《Richard the Paladin》 Prologue - Battle Against the Demon King The two Paladins approached cautiously, passing by the several supporting pillars, towards the Demon King who sat comfortably on his throne in the middle of the hall. Their armours had definitely seen better days, their swords tainted by the blood of the demons they had killed along their way. The echoes of their heavy breaths muted the sounds of their footsteps, their bodies visibly tired. The Demon King remained passive, motionless. ¡°Two parasites¡­¡± A hoarse voice greeted the Two Paladins, which seemed to have come out from the Demon King¡¯s large nostrils rather than his mouth. ¡°No¡­ parasites prey on others because they have to survive. You humans do it because of greed.¡± The Demon King slowly stood up and began his terrible transformation. His skin turned bright red and two large horns emerged from his forehead. His body size doubled, dwarfing the two warriors in front of him. ¡°Shut the fuck up you vile abomination,¡± Wilbert yelled as he assumed his defensive stance, holding tight against his sword. ¡°For centuries you and your armies have terrorised our cities¡­ killed our children¡­ defiled our women just to please your wicked desires!¡± ¡°But not anymore¡­ not anymore¡­ for this ends today!¡± Wilbert rushed towards him. He knew this was going to be a difficult battle and that there was no room for complacency. He rapidly raised his sword and flung a powerful swing, hitting the Demon King¡¯s arm with all his might. The sound generated by the clash rattled the entire hall. But all Wilbert could do was to keep staring in incredulity at the Demon King¡¯s fiery eyes. His hands were numb as if he had just hit a large block of steel. The attack had barely scratched the demon''s skin. The Demon swiftly waved his arm, sending the preoccupied Wilbert flying against a Pillar, falling defeated on the floor. He then slowly walked towards him. ¡°We demons are born evil, and it¡¯s natural for us when we act evil. But look at you humans, playing these little heroic games, thinking you are some kind of paladins of justice.¡± ¡°I have lived through countless of eras. During this time I''ve met and slaughtered thousands of your kind. And one thing I¡¯ve learned from all these encounters is that you humans are a bunch of hypocrites.¡± He then let out a disturbing cry. His muscles enlarged again, and a large bump began forming over his belly. It gradually grew, and pieces of flesh fell one by one on the floor below. Fresh blood poured like a stream. Richard gazed terrified at the unfolding scene, and the only thing he could do was to hear the individual sounds of falling flesh, distracted only by the powerful smell of the Demon¡¯s blood. The pieces of flesh then began coalescing, forming a large sword. Its grip was pitch black, shaped from the pool of blood while its blade formed directly from his flesh. Several eyes, mouths and protruding veins appeared all over the blade as if it was alive. The Demon¡¯s body quickly healed. He graciously kneeled and grabbed his sword, then he glanced towards Wilbert. He tossed himself with incredible speed, intending to finish him off with one strike. But Richard intervened half way and blocked the Demon¡¯s advance with his shield. The Demon appeared irritated, slashing his sword against Richard instead. Richard defended the attack with great difficulty and was forced to take a couple of steps backwards, blood leaking from his mouth. ¡°To be able to block me while I am in this form¡­,¡± the Demon said emotionless as he pummelled him with several sword strikes. But Richard managed to hold his own, much to the Demon¡¯s surprise. Truly, this Paladin was something else. A rare gem. The Demon kept attacking, though it was evident he was just toying with his adversary. Richard began to struggle, and soon he ended up kneeling on one foot and resting on his sword. But his eyes were still undefeated. He slowly stood up again, whispering, ¡°Pride¡­ Courage¡­ Faith...¡± Then he threw his sword towards the Demon. The Demon appeared confused. Either his opponent was up to something, or acting out of desperation. Whatever the case, he had nothing to fear. The Demon deflected the sword with ease, then slashed towards Richard. Richard¡¯s left hand ended up rotating in the air together with his shield. But Richard kept charging ahead and smashed a bottle made of glass on the Demon¡¯s face. ¡°Water from the sacred lands?!¡± The Demon roared. He twitched, bend over holding his face in agony. Several mouths emerged and appeared all over his body, screaming and spitting blood. They cursed and swore. The Demon¡¯s distraction provided the perfect opportunity. Richard ran to recover his sword, now losing blood heavily from his severed hand. He charged against the head of the Demon and managed to pierce a part of his neck, thanks to the weakened resistance caused by the holy water.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He pressed with all his strength. He knew that it¡¯s their victory once the Demon loses his head. He struggled, hoping he would find a way to chop off his head. But there was only that much he could do with one hand. A large spike emerged from the Demon¡¯s belly, tearing through Richard¡¯s armour like it was made of pieces of paper, and hurled him away with incredible force. Richard coughed out blood, his face visibly frustrated that he failed to kill him. He stared at the slowly approaching opponent. He remembered the legends about how formidable the Demon King was, and confirmed that they weren¡¯t exaggerated in the slightest. Maybe they were over optimistic when they challenged him just the two of them. But there was no turning back now. The Demon arrived before him, then his lower body started melting. His flesh slowly surrounded Richard, engulfing him and trapping him inside his body, leaving outside only his head. ¡°I¡¯ve taken an interest in you. You are the first human to damage me to this extent.¡± A heart emerged from the junk of flesh and moved towards Richard¡¯s mouth. It compressed and expanded like a real heart. A surge of evil desires surfaced in Richard¡¯s mind, calling upon him, trying to consume him. ¡°Taste me. Eat me. Desire me.¡± Richard stared at the heart, struggling to suppress his evil desires. This must be what the historians called the demonic ritual, in which living beings are transformed into demons. The Demon tightened his grip, preparing to squeeze him to death. Richard writhed in suppressed fury. At that moment he could only think of two possible outcomes. Either he ate the heart and became a demon, or die. The choice he had to make was obvious. ¡°I¡¯ll be¡­ your minion¡­¡± Richard replied with immense difficulty. The Demon appeared stunned. He wasn¡¯t expecting him to cooperate so easily. Not killing him off immediately had paid off after all. Once transformed into a demon he would become one of the finest. The fragile Richard leaned forward his head and was about to take a bite. ¡°Forever¡­ together¡­ in the depths of hell!¡± The explosive device in Richard¡¯s right hand suddenly went off. The blast wasn¡¯t of particular big magnitude, but it was enough to disintegrate the lower part of the Demon¡¯s body into several pieces. Richard too suffered grave injuries, losing two of his fingers. But he was still alive, ironically saved by the Demon¡¯s own body which offered protection from the explosion. Richard remained motionless on the ground. He may have killed the Demon King and saved the world, but with this disabled body of his, his dream of becoming the greatest paladin was as good as over. But he still daydreamed about how he will be remembered in the history books and how his name is going to be praised by this generation and the ones to come. He was Richard, the paladin who defeated the terrible Demon King. He was the Paladin who saved the world and ended the demon¡¯s blight that had plagued these lands for thousands of years. And that made him happy. But his happiness faded away as quick as it had come, shattered by a towering shadow that almost blinded his vision. ¡°Unlike the others¡­ as long as my head remains intact, I will not die,¡± the Demon said as the lost pieces of his body began merging back into him. It didn¡¯t take that long for the Demon to regenerate again, then he raised his sword, preparing to kill him. The only thing Richard could do is laugh at himself. He had played all his cards. There was nothing else he could do. He accepted his faith, though not without regrets as his life and dreams were going to end here. But just when everything appeared lost, the Demon¡¯s head split in two, slashed by Wilbert¡¯s strike. The Demon¡¯s entire body shivered. It punched Wilbert straight into his chest, sending him flying again. Wilbert fell on the ground, unconscious. The Demon began leaking blood from everywhere, the several mouths yelling all kinds of obscenities. Then his body shuddered multiple times and dropped dead on the floor. Richard remained still, watching the unfolding scene with shock. But there was no time to waste. He was losing blood heavily. He struggled to stand up, then limped towards his storage bag. He rested against a pillar, wrapping himself with bandages and taking care of his wounds. Silence had taken over, and he could now hear a faraway raging sound. He suddenly remembered about the ongoing battle and felt the urge to hurry back outside and reveal the severed head of the Demon King, thus effectively ending the war. Just when he was about to stand up, he noticed Wilbert standing before him. Surprised how his companion had already recovered, he was about to ask him if he was alright. But Wilbert spoke first. ¡°Come with me Richard, there is something I must show you.¡± Richard found all this too sudden and strange. They had just defeated the Demon King. Wilbert¡¯s mood should be more joyful. Surely something grave had happened. He followed him inside a small entrance located in the same hall, walking through a long tunnel. They stepped on paved tiles that slowly turned into rough ground, then they found themselves inside a cave. They were forced to a halt at the end of a cliff. Richard leaned forward, visibly shocked by the view of the pit below. A sea of black swirling energy raged, waves fighting and pushing against each other, producing an eerie squealing noise. It looked like black lava, but it wasn¡¯t lava as no heat was being felt. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. He wondered what the hell this place was, and was about to ask that to Wilbert. ¡°You think that¡¯s shocking? Then look up over there.¡± Richard raised his head, and what came next, was the shockest moment of his life. His mind went blank, and countless memories surfaced. He reminisced about his harsh days at the orphanage. The days and nights he spent training with a wooden sword, practising his favourite hobby while the other children made fun of him. And the day when his old man happened to pass by the orphanage and instantly realised his potential when he saw him training outside. To this day, he is forever grateful towards that man, for adopting him and taking care of him. He remembered when he joined the Order of the Paladins. How scared he felt when he saw all those senior eyes staring at him, and his disgust at the impossible training tasks they had demanded. But it is thanks to those bastards that he turned out to be a great paladin he had come to be. A reputation that didn¡¯t go unnoticed. He worked hard and joined the Diamond Wing branch of the Order, placing him amongst the most elite. He had good friends in that group, but nobody was as close as Wilbert. They fought and won countless of battles, slew so many foes and made up the perfect fighting team. Wilbert was his best friend, and he would be willing to give up his life for him. But why, why did this happen? Why did Wilbert stab him? He fell on his knees. He wasn¡¯t stupid, he knew he was stabbed in a vital organ. He knew he was going to die. He turned around, greeted only by Wilbert¡¯s cold eyes. As cold as ice. Wilbert then threw a kick, sending Richard flying down the pit. The only thing Richard could do is staring upwards, seeing the fading image of Wilbert, as tears flew upwards from his eyes until he vanished inside the whirling black energy. The detached Wilbert then headed back towards the hall. There he noticed a heart, alive and still beating, the same heart the Demon King had offered to Richard. He placed it inside his storage bag, also grabbing the two head segments of the Demon King. He then proceeded his journey outside of the stronghold. Chapter 1 – The Deep It was a sensation like no other. His mind was barely conscious yet aware he still existed. He tried reaching out for his thoughts, to learn about his surroundings, to perceive what¡¯s going on. But his awareness was restricted. He assumed that he was experiencing the afterlife, a spiritual manifestation of his true inner self. And then, like a water drop falling into a pool of water and causing an ever expanding ripple, life spread throughout his body. His feelings and memories had returned, his heart beating with the prospect of the unknown. When he woke up from his trance, the first thing he noticed was that he was buried in a pool of thin mud. He could feel the movement of his hands, and the pain he had experienced earlier had all but disappeared away. It was as if the battle with the Demon King never happened in the first place. He quickly stood up and explored his surroundings ¨C or tried. A thick layer of fog covered the entire area, reducing visibility to a couple of metres. He walked with no sense of direction, hearing the funny squeaky noises he made as he stepped on the thick grass. He walked and walked, until stumbling upon a small pocket of water. There he could see his reflection, and his mind was put at ease. He was still Richard the Paladin. But there was a subtle difference that he had not noticed until now. He looked younger, 16 years old at max. His physique was not as robust as he remembered it either. He appeared puzzled. This was a different reality he was experiencing, probably a side effect of him falling into that pit. While lost pondering trying to connect the dots, he heard a voice. It sounded ancient, rising from below; from the very depths. It was a powerful voice, yet it felt gentle on his ears. Its vocals trembled the lands and created massive whirlwinds, yet for him, it felt like a breeze that slowly caressed his body. ¡°Since the beginning of time, it has watched over you; desiring you, wanting you. Its sole purpose was to be with you. But you have drifted too far away, never to be reached.¡± ¡°But now here you are, coming here by your own volition. But its love still can¡¯t be yours, because now it loves someone else.¡± ¡°Whose voice is this?¡± Richard yelled in search for answers. ¡°I¡¯m the Voice of the Deep, but I¡¯m not it, because ¡®it¡¯ has no voice of its own.¡± ¡°The Deep has loved me the same way as it loves you. It took care of me; it fed me, thought me how to speak, protecting me from harm.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t bear losing me, so an immortal body it gifted me. Since we met, we¡¯ve been together, inseparable forever.¡± ¡°Believe me when I say that it loves you, as much as it loves me. But it can¡¯t love the both of us, and it can never depart with me.¡± ¡°I feel sorry for stealing its love from you. Deeply sorry. And that¡¯s why I will be sharing with you a little of its love. Hopefully, in the future, you will find another ¡®Deep¡¯, one you can unite with and love for all eternity.¡± A large tremor then rocked the entire place. Cracks appeared on the ground and the entire realm began to collapse. Time, space and reality twisted. Soon Richard found himself suspended in vast darkness, surrounded by a transparent barrier, seemingly protecting him from the void that consumed the entire place. Richard stared silently; this whole surreal experience had left him speechless.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. He could now see that several objects had assembled below him: armours, different weapons, artistic objects, skeleton heads, useless looking materials and several artefacts. ¡°One, and only one of these treasures shall be given to you as compensation. You will not be the one who will be choosing your treasure, it will be your treasure that will be choosing you.¡± The objects under him became shrouded with an aura of different colours. It seemed as every object here had a soul of its own. Then they charged towards each other. In a matter of seconds, an enormous battle had started. Richard stared dumbfounded. He had seen his share of strange things during his life but never had he ever imagined he would be seeing this kind of battle one day. The battle of living treasures. Objects fought and bumped into each other with incredible speeds. Some broke apart, others retreated and disappeared from his field of vision. Others appeared to be enjoying this fight, savagely crushing the other treasures. The battle was a long one. For hours the treasures fought. But there was a treasure that stood above the rest, a large burning sword with a golden tip. It had destroyed thousands of other treasures, forcing the remaining treasures to distance themselves. Soon, there were none left to challenge it. One by one they bowed, acknowledging its superiority and then surrendered peacefully away. Richard¡¯s wide eyes were stuck on this sword since the beginning of the battle. This was the most beautiful sword he had ever seen. He desired it, his hands already shaking with anticipation. He couldn¡¯t wait to test the sword with his very own hands. The sword remained there floating. It had no cracks, no dents and still appeared in perfect shape. And with no competitors left, it began moving towards Richard, stopping within his grasp. He extended his hand and was about to grab it, when a flash of light appeared out of nowhere, hitting the sword and sending it flying down with massive force, disappearing into the abyss. This sudden incursion left Richard dumbfounded. Before him now stood a small flute. It was ancient, marked with several scratches. It hovered ebulliently, rising up and down multiple times and circling around him, seemingly inspecting. But the battle wasn¡¯t over. A column of fire arose from the depths. It slowly dissipated, revealing again the sword with the golden tip in all of its glory. It burned with a red flame of fury, clearly pissed off at the flute. It immediately charged towards the flute, seeking revenge for that previous surprise attack. But no matter how much it attacked, the flute dodged all of its attacks with a flash. Both the sword and Richard appeared frustrated. They knew the flute was weak and it was only surviving because of its speed. For them, it was just an annoying obstacle delaying their inevitable union. ¡°I have faith in you! Sword of the undying flames!¡± Richard yelled. It was a name he randomly thought on the spot, though he wasn¡¯t good at naming things. Hearing this, the sword appeared motivated. Its flame doubled in size and began swirling around it with increased rotation. Then it released a column of fire straight towards the annoying flute. The flute tried to dodge but the attack was just too fast and ended up being engulfed in an explosion of flames. It shuddered and struggled, ultimately consumed by an endless sea of flames. The flames roared with fury, then slowly shrunk, until vanishing away. The flute was nowhere to be seen. A wide smile could now be seen on Richard¡¯s face. Both he and the sword celebrated this victory. It had finally found her master, the one who would wield it to glory. The sword danced, moving in zigzag fashion towards Richard. The dance of comedy. Much to Richard¡¯s shock, the flute had somehow survived the previous attack and descended like a bolt from above, hitting the sword with immense power and sending it flying down like a falling meteor. Shortly after, a huge explosion was heard deep from the abyss. Richard couldn¡¯t believe this. He unleashed the full power of his vocals, screaming and encouraging the sword to come back. He was frustrated. This sword was his treasure. The sword had clearly chosen him! He yelled and yelled, his throat burning with pain. But the sword never returned. While distracted screaming, he sensed the flute hovering over his head. The moment it touched Richard¡¯s had, time and space began twisting again. The darkness gradually disappeared, replaced by the docile rays of the sun. Richard was now outside in the countryside. He could observe the clear sky, the moon, the various little animals playing around and a nearby river moving listlessly below a stone bridge. He seemed to have returned back to the world of the living. He sighed, then sat on the nearest rock. His body was full of energy and he never felt so healthy, unlike his mind, which was on the verge of going crazy. First the battle of the paladins, then the fight with the Demon King, followed by the pain he had felt when he lost his hand, the encounter with that strange pit, Wilbert¡¯s betrayal, the voice of the deep and now this strange battle of treasures. Too many thoughts plagued his mind, just too many thoughts. Too much had happened today and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He closed his eyes, sleeping shortly after. Next to him, sparkling in the sun, rested a small flute. Chapter 2 – First Contact The flute rotated in the air, blocking a part of the sun¡¯s image, then fell with a splash inside the river. It bobbed a couple of times then sank. Richard could hear the rising air bubbles. But he didn¡¯t have much hope. After all, this was already the tenth time he tried to dispose of this flute. He hated it to the core. He leaned back and closed his eyes, wishing this time it will work. After one minute had passed, he peaked, and there, next to him and all dried up, was the flute. He let out a long sigh, then stored the flute inside his trousers¡¯ pockets. He stood up and began exploring his surroundings. He had slept for longer than he anticipated. He had to find a way back to the Holy City. He also wondered about the outcome of the war. He strolled without direction, climbing up the valley and passing through a forest. It was unexpectedly an easy journey deprived of any troubles, though he still was cautious as he was defenceless, without any weapons and armour. After walking for a while, he saw a faraway construct over the horizon, which looked like a human settlement. His eyes gleamed and hurried his pace, now running. He ran for hours, on a seemingly never-ending journey. This took longer than he originally estimated, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. He was now standing before the town¡¯s only entrance. The town¡¯s architecture was different than anything else he saw in his life. Surrounding it, was a large circular metallic wall; well not exactly circular, rather a many-sided polygon. On each flat face, there was the sculpture of a face; depicting all kinds of people of different ages and appearances. Richard walked towards the entrance, which was undefended without a gate, which made him wonder about the purpose of those walls in the first place. At the entrance, two men stood there guarding it, though it was evident they weren¡¯t taking their jobs too seriously, obviously slacking around. The young man was cleaning his bow and refining his arrows, while the old man was having a nice nap. Richard decided to approach the young man. The old man picked up his presence though, he opened his right eye for a quick inspection, then continued sleeping. ¡°Hi there. I¡¯m Richard, a Paladin from the Holy Order, Diamond Wing branch, under direct command of his holiness Emperor Tyr II.¡± The young man stared for a moment, then continued his job, clearly uninterested. ¡°Ar yer? As you can see my friend, I¡¯m a tad busy. So how about you screw off and go annoy someone else? Hearing random gibberish is the last thing I wanna do right now.¡± Richard blinked his eyes. He was about to reply, but he paused to think. Something about this place seemed off. Then he felt danger. He quickly jumped, barely dodging a golden arrow that descended from the sky with unbelievable speed. If it wasn¡¯t for his fast reflexes and training he had experienced in his life, his head would be no different than a crushed watermelon. Someone fell from the sky, hitting the ground with a bang. She was a woman. She looked young, maybe 17 or 18, with long copper hair leaning to her right-hand side and over her shoulder. She wore a leather armour, had two bows attached on her back and a pocket full of arrows. Richard stared at her. He figured she had jumped down from the metal wall, yet at the same time wondering how it was possible for a human to survive such a fall, and even more remain unscathed. While lost pondering, the woman charged ahead and grabbed him by his neck. Richard had tried to dodge, but her speed was just ridiculous. Was this woman even human?The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. She stared at him, inspecting him close up, violating his personal space. Richard felt awkward. He had his share of experiences with women in the past and surely he wasn¡¯t the shy type. But definitely, it wasn¡¯t normal to have a woman who had just tried to kill him to keep staring in his face, almost touching his nose. ¡°Interesting guy you are. You dodged my attack without using any magic¡­ fabulous reflexes as well¡­¡± She let him go, and Richard instantly retreated a few steps. ¡°Magic? Who are you? And why did you just try to kill me?!¡± Richard yelled. She giggled. ¡°I¡¯m Eleonora, an archer and apprentice guardian of these walls.¡± ¡°Follow me inside hun. I will explain everything over a glass of booze.¡± She turned around and began walking inside the town, slowly wiggling her ass as if she liked being the centre of attention. Richard was undecided. This bitch had just tried to kill him. He would be a dead man if he was just any other ordinary man. He definitely didn¡¯t trust her. ¡°Oh by the way, mind bringing me back that arrow for me? It¡¯s one of my favourites.¡± Richard felt disgusted. He knew she was doing this on purpose. He was aware that she knew that he was at her mercy until he stayed at this place. He leaned forward to grab the arrow, but he struggled more than he thought to pull it out. And the moment it came out, he could hear a faraway comment. ¡°Good boy.¡± Richard¡¯s pride as a man flared, pressing against the bow, bending it and almost snapping it. However, he managed to control his anger and continued after her. As he was passing through the entrance, he could hear another soft comment that barely made it to his ears. ¡°Ar yeh. Another pussy sucker.¡± Richard¡¯s penetrating eyes scanned the young man who was still busy rubbing against his bow. Even though no words were exchanged, Richard¡¯s message was crystal clear; he and him had unfinished business. Following these random exchanges, Richard and Eleonora walked around the town. At first glance, everything seemed normal, though there were large amounts of scrolls scattered around on tables and stored on people, while there was evidently a lack of swords and metallic armours. It seemed the warriors of this town specialised only in archery. Eleonora then invited Richard to sit on a table, leaving him alone for a moment until returning shortly after with two large glasses of beer. She offered him one beer. ¡°Back at the entrance, I¡¯ve heard you say that you are a ¡®paladin¡¯. I¡¯ve never heard of a Paladin Conclave before so I instantly attacked you; it¡¯s normal procedure to eliminate troublemakers before they do what they know best; that is create troubles.¡± ¡°Are you a lost traveller?¡± Richard stared at her. ¡°Yes. I was injured during a battle but somehow I¡¯ve survived and ended up in this area. I just want to go back home and meet up with my friends.¡± Eleonora smiled. ¡°How sweet of you.¡± But it was a fake smile. She knew that this area didn¡¯t experience any battle for years, and if there was really a nearby battle, she would have heard of it by now. This guy was one lying bastard, and her patience was running thin. ¡°Tell me dear, from which city do you hail?¡± ¡°The Imperial Holy City of Tyrel.¡± Hearing this, she burst out laughing, accidentally splitting beer out of her mouth. ¡°Either a rock has hit your head, or either you are a terrible liar! There is only one capital city we humans have, and it¡¯s the City of Astor. Now, what else are you going to invent? That you are my lost brother?¡± Richard stared at her in shock as she laughed at him. At first, he had his doubts, but all of these events were confirming his odd belief of his. This wasn¡¯t the place he was born. He spoke softly. ¡°Did the deep brought me to another world?¡± ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t read your fairy tales.¡± Eleonora said while resting her left cheek on her praying hands. Richard panicked. He had to find a way to meet again with the deep and ask him to bring him back to his real world. But how and where? Still, he had no time to lose. He quickly woke up and prepared to leave. However, Eleonora reached out her hand, splitting the table and smashing him to the ground. Richard groaned in pain, as the falling beer splashed all over him. ¡°Nice try, running away now? As if!¡± Eleonora yelled as people began gathering to see what all this commotion was about. Eleonora preparing to punch Richard to death, when a middle-aged man approached. ¡°Eleonora halt your attack, right now!¡± When she heard this annoying voice, she frowned submissively. ¡°Why do you always have to butt in while I am having fun¡­ father?!¡± What followed was a crushing aura that made everyone present shiver in fear. Richard was the worst hit of them all, visibly struggling to breathe. Yet nobody bothered to challenge the authority of this man. After all, they knew that this man was one of the highest ranking officials, the 3rd in command. ¡°Can¡¯t you see?! This young fellow haven¡¯t even unlocked his mana yet, and you went all out on him?! Where is your pride?!¡± ¡°But father! He¡¯s one fat liar!¡± The man then approached Richard, while Eleonora quickly distanced herself. He extended his hand and helped Richard climbing back to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced enough in my life to distinguish when a person is genuine or have ulterior intentions. I feel no ill intent when I look into your eyes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually take interest in some random brat, but something about you feels peculiar. Come, follow me. We can have a more relaxed chat inside the central palace.¡± Richard nodded without saying anything, but not without first having a quick glance at the visible irritated Eleonora, as if he wanted to tell her, serves you right bitch. She stared at them for a moment, then she tightened her fists, stomped her foot and walked away like a spoiled child. Chapter 3 – Spirit Converging Chamber Richard walked together with Eleonora¡¯s father. On the way, he briefly explained to him what he had already said to his daughter, though he made sure not to spill out any unnecessary words. The less he revealed the better for now. He was in an unknown place, seemingly teleported here by the deep. Why and for what reason, he didn¡¯t know. He decided to stay vigilant and learn more about this world from this man, then choose his course of action. His most pressing concern was to find a way to return to his world. As the duo walked together, Richard could see the admiration and respect this man was receiving from the locals. This reminded him of himself a few months ago; when he had ridden on his horse and travelled together with the other paladins through the Imperial City¡¯s central road, just before leaving for the final battle. He remembered how the people cheered and screamed while he passed by them, occasionally giving them that salute. He was a symbol of hope and courage. ¡°Richard, I believe you should be older than 15 years old. So, may I ask why you haven¡¯t yet unlocked your mana? People usually unlock their mana at the age of four, some prodigies even at a younger age. I¡¯ve unlocked mine just before nine months.¡± Richard gazed at him. ¡°What¡¯s mana and how do you unlock it?¡± The man replied with a smile. Mana was the basis of this world. Everything here was made of mana and magic. It was impossible for someone not to be aware of what mana was. Yet, here was a young man without any knowledge of it. The man felt intrigued, now more eager to begin his tests. For some reason, he felt that this kid could turn out to be an asset for their declining conclave. Nothing to lose and worth a try. They arrived ahead of a towering palace, which was an impressive piece of architecture. The man stepped over a circular circle with flashing symbols, then invited Richard. ¡°Step on it, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Richard obliged, though not without that moment of hesitation. The man then flicked his fingers, and both of them began levitating upwards. ¡°It has been so long since I last used this elevator.¡± Richard looked at him curiously. ¡°Because I usually fly,¡± he said with a wink. ¡°You can fly?¡± ¡°Of course, all strong warriors can fly.¡± ¡°Can you teach me how to fly?¡± The man laughed. ¡°No need for that, once you unlock your second dogma, it will occur naturally.¡± Richard was about to ask him what was this second dogma he spoke about but then changed his mind. There was so much he didn¡¯t know about this world; better to learn it bit by bit. At this point, his survival mattered more than learning how to fly. They arrived almost at the top of the palace, and entered a long tunnel, until arriving into a large hall. ¡°Wait for me here, I shall come back shortly.¡± The man instantly disappeared giving Richard no chance to react, yet alone speak. He found himself alone. He observed the dome above, which was remarkable. A magical piece of art. It depicted a large tunnel of clouds swirling upwards in the sky. From the vortex, descended a large serpent dragon in all of its glory. A ferocious dragon. And a young warrior flying high up in the sky, not afraid in the slightest, stood before this very dragon, about to engage it.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Simply flawless. His amazement was interrupted though when he felt something struggling in his trousers. It poked him several times until it escaped. The adorable looking flute shivered in the air, then began running around, much to Richard¡¯s hopelessness. It bumped into other stuff with incredible speed, destroying several pieces of arts and sculptures in the process. It seemed to be enjoying this art sacrilege. Richard panicked and chased after the flute. But the flute was too fast, and all he could do was despair as he saw one artistic object after another being destroyed. And it didn¡¯t matter which type of art it was; the flute clearly didn¡¯t care as long as it destroyed stuff. This was a terrible development. Even if had to catch the flute, how would he explain this massacre? When that man returns, he would surely uphold him and throw him in jail, or worse¡­ The flute then stopped hovering near the middle of the hall, holding the largest vase by its handle. It swirled it around like it was some kind of yo-yo. Richard bared his teeth, his eyes twitched on the provoking flute. He had enough of this shit. ¡°If it¡¯s war you want, then it¡¯s war you will get you piece of pipe shit!¡± The flute noticed that Richard had lost his reason, so it let go the vase. Richard jumped, landing horizontally and sliding on the floor trying to grab the vase before it reached the ground. But it was too late. The vase had broken into tiny fragments, covering and brushing Richard¡¯s body with pieces of glass. Then the flute, with nothing left to destroy, hovered in the middle of the hall, seemingly depressed that the fun was over. But Richard¡¯s fun was just about to start. He acted like a mad predator as if his only existence was to catch the flute in front of him and destroy in the most horrible way possible. He reached out his hand and grabbed the flute, his wide grin now turning into a massive maniacal laugh. If he had to go down, then this flute was coming down with him. He had already died once so he wasn¡¯t afraid of death. As long as this shit died with him, he would die with no regrets. However, a burst of energy suddenly arose from the circular floor; an unknown magical mechanism was triggered the moment Richard stepped at the very centre of the hall. The energy quickly surrounded Richard, trapping him inside it. It gradually expanded, enveloping and occupying almost the entire hall, forming a large spherical arc. The entire floor of the hall then began trembling and illuminating itself. The middle section gave way and formed a small depression, enveloping Richard even deeper into the magical spell. Shortly after, the man had returned with another old man, both surprised and shocked at the unfolding event. ¡°What?! How did he manage to activate the magical array?!!¡± ¡°Quickly, call the other elders! We need to control this mana surge before any further damage is done!¡± The older man ordered as he flew towards the outskirts of the magical circle and began meditating. The struggling Richard yelled in pain, and while he noticed someone had entered the hall, he couldn¡¯t hear their conversation. His entire vision then twisted, and he found himself in a similar hall, almost identical, albeit not as archaic as the one he was before. An ancient man sat meditating on the floor, his extensive beard overlapping itself multiple times. Richard gazed at him with interest. He could see through him, so he quickly deduced that this man must be a lingering spirit. The spirit opened its eyes, then spoke with grandiosity. ¡°I am the great founder of this conclave, Kong Sun. I am an existence beyond your comprehension, and the presence of someone as weak as you offends my eyes. Leave now!¡± Richard frowned. This old bastard reminded him of the egos of those bastards at the order. Luckily for him, he knew how he had to deal with them. ¡°Doesn¡¯t me coming here makes me as great as you?¡± Richard asked. Kong Sun eyes widened, his aura burning violently. ¡°You! Who do you think you are? How dare you compare the great me with the likes of yourself?!¡± ¡°Shut up, all you did so far was yelling how great you are. To be honest you don¡¯t look that special, not a great founder at all. As far as it concerns me, a great founder is supposed to help his conclave, yet you sit there like an indolent bastard.¡± Kong Sun¡¯s spirit raged with fury. He stood up floating mid-air. ¡°This place is a sacred chamber, a place I constructed just before my real body passed away! The spell I created was a spell of the highest order, the Spirit Converging technique! Other elders cast this technique too before they die, merging with this ever growing array of spirits!¡± ¡°Young children are presented to us, and the greater their dormant mana potential, the deeper they can dwell in this place, and the stronger the warriors they can meet. We guide anyone who comes here, showing them their destined paths.¡± ¡°And this is the deepest place of the spell! Throughout this spell¡¯s existence, there was only one person who has ever made it here. He was only one month old! His name was Gayus, and he was one of the best human mages to ever exist in this world! I am sure he is still alive out there and kicking!¡± ¡°But what about you? A sixteen-year-old and twenty days and you are yet to unlock your mana! This is an offence! You shouldn¡¯t even be here! Only the prodigies of the prodigies should appear before me!¡± Kong Sun ended his speech with a deafening cry. Richard sighed. ¡°If children and babies can unlock their mana, then I don¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t unlock it by myself! I don¡¯t need your help!¡± He closed his eyes and began meditating while Kong Sun stared at him dumbfounded.