《Slayer of Kings》


 Chapter - Prologue

    "Leo, I will wait for you in hell," Said the man looking at the figure in front of him as he slowly closed his eyes for the last time.


    "Hell?" Leo asked as he looked at himself the world looked red through his bloody eyes it had no meaning to him.


    He looked at where his hands used to be what replaced them were broken bones, torn muscles and a seemingly endless amount of blood that was oozing out.


    He held the hilt of his sword in his mouth the blade looked different through his bloody eyes it seemed to have lost its previous color which was black he didn''t know if it was because his eyes were covered in blood or if the sword itself was covered in blood.


    His legs were shaking from all the fighting. They were unable to hold the weight of his body. It seemed as if they would give up any moment.


    There were a lot of bodies that surrounded him, some had their legs and arms chopped some lost their head and some even had their bodies cut in half.


    The area was filled with nothing but dead bodies... Hearts, livers, eyes all littered the place the blood filled the ground like a lake.


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    Looking at the scene in front of him, he felt no emotions. He wasn''t scared seeing this scene. He had seen it multiple times before... Mutilated bodied, rotten bodies, pulverized bodies all were things he had seen every day he became so used to them.


    A smile slowly formed on his face, seeing this familiar scene.


    He knew his time was up... Death was not a new concept to Leo. He''s known it for so long... Longer than anyone else, so he was not afraid of it.


    Many thoughts flashed through Leo''s mind, but all of them seemed meaningless to him he had lost anything meaningful to him long back nothing remained in this world that he wanted to protect... That he could care for...


    His sword finally dropped from his mouth along with that his legs also gave up, he fell face first to the ground in the face of death he was calm.


    Slowly his body stopped working his eyes lost their color and any life in him had left this world forever...

 Chapter 1 - A New World

    The air carried with it a warmth that would dry one''s mouth. The sun looked lonely in the sky with no clouds accompanying it. The leaves in the forest reflected the bright rays of the sun. In one such forest was a place filled with nothing but waste.


    There a figure lay surrounded by waste on all sides. He was unconscious but changes were happening in his mind. Then his eyes opened.


    What happened? Was what he asked himself, he tried to get up and onto his feet but his body proved too weak for him to do that. Laying on the waste-filled ground he looked up at the lonely sun while squinting his black eyes.


    Surprise took a hold of him as he was no longer surrounded by corpses rather the waste. How was he alive? Was the only question in his mind, but he found no answers. Also, his body was no longer the same he was now back to when he was 15 years old.


    Suddenly his head felt like it was being crushed by a rock the feeling only increased as the seconds went by from a rock it turned into a boulder, he took his hands and held it against his black hair.


    A minute later the feeling reduced. He did not understand what was happening to him. As the feeling of pain reduced the confusion in his mind only rose.


    As the pain died out the surroundings became clear. Rotten meat, old clothes, broken weapons and more things which he had never seen in his life. A pungent smell hit his nose. He tried to close his nose, but the weakness of his body refused him to hold his breath.


    Regaining control over his body he got up and onto his feet. As he stood a small figure fell down from a pile of waste near him. When he inspected the figure, it looked like a rat but unlike most rats; it had sharp teeth although most of them were missing it only had one of its grey eyes replacing the other was a long and bloody vein. It had a light red color. When he picked the creature up, it felt soft like a sponge.


    The creature that looked dead opened its mouth wide and tried to bite his skin. When it reached close to his face however the grip with which he held the creature was too much. It failed to do anything to him. It''s injury also did nothing to help the creature. Deciding to kill it he pulled its head. The blood did not splatter everywhere rather it flowed out from the opening. What came with the head were more bloody veins and its spinal cord.


    Throwing the body, he walked away from where he was. The area he was in had a forest covering all the sides their dark green leaves fluttered in the hot wind. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and back as he made his way towards the forest.


    However, before he could take another step an annoyed voice filled his ear.


    "I can''t stand this smell, let''s find something good and get away as far as possible from here."


    "You say it every time, but we still come back."


    "Shut up and keep searching."


    Looking towards the origin of these voices, he saw two men who were exact opposites of each other. One was tall with a skinny build and brown-colored hair while the other was fat and shorter than the other. He looked up as he spoke to the other man.


    From their body language, he could tell it was the fat man that spoke out of frustration. As he was an assassin in his previous life this forced him to learn about body languages. The fat man was rubbing his head with his hand in a hard and fast motion which is a sign of trying to comfort oneself due to frustration.


    After he saw the two men, the fat man also saw him "Look who is that?" He asked as he pointed his finger at this new figure.


    The other person followed his companions finger and saw Leo staring at them. "Looks like he got lost let''s check it out. He might have something valuable" He said while walking towards this new figure. As soon as the words ''valuable'' hit his ears, he jumped in joy within his mind.


    "Be careful if he is a magic user leave him or else he will kill us," The tall man warned his companion, but those words failed to reach the fat mans ears as the excitement in his head canceled everything else.


    The tall man spoke first "Hey kid you look last want us to help you? It will only cost 500 silver."


    "Haha, why are we even joking? There is no one else around here let''s rob him and get out." Replied the fat man.


    "Kid drop everything you have, and we''ll be on our way," The fat man said, but to his surprise, he got no response from the kid who stood there with no fear or tension in his face. This annoyed the fat man.


    "You think we are joking?" His voice rose as he spoke but once again he got no response. "That''s it I will kill this bitch now," He said while taking a dagger from underneath his shirt and ran towards Leo. The other man wanted to stop him but the fat man had already reached Leo.

 Chapter 2 - Village In The Forest

    The grip on his dagger was harder than normal. The fat man charged towards the origin of his anger with a dagger in his hand. He believed the kid was so scared to even move or run away. He knew it would be an easy kill, but when it looked like his dagger was about to reach its target it moved away.


    The fat man now had his side exposed to Leo, who caught the fat man''s right hand, which held the dagger. Leo then turned the man''s hand so that it now faced the fat man''s face. After that Leo pushed the dagger into the fat man''s right eye-splitting it from the middle. This made the dagger sink deep into the man''s brain. The man''s scream sounded like a roar from filled with anger. After, pulling out the bloody knife Leo pushed the dagger once again into the man''s eye but this time to his left. The same thing happened once again with his left eye-splitting into two as the dagger made its way through his left brain.


    Leo did not stop here. He pushed the dagger, five more times in the man''s face, but the man had already passed away on the third strike. The dagger struck his nose, forehead, cheek, mouth and between both his eyes. After this frenzy, the man''s entire face was bloody beyond recognition.


    The tall man looked at this scene in shock. He could not fathom how a teenage boy could kill someone with such cruelty. His voice rose as he shouted, "AHH, BITCH I WILL KILL YOU!"


    The tall man rushed towards Leo, but with no weapon. When the tall man neared him Leo pushed the dead man''s body onto the tall man. This made the tall man lose his balance and fall face first to the ground. Since the distance between them was small Leo could make sure that both their bodies struck each other.


    An uneasy feeling rose from the tall man''s heart, but before he could do anything a dagger pierced through his vocal cord and broke his spinal cord. The blade came out from the front of his throat. The man tried to scream, but no sound came out. Leo turned the dagger so that the edge was now facing the right side of the man''s throat. Leo then pulled the dagger out which made the dagger cut through all the muscles and veins on the right part of the man''s neck. Then, Leo brought the knife back using the momentum from the pull and sliced off the remaining part that clung to the man''s body. The man''s head and body were now separate.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Leo ruined both the bodies.


    The ground covered with waste was hot when walking over it, but he had a slipper on. He needed to remove the bloodstains from his dress as he could not go to a village or town covered with bloodstains on his dress.


    ---


    With no sense of direction in an unknown forest the journey tough. He guessed if he kept traveling he would run into civilization.


    The lonely sun made the temperature go up, but the trees in the forest kept it colder than the outside. Green grass covered the forest floor with some looking taller than the others. The shorter ones showed signs of animals having eaten them, at least they looked like that from how he remembered in his old world.


    The dark green leaves of the trees fluttered in the wind. A river came to his sight, he approached it.


    The water from the river reflected the almost empty sky looking calm like the sun. He took off his top cloth and dropped it into the river to wash it as blood stains covered it. He rubbed the stained part of the cloth in the water. After that he took it out and twisted it, then he shook it to remove any remaining dirt or water. He followed the river as the chances of finding a village or town was greater if he followed it.


    Not understanding time he could not verify how long he had walked for but soon a village came into his eyes.


    It had walls made of wood that looked like bamboo. The buildings were all small with the tallest being two floors. There were people near the gate of the village. He looked at his belongings, everything except the dress was from the two men he had killed before. The dagger was from the fat man. While 5 round and silver objects with 100 written on them which he assumed to be the currency of this world belonged to the tall man.


    Nearing the village many shops and houses which were not visible before came into sight. These buildings looked different compared to his old world. The goal right now was to get a better understanding of the situation this new world, but before he could his stomach growled.


    It struck his mind that this would be a problem he did not know what type of food this world had. He did not know if he has enough money to get food. Leo decided that asking for the price before he eats would be a good choice.


    After 5 minutes of searching around the village, a shop finally came into sight. The shop had a wooden build with a sheet made of a material that looked like steel as a roof. The shop upon inspection had a few people in it, he decided he would go there and see what he would get with the money he had.

 Chapter 3 - Weapon Appraisal

    The shop had an old lady that served the dishes with a small body and silver hair tied in the shape of a bun.


    "What food do you have for this much?" Leo said as he held one of those silver coins on the top of his palm. He did not show all his money because he thought it would be too much even though he had no sense of money. If it was not enough, he could take out one more.


    She inspected the body in front of her. The boy wore a black and wet cloth with messed up hair. She could guess he was from a poor background and stumbled upon the money or he could have stolen it, but to her, it did not matter as long as she got her money.


    "Sit down, take this," She said while taking out a piece of old light yellow paper and handing it over to Leo. Then she left for the kitchen.


    The paper contained many words. The writing was crude while the ink was light, but reading it was not a problem. He found a seat near the window and sat on the old wobbling wooden chair with his hands placed on the wooden table.


    Looking at the words he knew some, such as fish, boar, and soup while words such as tree wolf, two horned boar, skinned blue tail rabbit, and others were unknown to him. A number accompanied the words, or rather some had numbers. Taking the decision to order the fish soup and roasted boar Leo looked towards the kitchen in search of the old lady who noticed his look and dropped her hands in a water bucket to wash it. Then she walked towards him.


    "One fish soup and roasted boar," Leo said as he handed the old and yellow paper back to the old lady who took it and went back to where she came from.


    After, 15 minutes of wait came the two dishes. The soup was dark yellow with small pieces of fish floating in it. The top had dark green skinny leaves scattered across it. The meat was dark brown with spots of black over it the quantity was smaller than what he expected.


    The taste of the fish was not good he had eaten better ones before in his old world. The meat was hard to chew, and the taste was bad. He wondered if this was how they tasted in this world or if the old lady did not know how to make food. Leo finished both dishes slowly as he had always been a slow eater.


    "10 for the fish 25 for the boar," Said the old lady. Leo gave 1 of the silver coin in his hand to the old lady. She gave him one with 50 written on top of it and three smaller ones with 5 written on top for a combined balance of 65.


    The noon sun shined bright in the sky, increasing the temperature. The trees did not help the village reduce it, but cold winds still blew from the north which helped. The village still had many people outside out.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Walking around the village new thoughts came to mind. How was life like in the village? Was it like his old world or different?


    The clothes the people wore differed from his old world. This applied to the construction of houses, which were all either made from wood or bricks with no paint over them. The language was also different, but he could speak it. No answers how came to his mind as this body was still his so it made no sense for him to speak and understand this unknown language.


    Some food such as the fish soup and boar were like his old world but the taste was different. Jobs like pottery, sewing from his old world were present here.


    The village lacked good pathways or road. The people sold what looked to be fruits and vegetables on the sides of the sandy roads with no shops; they sold them in carts made of woods and wheels attached to the bottom.


    A thought came to his mind as his eyes met the dagger. How good is it?


    After 5 minutes of searching a weapon shop came into sight. It had many weapons like swords, spears, daggers and many more kept on the outside. The construction of this building was much better when compared to the others not only this the further he walked inside the village the better construction the buildings had.


    As soon as the door to the shop opened a young lady dressed in a light green dressed approached with a sweet smile.


    "Welcome, sir, we have many wea-" Her sweet voice got cut off by Leo''s "I didn''t come here to buy anything look at this dagger and tell me how good it is," Leo said as he took out the dagger using its blade. The handle faced the girl.


    The girl after taking the dagger inspected it with a disappointed smile. The dagger had a silver blade and black handle. The blade was slightly bent. It had black lines that ran along its blade which Leo did not understand if it was for design or for some use.


    The black lines in the dagger glowed with a dim light as the girl closed her eyes, but when she opened them, they disappeared. "Well, you see this Elemental Dagger got destroyed you cannot use it with any element. It''s nothing more than an ordinary dagger."


    What was an Elemental Dagger? He wanted to know more, but that would be weird as from what he guessed this was something everyone in the world should know. Instead of that, another question left his mouth "Where is the nearest library?" This was an easy way to get a better understanding of this new world.


    "Library? She asked, looking at him. "You won''t be able to find a library here. The nearest one is in Moon Cave City which is hard to reach on foot because of the wild animals that roam the forest. You will have to wait for the morning when the carts set off for the city as it is safer that way."


    This would mean waiting till the next day as the time approached evening. Based on what the girl said the carts to the city would have left by now "How much is this worth now?" He wanted to know if it had any value.


    "Now it will fetch about 5 gold our shop will give the best deal!" She said with a bright smile.


    But his response destroyed that smile "No need."


    Taking the dagger from the girl''s hand he turned to leave the shop but got stopped by the same voice he spoke to before. "Appraising a weapon isn''t free it costs 20 silver."

 Chapter 4 - The Night Sky In A New World

    ''What'' All Leo wanted was the price of that dagger and how good it was but ended up losing 20 silver coins. With this, he had 445 left with him.


    While leaving the weapon shop he heard screams and shoutings off in the distance wanting to know more he walked in the direction.


    Two men stood facing each other surrounded by a big crowd. One lay on the floor bleeding from his mouth while the other stood with a long wooden stick in his hands "You better stay away from me bitch or the next time I see you I will slice you into pieces and feed them to the beasts!" The man holding the wooden stick shouted as he forced his way out from the crowd.


    The people left when the man left as the one that lay on the floor no one cared about him.


    While looking at the fight he found an inn. It had two floors and had a better construction when compared to the other buildings this was also in the inner parts of the village but before he entered his eyes turned to the surroundings, this was a habit of his from his old life.


    A meat shop flanked the right while a cloth shop flanked the left. The number of people in the village reduced as evening neared. The crowd that gathered for the fight had also left.


    The inn had a desk in which a man who looked to be in his late 30s stood "Welcome Sir, how long would you like to stay," He asked politely.


    "How much is it for one day?" The answer to the question was another question because he wanted to know how much money he would spend and how long he could stay here.


    "It''s 10 for one night, but if you want a better room its 25."


    The normal room was enough as there was no need to take the more expensive one also four days seemed good for now so giving the man 50 he got the key and left the reception for his new room.


    Walking up there stairs he reached his room on the second floor in the door was a wooden carving with the number 12 showing the room number. Opening the door showed a dimly lit room with a window from which light came. It had a small bed with a table and a chair near it. The old wooden floor creaked with upon pressure.


    Lying on the bed, he started at the ceiling ''What will he do next?''If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The window was open to allow the wind inside as he slept on the small bed.


    ---


    The evening light covered the room which made it even darker than before with a heavy feeling in his head, he got up and sat on the bed as his stomach grumbled.


    Leaving the inn he found himself in front of the shop he ate before.


    This time the old lady was not alone, there were two more people that helped her. One was an old man the same age as the old lady with grey hair and a wooden stick he sat on the counter while the other was a man in his 40s with a sturdy build he served the dishes and served with the old lady.


    The shop had a lot more people when compared to before. Taking a seat near the center as the window seats were full, he looked for any of the two to take his order. This time it was the man that approached him. This time he ordered chicken soup instead of the fish with the roasted boar.


    After 15 minutes of waiting his order arrived. The chicken soup like the fish had small pieces of chicken in it and had thin green leaves over it the soup was spicier than the fish which was good as he had always liked spicy food. The boar was still hard to chew and had no flavor to it. But the others in the shop seemed to enjoy their meals.


    The total came to 40 because of the chicken soup, it was 10 silver more than the fish. After paying he had 365 silver left with him.


    While on the way the number of shops open was less as more than half of them were closed. The remaining were a few tea stalls and a shop where they sold a special dish only found in small villages known as Buttered Ces Meat with milk. Ces was a small animal found in the forest, he got to know about it from an elder who stood near the shop. ''A Ces looks similar to a blue-tailed rabbit'' The old man said. How does a blue-tailed rabbit look? Leo had never seen one so comparing both was out of question Leo''s best guess was it looked like a rabbit. The Ces did not look appealing now as his stomach was full... Some other time he said himself.


    When he reached the inn, it was night there were only a few people in the lobby as most were in the rooms but near the reception, he saw a familiar face. It was the girl from the weapon shop she was talking to the man at the reception from they way they both talked it looked like they knew each other Leo guessed they both were relatives.


    While looking at her, she said goodbye to the man and walked towards the staircase, she saw him and looked curiously towards him but said nothing as she climbed the stairs. Deciding there was nothing left to do here, he went back to his room.


    Closing the door, he walked towards the window and opened it as he had closed it before he left for the shop. The night sky glittered with stars the chilly wind made his hair move left to right the number of people out now were less. The village lacked any street light so as the night progressed it got increasingly dark. Anyone could get lost in the cold and silent night as they started up at the night sky where stars sparkled like diamonds.


    Staring at this scene ignited memories of his past life. A life now forgotten. A life he would never be a part of again. He remembered his last moments before death took him.

 Chapter 5 - The Last Battle - Part 1

    The world looked red like fire from the depths of hell. It had no meaning.


    Why fight? Love? Live?


    What was the point in any of that? Is this what people call regret? No one answered.


    No, this is not regret Leo assured himself, but it''s not like he had any choice.


    Scars ran along Leo''s skin deep enough for the bones to be visible cutting through his flesh. Blood filled his insides while that same blood painted his skin. The sword shivered mimicking the movements of his hand while its color reflected his hair. The shanking legs struggled to keep the body up.


    Death was upon him, but he refused it all these figures that lay before him resulted from his unwillingness to die.


    The ground turned into a lake of blood while the bodies of the dead float along. Heads, veins, intestines, lungs ripped off from their bodies accompany it.


    Leo looked calm looking at this scene, he had seen it many times before mutilated bodies, pulverized bodies, rotten bodies were all things he saw every day.


    They were nothing new to Leo just like how death was not a new concept to him. He knew death longer than anyone else... Longer than anyone else he ever knew.


    "Follow me, he cannot escape tonight I shall end this battle," A voice rang across the lake.


    Soon, countless figures came into vision they were lead by a man in his 20s clad in bright gold armor with a sword as white as the heavens hanging from his side. His aura that radiated from his body covered everyone present there. It was like a mountain that crushed them, but they had no other option than to fight as if they were to run away the aura would kill them.


    "Leo let us end you and I both know there is no escape from this because tonight I Cao shall kill you!" Cao said with the eyes of a lion ready to jump at its prey.


    A smile formed on Leo''s face. Talk could do nothing at this point it was of no use the only thing to do was rip Cao''s heart out.


    Leo disappeared from where he stood this caught everyone, including Cao by surprise who looked at his surroundings for Leo.


    Energy fluctuations originated towards his back, but before he could react a sword came slashing at an incredible speed as it ripped open his skin to reveal his light red flesh as dark red blood oozed out. Cao''s scream filled with agony rang across the lake. When the others reached Cao to help him Leo was nowhere to find


    "Leo you bastard show yourself and fight me like a man!" Demanded Cao struggling to keep his pain in check.


    Energy fluctuations once again rose, but this time towards his left learning from his mistake Cao slashed his sword to the left but it failed to find anyone. Fluctuations once again rose from his right, however, his sword again failed to find anyone.


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    "AHH," Two screams that sounded nothing like a human rang across the lake simultaneously as everyone turned their attention to the origin of these voices.


    A man lay on the ground with both his hands and legs ripped out of his body, they were still near him, but with extreme pressure got crushed into a human paste. The other had his intestines ripped out. Food lay near him that showed his stomach also got ripped out. His blood mixed with urine-tainted a small part of land above the bloody lake.


    A chill ran down the spine of everyone present.


    Regret filled Cao as he had diverted all his attention to the two bodies because of this he failed to check his surroundings. A sword came slashing towards him there was no way for him to dodge it so he decided he would let the sword strike him, but he would also injure Leo in the process and since Leo was already on the verge of collapse, this could end him.


    When the sword neared him instead of dodging or defending he let it strike him as he needed to be closer to Leo but to his surprise instead of piercing him and disappearing like before this time the sword as it dug into his flesh got pulled up by Leo this made the sword rip through his muscles and veins as it scratched his bones, however, he was a warrior he gritted his teeth and his swords turned into two instead of one as bothsliced off Leo''s arm to reveal his bone and veins that hung from the opening.


    Cao had his right arm completely ripped open with his bones showing. The scratch mark on his bone was slowly eroding everything near it to Cao it felt like his bones were being grinded together. Blood flowed through his ripped open skin from his back which felt like someone had poured alcohol on his flesh. Leo was not in a good condition either in fact his was worse than Cao''s as both his hands were no more. He felt a burning pain in the opening as the cold wind flew into it. The veins that hung out from the opening danced in the wind. This coupled with the wounds from before made Leo feel as if he would lose his conscience any moment.


    "Leo I will fucking cut off your heart and eat it!" Roared Cao. The pain of his bones eroding was too much he wanted to rip Leo into pieces. Anger and frustration filled his mind however he got no response from Leo.


    The others on the battlefield trembled as their heart pounded faster and faster. If Cao who was the strongest among all of them got injured to this extent, they could only imagine what would happen to them if they were to go head on with Leo.

 Chapter 6 - The Last Battle - Part 2

    Leo looked at Cao with the hilt of his sword still gripped in his mouth his entire body was hurting so much that he could not even think.


    It was now that Cao laughed out loud even though he was writhing in agony at this moment it looked like all he could think about was laughing, "Leo do you think you are the only one with strength here? Allow me to show you what true power is."


    "Caetus sword, it''s time to show me the power you have!" Cao screamed as the sword he was holding glowed with a bright white light. The light was so bright that everyone there was blinded even Leo was blinded by it.


    Leo knew he was in trouble now because the power coming from the sword was beyond what he had expected he knew it was time for him to go all out.


    "Leo this is a gift from me to you, allow me to show you what it can do!" said Cao while laughing like a maniac it seemed as if he could not control the power of the sword and it was taking over his mind.


    "I can''t attack him now because I''m unable to break through its barrier the only thing I can do right now is" saying till here Leo looked towards the people that had followed Cao he could not see them with his eyes, but he could get a hold of their positions using the power of his sword all of them could not defend themselves there was no better time than now to kill all of them thinking this Leo rushed towards them at full speed.


    Cao was busy trying to control this power that his father had given him as a last resort, he felt insulted by using this power as it meant that he could not kill Leo without the help of others, but he comforted himself by saying that all this won''t matter if he could kill Leo and get this over with.


    "After I get my hands on that sword, then I''ll be able to combine both these swords to make the strongest sword known to existence then no one including my father will stop me that fool still thinks I''m doing all this for him I can''t wait to see the look on his face when I drive this sword through his heart!" thought Cao to himself with a sinister smile on his face it seemed as if the sword was getting a complete control over his body.


    It was at this moment he heard screaming coming from where the others were. He knew as soon as he heard the voice what was happening "You filthy sword give me your power!" he screamed at the top of his lungs the white light shined even brighter the intensity of the light along with the intensity of the screams increased from far one could not see anything except the white light and hear nothing except the screams of agony.


    Finally, the white light died out as it faded the ground was starting to be visible, the ground was now covered with freshly cut bodies livers, lungs, intestines all littered the place some had their faces cut in half some had burns all over their body the place looked even more brutal than before with the fresh corpses along with the rotten ones.


    Cao''s power had increased dramatically his sword looked white, and it had what looked like dragons that ran through the blade upon a closer look, it looked like Leo''s sword only it was white instead of black.


    Both Ming and Cao looked at each other covered in scars all over their bodies surrounded by nothing but corpses and the scent of blood holding identical swords they looked at each other like they were opposites of each other.


    "So you used the sword," said Leo staring down at Cao, who was floating in the air.


    "Ha-ha Leo so you finally talked too bad those will be your last words!" said Cao as he charged straight towards Leo wasting no time.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Seeing Cao charge towards him Leo only smiled in response he looked at the sword that he held using his mouth and charged towards Cao intending to kill him.


    A huge Shockwave ran out from the epicenter where both their swords met light and darkness fought against each other both of them did not stop with one strike, they kept on attacking each other waiting for an opening to strike down each other Cao''s power seemed to have increased a lot but his injuries were severe, and he was struggling to maintain control over the sword. Leo, on the other hand, was at the point of complete exhaustion, he was struggling even more as he did not have his hands to fight Cao he had to use defense magic.


    More than a hundred blows have been exchanged since the battle begun and neither of them found an opening to strike the opponent finally Cao concluded that just blows with swords were meaningless if he wanted to kill Leo he had to go all out he was stalling for time as he knew Leo was exhausted, he was waiting for Leo to fall from exhaustion but that looked like it won''t happen, at least for now, he had to end this battle before he lost himself to the sword.


    "Leo, allow me to end your suffering ''12 Dragon Pillars!''" Cao shouted, this was one attack he had learned from the ''Holy Scripture'' the scripture was a rare treasure that his father had found and after great effort, he deciphered its contents. It was one of the strongest attacks in the scripture.


    Leo never thought Cao would use this skill he knew defending against this skill would be difficult, the only thing he could do was use his strongest attack use offense against offense was Leo''s plan.


    As Leo decided this 12 golden pillars descended from the skies, they seemed to be covered in a thick white mist which formed the shape of a dragon 12 pillars descended onto the world as if they wanted to pass judgment on the beings of this world.


    When the pillars contacted the ground, the entire area shook. Cao was in the middle of these 12 pillars, but even though the pillars looked magnificent Cao himself was far from that he was barely holding on to his sanity as the power of the sword was hard to control.


    Leo used the strongest attack, which was ''Eternal Damnation'' as he used this skill black mist rose from the ground beneath him the mist was thick black it surrounded Leo and a plethora of symbols formed from the mist they were purple this was Leo''s strongest ability but also the one that took the most strength out of him he knew after he used this skill he would be dead for sure.


    The 12 pillars from Cao ability resonated with each other and formed white orbs condensed with pure energy their target was Leo "This is it, Leo," said Cao as he laughed.


    The energy was the essence of this world that is what people used to cultivate.


    As Cao''s 12 pillars were getting ready to attack the mist and the symbols around Leo got absorbed into his sword along with the mist screams of agony now accompanied it, all of it was absorbed into the sword until it changed its color from black to dark purple.


    Leo had to use his entire strength as he could not use his hand, he had to rely on the strength that the ability generated the sword left Leo''s mouth and was now floating in front of him all of his power condensed into his last attack the last attack he would ever use before he no longer remained.


    Leo roared as the sword charged with all its might towards Cao with only one goal and that was to split Cao''s body in half at the same time Leo''s sword attacked the 12 pillars of Cao combined the 12 white orbs of light into one big beam and sent it straight towards Leo and his now charging sword.


    A huge explosion happened which made the entire area shake and become unstable the dimensional barriers which were used to tie down the world to its dimension showed cracks in it the explosion was followed by a Shockwave which obliterated the corpses in the area and also burnt them along with their blood mountains near the area crumbled to dust humans and beasts turned to dust everything that the Shockwave touched turned to dust.


    Thick dust and debris covered the entire area as the dust vanished and the debris settled down two figures could be seen near the epicenter of the explosion.


    One of them was shocked to his core he never realized that he would lose to his opponent, he believed his last attack in which he went all out could kill his enemy, but he was wrong and this person was none other than Cao who had a huge hole located in the middle of his chest.


    The other figure was Leo, who had lost all his energy he even could not move right now and was on the verge of collapse.


    "Leo I will wait for you in hell," Said Cao looking at Leo in front of him as he closed his eyes for the last time.


    "Hell?" Leo asked as he looked at himself the world looked red through his bloody eyes it had no meaning to him.

 Chapter 7 - Off To Moon Cave City

    His hair moved left to right, he looked at the night sky which to him was the only thing that looked similar to his old world.


    Leo sighed as he thought about the past.


    He had no idea how he ended up in this situation he was in an unknown world he had no idea what he would do from now on as he thought about this something strange happened in his body.


    Leo started to feel as if his heart was being ripped out he did not understand what was happening, but it was unbearable, he gripped the clothes near his chest as tightly as he could Leo was never someone who feared pain in his previous life, and he had his high cultivation level to protect him, but now he was nothing more than a mere mortal and the pain he was feeling at this instance was passed the threshold of what a mortal could handle.


    Leo thought the pain would go away after some time, but 3 minutes later the pain persisted it was at this moment that something happened which caused Leo even more pain the feeling of pain in his heart started to move.


    Yes, it moved from his heart to his shoulder, then onto his right hand the pain paralyzed his right hand, he could not move it even if he wanted to it was as if his right hand was stuck in time forever.


    But that did not stop the feeling of pain it moved through his hands until it reached his wrist, it seemed as if the pain had settled down, but Leo was in a terrible condition the pain was now causing blood to flow down from his mouth, his eyes and even his ears it seemed that even though he did not feel the pain in his entire body, his full body was affected by the pain.


    The pain came to a stop near his wrist and the area around his wrist started to burn and something that looked similar to a tattoo emerged on his right wrist.


    When Leo saw the tattoo even though he was in unimaginable pain it still shocked him and that was because the tattoo that formed on his right wrist was the tattoo of a black dragon with its wings wide open which looked identical to the one he got in his previous life when he first fused with his sword.


    He had no idea how the sword from his old world reached this world suddenly Leo thought of something, was it because of the sword he came to this world or was it because of something else?


    Leo did not believe his sword was the reason he came to this world because from the moment he started using this sword and up to his death, he had never used or even sensed this power of his sword he believed that he knew everything that there is to his sword, but the sword came into this world with him this meant that there were still things which remained a mystery to him about the sword.Stolen novel; please report.


    He suspected that it was because his soul was connected to the sword, but dismissed that thought immediately because if that were the case, then the other things connected to his soul should also be here with him, but there were no signs of them only the sword which further strengthens the point that there were things he still did not understand about his sword.


    He tried to activate the sword, but it was of no use as he got no response from the sword or the tattoo.


    After that tattoo formed in his hand the pain faded away Leo was now surrounded by a puddle of his own blood and his clothes were also ruined.


    He decided to remove his clothes and wash them as he did not have any spare with him, and he could not go out with blood in his clothes or without any clothes on.


    After he washed the clothes and kept them for drying, he decided that it was time for him to sleep, then after waking up in the morning, he would catch a ride from the village to Moon Cave City.


    ---


    Leo woke up to the light from the sun in the early morning he got up from his bed and wore his dried clothes he stretched for some time to get rid of the drowsiness from his sleep.


    He left the inn and went to the shop for breakfast he had the same meal he ate for dinner the previous night which was the chicken soup and roasted boar.


    After having his meal at the shop he asked the old lady working there where in the village, he could catch a ride to the city and according to the old lady Leo had to go near the village gate.


    And sure enough, when he neared the gate, he saw about 15 wooden carts parked there some of them had people in them, but most of them had various goods. Leo could not determine what type of goods they were as all of them were covered by gray sheets. He guessed that these were the goods that were sent by the village to be sold in Moon Cave City.


    He decided that he would approach one of the cart drivers and ask him for a ride and since he had money with him Leo was sure he would get a ride but he had doubts on whether he would get a ride because he thought all the seats have already been taken.


    But before he moved, he felt a hand touch his shoulder when he turned around to look at who it was, Leo could see a man in his late 30s his face seemed worn out, and he was skinny for his age.


    The man looked at Leo with a bright smile and said "Sir from what I can guess you want a ride to the city right?" Leo did not understand why he would be approached by a random stranger and asked about this matter but nonetheless, he went with it and nodded his head.


    The man''s smile grew even wider upon hearing this "Ah, my good sir, I have the best ride and can protect you my cart has no one else so you will have a peaceful ride to the city."


    After hearing this Leo could guess why the man had stopped him and asked if he wanted to go on the carts it was because he was one of the cart drivers. Leo knew he was lying about the fact he would be able to protect Leo, but since all the other carts were full, he had no other option the only thing that worried Leo was the fact that this man would be an endless talker.


    "Before we go how much will this ride cost?" Asked Leo to the man to which he replied "It costs 50 silver."


    The price was lesser than what Leo had expected this was a really good offer the only problem was that Leo felt this person in front of him was very talkative and would be annoying, but he decided that he would go on this cart since all the other carts looked full.


    He gave the man 50 silver the man took it and said: "Sir, follow me, I will take you to my cart," Leo followed the man to his cart.

 Chapter 8 - Knowledge About The World

    Leo made his way with the man towards his cart on the way the man introduced himself as Han.


    Han''s cart looked like all the other carts, but it had a lot more goods in it.


    There was an old man flanked by two people on his right and left side. They looked to be his guards. The old man was looking at the carts that were lined up in front of the village gate.


    "That old man right there is the chief of the village he owns all the carts you see," Said Han as he noticed Leo looking at the old man. Seeing Leo stare at the old man with confusion Han, told him about the old man.


    Leo looked at Han with a strange look on his face, he never asked to know who that was but Han ended up telling who that was. Leo decided to not mind the old man anymore. When they reached the cart, he got on it and sat down while Han sat in the driver''s seat.


    After 10 minutes had passed, the guard near the old man signaled the 15 carts to leave the village, and so they did.


    The ride was shaky as there were no proper roads there, but Leo did not mind it Han would talk, but Leo would ignore it, but he heard about Han''s family situation. From what Han said they were living in extreme poverty and Han was doing many jobs to keep his family alive otherwise without him they would starve to death. The main reason for this was that most of the money Han made from the cart rides would go to the village chief and since the village chief had people to protect him Han could do nothing about it even though Leo ignored the other things Han said this caught his attention.


    They made their way through the forest and luckily did not run into any wild beasts. They reached Moon Cave City in the evening.


    The city was big. It had many shops and much more people than what the small village had and also there were a lot more people out when compared to the village. The buildings were built much better than the ones found in the village. The number of shops was also much greater, even the way the people dressed was much better when compared to the village.


    Leo''s first plan was to find the library as he wanted to know how people lived in this world. So, he asked around and got the address of the library.


    The library was located in the central part of the city. The building was white and had various carvings on its four pillars that stood in the front of the building. Leo entered the building and made his way to the front desk where he was greeted by a man, "Hello Sir, how may I help you?"


    "I would like to enter the library how much does it cost?" Asked Leo in response and the man replied, "For 1 hour it would cost 50 silver coins that would be the cheapest one we have but if you will come here every day, then I would suggest getting a membership card."


    The membership card was useless to Leo as he would never come back here, so he gave the 50 silver coins with that he now had 225 silver coins with him.


    Leo entered the hall in front of him, which was filled with countless books. There were lots of high shelves filled with books from top to bottom. He looked around and finally found a book titled ''Magic and Geography'' Leo guessed books like this were used to teach kids about their world.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Leo found an empty area to sit with no disturbances and started reading.


    ''To learn about Magic a person should first know where it originates from. In our world Magic originates from the World Stone.''


    ''The World Stone is located at the center of the planet. It produces an essence known as World''s Essence. This essence is then converted into Elemental Essence by the outer layer of the World Stone after that it is absorbed by the Mantle which brings the Elemental Essence to the surface. The planet is also covered by a field known as The World''s Field that adds essence to anything that enters through it.''


    ''A person needs a World Crystal to use Magic. The Crystal allows an individual to absorb the Elemental Essence. The Crystal then converts the Elemental Essence into Pure Essence and Pure Element.''


    ''Pure Essence is used to increase the Magical Power of the body. While Pure Element allows the user to control that particular element.''


    ''The World Crystal is divided into four Tiers and they are Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. The Crystals are produced and supplied by The Imperial Family. Crystals can form in nature, but those Crystals are called Tier 0 as the power they have is much weaker compared to the other Tiers. So, people do not bother with them.''


    Leo looked out of the window near him. The people in the city were living their life. It was a much different feeling when compared to the village. The city had a lot more noise and people. There were no goods being sold on carts as they did in the village. All goods were sold in proper shops.


    Leo turned his attention to the book.


    ''There are five elements that exist on our planet they are: Fire, Water, Light, Darkness, and World. These five elements are called The Main Elements. Each Main Element also has a sub-element they are: Fire-Heat, Water -Ice, Light-Healing, Darkness-Reaper, and World-Wind.''


    ''The Magical Power is divided into six ranks they are: Normal, Advanced, Escalation, Elite, Guardian, and Emperor. Each rank is divided into four levels: Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4.''


    ''When a person reaches Escalation, they can use the sub-element of the main element they are using. Then once they reach Emperor rank they can combine both the main and sub-element into one.''


    So this is how magic works in this world. I need to get my hands on this so-called Crystal. Thinking this he looked at the next part which was a sub-division titled ''Manual''.


    ''Manuals can be used to increase the Magical Power of the body faster than normal. They also help to increase the rate at which an individual can absorb Elemental Essence.''


    ''Spells can be learned using Spell Manuals each of these manuals contain an Enchantment that helps in learning the spell. So, when a person first tries to learn a spell, the Enchantment contained in the manual gets activated. It will aid the person in learning that spell by imprinting it into their body and the Crystal.''


    After that, he turned the page until he reached the page titled ''Geography'' in bold black letters. He wanted to know how the world was like and what were the powers in it.


    ''The continent which is called The South Sea Continent is named after the sea which surrounds it which is The Southern Sea.''


    ''The continent is divided into 1 Empire and 5 kingdoms which comprise the 5 Great House and The Imperial House.''


    ''The 5 Great Houses are House of Sun Fire, House of Ocean Blade, House of Wood Star, House of Dawn and House of Celsus. The Imperial House is called The House of Magnus''.


    ''The Empire and kingdoms have the same names as the Houses.''


    ''Each of these Kingdoms and Empire are divided by mountains, seas, and deserts some well-known places of the continent are The Grand Mountains, The Forest of The Night, The Great Lake and The Desolate Lands.''


    After having a better knowledge of the land and the power levels, Leo decided that it was time for him to leave. His plan now was to get his hands on a manual and Crystal that would allow him to increase his power as he had no power.

 Chapter 9 - The Mysterious Man

    Leo planned on staying in the city for the night then tomorrow morning he would head back to the village.


    His main problem now was his lack of money and power Leo guessed that without these two things he could not live in the city for long, but the village was much cheaper and better than the city, so he decided that he would head back.


    After searching around the busy city for some time he found a cheap inn, it was small compared to the others he found before after entering the inn Leo paid the 40 silver coins needed to stay for the night and went to his room.


    He also took a look at the surroundings of the inn there were houses and other shops he found nothing out of the ordinary.


    The room in the city was much more expensive when compared to the one from the village one-night stay here was equal to staying four days in the village.


    The room was larger than the one he had back in the village. The bed was much more comfortable than the one from the village he looked out of the window but not many stars were visible and it didn''t have the same feeling which it did in the village because of the loud noises and light that came from the city.


    Leo went to bed after some time he would leave the city and go back to the village when morning came.


    ---


    Leo woke up the next day to the busy sounds of the city his plan was to get a ride in Han''s cart back to the village.


    Leo freshened up and left his room he had eaten nothing and felt hungry he didn''t have to look for much longer as there was a small restaurant near to his inn.


    He went there and found a table, then ordered his food after having finished the food he paid the 50 silver coins and left the restaurant and headed straight towards the city gate where he would catch a ride back to the village.


    Once he arrived near the city gate, he managed to find Han and got on his cart this time, however, the cart was not filled with goods, but rather there were two more people a boy and a girl they both looked to be 16-18 years old.


    After everyone had got on and all the other 14 carts which came with Leo from the village was ready they all left this time they did not have to wait for the orders from the village chief as he was not here, but they still had to wait until the guards gave them permission to leave because the guards needed to make space for the 15 carts to leave, and they did not want to crowd the area with carts and people.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Han was still talking, but this time it was with the two other people who looked to be a couple while Leo ignored the conservation.


    He had to pay the money once more for going back to the village now he had just 50 silver remaining.


    As they made their way through the forest, something happened to their wild horse it slowed down and even made weird noises as if it was in pain Han stopped the cart to see what was wrong with the beasts the couple also got out while Leo remained in the cart.


    Suddenly all of them felt like something passed through their bodies Leo sensed this and got out of the cart.


    "It''s a ''Time Stop Force Field'' but who would cast this? No bandit group will use such a precious treasure for just us," Said the boy who just looked confused like everyone.


    It was at this time that the girl who accompanied the boy shouted and pointed her finger in their opposite direction "Look over there who is that?"


    Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a figure he had a dark brown dress and his face was covered by a mask with no spot for his eyes to see through his hair was also covered by his dress.


    "Who are you and what do you want with us?" Asked the boy, but the figure did not respond.


    Suddenly the figure vanished, and they heard a scream near them when they looked at the direction of the scream what they saw was horrific.


    The girl that was with the boy had both her arms torn off from her body large amounts of blood flowed out from the opening her bones, muscles and even her veins that hung out were visible from the opening her scream did not seem to resemble that of a human it was filled with terror and pain.


    Han and the boy were shocked seeing this scene the girl looked at the guy with pain and tears from her eyes the young man, seeing this screamed: "AHH, I will kill you secret spell ''Body Breaker''!" The young man shouted.


    Suddenly his body got harder and his powers increased, especially his defense, he took out a sword from his back and charged straight towards the figure but it was of no use...


    Even after increasing his power he could not even land a hit on the figure he did not have much time left because this increased power was only a temporary increase and the consequences of using this power was really great if he overused this power once it wears out it can lead to his death, but at this point none of that mattered to him all he wanted to do was to kill this person in front of him no matter the cost!.


    "AHH," He screamed as his sword barely missed the figure he was almost at his limits, he decided that he would use one last strike which he was sure would kill that person, but he would also end up killing himself.


    He prepared himself for one last attack and charged straight at the man.


    This time his sword finally found a target as he felt the sword pierce through the man''s body, he was satisfied, he killed the person who crippled his lover, he lifted his face to look at the man to see the shock on the man''s face one last time but when he looked...


    What he saw was not the sword pierced into the body of the man, but into the heart of his crippled lover...

 Chapter 10 - On The Brink of Death Once Again

    The girl looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could her body gave up on her.


    Was she angry at him for killing her? Was she thankful that he put her out of her misery? Did she forgive the boy thinking it was not his mistake but the figures?.


    Then, before the boy even had any time to react to what happened a slash came right to his neck from the man when the boy''s head fell to the ground it had a confused and shocked expression on his face.


    Both died with many questions on their mind however those questions will never be answered to them.


    After the girl died, the man dropped her dead body to the ground, then he faced the two other people that were left, Han and Leo.


    Han felt a chill run down his spine he didn''t want to die not like this he had his family to take care of his wife his daughter who will look after them once he is dead? The only income they have is him if he were to die then how will they survive? How will his little daughter live a happy life? He wanted to scream he wanted to run, but he was trapped, he saw how brutally those two had died; he didn''t want to die for his family, even if it meant he had to humiliate himself and beg for mercy he could not die.


    Han fell to his knees and pleaded with all his might "Please I beg you don''t kill me, I still have my family to take care of my little daughter she is only 8 years old I nee-" His words were stopped mid-sentence by a sword that pierced the back of his head and went out from his mouth he died begging for his life for the sake of his family.


    The man then looked at Leo, who had no idea what to do he had no power to defend himself with he had no power to run away Leo felt disdain to himself, he hated it so much but there was nothing he could do at this moment.


    The man did not attack Leo as he did with the other he kept staring at Leo then after about 15 seconds he spoke, "Do you remember me?" was all the man said to Leo but this shocked him.


    It was not the words the man said that shocked him the most, but it was the voice that belonged to the man. That voice belonged to someone he knew.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ''Maybe a coincidence?''


    ''But then why would he ask if I remember him?''


    The man took off his plain mask to reveal a young and a bright face, seeing that face confirmed Leo''s doubts, the person standing in front of him was none other than...


    Cao...


    "But, how?" was all that Leo could ask.


    Cao smiled in response "That last battle we had was great, it was short and I died in the end, but it made me excited, it made me want more..."


    "Leo you have no idea about the powers that control this world and you will never know about them because this is the end for you."


    "After I kill you, I will take your ''Tenebris Sword'' and combine it with my ''Caetus Sword'' after that I will have the ''Infinite Sword'' with that Leo do you have any idea about the things I can accomplish? I will finally be able to get revenge on my father for what he did to me and my mother," Cao laughed with confidence as he knew he had finally won.


    "I failed to kill you last time with my own hands, but this time I won''t fail in the last world I hate to admit, but you were stronger than me, however in this world, you are nothing but a mere mortal."


    "I don''t get it how did we both come here? And if we came to this world how is that you are stronger than me? We both died at the same time." Leo said he tried to think of all the ways that this could have happened, but he had no answer.


    "Leo, there is no need for you to know anything as it''ll be useless once you die, but before you die, let me have some fun," Said Cao with a sinister smile on his face.


    Cao suddenly attacked with his right-hand Leo saw nothing but a flash his eyes were that of a normal mortal, he was incapable of seeing the movements of an enemy like Cao.


    Leo tried to activate his sword, but he failed once again as the sword did nothing to help him in his current situation.


    Cao held Leo''s hand, he then bent Leo''s fingers all at once Leo was powerless against Cao he tried to break free but the difference in strength between them was too great.


    Leo, however, did not scream he held it all inside, he could not think about anything as the pain of having all his fingers broken at the same time was too much for him to bear.


    Cao did not stop there, he then twisted both of Leo''s hands until they were dislocated from his shoulder Leo could not move his hands or his fingers anymore the pain he felt made him feel like he would lose his consciousness at any moment now.


    While Leo was in unimaginable pain and was trying to hold it all in Cao was laughing like a maniac, "Tell me, Leo, how does it feel? Does it feel the same way as your arms being cut off from the old world?"


    "This brings back memories," Said Cao as he stomped Leo on his chest, which broke his rib cage and his organs inside were damaged which caused internal bleeding and large amounts of blood, spilled out from Leo''s body.

 Chapter 11 - Escape

    "Finally, I can extract it," Cao said as he took out his sword while looking at Leo, who seemed to have died, he prepared to stab Leo with his sword and extract Leo''s sword but just before he could do that something happened with Leo.


    The area surrounding Leo glowed with a white light and a strange symbol came up from Leo''s body Cao thought he had seen this symbol before, but he had no idea where but suddenly he remembered it.


    It was not the exact symbol, but it had some similarities to the one he had seen before Cao knew what that symbol meant he had no idea how he managed to trigger the symbol he retreated backward fearing it might kill him.


    The white light around Leo started to fade, but Leo also started to fade away with it this scene shocked Cao he knew Leo had not died, he needed Leo''s body to extract the sword, but now Leo''s body was starting to fade away he could not do anything as he was too scared to attack the symbol and the power behind it.


    Soon Leo''s body along with the white light disappeared from the area Cao looked at the area with a complicated expression he had almost won he had almost got his revenge.


    He knew this ''almost'' would continue to haunt him until he achieved his goals "Leo I know you are not dead I will search this entire continent if I have to and I''ll make sure that the next time I see you I kill you,"


    ---


    Leo opened his eyes in the dimly lit room. He looked at his surroundings and was surprised to see it was his room back in the village.


    Leo felt something in his hand when he looked what he saw was two thick black lines on his left hand when he looked at them one line turned white and melted into his skin while the other one stayed for 10 seconds before sinking into his skin.


    Leo had no idea what it was he didn''t think it was related to the sword when he looked at his body, he realized that all his injuries were gone his body was back to how it was before Cao attacked him.


    "How did I cheat death two times?" Leo asked himself the first time was when he was reborn into this world and this time he escaped death from Cao and was now lying on the floor with no injuries.


    ''How is it that Cao has got this much power'' Leo had no answer to this question.


    It was at this moment that Leo noticed something near him it looked to be a badge it was a circle which had a green outline with a sword and spear crossed against each other on its front the back was empty ''Does this belong to Cao?'' Leo knew there was no other possibility.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ''I''m sure Cao will be searching for me, I can''t stay in this village anymore since it''s the closest to the city the chances of him coming here are high'' Thinking this Leo got up from the floor and left the inn since he didn''t have any belongings apart from some money his dagger and his clothes that saved him a lot of time.


    His plan was to head off into the forest and find a place he asked the manager where the closest place to the village was apart from the Moon Cave City.


    According to the manager, the closest place to the village apart from Moon Cave City was Rynce City the manager also said there were a lot of villages and towns in between the village and city.


    Leo was pondering where to go if he wanted to go to a village where the remote area will make it harder for Cao to find him or if the city where the vast number of people will make it harder for Cao to find him.


    He decided he would decide on his way thinking this he left the village and headed towards the east.


    The forest had a lot of trees and other plants that grew from the ground some trees had fruit in them but Leo wasn''t sure if they were poisonous or not, so he decided not to touch or eat them.


    He heard various sounds of animals in the forest, but he never contacted any as he would change his path as soon as he heard the sounds.


    After about an hour of walking through the forest, Leo heard rapid footsteps coming towards him when he looked toward the steps what he saw was two gray colored animals with their mouth open wide and sharp teeth were running towards him.


    Even a fool could understand why they were running towards him wasting no time Leo made a run for it, he thought of climbing a tree, but then he would be stuck there until the beasts go away and also the beasts may reach him as he was climbing, and they could attack him, he ran as there was some distance between them his plan was to increase that distance and then climb a tree or hide somewhere else.


    However, as he ran, his plan fell apart the wolves caught up to him the main reason was he had overestimated the speed of his current body also the beasts were living in the forest and were used to hunting their prey by running between the trees, so they were able to reduce the distance between them and Leo.


    Soon the distance between them was so less that Leo could hear their loud breathing Leo knew he had to fight he had no other option, so he took out his dagger and turned to face the wolves.


    The wolves stopped in their tracks seeing their prey stop one beast went to the right while the other went to the left it seemed as if they were getting into a battle formation which they must have learned from years of hunting in the forest.


    Leo held his dagger firmly as he changed his eyes between the two beasts now that he was near them, he could see more clearly how what they looked like.


    They had gray colored fur paws that had sharp claws to them, their eyes were black, they had sharp teeth and had their tongue out salivating.


    Surrounded by countless trees and plants the sounds from other places seemed to die out due to the sounds of hunger from the two beasts as one man prepared to face off against two beasts.


    The two beasts charged at him with full speed.

 Chapter 12 - Fight Against The Beasts

    The first one to reach him was the beast on the right, it came towards Leo with its mouth open, ready to bite and rip apart its prey the goal of the beast was Leo''s neck.


    Just before the beast reached him it jumped aiming for Leo''s neck who quickly bent down seeing this and as the beast was above him, Leo then prepared to pierce it with his dagger, but before he could the other beast had arrived so now Leo had to move out of the way he slid to the left and dodged the other wolf.


    The two wolves turned to face him and came rushing towards him once again Leo this time picked up a rock near him and threw it at the beasts, but they easily dodged it, so he picked up another rock and threw it he had to be fast since the distance between them was not long.


    This time also the beasts dodged it, but since the distance was not very long, and they were distracted by dodging the rock Leo charged at them with his dagger he slashed his dagger towards the one on the right, he cut the beast''s right paw however as he slashed the beast with his right hand the one on the left came up and bit his left hand.


    Its teeth sunk deep into his muscles Leo could not stand the pain he screamed in his head, but he knew he had to act fast because if he didn''t he would die.


    He used the dagger in his right hand and stabbed the beast on its body the knife went straight through its skin and into its inside spilling blood, but the beast did not let go of Leo, so he took the dagger which was now covered in fresh blood out and stabbed it one more time in the neck.


    The beast finally left his left hand, Leo knew this still was not enough to kill the beasts, so he dropped his dagger and used his right hand to grab the paw of the beast and then spun it and smashed it against a tree this shattered the beast''s rib cage and caused its organs to be crushed this coupled with the dagger wounds from before and the blood loss made the beast finally die, taking one last look at the other beast that got its paw injured.


    Seeing its partner killed before its eyes the other beast roared and rushed towards Leo. This time Leo once again moved out of the way just as the beast was about to make contact with him the beast went head first into a tree Leo quickly used his right leg to kick the belly of the beast he then used the same leg to stomp it from its back this caused damage to its insides then he took his dagger and stabbed it in the beasts back he then pulled the knife which was pierced inside the beast''s skin this tore its skin and insides such as its muscle and organs the wolf roared in agony but, the injury was too much it had its inside ripped in half with the huge amounts of blood loss it died on the spot near the previous one.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Leo dropped his dagger as he tore off his top cloth and wrapped it around his injured left hand, he then fell onto the ground in exhaustion.


    After about 10 minutes of lying down, Leo got up holding his left hand, the smell from the corpses of the wolf was spreading Leo was worried other animals might come here attracted by the smell, so he used his dagger and took pieces of meat from the beasts and moved away from the two corpses.


    He found a quiet place he gathered some sticks and made a fire with it; he was forced to use his left hand; he felt as if someone was constantly stabbing his left hand, but he gnashed his teeth and made a fire.


    He then cooked the meat he took from the two beasts after they were cooked he let them cool off for some time and ate it.


    The meat had no flavor, and it wasn''t cooked properly, but he didn''t care he had not eaten for a long time and was exhausted.


    After finishing the meat Leo made a bed by plucking up the grasses from other places and laying it on top of the grasses where he was supposed to sleep, he then slept, hoping no other beasts would come and left the fire to be burnt out by itself.


    ---


    The next morning Leo woke up to the drops of water that fell on his face, he opened his eyes to look up at the sky and saw it had turned gray and rain was pouring down from it.


    Leo got up from his self-made bed and used the trees as cover he didn''t even have time to let his brain wake up properly.


    The smell of the rain in the forest created a very unexplainable feeling to swell up inside Leo he looked up at the gloomy sky that seemed to replicate his own life.


    Leo sighed at this sight and continued to walk towards the east.


    After 10 minutes of travel, Leo heard beast noises near him once more not wanting a repeat of what happened last time Leo changed his directions and increased his speed.


    As he made his way through the muddy ground due to the rain, the ground beneath him shook Leo had no idea how this happened.


    ''Earthquake?'' Just as he thought this the ground beneath him collapsed and Leo fell down to the hole.


    Luckily none of the ground that fell down struck him only small rocks and the rain fell on his face Leo got up from the ground looking around and to his surprise what he saw behind him was an old worn out room.

 Chapter 13 - Crystal of Fate

    The room was much darker than the ground above. The only source of light was from the hole created due to the fall of the terrain, but that light brought no major visual change to the room.


    The room was barely visible to him. What filled the room was a desk and a chair; he edged closer to them the desk and chair which looked like they could fall apart anytime.


    On the desk were four things, a pen, a letter, a circular crystal and a holder for the crystal made of wood. The surface of the table made Leo feel that if he were to blow at the desk, then he would not stop sneezing for a day.


    The paper had turned yellow. The writing implied whoever wrote it was in a hurry also the writing came to a stop with a slash of ink that ran from the last letter out of the paper.


    Leo didn''t want to take the paper in his hands because he was certain if he did then the paper would fall apart. He moved closer while making sure not to touch the desk and chair. He then read the letter but the bad handwriting coupled with the hurry of the writer made it difficult for him to read.


    He wondered if whoever wrote this had a bad handwriting, or it turned bad because said person was in a hurry.


    ''To the fated one that reads this, to the one that shall carry this destiny, to the one whose life shall be changed, to the one who seeks power, vengeance, love do not be blinded by this world to know the truth look at the strong, to know the world look at the weak, let this be the power that changes the...'' The writing cuts off.


    ''Who could have written this? And what made them be in such a hurry? Leo wondered, failing to come up with any answers he shifted his attention.


    When he picked up the round crystal, it gave him the same feeling as picking up an ice cube. With the crystal in his hands, he could see it more clearly. It was light black with small dots of white light that mimicked the night sky.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    As Leo held the crystal the white dots of light lit up starting from the center, it made its way to the edge of the crystal.


    Shaking his hand, he tried to let go of the crystal but it stuck to his hand; he tried pulling the crystal with his other hand, but the crystal refused to let go of him.


    After a minute passed, the crystal sank into his skin like a boat would as it sank in the ocean; the crystal made its way through his hands and into his chest. It positioned itself in the center of his chest.


    Then the crystal released a black mist filled with white dots of light this mist spread across his body starting from his heart and lungs. It made its way to his toes, but to Leo, it felt like nothing was there as he failed to sense anything.


    Is it increasing my power? Leo wondered, but he felt no change in his power hence the idea was dismissed.


    ''Then what is it doing to my body?'' He Wondered once again but came up with no answer. He would search for answers once he reached his destination.


    It was now time for him to continue on his journey. He went back towards the hole from which he fell. Using the fallen terrain that made a slope he climbed his way back to the surface, but it did not go well as the wound from before caused pain but he made it out.


    The wound was getting infected because redness was spreading across the area surrounding the wound; he knew treatment was necessary and needed quickly. Otherwise, the consequences would be exponential.


    He set off on his journey once again towards the east while trying to not get detected by any more beasts. He would change his direction as soon as he heard the roar of a beast.


    The rain still lingered around, but it was not as heavy as before. Only slight drops from time to time. The sky remained in a gloomy setting.


    His destination was Rynce City which was still far away. Leo did not know how he would get there while being injured. The wound in his hand would only get worse as the days go by.


    Fruits filled the trees in the area, but Leo refused to eat them as he did not know if they were poisonous or not. He did not want to take a risk especially in a situation where one of his hand cannot function. There were many flowers of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Some grouped together while others grew on their own. Some grew near trees while others grew away from the trees on the sides of the muddy ground.


    The forest lacked any clear pathway so Leo had to navigate between the trees.


    An explosive sound that rang out from the distance reached his ears. The origin of the sound was not that far away from him, he decided to go and see what caused the sound.

 Chapter 14 - Tricked Into Battle

    Leo soon reached the area from where the explosion originated, he saw a girl backed up against a tree and two men stood in front of her holding swords in their hands.


    The girl had long dark red hair that was tied up in a ponytail he was unable to make out the color of her eyes from this distance but it looked to be either black or brown; she looked the same age as him and wore a light yellow dress her skin was filled with scars from which blood oozed out.


    The two men were dressed in all black they had their faces covered with the same mask it had green colored lines that ran along its sides while the rest was black with two holes for the eyes.


    Leo was hiding behind a tree a few meters away from this distance he was able to hear their conversation.


    "No hard feelings but its orders from the higher-ups we can''t do anything other than follow their order," Said one of the two men as he pointed his sword towards the girl ready to execute her at any moment.


    Even though death looked certain the look in the girl''s eyes said she was not afraid of it, this surprised Leo as most people would be unable to remain calm in the face of death,


    There was no reason for him to intervene and save her even if he wanted to he would have to battle the two who wanted to kill her and with his lack of magic that was easier said than done.


    As he watched this scene, unfold he realized that the girl was now looking towards him he was surprised that she found out where he was as even though he did not have the power of his past life to aid him he believed he had hidden really well without them.


    The girl looked at Leo with a smile which in turn caused a bad feeling to swell up in Leo''s stomach "Look over there my prince has come to save me!" She shouted in the loudest voice she could muster in her injured state.


    This action shocked Leo as well as the two men ''What? Why did she point at me? And how am I a prince?'' Leo questioned himself.


    The two men looked in the direction the girl had pointed and saw Leo standing behind a tree "Oh your help has arrived too bad he won''t change anything" Said one of the men he looked towards his companion and said, "I will go and take care of him you watch the girl".If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He charged with his sword towards Leo who thought ''Damn, why did I come here?'' He now had no other option than to fight, or he would be killed, he had no power all he had was a dagger while the person coming towards him looked to be powerful.


    Leo''s only option right now was to keep evading the attacks, but for how long? And will he even be able to evade attacks with no power?


    The man''s silver sword came slashing towards Leo, who slid to the left barely managing to dodge the sword, however, the man did not stop he continued with his next attack towards Leo who was barely managing to dodge the attacks as they came even then Leo''s body started to accumulate minor scars.


    The reason was not Leo being slow instead it was the fact that the difference in speed between a person with magic and a person with none was too much. Leo''s mind reacted in time, however, his body was unable to keep up with it.


    The other person that was with the man who was fighting Leo had a smile on his face. He knew very well that his companion would be able to kill Leo.


    As he watched the fight enthusiastically, however, he felt a hand behind his chest then came the felt his body being paralyzed after that his vision started to blacken, he then fainted to the ground.


    As he fell to the ground, it was noticed by his companion ''Fuck, this is not good'' He looked at the girl who some time ago was on the verge of death but now had managed to knock out his companion.


    The grip on his sword tightened and his eyes looked sharper he decided he would first finish off Leo quickly then he would take care of the girl.


    He raised his sword towards Leo who held a dagger in his hand.


    But just as he was about to attack Leo a white beam came rushing towards him, he shifted his attention from Leo to the white light; he deflected it with his sword which was now covered by a layer of water but before he could relax another beam came towards him which made him use his the water covered sword to deflect the attack once again.


    "Is that all you got?" He asked arrogantly to the girl as he now faced her instead of Leo. The girl smiled hearing the man''s words then she closed her eyes and raised her palms towards the man.


    A beam made of light much bigger than before charged towards the man who in turn raised his palms as water rushed out of it the two beams collided and managed to cancel each other out.


    Then just as he thought the attacks were over an even bigger white beam came towards him, he used his full power to defend against this attack which in turn created a huge explosion as the dust began to spread.


    He stabbed his sword to the ground and used it to prevent his body from falling to the ground as he tried to stand up a dagger came at him from his right side before he could react the dagger had already pierced through his skull and into his brain.


    The man tried to look for his killer who was it? Was it the girl? Was it the guy? But his life left him before he could get an answer.


    In the moment of death, he hoped that the person who killed him was the girl and not the guy as he did not want to die at the hands of a non-magic user.

 Chapter 15 - The Way The World Is

    The dagger inside the man''s brain came out bloody as he retrieved the dagger a strange thing happened.


    The white specs of light inside the Crystal all lit up one by one, then from the man''s body a deep blue mist like the ocean rose as it made its way to Leo. The deep blue mist took the shape of a river as it came towards him. It entered through his chest and stopped near the Crystal as it spun around it.


    This scene mimicked the accretion disk of a black hole as it devoured everything in its vicinity, including light which in this case was the deep blue mist. The mist got absorbed by the Crystal as the seconds ticked by.


    The color of the Crystal changed from the night sky to that of the ocean.


    The Crystal was now visible to him not through his eyes, but through the mind, he could see all the changes happening to it.


    ''Was it because I killed the man?'' Wondered Leo looking at the man''s body since this happened right after he killed the man also he believed it was unlikely this was a coincidence and that it had no relation to the man''s death.


    The process sped up so much that when debris cleared the Crystal now looked like an ocean.


    Confusion chose to not let go of his mind as he had not read in the book about a Crystal that could absorb other Crystal''s power or their Elements. The man could use the water element, so it was easy to guess that this Crystal now had the power of water also the fact it looked like the ocean strengthen this point.


    Using water to clean the wound came to his mind, but he did not know how to activate it.


    The pony-tailed girl approached him she looked at the corpse unable to understand why he killed the man. She never liked to kill anyone as to her that was going against her beliefs. She believed by killing a person she would only contribute to the evil of the world even though her background entangled with this same evil she wanted to be the one to change it.


    So looking firmly into his eyes to stand up to her beliefs she asked: "Why did you kill him?"


    Leo looked back at her but instead of answering the question he replied with another question "Why did you not kill that man?" While shifting his vision from the girl towards the unconscious man.


    ''Huh?'' Was the word that came to her mind when she heard the question "I did not kill him because killing him won''t do any good in fact now with him captured I can interrogate him and I can know who sent him to kill me also if I had not involved you after killing me they would have killed you," She stopped then continued while crossing her arms between her chest "I believe it was smart."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "That was not being smart rather it was stupid," Said Leo as he removed the cloth that covered his wound which now had more redness that spread across it.


    "Huh?" She said out loud, "What did you say?" This had struck her weak spot.


    "I said what you did was stupid that man tried to kill you but you showed him kindness even though he never showed it to you," The words stopped for some time as he touched the swollen wound then continued "We live in a world where kindness cannot prevail, If a person raises his sword against someone then he himself should be ready to die." These words came out from the fact that to him this world was becoming similar to his old world.


    Kindness could not prevail in both worlds where the strong killed the weak.


    Surprised by the answer she took a moment to think however this did not change her belief "Well, I don''t believe it this world might be cruel now but I know it can change, I will change it" Determination radiated her eyes as the words flew out her mouth.


    Leo said nothing in return but in his mind, he said ''Foolishness one person alone cannot change the world.''


    She waited for a response but got none, then as she looked at him she noticed his wounds "Want me to help you?" She asked.


    He said nothing but in his mind, he was pondering on how to activate the Crystal to use the water to clean his wound, however, he failed to find a way.


    After getting ignored once again she checked the corpse for any clues regarding the origin of these two killers.


    Then 5 minutes later rapid footsteps approached them there were 4 men led by another who stood at the front.


    As soon as the leading man saw the girl, he rushed towards her with an apologetic look in his eyes he said as he ran his fingers through her hair "Forgive me, Mia, It was my mistake I should have taken a better look into the details of the mission."


    "It''s okay father it was impossible to know it was a setup," She said as she placed the palm of her hands on top of the hand on her head.


    Noticing Leo he looked at Mia who said: "He helped me kill them if he had not come I would have died."


    "Oh?" Her father said as he took out a pill from his dress then threw it over to Leo who caught it "Crush it over your wound it''ll heal it." He could see that Leo had no magic power when he looked at his Crystal.


    He could tell this because when a person increases their power a vertical line representing their rank would appear on the Crystal also a horizontal line that denoted their level would also appear. For example, a person at Normal Rank Level 1 would have a single horizontal and a vertical line in the shape of a plus sign. With Leo, his Crystal had no lines, so he could tell that Leo had no magic power.


    The pill was like a rock in his hands but when he applied pressure to the pill; it crumbled like power he then spread it across his wound a stinging pain came to his wound as the powder touched it.


    "Where are you from? And how did you get here?" Asked the father of Mia curious how a person with no magic power reached here.


    But before Leo could answer one of the 4 men that accompanied the father shouted pointing at the corpse while taking his sword "Look that is the crest of the Eternal Hunters Faction!"


    Hearing this, all of them looked towards the corpse near it laid a crest with a green outline and a sword and spear crossed against each other.


    "How dare he try to deceive miss Mia," Said another of the 4 men as he drew his sword prepared to kill Leo.

 Chapter 16 - The Shadow Claw Organization

    Why do they want him dead so badly? He had never seen them before and he did nothing wrong. The badge was something he got from Cao by mistake, he never thought this badge, which he got by accident would lead to a problem like this.


    However, before they could attack Mia''s father stopped them "Wait" He ordered.


    Not liking the decision one of the 4 spoke up, "But Sir Gerard we mu-" but stopped his sentence midway when Gerard signaled with his hand to stop talking.


    Gerard then looked at Leo and asked: "Are you really from the Eternal Hunters Organization?"


    "No" Replied Leo which was the truth.


    "Then tell me why do you have that badge, which only its members will have?" Gerard asked as he could not understand how someone with no power got their hands on a badge which only the members of The Eternal Hunters Faction will have it made little sense for them to give such a badge to someone with no magic power.


    "I got attacked on my way back from Moon Cave City but I escaped this badge belongs to the person who attacked me." The part regarding him knowing Cao was left out.


    "Sir, he is lying it is clear like the day he is a spy sent by them, but revealed himself on accident," Said one of the men.


    Gerard was deep in thought he was trying to think how a person with no cultivation escaped someone from The Eternal Hunters Faction but more than that he was wondering how Leo attracted their attention.


    It was now that Mia spoke, "I don''t think he is from there because if he was a spy why would he bring his badge here? Wouldn''t that be the first thing he removed from himself? Then he and I were alone till now based on the enmity between us he would not hesitate to kill me when we were alone also he has no magic power why would such a powerful faction send someone so weak as a spy?"


    It was when Mia said the last sentence the four men realized that Leo had no cultivation and all the other points which Mia said made sense.


    Gerard smiled at his daughter. When he looked at Leo, it reminded him about himself when he was in his teenage years where he would get into fights with his peers and go for hunting in the forest right now Leo with scars covering his body and his top cloth lying on the floor after being removed from his wound, he took the decision to help Leo also this can be a gift for saving his daughter.


    "As a reward for saving my daughter I shall give you an offer it is up to you to accept or reject it," Gerard said he continued without waiting for a response from Leo "I will allow you to join us The Shadow Claw Organization, however, there is more to it if you join then you will get shelter, money, and power but the world is not free I will allow you to join us as a gift for saving my daughter but you must work for us."


    His eyes rose it did not sound like a bad idea after he joins them, he can use resources to increase his strength also it will help in familiarizing himself with the magic of this world but he wanted to know more about this organization before, he said anything hence he asked "What is it you people do?"


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "All kinds of work, from spying, kidnapping, assassinations we even help other towns and villages protect their places," Replied Gerard.


    This was good as in his old world also he did such things like assassinations and spying so this was right up his ally, but he still had to say one thing "Okay, I accept your offer, however I need more information regarding The Eternal Hunters Organization" This was said because he wanted to find out about their power and what was Cao''s goal there also how strong Cao is as his magic level is still a mystery.


    Gerard thought for a moment, then agreed "Very well then let us depart" He said while signaling the four men to take the two bodies of the assassins.


    The four men were not happy with the decision of allowing Leo to join the organization, but since the decision was made by Sir Gerard himself, they could do nothing.


    ---


    After 2 hours of traveling, they reached the end of the forest now a town surrounded by walls came into vision. The walls were much bigger than normal. The striking feature of this town was the abundance of cherry trees visible even from the town gates.


    Cherry trees lined up perfectly on both sides of the brick made pathway. Buildings made from the same material lay past the cherry trees and sidewalk the construction and architecture looked much better than the wooden construction of the village.


    It was noontime however cold wind still blew. Water still lingered on the ground from the rain. The clouds up above still refused to show sunlight.


    "Take him to house number 51 and room 3," Said Gerard just as they were about the enter through the town gates to one of the four men after which he left with Mia and the other three with two bodies.


    The person who got asked to do this was not pleased, but he did not have an option to refuse hence he held it all inside, but as soon as Gerard left it came to the surface however it did not bother Leo. Even though he did not like Leo, he still had to obey orders from Sir Gerard.


    Wearing a worn out cloth covered in blood attracted attention towards Leo, but there was nothing to be done as he had no spare clothes so ignoring the stares they finally reached the house on the outskirts of the town. It had two floors with two windows on each floor.


    After receiving the key and climbing the stairs, he got into his new room. It had two rooms a living room and a bedroom. It had a bed, a chair, a desk also necessities such as a bathroom and a small kitchen.


    Making his way to the bed, Leo lied down, staring at the ceiling his wound had now healed by a lot and the pain was no more but he felt tired.


    His next goal would be to find Cao and put an end to their enmity by killing him, but he still had a long way to go to accomplish that goal Leo could only sigh as he closed his eyes and fell asleep in that cold and silent room.

 Chapter 17 - Water Techniques

    Chatter and yelling rang inside the room. The sunlight crept into it as the hot wind blew open the dark brown curtains.


    Waking up from his sleep, Leo sat on the bed as he stretched. The wound in his arm had almost fully healed while the pain disappeared.


    Knock Knock.


    His door sounded as soon as he got up onto his feet. Who could it be? Leo wondered as he opened the door.


    A man stood in front of Leo with one arm missing wearing a black coat. His body was tall and well built. The man carried with him a package "Take this it''s from Sir Gerard meet me down in 10," Said the man as he pushed the package into Leo''s hand who caught it. The man left using the staircase, leaving Leo clueless.


    Who was that? Wondered Leo the man said this package was from Gerard what would Gerard have to send him? Leo went back to his room as he closed the door.


    In it were three pairs of clothes one grey the other brown while the last was black placed in a stack. On the top, there were 2 silver coins with 100 written on them for 200 silver.


    These were things that Leo needed as right now he was short on money and had no extra pair of clothes. He kept the stack and money on his bed as he went into the bathroom to have a bath. After returning, he wore the grey dress. It was a little big for him but there was no other issue.


    When the door to the building opened Leo saw the one-armed man in front. Right now the man was talking to another person, but when he saw Leo the man said farewell as he walked towards Leo.


    "Follow me," The man said as he walked away from Leo who soon followed.


    It was still early in the morning people still set up the shops unlike the village, Leo saw no one selling things in carts but he wasn''t sure if they would appear as the day progressed. The workers near the town gate were loading up the carts pulled by horses Leo''s best guess was that they were good to sell in Rynce City.


    After 15 minutes of walking Leo and the one-armed man reached an old and worn out building. It had cracks all over it and looked like it could fall apart any moment. This was a deserted part of the town as the neighboring buildings were also similar to this house.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The man pushed the door open after turning the lock with a key, but Leo did not understand why the man did this because looking at the condition of the building a kick was enough to open the door so anyone could get inside which defeats the purpose of having a lock.


    The wooden door had two metal bars that ran from its left to right. The inside was like a cave and filled with webs, but these webs didn''t belong to spiders rather another creature. It had two eyes on its head and four long legs like a spider while the body was long like a caterpillar. The creatures didn''t move even when they entered the house. These creatures fascinated Leo.


    The man went near the only bed in the house and pushed it with his one arm easily moving it. Leo could now confirm this man was a magic user as a normal human could not push the bed so easily.


    There was nothing out of the ordinary about the wooden floor after the bed moved, however, the man bent down and drew a pattern with the tip of his finger on the floor where the bed once stood. The area lit up with white light to form a big symbol Leo had never seen before. The man then pushed the tip of his finger into the floor with even more force and then pulled it back. The part where the symbol lit up broke from the rest and came out attached to his fingertip.


    The opening revealed a dark staircase that led into the ground. As soon as the man placed his feet onto the staircase, the sides lit up with torches that burned with bright flames illuminating the staircase.


    Leo followed the man into the staircase after 15 steps they reached the bottom.


    It was another room lit up by torches on the walls rather than windows. It had countless scrolls and weapons of all sorts scattered across the floor some were on top of tables as old as the house.


    The man looked like he was searching for something in the pile of scrolls. After 2 minutes of searching, he brought two scrolls to Leo.


    Two of them looked identical with two brown wooden knobs, sticking out from the top and bottom. The knobs had chamfered edges to them and carvings. A light blue thread which circled the scroll kept it from opening. When Leo held them they made his Crystal shake lightly.


    "It''s normal for it to react like that as the scrolls belong to the water element," Said the man as he brought another scroll to Leo.


    This scroll unlike the other two only had one handle which had a darker color than the other two. It had the same design as the other scrolls like the chamfered edges and carvings on the knobs. This one had two light blue threads that circled it. The shake created by this scroll was greater when compared to the other two. From the look of it, anyone could tell this scroll and the other two were different.


    "The first two are spell scrolls ''Water of Deception'' and ''Frenzy of The East River'' while this one is a manual called ''Atomic Water Manual''." Said the man looking at three scrolls in Leo''s hands. "I would let you choose but the other techniques are bad and not of any use." Saying this the man walked toward the stairs.


    But when he got near Leo, the man kept his arm on Leo''s shoulder and whispered "Do not disappoint or it will cost your life," After saying this he went to the stairs.


    It was not a threat Leo knew that. It was like a warning, but from whom? Was it those four? It had a high chance to be them as four of them did not like Leo.

 Chapter 18 - Atomic Water Manual

    When Leo reached the ground level the one-armed man was waiting for him but he said nothing.


    Leo wanted to train the three techniques now, but for that, he needed to find a water source "Where is the nearest water source?" Leo asked the man.


    "From the gate head east you will find a river," Said the man as he put back the piece of the floor he had taken out before.


    Leo left the place after getting the information he needed, but before he could go he had to stop the growling in his stomach.


    After leaving the deserted part of town using the old cracked roads, he searched for five minutes until he found a restaurant. It had walls made of bricks with cream color paint over them, unlike the wooden construction of the village.


    The restaurant was almost full but there were still seats available. Leo sat in one of those seats and on the wooden circular table was a piece of paper held in place with wood that covered its sides like a frame. In it were many dishes written in a much better handwriting than the one in the village.


    After looking through the entire menu Leo ordered rice with curry because it was a dish that had similarities to his old world.


    After 10 minutes of waiting both the dishes arrived. The rice was white, hot and rather sticky while the curry was light brown and spicy, which was something he really liked. Both the dishes complimented each other really well.


    The total came to 15 silver, which was cheap. From what he saw in the restaurant rice was a dish that almost everyone ate, but mainly by the people with below average income.


    ---


    Leo arrived at the location after 20 minutes of travel towards the east of the town gate. There were no beasts in the area as all of them got killed by people from the organization so the journey was safe and easy.


    The sky had a few clouds as most of it was empty the sun shined brightly up there while the hot winds blew from the north. The sides of the river were made up of rocks. The water was calm as the sky. Leo could see the small fishes swimming through the clear water.


    Leo was not the only one in the area there were three others as well who were practicing using the river. When Leo arrived, they momentarily opened their eyes to look at this unfamiliar face, but after that, they went back to their training.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Leo found a big boulder to sit near the river bank. It was big and flat enough at the top that a person could sit on top.


    Leo removed the two light blue threads that held the scroll together. When he opened the scroll, there was the words ''Atomic Water Manual'' written in bold and black.


    Then below it, the words were normal it read ''To be one with water is to be one with nature. Water is not just present in rivers, oceans, and lakes it is present everywhere in nature. From the morning dew that lingers on the leaves to the water absorbed by the sand after rain. It is even present inside the human body.''


    ''To start, find a water source, then close your eyes and point the palm of your hand towards the water source now envision yourself absorbing it and the Crystal will follow. The key lies in the vision that is created in the mind. Split the water into two, one being ''Pure Essence'' while the other being ''Pure Element''. The Crystal can only absorb the Essence but that same Essence consists of water, hence the absorption rate will be much faster. The key is to envision yourself absorbing these two things simultaneously.''


    ''So this is like an introduction for making the absorption of water more efficient,'' Thought Leo, however, he did not understand how much faster the rate of absorption would increase if he used this as he had never tried to absorb Essence without this method. This was more like a ''trick'' than a method for making the rate of absorption faster and efficient.


    Does this apply to other elements as well? Leo wondered. The chances of other elements also being able to do this were high this further strengthen the possibility of this being a ''trick'' rather than a method.


    The next title read ''Control Over Water.''


    ''To increase the control over water it has to be split into tiny particles. Water like everything in the world that contains matter except the Essence consists of tiny particles called ''Atoms'' that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The key is to control these particles and splitting them into parts this reduces the stress placed on the mind. So instead of controlling the water, the key is to control the Atoms that make up water.''


    ''To change the shape of water into an object first think of an object then break it into atomic particles after that combine it with the atomic particles of water.''


    ''Use the ''Enchantment'' in the scroll to increase the control over water.'' Enchantment? Leo read nothing about it in the book. The scroll said to use it, but how? Should he use his Crystal? Many questions came up in his mind and the only way to find answers was to train. The only logical answer was to use his Crystal to trigger the ''Enchantment''.


    After reading the contents of the scroll Leo jumped down from the boulder with the scroll in his hands and walked into the river until his ankles got submerged.


    Leo closed his eyes with his palms facing the river. He had never seen this so-called Essence before the only things he could think of that would have a connection to the Essence was the black mist that his Crystal released and also the dark blue mist absorbed by the Crystal when he killed the assassin who tried to kill Mia. Leo was not sure if the two fell under the Essence category or if they were something else.

 Chapter 19 - Normal Rank Level 1

    The Crystal in the center of his chest resonated with his heartbeat as Leo envisioned himself absorbing the water by splitting it into ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ and ¡®Pure Element¡¯. From the image, he created in his mind the water rose in the shape of a river and moved closer to him. The ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ which was dark blue followed the water in the same shape.


    When both almost reached Leo the ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ twisted around the ¡®Pure Element¡¯ and slowly absorb it.


    While this was happening inside Leo¡¯s mind in the real world only the ¡®Essence¡¯ dark blue with white specs of light rose from the river. It made its way through Leo¡¯s palms and into his body. Leo could feel the mist going through his bones and flesh, but it caused no pain to him. The ¡®Essence¡¯ made its way to the center of his chest where lay the Crystal.


    The mist revolved around the Crystal. This scene looked exactly like the one that happened when he killed the assassin. This would mean both the mists were the same as they were the ¡®Essence¡¯ of water.


    The ¡®Essence¡¯ got devoured by the Crystal. Leo through his mind could see that the Crystal was filling up.


    After five minutes of absorbing the ¡®Essence¡¯ the Crystal released another mist by itself. This white mist made its way through his body starting from his heart and lungs to his toes and head. Leo could feel everything that the mist touched increasing in strength. He could also see a faint trace of a line forming on his Crystal however, he did not understand what it was.


    Leo guessed what he absorbed was the ¡®Essence¡¯ and this new mist was the ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ used to increase the power of the body mentioned in the book. With this, it made sense that the Scroll would ask him to split it into ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ and ¡®Pure Element¡¯ since the ¡®Essence¡¯ comprised the two.


    So as the ¡®Essence¡¯ gets devoured by the Crystal the ¡®Pure Element¡¯ gets stored in it for use while the ¡®Pure Essence¡¯ goes through his body to increase its power.


    It was now that the scroll in his hand shook and left his hand as it floated in front of him. Leo saw symbols forming on his scroll. He could not read them as the symbols were written in another language. The writing on the scroll disappeared and got replaced by these symbols which combined to form the shape of an ocean.


    Leo had stopped absorbing as this happened he wanted to know what the ¡®Enchantment¡¯ mentioned in the scroll was he did not have to activate it as the ¡®Enchantment¡® automatically activated itself which was a good thing as he did not have to try various methods. The symbols in the Crystal then broke apart as they ascended from the scroll, then shot straight through his chest and into the Crystal.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The Crystal shook as the broken symbols went inside it after twenty seconds there were no symbols remaining. The writing appeared on the scroll once again. Leo caught the scroll as it fell.


    Leo finally saw what the ¡®Enchantment¡¯ mentioned by the scroll was, however, he felt no difference in his body.


    After another fifteen minutes passed the Crystal shook. The ¡®Essence¡¯ around it spun faster. Then the ¡®Essence¡¯ inside his Crystal exploded. It was like a star had exploded, however, this explosion was way less destructive. This explosion made its way through his body Leo felt everything that the explosion touched rapidly increasing in strength.


    After it cleared, he saw a horizontal and vertical line on his Crystal that combined to form a plus sign. Does this represent my power? Leo thought. If that was the case, then the vertical line should represent his rank while the horizontal represents his level since vertical is moving upwards, which means a rise in power while horizontal is moving sidewards which could be taken as a subdivision to the rise in power.


    So this would mean that he is at Normal Rank Level 1.


    Leo did not stop absorbing the ¡®Essence¡¯ even after reaching the new rank. He could feel the increase in power throughout his body, but he also knew this was far from where Cao was if he were to run into Cao once again there would be no escape like last time. Leo did not understand how he had escaped last time the only thing he remembered just before his consciousness faded was a strange symbol in front of him however his eyes were too blurry to see the symbol properly.


    Leo wanted to find out more about the symbol, but he did not understand how to trigger the symbol. He also wanted to know how the symbol got into his body as when he got teleported back to his inn he saw two thick lines like tattoos on his hand.


    Leo laid out his hands with his palms open, then he pulled out the ¡®Pure Element¡¯ which is water from within the Crystal. As he did this, the water came out of his palm. The amount of water coming out was less, and it lacked any power to it so Leo increased the pull which in turn increased the amount of water coming out from his palm.


    Leo then thought the shape of a shield in his mind, he then broke the shield into its atomic form then he also broke the water into its atomic form after that he combined the two. All this happened in his mind and not the real world, however, in the real world a circular shield formed in front of Leo. The shield covered his chest and stomach but was not big enough to cover his entire body. The water which made the shield looked exactly like the water from the river. This made sense because it was from the river that Leo absorbed the water, hence the shield looked like it.


    Leo doubted if it could defend against anything but if he could increase the pressure, then it would be helpful.


    Leo closed his eyes as he tried to increase the size of the shield. It started out fine as the shield grew bigger, but then the pressure placed on his mind from maintaining the shield increased by a lot which made it break apart and fall back to where it came from.

 Chapter 20 - Water of Deception

    Leo concluded that for now, he had to use the shield as it is since increasing its size was out of the question for now. He was 5% of the way to level 2 so he would not reach there soon.


    Leo placed the ¡®Atomic Water Manual¡¯ in the boulder and kept a rock on top of it to prevent it from flying away in the wind. After that, he took out one of the two scrolls kept in his dress.


    Removing the two blue threads and opening the scroll revealed the heading which had a bold and black ink writing that read ¡®Water of Deception¡¯.


    ¡®Deceive enemies with water for it is what makes us.¡¯


    ¡®This is a Tier 2 skill, hence it has two levels: Level 1 and Level 2. Once at Level 2 the clone can take the image of its user.¡¯


    ¡®To activate and use this spell, a person requires control over water without it, this spell would not work since without control over water controlling the clone would be difficult also the mental strain would be greater. It is recommended to practice this skill every day to get a better control over the clone and to reduce the strain exerted onto the brain.¡¯


    ¡®To begin, imagine yourself standing in front of a mirror facing your reflection. The image you see is a replica of yourself with no change. Think of what you are about to create as a part of your own body, not as a separate entity.¡¯


    ¡®Now that the image is on your mind channel the ¡®Pure Element¡¯ inside your Crystal outwards. Now image the replica is standing in front of you without the mirror use the water to cover it slowly. Start from the feet and work your way up towards the head. There is no need to focus on anything else, such as the bones and veins only focus on the outer layer by covering the replica.¡¯


    ¡®Remember to keep your focus and never lose sight of the replica as it is being covered because if you do then it would fail.¡¯


    ¡®After the above process has been complete place the palm of the clone onto the scroll to reveal the next step.¡¯


    Use the ¡®Enchantment¡¯ to aid you at the start.¡¯


    Leo moved closer to the river and stopped at its edge keeping the scroll on the ground. Then he remembered the contents of the scroll and as he prepared to execute the skill.


    Leo first closed his eyes and thought of a mirror, then he imagined himself staring at it. He saw his own reflection staring back at him as his eyes were open in the vision. Then he removed the mirror and stared at his own replica.


    Moving onto the next step he channeled the water inside his Crystal to the outside through his palms. Then Leo made the water move towards his replica as he controlled it to cover the replica starting from its feet.


    As this happened in his mind in the real world the water took the exact shape it did in the vision, however, it covered nothing but merely followed what Leo covered in his mind.


    Soon a figure became visible. It started off with its feet, then its legs after that came the abdomen, then the chest and finally its head.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As the figure came into shape, the scroll rose from the ground as symbols appeared on it. The words written on the scroll in black ink disappeared as soon as the symbols came. These symbols combined to take the shape of a man and a woman, but only their outline was visible as everything inside was empty. After that, the woman disappeared and only the man remained. Then the figure of the man rose from the scroll and broke apart as half of it flew towards the clone while the other half flew towards Leo¡¯s Crystal.


    When the symbols contacted his Crystal, they got absorbed by it as his Crystal shook. Leo felt the pressure exerted on his mind from maintaining the clone decrease as the symbols got absorbed.


    While this was happening inside his body and his Crystal the other half that broke away from the figure spun around the clone. After one minute the symbols fell onto the clone. The symbols lit up with a black light as they slowly got absorbed by the clone. After the absorption, the clone which previously looked like it could fall apart anytime was now much more stable and had a proper body with no water falling out of it.


    The clone had no face or any skin of that matter, it was just a figure made from water held in position by Leo.


    Now came the hard part which was controlling the clone. Leo also knew moving the clone would increase the pressure on his mind also controlling the clone and fighting would be a challenging task.


    Leo decided he would use his clone to open the next part of the scroll only after he got a better control over it.


    Leo used the Crystal to make the clone move its hand. Leo could not telepathically control the clone using his mind he had to use the Crystal to transfer his commands onto the clone. This was both a bad and a good thing. It was good because he could leave the clone to fight by itself if he got attacked and he could make the clone cover his blind spots. It was bad because the clone without his commands would have its fighting capabilities, reduced significantly as it could barely move by itself without Leo¡¯s commands and Leo could not command the clone and fight because the pressure it brought to his mind was excessive.


    So now Leo had to first make the clone be able to function by itself, then only would he be able to fight alongside it. This meant the more training he gave the clone the better it would get at fighting on its own.


    Leo trained for one hour with the clone. He used his dagger and fists to fight it. The clone still could hold nothing so he also had to work on increasing the pressure inside the clone as this would allow it to hold objects.


    After training for one hour using both his dagger and fists the clone could barely function on its own, It could dodge but it would freeze mid-battle which was a bad thing. Increasing the pressure inside the clone was necessary now more than ever as it could hold nothing both these combined to make the clone useless in a fight. The fighting ability of the clone was close to a beginner.

 Chapter 21 - Frenzy Of The East River

    ¡®Water is what we are, ignite it for wrath shall follow.¡¯


    ¡®The human body contains 60% water, whether that person is a magic user or a normal human being, however, for those who train using the water element that number goes well over 75%.¡¯


    ¡®To use this skill, one must ignite the water present inside the body and replace that water using your Crystal. The water from the Crystal must be sent to the cells as soon as they are ignited. Keep in mind that this is a very dangerous task as mistakes can lead to death.¡¯


    ¡®Two-thirds of the water in our body is present inside cells. They are the basic building blocks of all living things. The rest is found in between our cells and in the blood.¡¯


    ¡®The first step is to gain control over these cells then ignite the water inside these cells. This would briefly increase the power of the user, however, keep in mind once the skills, wears out the body will experience extreme exhaustion especially at the start.¡¯


    ¡®To gain control over the cells, first reach a state of pure calmness, then search inside the body and you will find what you seek.


    Use the ¡®Enchantment to aid you.¡¯


    This was a good skill, however, the last part was a drawback. It would be useful in a situation where his opponent was stronger than him and he needed to get away or if he wanted to finish his opponent quickly. If he could properly master the clone, then he can use it as a distraction while he used this skill to finish the opponent.


    Leo closed his eyes as his feet pushed against the warm rocks. All the sounds that surrounded Leo faded as his mind felt calmness. The beat of his heart slowed down, he felt his lungs, increasing and decreasing in size as oxygen entered and left. Soon he could hear countless little beats. They came from all over his body. Leo knew exactly what these were.


    As soon as Leo found these beats the scroll rose and opened as the writing started disappearing. It got replaced by the image of an ocean during a storm. The black outline made by the symbols showed huge waves in the ocean as it remained in an uncontrollable state.


    The symbols shot out of the scroll and surrounded Leo. They revolved around Leo. After thirty seconds they moved inside his body, however, not all went to is Crystal as some got absorbed by his entire body.


    Leo felt like he got taken from the river bank and was now in a furnace. He felt a sudden surge of power inside him, however, he could also tell that not all his cells ignited. Only 20% of all the cells had ignited. Without using the spell, Leo was 5% in Normal Rank Level 1 but with the spell active the 5% increased to 25%.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    This meant that if he were to gain control over all his cells, he could raise his power by an entire Level but he did not understand how hard it would be to gain control over all his cells.


    It was like someone placed a boulder on his head that was the pressure Leo¡¯s mind felt. He could only imagine how it would be if he were to use both the spells at the same time. Leo had a sudden urge to find out, so he summoned his clone.


    Leo¡¯s mind now had two boulders placed on it. He quickly collapsed the clone to reduce the pressure. His next step was to train while in the frenzy state as this would help him get more familiar with it.


    Leo trained for an hour. When the hour finished, he had a better control over the frenzy state. He also found out he could remain in frenzy state for 40 seconds and after that, his body was like it had reached old age.


    Leo took rest for some time near the river and then took off back to the village.


    ¡ª


    After having fried rice and curry Leo left the shop, however, he got approached by the one-armed man on his way back to his house.


    ¡°Sir Gerard summons you,¡± Said the one-armed man before Leo could say anything the man walked away from him so Leo followed the man to meet Gerard.


    Gerard sat exactly opposite to the door. There was a long table with many chairs on its sides at one end was where Gerard sat in a chair much bigger than the others. Leo also saw Mia who was standing at the near Gerard but this time she was holding the hand of a small boy which Leo guessed was her small brother. Her brother had the same color hair as her even Gerard had the same.


    There were two others present in the room a boy and a girl who looked similar in age to Leo.


    The girl had a slim build with a tanned skin and thin lips. Her light brown hair fell down her back. When they made eye contact, she smiled in response.


    The guy had a muscular build for his age. His blonde hair looked messy he also had a sword on his back. The guy nodded as he saw Leo.


    It was Gerard who spoke first among all of them ¡°I still have not heard your name.¡±


    ¡°Leo,¡± Said Leo as he shifted his gaze from the boy and the girl towards Gerard.


    ¡°I see, This is Emilia and Xander,¡± Gerard said as he pointed at the two ¡°They are both at Normal Rank Level 1 just like you. The three of you along with Mia will head off to kill two Normal Rank Level 2 beats. Mia will be the leader since she is at Normal Rank Level 3. That village has a good relationship with ours as half of our food supplies come from their farms so I want nothing to interfere with that.¡±


    ¡°Kill the two beasts and then collect your reward from the village elder.¡± Said Gerard ¡°That is all you may leave.¡±


    It was when Leo, Emilia, and Xander reached the door Mia spoke ¡°Meet me near the gate three days from now at early morning and make sure to not be late else I will leave you behind,¡±


    Leo suddenly thought of something, but waited until Emilia and Xander left "The Hunters Faction I need information about them¡±


    Gerard sighed, hearing this ¡°I was planning on giving you the details, but due to certain complications I cannot at the moment the only way now is for you to gain the trust of those who don¡¯t trust you and by that I mean you need to go on more mission,¡±


    Leo thought it was the work of those four who came with him to the town. After asking he left the place and decided to use the next three days to train his skills even further.

 Chapter 22 - First Mission

    When the third day ended Leo''s water clone was in a much better state. It could fight properly on its own and the sudden freezing has minimized by a lot. He could also let the clone fight by itself, however, without a weapon all it could do was distract the opponent.


    Leo could now remain in frenzy state for 50 seconds rather than 40. The control while in frenzy state had also improved drastically. He could now activate 23% of the cells in his body as for his power Leo was now 15% in Normal Rank Level 1 which meant with frenzy state active he would be 38% in Level 1.


    ¡ª-


    The next morning Leo woke up as the light from the morning sun fell on his face through the windows as the winds blew them open. Leo got out from his bed and freshened up as he departed for the meeting spot.


    When Leo reached the spot, he saw Mia sitting on a wooden bench wearing a light yellow dress and a grey bag near her. Leo sat on the same bench. Both said nothing to each other.


    They waited for 5 minutes until Emilia showed up. Mia went towards her as soon as she came and talked freely it looked like they knew each other even before the mission got assigned at least that was what Leo thought.


    After 10 minutes of waiting Xander finally arrived while yawning and with a face filled with the desire for more sleep "Sorry I overslept."


    "We can see that," Mia said with her arms crossed then she looked at all of them and said, "Listen to my orders and don''t act on your own."


    "Whatever Mia after we return I will use the money I made to get myself chicken and fried rice with cherry ice cream," Said Xander as he drifted off into his dream.


    "Xander you need to be serious and stop acting like a fool as you have been since childhood. This is our first mission don''t ruin it with your stupidity," Emilia replied.


    Xander rolled his eyes "How dare you call me a fool when I become the best Earth Element user and swordsman in The Kingdom of Dawn then you will ask for my autograph!"


    Emilia was about to reply, but got stopped by Mia "That''s enough, let''s depart now."


    They had a cart that prepared beforehand. It had a horse that had two tails instead of one and its legs and mane were black compared to his brown body. The horse was being controlled by a coachman who sat towards the front.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The cart traveled through the bumpy and muddy roads of the forest. They passed many small towns and campsites however they did not get close to these campsites. This was the first time Leo had seen these campsites.


    What caught Leo''s attention was that many of them had no hair and looked tired as if someone had taken their souls some even had their hands missing. Before they were about to breathe the pungent smell in the area Mia quickly used a spell that covered the entire cart and horse preventing them from breathing the pungent smell. She did this because of what her father said about the dangers of inhaling the air near these campsites.


    Mia who saw Leo looking at the people from the campsites sighed "Sad, isn''t it? Everyone you see in these campsites will die soon, they have no medical treatment and food supplies with the ''Morphing haze'' disease spreading at a rapid rate a pandemic could break out."


    "My mom said to be careful if we remain in contact with the infected for too long we could also get infected," Emilia said as she wrapped her arms around herself.


    "It said in the paper that the virus has evolved and can spread even faster now, but it''s only present in our area and the border near The Kingdom of Celsus," Said Xander.


    After 2 hours of traveling, they reached their destination, however, the four of them got out while the coachman and his horse went to the village for waiting.


    Mia knew where the two beasts were last sighted from the reports she got from her father. Mia led the three to a large crater in the forest near the village. The report said the beasts had injured their victims first and then brought them to this crater where they would meet death through the jaws of the two beasts.


    What the report said was true. When they neared the crater trails of blood that led to the crater appeared. Bloody paw prints also led to the crater which confirmed the report of the beasts injuring their victims and bringing them to the crater where the victims would meet their deaths. Looking down into the crater there was an area where bones lay in a cluster covered with blood.


    ''This should be the area where the victims are eaten,'' Thought Mia.


    "What does the report say?" Asked Emilia turning her attention away from the bones and blood.


    "Well, it confirms 15 people to be dead with 6 more missing."


    Mia decided they would hide and wait for the beasts to come, but how long will they have to wait for? What if while they are waiting another person dies? As she was thinking Xander''s question interrupted her thoughts "Why don''t the village send their people to take care of the beasts?"


    "The village has no elemental users and the normal guards can''t do anything against Level 2 beasts."


    Xander now had a better understanding of the situation so he asked Mia the same question on Emilia''s mind "So what''s the next step?"


    Mia didn''t answer instead she was pondering what they should do ''Since it looks like they killed all the victims inside the crater that means the beasts are likely to return so we will have to wait until they sleep then we can launch our attack.''

 Chapter 23 - Encounter With The Beasts

    ¡°Okay, so the plan is we wait here until the beasts arrive and fall asleep, then we attack them,¡± Mia said after a lot of thinking in her mind. This was a less risky approach compared to facing the two beast¡¯s head on. She wanted no one to get injured on her first mission as a leader.


    Xander agreed with Mia while Emilia thought about the plan in her head. Mia looked towards Leo who said ¡°Your plan won¡¯t work what if while we are about to attack they wake up? Also, what if this is not their only base? We could be waiting for days if that is the case.¡±


    ¡°But based on the reports all the killings have happened here so doesn¡¯t that confirm this is their only base?¡± Said Mia showing the handwritten report.


    ¡°This place could be where the two beasts bring their victims to kill them, but that doesn¡¯t mean this is the only place they could have other places,¡± Replied Leo.


    Mia knew what Leo said could be true, however, the report had no information regarding any other places the two beasts used.


    ¡°What if we combine both ideas? We can survey the surrounding area for places where the two beasts could hide, but we won¡¯t go too far away from the crater,¡± Suggested Emilia.


    ¡°Yes, that is a good idea, but for that to work properly we will need to divide into two groups,¡± Said Mia as she scanned the three.


    ¡°Leo and Emilia should be in separate teams since both are water element users, so that means me and Leo will be in one team and you two will be in the other,¡± Said Mia pointing with her two fingers at Emilia and Xander.


    Xander was not feeling too well he had contributed nothing to the plan Emilia¡¯s words echoed in his mind ¡®Xander you need to stop acting like a fool,¡¯ He tried to keep his head low.


    Mia suddenly remembered something and looked in her bag after searching for it, she took out two stone-like objects. They had carvings on the surface and were red.


    ¡°These are ¡®Location Stones¡¯ both are infused with a special light magic which allows them to find each other as long as they are within a certain distance from each other,¡± Said Mia as she gave one to Emilia ¡°Infuse it with your element to activate it as soon as you locate the beasts but remember don¡¯t get too far away from the crater.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Remember the two beasts have white skin with black stripes and red eyes. They are intelligent and aggressive at the same time, so don¡¯t let your guard down always be on the lookout,¡± Said Mia as the two groups went the opposite direction.


    ¡ª-


    After 15 minutes of searching Leo and Mia found nothing. They ran into level 1 beasts, but that was all there was no sign of any level 2 ones.


    ¡°Do you think they ran into the beasts, but can¡¯t contact us since we are far away?¡± Mia asked as she stroked her nape.


    ¡°We would have heard sounds if that was the case since it¡¯s so silent here,¡± Said Leo as he moved his attention from a level 1 beast in the distance.


    Mia relaxed a little after hearing this she did not want her first mission to be a failure and have casualties.


    The plants covered the entire area, however, none of them had any life. All the plants were brown and looked like they could fall apart at any moment.


    As they walked, a pungent smell came into their nose. When Mia looked at the source, she saw a Brown-Striped Tiger lying near a tree with its intestines and heart lying outside it. Flies gathered around the carcass. Mia covered her nose as she moved faster away from the carcass.


    Leo took one more look at it. He saw the dead beast¡¯s paw prints and a trail of blood, however, there was nothing else. Leo guessed the beasts could have been severely injured, but escaped somehow and reached this place where it eventually died. As for the spilled out intestines and heart that could result from birds trying to eat its meat.


    The area they were in had a lot fewer trees compared to the other areas brimming with wildlife. Not huge beasts, but small insects and birds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. This was surprising since all the flora in the area were almost dead.


    There was a bird with four wings green and a slim light red body called The Four-Winged Macaw. Then another with a long head and golden beak called The Golden Beak Parrot. It kept saying the word ¡®Dumb Macaw¡¯ repeatedly as three of them chased The Four-Winged Macaw. Mia chuckled, seeing this.


    Leo got the name of these birds from Mia who was very enthusiastic about giving names of the birds to Leo.


    ¡°You see that bird over there?¡± Mia asked as she pointed towards a white bird with two black lines circling its neck ¡°That bird is the reason for all the plants in the area dying it sucks all the nutrients the plants have.¡±


    As they kept on walking a huge explosion went off in the distance. The exact moment the explosion went off Mia¡¯s ¡®Location Stone¡¯ shined lightly. Mia rushed off towards the direction from which the explosion came.


    After 3 minutes of running Mia finally reached the location.


    Xander was lying on the ground with his back against a tree as he held his right arm tightly. A great deal of blood surrounded Xander and also covered his clothes. Emilia stood in front of Xander with her sword firmly held in her hands as an armor made of water covered her body. She had a line that ran along her cheek filled with blood.


    Two beasts stood in front. White skin with black stripes, eyes red like blood also claws and teeth as sharp as a dagger. When Mia they saw Mia, one of them turned its attention to Mia as it roared, which made birds in the area fly off into the sky from fear.

 Chapter 24 - Devil Hounds

    The beast that faced Mia jumped towards her seeing this the one facing Emilia also charged to its prey.


    Mia closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as two orbs of light appeared in front of her. The two orbs spun at a rapid rate. As soon as Mia opened her eyes the two orbs rushed towards the beast.


    Mia identified these beasts as Devil Hounds. These could grow up to 1.6 meters in height and lengths of about 1.9 to 2.6 meters they could also weigh up to 260 kilograms. These beats could reach Normal Rank Level 4 but luckily for them, these two were only at Level 2. The Devils Hounds belonged to the darkness element.


    As the two orbs neared it the Devil Hound increased its speed and dodged the two by moving to the left and right. As it did this Leo who stood behind Mia used his pure water element attack. Leo knew it wouldn''t be able to do much damage to the beast, but his goal was not to damage it rather distract it.


    While this was happening the other beast jumped at Emilia as it neared her. She thrust her sword towards the beasts aiming for its chest. While in the air a blast filled with dark energy came pouring out of the beast''s mouth. Emilia froze on the spot she had not expected the beast to use its elemental attack. Emilia had no real experience in fighting. All she had was training. Emilia believed she was ready to face anything the mission offered, but when the time came seeing the vicious Devil Hounds and also Xander''s injury made it hard for her to keep her mind calm.


    "Emilia!" Screamed Xander as he struggled with all his might to get up, but the injury to his right arm was too much. He had never experienced this much pain in his life, but he still had to try. Emilia was the first person he became close with. She, along with Mia was there for him when he had no family. They never mistreated him for being an orphan. He would not allow her to get killed in front of him.


    Xander''s right arm trembled, but he gritted his teeth and lifted his left arm. A boulder appeared in front of him, but before it could form Xander sent it flying towards the beast. As its attack was about to reach Emilia.


    The beast, seeing the boulder come towards it changed its target from Emilia to the boulder, but before both the attacks contacted each other the sides of the boulder broke apart and changed their target to the beast. When the beam met what remained of the boulder it made the boulder crumble into dust, but the beast could not react in time to the parts that broke away from the boulder. These small rocks penetrated deep into its flesh and found their way in its stomach and intestines which caused internal bleeding. The beast roared in agony as it had never experienced such pain in its life.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    This scream woke Emilia up from her shock. When she looked towards the beast that moments ago was about to strike her it was now screaming in agony. Her shoulders relaxed seeing this scene, but when she turned her attention towards Xander her eyes opened wide. Xander was now lying on the ground with his arms open as blood rushed out from his right arm. He lay there unconscious.


    Emilia''s fists shook and eyes turned sharp as she looked towards the beast. Xander injured himself to protect me if I do nothing in return, then how can I call myself a good friend?


    The water armor around her grew even bigger and water rushed into her Elemental Sword, which a sword that her sister used.


    The beast deflected Leo''s Pure Element attack using its own Pure Element attack. The beast changed its attention to Leo as soon as it did this a spear made of light appeared in front of her.


    "Spectral Spear!" Shouted Mia as She sent it flying towards the Devil Hound. Being distracted by Leo it failed to notice the spear before it was near. This made the spear pierce deep into its flesh and cut straight through its liver and stomach. The beast screamed as rage-filled its eyes.


    Leo then sent his Water Clone to distract the beast as he activated Frenzy of The East River and charged towards it with the dagger in his hands.


    Mia seeing Leo charge in helped him. She closed her eyes as a thin white beam shot straight towards the Devil Hound who could not react in time. When the beam struck its skin, it made the Devil Hound lose its eyesight and hearing capability. All it could see now was a blinding white light and hear a beaming noise.


    With the Devil Hound distracted Leo charged straight in, but the beasts still kept attacking with its paws and teeth at its surrounding, but with no vision or sound, it failed to find Leo. This made it easier for Leo, who used the dagger to lacerate the Devil Hound''s neck. The dagger cut through its veins and muscles as warm blood gushed out from the opening spilling onto Leo''s clothes and the handle. The beast tried to roar, however; the dagger kept it from making any sounds all that happened was the dagger moved up and down. Leo had to use a lot of force as its skin was thick.


    The Devil Hound tried to bite Leo before it died, but Leo pulled the dagger out of its neck which caused even more blood to gush out and moved away from it. The beast missed Leo''s hand, taking the opportunity Leo stomped the beast''s head onto the ground which killed it.


    Mia then turned her attention to the other Devil Hound which was fighting Emilia. It was now she noticed Xander which made her heart drop as she wasn''t sure if he was dead or alive.


    Emilia had been fighting the Devil Hound all this time it wore her out. The lack of any real fighting experience was dragging her down. Emilia was using her sword to keep her body up.


    Mia blamed herself for being an incompetent leader. She failed at the one thing she did not want to fail and that was not to put anyone in danger and injure themselves.

 Chapter 25 - Two More Days In The Village

    Time was running out for Leo it¡¯s been 20 seconds since he activated Frenzy which meant he has 30 seconds left. The remaining Devil Hound was already on the verge of death so Leo moved towards it in order to finish the beast, however, before he reached the beast two orbs of light rushed towards it from Leo¡¯s sides which made him stop in his track.


    The beast jumped in an attempt to dodge the orb. It worked, however, it evaded only one as the other struck its chest which resulted in a small explosion. Flesh and bones flew off from the beast¡¯s body and landed on the ground. It screamed in agony. Taking the opportunity Leo with 15 seconds remaining on his Frenzy charged towards the wounded beast. It had no power to resist him and got killed easily as Leo¡¯s dagger pierced its head and went through his skull and brain making blood scatter everywhere.


    Emilia rushed towards Xander as the last Devil Hound died and soon Mia also reached. Looking at his wound Mia concluded that he had his muscles pierced by the Devil Hound¡¯s teeth. It was a deep wound and will take a long time to recover. Blood collected around him like a puddle. One of Mia¡¯s biggest worry thankfully did not come true as Xander was still breathing.


    Mia took out a pill from her bag which looked like the same pill Gerard had given Leo when they met. She crushed the pill and let the powder fall onto Xander¡¯s wound. The main purpose of this pill was to stop the wound from getting infected and also to increase the rate of healing


    ¡°What do we do Mia?¡± Asked Emilia as she fell on her knees as drops of tears fell down her cheek. It¡¯s all my fault if only I reacted in time or was strong enough.


    ¡°Snap out of it Emilia you guys were caught off guard,¡± Said Mia as she kept her hands on Emilia¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We need to take him to a hospital. Help me support his weight¡± Mia said as she lifted Xander¡¯s unconscious body. Emilia followed.


    ¡°Leo take the bodies and find the village elder then meet us at the hospital¡± After Mia said this both her and Emilia rushed with Xander¡¯s unconscious body to the village.


    Leo picked up both the carcasses and left in the direction of the village. After 15 minutes of travel Leo finally reached the village.


    Leo had never been to this village, so it was his first time seeing everything. The village was smaller than the town, however, it was bigger than the previous village. The roads were grey and much better than the ones found in the first village. The architecture was also much better, however, a majority of the houses were built with wood and some had metal sheets as roofs instead of wood.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Leo found a guard who stood near the entrance of the village "Could you show me the village elder¡¯s place?¡±


    The man was shocked to see Leo as right now he had blood all over his body and was carrying two dead beasts ¡°Is that the two Devil Hounds that have been killing people?¡± The guard asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Replied Leo.


    ¡°This is great now we can rest at easy walk straight and you will see a big house with two guards that is the elder''s village,¡± Said the guard.


    After asking around the village, he found the village elders place. It was built in a much better way than the other buildings. It had walls made of brick and was twice the size of a normal home in the village.


    Leo¡¯s condition was truly pathetic he had blood all over his clothes and was carrying two dead animals as he walked blood dripped down from the carcasses which pissed off many people, but when they recognized that he was carrying the two beasts that had been terrorizing the village none of them stopped him.


    As he neared the village elder¡¯s house he got noticed by two guards. They wore dark green robes and had no weapons in their hands. As soon as they caught sight of him one guard rushed to the elder¡¯s house as he shouted ¡°Elder.¡±


    Then came out an old man with a slightly bent back and a walking stick. He had a long white beard and hair. Looking at Leo, he smiled ¡°You must be from the Shadow great work young man,¡± The elder said.


    The old man signaled the guards with his right hand while his left hand holding the stick. The guards came and took the two carcasses towards the back of the elder¡¯s house.


    The elder then reached inside his robe and took out an old brown bag. He then gave it to Leo ¡°Here is the reward for your mission 600 silver.¡±


    Leo took the reward and left the elder¡¯s house. He decided to find the hospital so he could give everyone their share of the reward.


    After 6 minutes of searching, Leo found the hospital. It was made with dark red bricks lined on top of each other as cement held them in place. The bricks had no painting over them and were sharp to the touch.


    The hospital had a small reception and behind it to the left was an open door. From where he stood Leo could see five beds to the left and on one of these beds were Xander who was still unconscious. Mia and Emilia sat on a wooden chair next to the bed.


    The other beds also had patients in them and several family members stood near the beds.


    Seeing Leo approach the door Mia got up and moved towards him ¡°It looks like we will have to stay here for two more days after that he would need to rest for two weeks," Said Mia looking back at Xander.


    Leo took out his share from the bag which was 150 silver and gave the rest to Mia ¡°The rewards from the mission here it is.¡±


    ¡°Well then, tell me when we are ready to leave,¡± Leo said as he walked out of the hospital. Mia could only sigh as she returned to Emilia and Xander.


    Taking the decision to buy some clothes and healing pill Leo began his journey in search of these two shops.

 Chapter 26 - Memories

    After searching for five minutes he located a cloth shop. From there he bought a black robe which cost 35 silver. Its quality was not that good, but Leo did not mind as it was destined to be covered in blood. The clothes were of a much better fit to him than the ones Gerard had given him.


    Leo did not spend too much time in the shop he left as soon as he bought the black dress. His next aim was to locate a medical shop.


    After another 5 minutes of searching, he found an old shop made of wood that looked like bamboo sticks. The inside of the shop was filled with various herbs all neatly kept inside baskets. There were some on the floor while others were hung with a thin rope from the ceiling. All the herbs had a dark green color to them and the smell was unlike anything else he had smelled in this world before.


    Towards the end with his back facing the wall and sitting on a chair was a man with a bowl made of stone and an oval rock which he used to grind the dark green herbs. After the herbs were crushed he took a small circular white container and opened it in half, then he places the crushed herbs in it and closed the container. The container in his hands shined for five seconds before dying out.


    ¡°An Elemental user?¡± Leo wondered since what the man used was magic, it was only logical to assume it.


    When the man saw Leo approaching him, he looked towards Leo.


    ¡°Do you have the pill that can be crushed into powder and placed on wounds?¡± Leo asked the man. He took the decision to buy this pill because he had seen its effects on himself and Xander also this was the only medical pill he knew of.


    The man¡¯s right eyebrow went up as he got up from the chair and placed the bowl down. He then walked towards the back where a small room stood. After 30 seconds the man came out with a small clear container. He then gave it to Leo.


    Inside the container were 10 white pills ¡°These are called ¡®White Tulip Healing Pills¡® I make them myself I do not have the pills you are looking for, however these work in the same way and are more natural.¡±


    Leo found no other pill shop in the area so he decided to buy these ¡°How much is it?¡±


    ¡°Each cost 10 silver so that¡¯s about 100 silver.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Leo did not feel like spending 100 silver for the pills as he had no idea how effective they were ¡°I¡¯ll take 5 for now.¡±


    The man took the container back from Leo and took out five pills then he gave the rest to Leo who gave him 50 silver.


    He already used 85 silver from the mission reward which meant he was left with 65 silver plus the money he had before.


    Leo now had nothing to do, so he decided he would look around as he was at the back end of the village.


    Orange and red covered the entire sky. The cold wind blew past his skin and clothes. The sound was minimal in the area as there were fewer people present.


    Leo walked out of the back gate and entered a new area.


    What lay before him was a massive farmland. There were countless crops he had never seen before. Some were green while others were brown. They were separated by lines that were dug out so water could flow. Leo guessed the water was being pulled from a nearby river.


    There were many animals that were kept inside wooden fences. All the animals were of various shapes and sizes. He saw one with three horns protruding from its head and with a body like a buffalo it moved its tail left and right as it fed on a stack of grass near it. Then there were smaller ones as well these ran in large groups. They had light gray skin with round faces.


    As he walked through the place where animals were kept he noticed a peculiar one. It belonged to the first species of animals he saw with three horns and body like a buffalo. It was trying to reach a green fruit that was outside the fence. It tried its best, however, it could not fit through the fence and was unable to get the fruit it so badly wanted.


    Feeling pity for the poor animal Leo took the fruit. The fruit felt hard to his touch it felt like an orange to Leo, but at the same time, it did not look like an orange. It was green with a black stem and small holes on its surface. When he offered the fruit to the animal It swiftly picked up the fruit with its square teeth and began eating the fruit as its tailed moved left to right.


    Sounds of laughter filled his ears. Turning his head to look at the source Leo saw that it was caused by children playing with the small animals he had seen before. They all looked happy even the animals looked happy, however, seeing this scene ignited memories of his past life. A memory he so badly wanted to forget, but could not, no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡ª-


    He had no parents nor any siblings for as long as he could remember. He had grown up in an old orphanage. The caretakers never cared for any of the children present there so all of them were left to manage on their own.


    Leo back then was bright and fun loving. He really loved to mess with others. All the children in the orphanage were really close with each other. They would help and play with each other always.


    The old and broken corridors were filled with the laughter of these children who managed to find happiness even when everything around them looked bleak. They were like the stars that shined in the night sky.


    But the world is cruel it will never tolerate happiness that is why one day it all vanished.

 Chapter 27 - The Past Can Never Be Forgotten

    The story begins on his 10th birthday when was taken in by an organization that focused on assassinations. When he was small Leo did not understand why he got chosen it was only when he got older he understood but by that time it was too late. The reason which was simple. Kids were easy to manipulate. For as long as he could remember they brought him up to be a lethal killer. Looking back, he should have tried to run away, however, this gave him a purpose more than anything.


    He struggled there so he could improve the living conditions for everyone at the orphanage. He bore their pain and suffering. He bought them clothes, delicious food, toys and many more, but he had to sacrifice his own childhood for their happiness, however, he did not mind. He watched as those who were with him grow up and leave the shelter of the orphanage. He watched as new children came into the orphanage, but that did not stop him from continuing to help the orphanage.


    All this changed one day when a fire broke out at the orphanage. He still remembered the scene vividly. He abandoned the mission he was doing and rushed back to the orphanage as soon as he heard the news.


    The newly painted orphanage was now painted in charcoal black as smoke rose into the air with no end. People gather there, but it was already too late to save the orphanage. Then a few meters in front of the crowd were six children. They clung to each other as they watched their home fall apart and their friends die. All the happy memories they made, including the sad ones, were all falling apart in front.


    Leo¡¯s eyes were wider than the moon as his body trembled. Just two days ago he came to the orphanage and played with the kids, but now none of that mattered.


    Leo could not forget this scene, no matter how hard he tried, but the story does not end here. If only life were not so cruel.


    After the fire, he bought the six home and raised them. As time went on, the children forgot about the fire and enjoyed their new life however everything changed once again. Leo earned a lot from assassination mission so they could live a comfortable life, but the same thing that brought them happiness lead to its end.


    It all happened that day¡­


    Leo walked into their house to find six mutilated bodies. Arms, legs, intestines, livers, lungs, brains scattered across the living room. Their bodies ripped open. The color of the furniture and floor were now the same as blood. His scream still echoes in his mind.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    No matter what Leo could not forget that scene. It was like a never-ending nightmare.


    ¡ª-


    ¡°Leo you dreaming in the open?¡±


    ¡°Leo!¡±


    The sound of someone calling brought Leo back to reality. The voice belonged to Emilia.


    ¡°You are the last person I expected to catch daydreaming,¡± She chuckled as she stood near Leo.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Leo enquired.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s the way you act and talk,¡± She replied without full confidence.


    Both watched the sunset off in the distance as the reddish-orange sky faded away.


    ¡°Do you have any goals, Leo?¡± Emilia suddenly asked.


    ¡°Goals?¡± Leo thought for a moment ¡°There is someone I intend to find and kill, however achieving that goal will take quite some time,¡± Said Leo leaving the part about his second life and also more information about Cao.


    ¡°I see well, my goal is to get strong so I can find my sister and bring her back to reunite my family,¡± Emilia said as her palms moved up to her upper arm as her eyes stared at the setting sun.


    ¡°I hope she is okay, I know I¡¯ll be able to find her¡­ I have to.¡±


    As both stood there, the sun finally went out. All the animals including the one to whom Leo gave the fruit have now retreated towards the middle of their fences. The children that were playing before had all left. Silence now rained supreme.


    ¡°Leo, Me and Mia have decided to have dinner at the hospital with Xander so you also have to come.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no-¡± Before Leo could finish his rejection Emilia took his hands and dragged him from where they stood ¡°No, you cannot refuse!¡±


    Emilia dragged Leo all the way to the villages back gate where Mia stood in wait. Then they went to a restaurant where they ordered four Tree Wolf meat and fried rice after which they left for the hospital.


    As soon as Xander saw them, a smile came on his face as he laughed ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t let me eat the stupid hospital food.¡±


    Mia smiled seeing his reaction she took out the food from the parcel and gave everyone their share, which was a piece of Tree Wolf meat and a plate of fried rice which they got from the hospital since they forgot to take from the restaurant.


    The meat was hard to chew, and the rice tasted the same as it did back in town.


    Xander and Leo sat in one bed while Mia and Emilia sat on a chair next to the bed. They enjoyed the food surrounded by the worn out beds in the bleakness of the hospital.


    It was right after their finished their food than an old man approached them. His face was covered in wrinkles with white hair to accompany it ¡°Seeing you kids like this brings back old memories,¡± The old man said as he laughed and took a seat near Leo.


    ¡°Ah, please tell us about them,¡± Emilia pleased.


    Mia and Xander sighed seeing this scene as Emilia had always loved to hear stories from elders. She would ask all the elders back in town about their old stories and then say it to them.


    The old man smiled at this request ¡°Well what story should I say? Let me think.¡±

 Chapter 28 - The Old Man And His Story

    "I will tell the story about me and my wife."


    Emilia had her eyes glued to the old man as he said this.


    "We both met while I was running an errand. I have never seen something so beautiful in my old life. The sight of her in that green dress is still engraved on my mind. I was so mesmerized by her beauty I ended up following her and forgot about my errand," The old man said as he laughed.


    "It was hard at first she refused to come around, but eventually she did."


    The old man looked through the window to the moon "Then came the best days of both our lives, we both traveled around the world from The Kingdom of Dawn to The Empire of Magnus. We would get a small house everywhere we went as my wife did not like big houses. Then we would watch the sun rise and set and the rainfall together."


    The old man said nothing for thirty seconds, so Emilia who wanted to hear more asked the old man, "Come on, I know there is more to the story."


    Even after Emilia said this the old man did not respond Emilia looked towards Mia who also had a confused look on her face.


    Suddenly the old man''s body shook as he fell from the bed, however, before his body hit the ground he got caught by Mia and Emilia. As this happened the other the other patients and their families looked towards them.


    "Grandpa, what happened?" Emilia asked with a trembling voice, however, she got no response.


    Three men suddenly came rushing into the room wearing white clothes. As soon as they saw the old man being held up by Mia and Emilia they rushed towards them.


    Two of the men took the old man from their hands and walked out of the room with him. The one that remained looked at them as he sighed "It''s truly a good thing you kids found him."


    "But what''s wrong with grandpa?" Emilia asked.


    "He has been like that ever since his wife died. He had a son, but luck would have it that son left him alone, we took him into the old care home near the hospital," The man said as his eyes faced the ground "The world really is cruel to some." He added.


    Emilia''s hands covered her mouth while Mia and Xander turned their attention to the door from which the old man was taken out as for Leo his eyes were facing the moon.


    "Well, thank you I''ll take my leave now."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The other patients and their families had stopped looking towards them as they went back to their seats.


    "It''s getting late, we should probably go to the inn," Said Mia as she got up from her seat.


    "Take care, Xander," Emilia added.


    ¡ª-


    "Hey, Leo do you want to come with me to the river and train?" Emilia asked while on their way to the hospital.


    This was a good idea as he had not trained for some time "Yes."


    "Good meet me at the entrance in the morning."


    Soon they arrived at the inn. Mia and Emilia stayed in one room while Leo stayed in another.


    The room was fairly small. It had a bed and bathroom. The floors were all made of wood while the walls were made of bricks.


    Leo went straight to the bed as his eyes faced the ceiling. The image of the old man appeared on his mind.


    Why?


    Leo sighed as he closed his eyes.


    ¡ª-


    Knock Knock


    Leo''s eyes opened as he stared at the door. He got up from the bed and opened it.


    The one who was knocking was none other than Emilia with her hair falling over her right shoulder and dressed in orange.


    "Sorry Leo I didn''t think you will still be asleep," She said feeling bad for waking him up.


    "I''ll wait down make sure you come fast," After saying this Emilia ran out even before Leo had a chance to reply.


    Leo closed the door and went into the bathroom to freshen up after which he left the room.


    When he arrived at the entrance of the inn, he saw Emilia waiting there for him. As soon as Leo arrived, they both left for the river.


    After fifteen minutes of travel, the river came into sight. Unlike the river near the town, the sides of the river had no rocks as the grass-filled terrain led lead directly to it.


    "This is the same river that flows near the town also," Emilia said.


    "Listen, Leo I''ll be over there," She said pointing at the center of the river from where they stood.


    Leo was currently 15% in Normal Rank Level 1. His goal was to reach 20% today or by tomorrow.


    Leo went to the middle of the river from here when he looked at Emilia she was covered with an armor made of water and her sword had lines that ran along its blade in a blue color.


    He closes his eyes and began to absorb the Elemental Essence. The Elemental Essence rose from the river and surrounded him as it made its way into his body then to his Crystal. During this process, he still imagined himself absorbing the Pure Element and Pure Essence as he wanted to increase the rate of absorption.


    Both did not talk to each other for an hour. The only sounds in the area were from the river and animals in the forest. He was now 20% in Normal Rank Level 1.


    Leo did not know if this rate was slow or fast as he had no knowledge to compare it to. He decided to ask Emilia when she was finished with her training.


    Leo put a hold on increasing his cultivation and decided to practice his two spells. Since he had only two spells this meant he had to be well versed in them to strengthen himself.


    Leo''s clone could fight by itself, however, the fighting ability was only at the beginner level and also it had the problem where it would freeze. Leo had no idea what was the cause of this. As for frenzy, he could remain in it for 50 seconds and he could activate 23% of the cells in his body. With frenzy active, his power would be 43% into Level 1.


    His goal for today would be to increase the power of his clone, so it can fight by itself even though it had no weapon. As for frenzy, his goal was to achieve control over more cells. The last was to familiarise himself on fighting with both the skills active at the same time.

 Chapter 29 - Training

    The clone and Leo stood face to face.


    This was Leo''s strategy to improve his skill and the clones and that was they would fight against each other. His opponents would be on guard the moment they see the clone as they do not know the clone can''t actually do any damage with its normal attacks, however, he can explode the clone making the water splatter everywhere which can be used to distract the opponent. Then he can activate frenzy and strike his opponent.


    Leo''s plan was to make the clone attack him while he dodged as this would increase his control over the clone and also help the clone fight any opponent by itself.


    The training finished after an hour. The clone had a much better control over itself without help from Leo since his control over the Crystal has also increased.


    The next goal would be to increase the water pressure inside the clone so it would be able to hold weapons. His control over the explosion also increased as he could now slightly control the direction in which the water exploded.


    Normally, once the clone explodes the water would splatter around the clone but now he was able to concentrate the water, hence he can utilize it to focus on a particular area which greatly increases its damage.


    After practicing ''Water of Deception'' it was now time to practice frenzy, but he took a ten-minute break before he began his practice.


    Emilia now had four orbs of water, which surrounded her on each side. The orbs also had rings around their sides. She had her eyes closed and hands tightly pressed against each other.


    Suddenly the orbs started to move. Their speed increased as the seconds went by but still it was slow as Leo was able to see them individually.


    Emilia''s eyes were tightly shut as her palms squeezed each other even harder, however, it was to no avail as water escaped from the orbs and started to fall back into the river. Soon all the four orbs disappeared.


    She sighed, however, as soon as the sigh came, she went back into her previous state with her eyes tightly shut and palms squeezed against each other.


    It was time to start the training.


    Leo''s body felt pain as he tried to activate frenzy. He knew this was because he did not rest thoroughly after practicing ''Water of Deception'' but he would not give up easily as he continued to activate his cells while ignoring the pain.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The main problem with frenzy was the fatigue that came after using it as the more he tried to maintain it the more the fatigue would be once its over. This would be fatal because if he failed to kill the opponent, then he could be easily killed by them. So he had to get used to it for that he would need to activate it and maintain it for full fifty seconds then repeat the process.


    This was even harder because he only had a ten-minute break from when he stopped practicing ''Water of Deception''.


    He held the dagger in his hands as he thrust it into the air. His control of weapons was great because of his knowledge from the old world. What he needed now was to familiarize himself with the Magic of this world so he could incorporate his weapon skills into them.


    Leo also needed to find a way to activate the sword in his body as the only clue showing its existence was the dragon tattoo. He desperately needed to activate it because he was certain Cao''s sword has been activated so it was necessary for him to activate his sword if he wants to kill Cao.


    Leo''s speed increased the more he practiced. His reaction time and speed were above the rest, however, his body remained the limitation as it could not react in time to his commands.


    Leo picked up two rocks and threw them up in the air after that he closed his eyes. Just as the rocks reached his shoulder the dagger moved swiftly as it split the two rocks into two.


    The main reason why his speed increased so much was because of his previous life''s training. The foundation was already there all he needed was to incorporate it into this world.


    He practiced frenzy also for an hour after which he went to a tree and leaned against it as he needed to give his body some rest.


    Emilia approached him looking finished with her training "You''ve been training hard Leo," She said leaning against a tree opposite to Leo.


    Both did not talk for a minute. The wind, which made the leaves rattle eventually broke the silence. As the winds blew three light orange colored round fruits fell from a tree near them.


    Emilia picked up the fruits with a smile on her face "Here taste it Leo I''m sure you''ll like it," Emilia said as he handed one fruit to Leo.


    The fruit in Leo''s hand was slightly hard. The interesting things about this fruit was its yellow stalk which was big compared to others.


    The fruit, melted into his mouth as a sweet sensation ran across his taste buds.


    "See I told you''ll like it," Emilia chuckled while taking a bite of her own fruit.


    Both spent two minutes eating the fruit. The third fruit that fell was given to a brown bird with long wings and black eyes. It first bit the fruit once with its golden beak after that grabbed the fruit using its brown claws as it flew away.


    Emilia''s face was filled with hesitation as she contemplated for a minute after which her eyes looked determined as she turned towards Leo "Do you want to have a duel with me?"


    "It will be beneficial to both of us," She added.


    This was a good idea as the clone could only reach the beginner level when fighting. Even though Emilia lacked any real fighting experience apart from training and the fight with the beasts she will still better than the clone hence Leo found no reason to reject the offer.


    They both went into the river and stood opposite to each other.

 Chapter 30 - Leo vs Emilia

    Emilia activated her water armor. Water rose from the middle of her chest and made its way around her body. When it finished the water covered her entire body. Emilia''s water looked different than Leo which made no sense because from what Leo knew the water had the same color as the source from which it was absorbed. So Emilia''s armor should have the same color as water from the river, however, it had a darker blue color to it.


    Could it be water pressure? Was the first thing that came to Leo''s mind. If it was indeed water pressure, he could ask Emilia on how to acquire water pressure to use on his clone.


    Emilia charged with her sword towards Leo.


    Leo took out the broken Elemental Dagger that had been with him since he came to this world.


    Just before Emilia reached him Leo summoned the clone in front of him. This caused Emilia to slow down, however, she increased her speed soon after. Emilia sword was just a few meters away from the clone when Leo made the clone explode.


    Emilia expected this to happen as she had seen him training explosion with the clone. That was why when it happened, she moved to the side, however, as she moved to the left side the water that exploded in all direction moved towards her.


    This caught Emilia by surprise, but there was still some distance between Leo and the coming water, so she decided to pull back, however, just as she thought this Leo activated his frenzy and rushed through the water explosion and towards Emilia.


    Emilia was caught by surprise, she had no idea what to do she could not move backward since Leo would catch up to her and also the distance between them was too less which meant she did not have enough time to cast a spell as Leo was moving towards her rapidly. The only option now was to use her sword.


    Emilia slashed her sword towards Leo aiming exactly towards his center, but the sword found no one as Leo moved away by spinning to the right.


    Emilia noticing this changed the direction of the sword towards Leo.


    Her sword found no one again as Leo moved towards her back before she could turn a dagger touched her neck, however, nothing happened to her skin.


    Emilia sighed in defeat ''I thought I won."


    "You really have no battle sense as when I charged through the water your mind was in chaos," Commented Leo.


    "If you do not experience real battles then it can prove fatal one day because if I was an enemy you would be dead by now," He added.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "My father is the one who taught me everything I know, I guess he always went easy on me," Emilia said looking at her sword.


    "Do you want to go another round, Leo?" She suddenly asked.


    "Very well, but this time learn from your mistakes and always have control over your mind, no matter what the situation," Leo said as he moved towards his battle location.


    Leo had previously activated frenzy for ten seconds, so the fatigue was way less compared to it being active for the full fifty-second, but to Leo, it was as if needles were pierced in his body.


    Leo knew he would need to rest after this round as the fatigue placed on his body would be too much for him to bear with his current power, but if he were to increase his power then the fatigue would naturally decrease.


    "Ready Leo?" Emilia asked, to which Leo responded by tightening his grip on the dagger.


    Emilia closed her eyes as the mistakes she made and the things Leo said all came to her mind. Then her eyes opened.


    Emilia used her Pure Element Attack. Water rushed out from her left palm with great speed towards Leo.


    Leo managed to easily dodge the attack as she did not manipulate the attack to change its direction. The attack fell back into the river as it failed to find any target.


    When Leo looked at Emilia he saw two orbs made of water which had rings around them revolving around Emilia.


    "I see since she can''t use that attack fully she reduced the number of orbs which will make it easier to control and reduce the change of it failing," Remarked Leo.


    Leo knew he had to strike now because he was not sure how powerful the orbs were and also his speed was not up to his standards.


    Leo activated his frenzy and rushed towards Emilia who had her eyes closed and sword on her back.


    As soon as Leo neared Emilia her eyes opened and the two orbs left her control.


    The distance between her and Leo was less, so she was confident that Leo would not be able to dodge the orbs.


    But the moment the orbs got near Leo pushed his hand into the river since the water was shallow his hands easily managed to reach the bottom in time. Then Leo used the force and lifted his body using his legs and hand. He then turned so that now he was facing the orb sideways.


    The two orbs were not close they were 35 meters apart from each other and because Leo was slim he could easily make it so that the orbs passed him.


    That was what exactly happened Emilia was unable to control the orbs after it left her hence she could only watch as the orbs went past Leo.


    Leo then used his legs to increase his speed as they touched the river''s bottom and propelled himself to Emilia who had no idea how to respond.


    Leo''s dagger once again found itself near Emilia''s neck.


    "Always have a backup plan because if I were an enemy you would be dead," He said.


    "You really have a lot of experience fighting Leo," Emilia said as she sighed once again "I guess there is still a long way to go for me."


    After the two rounds of fighting both of them rested for fifteen minutes before continuing. The training session lasted until the afternoon. It was as if they were both put inside a furnace burning in full force as and were sweating excessively due to the sun.


    "Let''s head back Leo I''m hungry," Emilia pleaded.


    So both went back to the village to have food.


    This was a good session for both especially for Emilia as she learned a lot of new things from herself and from Leo. As for Leo even though Emilia'' fighting ability was weak she was still better than the clone, so it helped to increase the control over his body, especially in the frenzy state.


    While on their way back to the village Leo suddenly remembered something "Emilia how do I increase the pressure in my water?"

 Chapter 31 - Tragedy Strikes

    A figure stood in front of a town. The most striking feature of the town was the abundance of cherry trees it had. They were all lined up neatly along the pathways with buildings built from bricks and painted.


    ''Leo after I have your sword I will be able to combine it with mine, then I will be able to take revenge on my father for what he did to me and my mother.''


    The figure was none other than Cao.


    ''If not, here then the next place,'' Cao said as he walked into the town.


    ---


    "How to increase the water pressure?" Emilia asked.


    "Well to increase the water pressure you have to make the water crush itself as the more you make the water crush itself the more pressure it creates," Emilia replied.


    "But it puts a lot of pressure on your mind so you have to be careful and not get overwhelmed by the pressure," Emilia added.


    "I see."


    "Then do you know about World Crystals that are able to absorb the power of others? Like their elements?" Asked Leo as he wanted to know how he was able to absorb the water element from the assassin he killed.


    "Absorb other elements? No, a World Crystal can only absorb the Essence of its particular element, it cannot absorb other elements," Emilia said after some thinking.


    So then how was he able to absorb the assassins element? Was his Crystal special? It seems he would need to look somewhere else for answers regarding the Crystal.


    Does this mean his Crystal can absorb others powers? To clarify that he would need to kill someone.


    "What do you ask Leo?" Emilia asked as she raised her eyebrows seeing Leo lost deep in thought.


    "Just curious that''s all," Leo said not wanting her to know about his Crystal.


    "Well, if you say so."


    ---


    Leo did nothing other than training the two days he spent in the village. Emilia also accompanied him to the river both the days. As for Mia since she was a light element user she would go to an open area during the noon to be able to absorb the Essence much faster. Xander remained in the hospital and he was recovering much quicker than anticipated. After two days of staying in the hospital, he was ready to leave but would need to rest for two weeks when he returns.


    Leo trained using the clone and frenzy simultaneously to improve his power in a fight, however, he did not start with increasing the pressure of his water.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Emilia trained her water armor ability and the four orbs ability. When the two days were over she was able to attack with the four orbs, however, the distance they could travel was greatly reduced compared to when she used only two orbs.


    Leo and Emilia continued to duel, but Emilia failed to win, however, her skills have improved by a lot compared to the fight against the beasts.


    ---


    It was finally time for them to leave the village and return back to the town. All of them met at the hospital where the coachman and his carriage were also present.


    However, it was when they prepared to leave that smoke and screams rose from the north side of the village which was opposite to where the hospital stood.


    Leo along with Mia, Emilia and Xander moved towards the source of the fire. Along the way, they saw many people running away from the north side of the village.


    By the time they arrived there, the fire had already spread to more than ten houses and it was rapidly expanding its territory.


    Many screamed in agony as they flesh burned before their eyes. The flesh had turned black and white.


    Some laid on the sand in shock as their nerves have all been damaged and so they were unable to feel any pain, however, the shock of having and seeing their own flesh being burned left them immovable.


    There were two who were running and screaming while their bodies were burning like campfires. Many people ran away from them scared for their own life rather than helping the two by putting out the fire.


    Mia, Emilia, and Xander were shocked seeing this scene as they had never seen such a tragedy before as for Leo since he was used to scenes like this it did not bother him.


    The two finally fell to the ground with their charcoal bodies as the fire easily managed to penetrate their skin completely burning their insides and outsides. They had no hair left on any part of their body and their muscles and tendons have all been destroyed.


    There were many people who cried around the injured as many had their skin turn red and covered in blisters. Panic and screams took over the once peaceful village.


    "Emilia quickly put out the fire!" Mia ordered.


    Emilia who had her eyes and mouth open wide was brought back into reality by Mia''s call. She was too scared to look at the burned and injured bodies, however, the current situation did not put her in a luxurious place so she mustered all her courage and used her Crystal to put out the fire.


    "LEO, what are you doing?!" Mia shouted at Leo.


    It was when Mia prepared to shout again that a lady came running to them. Just before she fell to the ground, she got caught by Mia.


    "Those bandits... I saw them... The... They set fire to the... Houses... I beg you... Find them," The woman said, struggling to forget the pain in her right hand was causing.


    "I will do as you say, but please don''t push yourself," Mia comforted the woman.


    Mia looked towards the other "Me and Xander will go in search of the bandits while Emilia and Leo will stay here and help put out the fire."


    Xander was okay with this even though he was injured as right now his injury did not matter.


    But before they left Emilia spoke, "No, Mia, that won''t work I can put the fire out by myself you three should go as we do not know how many of them there are."


    Suddenly Mia had the urge to ask the woman how many bandits there were, however, when she looked at the woman, her eyes were closed, fearing for the worst Mia looked for her heartbeat and thankfully she had one which meant she had fainted.


    "Fine we will do as you say and now that I think about it, this is a better plan," Mia said as he looked around for someone to give the woman too.


    It was now that a man in his mid-30s came rushing toward them. He came and crashed to the ground as he struggled to breathe, however, he still took the woman from Mia''s hand. He thanked them as he cried his heart out.

 Chapter 32 - Fighting The Bandits

    It had been five minutes since Leo, Mia, and Xander reached the forest, however, they were unable to find any trace of the bandits.


    "What if we split up?" Xander suggested because they will be able to cover more ground this way.


    "Yes, that is a good idea," Mia replied.


    Mia then put her hands into the bag she carried and took out two rocks she then looked at Leo and Xander with a helpless smile on her face.


    "I do not need one," Leo said as he moved towards the north.


    Xander moved towards the east and Mia towards the west from where they stood.


    ---


    It had been ten minutes since Leo started to search for the bandits alone, but he was unable to find anyone. His main goal now was to find one of the bandits and kill them to see if his Crystal is actually able to absorb the power of other Crystals.


    A flash of red light rushed towards Leo from his right side, however, he easily dodged it. The flash of red light was fire condensed into the shape of a rock.


    "Nice dodge kid," As this voice came into Leo''s ears, he saw a man who was in his mid-20s standing opposite to where he stood.


    Leo took out his dagger and tightened the grip on it. From the look of it, his opponent would be a tough one.


    Leo summoned his clone also. The man smiled seeing this.


    "It looks like you are an amateur after all," The man said arrogantly as both his palms lit up on fire. Then he sent the fire towards Leo''s water clone which caused the clone to evaporate. The fire came too quickly, hence the clone failed to dodge it.


    A smile formed on Leo''s face as he was covered by the vapor. Leo then rushed out of the vapor with his frenzy active towards the man. This was the same tactic he used with Emilia, however, the distance between him and the man was more than with Emilia and this man had much more experience in fighting compared to Emilia.


    The man raised eyes, seeing Leo charge towards him through the smoke as he had not expected this to happen, but he did not let it get to him as a ball of fire formed in front of him.


    He was waiting for Leo to get close. Feeling something was wrong Leo stopped in his tracks and sure enough as he did this the smile om the man''s face went as he started to run towards Leo with the ball of fire between his palms.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Is it an explosive type of attack? If then he would need to get back before the man reached him.


    Leo retreated with great speed as he did this the ball of fire between the palms of the man started to die out and soon there was nothing left.


    ''Fuck how did he know about the explosion?'' The man said as he clenched his jaws "No matter, I''ll just kill him with my next attack."


    Leo rushed once again towards the man he was running out of time with frenzy so he had to end the battle quickly and save it for more battles since it is unknown how many bandits there are.


    The man took out his sword and pointed it at Leo as he too rushed towards the opponent.


    Leo summoned his clone just before they reached each other. He then made the clone attack the man.


    The man knew this clone was unable to do any damage to his so he completely disregarded the clone and kept rushing towards Leo, however, just as his sides reached the clone''s Leo made the clone explode. This time he did not control the direction in which the exploded water went rather he let them go out in all directions.


    The man had not expected the clone to explode he was unable to see as his vision was covered with water but before he could get away from where he stood his heart started to feel as if it was being pierced with needles and his body felt as if it had lost all its strength.


    Looking down the man saw a hand and a dagger pierced through his skin and his heart.


    "Damn... You," Were his last words as his body fell to the ground.


    Leo''s Crystal showed no reaction to the man''s death. So does this mean his Crystal was unable to absorb others power but then why did it absorb the assassins element?


    It was now that sounds of rapid footsteps came into Leo''s ears.


    Damn, another one? However, when Leo looked towards the direction from where the footsteps originated he saw a familiar face. It was none other than Xander.


    "It looks like I was too late," Xander sighed "Good work Leo," Xander added in praise.


    "Do you know if there are more of them?" Xander asked.


    "No."


    "Then I guess we keep searching."


    ---


    Emilia finally finished putting out the fire. She looked towards the direction of the forest where Leo, Xander, and Mia had gone. She was tired, but she had to help them. So after mustering her courage and the remaining strength, she had left Emilia left for the forest.


    ---


    Mia and another person stood opposite to each other.


    Mia was much better at long range compared to short but her opponent was good in short range, so she had to try her best to not allow her opponent to reach her because if he does it can prove fatal for her.


    The man attacked first. Mia also used her first attack which was ''Light Pierce''. A long line of condensed light shot from her palms and towards the man.


    Seeing this the man changed his direction, however, as he did this the line of light also did the same.


    This caught the man off guard, he stopped in his tracks to defend against the upcoming attack, but as he did this another beam of condensed light rushed towards him.


    Mia''s attack with light was not illusionary as if it were to find a target the line of light would be able to pierce through it.


    But contrary to what the man thought would happen the two lines of light stopped and vanished before they reached him.


    "Stand down and I won''t kill you," Said Mia as she had no plans to kill the man.


    "Fine, I give up," He said as he dropped his sword and raised his hands.


    Mia started to walk towards the man so she would be able to confiscate his sword, however, when she neared him an evil grin rose on the man''s face as the man stood up and struck towards Mia with his palms, but just before his hands reached her two orbs made of water came from behind Mia and the man''s face blasting him off from where he stood.

 Chapter 33 - The Faceless Man

    Mia dropped onto her knees still shocked by that fact that she would have died right now if it was not for Emilia''s help.


    Is it truly my mistake for not killing him? Mia was unable to come up with any answers. She wanted an end for killing, however now she finally understood how minuscule she really is and how this dream was beyond reach. Nothing but a fantasy.


    "Mia?" Emilia''s voice brought her back to reality. This was the first time Emilia had seen Mia like this. She always used to be filled with energy, but right now she looked lifeless.


    "Mia, what were you thinking? If I had not rushed here, then..." Emilia''s voice trailed off not wanting to finish it she stopped herself.


    "I''m sorry I worried you," Mia replied now knowing how she should explain the fact she realized how small and weak she is compared to her dream of world peace.


    "Listen Mia we are still young. We have our whole lives ahead of us so rather than worrying about what will happen in the future, why not enjoy the moment like you always do?" Emilia continued, "And your dream of world peace will be a lot easier and attainable the more you grow and no matter what happens I''ll be there supporting you."


    Mia got lost in Emilia''s words. She never thought this Emilia would be the one who advised her as she always thought it would be her who advised Emilia "This is really unlike you," Mia said as a slight smile formed on her face.


    "Hey, what''s that supposed to mean? Even I can be mature," Emilia replied while pouting her lips which caused Mia''s smile to widen.


    "We should find Xander and Leo quickly because there is a chance they are also engaged in a fight," Mia turned serious.


    "Yeah, I hope they are okay," Said Emilia as she looked off into the distance through the woods.


    ---


    While Emilia and Mia were together both Xander and Leo was alone. They had separated from each other after their encounter.


    Leo found himself in a part of the forest which had more trees compared to the rest. The brown trees all stood tall compared to him.


    Suddenly Leo stopped in his tracks. Looking behind there a man stood facing him with no weapons in his hand. The man had a cloth which covered his face while he dressed in a brown.


    They both said or did nothing other than staring at each other. Leo has faced many opponents in his life and from all those experiences he was able to tell how a fight would progress even before it started just from the way his opponents stood.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    This fight, according to this method would be much more difficult than the last fight. His opponent stood there brimming confidence and Leo could also make out a smile underneath that cloth which covered his face.


    The man made the first move. He rushed towards Leo. The closer he came the faster he got. Leo took out his dagger as usual and waited until the man got closer before launching his attack, however, the man simply stood in his tracks inches before his dagger. He then took a hold of Leo''s hand and pulled on it. This caused Leo''s body to fall towards the man. Leo was unable to resist the strength with which the man pulled.


    The man raised his right leg and sent it aiming for Leo''s stomach, however, Leo was not a normal kid he was an assassin who had faced many opponents. As soon as he got pulled by the ma he slid down so that the man''s leg was now above him. Leo then used the momentum to knock the man out of balance however the man jumped before Leo''s legs reached him.


    Leo the let go of his dagger and caught it with his left hand but as he did this the man lifted Leo into the air and threw him onto the ground. The difference in their power was now eminent.


    Leo''s back had hit the ground with a great force as he struggled to get back onto his feet. From the man''s strength, Leo guessed he was at least in Normal Rank Level 3 which was far beyond what he could manage being only in Normal Rank Level 1.


    "You know you are not that bad for being only in Level 1, however, it''s too bad you ran into me," The man finally talked with a deep voice.


    Leo gritted his teeth as he got up. Leo''s now used his Pure Elemental Attack but his opponent easily dodged it without any effort.


    "You do realize such puny attack will not work against me," The man spoke once again.


    Leo quickly summoned his clone and sent it to attack the man as he prepared to use frenzy to finish the battle.


    The man''s smile grew wider beneath the cloth. He was a World Element user so as he raised his palms to face the clone. Three boulders formed in front of him and raced towards the Leo. The boulder moved really fast even though they were really big. They moved so fast that the clone was unable to react in time. The boulders made contact with the clone and simply crushed it. Water could be seen on the surface of the three boulders as now they had turned into one from the impact.


    Leo felt immense pain in his mind from his clone getting destroyed, however that did not stop him from using frenzy as he rushed towards his opponent.


    It was while Leo rushed to the man that a whistle went off in the distance.


    "Play times over kid," The man said as he too rushed towards his opponent. Just when they both were about the reach other the man opened his palms once again, which caused a pole that was made out of rocks to extend out of his arm and hit Leo in the stomach.


    The short distance between the two couples with the high speed of the attack made Leo unable to dodge it in time. The man then moved closer to Leo and sent a powerful kick to Leo''s stomach.


    Leo could not do anything. The kick landed on his stomach and sent him flying in the air towards a tree near the area. Leo was unable to keep his eyes open as he fell unconscious.


    ---


    Leo had no idea how long he was unconscious for but when he woke up he was being supported by the injured Xander as they made their way through the forest.


    "I can walk by myself," Leo said, however, Xander did not let him go nor reply to him.


    "You are injured Leo and I know you cannot walk on your own so let me help you," Replied Xander after some time.


    Leo was unable to reject the offer as his body was light as a feather due to the fight.

 Chapter 34 - Returning To The Town

    As he tried to get up a voice sounded in his ears, ¡°No Leo don¡¯t get up now.¡±


    Looking towards the source it was Mia and beside her stood Emilia.


    Another voice came into his ears filled with frustration ¡°Those bastards, I can¡¯t believe we only killed two.¡±


    ¡°There was nothing we could do by the time we found you guys they already escaped based on the whistle,¡± Said Mia trying to comfort Xander.


    ¡°How are you feeling Leo?¡± Asked Emilia.


    Bandages covered his abdomen and chest. Disregarding the previous warning, he tried to get up, however, a stinging pain rose from within the bandages. Leo let out a small groan which was out of his control.


    ¡°I told you, don¡¯t force yourself,¡± Mia urged Leo to stay in bed once again.


    Falling back onto the rough bed, Leo looked up at the ceiling. He lost.


    He needed to find that person again and kill him, but where should he go? No answer came to his mind, but if what he knew from his old life was correct, the remaining three should come for them.


    ¡°How long do I have to stay here?¡± Leo asked, not wanting to stay in the bed any longer.


    ¡°It¡¯s nighttime now so by morning you¡¯ll be fine then we can go back to town,¡± Mia said as she looked out the window.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the inn you stay here and rest, then in the morning we¡¯ll come and meet you here,¡± It was Xander who spoke now.


    And so after this, the three of them left.


    Leo had nothing else to do, so he went into sleep to recover his body.


    ¡ª-


    Leo got out from his sleep as sounds of people talking woke him up. When he got up the stinging sensation from before had now gone. It was early morning based on what he could see from the window yet there were many people that were awake.


    To the right of his bed was a worn out wooden table and on top of it was a newspaper. Wanting to know more about this world Leo picked up the newspaper.


    On the front page were the words ¡®Revolution¡¯ written in bold black letters.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®The non-elemental users have gathered under a person names Xavier and have established their own city. non-magic users from all over The Land Of Dawn are now flocking towards this new city which is named ¡®Freedom City¡¯.


    ¡®Their main goal is to acquire equal rights as elemental users and have blamed The House Of Dawn for neglecting their needs as they suffer in poverty and as ¡®The Morphing Haze¡¯ disease ravages the land.¡¯


    ¡°So you woke up?¡± A voice came into his ears looking towards the source it was Mia who spoke accompanied by Xander and Emilia.


    ¡°How are you feeling Leo?¡± Asked Mia.


    ¡°I feel better than before,¡± Replied Leo as he got more comfortable in the bed.


    ¡°Have you guys heard? The ¡®Freedom City¡¯ is near our town,¡± Said Xander as he pointed towards the paper which Leo held.


    ¡°I hope everything is okay back there,¡± Mia said as she bit her lips thinking about her father and brother.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is anything to worry about I doubt those people will do anything considering the town has access to magic,¡± Replied Xander trying to comfort Mia.


    ¡°This Xavier the rumors about him are off the roof. I heard people say that he defeated a Normal Rank Level 4 magic user with no weapons,¡± Added Xander.


    ¡°Defeated a Level 4 user? Haha truly they are exaggerating this so-called leader of theirs,¡± Replied Mia as both she and Emilia looked at the paper which moments ago was in Leo¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about this Xander,¡± Said Emilia as she looked at him.


    ¡°Well, I got to know most of them when I went to eat at the shop where everyone was talking about Xavier this and Xavier that.¡±


    ¡°Since Leo is feeling fine lets set off now,¡± Mia said wanting to see her little brother and father.


    ¡ª-


    The four of them got into the cart which the coachman had already brought near the hospital. Mia had informed him yesterday to be present near the hospital at early morning.


    So, unlike last time they left the village with no problems and would be finally returning to the town.


    ¡ª-


    The ride was shaky as they traveled through the muddy roads. Unlike what Leo thought the three bandits who escaped did not come after them, however, Leo still kept his guard up.


    When they first left for the village they had gone past many campsites but now all of them were empty. From Xander, who had now turned into the ¡®knowledgeable one¡¯ told them all of the people infected with the disease had gone to ¡®Freedom City¡¯ Also, many have started to accuse that it was The House Of Dawn that released the virus into the open in order to eradicate people who are unable to use magic.


    Without any education, the people could only turn to accuse their enemy as they had no knowledge or evidence to back up this claim according to Emilia.


    But regardless of what all happened around them a sign which said ¡®Cherry River Town¡¯ came into their sight and soon after that the cherry tree filled pathways and walls came into sight.


    ¡°Finally, we are back,¡± Said Xander enthusiastically. His goal now is to go into the town¡¯s famous restaurant and have his favorite dish Fried rick and chicken.


    Emilia wanted to run as fast as she could to her parents so that she could tell them all that happened during her first mission. As for Mia, she had the task of going to report what all happened during the mission and why they got delayed so much.


    Leo had his eyes set on the bed as his body once again felt as light as a feather, but this time he could maintain his balance and keep himself on his feet, however, he still needed proper rest as he could not do it while going through the bumpy roads.

 Chapter 35 - Clone With Pressure

    Leo reached his house. Luckily the coachman brought him. So he did not have to walk that much with his weak body. Leo had taken rest in the hospital, but his body still felt tired.


    One day of rest would be enough for him to return to his former state. Then he can go to the nearby river and start his training once again.


    Thinking this Leo fell asleep as soon as he reached his house.


    ---


    "So both Xander and Leo got injured?" Asked Mia''s father Gerard to her.


    "Yes," She replied.


    ¡°Mia I need to tell you something important,¡± Gerard spoke as his face turned serious.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong dad?¡± Mia asked in return.


    ¡°The House Of Dawn has asked us to watch the new city. I¡¯m sure you know about it now, but that is not all there is a much bigger problem, but it is better you do not know about it. What I want to say is be careful on your next mission,¡±


    ¡°My next mission?¡± Mia asked.


    "There have been many riots in cities from non-elemental users. Some non-elemental users have attacked people like them for refusing to join the new city. The situation is getting out of hand. The house head of The Dawn Family wanted to act, but he got stopped by the Grand Elders Court.


    It is a pain, but we do not have a choice. All you kids must go there and make sure no one leaves the area. It will take time for people from the Dawn Family to get here so till that time it is up to use.


    ¡°I can send experts, but this is a good opportunity to train yourself for the life ahead,¡± Gerard said while walking around the table.


    "So everyone will have to go?" Mia asked, thinking about her former team.


    "Yes, the new city has many people so I''m sending everyone."


    ---


    Leo got up from his bed. The pain in his stomach has now gone. So, now it was time to train once again. His main goal would be to increase the water pressure in his clone as this would allow the clone to handle weapons.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Which will make it harder for enemies to deal with the clone.


    Before he went to the river Leo freshened up and then went out of his house to have breakfast. Then he left for the river.


    Along the way, he ran into Mia who informed him of their upcoming mission in two days near the new city.


    Leo finally made it to the river. He began his practice by absorbing the Essence from the river. He did this to increase his power. Increasing the pressure of the clone is important, but increasing his power is much more important.


    Because if anyone destroyed his clone he would need to rely on his power to stop them.


    The Essence rose from the river and revolved around Leo as it entered inside his body and made its way to his crystal.


    He was 20% in. He had to increase this to prepare for the upcoming mission as he did not want a repeat of what happened last time with the masked man.


    As he kept practicing his power increased. Leo continued this for two hours.


    In the end, he reached 35% of the way to Level 2. Now he became stronger compared to before. If he were to use frenzy now with 23% control over his body, then his total power would increase from 35% in Level 1 to 58% in Level 1.


    This, coupled with the new clone that could hold weapons will increase his power by a significant margin.


    Next, it was finally time to increase the pressure inside his clone. From what Emilia said he had to make the water strike against each other to generate pressure.


    And so that is what he did. Leo first summoned the clone. His water reserves were now full after absorbing water from the river. Leo began by controlling the water inside the clone. The water moved as if it were waves in a storm.


    Soon the water became heavier. It became harder for Leo to control the water, but the rage of the water did not stop rather it only increased. By this time the clone no longer looked like a normal human rather its hands, legs and even its entire body became deformed.


    Leo continued this for thirty minutes. By the end, the water became much harder to move. This was one of the reasons Leo stopped at thirty minutes.


    Leo took out his dagger which had been with him since the start. He gave the dagger to the clone who now could hold it using its hands.


    It gripped the dagger and showed no signs of letting it go, which was a good thing. With this, his attack and defense have increased. The next step would be to buy a weapon for the clone as right now he only had the dagger as a weapon.


    After the clone, it was time to practice frenzy. He could control 23% of the cells in his body. His goal for today was to increase the control.


    So Leo closed his eyes and sensed the cells. He forgot about his surroundings and only focused on sensing the cells and gaining control over them. That was his only goal and nothing else right now.


    After another thirty minutes of training his control, increased from 23% to 28%. This was not a significant upgrade, but in the long term, it will be helpful.


    Now with this, he had practiced with his two spells and also improved his power. This training gave insights into his current situation. He was much stronger now compared to when he faced the masked bandit, but he still could not defeat that man.


    His goals were to get a weapon or to activate the slumbering sword. The other goal was to get more spells to learn and use as two spells were not enough for him.

 Chapter 36 - Trying To Activate The Sword

    There were two days left until they had to go on their next mission. Leo used that time to increase his strength. By the end of the second day, he was 45% of the way to Normal Rank Level 2.


    Leo sat alone in the bed. He looked at his hand where the dragon tattoo which represented The Tenebris Sword used to be. Now his hand was devoid of that tattoo. It was like that tattoo never existed.


    Leo knew he had to activate this sword as fast as he could. He needed to find out more about this world and how he got here. Cao was also a major problem he had to face. Knowing Cao he was sure Cao was searching for him.


    Leo began by closing his eyes. From the old world, he knew how to activate the sword, but he was not sure if that would work in this world. As the way magic operated in both worlds were different. Still, he had to try it.


    Leo focused on the part where the tattoo was. He forgot everything else. He needed to activate it. Right now.


    Pain like needles stabbing rose from his hands. It increased as time went by. It showed no signs of stopping, but neither did Leo. This pain is nothing compared to what he went through in the old world. So it was easy for Leo to keep his concentration.


    This process was much easier than with the Crystal. Leo knew a lot about this sword from his old world and so the process had turned from complicated to simple.


    After five minutes of enduring the needle stabbing sensation. The skin around his wrist burned. The tattoo of a black dragon emerged.


    The burning sensation ended as soon as the tattoo appeared. The dragon looked like it was staring at him.


    Next, it was time for him to activate it. The tattoo got summoned, but this is the part he keeps failing. The last time when he tried this is where he failed so he had to be careful this time.


    A thought came to his mind. What if I use the Crystal? It made sense. If the sword got into this world, it meant that the sword should have properties of the Magic in this world. But what if that is not the case?


    Leo moved his hand towards where the Crystal rested ''I should at least try.''If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The water within the Crystal shook as Leo summoned it. The water moved from within his skin and made its way towards the dragon tattoo. The water stopped underneath the tattoo.


    Now what?


    Only one thing came to his mind. To combine both the water and the dragon tattoo. This was the best and only option for him.


    And so that is what he did. The water beneath the tattoo moved towards it. When both made contact the dragon tattoo moved. It absorbed all the water Leo brought to it.


    This surprised Leo as he did not expect such a reaction, but he did not stop. He still had a lot of water left in his Crystal. He had filled it when he returned from the river and have yet to use it until now. So he had a lot of water.


    This process continued for five minutes. The tattoo showed no signs of stopping. The only thing that changed was the rate at which it absorbed the water. Leo could not control the water any longer as the tattoo absorbed the water without his help.


    There was only 40% left in his Crystal. Leo had to do something soon. He needed the sword to activate.


    The river was too far away. By the time he reaches there he will run out of water and if the tattoo were to stop and go away that would be a problem.


    So, the only option for him was to use the water from the bathroom. Leo opened the door to it and turned on the tap.


    Water like the sun rushed out from the tap and Leo absorbed it. The Crystal filled up, but soon Leo realized a problem. The tattoo¡¯s rate of absorption was greater than his. If this keeps up, and the tattoo has no other source of water, it will go into slumber once again. If that happens, it will be bad.


    As Leo thought this something happened. The tattoo stopped absorbing any water. It faded away. Leo tried to stop it by increasing the rate of water to it, but it did not respond. And so the tattoo faded away.


    There was nothing left except the disappointment that lingered in Leo¡¯s mind. He failed once again. In the old world, he could summon the sword, but in this world that is not the case.


    Is it because my power is too low? In the old world when he gained the sword, his power was by no means at the peak. He was still strong when compared to others of that world.


    Leo signed as he fell onto the floor. ¡®My power is still lacking.¡¯


    This meant that he needed to get his hands on a new spell. But that was easier said than done. He did not understand know much they would cost or if he could even buy it. That remained the main problem. Money.


    He needed it, but there was no way to get it. He could ask for a new spell from Gerard but Leo was not sure if he would get it for free like last time.


    He would need to finish this new mission as fast as he could, but it was not in his hands. From what he heard about the incident, it will be a long mission. He had no choice but to accept it.


    He could ask for another mission, but from what Mia told her father is sending all the teenagers to gain experience.


    Leo¡¯s eyes became locked with the ceiling. ¡®What is there for me to experience?¡¯

 Chapter 37 - Capturing A Prince

    Two days have passed.


    During the two days, Leo would go to the river in the morning and only return in the evening. His control over frenzy has improved and the fatigue that came after frenzy has also reduced.


    As for the clone, it¡¯s skill with the dagger has improved. Leo refrained from buying a new weapon as he wanted to test which weapon would be great for the clone. Finally, he concluded that the dagger should be the weapon of choice for the clone. He could trick the enemies if it had a dagger since both looked similar. This could have worked with another weapon also. Leo preferred the clone to use a dagger and money played a big part in this as a sword costs much more than a dagger.


    And so, Leo spent 50 silver and bought a dagger. It had a silver blade and a wooden handle. After he got his hands on more money, he would buy a better dagger, but until then this was his only option for the clone.


    Finally, it was the day of their new mission. The mission to scout and observe the new city that has been built by non-elemental users under the leadership of Xavier. The new city called ¡®Freedom City¡¯.


    The sun shined lonely. The air remained humid. Beads of sweat formed on the necks and backs of workers that carried bricks and wood needed to build the new shop that was opening.


    Emilia wore a light blue dress as she held a red ribbon in her hands. This was the only thing left of her sister. It¡¯s been so long¡­


    Do you remember me? Where are you? She asked in her mind knowing she would not get any answers. The only thing she could do was to hold the ribbon tightly and never let it go until she finds her sister.


    ¡ª


    Xander wore a green dress. His hair remained messy as always. This would be his second mission.


    ¡°Xander, it¡¯s time,¡± A voice sounded from behind him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m coming,¡± He replied as he shifted his gaze from the smudgy mirror and walked past the steel beds. This was his home for as long as he could remember. The steel beds. The floor, broken in a few places. This was home.


    What did I do for you to leave me? He asked to no one as he reached the entrance. Xander considered himself lucky. At least he had people like Mia and Emilia who treated him with kindness and knew him since childhood. There were many he knew who had no one. No one to call themselves friend, family or home, even though they were in an orphanage.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Becoming the greatest sword master and the greatest earth element user in The Kingdom Of Dawn had always been his dream. To Xander that was a way for others to know him. To know he existed. And maybe¡­ Just maybe his parents would come back.


    ¡ª


    ¡°But sis, I don¡¯t want to wake up now,¡± A small boy cried as he pulled the blanket and covered himself.


    ¡°Nathan don¡¯t be like this. It¡¯s time to get up,¡± Mia replied, however, she gave up on trying to pull the blanket away any further as it would be useless. Nathan was a stubborn little boy so trying to do anything now would make him throw a tantrum. She had no time to deal with that as she had to get ready for the mission.


    ---


    A figure walked past the bushes and trees as he could finally see it. The Freedom City. The new city established by non-elemental users as a revolution.


    ''Do these fools think they can match up to the might of The House Of Dawn? Truly a pathetic lot. Waiting to be killed. Father won¡¯t do anything because of the Grand Elders, but that will not stop me,'' Yes, that will not stop him. The prince of The House Of Dawn. To him all these people in the city were worthless.


    Sounds of wood being chopped rang in his ears. This was it. The opportunity he had waited for. There was no one to hold him back. He could kill freely. No one would suspect a thing as everyone back home still thinks he is sick and on bed rest.


    Let the massacre begin.


    There were ten people. Five of them chopped the trees while the other five chopped the fallen ones. This was done to build more homes as building temporary homes with wood was better than building them with bricks and cement. Homes made with cement and bricks would take longer. There were too many people coming in and no way to sustain them. Yet no one told these people to stop coming and so the never-ending pile of life keeps coming in.


    The prince made his way to where the workers were. This would be easy. It would take him less than ten seconds to kill the ten in front of him.


    As he walked out of cover, the others noticed him. All their faces turned pale. They knew who this was. The prince. Their prince.


    The prince¡¯s hands glowed with a white light. He was a Light Element user.


    However, something was wrong. None of them ran. Yes, they had pale faces, but the price could tell it was fake. They were not shaking from fear. Their faces had fear, but their eyes lacked them.


    Could it be a trap? No way. What could these ten with no power do? Throw their axes at him? Pathetic.


    The prince continued, but he stopped in his tracks. His Crystal could sense something. Looking down, he saw it. He was surrounded by five white circles.


    They spun and rose. What is this? It does not matter must be low-class magic. I will destroy it.


    The prince¡¯s face changed. He could not believe what was happening. Where did his power go? Why is his Crystal not responding?


    His body felt immense pressure. The pressure of two boulders squeezing him from two sides.


    But, how?! There was no way these worthless people could do this to him.


    ¡°Are you comfortable? The prince of dawn.¡±

 Chapter 38 - Mias Old Squad

    ¡°So it¡¯s you the one they call Xavier,¡± The prince said as he fell to his knees. The pressure became too much for him. The number of boulders increased to four. They crushed him from all four sides. That is how it felt to the prince.


    ¡°I¡¯m honored that the prince of dawn knows me,¡± A man wearing a green dress spoke as he walked out of the shadows. There were two men behind him. Both had armors made of steel and held a shield made with the same material on their backs. Their swords hanging from the sides. The blades were silver while the handle black.


    ¡°Elemental users? Why would you fools¡¯ serve this man?!¡± The prince demanded. It made no sense. Why would people with magic help those without it? Those without magic were worthless. Nothing less of scum. Yet why were people who knew and used magic helping those who knew nothing of it?


    The prince got no answer from the two instead it was Xavier that answered.


    ¡°See, this is the problem with you,¡± he said while walking over to the prince. ¡°you have no respect for us. To you, we are nothing less of scum. That is why I¡¯m happy seeing you like this because now I will teach you the lesson that your family failed to teach you.¡±


    ¡°YOU, I don¡¯t care about your lessons release me at once!¡± The prince demanded.


    ¡°And what if I don¡¯t?¡± Xavier fired back.


    ¡°Then, once my father finds out, I¡¯m missing he will kill every single one of you,¡± The eyes of the prince burned with rage.


    ¡°Foolish. See that is where you are wrong. I want your father to find out. In fact, I will tell him myself. You are now a bargaining tool for us,¡± Xavier answered as his feet stopped outside the fifth white circle.


    ¡°So you knew I would come? Tell me who gave you this information?!¡±


    ¡°I knew someone would come, but I never expected it to be you. Anyway, it is good for us,¡± said Xavier, ¡°That¡¯s it, Make him black out.¡±


    As Xavier spoke the five circles in the air shot towards the prince.


    The prince could only watch as the five circles entered his body. When they did his body became as light as a feather and he fell to the ground.


    ¡°Take him underground and make sure to not forget the runes,¡± Ordered Xavier.


    The surrounding people nodded. Two of them walked towards the unconscious prince and picked his body. They then left for the city.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Another step was now complete. First the spreading of rumors. Second, establishing the new city. Third building an army. Fourth is securing a bargaining tool. Now it became time for the fifth step and that was using the bargain tool.


    He had to do it in secret because though they had no magic the Grand Elders still protected them. He would need their protection to fight against The House Of Dawn. In fact, their protection played a key part in his plan so he could not destroy it by spreading this matter.


    But before that, there was something he needed to stop. The Shadow Claw Organization. Most people did not know as they think it¡¯s an organization built for helping those in need. That is true, however, the needs of those people are killing, torturing and kidnapping.


    From what he got to know they would send four squads. Squads of four. The members of those squads were teenagers so that makes it easy. All he needs to do is trap them in the runes and it would be their end.


    But he could not do that as what he wanted now was power more than anything. So he needed to capture them and turn them into his side. For that, he would go to any ends even if it meant torturing them.


    The men who were chopping the trees had left with the body of the prince, but the two that stood near him had not left.


    ¡°You know what to do right? Capture them and make them join us. Be gentle at first, but if they don¡¯t comply use any means necessary got it?¡± Xavier¡¯s voice turned into a deep one as he spoke.


    ¡°Of course¡± The one on the right replied while the other nodded.


    ---


    The light came into the room through the windows. There were two. They had grills made of steel to prevent burglars from entering. The curtains were open and kept to the sides.


    In the room towards the right corner, there were four chairs. Four figures came into the room and made their way to the chairs. It was Mia, Leo, Xander, and Emilia.


    Xander dropped to one chair. ¡°Is this the place where everyone has to come? If so, why are we the only ones here?¡±


    Mia answered as she pointed towards the spot where she met uncle Zek. Which was near the only door of the room. ¡°This is the place all right. I came here yesterday to check on some things and met uncle Zek here. He told me this would be the meeting place for the mission.¡±


    Emilia asked after she made herself comfortable. ¡°How is he doing?¡± All of them knew about uncle Zek, but they did not know how he had lost his arm as only a few of the grownups knew. They would ask, but the grownups would say they need to grow older to hear the story. Were they not old enough? Emilia thought.


    ¡°He is doing well from what I know. Must be hard to live without an arm and an eye,¡± Said Mia with slump shoulders.


    ¡°True,¡± Emilia replied.


    As she finished speaking footsteps rang in their ears. Then four people entered the room. Three males and one female.


    The person who stood at the front smiled upon seeing Mia and approached her. He had light brown hair accompanied by a sharp face and brown eyes. The others followed him. From the looks of it, this was their squad leader just like how Mia is the squad leader of Leo¡¯s squad.


    ¡°It¡¯s been sometime Mia,¡± The one who approached them said.


    When she saw the person in front approaching Mia stood up and walked towards him. ¡°Yes, it has been a while, Ike. I see you found a replacement for me.¡±


    Ike put his hands towards the back of his head. ¡°Well, we could not function without a fourth.¡±


    It was now that the only girl in Ike¡¯s squad came forward. She has short white hair and the same colored eyes. Also, she was short compared to Mia and Emilia. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Mia. The sweet and charming young lady who used her father¡¯s position to become a squad leader.¡±

 Chapter 39 - Aldous

    Ike''s face changed when these words came out. "Forgive her Mia, she did not mean it. Right Ivetta?" He had not expected Ivetta to act this way. He knew the enmity between her and Mia, but he did not think she would say such a thing.


    Mia got caught in an awkward position. "I''m sure she did not mean it," What else could she say?


    Their enmity began when Mia was still in her old squad. At the time there were two options to pick from. One was Ivetta, and the other was Belin who was in Ike''s squad.


    Ike planned to pick Ivetta, however, because of Mia''s constant complaining Ike changed his decision and chose Belin. The news that Ike changed his decision somehow came into Ivetta''s ears and from there the enmity between them started.


    Ivetta crossed her arms as she spoke, "Why are you trying to help her Ike? She was the one who left this squad so she could be the leader of her own squad."


    "What is it to you? You are being very rude," Emilia was the one who spoke. She did not like Ivetta. This is not a proper behavior. Emilia knew about the enmity between them, but she did not know Ivetta hated Mia this much.


    "You don''t talk Emilia. You are always behind Mia. I guess it is because she can be easily manipulated," Ivetta spoke with her arms crossed behind her back. Also, with a smirk on her face.


    "You!" Emilia''s voice rose.


    "ENOUGH. Stop this nonsense bickering and behave. Ivetta come with me right now! And Mia I''m sorry for what happened. I will make sure it does not happen again," After saying this Ike left with Ivetta and the two others.


    Emilia fell onto her chair, but could not remain calm. "I have never met someone so rude in my life."


    Mia kept her hand on Emilia''s shoulder. "Leave it, Emilia, there is no use in going down to her level."


    They all went back into their seats after this conversation. Five minutes later all the squads had assembled.


    Zek walked into the room. He dressed in his usual buttoned black long sleeve dress. Many had thought he did this to cover up his lost arm. The fact is, even before he lost his arm this is how he used to dress. Mia could only sign at such a tragic fate of losing one''s own arm.


    Zek walked to the center and spoke in a deep voice. "There are four squads assembled here. Each will survey the four sides of the city. Do not fear. Even though it''s named as a ''city'' the fact of the matter is it is more like a massive village with houses made of wood and tents than a city made with bricks and cement."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Finally, it became time for the mission. Leo wanted to test out his new skills. The clone with a dagger and Frenzy. Leo still believed he would lose if he were to meet the masked bandit, but if he had more time, then he could kill him.


    Will he be there? Wondered Leo. That could be a possibility. He and his companions were bandits. If this Xavier or anyone else had money, they could hire them. As bandits, they would not care if the person who hired them were a magic user or a normal human as long as they get paid.


    Leo''s squad was to station themselves towards the north of the city. There was a cliff there from which they could watch the city.


    Before they left Zek gave each squad a special object. It was circular and transparent. He said high-level Light Magic was infused into them. This means that if a person were to look through it, they could have a zoomed vision.


    ---


    Xavier sat on an old wooden chair. They had brought a new chair after the old one broke, but this chair looked worse than the one that broke. He remained seated as the room lacked any other chairs. In fact, the room had no windows. The only thing it had was a door while. Webs and mold covered the walls. The white paint of the walls had gone away.


    In front of Xavier stood a boy. The boy looked fifteen years old. He had a well-built body. His build was better than those of his peers.


    "Aldous, my child with this there is no one in this city close to your age can challenge you," Xavier''s mouth opened. His voice came out much gentler than when he spoke to the prince.


    Aldous bowed his head. "It is because of you I could achieve such a task."


    Xavier folded his arms. "You know who Mia is right?"


    "Yes, father," Aldous replied. He knew who she was. She was the daughter of Gerard Claw the head of The Shadow Claw organization. It had always been weird to Aldous that Gerard would have such a weird name. Why was it like the name of the organization? Aldous was sure Gerard had not created the organization. He had no time to look into the matter as he always had his hands full.


    "From the report we received her squad will be stationed at the north. Apart from her, there are three other, however, she is the only one among them who can pose a challenge to you. The others are only at Normal Rank Level 1."


    "I will do as you wish father," Aldous replied. What Xavier said was true. Those of the Normal Rank are not a match to him anymore. Sure, they could use their elemental powers, but what good would that do? He had suffered to attain such powers. They cut open his hands and inserted the runes inside them. This meant the moment he touches someone who can use magic their Crystal would stop working.


    It would not last for long like the runes did when they were placed on the ground. As long as he could get close to someone and touch anywhere on their body. The runes would send a signal which would prevent their Crystal from sending out the particular element.


    This was their ultimate weapon. The weapon with which he and his father would take revenge. Revenge for his mother!


    "I want you to defeat them. I will still send three others including one magic user with you, but they will not interfere until you become defeated. You would not disappoint me right, Aldous?" Xavier said as he stood up and walked towards his son.


    "I would not dare," How could he not defeat them? If he failed, then his father would punish him. Also, he could not fail. He could not fail for his mother. For her, he would defeat anyone his father asked him to!

 Chapter 40 - Freedom City

    They reached the destination after twenty minutes of travel. They reached faster than Leo had expected. It seemed the new city was close to the town. The four squads had separated from the town. Each going to the respective positions. Ike¡¯s squad got assigned to the west.


    The new city was below the hill. They were not below it as that would put everyone in danger of being killed by fallen rocks. Nature was something we could not control.


    The city was not near the hill. This made it hard to see what was going on with naked eyes. This was why Zek had given them the transparent crystals. It would zoom a person¡¯s vision by four times. They got this number after being tested by Mia on their way.


    The edge of the hills had no cover, so they had to remain within the forest that lay a few distances away from the edge, so no one could see. Because the people in the city could also see them if they had the transparent crystal. Since it required no magic to operate anyone could use it.


    The clouds positioned themselves away from the sun. Beads of sweat rolled down their heads and back as they walked towards the edge.


    Mia had a map with her which showed the location of the city based on it, they would arrive in five minutes at the edge. Zek ordered them to not go down the hill and to not have any contact with anyone from the city.


    Xander stretched his arms as he walked and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Mia focused her attention on the map even though they were heading in the right direction. Mia did not bother to wipe any of the sweat. She did not sweat as much as the others did.


    Emilia slowed down until she reached the same pace as Leo and moved beside him.


    She kept her hands twisted behind her back as she spoke, ¡°Leo do you think we are in the wrong?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Replied Leo with a question rather than answering.


    She shifted her gaze to Leo. ¡°This, why are those without magic treated differently than those with magic?¡±


    ¡°The world is not kind to treat them equally and we as humans are not kind,¡± Leo gave a reply based on what he went through in life.


    ¡°But won¡¯t that mean everyone is cruel and there is no kindness in this world? If so, how can we call ourselves human?¡± She spoke after thinking for some time.


    ¡°Everyone is cruel deep down,¡± Leo said, ¡°that is how the world is. If you are not cruel, then someone else will be cruel to you which fills you with hatred and makes you turn cruel.¡±


    ¡°But this situation can be avoided if they are given equal rights as us.¡± She said not want to accept what Leo said.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°That would stop this, but do you think it will happen?¡± He knew it would not happen because if it were to happen then it would have happened long ago. Long before he came to this world.


    Leo did not know the exact living condition of the people who had access to no magic in this world. His only source of knowledge was the village, he had gone for his first mission. Sure, their living conditions were poor and those with power could torment them like how the bandits did, but a life with no power was good. Because a life with no power meant peace, not permanent, but temporary, however, that was still better than having no peace at all.


    And if he were to go to a secluded location and live there, then that meant living a peaceful life and having a peaceful death, but that was not the life he got.


    What was he supposed to do in this world? Kill Cao? Yes, that is something he should do, but what about after he kills Cao? There was nothing he wanted to do in this world. Become the best assassin? What good would that do? Leo knew what type of fear and pain a person had to endure if they were to go on that path. He did not want to go on that path, but there was no other path he knew.


    That was his only path. In his old life he walked that path, so in this world also should he walk the same path? Yes.


    ¡°Leo?¡± Emilia asked as she waved her hands in front of Leo¡¯s face.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± She asked with curiosity.


    This brought Leo back to reality. He had lost any sense of his surroundings and had not heard what Emilia had said.


    Emilia pouted. ¡°I get it you did not listen to anything I said,¡± After saying this she increased her speed and moved away from him.


    When he looked ahead of him the endless sky appeared between the trees.


    Finally, they reached the top of the hill. The trees were all large with bright green leaves that shone in the sun¡¯s light. The occasional wind blew which brought relief to them from the head.


    As they climbed the hill, the wind blew more and its intensity increased, but the wind remained warm.


    The city like Zek said could not be a ¡®city¡¯. It starts with wooden fences then followed by tents upon tents ranging from blue to green and grey. Outside the fences, people brought chopped trees into the city. Mia guessed they were used for building new houses as after the tents came houses made of wood. None of them were big. All were small and could barely house a normal family of four. A mother, a father and two children. This was what everyone in the Kingdom of Dawn considered as a normal family.


    Mia could see everything in a more detailed way than the others. The transparent crystal was the reason for this.


    There were people making food in big cauldrons with others bringing firewood in through one gate in the wooden fences. The gate was made of wood, but the individual wood pieces were joined closely together than the fences. Grass filled most of the area, but there were places that had none. Mia did not know if they were pulled out by the people or if the grass had never grown there.


    The biggest thing that stood out was the number of people. There were countless lives. This sight overwhelmed Mia. When she looked the people were struggling to adjust to this new life. Yes, the lives of those who knew no magic were bad, but she did not know which was worse. Life here or life away from here.


    Two areas divided the city. One area was for the normal people. It took up a majority of the space. The other area was for the sick. Many were laying on the ground with only a cloth spreading them from the ground. Most of them remained motionless. Towards the side, she saw two groups of people having a heated argument. At least that is what she thought.


    The sight was horrific. Children were also a part of this. She could not see their faces. The transparent crystal did not zoom far enough.


    ¡°Let me have a look,¡± Xander said as he took the transparent crystal away from Mia not waiting for her to respond.

 Chapter 41 - Aldous Vs Xander

    ¡°Ready?¡± A man clad in silver armor and a helmet with a sword on his side and a shield on his back asked.


    Aldous picked up this sword. This was the only thing he had left of his mother apart from the fading memories. It was with this sword he would slay everyone and take his revenge!


    He kept the sword on this side. This was the place where all warriors kept their swords. Some would keep the sword towards their back.


    Aldous who had the same white hair and eyes as his father dressed in a light green attire. Two other accompanied the two. Their bodies were fit, and both had white hair and eyes. The reason why the three of them had, this was that over 90% of the people here had white hair and over 70% had white eyes.


    The silver armored warrior''s eyes visible through the opening in his helmet. They were not white and parts of his hair that fell on top of his and forehead were also not white.


    They began their journey to the mountain. It would take only fifteen minutes to reach their destination. The others would take longer as their targets are located further away.


    One of the two that accompanied Aldous and the man clad in armor moved closer to Aldous. He held his hands in a way which, according to the traditions of the word was a way of showing respect. He cupped his hands and bent this body as he spoke. ¡°Young price, with your abilities you can defeat those fools,¡±


    Young prince, that was what people called Aldous. He did not know what to think of this as most called him this way only to curry favors with him. He did not understand if they liked him or if they were forcing themselves to like him because of the power his father held in their community.


    Xavier replied without glancing at the man. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. Never underestimate your opponents.¡±


    He had doubts about if people like him or not. But that was not for everyone. He has gone with his father and has met many people. From all this, he could tell that this man did not like him. The only reason was doing this would be to curry favors with him. If he was like the others a normal person or even worse one of the infected, then these people would not even spare him a glance.


    The situation in the city became worse day by day. People both infected and normal were pilling up. They had underestimated the number of people that would come. The medicines were unable to keep up with the needs of the people. Also, to make matters worse a good part of the doctors who were helping them have caught the disease.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    They could not use the runes which his father found to treat the disease. They could only be used to stop the flow of magic from the Crystal. His father refused to tell him about the origins of the runes.


    No matter, once I come back from this mission I will ask him once again.


    They would take a different direction because the enemies can have the crystal used for enhancing the vision.


    ¡ª


    Xander¡¯s foot stuck the tree with all his force. ¡°How long are we supposed to stay here?¡±


    ¡°We only started, so I would say it will take a long time,¡± Replied Mia as she kept on surveying the city. She had seen no signs of anyone coming towards them.


    Suddenly, they heard footsteps behind them. Off in the distance, they saw one figure approaching them.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mia asked with her voice raised.


    The person looked similar to them in age. He had white eyes and hair with a light green attire.


    ¡°Who am I? My name is Aldous, you might have heard of me, but would have never seen me. I am the son of Xavier and the one who will defeat you.¡±


    ¡°Son of Xavier?¡± Mia thought. Yes, she had heard this name before. Her father had mentioned it. He said Xavier had a son named Aldous. Who could defeat people from Normal Rank easily. She did not know how he looked like until now.


    ¡°Haha. You defeating us? How are you going to defeat us? There are four of us and one of you also, you lack any knowledge of magic,¡± Xander said as he took his sword. ¡°you know what? I will defeat you myself.¡±


    If what her father said was true. What he said had to be true because she knew he would never lie to her. Then, that would mean Xander could not defeat Aldous.


    Mia raised her hands to stop Xander, but she was too late. He had already rushed towards Aldous. Reckless!


    Aldous smiled as Xander approached him. Let me show you the power of the one who you mocked!


    He has a sword Xander thought, so I have to defeat him. Let this be the start. The start of my path towards glory!


    Xander¡¯s sword remained pointed towards Aldous¡¯s heart. He would land a fatal strike right from the start, however, things did not go as he planned.


    Before his sword reached Aldous he moved out of the way by jumping into the air. Now, Xander was below Aldous.


    Aldous who was in the air stomped on Xander¡¯s face with his right leg. Then, Aldous uses his left leg to strike on the right side of Xander¡¯s face. By this time Xander had already dropped his sword. Xander¡¯s hands found themselves on his face. Xander saw Aldous landing. He could not get to his sword, but he could still use magic.


    Xander raised his hands signaling the earth element in his Crystal to come out. He waited for three seconds by this time, Aldous had landed on the ground


    Why is it not going?! He commanded his Crystal once more, but nothing happened.


    Xander¡¯s mind forgot about his surroundings. His mind remained focused on activating the Crystal.


    Being distracted in front of the enemy? Only a fool would do such a thing. Aldous thought as his hands moved towards the distracted Xander¡¯s stomach. They moved like a rock falling down at full speed from a mountain.


    Blood and saliva splattered out from Xander¡¯s mouth. His eyes were wide. The force the strike carried were beyond anything Xander had experienced. It was the same as when his hands got torn by the beasts from his first mission.


    ¡°Xander no!¡± Mia shouted as she moved towards the fight followed by Emilia.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Aldous spoke as he stomped on the kneeling Xander¡¯s face and brought it to the ground.

 Chapter 42 - Power of Aldous

    They were too late. As Aldous planted Xander¡¯s face into the ground.


    ¡°YOU!¡± Screamed Emilia as her fists shook and eyes burned with rage.


    Emilia wasted no time. ¡°Armor,¡± She shouted. Water rose from the center of her chest and made its way around her body. The water kept on moving around her body and did not stay still. After she summoned the armor Emilia took out her silver blade.


    Mia wanted to rush in but she knew her abilities worked best when she remained behind and kept a distance between herself and her enemies. She summoned her light element. Light shot out from her palms and formed two orbs on them.


    Leo stood behind and watched the fight. He needed to watch this fight closely as this person did not seem normal. Why was he unable to activate his Crystal? Leo could not understand. He had seen Xander struggling to do something before Aldous attack. Leo¡¯s put his best guess on Xander trying to activate his Crystal, but due to some reason, he failed. Does he have some special power?


    It made no sense. This person had no magic as Leo could not sense any Crystal from this person. This brought something else to his mind. Would the power his Crystal displayed at the start be like his power?


    So, could Aldous disable other''s power while he could absorb other''s power? No, it makes little sense. He had previously tried to absorb the power of another person but failed. Also, Aldous knows no magic.


    As Leo was thinking the fight began.


    I have to be fast. Xander is lying there. I cannot look at him when he is like that. Aldous!


    She had three skills. One was the armor. The other her elemental attack and the last was the orb attack.


    A smile grew on his face. Another foolish victim. Dodge and touch. That was his plan as these people did not know about his power.


    Aldous¡¯s face changed when Emilia sword neared her. Because she stopped the blade before it neared him.


    Oh, so you are good at teamwork. He knew what she was doing. Emilia was trying to distract him so Mia could attack him and he would not see her attack coming.


    Too bad.


    Aldous moved forward and pushed the side of her sword towards the right. This exposed Emilia¡¯s body. He needed to touch her hand which gripped the sword.


    Aldous moved forward. As he did this Mia attacked. The two orbs shot forth towards their target. Aldous.


    Aldous had to be quick. He had nothing to defend himself with if those orbs reached him. He rushed forward, but Emilia moved back. As she did this Emilia brought the sword with her. He could touch nowhere in her body because of the pressure so he would have to force his hands through the armor of water. Aldous ducked and leaped like a frog towards Emilia.


    As he did this Aldous looked at the orbs. They were not fast. He could dodge them. So, he focused his attention on Emilia and would deal with the orbs after they neared him.


    Emilia brought her sword downwards as she jumped backward. They were too close for her comfort. When he punched Xander in the stomach, she could tell he was trying to activate his Crystal but had failed to do so. So she had to be careful.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Aldous raised his right hand as he reached closer towards Emilia.


    Mia knew she had to be quick. She did her best to increase the speed of the orbs, but that failed as they already traveled at their highest.


    Emilia raised her right leg intending to kick the hand that was coming towards her.


    Now, Mia¡¯s orbs reached him. Aldous was in the air. As the orbs came towards him from Emilia¡¯s side, he spun in the air. The two orbs went past him.


    Mia did not stop. He can dodge the orbs, but she had her ¡®Light Pierce¡¯ spell. She could control their direction.


    As the orbs moved past him something else happened. Leo charged forward. There was no better opportunity to defeat Aldous.


    This would be considered by others as wrong. Never attack a person who had their back turned against you. That did not matter to him. He was an assassin, and he was no child. If it meant defeating his enemy, then that meant using any means necessary.


    Leo activated his frenzy as took out his dagger. Not the one he bought for the clone, however, as he did this a beam of water charged towards him from his right side.


    Leo dodged the attack, but his attention did not turn away from Aldous.


    So, he is not alone. Does not matter, I will finish him first, then focus on others.


    Leo kept charging forward. By now Emilia¡¯s foot reached Aldous¡¯s hands. He smiled as a bad feeling crept up in Emilia¡¯s chest. Aldous grabbed her leg. He could not penetrate the water armor. He increased the force yet failed. Emilia lost her balance and fell to the ground, but Aldous still kept a hold of her leg.


    He could not fail! Revenge for his mother!


    His hands broke through. As they did Aldous pulled on Emilia''s leg. She was light when compared to the things he had trained with so he pulled her with ease.


    As her body neared him the surrounding armor disappeared.


    But, how? Was all Emilia asked as an elbow hit her face. Aldous then kicked in Emilia''s stomach. Saliva and blood to shot out of her mouth as she fell to the ground gripping her stomach.


    Two down, two more to go.


    By this time Mia¡¯s next attack neared him. These would be easier to dodge as they did not have a wide body.


    He jumped into the air as the line of light reached him, but when it reached under him the line shot upwards. His eyes grew wide. He could not dodge in the air in time.


    He tried his best but failed. The line of light pierced his right hand as blood shot forth from the hole, but the line of light did not stop. When he looked back the light changed its direction downwards.


    But before it could hit him again a water attack in the shape of an oval destroyed the line of light.


    Then, two more oval shaped attacks came. One aimed at Mia. The other at Leo.


    Leo reached Aldous who was in the air when he saw the new attack coming towards him.


    Aldous landed on the ground and took out his sword. And charged towards Leo wasting no time. The wound in his hand pained, but he could not stop!


    Leo spun to the right as he raised his right leg and kicked the sword. Then, he ducked and used the raised right leg to spin around. Leo''s leg hit Aldous¡¯s leg and brought him to the ground.


    It was now that two people with white hair rushed into the battlefield followed by a man clad in silver armor.


    The two rushed towards Mia while the man in armor rushed towards Leo.


    Damn, there are four. Leo thought. From the previous attack, he could tell the one who launched it was not weak.


    It was now that the oval-shaped attack neared him. Leo summoned his clone and made it take the hit. He increased the pressure of the clone as much as he could. The clone exploded upon impact, but there was still a part of the attack that shot towards him


    Aldous heaved a sigh of relief as he saw the clone exploding, but soon froze as the exploded water shot towards him.


    Leo raised his hands and used his Elemental Attack. He stopped the remaining attack.


    Aldous jumped backward as he needed to dodge this attack, but the distance between them was too small. So he stopped after the first jump and threw punches at the water. He got rid of it.


    Mia also took care of the attack towards her. She to use four orbs. This caused her light reserve to fall below 40%. She had to end this battle quickly.


    Towards Leo¡¯s front stood while the man clad in armor towards his back. Mia faced the two new fighters. Emilia still gripped her stomach and laid on the ground while Xander showed no signs of waking up.


    Mia knew this fight would not be easy.

 Chapter 43 - Leo And A Sword

    This will be difficult. Yes, it would be tough. Emilia and Xander were out. Also, they were outnumbered. Leo had to do something, but he could not attack Aldous. If he attacks, then the man in armor would attack.


    What to do? He could go after the two newcomers who were near Mia. They looked weaker than Aldous and the armored man. If he could make Mia distract Aldous and the armored, he could kill the other two, but how would he say Mia about this plan? She was not near him and if he moved they would attack.


    His reserves were down to 80%, but they were enough to keep him going. He had to act quick. To reach Mia, he has to go in the direction the armored man was in.


    Aldous will not be a threat as long as he does not go near him. Leo was sure Aldous had a secret ability that stops others Crystal from working. After Aldous touched both Emilia and Xander they could not activate their Crystal.


    So, as long as he does not go near Aldous the only threat was the armored man. Leo moved closer to Xander. He took Xander''s sword. It had a silver blade and black handle. Finally, he could use a sword after so long.


    Leo pointed the sword towards the armored man. He did not need to fight the armored man. All he needed to do was get past him and reach Mia so he could explain his plan.


    Leo ignored Aldous as he charged towards the man clad in silver armor.


    Seeing Leo charge towards him the man took out his sword and shield. He gripped the sword using his right hand while the shield went to his left hand. His armor shook as he ran.


    Both their swords met. The man pushed Leo back. It was greater than his. But he had to keep pushing. Leo moved his sword back. Time for speed.


    Leo charged. His sword moved with him. The man did not see this sudden charge coming. He retreated backward but blocked the sword with his shield.


    Leo did not stop. He kept slashing his sword at the man. This excited him. The thrill of using a sword. It brought back memories, however, now was not the time for those.


    Now was the time to move towards Mia. Leo stopped in his tracks. Scars covered the man¡¯s shield. The material of the shield was bad according to Leo.


    He charged one more time. The man responded with his own charge. Before their sword met Leo stopped in his tracks. Then Leo bent down and spun his legs. He was not aiming for the legs. He wanted the man to move back. As Leo planned the man, seeing Leo''s position knew what Leo would do, so he moved back.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As the man moved back Leo ran towards Mia. But as he did this Aldous charged towards him and the two men charged towards Mia.


    "Distract the two. I will take care of the two near you," Leo shouted as he turned his head back to shown Mia whom to attack.


    As Leo said Mia moved away from where she stood. Leo and Mia exchanged positions. Leo faced the two new guys while Mia faced Aldous and the armored man.


    They had to be quick. Leo charged towards the two guys and so did Mia to her opponents.


    Mia did not get close but used her light orbs to attack them and keep them away from her. Leo did not need to do that. He attacked with full force and with the sword gripped.


    Speed. That is what he needs. In his old world, Leo was famed for his speed. In his world that was not the case. The main reason for this was because of his power limit, but to these two who had no cultivation. As they had no Crystal Leo¡¯s current speed was more than enough.


    The sword moved towards the first enemy''s neck. He bent backward, but the sword did the same. Leo pulled the sword as it came down. The sword cut deep into the man¡¯s body and got pulled out. His skin ripped apart with blood and intestines gushing out. The man screamed in agony as he fell to the ground. Dead.


    One down.


    A kick came towards Leo from the right. He jumped forward and turned his sword back. The sword sliced the man¡¯s leg. Blood gushed out while veins and muscles hung from the opening. He now balanced himself on one leg, but Leo did not stop. This brought back memories once again, but like before now was not the time. He was no longer a part of that world.


    Leo sliced the remaining leg of the man. He could do anything. He could not dodge nor attack Leo.


    Aldous reached Mia. They had been fighting all this time. She kept them at bay, however, when the armored man used his element. That left her with no choice but to retreat. Also, her light reserves were almost over.


    She had to do something. But what?


    Before Aldous could touch her a clone appeared. His hands went inside the clone. Leo increased the pressure of the clone. Aldous could not move his hands. The armored man sensing danger charged forward. So did Leo.


    Mia used the clone as cover and moved back. She used her orb attack. Aldous could not move and he could not dodge because they were too close. The orb struck chest. He got sent flying and got caught by the armored man.


    Blood rushed out from the wound. His flesh became visible, but Aldous did not scream. He did not. The only thing he did was stare at them.


    The armored man knew he had to get Aldous to safety. If he wanted he could defeat both, but saving Aldous was more important. If not, once he returns¡­ The runes¡­ Memories he wanted to forget came back. He stood up as he put Aldous on his shoulder.


    ¡°I will remember you.¡±


    He took out around a white ball. He then threw it on the ground. White smoke scattered across the area.


    After twenty seconds the smoke left. The win also played a big part in removing the smoke.


    Mia rushed towards Emilia and Xander, but she stopped in her tracks.


    Emilia stood up with her hands holding the part where Aldous attacked her¡­ But¡­


    Where was Xander?

 Chapter 44 - What is the right way?

    Xander was lying on the ground when she looked last time, but now he was gone.


    "Xa..nder?" Emilia asked as her hands left her face. Blood oozed out of her lips. The strike was unexpected, but that pain was dying down.


    Leo looked at the sword. It belonged to Xander. "They took him."


    "No, but how? Could it be the armored man? How could I have let this happen?!" Mia blamed herself. She should not have let this happen. Leo did his part. He took care of the two, but she had done nothing. All she did was the waste time and nothing else.


    Emilia walked towards Mia. On the way, she tried to activate her Crystal, and it worked. When she fought Aldous, the moment he caught her leg she could not use her Crystal.


    "Did you feel anything run through your body when he touched your feet?" Asked Leo. He wanted to confirm his theory.


    "No, I felt nothing weird, but after he touched my legs, I could not activate my Crystal."


    So he was correct. Aldous had such a power. He had the power to prevent the Crystal of others from working. If he had that power won''t that mean Xavier and others in the new city would also have this power?


    They had to leave this place. Leo could not fight. Not in this condition. "Let''s leave before they send someone else after us."


    Mia raised her head and looked at Leo. "Leave? No, we can''t leave. We need to save Xander. They took him. What will they do with him?! I cannot leave him behind."


    "We can come back for him later, but now we need to move before they send someone else after us. We cannot fight in this condition."


    "Bu¨C" Mia got stopped midway.


    "Do you want to leave here then get strength back and save Xander or do you want to stay here and wait for someone else to capture you?"


    That is true. They were in no position to fight. They had to escape. Then they would get back their energy. Then they would come back and save Xander.


    Mia got up and moved towards Emilia.


    Emilia wiped the blood off her lips. Her lips still had a wound in it, but that would go after some days. The pain also died out. She agreed with what Leo said. Yes, she wanted to save Xander, but if they also get caught during the process then what is the use?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Mia who helped Emilia brush off the dusk asked. "They attacked us so do you think the other squads got attacked as well?"


    "That is a possibility," Emilia replied.


    Yes, that would happen. Leo thought. He was sure. Then that would mean all the squads could have people that got taken.


    As they walked, Leo thought about his old world. The things he did. All the people he killed and the families he separated. Even his family got taken.


    After all that why did he come to this world? That question had been with him since he came to this world. There was no explanation for it. The sword would not be the reason. There has to be something, but he needed a clue.


    The symbol he saw before he died what was that? After he kills Cao then what would he do? Become the strongest? Doubts filled his mind. He could understand nothing. Even when he was one of the strongest individuals in his old world, he still failed to protect those close to him. In this world, he had no one close to him.


    Xander, Mia, and Emilia? No, they were far from him. He met Mia by accident and joined The Shadow Claw because it was related to something he loved doing, but now¡­ What was the point?


    Should he leave this place? But they gave him things which he needed the most so what should he do?


    Leo stopped his thoughts. He had to pay off this debt to Xander.


    They walked downhill. Mia took out the Red Crystal. All the squads had one. This was used by them to know others location. Zek had given one to all before they left, but they had to be close to a squad in order for it to work. Also, they needed to find a place from where Emilia and Leo could recharge their Crystal.


    Mia had no problem as it was the day so she could absorb the light from the sun. She could not absorb it in battle because it would take time. First, she had to gather the Elemental Essence around her then she would need to absorb it to her Crystal. The rate of absorption would not be able to keep up with her rate of use. The more her power increases the more the rate of absorption will increase. She was 40% of the way in Normal Rank Level 4. Soon she would reach the next level. The Advanced Level.


    Emilia was 90% of the way to Normal Rank Level 1. She had to get strong. Emilia looked at her hands they were not soft but were rough. She had practiced a lot. But in actual battle, she failed. The last time also she failed and this time. She had to find her sister, but how could she do that when she cannot even fight? How would she leave the town and go to places? Emilia did not understand. She had to find a way. She had to get strong.


    Leo walked in the front. He was 40% of the way in Normal Rank Level 1. Among the four, he was the weakest. Leo knew that. He also knew Cao was out there searching for him and if they ran into each other, he would die. Leo knew why Cao wanted to kill him so badly. Revenge. Not against him, but against his own father. Leo knew how much Cao hated his own father for what his father did to him and his mother. Cao is a good person, but both of them had to kill one. Leo had to because of everything that happened between them. Cao had to because he wanted power to take revenge against his own father. Leo did not know how Cao would do it but if Cao managed to kill him then Cao would get his revenge.


    Were any of the people I killed good? He wondered. They could have been people who would give their own lives to save someone they loved or they could be people who would stab you in the back at the first opportunity. Regardless of how they were all were dead. Killed by him. Will he repeat the same thing in this world? He had already killed people in this world.


    Were they good or bad?


    They reached the bottom of the hill.

 Chapter 45 - Tenebris

    A village came into view. The houses in this village were all built at the bottom of the hill. They were not built on flat ground but were on the bottom slope of the hill. There were many of them. The houses were built by bricks and held together with cement.


    They walked towards the village.


    Mia did not have to rest. She wanted to go out and search for other squads. If they could team up, then saving Xander would be easy. So, after bringing Emilia to the hospital she left in search of other squads.


    Emilia''s had an injury to her lips and nose, but with a few days of rest, they would go.


    Leo did not stay in the hospital. He left to find a source of water. He needed to fill his Crystal and increase his power. After asking around Leo got to know the location of a pond, but it was dangerous as it was close to the new city. Leo went towards it as he had no other option. He needed to recharge his Crystal.


    If only the Essence was everywhere, then there would be no need to find a source of that Element. Leo thought. That would make it easier in battle also as he could fight and fill his reserve at the same time.


    It took Leo twenty minutes to reach the pond. It was a big pond. Small and big fishes were swimming in it. The area was not silent. There were many birds in the area. Leo could not see the bottom of the pond. He stood at the edge.


    Leo closed his eyes. He envisioned himself absorbing the Pure Element and Pure Essence. As he did this, the Elemental Essence rose from the pond and made its way to him.


    His Crystal filled. Also, the Essence after going into the Crystal went through his body. His power increased.


    It took forty minutes to make his Crystal full. By this time Leo was 55% in Normal Rank Level 4. Leo did not stop. He continued. The rate of absorption had reduced, but he did not stop.


    Leo continued this for thirty more minutes. He was 70% of the way in Normal Rank Level 1. It would take one more week of absorption to reach Level 2. If the Crystal did not have a limit, then he could have reached Level 2 faster.


    After he gets back to the village, he would have to add a new spell to his collection as two spells were not enough for him.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    This is still not enough. He could not defeat the masked man nor the armored man with this power. He needed more.


    Leo had to kill them. If you raise your sword against someone, then you must be ready to die.


    His sword. Leo gave Xander¡¯s sword to Mia. He had his own sword, but it needs activation.


    Now was the time.


    Leo raised his right hand. He then did what he did the last time. Water from his Crystal rushed to the part where the tattoo was. After thirty seconds it became visible, but Leo did not stop. He kept feeding it water. He had given it a lot before.


    When one minute finished, the tattoo absorbed the water on its own. This continued for four more minutes. Leo¡¯s reserve was empty, but unlike last time the tattoo did not go away.


    It moved. It shined. It caused him pain. It moved out of his hand. Dark light flashed across the area. A sword appeared. Black blade and handle. One of the mightiest weapons from his old world. The Tenebris Sword.


    It had no power right now. It could not even be compared to the one he knew. The difference in power was that great, but that was temporary. The more he used it. The more its powers would increase. As of now, he could only use it as a normal sword. He did not need to carry the sword in open as it could be called back to his body. When in his body the sword would take the shape of a dragon and rest on his hand.


    Memories of his past came. This sword led to his death, but it was something he would never throw away. With this sword, he would have powers of two elements. Water and Darkness.


    Leo figured he would have to activate the Darkness element within the sword by supplying it water. The Darkness element would not be of this world because of the sword¡¯s origin. He did not know where it was from even in his old world, but he was sure it was not from his old world. Cao¡¯s sword was also the same. Both are opposites of each other.


    The same thing happened in his old world. He could activate the power sealed in the sword using his power from the old world. So in this world also he would need to use his power of the Water Element to activate the sword¡¯s power That would take time.


    Now he had a sword of his own. The dagger was also a weapon, but now it would go to the clone. He would keep the dagger which the clone had in case of an emergency.


    He summoned the clone and gave the dagger to it. He then took back the dagger it had. Now, it was time to practice.


    Leo and the clone stood face to face. He would leave the control of the clone to the Crystal.


    His reaction time was high, but his body could not keep up with his mind. Leo had to change that. He had to train his body so it would be like the one from his old world.


    After this mission gets over he needs to search for that symbol which appeared before he got teleported back to his room at the village. He had never seen that symbol before. Also, now that he thought about it. Why did Cao not attack him? Leo was almost dead, but that symbol saved him. If Cao wanted one strike was enough to take his life, but Cao did not do it. Why?

 Chapter 46 - Ikes squad

    Mia found herself in the forest. The forest from the one back near her hometown to this was one big forest. The Ebsy Forest. It had many wild beasts, birds, and animals. Wild beasts were creatures that would attack a person while animals were not like that. Most of them would not attack a person as they were herbivores, but some would. Only if they got provoked.


    Mia knew a lot about wildlife including plants. It had always fascinated her. The amount of wildlife there was. Ranging from many shapes, colors, and sizes. She wanted to see them all, but that was a big task.


    She came across a red-tailed rabbit. They were an endangered species. Hunters would catch them and sell the rabbit for high prices. From what she knew their meat was tasty. That was why people bought it especially nobles.


    She moved closer to it. It had white fur on the body while the tail as the name suggests was red. The eyes were deep black. The rabbit moved around the trees. Sometimes it would inspect them while other times it would ignore them. She had to go. There were important things she had to do. Find another squad and held Xander.


    She did not want to go, but she did.


    Mia walked for ten minutes. That was when the red stone lit up.


    She finally found a squad. Mia rushed towards the location. As she was almost in the Advanced Rank her speed was greater than the others.


    When Mia reached the other squad, she became shocked. It was Ike''s squad. They did not look like how she remembered him. He had wounds all over his body. Blood covered his clothes and face. His lungs moved up and down like a cart going through a bumpy road.


    Mia rushed towards him and knelt down beside him. "What happened?"


    "Att¡­ asked," Ike said. "they took¡­ Ivetta and Evrat."


    That was when Mia notices another person. The fourth member of Ike''s squad Bartel. He was also in the same condition as Ike.


    It looked like the people who attacked them were stronger than the ones who attacked her.


    Mia looked in her bag. It was dark yellow. Yellow was her favorite color. She had many yellow dresses and ribbons. She wanted to color her hair yellow, but she was worried she would make her brother sad. He liked his red hair. That was his favorite color.


    She took out a bottle of white pills which she had stocked for the mission. She That was when she remembered. She forgot to give it to Emilia. She was too shocked by Xander''s disappearance that the pills did not cross her mind. Mia felt bad, but she could not think about that now.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She took the pills and gave it to Ike. Then she moved to the Bartel.


    Ike swallowed the pill and fell to the ground. He had finished his reserve. His lungs moved up and down, but at a slower rate than before.


    Bartel swallowed the pill. He then rested his back on a tree. He closed his eyes. He wanted to say thank you to Mia, but his body refused to obey him.


    We have to get out of here. The people who attacked them could follow them.


    She had to get them to the hospital. It would take time to reach there. If only she had healing Magic. That would take time to get. She had to reach Escalation Rank to attain healing abilities. It was a treasured sub-element.


    If anyone came, then she would have to fight them. Ike and Bartel could not. She gathered her courage and kept a watch around the area. She had to wait for the two to get energy back. She could not carry them. If only she had floating magic. Then it would be easy for her to carry them, but having floating magic was not enough. She had to train with it so the maximum weight she could carry would increase, but she did not know it. She had to learn it once she got back to her home.


    They waited for fifteen minutes. Ike and Bartel were ready. Blood still covered their bodies and clothes. This would attract a lot of attention from the village.


    She needed to search for other squads, but she had to get them to the hospital. Mia left the area with the two.


    ¡ª


    "They are in a bad shape, but we will do our best," A man said to Mia. It was the main doctor in the area. He was a self-educated doctor. They were common in rural areas. If she wanted a doctor who was educated from studies, books, and other doctors she would need to go to the city. People in the rural area could not educate themselves. Especially if they had no Crystal.


    The people here depended on normal jobs like farming, pottery, cloth making. Most people used the Crystal''s formed in nature for their jobs like farming. They would use it to carry water over long distances and sometimes spray water over the crops. Those Crystals were useless in actual combat.


    Other elements also had their uses. Fire is used for cooking, burning waste which caused a lot of pollution. World element for making houses, but many did not do that as the World Element was hard to control. Darkness element was used for scaring away normal beasts. They did not work on strong wild beasts. The light element can be used by them when traveling in the night. These elements had other uses also.


    Mia went to check on Emilia after bringing Ike and Bartel to the hospital.


    Emilia was lying on a bed. She could leave any time as her injuries were much, but the doctor recommended her to say for one day. Mia also agreed with that.


    Where did Leo go? She had not asked what he would do when she left. She focused her mind on finding other squads. She looked around the area, but could not find him.


    If Ike''s squad was this hurt, then the other squads would also have suffered such a fate. Ike''s squad was the strongest among the four squads.


    She had to find them. Then they would organize a plan to get back the members they lost. Ivetta was also taken. Ivetta did not like her, but she had to save Ivetta. She did not want to think what they would do to her or Xander. She had to find the other squads.

 Chapter 47 - Xanders Pain

    The room had no light. The paint on the walls had come out revealing the brown bricks and cement. Webs filled the corners. The room had three chairs. And on three chairs sat three people.


    One of them was Xander. He was in the middle. There were people to his left and right.


    Xander''s eyes were covered with a black cloth. Hands tied behind the steel chair. This applied to the others. He had woken up thirty minutes ago. The last thing he remembered was being defeated by Aldous. He had made fun of Aldous by saying Aldous could not defeat him, but he lost to Aldous.


    Xander wanted to be the best user in sword fighting and also the best earth elemental user. He tried his best, yet he failed. He could not even defeat a person who had no magic. So how could he hope to become the best?


    And, did the others escape? Or did they get caught like him? Thoughts like these plagued Xander''s mind.


    The room had a rotten smell. He knew this smell. It was the smell of dead bodies. Xander did not know if it was of human bodies or of animals'' bodies. He hoped it was an animal.


    The door to the room opened. It made a creaking noise as it opened. Footsteps rang in his ears. He could not tell how many were there, but it was over one.


    "So these are the ones," A person said. His voice had a harsh tone to it. Xander did not like where this was going. His mouth was also covered. He could speak nothing. He was too scared to spit the cloth which he assumed was put in his mouth forcefully.


    The footsteps moved closer to him. He did not know there were others in the room but based on what the man said there were others with him.


    Xander''s mouth was dry. He wanted water. Should I ask? No, that would be bad.


    The cloth that covered his eyes got removed. The one who took the cloth looked to be in his 30s according to Xander. There were two others behind him. He knew one. It was Aldous. The other''s age looked same as Aldous. He had a sharp face and white hair. The dark room was lit up by the lanterns they carried. There were three.


    It was now that Xander saw the two beside him. Both were his age. He had seen them when they left for the mission. He did not know both personally.


    The man who removed the cloth had a scar over his eyes. He moved closer to Xander.


    Slap.


    Xander''s face moved to the right. Red fingerprints showed up on his skin. It pained. Xander¡¯s body shook.


    The man looked at his hand. "Soft," He said as if he was giving a rating.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Two more slaps rang in the area. It was for the two beside Xander. The left side of their faces turned red.


    The man rated both soft.


    The man then looked back at Aldous and the other boy. They kept the lanterns and closed the door as they left.


    In the room, there were three lanterns that in front of the three chairs.


    "I will make you an offer. Fight for the people in Freedom City."


    "What do you mean?" The other person beside Xander asked.


    "Are you brain dead? I said work for us. You will be our slaves."


    The other person in the chair adjusted his position even though he could not move that much. "And what if we don''t?"


    The man smiled. He reached for something on his back. It was a brown pouch. He then released the string around it and turned it upside down. Countless nails fell to the ground. He then walked past them.


    Sounds of metal being rubbed against each other rang in their ears. Xander¡¯s body trembled. He wanted to escape.


    The other person with them was in thought. If he joined, then there would be no issue. He could always escape them after he joined.


    The man returned with a rod. It had dark red spots over grey, It was big as an adult human''s hand.


    The person beside Xander adjusted himself once again on the chair. These two beside him were fools he thought. "I will join you."


    "Oh? See that is good. What about you two?" The man asked as he walked to the person beside Xander and Ivetta.


    He then untied that person. "What is your name?"


    "Galot," He said as he ran his hand. The area where the cloth was had turned red.


    The man''s hand moved. Galot had not seen it coming. His focus was on his hand. Also, did not expect to be attacked after all he had agreed to join them.


    The punch landed on his stomach. Galot''s body bent. His hands clutched his stomach. Blood and saliva dropped out of his mouth.


    Then came a kick to his back. Galot fell to the ground face first. His nose and lips bled.


    The man then took out a circular object. It was white. Xander had never seen something so what. It was small like a pebble. The man pulled Galot by his hair. Blood and saliva covered Galot''s face.


    Galot''s mouth was open. The man pushed the pebble-like object inside Galot''s mouth. He struggled but stopped when the man gave an elbow to his back. The pebble made it inside him.


    The man then threw Galot. "You planned to escape after you are assigned a mission right? Too bad. Now, if you try to escape that thing inside you will kill you," He did not spare even a glance to Galot.


    One down two more.


    The man shook the hand which held the rod. "Now what will you two do?"


    Xander did not know what to do. If he joined them, then he would be their slave, but if he did not join, then he would die.


    The person on the right wanted to run away. He wanted to go back to his parents. he could not handle this.


    The man moved closer to Xander. "Well then."


    The man took Xander''s hand. "No!" Screamed Xander as he pulled back his hand, but failed.


    The man sent the rod flying to Xander''s hand. It pained. Xander screamed. His mind was being torn apart. The pain... I can''t take this.


    The man did not stop. He struck Xander''s hand one more time. Xander''s eyes teared up. The part where the rod struck was different. Both those parts were deep red. His bones got cracked.


    The man moved to the person on the left.


    This time he did not take the hand but took the leg. The boy''s right leg. The man then sent the rod flying two times. Both struck different places as it did with Xander. He screamed in agony. He fell down from the chair. He wiggled, but could not escape. He cried.


    The man kicked Xander on the face. "Join him."


    Xander''s dream of becoming the greatest swordsman and earth elemental user was being torn apart. He could do nothing. He was a failure.


    He pleaded. Kill me.

 Chapter 48 - Rock Beast Attack

    Where is it? He failed. Leo checked everywhere, but could not find the symbol he saw before his death. The symbol and the two rectangular bars.


    Will Cao know anything about it? That was a possibility. Leo was sure if Cao, wanted he would kill him, but Cao did not. Which means Cao has to know something about the two things, but he could not go and search for Cao. If they met, he would die.


    Leo checked his Crystal also, but it failed to do anything. When that symbol and the rectangular bars appeared he felt nothing. If he had not seen them, then he would not even know they existed.


    Leo looked at Tenebris. He had been training for two hours. It was noon. He had to go back to the village to have his food.


    ---


    Emilia was in her bed at the hospital. She had a light blue blanket up to her chest. The pillows were resting on the steel grills of the bed. This was done because she did not want to lie down.


    Beside her sat Mia. "Have you found any other squads?" Emilia asked.


    "None. I still need to go out and find them, but I have to hurry. Who knows what they will do to the people who were kidnapped."


    Emilia''s looked down spoke in a low voice. "Xander."


    Mia placed her hand on top of Emilia''s above the blanket. "He will be all right. We will get him back soon."


    Yes. She had to. She hoped nothing bad would happen to him.


    Mia got up from her wooden chair. "I need to find Leo. You stay here and rest. Got it?"


    Emilia did not reply. Mia moved closer to Emilia. "Leave it to me."


    Mia walked out of the hospital.


    ¡ª-


    As Leo walked, he felt as if someone was staring at him. He did not look around because that would mean the one who is staring at him would find out he knew they are hiding.


    Leo kept walking but slowed his pace. He tried to look everywhere without causing doubt, but he could not turn back.


    Nose of leaves crunching came into his ears. Till now he was searching for the source but could find nothing. He had to catch them by surprise. He would strike first.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Leo turned to the direction of the sound and opened his palm. He then uses his Pure Element Attack. Water rushed out from his palms. The force of the water coming out when using his Pure Element Attack have increased by a lot when compared to the first time he used it.


    Water rushed out of his hands at high speed to the place where the crunching noises originated, but before it reached the place, a big boulder came towards the attack.


    The water and boulder collided with each other. The boulder did not break. It pushed Leo''s Pure Element Attack backward. Leo increased the force. He had to go beyond his maximum power.


    Frenzy.


    His magic power increased. Now, the boulder and Leo''s Pure Element Attack were in a stalemate.


    Leo stopped his attack. The boulder rushed towards him, but Leo moved to the right side. The boulder missed him. The boulder flew and crashed into a tree.


    Finally, a figure appeared from the bushed. It was a beast.


    It had a body made rocks. It had spikes of sharp rock on its top. Its claws were sharp and big. It had green eyes and a stone tail that kept moving.


    The beast charged at Leo.


    Tenebris.


    The dragon tattoo appeared on his arm. It then flew out and turned into Tenebris. Leo held Tenebris in his right hand.


    The blades of Tenebris were unlike other swords. Right now it could not be compared to how it was when at its peak, but that did not mean the blade was weak.


    Leo pointed Tenebris to the beast. Leo summoned his clone. Leo threw the dagger to the clone. It could not keep weapons with it.


    The beast saw the dagger being thrown. It changed its target from Leo to the dagger.


    This was Leo''s plan, and the beast fell for it.


    Frenzy was active. Leo commanded the clone to move towards the beast. The Crystal could control the clone, but Leo wanted to control it now.


    Both Leo and the clone moved towards the beast.


    If only I had an attack spell. He could have used that on the beast. He could use him Pure Element Attack, but like before even with Frenzy active it could do nothing to the beast.


    Leo thrust Tenebris to the beast. His target was its back.


    The beast noticed Leo and the clone. It changed its target once again.


    The beast came close to Leo. So Leo moved back. He then jumped to the left.


    Leo used his Pure Element Attack. It could not do any damage to the beast, but it could be used to distract it.


    And like Leo thought. The beast took the water head-on, but it stopped in its track.


    This was his opportunity.


    The clone had picked up the dagger which Leo threw. It moved closer to the beast.


    Leo struck the beast''s head. Tenebris smashed threw it rock skin. The beast roared.


    It shook its head, trying to make Tenebris leave its body, but it failed.


    The clone now controlled by the Crystal was about to strike the beast when Leo stopped it. He had to because the rocky skin of the beast was hard and if the clone used the dagger it would break.


    Leo removed Tenebris. The beast charged towards him. The distance between them was small. Leo now knew how hard the beast''s skin was. If his body got hit by it then he could break his bones.


    He had to use Tenebris.


    Leo struck the beast using Tenebris once again. The beast could not move properly. That was why Leo could land another strike.


    This time the strike was to its left even. No blood came out of it. Leo then pushed the beast using his leg. The beast did not feel heavy. It lost most of its energy because of the strike.


    Leo fell back to the ground. The beast lay in front of him. The clone returned to him.


    He barely won this fight.

 Chapter 49 - The Plan

    Leo reached the village. He took longer than expected due to the beast attack.


    When Leo arrived at the entrance of the village which was situated at the bottom, he saw Mia waiting there. This was one of two entrances to the village. The other was at the top. It was from that entrance Leo and the other entered the village when they first arrived.


    Mia was standing in front of the gate with her arms folded. When she saw Leo she walked towards him not waiting for him to reach her. "Where have you been?"


    "Training," Leo replied.


    "We have got three of the four squads. We could not find the fourth squad. Ike''s suspects they all have been taken. We don''t have time to waste. We need to have a plan by tonight."


    "Why are we working with the other squads?" Leo asked. Was it not better if they worked alone? If more people were to go in, then that would mean a higher chance of being caught.


    "We need their help. We cannot go in alone."


    "Having more people means having more risk of being caught," Leo said what was on his mind.


    "But that also means having more chance of success, right?" Mia replied.


    "That is true." That was also true, but that never went well.


    ---


    The room had one window, but that window was closed. The floor was made of wood. Inside the room were many people.


    Leo, Mia, and Emilia sat on one side. Ike and Bartel sat near them. Then there was another person.


    Ike sat in a chair. His injuries were too much. The doctor ordered him not to go, but he broke that order and came here. He also refused to have the meeting at the hospital. "There are six of us and squad four''s status is unknown that means they have gotten of us."


    "More or less." Replied Mia as the status of squad four was still unknown.


    "If only we could get into the city then we can know how their security works," Ike said. That would make it much easier.


    "But they know how we look like," Mia replied.


    Ike leaned back on his chair. "The best time to attack would be at night, but we don''t know where the captured are being kept. That will make it difficult."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Damn it! If only they had not seen us," It was Bartel who said that.


    "Actually, not all of them have seen us. Only the people who attacked us could have seen us," It was Artos who said this. The leader of squad three.


    "You are correct, but there is a problem. How did they attack all of us? Won''t that mean they have some spy giving them information about us? So it is not at all impossible for them to know how we look like." Ike replied. He still could not believe how they attacked all the squads. This was a planned attack. They must have someone who is giving them information. But who?


    "Well, that can be true, but we don''t have a choice. We are small in number. Also, those people can stop us from using our Crystals. So we need to know where we should target if we want to have success." Artos said. This was a high-risk, high-return option.


    "It is risky, but the benefits such as getting to know their powers, that power which stops our Crystal and location are too valuable, but who among us will go?"


    Leo raised his hand. Finally, something interesting.


    "Are you sure Leo?" Mia asked as she looked at him.


    "Yes," Leo replied. This was what he wanted. He liked these kinds of missions where his life was at stake. If he got found, then he could not escape. Also, he wanted to know about that power Aldous used. Was it related to him in any way? And if he could know more about that power will that reveal the power of his Crystal?


    "I can ask my father for help. He will send people." Mia said.


    "That is a good idea. Then we won''t need you two to go into their base," Ike said as he looked at Leo and Artos.


    "No, going to their base is still necessary. We need to know where their base and how much power they have." Leo replied. How could he let this chance go?


    "Then I will go back to the town and report everything to father. Then I will come back with reinforcements."


    "That is good. You can set off tomorrow since it is late evening now. Wild Beasts will roam the forests. Also, I and Bartel need to get our strength back. Leo and Artos can sneak into the city tonight. You would need to stay there for one day. Tomorrow at night you both should escape the city. Then we can analyze everything you have found. After that, we can launch a proper attack." Ike said. This plan was taking shape.


    Emilia raised her hands. "I will also go."


    Artos stood up. "You cannot go."


    "Why not?" Emilia asked. She had to save Xander. He had saved her before, so she had to save him now.


    "Because I will also go. We cannot have too many people going. Also, you need to stay here since Ike and Bartel have to rest. You have to be there if something comes up or the fourth squad returns."


    "Bu--" Emilia got stopped by Mia. "What he said is correct Emilia."


    "So things are settled then. Me and Leo will head to the city tonight. While Mia will go back to the town tomorrow morning."


    The meeting ended after that. Ike and Bartel went back to the hospital to rest. The doctor was upset they did not listen to his orders. They both would need time to recover as their injuries were worse compared to Emilia''s.


    Artos said he needed to do something and left.


    Mia and Emilia went to have food while Leo went for a stroll around the village.


    This would be an important mission as it could lead to him unlocking the secrets of his Crystal. If he gets more information about it that will make increasing his power easier and killing Cao quicker.


    Leo did not plan to return on the next day. He would stay there until he finds out about the power Aldous used. If he ran into danger, he could use then clone as a substitute.

 Chapter 50 - Infiltrating The City

    The night was calm as the sky on a normal day. The air remained cold. Trees danced in the wind.


    Two figures overlooked a city. It was Leo and Artos.


    Artos hid a knife inside his clothes. This would be his way out if he got found. He had no problem killing the people that kidnapped his squad members and almost kidnapped him.


    Leo had a secret weapon. Tenebris. But he still kept two daggers with him. He could summon Tenebris anytime. One dagger was for the clone while the other was for him in case of an emergency.


    "We both need to split up. Enter from different parts. I don''t know if we will meet there or not, but if we meet do not act familiar in case they doubt us or something. Got it?" Artos said. This did not scare him, but taking precautions were necessary because they could stop his powers.


    Leo said nothing. He left Artos alone. Why would he ever go talk to Artos? The only reason they even knew each other was because of this mission. Also, he did not plan to return on the next day since he needs to find more information about the power Aldous used.


    Leo went to the east side of the city. When he arrived there, the place had four guards. The guards had normal clothes. They had spears on their backs. The spearhead extended above their heads. While the shoe was near their knees. The spears were kept on the guards back using ropes. Two. Both in the stomach region.


    It was late into the night. The torches lit up the place. There were two near the entrance where two guards stood. Then two more torches were kept on top of baskets filled with sand. They erected the torches on top of the sand. Two guards stood near these torches. They were towards the side of the gate.


    There were also many people sleeping inside the gates. Some in tents many without tents.


    There were also more guards across the wooden gates. Torches also lit up the area, but this place had the least guards, but they were concentrated. This will make things difficult.


    He needed a distraction. A thought came to his mind. The rock beast. Yes, he could use its carcass as a distraction.


    Leo left the city. He rushed towards the pond. Then he followed the direction he had taken. Finally, after fifteen minutes he found the carcass of the beast.


    He took less time to reach the pond because the city was close to the pond when compared to the village.


    The beast was heavy; he had to cut off a lot of its body using Tenebris. It was hard and time-consuming, but he did it. He cut the beast in half from its stomach. He only took the front part of the beast while he left the other part. Leo took the carcass and moved back to the city.


    He needed to position the beast. He would do the same thing the beast did.


    He would summon his clone and use its pressure to make the crunching noises. Then, he would sneak into the city. After that, he would summon the clone back.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Leo position the beast behind a bush. It was towards the left of the gate. He then summoned his clone and move away from the area.


    Leo then commanded the clone to break twigs and to crunch the fallen leaves. The clone followed his orders.


    He had to be quick before the rotten smell of the carcass spreads.


    One guard who heard the sound asked his companion. "What is that sound?"


    "Huh?" The companion also heard the noise. He had not heard it at first, but now he did.


    The guard who heard the noises first untied the rope and took out his spear. "Shit, don''t tell me it''s a beast attack."


    The shaft of the spear was made of wood while the spearhead was made sharpened rock.


    His companion used his hand to put the spear down. "Don''t rush to a conclusion. You know what happened last time you screamed about a beast attack right?"


    Ahh, The first person to hear the noise screamed on the inside. He did not dare to think about it. He could not scream this time.


    His companion walked towards the direction of the voice. "Let''s go check it out."


    They both walked towards the source of the noise.


    Leo got ready to sneak into the city. If anything went wrong and people gathered his only option, then would be to blend into the group of people. That was a dangerous plan, so this had to work.


    Leo recalled the clone.


    The man who heard the noises at the start looked past the bush. There he saw the rock beast. Since it was the night, he did not get a look at its body, but he had seen beasts like this before.


    "AHH," The man screamed.


    His companion tried to stop, but the man did not listen. "It''s a beast attack!" he shouted.


    Hearing the shouts the two guards at the entrance and more from the sides came towards the area. With their weapon in hand.


    There have been beast attacks before, so they were all ready. Well, some more than others.


    "Alert the main guards!" The man shouted once again.


    He got a hit on his head. When he looked back, it was his companion. "Shut up, you fool. It is only one beast, right? We can handle it. No need to alert the main guards."


    The man''s companion along with the others moved towards the bush where they found the beast.


    This was his opportunity. There was no one in the area. Ten people who were near the area moved towards the bush. He could not get a better chance than this.


    Leo moved. He activated frenzy. His clothes were black which made blending into the darkness easier. Leo picked a patch where light from the torches did not reach.


    He made it to the wooden fence. Leo did not stop. He hopped over them. Now, he needs to find a place to hide.


    As he thought this. There were two people coming towards him. Both were busy talking with each other. He could not move fast now because there were people sleeping on the ground. He had to find a place to hide for some time. He also could not go into tents as people were sleeping in them.


    He needed to find a building, but before that, he had to escape these two people.


    Leo was near a tent. He moved towards it. Leo ducked on the opposite side of the tent. The two people walked away from him without seeing him.


    Leo looked around. He found many small buildings across the area. He checked them one by one.


    Some had people in them while some had weapons, medical supplies, food, and clothes.


    He had to change his clothes. The ones he wore differed from the ones the people in the city wore. The clothes they wore were. The materials were of lower quality and they got torn in places. This showed the dire situation of the people in the city.


    He had seen this many times before. A revolution was never a good idea. Especially when you are outnumbered and outpowered, but this was not his revolution to fight. He had two goals for coming here. One was repaying Xander. The other was getting information about the power Aldous used.


    Leo found a good set of clothes, but he tore them. To make blending in easier. He had to wait until morning. He did not have to sleep as he had taken rest before he came here.


    Now, he had to wait.

 Chapter 51 - The Old Man And The Boy

    The sun rose. The morning light fell on the city. Sounds of birds chirping sounded throughout the area.


    This was it. Leo guessed as long as he did not run into Aldous or the armored man he would be okay. That has to be towards the center of the city. Since he was now in the outskirts of the city, he could be fine for now, but he would need to move to the center if he wants to gain more information about the power Aldous used. At least that is what Leo thought.


    He moved out of the shed with his new clothes. He wore a brown top and his pants were light brown. It was torn at the edge. Leo kept his head low as he walked. When he got out, he made sure no one saw him.


    Even though the sun had just come there were many people who were awake. Some still lingered around their bed on the floor while others moved to places Leo did not know of.


    As he made his way Leo got stopped by an old man. ¡°Boy, you look new around here. Why don¡¯t you help with carrying the weapons?¡±


    Leo did not know how to respond. He did not want to do that, but if he refused and the old man called guards, then that would make it a problem.


    Leo was about to reply when the old man looked closely at him. ¡°Ah, I see must be hungry, eh? Well, go have food, then do your work. The young need to be quick unlike old me. Hehe.¡±


    Leo nodded and moved. He did not know where to get food, so he kept walking. After following some people Leo found the place where food was being served.


    The line was big. Leo stood in the line. There was a big wooden table in which they kept the food. Even though the table was big, there were only two dishes. Rice and curry. Vegetable curry. It took Leo, fifteen minutes to get his food.


    With food in hand, he now needed a place to sit and eat. Many people sat on the floors as there were no chairs. Some sat in the shades while others in the open. The cold morning breeze blew over his food. That would change nothing as the food was not hot.


    There were two possibilities either the people here woke up early and made the food because of that, the food got cold while waiting or this was yesterday¡¯s food.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Leo found a tree. The old man who talked to him was there. Along with the old man, there were two others. Both in their 30s. Leo sat opposite to them as three of them sat together with the old man in the middle. The tree was big enough so that Leo had to learn to see them.


    The food was not tasty, but he still ate it. After eating it, he washed the plates using a nearby pipe.


    As soon as he placed the plate on the table where others could use it the old man appeared in front of him. ¡°Boy, follow me.¡±


    Leo followed.


    They made their way to a shed. A different one from the shed Leo had used. When they arrived there were three others waiting. Two were of Leo''s age, while the last looked around 10 ¡°Take the weapons inside the shed to the training camps. Better be quick, eh?¡±


    As soon as the old man gave the command, the three did as the old man said. Leo with no other option also did the same.


    This would be troublesome. The army camp where they were transporting this was near the center. He had to make sure both Aldous and the armored man did not see him. Leo kept his head lower than before as he transported the weapons.


    On the way, Leo saw a peculiar building. It was made of dark wood while the others were made with normal wood. It was big compared to the surrounding buildings. Since this was the inner part of the city it had buildings rather than tents.


    He recognized one figure. It was Aldous. Aldous was talking to two people. Leo did not recognize them. Also, he did not see the armored man anywhere.


    He kept his head low as he passed the area. Is that the building?


    It looked different from the other, but will they keep a big secret such as this in a place like that? Also, do the people that live in the city know about the power Aldous used? Do more people have that power? Too many questions.


    That building was a target, but he could not confirm it as this was a big secret. And could alert magic users. So they would try to do everything to prevent the secret from leaking.


    He needs to do more research.


    Leo was near the youngest boy to which the old man had assigned the task. ¡°This Aldous, how is he?¡±


    The boy looked towards Leo. His eyes sparkled. ¡°Big brother Aldous? He is great! I want to be like him one day. Strong enough, so I can fight those them!¡±


    The sparkle in his eyes turned to rage as he finished speaking. Leo had seen this rage before.


    Leo pulled the bag on his shoulder to make it proper. ¡°Why do you hate people who can use magic?¡±


    The boy looked at Leo as if he was a fool. ¡°What are you saying? They are bad. That is what grandpa says. When I grow up I have to fight them."


    Now, Leo turned curious. ¡°Where is your family?¡±


    The boy turned his gaze in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t know. Grandpa said they left to visit, a place to get goods,¡± Sadness flashed in his eyes


    I see. So they are dead.


    ¡°But grandpa said they will return soon!¡± The sadness turned into joy.


    A joy that would never be fulfilled. It made sense for the old man to not tell a boy of this age about the death of his own parents. This was the price people had to pay when they stood up for what they believe in.

 Chapter 52 - Mias Mission

    Mia made it. She finally made it back to town. Now, she had to find her father and bring people back with her to help.


    Mia was about to take the next step when her hands got pulled by someone. She could not react in time. She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. A light barrier?


    She looked at the figure that held her hand. It was uncle Zek.


    Uncle Zek? She asked, but no sound came because of the barrier.


    They traveled for five minutes before they stopped. The light barrier disappeared.


    Mia looked at uncle Zek. She had never seen him in such a hurry. "What happened uncle Zek?"


    Uncle Zek straightened his dress. "Good thing I ran into you otherwise the consequences would have been unbearable."


    Mia got confused. "What consequences?"


    Uncle Zek looked around. "You need not know them. The only thing you need to know is you cannot go into town right now."


    Cannot go into town? The hope of Emilia, Xander, and others, were resting on her shoulders. "I have to go inside. I need dad''s help."


    "Gerard''s help?" It was now Zek noticed that he had only found Mia. What happened to the others? Don''t tell me...


    "Xander got taken. Many others in the squads also got taken."


    They must have run into Xavier. Now, it made sense why Xander and the others got kidnapped.


    "I asked all of you not to engage in any battle," Said Uncle Zek.


    "We did not. They came to us. Ike''s thinks there is a spy in town. I also think the same," Replied Mia.


    "A spy?" With all the things that are happening. This would make things more difficult.


    "Uncle Zek please tell me what happened. Is my father okay? What about Nathan? Has he been eating properly?" Nathan would always make a problem when eating without her. Mia pleaded for an answer.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Uncle Zek sighed. "I cannot say you the full story, but I can say parts. Your father got into trouble with someone way out of our league. Nathan is doing fine."


    Mia''s eyes widened. "Trouble with someone out of our league? Tell me who is it? Please." Mia pleaded once more.


    Uncle Zek sighed and thought to himself. I''m sorry Mia. I cannot tell you this because if I do, then you can never live a normal life. But, looking at the things that are about to happen will you and Nathan ever be able to lead a normal life?


    He opened his mouth. "I''m sorry Mia, but I cannot say."


    "But why?! I don''t understand. I have to help them," she thought of something. "can you help me?"


    Uncle Zek looked down. He could not see Mia like this. He had seen her grown up from when she was small. This pained him, but he had to be with Gerard. "I''m sorry."


    Mia''s eyes turned to anger. "Fine! Tell my, father, I don''t want to talk to him ever again! I will never talk to you again also!"


    Mia left towards the direction of the city with tears in her eyes. She had failed. Failed as always.


    Uncle Zek signed. "Forgive me, Mia. If only there was a way out," He turned his attention towards the town and walked.


    ---


    An hour passed since Mia left.


    Gerard found himself in his children''s room. Looking at their toys brought back memories from their childhood. He took one toy. This one was special. It was a gift from their mother. His wife. Will he ever be able to see his wife again?


    This was their favorite toy.


    His kept the toy down. He sat on their bed. This room was filled with countless memories. His eyes stopped being dry, but they stopped before any tears could fall.


    Memories of their childhood came into his mind. Mia and Nathan running around their home. Laughing. That was a sight he would never forget.


    Zek walked in.


    "How did it go?" Gerard was scared Mia would return. She should not return at a time like this. That is why he kept Zek outside in wait.


    Zek did not want to look Gerard in the eyes. He changed the topic. "The mission ran into a problem. Some of them got kidnapped by the city."


    Gerard raised his eyes brow. "They got kidnapped?"


    "Yes, they ran into Xavier. So this means the rumors are true."


    Gerard looked up. "Indeed."


    Zek noticed something. "Are you not worried?"


    Gerard looked at Zek. "No, I have faith in them. They will return."


    "I understand," Zek replied.


    "Also, from what she said there is a spy among us," Zek said.


    "A spy? That would make things complicated. If this matter gets out then..." Gerard replied.


    "Tell me what did she say when you said I cannot help her? It is okay you can be honest."


    "Sh--" Zek sighed. "she said she would never talk to you or me again."


    Gerard burst into laughter. "Ah, that silly girl."


    Gerard stood up "Let us go. We need to have a discussion with the other."


    They both left the room. A room filled with countless memories...


    ---


    Mia kept running. She did not stop. What will she say when she returns? Without the help from her father, how would they save Xander and the others? All of them were depending on her, but she failed them.

 Chapter 53 - Sneaking Into The Building

    Finally, all the weapons have been transported. It took thirty minutes and a lot of going back and forth.


    At least this yielded a lead. The building made of black wood. That is a target, but getting inside will be the problem.


    He had to find a way. Leo looked around for anything that could make him enter the building.


    The building was big. Much bigger than the others. It had two entrances opposite to each other.


    After looking around for five minutes, he came up with a solution. Be a cleaner. That would allow him to go into any part of the building. Simple and effective, but this was dangerous as the likelihood of him running into Aldous or the armored man would be high.


    There was a line near him where buckets filled with water and wooden mops kept inside the bucket. Leo moved to the area.


    As he reached a person walked to him. He had a spear tied to his back. "Boy, you want to work?"


    Leo nodded.


    The guard pointed his hands to one bucket. "Take it, follow the group and touch nothing. You only touch the floor."


    Leo nodded once again and picked up the basket. He made sure to not let the water or the mop fall as he followed the group of cleaners to the building.


    Leo kept his low.


    They entered the building. The floors were made of seamless wood. Light brown. A big contrast compared to the outside. The walls were all painted unlike most of the buildings in the city. There were many paths he could take. The group of cleaners did not seem to care which path they took as all of them went their separate ways.


    Which way? He had never been inside this building and there were no signs. He followed a small group of clearers. Three. Down a corridor.


    It was wide. The rooms were all spaced wide apart. The building looked bigger on the inside when compared to the outside.


    Leo cleaned. He had done many jobs like this before as part of his disguise for missions. This would be his first time in this world. Well, him being a young boy could also be a disguise, but the body he has is his own body.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The three cleaners who Leo followed split up. They left Leo on his own. There were people going through the corridor, but they were less. It was lit up using torches. The ceilings were high, so they kept the torches high up. The torches had a circular plate under them likely to collect fallen pieces of wood or fire. Also, he got to know the woods used as torches were special. They would last much longer than a normal torch did. Which made sense otherwise they would have to change it always.


    He had to find clues as right now he is doing nothing other than cleaning.


    He got his chance. The cleaners in front of him knocked on three different doors in the corridor. The doors opened, and they went inside.


    This building should have secret entrances, but finding them will be difficult. He could not enter all the rooms and the people in the rooms rarely left.


    The cleaning took one hour. Leo found no lead. At least he did not run into Aldous or the armored man. He had checked all the rooms he entered. Many of them were filled with papers stacked on top of each other. One time, when he was cleaning a stack of the papers fell down. From those, he got to know it contained information about the people in the city such as their age, name, medical condition and many more.


    He had failed today. Will he get another chance to look inside the building? Because tomorrow Mia and the others would come. And if they cause problems that would destroy his chances of finding anything.


    He had to take the risk. He would not leave with the other cleaners. He would hide in the building until night and keep searching. Then, once night arrived, he will use it as a cover and escape. He still had his old black clothes as the new one was on top. Leo tore his black cloth in the same spot he did with the new clothes. To avoid suspicion as his black cloth did not fit in with the people here.


    He decided to hide in the bathroom. Leo waited there for thirty minutes to make sure all the lingering cleaners have gone.


    He could go out now and search, but the risk will be high. He could disguise himself as a Pune. This will give him more time, but the risk will be high or he could wait until night for searching. The risk will be less, but the time he can use will be short.


    He risked it. Leo waited in the bathroom for thirty minutes, so any lingering cleaners would also leave. Then he walked out. He made his way to one of the bigger areas where many documents laid on the floors. He picked one of them but got stopped.


    "Which division are you from?" One man asked.


    Division? He knew none, but he knew about room numbers. "Room 16."


    "Then those are not the files. You must be new. What are they thinking by giving jobs like this to children?" the man said as he made his way to another area. "These are the ones."


    Leo picked them up and left the room. As he left the room, a familiar voice sounded in his ears. Aldous.


    Leo stopped and made sure no one was watching. Then he gently dropped the documents to the floor and acted as if they had fallen by mistake. He made sure his head was now in sight as people inside could not see him. He would have to lean inside to see what was happening.


    Aldous was talking to some people. Then danger erupted. Aldous walked towards him.


    He could not pick up all the letters in time and he could not leave them here. Leo lowered his head. Aldous walked past him. He looked down, but Leo kept his head down, so Aldous did not see his face.


    Leo finished picking up the papers. He then followed Aldous.


    This would be his chance.

 Chapter 54 - Who Is Artos?

    Mia arrived back to the village on the hill. She had not stopped running. What will she say to the others? Leo was risking his life while in the city and so was Xander. She has failed them as usual.


    Mia went to the hospital. There Ike and Bartel were there. Emilia was also there.


    Emilia stood up when they saw Mia entering. Both Ike and Bartel were on the bed. When they saw Mia they leaned their backs against the steel frames of the bed.


    Emilia looked behind Mia. "Where is everyone?"


    Mia did not look her in the eye. How could she?


    "I''m sorry, but I failed."


    All of them looked at each other confused. How could she fail? She went to ask help of her own father and above that; they were all from that town. So how could she have failed?


    Ike got up from the bed. His injuries have healed by a lot compared to last time. "Tell us what happened Mia."


    "I--" What could she say?


    Bartel spoke. "What will we do now Ike? Evrat and the others are still inside and, so is Leo, and Artos."


    Ike knew something was wrong. He did not want to press the matter any further. This option had failed, but they can do it on their own. "We have no other option. We have to go in ourselves."


    Emilia turned her attention to Ike. "But, how? There are only four of us."


    "Six actually. Tonight Leo and Artos will return. They would have gathered the information we need. Then we can plan our attack. I hope everyone in the city is okay."


    Ike turned his attention to Mia. "Now is not the time to be sad. We need to go near the city tonight and meet up with Leo and Artos. Got it?"


    Mia did not speak, but she nodded.


    ---


    How long has it been? Xander did not know.


    Dry blood filled the floor. Fingernails scattered across the room. His eyes were open, but they looked dead.


    He was alive but dead. Every day the man would come and torture him. Not once or twice, but eight times a day. Every three hours.


    After every session, a bucket of water would be poured over him. Which turned the pain into needles stabbing his body.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He did not know where Ivetta and the other person was. He could not care. Not for them or his life.


    The greatest swordsman and the strongest earth elemental user? Dead.


    ---


    Leo found himself on room number 16. There were four people in it including him. One on the main desk in the center. The other two were like him.


    He had failed to get any leads from Aldous as he was going out of the building and not inside it. Also, Aldous was surrounded by too many people so Leo was forced to abandon him and wait for another opportunity.


    He followed the orders given by the man on the main desk. The man did not ask Leo anything when he arrived. Leo believed that was because the man thought of him as a new recruit.


    It was now that two people walked in. The man on the front jumped up from his chair. He laughed as he went towards the two newcomers.


    Looks like they are good friends.


    They talked about various things. The man forgot about the job he had to do. Their conversation was boring until...


    One of the two newcomers said. "Have you heard? People are saying a person wearing clothes of the savages have entered."


    The man who sat on the main desk screamed. "What, Really?"


    So they know I''m here. But, how? And is savage the name they gave to people who can use magic? Also, why did they mention only one person? If anyone had seen him entering that night they would have shouted or attacked him, but no one did. Could it be Artos is working for the city?


    If so, he was in grave danger. Now there were three people who had seen him. Also, Artos could have described his face to others which meant more chances of him being caught.


    So I will have to kill him.


    If that was the case then the others would also be in danger. Should he warm them? No, that would do no good. They would come into the city, anyway. Many of them were trapped inside, so this would not stop them.


    He had to hurry.


    Leo''s eyes were lingering in the doorway. That was when he saw Aldous once more. This time, Aldous was walking towards the inside of the building.


    The three men were busy talking and the other workers did not look at him. This was his chance. Leo took a stack of documents and made his way out of the room. He then kept a distance between him and Aldous as he followed.


    Aldous walked for a really long time. The longer he walked the fewer people that appeared. This was getting dangerous as there were no Puns in this place. He could get spotted easily. Leo dropped the stack of the document inside a garbage bin and walked at a slower pace.


    Aldous reached the end of the corridor. He then walked towards an open space towards the right. Leo followed.


    The staircase went down the building. The torches were scarce, but there were guards. Four.


    Leo saw this because Aldous opened a door which the staircase leads to. He caught a glimpse of that sight when the door opened.


    He moved closer and waited until the door inside the room closed.


    Now there were only four guards past this door. Leo summoned Tenebris. He also summoned the clone and gave it its dagger. He had to be quick.


    Leo opened the door. One guard came close and peaked.


    Leo charged. Leo used his right hand to push Tenebris through the man''s face. Blood gushed out. He then used his left hand to close the door while the clone moved in.


    The clone attacked one on the left with the dagger while Leo took the remaining two on the right.


    He activated Frenzy. Leo drove Tenebris through one guard''s stomach. That guard had charged at him. The guard now had a hole in his body. Leo threw the dagger to the other guard. The dagger went through his neck. That guard''s eyes were open wide.


    As Leo finished, the clone drove the dagger through the last guard''s heart. His eyes were filled with horror and doubt.


    It happened so fast that none of them had the chance to scream.

 Chapter 55 - Xaviers Diary

    <div>


    He had to hide the bodies, but there was no place to hide them. Is there space on the other side of the door?


    Leo opened the door. It was another staircase that led down. In the end, there were two rooms.


    Leo walked down. He tried to open the door on the left but failed due to the lock. He tried the right door. It opened. Sacks filled the insides. All stacked on top of each other. He could hide the bodies here.


    Leo dragged the four bodies down. He wiped off all the blood by using their clothes and his water element. He used the parts where blood did not cover it.


    He kept the four bodies behind a big stack of sacks. This would hide them, but who knows for how long? It did not matter as long as it was a few days.


    Leo changed his clothes. He now wore his black clothes over the other one. Since it was dark here this would allow him to blend into the surroundings.


    But as he was about to go footsteps rang in his ears. Leo closed the room and waited.


    The footsteps came in front of the room, but the person did not open the room rather used the stairs.


    Leo waited for two things. One was to let whoever those footsteps belonged to go. The other was because of the people he killed. Since there was no one guarding the entrance the person to whom the footsteps belonged to can become suspicious. He had to be careful. Leo waited for thirty minutes, but nothing happened.


    Leo got out of the room and continued his journey downstairs.


    There was another staircase. How deep did this tunnel go? This was the third staircase.


    Leo reached the bottom. There was only one room. He tried the knob but failed.


    Leo summoned Tenebris. He did not break the door. That would create noise. Leo pushed Tenebris through the door. Then he used the blade to cut from the edge of the door. This would not make any sounds.


    After a minute. The door opened. There was only one torch in the room. The room was bigger than the rooms above him.


    There was a bed in the middle of the room. It was not a normal one, but one you would find in hospitals. Molds covered the walls. They looked uncleaned for a long time.


    Blood and flesh filled the ground. A pungent smell hit his nose. The room felt like a battlefield. Beads of sweat fell down his back. He was not the only one in the room.


    On the bed, there was a person. His eyes remained closed. He had no nails on his right hand. As for his left, he had none. They were on the floor. His clothes red.


    The man was breathing, but he looked worse than a dead person.


    In front of the bed, there was a dark wooden desk. On top of it were three white colored rocks. Leo picked them up, but as soon as he did that his Crystal stopped.


    So, this is that power. The rock was white like clouds on a sunny day. An experiment came to his mind. He placed the Crystal back on the desk. He then waited.


    After five minutes he could use his Crystal again. He then covered his hand with his dress. Leo picked up the rock, but this time his Crystal did not stop working.


    So it needs to have physical contact. Even clothes can prevent it from working. Leo took the three rocks and kept them in the pockets of the cloth he took from the city. They would come in handy in battle.


    The desk had two compartments. The down one had nothing, but a book.


    The writing on the paper was good. Neat and ordered.


    On the front were the words. Diary of Xavier.


    Leo scrolled through the pages. There was nothing interesting until...


    The Runes From Hell.


    I have found them. After years of searching, I have succeeded. They could not get it. My plan to trick them worked. With this, I can get everything I want.


    I need humans with magic. I still have to test the runes. The scriptures are not detailed enough, but that does not matter now. With this, I can control my enemies. All I need is to get is a meeting with the king. Then, he will have to do everything I say. This will take time, but it is worth the wait. They will pay. Every single one.


    So, it was all his plan. That would mean they kidnapped Xander and the others for this? Wait, It says if he meets with the king, he will do everything Xavier says. Does that mean I can use these runes to control people? That would explain why people who can use magic are helping the city.


    He was planning to meet the king. Then, he would use a handshake as a catalyst to prevent the Crystal of the king from working. If that was the case why did Aldous not control Emilia and Xander?


    So Xavier is the mastermind behind all this. And he is not as simple as he sounds. Also, who could be the ''they'' in the book?


    Leo turned the page.


    I risked my life by going into the border between Dawn and Celsus. The war on the border has reached a terrible state. Celsus is a mess. It is a war-torn kingdom, but I had to risk it. The runes are too valuable. If it means giving up my life for the dream I have then, I will.


    That was the last time Xavier wrote about the runes. Celsus? Does this mean I have to go there? But even if I go there where should I search?


    Does not matter. If it means uncovering more secrets about the Crystal he would take it. The journey to there will be difficult based on the contents of the diary, but he would go to that place.

 Chapter 56 - The Hatred Of Aldous

    Leo kept checking the book. He took five minutes until he found something. The page was about traveling.


    I have made it to my destination. Venzal city, Celsus. Now, I need to search until I find it. Times are tough here. Bodies everywhere. Even on the streets with no one willing to clean them up. They have inflated the money to the maximum. No one can afford anything. I have brought my food and can survive by hunting. At least the situation has shown signs of dying down.


    This is what he was looking for, but it did not tell about the actual location of the Runes. It only said the city name. Either it was found in the city or it was found somewhere near it. He could not find which of the two it was.


    After he returns to the town, he would need to go and visit this place to see if he could find any clues that would lead to him discovering the power of the Crystal.


    So he needed to end this.


    He would have to hide in this place until night. As escaping now would be problematic. He also had to find Artos and kill him because he was certain Artos was a spy. As there was no other way the people here could have known about him. Leo was sure Artos was not captured because if he was the person who told the story would definitely mention it. As it is important.


    Now, he could not get out of here to warn the other, but that was a good thing. When they attacked, he could use that as a distraction to save Xander.


    Now, Leo had to wait.


    ---


    Emilia adjusted her position in the chair. "So how are we going to do this?"


    Ike looked at everyone. There was him, Emilia, Bartel, and Mia. "With no help, this will be tough. We need to cause a distraction."


    Emilia became curious. "A distraction like what?"


    Ike held his hand to his chin. "That I''m not sure."


    "Remember about the fire that broke out near the town? We could use something like that."


    "But won''t that hurt the people there?" Emilia asked.


    Ike''s face turned serious. "Emilia, we cannot be merciful to them. When they have done all this to use. Who knows what they have done to those who got kidnapped?"


    Emilia''s face turned dark. "I know, but many of them have done nothing to us."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Did Ivetta and the others do any harm to them? All we came to do was observe them, but they injured us and took our friends. Listen, I don''t want to risk any lives, but do you think we should still be kind to them?" Ike asked.


    Emilia kept her head down. "Fine," What Ike said was true. They had done no harm to the people of the city, yet they were attacked.


    Ike turned his attention to Mia. "Are you fine with this Mia?"


    Mia nodded. What was she supposed to say? Before that. How could she even say? They were forced to do this because of her failure, so she had no other choice but to accept.


    Ike stood up. Both his and Bartel''s injuries have healed. "We will strike tonight. We cannot waste any more time. So first we need to gather the explosives. Then we meet up with Leo and Artos. They will give us the location of the captured. Then we set off the explosion and during the commotion, we get everyone back. Got it?"


    Everyone nodded.


    "So Bartel and I will go make the explosives ready and meet you guys at the east entrance?"


    Emilia stood up. "Fine," The plan is complete. It was not perfect and the chances of them succeeding were small, but they had to try.


    Emilia''s gaze turned towards the direction of the city. We are coming, Xander.


    ---


    Footsteps rang in his ears. Leo looked around for a place to hide. The walls were filled with damp spots and mold. Musty air filled the room. In the corner, there were many clothes. They looked old and dirty, but he had no other option. Leo hid inside the pile of clothes.


    Leo had opened the door partly. Since the door was metallic he had spent time in putting it back to its original position. If the people coming sees it. Then that would be a problem.


    The door to the room opened. Based on the footsteps there were two. They did not notice the blade cuttings. Leo had struggled and squeezed himself inside because of that they failed to notice it. Also, the dimly lit corridor helped him.


    "Do you like this specimen?" It was the voice of Aldous.


    "Yes," Replied the other person.


    "Tonight, you know what to do right?" Asked Aldous.


    "Of course. The runes have been set and all the ones who can use magic are ready. They are mice walking into a trap," The man replied.


    So Artos was a spy because there was no other way for Aldous to know the others would be attacking.


    "Did the experiment work with this?" Asked the man.


    "No, but father said he will find a way. I believe him. He is always correct."


    "You go back. There is something I need to do here. Tell my father I did what he asked. Now that you have seen the specimen go back and report it," Said Aldous.


    The man said nothing but left.


    Now in the room, there were only Leo, Aldous and the unconscious man.


    Leo could see Aldous through a hole he created. Should he attack? There is no one else here, but if he failed, then that would be it.


    Leo did not attack. He waited.


    Aldous moved closer to the man in the bed. He then took a syringe and inserted it into the man''s head. Aldous showed no care. He pushed the syringe with all his force.


    The man in the bed moved. A groan left his mouth. "Yo-- son of Xav..ier."


    "Oh, it seems you know who I am. Well, that is good. Are you ready for today?" Asked Aldous.


    The man spat. Not at Aldous, but on the floor.


    "Haha, Do you know what I have injected inside you? Wait, I won''t say you will find it out by yourself. That is why I woke you up. All of you will suffer."


    "You bastard!" The man cried, but he got no response.


    "If you survive this my father will be happy, so make sure to not die. He will come to check on you," After saying this Aldous left the room.


    The man struggled, but could not do anything as he was strapped to the bed.

 Chapter 57 - Surprise Attack

    The only people in the room was Leo and the man strapped to the bed.


    Leo came out of the pile of clothes. He then walked towards the man.


    "Who''s.... there?" The man asked as he tried to look sideways, but the strap on his head did not allow him.


    Leo came into view. "You... Who are you? Are you here... to kill me?"


    Leo looked at the pathetic condition of the man. His skin had started to turn light red. His eyes lost their colors. "No."


    The man groaned with clenched hands. Blood oozed out of his mouth. "Boy, I do not know who you are but... will you take my life?" The man pleased. The pain was getting to him. He could not take it anymore. The pain plus the constant experimenting had gotten the better of him.


    Leo looked at the man. His face pleaded for death. "Are you sure?"


    The man did not respond. His eyes started at the moldy and dark ceiling. It looked like he was thinking about his life. The man finally answered. "Yes."


    Very well. Leo summoned Tenebris. "Close your eyes," The man did as Leo asked.


    Leo drove Tenebris through the man''s heart. His eyes opened, but they closed soon after.


    Leo then covered the wound of the man. He could not let the others see. He made sure to close the man''s eyes as well.


    He had found a clue about the origin of the Runes. With this, he could discover more secrets about the Crystal.


    Now, he had to find Xander. There was a high possibility he was in this building, but where?


    Leo moved out of the room. The corridor was lit up by torches. This made it easy for him to move. He would wait until the others strike. Then, he would save Xander.


    ---


    The night was cold and calm. The trees rose from the ground to brush the sky with dead leaves on the ground. Four figures were hiding near a city. They were Mia, Emilia, Ike, and Bartel. This was the meetup location. They were waiting for Leo and Artos.


    Ike peered through a nearby bush. "It''s Artos," He whispered.


    Artos made sure that no one saw him as he made his way. "Hey, guys."


    Emilia was the first one to speak. "So have you got what we needed?"


    Artos smiled. "Of course. I know exactly where Xander and the others are."


    Emilia looked back of Artos. "Where is Leo?"Stolen story; please report.


    Artos did not know where Leo was. He had searched for him under order from Aldous but failed to find anything. "I did not see him after we entered."


    Could he be in danger? Emilia thought. No, Leo can make it out. She said to herself thinking about the training they had together.


    Artos asked with interest. "Where are the reinforcements?"


    Ike sighed. "Well, about that. We had a slight problem. There will be no reinforcements. We have to do it by ourselves."


    Artos''s heart jumped in joy. These fools were mice walking into a trap. "Damn!" he cursed making sure to not blow his cover.


    Ike turned his attention toward the city. "It does not matter now. We have already planned everything. We need to execute it."


    Artos leaned in. "So what is the plan?"


    Ike''s smile turned confident. "Wait and see."


    Shit. How could he ask for more? That would make it weird. Artos decided to wait. He knew that regardless of what the plan was they would be unable to do anything.


    Ike signaled to Bartel. They both moved inside.


    The others waited. Nothing happened for thirty minutes until...


    BOOM BOOM


    Two explosions went off. Arto''s mouth opened wise. This was their plan?! Based on what he could see the explosions went off towards the center of the city.


    Before his mind could think anything two more explosions went off. This time they were towards the edges.


    Mia and Emilia moved. Not waiting for Artos.


    Artos stood there stunned by what had happened. He heard screams of despair within the city. This was beyond his expectations.


    ---


    Leo had been hiding on near the room where the bodies were. The pungent smell of rotten meat reigned supreme in the room, but Leo still stayed in.


    "Time to move," Leo climbed the stairs. He had to find where Xander was.


    The more Leo went up the more he was able to hear the commotion going above him. It seems everyone is in a panic.


    Leo made it to the place where he had killed the four guards. This time he could hear a lot more sounds.


    Leo had no other choice. Leo opened the door. There were six.


    Leo used Frenzy. He then summoned Tenebris and the clone.


    All the guards had spears as their weapons. This made it hard for Leo to get close and their range was higher than his.


    Leo dodged around the blades and reached the first. He pushed Tenebris through the man''s throat. As he did this a spear came towards him. Leo used the dead man''s body as a meat shield. The spear was now inside the dead man. Leo pulled the spear which made the person holding it fall towards Leo. He then pointed Tenebris at the man. The man''s face went through Tenebris. There were no screams by the two when they died.


    Four more left.


    The clone charged at one of them, but they managed to dodge the clone. The man then thrust his spear at the clone. The spear went through the clone. Before the man could react a dagger pierced his heart. Leo threw the dagger.


    Two spears came towards him. Leo moved backward. He used his pure element attack. The water pushed both backward. Leo charged towards them. When he reached he slashed Tenebris. Both bodies got split into two. Tenebris was a sharp sword. This made cutting human flesh easy.


    Now, there was one more left. This person had not moved till now. His eyes lingered on Leo.


    The clone attacked, but it failed to do anything as it got squashed by two boulders.


    An earth element user.


    The boulders changed their target to Leo who dodged. The boulders broke the walls behind him. Leo charged forward but got stopped by a wall made of rock. Leo moved to the left as he picked up the dagger dropped by the clone.


    The man charged towards him. This time rocks covered his hands. Leo moved back. He slashed using Tenebris. The man caught the blade between his arms. He then pulled Leo.


    Leo slid down. Now he was below the man. Leo took the dagger in his right hand while his left held onto to Tenebris. Leo then pushed the dagger through the man''s stomach. The man left his grip of Tenebris as his hands held his stomach, but Leo did not stop. Leo slashed with Tenebris and separated the man''s head from his body.


    He then slashed Tenebris in the air to get rid of the blood.


    Leo then moved towards the ground floor.

 Chapter 58 - Rescuing Xander

    Leo looked around. There were people running with confusion. Smoke entered the building. From the looks, one of the explosion was close to Leo. He cannot waste any more time.


    Leo grabbed one of the people who was running. The man had sweat all over his body. Leo''s hands gripped the person''s neck as he pushed the person to the wall. ¡°Tell me where are the people who you capture kept?¡±


    The man had a confused look on his face. His lungs went up and down from all the running. ¡°What?¡±


    Leo¡¯s grip tightened as he took out Tenebris on his left hand. ¡°I asked where do you keep the people that you capture?¡±


    The man gulped. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know the exact location, but I can take you near it.¡±


    Near is good as he did not have much time. Leo loosened the grip. Both ran towards the location. If this person was lying then Leo would kill him for wasting time.


    It took them ten minutes to reach the location. As Leo guessed it was in the same building. They got delayed because of the commotion and smoke which made it hard to breathe.


    ¡°This is the general location. Please, I don¡¯t know the exact one. I need to get to my family,¡± The man pleased.


    Leo did not respond. The man took it as his cue to leave and left. Leo¡¯s eyes focused on the area. Where could Xander be?


    As Leo thought this a figure came in front of him. ¡°So, you are the one that entered with the other boy.¡±


    Leo had not seen this man before, but he had some resemblance to Aldous. ¡°Are you¡­ Xavier?¡±


    The man smiled. ¡°Indeed. I must say I did not think you were here.¡±


    Leo summoned Tenebris and got into fighting position. ¡°Eager to fight me? You sure about that?


    Well, It¡¯s not like I have an option.


    But before Leo attacked a white beam of light came crashing towards Xavier.


    Xavier dodged the attack and remarked. ¡°Too slow.¡±


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!It was Mia.


    She did not stop her attacks. ¡°What are you doing Leo? Go save the others!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. The others will be here soon.¡±


    Leo looked at the fight. She would get defeated soon, but he could not waste time.


    Leo moved. There was a room behind Xavier. When Mia attacked Xavier had moved out of this way. This made it easy for Leo to get inside.


    The room was lit by torches. The corners of the walls had webs. There was a table at in the center. On it was many files they looked older than the ones Leo had handled. Leo searched the room. He checked everywhere. Then he came across a part of the wall that felt different than the rest. When he used Tenebris with the other walls Tenebris would be hard to pull out, but in this section it was easy. A secret entrance? He attacked it using Tenebris. The wall came crashing down. It was a tunnel.


    Leo went inside it. Rough bricks covered the walls. The path was narrow and sharp. Water dripped on the sides of the tunnel. Echoes of his footsteps rang across the passage. Dust filled the air.


    After three minutes of travel through the tunnel, he reached the end. In front of him were countless doors. All had a small window at the top with metallic bars. Leo looked inside the cells. There were people. He searched twelve of them until he found Xander on the thirteenth.


    Xander lay on the floor covered in blood. His eyes were wide as the moon. His breath was calm despite his situation. Leo used Tenebris to break opened the door. The worn out wood could not stand against the blades of Tenebris.


    But as soon as he entered Leo stopped in his tracks. Five while circles surrounded Xander. Leo called but he got no reply.


    Leo looked around and found a big stick. He used that and tangled it with Xander¡¯s pant. He then pulled Xander. Leo then looked at Xander who stared back at him. ¡°Why?¡± A low voice sounded.


    ¡°With this, I no longer have any debt towards you,¡± Saying that Leo lifted Xander and supported him by the shoulder.


    When they both walked out of the cell a figure came in front of them. It was Bartel.


    Bartel looked around. His eyes stopped near the entrance where there was a key.


    Bartel took the key near the entrance and opened the cells. They were in bad shape. Some had fingers and hair missing while others looked dead. The psychological trauma of this would be with them for a long time. For some, it may not even leave them till they die.


    They ran in the direction Bartel came which was a different one from which Leo had taken. None of them waited for Leo and Xander. Injuries and blood covered them, but when freedom stood in front of them how could they not take it? They took that freedom except for Xander¡­


    Leo carried Xander through the entrance he had used before. He did not use the one the others took as that could be dangerous. There were too many people which would lead to mass panic and confusion if attacked.


    He still had to kill Artos and Aldous, but where would he find them?


    ¡°Have you ever got tortured?¡± Asked Xander.


    Yes, he had. Many times back in his old world, but he could not say that. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever wanted to die?¡± Asked Xander again.


    Yes, he had, but he could not say that. ¡°No.¡±


    Xander did not ask another question. He felt tired. Drained of everything he had.

 Chapter 59 - Blood Like Cherry

    Leo made his way back to the door. Sounds of battle came into his ears.


    Mia was able to hold out?


    Leo opened the door. He was partly correct because Mia was not alone. Ike was helping her, but both could not take down Xavier.


    Leo kept Xander on the floor filled with debris. He then summoned Tenebris.


    Leo charged from the back. Xavier dodged his attacks, but Leo increased his speed in return.


    Leo and Xavier fought until they were close to the part of the building where the wad fire. It looks like the fire had spread into this building.


    Seeing this fire Xavier''s face changed. He ignored Leo and ran to another location. He got caught which made him forget this.


    Why is he running? Leo followed.


    Leo used his pure element attack, but Xavier ignored it. He tried to pull on a doorknob but failed as it had heated up. Xavier held the pressure from Leo''s water attack using his back. He ignored the attack and kicked the door.


    "Do you wish to die?" Xavier spoke to Leo.


    Leo pointed Tenebris at Xavier. "No, but you can die," Leo charged towards Xavier.


    "Fool!" shouted Xavier, but he did not move from his position.


    Just before Tenebris reached Xavier moved out of the way. Tenebris struck the door. The blades went towards the inside of the door. Xavier shoved Leo to the ground. He then kicked Leo''s stomach. Xavier then tried to pull Tenebris but failed. He pulled ever harder but failed again.


    How could he succeed? Leo was the owner of Tenebris. It would not help someone who was not it''s owner.


    Leo spun on the ground and caught Xavier''s leg. This made Xavier fall to the ground. Leo got on his feet and took Tenebris, but before he could strike a hand pulled him.


    It was Ike. He did not say anything. Ike pulled Leo and both of them ran.


    "Let go," Demanded Leo, but Ike did not reply.


    When Leo looked back Xavier still had not moved from his position. He was sure that the knock would not do anything to Xavier, but why is he not moving?


    After twenty seconds the room near Xavier exploded.


    Both Leo and Ike were hit by the blast. They both flew and fell on the ground.


    The explosion was massive. It was loud. Leo could not hear anything else other than the explosive sound. Some covered the entire area. This made it hard to breathe. Even opening the eyes were a problem.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Run," A voice sounded in his ears. Leo knew that the voice belonged to Ike.


    This would be the best opportunity to escape this place. Both Leo and Ike ran. Along the way, he saw how badly the city was hurt.


    Charcol bodies lay on the ground with no one to help them. People injured and in tears. Leo saw the old man and the boy running to safety. He saw many others getting pushed to the ground and stepped on due to the commotion. It was a tragic sight, but not a new one.


    Leo and Ike found themselves overlooking the city. Smoke gushed out from the city. People ran like wild animals. Screams of agony and despair sounded from within the black smoke.


    Ike sighed. "Was it worth it?"


    Leo did not respond. It looked like Ike had asked that question to himself and not to Leo.


    Ike turned his attention to Leo. "We better get going. We will meet up with the other in town. I need to cool my head," Ike began walking.


    Leo stood there for a few seconds then walked away. There was no way Xavier escaped from the explosion. Both him and Ike got injured so it was easy to imagine what would happen to Xavier who was at the center of the explosion.


    It was an unfortunate death and could have easily been avoided, but Xavier could not do anything.


    ---


    It took Leo and Ike twenty minutes to reach the town, but there was something wrong...


    The town was no longer there...


    It was replaced by destruction. The cherry trees all had disappeared. Buildings had crumbled. The pathways were no longer there. Blood and flesh populated the area.


    Ike''s eyes were open wide. He could not believe this. He saw people with the bodies ripped apart. Lungs and stomachs pulled out. Intestines


    Ike could not believe this. What? How could such a thing happen?


    Ike ran towards the town.


    ---


    Mia stood in front of her house. At least what remained of it. There she saw a sight she would never forget. A sight she could never forget.


    The sight of her father separated into six pieces. His head, legs, hands, body were all pierced through spears which were erected in front of their house.


    Mia did not move. She could not move. No tears fell down. As of this moment, it was not sure if she was alive or dead.


    ---


    Emilia found herself towards the edge of the city. There she found her parents. Cut in half. Their hands still held each other, but their bodies did not. The family she longed to protect was no longer there.


    Emilia fell to the ground. Her heart stabbed by a sword. Not with one strike, but a sword that kept stabbing her heart. It did not stop. It would never stop. How could it?


    ---


    Xander walked around his orphanage. It was in ruins. The people he once knew lay on the ground. Their insides spilled out.


    Around him, nothing but ruins stood. The wooden and cement building had all into ruins. The happy and lively people were all dead with their blood and guts spilled out. The cherry trees which filled the town were all gone. The cherry''s mixed with the blood.


    Xander felt no pain. He could no longer feel any pain. He wanted to. At least that is what his mind kept saying, but his heart refused.


    He wanted to run. To where? He did not know. All Xander wanted was to run and never stop because if he did. He would die.


    ---


    Leo walked inside the town. He stopped near the entrance. There he saw the four men that were there when he came to the town.


    They were together. The only difference was that they were dead. From the looks of it, they were the first ones to come in contact with the enemy. Leo was sure they did not try to escape because if an enemy is coming to attack a place you were in who in their right mind would use the only entrance?


    Leo walked past the men. Then he came across Zek.


    Zek''s remaining arm was inside his mouth. Zek''s tongue was replaced by the fingers of his remaining hand.


    It was a tragic sight. The entire town in ruins. It was as if someone had squeezed all the cherry trees over the town and sprinkled it with human flesh.

 Chapter 60 - Nora

    "Everyone run!" a voice filled with panic sounded.


    Everyone looked towards the direction of the voice. It was from a girl. She ran out of the woods.


    Another person who stood near the woods moved towards her. "Why should we run?"


    The girl''s chest moved up and down, but she replied. "Those people¡­ who captured us are coming. They have so many over twenty."


    Everyone looked at each other. They knew this is bad as none of them could fight. Especially against twenty.


    "Quickly escape into the woods."


    As this voice sounded everyone ran. It was now that another voice filled with surprise rang.


    "Look all the kids are here," The voice originated from an old house. This was the house where Leo got his spells from.


    It was now that Mia got brought back to reality. She frantically looked around for the origin of the voice. When the voice sounded another time, she ran towards it with only one thing on her mind. Nathan.


    Mia''s pushed past everyone and ran towards the bottom. That voice was correct. Nathan along with ten other kids were lying on the floor. Even with all the shouting none of them woke up, but they were alive. Nathan was alive. That is all she wanted.


    Mia stared at him. What would she do? Runaway? Her eyes became filled with Nathan''s face. Memories of the past with him and Gerard came to her mind. A voice sounded in her mind. Run. Mia did not know who that voice belonged to. Was it hers? or was it someone else? She did not know, but she did as the voice told.


    Mia took Nathan and placed him on her back. She made her way to the top and looked around. She moved towards Emilia and Xander.


    Emilia pulled Xander''s hand, but he refused to come.


    Emilia looked at him and pleaded. "Xander, please. Come with me," She lost her parents. Her dream of uniting her family no longer remained, but she still had to find her sister. She did not want anyone else to die.


    Xander''s body became light. He did as Emilia told.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Mia looked around. "Where is Leo?"


    They could not find him. Where could he be?


    It was now that a white light shot out from the center of the town. The light then split apart and shot towards everyone still in the town. The light engulfed them. Their vision got blurry.


    Then all the bodies which the light engulfed disappeared.


    ¡ª


    Leo found himself in the house where he got his spells. He had come here after everyone left with the kids. Last time Zek picked the skills for him, but this time he would get to choose. He had to be fast because running into the people from the city would be a bad idea.


    Leo searched through the piles of scrolls stacked on top of each other.


    He found a stack of spells related to water. There were four. Leo looked at the contents. He already had two of the spells. Frenzy and the clone so he left them. Before he could look at the remaining two voices from the ground rang in his ears.


    He had to escape. He did not have time.


    Leo ran through the stairs and made his way out of the house. Then he used the broken buildings in the area as a cover and moved.


    As he did this Leo sensed an attack come towards him. He dodged the attack. A strike made of fire. Leo ran at his full speed towards the woods.


    The man who attacked Leo followed. He wore silver armor with a sword tied to his side. The man''s speed would have been faster, but the armor reduced it. Still, he could keep up with Leo.


    This is bad.


    Leo looked around. There was nothing but trees. He had to attack or at least delay the man.


    Leo stopped in his tracks. He then activated frenzy and used his pure element attack. Waster rushed out of his hands.


    The man used his pure element attack. A wave of fire much bigger than Leo''s wave of water rushed out from the man''s hand.


    This was Leo''s plan. This collision would cause a lot of steam. He would use this steam to escape with the clone acting as a distraction.


    When both the attacks met steam rushed out to all sides. Leo activated the clone and ordered it to run towards the right. Leo did not run. He hid behind a big tree. As Leo guessed the man chased after the clone. He had to hurry because if the range between him and the clone grew bigger then the clone would fall apart.


    Leo ran at his full speed with Frenzy activated. When Leo sensed his connection with the clone breaking Leo summoned the clone back.


    As he did this a scream ran through the forest, but Leo did not stop. He kept running not knowing where he would end up.


    ¡ª


    An hour passed since he escaped from the man. Leo stood in front of a village.


    Leo stood for some time to catch his breath. He then walked into the village.


    The village likes most ones he had gone had wooden construction. They included both houses and shops. People sold fruits on the streets with only a mat separating them from the ground. The village lacked any roads.


    Leo stopped in his tracks. His eyes grew wide as the moon. This was the first time since he came to this world his mind became this shocked.


    His mind did not work.


    Leo''s eyes stared at a figure. A figure of someone he once knew. A figure of someone he once held close¡­


    As Leo started at that figure their eyes stared back at him.


    Both stood there with wide eyes not knowing what to do. How could this be?


    Nora. How can you be in this world? Did you not die long before I died? Leo asked himself.