《The Lions Pride》
Prologue Part 1
Nabuza also known as the river of judgement is a river of legends. The river was created by the legendary battle priest Adam when he fought against the devil Ashna. When Adam unleashed his final attack that split the very earth itself and created a path through the land creating the kingdom of law that has existed ever since.
But know above the river another legend may be created because floating in the air above is Robert the priest that is said to have reached a level even above Adam , beside Robert are his companions the knight of honor David , the mage of light Jacob , the mage of water Caroline , the dragon tamer Richard and finally Christofer the prophet. In front of these legendary figures only two men stood unmovable like mountains while they were in a position where even the bravest of soldiers would piss their pants. The foremost person dressed in rags and a mask displaying a raging demon, behind him the other man dressed in a loose robe and even though he had wrinkles in his face and almost no hair left he excluded a pressure that seemed more ancient than the world itself.
- You both have lost there is no chance for retribution now! Robert screamed
- IT¡¯S NEVER OVER ROBERT, YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME! the mysterious man with the mask of a raging demon responded
- Robert the raven of time has spoken and won¡¯t change it¡¯s mind even if you presented me with the most extravagant gifts my resolve wouldn¡¯t budge. slowly and quite like a whisper the gentle old man answered.
- How can you be so sure that you are hearing correctly from the raven of time and more importantly how do you even know it exist Time sage. Christofer asked with a gentle tone
- You wouldn¡¯t understand Christofer even if I explained. The gentle old man responded
- We should destroy these bastards before any more casualties are made. David whispered to his friends
- If you are going to bad mouth ous you should say it to our face. the old man said once more
The tension in the air slowly gained momentum and increased by the second and heavy feeling in the air just grew stronger and stronger.
- Is it prepared James? asked the mysterious man in the demon mask
- Yes Nicolas .. but are you sure you wanna do it, you will lose everything you have in this life. The gentle old man responded
- What do I have to lose but you old friend and you are dying so if I don¡¯t do this I will have nothing. Nicolas responded and you could clearly hear sorrow in his voice.
- Well here goes nothing am I right old friend. James said and started to laugh
- Yeah man it has sure been a ride hasn¡¯t it. Nicolas responded and also started laughing
across the river Robert and his companions looked at the two men like they were more insane now then a second ago. Slowly the laughter died down and silence resumed on the battlefield before Nicolas slowly stepped forward and pointed at Robert. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
- Robert who in your life was it again that you regret not being able to save?
- You know the answer Nicolas ¡. and why do you have to know now?
- Yes of course I almost forgot it is your dear younger brother isn¡¯t it. Such a tragedy to die so young with so much hope and dreams he had.
- What does this have to do with anything that happens know Nicolas. Caroline said with fury in her voice
- Well it would be no fun if you didn¡¯t know what will happen ¡. story short I will go back in time and corrupt your younger brother to kill you Robert HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH
- YOU ARE INSANE NICOLAS! and after saying that Robert summoned his martial spirit and with it¡¯s boost he ran across the river to slay Nicolas before anything happens and after him his companions quickly followed but not as fast as Robert himself.
- Is it done James. Nicolas slowly whispered
- Yes my dear friend ¡. Goodbye as James said that a strange portal slowly descended and swallowed a laughing Nicolas.
Robert reached Nicolas about 0.5 seconds after the portal descended but it was too late because the madman was already gone.
- Where is he JAMES! screamed Robert
Slowly James reached into his pocket and took out a purple gemstone and showed it to Robert.
- What is that James and let the angels have mercy on your soul if your are lying to me.
- Well this little stone is a gift from the Raven of time to destroy you Robert and in a nutshell it gives me the ability to transport 1 person back or forward in time of course this will weaken the Raven for quite a long time probably around a couple of billion years or so for it to awaken once more. But that is just proof of how dangerous you are Robert.
When James was done speaking Robert plunged his sword straight through James gut and whispered
- So why are we not dead yet then James if he went back in time we would be dead by now wouldn¡¯t we?
Even though the great sage had a sword inside of him he still held his posture and didn¡¯t crumble and responded
- Robert you will continue to live in this timeline and I can¡¯t do nothing to change that but I hopefully returned Nicolas to another timeline to end you for good.
After having said that James slowly started to turn into sand and disappear.
Prologue part 2
In a small mountain valley between the two great kingdoms Bael and Forneus there was a small city with the name of Tennin. Even though these two kingdoms were constantly at war and the citizens were plagued with lack of food and sickness but the kingdoms didn¡¯t stop their invasion of each other, many great philosophers have debated about these issue and none have come to a concrete answer why they keep up this pointless war.
- TEACH! What does debatte mean?
- JACOB I HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE! You may ask questions after the lecture is over is that clear young man.
- Yes Teach ¡.
But even though these two great kingdoms were at war there was a particular small was blessed with good harvests and healthy citizens this small city was called
- Tennin , Tennin ,Tennin It¡¯s Tennin right Teach!
- ¡¡ Yes Christofer the name of the small town is Tennin
- I told you guys it was Tennin didn¡¯t I
- Christofer sit down or you will get detention
- Yes Mister ¡
- Now where were I ¡.
- You were telling the story of our small city''s Mr.Hendrickson and just started at the part when the name of our city is being revealed Sir.
- Thank you William splendid as always
The teacher continued to speak about stories from old and the heroes of their time.
Usually the teacher talked about their small town and the more boring details as how they keep their good harvest every year by burning the ground and how it works but not today because it was their last lesson together.
- So do you have any questions?
A fairly large boy with green eyes and chestnut colored hair raised his small arms trying to get the teacher''s attention.
- Yes David what is it?
- I am wondering if we can join the army and become a knight sir! screamed the small child with excitment inside his eyes.
- David you know that I can¡¯t answer this and that you need to wait until tomorrow to get tested.
- But I want to be a knight now Sir and slay the demons of the north!
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the teachers sighed when he saw the enthusiasm because he knew the trials and horrors a man most face to become a knight in either the army of Bael or Forneus.
Then he shuddered remembering his days in the army and the horrors he saw during his service. After he calmed himself down he sighed once more looking over his students thinking about how many of them would survive until they reached his age.
- Still I think you would be an excellent knight David.
- Hell yeah did you hear that I will become an excellent knights! screamed young David in a truly foolish happiness
- But do remember David and all the others in here aiming to become a knight you need a willpower of metal because it isn¡¯t a walk in the park shaping your channels into Qi channels.
- Sssiiirrrr stammered a young lady with deep green blue eyes and smooth blond hair
- Yes Charlotte, What is it that you want to know? asked Mr.Hendrickson with a gentle tone
- Is it posssible for us to becomme priests or magggess to asked the stammering Charlotte
- Of course Charlotte it¡¯s possible but not so likely to become a mage or priest because for most to become a mage your martial spirit needs to have an affinity to one of the nine elements Fire , Water , Earth , Wind , Gold , Light , Darkness, Space or Time. Of course mages with more than one affinity can combine the elements to create combination spells. Let me give you an example if you comb¨ªne the small spell Fireball with Illumination light you get a spell called Illuminating Fire which is a spell that creates light with heat that is very good for exploring dungeons. This is only one of the most fundamental and easier ones of the combination spells. I don¡¯t know much more of the advanced knowledge for either mages or priests because I was a Knight.
When Mr.Hendrickson finished his sentence almost with magical timing the principal entered the classroom and told the young students about how thankful he was to have them at his school these past 4 years and he hoped they would have the best of luck tomorrow during the spirit awakening. After that the principal let the student go home and be with their parents until tomorrow arrived.
Slowly the students started to leave the classroom starting their journey back home.
Chapter 1*
After the class ended every student started talking with their friends while starting their journey back home. Everyone expect a young boy clothed in a marine blue suit walked towards the city in the south while he walked towards west.
The special thing about the boy wasn¡¯t his direction because a lot of people lived outside the village nor was it his marine blue suit which looked fancy but if someone looked closely wasn¡¯t that expensive. No the thing that made the young 12 year old child stand out was his deep red hair tainted like blood and golden eyes pure as gold that was special for the noble family Rosenthal of the Forneus kingdom.
- Ahhh class was so boring today the young child sighed the boy''s name was William Rosenthal the third son of Magnus Rosenthal a Earl from the Forneus kingdom.
As William slowly made his way towards the carriage that would take him towards his temporary resident he started to think. Why does father not want me in the capital and keeps hiding me from everyone. His young mind started to slowly think of multiple theories about how his father was waiting for him to make a name of himself to become worthy of the Rosenthal family name.And when the time was ready his father would publicly announce who he was. What the young child didn¡¯t know yet was that the world isn¡¯t such a nice place like the fairy tales made it out to be.
- Young master are you daydreaming again.
William woke up from the fantasies he had created in his mind and before him stood a middle age man in black suit , grey hair , blue eyes and a kind face that seemed couldn¡¯t do anyone any harm. In his left hand he held a cane to help him walk with his limping leg, of course this was Williams butler Stuart who was more closer to him than his true family.
- Stuart did you know that the awakening ceremony is tomorrow! William screamed and tackled the middle aged man
Stuart who was not prepared for the sudden tackle needed to use his cane to stabilize them both so they wouldn¡¯t hit the ground and dirty their clothes. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
- Yes young master I know that tomorrow you will awaken your spirit and will make your father proud. With a voice as smooth as an angel Stuart spoke kindly to William
- Will you be proud of me Stuart?
- I will always be proud of you young master. After saying that Stuart picked up the young boy and carried him to the carriage and slowly started to begin their journey towards their residence.
On their way back home clouds slowly started to form and sound of thunder could be heard with long intervals in between. When Stuart saw the clouds forming he sensed that it would probably rain soon so he hurried the horses to speed up. Like many times before Stuart senses didn¡¯t fail him and when they arrived at the estate it started to pour like crazy and the young master and himself needed to run from the stable to the estate to avoid being drenched too much by the rain.
- Young master you should go to bed early today and get a lot of sleep so you are in optimal condition during your spirit awakening.
- I understand Stuart I will go to bed now so I will be in optimal condition tomorrow! after that William ran up the stairs to quickly fall asleep so tomorrow could come even quicker.
While the William went to bed and slowly started to fall into a deep slumber the weather outside keep getting worse and worse with more lighting falling from the skies.
Slowly deep in the clouds a vortex started to form growing bigger and bigger by the second and out from the vortex a young man no older than 24 stepped out.
- It seems my body won¡¯t make it and will collapse soon the young man whispered only for silence to greet him.
The young man started looking around and after a while his gaze landed upon the estate and a sinister smile blossomed upon his face. With speed even faster than the lightning around him he dived towards the estate but at the same speed the young man moved, his body started to crumble. When he arrived at the window of the estate only a small ethereal spirit remained hovering in the air for a split second before rushing into the room and entering the mind of the young child sleeping.
Stuart sighed and opened a bottle of wine when he was sure that the young child had gone to sleep. He started to think about how Magnus had only sent him a weak butler with almost no combat abilities and a limping leg to accompany the young master.
He started to laugh silently to himself and then said
- William you are the child I never had.
No one could hear the man but Stuart still felt relieved after saying those words to himself.
Chapter 2*
When the sun started to show on the horizon was the time when the rooster started his call for everyone to wake up.
- I will kill that fcking bird when I get the chance.
after being so rudely awoken by the rooster Stuart started to get changed and prepare breakfast for himself and William.
When Stuart were preparing breakfast William also started to awaken from his slumber and he thought he heard a voice whispering in his head.
- You should be grateful brat that I waited this long for you to wake up because I could have started this when you were sleeping.
William thought of it as nothing at first but when he started to get dressed a slow headache started that slowly increased in strength until William no longer could stand and fell down onto his bed screaming in pain.
When Stuart first heard William scream he was done with preparing breakfast but even though the dishes was a work of art and many wouldn¡¯t dare to even eat them so did Stuart not even glance towards them as he rushed towards his young master''s bedroom to see if everything was alright. As he arrived what he witnessed what would haunt him for many more nights to come. William was clawing his his chest and screaming while thrashing around and bumping into furniture and walls. Stuart with minimal medical knowledge only knew one thing and that was to knock out William to spare him from his suffering and try to find a priest or healer that could try to help him.
When all of this transpired the culprit who had forced the pain upon William continued to dig deeper into the very essence of William himself to see what kind of spirits this young child could choose from. Of course could the young man just wait until the spirit awakening ceremony to see what kind of spirits the child could choose from but then he wouldn¡¯t be able to ¡°help¡± him choose what spirits he should choose without risking himself to be exposed. So he did what was most reasonable in his mind and that was to forcefully enter Williams essence and take a look even though this included that William would suffer a lot.
When the man arrived at the essence he stopped for a moment in shock and then started to laugh.
- Hahahhaha you are truly unlucky and it seems the heavens are as much against you as they are against me!
The man could help William easily but that would require a lot of power and why should he who doesn¡¯t know the kid one bit use his precious power to change something that would entertain him. When the man had gotten his answer he left a message for the child inside his essence and then returned out to relax inside the child''s conscious once more and take the nap he totally deserved.
- Oh right with these injuries you can¡¯t go to the ceremony ¡.. shit
The young man then decided to share a minimal amount of power to the child so all the heavy injuries would heal and only a slight headache and soreness would remain.
When Stuart returned with a local healer he saw William sitting at the porch of their house wrapped in blankets with a pale face that frightened even the healer beside him. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The healer was very experienced with medical knowledge and practice and even though he has seen worse situations this was a first seeing a child look so sick. Stuart started to rush as quick as he could with his limping leg and cane followed by a slightly fast walking healer.
The procedure from the healer went really quick because almost no injuries remained and William doesn¡¯t feel that bad anymore only having a slight headache.
The healer concluded that the reaction from William was because of a specific flower so the healer advised that they shouldn¡¯t sleep with open windows and try to clear any flower that even remotely looked like the one he explained.
William who was a little light headed didn¡¯t really listen to the healer or Stuart and instead started walking towards the carriage to prepare for the ceremony inside the city.
- Stuart are you coming?
- Young master where are you going in that condition?
- We need to prepare for the awakening ceremony or we will be late Stuart.
a long silence arose after William finished his sentence and only the crickets could be heard jumping around somewhere in the grass.
- I think you should not go young master.
- Stuart what will I do if I don¡¯t awaken my spirit? Become a farmer, a baker or should I give it a try and see what happens?
Another silence fell upon them and with a long sigh from Stuart he said
- We shall do as young master wishes.
- Let''s go then Stuart.
The journey towards Tennin was slow and full of silence neither William or Stuart was in a mood for engaging in conversations but the journey came to a close when they reached the magnificent walls of Tennin.
When they came closer to the walls a guard shouted at them
- Please pay 1 silver for entry into the city
- It was only 4 copper yesterday wasn¡¯t it. Stuart responded
- Well you better pay a silver or you will not pass
Behind the cocky guard a big man approached and knocked him on his head and said
- Are you trying to trick the citizens only because they look rich recruit.
- No sir!
The big man turned towards Stuart and bowed while saying
- My lord I beg your pardon and you don¡¯t need to pay any taxes.
- Thank you Sir and have a wonderful day.
When the carriage passed you could hear the captain scolding the recruit but it was of no concern for William as he was resting inside the carriage so he could recover a little for the ceremony that would occur.
- Young master we have arrived.
Said Stuart while shaking William so he would awaken and when the child didn¡¯t wake up Stuart resorted to tickle the child under his feet. A technique that would make the young master wake up 100% of the time.
From the outside of the carriage you could hear a young child happily laughing while begging for someone to stop and some time later a young child accompanied by a middle aged man stepped out of the carriage waiting for the doors of the city lord''s estate to open where the ceremony would be taking place.
- Stuart we have been standing here for around an hour and I am about to fall asleep again.
When William didn¡¯t get an answer he turned around to find a Stuart flirting with a local lady that sold different kinds of bread. William steadily walked up to Stuart and pulled his pants while pointing towards the city lord''s estate where a old man had showed up and started giving a speech that most of the crowd ignored. Feeling the atmosphere the old man stopped the speech and started to open the gates where the ceremony would take place.
William and Stuart was not first but they were neither in the middle they were somewhere in between and when William crossed the gates he revealed a big smile because today was the day his journey would begin.
Chapter 3*
The city lord''s estate was very lavish with a lot of flowers with different colour in the courtyard big enough to handle at least 400 people at once. At the end of the courtyard was the estate itself with an entrance that could fit 4 fully grown men walking side by side and above the entrance was a terrace where 3 soldiers were stationed over looking the crowd. In Front of the entrance were 4 pillars holding up the terrace and the pillars were decorated with dragons curving themselves reaching up towards the terrace. When most of the courtyard had been filled and a long line of people had formed outside was when the city lord himself showed up at the terrace.
When William saw the city lord he couldn¡¯t help but take a deep breath not because the man looked powerful, no the man was almost average in every regard he had black hair with blue eyes but the pressure that he emitted unconsciously made everyone be alert and ready to escape if the situation escalated. When the city lord raised his hand into the air ready to speak and preparing himself for the grand speech he was about to deliver.
- Young ones today is the day you will awaken what¡¯s inside of you deciding if you are destined to become a knight , wizard , priest or something more will all happen today.
Aloud cheer erupted from the crowd and some parents even started to cry praying to whatever god they believed in that their child would be special.
- Do remember young ones that each individual have more than one spirit and keep in mind when you are choosing your spirit aim for what you want to become but don¡¯t stray to far off from what you are right now!
Another cheer erupted from the crowds when the entrance started to open after the city lord had finished his speech and someone parents lifter their child while running towards the opening to get the answer as fast as possible.
William and Stuart took it easy walking in a slightly slow speed because Williams destiny wouldn¡¯t change just because they rushed to be first in the exam, it was better to take it slow and not fight over the front line with the crazy parents. Slowly the line started to shrink and shrink, while most of the children were crying you could see if they were happy with the result or sad. When William came close to his turn he saw David , Jacob and Christofer coming out of the chamber all smiling and laughing. When they saw William they came forward and started to chat a little.
During this chat William got to know that David had the opportunity to become a knight while Jacob had an affinity towards light and Christofer had a talent needed to become a priest. William didn¡¯t see Charlotte and thus didn¡¯t know if she had already done the ceremony or still stood in the line and even though he was curious where she were didn¡¯t mean he would go look for her when he was so close to awaken his own spirit.
Finally Williams turn arrived and he decided to meet Stuart outside at their carriage after the ceremony was done and after bidding farewell did he start to walk with the group of children deeper into the city lord''s estate until they arrived at a pool of strange liquid. In Front of the pool stood an overseer that would instruct the children on what to do.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
- Listen up children! The ceremony works by all of you submerging yourself into the pool and then we will handle the rest do you understand!
- We understand Sir!
- Good get going now then and remember what the city lord told you outside.
All of the children started to slowly submerge themselves into the liquid and after that started losing conscious.
When William woke up he wasn¡¯t in the city lord''s estate and neither was he in the city of Tennin, no he was in a strange fog that was almost impossible to see through but he had a calling that he should walk towards a certain direction for some reason. William didn¡¯t really care for what reason this happened and blamed it onto that it was his spirit calling for him.
As William walked inside the very essence of himself the young man residing inside his conscious was in a bad mood.
- I used my own power to help you recover from the damage that happened this morning and you won¡¯t even question that something is fishy! Children becomes stupider and stupider every time I meet them.
- Hopefully he will stumble upon the message I left for him inside ¡.. sigh not even I can be 100% sure that the kid will follow the dragging feeling inside of him or go around searching inside the fog on his own.
William continued to walk towards this weird feeling that was guiding him but it was hard to move inside the fog where you couldn¡¯t even see your own hands but he didn¡¯t give up because this was his chance to become a true Rosenthal. Someone his father could be proud of and someone that could be at the same level as his brothers. Finally he reached the point where the feeling was coming from and instead of a spirit made of fire or a beast what he meet was a young man probably in his twenties playing chess with himself. The man had white hair with only rags covering his body and laying beside him was a mask displaying a raging demon. William couldn¡¯t really make sense of what was happening and only stood there for a while until the man noticed him and said
- Oh so you finally arrived little fellow.
The man''s voice was kind and full of warmth even though William had never meet this man he felt close to him like a relative.
- We have quite short on time so I will get to the point, Little fellow behind me is the spirit you''re searching for and even though we have only meet I can assure you that what I¡¯m doing is the best for you.
Slowly the man started to disappear and William asked with hurry because he felt he could trust the man.
- How can I be sure that what I find is what you are wishing for me to find?
- I know you will find what I¡¯m wishing for because you are Rosenthal.
After having said that the man disappeared completely with no evidence that he every existed in the first place.
William with no other choice kept walking towards the direction that the man had wanted him to go and the expectations inside of him continued to grow with every step he took until he reached a valley.
Chapter 4
When William stepped out of the fog and into the clear valley he was shocked.
The valley was build up by fog forming caves and flowers but even though everything was grey in color it was breathtaking. William was about to take a step back from the shock but the fog wouldn¡¯t let him re enter it and pushed him forward into the valley once more.
After a few moments William finally recovered and started to look around the valley for some clues where the mysterious young man wanted him to go and it wasn¡¯t that hard to figure out which way because there was only one path he could take and that was forward.
While walking through the grey valley William saw flowers sprouting , blooming and dying in short intervals , he could also see some grass growing from the ground then withering and repeating its cycle over and over again.
After some time William finally encountered one of his spirits and he remembered what Mr.Hendrickson had told him in class and that was a person has many spirits that can have one or more personality trait that you may have now or can get in the future. Also a spirit grew stronger depending on the quality of the emotion, personality trait ,numbers of emotion and personality traits and also how well you bonded with the spirit.
Some children would bond the first spirit they saw but William knew that the spirit was one of the weakest only having connection to one of his lower emotions so he continued on the path and he meet more and more spirits deeper he went but none fitted Williams taste or agenda.
He couldn¡¯t settle for any spirit he needed one strong enough for him to be recognised by his father as a true Rosenthal in the future. Finally a change happened in the valley the path had broken up into 3 different directions and the special thing was that from the path to the right was giving of a calm feeling like everything was alright while the path from the left gave of a feeling of greed and that everything in the world was yours. The path in the middle was the most impressive it gave off a pressure that wouldn¡¯t bow to anyone and only the most worthy could thread it¡¯s path. William stayed at the intersection for a little while trying to decide which path he would begin with, finally he decided to start with the path to the right only because it gave of a calming feeling.
William noticed a difference to this path than the main path and that was during the main path he could see many different spirits but here it was only light elements spirits and most of them had golden wings contrast to their bleak environment and another noticeable feature was that there were only beautiful and pure creatures like fairies , light elementals , horses with horns and wings. Although most of these spirits were very alluring for William and he wanted to make a contract with a few of them like the fairy with 6 golden wings and the horse creature that lead the others but he wanted to see what was located at the end of this path and the other paths.
Finally it seemed like William had reached the end of the path as it looked like the path started to become narrower and smaller the deeper he went. In the end before him was a big room with only a single spirit depicting a woman with 9 wings and a holy aura around her, she was probably the most beautiful woman William ever seen and she was telling him to come closer
Slowly William drew closer to the maiden and the closer he came the more intoxicated he became and he had decided not to look into the other paths and invoke a contract with this spirit at all cost.
- Evelynn stop cheating the kid hasn¡¯t even met me yet!
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Aloud sinister voice echoed across the valley and William was brought out of the charm and he retreated away from the woman scared out of his wits.
- Amon how dare you disrupt this holiness ritual!
- Come on old hag if you wanna fight you only need to tell me!
A dangerous pressure started building and a fight would probably begin shortly with William caught in the middle without a way to escape he started to pray for Stuart to come and save him like many times before.
- Stop it we agreed to let the kid meet all of us before he makes a decision
A loud rumbling voice echoed out once more making the woman and the sinister unknown identity become quiet.
- Come on kid go back to the beginning and go thorough the right path and meet Amon after that you can try my path.
Once more the voice echoed out then to become quite. William slowly started to back out of the room still scared of the woman in front of him that made him lose all reasoning and he remembered what Stuart had once told him. The most scary thing is not monsters it is a woman that can make you lose all reason and he started to understand what Stuart meant by that now. Before he made it out of the valley the spirit named Evelynn called to him and said in a sweet voice.
- Kid if none of those old fools can enchant you come back to me and we will make a contract okay.
William could only nod and turn around so he could come out of this path as quick as possible. Finally he returned to the main path once more and could breath out but he knew his journey was not over yet because from the right path once more a sinister voice echoed out.
- Come on kid I have waited for far too long!
Once more William brazed himself and walked inside the left path to meet the spirit named Amon.
The difference between the right and left chat was quite obvious in the former path everything was beautiful and pure while in the later path everything is twisted and wicked.
William could see worms eating one another and snakes fighting and riping eachother to treads. He could also see gnome or goblin looking creature fighting over parts that victor didn¡¯t eat and William was almost throwing up and finally he saw an abomination eating itself which made him run through the path while ignoring everything.
Finally the nightmare was over and like before the path started to become narrower and smaller.
- So you finally arrived kid, I have waited too long for this.
For the first time since entering this valley William answered with a shaking voice.
- You must be Amon right?
- Yes I am Amon kid.
In front of William was a spirit that looked like a mix between a goat , snake , human and dragon with horns on top of his head and goat legs, he had a face shaped like a snakes and long teeth that stuck out of his mouth with scales on his arms and stomach with a human torso.
- Have you admired my looks enough boy?
- Are you stronger than the lady?
- You mean that bitch Evelynn? Yeah in some departments she excels in illusions and healing while I am a butcher.
A long silence developed while William started to slowly understand what Amon meant with being a butcher and he slowly started to walk out of the room until he started to run towards the main path once more.
- Kid just so you know I will be much more useful to achieve your agenda!
After Amon said that a bone chilling laughter echoed through the left path and William knew that if it was between Amon and Evelynn he would choose Amon.
Finally he arrived at the main path once more to start his journey into the middle path that hopefully would be his last.
The difference between the middle path and the others was not only the pressure that increased the deeper you went inside no the more particular thing was that no more spirit was in the middle path. It was almost like the pressure wouldn¡¯t allow another spirit inside the path but itself.
Finally the path started to narrow down and William arrived at a room once more.
Chapter 5
The room was barren with almost no sign of life inside but the sight was even more astounding than the other two paths combined. The spirit inside the room was a gigantic Tiger white as snow with black lines covering it¡¯s body. As William approached the giant beast he could see it¡¯s claws that would easily tear apart a mortal man and the it¡¯s jaws big enough to swallow a small house.
- Child so you have finally arrived.
The deep rumbling voice echoed out once more sounding tired and lonely even though it¡¯s body excluded a pressure that would make the warriors of legend bow their heads if they were in it¡¯s presence.
When William didn¡¯t answer the beast and continued to admire it¡¯s body and might did the Tiger become a little frustrated and said with more power this time.
- Child so you have finally arrived!
To the beast it was only a slight increase but to William it was from a small breeze to a big hurricane.
- It seems I have finally gotten your attention child.
- Yes ¡.. I don¡¯t know what to call you?
- You are not worthy enough to know my name child.
- But Amon and Evelynn told me their names!
- No child, remember was it themselves who told you or did you overhear their names.
William started to remember that neither Amon or Evelynn had told him their name and that he had simply overheard it when they argued with each other. The beast started to look over the small innocent child once more thinking to himself all the work he had to do if the child decided to make a contract with him instead of Amon or Evelynn.
- Hey Old foggey how is your lazy ass doing after such a long time?
- Watch your language dirty bug! In front of me you shall speak with proper language.
Entering from the middle path was none other than Amon and Evelynn. William couldn¡¯t help but be charmed by Evelynn''s blond hair and an emotion he had only felt a couple times before started to well up inside himself. Those perfect curves and that blinding smile started to make William go insane.
William broken from his trance and could only look towards the Tiger once more with gratitude.
- Hmph I am only using the powers that has been given to me, so it¡¯s fair play Durendal.
- sigh I guess so but keep it down it hurts my head when you are trying such nonsense.
- What are you calling nonsense you old fool!
Not missing his chance Amon joined in with
- Everything you do is nonsense Evelynn.
While the spirits started to argue amongst themselves William started to think of his options and what the different spirits would give him.
Evelynn was probably a spirit of Love , Beauty and Lust while Amon on the other hand was a spirit of Gluttony , Wrath and Greed and Durendal on the other hand was showing aspects of Laziness , Solitude and Aloofness. Now the question was what would the different spirits give him?
Immediately did the spirits stop arguing curious about what the little child would want to ask them. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
- What elemental attributes do I get from signing a contract with you and what occupation can I choose from if I get a contract with you?
The spirits became quiet and started to murmur among themselves until Durendal stepped back and Amon battled Evelynn in a game of rock paper scissors and losing.
- Child if you sign a contract with me you shall get the ability to bend light according to your will to create illusion of all kinds and you shall get the ability to walk the path of a priest if you so choose.
- So if I sign a contract with you I can become an illusion mage or a priest?
- Correct child.
William then turned towards Amon who had stepped forward to show off his abilities.
- Brat if you choose to sign a contract with me then you will have the choice of becoming a darkness mage or a berserker knight.
- What''s a berserker knight?
- Well kid it¡¯s a brat that becomes stronger the longer the battle keeps going.
- I understand thank you Amon!
- No problem kiddo
Finally William turned towards Durendal who sighed and started to explain what he could offer.
- If you choose to make a contract with me you will be able to become a time mage or a battle priest.
- What¡¯s a battle priest?
- It¡¯s a priest that uses his gift to fight instead of healing the innocent.
- I don¡¯t really understand but thanks anyway Durendal
- My pleasure.
William then tried to decide which spirit to contract and even if he chose a spirit that spirit must first agree to begin a contract with the child otherwise the child will need to look for another spirit.
While this was happening Nicolas started to become nervous.
- Why was there only 3 paths when there should have been 4 and why doesn¡¯t that beast call upon William to test him.
With no other way Nicolas started to look for the opening the ceremony had created to allow Williams conscious inside. When Nicolas finally found the entrance to Williams essence was when William had decided who he wanted to make a contract with.
- Durendal would you be willing to make a contract with me?
- Before I answer could you tell me what you want to accomplish and what your goal is in life?
William then started to tell the spirits about how he wanted to be acknowledged by his father and become a true member of the Rosenthal family.
After a long silence Durendal finally spoke.
- Sorry child if that is your goal then I won¡¯t make a contract with you.
- But why Durendal? Why can¡¯t you make a contract with me?
Before Durendal could answer William was when Nicolas came charging inside the room looking all over for William.
- Hello little fellow follow me and I will show you where your true spirit reside.
After hearing those words William fell asleep in Nicolas arms.
- Who are you and what are you doing inside this child''s essence! roared Durendal
- Durendal I will take this child and there is nothing you can do.
Realising the truth Amon , Evelynn and Durendal backed away realising that there was little they could do to stop the man from taking the child away.
Nicolas started to fly out of the middle path to join the main path once more followed by the 3 spirits that were interested in which spirit the man wanted to make William sign a contract with.
Nicolas started to look for the 4th path when they arrived at the main path once more while Durendal , Evelynn and Amon only looked at him like he was insane. All 3 of them had lived here their entire lives and they knew that only their 3 paths existed inside the valley.
Finally Nicolas found some stairs hidden by the fog and when he took the first step with William in his arms was when the fog started to drift away slowly revealing about 100 stairs leading to the top of the valley.
Nicolas continued to walk upwards but when the spirits wanted to walk up the stairs they couldn¡¯t. It was an enormous pressure keeping them at bay, telling them if they dared to take a single step it would eradicate them.
The journey to the top when smoothly and when Nicolas deemed it not necessary to expose himself to the city lord and academies anymore was when he dropped off William and wrote on the ground which way he should go.
When William woke up he was angry, why does he wake up at different locations every time he blacks out nowadays.
He stood up and looked around for any signs that the mysterious man would have left him and it wasn¡¯t until William kicked at the ground that he saw an arrow with the text under reading.
Just follow the arrow and you will hit your mark young Rosenthal.
Chapter 6
The fog up here was more chilly and solemn, almost like the fog didn¡¯t want to disturb whatever lived on the plateau and just leave it alone for all eternity.
William with no other choice could only follow the path the mysterious man had left him once more. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder why the man helped him so much and if he had some other agenda for doing so. William quickly brushed off the idea because without the mysterious man he would probably still be walking inside the fog and if he did stumble upon the valley there was no doubt he would have signed a deal with Evelynn.
Doubt started to grow in William the deeper he went without anything happening because down in the valley he would already have come across a room or two by now but up here there was only a desolate wasteland made up by fog.
Nicolas had some trouble finding the opening because of all the fog that resides inside Williams essence and he couldn¡¯t help but to get angry at the young child for making him go inside once more. But he quickly calmed down because he knew that if the child meet with that beast there would be a lot and a lot of fun in the future for him.
Meanwhile outside the city lord''s estate Stuart had finally prepared everything for an escape from the city if Williams spirit wasn¡¯t up for standard or not in favour of Magnus.
His original job was to report immediately to the family head so assassins could finish the job before any news of William spread to the public but Stuart had grown to soft during the years he had been together with William and couldn¡¯t do the task any longer. So Stuart has sold everything from house to tableware and the only thing he has left is his trusty old steed and an carraige he bought from a local near by. Stuart had decided that even if Williams spirit was up to standard he would take him away and leave for the kingdom of Bael.
With no knowledge of what Nicolas or Stuart was thinking and only the silence to keep him company but this started to change when a small silhouette started to be visible in the distance.
William was so happy that he could burst because his journey would finally end hopefully and the spirit that the man had picked out couldn¡¯t be a mediocre spirit.
When he arrived he saw a beast standing on four legs with a mane of blood and skin of purest gold itself. With a glint it¡¯s eyes that didn¡¯t back down for anything but not arrogance in it¡¯s attitude. The beat didn¡¯t need to be arrogant because it had complete confidence in itself and it didn¡¯t need to show it off to others because the important part was that itself knew how great it was.
- Hello cub, why have you travelled so far to meet me?
William thought this was a test made up by the beast so he answered trying to sound as calm as possible.
- I have come to look for a spirit.
- And you think I will become someone''s slave?
- We are one and the same we will only reunite to become one once more.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The beast sighed and started to stand up and walked towards William while looking him in the eyes.
- Cub, I am created from Pride , Knowledge , Strength and Courage. What you shall gain from me is neither magic nor the talent to become a knight.
- What! But if you can neither give me the power of a magician or a knight what can you give me.
The big beast rose to it¡¯s feet and with it¡¯s lantern big eyes stared down the boy.
- I can make you more powerful than you can ever become cub.
This time the beasts tone wasn¡¯t calm and steady like before no it was forceful and mighty sounding like thunder itself.
William decided to trust the mysterious man and the beast so he started to initiate a contract with the beast. In front of William a book appeared which started to open by itself and turning its pages until the book reached the beast. The beast started to read what stood on the page and when it was done it started to laugh.
- Hahaha yes cub like you said before we are one but forced apart let''s reunite and shake the heavens themselves!
With the beast conformation of the beast the contract took place and the beast started to fuse with the book until a exact copy of the beast started to appear on the cover of the book.
When the fusion was done the book started to return until it disappeared inside William once more.
When the contract was over did William hear the beast voice inside himself.
- Cub when you start to train you shall find the technique I left for you inside your sea of conscious.
After having said that all became quiet and in front of William a path started to form inside the fog. With no other option to choose from William embarked on the path leading god knows where.
- It¡¯s seems the child has made a pact with a monster we didn¡¯t even know existed.
- There was nothing we could do Durendal the kid was the one who initiated the contract by himself.
- Amon I think that¡¯s the only clever thing you have said since you were born.
- If you wanna fight you only have to tell me Evelynn and I will fuck you up!
- Let''s return there is nothing more we can do here. sighed Durendal
When William reached what seemed to be the end of the path he looked back wondering if the choice he made was the correct one or if he should have made a pact with Amon or Evelynn instead.
- Sigh there is nothing I can do to change the choice I made anyway.
With the final step Williams world turned white and when he woke up he was residing submerged in the strange pool of liquid once more. With a little bit of force William stood up trying to walk out of the pool, a guard rushed towards him and helped the young child out of the pool so he wouldn¡¯t hurt himself.
- William before you leave can you please put your hand on the stone in front of you.
William weakly nodded and put his hand on the stone. The feeling of weakness left William and he started to become more clear headed while the orb in front of him started to shine a dark red almost like blood then switching over to a bright gold.
- Congratulations William you have the affinity towards gold and fire while not having the talent towards either a knight nor magician you can become a battle priest.
- Please return tomorrow if you want to study to become a battle priest or if you want to live a normal life. You shall not answer today so go home and think it through and discuss with your parents.
After being told what to do William was then shown the way out of the city lord''s estate. After some time William arrived were the line of children and adults were standing eager for their turn to come. William didn¡¯t stop at the line and walked towards the carriage were he and Stuart had decided to meet after the trial was over.
No chapter today .....
I am so sorry guys but I have had a really stressful day and not have time to write .....tomorrow you can expacte a tripple release! I promsie you that or my alias is not Arendal!
Also our little family has once again grown to 3 people!This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
WOOOOOOOOOO ... really need to stop making promises that the followers will get a chapter but to late now so tomorrow is already booked with 3 chapters so the day after tomorrow will be 2 chapters for the 2 guys that have followed this story.
Thanks again for reading my story and sorry for not posting today
Arendal
Chapter 7
When William stepped out of the city lords and into the square most people were waiting he became stunned. Outside were soldier of Forneus legions recruiting young children into the army and you could see magicians from different academies trying to lure in children with different magic tricks. Fortunately there was only one church that controlled every priest and battle priest so no one started to question William if he wanted to join them because he had already gotten a choice and it was up to him to decide what to do.
William with no interest towards the magicians tricks or the soldiers speeches started to walk towards the exit to find Stuart and their carriage so they could return home.
Unfortunately it wasn¡¯t that easy for a young child to walk from the entrance of the city lords estate to the exit and he got interrupted multiple times by people asking him if he got a specific badge which would prove if he had the talents for a knight or a magician. William ofcourse didn¡¯t have a badge and got left alone after a while when the other institutes and soldiers saw that he didn¡¯t have a badge and his journey speed up quite a lot when he wasn¡¯t stopped after every second step.
Screamed William when he arrived outside the chaotic estate and arrived at the roads of tennin once more but a problem had arisen, he couldn¡¯t see their carriage in the crowds and it was even more unlikely that he would find Stuart some were in the flood of people walking around. William became scared of being alone and not knowing were Stuart had disappeared to and even if William sometimes acted like he was older the truth was that he still was only 12 years old and being alone truly terrified him. With fear creeping up his veins and doubt clouding his judgement, William started to have a small panic attack but Stuart arrived in front of him once more to comfort him.
- I am here it¡¯s okay William no need to be scared.
- I wasn¡¯t scared I only got some dirt in my eye.
Of course that was a lie because the young child with red eyes and snot running out of his nose who wasn¡¯t afraid even in front of the beast was truly terrified of being left alone.
- Yeah I know you weren¡¯t afraid my young prince but you have to follow me I will introduce you to some people.
After having said that Stuart started to drag William away from the estate and towards the south side of the city which was very close to the kingdom Bael. William couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Stuart would want to do in the south side of the city but he knew he could trust Stuart.
After walking around the city''s south part for a while finally Stuart and William arrived at their destination. In front of William was a band of evil looking men and an old waggon standing in a back alley.
- William you stay here I will go and talk with the gentlemen and we shall go on a vacation okay.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
William only nodded and only after seeing that did Stuart start to walk towards the dangerous looking men. WIlliam to far away from the conversation couldn¡¯t hear what the ¡°gentlemen¡± and Stuart was talking about so he started to divert his attention to the people walking around on the street. William could see a lot more soldiers walking around the southern part than he would see at the western part and that was because the border between the 2 kingdoms were at a dangerous cease fire that could explode into a raging flame any second now and both citizens from Forneous and Bael knew that it would be a real bloodbath when it happened. While William were enjoying himself looking around the street at the soldiers Stuart on the other hand was making a deal with the gentlemen that was actually mercenaries that would help William and Stuart to get over the border to Bael.
- You will get 10 gold here and 10 gold when we cross the border okay.
- If you try to screw ous old man we will personally fuck you over and butcher that little kid and after that we will feed him to sally right in front of your face.
The man who was talking started to point towards a hound that was almost 2 meters long and 1 meter tall with black fur and razor sharp teeth that could probably rip a man to shreds in a single bit after seeing the beast Stuart could only nod and then make another request.
- If I die please take care of the kid please.
- And why should I put my neck out for your royal ass your highness
The mercenary bowed while his mates started to laugh and joke about how follish the fine dressed cunt really was.
- He will become a great warrior if you train him and if you take this up to your boss I am sure he will agree to take him in.
After having said that Stuart gave the man a letter while saying
- We will probably not see each other again but tell your boss to meet ous outside the city in an hour.
The mercenaries couldn¡¯t get a single word out while the middle age butler walked away because they had never heard of a man who would demand something from the boss.
- William our security will arrive soon so follow me and we will get on the carriage that will take ous to our destination.
- But don¡¯t I need to sign up to the church so I can become a battle priest tomorrow?
- You will be fine I shall personally fix that you become a member of the church when we return okay William.
William didn¡¯t see the sad expression that started to build up on the middle aged man''s face and Stuart thought inside his head. I am truly sorry William and I know you may hate this for me but this is truly for the best. Stuart sighed and looked towards the heavens and prayed that nothing would happen to him or the child when they were escaping to the Bael kingdom.
Meanwhile in the heart of Forneous a man with the same blood red hair and golden eyes as William sat in front of a person with a white robe and a necklace that was shaped like a circle. They were playing a game of chess and you could see that the man in white robes was currently losing but after a long silence the man in white robes spoke and said.
- Magnus it seems like Stuart didn¡¯t follow your commands and is trying to escape.
- Lord bishop I will personally correct this and fix this mistake.
- Magnus I applaud you for trying to hide this from me but remember you are only a chess piece and I am the player the difference is that I can choose when to move and you can¡¯t
With no reply from Mangus the bishop tilted Magnus king over and walked away. Magnus sighed and looked at the heavens while whispering.
- Please forgive me for what I am about to do Mary.
The calm before the storm
The mercenaries quickly returned to their hideout only because of the way that man treated their leader. When they arrived you could see different duties being fulfilled, some were feeding the horses and others were sparring, you could also see at the middle of the camp in a tent some men debating over a map and pointing all over it. The mercenaries quickly went towards the men that were debating over the map and when they were around 5 meters from the tent they shouted out.
- Boss I think we got some work to do!
- Yeah Boss we meet this fellow that wanted ous to deliver this letter to you!
Slowly from the tent a large men started to leave he stood at almost 2 meters in height with a scar running down his face towards his mouth and brown hair fluttering in the wind. The big man carried a sword on his back that seemed to weight more than a grown man. The man looked over the mercenaries and asked.
One of the mercenaries went forward with the letter towards the boss and after taking the letter the boss started to read it and after a while he called out.
- Dennis come and look at this it seems we have hit the jackpot!
The tent doors fluttered once more and a much skinnier man walked out with a black suit and unnatural green hair. The man called Dennis started to read the letter and after awhile a big smile formed on his face.
- Well what do you think my friend?
- I think this is a great chance Boss.
- HAHAHAHHA THAT¡¯S WHAT I THOUGHT!
After laughing with Dennis for a while the boss got serious and shouted out.
- Prepare yourself and get the new recruits in shape before the fuck some things up!
- Yes Boss we are on it!
Meanwhile the mercenaries started to prepare Stuart and William had already arrived at the well used carriage Stuart bought.
- What happened with our old carriage Stuart?
- Well we can¡¯t move around in such a beautiful carriage or bandits might attack ous out of greed William.
William thought it over and it seemed to make sense but he still got a strange feeling from everything that was going on. While William was trying to figure out what this strange feeling was Stuart on the other hand had already fixed everything from the carriage to the horse.
- Now the only thing we have to do is wait for our escort William so you can go ahead and sleep in the carriage.
- But I am not tired Stuart and I slept on the way into the city before.
- It will get really bumpy on the road so you may not have much time to sleep.
William stood his ground and didn¡¯t want to sleep so in the end they decided to look around a little bit before their escort would arrive. William quickly became bored when he realised that the south part wasn¡¯t that muched different from the western part of the city. With nothing else to do Stuart and William decided to head back and play some tic tac toe by the carriage. Finally their escort arrived and William had not lost a single match off tic tac toe versus Stuart. Stolen story; please report.
- So you are our employer friend!
From within the large crowd of mercenaries a large man big as an bear appeared and he was probably the biggest man William had ever seen in his entire life.
- Yes my name is Stuart what is your name friend?
- My name is Heimdall but you can call me Boss if you want.
After introducing themselves Stuart and Heimdall shook their hands and then started to start their journey towards the Bael kingdom.
While all of this was going on Magnus was preparing his own special task force that made up off 30 elite men that had been trained by the Rosenthal family since they were young.
- The mission this time is to kill Stuart Godfrid and William Rosenthal and anyone that tries to stop you from doing that, Is that understood.
- Yes sir but do you mean we shall kill William?
A young man in the front was the one that asked the question, unfortunately for him Magnus unleashed his spirit and the man was reduced to ashes in under a second. Beside Magnus stood a combination elemental between earth and fire called an lava elemental.
- Anyone that question the mission or my authority can happily join that foolish man down in hell.
When Magnus got no answer he barked.
Magnus jumped on top of his elemental that started to manipulate a large piece of earth so they could drift on top of it. Meanwhile the soldiers summoned their spirits that ranged from birds to fairies and you could spot a wyvern among them.
The journey was going quite smoothly and the group of mercenaries had not gotten to in any major trouble since the beginning of the journey and they expected to reach Baels borders in about 2 days.
- Stuart I think we should stop for know and take a rest and continue tomorrow.
- Okay Boss lets do what you think.
The favorite time of the day had finally arrived for William because during the day he only sat in a bumpy carriage that didn¡¯t change but during the night he could hear the foul mouthed mercenaries stories about their adventures.
- Shrimp you are finally here I didn¡¯t think you would come today.
- My name is William and you know it Dennis!
The man called Dennis had formed a fond relationship with William and he quite liked to tell stories to the young child that would be so easily captivated.
- So shall I tell you of the time we roamed the northern glaciers?
- Already told that one Dennis.
- How about the time we fought a basilisk in the southern swamp?
- Also told that one.
- How about the time the boss took down single handedly a 50 man gang in the western dessert?
- That one you haven¡¯t told! come on tell it to me Dennis!
The story went that when the mercenaries went through the western desert to go to a kingdom far away they stumbled upon a large group of bandits that would rob them off everything they had. In the begging they had stumbled upon 75 bandits but when the other mercenaries chimed in the number inflated up to 150 quite quickly. William could see the big boss fighting multiple bandits all by himself and not taking a single injury while knocking every bandit down and then capturing them and giving them to the city guards.
William couldn¡¯t help but glance over at the big boss but when he looked towards were the boss usually sat he wasn¡¯t there.
- Well boys it¡¯s looks like you bums are having fun telling stories.
All of the mercenaries turned their heads and saw their big boss looking angrily at them while shaking their heads.
- Um I was just about to go and take first watch guys.
- No I think I was on first Watch this time Gary
- Dude I was clearly on first watch!
Faster than William could comprehend all the mercenaries had abandoned him and the big boss to go and take first ¡°watch¡±.
- Kid go and get some rest tomorrow there will be time for stories to
William nodded and started to head back towards his and Stuart sleeping areas and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what amazing stories he would hear tomorrow.