《Zephyrion》 Tier One: Prologue In Eden, the four factions live in harmony. The disciplines of Ignis, Terra, Ventus and Lux... All shall prosper in this Holy Land blessed by God. Had I not been so careless, nor so forgiving¡­ Had I not been so trusting, nor so hesitant¡­ Maybe things would have turned out differently. Never fear the children of the Dark! Never fear their whispers at night! Never fear to conquer! But, there is no going back in time. So instead, I will start over from the beginning. After all, I¡¯ve never been the strongest. Nor have I ever been the smartest, or the best at anything. Do not be fooled, my children, march on! In times of crisis, we must unite! That¡¯s why¡­ Purge the Evil from our lands, purge the followers of Aqua and Nox! Tonight, we will capture the traitors of our empire! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Losing everything I¡¯ve had became an excuse to gain more. Because why not? I¡¯m a greedy person by nature. The Atlantis family shall fall! Burn the castle, burn their sanctuary! We must not fail this time¡­ Call it ¡°revenge¡±, call it ¡°justice¡±, call it ¡°divine retribution¡± or whatever you will... I will definitely reclaim what was originally mine. And at the same time¡­ ¡°Yo, Zeph, it¡¯s not the time to be napping. Hurry up, the expedition team is about to leave!¡± Oops, lost track of time. Time to get going. But, until the day I return¡­ King Zephyrion must die! Keep my throne nice and clean for me, alright? To be continued... ----------- [Note: Italics has been added in! This proves some sort of differentiation between the speakers I guess, but in case you are still confused, the italics part is something like a scene or flashback from the past. The normal text is from the present.] Tier Two: Welcome back to home, sweet home... Disclaimer: The original "Tier Two" has been deleted due to various changes suggested by the Editor. It is not necessary to read the updated version here, but highly recommended for full understanding of the story. ------- ¡°In Eden, the food is plentiful. The citizens, both young and old, rejoice day and night. Eden, is everyone¡¯s home. But, my child, beware. Even the prettiest of roses, has its thorns. Eden too, is not what it seems. Because in Eden, our most beloved Eden... The apples are rotten to the core.¡± ------- My name was- Well, my name wasn¡¯t really that important. So for now, ¡°Zeph¡± would do. What was more important was that my traveling partner, whose name I probably shouldn¡¯t mention either, and I were just about to ask a few questions to someone we had met a moment ago. ¡°Excuse me, Sir, could you please tell me what year this is?¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t got no money here, Sonny.¡± The farmer did not even look up from his work as he answered. ¡°We did not ask for your money, we asked for the date, you senile foo-¡± Ah, that idiot. Who told him to cut in? I covered his mouth with one hand. My small companion struggled to pry my hand away from his mouth, but I wasn¡¯t going to let go anytime soon. Giving the farmer an apologetic smile, I continued to speak. ¡°We are sorry to bother you while you are working, kind Sir, but we only wished to know the current year. We will be on our way right after that.¡± Again, he did not look up. ¡°Y¡¯all say that at first, then ya gonna say yar visitin¡¯ from some foreign country. Then suddenly ya got no money ta town, cause ya got robbed earlier. I¡¯ll tell ya younguns right now that I ain¡¯t gonna fall for the same trick no more.¡± Woah. Looks like he had some bad experiences in the past... I guess we would have to try somewhere else. I gave him a sincere bow. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry to have disrupted your work, but we will be going now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come back anytime soon, not with that kinda excuse. Ya gotta think of a better thing ta ask than that.¡± he said, as he watched us walk away from the corner of his eye, ¡°Tis well-known everywhere that tis the 100th anniversary of our king¡¯s reign. Eurus-100!¡± ... I stopped walking. What...did he just say? Eurus-100? I could feel my heartbeat quicken. Since the years are counted from the beginning of a family¡¯s reign, that would mean a century had passed. 100 years of change. 100 years since that day. ... I was suddenly overcome with an urge to laugh. ¡°Ahaha...haha¡­¡± ¡°Oi, stupid human, stop your creepy laughter and unhand me!¡± I looked down at the little kid that I was now carrying by the collar. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± I said, letting him go. He landed lightly on the ground, proceeding directly to brushing the dust off his pure black cloak before jogging back to my side. As we walked on in silence, he looked at me with a curious expression. ¡°What was so funny about his answer, human?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask after a while. I smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Then why were you laughing?¡± I glanced at him in amusement. ¡°Because I found out something interesting...and it made me very very happy.¡± He gave me a look of suspicion. Clearly, my answer made no sense to him, but he did not press on. The rest of the walk down the desolate path was spent in silence, but that was just fine for me. And when dusk fell, we found ourselves at the entrance of a maze-like forest. ------------- ¡°Oi, human, are you lost or something?¡± ¡°Yep, you guessed correctly!¡± ¡°...¡± My traveling partner glared at me in annoyance. Hey, don¡¯t blame me, blame the forest for being so big. What was I supposed to do anyway? Sighing, he sat down at the foot of the nearest tree. We had been walking around aimlessly for hours, and thus it was already night-time. ¡°We will continue tomorrow then...for now, build a fire or something.¡± he decided. ¡°And how are we supposed to do that?¡± He gave me another look of annoyance. ¡°Just use your magic to lit some wood up, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± The way he¡¯s putting it made it seem as if I was the fool for even asking. As much as I would hate to dampen his ingenious plan, I had to break the news to him. ¡°It¡¯s a good idea but, I don¡¯t exactly know any fire magic.¡± I stated simply. He gazed at me in disbelief for a moment, before speaking again. ¡°Then what about creating a fire manually?¡± ¡°Never been in a situation where I had to do that before.¡± ¡°Do you know how to gather food?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°How to build a shelter?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Any defensive skills other than your stupid, fancy ice magic?¡± ¡°Not that I know of.¡± He was silent. Well, I was being completely honest here at least. The silence passed on for a few seconds more before he stood up abruptly. Walking to a spot a few steps away from the tree, he bent down to pick up something. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. He glanced at me quietly before he replied. ¡°Gathering wooden sticks so I can get the fire going, what else?¡± ¡°I see.¡± He paused. ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there, get collecting too!¡± The little kid can sure get very bossy at times. ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯m on it, my Lord.¡± I replied sarcastically, heading off to search for more sticks. Thirty minutes later, we returned to our original location. Lying on the ground in front of us was a pile of wood large enough to set fire to the whole forest. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get started.¡± my traveling partner said, with an evil smile. Right. We¡¯re just building a small campfire, right? I sure hoped so. ¡°Watch and learn how it is done.¡± As I watched, he took a flat piece of wood and laid it on the ground. Then, he proceeded to lay another and another on top of that. Finally, he stepped back with a determined expression on his face... ¡°Ignis, grant us fire!¡± he shouted all of a sudden. ...What¡­ ¡°Ignis, you old bastard, stop ignoring me and give us some fire!¡± Oi, I don¡¯t think insulting him would do anything. ¡°Hurry up, you old fool. I know you can hear me.¡± ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t think that method will work-¡± I began to say, but was cut off by him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Be quiet, human. Let me focus. I know exactly what I am doing.¡± And with that, he continued to shout at nobody in particular. Looks like it is going to be a long night. --------------- Meanwhile, miles and miles away, the High Priest of the Church of Eden was preparing to return to his chamber for the night. It looked like it was going to rain soon. ¡°High Priest! High Priest!¡± A voice called from the direction of the entrance behind him. The High Priest turned around to face the owner of the voice. ¡°Yes, Father Kendrick, what brings you to here so late at night?¡± ¡°Oh, the most terrible thing has happened!¡± Father Kendrick said, his voice shaking in fear. The High Priest held out his hands to steady him. ¡°And what exactly is this ¡®most terrible thing¡¯?¡± he asked gently. The Father took a deep breath to calm himself down before answering. ¡°The gate. The gate to the Void has been forced open.¡± The High Priest¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°That couldn¡¯t be! The seal has been untouched for millenias!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, honorable High Priest. The guardians there had already been massacred before we arrived.¡± ¡°Then, what about him?¡± Father Kendrick¡¯s head dipped in regret at the High Priest¡¯s question. ¡°Yes, the followers of Nox had all escaped. Including him.¡± A short period of silence followed. Then, the High Priest began to walk. ¡°Alert the other Fathers, and send for a messenger to the Imperial Military right away.¡± he commanded, as he opened the heavy doors to the grand hall, ¡°Make haste but let no other soul know.¡± As Father Kendrick rushed off to his task, the High Priest smiled. ¡°Run while you can, little god of Chaos. Because very soon, the game of hide-and-seek will begin.¡± And with that, he exited the church...into the thunderous rainstorm outside. --------------- ¡°Say, maybe it is time to stop? It is raining quite heavily after all.¡± ¡°A powerful being like me knows no defeat.¡± I sighed. He has been throwing insults at the spirit king of Fire for hours now, and it was starting to get on my nerves. Walking up to him, I placed my hand on his shoulder to stop his lively demonstrations. ¡°Enough, let¡¯s just find somewhere dry to hide from the rain for now.¡± I said. As soon as I finished speaking, a wild howl erupted from behind us. It sounded awfully close to where we were standing. ¡°You heard that too, right?¡± he asked, without turning around. ¡°Yep, nice and clear.¡± I replied. Sneaking a peek from the corner of his eye, he continued speaking. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take them to get here?¡± I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Apart from the rustling of the leaves and the rhythmic sounds of rain hitting the wet earth, all was silent. ¡°Hmm...I don¡¯t know. It could be any minute now.¡± I said casually, as I readjusted my grip on his shoulders, ¡°So why don¡¯t we, on the count of three¡­¡± I shifted one foot forward slightly. ¡°RUN!¡± The second I finished my sentence, I grabbed him by the neck of the cloak, and dashed into the bushes nearby. ¡°Why did you run? Be a man and fight! Damn, if only I wasn¡¯t reduced to this state after getting rid of that seal¡­¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m scared, haha.¡± ¡°I call that bullsh*t.¡± I could hear the panting of the wolves getting closer and closer. I may actually have to fight in the end...but for now, I will try to get as far as I can- I didn¡¯t even get to finish my thought. Because directly in front of me right now, was a gigantic waterfall. ¡°Oops, looks like this is the end of the road.¡± I commented, as the wolves emerged from the bushes one by one, surrounding us from all sides. ¡°Yeah, Mr. Genius, anyone could see that.¡± my partner retorted, retreating closer and closer to the edge of the path as the beasts advanced. I smiled. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Time for plan B.¡± Slowly, I raised my hand toward the sky. ¡°Ancient spirits of Frost,¡± The wind began to pick up in speed. I closed my eyes. ¡°Heed the commands of your Master!¡± Streaks of lightning began to flash in the distance as the sky darkened. ¡°Come forth with your wrenching chills,¡± I opened my eyes. With loud and steady voice, I finished my chant. ¡°Freeze the fools that oppose me so!¡± Thunderous roars broke out from the heavens above, and then¡­ Nothing happened. ¡°...¡± ¡°...Now¡¯s really not the time to fool around...¡± Huh? What was going on? Did my spell fail or¡­ ¡°Ancient spirits of Frost, heed the commands of your Master. Come forth with your wrenching chills, freeze the fools that oppose me so.¡± I repeated. Once again, nothing happened. Then...what about this spell? ¡°Might of the Ice Emperor!¡± Nothing. ¡°Dance of the Seven Blizzards! Chains of the Frozen Eternity! Twilight of the-¡± ¡°You bastard, spamming gibberish doesn¡¯t make you look cool you know. Get serious!¡± At this point, I think even the wolves were looking at me in pity. Whatever was wrong with my spells...I would have to figure that out later. ¡°Erm, unfortunately, plan B has failed...let¡¯s proceed to plan C.¡± I said, clearing my throat to ease the embarrassment. I put my hand on my partner¡¯s shoulder again. ¡°Alright partner, do you trust me?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes on the wolves. ¡°No.¡± he answered without hesitation. ...This kid is not cute at all. ¡°Ok fine...but don¡¯t worry, my plan is flawless this time.¡± As I spoke, I picked him up by the cloak once again. ¡°Are you ready, Ere-ere? Because it¡¯s going to be a long trip down!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord Erebus to you, human- wait...what?!?¡± I smirked in amusement as I watched his face drain of color. Giving the wolves one last look, I leaped off the cliff with him dangling from my hands. ¡°WHAT PART OF THIS PLAN WAS FLAWLESS, YOU DUMB LITTLE SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!¡± Erebus¡¯ voice accompanied us all the way down the mighty waterfall. ... And this, was how our first day back in this world ended. But, before I continue on with the story of our journey, allow me to go back in time a bit¡­ All the way back to how I met Erebus, How I died. And how it all began. Listen carefully now... To my story of the beginning of the End. To be continued... Tier Three: The beginning of the End One by one, the members of my family got slaughtered. I could do nothing but watch. Slowly, the ground beneath me became dyed with the color of life. A blood red sea of death. ¡°Don¡¯t avert your eyes.¡± My younger brother, my most loyal advisor, said. ¡°Look around you. Look at the souls that your foolish kindness had reaped.¡± Then, he too was gone. The man in the shadows spoke, A voice most familiar to my ears. He approached with silent steps. His face was now visible. ... I knew this man. ... Ahaha¡­ Haha¡­ HAHAHAHAHAHA! I see...so it was you!!! I couldn¡¯t stop my insane, pained laughter as he raised his sword... And pierced me through the heart. ---------- When I came to, I was floating in a vast white space. I did not know what I was doing here, nor did I know how I got here. What was I even doing before? Just as I was thinking this, memories of what had happened came rushing back. Oh. Right. I was dead. Executed. Slain by the one I trusted most. ... At that, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. After all, it was something like a cliche ending to a third-rate tragedy play, so unbelievably ironic that I almost had second thoughts about it. Almost. ¡°Lost soul,¡± a voice echoed, ¡°for your deeds in your past life, both good and bad, you shall be judged with Scale of Truth.¡± Who was the one that had just spoken? I looked around in search of the owner, but there was none. A gigantic weighing scale materialised out of nowhere. On one side, rested a pure white feather. On the other side, there was nothing. ¡°Now, shall your soul be lighter than the Feather of Justice, you shall be allowed to continue on to your next life. However¡­¡± The nameless voice paused, letting his words sink in. ¡°Shall your soul be heavier, you shall be condemned to eternity in Purgatory.¡± Hold on, just what...was the voice saying? I had no clue as to what was going on. As the voice faded away into nothingness, a light blue orb appeared. Drifting down gently from above, it landed on the other side of the scale, occupying the previously empty spot. Then, there was the silence. Absolute silence. Time itself seemed to have frozen all together. And finally... The balance began to tip to one side. Slowly. Ever so slowly. I watched as the pan carrying the small, glittering orb¡­ Sunk to the very bottom. ¡°The verdict has been reached. You, poor lost...ill-fated soul.¡± Answers. ¡°Once a King, once the master of the noble House of Aqua...but now no more.¡± I needed answers. ¡°You, the one God had chosen¡­¡± But, there were none. Nothing made sense anymore. ¡°...and then abandoned. You, Zephyrion Aquadeus Atlantis...¡± Darkness began to swallow up the pure white space around me. Reaching for me, Suffocating me, Engulfing me whole. ¡­ I refused to surrender. ¡°Shall be condemned to eternity in the Void of Repentance!¡± I refused to surrender. The light was disappearing. I refused to surrender. The scale in front of me shattered into millions of tiny pieces. I refused to surrender. I refused to surrender. I refused to surrender. ¡­ I. Will. Never. SURRENDER!!! With a thunderous roar from deep within my heart, I stretched my hand toward the fading light with all my might... Before falling into the darkness forever. -------------- ¡°You sure love apples, don¡¯t you?¡± He would ask me from time to time. ¡°I like its sweetness.¡± I would often reply. He would then pretend to be in deep thought. ¡°That must be the reason your hair is such a horrifying red.¡± He would conclude. ¡°Your absurd love for this fruit.¡± At that, I would chuckle in amusement. ¡°Here, why don¡¯t you have one too.¡± I would then offer him an apple. As always, he would shake his head. ¡°No no, I mustn¡¯t,¡± He would say, ¡°Because to me, such sweetness¡­¡± ¡°...is nothing but the deadliest of poisons.¡± -------------- Alone. No, not alone. Cold. No, it¡¯s not cold nor warm. Silent. No, there is music. Music that I know don¡¯t really exist. Empty. ¡­ Yes. Empty. In this place where it is not light nor dark, where it is vast yet also small, where the ear hears strange music in absolute silence¡­ Empty was the only word that could describe it. Vacant eternity. So so desolate, That one could lose one¡¯s mind. ...And maybe I already did. Are you bored, human? ¡­ It was that voice again. Whether it was real or a fragment of my own imagination, it would whisper to me from time to time... And ask me the exact same thing. I answered it for the... I can¡¯t even remember how many times. Time, after all, did not exist in this place. ¡°No, not really.¡± This was the answer I provided. Always. A pause. Then¡­ Do you regret committing the sins that had led you here? ... Sins? I smiled. ¡°No, not at all.¡± Another round of silence. What is your wish, human? My wish? ¡°To get out of this place, of course.¡± And after that? What do you plan to achieve? The voice asked me the same question so many times, I did not even have to think. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I said casually, as if I was answering a question about tonight¡¯s dinner menu. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to think of something after I get out.¡± And with that, the conversation would end, just as always- Do you wish for wealth? For power? For fame beyond one¡¯s imagination? For the first time, the voice asked me something new. Unexpected. I did not reply. Or is it that, behind your seemingly carefree smiles...lies an unquenchable thirst for revenge? Revenge. Did I wish for revenge? Take back what I¡¯ve lost, and make him suffer for what he has done? Hahahaha...ha¡­ ... Don¡¯t joke with me. ¡°Revenge?¡± I said, my voice tinged with amusement, ¡°There can¡¯t be a more useless thing that exists!¡± Revenge, what good could that do? Satisfy my hatred? My desperation? My desire for ¡°justice¡±? ... No, none of those. Because I had already abandoned these feelings, long time ago. Only one thing remained. Greed. Even as my desire for revenge began to fade, My greed continued to grow. Revenge alone, was no longer enough. ¡°It is not ¡®revenge¡¯, it is a continuation! A challenge!¡± I carried on, unable to sustain my crazy laughter, ¡°For the things I¡¯ve lost, I will regain. And for all the things I¡¯ve failed to accomplish, I will claim them this time, no matter what.¡± I could hear my declaration echo in the nothingness. No answer. I guess this was the end of the conversation. ... At the cost of your humanity, No, not the end yet. And the lives of many innocent others, Go on, I was listening. Will you forsake all to ascend to the top? Oi, were you even listening to me earlier? Didn¡¯t I say that I would let nothing block my way? I smiled to myself. ¡°Isn¡¯t the answer obvious?¡± ... Thunderous laughter followed. ??? What was so funny about my reply? You are interesting, human. Never have I met someone as arrogant as you, or someone with such a twisted personality. Thanks for the compliment. Therefore, for entertaining me, I will tell you a way to get out of this place¡­ Oh? If, and only if, you can defeat me. Oh. There were strings attached...as expected. But, it was a start at least. ¡°And how can I do that? A sword-fight? Rock-paper-scissors? A game of poker?¡± The owner of the nameless voice snorted like an old buffalo. Patience, human. Take a look around you. I looked around. The empty space I became so accustomed to was no longer there. Instead, I was standing alone in front of a gigantic gate of the purest black. Shall you seek to defeat me, you must pass my test first. Defeat the guardians of the twelve Altars, and you shall find yourself in my presence. I began to walk up the stairs leading to the gate. But, be forewarned, human. You shall soon face powerful beings beyond your wildest dreams. If you fail, you must start over from the beginning. You will not cease to exist, but you will still feel pain. I lifted myself up the last step of the stairway. How long will you last? I am excited to see. But first, I will give you a warm welcome¡­ I placed my hands on the gate¡¯s cold surface. Welcome to my realm, human. And I, the mighty Lord of this domain, am the one that you humans call¡­ With a strong push, I parted the heavy gate¡­ The God of Chaos, Erebus! And entered the cage of Evil. ------------- I found myself standing in front of the gate once again. ... What...just happened? Didn¡¯t I just enter a few moments ago? Was that the extent of your abilities? A voice. Erebus. You must be confused. But, take a moment to think. You should remember what happened. It was then that my memories came back. The chilling, dusty floors. The ceiling that was so high that it could not be seen. And. The enormous, three-headed dog. ¡­ Right. I remember now. I was eliminated as soon as I stepped in. So, how was it? Erebus asked. How did it feel to ¡°die¡± again? A smile began to spread across my face. Was it painful? Was it scary? Was it enough for you to give up? Yes, it was painful. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Yes, it was scary. But... All it did was make me want to try again. And try again was what I did. One time. Two times. Three times. Are you here again? Give up, you will never even pass Altar One. Four times. Five times. Six times. Up to Altar Two now? You¡¯ll never make it to me at this rate. Give up. Ten times. Twenty times. Thirty times. So you have finally found a way to get past Medusa? Congratulations, but I wonder how long your victory will last. One hundred times. Two hundred times. Three hundred times. Altar Seven? Not bad, but you still have a long way to go. Four hundred times. Five hundred times. Six hundred times. ...Human, are you insane? Are you completely oblivious to the idea of pain? Seven hundred times. Eight hundred times. Nine hundred times. ...You...what are you? ... ¡°Just a weakling that doesn¡¯t know how to give up.¡± And on the nine hundred ninety-ninth time¡­ I finally made it past the last Altar. ----------- ¡°Zephyrion, Zephyrion,¡± He would often say, ¡°When I grow up, I will be a General. And you, the King!¡± ¡°But I won¡¯t be King,¡± I would reply, ¡°Because ¡®God¡¯ won¡¯t choose me.¡± There he would laugh. ¡°No no, I wasn¡¯t talking about Eden,¡± He would say while shaking his head, ¡°Why do you set your goals so low?¡± I would then respond with a look of confusion. ¡°The world, Zephyrion, the world!¡± He would say while pointing at the distant skies. ¡°When we grow up, we will be the rulers of the world!¡± ------------- In front of me, was a single path lined with a fancy, red carpet. I traced the path with my eyes. On and on, it seemed to stretch on forever. A path with no clear destination. So you came, human. Erebus¡¯ voice was strangely calm. ¡°Ah...you were home after all.¡± I said, ¡°In that case, sorry for intruding.¡± It took him a while to reply. Why must you try so hard? You are nothing but a mere human. His question amused me. ¡°Because we humans,¡± I replied, ¡°are best at being stubborn.¡± ¡­ What is your real goal? ¡°What? Didn¡¯t I already say it was to get out-¡± Cut the nonsense. Answer my question. What is your real goal? Erebus, it seems, was getting impatient. At that moment, I suddenly recalled a memory from my childhood. ¡­ Alright. ¡°I want to become the King.¡± I said, ¡°The King of the world.¡± I was only half-joking with that. Silence. Then, there was laughter. You, a heinous sinner condemned to eternity in Purgatory, wants to become King? Moreover, the ruler of the world? Has your insanity reached a new level? He didn¡¯t believe me. Obviously. ... But that didn¡¯t matter to me. ¡°You see, it was a promise I made to someone...long time ago.¡± Erebus¡¯ laughter increased in volume. Insane, absolutely insane! But, that twisted mind of yours draws me to you! Consider it fate! Let me make you a deal. If you manage to defeat me with only one try, I will show you the way out...and personally assist you in your delusions of world domination! With me, the God of Chaos, by your side, nobody will ever be able to stop you! Interesting. ¡°And if I fail?¡± If you fail...you will never have a chance to leave this place again. One chance. A gamble to win it all or lose it all, huh? ¡­ It sounded like a lot of fun. ¡°I accept!¡± I said. In that case...show me your resolve! Just as he finished his sentence, the path in front of me vanished¡­ And was replaced by beast-like creature with gleaming golden eyes. Erebus, in the flesh. At last. I will let you deal the first blow, human. So don¡¯t hold back, come at me with all your might! Erebus roared, his pure black cloak ablaze with raging flames. But, I was no longer listening to him. ¡°...Silence¡­¡± Tiny patterns of ice began to form beneath my feet, spreading across the floor like wildfire. ¡°...Pierce¡­¡± A gigantic icy spike pierced through the floor, missing Erebus by mere inches. ¡°...Encage...Exterminate!¡± Similar spikes erupted from all sides, trapping him in a deadly cage of ice. He looked at the icy creations...and smiled. Shatter. He said. And with that simple word, the icy hell broke apart into thousands of glistening crystals. Is this all you got? He asked. It was my turn to smile. ¡°No, I was just about to begin.¡± I raised my hand toward the darkness above. ¡°Guardians of the chamber of Ice,¡± Interesting! Then allow me to show you a few spells of mine¡­ ¡°Heed my summons, heed my cries!¡± Tendrils of wavering shadows began to surface from the ground, reaching out towards me. I started to run. ¡°Come to my aid in this time of need,¡± The ground beneath me began to crack, revealing the sea of flames below. I leaped from one section to the next, trying to remain on solid ground. Then, I lowered my hand, positioning it in the direction of Erebus. ¡°Annihilate the evils that dare block my way!¡± A storm of ice descended on the path in front of me, tearing apart everything in its wake. I watched as it headed toward Erebus, threatening to absorb him into its depth... Erebus raised his hand with a bored expression. The storm slammed into the spot he was standing at, before bursting into a shower of freezing dust. ¡­ ... Everything was now silent. Erebus was no longer there. ...Was the spell a success? You disappoint me, human. My eyes widened in surprise. This deep, bone-chilling voice that I had gotten so used to was back. I thought you would be a much more entertaining opponent...but I was wrong. He was still there. Unharmed. Standing right behind me. Before I could turn around fully, I was hit with the force of a thousand fists. Unable to hold my ground, I crashed into the rocky walls nearby, bringing about clouds of falling debris. ¡°Khoff khak khak¡­¡± I coughed, as the metalic taste of blood entered my throat. I slid down the wall, falling forward on to my face at the base. Almost immediately, I was lifted up by my hair, forced to look into the eyes of my adversary. It¡¯s over, human. The end. You have lost. Begone! A massive ball of dark energy began to form behind him as he spoke. ¡­ Was this really the end? ¡­ No. It¡¯s not over. Not now. Not ever. I would never give up. Never surrender. Never admit defeat. ...Even if I would have to bring the entire universe down with me. And with that, I opened my blood-stained mouth to chant for the very last time. ...That spell...it can¡¯t be! Human, do you understand what you are doing!?! Do you wish to destroy your own soul as well? Erebus let go, stepping away from me. I continued chanting. Stop this instant!!! There will be no going back! Not only this place, but you too, will cease to exist! I continued chanting. ...Stop¡­ I continued chanting. ...Stop¡­ I uttered the last words. ...STTTTOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!! With a fearsome cry, he lunged at me once again¡­ Before the scene around us exploded into a flash of blinding light. --------------- I was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling too high to be seen. My mind was strangely blank...yet, I knew the fight was over. It was over. My hands, my legs...I could not feel anything. It was over... But, I was still here. It was...over? ... Erebus had managed to stop the spell. ...I had lost. If you were the most powerful being of all, what would you do? He too, was lying on his back. Just a small distance away. I gazed at the darkness above me in oblivion. ¡°Conquer the world, of course.¡± But after that? Having obtained everything you have ever wished to gain...wouldn¡¯t things become very boring? At that, I smirked. ¡°Nine hundred ninety-nine,¡± I said, ¡°was how many times I challenged the Altars. Yet, no outcome was ever the same. The answer is simple.¡± He was silent. ¡°If things begin to become boring, then just make them interesting again. That is what makes the world such a fun place to be.¡± ¡­ No reply. Was my answer unsatisfactory? And then... Mwahahahaha!!! I see! So that was all there is to it! Erebus was laughing. I listened to his deafening laughter with closed eyes. Human, can you still stand? ¡°If I want to, perhaps.¡± Then you better get ready, because we will be going¡­ ¡°Oh, are we? Where shall we be going?¡± To the human realm, of course! Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to conquer the world? I opened my eyes. Breaking the seal will be difficult...but it will be well worth it. Because this time, I will have something fun to do¡­ As he spoke, the ground beneath us began to radiate with an eerie, reddish glow. A magic circle. So hang on tight, because this will be one hell of a ride. World domination, for real? Didn¡¯t I lose though? ¡­ Well, either way¡­ It didn¡¯t sound that bad at all. Let the games begin! And with that, the story of how I met Erebus ended¡­ ...and our cursed ascent into ultimate power began. To be continued... Tier Four: A Great Savior ¡°I would watch him practice in the courtyard every day.¡± ¡°Again and again, he would attempt those simple movements.¡± ¡°But, one can say that he did not have the talent for swordplay.¡± ¡°But Great Grandfather, didn¡¯t you say that he was the strongest man you have ever met?¡± ¡°Yes, my child. He was the strongest.¡± ¡°The strongest, most determined, and kindest King Eden has ever had.¡± ¡°And yet, he was dethroned and executed as a traitor?¡± ¡°Hush, my child. Do not believe in the words of the few.¡± ¡°Our King is simply taking a little journey.¡± ¡°And, when will that journey reach its end?¡± There, Great Grandfather would smile. ¡°One day your paths shall cross, and the Ice King shall return to Eden, once again¡­¡± ¡°Remember my words, ¡ª¡ª¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When I came to, I found myself staring at the ceiling of a wooden cabin. Well¡­at least that was what I think I was looking at. I really couldn¡¯t tell in the darkness anyway. Right away, I noticed three things. One, my arm was covered in bandages. Two, Erebus was nowhere in sight. And three, I was stripped of my clothing except for the undergarments. ¡­ Guess I had some fun last night without knowing about it. ¡°You are finally awake.¡± I turned my head toward the voice. The owner of the voice was a scruffy-looking man in his¡­late thirties or forties, assuming that just by his unshaven appearance. I felt some part of me crumble into dust ¡­Oh cruel, cruel fate. ¡°Ah, greetings¡­do you perhaps know where we currently are?¡± I said, giving him a care-free smile. ¡°My home.¡± Shoot. Think Zeph, think. What happened before all this? ¡­ Ah, right. The waterfall. Did he perhaps rescue me from the stream? Or was he simply one of those shady guys that like to pick things up by the rivers and take them back home? No please. I was not even a fish, I taste bad, spare me- ¡°Your right arm was injured, so I bandaged it. I removed your wet clothes, change into the dry ones I left over there later.¡± And with that, he got up from his chair, and exited the cabin. ¡­ Well, that was anti-climatic. But, at least my backdoor was still closed. I think. ¡°Oi, Erebus, are you there?¡± No response. ¡­ Let¡¯s try this. ¡°Erebus, you stinky little brat. Get out this instant or else I will give your butt a good whooping.¡± Still no response. Was he actually not here with me? ...I guess I am on my own for now. Quickly, I changed into the set of clothes that he gave me. I couldn¡¯t see my own clothes anywhere, and something is better than nothing. ¡­ Getting off the bed, I moved toward the front door, opening it slightly and peeking out from the crack. An endless sea of trees greeted me, stretching far beyond what my eyes could see. In the distance, the melody of gushing water could be heard, which hinted to me that perhaps I was now located on the other side of the forest separated by the waterfall. Who knows if it was even the same waterfall though. Knowing my exact location wasn¡¯t the most important thing. After all, I had no idea what the layout of this area was, so it wouldn¡¯t help much. Ultimately, I had to find Erebus, and everything else comes after that. The quickest way to gather intel would be to ask my savior directly. He didn¡¯t seem to be a bad person, based on the act of him saving a stranger he didn¡¯t know and on the overall vibe I felt from him, but what did I know. I was on par with Julius Caesar when it came to trusting the wrong guy. The second option, to wander around on my own until I chance upon a village. It may take a few hours, a day, or even weeks and months to reach some sort of human civilization, and with the amount of survival skills I had, it could be deemed a suicide mission. Of course, my chances of survival may increase if I could somehow gauge the distance between my current location and distant village-like structures, but that requires one incredibly high class skill called ¡°climbing a tree.¡± A skill that I do not currently possess, unfortunately. In the end, I didn¡¯t have much of a choice, did I? With my grand plan in mind, I closed the door, snuck back into the bed, and tucked myself right in. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Fools, do you even know who I am? I am the great being who stands above all creatures, the ruler of darkness and destruction, the creator of all shadows-¡° ¡°Speak, whose idea was it to bring him back with us again!?¡± A tall, bulky-looking man sporting a wicked-looking full beard barked at the group of men surrounding him, his annoyance clear on his face. The men made themselves look more compact, shrinking against their leader¡¯s display of anger, shuddering like cornered mice. Their leader was a very strong man, with a fiery temper on par with his strength. No one dared to answer his question, for they knew that identifying themselves as the culprit would mean that they alone would face their leader¡¯s wrath. ¡°It¡­It is I, valiant leader!¡± There was a collective, silent gasp from the group, as all heads turned toward the brave soul who had dared to speak. The leader turned his sharp, hawk-like gaze toward the speaker, and instantly, the group split up like the Red Sea, clearing a single path for their sovereign. The leader began to walk toward the speaker, his footsteps causing mini rumblings in the dingy hideout, until he stood in front of the man who dared to answer his question. ¡°Your name?¡± The minion gulped, barely able to look his leader in the eye as he squeaked out an answer. ¡°John Fly-¡± Before he could fully finish, his body hit the wall of the hideout, swatted to the side like a literal fly by one swing of the leader¡¯s mighty arm. The rest of the men dared not make a single sound, lest their cries of terror angered their leader and caused them to end up the exact same way as John.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Oh my lord, there is no need to get angry.¡± From the entrance of the hideout, came a voice that seemed to belong to an aristocrat rather than a mere mountain bandit. As the leader turned his attention to the entrance, a thin, frail-looking man with neat, combed-back blond hair stepped in. He gazed at the body of John who was embedded into the wall, before shaking his head. ¡°He¡¯s not wrong in suggesting we should bring the child back with us. After all, our target this time is a village blessed by the guardian deity of the Earth, Terra.¡± The man who looked out of place in a room full of hardened, merciless bandits, began to walk toward the child, stopping to crouch down in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s good to be cautious against an unknown enemy, don¡¯t you think, child?¡± To his and everyone else¡¯s surprise, the ¡®child¡¯ smirked, and spat on his face in reply. Everyone but the man who got spat on himself looked enraged, but with a single wave of his hand, the man silenced them. ¡°Looks like he is too young to understand things. But, that¡¯s fine. All we need is for him to come with us.¡± As the man stood back up, wiping away the spit on his face, he began to smile sinisterly. He pulled out a piece of paper sporting ominous words written in ink, and slapped it on to the child¡¯s mouth. A few moments later, the paper vanished, as if it had never been there. ¡°Now, shall we go?¡± Erebus, who tried to toss an insult at him, found himself unable to voice a single syllable. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When I came to again, I found myself staring up at the ceiling of a now familiar cabin. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up, stretching as I yawned lazily. It was only after I gave my sore body a few more good stretches, that I finally turned my gaze to the side. ¡°Oh, welcome back, great savior.¡± With the conclusion of my grand plan, which was simply to rest until he returned, a smile broke out on my face. He was sitting silently beside my bed, not making a single sound. It was very likely that he sat there like a huge block of stone and watched me sleep for a long while. ¡°You should¡¯ve woken me up, great savior. How inappropriate of me to sleep so freely in the bed of the one who saved my life.¡± He stayed silent for so long after I finished speaking, that I almost feared that I had gravely misspoken. What¡¯s worse was that there was no way I could tell what kind of expression he had, underneath his mess of dark hair that covered his eyes. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I was taken by surprise at the words he finally managed to get out. Wasn¡¯t there more things he would want to ask? For example, where I had come from, and how had I ended up floating downstream? ¡°I asked if you were hungry.¡± I didn¡¯t answer him right away, the wheels in my head turning as I tried to piece out any hidden messages from his words. Just as I was about to open my mouth to say I wasn¡¯t, my stomach decided to answer for me instead. It grumbled like a starving beast who hasn¡¯t eaten in months, causing just the lightest of a flush of embarrassment to creep up to my cheeks. ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re hungry.¡± The man got up from his chair, and went outside. Not too long after, he came back in, holding three sticks of fire-roasted fish on a leaf, along with some berry-like things. He set the leaf on my lap, before handing me a mug of water as well. ¡°Eat.¡± He commanded, before sitting back down on his chair, watching my every move. I looked down at the fish, and then back at him again. His stare got more intense the longer it took for me to do what he told me to do, and so, I eventually gave in. Sinking my teeth into the crispy, yet tender flesh, I soon found myself wolfing down the three sticks in no time. Chugging down the mug of water afterwards, I sighed in deep satisfaction, a rosy glow on my cheeks from getting some hearty food in my stomach after a tiring journey the day before. With a grateful smile, I turned my attention back to him. ¡°Thank you, great savior! Not only are you a man of a great heart, but also of great culinary skills. I daresay that this was the best meal of the century!¡± It wasn¡¯t too much of an exaggeration on my part, since it was my first good meal after my escape from purgatory. The first time I felt some warmth inside of me in a hundred years. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just fish and fruits.¡± For some reason, the man in front of me almost looked a little embarrassed at my compliment. Though, it must be a trick of my eyes, since his solemn expression returned in a fraction of a second. Deciding not to think too hard on it, I spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s been on my mind, great savior. Why did you decide to save me? For a complete stranger like me, I must be more trouble than I¡¯m worth.¡± He didn¡¯t seem like the type to go out of his way to save every helpless and needy stranger in his path. A solitary type that likely chose the forest as his home in order to get away from the greater civilization. Still, if he said it was a simple act of kindness, I wouldn¡¯t shoot the idea down. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Or, he could simply not answer. That was a form of an answer in itself. To break up the tension in the air, I changed the topic. ¡°I was wondering, great savior. When you picked me up, did you happen to see anyone else nearby? For example¡­¡± I stretched out a hand, patting the air beside me, visually showing him what I meant. ¡°A child with midnight black hair and ruby red eyes. About this tall, wearing a long black cloak that hangs to his feet.¡± What else? ¡°Ah, and he has a bad attitude. A kind of a sulky, old-man face when he is angry at you. Also likes to unleash the most foul of language¡­¡± I sighed dramatically, shrugging my shoulders as I closed my eyes, before peeking at him from the corner of my eye, searching for his reaction. His expression didn¡¯t change at all as he shook his head. I sighed for a second time. ¡°Oh no, what should I do¡­ he¡¯s a neighbor¡¯s child that I was tasked with looking after. I must find him quickly or else his mother¡¯s wrath shall descend upon me-¡± ¡°There is a village downstream. If he continued floating down the river, he would likely be found by the villagers there.¡± I trailed off as the mysterious man cut in, stopping me in mid-sentence without any regard for my one-star acting. ¡°¡­It¡¯ll take you half a day by foot. You should reach it by nightfall.¡± Having obtained valuable information, the corner of my lips curled up. It seemed that there was no need to put on a show in front of the man. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be on my way. Due to your wonderful care, I had recovered sufficiently for the short journey.¡± Apart from my one wounded arm, I was in no worse condition than I had started with. With my hunger and thirst taken care of, I could make it to the village without much issue, provided that I don¡¯t encounter anything on the way. If I do¡­ it¡¯s more than likely that I won¡¯t be able to fend them off. I was uncertain of my magic working, after the failed demonstrations last night. It would probably be safer going with someone who can fight, right. I eyed the monstrous, mummy-wrapped object he carried on his back, even as he was sitting inside his own home. The way it was shaped made me think that it was a weapon of some sort, a huge sword that would need a lot of strength to swing. His heavy aura certainly matched the size of his weapon, and the way he carried himself reminded me of a few of the royal sword masters that I used to see in the palace. He wasn¡¯t an overly large man himself, but I had no doubt that he could intimidate much larger opponents with his presence alone. Smiling to myself, I got off the bed. ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡± The man had no reason to help me any further than he already had, and I wasn¡¯t going to ask him to. Finding Erebus was my mission, no one else¡¯s. Having given him my proper thanks, I proceeded toward the door, giving him another polite bow on my way out. The man sat there, unmoving, not saying anything as I left his cabin. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A peaceful day in the tranquil village of Hydrick became not so peaceful when a mob of ogres broke out of the surrounding forests, chasing after what seemed to be a father and his son. The father¡¯s loud cries for help were heard by the villagers, who piled out of their houses with pitchforks and other household tools, in attempts to help the father-son duo. With the joint efforts of the villagers and the village elder, who happened to know a fair bit of earth magic, the small band of ogres were soon defeated, and the traumatized father and son welcomed into the village. According to the father, him and his son were of noble birth, traveling from their town beyond the forests to the imperial capital, when their carriage was attacked and destroyed by the band of ogres living inside the forest. The two barely managed to escape with their lives, the mother of the child less lucky, and fortunately, came across across the village of Hydrick where they sought for help. Although getting attacked by creatures in the forest wasn¡¯t anything rare, the elder still thought that their story was a bit strange. After all, the creatures in their area were fairly tame, and lived in relative harmony with the humans under the protection of the guardian of Earth, Terra, who watched over them all. It could be said that a much more likely culprit of an attack on the innocent would be the malicious mountain bandits, who had been active in the region recently, hiding in the dense forest and preying on helpless nobles who passed by. Any shred of doubt that the elder had with the two strangers soon disappeared, as the father won him and the villagers over with his charm. He was certainly well-dressed for his part, and had the air of an aristocrat. Plus, how could the villagers turn them away, especially the child who seemed to be so traumatized by the experience that he would not utter a single word? The villagers welcomed them with open arms, and even prepared a lavish feast with all the delicacies they could offer. By the time night fell, the guests were provided with a room to sleep in, in the house of the kind elder. As the village sunk into a gentle sleep, the crackling of flames and the heavy scent of smoke rose in the air. It started out as a small fire in the elder¡¯s house, eventually growing into a raging inferno and quickly spreading across the village. As everything was falling into disarray, the child of the man, who was presently nowhere to be found, was trying his best to wake the elder. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly, as his efforts bore no fruit. No matter how much he shook or slapped or bit the elder, the latter wouldn¡¯t stir. It were as if the elder was under some kind of spell. Frustration was clear on the child¡¯s face, as his crimson red eyes began to shine in the darkness. The light quickly dimmed from his eyes, and his frustration grew. He had no way to break the spell, not in his current state. Giving up on shaking the elder, he set about to bundle the elder up in his blankets, tying some knots to the elder¡¯s arms and legs, before pulling the mattress off and using it as a soft slide to transfer the elder to the floor. Once the elder was on the floor, still sound asleep, the child began to drag him by the blankets out of the burning cabin, sweat staining his forehead as he focused on the laborious task of bringing the elder to safety. Dodging flaming debris, the child bit his lips and struggled on, with the sole goal of getting both of them out in one piece. After what felt like an eternity, he finally made it out the door...only to be faced with the gruesome sight of the massacre going on in the village. In the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep, the father, who was only pretending to be one in order to sneak into the village in preparation for the raid, had lit the houses on fire. As the villagers woke to the hellish nightmare, they quickly began to evacuate, the strongest of the men staying behind to fend off the mountain bandits who had emerged from their hiding spots in the forest at the signal of the flames. ¡°Protect the women and children! Get the elder and them away!¡± The courageous men who were putting their lives on the line confronted the bandits with axes and pitchforks, blocking their way from the fleeing villagers. Although they put up a good fight against the ogres, they were no match against a much larger group of experienced killers. As the bandits cut the men down one by one, the leader of the bandits spotted two people in front of the elder¡¯s house. The child was already trying his best to drag the elder into the nearby forest, but he was far too late, and far too slow. With thunderous steps, the leader closed the distance between him and the child, his humongous shadow illuminated by the flames nearby. ¡°Where are you going, kid?¡± He asked, his voice deep and sinister, a smile full of crooked teeth spreading across his face. The child instinctively moved in front of the elder, as if he wanted to shield him with his tiny body. Fixing his defiant gaze on the leader, the child did not answer. The bandit leader¡¯s smile widened. ¡°Like you can answer me, with Tarian¡¯s seal on your pretty little mouth.¡± He laughed, clearly pleased with the turn of events. Without another word, he raised his falchion, the cold blade gleaming underneath the moonlight- A single stone hit him square in his jaw, causing him to freeze with his weapon in the air. The leader¡¯s eyes darkened with fury, as he turned to face his attacker. ¡°Oops. Hand slipped. Don¡¯t be too mad?¡± In front of him, a short distance away, stood a red-headed man in his early twenties. The man smiled, tossing another stone up into the air, before catching it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, will you accept my heartfelt apology?¡± As he spoke, the child, whose seal on his lips finally lost its magic, opened his mouth to shout. ¡°Cut that crap, human. Beat this smelly blockhead up already!¡± The young man blinked at his companion, before laughing. ¡°How am I supposed to do that, Ere-ere~?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Erebus wasn¡¯t only the god of chaos, but also the god of getting-himself-in-trouble. I guess chaos follows him like a shadow, so his constant bad luck was just a part of his job description. I had walked along the river for many hours, until I could see smoke in the sky. The presence of smoke often meant a presence of a human civilization, and well, I did find the village I was looking for by following the smoke trail. Except... The closer I got, the more I realize that there was far too much smoke. It wasn¡¯t just a nice large campfire burning in the middle of the village, or smoke from individual chimneys. The whole village was on fire. It would¡¯ve been difficult to find Erebus in the mess of burning buildings and people trying to kill each other, but perhaps in a stroke of good luck amongst all the bad, the gigantic body of the likely leader of the massacring side drew my eyes. Beside him, drum roll... ¡°Cut that crap, human. Beat this smelly blockhead up already!¡± Was my very cute companion, Erebus. So cute that he was already swearing at me like a sailor within the first minute of our tear-jerking reunion. ¡°How am I supposed to do that, Ere-ere~?¡± It was troublesome indeed. I could try using magic, but it would take a miracle for it to work suddenly after many failed attempts along the way to the village. I could also try using a discarded weapon of some sort...but that was likely worse than just continuing to toss zero-damage stones at him, since my swordsmanship was non-existent. As I pondered over my options, ignoring the annoyed shouting of Erebus and the increasingly agitated leader who kept on asking for my name, I felt a sudden chill on the back of my neck. ... A smile broke out on my face once again, as I tossed my stone right at the leader¡¯s face, interrupting his name-asking mid sentence. ¡°Come at me then, if you want to know my name.¡± I challenged, as the stone crumpled to the ground, revealing the contorted features of the raging bearded man. As he rushed at me, swinging his falchion... A shadow leaped in front of me, blocking me from his line of sight. The sound of metal hitting an object echoed in the night, as the fatal blow coming my way was stopped by a person I was acquainted with. ¡°...If you don¡¯t have the skills to defend yourself, don¡¯t instigate anything.¡± The swordsman wearing clothes of the purest black stood in front of me, his mummy-wrapped sword intercepting the falchion almost effortlessly. His back was to me, but even without directly facing him, I could feel the pressure he exerted on his enemy. ... I grinned at the back of the man who had saved me twice in the same day. ¡°Looks like our great savior has arrived, Ere-ere.¡± Tier Five: Terras Tear ¡°So that¡¯s how one would use it¡­¡± Holding the sparkling, forest green gem high above my head, I smiled as I leaned against the hard shell of a very large tortoise. The tortoise answered with a gentle laugh, before laying his gigantic head on the ground. On the spot where he laid his head, tiny flowers began to grow. ¡°Why that village though? Did the people there do something special?¡± The tortoise was quiet for a moment, before he spoke in his gentle, low voice that caused a warm rumbling of the earth. ¡°The people there are kind. I¡¯ve watched over them for a long time.¡± I paused in the inspection of the gem. Then, I let out a melodious laugh. ¡°I see! People you like, I like too~ If there ever comes a day when I can come to their aid, I¡¯ll gladly do so.¡± The gentle giant did not answer, but the pleasant buzzing of the earth below whispered to me his approval. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Looks like our great savior has arrived, Ere-ere.¡± I continued smiling innocently at the back of our hero, as he held the enemy leader in a deadlock. At my words, he turned his face slightly to the side, his lips pressed tightly against each other in a firm, disproving line. Even without looking into his eyes, I could tell that he wasn¡¯t amused with the situation. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t call me that again.¡± He said coldly, barely paying attention to his enemy, who in comparison, was shaking all over in his attempts to overpower his opponent. The enemy leader had the advantage in size, but to all who may be watching, was clearly losing in the strength department to the mysterious man who had suddenly appeared to save the day. ¡°Who are you!? Speak-¡± ¡°Then, what shall I call you? If you don¡¯t want me to refer to you as the ¡®great savior,¡¯ then how about you give me your name?¡± I cut the enemy leader off, completely disregarding his presence. At my obvious show of belittling him, the leader shot me a murderous glare, veins popping up on his bulky arms and forehead. He was getting more and more irritated by the minute, his neck and face now red like lava, threatening to burst from his oversized head. ¡°How dare you interrupt me, you scrawny little thing-¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he was shoved away a few hundred meters, crashing right into a group of his minions. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for them, the minions cushioned his fall, and the leader soon stood up, unharmed. His look of surprise though, seemed to be permanently imprinted into his face. ¡°We are having a conversation, so stay silent.¡± The mysterious swordsman swung his gigantic mummy-wrapped sword over his shoulder as he spoke, having just knocked his enemy away with brute strength. It became increasingly more apparent just how drastic the power difference between him and the leader was. Did someone like him even have to use his sword against people like the enemy leader? ¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but whistle at him in approval. ¡°Amazing! Splendid! Bravo! What a breathtaking display of raw power! I thought you were a swordsman at first, but you don¡¯t actually need your sword, do you? I bet you can blast him into oblivion with your mighty fist, no, finger, alone!¡± As I stood there, clapping, I felt a sharp pain on the side of my leg. Redirecting my gaze from the swordsman to the spot beside me, I saw Erebus, who was looking up at me with an exasperated expression on his face. ¡°What are you doing, idiot!? The villagers are dying, aren¡¯t you going to do something?¡± He was looking up at me with his clear, ruby-colored eyes. So clear and pure in that moment, that one might almost forget he was the god of chaos. The corner of my lips twitched at the irony of the chaos god asking me to save the villagers. ¡­ ¡°Should I be doing something about it?¡± As I gazed down at my smaller companion, my eyes were shining with an icy chill even though an eternal smile remained on my face. His eyes widened at my response, which seemed to be out of his expectations. ¡­ I had to resist the urge to laugh. It seemed that all this time, I had given him the wrong impression. ¡°You¡¯re right. As a human, I should help fellow human beings. But, there is a difference between what I should do, and what I can do.¡± I paused, before turning my face to the side, observing the villagers. Countless bodies littered the ground, blood soaking through the earth like the roots of a cursed plant sucking the life of the soil beneath. No longer were there any cries of villagers being slaughtered. The ones that managed to survive were already escaping into the nearby forest, and the raiders now making their way back to their leader. They could sense that their leader was in a predicament, and had given up on pursuing the remaining survivors in order to back their ruler up. The mysterious swordsman soon found himself surrounded on all sides, enemies circling in, like a pack of wolves ready to pounce on their prey. I looked back at Erebus, before grinning and grabbing him by the neck of his cloak. Lifting him up, I tossed him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes, letting out a quiet ¡®oof¡¯ at his weight. Who would expect a tiny child like him to be so heavy? ¡°Let me rephrase. I can¡¯t do anything right now, so I¡¯m going to leave things to someone who can do something about it. After all, if I were to barge in the way I currently am, I would just be dead weight to him.¡± I paused, before sighing softly. ¡°Kind of like how you are dead weight to me right now. So refrain from causing any more unnecessary trouble even though you are the god of chaos, alright?¡± Erebus¡¯ cheek puffed up like that of a provoked puffer fish, as he began to tug on my hair, acting exactly like a child. ¡°Coward! Let me down, I shall show those humans the true face of fear-¡± I merely patted his small back, before taking a deep breath. Then¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s meet again, great savior! I¡¯m sure you can handle all of them with no issues. Take your time!¡± I shouted at the swordsman, waving goodbye with great enthusiasm, as I began to dash out of the village while carrying the complaining Erebus. Erebus was right in calling me a coward¡­but then again, I would rather be a coward in this situation than be a fool. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°To think you were once an entity who struck fear into the hearts of everyone on the battle field¡­¡± As I panted, hands on my knees, trying to regain my breath, Erebus was standing nearby with his arms crossed. After running for a period of time, I was unable to continue on without a break. Running without any baggage was different than running with a kicking and biting child over one¡¯s shoulder, and for someone who wasn¡¯t used to burning this much stamina, it was already a miracle that I didn¡¯t pass out half way. Unhappy with my lack of endurance, he continued on with his remarks. ¡°We aren¡¯t that far into the forest, and if that scruffy swordsman can¡¯t last long enough, those bandits would be on to us in no time. I would¡¯ve thought the so-called ¡®Ice Overlord¡¯ would be able to run for more than ten minutes at least.¡± At him bringing up one of my old titles, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh even though just breathing was hurting my chest. The ¡®Ice Overlord,¡± ¡°Ice Emperor,¡± ¡°Conquer of Empires,¡± ¡°Hero of Eden,¡± and so on and so forth. The list of honorary names that I had received in the past went on and on, so many of them that my real name was rarely mentioned. I was quite curious to find out how many of those names survived after my death. Perhaps now, I would only be known as ¡°the traitor¡± in everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°I think I ran for double that amount of time at least? But¡­¡± I smirked at him, before straightening up and breathing out slowly, trying to relax my body and recover quicker. ¡°¡­If I didn¡¯t have to carry your majesty over my shoulder, maybe I could¡¯ve gone for triple, or even quadruple that amount of time.¡± Erebus blinked slowly in response to me, before smiling broadly. He closed his eyes, looking very pleased with himself, his chin tilted upwards proudly as he laughed. ¡°Ha, you should be thanking this great being for not requesting you to act as his horse. I bet you won¡¯t be able to crawl for even five minutes with those noodle arms of yours.¡± ¡­ He totally missed the point of my remark. I sighed helplessly, shaking my head. Someday, I would have to teach him that not everything people say was a compliment to him. I closed my eyes for a moment, and reopened them, sweeping my gaze across our surroundings. It was hard to tell how far we had gotten, and harder to tell which direction we had to go toward. It would¡¯ve been better to have a guide in these forests, but that would be asking for too much. After all, I was the one who left our ¡®guide¡¯ back at the village to fend for himself. ¡°¡­ Say, Ere-ere.¡± I tilted my head to the side, deep in thought. There were a few things I was curious about. ¡°One at a time, answer my questions please~ First, what was the name of the village that we had just escaped from?¡± He looked like he wanted to insult me for daring to ask him a question, but decided to answer me anyway. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Those bandits mentioned the name ¡®Hydrick¡¯ when they were talking about the village.¡± He mumbled reluctantly. ¡°Hydrick, huh¡­¡± The name triggered a cherished memory from my past. There was a dull ache in my heart as nostalgic images appeared in my mind, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly. ... I shook myself free of the ride down memory lane, and refocused on the topic at hand. ¡°If names weren¡¯t changed over the years, then that would mean we are now in Lakrak Forest, located near the southern tip of the Dionysus stronghold. In that case, we should move northeast, to the nearest city of Satyrs.¡± As I thought about our next move, Erebus was staring blankly at me, silent for the first time since we had gotten out of purgatory. After a long moment of what seemed to be disbelief mixed with astonishment, he finally spoke up. ¡°¡­You¡­are actually not as stupid as you look.¡± ¡­ ¡°Thank you, your majesty. You see¡­such geographical knowledge was beaten into me by my royal tutor at a young age~¡± I bowed at him, laughing inaudibly at his insult-compliment, knowing how hard it was for Erebus to utter anything that loosely resembled a word of praise. Deciding to continue on with the questions, I followed up with a detail about the raiders. ¡°You¡¯ve been calling them bandits, so I assume those people were mountain bandits that operated nearby. They probably picked you up this morning, and kept you alive in order to sneak into the village beforehand.¡± But, that was a strange tactic for a group which could¡¯ve easily outnumbered and overpowered the villagers. Instead of setting the village ablaze, and possibly drawing the attention of any patrolling imperial guards in the area, they could¡¯ve snuck into the village while everyone was asleep and done the deed. What was more puzzling, was that they would pick a farming village to loot rather than individual, unsuspecting noblemen who often pass through the forest on their northward journeys. Was the gain truly worth the risk of getting pursued by the imperial guards? ¡°And oh, who was it that brought you into the village before the raid? Not the leader, right?¡± Erebus eyed me with suspicion, unsure of what I was getting at. ¡°Not him. Some stick-thin weirdo with rigid blond hair that looks like a wig, and an annoying aristocratic attitude.¡± He snickered to himself, before doing his best impression of the blond man. ¡°¡®It¡¯s good to be cautious against an unknown enemy, don¡¯t you think, child?¡¯¡± He said, in a high pitched, scratchy voice, snorting in amusement. ¡°A thin, blond man huh¡­ I definitely don¡¯t recall seeing anyone like that anywhere when I arrived.¡± I took a moment to think deeply about everything, before laying our options out to him. ¡°Alright, Ere-ere. Listen carefully. We can proceed in one of the two ways.¡± I held up a finger, smiling mysteriously, the moonlight dancing across my light sea-green eyes, turning them into translucent pools rippling with mischief. ¡°The first way, we can head northeast on foot. You may have doubts about my sense of direction after the events of last night, but I can guarantee you that I will be able to navigate through these lands much better after knowing where we are~ The second way¡­¡± I added a finger, my smile widening as I heard the bushes rustle behind us, the movement so discreet that it would be easy to miss had I not been paying close attention to my surroundings. ¡°To lend a helping hand to the villagers. And of course, thank our great savior once again for rescuing him, and apologize on our knees for leaving him behind~¡± Erebus sneered at my suggestions, before folding his arms across his chest once again. ¡°Why do we have to apologize on our knees to him? He suddenly jumped into the fight on his own, we owe him nothing. But, I do agree with going back. I have a score to settle with those imbeciles, and I won¡¯t settle for anything less than beating them black and purple.¡± ¡­ As he finished speaking, I could hear the bushes rustle all around us. With a simple smile plastered on my face, I nodded, before turning around to address our ¡®guests.¡¯ For a while now, I had sensed their presence around us. Perhaps they chose to hide and observe first before making a move. The only issue was, it was nearly impossible to mask the presence of a band of at least twenty people, none of them trained in stealth and all of them staring in the same general direction. It would be an insult to my combat tutor to not feel their eyes burrowing holes into my back. ¡°¡­You heard us. So there is no more need to hide.¡± Stepping back so that I was standing right next to Erebus, I watched as one by one, the villagers emerged from the nearby shrubbery, cautiously but steadily. When the last of them came out of hiding, I turned my attention to the man who stood in front of the group, pitchfork in his hand. His expression was tense, and one could see that he didn¡¯t escape from the fight unscratched. His right arm was wrapped in some kind of cloth, acting as a makeshift bandage. Blood had drenched the cloth, dying it a dark red, but the man displayed no signs of weakness on his face. Just by the way he stood in front of the others, shielding them from me and Erebus, it was clear that he was their leader and protector. ¡°¡­Please help us, companions of the swordsman.¡± I raised my eyebrows at his words. Companions of the swordsman? ¡°Ah, it seems like you might have made a mistake, good sir. We aren¡¯t-¡± ¡°Please help us rescue our elder!¡± The brave villager fell to his knees in front of me, taking me by complete surprise. Against his sincere plead for help, I was a bit lost for words. ¡°Well, I did suggest that myself first. But to be absolutely honest with you, I¡¯m not sure how much we can-¡° ¡°Please!¡± With a thud, the man bowed down to me, smashing his forehead on to the ground. He did it with enough force to cause it to bleed, but refused to take his head off the ground until I said something. I gazed from him to the villagers behind him, all of whom had pained, yet hopeful expressions on their faces. ... I crouched down in front of the man, and placed a hand on his shaking shoulder. The shaking slowly stopped. ¡°We will help you. But first... tell us the location of the magic artifact.¡± I heard a few gasps from the crowd, and their representative quickly lifted his head, drawing back from my touch, gazing at me with a look of deep suspicion. Erebus, who had been listening quietly, frowned slightly, but did not say anything. I quickly explained myself. ¡°Before you put me in the same group as those bandits, hear me out. I¡¯ll keep it short since we don¡¯t have much time, but there aren¡¯t a lot of things more valuable to a mage than an artifact. My companion who was kidnapped by the bandits recalled a blond haired man who was not seen with the rest of his allies back there. He was the one who first came into your village with my companion, and likely the fire mage who started those fires. Normal fire will die out without material fuel to burn on, but the fire of a mage is different.¡± That was why the fire only got larger, and no attempts of putting it out would¡¯ve worked. ¡°The fire is most likely a distraction for the mage to slip away. He alone would search for the artifact, probably in the temple.¡± For a small village, they had a beautiful temple. If the artifact would be kept anywhere, it would probably be there. Except... ¡°... It¡¯s not there.¡± The representative finally spoke up, after listening to my conjecture. The corner of my lips twitched, as I waited for him to go on. ¡°... If you are talking about ¡®that¡¯... it¡¯s actually nearby. The elder had kept it in a separate location in the forest, in case outsiders find out and come ransacking the village for it. I guess... that worry turned into reality.¡± He smiled sadly, helplessness shining in his eyes. ... I reached forward to place my hand on his shoulder once more. ¡°Will you take me to the place where the artifact is kept? For the mage whose greed poisoned his human heart...¡± A full smile broke out on my face. ¡°Let¡¯s welcome him warmly with a big surprise.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Tell me where it is!!!!¡± The poor village elder was shaken viciously by a thin, blond man, who demanded to know the location of a certain object he was searching for. The old man refused to utter a single word even after relentless verbal and physical abuse at the hands of the mage, who got increasingly frantic as time went on. He had taken the old man into the nearby forest, away from the burning houses and the metallic sounds of blows being exchanged. He needed to get his hands on the magic artifact, and leave quickly so that no trace of him would be left behind. ¡°I¡¯m losing my patience, old man... if you don¡¯t tell me in the next minute, not only will your life be at stake, but your people¡¯s too.¡± The elder, who was fully prepared to forsake his own life in order to protect the secret of their treasure, turned deadly pale. The mage noticed the change in his expression, and quickly jumped on the opportunity. ¡°I will hunt down every single one of them, and burn them to crisps just like how I had done to the village.¡± Under the weight of his threat, the elder finally broke down. ¡°I¡¯ll take you there...¡± A sinister smile broke out on the mage¡¯s face. The mage forced the elder to lead the way, lighting their path with a fireball in his palm. The two journeyed for a considerable distance into the depths of the forest, until finally, the old man stopped in front of a small statue. Without a word, he tapped his cane on the ground in front of it, three times. The mage¡¯s eyes widened as what first appeared to be an enormous boulder began to shake, the ground beneath it opening up to swallow a portion of it. It wasn¡¯t a rock that lay in the corner of the forest that they were now at, but rather, a cave. Unable to contain his excitement, the mage shoved the elder forward, forcing him to venture into the pitch black darkness. He was so close to what he wanted, so close to obtaining new powers for himself. So close to being able to teach all those who had looked down on his magic a lesson they would never forget... ¡°Welcome.¡± The mage immediately shone his fireball at the voice, illuminating the figure in front of them. There, sitting leisurely on the stone pedestal, was a red haired young man with the most carefree of smiles on his face. ¡°Who-¡± The young man placed a finger on his lips, silencing the mage. ¡°The quester answers, the guardian seeks. You should be answering my questions, not the other way around.¡± Before he could respond, the young man lifted his balled up fist into the air, slowly releasing his fingers. A shimmering, forest green jewel swayed gently from side to side, dangling from a chain he held in his hand. The mage¡¯s eyes bulged out from his head, as he came to the realization of what the young man was holding. ¡°That... That is-¡° The young man laughed. ¡°The magic artifact you tried so hard to obtain. Unfortunately, finders keepers... so that is now ¡®mine-¡¯¡± A single blast of flames exploded near the young man¡¯s head, and he dodged with mere inches to spare. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Ah, talk about an ¡®explosive¡¯ personality, not even letting me finish my sentence.¡± I shook my head, putting the chain around my neck as I sighed dramatically. ¡°Hand that over, and I¡¯ll let you off lightly.¡± The mage, who had shot the fireball in his hand at me moments earlier, was stalking toward me, holding his hand out. I gave him a wondrous look, before leaping off the pedestal lightly, landing a short distance away from him. ¡°Let me off lightly as in a ¡®light¡¯ death? Quick and simple, ¡®lighting¡¯ me on fire?¡± I laughed at my own stupid pun, but my dear opponent wasn¡¯t amused. It seemed like he didn¡¯t quite share the same sense of humor as me. ¡°I have no time for you and your foolish jokes! Hand it over.¡± His eyes began to glow a deep red in the darkness, his lips moving as he chanted, flames beginning to form in his hands. A fireball soon materialized, and the mage cried out one last time before aiming it at me. ¡°Burn in purgatory!¡± My eyes shone in pure amusement, as laughter escaped from my lips. Burn in purgatory, huh... ¡°Been there, done that!¡± I slammed my hand on to the earth below me, and uttered a single word. ¡°Earthquake.¡± Before the fireball could leave his hand, the ground below him split open, cracking in a branch-like pattern. The solid surface gave away, and the mage lost his balance, his fireball flying completely off its intended trajectory, crashing into the wall to my right. ¡°Cocoon.¡± The elder, who was unfortunate enough to be caught in the earthquake, was instantly encased in a ball-shaped structure, made of thick, thorny vines that sprung up from the crevices. The ball landed safely outside of the cave, its impenetrable surface protecting the elder inside from all harm that may come his way. ¡°Since you put so much effort into looking for this, I would assume you¡¯ve done a fair bit of research.¡± As the mage managed to regain his balance and find solid ground to stand on, I leaned with my back against the wall, the artifact around my neck pulsating with a warm green glow. I could almost feel his scorching resentment in the air, as he began to chant once again. ¡°This thing around my neck is a rare artifact that can grant the owner blessings of earth magic, even if they aren¡¯t a child of Terra. But, it¡¯s limited in its effects.¡± Pillars of fire began to form around me, spinning and closing in like miniature tornadoes. Large pieces of debris were swept up by the flames, the whole cave shaking with the force of the magic that was being built up. ¡°Shut up and die!!!¡± The mage, who looked to be so fed up with my attempts to chit-chat with him, began to laugh like a maniac as he watched his pillars spin toward me, his excitement and belief that he would come out victorious reflected clearly in his eyes. ¡­ I lifted my hand, holding it out in front of me. ¡°Ensnare.¡± Tendrils shot out of the broken earth, binding the mage to his spot. ¡°Crush.¡± My last command was lost in the thunderous rumbling of the ground below. The whites of the mage¡¯s eyes stretched out so far, that he looked like he would pass out. ¡°What¡­in hell is this¡­¡± In front of him, was a colossal stone hand, which moments ago, had crushed his fire columns out of their pitiful existence. The air around us seem to still, as dead silence accompanied the monstrous magic in display. Having finally realized the level of difference between us, the mage began to struggle against the tendrils, the color draining from his face. ¡­ ¡°It is the power that you longed for, but a power you¡¯ll never possess.¡± I took a step toward him, my footstep echoing in the darkness around us. While the rays of the moonlight shone through the mouth of the cave, casting a soft glow around the area where he was standing on¡­ Only my eyes could be seen peeking out of the darkness that engulfed me. A gleaming pair of icy cold, unsmiling blue eyes, slowly approaching him with each echoing footstep. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ come any closer¡­¡± Pure horror could be seen on the mage¡¯s face, as his lips quivered with each word. ¡­ I stopped right in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to you. Hunger, thirst, or insanity¡­¡± I smiled in the darkness. ¡°You¡¯ll be thankful if it is one of the first two that claims you.¡± And with that, I walked right past him, the stone wall sliding back into place at the entrance. Forever sealing him inside, inches away from the power he most desired. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª By the time we got back, the bandits were already dealt with, but the mysterious swordsman was nowhere to be found. The elder, who I freed from the cocoon as soon as I took care of the mage, was greatly thankful for our help. He insisted that we stay for the night, but I turned down his kind offer. The village was in no state to give a hero¡¯s welcome, and I didn¡¯t wish for one either. Most importantly¡­ ¡°May I borrow your artifact again, elder?¡± The elder had even offered the artifact to me for saving him and his people, but I quickly turned that down as well. After all, I wasn¡¯t the one who had done the most work around here, and plus, the artifact¡¯s true magic could not be extracted in the hands of an individual. Smiling, I crouched down on my knees, gently spreading the earth apart with my hands. To the villagers¡¯ astonishment, I laid the artifact in the tiny hole that I dug. ¡°This artifact¡¯s true power only comes out of a need to protect, not of selfishness and greed. That¡¯s why the best place for it is right here, in the village that it wishes to guard.¡± I asked for some water, and was speedily given a mug of the liquid. Tilting the mug toward the artifact, I watched as a tiny droplet of water landed on the stone¡¯s smooth surface. The flawless green gem began to glow, and to everyone¡¯s amazement, the stone opened its ¡®eye.¡¯ I stood back up, and retreated a few steps. From the stone, a tiny plant sprouted, and before everyone¡¯s eyes, tiny vines began to grow from the wreckage of the houses and ruined buildings. The broken foundations of the village, lifted up by the vines, was resurrected once more. ¡°This¡­This is¡­¡± The village which was completely destroyed by the bandits, was slowly beginning to repair itself. It was a scene of revival, of renewal after a horrible disaster. Of new life sprouting from the fire-torn earth. ¡°That is the true use of ¡®Terra¡¯s Tear.¡¯ When a time of need comes again, it will once again awaken.¡± When the village was restored, the eye slowly closed, sinking deep beneath the surface. In its place, was a tiny sapling. A sapling which would one day become a tree that would stand tall and strong in the very heart of the village. ¡­ ¡°Well then, I think it¡¯s time to leave. Right, Ere-ere?¡± My small companion opened his mouth to speak, before closing it. His eyes flickered with a mixture of emotions, but he chose not to say anything. The villagers too, seemed to want to ask me a lot of things, but swallowed their inquiries when the elder held up his hand. They made way for the elder, who walked up to me with a quiet smile. He reached out with a wrinkled, yet steady hand, taking mine into his. ¡°I sense the roots of ancient magic deep inside of you.¡± The elder said, in his deep voice that reflected his wisdom, ¡°Yet, you are without a core. Go westward, child¡­ there, you will find the first hints to regaining the powers you¡¯ve lost.¡± At his prophecy, my eyes widened slightly. ¡­ It would seem that we were bound for a destination different than the one we had planned for. A ghost of a smile appeared on my face, as the wheels of our fate began turning once again. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°So? Are you going to ask, or are you not?¡± As we walked along the path through the forest that the elder had pointed out, I tossed Erebus a knowing smirk. For a while now, he had this conflicted expression on his face, and I knew without a doubt that he was struggling to keep his lips zipped. ¡°¡­ Why did you suddenly change your mind about saving the villagers?¡± After a lengthly period of deliberation, it seemed that he had finally settled on one question. I didn¡¯t answer right away. An image of a giant tortoise flashed by in my mind, and a simple smile graced my lips. ¡°Because there was something I could do then that I couldn¡¯t do before.¡± Was all I said in response. He opened his mouth to speak again, but then closed it. With a grumpy expression on his face, he quickened his pace, so that he was walking ahead of me. ¡°Was my answer unsatisfactory?¡± Erebus stopped walking, whipping around to face me with an annoyed expression painted on his face. ¡°You¡­ You are really trying to get on my nerves, aren¡¯t you?¡± I laughed, before shaking my head. Placing both of my hands on his tiny shoulders, I spun him around gently, so that he faced forward once more. ¡°I wasn¡¯t exactly talking to you, your highness.¡± He looked like he wanted to smack me silly on the spot, but then froze. Moving his eyes from me to the forest in front of him, he soon spotted the lone figure standing with his back against a tree. With our attention on him, the figure straightened up. ¡­ I held my hand out toward him. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering how long my companion and I would last on our own these past few days. It would be much safer for us if a great swordsman like you could join us on our journey.¡± Erebus¡¯ mouth dropped open, as he gave me a disbelieving look. ¡°Wait¡­ you aren¡¯t thinking of-¡± I smiled innocently. ¡°Would you like to join us, great savior of ours?¡± At my words, the mysterious swordsman visibly flinched. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s ¡®Novak.¡¯¡± Ignoring Erebus¡¯ cries of denial, I laughed in delight at the arrival of a new stranger who now shared our destiny. ¡­ ¡°Then, Novak. Shall we go?¡± Tier Six: Fragments of the Past, Part I As the one who once was a friend cast his frigid gaze toward the body of the fallen king¡­ He began to chant a spell. A spell that would bestow upon him the unearthly powers of the man who once stood at the top of the world. A spell that was borne out of his betrayal and greed. ¡°Your strength¡­shall become mine.¡± Out of the body of the one he had slain, rose a single, pale blue orb. A beautiful, shining orb of a thousand frosts, pulsating ripples of its ancient magic. With shaking hands, the man reached for the orb¡­ Only to have it crushed, into tiny fragments, right in front of his eyes. ¡­ ¡°You¡­how dare you!!!¡± The man gave the newcomer a murderous glare, but the newcomer was not at all afraid. He spoke, lifting up the body of the king in a gentle embrace, with the tenderness of a father carrying his child. ¡°If he could no longer possess these powers, then you shall not either.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°So¡­¡± I tapped the ground in front of me with a stick, spreading the loose, dry soil apart as I doodled a few shapes. I drew a huge blob, and then a tiny star at the southernmost tip, a crown at the northern end and dotted lines toward an area that I circled in the west. Erebus was peeking over my shoulder at the picture, and Novak tending to our campfire nearby. When we left the village, the moon was already high in the darkened sky. We trekked along the forest path for a few more hours, until exhaustion finally took over and we set up camp for the night. Novak looked like he could march on with no problems, but unfortunately, my body had no such inhuman stamina. To make matters worse, Erebus had refused to walk after the first hour, and I ended up piggy backing him for the rest of the time. ¡°What kind of childish drawing is this? Even tiny children could draw better, bwahahaha!¡± Erebus had taken one look at my ¡®masterpiece,¡¯ and ended up in a fit of laughter. I merely smiled, and tapped on the star. ¡°This is where we are right now. Our destination¡­¡± I moved the stick to the area that was circled. ¡°Gaea, a town around half a day¡¯s worth of traveling from here. It¡¯s on the other side of the forest we are in now, and a part of the region under the Terra clan¡¯s control.¡± It was the closest town in the west to us, and a good place to start gathering some intel on current events. The elder¡¯s prophecy was helpful, but too vague to pinpoint any specific course of action we should take. For now, we just had to put our faith in him, and go west. ¡­ A slight frown appeared on my usually carefree face, as I leaned in to whisper to Erebus. ¡°What do you think about what the elder said back at the village? About my missing core.¡± Erebus blinked slowly at me, before narrowing his eyes. He thought about my question for a long moment, before staring into my soft blue-green eyes with his scarlet red ones ¡°Every magical being has a ¡®core.¡¯ You probably already know, a mage¡¯s core is the source of his powers. It¡¯s not easy to take away someone¡¯s core, and usually¡­¡± He trailed off, shadows of dark emotions flickering across his gaze. ¡°It involves killing the mage first.¡± I finished, earning a light nod from him. It wasn¡¯t a complete surprise for me that someone had extracted my core after my death. If anything, my core could almost be considered a part of the spoils-of-war. What I truly wanted to know, was what became of my core after its extraction. ¡°Let¡¯s say you are this really evil, power-hungry person.¡± I began, smirking at Erebus, ¡°What will you do with my core after you forcefully rip it out of my body as I lay limp and cold on the ground?¡± Erebus gave me a disgruntled look, before answering me flatly. ¡°Toss it away, because I don¡¯t want your dirty hand-me-down.¡± ¡­ I let out a long, helpless sigh, before pretending I¡¯d never asked. ¡°I would want to consume the core and claim the power for myself.¡± My reply to my own question was immediately shot down by Erebus. ¡°That, is only if the person is strong enough to withstand the power of the core.¡± I raised my eyebrows, before smiling and letting him go on. ¡°¡­Regardless, you should be more concerned with the fact that you cannot sense its presence. With a core of that caliber, the moment you crawled out of that purgatory stink-hole, you should¡¯ve been able to feel it call out to your soul.¡± ¡­ ¡°Of ¡®that caliber,¡¯ huh? I didn¡¯t know you thought so highly of me, Ere-ere~¡± The serious look on his face vanished in an instant, and his face reddened in a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. ¡°Shut up, human! I was trying to-¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I know, thank thee for setting my mind on the right track~¡± I laughed as his face got even redder, imaginary steam pouring out of the top of his head. What he said though, weighed heavily on my mind, tucked away behind my happy-go-lucky smile. Novak, who had kept silent while we were whispering, finally stood up. Erebus and I paused in our mini brawl, turning our attention to our companion as he began to walk away from the camp, heading in a particular direction. ¡°Where are you going, Novak?¡± I asked curiously, getting up to follow him. ¡°Fishing.¡± Came his short, and to the point, reply. ¡°¡­Right, fishing. But where do you plan on doing that?¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°¡­Here.¡± He stopped in front of a rather dense cluster of bushes, before pushing the greenery to the side. My eyes widened in surprise, as I realized that there was a small stream ahead. ¡°As expected of a master swordsman, what amazing senses!¡± ¡°You were just too busy doodling on the ground to notice, fool.¡± Novak ignored both of us, and rolled up his pant legs and sleeves, waddling into the shallow water. He stood still for what felt like an eternity, before suddenly reaching into the water with his bare hands. With lightning-quick reflexes, he grabbed a fish in one hand, lifting the flapping creatures into the air. ¡­ I began to clap. Erebus, on the other hand, merely snorted, before putting his hands on his waist. ¡°That¡¯s nothing. With my true powers, I can make those lesser creatures offer themselves up as my dinner-¡± ¡°Catch.¡± Novak tossed the fishes over his shoulder, and I instinctively held out my hands to catch them. Erebus, who was still gloating over his prowess, was less quick to react, and ended up taking a fish to the face. The fish jumped around in my arms, and I had to struggle to hold on while Erebus unleashed a string of curses at Novak. Meanwhile, Novak had caught more fish, and in the end, we returned to camp with a grand total of nine. As we gathered around the warmth of the fire, with Novak cooking up our dinner, I tried to break the silence by starting up the conversation again. ¡°About our destination, Gaea, what do you think? It¡¯s a relatively lively town, and a lot of travelers pass through there from all over Eden. There should be plenty of information being exchanged.¡± What we lacked most right now, was information. I was relying on the knowledge I had about Eden from a hundred years ago, and more than likely, things had changed. I had to learn about the new world that I had come back to. Novak didn¡¯t answer, and continued to stare into the fire. He never asked us any questions about our goals, and never tried to get to know us more. Apart from our nicknames, he knew nothing about us, and we also knew nothing about him. It seemed like he wanted to keep his secrets, and wanted nothing to do with ours either. Of course, I was still deeply curious about why he chose to follow us. Perhaps only time would tell me the answer. ¡°¡­People don¡¯t go there for casual visits anymore. They even avoid spending a night there on their travels. After the splitting of the four clans, people are cautious in foreign territory.¡± He held out a stick of cooked fish to Erebus, and then one to me as he spoke. Erebus mumbled something inaudible, but accepted the offer, and I on the other hand¡­ ¡°The splitting of the four clans?¡± I repeated, displaying my genuine interest in the topic at hand and not so much the fish. He stuck the stick of fish into the ground beside me, leaving it for later. Returning to his fire-viewing, only the sounds of Erebus munching on the crispy fish could be heard for a long time. I thought the conversation was over, until he spoke once more. ¡°The Ice King was overthrown, and his children of water, the Aqua clan, and the children of the dark, Nox, were driven to near extinction. The remaining four clans fought amongst themselves for control. The splitting of the clans refer to the truce that ended a decade of war.¡± He paused briefly, before resuming with his explanation. ¡°It¡¯s an uneasy truce. Ventus, children of the wind, dominate the north. Lux, of the light, control the east. Terra, of the earth, the south and Ignis, of the fire, the west.¡± His words left me silent for a good while. The leaders of the Ignis, Terra, Lux, and Ventus clans had formed an alliance against me back then, and I didn¡¯t expect them to go easy on the Aqua clan that I led, nor the Nox clan that remained loyal to me until the end. The in-fighting that happened afterwards wasn¡¯t too shocking either. ... I was simply...upset, for a lack of a better word. Speechless...and deeply saddened by the fragmentation of the clans that once lived in harmony. ... The Eden that I tried so hard to unite back then was no more. ¡°...The Ventus clan who led the insurrection against the Ice King rules in the Imperial Capital, but that place is a hotspot for trouble. From time to time, individuals and groups would try everything from assassination plots to rebellions. So far, none of them succeeded. The imperial army crushed them easily.¡± The imperial army... Just hearing that brought back nostalgic memories. Even now, my heart still pounded at the image of tens and hundreds of thousands of soldiers standing before me, all waiting for a single command from their king. Even if I wasn¡¯t invincible...I felt like I could never be defeated as long as they marched beside me. ¡°The world is plotting against each other. Eden is crumbling, and Asteria turned its back on the alliance. Hyperion remains allies, but they have made ridiculous demands.¡± His voice got softer, and more distant. For the first time, I could sense the deep emotions that were lurking beyond his placid demeanor. ¡°...Things have changed for the worse.¡± Novak stopped speaking, and this time, for good. Even the alliances between us and our neighboring empires have fallen into demise. The three great empires of the world...may one day shatter into many smaller nations or cease to exist altogether. ¡°Ah...truly...¡± Things have really taken a turn for the absolute worse. For me who no longer seemed to know how to show pain, there was only a smile on my face. A smile that didn¡¯t reach my eyes, nor match the intensity of emotions shining in there. A hollow smile, accompanying the heart-wrenching urge to laugh until my throat was sore. ¡°Truly...a shame.¡± I closed my eyes, and the conversation ended. The silence lasted the whole night. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª We arrived at Gaea at around midday. Just as Novak had foretold, there weren¡¯t as many people around as I remembered, but still, the town was lively at this time of the day. Stalls advertising a variety of items lined the busy streets, and groups of people sat outside in open taverns, enjoying a hearty meal accompanied by large mugs of ale. Kids wearing capes and sporting wooden swords chased each other from shop to shop, acting out some kind of story. ¡°You have nowhere to run, traitor of the empire!¡± ¡°Surrender yourself, Ice Emperor!¡± ¡­ The child who was supposed to act out the part of the ¡®Ice Emperor¡¯ held his hands over his face, and dropped to his knees in front of the other two. ¡°I¡­I surrender!¡± Erebus, who had been watching the children fool around, sent a smirk my way. ¡°Look who¡¯s popular.¡± He commented, before snickering at my dismay. ¡­ I didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at the situation. ¡°At least¡­they didn¡¯t just shred my existence from history altogether¡­hahaha¡­¡± As we walked along the street some more, a particular sign caught my eye. Glancing over at Novak, who hadn¡¯t said anything since he used up a year¡¯s worth of his speech reservoir last night, I tapped his arm with a mischievous smile. ¡°You are already a very powerful man, Novak¡­but there is something that you are missing. A thing that can transform you and help you ascend even greater heights.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of look he was giving me underneath his heap of midnight black hair, but he certainly didn¡¯t seem too convinced. So, I placed my hands on his back, maneuvering him forward and into a shop. I was confident that when he came back out, he would be a completely different man. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡­ I was right. ¡°Where are you going, handsome? I haven¡¯t seen you around here before~¡± As we walked, heads turned. Excited whispers broke out, mainly from a female audience, and many love-struck gazes were being cast in the direction of our swordsman companion. Some of his female admirers were too shy to approach him, resorting to simply giving him helpless, adoring puppy eyes from the side. Others were quick to jump on the new hunk in town, like a pack of cougars descending upon a juicy slab of meat. ¡°Hey~ Don¡¯t ignore me, sexy one~¡± One bold beauty in particular sauntered up to him, grabbing his arm and shoving it right between her ample bosom. With a seductive smile, she smothered his arm in her chest, using her voluptuous figure to her full advantage. ¡°If you are new around here, let big sister show you all the g-o-o-d s-p-o-t-s.¡± Her lips moved slowly, emphasizing each syllable. Novak¡¯s brows furrowed, and he tugged on his arm, trying to get it out of her unyielding grip. The other girls who hadn¡¯t made a move yet suddenly grabbed him too, clinging on to him and beginning a game of tug-of-war. ¡°He¡¯s mine!!! I saw him first!¡± ¡°Who cares if you saw him first or not, ugly toad! You are too hideous to put beside him!¡± ¡°Stop pushing me! Wait in line!¡± ¡­ I leaned over to whisper to Erebus, loud enough for Novak to overhear. ¡°They say women love shiny things, the bigger the better. So what happens when a handsome guy with sparkling, cats-eye gems for eyes appears in front of them?¡± I could feel Novak¡¯s burning glare on the side of my head, but I merely laughed. To think a single haircut and shave could transform a scruffy-looking man in his forties to a young man in his twenties, with piercing golden-green eyes and straight, jet-black hair that curled softly at the edges. A dashing knight that seemed to have stepped right out of a heroic painting. ¡°Well, you look busy, so we¡¯ll wander around on our own for a bit! We¡¯ll come back for you, promise.¡± I waved goodbye to Novak, whose eyes widened at our sudden departure. He tried to get out of the crowd of his loving fangirls, but only managed to get more sucked in. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to rescue him.¡± Erebus said, earning a chuckle from me. ¡°I¡¯m very sure. He¡¯s a ¡®killer,¡¯ after all, a ¡®lady killer.¡¯¡± With that, we turned our backs to our unfortunate ally, whose cries for help were drowned out by the shrieks and confessions of enemies that he could not beat. Now that it was just Erebus and I, we began going from stall to stall, listening in on the casual conversations being exchanged. Most of it was idle gossip, but occasionally, we could catch bits and pieces of what was going on in the neighboring townships and the imperial capital. ¡°¡­Trouble seems to be brewing again near the Eden-Asteria borders. I wonder if a war would be upon us soon?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped if that was the case. In the beginning, we weren¡¯t on friendly terms with them until the Ice Emperor formed an alliance, and with what ended up happening to him¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s inevitable, huh¡­I guess I should think about moving to Hyperion?¡± ¡°If Hyperion doesn¡¯t back out on us too, hahahaha¡­¡± ¡­ Asteria, the homeland of all the creatures of the night. When I was sixteen, I visited it during the midst of a civil war. It was precisely because of Eden lending its aid to the rulers in those crucial times, that the then demon king decided to form a pact with us. Him and I ended up getting along extremely well, so well that he even tried giving me his beloved daughter¡¯s hand in marriage. That little girl was just five or six years old in human years then, so of course I turned him down as politely as possible. ¡­ I wonder how they were doing now. ¡°Hyperion¡­isn¡¯t that where all those winged lunatics live?¡± Erebus, who had gotten bored during the information-gathering, came back to me after sneaking off somewhere for a while. ¡°Just because they think of themselves as children of the heavens and blessed by a holy quack, they have this obnoxious, ¡®holier-than-thou¡¯ attitude.¡± He took a huge bite out of some kind of meat on a skewer, before continuing. ¡°I bet they are the type to fix their hair in the middle of the battlefield because the wind messed it up.¡± I imagined the angelic beings doing just that, and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Hyperion had always been unpredictable. Back in my days, I was always more worried about them not coming to the negotiation table rather than our friends in Asteria. The children of dawn were very secretive, and I had never met the one in charge. ¡°Jokes aside¡­¡± I eyed the meat skewer, before leaning close to Erebus, my eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°Where did you get that?¡± My question was soon answered by a red-faced vendor, who came charging at us while waving his knife in the air. ¡°Little thief! How dare you run off with my meat skewer without paying!¡± I gulped at the size and sharpness of that meat dicer in his hand. The blade was so lethal-looking that it reflected the harsh rays of the sun above, creating a miniature sun right above the man¡¯s head as he held it in the air. We would both become meat on a skewer if I didn¡¯t do something quick. ¡°Wait!¡± I held up my hands, leaping in front of Erebus to shield him. ¡°We can pay! Just give us¡­¡± I quickly scanned the area around us, looking for something that we could do to earn a bit of money. Normally, I would have to locate an inn to check its questing boards, but Lady Luck decided to shower us with her favor. ¡°¡­One moment.¡± A smile appeared on my face, as I spotted a crowd of people standing around two men, who had their hands on the table in front of them, engaged in an arm-wrestling contest. I turned to the meat vendor, bowing to him. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for what my little brother has done, but if you would like to join us for a game of arm-wrestling, we will definitely pay you back. With interest.¡± I looked back at the crowd of people, and the vendor followed my line of sight. He thought about it for a minute, before nodding. ¡°I might as well get some entertainment out of it if you two can¡¯t pay. If you manage to win against those burly men¡­¡± He smirked at me, before pointing a thumb back at his stall. ¡°Consider my meat skewers an all-you-can-eat. I¡¯ll even toss in a few candy apples.¡± ¡­ At the mention of apples, my whole demeanor changed. Rolling up my sleeves, a competitive gleam shone in my eyes, as I began to walk toward the wrestling table. ¡°For the one and only love of my life, apples, I shall try my best.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Victor, Zeph!¡± The crowd around the red-haired young man went wild, as once again, he was announced as the winner. Everyone watching the contest of strength was dumbfounded by the young man¡¯s overwhelming success. One after another, he had retired many bulky participants double or triple his size, and did so effortlessly. Each time before the round starts, he would lean in to whisper something to the contestant, and the latter would pull back in shock or completely lose his grip. The audience was intrigued by the young man¡¯s antics, deeply curious about what he had whispered to his opponents to cause them to forfeit or lose so quickly. ¡°And another victory for Sir Zeph! Is he secretly harboring a monstrous power behind those dashing good looks of his?¡± The young man laughed good-naturedly, but refused to share his tactics when the judge of the event pressed on. His miraculous feat was drawing a lot of attention from the civilians nearby¡­and from two men who were hiding around the corner, in a dark alleyway a short distance away. Dressed in dark, hooded cloaks, the two men observed the young man for a long period of time, before speaking in hushed voices. ¡°Think he will work?¡± ¡°I think he would be a good choice. Looks like he and his child companion aren¡¯t from this part of town.¡± The first speaker smiled, his eyes gleaming from within the darkness of his hood. ¡­ ¡°That just means nobody will bother to look for them when they disappear, right.¡±