《Sorcery of the Fair Folk : First Book of the Feycrowned Series》


 Chapter 1 - No Fathers Child

    The alluring aroma of boar meat wakes Theo from his sleep. The darkness around broken by the flames burning high, easily seen through from the gaps in the treehouse. The soft matt that are leaves did enough to relieve the stress of walking all day while dragging a delicious meal, not alone, however. The boar was his catch.


    The familiar form of the village elder could be seen dancing at the head of the flames, the fire imitating his movements. Or was it the other way around? No one truly knew.


    A wooden pole was pierced through the mouth of the meal and came out through the back, two assisting wooden poles stuck in the ground keeping it off the ash. The fur and the intestines were taken off, turning it into a feast for the whole village ready to be eaten.


    The small denizens could be seen following the rhythm of the elder and the flame, the flames soaring ever so higher. The crackling of wood could be heard, a satisfying sound comparable to a bubble popping.


    The slight stench of smoke entered Theo¡¯s nostrils, some parts of the boar placed in the pit to smoke, a lonely looking boy sitting at the edge to keep the flame off, occasionally pouring the water inside, answered with a few embers flying upwards.


    Theo walked towards the boy. The small numbers of the village helped to unite it wholly, numbering in the two dozen. It was Chakk, the elder¡¯s brother¡¯s child.


    Chakk, and everyone seemed to be shorter than Theo. Even with the enormous horns protruding from the top of his head, Chakk¡¯s height only reached Theo¡¯s breast. His green eyes glowed in the dark, letting him see without trouble. It was a particular trait of the elder¡¯s family.


    Those eyes were now looking up to him, with a questioning look. ¡°Big bro Ti, aren¡¯t you gonna join the feast?¡±


    ¡°I am. It¡¯s not done yet.¡± Theo answered, looking at the first meat meal he would have in three weeks. More often than not, they¡¯d eat fruits and nuts. It was particularly worrying Theo¡¯s diet was far larger than any other in the village, even the glutton Bit was no match.


    A quiet baa could be heard, a yawn or a sigh. Theo couldn¡¯t place his finger on it.


    ¡°It¡¯s so boring here. I wish I could dance with the others.¡± Chakk complained, shaking the leather canteen.


    ¡°You can. I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Theo said, giving him a thumbs up with a slight smile.


    ¡°Really?¡± Theo nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡±


    Theo stared at the wood burning below, the violet flames never ceasing to burn. The occasional dips of water kept it down, generating a generous amount of smoke for the jerky. It would take at least another few hours for it to do so, and Theo would most likely be swapped with another.


    Theo willed some flame up to his hands, creating a ball of flame over his palm, no bigger than a small apple. He used to fight the others with these during the harvest festival, when the crops were burned to purify the wheat.


    Now that time was past, although everyone does that, Theo doesn¡¯t. It seemed too childish.


    Childish. That word just flowed into his mind during the last year, and everything they did felt too immature. Even the elder who was said to be as old as three hundred years, didn¡¯t seem to mind acting that way.


    A whistle cut through the steady rhythm of sings, followed by countless twigs breaking. A large snake, the size of a tree, appeared before the villagers, followed by three other smaller ones. All sound quieted down, only leaving out the four loud thumps to be heard by everyone.


    There were four other boars.


    ¡°Maku, you¡¯re here too?¡± The elder exclaimed, motioning for everyone to take out the extra poles to fry them. He and his children occasionally visited to have their catches cooked, claiming it tasted better. Theo preferred raw, but that was a little too hard for his non-pointy teeth. The problem with that was, everyone else had pointy ones.


    ¡°You¡¯re always welcome!¡± The elder continued with a loud laugh. Maku sometimes brought several extra during the rain season. He knew how hard it was for the furry ones to live through the flames. At least the younger ones.


    The happy chatter continued, the elder talking away with the giant serpentine creature. Theo never understood what was so fun about dancing, playing was self-explanatory, but dancing. Everyone liked it, even Maku who was moving his long body in a rather unique way.


    As the extra poles were brought, so were the chairs and tables. It was a long one, enough to seat the twenty two denizens of the Ballar village. The boar was taken off the flames, and placed on the table. It was then dissected with Maku¡¯s assistance, donning a large cleaver that would have taken four of the villagers to lift with his tail, and cutting it up. The feet were cut off, the ribs into several pieces, the head separated from the neck, and the body haphazardly cut into pieces.


    Chakk snatched a rib and came running over to Theo¡¯s side. He took a seat next to him, biting a piece off of the meat and talking with it in his mouth. ¡°Ywou cwan gwo now.¡±


    Theo chuckled and run to the table, throwing the canteen to the boy. It was a happy life, if not boring. He took a seat on the ground, much like the four serpents coiled up, awaiting their meal.


    The chairs were a little small for him, and so was the table when he made a chair fitting of his size in the last decade. So he took up sitting on the ground.


    A girl, or a woman, Theo didn¡¯t know what to use, put a hand on his back. She was about a century old, but was deemed quite young, so that was that. Theo was merely a child compared to her, but age differences never mattered. She was a green, smaller version of Theo, with a smaller body.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey, Theo. Wanna play some fireball later?¡± She asked. Also a child.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Theo nodded, grabbing a foot. His hands met with another one, a slightly chubbier green.


    It was Bit.


    ¡°Fight!¡±


    ¡°Fight!¡±


    ¡°Fight!¡±


    Chants of a fight could be heard, and Theo¡¯s eyes met Bit¡¯s, big grins on their faces. They both held the hind legs of the boar, and as if Maku¡¯s whistle was a cue, they bit into the soft flesh. The fat of the boar only served to sate the thirst for water and save the trouble of choking for both, letting them race with no break.


    An invigorated feeling spread through Theo¡¯s body, shaking off all the dizziness he had sustained after the small nap. The slight minty taste was a slight contrast to the greasy bitterness of the meat. Fruits tasted better than it, although meat had its own charm.


    Theo¡¯s teeth scraped against the bone first, Bit coming soon after. Then Theo inserted it into his mouth and dragged the bone back with his teeth nearly clenched, throwing down the clean bone and raising both hands.


    A series of cheers could be heard as Bit humph-ed within all the noise, letting the leg go, also cleaned.


    Maku whistled, and the villagers sung and danced. They really latched onto the smallest reasons to celebrate. Theo couldn¡¯t help but wonder why he was so different than them.


    Then he opened his eyes, finding himself in an unfamiliar place.


    The light had ceased to exist, none penetrating through the dense branches of the tall trees. The aroma of a fried boar was replaced with that of a refreshing smell after a rain, although unknown to Theo.


    He looked around, finding none of the villagers, and most importantly, no one else. The times he had been alone numbered in the half dozen, and he didn¡¯t like it one tiny bit. Even if it was a boar, he would like that company.


    It was eerily quiet, aside from the sound of branches moving in the wind and the leaves rustling under his feet, nothing could be heard. Silence would have been welcomed, if only he wasn¡¯t all alone in an unfamiliar part of the forest.


    The strangest of all was how he had appeared here. He just blinked, and there he was. Stranded in the forest and all alone. Thankfully, the presence of meat in his stomach would last him a day and a half, he¡¯d have most likely found some food by that time.


    Walking got him nowhere, so he decided to jog. Lightly, but it covered more distance nonetheless. Tracking down boars was one of the key components to eating meat back at the village, and he had learned to do so and hunt the creature. That would be impossible if one couldn¡¯t run as fast as one. For a long time.


    It shaped his body, increasing his stamina and endurance by unforeseen amounts. Muscles had started to form after climbing up and down the vine ladders every time he needed to go home, creating moderate muscles in his bicep and abdominal area, the legs already developed due to the running.


    All in all, no one would see the teenage boy as one who didn¡¯t train. Quite the opposite, actually. Few would be able to match his body with half-assed exercises.


    A rustle could be heard from the left, Theo instantly turning to look at the source. It was too dark, rendering his sight half-useless. Only the general direction of trees could be seen, after all.


    Then a thought entered Theo¡¯s mind.


    The elder could create flames, and he could control it. No one ever created it willingly due to some warnings from the elder, about burning down the forest. Now that he was in an unfamiliar place, it was the best time and place to try. It could generate some light as well.


    Theo turned his palm upwards, wishing for the flame to come out. It started out as a spark, and Theo knew everything he needed to make it bigger. He pulled it to both sides, enlarging the spark into a fire. An ember fell onto his hand, stinging a lot. It never did that before.


    Maybe the elder didn¡¯t want anyone else be hurt, so he never let other make fires. That was a good reason indeed.


    With a light source, Theo looked at the site of the noise. With the flames chasing away the darkness, Theo now saw a¡­ an another one like him. It was miraculous.


    Theo¡¯s eyes opened wide as he let go of the flame. Someone that looked like him existed. It was a girl from the looks of it. She had short brown hair, reaching down to her shoulders and wore a yellowish white shirt and loose black pants, covering her body with a dark brown robe in tatters.


    His eyes caught an unusual detail. She wore something on her feet. It was black, and covered the entirety of it. It was strange. No one did that. But maybe everyone like him did.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Theo asked with stars in his eyes. ¡°Is there anyone else like you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t come near!¡± She shouted, brandishing a cleaver, albeit a little too slim and sharp looking. In other words, it was dangerous. Theo instinctively walked back, raising his hands.


    ¡°Why are you here?!¡± She shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Answered Theo, tilting his head.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked, narrowing her eyes and squatting down a tiny bit.


    ¡°I¡¯m Theo. You?¡± He said, quickly putting his hand on his mouth. The elder always said not to talk to strangers. But she was another one of his kind. That could be fine. Theo let go of his mouth and looked at the girl.


    She was more beautiful than some of the winged villagers, who were ever so proud of that.


    ¡°What the hell does that even mean? I¡¯m asking who you are!¡± She shouted again. She was the short-tempered type.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m Theo. Oh, right, a hunter.¡± He corrected with a smile.


    ¡°Put something on.¡± She said with a glare, motioning to his private part with her sword. He didn¡¯t understand the meaning, but sighed as he took off his fur coat and tied it around his lower body, imitating Bit.


    The chilly breeze fell on his back, sending a shiver down his spine. It was cold, a rare occurrence. It was mostly scorching hot.


    Her eyes turned wide as she looked at the flame, dropped a few moments ago by none other than Theo.


    ¡°Are you a mage?¡± She asked with a frown, placing her sword on his neck.


    ¡°Umm¡­ Mage?¡± Theo asked, tilting his head, rather uncomfortable with the blade threatening to take his life.


    She sheathed her blade with a sigh. Turning to look at Theo.


    ¡°Any mage would have proudly answered the question. Guess you aren¡¯t one.¡± She said as she turned to look to the back and grabbed a piece of wood from the ground, letting it drop with a shake of her head. Theo grabbed the flames, not letting it spread further. It would be bad if the forest burned. ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t even know what you are using.¡±


    Theo nodded. ¡°I could always do this.¡±


    That was a lie, but he wanted to impress the girl. Indispensable words from Uncle Ka: Always try to impress.


    ¡°Oh. It seems you are a sorcerer then.¡± She said nonchalantly. ¡°Where have you been all this time? Under a rock?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I used to live in a village, and I was suddenly here.¡± Theo answered with a shrug.


    ¡°Suddenly here?¡± The girl asked as she turned to look at the boy, then sighed. ¡°You¡¯re full of mysteries.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ What is your name?¡± Theo asked. Everyone said their names before asking the other¡¯s, which made this girl even stranger. Was the etiquette of his people different than at the village?


    ¡°I¡¯m Lisa.¡± She said as she suddenly came to a halt, walking to Theo¡¯s back. ¡°I can¡¯t see very well.¡±


    Theo chuckled. That was true. Even he couldn¡¯t.


    The flame lit up the night, letting the two take a look around. The purple hue around made everything look magical, even some poisonous-looking mushrooms.


    Lisa occasionally stopped, grabbing some plants from the ground and placing them in her pouch, hanging at her waist. Some even looked edible, but Theo wasn¡¯t really hungry. Then they came into a forest clearing.


    No.


    It wasn¡¯t a clearing.


    The forest ended there. What could be seen beyond was an endless plain, filled with greenery and mountains of stone beyond the countless wooden buildings.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Theo asked with wide eyes and a big smile.


    ¡°In Stoneguard.¡± Lisa answered as she walked down the hill.

 Chapter 2 - Land of the Quick Folk

    Theo opened his eye, the sunlight the main culprit of his wake, uncomfortably falling on his face. The soft bed beckoned him to lie on it more, and he took up the offer. The boar fur covered his body, keeping him away from the cold much like the many times it had done so back at the village.


    Thoughts swirled within his head, from the time Lisa found him in the woods to the time he had laid his gaze upon the sickly old man, friendly enough to offer shelter to the now homeless boy. He never felt ill, and no one at the village did, which greatly surprised him to see the man. Strange dark blue dots covered his body and the man couldn¡¯t stand up on his own, fed by his daughter Lisa, who had went to the forest to look for herbs in times of need.


    It was terribly apparent that they only had each other to keep themselves company.


    If only he could help the man. Theo sighed as he shook his head. If it was that easy, anyone would have done that.


    Theo closed his eyes for a bit, trying to fall asleep once more, proven futile. The mattress was truly a great invention, his kind had created this to relieve stress. He now couldn¡¯t think of the pile of leaves as a matt, more of a¡­ something.


    He looked around, the wooden building not much different than his own treehouse, but it was built on the ground, as if the top of a tree was brought down and some wood was added to cover it whole. Impossible back at the village due to the elder¡¯s love of trees. He said that trees were born of god, and mortals out of trees.


    Theo was never one for superstition.


    He stood up, noticing the set of clothes placed on the drawer next to the bed. There was a light brown shirt and dark green baggy trousers. He didn¡¯t mind doing so, he noticed when the older man eyed him with suspicion and didn¡¯t want that to happen again.


    Theo looked in a mirror, as they called it, it was much like the surface of water, but solid. His hair was quite long for a man, reaching his neck and unkempt. He was rather dirty looking compared to the people of this village, and didn¡¯t want to stay that way. Never seeing a river or lake around was worrying. Did his kind not drink water? Then what?


    A knock on the door snapped him out of his stupor. He walked up to the door and tried to push it open. It didn¡¯t budge. He was pretty sure he pushed it open last night. Then Theo hit his forehead, and pulled it towards himself. It would be reversed now.


    It was rather unfamiliar to him who had hanging leaves in place of doors, both did their job of concealing the insides, yet this one couldn¡¯t be walked through. He had no idea why his kind bothered to create these doors.


    He was met with Lisa, who was in the exact same attire as yesterday, but with the lack of a sword. That thing was dangerous, if it was anything like the cleaver which could separate the body parts of a boar easily.


    She gestured for Theo to follow her, and he did so without question. He couldn¡¯t truly say no to his benefactor. He¡¯d most likely be lost in the woods if not for her.


    She led him into her father¡¯s room, where the man was lying the day before. She took a seat next to the man, on the bed and motioned for him to sit on a chair. Theo complied.


    ¡°Let me ask you again, this time without any hostility. Are you a mage?¡± She said, looking straight at Theo¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± Theo answered, tilting his head.


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Since you are a sorcerer, you might just be able to do it.¡±


    The man then spoke, his voice weak and frail.


    ¡°Wish for me¡­ to be healthy.¡± The man said. ¡°You won¡¯t¡­ be sorry.¡±


    Theo nodded his head. He then wished, much like the time he manipulated flames, created one and the times he sensed for boars. It came so naturally for him that Theo even wondered if it was this power of his that kept him away from sickness and pain.


    The man gave him shelter, and he would heal him. A favor for a favor.


    He pointed his palm at the frail man, willing for him to be healthy. Theo felt some stamina leave his body, rendering him immobile. That sure took a lot. The last time he felt like this was after a day¡¯s worth of fireball.


    Theo slumped down to the chair, thanking the convenience. It sure was nice to sit on a chair, where everything was his size. Even Lisa was only a tad bit shorter than him.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°So it didn¡¯t work.¡± Lisa said, a deep sigh escaping her mouth when it happened. It started with a crackle. A small, tiny crackle which would have escaped the ears of the three if not for the awkward silence reigning supreme.


    The crackle turned straight into an explosion: an explosion of dust. Dust that is created with every break of a fireball, dust that covers the body of the winged villagers and dust that fills the air of the village. It was a golden color, shining bright even in the midday sun¡¯s presence.


    Now Theo could see, the man covered in dust and the dust entering his crevices, his mouth, ears, nostrils and even eyes. The dust entered his body, turning him into something more akin to a cocoon if anything. A golden cocoon.


    Then it exploded. A dull explosive sound escaped, the usual destruction of a fireball. But then again, this was on the body of a human. The old man looked frail no more. Younger, if anything. The dark blue dots covering the entirety of his body had all but disappeared, some smudges still remaining as the only traces.


    The old man opened his eyes wide, surprised at the sudden change and the absence of pain. Lisa covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming from her eyes.


    Theo stared at Lisa with a horrified look. Had he done something terrible? That was the only reason she would cry. No. That couldn¡¯t be it. He merely helped the man. But could it be that she didn¡¯t want for the man to be healed? That couldn¡¯t be. She was nice, and wanted for him to get better.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much.¡± She mumbled, erasing all of Theo¡¯s worries. This was most likely a gesture his kind did when something very good happened. The difference in culture was titanic. And it had to exist. Or simply anyone in the world could talk with each other with no problems. That couldn¡¯t be, as per the words of the wise elder.


    Theo finally stood up, his energy somewhat returning to him. He was exhausted, but nothing was nicer than helping others. Especially ones that had helped him before. It filled him with warmth.


    ¡°Young man, where have you been all this time?¡± Asked the old man, sitting up on the bed next to Lisa. ¡°Surely not a mage school.¡±


    ¡°I lived in the village of Ballar, south to the serpent¡¯s land and east of the boar¡¯s.¡± Theo answered. It was the most descriptive way of saying so, and anyone would understand it.


    ¡°Truly interesting. I have never heard of such a village, could you have travelled through time.¡± The old man mumbled. ¡°Oh, where are my manners. I am called Paul, the father of this beauty over here.¡±


    Lisa blushed as she looked away.


    Without the threat of death looming only a step away, Paul looked far better. His goatee had been tangled up, but now looked slightly better than a patch of grass. The man¡¯s sunken eyes had now came out a bit, looking normal.


    Theo tilted his head to the side. Travelling through time, he had never heard of such a term.


    ¡°Truly a mystery.¡± Paul nodded his head as he stared right at Theo¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯d ask you not to use your powers in the public. Sorcery is frowned upon in the land of the Holy Realm.¡±


    ¡°Holy Realm?¡± Theo asked. Was it a name of a place?


    ¡°It is a given you do not know. The Holy Realm is more of a zealous empire scattered through the world if anything. The pope rules, and the people obey. Without question.¡± Paul said. ¡°Even if it isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Theo nodded. He didn¡¯t want to use his powers everywhere every time. It made him so tired that he didn¡¯t really want to use it at all, but if the situation called, he had to.


    Then the next hour was spent teaching Theo basic knowledge, which he of course greedily devoured, leaving nothing behind. He wanted to know more. Everything was so interesting. His kind was truly interesting. No childish games and pranks, only smart people fighting for more knowledge and land.


    Bleuria was a kingdom rich with minerals and the location at the coastline serving as an easy defense against most attacks, if it wasn¡¯t with Aveilorn which had countless mages capable of even turning the tides of the sea, as Paul said. The differences between him and the so-called ¡®mages¡¯ were most likely big.


    King Berthold ruled the land, at least he did. The last time anyone saw of him was during a diplomatic talk with Aveilorn, and the enraged populace ended up supporting the war efforts with every single fiber of their being.


    With such a good king missing, of course they would wish to fight.


    Princess Esther had studied strategies of war in Everhill Academy and had taken over that field a long time ago, the loss of the king only serving to further strengthen the resolve of the denizens. The Holy Realm¡¯s mana manufacturing factory was located in Torvali, a port city between the two, and they wanted to preach peace to protect their precious trump card.


    Now their preachers existed far and wide, somewhat slowing down the sparks of war turning into a raging flame devouring everything. And they didn¡¯t take well the power of sorcerors.


    A mage couldn¡¯t cast without using mana dust, but Theo could. That was the main difference between sorcerers and mages.


    That was everything the general masses knew, and so did Theo now. He wanted to learn more. It was truly intriguing. Knowledge enticed one to know more and more, absorbing them completely in no time at all.


    Theo stared at Paul with a big smile, all ears.


    ¡°Well. I don¡¯t think there is anything left to tell you except this one thing.¡± Paul said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d take it easily.¡±


    Theo nodded.


    ¡°If you see people on a leash, don¡¯t touch them. NEVER. Or the owner will come to bite your throat out.¡± Paul warned. ¡°Don¡¯t notice them at all if possible.¡±


    ¡°Why is that? Isn¡¯t it common sense to help others?¡± Theo asked. He could understand friction between kingdoms, but not this.


    ¡°It¡¯s called slavery. Mostly because some people couldn¡¯t give back something they borrowed in time, or those who lose a war.¡± Paul said.


    Theo nodded. Now he could somewhat understand it. His kind didn¡¯t like to share and took back everything, and enslaved them if they didn¡¯t give it back. Those who lose a war should die, but his kind let them live as these people called ¡®slaves¡¯. Theo didn¡¯t think his kind was so generous.


    ¡°I have no problem with that.¡± Theo said with a nod, entering deep thought.


    What would happen if he tried to move water? He never tried before. Maybe it would be easier than creating flames. That made him tired, but not much. But what about water.

 Chapter 3 - Life in Stoneguard

    Theo stood before a stone circle, raised from the ground. Peeking in through the hole, he could see his reflection. It was water alright. Though it was black, resembling water during the night. That could be explained with the lack of a sun hanging over it, as it was nearly evening.


    It truly was an interesting concept.


    Trapping a river in a hole. If he had thought of it back at the village, he¡¯d surely be named a genius, and rise to an elder, though that came with age, not smart. It also explained the lack of any source of water in the close proximity, not to mention there were several of them in the village, as Lisa said.


    Now Theo wondered how these things survived a rain. It had a nasty habit of turning the water black and that would taste very¡­ ashy. Maybe that was the reason the water was black, but then again, the elder said there were places where it didn¡¯t rain.


    ¡°Can you get a pail of water from there?¡± Lisa asked with a serious face. Theo shook his head. He didn¡¯t even know what a pail was. She shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.


    She proceeded by grabbing a bucket held by a rope and threw it in. Soon after, she dragged it out, filled with water. Lisa held her hand out, opening and closing it several times. Theo nodded, handing her the iron bucket he had brought.


    Lisa poured the water in, and handed it over to Theo. He grabbed it, his eyes widening for a second.


    It was light.


    He tried lifting it up and down several times, the weight never increasing nor decreasing. Still, it was only as heavy as his canteen, which he always kept on himself at all times, even while hunting. Theo could run a thousand miles with this insignificant amount of weight hanging from his hand.


    Lisa led the way, back to her house. Theo noticed several strange gazes, aimed at him. He waved at them with a smile on his face. These people wanted to talk with him, and Theo remembered a few faces, meaning to talk to them later.


    He hadn¡¯t seen the house in its entirety the night before, and only now Theo noticed it was rather well-kept than the others. Mainly due to the stubborn white color persisting on the walls, whereas some others had been peeled.


    The light of the sun at dusk colored everything red, the clouds and the houses, even more so on a white texture. Theo looked to the back, noticing the sun. It was settling behind a mountain, and did so ever so slowly, as if not to sit on a prickle.


    He chuckled, walking into the house. Even if everything else changed, the sun still remained the same. Truly a delightful reunion.


    The sound of hooves clanking on a hard surface resonated through the village as Theo quickly grabbed at his back. He had taken off his club the night before. A bad mistake. He opened the door, notifying the girl.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lisa asked as she turned around.


    ¡°Boars.¡± Theo said, sprinting to the direction of the noise. He¡¯d make do with his fireballs. Of course that was considering there was only one of them there. If there was more than two, then only the sun knew what would happen.


    The weird glances had turned to surprise, staring at him running through the street in a hurry. Theo jumped above a smaller house, and hopped onto a bigger one, covering the top of his eyes with one hand and clenching his other fist tightly.


    He wouldn¡¯t let what happened to Maku¡¯s family happen to any other. That was enough accidents. After what seemed like a minute being unable to locate the noise, a slap on the back of his head awakened him from his stupor.


    Theo looked backwards, noticing Lisa. She was drenched in sweat, gasping for air. She must¡¯ve run a lot.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± She shouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I definitely heard a boar.¡± Theo said. ¡°But I can¡¯t find it anywhere.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°They¡¯re called horses.¡± Lisa said, shaking her head and pointing to several four-legged creatures. They were lean, muscular, and of various colors. Brown, reddish brown and white were only a few. Most of all, they had hooves. That explained why it could be heard.


    Now that Theo looked down, some people had appeared below the house, looking up at the pair. Lisa scowled, grabbing his hand and climbing down, with a ladder. Theo wondered where she got it, or if it was here from the start.


    They had travelled a long distance, as she relentlessly dragged him into the house, Theo not bothering to resist. That would only weaken their friendship. He had to know when to say sorry.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Theo said.


    ¡°For what? Shaming me?¡± Lisa asked with an irritated voice, a fist connecting with the top of his head. He closed his left eye, about to reel from pain when¡­ nothing happened.


    The punch was so weak he couldn¡¯t even feel it.


    Even Chakk, the weakest of the village, could do better than that. Theo chuckled. She was merely gesturing.


    Still, to think that there were creatures with hooves other than boars, truly a surprise. His kind was truly surprising, to tame such a creature. It was impossible to stop a boar, let alone reason with it. Taming was impossible.


    Lisa closed her eyes tightly, as if wishing it never happened, and walked away. Without anything else to do, Theo walked back to the room he had spent the night in.


    ***


    The sound of hooves awakened Theo from his slumber. It was morning.


    A blanket had been placed on him, a thick fur, one no worse than his own. Thankfully, it was overcast today and the sun couldn¡¯t penetrate through the thick clouds, never falling on his face. That also gave him a full night¡¯s sleep.


    The time couldn¡¯t be measured, as the sun was gone.


    Then a sweet aroma entered his nostrils. It was food. He had eaten one the day before, in the afternoon, and that was simply perfect. It had flavor far better than meat, but the refreshing feeling wasn¡¯t there. Theo wondered why. Everything back at the village tasted like that. Even the fruits.


    He stood up, rubbing his eyes and grabbing his fur coat. The bigger one was annoying to keep around. Theo wondered, just what would happen now. Would everyone hide in their homes and wait for the storm to pass?


    Theo walked out the room, appearing in a hallway. To the left was the study of Paul, and to the right was the kitchen. Of course, he took the right. Remembering the positions were easy if anything for someone who could remember a tree he saw twice perfectly.


    The form of Lisa cooking, with a piece of cloth hanging from her neck, protecting her clothes underneath could be seen as Theo entered the kitchen. She stood before a curious metal frame, in the shape of a quadrat. A pole could be seen penetrating through the roof, connected to that. She held a wooden board, some strange fruits chopped into pieces, that were inserted into a pot placed on the metal frame. It was filled with fruits, meat and water.


    Theo tilted his head to the side.


    He simply couldn¡¯t see this becoming a food. No. It was more along the lines of why she was doing it. That was simply irrational. Meat and fruits were supposed to be eaten separately. He opened his mouth to speak, but decided not to. Surely she knew what she was doing. And if it was as good as the one from before, Theo didn¡¯t care how she did it.


    So he watched it. Very closely.


    His nose almost touched the metal frame, warming his body. It was scorching hot here, but he preferred hot over cold. After all, Theo was used to it.


    She added a pinch of white dust, similar to the dust created by his fireballs. He created one, squashed it on the ground and pinched some of it, and added that to the pot. Theo then proceeded by hiding all evidence by absorbing the dust, as per Paul¡¯s suggestion. He said leaving these things everywhere was bad habit and he mightn¡¯t want to do that. Theo theorized it was due to Paul¡¯s laziness of not wanting to clean the place, but he didn¡¯t really mind that. He shouldn¡¯t make a mess everywhere he went.


    Theo sat on the table, his knuckles supporting his chin as he awaited the food patiently, if not boringly. The sound akin to bubbles popping entered Theo¡¯s ears, perking it up in an instant. It would be a bad storm.


    Theo created a flame in his hand, trying to warm himself up.


    The flame did just that, the gentle blue light washing over the room and warming him up tremendously, even better than the metal frame. Then he destroyed it. He shouldn¡¯t make this a habit, lest he be chased down by bad people.


    What Theo estimated an entire day passed for the food to be ready and served. A strange gooey substance bathed the meat and fruits, and Theo took a small bit of it with what his kind called a spoon.


    It was delicious.


    That was the one thing he could place his finger on except the fresh taste, just as it had been back at home, if not lacking a bit. He chugged it down in mere seconds, giving Lisa his bowl before she even took a seat. The girl grabbed the pot from the handles and placed it on the table, on a metal plate with a round hole on it, just like the metal frame.


    Theo then noticed it.


    The flames dancing out of the stove, catching his eye in the process. Theo stood up instantly, walking towards it with wide eyes. Then he looked at the flame. It was beautiful, even more so than a blue one.


    This was yellow, red sparks occasionally flying away. He put his hand over it with a smile, dragging it away after a few seconds. It was strange.


    The flame was hot, much like the rain. However, the flame he used was colder. Not unlike water on a cold day, a refreshing, yet painful feeling. But this was¡­ pure pain.

 Chapter 4 - First Encounter

    The sound of a horn would call forth the villagers onto the town hall, yet, most of them were already there when it was blown. The hall was the church, a memoir of times long gone and religion abandoned. It was shaped like a circle, four entrances at the four sides. A stage was in the middle, built in such a way as if it was raised from the ground.


    Countless chairs were placed inside, and if one asked the mayor how many there were, he¡¯d most likely say ¡°More than enough for us.¡±


    Lisa sat at the front, with his father and her new companion, who was currently looking around with his mouth wide open. For some reason, Lisa couldn¡¯t help but sigh at his conduct. It was as if he was a small child.


    Several guards took the stage, clearly not from Stoneguard, apparent from their emblem on the armor. Stoneguard¡¯s emblem was in the shape of a wall, yet theirs depicted a rose. That meant they were from the capital, and most likely Princess Kayla¡¯s Brigade. It was an elite squad tasked with guarding the royal family, which meant she was here too, or at least a royalty. That was unlikely, however, as not many could protect themselves like her and weren¡¯t allowed out of the palace.


    For tradition¡¯s sake, the guards stood on the stage for ten minutes before starting their speech. There was a paladin in their ranks, as he could amplify his voice enough to fill the entire hall, through magical means. There were three in total, one of them wearing a helmet and the other two were middle aged men with a fair share of beards.


    ¡°Citizens of Stoneguard, you may know this, but our king has gone missing during his last expedition to Aveilorn. His guard force is absent, and as you might know, Aveilorn has no monsters running rampant on their land. That only leaves a single suspect. AVEILORN!¡± He said normally, yet it resounded more than it should.


    Another man, who could also amplify his voice continued the speech.


    ¡°It is without doubt our kingdom will take revenge, but we all know Aveilorn assassinates the king before all. As you might know, a day spent living is as great a revenge as a murder. We will protect our kingdom, and fight back the invaders. The Holy Realm has sent us their best paladins to teach our knight squires. The situation isn¡¯t as dire as it may sound, dear citizens.¡± He says. ¡°However, I think it is best for the princess to say her words in place of a mere guard.¡±


    The two guards then leave the stage as the last one takes off her helmet. Golden hair swirls in the air as she shakes away the hair in front of her face. Even those who were now staring at her back were flabbergasted, and silence reigned for a few moments before noise erupted.


    But as she raised her hand, everyone halted their speech. Her presence was simply that overwhelming. Princess Kayla was a martial genius, beating a knight at the age of twelve with technique alone. From then on, she underwent training to become one of the best warriors on the continent.


    Even the battlemages of Aveilorn would give their respect to the said woman, her might enough to brute force a mage to surrender. She was beautiful, for sure, but that was a beauty of a weapon. Only admirable from afar and dangerous up close.


    ¡°Citizens! Marching onto their land is futile, the sea connects us, and as you might know, our navy is nearly none. So we wait. Crouch like a dragon and pounce on them as they appear in our capital. We will let them see the might of the Entente Alliance. They have ruled the world for far too long for any of us to like. So we fight! We stand! Our comrades of the Holy Realm are at our front, and for the first time in the history of our races¡­ we have allied with the forest people.¡± She says with a proud voice, sparking the fighting spirit of many.


    Even Lisa¡¯s.


    Theo tilted his head in confusion, and Lisa put her index finger over her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet.


    The forest people were a mysterious bunch, some say they can cast magic without dust, but everyone says they are expert marksmen who would hit the eye of a mouse from a mile away. That alone would make none but the boldest enter their forest for talk, let alone an alliance.


    ¡°I ask that you join the fight, and quell the blotted pride of those so-called divines!¡± She shouted, the entirety of the hall following her. Her charisma was beyond mortal kin. Lisa tried to raise her hand, but kept it down. A hand was placed upon her shoulder, making her turn to her father.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The man that had raised him was now sitting with a gentle smile, and nodded his head. Lisa raised her hand with a smile.


    Theo looked around, mystified, he also raised his hand.


    ***


    The sound of hooves enters Adrian¡¯s ears, and he raised his hand. The some thirty people at his back all ready their weapons, clutching onto their blades and bows. They had hid in the Graham forest, far from the road but close enough to hear the horses.


    ¡°Why do you even hide from these mortals?¡± A majestic female voice sounds out from behind, if not too arrogant. ¡°Oh, forgive me. You are also mortals.¡±


    Adrian turns to look at the back, noticing the thirty or so old woman, with black hair reaching her lower back held loose. She was a beauty, without doubt, but her attire scared away most of her courters.


    She wore a blue robe which turned into a long skirt from her waist down, the glowing fabric surely enchanted. A wooden staff, with a ruby head, was held in her hand tightly. A pouch rested at the side of her waist, most likely containing dust. She wore several jewelry, ranging from rings to necklaces. They were all enchanted, surely, or were amulets.


    ¡°Charge.¡± Adrian said with a low voice. His company didn¡¯t have new blood, and the common mistake of battle cries was destroyed on their first mission. They scaled the ground faster than thought possible, easily reaching caravans. The more than fifty guards with a rose emblem was rather dangerous looking, yet, they¡¯d be set for life after this quest. The presence of countless civilians, numbering well over a hundred and fifty did nothing but make Adrian frown.


    Kayla¡¯s charisma was too great, to enlist so many squires in a single week, from four villages mind you. He looked back at the mage with hate in his eyes. She was too strong. Even Adrian wanted to join forces with them, but opposing a mage was plain suicide, if you couldn¡¯t kill them from long range, further than their reach, then chances are you are doomed.


    That was the exact same reason he lost half of his troops, after trying to claim the head of the mage, luckily after killing off her apprentice.


    The fight starts with an arrow to the forth most guard, holding his head high and his chest swelling with pride. Several others land on some of the others, travelling through their brain and unto the woods on the other side.


    ¡®These enchanted arrows are dangerous.¡¯ Adrian thinks. Mostly used by the forest people, but now traded for certain goods due to the new alliance.


    With soulless eyes and a straight face, he walks out of his cover, beheading a guard descending from his horse. Looking thorough the battlefield, the presence of hammer wielders were terrifying. There weren¡¯t any paladins last year.


    ¡°The lord is with us! Charge!¡± An older man commands, raising his hammer high. Adrian¡¯s blood runs cold when three arrows are deflected back. This man was a bishop.


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡± The army sounds out their battle cry, answered with desperate shouts, of those fighting for their lives. Paladins were horrifying to their enemies in that they could heal their allies with divinity and arrows, even blades seemed to avoid them. But in the face of a mage¡­ they¡¯re merely fodder.


    The charging bunch, consisting of about thirty, caught fire. They burned, for no more than five seconds, but were already nothing more than dust. The mage walks out of the woods, or rather, she sits on the top of a man, crawling on his fours.


    It was Damian, the second in command. Adrian¡¯s breathing increases as his eyes widen, barely sheathing his sword. He then walked away into the forest. That person was his cousin, and he¡¯d much rather not look at him in that pathetic state.


    ¡°Kneel.¡± The mage orders, as everyone lies flat on the ground. Adrian had a first-hand experience of that tyrannical power. It was as if a mountain was sitting on him.


    ¡°Where is your princess?¡± She asks, as they all persist. Surely courageous people, but they¡¯d die if they persisted.


    Then she grows quiet, and from the woods, Adrian can barely see a boy, maybe sixteen, only of age within the year. Adrian¡¯s eyes widen. She surely wouldn¡¯t kill a child.


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong.¡± The boy said loudly. ¡°They are the good people.¡±


    ¡°Kneel!¡± She says louder. Yet, the boy still stands.


    ¡°Ah, thanks for the water. I¡¯ve been thirsty for a while now.¡± The boy says, as even the crows go silent. The mage stares at the boy in surprise, grabbing a handful of dust in her hand. Clutching it tightly, she swings her hand, a flame bathing over the child. No matter even if he has magical aptitude. These people were merciless.


    But¡­ the boy still stands, his clothes in tatters, however.


    ¡°That feels good.¡± The boy said, but I think this is the right way to do it. A ball of flames danced above his palms, held up high. It was blue.


    A god flame.


    Bigger than a caravan.


    He threw it at the mage, with a nonchalant face to boot. She grabs another handful of dust and swings her hand, now protecting herself with what appeared to be nothing. And as nothing protected her from the fiery ball, she was bathed in it.


    A loud scream resonates through the forest, as the boy simply stares. The flame goes away, leaving an unharmed mage in place. With a wild smile, she grabs another handful when she stops.


    Her eyes widen in horror as she looks around, and turns tail, running away.

 Chapter 5 - Ruins

    The darkness covered every inch of the forest, aside from several bonfires a quarter ways from the end of the forest. The battle had left many exhausted, most of the guards even able to stand in their armor. The spell of kneeling was far too strong, and drained them more than what would have been liked.


    The civilians stayed in guard tents, barely able to cover half of them. The ones staying outside were given blankets, one to three. The guards who were at the far back, protecting the back of the force were assigned with protecting the civilians from monsters during the night, going as far as to create a trench, easily done with the assist of the soon to be soldiers.


    A magnificent blue tent, with a gold trim, stood in the middle of the settlement, no smaller than a village. The insignia of a blue rose was inscribed on the four sides, with a length of 10 meters side to side.


    Several people, guards without their armors, stood outside as guards, holding spears. They were the knights, and the most famished along with the horses. That was also one of the reasons they had decided to spend the night in the forest. Thankfully, the water supply was enough to quench the thirst of a town for a day, meaning barely enough.


    Theo stood before the princess, Lisa at her side. He had insisted she be with him, as Theo was still unfamiliar with this world. The floating ball of water one of those things, and the river trapped in a hole, all the way to the yellow flames.


    She sat on a makeshift chair, a tree trunk, and stared at Theo with a serious gaze. The considerable amount of guards, numbering in the dozen, stood guard inside. Their armors weren¡¯t on them, making them look a tad bit smaller, but big nonetheless.


    A lamp hung from the top of the tent, lighting it.


    Kayla stared at the two still, for more than five minutes even. Of course, the one to break the silence was Theo.


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Theo.¡± He said with a blank face, imitating Kayla. Lisa shook her head with a sigh, moving slightly behind the boy to hide herself.


    ¡°Well then, Theo. Would you mind if I asked a few things?¡± She said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± He answered. No guard dared to move after the display of power earlier that day.


    ¡°Then, are you with Aveilorn and are you a mage?¡± Kayla asked, her eyes turning sharp.


    ¡°No to both.¡± Theo said, staring back at her, unwavering.


    ¡°Would that mean you are a sorcerer?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I think I am.¡± He said, creating a ball of flame over his hand.


    Kayla¡¯s eyes widen, along with her guards. They stare at the flames, for no less than another five minutes, until Theo snuffs it out. Keeping it burning for long was exhausting, and not an option after an entire day on his legs. He was exhausted as is, but the small size let him bluff a bit more.


    ¡°Truly you are.¡± She nods her head, raising her hand and making a gesture with her index finger, pointing to the side. An older guard, with a large scar scaling over his right eyebrow to the bottom of his left cheek, going through his nose walked forward. He was the only one with armor on, holding a giant hammer effortlessly.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Lisa tugs at Theo¡¯s sleeve, with sad eyes. Droopy, even. She had her rapier on, and a hand was placed on it. He raised his eyebrow. The man was supposed to be his ally.


    ¡°Glad to make your acquaintance. I am called Richard, a cardinal of the Holy church.¡± The man introduced himself. ¡°I hope we can get along.¡±


    Lisa¡¯s eyes widen as she look at the man. A slight hint of fear, and mostly relief and surprise are shown in it. She had let go of the sword at the word ¡®cardinal¡¯. It was a rank not many could achieve, and was as strong as an arch-mage, from the rumors.


    ¡°I¡¯m Theo¡­ a hunter, and a sorcerer.¡± Theo said, trying to sound as formal as possible, failing at it. The princess nodded her head with her eyes closed, and a deep sigh escapes her mouth.


    ¡°Welcome to the alliance, sorcerer. We are in dire need of your power, and would like to ask of your assistance in the fore coming war.¡± She explained, with more respect than given to a sorcerer. ¡°We¡¯ll pay you handsomely, but first, I¡¯d like you to accept this as a sign of goodwill.¡±


    Kayla gestured with her hand, and a soldier pulled out a pouch from his pocket, placing it on Theo¡¯s hand. He shakes it a bit, getting a quick addiction to the clinging sound. It was satisfying to say the least.


    ¡°That¡¯s 30 royals, you may do whatever you wish with it back at the capital.¡± She said as she stood up. Theo looked back at Lisa, who nodded eagerly. He nodded, and tied it next to his other pouch, with some jerky in it.


    ¡°You are excused.¡± Kayla said, and Lisa dragged Theo out of the tent. The fresh air of the forest refreshing Theo. It was rather damp-ish back at Stoneguard, and inside the tent where there were several guards packed up.


    The gentle light of the moon falls on the boy, and a tiny voice squeaked.


    ¡°Come.¡±


    His eyes narrowed, and he looked around. No one seemed to be playing a prank on him, and what he assumed was the moon, seemed to call him forth. Theo shrugs it away. That was probably some ghost trying to lure him to its hideout.


    Now that they were outside, Theo had nothing to do, and so did Lisa. They stood outside, enjoying the wind blowing through, nowhere to go in particular in the village-sized night base.


    A pat on the shoulder shocks Theo out of his stupor, and he turns to find the man called Richard. Upon closer inspection, Theo noticed the emblem of a sun on his chest, drawn rather large and crudely, even for his tastes.


    Richard gestured for Theo to follow, and Lisa followed after the boy. She didn¡¯t want to be alone, though she would have been just that if not for the boy appearing mysteriously a few days ago. In fact, Lisa felt herself becoming more attached to him than anyone else in her life except her father.


    The cardinal led them to a forest clearing, quite a ways from the settlement. Looking around, Theo finds that there is a lake in the middle, and some rocks put in a circle around it. Richard jumps atop one two meter tall rock, sitting on it.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, but found it rather hard before the preying eyes of the princess.¡± Richard said. ¡°I feel a bit of divinity in you. Are you perhaps an acolyte or priest?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know those terms.¡± Theo said, using the word Lisa taught her on the way there.


    ¡°I see. Then it is surely your blood.¡± Richard said, Lisa quietly listening in on the two. They didn¡¯t seem to notice her presence, but she took a seat on the soft grass whereas Theo sat on another one, a three meter tall one, as if trying to impress.


    ¡°Blood?¡± Theo asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Ah, think nothing of that. It¡¯s just a term we use for gifted.¡± Richard said with a loud laugh. ¡°And I felt like you should be here. A divine illusion was placed here a few decades back, and only church officials could come in and go here. Mostly due to it being a gathering spot for cultis¡­ err¡­ sorcerers.¡± Richard said. ¡°But since you are on our side, it wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that.¡± Theo said, looking around. At a second glance, it was quite familiar. As if it was the¡­ serpent village.


    He could almost remember Maku circling around a stone pillar, much like the one he and the cardinal were sitting on. He had parents and friends then, but only children were there now.


    ¡°Serpent¡¯s Nest.¡± Theo said unconsciously, the words escaping from his mouth without his consent.


    ¡°Funny. That¡¯s also the term the sorcerers in the past used.¡± Richard said with a laugh. ¡°Well then, good luck. I¡¯ll have to go back now, and the princess ought to be looking for her mentor.¡±


    And so, Lisa and Theo were left in the clearing, most likely an ancient ruins of the fair folk. Theo fell into the lake with a thump.

 Interlude 1 - Trial of the Awakening

    Jonathan absentmindedly stared out the window, staring at the people walking below him. Being a magi was a fortune, and a slightly talented one even more so. But none could rival being the heir of the Blackmore family, who ruled the empire from the shadows. The council, RoM (Representatives of Masses) and the law of political equality merely functioned for them.


    ¡°Never upset a Blackmore. Never speak of a Barca. Never borrow from a Medici and never kill a fanged mage, was it?¡± He asked, turning to the slightly older man, maybe in his mid-fifties, but looks were rather betraying for magi.


    ¡°Hahah, I never thought you paid attention to those¡­ vain words.¡± Said the older man.


    ¡°Of course I do, master. Lest I walk the path of a fool.¡± Jonathan answered with a shake of his head and walked up to the older man, starting his study session. It took a majority of his time, and the spare quarter was for politics. Truly a busy life, but rewarding in the future.


    Mr. Keynes stood there for a while, silently. As if he didn¡¯t notice the boy¡¯s presence. The fact that every person walking outside had halted their movements, Jonathan concluded he was in the Empyrealm.


    It wasn¡¯t his first, and certainly wouldn¡¯t be his last. This meant that his inner magic was in turmoil and he had to stay here for the time being, and he¡¯d be transported to the nearest shrine of the First Feycrowned.


    The churches were everywhere around the empire, and one would have trouble not finding one in a village, no matter how shabby. Truly, if time didn¡¯t stop, that¡¯d be rather wasteful.


    Jonathan moved his hand in an raising arc, and created a floating platform from the ground outside. Levitation was his forte and he would make use of it. Being a third generation mage, it was quite possible to learn harder spells faster, but the strength would greatly diminish if anything. That was bad, but far better than having nothing, especially where magi ruled.


    Jonathan then felt dread, simple and illogical dread. But it took away all his ability to move. Cold sweat poured out of his body, his feet shaking harder than he thought possible. It was as if something would jump out and straight out murder him if he turned around.


    ¡®Remember the lessons, Jon, remember.¡¯ He thought, taking a few breaths and closing his eyes. ¡®Don¡¯t look, and you¡¯ll be fine. Just don¡¯t look. It¡¯s not that hard.¡¯


    He felt the extreme urge to look back, but he refrained. That would spell his doom, and he knew many who have succumbed to it. A crack sounded out and Jonathan sighed with relief. The next step was to know where he was, and that would mean opening his eyes. The gentle breeze on his face told more than he needed to know that he was somewhere else, and he opened his eyes.


    He found himself in an unknown place, strange since he knew every shrine in the capital. Torches burned a sinister blue, as if this place wasn¡¯t in fact the Empyrealm, but a place much more sinister. The stone walls were circular, suggesting it was a cave of sorts. With no leads, Jonathan decided to walk towards the direction of the wind. That would be where the exit was.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    However, it became painfully obvious that it wasn¡¯t the exit the deeper he walked, without looking backwards, fearing the presence would grab at his neck and strangle him to death. His pace quickened, yet the ground didn¡¯t move as much.


    No less than an hour passed, as he saw a light at the end of the tunnel.


    It was blue as well, but it had a soothing feeling. He rushed to it, running¡­ no, sprinting towards it. The ground seemed to wind back, pushing him away from the end. Loud thumps could be heard from the back and Jonathan desperately rushed forward, jumping and striding. He couldn¡¯t die here, he couldn¡¯t. He had a bright future in front of him.


    And then there he was, outside. But that wasn¡¯t an accurate definition, simply a metaphor. The cave extended skyward, a blue orb floating in the air and bathing the cavern in its gentle light. The opening was big, about twenty meters upwards and thirty side to side.


    A pool lay in the middle, reflecting the image of the orb above itself, and he looked at himself in the reflection. It appeared normally, except his eyes. They were blue, shining.


    Edward closed his eyes, wishing that this never happened with all his might. The Empyrealm was a terrifying place, and he didn¡¯t wish to stay there, or here for that matter. He wished with all his might, to return home, his eyes tightly shut and a continuous mantra of ¡°Let me go back.¡± escaping his mouth.


    Then it cracked.


    Jonathan opened his eyes hesitantly, taking in the surroundings yet again. He was still in the cave. He closed his eyes again, and prayed. Prayed to the first kings and queens, but no help came. The presence could be felt right behind him, and Jonathan didn¡¯t wish to look at the creature, lest he lose his gift.


    He closed his eyes, and raised the earth around him to cover himself, in a box. The pitch black darkness brought him peace, and he felt that the dangers were now gone. Jonathan fell on his butt, hugging his knees and did what was most unacceptable of a grown Blackmore.


    He cried.


    It was a long time since he felt helpless, just as when he did when he found himself in the Empyrealm the first time, but this one was more dangerous and more terrifying. Holed in a box, he sat for who knows how long. He slept and awoke, finding himself in the dark box that would most likely be his coffin.


    Then something inside him snapped.


    ¡°Why? Why am I hiding? Why do I fear it? I AM A MAGE!¡± He shouted, standing up and breaking out of his hiding spot. Then he turned to look backwards, noticing a hellish creature with three heads, resembling a dog and a serpent. Its heads growled at him, with an expression of unmistakable rage and hate.


    Then it leaped at him, swiping his claw.


    But a coward Jonathan was not, not now, and not in the foreseeable future. He raised the ground, creating a shield between himself and the creature. It broke through without much trouble, but next came the true counterattack.


    Dodging to the side, Jonathan controlled the flying pieces of the rock wall, and threw them at the hound, faster than he had known was possible. The creature roared, its heads snapping at him, but it was in no condition to fight.


    That was his chance.


    Jonathan pierced the hound from below, with earthen spikes. He didn¡¯t know why, but he had learned to use magic without a spell, and he was thankful for it. Truly, the first kings and queens had answered his prayer.


    ¡°For the empire.¡± He said, saluting to the blue orb in the sky by putting his right hand on his hearth side and putting the other behind his back.


    The cave melted away, revealing the study. Mr. Keynes started moving rather ungracefully, and he was back on Earth. His gaze landed on the survivor, and they widened.


    ¡°For the Progenitors¡¯ sake, you¡­ are an awakened.¡±

 Chapter 6 - Monolithic Carvings

    Richard''s fading visage had disappeared wholly after a while, Theo carefully inspecting the giant, unshaped rocks. There seemed to be something he was looking for, as if he wanted to find a hint, or a clue, or anything of the sort. The hurried scrambles side to side only served to prove his excitement and curiosity. This place was much like the Serpent''s Nest, a village of giant snakes who would have never fallen if not for a dragon''s wrath.


    Why? No one knew, and the land of the serpents turned into a feasting hall for boars, making it more dangerous than even the Boar''s Cave in some aspects, as the damn creatures could rush through half the trees in the place, and their physical prowess far too overwhelming, and all but the most experience hunters would succumb to them, and Theo was one of those experienced ones.


    He had fought a hundred of them, and knew all too well about their weaknesses and powers. Those accursed creatures ate the children, bashed the old ones and destroyed the forest. Truly blight upon the land. If not for the gift of the forest, the survivors too would have followed their less fortunate comrades into the sun.


    That manifested in the form of a flame for Theo, and pretty much everyone in the village. Even Chakk had one.


    He intently stared at the rock, as if it was supposed to stare back at him. Then he noticed it.


    The mold.


    The mold was covering it.


    Theo got to work, scraping away the mold with the new knife he had gotten, with the back, trying not to make it duller than it already was. It couldn¡¯t even peel a fruit accurately, but still functioned as a weapon.


    It was a gift from Paul.


    Lisa dipped her hand in the water, the cold water taking the least bit of stress away from her fatigued body. The refreshing feeling was addictive, and she wouldn¡¯t have pulled it out if not for Theo¡¯s interruption.


    He moved his index finger side-to-side, and proceeded to explain.


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, that¡¯s a mana pool.¡± Theo explained. ¡°I got sick when I swam in it once before.¡±


    Lisa nodded her head. ¡°Okay. But what is this place?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure out just that.¡± Theo answered, in a professional manner unknown to her.


    Then Theo continued to examine. The mold had entered through the intricate carvings, filling it with a rather disgusting green color, but it could now be seen better than usual. The smallest one, not even half Theo¡¯s height, depicted a small humanoid with wings, and Theo instantly recognized it. It was one of the winged people. If Theo remembered right, they were called Fae.


    Skipping to the next, he cleaned the mold of one reaching his navel, and it depicted a humanoid, smaller, and traces of green paint still lingering on the ancient carving, or that might have been mold. Theo didn¡¯t understand it that well. A goblin.


    The next one was as tall as him, and upon inspection, it revealed that it wasn¡¯t truly tall, just the horns taking up most of the rock. It was the elder¡¯s kind, they were called Elkia.


    The fourth, and the only other one as tall as Theo was of course, the depiction of a human. It had a sun drawn on the forehead, the rays depicted with straight lines. Lisa joined him on his search for the unknown, looking at the various carvings after the boy.


    The fifth, and the final standing one was a giant one. This, Theo knew even without taking the mold off, but he still did. Of course, spinning around the cone was a serpent, its scales carved rather exquisitely, depicting fire coming out of its mouth.


    The serpent race, and also the deceased guardians of the forest.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    He sighed. That was merely a legend, and the serpents were only a little clumsier than the other races, if anything, without hands or tails. Well, he didn¡¯t know what to believe in now, after being transported into this strange new world.


    Theo¡¯s gaze fell on the other rock, several cubes, most likely slashed into pieces. He counted 3, and inspected them as well. What he found was¡­ rather surprising.


    They were all boars.


    A four-legged creature with three heads was depicted on one; another one depicted a winged creature with four legs and a tail. The last one depicted a man with a four-legged body. Theo¡¯s eyes narrowed as he remembered them. They were by far, the most dangerous of the three, also¡­ they had destroyed the Serpent¡¯s nest.


    He could still remember the sound of those hooves and their laughter after they raided his village. That was the reason he became a hunter, to stop those demons.


    Then a loud boom sounded out from behind, making him turn his head back sharply. Lisa had her hand on the statue, namely the human one. She seemed to be in pain, mostly from the scream.


    Theo rushed to help her, and noticed she had placed her hand inside what appeared to be a hole in the shape of a palm. The monolith of the human lit up, the mold falling off and a blue light emanating from the carving.


    ¡°No, no, no, no, no. What did you do?¡± Theo asked as he tried to pull the girl away. She couldn¡¯t be separated.


    ¡°I-I felt like I should, agh, put my hand in.¡± Lisa said, closing one of her eyes and breathing heavily, as if after a long exercise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll try to help.¡± Theo assured as he put his hand on the monolith, it seemed to be absorbing her mana, except she didn¡¯t have any. He knew as much, that she couldn¡¯t use magic due to her not being able to use mana. That meant it was draining her life force.


    With a scowl, he tried to put his mana into the monolith, forced it even, but it was pushed back.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Theo shouted and punched it, putting all his strength in. That was impossible, it couldn¡¯t be broken without a weapon, and there wasn¡¯t any here. Theo¡¯s eyes landed on the cubes, small enough to be thrown but big enough to be a great weapon. He grabbed one, lying several meters away, and threw it as he ran, generating more force.


    It broke¡­ the cube.


    ¡°Forgive me.¡± Theo said as he put his hand on Lisa¡¯s shoulder, and lent him his mana. He didn¡¯t want the first person he met die, and would try any methods available.


    ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± She shouted, even louder than she did the first time. Theo didn¡¯t want her to die, and so he forced the mana to travel into the stone, using the girl as the median. Exhaustion overtook him, but he didn¡¯t mind. He was exhausted as is, and would fall down any minute either way.


    Then she fell to the ground, limp. Theo stared at the girl, lying on the ground and a scenery flashed in his mind. A village, much like Ballar, burning in crimson flames and humans lying on the ground, limp, like Lisa.


    They were dead.


    He fell to his knees, holding his head as tears streamed from his eyes uncontrollably, horrifying memories coming back, and threatening to overtake all. Theo screamed out loud, his head feeling as if it was about to split, and he lost consciousness.


    ***


    The gentle crackle of branches could be heard, not unlike the snapping of bubbles, and Theo opened his eyes. Last time he had heard it was back at Ballar village, and the inciting aroma of boar meat entered his nostrils, refreshing him fully.


    Sitting up, he noticed that he was in the ruins, and a flame danced around, covering the entire forest. His eyes opened wide, they were crimson flames. With a scowl, he threw a fireball at it, yet it did nothing. He threw another one, and it did nothing as well. A single drop of water on a flame would do nothing, and such was the truth of Theo¡¯s flames.


    The crimson flames had taken everything away from him. And he hated it with his guts. The boars came from the flames, and had, Theo winced, eaten the deceased.


    His memories flooded back to him, locked away at the deepest pits of his mind. He had run from the flame, running to the furthest reaches of the world, and had reached Ballar village. Then he had lived there happily, before he suddenly appeared in this strange new world.


    A shrieking sound emanated through the sky, and Theo¡¯s eyes opened wide. If he didn¡¯t hurry back, then something truly bad would happen.


    That was a boar, and it was the one with wings. His scowl turned into a grimace as he covered his body with his flames, sprinting through the flames and unto the settlement. The pain surprisingly refreshed him, and chased away the evil flames. He never thought, not once in his life, that pain would actually help him.


    Though that was for later. He had to protect his kind, and he was sure there were no hunters in the brigade, let alone the civilians.


    He appeared at the other side, noticing two in the sky. The crimson flames had started eating away at the huts and tents and grass, an impossible heat being generated. Theo noticed a man melt into nothing and shook his head. He wouldn¡¯t allow it to happen any more. No, he would annihilate any creature of the red.


    Theo grabbed the blunt, yet pointy knife. His flames started eating away at it, yet, it was undamaged much like the trees in the red flame. His eyes started blazing, letting him see through a blue lens, ignoring the darkness.


    It was hunting time.

 Chapter 7 - Hunter of Monsters

    Kayla looked around, noticing the scattered people and the forest fire. As much as she wanted to extinguish it and protect the forest, that wouldn¡¯t be as easy with so much. Several spikes fell from the sky, piercing two civilians, making her turn her gaze upwards.


    Her eyes widened as she looked at the horrendous creatures, as if they were sent by god to exterminate the mortals. It was a lion, a bone tail moving in a serpentine way, as if it had a life of its own. The most horrifying feature, however, was its face.


    The face of an attractive woman laughed gleefully as it tore through the people below, drenched in blood and twisted into a grin. Kayla raised her sword, pointing it at the creature.


    ¡°By the name of our Lord Vilges, I command you to withdraw!¡± She shouted, her blade and armor shining a bright white, bringing the light of the sun to the night.


    A cackle escaped the beast¡¯s mouth as it landed beside Kayla. She looked at it, straight in the eye, with eye full of resolve. The blessing wouldn¡¯t last long, but it would keep her alive even if her head fell straight off for a few seconds, and that was enough time for her to fight back.


    Another one landed next to it, with a male face. Kayla wanted to turn tail and run, but her people were here, and as the warrior princess, she couldn¡¯t run. She placed the sword in front of her, pointing downwards and used it as a staff.


    A blinding light, far stronger than that of her lit up the clearing, and most would wonder if it was morning already. The light had a yellow tint to it, making it all the more sun-like. She wouldn¡¯t turn her head, as she already knew who it was.


    It was none other than the Cardinal of Humility, and her master, Richard. She felt the warming feeling as she had in the church, and the embrace of god. Kayla couldn¡¯t help but smirk, after all, the creatures wouldn¡¯t dare move against a divine¡¯s presence.


    The first beast tilted its head, and whipped its tail at her. Kayla instantly pulled out the sword, and brought it before her, but it was late. The tail had been too fast. She closed her eyes, awaiting her doom. All she hoped for was that it would be painless.


    A scorching heat at her neck forced her to move back, and she opened her eyes. Richard¡¯s blade had been placed before her, and parried the tail. With a bow, Richard spoke. ¡°I hope my humble opinion is acceptable, but I do not think you are allowed to leave this place.¡±


    The light grew from his sword, and enveloped the area around him, his hair and everything turning into a majestic white color.


    Richard swung his sword at the male, the female one blocking it with her tail and the male retaliating with several spikes, sent Richard¡¯s way. He parried them with little effort, but his blade fell to the ground afterwards, his hand with it. It was as if the man was trying to lift the legendary sword, without the right to.


    ¡°W-what?¡± He mumbled under his breath. The beasts¡¯ grins grew wider as they approached the man, licking their lips. As the female one opened its mouth wider than possible for a human, revealing razor sharp fangs, Kayla tightly shut her eyes


    ¡°Gyaaaaaah!¡±


    A scream sounded out through the forest. The cardinal couldn¡¯t have fallen so easily. If so, the world would come to ruin.


    Then it struck her. It was a female scream.


    She opened her eyes with relief, and noticed a boy, no older than she was. She noticed the boy instantly. It was the sorcerer. However, he seemed to be burning, a blue flame covering his body.


    He stood before the screaming monster trying to pick the thing stuck in its¡­ head. More specifically, eyes. The creature screamed in pain and the grin on the male¡¯s face turned into a scowl. It growled threateningly and shot several spikes at him.


    ¡°Dodge!¡± Richard shouted, leaving his sword on the ground and appearing next to Kayla. The physical prowess boost hadn¡¯t disappeared yet, even as his hair turned back to its original color and the light constantly dimming.


    Then the boy did the impossible.


    He walked through the spikes, as if they were stuck in time. He did it with so much ease even Richard¡¯s mouth fell agape. He grabbed the cardinal¡¯s fallen sword, with one hand as if it was nothing at all, and he sprinted towards the creature frantically shooting dozens of spikes at the boy.


    None hit him.


    Then he was next to it, slashing the creature¡¯s neck, or that was what would have happened. The sword dissipated into nothing as it reached the creature¡¯s fur. The boy jumped back, the female one now turning to look at him with its one good eye, the knife taken out with her tail.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    ¡°Chicken¡¯s foot! The boy¡¯s not even a priest, for Vilges¡¯ sake, why did I even bring a church blade to an expedition?¡± Richard mumbled as he constantly hit his head with his palm.


    Kayla noticed the boy didn¡¯t mind, and proceeded to create a ball of flame in his hand. It had a soothing feeling, unlike the crimson flames filling the forest. It was just like¡­ the gentle light of the moon.


    He threw it.


    The ball exploded, creating even more flame and covering the creatures. Pained screams sounded out from inside, and it left no traces of the evil creatures.


    The burning boy walked up to Kayla, and grabbed her hand. She felt the cold, burning sensation in her hand, and wondered if it was what the boy felt throughout his entire body. After all, a knight with ten years of training could barely endure it and had to close one of her eyes and bite her lips to keep quiet.


    ¡°Run, as fast as you can.¡± The boy whispered, and fell down, the flames whittling down into nothing.


    ***


    The soon-to-be army of princess Kayla moved quietly, as if their spirits were broken. Even a cardinal couldn¡¯t defeat one of those creatures, and the fact only sorcerers can stand up to those was rather worrying as well.


    Theo awakened to the sound of hooves hitting the ground, and braced himself. But then, he remembered that humans use what they call horses, to travel great distances. Relaxing his body, Theo looked around to find himself on a bed, and two were placed facing each other in the small room. He had been lying on one, it was comfortable if not a little too narrow.


    Thinking of last night, it seemed to be all jumbled up. He looked at the carvings and one suddenly lit up, then he lost consciousness. After that, he woke up to find the crimson flame and then he helped the princess. It was vague, as if it was an old memory, though it served its purpose of reminding what happened.


    The door opened, startling him. The familiar form of the princess walked in, still dressed in her steel armor and ready to fight. She gave him a serious look, and took a seat.


    ¡°What exactly happened last night?¡± Kayla asked after a while, as Richard  jumped into the room with his own question.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a hunter.¡± Theo said as Kayla shook her head.


    ¡°I see. Do you hunt those things?¡± Richard asked with a nod.


    ¡°Yes, and they aren¡¯t the worst yet. There are more¡­ terrifying ones there.¡± Theo explained, and continued after seeing Kayla¡¯s irritated expression. ¡°And as for the other question, I don¡¯t quite know. The rocks lit up, and I lost consciousness. The first thing I did was run back to help you. If only I wasn¡¯t as exhausted, I could¡¯ve done so much more.¡±


    Kayla sighed and closed her eyes. Richard then continued his interrogation.


    ¡°What were they?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Boars. Nasty creatures.¡± Theo answered. ¡°They come from the crimson flame.¡±


    Richard nodded his head and also closed his eyes, silence reigning supreme.


    ¡°Take me there, I must put out the flames.¡± Theo said.


    ¡°No. That is impossible. You can only do that alone, we don¡¯t want to endanger anyone.¡± Kayla instantly answered.


    ¡°But boars will start coming from the flame, let¡¯s say, three per day.¡± Theo said. He remembered his past¡­ he remembered killing those things, too many to count, driven by rage and his flames doing more than possible, destroying them without a trace.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d like to ask you go alone.¡± Kayla said with a serious face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I need someone to drag me back.¡± Theo rejected, fearing that he¡¯d most likely be murdered in his sleep. That was just the despicable tactic those boars used.


    Kayla nodded her head, and sighed.


    ¡°But I do think leaving them there is a good idea.¡± She said.


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be!¡± Theo shouted, for the first time. ¡°Those things will destroy everything! Even Richard was easily defeated, we can¡¯t possibly leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°I agree with the princess. The Aveilorn Empire might be left wondering if they are on our side, and would most likely exterminate them. That means their forces would be famished, and we have a higher chance of winning the war.¡± Richard said, giving his opinion.


    Theo shook his head in disdain, clenching his teeth.


    ¡°And what if they attack you? Trust me, I know them more than you, and I know they attack the weaker side first. We might have a chance before the third race starts coming out, but after¡­ your world will end.¡±


    ¡°Your world?¡± Kayla raised her eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m not of this world, and my tribe fell first in my own, and the serpents after due to their ignorance, to the hands of the third race. I assure you, they¡¯re far stronger than the ones we fought today.¡± Theo said through his teeth.


    ¡°Listen. The alliance will fall if we fight those monstrosities.¡± Kayla said. ¡°So-¡°


    Theo didn¡¯t have the need to listen to the woman. She¡¯d doom the world, and Theo didn¡¯t want the tragedy to happen again. Especially when the boars took his tribe down first, and ignored all but the serpents.


    They should¡¯ve had a motive of sorts, and that couldn¡¯t be anything good, not at all. He¡¯d much rather go alone, but putting out such a big fire might use up his life force, especially now that it was growing steadily.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re protecting your people, but once again, I assure you, if Richard was counted strong, then your world is doomed.¡± Theo said and walked out. Too many people were walking, on the verge of collapsing. They had it rough, and hadn¡¯t slept like him. He could see the forest in the far distance, and the black smoke that should have been there and the crimson flames dancing high.


    However, Theo was only met with no smoke, and certainly no fire. That couldn¡¯t have been. It should have released a putrid stench thorough an entire continent, and a black smoke reaching the sky would have been seen.


    Hurriedly, he ran to the moving room, overtaking it in seconds. It was moving slowly, to have the civilians keep up. Some had started to fall off, and were put on the moving pieces of wood, pulled by horses.


    Richard looked at him with surprise as he jumped back in.


    ¡°Tell me, can those ¡®mages¡¯ do what I can?¡± Theo asked as he created a ball of flame in his hand.


    Kayla put her finger on her chin, and the both of them shook their heads in answer.

 Chapter 8 - The Royal Capital

    The gentle breeze of an autumn evening sent chills down Theo¡¯s spine, his fur forgotten back at Stoneguard, back at Paul¡¯s home. He was a nice old man, a great man who had helped a complete stranger without doubt. It was truly a fortune to have met him, who had helped him. Healing him in turn was a right thing to do, morally.


    He stared at the giant building before him, built of white stone, shining in the light of dawn. It was truly a masterpiece, even bigger than the first tree. It was shaped in such a way that it had pointy tips, several of them.


    Theo checked his belt, and felt that the pouch was still there. Apparently, coins were everything in what Kayla called a royal capital. There were ten gold in it, for saving her life. A gold equaled ten silver and one silver was equal to ten copper. He could live out his life in peace or start a trade and live his life in luxury, but Theo couldn¡¯t see how he would benefit from trades. It was changing what he had with another¡¯s, of equal value. It was strange, really.


    The first thing that came to mind was going back and checking out the forest, but he was persuaded not to by Richard. He¡¯d would hunt down the stray beasts and get more coins. As for why he shouldn¡¯t, that was because he might be surrounded by the monsters and killed, who was a great asset in the upcoming war with the enemy nation.


    He had learned a lot from the entire day he had travelled with the princess. He learned that there were empires called Four Great Empires: Aveilorn, The Holy Realm, Ansanar and Yaserla, also there were certain kingdoms called Five Noble Nations: Bleuria, Sorolona, Torvali, Brakava and Delvaria.


    Then there were the five great races of human, wildkin, ogre, goblin and elves. He had grown happy after hearing that goblins still existed in this world, but it was a turn off to find out they only lived in the forests, in small tribes who were less than civilized, and more often than not, raided caravans.


    Now that he was alone as can be, in a city filled with humans, he resembled a stray animal if anything. There was no guide to help him, and certainly no one would help someone even worse than a country bumpkin in the capital, as long as he didn¡¯t give them the money.


    And money was his lifeline in the city, from her words. He¡¯d most likely only get a silver in a month at most, making his pouch the most prized possession he could ever have, and will ever. She gave a reward system, consisting of five gold every time he defeated a monster, and the travel expenses would be taken care of by the kingdom. That was rather suspicious, how would they be able to find him in such a vast place?


    He really wanted to put the fire out, and maybe his powers answered him in his sleep. That must be the reason, or rather he wanted to believe that. After all, someone else having these powers seemed to not make too much sense, but the hope of finding one other than himself was rather fascinating, and would relieve a lot of stress from his shoulders.


    He turned backwards, the moving boxes, called chariots, being dragged by horses everywhere. The ground was made of stone, surprisingly. Maybe these people placed them here, or took the top off a cave. He bet on the latter.


    The buildings were also made of something similar to stone, but it didn¡¯t have the gaps, making it look like something made inside a rock, but they were perfectly quadratic in shape, quite surprising.


    The humans might have learned how to cut stone effortlessly, and they used it for their homes. That was rather smart, as rocks were the hardest materials in the world, as far as Theo knew. Someone bumped into him, and he turned to look at the person. A man, resembling a giant ball than anything else, stood there. His hair was slicked back, and from the looks of it, and the rarity of these clothes he had seen during his travel, this man would be what was called a noble.


    They were rich, and held a great amount of power. Kayla had warned him not to anger one, and even she wouldn¡¯t be able to help him much if the noble had a lot of influence.


    ¡°Look where you¡¯re going, peasant!¡± The man shouted as he crossed his hands in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll let you go just this once, considering you give me ten gold. After all, I¡¯m a generous man.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Theo looked at the man, considering the possibility of Kayla lying to him, but in the end, everything led up to the man lying, including him bumping into Theo not so accidentally and accusing him of doing just that.


    Then his eyes turned cold, staring at the man indifferently, who stood a head shorter than him, looking up at him with doubtful eyes.


    ¡°Do you know who I am?! I am Viscount Bart, and I will not be-¡° The man¡¯s words were cut short as he ran away, rather quickly for his size and weight, but looked hilarious. Theo couldn¡¯t hold his laughter and he chuckled. It was just like the fae pranks, but thankfully, on others.


    The man seemed to be running for his life, and Theo stopped his laughter and turned around, searching for the one that had scared the noble that much. His sight landed on a boy, not much older than him, wearing full black clothes, shining in the light due to an unknown reason.


    He was quite handsome, and looked to be well-mannered from the small frown on his face. Only good natured people had it on their faces most of the time, Theo knew from experience.


    The boy was striking, but Theo didn¡¯t understand one little thing.


    Why would the noble run?


    That became obvious as the man walked closer, staring right at Theo¡¯s eye. His legs halted their movements, his body stiffening instantly as the eye, glowing a menacing yellow established eye contact. It glowed even brighter than the sun, overtaking all, and soon, the only thing he could see was those eyes.


    They closed up on him, and he instantly fell to his knees. This felt familiar, as if it had happened before. Theo searched his mind for it, but it was clouded.


    However, one thing he could do was¡­ burn it all to oblivion.


    He covered his eyes with his flames, his sight slowly returning to him. Not even five seconds later, Theo stood up as if nothing happened. The glowing eyes revealed themselves in their normal form, a dull yellow color.


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened as he stared right at Theo¡¯s eyes, with eyes as wide as possible that they looked like they were about to pop out.


    ¡°Kneel!¡± The black attired boy shouted as Theo merely stared at the boy, not even bothering to react. A sudden force on his sides made him stumble three steps to the side. Turning his eyes to the attacker, he noticed it was Kayla, wearing her armor still, but a lighter one from the looks of it.


    ¡°Brother, I hope you can refrain from using your powers on bystanders.¡± Kayla said. ¡°Especially my benefactor.¡±


    The man snorted, and sent a nasty glare Theo¡¯s way as he walked away. Kayla walked towards him with a sigh, shaking her head.


    ¡°Please forgive him. He thinks the world is supposed to be ruled, and humans were born to serve him.¡± Kayla explained, and pointed at Theo. ¡°It was rather lucky I came in time, or you would have become a broken excuse of yourself who couldn¡¯t even move without his orders.¡±


    Theo laughed heartily, surprising the princess. The street had been vacated, only the wind and the back of the mysterious man to keep them company.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Theo said.


    He then thought to himself, just how terrifying the man could be. If he hadn¡¯t burned away the effect on his eyes, then he might have become just what she described. After all, he couldn¡¯t do anything but obey him. Truly dangerous, but it thrilled Theo. A great hunt consisted of a hunter and a worthy prey. But now wasn¡¯t the time. He¡¯d find him, and hunt him down to the ends of the universe if he wanted to. Now, however, he had to learn more about this world. Kayla was the best conduit in his opinion.


    But one thing stuck out like a sore thumb.


    If there was someone as strong as this in Bleuria, then they might possibly retaliate against a few mages. Then there was minimal need for him as Theo couldn¡¯t see proud ones like the one he met on the road coming in with an army. He knew from experience, and they were pretty similar to the fae, after all.


    ¡°I was wondering. Could you find me a place to stay?¡± Theo asked.


    ¡°Ah, you shouldn¡¯t worry about that. They are written down on the signs. And sorry, I can¡¯t. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± Kayla said and left, waving her hand.


    Theo shook his head.


    He had told her that he was from another world, but she had forgotten all about it the day after. Truly strange. And that came with his inability to read, let alone write. Luckily, he could understand the language, and that was that. Asking around was best, actually. He didn¡¯t mind befriending some.


    Theo didn¡¯t feel like he should find a place to stay in the center, and walked past to the edges of the city. It wasn¡¯t truly big to say, merely packed to the brim. Hundreds of people past by and then he was in a less inhabited part of the city, the sun setting behind the mountain.


    The exhausted civilians travelling to the army had woken up late, those who hadn¡¯t slept for a day. They were dropped off at the military base outside the rock mountains, called walls. There they would undergo training and some would be returned home. And as night swiftly approached, Theo was left to fend for himself, all alone.


    There were several houses with signs hanging from them, and one had that of a cup, bubble oozing out. He, for some reason, felt that this was the right place to start looking from. The strange symbols would most likely be the letters, and Theo noted their shapes befor