《The Nefarious Saint》


 Book 1: Chapter 1

    Book 1: Chapter 1


    Cyil excitedly ran across the sloping field of knee-length grass. All his focus was on reaching the top of the hill. Behind Cyil, other kids around his age stumbled their way up the hill. In fact, a dotted swarm of little kids could be seen making their way up the hill.


    Almost there. Almost there.


    Even from afar, Cyil could hear the uniformed marching sounds of heavy metal striking the ground. He had been waiting for this day for seven years. He was now eleven, and over half his life was spent waiting in anticipation. That is because today he would finally be reunited with his father, someone who he could hardly remember, but had always heard about from stories his mother told.


    Every night before his bedtime, Cyil¡¯s mom would tell him stories about his father.


    ¡°Your father is a tall, bronzed man with a harden look. But don¡¯t be mistaken that he is a mean man because your father is a gentle and kind man. The kindest in this world. He would always help those around him. No matter their age or status, he would help them. That is one of the reasons why I fell in love with him when I first came to this town.¡±


    ¡°Your father is the strongest warrior in our town. He is the pride of our small town. One time your father fought off a corruption demon all by himself. No one knew how that demon manage to cross so far into the mainland, but the corruption demon scared everyone in this town stiff. Only your father could rise up and slay the demon.¡±


    ¡°Your father treasures you more than anything. Perhaps even more than me, which makes me a bit jealous. He said that all he wants for you is your happiness and peace and that is why he left to left to join the war.¡±


    ¡°Your father¡­.Your father¡­.¡±


    Memories shared by his mother replayed through Cyil¡¯s mind. He almost felt as if those stories were his and that he really knew his father. But Cyil could not remember anything about his dad. Maybe seven years was too long and he slowly forgot. Or maybe he was too young to remember anything.


    But today, right now, in front of him he could see neatly formed rows of soldiers marching towards their little town. His father was somewhere among those soldiers!


    Soon, other kids began to gawk, scream, and wave at the group of hundred or so soldiers marching towards them.


    All these kids had also been waiting for their fathers to return and today they would all be reunited at last¡­


    ¡°HALT!¡± shouted the commander who sat atop of the only horse in the squad.


    Reining his horse around to face the frozen, statue-like soldiers the commander began:


    ¡°Everyone, you have served your country well and now your service has come to a glorious close. You are all now battle-hardened warriors that will be respected anywhere in the five kingdoms! If you ever wish for employment in cities as soldiers then you will never be denied! The Dark race will tremble at your name for you have survived beyond their borders and killed many of their brethrens!! If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ...Today, I am no longer your commander and under martial law you are all no longer my men. But remember! We are and will be brothers forever! DISMISSED!¡±


    As the commander finished his speech, all the soldiers roared in agreement and joy. The sound echoed far and wide, even frightening the hundreds of kids who were waiting not too far atop the hill.


    Cyil marveled at the atmosphere and strength of the war cry. But even moreso, he thought the commander was cool. I wonder if that is dad, Cyil thought. Only the strongest warrior could become the commander, right?


    After the shout from the soldiers died down, these soldiers broke formation and ran towards the kids on the hill. Everyone was shouting all at once, calling out names, trying to find their kid(s) or father who they might not even recognize anymore.


    ¡°Vlatos!¡± Cyil shouted towards the oncoming soldiers. ¡°Vlatos! Where are you, dad!¡±


    Looking around, some father had already been reunited with their kids.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your mother, dear?¡± a soldier asked his ten year old daughter.


    ¡°She¡¯s making food for you! All the housewives and even the grannies and grandpas are setting up a celebration back at the village for you all!¡± The girl beamed. ¡°Ah! I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you about it.¡±


    Laughing, the man wrapped the girl up in a warm hug, hefted her onto his shoulders and carried her back up the hill and beyond, to the town.


    Scenes like this continuously played all around Cyil as he stood in place shouting for his father.


    At first, Cyil was filled with endless excitement but as the crowd of soldiers gradually thinned Cyil¡¯s excitement died down with the thinning of the crowd.


    No one had answered his call that had eventually turn to a plea.


    As the last soldier left, Cyil was not the only kid standing alone. Seven other kids were standing there at a lost, too.


    The commander then slowly galloped up the hill towards the group of kids.


    ¡°Vercatus, Epasius, Vlatos, Connedus, and Tascus! Sons and Daughters of these soldiers step up!¡± The commander said with his gentlest tone as he dismounted.


    Facing this awesome commander, the kids were a little bit timid and none readily stepped up except for-


    ¡°Sir!¡± Cyil marched up. ¡°I am the only son of Vlatos, the strongest warrior in this town! Where is my dad?¡±


    Shocked at the little boy¡¯s straightforwardness the commander knelt down and looked the boy in the eye. There was nothing particularly special about this boy. He looked like any random kid from a poor village but his eyes were sharp and pure.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±


    ¡°Cyil Cintu!¡± Cyil kept eye contact with the commander.


    ¡°Good name. You have the fearlessness of your father, Vlatos Cintu. He would often talk and even brag about you to the soldiers in our squad. Now I see why he would be so proud. I am called Agedilio. Today,¡± the commander stood and gazed with pity at all the other kids who were still standing further back, ¡° today, I bring you all heavy news. I hope that you can all bring me to your current guardians so I can tell them these news.¡±


    All the kids gasped. Among them, the oldest one was 15 while the youngest was nine. Despite this they all knew what Agedilio¡¯s ¡®bad news¡¯ was referring to.


    ¡°Death? Did my father die?!¡± shouted the oldest one among the kids.


    ¡°I want my dad!¡± shouted another.


    Soon all eight voices began to cry out complaints, or just simple just cry.


    Cyil stood there motionless and speechless. He did not cry or speak. It was as if he was frozen in place and time while slowly being strangled. His breathing began to come out in huffs and then he collapsed onto the ground¡­

 Book 1: Chapter 2

    Book 1: Chapter 2


    ¡°How is my son doing grandma Sueta?¡±


    ¡°Things don¡¯t look good. He¡¯s not waking up and I¡¯ve tried everything I know. I am just a small town doctor and cannot determine what¡¯s wrong with your boy. This old lady is sorry.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Did you know, it¡¯s been seven days already and you still haven¡¯t opened your eyes. I don¡¯t know if I can live if I lose you, too. Please wake up my dearest son. Mother misses you.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°I have important matters to report so I will be heading back to the royal capital soon. Have you made your decision?¡±


    ¡°When can he come home again? How much will treatment in the royal capital cost?¡±


    ¡°When he gets better I will bring him back. Don¡¯t worry about the costs. Vlatos and the others are only gone because of my poor judgement. That storm, the fire, the quake. It was as if the world was ending. It was my fault for bringing them to that godforsaken place. I- I can never repay them. I have given the other families gold, but that cannot bring them back their beloveds. This matter is much more important than gold; let my selfish self try to save your son.¡±


    ¡°I pray the elements be with him¡­ Tell him his mother loves him very much.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Doctor Vecto, how are things looking?¡±


    ¡°He is in no danger of dying as long as he is well fed. As I told you, he is in a deep deep sleep. Maybe the shocking news of his father¡¯s passing caused him to go into shock. I cannot pinpoint the exact cause as this case is very unique. I¡¯ve tried various methods to wake him but none seem to work. For now we just have to wait for him to wake up.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Wait? For how much longer? It¡¯s been close to three months!¡±


    ¡°How long, even I do not know.¡±


    ¡­..


    1 year


    2 year


    ¡°His life force is dimming down. He won¡¯t last till next week. Unless a high ranking light mage or Life Saint came in person. There is nothing we can do for him now. .¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking but I am useless and none would heed my pleads¡­ Doctor, if there is nothing left you can do then I must take him back to his mother. It would be best if his mother can see him before he passes. And, have a body to bury this time¡±


    ¡°Moving the patient now will only quicken his death. But my hands really are tied. I am sorry for not being able to save him, third prince.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, Doctor. Thank you for helping me in aiding this boy. Also, I have long since been a prince. Now, I am just a lowly commander.¡±


    ¡°As you command¡­¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Alas, I¡¯ve tried my best Vlatos. You won¡¯t curse me when I see you again, right? ¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    ¡°That boy you¡¯re carrying with you. I want him!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! You won¡¯t get to him unless I¡¯m dead.¡±


    ¡°Now now, I don¡¯t feel like killing the third prince of the Drosan kingdom. Those old monsters will chase me to the ends of the continent and it¡¯ll be annoying.¡±


    ¡°You-how?!¡±


    ¡°You ask too many questions. Sleep for a while.¡±


    ¡­.


    ¡°Little boy, lady luck must be with you today! You will be dead in two days, but you just happened to pass by me! I am the only person in this terrible terrible continent who even has a chance to save you ! Haha! I¡¯ll call it fate and try!¡±


    ¡­


    3 years.


    ¡°Boy, I do not know where you come from but helping you will be like helping me, too. The metamorphosis you¡¯re going through should be impossible, but it¡¯s happening. This change in you will finally either bring peace to this continent or an apocalypse. This continent has been embroiled in war for far too long and for too many of the wrong reasons. I hope you don¡¯t dissapoint me.¡±


    ...


    The fourth year.


    ¡°Fight boy! You must fight! Hold onto life! Grasp the day now and tomorrow. Isn¡¯t there anything you need to do? Anyone you cherish? Fight for them!¡±


    ¡­


    The fifth year.


    ¡°Mother.¡± Cyil opens his eyes.

 Book 1: Chapter 3

    Book 1: Chapter 3


    Where am I? Cyil stretched out his arm towards the rocky darkness above.


    This must be a cave, he thought. Shadows danced on the jagged walls as candles flickered all around him.


    What am I doing here?


    Trying to get up, Cyil found that he was completely naked and that his body felt foreign. It took him a moment to command his body to move. Cyil sat up and thought back to his last memory. He was standing in front of commander Agedilio and then his dad was coming home. Coming home.


    Cyil froze and grabbed at his head. ¡°My dad is dead. He is gone¡­ but but mother said it¡¯s very safe at the borders and that the dark ones haven¡¯t attacked in years!¡±


    Cyil sat there for a moment then shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember him much. I need to comfort mother. She must be really sad.¡±


    Cyil stood up and found that his head was close to touching the ceiling of the cave.


    A voice then pierced through the darkness., startling him. ¡°Well well. Awake at last! You slept quite nicely, eh?"


    ¡°Who?¡± Cyil swirled around while trying to find the source.


    ¡°Your body is even stronger than a bison¡¯s, not to mention someone who has been asleep for five years. Aye that makes me jealous. So jealous.¡±


    Cyil scooped up a candle and waved it in front of him in a threatening manner. ¡°Who are you? Where am I? Where is my mother?¡±


    ¡°Boy,¡± the voice drawled, ¡°I am your saviour. You would be dead now if not for me!¡±


    Stepping out of thin air, an old man appeared right in front of Cyil¡¯s face.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Cyil stumbled back and landed on his butt.


    ¡°Surprised?¡± The old man chuckled. ¡°Kid, listen closely to what I have to say. I know you have many questions and they will be answered shortly so don¡¯t interrupt me. First, I mean you no harm. I could have left you to die but instead I saved you. I even gave up my left arm to save you. Look.¡±


    The old man slightly turned his body towards the light and Cyil¡¯s eyes followed the loose dangling sleeve swinging back and forth.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Cyil gulped and the old man continued: ¡°Second, you have been sleeping for five years. If I am correct you should be around 16 years old now, but your mind is still that of an 11 year old. This is perhaps the only downside to your awakening and something I can not fix. I can only hope to temper your personality and give you the means to protect yourself through training in magic!¡±


    ¡°Third,¡±


    ¡°-Magic?!¡± Cyil stood up and excitedly rush towards the old man. ¡°Do you know magic, elder? You said I can learn magic?¡±


    ¡°Hey hey I said not to interrupt me you little brat.¡± The old man stopped and looked at the enthusiastic boy in front of him. Seeing that the boy was listening and keeping quiet, he continued.


    ¡°Third, if you want to learn magic from me you cannot stop midway and you must start right away because I¡¯ve already been in one spot for too long. That means no visiting that mother of yours you keep murmuring about. Also, if you are not hardworking or if you have no talent then I will stop teaching you.¡±


    ¡°Fourth, if you learn magic from me, you must vow never to kill anything that has a soul. Should you break this vow, then I will personally come to end you!¡±


    Glaring into Cyil¡¯s eyes the old man released an ominus pressure that shook Cyil¡¯s core.


    Despite the pressure, Cyil only grimaced and continued to stare into the old man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Good, it seems your willpower is the real deal. Now for the last thing. If you ever become a rank 8 Mage then you must come find me at the highest point in this continent. You¡¯ll naturally know where that place is if you¡¯ve reached that level of power.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°Ahem, you may now ask any questions you still have.¡±


    ¡°Elder! Are you a mage?!¡±


    ¡°Of course! You¡¯re not too bright, are you. How else would I be able to teach you magic?¡±


    ¡°Will you really teach me magic? Mom told me that only people who can communicate with the elements can learn magic! Like like having an elemental body! I don¡¯t have an elemental body at all. They are so rare. Mom says so.¡±


    Scratching his head, the old man sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right. Elemental bodies are incredible rare. Usually, the appearance of an elemental body is only 1 in 10,000. And there are varying grades of elemental bodies too. Low-grade, meaning their connection to their respective element is barely enough for them to be able to use magic. This is the most common grade of elemental body among all wizard. Following that is the more uncommon medium-grade, the rare high-grade, and then the rumored perfect elemental body.¡±


    ¡°In all my years of living I have only met three existence with a perfect elemental body. They were terrifying entities. As for high-grade elemental bodies, there are probably less than 100 living in this continent. They are powerful rulers. In fact, four of your seven kings have high-grade elemental bodies.¡±


    The old man paused briefly with a longing look in his eyes. ¡°Many say that elemental bodies are because of bloodlines so they would only marry others with strong elemental bodies. Even if they don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    Seeing that the old man had become silent Cyil spoke up again. ¡°Elder, what grade elemental body do you have? And element! What¡¯s your element?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡± snapping out of his thoughts the old man felt embarrassed for showing such a state to the boy.


    ¡°I of course have only the best of the best and am the best of the best!¡±


    Cyil¡¯s eyes glistened as if he were looking at the legendary delicacy called meat! ¡°And and? Which is it elder??¡±


    The old man reveled in Cyil¡¯s eagerness. Then he grinned and answered.

 Book 1: Chapter 4

    Book 1: Chapter 4


    ¡°Lowest grade!¡± The old man declared proudly.


    ¡°Low. Low grade?¡± Cyil scratched his head. ¡°Uhhhh that¡¯s still really cool, elder!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean,¡± the old man asked in response. ¡°You think that¡¯s cool? Why? Why is it cool? You know that it¡¯s nothing to be proud of right?¡±


    ¡°Yes it is really cool,¡± Cyil furiously nodded his head. ¡°Even if it is the lowest grade you still can be a mage and use magic! A lot of other people can only dream of it but you can actually do it!¡± Cyil answered with words that shocked the old man.¡±So I think that¡¯s something that is really cool.¡±


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re right, kid. But you must also know the nature of humans. If you let them know of the taste of a bone then they would then surely desire the taste of the meat that was on that bone. So when I found out I could use magic, I was not happy but instead angered that I had such a low grade elemental body. I craved for strength but I could only revel in my own misery and work harder than others to fill in my deficit. It was not until I encountered that someone that I could see how foolish I was. The amount of work I put in. You couldn¡¯t imagine¡­ but I am getting a little too sentimental. I must be getting old, ha.¡±


    ¡°Elder¡­.¡±


    ¡°Say no more. Let¡¯s continue. You wanted to know the type of my elemental body? I can tell you, I am special. Have you ever heard of a dual-elemental body?¡±


    ¡°Dual-elemental body? I think my mom said those are people who can communicate and use two elements! But they are very very very rare.¡±


    ¡°Haha your mom is quite knowledgeable! She¡¯s right, they are extremely rare, and I have a dual-elemental body!¡±


    ¡°Whaaa,¡± at this point, Cyil¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers and his open mouth could fit an entire loaf of bread.


    ¡°Surprised? I was too, since I didn¡¯t even know of this until I was already older. Typically when you¡¯re born, whether you have an elemental body and which type it is can be determined right away. The only reason the second element of my elemental body was not discovered until later was because it was an extremely rare type and was not as strong as my other element--the wind element. This hidden element of mine was the darkness type!¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Darkness?!¡± Cyil had been surprised so many times since he awoke that he started to wonder if he was in a dream and if he was still sleeping nicely back in his old cottage. ¡°But elder! Mom told me that only the dark races can use the darkness element! Are you from the dark races? You sure don¡¯t look like one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but no. I am human, but the darkness element can be harnessed by humans and other beings who are not from the dark races. It is just that the five kings proclaim anyone who utilizes dark magic as evil and as an intruder from the dark races thus dark mages don¡¯t publicize their magic.¡±


    ¡°Then people who use dark magic are not evil?¡±


    ¡°No. Remember, there are no absolutes in this continent. It is just the people or entity that decides whether something is good or bad. There are even those from the dark races who can be considered ¡®good¡¯.¡±


    This latest piece of news shocked Cyil the most. His very mind shook. But the entire dark race was evil! That¡¯s what everyone had told him and all that he had learned. Cyil couldn¡¯t believe it too easily.


    ¡°My dad was killed by the dark races. At the border. They killed him.¡± Cyil whispered.


    Seeing the lost eyes of the boy staring at him the old man said, ¡°War is a terrible thing and when it comes it is the masses who suffer the most. Would you stop it if you could?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Cyil replied without hesitation.


    ¡°And how can you stop war?¡±


    ¡°With,¡± Cyil thought to himself. ¡°Mom says love is the strongest force on this continent and that it can defeat anything!¡±


    Now it was the old man¡¯s turn to stagger in surprise. After recovering the old man straightened himself. ¡°Ahem. That is certainly true. Your mother is right. But to protect love you need strength! Only with strength can you protect those who you love!¡±


    As those words rang out with a firm conviction, Cyil¡¯s eyes glowed.


    ¡°Boy, do you want strength?! Do you want the power to protect your loved ones? To protect those innocents who cannot fend for themselves?!¡±


    ¡°Yes! I want to make sure no harm can come to my mom! I want to make sure all my friends and their families at the village will never have to worry about the dark forces. I want to be as strong as my dad.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the old man grinned at Cyil¡¯s answers.


    ¡°And most of all, I want to avenge my father! Those from the dark races, I will kill-¡±


    *pak*


    Cyil didn¡¯t see it happen but he could feel an invisible hand slap him across the face and it immediately brought tears to his eyes.


    ¡°Foolish child.¡± The old man whose eyes gradually softened did not regret his action, but instead began to reprimand the now crying Cyil.

 Book 1: Chapter 5

    Book 1: Chapter 5


    ¡°Do you remember that one of my conditions was for you to never kill? I know the feeling of anger and hate and thirst for vengeance. Wanting to hurt those who have hurt you or those you care about, but let me tell you this path will only create a cycle of hate¡­¡±


    Seeing that Cyil was listening and no longer crying the old man continued:


    ¡°My name is Baccaus Petros, the fourth son of Zale Manos, the 76th wizened. Your body is already slowly becoming that of a man but you are still a child and easily malleable. My methods and teachings may not be correct at all and some things can only be learned by yourself, but remember my teachings in the case where one day find you are in need of them.


    You were only a normal boy until the awakening of your elemental body five years ago. I do not know what triggered your awakening but it was a miracle that perhaps upset the heavens, for your elemental body, no, it would be more correct to say your saint body holds three of the four saint attributes!¡± Baccaus stopped speaking as if reliving the shock of the scene where he saw the practically dead boy tied to the back of another man.


    ...


    Baccaus was changing his location as he never could stay in one place for too long and hearing horse hooves charging towards him, he grew annoyed. Moving towards the sound, Baccaus felt something forcefully fly out of his spatial equipment on its own accord and speed towards the two riders behind him.


    ¡°No!¡± Baccaus was shocked and vanished from his spot, only to appear a half second later in front of the flying object. He caught the object, a smooth, round ball the size of an apple.


    ¡°Why did it come out on it¡¯s own?¡± Baccaus slowly began, then he noticed that the ball was glowing. It was dim but Baccaus could see it clearly. ¡°Glow?! Resonance!¡±


    Baccaus immediately became excited and let the attraction of the orb pull him forwards towards the ever closer riders.


    ¡°This must be heaven¡¯s fate. Kara, if this is who you choose then I have no objections. I will do my best to make sure he becomes as kind and gentle as you were.¡± The rim of Baccaus¡¯ eyes grew red as he went to welcome the two riders.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡­


    ¡°Saint attributes. Those who have a saint attribute will also automatically have a perfect saint body. But you actually have three! This is unprecedented in all of history!¡± Baccaus said this to Cyil with a stern tone.


    ¡°Sit.¡± Baccaus gestured and took his own seat on the rocky ground. ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±


    ¡°My name is Cyil Cintu.¡± Cyil slowly took a seat opposite of the old man.


    ¡°Okay Cyil. You haven¡¯t been awake for even an hour and yet you¡¯ve heard of many things having happened that has probably turned your world inside out. Let¡¯s start over, slowly, from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°But before that, wear some clothes first.¡± Baccaus waved his arm and levitating clothes appeared on top of Cyil¡¯s head, before quickly crashing down onto his head.


    Cyil quickly realize that he had been naked the whole time and blushed. Quickly donning a simple cotton shirt and pants, he sat back down and said, ¡°Elder, I¡¯m ready. I now know that revenge is bad so I will try my best to not pursue it! I still find this situation very strange but I feel like I can trust you; it¡¯s almost as if I¡¯ve met you before-like a grandpa! Mom says your heart is your first brain and you should listen to it first.¡±


    ¡°Well said, but revenge is not necessarily-argh there are no absolutes. Forget it, I¡¯ll tell you when you become older.¡± Baccaus said, then revealed a grin. ¡°Cyil, you may call me grandpa Baccaus from now on!¡±


    ¡°Really really? Grandpa Baccaus!¡± Cyil felt a sense a familiarity with the old man and instantly accepted him.


    ¡°Haha, of course just because I¡¯m your grandpa doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll be going easy on you when we¡¯re training.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa Baccaus do you mean you¡¯re willing to teach me how to become a mage?¡±


    ¡°From the moment your saint body was awakened you have already become a mage. And a powerful one too at that. Now it¡¯s just a matter of controlling and improving your ability to communicate with the elements. One step at a time young man, but with me here you¡¯ll become the top mage within your age in no time!¡±


    ¡°Thank you Grandpa Baccaus! I am really happy right now. Did you know that I always wanted to have a grandpa? The kids in the villages have grandpas so they would always get to hear many nice bedtime stories. They would also get lots of sweets! My mom said that my grandmas and grandpas are all really far away. And and and.¡±


    Baccaus listened patiently as he watch the half-grown man open up to him. A warm feeling he did not think he would ever feel again cozied up in his heart. Baccaus smiled. ¡°Kara I think you would have loved this boy. I imagine if we had a child, he would be just like this.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 6

    Book 1: Chapter 6


    ¡°And Grandpa Bacacus! What did you use to slap me?! It really hurts!¡±


    ¡°You brat, that was my wind hand¡± Baccaus laughed, ¡°I lost my temper for a bit, but that can only stand for how much I mean it. Now, would you like to hear a story? It may not be as exciting as those tales of heroes you often hear of but I can tell you that this will help you understand our continent better.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Please tell me Grandpa Baccaus!¡±


    So Baccaus began the story:


    ¡°The continent we live on is called Nakrul. It is a large land mass that spans for 14 million miles from east to west and 13 million miles from north to south. Surrounding the edge of continent, as if in a warm embrace, are sharp, long, wide mountain ranges. Some call it a prison, for we can never reach the mythical sea because of it. Others call it a blessing because we never have to fear sea creatures or feel the wrath of the boundless water elementals.


    Nakrul contains a lot of different species and races. To the west there are the dark races which includes: the dark ones, demons of all types, undeads, and many more. The dark races occupy ? of the land mass in Nakrul while the humans and their allies occupy ? of the land mass. The other ? are either forbidden zones or belong to the neutral factions like the dragons, giants, and fairies.


    Nakrul is a continent of magic! Magic can be used by every being born with an elemental body. Those who are not blessed and favored by the elements will forever remain a commoner. And yet, over the years those commoners have come up with a way to be outstanding in their own right. Thus came the art of training one¡¯s body to the limit! This is very much similar to how the giants have enormous strength but very low magic capabilities. Or how almost all fairies have medium-grade elemental bodies but very low physical strength. The dragons on the other hand excel in both aspects, making them terrifying entities.


    The various elements that can be utilized are fire, water, wind, earth, light and dark. There are also rare mutated element bodies that can use steel or wood or other such combinations. But above all these elements are the four saint elements. These are laws, rather than elements because they are Space, Time, Death, and Life.


    Someone who is born with a saint body is a supreme existence! They are no longer called mages but referred to as saints!


    Those who are born with the Life attribute are sought after by all species on the Nakrul continent. But a Life saint body is extremely rare so not many exist. Additionally, t is unknown how many saint bodies exist because all of them are hidden quite well and those saint who show themselves are either already terrifyingly strong or have a strong powerhouse protecting them. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Those with the Death attribute are prosecuted and constantly face the fear of death because they have the power to cause the death of millions with just a single low level spell. This is terrifying as even a high ranked mage can be killed by a rank 0 Death saint!


    Those with the Space attribute are the most common of the saint bodies. But common is a relative term because I only know of one Space saint and that is the fifth and youngest of the five human king. There are sure to be other saints among other species but I have not seen records of any for a long time now.


    Those with the Time attribute are rare to the point where none have appeared in the human race since the documentation of our history began in 950 BI (Before Invasion).


    Now, aside from saints that are in their own category there are mages.


    Magicians or Magus are ranked from 0-9; to rank up you must reach and break through level ten of your respective rank. I am a rank 7 level 10 mage, infinitely close to being a rank 8 mage but alas.


    Physical type users, who are mostly warriors, have a different system of ranking. They are ranked from 1-9 and do not have levels. They also do not have clear indications of when they¡¯ve broken through so to rank up they must defeat another physical type user of a higher ranking or defeat a mage one rank lower than them. So if a warrior of rank 3 defeats a rank 4 warrior then they would rank up to rank 4, too. Or if the rank 3 warrior defeats a rank 2 mage of any level then they would rank up to a rank 4 warrior.


    This might be a little confusing at first, but mages who can harness the power of elements holds an upper hand against physical type users so a warrior of the same rank cannot usually win against a mage of the same rank.


    For warriors to rank up they must go to a large city and ask the mercenary association to set up a fight for them. Otherwise, nothing can be authenticated nor recorded. Though there are really strong freaks who do not care to publicize their ranks and are simply tigers disguised in rabbit skins. But a good thing about having your ranking publicized is the ability to receive a monthly income from your respective kingdom. Others do it for the prestige so they can have access to different resources or have bestowed upon them titles of nobility.


    Nakrul is also a continent filled with magical equipment. The dwarves are the best craftsmen and can create the finest equipments, and given the right materials they can create magical equipments with magical properties. Otherwise, ordinary equiptments can be imbued with rune carvings to give them magical properties too, but equipments that has innate properties are much better, more expensive, and very rare.


    Humans now hold the highest population in Nakrul. Our reproductive rate is not only fast, but humans have high intelligence not found in other high reproducing species like goblins and orcs. This is also one of the reasons humans can be found almost everywhere on Nakrul.


    Nakrul holds many secrets, has many astonishing species and heavenly materials. I hope that you can explore many of the places that have never been explore before and perhaps even see the mythical sea! I will continue telling about our continent later. For now, let¡¯s eat then practice some magic!¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 7

    Book 1: Chapter 7


    After Cyil and Baccaus finished a simple meal of bread and cheese, Baccuas gave Cyil an introductory course on magic.


    ¡°Magic is borrowing the elemental energy surrounding you by using your body as a medium to absorb and manipulate the energy. The higher your grade of elemental body the faster you can absorb your respective element from the atmosphere and the stronger your attacks will be. There are also other benefits to having a high-grade elemental body but you will not need to know of that for now because you have a saint body!¡±


    ¡°You actually have three saint attributes,¡± Baccaus repeated again, more for himself than for Cyil.


    ¡°That¡¯s really cool Grandpa Baccaus!¡±


    ¡°Cool? Cyil, did you not hear how insane saint attributes are?! People would call you a saint if you had a saint attribute much less three! They would probably simply address you as a god!¡±


    Cyil scratched his head. ¡°Yes, Grandpa, I kind of understand but I am happy as long as I can use magic and become strong enough to protect my mom and the villagers. I also want to find a doctor for you so they can fix your arm.¡±


    Baccaus could only smile at Cyil¡¯s answer. ¡°Silly boy, my arm is gone. Do not worry about it. I am glad it could save you.¡±


    Cyil did not say anything and only nodded, but deep down he already promised to do everything he could to repay his Grandpa.


    ¡°Your three saint attributes are Space, Time, and¡­. Death!¡± Baccaus sighed as he listed out the last saint attribute.


    ¡°Grandpa! Isn¡¯t the Death attribute really bad? Will people not like me anymore and avoid me? What if I accidentally kill someone?¡± Cyil immediately became riddled with concerns even though his understanding of what a Death Saint is was limited.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Baccaus assured, his voice a pillar of support that calmed Cyil down. ¡° I will teach you to control your powers. I used to know someone who had a Saint attribute so I am sure I can guide you to properly use your powers. It is not too different from a mage¡¯s training. Now focus and feel the three type of laws around you. Close your eyes and empty your mind of thoughts.¡±


    Cyil closed his eyes and sat cross legged as still as a statue. Soon his breathing slowed and he could ¡®see¡¯ a world full of bright colours: red, green, yellow, blue, blinding white, and black. Then all those colours trembled and vanished. They disappeared in a blink of an eye but the blink also seem to last for a long time.


    Cyil was excited because of the bright colors and opened his eyes to tell his grandpa but as he opened his eyes what greeted him was perpetual darkness. Cyil rubbed his eyes and stood up to look around.


    ¡°Did Grandpa Baccaus blow out all the candles?¡± Cyil thought to himself.


    ¡°Grandpa! Where did you go? I saw a lot of lights. Could those be elemental particles?¡±


    Not hearing a reply he began to grow worried.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Grandpa, are you here? Is this a prank?¡±


    Just as Cyil took a step forward he felt himself become weightless and float. Shocked at the sudden development, Cyil grasp at the air around him. With that not working he could only try to stay upright by adjusting his center of gravity.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Cyil repeated for a long while. But he received no response.


    Cyil tried closing his eyes and reopening them but he was still stuck in that darkness.


    After what seemed like a long time Cyil could see an eerie grey mist approaching him.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Curious and left without choice, Cyil drifted towards the grey mist.


    The gray mist gradually grew larger and swallowed Cyil. As he entered the mist, Cyil felt a cold chill seep into all of his pores. At first, it did not bother him but as the gray mist grew heavier Cyil felt drowsy, constantly slipping in and out of consciousness. Soon Cyil could hear a whisper beckoning him forwards. The whisper began with one then gradually became a chorus pounding his very soul into submission.


    ¡°Come,¡± said the voices. ¡°Sleep with us for eternity. Here, you¡¯ll be free. No more worries. No more lies. This is true paradise.¡±


    As they repeated themselves over and over again Cyil began to think their offer was reasonable.


    ¡°Maybe, I should,¡± Cyil slowly closed his eyes and eased up. ¡°I just want to see mom again¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Cyil murmured. ¡°Mom!¡± He shouted.


    Cyil¡¯s eyes shot open and the gray mist exploded outwards, denigrating instantly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see mom again if I sleep. That. That was death! I still need to find mom and tell her I¡¯m okay and protect her. I can¡¯t die!¡±


    As Cyil awoke and dispersed the gray mist, an ethereal golden figure from afar smiled and disappeared.


    Cyil did not see the figure but he found that he was no longer floating and could stand. All around him was still the empty darkness, but he felt that the darkness was not so scary anymore.


    He did not know where he was going but he continued walking. After a long while Cyil could see a shining object far off into the distance. Excited and a bit cautious because of his experience with the gray mist, Cyil move towards the object.


    With each step the object grew exponentially larger until he could see a mostly blue spherical object with two large patches of greenish gray each on opposite ends. Cyil marveled at it¡¯s beauty for a bit, then decided to continue walking towards the object.


    ¡°Something so pretty shouldn¡¯t be dangerous,¡± he thought.


    Taking the first few steps forward, a pulling force propelled Cyil towards the object at an incredible speed. Cyil had to close his eyes but he caught a glimpse of the direction he was speeding towards-the southwest area of one of the grey patch.


    Bracing for the impact that never came, Cyil opened his eyes when the pulling force ended.


    ¡°Cyil? How was it? Could you sense any of the saint attributes?¡± A familiar old voice rang out.


    Cyil saw Baccaus still sitting in the same spot and jumped up to touch him.


    ¡°Grandpa Grandpa! I feel like I haven''t seen you in ages!¡± Cyil felt the face of the shocked Baccaus.


    ¡°Child, you closed your eyes for only a few seconds and opened them again just as soon. Do you miss me that much?¡± Baccaus laughed at his own popularity.


    Cyil shook his head vigorously, ¡°No Grandpa, it felt like a really long time, and yet it felt short, too. I don¡¯t know how to explain it but here¡¯s what happened¡­¡±


    As Cyil recounted his experience in the darkspace, Baccaus listened intently.


    Baccaus remained silent until Cyil mentioned the gray mist and what it had done to him.


    ¡°Death aura! As expected, you really do have the Death aura. But why did it try to devour you?¡± Baccaus frowned, deep in thought.


    ¡°Grandpa what is the Death aura?¡± Cyil sensed that it must be something serious because his grandpa never looked this serious before in the few hours that Cyil¡¯s known him.


    ¡°The Death aura is a curse¡­¡± Baccaus replied bleakly.

 Book 1: Chapter 8

    Book 1: Chapter 8


    ¡°Curse...curse..¡± Cyil repeated through his chattering teeth. ¡°Mom says curse are really evil and that if anyone gets cursed then they die! Grandpa why am I cursed?¡±


    Baccaus could only sigh. ¡°The Death aura is indeed a curse of the highest order. All Death saints have a Death aura but I¡¯ve never heard of the Death aura attacking the user. I reckon this might have been the cause behind the weakening of your life force after your awakening, causing you to be asleep for 5 years. Luckily, when I met you, I had a strong Life attribute core that I used to try to save you. Perhaps the Life attribute countered your Death aura so you survived and eventually recovered.¡±


    As Baccaus continued to speak he became more convinced of his own reasoning. ¡°That explains part of it, but how could you last so long with the death aura constantly attacking you¡­


    Argh, as long as you¡¯re fine then it¡¯s alright. We can slowly find the answers later. Remember that you must fight against the Death aura should you ever encounter it again while meditating. Also, from now on I shall accompany you in your meditations, too.¡±


    ¡°So I can defeat the Curse if I fight against it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you must fight against it everyday and never give up. I hope there comes a day where you can freely control it so it does not endanger you or others.¡± Baccaus nodded and thought of the only time he had seen a Death saint. Baccaus dared to sneak a look at the figure and meeting the saint¡¯s eyes, he almost fainted. Baccaus shivered and shook away the memory.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Cyil nodded at the prospect of escaping that dreaded gray mist.


    ¡°You can continue with your story,¡± Baccaus gestured.


    As Cyil recounted the glowing sphere and its appearance Baccaus did not think much of it and told Cyil to remain vigilant if he should ever return to the dark space.


    After warning Cyil, Baccaus went to sit behind Cyil, placing his only hand on Cyil¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll monitor your meditation this time around so don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Grandpa.¡± Cyil closed his eyes and emptied his mind. Soon the various lights momentarily returned and vanished again just like last time. But this time, a pleasurable feeling spread throughout his body. It felt as if he was eating the most delicious meats available in Nakrul and also bathing in relaxing warm waters all at once. All sorts of wonderful feelings spread throughout his very soul. Then, abruptly, Cyil felt as if he were back in his mother¡¯s womb. It was an odd sensation because he could feel the change but did not know when the change came about. It felt as if he had always been there experiencing that feeling.


    ¡°The Time attribute is formless, whereas the Death attribute appears as a light gray particle and the Space particle appears as a shiny silver particle.¡± Baccaus¡¯ voice rang in Cyil¡¯s consciousness.


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± Cyil shook and almost broke out of meditation.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°I am with you. Do not worry and focus on absorbing whatever your body can take in. It is said that the Time attribute is formless so you have to feel it, but I am not too sure. These are laws so trying to understand them is easy but also out of our reach. As for the Death attribute and Space attribute absorb as many of those particles as possible.¡±


    ¡°Will the Death attribute be dangerous?¡± Cyil asked, still uncertain.


    ¡°No, it should be okay. It is only the Death aura that we should worry about.¡±


    Cyil did not saying anything else and continued to absorb the emptiness around him.


    Soon the darkness around him started to swirl and silver particles began to float towards him.


    As the silver particles made contact with Cyil they vanished and sunk into his skin making him feel fuller, as if he had just eaten a meal. As if late to the party, weightless grey particles also joined the fray; after a few minutes Cyil felt so full he could burst, but he remembered what his grandpa had instructed and absorbed as many as he could.


    After another 10 minutes passed, Cyil felt as if something had gone horrible wrong. He could feel his body expanding but he could do nothing to stop it. Just as the sharp pain registered, Cyil felt a soothing breeze that instantly dispersed the pain and reduced the bloating.


    ¡°Good.¡± Baccaus said sternly. ¡°Your willpower is pretty good. You did not stop and broke past your limit. But also remember that going too far and being too stubborn is not always a good thing. That feeling of pain was the result of absorbing too much saint particles without ¡®digesting¡¯ them. Remember that pain so you never go over your limit again. It can cause your soul to explode and die!¡±


    ¡°I knew you were there so I wasn¡¯t worried at all Grandpa!¡± Cyil replied matter of factly.


    ¡°You...¡± Baccaus was at a lost of what to say. This kid¡¯s way of thinking was so pure and straightforward that even an old fox like him has already suffered some losses.


    ¡°When I am no longer with you, you must learn this simple rule and many other things. Next time if you go over your limit I¡¯ll let you suffer a bit more before saving you then. Heh heh.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa you¡¯re¡­.you¡¯re cruel!¡± Cyil laughed.


    ¡°Alright alright. Now let me tell you how to digest your ¡®food¡¯. The first time is always the most difficult but you should be able to get it within a few tries. This is also the more difficult part of meditating. Collecting the particles is the easiest part and takes the least amount of time.


    To digest the particles just take all its energy then send out the remaining impurities. How much of the energy and how efficiently you can extract it will determine how quickly you can raise your levels as a mage. This is where having a high-grade elemental body comes into play. Those favoured by their element will be able to better collect and absorb their respective element.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, what happens to the particles when we release them back out?¡± Cyil asked with a tinge of concern.


    ¡°They naturally return to the atmosphere to gain energy so another living thing may absorb them again.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t the particle be hurt? What if you suck out all of its energy?¡± Cyil asked again, this time with a sense of urgency.


    ¡°Why are you so worried, the particles will only grow stronger each time they have their energy drained and restore themselves again. And no one can suck out all of a particle¡¯s energy, not even perfect elemental bodies. It¡¯s unheard of and would take too long to be efficient!¡±


    Baccaus found the boy¡¯s concern to be cute, but still found time to throw in a lecture.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great to hear!¡± Cyil nodded to himself and let out a breath of relief. ¡°Ummm Grandpa, all the silver and grey particles are leaving me now. I...I think I absorbed all their energy.¡±


    Baccaus could not believe what he was hearing so he focused more on Cyil¡¯s spiritual body and sure enough it had returned to its normal state but was now slightly stronger than before!


    ¡°Holy Saint Shit!¡± Baccaus muttered to himself. ¡°There really are no absolutes in this world!¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 9

    Book 1: Chapter 9


    ¡°Kid! What did you do? How, how did you purify and extract all the energy so quickly?! It takes little old me 2 seconds or so per particle to digest! You absorb 68 Space particle and 9 Death particle. It should take a rank 0 mage three minutes to digest one particle. Even saints should not be able to reach this crazy speed! You...You...genius! No! Beyond genius!¡±


    Baccaus was beyond excited. He could only imagine that with this speed Cyil would catch up to him in less than 10 years! And 10 years was a conservative estimate!


    Cyil could do nothing but just scratch his head. ¡°Grandpa, so I didn¡¯t do anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! This is absolutely right! How, how did you do it?!!¡± At this point Baccaus himself, forgetting that he was the teacher, now seriously asked Cyil for his advice.


    And Baccaus was right to be excited. This could be a chance for him to make a breakthrough to become a rank 8 mage. That would instantly allow him to achieve his lifelong dream!


    Cyil felt that his answer would be very important to his grandpa so he tried seriously to remember the exact steps he took.


    ¡°After you helped me from exploding I felt really full and it was an uncomfortable feeling so I wanted the feel less full and then the particles began to leave me by themselves; after that I noticed that they were completely white so I was scared I was in trouble and did something wrong so I asked a lot of questions.¡± Cyil answered with all seriousness.


    *pfft* Baccaus almost choked on his own spiritually formed spit. ¡°You wanted to feel less full so the particles left?¡±


    Hearing the answer Baccaus almost wanted to strangle the kid, not because he thought the kid was lying but because he was too jealous!


    ¡°Alright. Alright. Let¡¯s see you do it again. I¡¯ll closely monitor you this time! Come!¡± Baccaus declared.


    Nodding, Cyil diligently began to absorb the the particles again and they returned to him just as quickly, as if they were starved children running after the delicious meal that was Cyil. As soon as Cyil began his absorption the nice feeling came back and he felt like he was experiencing all of the happiest memories of his life over again.


    As this was going on Baccaus carefully observed Cyil¡¯s actions. He was not surprised at Cyil¡¯s absorption speed because saint attribute particles are like emperors to elemental particles thus eliminating the need for the mage to slowly pick out their respective elemental particle from batches of other elements.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Once a saint body was calling for their attribute particles then all other elemental particles would make way for those particles. This greatly increased the absorption process. Even Baccaus himself sped up his absorption and digesting speed after he discovered his second element, because he had one more option to pick from the elemental particles in the surroundings to fill up his soul. Of course, he could not compare to a saint¡¯s speed but he was much faster than other average mages. Not to mention the boy could absorb three attributes particle!


    He had three¡­.


    Wait.


    Baccaus quickly remembered what he just told Cyil a while before. ¡°Time is formless and could only be felt. So how could he absorb Time? Unless, Time was somehow helping Cyil in someway, perhaps speeding up the process of digestion?!¡±


    Baccaus exclaimed in shook. If this was the case then a Time attribute saint would be terrifying! Their leveling speeds would be off the charts.


    Baccaus was right, but also incorrect. That he could guess so much with so little information on Time saints was a testament to his reasoning skills and vast knowledge-base. Time saints would not have been as crazy as Baccaus thought or even close to as quick as Cyil. The reason being, Time saints were not compatible with any other elements.


    Time saints, or any other mage, could absorb any elemental particle they wanted but there would be a rejection from that particle which would increase the difficulty of digestion and drastically reduce the amount of energy produced. Plus the energy would not match their elemental body which would cause hidden dangers if it¡¯s done too much. The gains were not even worth a fart compared to the losses so the reasonable choice for mages was clear-stick to your own element.


    Hence the tragic fate of Time saints that has to absorb other elements. That was why Time saints could only be as fast as other saints, maybe even slower because they had to dispel the impurities themselves, taking even more time. But do not think they are not strong, for Time saints are not called saints for no reason¡­


    Cyil¡¯s speed could only be called blessed by the heavens because he not only had the Time attribute but two other Saint attributes to boot! It is only within a dual-elemental/saint body that the Time attribute can shine and Cyil had two extra attributes just for kicks.


    As Baccaus watched Cyil reach close to the limit for his soul, he saw that the boy actually stopped right before he would start to expand and bloat. Just one more particle would have done it but Cyil stopped just in time.


    ¡°Genuis,¡± Baccaus said to himself, then waited for the digesting to begin.


    Baccaus did not have to wait long because two minutes later the particles began to float happily out of Cyil¡¯s body.


    Cyil exhaled and then asked, ¡°Grandpa how was it?¡±


    Baccaus shook his head then replied, ¡°I cannot use your method, but this will be very helpful for your future training. But remember, under no circumstances must you tell anyone how fast your speed is! Nor can you let them monitor your meditation lest they try to capture you and use you as an experimental lab rat!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Cyil jumped and immediately broke out of meditation. Turning around to face Baccaus, Cyil stammered. ¡°They, they won¡¯t really do that will they, Grandpa?¡±


    Seeing the boy¡¯s worried expression Baccaus smiled and thought to himself, ¡°you may be a genius at meditating but there is still much you have to learn heh heh. Let me teach this genius slowly!¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 10

    Book 1: Chapter 10


    Baccaus applied a stern, contemplative look and stroked his goatee with his right hand.


    ¡°Yes. They would absolutely do that. And much more! Whatever you can think of they will do! So you must never tell anyone. Also, don¡¯t let anyone know about your saint attributes. Meaning don¡¯t use your saint magic unless it is absolutely necessary.¡±


    ¡°But how am I supposed to become strong without using magic?¡± Cyil was confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy! You will secretly train as a mage but openly be a warrior!¡± Baccaus continued to goad the little boy so that he would willingly accept the demonic physical training he was about to enforce.


    ¡°A warrior! Like my dad! I want to be the strongest warrior! Will you teach me how, Grandpa?¡± Cyil immediately agreed.


    ¡°This boy is very gullible,¡± Baccaus laughed and thought to himself.


    ¡°Ahem but warrior training is so difficult. Much more difficult than the mage meditation you just experienced. You might even get hurt and be in a lot of pain. Do you still want to become a warrior, despite all this?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I am not afraid of pain. I once scraped my knees falling down a steep hill but I only cried a little. Then mom kissed my injuries and I was all fine!¡±


    Baccaus almost felt bad for the boy as he would be put through pain far more traumatic than scraped knees, but Baccaus gritted his teeth and pushed on. This is for the boy¡¯s own good, Baccaus thought, consoling himself.


    ¡°Alright then! I¡¯ll dual train you as a mage and a warrior at once! And don¡¯t worry about not being able to use magic at all in front of people. I know you youngsters are hot-bloodied and might start fights so I have a way for you to use magic. As for how, it¡¯ll be a secret until you reach rank 2 mage and rank 4 warrior!¡±


    ¡°I agree Grandpa! I just want to become strong so I can protect everyone!¡± Cyil smiled and thought his grandpa was the best person in the world.


    ¡°Sorry Cyil. Be strong,¡± Baccuas said to himself.


    ¡°Okay, I will make you the strongest warrior this continent has ever seen! Follow me Cyil, for you¡¯ve surely missed the sun and I have stayed in this cave for too long! Let¡¯s have a change of scenery!¡±


    Nodding in affirmation Cyil followed Baccaus as they both stood up off the dirty ground and began walking into the darkness.


    They travelled upwards, following the long narrow tunnels. Baccaus was leading while Cyil tailed behind. Cyil estimated the tunnelled twisted half a mile deep into the ground.


    After 10 minutes of climbing they reached the mouth of the cave. Piercing the quiet darkness was sunlight, sounds of birds chirping and wind swishing by. As Cyil squinted and as his eyes readjusted, he could see a sea of trees beneath him. Looking down, he found that the cave entrance was on a ledge on the side of a mountain!If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    A strong gust of wind, courtesy of Baccaus, suddenly slammed pass the ledge and threatened to carry Cyil away with it.


    ¡°Ahhh,¡± Cyil yelled and quickly dodged back to the safety of the cave as Baccaus burst out laughing.


    Seeing the laughing Baccaus, Cyil immediately thought back to what Baccaus¡¯ first element was and he instantly connected the dots. ¡°Grandpa that was mean! What if I was really blown off?¡±


    Baccaus, still laughing, answered, ¡°I would naturally have saved you. I didn¡¯t work this hard to bring you back from death to have you die from falling down half a cliff.¡±


    ¡°Come,¡± Baccaus gestured to the timid Cyil who reluctantly approached him. As soon as Cyil was in range Baccaus grabbed him with his right arm and dragged him off the cliff with him.


    ¡°Let us fly,¡± Baccaus said cooly to the surprisingly calm Cyil, who seemed to have complete trust in his grandpa.


    The two plummeted towards the trees below at an astonishing rate and just as they were about to collide with the treetops a gentle breeze lifted them up and carried them forward.


    Feeling the force lift them, Cyil gawked. ¡°Amazing, so this is magic?¡± He thought to himself silently and took in the feeling of flying and the various scenes.


    They two flew over the treetops with the occasional bird accompanying them from afar. They were flying forward at a moderate speed of 30 miles per hour and soon left behind the small mountain range where they had stayed for close to three years.


    Baccaus began to instruct Cyil on various aspects of spells and magic as they flew.


    ¡°This is the Fly spell. It is a rank 5 level 5 spell. The fundamentals behind this spell is to use wind elemental particles to make your body lighter and to push against gravity to keep you from falling.


    This concept sounds simple but it requires fine control, otherwise you would just be floating in the air not going anywhere. But worst than that is when you haphazardly use up your elemental energy faster than you can take in. Then you could very well fall to your death. That would put us Wind mages on a pedestal for all others to laugh at.


    Because the Fly spell is not only difficult to execute, but also requires a large pool of spiritual energy to support it, this spell is classified as a rank 5 level 5 spell. The truth behind these classifications is to make sure young mages don¡¯t get ahead of themselves and try something out of their league because it is entirely possible to use the Fly spell as a rank 3 mage. It¡¯s just that the effect of the spell will be too weak and the overconsumption of spiritual energy can cause a backlash. There is also the technical skills you would have to learn that a rank 3 mage should not be able to fathom.


    Of course, there are freaks who have the knowledge and skills to use spells above their ranking and levels, but those are geniuses that are seen only once in a few decade. Either way, they will not likely use spells above their ranking and will mostly focus on meditation- trying to rank up.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, are you one of those geniuses?¡± Cyil asked with a candid tone.


    ¡°Ahem ahem, well, of course I am!¡± Baccaus said aloud and proudly straightened his crooked back.


    ¡°I knew it! Grandpa is the best!¡± Cyil praised Baccaus, unbeknownst to the fact that Baccaus only mastered the fly spell as a rank 6 level 3 mage and that he was one of those Wind mages who almost fell to his death.


    ¡°Moving on,¡± Baccaus continued after basking in praises from Cyil for a while. ¡°Every mage has innate spells that they automatically learn when they reach rank 0 level 1. This is a one time thing and the spell you receive can be influenced by the grade of your elemental body but it¡¯s mostly by luck. You¡¯ll know what spell you receive and its effects instantly.


    These innate spells are special because they cost the least to spiritual energy to cast and most importantly, they can improve with you! Everytime your rank increases your innate spell will also raise in power! This is why the innate spells is the third most desired thing for a mage.¡±


    ¡°What are the other two things mages desire most?¡± Cyil scratched his head trying to think of an answer. But the only two things he came up with was first, love and second, meat!

 Book 1: Chapter 11

    Book 1: Chapter 11


    ¡°They are their grade of elemental body and the type of their element!¡± Baccaus announced as if this was common knowledge.


    Cyil nodded at the first answer but was confused by the second answer. ¡°Why does the element matter? I think all the elements are useful!¡±


    ¡°Yes, your element matters! The kingdom values each element differently and even among mages there is discrimination. Although each element has their own strong points, what matters is their usefulness to the country and hence a hierarchy was established:


    Light > Earth > Fire > Wind > Water > Darkness.


    Thus those who have the light element are revered and those who have the darkness element are shunned!¡±


    ¡°But those with the darkness element haven¡¯t done anything wrong. They were just born with it! You¡¯re not a bad person at all Grandpa, so why should you be shunned?¡± Cyil grew angry at the thought as he remembered what Baccaus said before.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct Cyil. This ranking is simply the construction of the human kingdom and does not hold true in all of Nakrul. In the end we are all just human, trying to live our days in happiness and joy¡­ unfortunately, the joy of some is to be above others and torment them. You must keep in mind that you are no better than anyone else or anything else. Everyone is equal and we should all live in harmony.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that Grandpa!¡± Cyil declared.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Baccaus stared at the boy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure we are all equal, everyone and everything!¡± At this point Cyil had a smile on his face, picturing what it would be like.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good dream to have m¡¯boy. But remember that there are no absolutes. Now, we¡¯re almost to Newham town. We¡¯ll land a few miles away so we won¡¯t attract any attention.¡±


    Baccaus guided the air current to let them slowly drift down pass the tree tops, landing on the lush green ground.


    ¡°Grandpa, what are we going to do in town?¡± Cyil thought of food and a warm bath and sweets.


    ¡°We need to restock on food and other necessities. After that I¡¯ll take you to a secluded area and your training will begin. This will be your last time seeing people other than your handsome grandpa so have fun.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡± Cyil nodded and then the two began to make their way towards the Newham.


    Along the way, Baccaus introduced many different plant and animal species to Cyil. Baccaus went over which plants were safe to eat, how best to cook it, how rare each plant was, what type of uses each plant may have. Baccaus also went over the habits of each animal they came across. Because of their constant stops and educational talks by the time they reached Newham the sun was already setting over the treetops.


    Seeing the town alight with candles, Cyil couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of his own little town. Newham was larger than his town and there were more people but a lot of things remained the same. There were people dressed in worn down clothing and there were children playing around in the dirt roads. The sound of laughter echoed all around and the smell of fresh loaves and sweetened milk wafted into all corners of the town.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Approaching the town, Cyil saw some kids playing a game he used to play with his friends.


    ¡°Betsy, Mundo, and Sigesar. How are you all doing.¡± Cyil thought back to his friends and then inadvertently thought of his mother which brought tears to his eyes.


    ¡°Mom, I am not dead! I will come back to you soon so please don¡¯t be too sad. Even without dad, I will still be here. Please. Please wait for me.¡± Cyil steeled his heart and blinked away the tears.


    Baccaus stood silently and watched Cyil¡¯s actions. This boy with a saint body, am I ruining his childhood by putting him down this path? Baccaus softened, ¡°Cyil you can go play with them if you would like.¡±


    Contrary to Baccaus¡¯ expectation, Cyil shook his head. ¡°Grrandpa, I¡¯m okay. I want to finish training soon so I can go visit mom soon.¡±


    Not saying anything, Baccaus nodded at Cyil¡¯s firm gaze and steady answer. Leading the way, Baccaus found the only inn and booked them a room.


    When the innkeeper first saw the pair she was shocked. The old man was wearing dirty cotton pants with a large cloak draped around his hunched body. And as he was handing money to the innkeeper, she could see that the old man¡¯s hand was blackened and dirty. This was a poor town but even the poorest didn¡¯t have hands so unkempt.


    What was even more shocking was the young man who stood tall next to the old man. His skin was pale and clean, there was not even a speck of dirt not to mention a blemish on his face. His hair was long and wild, but it matched his deep, big gray coloured eyes. The boy¡¯s eyebrows was thick and seemed as sharp as swords. Aside from the messy hair and old clothes, the innkeeper believed this was some prince from one of the five kingdoms!


    The innkeeper almost wanted to invite her daughter to talk to the young man but she held back because the old man just seemed too ominous¡­


    As Cyil and Baccaus entered their room, Baccaus told Cyil to meditate. Sitting on the wooden floor, Cyil began to meditate as Baccaus monitored him.


    As Cyil finished one cycle of meditation, Baccaus saw that it took him less than two minutes. Already having experienced the shocking speed, Baccaus still felt the phenomenon was a big cheat.


    10 minutes later Baccaus told Cyil to stop.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Grandpa?¡± Cyil asked, eager to continue.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your speed is what¡¯s wrong!¡± Baccaus was flustered. ¡°You¡¯ve already taken the first step to becoming a mage. You¡¯re officially a rank 0 level 1 mage! Now, quick quick tell me your innate spells! You should have three!¡±


    Baccaus hurried the stunned Cyil.


    ¡°How do I know my innate spells¡­¡± Cyil began speaking but then, like a dam bursting, a flood of information came to him all at once.


    Innate Death spell: Death God¡¯s Aura- releases an aura that indiscriminately decays all life and elemental particles within a one meter radius. Range of aura and rate of decaying will increase as host ranks up. Host unaffected when aura is active. Cost zero spiritual energy to maintain. Cannot be retracted until a soul has entered the Death god¡¯s domain.


    Innate Space spell: Spatial Prison- Locks the surrounding space from where the host conjured the spell so that nothing, except the host, can enter or exit a radius of 10 meters. Locked space last one minute, provided nothing damages the spatial prison. Range of spell and duration will both increase as host ranks up. Cost ? of Host¡¯s remaining spiritual energy.


    Innate Time spell: Absolute Stop- stops time for one second. Duration of spell will increase as host ranks up. The host is unaffected by the spell. Cost one second of host¡¯s lifespan.


    Cyil blinked and tried to process all the information he just received. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, unsure of how to feel. ¡°Grandpa, uhhhh my innate spells are Death God¡¯s Aura, Spatial Prison, and Absolute Stop.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Baccaus did not know much about saint level spells so he could only gesture for Cyil to continue explaining. The names of the spells seemed very dominating but as Cyil listed out their effects and the costs to use them Baccaus¡¯ face paled.

 Book 1: Chapter 12

    Book 1: Chapter 12


    The effects of these innate spells were beyond insane, but their costs were also staggering. Baccaus especially could not accept the effects of Cyil¡¯s innate Death spell. He had heard of ¡®Death Aura¡¯ but never ¡®Death God¡¯s Aura¡¯. Its effect was too scary and its cost to redact was even scarier! If a mad man got his hand on this innate spell then the whole continent would be in danger!


    As for the innate Time spell, it could be used but only in serious fights and was definitely not to be casually used for amusement. But the spell was crazy! One second was enough to do plenty and the duration would get stronger?! That¡¯s just a cheat! Luckily the casting cost was not too harsh so Baccaus would permit Cyil to use the spell.


    Baccaus knew of other spells that would have half the effect for way greater costs, such as forbidden spells:


    A spell that takes away life force/energy instead of spiritual energy is considered a forbidden spell. Forbidden spells have their own ranking system, being determined by how devastating the effect is and the casting cost. Absolute Stop had a low casting cost and a terrifying effect so it doesn¡¯t fit into the forbidden spell category because the casting cost to effect ratio for forbidden spells is almost always proportional. The strongest forbidden spells result not only in the death of the user but the destruction of their soul. Needless to say, the spell¡¯s effects would be terrifying.


    The only other spell that Baccaus knew of that was as cheat as Absolute Stop would be the innate Life spell Life¡¯s Gift of Matriarch Isollatha, the leader of all elves and daughter of Nature.


    Life¡¯s Gift could completely heal a living entity¡¯s soul and bring them back from the brink of death. As long as a single breath of life remained, that person or creature could be saved. The only cost that Baccaus knew of for casting this spell was that the user would not be able to use the spell again for 1 year.


    Baccaus only knew all of this after he traded half his wealth away. When Baccaus learned of this spell he was overjoyed and immediately set out to the elve¡¯s territory carrying the intent to ask Matriarch Isollatha to save his beloved. Alas, though sympathetic to his cause, Matriarch Isollatha had already used her spell just a few days ago. Thus Baccaus could only curse his luck and continue looking for new options...


    When Baccaus heard of the innate Space spell he thought it was more practical and reasonable. Its effects were strong but not as crazy as the Death or Time innate spells. The usefulness of the spell would be determined by the situation and the user¡¯s ingenuity but the fact that it used ? of the user¡¯s remaining spiritual energy is a large drawback.


    Thinking over all these innate spells, Baccaus did not dare show his surprise, lest he scare the child into think he was a killer or make the child too boastful about his overpowered innate skills.


    ¡°Ahem, those are okay innate spells. I am sure you already know but you must never use your innate Death spell. Do you understand?¡± Baccaus directly addressed his most poignant concern. ¡°Aside from that we will practice using your innate Time and Space spell in actual combat once we reach our training ground.¡±


    Baccaus was looking forward to experiencing the strength of these innate spells, but he decided not to let Cyil try casting his first spell in the middle of the town.


    ¡°Grandpa, I understand. The innate Death spell is very scary. I still remember that gray mist and it was scarier than ghosts or ghouls!¡± Cyil shivered, hugging his shoulders.


    ¡°It will be alright,¡± Baccaus patted Cyil¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Remember that you are the one in control of the magic, not the other way around. Let¡¯s continue with your meditating; I want to see how fast you can level up in one night!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that Grandpa Baccaus! Thank you so much for everything you¡¯ve done for me!¡± Cyil was no longer as frightened as he was before.


    Blushing a bit, Baccaus answered, ¡°It¡¯s good that you know, but saying that makes me feel old! I am only 142 years old and it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m leaving you anytime soon!¡±


    ¡°One¡­...42? Grandpa you¡¯re old!¡± Cyil knew that the older person alive in his town was 64 and that person could only lay in bed all day. ¡°How are you still so strong? Is it because you¡¯re a mage?¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Precisely. Mages have longer lifespans and stronger bodies than those who are not mages. As your level and ranking increase, both your lifespan and body strength will increase. As I am now, I still have a few hundred years left to live! Also, my strength would be equivalent to a rank 4 warrior without any physical training at all.¡±


    ¡°Whaaa,¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t imagine living for that long. ¡°What if, my mom can¡¯t live as long as me? What will I do then Grandpa?¡±


    ¡°Cyil¡­¡± Baccaus shook his head. ¡°Walking the path a mage is a lonely one. Only those who are also mages will be able to walk beside you. Once you have enough strength to protect those you love, they may not even be there anymore. It¡¯s quite ironic. Regardless, if you can enable them to live a carefree and happy life with your strength then I think that would be enough.¡±


    Cyil could not completely understand all of what Baccaus said but he suddenly missed his mom and friends even more. ¡°Grandpa, can I go see my mom and friends? I want to make sure they are okay before I start training, otherwise I will be thinking about them all the time.¡±


    Baccaus thought for a bit then nodded. ¡°I was planning to have you start training right away, but considering your meditation speed we can afford a trip. Your state of mind is also important so we¡¯ll visit your hometown before training!¡±


    Cyil immediately became elated and hugged Baccaus. ¡°Thank you, Grandpa! You¡¯re the best!¡±


    Baccaus smiled and then told Cyil that they would meditate for the whole night, grab some supplies tomorrow morning then head off towards Cyil¡¯s hometown.


    Cyil was so excited that it took him half an hour to calm his state of mind and begin his meditating.


    The night came and went in a flash for Cyil. On the other hand, Baccaus was drenched in sweat with deep lines creasing his wrinkled forehead. Throughout the whole night he had focused all his attention to make sure Cyil did not encounter any issues.


    ¡°Morning Cyil.¡± Baccaus announced, his sweat magically evaporated and face returning to normal before anyone could see.


    Hearing the sound Cyil broke out of meditation. ¡°Good morning Grandpa!¡±


    ¡°How was your first night of meditation? Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°It was great! I felt really good. I think it¡¯s even better than sleeping!¡± Cyil could not get enough of those warm memories.


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear, because you¡¯ll be meditating every night from now on!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Cyil cheered.


    Baccaus smiled at the child¡¯s reaction. ¡°You are already a rank 0 level 4 mage. Soon you will be a rank 1 mage so be proud! Let¡¯s get going. We have a long ways to travel.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, you know where I live?¡± Cyil asked in confusion. He had not told his grandpa so how could his grandpa know? Not to mention, how did his grandpa find him and rescue him? These thoughts appeared in Cyil¡¯s mind but he shook them away. His grandpa was surely a good person is what Cyil¡¯s heart told him thus he found that this was the only important thing.


    ¡°I have a general idea. It¡¯s the town Fayburn, correct?¡± Baccaus guessed according to the direction the Third Prince was traveling when he first met him.


    ¡°Correct! Grandpa is so smart!¡± Cyil happily chatted with Baccaus as they made their way out of the inn and around the town purchasing supplies.


    Baccaus first went to a farmer and asked for eggs and milk, to which he haggled with the farmer until the price dropped to 4 copper per dozen eggs and 20 copper per milk bottle. After getting all the items, the two carried two large sacks to the forest¡¯s edge. There, Baccaus waved his hand and collected all the items into his spatial equiptment, an ordinary looking rustic ring.


    Baccaus had told Cyil about spatial equipments before but Cyil still gasped at the scene. This was a magical equipment! And although Baccaus did not specify its grade, Cyil knew that it was a very good one. The spatial ring could hold up to 5 meters cubic of items and the things stored inside existed in a separate space so they wouldn¡¯t spoil or age as quickly.


    With the items stored, the two returned to town to get various other things and repeated the process of going to the edge of the forest each time their sacks were full.


    ¡°It¡¯s important not to let the villagers know we are mages. Although they cannot harm us it''s always best to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself. Remember this Cyil.¡± Baccaus had warned Cyil beforehand and also told him that anyone possessing a magical equipment must have the strength to fend for themselves.Otherwise, they would only be inviting trouble for themselves.


    After Baccaus gathered all the supplies they needed, the two entered the forest from an inconspicuous area, walking for two miles before taking flight towards Cyil¡¯s hometown, Fayburn!


    As soon as Cyil and Baccaus flew away, a shadow emerged from behind a tree not too far from the clearing where they took off. Clad in a tight black suit along with a jade like mask, the figure¡¯s eyes followed the dot that soon disappeared into the horizon.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you Baccaus! You were a fool not to kill me. Now, I¡¯ll be the one to kill you!¡±


    The figure gestured in the air with his hand and seven other figures also draped in sleek black suits appeared out of thin air and knelt in front of the figure with the jade-mask.


    ¡°Let them know that I¡¯ve found Baccaus.¡± The jade-masked figure said sternly.


    Receiving the orders, the seven kneeling figures vanished with each heading towards a different direction to pass along the news.


    ¡°You won¡¯t escape with all of us working together!¡± The jade-masked figure laughed maniacally.

 Book 1 : Chapter 13

    Book 1: Chapter 13


    Unaware of what had transpired, Cyil and Baccaus flew to Fayburn with a carefree attitude. On their flight there, Cyil told Baccaus his concerns about meeting his mother and his friends again. He worried they might not remember him because he looked different. He was also worried that they would have changed since five years was a long time. To Cyil, it was as if only a few days had passed since he last saw them but for them it was 5 years since they last saw him.


    To all his concerns, Baccaus expressed his own thoughts on the situation and tried to pacify the worrying young man. Baccaus even joked that Cyil would make the hearts of every girl in his town flutter. To this, Cyil blushed and retorted that Baccaus would get along well with the other grandpas and grandmas. Now it was Baccaus¡¯ turn to react, and he emphasized that he was still young.


    The journey was not a long one because Baccaus had originally not travelled too far after he ¡®kidnapped¡¯ Cyil from the Third Prince. Along with their cheerful conversations, it was a little pass midday when the two reached the outskirts of Fayburn. Adopting the same attitude, they landed a few miles away from town and continued the rest of the way on foot.


    This time, Baccaus did not give the boy lessons on plants and animal species instead allowing Cyil to prepare himself. They traveled silently as they drew closer to Fayburn.


    Walking out of the forest Cyil noticed that they were at the bottom of that hill he had so eagerly ran up five years ago. Opting not to waste any time, Cyil walked a fourth of the way around the hill and continued down the uneven road towards Fayburn.


    The road was still the same as Cyil remembered, but as he drew closer to Fayburn he noticed that the large tree where his friend would often play and climb on was no longer standing; instead, the top half of the tree was on the ground and a nasty scar split the rest of the trunk. Apparently the tree had been struck by lightning.


    Shocked and sadden by the scene, Cyil slowly walked towards the tree and gently caressed the rough wooden bark. Circling around the tree lost in thought, Cyil noticed some etchings within the tree trunk.


    Gently tracing the worn out etchings Cyil was overcome with sadness, a hint of joy, and a mesh of odd emotions. The etched out symbols read: ¡°To our friend Cyil, may you be with the kind elements and smile everyday. We all miss you. Betsy, Mundo, and Sigesar.¡±


    Cyil knew that none of his friends, much less most of the townsfolk, knew how to read or write so he was sure they had asked someone to help them write this message onto the splintered tree trunk. And that someone who had helped them write the message was none other than his mother!


    Cyil was sure, because he had seen her writing many times as she had taught him how to write and read. Only his mom¡¯s writing would be so exquisite and neat.


    Cyil could feel a throb in his heart. How much grief the news of his death must have caused.


    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely be happy that I am alive, right?¡± Cyil began to question himself.


    Baccaus inadvertently saw what the etchings said and seeing Cyil hesitate, he came up and patted him on the shoulder.


    Cyil felt the reassuring pat and turned to smile at his grandpa. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Cyil continued to walk towards Fayburn and left behind the lonely tree.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Cyil and Baccaus reached the town entrance within another few minutes of walking.


    Not much had changed since Cyil had ¡®died¡¯. The wooden town sign had recently been replaced so that it now smelled and looked new. There were kids running around and playing in a carefree manner.


    The only noticeable difference was the many men walking around going about their business.


    Cyil sighed and knew these were the soldiers that had returned from the war five years ago.


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± Cyil whispered as he stepped into Fayburn.


    In five years, some new houses had been erected and older ones had been torn down but Cyil still easily found his way around. Cyil dodge pass energetic kids and staring eyes, quickly making his way towards his home when all of a sudden, a female fell into his embrace.


    Right, a female fell right into Cyil¡¯s arms so he had to catch her or else she would hit the ground.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the female, who was around 16 with a voluptuous body, moaned gently as Cyil caught her.


    Not sure what to do, Cyil tried to help stabilize the female but she only clung onto Cyil¡¯s neck and refused to let go.


    ¡°Do, do you need any help sister?¡± Cyil asked, worried that the female was sick.


    ¡°I do¡­¡± the female coyly whispered in Cyil¡¯s ear.


    For some reason, Cyil felt his heart began to race and his face flushed red but he still remained cool.


    ¡°Are you hurt? Do you need a doctor?¡± Cyil tried to stabilize the female again, but she refused to budge.


    ¡°I need¡­you.¡± At this point the female clearly indicated her purpose but Cyil, with the mindset of an 11 year old, did not get what she was saying.


    ¡°Sister, I am not a doctor. I don¡¯t think I can help you. Granny Sueta is really good with medicines so you should go see her!¡± Cyil nodded, glad he could finally think of a way to help the female.


    ¡°Granny Sueta?¡± The female released her vice-like grip and pushed away from Cyil, perfectly standing up on her own. The female whose face was tanned and simple but cute looked at Cyil as if he was crazy. ¡°You¡­Granny Sueta died years ago. Now, the only doctor in Fayburn is Ol¡¯ man Badios. Wait, how do you even know Granny Sueta?¡±


    The female was sure she hadn¡¯t seen this handsome man before. She was sure he had come out of town and seeing his handsome appearance, wanted to bait him in. Usually, only those wealthy nobles who had never in their life worked a day of hard labor under the scorching sun would have skin so pale and clean.


    She was sure this man was one of those nobles, and disregarding the reason for his visit she would be sure to milk him for all the money he¡¯s got.


    It was only when the man mentioned Granny Sueta that she lost her composure and revealeda flaw in her act. Could this guy be related to Granny Sueta, a distant relative? If that is so then I shouldn¡¯t scam him. Thinking to this point the female dusted herself off and signaled to the man hiding behind a house.


    Seeing the man leave with a questinoing look, the female smiled and stared the young man in the eyes. The young man returned the gaze and the female felt her heart flutter. Oh the elements! He was more handsome than I had thought! His eyes are so clear and attractive! The female then secretly decided that if she could hook onto the young man then she would leave behind her life of scamming people.


    At this point, Cyil still wasn¡¯t sure of what was happening but he was glad the female was okay. And looking at the female Cyil felt she looked familiar, but he didn¡¯t think of anything of it and only smiled.


    Baccaus observed all that was happening and laughed to himself. This is interesting, good luck Cyil boy-o, he thought.


    The female adjusted her dress again and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, waiting for Cyil to speak¡­.


    After a long 30 seconds of silence the female thought this man must have been captivated by her beauty and decided to make the first move.


    ¡°Hello sir, I humbly thank you for catching me. May your lordship please grace this humble lady with your name? I, myself, am named Betsy.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 14

    Book 1: Chapter 14


    ¡°Betsy!¡± Cyil ran up and bear hugged the unprepared Betsy.


    ¡°Hey, hey we¡¯re in broad daylight. How about we go somewhere more private?¡± Betsy did not know why the man was suddenly overcome with such fervour and could only attribute it to her sex appeal.


    Completely ignoring Betsy¡¯s offer, Cyil continued to hug Betsy.


    Now, it was Betsy¡¯s turn to get worried. Is there something wrong with this guy? How can he be so shameless? All I did was introduced mysefl and he¡¯s already... But, I really don¡¯t mind since he¡¯s so handsome.


    After a while, Cyil reluctantly released Betsy and stood back to look at her.


    ¡°Betsy, do you remember me?¡± Cyil asked directly.


    ¡°You, I have never seen you before.¡± Betsy tried her best to remember but she haven¡¯t even seen a man as handsome as the one in front of her. Not ever. ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Cyil, your friend!¡± Staring at her with hopeful eyes, Cyil hoped Betsy would be surprised and happy to see him again.


    ¡°Cyil Cintu?! No. No way. You¡¯re not Cyil!¡± Betsy refused to believe that the man in front of her was Cyil, because Cyil was dead-- that¡¯s what Cyil¡¯s mother had told her.


    ¡°Yes, I am Cyil! Betsy, I really am Cyil. I am not dead. Do you remember when you used to call me a monkey because I could climb trees really well. And we would call you little piggy because you ate more than us boys! And our best friends are Mundo and Sigesar! We would do everything together¡­.¡± As Cyil rambled on, a complicated look appeared on Betsy¡¯s face, as if she was deciding whether this man was really actually Cyil or not.


    With Cyil¡¯s sudden outburst of emotions, a small crowd had slowly collected and stood around to watch the scene, whispering about how the man would be Betsy¡¯s next victim.


    Noticing the wandering eyes and hushed voices, Betsy said, ¡°Stop stop. Let¡¯s go talk somewhere more private. Tell me everything then.¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t understand Betsy¡¯s need for privacy but he agreed anyways. Following her down a few alleys to the edge of the town, Cyil continued his one sided chat unbeknownst that Baccaus was no longer in sight.


    When Betsy finally stopped, Cyil noticed that they were standing in front a worn down hut made of decaying logs. The hut was run-down but it had been taken care of well.


    Standing in front of the door, Betsy turned around to face Cyil, quieting him down. ¡°Are you really Cyil...¡± Betsy asked herself before quickly continuing and not giving Cyil a chance to respond. ¡°The Cyil I remember was a scrawny boy who was always dirty. He was not too smart but he could always make me smile. Cyil always dreamed of becoming a strong warrior like his father who never returned from the war. Cyil loved his mother and friends¡­.¡±


    Seeing the melancholic look in Betsy¡¯s eyes as she talked about him, Cyil knew not to interrupt.


    ¡°So ¡®Cyil¡¯, if you really are him. Whose house is this?¡± Betsy pointed to the hut behind her.


    ¡°That¡¯s my home! Is mom in there?¡± Cyil strained his neck to peek through the old window pane but the glass was too faded to make anything out.


    Hearing the man answer so merrily, Betsy really wanted to believed that the man in front of her was Cyil. Even if his whole appearance had changed, his cheerful attitude and clear gray eyes would still remain the same. Yet, Betsy and everyone else had already mourned the loss of Cyil two years ago when a soldier riding on a horse brought that dreadful news.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    That day, the rider delivered the news to Cyil¡¯s mother and left the very same day. Afterwards, it was as if Cyil¡¯s mother had become mentally deranged. She no longer spoke to anyone and always mumbled to herself. She no longer worked, bathed, or dressed properly.


    This broke all the villager¡¯s hearts. The once vibrant and always smiling woman had fallen into depravity. At first, everyone helped her out but as time passed people began to care less and less. The only ones who continued to take care of her was Betsy and Mundo¡¯s families.


    Sigesar¡¯s family did not permit him to go near Cyil¡¯s mother, in fear that she might make him crazy, too. Thus as Sigesar grew up he gradually became his own person and grew apart from Betsy and Mundo.


    Then, half a year ago, Cyil¡¯s mother disappeared. Just like that she up and vanished. Betsy remembered that she was brushing Cyil¡¯s mother¡¯s hair, as she usually did every morning when Cyil¡¯s mother said, ¡°Those memories I sealed away. I shouldn¡¯t have. Perhaps then I could have saved him¡­ I have to be going now. Back to my other home. The one I¡¯ve long ran away from. Thank you Betsy. Your family and Mundo¡¯s have done so much for me.¡±


    Betsy dropped the wooden hairbrush; she wasn¡¯t sure if she had heard correctly. ¡°Aunty aunty! Have your mind returned? How are you feeling? Please tell me you¡¯re okay!¡±


    Cyil¡¯s mother smiled and her dull eyes regained focus and glittered with strength. Betsy remembered those eyes and just as she was about to shout for joy she felt a spell of dizziness overtake her.


    When Betsy woke, all she saw was the wooden brush and an empty stool. Frantic and excited Betsy searched all around for Cyil¡¯s mother but could not find her. She told the news to her family and Mundo, but they were still skeptical. Soon the whole town knew about how Betsy had killed the crazy woman.


    The rumors began with the thought that Betsy was tired of taking care of the woman and decided to end her. Others stated that Betsy was afflicted with the same mental illness from being in such close contact and that she killed the woman because of that. Rumors flew and grew wild with no one accepting Betsy¡¯s side of the story.


    Everyone began to shun Betsy, as if she had done a great harm to the crazy woman they did not even care about. This reputation also carried over to Betsy¡¯s family, which caused Betsy¡¯s parents to lose their jobs. No one would play with Betsy¡¯s little brother and they called him names such as, ¡°demon¡± or ¡°dark one in disguised¡±.


    Of course, the one most affected by all of this was Betsy. She decided that for the sake of her family she would leave them. Betsy¡¯s parents did not say anything when she told them the news. Even after steeling her heart, their silence still hurt her beyond words.


    After she left, Betsy didn¡¯t know where to go so she went to sleep in the ¡®cursed¡¯ hut where Cyil and his mother used to live.


    Mundo was the only one to visit her, bringing her food and talking to her. That was when Betsy told Mundo she was planning on leaving Fayburn to travel all over Nakrul and that she needed help.


    When Mundo heard Betsy¡¯s plan he was shocked and sadden that Betsy would even think of doing such things like scamming; but seeing the pleading look in her eyes Mundo gave in and decided to help Betsy scam travellers for money.


    After a few months of scamming people, the two had a total of 2 gold 6 silvers and 12 coppers! It was a fortune. Betsy was planning to leave Fayburn in another week or so when a handsome young man caught her eye. And so the following events ensued.


    ¡°Betsy¡­¡± Cyil stepped forward but stopped himself when he saw her flinch.


    ¡°Please. Even if you are Cyil. Please say you¡¯re not. The Cyil I remember is a little kid who died two years ago.¡± At this point there were tears in Betsy¡¯s eyes.


    Hearing these words saddened Cyil and tears began to form in his eyes. Cyil did not understand why Betsy would not be happy that he is not dead. He could not comprehend how much could change in five years.


    ¡°Betsy, do you not miss me? I missed you and Mundo and Sigesar and my mom very much!¡±


    ¡°Your mother!¡± Snapping out of her thought process, Betsy remembered the pile of letters she had found when she ¡®moved-into¡¯ the house.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know if you are Cyil, but you don¡¯t seem like a bad person so let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Betsy offered and opened the door.


    ¡°Okay! I wonder what mom will say when she sees me!¡± Cyil instantly brightened up again. Turning around to invite Baccaus inside, Cyil found that his grandpa was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Are you coming in?¡± Betsy stared at the dazed man.


    ¡°Coming. Coming.¡± Cyil looked around one more time then went inside the empty hut.

 Book 1: Chapter 15

    Book 1: Chapter 15


    Cyil thought his grandpa should have a reason for not appearing and eager to see his mother, Cyil confidently followed Betsy into the house.


    ¡°Take a seat and we¡¯ll talk.¡± Betsy offered Cyil a wooden stool and pulled out another one for herself.


    Cyil looked around the empty hut and felt something was off. Although the hut was clean, it lacked the energy and colorfulness he remembered.


    ¡°Betsy...where¡¯s my mom?¡± Cyil gazed at the calmly seated Betsy and began to get even more worried.


    ¡°As I said, sit and we¡¯ll talk.¡± Betsy carefully observed the man¡¯s reaction and was now certain he was Cyil Cintu. His look of disbelief and manner of speech was similar to the one she remembered; still, that didn¡¯t explain his disappearance or earth shattering transformation.


    Cyil obediently sat on the stool and said nothing.


    ¡°Cyil, I have something to tell you. Please listen, okay?¡± Betsy wanted to tell Cyil what had really happened, lest he hears the rumor from the townsfolk.


    Taking in a deep breath Betsy began.


    ¡°On the day where the soldiers returned home, your father along with some others did not return. You were so shocked that you fainted. At first everyone thought you were going to wake up soon but then days passed by and you never did. On the 8th day of your sleep you were taken away by the commander for treatment in the royal capital. We heard nothing from you or about your recovery for 3 years and despite your mother reassuring us that you would be fine, we were still worried.


    And our worries became reality. Two years ago, the commander returned and told your mother of your death. Mundo, Sigesar and I were there so we heard it, too. Everyone was devastated but no one moreso than your mother. We had all accepted and expected your death but your mother never once believed it and so the news hurt her the most.¡±


    When Betsy got to this point she paused and waited for Cyil to take in all the information. Cyil sat still as a statue, petrified and sadden. His heart throbbed and he could only imagine the pain news of his death had brought to his mother.


    ¡°Then, things became even worse¡­¡± Betsy continued her story, telling Cyil of his mother¡¯s absentmindedness and eventual disappearance. Betsy left out the parts about the townsfolk ignoring Cyil¡¯s mother and about their treatment of Betsy. She tried to make everything as clear as possible for the Cyil who had a blank stare.


    After Betsy finished her side of the story, Cyil got off the stool and onto his knees, prostrating himself in front of Betsy.


    ¡°Wah what,¡± Betsy quickly scrambled out of her stool trying to raise the man. ¡°What are you doing Cyil? Are you okay? I know this is a lot to take in but let¡¯s talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Betsy. Thank you for taking care of my mom. I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡± Cyil slammed his head on the ground.


    Betsy exclaimed at the sight and shrieked. She hadn¡¯t expected the man do that; unable to think of any words to stop Cyil, Betsy embraced him.


    ¡°Please stop, Cyil. Don¡¯t hurt yourself. Your mother would be sad to see you hurt yourself.¡±


    Cyil shuddered under Betsy¡¯s embrace and he began to cry.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡­


    That night, Betsy and Cyil stayed up to talk about their old memories and to catch up on what Cyil had missed since he¡¯s been gone. They rekindled their old childhood friendship. Cyil remembered everything as if it was just yesterday, untainted by time, whereas Betsy recalled only bits and pieces of their happiest times.


    Cyil didn¡¯t say much about his mother, only stating that he would find her because she was definitely still alive. Betsy didn¡¯t ask of push him on that, but she did give Cyil something.


    ¡°I found these when I moved into the house.¡± Betsy offered up some aging parchment papers along with an odd-looking beastskin bag. By now Betsy had told Cyil about how the townsfolk had treated her and how she had come to reside in Cyil¡¯s home. Of course, she didn¡¯t tell him about the scamming people part, for fear he might judge.


    ¡°This is my mom¡¯s writing,¡± Cyil glanced at the papers then carefully placed the parchment papers inside of the beastskin bag. ¡°Thank you again Betsy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Betsy waved away Cyil¡¯s 542nd thank-you of the day.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to read so I don¡¯t know what it says but I¡¯m glad it¡¯s in the right hands now,¡± Betsy added. ¡°So you don¡¯t remember anything at all and was in a deep sleep for 5 years? Then when you woke to find a kind grandpa who took care of you and who brought you back? Also, the grandpa left after getting you to Fayburn...¡±


    Betsy found the whole thing unbelievable and a little suspicious but as she saw the smiling and nodding man she just shrugged.


    Cyil remembered what Baccaus told him and left out all the details including magic and mages. Cyil was not worried that Betsy would cause him harm but he feared that if he told her, she might have even more reason to question his stated identity.


    ¡°Alright then, tomorrow let¡¯s go find Mundo and Sigesar! I really want to see them.¡± Cyil still felt a gnawing ache in his heart but he looked forward to seeing his old friends before he started training with Baccaus.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Betsy smiled, deciding to tell Cyil about Sigesar tomorrow. He¡¯d already gotten too much news for one day, she thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late so let¡¯s sleep. I want to sleep next to the window.¡± Cyil walked towards the bed, sat down, and patted his old sleeping spot. Cyil would always sleep with his mother because they only had a single bed.


    ¡°Com¡¯on Betsy, you can sleep in mom¡¯s place!¡± Cyil waved for Betsy to come over, but she just stood there.


    The blushing Betsy sighed at Cyil¡¯s innocence. ¡°Cyil, you little brat. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s not proper-¡±


    Lightning Judgement!


    A thunderous roar was accompanied by a flash of light.


    Where Betsy previously stood was now a pile of blackened soot with the moonlight shining on it through the enormous hole in the hut¡­


    ¡­


    Previously that afternoon.


    ¡°This is interesting, good luck Cyil boy-o.¡± Baccaus chuckled to himself. Then his smile froze.


    One. Two. Three. Eight. Baccaus felt eight different mage presences heading straight towards him. These auras were all familiar to him. They all belonged to the various heads of esteemed guilds on Nakrul. The Black Hand, ranked 18th in Nakrul. Lonely Gale, ranked 23rd. Mystic Veil, ranked 9th. Inferno Death, ranked 17th. Dusty Earth, ranked 24th. Raging Flames, ranked 13th. Yellow Sands, ranked 15th. Glory¡¯s End, ranked 17th.


    All the guild leaders of these groups were filled with killing intent and heading towards Baccaus at a quick pace.


    It should be noted that Nakrul had countless guilds. However, only the top 1000 guilds are listed and officially recognized. A guild¡¯s strength and ranking is determined with many factors: their numbers, the strength of their strongest individual, their connections or backing, their influence in the kingdoms, and other such factors. Thus, these guild leaders coming after Baccaus were no ordinary characters.


    Baccaus sighed at the persistency of these guild leaders and silently excused himself, so as not to alert Cyil. Baccaus had already given Cyil a grade 7 defensive magical equipment but disguised it as plain clothing; with the defensive equipment on Cyil there should be nothing in the town that can harm him. This reassurance allowed Baccaus to leave Cyil alone for a while.


    Baccaus took a step and disappeared from the crowd of people and reappeared on the edges of the forest. He waited a bit for the presences to catch onto his position then he took another step and appeared deep within the forest.


    Looking around the mossy ground, Baccaus found a fallen tree to sit on. He sat humming to himself and thinking of the best ways to train Cyil. He laughed when he thought of what he had in store for Cyil.


    After Baccaus finished humming three songs, eight figures appeared, surrounding the relaxed Baccaus.

 Book 1: Chapter 16

    Book 1: Chapter 16


    ¡°What took you all so long? I was almost ready to nap.¡± Baccaus teased the esteemed guild leaders, who were all on their guards closely watching his every action.


    No one moved.


    ¡°Boo!¡± Baccaus jumped up off the log, making the eight guild leaders instinctively dodge back. Some even raised their magical equipments and began to chant their spells.


    Seeing their reactions, Baccaus laughed so hard he was holding his stomach with his single arm.


    Everyone stared at the laughing old man and whispered amongst themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just as you said. He really lost an arm.¡±


    ¡°This should weaken him by a lot. We¡¯ll get him this time.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guards down.¡±


    ¡­


    After having his fill of laughter, Baccaus shook his head as if he was quite disappointed. ¡°You bunch are too serious! We¡¯ve been friends for so long and yet you¡¯re still so scared of me.¡±


    A middle aged man draped in loose green robes took this chance to step up. ¡°Baccaus, you¡¯ve been running for so long. Why don¡¯t you just give up the two saint equipment you have in your possession and we¡¯ll never bother you again.¡±


    The green robed man stared at Baccaus, knowing full well he wouldn¡¯t comply.


    ¡°Alright alright,¡± Baccaus raised his only arm up in defeat. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Baccaus waved his arm and a palm sized, coarse jade stone appeared in his hand. ¡°Here is the first one. Take it.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± The green robed man gasped. This was too easy right? Even so, the green robed man was too tempted and cautiously approached until he was a few meters in front of Baccaus. ¡°Throw it over. And take out the other saint equipment.¡±


    ¡°One at a time. Come get it ol¡¯ friend. I would only feel assured if you were the one to take it from my hands. Who knows if some other guild leader here might snatch it up if I threw it.¡±


    The green robed man fumed in anger when Baccaus called him ¡®ol¡¯ friend¡¯. The green robed man was over three centuries older than Baccaus! But, he had to admit that what Baccaus said made sense.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny.¡± The green robed man approached and grabbed at the jade stone.


    Just as the green robed man was about to touch the stone, it disappeared from Baccaus¡¯ hand.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Baccaus smiled innocently. ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡±


    The green robed man looked at Baccaus¡¯ crooked smile and exploded out in anger! ¡°Baccaus! Today is the last time you play with me!¡±


    The green robed man slid backwards as if gliding on ice and unleashed the spell he had been preparing for a long time.


    Wind Blade!


    A ten meter concentrated gust of wind produced a sonic boom as it sliced at Baccaus.


    Then, as if on cue, the other guild leaders also unleashed their spells to bombard Baccaus.


    The guild leader of Mystic Veil was the second to act as she held up a giant pearl.


    Water Prison.


    The surrounding 50 meters was instantly encapsulated within a half-dome of water, blocking off all paths of retreat.


    Next, the guild leaders of Inferno Death, Raging Flames, and Yellow Sands jointly used some of their strongest attack spells.


    Rising Star! Rising Star!


    Earth Spike!


    Two blue fireballs spun towards Baccaus, while the ground beneath Baccaus jutted towards him while transforming into sharp spikes as they tried to spear him.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Then to make sure Baccaus really couldn¡¯t escape, the guild leader of Dusty Earth created another layer of defense with Earth Wall, superimposing with the Water Prison.


    The guild leaders of Black Hand and Glory¡¯s End both stood at the side still chanting their spells.


    All of these spells were casted in quick succession. And were all completed in a second.


    The eight guild leaders had discussed their plans beforehand to ensure optimal performance. They did not want Baccaus to escape again not only because finding him was a pain but because virtually every guild in Nakrul was chasing after Baccaus. It would be a pity if someone else caught him first.


    Baccaus was being chased because he had stolen two extremely precious saint equipments and the holy book of the wizened. The royal capital declared Baccaus a wanted criminal and issued a bounty of 1,000,000,000 magical crystals of any type and three grade 9 magical equipment of any type to the person who brought in Baccaus, or more importantly the two saint equipments and the holy book of the wizened.


    The magical crystals reward was an enormous amount capable of nurturing many mages to rank 5 or 6 or even beyond. It would be very helpful for any guild to acquire that reward as it would probably increase their guild rankings drastically. Just this was enough for people to chase after Baccaus not to mention the three grade 9 magical equipments that they could receive! And of any type, too! It had to be said that not even all of the five kings had a grade 9 magical equipment so this reward was inconceivable and drove many mages to seek out Baccaus. Even those secluded mages who normally didn¡¯t bother with political sorts of affairs were driven out to find Baccaus.


    Heck, even those who were not of the human race were out to get Baccaus. These foreign races did not care about the reward the kingdoms was offering but instead wanted the two saint equipment and the holy book of the wizened for themselves and their race.


    All of these things added together made Baccaus the most well-known fugitive on the continent. Another thing that Baccaus was well-known for was his non-ruthlessness. Baccaus never killed his pursuers, even though he could have done so many times already.


    Over the course of the sixteen years that Baccaus had been chased he had never once been injured. Instead, it was his pursuers that were injured and on the losing end. Some mages that were at the mercy of Baccaus¡¯s hands eventually gave up on chasing him because they were grateful he had spared them. Others, however, took this as a sign of weakness and continued to chase Baccaus even after repeated failures.


    In any case, Baccaus himself wasn¡¯t worried at all and only sought ways to break through to become a rank 8 mage to achieve his dream. This had been Baccus¡¯ goal until he met a little boy name Cyil.


    ¡­


    Grasp of Darkness! Daybreak Pillar!


    Carefully timing their spells, the guild leader of Black Hand and Glory¡¯s End unleashed their spells after the two fireballs from the other guild leaders had reach Baccus.


    Daybreak Pillar caused a glaring beam of light to shine down on Baccaus with the intent to immobilize him.


    Grasp of Darkness was also used to immobilize Baccaus but its focus was on the periphery around Daybreak Pillar¡¯s range. This was done to avoid the clashing of elements between light and darkness.


    Just as these two guild leaders finished casting their spells the other guild leaders began unleashing their innate spells, which could be casted almost instantaneously compared to regular spells that required chanting.


    Spells flew from around the encirclement. It was like a fireworks show, lighting up the darkness that was now completely covered by the Earth Wall.


    The guild leaders gave it their all and continuously barraged Baccaus, or at least they thought they were.


    By now Baccaus was standing behind the guild leader of Yellow Sands, who was completely unaware that the man he was supposed to be attacking was instead behind him.


    After a full on minute of attacking, the eight guild leaders stopped to catch their breath and see their results. In the darkness, as the dust cleared, the guild leaders could see that they¡¯d been attacking nothing at all. Baccaus was no longer there!


    ¡°Rats! He got away again.¡± The green robed man who was the guild leader of Lonely Gale cursed.


    ¡°Wasted efforts. We¡¯re just not strong enough.¡± The only female among the guild leaders present sighed.


    ¡°That bastard! He dares play with us again!¡± The guild leader of Black Hand, a jade-masked figure in slick black clothing spat out their disgust through clenched fists.


    ¡°I¡¯d thought with a lost arm he would be weaker but we couldn¡¯t even touch him.¡± Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader also admitted his defeat.


    ¡°Right, he¡¯s just too cool for us,¡± A voice echoed from behind Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader, who subconsciously nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. You can¡¯t touch him but he can touch you.¡± A hand appeared from behind Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader and patted him on the back. ¡°You did good.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader froze and turned around to see Baccaus standing behind him. Sweating cold bullets, Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader realized that he hadn¡¯t even noticed Baccaus approaching him. If Baccaus had wanted to kill him then he¡¯d be dead by now.


    This thought terrified Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader and he could only regain his courage with the knowledge that Baccaus never killed his pursuers.


    ¡°He¡¯s over here! Baccaus is over here!¡± Yellow Sand¡¯s guild leader roared as he retreated from Baccaus.


    Baccaus did not chase the man but just stood there smiling. ¡°Ah, no one wants to be my friend. I console you and you run away from me.¡±


    The other guild leaders quickly found Baccaus in the darkness, readjusted their directions and renewed their assault.


    ¡°Quick! He probably can¡¯t escape the Water Prison and Earth Wall so he¡¯s still in here. As long as he is here we can grind him down and kill him!¡± An obsessed shout came from the jade-masked figure, who quickly led the charge in casting another Grasp of Darkness.


    And so the other guild leaders repeated what they had done before and bombarded Baccaus who had already vanished, only leaving behind an afterimage¡­

 Book 1: Chapter 17

    Book 1: Chapter 17


    Baccaus was under no pressure from the assault of the various guild leaders.


    It was not that the guild leaders were weak, but rather it was that Baccaus was just too strong.


    Baccaus was a rank 7 level 10 mage on the verge of becoming a rank 8 mage. The guild leaders were all rank 6 with the exception of the guild leader of Mystic Veil who was a ranked 7 level 5 mage. Even with the ranking gap between Baccaus and the guild leaders, the disparity shouldn¡¯t have been as bad as it was; the fight was an 8 on 1, after all.


    The main reason for Baccaus¡¯ strength came from the two saint equipments in his possession. One effect of the jade stone he had taken out earlier was to allow a mage to cast spells instantaneously. Every spell, even high ranked ones could be casted in the blink of an eye, provided the mage had enough elemental energy.


    Another effect of the jade stone was to allow its user to constantly recover their elemental energy without doing anything at all. Just breathing would be enough. The amount recovered was not too great but its accumulation over time would definitely have a huge impact.


    And the jade stone had another effect! This effect was even more shocking. A spell could be imbued in the jade stone and that spell could be used indefinitely until it was replaced by another spell or was discarded. The only downsides to this effect was that the imbued spell could only be used three times a day and that it must be imbued by a mage who knows how to cast the spell.


    The spell Baccaus had imbued within the jade stone was the space spell: Teleport!


    It¡¯s unknown how Baccaus managed to imbue a saint spell nor is it known whom was the one to imbue it but this spell was a large part of why Baccaus had never been caught before.


    The three effects of the jade stone was a testament to the strength of a saint equipment. The other saint equipment Baccaus had had never been used by him. Rather than not wanting to use it, it was that he couldn¡¯t use it. The second saint equipment didn¡¯t respond to anything Baccaus did at all so he could only carry it around. But even with just the help of one saint equipment, Baccaus was nearly untouchable amongst all living things in Nakrul¡­


    The use of instantly casting a spell was apparent in Baccaus¡¯ fight with the guild leaders. He could instantly cast Shadow Waltz and disappear into the shadows. Baccaus would also cast Wind Steps to buff himself to move faster. With these two low consumption spells along with the recovery effect of the jade stone Baccaus could maneuver about with ease.


    While the guild leaders expended massive amounts of elemental energy, Baccaus took it easy.


    The guild leaders refused to give up even after their attacks constantly missed their target; they were convinced that Baccaus would not be able to escape so long as Water Prison and Earth Wall was active.


    The stubborn guild leaders constantly attacked Baccaus. Whenever he would show up to jeer or poke at them they would respond with attacks.


    The ¡®fight¡¯, if it can be called that, dragged on for hours until the attacks all stopped and the guild leaders gasped for breath trying to replenish their elemental energy.


    At this point, Baccaus noticed something that caused him to crease his brows. He had sense a very well hidden presence heading straight towards Farburn. The only reason Baccaus hadn¡¯t detected this presence before was that this person was stronger than him! And by more than a few levels. This person was most likely a rank 8 level 5 or higher mage!This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Although Baccaus was startled by the appearance of a rank 8 mage he wasn¡¯t too worried for his own safety, because he had escaped from rank 8 mages before. Heck, he¡¯d even out maneuvered a rank 8 level 7 mage! What really worried Baccaus was why the person was cutting through Fayburn instead of heading straight towards him.


    There is a written rule that condemns any mage who harms innocent civilians. That¡¯s why mages usually fought in desolate places to avoid harming normal people. Of course, some mages could care less about this rule and even take pleasure in killing innocents. These mages are all posted on the mage association¡¯s wanted list and are the public enemy of the human race.


    As Baccaus thought that such a high ranking mage couldn¡¯t possibly be crazy enough to attack a small town for no reason, the person stopped on the edge of Fayburn, hovering in the air.


    When Baccaus noticed this, his face paled. ¡°Is this person after Cyil? No, it can¡¯t be. No one should be able to sense his weak elemental fluctuations and with the help of the grade 7 shadow stalker cloak, even this person shouldn¡¯t be able to find Cyil.¡± Baccaus couldn¡¯t help but think he¡¯d miss something and cursed himself for being too carefree these past few days he¡¯d spent with Cyil.


    Teleport!


    Baccaus instantly used his first teleport of the day to send himself out of the Water Prison and Earth Wall. Had the space been locked down with Space Prison or some spell of that caliber then Teleport would not have worked. In any case, a measly Water Prison and Earth Wall could not hold Baccaus back as he teleported all the way to...just merely a foot outside of the Water Prison and Earth Wall.


    Baccaus was intending on directly teleporting to Fayburn which was around 20 miles away, but he hadn¡¯t even gone 100 yards! Confused by the outcome, Baccaus heard laughter coming from the collapsing Water Prison and Earth Wall.


    A jade masked figure walked out from the previous encirclement and beckoned towards Baccaus. ¡°Your teleport spell won¡¯t work as long as this Space Prison is still up. I paid a heavy price to acquire this one-use scroll with Space Prison! But it was all worth it just to see that look on your face! Wait until the Lightning Emperor gets here, then you¡¯ll surely die!¡± The jade masked figure said this in all one breath and laughed like a maniac afterwards.


    Baccaus clenched his only fist and sent it smashing towards the laughing jade masked figure.


    Twisting Shadow Gale Spear!


    Caught unprepared, a nearly invisible penetrative force coalesced and slammed into the jade masked figure, blasting them through one wall from the remains of the Earth Wall and through the other one as well, where the figure finally slammed onto the invisible boundary of the Space Prison.


    Ripples emerged on the Space Prison from the point where the figure had collided with it.


    The figure slowly slid down to the ground and their pieces of defensive magical equipments began to break one after the other as they had reached their limits; the jade mask then broke to reveal a beautifully youthful female face behind.


    Baccaus followed up his attack by appearing right in front of the fallen woman, who was relatively unharmed thanks to her defensive medical equipments, and grabbed her by the throat.


    Baccaus lifted the unmoving body in the air; seeing that the woman was unconscious, Baccaus squeezed her throat until the pain woke her.


    ¡°Speak! Why is the Lightning Emperor stopping in an ordinary town and not coming straight for me?!¡± Baccaus glared at the woman who struggled to smile.


    ¡°Just kill me.¡± She replied meekly, actually wanting to die by Baccaus¡¯ hand.


    Baccaus stared at the familiar face who was unafraid of death and his anger reduced. He calmed his mind and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Must not kill. Must not kill again. I promised Kara.¡± Baccaus reminded himself then released the woman who slumped down to the ground.


    Baccaus looked around at the other guild leaders who stood there in shock, glued to their spots, clearly not wanting to get involved.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know anything. This was all Black Hand¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°Right, we didn¡¯t know the Lightning Emperor was coming, too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d never sanction the attack on an ordinary town.¡±


    One after the other, the guild leaders began to chime in and proclaim their innocence.


    Baccaus could careless about their reasonings and seeing as they had nothing useful to provide he quickly began to attack the Space Prison.


    But, just as Baccaus was going to attack he sensed a strong energy fluctuation coming in the direction of Fayburn.


    ¡°No!¡± Baccaus roared, his eyes alight with rage.

 Book 1: Chapter 18

    Book 1: Chapter 18


    The Lightning Emperor had just cast a high ranked spell.


    Baccaus and the rest of the guild masters could feel the fluctuations from the spell even from 20 miles out.


    Baccaus¡¯ face paled and he regretted leaving Cyil by himself. If anything happened to Cyil he would...KILL! The Lightning Emperor would die!


    Baccaus turned to face the Space Prison; a concentrated and placid look in his eyes. A visible stream of deep green and black clusters began to wrap around Baccaus¡¯ fist. It was almost like he was wearing a gauntlet made out of elemental energy.


    When the guild leaders saw what Baccaus was doing they all exclaimed in shock.


    ¡°That¡¯s the legendary Dual Casting--using two different elements!¡±


    ¡°Not only is he Dual Casting but he¡¯s actually mixing the two elements together.¡±


    ¡°What strength! This is a whole new spell, never before seen. A self-created spell!¡±


    Baccaus ignored the ramblings and focused even harder on his spell. It took a full five minutes of concentration. Apparently, casting this spell(s) was very taxing, despite the instantaneous casting from the saint equipment. Planting his feet, Baccaus cocked his fist back and then punched out, slamming into the Space Prison.


    Darkness Seeping Whirlwind Punch


    Upon contact there was no sound at all. It seemed as if the punch was too light and didn¡¯t damage the Space Prison one bit. Then, a second later, cracks began to spread from the point of contact and across the rest of the Space Prison.


    *BAM*


    The whole Space Prison collapsed and vanished into thin air. It was almost as if Baccaus¡¯ punch shattered the surrounding space! Not only that, but all the trees in the standing behind the punch¡¯s direction had disappeared. It was like a tornado had cleared and scarred a path through the forest in a straight line, 1000 meters long.


    Baccaus exhaled a breath of hot mist; his face visibly paler than before. ¡°Time to go,¡± he said calmly.


    Just as Baccaus was about to use his 2nd teleport of the day, he noticed the air in front of him shimmer.


    Alarmed, Baccaus dodge to the side, barely avoiding a snaking lance that shot out from that air pocket.


    ¡°Come out,¡± Baccaus shot out three Wind Blades towards the spot where the lance came out from.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± a voice responded with a scoff and the lance met the wind blades head on. The wind blades were easily dissipated.


    A moment after, a tall handsome man walked calmly out of thin air. He carried with him an air of royalty and arrogance. In his hand was a seven foot lance that radiated piercing light. His armour made of steel also seem to shine.


    This young man smiled at Baccaus. ¡°Long time no see younger brother.¡±


    Baccaus frowned. A troublesome opponent had appeared.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play with you, Ramiel.¡± Baccaus edged back.


    Ramiel took a step forward. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other since father died. Let¡¯s have a nice long chat. And while we¡¯re at it, you should return the holy book of the wizened and those two saint equipments to me.¡±


    ¡°Those things are what father gave me for safe keeping until I find the next Wizened to inherit the position. They don¡¯t belong to anyone. Not even the Mage association.¡± Baccaus shook his head.


    The guild leaders on the side heard were shocked to hear what Baccaus had said. From what they were told, Baccaus had stolen the holy book of the wizened and the two saint equipments, but now they heard something different.


    And thinking about it, what Baccaus said did make sense because his now deceased father was the 76th wizened of the human empire. The guild leaders could determine what was right or wrong at a glance but they wouldn¡¯t dare renounce the mage association¡¯s claim so they vowed to keep this secret to themselves.


    Ramiel twirled his spear and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already found the perfect candidate to inherit the position. Give me the things now, or I¡¯ll have to use force against you, little brother.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Baccaus replied in a flat tone then prepared to flee. He knew Ramiel wasn¡¯t an easy opponent to beat. Ramiel was his half-brother and while Ramiel¡¯s mother was of nobility, Baccaus¡¯ mother was a commoner. Ramiel was born with a high-grade light elemental body whereas Baccaus was born with a low-grade wind and darkness elemental body. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    If not for Baccaus¡¯ hard work and dual elemental body then he would have never gotten to where he was today. Ramiel on the other hand had things easy because he had the most acclaimed element in the human kingdom and he even had a high-grade elemental body.


    As things are now, Ramiel was a rank 8 level 3 mage whereas Baccaus was stuck at rank 7 level 10. If they really fought, Baccaus estimated his odds of winning at a conservative 70%. But Baccaus had no time to fight and he was in a rush to find Cyil so he did what he was known best for doing: fleeing!


    ¡°No?¡± Ramiel creased his brows. Although he had expected the answer, he wasn¡¯t used to getting no for an answer. ¡°Very well, then let¡¯s fight!¡±


    Ramiel positioned his lance horizontally and brought it up towards his chest. ¡°Take my strike, little brother!¡±


    ¡°Take your own strike.¡± Baccaus made sure there were no other attacks aimed at him and used his 2nd teleport of the day to go straight to Fayburn. As he teleported away, he felt something was off. Teleporting was instantaneous and he had teleported many times before but this time he didn¡¯t reach his destination. Instead, Baccaus felt like he had was suspended in space and time. He did not reach Fayburn but was instead in a dark place. There was darkness all around him and he didn¡¯t know where he was or what had happened.


    Could this be an illusionary spell? Or perhaps I met some spatial disturbances along the way, because the space prison had just been destroyed? Baccaus didn¡¯t know what to think but he just wanted to get out of this space as soon as possible.


    Without hesitation, Baccaus used his 3rd and final teleport of the day to try to exit the empty space but found that he couldn¡¯t!


    Frustrated, Baccaus flung out spell after spell while charging forwards into the great darkness¡­


    ***


    Cyil was still sitting on the straw bed. He stared, shellshocked. His eardrums had ruptured and was bleeding but he didn¡¯t notice the pain. Where was Betsy?


    Cyil opened his mouth but nothing came out. ¡°Betsy! Betsy!¡± Cyil called out, louder and louder each time. It wasn¡¯t until he was shouting that he could faintly hear his own voice calling out for Betsy.


    Cyil scrambled off the bed down to the blackened soot.


    He lightly patted the soot, trying to arrange it into a neat pile. ¡°Betsy, where did you go? Are we playing hide and seek?¡±


    Cyil began to laugh at himself. ¡°I see. You were a mage all along! You used a spell to disappear, right?¡±


    Cyil puffed up his chest and declared, ¡°well, I have a surprise for you, too. I¡¯m a mage Betsy! A mage. Like those we used to talk about all the time a dreamed about being. Not only am I a mage but grandpa said I¡¯m a saint!¡±


    ¡°Betsy, isn¡¯t it cool we both turned out to be mages?¡±


    ¡°Betsy, now that you know my biggest secret, you can come out now. I give up. You win!¡±


    Cyil slowly sifted through the soot he had just tidied up, as he continued to rambled on. On the bottom of the pile he found a wooden toothed brush that belonged to his mother. Amidst the soot the toothed comb looked to be perfectly fine.


    Cyil picked up the brush and remembered that earlier that night Betsy had tried giving it back to him but Cyil declined, saying that he wasn¡¯t a girl so he didn¡¯t need it.


    Betsy reluctantly kept it, saying she would hold onto it until Cyil¡¯s mother had been found again.


    Cyil saw Betsy put the brush away in her pocket and she had not taken it out since then. So, why is the brush here?


    Cyil shook his head. ¡°Betsy! You dropped mom¡¯s brush. You need to take better care of it or I¡¯m going to take it back.¡±


    Cyil called out to the moonlight streaming down from the missing roof and yet there was no answer from Betsy. Cyil was just about to call out again when a booming voice shot out from above.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite annoying! Betsy this Betsy that! Grow a pair, kid. Betsy¡¯s that little pile of soot you¡¯re touching there. I killed her.¡±


    Cyil couldn¡¯t make out what the voice said but tried to locate the voice, hoping it was Betsy.


    Cyil looked around but didn¡¯t see anyone. Then he looked up towards the shining full moon.


    Just as he raised his head, a figure dropped down from the sky and onto the blackened soot Cyil was still clutching. The impact blasted all the soot from the ground all over the hut.


    ¡°No, no, Betsy.¡± Cyil grasped at the floating soot trying to keep them together.


    ¡°Heh, so you do know that your friend is dead.¡± The figure standing in front of the kneeling Cyil had a bare chest, showing off his bronzed muscles. The moonlight revealed a rugged face belonging to middle aged man.


    ¡°Betsy, Betsy, I have you, don¡¯t worry.¡± Cyil ignored the man in front of him and focused on gathering the soot.


    ¡°Tsk,¡± the man kicked Cyil in the chest, sending him flying through the wall of rotting logs. ¡°You dare ignore the Lightning Emperor!¡±


    The Lightning Emperor had wanted to kill Cyil but he needed to keep him alive if he wanted to capture Baccaus. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to kill him after the fact.


    The Lightning Emperor strood out of the hut to the little body who was struggling to get up.


    Raising an eyebrow, the Lightning Emperor approached the boy and quickly inspected him. ¡°A grade 7 defensive magical equipment, no wonder. So that¡¯s how you¡¯re still conscious after my kick.¡±


    ¡°Though that¡¯s no use for me, I¡¯ll take it off your hands. Baccaus gave you some good stuff!¡± The Lightning Emperor took off Cyil¡¯s shirt and sent some energy into the cotton shirt, reverting it back into a glossy black cloak--the shadow stalker cloak.


    Cyil didn¡¯t pay any attention to the Lightning Emperor or his actions. Blood dripped from his mouth and has organs were aflamed but he was still struggling and staggering towards the hut. ¡°Betsy, I¡¯m coming. You¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    At this point, the Lightning Emperor who was famous for his short-temper became thoroughly enraged.


    ¡°Ignore me again little boy.¡± The lightning emperor sent a roundhouse kick to Cyil¡¯s spine, sending him flying in the opposite direction, directly towards the hut and into it again.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he felt that he couldn¡¯t move his legs anymore. He tried to get up. He tried really hard but he just couldn¡¯t summon the strength from his legs so he just laid there, staring up at the big hole in the hut and at the full moon in the sky thinking of Betsy¡¯s blushing face.


    It was a beautiful moon. Then the moonlight was gone and all was dark.

 Book 1: Chapter 19

    Book 1: Chapter 19


    The Lightning Emperor walked back into the hut and seeing that the boy had fainted, he laughed. ¡°Not so tough now, eh?¡±


    ¡°Now we¡¯ll just wait for that Baccaus to come scrambling back here. Though I suspect he wouldn¡¯t dare trade two saint equipments and the holy book of the wizened for a little brat. Either way, I got a grade 7 defensive magical equipment from this trip.¡±


    The Lightning Emperor made himself at home and sat on top of the wooden dining table. He casted a Lightning Coffin to encase Cyil, just to make sure Baccaus couldn¡¯t teleport in and grab the boy. Afterwards, he took out some smoked meat from his spatial equipment and munched on it, quietly waiting for Baccaus to come.


    While the Lightning Emperor was doing all of this Cyil was in a dark place.


    ***


    Cyil opened his eyes to find that he was floating again in that pitch black space he had entered during his first meditation period.


    Cyil willed it and his floating body instantly grounded itself onto the dark space.


    ¡°Why am I here again? How did I get here?¡± Cyil asked himself. The last thing he remembered was talking to Betsy. He had asked Betsy to come to bed then¡­.


    Like a bursting dam, everything that Cyil had been subconsciously repressing gushed back to him. All the events that took place from the time Betsy was vaporized to the time the Lightning Emperor kicked him unconscious--all of those thoughts returned in a blink.


    Cyil fell to his knees, clutching his head in agony. Tears welled up in his eyes.


    ¡°BETSY!¡± Cyil cried out to the empty blackness where the sound traveled on to oblivion, swallowed up by space.


    The tears in Cyil¡¯s eyes did not fall and he blinked them away. What replaced them was a sharp, murderous gleam.


    ¡°Lightning Emperor you said your name was,¡± Cyil murmured under his breath. ¡°Lightning Emperor,¡± Cyil repeated. ¡°Lightning Emperor,¡± Cyil said again for a third time. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    *BOOM*


    Cyil¡¯s eyes turned completely gray and a visible shock wave exploded from Cyil, blasting outwards. A plague of gray mist creeped from out of the darkness and swirled inwards towards Cyil¡¯s now floating body. The mist rushed into Cyil, hungry and excited!


    Like a black hole, Cyil was the focal point of the endless gray mist that was now seeping into him.


    As the gray mist entered, Cyil felt strength surge through every cell in his body. Yet Cyil also felt himself lose control over his body but he didn¡¯t care. As long as he could kill the Lightning Emperor and avenge Betsy he would do anything!


    Cyil could feel that the gray mist would grant him boundless strength. Enough to kill the Lightning Emperor. This feeling grew stronger as more of the gray mist was absorbed. Soon, Cyil began to hear voices goading him on. Their whispers were enticing and promising:


    ¡°We can give you strength. Accept us.¡±


    ¡°Give in to the anger. It¡¯ll give you strength.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t resist us. We¡¯ve always been near you.¡±


    ¡°Let go. Just let it all go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine in our hands. Trust us. Leave everything to us.¡±


    Cyil thought something was wrong but his mind was preoccupied with revenge and the anger pushed him onwards. ¡°Okay,¡± Cyil nodded and let go of all thoughts and resistance, allowing the gray mist and voices to do what they had promised.


    ***


    Baccaus was quietly moving through the black space. He had long since given up on using spells to attack and instead choose to preserve his energy. He felt like he had been flying around for a long time but didn¡¯t know exactly how long. He had tried a lot of different things but couldn¡¯t get out of the space so Baccaus decided to just continue in one direction until something came up.


    As Baccaus continued to fly through the dark space, he suddenly felt an enormous shockwave to the left of him. The shockwave knocked Baccaus senseless and flung him down onto the invisible dark ground. Baccaus slammed onto the ground and almost coughed up some blood from the impact.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°What in the Nakrul was that?!¡± Baccaus knew that if he were closer to that shockwave he could have very well died! What sort of energy was that strong that it could kill him with just its shockwaves. Baccaus was a bit frightened by the prospect but he was more curious than anything.


    ¡°I need to find the source of that shockwave. It may be a way out of here. In any case, it¡¯s better than this aimless wandering.¡± Baccaus shot into the air and doubled on his speed towards the origin of the shockwave that was still very far away.


    ***


    The Lightning Emperor chewed on his favorite smoked meat. He had just started on his second piece when he noticed a strange gray mist seeping out of the little boy.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The Lightning Emperor was intrigued by the appearance of the gray mist. He didn¡¯t sense any danger from the mist or expect any danger from the little boy. He was a Rank 8 Level 6 mage after all! No, what the Lightning Emperor hoped was that the grey mist was from another magical equipment Baccaus had given to the boy.


    The Lightning Emperor hopped off the table. He took a step towards Cyil then immediately flashed backwards.


    Sweat rolled down the Lightning Emperor¡¯s forehead. With that step forwards he had felt that he was walking towards Death. He had no other reason but his battle hardened instincts to tell him that the gray mist was bad news.


    Still, the Lightning Emperor was angry. It was good no one was around to witness this embarrassing scene, otherwise the Lightning Emperor would have had to dig a hole to hide in. What an embarrassment that he, a rank 8 mage, was frightened by a little boy who wasn¡¯t even a rank 1 mage!


    Despite his anger, the Lightning Emperor trusted his battle instincts. They had kept him alive in many dangerous situations.


    As the Lightning Emperor was hesitating over what to do, the gray mist floated onto the Lightning Coffin and something unbelievable happened. The Lightning Coffin didn¡¯t break, but its elemental energy was being drained! It was decaying so fast that the Lightning Coffin almost instantly disappeared.


    When the Lightning Emperor saw what the gray mist had done he almost shat himself. ¡°Fuck! That¡¯s the Death Aura! This kid is a Death Saint?!¡±


    The Lightning Emperor was now utterly terrified. He didn¡¯t care about his status anymore because a Death Saint was not someone to be messed with. ¡°Fuck!¡± The Lightning Emperor cursed again. He cursed the guild leader of Black Hand for not telling him about the boy¡¯s background and he cursed himself for acting so rashly.


    The Lightning Emperor vaguely remembered the boy muttering about being a saint when he was talking to his dead friend, but at that time the Lightning Emperor just thought it was crazy talk.


    ¡°Damn.¡± The Lightning Emperor¡¯s first thought was to flee, but he quickly threw out that idea. ¡°I have to kill him right now. Otherwise, he will chase me to the ends of the Nakrul to kill me. I have to kill him now while he¡¯s weak and defenseless!¡±


    The Lightning Emperor quickly made his decision and acted decisively.


    Chain Lightning!


    Wads of lightning bolts swam down like serpents from the cloudless sky and struck the gray mist which was now covering the majority of the hut.


    The bolts entered the gray mist with a vicious ferocity but before they could penetrate even a foot in, they withered away.


    ¡°Not gonna be that easy, huh.¡± The Lightning Emperor truly didn¡¯t want to come in contact with the Death Aura so he used a long ranged attack, but it didn¡¯t work at all. From what he had read about Death Saints, the Lightning Emperor knew that attacking from outside the range of the Death Aura was the second best choice (with the first simply being to flee). He just hadn¡¯t expected his attack to be so weak.


    What the Lightning Emperor had read was true. Long ranged attacks were the best method when fighting a Death Saint because their Death Auras could only expand so far and decay so much. What the Lightning Emperor didn¡¯t know was that his attack wasn¡¯t weak at all. If his attack were used on a normal Death Aura his attack would reach the Death Saint with at least half of its power intact. But sadly, what the Lightning Emperor was facing was the Death God¡¯s Aura!


    The history books didn''t have much information on Death Saints to being with, not to mention the Death God¡¯s Arua!


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go in the Death Aura and kill him in an instant. I don¡¯t know how long I can last but I have to act before this Aura spread even further!¡± The Lightning Emperor summoned all his defensive equipments and took out his treasured weapon-- a grade 8 offensive magical equipment called lightning splitting sabre.


    The Lightning Emperor revolved a massive amount of wind, light, earth, fire, and water particles around himself, creating a lightning elemental armour. The combination of the various elements made the lightning that the Lightning Emperor used. This was different from Baccaus¡¯ two elemental fusion attack because the lightning was naturally developed for the Lightning Emperor whereas Baccaus was forcing the two elements (wind and darkness) to fuse.


    In any case, those who have an elemental body outside of the normal 6 (Light, Darkness, Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth) are called mutated elemental bodies and lightning was a very much esteemed mutated elemental body...


    ¡°Time for you to die now boy!¡± Forgetting about the saint equipments that the boy might be worth, the Lightning Emperor prioritized in killing Cyil first. The fear of a Death Saint was evident.


    Sonic Flash!


    The Lightning Emperor rushed into the Death Aura. It was almost like the Lightning Emperor had teleported since he was moving so fast.


    As the Lightning Emperor reached Cyil, he ignored the fact that his elemental armour had already been decayed and swung his sabre at Cyil¡¯s waist; the Lightning Emperor intended to bisect Cyil and charge straight through to the other side of Death Aura in one breath.


    The sabre cut out as fast as a lighting bolt.


    With the full strength of a rank 7 warrior bolstered with rank 8 mage¡¯s magic amplifications the sabre carved its way past the dense gray mist surrounding Cyil.


    As the sabre drew closer and closer to Cyil, the Lightning Emperor grinned, breathing out a sigh of relief. Then his sigh froze midway and time seemed to have stopped. His sabre no longer budged and his body felt heavy and slow, as if he were an old man.


    As if forced to, the Lightning Emperor inadvertently turned his head to look at the boy¡¯s face. Staring back at him were two big eyes void of anything but that same grayness that was Death.

 Book 1: Chapter 20

    Book 1: Chapter 20


    Cyil watch as he got up. He watch as he stood in front of Betsy¡¯s murderer and extend his pale hand towards the terrified man¡¯s face.


    ¡°You are called the Lightning Emperor, correct?¡± Cyil watch himself tease the man who was struggling to escape. ¡°That¡¯s such a presumptuous name. But very well, today an Emperor will fall.¡±


    The Lightning Emperor widen his eye in disbelief as he exerted all his force. The boy in front of him was no longer the crybaby he previously saw. This boy was dangerous and every cell in the Lightning Emperor¡¯s body was screaming for him to run.


    Cyil watch his body laugh then snicker at the Lightning Emperor. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Let me tell you a secret. This boy is not only a Death Saint but he is also a Time and Space Saint. You¡¯ve messed with the wrong person. Though, I do have to thank you for setting me free so I¡¯ll make your death a quick one!¡±


    Cyil watch himself gently reach towards the Lightning Emperor¡¯s bunched up face.


    Death God¡¯s Blessing


    The moment the palm touch the Lightning Emperor¡¯s face, Cyil saw the Lightning Emperor¡¯s body twitch, then begin to quickly froth at the mouth with his eyes losing focus and finally closing forever. The dead body drops onto the ground with a thump and Cyil watch himself sighing: ¡°Too weak too weak. You don¡¯t deserve my blessing. Oh well, at least you have some junk I can use to strengthen myself.¡± Cyil watch himself strip the rigid Lightning Emperor of everything he had.


    Cyil watch the Lightning Emperor¡¯s corpse then he thought about Betsy¡¯s soot and he didn¡¯t feel satisfied.


    ***


    ¡°Arghhh!¡± The Lightning Emperor began to scream in agony through his constricted throat. The moment the little boy¡¯s palm touch his face, it began to decay. His flesh was withering away to reveal muscles then bones then even the bones were gone. All of the Lightning Emperor¡¯s defensive magical equipment had their energy sucked out of them and crumble into dust. They didn¡¯t even help one bit. Even his life saving method of warping and dispersing into streaks of lightning bolts wasn¡¯t working.


    The Lightning Emperor couldn¡¯t believe what was happening because he couldn¡¯t move or scream and the pain of having his flesh melt off seem to last for eternity. Even Death Saints shouldn¡¯t be so strong! Stricken by fear and his inexperience with Saints, the Lightning Emperor fail to realize that his current experience was simply an illusion. It was a really realistic illusion but it was still just something conjured up into his mind and soul.


    What went through his mind was that one moment where he was about to land his finishing blow and the next he felt like he was being eaten alive by millions of ants. He was dying; the pain began from his face then slowly spread to the rest of his body. The Lightning Emperor didn¡¯t have a chance to experience all of the Death God¡¯s Blessing because halfway through the decaying process the unimaginable pain had already destroyed his consciousness.


    The Lightning Emperor had fail to persist through the Death God¡¯s Blessing, which was simultaneously a spiritual and mental attack. If the Lightning Emperor had survived, then his mental and spiritual prowess would have been greatly strengthened. Not only that but he would have been able to level up as a mage and at a quicker pace, too. He would even have had a chance to reach a rank 9 mage and possibly beyond! The spell was not call a ¡®blessing¡¯ for no reason. Alas, spiritual attacks were rare on Nakrul and the combination of a spiritual and mental attack was even rarer. No one really prepares themselves for defending against these sorts of attacks because not many knew of its terrifying power.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯ve used up nearly all of my energy just dealing with that muscle brain but luckily he was a little dumb¡­.This body needs more strength. I¡¯ll have to train for at least a decade to reach rank 9. Dammit.¡± Cyil watch himself cough up a mouthful of blood and casually wipe it away to reveal a sinister grin. Next, he saw himself don the Lightning Emperor¡¯s magical equipments; then Cyil saw himself crouch down to the naked Lightning Emperor¡¯s body, press his palm against the man¡¯s chest, and absorb the man¡¯s life force.


    ¡°A clone?¡± Cyil watch himself raise an eyebrow halfway through the absorbing process. ¡°What a lucky fella. Too bad his clone¡¯s consciousness won¡¯t be intact to relay what happened here.¡±


    After the absorption was complete, the Lightning Emperor had become a bag of rotted bones. When Cyil saw the decrepit body he felt a jolt of satisfaction form which sadness quickly followed. He was not sad for the Lightning Emperor¡¯s gruesome death but he was sad that even with his death, Betsy would not return. With this realization Cyil became despondent; his young mind slowly began growing, maturing even, under his concurrent experiences.


    As Cyil began to zone out he saw himself glare at himself, as if he had known Cyil was there all along. ¡°Keep quiet and just sleep forever.¡±


    Cyil did not respond and only gave himself a lifeless look. When Cyil look into the two completely gray coloured eyes he saw within them hate, so much hate and anger that it eclipses all other viable emotions. Cyil did know why but he felt bad for himself. ¡°I, I,¡± Cyil began but he couldn¡¯t finish he sentence before a blanket of darkness enveloped him.


    ***


    Far far away on the western edge of Nakrul sat a man near the peak of a mountain top piercing the clouds. Here, lightning struck the man continuously but they did not bother him. He even seem to be enjoying bathing in the lightning that congregated onto him. A pleased look was on the man¡¯s face as he sat still as a statue with closed eyes.


    Then, abruptly, the man¡¯s eyes shot open. ¡°Clone 1 died. Hmmm, his consciousness was shattered. Which old monster did he mess with for this to happen?¡± Shaking his head in disbelief the man said: ¡°nothing to be done against someone this strong. A shame a shame.¡± After this brief interruption the man closes his eyes and continue bathing in the lightning bolts.


    From afar, one could see that this man was almost identical to the Lightning Emperor who had died.


    ***


    Baccaus kept on flying towards the source of the shockwave but he hadn¡¯t anticipated it to be so far away. He wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed but it must have been over a month, or perhaps it was a week. Time felt different in this darkspace. Even so, Baccaus kept his clam. Baccaus guessed that whoever or whatever brought him to this dimension must be quite powerful, so Baccaus no longer tried anything rash even though he was worried sick about Cyil.


    Baccaus was flying along the darkness when far ahead he saw a golden glowing figure standing there. The golden glowing figure felt familiar and its aura was warm and full of energy.


    Baccaus didn¡¯t know what the golden figure was but he was curious about its appearance. ¡°What¡¯s that? Another person trapped in this godforsaken place? Or is it an enemy and native of this realm?¡± Baccaus asked himself these questions and choose to verify them himself. He was at least confident enough to escape should the golden glowing figure have malicious intent.


    Not deviating in his path and confident in his resolve, Baccaus increased his speed. When Baccaus was close enough to see the golden glowing figure¡¯s face he gasped, stopped and stared. ¡°Could it really be?¡±


    Baccaus blinked hard once, then again but the face of the golden figure remained unchanged. This was a face he was much familiar with. It was a face he thought he¡¯d never see again. This was his beloved.


    Baccaus didn¡¯t care anymore if the golden glowing figure was a trap or illusion of some kind; his flying speed instantly burst outwards propelling him to the figure in practically an instant.


    Standing in front of the golden glowing figure, whose face was flawless in every way, Baccaus shuttered. ¡°Kara, is it really you?¡±


    The golden figure did not immediately respond but instead glance at the disheveled old man in front of her. She carefully observed every part of Baccaus, pausing the stare at Baccaus'' flailing empty sleeve then finally gazing into Baccaus'' eyes.


    With a single tear drop rolling down her cheek the golden glowing figure replied with a sunny smile that lit up the darkspace. ¡°Baccaus, you¡¯ve suffered.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 21

    Book 1: Chapter 21


    ¡°Kara!¡± Unable to hold back his emotions, Baccaus flung himself towards the golden glowing figure. Baccaus tried to embrace her but felt himself grasping at thin air. The golden glowing figure¡¯s body bursted into motes of light then reformed shortly after.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Baccaus. I am so sorry.¡± The golden glowing figure gave Baccaus an apologetic look as several more tears silently slid down her cheek.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be!¡± Not even checking to see if what stood in front of him was real or fake, Baccaus lost all sense of rational thinking when it came to his beloved. ¡°I am okay. Don¡¯t cry Kara--tell me what¡¯s going on. How did you come to be here? Am I seeing things? Is this a realm where the dead goes?¡±


    Kara wiped away her tears and smiled at Baccaus. ¡°How you came here, or even how I came to be here, I do not know. All I remember were my final moments in life and as if blinking, I woke up in this darkspace. I, I do not even know if I am real.¡± At this point Kara sighed before continuing. ¡°At first, I was confused and a bit scared. But then I grew curious and began to marvel at the wonders that this darkspace holds; what it is. You see, this whole darkspace is beyond the sky and clouds. It is the legendary realm that the wizeneds refer to as outer space.¡±


    ¡°Outer space?!¡± Baccaus was shaken. Outer space was a place where even dragons could not reach. It was a legendary realm that had always remained a mystery. Outer space was a place that those of the highest ranks in Nakrul sought to visit because of a record written down in the book of the wizened:


    2017 B.I. (Before Invasion) all the elements gathered and the laws are reinforced. The sky drew close to Nakrul. Mountains pierced the sky. The sun closed its eyes. Darkness. Darkness. Darkness. The Legendary Saints and perfect elements have transcended spacetime, reaching a higher plane of existence. They have gone into the stars. Left behind are two words by the saints: Follow Us.


    Because of this record, the ultimate goal of mages and high ranking beings alike is to reach the legendary outer space. However, it has been a long time since anyone has made any progress on this goal. In fact, much less reaching space, it has been a long while since anyone has been able to traverse pass the rocky mountains that seem to imprison all of Nakrul¡¯s life forms. By now the endless sea abundant with water elements as far as the eye could see had simply become a simple myth.


    After his initial shock Baccaus said: ¡°Are you sure about this, Kara? If it is outer space then what marvels are out here that the Legendary Saints of old would beckon us to follow them?¡±


    Kara shook her head and replied: ¡°I am not entirely sure what mysteries lie here in outer space, but there are a few things I have discovered. First, there are absolutely no elemental particles here in outer space at all. There are only the four saint elements here: Space, Time, Life, and Death.¡±


    Baccaus nodded as he had realized this point upon entering the darkspace. He didn¡¯t think much of it until now, but it really was odd that no other elements were present. Even in extreme environments or specially designed pocket spaces, traces of other elements would be present but here not even a speck of the other elements were present!


    ¡°Second,¡± Kara continued as she observed Baccaus¡¯ pensive look, ¡°Time move at varying speeds here and it is not consistent with the timeflow that we know of on Nakrul. I know this because I can feel the life particles decay exponentially faster at times and likewise feel their decaying process slow down to a crawl at times. There seems to be no pattern to these fluctuating periods of time but time is mostly in a slower state here compared to the time in Nakrul.¡±


    Kara paused but Baccaus did not say anything so she continued. ¡°Third, I found that the space here is also affected in that it¡¯s not completely stable. The space here is not in danger of collapsing but it warps from time to time, making traveling a short distance longer than usual and traveling a long distance shorter. Of course, this doesn¡¯t happen all the time but it¡¯s happened enough time for me to realize this.¡±


    ¡°Fourth,--¡±


    ¡°--Kara, how long have you been in here for?¡± Baccaus interjected with the question that has been gnawing at him for a while now. ¡°You said time here is different, so how long have you been in here for? Since the time your spiritual core essence merged into Cyil¡¯s body it¡¯s been three years in Nakrul. If time usually moves at a slower rate here then you shouldn¡¯t have been here long, right? All by yourself...¡±


    Kara saw the worried look on Baccaus¡¯ face and she smiled. ¡°Since I woke, I can say with a degree of confidence that I¡¯ve only been in this place for a short while.¡± Kara had actually been in outer space for 13 years, but she wouldn¡¯t tell Baccuas that, lest he worry even more. Not to mention, although 13 years wasn¡¯t short for a mage it wasn¡¯t too long, too considering they could live for several hundreds of years.


    Baccaus frowned, but didn¡¯t press the matter any further with a smiling Kara in front of him. ¡°We have many things to discuss, Kara. This boy named Cyil and why your spiritual core essence choose him. And many other things. I want to tell you everything since that time.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Kara continued to smile and once Baccaus finished speaking she faintly said, ¡°let¡¯s do that, Baccaus. But first I have to tell you something vastly important.¡±


    At this point Kara¡¯s gaze turned serious and her smile was replaced with a frown. Before Bacaus could say anything Kara continued. ¡°When I awoke here, I found that I was not the only one here. In fact there was something--someone--here long before me and that entity calls itself the Death God!¡±


    ¡°A god?¡± Baccuas mumbled in utter disbelief. ¡°Gods are those who have reached beyond rank 10 and stepped into the realm of godhood. No one knows where gods disappear to after reaching godhood. They just simply vanish. The book of the wizened has only recorded 4 instances of a person reaching godhood: Megomn, god of water. Rimos, god of wind. Ronas, god of light. And finally, the most recent one is Ekdis, god of earth. There has simply been no instance of a saint reaching godhood, much less a Death god. That would be terrifying.¡±


    Kara shook her head. ¡°I understand, what you mean. This entity is definitely not a god of Death, but is something infinitely close to reaching godhood. Its form is similar to mine right now, meaning it is in soul form. This should be the soul of a Death Saint who has lost their physical body, yet has still manage to keep a shred of their soul alive. As for who this Death Saint was or how they managed to keep a shred of their soul alive to bring here, I do not know because this entity only appears as a gray mist.¡±


    Hearing the description ¡®gray mist¡¯, Baccaus instantly thought of the gray mist Cyil mentioned after his first time meditating. Consequently Baccaus also thought of the darkspace Cyil described and the eerie similarity between the place he was in now and the place that was described by Cyil were startling! Could there really be a connection? Such a coincidence? Baccaus thought up to this point and began to believe in his conjecture.


    ¡°By any chance,¡± Baccaus began, apprehensive about the answer he would get, ¡°did you see a little boy, no, a young man enter this dark space and meet with that gray mist?¡± Baccaus felt that there was a low possibility but he had to ask anyways and to his surprise, Kara gave him a startled look.


    ¡°Yes I did! It wasn¡¯t too long ago, too. I was following the gray mist around and trying to communicate with it, when it suddenly darted away. Seeing as the gray mist hadn¡¯t responded to anything except repeatedly telling me its name I quickly followed it and found that it was swallowing up a young man. The gray mist was not exactly harming the young man but I could sense the vicious intention behind its actions and was about to intervene when the man woke himself up and dispersed the gray mist. After that, I smiled and tried approaching the man but he took a step forward and simply vanished.¡±


    Kara said everything in one breath and the excitement inside of Baccaus grew as she recanted her own experience. It was an exact match with Cyil¡¯s own experience!


    ¡°Incredible,¡± Baccaus couldn¡¯t believe it. Such amazing things was unheard of! How in Nakrul did this come to be?! Baccaus couldn¡¯t make out how this could have happened. He knew this was an astounding discovery but Baccaus remembered that he had other matters he had to take care of.


    ¡°Kara, quickly, how do I get out of here? That young man you saw, he¡¯s called Cyil. Right now he¡¯s in enormous danger. The Lightning Emperor is after him so I need to get to him right now. I do not know how I ended up here but I need to leave to save him.¡± A pained look was on Baccaus¡¯ face. Perhaps he would never want to leave this place if Cyil was not in danger, but as the matter stands he had to get out.


    ¡°The way to get out¡­¡± Kara shook her head. ¡°I do not know of any ways to get out. There is only endless darkness in this darkspace. I¡¯m sorry Baccaus.¡±


    Baccaus sighed. He wasn¡¯t upset that Kara didn¡¯t know. Rather, he was secretly a bit happy because he could spend more time with Kara if this was the case. ¡°I felt a powerful shockwave some time ago. I was heading there when I ran into you.¡± Baccaus smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad I chose to follow that shockwave to its origin. Kara, do you know what caused that shockwave or where it is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the gray mist. I was following it when it suddenly condense and as if excited, the cacophony of voices began to shout: ¡®I¡¯m free, I¡¯m free at last¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Free?¡± Baccaus asked in surprise. ¡°Were they sealed here?¡±


    ¡°They, it, he, I am not sure but after a short while of condensing, the gray mist had become a solid gray crystal that stopped moving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Have you tried to see what the crystal is?¡±


    Kara shook her head. ¡°I could not even approach the gray mist much less the gray crystal. There seems to be a force that doesn¡¯t let me approach it.¡±


    Kara had accurately surmised the cause, but she didn¡¯t know that the gray mist also could not approach her, too. Otherwise, it would have attacked her long ago.


    ¡°Can you take me to the crystal?¡±


    Kara nodded and led the way. Baccaus followed, staring at the back of his loved one, his head fell in turmoil and heart in chaos...


    Soon, Kara and Baccaus could see a tiny gray speck faintly glowing off in the distance. Kara stopped. ¡°This is as far as I can go.¡±


    Baccaus nodded and took a step forward so that he was standing next to Kara then he took another step forward and nothing happened. He was not repulsed backwards or rejected. Baccaus glanced back at Kara and she said, ¡°be careful.¡±


    Baccaus nodded once again and assured Kara. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± With those words being said, Baccaus flew at a steady pace towards the gray crystal and left Kara behind.


    As Baccaus drew closer to the gray crystal a feeling of despair began to creep on him from all sides. The feeling grew so that it soon became physical pressure silently attacking Baccaus. Despite the increasing pressure, Baccaus maintained a calm face. This much pressure could not shake him and would at most force him to divert extra attention to guarding his mind.


    Quietly, Baccaus approached the floating gray crystal while thinking of all the things it could be. Baccaus proceeded smoothly until his eyes widened and he viciously accelerated towards what he had seen in the gray crystal. Baccaus couldn¡¯t believe what he saw. From afar he couldn¡¯t see it clearly but as he had approached, he could now make out what was in the gray crystal. There was something encased inside of it and it was none other than the person he needed to save, Cyil!

 Book 1: Chapter 22

    Book 1: Chapter 22


    Encased in the gray crystal, eyes closed and unmoving, Cyil was oblivious to the screaming Baccaus who pounded on the crystal wall with his powerful fists. Cyil was sleeping, dreaming, unaware of anything transpiring outside his dream world.


    In this dream that Cyil took as reality, Cyil was 11 years old, again. He was with his mother and friends in Fayburn and all was well. Everyday he would go out and play with Betsy, Mundo, and Sigesar then return home in the evening to a delicious warm meal filled with all the delicacies he could hope for: meats of varying kinds, sweets as rare as crystallized elemental stones, and drinks like nectar from the sacred water spring of the elves.


    When he came home his mother would smile and embrace him, lightly scold him for his unkempt appearance, then proceed to clean him. ¡°Be presentable to your father, young man.¡± She would say.


    Yes, of course, even his father was there; and just as his mother had described, his father was stunningly handsome and robust with a chiseled and stern face but kind eyes. His father had always been with him. There was no war with the dark ones and he had grew up knowing his father...and his mother wouldn¡¯t have had to describe his father to him. Then why did it seem as if she had done so?


    Cyil was eating a beef stew when this thought crossed his mind, but it was only for a fleeting moment. like deja vu, or the fantastical thoughts people entertain about what could be in an alternate reality. Cyil discarded the thought and doubled-down his speed on eating his beef stew; his father who had just returned from hunting, laughed on the side and his mother smiled at both her husband and son for their nature of returning home unkempt.


    Cyil smiled and took in the sights, his heart at peace in what felt like a long while.


    After eating, Cyil was taught by his mother on various subjects such as writing, reading, history, and daily skills. The teaching process would last long into the night, just before Cyil would have to sleep but Cyil didn¡¯t mind because he knew he would miss his mother if she were ever gone.


    ¡°That would be very sad,¡± Cyil thought to himself as he slept on his feathered mattress, in his room, in their spacious two-story stoned-wall house. Cyil closed his eyes and opened them again shortly after and it was already a new day.


    ¡®New¡¯ in the sense that everything that happened the previous day had not happened and ¡®new¡¯ in the sense that all memories from the previous day had been forgotten (or not registered because it hadn¡¯t happen yet).


    Cyil was stuck within a time loop in his own dream. He would follow the same routine each day, with slight variations happening on some days, but nothing too major that would disrupt the reality of his dreamworld. A majority of Cyil¡¯s days would be the exact same with no new happenings and these dreams made up 99% of the 3470 days that Cyil had (re)experience.


    It was only on the 3471 day that Cyil experienced something completely new. As it happened every ¡®day¡¯, he was playing a game with Betsy, Mundo, and Sigesar when the rock he threw veered way off course to strike an old man in the head. Cyil was shocked! Where had that old man come from? Had he always been there, Cyil thought but was even more shocked because the rock was not exactly small so that old man¡¯s head began to bleed right after it was struck.


    ¡°Which little bastard, how dare you!¡± The old man stood up way too fast for those his age and he knew from the exasperated faces of the four kids that one of them had thrown the rock. ¡°Come over here, right now! I want to know who threw that rock,¡± the old man demanded.


    Cyil exchanged glances with his three friends and told them to leave. Betsy and Mundo shook their heads but Sigesar promptly said he couldn¡¯t get in trouble because his parents would kill him and ran off.


    ¡°You guys should follow Sigesar. This is my problem. I threw the rock.¡± Cyil urged his friends to go as he walked towards the old man.


    Despite his warning, Betsy and Mundo followed closely after him and this made Cyil feel more confident.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Who was it? Which one of you three threw that rock?¡± The old man glared at the three children before him and demanded an answer.


    Cyil stepped out with his head lowered. ¡°I did it, elder. I apologize. It was a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Mistake?! You think I¡¯m a fool? The viciousness of that throw and its accuracy cannot be a mistake. You threw that rock on purpose!¡± The old man was out for blood and pressured Cyil.


    ¡°It really was a mistake, elder. I don¡¯t know how but the rock flew much further and stronger than I thought. We were just playing a game¡­¡± Cyil sneaked a peek at the old man, whose face was strangely familiar.


    ¡°Rubbish! I don¡¯t care if it is a mistake or not! I am injured and I want compensation. Bring me to your parents!¡± Behind the man¡¯s angry face, a greedy glint could be seen in his eyes.


    Cyil¡¯s head began to hurt as he was confronted with this old man. Today wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be perfect. Cyil looked at the old man again, closer this time; he noticed that the old man was missing his left arm and that his back was heavily bent. The old man¡¯s clothes was in horrendous condition, too.


    I can outrun him, Cyil thought. He doesn¡¯t know where I live and-- Cyil caught himself and felt bad for even thinking those things.


    ¡°Come on! Lead the way! Hurry it up!¡± The old man demanded when Cyil did not answer.


    Betsy and Mundo gasped in horror and kept tapping on Cyil¡¯s shoes with the tip of their shoes, a sign indicating that they should run. But Cyil was frozen there, just thinking.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Cyil began, a bit uncertain as the thought had just struck him. ¡°You¡¯re my grandpa?¡±


    When the old man heard this he sucked in a mouthful of breath and his eyes widened. Just as he was about to answer Cyil everything vanished and Cyil woke up to his mother¡¯s singing and freshly baked bread.


    ¡°Today is going to be a great day,¡± Cyil thought. ¡°A perfect day.¡± He jumped out of bed and went outside to wash his face and begin his day anew, completely forgetting about the old man.


    ¡­.


    Baccaus was ejected from the dreamworld, his face pale. To be more precise it was Baccaus¡¯ consciousness that was thrown out of the dreamworld, but nonetheless it was an unpleasant feeling. Baccaus¡¯ head was spinning and throbbing, as if he had been struck with a hammer to his brain.


    ¡°Argh, so close! I could actually talk to him this time!¡± Baccaus quickly retreated back from the gray crystal and only stopped when he was next to Kara who quickly tended to the wound of his consciousness/soul.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush it Baccaus. You have to take care of your health, too. I can see that you¡¯re making progress so don¡¯t strain yourself so much, okay?¡± Kara said all of this with a worried look on her face.


    ¡°I know. But I just can¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t know how much time have passed out in Nakrul or what has happened to Cyil. If this is indeed his conscious then what thing is controlling his body now? That Death God?¡±


    ¡°The Death God. That¡¯s highly likely. I haven¡¯t seen that entity around since the time it crystallized. I don¡¯t know how we would help Cyil regain control over his body if his mind has to contend with the mind of someone infinitely close to godhood. We can only try to wake him up.¡±


    Baccaus agreed with a sigh. ¡°We can only wait for him to wake up.¡±


    Kara wanted to hug the defeated Baccaus but knew she couldn¡¯t touch him; hence she only smiled and continued to heal him¡­


    4000 days


    4500 days


    5000 days


    5500 days


    Finally on the 5555 day, Baccaus opened his eyes, withdrawing from the gray crystal that was thrumming with power. ¡°This is it!¡± He declared with absolution.


    And as if waiting for Baccaus¡¯ announcement, the gray crystal shattered and spat out the encased Cyil who tumbled towards Baccaus¡¯ outstretched arm. Midway through his tumbling, Cyil¡¯s eyes shot open and he looked around in a daze, only to be more confused when Baccaus embraced him.


    ¡°Grandpa, where am I? Where is the Lightning Emperor? Where is Betsy?¡± Cyil was still groggy from having just escaped from the time loop so he resumed a similar line of questioning to when he had first woken from his 5 year slumber.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry child, everything is okay. I¡¯ll tell you things one step at a time.. Oh, and there¡¯s someone I want you to meet. She is very important to me.¡± Baccaus gently guided Cyil towards Kara who stood still smiling at the two who had reunited at last.


    ¡°WHO DARES?!¡±


    A thunderous voice blasted out from behind Baccaus and Cyil. The origin of the voice belonged to the shattered remains of the gray crystal, that in the blink of an eye was reforming into a person. And before their very eyes the pieces of gray crystals combined and transformed into an exact figure of Cyil! This figure released a menacing aura and seemed ancient. It slowly approached Cyil and Baccaus who had instantly been locked into place, unable to move.

 Book 1: Chapter 23

    Book 1: Chapter 23


    ¡°You!¡± The crystal Cyil pointed to Cyil. ¡°You are not suppose to awaken ever again! You are suppose to spend eternity sleeping away in your happy dreams.¡± The figure then looked and Baccaus. ¡°And you! How did you get in here and what gave you the balls to wake this boy up?!¡±


    The crystal Cyil walked on the empty space towards Cyil and Baccaus, completely sure they could not get away; as he was approaching them, a radiant blinding golden radiance shot towards the crystal Cyil at breakneck speeds.


    ¡°And you too,¡± the crystal Cyil growled, familiar with Kara. ¡°I may have once been unable to do anything to you but now, things are different!¡± The crystal Cyil ignored Baccaus and Cyil and focused on Kara--the only threat it perceived.


    Kara didn¡¯t respond and only continue to charge straight towards the crystal Cyil. When she felt that she was no longer repulsed by approaching the gray crystal, she directly intervened. Kara knew that without her physical body she would be hard pressed to do anything to the crystal figure, but she also figured that the crystal figure shouldn¡¯t have a physical body, too.


    Kara¡¯s assumption was right and wrong. Before the gray mist took over Cyil¡¯s body, it was only in its spiritual form or was only a consciousness, but after it did and reentered the dark space it could be said to have half a physical body. Half because it was simply borrowing Cyil¡¯s body and could not use all of it as it pleased nor would it ever be able to unless Cyil was no longer there. However, it could not just kill Cyil because that would lead to the collapse of Cyil¡¯s body thus it kept Cyil alive and hidden within the darkspace, the safest place it could think of.


    Life Blossoms Amidst Chaos


    The everglowing brilliance around Kara quickly gathered and condensed on her two pressed palms and shot outwards towards the crystal Cyil who snorted.


    Death God¡¯s Aura


    Gray mist instantly burst outwards, slightly swirling around the crystal Cyil then moving to completely condense into a neat rectangular-gray gassed wall which intercepted the blinding attack filled with the power of life.


    The blinding light drilled into the Death God¡¯s Aura and quickly made its way through half of it before its brilliance significantly reduced.


    When the crystal Cyil saw this, he smirked. ¡°Nothing much,¡± he laughed.


    ¡°Nothing much, indeed.¡± Kara flashed her own smile.


    *BANG*


    The already dead attack flared into life, pulsing with life force so great it was like a bomb had been set off. The condensed Death God Aura was directly scattered and the attack continued on its way towards the crystal Cyil who had an annoyed look on his face. Lifting his palm up towards the attack, the crystal Cyil calmly said:


    Absolute Stop


    Everything within the dark space stood still, except for the crystal Cyil who flashed forwards towards Kara and grabbed her by the neck. Time resumed. Kara gasped and clutched at the crystal Cyil¡¯s hand.


    Life¡¯s Aura!


    Kara promptly released her own Aura which clashed against the crystal Cyil¡¯s Death God Aura. At the same time, with little time to conjure up another spell, Kara released her innate spell that could be casted almost instantaneously.


    Heal!


    Heal, was a spell that did just what it¡¯s name stated; it healed the physical and spiritual aspect of an individual. However, using Heal on the crystal Cyil did not have that effect but rather the opposite, as it violently cracked the crystal Cyil¡¯s hand and forearm.


    Realizing what was happening, the crystal Cyil flung Kara away and casted five Absolute Stops in a row. With five seconds to do whatever he wanted, the Crystal Cyil focused the Death God¡¯s Aura and reformed it into a gray-misted scythe with tinges of blood red mixed in with its blade. Slowly lifting up the scythe which seem to be as heavy as a mountain, the crystal Cyil swung it towards Kara.


    Death God¡¯s Reaping Decree!


    As time resumed, Kara saw a huge eerie scythe coming her way. Unable to dodge in time she condensed her Life Aura just as the crystal Cyil had done, and formed a wall to intercept the attack.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The scythe met the wall and sliced through it like a sharp knife through tofu. Kara was then cut straight through without the slightest bit of physical injury, but she already knew this was going to happen because she had seen this attack before when she was still in Nakrul. This attack would target her spiritual and mental state! She hadn¡¯t a physical body to begin with so a physical attack wouldn¡¯t have done anything much but this attack damaged all that she is, a soul body.


    As Kara raised her mental and soul defences to combat the invading energy, she completely stopped moving and stood stock-still in the empty darkspace.


    When the crystal Cyil saw Kara fall into this state, he laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you. If I do then that would simply be bringing on my own demise. Why do you think I called out to you so urgently when this boy was dying? After going through such troubles to find a Time and Space Saint body I was simply distraught when the boy was going to die after I, a Death God, had graced him with my presence. Well, I soon found out that that was because without an enormous Life attribute source stabilizing this boy¡¯s body it would soon collapse. I didn¡¯t think I was going to find one at all and was just about to jump ship when you came along.¡±


    As the crystal Cyil spoke up to this point, he began to uncontrollably laugh at his own luck.


    ¡°Just stay here obediently in this darkspace and stop causing a ruckus. You¡¯re no match for me with just your soul body. Things will be back to normal after I take care of¡­¡±


    Darkness Seeping Whirlwind Punch!


    The crystal Cyil felt a destructive force crack past his crystal form and pierce straight into his soul body then rampage about. Without a chance to respond, the crystal Cyil had been struck a deadly blow and before he could even cough out any blood, another attack had already arrived.


    Darkness Seeping Whirlwind Punch!


    It was the same attack and the second time around was just as deadly.


    Absolute-


    The crystal Cyil¡¯s spell was interrupted mid-way through! ¡°Impossible,¡± the crystal Cyil was flabbergasted. ¡°Although this innate Time spell is not wholly mine, it should still be instantaneously castable so how did it get interrupted?!¡±


    Unable to respond in the slightest, the crystal Cyil was thrashed about like a rag doll by an enraged Baccaus. It wasn¡¯t until the 23rd hit that Baccaus stopped, not because he was showing mercy but because he had completely drained out every last bit of strength he could muster. He had use two forbidden spells: one to increase his strength exponentially and the other to allow him to interrupt a user¡¯s spell casting. These two spells came at the cost of burning off more than half of his remaining life span, but Baccaus didn¡¯t care.


    When he saw Kara being hurt, Baccaus instantly began to seethe with anger. He had only been momentarily frozen in place by the crystal Cyil and could have moved earlier but he still had to be sure Cyil was safe. Furthermore, Baccaus was waiting for an opportune moment to strike; so despite having to endure he could finally endure no longer as soon as Kara stopped moving.


    Baccaus had quickly melded with the darkspace and waltzed over to the crystal Cyil who had been giving a solemn soliloquy. Then he dealt his devastating blows that was meant to eradicate the crystal Cyil.


    Alas, though the crystal Cyil had lost a majority of its crystal ¡®skin¡¯ and was bleeding black blood from all of its orifices, he was not yet dead. The crystal Cyil was on the edge of death, however, and couldn¡¯t move at all. Physical injuries aside, his soul was what was damaged the most. It was on the verge of collapsing and he had to completely focus on holding it all together.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± the crystal Cyil knew he had gravely underestimated Baccaus, that unknown variable. ¡°How can someone with a full physical body even be in here?! This darkspace exists inside the boy¡¯s body...another living, physical being shouldn¡¯t be able to come here with their true body!¡±


    The crystal Cyil was confused but he had more important matters to focus on.


    Baccaus was better off than the crystal Cyil but not by much. He was completely spent and could hardly even stand straight. A single Darkness Seeping Whirlwind Punch would have left him breathless and that was after he charged up and prepared for the attack, but this time he consecutively released 23 hits without rest.


    ¡°You talk too much for a god,¡± Baccaus heaved through his teeth.


    The crystal Cyil did not respond and Baccaus slowly floated towards Kara.


    ¡°Kara, wake up. We must destroy that evil entity.¡± Baccaus gently traced Kara¡¯s cheek but his fingers slipped right through her face.


    Kara twitched and after hearing Baccaus¡¯ voice, her eyes opened slightly. ¡°Baccaus,¡± she whispered, still forcing out the remaining foreign energy. ¡°You must get out of here. I cannot come with you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Kara?¡± Baccaus¡¯ face paled. ¡°We need to destroy that evil entity; he is the cause behind Cyil¡¯s slumber so we need to eradicate him to free Cyil and perhaps, us too!¡± Baccaus waved around his right arm frantically but Kara shook her head.


    ¡°I understand a bit now, after hearing that entity¡¯s explanation. I can feel that his words are true. I need to stay here to keep this darkspace stable. I cannot leave otherwise Cyil, your grandson, our grandchild will die.¡±


    Baccaus hurriedly said: ¡°I refuse to believe this! There has to be some other way.¡±


    Kara shook her head again and smiled. ¡°I believe Cyil can take you out of this darkspace, as he was able to come and go last time. I, I will stay behind and restrain that Death god for as long as I can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a tangible solution! We can destroy that entity right now and be done with it!¡± Baccaus urged Kara, certain that she wasn¡¯t thinking clearly.


    ¡°Listen to me Baccaus.¡± Kara¡¯s gentle gaze became stern. ¡°We cannot destroy the entity or else Cyil will die. That entity has already become a part of Cyil and so have I. If either part is missing Cyil will die¡­. Cyil must grow strong enough to wrest control of his body back from that entity. Until then, I will lock down this entity in this darkspace for as long as I can and await that time.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 24

    Book 1: Chapter 24


    Cyil had watched the battle between Kara and the crystal Cyil through dazed eyes. The flashes of light were so quick he couldn¡¯t make anything out clearly, but he knew the blinding warm light had lost after just a short exchange. Cyil then watch as Baccaus casted a protection spell on him and charged with furious silence towards the triumphant crystal Cyil.


    Cyil could sense his grandpa¡¯s anger and distress so he didn¡¯t say much and obediently stayed within the protection spell. Just as soon as Baccaus had disappeared Cyil heard sharp whistles, like high pitched notes strained too far, that caused him to close his eyes and cover his ears.


    When the noise died down for a bit and the quiet emptiness returned, Cyil finally opened his eyes again and saw that his grandpa had already moved next to the glowing figure. Still, in this situation Cyil remained put. All of this was too much for him to understand; he knew that. Ever since he had waken in the cave with Baccaus and been told that he had been sleeping for 5 years, Cyil still hadn¡¯t the time to digest that change. The flurry of events that soon followed all seem so unreal, too. Magic, flying, aging. But it was his meeting with Betsy and seeing her again that grounded everything. Seeing someone so familiar having changed and telling him about the years that he had missed was what allowed Cyil to slowly come to terms with what had happened.


    Unfortunately, the Lightning Emperor had came and then everything spiraled out of control again. Cyil felt helpless and weak and had given in to those tempting voices promising happy days. Those happy days lasted for 5555 days and Cyil loved each of them, but he knew he had to wake up. To find his mother, to avenge Betsy, to fulfil his promise with Baccaus. So with Baccaus¡¯ help, he woke up only to be thrown into another chaotic and incomprehensible situation with no explanation. That¡¯s why Cyil no longer asked too many questions and only observed. He knew he wasn¡¯t strong enough and was only a burden to Baccaus.


    Floating there in that darkspace, Cyil began realizing many things all at once and his bright clear eyes dimmed, replaced with a sharp glint. Cyil breathed out a long breath as if he had held in too much air for too long time; his posture slightly straightened and he seem taller, more resolved. Cyil did not notice these minute changes but the sum of their parts had crafted a new Cyil.


    ¡°I need to get stronger!¡± Cyil promised himself this. ¡°No longer will I be the boy who sleeps.¡±


    As Cyil gathered his conviction together, Baccaus and Kara had already concluded their argument, coming to a rather upsetting conclusion for Baccaus. Cyil could see his grandpa¡¯s disgruntled face and unlike his old self, didn¡¯t ask too many questions when Baccaus told him once again that he wanted to introduce someone.


    Cyil obediently followed Baccaus and was promptly startled when he could see that the golden figure who had just been fighting was a delicate, flawless beauty. Aside from her ethereal golden glowing skin, she was the most perfectly proportioned woman Cyil had ever seen. Instantly, Cyil¡¯s mood became much better and he already felt close with the woman.


    ¡°Stop gawking at your grandma,¡± Baccaus coughed, his serious expression softening a bit.


    ¡°Grand-ma?¡± Cyil gulped and couldn¡¯t help but look from Kara¡¯s peerless face to Baccaus¡¯ wrinkled old face. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, of course!¡± Baccaus puffed out his chest and strained to straighten his back.


    Cyil swayed. This news was even more shocking than discovering he was a Saint!


    Kara heard the two and laughed: ¡°Baccaus, stop fooling around with our grandchild. Change back to your real appearance.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°Fine fine,¡± Baccaus willed it and he soon began to change from an old man to a young man who seem to be no more than 30 years of age, in the prime of his life. This man next to Cyil was so handsome that he could drive countless women crazy, and perhaps some men,too.


    Cyil no longer recognized Baccaus and he saw no similarities between the old Baccaus and the new Baccaus except for the missing left arm and the familiar aura he felt.


    Cyil opened his mouth but Baccaus raised his hand up to stop him: ¡°Don¡¯t ask any questions for now; I will tell you later.¡±


    Cyil closed his mouth again and turned to Kara, who was smiling at him.


    ¡°Such a fine young man! I am so proud to be your grandma!¡± Kara adopted an energetic youthful tone as she spoke to Cyil.


    Facing this beautiful goddess who was smiling at him, Cyil could only blush and say, ¡°Grandma, you are very pretty.¡±


    Kara laughed after hearing Cyil¡¯s answer, satisfied with her cute little grandson.


    Baccaus also laughed off on the side as he saw the two interact.


    As their laughter rang out, a solemn aura exploded outwards from the seemingly dead crystal Cyil.


    ¡°Stay behind me,¡± Baccaus shoved Cyil behind him as he and Kara sheltered him behind their sturdy backs.


    Forbidden Spell: STEALING LAPSED TIME REVERSAL!


    Right in front of their eyes, the wounds on the crystal Cyil began to heal at an astounding rate. Pieces of broken crystal flew back into place and the black blood flowed in reverse back to whence it came! This was the reverse of time!


    ¡°This mad man!¡¯ Baccaus was both shocked and enraged. The price for this forbidden spell was enormous! He didn¡¯t know the exact price but the book of the wizened had recorded a Time Saint using this spell to bring back his loved one. The time around that person was reversed and it ultimately brought them back to life, but only for a short amount of time before death returned to claim that person as time resumed, catching up. Not only that but the Time Saint could no longer communicate with the weaves of time, essentially rendering him unable to cast anymore time spells or advancing his mage rank or level.


    That the crystal Cyil was doing this would surely affect Cyil, too!


    ¡°Run,¡± Kara whispered to Baccaus. When Kara noticed what was happening she knew that their previous plan would be of no use. She was supposed to ensure that entity would stay in a weakened and comatose state until Cyil was ready to combat the entity in a battle of consciousness. Baccaus would then be responsible for slowly help Cyil train in the darkspace until this was possible but now that was no longer an option. Thus Kara could only stake it all here.


    Baccaus saw the look of despair in Kara¡¯s eyes and he understood what she was planning to do. ¡°No!¡± Baccaus shook his head adamantly and turned to Cyil who was closely observing the time reversal over at the crystal Cyil.


    ¡°Cyil,¡± Baccaus brought Cyil¡¯s attention back to him. Without saying anything, Baccaus directly transmitted his thoughts to Cyil¡¯s brain in a flash:


    ¡°Take this spiritual stone and use it to get out of this darkspace. I know you can do it. Just like last time you were in meditation, this should be the same place that you entered. When you exit, this spiritual stone will hold your soul and you¡¯ll have have 24 hours to find another suitable body for you to inhibit. To make sure there are no clashes with the existing soul, the body should be a freshly deceased one without serious wounds. Also, take my spatial ring and use the resources as you see fit to help you become strong enough before you come back to challenge this Death God. There isn¡¯t much time to go over everything but remember that if you ever feel tired on your journey to becoming a mage, then don¡¯t worry about anything and go live a happy life in that new body. Now, go!¡±


    The information registered in Cyil¡¯s mind and Baccaus pushed a diamond-shape rock along with his rustic spatial ring into Cyil¡¯s palms. Before Cyil could say goodbye, Baccaus waved his one good arm and a gentle wind carried Cyil away.


    All of this happened in a matter of seconds; and just as Cyil was sent away by Baccaus, the time reversal came to an end to reveal a disgruntled but otherwise perfect-shaped crystal Cyil.


    Baccaus and Kara, already nearly depleted from their previous fight stood side by side ready to face off against the entity that called itself the Death God.


    The crystal Cyil righted himself and standing up he cracked his neck. ¡°I¡¯ve got 2 minutes before my wounds return. I¡¯ll finish you off in 10 seconds.¡±


    And, without another word, the crystal Cyil attacked!

 Book 1: Chapter 25

    Book 1: Chapter 25


    The gentle breeze carried Cyil far away so that he could no longer see Baccaus or Kara or the crystal Cyil. When the breeze finally died down and brought him to a stop, he could hear rumbles like the sound of mad thunder off in the distance. Cyil knew another battle had begun between the crystal Cyil and Baccaus and Kara. He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think he could influence the battle so he clenched his fists and turned away from the sounds, walking into the darkness.


    Cyil took a few steps forward and began to worry that he wouldn¡¯t be able get out like last time, but at that moment the spacetime around him began to change and his consciousness slightly blurred. This time, Cyil was not sent hurdling towards a planet but he simply ¡®woke up¡¯ back in Nakrul. He was in a cave and could only make out the surroundings because of the eerie gray light pulsating from his physical body. He could see his physical body sitting in a cross legged position while his own soul body gave off a weightless sensation. The Cyil sitting cross legged looked a few years older than he remembered.


    Before Cyil could think any further, Bacccaus¡¯ spatial ring and the rhombus stone was spat out from thin air and dropped on the ground next to Cyil¡¯s body with a thunk.


    Cyil diligently stooped down to grab the ring but it phased right through his translucent hand. Cyil tried again but the same thing occurred. Flustered, he turned his attention to the stone and once ¡®touching¡¯ it he could feel a greedy suction pull him inwards.


    *BANG*


    A flash of blinding light grasped ahold of him and he manifest himself in the rhombus stone. Cyil had become the rhombus stone. Or rather, the stone was now his temporary body, propelled and controlled by his soul.


    ¡°What an odd and cool feeling,¡± Cyil thought offhandedly but quickly remembered that he had only 24 hours to find a new body.


    Focusing once more, Cyil moved his ¡®stone body¡¯ with surprising ease. He felt like he was controlling those fancy wagons pulled by horses. He was the conductor commanding the horses to do his bidding. Quickly getting the hang of the movements, Cyil tried to pick-up Baccaus¡¯ spatial ring.


    He slowly eased the tip of the rhombus into the ring opening and once the tip was in he carefully flipped the rhombus upwards. This was just like the game he would play with his friends and similar to that game, he failed on his first try. His second try was a little better but the ring kept spinning off of the tip before it was stably in place. Regardless of his failures, Cyil kept trying. On his 9th try, Cyil decided to push the ring up towards the cave wall and use that as another ¡®hand¡¯ to help keep the ring from falling off.


    He only had to try twice with the wall method for it to succeed. With the ring in place, the rhombus stone steadily floated around the dark cave until a tunnel came into sight. Following that tunnel, Cyil was thankful it wasn¡¯t too far away from the entrance.


    As Cyil exited the cave, he noticed that he couldn¡¯t feel the wind or the cold of the dawning dew. The colors of Nakrul also seem to have dimmed by a large amount. Cyil thought it strange but when he considered that he was in a rock, it made some more sense. ¡°Magic is really weird and interesting!¡±


    The mouth of the cave vanished behind Cyil as he came out from it. Looking back, the entrance was now just a solid slab of mountain wall. Cyil was astonished at the scene but reminded himself to stay on task.


    Cyil glanced at his surroundings, rotating the rhombus stone 360 degrees but could only make out trees among trees. ¡°Why is it a cave again?¡± Sighing to himself, Cyil thought, ¡°If only I could get higher in the air to see my surroundings then I¡¯d have a chance to find a village.¡± Cyil willed for the stone to float upwards but it remained hovering at 5 feet in the air.


    Helplessly he said: ¡°I¡¯ll just search around for now.¡± Cyil choose the direction directly opposite of the cave wall and floated away at a brisk pace.


    ¡­.


    When Baccaus sensed that the connection with his spatial ring had weaken considerably he smiled as he laid in a pool of his own blood. As long as Cyil had escaped then everything was fine. Baccaus didn¡¯t even have enough strength to cough up any blood as he waited for death to come. They had completely lost! It wasn¡¯t even a battle but rather a one-sided game for the crystal Cyil, who was serious this time around.


    Baccaus had placed everything he owned, except for his magical defensive equipment, in the spatial ring and had given it to Cyil. That naturally included the two saint artifacts and the book of the wizened. Baccaus wasn¡¯t hopeful about his chances of winning and he didn¡¯t want to crystal Cyil to gain anything useful so he choose this course of action. Baccaus¡¯ only reprise was knowing that after the effect of the forbidden Time spell wore off, the crystal Cyil would be on the brink of death.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Off to the side, the crystal Cyil had a solemn look plastered on his face. He was not happy about this outcome because he knew the repercussions of the forbidden spell he had casted. He didn¡¯t know how long his recovery was going to take but he knew that this body would no longer be a Time Saint. Still, a Space Saint including his own Death attribute made this body still ideal so he had no plans of abandoning it; besides, he¡¯d spent far too long searching for a body and couldn¡¯t afford to possess another body.


    Standing in front of Baccaus¡¯ flat body, the crystal Cyil promptly turned to Kara, who had been temporarily imprisoned in a spacetime locked spell and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a choice. You can either choose to obediently serve me as my slave and I will spare your man¡¯s life or you can choose to struggle against me and he dies.¡±


    The crystal Cyil couldn¡¯t kill Kara nor could he quickly seal her powers away with the small amount of time he had borrowed so he needed her to submit to him to ensure his absolute safety. While he was in the midst of conjuring up the forbidden Time spell he had already thought about all these steps when he saw the affection Baccaus and Kara showed each other. If this plan didn¡¯t work then before the forbidden spell expired, he would simply kill Baccaus and reduce Kara to a state worse off than him. The crystal Cyil was just concerned about the recovery speed of a Life Saint and what she would do to him after recovering, knowing he had killed her beloved.


    Kara still hadn¡¯t given an answer as she stared from the walls of her cage to meet Baccaus¡¯ eyes. Baccaus couldn¡¯t speak because blood had already clogged his throat nor could he send out any messages via his consciousness because of the walls on Kara¡¯s cage, but Kara could tell that his eyes screamed for her not to accept the offer. When Kara saw those eyes she smiled and mouthed the words, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Then Kara averted her gaze to the crystal Cyil and said, ¡°Swear an oath the the elements that you will spare this man¡¯s life and not chase after Cyil then I will become your slave.¡±


    The crystal Cyil smiled after knowing Kara¡¯s stance. He replied:


    ¡°You are in no condition to be bargaining. I¡¯ll spare his life but I will still need to chase after that little boy. His soul is closely linked to the welfare of this body, after all. If his soul dies then this body is as good as dead. And should he somehow grow strong enough to wrest control of this body back then all my work would have been for naught, so no, I will chase him as soon as I heal.¡±


    Now that Kara had shown she was giving in, the only thing nagging at the crystal Cyil¡¯s heart was that he didn¡¯t know where Cyil¡¯s soul had gone. If Cyil¡¯s soul perished then this body would in the best case scenario lose more than half of its power and in the worst case scenario would slowly degrade until it completely died. At first, the crystal Cyil wasn¡¯t worried that Cyil could regain control of his own body so he had kept his soul in the safest place possible and where he could supervise him. He just never expected someone like Baccaus to appear out of nowhere and ruin his plans. In fact, the crystal Cyil thought it weird he never noticed Baccaus entering the darkspace.


    Kara shook her head. ¡°I know the effects of the forbidden spell you used. You said 2 minutes? Over half your time is already gone and after that you¡¯ll return to your half-dead state and this imprisonment spell will naturally disperse. Then I can easily seal away your power so that you can never see the light of day again!¡± As Kara spoke her voice rose with the momentum, but when she finished what she got was not awe but laughter from the crystal Cyil.


    ¡°Do you really want to test me?¡± The crystal Cyil raised his arm up and swung it down on Baccaus.


    Spatial Blade Slash


    An invisible force slashed onto Baccaus¡¯ abdomen. All of his organs churned and those that hadn¡¯t ruptured yet began to do so. Baccaus¡¯ magical defensive equipments had long since been destroyed and the only reason he wasn¡¯t bisected straight through was because of his strong physical body and because the crystal Cyil held back.


    When Kara saw Baccaus suffering once more her eyes widened and she grew angry and worried. ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll do it. Don¡¯t hurt him anymore. I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll do it if you spare him and promise not to hurt Cyil when you find him. Don¡¯t put Cyil back to sleep anymore.¡±


    The crystal Cyil smirked, clearly enjoying himself. ¡°Fine. Swear an oath to the elements and become my slave. Naturally, I will also swear an oath promising to fulfill those two conditions.¡±


    Kara gave Baccaus another glance, but his eyes were shut closed so she grit her teeth and began to swear an oath to the elements, which in simple terms was a contract that was upheld by the elements who served as witnesses. Should either party break the terms then the elements would punish the offending party with death.


    ¡°I swear to the elements that I, Kara--¡±


    --*BOOM*


    A surge of power escaped from Baccaus¡¯ body. It was so strong that it swept away the crystal Cyil and caused the walls of the imprisonment to tremble. Right afterwards, Baccaus stood up, a powerful aura emanating from his whole body.


    Forbidden Spell: The Sins of The Weak!


    This forbidden spell that Baccaus had used was even more domineering than the forbidden Time spell that the crystal Cyil had used. This forbidden spell was an attributeless one and as old and arcane as it came. This spell was not particularly hard to learn, but its existence was known to only a few so not many could use this spell. Even if people knew it they probably wouldn¡¯t use it despite the spell¡¯s amazing effects: capable of instantly restoring the user to their peak condition, increased physical, mental, and spiritual strength by 200%, injuries received will be healed instantly, unlimited spiritual/elemental energy, and spells casted are halved in time but triple in strength.


    The reason for not using the spell was a simple and direct deterrent. Those who use this spell would die in both body and soul.

 Book 1: Chapter 26

    Book 1: Chapter 26


    When the crystal Cyil was blown away he immediately sensed that a deadly crisis was soon approaching. He didn¡¯t hesitate to spam the Time spell Absolute Stop, but to his surprise Baccaus wasn¡¯t affected at all! Although everything else had stop, he and Baccaus were both capable of moving.


    Dread filled the crystal Cyil¡¯s eyes and an involuntary shriek came out: ¡°impossible!¡± He grew exasperated and knew that with the meager 40 seconds he had left, it would be impossible to subdue that thing in front of him. With his vast knowledge, the crystal Cyil was shocked that he didn¡¯t know what spell Baccaus had conjured but he could see that Baccaus¡¯ revived state was temporary. Even so, he couldn¡¯t flee because Kara could come after him once the forbidden Time spell wore off but he also couldn¡¯t fight against that monster who might actually kill him without regards to what would happen to the boy¡¯s physical body.


    The crystal Cyil felt that his head was about to explode from all the anger he had accumulated since entering the darkspace. He had just finished gathering most of the materials he needed to break through to a rank 8 Saint and was already in seclusion about to do so when he noticed that Cyil had escaped from his imprisonment. This startled him greatly and although it was taxing to enter the darkspace, he had to do so to check and that was when everything had gone horribly awry. He had no clue who Baccaus was or how he got in there; at the same time he cursed himself for being to careless and not personally, thoroughly checking the darkspace.


    But all that was in the past now and perhaps even the power of a god of Time could not reverse the flow of time to fix this.


    Caught in a pinch and without many options, the crystal Cyil roared out with madness, unleashing all of his pent up anger at once. ¡°You think you¡¯re the only one with a final move?! Don¡¯t make me use it or we could all very well perish! Think of what would happen to this boy¡¯s physical body!¡±


    The crystal Cyil quickly tried to bring some sense to Baccaus but when he saw Baccaus¡¯ apathetic look the crystal Cyil cursed inwardly and quickly began conjuring up his forbidden Death spell.


    Baccaus noticed what the crystal Cyil was doing and smiled. In this moment, Baccaus felt very calm and at peace for some reason. He walked over slowly, as if taking a stroll in a meadow, to the frantic crystal Cyil who was trying his best to complete his forbidden Death spell.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible. There are no absolutes in this world,¡± Baccaus calmly said, as if he was teaching Cyil one last lesson. ¡°Things in life must come to an end so death is not necessarily a bad thing. As long as you have lived a happy and healthy life then all is well. There are bad and goods in Nakrul and many more things that can only be confirmed once you have experienced it yourself. Though it is impossible to experience everything, I hope you will have had the chance to explore as many of them as there are stars in the sky. Remember to be kind and good and stay true to yourself. If you can help it, do not kill for all life is precious¡­ I never taught anyone, nor was I a good enough person to teach someone so young, so pure. May the elements be with you¡­¡±


    Bacccaus¡¯ speech was neither long nor short; the words echoed off into the void and was carried away with time. The crystal Cyil was shocked as he heard Baccaus¡¯ words. As Baccaus began talking to himself the crystal Cyil thought Baccaus was rambling like an idiot and had finally gone senile but as he continued to listen he noticed that these words seem to contain a profound energy behind them.


    It was at this point that the crystal knew his ¡®final move¡¯ wouldn¡¯t be able to hold a candle against this man. He knew this well because this man in front of him had, for some inexplicable reason, already broken through to become a god! The crystal Cyil didn¡¯t know how this was possible nor could he explain it with common logic but the mystical powers held behind those words swayed even his soul! Also, the crystal Cyil knew for sure that this was godhood because he had heard a god speak to him before long, long ago when he still had his own physical body. That very same god who spoke to him was also the one who destroyed his physical body. But with some luck, an arcane soul splitting spell and furious resolve to get revenge on that god, the soul of the Death God (crystal Cyil) had managed to escape with part of his soul.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The crystal Cyil would never forget that day nor the power of a god.


    When he found out that Baccaus had reached godhood, although he knew it couldn¡¯t be permanent, the crystal Cyil gave up all hope. He didn¡¯t even think of trying to ditch the body to find a new one. He simply stopped running away and waited for his doom. Looking up with his crystal eyes that now seem to glitter brightly, the crystal Cyil said to himself: ¡°What luck do I have. To be born a Death Saint and be given so much power but be shunned by all those I love. To have trained to be a rank 9 Saint on the verge of becoming rank 10, only to be killed by a god. I don¡¯t believe I was born evil, but after my physical body died and my soul split, something in me changed. I became Death itself. Now it is only fitting that Death has come for me itself.¡±


    As the crystal Cyil lamented his fate, the forbidden Time spell¡¯s duration ended and all of his wounds instantly returned. The suddenness of this shock and the physical wounds shook the crystal Cyil¡¯s soul and completely destroyed his half-physical body; thus rendering full control of the body back to Cyil or whomever¡¯s soul could inhibit the body.


    Baccaus hadn¡¯t done anything at all and only stood to the side and watched the crystal Cyil collapse. But just as the crystal Cyil¡¯s soul was about to shatter and return to the elements, Baccaus waved his hand and a gentle breeze held the soul firmly intact.


    After that, he turned to Kara and smiled at her.


    Kara had just noticed the power surge from Baccaus when all of a sudden the walls imprisoning her began collapsing and Baccaus was floating a hundred feet away from her, smiling. She was shocked at the turn of events and was about to ask Baccaus about what had happened when he appeared directly in front of her and hugged her.


    Again, Kara was shocked because she could feel his warmth and his body. ¡°How is this possible?¡± She thought.


    ¡°Kara,¡± Baccaus began, a strange alluring tone to his voice that would make others unknowingly worship him. ¡°You sacrificed yourself to save me back then, and I had to live with that burden everyday¡­ everyday I would think it would have been better if I had died with you. My days were filled with nothing but bitterness without you in my life. And when I finally had hopes of reviving you, I still failed. I tried and tried but couldn¡¯t save you in the end. It wasn¡¯t until I saw you here that my heart came alive again. I didn¡¯t care if you were an illusion or just a figment of my imagination because I had wanted to talk to you and apologize for leaving you all alone¡­.But you know, there was something good that came from me staying alive. That was our grandson, Cyil. It seemed fate had brought you, me, Cyil and even that Death Saint together. Kara, I have so much I want to say and tell you- about him, about us, about anything but time is impatient.¡±


    By now tears were running down Kara¡¯s glowing golden cheeks. She didn¡¯t want to interrupt Baccaus and only listened with a pang in her heart because she had felt that Baccaus¡¯ lifeforce was almost gone. When he had hugged her, she had felt it. So she only remained silent and let Baccaus say his final words.


    Baccaus un-hugged Kara and held her at an arm¡¯s length, staring into her eyes. He gently wiped away her tears and continued: ¡°It would have hurt me more to know you are someone¡¯s slave than facing death a thousands times over. And. Though I may no longer be by your side anymore to bug you or cook you my special dishes, remember that I will always be with you. Though I know it will be hard, you must live on, and when the time comes, we shall surely be reunited. That I know.¡±


    As Baccaus finished his final words his lifeforce completely slipped away into the nether, gone for good. There wasn¡¯t even a chance to salvage his soul like what had happened to Kara or the Death God. As Kara felt Baccaus¡¯ aura disappear and his body go limp, she began to wail. And as if to tease her, she could no longer touch Baccaus¡¯ body like before. He simply slipped right through her body. Kara wailed and tried to calm herself down but seeing the smile on Baccaus lifeless face hurt her heart even more.


    On 452 A.I., in a darkspace outside of Nakrul, at the age of 145, Rank 7 level 10 mage of wind and shadow dual element, Baccaus Petros, the fourth son of Zale Manos the 76th wizened, married to Kara Lialeth and grandfather to Cyil Cintu has perished.

 Book 2: Chapter 1

    Book 2: Chapter 1


    Cyil wandered through the dense forest floor as the sun crawled above the mountains. He found it interesting, but frustrating that mages always choose a cave to reside within. He wondered if that was normal. But even if it wasn¡¯t normal, Cyil felt like he would prefer a nice comfy bed and house to stay in while meditating.


    Cyil only had his thoughts to accompany him while on his conquest to finding a new body. He could understand the gravity of the situation and the consequences of not finding a body but at this rate he would have to inhabit an animal''s body! And all the animals he had seen were alive and kicking, not to mention dead. So maybe he would go into a plant or tree, would that work?


    Cyil quickly shook his head and dreaded the thought. Being in another human¡¯s body already weirded him out, but thinking of life as a tree made things even more bleak. Now that he had time to himself and could think over what had happened, he began to realize just what a mess he was in and had brought to Baccaus. He was worried for Baccaus and that nice beautiful lady who was his grandma. He wondered if they would be okay and why they were all there in that darkspace.


    Cyil had many questions but like an obedient child, he focused on the task at hand while pushing those questions to the back of his mind. Questions will have answers and answers will come when they come he decided.


    By now, Cyil had already spent ten minutes or so hovering about. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was going in a straight line, but he could no longer see the mountain so that was a good sign.


    As Cyil explored the different mechanics of controlling the rhombus stone with his soul and while searching for a body, he felt Baccaus¡¯ spatial ring shake, making it almost fall off. It shook then wobbled and finally spun to a stop; as the ring stopped, its outer appearance changed from an old plain looking rustic ring to one that had intricate designs and runes laced around the outer and inner layers. The ring was now completely ash-black with red and blue rune carvings alternately glowing. Everything about the ring now yelled out that it was definitely a magical item. Thankfully for Cyil, however, the size had remained the same otherwise it would have slipped right through the rhombus stone.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know what caused the ring to morph but he quickly decided against carrying it out in the open. A floating stone would already draw enough attention much less a magical ring to top it all off. Besides, Baccaus had told Cyil that having a treasure can be a crime if you haven¡¯t the strength to protect that treasure.


    Cyil now had another goal aside from finding a new body. He had to find a suitable place to hide the ring.


    As Cyil continued to wander through the forest, he finally met a few wild animals but luckily he didn¡¯t cross paths with any magical beasts. By now it had already been well over 4 hours since he entered the rhombus stone and began his search. The high-noon sun was beating up overhead yet Cyil was still in the forest.


    ¡°How vast is this forest? It seems to go on and on.¡± Cyil just kept on floating along. He didn¡¯t get physically tired nor did he have to deal with the uneven footing of the forest grounds so he made good time. 9 hours later, Cyil could finally see that some of the plants on the ground had been dug up and even further up ahead he could see trees that had been chopped down. It had been 13 hours since Cyil entered the rhombus stone and he only had 11 hours left, but there was now hope!


    Cyil quickly backtracked further into the forest and dumped the spatial ring into a crevice between two thick tree roots that had burst up onto the ground.


    Along the way, Cyil had thought of many hiding places for the ring and had finally settled on hiding it within the tangled tree roots. There were many tree roots so no one would think anything precious would be hidden in there. The tree roots could also protect the ring from being blown away by the wind or from being moved by wild creatures. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Cyil thought his idea was very good and he went merrily on his way using the human marks of destruction to guide him.


    An hour later, Cyil saw a decently sized town ablaze with lamps and some of the fancier buildings even had lamps that glowed with a strange bizzare light. Cyil had never seen these sorts of lamps before, because they were things imbued with magic and also outside of his worldly experiences.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it tonight. That fuckin¡¯ prick striding about like he owns the town.¡± A voice whispered from somewhere ahead of Cyil.


    Cyil was still on the periphery of the forest and quite a bit away from the town so he hadn¡¯t expect someone to be out here, especially since it was already dark.


    Cyil quickly maneuvered the rhombus stone to drop down onto the ground. This was one of the things he had learned how to do while experimenting with the stone¡¯s mechanics.


    ¡°Are you sure? We need to make sure he¡¯s all alone. He always travels with a girl or his underlings so that¡¯ll impede our plans.¡± Another voice responded in a hush whisper.


    A third voice chimed in, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I sent someone he won¡¯t be able to resist to ¡®escort¡¯ him to the place. With his dick for brains attitude, he¡¯ll come for sure.¡±


    Then a fourth voice added, ¡°Make sure no one learns of this. Make it quick and clean. And stick to the plan.¡±


    After the fourth voice spoke out, a bunch of grunts sounded out in agreement and began leave in small groups. To Cyil¡¯s surprise, there seemed to be more than just four people--a lot more. 10 or more people, at least, because it took the whole group a while to disperse.


    All this while, Cyil stayed as still as a rock and thought about what he had heard. From what he could make out these people were not nice people. They were intending to harm someone! Cyil didn¡¯t know how or who the person was but he felt as if he should warn them. But right after thinking that, Cyil remembered that he also needed to find a dead body so maybe if both sides fought there would be some casualties and then he could possess one of those dead bodies?


    Cyil thought this was a reasonable idea. Although he knew that it wasn¡¯t right in a sense, he was more concerned about finding a body to inhabit. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to be a hero then. Nodding to himself, Cyil moved the stone to float only a few inches off the ground and followed behind the last group that only now began to leave the edges of the forest.


    In this way, Cyil¡¯s way of thinking had already begun to change without him even knowing it. The old Cyil would have not thought of death as an opportunity to benefit from nor would the old Cyil have put his own welfare before another¡¯s welfare. But things were different now. And to say this difference was good would be incorrect, yet to say it was a bad change would also be incorrect¡­


    Cyil followed the group until they were nearly to the town¡¯s gates then he veered off to try and enter the town from another more concealed place.


    While following the people he did not gain any more useful information which disappointed him. All he got was the name of the three men: Tec, Ekraq, and Krun. Cyil noted that Tec was the first man who had spoken and Krun was the third man who had spoken. Ekraq had not spoken during the meeting so it was technically Cyil¡¯s first time meeting Ekraq. In any case, Cyil knew Ekraq shared Tec and Krun¡¯s sentiments on how ¡°he¡± should end up.


    As Cyil made his way around the town walls he thought: ¡°maybe I can find a cemetery with people who had just been buried and inhabit one of those bodies.¡± Just thinking the thought made Cyil laugh. If only it were so easy he thought. Then he sighed as he said, ¡°Grandpa Baccaus, 24 hours is too short! It would have been nice if I had more time.¡±


    What Cyil didn¡¯t know was that the rhombus-stone was a one-time use magical equipment that was actually rank 8. The rarity of the stone was beyond precious and it was one of Baccaus¡¯ life-preserving treasures. These type of magical equipment were much more precious than magical weapons, defensive gears, or even spatial storage rings. If Baccaus were to ever face mortal danger and cannot save his physical body then he would leave everything behind and enter the rhombus stone to escape. Another ability the stone had, aside from storing a soul, transferring it and healing the newly acquired body, was to travel at extreme speeds!


    It was just that Cyil¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t strong enough to utilize this ability of the stone, otherwise his search speed would have increased a hundred-folds and by then, finding a suitable body would have been much easier.


    Nonetheless, Cyil had still found a town with a population of near 15,000 so his chances were good. Of course, he didn¡¯t wish for anyone to die but as fate would have it, a single person died that night. This person was one of the most hated and feared in the town. A 13 year old boy.

 Book 2: Chapter 2

    Book 2: Chapter 2


    Mahoj Zen was a nasty little 13 year old boy. What he didn¡¯t have in size he made up with his big nasty attitude. Mahoj was a low-grade elemental water mage and although a water mage was near the bottom of the kingdom¡¯s elemental ranking, a mage was still a mage. With his ego inflated by the fact that he was the only mage to ever have come from their town of 15,000, Mahoj felt superior to everyone else in his town. In his eyes, even his parents were no exception to this rule. They were trash that had only done a great service by giving birth to him.


    Mahoj did not usually appear in his town and would usually be found in Noxiams Academy, a place where young water mages were gathered to be taught and nurtured until they reached rank 3 as a mage. Noxiams Academy greatly paled in comparison to the other countless academies in Nakrul and was definitely not the best academy in the kingdom because they solely nurtured water mages. Nonetheless, Noxiams was still an academy and Mahoj was lucky to have gained admittance.


    When Mahoj was born, his parents had no clue he had an elemental body. They were both the most ordinary of people, hard working and lower class, living on the edge of town. To them, mages were like mythical creatures that could only be seen once in a blue moon. Thus, it wasn¡¯t until Mahoj was six years of age when his elemental body was finally discovered by a traveling mage.


    That mage had been keeping a low-profile and had wanted to rest for a few days in the town when he noticed Mahoj tugging at his mother¡¯s hem. Mahoj¡¯s mother was a waitress in the inn and it was almost time for her to get off work but Mahoj couldn¡¯t wait and had come to tell his mother to hurry.


    The traveling mage instantly grew intrigued and struck up a conversation with Mahoj¡¯s mother, who later invited the woman mage to her house for further talks. As Mahoj¡¯s father joined in on the conversation, the three concluded that Mahoj would be taken to Noxiams Academy to be trained as a mage.


    From then on, Mahoj would come back once a year to visit his parents. On the first year of his return, Mahoj¡¯s mood was noticeably more gloomy and he did not talk much. On the second year of his return, Mahoj no longer called his parents by their name or addressed them as he should have; instead, he called them ¡®you¡¯ or ¡®old lady¡¯ and such. On the third, fourth, and fifth year Mahoj did not return home at all and spent those years at Noxiams Academy. On the sixth year, Mahoj returned to his town and elected to live lavishly at inn instead of returning to his house. In fact, he didn¡¯t even consider his home a house anymore, but instead thought of it as a garbage dumpster.


    When Mahoj¡¯s mother saw him seated in the inn, she was shocked at Mahoj¡¯s change. He looked like a different person, but she would never forget her child¡¯s face. She hadn¡¯t seen him in so long nor had she heard anything from him so she missed him dearly. She quickly ran up to hug him but Mahoj slapped her across the face and told her not to contaminate him with her filth. The blow was hard and nothing was held back. Mahoj¡¯s mother was knocked unconscious right away and had to be taken away by another waitress. No one intervened, not even the innkeeper.


    Later that night as Mahoj¡¯s father heard of this from the customers at the inn who had witnessed the event, he went to the inn to confronted Mahoj about this. No one clearly knew what happened that night but Mahoj¡¯s father could not make it to work for the next two weeks. This news shocked everyone in the town and their opinion of Mahoj plummeted drastically, though no one would openly admit that to him. Besides, for some reason he now had small fortune to spend and a 12 year old could really spend.


    Now, on the seventh year, Mahoj returned once more and he had been spending money as if it were water. He had not left a great impression the year before and his return this year did not start off well, too. Although people pretended to be polite to him in order to milk him for his money, everyone was on guard against him; some even went out of their way to avoid him, afraid that they would become his next victim.


    Mahoj had used his identity as a mage to force people into difficult situations and even threatened to kill some of them for offences such as breathing too loud or looking too ugly. It was as if each time he returned to the town he brought back more trouble and more bitterness. His mother and father knew to stay out of Mahoj¡¯s way and they were too insignificant for him to even care. Mahoj treated everyone in the town as his plaything. He even had the town mayor¡¯s 17 year old daughter to himself seven nights ago. Mahoj just couldn¡¯t resist the temptation and had been eyeing her for a long while now. Though he was only 13, he had already had intercourse several times already.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    But of course, the mayor¡¯s daughter was only an appetizer, as he had set his eyes on the blacksmith¡¯s daughter, who was 16. She was a little beauty that was purposely hidden beneath the black coal stains on her face and messy hair. If not for his keen eyes then he would have never guessed she was such a beauty! She looked even better than some of the female water mages at Noxiam Academy.


    ...And Mahoj got his way with the blacksmith¡¯s daughter two nights after his ¡®encounter¡¯ with the mayor¡¯s daughter. He simply cornered her, and after she rejected his generous offering of money and advances, Mahoj simply used force. When blacksmith Ekraq found out what had happened to his daughter he did not go berserk as many would expect but was surprisingly calm. Mahoj didn¡¯t notice this nor did he care. The Mayor hadn¡¯t done anything to him so what could a lowly blacksmith do.


    After having his way with the blacksmith¡¯s daughter Mahoj felt satisfied and was preparing to return to Noxiams Academy tomorrow morning because the new term was going to begin soon. As the thought of returning to Noxiams entered his head, Mahoj began to frown and his legs grew weak. He thought back to all his memories at the academy and since his first day there, he had been bullied. At first he just thought it was something everyone did to someone new but as it continued, he knew he was being specifically chosen because of his poor background. Mahoj had not made any friends at all during his stay at Naxiams Academy and the only thing keeping him there was a deep seeded hatred and drive for revenge.


    He promised that all the girls who bullied him would ¡®pay the price¡¯ and that all the guys who bullied him would be crushed into mince meat. Mahoj had all these thoughts bottled up inside his devious little mind and his courage would only let them escape when he was back in his town.


    As Mahoj called it a night and began to return to the inn, his eyes feasted upon the full bosom of a mature woman. She was around her twenties and although her face wasn¡¯t devastating, her looks were above average. What really drew Mahoj in was the ripe body of the woman and as he swallowed his saliva and thought to approach her, the woman sauntered over to him on her own accord.


    As the woman got closer, her perfume struck Mahoj¡¯s nostril, making him lick his lips.


    The woman introduced herself as Lagume and began chatting with Mahoj, who quickly managed to get the woman to follow him back to his inn.


    On their way back, Lagume whispered in Mahoj¡¯s ears: ¡°I can¡¯t wait anymore.¡±


    When Mahoj heard this, his smile widened and his lower body part stood up.


    Lagume saw the response and she lightly brushed her thigh against that body part. Afterwards, she dragged Mahoj into one of the dark alleyways between two tall buildings.They went deeper in and it grew darker.


    ¡°Here is good,¡± Mahoj glanced about and noticed no one was around. He was impatient and his wandering hands had already found something bouncy to play with.


    ¡°A little further,¡± Lagume moaned. ¡°Someone might come through and see us.¡±


    ¡°Then they¡¯d best mind their own business otherwise.¡± Mahoj had already unbuttoned his shirt and was beginning to take off his coarse leather pants.


    As Mahoj was taking off his pants, he noticed Lagume dart backwards away from him.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mahoj asked, thinking the woman was really afraid of people seeing and was moving deeper into the darkness.


    It was at that moment that multiple swooshes could be heard along with their accompanying ¡®thrums¡¯.


    Swoosh


    Swoosh


    Swoosh


    ¡­


    10 crossbolts flew out in tandem. A total of 7 crossbolts, each a foot and a half in length and coated with poison, struck Mahoj¡¯s body in varying places: four on his chest, with one having almost pierced his lungs, one on his arm and two on his right thigh.


    Immediately, Mahoj grunted and coughed up blood. He did not lose consciousness right away and tried to cast his innate spell Water Sphere but another crossbolt, the eleventh one, sliced right through his heart and embedded itself in the stone wall.


    Mahoj¡¯s spell was interrupted and he touched the little round hole where blood was gushing out from. He stared blankly at the blood plastered on his fingers and then dropped to the ground with blood foaming from his mouth. He thrashed about and an awful stench arose from Mahoj¡¯s half-pulled down leather pants.


    Ekraq the blacksmith strode out of the shadows with a crossbow he had personally forged in his right hand. His other hand held a large brown woven sack.


    ¡°It is done,¡± Ekraq whispered. ¡°This scum bag has died, my little Arina. I am so sorry about what happened to you. This is the best I can do... Please forgive your useless father.¡± Tears began dripping from Ekraq¡¯s cold face, as he apologized to his Arina who had been too innocent for the cruelty of Nakrul.

 Book 2: Chapter 3

    Book 2: Chapter 3


    Cyil had circled halfway around the town¡¯s wall when he was startled to hear weeping off in the distance, away from the town. Cyil looked towards the sound and could barely make out the silhouette of a lonely shadow on the side of a small hill. Cyil gulped. ¡°Is that a ghost?¡± He grew terrified at the thought.


    Stories he had heard from the older folks back in Fayburn made ghosts out to be violent and scary, but although Cyil hadn¡¯t ever met a ghost before, he felt that the figure on the hill was simply sad and not evil. As Cyil looked on, the sobs grew in intensity and after reaching a crescendo, they temporarily died down only to suddenly explode in intensity after a while. Although the figure was a good distance away from the town, the light wind carried the crying voice quite a distance.


    Cyil looked from the town wall to the crying figure and back to the town wall again.


    ¡°I still have 10 hours left,¡± Cyil said and began to hover to the crying figure. He wanted to see why the figure was crying.


    Cyil quickly made his way over and when he got to the base of the small hill, he noticed that rows of rocks had been lined up in a neat orderly fashion, circling the hill and spiraling towards the top, where a short and stout oak tree crouched under the moonlight. Cyil looked from stone to stone and he gasped; he had seen these stones before and knew that they were none other than grave markers!


    Each stones was of varying sizes, some more elaborate than the others, but they were all evenly spaced out. Parallel to each stone, a small lump of earth poked out from the ground indicating that the ground had been tampered with.


    Now that Cyil was so close to the figure he could hear that the voice belonged to a woman. In between the incomprehensible wailing, Cyil could occasionally make out words such as, ¡°my daughter¡±, ¡°cruel Nakrul¡±, ¡°sin¡±, and even a name- ¡°Arina¡±.


    Cyil quickly guessed that the woman had lost her daughter and was now mourning her. Cyil had seen this scene on two occasions when he was still in Fayburn. The first time had left him feeling spooked while the second time had left him feeling sad. On both occasions, Cyil did not know the person who passed away too well, but he felt sorry for the people who were crying. They seemed to be in so much pain.


    As Cyil encountered this situation a third time, he still felt sad but was moreso indifferent.


    ¡°If she has just died then perhaps I can inhibit her body. I would prefer a male body, but¡­¡± Cyil felt odd to be considering a female¡¯s body but he knew he couldn¡¯t be picky. Baccaus had told him he had 24 hours to find a body but once that 24 hours was up, Cyil didn¡¯t know what would happen and didn¡¯t want to find out.


    As Cyil thought up to this point, he decided to stay put and to listen for more information on the girl named ¡°Arina¡±. Cyil wanted to know how long ago she had died and what was her cause of death. Baccaus wasn¡¯t too specific on what ¡°without serious wounds¡± meant but Cyil used his imagination to guess it meant they still had all their body parts attached. Hence, Cyil needed to know Arina¡¯s condition.


    Cyil crept closer to the woman and was 2 rows of stones away when he plopped down next to a stone to listen and wait.


    The woman talked, a cried, and at times, did both things at once.


    It wasn¡¯t until a while later that Cyil could finally piece together a rough sketch of the story; he found out that Arina was from a blacksmithing family and that she had decent talent as a blacksmith, despite being a girl. Arina had always been a proud girl and as she grew to become a woman, her pride became stronger. She would never yield in the face of adversity nor would she claim to be inferior to men. Arina was beautiful, probably the most attractive female in town, but she didn¡¯t tend to her looks and choose to solely focus on blacksmithing. That was her life from when she took up her father¡¯s profession at age 9 to when she died at age of 16.


    When Cyil heard the reason behind Arina¡¯s death, he was in disbelief. She had poisoned herself and the cause that propelled her to do so was because she had been forced against her will! Her father noticed that Arina had not yet woken up to stoke the furnace with coals and it was already late into the morning. Arina was never late, but when her father thought about what had happened to her the day before he understood. It wasn¡¯t until the crying woman, who was Arina¡¯s mother, brought Arina lunch when she discovered her daughter¡¯s cold body along with an empty vial.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    As Cyil heard all of this he couldn¡¯t help but to feel angry. He was angry at the man who did this to Arina and angry at the injustice in Nakrul; suddenly, Cyil felt a strong desire to smite the villain who could do such a horrible thing and his thirst for strength increased. Cyil knew he wasn¡¯t strong enough yet but he would train and become strong, just like his grandpa.


    By the time Cyil had gathered all the pieces of the story behind Arina¡¯s death, he noticed that 2 hours had already gone by. Now that Cyil knew Arina¡¯s story, he didn¡¯t feel as awkward if he should inhibit her body. Perhaps he could bring joy to the parents who were suffering. As this thought crossed Cyil¡¯s mind, he frowned.


    Perhaps that wouldn¡¯t be too good of an idea, Cyil thought and couldn¡¯t help thinking he would just be an imposter.


    Swirls of what ifs thoughts contaminated Cyil¡¯s mind. He hadn¡¯t had to think on such heavy matters before, nor had he had to make such a difficult decision. He had always just smiled and went along with what felt right--with what his heart told him to do; but now, he hesitated and couldn¡¯t tell right from wrong. Cyil felt like things weren¡¯t so simple as good and bad and that¡¯s what made things hard.


    Just as Cyil was lost in thought, he heard heavy footsteps approach from behind. Cyil froze, afraid he had been discovered, then he quickly realized that he was a rock and sighed in relief.


    Cyil could see that the person walking past him and to the crying woman was carrying a large brown woven sack that was stuffed to the brim. This person was someone Cyil was familiar with. He was one of the men at the meeting in the forest and someone Cyil could put a name to. He was Ekraq! But what was he doing here and what was in that brown sack?


    As Cyil¡¯s eyes followed the sack he saw that a body could easily be stuffed in there. Could this person be the ¡°he¡± that was discussed in forest? Cyil didn¡¯t know, but he knew a man wouldn¡¯t be carrying such a large sack to the cemetery for no ordinary reason. Cyil decided to wait and see how things would play out. By now he had nearly discarded the idea of going into town to find another body, because it didn¡¯t seem too viable to find a body there nor was it safe for a hovering stone to be moving about in a crowded area.


    Ekraq walked up to the woman who had stopped crying and was wiping her snot and tears on the sleeve of her shirt.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± the woman asked in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Fine. The mayor made sure to take care of the evidence and arranged for a clear passage for me to come here.¡± Ekraq answered the woman in a flat tone.


    As the woman heard this, she rushed up to hug Ekraq who dropped the sack he was shouldering with a thud and returned her embrace.


    The woman quietly sobbed into Ekraq¡¯s shoulder and he stroked her hair.


    ¡°We have to hurry,¡± Ekraq said after a moment. ¡°You head back first. Make sure you enter the town from somewhere other than the main entrance.¡±


    ¡°Why,¡± the woman was surprised. ¡°You aren¡¯t coming?¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be seen together tonight. Besides, I have something else I need to do.¡± Ekraq gestured to the sack and it was only now that the woman really looked at the sack. When she saw how large the sack was, she gasped.


    ¡°Why?!¡± The woman asked once more with a shocked and horrified tone. ¡°You said the mayor took care of the evidence, so why is that thing with you?¡±


    The woman had been told by Ekraq about what he was going to do but he had not told her he volunteered to personally dispose of the body.


    ¡°Just listen to me and go back. I¡¯ll be home within the hour and explain it to you then.¡± Ekraq¡¯s tone gave the woman a fright. She had never heard her husband speak with such force.


    The woman nodded and slowly descended from the hill. Cyil watched as her figure grew smaller and smaller and gradually disappear into the shadows.


    Ekraq quickly began his work once his wife was out of sight. He knelt down and kissed the stone then carried the sack to the top of the hill where he untied the long rope that was used to close the mouth of the sack.


    After that, Ekraq emptied the sack out and with a thunk, a body rolled out from the sack.


    Cyil had guessed it but when he saw the body, he knew that that person was the ¡°he¡± that had been mentioned by the group in the forest.


    Ekraq then quickly formed a noose with the piece of rope he had and fitted it onto the neck of the lifeless body. It was only now that Ekraq paused and stared at the line of rope in his hands.


    Ekraq stared at the rope for a long while, but finally sighing he slung the rope across a thick branch from the oak tree that was bent forward at its trunk, as if inviting Ekraq to toss the rope.


    Cyil watched in horror as Ekraq pulled on the end of the rope to lift the body up by the neck and afterwards, leave the body swinging in the air by tying the end of the rope to colony of tree roots protruding from the ground.


    When Ekraq was done, he left without looking back.

 Book 2: Chapter 4

    Book 2: Chapter 4


    Ekraq had been gone for a long time yet Cyil had not moved from his spot.


    Cyil was shocked at the sight of the body swaying to the light wind. He almost felt like vomiting.


    Cyil was speechless and after calming down he stubbornly approached the body hanging from the tree branch. Cyil decided that he would try to let the person down because even if the person had done some heinous crime he didn¡¯t deserve to be displayed like this.


    Cyil tried to ignore the body above him and focused on shearing his way through the thick rope. Cyil slid the edges of the rhombus back and forth against the rope but he soon found out that although the rhombus was jagged, it wasn¡¯t sharp enough nor was his force wasn¡¯t strong enough to damage the rope.


    Cyil temporarily gave up his endeavor and floated back down to Arina¡¯s grave. He had settled on Arina¡¯s body, even though she was female. Cyil felt that Arina deserved another chance at life. He knew it was selfish but he wanted to raise Arina¡¯s identity from that of someone who died by poison at the age of 16 to someone who died in a heroic battle after having accomplished much. It would be like Arina had done it herself, Cyil naively thought.


    So with 7 hours left, Cyil had found a body. Because Baccaus didn¡¯t have time to tell him, Cyil didn¡¯t exactly know how the transferring of a soul worked; he would just try to touch the person and see what would happen.


    And Cyil¡¯s guess was correct. As soon as the stone came into contact with a suitable (meaning dead) body, it would begin the transferring process. The problem Cyil had to face now was how to get past the layer of dirt that covered Arina. With the rhombus stone¡¯s striking power, Cyil could hardly damage the freshly layered dirt. Cyil tried various methods and the way that worked best was to slowly move the rhombus stone back and forth in a line to dig deeper.


    The process was slow and grueling and using a toothpick to move the dirt would have been faster. Before Cyil knew it, 5 hours had passed; Cyil had taken so long because he had to make multiple lines side by side, otherwise the dirt would have fallen back into place. Another reason was because the dirt was harder to penetrate as he got deeper. But now he felt he was almost there.


    Cyil dug and dug and one hour later he was greeted with a ting sound. Cyil wasn¡¯t sure what he had hit but it was not dirt nor was it clothes. Instead, what Cyil had encountered was an iron breastplate. Cyil gawked and didn¡¯t know what to do. He hadn¡¯t imagined this scenario. Sure, clothes might cause some trouble with activating the stone but iron armour definitely would!


    At this point, Cyil didn¡¯t panic as a normal 11 year old would have, but he looked towards the body still hanging from the tree. Cyil wouldn¡¯t have time to try digging from another spot, the head maybe, where he could make contact with skin; he made a decisive decision and floated towards the hanging body.


    When Cyil reached the body, he carefully observed it. The sun had begun to rise over the horizon while the moon was on its way out and the body could be seen with more colour and detail.


    Cyil first noticed that this ¡°he¡± was young, not much older than some of the teenage boys he had seen in Fayburn. Cyil then noticed the various holes on the boy¡¯s body and he gulped. ¡°What a gruesome death. Are these considered serious wounds?¡± Cyil didn¡¯t know but he didn¡¯t have much of a choice.


    As Cyil was right up to the body, he noticed that the boy¡¯s pants was odd. The front portion was slightly pulled down while the back portion was pulled down even further, revealing the boy¡¯s buttocks. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Cyil gasped. Was the boy killed when he was about to use the restroom? Either way, Cyil counted that he had less than an hour left and promptly tried to touch the boy¡¯s boots with the rhombus stone. When this didn¡¯t work, Cyil moved up to touch the boy¡¯s calves but that also failed.


    ¡°Why is this so difficult?¡± Cyil screamed inside and knew he had greatly underestimated this task Baccaus had given him.


    After trying around a couple of places on the lower body, Cyil frowned. The stone wouldn¡¯t work with clothes blocking it. Cyil¡¯s only option was to try skin to stone contact and he wasn¡¯t sure that would work, either. If it didn¡¯t then he could only try something else.


    It was at this point that Cyil wondered why in Nakrul the boy would wear gloves and a long sleeved leather jacket. So with much disgust but resolute will, Cyil floated towards the buttocks, which was exactly at his float limit of 5 feet high and made contact with it.


    Instantly, Cyil felt a change in the stone, as it stuck like glue onto the left buttocks of the boy the stone begin to vibrate and it released a blinding light that illuminated the dawning day. As the light was emitted, Cyil¡¯s soul was also ejected into the buttocks of the boy.


    Cyil¡¯s soul began to register its new home and flood into the whole body. As Cyil¡¯s soul began taking over this new body and familiarizing itself, remnants of the old soul was found.


    These were strands of consciousness left behind by the previous soul, and because the soul had only returned to the elements not even a day ago, a lot of these strands of consciousness were left behind. Although they posed no fatal threat, these strands were memories from the previous owner and if someone were to be influenced too greatly by these strands then their very own soul and memories could be altered.


    Cyil encountered these strands and was swept up in many memories from the previous owner. He saw things as if he were the owner of the body and he felt as if he were the one in the situations that replayed themselves. These were some of the previous owner¡¯s most impactful memories of their life.


    Cyil learned that the previous owner was called Mahoj Zen. He was 13 years of age and was actually a mage, too! Cyil wasn¡¯t expecting to inhabit the body of a mage. He knew how rare they were so when he found out that Mahoj was a mage, Cyil was excited. Just as Cyil¡¯s excitement grew, other memories appeared in his mind, wanting to engrave themselves into his very soul.


    These memories were not pleasant and those that were turned Cyil into a man in an uncomfortable flash. As the current of memories came, Cyil grew to understand Mahoj Zen more and more. When all of the strands of consciousness were ablated Cyil¡¯s soul remained steady and retained all of what Cyil was, without being influenced by Mahoj Zen¡¯s memories.


    Cyil¡¯s soul was already familiar with illusions and mental attacks because he had spent 5555 days trapped within one of the highest class illusion spells and had broken through even that. Baccaus had helped greatly in making Cyil aware but it was Cyil¡¯s own mental and soul strength that let him escape from that illusion. It could be said that as soon as Cyil escaped the spell, he would have been able to give the Death God a decent fight in wrestling controlling of his body back.


    The strength of Cyil¡¯s soul had increased by leaps and bounds, having made a qualitative transformation. It was just that he hadn¡¯t the time to consolidate this change and learned how to utilize his soul power. When he would finally learn how to, then the results would be unbelievable.


    ¡°This Mahoj Zen was not a good person, although he experienced some unfortunate things, that did not give him the right to harm innocents.¡± Cyil instantly made this judgement and sifted through Mahoj¡¯s memories once again, to make sure he remembered nough to pass as Mahoj.


    Cyil hadn¡¯t expected to learn of someone¡¯s memories when his soul transferred over, but now that he did it made things much easier, as he wouldn¡¯t have to pretend that he had lost his memory.


    When Cyil finished going over the memories, he soul also finished its transference. This body was now his, but because he was not the original owner, the body would decay and age at a quicker rate. Nonetheless, Cyil was hopeful. He would absolutely get stronger then challenge the Death God and take back what was rightfully his.


    ¡°Wait for me, grandpa Baccaus, grandma Kara.¡± Cyil, or it should now be said Mahoj, declared. At that moment, physical feelings returned to Mahoj/Cyil and then sounds soon follow afterwards. He could hear someone silently weeping and felt someone¡¯s warm embrace. Mahoj opened his eyes and to his surprise, he was no longer dangling from the tree but was in the arms of a woman he recalled as Mahoj¡¯s mother. The woman was rocking his body back and forth and all around her stood a gathering of people, eager to witness this tragedy.

 Book 2: Chapter 5

    Book 2: Chapter 5


    The massive amount of staring eyes startled Cyil and he quickly shut his eyes again; his brain was working fast. ¡°Why are there so many people?!¡± Cyil didn¡¯t know that the process of transferring his soul from the stone to Mahoj¡¯s body had taken over 7 hours; he had been completely absorbed in the memories of Mahoj that time had slipped by in the blink of an eye.


    Cyil thought of what to do. He had been planning to wake up and un-hang himself from the tree by grabbing hold of the rope and pulling himself up towards the branch. He thought that would have been his biggest hurdle but although that was solved for him without any effort another even more headache inducing situation had appeared.


    Cyil thought of playing dead until the people left, but his body had begun to breath on its own and unbeknownst to the crowd the holes from the crossbolts had already closed up leaving behind dried blood and holes in the leather clothing. Someone would definitely notice his heaving chest because it didn¡¯t seem like the crowd would disperse anytime soon.


    With a sigh, Cyil opened his eyes and called out to his ¡®mother¡¯. ¡°Mom?¡± Cyil whispered without much strength.


    When Cyil¡¯s mother, Helather, heard Cyil¡¯s voice, she was given a bad start. Helather was both delighted and frightened. She was delighted that her son was alive, but she was frightened by his viciousness when he was alive. Helather¡¯s first two reactions was then followed by a deep curiosity. Why is he alive, now?


    Helather and her husband, Henri, had just finished their lunch when a neighbor ran to tell them of the news: Mahoj had been killed and hung on display for all to see! When the two parents heard this, they forgot all about Mahoj¡¯s vile, unspeakable actions and hurried the neighbor to tell them where his body was. Although Mahoj had done them wrong, he was still their son and they both still loved him dearly.


    Mahoj was their only son and he was their greatest delight in Nakrul when he was born. Helather and Henri had tried multiple times to have children but they weren¡¯t able to, for some reason. Even after scraping together money to visit plenty of doctors in the town, the cause was still unknown. They had almost given up when Mahoj came along. The six years watching Mahoj grow up were the best time of their lives. Then came the mage and their reluctant parting.


    As Helather and Henri exitted the town, they charged towards the crowd of people that had already gathered around the oak tree.


    Henri was enraged at the display and sprinted up the hill, through the crowd, and up to the body. When he saw the wounds on Mahoj¡¯s body and his lifeless face, Henri roared in grief and quickly undid the rope, releasing the rope at a slow pace to soften the body¡¯s fall.


    Helather was a step slower but she soon broke past the crowd and saw the grisly scene up close. She rushed up to Mahoj¡¯s body and kissed and hugged him while crying.


    Henri came to loosen the noose and took the rope off of Mahoj¡¯s slightly bruised neck. At this point, Henri couldn¡¯t help but to also cry and the family shared an embrace, ignoring the crowd that had begun gossiping.


    ¡°That¡¯s Helather and Henri, that damned boy¡¯s parents.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for them. They are such kind souls but their son was such a demented little beast.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that he was a mage. Maybe that caused something to go off in his head.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, mages always do what they want with their power.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t say that, there are plenty of mages who are good people. Don¡¯t let this rotten apple ruin the esteemed mages¡¯ name.¡±


    ¡°Look, are they just going to cry there all day?¡±


    ¡°I wonder who had the balls to kill him, a mage. This wouldn¡¯t affect us would it?¡±


    ¡°Now that I think about it, what if his academy started some trouble over this?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°We can only pray, but I have to tell you, it¡¯s a blessing he died.¡±


    ¡°Right, when our town produced a mage for the first time ever, I was proud but after learning about his character, I felt sick to the stomach. I regret ever thinking he would bring glory to our town.¡±


    ¡­


    The gossip continued unabated. Some people were even so brash as to openly shout out their opinions of Mahoj and spit in disgust.


    Helather and Henri remained quiet and didn¡¯t refute the townsfolks¡¯ claims. They had heard stories about what their child has done and now it seem these stories were true.


    After crying for a while Henri stopped and now stood guard over Helather and his son. He didn¡¯t want to rush Helather but he felt it wasn¡¯t a good idea to stay in front of the ever growing crowd.


    Henri said, ¡°Dear, we have to move the body and bury him somewhere else. This place has too many people and whoever did this to him would not stand for him to be buried here. They would probably dig up his body and do even worse things so we should go now.¡±


    Helather responded through her sobs, ¡°I understand, but let me have just a little while longer. Then I won¡¯t cry anymore and I¡¯ll be fine. I promise. Just a while longer.¡±


    It was at this moment that Cyil had woken up and called out to Helather.


    Cyil moved his arms to wrap around Helather and he said with more conviction, ¡°Mom!¡±


    ¡°Mahoj? Is this really you? You¡¯re not dead?¡± Helather couldn¡¯t believe it. Mahoj had not called her ¡°mom¡± for a long time now.


    ¡°Mom, what happened? Why am I here?¡± Cyil feigned ignorance and showed a confused look. He glanced around at the group of people who had their eyes bulging out and mouths hung wide open. ¡°Why are there so many people here? Is there an event going on?¡±


    When the crowd heard Cyil¡¯s words, they almost choked on their own spit. ¡°What in the Nakrul was going on?! He was alive? And he seemed...so innocent!¡±


    Standing in the front row of the crowd, Ekraq and his wife both revealed looks of horror. Ekraq gripped his wife¡¯s hand as her feet nearly collapsed under her.


    ¡°We have to go, now. We¡¯ll find another town. But we have to get out of here, now.¡± Ekraq whispered to his wife who had yet to regain her composure. She only nodded and allowed Ekraq to drag her away.


    After a moment of silence swept over the cemetery, roars of all sorts bursted out. Henri also couldn¡¯t believe what he had heard or seen. Their son was actually still alive!


    Henri, quickly suppressed his shock and the questions bubbling behind his mind and acted diligently. He hefted Cyil up in his strong arms with the gentlest of care and quickly ushered Helather up to her feet. Leading the way, Henri walked through the crowd that parted like the red sea.


    No one wanted to offend the dirty, evil mage now that he was alive again. So although some had the courage to speak and shout, they hadn¡¯t dare to say what they were saying previously. And those that had been talking too loudly before, hoped that Mahoj hadn¡¯t heard any of it¡­


    As Cyil was being carried in Henri¡¯s arms, he felt safe and secure. ¡°Could this be how a father¡¯s embrace felt like? Would my father¡¯s arms be this strong and warm?¡± Cyil thought to himself as he planned his next move to seamlessly explain his death and revival.


    Cyil was quiet and so were his parents. Behind them, a long snaking crowd slithered along, waiting for any new developments. Alas, nothing happened and when the three disappeared inside their house, the crowd could only slowly disperse. Some decided to stay to see if anything would happen but they were few.


    Inside of the house, Henri laid Cyil down on his bed, which had been kept nice and clean.


    Afterwards, Henri and Helather stood awkwardly, side by side across from the bed. They were still a bit fearful of their son.


    Cyil gazed at the two and sat up on his bed, giving the two a start. Cyil frowned as he saw this. He had a general understanding of Mahoj¡¯s relationship with his parents and Cyil was definitely not going to continue along that path. Although Henri and Helather were not his real parents, Cyil felt that they had been mistreated by Mahoj and wanted to make up for this crime. Cyil had taken over Mahoj¡¯s body, and although he wasn¡¯t a great person by any means, Cyil felt he had to repay Mahoj in some way.


    ¡°Let this be a start,¡± Cyil declared to himself. Then, he got off the bed and slowly approached his parents.


    Henri pushed Helather behind him and stood his ground against Cyil, whose head didn¡¯t even reach Henri¡¯s neck.


    As Cyil walked closer and closer, the scenes from when he and his son had last met replayed in Henri¡¯s mind. Although Henri could have beaten his son back then, he didn¡¯t have the heart to do so. What if it affects his studies? What if he grows to hate and resent us even more? Questions and concerns gnawed at his heart so Henri, a rank 2 physical warrior, allowed his son to beat him to within an inch of his life.


    Now Henri had the same thoughts going through his mind; but looking at his son¡¯s pale face and tattered clothes, Henri released his clenched fists.


    That was when Cyil made his well-calculated move. When he was only a few feet away, he jumped up and bear-hugged Henri.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you, dad.¡± Cyil said from the bottom of his heart.

 Book 2: Chapter 6

    Book 2: Chapter 6


    Henri¡¯s body turned stiff. Helather gasped and covered her open mouth with her cupped hands. They both couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. Forget about how their son¡¯s wounds had healed and how he had come back to life, they were more shocked about his change of attitude. He seemed like a completely different person.


    Henri didn¡¯t push Cyil away nor did he hug him back. Now, it was was Helather¡¯s turn to recover from her shock first and take decisive action.


    ¡°Henri, what are you doing?! Why aren¡¯t you hugging our adorable son?¡± Helather scolded Henri¡¯s behaviour then moved in to embrace the two.


    ¡°Uhhh, right right. I forgot.¡± Henri raised his two thick, well-muscled arms and hugged Cyil back.


    The whole family shared a hug and for the briefest of moments, Cyil forgot that this wasn¡¯t his family.


    When Cyil realized the two weren¡¯t in a hurry to end the hug, he said: ¡°Mom and Dad, tell me what happened. Why was I at the cemetery? What were all those people doing there?¡±


    Helather and Henri exchanged a glance and Helather answered: ¡°Mahoj, we were hoping you could tell us what happened. Do you not remember what happened?¡±


    Cyil frowned and shook his head. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t remember. A lot of things are fuzzy and hard to remember. Maybe you could tell me and I might remember.¡± Cyil spoke according to the dialogue he had drawn up in his head.


    Helather and Henri exchanged another look and this time it was who Henri answered.


    ¡°Son, it was just that, people wanted to see a mage perform magic so you were showing the townsfolk your magic and you overdid it and fainted. That¡¯s all there is to it. Don¡¯t worry about anything and just rest.¡±


    Henri and Helather absolutely did not want their son to regain his memories. Should he do so, then they would lose their son. Their son was fine the way he was now.


    Henri¡¯s answer did not go according to the conversation Cyil had planned but it turned out to be even better.


    Cyil nodded and smiled at his parents. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep then, mom and dad. Please wake me up when we have supper!¡±


    Helather smoothed out Cyil¡¯s hair and wanted to tell him to change his clothes and wash himself first but she didn¡¯t want to rush things.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll make your favorite dish,¡± Helather smiled back at Cyil and pulled Henri with her to leave.


    When the door gently closed, Cyil breathed a sigh of relief and plopped onto the bed. That was when he jumped back up, as if a snack had just bitten his butt. The previous tense situation had not allowed him to feel or smell himself but now that he did, he smelled like poop!


    ¡°Gross,¡± Cyil gagged and rushed out of the room.


    Helather and Henri had just sat down at the dining table and was about to discuss their son¡¯s situation when Cyil came barging out of his room, startling them for the umptheenth time today.


    ¡°Mahoj, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Helather rushed up to Cyil.


    ¡°I just need to shower and change my clothes.¡± Cyil said, a bit embarrassed. ¡°Mom, do you still have my old set of clothes?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I always have a set of clothes ready for you.¡± Helather never gave up hope that her son would return so every year around this time, she would prepare a new set of clothes for him. She guessed how tall he would be and bought clothes accordingly. Though Helather and Henri both wore clothes that were patched together from older ones, they wanted their son to have new clothes to wear. He was a mage, after all.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Cyil said naturally.


    Helather¡¯s heart warmed at her son¡¯s ¡®thank you¡¯. She hadn¡¯t heard those words from him since he left for magic school at the age of 6¡­


    After Cyil finished cleaning himself and putting on the most luxurious clothes he had personally worn in his life, he decided to meditate and practice magic.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Cyil hadn¡¯t even the chance to use a single spell when he had learned of his Saint innate spells but he would now finally get the chance to.


    Cyil quickly went over everything he remembered from Mahoj¡¯s memories and everything Baccaus taught him. Cyil felt he had a good grasp on how to cast spells so he didn¡¯t hesitate and casted his innate spell.


    Water Sphere!


    The elemental water particles in the air was instantly tug into Cyil¡¯s body and they coursed through his body up to his two outstretched palms.


    Slowly, the condensed water particles seeped out of Cyil¡¯s palms and a ball of water the size of a head formed, hovering slightly away from Cyil¡¯s two palms.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Cyil¡¯s concentration broke and the water sphere collapsed, splashing down onto the floor.


    Cyil didn¡¯t mind his mistake and just bathed in the feeling of having just casted his first spell.


    ¡°Look, grandpa Baccaus, I¡¯ve taken my first step! I¡¯ll become strong and return to help you and grandma so wait for me.¡± Cyil didn¡¯t let his success get to his head and continued to experiment with the meager amount of different spells Mahoj had known. To Cyil¡¯s surprise, however, he couldn¡¯t even conjure up a rank 1 water spell!


    Mahoj¡¯s was a rank 2 level 2, low-grade water elemental mage. His innate spell was Water Sphere. He had no magical equipments. He had learned to use 3 water spells, two of which were the rank 1 Water Ball (a weaker version of Water Sphere) and rank 1 Water Shield, and one of which was rank 2, called Soothing Water.


    Cyil had ¡®learned¡¯ the incantation for Water Ball from Mahoj¡¯s memories but even when he repeated it word for word the water particles didn¡¯t follow the correct route in his body, resulting in failure. Despite this, Cyil was not disheartened and continued to keep trying and trying and trying, until a knock on his door woke him up from his frenzied state.


    Cyil was covered in sweat and his spiritual energy was nearly drained, but his mind was still crisp and clear. Cyil didn¡¯t know that this was a phenomenon caused by the growth of his soul. Cyil¡¯s soul¡¯s strength was currently comparable to that of a rank 5 mage and his soul was still stabilizing its power, meaning it would grow a bit more before stopping. The stronger his soul, the more benefits it would bring to his mental strength and spiritual power.


    But Cyil couldn¡¯t be blamed for not knowing because he had only recently stepped into the realm of magic. In actuality, over 99% of mages on Nakrul didn¡¯t know about the benefits of a strong soul. Not much research had been done on the topic and those that knew of its benefits didn¡¯t publicize the information; they were busy figuring out ways to train their soul. Alas, training the soul is not something that can be easily done. Tampering with the soul could result in it becoming damaged at the slightest sign of mishandling. Some would even have their soul shattered, resulting in death; yet, those that do succeed in tempering their souls would find a noticeable increase in their strength.


    Cyil had been lucky enough to not have his soul destroyed because the Death God had used an intricate Death Spell called Death God¡¯s Promise of Everlasting Pleasure. This spell would trap the victim in dreams revolving around their own greatest desires. It didn¡¯t necessarily tamper with the soul but was a mental attack. The instant a person was trapped by this illusion, the Death God would kill them. If the person¡¯s mental and soul strength was strong enough, they would be able to shake off the illusions, too; no one would willing to be trapped in an enemies¡¯ illusion spell for a long period of time, after all! The Death God didn¡¯t use the spell with the intention of it being a method to train Cyil¡¯s soul and mental strength. Had he known, he would have freaked out and found another way to keep Cyil¡¯s soul locked up¡­


    *thump*


    Another knock came from his door. Cyil hopped out of his bed and went to open the door. Helather was standing behind the door and said, ¡°supper''s ready! We have your favorite, chicken stew with lots of vegetables!¡±


    ¡°Chicken?!¡± Cyil gulped. Apparently, Mahoj¡¯s favorite dish before he was left for Noxiams Academy was chicken stew, but Cyil¡¯s favorite dish was meat in general! He never got to eat much of it in Fayburn so when he heard the menu for supper tonight, he was already drooling at the mouth.


    When Helather saw Cyil¡¯s blank look and saliva, she laughed and helped him wipe off the drool, without fear of being struck by her son. ¡°This is my child,¡± Helather thought. ¡°My child is back.¡±


    Cyil quickly came back to his senses and followed Helather to the dining table.


    Already at the table, Henri declared with open arms, ¡°dig in!¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t mind table manners and grabbed at the wooden utensils. ¡°Thank you for the meal mom,¡± Cyil merrily beamed then remembered and added, ¡°and dad!¡±


    Cyil sat down and ate his first real meal in years. His last meal had been with Baccaus, and that was about 3 years ago. He ate as if he had two stomachs to feed and before he knew it, the chicken stew was almost gone.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Cyil stopped himself. ¡°Sorry mom and dad, I ate too much and didn¡¯t leave much for you to eat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry son, I am sorry we couldn¡¯t make more for you to eat.¡± Helather said with a smile. She confidently reached over and dabbed Cyil¡¯s greasy mouth with a cloth.


    ¡°The day after tomorrow I will get paid so I¡¯ll buy us another chicken. Maybe even two!¡± Henri gave a thumbs up and grinned, looking to comfort Cyil in his own way.


    Cyil could see what Helather and Henri were trying to do and this warmed his heart. Not saying a word he only nodded and smiled, reminding himself that they were not his parents...


    The family was busy having a nice meal that night and could not have known that that would be the last supper they would share until many, many years later.

 Book 2: Chapter 7

    Book 2: Chapter 7


    Cyil, Helather and Henri had a nice supper. Conversation was light and filled with charm. When they were done, Cyil retired to his room and began to meditate.


    Cyil sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes, emptying out his mind of distracting thoughts. Instantly, Cyil could see with his mind¡¯s eye the elemental particles in the air. There was fire, wind, earth, water, light and darkness particles. They moved about, each at their own pace, as if they were alive. Watching the elemental particles dance about, Cyil was reminded of his first time seeing them and an idea came to mind.


    ¡°Come!¡± Cyil commanded. At first nothing happened to the elemental particles, not even the water particles. Then, slowly, the elemental particles stepped aside to make way for troops of shiny silver particles that materialized out of thin air, as if they had teleported there.


    ¡°These are space particles,¡± Cyil murmured. He no longer had his original body so he didn¡¯t think it would work, but it worked! Cyil didn¡¯t notice that there were no gray death particles mixed with the silver space particles and he quickly tried to absorb the space particles. The space particles happily and obediently ran to Cyil but as they touched his body, they bounced right off, leaving the spot they touched a bit numb.


    The space particles refused to assimilate no matter how hard Cyil tried and he could only give up after his whole body was numb. Cyil guessed it was because Mahoj¡¯s body didn¡¯t have the Space attribute so the space particles couldn¡¯t enter it and shifted his attention to absorbing the other elemental particles.


    Baccaus had told Cyil about the inefficient and potentially dangerous result of absorbing elemental particles that are not your own but Cyil still wanted to try. ¡°Just one of each element,¡± Cyil thought playfully.


    Cyil willed for the fire particle to come but it refused to budge. When Cyil saw this, he mentally slapped his head and dispersed the space particles that quickly vanish as soon as how they appeared.


    With the space particles gone, the other particles resumed their regular course of action and Cyil successfully absorbed a fire particle.


    As the lone fire particle entered, Cyil felt an unpleasant feeling well up inside of him. This was the complete opposite of that euphoric feeling he had when absorbing those space and death particles long ago.


    The awful feeling only continued to grow worse the longer it stayed within Cyil.


    Cyil was of the mind to just ¡®spit¡¯ the fire particle back out, but he grit his teeth and began to extract the energy held within the particle.


    The extraction process was grueling, much similar to his previous endeavor of using the rhombus stone to dig the dirt off Arina¡¯s grave. This was a single fire particle Cyil was focusing on, but the amount of time and effort he had put in was 10 tens longer than the absorption and extraction of his first time meditating.


    When Cyil finally finished the extraction process, the miniscule amount of energy he had gotten amounted to virtually nothing, not helping him increase his mage level one bit.


    ¡°So slow,¡± Cyil let out a long breath, clenched his teeth and moved onto the next elemental particle: wind.


    The wind particle¡¯s sensation while being absorbed and extracted was better than the fire particle¡¯s; the time it took to extract was also slightly faster and the amount extracted was double the amount from the fire particle. Double, but still not even making a dent in increasing his level.


    Despite the clear effects of absorbing other particles, Cyil continued with his experiment.


    Earth particle.


    Light particle.


    Dark particle.


    Then finally, the water particle was absorbed. This time, as the water particle entered his body, Cyil¡¯s body felt like a thirsty person finally having licked a drip of water. It was hungry for more, but Cyil resisted the urge and focused on only that single water particle.


    Accordingly, the results were much better than from all the other particles. Cyil quickly extracted the energy and didn¡¯t feel awful while doing so.


    Now that Cyil was finally satisfied, he began to slowly absorb the water elemental particles from the surroundings. Picking and choosing out the water elemental particles from the massive amount of other particles was a grueling task. Cyil wished they would just separate themselves by type or make way for the water particles.


    As this thought struck Cyil, an idea blossomed in his mind. ¡°If this works then my absorption process will be really quick! Although my extraction time will remain the same, this will help a lot.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Cyil quickly willed it and the space particles blinked into existence once more. Just as the elemental particles began to make room for the space particles, Cyil began to viciously absorb all the surrounding water particles. The water particles that were trying to move away froze in place, both being pushed and pulled. Other nearby elemental particles bumped into the water particle and also felt the attraction force, thereby freezing in place with the water particles.


    Cyil focused and called out, ¡°Water, I only want water particles!¡±


    The other elements didn¡¯t care for Cyil¡¯s call and continued to be frozen in place. Cyil felt beads of sweat roll down his head as he focused even harder. Then, one by one, the other particles slowly separated from the water particles and were pushed back.


    A human shaped cast of glowing blue lights now hovered around Cyil¡¯s sitting body.


    When the other elemental particles moved back a good amount, Cyil commanded for the space particles to disappear, resulting in the water particles¡¯ mad rush towards Cyil. Not far behind, the mass of other elemental particles came charging towards Cyil, too.


    Cyil was absorbing a massive amount of water particles and was almost ¡®full¡¯ when the other types of elemental particles made their way to his body. Cyil took note of this and he immediately stopped absorbing.


    In his sweat drenched clothes, Cyil laughed to himself. His idea had worked! Cyil was proud of himself and kept this achievement recorded in his heart, waiting for the day he could tell his grandpa and grandma all about it.


    Of course, Cyil didn¡¯t know that his whimsical idea and its execution was something that was known as perfect absorption. This was something that could only be done by those with perfect elemental bodies, and although Cyil¡¯s version was only a mimicry, it had the same concept behind its function.


    Perfect absorption would allow a mage to absorb all of their respective element¡¯s elemental particles without the need of slowly sifting through the other elements, as other mages had to do.


    Any mage could call for their element as Cyil had done, but because of the density and near proximity of other elements, they would inevitably be dragged along with their element. That was why it was so beneficial to meditate in a place where your elemental particle was most abundant. This would increase your meditation speed up by a wide margin.


    In any case, what Cyil had done was the first instance in all of Nakrul! A creature without a perfect elemental body had achieve perfect absorption.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know how big of an achievement he had accomplished and he merrily repeated this tactic for another time to fill him up and then began extracting.


    Cyil was so infatuated with meditating that he only woke up when he heard a familiar knock on the door.


    ¡°Breakfast is ready, Mahoj.¡± Helather¡¯s voice came from outside the door.


    Cyil exited his meditation and felt refreshed, even though he was sweaty and smelly. ¡°Already morning? I wanted to keep going,¡± Cyil said to himself, feeling that he would soon reach rank 2 level 3 as a mage.


    Cyil opened the door and went to the dining table where a loaf of bread along with some cheese was waiting for him.


    ¡°The food smells good, mom!¡± Cyil said and broke a loaf in half and grabbed some cheese.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it,¡± Helather responded with a smile. ¡°Eat as much as you want!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s dad?¡± Cyil looked around the living room and didn¡¯t see Henri.


    ¡°Your father is already at work. He said he wanted to quickly finish his project at work so he can come spend time with us.¡± Helather explained to Cyil as she watched him eat.


    Cyil nodded with a stuffed mouth and decided he should tell his ¡®mom¡¯ the news now. ¡°Mom, I have to return to the academy soon.¡±


    As Helather heard her son¡¯s announcement, her heart tightened but she still wore her smile. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s almost that time again. When will you be going?¡±


    Cyil thought about it for a second and answered: ¡°Today. I will leave today.¡± Cyil had recalled from Mahoj¡¯s memories that the term was beginning in two days and that the travel there would take two days without any incident. He was already late and only had someone else¡¯s memories to guide him on his trip there so leaving sooner would be better.


    Helather¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°Oh.¡± She managed to say. Then, she quickly added, ¡°do you need any money? I know mages have to spend a lot, and your father and I have saved up a good amount. We were just waiting for you to come home to give it to you¡­¡± Helather¡¯s voice grew shaky but she finished her sentence.


    Cyil got up and hugged Helather. He knew she wasn¡¯t his mom but he didn¡¯t want to see Helather cry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry mom. I have lots of money! I still need to go get my things from the inn before I leave. So I¡¯ll go there now. I¡¯ll see you later!¡± Cyil kissed Helather¡¯s forehead and grabbing a loaf of bread, he dashed out of the house.


    When Cyil left the house, Helather was like a statue having been frozen by medusa¡¯s stare. Rubbing her forehead that already had signs of wrinkles, she felt truly blessed¡­


    Cyil dashed out the door and through the new, but familiar roads with a wide grin plastered on his face. He thought back to his real mother and how she had always kissed him on the forehead and wondered where she was.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re safe.¡± Cyil prayed and reaffirmed his desire for strength.


    As Cyil ran through the town to the inn, many people saw him and began to whisper.


    Cyil ignored the whispers and reached the inn only slightly winded. This body¡¯s physical condition was not bad, Cyil thought and Cyil walked in the inn, smelling the aromatic foods mixed with its sweaty, loud customers.


    When Cyil entered, the noisy inn turned deathly silent. Cyil looked around and no one dared meet his eyes. Cyil felt a bit bad, but shrugged and went to the second floor and into his room.


    The door was unlocked, as Cyil remembered Mahoj had kept it out of pride. Cyil pushed the door open and what he saw was made him frown. All of his things were missing and the room was a mess. However, the thing that made him frown was not those, but the two dead bodies on the floor. Cyil could see their faces from where he stood and he knew them. They were Ekraq and his wife!

 Book 2: Chapter 8

    Book 2: Chapter 8


    Both Ekraq and his wife had been gutted, their intestines and organs spilling out onto the yellow wooden floor. Their face showed frozen signs of struggle and resentment.


    Cyil had not seen such a horrific scene in person before and he blanched, his face losing its rosy coloring. Without any idea of what to do in this situation, Cyil lightly pulled the door shut and walked downstairs to find the innkeeper.


    Cyil spoke to the innkeeper in a rough voice, a ploy to cover up his shaken and confused psyche. When the innkeeper heard what Cyil reported, horror welled up in his face. He was not afraid of a murder happening in his inn but was afraid of having displeased the mage in front of him. Although the innkeeper thought it was Cyil, himself, who had killed those people and was now placing the blame on him, the innkeeper kept quiet and began to profusely apologize for not noticing those bodies sooner.


    The attitude of the innkeeper shocked Cyil, but he soon realized the reason behind the innkeeper¡¯s appalling act.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Cyil said when the innkeeper showed no sign of stopping until he had appeased Cyil. The innkeeper now began to express his unending thanks to which Cyil cut him short, saying: ¡°I have another question, where are my belongings?¡±


    This question stumped the innkeeper for a second, then, he quickly answered, ¡°I. No, a cleaning lady took it from you room by accident. Of course, I scolded her harshly and was just planning to return it to your room. Please, please wait while I fetch it immediately.¡±


    Cyil frowned at the words, giving the innkeeper a questioning look. The innkeeper spared no words and blasted to the storeroom of the inn, went to his hidden chest, and retrieved Cyil¡¯s belongings; he even threw in 3 gold coins of his own just to appease the volatile mage.


    As the innkeeper returned and handed Cyil his belongings, Cyil quickly checked to make sure everything was in there. He was most worried about his school badge and uniform, but the innkeeper thought Cyil was checking his money and could only wait nervously on the side.


    When Cyil nodded and left the inn, the innkeeper let out a breath and his tense shoulders drooped. The customers that had witnessed the exchange, began to whisper under their breath but the innkeeper ignored all those thoughts and walked up to Cyil¡¯s room. When he saw Ekraq and his wife¡¯s gruesome death he threw up right on the spot. ¡°What an animal that mage is!¡± the innkeeper cursed Cyil in his heart, wishing Cyil had died and stayed dead.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know about the innkeeper¡¯s thoughts and was only thinking about his next move. He didn¡¯t want to be distracted by the deaths and forcibly suppressed them. He walked along the roads in silence, with people giving him a wide breath.


    Cyil followed the roads until it lead back to his house. He returned home sooner than he thought. Knocking on the door, Cyil found that it was unlocked. Cyil pushed the door open and walked inside of the empty house. He could tell that Helather had only recently left because of the heat coming from the warm coals in the fireplace.


    Cyil sat at the dining table and decided to rummage through Mahoj¡¯s memories once more. He went over every memory that was there. The pieces of memories combined to form a fuzzy outline of who Mahoj was. The memories Mahoj had of his parents added to a paltry amount and this made Cyil think about his own memories. He thought about which memories would be his most important and impactful ones. He hoped his mother would be in there. Maybe his dad, too, from when he was young. And his friends should be part of his memories, too. Grandpa Baccaus for sure, and grandma Kara also.


    These were the people that made him who he was and helped to shape him. Cyil smiled as he remembered all of them. Then he thought if Helather and Henri would have a part in shaping him, too. Would it be okay for them to continue thinking I am their son, when I am an imposter? Cyil thought about it and looked at his two unfamiliar hands. Cyil stared at them for a long while then looked around the house once more. Suddenly, Cyil got up from his chair, took off the clothes Helather had prepared for him and changed into his school uniform, a light blue pants complementing a white shirt underneath a light blue jacket with white trims.


    Cyil counted out the remainder of his, or Mahoj¡¯s, money and left them on the table. There was a total of 231 gold coins, 45 silver coins and 3 copper coins. Cyil had arranged for the coins to say two words: ¡°I remember.¡± Looking at the money that could last Helather and Henri for a two lifetimes, tears welled up in Cyil¡¯s eyes. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°I wanted to stay longer and treat both of you as I would my parents because Mahoj had failed to do so, but I am sorry. In the short time that I spent with you two, I felt too comfortable and was too happy... I am afraid I may forget you two are not really my parents. I also don¡¯t wish for you two to spend your valuable love on an imposter.¡±


    Cyil said this to his heart and left the house, whose coals were now cold. His emotions were in a flux and he was sure he wasn¡¯t thinking clearly but he knew he could not get too close with Helather and Henri. Their love was too strong and too contagious and Cyil was afraid he might never want to leave Mahoj¡¯s body. Cyil didn¡¯t know when he would return to his original body and when he did, everyone who knew and loved Mahoj would be sad. They would be even more sad and mortified if they found out Mahoj had been possessed by someone else all along. This is why Cyil decided to leave and why he solemnly swore to keep his distance from people for as long as he was Mahoj. He would only focus on getting stronger and returning to his original body.


    Cyil¡¯s goal now was to retrieve Baccaus¡¯ spatial ring then head off to train in Noxiams Academy. He knew no one really liked him at Noxiams and he would face bullying again, but he had to go there to learn more magic spells and hide under the protection of the academy. He had a rank 6 spatial magical equipment that Baccaus had given him, after all! Even the headmaster at Noxaims wasn¡¯t luxurious enough to have any rank 6 magical equipments.


    Cyil walked through town, attracting more attention than he wanted with his flashy school uniform. Luckily, no one dared follow him as he exited the town and made his way towards the cemetery. Cyil kept his eyes and ears strained to the max to make sure no one was following him. He made his way to cemetery and up the hill to the oak tree. Sweeping the ground, Cyil frowned because he didn¡¯t see the rhombus stone anywhere. Cyil hoped it disintegrated or something and could only give up after a while.


    Cyil then went to Arina¡¯s grave and saw that the hole he had made two nights before had already been covered up by someone. Cyil sighed, thinking back to Ekraq and his wife¡¯s mutilated bodies and left without saying anything.


    Cyil wandered around the grassy plains that led to the forest then took a roundabout way to the ring once he had enter the forest. By now, Cyil was sure no one was following him and he quickly found the same spot where he had placed the ring.


    Cyil reached through the crevice and felt around. When all he found was empty dirt, Cyil pulled his hand back and peered into the crevice. What Cyil saw, or didn¡¯t see, made him curse. The ring was gone!


    Cyil got up and frantically searched the other tree root holes and crevices but they were also empty. He then gathered himself to stare at his surroundings.


    ¡°This is definitely the place,¡± Cyil thought. To be absolutely certain he was in the right place, he traced his steps back to where he had heard the voices and back to where the ring should have been. Cyil didn¡¯t know where the ring could have gone. Could it be an animal, or person, or perhaps, the crystal Cyil that had gotten to the ring?


    Cyil began to worry. The ring was the only thing of Baccaus¡¯ he had and its value was more than just resources and wealth; the ring was a gift.


    Cyil stomped around the tree roots and scoured every inch of the forest floor, slowly moving outwards. This was all Cyil could do because if someone or something had really taken the ring then he could only curse his own stupidity.


    Cyil¡¯s search radius now covered a whole 300 yards squared. This included the ground, trees, up in the trees, everything and anything. He had spent the whole day looking for the ring but failed to find it. Instead, what greeted him was the dark sky seeping overhead.


    Soon, it was going to be too dark to continue looking so Cyil made a painful choice and decided to give up on his search. Cyil had already guessed that the ring was taken after the first hour of searching but his stubbornness made him keep up with his search. Alas, Cyil¡¯s stubbornness did not pay off but wasted even more time.


    Cyil didn¡¯t bother wiping his dirty uniform and began to head towards the Noxiams Academy. He decided to save some time by cutting through part of the forest then head out to find an inn-


    ¡°Crap,¡± Cyil slapped his head. In his hasty exit, Cyil had left all of his money with Helather and Henri, not leaving any for food or housing for his travels back to Noxiams.


    At Noxiams they didn¡¯t care much for gold or silver coins, but instead valued elemental crystals. Elemental crystals was also the form of currency used at Noxiams Academy and for the rest of the mage society, at large. Coins had no use at Noxiams so Cyil didn¡¯t bring any but now he regretted not taking at least 1 gold coin.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Cyil calmed himself and said aloud with a smile, ¡°I always have wanted to sleep under the stars.¡±


    With that declaration Cyil dashed off towards Noxiams Academy, using Mahoj¡¯s hazy memories as a guide to travel through woods that neither he nor Mahoj had ever traversed.


    ¡­


    As Cyil dashed off, a figure that had long unkempt hair and clear gray eyes appeared from the shadows, looking towards where Cyil had gone. Then the figure began to speak.


    ¡°So that¡¯s the body he has chosen. A mage, that¡¯s fortunate.¡±


    ¡°He told me not to give him the ring as it would make his journey too easy.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will have to follow him.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    After what appeared to be a self spoken dialogue, the figure simply vanished into thin air.

 Book 2: Chapter 9

    Book 2: Chapter 9


    Cyil didn¡¯t know about the figure that had been following him and was focusing entirely on his footing while treading the uneven forest ground. The dimming sunlight added to the difficulty of seeing where to step, slowing him down significantly.


    Mahoj¡¯s body was not even a rank 1 warrior because he had been entirely focused on mage training; so although being a mage had made his body stronger than an average teenager, the difference wasn¡¯t too large.


    Cyil remembered that the forest he was in was called Emerald Forest. The forest covered an area of 27,000 square miles with a few small mountain ridges scattered like cracks among the swath of trees. Most people never ventured too far into the depths of Emerald forest and only hunted around on the periphery. Those that did dare to venture deeper into the forest were never seen again...


    In no time, the canopy from the trees had quickened the darkness, leaving Cyil with no choice but to stop for the night. He had ran close to 15 miles and estimated that with another day of running he would cover at least 100 miles or more. By then, he could exit the forest and travel the rest of the way on the main road.


    Cyil quickly made a fire and stocked up on firewood for the night. He was hungry as all he had to eat for the entire day was two loaves, but he decided to worry about food when tomorrow comes. Without much to do, Cyil diligently sat near the fireplace and began to meditate.


    The colorful lights appeared again and Cyil noticed that more fire particles than usual were concentrated around the fire. The difference wasn¡¯t large but it would be easier to absorb fire particles this way, with them all clumped together.


    Cyil had a sudden urge to find a lake to meditate near or perhaps even while sitting in the lake. If he could, then his mimicry of the ability perfect absorption would be even more effective. Cyil made note to put this method to the test once he found a lake and quickly reentered his serene state of mind.


    Cyil continued to meditate as the fire died, the night fell and the sun rose. He had completely forgotten to stoke the flames throughout the night because he was too absorbed in meditating. Cyil couldn¡¯t help but to laugh at the copious amount of firewood he had spent time gathering.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Cyil said and checking to make sure the ashes from his fireplace were cool, he took off.


    Cyil continued to run at a steady pace and whenever he was tired or thirsty he would stop to rest and cast a Water Sphere to quench his thirst. Cyil had traveled 40 miles since he woke and was now at the deepest part of the forest he would be in, before gradually heading out towards its periphery once more.


    Cyil didn¡¯t notice it at first but after a few more miles, he finally felt that something was different about the forest. Everything had become eerily quiet. The afternoon sun was still high in the sky, but the sounds from insects and birds had stopped. There wasn¡¯t even animals playing about on the forest underbrush. Cyil quickly came to a stop and glanced at his surroundings. The colors of the trees and plants were one shade darker than what Cyil had remember. The tree roots that bulged out from the ground were now several times thicker than those he had hid the ring under. Cyil also found that the sunlight here was weaker than before.


    His eyes had had time to adjust to the changing light so he didn¡¯t see the difference but as he stopped and recalled the changes, the light was definitely dimmer.


    ¡°This must be deeper inside of the forest, an ancient part that humans haven¡¯t harmed.¡± Cyil whispered to himself in awe. Not finding it the least bit strange that it was so quiet in such a dense forest, Cyil elected to continue on.


    Occasionally glancing at the sun for guidance, Cyil jogged another 5 miles before stopping for a short break. Just as Cyil finished casting Water Sphere, a deafening beastial roar broke the still silence and rumbled the ground. Instantly, the sound waves produced ripples on Cyil¡¯s Water Sphere.


    ¡°What animal could make such a sound?! Could it be a magical beast?¡± Cyil was shocked and wasn¡¯t planning on finding out. He dispersed his Water Sphere and ran in the opposite direction from where the sound had come.


    As Cyil was running, he thought about magical beasts. Mahoj¡¯s memories did not contain much information on magical beasts and only gave Cyil a vague outlining of the different grades a magical beast could have. Much like how mages are ranked and leveled, so too are magical beasts. Though the method of grading magical beasts was developed by humans, it wasn¡¯t too bad of guide and was usually correct. Sometimes, however, the rank and level given to a magical beast would be vastly incorrect which would result in a mage¡¯s death due to underestimation of the magical beast. This underestimation was what was occurring at this moment.


    ¡­


    An hour earlier, a group of five young wind mages from the nearby Gale Saints Academy had just finished their noon meal and was about to reiterate their plan.


    In their group of five, there was 4 males and 1 female. The female called Rebeka who had a petite adorable face and slowly developing body stood up and commanded: ¡°The Steeled Feathered Pheasant is only a rank 2 level 2 magical beast, but because magical beasts have enormous physical strength we all need to be careful. This beast is known for its tough defense and ramming ability; its only magical capability is Reinforce Armour, allowing its defense to raise by a significant amount. When the Steeled Feathered Pheasant uses Reinforce Armour our attacks will not be able to damage it for a short amount of time, only a rank 4 mage or higher would be able to cast a strong enough spell to breach the defenses. Thus, in this time we must avoid all of its attacks. If we can slowly draw out its stamina and continuously hit its vitals then this kill will be ours.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    As the female finished, one of the male called Brutus, the shortest one out of the bunch, spoke out in a timid voice, ¡°Do you know how old the Steeled Feathered Pheasant is?¡±


    Rebeka raised her eyebrow and replied, ¡°It should be an adult, but I don¡¯t know its exact age. Why, do you think the age matter?¡±


    The timid Brutus looked to the ground and responded, ¡°Never mind, sorry. If it¡¯s an adult then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The other males gave Brutus a look and some even scoffed.


    One of the other male called Turtin, seeing that the female was still thinking about what Brutus had said, grew anxious and quickly added, ¡°my father has killed a few Steeled Feathered Pheasants, even though they are ranked as uncommon magical beasts. He told me that the Steeled Feathered Pheasant has though defenses but is just a stupid bird in the end so we can easily take down this Steeled Feathered Pheasant.¡±


    Another male, this one named Luhag, not wanting to be outdone, added in his two-piece: ¡°Right right, I did some research on the Steeled Feathered Pheasant in the library and all the records say that they are extremely easy to kill, while the materials their body provides are tremendous. Some records even nicknamed the Steeled Feathered Pheasant as ¡®the walking treasure chest¡¯.¡±


    Luhag finished speaking and looked to Rebeka, as if to seek her approval.


    Rebeka nodded as she listened. Then she said, ¡°although many say it is easy to hunt a Steeled Feathered Pheasant, we must still be on guard. We are not even Rank 3 mages yet, after all. If anyone should die during this secret mission then I won¡¯t forgive them!¡± Rebeka ended her sentence with a forceful emphasis and gestured for them to head out¡­


    The group traveled light and moved along silently with the wind. They had not used any spells to buff their speeds but being wind mages, their body was naturally more agile. Rebeka was leading the group with Luhag and Turtin sticking close to her behind and Brutus and Lupin in the rear. They did not speak and before long they reached their destination.


    Hidden among the trees, the group of five stared at the den made of branches and vines which sat in the middle of the clearing. The den was larger than they had expected, as a Steeled Feathered Pheasant was only 7 feet tall and 6 feet long, but the den was easily 15 feet tall. The den was more like a dome, with its top matching the height of the shorter trees in Emerald forest.


    ¡°Why is its den so big?¡± Luhag involuntarily asked; he had not actually done any research on the Steeled Feathered Pheasant and before, was only speaking based off of things he had heard so he didn¡¯t know how large a Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯s den should be.


    This was when Brutus chimed in with a little bit of excitement, ¡°It must be because there is more than one Steeled Feathered Pheasant in there!¡±


    When Rebeka heard this her eyes shined. ¡°How sure are you about that?¡±


    ¡°Almost certain,¡± Brutus responded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡± Luhag said abruptly. ¡°When have you ever seen a Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯s den? We all know Steeled Feathered Pheasants travel alone and are rarely seen together even when they mate.¡±


    Turtin was just about to add fuel to the fire when Brutus confidently agreed with Luhag.


    ¡°Right,¡± Brutus said. ¡°They are rarely seen together but this is one of those times! They must be mating right now and that is their den!¡±


    When Luhag heard his words being used to support Brutus¡¯ cause, he grunted but did not say anything else.


    Rebeka wasn¡¯t really listening to the exchange anymore, and kept her eyes glued on the den. Then as if deciding something, she turned around and spoke to Lupin.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡± Rebeka asked Lupin in a serious tone.


    Lupin didn¡¯t responded right away, and only gave an answer after enjoying Luhag and Turtin¡¯s murderous gazes burning into him. ¡°I can take on one by myself for half an hour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough time,¡± Rebeka smiled at Lupin¡¯s answer, which sent Luhag and Turtin into even more distress. ¡°Then let¡¯s stick to the plan if there is only one Steeled Feathered Pheasant but if there are two then Lupin will isolate one of the Steeled Feathered Pheasant while we take care of the other one.¡±


    Seeing as no one disagreed, Rebeka nodded. ¡°Go!¡±


    Wind Boots


    Wind Boots


    Wind Boots


    Wind Boots


    Wind Wings!


    Simultaneously, all five of them activated their speed boosting buffing spell. Wind Boots would allow them to increase their base speed by more than double, whereas Wind Wings was a more advanced version of Wind Boots as it tripled the user¡¯s speed and even allowed the user to step on air! Of course, the amount of steps that could be taken depends on the mastery of the skill and how much elemental energy the user had.


    The one who had casted Wind Wings was not Rebeka, the leader, but Lupin, the quiet one in the group.


    Lupin bursted ahead of the group and reached the entrance of the den. Looking in, he could see two shadows calmly begin to stand. ¡°There are two!¡± Lupin shouted to the others, a bit excited.


    Wind Blade!


    Lupin threw out a Wind Blade which smashed like a hammer striking metal against the two shadows. The two shadows were not even phased, however, and this surprised Lupin, who instinctively backed up from the entrance.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right. Hold on,¡± Lupin managed to get out before he saw the first Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯s emerge from the den¡¯s shadows.


    The other four also saw the Steeled Feathered Pheasant step out from the den and stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°What is that?!¡± Luhag demanded from Brutus.


    ¡°I,I, think it¡¯s an ancient Steeled Feathered Pheasant,¡± Brutus replied through his open mouth, completely ecstatic at the discovery..


    ¡°You think? Does that look anything like a Steeled Feathered Pheasant to you? Fuck, you¡¯re useless!¡± Luhag cursed Brutus and was just about to continue blaming Brutus when the ¡®Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯ raised its two heads in the air and roared, its sound unlike a bird¡¯s chirp but more like a lion¡¯s growl.


    The group of five quickly covered their ears to no avail, as all their eardrums had already burst, leaving them bleeding from the ears.


    The roar was so strong it had also released a shockwave that rattled the minds of the five making them temporarily dizzy.


    The first to recover was Lupin and he did not hesitate to run. Just that roar was so powerful and  had already sapped him of his confidence. He was a rank 2 level 10 mage on the verge of becoming a rank 3 mage, but that thing in front of him was definitely not a Steeled Feathered Pheasant, not to mention a Rank 2 leve 2 magical beast. It had to be at least Rank 4 or even higher! Lupin did not know and he didn¡¯t care. When he remembered that there was two of those things he sped up, not sparing any elemental energy at all.

 Book 2: Chapter 10

    Book 2: Chapter 10


    The Steeled Feathered Pheasant looked towards Lupin¡¯s fleeing back with one of its heads and looked to the group of four still recovering from its roar with its other head. It then turned tail and ran after Lupin, its body full of vibrant color and soft, silky feathers much unlike the steel feathers it was supposed to have. The Steeled Feathered Pheasant was also only supposed to have one head but this creature had two, which made it seem like a whole other species. But this magical beast was in fact, a Steeled Feathered Pheasant, or what Brutus called ¡®an ancient Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯.


    The title of ¡®ancient¡¯ is added to a magical beast that has undergone a complete metamorphosis, shedding their old self to reform a stronger self. To become ¡®ancient¡¯ the magical beast usually have lived for a long amount of time and suffered through countless tribulations. The chances of a magical beast becoming ancient were so pitifully low, however, so not many records were kept on the topic and not many knew about ancient magical beasts.


    Brutus was well read and had great memory, even among other mages older than him; therefore, Brutus could recall the information on ancient magical beasts that he had read about from so long ago. Although he hadn¡¯t heard of a Steeled Feathered Pheasant becoming ancient, he had guessed that this was the case so he blurted out what he thought. And for better or worse, it turned out Brutus¡¯ hunch was right.


    An ancient magical beast was so rare that it was easier to see a dragon than to see an ancient beast and now there were two of them?!


    As soon as the first ancient Steeled Feathered Pheasant took of, the second one stepped out of the den and this one shocked the recovering group of Rebeka, Brutus, Turtin, and Luhag even more than the first one.


    This Steeled Feathered Pheasant had only one head, as it should, but half of its feathers was of diamond and half was of vibrant coloured, as if they were in the process of changing. When the group saw this Steeled Feathered Pheasant, they couldn¡¯t help but to admire its beauty despite the precarious situation they were in. It seemed they were instinctively drawn into this state of awe.


    As the group was caught admiring the creature they didn¡¯t even notice that their heads had fallen off their bodies. They didn¡¯t feel any pain and the memory of the beautiful Steeled Feathered Pheasant was the last thing they could remember before everything grew quiet, dark and still.


    The Steeled Feathered Pheasant shook its head, almost as if it was sad it had to kill the teenagers, then it walked back into its den knowing that it could no longer stay there.


    ***


    In that moment, in the headmaster¡¯s chambers in Gale Saints Academy, the headmaster was startled by a quiet cracking sound. Headmaster Oscar¡¯s eyes widened as he looked towards the two glowing, spherical balls on his desk. To his horror, one of the balls was split open from the middle with a jagged line running through its core.


    ¡°Rebeka has died?!¡± Headmaster Oscar couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, but the magical equipment wouldn¡¯t lie. Rebeka really was dead and that meant Headmaster Oscar would now face the wrath of the Calliat family unless he could find her killer.


    Quickly, holding the two broken pieces, Headmaster Oscar discerned the location of Rebeka¡¯s death. When he found out the spot was in Emerald Forest, he frowned: ¡°The location was not too deep into the forest so there shouldn¡¯t be any magical beast yet. Could it be that she was ambushed by other mages?¡±


    Then, as if thinking of something, Headmaster Oscar quickly viewed the other spherical ball on his desk. This was the most talented student to have ever come to Gale Saints Academy and was a student that Oscar deeply cared about. Similar to Rebeka, he had even used a rank 4 magical equipment to monitor this student¡¯s location at all times and even gave the student a rank 4 magical defensive robe.


    When Headmaster Oscar found out where his treasured student was, his frown deepened even further and his body shattered the glass pane as he bursted out of the window and into the air, flying towards Emerald Forest.


    ¡°Lupin, wait for me!¡± Oscar increased his flying speed as he shot through the air.


    ***


    At that same moment in Emerald Forest, Lupin could feel the intensity of the ancient Steeled Feathered Pheasant¡¯s stare. Occasionally it would roar with fervour, making Lupin¡¯s hair stand on its ends. The roar no longer had such a devastating impact on him because he was prepared but Lupin was still concerned about those roars. They seemed to be playful roars; it was almost like the ancient Steeled Feathered Pheasant was playing with him and could kill him at any time.


    Lupin gnashed his teeth in anger and pulled out a small spherical orb, crushing it with his hand. ¡°Am I really going to die here?¡± he thought and refused to believe it. He was a genius! He had a middle-grade elemental body and at the age of 16 he was almost a Rank 3 mage. This was much better than even Rebeka who had come from a renowned mage family. He himself came from a declining, poor mage family and was the only hope for his family¡¯s revival so he couldn¡¯t die. ¡°I won¡¯t die!¡± Lupin said to himself, hoping the Headmaster had receive his distress signal.


    That was when Lupin saw hope. It was another person. There was actually another person here!


    ¡°Help!¡± Lupin called out. ¡°Help me!¡±


    The figure turned to look back and when Lupin saw that the figure was just a kid, his spirits fell. A kid couldn¡¯t help him at all. Unless¡­


    A devious plot quickly inserted itself into Lupin¡¯s mind and he sped up towards the figure who was moving at constant but slow speed.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to buy me some time,¡± Lupin thought, smiling inside.


    ***


    When Cyil saw a boy running straight towards him, he frowned. He was surprised to see another person here but quickly caught on to what was happening when he saw the creature chasing the boy. Cyil instantly knew what the boy wanted to do and he could feel the boy¡¯s malicious intent. Although Cyil knew all of that, he could do nothing about it because he was moving too slow and going any faster would only result in him slipping or tripping.


    The boy was shouting all sorts of pleads that Cyil left unanswered. When the boy was within 10 feet of Cyil, a conflux of elemental particles amoglorated and was flung Cyil¡¯s way.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Wind Blade!


    The slightly green Wind Blade was aimed at Cyil¡¯s legs. The boy didn¡¯t want to kill him right away but to handicap him and leave him for that two-headed beast that was gaining on the both of them.


    ¡°This punk,¡± Cyil growled and jumped, dodging the Wind Blade but slipping on a tree root as his foot landed. Cyil tumbled forward with the momentum of his jump and force of his running. When he regained his ground, he could see the boy running past him.


    Cyil wanted to punch him but an excited roar not even from 20 yards away disrupted these thoughts. Cyil decided he could get back at the boy after he got away from that creature. Cyil made a quick decision and choose not to follow the boy but to run in a different direction. Cyil knew he couldn¡¯t outrun the boy and hoped that the beast would chase after the boy, instead of him.


    As Cyil ran for his life, he noticed that the occasional roars were getting further and further away, like the thunder of a departing storm. ¡°It really didn¡¯t come after me?¡± Cyil sighed. Narrowly dodging that bizarre incident Cyil didn¡¯t let up his guard but kept his steady running pace, making his way out of the forest. If that beast came back then he would definitely get eaten up and that was much worse than being late for the start of the new term.


    Cyil was so focused on running that he didn¡¯t realize when the sounds of birds and insects returned. He also didn¡¯t notice that the trees now grew further apart from one another compared to before. Cyil only came to when he saw that up ahead there were no more trees, but instead a vast plains of rolling hills! He could even see a road wedged between two small hills.


    ¡°I¡¯m finally out!¡± Cyil shouted in glee and with a spurt of energy exited the forest¡¯s reach.


    ***


    Just as Cyil was close to getting out of the forest, Headmaster Oscar reached Lupin¡¯s lifeless body. Not even a minute into his flight he had received a distress signal from Lupin. Headmaster Oscar was already flying at top speed but was still two hours away! No matter how he willed it he couldn¡¯t move any faster. ¡°If only I had a scroll with the spell Teleport!¡± Headmaster Oscar thought. Alas, such a scroll would be too expensive for him even if he pooled together all of his resources. With only hope fueling him, Headmaster oscar grit his teeth and continued to fly for another 15 minutes before the crystal he was carrying also cracked apart, falling into even more pieces than the other one.


    When this happened, tears flowed down Headmaster Oscar¡¯s face like rain from the monsoon, unending and relentless. Headmaster Oscar did not cry when his parents died nor did he cry when his wife died, but he cried now. He had no children and although Lupin wasn¡¯t his flesh and blood, he treated Lupin like his own. Oscar was reaching the end of his life span and he hadn¡¯t accomplished much as a mage. He was a Rank 5 level 2 Wind Mage with a low-grade elemental body. In his youth he dreamed of becoming a Rank 9 or even Rank 10 mage, but his talent wasn¡¯t enough nor did he have the resources to continue to climb up the ranks. Thus, he had somehow scrapped up enough resources to start up an academy. Oscar could have started his own guild but he disliked the way a guild operated and instead wanted to help nurture the young and have them fulfill his dream of reaching Rank 9 as a mage.


    Gale Saints Academy had been open for only 80 years, but its reputation was already quite good for nurturing talented youths. The people who graduated from Gale Saints Academy were able to have a decent impact in whichever guild they decided to join and all those who graduated were less than 30 years of age.


    Although reaching Rank 3 as a mage before the age of 30 seems unimpressive, it was actually enough to call oneself a genius. The average age for mages to reach Rank 3 was anywhere from 40-80 years, and if the mage couldn¡¯t break through in that time then they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to for the rest of their lives.


    In fact, Gale Saints Academy¡¯s accomplishment was so well known that it even drove a nearby prestigious mage family to send them their treasured daughter for tutoring¡­


    Headmaster Oscar cradled Lupins torso and apologized for not making it there in time. He then vowed to track down the killer and eliminate it. Oscar could make out from the surroundings that what killed Lupin was a magical beast. He then guessed that whatever killed Lupin also killed Rebeka and thinking up to this part, he quickly gathered himself and left Lupin¡¯s torso on the ground. He didn¡¯t even bother burying Lupin and after checking to see if Lupin had anything of value left on his body, Oscar quickly flew in the direction of Rebeka¡¯s death.


    Oscar realized that he had been too caught up in his emotions and hadn¡¯t been thinking clearly. Lupin was already dead, and there was nothing he could do to bring him back so now he should focus on the preserving Gale Saints Academy! Because if he couldn¡¯t provide a satisfactory explanation for the Calliat family then there may very well be no more Gale Saints Academy by the time the sun rises.


    As he flew, Headmaster Oscar stretched out his senses to find the killer but he came up with nothing. Not even five minutes later, he reached the spot. Looking around the clearing he was shocked at the size of the den. ¡°What creature would be so big and live so close to the edge of Emerald Forest?¡± he thought and even though he couldn¡¯t sense any magical creatures nearby, he now walked around with more caution.


    When Headmaster Oscar was within 30 feet of the den, he waved his sleeve and a surge of energy, similar to Lupin¡¯s but much stronger, flew out and blew the giant den apart. Without batting an eye Oscar continued the assault.


    Wind Blade!


    Wind Blade Wind Blade Wind Blade¡­


    Only after the whole den was in rumbles did Headmaster Oscar stop. He had been wary the whole time and wanted to force whatever was in the den to come out, but when nothing came out he continued attacking out of frustration.


    Now that he was sure the magical beasts were not hiding in there or anywhere near, he finally walked over to the four bodies that no longer had their heads. Looking at the peaceful expressions on all of their faces, Headmaster Oscar didn¡¯t know what to make of their deaths. He didn¡¯t know what magical beast had killed them but he was sure that it was strong enough to cleanly decapitate four Rank 2 and up mages.


    Bending down to examine the pendant on Rebeka¡¯s neck, Headmaster Oscar¡¯s eyes shot open. The grade 6 defensive equipment that was given to Rebeka by the Calliat family had not even activated. It was in perfect condition, meaning Rebeka did not use it to protect herself from the magical beast at all!


    Headmaster Oscar could not make heads or tails out of this because Lupin¡¯s grade 4 defensive equipment was torn to shred and rendered unusable while Rebeka¡¯s was fine. He thought about it for a bit and could only come to the conclusion that Rebeka and the four were killed instantly through a sneak attack of some sort while Lupin had been able to escape and resist.


    Slightly dreading the killer and not wanting to delay, Headmaster Oscar collected Rebeka¡¯s head and body and flew out of Emerald Forest back to Gale Saints Academy.


    When he reached the edge of the forest, he could see down below a kid running out from the forest, too. There were no towns nearby and no signs of any traveling merchants, mercenaries or groups. All alone was a kid by himself. ¡°Isn¡¯t this odd?¡± Oscar thought to himself and inspected the kid with his sense. When Oscar found that he couldn¡¯t sense the boy¡¯s presence or anything about him via his sense Oscar was greatly shocked. Only someone whose mage ranking was higher than his or who excelled in covering up their aura/presence would be able to hide from him. But this boy looked to be only 12!


    Oscars instantly shot down towards the boy, curious at how he was escaping his detection sense. As he drew closer he noticed that the kid was wearing a uniform and Oscar could see that the academy badge said Noxiams Academy. When Oscar saw that the boy was a mage from a nearby academy, devious thoughts and plots had already began to form in his mind. What started off as curiosity quickly turned into a malicious plan.


    By now, the boy had also noticed Oscar and stopped to stare. The boy¡¯s face was the epitome of confusion and he seemed to nearly wet his pants.


    Oscar laughed at the sight of the boy and stopped when he was 5 feet away, hovering in the air and looking down.


    ¡°Boy,¡± he started off slowly, certain this wasn¡¯t some powerful hidden expert playing dress-up. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to come with me.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 11

    Book 2: Chapter 11


    Cyil shook his head as he eyed the old man carrying with him a headless body. ¡°Who in their right mind would go with you?!¡± Cyil thought to himself, but continued to act the part of a terrified young mage.


    When the old man saw that Cyil was looking at Rebeka¡¯s dead body, he let out a laugh at his carelessness as his grin turned into a twisted smile. ¡°No need for formalities now, I suppose. You either come with me obediently or I kill you.¡±


    Cyil was shocked at how fast the old man¡¯s attitude changed, but he hadn¡¯t expected a person who carried around a headless body to be anyone good. His mind was hard at work trying to come up with a plan of escape, Cyil said, ¡°Senior, we have no grievances so why must you kill me? Although I am a genius student at Noxiams Academy, I have none of my wealth on me. I¡¯ve left everything back at Noxiams. If you are not convinced, feel free to check.¡±


    Cyil raised his arms up in defeat and showed no signs of resisting. Cyil had lied in saying he was a genius at Noxiams with the hope that the old man would back off, but he didn¡¯t know that Noxiams Academy was a pitifully weak academy with poor backings; perhaps someone might think twice about offending an academy like Gale Saints Academy, but not Noxiams Academy.


    The old man laughed when he heard what Cyil had said. ¡°Any and all treasures you have wouldn¡¯t be worth a single one of my farts. I also don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a genius from Noxiams Academy. Even if you are Noxiam¡¯s headmaster herself, I would still have my way!¡±


    The domineering tone from the old man made Cyil frown. ¡°Guess that doesn¡¯t work.¡± Cyil cursed inside.


    ¡°Senior, may I ask, what do you want with me?¡± Cyil forced himself to smile and politely address the old man who had just threatened to kill him. Cyil didn¡¯t notice it himself, but he was surprisingly calm. This state of mind allowed him to think clearly and helped to control any wild surges of emotions like fear, anger, sadness, etc.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the old man was surprised at Cyil¡¯s relaxed attitude. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, kid?¡± the old man asked as he dropped to the ground and began to walk towards Cyil.


    ¡°What do you mean, Senior?¡± Cyil now discarded his act of being scared and stood his ground as he stared the old man in the eyes.


    The old man saw the clear look in Cyil¡¯s eyes. These were eyes that were not afraid, but curious and smart. These were eyes he had seen before. They were eyes of heroes or of foolish, crazy people. These were eyes he yearned for, but could never have; so those with these sorts of eyes pissed him off the most. ¡°You¡¯ve got some real balls, don¡¯t you kid?¡± The old man was now face to face with Cyil, his aged breath polluting the air.


    Cyil tried to ignore the smelly breath, but its stench was too potent and he couldn¡¯t help but wrinkle his nose.


    When the old man saw Cyil¡¯s action, his eyes narrowed and he didn¡¯t hesitate to swipe his hand down towards Cyil¡¯s balls of steel. In one fell swoop, like a typhoon uprooting boulders from the earth, Cyil felt a pain so violent down in his nether that he couldn¡¯t even scream.


    This pain was the worst Cyil had ever felt and he writhed on the ground with tears running down his face. The pain should have knocked him out but alas, his strong soul kept him awake and clear headed, keeping the level of pain at 100%. Cyil don¡¯t know how long he withstood the pain for, but after what seemed like an eternity, the darkness that he so hated welcomed him again with a warm embrace.


    The old man had in his hand two of a male¡¯s most precious orbs. He swirled the two balls around in his hand, as if they were meditating balls, and looked on as the boy bloodied the ground by rolling around.


    He looked on with apathetic eyes and with a tint of admiration for the boy¡¯s endurance. Reasonably, he should have fainted right away, but he continued to stay awake for over ten minutes. When the boy¡¯s struggling calmed, the old man walked up to the boy and took out a glass jar from his pocket. He then applied some of the creamy black slime onto the wound of the boy. Although this wouldn¡¯t help the boy recover his balls, it would stop the wound from bleeding and mend the wound.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After the old man finished applying the cream, he put away the glass jar and began to search around Cyil¡¯s body. He did not find anything of use on Cyil¡¯s body. In fact, Cyil was so poor he didn¡¯t even have a single elemental crystal! The old man didn¡¯t expect Cyil to be so poor and scoffed.


    The old man then scanned Cyil¡¯s elemental body and was surprised to find that Cyil had reached Rank 2 level 2 as a mage with just a low-grade elemental body. This speed could be considered fast even among those of the same age. Nonetheless, it still wasn¡¯t an abnormal rank to reach and the old man continued to search for the trick Cyil used to hide his presence from him. After prodding about for a while the old man gave up and decided to ask Cyil himself when he woke up. Of course, he was prepared to ¡®convince¡¯ Cyil some more should he withhold information.


    ¡°I¡¯d better hurry back,¡± the old man said and carried Cyil with one of his scrawny arms and Rebeka with his other one as he flew into the air and to the horizon.


    ***


    Headmaster Oscar, didn¡¯t notice it, but someone had been eyeing his every actions from the start. Many times that person was about to kill Headmaster Oscar, but would retract their hand at the last moment. A simple flick of their finger would be enough to end Headmaster Oscar¡¯s life, but the person still managed to stay their hand, at least, for now.


    ***


    Cyil awoke to the sound of grating steel against the rocky, cold, and hard ground. Cyil tried to get up, but a pain shot from between his legs and he groaned, laying back down on the ground.


    Staring up at the ceiling that was slowly being flooded by the light from the corridor, Cyil thought back to what happened. He remembered everything clearly and he felt a seething anger bubble up inside of him. He had a great desire to kill that old man. Cyil remembered what Baccaus had said about not killing, but he also remembered what Baccaus had told him when they last parted. Baccaus had said nothing was absolute, so killing would be okay in some instances, right? Cyil thought Baccaus would absolutely agree with him and that assurance fueled his anger.


    As the anger began to blossom in Cyil¡¯s mind, he felt a soothing breeze flow through his entire body, calming it. Cyil was still angry, but he realized many things at once. The most blaring thing was that he was too weak to take revenge. The second thing was that anger is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be. The third thing was that whatever it was that happened from now on, he had to stay alive. The fourth thing was that he couldn¡¯t rely on his father who he could not remember or Baccaus or anyone else to help him; he only had himself to rely on. Many other realizations that Cyil took as the cruel truth of Nakrul calmly planted themselves deep within his soul. This setback that was meant to instill a deep terror in Cyil, not only made him more resolved to get stronger and more mature, but created an enemy that Headmaster Oscar could not even imagine.


    *Bang*


    The door slammed against the stone wall and a shadow interrupted the light on the ceiling. ¡°On your feet! The Calliat family is here to deal with you. You filthy animal. I wish I could kill you myself.¡± The voice was grating and filled with more sadness than anger.


    Cyil crawled to his knees and tried to get up. He decided that it was best to just go along with whatever was happening. By doing so, he would hope to stay alive so that he could right this wrong.


    As Cyil continued to struggle to his feet, the shadow moved from the light and kicked him in the gut. The kick turned Cyil over and onto his back. Cyil grabbed his ribs and could see that the shadow belonged to a middle aged man who had an ordinary everyday face. The brim of the man¡¯s eyes were red and his untrimmed hair added to his crazy look. Cyil remembered the man¡¯s face and said nothing. He clenched his teeth and used the stone wall as a support to stand up.


    This time, the man only stared and didn¡¯t kick Cyil.


    When Cyil finally managed to stand and started to move, every baby step he took towards the door was filled with great pain. Cyil kept his head lowered, but he could feel the presence of three other people standing in the corridor of the door. Cyil wasn¡¯t optimistic about his chances of dealing with four people at once, even when he was in peak condition. Plus he hardly had any battle experience, except for play fighting with wooden swords back in Fayburn. He only had Mahoj¡¯s memories and the battle scenes from Baccaus¡¯ and Kara¡¯s fight to reference. Hence, Cyil stayed quiet and moved along down the long corridor until they reached a door from which Cyil could hear loud voices discussing things with fervor.


    Then without much suspense the door was pushed open by one of the guards and Cyil was pushed forward to meet his fate.

 Book 2: Chapter 12

    Book 2: Chapter 12


    Cyil was brought into a large circular room with seats fitted around its periphery and the inner space left open. Seated around in the room were men and women of various ages and as they saw Cyil enter the room, the boisterous atmosphere dampened, all eyes following the convict. Cyil could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on him, but he continued to keep his head lowered and walked until he was kicked behind the knee, forcing him to kneel down.


    By now Cyil was in the middle of room and he finally raised his head to see the old man, Headmaster Oscar, who had brought him here and three other people he was unfamiliar with. These four people were seated on an elevated podium and were clearly the people who would decide Cyil¡¯s fate.


    Headmaster Oscar didn¡¯t even care to look at Cyil and was busy addressing a young looking man. ¡°Sir Calliat,¡± Headmaster Oscar said with a wide smile, ¡°this is the boy that we were discussing. As you can see, he looks fairly normal but he is devious beyond all means and that is how he lured Rebeka and the others into a death trap!¡±


    Cyil heard what Headmaster Oscar had said and he stared daggers at the old man who simply scoffed. Cyil wished his stare could pierce a hole through Headmaster Oscar¡¯s skull, but instead the guard standing next to Cyil grabbed him by the hair and pushed his head down while saying, ¡°You dare raise your dirty eyes to look at the Headmaster?!¡±


    As this was going on, the man named ¡®Sir Calliat¡¯, who was the family leader of the Calliat family and actually named Vecarn D. Calliat, said nothing and only observed the proceedings. Headmaster Oscar¡¯s tale was indeed intriguing and although Vecarn already knew Headmaster Oscar was lying through his teeth, he didn¡¯t let on about it.


    Vecarn was the strongest and oldest living member of the Calliat family and he usually never came out in public, opting to spend most of his time meditating, studying, magical beast hunting, etc. It was only when he heard about Rebeka¡¯s death that he personally came to investigate. Rebeka was not the most talented young mage from the Calliat family; actually, she could be ranked as one of the worst, but her straightforward nature and steadfast character was to Vecarn¡¯s liking so he gave her a grade 6 magical defensive equipment and sent her out to experience Nakrul, rather than be sheltered and trained within the family grounds.


    Vecarn had found out about Rebeka¡¯s death instantly. Similar to the orb Headmaster Oscar had used to locate Rebeka and Lupin¡¯s location, Vecarn also had an orb to track down Rebeka¡¯s location; Vecarn¡¯s orb, however, was a grade 5 magical equipment so he could gather more information about Rebeka¡¯s death. He could make out the fuzzy shape of a magical beast and knew that that must have been the culprit.


    As the Calliat family was on their way to Gale Saint Academy, Vecarn took a detour to visit Emerald forest and the place of Rebeka¡¯s death. When he got there he was angered to find that someone had destroyed the magical beast¡¯s den. With the den intact, he could at least figure out clues to what kind of magical beast it was. After quickly thinking about the situation, Vecarn knew it must have been Headmaster Oscar who had destroyed the den whether out of anger or caution and this worsened his opinion of Headmaster Oscar. Vecarn dug through the den and found nothing at all, not even a hair, feather, or a piece of dung.


    Frowning, Vecarn then walked over to the three bodies with their heads detached and he collected the bodies into his spatial equipment, an attractive looking ruby earing. Vecarn planned to examine the wounds on the bodies in more detail later.


    Vecarn was a middle-grade elemental body, rank 6 level 8 wind mage and he had plenty of knowledge about magical beasts, but he couldn¡¯t figure out which magical beast had killed the teenagers. The strongest magical beast in Emerald forest should be the Bewildering Stag King, a rank 5 level 2 magical beast. It was the ruler of Emerald forest and usually stayed deep within the forest depths. Vecarn only knew this because he had tried to hunt down the Bewildering Stag King, a few years back. Vecarn had failed even with his higher mage ranking because the Bewildering Stag King was just too fast. He would perhaps have a chance to catch the Bewildering Stag King if he became a rank 8 wind mage or found some sort of domineering magical equipment to assist him, but as for now he could only hope it wasn¡¯t caught by other mages.


    After putting the bodies away, Vecarn followed the trail of broken branches and bushes and found Lupin¡¯s body. Vecarn¡¯s curiosity grew even greater because these wounds were clearly different from the others and he became excited about the prospect of there being two unknown magical beasts. Having had a great harvest, Vercan already forgot about Rebeka¡¯s death and eagerly flew to Gale Saints Academy to see if Headmaster Oscar had any more information on the magical beasts¡­


    Vecarn sat in his chair still thinking over the information Headmaster Oscar had provided him and turned a deaf ear to Headmaster Oscar¡¯s flabby words about prosecution and punishment.


    It was only when the man sitting next to Vecarn said, ¡°Family Elder, this is the boy who is responsible for my daughter¡¯s death. What shall we do with him?¡±


    Vecarn looked at the man who was Rebeka¡¯s father and looked at the woman who was Rebeka¡¯s mother and said plainly, ¡°You two can decide what to do with him, but let me ask him a few questions first.¡±


    Vecarn guessed Headmaster Oscar must have seen the boy wandering around and used him as a scapegoat but still wanted to ask in case the boy had any actual involvement with the magical beasts. This was now the driving purpose behind his visit to Gale Saints Academy.


    Now that Vecarn was about to speak everyone else quieted down, a sign of respect that some of the Calliat family members didn¡¯t bother showing Headmaster Oscar.


    Vecarn addressed Cyil simply, ¡°boy, I only ask you one question: did you see the two magical beasts in the forest?¡±


    Vecarn¡¯s question was so off topic that it startled everyone, but they didn¡¯t dare make a noise.


    Cyil was shocked, too. ¡°Is this how the line of questioning should be?¡± Cyil thought they would ask him if he did this or that but this was...odd. In any case, Cyil thought a bit then decided to answer truthfully, ¡°Yes, but I only saw one beast, not two.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Vecarn was excited when he heard this. He quickly turned to Rebeka¡¯s parents and proclaimed, ¡°I will personally deal with him myself. Rest assured, Rebeka was like a daughter to me.¡±


    Then without courtesy, Vecarn announced in a booming voice, ¡°this trail is done! Calliat family, you may leave. Don¡¯t bother waiting on me.¡±


    ¡°Done?¡± Everyone had the same thoughts running through their heads. From the time Cyil kneeled to the time the trail ended, it had been less than 2 minutes! This family head was definitely decisive and overbearing. He didn¡¯t allow Cyil to have any say nor did he allow the Headmaster to have any say. Cyil had, after all, been accused of killing 4 other Gale Saints Academy students.


    As everyone was still confused, Vecarn jumped out of his chair and floated down in front of Cyil. He didn¡¯t say anything and grabbed Cyil by the arm, departing from the room in a blur of wind.


    Headmaster Oscar¡¯s mouth was still gaping and he was a bit frightened at the prospect of Cyil having a chance to speak freely with the Calliat Family Head. Headmaster Oscar was well prepared to call Cyil a liar should he disagree with his story and his accusations, but now he wouldn¡¯t have that chance. The angry crowd he had gathered and devious plot he had cooked up had all been spoiled by the eccentric Vecarn. Never would Headmaster Oscar had expected this to happen and he could only hope Vecarn killed Cyil quickly.


    ***


    Cyil had now calmed down and as he was being slightly carried and slightly dragged along he wondered what the man wanted. Cyil was glad to be out of the suffocating room, but if the man decided to kill him, too, then the end result would be the same. Cyil was still thinking when he and Vecarn came to an abrupt stop a mile outside of Gale Saints Academy. They were standing to the side of the dirt road with no one in sight.


    ¡°This should do,¡± Vecarn said and casually took a seat on a boulder by the roadside. ¡°Now, boy, tell me about the magical beast you saw. Don¡¯t leave out any details at all. In fact, make a drawing of it!¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t know what to make of the questions but answered, ¡°Senior, I have not had the chance to learn how to draw but I can tell you in detail about the creature that I saw.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t draw? Nonsense, everyone knows how to draw. Here.¡± Already pushing a feather quill dipped in ink and parchments of beast skins to Cyil, Vecarn eagerly awaited Cyil¡¯s drawing.


    Cyil had no choice but to accept the utensils, lest he angered the man. Cyil could see that the man placed great importance on the drawing of this magical beast so Cyil began to draw as if his life depended on it.


    As Cyil drew, the man was agitated but kept quiet. If Cyil knew that the man who was acting like a child waiting for ice cream was actually a 302 year old rank 6 level 8 mage, perhaps he would laugh or feel even more pressured. Nonetheless, when Cyil finished his sorry piece of a drawing and passed it back to Vecarn, Cyil was not optimistic. He had did the best he could but his drawing was only slightly better than a kid drawing stick figures in the dirt.


    Vecarn glanced at the drawing and his eyes widened. Then he picked up the feather quill and told Cyil, ¡°Tell me about the magical beast. Height, weight, colour of the body, everything.¡±


    Cyil sighed a breath of relief because he hadn¡¯t been killed yet and he began to tell Vecarn everything he knew about the beast. Cyil was planning to make a deal with Vecarn concerning the information but he decided against it. Cyil knew he was too weak to be making deals and decided it was best to give the man what he wanted.


    As Cyil recounted everything he saw, heard, and even smelled, Vecarn continuously nodded while moving the feather quill; oftentimes, Vecarn would ask Cyil to clarify some details and Cyil would do his best to try to explain.


    When Cyil was finally done recounting everything, almost an hour had gone by. Cyil was surprised that something that should have taken a few minutes was dragged on for so long.


    ¡°Senior, why are you interested about the magical beast?¡± Cyil asked, because the silence between them had gone on for a long while.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Vecarn looked up from the beast skin and without answering Cyil¡¯s question, said: ¡°Ah, yes. Take a look.¡± Vecarn passed Cyil the beast skin and the drawing that Cyil saw shocked him! It looked exactly like the magical beast he had seen. The details were fine and lifelike, almost as if the frightening creature was going to jump off the beast skin and attack him. This was the same beast skin where he had drawn his chicken scratch, right?


    ¡°Any changes that should be made?¡± Vecarn asked, still trying to figure out what magical beast he had just drawn.


    Cyil shook his head and returned the beast scroll to Vecarn.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Vecarn said, a little upset but mostly satisfied after getting more than he had hoped for. Vecarn took one last look at Cyil and could tell the boy wasn¡¯t lying to him-- he had told him everything he knew about the magical beast.


    ¡°You may leave now,¡± Vecarn got up off the boulder and shooed Cyil away with his hand.


    ¡°I am free to go, just like that?¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t help but to ask this question.


    Vecarn frowned and pointing towards the spot between Cyil¡¯s legs, he said, ¡°You have already received your punishment for your crime of being too weak. Now go before I change my mind.¡±


    As Cyil detected the change in the man¡¯s tone, he knew it was best to leave right away but there was a problem he had to solve before anything else. ¡°Senior,¡± Cyil got down to his knees and his forehead slammed onto the ground. ¡°If anyone asks, please say that you¡¯ve killed me.¡±


    Cyil was looking to mitigate any potential future threats from Headmaster Oscar or other Gale Saints Academy Students. If they thought he was dead then they wouldn¡¯t cause him any trouble or try to kill him. The Calliat family may even come after him, too, so Cyil hoped to ¡®be dead¡¯, at least until he was strong enough to protect himself.


    Vecarn raised and eyebrow and stopped his Fly spell midway. ¡°Why? So you can have time to get stronger and get revenge on those who framed you?¡±


    Cyil hadn¡¯t expected Vecarn to hit the nail on the head and answered, ¡°Yes!¡±


    A moment of silence blew through the enthusiastic ¡®yes¡¯ before Vecarn¡¯s laughter rang out.


    Cyil was confused and didn¡¯t know what was funny. He raised his head and saw Vecarn holding his stomach in laughter. Cyil frowned at the sight and patiently waited for Vecarn to say something.


    Once Vecarn got all his laughter out he said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t I be on your list for revenge, too, then? Now, I feel like killing you would be better.¡± As Vecarn spoke his voice grew deeper and there was a powerful force backing them.


    Vecarn was trying to suppress Cyil with his aura but he didn¡¯t know that Cyil¡¯s soul strength was practically on the same level as his own. Cyil was bent over on the ground so Vecarn didn¡¯t notice that has aura wasn¡¯t affecting Cyil in the slightest bit.


    After Vercan ¡®suppressed¡¯ Cyil for a bit longer, he laughed once more and flew off into the sky, saying: ¡°Fine, as of now you have died by my hands. If you ever grow strong enough to seek retribution from me, then come find me. I am Vecarn D. Calliat.¡±


    Vecarn wasn¡¯t concerned at all that Cyil could pose a threat to him. And even if Cyil could, Vecarn knew that by then he himself would have long been dead. Vecarn was sure about his deduction so within the next month he forgot all about Cyil, the boy who no longer had his balls...It wouldn¡¯t be until years later that Vecarn would hear about Cyil again, and by then Vecarn could only hope Cyil didn¡¯t bear any grudges against him or the Calliat family.

 Book 2: Chapter 13

    Book 2: Chapter 13


    ¡°Vecarn D. Calliat,¡± Cyil repeated, remembering the name and the slight kindness the man had shown him. Cyil kept his head bowed and only stood up from the ground after Vecarn was gone.


    When Cyil stood up he felt a slicing pain where his balls should have been. The crazy turn of events provided him adrenaline to mask the pain, but now that things had calmed down the pain resurfaced with a vengeance. Cyil almost fell back to the ground but he gritted his teeth and furiously began to move away from Gale Saints Academy.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know where he was and Mahoj¡¯s memories were of no help, so Cyil just kept moving along as fast as he could.


    Each step he took was the sum of mustered strength and willpower. Sometimes, Cyil would even enter a state of empty-mindedness, marching like an undead devoid of pain and emotions. Cyil didn¡¯t know how far he walked, but he kept off of the main roads and had long since taken off his glaring uniform jacket, discarding it in a thick underbrush.


    By the time night fell, Cyil slightly relaxed, thinking that no one should be looking for him now, and this caused his whole body to collapse on the ground. He had long since overdrawn his physical limit, and it was only with his strong mind and willpower, thanks to his soul¡¯s strength, that allowed him to continue on for so long.


    As Cyil laid on the grassy plains he didn¡¯t know it, but he had already broken through to become a rank 1 warrior, taking his first step towards increasing his chances of survival.


    The fluffy and cool grass felt like the coziest bed in the world and Cyil was tempted to sleep but he forced himself to stay awake and meditate.


    ¡°I can¡¯t move an inch of my body. I¡¯ll just meditate her for a bit then continue on.¡±


    Cyil quickly began meditating and the refreshing water particles alleviated his tired body. Cyil became so absorbed in meditating that the peaceful night passed by in a flash. Incidentally, Cyil also broke through to become a Rank 2 level 3 mage. Before, he had been close to breaking through and the chaotic events that ensued plus his breaking through to become a rank 1 warrior accelerated his growth, breaching that final barrier. As Cyil was pushed to the limits, both his mind and body, as if hearing Cyil¡¯s call, increased in strength to accommodate for the pressure. This was a benefit from being in a life-or-death situation that many would wish to happen but could not easily gain. No one would willingly put themselves in such a situation after all, because you could really die and that would be the end.


    Cyil was still comfortably meditating and taking pleasure in being able to absorb more water particles than before when a cold shadow blocked the morning sun sitting on his face.


    Cyil cracked open one of his eyes and saw a girl looming over him.


    As the girl saw Cyil open his eye, she shrieked! ¡°Ah! You¡¯re alive!¡± The girl quickly stumbled backwards and fell on her butt.


    Cyil slowly got up and looked at the girl still sitting on the ground. Cyil could feel that the girl was just a normal person and not a mage so he was more relaxed.


    Cyil walked over to the girl who covered her eyes and screamed, ¡°GET BACK! YOU PERVERT!¡±


    ¡°Pervert?¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t help but look down to see that Headmaster Oscar was ¡®kind¡¯ enough to apply medicine to his wound but did not give him new pants.


    Cyil quickly covered his privates and said, ¡°no, it¡¯s not what you think. That, was just a wound from. From, a magical beast!¡±


    Still the girl was already scrambling to her feet and about to run off, all the while covering her eyes. ¡°Stay away! Don¡¯t you dare chase me!¡±


    Cyil frowned and moved to grab the girl¡¯s hand. When Cyil moved, he felt as if he was a feather and his powerful calves propelled further than before. The girl shrieked as her arm was caught by Cyil and she bit Cyil¡¯s arm.


    ¡°ARgh,¡± Cyil grunted, but didn¡¯t let go.


    Seeing that her attack had failed, the girl raised her knee to kick at Cyil¡¯s privates. Cyil frowned and easily dodged her knee.


    ¡°Stop stop, I don¡¯t mean you any harm. I just want to ask some questions.¡± Cyil said again, and let go of the girl¡¯s arm.


    Cyil moved a few paces back and stared at the girl who peeked between her covered eyes and said, ¡°cover up your, that place!¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Cyil complied and pulled down his shirt, using it as an apron of sorts to cover the gaping hole between his legs. ¡°Done.¡±


    The girl was watching through the gap between her fingers and when Cyil was done she put down her hand. Now, Cyil could finally see that the girl was pretty, her face tanned and hair cascading like silky waterfalls. She looked to be around 15 and was no longer a girl but a young woman. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    When the girl didn¡¯t say anything, Cyil said, ¡°Hi, my name is Cyil. What is your name? Where am I?¡±


    The girl squinted her eyes, ¡°Celestine. Why were you sleeping on our farmland?¡±


    ¡°I was wounded by a magical beast and stumbled onto your land where I fainted. I apologize if I caused any inconvenience.¡± Cyil ignored the fact that the lady called Celestine didn¡¯t answer his questions and answered politely, his lies forming naturally.


    ¡°Right.¡± Celestine crossed her arms, not convinced. What magical beast? She had never heard of one in all her years of living here. ¡°I suggest you be on your way, before my papa finds you.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Cyil mimicked Celestine and crossed his arms. ¡°Can you tell me where I am and where the closest town is?¡± Cyil glanced at Celestine who widened her eyes. Cyil then added, ¡°That would help me get out of your way quicker.¡±


    Celestine gave Cyil a look then said, ¡°Fine. We are just outside of Leydford city right now. If you head down the main road then you¡¯ll reach Leydford city in two hours or so. Now that you know, please be on your way.¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t like Celestine¡¯s attitude but she didn¡¯t attack him so he smiled, thanked her and began to walk away. The pain Cyil felt was less than yesterday, but it was still aggravating and hindered his normal gait.


    Celestine noticed this and she couldn¡¯t help but to feel bad for the boy. He looked to be only 13, was dirty, had unkempt hair and even had such a horrible injury. As Cyil hobbled down the hill, Celestine sighed, thinking she was doing something stupid, and called out, ¡°Wait! Wait a bit.¡±


    Celestine ran and caught up to Cyil. She said, ¡°You look like you haven¡¯t had a meal in days. Why don¡¯t you come to our house for a meal before going to Leydford. It¡¯s a long walk there and...and take it as an apology for calling you a pervert.¡±


    When Cyil heard Celestine¡¯s sincere words, he smiled but said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I should be on my way.¡± Cyil had an idea of what he was going to do next. Cyil decided that he would join the war against the Dark Ones. Not only would no one care about his identity, but he would be able to hide there. The war at the border was far away from where he currently was so he should be safe from Headmaster Oscar or anyone else that may target him. Besides, Cyil remembered from Mahoj¡¯s memories that to join the Mage¡¯s association you need to either serve 5 years in the army, be a rank 5 or higher mage, or have powerful connections. Cyil didn¡¯t know if he would be a rank 5 mage in 5 years times but he knew that by joining the army he could train his physical strength and raise his warrior ranking, just like how Baccaus had wanted.


    Cyil never forgot his Grandpa¡¯s emphasis on training the body and he planned on following through. Cyil didn¡¯t know the proper way of training your body, so he opted for the army, where training was mandatory and required...


    As Cyil declined Celestine¡¯s offer, he continued to cooly walk off, but at that moment his stomach protested his stupidity. A beastial growl erupted from Cyil¡¯s stomach, making his stomach hurt.


    When Celestine heard the sound, she laughed and said, ¡°Comon! It¡¯ll be a warm, big meal. My papa eats a lot so I always make plenty.¡±


    Cyil was about to decline again but his stomach churned, telling him to eat. Cyil thought back to the last time he ate and decided a meal wouldn¡¯t hurt. He didn¡¯t have any money anyways and didn¡¯t know when his next meal would be.


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t hold back,¡± Cyil smiled and followed Celestine along to her house.


    As the two walked back, Cyil asked Celestine a lot of questions which she now answered with a smile. Cyil had never truly in the sense explored Nakrul, outside of Fayburn, so he wanted to know everything there was to know. Celestine did not usually leave the farmland she had with her father, but she would oftentimes go into Leydford city with her father to sell their products so she knew more than Cyil. For a time, Cyil reverted back to his innocent, cheery-self and Celestine could talk to someone else aside from her father.


    The walk took 10 minutes and when they entered the plain wooden hut, Cyil could smell the aroma of the different foods polluting the air. Cyil loved it and his stomach did, too. That was when Cyil recognized how hungry he was and his mouth started to drool.


    Celestine stared at the drool dripping out of Cyil¡¯s mouth and wondered how long it had been since Cyil ate. Although not eating for a period of time was fine for Cyil, he was reaching an unhealthy limit and he still needed to eat. Only mages that were rank 5 or higher could sustain themselves based solely off of elemental particles. By then their body would be able to absorb enough elemental particles to ¡®feed¡¯ them. Physical users/warriors were also capable of going longer periods of times without eating compared to normal humans, but this would be counterproductive because consuming nutritious foods was one of the best way for warriors to level up.


    In any case, Celestine was not a bad host and told Cyil to help himself to the plates on the table as she continued to add more dishes onto the table.


    Cyil stayed true to his words and was definitely not polite as he gorged himself with the food that tasted celestial. Although there was no meat, these various dishes tasted amazing and quickly filled him up. Cyil heard that food tasted two times better if you¡¯re hungry compared to when you¡¯re not and he had truly experienced that sensation now.


    When Cyil finished eating, he felt warm and comfortable; the pain from his groin area had even seem to lessen. Then seeing as Celestine was still hard at work preparing more dishes, Cyil offered to help, asking, ¡°Are these new dishes for you father?¡±


    Celestine nodded and said, ¡°Papa eats a lot of food and always likes to eat these specific dishes so I¡¯ve grown accustomed to making them at light speed!¡± Then Celestine quickly remembered something and said in a rushed tone, ¡°Cyil, you don¡¯t need to help me. You should go before papa comes back and sees you.¡±


    Cyil laughed at Celestine¡¯s enthusiasm and couldn¡¯t believe she would be smiling and laughing with a stranger; Cyil did not think he would be able to do that and just enjoyed the moment. He also wasn¡¯t sure about her worrying tone and decided the least he could do was help Celestine wash the dishes.


    At that moment, the door to the hut swung open and a fat lumbering man walked into the room. He reeked of alcohol and cheap stinky perfume. The man looked at the few plates of food on the table and yelled:


    ¡°Celestine, you stupid cunt! I decide to come home earlier today and you decide to laze around?!¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 14

    Book 2: Chapter 14


    Celestine heard the man¡¯s voice and her shoulders tensed, momentarily freezing her motions, before she continued cooking with increased speed. Celestine said in a casual voice, ¡°Almost done papa, please wait a while longer.¡±


    Cyil frowned, his eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at the Celestine¡¯s father. Cyil could feel the tense atmosphere that the fat man brought and he didn¡¯t like it.


    The fat man, known as Gokurk, turned his head to see Cyil standing next Celestine and his eyes bulged, before he shouted, ¡°Who the fuck are you?!¡±


    Gokurk instantly began to curse Cyil as he heaved himself across the room. ¡°What have you done to my Celestine?¡± Gukork was eyeing Cyil¡¯s bare upper body and all sorts of indecent images were already flying through his mind. Hot white steam seem to blow through Gokurk¡¯s ears his breathing quickened.


    Gokurk would have already taken Celestine¡¯s chastity, but was saving Celestine for the mayor of Leydford. Just 1 more year, after she turned 16, then he could sell her off to the mayor and receive enough money to live lavishly for the rest of his life. Gokurk had never let Celestine out of his sights when they went out and had order her not to talk to anyone to make sure she would remain ¡®pure¡¯, but this vile vermin showed up out of nowhere and threatened his plans.


    Cyil looked Gokurk straight in the eyes and shrugged.


    When Gokurk saw how presumptuous and disrespectful the kid was, he roared and pounded down on Cyil¡¯s head with his fat fists.


    Cyil was prepared and he easily sidestepped the attack. ¡°What was that about, old man?¡± Cyil mocked Gukork¡¯s actions.


    Gukork was enraged! ¡°Fuck, you¡¯re dead little bastard!¡± Gokurk punched out towards Cyil, but the attack was dodged once again. Every punch Gokurk threw was dodged with ease.


    As Celestine watched what was going on she kept yelling, ¡°stop¡¯, but Gukork did not stop until he was out of breath. Then, heaving for breath, Gokurk thought of something and grabbed the knife from the counter, pointing it at Cyil. ¡°I¡¯ll slice you to pieces and feed you to the pigs!¡±


    When Cyil saw this, he thought that the man was horrible. Gokurk was going to cut up someone simply because they displeased him in a minor matter; of course, Cyil had been unpleasant because he felt like it, but if that was enough to warrant his death then Cyil didn¡¯t know what wouldn¡¯t cause the man to kill.


    The fat Gokurk wielding the knife was a comical sight to Cyil and Cyil wasn¡¯t concerned in the slightest. Gokurk was slow and for some reason, Cyil felt that he could move faster, react quicker, and see things more clearly. For once, Cyil felt confident in his abilities to handle the situation.


    At this point, Celestine was crying her eyes out as she thought of the mess she had made. She knew she wasn¡¯t supposed to bring strangers into the house or even talk with people, but she had grown lonely. Everyone knew of Gokruk¡¯s bad temper so no one dared to talk with her and being in such an isolated farmland didn¡¯t help. Everyday, Celestine would walk around the farmland and talk to the animals she saw. It had been 3 months since the last time she went to Leydford city that she had seen another living person aside from her father. 3 months, until today where she had found Cyil.


    Celestine felt guilt well up inside of her and she didn¡¯t want Cyil to die because of her. Then, as she saw her father grab the knife from the counter, her face paled. When Gokruk swung the knife down to a calm looking Cyil, Celestine thought Cyil had accepted his fate and without hesitating at all she jumped to shield Cyil from the blade.


    *Puk*


    The knife slashed Celestine¡¯s shoulder and ripped down her chest and pass her abdomen.


    Cyil saw Celestine¡¯s back block his view and smelled the blood spurting into the air.


    Gokurk¡¯s eyes widened and he dropped the bloodied knife, stumbling backwards and not believing what he had done. Years of efforts had been wasted. All his money was gone. Gokurk could see the wound and the sight of it made him faint. He was not originally a farmer and was just a traveling merchant. He only bought Celestine and her mother 10 years ago, before he slowly became bankrupt; luckily, he had manage to obtain the farm from the mayor of Leydford. Of course, in exchange for the farm, the mayor had had enough payments in the form of Celestine¡¯s mother visiting his manor.


    Celestine¡¯s mother then died just two years after she was bought by Gokurk. The cause of death was unknown, but the shock that came with the death devastated Celestine¡¯s growing mind. Since then, Celestine grew to rely on Gokurk and forgot her 7 years of life before. To Celestine, her papa was the only one in the world that had always been there for her.


    ¡°Papa,¡± Celestine managed to say before her body went limp.


    Cyil quickly moved to catch Celestine¡¯s falling body. Holding onto her, he could feel the heavy blood coat his palms.


    ¡°No,¡± Cyil shook his head. ¡°No. Celestine.¡±


    Cyil concentrated and began reciting incantations underneath his breath, directing the water particles in his body to flow correctly. Cyil had tried to use this spell on himself when he was injured, but had failed to cast it every time; now, he needed it to work!


    Soothing Water!


    A stream of water coalesced in front of Cyil¡¯s bloodied palms and he gently moved the water to cover Celestine¡¯s long gashing wound. Soothing Water was the only healing spell that Cyil knew and he poured all his elemental energy into maintaining it. Cyil didn¡¯t even care about Gokurk who scrambled to his feet in fear.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°You. You¡¯re a mage!¡± Gokurk had seen magic a few times before so he knew that what Cyil had just use was magic. This realization scared Gokurk witless and he did not hesitate to flee. He only had one place to seek refuge from because if a mage decided to kill him then it would be simple! Gokurk hurried out of the house and ran as fast as his flabby body could take him to the mayor¡¯s manor. The mayor was a mage, too, so he could surely kill Cyil for him!


    Cyil focused on keeping the spell Soothing Water active and although he knew it was used for minor wounds, this was the best he could do. He didn¡¯t know any higher leveled spell nor did he know of any way to use herbal medicines to close the wound. Back in Fayburn, Grandma Sueta didn¡¯t know magic but she could magically cure illnesses and mend wounds. Cyil wished he knew how to do that at this moment, but could only watch as his tears fell into the stream of Soothing Water.


    Celestine¡¯s wound was too large and some of her organs had been punctured by the knife; Soothing Water was not enough, and although water mages were second only to Life Saints in healing, Cyil would at least need to cast the rank 5 level 3 water spell: Calm of The Morning Dew, to have a chance to save Celestine. As things stood now, Cyil was only prolonging the inevitable.


    Half an hour went by and Cyil had already overdrawn his elemental energy. He was prepared to burn his life force, but didn¡¯t know how and as the last of his elemental energy left his body; Soothing Water vanished and Celestine¡¯s peaceful face cringed, the pain having increased and returned to her.


    Celestine¡¯s tan face was now pale as her blood began draining out faster. Celestine struggled to open her eyes and when she finally managed to she felt Cyil¡¯s tears hit her cheeks like a light rain pattering on a flower¡¯s petals.


    Although Celestine could no longer see things clearly, the light in her eyes dimming, she could make out a fuzzy figure crying over her. Grunting through the pain, Celestine managed to spit out a few gurgled words:


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Pervert.¡±


    Afterwards, Celestine smiled her first true smile since her mother had died and she let go, on a journey to reunite with her mama and her real papa¡­.


    Cyil stayed there for a long while, his tears dried out like his elemental energy. He was reminded of Betsy¡¯s death and Cyil became despondent. Celestine was a good person-- she didn¡¯t ask for any of this. If only he had left and not followed Celestine home. Cyil began to feel like he was a curse that brought disaster to all those near him.


    ¡°Celestine. Celestine. Celestine.¡± Cyil repeated Celestine¡¯s name but she did not respond.


    In the pool of blood Cyil sat, as a darkness unchained itself deep within him.


    ***


    Gokurk ran the most he had ever in his life. Halfway to Leydford city, Gokurk managed to catch a ride with a traveling merchant and persuaded the man, with some silver coins, to travel faster.


    When they finally reached Leydford City, Gokurk went directly to the mayor¡¯s manor where he was stopped by the guards. After waiting for the guards to relay his message, Gokurk was invited into the manor.


    Gokurk was then escorted to the Mayor¡¯s study, where he was left alone with the Mayor who was called Estan.


    Estan was seated on his chair as he gestured for Gokurk to speak.


    Gokurk tried his best to calm down and slow his breathing before saying, ¡°Your highness, we have a problem.¡± Although ¡®your highness¡¯ would only be used to address royalty, Gokurk knew Estan like being addressed this way.


    ¡°What problem?¡± Estan said, after scanning through some beast skin reports for a while.


    ¡°Celestine. Your Celestine is dead. She was murdered by a mage!¡± Gokurk spat this out with contempt, but couldn¡¯t hide the fear in his voice.


    When Estan heard this report his eyes immediately flared up in anger, but he kept his cool and promptly asked, ¡°Why? What mage? Tell me exactly what happened!¡±


    Estan wanted to know how or why the mage would kill a commoner. This was capital punishment if the mage killed a commoner without just cause. If the mage was stronger than him then Estan would make a plea to the kingdom, which would contact the mage association and they could handle the mage. But if the mage was weaker than him, then Estan would take care of the bastard himself!


    Estan had been particularly looking forward to having Celestine and had invested a lot in her. Estan had to supply Gokurk with all sorts of money and favors just to make sure he didn¡¯t hit her and continued to pretend to be her father. Estan had a fetish in that he liked having pure young women because they always ¡®tasted¡¯ the best; it was all that he lived for now that he had reached his limit of a rank 3 level 10 mage. Estan would never again advance his mage rank so he settled for becoming the Mayor of Leydford and living a life of pleasure.


    When Gokurk finished telling his gory story about how the mage had barged in the house, raped Celestine, then killed her, he didn¡¯t forget to include the part about his heroic actions of trying to fend off the mage.


    Estan got up from his seat, tossed the beast skin report he was reading on the table and said to Gokurk in a cold voice, ¡°get your fat ass on a horse and lets go.¡±


    Gokurk was startled at how Estan addressed him, as he would usually be treated with some degree of respect, and realized that he now had no value to Estan. In the past, Gokurk had been a bad merchant, but he could still read a person¡¯s mind and attitude and he knew that regardless of how things turned out today he would not fare well¡­


    It took Estan and Gokurk only an hour on horseback to reach Gokurk¡¯s farm and the wooden hut where Celestine had been killed. When the two arrived, Gokurk hid behind Estan¡¯s back as they entered the wooden hut. Estan proceeded with caution and was prepared to use his innate earth spell: Rocky Shield at a moment¡¯s notice, because he couldn¡¯t sense any mage¡¯s aura in the hut. This meant one of two things: that the mage was of a higher ranking and level than him or that the mage was already long gone.


    Gokurk had said it was a boy who was the culprit so Estan didn¡¯t think the former option was true, but if the mage was stronger than himself then Estan would not hesitate to run. Earth mages were recognized for their strong defensive methods so Estan had a chance of escaping mages that were a few levels higher than himself. Still, Estan was sweating bullets as he pushed the door open and glanced around the house.


    When Estan saw that no one was inside, he frowned. The entire room had been ransacked with every cupboard and cabinet searched through. There was a pool of blood on the kitchen floor, but Celestine¡¯s body was gone, bloody footprints leading up to the door.


    Estan relaxed his guard and he sighed, glad that the mage had indeed ran away. This meant that the mage was of a lower rankings and level than him. Turning to Gokurk, Estan said, ¡°that little bastard mage ran quicker than expected. Stay here while I chase after him. If I don¡¯t find him then we¡¯ll return to Leydford and pay an artist to make a sketch of his sorry face. Let¡¯s see where he can run to then!¡±


    Just as Estan finished speaking, he felt a tingling sensation shoot through his body, an alarm going off in his head.


    ¡°Danger!¡± Estan instinctively looked up towards the ceiling of the wooden hut and his eyes widened. A shining knife held in both hands by a bare-chested youth with a deranged look in his eyes plummeted straight down towards Estan¡¯s skull!

 Book 2: Chapter 15

    Book 2: Chapter 15


    Estan had no time to think and his rusty reflexes kicked in. Simultaneously, Estan leaned backwards, raised his hands up to catch the knife, casted Rocky Shield to cover his head and activated his grade 2 magical defensive robe as the knife closed in.


    The earth elemental particles in Estan¡¯s body began to coalesce and a faint outline of a shield was seen over Estan¡¯s head, but the knife slipped past this outline, digging into Estan¡¯s forehead before sliding down to gouge Estan¡¯s left eye and continuing on to rip through his cheek and jaw.


    Estan¡¯s half-raised arms faltered and he continued his fall backwards with the force from the knife and the body weight of the demonic looking boy pushing him down even quicker. Instead of piercing Estan¡¯s skull, the trajectory of the knife became a fierce slashing motion.


    *thump*


    Estan slammed onto the wooden floor, a horrendous wound on his head. The knife was now lodge on Estan¡¯s collarbone, having just nicked his left jugular vein. When the boy saw that his plan had failed, his eyes flashed with ruthlessness and the knife was quickly twisted, loosening it from the bone.


    Wreathed in unspeakable pain and feeling the fire of his life dancing precariously in the wind, Estan punched the boy in the ribs with his right fist, just as the knife loosened. Estan felt the snapping of a few ribs and the boy tumbled off. Estan roared through the pain as he quickly got on his foot. Squinting through his one good eye, he could see that the boy was now standing off to the side and eyeing the terrified and confused Gokurk.


    ¡°Die!¡± Estan shouted as he took out a sinister blood-red dagger and charged towards the boy. Estan was enraged, to put it lightly, and wanted to dismember the boy with his own hands. At the same time, Estan didn¡¯t want to let the boy have a chance to cast any spells because he still couldn¡¯t figure out the boy¡¯s mage ranking and level.


    Quickly closing the few feet that separated them, Estan stabbed towards the boy with his dagger, a rank 3 magical equipment. The dagger penetrated the air and suddenly elongated, reaching a finally length of six feet, before quickly retracting and returning its normal length.


    The boy had thought he¡¯d dodged the dagger but the extension caught him off guard, resulting in a wound to the shoulder.


    Estan didn¡¯t care that his first hit had missed and thrusted the dagger out once more.


    Estan¡¯s attack missed completely this time as the boy dodged behind the petrified Gokurk who had long since wet his pants.


    When Estan saw this, he scoffed and pointing the dagger towards Gokurk¡¯s abdomen, stabbed straight through, the dagger extending pass all of Gokurk¡¯s fat and various organs. Gokurk screamed in agony and he stared at Estan with wide eyes.


    Estan ignored Gokurk¡¯s look and quickly stabbed three more times with his dagger before Gokurk managed to fall to the ground, four clean holes now in his stomach. When Gokurk fell to the ground, Estan was shocked to see that there was a knife sticking in Gokurk¡¯s back and that the boy was gone!


    ¡°Little Bastard! I¡¯m going to hunt you down and eat you alive!¡± Estan had been played like a fool and was stabbing Gokurk for no reason. The boy had run! But he couldn¡¯t have gone far and Estan knew that, too, as he stopped casting his spell: Earth Spikes and gave chase.


    ***


    Cyil ran beneath the afternoon sun that blatantly showed his figure moving across the grassy hills. Cyil didn¡¯t know who the man he had attack was, but he could tell that the aging man was a mage and did not have any kind intentions. Cyil¡¯s plan was to kill Gokurk, but his plan had changed when he saw the mage. Cyil knew that he had to kill the mage before he could kill Gokurk and he immediately accepted this change without hesitation. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Something in Cyil had unraveled as he sat in Celestine¡¯s pool of blood. Like a missing cog returning to its rightful place in a machine, Cyil didn¡¯t know what it was, but he now knew that his Grandpa had been wrong in saying he should never kill. Cyil also understood why his Grandpa would contradict himself in saying ¡®nothing is absolute¡¯ then tell him killing is absolutely wrong. Cyil smiled as he thought back to Baccaus¡¯ kind eyes and words. Although Cyil could no longer agree with everything Baccaus had taught him, Cyil could agree with Baccaus¡¯ intentions.


    Cyil had failed to kill the mage and Gokurk, but he wasn¡¯t irrational enough to try and fight a losing battle. When Cyil¡¯s sneak attack failed, he was already preparing to run. Seeing the magical equipment only cemented Cyil¡¯s plan to flee.


    Cyil only had a few seconds of a headstart on the mage so he was thinking of ways to throw off the mage. Cyil thought of the spells he had in his arsenal and he shook his head. Cyil thought about how he had managed to ambush the mage and thought of trying it again, but looking around the open fields, he discarded that idea, too. Cyil¡¯s mind was working furiously trying to figure out how to survive and he didn¡¯t even realize that no one was chasing him.


    ***


    Estan did not chase after Cyil, but sat on a wooden chair holding a cloth to his neck trying his best to stop the bleeding. As soon as Estan had taken a step forward, the injury to his jugular vein had widened and blood gushed forth like a volcano erupting. Also, the pain from his face and neck finally registered and Estan cursed. He tore open a magical scroll with the water spell: Soft Mending Stream. An almost gelatin form of water appeared and wrapped itself around Estan¡¯s neck like a scarf.


    The blood quickly stemmed but the wound was slow to close; Estan could do nothing to Cyil and only gnashed his teeth in anger. He had to keep still and not aggravate the injury otherwise even the Rank 5 level 9 spell could not save him. After 10 minutes, the spell ran out of the predetermined elemental energy stored in it, the water scarf evaporated and Estan grunted. The wound was now mostly healed and as he waited, Estan had generously slathered a sticky brown substance with a strange smell on his facial wounds.


    The brown substance was the dung of a magical beast that was known for its healing properties. Estan couldn¡¯t dream to afford any of the magical beast¡¯s physical body and a piece of its dung had already cost him a pretty penny. Still, the effects of the dung was quite good and although Estan¡¯s face would have a nasty scar and his left eyeball could not be salvaged, his face would be healed in a few days.


    As Estan finished taking care of his wounds, he stared at the lifeless body of Gokurk on the wooden floor. Estan got up from the chair and kicked Gokurk in the head a few times then, careful not to aggravate his wounds, Estan calmed himself and left the wooden hut, preparing to head back to Leydford. Estan gave up on chasing after Cyil not because too much time had passed, but because he couldn¡¯t even sense Cyil¡¯s aura. Where would he begin to look? How in Nakrul was anyone supposed to find someone without their aura? Estan still couldn¡¯t figure out why Cyil could hide his aura, as Cyil was clearly of a lower mage ranking than him, but Estan didn¡¯t care for the reason. All Estan knew was that he remembered Cyil¡¯s face and that he wouldn¡¯t stop until he saw Cyil¡¯s dead body.


    Estan mounted his horse and looked at the horse Gokurk had ridden. Estan took out his dagger and pointed it towards the horse¡¯s head. The dagger extended, retracted and was put away. Estan returned to Leydford at a leisurely pace, thinking about which one of his women he should have tonight.


    ***


    Cyil ran until he reached a patch of woods then dodged inside the tree thicket. He had thought it was odd that the mage wasn¡¯t chasing after him and only sighed in relief when he didn¡¯t see the man after half an hour. Cyil made his way through the woods and reached a small clearing where a small mound of fresh dirt formed.


    Cyil looked at the mound then moved to a bush next to the mound and rummaged through it. He took out a sack stuffed with food, some money, and clothes. Cyil took off his dirty shirt and torn pants, replacing them with a fresh pair of clothes that belonged to Celestine. Gokurk¡¯s clothes had been too large so Cyil settled on Celestine¡¯s clothes. Cyil had ransacked the house after awakening from his absent mindedness. Although his mom had told him stealing was bad, Cyil still went ahead and stole; Cyil didn¡¯t mind stealing from Gokurk at all.


    Cyil then took a seat on the ground, thought about how his 30 second battle had went today and meditated, patiently waiting in the small woods.


    Cyil meditated until the sky grew dark and the night insects began chirping. Looking up at the starry sky, Cyil stood up and swung the sack over his shoulder.


    Cyil glanced at the mound of dirt and said, ¡°Celestine, I am not sorry for your death. I am not sorry I killed your father and I am not sorry for our meeting. It was only for a day that I¡¯ve known you, but in that short time you have opened my eyes and for that I thank you. If there is a life after Nakrul, then we shall meet again there. But until then, rest well with the elements.¡±


    After saying those words, Cyil walked away out of the forest and into the great dark.

 Book 2: Chapter 16

    Book 2: Chapter 16


    The night was a huge shadow that loomed in the absence of light. Cyil ran with that shadow as a cover, careful to avoid curious eyes. When Cyil was hungry he would stop to eat the rations he had. When he was thirsty he used his innate spell: Water Sphere to drink from. Cyil limited his traveling to the night, travelled off the main road and stayed away from towns and cities. Occasionally, Cyil would break this routine to ask a traveler for directions and to determine where he was.


    After nine days of traveling during the night and meditating during the day, Cyil asked a traveler and learned that he was currently in the Rovaria Kingdom. Mahoj¡¯s town had been on the border of the Aucreles Kingdom so it wasn¡¯t too odd that Cyil had made it to another kingdom. The sizes of each kingdom was enormous and unless someone could fly or teleport it would take awhile to travel from kingdom to kingdom.


    Despite being in aother kingdom, Cyil still remained vigilant and only entered a city after nine more days of traveling. By now, Cyil had already gone through all his rations two times over and he had shedded Celestine¡¯s clothes, opting for a different pair. Cyil ran out of the initially prepared food after nine days and subsisted for two days on various plants and small animals that he could find. Cyil didn¡¯t need to eat a lot but he still needed to eat, so he ¡®bought¡¯ some clothes and food from a farmhouse he had passed by. Cyil had been quiet, took what he needed, and left what he thought was adequate payment on the doorstep of the farmhouse.


    Cyil couldn¡¯t help but to feel nervous as he paid 5 copper coins to one of the guards collecting the toll; passing through the large gates and entering a city for the first time, Cyil was first hit by the noise of people, carriages and various tinkerings. After the noise, came the many different smells-some were of delicious foods while others were of urine. Then finally, the sight of the two-three even four storied buildings with their detailed etchings and abstract designs in addition to the wide open road lined with stalls and booths set up on either side, came into Cyil¡¯s view.


    Cyil stood still for a moment to explore the grandeur of the city, like a foreigner of another species visiting a completely different realm. People entering from behind, in a hurry to go about their business, pushed Cyil along.


    Cyil flowed with the crowd, slowly observing everything he could take in. Floating down the main street of the city for 200 yards, the crowd finally thinned and Cyil was no longer pushed forward. Cyil had been delivered to a large circular opening where various wooden boards with postings on them were present.


    Walking up to the board Cyil could see some of the postings and knew the purpose of the boards.


    The upright wooden boards formed a square and had postings about jobs, mayoral announcements, advertisements, and many other things. Cyil was looking for any information regarding the recruitment of soldiers to be sent to the western border. Cyil quickly glanced pass all irrelevant postings such as: recruiting new maid who is 16-25 years old, looking for rank 2-3 warriors for a transportation mission to Ghomel City, Mayor Bandao is looking for a new assistant (must be young male),  selling grilled fire eels for 10 coppers each- a true delicacy, etc.


    The postings went on and on and Cyil scanned through all the various postings with lightning speed, as if he had always been able to read so quickly. Cyil didn¡¯t stop reading until he came to three very large and old postings. What he saw from these postings shocked him, even capable of disturbing his already strong mind. These postings were made with high grade beast skins that wouldn¡¯t easily deteriorate with time and the format of all three postings were the same. There was a name at the top followed by a picture in the middle then a short description and glaring numerical value on the bottom.


    The first posting was as follows:


    [Baccaus Petros, Rank 7 Level 10 wind and shadow dual elemental mage


    [A lifelike sketch of the wrinkly, old Baccaus¡¯s face looking bored]


    Enemy and traitor of the human race. Stole one of humanity¡¯s greatest treasures: The Holy Book of The Wizened. Wanted Dead or Alive. Reward: 1,000,000,000 magical crystals of any type and three grade 9 magical equipment of any type. Report to any of the six Royal Capitals for reward.


    Rank 6 or higher mages may report to the Mage Association for the criminal¡¯s aura.]


    Cyil was shocked when he saw his grandpa¡¯s face! And after reading the description about his grandpa, Cyil couldn¡¯t help but to shake his head in disagreement. His grandpa was a good person and had wanted peace. Even if he had stolen the book, Cyil knew his grandpa must have had a good reason to do so. Cyil gritted his teeth, thinking of how his grandpa was doing in the dark space. Cyil had tried to enter that dark space again during his meditations, but he couldn¡¯t. He had long ago realized that his grandpa and grandma were not in a good position when they ushered him away, but Cyil still hoped they were both safe. That was all he could do for them, because he couldn¡¯t even help himself right now.


    Himself. Right. Looking at the poster next to Baccaus¡¯ Cyil¡¯s eyes bulged and his mind shook. The picture on that poster was of him! No, not Mahoj but of him, Cyil Cintu, his real body.


    [No known name. Calls himself Death God, Rank 7 level 7 Death Saint


    [A lifelike sketch of an adult Cyil¡¯s face, with eyes as black as the night]The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A walking disaster, dangerous to all living creatures on Nakrul. Destroyer of Drosan Kingdom, eradicator of Reflecting Jysht woodlands, and plunderer of the Mercenary Association¡¯s Headquarters. Information on Ranking and Level subject to change due to quick advancements. Do not engage.]


    Cyil didn¡¯t know what to think. He did all of that? The Crystal Cyil was responsible, but Cyil felt as if he was partly responsible. Then Cyil thought of something and looked over the posting again. Drosan Kingdom? That was the kingdom where Fayburn was located and now that kingdom had fallen to his own hands. Cyil found everything unbelievable. Just as chaos began to ensue in Cyil¡¯s mind, a warm feeling jolted his mind back to order and Cyil¡¯s thoughts reorganized.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to find out more about this. I can¡¯t change the past so no use in getting caught up in it.¡± Cyil realized his lack of information was a factor hindering his outlook and made plans to expand it; for now, however, he looked on towards the third posting. This posting didn¡¯t bring the intense surprise the other two had brought, but Cyil still found the poster to be intriguing because the description was different.


    [Yang Su, Rank ?? level ?? unknown attributes


    [A lifelike sketch of a young man with sword shaped eyebrows, deep brown eyes, and tied up hair.]


    A message to Yang Su: Nakrul does not welcome your kind.]


    Cyil thought Yang Su was such an odd name and couldn¡¯t help, but to wonder who the man was and what the description meant. Nakrul was the name of the continent he was on and was not a living being so how could it not welcome someone. Perhaps, it was someone with the name Nakrul. Cyil shrugged as it didn¡¯t really mattered to him and he continued scanning the board.


    Cyil had only began to read the next posting when a voice sounded out from a middle aged man standing next to him: ¡°Hey, kid, looking at the infamous three criminals? Your first time seeing them? Let me tell you, don¡¯t even think of even seeing those three. There is a reason why they are being displayed here for all to see and that is to scare ordinary folks. No one really expects us commoners to catch those three and it has been a long time since anyone has even seen Baccaus or Yang Su. The one that is most worrisome is that Death God. He kills without remorse or discrimination- women, children, even babies are not spared. He decimates a whole town just to absorb their life energy, it¡¯s disgusting. Anyways, I am called Florens. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Cyil glanced at the burly man standing next to him and said, ¡°Cyil.¡±


    ¡°Cyil?¡± Florens scratched his head. ¡°That¡¯s a good name. Are you here by yourself? You don¡¯t seem like an ordinary kid at all.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter to you?¡± Cyil¡¯s guard tightened even more at Floren¡¯s questions.


    ¡°It matters because I am interested in young men.¡± Florens said with a smile, but seeing Cyil¡¯s eyes turn cold, he quickly added, ¡°of course not in that way. No of course not. I mean interested in young men for my mercenary group! The annual mercenary tournament is coming up in four weeks and I want to increase the odds for our mercenary group. What do you say, brother?¡±


    When Cyil heard Florens call him brother, he almost choked. What brother and what ¡®our¡¯ mercenary group? Cyil found that the man sounded a bit desperate, but he still shrugged at Florens¡¯ offer and said, ¡°I¡¯m on my way to join the Rovaria Kingdom¡¯s army to fight the Dark Ones, so I don¡¯t have time to join a mercenary group. Besides, I hardly know you and you hardly know me.¡±


    Cyil rejected Florens, but Florens was not disheartened by what he heard and was instead happy. ¡°Brother Cyil, did you not hear? Two years ago, the seven, err six now, kingdoms declared that the Dark Ones are no longer a threat and discontinued actively recruiting soldiers. I myself was once a soldier for the Rovaria kingdom and was stationed at the western border. I was expecting fierce life and death battles, but I didn¡¯t even see any Dark Ones and was bored out of my mind. After my term was up, I gathered some of my comrades that I was stationed with and we created the Soaring Wolf mercenary group. Right now, mercenary groups are surging with an influx of people more than ever. Those many soldiers that were sent back from the western border are good for nothing muscle brains that only know how to fight, so many will end up joining a mercenary group.¡±


    Cyil thought about what Florens said and asked, ¡°can I still join the army?¡±


    ¡°Brother Cyil the army has no future for a bright young star like yourself. You should join our mercenary group, Soaring Wolf.¡± Florens looked at Cyil who wasn¡¯t amused or charmed then sighing he said, ¡°but I would hate to lie to you as this information is public everywhere. You can still join the army, but their requirements are now sky-high and they won¡¯t just take any random village man like they did in the past. But say even if you do pass their requirements and tests, you would probably end up guarding some noble family or standing out in front of gates collecting toll fees. It isn¡¯t the life for a youth with so much energy.¡±


    Cyil frowned, because his plan had been to go to the western border to get away from any local threats and train his physical body. Initially, Cyil wasn¡¯t planning on training his body to a high level and just wanted to experience the feeling and learn the methods. This body was not his and would not be in the future so Cyil didn¡¯t want to invest too much time into it. Cyil had already thought about all this, but there was a problem that kept bugging him. If he didn¡¯t get his real body back because he was too weak in any way then he would regret not training to the best of his potential. That was why Cyil was planning to give it his all and push Mahoj¡¯s body to the limit.


    Florens saw Cyil frowning and felt that he had lost another promising young contestant. This was the 9th one today, but to Florens¡¯ keen eyes, Cyil¡¯s body seemed strong, stronger than what any normal kid should have. Florens had tried all he could to convince Cyil, but the boy was not gullible enough to believe him. Florens sighed, thinking it was so hard to find kids traveling around by themselves these days. Where were the orphans all hiding? Florens was about to give up when Cyil said, ¡°where can I register to join the army?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, the barracks. Wait, now you have to apply at a mercenary association, ¡± Florens answered instinctively.


    Cyil heard what Florens said and thanked the man before walking off to find the mercenary association. Then Cyil thought of something and looking at the deflated burly man, he turned and said, ¡°Florens, can you take me to the mercenary¡¯s association?¡±


    When Florens heard Cyil¡¯s question, his already flickering hope reignited, as a young lover would feel invigorated if his crush led him on. ¡°Right,¡± Florens said. ¡°Follow me!¡±


    Cyil smiled as he followed the energetic Florens along to the mercenary association, glad he had found a guide.


    Florens marched right along, happy that he had remembered how applying to the army had changed and that it now required the applicant to be part of a mercenary group.

 Book 2: Chapter 17

    Book 2: Chapter 17


    Florens and Cyil arrived at the mercenary association without incident.


    The mercenary association was one of the largest buildings in the city and could hold more than a thousand people at once. There were four floors in total, but to access the higher floors a higher mercenary/warrior ranking would be needed; thus, the first floor was lively, entirely noisey and packed with hundreds of people. There were all sorts of characters here- some were large, some were small, some were friendly, while others were aloof. There were even some dwarves mixed in with the bunch.


    Florens pushed through the crowd as Cyil stuck close behind. They made their way to an open booth counter, where a disgruntled middle-aged woman was stationed. The lady had a hardened face and if she maintained her looks she would be pretty, but as she was now, even Cyil was somewhat frightened by her.


    ¡°Hello Emilia, you¡¯re looking much prettier than usual today! Is it your hair?¡± Florens traced his chin in thought, trying to appear charming.


    The middle-aged woman called Emilia didn¡¯t react, already used to Florens¡¯ antics, and responded: ¡°What do you want Florens? If you want to fight then I get off in 3 hours.¡±


    Florens raised his arms up in defense, dreading the thought of fighting Emilia. ¡°Fight against you? Goodness no.¡± Then, clearing his throat Florens moved to the side to reveal the scrawny Cyil standing behind him. ¡°I am here to help brother Cyil join the Rovaria army. Can you help us with that, pretty Emilia?¡±


    Again, Emilia ignored Florens sweet talk, grabbed a piece of paper and feather quill and passed the items to Florens. ¡°Fill out the form then we¡¯ll perform the physical assessment afterwards. Don¡¯t forget the 50 silver coins fee.¡±


    Florens gladly accepted the form and quill and passed them to Cyil. ¡°Brother Cyil, I see that you are gifted with the ability to read, so I hope you can write, too, because I cannot write to save my life. When would I ever need to write, after all? I¡¯m not going to write a book about my life or anything. If I do write, I¡¯ll write with my blade.¡±


    Cyil, more focused on the form, only nodded at Florens¡¯ words. The form was straightforward, asking for the applicant¡¯s name, age, birth kingdom, warrior ranking, reason for joining the army, and mercenary group.


    Cyil filled out most of the form, paused, raised his head, and saw the smiling Florens. Cyil instantly knew why Florens would be so happy. Cyil could only sigh, ¡°Florens, why must someone be in a mercenary group? Can I leave this section blank?"


    Florens shrugged his shoulders adamantly. ¡°Brother Cyil, this is a new policy as the recruiting process has become more selective. They won¡¯t just accept anyone, and although your age and warrior ranking are important, it is even more important to know about your background. Those who are from well-known mercenary groups will have a more favorable chance of being accepted. Aside from that, the mercenary group can also vouch for the applicant¡¯s moral character, provide a record of the applicant¡¯s achievements and much more. So, it is essential to join a mercenary group if you want to join the army.¡±


    Cyil frowned and asked, ¡°It¡¯s that complicated?¡± He was too young to remember how the recruiting process was when the Dark Ones were rampant on the western border, but nearly every man in Fayburn had been drafted. Cyil was sure that none of the men were in mercenary groups or were that high of a warrior ranking.


    Florens nodded and said apologetically. ¡°Brother Cyil, I am also angered by this complication. If there was only a way I could help¡­¡± Florens let his sentence linger in the air.


    Cyil could clearly sense Florens insinuation and said, ¡°can you help me form my own mercenary group?¡±


    Florens was flabbergasted, his smile twitching. ¡°Brother Cyil, why must you be so hard on yourself? Creating a mercenary group is easy, but maintaining one is difficult. You first need to have 500 gold coins then need at least 5 people and there are other complications, too. It is much easier to join an existing mercenary group. Of course, it¡¯s important to find the right mercenary group, because some groups are notorious for their ruthless actions and others are too controlling of their members. I am glad to say that Soaring Wolf is a group that treats all our members as brothers and act accordingly, as humans should: only attacking when we are attacked and not pillaging helpless victims.¡±


    Florens didn¡¯t give up pitching to Cyil and Cyil noticed this, thinking that Florens talked too much. Cyil was about to answer when Emilia, who had been listening to the conversation the entire time, interjected:


    ¡°Boy, you can leave the mercenary section blank. It won¡¯t affect the selection process much because even if you join Soaring Wolf, their small mercenary group won¡¯t help your application very much.¡±


    When Florens heard what Emilia had said he was at a lost of words and could only sigh. Florens had already felt bad that he was pushing such an unwilling boy to join his mercenary group and decided it really was time to give up. It wasn¡¯t his style to be so desperate, but the mercenary group winning the regional annual mercenary tournament would receive 50,000 gold coins and 10 weapons equivalent to rank 2 offensive magical equipments.


    The annual mercenary tournament was divided into division by age range: 16 and under, 17- 25, 25-50, and 50 and up. There were also different levels of the annual mercenary tournament that the winners from the previous level would advance to: the regionals, the kingdoms, and the empire. Florens and the majority of his mates were over 50 and had no chance of winning, so they could only pin their hopes on their members competing in the younger division. If they could just win at this regional annual mercenary tournament then it would be enough to propel the prestige and strength of Soaring Wolf into the skies. Florens didn¡¯t dare dream they could even compete at the kingdom level and was already in over his head thinking about winning at the regional tournament.


    Snapping out of his mood, Florens could feel Cyil¡¯s questioning eyes on him and Florens said truthfully, ¡°Brother Cyil, Emilia is correct. Soaring Wolf is a low-rung mercenary group and we have only 20 members, even after existing for 20 years. You would fare better to join another mercenary group as our name on your application would probably have a negative effect rather than a positive one.¡±


    Cyil calculated the situation and thinking about how Florens had helped him and could help in the future, Cyil felt it would be okay to join Soaring Wolf. He didn¡¯t plan to stay with them for long and that would ensure that his ¡®curse¡¯ wouldn¡¯t kill them. This entire time, Cyil was most worried about bringing harm to Florens and the rest of the Soaring Wolf group so he had been adamant in not joining. Now, however, Cyil felt that things would be alright. This would just be a fleeting phase and he would be careful not to get too close with Soaring Wolf¡¯s members, then he would be off for the army, start his physical body training, and later join the mage association using his military background.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ¡°Brother Florens,¡± Cyil scratched his head. ¡°I would like to join Soaring Wolf. Seeing as to how sincere you are, I think Soaring Wolf can¡¯t be a bad place. But I can¡¯t promise to stay with Soaring Wolf in the future, so there¡¯s that to consider.¡±


    Florens was speechless for a moment; he didn¡¯t know what the boy was thinking, one moment he was cold and the next he wanted to join. Heck, the boy even called him brother. In any case, Florens tried to bear hug Cyil, but missed, as the prepared Cyil dodged to the side. This shocked Florens as he was a rank 3 warrior, and although he wasn¡¯t moving as fast as he could, Cyil should not have been able to dodge the hug.


    ¡°Brother Cyil, it¡¯s just a hug! We are truly brothers now!¡± Florens said through his smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t like hugs from men.¡± Cyil responded cooly, quickly writing down Soaring Wolf on the mercenary group section and handed the completed form to Emilia who shook her head, unable to decipher Cyil¡¯s decision.


    Florens recovered and pushed 50 silver coins over the counter to Emilia. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the fee, Brother Cyil.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Cyil didn¡¯t have 50 silvers, as he had only gotten 20 silver coins from Gokurk¡¯s house and had already paid half of that for the clothes and food at the farm house.


    ¡°Of course, don¡¯t mention it!¡± Florens was happy to pay for Cyil¡¯s fee and he asked for a form to complete Cyil¡¯s inauguration into Soaring Wolf. Cyil also filled out this new form and handed it back to Emilia. When the pair was done, Emilia brought them outside and to the back of the mercenary association where a large open field with various tools was available for testing a person¡¯s bodily strength.


    The first thing that caught Cyil¡¯s eyes was a young man dodging moving logs tied with individual ropes. Aside from dodging, the man had to manage his footing on the elevated wooden pegs and he was struggling to hang on, soon losing his footing before being struck in the back by a log. This caused a chain reaction as that moment of being stun allowed him to be hit by three more logs. The man fell to the dirt and coughed up some blood.


    Cyil watched the proceeding and thought it was interesting, hoping he could try it out. Then, looking to another area Cyil saw a group of men sparring with each other. In another area people were just running with sacks on their backs. All around were people trying their best to train their physical bodies. Cyil thought that if there was all there was to training the body then he could have trained on his own.


    ¡°Here is the first test.¡± Emilia¡¯s voice roused Cyil out of his thoughts. ¡°You wrote that you don¡¯t know your physical level so we¡¯ll determine it with this. Punch the stone with all your strength.¡±


    Cyil looked at the tall slick black stone that was 10 feet tall. Following Emilia¡¯s direction he walked up to the stone and took a horse stance before rotating his hips like the snapping of a whip and slammed his right fist into the black stone. When he made contact with the stone he expected his knuckles to crack and bleed against the hard surface, but instead it felt like he was hitting cotton.


    Retracting his fist, Cyil saw that the previous black stone was now glowing with some numerical letters.


    ¡°2.7, not bad,¡± Emilia couldn¡¯t help but praise Cyil, because this result would qualify Cyil to be ranked as a rank 1 or even rank 2 warrior, which was astounding.


    ¡°Brother Cyil! You¡¯re almost as strong as me!¡± Florens jested with a bit of seriousness, obviously happy because Cyil had exceeded his expectations.


    ¡°2.7? What does that mean?¡± Cyil asked Emilia and Florens.


    Emilia didn¡¯t answer, looked to Florens, jotted down the result and walked on over to the next test.


    Florens quickly beckoned Cyil to follow as he explained, ¡°the number represents how many times stronger you are than an average man. Right now you are over twice as strong as an average man. However, this doesn¡¯t mean you are automatically a rank 1 or rank 2 warrior, because rankings can only be determined with actual combat and includes various other factors like battle experience, agility, and tactics. Right now my strength is 4.5 times that of an average man, but I am still just a rank 3 warrior, so strength does not correlate with rankings. ¡°


    As Florens explained, Cyil intently listened and began to understand how vague the warrior ranking system can be compared to the mage system. Thinking about something, Cyil asked, ¡°So the warrior ranking system is not reliable? How do I know if I¡¯ve improved or ranked up?¡±


    Florens scratched his head, ¡°I agree with you brother Cyil. The mercenary association is working with the mage association to develop better ways of measuring a warrior¡¯s strength but there are so many factors involved that the best we can do now is to have actual combat decide the ranking of an individual. This way a standard can be set and followed. I have seen instances of so-called ranked 1 warriors defeating rank 3 or 4 warriors, despite the difference in brute strength. In any case, your next test is speed so prepare for it.¡±


    Emilia stopped in front of an open stretch of ground and took out a small hourglass from the pouch she carried. ¡°When I tell you to do so, run to that pole and retrieve the flag.¡±


    In the distance, a red flag could be seen hovering in the air. To reach the flag and back would be about 400 yards of running in total. Cyil thought the task was simple enough and nodded, indicating that he was ready.


    Emilia did not waste any more words and flipped the hourglass, ¡°go.¡±


    Cyil took off like an arrow. He no longer ran at a steady pace like he was accustomed to, but exerted all his force, breaking into a sprint. Each stride he took covered 3-4 yards and he charged through the open grounds like a wild lion. Cyil reached the pole, jumped up the 10 feet to grab the flag, and used the pole as support to fling himself back in the opposite direction.


    Florens and Emilia nodded at how Cyil had used the pole, even though this was his first time taking the test. When Cyil ran past Emilia and Florens, the hourglass was tilted to its side and Emilia looked at the grain of sands.


    ¡°Good,¡± Emilia said and moved on to the next testing site.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know what ¡®good¡¯ meant and turned to look at Florens who was grinning from ear to ear. ¡°Brother Cyil, your speed isn¡¯t bad at all! It¡¯s much higher than even most rank 2 warriors I¡¯ve seen. You ran so fast I thought you were being chased by a magical beast!¡± Florens laughed and felt that the chances of Soaring Wolf taking the 16 and under prize at the regional annual mercenary tournament had increased greatly.


    Cyil was still a bit confused about how warrior rankings worked, but he thought that being comparable in speed to a rank 2 warrior should be good. Before Cyil could ask Florens any more questions, Emilia said, ¡°Since this is only a basic evaluation, we will not be doing coordination, tactics, agility, weapons proficiency, stealth, vision, or those other tests, but we will be doing the most important test of all- actual combat.¡±


    Standing in a small circular ring, Emilia spoke to Cyil then beckoned for him to come into the ring. Cyil walked slowly into the ring and Florens knowingly stepped a few feet away from the ring saying, ¡°good luck brother Cyil.¡±


    Cyil looked to Florens¡¯ pitying face and to Emilia¡¯s stern face and asked, ¡°I¡¯m supposed to fight you?¡±


    Emilia nodded. ¡°Try your best to last as long as you can and don¡¯t step out of the ring. Of course, if you can defeat me or make me step out of the ring then it will be your win, too.¡±


    ¡°Defeat you?¡± Cyil frowned at the joke and at that moment Emilia attacked.

 Book 2: Chapter 18

    Book 2: Chapter 18


    Emilia dashed towards Cyil and threw out three consecutive punches.


    Cyil dodged the first punch with a sloppy duck, brushed against the second with a slight turn of his body, but was cleanly hit on the side of his throat with the third punch. Cyil gagged and stumbled away from Emilia as he felt a horrible ache on his neck. Holding onto his neck, Cyil glared at Emilia who scoffed and charged at the coughing Cyil once more.


    Cyil focused, thinking that he was just caught unprepared the first time; as he anticipated Emilia¡¯s fists, Cyil dodged her first punch and looked for the second one, but was instead kicked in the gut with the heel of Emilia¡¯s heavy boots. The force sent Cyil staggering back and teetering on the edge of the ring.


    Gasping for breath, Cyil steadied himself before dodging another of Emilia¡¯s kicks. Emilia didn¡¯t wait for Cyil to catch his breath and as if she could predict Cyil¡¯s movements, her foot pivoted, sending a lightning fast kick that landed on the dodging Cyil, who was stunned and sent out of the ring.


    Cyil kneeled on the ground and was just about to charge at Emilia when he saw her raised palm.


    ¡°You¡¯ve lost,¡± Emilia said with a hint of disappointment. Although she had restrained her strength and speed, Cyil still wasn¡¯t able to even adequately block or counterattack. Emilia had been hopeful when she saw Cyil¡¯s two test results, but his lack of experience was horrible. This situation was akin to a baby being given 10,000 gold coins, but couldn¡¯t use it or knew how to; it really was a waste.


    ¡°Lost?¡± Cyil looked down and could see that he was standing four feet out of the ring. The fight had lasted for merely 10 seconds! Cyil knew he was weak, but he didn¡¯t think he was this weak. Cyil inadvertently thought that even if he used magic the results would be the same. This thought sparked Cyil¡¯s interest in seeing a match between a warrior and a mage. ¡°Are mage¡¯s really omnipotent?¡± Cyil really wanted to know the answer to that question, but for now he wanted to fight.


    ¡°Can I try again?¡± Cyil ignored his aching body and eagerly asked Emilia.


    ¡°No,¡± Emilia said matter of factly, shutting Cyil down. ¡°This is the result you will get for this examination. If the army takes interest in your application then you¡¯ll be invited for a more thorough evaluation.¡±


    Cyil¡¯s shoulder dropped and he couldn¡¯t help, but to feel disappointed.


    Florens stepped up behind the deflated Cyil and said, ¡°Brother Cyil, Emilia is a rank 4 warrior so don¡¯t be too disappointed by your loss. I can see that your battle experience is low, but you are young and your bodily strength, instincts, and reflexes are good...with time you¡¯ll become strong. No one can just become an expert fighter in a day, after all. Don¡¯t be too disheartened. Our brothers at Soaring Wolf will do all we can to help you!¡± Florens tried his best to cheer up the kid who had just suffered a devastating loss.


    Florens¡¯ comforting confused Cyil; Cyil was disappointed, not because of his loss, but because he wanted to learn more from Emilia. To Cyil, a loss was to be expected. Cyil¡¯s strong soul and the events he had experienced with Baccaus had expanded his horizons so that although he was still a frog in a well, the sight he could see was more spectacular than what most frogs outside of a well could ever see.


    Cyil had seen such a high-level battle that he knew even Emilia couldn¡¯t contend with those at Baccaus¡¯, Kara¡¯s and the Crystal Cyil¡¯s level. Cyil aimed high because of that. If he couldn¡¯t even defeat Emilia, then what good would that be? Cyil didn¡¯t want that, because his grandpa had placed so much hope in him; he would definitely return to reclaim his body and save his grandpa and grandma soon.


    Cyil turned to Florens and said, ¡°Florens, let¡¯s definitely train later!¡±


    Florens thought Cyil would sulk some more and was happy to see that he didn¡¯t seem to be affected at all. He answered with a laugh, ¡°Brother Cyil don¡¯t worry about training at all. I just hope you won¡¯t quit because its too harsh.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Cyil said and turned to Emilia: ¡°Emilia, can you tell me when I will receive a response from the army?¡±


    ¡°It could take a month or longer because of the annual mercenary tournament. A majority of the high ranking officials in the army will probably be participating, too so expect a delay. But until then I advise you to work on your combat skills.¡± Emilia finished her words and returned to the mercenary association building, leaving behind Cyil and Florens.


    ***


    Rovaria Kingdom¡¯s Royal Capital: in a large meeting room within the royal manor, sat 9 astute figures, each with their own domineering aura.


    There were three females and six males, all of varying ages, but none weaker than the other in standing. These 9 figures were the true commanders and controllers of Rovaria Kingdom and they usually never gathered, except for major matters. Everyone sat in silence, as if awaiting a cue, when the door to the room cracked opened and a young overly handsome man with blazing hair walked in. As soon as the man entered, all 9 figures got up from their chairs, bowed their heads and enunciated, ¡°We greet your royal highness Iruka Rovaria, 38th ruler of Rovaria Kingdom, and master of flames.¡±


    The powerful voices each showed their clear admiration for the man with blazing hair, Iruka. But Iruka frowned and scolded the bunch, ¡°I told you bunch to stop with such formalities when we are by ourselves. Also, you¡¯re all making me feel a bit embarrassed. Master of flames? Sheesh if a fire elemental spirit or a lava dragon heard that, they would probably have a good laugh.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Iruka¡¯s playful attitude still didn¡¯t deter the 9 figures as their heads remained unmoving.


    ¡°Comon, sit, rise, lay down, just stop bowing your heads.¡± Iruka couldn¡¯t stand the sight of these 9 figures lowering their heads when they were all older than him by a large amount. To have someone older than you show so much respect would please others, but Iruka didn¡¯t like it. He could even remember calling a few of the figures grandpa and uncle, not too long ago.


    When the 9 figures finally sat back down, Iruka sighed and took his own seat at the head of the table. He cleared his throat and tried to act as a king should, ¡°I apologize for dragging you all here for this meeting, as I know each of you must be busy, but there is a grave matter at hand¡­ I¡¯m sure you have already heard rumors, but I¡¯m afraid those rumors are true. The Head Sage of the mage association, a rank 9 level 5 mage with a perfect earth elemental body, has fallen at the western borders!¡±


    When Iruka delivered this news, even his blazing hair dimmed down like a fire about to be extinguished. When he had heard the news, he had refused to believe it! The Head Sage was currently one of humanity''s strongest forces, but he had perished in the western borders. ¡°What could have taken out such a powerhouse,¡± Iruka couldn¡¯t help but to ask the messenger, who shook his head and quickly left to tell the other kings.


    After the news was dropped, the 9 figures immediately erupted with frenzied questions, losing all their composure.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible! The Head Sage was unrivaled under the realm of godhood. Even true dragons wouldn¡¯t dare fight him!¡±


    ¡°What about Head Sage¡¯s clones? They should be safe, right?¡±


    ¡°Do we know what entity the Head Sage fell to? Could it be a god?¡±


    ¡°No, gods should ascend to a higher plane of existence when they reach godhood. They shouldn¡¯t be able to influence Nakrul¡¯s matters.¡±


    Iruka listened to the endless questions and his head began to hurt. ¡°Quiet.¡± Iruka said sternly and a wave of energy instantly rushed over everyone, putting enormous pressure on their minds. When everyone felt Iruka¡¯s aura they were shocked that he had already become a rank 8 level 10 mage, just a step away from rank 9!


    They wanted to congratulate Iruka, but the somber situation didn¡¯t allow for such distractions.


    Iruka waited a bit for everyone to digest the information and naturally, these figures regained their composure quickly.


    Cupping his two hands together, Iruka said in a grim tone, ¡°We do not know how the Head Sage fell and what the cause was, because even his two clones were simultaneously destroyed. As of now, the mage association is asking for all of the six kingdom¡¯s to ready ourselves for war. That means, another draft could be happening as soon as today or could never happen. The war with the dark ones was over a long time ago, but the kingdoms decided that fear of an outside threat was needed to maintain peace. The current enemy for us is the Death God, but now, a real even larger threat has come and we don¡¯t have a clue as to what it is.¡±


    Iruka finished talking and uncupped his hands, inviting others to speak.


    One of the women with blue hair was the first to speak and cut straight to the crux of the matter: ¡°How would recruiting ordinary men be of any help? If what we¡¯re up against can defeat even the Head Sage then we¡¯re going to need more than just cannon fodder.¡±


    A man with no hair and a white beard said, ¡°I agree with Anaua. I just can¡¯t see how opening the draft would help. We should focus on a group of elites and request help from our allied races. I¡¯m sure they will be just as concerned about something that could take out a rank 9 mage.¡±


    Another man, this one with hair like snow, said in a piercing voice, ¡°I¡¯m sure his majesty has thought of all these things, but I would like to ask about the case where we are completely overwhelmed by this opposing force. What will we do then? Will we do as our ancestors did with the dark ones, invite them for a meeting of truce then eradicate all of their leaders?¡±


    As everyone heard the snow hair man¡¯s words, they inhaled a breath of cold air. It was taboo to speak of pass happenings about the dark ones and not very many knew of it. The kingdoms, various associations, and guilds involved planned to keep it that way, too.


    Iruka frowned at the snow hair man¡¯s words and said, ¡°Amerys, don¡¯t forget the laws and elemental oaths we¡¯ve had to swear.¡±


    Amerys smiled apologetically: ¡°I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me, your highness.¡±


    Iruka nodded, the conversations began to flow and the heavy atmosphere from Amerys¡¯ question was eventually forgotten.


    ***


    As a storm was brewing in the Rovaria Royal Capital and all the five other kingdoms, Cyil was busy improving his combat skills with one of his brothers.


    Cyil swung his wooden sword, hacking at Valter¡¯s neck.


    Valter blocked the strike with his own wooden sword, but the force behind Cyil¡¯s swing pushed his sword up against his face. Valter was still shocked at Cyil¡¯s strength, even though he had experienced it firsthand many times before.


    Valter drew back and slashed at Cyil¡¯s feet.


    Cyil saw the attack and instinctively jumped up. That small moment where Cyil was airborne was enough for Valter to thrust his sword towards Cyil¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Cyil rubbed his chest and said, ¡°Valter, I still can¡¯t beat you even after we¡¯ve been at it for two weeks. Are you really just 15?¡±


    Valter laughed, sweat dripping down his forehead. ¡°You¡¯re a freak, brother Cyil. I should be asking you if you¡¯re really a 13 year old!¡± Valter wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued, ¡°anyways, you¡¯re improving at a monsterous pace since you got here. Now that your skills are decent, that strong body of yours puts me only at a slight advantage.¡±


    Cyil smiled, really feeling as if he had improved. ¡°It was all thanks to the brothers at Soaring Wolf for their help. Especially you, brother Valter, without your consent to spar with me I would still be just a muscle head.¡±


    Valter laughed and slapped Cyil on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the small things. You¡¯re like the little brother I never had, so this is natural. Let¡¯s keep at it and see how we do in the tournament. Last year I made it to the top 500, but this year I¡¯m aiming for the top 10!¡±


    Valter clenched his fists and freely spoke out his goal. Cyil nodded, still remembering to keep himself emotionally detached from others, and said, ¡°brother Valter. I¡¯m sure if you give it your all you¡¯ll have a good chance at the top 10.¡±


    Just as Cyil finished speaking, a loud voice mocked, ¡°Top 10? You two little sh!ts don¡¯t know nothing. Pray you even pass the qualifiers this year.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 19

    Book 2: Chapter 19


    Valter and Cyil turned towards the voice and saw four teenage boys, all around 15 years old, standing side by side. Valter couldn¡¯t tell which boy had spoken, but he narrowed his eyes and said, ¡°What. Who¡¯s to stop us from passing the qualifiers? Shut your mouth before you¡¯ve even fought us.¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t refute Valter¡¯s words, only continuing to glare at the most ordinary looking of the four boys. That was the boy who had made the jeering comment; Cyil could sense it and although he knew getting upset wouldn¡¯t do a thing, he was still dissatisfied.


    The boys heard Valter¡¯s retort, but began talking among themselves, completely ignoring Valter.


    ¡°Hmph, bunch of stray dogs barking,¡± Valter said. ¡°Brother Cyil, let¡¯s go.¡±


    At this moment, the tallest of the four boys broke out of the discussions. He strode up to Valter, who was a head shorter, and got up real close to Valter¡¯s face. His breath hitting Valter¡¯s unblinking eyes. ¡°I dare you to say that again.¡±


    Valter smiled, ¡°I said, you¡¯re a bunch of stray dogs.¡± Then Valter shrugged, ¡°happy?¡±


    The tall boy abruptly grabbed Valter by the shirt and lifted him up into the air. Valter didn¡¯t resist and simply said, ¡°oh, so you do have some teeth left to gnaw with.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking to die!¡± The tall boy¡¯s eyes turned dangerous and tightening his grip on Valter¡¯s shirt, he slammed downwards.


    As he was falling, Valter grabbed the tall boy¡¯s wrist and squeezed. With a snap, the wrists were dislocated, effectively interrupting the full force of the slam. Valter landed on the ground with a groan, then kicked the tall boy off of him. By now the tall boy was screaming in agony and rolling around the ground.


    Valter frowned, thinking that this level of pain shouldn¡¯t render such a reaction. Seeing the tall boy¡¯s scrunched up face and hearing his yells, Valter even felt somewhat bad for the boy. Looking to Cyil with confusion in his eyes, Valter didn¡¯t think the boy would be so weak after such big talk. Cyil shrugged his shoulders at Valter, also not expecting such an easy fight.


    The three other boys stared with open mouths, first shocked by the turn of events, then happy. Their ploy had gone better than expected. Of course, having their friend¡¯s wrist dislocated wasn¡¯t part of the plan, but this could be even better.


    The three boys quickly rushed up to the tall boy and said, ¡°Conrado, how much pain you¡¯ve suffered! Who knew that boy would be so vicious when we only wanted to talk!¡±


    The most ordinary boy pointed at Valter and said, ¡°you have harmed our friend and he may not be able to participate in annual mercenary tournament. We demand compensation for this loss!¡±


    When Valter heard the ordinary boy speak, he said, ¡°so you were the punk who spouted that nonsense. Why were you quiet until now?¡±


    The ordinary boy grew angry, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. All I know is that you¡¯ve harmed my friend and if you don¡¯t compensate us, I will have to bring the matters to the mercenary association.¡±


    Valter could see what these guys were all about and he laughed. ¡°Who taught you all how to scam people? This was a fight and he attacked me first. Besides, that injury can be healed within a week.¡± Valter couldn¡¯t believe that he had gotten angry over a bunch of scammers.


    Cyil also frowned at how things was turning out. Then, Cyil noticed that two middle aged men were walking over and he felt that things were about to get more complicated.


    Valter and Cyil had been training in a secluded space just outside of the city. Soaring Wolf¡¯s Headquarters was outside of the city, because they couldn¡¯t afford stationing themselves in the city. Since Cyil had began his training in that secluded area with Valter, they had hardly met any passerbys. Now, coincidentally, there were six visitors? Cyil didn¡¯t believe it.


    As the men walked passed the conflict, they purposefully stopped and interjected: ¡°Whoa whoa, what a horrible injury!¡± one of the men said.


    ¡°Horrific, indeed. Who would indeed do such a cruel thing to a defenseless person?¡± the other man added.


    ¡°What?¡± Valter, didn¡¯t know who these two men were, but their conjectures were all wrong. Turning to the two men, Valter explained: ¡°Seniors, this was a fight between me and him. I didn¡¯t ask for trouble but he grabbed me and slammed me to the ground, so I was right to retaliate. I¡¯ve only dislocated his wrists and they should heal fine so-¡±


    Suddenly, one of the man spoke over Valter¡¯s explanation. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know what happened? I saw it with my own eyes, you have ruined this boy¡¯s future! Dislocated wrists? More like shattered bones and ruptured organs, not to mention the trauma. Listen to how much agony he is in.¡±


    Valter¡¯s eyes widened. All he could think of was, ¡°what the Nakrul was going on?¡±


    Cyil¡¯s eyes squinted and he said, ¡°Seniors, I was here and I also witnessed everything. My brother and I truly meant no harm, but when fighting is involved, there are bound to be injuries. To have your wrists dislocated is not too bad of a result. Sometimes, even limbs are lost. Most times, a life forfieted.¡±


    The man who had interrupted Valter was quick to speak again, ¡°little boy who still sucks his mother¡¯s tits, I advise you to shut up. You don¡¯t know a thing about wounds. I can clearly tell that the boy¡¯s wound is serious and maybe even lethal! You¡¯ve committed a great crime.¡±


    The accusations were so poorly done that Cyil and Valter would have laughed, except that they couldn¡¯t find an easy way out of this unforeseen situation.


    Valter had some time to think as Cyil was speaking and now said, ¡°let¡¯s go to the mercenary association as was suggested then and have them resolve this. If we really are wrong, I will compensate for his wounds.¡±


    The two men exchange glances, surprised at the level headedness of this young man. Most people they had caught in this situation quickly caved in under the pressure from multiple parties and had given them ample compensation. However, there were also some stubborn ones like this young man, and this situation was already covered.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Suddenly, the ordinary looking boy shouted, ¡°oh no! Conrado is going to die! His breathing is lessening and his body is going cold.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Valter looked to the tall boy who was no longer screaming, but laid still with his eyes closed.


    Valter hadn¡¯t noticed as he had been caught up in the situation, but Cyil sensed the hidden actions. The short boy had slipped the tall boy a green pellet and after consuming it, the tall boy no longer screamed. Cyil thought it was medicine to help ease the pain and didn¡¯t think it would lead to such a scenario.


    Cyil spoke up, ¡°you fed him a pill. I saw it.¡±


    One of the man then said in an angry huff, ¡°quit lying indeed! Do you indeed have eyes behind your head? I was observing everything since the beginning and there were indeed no such pills. Both of you have spouted lies after lies since we seniors have indeed gotten here. Indeed, have you no respect?!¡±


    Cyil scoffed, but kept the mask of a confused and scared boy on his face.


    Valert was more direct, ¡°you two are may be older than us, but both your characters are not worthy of respect. I¡¯d thought as someone age they would be wiser, but today my eyes have truly been opened!¡±


    The two men trembled with anger, ¡°you--.¡± Even after their many scams, they hadn¡¯t faced two kids with so much balls. They were at both rank 3 warriors, but had been delegated to scamming people because of the harsh quota of their mercenary group-- Ravenous Serpents. At first, they were both disgruntled with the work, but it proved to be safer and more efficient than hunting for magical beasts or taking on tedious missions. They had grown to like it and had gotten good at it; they now even had some younger members from their group help them.


    ¡°Do you know what mercenary group we¡¯re from, boy? I could have your mercenary group,¡± the man looked at the patch on Valter¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Soaring Wolf eradicated in less than a day.¡±


    Valter frowned and finally noticed the patch on the two men¡¯s arm. ¡°Ravenous Serpents,¡± Valter gasped, knowing that this was a mercenary group Soaring Wolf could not offend. Ravenous Serpents were not only vicious, but one of the largest mercenary groups centered in Rovaria Kingdom. Members of Ravenous Serpents were known for their unbridled arrogance and untamed nature. Now Valter understood why these goons would be so confident despite their sloppy accusations. Giving an inch to these Ravenous Serpents would result in them taking a mile.


    Valter immediately lowered his head, bending ninety-degrees at the waist and robotically said, ¡°Seniors, I apologize for my words. I had eyes, but could not see the greatness before me. My brother and I are truly sorry.¡± As Valter said these things he gestured for Cyil to bow, but Cyil remained standing.


    One of the men saw this and said, ¡°it looks like your brother here doesn¡¯t quite agree. That¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Cyil, quickly,¡± Valter whispered through his teeth.


    Cyil thought for a bit then reluctantly bowed, repeating Valter¡¯s words.


    The two men laughed, while the three boys snickered. They had finally caught their prey. Now it was just a matter of how much they could extort.


    ¡°Since you indeed know which mercenary group we¡¯re from, it¡¯ll be much simpler.¡± One of the men took out a small sack and tossed it to the ground. ¡°Give us all you¡¯ve got and if we¡¯re happy, you can indeed go.¡±


    Valter gritted his teeth and bent down to pick up the bag, but just as he did so, the ordinary boy took this opportunity to boot Valter¡¯s buttocks, sending him headfirst into the dirt.


    Valter managed to catch himself in time and was not hurt, but the humiliation he felt was surging. Still, Valter could only silently endure.


    Cyil saw the actions through the corner of his eyes and although he wanted to stay emotionally detached, he no longer could. Soaring Wolf had been good to him and Valter even moreso. Cyil was even more furious when he saw Valter¡¯s watery eyes.


    Valter quickly took out a small pouch from his sash and placed it into the sack then said, ¡°Seniors, this is all I have. My brother has nothing as I carry all our money.¡±


    ¡°Liar,¡± the ordinary looking boy said. ¡°You two were training so you couldn¡¯t have carried much. Let¡¯s go back to where you live and see what you have there.¡±


    Valter¡¯s face turned pale.


    Cyil jumped in and said, his voice the epitome of cowardice, ¡°please, great sirs, our mercenary group is but a weak one. We don¡¯t have much at all in the way of money.¡±


    By now the man had sifted through the pouch Valter had placed in the sack and said, ¡°16 gold coins, 15 silver, 92 coppers. This must be your entire savings, right?¡±


    Valter¡¯s eyes were red, but he refused to cry like a child. That was indeed his entire savings; it was the money he had received from his father before he had died and the money he had saved up after being in Soaring Wolf for 2 years.


    ¡°Yes, senior, that is all I have,¡± Valter said, his voice hoarse.


    The two men looked at one another and laughed. Then one of them said, ¡°fine, I am almost satisfied. Let¡¯s see¡­.You two just need to strip naked and give us your clothes, then I will be satisfied.¡± the man clapped his hands together as if telling them to hurry up.


    ¡°Why?¡± Valter asked. Their clothes were not magical equipments or anything. They were worn, torn and sweaty cotton clothes.


    ¡°Because I said so. You wouldn¡¯t want to anger your seniors, right?¡±


    Valter squeezed his eyes shut, then felt a reassuring pat from Cyil. Valter opened his eyes to stare at Cyil who had already began taking off his clothes.


    Cyil stripped down to his undergarment.


    When the group saw what Cyil had done they were not amused because Cyil had done so too willingly. They wanted to humiliate the two, not this.


    ¡°Everything,¡± the ordinary looking boy said, clearly dissatisfied with Cyil¡¯s calm actions.


    Cyil frowned, thinking that these tyrants were going too far. Cyil wasn¡¯t too clear on who the opposing group was, but based on Valter¡¯s reaction Cyil had a clue. Cyil had been following along, but his patience was wearing thin; it was almost as if a sealed door was about to be opened.


    ¡°Brother Cyil,¡± Valter couldn¡¯t help it anymore as his voice trembled and tears began to fall down his face. He was only a 15 year old after all, and this was the worst form of humiliation he had received in his life.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Cyil said reassuringly, his face no longer bothering with the facade of a frightened boy.


    Cyil moved to take off his undergarment, but at that moment as if thinking of something better, the ordinary looking boy said in a nasty tone, ¡°wait. I have a better idea! Why don¡¯t we make it so these two can¡¯t compete in the annual mercenary tournament. I heard that one there talking about making it to the top 500 the year before. I imagine he¡¯s quite strong and have a good chance to make it higher this year. Let¡¯s make it so that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    Cyil froze when he heard these words and his eyes sharpened.


    The two men looked at each other, thinking about it for a bit then finally nodded. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t cripple them, their mercenary group shouldn¡¯t have reason to find trouble with us. Having them stay in bed for a month will satisfy me.¡±


    ¡°Let me have a go at them after you¡¯re done,¡± the ordinary boy said with a sinister smile.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± one of the men said, cracking his knuckles.


    In a flurry of events, the situation had turned from a simple confrontation to extortion and now to violence.


    Valter trembled at the thought of not being able to compete in the annual mercenary tournament. Next year he would still be able to compete in the 16 and under division, but he had trained so hard. Gritting his teeth, Valter said, ¡°Brother Cyil, protect your vitals and endure! Don¡¯t try to dodge or fight back. Endure.¡±


    Valter covered his head and crouched down, preparing himself for the blows. Valter waited.


    ¡°What?!¡± Several startled screams roused Valter from his defensive position.


    Valter looked up and gasped.


    One of the men had a hole in his heart and with bulging eyes said, ¡°mage. You¡¯re indeed one.¡± Afterwards, he dropped to the ground with a thud. A rank 3 warrior was taken out in one shot.

 Book 2: Chapter 20

    All eyes were on Cyil. No one made a move. They didn¡¯t even bother with the dead body on the ground, but choose to scrutinize the almost naked boy who now exuded a different aura that made him seem like a vicious beast incarnate. Everyone thought, ¡°was this really the same boy from just moments ago?¡±


    No one knew what to make of the situation, then Cyil shouted, ¡°Brother Valter, fight with me!¡± This shout broke the silence and everyone began making their moves.


    Cyil superimposed his palms, one on top of the other, and aimed at the remaining rank 3 warrior.


    Spiraling Water Sphere!


    Immediately, a spherical ball of water coalesced on Cyil¡¯s palms, but unlike before when it was just a blob of floating water, this water began to spin at a rapid pace. The spin became stronger and faster until the water sphere became almond shaped. As soon as the almond shape formed, Cyil grunted and the almond shaped water shot out.


    The rank 3 warrior was prepared this time and when Cyil raised his arms up the man dodged to the side, narrowly evading the Spiraling Water Sphere Cyil had unleashed.


    Sweat dripped down the man¡¯s forehead as he stared at Cyil. The man cursed his forsaken luck and knew that it was too late to beg for forgiveness-- not after the little play that had been put on. He charged towards Cyil, quickly closing the small gap between them.


    The man shouted to the 3 teenage boys who were frozen in place: ¡°kill these two little bastards otherwise we¡¯re all dead!¡±


    The man didn¡¯t have his weapon with him so he simply punched out towards Cyil¡¯s forehead.


    Cyil heaved in short sharp breaths as he ducked from the man¡¯s first strike. He had modified his innate spell to make it more useful, but each time he used it a huge toll would wrack his physical body and elemental energy reserve.


    Cyil could only use the spell 3 more times before he ran dry. Accordingly, the power of the spell had a direct correlation with its cost. The spell Cyil had used was similar to the rank 4 level 8 water spell: Liquid Piercing Arrow. Despite this, Cyil didn¡¯t know the true strength of what he had came up with because he had nothing to compare it with...


    After Cyil returned with Florens to the Soaring Wolf¡¯s headquarters, Cyil began to diligently train his physical body with the methods Florens and the other members of Soaring Wolf suggested. Cyil was engrossed in learning, but he didn¡¯t neglect his meditation time and mage training. Cyil meditated all throughout the night, not sleeping for an iota of time and when he had an idea he would sneak off in the night to train his magic. Cyil¡¯s goal was to increase his combat strength.


    Cyil knew that his arsenal for attacking was sorely lacking so he went to work on testing the limits of the only spells he knew. Cyil familiarize himself with the spells (Water Ball, Water Shield, and Soothing Water) and once he could actually cast each one proficiently, he found that water ball had next to nothing in attack power. It would at the most drench the target. Cyil tried multiple ways to make the ball of water fly faster but nothing worked. Cyil recalled from Mahoj¡¯s memories that Water Ball could suffocate an individual if it was forced on as a helmet. Cyil didn¡¯t really like the idea and thought it was too slow so he kept on trying new things.


    Cyil quickly went through Water Ball and Water Shield, not to mention Soothing Water which he wouldn¡¯t want to use on an enemy. Cyil then turned to his innate spell, pinning all his hopes on it. Cyil knew that an innate spell would grow and change along with the growth of its user; he also knew that it was the a spell that could be casted almost instantaneously and with minimal cost of elemental energy.


    Water Sphere was like a lifelong friend that Cyil had known for three lifetimes, thus Cyil felt extremely familiar with the spell. Cyil found that although Water Sphere and Water Ball were basically identical, Water Sphere felt intrinsically more profound.


    Cyil had discovered Spiraling Water Sphere by accident while he was meditating. The space particles he summoned to quicken up his absorption speed had been suddenly disturbed which caused the surrounding elemental particles to swirl around in chaos. Cyil didn¡¯t know what anomaly caused the disturbance in space and it hadn¡¯t happened again since then, but that spark of insight was what allowed him to come up with the idea of having the Water Sphere spin before being thrown out.


    Cyil only took three nights to create this new spell. He forcefully rerouted the predetermined natural flow of elemental energy in his elemental body so that it would condense the water of the Water Sphere, cause rotation, and shoot out. The most difficult part of this process was causing the Water Sphere to spin. Cyil kept trying to alter the flow of elemental energy according to a feeling he had and after only a few dozen tries, he was actually successful. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Cyil didn¡¯t know that his soul strength was a major factor in helping him develop this new spell. Right, Spiraling Water Sphere was a new spell that had never been seen before in Nakrul. The flow elemental energy through the various channels only needed to be tweaked in a few places, but these small changes, when factoring in the abundant variables, made it so that it would be a miracle for someone to use this spell without knowing the correct flow of elemental energy.


    Of course, Cyil had not really modified the Water Sphere as a whole, but rather used a majority of the Water Sphere¡¯s channels to cast Spiraling Water Sphere; also, because Water Sphere is his innate spell and its channels were used as a base, Spiraling Water Sphere can be casted almost instantaneously, too.


    Innate spells and elemental bodies are closely linked with one another. The channels or passageways that an innate spell takes are the most developed and central; thus, elemental energy will flow faster through these channels, allowing for quicker casting. Regular spells will use different channels and this will cause a slower casting time, more elemental energy output, and more concentration.


    Cyil used the major channels of his elemental body in creating Spiraling Water Sphere so it was like he had an additional innate spell.


    ¡­


    *rumble*


    A small indent marked its presence in the ground as the ranked 3 warrior man removed his foot. The man glared at the panting Cyil whose complexion was whiter than a ghoul.


    Cyil had dodged his attack yet again! The man had attacked Cyil out of rage and fright, but after continuously missing his attacks, he began to worry and even had thoughts of retreating. He could always return with back-up and take out Cyil and the whole of Soaring Wolf.


    The man couldn¡¯t help but to glance at his partner who had long ago returned to the elements.


    As Cyil raised his arms up to aim at the man for the fourth time, the man quickly back stepped to create distance then yelled, ¡°Fuck it! Consider yourself lucky for now bastard.¡±


    The man slowly backed away and Cyil couldn¡¯t help but worry. Cyil could only use one more Spiraling Water Sphere and he would be spent afterwards, but he didn¡¯t want to man to escape. If the man decided to run, then Cyil knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving behind your friends? You¡¯re a spineless coward!¡± Valter yelled out from the side as he tangled with the ordinary looking boy. The other three teenage boys were out of commision as they laid on the ground, not moving.


    ¡°Ha! They¡¯re expendable!¡± The man laughed and was just about to turn and flee when he saw Cyil fall face first down onto the ground.


    The man stopped, raising his eyebrows, then a sinister grin crept up his cheeks. ¡°I guess you¡¯re not lucky after all!¡±


    The man confidently strode up to the unmoving Cyil, not in a hurry.


    ¡°No!¡± Valter noticed it when Cyil fainted and cursed at the poor timing. Had the man left a bit sooner or Cyil held out a bit longer then the man would have been gone.


    ¡°You dare to be distracted?!¡± The ordinary looking boy took this opportunity to kick Valter in the gut, but Valter still managed to partially block the blow.


    Valter then returned a kick of his own, stabbing into the ribcage of the boy. The boy grabbed onto Valter¡¯s leg and smashed his elbow down towards the side of Valter¡¯s kneecap.


    Valter jumped on his remaining leg and kicked the ordinary boy¡¯s neck, but his momentum was too weak and with weight so the boy¡¯s attack continued on.


    With a hard thump, the knee and elbow, two of a human¡¯s most dangerous body parts, collided.


    The ordinary boy¡¯s elbow cracked, but Valter¡¯s knee was only badly bruised. Valter had managed to shift his captured leg so that his bent knee was facing upwards.


    Yelling in surprised pain, the boy let go of Valter¡¯s leg, and this was when Valter grabbed onto the nape of the ordinary boy¡¯s neck with his two intertwined hands, thrusting upwards with his injured knee. The knee chopped up and connected with the bottom of the boy¡¯s jaw, immediately rendering him unconscious.


    While Valter and the ordinary boy finished fighting, the man was now standing over Cyil.


    ¡°I have never killed a mage before, but you will do just fine.¡± Lording over Cyil the man, then stomped down onto Cyil¡¯s head, intent on squashing it like a pumpkin.


    Water Shield!


    A layer of water, viscous and jelly-like, covered the back of Cyil¡¯s head. The boot slammed down but its progression was impeded by the Water Shield, allowing Cyil enough time to turn face-up.


    Spiraling Water Sphere!


    The man¡¯s eyes widened and he strained to pull out his foot from the Water Shield, but was yet again delayed for a fraction of a second.


    The Spiraling Water Sphere blasted through the man¡¯s chest, crushing through flesh, bones, and all. A gaping hole opened up right in the man¡¯s chest.


    Heaving, the man dabbed the hole in his chest. A look of disbelief and denial flashed in the man¡¯s eyes. He didn¡¯t die right away, but slowly and painfully; his consciousness slowly fading and his life flashing before his eyes, the man finally died after taking three steps towards Cyil.

 Book 2: Chapter 21

    Book 2: Chapter 21


    Cyil watched as the man fell onto the ground, kicking up a storm of dust.


    Seeing that the man was dead, Cyil felt a sense of relief wash over him; Cyil was tired and his body ached in all places. It would be so easy for him to just close his eyes and sleep. That would be nice, but Cyil knew he had business to finish.


    Cyil got up and strode to the shocked Valter. When Cyil got to Valter, he looked at the four teenage boys laying on the ground and calmly said, ¡°We have to kill them, too.¡±


    Valter could feel the conviction in Cyil¡¯s voice and he began to wonder where his cheery Brother Cyil had gone to. Valter had questions to ask, but knew time was of the essence. Should anyone pass by and see what had happened endless trouble would ensue.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Valter responded with a nod and walked up to the ordinary looking boy.


    The ordinary looking boy was pale and laid there unmoving, unable to resist his impending doom. Valter stared hard at the boy and his hands began to tremble. Valter had never killed another living human being before and though he knew he might have to do so eventually, he still had to prepare himself.


    Breathing in deep shallow breaths, Valter turned the ordinary boy over so that his neck was exposed. Valter knew how to kill the boy, but actually executing it was the most difficult part. As Valter hesitated, he heard a muffled snap like the sound of a dry tree branch snapping.


    Valter looked over and saw Cyil removing his foot from the tall boy¡¯s deformed neck, bent at an impossible angle. With a lurch, Valter threw up a little bit in the back his mouth then his trembling grew worse as he saw that Cyil was now standing over the shortest boy. Valter couldn¡¯t bear to look and could only listen to the sound of two more snaps entering his ears.


    Valter had been standing still with his eyes closed when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.


    Valter jumped up in shock and opened his eyes to stare at Cyil who gave him a nod along with a reassuring squeeze.


    Cyil stomped down onto the ordinary boy¡¯s neck then quickly began to move the bodies into the nearby underbrush. Cyil¡¯s movements were robotic, as if he had done this a thousand times before.


    Valter stood in place, staring into empty space as Cyil continued to move the bodies by himself. When Cyil was finished, he came up to Valter and said, ¡°Brother Valter, go back to Soaring Wolf headquarters for now. Let me deal with this.¡±


    Valter wanted to argue otherwise, but he couldn¡¯t even speak, only managing to nod before dragging his feet away.


    Cyil watched as Valter went off and hoped that these events would not negatively affect Valter.


    After Valter disappeared at a bend in the road, Cyil cleared up all traces of blood and gore on the training grounds then went to the underbrush and began digging a hole. Cyil hadn¡¯t a spade so he improvised between his wooden sword, stones, and long branches. When the ground became too hard to pierce Cyil used Water Sphere to wet the ground.


    Tired and overdrawing his elemental energy, Cyil digged through to the night and when he was finally finished, the moon was already high in the sky.


    Cyil tossed the 6 bodies into the 5 foot deep and 7 foot diameter long pit. The bodies piled up in a disorderly fashion, but Cyil didn¡¯t have the energy to worry about the little detail. Cyil then tossed in his wooden sword and the branches he had used to dig. After carefully filling the rest of the hole with dirt and making sure everything looked natural, Cyil thought everything was over. He walked out from the underbrush of trees, stooped down to pick up and wear his discarded clothes, then continued on to Soaring Wolf headquarters in a state of absent mindedness.


    Cyil didn¡¯t remember how he got back to his room at Soaring Wolf headquarters nor did he recall entering meditation, but he broke out of meditation feeling refreshed. The accumulated stress on his body from¡¯ yesterday¡¯ seemed to have all vanished.


    Cyil felt power coursing through his veins, the pulsing of his muscles, and a robust flame burning from within the pit of his stomach.


    Standing up, changing into a spare set of clothes and walking out of his room, Cyil could hear a cacophony of voices in the main hall. When Cyil walked out into the room, quietness killed the heated discussions. There were no ¡°hello, brother Cyil,¡± or even a wave or nod of the head.


    Cyil could sense the dense atmosphere pervading the room and looking to Valter who had a downcast, pale white face, Cyil knew what they were talking about.


    Florens was the first to approach Cyil.


    ¡°Brother Cyil,¡± Florens said with a stern look on his face. ¡°Brother Valter told us about what happened three days ago. He also told us about how you managed to send off two rank 3 warriors.¡±


    Florens paused and examined Cyil once more, as if reevaluate him. ¡°So you were a mage, Brother Cyil. Before, I didn¡¯t know I was in the presence of an esteemed mage so I apologize if my ramblings upset you.... As for this issue, don¡¯t worry, your secret is safe with us Brothers here.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Florens tried to force a smile, but it came out awkward and twisted.


    Cyil couldn¡¯t remember a time when Florens hadn¡¯t always smiled brightly and felt sadden.


    Cyil looked to all of his Brothers who now looked at him with changed eyes; taking in a deep breath Cyil said, ¡°So it has already been three days...Brother Florens, I think it is time for me to leave Soaring Wolf. I want to thank you all for taking me in and treating me like a Brother. I have learned a lot and grown tremendously in this time. I will always remember Soaring Wolf in my heart.¡±


    Cyil bowed to Florens and the rest of the members of Soaring Wolf then walked out of Soaring Wolf headquarters, not giving Florens a chance to speak.


    When Cyil was finally gone, Florens sighed and muttered to himself, ¡°This is for the best. This is for the best.¡± Florens then turned to the rest of the Soaring Wolf members and said, ¡°Brothers, no one shall ever speak of this event again. For the safety of Brother Cyil and ourselves, we are to remain silent. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Every member of Soaring Wolf repeated.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Valter whispered a beat after everyone else while clutching a dirt covered pouch filled with money.


    ***


    Ravenous Serpents¡¯ branch mercenary group¡¯s base: in a lavishly furnished room sat a large man, at least four heads taller than an average man and two times as wide. He was not fat but had big bones. This man was a sub-leader for Ravenous Serpents and he had in him ? giant¡¯s blood. The giant blood allowed the man to wield enormous strength. Even the defences of his bare skin was as thick as a hide and comparable to a rank 1 defensive magical equipment. The only downside to this man¡¯s giant¡¯s blood was that he moved a bit slower than others and could not run as far or quick.


    The man was called Jughog and for the last few days he had been in a rather poor mood. He had learned from his wife that her only brother had gone missing. Jughog may be intimidating towards his underlings and his foes, but he dearly loved his wife and doted upon her like no other. Hence, when his wife brought this concern to him, Jughog became distressed.


    Jughog ordered his men to search for his wife¡¯s younger brother, but even after 3 days of searching no one found a thing. Jughog had even hired an artist to paint a portrait of the teenage boy and promised a handsome reward of 300 gold coins, but nothing had come up.


    ¡°He¡¯s a tall boy, much taller than your normal teenager.¡± Even Jughog himself, an esteemed sub-leader of one of the strongest mercenary groups in Rovaria Kingdom, had taken to the streets to ask passerbys if they knew anything.


    When Jughog came up empty, he returned to his distraught wife whom¡¯s sobs stabbed him in the heart. She cried, ¡°I should have never let him join the Ravenous Serpents. He begged and begged, but I should have never budged. He may be big but he¡¯s soft as a pancake. He¡¯s not cut out for this life. What will I do without him--he¡¯s my only family left in Nakrul.¡±


    Jughog could only console his wife with meek promises: ¡°No one would dare mess with a member of the Ravenous Serpents! We are the most influential mercenary group stationed in this city and our rule is iron clad. Even the Mayor is on good terms with us. We will find him soon, my dear. Worry not.¡±


    As the days dragged on Jughog grew more irate and anyone who got on his wrong side would suffer a kick to the face or punch to the gut.


    It wasn¡¯t until 13 days passed by that some tangible news surfaced. A scrawny old lady came before Jughog and professed she had seen a boy, just like in the portrait, walking along with three other boys as they began a quarrel with two boys of a similar age. The old lady said that as the fight broke out the tall boy was beaten instantly and suffered enormous pains. When asked if she saw the attacker¡¯s face, the old lady shook her head, saying her eyes could not see too far. When asked if she knew what happened to the boy, the old lady again shook her head and said she left when two men told her to ¡°get lost or die¡±.


    After hearing all of this, Jughog told the old lady to bring him to the place.


    When Jughog and his crew of 20 got to the empty patch of dirt, he told half of the men to begin scouring the entire area and ordered the rest to inquire nearby buildings for information on who used this empty grounds.


    Not even an hour into the search, a person to stumble upon a poorly covered hole. The dirt was mismatched and there were clumps of dried dirt in odd places; it was like a starving animal was digging through the ground trying to find buried vegetables.


    ¡°Over here,¡± the man called, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to the area.


    Following Jughog¡¯s orders, everyone began digging. Jughog himself got his hands dirty by using his enormous hands to claw at the ground. It took less than 5 minutes before the group found something, or rather, it was someone.


    This body belonged to a man they recognized as Arnald. He was easy to remember because he always said ¡°indeed¡± in nearly every sentence. Arnald had a gaping hole right through his heart and when everyone saw this they held their breaths.


    Something or someone who could do this could very well kill them, too. Most of the subordinates here were rank 3 warriors and couldn¡¯t help but look for answers from Jughog, who was a rank 5 warrior.


    Jughog frowned as he examined the body then calmly said, ¡°continue digging!¡±


    Jughog had been in many fights and had killed many foes, so he knew this wound on Arnald was of no human weapon. It had to be from a magical weapon, or worse, from a spell.


    Jughog knew that if a mage was involved then he likely couldn¡¯t offend the other party, but as the bodies kept coming up Jughog saw that the bodies of the boys had their necks crushed. Jughog thought this odd, but his thoughts were interrupted when the finally body was retrieved from the ground. Jughog saw a familiar face and he roared in anger, causing his men to cover their ears.


    Jughog¡¯s eyes blazed with fury and he picked up the lifeless body of the tall boy.


    Thinking of how devastated his wife would be, Jughog commanded, ¡°I want to know who is responsible for this! Even if it¡¯s a mage, he¡¯ll have to pay!¡±


    All of his underlings did not dare voice any complaints and only nodded.


    Then, just as Jughog was about to head back with the tall boy¡¯s body, two of his men who had gone scouting the area for information returned.


    One of the men quickly got down on one knee and said, ¡°Sir, we have strong reason to believe that members of Soaring Wolf trains here. They are the closest mercenary group to this area and as of late, others have reported seeing two boys training here.¡±


    ¡°Soaring Wolf?¡± Jughog had never heard of the group, but didn¡¯t care even if they were a mage guild. He would find the killer no matter the cost. ¡°Lead the way!¡±


    Promptly nodding, the two men lead the way as Jughog carried the tall boy on his back and followed, an unrestrained murderous intent suffocating the area.

 Book 2: Chapter 22

    Book 2: Chapter 22


    The members of Soaring Wolf were preparing for the annual mercenary tournament which would begin in 3 days time. Each resting their bodies and mind, they were surprised to hear a tremendous crash coming from the front door. Moments later a stampede of foots could be heard marching into the main hall.


    ¡°An enemy attack?¡± The Soaring Wolf members grabbed their weapons and cautiously entered the main hall where they saw Florens and a few other executive members of Soaring Wolf confronting a giant man and his posse of 20 men.


    The Soaring Wolf members could all see the emblem sewed onto the invading group¡¯s sleeve. They belonged to none other than the Ravenous Serpents!


    Sucking in a deep breath and putting on a gleeful smile, Florens approached the giant man and said, ¡°esteemed sub-leader Jughog, welcome to Soaring Wolf. I apologize for not having anything prepared for you and your men, but if there is anything we of Soaring Wolf can help you with, please tell us.¡±


    Florens chose his words carefully. Even if he had met Jughog under different circumstances he would still have to be humble, not to mention now when the man reeked of murderous intent.


    Jughog looked to Florens and did not respond, but continued to glance around the main hall at the other members of Soaring Wolf. Where his gaze passed, no one dared to meet his eyes.


    After a long silence, Jughog demanded: ¡°bring out all of your members that are under 20 years of age.¡±


    Florens¡¯ smile froze, but he still managed to ask, ¡°of course of course, but may this puny individual know as to what esteemed sir would want with our young members?¡±


    Jughog grunted and said, ¡°not a single one is to be missing, otherwise, today, Soaring Wolf will be wiped off of Nakrul!¡±


    As the Soaring Wolf members heard this decree some began sweating bullets while the weaker ones began to tremble.


    Florens was better off than the others, but not by much because he knew Jughog¡¯s threat was as real as the six mercenary groups he had already destroyed.


    Florens quickly commanded for all the members under 20 years to come and it didn¡¯t take long for them to assemble behind Florens. There were three members all together and they kept their eyes lowered as Jughog glowered at them.


    Looking from each of the three, Jughog waved his hand and an old lady appeared from within the cluster of Ravenous Serpents. ¡°Which one was it?¡± Jughog asked the old lady with an almost sincere tone.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± squinting her worn eyes, the old lady only took a few seconds to point to Valter. ¡°That¡¯s him. The good fighter boy.¡±


    Jughog grinned, licking his lips.


    Florens tightened his knuckles so that they turned white.


    Valter stopped breathing, a breath caught in his throat.


    ¡°Where is the other one?¡± Jughog asked the old lady to which she replied with a shake of her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see him.¡± The old lady rubbed her temples, trying to alleviate her small headache from recalling so much things. ¡°He was a scrawny short boy.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t see him, huh?¡± Jughog¡¯s grin grew even wider.


    Florens could sense that things were spiraling downwards and said, ¡°Sir Jughog, I don¡¯t know who you are looking for but this is really all of our young members. Perhaps, you have mistaken someone else to be part of this group?¡±


    Jughog ignored Florens and walked up to Valter, grabbed hold of his hair, and lifted him off the ground so that they saw eye to eye.


    Valter didn¡¯t scream, but pulled on Jughog¡¯s wrist to lessen the pain of hanging by his hair.


    ¡°You¡¯re strong, boy,¡±Jughog said. ¡°But I suggest you start screaming and crying otherwise I will have to be more severe.¡±


    Valter still refused to make a sound, displeasing Jughog who yanked and ripped of Valter¡¯s hair.


    Valter fell to the ground screaming in pain.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Jughog laughed and tossed patch of hair on the ground.


    Florens was nearing the end of his patience as he watch Valter in pain, but he tried his best to remain calm. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± Florens asked.


    Jughog noticed the icy tone of Floren¡¯s voice and said, ¡°simple, give me the other boy and I will leave with these two little bastards and never bother with your puny pissy mercenary group again.¡±


    Florens clenched his teeth and said, ¡°I have told you before, these are all our young members.¡±


    As if expecting Floren¡¯s answer, Jughog beckoned over one of his underlings who unfurled a scroll of beast skin and read: ¡°Assi Male 16, Melkamu Male 19, Valter Male 15.. All members of Soaring Wolf as of today. Recently withdrawn members: Cyil Male 13.¡±


    As the report was read, the colour from Floren¡¯s face drained and he promptly grabbed his weapon that was leaning on a stool. ¡°Brothers, run and live to see another day!¡±


    Florens exploded forth, kicked Valter towards the Soaring Wolf members who scrambled to catch him and continued on to hack at Jughog¡¯s leg with his scimitar.


    Jughog laughed, slightly moving his leg to intercept the blade with his shin.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Clang, the sound of a hammer striking an anvil resounded throughout the main hall.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Jughog looked at his slightly cut and lightly bleeding leg. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you look.¡±


    Florens stared in shock at the dismal result from his full forced swing and yelled again, ¡°Brothers, retreat now!¡±


    Florens charged once more and jumped up to slice Jughog¡¯s throat.


    Jughog was confident in his defenses, but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to risk anything. This time, Jughog bare handedly caught the scimitar with one hand and moved to capture Florens with the other.


    Seeing that his attack was stopped, Florens abandoned his weapon, dodged Jughog¡¯s incoming hand, dropped down onto the ground and swiped at Jughog¡¯s privates.


    Jughog quickly realized what was happening and squatted down, bear hugging Florens who was in the midst of attacking.


    Jughog tightened the hug, his biceps bulging and his arms crushing.


    Florens tried to resist, but the difference in strength was too vast; it was like a baby struggling against a full grown adult.


    ¡°Leader!¡±


    ¡°Brother Florens!¡±


    A bunch of shouts rang out as the Soaring Wolf members saw that Florens had been captured and was slowly squeezed to death.


    Blood seeped out of Florens¡¯ mouth and rolled down his chin as he shouted out once more, ¡°Run you fools! Run! That is my final order as your leader!¡±


    As soon as Florens finished his shout, Jughog applied maximum pressure, crushing the bones in Florens¡¯ arms and fracturing his spine.


    Florens spat out more blood and Jughog let him drop to the ground.


    Florens twitched on the ground as Jughog said, ¡°I will give you all one final chance. Bring me the boy called Cyil and I might just spare you lot.¡±


    The Soaring Wolf members looked to one another, unsure of what to do.


    A moment of silence passed, then a piercing scream rang out.


    Jughog bellowed in agony as he felt a horrendous pain coming from his privates. Looking down in rage, he saw that Florens had a firm bite on his precious friend!


    Jughog was already furious at the death of his wife¡¯s brother and had held back as much as he could, but now his eyes turned blood red and without hesitation he clamped both of his hands onto Florens¡¯ head and crushed it like a watermelon.


    Despite this, the bite did not loosen but was instead reinforced.


    Howling, Jughog ripped the deceased Florens¡¯ mouth in two, sending his bloody jaw flying.


    ¡°You all will die here!¡± Jughog screamed and led the charge.


    The rest of the Ravenous Serpents also startled into action and began attacking the Soaring Wolf members.


    The Soaring Wolf members saw what had happened to Florens, their brother, and they roared with grief. They ignored Florens¡¯ final order and clashed head on with the Ravenous Serpents.


    In a swarm of chaos the two sides fought. Ravenous Serpents with their rank 3 and higher warriors and Soaring Wolf with their two rank 3 warriors and other rank 2 and even rank 1 warriors¡­


    When the furniture ceased to break and blood flowed red in the main hall of Soaring Wolf, Jughog roared and stomped on a pile of dead Soaring Wolf members. His stomped caused a pouch of blood stained money to fall out of one of the bodies and plop onto the floor.


    ***


    Cyil opened his eyes as the morning sun beat down on him. Cyil had been spending his days hidden in a forest, training his physical body during daylight and meditating during nighttime.


    When Cyil abruptly left Soaring Wolf he didn¡¯t have a plan, but decided on waiting things out. First, he wanted to make sure Soaring Wolf would be okay and second, he needed to await a response from the army recruitment. Emilia had said it could take up to a month or so before he got a response so all Cyil could do was wait.


    Cyil got food from the city every 7 days then went out to his spot in the forest to train. While in the forest, when Cyil went over the routine exercises that Florens had taught him, he noticed that they were considerably easier; he could do more reps and finish them quicker than before.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Cyil to realize that his body had gotten stronger--much stronger. The leap was large enough so that it was clearly noticeable. Cyil smiled at this good fortune and thought back to the fight that had taken place. He thought about his weaknesses and all of the things that could have gone wrong and all of the things that went right.


    Then, as Cyil trained throughout the day and night came, he entered meditation and was pleasantly surprised because he had broken through to become a rank 2 level 4 mage! And not only that, but he was just on the verge of becoming a rank 2 level 5 mage.


    It had hardly been a month since he had last broken through and he had done so again only to be so close to breaking through once more?


    Cyil knew that this leveling speed was fast.--much faster than the leveling speeds of any geniuses Mahoj had etched in his memories. Cyil guessed that the extreme battle he had experienced caused this to happen, but he was only half correct. The other largest factor was because his soul was so strong that it was ushering his mage levels up. Despite not knowing, Cyil was glad he was getting stronger.


    Today was the 14th day since Cyil left Soaring Wolf and coincidentally today would also be the day the annual mercenary tournament began. Cyil got up off the ground and walked out of the forest. He would check for any news on Soaring Wolf and see if there was any updates on his recruitment into the army.


    When Cyil came to the city gates he saw that there was a long line of people snaking through the main road, waiting to enter. Cyil covered his face and patiently waited in line, blending in with the crowd. When someone would cut in front of him or roughly brush pass him, he did nothing.


    After 2 hours of waiting, Cyil finally made it to the gates and paid the newly increased fee of 20 coppers.


    Cyil no longer marveled at the sights, but quickly made his way to the mercenary association¡¯s house. There were even more people here and Cyil had to use his small frame to try and squeeze through.


    Just as Cyil found an opening, a hand tried to grab him from behind, to which Cyil keenly dodged and grasped. Turning around Cyil saw a surprised Emilia staring at him.


    Cyil quickly let go of her arm, sighing in relief. ¡°Emilia,¡± he shouted over the noise. ¡°I¡¯m here again for the usual.¡±


    Emilia nodded, but motioned with her eyes that they should speak elsewhere and walked off.


    Cyil quickly caught on and followed Emilia. They did not go to the training grounds because they were packed with spectators watching people trying to show off their strength; instead, they went a far ways from the mercenary association to a neat and plain two story building.


    Emilia turned to Cyil and said, ¡°this is my home.¡± Emilia pushed the door open and walked in. Cyil followed without complaint and once the door closed behind him, Emilia turned around to face Cyil, her calm eyes turning slightly red.


    Cyil was speechless. He was shocked to see the cold Emilia like this.


    Emilia blinked a few times then said, ¡°Florens was stupid. He was so weak and yet he dreamed so big.¡±


    Cyil frowned, feeling that something bad was coming based off of those foreboding words. ¡°What about Florens?¡± Cyil asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Emilia responded in a flat tone, cutting to the chase. ¡°He and all the members of Soaring Wolf died 3 days ago. They were murdered...personally murdered by Ravenous Serpents¡¯ sub-leader Jughog.¡±


    Cyil¡¯s eyes widened and he couldn¡¯t help but to ask again, ¡°dead?¡±


    Emilia¡¯s voice returned to its normal coolness. ¡°Yes.¡± Emilia clenched her teeth.  ¡°Yes,¡± she said again. ¡°They¡¯ve all died.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 23

    Book 2: Chapter 23


    Cyil let out a dry laugh, like an addict who had once again turned to their bad habits. ¡°It¡¯s happened again,¡± he thought. ¡°My actions were the cause of this. Every step I take will kill those I step towards.¡±


    Cyil looked to Emilia, whose questioning eyes stared at him. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she would also die because of him.


    Cyil was no longer as distraught as he was with Betsy¡¯s or Celestine¡¯s death. In fact, he felt no anger, no sadness, just a sense of inevitability. His plan to remain emotionally detached from the members of Soaring Wolf had worked to some degree, but most of it was because Cyil himself had greatly changed.


    Thrown into a construct where a life could be lost at a moment¡¯s notice, where happiness is a fleeting moment, and where the weak will die, Cyil had discarded his past self. What remained of his innocence was locked away deep down and could no longer reach to influence his mind.


    Cyil looked to Emilia and said, ¡°I suppose they will be looking for me, too?¡±


    Emilia nodded. ¡°They are offering 1,000 gold coins for your head, dead or alive¡­¡± Emilia paused, but Cyil didn¡¯t say anything so she continued. ¡°So far there is only a rough description of how you look, but soon they will track down people who have seen you. Then, the situation will get more complicated. I advise you to leave the city as soon as possible.¡±


    Cyil nodded and replied, ¡°the brothers at Soaring Wolf didn¡¯t say anything?¡±


    Emilia shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Cyil let out another dry laugh and muttered, ¡°those fools.¡±


    Then he asked, ¡°what about the army recruitment?¡±


    Emilia replied with a puzzled look, not sure why Cyil was so focused on getting into the army. ¡°That¡¯s the last thing you have to worry about, but I have news that the six kingdoms will soon reissue a draft once more. As for the reason, I am not too clear. Perhaps, another war is brewing.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? That anyone can join the army now?¡± Cyil had learned that the Dark Ones were no longer a threat, a hadn¡¯t been for a long time. He couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around why another draft would occur just after they had finally recalled the soldiers from the western borders.


    Emilia had only heard of the news because her great-grandfather was one of the highest ranking members in Rovaria, but even she didn¡¯t know the specifics:


    ¡°I am not sure as to why we would need another draft, but the kingdoms would not issue one lightly. The war with the Dark Ones was real and many died. After we won, the kingdom still stationed troops at the western borders as a political ploy to maintain peace. Although it is unlikely for that to happen once more, I hope this act is simply another political scheme.¡±


    Cyil felt as if there was a bigger picture being painted, but he welcomed a war as long as he could get into the army. Cyil still stuck to his plan of using his military merits to enter the mage association so he would see it through.


    Cyil extended his hand out to Emilia and said, ¡°thank you for helping me in this short time. I will remember this kindness.¡±


    Emilia approved of Cyil¡¯s calm demeanor, but was surprised to find it in such a young boy. She said, ¡°I can help you get out of the city safely. There are many eyes around.¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t even need to think about this and promptly said, ¡°no thanks. I don¡¯t want to drag you into this.¡± After saying so, Cyil pulled his hood down over his head and walked out of Emilia¡¯s home.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Emilia called out as the door had already closed.


    ***


    Streggana Kingdom: on the west outskirts of this furthest western kingdom¡¯s boundaries, the ground rumbled and even the sky seem to darken.


    Farmers stopped plowing the fields and looked towards the sounds. It was usually very quiet in the countryside now that the army had withdrawn. Could it be that there were still some soldiers stationed at the western borders?


    ¡°Mommy,¡± a young girl of around 7 clung onto her mom¡¯s shirt. ¡°I don¡¯t like the loud sounds.¡±


    The mother stroked her child¡¯s hair, saying, ¡°it¡¯s okay Vanessa. These are soldiers that will protect us from bad people. They won¡¯t harm us.¡± She looked up to the horizon and her eyes widened. All sorts oddly shaped creatures plagued the horizon, each in a rush to scramble towards them.


    By now other people had also noticed this phenomenon and they all began to run and scream.


    The mother grabbed the child and hobbled with her lame leg into their little hut. She moved fast and hefted the water jug down into the food storage place beneath the ground. Coming back up she looked the girl in the eyes and said, ¡°Vanessa, listen to me. No matter what, don¡¯t come up or make a sound, okay? Wait until the loud sounds are gone. And after that wait some more. Promise me this okay?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Vanessa shook her head, tears blurring her vision. ¡°Mommy, why are you saying this? Where are you going?¡±


    The mother tried to smile through her horrified eyes. ¡°I will be right here. Right here waiting for you. But you have to listen to me, okay?¡±


    Vanessa was a smart kid and she nodded, retreating into the underground storage place even though she had never gone in there alone because she was deeply afraid of the dark.


    When Vanessa was gone, the mother cried muffled sobs as she closed the storage door and began to stack up furniture and items on top of the door.


    The stampede of foots, hooves, boots, claws, and bones coming from the horizons was so loud that it now swallowed up more than just sound.


    The mother grabbed an axe and hobbled her way out of the house. She saw that the group of monsters and demons were less than half a mile away. Looking around, she saw none of her neighbors left and only empty houses and empty fields. Praying for their safety, she deftly chopped apart her wooden hut. She aimed for the supporting beams that were already weakened from age and weathered down from the natural elements.


    She chopped and chopped and finally the hut came tumbling down.


    By now she could taste the scent of death and she knelt down, praying to the god of earth, Ekdis. Rumor has it that Ekdis grew up in the very town that she now lived in. Everyone knew of the tale and they took great pride in it. A mage, who had later became a god grew up in this small town--how amazing was that? Although, no one truly believed this to be the case they still worshipped Ekdis as a deity.


    The mother muttered in silence; she prayed that her little girl would be safe and prayed that her friends and their family would be safe. When she was done, she closed her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be joining you soon, my dearest love. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t take care of our child--she¡¯s still so young.¡±


    Then, just as the sound of savagery eclipsed, a soft thumping like the beating of a heart overshadowed everything. Everything froze--turning silent, tasteless, and odorless. The thrumming grew louder and stronger, coming from the very ground of Nakrul itself.


    If a mage was to see this they still wouldn¡¯t understand what was going on, because all the earth particles in the air was surging with shining energy as they combined to form a giant woman!


    The giant woman simply said, ¡°You bunch dare to invade my birth place?!¡± With fury in her eyes she raised her two arms high up into the sky then slowly clenched shut her open palms. As she closed her palms, the gravitation increased by over 50 folds, instantly crushing to death all those monsters that were within a 10 miles radius. Then, releasing the gravity, she slammed her palms onto the ground, causing a neat mountain range to rise which encircled the entirety of that 10 mile radius.


    ¡°Stay away or die!¡± The figure gave one last domineering shout and disappeared, but her voice remained and echoed far out into the ears of a dark-blue skinned humanoid creature who sat atop a dragon. With a dissatisfied grunt and fear in its eyes, the humanoid creature tried its best to divert the flow of monsters to avoid the newly formed mountain range. But these monstrous creatures were frenzied, so redirecting them was like using a twig to steer a canoe admist a raging storm.


    After, expending a great deal of its strength, the humanoid creature coughed out blood and its body shriveled up, but it was successful in redirecting the monsters.


    ¡°Onwards, for revenge!¡± the humanoid creature said in the tongue of the Dark Ones.


    ***


    At the same time, but in Rovaria Kingdom, Cyil stood among the rubble of what was once Soaring Wolf¡¯s headquarters.


    He slowly dug through the debris and calmly retrieved the mangled and dismembered bodies of his brothers. Three days had caused the stench of warm meat to rise, but Cyil got used to it. He moved the bodies into a huge long grave he had dug; laying them neatly side by side, Cyil did not shed a tear.


    When Cyil came upon a stack of bodies, he saw a blood stained pouch of money laying on the ground. Picking it up a tossing it in the air, Cyil said, ¡°foolish Valter. I am sorry.¡± Then Cyil moved the bodies and placed the pouch of money onto Valter¡¯s chest-- wrapping Valter¡¯s rigid fingers around the pouch.


    When Cyil counted the bodies, he was missing one. Cyil was startled. He recounted and checked the whole building again just to make sure, but one body was still missing. ¡°Could someone have escaped?¡± Cyil asked himself, unknowingly a bit happy at the thought.


    Most of the bodies were so damaged that Cyil couldn¡¯t identify who was who, so he didn¡¯t know who could have survived. Cyil thought about this then remembered that Emilia had said all of the Soaring Wolf members had died.


    Just as Cyil¡¯s atomic sized hope reignited, an angry voice sounded out from far down the road: ¡°who the fuck are you? The boss said no one is to touch this area!¡±


    Cyil looked to the man who was running towards him. Cyil could see a Ravenous Serpents emblem stitched onto the man¡¯s shirt sleeve.


    Smiling and approaching the man, Cyil said, ¡°Those bastards of Soaring Wolf owed me money. I¡¯m lining them up one by one to piss on them, but one of them is gone. Do you know which lucky bastard got away?¡±


    The man stopped and looked to the lined up bodies. Frowning he said, ¡°get the fuck outta here. We¡¯re waiting for our prey to come back to the scene. Now get out of here before I kill you!¡±


    ¡°Com¡¯on now mister. I have a grudge against these bastards. Let me know where the last one is so I can piss on him, too.¡±


    ¡°There ain¡¯t no one left of these sorry sons of dogs. Their leader, Flowers or something, angered the boss deeply so he got the royal treatment. We¡¯re displaying his body in front of Ravenous Serpent¡¯s headquarters for all to see. But no one would recognize him, not even his mother--his head is all squished up like a dried apricot.¡±


    When Cyil heard this he said, ¡°Brother Florens. You¡¯re talking about brother Florens?¡±


    ¡°Right, his name was Florens.¡± As the man said this he looked to Cyil again said, ¡°take off your hood for me.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Cyil replied and moving to take off his hood, he place one hand atop of the other. Flipping off the hood Cyil repositioned his hands and aimed at the man¡¯s chest.


    Spiraling Water Sphere!


    The almond shaped water blasted through the man who was just about to raise his voice. A hole where his lungs would be, the man dropped to the ground finally aware that the prey he had been waiting for was here all along.


    Cyil watched as the man breathed his last breath, looked around with his eyes and senses for witnesses, then moved the dead body under some debris. Cyil searched the man¡¯s body and found some money, but otherwise nothing of use. He ripped off the emblem on the man¡¯s sleeve and stuck it on his own.


    Cyil quickly filled the long grave with dirt and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t have asked for better brothers in this life. You all will be my first and last. Sorry is not enough for bringing harm to all of you.¡±


    After these words, Cyil took off his cloak and tossing it into the wind he walked back towards the city where Ravenous Serpents¡¯ base was stationed.

 Book 2: Chapter 24

    Book 2: Chapter 24


    Jughog sat in his room, mulling over the latest reports he had received. Three more men had died last night, all with holes through their chests. It was apparent that the wounds were from the same culprit, but the aggravating thing was that all these men were from the group of 20 that had massacred Soaring Wolf 7 days ago.


    Jughog knew the ex-member of Soaring Wolf called Cyil was back with a vengeance. By now 14 of the 20 men had already died. Three days ago on the first night 7 had died, on the second night 4 had died, and on the third night, yesterday, 3 more had died. Jughog wasn¡¯t concerned for his safety, but was concerned for the reputation of Ravenous Serpents. Anymore deaths and the higher ups from headquarters in Rovaria Kingdom¡¯s capital city will swoop down and kick him off his lofty position. Jughog couldn¡¯t have that, so he racked his brains trying to find a solution.


    He had already increased the bounty for Cyil¡¯s head to 5,000 gold coins, some of which came from his own savings. He had ordered all his men to travel in at least groups of three and specifically told those from the remaining 20 to not travel at night.


    Cyil only attacked at night and there were no witnesses or survivors. There was a lucky member who had managed to escape, but he failed to see the Cyil¡¯s appearance, only stating that it was a small cloaked figure. This member did, however, manage to see a fast projectile flying towards him. When Jughog heard this he immediately frowned, confirming that Cyil was indeed a mage--the worst possible outcome.


    Jughog thought about the situation and then thought about it some more. He finally decided that if he couldn¡¯t solve it by tomorrow morning then he would have to lower his head and ask the mayor to intervene. Thinking about suckering up to the mayor whom he had always pressured made Jughog uncomfortable.


    ***


    Rovaria Kingdom¡¯s capital city: in the king¡¯s personal study room sat a calm Iruka who stared at the contents of a book.


    ¡°You can come out now,¡± Iruka said to the darkness, his eyes still on the book.


    After a brief silence, a person garbed in loose black robes walked out of the shadows. ¡°As expected from his highness. Even I, a rank 8 darkness mage, cannot fool your senses.¡±


    Iruka did not care for the praise and said, ¡°Is this about the monster tide from the west?¡±


    The black robed figure nodded and said, ¡°Rovaria is farthest east and is currently one of the safest kingdom, along with Moritania and Gallenfall Kingdoms. I am here to inform you of the mage association¡¯s decision to abandon Streggana Kingdom and its declaration of war against these hostile invaders. Or course, we expect your full cooperation in this, too.¡±


    The black robed figure paused for a bit, but when Iruka simply continued to read his book, the figure continued, ¡°The fighting grounds will be on Tyoin Kingdom. There we will make our stand. Use whatever means you can to muster all of your kingdom¡¯s strength and pray the elements are on our side.¡±


    Iruka looked up from his book and faced its contents towards the black robed man. Iruka began, pointing to a picture: ¡°this is the renegade rose. Do you know what it is? Probably not. I haven¡¯t heard of it until today. It is rumored that the day this rose blooms is the day Nakrul itself will face a life-extinguishing calamity.¡±


    Iruka sighed, then flipped his hand to cause a plant to appear. The plant was potted and healthy and vibrant. The single flower on that plant was blood red with black stripes, looking exactly like the renegade rose in Iruka¡¯s book.


    The black robed figure¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°it can¡¯t be!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Iruka was surprised. ¡°So you do know of it? The mage association sure knows a lot...Too bad the book of the wizened has disappeared with Baccaus. All of humanities¡¯ accumulated knowledge and secrets were in there¡­¡±


    The black robed man bowed then said, ¡°your highness, I must take my leave to immediately report this matter.¡±


    Just as the man was about to leave, Iruka asked, ¡°Is it really the Dark Ones?¡±


    The black robed man, hesitated for a bit then nodded. ¡°We have confirmed that one of the leaders of the monster tide is a Dark One. Not only that, but he rides the five-clawed demon-fanged dragon.¡±


    Iruka hopped to his feet in shock. ¡°The five-clawed demon-fanged dragon?! Impossible. That¡¯s one of the dragon¡¯s leaders. What of the five-clawed brightscale dragon and five-clawed azure dragon?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. The dragons are haughty beings and never take part in these squabbles...but. But if all three supreme dragons were to join forces and attack the Head Sage, then that would explain why he perished without a single word.¡±


    Iruka sat back down, digesting the information he had just received. This news was almost as shocking as seeing the renegade rose bloom. The Rovaria family had always kept the unbloomed rose within their family, praying that the day it bloomed would never come, but their worst nightmare had become reality...Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Your highness,¡± the black robed figure bowed one last time then melded with the darkness, leaving Iruka to ponder the news.


    Iruka did not move for a long time-- he didn¡¯t even breathe. Then his body quickly morphed into flames, turning him into a human-shaped fire.


    ¡°Take care of things, while I am out.¡± Iruka said, then took out a magical scroll and activated it.


    Dimensional Teleport!


    Iruka¡¯s figure vanished.


    ¡°Travel with ease master,¡± a deep rumbling voice responded from deep within the castle grounds.


    ***


    Cyil was patient. It had been a week since his last kill and a week since the regional annual mercenary tournament had concluded. The winners were some dark horses whom people had never heard of and shockingly, they were all from the same mercenary group--Immortal Refugees.


    Immortal Refugees cleanly sweeped the tournament in all divisions and brought great prestige and hate with their victories. This winning upset the Ravenous Serpents the most, especially Jughog did not participate because he was too busy trying to catch Cyil .


    Cyil knew all about this because he was a member of Ravenous Serpents. No one questioned his identity, because Ravenous Serpents had too many members and no one would dare imitate being a Ravenous Serpent. The crime for doing so would undoubtedly be worse than death.


    Thus, Cyil blended right in and gathered his information from within. Everything was simple and moved according to plan until Cyil sensed the presence of a rank 4 level 4 mage. Randomly, a mage had come to visit Ravenous Serpents¡¯ sub-base.


    Cyil thought he had been exposed, but the mage simply brushed pass without sparing him a glance. Cyil breathed out a sigh of relief and unclenched his readied hands.


    Thinking it weird that he could sense mages of higher rankings, but that they could not sense him, Cyil simply accepted this little gift.


    The mage didn¡¯t know who Cyil was, but Cyil knew who the mage was; he was the mayor and he had been secretly following the remaining six men left on the to kill list. Of course, Jughog was on the top of the list, but Cyil knew that would be a tough fought battle. If he couldn¡¯t win then his identity would be exposed and he would no longer be able to stay in the city so Cyil left Jughog alone for the time being.


    Sighing, Cyil stood up from a wooden chair, scraping it across the stone floor as he bent over to carry a stack of books over to a counter. Cyil said, ¡°Creed, thank you again for letting me read for so long. I¡¯ll be back again tomorrow.¡±


    The person named Creed was an old man with a kind smile. ¡°Mahoj my boy, no one from Ravenous Serpents really uses this library so I am glad you come to keep me company. Bah, bunch of buffoons they are only coming here to have me look up magical beast information or rare treasures. There is so much more that this library has to offer. All these books were either stolen, used as a form of payment, or gifted to Ravenous Serpents so their owners are from far and wide. There is much to learn about Nakrul from these books. Alas, everyone just focuses on trying to rank up¡­ You know, knowledge is a form of strength that needs to be cultivated, too.¡±


    Cyil listened to the talking Creed who seemed as if he hadn¡¯t talked to another person for ages. Cyil only nodded and didn¡¯t interrupt. After a bit, Creed said, ¡°look at my rambling mouth. Sorry to keep you for so long Mahoj. Off you go now my boy.¡±


    ¡°Take care, Creed.¡± Cyil walked out of the Ravenous Serpents¡¯ library and navigated his way out into the open-aired street market.


    Without much to do during the day, as his targets were either out on some mission or surrounded by others, Cyil spent his time fully utilizing the resources of Ravenous Serpents. Their training facilities were top-notch and the free meals they received were sumptuous. Cyil used them all, but he most liked the library where his eyes were opened to how vast Nakrul really was. A large majority of Nakrul was unexplored because those regions were life forbidding zones or simply too far to reach within a mortal¡¯s lifetime. Reading about the forbidden, Cyil had an urge to go explore these places, but for now he would settle for reading about them.


    After his reading was done, Cyil would take a stroll through the marketplace that dotted the streets near Ravenous Serpent¡¯s sub-base. The merchants knew Ravenous Serpents¡¯ members had the most money and liked to buy things on impulse so they strategically set up shop right in front of Ravenous Serpents¡¯ doorsteps.


    By now Cyil had a good sum of money, approximately 2018 gold coins he had looted from the 14 dead bodies. Clearly, rank 3 and rank 4 warriors had quite some money.


    Cyil enjoyed strolling through the open market and candidly asked questions about the products the vendors were advertising. Some people talked endlessly, trying to convince him to buy their product, while others said nothing at all. The products available were as diverse as there were stars in the sky and Cyil saw something new every time he went there.


    Today, Cyil saw a familiar scene where a Ravenous Serpent member was pushing himself onto a heavily makeuped female vendor. The stalls tended to be handled by women, so that their sales would be better, but this also came with the frequent nagging and thirsty advances from the buyers.


    Cyil watched from the side, until a city guard came up to tell the dissatisfied Ravenous Serpent member to leave the woman alone. Cyil silently applauded the city guard and continued to sift through the merchandise.


    Cyil hadn¡¯t even taken a step when he heard a voice speaking straight into his mind.


    ¡°Hey, kid, you there!¡±


    Cyil jumped up in shock, bumping into other people, who quickly grew angry then quiet after seeing his Ravenous Serpent¡¯s emblem.


    Cyil looked around, but no one met his eyes.


    ¡°Stop looking around like a fool. Down here. I¡¯m down here.¡± The voice appeared once more.


    Cyil looked down to the stall and saw a damaged pendant, a rough rock, a twisted root, a smelly leather glove, a pair of rusty silver earrings and an odd two foot long interlocking chain. Cyil¡¯s eyes zeroed in on one of the objects and he asked in a cold voice, ¡°who are you? What do you want?¡±


    The voice responded in a haughty tone, ¡°Kid, I am your luckiest encounter in a million life times. I am the Nefarious Saint!¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 25

    Book 2: Chapter 25


    Cyil laughed. ¡°The Nefarious Saint? You¡¯re taking the name of a made-up monster?¡±


    Cyil remembered the Nefarious Saint from stories his mother had told him. The Nefarious Saint was a figure that parents reminded their children of whenever they needed a good scare. The Nefarious Saint was a being that did whatever it wanted whenever it wanted. It would eat children, steal away memories, create unnatural phenomenons, bring a person to madness, plague a dream, and any other labels people could think of.


    The proliferation of stories had gone beyond time and now no one really knew who or what the Nefarious Saint actually was; some say the Nefarious Saint was a human mage, others say a demon or Dark One, while even more say the Nefarious Saint is a phantom. Shrouded in mystery, everyone had their own interpretation of the Nefarious Saint, but there was one constant--all the various stories pointed to the Nefarious Saint as being an evil entity.


    ¡°What monster? Made-up? Speak clearly, boy¡­ though, your soul is older. Wait, that isn¡¯t your true body. Interesting interesting.¡±


    Cyil stopped laughing and his expression turned serious. ¡°How do you know about that?¡±


    Now it was the Nefarious Saint¡¯s turn to laugh. ¡°I know many things. I am the Nefarious Saint after all! Let me guess, your true body was destroyed, but your beloved master helped you transfer your somewhat strong soul into a new vessel. Tsk tsk. I can tell you that that vessel is degrading faster than usual because your soul is too strong for it. What an amatuer mistake!¡±


    Cyil didn¡¯t respond but quietly digested the Nefarious Saint¡¯s words. Then, without squandering words, Cyil said, ¡°what is it that you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Getting right to the crux of the matter. You¡¯re a smart boy. I don¡¯t ask for much¡­¡± The Nefarious Saint held the suspense, but when Cyil¡¯s face darkened it continued, ¡°I simply want to be your friend. In a way that is straightforward and without any deceit. In this world, it¡¯s so hard to have someone you absolutely trust. Even when someone has swore an oath to the elements that is still not an airtight deal. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice to have someone to always have your back? I mean, come on boy. The little friends you have right now will all soon embark on their own paths and inevitably leave you behind. In fact, most of them will die long before you, because I see a great destiny awaiting you. I want to be part of that and I can greatly help you along the way. Nakrul is huge, but I¡¯ve been to--¡±


    --Cyil was growing tired of the Nefarious Saint¡¯s beating around the bush and he couldn¡¯t block out the other¡¯s voice from entering his mind so he just began to walk away from the stall. Hearing the Nefarious Saint talk so much hurt Cyil¡¯s head. It was like a bug buzzing right in his ear that he couldn¡¯t get rid of.


    Frantic at Cyil¡¯s departure, the Nefarious Saint scrambled his words. ¡°Wait wait. Hold on my boy. Well, what I am saying is, to sum everything up and put things in order is that I want to feed off of your soul energy. There. I said it.¡±


    Cyil grew angry when he heard what the Nefarious Saint wanted and walked away even quicker.


    But to his dismay, the Nefarious Saint¡¯s pestering voice was still just as loud as before. Cyil no longer answered the Nefarious Saint¡¯s questions but sprinted out of the city and to the forest. Yet, even with so much distance, the voice was still there.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this, but you keep pushing me,¡± Cyil spat out, planning to destroy the object.


    Running back to the market street, Cyil quickly located the vendor and asked, ¡°how much for the pair of silver earrings?¡±


    The vendor, an old woman with patches of white hair missing from her head, responded in a strained voice, ¡°this has been in my family for many many years. I really didn¡¯t want to sell it, but what use is it when I am going to die soon? I will give you a fair price: 5000 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Cyil¡¯s eyes widened. What a swindler!


    ¡°Granny, how could a kid like me have that much money? That pair of earrings is so old and it¡¯s not even real silver; I suspect no one would pay even 1 gold coin for it. I am willing to pay you 500 gold coins and that is me being generous.¡±


    The old lady calmly said, ¡°it really is old and not real like you say, but it is an antique! The history behind it is worth a fortune. 4000.¡±


    Cyil shook his head. ¡°Forget it. How about that misshapen chain? How much does that cost?¡±


    The old lady paused, then said, ¡°10,000 gold coins and I¡¯m not willing to go 1 copper coin less.¡±


    Cyil was a fairly stable minded person but even he almost coughed up blood in disgust thinking about the hefty appetite of the old lady. ¡°Are these magical artifacts or something?¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t help thinking, then he said with a wry smile, ¡°you won¡¯t go any less, huh. Forget it then.¡±


    Pointing to his real objective, Cyil said, ¡°then what about this aged leather glove? Surely it can¡¯t be a precious artifact, too, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± The old lady scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you for 1995 gold coins.¡±


    Cyil trembled. ¡°Can you go any lower? It¡¯s not even a pair, just a single glove. ¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The old lady grinned, revealing the gaps between her teeth.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Cyil said through his teeth; he didn¡¯t really mind the price because the money he got was all ¡®donated¡¯, but he had to act pained in case the old lady increased the price once more.


    Handing over the money with a less than satisfied expression, Cyil was given the smelly leather glove.


    Once the exchange was finish Cyil quickly moved and returned to his rented room in the Polite Palm Pub. Each member of Ravenous Serpent had their own room, but of course Cyil didn¡¯t so he found a different place to stay in.


    Locking his door, he threw down the leather glove onto the floor.


    ¡°Ouch! Be gentle with me. I am a delicate, almighty Saint! The Nefarious Saint!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what you keep telling me, but you know what? To me you¡¯re just an annoying voice in my head that won¡¯t go away. I think I may even go crazy listening to you ramble all day.¡±


    ¡°Cyil my boy, I apologize for talking so much, but you still bought me in the end right? We¡¯re friends now! Come come, just drop your blood onto the glove and we will be lifelong friends!¡±


    Cyil lightly stepped on the glove. ¡°Feed off my soul energy? You reassure me that it will recover and even get stronger in the process. But this whole time you never told me about why you¡¯re in a glove, what you are, and why you choose me. You¡¯re simply not trustworthy and you want to be friends?¡±


    ¡°Cyil my boy. I thought we were pass all that introductory stuff. If you had asked, I would have told you. My story is a tragic one, actually. I am, or was, a dwarf who was born a saint. Not only was I a saint but I had two saint attributes! They were the Time attribute and the Space attribute. When my father, the king of dwarves, discovered that I was a saint he kept it quiet. Dwarves are not meant to be mages and never before was a dwarf even born with an elemental body. Even more, we were slaves at the time. Slaves to the dragons!¡±


    Speaking up to this point, the anger in the Nefarious Saint¡¯s voice was palpable.


    ¡°My father kept me in the dark as our entire race slaved away day after day, year after year. I trained hard when I knew about the fate of my race. Although my father never said it, I knew what he wanted of me. I was to liberate the dwarves from our slavery... but when I was just a rank 4 saint, I met the love of my life. A new batch of dwarves were being transferred to my region and Ergrya was amongst them. She was the prettiest dwarf I had ever seen. Instantly we hit it off and love naturally developed, or maybe it was always there.


    We talked about everything and did everything together. Ergrya was always curious and not too good with blacksmithing work so I taught her. I had long since become a master blacksmith thanks to my father¡¯s teachings and the spells I had learned from stolen scrolls. I even developed some of my own spells¡­


    Using some of my self-developed spells and skills at blacksmithing I managed to forge a pair of gloves that were at saint artifacts! These gloves were my proudest works at the time and I happily gifted them to Ergrya. When she saw them her eyes shone like never before. She gave me the right hand of the pair and kept the left for herself. She told me to hold onto that glove until she came back. When I heard she was leaving, I grew confused and asked her many questions but she evaded them all and simply vanished.


    Not a day later my father was personally beheaded in front of my eyes by Oiyst, the supreme ruler of the dragons. Even in his death, my father¡¯s eyes told me to wait. To endure. And to get stronger. And of course I obeyed, because my father had taken the blame for my mistake; he had claimed to have crafted the very glove that I had given to Ergrya the day before. Yet now, there it was in the hands of Oiyst who stood with a crying Ergrya that no longer appeared as a dwarf but as a tall blood scaled dragon woman. She was actually a dragon! Although her form had changed, I recognized her right away and my heart shattered.


    The next day I disappeared from the prisons that could have never really hold me. With my mother dead at my birth, my father now dead, and no one to care for I traveled Nakrul far and wide. Many things happened during the 400 years I roamed Nakrul, but that was a long time ago¡­ On my 484 birth year I finally reached the threshold of godhood. I was a rank 9 level 10 saint! I could hear a higher plane of existence calling for me and the laws of here on Nakrul could no longer bind me. I was going to ascend in less than a week, but before then I had something to attend to. I had waited long enough and could not afford to wait any longer.


    When I slaughtered my way through the horde of dragons, I was unstoppable. I laughed as I stepped on Oiyst¡¯s lopped off head and roared a cry of freedom for all my race that had waited long enough. I called to my father and told him about my success, tears falling for the first time since I was a born. That was when I broke into the dimensional barrier which contained the last of the dragon race. Their children and their hope for the future. I wanted to eradicate their cursed race, but my weak will caused me to falter. Ergrya was one of the few adult dragons guarding the eggs and kid dragons. She pleaded for me to stop and profusely apologized for showing the glove to her father. She clutched onto the glove I had so long ago given to her, and asked if I still had mine. In that moment of hesitation, I was struck by a construct of unimaginable power. I do not know what it was, but this was clearly the dragon clan¡¯s trump card.


    The construct was strong, but I was stronger by far so that it only fazed me. In that dazzling light I saw the relief expression of everyone and looking to Ergrya I could see that her eyes were the same. She was also glad I was gone. So I choose to disappear in that blinding light and let everyone believe I was dead.


    I then left an incarnation of myself within the dwarven mines to protect against future threats and awaited my ascension. I spent my remaining days mulling about, but something was off. My heart would ache everyday and Nakrul seemed cold and lonely. Hah. I wasn¡¯t even interested in ascending anymore. I tried to purposefully fail my ascension but that didn¡¯t work and I ascended anyway. I will tell you about the higher plane I went to maybe when you are stronger, but I was like an ant there. A slightly stronger ant, but an ant nonetheless. But seeing the corruption in that place, I fought once more. I made friends. I had a reason to live again. Yet, we were too weak and we lost. I managed to escape back to this lower realm and I waited once more.


    I slept for a long time and when I woke, I discovered that Nakrul had become smaller than it used to be. I found that man-made mountains now surrounded Nakrul. I found that the refreshing water particles had decreased. I found that everything had changed. More importantly, I found that a great evil has spread here. Perhaps, when I returned so long ago, something from that realm also managed to come here.¡±


    The Nefarious Saint sighed then remain silent.


    Cyil quickly shut his slightly agape mouth still trying to wrap his mind around everything he had just heard. Higher realm, godhood, ascension? Cyil had read about it from the library but they were even more mythical than the existence of the Nefarious Saint.


    Cyil did not know if the story was true or not, so he simply lifted his foot off the glove and went to sit on his bed.


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re telling the truth?¡± Cyil inquired.


    The leather glove seemed to wiggle as the Nefarious Saint said, ¡°simple! Let me show you the power of a godhood Saint!¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 26

    Book 2: Chapter 26


    Without warning Cyil felt a stabbing pain in his head, forcing him to shut his eyes and grip his temples.


    ¡°You!¡± Once the pain had subsided Cyil opened his eyes and prepared to destroy the glove, but what he saw instantly stopped him in his tracks. Cyil found that he was standing amongst jagged black-ash rocks with magma outlining certain crevices. The sky was mean and pitch dark like a world without a sun. There was no vegetation of any sorts nor any animals to be seen. Not a single living entity existed here and Cyil could feel the confusion of the raw elements whipping wildly about.


    ¡°Where have you taken me?¡± Cyil grabbed the glove off the ground and threatened to rip it apart.


    ¡°Cyil my boy, no need for violence, no need for violence. I am simply showing you my powers so you will believe my words. I have not done anything to you at all, and you¡¯re simply here with your consciousness. This place is where the Polite Palm Pub will be in, let¡¯s say, a very very long time. It¡¯s too bad we can¡¯t wander around to explore, but my powers are limited because once I re-entered this plane which Nakrul belonged to, my godly powers were stripped away, forcibly smiting my physical body to smithereens and wrecking havoc to my soul which took refuge in this glove. And that is how I came to be in a glove. Now, to answer you third question--¡±


    --Just as the Nefarious Saint was about to continue, the magma broiled and sprayed 30 feet up into the sky not even 10 feet away from the two. Cyil edged backwards, but found that he couldn¡¯t budge a muscle.


    ¡°Haha, Cyil my boy do not be frightened. These things cannot truly harm us for we are just consciousnesses passing by.¡±


    Cyil heaved a sigh of relief then squeezed the glove, ¡°tell me that sooner.¡±


    ¡°Ouch ouch, I can¡¯t breathe, Cyil my boy, mercy mercy!¡±


    Cyil loosened his grip, thinking that for a god level Saint, the Nefarious Saint joked around too much. ¡°You were about to answer my third question?¡±


    ¡°Ahem. Ah yes,¡± the Nefarious Saint cleared his throat. ¡°I choose you because you were the only one I have encountered to have a soul that contains the same saint attributes as me. I can merge with no other and only your soul can help me regain my strength. In fact, you wouldn¡¯t believe how many mages I saw since I woke--only a whole whopping seven! And they were all mediocre low-grade elemental bodies. It was simply a travesty. But let me tell you about what I have experienced as a glove. My first owner was a poor girl from a farming village. She found my stuck in some bushes and took me home to show her parents. Her parents berated her for having something so expensive and might I add, handsome? Well, they quickly tossed me out back into the woods and it wasn¡¯t until some time later when a magical beast came to take me to its den. It clearly knew how awesome I was and kept me mixed in with its nest. There I watched the magical beast mate and give birth to three little mini-magical beasts. I named them one, two and three. They always slept next to me--¡±


    ¡°--stop stop.¡± Cyil had never heard someone ramble on so much and had had enough ¡°I get it. Why did you bring me here? What do you want to show me?¡±


    ¡°Cyil my boy, don¡¯t regret not hearing my story later on. I haven¡¯t even told you about how two ate one and three when they grew up! But moving on..eh, it¡¯s better for you to see.¡±


    Cyil could see the air shimmer, like heat rising from the ground on an overly hot day. In the next moment the scenery around Cyil began to slowly change. Cyil observed as the magma slowly settled down, hardening and forming a crusty layer over the deep crevices. Cyil watched as the sky continued to grow a shade lighter until the first beams of sun met the lonely ground. Cyil continued to revel in the changing landscape. He noticed how the little things soon added up to form an entire whole and how much value there was in each seemingly random occurrence.


    The elements surrounding the air gradually calmed down and began to work with one another to create an environment suitable for life. The first critters that Cyil saw were not mighty magical beings but small insects. Later came bigger animals until finally Cyil saw one of the very first magical beasts. It was a small rat with razor sharp claws and even sharper teeth. It tore through the ground as if it were air and it moved at extreme speed. Despite its prowess, the rat was not greedy and never ate more than it needed, leaving plenty of food for ordinary critters. Soon, the rat unknowingly became the king of the critters in that area. The rat easily outlived all the other animals, but it grew lonely because it saw how other animals would have mates whereas it didn¡¯t.


    Watching up to this point Cyil felt sad for the rat, but he could do nothing and the rat later died of old age, or perhaps of loneliness. This episode was but a fleeting moment and quickly the small trees had already grown large and tall, seemingly able to withstand all of time. But nothing could withstand the power of time and the trees began to decay, eaten through by bugs and becoming the lifeforce for the ground as they crumbled.


    This cycle repeated itself in rapid succession with nothing new or as interesting as the magical beast rat; despite the repetition Cyil was entranced with the flow of time. It was like he had experienced millions of years of life in but a blink of an eye.


    As the forestry grew thick and healthy, Cyil marveled at how the rocky land could change into something so lush and colorful. Then, Cyil noticed that the trees began to fall and the bushes cut and trampled. Cyil saw his first human and then came a swarm of them. In but a flash a small town was formed then a city then the very place where Cyil now stood. Like a freezing bucket of ice water washing over him, Cyil awakened from his trance, returning to his room in the Polite Palm Pub. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Shaking his head, Cyil felt wide awake and stronger, as if something in him had changed.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± Cyil admitted, completely forgetting that the Nefarious Saint was also there.


    ¡°Haha! Cyil my boy, that was nothing but a simple parlour trick! No, what is amazing is you, Cyil. Your soul has gotten stronger yet again. Even I didn¡¯t expect you to benefit so much from this experience. It seems your soul is much more special than it appears. Could it be that you¡¯re not fully human?¡±


    ¡°My father and mother are both humans,¡± Cyil responded with confidence. ¡°What do you mean my soul has gotten stronger?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. That was only a suspicion I had, but the soul is a complex subject so there could be many other causes.¡± The Nefarious Saint paused, then instead of answering Cyil¡¯s question he asked, ¡°Cyil my boy, do you know what a soul is or what strengthening it means? What weakening it means?¡±


    Cyil recalled the information he had read from the Ravenous Serpents¡¯ library and quoted with precision: ¡°it is said a soul is the flame of life for any living being. It is a what holds all our memories and personalities, making us who we are. The body is a vessel for the soul and cannot survive without it. The soul cannot survive without a vessel so the two compliment each other. A lack of one or the other and only death awaits.¡±


    The Nefarious Saint laughed. ¡°What bum wrote that?¡±


    Cyil frowned, ¡°a rank 8 mage wrote it.¡±


    ¡°Cyil my boy, let me educate you a bit more than this ¡®rank 8 mage¡¯.¡±


    Cyil nodded, welcoming the information, but prepared himself for the possible ramblings and off-topic information that could come along with it.


    ¡°The soul is awareness. It is the ability to think. It is the ability to realize the self. The soul need not be connected to anything, but it is connected to everything. The soul is also referred to as the mind, the consciousness, the spirit, the life force, the identity, and much more. These are all the soul, yet they don¡¯t quite capture the whole picture. That is how complex the soul is.


    Moving on, when someone has a weak soul they will be susceptible to illusions, easily afflicted with emotional confusion, or frequently fall prey to wandering spirits. There are many negatives that also affects the physical body such as constantly falling ill, having a weak body, and dying at a young age. The benefits to a strong soul are the opposite from what I just listed and there are virtually no negative effects. Perhaps the only thing a person with a strong soul has to worry about is the possibility of a lack of emotional display; their mind will be in such a state of clarity that they will often act on logic instead of emotional impulses. But that is not to say all people with strong souls are cold individuals. In fact, people with strong soul tend to protect people with weaker souls by simply being next to them.


    This is especially relevant with strong souled individuals that are not mages. These entities can often establish communication with spirits or even display extraordinary strength in times of crisis. During my travels in Nakrul, I once met an old woman who had a strong soul, much stronger than even rank 6 mages. She had no physical training and lived and ordinary life, but when a rank 4 magical beast rampaged around her town slaughtering civilians she single handedly killed the beast--punching straight through its skull in a single blow. After she completed the task, the old woman passed away. She had overexerted her soul, which is a form of burning your life force. Alas, if only she had some training then she would¡¯ve been someone to fear!


    There was also a fellow dwarf I encountered on my travels that had escaped from the prisons. The dragons could not track him because his strong soul obscured all scrying spells. But even if they could they probably wouldn¡¯t have gone to the trouble. This dwarf had a soul so strong that he could see my rank 6 level 2 guise and although he didn¡¯t know about rankings, he knew I was a powerful mage. I wouldn¡¯t have known about him if he hadn¡¯t approached me to ask for help. He offered to be my slave, if I only freed his family from the prisons. I agreed and easily extracted his family from the prisons, but I didn¡¯t take him as my slave...later on, I heard his family was captured by bandits and in an effort to rescue them he was killed.


    In Nakrul, there are not many individuals who are not mages and born with strong souls. They are much more rare than even high-grade elemental bodies. As saints, we naturally have strong souls because we are intune with the law(s) of Nakrul. You and I both have two saint attributes so our soul is much stronger than regular saints. Of course, there are no absolutes so some saints, usually Life attribute saints, can have stronger souls than ours. But to increase your soul strength is a difficult thing to do and only someone who has become a god can even begin to understand its mechanics. Others simply use brute methods or accidentally manage to train their soul strength.


    Cyil my boy, there are much more things to talk about, but the main thing I am saying is although each soul is unique, there are similarities too, and your soul is the most similar to my own; thus you are the most suitable candidate for me, and I for you.¡±


    Cyil looked at the glove with a serious expression, his thoughts lingering on a single phrase. ¡°You said ¡®there are no absolutes¡¯, where did you hear that from?¡±


    ¡°Hear? I was the one who invented the term! There really are no absolutes in Nakrul, Cyil my boy. You would do well to listen to this principle. In fact, let me tell you about¡­.¡±


    Cyil was no longer listening to the Nefarious Saint¡¯s ramblings, but instead thought of his grandpa Baccaus then of his grandmother Kara. He remembered the rushed and pained expression on their face and the urgency in their voice. He had never forgotten the promise he had made: to get stronger then return to reclaim his body, but more importantly to save his grandpa and grandma. Only after that would he look for his mother. Cyil was no longer naive and had learned much from the library and the cruelty of Nakrul. Cyil knew that at the rate of his improvement, it would take decades until he could even reasonable face off against the crystal Cyil.


    Suddenly, Cyil said, ¡°how much stronger can you make me? My soul. Will it be strong enough to contend with a Death saint¡¯s soul?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the Nefarious Saint, a previous saint god, didn¡¯t mind being interrupted by Cyil, and instead smiled a devious smile. He said with the utmost confidence, ¡°Cyil my boy, I will make you the strongest entity here on Nakrul!¡±


    Cyil nodded, thinking about his options and the consequences it may have, then adamantly said, ¡°then let¡¯s start right away. Come, the Nefarious Saint.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 27

    Book 2: Chapter 27


    Creed sat on his leather chair which creaked like a rotting floor board. He was scanning a thick book for the information requested of him.


    ¡°Hurry up old man,¡± a haughty man grew irked at Creed¡¯s slow hands and careful eyes.


    ¡°Patience young man. The information you are asking for is very specific.¡± Creed responded in a flat tone, neither angry nor scared and continued at his own pace.


    A while later Creed found and gave the man the information he wanted; then, without even a word of thanks, the man left Creed.


    Sighing, Creed stood to stretch his back and thought back to Mahoj. Creed hadn¡¯t known the boy for long but he sure did miss him. It had been almost two year now since Mahoj had left with the promise of coming back the next day.


    When Mahoj didn¡¯t show up the following day, Creed found it strange and after a week of waiting he went around asking for Mahoj. Creed was concerned some ill fortune may have befallen the young man, however, it didn¡¯t take long before Creed found that there was no one named Mahoj on the Ravenous Serpents¡¯ registry. This shocked Creed and he did some more asking around and slowly pieced together a puzzle that no one saw. Mahoj was the infamous Cyil that had butchered rank 3 warriors like chickens and brought about a great headache for Jughog.


    Creed laughed at Cyil¡¯s boldness and never told anyone the secret he had uncovered. Creed simply hoped Cyil was somewhere safe.


    Looking about the lonely library, Creed sighed once more and moved to tidy up the library before closing it for the day.


    Standing out on the busy streets, Creed looked at the warm sun then suddenly remembered. ¡°Ah, today is the finals of the annual mercenary tournament. I guess I should go watch and see if the Immortal Refugees take first again this year.¡±


    Lumbering over towards the noisy colosseum, Creed smiled as he observed the bountiful energy chirping around him. ¡°This is a nice change. I should come out more often,¡± Creed said to himself.


    When Creed got to the entrance, he showed the ticketer his emblem and was quickly admitted into the colosseum without being charged.


    Creed was then escorted to one of the top booths that were reserved for VIP guests only. When Creed saw what was happening he said, ¡°just take me to an empty seat among the crowd.¡±


    The guide was puzzled, but didn¡¯t dare disobey and quickly changed directions.


    Creed was brought to sit among the enormous and rowdy crowd, but his seat was still near the front, providing a clear view of the special, elevated stage.


    Right when Creed sat down an announcer shouted through a magic tool designed to amplify voices.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, we have the finals of the regional annual mercenary tournament! The respective winners from each age division will move on to the compete in the Rovaria kingdom tournament! Not only that, but as you all know, the Rovaria king has declared that this will be the last annual mercenary tournament for the time being. That being the case, his majesty has graciously offered a special opportunity for the each of the winners from the kingdom level tournament! This is a chance that cannot be missed so I truly hope each contender will fight to their utmost limit. Hold nothing back! And without further ado, let¡¯s start off with the 16 and under age group.¡±


    The announcer paused and let the crowd¡¯s wildness surge to the skies, before continuing:


    ¡°Coming from the Immortal Refugees, ever since her appearance, she has won this regional tournament twice. She has even won the kingdom level tournament and was only finally brought down in the empire level tournament! But what has another year of training brought her?! Can anyone stop her?! No one knows. But hopefully we will have a chance to witness her strength again today! At the age of 16, with a warrior ranking of 5, I give you Selia of Immortal Refugees!¡±


    As the announcer finished his words, a slender figure dashed onto the stage, doing a flip before graciously landing on the undisturbed ground. No one could see the hidden face of this figure, but they could tell by the shape of her body that she was female. Despite not knowing how Selia looked like almost every male had a crush on her, because of her tremendous strength. No one has managed to last 10 seconds in the ring with her and everyone was convincingly defeated. This was enough to show how strong she was.


    Roars of madness created pandemonium through the colosseum and it wasn¡¯t until the announcer spoke again that people somewhat quieted down.


    ¡°It seems miss Selia has many supporters, but I urge everyone not to count out our dark horse this year! Coming from Lone Wolf mercenary group, this young man is truly a lone wolf. He has carved out a place in the finals for himself in a domineering fashion. Through using brute force alone he has taken out troves of opponents. Even his name is domineering and I am sure everyone remembers this name from their childhood. At the age of 15, with an estimated warrior ranking of 4, I give you the Nefarious Saint of Lone Wolf!¡±


    A lazy figure calmly walked to the stage, opting to climb the stairs rather than jumping up onto the platform like Selia. Despite this entrance, not a single person complained because this was just how the Nefarious Saint always entered. Also, not a person dared to look down on the Nefarious Saint anymore. At first, his ridiculous title made everyone laugh and offer up a load of mockery, but his first match stunned everyone. He had simply walked up to his opponent and that opponent had pissed his pants.


    No one knew how he had done it, but they were convinced the Nefarious Saint had cheated. It was only after the head referee, who also happened to be the mayor, confirmed that no magic was involved did the crowd finally accept the results.


    The Nefarious Saint¡¯s reputation grew even more when he defeated a member from Immortal Refugees. This time, the Nefarious Saint used odd boxing skills, mixed with unorthodox techniques, to achieve a flawless victory. After that victory, many people, especially Ravenous Serpents members, who had been unhappy with the Immortal Refugee¡¯s dominance became fans of the Nefarious Saint.


    So, it was without saying that the Nefarious Saint, though not as popular as Selia, also received a thunderous cheer.


    When the Nefarious Saint finally took his place across from Selia, he smiled behind his mask.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see what you look like miss Selia,¡± he said so that only she could hear.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Selia raised an eyebrow then responded with a hmph and beckoned him forward with one outstretched hand.


    The Nefarious Saint laughed and looked at the referee who looked at the announcer.


    The announcer frowned, still wanting to build up the suspense and momentum, but promptly said, ¡°now then. Everyone, let¡¯s witness this fight of a lifetime! It is a battle between two masked figures! It is a battle for a chance to advance to the kingdom round! I hope everyone has placed their bets in the auction house because the victor is still unknown! Match Start!¡±


    As soon as the announcer declared the match start, Selia¡¯s figure slightly blurred and she appeared right next to the unassuming Nefarious Saint. As she prepared to attack, Selia felt a strange, invisible force coming from the Nefarious Saint. It was almost like she was facing a high ranking magical beast. Selia was slightly shocked by the phenomenon, but quickly regained her composure.


    Throwing out a kick to the head, Selia held nothing back, planning to finish the fight as quickly as possible.


    ¡°No effect to your mind?¡± Laughing while leaning back, the Nefarious Saint easily dodged the kick and even managed to say, ¡°good kick!¡±


    Selia was irked by this comment and began a barrage of attacks which where all easily dodged by the Nefarious Saint.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Selia momentarily retreated to rethink her plan. ¡°No wonder junior apprentice brother lost. This man is strong!¡±


    Breathing in a deep breath and holding it, Selia charged at the Nefarious Saint once more. This time, she moved so fast that an after image of her was still standing on the other side of the stage.


    The Nefarious Saint frowned at this drastic explosion of speed and marveled, ¡°she must have used a technique to increase her speed by more than at least three times before.¡±


    Before he could say anymore, a punch blazed straight to his throat.


    ¡°Is this girl trying to kill me?! Such brutality.¡± The Nefarious Saint was confident in his defensive abilities, but he couldn¡¯t easily reveal it here, otherwise he may arouse suspicion. Not able to dodge the attack, the Nefarious Saint moved to catch the Selia¡¯s punch.


    He grabbed the fist with a claw like grip, then with his other hand grabbed Selia¡¯s forearm. This move effectively neutralized the attack, but the Nefarious Saint was not done, and using her own momentum, flung Selia away out of the ring.


    Selia cursed, because if she landed outside of the ring/stage, it would be counted as a loss. She flipped a few times in the air and completed a twirl before landing on the edge of the stage, inches away from losing. ¡°Very good,¡± she said between her teeth and realized that she had failed the task her father had given her.


    ¡°10 seconds for regionals, 3 minute for kingdom, and win the empire round...This year, how could I have already failed in this puny regional tournament.¡± Selia felt anger welling up inside of her. This anger was for her own self, but a majority of it was directed towards the Nefarious Saint. Glaring at the Nefarious Saint, she finally breathed out the breath she had held in for so long.


    As she did so, her face became wane and beads of sweat dripped down her flawless skin. Of course, no one could see this because of the cloth draped around Selia¡¯s head. No one saw, except for one person--the Nefarious Saint.


    The Nefarious Saint held a shocked expression behind his mask. ¡°That¡¯s the only repercussion for allowing her speed to quadruple and strength to triple? What saintly spell is this!?¡±


    Thinking to himself, the Nefarious Saint did not bother to pursue Selia and instead scratched his head in an effort to find the answer. It almost seemed as if he was having an imaginary conversation with an invisible partner.


    Selia frowned at her opponent''s response, but she knew that holding back was no longer an option. This man in front of her was at least as strong as some of the competitors from the empire level and not going all out would ensure her lost.


    Selia wiped away her cockiness and punched herself on her chest, directly above her heart.


    As the crowd saw Selia¡¯s strange actions they all became worried, but in the next moment their eyes almost bulged out of sockets.


    They gawked as the Nefarious Saint was suddenly up in the air. He flew--yes flew--for at least 20 feet before dropping back down. They hadn¡¯t seen what had happened and still struggled to comprehend the last action while Selia had already launched ten more moves on the descending Nefarious Saint.


    The Nefarious Saint was injured by the first attack and although he had managed to block all the following attacks, he still felt winded by the force behind each strike. ¡°I didn¡¯t see her at all. This speed is too fast and her strength is monstrous.¡±


    Landing in an awkward fashion, the Nefarious Saint rubbed his stomach and swallowed the blood accumulating at the back of his throat. ¡°Miss Selia, ladies should be gentle.¡±


    Another fist came flying towards his head and like the others, the Nefarious Saint blocked it because dodging was not an option. The fist seem to have a penetrative effect as the force transferred pass the Nefarious Saint¡¯s guard and into his fleshly body. His insides seem to shake as if a drum was being smashed within his body.


    ¡°Good! Now this is a fight!¡± For the first time since the start of the fight the Nefarious Saint¡¯s eyes narrowed, turning serious.


    Instantly, the odd feeling Selia had before magnified a hundred times. This time, it felt as if she was facing a supreme dragon in the flesh. She could not help but to lay flat on the ground to prostrate herself because kneeling was not enough. Selia felt her body weaken and her mind shake. Then, just as she was about to lose all her fighting strength, the Nefarious Saint¡¯s eyes returned to normal and he swiped at something before quickly jumped off the stage on his own accord. A black cloth in hand, the Nefarious Saint turned to say, ¡°my apologies miss Selia. You really are strong. I concede this fight.¡±


    Selia breathed out a sigh of relief, not because she had won, but because the pressure she felt was gone. Then she felt that something was odd. The whole stadium had gone quiet. Even the referee had forgot to announce the results.


    The Nefarious Saint chuckled while tossing the black cloth into the wind and left without a word.


    Selia stared at the back of the masked man then her eyes followed the black cloth that magically floated towards her.


    This was when Selia grew alarmed, her face blushing red and without a word, she disappeared from the stage and silent colosseum.


    It was only after she had vanished that the first person even dared to mumble, ¡°was that a goddess I just saw?¡±


    Like a chain reaction, this comment roused an uproar of comments that drowned out even the announcer¡¯s powerful voice amplifying magical tool. No one cared about the results of the fight nor about the next fight coming up, but they repeatedly discuss Selia, the immortal goddess. Those who were not her fans before were her #1 fans now. And those who were already her fans were her #1 fans even so. In fact, just as many females as there were males were strictly in love with Selia.


    Thus started the stampede from the audience to find Selia. At least ? of the entire audience left before the next match to search for her. Of course, the outskirts of Immortal Refugee¡¯s headquarters was filled to the brim with admirers and fanatics. But this was just the beginning¡­


    As for the one who instigated all of this, the Nefarious Saint was busy talking to his hand. Well, to be more precise, it was his glove.


    ¡°Nefarious Saint, I still need more practice controlling my powers, but I did find that this tournament helped me out a bit. We can move onto the next step now.¡±


    Sure that the glove would respond, the young man waited and a response did come. ¡°Cyil my boy, no rush no rush. The technique that girl used was quite interesting, don¡¯t you think? It seemed like an attributeless spell of some sort. Even I am not too sure.¡±


    ¡°Even you don¡¯t know?¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t help but ask again.


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why we need to find out! I am sure there is much more than meets the eye with that girl and the immortal Refugees from where she comes. Besides, isn¡¯t she somewhat pretty?¡±


    ¡°I suppose so.¡± Cyil nodded, thinking about how he had been battered around like a rag doll. He had to admit that after Selia used that technique he was on the losing end. ¡°Then let¡¯s go take a look after retrieving it.¡±


    The Nefarious Saint agreed. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s about time it saw the light of day again.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 28

    Book 2: Chapter 28


    Cyil arrived at the Polite Palm Pub that had renovated since its bizarre incident 2 years ago. At that time, the pub had suddenly exploded from within, but there was no fire and miraculously no one was hurt. The cause of the explosion was never confirmed and had always remained a mystery to this day. Though, contrary to the owner¡¯s worries about losing customers, the wild story attracted even more people to the pub making it a tourist hotspot in the city. Now the pub stood taller and radiated brilliant light like no other.


    Cyil still remembered that time two years ago and silently apologized for what he was about to do.


    Cyil walked into the noisy pub that was surprisingly full despite the tournament. Instantly he was greeted by a charming young woman who blushed when she saw Cyil¡¯s face. Cyil smiled, then winked at the lady, teasing her a little before saying, ¡°miss, would you be so kind as to sleep for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Sleep? With you?¡± The young lady¡¯s face grew red like a ripe tomato as various thoughts ran through her head. She misinterpreted Cyil¡¯s words and tugging at her apron she couldn¡¯t even say yes before losing consciousness.


    Soul Domain--Suppress & Illusion!


    Cyil¡¯s eyes had long since turned completely white and a tangible pressure radiated from his body, covering the entirety of the Polite Palm Pub.


    This was his domain--something generated purely based off the power of his soul and had no ties to his elemental body at all. Within this domain, Cyil was in control and could sense everyone¡¯s thoughts and feelings. He could feel their souls and uncover all its secrets. He could also suppress another person¡¯s soul, attack it with illusions, and many more things.


    This domain was what Cyil had been working on with the Nefarious Saint for 2 years. It had been 2 years in Nakrul, but for Cyil it felt as if several lifetimes had already passed by; and this was true to an extent, because Cyil¡¯s training required him to become someone else. Cyil would live the life of a farmer or a martial warrior; he even remembered being magical beasts and people of the opposite sex. There was a life that Cyil found interesting, because he was no longer in Nakrul, but in a place called Earth. The magic there was advanced in its own ways when compared to Nakrul¡¯s magic, but Cyil found that living there was pleasant. Of course, while he was stuck in the illusion, Cyil didn¡¯t know he was from Nakrul and really believed Earth was his home. It was only after Cyil escaped from that realm by realizing that he was in an illusion that he moved on to his ¡®next life¡¯.


    The spell Cyil was put under was similar to the Death God (Crystal Cyil¡¯s) spell, but this one was more complex and placed great strain on the soul to the point where Cyil¡¯s soul even began to crack around its edges.


    Whenever this occured the Nefarious Saint would grit his teeth, but ultimately choose not interfere. The Nefarious Saint had to maintain the effect of the spell after all and it took up a great deal of his energy reserves. He couldn¡¯t worry about every little thing.


    Sometimes, the Nefarious Saint would stop the spell and tutor Cyil in controlling his soul force before sending him back into the spell. It was during the end of the first year that Cyil developed a soul domain, shocking the Nefarious Saint. Then afterwards, the Nefarious Saint learned that Cyil¡¯s soul domain could do various unbelievable things. Thus, hand in hand, both Cyil and the Nefarious Saint learned how to control a soul domain.


    After 2 years, the Nefarious Saint ran out of juice and had to stop Cyil¡¯s training otherwise his own soul would crumble. Moreover, he was concerned because Cyil¡¯s soul strength was progressing too quickly! This was not necessarily a bad thing, but Mahoj¡¯s body can not support such a strong soul, meaning it would deteriorate even faster. In addition, Cyil needed to solidify his soul and learn how to use it step by step or he might harm himself instead. This is similar to giving an infant a sharp blade. The infant might have the blade and could harm adults, but the infant wouldn¡¯t know how to use the blade and could even hurt themselves wielding it. Thus the Nefarious Saint recommended Cyil temper his skills in the annual mercenary tournament.


    Cyil took a few weeks to nourish his body to top condition and to digest all the information from his past lives. He found that his body¡¯s strength had grown stronger along with his soul. He marveled at how sleeping could give him such well defined muscles along with six inches of height. Cyil asked the Nefarious Saint about this, but the Nefarious Saint simply laughed and said, ¡°with the strength of your soul, I was surprised this body didn¡¯t develop muscles ontop its muscles!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Cyil laughed at the Nefarious Saint¡¯s joke, but was firmly reminded that although the body was now stronger, it was also deteriorating quicker. By now Cyil had such a strong soul that his perceptive abilities had skyrocketed; he could feel the time Mahoj¡¯s body had left and it wasn¡¯t very long. 3 years 9 months and 1 days. That was the amount of time he had left to reclaim his body. Along with feeling the condition of Mahoj¡¯s body, Cyil could sense a strand of connection to his own body, allowing him to guess its vague location and feel its vitality. What surprised Cyil was that his own body had moved from Emerald forest and was somewhere close to where he was.


    As soon as Cyil made this discovery he grew alarmed and checked once more only to find out that his previous assumption was off. His body was still far away, stagnant, and unmoving. Cyil shook his head as an uncomfortable feeling grew inside of him.


    ¡°I have to hurry back. As long as it¡¯s a fight of our souls, I can beat him.¡± Cyil felt as if something horrible had happened to Baccaus and Kara and this feeling lingered on in his mind as he continued to prepare for his fight.


    Even now, Cyil had returned to the Polite Palm Pub to retrieve something that would bolster his fighting strength. It was something he had seen when the Nefarious Saint had Time Warped spacetime around the Polite Palm Pub. The item he was searching for was the heart crystal of the rat that he had seen and pitied so long ago.


    Cyil carefully extended his soul domain into the ground, groping around for the hidden heart crystal. He could feel and see everything within 360 degrees drawn up in his mind. The people sleeping, the ants crawling on the ground, and even the minute cracks on the wooden tables were conjured in his mind in a three-dimensional manner.


    After probing 20 feet deep into the ground Cyil was near the limits of what his soul domain could handle. Normally, he could easily extend the soul domain to 50 feet, but using it to travel through the ground was three times as difficult.


    As sweat dripped down Cyil¡¯s forehead, his soul force was repelled by a small object, the size of a walnut seed.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± The Nefarious Saint happily chimed in.


    ¡°It can actually repel my soul force?¡± Cyil was now convinced that this heart crystal was extraordinary. The Nefarious Saint had gone on and on about how lucky Cyil was to actually have seen a monarch level magical beast. By now Cyil understood that aside from their normal levels and rankings, magical beasts had additional titles for each time they evolved. The first title bestowed to a magical beast would be ¡®ancient¡¯. Then if the magical beast was to metamorphosis once more they would be bestowed the title of ¡®elder¡¯. And finally, if the magical beast managed to break through once more then and only then would they be bestowed the title of ¡®monarch¡¯.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing the rat undergo any tribulations or metamorphosis at all,¡± Cyil said to the Nefarious Saint, who had a smug tone as he replied.


    ¡°Usually that would be the case, but this magical beast was born at the monarch level! There was no need for it to evolve any further.¡±


    ¡°If it really is a monarch, then why did it look so ordinary?¡± Cyil couldn¡¯t help but thinking that the monarch magical beast seemed so weak and lonely, not at all like the terrifying force the Nefarious Saint had described.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it never needed to display any of its powers. Monarch leveled magical beasts are extremely intelligent and are above everything else. Perhaps, even god level mages would lose in a fight against one. Keep in mind that Oiyst, the so called supreme ruler of the dragons, was only at the elder level of power and he was already one of the strongest beings under the god level. If not for me being a dual attribute Saint on the eve of godhood, I would not have defeated him so easily. If he were a monarch? I don¡¯t know what would have happened then.¡±


    Cyil was gradually influenced by the Nefarious Saint¡¯s enthusiasm and decided it wouldn¡¯t hurt to find the heart crystal of the monarch rat.


    As soon as Cyil located the heart crystal he punched a hole through the wooden floor and began to dig. His fingers cupped like a shovel, Cyil quickly burrowed his way down 10 feet. When the ground became too hard, Cyil summoned water to soften the ground.


    After only a half hour did Cyil reached the heart crystal; it looked like a rock. There was nothing unique about it except for its shape, which was oblong and jagged. Cyil carefully plucked the heart crystal out of the ground and observed it, but still ended up with nothing.


    ¡°As they said in my other life, ¡®don¡¯t judge a book by its covers¡¯. This is defintely it. My soul force cannot penetrate it at all.¡± Carefully placing the heart crystal in his breast pocket, Cyil hopped out of the 20 foot hole in one leap.


    Cyil began dusting himself when he froze. Standing in front of the Polite Palm Pub entranceway was a young woman of around 18 years with a jagged wooden stick. She wore a patchy dress and worn out shoes. Her hair was neatly combed and flowed like a waterfall over her small shoulders. She was thin and seemed malnourished. Most surprising of all was that her eyes were closed, but she was not sleeping. She was not sleeping meaning she was not affected by Cyil¡¯s Soul Domain at all!


    In fact, Cyil hadn¡¯t even sensed it when the woman entered the pub.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Cyil clenched his fist, ready to fight or flee.


    The young woman smiled as her ears twitched. ¡°Selia said someone was mean to her, so her big sister is here to make things right. Say, you won¡¯t try to avoid responsibility, right, mister Nefarious Saint?¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 29

    Book 2: Chapter 29


    ¡°What responsibility?¡± Cyil raised an eyebrow at the young lady¡¯s statement. Then, just as he was about to continue speaking, Cyil¡¯s eyes narrowed and he smirked, closing his slightly parted lips.


    When Selia¡¯s sister saw Cyil¡¯s reaction she instantly grew enraged; her face twisted into a frown before she stomped up to him in big, loud steps.


    ¡°Hmph, so you are going to avoid responsibility! Mother always said that men only want what they want and once they have it nothing else matters. You¡¯ve shown Selia¡¯s face to the entire city and you just run away afterwards? Do you know how many people are pestering her right now? If you don¡¯t take responsibility then I¡¯ll capture you and take prisoner until you do so.¡±


    In the face of these accusations Cyil couldn¡¯t help but laugh, as if the funniest joke had just been passed.


    ¡°You! How dare you laugh? Is this some sort of joke? You really are despicable! Forget taking responsibility, you don¡¯t even deserve to. I¡¯ll mince you up right here.¡±


    Selia¡¯s sister, eyes still closed, punched out with a devastatingly slow fist. Cyil calmly stared at the fist, not intending to dodge at all.


    ¡°If I¡¯m right,¡± Cyil said as the fist reach him. ¡°You are simply an illusion.¡± The fist passed right through him.


    Selia¡¯s sister withdrew her fist, displeased by Cyil¡¯s nonchalant attitude. ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t go out right now, or I would come in person and you would eat dirt!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, because I will be coming to you, miss Selia. Wait for me alright?¡± Cyil grinned, then exerted his soul pressure, wiping away illusion of Selia¡¯s sister to reveal a blushing Selia who also vanished.


    As the illusion disappeared with the wind, Cyil found that he was still standing in the 20 feet hole he had dug. Grasping at his chest, Cyil heaved a sigh in relief when he felt the heart crystal nestled in his breast pocket.


    ¡°Boy, you let your guard down and was drawn into an illusion.¡± The Nefarious Saint¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°Although not many people know about, much less use illusions and soul attacks, always be wary.¡±


    Cyil nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize I¡¯d been trapped in an illusion until 19 seconds passed. That would be enough time for someone to kill me ten times over in the real world as I would just stand still and not retaliate at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But remember that you can do the same to others with your illusions, too. In fact, you can actually harm someone with your illusions. As long as you attack their soul with your own then killing them is not impossible. What you just experienced was an illusion that would not really harm your soul, but confuse your soul, hindering the senses of your body¡­ What we should be concerned about is how the user managed to place you under this spell, even when your soul domain was active.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cyil had thought his soul domain was impervious, but it had actually been breached so easily. Could it be Selia also had a strong soul? But when he was fighting her, Cyil noticed that although her soul was stronger than an average person¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t even 1/100th the strength of his own. He didn¡¯t know how Selia had done it, but he was going to find out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Cyil repeated again. ¡°But I do know who placed me under the spell and we were going there anyways. To the Immortal Refugees mercenary headquarters!¡±


    ***


    The Rovaria Kingdom¡¯s castle, in Iruka¡¯s personal study room which no one had entered for 2 years.


    Swoosh. A figure appeared out of thin air and landed on the ground of the study, disturbing the lazy dust that had gathered for a party.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Iruka looked around his beloved study space and felt a singular momentary peace. Though it didn¡¯t take long before his troubles returned to him. Immediately, Iruka asked, ¡°how far has the annual mercenary tournament progressed?¡±


    A low droning voice groaned from deep within the castle grounds. ¡°Back already? The regional finals just concluded today. The finalists from each region will come here to fight for the kingdom round and the winners of each division will receive the opportunity you spoke of. I¡¯ve passed down the message so that everyone knows.¡±


    Iruka listened carefully then waved his hand. ¡°There¡¯s not enough time to host the kingdom tournament. Have the top ten highest ranking participant from each age group of each region come here. They will all get an opportunity to soar to the skies.¡±


    ¡°That many?!¡± The low voice actually became high pitched. ¡°Your highness, teleporting that many people here would be ten times as much as usual. And,¡± the voice quivered, before continuing: ¡°if they were to be all given the opportunity then the kingdom¡¯s coffers that has been accumulated for hundreds of years would instantly be halved!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Iruka calmly replied. ¡°But we cannot sqwabble over small matters such as resources when the entirety of the human race is being threatened with extinction. I just hope someone out of the bunch can grasp this chance.¡±


    ¡°Has things become that bad?¡± The voice returned to its usual low tone.


    Iruka nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve received word that Tyion Kingdom has already fallen--¡±


    ¡°--Impossible!¡± The voice dared to interrupt the king for the first time since its creation. ¡°Tyion was the strongest of us seven-- the castle should have held even in the face of an assault from rank 9 mages! I can accept that Streggana fell, but Tyion should not!¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Iruka shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Rovaria¡¯s keeper. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve returned ahead of time. Moritania is north of us, while Gallenfall is to the south. We are wedged in the middle of these kingdoms and the monster tide¡¯s course heads straight towards us!¡±


    ¡°First Latimore was destroyed by the Death God, then Streggana collapsed under the assault from the monster tide, and now even Tyion is gone, too. It seems I¡¯ll also be leaving you soon, Iruka.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rovaria¡¯s keeper. Even if this plan doesn¡¯t work, I have a few more tricks up my sleeves. This kingdom will not fall under my rule!¡± As Iruka said this his eyes lit with flames and his red hair gave off sparks of flames.


    ¡°War is coming and it¡¯s time for this kingdom to know. We have one year to prepare. This is the King¡¯s decree: all physical warriors of rank 3 or more will be drafted. Everyone else migrate either south or north.¡±


    The Rovaria keeper assented. ¡°It shall be as you command!¡±


    ***


    On the western borders of Rovaria Kingdom, in a worn-out carriage.


    ¡°Mommy, when can we go home?¡± A young boy of around 4 asked his young mother.


    ¡°Ralph, Rovaria will be our new home. We will be safe hhere.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ralph nodded like a good boy. ¡°When is daddy joining us?¡±


    ¡°Daddy¡­¡± the young mother shook away the tears in her eyes just quick enough so that Ralph didn¡¯t see. ¡°Daddy will be with us soon, Ralph. He promised so he¡¯ll be here.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Ralph smiled then began to hummm his favorite song. ¡°Mommy, there are drums going along with my tune!¡±


    ¡°Drums?¡± The young mother looked around the solitary carriage before noticing that there was a steady beat rumbling the ground. ¡°That¡¯s, that¡¯s not drums!¡±


    The young mother had heard this sound before and she knew what it meant. The monster tide was right behind them!


    ¡°Oh the elements! Why must Nakrul be so cruel to us.¡± The young woman lamented her fate and pulled Ralph out of the carriage. ¡°Ralph, do you want to ride a horse? This is a chance for you to do so.¡± The young woman managed to put on a bright smile.


    ¡°Yay! Horsey! Yes mommy I want to.¡±


    ¡°Mmhm good boy. Now, remember to hold on tight and don¡¯t fall off, okay? Keep riding until you find someone to help you off. Can you do that for me?¡±


    ¡°I can. But mommy why are you not coming with me?¡± Ralph scratched his head.


    The young woman looked at their skinny, feeble horse tied to the carriage and said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for daddy to come. I want to make sure he doesn¡¯t get lost. You know how he always loses his way. When he gets here, we¡¯ll both come find you, together. Okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay! Promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise you my dear.¡± The young woman had already freed the horse from its bindings and now hefted Ralph onto the horse. After Ralph was on, the young woman tied Ralph onto the saddle to keep him from falling off.


    ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t need ropes. I want to ride like daddy!¡± Ralph complained as he was being tied.


    ¡°Be a good boy or else you won¡¯t get to ride.¡±


    ¡°Awwww,¡± Ralph whined but listened.


    The young woman ruffled Ralph¡¯s hair and said, ¡°remember that mommy and daddy loves you very much, Ralphy.¡±


    ¡°I know because I love mommy and daddy, too!¡± Ralph responded with bright, truthful eyes.


    Not capable of another word without tears, the young woman slapped the horse¡¯s buttocks, sending it shooting out like an arrow. And, as if a transference of energy had occurred, the young woman fell to the ground, out of breath and out of hope as the horse galloped with surging energy carrying hope.


    She sat there, not even intending to run as the sound of rampaging footsteps swallowed her up, not pausing for an iota of consideration.


    ***


    Cyil arrived half a mile outside of Immortal Refugees¡¯ headquarters. The place was easy to find, not only because of their fame, but because of the huge crowd of people gathered around the headquarters. Cyil simply followed the crowd and was swept there.


    Now he could finally understand why Selia would be so angry. This really was a lot of people.


    Cyil pondered his next move as more people had already lined up behind him. ¡°How do I get in? The gates are closed and this human barrier is quite the obstacle. Cutting in front of someone is not really an option.¡±


    As he spoke, a muscular man decided to push his way through the crowd. ¡°Get away you unworthy maggots! Only I am worthy of goddess Selia¡¯s hand!¡±


    ¡°The fuck are you?!¡± A woman with rowdy hair pushed back as the man tried to step in front of her. ¡°Selia¡¯s mine, bitch!¡±


    ¡°Wait your turn muscle brain. Or else you¡¯ll regret it.¡±  A slim man shot a cold look at the muscular man.


    ¡°Fuck you two!¡± The muscular man was a rank 4 warrior and he had done pretty well in the regional tournament himself. He wasn¡¯t someone who could be taken lightly, but just as he continued to push, a pair of eyes locked onto him, then another and another before everyone was looking at him.


    The pressure brought about by everyone shook the muscular man¡¯s muscular will. ¡°Hmph, Selia will only wait for me anyways.¡± The man obediently retreated to his spot after his final remark.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Cyil was honestly surprised. ¡°Nefarious Saint, do you think these people would still line up like this if they knew Selia is short-tempered, holds grudges, and is quite violent?¡±


    Chuckling, the Nefarious Saint said, ¡°I bet they would be even more enthralled if they knew. You see, Cyil my boy, they are blinded by beauty of the flesh. But let¡¯s not mingle with these hooligans. I remember that you had other matters to take care of? The Ravenous Serpents. Let¡¯s deal with them first, then come back here when the crowd has cleared. There¡¯s no rush to investigate the Immortal Refugees.¡±


    ¡°Change of plans then. I also want to see how strong my soul domain truly is. I¡¯ll test it out there.¡± Cyil¡¯s eyes revealed a murderous glint and everyone in the surroundings unknowingly backed away from him. ¡°Haha,¡± Cyil laughed in an evil fashion at the people¡¯s reactions and strode off towards Ravenous Serpent¡¯s headquarters, leaving behind a bunch of people quaking in their boots.


    ¡°Who, who was that?¡± Someone whispered through chattering teeth.


    ¡°He looks young. Maybe he¡¯s a hidden expert?¡±


    ¡°Definitely a hidden expert! And one who has murdered a lot, too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t offend him.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, I remember pushing up against him while in line.¡±


    ¡°You did that?!¡± The person who said this instantly distanced themself from the fool who had dug his own grave.


    ¡°No, no it was on accident. Please, everyone speak out on my behalf.¡± The man who had pushed up against Cyil began to cry.


    ¡°We will pray for you¡­¡± No one came to his aid.


    The man fell to the ground, hysterically cried himself unconscious, then slept in a pool of his own urine.


    Unbeknownst to them, Cyil didn¡¯t even notice. Right now, one of his most pressing concern was simply thinking if he should get some food before taking down Ravenous Serpents.


    ¡°I got it,¡± Cyil announced. ¡°I want to try some magical beast meats!¡± Then rubbing his stomach, Cyil went off to find a restaurant.

 Book 2: Chapter 30

    Book 2: Chapter 30


    Cyil rubbed his stomach and let out a burp as he sauntered out of the fancy restaurant.


    ¡°Too bad they only have rank 1 magical beast meat. Otherwise, I would be able to strengthen this body even more.¡± Cyil clenched his fist, producing popping sounds from the force.


    ¡°This is a body you¡¯ll eventually discard anyway. No need to put so much effort into strengthening it.¡± The Nefarious Saint replied in an annoyed voice.


    ¡°Still upset you can¡¯t taste the food?¡± Cyil laughed and poked fun at the Nefarious Saint.


    ¡°Hmph, I wouldn¡¯t have eaten that food even if I could, and I can¡¯t so I¡¯m grateful.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so upset, Nefarious Saint. Why don¡¯t you just place your soul under an illusion spell, so that you can eat all the food you want?¡± Cyil pointed out an solution.


    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t done that before?¡± The Nefarious Saint said in a lazy voice. ¡°I have, but nothing beats the real deal! In any case, let¡¯s go take care of business before anything else.¡±


    Cyil said nothing further that may irritate the grumpy Nefarious Saint and made his way through the busy streets to Ravenous Serpent¡¯s sub-headquarters.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Cyil reached his destination.


    ¡°Looks the same as two years ago,¡± Cyil walked straight into the sub-headquarters, ignoring the surprised looks from the Ravenous Serpent members.


    Cyil penetrated pretty deep in the sub-headquarters before he was finally stopped by rank 3 member.


    ¡°Hey Kid, are you lost or do you just want to die?¡± The stout man with an eyepatch loomed over Cyil with his one good eye.


    ¡°Finally, someone stopped me. I was wondering how long it would take.¡± Cyil shrugged as he released a bit of his soul force.


    Instantly the man felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire; he was being pulled into the ground, eaten up by it and his rank 3 strength could not help him one bit. The man began to scream and call for help, but no one was around to help. He clawed at the loose sand that gave no holdings for him to grasp.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± the man shouted through sobs and gasps for air. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die. Someone please help me!¡± The man shouted one more time before he was swallowed up by the ground.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Cyil said as he left behind the eyepatch man with foam bubbling through his mouth and continued making his towards Jughog¡¯s residence.


    Jughog had the most luxurious building within the Ravenous Serpent¡¯s sub-headquarters so it was easy to find. Even if Cyil did not know the way beforehand, he could have found it without directions.


    Cyil arrived at Jughog¡¯s well furnished building and laughed at the two statues of Jughog next to the front gate. Then Cyil¡¯s eyes roved over to the stakes wedged into the ground and he frowned.


    ¡°New heads. Seems like he¡¯s been busy.¡± Cyil did not feel pity for those who had been beheaded, only frowning to show his disapproval. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Cyil walked past the gate and into the courtyard. Just as Cyil was about to continue, the Nefarious Saint said, ¡°careful.¡±


    Cyil had no time to respond as the ground lit up with strange diagrams, surging with heat.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a magical array.¡± Cyil sprinted towards the residence, not hesitating or retreating as others would in that situation. A moment later a pillar of flames twirled in the air, shooting up into the sky.


    ¡°The mayor must have set this up,¡± Cyil said as he observed the flames. ¡°This magical array is not complex at all and has many flaws, but it can still harm even rank 3 mages and rank 4 warriors.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a magical array expert now, too?¡± The Nefarious Saint quickly became annoyed again by Cyil¡¯s luck.


    ¡°Right, I studied magical arrays two times in my other lives. I had a pretty decent achievement with magical arrays, too. It¡¯s too bad I broke out of that illusionary life after only a short while, otherwise I would have learned more.¡± Cyil replied calmly, thinking back to these two lives.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even heard of people remembering their experiences within this complex illusionary spell yet you can remember everything. What kind of monster are you?¡± The Nefarious Saint had been shocked when Cyil first awoke and told him about his experiences. The fact that Cyil could remember the events of his other lives meant he could transfer that knowledge into his ¡®real¡¯ life. This was such a cheat, because that meant that the current Cyil would have knowledge equivalent to someone who had lived for over thousands of years.


    Of course, Cyil¡¯s knowledge could be even more diverse because in these illusionary lives, he was not only human but beast and of other races, too. He even had a life where he was in a whole other world--a place called Earth!


    The only downside was that each time Cyil entered a life he would start at a random point in the person/creature¡¯s life. He would appear as that person and have all their memories jammed into his head, causing a huge strain on his soul. The massive amount of information would flood his soul, try to replace the information of his original self, and threaten to destroy his soul. If Cyil should ever succumb and lose himself in the illusionary life then his soul would be destroyed, killing him instantly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Thus the longer Cyil spent within an illusionary life, the higher the chance of him losing himself within that life. Hence, Cyil could spend at most a few years within each illusionary life before he would be in mortal danger. Still, a few years of another life provided endless new perspectives and much useful information. By now Cyil had rendered out all the useless information from his many illusionary lives and only kept the most crucial and useful bits of information, because even if his soul was 1000 times stronger than it was now, keeping every piece of information from all those illusionary lives would shatter his soul.


    ¡°The process of mixing these pieces of illusionary information so that they will become one with my soul without threatening to confuse my soul is an arduous task. Are you sure you want to bear that burden?¡± Cyil really felt tired each time he did so, but still he choose to do it.


    ¡°Of course!¡± The Nefarious Saint answered without hesitation. ¡°The advantages of living multiple lives is unspeakable. Even if they are illusions, the feelings, information, and skills you acquire are very real. But argghhh, why can¡¯t I remember anything when I wake?!¡±


    Cyil laughed at the Nefarious Saint¡¯s frustration. ¡°I have no idea,¡± he said then pushed open the door.


    Cyil still managed joke around with the Nefarious Saint even when he was about to kill someone. This scene would have been unthinkable some odd years ago when Cyil had only been a farm boy who simply wanted a father. But things have changed; Cyil has changed and the farm boy was no more.


    Soul Domain- Suppress!


    Cyil willed it and his domain engulfed the entirety of the building. He could sense everything within the building and could see the startled expression on Jughog¡¯s face. Aside from Jughog there was two servants in the kitchen along with a large woman rocking a baby.


    The large woman rocking the baby was in a room with Jughog, so Cyil knew she was Jughog¡¯s wife. He didn¡¯t even need to inspect their souls to find out.


    ¡°Who dares?!¡± Jughog stood up and roar, unable to locate the source of this uncomfortable feeling he wanted to get rid of.


    Soul Domain-Suppress and Illusions!


    Cyil added in illusion to the mix and everyone in the building, except for Jughog, fell into a deep sleep.


    Jughog only stumbled a bit, holding onto the edge of a table, before regaining his balance. ¡°What sorcery is this?!¡± By now a small fear had crept up into Jughog¡¯s soul. He didn¡¯t know how he was being attack and he couldn¡¯t find the attacker so of course he would be scared.


    Cyil raised an eyebrow, surprised that Jughog managed to resist his illusions so well.


    ¡°It¡¯s his giant¡¯s blood that helped him,¡± the Nefarious Saint cleared up Cyil¡¯s confusion.


    ¡°Gaint¡¯s blood?¡± Cyil rummaged through his mind for information on giants and quickly found it, but decided to let the Nefarious Saint explain.


    ¡°Right,¡± the Nefarious Saint grew smug, feeling good that he had taught Cyil something because nowadays Cyil seemed to have all the answers. ¡°Most giants are not too smart and they are no good with magic. Their advantage primarily lies in their overwhelming size, thick defense and enormous strength. But few know of the giant¡¯s ability to resist illusions and the likes. This does not mean they have a strong soul, but rather, that their soul is so ¡®pure¡¯ in a sense, that it just naturally wards off anything that would taint it. So, this man managed to resist your illusions with just ? giants blood in him. What would it be like with a real full blood giant?¡±


    ¡°So there was such a thing,¡± Cyil feigned astonishment, feeding the Nefarious Saint¡¯s smug attitude. ¡°Then let¡¯s see how long he can last for.¡±


    Cyil immediately focused his efforts on Jughog and increased the suppression and illusionary effects. Originally he had used only 10% of his soul strength, but now he increased it to 30%.


    Jughog felt like a hammer had hit him in the brain, dealing him a head splitting headache. Still, Jughog managed to stay awake. Now, the fear inside him magnified, proliferating in accordance to his racing heart.


    ¡°Once more.¡± Cyil increased it to 40% as beads of sweat began to run down his forehead.


    ¡°MMmm,¡± Jughog groaned as he fell to the ground, no longer able to support himself on the edge of the table. Clutching his head with both hands, Jughog spasmed on the ground in agony.


    ¡°Now, the final blow.¡± Cyil went up to 50%, all of it focused on Jughog.


    This time Jughog gave one startled shout, as if something had jolted him, before going limp.


    ¡°Whew, so 50% is needed. That¡¯s good to know.¡± Cyil wiped off his sweat before quickly proceeding to Jughog¡¯s room on the 2nd floor.


    Cyil pushed to door open and could see the family of three all asleep in odd positions:Jughog was on the ground while his wife and baby was on the bed.


    Cyil spared no time and took out a long dagger which he plunged through Jughog¡¯s left eye and straight through to his brain.


    Jughog, in the moment before his death, regained clarity and could barely see the leather shoes of his killer. ¡°My baby,¡± Jughog whispered, before he returned to the elements.


    Cyil lowered the strength of his soul domain, returning it to 10%, because keeping it active at such a high output was straining. ¡°It¡¯s done. Brothers of Soaring Wolves, you have been avenged.¡±


    Cyil said these words to himself, knowing that they would never hear or know of this deed. Cyil took no pride in taking down a rank 5 warrior nor did he feel a sense of relief. Instead, Cyil just felt indifferent and simply continued on with his plan.


    Using his soul domain, Cyil quickly found all the valuables in the building and with that, he dispersed the soul domain and left the building¡­


    A few hours after Cyil left, Jughog¡¯s wife woke to the sound of her crying baby. ¡°What¡¯s going on? What happened dear?¡± She called out to Jughog as she rubbed her temples. ¡°I had the weirdest of dreams. You wouldn¡¯t believe--¡±


    ¡°--AHHHHH!!¡±


    ***


    A man dressed in scaly, slick leather clothing slithered his way across the rolling plains at tremendous speeds. Looking carefully, some would even say he was gliding across the hills--his feet never touching the ground.


    This man mumbled to himself as he neared the 3rd sub-branch of Ravenous Serpent¡¯s in Rovaria Kingdom. ¡°So Jughog wants to quit his position and become a father. What rubbish. Making me come all the way here to appoint a new leader. Do they know how far I have to travel? Bunch of useless shits. Why did leader have to choose me to come to this backwatered place. I heard the monster tide is coming so the safest place is in the capital. I¡¯ll get this over with and head on back. My beauties are eagerly waiting for me after all.¡±


    As the man mumbled up to this point, he stopped and stared at the city walls from afar. ¡°Finally! Mmmhm, but while I¡¯m here, I might as well enjoy some beauties, too. The locals always taste the best!¡± At this point the man licked his lips, showing a forked tongue the should only belong to snakes.

 Book 2: Chapter 31

    Book 2: Chapter 31


    Three days had passed since Cyil disposed of Jughog as one would of livestock--unfeeling and natural.


    In that time many things had happened. The first and most important was that the city had descended into a state of panic. Many people had packed their belongings and fled either to the capital located in the center of Rovaria, north, south, or further east, but no one dared to go west. A majority of nobles with real estate in the city choose to reluctantly stay and wait it out. Perhaps the Rovaria army could stop the monster tide before they reached the city, they thought. Some nobles who had inside knowledge already managed to liquidate their assets before news became public and fled at top speed.


    The cause behind this chaos was none other than the King¡¯s decree of a mandatory draft for the incoming beast tide that had already trampled over two kingdoms. The death count was unknown. Millions of people have been displaced, migrating to other kingdoms or to less populated areas within their under-siege kingdom. When people heard of this 99% of the population was shocked. There had been a beast tide ravaging through the human kingdoms and only now they were told?


    Many people grew upset at the king and how news of the situation was handled. Of course, trickles of news had managed to reach certain powerful prestigious people, but the great amount of land each kingdom covered made it difficult to efficiently spread the news. So unless you were part of a mage guild, high ranking mercenary group, or was an esteemed noble then news of the beast tide never would have reached your ears.


    Even Cyil hadn¡¯t heard about the beast tide and was surprised that two kingdoms had already fallen. ¡°Do you know what a beast tide is?¡± Cyil asked the Nefarious Saint who was just as shocked as Cyil.


    The Nefarious Saint didn¡¯t respond for a long time: ¡°Beast tides are a congregation of various beasts, who have either been enraged or are being directed by another higher ranked beast. The former case is what usually happens and the number can range from 100 to at most 1,000 beast. These beast tides usually disperse after the beasts have calmed down or finished their objective. The latter case is more rare and it spells disaster. Usually only an elder level magical beast can control and command a beast tide, but even then they could at most control 10,000 magical beasts. When a beast tide is being controlled they are a force to be reckoned with. Disregarding the elder level magical beast which can match a rank 9 mage in strength, the numerous magical beasts are enough to whittle down any hero who dares to face it alone.¡±


    ¡°What about you? How would you fare against a beast tide?¡± Cyil egged on the Nefarious Saint, who seemed to be down these days.


    ¡°Hmph. If I had my body, I could easily take out a beast tide even if it were being controlled by 10 elder magical beasts!¡± The Nefarious Saint replied without hesitation and a hint of pride. ¡°In addition, taking out the leaders is the most efficient way of dispersing a beast tide, because to kill each and every beast would be quite tedious.¡±


    ¡°I understand that you¡¯re great,¡± Cyil laughed, slapping the glove. ¡°But how did two kingdoms fall? What is the mage and mercenary association doing?¡± Cyil was quite baffled by this point. Where were the rank 9 mages and Saints? The rank 8 warriors? How could they allow two kingdoms to fall to a beast tide? Was the human race really so weak? Many questions swirled around in Cyil¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the mage association should have their own plans.¡± The Nefarious Saint replied and would have shook his head if he had one. ¡°Alas, many lives were probably lost in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Cyil gave the whole situation a look and firmly decided. ¡°I¡¯m not going to take part in this war. With the entire human race at stake, someone will step up to stop it.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you think.¡± The Nefarious Saint kept his own opinion to himself.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go to visit the Immortal Refugees Headquarters now. I heard they were having an interesting competition.¡± Cyil stretched his body loose and checked his mage ranking. ¡°I¡¯m already a rank 2 level 10 mage. The strength of a soul works wonders.¡±


    Cyil had been focused entirely on training his soul for nearly 2 years and had neglected his mage and physical training in the meantime, but both his physical body¡¯s strength and mage ranking rose considerably. Of course, Cyil knew that his greatest strength was his soul domain and its attacks, but he still wanted to supplement his strength in anyway possible. A rank 2 level 10 mage did not seem too terrifying when compared to elder magical beasts or rank 9 mages, but a rank 2 level 10 mage who could also attack someone¡¯s soul was fearsome.


    Before Cyil walked out of the inn, the Nefarious Saint reminded, ¡°be wary of the grassland serpent.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Cyil answered calmly and headed on towards the Immortal Refugees headquarters¡­Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The Immortal Refugees headquarters was bustling with people. This was the next big news: they had open their gates to the public with the promise that anyone who could enter into the inner courtyard would have a chance to meet Selia. Because of this people now flooded into the headquarters like a swarm of locusts. The sole news of this was almost as shocking as the beast tide¡¯s announcement. But of course, getting into the headquarters was not so easy. First, you had to pay 100 gold coins then walk across the courtyard. Right, the second task was walking across the courtyard. It seemed simple, but this eliminated over 90% of visitors.


    People did not know why they would end up outside of the Immortal Refugees headquarters when they had clearly walked straight through to the other side of the courtyard. This phenomenon prompted accusations, but when a few people managed to get across, those other people¡¯s complaints naturally simmered.


    There were also people who paid the 100 gold again and again, unconvinced that they couldn¡¯t make it through. There were some people who must have tried over 100 times or until they ran out of money. Rumor had it that one muscular man, a rank 4 warrior, had even borrowed his girlfriend¡¯s money just to enable him to keep trying. Alas, he never made it pass the courtyard.


    Also, 100 gold was a lot of gold so to spend it so lavishly was enough to cause someone to grimace. Of course, while everyone was trying their best to pass this simple test, the leader of Immortal Refugees was rolling around laughing. He didn¡¯t care about the gold, but reveled in the contestant¡¯s wild surges of emotions.


    ¡°This is too fun. They can¡¯t pass a simple illusionary formation and can only walk around in circles.¡± The leader, a man who looked to be in his thirties laughed as he observed the people struggling through the courtyard.


    ¡°Hmph hmph.¡± Selia pouted off on the side, her rosy cheeks puffed up in an adorable fashion. ¡°Father, you¡¯re even more childish than me!¡±


    The man roared in laughter, ¡°do you not find this fun, Selia? If your mother was here she would also enjoy this sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°Mother,¡± Selia¡¯s voice momentarily dipped before she continued. ¡°Mother would scold you if you treated people poorly. Hmph!¡± Selia stomped off to her room to resume meditation.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the man scratched his forehead then shrugged, his eyes returning to the courtyard.


    ¡°So many people yet no one knows about illusionary formations. But that¡¯s to be expected here.¡± Sighing with longing, the man raised an eyebrow as his eyes focused on a young man. This young man had a decent looking face, but otherwise looked like a commoner. ¡°He actually walks so calmly on the right tiles. Is this luck like the others or?¡±


    Before the man could finish speaking, the young man had already passed to the otherside of the courtyard. ¡°He actually made it through! Haha. Go on to the next test. Blind luck won¡¯t help on this next one.¡±


    The leader had promised people a meeting with Selia if they passed, but of course he had no intention of letting them meet her so he set up some impossible tasks. Even Selia agreed to meet the person who managed to pass all these test, because frankly, she knew it was impossible.


    The young man approached the next courtyard which no one had managed to pass before and actually did not charge through, but stopped and stared, as if he was admiring a sculpture.


    ¡°Smart move, boy!¡± The man applauded the young man in a joking fashion. ¡°But if you can make it through this bewildering and illusionary formation then I would dare to walk on my hands instead of my feet!¡±


    As soon as the man said this, the young man looked up to meet the man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What?!¡± The man lost his cool, a chill running through his spine before he regained rationality. ¡°He can¡¯t see me at all. Must be a coincidence.¡± The man was confident because he was up in a tower and hidden behind a window that could only be seen from inside to out and not from outside to in. There was no way the young man could see him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how you do then.¡± The man focused on the young man¡¯s every actions.


    After looking around the second courtyard for enough time to boil water, the young man closed his eyes and actually took a seat right on the ground.


    ¡°What?¡± The man knew how to navigate the 2nd courtyard, because he was the one to set it up and he knew that sitting down was not going to do anything.


    ¡°Is he giving up?¡± The man frowned. ¡°I had high hopes for you, but ah well.¡± The man shrugged and no longer paid attention to the young man, but directed his gaze towards other contestants¡­


    The day dragged on and now the sun was hugging the horizon. The Immortal Refugees headquarters was going to close their gates soon, thus anyone still inside must leave until tomorrow.


    As people trickled out, the man¡¯s attention returned to the seated young man. ¡°He¡¯s still there? What a patient young man. But you have to leave until tomorrow.¡± Taking it upon himself to inform the young man, the man came down from his tower and quickly walked towards where the young man was. The bewildering and illusion formation had no effect on him at all.


    As the man neared the seated young man, he suddenly stopped 10 meters away and actually jumped back. ¡°What is this?!¡± A reasonably horrified look slapped itself onto the man¡¯s face. ¡°No, it can¡¯t be. This, this.¡±


    Slowly, the man reached out with his hand at the empty space in front of him.


    *vrmmm*


    A slight vibration, barely audible, entered the man¡¯s mind. ¡°IT IS!¡±


    The man felt a flood of mixed emotions: joy, confusion, awe, fear, excitement. ¡°This is the legendary soul domain! Even big brother doesn¡¯t have one! Could it be this boy is the controller?¡±


    The man then quickly shook his head. ¡°No no, that¡¯s impossible. He¡¯s too young.¡±


    As the man was having an internal conflict, the young man slightly cracked open his eyes then said:


    ¡°Hello, leader of Immortal Refugees. Pleasure to meet you.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 32

    Book 2: Chapter 32


    Cyil smiled as his words startled the Immortal Refugee leader into gaping with an open, oval-shaped mouth.


    ¡°Esteemed Elder,¡± the man immediately knelt on one knee and saluted Cyil with cupped fists. ¡°I apologize for not receiving you properly. This mere trick must be like child¡¯s play in front of your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Cyil replied, still smiling. ¡°I find that this illusionary barrier has something more to it, can you tell me what it is?¡±


    A puzzled look flashed on the man¡¯s face before he quickly began explaining: ¡°what senior is referring to must be the bewildering aspect that I added in for fun. It can confuse a majority of people, but senior has a soul domain so it will have no effect at all.¡±


    ¡°My soul domain. You know what it is?¡± Cyil no longer smiled, but gave the man a hard look. The soul domain suddenly expanded to encapsulate the man within.


    The man trembled, but otherwise remained on his one knee. He didn¡¯t dare move. ¡°Senior, I apologize if I offended you with any of my words. Please forgive me.¡±


    After asking for forgiveness, the man clamped his mouth shut and kept his eyes lowered, waiting for judgement.


    Cyil let the silence drag on for a while before he finally alleviated the man¡¯s worries. ¡°I was just a bit surprised someone knows of soul domains. Raise your head and tell me your name.¡±


    Relief dawned on the man¡¯s face and he quickly scrambled to his feet. ¡°Senior, I am Yang Wu--at your service.¡±


    ¡°Yang Wu,¡± Cyil repeated, as he thought the name sounded familiar, but also alien. ¡°What an odd name.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the man was now tense again. He had decided to tell Cyil his birth name, because he was worried of angering the senior, but if the senior (Cyil) harbored ill intentions then perhaps only his big brother could help the immortal refugees. The biggest problem was that his big brother was not here. In fact, Yang Wu didn¡¯t know where on Nakrul his brother had gone.


    The man¡¯s jittery responses and gestures greatly intrigued Cyil. ¡°Yang Wu, I have no place to stay tonight. Can I rest my weary soul in your home?¡±


    ¡°It would be my honor to host Senior. Please come this way.¡± Yang Wu began to lead the way across the courtyard still active with the illusion and bewildering formation.


    Cyil inwardly laughed at Yang Wu¡¯s probing tactic.


    Without hesitation Cyil followed Yang Wu through the formation, not missing a beat.


    When Yang Wu saw how Cyil was unaffected by the formation he sighed and laughed at how he had previously misjudged this hidden expert. Then, thinking back to his haughty words, Yang Wu grew embarassed. What if the senior had heard him? That would be¡­


    And of course, Cyil was not omnipotent so he did not hear or even see Yang Wu when Yang Wu was still in the tower. Instead, Cyil had felt a fluctuating soul hidden up in the tower thus he happened to glance up there. But Yang Wu knew none of this.


    After the two walked in silence the entire time, Yang Wu led Cyil to a vacant room attached to the tower. ¡°Senior, we usually have no guests so please pardon me for not preparing a better room. Please rest and call me if you desire anything. A feast will be prepared to celebrate your arrival shortly.¡±


    After saying his words, Yang Wu paused, expecting some sort of response, but Cyil simply nodded, pushed open the door to the room, and shut the door behind him.


    ¡°What an eccentric senior!¡± Yang Wu exclaimed, breathing out a sigh of relief. ¡°I hope he can agree to my request. No, I hope he won¡¯t outright end me when I ask him.¡± With that Yang Wu skittered away to infrom everyone not to offend their esteemed guest and to prepare the feast.


    Cyil on the other hand, sat inside the room, inside of the Immortal Refugees headquarters¡¯ inner courtyard. ¡°That was easier than anticipated, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha,¡± The Nefarious Saint burst into laughter, ¡°Cyil my boy, you sly dog. Who knew you could act so well! Even I would be fooled!¡±


    Cyil also laughed, because the situation really was a little too comical. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expect to be called a senior so soon. I¡¯m only 15 after all. Though, I do find it strange Yang Wu would fear me so much. His soul strength is quite strong, but nothing I need to fear. His physical strength on the other hand seemed like a bottomless pit.¡±


    The Nefarious Saint¡¯s laughter slowly died down, before he spoke in serious tone. ¡°You¡¯re right. He should be a rank 8 warrior if not higher. Even I couldn¡¯t get a clear read, which in itself is a huge problem. Should he realize that you¡¯re just a 15 year old boy who somehow have a soul domain, I¡¯m afraid we could be in danger.¡±


    Cyil frowned, displeased by the fact that some variables were out of his control. He had thought that after he powered up with his soul domain he would be in more control of his surroundings and his safety. But just as he felt secure another variable would wedge itself into the equation, rendering him vulnerable.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to be careful then,¡± Cyil replied. ¡°I think it will be worth it.¡±


    The Nefarious Saint concurred. ¡°Based on what I saw, the immortal refugees is definitely not simple. Not only do they have attributeless techniques, but they also know about soul domains. If we can learn some of their secrets, it should benefit you greatly.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Right, plus I have someone I promised to meet here,¡± Cyil smiled once more before sitting cross-legged in meditation, awaiting the feast.


    ***


    Selia¡¯s breathing exercises was disrupted by the tumultuous hubbub in the main hall. ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± she thought. The Immortal Refugees headquarters was a very private place that was always quiet. They did their best to keep a low profile and only a few years ago actually began making a public appearance in the annual mercenary headquarters. ¡®One step at a time¡¯ her father had told her. ¡®We have to integrate ourselves slowly, one step at a time¡¯, he had emphasized.


    Selia would constantly argue otherwise, but as she grew up and began to understand the underpinning details, she no longer argued. In fact, she supported the idea of keeping a low profile even more.


    The headquarters was always quiet, so what could cause so much noise?


    Selia was in no mood to continue her breathing exercises and went to find her father--he would know what¡¯s going on.


    As Selia made her way to her father¡¯s room, she saw her junior brother and sisters scrambling around, setting up tables, decorations, chairs, and plates.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Selia asked one of her junior apprentice sisters. ¡°Why are you all setting up a banquet?¡±


    ¡°Young Lady--¡± the junior apprentice sister began.


    ¡°--call me Selia. Why are you always so formal, Little Dumpling?¡± Selia placed her hands on her hips and scolded Little Dumpling.


    ¡°I¡¯m I¡¯m sorry, Young. I mean Selia. It¡¯s just that your family has done so much for us all that we owe you our lives many times over so--¡±


    ¡°--okay okay. It was my uncle who did all the work, but Little Dumpling, tell me what¡¯s going on.¡± Selia didn¡¯t want to talk about the past, because she was looking towards the future.


    Little Dumpling blushed as she realized she had gone off topic. Then she shook her head and explained with fervor. ¡°Lady Selia, you don¡¯t know about our special guest?!¡±


    ¡°Special guest? When did we accept guests...wait, did someone actually manage to pass father¡¯s tests?!¡± Selia¡¯s face grew deathly pale, turning her into a ghastly beauty.


    Little Dumpling laughed behind her hand. ¡°No, of course not lady Selia. This special guest is supposedly someone who is very important and leader actually refers to him as ¡®senior¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Whew¡±, Selia¡¯s face regained some color. ¡°Is it someone we know? Father wouldn¡¯t casually call someone else senior. He¡¯s very stubborn and prideful.¡±


    Little Dumpling smiled as she looked at Selia who had definitely inherited her father¡¯s stubbornness and pridefulness. ¡°Lady Selia, we weren¡¯t told much, but leader says we should do nothing to offend this senior and that we were to prepare a feast for him.¡±


    ¡°What is father thinking,¡± Selia couldn¡¯t make out why her father would do so much for this ¡®senior¡¯. She couldn¡¯t remember the last time a feast had been prepared for someone. Even when her uncle came home, her father simply toasted her uncle with a few cups of precious wine then left it at that. ¡°I¡¯ll go find out right now.¡±


    Selia prepared to stomp off to find her father, but she heard a uproarious laughter boom across the main hall.


    ¡°Good,¡± Selia recognized the laughter. ¡°Here he comes.¡± Selia as well as others turned towards the sound.


    ¡°Welcome leader,¡± everyone, except Selia lowered their heads, bowing towards their esteemed leader.


    ¡°Fa--¡± Selia began before her words were caught in her throat. Selia¡¯s large eyes were glued to the person walking and chatting with her father. What?!


    ¡°Nefarious Saint you bastard, what are you doing here?!¡± Selia instantly charged up to Cyil, preparing to punch him in the face, but was interrupted by Yang Wu who stepped in front of her and released a loud ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Selia was repelled by the force, but not hurt. Shock filled Selia¡¯s face. Her father had actually protected the Nefarious Saint? What was going on?!


    Selia immediately pointed towards Cyil, who watched everything like a bystander. This irked her even more. ¡°Father, that stupid boy was the one who,¡±


    ¡°Stop! Keep your mouth shut.¡± Yang Wu rose his voice, something Selia had not heard for a long, long time.


    Instantly, Selia obeyed because she was at a loss for words.


    After seeing that Selia was no longer going to offend the senior, Yang Wu turned to Cyil and profusely apologized .


    ¡°Not a problem at all that these juniors would suddenly act rashly in the face of a stranger.¡± Cyil replied with a chuckle, while maintaining the air of elder. ¡°Let¡¯s enjoy this feast that you¡¯ve set up for me.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Yang Wu laughed. ¡°Senior has a broad mind and has seen many things and is truly wise. Come, let¡¯s eat. I hope senior is not disappointed by what my humble home has to offer.¡±


    Cyil said no more and took a seat at elevated place at the head of the sprawling table. Cyil sat next to Yang Wu, but was even a bit higher, indicating their positions.


    When people saw this they gasped, but said nothing, especially after seeing what had happened to Selia. Everyone knew Yang Wu loved his daughter and would always spoil her. She was his only living relative aside from his older brother, the esteemed legend. He never once raised his voice against her even when she had done wrong. He would at most reprimand her in a calm tone. In fact, people had never even heard the leader raise his voice on any occasion, except in laughter.


    As everyone had their own thoughts, the feast began. And though it was awkward at first, alcohol and delicious food loosened up the atmosphere considerably. Of course, Selia was nowhere to be found as she had retreated to her room. Thus, by the end of the night nothing eventful happened and the feast went on as a feast should have.


    ***


    It was after the feast now and Cyil was being personally escorted to his room by Yang Wu. Throughout the entire time Cyil had been the one to ask the questions, with Yang Wu answering. Occasionally Yang Wu dared to ask his own questions, but it was only in connection to the questions Cyil had already ask. Yang Wu was being very careful with this eccentric senior.


    ¡°It was a pleasant feast, the most food I¡¯ve eaten in awhile. For now, I¡¯ll take my leave Yang Wu.¡± Cyil nodded to Yang Wu, preparing to enter his room. But just as Cyil was about to push open the door he heard a plop sound shake the ground, followed by another loud thump.


    Cyil could sense what had happened but he couldn¡¯t believe it. Cyil turned around to confirm with his own eyes and indeed there was Yang Wu, with both his knees on the ground and forehead buried in the cracked tiles.


    ¡°Please esteemed elder!¡± Yang Wu began with a firm voice, unashamed of his decision. ¡°I have never begged anyone in my life, but today I beg you! Please, I beg you save my daughter!¡±


    ¡°Your daughter?¡± Cyil was still taking in the sudden change of events and instinctively asked in surprise. ¡°Selia?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yang Wu trembled and his voice wavered. ¡°I have another daughter. For a long time I have led everyone, even Selia to believe she has died, but she is still alive. She is Selia¡¯s older sister.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 33

    Book 2: Chapter 33


    ¡°Older sister?¡± Cyil was not as shocked as a member of the immortal refugee would have been. This shell shaking news was equivalent to him learning it would rain the next day. Cyil took things slow, saying, ¡°Yang Wu, let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Leading the way into the room, Cyil moved as if he was the owner of the place.


    Yang Wu¡¯s eyes lit up. Talking is good. Talking would lead somewhere. He hadn¡¯t been denied just yet.


    Yang Wu stood from the damaged ground then dusted himself off and followed Cyil into the room.


    When Yang Wu shut the door behind himself and solemnly stood at attention by the door, Cyil sighed before saying, ¡°Yang Wu, take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± it was only now that Yang Wu moved to seat himself on a wooden stool.


    ¡°Now,¡± Cyil lightly traced the outlines of his hand. ¡°What is it you want me to do exactly?¡± Glancing up, Cyil locked eyes with Yang Wu.


    Yang Wu held the gaze and said, ¡°I know this is presumptuous of me, but I request for senior to delve into the soul of Selia¡¯s sister and cleanse it of the four colored miasma. There is no known medicine for this miasma and it directly latches itself onto the soul like a parasite, feeding off the soul until everything has been devoured. My older brother told me that the only chance of a cure is for someone well-versed in the arts of the soul to transfer the miasma into their own soul...¡±


    Yang Wu paused at this point to gauge the reaction from Cyil, but when he saw that Cyil remained expressionless, Yang Wu continued, ¡°Of course, asking senior to do such a thing is akin to asking a man to take his own life. I wouldn¡¯t dare do that. I just humbly request that senior take a look and see if there are any other solutions to this misiama that has kept my daughter in a slumber for more than a decade. Senior has reached an even higher level in the soul than my older brother so I am sure that if there is another way, senior can find that path.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Cyil¡¯s voice dragged on like an old man¡¯s, before turning sharp and heroic. ¡°Yang Wu, I¡¯ve always said that there are no absolutes in Nakrul, thus I believe there are other cures to this four-colored miasma that has afflicted your precious daughter. You have been good to me so I shall take a look and see if I there is a way.¡±


    At this point Yang Wu¡¯s eyes beamed with joy and as Cyil saw this he quickly continued, ¡°But of course, no need to stand on ceremony and thank me, because I will naturally demand compensation.¡±


    ¡°That is naturally so,¡± Yang Wu immediately agreed, appreciating Cyil¡¯s directness. ¡°Senior, I am willing to part with almost anything as long as you help my daughter. Although we don¡¯t have much here at immortal refugees, I dare say we don¡¯t lack much either. Please let me know what you desire and I will try my best to satisfy that condition.¡±


    Yang Wu gave Cyil a deep bow, already holding great expectations for this senior¡¯s abilities.


    Cyil¡¯s face remained placid, but inwardly he was conversing with the Nefarious Saint and jumping for joy. Their communication was lightning quick and Yang Wu did not notice anything.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Cyil cleared his throat, preparing himself for the list of items he was going to ask for. ¡°I am in need of certain items for a project so I will need: 2 horns from a baby dragon, a hide from a mature mustard lizard, the bones from a lightning gazelle, 500 grams of fairy dust, 3 kilograms of fiery burst stones, 10,000 magical crystals of each element¡­.¡±


    Cyil¡¯s long list startled Yang Wu, whom had not even heard of some of the things listed. But of course, Yang Wu had resources and he was determined to trade away his accumulated wealth for his daughter.


    ¡°Lastly,¡± Cyil¡¯s voice rose to a crescendo before he descended with his most hefty request. ¡°I would like to access to Immortal Refugee¡¯s library and manuals.¡±


    As Yang Wu heard this he barely managed to halt his shout of anger. If he allowed this senior to view their library and manuscripts that would be equivalent to revealing their biggest secret! Not to mention, the skill and techniques of any organization is always top secret and only taught to insiders. Yang Wu absolutely wouldn¡¯t let anyone view those things, even with his life being threatened, but this was concerning the life of his daughter. And everytime Yang Wu looked at his daughter¡¯s waning face, he felt like a thousand daggers plunges his heart with its every beat.


    Yang Wu would also be reminded by his wife¡¯s parting words and the promise he had made with her. ¡°I will keep them safe,¡± he had promised with certainty. ¡°I will definitely keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Cyil¡¯s voice interrupted Yang Wu¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I, senior. I can agree to your every request so far, but I would be so bold as to decline senior¡¯s last request. Of course, if senior manages to heal my daughter then not to mention Immortal Refugee¡¯s manuscripts and library, I will even allow senior to take away copies of manuscripts.¡±


    Yang Wu had steeled his heart and drawn his bottom line. If this senior changed his mind or was to use force then there would be nothing to it. Yang Wu was treading a thin line, but he didn¡¯t know that Cyil was similarly treading an even thinner line.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not good to push him too much,¡± Cyil said to the Nefarious Saint. ¡°Besides, I can feel that he doesn¡¯t have bad intentions.¡±


    ¡°The intent from a soul cannot be easily changed, so I agree with your judgement. You are also a bit, and I mean only a bit, more skilled in the soul than me. Let¡¯s just take a look at this four-colored miasma and see how deadly it really is. I¡¯ve never heard of such an uncommon affliction.¡±


    Cyil nodded to both the Nefarious Saint and Yang Wu. ¡°Alright, I suppose I should give something first after demanding all these things. Yang Wu, take me to your daughter and I will see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Right away senior, this junior humbly thanks you very much. Meeting you has been a great blessing.¡± Yang Wu gave Cyil a deep bow, truly thankful for Cyil¡¯s willingness to even try to help. Most hidden experts were above normal affairs that wouldn¡¯t benefit them so Yang Wu was afraid Cyil would reject. If Cyil rejected, Yang Wu would regret for the rest of his life. Where else would he find another person who had a soul domain? That was more rare than finding people with dual saint attributes!


    ¡°Senior, please follow me. My daughter is sealed her away in a remote location where she will be safe from harm.¡± Yang Wu got up and opened the door for Cyil.


    The two traveled with Yang Wu leading and Cyil trailing slightly behind. They walked into the tall tower, but instead of going upwards they descended down a hidden, spiraling staircase. 9,999 steps later they reached the bottom. Here there was a wooden door that seemed as ordinary as any other wooden door, but Cyil could tell that this wooden door was ladened with formations runes so complex it made him dizzy looking at it. A powerful formations expert must have set this up.


    ¡°Who is responsible for the formations on this door?¡± Cyil asked Yang Wu who was busy trying to undo the formations.


    ¡°It was my older brother who set up this formation. This formation blocks out everyone, so unless you know how to undo it or can break it through brute force, no one can enter. If I were to perish then only my brother would be able to enter here.¡± Yang Wu answered with a solemn voice that contained just undeniable pride for his brother.


    ¡°You keep speaking of this older brother, but where is he now? I would like to meet him.¡± Cyil was now greatly intrigued by this mysterious ¡°older brother¡¯ of Yang Wu¡¯s. Not only was this older brother skilled in the soul, but also in formations? This was enough to warrant a meeting. Cyil was just slightly apprehensive in case the mystery man managed to see through his guise, but ultimately Cyil wanted to meet the man.


    ¡°My older brother. He¡­¡± Again, Yang Wu was put in an awkward position. Anything he say would reveal a lot of information which was the biggest reason why Immortal Refugees never allowed visitors. ¡°Forgive me, senior, but my older is not here at the moment. He is out traveling Nakrul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Cyil said. ¡°But I would like to know his name¡­¡± Then Cyil remembered something and added, ¡±also, what¡¯s the name of your eldest daughter?¡±


    Yang Wu responded truthfully, afraid of offending the senior by denying him his brother¡¯s name. ¡°My brother is named Yang Su and my eldest daughter is named Claire.¡±


    ¡°Yang Su?!¡± The name struck Cyil like a lightning bolt. He knew something was familiar with Yang Wu¡¯s name and now he finally drew the connection. Yang Su was one of the big three wanted criminals on the level of Baccaus and the Crystal Cyil, but a lot of information on him had been omitted. Nonetheless, Cyil¡¯s impression of the man in the portrait had not lessened at all. Now this man turns out to be the older brother of the leader of Immortal Refugees?


    Cyil felt like Immortal Refugees was a big secret being hidden in plain sight and although he itched to learn of this secret, he wanted to learn of their techniques more. Thus, Cyil didn¡¯t raise the issue with Yang Wu, at least not for now.


    ¡°Claire,¡± Cyil said. ¡°That¡¯s a nice name.¡±


    ¡°It was her mother who named her,¡± Yang Wu said with a hint of sadness.


    ¡°I see,¡± Cyil responded, noticing the shift in Yang Wu¡¯s mood.


    After that the two stood in silence as the door clacked and clanked and finally opened to reveal a brilliant stream of white light that contrasted well with the pitch darkness.


    ¡°Senior, my daughter Claire is in here,¡± Yang Wu stepped inside the room first to show that nothing was amiss.


    ¡°Mhmm¡± Cyil nodded and followed Yang Wu in. After that the door slammed shut and the darkness happily returned to its place.


    ***


    At the same time which Cyil and Yang Wu entered the room¡­


    A few miles from the city that Jughog was murdered in, a little boy strapped onto a horse rode into plain sight. The boy was starved and the ropes that bound him had bit into his flesh, leaving red bloody marks. The horse the boy rode was in even worse condition and simply dropped to the ground, refusing to budge.


    A farmer tending to his field saw the boy and ran up to him. Although many would simply ignore an unknown child, for fear of being drawn into a larger forray, this farmer had a kind heart.


    The farmer unstrapped the young boy and took him home, nursing him back to health. It took a total of three days for the boy to regain consciousness.


    ¡°Boy, can you tell me who you are and why you were strapped to a horse?¡± The farmer asked the boy.


    The little boy answered in a weak voice. ¡°Hello mister. My name is Ralph and my mommy strapped me on the horse. She told me to keep riding until someone came to take me off the horse.¡±


    ¡°Ralph. That¡¯s a good name.¡±The farmer gave Ralph some water before asking. ¡°Your mother did that? Why would she do that? Do you know where she is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There was a drumming sound that went along with my humming then my mom just asked if I wanted to ride a horsey. I don¡¯t know where my mom is but she is coming to meet me with my dad.¡±


    The farmer thought about this for a second then asked, ¡°Ralph, you mentioned a drumming sound. Can you tell me how it sounded?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing!¡± Ralph agreed, his voice regaining some strength. ¡°It goes like boom boom boom thump thump thump. Boom boom boom. Thump thump thump.¡±


    Ralph stopped his imitation then said, ¡°yes just like that! The sound is back!¡± After this Ralph began to hum his song again to the sound of the beating drums.


    The farmer now heard the drums, too and frowning, he went outside.


    Off in the flat horizon, the farmer could see a storm of dust tumbling upwards in the air as the sound of the drums became clearer, more chilling, and awfully deathly.