are, I will guarantee your absolute safety. Now, which of you would like to begin?¡±


    Ivaran was about to volunteer but Silren put herself before her two siblings, clearly nervous and afraid but also excited.


    ¡°I-I volunteer.¡±


    Erus nodded and gestured that she come closer, casting Absolute Barrier around Imra and Ivaran. Not forgetting about Silren, he placed a sliver of himself within her, ready to act as a barrier between her flesh and the power of End. Then came the moment of releasing the seal, beforehand, Erus asked Silren for direct access to her mind. Without knowing much else, she did as he asked and instantly, she found herself dwarfed by the great mind of the Surveyor, even though this was a very simplified form, one which wouldn¡¯t overload Silren¡¯s senses.


    Within her mind, it began to give directions and guided Silren on how to follow those directions, it didn¡¯t want to make any mistakes and wanted to help Silren to at least get an understanding of how to use her power.


    You must open a channel for the power, otherwise, it will likely destroy you upon the opening of the seal. I will be guiding you this time but I would like for you to learn how to do it yourself. Can you do that?


    Silren, unable to communicate as well with her mind, merely sent a mental affirmation. After replying thus, she did her best to try and understand just what Erus was guiding her to do, trying to memorize the feeling of opening a channel. Once the channel was set in place, Erus sent a warning.


    I will be releasing the seals, be prepared, do not be afraid.


    Nervous, Silren once more sent a mental affirmation and with that, the seals were released. Silren suddenly felt hot, very hot, her skin beginning to prickle and itch. She was panicking but Erus¡¯s voice suppressed the panic.


    Remember the channel.


    Knowing that this was her only chance to remain alive, she began to focus on the channel, opening it up to allow the energy to pour through. It began to rush into the channel and suddenly burst from her right hand, shooting out a messy ray of destructive energy. It began to destroy everything in front of her, continuing to pour out of her until there was nothing left. She fell to her knees, drained but alive. As she lay there, panting, she caught something move in front of her, Erus had extended a hand. She took it weakly and was pulled up, soon finding that energy was pouring from Erus¡¯s hand into hers.


    At first, she was afraid, afraid that it was the same destructive energy but whereas that was hot, this was cool and refreshing. It spread throughout her body as if she had entered a cool spring in the middle of a hot summer day. She sighed with relief and thanked Erus.


    She asked, ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Erus nodded, ¡°For now, you may go and rest.¡±


    He sent her back behind the Absolute Barrier and had to slow down Ivaran who had excitedly run out to volunteer. As he prepared Ivaran as he had prepared Silren, in a different dimension where time flowed differently than in the testing dimension, a fragment of the Surveyor was simulating Silren¡¯s powers. As he observed Ivaran¡¯s and Imra¡¯s powers, two other fragments of the Surveyor would begin to simulate their respective powers.


    This was only possible because of the testing dimension, the testing dimension wasn¡¯t just normal earth and air, these were like the body of the Surveyor itself. It could measure exactly the amount of force and destructiveness the children possessed, able to track the destruction and disturbance of the very atoms. Because of this, it was a simple matter to deduce the strength of their power, like how scientists use water displacement to measure the volume of an irregularly shaped object.


    And as he had witnessed the nature of the power while unlocking the seal, he was able to emulate the nature of their power and the strength at which they were able to exert it. And although it took it two years to fully understand their abilities and estimate the rough growth they would achieve. And with this estimation, he devised a way for them to learn how to control their power, the three fragments relaying this knowledge to Erus. With hardly any time having passed in the testing dimension, Erus was able to immediately begin teaching the moment he had finished observing Imra¡¯s power.


    With this done, he began to instruct Silren, ¡°Now, I have formulated a way for you to commence your training. I suggest you follow my instructions to the letter, otherwise, you may die.¡±


    Silren nodded and he continued, ¡°Now, as the nature of your power is closest to your mother, my teachings will be influenced most by your mother¡¯s actions. So first, try and let this power flow throughout your body. This may be painful but as your body isn¡¯t entirely human, you should be able to survive.¡±


    End, who had entered sometime later, tried to intervene, saying, ¡°I thought you would ensure their safety!¡±


    Erus said, ¡°She is safe, I am prepared to intervene should it be necessary. Now please be quiet, your disturbance may disrupt your daughter¡¯s concentration and cause more damage than she may normally experience.¡±


    End wanted to continue speaking but when she heard the danger she could present to her child, she stopped.


    Erus returned his attention to Silren.


    ¡°Now, I would like for you to begin, remember how I guided you to open the channel, now do that throughout your entire body. Imagine that your very skin is the other opening of the channel for your power to radiate out of.¡±


    Silren began to do as he said, turning her body into one giant channel. She then hesitantly began to release the power she held within, a small amount trickly out before it soon became a raging river. She lost control but she found that she wasn¡¯t being hurt other than feeling really hot. The area in a two feet radius around her began to be affected by the Aura of Destruction, destroying the ground and air around her. As she couldn¡¯t fly, she soon found herself digging deep into the earth, much to her shock and fear. But before she could call out for help, the rush of power she felt began to fade, returning to a small trickle which eventually disappeared as well. She collapsed to her knees, drained by the whole experience. Erus levitated her out of the hole she made and undid the damage she had done.


    Replenishing her energy, Erus continued, ¡°Now, try to do what you just did but only on your right hand, create an aura of destructive energy.¡±


    Silren complied and although she was only able to control it up to her arm, she managed to keep the aura contained.


    Noticing that she hadn¡¯t followed his instructions, Erus repeated, ¡°Only the hand, Silren. Try imagining that the channel you made is becoming shorter and shorter, slowly restrict it until it is only encompassing your hand.¡±


    Silren did as instructed, finally resulting in a hand not too dissimilar from End¡¯s left hand before it was sealed. Suddenly, a wall of steel appeared before her and under Erus¡¯s direction, she hesitantly placed her hand on the wall, amazed to see her hand push straight through as if there was nothing there. When she withdrew her hand, there was a rough but distinct hand-shaped hole within the steel wall. She looked at her hand in amazement, not quite believing that she possessed this power.


    But as her excitement grew, her control over her power lessened and she nearly lost her life right then and there if it wasn¡¯t for Erus who quickly grabbed her hand, absorbing Silren¡¯s destructive energy. She watched in horror as his clothes, his flesh, even his bones began to corrode because of her power, because of her. With tears in her eyes, she begged him to stop but he did not, keeping a tight hold on her hand as he sacrificed his body to keep her safe. Finally, when just about the entirety of his left side was gone, leaving nothing but slowly corroding bones, he let go, Silren¡¯s powers having returned to manageable levels.


    As she fell to the floor, sobbing and repeating sorry, Erus calmly, almost casually, regenerated his flesh and recreated his clothing. It was unnoticeable at first, the bones were fixed first and once that was done, hundreds of thin red strings¡ªmoving as if alive¡ªcoalesced into muscle, the muscle soon bonding with the bone via the tendons. Then a thin layer of fat coated the entire thing, the varying layers of the skin soon following. Upon noticing this, Silren watched in horrified fascination as his flesh reclaimed what her power had taken, Erus soon seeming fine, as if nothing had happened. With that done, Erus held out his hand, the same hand which her power had just destroyed.


    ¡°Come on now, sitting on the ground won¡¯t teach you how to control your power.¡±

 Chapter 79: The Siege

    While a version of the Librarian taught Silren to further control her powers, such as forming things out of her Aura of Destruction, the two other versions began teaching Imra and Ivaran. Of course, the method of teaching was different as the three¡¯s powers were different from one another, Silren¡¯s was almost a complete replica of her mother¡¯s powers, Imra was somewhat of a mixture of her father and mother, and Ivaran¡ªas his name suggest¡ªwas almost purely a mage, an immensely powerful mage.


    Somehow, someway, Ivaran possessed nearly pure mana, enabling him to use all mortal spells. But this wasn¡¯t all, he could also manifest a small part of End¡¯s destructive energy, although not as much as his sisters. Rather, it permeated his mana, making it so that offense magic such as fire would be inherently buffed. But it also meant his support and creation abilities were weakened, as whatever he would make or support would also be affected by Destruction. This was made sure when the Surveyor, in its countless testing of the three siblings¡¯ abilities, managed to create a palace using Ivaran¡¯s ability, only to have it crumble at a touch.


    It was already a miracle that Ivaran was able to create anything at all, the energy of destruction not quite enough to disturb the bonds that held matter together. Rather, it put it to just the brink, so that a disturbance as small as a poke would cause the entire thing to collapse. In conclusion, Ivaran would be a great combat mage, perhaps the strongest of them all, but in terms of support or creation, it was better if he just avoided it entirely.


    So the Librarian did just that, only teaching Ivaran how to control offensive types of magic, teaching him about the ways of fire, not just how to utilize the spell but about what fire was exactly. Not the tales that humans spun about the origins of fire but of what it actually was, a visible form of natural energy. But when the Librarian told this to Ivaran, Ivaran was confused, asking,


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    A small smile on his face, the Librarian explained, ¡°Well, when heat is added to a fuel of sorts, an example being air or wood, it ignites. What happens next is fire, which is a form of energy. Mages such as yourself are able to replicate this through Magic, where Magic herself will provide the energy needed to cause the fire. But, that¡¯s not all, you as the mage must command Magic to do so and the price you must pay is your own energy.¡±


    With a shake of his head, the Librarian added, ¡°The humans have mistakenly believed that it is their own energy which causes Magic but no, it is not. Their energy is the money one pays to obtain an item.¡±


    ¡°Money?¡±


    Seeing Ivaran with his innocent expression, the Librarian remembered, ¡°Ah, yes. I forgot that you had not had the chance to live amongst other humans. Well, money is a sort of... hmm, how should I explain. Well money is an object of some sort of value, sort of like food I would suppose. You see, the body cannot get energy directly from food, it must first digest it. That process of digestion... I think you are too young to understand at the moment.¡±


    Patting Ivaran on the head, ¡°I will explain when you are older, that is, if you are interested.¡±


    Ivaran nodded, he had hardly understood anything that the Librarian had said.


    Wanting to make sure that Ivaran understood what magic was, he just said, ¡°Just remember this Ivaran, that it is not you who is creating those fireballs, it is Magic herself, you are only... giving her the energy to do so.¡±


    Although not entirely accurate, it was still a good enough explanation to get Ivaran to understand. As this particular Librarian directed Ivaran, another was busy with Imra, who was able to use some magic but not to the best degree, as her destructive energy would destroy the spell simultaneously, her tainted mana collapsing on itself the moment it tried to create anything. However, the raw energy itself was usable, similar in form to the Aura of Destruction, although more liquid in form.


    She could manipulate this liquid-like energy, although to be perfect it would take some practice. But already, she was getting the hang of it, able to disperse it into mist or a solid block of energy. It reminded the Librarian of the water cycle, of water vapor, which condensed into liquid water, and then finally freezing into ice. However, Imra had to take care that she did not come into contact with the liquid itself, although her unique body was able to resist destruction somewhat, it was not complete immunity, she would still end up being destroyed by it.


    So for now, the Surveyor had placed a thin veil of energy around her, this veil serving as protection but also as a second skin, one which would recognize each and every time her body came into contact with her energy. It would come as a slight cold pressure on the concerned area, not something that would hurt her but certainly able to provoke her attention. Meanwhile, the Librarian would stand near her, covering himself with the Absolute Barrier as he told her to manipulate her liquid-energy in a certain way without touching her body. Once she came into contact with the energy, she had to restart again.


    As this was happening, the Surveyor had its attention focused on a battlefield where a certain orc was rolling around armored in stone. He crushed both allies and enemies alike, although more enemies as he had placed himself in the thick of them. As for the orcs under his command, they were trying to surround the enemy, using Yargul as a distraction while the overwhelmed what orcs that remained focused on them. This was according to his direction, Yargul had seen just how effective this formation was against his and the Trident¡¯s army and was itching for revenge, he wanted to subject the orc commander to the same fate.


    But from the times he would occasionally take a break from rolling around, his efforts to locate the orc commander were all in vain, much to his rage. He took it out on the enemy orcs around him, unleashing miniature earthquakes which killed and maimed many orcs. He also did this just in case there were assassins around him, he wanted to ensure that they couldn¡¯t push him into a literal corner, one he was forced to make himself, like last time.


    He made sure to keep the earth around him in constant motion, his normal stone armor able to deal with any projectiles that enemies would throw at him. It soon came to be that orcs would just run away at the sight of him, allies and enemies alike giving him a wide berth so as to avoid being swallowed by the earth. Seeing this, Yargul eventually stopped, he was running out of energy anyways and there didn¡¯t appear to be any assassins. Overcome with a sudden boredom, he made himself a tower to sit on, casually chucking stones with the force not too different than that of a catapult, not evening having to aim as there were so many orcs that he would be hard-pressed to purposefully miss.Stolen novel; please report.


    Contrary to his expectations, the enemy orcs were behaving like a chicken that had its head cut off, not the proper orc army that the orc commander commanded. As Yargul threw stones into the enemy, he grew angrier and angrier, the orc commander had dared to ignore him. This was an unforgivable offense, how dare the orc commander ignore him! Did he think that such a pathetic army was all that Yargul amounted to? Ridiculous, Yargul vowed that the orc commander would not suffer a quick death.


    Too angry to continue throwing, he stopped it all together, glaring at nothing in particular. He had expected a challenge and a chance for revenge but that never came to be, the orc commander had thought of the Trident to be a greater adversary, this seriously offending Yargul. Of course, although Yargul didn¡¯t know it, the orc commander had not underestimated Yargul and sent his best lieutenant to deal with Yargul.


    This lieutenant was skilled, a force to be reckoned with, but he had fallen early in battle. And the reason as to why he died was rather simple, he was tailing Yargul while Yargul was rolling about and when finally, he came to a stop, the lieutenant stepped forth to challenge him. But seeing Yargul stumble about in what appeared to be a drunken stupor, the lieutenant was slightly confused, this moment of confusion the reason behind his downfall. For Yargul, remembering that he was extremely weak whenever he stopped rolling around, began to stomp and cause the earth to shake and crack, the lieutenant falling into one of these cracks and subsequently dying.


    To his credit, the lieutenant threw his spear in the hopes of killing Yargul but Yargul¡¯s armor was too strong, all that was gained was a shattered spear. Yargul had turned to see the source of the attack but the lieutenant had already fallen into a crack which closed not too long after it had opened, swallowing the lieutenant deep within the earth. Thus fell the lieutenant, although the details to his fate would forever be unknown to Yargul and the other orcs.


    With this rather disappointing end, as such was reality sometimes, Yargul¡¯s army was able to break through the orc commander¡¯s blockade and continue on their way to aid the Skull Lord, Yargul torn between tracking down the orc commander or going to support the Skull Lord. Eventually, he chose to support the Skull Lord, he had no doubt that the orc commander would slip away and once he had finished helping the Skull Lord, he would have all the time in the world to hunt him down.


    . The Surveyor just recorded this in its Library, it did not consider this to be much of a loss, the battle most likely would¡¯ve been a repetition of most orc battles with only a few usages of actual strategy. It was hardly noteworthy and with that battle out of the way, the Surveyor could finally direct more of its attention to the siege on Skull Lord¡¯s city.


    From its observers, it had already sensed the presence of a few unique orcs, orcs who had been born with a piece of Magic. As to how this came to be, it could only be described as a rare phenomenon, these orcs just happened to be born with bodies that were the perfect vessel for Magic. And Magic naturally collects more in perfect vessels than in not, these orcs possessing a sliver of Magic herself. But as the body matures, it traps Magic within, that sliver of Magic now trapped within the bone marrow of orcs and magic beasts.


    The Surveyor had done extensive research into this, conducting experiments of its own to find out just what was responsible for making these creatures the perfect vessels for Magic and thus finding out more of Magic in general. Magic was, as stated before, a being whose purpose was to serve the wishes of mortal creatures that possessed mageblood. At first, before the Rebellion of Ancient Man, all creatures of sentient thought were capable of using magic for Magic answered all of their benign wishes.


    But because of the Rebellion of Ancient Man, partly caused by the conflict of Light and Night, Ancient Man enslaved Magic to use her as a weapon. It was the Age of War, where humans fought against humans and indeed, against their own creators, Light herself. Some were innocent, like the Premen, while other races of Man were not. And as Light feared another such insurrection against her, she eradicated the Premen too, one of the last races whom Magic had aided without needing a price.


    Suddenly reminded of this, the Surveyor briefly wondered what had happened to Rose, had she been incinerated when End arrived? Or did she survive, if she had, then where could she have gone? The Surveyor quickly reviewed the memories of the shadows over the millennia of its slumber, finding no data on her except for a few weeks before the Great Calamity. Thus, the Surveyor could only conclude that Rose had died and immediately lost interest, she was a fascinating specimen but a dead specimen was useless and not worthy of its attention.


    It did regard it as a shame however, it had not been able to gain a complete understanding of her in her later years, only possessing an immature copy of her. In the face of this, it vowed to update its copies of currently living subjects as much as possible to avoid this, sort of like how a human on Earth would reach a checkpoint and save their progress. Indeed, perhaps this was all some sort of game for the Surveyor, a player who was exploring the utmost limits of the game itself.


    It wouldn¡¯t be an inappropriate metaphor, for the Universe and all the sentient creatures that inhabited it was nothing but creations of Darkness, with Life serving as their programming. The Universe was all one great video game of sorts and as a ¡°game moderator,¡± the Surveyor had free reign to understand the limits of this game for the game¡¯s rather inattentive creator. And right now, this game moderator was going to watch over the Yargul and the siege he was about to interrupt.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªSkull Lord¡ª


    The city¡¯s walls shuddered once more as the enemy artillery fired again, although none of this was enough to disturb me. These walls I had made sure to be thick and tall, I had always prepared for a siege although even I must admit that I never expected the enemy to be fifty million in number. Thankfully, they keep providing me with food, the orcs they keep sending at the walls serving as the food to keep my orcs in line. But the corpses of my orcs join their bodies in the stomachs of my orcs and I¡¯m afraid that it will be my orcs that will run out first.


    I sighed stressfully, ¡°Damn it, Yargul and Trident were supposed to arrive two days ago. At this rate, I¡¯m really going to die.¡±


    I closed my eyes and leaned my head backward on my throne, I had never expected that I would die like this, like some cowardly rat hiding within his hole in the wall with cats clawing away at the entrance. I would¡¯ve at least like to have been killed by an orc of some repute, like Yargul... He truly is a strange orc. Perhaps the only orc who has gained my respect at so young an age.


    Distant warhorns sounded in the distance and with resignation, I stood up, heading to take my place on the main gate. I soon reached it, my loyal elites following behind. The gates had long since been broken but a barricade of corpses and whatever else could be used, rubble from the wall, bits of lumber, carts, anything was used to try and plug up the entrance. Where the gaps were my soldiers would guard, and I among them. I hefted my great club onto my shoulder, watching the enemy army near, a roiling black wave against the horizon. As it would take some time for them to arrive, I took a seat on a suitable piece of rubble, waiting calmly for their arrival.

 Poll

    Because the poll system on Royalroad is a bit limited for my purposes, I made a google forms.


    Google Forms:</a>


    That is the google forms in which you will decide the course of this battle. To make this as fair as possible, you will have to sign in on a google account so that it''s one vote per reader. Please don''t use alt google accounts if you have them, as I said, I would like this to be fair. If you don''t have a google account then I do apologize, if you really do want to vote then I suppose you could create a throwaway account. Anyways, I look forward to what choices you guys will choose. I will see you again on Sunday which is when I will be uploading the first proper orcish battle chapter. And if you have other ideas in addition to the google forms or if you are unable to vote because of a lack of a google account then please feel free to post your ideas in the comment section. This will be your last chance to put in any ideas you may have. I will be sure to read through them and tell you if the option is already in the google forms. If it is, I will let democracy take care of it and if not, then I will consider adding it. Anyways, do have a most wonderful new year.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

 Poll 2, about the Orc Lord.

    Hello readers, I know that I said I would follow whatever decision you guys would choose but as most of you voted for Yargul killing the Orc King, I began to think and realized that I shouldn''t have put that option up there. I am sorry, I do recognize that this is my fault for placing the option up there without thinking too deeply.


    Anyways, I just want to clarify that Yargul is still far weaker than the Orc King. I know that not much is said about the Orc King other than he is at the pinnacle of Orckind and that he possesses the Sword of Korbus, a sword that has been feeding nearly daily on large quantities of orcish blood for a millennium. That compared to the Yargul who is between twenty and thirty years of age, well logically I see no way Yargul could win on his own power, which most of you seemed to vote for.


    Sure he has the power of the earth and the black ice armor but I don''t see that being able to deflect a strike from the Sword of Korbus. Also not much is known on the Sword and I do apologize for that but when the Surveyor managed to study the sword, he fed it an enormous amount of blood until it couldn''t eat anymore. After this, the sword was capable of splitting the earth and mountains in two and although the real Sword of Korbus has not yet reached its full potential, probably like a tenth or even less, I have no doubt that it would easily be able to cut through the stone armor or even the black ice armor that Yargul possesses.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It is far more plausible that, if the Orc King is still to arrive by your decision, the Orc King either kills him or makes Yargul his servant, after all, the Surveyor did promise that it would only help Yargul once, with the Earth Ape, and the Surveyor isn''t one to go back on its promise. Then again, the Orc King could just not arrive at all, although this big battle is likely going to be the finale, there will be small pockets of fighting afterward but most of the main powers will have either won or been defeated. In such an important battle, the Orc King would be almost foolish not to attend. After all, if he just let the winners be, the winners may gain enough support to unite Orcking against the King.


    And as for Korbus making him a Chosen One, that could still sort of happen, like Korbus recognizes Yargul as a powerful warrior and gives him a blessing. Yargul won''t be unique as the Orc King and many of the King''s elite army have also attained this blessing.


    So Yargul can only kill the Orc King is by ridiculous plot armor, such as the Surveyor interfering or some other ridiculous method. Once again I do recognize that this is my fault for not thinking about it properly so I do apologize. So please do vote again with this new knowledge in mind, I will follow whatever decision you guys make on this one.

 Chapter 80: The Siege 2

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªSkull Lord¡ª


    ¡°Keep on fighting, let¡¯s kill these pathetic bastards who keep thinking that they can kill us!¡±


    I shouted as I swung my club, pulverizing the head of a cheeky orc that thought he could face me. I had not the time to face these small fry but the two Lords refused to step out onto battle, fucking cowards the two of ¡®em. They aren¡¯t worthy of the title of Lord if they are too afraid to step out onto battle. In a bad mood, I swung my club harder than usual, the club flying out of my hand as I failed to keep a good grip, killing whatever orc happened to be in its way.


    ¡°Oh for fuck¡¯s sake!¡±


    I growled, irritated as more enemy orcs surged, thinking that I was helpless without my weapon. My fists proved them wrong, although I had a lot of my work cut out for me as my guards immediately rushed to my defense, giving me some room to breathe as I walked towards where my club lay. I then used it to crush a few more heads, the feeling of satisfaction slightly alleviating my bad mood.


    Suddenly, off in the distance, I noticed orc bodies being tossed into the air as if by an enraged mountain bear, although I couldn¡¯t see what was responsible. But when I felt the earth tremble slightly and finally saw what appeared to be a piece of stone as large as a log smash a few more orcs to death, I smiled, Yargul had come.


    ¡°Final-fucking-ly, the bastard arrived!¡±


    I shouted to my soldiers next, ¡°Guess who finally joined the fucking party, it¡¯s Yargul! Come on lads, let¡¯s go meet him so we can teach him a lesson for being late!¡±


    With an affirming roar of reply, I took my club and charged out from the gate, the orcs inside following my lead.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The two armies, Yargul¡¯s and the Skull Lord¡¯s, attempted to meet, however, the force of enemies between them were simply too many in number. Realizing that to meet each other was a futile effort, the Sull Lord was the first to withdraw, Yargul soon following suit, keeping slightly hilly area to make his camp. While a few hundred thousand of his orcs surged forth to gain more territory on the small plain which surrounded the Skull Lord¡¯s city, Yargul ordered the remaining orcs to set up camp, the orcs creating large fire pits in preparation for tonight¡¯s dinner, a lot of fire would be needed to cook the amount of meat the orcs would devour.


    Much of the daylight was spent gaining as much land as possible, inching their way towards the city although each inch was paid for dearly in orcish blood. After the basic foundation of an orcish encampment was made, Yargul then led his personal unit out to battle, numbering four thousand in number. And while all the orcs itched for battle, Yargul did not allow them to go out just yet, this was a battle that had a lot more at stake than just a win or a loss, this would decide his very fate, he wasn¡¯t going to have his life fucked over just because he couldn¡¯t control his army.


    But he did allow for rotations, the number of orcs fighting on the perpetually changing frontline would rotate as fresher units from the back would reinforce and replace those already at the front. This was something else he had learned from his various battles with the Orc Commander, for he found that the Commander would never dedicate all of his forces right away, rather he would keep some of them hidden only to appear at the most irritating moments.


    Of course, he couldn¡¯t replicate the Commander exactly but he could still do this to create some sort of system where all of his orcs could be satisfied with fighting while keeping his camp safe. Some clan leaders opposed to this idea but to them Yargul gave a simple answer, follow his orders or die, he didn¡¯t care which. After all, if the leaders followed his orders that would be nice but if they died, he could absorb them into the Ulgar Clan. It was a win-win for Yargul, that and the fact that more clan leaders were loyal to him than those who dared to question his authority.  He had the advantage if the chieftains dared to rebel against him.


    After this had been decided on, Yargul decided to stay put for the moment, he found battle itself to be rather boring and besides, night was falling. As night fell, the fighting continued, the orcs using their moderately better eyesight to fight in the dark. And as one might expect, the fighting became far more vicious as orcs swung out without hesitation, killing allies and enemies alike, only recognizing moving shapes rather than fellows and enemies.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the orcs either slept or ate, a couple thousand orcs sent out to retrieve the corpses of the dead to cook. Yargul himself had gone out to select his food for himself, using his authority and power to gain the choicest corpses for consumption. With that done, he yawned and promptly fell asleep, having nothing else to do. His personal unit comprised of only Ulgar warriors kept watch over him, assassinations were not too common as most orcs looked down on the practice but it was not unheard of.


    Morning came and the sun shone once more on the orcish battlefield, fresh clans, whom Yargul had given permission, marching out to replace the fighters that had fought all night long. These fighters gladly retreated, they weren¡¯t too tired but they were definitely hungry. They took back with them the corpses of other orcs to feed on while the fresh clans continued the battle. And joining them was Yargul himself, followed by his personal unit of Ulgar Warriors. They numbered only forty thousand but with Yargul at their head, they managed to pierce deep into the enemy¡¯s ranks, the other clan warriors in Yargul¡¯s army following, appearing as a large wedge which was being forced deep into the enemy. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    At the head of this was Yargul himself, several tens of feet ahead of his soldiers as he had two rules on the battlefield for his soldiers to follow, to kill their enemies without faltering and to not get in his way. This was for their safety as Yargul did not differentiate from enemy and friend when he was fighting, he just attacked with the intent to kill.


    It was a fighting style that befitted an orc such as him, for unlike most others he could afford to fight alone. After all, being covered in four-inch thick stone armor and weighing over four tons, he didn¡¯t exactly have the time to carefully choose where his attacks were going. It was far easier to pulverize enemies with a wide swing and stomp on any who managed to survive. It was a mechanical way of fighting but it was one that worked, allowing Yargul to kill many small fry with ease.


    Virtually invincible in this form of his, Yargul was able to wreak havoc among the enemy with impunity, although this form was far more taxing than the others. Even with his near limitless stamina, he was running out of energy and when the sun was high in the sky, he was unable to keep using his earth magic to aid in moving this unwieldy form of his, forcing him to use his ice magic. As the stone armor fell from his body, sharp, clear and white ice soon covered his form, slicing through enemies rather than bludgeoning them to death. He began to dual wield a blade of ice and his great axe, wielding his axe with his left while he would stab and slash with his sword, creating a new one every time it broke.


    In this more safe form, his orcs fought by his side once more, giving him some breathing room which he did not refuse. Normally he would have berated them for helping him but, as much as he hated to admit it, he did need their help. And so side by side by his orcs, most of which were the surviving warriors of the Ulgar Clan, those that he would trust unhesitatingly with his life. During their years of fighting together, they grew to know almost instinctively how to work together, the Ulgar Warriors supporting him whenever he needed it and keeping their distance whenever he was in his stone armor.


    When the sun was three-fourths its journey through the sky, Yargul shouted, ¡°Keep fighting for me, I¡¯ve just gotten pretty fucking bored so I¡¯ll take a break! I expect you to have pushed deeper into enemy lines when I return!¡±


    The Ulgar Warriors shouted in affirmation, making some space for Yargul to slip through while the rest of them closed the gap at the tip and continued to push forward. The wedge was still driving deep into the enemy but noticeably slower, Yargul making his way back to the camp to eat and regain the energy he lost. He needed to reach the gates of the Skull Lord¡¯s city as soon as possible and to do that, he would have to lead the wedge.


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t the entirety of Yargul¡¯s army, there were only seven million or so. These were the fastest of the orcs while more were on their way, numbering fifteen million. Of course, this coupled with the Skull Lord¡¯s own army which numbered eleven million would give them a force that would be able to contend with the enemy¡¯s forty-three million, the numbers on both sides having been whittled down from their original numbers.


    But still, a force of thirty-three million was still vastly outnumbered by forty-three million, it would be better if the Trident Lord would arrive but if she didn¡¯t then they¡¯d just have to make do. After all, it was better to plan with what you have to work with rather than with what you don¡¯t have. The plan was just to defend until the enemy¡¯s forces are drained and then make one final push to defeat them once and for all. It was a good plan but plans often do not go as desired, there are variables that mortals cannot account for and as such, these plans often need space for flexibility or else it would meet failure.


    In this case, Yargul was also thinking of an escape plan, he had no qualms with abandoning the Skull Lord if it meant his survival, he was just staying with him because if he did, the outcome of success would be most beneficial. However the moment it turned for the worse he would leave, using the Skull Lord as a sacrificial lamb.


    But now, now was the time to rest. The battle was not yet done and the war was not yet decided. There was still a chance for him to keep his freedom. As he rested, nursing a few wounds which he had suffered: multiple shallow cuts which covered mostly his arms but also his upper chest, a stab wound in his lower rib cage which also happened to possess a few broken ribs, as well as multiple bruises. He had really pushed himself this time, he needed to become more aware of his limits, otherwise, he may actually die. Luck was smiling down on him but it wasn¡¯t wise to rely on such a mercurial thing, one moment Luck smiles and the other she frowns upon you.


    Meanwhile, from the shadows the Surveyor watched, wondering if Yargul was strong enough to survive this battle. Yargul¡¯s performance earlier today seemed to suggest that he would die, he may find himself to be stranded deep within the enemy with nowhere else to go. He wouldn¡¯t have the strength to fight himself out as his stamina, while impressive, wasn¡¯t infinite. But fortunately, it seemed that Yargul was not entirely devoid of sense, making sure never to stray too far from his soldiers.


    Indeed, Yargul seemed to possess a good head on his shoulders, having created a system in which to keep his orcs in peak fighting condition, displaying cleverness that was a degree higher than most orcs. He wasn¡¯t a genius but he was above average. This didn¡¯t provide any new data but it did certainly make for an interesting battle, albeit only slightly.


    Speaking of data, the Surveyor noticed the movement of the Orc King, suggesting the fact that he too will join in on the battle. The Surveyor was quite interested in this turn of events, how was Yargul to survive this? It sat back and prepared to record the events that were to pass.

 Chapter 81: The Siege 3

    At day break, from the castle walls, the Skull Lord overlooked the battlefield. He was glad to see that the enemy had given orders to retreat from combat, although it did take some time for this message to spread to all the armies on the field. Fighting had continued long after the order was given and it was only in the morning¡¯s light that the fighting finally ceased. Yargul¡¯s army attempted to give chase but Yargul kept them in line, creating a small earthquake to remind the orcs whose orders they¡¯d disobey should they go fight.


    With the two sides having withdrawn, Yargul was free to approach the city, shedding piece by piece the stone armor which encased him. He, accompanied by a small contingent of orcish soldiers, finally stood before the gate. Upon seeing his approach, the Skull Lord gave orders to open the gate, the battered and broken gate pushed outwards, orcish bodies flooding outward as they had been leaning on it. Yargul calmly stepped back to avoid being hit by a corpse and saw the Skull Lord with some difficulty traverse the hill of corpses, barking orders to reassemble the corpses into a barrier.


    The two stood across from one another, the Skull Lord finally saying, ¡°Always late Yargul, although I suppose it¡¯s a miracle that you even arrived at all.¡±


    Looking at Yargul¡¯s retinue just to make sure, he asked, ¡°Where is the Trident Lord? Don¡¯t tell me she fucking died on some unknown battlefield.¡±


    Yargul shrugged, ¡°We were forced to split up in order to get past the blockade, she must¡¯ve encountered the orc commander.¡±


    The Skull Lord sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you were held up all this time by some mere commander.¡±


    Yargul defended himself, ¡°Well the son of a bitch kept avoiding us and kept dividing our forces. He never appeared on the battlefield and made it so that his orcs didn¡¯t fight like orcs, rather he forced them to fight like the filthy humans, making ambushes and traps.¡±


    The Skull Lord remarked, ¡°And despite the humans being weaker than us, you allowed yourself to be defeated by the means of those filthy humans.¡±


    Yargul bristled, ¡°You better watch your words Skull Lord.¡±


    Skull Lord asked, ¡°Or what? You¡¯ll attack me? Then what? The enemy will be sure to attack you from behind. And if you leave, the enemy will just chase you until you¡¯re caught and killed. You¡¯re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.¡±


    Yargul growled, ¡°I can still take your head here and now and offer it to them for my life.¡±


    Skull Lord hefted his club.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡±


    Yargul lifted his axe and said, ¡°Well let¡¯s give it a go then, I¡¯ll be gracious and let weakling hit first.¡±


    Skull Lord smiled, although this was devoid of any niceties, ¡°You¡¯re gonna regret that.¡±


    Yargul smirked, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll always regret the fact that the only blow I ever received from the Skull Lord was so pathetically weak.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s fucking it!¡±


    The Skull Lord suddenly swung with his club, catching Yargul in the side of his head, throwing him ten meters away. Yargul growled from the sudden attack, retaliating by throwing a rock with extreme force at the Skull Lord. The Skull Lord managed to block but the force behind it sent him flying into the city¡¯s wall, causing him to bounce off and into no-orc¡¯s land. The two got up and marched towards one another, casting aside their respective weapons and throwing a punch, Yargul¡¯s connecting with the Skull Lord¡¯s face and the Skull Lord hitting Yargul in the stomach.


    The two grunted but didn¡¯t fall, instead continuing to exchange blows at a faster and faster rate, the force of their strikes beginning to break the skin and bone. Finally, they came to a stop, the two laughing as if they had shared a most humorous joke, clapping each other on the shoulder. The Skull Lord then invited Yargul into his city, ordering his orcs to collect corpses for the feast that was to come this night. The enemy wouldn¡¯t easily attack with Yargul¡¯s great army ready to swoop in at a moment¡¯s notice, they could afford some time to relax.


    As the two began to converse, the situation at the enemy camp was not the best, the orcs grumbling about the fact that they had been pulled from the fight. Yargul¡¯s army was the first proper army that they had the chance to fight, the Skull Lord¡¯s army remaining holed up in his city. But despite their complaints, they did not dare to disobey their orders, the two Orc Lords were not in a good mood and if they even voiced their complaints, it would earn them an instant death.


    While orcs did not fear death on the battlefield, they were not entirely apathetic to it. They did not wish to die anywhere else except on the battlefield and to die to anything else, well that was the greatest shame an orc could bear. Meanwhile, the two Orc Lords were busy discussing how they were to deal with this new problem, it wasn¡¯t sufficient to completely ensure their defeat but if they weren¡¯t careful, they were certain to lose.


    There was also the matter of Yargul himself, although he himself wasn¡¯t of much importance, the way he led his soldiers deep into their forces was worrying. With this, Yargul could lead an attack into their very camp, endangering both of their lives. While these Orc Lords were not afraid to fight, they weren¡¯t foolish either. They had risen to where they were now because they knew when to abstain from a fight, something most orcs lacked. As such, they were secretly looked down on by most orcs although it could not be denied that they possessed absolute might. After all, one still needs a power to dominate others to become an Orc Lord.


    These Orc Lords wanted to become the next Orc King and to do so, they needed to remain alive. Thus they put their lives at the forefront, very much like humans and decided to let other orcs die for them, of which there was no shortage. From this, the Surveyor drew a hypothesis, no matter what the race was, as long as it was sentient and had reached a state of relative peace, allowing for growth, they would become more human. Of course, that statement wasn¡¯t entirely accurate, the Surveyor only had the humans to draw reference to so it could only compare the orcs to them.


    A more accurate statement would be that when a race had reached a state of peace and growth, they would begin to treasure their lives far more and seek to do more with it. Of course, all creatures do treasure life but not to the degree as sentient creatures, beasts live because of instinct, sentients live because they seek to do things otherwise impossible with the absence of life. They make meaning into their lives and live by that meaning, although some may never make their own meaning. These people instead, perhaps mistakenly, believe that creating their own meaning is useless, rather there is already one absolute meaning which they do not understand or the exact opposite, that there is no meaning at all.


    And if the Surveyor was to choose an answer in all of this, it would be that in the beginning, there was indeed no meaning at all. All of Creation came into being by the mere whims of Light and Darkness, things moving on from there at first from Light¡¯s wishes and then to those her and Night¡¯s children. There really was no meaning to Life, it all began as a whim, whatever meaning mortals thought was there only came from their minds or perhaps of the will of Light or Night themselves. But they were not representative of the Universe, if any being held that title it would be Darkness and currently, Darkness was slumbering.


    And the second highest authority on this matter, the Fragments of Darkness, also did not care too much on this. They were simply following the orders of their original, those orders being their meaning. And this was certainly true for the Surveyor, it had no other purpose in Life other than to serve the wish of Darkness, to remember all that comes to pass until Darkness wakes again.


    But it did not pay too much attention to this train of thought, instead deciding to connect to the shadows of the dead orcs, viewing the sights that these shadows had been witness to. After all, perhaps more so than one¡¯s reflection, a shadow is the essence of one¡¯s self. It has been their companion from birth and one which never left, watching over them whether it was night or day. It felt what its host felt, it saw what its host saw, it heard what its host heard. It was there when the host was born and when the host expires, continuing to watch over the corpse until the corpse has been reclaimed by the earth. Not that it meant to watch really, it was just absorbing information as a sponge absorbs water, it was doing it naturally.


    Anyways, the Surveyor once more immersed itself in the experiences of the orcs, feeling their excitement for battle, the disappointment upon being killed, and the rush of adrenaline upon surviving a fight, the Surveyor felt it all. But, remembering from its experiences with Ieros, it made sure to keep some level of distance, to keep from being too absorbed into the memories of these orcs lest it gain emotions.


    While one self was doing this, the other was watching what was going on in the Skull Lord¡¯s city, the orcs within preparing a great feast as they exchanged feats of battle, their feats becoming more exaggerated by the minute, not helped by the copious amounts of liquor and meat consumed. Although, all paled in comparison to Yargul¡¯s, he who threw himself into the thick of enemies, a lone warrior in a sea of thousands. Then there were the powers he possessed, in his drunken state he displayed it, creating ice scales as well as earthen armor.


    And as they were celebrating, in sharp contrast, the orcs of the enemy side were glum, disappointed that they could not fight the enemy that lay just a hundred meters from them. Realizing that this couldn¡¯t go on, the Orc Lords decided to let them fight once more, dividing the forces up to keep both the castle and Yargul¡¯s forces busy. It was better to keep these orcs occupied with battle rather than thinking about if they were on the right side of this war.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They weren¡¯t seriously leading their forces just yet, just as the Orc King planned to do, they were going to lead near the climax of the battle. In doing this, they would get the credit for winning the battle by putting in the least effort. After all, it was almost pathetically easy to manipulate the lesser orcs, they would only remember who won the war, not those who died in it. The dead were those that failed to live and failures were not to be remembered.


    As the fighting resumed, the Skull Lord leaned in rather drunkenly, asking about the Trident Lord, ¡°So uh... how is she?¡±


    Yargul, a bit irritated at being drawn away from his drink, asked, ¡°Who?¡±


    He took another drink as the Skull Lord asked, ¡°You know... her.¡±


    Yargul, his words heavily slurred, asked, ¡°I don¡¯t fuckin¡ªuh... what?¡±


    Skull Lord asked again, ¡°Her! Uh, she has the trident thingy.¡±


    Yargul took a moment before his eyes lit up with recognition.


    ¡°Oh, her! What about her?¡±


    The Skull Lord mumbled, ¡°How is she doing?¡±


    Yargul snorted, ¡°How the fuck would I know, I¡¯m here and she¡¯s somewhere else.¡±


    Skull Lord patted Yargul on the back, ¡°I mean... how is she doing?¡±


    Yargul repeated, ¡°I don¡¯t fucking know.¡±


    He mumbled, ¡°She and I separated to get past the annoying coward.¡±


    The Skull Lord inquired after a sip, ¡°Coward?¡±


    Yargul nodded.


    ¡°Yes, the annoying bastard that kept hiding, not fighting me face to face.¡±


    Yargul began to ramble on about the ¡°cowardly¡± commander, the Skull Lord only half listening, perking up every once in a while when Yargul mentioned the Trident Lord, although his expression soon soured when Yargul spoke about how annoying she was.


    ¡°...I mean first, she goes off and lets me fight without help but then has me help her when she fights alone! I mean what the fuck?! Fuckin¡¯ cunt, making one as great as I to help her.¡±


    Yargul paused to take a deep swig, the Skull Lord now glaring at him angrily.


    Yargul, noticing the glare, asked, ¡°The fuck you lookin¡¯ at.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t... insult her!¡±


    Yargul turned to face the Skull Lord more properly, ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want.¡±


    The two began to get increasingly hostile until a shudder was felt throughout the entire city, the great siege engines had once more been aimed at the city walls. The Skull Lord ignored this, instead ready to continue the fight with Yargul as he knew that his orcs would soon be returning fire. But Yargul was a different story, he drunkenly stood up and began to stumble outside the hall, the alcohol having loosened his reservations, he just wanted to fight.


    The Skull Lord watched him go and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s right bitch, leave before I beat your ass.¡±


    Yargul threw his bottle at the Skull Lord in response, although he missed terribly and hit an unfortunate orc.


    Seeing him go on, the Skull Lord muttered, ¡°That¡¯s right, keep moving.¡±


    Meanwhile, Yargul headed up the wall, overlooking the battlefield which raged on below him. He hiccuped and unintentionally leaned forward, grabbing at the parapet to halt his fall. Well, attempted to grab anyways, in his drunken stupor, he missed and instead fell headfirst towards the ground. A bit alarmed, he quickly armored himself with stone, hitting the ground with great force, knocking orcs back and creating a deep crater. Some who had survived his fall went to investigate, hearing groans as a large figure crawled out of the crater.


    He stretched, shaking his head a few times to clear his head.


    ¡°Oh Korbus, my fucking head.¡±


    He used his palm to strike his head a few times as shaking his head wasn¡¯t enough, his blurred-sight seeing the orcs around him-


    He frowned at the rather still enemies, shouting, ¡°Come on, fight me!¡±


    At his words, the enemy orcs surged into action, Yargul greeting them in his golem form, swinging his great log-like arms. Still a bit drunk, he swatted aside enemies, hammered down on them, and crushing them underfoot. He was laughing as he did so, the alcohol allowing him to enjoy crushing his enemies like ants, as a child would find pleasure in attacking an anthill with a stick, watching as the ants scrambled about in a panic. But in this case, the ants were not so small and each weren¡¯t scrambling in panic but rather lining up to be killed by Yargul.


    For no matter how powerful or invincible Yargul appeared to be, all one orc had to be was lucky to kill him and then claim the title of Invincible for himself. And out of all these ants, there were several spiders that were also desiring the title of Invincible and they were quickly making their way to Yargul. The Surveyor watched with interest, would it be here that Yargul finally fell? The Surveyor meant it when it said to Yargul all those years ago that it wouldn¡¯t help him ever again, Yargul¡¯s fight with the Earth Ape was the first and last time it would ever interfere.


    However, perhaps it had already interfered too much, the black ice armor that it had temporarily bequeathed Yargul was something that Yargul never forgot. Even though he mostly used his stone armor, in his private time he tried to summon the black ice only to fail again and again. But that was when he wasn¡¯t fighting with his life on the line. Perhaps, in the thick of battle Yargul would suddenly evolve. After all, the body was a most fascinating thing, it would do anything to keep surviving, utilizing adrenaline and the like to give the body one last spike of energy to either fight or flee.


    A similar thing happened to pregnant mothers, when they themselves were in danger, the body recognized this and will begin to give birth earlier than normal. In this situation, the body would try to awaken the black armor once Yargul was in the direst of situations. Of course, this was all conjecture, Yargul may very well not reach this potential at all and simply die. Disappointing yes but ultimately of no great setback. The Surveyor would only have to wait a century to introduce another Invincible.


    But it ceased such useless thoughts as Yargul engaged in combat with one of these ¡°spiders,¡± the spider being an orc who possessed a divine warhammer, given to him by one of the Orc Lords in return for his loyalty. He wasn¡¯t in possession of a magic ability like the other unique orcs as he believed that magic was something for weaklings to rely on, instead focusing on his body and honing it to the best possible weapon it could be. After all, the humans had been mages and look where that had gotten them, they were now the slaves of the mostly non-magical orcs.


    As he pushed through the lesser orcs, the challenger shouted, ¡°Yargul! I, Yolmar, have come to take your title for you are not worthy of it! Those who use magic to be strong are a disgrace to the strong! So I shall make sure to wipe away your disgrace with your own blood!¡±


    Yargul, stopping his rampage, looked down on this impudent orc, finally shrugging as the stone fell from his body.


    ¡°You know, I obtained that title before I gained magic.¡±


    Yolmar snorted.


    ¡°Prove it.¡±


    Yargul grabbed his divine axe from his back, saying, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be too dead when I do prove it.¡±


    Just as Yargul was about to attack, he paused, three other orcs had appeared, these obviously a step above the lesser orcs.


    He asked, ¡°Will they be joining you?¡±


    Yolmar shook his head, ¡°If they did I¡¯d be the first to kill them.¡±


    Yargul chuckled, ¡°I think you and I are quite alike. So, fists or weapons?¡±


    Yolmar hefted his warhammer, ¡°I never part with her.¡±


    Yargul raised an eyebrow, ¡°Her?¡±


    Yolmar nodded, ¡°Of course, she is the one who taught me to be strong, she is my only companion.¡±


    Yargul said, slightly weirded out, ¡°You make it sound alive.¡±


    Yolmar nodded, ¡°She is, isn¡¯t yours alive too?¡±


    Yargul looked at his axe and shook his head, ¡°Nope, never spoke to me once.¡±


    Yolmar shrugged, ¡°Guess he or she just doesn¡¯t like you.¡±


    Yargul snorted, ¡°I don¡¯t need it to like me, only that it doesn¡¯t break. And if you¡¯re done being all lovey-dovey with your hammer there, let¡¯s get to fighting.¡±


    Yolmar nodded, grabbing his hammer with two hands as one would hold a spear, Yargul holding his axe above his head with a single hand. Not one to waste time, Yargul immediately charged forward, striking down the axe with all the force and speed he could muster. This forced Yolmar to dodge as he did not wish for his beloved hammer to get damaged by the strike.


    The axe buried itself deep into the earth as Yargul snorted, ¡°If you were really strong then why¡¯d you dodge?¡±


    Yolmar retorted, ¡°Unlike you, I care for my weapon.¡±


    Yargul merely said, ¡°A weapon just doesn¡¯t have to break.¡±


    Yargul punctuated that sentence by tearing out the axe from the earth and swinging it horizontally, Yolmar easily able to dodge backward. Yargul took advantage of this and suddenly rammed forward with his nearest shoulder, catching Yolmar by surprise. Yolmar was knocked down and Yargul prepared once hammer down.


    Finally, Yolmar blocked it with his warhammer, wincing as he did so. He then kicked out with a foot, catching Yargul in the stomach and throwing him back several feet, Yolmar scrambling up as he swung his hammer down on Yargul¡¯s crotch. Seeing this, Yargul quickly rolled to his side, leaving his axe behind as he too scrambled to his feet. He barely dodged another strike aimed at his head and Yargul continued to retreat, being extremely wary of the warhammer.


    Yolmar, a smile on his face, taunted, ¡°Oh no, what will you do without your axe?¡±


    Yargul dodged another strike and said, ¡°This!¡± as he threw a left hook right into Yolmar¡¯s temple, knocking him to the side.


    He then delivered a right uppercut into Yolmar¡¯s stomach and then backhanded him across the face with the same hand. Yolmar fell to one knee and as Yargul prepared to deliver another blow, Yolmar suddenly sprang forward, tackling Yargul. Yargul grunted as he toppled downward, beating on Yolmar¡¯s back as Yolmar kept him pinned.


    Yolmar endured and soon realizing that this was getting him nowhere, Yargul decided to grab Yolmar¡¯s waist, using his great arm strength to lift Yolmar and throw him to the side. Surprised at this, Yolmar was unable to do anything except keep a tight hold on Yargul as his body was thrown to the side, Yargul taking advantage of the opening to begin pounding away at Yolmar¡¯s ribs. Grunting, Yolmar released Yargul and kicked himself away, although not fast enough for Yargul grabbed onto his ankle. But Yolmar began to kick Yargul¡¯s hand, soon forcing him to let go.


    The two stood up once more, the two covered in bruises, broken skin, as well as a few broken bones. But the two were not yet done fighting, charging at one another again with only one thing in mind: the defeat of the other.

 Chapter 82: The Siege 4

    The two lunged at one another again, Yargul ducking down at the last moment and grabbing Yolmar¡¯s legs, using Yolmar¡¯s momentum to lift and throw him over his back. Yargul then ignored Yolmar and sprinted for his axe, although the fist fight had been enjoyable, Yargul was aware of the new enemies that he¡¯d have to face after killing him. Upon grabbing it, he turned, taking quick aim before throwing his axe with all his might, the great axe cleaving through the air with such great speed and force that when it met with Yolmar¡¯s body, it literally tore through it. Yomar had gone for his warhammer but failed to reach it in time, he had the same idea as Yargul but Yargul was just a bit faster.


    As he took a small break, his axe meanwhile had torn through four more orcs, finally burying itself into the ground. Yargul rubbed his right shoulder as he rotated his arm, glancing at the orcs who he assumed would be his opponents. He turned to them, the earth rising up to coalesce into armor. The orcs that remained watching eyed one another, each of them wanted to fight Yargul but also wanted the others to tire out Yargul first, they would have a better chance to kill Yargul then. But none stepped forward and after waiting for a fighter to appear, Yargul snorted and went to reclaim his axe.


    Seeing an opportunity, one orc moved immediately, intending to kill Yargul while his back was turned. But, expecting this, Yargul began to spin, using the sturdy stone and the spinning to negate any damage that he may have suffered. He successfully managed to deflect the orc¡¯s attack and while the orc prepared to attack again, Yargul suddenly extended an arm, delivering perhaps the deadliest bitch slap to ever to occur on the face of Agleon. The devastating slap hit the orc straight in the cheek, pulverizing the skull and breaking the neck.


    Needless to say, the orc died immediately. As the other two orcs, serious now with the death of the third, decided to move together, each approaching Yargul from two opposite directions. Soon, a great broadsword and a mace were hurtling through the air towards Yargul. But Yargul simply smirked and stomped at the earth, causing them to lose their balance. He quickly set upon them, targeting the one with the broadsword as he¡¯d have the hardest time properly defending. As he swung his axe down on the orc, he was surprised to see the orc suddenly grow grey scales which he used to deflect the axe at the cost of breaking his arm.


    As Yargul prepared to strike down again, he was hit in the side by the mace, a few of his ribs pulverizing under the force which also knocked him to the side. The orc with the mace stood over him, preparing to crush Yargul¡¯s skull but Yargul jabbed with his fist, a spire of earth imitating his movement and hitting the orc in the side, knocking him away.


    ¡°Fuck me, you got me real good. I mean good on ya but fucking son of a bitch does it hurt.¡±


    As he was taking a breather, he returned his attention to the orc down on the ground, impressed to see him wield his broadsword with one hand, albeit with some trouble. This wasn¡¯t just any broadsword, this was one forged for an orc and that meant it was far superior in strength and size that its human counterparts. Yargul didn¡¯t pay him too much attention, creating a small earth spike to knock him down as he turned to face the bigger threat, the orc with the mace.


    The orc with the mace charges, his mace and body wreathed in yellow lightning, Yargul going to meet him. Yargul blocks a few strikes from the mace, waiting for the orc¡¯s momentum to disappear before he would begin his counterattack. But, much to his alarm, he found that the orc¡¯s momentum couldn¡¯t be stopped, and the lightning that he continued to exude didn¡¯t help matters either. Yargul was forced on the retreat, his stone armor doing a bit to block the lightning but the living branches of lightning which touched his armor still affected the flesh beneath.


    Eventually, he created a stone wall between the two of them, using this as an opportunity to make a counterattack. He punched the wall, throwing stone shrapnel in the orc¡¯s direction which caused him to stumble back, shielding his eyes. Yargul then swung his axe, the axe losing some force as it cleaved through the rest of the wall but it was still enough to break the arm of the orc. Yargul cursed, these orcs were tough, most would have had their chests cleaved open with that strike.


    As the orc fell to the ground, Yargul raised his axe and swung downward, killing him. He stood up and turned to face the last orc, only to find a large broadsword flying through the air towards him. He raised his right arm to deflect, the stone armor shattering as his arm was fractured. But, he managed to just barely deflect the blade and that was all that mattered. He made a fist with his left and delivered a vicious hook to the orc¡¯s chin, grabbing the axe that had fallen from his right hand to kill the orc.


    But as he leaned forward to grab the axe, a daring orc darted in and viciously stabbed with a dagger, the top half of the blade shattering when it hit the armor, although the force behind the blade allowed the remainder to pierce through. The jagged blade buried itself into Yargul¡¯s side, not too deep as little less than half the blade shattered before it managed to pierce the armor, causing him to grunt as he grabbed the impudent orc¡¯s head with two hands, intent on crushing it.


    But the orc continued to ferociously stab away, twisting the blade to make sure that the wound was as terrible as it could get. After witnessing Yargul¡¯s might, he threw away all thoughts of emerging alive, he just wanted to have his name remembered as the one who slew Yargul. After all, with his name remembered he would be immortalized, even though he would die in doing so.


    But he soon stopped as his head was assaulted with pain, Yargul was beginning to crush his skull, the thumbs pressing deep into the eyes as the rest of the fingers applied great pressure on the skull. Using the strength of Agleon, Yargul was able to crush the skull of the orc, using his body as a club to fend off the other orcs. As for the wound in his side, he used his ice magic to freeze the wound over, not a good fix but a fix nonetheless. Remembering the orc with the broadsword, he promptly buried his axe into the orc¡¯s chest.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The orc coughed up blood as he stared at Yargul, the last emotions he felt being disappointment. It seems that he wasn¡¯t strong enough to defeat Yargul. With the death of him, the lesser orcs charged in, believing this to be their chance to kill Yargul in his weakened state. With more wounds, Yargul was forced to change his fighting style, relying more on an ice-stone armor hybrid, resembling some sort of cross between a pangolin and a porcupine.


    Large scales of which, already deadly, were made more so by a slippery and jagged layer of ice, the same happening with the stone spikes which emerged in whatever gap could be found within his strange looking armor. The usage of the scale lessened chinks in his armor considerably, the spikes making it that much harder to actually access the chinks. With the ice making it doubly hard to actually land a proper hit, its slippery nature combined with the shape of the scales deflecting attacks rather than facing them head-on.


    The only bad thing was that this was draining his energy quickly, after all, such a powerful defense could not come for free. And so, aware of the time limit he was working under, Yargul began to bulldoze though the enemy to return to his own camp. He could return to the Skull Lord¡¯s city but he had no desire to go back to that bastard, that was partly why he had left in the first place. The Skull Lord was angry with him for some reason and he didn¡¯t care enough to find out why or deal with his anger.


    As for the sea of enemy orcs around him, he didn¡¯t attempt to kill them, they only died if they got in his way. With the bulk of his energy directed to keeping up his new armor, he couldn¡¯t afford to waste energy purposefully attacking. For even with an insane amount of stamina and endurance, the cost of energy which was demanded in order to work the magic was simply too great.


    As Yargul struggled to survive, the Surveyor watched with interest, it was able to sense something beginning to change within Yargul. It was, after some closer inspection, was able to understand that the ice mana within Yargul was nearing the prerequisites to evolve. As to what it was going to evolve to, it deduced that it was the dark ice from when it had interfered. Perhaps a residual effect? It would have to conduct some experiments later, but what was known was that it was beginning to evolve. As for how, perhaps it was induced by Yargul dancing so near the edge of death.


    After all, the body is a most fascinating thing, it will do anything to survive. By releasing adrenaline, it gives the body one last chance to survive. To fight or flee, it must survive. And right now, the marrow of the body was beginning to evolve, evolving to be able to produce the magic which had once saved Yargul. But it wasn¡¯t done just yet, evolution wasn¡¯t such an easy thing to accomplish. Near death only increased the speed, it did not bring it about immediately.


    Now, whether or not Yargul could survive for the evolution to complete, that was the question. At the current rate of evolution and taking into account how it would most likely slow once Yargul wasn¡¯t in danger, the Surveyor calculated that would take three days. But, at the rate of Yargul¡¯s energy expenditure, his speed towards safety, the Surveyor wasn¡¯t seeing very great chances. A... ten percent chance it calculated. However, this was but a rough estimate, there were still many undefined variables which it could only guess about. The final result was not yet revealed, it need only wait.


    Meanwhile, Yargul¡¯s energy reserves were reaching their end and he was so close, and yet so far from friendly lines. He then began to entertain thoughts about his death, perhaps he would really die here, dying by some unnamed orc on this battlefield. But the more he thought about it, the more he grew angry, he wasn¡¯t going to die here. He was destined for greater things, he was the Invincible! No matter what happened, he always survived and won. Like that time with the Earth Ape... like that time with the Earth Ape. Perhaps that being would help him again, whatever did help him at the time. But, he seemed to remember something, that the being wouldn¡¯t help him ever again.


    Was it true? But Yargul decided not to test it though, if he knew anything about this world, he couldn¡¯t trust anyone or any being for that matter. He could only depend on himself, and right now, he was going to have to depend himself more than ever he had. He had to get through, he had to push through, it didn¡¯t matter that he might not have enough energy to keep up his armor, he just had to. This became his mantra as he continued to run, pushing what little energy he could into keeping up the armor, hardly feeling the attacks of the enemy orcs.


    ¡°I have to. I have to. I have to. I have to.¡±


    Over and over he chanted, again and again, he had to. Chanting this, believing it, this would allow him to push himself beyond his limits. This was a most amusing notion to the Surveyor, how does one get through with only belief? There are still physical limitations, limitations that cannot be overcome with belief alone. Sure there are stories, stories about heroes who pushed themselves beyond the limit but the Surveyor was inclined to believe that these were exaggerated rather than actual truth. It is undeniable that belief is a great motivator, but motivation is not enough to accomplish difficult tasks, there must be strength, intelligence, or some other prerequisite that must be met in order to do so.


    There are things that people just can¡¯t overcome, no matter how great their will. It makes for a great story and inspires the masses but this perhaps is a tool of those in power to keep the public satisfied, to keep them pursuing impossible goals which they do not realize as impossible. For if they waste their energy on some impossible dream, they cannot divert their energy to things that are dangerous to the hierarchy of power. But then again, the Surveyor could just be overthinking things to a serious degree, perhaps these stories just came into existence because mortals want to believe that they can be better, even though they cannot.


    They refuse to see the truth and see only the things which make them happy. They decide to be ignorant. And could the Surveyor blame them? For one thing, the two are completely different, it could not judge them by its standards and two, if it were like them, it would most likely believe the same thing. It observed that among mortals, their ignorance was what made them happy. They ignored such concepts such as death and pain because it would give them discomfort, rather focusing on bright, shiny things to take away their attention.


    And for the orcs, for Yargul, that bright and shiny thing was the title of Orc King. A goal, perhaps impossible, that calls to all orcs, a goal which they all desire. Even the weak orcs desire this position, even though they know deep down that it is impossible for them. But they do not stop yearning, perhaps even outright refusing the idea that they are unable to reach that ideal. And right now, Yargul was doing the same, he was refusing the fact that he would most likely die, instead believing that he will live because he had to live. He had to.

 Chapter 83: The Siege 5

    As the battle went on¡ªmostly a repeat of most orcish battles¡ªthe Surveyor was debating what to do, Yargul simply wasn¡¯t interesting enough anymore. It took a mental note: that if it were to do such an experiment again, it would have to interfere a bit more to keep things interesting rather than to let nature run its course. For if nature was simply allowed to flow uninterrupted, nature would not deviate into new and far more fascinating paths in a relatively short amount of time. No, for that to happen, it needed a helping hand, a hand which the Surveyor would provide.


    But the hand needed now needed to be more forceful, Yargul was no longer necessary, he was useless. So it would have to dispose of him, creating a Yargul much like what he had once done with Ieros. This was more to control the decisions that Yargul would¡¯ve faced in the future, allowing the Surveyor to direct the experiment to more fascinating ends.


    And so, as Yargul was battling for his very life, the Surveyor came to Yargul, pausing Time over the entire battlefield. Everything suddenly paused, weapons halting in place, fierce expressions frozen on even fiercer faces, and blood remaining still in the air, ready to fall. As for Yargul himself, he was frozen mid-swing, his axe glinting in the sunlight, ready to behead an unfortunate orc. The Surveyor then did something that it should¡¯ve done long ago, it removed current soul of Yargul and stored it away, in turn fashioning an artificial soul which contained a part of the Surveyor. This would allow the Surveyor to influence Yargul, allowing him some control over the experiment. This soul was placed within Yargul¡¯s former body and with that done, the Surveyor withdrew, allowing Time to flow normally.


    And thus, Yargul took his first steps on this earth, the piece of the Surveyor beginning to utilize some of Yargul¡¯s latent abilities. As Yargul had never tried to unlock the powers that were his, the Surveyor was unable to immediately access them but just its very presence began their awakening. And the result of such an awakening was a release of energy, energy that Yargul could absorb, thus replenishing his tired body. With this new bound of energy, Yargul was able to ensure his safety with relatively low risks, although it wasn¡¯t enough to keep him fighting. Really, Yargul had been rather reckless in his fight, and reckless even before.


    Really, the Surveyor should¡¯ve done this earlier, it could¡¯ve avoided all the redundant nonsense, such as Yargul entering into combat right after the feast. Perhaps even further back, it could¡¯ve prevented Yargul from losing so many orcs to the orcish commander. All these things could¡¯ve... well no matter. The data provided was sufficient and as they were really just redundant, it wasn¡¯t important if it had or had not happened. It was on the right track now and that was all that mattered.


    It left Yargul to his own devices, returning to his side of the orcish battlefield. The Ulgar orcs immediately went to his side, Yargul waving off their attempts to aid him and walking by himself to the camp. Only then did he finally take a rest, asking for something to eat and drink. The orcs hurriedly went to comply, although it would be a lie to say that none of them entertained thoughts of killing Yargul right then and there. But the title of Invincible deterred them from doing so, such a title suggested the fact that no matter what situation, no matter what condition, Yargul would emerge victorious.


    And perhaps that title now held actual basis, for Yargul was nearing the perfect creation that he was meant to be, the perfect creation that the Surveyor made him to be. Well, not perfect, not even the Surveyor was capable of such a thing. But in the current environment, he might as well be perfect for glass surrounded by dull stone might as well be diamond. Blessed with the most perfect body the Surveyor could create and now the most perfect mind, Yargul was complete for his eventual conquering of this world, for the Surveyor¡¯s experiment.


    For to see the effects on the entire world, the Surveyor must first conquer it, then it would be free to study it at its leisure. A world of orcs, yes, what type of world would that be? It would set up this experiment, perhaps even guide it, but in the end, it would be up to the experimented on how it would go. It was like a commander giving orders to his troops, his orders will direct them, but how the results come about depend on how well the soldiers follow through.


    Speaking of which, Yargul decided to give commands to his army, simple ones but commands nonetheless. He first summoned the clan leaders, which were not fighting, it was time that they made themselves useful. Once they were assembled, he told them all to secure the gate portion of the Skull Lord¡¯s city, he didn¡¯t want to fight his way back to his camp again. Two clans would be responsible for actually reaching the gate while the other clans would be supporting them, distracting the majority of the enemy¡¯s forces. If the gate could be secured, then they would be able to more easily unite their forcse.


    Yargul had no intention to lose, no, he was the perfect orc, destined to rule all of orckind. To have a defeat besmirch his title, that would be intolerable. So as he ate and drank, the forces under his command moved to answer his will, imperfectly of course, one cannot really expect perfection from orcs, but they did well enough. Their duties were basically to kill everything until they reach the gate and then kill any enemies that approach it. Even for orcs, this was a most simple task.


    But the hordes under the two Orc Lords were not to be underestimated however, they had various clans under their command too, the completion of this task would not be easy. But Yargul did not expect them to succeed, this was more to keep the orcs distracted while he recovered. He did not think for just one second that his title of Invincible was enough to keep him safe. No, many things were still possible and his early death was one of them.


    Under Yargul¡¯s newfound wisdom, he managed to recuperate in the following months, although this process was lengthened as he entered combat before the more serious of his wounds had been fully healed. This was more to keep the clan leaders under his command from questioning his authority, after all, no orc would follow a leader who never led others into battle. And it was also helpful, slightly accelerating the rate at which his evolution would occur. And it came to be that during one of the many repetitive battles that Yargul finally managed to evolve his ice mana, his strengthened body and greater energy pool meeting the requirements necessary to begin the usage of the black mana.


    Of course, the Surveyor¡¯s fragment also provided help, allowing the ice mana to more easily accept the dark energy necessary to transform. It came to Yargul in a rush, the ice mana beginning to run wild as it prepared to evolve. This rendered him temporarily helpless, the orcs surrounding him taking this chance to hammer away at his stone armor. As it began to give, the danger Yargul¡¯s body faced further accelerated the rate of evolution, giving it that final push. However, there was no burst of energy, no beam of light which shot into the sky. No, the ice mana had evolved but Yargul still needed to activate it.


    He didn¡¯t so so at first, Yargul too busy trying to fend off the orcs that battered away at his armor to try and activate his ice armor. Suddenly, it felt as if he was cast into the depths of an icy lake, an intense cold like none he felt before blossoming forth from his core. He gasped as he fell to one knee, the stone armor falling off in pieces as his skin began to freeze over with black ice. But ice didn¡¯t stop there, it began to expand both outward and inward, digging into his flesh. He screamed out loud, the intense pain with the addition of the burning cold nearly making him pass out. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The cold began to spread all over his body, the last to be covered being his face. His scream was cut off as the ice covered his entire body, becoming nothing more than a frozen statue of black ice. All was still on the outside but the inside was a turmoil of energy, the dark ice mana clashing with his life energy and stone mana. And then, after what was an excruciating eternity, Yargul burst free from the ice statue, the energies deep within him having reached a strange equilibrium.


    Something had changed in Yargul, his body was no longer what it once was and as of yet, the effects on his mind were still unestablished. The evolution embedded permanent ice deep within Yargul¡¯s bones, leaving a cold that would continue to permeate his body for eternity. As for the stone mana, it was forced deep into the bone marrow by the dominant dark ice mana, the dark ice claiming more and more of the bone marrow for itself, leaving little to the stone mana. Having forcibly converted most of the marrow to its own, the dark ice mana was strengthened and the stone mana was similarly weakened. But the stone mana wasn¡¯t fully expelled so Yargul would still be able to use it, although how much was not yet known.


    The Surveyor immediately recorded the newly evolved Yargul and proceeded to run analyse it, comparing it to the previous body of Yargul and recording the exact differences as well as noting down what remained the same. But it did not ignore Yargul just yet, it was still keeping an eye on him to see just how Yargul would use it in a real life situation. It had only collected empirical data, it had yet to obtain experimental data, that is, actual observation of Yargul using his newfound abilities. So it intensified its attention, memorizing everything that Yargul did.


    So, freed from the dark ice which had imprisoned him, Yargul studied himself, feeling the strange energies which flowed beneath his skin. Visually, he appeared to be slightly different, his skin a darker shade of grey than before, the dark, nearly black skin contrasting sharply with his tusks which¡ªalthough yellowed¡ªseemed to be white. The orcs surrounding him stared on in curiosity, they were wondering just what had happened to Yargul.


    But their curiosity was soon forgotten, this was a battlefield and some orcs thought that as the Invincible had suffered some strange magic attack, it was their chance to kill him. So enemy orcs closed in once more, only to be impaled by countless spears of black ice. They formed almost instinctively, without Yargul¡¯s conscious command. He was surprised at this, his sudden awareness breaking whatever instinct was controlling the ice, causing it to shatter and fall to the ground. It quickly sublimated until there was nothing left of the black ice, leaving Yargul perplexed.


    Even though Yargul had a piece of the Surveyor, it did not mean it shared the knowledge the Surveyor possessed, it merely meant that the Surveyor was now able to directly control Yargul as he wished, such as making Yargul more cautious and attentive to pieces of information. Essentially, what was imparted was experience, Yargul was no longer reckless and uncaring if he was ignorant of the situation, no, he was now able to take a look at the circumstances and make a decision based on it.


    And right now, Yargul had made the decision that it was better to let the ice mana be controlled by instinct, turning his attention to the axe in his hand and the enemies in front of him. He charge forth, the almost sentient dark ice protecting him as the spines of a sea urchin does, moving and stabbing with complete independence from Yargul¡¯s mind. However, the energy drain was far greater than normal and thus, Yargul began to make his way back to friendlies, his mind reasserting control before the dark ice could target his fellows.


    Seeing this, the Surveyor was satisfied with Yargul¡¯s performance, Yargul would have tried to control the dark ice with brute force and likely would have lost his life right then and there. No longer needing to worry about Yargul¡¯s safety, the Surveyor sat back and watched the battle unfold. Orc numbers on both sides steadily dwindled as the battlefield began to change. The sight of corpses were the only things that could be seen, the once towering walls of the city now appearing to be half their height from the sheer amount of bodies, and the stench of rotting flesh which seemed to be permanent. Three years and over sixty million corpses had gone into making this sea of bodies, a vast expanse of uneven terrain wholly made of the dead. And even with so many dead, there were still those that were alive, each adding another corpse to this land of death, be it another¡¯s or their own.


    The fighting had been almost nonstop, orcs often dying before they had the chance to feel tired. And those that survived to be tired, well they were forced on to fight till death, no longer able to rest for there were no longer any reserves to be found. Here their only duty was death, both theirs and the enemy.


    The Surveyor was slightly impressed at these orcs who threw away their lives in the millions, the once vast armies which numbered more than thirty million now reduce to a mere fraction of what they once were. Truly, they were a race that were born to fight and die, no race better suited, at least, no race that the Surveyor was familiar with. And through it all, where most other powerful orcs had fallen, Yargul had survived through it all. Whereas the previous Yargul may have died due to recklessness or the like, Yargul was far more cautious, making sure that whenever he was among the enemy he wasn¡¯t too far from his soldiers.


    The two Orc Lords were much the same, which is why any fighting between Yargul and they were inevitably cut short with one side retreating and their armies surging forth to protect their leaders. Yargul himself had challenged them multiple times, calling them cowards but these orcs did not respond, they had already gone this far, they couldn¡¯t afford to mess it up by dying in a foolish challenge. And in turn, when Yargul was forced to retreat, he endured their insults without retaliating, for he too was wise enough to know that to accept their challenge was the height of foolishness.


    Finally, at the end of the three years, the battle¡¯s closure was in sight in the form of the Orc King, his sword thirsting for blood and his army hungering for battle. His army of elite orcs entered the battlefield with a great roar, confusing the tired orcs who stopped fighting. A figure, adorned in bloodred armor and a dented crown that seemed to small for his head, crested a hill of bodies, the scarlet Sword of Korbus at his side. More and more orcs began to crest the hill alongside him, their appearance not unlike a chromosphere of an eclipse.


    These orcs differed from the others as they were all wielders of various wild mana, some radiating an aura of fire, others covered in stone armor, a few wreathed in electricity and countless more strange and peculiar mana that they took from magic beasts. These were the elite of the elite, the greatest of all orcish armies to ever march upon Agleon. The Surveyor leaned in with great interest, was the new Yargul capable of competing with the Orc King?

 Chapter 84: King or Servant

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªOrc King¡ª


    I stared down at the unruly orcs below me, it was time to remind them who their true ruler was. They¡¯ve had their fun, now they must clean up the mess they¡¯ve made.


    I bellowed, ¡°I go out to battle a foreign enemy for all of your sakes, and when I return, I find you all squabbling like weaklings over rotting meat!¡±


    I paused and then laughed.


    ¡°Hahahaha, excellent! I¡¯d have expected nothing else from you!¡±


    The smile fell off my face as I grew serious, ¡°But, I am still alive and I am still your King. Now, kneel and swear your loyalty or challenge me for my title!¡±


    There was silence and with a bored expression, I sighed.


    ¡°So it seems that none are-¡±


    Suddenly, a spear of what looked to be black crystal whistled through the air, headed straight for me. With lightning fast reflexes, I swept my sword up, shattering the obsidian spear, frowning as the Sword protested sharply in my mind.


    I asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The Sword replied, ¡°It¡¯s too cold, far too cold!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand what the Sword was on about until a deep cold began to spread where the shards had touched my armor and skin. This cold was far beyond anything I¡¯ve ever felt before, it was as if it was devouring warmth with a ferocious appetite. But as it wasn¡¯t life-threatening, I ignored the cold sensation and directed my attention to the source of the obsidian spear, seeing an orc clad in obsidian armor. It glinted coldly in the sunlight, with a great axe held at his side. Seeing the axe, something triggered in my mind, tales of an orc who held the title of Invincible.


    ¡°Ah, you must be Yargul, the... ¡®Invincible.¡¯ I do wonder, can the Invincible stand against the Sword of Korbus?¡±


    Yargul said, ¡°If I do not prevail, I will die.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°An excellent attitude! Yes, a shame the other orcs aren¡¯t like you.¡±


    Yargul then replied cryptically, ¡°There are none like me.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°If you think you¡¯re special, you¡¯re not.¡±


    Once more, Yargul just said, ¡°I am utterly unique, there are none like me.¡±


    I smiled, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to open your eyes for you don¡¯t I.¡±


    Yargul said, ¡°It is fact, no matter what you do, you cannot change fact.¡±


    I smiled even further.


    ¡°Once it was a fact that orckind could never be united into one great nation, I have made that fact a lie. And now, I shall disprove another fact.¡±


    Yargul hefted his axe and pointed it at me.


    ¡°You can try.¡±


    I raised my Sword, the blade shivering with excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡±


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The two didn¡¯t waste any more time, Yargul charging up the small hill of bodies while the Orc King looked down on him imperiously, ignoring the Sword which was slightly apprehensive about cutting through Yargul¡¯s dark ice armor. He promised the Sword that it would feed well if it just served him enough to defeat Yargul, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be fed at all. Its hunger triumphed over its discomfort and the Sword hummed, ready for battle. It was just in time too, for Yargul had arrived, a great axe in one hand and a lance of dark ice in the other.


    He attacked with the lance first, using all of his momentum and speed to thrust the lance, hoping that it would be too fast for the Orc King to dodge. But the Orc King didn¡¯t need to dodge, the Sword of Korbus swung once more and shattered the dark ice lance with ease, although the Sword shivered uncomfortably because of the cold. The Orc King didn¡¯t care, pushing through the shrapnel of impossibly cold black ice and swinging the Sword once more. The Sword of Korbus reacted eagerly, it wanted to get revenge against the orc which had caused it so much discomfort.


    But as the blade bit into the dark ice armor, the Sword shrieked, the faux Absolute Ice trait of Yargul¡¯s armor was still not something for a divine artifact to face without harm. Noticing this, the Orc King quickly retreated, Yargul grinning as a result. Perhaps Yargul could win this. However, the smile soon melted off his face as he took a step back, the Sword of Korbus radiating an aura of bloodlust so great that it shocked Yargul. The Sword was angry now, angry at both Yargul and the Orc King for making it endure such discomfort and pain. But as it couldn¡¯t vent its anger on the Orc King, it directed all of its rage on Yargul, the dark ice responding by absorbing more heat and even some of the bloodlust radiating off of the Sword, allowing Yargul to regain his composure.


    The Sword of Korbus was nearing its berserk stage, causing the Orc King to curse inwardly, he didn¡¯t want it to go crazy on him now. But looking at Yargul, it seemed that he¡¯d have no choice, Yargul¡¯s strange armor was somehow too powerful for the Sword of Korbus to cut as is. So, the Orc King accepted the rage of the Sword of Korbus, making it his own, the Sword and the Orc King becoming one. Going berserk himself, the Orc King roared and charged to meet Yargul, Yargul responding by reinforcing his axe with dark ice, the axe and Sword meeting with shattering ice and the intense radiation of bloodlust.


    The intense cold radiating off of the remaining ice allowed the axe to remain whole from the corrosive bloodlust of the berserk Sword, although it was beginning to sustain dents as the Orc King wildly chopped away at it, forcing Yargul to retreat in order to minimize the damage as best he could. Eventually, Yargul discarded his axe altogether, it was simply too unwieldy to deal with the Orc King¡¯s attacks, relying on extra thick dark ice to blood the Orc King¡¯s assault. Now facing the cold more directly, the Sword of Korbus began to falter, not even its berserk rage could allow it to ignore the absolute cold.


    Thus began Yargul¡¯s counterattack, spikes emerging from his armor which he would tear off, using as rudimentary spears and swords. These were ineffective compared to the Sword of Korbus but the shards made when they were shattered were slowly doing their work, freezing on contact with the armor and flesh of the Orc King. This, although irritating, was of no great consequence to the Orc King so he continued to defend, knowing that if he were to let even one of those blades hit him, he¡¯d likely be dead in the next moment.


    But he wasn¡¯t the Orc King for nothing, his body had been honed by decades of combat, his life already longer than most orcs, partially because of his strength and the power of Korbus which lengthened his lifespan. For the Sword of Korbus fed off of blood, the vessel of energy, and as its wielder, the Orc King was able to use some of that energy to supplement his own. Of course, it wasn¡¯t enough to give him immortal life, Korbus had no desire to have an immortal champion, he just desired a champion which would be able to entertain him. Stolen story; please report.


    After all, no matter how good a snack is, if one is forced to eat it and it alone for eternity, one would become sick of the snack. So, with this great energy which resided in the Sword of Korbus, the Orc King finally decided to use some of his own magic, a strange aura beginning to radiate off of his body. At first, it was hardly noticeable because of the Sword¡¯s aura but soon, it completely overshadowed the Sword, a formidable aura of... a King. This was Ruling Magic, obtained from the marrow of the last few Human Kings, although warped because of the orcish marrow that already existed before the ingestion of the new.


    Now, combined with the brute authority of the orc, Ruling Magic was now able to even rule over the body, although this would cause a greater strain and the wielder of the magic. But this was a useful magic, for now, the Orc King could theoretically hold dominion over all creatures. With this, a dynasty of Orc Kings¡ªno, Orc Emerors¡ªcould be created, a dynasty which will eventually come to rule over all of Agleon.


    With this power, the Orc King commanded, ¡°Cease your magic and kneel.¡±


    Yargul faltered, the dark ice seeming to struggle before it melted, even though the ice had evolved, its foundation was still that of mortal magic and that meant it could be ruled over. But the additional command Yargul did not follow, the dark ice that had melded with his very bones were far different than the ones he had command over, these were more influenced by the power of the Surveyor and thus could manage to resist the command. Yargul, although at a great disadvantage with the lack of both weapon and magic, still intended to fight. He looked around and headed over to the axe he had discarded, taking a hold of it and turning to face the Orc King.


    Yargul smiled as if he¡¯d won some sort of victory.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m one of a kind.¡±


    The Orc King nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it seems your words are true, I will have to concede that. But, this does not change the fact that you will bend the knee, you will serve me.¡±


    Yargul said, ¡°This fight is not yet over, who knows, perhaps you will be kneeling before me.¡±


    The Orc King chuckled.


    ¡°Such arrogance, now, time to see if your strength is enough to warrant it!¡±


    The two then charged at one another, the axe and Sword clashing once more. However, Yargul was now at a great disadvantage, he could only block and not attack, for attacking would invite the Sword of Korbus into his exposed chest. If Yargul was to attack, he had to dedicate all of his strength into it, make it an attack the Orc King wouldn¡¯t survive. But as this continued, the Sword nicked his arm, the Sword humming with delight at tasting Yargul¡¯s delicious blood. That wasn¡¯t all, Yargul also lost a fair chunk of his energy, if he sustained another strike from the Sword, he¡¯d likely be pushed to the brink of exhaustion.


    Panicked, Yargul finally decided that even if he were to die, he¡¯d rather die by killing the Orc King. So he took his axe and spun, using the momentum to unleash a devastating attack. Unfortunately, he never had the chance as the Sword of Korbus slashed through the great axe, the axe head flying off as the handle remained in Yargul¡¯s hand. Yargul immediately tried to stab with the shaft of the axe but stopped, the Sword of Korbus held at his throat. However, he still refused to drop the broken axe, unwilling to admit defeat. However, he was forced to accept reality and as such, Yargul began to entertain the thought that it may be better to be slain by the Orc King¡¯s hand, there was no dishonor in dying by the hand of the strongest orc.


    But as this thought entered his head, the Orc King spoke, ¡°So, it seems that you are as cowardly as the rest of them.¡±


    Yargul glared at the Orc King, demanding, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The Orc King lowered the Sword, much to the Sword¡¯s disappointment.


    ¡°You will not live with your defeat, is that not cowardly?¡±


    Yargul growled, ¡°No, it is not cowardly! It is brave to face death rather than your dishonor!¡±


    The Orc King shrugged.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re just running away from dishonor. Why not face it, be brave enough to face your dishonor, to bear it, and eventually, cleanse it. Would that not be far braver than to die here?¡±


    Yargul was silent, he wanted to argue but he wasn¡¯t able to find any fault in the Orc King¡¯s words. Suddenly, resolve began to harden in his heart, it was cowardly to choose death rather than to live with dishonor, for to choose death was to run away and Yargul would never run away. That would be an even bigger dishonor, his name would be slandered and his title revoked. No... NO! That cannot be allowed.


    Smiling as he saw Yargul¡¯s resolve, the Orc King then extended a hand.


    ¡°Serve me and grow strong, perhaps strong enough to truly defeat me. All that I ask is that until the day comes that you decide to kill me, that you serve me with utter loyalty.¡±


    Yargul thought about the Orc King¡¯s offer, it was not the most unreasonable of terms. But his title of Invincible... well, there was no shame in having it broken by the Orc King himself. And even if the other orcs found it shameful, Yargul could just kill them. Finally, Yargul nodded and grudgingly took the hand of the Orc King. Upon taking the hand of the Orc King, Yargul was enveloped with a bloodred beam of light, the Blessing of Korbus was descending.


    As Yargul had chosen life over death, Korbus had seen fit to extend to him a blessing that he only gives to warriors who have earned his respect. However, this blessing was only available for the living, not those who had given up their will to live. Many warriors had earned Korbus¡¯s respect but not all of them would remain alive to enjoy it, thus they never received his blessing. To Korbus, those that received his blessings were the Priests of his religion¡ªfor lack of a better word¡ªthey who offered blood to him with every kill they made.


    This was only possible after the blessing which was why Korbus gave blessings to the survivors, after all, they could not sacrifice blood to him if they were dead. In return, his blessing would allow his blessed Priests to draw on a small portion of his power, similar to how the Orc King was able to draw energy from the Sword of Korbus but not to such a great extent. It was a symbiotic relationship really, Korbus grew stronger with the more blood his Blessed sacrificed to him and in return, the blessed Priests of Korbus would be able to draw on a more powerful portion of his strength.


    This was automatically felt by Yargul when the beam of light began to thin until it last resided on his forehead before disappearing altogether, leaving the Mark of the Blood Priest. It was a hollow circle with a four-pointed star at its center, giving off a soft bloodred glow. Yargul did feel power, but it was only a minimal amount, after all, Yargul had yet to actually sacrifice blood to Korbus. He has killed but that was before he received the Blessing.


    But this was of no great deal, he¡¯d have the chance to sacrifice blood to Korbus soon, for where there were orcs, battle was not far behind. But now, Yargul was unsure of what was going to happen next, he was now the servant of the Orc King, what duties would he have now? And, taking a look at the other orcs that were a part of his great army, Yargul did not dare to think that they were weaker. Perhaps if it was before the fight with the Orc King, he might¡¯ve thought so. But his defeat brought clarity of his situation, the Orc King was oppressively strong, who¡¯s to say that his servants aren¡¯t also of a similar strength.


    As Yargul was thinking this, the Orc King chuckled as he slapped Yargul on the shoulder.


    ¡°Excellent! You¡¯ve also received Korbus¡¯s blessing! But, don¡¯t let this get you thinking you are superior, you are only one out of several hundred orcs who also possess that blessing. If you want to reach a level where you can kill me, you still have a long ways to go.¡±


    Yargul nodded, ¡°Yes, I am not foolish.¡±


    The Orc King gave him a look and grudgingly, Yargul added, ¡°Your majesty.¡±


    The Orc King beamed.


    ¡°You know Yargul, I¡¯ve got a good feeling about you. Perhaps you will be the one to surpass me.¡±


    Yargul was silent, finally saying, ¡°Hmm, if you think so... your majesty.¡±


    With the fight complete, the Orc King directed his attention at the remaining orc armies who still haven¡¯t kneeled.


    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for? Kneel before your King.¡±

 Chapter 85: A Forgotten Ally

    The Surveyor was not unsurprised with the turn of events, it had fully expected Yargul to lose. As for the Blessing of Korbus, that was a new piece of data, although it had an inkling of sorts. It was aware of it of course, but being aware of something and knowing about it were two different things. But that was of lesser importance, right now it was analyzing the fight Yargul had with the Orc King, focusing especially on the Orc King. He was such a fascinating specimen, after all, it would benefit greatly from studying what was currently the pinnacle of all orcs.


    And so, as one self was doing so, the Surveyor directed more of its attention back in Otium, specifically the Council of Thirteen where the Elders were deciding what to do. They knew that they couldn¡¯t fight against the orcs as they were, they needed an ally. Representatives were already sent over the sea to Ortus, however, there was one potential ally that remained, the Librarian. But they already knew that he wouldn¡¯t act unless he was offered a proper price, now just what could they offer which would allow them to borrow his great strength.


    ¡°What are we to do? How can we get him to help us?¡± the Seventh Elder wondered.


    The Third Elder said with a sigh, ¡°I suppose we have no choice but to bring forth the divine artifacts, I¡¯m sure that he will accept them as payment.¡±


    The Fifth Elder objected, ¡°No, how can we be sure that his aid is worth more than those artifacts!?¡±


    The Second Elder spoke, ¡°Do you not see the Custodians and those mysterious soldiers called the Teryo? Have you not seen Otium? This place is a paradise and it is all the property of him, this entire city works because of him alone. That suggests an inhuman amount of mana, making him perhaps the greatest mage on the face of Agleon! His aid is sure to be worth more than five divine artifacts.¡±


    The First Elder agreed, ¡°Yes, the Librarian is powerful, so powerful that it makes me question everything I¡¯ve known. His existence, I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s... it¡¯s not natural.¡±


    Silence followed his statement, the others thinking the same.


    His voice spoke once more, ¡°But, in these hard times we cannot depend on what is natural, we can only turn to things which are capable of creating miracles. I say we at least ask the Librarian for help, hear his price before we decide if we are willing to pay what is necessary for his aid.


    The Seventh Elder brought up.


    ¡°Yes, but will he even allow us entry? He has refused Erwin, who¡¯s to say he won¡¯t refuse us?¡±


    The Thirteenth Elder said, ¡°Well I guess we¡¯ll see when we try to meet him.¡±


    With this, the Council of Thirteen rose and began to head out to meet the Librarian, finding a Custodian greeting them at the gate to Inner Otium. Before they could speak, the Custodian wordlessly stepped to one side, its head bowed and an arm outstretched to one side, allowing them access. Each Elder gave their thanks before entering, reaching the gates of the Library itself. Beholding the great octagonal pyramid, they took a breath, admiring the great size and majesty of this building before standing awkwardly, wondering what to do.


    But it didn¡¯t take too long for the gates to open, a Custodian greeting them, although this one was different than the others. Dressed in white and black robes lined with gold, this was obviously superior to the other Custodians.


    The High Custodian did not bow its head, merely saying, ¡°I shall guide you to the Librarian.¡±


    They stiffened upon hearing its voice, something which wasn¡¯t human, without emotion, just... artificial. But they did their best to show that its voice did not affect them, they did not want to offend this particular Custodian. They were led to the teleportation circle where they soon found themselves in the floating garden, the Librarian awaiting them, drinking some tea. Upon their arrival, he glanced at them and just gestured that they take a seat, a large circular table appearing with thirteen extra seats. They did and suddenly found teacups filled to the brim with tea in front of them. Not daring to refuse his hospitality, they all took a sip, although they continued to drink more because of the tea¡¯s taste rather than politeness.


    Eventually, the First Elder put aside his tea and stood up, bowing deeply.


    ¡°Sir Librarian, I beseech you to aid us. We, if we are able, are willing to pay any price for our survival.¡±


    The Librarian took a sip of tea before saying, ¡°My price I fear is beyond what you possess. I know of your divine artifacts, and what little you were able to save of your ancestors¡¯ inheritances but all that I¡¯m afraid is not enough.¡±


    As they despaired, the Librarian added, ¡°For my personal aid that is. However, should you provide me with just one of your artifacts, I will give to you information about a potential ally and how you may gain their trust.¡±


    Thinking, the First Elder asked, ¡°Can we choose which artifact to give?¡±


    The Surveyor nodded, ¡°Of course, the divine artifacts you possess are all of roughly the same value, it matters not which one you give.¡±


    They began to think and discuss, was his information truly worth it? All the while, the Librarian just quietly sipped some tea, waiting for their decision.


    Finally, the First Elder turned to face the Librarian, saying, ¡°We... we shall give up the Ring of Auctorita. Please, allow for some time to have the Ring brought here.¡±


    The Librarian nodded, ¡°I shall wait.¡±


    A gate suddenly appeared and the High Custodian stepped through.


    The Librarian said, ¡°My High Custodian shall escort whichever one of you to collect the artifact.¡±


    The First Elder gave his gratitude, ¡°Many thanks Sir Librarian, I shall go to retrieve it immediately.¡±


    Hiding his tension well, the First Elder entered the gate, the High Custodian following after. Not too much time passed before the First Elder stepped through the gate once more, although to the other Elders it felt like an eternity. Some almost sighed with relief when the First Elder emerged unharmed, while others were still regretful at relinquishing a divine artifact. Even if the Ring of Auctorita was the most useless of all the artifacts they possessed, it was still an artifact, and artifacts were far superior to all the other tools they possessed. This might¡¯ve been too great a price for them to pay.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    With slow, almost unwilling steps, the First Elder walked over to the Librarian, offering the divine ring to him, the Librarian taking the Ring. He muttered something unintelligible and temporarily stored it in a separate dimension, returning his attention to the Elders.


    ¡°The ally you seek are the dwarves, the Children of Agleon. Unlike you, they have managed to survive quite well, their underground cities able to avoid the detection of the orc hordes. They live deep inland, to reach them shall not be an easy affair. And, after all this time, I doubt that they¡¯d be so trusting so you will need an item of great value to trade.¡±


    At this, the Elders despaired, they had to give up another artifact.


    As if reading their thoughts, the Librarian said, ¡°But as dwarves are picky, they cannot be given any item, no. To gain their trust and support, I¡¯d say that you must return to them what has been stolen, the Holy Hammer of Thavrar, the First Dwarf King. This sacred weapon is the symbol of any dwarven king¡¯s right to rule, and ever since it was lost a thousand years ago, the Dwarven Throne has remained empty. Should you be able to retrieve this weapon and return it to the dwarves, their gratitude will know no bounds.¡±


    The Fourth Elder asked, ¡°But how are we to obtain this Holy Hammer?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°It lies within the treasury of the Orc King-¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    The Fifth Elder exploded, ¡°You offer us an impossible task in return for our divine artifact!? How da-¡±


    His voice suddenly cut off as a pressure fell upon him, a great and terrible aura of oppressive cold.


    It was the High Custodian, a dark blade being held at the Fifth Elder¡¯s throat.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the Librarian¡¯s mercy, I would have killed you where you stand.¡±


    The Fifth Elder gulped, staying absolutely still until the Librarian waved a hand, dismissing the High Custodian. The High Custodian withdrew his sword, returning to stand at the side.


    The Librarian then addressed the Fifth Elder, ¡°I am not like you humans, I do not seek to deceive others with false words. Now, I will continue what I have to say unless anyone else wishes to object.¡±


    There was silence and the Librarian continued.


    ¡°The Hammer lies within the treasury of the Orc King but as he will be busy subjugating the remaining orc dissidents, this will be your greatest chance to obtain the Hammer. It will be heavily defended, of course, there is a reason why it was left untouched by the Orc Lords during their war for the throne. Not even I know too much about the palace, except for the fact that it radiates of mana. I would assume that the Orc King has possession of slaves capable of using magic. So this magic defends the Orc Capital from attack but I highly doubt it will help against a small infiltration which you will be performing.¡±


    The Second Elder then asked, ¡°But how can we infiltrate in a reasonable amount of time? No matter how I look at it, this undertaking will be one that will take months to accomplish with stealth and safety for we cannot afford to send our greatest warriors for they are too weak.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°If you are able to pay the proper price, I am willing to offer you help, although the amount of help depends on what you are willing to give.¡±


    At this, the Elders once more discussed what to do, if they could obtain his help, they¡¯d be able to obtain the hammer far quicker than they would without. But did they still possess items that were worth his help?


    The Librarian then spoke, ¡°The inheritance left to you by your ancestors will suffice as payment, such as an ancient spell. That spell can be traded for another spell, such as an illusion spell to disguise your appearance. Of course, that is just one possibility, there are still countless more.¡±


    The First Elder bowed deeply, ¡°Sir Librarian, I must thank you for guiding us.¡±


    The Librarian asked, ¡°Why do you thank me? I was merely informing you so that you weren¡¯t deceived. I believe this to be a common courtesy unless it has grown rare in the last millennia.¡±


    The First Elder chuckled.


    ¡°Times are not as forgiving as they once were, you cannot trust anyone.¡±


    The Librarian sighed.


    ¡°That is a shame, however, entirely understandable.¡±


    He then said, creating a gate with a wave of his hand, ¡°You may return to deliberate on what you are willing to pay.¡±


    Bidding farewell to the Librarian, the Elders left the chamber, leaving the Librarian alone. With this, the Surveyor had successfully acted as a catalyst for the eventual conflict that was to happen. And besides, it was looking forward to meeting with the dwarves, it would simply have to insist on sending a Custodian to act as its representative. Yes, or perhaps it might even go itself, yes, perhaps it might. This all depends, although, a Custodian would be a bit easier.


    As for why it did not know too much of dwarves in the first place, that was easily explained by the powerful presence of Agleon in their cities and unless it wished to disturb the balance of Nature itself, it couldn¡¯t pierce through the veil and watch the ongoings of dwarves. A shame, but now, that it would have the perfect excuse to enter, it would be able to explore to sate its thirst for knowledge.


    And speaking of a desire for knowledge, it turned its attention to the subject it had chosen in Ortus, a child just recently born to a noble household. This house was one of the noblest in all of Ortus, able to trace its direct lineage all the way back to its Great Ancestor, one of the Eleven Heroes who aided the first Emperor. Not many families could claim to have a direct link to the Eleven Heroes, in fact, there are only four families which are capable of doing so, the other families had fallen due to clashes with other families, some families were executed for betrayal, and some just disappeared.


    Anyways, the latest descendant of the Rhinoceros Family was a young child, talented but nothing like his elder sister. And even though he was inferior to his sister, the Surveyor hardly having to make any modifications as a history of eugenic-like breeding had already taken care of it for him. In order to keep the line of the Sixth Hero as pure as possible, those of the Rhinoceros Family were extremely selective of their mates, searching for mates who were far superior to most of their fellows. Of course, breeding like this was an ineffective way of birthing a superior generation but it has proven to be successful, most of the hosts of the weaker traits being killed without exception.


    Anyways, the Surveyor had decided to focus on the second child, for it had already studied subjects which were vastly superior to their fellows, now it was time to see it from the inferior¡¯s point of view. Of course, this child had yet to grow up and understand his inferiority to his elder sister, the so-called Reincarnation of the Great Ancestor. It wasn¡¯t surprising why the family would mistakenly think this, after all, the sister shared the same traits as the Great Ancestor, possessing crystalline armor when she transfigured into her rhino form.


    This extremely rare trait didn¡¯t appear often, in fact, in the entire history of the Rhinoceros Family¡ªa whopping three millennia¡ªthere have only been eight ¡°reincarnations¡± of the Great Ancestor. These reincarnations were lavished with the greatest of care, carefully nurturing them to become the greatest warriors the Rhinoceros Family could produce.


    As such, this would give the subject the Surveyor had chosen an unprecedented amount of free time, allowing the Surveyor to conduct his experiments with greater ease. And in preparation for that tampering, the Surveyor left a small sliver of his power deep within the child¡¯s mind. This was so that should it prove necessary, the Surveyor could intervene to turn events to ones more suited for its learning purposes. And, it had a feeling that as the second son of the illustrious Rhinoceros Family, it would be able to experience a lot of new things.


    It forget about the elder sister, after all, it didn¡¯t have much to focus on as its main subject was but a baby and to ignore such a specimen would be the height of foolishness. But as it was watching her, it suddenly saw her look up around her, as if she had sensed a presence. Her eyes then locked onto the observer, the two staring at each other before the observer disappeared the moment she blinked. Interesting, she noticed its observer. Yes, it will have to keep an eye on both of them.

 Chapter 86: A Week Late

    A messenger quickly disembarked from the boat, jumping into the water and wading out where he continued to run towards the human settlement. He was stopped at the gates but he impatiently shouted at the guards to get moving, that he had an important message for Erwin. The guards were slightly suspicious but if he really was there to send a message, they couldn¡¯t very well deny him. So he was let through and led into the compound, where he was promptly told to wait as Erwin had actually left a week ago to lead a raid on an orcish camp.


    He was always off doing something like that nowadays, his failure from three years ago still haunting him. And there was a noticeable change in the way he began to treat his soldiers, although still a figure of respect, there became a slight fear. This was because he did not tolerate any mistakes and those who did faced severe punishment. However, the soldiers did not blame him for this, at first, they did but when they came to realize that it was because of his failure three years ago, they saw it as his attempt to keeping them alive.


    This rather cemented their respect for him, and they sought to improve themselves so they wouldn¡¯t disappoint him. And he also became far more cautious, where before he would have rushed in with his tank, he would circle around the enemy with his superior mobility, using his machine guns and main cannon to whittle down their numbers while the troops he stationed around the enemy would let loose a constant rain of arrows. There was no longer any close range combat, the loss of life was too great for the orcs were superior to them in every way.


    No more did Erwin underestimate these orcs, no, instead he began to respect and even fear them. They were the perfect soldiers, their desire to prove their strength being stronger than their fear of death. And ever since Yargul¡¯s triumph over the tank, they orcs became more emboldened, believing that if they tried too, they would be able to kill the Metal beast as Yargul had almost done. But this proved to be beneficial to Erwin as their drive to kill him blinded them from the traps he would set, able to draw out the majority of the orcish garrison so that they¡¯d be killed out in the open.


    And as he sought to leave absolutely no survivors, the methods of his attack were largely unknown to the other orcs, not that an organized response could be made. The Orc King was still unifying the rest of the orcs, although that shouldn¡¯t take too long. Erwin knew this and was determined not to waste this moment, he would have to strike as great a blow he could muster before the orcs inevitably came to attack in full force. This was why he often never returned to the settlements unless absolutely necessary, continuing to push on deeper into orcish territory, often spending weeks if not months out there.


    Meanwhile, the unfortunate messenger was going absolutely crazy, he had tried to contact Erwin through the communications crystal but he was already out of range, the messenger either had to go out and chase him down or wait for his return. Either option was not desirable, their window of opportunity was fading fast. And as waiting for Erwin was almost undoubtedly worse than going out for him, the messenger quickly had a party arranged to chase after Erwin in the hopes that they could close the distance to speak over the communications crystal.


    As the small party headed out to find Erwin, the man himself was standing in the hatch of his tank, studying the orcish camp below. This one was different, it appeared to be a scouting party of an even larger orcish army, however, that one was still locked in combat with another force. And, if intelligence was to be trusted, the other force was the very same which had caused his great failure all those years ago. He had waited for a long time for this, prepared for even longer, to redeem himself of his failure.


    However, he did not dare underestimate this orc as he had once, this orc actually knew strategy. It was highly likely that whatever traps he would lay would be seen through, it would seem that he wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on his unit as much as he could in the past. They¡¯d surely suffer losses and against two great orcish armies, he needed all the men he possessed. But against a small scouting party, he didn¡¯t need to worry. He set up his soldiers in a perimeter and told them to fire their arrows when he himself fired. Once the perimeter was complete, he ignited the engines and roared down to greet the enemy.


    Upon hearing the roar of the engines, the orcs became alert, arming themselves and going out to meet the enemy. The tank¡¯s gun thundered as a HE shell hurtled through the air, unleashing a fiery death on the unfortunate orcs that were nearby. The machine guns began to belch out bullets as the elven archers began to unleash a hail of arrows, enchanted by their mage counterparts. This was not all, mages cast fireballs and other elemental attacks, although these paled in comparison to how the mages of old once cast them.


    What once was capable of destroying the gates of a city was now barely enough to severely injure an orc, truly, the mages of old must be lamenting the state of their descendants. But magic was still magic and coupled with the arrows and roaring tank, the orcs were disorganized and were like lambs led to slaughter. Barely an hour passed before all the orcs lay dead, granted that there were only a hundred or so of them. Once this was done, their camp was quickly looted and Erwin immediately signaled the retreat, the enemy would have doubtlessly heard the roar of his guns so it was better to disappear now.


    For safety, he didn¡¯t travel with his troops, a tank wasn¡¯t exactly stealthy so in order to keep the location of his men a secret, the two traveled separately. It was a bit of a pain to relay orders over a crystal but it was the best he could work with, he couldn¡¯t afford to make another mistake especially with such a cunning enemy. If he made a single mistake, he was sure that the orc Commander would take advantage of it. But as there was still daylight left, he decided to begin scouting, giving out orders to several of his scouts while making it seem like it was only his tank that had caused this damage, giving orders to his men to retrieve their arrows and use what spells they had to clean up any traces.


    After all, it was better to make it seem as if he was alone, that way the orcs wouldn¡¯t waste effort in trying to search for his soldiers and instead focus on him. After all, it was better that he was targeted rather than his soldiers for they were innocent, he was not. The weight of the lives that he couldn¡¯t save weighed on him every day and in order to forget, he pushed himself to continue working, although there were inevitably times where these thoughts would come back in the silence.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    That¡¯s why he rarely slept, although there were times where he simply just couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open. It was the fact that he saw the people whose voices haunted him, each and every one of those soldiers, those men, women, and children who he promised freedom. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see them, see each and every one of them damning him for his failure.


    But, thankfully, sleep did not come to him on this particular night. He just sat there silently in his tank, straining his ears to hear the noises of the forest, hoping that they¡¯d be enough to drown out the whispers of those he couldn¡¯t protect. Of course, it wasn¡¯t but it allowed him something to focus on, something to cling onto lest he be drawn into insanity.


    Suddenly, in his silent reverie, he heard something that was odd within the silent symphony of the forest. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was exactly but as he continued to listen, he began to realize what it was, breathing. He instantly started the engines of the tank and with a squeal of surprise, the orcs that were nearing the tank scrambled back. The flamethrowers and machine guns burst to life as they began to scythe down the enemy, Erwin quickly communicating with the rest of his troops.


    ¡°Evacuate immediately, I have encountered the enemy. Prepare to meet at Point C, I will relay further orders later.¡±


    The communications crystal glowed with affirmation and Erwin returned his attention to the orcs, determined not to let a single one escape. Of course, he would most likely fail in this endeavor but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to kill as many of them as he could. Within moments, the machine guns had made quick work of the orcs and once more, Erwin set off deep into the forest, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give the enemy a small visit.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªOrc Commander¡ª


    Once more, I heard the distant noises of the rumored Metal Beast, sounds like, for lack of a better word, ¡°small thunder.¡± But the effects were greatly different, whenever it made that sound an orc would suddenly die with mysterious holes torn into his flesh, and whenever the great snout bellowed with an even greater thunder, it was like an invisible lightning strike. At the time, when I first beheld it three years ago, I was in awe of this godly being, and I wondered if I could take a hold of it. It was obvious that the humans were controlling it, or perhaps, the other way around. A voice had been heard from within, perhaps one of those pesky human mages?


    I had my suspicions about this thing, about whether or not it was truly a beast. But either way, it had grown cunning over the years and finally had come for revenge. At any other time, I would have appreciated such a fine opponent but currently, it was just bad news. This meant that I would be facing two enemies, thankfully, one of them I could see and analyze but the Metal Beast... I have to be careful.


    As for the Trident Lord, I will have to kill her as soon as possible. My allies have already fallen so I must either pledge my services to the Orc King or retreat, retreat and bide my time. But before I even get to thinking about my choices, I first had to defeat the enemies before me and although I may have the advantage in terms of tactics, the enemy still far outnumbers me. The slightest mistake may get me killed, and that is something I cannot have happen.


    There were footsteps and I turned to see one of my scouts, the orc reporting, ¡°Sir, the Trident¡¯s forces are on the move, they are attempting to surround us.¡±


    I commanded, ¡°Tell the squad commanders to begin the retreat, leave three squads behind to distract the enemy. If possible, they are to retreat too.¡±


    The orc scout nodded and hurried off, leaving me alone to my thoughts once more. It brought a small smile to my face when I imagined how the Trident would react when she found out I retreated, she was as terribly short-sighted as all those other orcs. Victory this, victory that, they think victory makes strength. It does not. Strength gains victory, not the other way around. Sometimes, you must lose in order to win, and for me, losing was far more beneficial than winning.


    I turned around and led the forces I had with me to my secondary camp, leaving plenty of surprises for the Trident Lord to find. As for the Metal Beast, I had already sent out a small unit but I did not expect them to return, even when I had forced it to retreat three years ago, it had still cost me many of my orcs. It was more to send a message to the Metal Beast, that I knew it was there and sooner or later, I¡¯d hunt it down.


    Suddenly, I heard a rumbling thunder, it was off in the direction where presumably the Metal Beast had encountered my orcs. I smiled, it seemed that it was acknowledging my message and that it was challenging me. Well, soon enough Metal Beast, you and I will have our showdown.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The Orc Commander disappeared into the forest as he often did, leaving an empty camp for the Trident to find. The two squadrons that he had left for her did their job well, distracting her forces to give him plenty of time to escape. Of course, the Trident was incensed, how dare he ignore her! She was an Orc Lord, orcs tremble upon hearing her name! And yet he, this coward, this human-imitating scum, he dared to ignore her. This could not stand, when she found him, she wasn¡¯t going to kill him.


    No, she was going to have some fun with him before she killed him, she was going to have a lot of fun. As she vowed this, standing at the spot where the Orc Commander had stood no less than an hour before, the Metal Beast arrived at the opposite side of her army, machine guns blazing and its main cannon thundering. Upon seeing the damned thing, she smiled, something to unleash her anger on. She immediately mustered up her elite guard and charged towards it, ready for battle.


    But, just as it seemed it was about to charge deep into her forces, it suddenly turned to the side, continuing to kill the orcs but staying out of their reach. Just what was it with enemies and being cowards! With anger, she grabbed a spear from one of her orcs and hurled it at the Metal Beast, the spear shattering uselessly against its metal hide. As if responding to that, the great snout of the Metal Beast pointed at her and she only had a few seconds to react before it fired. Three of her elite guard were killed by the tank and she was left stunned and deaf by the attack. She growled as she stood up again, holding her divine Trident.


    She was confident that it could pierce through the hide but she wasn¡¯t confident in killing the Metal Beast in a single strike, if she did throw and fail, then she would likely lose her trident. It was too much of a risk, the only way she could feasibly win was to get close but that was a death sentence, the strange limbs on the creature which spat fire and shot thunder had already killed many orcs and it would kill her if she wasn¡¯t careful. As much as it irked her, she could only stay back and hope that the losses wouldn¡¯t be too great.

 Not a chap

    I have revised the Lore chapter, which I will be moving to the beginning of the story so it won''t disrupt the future continuity of the story, even though the continuity is ass because I''m editing. But I think that this should be the first step towards continuity although if I have forgotten anything, please do remind me. And if any of you have noticed, I wasn''t able to edit for a while because I had to write a twenty-page stage play for creative writing, as you can imagine, that took awhile. But with that over, I should be able to return to editing the story and perhaps adding a chapter whenever I feel creativity strike me or if I have the extra time. Anyways, back to editing for me.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

 Chapter 87: A Lucky Break or Misfortunate Timing

    The messenger¡¯s party galloped down Erwin¡¯s week-old tracks, having already spent several days on the chase. The messenger desperately tried to connect with Erwin¡¯s communication crystal but it was still out of range, the messenger beginning to despair as the small party crossed into orcish territory. He had to find Erwin faster than the orcs found him and as time passed, that seemed a smaller and smaller hope. But the messenger didn¡¯t give up, he couldn¡¯t give up, he had to alert Erwin to the orders of the Council. This wasn¡¯t just important because the Council had given him this duty, it was explained to him that to transport the message might very well be what decides the fate of the Alliance.


    Under the weight of such a thing, the messenger simply couldn¡¯t allow failure for if he failed, that would mean the end of all that he knew, his family would either be killed or enslaved by the orcs if he failed and that was something he could not let happen.


    As for Erwin himself, he had been slowly whittling away at both of the orc armies, a constant thorn in their side. The Orc Commander, who possessed the smaller army of the two, did not enjoy having his numbers further eroded and the Trident Lord was frustrated at her helplessness against the Metal Beast. She could do absolutely nothing against him, if she charged in she would almost certainly die and the beast¡¯s hide was far too strong to be pierced with orcish spears.


    Taking full advantage of this, Erwin didn¡¯t allow the orcs to rest with ease, doing his utmost to make their every moment here a living hell. The night was always filled with the ominous rumbling of the tank as well as the thunder of its guns whenever he made a move. Even for orcs who know almost no fear began to feel dread whenever they heard the thunder heralding the Metal Beast¡¯s arrival.


    That and whenever he distracted the orcs, his small force would initiate guerilla ambushes on the enemy¡¯s back, loosing a salvo of arrows before they disappeared again. And of course, whenever Erwin attacked the Trident Lord, the Orc Commander did not let this opportunity and often went to attack as well, the Trident Lord forced to ignore the Metal Beast in favor of him. And thus, the once winning army of the Trident Lord was pushed on the defensive, the orc Commander expertly using Erwin as a tool to make him win.


    Erwin soon saw through this however, he¡¯d be a fool not to, and began to order his troops to ambush the Orc Commander¡¯s army only, he wanted both sides to weaken. He couldn¡¯t just let one side win still with healthy numbers, no he intended to destroy both of these armies here and now and he was confident he could do that. The orc leaders knew this was a very real possibility too but they were at an impasse, they couldn¡¯t retreat without the other chasing them and even if they were to leave, the Metal Beast could chase after them as well and they couldn¡¯t outrun the Metal Beast.


    To run was detrimental to their armies but to stay was equally so. And since Erwin continued to use his superior speed and offensive capabilities to avoid and deal damage, eliminating him was almost impossible. Erwin knew he had the advantage here and capitalized off of it as much as he could, hardly sleeping for more than hour before he would wake up and attack the enemy again. Day after day, for another week this continued, demoralizing the fearful orcs. They couldn¡¯t fight, they couldn¡¯t run, they could only wait to die.


    But, before Erwin could continue terrorizing the orcs, his communication¡¯s crystal lit up.


    ¡°Sir! Sir Erwin! Are you there?¡±


    Surprised, Erwin responded, ¡°Yes, I am here. Who are you, you don¡¯t sound like you are of my unit.¡±


    The messenger said, ¡°The Council urgently requests your presence, you are to return immediately!¡±


    Confused, Erwin asked, ¡°What for?¡±


    The messenger said, ¡°They only told me that it was a mission which holds the existence of the Alliance in the balance sir.¡±


    Erwin was silent, debating what to do.


    ¡°Sir?¡± the messenger¡¯s voice repeated.


    Erwin finally said, ¡°Very well, I shall alert my troops.¡±


    With a visible sigh of relief, the messenger said, ¡°Oh thank Light, when can you join with my party?¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°If you stay on the path, most likely a day.¡±


    Erwin looked in the direction of the orcs, deciding that one last cannon shot wouldn¡¯t hurt. So he just aimed in their general direction and fired, Erwin telling the rest of his troops to fall back and regroup at Point A. The parting shot put all the orcs on defensive, so sure were they about another attack that they stayed absolutely still for a few hours, waiting for the Metal Beast to make an appearance.


    They refused to believe that he had gone after terrorizing them for so long, they had thought that the Metal Beast would haunt them until they all died. But when it was clear that the Metal Beast had gone¡ªfor whatever reason¡ªthe orcs celebrated, feasting deep into the night. The orc Commander was less inclined to believe this but he let his orcs celebrate, it would be good for the morale.


    Erwin meanwhile had met up with the messenger, in a rather bad mood for being forced to let his prey go without finishing them off. He could only solace himself in the fact that he would fight against the Orc Commander again, he was far too resourceful to die by the Trident¡¯s hand. He traveled as fast as he could back, leaving behind his troops with orders to return and not to engage any orc party larger than their own. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Having given his orders, he took the messenger into his tank and drove at full speed towards the fort. Another five days passed without any sleep for Erwin, the tank finally coming to a stop at the gates of the fort. A tank-sick messenger tumbled out of the vehicle, retching in the grass. The gates opened up and a few men went to help the messenger while Erwin drove the tank inside, getting out and asking for some water.


    He also asked for some food which was given to him, eating slowly, partly out of lethargy and the fact he just didn¡¯t feel too hungry. But he forced himself to eat, he needed energy in order to fight as well as whatever was so important that he was called back. As he did this, the messenger headed to the fort¡¯s mage tower, although it¡¯s more like a mud hut compared to the mage towers of old. But the important thing was that this mage tower allowed for longer ranged communication, meaning that they could contact the Alliance.


    This was accomplished with aid from the Librarian, he actually provided the necessary crystals needed for the communication as well as a spell circle, one which would allow the mages to utilize the ambient mana around them to initiate communication. But as such a thing was rarely used, it took a bit of time for a mage to answer the call and alert the Council, the Seventh Elder deciding to personally speak with Erwin. When the Seventh Elder¡¯s voice spoke through the crystal, the messenger quickly stood at attention, even though the Elder couldn¡¯t actually see him. After a small exchange, the Elder promptly commanded him to bring Erwin which the messenger did, leaving only Erwin in the room with the crystal.


    Erwin said, ¡°I understand that I am needed for something.¡±


    The Seventh Elder replied, ¡°Yes, you are. It is a most important mission. You see, the Council has spoken with the Librarian and from we gained the knowledge of how to save the Alliance and perhaps defeat the orcs once and for all.¡±


    Erwin grew serious.


    ¡°What do you need me to do.¡±


    The Seventh Elder said, ¡°There is to be a team that is going to infiltrate the Orc King¡¯s Palace to steal the Holy Hammer of Thavrar. This is a sacred relic of the dwarves and if we present it to them in return for their alliance, we will have the aid of the dwarves on our side. With their power, we may be able to drive back the orcs and retake what is ours. Anyways, your job is to safely get the team to the Palace and safely escort them back. If you were to cause some sort of distraction that would also be helpful.¡±


    Erwin thought on this, finally saying, ¡°Very well. I just need to transport them in, provide a distraction, and then extract them, correct?¡±


    The Seventh Elder answered, ¡°Yes, that is all you need to do.¡±


    Erwin then asked, ¡°When do I leave?¡±


    The Seventh Elder said, ¡°The infiltration team has already landed during your absence and were taken to New Haven Port, the closest outpost we have to the Orc King¡¯s city. I would prefer if you were to leave immediately, we must complete this while the Orc King is still busy reconquering his nation.¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°I shall set out immediately.¡±


    The communication crystal then fell dark and Erwin returned to his tank, clambering in as he commanded for the gates to be opened. Once again he set off towards his new destination, to New Haven Port.


    Half a month later, a muddy tank burst through the forest and slowed to a halt before the walls of New Haven, Erwin popping out to command the doors to be opened. They were soon opened and the tank trundled inside, the engines shutting off as he clambered out. Four people came out to greet him, a bit shocked to see his ragged appearance. It looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept properly in weeks and there was a stench that no one could properly describe.


    Already aware of this, Erwin ignored the four and just asked to be pointed to the nearest bathhouse, making his way there after a soldier did so. After spending a good two hours within the bathhouse, Erwin emerging an almost different man. Gone was his ragged appearance replaced with the image of a normal man, albeit the heavy bags around his eyes.


    Seeing them, Erwin asked, ¡°Are you the infiltrators?¡±


    One of them nodded and Erwin said, ¡°Then let us go immediately, we don¡¯t have time to waste.¡±


    Worried, one of them said, ¡°Are you sure? It looks like you need some sleep.¡±


    Erwin waved it off.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be concerned with me, just concern yourselves with the mission.¡±


    Another said, ¡°I think it does concern us. You are supposed to be our protector on our way to the Palace, if you were to have your abilities weakened by lack of sleep, that could endanger us. Please, get some rest and we¡¯ll go when you have woken.¡±


    Erwin was silent, finally saying, ¡°Very well then. I will go rest.¡±


    He took a few steps in one direction before turning back, asking, ¡°Where is an inn I can rest at?¡±


    They decided to lead him to the inn they themselves were staying, getting him a room with no problems whatsoever. Erwin thanked them and entered his room, closing it behind him. He looked at the bed with slight trepidation, finally pushing himself to lie in it and to focus on sleeping rather than the ghosts which were sure to haunt him once he did. The ghosts did indeed come to haunt him in his dreams but they were unable to wake him, Erwin was determined to sleep this time.


    And much to his surprise, when he woke, he found that the sun had gone under the horizon, he had slept far longer than he usually did. The best explanation he could think of for this was that he now possessed a new goal, a new goal and a hope. Hope that his purpose here had a chance of being fulfilled and a goal which related to that purpose. He had this to focus on rather than the voices of those who he couldn¡¯t save, their voices far fainter than before.


    But he couldn¡¯t just forget them however, their deaths were because of his overconfidence and he must always remember so he would never make that mistake again. Feeling far better than he had before, Erwin exited the inn and made his way to his tank, ignoring the cold air of the night. He clambered onto the top of the tank and laid back, his head resting on his hands as he stared up into the sky. He lost himself in the countless bright stars, although he soon found himself focusing more on the blackness in between.


    Just what exactly was up there? More worlds? He had memories of his world¡¯s explanations for the stars but after having experienced this new world, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to believe anymore. He could only ask questions and hope that he¡¯d get answers later. The thought of the Librarian crossed his mind, would he know of what lies beyond the stars? Probably, although Erwin couldn¡¯t imagine the price for such knowledge.


    Such random thoughts wandered about in his head until the sun began to rise and the infiltration team awoke, first going to Erwin¡¯s room and then fanning out to find him upon discovering his absence. But they didn¡¯t need to go far, they eventually found him lying at the top of his tank, seemingly asleep. But when they neared, Erwin sat up and looked at them.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s best we set off today.¡±

 Chapter 88: To Steal from the Orc King 1

    ¡°Yes but first, shouldn¡¯t we eat breakfast?¡± one of the infiltrators asked.


    Erwin said, "You can eat on the way if you wish but we should move as fast as possible, we don¡¯t know when the Orc King will decide to return.¡±


    One of them, a man, said, ¡°Yes, but the Orc King has the entire continent of Occasus to worry about, I doubt he will conquer it so quickly.¡±


    Erwin looked at him and sighed.


    ¡°Look here...¡±


    The man supplied, ¡°Jormand.¡±


    Erwin continued, ¡°Look here Jormand, lesson one of the battlefield is to always assume that the worst can happen. In this case, the worst that could happen is that the Orc King has returned or will return in the midst of our mission. To avoid that, we should move as quickly as possible.¡±


    Jormand frowned.


    ¡°But sir, are you sure that you are alright? I saw you yesterday, you were sleep deprived and frankly in poor health. While you do look better now, that doesn¡¯t mean you have fully recovered.¡±


    Erwin snorted.


    ¡°I have spent the last three years like that, and I don¡¯t think that it has impeded me. In fact, now that I have slept longer than I usually do, I feel like I can do a lot better. Now come, get what food you want to eat and meet me at my tank. We move out as soon as you all arrive.¡±


    Seeing that Erwin was adamant, Jormand sighed and reached into his bag, taking out a folded map.


    He handed it to Erwin, saying, ¡°That is the route we must take to get to the Orc King¡¯s city.¡±


    Erwin took it and proceeded to study it, waving his hand to dismiss the group to get their breakfast and equipment. He sat on the top of his tank, studying the route to the Orc King¡¯s city, memorizing landmarks that he¡¯d encounter on his route. With the scale of the map provided, he also mentally calculated the distance he¡¯d have to travel. When he managed to figure it that out, he calculated that he¡¯d have to travel roughly three thousand kilometers. The next problem he focused on was how long the journey would take. As his tank traveled roughly thirty-five kilometers an hour, ideally it would take a little more than a week. However, accounting for the terrain, the need to forage for food, sleep and stealth, Erwin calculated that the overall time would be two weeks.


    Those two weeks would have to be treated with care, for out there, he wouldn¡¯t have a source of metal to repair the tank should it come to harm. But, he wasn¡¯t planning on being reckless so it should be fine. And with the route which avoided most orcish settlements, he shouldn¡¯t encounter combat either. As he thought deeply on the execution of this mission, the four infiltrators returned with their equipment and some food, Jormand handing him a loaf of bread and a waterskin. Erwin took it, nodding at Jormand before climbing into his tank, gesturing that the others climb on.


    Erwin said, ¡°Make yourselves comfortable, it will probably a bumpy ride.¡±


    With that warning, Erwin started the engines and began to maneuver the tank to the opening gate, increasing to max speed as the tank roared out of the settlement. Heeding his warning, the four people managed to avoid falling off, grabbing on tightly to the ridges of the tank¡¯s surface tightly for the first few moments before getting comfortable enough to relax their grip.


    The first hour of the journey was a bit exciting for the four, the thunder of the engines, the jolt when the tank bulldozes an obstacle, and the feeling of awe at the speed this tank was going. But, with time comes boredom and they quickly got used to the engines¡¯ roar, the lurching of the tank, and its speed. And the scenery wasn¡¯t much better, just the trail the tank left behind and the trees which went on by. There was absolutely nothing else to see and so the four decided to either take naps or converse with one another.


    As for Erwin, he just checked the map and his surroundings every once in a while, trying to estimate his current location on the map. When the sun began to set, Erwin wanted to push on but Jormand and the others insisted that they stop for the night. The naps they had taken on the tank were always interrupted with a particularly violent jolt, so in order to sleep, they wanted to sleep on the ground. Erwin acquiesced to their request, he had taken this into account when calculating the time it would take to travel and thought that he might as well use that time to rest.


    The four gave a weak cheer when Erwin agreed to stop, falling onto the ground with relief s they rolled across it. Jormand was a bit more composed, a small smile on his face as he watched them.


    He then saw Erwin clamber out of the tank and said, ¡°It must be worse for you inside the damn thing huh.¡±


    Ewin shrugged.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in this thing for twelve years now, it doesn¡¯t bother me too much anymore.¡±


    Jormand was a bit surprised.


    ¡°Twelve years?¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°That is if I remember properly. More than ten that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Jormand was silent, this man had pushed himself like this for twelve years, what does that do to a man? Then Jormand recalled the incident three years back and thought that Erwin most likely didn¡¯t act like this for all those years. He only pushed himself for those three years but still, three years was a long time. To constantly push his body to its limits, again and again, it was a miracle that he was still alive. Erwin stretched, Jormand taking note of the strange looking luger at his side. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Curious, he asked, ¡°What is that?¡±


    Erwin looks to where Jormand gestured and said, ¡°It¡¯s my weapon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a curious looking weapon, what¡¯s it do?¡±


    Erwin patted the luger.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s basically like this gun here,¡± he knocks on the main gun.


    ¡°It¡¯s just smaller is all. But even if it is small, it can still kill an orc in an instant.¡±


    He concludes his statement with a snap, Jormand looking once again at the luger in disbelief.


    Erwin chuckled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Jormand scratched his head, ¡°Well, it¡¯s kinda hard to.¡±


    Erwin stood up and said, ¡°Well since we¡¯re still in safe territory, it probably won¡¯t hurt for me to show you what it can do. Come, let¡¯s go hunting.¡±


    Still a bit skeptical, he orders one of his team members to follow, an archer. That way they would still bring something back. As for the other two, he told them to guard the tank. The three of them set out into the forest to find their meal for the night, expecting to spend a good few hours on the hunt. After all, the animals had either run or hid from the tank, it would be some time before they would be able to return to camp. But, unfortunately, they would have to deal with it.


    The three set out, with Erwin holding back at first, letting the elven archer hunt down most of the small game. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, these were the animals that they had at their disposal, bigger game had already run. In the end, they managed to get a single rabbit, two squirrels, and one bird, these should be enough to last the group of five another day, not counting what they would eat tonight. But that would be enough, after all, this was only the beginning of the journey. A more proper schedule would be drawn up to streamline the entire process.


    Finally, when three hours had passed, Jormand finally asked impatiently, ¡°Why won¡¯t you use that gun of yours?¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to scare off other prey when I use it. It¡¯s rather loud. But seeing as we have enough meat, it should be alright.¡±


    A bit confused, Jormand followed after Erwin as he pointed at a tree, saying. He held up a fist, Jormand and the elf stopping in their tracks. Then Jormand watched with anticipation as Erwin slowly drew his firearm, pointing it at a tree. The smallest click could be heard, the safety was now off and Erwin carefully aimed, the narrow black snout of the Luger with its slight gold engraving glinted softly.


    And then thunder and fire erupted from the gun and it recoiled, jolting Erwin¡¯s arm slightly. When it occurred, Jormand flinched with surprise, although his eyes did not miss the tree¡¯s surface suddenly marred by a small hole. But that was not the extent of the damage, much to his amazement, he saw that on the ground some ways from the tree was disturbed as if something small had buried itself into the leaves with great force. And while the noise was surprising, it was far more devastating for his companion. The elf lay on the ground, cradling her more sensitive ears.


    Erwin winced in apology, saying, ¡°My apologies, I forgot that you elves had more sensitive ears.¡±


    Recovering somewhat, Jormand stood up, asking, ¡°What the fuck was that?¡±


    Erwin smiled.


    ¡°That was a gun Jormand. Now you see why I didn¡¯t want to use it so quickly.¡±


    Jormand stared at the weapon which Erwin returned to his holster, unable to tear his eyes away from that small and yet destructive weapon. For an instant, he felt desire burn in his chest, if he had such a weapon he would be unstoppable. But then he felt something and he looked up to see Erwin gazing down at him, Jormand noticing that one hand was on the Luger. Fear replaced that desire as he stared into the eyes of a man who had made slaying orcs a daily chore.


    Erwin chuckled.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the first to have desired it, and I doubt you will be the last. But at least you understand that its owner won¡¯t give it up so willingly. Anyways, let us return to camp. I¡¯d wager your companions are rather hungry right about now.¡±


    Jormand chuckled nervously.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not every day you see such a weapon.¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, in a world like this, good weapons are very desirable. But, as you have just heard, it¡¯s rather loud. Very good for a first strike but not for a continuous stealth assault. So it¡¯s more of a weapon one uses when they have nowhere else to run, a last ditch effort to survive. It is a weapon one shouldn¡¯t draw so lightly. I only do it here because I know that there aren¡¯t any orcs who would investigate.¡±


    Jormand thought on the implications of having such a weapon, he had felt the shock, heard the thunder, seen the fire. He had also seen it seemingly go through a tree, a weapon which did not care about shields or armor, it could kill all with a single shot. As Jormand looked once more at the weapon, he couldn¡¯t help but notice Erwin¡¯s silhouette, lonely and slightly bent over, bearing a weight most men couldn¡¯t. He realized that such a man needed these weapons to survive, to face the world which had such large expectations for him.


    That weapon, his tank, all of these were just crutches that allowed for him to stand, for he bore a weight so great that most others would¡¯ve crumpled. It was like the saying, ¡°With great power comes great responsibility,¡± Erwin truly bore a great responsibility. Jormand laughed at himself, to think that he even wanted to the gun in the first place. If he had that gun, it was highly likely he too would bear such a responsibility and he wasn¡¯t sure if he could carry it.


    The three returned to camp and as the moon sat high in the sky, they cooked their meat and shared stories. Over the fire, Erwin shared tales from his old world, of the great battles fought there and the great destruction humanity was able to unleash. He spoke of weapons far greater than those he currently possessed, of great cannons which destroyed the earth, tales which the four found hard to believe. But they already saw proof with Erwin¡¯s luger and his tank, what¡¯s to say that other more terrifying things existed.


    And then there was the scale of the war, they were utterly stunned to hear that the wars Erwin fought encompassed the entire world, tens of nations forming alliances and enemies and warring with one another. The loss of life was in the millions, a number that was so large that the humans couldn¡¯t comprehend it.


    One of them noticed.


    ¡°A bit like the orcs.¡±


    Erwin looked at him and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I thought the orcs were different when I came first came here. But I quickly realized that they were just like me, just like the people I knew back home. They were no different at all.¡±


    The man, no, a boy now that Erwin got a closer look, asked, ¡°And are you afraid of that? Afraid of being like them?¡±


    Erwin gave a wan smile.


    ¡°Well, if I was younger perhaps I would¡¯ve. Now, I¡¯m just not surprised. I am old in the ways of war, I was raised for it, trained in it, and survived in it. Even though I wanted to do other things, I was molded to be a soldier and a soldier I became.¡±

 Chapter 89: To Steal from a King 2

    There was silence following his words, Erwin was likely the only human alive on Agleon to have such an experience for while the Alliance had been ¡°at war¡± with the orcs, they were not embroiled in it. The citizens mostly knew peace on their floating cities while the guerrilla forces of the Alliance led small raids on orcish clans, these attacks mostly just an annoyance to the orcs. It was only with the arrival of Erwin, a man who had been raised for war, that the Alliance¡¯s offensive was truly born.


    With his knowledge and weapons of another world, he was a beacon of hope for the Alliance, under him they could rally under to fight for their home. And now, these four youngsters, not one of them older than thirty, were face to face with this hope. They had doubts at first, but his last words just proved that he was indeed what the Alliance needed, a master of war.


    The boy asked, ¡°Does it suck, having to help us when we are so weak?¡±


    Erwin looked at him and said, ¡°I¡¯ve spent many battles on the weaker side, it¡¯s nothing new to me. As for whether it sucks, it does, it¡¯s never easy to fight on the weak side. But when you win with the weak side, it just makes victory taste that much better.¡±


    Curious, another asked a question, the female elf.


    ¡°Were your people weak?¡±


    Erwin asked for clarification, ¡°Do you mean my nation?¡±


    The elf nodded and Erwin thought about how to answer, finally saying, ¡°Well, if a nation isn¡¯t powerful, then how could it force more than half the world to fight against it? However, my nation did lose the last World War and it looked as if we¡¯d lose the second. But, I died before I could see its end.¡±


    This time, the boy asked, ¡°How did you die?¡±


    Erwin remained silent, his face darkening.


    Finally, he said, ¡°I think that¡¯s a story for another time. You all should get some rest, I¡¯ll take first watch.¡±


    As Erwin stood, clambering on top of his tank, the boy was swatted over the head by Jormund, Jormund hissing, ¡°Don¡¯t you have any sense Valder?¡±


    Valder rubbed his head, whispering back, ¡°What, I was curious!¡±


    The other two members chuckled watching this, directing several curious gazes to Erwin¡¯s silhouette before retiring for the night. Jormund too looked at Erwin before making himself comfortable for the night, Valder staring longer than most at Erwin. After all, Valder was a boy who was at the cusp of manhood, a boy who was enthralled by tales of battle, war, and bravery. As such, Erwin was sort of an idol to him, a man who made tales of battle, war, and bravery.


    But even Valder went to sleep, leaving only Erwin awake in that dark night, with only his thoughts to accompany him. Once more, the ghosts of guilt came to haunt him but this time, their voices were not so loud, not so harsh. No longer did he pursue the orc that was responsible for his failure, he had a new goal in mind. This new goal allowed him to focus on something other than his guilt, something to work for. Work is often the best way to keep one¡¯s mind off of things and it proved correct in Erwin¡¯s case. With a shift in his goals, the voices no longer had so great a power, no longer would they be his primary driving force.


    This he told the voices, that while he has not forgotten them, he couldn¡¯t accomplish their revenge, the living held more precedent. The voices ceased their howling when Erwin spoke, for he had spoken with grim determination. He was utterly focused on the success of this mission, a mission which could save the Alliance and many lives. In the face of such a determined man, the voices fell to silence and for the first time, Erwin once more knew what it was to be in silence.


    When his watch ended, he passed it onto Jormand, slightly hesitant to sleep, would the voices come back? Were they waiting for him in his dreams? But he pushed such fears aside, a semblance of his old self rising. He hardened his heart, lied down, and closed his eyes, better to meet them face to face than stay awake in an attempt to run. But when his consciousness began to drift, the voices did not come and Erwin slept peacefully for the first time in years.


    He woke the next day, refreshed and full of energy, the four seeing the change in him. They weren¡¯t sure what had happened but they were glad that he seemed to be better. Because of his healthier state, Erwin began to busy himself a lot more with things, mostly him teaching the group of four about the behaviors of orcs. They needed the information if they were to infiltrate an orcish city. Over the next three days, when they rode ceaselessly through the forest, Erwin described how orcs were a simple and brutish race, that killing was the easiest and best way to solve problems.


    He also had them tell him about the details of their disguise, for he needed to know what they had to work with before he could advise them. He was rather amazed to hear that the disguise actually transformed the flesh, a scroll which had the spell grafted onto its paper, allowing the target of the magic to be turned into a real orc with all the muscle and power. Of course, such a thing was not cheap, the Alliance had to sacrifice an ancient magic tome, a relic that they unwillingly parted with.


    This would make things much easier, for they would be better able to enact orcish behaviors, such as a variety of grunts, small movements, and the ferocious way they fought one another. Jormand listened closely as he would be the one changing into an orc and much to the amusement of others, Erwin had him practice walking around and acting as an orc, appearing rather foolish.


    But Erwin insisted that he practice, he needed to act naturally as an orc otherwise he may be seen as weak and therefore challenged. Since the other three would be acting as his slaves, he needed to appear strong so that other orcs didn¡¯t challenge him for the slaves. Bluffing was surprisingly effective in orcish society, so deeply ingrained is their respect for power. Of course, this backfires sometimes, for it would mean that stronger orcs would challenge the bluffer but with the distraction that Erwin would be causing, he hoped that this wouldn¡¯t be a factor.


    The others weren¡¯t free from his lessons either, he began to prepare them to act as proper slaves, with their heads bowed down, listless motions, and above all, to react instantly to commands. This, in turn, got Jormand to laugh as he began to order them to do rather ridiculous things, although he quickly stopped when Erwin gave him a look. In this way, the four were trained for their mission. The training continued when they passed into orcish territory on the fourth day, although far quieter, Erwin didn¡¯t want to attract the attention of orcs during the evening.


    As for the tank, as loud as it was, it could easily destroy or outrun any orcish party it stumbled upon. But, Erwin preferred not to, for the sounds of cannon fire would definitely attract attention. But his worries were for naught, the map and the route the Librarian provided almost guaranteed safe passage if they followed it perfectly. But then again, nothing is absolute in the mortal world, they could still encounter trouble.


    Deeper and deeper into orcish territory they journeyed, farther than even Erwin had explored. They were likely the first free humans and elves to walk this land since the time before the Calamity. Three more days passed until they had an encounter with orcs, a small orcish raiding party that was on their way to raid another clan. And these orcs weren¡¯t afraid of the Metal Beast, they had heard tales sure but orcs were the type who saw to believe, and since they didn¡¯t see the power of the Metal Beast, they did not believe.


    On that day, Erwin showed them the might of the Metal Beast, with the thunder of cannon and the machine gun fire. Within minutes, the orcish company was gone, all sixty orcs lying on the ground dead. And during it all, the four passengers watched on in awe and fear at the power Erwin commanded, their ears still ringing with the sounds of thunder and raucous gunfire. Not one to waste things, Erwin took as much of the rough iron armor and weapons as he could, just in case if he needed them for repairs and also to bring it back to fuel the war effort.


    It was better that these went to be reforged for humans to use than for it to fall into another orc¡¯s hands. Not that taking them did much at all, the orcs still had so much more iron arms at their disposal. It was then that he was struck with the enormity of his task, in order to save the Alliance, to save humanity, he would have to fight against the entire world. A world of orcs whose population numbered in the billions and the majority of which were all combat ready.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    He was reminded of his past, of fighting an unwinnable war. He hadn¡¯t been there to witness the fall of Germany but he was sure that it did, the Russian Offensive had failed and the Allies amassed near France... there was no hope for victory. The F¨¹hrer, for all that he had done for the good of Germany, would ultimately fail. And perhaps Erwin might fail here, but before he did, he was going to do his utmost. He had already given up on one home, he wasn¡¯t going to do the same again.


    As Erwin sat there, lost in thought, he was brought back by Jormand who asked, ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    Erwin nodded slowly.


    ¡°Yes... I was just lost in thought.¡±


    Valder then asked, ¡°Were you thinking about your home?¡±


    Jormand gave Valder another smack, about to reprimand him when Erwin held up a hand, saying, ¡°Well, I might as well satisfy his curiosity right now or else he¡¯d keep asking me.¡±


    Turning to Valder, he nodded.


    ¡°Yes, I was thinking about my home.¡±


    Valder asked, ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡±


    Erwin smiled with nostalgia, lifting his eyes to the sky.


    ¡°Heidenheim, the place of my birth. It was a beautiful place, of soft rolling hills with lush meadows bordered by forest. Then there was Berlin, the capital of my nation, a monument of man¡¯s cities, perhaps to be the greatest as the F¨¹hrer had new designs for the city, ones that would¡¯ve made it a marvel of the world.¡±


    Valder asked, ¡°Did it become a marvel?¡±


    Erwin¡¯s face became pained as he lowered his gaze.


    ¡°No, the war came and ravaged my nation, leaving only burned ruins and scorched earth. The people suffered and the war seemed lost... but what else could we have done? We were only one nation against the world.¡±


    ¡°Against the world?¡± Valder spoke with fascinated eyes.


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°For we had lost the first World War and as such, my people were humiliated and forced into debt by the Allies. Then the F¨¹hrer came, Adolf Hitler. He promised Germany a greater future and took our fallen nation and stood it back on its feet. The economy flourished under his rule and Germany once more became a nation to be reckoned with. At first, the war was with us, our armies blitzkrieged nations and we conquered them with ease, one nation even fell within eighteen days. But, we were not fast enough. The enemy managed to prepare their armies and when Germany¡¯s momentum failed, they pushed back. I wasn¡¯t there to witness my nation¡¯s fall¡ªfor I had died¡ªbut of its defeat I am certain, we just couldn¡¯t win with so many enemies around us.¡±


    ¡°Blitzkrieg?¡± Jormand inquired.


    Erwin explained, ¡°It is ¡®Lighting war,¡¯ a tactic in which planes and artillery would destroy the enemy position and then soon after, tanks and infantry would rush in to clean out the survivors. It was a tactic never before seen and thus proved to be very efficient. With it, nations fell within a matter of months, not a matter of years.¡±


    This time, Valder asked, ¡°What¡¯s a plane?¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°Planes are similar to my tank, giant metal birds capable of as much if not more destruction as my tank. It flies high in the air, safe from damage and it¡¯s roaring guns and thundering bombs obliterate any target unfortunate enough to be in its sights.¡±


    Valder said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a dragon?¡±


    Erwin shook his head.


    ¡°No, not a dragon. A dragon is a living, breathing thing but a plane is of metal, with an engine for heart controlled by a man. The only thing living about a plane is its pilot, as the only thing living in my tank is me.¡±


    Valder thought on this for a few more moments before giving up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Erwin gave a small smile.


    ¡°Well, I suppose you could say they are dragons though, they are certainly almost as terrifying. Especially when there are a hundred of them in the air, with the large bombers raining down death. Not that I ever experienced such a thing, but I¡¯ve seen the destruction they bring, and I can easily imagine the terror one would feel when the planes attack.¡±


    This time, the female elf spoke, saying, ¡°Your world seems to be a very dark one, full of death and destruction.¡±


    Erwin chuckled.


    ¡°I suppose you would think that, given all that I had told you. But...¡±


    He looked up into the sky once more.


    ¡°Before the wars, the world was beautiful. Much like Agleon, but without elves, orcs, and magic. Green forests, blue skies, and great oceans which stretch endlessly to the horizon...¡±


    He fell silent and the others remained so unsure of what to say.


    Erwin suddenly stood, saying, ¡°We should continue moving, the orcs may send a party to investigate and since I cannot disguise the tracks of the tank, it¡¯s best we get moving.¡±


    The four got on, one of them¡ªnot having once spoken during the time shared with Erwin¡ªstaring at him for a few moments before she climbed up onto the tank next to the female elf. Erwin didn¡¯t notice this, too busy climbing into the tank before shutting the hatch above him.


    With him presumably out of earshot, the female elf whispered, ¡°Is something the matter Evaline?¡±


    Evaline shook her head, just saying, ¡°It¡¯s just... it¡¯s just so sad. Why Serilia? Why is there war everywhere?¡±


    Serilia looked at her, finally sighing, ¡°I don¡¯t know Evaline, perhaps some people just enjoy it.¡±


    Jormand looked at them before casting his gaze to the closed hatch, perhaps he knew. But he didn¡¯t ask, he wasn¡¯t sure if he wanted to hear the answer. Meanwhile, Erwin inside the tank drove on, the conversation playing in his head. It had been deafened but he could still make out the gist of what they said and he pitied them for it. They were naive but good souls, they didn¡¯t deserve to be born during a war. It made him wonder why they were on the mission, did they volunteer, were they chosen, or did they do it because it was expected of them? He shook his head, youths like these shouldn¡¯t be out here, but that¡¯s what war did.


    More days passed and now, they were a day¡¯s travel from the capital itself, Erwin tense and anxious. He wondered if he should let them off here or let them off a bit closer, it wouldn¡¯t do for the orcs to see three humans and an elf getting off the Metal Beast. Finally, Erwin agreed to take them a half day¡¯s travel to the capitol in the cover of night, then Erwin would wait until early morning to begin his distraction.


    So the tank inched closer to the capitol as the moon rose slowly, stopping perhaps five kilometers from the capital, a mess of roughly built buildings with the Orc King¡¯s palace directly in the middle, this one based on the ruins of the previously human city. There the four were dropped off where they prepared their disguises, Evaline¡ªa mage¡ªcasting the spell given to them by the Surveyor. The spell which was grafted onto special paper would physically change Jormand¡¯s body to that of orc¡¯s, a powerful one at that. Of course, the mage herself wasn¡¯t capable of providing enough mana for that, she¡¯d have to burn up all her blood and then some to do so, no, the energy was already within the spelled paper, she just needed to activate it with some of her own mana.


    Hushed goodbyes and wishes of fortune were shared, Erwin saying, ¡°Remember Jormand, don¡¯t hesitate to kill any orc that stops you, do it quickly and do it fast.¡±


    Jormand, in the guttural voice of an orc, thanked him.


    ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±


    Erwin also warned, ¡°I will be attacking the other side of the city about thirty minutes before sunrise, use it to enter the city, that way there would be fewer orcs to deal with. Also, let¡¯s try to meet at the gate closest to us right now, once you give the signal with the crystal, I¡¯ll come as fast as I can.¡±


    Jormand nodded, asking, ¡°Will you be alright?¡±


    Erwin patted the top of the tank, saying, ¡°Orcish spears haven¡¯t pierced the armor just yet, I think I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    Jormand then turned to the mage who was resting from casting the magic. Even though it was only an activation, since her blood wasn¡¯t too concentrated with mana, she had more trouble than the normal mages of old. She was a bit drained but still ready for action. She, Serilia, and Valder then changed into more worn clothing, similar to what slaves would wear and with the disguise complete, the orc and his three slaves began to walk towards the city, Erwin spinning the tank around and circling around the city to attack it from the other side.


    Just as he had said, he began his attack a half-hour before dawn, firing a shot at the top of the wall before he began to close in, directing his forward-facing machine guns to fire, peppering the side of the wall. Alarms were rung and orcs began to line the walls, only prey for Erwin¡¯s guns. Erwin, in an attempt to lure them out, purposefully made his tank travel slowly, making it seem that the orcs could easily catch him.


    That did the job and soon, orcs began to flood out the gates, charging towards Erwin. He smiled, that was exactly what he wanted. He waited as long as possible, moving the tank slowly away, not firing. And then, when he saw the number of orcs leaving the city begin to thin, he suddenly reversed course and thundered right into the enemy, his machine guns, flamethrowers and main cannon blazing with all of Earth¡¯s might. Erwin charged through the orcs, gunning down as many as he could as he barreled right for the gates. He was going to make sure that the orcs knew he was here.

 Chapter 90: To Steal from a King 3

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªJormand¡ª


    As the walled city loomed into my vision, I cast a glance back at my ¡°slaves,¡± taking a deep breath before I continue on my way towards the gate. Thankfully, it seemed that the orc guards weren¡¯t being particularly watchful, allowing me to get close to the gate. It had been almost an hour since we had departed from and the sky was beginning to be touched with tinges of purple, Erwin should be beginning his attack soon. Then, echoing thunder was heard and the orcs on top of the wall began to move away, leaving the gate unguarded.


    I quickly headed over, a bit at a loss when I saw the gate, how were we supposed to get in? Perhaps I should¡¯ve tried to get in earlier, the orcs might¡¯ve opened the gate for me. But it was too late to think about that now, I had to think of a solution to my problem.


    As I kept looking at the walls, built haphazardly with stone, wood, and other materials, I was hit with a thought, perhaps I and the others could climb it. The surface was simply covered in ledges and orcs would likely never think of climbing the walls as much as bashing down the gate. I thanked Light for the stupidity of orcs as I told the others to begin scaling the wall, although telling them to stay away from me. If I fell, I could easily bring a few others down with me and that wouldn¡¯t be good.


    My new weight made me a bit nervous but I didn¡¯t need to worry, despite how haphazard the wall looked, it seemed solid. But even so, I took care to choose the ledges that I would put my weight on, it wouldn¡¯t do to fall. The climb seemed to take forever¡ªalthough in reality, it was probably twenty minutes¡ªall of us nervous that there were still some orcs up there. But, to our luck, there weren¡¯t and so we got on top, taking a few minutes to rest before we searched for a way down.


    A rather dangerous looking set of stairs greeted us which prompted the thought, Just how was this place constructed? I was sort of amazed, after all, to see something created in such a chaotic fashion was almost impressive. But I pushed such thoughts out of my head, for now, I needed to focus on the mission.


    So we quickly descended the stairs, quickly stopping by the gate to make sure we could easily open it for when we made our escape. Once we made sure we could open the gate with ease, I took the rope that held my slaves, I began to hurry up the streets to the palace. On the way, there were several orcs who were heading towards where Erwin was fighting.


    They gave me a few curious glances, asking, ¡°You know what going on?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°No, but it seem like battle.¡±


    The orcs perked up hearing that, hurrying down towards the source of the noise. I sighed with relief, thank Light they weren¡¯t curious about what I was doing. But even so, I decided to hurry on out of here, they might come back with questions.


    As the sounds of booming sounds of the Metal Beast attacking grew louder, we found ourselves at the foot of the palace, the gate not as large as before. It was locked but with some strange magic by Evaline, we managed to get through without too much trouble.


    In the palace grounds, we hurried into the palace, all of us more tense than usual, the orcs in the city might¡¯ve gone to fight Erwin but we didn¡¯t know about the actual palace guards, assuming that there were any. But, it seemed that once more, our worries were for naught. The palace was empty and we had no trouble locating the treasury. But our path was blocked by a great door, a large thing of roughly hewn stone which had strange carvings on its surface. But, we were prepared for such a door, after all, the price the Elders paid was enough to ensure a mission of high chances of success.


    From a pouch held at my side, I withdrew another scroll, handing it to Evaline to activate. As she set about doing this, I and the others kept watch, just in case an orc stumbled on us breaking into the Orc King¡¯s treasury. All the while, I was a bit uneasy, it really couldn¡¯t be this easy right? There had to be something more, perhaps traps? But were orcs really capable of such things? I really didn¡¯t know, fuck, this is stressing me out.


    And then, it finally happened, my fears were realized.


    ¡°Oi, what are you doing!?¡±


    An orc made his way towards us, flanked by several slaves.


    I quickly stepped forward, blocking Evaline from his sight, saying, ¡°We lost?¡±


    He snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit, what are you doing.¡±


    I then remembered Erwin¡¯s words and I stealthily reached a hand behind my back to grasp the dagger, saying, ¡°The palace beautiful and as no one around, I enter.¡±


    The orc attempted to look over my shoulder at Evaline, saying, ¡°What she doing?¡±


    I stepped to block his vision, saying, ¡°She have punishment, stand at wall so I can whip her.¡±


    The orc blinked and then laughed, me getting more nervous, what was he thinking?


    ¡°Hahaha, whipping? Here!? You are bold orc, I like. Go ahead and whip, I watch.¡±


    WIth a smile on my face, I reached toward my side as if to grab the whip and then suddenly lunged forward, knife in hand. To my dismay, he caught my hand and as he smirked, a blade flew from behind me and buried itself in his eye. He let out a grunt but I interrupted it as I elbowed his throat with my other arm, stabbing away at his chest with my now free left arm. His body slumped to the floor as the slaves screamed, each of them drawing knives and beginning to attack me with wild fury.


    I tried to reason with them, I really did, but they just wouldn¡¯t stop attacking... before I knew, I had killed one of them. And then another, and then another, soon all the slaves were dead, leaving only me standing there. This was the first time I killed another human and it made me sick, my mission was to save them and yet here I was killing them.


    But before I could dwell on this, Evaline gave an excited cry, the door had opened. I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I directed my gaze to the treasury, my mind soon filled with the sight that I saw before me. There was gold, gems, silver, various sets of armor made for humans, grand swords, and slender spears... it was a sight which took one¡¯s breath away. As we wandered through the riches of the Orc King, we began to select a few items which had taken our fancy. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    I myself took up a sword, the thing seeming ridiculously small in my new hands. But even though it looked rather small, it did not change that this was a well-crafted weapon, possessing a slight electric aura whose blue color beautifully accentuated the silver of the mythril blade. And the guard was a rather simple item, just a piece of metal which ensured that my hand wouldn¡¯t be cut when clashing blades with another But the pommel, on the other hand, was a realistic recreation of the jaws of some dragon-like creature which held a spherical gem between its teeth. This gem held my attention for the longest time, the swirling blue energies hypnotizing me as they briefly sparked deep within the gem as if it trapped lightning itself.


    And then, I suddenly heard Valder¡¯s voice shout with excitement, ¡°I think I found it!¡±


    I quickly ran over, forgetting about the sword in my hands as I beheld the warhammer which Valder was struggling to lift. It was... I don¡¯t even have the words to describe it other than to say that it appeared as if the gods themselves descended to make this work of art. It was a great warhammer whose base was made of a jet-black material which was then inlaid with gold and silver, with two great emeralds embedded at the center of the warhammer¡¯s sides. The two-foot-long hilt, mostly made of the jet-black stone, was inlaid with more gold and silver, with the bottom four inches and pommel being far more intricately designed.


    The last four inches of the hilt excluding the pommel was similar to that of a sword¡¯s, with a clear distinct valley for the hand to reside, ensuring a stable hold when the hammer was swung. The guard, however, was merely a small ledge surrounding the hilt, more there to keep the hand at the warhammer¡¯s base than to protect.


    At the end of the hilt was the pommel of the warhammer where yet another emerald resided, encapsulated by a smaller replica of the warhammer¡¯s head, the gem encased by adamantium, leaving only two opposite sides visible to the eye. The shape of the pommel, like the warhammer¡¯s head, was that of a rectangular prism on one end and a squat pyramid on the other, one more smashing and the other for piercing. It was the perfect combination of beauty and lethality, truly, it was a King¡¯s weapon.


    I stepped forward to take it, dropping the lightning sword which Valder went for instead. But I ignored him, hefting up the warhammer with relative ease. I couldn¡¯t begin to wield it but I should have no problems running while carrying it.


    I then turned to the others, saying, ¡°We should go now, take only two artifacts with you, any more and we may have trouble getting it all in the tank.¡±


    I added after a moment, ¡°And Valder, make sure that they are reasonably sized as well.¡±


    Valder groaned.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    With that, the others went to collect their artifacts and I looked around to choose my last artifact. My eyes soon stopped on a shield, its dull iron-grey surface standing out among the finery. It was like a squashed hexagon, with the leather straps making it so that your forearm would match with the lengthwise side of the shield, leaving the narrower ends for presumably elbowing and punching. It was strange why such a normal looking item was here but if it was, surely it was special. And besides, if it wasn¡¯t, I could always just use it for myself, my last shield broke a while back and I never managed to find a replacement. So I strapped it onto my arm, chuckling as it looked as if I was wearing a child¡¯s shield.


    I then shouted, ¡°We go now, orcs may find-¡±


    There was suddenly a shout, ¡°Find what?¡±


    I turned and saw seven orcs at the entrance of the treasury, these orcs glaring at me. What was worse was the facf that these orcs appeared to be magic orcs, the ones that Erwin warned me about.


    There are also special orcs, orcs that can wield magic. They are far stronger than your average orc and should you meet one, the best thing you can do is to run. And if you can¡¯t, then find a way to attack them at a distance.


    I shouted to Evaline and Serilia, ¡°Serilia, attack them range! Evaline, contact Erwin!¡±


    To Valder I commanded, ¡°Protect them!¡±


    They did so and as Serilia shot arrow after arrow, wounding some orcs and killing one, I and Valder prepared to defend them with our lives as Evaline called for Erwin. But Serilia would soon run out of arrows so I placed down the warhammer in favor of a nearby mace, its lighter weight much better for me to deal with. I then prepared to face the three advancing orcs, each exuding a magical aura. Much to my surprise, two of them stopped advancing as one stepped forward.


    He pointed his great sword at me and sait bluntly, ¡°I challenge you.¡±


    I grunt and raise my mace, the orc raising his great sword. We then charged at one another, his sword clashing against my new shield as I swung with the mace towards his head. He ducked and proceeded to tackle me, knocking me down to the floor. I raised my arms protectively as his fists rain down on me, although they soon stop as an arrow hits him in the shoulder. He growls and I take the opportunity to punch him in the neck with the sharp edge of the shield, causing him to cough as his hold weakened. I threw him off and continue to bash with the shield¡¯s edge until his face is caved in, standing up to meet the next orc.


    My breath was panicked as the next orc charged with hands outspread, forcing me to put one foot in front of the other, flattening my feet against the floor. I met the charging orc and grunted as I slid back, the breath knocked out of me. But I had no time to relax, struggling in a contest of power between me and the orc, his flaming aura making things more difficult as the pain began to blind my mind. With a great roar, I threw him off me and wasting no time, I ran at him, leaping into the air with my elbow faced downward, intent on at least breaking a few ribs. It didn¡¯t work, he kicked his legs out into my stomach, breaking some of my ribs instead and incapacitating me for a few more moments.


    As I fell to the floor, wheezing, he stood up and grabbed my hair, forcing me to meet his eyes. I glared back at him, struggling to move my body but my efforts were brushed aside with ease. He then unsheathed a knife and moved to slice my throat, although once more, an arrow from Serilia saved me. But this time, I couldn¡¯t take advantage of it and could only lie there, struggling to get up. Then suddenly, there was a large boom as the palace walls shook, causing the orcs to stumble.


    It was then that Valder¡ªthe foolish boy that he was¡ªtook his blade and shoved it into the back of the orc, although the orc managed to grab him by the arm and throw him across the room. Anger gave me energy and I stood up, punching the orc in his face, knocking him down. I then stomped on his head, hearing an ugly crunch. But I didn¡¯t stop, I stomped one more time, this time my foot meeting with the floor, shards of the skull burying themselves in my foot. But my adrenaline allowed me to ignore the pain, turning around to face the other orcs whose attention were focused on something outside the treasury.


    Then there was another shudder as parts of the ceiling began to fall, accompanied by a familiar thunder. It appeared that Erwin was somewhere outside, firing upon the palace itself. This distracted the orcs and Serilia took the chance to kill another orc with the last of her arrows, Evaline casting some fireballs to help out. In the meantime, I helped up Valder, turning back to face the orcs, some of which who had turned back to face us. I looked around for the mace which I soon found, picking it up as I stared back at the orcs one of which was sent to deal with me while the other two made their way to the others.


    I just gritted my teeth and charged to meet this orc... and got my ass royally handed to me. He gave me a dizzying punch to the jaw and then proceeded to pummel me as I sank to the ground, the only thing I was able to do being to keep up my arms. And this time, I don¡¯t think that Serilia could save me, this was the end. I closed my eyes as the blows continued to rain down, although I was increasingly less aware of them. I wasn¡¯t really feeling anything in fact, just cold... really cold...

 Not a chap, heads up.

    Am gonna be extremely busy because of the Ap Exams and finals. All I will probably have time for is the editing of the chapters for the next few weeks. Can''t wait for summer to come when I can dedicate myself to writing a lot more. Until then, you guys will have to hang on to the spotty upload time. As for the edits of the chapters, oh boy did I underestimate the amount of work I have to do. I was considering what to do with Ieros''s powers and if I should keep the Ieros bit. I edited that part out of the chapter it was introduced in but I may still add it later on. But if I do, I''ve been playing around with a few ideas, ones that aren''t as boring as the Surveyor suppressing Ieros''s personality, things which are a bit more complicated and hopefully more interesting. But that''s still a maybe. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

 Chapter 91: To Steal From a King 4

    Erwin continued to lay fire onto the Orc King¡¯s castle, more to distract the orcs inside, for he couldn¡¯t do too much outside the palace. He heard the repeated pleas for help from the communications crystal but he was at an impasse: if he left his tank that meant they may lose their only way out of the orc city but if he didn¡¯t go, they¡¯d lose the artifact. He could also just barge in with the tank but that could seriously weaken the structural integrity and cause it to bury both him and the artifact, that would benefit nobody.


    However, as the pleas for help grew more and more desperate, he finally said, ¡°Use the beacon so I can find you, I¡¯m going in!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a clear answer but soon, the communications orb changed its function, now detecting the beacon rather than communication. Then he looked at the palace and regretted that he had plugged it full of holes, that just increased the chances of it collapsing on him. However, he put such thoughts behind him, now directing his cannon towards the outer wall that was but one of many walls that obstructed his path to the infiltration team. He then began blasting away, using the tank¡¯s momentum and weight to bulldoze through the gaping hole.


    With his heart pumping with adrenaline, he focused on his task, he had to at least secure the artifact, even if it meant that everyone else would die. Even though the thought was something he¡¯d rather not think about, his military mind put the objective ahead of everything else. It was the artifact first, then¡ªif possible¡ªwas the saving of the survivors.


    However, his tank soon came across something it couldn¡¯t shoot down, no matter how many shells he plugged into it. So, he was forced to ditch the tank and go on ahead with his luger, assuming that this was the vault. His assumption was correct and he soon found the entrance, shooting down the orc that guarded the door. Reloading, he peeked the door and saw that the orcs just finish off the mage and archer, causing him to curse. He saw no sign of the other two but he couldn¡¯t give them too much thought, only taking aim and firing.


    Too busy celebrating their win, it was only when one of them suddenly shouted in pain that they turned to look for the source, seeing Erwin who quickly fired off more shots, some of them missing while others wounded the orcs. He reloaded as he stood still, making sure to take careful aim as he fired, going their legs to hinder their movement so he could finish them off later. Soon, most of the orcs exhibited serious wounds mostly at their knees, preventing them from charging at Erwin. However, there were a few orcs that were the armor type and these charged at Erwin, forcing him to retreat back out the hallway and back to his tank.


    The orcs gave chase but when they rounded the corner, they were greeted with the muzzle of the tank which fired, obliterating them. Wasting no more time, Erwin almost hurled himself out of the hatch, sprinting back into the room. His eyes quickly scanning the room for the warhammer, he began to search the room, wincing as he came across the brutalized corpse of Valder. However, he tore his eyes away from the corpse, he had to find the warhammer. He walked some more, investigating the corner where the mage and archer had died but he still couldn¡¯t find it. As he was beginning to lose hope, he then stumbled across an orcish corpse but not like any of the others, this one was Jormand.


    With a heavy sigh, he shook his head, wondering if this was all worth it. Then, nearby, he sighted a warhammer, one of exquisite make. Remembering the description, he recognized this to be the artifact and with a sudden burst of adrenaline, he grabbed its handle, surprised at the weight of the thing. However, his adrenaline helping him lift it, Erwin turning and shuffling back to the tank, hoping to whatever being was up there that there weren¡¯t any more orcs to deal with.


    This time, fortune smiled upon him and he made it back to his tank without too much trouble, struggling for a few moments as he transferred the hammer inside his tank, he didn¡¯t want to damage the interior. Once the hammer was safely secured in the tank, he prepared to leave, however, something stopped him. There have been several losses and just obtaining the artifact didn¡¯t feel like enough. This was a once in a time opportunity to obtain more artifacts for humanity to use, it could be the very difference between victory and defeat.


    He couldn¡¯t ignore such a thing so once more entering the vault, he began to select what appeared to be the most useful, selecting the electric sword that was in Valder¡¯s hands and the shield that was on the corpse of Jormand. Then remembering the mage who held most of the Surveyor¡¯s items, he decided that he¡¯d take it back with them, taking from her the satchel. But as he was about to leave, he noticed something in her hands, a strange looking amulet. Deciding that she had chosen it for a special reason, he placed it in the satchel. He stood up again, leaving the room at a hurried walk, his luger drawn and ready for combat.


    However, for whatever reason, he didn¡¯t encounter any orcs on his way back to the tank, although he soon found a bunch hanging around his tank. He cursed, he¡¯d have to draw them away as there were too many for him to kill. He shouldn¡¯t have wasted his time with the artifacts. However, he had and now he had to deal with this problem. He then looked through the various items that the Surveyor had given in aid, looking for something that could help. There was some stuff but most of them were spells that he couldn¡¯t wield or items he didn¡¯t know the purpose of.


    He gave up looking for a helpful item, closing his eyes as he tried to think of a solution. Then, a thought struck him. He made his way back into the vault which was fortunately still empty. He checked the hallway to make sure that there were no orcs and then he entered, grabbing a golden helmet. He then hurled it across the vault chamber to the wall which his tank was just opposite of, turning and running as he did so. He ran out and dove around the corner, peeking to make sure that the orcs had gone to investigate. When he saw a group of them turn the corner heading towards the vault door, he then began to make his way around the vault itself, arriving on the other side where he saw his tank.


    There were still two orcs but these he could deal with. He took careful aim and clipped one in the head and the other in his leg. Once they were down, he charged, shooting dead the one that was directly in front of him and ignoring the other as he leapt on top of his tank, throwing open the hatch and hopping in. Closing it above him, he activated the tank, the machine guns immediately bursting into life and cutting down the wounded orc. He immediately began to back out, rocking around inside the tank as it backed over the rubble. Then, it got stuck, Erwin wondering just what it was caught on. He drove forward a few inches and then reversed, but got stuck again.


    As the orcs began to near, although deterred by the machine guns, Erwin maneuvered the tank so that it was facing the outside, using his main cannon to blast a path forward. He then drove out, bursting from the palace wall as he began to ride towards the nearest gate. The gate had already been closed but a few shots and the entire momentum of a speeding tank removed the obstacle, Erwin able to escape, although minus four people and a large orc horde at his back.


    However, the orc horde was unable to keep chase, he was just too fast and so it was only Erwin and his tank. In order to prevent being followed, he used the map to take him through treacherous terrain as well as places where traces of his travel would soon disappear. Of course, such actions took up time and so, three months later, he was back in human territory with the Hammer of Thavrar as well as the three other artifacts he had bought. However, he didn¡¯t dare relax just yet, even in human territory, there was still the potential of danger. Fortunately, there was none and he soon arrived at the fortress, greeted with cheers. The cheers intensified when Erwin emerged, holding up the Hammer of Thavrar, growing louder as he began to reveal the other artifacts that he had reclaimed.


    But, when he exited the tank and only he alone, the cheers began to dampen, the cold realization washing over them. He was the sole survivor, the other four were dead. As the crowd digested this, Erwin jumped down, his feet landing on the earth with a thud. Leaving the artifacts lying on the top of his tank, he waved for others to transport them to a safer area, making his way towards the communication crystal.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    He soon stood before it, the mage already alerting the Elder Council of Erwin¡¯s return.


    Soon enough, the crystal lit up and the Seventh Elder¡¯s voice spoke, ¡°I hope to hear good news, Erwin.¡±


    Erwin reported, ¡°I have managed to successfully retrieve the Hammer as well as a few other artifacts which may be of some use. However, I am the only survivor.¡±


    There was silence for a few moments before the Seventh Elder¡¯s voice returned.


    ¡°The loss of the team is... unfortunate. They shall be remembered for their valorous sacrifice. However, the news about the retrieval of several artifacts including the Hammer is good news, you have done well Erwin. But, your task is not yet finished. When we attempt to contact the dwarves about the matter of the Hammer, I would like you to be a part of the ambassador¡¯s escort.¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°As you wish. When is the mission to begin?¡±


    The Seventh Elder said, ¡°Well we must first speak to the Librarian as well as select the proper ambassador, a month from now is when the journey shall begin. Rest now Erwin, you have earned it.¡±


    Erwin said, ¡°I shall do my best.¡±


    The Seventh Elder chuckled and the communications crystal fell dark, Erwin exiting the mage tower. He decided to follow the orders of the Elder and rest, he had come to realize its importance and as of late, he wasn¡¯t haunted as much. However, even if it had gotten better, it had not disappeared and four new voices were added to the ones which already bore him guilt.


    But, Erwin managed to justify their deaths this time, they had volunteered for the job and knew what it entailed, even if some of them were a bit too young. But in such times, the young were the only assets that could be used as the experienced were too valuable or already dead. However, even with this justification, it didn¡¯t erase the fact that Erwin might¡¯ve been able to arrive earlier if he hadn¡¯t been so hesitant, perhaps he might¡¯ve saved them.


    But the voices, his justifications, and his guilt soon drifted away as sleep claimed him, he had pushed himself too far this time, so much so that not even his guilt could keep him awake.


    As he slept, the Alliance was busy with the preparations for a dwarvish alliance, the Seventh Elder charged with personally going to the Librarian to ask about the location of the dwarvish capital. As he sat on the boat which would take him there, he gazed absentmindedly at the great octagonal pyramid which housed the Library. He wondered just how such a place had come to be, had it always been here?


    He could easily imagine that this strange structure existed since the creation of Agleon itself, enduring both time and the elements throughout the ages. Then there was its Librarian, an equally mysterious and long-lived figure if its tale was to be believed. A supposed perfect being, one who still obeyed the purpose given by its creator long ago.


    Then the boat reached the perfectly circular adamant foundation of Otium, here being where the Seventh Elder went on alone. The Custodians suddenly appeared out of black gates and began to escort him, the Seventh Elder also wondering about these strange beings. Were they constructs or were they once mortal? Either way, the Librarian was a powerful individual, one could even call him a god. However, he put such thoughts aside as he entered the Library, following the path that he remembered from his last visit. He then found himself once more in that strange garden space, with the Librarian sitting opposite of him at a circular table.


    He took his seat, sitting there in silence for a few moments, wondering exactly what to do. However, he didn¡¯t have to wonder for long as the Librarian directed its gaze to him.


    ¡°I assume things have gone well.¡±


    The Seventh nodded.


    ¡°Yes, Erwin has returned with a few extra artifacts as well as the Hammer. We are ready to begin the journey to the dwarves.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°So you need the location. Well, what are you willing to give me for that information?¡±


    The Seventh sighed, ¡°Well, the other artifacts that Erwin retrieved could be used as payment, we would give you one of them. But if that becomes necessary, could I at least first know what those artifacts do?¡±


    The Librarian thought a moment and nodded.


    ¡°I suppose the value of one artifact can cover all of that rather neatly. But since there is a little bit left over, I think I shall accompany you.¡±


    The Seventh paled.


    ¡°Surely, the value of one artifact isn¡¯t enough to make you move personally.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°You are right in thinking that. But I¡¯m not just doing this because of the artifact, I do this more for myself, to revisit the land of the dwarves after so long. I am rather curious as to what things have changed and the knowledge that I will gain from this trip would be more than enough as payment. Besides, I needed an excuse to travel there and with you, I now have it.¡±


    The Seventh bowed his head.


    ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t feel right with-¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°I too do things of my own volition, I do not just give and take. This just happens to be a beneficial coincidence. Now, let us see those artifacts, I assume you want this to be over with quickly.¡±


    The Seventh nodded numbly and suddenly, a gate was brought into existence, the Librarian gesturing for him to follow before stepping through. He blinked as the sudden sunlight assaulted his eyes, although he soon got over it. He then found himself in the middle of New Haven Port, their presence disturbing the ongoings of the port. At first suspicious, the people of the port raised their weapons, unsure about this new threat. However, that was all solved when the Seventh displayed his badge as a member of the Elder Council, the people apologizing profusely for not recognizing him and offering all of their services in recompense.


    However, the Seventh merely asked to see the artifacts and this was done without any fuss, the people of the port had no wish to anger one of the Elders. As for the company he kept, they decided not to ask questions, it seemed that he was a rather important individual as well.


    But all of this was of no concern to the Librarian who only made his way to the artifacts, looking over the shield, the sword, and the strange amulet.


    Finally, he pointed to the sword.


    ¡°This, as you likely guessed, is imbued with a spell related to electricity, all one needs to do is channel their own mana into the sword and they can wield electricity. As for what can be done with said electricity, imagination and one¡¯s mana pool are the only limitations. With it, you can summon lightning and with enough mana, a lightning storm. The sword itself is made of mithril, an excellent conduit for mana and of reliable strength as I¡¯m sure you know.¡±


    He then turned to the hexagonal shield.


    ¡°This is a device solely for defense. While it itself is made of a crystal lattice whose structure is extremely sturdy¡ªmeaning that it can block most types of attacks with ease¡ªonce again with the infusion of mana, it can become the center of a far larger barrier, capable of shielding a small group of soldiers. And if it is the center of a large magic circle, it can even create a shield large enough to defend a small city. There isn¡¯t really a limit to the size of the barrier except for the amount of mana.¡±


    He finally turned to the small amulet, the Librarian falling silent as he beheld it.


    Finally, he spoke, ¡°This amulet is a Foci for all types of magic, it will greatly enhance the strength and efficiency of a mage¡¯s spell, allowing them to utilize an amount of mana to accomplish the most productive outcome. It is essentially a portable enhancement circle. As for how much it enhances one¡¯s magic, if this were given to one of the rather shoddy mages of today, it would enhance their magic to be on par with that of an Archmage, although of course, it is not a replacement for skill. And if this were to be given to an Archmage, their magic would surpass that of Ieros at his peak.¡±


    The Seventh Elder gulped as he heard the marvelous effects of all these items.These would''ve been considered the weaker of artifacts butin such desperate times, they truly seemed to be gifts from the Gods.


    The Seventh Elder pondered heavily on this matter, finally saying, "I think I must decide with the other Elders, would that be alright?"


    The Librarian nodded.


    "Of course, this is a decision that is far too large for one man. I shall give you three days to decide, I shall await you in my Library."


    With that, the Librarian left through a gate, leaving the Seventh alone with the artifacts. The Seventh let loose a deep breath, one leg trembling nervously. It was partly because of the value of these artifacts and the sudden absence of the Librarian''s overwhelming presence, even though the Librarian never proved to be hostile he couldn''t bring himself to be comfortable in his presence. He just sighed, perhaps he''ll stay here at New Haven Port for the night.

 Poll About What Artifact is to be Given Up

    Context of the Alliance''s current situation.


    The Alliance is a shadow of the might they once possessed a thousand years before. Great warriors, tacticians, and mages were long since lost and the Alliance has never been able to regain such things. Only with the recent aid of the Librarian has the Alliance begun to explore the lost branches of magic, their mages regaining the knowledge of their ancient ancestors. They''ve also begun to conquer more land, these settlements currently safe with the patrolling Tank, however, that will not remain forever. With the Shield Artifact, this would further ensure their safety. It could also be used in conjunction with the Tank with perhaps a few mages in possession of the Foci, allowing for an even harder to kill tank with a crew of enhanced mages to wreak havoc. The Shield can also be used in conjunction with the Sword, allowing for great offense and defense, although their capabilities would only be seventy percent of what they could be with the Foci as support.


    They also plan¡ªwith the aid of the dwarves¡ªto begin to invade deeper into orcish territory, they need a powerful offense in order to spearhead this operation and while the Tank could spearhead this operation, it would leave their territories without the Tank to defend them. With the Sword Artifact, they''d be able to start this offensive push while keeping their territories safe with Erwin, although they would then lack his strategic genius on the battlefield. They could also combine both in a doubly devastating offensive, hoping that the orcs would be too busy focused on them to retake the lost territory. Said sword can be enhanced by the Foci amulet to utilize Lightning to even higher heights, it''s destructive capabilities at the very least to be doubled in the hands of even a moderately skilled mage or swordsman. While the mage would be better for the unique utilization of Lightning, this can also be put in the hands of a swordsman, who can combine the powers of electricity with his technique, making for a powerful glass cannon on the battlefield. Either way, the offensive capabilities of the Alliance would be at the very least doubled.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    While they''ve recently began to dabble in enhancement magic circles, these are currently terribly inefficient and can only sustain the lower tiers of spells. In order to accomplish higher tiers of magic, they''d need to either improve said circles¡ªa process that would take decades if not centuries¡ªor possess the Foci amulet. The Foci can be used in conjunction with the other two artifacts but can also enhance the capabilities of the mages. A team of the most powerful mages the Alliance has to offer can be gathered and working through the Foci, they can achieve great acts of Magic previously only known before the Great Calamity. If the great acts of Magic before the Great Calamity are classified by a quantity of X, then the current capabilities of the mages would be a mere tenth. It would increase a mage''s strength tenfold. And Magic is not solely limited to offensive capabilities, the Foci can enhance the capabilities of healers who would now be able to heal the more deadly wounds with greater chances of success.


    TLDR: Basically, the Alliance can only choose two of the three artifacts.


    1. Powerful Offense


    2. Powerful Defense


    3. Powerful Support


    Powerful Offense + Powerful Support = x2 Offense (this is a vague estimation)


    Powerful Defense + Powerful Support = x2 Defense (also vague)


    Powerful Offense + Powerful Defense = A good balance of the two (not as effective with Support)

 Heads up.

    I have severely overestimated the amount of free time I have so the next chap will come out this coming weekend which is the beginning of summer for me (yay). After that, I should be able to pump out chapters far more frequently as the editing process of early chapters, of which I managed to go up to 11 chapters so far. And the extra week for writing isn''t necessarily so bad, it will give more time for people to answer the poll and give a more accurate answer as to what you guys would want to see gone. Anyways, with finals coming sooner than summer, I fear I must bid thee adieu until then.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Also since someone asked, the discord</a>

 Chapter 92: Departure

    The chamber was silent as everyone¡¯s attention was focused on the three artifacts at the room¡¯s center. They had argued and argued over which one to give up on for the majority of three days, making absolutely no headway in reaching a decision. And then, suddenly, a dark gate opened, it was the Librarian. He had come for the decision of the Elder Council, a decision that had not yet been made. However, the time limit was up and ready or not, he will have his answer.


    ¡°I trust you have reached a decision about which artifact you will give me.¡±


    The room was silent, the Elders unsure of what to choose.


    Finally, the Seventh Elder stood, saying, ¡°We haven¡¯t reached a decision just yet, we would like some more time to-¡±


    The Librarian raised a hand, silencing him.


    ¡°I gave you three days, you shall have no more time. A decision you shall make now, or I shall decide what it is I shall take.¡±


    As the Seventh Elder attempted to argue for more time, the Librarian promptly ignored him, making his way to the artifacts. He then stood before them all, finally selecting the Sword.


    ¡°This I shall take.¡±


    The Seventh Elder asked, ¡°Um, could I ask why?¡±


    The Librarian directed him a glance before returning his attention to the sword.


    ¡°It shall make easier the experiment I plan to conduct later.¡±


    He took a hold of the sword, unsheathing it. The Seventh Elder attempted to warn him that if he did, the sword would retaliate but he was too late, the Librarian had already drawn the blade. And as expected, lightning shot forth, however the Librarian¡¯s hand remained unharmed, unsheathing the blade without fear. Once it was fully drawn, the blade threatened to explode with energy, the lightning increasing in intensity.


    Then the Librarian spoke a word, a word of the First Language, a word which held the essence of Authority. Upon hearing this word, the sword suddenly fell still, the blade now entirely subservient to his will. He returned it to its scabbard, facing the Elders one last time.


    ¡°I shall return in a month¡¯s time when you choose your envoy, I hope then I will not be forced to wait.¡±


    His silver eye held them all in place before he turned and disappeared into the depths of the black gate. With his disappearance, the Elders all let out a collective sigh before they began their preparations for the journey to the Dwarves, they had a month and if they weren¡¯t prepared by it... well they didn¡¯t want to disappoint the Librarian a second time. Preparations were immediately begun, plans thought up, and candidates for the envoys selected.


    Since there were two races that were a part of the Alliance, the Elders wished to also have two ambassadors, one an elf and the other a human. This may be difficult to accomplish but the Elders decided that it was for the best, spreading the word throughout the floating cities that two of the best and brightest of their populace would be chosen to represent the Alliance.


    Because of this, the great floating cities were filled with a level of activity never before seen in recent memory, not since their building. With nothing to do but wallow away in self-pity and regret, humanity and the elves had begun to atrophy, stuck on their gradually deteriorating prisons of wood. With the decay came conflict, elves and men were first united out of common fear but with that fear now across the sea, they once more saw the flaws in each other.


    The millennia since the Calamity was not entirely filled with peace, there had been small conflicts between elves and men, the blood from the dead dripping into the endless ocean. Hundreds died in the conflict and that was when the Elders at the time took action, using what artifacts remained to them to bring an end to the violence. For the sake of peace, the elves and men were segregated and while this prevented violence, for the most part, this did little to alleviate the hostility between the two.


    Each side believed that the other possessed secret benefits that they themselves didn¡¯t have and this only increased their spite for each other. And it certainly didn¡¯t help things that Light¡¯s Champion was yet another human, while this, in turn, delighted the humans it only reinforced the elves¡¯ hate of them.


    Each side sought ways to humiliate the other and to prove that they were the better and this mindset bled into the process for choosing envoys. Humans and elves competed aggressively, taking this as a chance to prove their superiority. However, with the due date looming over them, the Elder Council did not allow such trivialities to interfere, using their authority and power to expedite the process of choosing the candidates, quickly returning order and making the process as civil as they could get it.


    Even so, this did not mean that there was peace and it soon became known that there were groups of both elves and humans who were out to sabotage the envoy candidates. The violence escalated from there, with humans and elves attacking one another even in broad daylight. While the Elder Council did their best to quell the violence, they were but a few trying to stop the many, and most of their soldiers were on land protecting the territory.


    And so, rather unsurprisingly, the Elder Council was unable to choose any envoys as when they approached the candidates, asking if they¡¯d be willing to work with a member of the other race, they refused. The enmity between the two races was so strong that no envoys could be chosen among the candidates which showed the greatest amount of promise among the populace and so the Elder Council was once more forced to greet the Librarian a month later with empty hands.


    The Librarian had predicted that such an outcome might occur so he wasn¡¯t unduly displeased, although he still made it known to the Council. If they could not rule their population as it was now, how would they rule the lands that they wish to regain? Needless to say, the answer that the Librarian concluded was no, they wouldn¡¯t be able to rule. Things would need to be changed and the Librarian knew how it could be done, although of course, he wouldn¡¯t help unless the proper price was paid.


    It seemed that he would have to choose his own envoy, now that he was given no choice. He would¡¯ve rathered that the envoy be chosen by the Alliance but with the enmity between elves and men still burning strong, he would have to take over. And so that was exactly what he did. Instead of selecting two ambassadors as the Council wished, he would only select one and as for the race, he could hardly care less. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Already, too much time had been wasted, although that couldn¡¯t really be helped. It was best that Alliance¡¯s matters be solved by the Alliance, without his interference. But now such a thing was needed, otherwise, it was likely that the Alliance would take far too long to choose an ambassador.


    And so, closing his eye, the Librarian commanded the host of shadows inhabiting the cities to go forth and find him an envoy. An envoy was quickly found, an elven cleric, one who put aside the differences of races to care only for the unfortunate and the orphaned. In her, the Librarian found that the chances for successful negotiation to be the highest, her genuine concern for the Alliance would help in convincing the dwarves to act.


    And while the dwarves may not worship Light as their patron goddess, they would still show respect to one of her clerics. Overall, the chances of success were rather high, unless something had happened to the dwarves in their millennia of isolation. Which was highly possible of course, for whatever reason, the shadows within the land of the dwarves were not so easily controlled and while the Surveyor could command them with but little more effort, it was better to go there in a mortal form which would better be able to deal with the strange dampener.


    Of course, the Surveyor had a few ideas as to what it was, most notably being Agleon herself. The power of Agleon was not something to be ignored, it had encountered it plenty of times before in shadows deep beneath the earth, in caves that are sealed with no way in or out. He could sense those shadows however the power of Agleon kept him at bay. He could push through, but that would earn the ire of the very essence of the world he was on, to have so large of an enemy that he¡¯d rather not kill, it was simply not desirable. Peaceful would be his method, first an excuse to enter, and then diplomacy.


    Much like how the envoy would appear before the dwarves, with an excuse in the shape of their King¡¯s weapon, and negotiations in which hopefully dwarven support is secured. After all, this was the first war of its scale that the Surveyor would bear witness, a war that would encompass half of the world. And that wasn¡¯t even taking into account the conflict that had been continuing throughout the millennia on Ortus, an eternal war between the great Saurians and the Imperial Austerians.


    Once things were taken care of here, it would have to direct its attention there. If the war had not yet progressed beyond fighting at the borders, the Surveyor may knock over a few dominoes, war was always such a fascinating thing to study. But, that was for a later time, right now, the Surveyor had to focus on the task before it, beginning first by paying his new envoy a visit.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIllithar¡ª


    ¡°Oh Stefan, did you trip again?¡±


    I knelt down by the crying boy, Stefan nodding his head tearfully, I sighed.


    ¡°What did I tell you about running down the stairs Stefan, you can¡¯t do that, otherwise you¡¯ll trip and fall.¡±


    He nodded again and feeling sorry for him, I said, ¡°How about this, I¡¯ll kiss your boo-boos.¡±


    I leaned in and kissed his knee that he was cradling, saying, ¡°There, all better?¡±


    He suddenly burst into laughter, exclaiming, ¡°Haha, I got you good Big Sis! I¡¯m a good actor huh!¡±


    He stood there proudly as I pouted.


    ¡°Stefan, you really had me worried!¡±


    He only stuck out his tongue and ran away, causing me to shake my head as I watched him go. I stood up and prepared to go care for the other children when I felt something tug on my habit.


    I looked down and saw Irene, asking, ¡°What is it dear?¡±


    She said, ¡°There¡¯s a strange man at the door, he said he wants to see you.¡±


    I frowned, a strange man? As questions whirled around in my mind, I made my way to the door. I felt his presence before I even saw him, it was just so oppressive that I actually had trouble breathing. He had to be a mage, that was the only explanation, was he going to take one of the kids? The thought of them steeled my heart, I wouldn¡¯t allow this mage to take them.


    So, I opened the door, saying, ¡°You cannot take these children, I won¡¯t let you, I-¡±


    However, he just held up a hand, saying, ¡°It is not the children that I want, it is you.¡±


    I was prepared to hurl more words at him until I understood what he had just said, my mind pulling a blank. Me? He wanted me?


    Seeing my confusion, he said, ¡°Out of the entire population of the Alliance, I have found only you to be worthy of becoming an envoy which is why I am now here, to inform you that you will be the envoy to the Dwarven Kingdom.¡±


    Finally, I found my words.


    ¡°W-what are you talking about?¡±


    He said, ¡°You are the only one I found to be suitable for the position and as such, I¡¯m afraid that you do not have much choice in the matter. I simply thought it proper that I inform you first before taking you away.¡±


    I protested, ¡°I can¡¯t just leave the children, they need me, I-¡±


    The hooded man held up a hand, saying, ¡°They shall be cared for, I will have the Elders of the Council swear to it. Their safety is guaranteed so you have-¡±


    More questions filled my mind but the foremost of them I couldn¡¯t help but blurt out.


    ¡°Who are you!?¡±


    He tilted his head, seeming to think before saying, ¡°Ah, my apologies, it seems I have forgotten to introduce myself.¡±


    He then bowed his head, saying, ¡°I am the Librarian, otherwise known as the Master of Otium.¡±


    When he raised it, his one remaining eye staring deep into my own, it suddenly clicked. He was the Librarian, the god-like being who resided in his palace of obsidian glass, a being who could answer any wish if one paid the proper price... But why did he choose me?


    As if he knew I had the question, he said, ¡°You are simply the most suitable candidate, and of course, I shall repay you for what you do. You will do me a great service and in return, I am willing to grant you a wish. Of course, it cannot be a wish that is exceedingly incredible, but one bound by mortal limitations. There is no time limit on this wish, you may come to me when you have decided upon it. Now, please do come along, we have a journey to begin.¡±


    However, I couldn¡¯t just go.


    ¡°But the children, they need me, I-¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°They shall be cared for, no danger shall befall them. If you so wish, I can have one of my Custodians guard them, their safety shall be assured.¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I cannot ask that of you, why would you go to such lengths just for me?¡±


    The Librarian corrected me.


    ¡°This is not for you, Illithar, this is for the fate of the entire world. The Alliance will not be able to conquer the orcs without the aid of the dwarves, and you are the only suitable envoy with any chance of making that happen. What you will do will decide the fate of every man and elf alike, even those children. I¡¯m afraid you have no choice in the matter, although you can refuse and doom the Alliance to forever decay on its floating prisons.¡±


    I blinked, only beginning to understand the gravity of the situation.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s up to me? But I can¡¯t do that, I-I¡¯m just a cleric, I-¡±


    The Librarian then placed a hand on my shoulder, saying, ¡°Even if you believe you cannot, you must. I will not lie to you, the task before you is daunting and even with Fortune standing by your side, you could still fail. However, Fortune does stand by you, more so than any person here. You must do this for only you alone possess the greatest potential of success.¡±


    I took in those words, it honestly took me a few minutes. After all, it wasn¡¯t every day that such a large responsibility fell on one¡¯s shoulders. But, I thought of the children once more, I could ensure their future with this, I could make sure that they wouldn¡¯t have to suffer as I did. Determination blossomed and I nodded.


    ¡°Very-very well then. At least let me say my goodbyes.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Please, do take your time. I shall be waiting here.¡±

 Chapter 93: Departure 2

    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ªIllithar¡ª


    With the Librarian waiting at the foot of the door, I turned and went to the children, calling them all to me. As they all gathered, their cheerful little faces staring up at mine, I once more felt doubt in my heart, could I really just leave them all here to go on a mission to Light knows where? As they stood there, unsure of what to do as I was silent, I finally managed to say,


    ¡°Children, I... I have something that I must do. I-I have to go somewhere.¡±


    Immediately, the children began to protest, some of them even beginning to cry. Holding back tears of my own, I hugged those that were, patting them on the back as I said,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be back. But I probably won¡¯t return after a long time, because it¡¯s a very important thing I have to do.¡±


    One of the children in my arms hugged me tightly, crying,


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t let you go!¡±


    I smiled, barely holding back the tears as I hugged him back, saying, ¡°I have to go Herun, it¡¯s for you that I do this, it¡¯s for all of you. If I don¡¯t go, your futures will be dark, just like mine was when I was your age. I don¡¯t want that for you, I want you to run free in the forests, to play in the grass, to shout off the top of hills... I want you to have the things I didn¡¯t have as a little girl.¡±


    Herun sniffled.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want that, I want you to stay!¡±


    I smiled as I wiped away the tears off of his face.


    ¡°I will come back, then we can run in the forest and play in the grass together.¡±


    ¡°Pinkie-promise?¡±


    I looked at his proffered pinkie and smile again, interlocking my pinkie with his.


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    He then shakily let go, saying, ¡°If you break it, I will never brush my teeth again!¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I will keep my promise Herun.¡±


    I then gave hugs and similar promises to every other child, unwilling to let go of the last one because I knew the moment I stood would be the moment I would have to leave. But, eventually, I managed to release myself from the child¡¯s embrace, saying one last final goodbye, turning my back on them for perhaps the last time. That thought threatened to stop me in my tracks but once more, I managed to conquer it, I will return. The children, I do this for the children, so that they can have a future on land.


    ¡°Now then, please, follow me.¡±


    The Librarian turned and walked through a black rectangle which came into existence, disappearing through. I took a deep breath and looked back, seeing the children who waved goodbye. I waved and then I turned and stepped through the gate. For a brief few moments, I felt a cold, a cold I can only imagine that death brings. It was also black, terribly black, black everywhere, I couldn¡¯t see anything. Just as I thought that I was lead to die, I suddenly saw a light before me and I reached out towards it, finding myself outside again, the sunlight was never so warm.


    As I rubbed my arms, attempting to bring some warmth to them, I looked around, finding myself to be on... land? I crouched down, the cold forgotten as I cautiously grasped the brown solid in front of me, covered in these little green thing that were full of life.


    Seeing my reaction, the Librarian said, ¡°Ah, is it your first time?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°I was born on the island cities, I saw land from a distance but I... I never actually set foot on it.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°Well, take some time to absorb it, we will have to set sail soon.¡±


    ¡°Set sail?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°To reach the dwarves, it is far faster and safer to go by sea.¡±


    My face fell a bit and he said, ¡°Well, you will have to bear with being on the sea once more, so do take your time. You shouldn¡¯t encounter danger but if you do, just call for me. I must go now, to find Erwin.¡±


    He then left me there, leaving me all alone. But, before I got too worried, I once more focused on the earth in my hand, feeling the slightly damp soil in my fingers. I felt, different here. As if I finally belonged. This was what the children would have if I succeeded and this only hardened my resolve. Sometime later, the Librarian returned with a strangely dressed man, his striking uniform and pale blue eyes. Those eyes focused on me and I quickly bowed my head, standing up and brushing my hands against my habit, unsure of what to do.


    The Librarian ignored all of this, saying, ¡°Erwin, this is to be the elven envoy to the dwarves, her name is Illithar. And Illithar, I trust you know Erwin, Light¡¯s Chosen.¡±


    I gasped and deeply bowed, saying, ¡°I-It¡¯s an honor to meet you, oh Champion of Light, please forgive me for not-¡±


    The man interrupted, his voice possessing a slight accent, ¡°No need to be so formal elf, we have places to be so I¡¯d rather we get to the point.¡±


    Surprised, I kept my mouth shut as the Librarian said, ¡°Not one for chatting I see, well, all the same, we must go. Please, do follow me.¡±


    Erwin nodded and left to go somewhere, worried I asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t he joining us?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s simply getting something. In the meantime, please come with me.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    He then began to walk towards the ocean, a platform of stone creating itself under his feet, creating a wide stone bridge for the two of us to walk on. As I followed, tales of the Librarian filled my mind, about the rumors told of him. That he was a god capable of bringing whatever it was you wished to life, as well as possessing an eye which could see into your very soul.


    And, there were some who even believed him to be the ancient Archmage Ieros, after all, wasn¡¯t it said that Ieros too had one eye? However, it really was him, why had he chosen now to return, why didn¡¯t he help us before?


    My curiosity got the better of me and tentatively, I asked, ¡°Are you Ieros?¡±


    He stopped and turned to face me, his eye shining brightly for a moment before dimming to its usual soft glow.


    ¡°What will you pay for that knowledge?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that so I kept silent, the Librarian turning away, almost seeming a bit disappointed.


    ¡°Well little one, if you wish to be successful in your mission, you must be a bit more decisive. You must be willing to pay a price.¡±


    I could only nod.


    ¡°I-I will try.¡±


    He then stopped and said, ¡°Now then, what would you prefer: a large or small ship?¡±


    Surprised by his question, I asked, ¡°Um, what?¡±


    He repeated, ¡°A large or small ship? Which one would you prefer.¡±


    Finally, I said, ¡°Um, asmall one?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°Please, stand back for the moment, I shall begin.¡±


    I was about to ask what it was he was going to begin when I suddenly saw the waves die down, the ocean within a hundred-foot radius becoming as still as a mirror. Amazed, I could only watch with my mouth wide open as in the air, a black tear opened in space and something began to emerge. It was a ship, but a ship unlike any other. The hull appeared to be made entirely out of metal, with no sails in sight. It slowly floated down until it met the water¡¯s surface, not sinking down as I had first thought but amazingly floating.


    Was it magic? However, the Librarian didn¡¯t explain, merely creating a ramp of stone up to the ship¡¯s side and walking onto the deck. I could only follow, turning to face the land only to see a strange hulking mass of metal rumble near.


    I grabbed at the Librarian¡¯s cloak in fear, saying, ¡°Sir Librarian, there is something approaching!¡±


    He looked at it and then dismissed it, saying, ¡°That is Erwin, there is nothing to fear.¡±


    Confused, I looked back, only to see it drawing even closer. The Librarian just calmly moved out of its path, telling me to do the same. I did so and the great thundering beast of iron made contact with the deck, the ship rocking from side to side but not as much as I would¡¯ve expected.


    The thing made its way to the center of the deck, the rumbling sound coming to a stop as it fell still. Clanking noises were heard and suddenly, I saw something open and from within Erwin appeared. I was so terribly confused but none offered any explanation, the Librarian instead heading to the prow as the ship began to move, although I couldn¡¯t see a proper reason for our movement.


    Seeing my confused look, Erwin just patted me on the shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. The Librarian does many things you could scarcely believe, it is best just to accept it.¡±


    I could only nod as he walked off, going to explore the rest of the ship. As for me, I remained on the deck for a bit longer, casting my gaze on the seashore, longing to walk upon it. Then, my eyes turned to the back of the Librarian, his still figure like that of a statue, impervious to the light winds which played with the cloth of my habit.


    He then spoke, startling me as he said, ¡°If you feel tired, just enter the ship¡¯s interior. Within you will find a golem which will lead you to wherever you wish.¡±


    I nodded, even though he was facing away from me. However, I didn¡¯t decide to go just yet, making my way to the ship¡¯s railing and peering over the side, watching as the metal ship cut through the waves like a knife through butter. And while I haven¡¯t been on a ship of this size, I could tell that it was really fast, perhaps too fast. I suddenly got a nauseous feeling from peering overboard and I stumbled back, sitting on the deck to recover.


    After a few deep breaths, I steadied myself enough to make my way to the door leading inside, casting one more glance at the Librarian before entering.


    <h3 style="text-align: center">¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The ship that sailed now was obviously the first of its kind to grace the seas of Agleon. It was inspired from the great ships that the Librarian saw in the memories of Erwin, about the so-called ships of steel called Dreadnoughts. He assumed that the guns worked the same as the ones on tanks just on a larger scale, although the ship¡¯s method of propulsion still eluded him.


    Erwin only mentioned that it had something to do with steam as well as a machine which could convert the energy in steam¡¯s pressure into energy for propelling the ship. While he couldn¡¯t remake it just yet, he was still able to take the hull¡¯s design to make for efficient travel, using mana instead to move the ship. However, he was exceedingly curious about these said dreadnoughts, and hopefully, with what hints he was able to gather from Erwin¡¯s memories, he could start experiments to replicate it as best he can.


    Even now, as the Librarian stood directing the ship, the Surveyor was already working on solving this puzzle, its mind simulating countless experiments with which to begin figuring out the workings of the dreadnought. Truly, there were so many things for it to find out. But, of course, all in due time.


    For now, the dreadnought and an excursion to the land of the dwarves were the tasks to be focused on, as well as the seeds that it had planted in Ortus and Occasus. It had not forgotten either of them but as the seed in Ortus was in its nascent period and the seed known as Yargulw wasn¡¯t doing anything of great import, it only placed minimal importance on them, with the majority of its focus on the two projects before it.


    And focus it did, making sure that the ship remained quite unharmed in its journey to the West, the might of the Librarian playing a great part. Smaller beasts were deterred by the overwhelming mana that he possessed and larger ones were instead dealt with force, for there was no quicker way to teach authority, although said authority won¡¯t be guaranteed to remain. But for travel, it will suffice.


    Unfortunately, as they were traveling relatively near the coast, the Librarian did not encounter any new creatures with which to add to his repertoire of knowledge but there were unusually large specimens of species which did peak his interest, the Librarian conducting studies of them for the duration of the trip, with Illithar and sometimes Erwin peering at his findings.


    Illithar was of course very curious, this being her first time in the outside world and seeing all of these things. She often sat with the Librarian, partly because there wasn¡¯t much else to do, and asked him many questions which the Librarian answered. He didn¡¯t ask for payment of said knowledge because the trade was already done, she was his key to a peaceful entrance into the land of the dwarves and that was a rather valuable thing. As such, to satiate her curiosity about the sea¡¯s flora and fauna weren¡¯t things he felt was necessary to withhold and besides, it was always a pleasure to enlighten one who wished to learn.


    Unfortunately, such people were a rarity among the world of mortals, most learn what they learn for their own gain, not simply because they wish to know. They learn to better themselves, not simply because learning is a wonderful experience. In fact, most view it to be rather troublesome, although they still push through for the sake of benefit.


    But people like Illithar were a breath of fresh air, to these people the Librarian didn¡¯t mind giving knowledge for free. Perhaps it was because she, while mature, was as ignorant as a child. She had been raised in the orphanage with only the teachings of Light as her main education. And since that was all she knew, she was satisfied and never asked questions. But now, with the answer to all the questions that she could possibly ask to be standing in her presence, her curiosity was awakened.


    And like a parent who answers the questions of an excited child, the Librarian taught her of all she wanted to know, provided that it wasn¡¯t something that she shouldn¡¯t know. But as she merely desired to know more about the world itself, he had no reason to deny her. And besides, she would need to learn things to negotiate with the dwarves and the Librarian planned to teach her all that she would need, although this time, he would have to demand a price.

 Chapter 94: The Trees Are Alive

    On their way to the Dwarven Kingdom, the Librarian coached Illithar on how to act before the dwarves, mostly about how to ask them for aid. The Hammer will be given right away and help must be asked for. But the way she must go about asking must not be too desperate. The dwarves would be thankful but not so thankful as to immediately throw themselves into war against the orcs. After all, the dwarves have survived this long because they avoided conflict, instead choosing to hide deep in their underground cities.


    And who could blame them, the outside world fell apart, but the earth was safe. There, the Crystallum of Agleon protected her against both fiends and demons. But since they are weak above ground, the Crystallum stayed below and so did the dwarves, sealing the entrances to the surface. Thus, they were saved and the world above fell to the Calamity.


    As such, their mindset would be one to maintain the very thing which ensured their safety, which would mean that even if they got the Hammer of Thavrar, they may refuse to help. Erwin and the technology of his world could also help with this, bolstering the confidence of the dwarves with new technology to wage war against the orcs. As such, it was best to start out small, first ask just for the production of weapons, so that the Alliance can better face the orcs on equal ground.


    That was what the Librarian advised she secure first, military aid would be nice but not something to be immediately achieved. After all, they could not afford to alienate the dwarves. If immediately asked to fight alongside the Alliance, the dwarves who are known to hold tradition and history paramount to all other things, they may just refuse to help and return to isolation.


    Of course, this sparked a slew of questions, the greatest of which was, ¡°What is tradition?¡±


    To an elf like Illithar who was born in the years after the Calamity, born with no memories of the ancient tradition of her ancestors and with no parents or elders to teach her, she was woefully ignorant of it. All she knew was life at the orphanage, spending her days raising the children, never once giving thought to her past other than to ask what it was like.


    And it was because of that fact that the Librarian''s answer intrigued her so.


    "Tradition is a people''s history, a sort of memory of the notable things they have done in the past."


    ¡°Then what about elves, do we have a history?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Of course, you are an elf whose traditions are as old as the ancient trees of your home, although with the arrival of the Calamity, many of those trees were burned and many elves were slain.¡±


    Hearing that, she asked, ¡°Do you... Do you know about my people''s history?¡±


    The Librarian answered, ¡°Of course, although it may be slightly outdated. But, you will have to pay a price.¡±


    She gulped but this time, her eyes were filled with determination as she said, ¡°What do I need to pay.¡±


    Nodding his head in approval, the Librarian said, ¡°Yes, that is the attitude you need, you must be willing to pay. As for the price, your sight, hearing, smell, and touch; for they combined with your long life shall sense far more things than history can provide. Or, you live a life of solitude, living only with yourself and the memories of your people.¡±


    Illithar faltered upon hearing those words, she had been naive to think that the price for her people¡¯s history was cheap, no, it was worth far more. But the price demanded of her was too drastic, she couldn¡¯t pay.


    So, with her head held down, she could only say, ¡°Then... I guess I must remain ignorant.¡±


    The Librarian patted her on the shoulder.


    ¡°Well, just because you cannot learn it from me does not mean it is lost forever. Perhaps one day, you will learn from another.¡±


    Illithar looked at him.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Of course, after all, not even I know everything that there is to know.¡±


    At that, Illithar fell silent, wondering again about the Librarian¡¯s identity. Just who was he? Now that she had spoken with him, the feeling of divinity had long since faded, while he was different, she no longer felt that he was... alien. Was he once an inhabitant of this world? Where did he come from? Were there others like him?


    She was very curious indeed, but still, she never asked him. As for why, perhaps she felt that it would be impolite or she might¡¯ve been afraid of the price for the answers. Whatever the reason, she kept silent, staring at the distant shoreline before she decided to retire for the night.


    With the passage of a few months, the ship that had been moving without pause since the beginning of its journey came to a stop. With his eye set on the shoreline, the Librarian created a gate, one large enough for Erwin¡¯s tank to pass through. Within moments, all three were on land once more, with the Librarian dismissing the ship with a wave of his hand. As the ship began to disintegrate into dust which soon disappeared into thin air, the Librarian turned his back and pointed to a mountain off in the distance.


    ¡°That is our destination.¡±


    Erwin nodded, saying, ¡°I shall prepare the cannon to blast through the forest.¡±


    The Librarian held up a hand.


    ¡°No, this forest is old enough to have dryads so I may be able to negotiate with them.¡±


    Erwin nodded and remained in his tank, however, Illithar¡¯s curiosity was peaked.


    ¡°Dryads?¡±


    As the Librarian walked towards the treeline, she ran to catch up, repeating the question.


    As they walked, the Librarian said, ¡°I think you can ask them yourselves.¡±


    Confused, Illithar directed her gaze in front of her and her eyes widened to see three beautiful women standing before her, their skin a light green, each clad in dresses of emerald with leaf designs and a white inlay. The dryad at the center possessed jet black hair while the two flanking her possessed brown hair, their glowing white eyes studying the Librarian and Illithar.


    The Librarian stopped about five feet in front of them, nodding his head to the dryads which also bowed. Confused, Illithar only stood there, watching the dryads, her curious eyes taking in every detail. However, when her eyes met with the black-haired dryad¡¯s, she froze, lost in the white depths of her eyes. Suddenly, something touched her shoulder and she gave a start, finding that it was the Librarian.


    He said, ¡°Careful now, it¡¯s best that you don¡¯t look too closely.¡±


    Illithar nodded and kept her head bowed, the Librarian returning his attention to the dryads. As for dryads, the black-haired one turned her gaze to the Librarian, speaking in the language of the trees, Arbor.


    ¡°What is your purpose here.¡±


    The Librarian responded in kind, ¡°I and my companions are traveling to the land of the dwarves, we desire passage through your forest.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The dryad tilted her head curiously.


    ¡°You speak Arbor... who are you?¡±


    The Librarian bowed his head.


    ¡°I bear the name Surveyor, bequeathed to me personally by the Creator.¡±


    The dryad¡¯s eyes widened for a moment.


    ¡°The Creator himself named you?¡±


    The Librarian nodded and the dryad then said, ¡°How do I know that is true?¡±


    The Librarian thought for a few moments, wondering how bes to prove tot he dryad that he was who he said he was. Finally, he decided to speak in the First Language, not infusing them with as much power as he normally would for the sake of his mortal companions.


    "Because I do not lie.¡±


    Even holding back, the power of the words still stunned the minds of everyone who heard it, the words seeming to speak more into their minds than rather to their ears. For the First Language was Darkness''s way of expressing his thoughts to the Universe, a manifestation of his will. Rather than attach meaning to words, the "words" that Darkness uses are the manifestations of those concepts, they are the first meanings given form. As such, one could not lie with these words because there were none who could twist the meaning of those words, only Darkness himself had that authority.


    Realizing this, the black-haired dryad fell to her hands and knees, apologizing for having doubted the Surveyor.


    ¡°I beg for your forgiveness, oh Named One, although I do not deserve it.¡±


    The Librarian shook his head, saying, "Forgiveness need not be given where it is not needed. You have not committed a great crime."


    The black-haired dryad nodded, standing as she said, ¡°If it is within my power, I shall do anything it is you ask.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Just safe passage through your lands shall suffice.¡±


    The Librarian was about to finish up when he remembered Illithar, glancing down at her before looking back at the dryads.


    ¡°I would also ask that you ask this one¡¯s questions, she has lived her life apart from the home of her ancestors and perhaps you may hold the answers to what she seeks.¡±


    The black-haired dryad studied Illithar, finally saying, ¡°It shall be done.¡±


    The librarian nodded and was about to tell Erwin to start up the tank when the dryad spoke,


    "However, I would ask that metal thing does not enter our forest."


    Thinking about it, the Librarian nodded.


    "Very well."


    He then took a step forward, holding out his hand.


    ¡°Then this deal is agreed upon?¡±


    She too took a step forward, shaking his hand.


    ¡°It is.¡±


    The Librarian then walked back to speak with Erwin, telling Illithar that she was now free to ask the dryads any questions that she may have. Leaving her to that, the Librarian went to speak to Erwin about the matter of his tank. It wasn¡¯t too big of a deal as the Librarian could always summon it if need be.


    Erwin took it well, after all, he was a soldier who answered to orders, not questioned them. He did raise a few concerns about the tank¡¯s safety but the Librarian assured that it would be absolutely safe, after all, the tank could always be replicated exactly from the Librarian¡¯s memory. It was no big deal if the original was destroyed. And so with that matter rather easily solved, the Librarian began to walk with Erwin at his side, the tank remaining where it stood.


    As they walked, Erwin asked, ¡°So what exactly are these dryads? Are they like the ones mentioned in greek myths?¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°I have no context to the myths of greeks but if they are similar to the spirits of trees, then yes, that would be accurate.¡±


    The Librarian paused for a moment.


    ¡°Then these elves and all these other creatures, you mean to say that you have some sort of knowledge of them in your world?¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°Well, there are stories about them but it is believed that they are fiction. I confess I too once thought they were fiction until I came into this world. It was as if the world of legends had come to life. The stories I had grown up with in my childhood seemed to become real, well, some of them. But now, it¡¯s all just so natural, as if I had been surrounded by these mystical things from the beginning.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°I would very much like to hear these myths of yours sometime, of course, I shall offer the equivalent knowledge in return.¡±


    Erwin nodded.


    ¡°Well, when things aren¡¯t so busy and I actually have time to recall, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Well, whenever you are free.¡±


    Joining up with Illithar and the black-haired dryad, they began their last stretch of the journey, walking in the forest. As they walked, with the dryad at their front, the trees parted like water before Noah, a fact that Erwin commented on. As the Librarian and Erwin soon engaged in conversation about the stories of Earth, Illithar walked silently behind the dryad, filled with many questions but hesitant to speak.


    Seeing this, the dryad sighed inwardly before saying, ¡°If you have questions, please feel free to say them, I do not mind.¡±


    Startled, Illithar hastily nodded, finally asking, ¡°Have you met any elves before?¡±


    The dryad nodded.


    ¡°Long ago, although I cannot remember when.¡±


    Illithar then asked, ¡°What were they like?¡±


    The dryad said, ¡°They were polite, kind, and respectful. A race that I preferred to speak to over all the others, for they held nature in high esteem. They were pretty powerful too, powerful enough that I asked them for an alliance to defend against a common enemy, the humans.¡±


    After soaking this in, Ilithar wondered on what other questions she could ask, finally saying, ¡°Are there still elves around?¡±


    At that, the dryad paused slightly before answering, ¡°I do not know.¡±


    At that, Illithar frowned, she felt that the dryad did know something but just refused to say. However, she wasn¡¯t brave enough to actually confront the dryad about it so she kept silent. There was an awkward silence, one finally broken by the dryad.


    ¡°Do you have any more questions?¡±


    Illithar, currently drawing up a blank, said, ¡°Um, what is your name?¡±


    At that, the dryad gave her a look before returning her gaze forward, saying, ¡°I am Altia.¡±


    After waiting for further words, Illithar introduced herself.


    ¡°I am Illithar.¡±


    Altia only nodded as they continued to walk, Illithar feeling as though she was bothering her. However, she then remembered the Librarian¡¯s advice, to get answers, she must be brave enough to ask, otherwise she will forever wallow in ignorance. And so, steeling herself, she continued to ask Altia questions, learning more and more about the history of her people.


    She came to learn of the Premen and how their conquest pushed the elves off of their lands and into the forests where they first encountered the dryads, of how dryads and elves allied with one another to cease the Premen advance, and of how elves fought alongside humans, beastmen, and even the angels of Heaven against the Premen threat.


    She learned of the Age of Rebuilding, when the ravaged mortal nations began to repopulate the world following the devastation of the Great War, with Agleon and Heaven separated for good, of how elves made a pact with the dryads: the elves would protect the sentient trees of the dryads and in return, the dryads would allow them to reside within their forests.


    Then came the Age of Decline, when the dryads all began to sleep and the ancient forests were now uninhabited as, without the dryads¡¯ protection, the elves could not walk freely in the forests. Then came the Calamity, demonic forces surged forth from tears in the sky, a great force of destruction fell down to Agleon, and the forces of heaven were roused once more. However, this time, Heaven did not come to aid the mortals, they came only to deal with the demonic threat.


    After the force of destruction suddenly disappeared and the forces of Light retreated, there were only the orcs and like a wave, they fell upon the races of men and elves. Kingdoms were burned, women were taken, and men were slaughtered, only a few could escape. And the dryads who had awoken, they too were slain by orcish axes and to defend themselves, the dryads made a great wall of trees, impervious to fire and so thick that not even a thousand axes could cut through.


    It was this tree wall that had kept their small pocket of wilderness safe, where things were relatively normal in the chaos of the Age of Retreat. Ilithar listened, asking a few more questions to specify things she did not know but overall, she soon gained a very broad understanding of her people¡¯s history.


    And upon learning of her people¡¯s accomplishments, which weren''t as grand as the works of men, she could not help but feel some pride for the first time, pride to be an elf. In the cities, humans often spat at her and the other elves behaved in ways that made her feel ashamed. But now that she knew that her people were not always so gladdened her heart, as it meant that the children at the orphanage could become what their ancestors were long ago. They wouldn¡¯t have to grow up to be cruel and hard, because hopefully with what she was going to do, she¡¯d give them a chance to grow up here, in the forest.

 Chapter 95: Into the Mountain

    Within the seemingly eternal twilight of the Living Forest, as Illithar had taken to calling it, she knew a peace that she never felt before. She felt more alive, her body seeming to feel far stronger than it had when she first entered the forest.


    She mentioned this to the Librarian who said, ¡°Well it is only natural. Elves and the dryads shared a symbiotic relationship, one so close that the two nearly became dependent on one another. Not just in the way that Altia mentioned but even further, to the point that elves would be able to absorb some of the ambient mana that these ¡®living¡¯ forests produce, making them stronger.¡±


    Illithar digested this, finally asking, ¡°So... I¡¯m getting stronger?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°You are, although, since it has only been three days the changes should not be too significant. But should anything strange happen, please let me know.¡±


    Deciding that it wasn¡¯t anything to deny, Illithar nodded.


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    He nodded, soon returning his attention to the shadows which were accompanying them, whispering things that only he was able to understand. As Illithar mulled over this, she cast her gaze back to see Erwin walking by himself. His gaze met hers and on impulse, she quickly returned her gaze forward, although she wasn¡¯t entirely sure why she did that. It was just something about his eyes, they unnerved her.


    They weren¡¯t like any other eyes she had seen, eyes that had seen things that she couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine. She had seen many types of eyes, eyes that were empty, eyes that were depressed, eyes that were full of childish innocence, and eyes that are tortured by what they¡¯ve seen. But Erwin¡¯s eyes, while they did reveal he was being tortured by past actions, they held something more, something she could only call determination. As if he had already failed once, he was not going to fail again.


    As for Erwin, he was curious as to why the elf had looked back at him and suddenly looked away. He briefly entertained the thought that she may be interested in him but chucked that thought out the window as soon as it came, he did not have the time for that, nor would he feel right doing so. He already had a wife and family, not to mention the great duty he was given: to defeat the orcs and save the Alliance. He couldn¡¯t be selfish now, not when he was needed the most.


    As for Altia, she continued to lead them deeper and deeper into the forest, although she too would cast glances back at the Librarian. She had believed him when he uttered the First Language but now, she was once again a bit more doubtful. Why would one such as he walk among mortals, even helping them? Just who was he, that was the question.


    But, she just couldn¡¯t bear to ask him that question, or any more, even though she was suspicious, she didn¡¯t wish to displease him if he truly was one of the Named Ones. But even so, just from observing him, she could tell that he was no mere mortal, or perhaps even a god. If only her mother was here to confirm if he was truly a Named One, or any of her mother''s sisters, surely, they would know.


    They too were Named Ones, the first Dryads to have ever been made. At first, there were only a hundred, but since they couldn¡¯t properly reproduce like animals and could only produce non-sentient trees, Darkness himself decided to implement a rule, that should a tree reach the age of a thousand, they would evolve into a dryad.


    That way, dryads could continue to grow as long as they fostered their young, watching over their saplings until a thousand years came to pass. But in the Age of Decline, as dryads began to succumb to sleep, there was no one left to watch over the saplings, so very few if any at all were born into the world. Those that were born were alone and soon to be cut down by orcish axes, as well as many of the dormant dryads. Now only a few remain within this protected patch of trees compared to the numbers the dryads once knew, although they couldn¡¯t speak for their eastern sisters in Ortus. But, perhaps with the arrival of this Named One, they could prosper once more and let the voices of dryads sing in the forests.


    When night fell that day, only the Librarian and Altia were left awake, the Librarian writing something in a book and Altia just watching him. She was struggling, she didn¡¯t know what to do. If he truly was what he claimed to be then he''d hold the answers she sought. But, at the same time, she couldn''t help but be afraid of the answers, the hard truth may just give her more pain. But as she stood there, lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed that the Librarian¡¯s singular silver eye was staring at her.


    ¡°It seems you are struggling, I did tell you that it was fine to ask me any questions you wished.¡±


    She gave a start at his words, finally saying, ¡°I... I am afraid.¡±


    He tilted his head curiously.


    ¡°Afraid of the answers?¡±


    Altia''s head was bowed, her eyes unable to maintain the Librarian''s gaze..


    "I just... I''ve lived this long holding onto the hope that they may still be alive... if I found out that they weren''t, I''m not sure what I would do."


    The Librarian was silent for a few moments, finally saying, "While the answer may be painful, it will end far quicker than the nigh endless torture doubt will bring."


    A few moments pass as Altia steeled herself, finally saying, ¡°I want to know what happened to my kin, did they survive or did they...¡±


    She couldn¡¯t finish the question, she didn¡¯t want to acknowledge the fact that her family could very well be dead. She could hold the Librarian¡¯s gaze, hoping that by some chance, her kin did survive.


    ¡°Well, the original trees you might¡¯ve once known are now dead, but their seeds may yet remain. Since I was dormant for a thousand years after the Calamity, I¡¯m afraid I do not know much.¡±


    Altia could only bow her head in grief, her sisters beyond were dead.


    ¡°Is there any chance to reclaim those seeds? If possible, I would like to bring them to safety.¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°It is within my power but I have only promised you answers, not favors.¡±


    However, she was desperate.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Please, I will do anything that you ask, if it means that I can save them.¡±


    The Librarian thought for a moment, turning his silver eye to meet hers as he said, "Then give up your own seeds, so that you may save your kin''s."


    "What?" Altia was stunned.


    "Give up my own seeds?"


    The Librarian nodded.


    "Is that not a fair trade? A seed for a seed, you will doom yours to death but you will be able to save your kin''s offspring."


    Alita could only shake her head.


    "I cannot do that, I... I have a duty to my seeds."


    The Librarian shrugged.


    "Then do not give up your seeds."


    However, Altia wasn''t so ready to give up.


    "Is there any other way?"


    The Librarian shook his head.


    "I''m afraid not."


    After a few moments, she asked, ¡°Then... is there nothing else I can do?¡±


    The Librarian nodded.


    ¡°Of course, but these will be things you will have to do yourself.¡±


    Altia frowned.


    "But how, how can I save them when I am restricted here?"


    The Librarian said, "As long as you carry with you a piece of your heartwood, you can travel from your tree, that way you can save the seeds of your kin yourself."


    Hope briefly flared in her eyes before she became despondent again.


    "But how will I find them? They are spread all over Occasus, nothing but seeds that are no different than any other."


    The Librarian said, "The seeds born from a dryad possess greater mana than the seeds of regular trees, if you look carefully, you shall find what it is you seek."


    Altia shook her head.


    "But I cannot see, I am helpless."


    The Librarian looked at her and said, "Then you can ask me for help. I can help you, provided that you trade something of equal value. Of course, you need not decide now on what that will be but you must pay the price before I lend you my aid. While you may not be able to pay the price for a great request, something such as finding the locations of these seeds would be more manageable in price."


    With hope daring to rekindle itself once more, Altia could only fall on her hands and knees, touching her head to the ground.


    ¡°Whatever you need, I shall provide, I will serve you for the rest of my life if need be. But please, lend me your aid."


    The Librarian answered, ¡°I shall, once I have finished with what I first set out to do.¡±


    The dryad nodded, she didn''t care that it was not going to be immediate, all that mattered was that it will happen, and that was enough. With the dryad feeling more confident about conversing with the Librarian, the stars moving across the night sky as she asked questions and the Librarian answered. Alita was like a young sapling again, resting in the shade of her mother, listening to her soothing voice which spoke of memories long before her time. Dryads possessed perfect memories and could recite word for word the stories which represent their histories, teaching it to their young ones so that they too could eventually repeat those same histories word for word to their own young.


    Her education was cut short as her mother sacrificed herself to make the wall of trees, with several other dryads, their life force being what sustained the wall. As such, she grew up denied the completion of her education, that education being completed, albeit roughly, under the tutelage of the Librarian.


    The remaining nights were also spent in this manner, the Librarian doing his best to answer all of her questions, although since he hadn¡¯t particularly focused on dryads, he was learning as she asked, constantly communicating with the network of shadows across the globe to collect the answers she desired.


    As a result, by their journey¡¯s end where the treeline turned into barren rock, both the Librarian and Alita had learned much about the history of dryads, with Altia once more promising to aid the Librarian whenever he needed it. Then after exchanging farewells, the Librarian, Illithar, and Erwin turned their gazes skyward, studying the mountain¡¯s peak before the Librarian began to lead them on a path that only he could see, making his way to one of the ancient entrances that the dwarves had sealed long ago.


    While mortal eyes could not discern the sealed entrances which had long since become one with the surroundings, the Librarian¡¯s eye saw more than just the physical and soon, he stood before a pile of rocks that appeared just like any other. Confused, the two behind him were about to raise a few questions when the Librarian created a gate, summoning a Custodian which bore the Hammer of Thavrar. At an unspoken command, the Custodian brought the hammer above its head with both hands and brought it down upon the hollow mountainside, destroying the center stone and causing all the other stones to collapse. Gesturing that the Custodian go first, the Librarian and the other two followed, with another Custodian summoned to protect the rear.


    As they walked through a stone passage, hunched forward because the tunnel was made for dwarves, the party observed that it was remarkably well-preserved despite the fact that it must¡¯ve been abandoned for centuries. And even though the floor was covered in dust, by the light that the Librarian summoned they could see the dull gleam of metal inlay and intricate stone carvings.


    After they continued on deeper, their surroundings began to change, the ceiling gradually getting higher and higher until the group could finally walk without bending forward. And so, without having to shuffle with hunched backs, the group were able to more quickly traverse the tunnel until they were finally greeted with the first turn of the passage. It was a direct right angle, the passage continuing on for perhaps five meters before abruptly turning again, another right angle.


    Confused by this, Illithar asked, ¡°Um, what is it?¡±


    The Librarian answered, ¡°It appears that this is a maze, likely a defensive measure of the dwarves. A maze such as this, with relatively thin passageways, would force an invading army to thin out their numbers considerably, making it easier for the dwarves to deal with these groups, not to mention that the maze itself is a deadly weapon, capable of losing squads of soldiers here for days on end, driving them mad. Only the dwarves would know their way through this maze, perhaps they incorporated secret messages in the design to help them, or perhaps even did it on purpose to confuse the enemy. Oh, the possibilities. However, perhaps an earth mage could¡ªno they can¡¯t, ah such excellent spell engraving, they managed to hide this from an earth mage¡¯s sight. That must be how I could not see before....¡±


    As the Librarian began to ponder this instead of the mission at hand, Erwin said, ¡°Could we traverse the maze?¡±


    The Librarian stopped speculating for a moment, saying, ¡°Of course we can, while the engravings here would prevent a normal mage from seeing the solution to this maze, they are not powerful enough to blind my eye, at least, now that I am here personally. But that is of no matter, all you need to do is follow me.¡±


    And so, as he set off deeper into the maze, Illithar and Erwin would only follow, their footsteps the only ones to be heard echoing throughout the labyrinth. At first, Illithar and Erwin attempted to count the turns they made but after a while, they just stopped. The maze seemed to be endless no matter how much they seemed to progress, with the two beginning to feel doubts as to whether or not the Librarian truly knew what he was doing.


    It soon came to the point where they sincerely believed that they were going in one large circle, each passageway was the same as the other, each always ending with two branching tunnels which in turn led off into more tunnels. Tunnel after tunnel did they walk, finding absolutely no signs of life, just the same floor covered in a film of undisturbed dust. But, just as the two were beginning to believe that they¡¯d be trapped in there forever, they suddenly turned a corner and found a hallway stretching out before them, this time its end obscured by darkness. Relieved that they were finally out of the maze, Illithar and Erwin continued to walk, only to be stopped by the Librarian.


    Confused, Illithar asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The Librarian, busy scanning the walls of this particular hallway, said, ¡°There are several dangerous traps, if you had moved forward, I¡¯m afraid you would¡¯ve lost your life.¡±


    As Illithar took this in, the Librarian said, ¡°Well, let us rest here for the day, I shall disarm these traps while you sleep so that when you wake, all we have to do is continue walking.¡±

 Chapter 96: Into the Mountain 2

    When Illithar and Erwin awoke, the Librarian created food for them to eat, having already disarmed most if not all the traps in his way. Once they had finished eating the food, far finer than they had expected, he once more began to make his way deeper into the mountain, the Custodian bearing the hammer leading the way.


    This time, there were many branching tunnels but these were mostly ignored, the Librarian had already mapped out most of the tunnels by using the shadows so he didn¡¯t need to explore them. And then finally, they reached the end of the main tunnel, standing before a pair of great stone doors, the dull gleam of metal inlay shining past the layer of dust the doors had collected through the centuries.


    As they stood for a moment, appreciating the beauty of the door, the Librarian gave a silent command to the Custodian at the front. At his order, the Custodian began to move to the door, taking the great Hammer of Thavrar in its hand and then swinging it at the door, a great thud echoing throughout the tunnels. Two more times did the Custodian knock upon that door before it lowered the hammer, stepping back to await the door¡¯s opening.


    Deep within the mountain did those strikes echo, mostly falling on the empty tunnels that were hardly used anymore. But, they were not unheard, ears within the darkness caught the faint echoes and turned their heads in curiosity, waiting uncertainly in the darkness. In the silence that followed, hushed voices arguing amongst themselves on what needed to be done. Eventually, this was brought to the attention of the dwarven lord who, after much deliberation, decided to set out with a small party to investigate.


    Of course, there were those that advised that he stay back but he could not. He told himself and the others that it was his duty to go forth but in reality, he was just wanted to get off that damned overrated chair. That stone throne was all he had known these last few centuries, he wanted to see something else, something new. And so, donning armor that hadn¡¯t been worn for an age as well as a great mace which had only seen the oilcloth he used to polish it, he set out to find the source of what could only be called the knocking.


    But as they marched, the dwarven Lord was wondering just what exactly caused the sound. The dwarves closest to the sound said that it sounded like it came from the South Hall, but that was impossible. The South Hall faced away from the passages connecting to the other cities so it couldn¡¯t be a dwarf and since the South Hall could only be entered by passing through the maze, it certainly couldn¡¯t be an outsider... could it?


    However, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason as to why a Crystallum would knock or why a demon would do so, he was just so terribly confused. In fact, he began to grow hesitant as to whether he should really keep on going, slowing down until he eventually came to a stop.


    Confused, one of his guards asked, ¡°Mi¡¯Lord?¡±


    Remembering himself, he shook his head.


    ¡°It is nothing, I was just thinking.¡±


    The dwarven lord continued to move again, gripping his mace tightly as his heart pounded with anticipation. And finally, he stood before the great Southern Gate, not once having been opened since it had been sealed on the year 126 of the new calendar, started on the day that the Great Hammer of Thavrar was lost. It happened twelve years after the Calamity had begun, a day so terrible that the dwarves deemed it the day that their culture died.


    The new calendar, named the Final Calendar, was brought about that day to symbolize the beginning of the end. It was believed that there would be no other calendar after this one, after all, what hope did the dwarves have after they lost the most important artifact of their people.


    That was why, when the Southern Gate was opened, all the dwarves present froze, for it was impossible. Before them, they saw the Great Hammer of Thavrar, even though it had been lost, there was no dwarf who did not know the great hammer. For centuries, tales of the Hammer were spoken off, most often of its creation. As he stared upon the magnificence of the great Hammer, he remembered those words, falling to his knees as tears began to flow.


    Thavrar, the First King of the Dwarves, did not gain power so easily. It was only through his vision of his Great Hammer and the aid of Agleon that he was able to unite the dwarves. Nothing more than a simple miner, he stumbled upon a cave, a cave that held a great emerald. This great jewel was no ordinary jewel, it was a shard of Agleon¡¯s very own heart. As for why the shard was there, who could tell except Agleon herself, perhaps it was by Agleon¡¯s hand that he came to find the great gem.


    In awe of the great gem, Thavrar reached out a hand and touched its surface, immediately overcome by a vision of greatness. Emblazoned in his mind was the Hammer he would create, the Opifex, the Maker of Kings. It would be forged with the gem serving as its heart, a weapon that held the might of Agleon herself. Obsessed with the vision he saw, he searched for ways to create the hammer, but each was met with failure.


    In desperation, he begged the gods themselves to aid him and with pity in their hearts, they lent him their power. With the blessing of the gods, he was able to brave the depths of Agleon, discovering molten lakes, each filled with all the materials that he would need to create his great hammer. With his bare hands, he took each material in its molten form and formed each to the shape he desired, creating first a frame of mithril and orichalcum around the two emerald shards before he dipped it in a pool of molten adamant, the heat of this pool so great that even with his divine protections, his skin came away scorched and blistered.


    But even so, Thavrar persevered, taking out the rough block of adamant which he would carve to the form all would know it as. With hands that had received the blessing of Builder God, he began to shape the hammer, smoothing the adamant¡¯s rough surface to match that with the parameters of the metal frame.


    And eventually, he finished, holding aloft the great Hammer, made entirely of adamant with a frame of silver mithril and golden orichalcum, the Opifex was as beautiful as it was powerful, with two heads, one for pulverizing and the other for piercing. Designed to be held in one hand, the sword-hilt was graced with a pommel of glowing emerald, Agleon¡¯s heart.


    And it was this great weapon which would make him King, as its name suggested, a name that was made along with the weapon, not given. The Opifex, with the limitless strength of Agleon, conquered all of his foes and made him stand indomitable in the face of adversity. It gives the wielder the stability of a mountain, the strength of the volcano, and the energy of Agleon. It was the Opifex, Maker of Kings, the symbol of the Mighty Dwarf King.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Similarly, the other dwarves fell to their knees as they beheld the Opifex, their hearts awash with great emotion. But, as they recovered, their eyes saw past the hammer to its current wielder, a tall figure cloaked in black robes. Seeing that it was a foreigner who held the Hammer, the governor stood up, charging the figure while demanding that he release the Opifex. But his efforts were for naught, for a voice spoke from behind the figure, a voice which once more brought him and his dwarves to their knees.


    As the governor struggled to keep his head high, he saw the wielder of the Opifex step aside, revealing another cloaked figure, however, this one was obviously of higher authority. It was the Librarian, with his robes of black and silver and his eye, which shone like faint starlight. Staring at him, the governor was filled with instinctual awe and fear, this was a being that was beyond his understanding. As he reached this conclusion, the strange power which forced him to kneel disappeared, the dwarf and his guards cautiously standing up to face the Librarian.


    A moment of silence passed until the Librarian bowed his head, saying, ¡°I am sorry for treating you roughly but if I had let you attack, I¡¯m afraid my Custodian would¡¯ve killed you all in retaliation.¡±


    The governor gulped upon hearing those words, as he studied the Custodian again with a clearer mind, he had no doubt that what the stranger had said was true. Feeling it was improper that the offended party should apologize, the governor bowed deeper.


    ¡°The fault lies with me and mine guards, you are not at fault. I thank you for sparing our lives.¡±


    The Librarian said, ¡°You need not bow for a fault that was not yours, I understand why you acted as you did, the fault does not weigh entirely upon you and your men.¡±


    The governor, sighing inwardly with relief, stood up again, although he still needed to look up at the Librarian. But, remembering his duty as the Governor of the Southern Mountain, he stood at attention.


    ¡°I am Avaldur Grimrock, Governor of the Southern Mountain! I hereby welcome you to Vorberath, once the center of the greatest mines in all of Tenaria!¡±


    The Librarian nodded and gestured for Avaldur to lead the way, this time holding onto the Opifex himself, commanding the Custodian to join the other in protecting Illithar and Erwin.


    He noticed Vorberath¡¯s eyes following the hammer and said, ¡°It is indeed the Hammer of Thavrar but before you ask, I shall explain once we are in more appropriate quarters.¡±


    Biting back his questions, Avaldur could only nod, his eyes lingering on the Opifex before he directed his gaze forward, leading the way to Vorberath. The Librarian and his party followed, soon entering the dwarven city. As expected, eyes followed them, specifically the Opifex which the Librarian held, word soon spreading throughout the entire city about the supposed return of the King Maker.


    And among the hopeful eyes, there were sinister ones, ones which desired the Opifex for their own. However, they couldn¡¯t make their move just yet, these outsiders were mysterious and potentially very dangerous. To act rashly was suicide, a lesson that every dwarf learned the day the last Dwarven King set out recklessly to help his allies, only to die and lose the Opifex.


    So, the Librarian¡¯s path was unobstructed and he reached the Governor¡¯s residence without trouble, although he already began to use the shadows to his advantage, finding out information about those who sought to disturb the experiment. While he did not intend to do anything just yet, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know who it was that could become an irritation.


    As he finished compiling information on these potential troublemakers, he returned his focus to the real world, taking a seat in Avaldur¡¯s personal chambers. In here, which was protected with spells that canceled out sound, their conversations would be safe. He often used his chambers to conduct sensitive meetings, as it was the most protected as well, hidden deep within the bedrock which, while already difficult to mine, was further reinforced with magic.


    Much of this, however, was before his time, during the early years of the Final Calendar when all of dwarf kind feared for their fate. They poured the entire effort into defense, waiting with apprehension for years for an attack that never came. In time, the dwarves slowly relaxed their guard, believing that their defenses were so formidable that no one could pierce through.


    And while their defenses were indeed formidable, the reason as to why they had lived centuries in peace was simply because the orcs were ignorant of their whereabouts. The only contact that the orcs had with the dwarves was during the middle of their conquest when they were still busy driving the Alliance to the sea. The dwarves made a brief appearance but their King was slain so they just as quickly withdrew from the war and with the short lifespan of orcs, there were none alive today who knew of the dwarves.


    Not even the Orc King himself knew much about the dwarves and even if he did, he still would¡¯ve left them alone. Right now, the entirety of Occasus demanded his attention, something so obscure as the dwarves were not worthy of his attention.


    While the dwarves may not accept such a fact, it was the truth, they had likely only survived this long because no one knew or cared enough about them to invade. Of course, if they were sieged, they would undoubtedly be able to hold off for a long period of time, but nothing in the world of mortals is absolute. They would¡¯ve eventually fallen, their defenses like a boulder on the seashore, slowly eroded by wave after wave of orcs until it turns to dust.


    And while their obscurity gave them peace and allowed them to live in relative happiness, not all was well. Because of the peace they knew for centuries, the military might of the dwarves had atrophied. Without the need to fight, they just sat within their great cities or mined ever deeper into the earth,


    Of course, with the Dwarven Throne empty, there was no shortage of ambitious dwarves who sought to claim it, but each and every dwarf that stepped forth were all slain. None were able to unite the dwarves as the other clans viewed each other¡¯s claims as invalid, each one wanted to rule and none would submit to the other. Because a ruler would never appear, the clans isolated themselves from one another, splitting up Tenaria into nine regions, each under the rule of nine clans.


    However, the arrival of the Librarian and more specifically the Opifex will change all of this, whether for good or bad. This would ignite another civil war between the dwarves, all in order to gain the Opifex which would become the perfect excuse to claim the Throne. It was this desire that Illithar had to take advantage of, for the sake of the Alliance. She must decide which of the clans to give the Opifex in return for their aid.


    However, even though she knew this goal and promised both herself and the Librarian that she would see it through, she found it hard to speak when faced with the dwarf in his chambers. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak, and the dwarf made no effort to initiate a conversation, he was clearly waiting for her. But this knowledge only made her more nervous, a tense silence filling the air as she struggled to find the will to speak. It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder, a cool sensation spreading throughout her body and calming her. It was, of course, the Librarian who soon withdrew his hand, gesturing for her to speak.


    With a more calm mind, she took a deep breath and then looked straight at the dwarf, her eyes, while still a bit nervous, held sincerity.


    ¡°I am here to bargain.¡±

 Update

    Chapter 6 has been rewritten so you guys can go check that out. I''m not too sure how it turned out tho so any criticisms are welcome. I think it is a more natural introduction to Ieros than before and will hopefully explore Ieros more as an actual character since the old writing suppressed him severely which really should''ve been against the Observer''s/Surveyor''s objective. So many poor choices made by my young self back then ;((. Big sad. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy it. Chapter 7 will be on the way and this will actually explore a bit more about Ieros as a whole, well, that''s the plan. It may turn out differently but alas, sometimes that is what happens when one writes a story, the way it flows is not always the way you imagine.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Stay safe from covid 19 everyone.

 Update.

    As a few of you have already noticed, I have created a new story where I shall continue the updates of the rewrite. At a later date, I shall return these chapters to their old version, but for now, it seems that this story shall be left alone while I hopefully begin to progress far more quickly with the newer version of this story.


    It''s not that I am giving up on this one, it is that I cannot continue it as it is now. Which is why I will continue it on the other story, hopefully making a far better story than what this may have resulted as.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/32106/the-father-of-all-rewritten-version</a>


    The link to the new version which will be the one receiving the updates from now on. This is probably what I shoudl''ve done in the beginning, and for that, I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused.